Columbus, state Ohio Showbiz Latest News and Updates

It’s Okay to Be a Unicorn! after a parent accused the book of trying to “recruit kids to become gay.”Jason Tharp, 45, says he wrote the book to promote inclusion among children, and was planning to read the book aloud to a group of students at an elementary school north of Columbus, Ohio, on April 6.But the day before the reading, Tharp said he received a call from the principal saying that officials with the Buckeye Valley Local School District did not approve of the book and believed it could have a “gay agenda.”“I just said, did somebody think I made a gay book? And [the principal is] like, ‘Yeah,’ and I’m like, ‘Because why? Rainbows and unicorns?'” Tharp told USA TODAY, noting hat the principal confirmed that as the reasoning behind the censorship.Tharp says he remains confused about the cancellation, since the school had booked him more than two years ago, and administrators had previously ordered over 500 of his books to be distributed to students six weeks prior to his visit.Tharp later told USA Today that a parent had complained about the book after going through his social media accounts and seeing LGBTQ-supportive posts.“What it turns out was that it was one parent that came in and said that apparently, I was coming in with an agenda to recruit kids to be gay,” he said. “…It’s the craziest thing, and never in a million years would have thought that I’d be defending a unicorn because people thought I was trying to recruit kids.”He noted that he offered to read another of his books, It’s Okay to Smell Good!, which tells the story of a skunk who enjoys good-smelling things, unlike other skunks.

Interpol and Spoon have announced a co-headlined coast-to-coast North American tour,  ‘Lights, Camera, Factions’. Tickets will be available hereThe tour kicks off on August 25 in Asbury Park at The Stone Pony Summer Stage and ends with a two-night stint at Portland, OR’s Pioneer Square on September 17 and 18.

Tool performed their 1993 song ‘Undertow’ for the first time in 20 years at a show in the US last week – check out the footage below.The Los Angeles band played at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan on Thursday night (March 3) as part of their COVID-delayed 2022 world tour, which kicked off in January.Midway through the 12-song setlist, Tool surprised the crowd by playing the title track from their debut studio album for the first time since April 2022 (via Setlist.FM). Tool didn’t perform ‘Undertow’ at their next concert in Columbus, Ohio last night (March 6).You can see fan-shot footage here:Tool’s current tour was postponed by almost two years, with the band having shelved their live plans when the pandemic hit in March 2020.During their first show back on January 10, the group dusted off a handful of songs that hadn’t been performed live for a number of years.

Poliça have shared their latest single ‘Rotting’ – you can hear the band’s first new song of 2022 below.The track actually marks the first new music release from the Minneapolis-based project – comprising of singer Channy Leaneagh, producer Ryan Olson, bassist Chris Bierden and drummers Ben Ivascu and Drew Christopherson – since the arrival of their January 2020 album ‘When We Stay Alive’.Poliça have returned to action today (February 28) with the track ‘Rotting’, which features co-production from the Berlin-based techno producer Dustin Zahn.You can hear Poliça’s ‘Rotting’ below.Poliça have also announced details of a North American tour for this summer, which will follow on from a previously announced slot at Mid West Music Fest in Winona, Minnesota in April.You can see Poliça’s upcoming tour dates below and find tickets when they go on sale here.April30 – Midwest Music Fest, Winona, MNJune9 – Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL10 – Marble Bar, Detroit, MI11 – Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON12 – Bar le Ritz, Montreal, QC13 – Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA16 – Elsewhere, Brooklyn, NY17 – The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA18 – The Black Cat, Washington, DC19 – The Basement, Columbus, OH July2 – Earth Rider Brewery, Superior, WI6 – Lucky You Lounge, Spokane, WA7 – Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA8 – Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, BC9 – Doug Fir, Portland, OR11 – Independent, San Francisco, CA12 – Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles, CA14 – Casbah, San Diego, CA15 – Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix, AZ16 – Meow Wolf, Santa Fe, NM17 – Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO19 – The Raccoon Motel, Davenport, IA

