Latest news with #ILoveYouForever
Kuwait Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Kuwait and China expand renewable energy cooperation
It's been over three years since Zac Brown Band bassist and songwriter John Driskell Hopkins was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease). Now, he's offering an update on his condition, and sharing an emotional new song that he wrote for his wife and daughters, "I Love You Forever." According to the Mayo Clinic , ALS is a "progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control." There is no cure for ALS. The average life expectancy for a person with ALS after diagnosis is about 2-5 years. When he first announced his diagnosis, Hopkins described his symptoms as "slow-progressing." Today, Hopkins continues to perform with Zac Brown Band. He and the band launched a foundation called Hop on a Cure that supports research to prevent, reverse and cure ALS. Hopkins has made some modifications to his performances, like slowing down his guitar parts, and he no longer jumps onstage like other members of the band. "I really wish I could run out into the thrust and jump, but I am parked over at my microphone," he tells People . "And they come run over to me and they never let me feel like I'm not involved. And that's wonderful." He also says that he believes his continuing involvement in his music career is having a positive impact on his health. "For me, keeping going is really important," he says elsewhere in his People interview. "I feel like if I did sit in a recliner and play the whole 'woe is me' card, I would be a lot worse off." He tells Us Weekly that he was inspired to write "I Love You Forever" as a way to bottle up everything he wants his family to know after he loses the ability to communicate with them verbally. "The only thing I could think of was, 'What do I say to my girls that will wrap everything up in one phrase?'" he explains. "'I Love You Forever' was the only thing that made sense. I've turned the song into a bit of a fatherly advice piece." Here Are the Lyrics to John Driskell Hopkins' "I Love You Forever": Today is the only day that we are given / Life is a festival, you should be livin' / Don't worry, baby / When things get crazy True friends are loyal, they love us in spite / Of our faults and bring joy all throughout our whole lives / The slings and arrows are weak / And shallow Chorus: And I love you forever / Alone or together / Perfect days, stormy weather / I love you forever Boys don't need nearly as much as they tell you / Patience is prudent when all hell breaks loose / Children need holding / Even when scolding And I don't know how long this body will hold me / But my hope for you is you will grow old / We will be together in the ever after Repeat Chorus Wait / There's love all around you / Reminds you that all is not lost / Oh, wait / You girls and your mother / You have one another to hold and lean on / Always know that Repeat Chorus You are my sunshine in stormy weather / Forever together / I love you forever Carly Pearce, Mark Chesnutt and Colt Ford have all made headlines recently for serious medical problems, but they are not the only country stars living with chronic illness. Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Popular Country Star Shares Emotional Health Update Amid Ongoing ALS Battle
John Driskell Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band is sharing a health update amid his battle with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). During a May 12 interview with Us Weekly, Hopkins, who received his ALS diagnosis in 2021, noted that he is still able to speak, sing, walk, and play instruments. "Just the fact that I'm speaking to you and walking around and able to still sing and play is kind of unheard of in the averages of this disease. So we're very grateful and doing everything we can to stay on top of it," said Hopkins to the publication. According to Hopkins, his bandmates have been a constant source of support, even if he doesn't always want their assistance. 'Often I lovingly slap their hands away and say, 'I'll ask when I need it,' but they're all family and they totally get it," said the 54-year-old during the Us Weekly interview. Hopkins, who has continued to tour with the Zac Brown Band, shared that he believes singing has helped him navigate the neurodegenerative disease. "I think singing actually helps me, just the act of doing," said Hopkins. "Sometimes, I will be having a bad voice day on the talking side, and I will have a gig and have to sing, and everything goes great. It's really odd how the mind works like that, but I feel like being able to continue is helping me continue.' Hopkins shared that songwriting helped him break the news of his ALS diagnosis to his daughters, whom he shares with his wife, Jennifer Hopkins. "The only thing I could think of was, 'What do I say to my girls that will wrap everything up in one phrase? What if I'm not able to communicate?'" said Hopkins to the publication. He said he was able to convey what he needed to in his new song "I Love You Forever." "I Love You Forever' was the only thing that made sense. I've turned the song into a bit of a fatherly advice piece," said Hopkins to Us Weekly. Hopkins then shared that his three children have