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Joe Walsh hopes to make a difference at annual VetsAid concert

November 14, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh is set to host his ninth annual VetsAid concert on Saturday, which raises money for veteran-related causes.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is a longtime advocate for veterans issues, something that is personal to him, as he’s a Gold Star Family member. His father died in 1949 serving our country when Walsh was just 20 months old.

Walsh tells ABC Audio that he came up with the idea for VetsAid in 2017, after spending years going around the country meeting with veterans and realizing they weren’t getting the help they needed.

“I thought maybe I can make a difference here,” he says. “I always felt guilty not having a benefit. … It was, ‘Duh. You can do something there.'”

This year’s concert is taking place at the INTRUST Bank Arena in Walsh’s hometown of Wichita, Kansas. He says it’s “overwhelming” to be doing the show there.

“I’m just Joe here, you know,” he says. “That’s how Wichita is.”

This year’s lineup includes Vince Gill; Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen; and a “super-set” from Walsh, joined by Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks of Tedeschi Trucks Band, Nathaniel Rateliff and other special guests. It will be streamed live on Veeps. While fans will be getting a great night of music, Joe hopes they come away with more than just a good time.

Walsh says he wants the concert to bring “more awareness for veterans and their situation,” but that’s not all.

“I want to show that with no politics involved, people can come and hear music,” he says. “People who don’t agree can sit next to each other. Politics doesn’t matter. Everybody has a good time, recharges, and goes home happy. … That’s a good feeling.”

Isaac Keys says there are ‘so many unanswered’ questions in final season of ‘Force’

November 14, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Communication is the key to success, but it’s something drug dealers Tommy Egan and Diamond Sampson struggle with in Power Book IV: Force. The two formed an alliance in season 1 with the main goal of expanding their operations in Chicago — but in the third and final season, communication remains a very big struggle.

“[Diamond is] really trying to develop that partnership with Tommy,” says Isaac Keys, who portrays Diamond in the show. “He’s trying to build that partnership, trying to build that coalition, but there’s so many unanswered situations that happen to be going on underneath. And it’s like, ‘Can we talk to one another?'”

Isaac acknowledges that “one of the biggest … faults [in] relationships is [poor] communication,” noting the Power universe would probably just come to an end “if people just started talking and communicating and expressing their feelings.”

Fortunately for fans, he says, “that’s not the case” for Force — until the end of the season, at least. “The toxicity and the masculinity and the ego is what keeps this going right now,” Isaac tells ABC Audio.

Power Book IV: Force airs Friday on Starz.

Jonas Brothers on ‘funny’ new Christmas movie: ‘There’s no joke we haven’t heard about ourselves’

November 14, 2025 by WDNY Radio

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie debuts on Disney+ and Hulu on Friday. If the idea of a holiday film where people keep breaking into song sounds cheesy, save your snark: The Jonas Brothers have heard your jokes and they’re already in the film.

The film has Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas constantly fighting. Nick is uptight, Joe is shallow and Kevin is boring, as they’re each playing caricatures of themselves. Nick tells ABC Audio they can poke fun at themselves because they’ve already worked through their issues in real life.

“We’ve been through a lot at this point. We kind of feel like we don’t have much to prove. We’re here, we’re still kicking and love what we’re doing,” Nick explains. He added it’s “really meaningful” for them to make a film where they “just get to have fun.”

“Draft one was quite funny to read, because the writers were looking at us while we were reading it, like, ‘Either they’re gonna think this is funny or very offensive,'” Joe notes. “We’re really happy with it … there’s no joke we haven’t heard about ourselves. We’ve been [parodied] on South Park.”

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie co-stars Chloe Bennet as a woman from Joe’s past who comes back into his life. She also sings in the film, and though she had a music career as a teen, she admits it was “terribly intimidating” to sing in front of the brothers. She even kicked Joe out of the studio, telling him, “You cannot watch me. … This is too embarrassing!”

Unbeknownst to the Jonas Brothers, Bennet had a connection to them before she was cast in the film.

“I did sneak into one of their concerts when I was 13,” she tells ABC Audio. “I snuck backstage and met them. I pretended like I was a journalist. Security escorted me out.”

“I don’t know if I’ve told them that,” she laughed. “They’ll know now.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Short film inspired by John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s classic holiday tune sets YouTube premiere

November 13, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The Oscar-winning short film War Is Over!, which was inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s classic holiday tune “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” is set to premiere on YouTube.

The 11-minute film, co-written by the couple’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, follows a game of chess, with a heroic carrier pigeon helping the game continue across enemy lines. It ends with the classic tune playing over the closing credits.

