KISS’ Paul Stanley is facing some backlash after posting his thoughts about gender confirmation treatment for children, suggesting it’s been “turned into a sad and dangerous fad.”
“There is a BIG difference between teaching acceptance and normalizing and even encouraging participation in a lifestyle that confuses young children into questioning their sexual identification as though some sort of game and then parents in some cases allow it,” Stanley writes on Twitter.
He seems to suggest that it’s OK if adults make the decision to change their gender, but he has some issues with parents “normalizing” the choice for kids.
Stanley adds, “With many children who have no real sense of sexuality or sexual experiences caught up in the ‘fun’ of using pronouns and saying what they identify as, some adults mistakenly confuse teaching acceptance with normalizing and encouraging a situation that has been a struggle for those truly affected and have turned it into a sad and dangerous fad.”
The post has quickly been met with backlash. One of those blasting Stanley is The Offspring guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, who tweeted, “This is a very disappointing take, especially from someone who wore high-heels, makeup, & teased up hair his whole career. As a young kid your band helped teach me that I could be whatever I wanted to be. I guess it was just gimmickry after all. #thatsashame.”
Led Zeppelin’s seventh album, Presence, hit number one on the Billboard Album chart.
The band, unable to tour due to injuries Robert Plant sustained in a car accident, completed the album in just 18 days, with Plant doing his vocals from a wheelchair.
The album, which spent two weeks on top of the chart, featured the 10-minute opener “Achilles Last Stand,” one of the band’s longest studio recordings.
Presence received mixed reviews and is the band’s lowest-selling album. It was one of seven Led Zeppelin albums to reach number one. The others include 1969’s Led Zeppelin II, 1970’s Led Zeppelin III, 1975’s PhysicalGraffiti, 1979’s In Through the Out Door and 2003’s live album How The West Was One.
L-R: Andrew, Joey, and Matthew Lawrence — Matthew Simmons/Getty Images
On their Brotherly Love podcast, Joey, Andy and Matthew Lawrence discussed something they feel isn’t talked about enough in show business: the so-called Hollywood “casting couch” when it comes to young male actors.
Matthew began by praising the #MeToo movement for exposing such abuse by those in power in the entertainment industry, but says it happens to guys, too — including himself.
“There’s been many times in my life where I’ve been propositioned to get a huge role,” Matthew explained. “I’ve lost my agency because I went to the hotel room — which I can’t believe they would send me to — of a very prominent Oscar Award-winning director who showed up in his robe, asked me to take my clothes off and said he needed to take Polaroids of me.”
He continued, “And then if I did X, Y and Z, I would be the next Marvel character. I didn’t do that, and my agency fired me because I left this director’s room.”
He mentioned Terry Crews, who went public with an accusation against a powerful producer he claims groped him in public. Brendan Fraser also made headlines for accusing a former leader at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association of doing the same.
“Terry Crews comes out and says it; people are laughing at him,” Matthew said. “People don’t support him. They kick him out. Why? Because he’s a man that represents masculinity, and I think our society is less ready to hear that situation going on with men.”
He continued, “Not a lot of guys, in my opinion, have come out and talked about this in the industry. … Now granted, it’s probably about a third of what women go through. … Men go through this as well, whether it’s another woman or another man in power.”
Author Jancee Dunn talks about her new book, “Hot and Bothered: What no one tells you about menopause,” on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” May 1, 2023. — ABC News
(NEW YORK) — As more women pull back the curtain on their journeys with menopause — a topic that previously felt taboo to discuss openly — Jancee Dunn dives into the subject in her new book, Hot and Bothered: What No One Tells You About Menopause.
For Dunn, the first signs of menopause started when she turned 45.
“I had no idea what it was. I wasn’t in that space at all,” she told Good Morning America.
While there were plenty of pregnancy books on the shelves, Dunn said she found just one outdated book on menopause from the ’90s. So she set out to change that, spoke with experts in the field and wrote the book she wished she’d had.
“I really wanted to write a book where there was humor in it and not make it so dire,” she said.
Her book instead offers simple advice on how she handled some of the common symptoms, like hot flashes. “I breathe in, count of five, hold it for eight count, then breathe out. There’s something about giving yourself control,” she said.
Other symptoms she outlined include brain fog, mood change, irregular periods, thinning hair and dry skin.
“[Skin is] probably going to get dryer and more sensitive and your go-to products might not work any more,” Dunn explained from her personal experience. “You want something that gets rid of that dry outer layer. Gentle retinol products can help.”
Dunn also shared her message to women struggling with menopause: “Normalize this transition by talking as much as possible to everyone you know about it. The more we talk about it, the more normal it is. Less scary it is.”
ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent and OB-GYN Dr. Jennifer Ashton shared her expertise to further shed light on the topic and help women better understand the phase of time and transition.
When does menopause begin?
“The average age of menopause in this country is 51. It can start as early as 45 or even earlier,” Ashton said. “Perimenopause can start 10 years before menopause actually begins.”
What is perimenopause?
“Our definition is one year without a menstrual period,” Ashton said.
What are the perimenopause symptoms?
The head-to-toe symptoms, as Ashton called it, include “bleeding patterns can change, mood swings, skin changes, hair change [and] weight changes.”
“It is so pervasive and so distinctive woman to woman that we tend to say to a woman 40 and up, ‘If you are experiencing something new, something different, think hormonal, think perimenopause or menopause first.’ That’s how diverse and broad the signs and symptoms are,” Ashton said.
Recommendations for menopause symptoms
“The first thing we have to remember is that hormone replacement therapy is and should be an option on the table for the vast majority of women,” Ashton said, adding that “women should talk to their gynecologist about that.”
When it comes to hot flashes specifically, Ashton said, “There are numerous non-hormonal prescription medications that work very effectively.”
Additionally, she said wellness behaviors can help, such as getting exercise and avoiding alcohol, caffeine and spicy foods, which, she says, can trigger the onset of a hot flash.
What to know about hormone replacement therapy
“Women have to discuss this with their gynecologist,” she encouraged.
While some are weary of the treatment, Ashton pointed to the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative trial, in which “data was boiled down to a misleading headline: ‘Hormones bad, hormones dangerous.’ Now, there are oncologists who actually, in evaluating the data both past and present, really find that most data suggests and shows conclusively that estrogen does not increase the risk of breast cancer.”
When it comes to other conditions that affect women, Ashton said, “Heart disease, osteoporosis and dementia cause more deaths than breast cancer and there are some real benefits to hormones.”
(NEW YORK) — Four types of Gold Medal all-purpose flour, bleached and unbleached, have been recalled due to possible salmonella contamination.
General Mills announced a voluntary recall with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday.
According to the recall, the strain was “discovered during sampling of the five-pound bag product.”
The affected products included two date codes of Gold Medal Unbleached All Purpose Flour in 5- and 10-pound bags, as well as two date codes of Gold Medal Bleached All Purpose Flour in the 2- and 5-pound bags. The recalled bags of flour have a “better if used by” date of March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024.
No other types of Gold Medal Flour were affected by this recall.
General Mills urged customers to check their pantries at home and asked them to discard any of the affected products.
The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned consumers to refrain from consuming any uncooked products made with Gold Medal flour.
The agency wrote, “Salmonella Infantisis [is] killed by heat through baking, frying, sautéing or boiling products made with flour. All surfaces, hands and utensils should be properly cleaned after contact with flour or dough.”
Tim Bachman, guitarist and one of the co-founders of the Canadian band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, passed away Friday at age 71. The news was announced by the artist’s son Ryder in a post on Facebook, with an earlier post revealing that doctors had found “cancer riddled all throughout his brain.”
“My Dad passed this afternoon. Thank You Everyone for the kind words,” Ryder wrote. “Grateful I got to spend some time with him at the end. Grab yer loved ones and hug em close, ya never know how long you have.”
BTO also featured Bachman’s brothers Randy and Robbie, along with Fred Turner. Tim was featured on two of the band’s albums, Bachman–Turner Overdrive and Bachman–Turner Overdrive II, with the latter featuring the band’s two biggest hits, “Takin’ Care of Business” and “Let It Ride.”
Tim left the group in 1974 and was replaced by Blair Thornton. He did return for a 1984 reunion album and tour, which had BTO opening for Van Halen.
Tim’s death comes after the January passing of his brother Robbie,at the age of 69.
(LONDON) — Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will attend the coronation of his father King Charles III, but travel back to the U.S. to celebrate his son’s birthday, ABC News has learned.
Harry’s trip to the United Kingdom could possibly only last about 24 hours, as he is expected to attend the coronation and then leave shortly afterward to return home to his family, according to ABC News royal contributor Omid Scobie.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will not attend, according to the palace.
“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6th May. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet,” the palace previously said in a statement.
The coronation ceremony is scheduled to take place Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey. The date coincides with the birthday of Archie, who will turn 4.
Harry was most recently in the U.K. in March, on a solo trip to attend court hearings in a tabloid lawsuit, but he is not believed to have met with Charles or his older brother Prince William.
Harry has described tensions with his father and brother for several years, most publicly after he and Meghan stepped down from their roles as senior working royals in 2020.
