We’re nearly three weeks out from Christmas and the reviews are in at Jordan Davis‘ house.
There’s one toy that’s risen head and shoulders above the rest for his kids, 3-year-old Eloise and 1-year-old Locklan.
“The number one present from Santa this year was bumper cars,” Jordan reveals. “Like, we literally have these two bumper cars that Eloise and Lock like.”
“So Lock can only go backwards,” he explains. “He hasn’t quite figured out how to go forward. So what ends up happening is he locks himself in a corner and Eloise just berates him, just backs up, hammers him, just back and forth, just smoking him.”
Luckily, even that works out just fine.
“It’s awesome cause he thinks it’s hilarious,” Jordan smiles. “Like, he doesn’t quite get the [urge to] retaliate.”
“That’s the present this year that I wish I would have [gotten when I was a kid],” he reflects. “I wish they had those when me and Jacob were growing up, but we woulda killed ourselves.”
Jordan’s brother Jacob is one of the co-writers on his smash hit “Buy Dirt,” which is included on his Bluebird Days album, coming out February 17.
The estate of late singer Whitney Houston has expressed disappointment over a joke made by comedian Jerrod Carmichael at the Golden Globe Awards.
During the ceremony, which Carmichael hosted on Tuesday, he made a reference to Houston’s fatal overdose in 2012.
“So, we are here, live, from the hotel that killed Whitney Houston, the Beverly Hilton,” he said.
The Whitney Houston estate, which is run by the late icon’s longtime manager and sister-in-law Pat Houston, told TMZ via a rep that the estate is “disappointed in the joke and felt it was in poor taste.”
The incident has sparked a backlash on social media, with many people expressing support for the Houston estate and condemning Carmichael’s joke.
“It is always too soon for a joke about Whitney Houston’s death,” one user wrote.
Another tweeted, “I didn’t like that Whitney Houston joke at all. That was so tasteless and disrespectful to her.”
As previously reported, rehearsals began this week for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s upcoming tour, and some Bruce fans just can’t wait until the trek kicks off next month to hear them perform.
The band has been rehearsing at the Vogel, part of the Count Basie Center of the Arts in Red Bank, New Jersey, and the Asbury Park Press reports fans have started to gather outside to try to get a listen to what the band has been working on.
“There is no other place I would rather be right now [than] in Red Bank at the Vogel,” Joyce Carswell,of Asbury Park, tells the outlet. “I don’t feel the cold — I’m so excited and pumped. They’re rehearsing for the world tour, what’s more exciting than this?”
Members of the E Street Band were spotted at the venue, and Bruce and his wife, Patti Scialfa, even acknowledged waiting fans with a wave. And while the sound of the rehearsals isn’t exactly clear, fans were able to distinguish what songs were being played.
Some fans are hoping to actually see Bruce onstage this weekend. The annual Light of Day WinterFest show, which raises research money for Parkinson’s and other related diseases, is happening Saturday at Basie’s Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre. While The Boss is not officially on the bill, he has made surprise appearances at 12 of the last 21 Light of Day shows.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s tour, their first since 2016, kicks off February 1 in Tampa, Florida, with U.S. dates running through April 14 in Newark, New Jersey.
Miller from a April 2022 arrest/Hawaii County Police Department
After pleading not guilty to felony burglary charges back in October, Ezra Miller has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of trespassing.
Deadline reports that an attorney for the embattled Flash star, who was accused of stealing three bottles of liquor — gin, vodka and rum — from the pantry of Stamford, Vermont neighbor on May 1, has submitted a Notice of Plea Agreement with the Vermont Superior Court’s Criminal Division to have Counts 1 and 2 of burglary and petit larceny waived.
Vermont’s penalty for the third count of trespassing carries a penalty of up to three months jail time, or a fine of no more than $500.00 or both.” Miller will pay $692 — the base fine, plus a surcharge of $192.
Count 1 of burglary into an occupied dwelling carried a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000 or both. The second count of petit larceny, carries a penalty of up to one year of confinement, up to $1,000 or both.
