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Kim Cattrall and Leslie Bibb on working with each other, Robert De Niro in ‘About My Father’

May 25, 2023 by WDNY Radio

In the new, well-reviewed family comedy About My Father, actor and stand-up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco plays a boutique hotel manager who is on the brink of popping the question to his girlfriend, played by Leslie Bibb.

However, when she suggests he bring his eccentric, blue-collar Italian dad (Robert De Niro) to meet the rest of her affluent family over a holiday weekend, feathers figuratively — and literally, thanks to the family’s prized peacocks — fly.

For Bibb, it meant she got to have “frickin’ icon” Kim Cattrall play her senator mom, Tigger, and screen legend De Niro as her potential father-in-law. “I know, right?” Bibb enthuses. And “earlier in the year I’d worked with Melissa McCarthy and I was like: This has been a hell of a year. Like 2021. We’re in a pandemic. But Jesus, this is pretty fricking cool.”

Bibb continues, “I was so excited to work with her. She’s a frickin’ icon. And she’s so kind and so funny. When I first saw the movie … I was like, she and David [Cattrall’s onscreen husband, David Rasche], and then she and Bob together, are so hysterical.”

De Niro’s Salvo is a hairdresser by trade, and one scene has Cattrall’s character needing a glow-up before a TV interview, so Tigger asks him to do the honors. “It’s wonderful to have your head massaged by Robert De Niro. I highly recommend it,” the former Sex and the City star says of the “delicious” scene.

She adds, “I didn’t know where that scene was going to go, and I don’t think he did either. And that was the exciting thing about it.”

About My Father opens Friday.

Driver crashes into gates outside Downing Street, home of UK prime minister, no injuries reported

May 25, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — A driver has crashed a car into the gates outside Downing Street, the residence of Britain’s prime minister, authorities said.

No injuries were reported.

The incident isn’t considered terror-related, according to police.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving, according to police.

The vision never dies: Dio’s ‘Holy Diver’ turns 40

May 25, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Dio‘s debut album, Holy Diver, was released May 25, 1983 — 40 years ago Thursday.

Ronnie James Dio founded his namesake band after his stint in Black Sabbath replacing Ozzy Osbourne. He brought along then-Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice, and they began working on a riff that would become the main guitar part of the song “Holy Diver.”

“That was the first inkling of a song,” Appice tells ABC Audio. “I think we auditioned some guitar players with that riff, just because we didn’t know much more.”

Eventually, the Dio lineup was completed by guitarist Vivian Campbell and bassist Jimmy Bain. With the creation of a new band outside of Sabbath, Appice says Dio felt a lot of creative freedom recording Holy Diver.

“With a first album, you don’t have to worry about repeating the way you played or songs sounding similar to the album you did before that,” Appice explains. “It was, like, anything goes, ’cause it’s a new band, it’s not Sabbath, and let it rip. So it was easy to have crazy ideas, and we did it.”

Holy Diver spawned metal classics including the title track and “Rainbow in the Dark,” and is now certified double Platinum by the RIAA. In addition to its musical impact, Holy Diver was also famous for its album cover, featuring a giant demon — later known as Murray — swinging a chain over a terrified priest.

“That is an absolute brilliant album cover,” Appice says. “If you see it and you don’t know anything about Dio, you’d wanna buy the record and check it out. What a brilliant cover.”

Dio would become Ronnie’s longest-running project. The group released a total of 10 albums before disbanding in 2010 following Ronnie’s death from stomach cancer. He was 67.

Ava Max, The Kid LAROI and more featured on ‘Barbie’ soundtrack

May 25, 2023 by WDNY Radio

We now know who’ll be joining Dua Lipa on the Barbie movie soundtrack.

Rolling Stone has revealed the upcoming album’s lineup, which will feature songs by Ava Max, The Kid LAROI, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, Pink Pantheress, Ice Spice, Khalid, Charli XCX, GAYLE and Fifty Fifty, as well as Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken in the movie. As previously announced, Dua — who plays Mermaid Barbie in the film — will have a song called “Dance the Night.”

