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Carrie Underwood Honors Las Vegas Shooting Victims at 2017 Country Music Awards


This year’s annual Country Music Awards was not marked by tragedy, but rather hope and some good ol’ fashioned Nashville perseverance.

Carrie Underwood took time out of the award show’s standard “in memoriam” segment—which recognized country music artists who have passed away this year, such as legends Don Williams and Glen Campbell—to also pay tribute to the 58 victims of the devastating Las Vegas shooting that occurred last month. (The shooter specifically targeted attendees at a country music event: the Route 91 Harvest Festival.)

Performing a gorgeous rendition of the Christian hymn “Softly and Tenderly,” Underwood visibly became overcome with emotion when a black and white photo compilation of the victims appeared on a screen above the stage.

Underwood hosted the show alongside Brad Paisley for an astounding 10th time in a row, and the duo dedicated a significant portion of their opening monologue to encourage people to lighten up and enjoy the show for as long as they can—despite all of the terrible things going on in the world. The country community really is like a family, after all. “This has been a year marked by tragedy, impacting countless lives, including so many in our country music family,” Underwood said. “So tonight, we’re going to do what families do: come together, pray together, cry together, and sing together, too.”

Paisley added: “The way we see it, the best way to honor our fans is to play our music—loud and proud. Our music lifts people up and that’s what we’re here to do tonight. So this year’s show is dedicated to all of those we’ve lost and to all of those who are still healing. We love you and we will never forget you.”

Related: 2017 CMT Awards: Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban Deliver a Showstopping Duet





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NASA Honors 'Hidden Figures' Heroine Katherine Johnson With a Research Building Named After Her


PHOTO: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

It has been a big year for Katherine Johnson, the “human computer” who served as the brains behind NASA’s launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. Hidden Figures, the movie based on her inspiring—though, until recently, largely unknown—career premiered in January 2017. Taraji P. Henson portrayed Johnson onscreen, and the film won for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Even more importantly, the film and its portrayal of Johnson is being credited with galvanizing more young women to consider careers in science and technology. Now, in a very much overdue honor for the trailblazer, NASA has just dedicated a new facility to honor the mathematician: the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility.

Johnson was celebrated at the building’s ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier this week. In a pre-taped interview before the ceremony, the 99-year-old was asked how she felt about the recognition she was receiving. “You want my honest answer?,” she says. “I think they’re crazy.” Johnson then went on to acknowledge her coworkers, many of whom also remained unrecognized until Hidden Figures made a splash on the big screen. “I was excited at something new, always liked something new,” she said. “But give credit to everybody who helped. I didn’t do anything alone but try to go to the root of the question and succeeded there.”

PHOTO: Photo courtesy of NASA

ICYMI, NASA has been planning a much-talked about mission to Mars, the calculations for which could very well be done in Johnson’s new building. It that were to happen, says Johnson, “I’ll be exceedingly honored, greatly honored.”

Johnson also took a moment during her interview to share her advice for the young NASA engineers who will work at her namesake building. “Do your best, but like it,” she says. “Like what you do and then you will do your best.” Johnson credits that and her strong work ethic for her own success.

Watch her inspiring interview below:

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Related Stories:
—Meet the Incredible NASA Women You’ve Never Heard of in the New ‘Hidden Figures’ Trailer
—‘Hidden Figures’ Is Already Inspiring Women to Seek Careers in Science and Tech
—Would You Go to Mars? Meet the Four Women Astronauts Who Can’t Wait to Go



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President Trump Is the First President in 23 Years to Skip the Kennedy Center Honors


PHOTO: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

After an incredibly tense week at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, including highly charged fallout over President Trump‘s offensive comments and tweets following the rallies and violence in Charlottesville, the White House announced Saturday that neither Trump nor First Lady Melania Trump will attend the 40th Kennedy Center Honors on December 3. The Trumps will also take a pass on hosting the traditional reception at the White House prior to the main event.

“The president and first lady have decided not to participate in this year’s activities to allow the honorees to celebrate without any political distraction. First lady Melania Trump, along with her husband President Donald J. Trump, extend their sincerest congratulations and well wishes to all of this year’s award recipients for their many accomplishments,” the White House said in a statement, according to the New York Times.

Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been awarded to individuals for lifetime achievements in the arts. The five 2017 honorees are producer and writer Norman Lear, singer Gloria Estefan, singer LL Cool J, dancer Carmen De Lavallade, and singer-songwriter Lionel Richie. Prior to Trump’s announcement that he wouldn’t attend, three out of the five honorees—Carmen De Lavallade, Norman Lear, and Lionel Richie—had expressed intent to boycott the event.

As de Lavallade, 86, said in a written statement to the Washington Post on Thursday: “In light of the socially divisive and morally caustic narrative that our current leadership is choosing to engage in, and in keeping with the principles that I and so many others have fought for, I will be declining the invitation to attend the reception at the White House.”

Trump’s decision to skip the event makes him the first president in 23 years to miss it. In 1994, President Clinton was en route to Budapest for a conference; President George Bush was at a summit in Malta in 1989; and in 1979, President Carter opted to skip because of the Iran hostage crisis. President Trump also skipped out on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April, opting to hold a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, instead.

Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein and President Deborah F. Rutter tweeted in a joint statement that the Trumps’ absence “ensures the Honors gala remains a deservingly special moment for the Honorees.”

The Trumps’ declined invite hopefully means that those who have made incredible contributions to the arts over their lifetimes will feel comfortable attending, as they more than deservedly should.

Related Stories:
–Donald Trump Just Had an Unhinged Press Conference. Here Are 16 of the Most Offensive Moments
–Donald Trump Is Officially Skipping the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
–After Charlottesville, Trump Tweeted a Cartoon of a Train Hitting a CNN Reporter



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