Sean co-wrote the film with writer, director and animator Dave Mullins, and it was executive produced by Sean and Yoko. The film won the 2024 Oscar for best animated short film.

War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko will premiere on John Lennon’s YouTube channel on Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. ET. It will include a link urging donations to the charity War Child.

In addition, John and Yoko’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” is being released as a 7-inch evergreen vinyl on Nov. 18. The replica of the original 1971 release will feature “Listen, The Snow is Falling” on the B-side. A limited-edition 12-inch zoetrope single of “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”/“Listen, The Snow Is Falling” will be released Dec. 5.

Whitesnake’s David Coverdale announces retirement

November 13, 2025 by WDNY Radio

David Coverdale, who found fame with Whitesnake and Deep Purple, has announced his retirement from music.

In a video posted to Whitesnake’s YouTube account, the 74-year-old rocker reveals that “after 50 years-plus of an incredible journey” he’s decided to call it quits.

“The last few years has been very evident to me that it’s time really for me to hang up my rock ‘n’ roll platform shoes and my skintight jeans,” he says in the video. “It’s time for me to call it a day.”

“I love you dearly. I thank everyone who’s assisted and supported me on this incredible journey — all the musicians, the crew, the fans, the family,” he adds. “It’s amazing, but it really is time for me to just enjoy my retirement.” He adds, “And I hope you can appreciate that. Once again, I love you with all my heart. Fare thee well.”

The clip ends with a montage of photos and video from Coverdale’s career with Whitesnake, set to the band’s song “Fare Thee Well,” which appeared on their 2011 album, Forevermore, which was reissued in September.

Coverdale had his biggest success in the ’80s, thanks to the Whitesnake songs “Here I Go Again” and “Is This Love.” They released their last album, Flesh & Blood, in 2019.

Coverdale was also the frontman for Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, and released the album Coverdale-Page in 1993 with Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page. He also had a solo career, releasing his final solo album, Into The Light, in 2000.

Lady Gaga comments on Grammy-nominated albums: ‘I forget this has been just one single year’

November 13, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Lady Gaga hasn’t directly commented on the seven Grammy nominations she received for her albums Mayhem and Harlequin on Nov. 7, but a new Instagram post Thursday she seems to have written in reaction to the recognition.

“MAYHEM is my personal chaos … produced with a desire to embolden my own voice as a musician,” she wrote. “I’ve spoken a lot about MAYHEM being a collection of gothic dreams and in a way Lady Gaga was my first one. She has always been an expression of my human reality. What does it sound like to feel like you’re drifting far away from yourself, what does it sound like to re-enter your body?”

“And Harlequin…it feels like much more than a year ago,” Gaga continued, referring to the album inspired by her film Joker: Folie à Deux. “It’s an album about empowerment and refusing to be minimized or left out in the cold.”

“These arrangements are my first new steps since Tony [Bennett] died,” she continued. “I’m so proud of Harlequin and how it prepared me for the most incredible year of MAYHEM. Sometimes I forget this has been just one single year.” Harlequin has been nominated for best traditional pop album.

Summing up, Gaga noted, “Somehow through my relationship and my deep love for my fans I really accepted that I can do it all as long as I am the one who is creating the storm instead of the one just standing in the center of it. … I’ll be fine. Because it’s my dream and no one else’s. I’ll decide for myself how this ends.”

Jim Avila, former longtime ABC News senior correspondent, dies at 70

November 13, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Jim Avila, a former longtime ABC News senior correspondent, whose investigative journalism earned him several of the most prestigious awards in broadcast news, has died. He was 70.

His death after a long illness was announced internally by ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic.

“Jim was a gifted journalist and a generous colleague,” Karamehmedovic said in an email to staff.

Avila had also a been 20/20 correspondent based in Los Angeles before departing from the network in 2021. He specialized in politics, justice, law and consumer investigations.

“As the Senior Law and Justice Correspondent, he has covered every major trial from Jerry Sandusky and Penn State to Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson and countless others,” according to his ABC News official biography. “He led reports on immigration, making several trips to the southern border to document stories of immigrants, and also covered the death of Freddie Gray and civil unrest in Baltimore.”

He covered the White House from 2012 to 2016, during President Barack Obama’s second term.

“He won the prestigious Merriman Award from the White House Correspondents Association for breaking the news that the United States and Cuba had reopened diplomatic relations,” the biography said.