The soundtrack will be executive produced by Mark Ronson. More featured artists will be announced soon.

Barbie, which stars Margot Robbie as the iconic doll, will hit theaters July 21. The soundtrack arrives that same day.

On This Day, May 25, 1968: Simon & Garfunkel hit number one with ‘Bookends’

May 25, 2023 by WDNY Radio

On This Day, May 25, 1968 …

Simon & Garfunkel landed at number one on the Billboard 200 Album chart with Bookends.

The album spent seven weeks on top of the chart and included the number one song “Mrs. Robinson,” which was featured in the movie The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross and Anne Bancroft.

Other singles from the record included “A Hazy Shade of Winter,” which was later covered by The Bangles, “At the Zoo” and “Fakin’ It.” Also featured on the album was the future classic “America.”

The Who pays tribute to their “Acid Queen,” Tina Turner

May 25, 2023 by WDNY Radio

The Who’s Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are the latest artists to pay tribute to Tina Turner, who passed away Wednesday at 83.

Tina appeared in the 1975 film adaptation of the band’s rock opera Tommy, and in a post on Instagram Townshend called Tina, “An astonishing performer, and astounding singer, she was also an R&B groundbreaker.”

Townshend called Tina’s music with abusive ex-husband Ike Turner “simply out of this world,” but noted, “When she was finally free of him her work ascended to new, even higher heights. It didn’t seem possible.”

Regarding her role as Acid Queen in Tommy, Townshend shares his amazement at her performance. “The song is about abuse at the hands of an evil woman,” he writes. “How she turned that song on its head! All the anger of her years as a victim exploded into fire and bluster and a magnificent and crazy cameo role that will always stay with me.”

Finally, Townshend offers, “She has been in my mind for the last ten years, I kept meaning to track her down, and see how she was. I truly thought she would live forever.”

Daltrey also added a short tribute to Turner, writing, “What a singer! What a performer! What a life! A true original artist and simply the best.”

Foo Fighters kick off tour with Taylor Hawkins tribute, release new song “Show Me How”

May 25, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Following their introduction of new drummer Josh Freese during a concert stream over the weekend, Foo Fighters kicked off their tour Wednesday in Gilford, New Hampshire, their first since the death of Taylor Hawkins in March 2022.

According to Setlist.fm, the concert featured renditions of several songs off the upcoming Foos album But Here We Are, including “Rescued” and “Under You,” as well as classics including “Everlong,” “My Hero,” “The Pretender” and “Best of You.”

Dave Grohl also took a moment during the show to remember his late bandmate with a performance of “Cold Day in the Sun,” which was written and sung by Hawkins. Fan-shot footage of the tribute was posted to YouTube by the channel jennifer nardi.

“This is something I never thought I had to do,” Grohl said in introducing the song. “Taylor wrote this song. We used to sing it together. So I’m gonna do it for him tonight.”

“Thank you so much for coming,” the Foos added in a post-show Facebook post. “We’ve missed you.”

Meanwhile, Foo Fighters have released another But Here We Are song called “Show Me How.” The track, which features backing vocals by Grohl’s daughter Violet Grohl, is available now via digital outlets. You can watch its accompanying visualizer streaming now on YouTube.

But Here We Are is due out June 2.

Sam Smith cancels more shows due to vocal issues

May 25, 2023 by WDNY Radio

After unexpectedly canceling their Manchester show after just four songs, Sam Smith has announced they’ll be canceling their next two shows as well due to vocal issues.

Sam posted a message to his social media saying that Thursday night’s show in Glasgow and Saturday night’s show in Birmingham, U.K. have been scrapped. Refunds will be available at points of purchase for those two shows, as well for as the Manchester show.