It is not known whether Harry has seen William and Charles in person since the release of his memoir “Spare” earlier this year, in which he details their family rift.
“He’s had conversations with King Charles over the months since the release of that book. And so I think for a chance to see his son, their supporting him on the day of the coronation will mean a lot. Whether that gives them any time to change how the relationship is — I don’t think so. The focus is really on the coronation weekend, but it does at least sort of build one extra step on that very long bridge to reconciliation,” Scobie added.
Harry last appeared publicly with his family in September, when he and Meghan attended the funeral of Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Despite being at odds with Charles and William, the heir to the throne, Harry has said he would like to see the monarchy continue.
He told GMA co-anchor Michael Strahan in January that in speaking out, he hoped to be able to reconcile with his family.
“If we can get to the point of reconciliation, that will have a ripple effect across the world,” Harry said in the interview. “I genuinely believe that, and that’s kind of what is pushing me. And if that doesn’t happen, then that’s very sad.”
George Michael may not need “One More Try” to get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — he might be going in this year.
Voting for this year’s “Fan Ballot” has closed and Billboard reports that the former Wham! singer-turned-solo star came out on top by a huge margin. He got a little more than 1.04 million votes. In second place is fellow ’80s icon Cyndi Lauper, who received a little more than 928,000 votes.
This year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees will be announced on Wednesday. The “Fan Ballot” isn’t a guarantee of induction, but as Billboard notes, all but one of the previous five fan vote winners ended up getting in: The only one who didn’t was Dave Matthews Band in 2020.
The other top vote-getters were Warren Zevon, Iron Maiden and Soundgarden. The rest of the nominees who’ll find out Wednesday if they’ve made the cut include Missy Elliott, Kate Bush, The White Stripes, The Spinners, Rage Against the Machine, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson and Joy Division/New Order.
On Friday, Barry Manilow announced that his long-in-the-works musical Harmony is finally coming to Broadway. But he tells ABC Audio he wouldn’t want to turn his life into a musical, like fellow stars Neil Diamond and Carole King have done.
“I’m not interested in being a part of something like that. And I’ll tell you why: I don’t have the drama,” he notes. “My life is pretty boring…I haven’t got enough drama in it to keep the curtain up for two acts!”
“Yeah, I got the music, but I haven’t got the story that other other guys have…So I wouldn’t be interested in doing it myself,” he adds. “But if somebody else is? Sure!”
Harmony, which opens in November at the Barrymore Theater, has taken more than 20 years to hit Broadway. It’s the true story of the Comedian Harmonists, an internationally famous German vocal group whose career was essentially ended by the Nazis.
“It takes a long time to get a Broadway musical up. We all know that,” says Barry. “But..we would always hit some wall that would stop it from coming in to New York. But this time…we’re coming in!”
It’s just one thing Barry has going on at the moment: He’ll play five shows at Radio City Music Hall later this month and on Monday, he’s being honored by the New York Pops orchestra, which will perform his music with guest singers like Dionne Warwick and Melissa Manchester.
Barry says he’ll be “sitting there with my Kleenex, ready to applaud” during the tribute, and admits he’s most excited to see them do “Copacabana,” because of the guest vocalist.
“I asked Charo,” he says. “I mean, can you think of a better person to sing ‘Copacabana’ than Charo? And she said yes!”
While it is known that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will be the last time Harrison Ford portrays the whip-cracking archeologist, the actor says the June release will also be Indy’s last big-screen adventure.
“This is the final film in the series…” he tells Total Film in a cover article, adding, “I anticipate that it will be the last time that he appears in a film.”
There have also been rumors the character may be spun off into a small-screen project, but on this, Ford insists to Total Film, he will “not be involved in that, if it does come to fruition.”
Ford, 80, calls making the “ambitious” fifth film a “joyous moment” for him, noting, “I’ve been able to deliver amazing films developed by Steven [Spielberg] and George [Lucas] over a 40-year period, and to end it not with a whimper, but a bang, has been my greatest ambition for this excursion.”
There has been speculation for years that someone else would someday don the famous fedora. In the close of the fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the hat literally lands at the feet of Shia LaBeouf‘s character, Indy’s kid Mutt. However, Jones grabs it back before Mutt can try it on.
After that film fizzled, there were rumors Chris Pratt was being eyed to succeed Ford — and while he didn’t deny he was approached, Pratt insisted on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, “I once saw a quote from Harrison Ford…it was enough to scare me — that was like, ‘When I die, Indiana Jones dies.’ And I’m like, am I gonna get haunted by the ghost of Harrison Ford one day…?”
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters June 30 from Lucasfilm, which is owned by ABC News’ parent company Disney.
