Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart danced their way to a fifth-place finish on season 31 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, and on Tuesday, the CODA star and the DWTS pro confirmed they’re dating with a pair of Valentine’s Day Instagram posts.
“My Valentine. Happy Valentine’s Day!,” the 33-year-old actor wrote alongside a picture of him and Stewart taken by the water.
“[Heart emoji] @danielndurant,” the dancer, also 33, captioned a video of Durant dancing up to her from behind, then pressing his face against hers, while Montell Fish‘s “Fall in Love with You” plays underneath.
The couple’s DWTS family expressed their excitement at reading the news, including Witney Carson, who wrote, “Is this a soft launch???…love you both!!”
Emma Slater shared, “Ahhhhh there it is!!!! I love this SO MUCH!!!”
Fellow DWTS pro Pasha Pashkov commented, “Happy Valentine’s Day you lovebirds!!!” while fellow season 31 competitor Wayne Brady added, “I knew it!!!!! Congrats!”
Selma Blair, who also competed alongside the couple during season 31, added, “I love this so so much.”
Jenna Johnson, Sharna Burgess, Cheryl Burke, Daniella Karagach and other DWTS cast members were also among the well-wishers.
The Crown star Emma Corrin has been tapped to star alongside Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in the third Deadpool movie. Reynolds revealed the news on Twitter, writing, “New addition to the family! The Deadpool family, for clarity. Which is just like a real family except with less swearing… Welcome, Emma Corrin!” Specific details on Corrin’s role have yet to be announced, but the actress is expected to play the villain to Reynolds’ titular mercenary and Jackman’s Wolverine, according to Deadline. Deadpool 3 is set to hit theaters September 6, 2024…
Jimmy Kimmel channeled Top Gun: Maverick in the first promo for his upcoming gig hosting the 95th Academy Awards. The spot even features the film’s stars, Jon Hamm and Charles Parnell, reprising their roles as Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson and RADM Solomon “Warlock” Bates, respectively. “ABC has tasked us with finding a host who is unflappable…and unslappable,” Parnell says at one point, to which the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host — referencing last year’s infamous Will Smith Oscars slap — replies, “That’s good, ’cause I can’t get slapped. I cry a lot.” Nine-time Oscars host Billy Crystal also makes an appearance. The 95th Academy Awards airs live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 12…
National Hockey League games can get a little rough, but Disney is trying to make the sport more family-friendly. Variety reports that on March 14 at 7 p.m. ET, ESPN will make available a live telecast of that night’s Washington Capitals-New York Rangers game on the Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney+ — with a slight twist. The Disney version, titled NHL Big City Greens Classic, will be animated and feature characters from the popular cartoon series Big City Greens, skating alongside animated versions of the actual NHL players, with the action following that of the actual game — with the help of NHL technology that maps the movements of players and the game puck. The goal is to expand ESPN’s live sports coverage beyond its traditional audience to include kids and families as well. Disney is the parent company of ABC News…
(LONDON) — Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, a supporter of independence for Scotland, said on Wednesday she plans to resign.
She cited her duty to step back amid the “nature and scale” of the challenges facing her country. Sturgeon, who has served for more than eight years, said new leadership would have “the energy” needed to lead the government and to push for Scotland to break away from the United Kingdom.
“I am firmly of the view that there is now majority support for independence,” she said in a statement. “But that support needs to be solidified — and it needs to grow further if our independent Scotland is to have the best possible foundation.”
She added, “To achieve that we need to reach across the divide in Scottish politics, and my judgement now is that this needs a new leader.”
Sturgeon said she plans to continue in the role until a successor is ready to take office.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a statement thanked Sturgeon for her long-standing service.
“I wish her all the best for her next steps,” Sunak said on Twitter. “We will continue to work closely with the @scotgov on our joint efforts to deliver for people across Scotland.”
(NEW YORK) — Tesla plans to open a portion of its U.S. charging network to competing electric vehicle makers, the Biden administration said on Wednesday.
The carmaker plans to open about 7,500 charging stations across the U.S. before the end of 2024, officials said on Wednesday.
The update from Elon Musk’s car company comes as the White House rolls out new measures to expand EV charging across the country.
