Avatar: The Way of Water topped the box office for the fourth time in as many weeks, taking in an estimated $45 million. The Avatar sequel has now crossed $500 million at the North American box office and became the 7th highest grossing movie of all time with 1.7 billion globally.
This week’s new major release, M3GAN gave Avatar 2 a run for its money, scaring up an estimated $30 million — way above expectations and the biggest opening for a non-sequel horror film since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The creepy doll movie, starring Allison Williams, grossed $45 million against a $12 million production budget.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish took third place, earning an estimated $13.1 million in its third week of release. The CGI-animated film has grossed $87 million in domestically and $197 million worldwide.
The Tom Hanks comedy, A Man Called Otto, grabbed fourth place, collecting an estimated $4.2 million from 637 theaters, after opening in just four theaters a week ago. It expands nationwide next week.
Rounding out the top five was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which added an estimated $3.4 million. Its current tally stands at $445 million in North America and $827 million at the worldwide box office.
(NEW YORK) — Did you know that working out in old sneakers can do more harm to your body than good?
According to podiatrist Dr. Priya Parthasarathy, you should test your sneakers to see if it is time for new ones.
“Most experts say [you should replace shoes after every] 300 to 500 miles, but most people don’t keep track of the mileage they put on their sneakers,” Parthasarathy told “Good Morning America.”
“I tell my patients to try to twist or fold your shoe in half like a sandwich. If you are able to do that or come close to it, then it is time to replace your sneakers. With a new supportive sneaker there should be some give near the forefoot but it definitely should not be able to fold in half,” Parthasarathy added.
Time for a new pair? Consult Parthasarathy’s checklist below before buying:
Make sure you cannot bend the shoe in half.
Check that the heel counter is firm for support.
Pick a shoe with removable inserts.
The shape of the shoe should fit your foot not vice versa.
Check support levels. Shoe brands typically offer different levels of support: stability, neutral or over supinator.
Get evaluated by a podiatrist if you don’t know your foot type.
Photography by Keith Getter (all rights reserved)/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Another “powerful” atmospheric river is expected to impact a large portion of the West Coast in the coming hours and days, drenching a drought-ravaged region, forecasters said.
Like rivers in the sky, the incoming storms will dump even more rain and snow over California and western Nevada, beginning Sunday night and peaking in intensity Monday into Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The latest forecast shows “two major episodes of heavy precipitation” impacting California “in quick succession,” along with “two of the more energetic and moisture-laden parade of cyclones that are aiming directly for” the Golden State, the NWS said. The first episode, which began streaming into central California on Sunday night, “is expected to be the more robust of the two,” resulting in rainfall totals of 3 to 5 inches near the coast, according to the NWS.
The second episode is expected to quickly arrive Tuesday with less heavy rainfall totals but “impacting locations farther south into southern California,” the NWS said. The Sierra Nevada, which stretches along the eastern edge of California, will likely see snowfall totals “exceeding 6 feet across the higher elevations before the snow tapers off Wednesday morning,” according to the NWS.
The forecast shows hourly rainfall totals are likely to steadily increase through Tuesday morning, reaching 1 inch in central California’s coastal Santa Lucia mountain range. Elsewhere, peak hourly rainfall totals of 0.5 to 1 inch can be expected. The cumulative effect of successive heavy precipitation combined with gusty winds will lead to additional instances of flash flooding and debris flow — especially in burn scars and other areas of sensitive terrain — as well as mudslides and rapid rises of creeks, streams and rivers, according to NWS.
“Significant” impacts to travel and infrastructure, including possible power outages, road closures, downed trees and snow load, can also be expected, the NWS said. Residents and visitors across the affected region have been advised to check their local forecast, never drive across flooded roadways and have both an emergency kit and evacuation plan in place.
