It must be hard to play in a band, manage that band and file lawsuits against your fellow bandmates at the same time.
Journey‘s Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain, who were both jointly managing the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group, have decided to step back from that role, Billboard reports.
Schon and Cain have handed the reins over to Def Leppard‘s manager, Mike Kobayashi, who confirms he was “just hired,” according to Billboard. While the band has been a cash cow on the road, raking in $40 million this year, Cain and Schon have been embroiled in a legal squabble over expenses.
As previously reported, Schon is suing Cain for setting up a band American Express card without his knowledge, while Cain denies that and claims that Schon has been “running up enormous personal charges on the band’s credit card account.” That lawsuit is pending, but it’s not the only recent legal dispute involving the band.
As Billboard notes, in September, former lead singer Steve Perry sued to stop Schon and Cain from trademarking the names of the band’s hits. And in 2020, Schon and Cain sued bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith, accusing them of trying to get control of the band’s name. The lawsuit was settled in 2021, and Valory and Smith left the band.
Amid all these issues, it’s no wonder Journey needs someone to look after their affairs, especially since the band’s 50th anniversary Freedom tour is set to kick off February 4 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Nicki Minaj‘s husband has been ordered to “facilitate settlement discussions” with the woman who accused him of rape. Jennifer Hough sued Kenneth Petty in 2021 for infliction of emotional distress, harassment and witness intimidation. According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, the judge is hoping the two parties can get on the same page.
AllHipHop reports Judge James R. Cho referred the case to mediation on Tuesday, giving parties a March deadline to complete the process. The case will go to trial if Hough and Petty are unable to reach a settlement.
As reported, Petty served more than four years in prison after he was convicted of raping Hough in 1995. The alleged rape victim claimed she was repeatedly pressured to recant her statements. She filed a lawsuit accusing the couple of alleged harassment and intimidation, initially noting that Nicki was involved; the charges against the rapper have since been dropped.
Petty still faces the charges against him. He was recently sentenced to three years of probation and one year of home confinement for his failure to register as a sex offender in connection to the rape.
Nicki’s husband is taking legal action over the sex offender status. He and Pough are scheduled to start opening arguments in the case on January 6, 2023.
(SPOILERS) Marvel fans know that characters who die rarely stay dead, yet Michael B. Jordan‘s appearance in the hit Black Panther: Wakanda Forever still managed to be a jaw-dropper.
Now that the cat — or panther — is out of the bag, Jordan explained to Extra what it took to keep the surprise quiet.
Jordan says with a laugh, “I had to lie to my family over here!”
He continued, “I had to lie to everybody out here … I had to just keep it under wraps.”
In the film, his N’Jadaka/Erik “Killmonger” Stevens — who was killed by Chadwick Boseman‘s T’Challa in the original film — makes his surprise appearance from the Great Beyond after T’Challa’s sister, Shuri, takes the mystical heart-shaped herb.
Doing so temporarily transports a person to the ancestral plane, where a relative guides you on a spiritual path. However, while Shuri was sure she’d see her brother or her mom, Queen Romanda, her heart is filled with vengeance, so she instead encounters the spirit of her villainous cousin, who was also seeking revenge. She keeps the disturbing revelation secret — like MBJ had to in real life.
Jordan added, “When you’re dealing with Marvel and stuff like that, you know the routine. So you just gotta, you know, deny, deny, deny, deny, deny until the end of it, yeah.”
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has reigned at the top of the box office for the past four weeks. The film has made more than $733 million worldwide.
Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
(NEW YORK) — Kirstie Alley’s unexpected death at age 71 has put a spotlight on colon cancer, the disease that took her life.
Alley had been recently diagnosed with colon cancer prior to her Dec. 5 death, a rep for the actress confirmed to ABC News.
“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” Alley’s children True and Lillie Parker wrote in a statement shared to Alley’s Twitter account Monday night. “She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead. As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother.”
