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Woman files criminal complaint against Gov. Cuomo in Albany

August 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

(ALBANY, N.Y.) — A former New York State employee has filed a criminal complaint against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, a spokeswoman told ABC News.

This is believed to be the first complaint filed against the embattled governor in wake of Tuesday’s Attorney General report which concluded he violated state and federal law in sexually harassing at least 11 women.

The woman who filed the complaint is a former assistant to the governor who is identified as “Executive Assistant #1” in Attorney General Letitia James’ report released Tuesday.

“Since approximately late 2019 the Governor engaged in a pattern of inappropriate conduct with Executive Assistant #1,” the report said.

The conduct included close and intimate hugs, kisses, touching and grabbing of her backside and suggestive remarks, according to the investigators. The report listed that Executive Assistant #1 had what appeared to be the most serious allegation against Cuomo, accusing him of reaching under her shirt and fondling her breast in the Executive Mansion in Albany in November 2020.

Cuomo has denied all allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.

Cuomo’s lawyer Rita Glavin said in a response to the report Tuesday that the governor “never groped Ms. X,” adding, “This claim is false, as the Governor has stated repeatedly and unequivocally.”

Earlier this week the lawyer of another accuser, Lindsey Boylan, said she intends to sue Cuomo for allegedly retaliating against her after she came forward.

“Our plan is to sue the governor and his and his co-conspirators,” Boylan’s attorney, Jill Basinger, told ABC News’ “Good Morning America,” citing the retaliatory actions outlined in the AG report.

The New York State Assembly’s impeachment investigation into Cuomo “is nearing completion,” officials said Thursday, and the Judiciary Committee will meet Monday morning to discuss the probe.

So far at least five district attorney offices — Manhattan, Albany, Westchester County, Nassau County and Oswego County — have launched investigations into Cuomo for alleged incidents outlined in the report that took place in their jurisdictions.

“The governor certainly seems to form a pattern of behavior that shows a sense, at a minimum, of an entitlement and a disregard of the well-being of others and the self-respect of many women,” Oswego District Attorney Gregory Oakes said to local ABC affiliate in Rochester WHAM.

Spirit Airlines CEO says cancellations to continue into next week

August 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Spirit Airlines customers should expect hundreds more cancellations in the coming days as the airline works to rebuild its network.

CEO Ted Christie said weather issues coupled with staffing shortages led to mass flight cancellations at the airline this week.

“How we got here really starts with a very challenging, operating month in the month of July,” Christie said in an interview with ABC News. “Weather delays and logistics delays throughout the air transportation system built throughout the course of the month and ate away at all the redundancy that we had in our system.”

By the end of July, Spirit was forced to cancel flights for lack of crew availability, leading to a crew disruption throughout the airline’s network.

“They were in the wrong places at the wrong time,” Christie said. “And we needed to start to build that puzzle back together again. And, unfortunately, that takes our group a lot of time to do.”

The carrier has canceled more than 1,700 flights this week alone. Christie said he expects the cancellations to continue into early next week.

“We are starting to turn the tide here and get our operation back moving again,” Christie said. “There will still be cancellations over the next few days, but we can start to build back to a full operation.”

Amid the breakdown at the airline, passengers were left stranded at airports across the country.

Maria Martinez was stuck in Tampa, Florida, for three days, trying to get home to Detroit.

“We boarded the plane, they de-boarded us out of the plane and then they told us it was canceled,” Martinez told Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ.

“It’s been a terrible week for us, for our guests,” Christie said. “We offer our apology to all of our guests that have been impacted here, and to our team members who are working really hard it’s been a rough week for sure.”

Despite this, Christie said he believes they have “taken care of” their guests and have provided adequate accommodations and vouchers.

“We believe we’ve taken care of our guests at this point, and we think we’re caught up there. We’ve either gotten them reaccommodated on Spirit or another airline or we’ve put them into a hotel or gotten them where they needed to be.”

Christie acknowledged Spirit’s reputation has taken a hit due of the issues. He hopes his airline will learn from it.

“While we strive for perfection in everything we do, in the times that we don’t we are humble enough that we look inside and figure out ways to get better and Spirit has been getting better over the last five years or so, and while this has been a terrible last few days we have to do the same thing here.”

Christie said Spirit will be working over the next few days to not only rebuild its network, but its trust with passengers.

“We have to do everything in our power to earn back their confidence, their business,” he said. “And that starts with building the airline back, making it as reliable as we want it to be.”

ABC News’ Mina Kaji contributed to this report.

Michael Bublé postpones US tour dates due to COVID-19 surge

August 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for By Invitation by Michael Buble

Michael Bublé is postponing his U.S. tour dates as COVID-19 cases in the country continue to rise.

