Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks onstage at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, January 31, 2010 in Los Angeles (Michael Caulfield/WireImage)
Taylor Swift recently told Stephen Colbert that she was “very lucky” to have two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Nicks “in my life in a way that affects me positively constantly.” That friendship was on full display on New Year’s Eve, when both women attended the wedding of a mutual friend.
Peopleshared photos of Taylor and Stevie walking and talking together at the wedding of HAIM‘s Este Haim, who wed tech entrepreneur Jonathan Levin on New Year’s Eve in California. Taylor wore a gold sequin gown paired with a tan shawl and had her hair up, while Stevie opted for an all-black look, as usual.
Taylor and the HAIM sisters have been friendly for a long time. They’ve collaborated on the songs “No Body, No Crime” and “Gasoline,” and HAIM also opened for Taylor on the Eras Tour. In 2024, Este praised their friendship, saying, “[Taylor]’s the best and she deserves every accolade that she’s ever had. She’s a true genius and she’s also like the best friend and the best hang.”
As for why Stevie was there, she’s been a longtime friend and a mentor to the HAIM sisters, much as she has been to Taylor.
While appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Taylor said of Stevie, “Being able to talk to her and have a phone call with her and hear what she’s been through, she paved the way for me and any other artist that get to do this on this level. So I feel very lucky that she’s lended [sic] her very magical, wonderful, wise approach to life to me.”
Este’s ceremony marks the second wedding Taylor has attended for a friend since her own engagement, following Selena Gomez’s. Perhaps, she’s been taking notes for her future wedding to Travis Kelce.
“Zombie” feat. The Smashing Pumpkins single artwork. (Locomotion Recordings/Capitol Records)
The Smashing Pumpkins have teamed up with Yungblud for a new version of his song “Zombie.”
The “1979” outfit lends their signature ’90s alt-rock sound to the track, while Billy Corgan sings lead on the second verse and harmonizes with Yungblud on the chorus.
Yungblud previously guested on Corgan’s podcast, The Magnificent Others, and they both performed at the massive Back to the Beginning concert in July.
“[Yungblud] is the whole package and so fun to be around so much positive energy and passion,” says Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin in an Instagram post.
The video for the the Pumpkins-featuring “Zombie” will premiere Friday at 1 p.m. ET.
The original “Zombie” is a single off Yungblud’s 2025 album, Idols. It’s nominated for best rock song at the 2026 Grammys.
(NEW YORK) — After a New Year’s Day filled with heavy rain and flash flooding, more rain is heading to drenched California.
On Thursday, the rain was focused on Southern California.
The heavy rain soaked the Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time in 20 years, canceling the on-field pregame show. More than 2 inches of rain was recorded in San Diego, prompting flash flooding and some water rescues.
The next round of rain moves in Friday evening, concentrating on the northern half of the California coast and western Washington and Oregon.
By Saturday morning, most of the West Coast, except for Southern California, will be getting scattered rain and mountain snow. Some pockets of rain could be heavy enough to cause flash flooding in northern and central California. The rain will reach Southern California by Saturday afternoon.
Saturday night into Sunday morning, the rain and mountain snow will be focused on central and northern California up to through the Pacific Northwest.
Through Monday, rain totals of 2 to 4 inches are expected from western Washington to central California, while Southern California will see about 1 to 2 inches of rain.
Wind advisories are in effect in parts of northern and central California, including San Francisco, where gusts could reach 50 mph this weekend.
The Sierra Nevada mountains are under a winter storm warning, with 55 mph winds and 1 to 4 feet of snow expected.
Meanwhile, the lake effect snow machine continues to churn in the east.
In Buffalo, New York, the airport has already recorded 8 inches of snow this week, while Syracuse, New York, has seen more than 2 feet of snow.
That lake effect snow will continue through Saturday morning.
Syracuse is under a lake effect snow warning, with 2 to 5 inches total expected in the city and 6 to 12 inches of heavy lake effect snow expected north of Interstate 90.
Then Saturday night into early Sunday morning, a quick clipper system will slide down the Great Lakes and across the Northeast, bringing a light burst of snow to much of the region, but accumulation isn’t expected.
(SEATTLE) — Police in Seattle have arrested a 21-year-old man armed with a shotgun, pistol, and carrying multiple rounds of ammunition near the Space Needle during Seattle’s New Year’s Eve celebration, authorities said.
On New Year’s Eve at approximately 7:20 p.m., patrol officers in Seattle responded to reports of a man sitting on a bench near the Pacific Science Center holding a partially concealed shotgun, according to a statement from the Seattle Police Department.
“Witnesses saw him holding the gun by the grip, causing alarm, while facing the area where spectators were gathering for the fireworks display,” police said. “The suspect, wearing all black clothing and a red hat with “WAR” written on it, cooperated with police.”
Officers safely recovered the shotgun and the suspect, who was also armed with a handgun, had a valid concealed carry permit, police said.
Police assigned to the event center arrested the man without incident, authorities said.
