An upcoming concert will celebrate the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.’s debut EP, Chronic Town. While the show sold out quickly, fans who couldn’t get tickets, or don’t live anywhere near it, will get a chance to experience the once-in-a-lifetime event.
The concert, set for December 15, will have The Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson leading the house band and special guests, including Darius Rucker, Chris Robinson, John Cameron Mitchell, Fred Armisen and more, performing the five-track EP in its entirety, along with other fan-favorites. Now, fans can enjoy the experience from their couch because the concert, at Atlanta’s Coca-Cola Roxy, will be streamed live on Veeps, with limited tickets available now.
(NEW YORK) — Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee is ending her college gymnastics career and returning to professional gymnastics for a chance to join the U.S. women’s team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Today, I’m sharing a decision that has weighed on me for a really long time,” Lee began in a Tuesday Instagram post announcing the change. “As an athlete that has competed at the highest level, on the world’s biggest stage, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience that once-in-a-lifetime feeling and the indescribable emotion when a gold medal is draped around your neck. But I don’t want it to just be once in a lifetime.”
Lee will finish out this season on the Auburn University gymnastics team before turning her attention to 2024.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021 due to the pandemic, Lee won three medals, including gold in the individual all-around and a bronze medal on the uneven bars, as well as a team silver medal.
Lee brought major star power to Auburn gymnastics as the first individual all-around Olympic champion to compete in college. Last month, she was named Individual Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation.
She won gold on the balance beam at the NCAA championships last season and took silver in the individual all-around to Florida’s Trinity Thomas.
“Competing for Auburn University has always been a dream of mine and the dream that rose in tandem with going to the Olympics,” Lee continued in her video announcement. “I’ve learned so much about myself, true teamwork and about community during my time here. With that being said, this will be my last season competing at Auburn University. My focus right now is to make it the most incredible season yet and to be the best teammate I can be, to strive for excellence and to reach our maximum potential.”
The 19-year-old said she is confident that she can return to the Olympic stage and hopes to join her teammates on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team as they get ready for the Summer Games in Paris. The national team won their seat for the 2024 Olympics after securing the top spot at the world championships earlier this month.
Lee did not compete at the world championships, choosing to focus on her upcoming season at Auburn, while former Tokyo Olympic teammates and college rivals Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles did compete.
“I’m so excited to share that after this season, I’ll be returning to elite gymnastics. I have my sights set on Paris in 2024,” Lee said. “And I know what I have to do to get there. I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and putting in the work. Gymnastics is my passion and something that I love so deeply because it pushes me to be the best version of myself every single day.”
Lee, who first got her start as a young gymnast by practicing on a wooden balance beam her dad built for her in their backyard, made sure to give a shoutout to girls and aspiring young gymnasts who look up to her.
“To every little girl whose circumstances have dictated your future but you push beyond them, I see you,” said Lee. “I did it and you can do it too. Because really, nothing is impossible.”
In her signoff, Lee also expressed gratitude to the community that has embraced her since the Tokyo Olympics.
“To the Auburn family, my teammates, coaches, staff, and supporters, thank you,” she added. “This special place will always be a part of me and my journey. And I will always be an Auburn Tiger. War Eagle!”
INXS released their first album in the ‘80s and are definitely eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so their fans, who are sick of just waiting to see them get in, are trying to do something about it.
A trio of fans, dubbed “Team Induct INXS,” have started a change.org petition titled “Induct INXS into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” making their case for why the band deserves to be in the esteemed institution.
“After many years of amazing music and dynamic ‘live’ performances, it’s time to ensure the legacy of one of the greatest bands in the world – INXS!” the petition by Dina Ghram, Shanon Steele and Jim Skivalidas reads. They also created a website to assure fans “we were taking this induction campaign seriously.”
The trio tell Billboard, “All three of us are big music fans and have a deep appreciation of bands that have touched our lives and inspired us throughout the years,” noting, “INXS is at the top of all three of our lists – we’ve grown up with them, seen them ‘live’, bought all their albums, and come to think of INXS as a family of sorts.”