ABC 6 reporter Myles Harris has the best mom.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe latest entertainment venture for Arnold Schwarzenegger? The former governor of California and star of more than four dozen films has teamed with YouTube creator Logan Paul to launch the Slap Fighting Championship next month — featuring a roster of beefy men slapping the crap out each other.The Slap Fighting Championship will be held March 5 in Columbus, Ohio, and livestreamed for free on Logan Paul’s YouTube and Facebook channels and on Fanmio.com. The event is being staged by Poland-based slap-fighting promoter PunchDown.“Prepare to watch some brutal slaps March 5th with me and @loganpaul live and free on Logan’s YouTube and on @fanmio,” Schwarzenegger tweeted Tuesday.Paul is a controversial YouTuber and actor who has mounted a boxing career; last year, he sparred with Floyd Mayweather in a pay-per-view event on Showtime.

Magnolia Network is bringing in five brand new shows.

EXCLUSIVE: Magnolia Network, Discovery’s joint venture with Chip and Joanna Gaines, has ordered five new unscripted series and has renewed three, including staple Magnolia Table with Joanne Gaines and DYI transplant Restoring Galveston. New series include A Home Away with husband-and-wife design team Bryan and Catherine Williamson; Beach Cottage Chronicles (wt); Handcrafted Hotels following a hotelier and team of artists; Home Stories with Kate and Amy (wt) with stylist-photographer duo Kate Martindale and Amy Neunsinger; and an untitled project with professional baker Bryan Ford.

His biggest fan! As Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s star quickly rises in the NFL, his love life is making headlines too.

Guy Fieri’s allegiances are a bit torn when it comes to Super Bowl LVI. Fieri is a passionate Las Vegas Raiders fan who was born in Columbus, Ohio, just over 100 miles away from where the Cincinnati Bengals call home.The Bengals beat the Raiders on their way to a Super Bowl appearance, which Fieri admitted to Fox News Digital was painful to see. Guy Fieri looks on before the game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots Gillette Stadium on Oct.

NEW YORK -- Receiving a literary prize from the American Library Association is a kind of homecoming for the essayist-poet Hanif Abdurraqib.“When I was young, I treated the library as a place to pass time, to get lost in books that I could have otherwise not afforded to own, music that I could not have afforded to have,” Abdurraqib, 38, a recipient of an Andrew Carnegie Medal for “A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance,” said in a recent interview,On Sunday, the library association awarded Abdurraqib the medal for excellence in nonfiction and gave the fiction prize to 25-year-old Tom Lin, the youngest ever Carnegie winner, for his debut novel “The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu.” Each author receives $5,000 and will be honored in June at the association's annual conference.Abdurraqib is a Columbus, Ohio native who returned there a few years ago, and the library system has been a thread throughout — whether a quiet place for his imagination, a refuge during times he was short of money or a source for a favorite book. He currently lives near the Martin Luther King Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library and stops by often.“I made a conscious decision to cut down on the amount of books in my home over the past two years, which means I get to return to the delight of getting books from the library — being on a waiting list and getting the email that my time has come,” he says.

Twenty One Pilots have shared a surprise livestream version of their new album ‘Scaled And Icy’ – listen to it below.Back in May, the Columbus duo – Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun – delivered their first ever virtual concert from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, during which they ran through a number of previous hits as well as some from their latest LP.Today (November 19), the pair have surprised fans with a digital deluxe edition of ‘Scaled And Icy’ including never before released

EXCLUSIVE: Ori Segev and Noah Dixon’s debut feature Poser, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, is getting a U.S. theatrical release, after Oscilloscope said Tuesday that it acquired North American rights.

EXCLUSIVE: Kevin Hart’s HartBeat Productions is teaming up with youth entertainment company Complex Networks, Klutch Originals and Haven Entertainment, on what they say will be the definitive documentary series on one the wildest sports tale of 2021 — the story of Bishop Sycamore High School’s football team.

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She may be the GOAT of gymnastics, but to Simone Biles‘ parents, she’s just their daughter. Simone’s mother, Nellie Ceytano Biles, and her father, Ronald Biles, aren’t her biological parents, but they’re her mom and dad nonetheless.