As of 3:30 a.m. PT on Monday, more than 114,000 customers were without power in California, according to data collected by the website PowerOutage.us.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom warned Sunday that the worst of the storms was yet to come. He said officials were preparing by activating emergency response teams and staging equipment throughout the state. The governor’s office also submitted a request to the White House for a presidential emergency declaration. President Joe Biden late Sunday approved an emergency declaration in California, ordering federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts.
In Northern California, the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services issued an evacuation order on Sunday for residents living in the Wilton area, along the Cosumnes River.
“Flooding is imminent. Out of an abundance of caution, residents must leave now before roads become impassable,” the evacuation order stated. “Rising water may spill over onto the nearest roadways and cut off access to leave the area. Last weekend, exit routes flooded quickly for residents leaving Wilton, so we are urging residents to get out now.”
(BRASILIA, Brazil) — Hundreds of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed three of the most emblematic official buildings in the country’s capital over refusal to accept the results of the election.
The demonstrators partook in violent protests on Sunday at the Supreme Court, Congress and the presidential office, called the Planalto Palace, in Brasilia.
Right-wing supporters of the former Brazilian president were asking the new president, leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to leave — falsely claiming that he won in a “stolen election.”
The unrest began when 100 buses full of Bolsonaro supporters arrived in the capital on Sunday for a planned protest.
Despite more than 4,000 protesters taking the streets of the capital, police presence was minimal.
Several hundred protestors broke police barriers and were able to enter the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate through the roof. Later, they were even able to break into the Planalto Palace.
All of these buildings were empty, as Lula was in Sao Paulo, and Congress and the Supreme Court are in recess until February.
Rioters were armed with sticks and committed vandalism, including destroying pieces of art such as Chinese porcelain vases in the president’s office.
By 4 p.m. local time, cavalry police were sent for intervention and threw tear gas at protesters. Rubber bullets were also fired at the crowd.
So far, 400 people have been arrested, according to Brazilian Federal District Gov. Ibaneis Rocha.
Control of the buildings has since been reestablished, according to The Associated Press.
Bolsonaro, 67, is currently in Florida, where he traveled to just before Lula was sworn in as the 39th president of Brazil. Lula also served as the country’s 35th president.
Lula, 77, said he will travel back to Brasilia Sunday and vowed to punish all invaders, including potential military police officers.
Lula also accused security forces of “incompetence, bad faith and malice, as they have been unable to stop rioters from accessing Congress.”
He said there is “no precedent in the history of our country” regarding Sunday’s events and described the violence as “acts of vandals and fascists.”
The national guard is now in charge of restoring order in Brasilia.
In a series of tweets, Bolsonaro condemned the “depredations and invasions of public buildings,” according to a translation of his tweet.
President Joe Biden condemned the violent assault on Sunday while traveling in El Paso, Texas, calling it “outrageous.”
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan tweeted, “The United States condemns any effort to undermine democracy in Brazil. President Biden is following the situation closely and our support for Brazil’s democratic institutions is unwavering. Brazil’s democracy will not be shaken by violence.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. condemns the attacks, writing: “Using violence to attack democratic institutions is always unacceptable. We join @lulaoficial in urging an immediate end to these actions.”
ABC News’ Julia Jacobo and Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — House Republicans plan to give a new panel sweeping authority to investigate active criminal investigations, a mandate that could set up new fights with the Justice Department and national security agencies over sensitive records and probes — including those involving former President Donald Trump.
That’s according to a measure the House is expected to take up this week as part of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s agreement with a band of some of his most conservative colleagues, who had delayed McCarthy winning the gavel.
An updated version of the resolution — which must first be approved by the House and which is part of the proposed rules that will govern the next two years of the chamber — includes new powers for a judiciary subcommittee that would look into what Republicans call the “weaponization of the federal government.”
The special panel would have authority to investigate how any part of the federal government collects and analyzes information on Americans, along with “ongoing criminal investigations” and civil liberties issues, according to the text of the resolution.