Colorectal cancer — the umbrella term for colon and rectal cancers — is the fourth most common cancer in men and women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It affects men and women almost equally. The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 23 for men and 1 in 25 for women, according to the American Cancer Society.
At age 71, Alley was in the age demographic — ages 45 to 75 — when colon cancer is most likely to occur, CDC data shows.
It is not known exactly when Alley was diagnosed with colon cancer, or what stage she was in or what treatment she received. Her family said only that her cancer was “recently discovered.”
While colon cancer does have signs and symptoms, they often may not show until the disease is in its later stages, according to ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton.
“The key thing is that in early stages of colon cancer, there can be no symptoms or someone could be asymptomatic,” Ashton said Wednesday on “Good Morning America.” “When you get to more advanced stages, there can be signs and symptoms like abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, blood in stool or anemia that is detected, but those are the signs typically when you’re talking about metastatic or later stages.”
Risk factors for colon cancer include everything from family history and certain genetic mutations to lifestyle factors like obesity, inactivity, smoking and alcohol to excess, and a diet low in fiber, fruits and vegetables, according to Ashton.
“It’s typically not one thing,” she said of the risk factors.
Colon cancer has been more in the spotlight in recent years with the death of Chadwick Boseman at age 43 and, more recently, with ’80s pop star Taylor Dane revealing she battled the same disease.
Earlier this year, a major study found that more young people are being diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer, prompting renewed calls among doctors for early detection and screening.
Researchers from University of Colorado School of Medicine found that young patients under 40 years old have had the highest increase in rates of new late-stage colon cancer cases diagnosed, meaning the cancer has already spread at the time of diagnosis. In particular, subgroups of non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic participants had the highest increases.
The United States Preventive Services Task Force, the leading organization on preventative medicine, recently changed the guidelines to start screening for colon cancer to age 45, down from 50, in light of the trends of increasing cases of colon cancer in younger people.
There are several different ways of screening for colon cancer, including visual exams and stool tests.
The most commonly known test, a colonoscopy, requires a doctor to use a flexible tube with a camera at the end to directly look at your colon and rectum. Flexible sigmoidoscopy can also be done where only the lower third of the colon and rectum is examined. During both tests, suspicious areas can be biopsied and removed if necessary.
A “virtual colonoscopy” uses a CT scan to take images of your colon and rectum. All these tests require a bowel prep to allow for good visualization.
Stool-based tests include three blood tests that look for hidden blood, antibodies or abnormal DNA in the stool, all indicative of cancer or polyp cells. If a test other than a colonoscopy is performed and turns up abnormal results, it should be followed up with a colonoscopy.
While a colonoscopy can be a daunting test for some due to the prep work involved — including drinking a prescription laxative drink — Ashton said there are steps people can take to make it easier.
“The first thing I tell my patients is you have anesthesia. You are asleep. You will feel no discomfort, no embarrassment,” said Ashton. “But the key thing for the prep … I say start two days before with a clear liquid diet.”
Some examples of liquids to consume include ginger ale, clear chicken broth, Jell-O and coconut water, according to Ashton.
“That will make the day before [the colonoscopy] much easier,” said Ashton. “And it will make the job of a gastroenterologist easier because they’ll be able to get a better visualization.”
Amrit K. Kamboj, MD, an internal medicine resident, and Vanya Jain, a medical student from New Jersey Medical School, who previously worked with the ABC News Medical Unit, contributed to this report.
While Bob Dylan‘s tours are Never Ending, catching a glimpse of the famed rocker offstage is something that rarely happens. You almost never see Dylan, for example, making a Starbucks run, leaving a restaurant or taking a smoke break. So how does he avoid getting photographed, when everyone in the world has a phone? It’s because, as his former guitarist explains, “he’s slippery.”
Billy Burnette, a guitarist, songwriter and solo artist who’s played with Fleetwood Mac and John Fogerty, was Dylan’s touring guitarist in 2003. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Burnette explains that Bob does go out, but he flies under the radar. During the tour, Burnette explains, “He went out and ran every day. I’d see him in his sweats in the hotel, but he’s slippery.”