He earned numerous awards, including two National Emmy Awards and five Edward R. Murrow Awards, the biography said. His work also won him the prestigious Cine Golden Eagle Award, the Mongerson Prize for Investigative Reporting and five Chicago-area Emmy Awards in the category of Spot News.

“In 1999, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists honored him with reporter of the year,” the biography said. “In addition, he garnered three Peter Lisagor Awards from the Headline Club of Chicago, winning for his coverage of the Peru drug wars and the death of Mayor Harold Washington, and was named Best Reporter of 1989.”

He was a named a 2019 honoree by National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ Hall of Fame.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Avila’s correct age.

Avila was most recently a senior investigative reporter at KGTV, the ABC affiliate in San Diego, where he continued “covering a wide range of stories with depth and fairness,” Karamehmedovic said.

Even after his health challenges began, Avila “continued to contribute to journalism through opinion writing and local reporting, sharing his experience and deep curiosity to tell the stories that mattered most to his community and viewers,” the email said.

“We send our heartfelt condolences to his family, including his three children, Jamie, Jenny, and Evan, and we thank him for his many contributions and unwavering commitment to seeking out the truth,” Karamehmedovic said.

Trump briefed on updated military options in Venezuela

November 13, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump has been briefed on updated options for potential military operations in Venezuela, including a strike on land, ABC News has confirmed.

The briefing on Wednesday followed the arrival of the USS Gerald Ford — the world’s largest aircraft carrier — in the U.S. Southern Command area of operations north of the Caribbean Sea. The carrier is accompanied by some 60 aircraft, including F-18 fighter jets, that dramatically increases the military’s firepower in the region and boost the number of troops in Latin American to 15,000.

Sources cautioned that the briefing itself was not an indication that an attack was imminent.

Trump has been weighing his options for weeks, which experts say could range from no action to air strikes on seaports, airports and military facilities. Another option, considered less likely, could be sending in a team of special operations forces to apprehend or kill Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his senior advisers.

The latest briefing at the White House was conducted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in Canada at a G7 summit of foreign ministers, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were not present.

The White House and Pentagon declined to comment on the briefing, which was first reported by CBS News.

Any strike against Venezuela is seen as particularly risky. Trump has called for Maduro to step down, accusing him of encouraging drug trafficking and illegal migration to the United States. But the sudden departure of Maduro could also create a power vacuum that risks further instability.

It’s also not clear whether the administration would be legally justified to force out Maduro. Late last month, senators were briefed on a secret list of targets inside Venezuela developed by the Pentagon. But lawmakers said they were told the administration’s current legal analysis only applied to the ongoing boat strikes and did not make the case for a direct strike against Venezuela.

Alex Van Halen releasing Van Halen anthology

November 13, 2025 by WDNY Radio

After releasing his memoir in 2024, Alex Van Halen is getting ready to release another book, which will surely excite Van Halen fans.

The rocker revealed on Instagram that he has been working with Genesis Publications on an official Van Halen anthology, which he describes as “a visual and written journey told through my perspective.”

He adds that the book, which he personally curated, is a “celebration of the music, the moments, and the legacy we built together.”

The book’s description notes that it will include iconic Van Halen photography, as well as rare and never-before-seen images from Alex’s private archives, covering the years 1978 to 1984. It will also include tour memorabilia, press materials, correspondence and more.

The book will be released as a signed, limited-edition box set, with those interested urged to sign up for updates.

Alex released his memoir, Brothers, in October 2024, which he described as a love letter to his late brother, guitar great Eddie Van Halen. The audio book included a previously unreleased song, “Unfinished,” which was described as the last piece of music Alex wrote with Eddie.

Rian Johnson series ‘Poker Face’ canceled at Peacock

November 13, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Poker Face is ending at Peacock.

The mystery series from creator Rian Johnson will not return for season 3 at the streaming service, ABC Audio has learned.

Even still, all may not be lost for the show. Deadline reports that Johnson has plans to shop the show to other distributors for two additional seasons. There will be one major difference, however.

In this new iteration of the series, Natasha Lyonne would not return to the lead role of Charlie Cale. Instead, Peter Dinklage would take on the role of the sleuth who has the superpower to tell who is lying to them.

While she would be exiting the series as star, Lyonne plans to remain an executive producer.

“We’ve been germinating this next move together since writing the season two finale,” Johnson and Lyonne told Deadline. “We love our Poker Face and this is the perfect way to keep it rolling. Give us a beat and we may just see Charlie Cale again down that open highway.”

When Poker Face season 2 premiered back in May, it launched as a top-five title across all of streaming based on minutes viewed. It debuted as the #2 original streaming show based on average audience during the week of May 5.

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