The Biden administration announced it had partnered with Tesla and other companies — including General Motors and Hertz — as part of a two-year project that aims to use “private funds to complement federal dollars and putting the nation’s EV charging goals even closer within reach.”
Tesla plans to install about 3,500 new stations on highways across the country, the White House said. Those new charges are expected to be open to other vehicles.
“All EV drivers will be able to access these stations using the Tesla app or website,” the White House said. “Additionally, Tesla will triple its full nationwide network of Superchargers, manufactured in Buffalo, New York.”
(LOS ANGELES) — A lawsuit against Cedars-Sinai Health System and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles claims the hospital shared patient data with third parties.
Filed by plaintiff John Doe, the proposed class action lawsuit claims his and other patients’ private information — including data related to their medical inquiries — was shared with marketing and social media platforms including Google, Microsoft Bing and Meta, the parent company of Facebook.
“Cedars-Sinai transmitted to third parties portions of the patients’ private communications with it through pieces of tracking code that it embedded in its website, for the sole purpose of sharing such information with marketing entities,” the lawsuit reads. “This code served as real time wiretaps on patients’ communications.”
According to the lawsuit, originally reported by The Register, patients at Cedars-Sinai can use either the hospital’s website or its app to log into the patient portal and research symptoms about their medical conditions, about doctors who can treat said conditions, as well as other issues related to their health.
However, the lawsuit claims Cedars-Sinai’s website had Meta Pixel programmed. Meta Pixel is a piece of code that can help identify how Facebook users are interacting with content on a website.
Allegedly, when a patient entered any of the following information — types of medical treatment sought; name, sex, language and specialty of a physician; searches related to COVID-19 information and treatment; locations where treatment was sought; or that a telephone call was made to schedule an appointment — it was shared simultaneously with Meta.
“By way of illustration, if a patient made an appointment with a doctor for treatment of cancer, the tracking code Cedars-Sinai put on its website conveyed that information to Meta, which in turn allowed Meta to include that patient in marketing target groups that it offered to its other advertising clients who wanted to market to cancer patients,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims John Doe “has noticed an increase in the number of health-related ads that he has received, and he has received ads relating to the condition about which he communicated on Defendant’s website.”
The lawsuit argues this is in violation of Cedars-Sinai’s privacy policy, which assures user information is protected and won’t be shared for other services unless specifically requested by the patient.
In a statement to ABC News, a Cedars-Sinai spokesman said the hospital upholds patient privacy but did not comment on the allegations.
“We are unable [to] comment on pending litigation, but we can say that the health and medical privacy of our patients and community are of the utmost importance,” the statement said. “We will continue to follow regulatory guidance in this area while striving to provide the best website experience for people searching for healthcare information and treatment options.”
Meta declined to comment on the lawsuit but pointed ABC News to their Business Tools policies that prohibit advertisers from sharing an individual’s sensitive health information.
“We have no statement at this time beyond the allegations plead in the complaint,” Rachele Byrd, managing partner of firm Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz’s San Diego office and one of the attorneys for the plaintiff, told ABC News in an email.
Meta is not the only defendant in the lawsuit. The lawsuit also claims Cedars-Sinai placed tracking codes from Google Analytics and Microsoft Bing on its website to help target website visitors with more personal advertisements.
“Google Analytics is a measurement product that helps businesses better understand their web and app performance — businesses own the data collected and can delete it at any time,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News. “As a product, Google Analytics was built so that users could not be identified by Google for ourselves or anyone else and data in Google Analytics is obfuscated and aggregated. Additionally, we have strict policies against advertising to people based on sensitive information and take action when a customer violates these terms.”
Microsoft did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
This is not the first time Meta has been targeted in a lawsuit for use of its Meta Pixel.
In a proposed class action lawsuit filed in Louisiana last month, patients alleged LCMC Health Systems, based in New Orleans, and Willis-Knighton Health System, based in northwestern Louisiana, shared sensitive medical data without patients’ knowledge or consent.
“We are learning more and more about this shocking breach of trust as our investigation continues,” attorney Stephen Herman, a partner at law firm Herman Herman & Katz, which is representing the plaintiffs in the Louisiana case, told ABC News in a statement. “This was a gross invasion of privacy that went on for years.”
