Nashville City Council rebukes Morgan Wallen

Nashville City Councilmembers have rejected plans for a glowing sign to be erected at Morgan Wallen’s new bar along the city’s neon-lit strip of honky-tonks, citing his use of a racial slur that caused controversy in 2021 and recent criminal charges accusing the country star of throwing a chair off a rooftop near two police officers.

The Nashville Metro Council voted 30-3 Tuesday evening against the proposed sign at Morgan Wallen’s This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen, which is set to open this weekend.

“I don’t want to see a billboard up with the name of a person who is throwing chairs off of balconies and who is saying racial slurs,” said Councilmember Delishia Porterfield, who is Black.

Councilmember Jacob Kupin presented the proposal but said he “thought long and hard” about what to do because of Wallen’s behavior.

The Associated Press reached out to Wallen’s publicist seeking comment on the council vote.

Kelly Rowland has words with security at Cannes

Kelly Rowland was seen on camera having a tense moment with security at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, when she appeared to get upset with the way she was being ushered into the theater.

The former Destiny’s Child singer, 43, was walking a red carpet when photographers captured her yelling at a female security guard, according to TMZ.

A video of the incident showed Rowland being urged continuously to head up the steps by multiple members of security, but something one guard said or did seemed to go too far. Some online speculated that the security guard had stepped on Rowland’s dress, a flowing red gown with a long train, while others attempted to read Rowland’s lips and said she said, “Don’t talk to me like that.”

Cameras caught the singer pointing her finger in the guard’s face and saying something.

Graceland foreclosure sale halted amid lawsuit

A judge on Wednesday said Elvis Presley’s estate could be successful in arguing that a company’s attempt to auction Graceland is fraudulent as he halted a foreclosure sale of the beloved Memphis, Tennessee, tourist attraction.

Later Wednesday, a statement from someone who appeared to be a representative of the company said it would drop its claim, which the Presley estate has argued is based on fake documents. Online court records did not immediately show any legal filings suggesting the claim had been dropped.

Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins’ injunction essentially keeps in place a previous restraining order issued at the request of Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough.

— From wire reports