The Canadian native announced on Friday that his live shows for August in the U.S. have been moved to October “due to concerns over the rising number of Coronavirus infections,” according to a statement shared on his official Twitter account.

The new dates begin on October 15 in Uniondale, New York and conclude on October 28 in Jacksonville, Florida. All previously purchased tickets will be honored at the rescheduled dates.

The “Haven’t Met You Yet” singer is currently scheduled to resume the tour on September 9 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with more shows set for October and November.

The announcement comes as COVID-19 cases surge in the U.S. due to the Delta variant. In July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that more than 80 percent of new COVID-19 cases in the country were caused by the Delta variant. The CDC is now recommending that fully vaccinated people wear masks in indoor public places in areas of high transmission.

Arthur Brown releases new version of “Fire” featuring Carmine Appice, The Stooges’ James Williamson & more

August 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Theatrical rocker Arthur Brown of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown is releasing an incendiary new version of his band’s classic 1968 hit, “Fire,” that’s available now as part of a limited-edition, seven-inch colored-vinyl single.

Brown recorded the updated rendition of “Fire” with Vanilla Fudge drummer Carmine Appice, Stooges guitarist James Williamson, veteran U.K. jazz-rock keyboardist Brian Auger, and Jürgen Engler of the German industrial-metal band Die Krupps.

The single can be purchased on either red or yellow vinyl. The track also is available as a digital download and for streaming.

The B-side of the disc features a new tune titled “Zombie Yelp,” which Brown originally released last October digitally and via streaming services.

The track also features Vanilla Fudge keyboardist Mark Stein and former Hawkwind bassist Alan Davey. Brown co-wrote the monster-themed song with Davey.

Meanwhile, a companion music video for Brown’s new version of “Fire” is streaming now at Cleopatra Records’ official YouTube channel. The clip features scenes from the 2017 horror film The Black Room.

Both “Fire” and “Zombie Yelp” also will be part of a star-studded new Arthur Brown album that’s due out in 2022.

Arthur says of the forthcoming project, “It’s a great pleasure being involved in making this high quality, imaginative piece of terror and fun.”

“Fire” originally peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the U.K. and Canadian singles charts.

Kendall Jenner sued for nearly $2 million after alleged photoshoot no-show

August 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Kendall Jenner may be heading to court for allegedly failing to show up to a photoshoot and now faces a nearly $2 million lawsuit.

E! News reports that fashion company Liu Jo filed a lawsuit against Jenner on Monday, accusing the model of breach of contract for failing to show for a gig and claiming they’ve already paid her $1.35 million.

Liu Jo states they paid Jenner for two photoshoots and that she failed to show for the last one. The first photoshoot was held in July 2019 and the second was was initially slated for March 2020. The company admits the COVID-19 pandemic prohibited her from flying to London for the second shoot and both parties agreed to postpone the date.

The suit claims the reality star then “ceased responding to Liu Jo” when attempting to set a new date. The company then, according to the legal docs, “informed her that it considered her in breach of the contract and that, therefore, the contract was terminated.”

The company also states it had “no success in obtaining a refund” from Jenner, saying she has yet to pay back the amount for not attending the second shoot.

In all, Liu Jo is seeking $1.8 million in damages, claiming her “refusal to negotiate” forced the company to hire new models “and restructure its entire Spring/Summer 2021 photoshoot… due to Ms. Jenner’s refusal to uphold her end of the bargain.”

Jenner’s reps, The Society Management, dismissed the suit when speaking to E!, and claimed, “This suit is without merit. The Society Management, on behalf of Ms. Kendall Jenner, has continually offered Liu Jo alternative dates and locations to fulfill an agreement that was forced to be delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.”

Dan and Eugene Levy have compiled everything ‘Schitt’s Creek’ into an upcoming coffee table book

August 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Just in time for holiday gift giving, Dan Levy and Eugene Levy are putting their stamp on a love letter to fans of their nine-time Emmy winning creation Schitt’s Creek: a coffee table book.

Best Wishes, Warmest Regards — The Story of Schitt’s Creek will be available on October 26.

According to Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, “This beautifully produced, keepsake coffee-table book is the ultimate celebration of the series, the town, the characters, and the state of mind that is Schitt’s Creek.”

Calling the 368-page work “a gift to fans everywhere who have made the show their own,” Best Wishes captures, “the essence and alchemy of all six seasons of what is now considered to be one of the most groundbreaking comedy television series of the last decade.”