(LONDON) — The exact crown Camilla, the queen consort, will wear at the coronation in May has finally been announced.
Camilla, who will be crowned alongside her husband King Charles III, will wear the Queen Mary’s Crown, Buckingham Palace confirmed Tuesday.
The crown has been removed from the display at the Tower of London in order to make modifications to it ahead of the May 6, 2023, coronation, the palace said.
Camilla’s decision to wear the Queen Mary’s Crown at the coronation brings with it some controversy and a historic first.
This will be the first time in “recent history” that a queen consort has used an existing crown for a coronation, instead of having a new one made, according to the palace.
The palace described Camilla’s decision to re-wear the Queen Mary’s Crown as one made “in the interests of sustainability and efficiency.”
The Queen Mary’s Crown has a complicated history due to the types of diamonds it originally contained.
The crown was created for the 1911 coronation of King George V, according to the Royal Collection Trust. Set with 2,200 diamonds, the crown was worn by his wife Queen Mary at the coronation.
When it was first made, the crown contained three large diamonds, the Kohinoor and Cullinan III and IV diamonds, according to the Royal Collection Trust.
Buckingham Palace said this week that for the coronation in May, the crown will be reset with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds, each of which were also worn by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“The diamonds were part of Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewellery collection for many years and were often worn by Her late Majesty as brooches,” the palace said in a statement.
The queen’s death last September reignited calls for some of the diamonds in the crown jewels to be returned to their countries of origin.
The Kohinoor diamond was mined in India thousands of years ago and is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world.
Over the centuries, India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan have all claimed ownership and called for the British to surrender it, but the British government has rejected pleas to return the Kohinoor diamond.
Historic Royal Palaces, which oversees the Tower of London, notes that the diamond has a “turbulent history” and is a “symbol of conquest.”
The Cullinan diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905 in a mine owned by its namesake, Thomas Cullinan.
It was later purchased by the government in the former province of Transvaal, South Africa — which was dissolved in 1994 after the fall of apartheid — where it was found, and “presented to the reigning British monarch, King Edward VII,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
The Royal Collection Trust states that the diamond was presented to the king “as a symbolic gesture to heal the rift between Britain and South Africa after the Boer War.”
(NEW YORK) — Romance scammers raked in big bucks in 2022, deceiving almost 70,000 people out of $1.3 billion, according to a new report from the Federal Trade Commission.
According to the FBI, romance scammers create an online identity to gain a person’s trust and affection and then use that relationship to steal or manipulate them.
Last year, romance scammers stole from tens of thousands of victims with a median reported loss of $4,400 each, the FTC said.
Romance scammers use dating apps to target people, but are more likely to send people a private message to establish a relationship, according to the FTC.
Approximately 40% of people who lost money in 2022 said scammers contacted them on social media, while 19% said it began on an app or a website, according to the FTC. The FTC noted that popular messaging apps such as Google Chat, Telegram and WhatsApp were used to continue conversations.
According to the FTC report, romance scammers often use specific lies to scam people.
Approximately 24% of romance scammers tell potential victims that they or a loved one is “sick, hurt, or in jail;” 18% offer to teach how to invest; another 18% say they’re in the military; and 12% use lies surrounding getting married, according to the FTC.
The FTC said that last year 24% of people reported paying scammers using gift cards, 19% paid in cryptocurrency, and 14% paid using a bank wire transfer or payment.
Over 60% of reported losses stemmed from bank wire transfers and cryptocurrency payments, the latter making up the largest reported dollar amount in 2022, according to the FTC.
Last month, a Florida woman was arrested for planning a years-long romance scam that defrauded an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor.
According to federal prosecutors, Peaches Stergo stole $2.8 million over four years from the victim, whom she met on a dating website.
“Stergo deceived an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, maliciously draining his life savings so she could become a millionaire through fraud,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
The FTC does provide ways to spot a romance scammer in action:
Nobody legit will ever ask you to help — or insist that you invest — by sending cryptocurrency, giving the numbers on a gift card, or wiring money. Anyone who does is a scammer.