Seattle Police Department’s arson bomb squad were able to locate the suspect’s vehicle and swept the car for potential weapons or explosives, though none were found and it was determined the vehicle did not pose a threat, officials confirmed.
Police subsequently booked the suspect into the King County Jail for unlawful use of weapons and detectives reviewing the case referred criminal charges to the City Attorney’s Office, authorities said.
The investigation into the incident is currently ongoing.
(NEW YORK) — Florida State University law professor Dan Markel’s last day alive began like many others.
He dropped off his two young sons at preschool and went to the gym, authorities said. But things took a dark turn.
After pulling into his driveway on the morning of July 18, 2014, Markel was shot in the head multiple times and rushed to a hospital where he died the next day, authorities said.
Markel had been having custody issues with his ex-wife Wendi Adelson.
Over the next 11 years, two members of Adelson’s family, including most recently her mother Donna Adelson, would be revealed as the center of a stunning murder-for-hire plot against him that would span several criminal trials.
A new “20/20” episode, “Meddler or Murderer?,” airing Friday, Jan. 2, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, examines the case.
You can also get more behind-the-scenes of each week’s episode by listening to “20/20: The After Show” weekly series right on your 20/20 podcast feed on Mondays, hosted by “20/20” co-anchor Deborah Roberts.
Wendi Adelson came from a prominent dentistry family in South Florida. Wendi’s father, Harvey Adelson, and brother Charlie Adelson, were lead dentists at the practice, called the Adelson Institute, according to authorities.
Wendi married Markel in 2006 after previously connecting on a Jewish dating service. However, a controlling figure emerged in their relationship — her mother, Donna.
Sarah Katherine Dugan, who prosecuted Donna Adelson, said in court that the family matriarch was very involved in all aspects of Wendi’s life and relationship with Markel.
“She was extremely controlling. She had very strong opinions about all the decisions in Wendi Adelson’s life, whether it be about her career, her relationships, or even purchasing a home,” she said.
Wendi Adelson and Dan Markel eventually moved to Tallahassee, where they both got jobs at Florida State University’s law school. However, their marriage deteriorated.
“Our marriage dissolved after the children arrived, as the loneliness of being married to someone that didn’t view me as an equal crept in,” Wendi Adelson said in a 2015 podcast.
The couple went through a bitter divorce, and at the center of both of their lives post-separation was the issue of where their two children would live.
Donna Adelson began a fierce campaign against Markel to relocate the children and Wendi down to South Florida with her, but Markel remained insistent on keeping the kids in Tallahassee, 500 miles away, according to authorities.
Markel became increasingly distrustful of Donna Adelson due to her desire to move the children away from him, even filing a motion to prevent her from having unsupervised visits with the children in 2014. However, it would be the last motion he would ever file before he was shot to death.
Some two years after the killing, investigators arrested two individuals named Sigfredo Garcia and Luis Rivera in 2016, charging them with first-degree murder. The duo was alleged to be hired hitmen who were paid to take out Markel, per prosecutors.
In exchange for a lesser sentence of second-degree murder and 19 years in prison, Rivera gave investigators the name of the woman he claimed hired them to carry out the hit on Markel — Katie Magbanua, the mother of Garcia’s child and the ex-girlfriend of Adelson’s brother, Charlie.
Police then arrested Magbanua in 2016 and later Charlie Adelson in 2022, charging them with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation to commit murder for Markel’s death.
Prosecutors alleged that Donna and Charlie orchestrated the hit on Dan Markel due to his custody issues with Wendi, and they used Magbanua, Garcia and Rivera to execute their plot.
Magbanua and Charlie Adelson both pleaded not guilty but were ultimately convicted of all charges in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and sentenced to life in prison with an additional 60 years for their conspiracy and solicitation convictions.
Garcia was also convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2019. He had pleaded not guilty.
After Charlie’s conviction, investigators learned that Donna Adelson was planning to leave the country with a one-way ticket to Vietnam — a country that has no extradition agreement with the U.S.
Police arrested her at the Miami International Airport in 2023, also charging her with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation to commit murder in Dan Markel’s killing.
Donna Adelson pleaded not guilty, with her defense claiming that she was not involved in the murder plot.
Adelson, 75, was convicted of all counts against her in 2025 and sentenced to life in prison with an extra 30 years for the solicitation and conspiracy charges to be served consecutively.
“Never in a million years would I have wanted Danny to be harmed or killed, nor could I ever do something that would leave these two small boys to grow up without him,” she said at her sentencing.
In an exclusive new interview with “20/20,” Evan Higginbotham, a juror at Donna Adelson’s trial, spoke out.
“The prosecution had a long list of evidence,” he said. “I think it was how they presented that evidence in the trial that laid out everything to finally land me a guilty verdict at the end of it.”
Dan Markel’s mother, Ruth Markel, told “20/20” that she was most proud of her son for being a good dad.
“Danny was a great father,” she said. “With all his accomplishments, to me I’m the proudest of him as a father.”