Miller was charged in August following an investigation into the break-in in Stamford, Vermont, close to the actor’s own home. It was Miller’s latest instance of questionable behavior, which previously included choking a female fan and arrests for harassment and assault in Hawaii.
Miller, who uses they/them pronouns, said back in August they were now seeking treatment for “complex mental health issues” and wanted “to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with[their] past behavior.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Washington 100, Chicago 97
Detroit 135, Minnesota 118
Boston 125, New Orleans 114
Milwaukee 114, Atlanta 105
New York 119, Indiana 113
Memphis 135, San Antonio 129
Sacramento 135, Houston 115
Denver 126, Phoenix 97
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Philadelphia 5, Washington 3
Toronto 2, Nashville 1
Edmonton 6, Anaheim
Los Angeles 4, San Jose 3
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Houston 83, South Florida 77
Alabama 84, Arkansas 69
Marquette 82, UConn 76
Texas 79, TCU 75
Xavier 90, Creighton 87
Miami 88, Boston College 72
Texas A&M 82, Missouri 64
Coll. of Charleston 71, UNC-Wilmington 69
Duke 77, Pittsburgh 69
(NEW YORK) — A U.S. Air Force cadet died after experiencing a “medical emergency” on Monday, the Air Force Academy announced.
Hunter Brown, 21, an offensive lineman for the Academy’s football team, the Falcons, left his dormitory and was on his way to class when he experienced a health emergency.
Academy first responders attempted to save Brown’s life but were unsuccessful, the Academy said.
“The entire U.S. Air Force Academy mourns his loss, and our hearts and condolences are with his family, his squadron, and all who were touched by this incredible young man,” Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark, U.S. Air Force Academy Superintendent, said in a statement on the Air Force Academy website.
Brown, a Lake Charles, Louisiana native, majored in management, minored in French and was assigned to Cadet Squadron 16. He also was part of the Falcon football team’s back-to-back winning seasons, according to the Academy.
He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School in May 2021.
In a statement from the school announcing Brown’s death, the Falcon’s head football coach Troy Calhoun said, “our players, staff and entire Academy have been so blessed and fortunate to have Hunter as a part of our lives. He was a pure joy to coach and have as a teammate.”
Adding, “he was tough, a great worker, and no one unselfishly pulled harder for others than Hunter. His mom and dad, Candyce and Dustin, raised a wonderful son who made each of us a better person. We love our great brother, and our thoughts and prayers are with Hunter’s incredible soul and his family.”
Brown’s death came a week after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
MORE: Mississippi State college football coach Mike Leach dies after heart attack
Hamlin was released from the hospital on Wednesday, the team said. He had been transferred from UC Health in Cincinnati to Buffalo General earlier in the week.
(NEW YORK) — Joan Donovan was 84 years old when she finished her college degree, but the great-grandmother said she didn’t want to stop learning just yet.
“I couldn’t wait to get up in the morning to go to school. I met the most wonderful, intelligent people and professors and just everyone surrounded me with encouragement and support. And I learned that I had a love for writing,” Donovan told “Good Morning America.” “That’s when I found Southern New Hampshire University, which is a wonderful school too and I just loved every minute of it.”
Four years later, on Dec. 13, 2022, Donovan, now 89, graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a master’s degree in creative writing.
Although Donovan wasn’t on campus to receive her diploma, she still donned a cap and gown and walked to pomp and circumstance in a celebration courtesy of SNHU and her family.
“Took me two days to recuperate from it because of the whole wonderful, wonderful event that they planned. I just can’t tell you how excited I was,” said Donovan.
Donovan said the university heard she was graduating when her son called the school to ask for a frame for her diploma as a Christmas present this year. However, the school decided to send more than just a framed diploma, including a cap and gown, cupcakes, balloons and university spirit wear.
“And the funny part is, [my son] said to me the other day, ‘Gee mom, I owe you a Christmas gift because I got out of that one pretty cheap,'” said Donovan.
