John Mellencamp Dancing Words Tour — The Greatest Hits admat (Courtesy of Live Nation)
John Mellencamp is giving fans what they want – the hits.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has announced dates for the Dancing Words Tour — The Greatest Hits, where he’ll play a set filled with hits including “Jack and Diane,” “Hurts So Good,” “Small Town” and “Pink Houses.” He’s also promising to break out tracks he hasn’t performed live in nearly a decade, like “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute To 60’s Rock),” “I Need a Lover,” “Wild Night” and “Ain’t Even Done With the Night.”
Mellencamp announced the news in a video in which he meets actor Sean Penn at a roadside diner.As Mellencamp’s hits play on the jukebox, Penn suggests he go out and play the songs on tour, something the rocker admits he “quit doing 17 years ago.”
“They’ve been asking me to do this for years. ‘Come play outside again.’ And I’m saying, ‘No, no, no.’ But this time, I’m 74 years old. I thought I might be getting to the age where I might want to try to share these songs with people again,” Mellencamp tells People in a new interview. “In the video that Sean and I made, Sean says, ‘There’s no reason to keep these songs to yourself. What’s the problem with trying to make people happy?'”
The 19-date trek kicks off July 10 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and wraps Aug. 12 in Mountain View, California, with a majority of the dates set in outdoor amphitheaters.
A Citi presale for tickets kicks off Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. local time, with tickets going on sale to the general public Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of dates can be found at JohnMellencamp.com.
Spencer and Monique Tepe are seen in this undated photo. (Courtesy Rob Misleh)
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — The family of slain Ohio couple Monique and Spencer Tepe is speaking out about Monique Tepe’s ex-husband, who is accused of shooting the young parents in their home.
“She just had to get away from him,” the Tepes’ brother-in-law, Rob Misleh, told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” of Michael McKee.
McKee, 39, is charged with premeditated aggravated murder for allegedly gunning down the Tepes at their Columbus home on Dec. 30, according to police.
McKee appeared in court on Monday. He did not enter a plea but assistant public defender Carie Poirier told the judge he intended to plead not guilty.
Misleh said that Monique Tepe told him that McKee was emotionally abusive.
“Myself and many others were well aware of, kind of, the negative impact that he had on her. And the abuse that he put her through, the torment that he put her through,” Misleh said. “She was willing to do anything to get out of there.”
“She was a very strong person,” Misleh added.
McKee and Monique Tepe were married in 2015 and divorced in 2017, according to divorce records obtained by ABC Columbus affiliate WSYX. They did not have any children together, according to the records.
Spencer and Monique Tepe married in December 2020, according to their obituary.
“They were some of the kindest and just most inviting people,” Misleh said. “… I think it speaks really loudly that their funeral had over 1,000 people there.”
The Tepes are survived by their two young children who were found safe inside the house on Dec 30.
“We just want justice,” Misleh said.
“We want this person that took so much from, not just us as a family, but so many more people. And obviously the kids, especially. We want this person to pay for what they did,” he said.
Rush released their seventh studio album, Permanent Waves, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard album chart. It was the Canadian band’s first album to land in the top five, making it their most successful album at that time. It was later surpassed by their following album, Moving Pictures, which was released in 1981.
Permanent Waves featured several songs considered to be more radio friendly than Rush’s previous music, with tracks like “The Spirit of the Radio” and “Freewill” going on to become Rush classics.
Its closing song was a nine-minute track titled “Natural Science,” which was composed in three movements.
Permanent Waves went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA. A 40th anniversary edition of the album, which featured bonus material, was released in 2020.
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has announced the details of his debut solo album.
The trumpet-driven record is called Honora and is due out March 27. It includes the previously released track “A Plea.” A second cut, called “Traffic Lights,” is out now.
“Traffic Lights” was co-written by and features Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke, with whom Flea played in the band Atoms for Peace.
