In the series premiere of BLUE SKIES, streaming on UPtv, park ranger and former military soldier Jodi Larsen teams up with her high school

NBA star Stephen Curry says his own “underdog” story inspired his latest project, animated movie GOAT. “I was physically a late...

Most Americans operate under the comforting assumption that the stocks, bonds, and assets in their 401(k) or IRA physically belong to them. However, a quiet but radical shift in property law that began in the 1970s has turned this “ownership” into a legal fiction. According to the report, the creation of the Depository Trust Company […]

Being a voice for other women. Bunnie Xo has always worn her heart on her sleeve, giving fans a glimpse into her and Jelly Roll’s at-home life, which has created a fanbase unlike any other. From documenting the chaos of building their mini farm to highlighting Jelly Roll’s incredible weight loss, Bunnie has pulled back the curtain on their life and shared every aspect of being married to a country music star and being a step-mother. And being so candid with her viewers means Bunnie Xo has also shared some of the hardships she’s faced, such as their IVF journey. Bunnie and Jelly had planned to keep this journey private for a long time, but they decided to open up after Jelly Roll noted that wanting to have a child had significantly motivated him to lose weight. While Bunnie Xo is highly involved in the lives of Jelly Roll’s two children from previous relationships, the couple has decided they want a child who shares their DNA. To achieve this goal, Bunnie Xo shared with fans that she’s undergoing IVF and has periodically given them updates on her journey. After doing back-to-back rounds of IVF, Bunnie admitted that she was thinking about taking a break, given the toll it took on her body. The first round of IVF was good for Bunnie; however, she had a horrible second-round reaction to a different medication her doctor put her on, which caused her to go into a medical menopause. “So I’m doing my second round of IVF. The last cycle, we got eggs, they are frozen, whatever. But I guess to increase your chances of having a baby, you need to have as many eggs as possible, which is why women end up doing 5-10 IVF cycles. Which hats off to you, broads, because there is no way, shape, or form that I could do that.” When Bunnie said she was thinking about letting fate take over, she got a call from her doctor with some big news. While the news hasn’t been revealed yet, Bunnie shared with followers that it’s not a pregnancy announcement. Based on what she’s shared about this journey, it sounds like any good news is worth celebrating. “When you just got the call you’ve been waiting on for 5 months since this IVF journey started. All the tears, the hopeless & the struggle, God finally said, ‘Here.’” View this post on Instagram Bunnie assured fans it wasn’t a pregnancy announcement, but it was a step in the right direction. Since sharing this update, Bunnie Xo has stepped back from sharing her IVF content. Fans have received little information about their journey since this spring and summer. However, Bunnie touched on it a little bit during a fall episode of the Dumb Blonde podcast episode with Maury Povich. At one point in the conversation, Maury shares that he and his wife, Connie Chung, also went through IVF over 30 years ago to conceive. Eventually, Maury and his bride adopted, and are so blessed and thankful for the opportunity to raise these children and build a family, even if it was not the way they had initially envisioned. Maury showed a lot of compassion toward Bunnie Xo during this conversation, knowing that she was going through what his wife had endured in hopes of getting pregnant. Bunnie Xo was grateful for Povich’s openness, noting that she and Jelly Roll are putting their journey in God’s hands. “It is tough, but at the same time, you just put it in God’s hands, and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. And if not, we can always adopt.”  @xomgitsbunnie Thank goodness for my glasses hiding the tears trying to come OUT NOW on YT: DumbBlondePod #dbpodcast #maurypovich ♬ original sound – Bunnie Xo Bunnie Xo opens up about her fertility struggles in her upcoming novel Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, touching on her past and how she and Jelly Roll began their IVF journey. During a recent conversation with PEOPLE, Bunnie Xo shared that while this path has been challenging for her and her husband, she feels their struggles are a sign to use her platform to speak for women, especially those in the midst of IVF. “God’s putting me through this again, so that I can be a voice for those women who are going through this process.” While their journey has not been what they pictured, Bunnie Xo shares that going through this journey has shown her how strong women are. Bunnie Xo has praised women who have undergone multiple IVF rounds and still speaks highly of the IVF community, noting that these women are warriors. “It is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through, and there are women out there that are doing 10 to 15 egg retrievals. They are freaking warriors. My hat goes off to these women, and they’re just such a cool community. So