Now, Donovan said she is using her new degree to write a rom-com novel as well as an autobiography.
“Well, I waited 60 years to fulfill my dream. So I hope others don’t have to wait that long,” said Donovan, adding that her autobiography will be about overcoming the “roadblocks” of life.
Donovan, who has 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, said the most important things she’s learned in life are to be a “lifelong learner” and a “lifelong laugher.”
“Don’t ever give up. I mean, if something doesn’t work the first time, just try it again,” she said. “And eventually you’ll find your dream come true.”
The Black Keys will be heading to Europe later this year, but before they do, they’ll play a one-off U.S. headlining date in Santa Barbara, California.
The show takes place May 4 at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 13, at 10 a.m. local time.
You can also catch The Black Keys play the 2023 BeachLife Festival on May 5 in Redondo Beach, California. The European tour begins in June.
The Black Keys spent much of 2022 touring the U.S. in support of their new album, Dropout Boogie, which dropped last May. Dropout Boogie is nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2023 Grammys, while lead single “Wild Child” is up for Best Rock Performance.
(NEW YORK) — The ground stop and Federal Aviation Administration systems failures Wednesday morning that impacted thousands of flights across the U.S. appear to have been the result of a mistake that occurred during routine scheduled systems maintenance, according to a senior official briefed on the internal review.
An engineer “replaced one file with another,” the official said, not realizing the mistake was being made. As the systems began showing problems and ultimately failed, FAA staff feverishly tried to figure out what had gone wrong. The engineer who made the error did not realize what had happened.
“It was an honest mistake that cost the country millions,” the official said.
Earlier Wednesday, the FAA said normal operations were “resuming gradually” after ordering a nationwide pause on all domestic departures until 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning following a computer failure that has delayed and canceled flights around the country.
“The ground stop has been lifted,” officials said at about 8:50 a.m. ET. “We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem[.]”
Departures were resuming at about 8:15 a.m. ET at two of the nation’s busiest hubs — Newark, New Jersey, and Atlanta — FAA officials said on Twitter, adding, “We expect departures to resume at other airports at 9 a.m. ET.”
The affected Notice To all Air Missions, or NOTAM, system is responsible for sending out flight hazards and real time restrictions to pilots, administration officials said earlier.
“The FAA is still working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system following an outage,” said the FAA announcing the temporary grounding of all planes nationwide. “The FAA has ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information.”
Had the FAA’s new NOTAM system been in place, redundancies would likely have stopped the cascading failures. With the antiquated system in place, there was nothing to stop the outages, the official told ABC News.
“At this time, there is no evidence of a cyberattack. The FAA is working diligently to further pinpoint the causes of this issue and take all needed steps to prevent this kind of disruption from happening again,” the FAA said in a statement Wednesday night.
There were still more than 7,300 delays and 1,100 cancellations midday, according to tracking website Flight Aware.
Failures likely due to ‘glitch’
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said a full investigation is necessary to prevent any future mishaps.
“When there’s an issue in the FAA that needs to be looked at, we’re gonna own it, same way we asked the airlines to own their companies and operations,” Buttigieg said during an appearance on CNN Wednesday.
Congressional hearings are expected as is a possible speed-up of system replacement.
On what caused the system meltdown, Buttigieg said that overnight there “was an issue with irregularities in the messages that were going out” — though more needs to be learned on what led to the widespread failure.
“Now we have to understand how this could have happened in the first place. Why the usual redundancies that would stop it from being that disrupted, did not stop it from being disrupted this time, and what the original source of the errors or the corrupted files would have been,” he said.
A senior official briefed on the FAA computer problems told ABC News the software issue developed late last night and led to a “cascading” series of IT failures culminating in this morning’s disruption. As has been reported, the disruption is confined to the commercial side of aviation.
As of now, the assessment is the failures are the result of a “glitch” and not something intentional. All possibilities are being looked at to ensure that the FAA systems were not breached.
The FAA first reported the system failure on Tuesday, according to an internal memo from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency obtained by ABC News.