If someone tells you to send money to receive a package, you can bet it’s a scam.
Talk to friends or family about a new love interest and pay attention if they’re concerned.
Try a reverse image search of profile pictures. If the details don’t match up, it’s a scam.
(NEW YORK) — As the Easter season nears, with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 22, fast-casual restaurant chains have released specialty seafood-forward menu items ideal for practicing Christians during Lent.
For those unfamiliar, Lent is the six-week period between Ash Wednesday and Easter during which many Christians abstain from eating meat on the holy days of obligation and Fridays. Traditionally, it has marked a period or reflection, fasting and penitence, with many giving up specific things in the weeks leading up to the Easter holiday.
For years, McDonald’s has been a popular Lent option for its Filet-O-Fish sandwich, and now more competitors are wading in.
Below, check out some of the Lent-friendly menu items that are available now nationwide:
Lent 2023 food specials
Popeyes
The fast food spot known for its fried chicken has brought back two fan-favorite seafood offerings for a limited time: the Flounder Fish Sandwich and the Shrimp Tackle Box.
The Flounder Fish Sandwich, first introduced in 2021, now comes in both classic or spicy varieties. It’s made with a light, flakey flounder fillet marinated in Louisiana herbs and spices, dusted in crispy coating and fried, served on a warm, buttery toasted brioche bun with pickles and classic tartar sauce or spicy spread.
The $6 Shrimp Tackle Box comes with eight crispy butterfly shrimp seasoned in Louisiana herbs and spices, served crispy in a Southern breading, paired with a regular side, a hot buttery biscuit and classic tartar sauce.
From Valentine’s Day through Feb. 19, customers can buy one sandwich combo and get another a la carte sandwich for free on the Popeyes app and online for mobile orders.
Long John Silver’s
The seafood-centric fast-casual chain announced new savings for seafood-loving families with three seasonal specials through April 23.
Shrimp fans have three varieties to choose from for $6 shrimp baskets: a six-piece grilled shrimp basket served on a bed of savory rice with a side; six-piece batter-dipped shrimp served with a choice of one side and two hushpuppies; or crispy breaded popcorn shrimp served with one side and two hushpuppies.
All three of the above shrimp preparations are also available in a $10 shrimp sea-shares box, which includes 15 pieces grilled or battered, or the popcorn shrimp.
Long John Silver’s is also offering a fish and shrimp family feast with 12 batter-dipped shrimp, eight hand-battered, wild-caught Alaska pollock fillets, two family-size sides, and eight hushpuppies.
7-Eleven
For a limited time 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes are offering rewards members a “fin-tastic” deal with $2 fish sandwich Fridays.
The garlic herb Wild Alaska Pollock fillet is topped with American cheese and tartar sauce and served on a warm brioche bun, made in partnership with the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for God’s Love we Deliver
Heart’s Nancy Wilson is ready to start focusing on work behind the scenes of the music business. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has just launched her own music management company, Roadcase Management.
“I believe rock music still has such a meaningful place in the world and I’m ready to go to bat for the new generation of inspired talent,” she tells Billboard. “I want to do this because in today’s world new music needs more of a fighting chance to get through to the fans despite the compartmentalized markets.”
The company has already signed its first client, Portland singer/songwriter Madisenxoxo, who’s set to release the single “You’re So Pretty” this week. “I fell in love with Madisenxoxo’s music the first time I heard it,” Wilson says. “For me it feels like a whole new sound we’ve all been waiting to hear. It borrows from a few classic sound genres that evoke a new cultural context at a time when, I think, the culture is ready for it.”
And while Wilson does plan to sign more acts, she’s not in a rush. She shares, “Developing a roster will take time as we intend to stick to quality over quantity and seek only the right artists for the right reasons.”
The Grammy winner is reportedly playing Harley Quinn — the psychiatrist who becomes the Joker’s sidekick/love interest — in the upcoming Joker sequel — and while the post seemingly confirms the rumor, she has yet to explicitly name the character she’s playing in the movie.
The first Joker movie grossed over $1 billion worldwide and picked up a pair of Oscars, including Phoenix’s Best Actor win.
Joker: Folie à Deux makes its way into theaters on October 4, 2024.
