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Ariana Grande’s ‘SNL’ episode with Cher is most-watched in over a year

December 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The combination of host Ariana Grande, musical guest Cher and departing cast member Bowen Yang proved to be a ratings winner for Saturday Night Live.

According to Variety, the Dec. 20 installment of the show, which also marked Yang’s final appearance, drew 5.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode in over a year. The last episode to attract a larger audience aired in November of 2024, when John Mulaney hosted and brought in 6.8 million viewers.

In general, Ariana Grande hosting alongside a female Rock & Roll Hall of Famer as the musical guest seems to be a great combination for SNL. Prior to Mulaney’s episode, Grande’s October 2024 hosting stint with a performance by Stevie Nicks was the show’s most-watched episode since 2021.

During the Dec. 20 episode, Grande and Cher appeared in Yang’s farewell sketch, in which he played a Delta airport lounge employee on his final shift. Grande portrayed his wife, while Cher played his boss. The trio sang “Please Come Home for Christmas,” and an emotional Yang concluded the sketch by saying, “I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here.”

Watch Celine Dion act out a scene from Jim Carrey’s ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’ in full Grinch costume

December 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

We bet you didn’t have Celine Dion impersonating The Grinch on your holiday bingo card.

On Wednesday, the Canadian diva posted a video on Instagram showing herself dressed as the Grinch — complete with a Santa suit — sitting by a fire pit with a dog on her lap. The dog wears an antler tied to his head, just like The Grinch’s pooch, Max.

“When I was young/ I never needed anyone/All by myself/ I wanna be/ all by myself,” Celine sings in a Grinch-like voice, modeled after Jim Carrey‘s take on the character in the 2000 film Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. She then launches into a direct parody of the scene in which The Grinch gets invited to visit Whoville.

Continuing in her Grinch voice — while still sort of sounding like herself — Celine says, “The nerve of those Whos, inviting me down there on such short notice! Even if I wanted to go, my schedule wouldn’t allow it!”

She then consults her day planner: “4 o’clock: Exercise my voice. 4:30: Wake my children up. 5 o’clock: Solve world hunger. Tell no one. 5:30: Jazzercise. 6:30: Dinner with me. I can’t cancel that again! 7 o’clock: Wrestle with my creative ideas. I’m booked!”

“Of course, if I bumped my creative ideas to 9, I’ll still have time to lay in bed and scroll TikTok videos endlessly,” she continues. “Or, I could just simply wish everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. BORING!!!”

Ian Anderson pays tribute to Jethro Tull founding member Mick Abrahams

December 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson is paying tribute to the band’s original guitarist Mick Abrahams, who passed away Dec. 19 at the age of 82.

In a post on the band’s website, Anderson wrote that it was “with great sadness” that he learned of Abraham’s’ passing, noting Abrahams had “endured worsening ill health for the last 15 years leaving him finally unable to perform or interact socially to any degree.”

“Mick was vitally important to the early Tull formation” Anderson wrote, calling Abrahams “a strong vocalist and experienced, powerful and lyrical guitarist.”

Abrahams was a member of Jethro Tull from 1967 to 1968. Regarding their relationship, Anderson wrote that he and Abrahams “had 11 months of mutual benefit and learning experiences before the eventual falling-out – caused primarily by our different preferences as to future musical direction.”

He concluded the message offering condolences to Abrahams’ family and friends, who he noted should “feel justifiably proud of his achievements and musical legacy.”

Abrahams left Jethro Tull after the release of their debut album, This Was. He then formed the band the Blodwyn Pig, which went on to release four albums.

Ian Anderson pays tribute to Jethro Tull founding member Mick Abrahams

December 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson is paying tribute to the band’s original guitarist Mick Abrahams, who passed away Dec. 19 at the age of 82.

“Mick was vitally important to the early Tull formation” Anderson wrote, calling Abrahams “a strong vocalist and experienced, powerful and lyrical guitarist.”

He concluded the message offering condolences to Abrahams’ family and friends, who he noted should “feel justifiably proud of his achievements and musical legacy.”

Abrahams left Jethro Tull after the release of their debut album, This Was. He then formed the band the Blodwyn Pig, which went on to release four albums.

Flash flood, thunderstorm alerts in effect for California with heavy rain expected to last days

December 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — More than 41 million Americans across California, southern Nevada and northwest Arizona are under flood watches on Wednesday amid a rare, high risk for excessive rainfall and flooding.

This includes major metros like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, California, San Diego and Las Vegas.

A “High Risk for excessive rainfall” is in place for Los Angeles, including I-10 from San Bernardino to Santa Monica and areas north like Highway 101 to Thousand Oaks, I-5 to Burbank, Santa Clarita, and up to Pyramid Lake and all of I-210. Travel on these roads is not recommended as they may become flooded, officials said. Low-lying neighborhoods in these areas could also become flooded, forecasts show.

Being under a “High Risk” designation is rare. This risk is only issued about 4% of days, accounting for one-third of all flood-related fatalities and 80% of all flood-related damages, according to the NWS.

Potential flooding impacts include the threat of significant and widespread urban roadway flooding, a high risk of major rock/mudslides, and rapid rises in creeks, streams and rivers which will likely lead to swift water rescues.

The recent burn scars will be at risk of possibly damaging debris flows. These flooding impacts will likely lead to significant travel delays and road closures during the busy holiday travel period.