Under the resolution, the panel would also get access to highly classified information shared only with the House Intelligence Committee — some of the government’s most sensitive secrets, which are deliberately kept from nearly all of Congress.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said in an interview with Fox News on Friday that the proposed subcommittee’s mandate was revised and broadened as part of McCarthy’s negotiations with his critics in the GOP conference.
“We got more resources, more specificity, more power to go after this recalcitrant Biden administration,” Roy said.
Democrats worry the GOP could use such broad new powers, which appear to be on a collision course with longstanding Justice Department policy not to disclose information about ongoing criminal investigations, to disrupt probes into Jan. 6 and Trump’s handling of classified and sensitive government documents.
“Jim Jordan and Kevin McCarthy claim to be investigating the weaponization of the federal government when, in fact, this new select committee is the weapon itself,” New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.
“It is specifically designed to inject extremist politics into our justice system and shield the MAGA movement from the legal consequences of their actions,” Nadler contended, calling the effort a “reckless partisan exercise fueled by conspiracy theories.”
A spokesman for expected Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, didn’t respond to a request for comment on the panel’s aims and Democrats’ criticism.
While it’s not clear who GOP leaders will place on the subcommittee, it could include members who aren’t currently on the Judiciary Committee, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
On Sunday, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, R-Pa., declined to recuse himself from serving on the panel, even though federal investigators seized his cell phone last summer as part of their work looking into Jan. 6 and the push to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
“Why should I be limited? Why should anybody be limited just because someone has made an accusation? Everybody in America is innocent until proven otherwise,” Perry told ABC This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos.
Roy said on Fox News that Republicans urged McCarthy and GOP leaders to give the panel “at least” as many resources as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi provided the Jan. 6 committee, which had dozens of staffers and spent millions of dollars.
But unlike the with the House’s Jan. 6 probe, expect the minority party to willingly participate: Democrats don’t plan to boycott the panel and its hearings, like Republicans did with the Jan. 6 select committee, a senior Democratic aide told ABC News.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Philadelphia 123, Detroit 111
Toronto 117, Portland 105
Indiana 116, Charlotte 111
Brooklyn 102, Miami 101
Memphis 123, Utah 118
Minnesota 104, Houston 96
Oklahoma City 120, Dallas 109
Cleveland 112, Phoenix 98
Atlanta 112, LA Clippers 108
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Winnipeg 7, Vancouver 4
Dallas 5, Florida 1
Washington 1, Columbus 0
Pittsburgh 4, Arizona 1
St. Louis 3, Minnesota 0
Toronto 6, Philadelphia 2
Chicago 4, Calgary 3 (OT)
Boston 7, Anaheim 1
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Atlanta 30, Tampa Bay 17
Buffalo 35, New England 23
Carolina 10, New Orleans 7
Cincinnati 27, Baltimore 16
Houston 32, Indianapolis 31
Miami 11, NY Jets 6
Minnesota 29, Chicago 13
Pittsburgh 28, Cleveland 14
Denver 31 LA Chargers 28
Philadelphia 22, NY Giants 16
San Francisco 38, Arizona 13
Seattle 19 L.A. Rams 16 (OT)
Washington 26, Dallas 6
Detroit 20, Green Bay 16
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Purdue 76, Penn St. 63
Houston 72, Cincinnati 59
Northwestern 84, Indiana 83
Maryland 80, Ohio St. 73
Not that long ago, Nate Smith was a worship leader whose hometown of Paradise, California, had been devastated by a fire.
Now he has his first top-five hit with “Whiskey on You,” which he recently found out has been certified Gold.
“I got really surprised at the Opry the other night when they surprised me with that plaque, and I did a little bunny hop in front of everybody in the world,” he laughs. “But I was excited. I was genuinely excited.”
The secret to the success of “Whiskey on You”? Nate suspects it’s simply authenticity.
“It came out of a breakup and I was a little mad when I wrote it, and was drinking Jack Daniels at the time and wrote the song,” he tells ABC Audio. “And it just seemed to connect with other people. You know, there’s something about just telling the truth out there.”