Tomris Laffly Stylish and insidery, “Poser” is enthralled by Columbus, Ohio, particularly its burgeoning independent arts and music scene.

LeBron James has issued an apology for something he tweeted (and deleted) on April 20 after the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant by police. “I fueled the wrong conversation about Ma’Khia Bryant and I owe it to her and this movement to change it,” the NBA great tweeted on May 4, thanking Vox reporter Fabiola Cineas for her story about the slain Black teenager.

LeBron James explained why he deleted a tweet about the fatal police shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl in Columbus, Ohio, following her death on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Lakers star and entertainment actor/producer LeBron James has posted about his reasons for taking down what some saw as an inflammatory tweet regarding the police shooting of a 16-year-old Black girl in Columbus, Ohio.

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

Twenty minutes before Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, a Black teenage girl was shot and killed by police in Columbus, Ohio. Sixteen-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant‘s death came after police responded to a 911 call on April 20 about a potential stabbing in the southeastern part of the city.

Kooperstein directed newscasts for KCOP-TV and musical specials on Miss Saigon and Kiss of the Spider Woman for the Ahmanson Theatre, and also produced the Hollywood Christmas Parade. Additionally, he was a Governor for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Former Vice President Mike Pence is writing his autobiography, signing with Simon & Schuster to publish his memoirs that will cover his life from Columbus, Ohio, to governor to his tenure as Donald Trump’s vice president.

One of the kindest drag queens ever to grace the runway on the Emmy-winning RuPaul’s Drag Race Nina West has signed with HG5 Entertainment for management representation.

Even the most mundane tasks can turn deadly.

A Columbus, Ohio law enforcement officer who shot and killed an unarmed Black man seconds after their encounter was fired, officials said Monday. A hearing was held Monday to determine whether Adam Coy should be fired because of the Dec.

Officials in Columbus, Ohio released police body camera footage that shows the fatal shooting of a 47-year-old man holding a cell phone, the second shooting in the area of a Black man by authorities this month.  The video shows the deadly encounter between police and Andre Hill, who was shot seconds after an officer found him emerging from a garage early Tuesday morning. Police initially responded to the area around 1:30 a.m.

Trey Songz is making headlines for hosting a massive club night amid the coronavirus pandemic.The singer, who tested positive for COVID-19 back in October, performed at Aftermath in Columbus, Ohio, over the weekend, with approximately 500 guests in attendance. The event clearly violated health safety orders, resulting in the venue now being forced to temporarily shut down.Staff Lieutenant Craig S.

Trey Songz came under fire after holding a 500-person indoor “Champagne Saturdays” event at the Aftermath night club in Columbus, Ohio, per the New York Post. During the Dec.

Approximately 500 people attended a performance by Trey Songz at a Columbus, Ohio, nightclub on Saturday.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorA nightclub in Columbus, Ohio was cited for violating COVID-19 health orders after an estimated 500 people attending an indoor concert by R&B singer Trey Songz on Saturday night, according to NBC News.The club, ironically called Aftermath, received a citation for improper conduct and disorderly activities after patrons were seen sharing alcoholic beverages and making no effort to maintain social distancing, the Ohio Investigative Unit told the news outlet.

Right before an Ohio restaurant temporarily closed its doors because of the state’s rising coronavirus cases, a customer stepped in to buy a $7 beer -- and left a $3,000 tip for the staff on his way out.  On Sunday, Brendan Ring, the owner of Nighttown in Columbus, Ohio, posted about the generous tip on social media.  According to the post, the customer ordered his drink right before Nighttown closed for the night. Sunday was also the restaurant’s last day before it temporarily closed.

It’s been a while since PJ North released a music video, and the singer-songwriter and part-time race car driver returned in a big way on Nov. 19.

Tyler, the Creator shared his latest collaboration with Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, a brand new flavor called Pluto Bleu. The two-toned, blood orange, and tropical blueberry-flavored ice cream is the second time the rapper has teamed up with the Columbus, Ohio-based dessert brand.

3,000 “Facebook problems” were recognized by DownDetector.com from 1:05 p,m. PT to 2:30 p.m.