“Something about it reminded me of Atoms for Peace, so I sent it to Thom,” Flea says of the track. “Just knowing him, I thought it would be a rhythm and a sensibility that he would relate to. And I was right, he did.”
Honora also features guest vocals from Nick Cave.
Along with the album news, Flea has announced a run of intimate U.S. tour dates, spanning from May 7 in Chicago to May 16 in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. local time.
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Flea333.com.
Here’s the Honora track list: “Golden Wingship” “A Plea” “Traffic Lights” “Frailed” “Morning Cry” “Maggot Brain” “Wichita Lineman” “Thinkin Bout You” “Willow Weep for Me” “Free As I Want to Be”
Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande speak on stage as Universal Pictures presents a special ‘Wicked: For Good’ Q&A at Saban Media Center on Nov. 15, 2025, in North Hollywood, California. (Unique Nicole/Getty Images for Universal Pictures)
It looks like Wicked co-stars Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey will be “Finishing the Hat” together in London. The two have seemingly confirmed that they’ll be co-starring in a revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George.
Both of them shared an Instagram post that shows them in the Art Institute of Chicago, sitting in front of the Georges Seurat painting that inspired the musical: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. It’s captioned, “All it has to be is good,” which is a lyric from the title song of the musical. No other details were announced.
The main characters in the musical, George and Dot, were originally played by Mandy Patinkin and BernadettePeters in the 1984 Broadway production of the show.
In December, Deadline reported that the musical would be staged at London’s Barbican Theatre in 2027.
A promotional photo of Maury Povich for his daytime talk show ‘Maury.’ (Heidi Gutman/NBC)
From the late ’80s through the early 2000s, daytime talk shows hosted by the likes of Oprah Winfrey, JerrySpringer and Maury Povich dominated the airways. The shows would often tackle controversial topics involving sex, race and gender expression — occasionally spiraling into live on-air TV violence. The new documentary series Dirty Talk, which premieres Wednesday, takes a look back at one of TV’s most controversial eras.
“We used all of those classic Shakespearean themes of distrust, conflict, confrontation, lust, love, betrayal,” Povich told ABC Audio.
Povich hosted The Maury Povich Show, later renamed Maury, starting in 1991. He said competition in daytime talk was fierce.
“There was a lot of money to be made, and so therefore we’re looking at ratings every single day. And now, ‘Oh this show did this crazy episode, oh well [now] we’ve got to do a crazy episode,’” he said.
Dirty Talk examines how the genre faced frequent criticism for exploiting guests by putting people in unexpected situations in the quest for higher ratings. Povich was known for doing paternity tests on-air.
“What I was trying to do was to be able to, for instance, in the paternity tests, to bring families together,” Povich said. “Critics would say I would exploit those themes, I don’t think I did. And I was on so long that I could bring those couples back 20 years later and find out if anything worked.”
Despite the pushback, Povich stands behind his show.
“I have no regrets. Lord knows I’ve had my critics over the years,” Povich said. “I’ve always thought that we had a leg to stand on.”
While the era of chaotic daytime talk is largely over, Povich said the public’s impulse to look toward those “Shakespearean themes” is alive and well.
“I firmly believe we triggered the Housewives genre, we triggered the Kardashians, we triggered the JerseyShore,” Povich said.
Queer Eye is coming to an end. Netflix has released the trailer for the 10th and final season of the reality series that takes regular people and helps them grow and upgrade their lives. The Fab 5 — Jeremiah Brent, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness — takes to Washington, D.C., for the final season, which premieres on Jan. 21 …
You can now watch the trailer for the Netflix event Skyscraper Live. The upcoming event finds climber AlexHonnold, who was the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo, attempting to become the first person to free solo climb Taipei 101. The skyscraper is located in Taipei, Taiwan, and is one of the tallest buildings in the world. The event takes place on Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. ET and will be hosted by Elle Duncan …
Pass the syrup. Deadline reports that Nicolas Cage‘s latest movie is called Best Pancakes in the County. Cage is set to star alongside Justin Long and Shelley Hennig in the action thriller, which is currently shooting in Arkansas. Ken Sanzel wrote and is directing the film that takes place over one night in a small-town diner …
A view of the scene after a crane being used to build a high-speed rail bridge collapsed onto a passenger train killing at least 12 injuring 30 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand on January 14, 2026 (Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — At least 32 people were killed on Wednesday as a construction crane for a high-speed rail bridge collapsed onto a moving passenger train in Thailand, government officials said.