God is… Everything happens for a reason. It always comes around full circle.” We hope that Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll’s dream of having a child of their own comes true one day. Good things come to those who wait, and in the meantime, Bunnie Xo has been a powerful voice for the community of women also going through IVF. Bunnie Xo is a warrior for wearing her heart on her sleeve and sharing this vulnerable chapter of life. View this post on Instagram The post “God’s Putting Me Through This Again So That I Can Be A Voice” – Bunnie Xo Found Purpose Building Community Amid Her Challenging IVF Journey first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Waylon Jennings and Robert Duvall went way back… and with the actor’s recent passing, now’s a good time to revisit the Hollywood-Outlaw connection the two had. This past Sunday, the Academy Award-winning actor passed away at the age of 95. Duvall was known for the countless films and television shows he starred in during his career that got started in 1960. Some might know him from classic movies like The Godfather, Days of Thunder, Apocalypse Now, and the country music film Tender Mercies. Others might remember him for his more comedic roles in Kicking and Screaming and Four Christmases. He’s a name that will go down in the history books as one of the best actors of all time, and his wife, Luciana, shared this message earlier today letting the world know that Robert Duvall had passed on: “Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time. Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort. To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything. His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court. For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented. In doing so, he leaves something lasting and unforgettable to us all. Thank you for the years of support you showed Bob and for giving us this time and privacy to celebrate the memories he leaves behind.” If you were to scroll through all of his acting credits, you’d likely be overwhelmed. I’ve already mentioned a number of projects Duvall starred in… but that was just scratching the surface. For over six decades, Robert Duvall brought his prowess to movies and TV shows far and wide. He even starred in a little something for Waylon Jennings. One of the credits on Duvall’s IMDB is for a Waylon’s “America” music video. That’s a little bit misleading, because Duvall doesn’t appear in that music video… but does appear in a production with a 37-minute run time called Waylon Jennings America. The long-form music video features songs from Jennings’ catalogue like “The Conversation,” “Never Could Toe The Mark,” and “America.” Smack dab in the middle of it, Robert Duvall plays a doctor of psychiatry in a clip where viewers get to see the Hollywood legend help Waylon through a therapy session. Duvall asks questions like “Why do you write about women in your songs?” and “What was it like growing up in West Texas?” and even “What time of day do you write the best songs?” From what I can tell, Waylon provides realistic answers… even though it all seems to be more of a joke than anything else. There’s even another country music cameo at the very end that you’ll want to stick around for (excuse the grainy footage): Pretty cool to see Robert Duvall, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash all together… and to hear Waylon tell a story about Shooter. Evidently, Duvall got along quite well with Waylon, and the two were good friends. And speaking of Shooter, the son of Waylon shared a message of his own when he found out about the passing of the Hollywood legend. Shooter Jennings says that his father and Duvall were close, and the actor’s connection to the Jennings family even included some help with Robert Duvall’s role in The Apostle: “Oh man! Robert Duvall and my dad were friends. We stayed at his house one time when I was a teenager. He had pot bellied pigs running around. He was so nice. He studied my mom’s mother and her family for the role in ‘The Apostle.’ My dad loved ‘Tender Mercies’ (as do I), but my dad really felt that he had nailed the West Texas accent in that movie and had really captured the spirit of a character like that. So sad to hear he’s passed away. He was one of my favorites. From ‘To Kill A Mockingbird,’ to ‘Network,’ to ‘Falling Down,’ I love all of his movies. Rest in Peace, Bobby!” Oh man! Robert Duvall and my dad were friends. We stayed at his house one time when I was a teenager. He had pot bellied pigs running around. He was so nice. He studied my mom’s mother and her family for the roll in the Apostle. My dad loved Tender Mercies (as do I), but my… — Shooter Jennings (@shooterjennings) February 16, 2026 Here’s a picture of the two together in Malibu back in the 80s… Photographer Alan Messer says: “I took this photograph of Steve singing “City Of New Orleans” with Waylon and Robert Duvall at Duvall’s Serra Retreat home in Malibu, California, in the summer of 1984. Also in this picture are Gail Youngs (Duvall’s then wife), Jessi Colter, and Charlie Feldman. Party guests included film production people, directors, actresses and actors such as Sean Penn. Steve Goodman was in great form, singing brilliantly, meanwhile knowing he was very ill.” RIP Robert Duvall.The post The Late, Great Robert Duvall Was Friends With Waylon Jennings & Once Starred In A Music Video Production With The Country Star first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