Winds are forecast to gust 40 to 50 mph across the area, potentially leading to power outages on Wednesday, according to forecasts. Thunderstorms are also possible.

The heaviest rain is expected on Wednesday morning and afternoon. Rainfall rates of 1 inch per hour or greater are expected.

By 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. PT, the rain will be coming to a brief end before more rain arrives overnight.

Additional rounds of rain are expected on Thursday and Friday, and the flood threat along with mudslides and landslide risks will continue each day as well.

Teddy Swims about to ‘roll out the red carpet’ for his son’s first Christmas

December 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Teddy Swims is celebrating Christmas this year as a first-time dad, and he says his baby son, whose name he hasn’t revealed, is going to make the holiday special for him and his partner, Raiche Wright.

“Oh yeah!” Teddy said when asked if he was excited for baby’s first Christmas. “Y’know, you lose the magic when you’re not a kid or don’t have kids, so I’m excited to have a baby [around].”

“I mean, he’s still too young to really know the magic yet,” Teddy added of the baby, who’s only about 6 months old. “But we’re still gonna roll out the red carpet for that little guy, for sure!”

Christmas will be a welcome break for Teddy, whose 2025 was packed. He released I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2) in January, toured the world, recorded a song for the Nobody Wants This season 2 soundtrack and dripped a hit single with French DJ/producer David Guetta. Teddy also performed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, joined country star Thomas Rhett onstage in Boston and Rob Thomas in Australia, and received a Grammy nomination for best pop vocal album. He’ll find out if he won in February.

StubHub apologizes for confusion between Lamb of God show & Christian music concert

December 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

An apparent Christmas miracle for metal fans in Spartanburg, South Carolina, actually turned out to be way more related to Christianity than it may have initially seemed.

A listing on StubHub showed that the band Lamb of God was set to play the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium on Dec. 20. However, instead of a performance from Randy Blythe and company, what the venue actually had scheduled for that day was a show part of Christian musician Andrew Peterson‘s Behold the Lamb of God tour.

“We acknowledge the listing for the December 20 event at Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium was misleading and apologize for the confusion this caused,” a StubHub spokesperson says in a statement to ABC Audio. “Ahead of the show we updated the event page and reached out to customers to clarify the event details. Anyone who purchased tickets under the impression this was a different performance is encouraged to contact us—we’ll honor a full refund under our FanProtect Guarantee.”

LoG frontman Randy Blythe also posted a screenshot of a story on the mix-up to his Instagram Story, writing in the caption, “We usually play [Spartanburg venue GroundZero] NOT Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium.”

“This [is] why StubHub sucks,” Blythe added alongside a trio of crying-laughing emojis.

As for Lamb of God’s actual live schedule, they’re launching a U.S. tour in March.

1 nursing home resident, 1 employee killed in fire, explosion; cause under investigation

December 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(BRISTOL, Pa.) — An explosion and fire at a Pennsylvania nursing home killed two women — one resident and one employee — and wounded 20 other people, officials said.

The “catastrophic” incident — possibly caused by a gas leak — unfolded Tuesday afternoon at the Silver Lake Nursing Home in Bristol, which is about 25 miles northeast of Philadelphia.

Of the 20 people hurt, 19 are still hospitalized on Wednesday, including one in critical condition, Bristol Township Police Chief CJ Winik said on Wednesday.

Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito said parts of the first floor collapsed into the basement, trapping people inside.

All employees and all 120 residents of the facility have been accounted for, the police chief said.

Winick praised the “heroism” of the first responders, who he said ran into the building, despite the strong smell of gas, and evacuated residents, including some who couldn’t walk or talk.

“This could’ve been a much more serious catastrophe,” he said at a news conference on Wednesday. “The actions of everybody involved help preserve life.”

The cause of the incident remains under investigation, Dippolito said on Wednesday. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on Tuesday that the preliminary belief was that a gas leak was responsible, and Dippolito said the source of the leak was in the facility’s basement.

Hear Damon Albarn read ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’ on the BBC

December 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

If you’re looking to “Feel Good” this holiday season, Damon Albarn is here to help.

The Gorillaz and Blur frontman read the Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas! during an appearance on BBC Radio 2.

You can listen to a clip of Albarn’s reading via the BBC Radio 2 Facebook.

While we hope this leads to an Albarn cover of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” we do have a new Gorillaz album to look forward to in the meantime. The record, called The Mountain, is due out Feb. 27.

Gorillaz will be performing The Mountain in full during shows in Los Angeles on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23. The band’s immersive House of Kong exhibition will also be open in LA from Feb. 26 to March 19.

The Zombies announce dates for third annual Begin Here festival

December 24, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The Zombies have announced the dates for their third annual Begin Here festival. The 2026 event, which takes place in their hometown of St. Albans, U.K., will run from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.

The Begin Here festival, which launched in November 2023, usually features a whole host of Zombies-related events. In the past, that has included record signings, special screenings of their documentary Hung Up On A Dream, a Zombies tour of St. Albans, Q&As and performances.

In the meantime, frontman Colin Blunstone‘s next performance is happening on the high seas. He’s booked to perform on the Flower Power Cruise happening March 28 to April 4. The cruise starts in Ft. Lauderdale and hits St. Thomas, St. Kitts and Nevis, with The Beach Boys, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, Max Weinberg’s Jukebox and Blood, Sweat & Tears among the other acts on the lineup.

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