The photo-packed book will include character profiles from the Rose family — Johnny, Moira, David and Alexis — as well as of all of the characters that populate the show’s titular town.

The book will document special moments in the town’s history and of the Rose family, and will also include “special features such as the complete, illustrated catalogs of David’s knits and Moira’s wigs, Moira’s vocabulary, Alexis’s adventures, and behind-the-scenes moments from Dan and Eugene Levy and the cast of Schitt’s Creek.”

Not bad for a coffee table book that only costs around $40.

Travis Barker, Tyson Ritter & iann diorr unite on new LILHUDDY track, “Don’t Freak Out”

August 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Blink-182‘s Travis Barker and The All-American Rejects‘ Tyson Ritter have united with “Mood” rapper iann diorr for a new song from LILHUDDY.

The track is called “Don’t Freak Out,” and is a bit more laid back then perhaps its early 2000s pop-punk pedigree suggests — basically, it sounds like a more sensitive, earnest version of “Gives You Hell.” You can download “Don’t Freak Out” now via digital outlets.

“Don’t Freak Out” will appear on LILHUDDY’s upcoming album, Teenage Heartbreak, due out September 10. The record also includes the previously released single “21st Century Vampire.”

If you don’t recognize LILHUDDY from that song, you may know him as Chase Hudson, aka the star of Machine Gun Kelly‘s Downfalls High musical film.

Megan Thee Stallion says it “is really crucial” that rappers speak out against homophobia

August 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Megan Thee Stallion says there is no room in rap for homophobia, and is calling upon her fellow rappers to stand up for their LGBT+ fans.

Talking with People on Thursday, the “Body” artist was asked about the controversy surrounding DaBaby‘s remarks at Maimi’s Rolling Loud Festival last month that many deemed hateful and homophobic. Meg focused on the backlash and the resulting outpouring of support for the LGBT+ community that forced a national conversation about acceptance.

“It is about time,” the 26-year-old Grammy-winner declared. “Representation is important, and it is really crucial for us all to have compassion and acceptance of every human.”

Later in the conversation, Meg teased her upcoming project but declined to give much information about it, except for “it will be a complete shock and complete surprise.”

“I am just creating things that feel good to me right now,” she added.

The “WAP” rapper opened up about how busy she’s kept herself over the past two years and revealed how she doesn’t become overwhelmed by her rising fame and responsibilities.

“School has kept me grounded,” she said, referring to the degree in health administration that she’s currently pursuing at Texas Southern University.

Adds Meg, “I might have an amazing night but knowing I have to finish a paper, project or my homework to graduate, keeps my head on straight.”

Foo Fighters blast “You Should Be Dancing” cover at Westboro Baptist Church protestors

August 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Foo Fighters have some advice for the Westboro Baptist Church: why not try dancing, instead?

The Kansas-based hate group, known for its inflammatory homophobic and racist remarks and demonstrations, set up a protest against Dave Grohl and company’s concert in Bonner Springs Thursday. In response, the Foos drove past the protest while blasting their cover of the Bee Gees song “You Should Be Dancing.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve got something to say,” Grohl can be heard saying in footage capturing the interaction. “Because you know what? I love you. I do! They way I look at it, I love everybody. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Can’t you just love everybody?”

“‘Cause I think it’s about love!” he continued. “That’s what I think. I think we’re all about love, and you shouldn’t be hating. You know what y’all should be doing? You should be dancing!”

You may recall that the Westboro Baptist Church set up similar protests when Foo Fighters played Kansas City, Missouri, in 2011 and 2015, which were met with similar responses. For the 2015 show, the Foos shot back with an IRL Rickroll by driving by the crowd while playing Rick Astley‘s ’80s hit “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

“Redneck Be Like”: Thomas Rhett has a dang good time on his barn-burning new release

August 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Cover Art Courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

Few country stars can write a tender love song or a reflective ode to family life quite like Thomas Rhett. But even the sweetest balladeer likes to crank things up with a party song now and again, and that’s exactly what the singer does with his newest song, “Redneck Be Like.”

From eating fresh-caught catfish and skinny-dipping in a farm pond to blowing past small-town stop signs in a lifted truck, Thomas namechecks all the high points of living life out in the middle of nowhere.

“This song is all about summertime and getting a chance to unwind and let loose,” he explains. “We wrote it about the towns where I grew up in Georgia and Tennessee, and honestly every town we live in for the night when we go on tour. We can’t wait to see y’all on the road and turn this one up.”

A lyric video for “Redneck Be Like” shows a montage of scenes from Thomas’ live show, and for good reason: The country star is anxiously anticipating the return of his The Center Point Road Tour, which re-launches next week.

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