As of Wednesday morning, the petition had roughly 11,000 of the 15,000 signatures it’s aiming for.
(NEW YORK) — Amazon is warning customers about an increase in online and mobile scams ahead of the holiday season.
According to Amazon, they have already initiated takedowns of more than 20,000 phishing websites and 10,000 phone numbers associated with impersonation schemes this year.
The retail giant said more than 50% of the impersonation scams its customers report are fake order confirmations.
“A scammer will send a fake order confirmation looking like you bought something online or in a store and pretend that you need to urgently contact customer service,” Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of selling partner services, told Good Morning America, explaining how the scams often play out. “And they’ll give you a link or a phone number to try and contact them.”
Once a person reaches out, scammers may ask for anything from credit card or Social Security numbers or other personal information.
One example of a fraudulent text message someone may receive asks a potential Amazon customer to click a link to contact customer care if they didn’t place an order. Upon closer inspection, the “o” in the word “order” is the number zero.
Another example of a fraudulent text message is one that offers information about a fake order and then asks a customer to call a phone number to request a refund.
“As our technology has become more sophisticated, scammers have become more sophisticated,” Claire Rosenzweig, the CEO of Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York, told GMA. “Scammers are going to try to use your emotions against you so that you react and give them what they want, which is usually your money or your personal information.”
The Federal Trade Commission said it has received more than 3 million reports of impersonation scams since 2018, with consumers losing more than $6 billion.
To protect your personal information and your money, Amazon is advising customers:
Do not to click on any suspicious links.
Do not call or text any phone numbers you don’t recognize.
Be wary of any sense of urgency.
When in doubt, contact customer service directly and file a report.
When using email, look for the Amazon smile logo. That is an icon used to verify the message is directly from Amazon.
“If you want to check your real order history, if you want to really contact our customer service, you go to Amazon.com or use the Amazon app,” said Mehta. “Don’t fall prey to those scams.”
If you think you have been scammed, experts recommend taking the following steps:
Contact your bank immediately.
Ask your bank to have the transaction reversed.
Cancel your credit card.
If you used a gift card, contact the company that issued the gift card and ask for a refund.
For Amazon specifically, utilize the company’s scam reporting feature at Amazon.com/reportascam.
Kevin Spacey is facing an additional seven charges in the U.K.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the charges stem from sexual offenses against one man between 2001 and 2004. They include three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
Spacey, 63, previously pleaded not guilty to five other charges of sexual assault in a London court back in July. The charges stem from claims by three men that Spacey had sexually assaulted them in England almost 20 years ago.
Last month, Spacey was found not liable in a civil sexual abuse trial brought by actor Anthony Rapp. Rapp had accused the actor of climbing on top of him at a party when he was 14 and Spacey was 26.
Bachelorette star Erich Schwer is addressing his recent split from Gabby Windey.
Taking to Instagram Stories Tuesday, the reality star, 29, wrote, “A lot of you are reaching out with questions about me and Gabby. The reality is that we ultimately were not each other’s people.”
“It’s hard when there isn’t one thing to put your finger on,” Erich continued. “We met in a very unique situation and in a very unique way and I’m grateful we did. I would never take it back.”
Erich added that he thinks Windey is “an amazing person” and he will “always root for her,” before sharing that he plans to focus on himself and spend time with family and loved ones.
“I have learned and grown so much this year from experiences and mistakes and I continue to better myself every day,” he wrote. “I have been working hard these past few months and I’m excited to share with y’all eventually.”
The statement comes just one day after Gabby, 31, spoke about their split on Dancing with the Stars.
“The end of our relationship happened because we weren’t completely in step and in sync with each other on our common goals or just the way we approach life,” she said then. “We weren’t each other’s best match.”
Gabby and Erich called it quits earlier this month, just two months after getting engaged on season 19 of The Bachelorette.