At least 64 others were injured, the Thai Ministry of Public Health said in a statement. Thirty-one of those who were killed were pronounced dead at the scene, the ministry said, adding that another person died as they were being transferred to a hospital.
The crane crashed onto the train at about 9 a.m. as the train traveled between the Nong Nam Khun and Sikhiu stations, in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.
“Train derailed and caught fire. 30+ passengers injured, many trapped in carriages,” the government said in an initial statement posted on social media. “Multiple rescue teams deployed.”
The train, which had departed from Bangkok, was carrying 195 passengers and staff members, according to the State Railway of Thailand.
“These figures are currently being verified and officially confirmed by the relevant agencies on the ground,” the minister said in Thai in a statement posted to social media.
The health ministry raised that figure again, saying several hours later that at least 22 people had been killed. The ministry in a subsequent update at about 4:30 p.m. said the toll had again climbed, hitting 31. The ministry said two hours later that the death toll at the scene had risen by one, adding that three people were also considered missing.
The bodies of the dead were transferred to Sikhiu Hospital, the ministry said, adding that many of the injured were being treated at several local hospitals. Eleven were still hospitalized as of the 4:30 p.m. update, the ministry said.
The train was listed as the Special Express Train No. 21, which connects Bangkok, the capital, with Ubon Ratchithani, a city in the northeast, according to the railway.
Former Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol speaks to declare his bid for presidency at a memorial dedicated to the noble sacrifice of independence fighter Yun Bong-gil on June 29, 2021 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Kim Min-Hee – Pool/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — South Korean prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is standing trial on charges of leading an insurrection.
During a 17-hour closing hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors argued that Yoon’s alleged actions posed a grave threat to the constitutional order and warranted the maximum punishment allowed under South Korean law. The former president has been on trial since he was impeached last April on charges that he led an insurrection by attempting to impose martial law in December 2024. Insurrection is one of the few crimes still punishable by death in the country.
“The fact that prosecutors sought the death penalty may be because former President Yoon continues to maintain that his actions were justified and has shown no remorse or acknowledgment of wrongdoing,” Jungkun Seo, a professor at Seoul’s Kyung Hee University, told ABC News Wednesday.
“It was widely expected that the outcome would be either the death penalty or life imprisonment,” Seo said.
South Korea has not carried out an execution in nearly 30 years, and legal observers said the prosecution’s request was consistent with past practice in cases involving former leaders accused of insurrection, even if the likelihood of an execution remains low.
Many lawmakers from the Democratic Party welcomed the call for the death penalty following the hearing.
“Calling for the death penalty for Yoon is not a matter of choice but a necessity and cannot be considered excessive,” Moon Geum-ju, a Democratic Party floor spokesperson, said in a statement Wednesday.
Moon said suggesting a lesser sentence for someone accused of undermining the Constitution and plunging the country into crisis would be an affront to justice and common sense.
Meanwhile, lawmakers from the conservative People Power Party appeared to distance themselves from the former president, declining to issue an official statement on the case.
Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk told reporters Wednesday that the special prosecutor’s sentencing request was not an issue he should comment on, adding that he expects the court to conduct a fair trial.
The presidential office said it expects the judiciary to rule in accordance with the law and public expectations.
Two former South Korean presidents were convicted of insurrection in the 1990s for their roles in a 1979 military coup. Prosecutors at the time sought the death penalty for former President Chun Doo-hwan and a life sentence for his successor, Roh Tae-woo.