Notably, the FAA system that failed is overdue for replacement.
The official compared the current outage to the crisis that crippled Southwest Airlines during the holidays: antiquated software overdue for replacement inside a critical IT network. If one thing goes down, the system can become paralyzed.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed in a tweet that President Joe Biden had been briefed and said “there is no evidence of a cyberattack at this point.”
“I just spoke with Buttigieg,” President Joe Biden said addressing the media on the South Lawn of the White House. “They don’t know what the cause is. But I was on the phone with him about 10 minutes. I told him report directly to me when they find out. Aircrafts can still land safely, just not take off right now. We don’t know what the cause of it is expected to be able to — in a couple hours we’ll have a good sense of what caused it. And we’ll respond at that time.”
Buttigieg also said there’s currently no indication of a cyberattack, but “we also are not going to rule that out until we have a clearer and better understanding of what’s taking place.”
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz criticized the FAA’s management of the system and called for an explanation of issues.
“The flying public deserves safety in the sky,” Cruz said in a statement. “The FAA’s inability to keep an important safety system up and running is completely unacceptable and just the latest example of dysfunction within the Department of Transportation. The administration needs to explain to Congress what happened, and Congress should enact reforms in this year’s FAA reauthorization legislation. This incident also highlights why the public needs a competent, proven leader with substantive aviation experience leading the FAA.”
Airlines hit with delays, cancellations
In the wake of the temporary nationwide pause, several airlines confirmed they were experiencing delays and canceling or diverting flights due to the NOTAM system outage.
“We are closely monitoring the situation, which impacts all airlines, and working with the FAA to minimize disruption to our operation and customers,” American Airlines said in a statement. “We encourage customers to check aa.com for the latest flight information.”
The airline had canceled nearly 400 flights and 850 flights have been delayed as of late Wednesday morning due to the FAA system issue, it said.
United Airlines said it has “temporarily delayed all domestic flights and will issue an update when we learn more from the FAA.”
Southwest Airlines also confirmed it was suffering through delays due to the technical issues at the FAA.
“Please check your flight status in the Southwest app or website to watch for any flight status changes,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement released early Wednesday morning. “If your flight status changes substantially we will message the day of travel contact listed on your reservation by their preferred contact method.”
Delta said it “will continue to work with the FAA on strategic delay programs at certain airports throughout the day,” with 130 flights canceled and another 30 diverted.
“Potential for additional delays and cancels continue,” Delta said in a statement.
Several airlines are waiving fees to rebook flights due to the FAA issues, including American, Delta and United.
ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky contributed to this report.
Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(MIAMI) — The arena where the Miami Heat play can now get a new name following the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
A federal bankruptcy judge in Delaware agreed to terminate the naming-rights agreement between Miami-Dade County and FTX on Wednesday. The order terminates the 2021 contract that enabled the downtown facility to be called FTX Arena, retroactively to Dec. 30, 2022.
Miami-Dade County now must stop referring to the arena as FTX Arena in all public references and remove signage, advertisements and promotional materials. It is unclear when that process will begin.
The 19-year, $135 million sponsorship agreement between FTX and Miami-Dade County went into effect in June 2021.
The Miami Heat and Miami-Dade County announced that they were “immediately taking action to terminate our business relationships with FTX” in November, on the same day the cryptocurrency exchange began its bankruptcy proceedings.
“The reports about FTX and its affiliates are extremely disappointing,” the team and county said in a statement at the time, adding that they are working to find a new naming rights partner for the arena.
FTX collapsed from a multibillion-dollar crypto darling into a bankrupt cautionary tale within a matter of weeks. The number of FTX investors and customers who prosecutors have said collectively lost $8 billion is likely to exceed 1 million.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was charged last month in an eight-count indictment with defrauding customers of and lenders to the crypto exchange. He was also charged with defrauding lenders to his privately-controlled hedge fund Alameda Research.
Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty last week to the federal charges. Prosecutors have accused him of using FTX like a personal slush fund to make risky investments and political donations and to buy lavish real estate.