(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) — The 22-year-old University of Virginia student accused of gunning down three classmates allegedly shot one of the victims as he slept, according to prosecutors.
The three slain students, Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry, were all members of the football team, according to University of Virginia President Jim Ryan.
Two other students were injured in the shooting that unfolded on a bus as it returned to the Charlottesville campus on Sunday night from a field trip in Washington, D.C.
The suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was taken into custody Monday morning following an overnight manhunt.
Prosecutors allege that Jones targeted specific students on the bus, including Chandler. Prosecutors claimed that Jones shot Chandler as he slept on the bus.
Jones did not enter a plea at his first court appearance Wednesday. Jones, who previously worked at the Charlottesville Boys and Girls Club and at a local hospital, was given a temporary, court-appointed attorney.
University of Virginia sophomore Ryan Lynch said he was on the bus when gunshots erupted.
“I was scared that with all the shots that were fired, he had shot everyone on the bus,” Lynch told ABC News. “So I thought he was going to shoot me, too.”
When asked if he had noticed any kind of animosity or tension between the shooter and the victims, Lynch said: “No. To my knowledge, they did not know him. The only thing is that they were on the football team.”
In 2018, Jones was a running back for the University of Virginia’s football team, the Virginia Cavaliers, though he never played in a game. Virginia Cavaliers Athletics Director Carla Williams said Jones was a student beginning in 2018 and was a walk-on for one semester. She said “there was no overlap” on the team between Jones and the victims, adding that she doesn’t “know if there was any interaction outside of the class.”
A motive remains unclear, according to the university’s president.
Jones is facing three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony, according to University of Virginia Police Chief Timothy Longo. Charges could change, he said.
Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney James Hingeley confirmed to ABC News that Jones also faces two counts of malicious wounding of the two other students.
As the university’s community mourns, classes are set to resume Wednesday. But undergraduates aren’t required to finish any graded assignments or take exams before Thanksgiving break, according to the university’s president.
UVA has canceled this weekend’s home football game against Coastal Carolina. UVA has not decided if it will play its final game of the season, set for Nov. 26 at Virginia Tech.
“I’m ready for somebody to pinch me and wake me up and say that this didn’t happen,” Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliot said at a news conference.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump’s onetime personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen can sue the Trump Organization to cover millions of dollars in legal fees, a New York appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The unanimous opinion from the Appellate Division, First Department said the trial judge erred when he dismissed Cohen’s lawsuit that sought indemnification for outstanding legal fees Cohen incurred in connection with the special counsel and congressional hearings, New York state attorney general, and Manhattan district attorney proceedings, and the proceeding related to FBI search warrants.
The victory followed a legal setback when a federal judge dismissed Cohen’s lawsuit that accused Trump, ex-Attorney General Bill Barr and the Trump administration of retaliating against him for speaking unflatteringly about his former boss.
In the lawsuit over legal fees, the appellate judges said it “should not have been dismissed based on the finding that those fees were not, as a matter of law, incurred by reason of the fact that he had been an employee of defendant.”
Lohan and Curtis in 2003 — Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
No, a Freaky Friday sequel isn’t currently in the works, but it appears to be a step closer.
“There is no scheduled date, but we’re talking,” Jamie Lee Curtis, who starred alongside Lindsay Lohan in the 2003 comedy film, told Variety at Monday’s Los Angeles premiere of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
“I’m 64 in a week and Lindsay is 36…[A sequel] lends itself so beautifully,” Curtis said. “We’re both committed to it, and it’s not ours to make. It’s Disney’s to make and I think they’re interested and we’re talking.”
“Let’s just try to get another one made,” Curtis said. “We’re a ways away.”
Freaky Friday features Curtis and Lohan as a mother-daughter duo whose bodies are switched thanks to a magical fortune cookie.
(NEW YORK) — A red wave in the midterm elections propelled by discontent over sky-high inflation was expected to deliver a historic defeat for Democrats — until it didn’t.