Nate’s self-titled, 20-song debut is set to arrive February 17, before he heads out on tour with Thomas Rhett in May.
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
Adam Rich, the former child actor best known for playing Nicholas Bradford on the ABC series Eight Is Enough, died Saturday, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. He was 54. The cause of death was not revealed.
Rich, whose signature bowl haircut sparked a fashion trend during the late 70s, appeared on the show throughout its five season run from 1977-1981.
Following Eight Is Enough, Rich landed a recurring role as aspiring firefighter Danny Blake in ABC’s Code Red, and the anthology series CBS Children’s Mystery Theatre.
Rich was also a voice-actor on the series 1983 Dungeons & Dragons series and made appearances in shows like Fantasy Island, CHiPs, St. Elsewhere, Silver Spoons and Baywatch, among others. He made his final appearance on Reel Comedy in 2003.
Rich struggled with substance abuse throughout his career, and nearly died from a 1989 Valium overdose. Two years later he was arrested for breaking and entering into a pharmacy, and was bailed out by Eight Is Enough co-star Dick Van Patten. Rich then spent three years in rehab before being arrested again in 2002 for a DUI.
His manager shared a statement about the late actor on Twitter, calling him a “kind, generous and a warrior in the fight against mental illness.”
Reactions to Rich’s death also poured in from his fellow child stars:
Too Close for Comfort actress Lydia Cornell: “Rest in peace Adam Rich. Such sad news. Gone too soon.”
The Love Boat actress Jill Whelan: “Rest in peace Adam.”
Erin Murphy, who played Tabitha Stevens in the TV series Bewitched: “How can this be true?! RIP sweet Adam Rich.”
Diff’rent Strokes‘ Todd Bridges: “RIP MY FRIEND YOU WILL BE MISSED.”
Corey Feldman: ANOTHER BRILLIANT LIGHT, ANOTHER TORTURED SOUL, ANOTHER CHILD STAR WHO COULDNT FIND HIS PEACE AFTER WHAT HE ENDURED! HE WAS A FRIEND, A COMRADE, & A TALENTED PERSON W A DEEP PASSION 4 HELPING OTHERS UNDERSTAND MENTAL ILLNESS! #RIPADAMRICH ILL MISS HIM!
In November, KISS‘ Gene Simmonstold Page Six that the band had added “another 100 cities” to their End of the Road farewell tour and also claimed to know “the last day and date” of the tour, which has been ongoing since 2019. Well, all that is news to KISS’ Paul Stanley, who tells ABC Audio that both of Gene’s assertions are false.
“I love Gene to death. He’s my brother. We’ve been together forever,” Stanley said when asked about Simmons’ comments. “[But] if you put a microphone in front of him or a camera, there’s no telling what he’s going to say. Do we know the date of the last show? No. Are we adding 100 shows? Um, I don’t plan on being there.”
Paul does acknowledge, however, that the End of the Road has gone on longer than he expected due to fan demand and will be continuing. He also reveals that he knows where it will end, if not when.
“There is an end. And certainly I can say the end will be New York City, where it began,” Stanley notes. “[This is] the end of the road, yes, but they keep paving the road!”
He adds, “We’re going further … [but] to say we booked 100 shows or we know the exact date … Gene and I tend to know what the lay of the land is, and at this point, I’m scratching my head. Because I was like, “Really? Tell me!”
Currently, the End of the Road tour is set to resume April 15 at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Bogotá, Colombia, and is mapped out through a July 15 show in Norway.
Peacock got quite the wedding gift from its recently launched spin-off series The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
According to data provided to Variety, the show that reunited the cast of the franchise first started on the big screen in 1999 has become the streaming service’s first original show to hit Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming rankings.
With a cast that includes Nia Long, Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, Terrence Howard and Sanaa Lathan, The Final Chapters debuted in the #5 slot for the December 19-25 window, the streaming service’s best debut to date. The performance is particularly strong considering the show premiered in the middle of that viewing window, on December 22.
