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Ingrid Andress’ National Anthem at the MLB Home Run Derby criticized
Singing the National Anthem before a sporting event is an honor — but as Ingrid Andress knows, it also opens up the possibility of receiving immense criticism. The Grammy-nominated singer sang the anthem ahead of the MLB Home Run Derby on Monday in a performance that received backlash on social media.
Andress, a 32-year-old country singer whose singles “Wishful Drinking” and “More Hearts Than Mine” charted on the Billboard 100, is being compared with Fergie after what some called a botched anthem. In 2018, the former Black Eyed Peas singer’s rendition of the anthem ahead of the NBA All-Star game went viral for its unique flair. Even players watching from the sidelines couldn’t keep a straight face as Fergie belted out a jazzier version of the iconic song.
Videos from the Home Run Derby, an event that has MLB players compete for the most home-run hits, show Phillies player Alec Bohm smirking as Andress sang what many described as an out-of pitch anthem.
Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Many others watching at home didn’t hold back their criticism. “Please note anyone who doesn’t wear their seat belt or speeds thru Bartlett will be forced to listen to 4 x Grammy nominee Ingrid Andress’ home run derby performance again,” the Bartlett, Illinois police department tweeted in jest.
“My ears are bleeding. One of the worst national anthem renditions ever,” wrote Houston Astros writer Michael Schwab.
“Fergie watching Ingrid Andress claim her crown for worst national anthem of all time,” wrote Giants player Malik Nabers.
Many seized the opportunity to share their favorite National Anthem renditions – including Chris Stapleton at Super Bowl LVII, Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV and Meatloaf at the 1994 MLB All-Star game.
Andress and Fergie aren’t the only ones to get negative attention for their anthem performances. In 1990, Roseanne Barr’s rendition at a San Diego Padres game was criticized by many, but the actress defended her performance. “Geez, gimme a break. I was just trying to sing a song,” she told CBS Los Angeles at the time, according to the Roanoke Times. “I apologize that people were so appalled.”
It appears Andress hasn’t addressed the criticism on social media. Ahead of the derby on Monday, she announced her single “Colorado 9” would come out on July 24. Her Instagram has relatively few posts, all of which focus on her music, and the comments are turned off.
She received support from country music duo Brothers Osborne, who wrote on social media: “I know everyone is here for laughs but as someone who has seen her sing many times live, she is incredibly talented. Not sure what happened here but I’d bet the farm there were huge technical problems with her monitors.”
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McDonald’s investing $100 million to lure customers back to the fast food giant after E. coli outbreak
McDonald’s is investing $100 million to bring customers back to stores after an outbreak of E. coli food poisoning tied to onions on the fast-food giant’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
The investments include $65 million that will go directly to the hardest-hit franchises, the company said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that slivered onions on the Quarter Pounders were the likely source of the E. coli. Taylor Farms in California recalled onions potentially linked to the outbreak.
The E. coli outbreak has sickened 104 people in 14 states, federal health officials said in an update on Wednesday.
At least 34 people have been hospitalized, and four developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. An 88-year-old man who resided in Grand Junction, Colorado, died, as previously reported. The illnesses began at the end of September, and the most recent onset of illness occurred as of Oct. 21, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The Food and Drug Administration has said that “there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants.”
However, the outbreak hurt the company’s sales.
Quarter Pounders were removed from menus in several states in the early days of the outbreak.
In a statement Wednesday obtained by CBS News, McDonald’s said it had found an “alternate supplier” for the approximately 900 restaurants that had temporarily stopped serving Quarter Pounders with slivered onions.
“Over the past week, these restaurants resumed the sale of Quarter Pounder burgers with slivered onions,” McDonald’s said.
CBS News reached out to McDonald’s on Saturday for a statement regarding the reported investment.
Health officials said Saturday they have confirmed the first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo.
The person had traveled to eastern Africa and was treated in Northern California upon return, according to the California Department of Public Health. Symptoms are improving and the risk to the public is low.
Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with a virus that’s in the same family as the one that causes smallpox. It is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals.
Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a new form of mpox in Africa that was spread through close contact including through sex.
More than 3,100 confirmed cases have been reported just since late September, according to the World Health Organization. The vast majority of them have been in three African countries – Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Since then, cases of travelers with the new mpox form have been reported in Germany, India, Kenya, Sweden, Thailand, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom.
Health officials earlier this month said the situation in Congo appears to be stabilizing. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated Congo needs at least 3 million mpox vaccines to stop the spread, and another 7 million vaccines for the rest of Africa.
The current outbreak is different from the 2022 global outbreak of mpox where gay and bisexual men made up the vast majority of cases.