Typically the party in control of the White House suffers significant losses in the midterm elections. In this case, some analysts expected the disadvantage for Democrats to prove greater than usual, since inflation stood near a 40-year high and recession fears abounded.
Days before the election, polls validated that concern. Roughly half of Americans said either the economy or inflation was the most important issue in their vote for Congress, making bread-and-butter financial issues by far the most dominant, according to an ABC News/Ipsos survey.
Instead, the Democrats are projected to control the Senate; and while Republicans lead in the race for a House majority, that chamber has yet to be decided.
The apparent lack of a voter backlash against Democrats over inflation stems in part from the priority placed on other issues as well as the struggles of candidates backed by former President Donald Trump, experts told ABC News.
But the results also suggest that inflation motivated voters less than many expected, perhaps because savings have cushioned the financial pain and the job market remains fairly robust, some experts said.
Here’s why the Democrats eluded a voter backlash over inflation, according to experts:
Abortion, candidate quality play outsized role
A top reason why Democrats avoided a midterms landslide over inflation has nothing to do with the price hikes, experts told ABC News. Instead, voters prioritized other issues like abortion or formed judgments based on the candidates on offer in a given race.
On election day, 32% of voters said inflation was their most important issue but abortion followed close behind at 27%, while voters also mentioned crime, immigration and gun policy, an ABC News exit poll showed.
Moreover, more than two-thirds of voters said democracy in the U.S. is threatened, the exit poll found.
Inflation less motivating to voters
Another reason why Democrats avoided punishment at the polls over inflation is that the issue appeared to motivate voters less than expected, in part because some analysts overstated the typical role of inflation in midterm elections, experts said.
Further, some analysts and media outlets may have overstated the degree of financial pain inflicted by inflation, since savings carried over from the pandemic have softened the blow of high prices, some experts said.
Historically, the height or change of inflation has not been linked with the performance of the president’s party in the midterms, Matt Grossman, a professor of political science at Michigan State University who studies the role of inflation in electoral politics, told ABC News.
However, academics have tied gas prices to presidential approval rating, which in turn marks a key indicator for the midterm performance of the party in control of the White House, Grossman added.
While gas prices declined over the final few weeks of the campaign, they remained elevated on election day. Only 44% approved of Biden’s presidency, among the lowest midterm approval ratings in 40 years.
Voters may have held Biden responsible for high prices but forwent placing blame on Congressional candidates, Grossman said.
The lower-than-expected voter motivation based on the midterms owes in part to household savings that have mitigated some of the damage, some experts said.
U.S. households amassed about $2.3 trillion in savings in 2020 and 2021, a Federal Reserve study showed last month. Moreover, households in the lower half of income distribution were still holding a combined $350 billion in excess savings as of the middle of this year, the study found.
Mark Zandi, of Moody Analytics, estimated that inflation has added about $500 per month in costs on average for a U.S. household compared with a year ago.
“It’s financially tough,” he said. “Excess savings built up during the pandemic certainly have cushioned the blow.”
Labor market remains fairly strong
Despite sky-high inflation and rising interest rates, the labor market remains fairly robust. While the jobs added each month have fallen over the second half of this year, they remain strong, keeping the unemployment rate below 4%.
The lack of a voter backlash against Democrats over the economy suggests that the pain imposed by inflation may be offset in part by the high level of employment, experts told ABC News.
“The topline take from the midterms from an economic perspective is that full employment matters,” Felicia Wong, the president and CEO of the left-leaning nonprofit Roosevelt Forward, told ABC News.
Wong contrasted the results of the midterms last week with the midterm election in 2010, when then-President Barack Obama oversaw an economy with a 9.6% unemployment rate in the immediate aftermath of the Great Recession. In what Obama later described as a “shellacking,” Republicans picked up 63 seats in the House.
“Inflation is a financial corrosive for all Americans, but it’s not an acute pain,” Zandi said. “Unemployment is a very acute pain when people are affected by it.”