“Sam is heartbroken to have had to cancel these shows but they have been told by doctors that if they keep singing, they will do permanent damage to their voice,” the message reads. “If they take some rest they will be able to perform again.”

Sam added a caption to the post, writing, “I’m so sorry,” with a broken heart emoji.

Sam had promised a surprise for the audience at the Manchester show, presumably involving the new collab with Madonna that they’d teased earlier on Wednesday.

Social media posts believed to be from parent who sought book ban praised Proud Boys, shared antisemitic conspiracy theory

May 25, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(MIAMI) — The parent whose complaint led to the transfer of Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb” to the middle school section of a Miami-Dade school made social media posts praising the far-right Proud Boys and shared elements of an antisemitic conspiracy theory, an ABC News review of a profile appearing to belong to the parent showed.

Records provided to ABC News by the Florida Freedom to Read Project, a group tracking restrictions on books in the state’s public education system, show the complaint was made by the parent on March 29. In April, staff from the Bob Graham Education Center and a representative from a nearby school met to review the complaint by the parent with two students at the K-8 school.

The Florida Freedom to Read Project obtained the documents through a public records request.

The parent requested that five books, including Gorman’s The Hill We Climb, be removed, citing concerns over “indoctrination” and “critical race theory.” According to the records, the committee decided to move four of the five books, previously accessible to all students at the school, to a section for middle schoolers.

The complaints included the name, address and telephone number for the parent. Those details led ABC News to a social media profile appearing to belong to the parent.

That profile included a post from Aug. 21, 2021, praising the far-right Proud Boys and featuring a reference to the QAnon conspiracy theory. Another post from March 31, which appears to have been deleted, included a summary of the antisemitic conspiracy theory “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”

After the alleged profile’s existence was first publicized by online activist groups, a post appeared on the profile on May 24 apologizing for sharing the antisemitic conspiracy theory.

“I would like to apologize to the Jewish community for a post that I reposted earlier from someone else. I only read the word communism and went ahead to repost it thinking it was related to that,” the post read in part.

The owner of the profile, who ABC News is not naming at this time, did not respond to requests for comment.

Reached by telephone, the Bob Graham Education Center declined to comment.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools did not return a request for comment.

Artificial intelligence used in medical procedure to help paralyzed man walk

May 25, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A man left paralyzed by a motorcycle crash over a decade ago is walking again after a surgical procedure aided by artificial intelligence.

Gert-Jan Oskam, 40, said he dreamt of walking again after being paralyzed from the waist down in the 2011 crash.

“I tried everything at home,” Oskam told ABC News. “I tried standing up and making steps, but it wasn’t enough.”

It was not until last year that Oskam, working with researchers in Switzerland, experienced a breakthrough.

In 2022, researchers at Lausanne University Hospital surgically inserted electronic implants in the areas of Oskam’s brain and spinal cord that control movement.

Then, with the help of AI, the researchers built what they call a “digital bridge” between his brain and spine, bypassing his injuries, and essentially putting his thought into action.

“Thanks to algorithms based on adaptive artificial intelligence methods, movement intentions are decoded in real time from brain recordings,” one of the researchers, Guillaume Charvet, said in a statement, noting that the technology allows the patient to “move around independently.”

Oskam said that now he can think about moving, and his body follows his thoughts.

“I think about moving my leg and then the stimulation gives me a pulse to make the step,” Oskam said, noting that even when the sensors are turned off, he can still walk with the help of crutches.

Although this type of AI has been used in medicine for decades, researchers say Oskam’s case is the first successful procedure of its kind.

Researchers describe the breakthrough as using AI as a thought-decoder that processes what the neurons in the brain region are trying to do, and sending that signal to the spine.

Details of the accomplishment were published Wednesday in the medical journal Nature.

The technology that enabled Oskam to walk is still in the preliminary stages, the researchers acknowledged. Oskam was the first human to undergo this procedure.

While the technology is not widely available to patients, the researchers said their mission is to “bring it to other people.”

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