Chun was initially sentenced to death, though the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. Roh was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Both men were released after serving about two years following a presidential pardon, which the government at the time described as necessary for national reconciliation.
The court is scheduled to deliver a final verdict on Feb. 19 at the Seoul Central District Court.
People gather during protest on January 8, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. (Anonymous/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — More than 2,500 people have died during nationwide protests in Iran over the past 17 days, activists said Wednesday, as U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his support for demonstrators and hinted at potential American intervention against the government in Tehran.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had verified a total of 2,571 deaths — and is reviewing reports of 779 other deaths — since the protests began on Dec. 28.
The confirmed deaths include 2,403 adult protesters, 12 protesters under the age of 18, 147 government-affiliated personnel and nine non-protesting civilians, HRANA said.
Another 1,134 protesters have been seriously injured, HRANA said, with at least 18,137 people arrested.
The HRANA data relies on the work of activists inside and outside the country. ABC News cannot independently verify these numbers. The Iranian government has not provided any civilian death tolls related to the ongoing protests.
As casualties mounted, Trump wrote on social media on Tuesday, “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price.”
“I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” Trump added.
When later pressed by a reporter during a visit to Michigan on Tuesday on what he meant by help is on its way, Trump responded, “You’re gonna have to figure that one out, I’m sorry.”
Trump said he thought it was “a good idea” for Americans to evacuate from Iran. The State Department on Tuesday said that all U.S. citizens should leave the country.
Trump said he hasn’t been given an accurate number of how many people have been killed so far in the protests, but said “one is a lot.”
“I think it’s a lot. It’s too many, whatever it is,” he said.
Later Tuesday, he told reporters that he will be receiving “accurate numbers” on how many protesters have been killed in Iran soon and “we’ll act accordingly.”
Trump on Monday announced a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran. The president and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested other options are also still under discussion.
One U.S. official told ABC News that among the options under consideration are new sanctions against key regime figures or against Iran’s energy or banking sectors.
Members of Trump’s national security team — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe — met Tuesday morning to discuss Iran, according to Leavitt. Trump did not attend the meeting, nor was he scheduled to, she said.
Vice President JD Vance also led an Iran strategy meeting on Tuesday afternoon with the National Security Council principals committee, a source with direct knowledge of the meeting confirmed to ABC News.
Iranian officials have threatened retaliatory strikes against U.S. and Israeli targets in the event of any outside intervention.
Protests have been spreading across the country since late December. The first marches took place in downtown Tehran, with participants demonstrating against rising inflation and the falling value of the national currency, the rial.
As the protests spread, they have taken on a more explicitly anti-government tone.
Government forces have responded with a major security crackdown. A sustained national internet outage has also been in place across the country. Online monitoring group NetBlocks said on Wednesday that the blackout had surpassed 132 hours.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top Iranian officials have said they are willing to engage with the economic grievances of protesters, though have framed the unrest as driven by “rioters” and “terrorists” sponsored by foreign nations — prime among them the U.S. and Israel — and supported by foreign infiltrators.
The head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, suggested Wednesday that there would be expedited trials and executions for those who have been arrested in the nationwide protests.
“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” Mohseni-Ejei said in a video shared online by Iranian state television, according to The Associated Press.
“If it becomes late, two months, three months later, it doesn’t have the same effect,” Mohseni-Ejei said.
On Wednesday, President Masoud Pezeshkian was quoted by state media telling a meeting with Economy Ministry officials that if economic conditions were improved, “we wouldn’t be witnessing their protests on the streets.”
Dissident figures abroad have urged Iranians to press the protests and topple the government in Tehran.
Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi — who from his base in the U.S. has become a prominent critic of the Iranian government — on Monday appealed to Trump to act in support of the protesters.
On Tuesday, Pahlavi called on members of the Iranian military to join the protests. “You are the national military of Iran, not the military of the Islamic Republic,” he wrote on X.
“You have a duty to protect the lives of your compatriots,” Pahlavi added. “You do not have much time. Join them as soon as possible.”