Donna and Charlie Adelson have filed appeals for their convictions. Magbanua and Garcia’s appeals were both denied in 2025.
Pink attends Apple’s ‘All of You’ New York premiere at The Whitby Hotel on September 17, 2025 in New York City. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Pink shared a New Year’s message to fans from the hospital this week.
In an Instagram post Wednesday, the singer shared a photo of herself wearing a hospital gown and smiling from a hospital bed, revealing she recently underwent a procedure where she had two discs in her neck replaced.
“I end the year giving reverence to, paying attention to, and to fixing my body. It may not be a fancy Face lift, but I am getting two new shiny discs in my neck,” Pink wrote in part in the accompanying caption.
“A new scar, a new reminder, that I appreciate this vessel that I have and use it for all it’s worth. Rock ‘n’ roll is a contact sport.”
Despite having to ring in the new year in the hospital, Pink focused on positivity in her lengthy message and highlighted the “beauty” she saw amid a less-than-perfect 2025.
“I want to say Happy New Year’s to everyone … I am leaving behind all of my hurt in 2025,” she wrote. “This year was a doozy for all of us and it ran the spectrum from absolutely devastating to mildly annoying. In amongst all of that, there was so much beauty.”
She concluded her message by saying that for 2026, she plans to “choose joy,” before wrapping up her New Year’s message by sharing her support for fans and followers.
“I know that 2026 is going to be better because that is the choice that I have made. I hope and pray every person can make that wish, have that choice. I know that isn’t a reality for some,” Pink wrote.
“I will work this year to help preserve the choices of others to make for themselves and their families and this very pursuit of happiness. Let’s do better for ourselves and for others.”
When a new year rolls around, Dustin Lynch has two ongoing traditions: He’s got a standing date with Luke Bryan and his fans in Mexico, and he’ll be traversing the globe with some old friends.
“We’ve got our bull’s-eye set on Argentina,” he says of his 2026 plans. “Each year we do a trip, me and a couple college buddies, to a new country we’ve never been to, and Argentina is on that list.”
“It’s easy for me because it’s kind of in the time zone of normal life here in the States,” he adds. “So we’ll go down there and usually do a week and pop around.”
Over the years, what began as pure fun has morphed into something deeper.
“It’s a productive trip,” Dustin tells ABC Audio. “It started out as kind of a more of a party trip. And as we’ve grown up, it’s become more of a goal-setting trip for the year. So we go down there and kind of do some exploring and do some strenuous stuff, test ourselves physically, and then set goals for the year.”
Dustin’s due in Cancun on Jan. 15 to fulfill his annual duties as “mayor” of Crash My Playa, as his latest hit, “Easy to Love,” makes its way up the country chart.
Backstreet Boys perform at Sphere Las Vegas (Rich Fury)
Backstreet Boys spent New Year’s Eve onstage at Sphere Las Vegas, and will also play there Friday and Saturday before returning in February for more dates. Their Into the Millennium residency is set to wrap up Feb. 15, but AJ McLean hints that there may be more shows at Sphere — a lot more.
“We hoped it would be successful, and here we are [with] more dates in the future,” AJ said. “You know, there’s been rumblings of us getting to 100 shows, which is — that’s a lot.”
“I mean, who knows? But we’re going to stay there until they kick us out, essentially,” he added.
It’s not clear how Backstreet would fit more dates onto their already busy 2026: They have another residency planned for September and October in Düsseldorf, Germany. Plus, AJ is dropping a solo album on Jan. 9 and he’s part of two reality shows, The Fashion Hero and Netflix’s Building the Band. And then there’s the matter of new Backstreet Boys music, which AJ thinks is possible.
“I can’t say what, but we were [recently] recording something that is going to be massive,” he teased. “And we’re really stoked about it. … It’s an amazing opportunity.”
“Hopefully [there will be a] second season for me for Netflix and third season for The Fashion Hero, solo stuff,” he continued. “But there’s gaps in there where we could potentially make another album.”
“Who knows? But we are definitely talking about new music and what that might look like.”
Backstreet’s most recent album of original material was 2019’s DNA.
Nelly performs at IHEARTRADIO JINGLE BALL 2025 (Disney/Ben Hider)
With 2026 comes another set of New Year’s resolutions, but Nelly is not taking part in the tradition. The rapper tells ABC Audio he doesn’t believe in making resolutions.
“I do not do the New Year’s resolution because I just feel like you’re making yourself a promise that you know you should do anyway,” he says.
While Nelly opts out, he’s quick to say he doesn’t judge anyone who chooses to set goals for the new year. In fact, he says he’s more than willing to hold other others accountable for the promises they make.
“I don’t knock anybody that does [make resolutions],” he says. “I try to hold people to them, too. I’d be like, ‘Yeah, you said you wasn’t gonna drink.'”
Instead of resolutions, Nelly is focusing on staying productive in 2026. Fans can expect new music, including the upcoming return album from the St. Lunatics. He also has a second season of his reality show with wife Ashanti, Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together, in the works, though it’s not clear when that will premiere.
