Peter Criss, drummer for the band KISS, applauds as Monique Frehley, daughter of the late KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, receives a medal in honor of her father during the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Photographer: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
KISS recently received the Kennedy Center Honors at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., but it was without founding guitarist Ace Frehley, who passed away in October.
Frehley knew the band had been chosen for the honor, and his bandmate Peter Criss aka Catman tells Billboard that Frehley was “so excited” about it.
Criss said it was “really hard” for him to be at the ceremony without Frehley, sharing that in a conversation they had before his passing, Frehley expressed his thrill at getting the honor.
“He was like, ‘Wow Cat, I can’t believe we’re getting this award!’” Criss said. “I haven’t heard him that excited for a while. He was getting ready to tour again, working on his new album[.] … He was really up.”
Criss said that when the band was at the White House, “I got to sit next to Ace’s empty chair, where his medal was.” He noted, “I’m still mourning over him. I can’t believe he’s gone. We were extremely close. It’s been very hard.”
As for how Criss felt about being recognized by the Kennedy Center, he told the mag, “It was great. It was an honor.”
And while there has been controversy surrounding President Donald Trump and the changes he made to the Kennedy Center, Criss said he’s “not a political guy” and that he was just proud to be at the White House.
He added, “I’m proud to be an American, and only in America can four guys like us, from the streets, be in the White House getting such a great award.'”
The Kennedy Center Honors ceremony will air Dec. 23 on CBS.
Damiano David, Ethan Torchio, Victoria De Angelis and Thomas Raggi of Måneskin attend the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for MTV)
Since Måneskin put out their last record, RUSH!, in 2023, band members Damiano David, Victoria De Angelis and Thomas Raggi have all released solo music. Whenever the Italian rockers do reconvene to work on music together, Raggi feels that their solo explorations will have a positive impact on their approach.
“The idea is just to experiment in different worlds, which I think is important for a band,” Raggi tells NME. “I can imagine when we come back in the studio that we’ll bring lots of different elements because everyone’s been on a different journey.”
“That’s a cool thing, and I think it’ll help a lot with the creative process of the band,” he continues. “I think there’s something good in everyone having [space to] experiment.”
As for whether Måneskin has officially started working on new material, Raggi shares, “Not yet, but we have some cool stuff that we can try when we come back to the studio.”
Raggi’s debut solo album, Masquerade, was released earlier in December. It was produced by Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello and includes collaborations with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Luke Spiller of The Struts, Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos, former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum and Jet‘s Nic Cester.
Sabrina Carpenter, ‘Manchild’ for Vevo Footnotes (Courtesy Vevo)
Sabrina Carpenter‘s video for “Manchild” was pretty elaborate, and now she’s giving fans a peek behind the scenes of the clip for Vevo’s Footnotes.
As you watch the video, interesting tidbits from Sabrina and the directors pop up, like the fact that it was her sister who hand-stitched the word “Manchild” onto the back of her cutoff shorts, and the fact that she had 35 outfit changes throughout the filming.
She also points out that in the scene where she’s riding in a motorcycle’s makeshift sidecar — a shopping cart — the bike’s license plate reads “MBF,” which stands for Man’s Best Friend, the title of Sabrina’s album, which she hadn’t announced at the time.
Sabrina also reveals that when she wrote “Manchild,” she “didn’t think much of it until I came back to the studio the next day and heard it with brand new ears.” After that, she said, “I knew I wanted it to be the next song that came out from that day.”
As for the concept of the video — which features Sabrina hitching a ride with a bizarre assortment of men, bathing with pigs and line dancing in a bar — the director says they were trying to “create a trailer for a nonsensical forgotten film.” The aesthetic they were going for, they explain, included “Americana, disco-era sensuality” and “strong post-60’s [sic] vibes,” making it feel “specific yet timeless.”
Ultimately, Sabrina says the hardest thing about making the video was editing it. “There was so much amazing footage and moments we couldn’t fit,” she explains.
“Manchild” is up for four Grammys, including best music video, record of the year, song of the year and best pop solo performance.
Jason Aldean‘s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar is saying thank you to first responders as the holidays approach.
“To the brave men and women who show up for Nashville every day, let us serve you this Christmas,” the Music City restaurant said on its socials. “From Tuesday, Dec. 23 – Friday, Dec. 26, on-duty, uniformed first responders are invited to enjoy a complimentary meal on us at Aldean’s. We are truly thankful for all that you do.”
Jason’s Lower Broadway destination opened in Nashville in 2018. It now has locations in Gatlinburg, Pittsburgh and Las Vegas.
The country hitmaker’s new album, Songs About Us, is set to arrive April 26. It features his latest single, “How Far Does a Goodbye Go,” which has already cracked the top 10.
LONDON — U.S. Southern Command announced on Wednesday that American forces struck another alleged drug vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing four people the command described as “narco-terrorists.”
Wednesday’s strike was the 26th since such operations began on Sept. 2. The total death toll as reported by the Pentagon now stands at 99 people.
SOUTHCOM said the “lethal kinetic strike” was launched at the direction of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Task Force Southern Spear.
“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the statement added. “A total of four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no U.S. military forces were harmed.”
A video posted alongside the statement showed a vessel in motion before it was hit by an explosion. The video then cut to show a stationary vessel on fire.
Cover of Rainbow’s ‘The Temple of the King 1975-1976’ (Edsel Records)
A new box set dedicated to the early years of Ritchie Blackmore’s band Rainbow is due out in March.
The Temple of the King 1975-1976, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation, is a nine-CD set that includes their debut album, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, and 1976’s Rising, as well as live recordings of concerts that took place in Germany in 1976.
