Names and faces
Taylor Swift returned to her country roots during a surprise appearance at the famed Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tenn. The Tennessean reported that Swift joined songwriter Craig Wiseman onstage Saturday night. The 28-year-old Swift received a standing ovation from the roughly 40 patrons.
Swift, who had her hair in a ponytail and wore a black turtleneck, grabbed an acoustic guitar and played her pop hit
“Shake It Off” before performing “Love
Story” and “Better Man,” a song written by Swift that helped Little Big Town win a Grammy Award for best country duo or group performance. On Saturday, Swift reminded Wiseman that he had passed on the opportunity to write “Love Story” with her. Wiseman and Swift have known each other since meeting at a charity show when she was a teenager.
Rocker Ted Nugent said the Florida students calling for gun control have “no soul” and are “mushy brained children.” The 69-year-old made the comments Friday while defending the National Rifle Association as a guest on the Joe Pags Show, a nationally syndicated conservative radio program. Nugent, a longtime member of the NRA’s board of directors, said survivors of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., are wrong to blame the NRA and its members for mass shootings. “These poor children, I’m afraid to say, it hurts me to say, but the evidence is irrefutable: They have no soul,” Nugent said. He added that the gun control measures the students support amount to “spiritual suicide” and “will cause more death and mayhem.” A representative for Nugent did not respond to a request for comment Saturday. Some Parkland students responded on social media and demanded an apology. “If only he saw all the tears. If only he had to look into the eyes I’ve looked into. If only he saw what this did to all of us,” junior Cameron Kasky said on Twitter. “And here the NRA is, receiving more fear-based donations than ever. Talk about ‘no soul.’ This guy better apologize. Seriously.” Senior Kyra Parrow said it’s funny that the NRA rails against bullying while Nugent was “being a 5 year old acting like a bully” to her and her classmates.