One of the best last-minute decisions ever. Despite being the second-highest-selling country artist of all time, having a plethora of certified diamond hits such as “Beautiful Crazy,” “Hurricane” and “When It Rains It Pours” and for all intents and purposes being the biggest straight-down-the-middle country artist of the past decade, ironically, Luke Combs‘ biggest hit of his career thus far has been none other than his cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” which found its home on his 2023 album, Gettin’ Old. Though it hasn’t quite pulled the streaming numbers and RIAA certifications that the aforementioned tracks have, to date, “Fast Car” is Combs’ highest-charting song. In addition to doubling up at #1 on both Billboard’s Hot Country and Country Airplay charts, it would also reach #1 on their US Adult Pop Airplay chart and, more incredibly, #2 on the all-genre Hot 100. After all the success on both streaming and radio, it led to two CMA Awards for Single and Song of the Year in 2023, a Single of the Year win at the 2024 CMA Awards and a nomination for Best Solo Country Performance at the 66th Grammys, where he’d make his iconic performance alongside Chapman during the show. Of course, the track is nothing short of a smash at this point. With that being said, however, it was nearly never recorded. In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, the North Carolina native would reveal that he never really intended to record the song, and it was ultimately an extremely last-minute addition to Growin’ Up. Though he wouldn’t directly state it, he’d also imply that the fan reaction to the acoustic rendition of the track he posted during the pandemic also played a role in finally giving “Fast Car” a chance in the studio. “I played it on a live stream during COVID at my house, and people really loved it. I ended up in the studio like two years later. I had an extra hour, wasn’t even planning on recording it, to be honest. And I was like, ‘We have an hour, let’s throw this on there just for fun.’ Then it just became the biggest song I’ll ever put out probably.” At Whiskey Riff, our blog about that COVID-era cover went mega-viral, and it was immediately clear to us, based on the fan reaction, that Luke needed to record it. And we wrote a number of follow up blogs over the years begging him to do so. And it honestly seemed like it was never gonna  happen. Incredibly, he almost didn’t record it, even with the extra studio time. In a conversation with Garth Brooks during an “Artist-to-Artist” conversation on the BIG 615 radio station, Combs would also reveal that his producer Jonathan Singleton almost talked him out of recording the track. “We get in and we finish early and Jonathan is like ‘What do you want to do?’ I said, ‘What if we do a cover of Fast Car?’ I wanted to do it for me. I remember Jonathan trying to talk me out of it. He was like, ‘Dude, that song has been covered so many times. Nobody’s gonna care.’  I said, ‘I don’t care if anybody cares. I just want to have it.’ I had been covering it for years in college and it’s always been this really big part of my life. So we did it and it turned out really great. We put the record out and we didn’t promo it or anything and it just took off.” Overall, Combs’ version of “Fast Car” always felt like one of those “lightning in a bottle” moments that simply cannot and will not be replicated again. And after multiple CMA and ACM wins, a Grammy nomination and one of the most iconic Grammy performances of the last decade, it’s safe to say that he made one of the greatest last-minute decisions of all time upon finally pulling the trigger and recording it during Growin’ Up’s creation. “Fast Car” My Kinda Saturday Night Tour Dates March 21 Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV April 4 Scott Stadium – Charlottesville, VA April 11 Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, IA April 18 Notre Dame Stadium – South Bend, IN April 25 Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH May 2 Neyland Stadium – Knoxville, TN May 9 Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium – Norman, OK May 15 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 16 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 30 Parc Jean-Drapeau – Montreal, QC June 5 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON June 6 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON July 4 Ullevi – Gothenburg, Sweden July 7 Accor Arena – Paris, France July 11 Johan Cruijff ArenA – Amsterdam, Netherlands July 18 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 19 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 25 Scottish Gas Murrayfield – Edinburgh, UK July 31 Wembley Stadium – London, UK August 1 Wembley Stadium – London, UK  The post “Wasn’t Even Planning On Recording It”: Luke Combs Says His Cover Of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” Was Nearly Never Recorded first appeared on Whiskey Riff.