The set also includes two discs of rare recordings, made up of band rehearsals, single edits and rough mixes. Many of these bonus tracks have never been released on CD before. There’s also a 24-page booklet that features rare photographs, memorabilia and liner notes.
The Temple of the King 1975-1976 will be released March 6 and is available for preorder now.
Blackmore formed Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple in 1975. The band also included Ronnie James Dio, who remained with the group until 1979, when he left to join Black Sabbath.
“Colorblind” cover single artwork. (Flower Moon Records)
Dashboard Confessional is featured on a new cover of the Counting Crows song “Colorblind” recorded by musician Maria Taylor of the duo Azure Ray.
“A couple of years ago, as a birthday present to [Counting Crows frontman] Adam Duritz, a group of friends decided to cover a few of his songs,” Taylor says. “[Dashboard frontman] Chris Carrabba and I met at Adam’s New York apartment years ago. We kept in touch and talked about collaborating someday.”
“I texted Chris and told him that I was going to cover my favorite Counting Crows song, ‘Colorblind,’ and asked if he would want to sing it with me,” Taylor continues. “He thought it was a great idea! That same night I went into my little home studio and recorded the dreamy guitars and vocals.”
The original “Colorblind” appears on the 1999 Counting Crows album This Desert Life and was also included on the soundtrack to the movie Cruel Intentions.
The cover arrives just before a new Counting Crows documentary, Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately?, premieres Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. The film will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
Matt Damon as Odysseus on the poster for Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’ (Universal Pictures)
This isn’t an enchantment from a siren: there is a new poster for Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey.
Universal Pictures shared the brand-new poster for the upcoming film on Thursday. The studio also announced that the prologue of The Odyssey will be available to watch in IMAX before screenings of Avatar: Fire and Ash.
“A film by Christopher Nolan shot entirely with IMAX film cameras. Experience The Odyssey prologue in IMAX before Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the studio’s Instagram announcement reads.
Matt Damon stars as Odysseus in Nolan’s film adaptation of Homer‘s epic poem. The star-studded ensemble cast also includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron.
Universal describes the adaptation as “a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology,” which will bring the foundational, classic story to IMAX screens for the first time.
Homer’s The Odyssey, of course, tells the story of the Greek hero Odysseus’ 10-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. He is filled with interruptions in his quest to return home to his wife, Penelope, and his grown son, Telemachus, who fights off suitors who are desperate to steal his father’s throne.
Nolan wrote and directed the film, his first since the best picture Oscar-winning blockbuster Oppenheimer. He also produced the movie with his wife, Emma Thomas.
The Odyssey opens in movie theaters on July 17, 2026.
A new short film about the making of The Beatles’ 1994 single “Free as a Bird” has just been released to YouTube.
Free As A Bird: A Song Reborn explores the making of the song that reunited Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr after 24 years. The trio used an unfinished John Lennon demo to create the tune.
The short film features never-before-seen footage from the studio sessions for the track, and sees the trio work on it with producer Jeff Lynne. They also talk about Lennon, and how they approached the song in his absence.
The making of “Free as a Bird” is also featured in the recently rereleased The Beatles Anthology, a restored and remastered version of ABC’s 1995 documentary that’s currently streaming on Disney+. The original series was made up of eight parts, but the new version has been expanded to include a ninth installment, which features more from the “Free as a Bird” sessions.
“Free as a Bird” went on to become a top-10 hit for The Beatles, their 34th in the U.S. The track also earned them a Grammy for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal.
In this handout, the mug shot of Jeffrey Epstein, 2019. Kypros/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — One day before the deadline for the Justice Department to release its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Thursday publicly disclosed another batch of photographs provided by the late financier’s estate in response to Congressional subpoenas.
The cache of about 70 photos includes include heavily redacted photos of women’s passports, images of famous men who associated with Epstein, and “concerning text messages about recruiting women for Jeffrey Epstein,” according to a statement from Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the ranking Democrat on the committee.
“Oversight Democrats will continue to release photographs and documents from the Epstein estate to provide transparency for the American people,” Garcia said in the statement. “As we approach the deadline for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, these new images raise more questions about what exactly the Department of Justice has in its possession. We must end this White House cover-up, and the DOJ must release the Epstein files now.”
The photos released Thursday are from a larger batch of more than 95,000 images turned over last week by the Epstein estate. The photos were provided to Congress without context, timing, or locations. The images are therefore “presented as received,” the Democrats said.
One image shows billionaire Bill Gates standing with a woman — whose face is concealed — in what appears to be a hotel lobby. Another shows the philosopher and activist Noam Chomsky aboard an airplane chatting with Epstein.
The appearance of the men in the photos is not evidence of wrongdoing.
Another photo shows a woman’s lower leg and foot on what looks like a bed, with a paperback copy of Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita” in the background. On the woman’s foot is a handwritten quote from the controversial 1955 novel about a professor’s obsession with a young girl.
“She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock,” the quote reads.
Other images include a heavily redacted Ukrainian passport of a woman, with all the identifying information covered with black boxes to protect her identify. After Epstein’s 2006 arrest and jail sentence in Florida for solicitation of a minor, he was alleged to have turned his focus to recruiting young women from Eastern European countries.
A screenshot released Thursday of a text message chat — whose participants are not revealed — seems to involve a discussion about recruiting an 18-year-old woman to meet Epstein.
“I will send u girls now,” the message says. “Maybe someone will be good for J?”
A redacted description lists the woman’s name, age, height, weight and physical measurements. The message indicates the woman would be traveling from Russia.
The House Oversight Committee is conducting a broad inquiry into the federal government’s handling of investigations into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The committee’s efforts are separate from — though at times overlapping — the new law that requires the DOJ to make public its files on Epstein by Friday.