been incredibly helpful amid his ALS journey. According to the singer, they are "ready to help [him]" anytime they think he may be "struggling with a step or a treacherous part of an outdoor activity." He clarified that his ALS diagnosis hasn't caused too much of a disruption in their lives. "We remain busy with their schedules and we don't always have time to think about my instability, but I'm still able to drive them to activities and their lives, fortunately, haven't changed much as a result of this," said Hopkins while speaking to the publication. Hopkins opened up about his 2021 ALS diagnosis during a November 2024 interview with CBS Mornings. Hopkins said he was diagnosed with ALS two years after he first noticed that his "right hand was slowing down in 2019." He also said that he has been "very blessed to have a slow progression" with the disease. "But it still is a progression. And I'm not jumping on stage anymore. And I'm slowing down a lot," continued Hopkins. Hopkins then said he has been experiencing some difficulty "speaking, walking, and playing as quickly as [he] used." He also shared some advice to anyone who is going through something similar with their health. "Every day counts. And we're not promised tomorrow. And when I was diagnosed, I thought to myself, 'I guess I'm next.' I'm the next one in my group of friends and my family to go. And that wasn't true. There's always hope," said Hopkins.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I Love You Forever' Trailer: Sofia Black-D'Elia Falls for an Abusive Ray Nicholson in Hilarious Yet Poignant Anti-Rom-Com
As rom-coms have a resurgence in Hollywood, the anti-rom-com is on its way. Cue the ingenuous 'I Love You Forever,' which IndieWire can announce has been acquired by Utopia for theatrical distribution after having premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival. It's almost shocking to think that the pitch perfect tone-driven ode to millennial milieu is the directorial debut of co-writers Cazzie David and Elisa Kalani. In contrast, it makes perfect sense that ahead-of-her-time tastemaker Diablo Cody produced it. More from IndieWire Bong Joon Ho to Be Honored by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures with 'Director's Inspiration' Exhibit Sundance 2025 Films Sold So Far: Netflix Buys Clint Bentley's 'Train Dreams' with Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones 'Single Drunk Female' breakout star Sofia Black-D'Elia leads the film as law student Mackenzie, who meets the man of her dreams, Finn (Ray Nicholson), at the birthday party of her bestie (writer/director David). However, charming broadcast journalist Finn is soon revealed to be a narcissist, and Mackenzie's perfect love story becomes a harrowing nightmare of living in an abusive relationship in plain sight. Raymond Cham Jr. and Jon Rudnitsky co-star. Co-writers/directors Kalani and David previously co-created the critically acclaimed web-series 'Eighty-Sixed.' David previously told IndieWire that 'I Love You Forever' isn't supposed to be a mainstream feature — rather, the indie was made for those who too have survived narcissistic abuse and been gaslit into doubting themselves. The film was also made to educate others while validating the experience. 'This film is probably not going to resonate with anyone who doesn't have a somewhat personal experience to a relationship like this,' David told IndieWire. 'We're very aware of that. But we just really wanted to make a movie that was a grounded representation of emotional abuse, particularly in an emotionally abusive relationship. People who have been through something like this can hopefully feel seen during such a confusing, isolating experience.' Plus, it is actually very funny, while still balancing the right tone of respectful seriousness during particularly triggering sequences. 'We love comedy, and we also like making things that have some kind of [message] and do mean something. This was a story we felt like we wanted to tell,' David continued. 'We really wanted to make a rom-com for our generation, something that just felt relatable to the dating pool now. While doing both of those things, we kind of came to this realization that a rom-com can also include meeting someone who ends up being toxic. We satirized the love-bombing, and that became our movie.' The IndieWire review compared 'I Love You Forever' to 'Fatal Attraction,' 'Promising Young Woman,' and 'American Pyscho' — at least in terms of Nicholson's turn as Finn. 'With Nicholson's smile that he inherited from his real-life father Jack Nicholson, it all makes the rom-com side of the romantic horror film feel more real,' the review reads. 'Nicholson sells the audience on Finn selling himself to Mackenzie, and it's not that Mackenzie is too blind to see his faults; it's just that Finn is that good of an emotional abuser. […] Just don't call the feature an erotic thriller. No, 'I Love You Forever' unfolds like a documentary to those who have lived a similar experience — and a stalker horror movie to others.' 'I Love You Forever' premieres at the Quad Cinema in New York on February 7 from Utopia, and will be available on digital on Valentine's Day, February 14. Check out the trailer below. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