“[T]hey lost him one day [in an airport],” Burnette adds. “They couldn’t find him anywhere. I’m in this little gift shop and I turn around, and there he is. He goes, ‘Hi Billy.’ I was like, ‘How did you get in here?’ He moves around. It’s a weird thing.”
When Rolling Stone points out that Dylan is sometimes seen wearing a hoodie with the hood up, Burnette explains, “When he wears the hood, you’re not supposed to talk to him. I didn’t know that until one day we were in line to get on a plane at the airport.”
“I tapped him on the shoulder,” he continues. “The drummer said, ‘No, no. He don’t talk to anyone when he’s got the hood on.’ I was like, ‘OK. I’m glad you told me.'”
H.E.R. says it’s a “dream come true” to play Belle in the upcoming live-action special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.
The award-winning singer, who is the first Black and Filipina woman to play Belle on screen, discussed how excited she was to take on the role and celebrate the “iconic” film.
“I never thought I could be a Disney princess,” she said Wednesday on Good Morning America. “Of course every little girl wants to be a Disney princess, but I’ve never seen one that looks like me — so I get to be that to little girls now.”
“And that’s such a huge deal on top of being a producer on Beauty and the Beast, which is crazy,” she continued. “I got to do a lot of the new arrangements and work with Alan Menken, the original arranger and producer. It’s been an amazing experience just learning so much about myself and it’s been a lot of fun, honestly.”
She added, “Being a Disney princess is fun!”
H.E.R. admits she was shocked she got the role.
“Immediately I was like, ‘I get to wear the yellow dress!'” she said. “I have to wear the yellow dress — that’s going to be the moment … but I was so excited. I got to unlock a new thing within myself and that’s why I say the timing is so great.”
“My inner Disney princess, which I think is this fearless and joyful and just strong and kind of brave thing within myself, I’m finding,” she added. “It’s been a crazy, wonderful experience.”
H.E.R. joins a star-studded cast including Shania Twain, Josh Groban, Martin Short, Joshua Henry, David Alan Grier and Rita Moreno for the television event, which will air on ABC December 15 and on Disney+ the next day.
It’s official: The Weeknd has a new song on the Avatar: The Way of Water soundtrack.
The Weeknd will release “Nothing is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” next week, according to the teaser released Wednesday. The lyrics featured in the 45-second trailer are, “I thought I could protect you for paying for my sins/ You give me strength/ I’m with you either way/ Nothing’s lost/ No more pain/ Just give me strength.”
As the haunting song flows, clips of the forthcoming Avatar sequel see Sam Worthington‘s Jake Sully, Zoe Saldana‘s Neytiri and their children fighting for survival.
The Weeknd began teasing his involvement with the movie on Sunday. He confirmed Wednesday the song will arrive December 15 — the day before Avatar: The Way of Water premieres in theaters.
Avatar is being distributed by 20th Century Studios, which is owned by ABC News’ parent company, The Walt Disney Company.
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, feeling “exuberant” following Sen. Raphael Warnock’s win in Georgia’s runoff, on Wednesday laid out why he thinks Democrats won and what to expect from their incoming 51-seat edge.
“This election, both in November and now here on December the 6th, now shows that Americans believe in democracy,” Schumer told reporters in a news conference on Capitol Hill. “The American people rejected so many of this MAGA extremism — both in knocking down and not voting for extreme MAGA candidates … Many of the voters in the middle came over to us because they worried what the Republican Party under MAGA control would do to our democracy.”
The 2022 midterms marked the first time since 1943 that a party in power has defended every incumbent Senate seat, a fact Schumer touted to press: “Why did Democrats defy history in these midterms?”
While praising the quality of Democratic candidates, Schumer argued that they won due to the “one-two punch” of Americans retreating from the Republican Party and rewarding Democrats for passing legislation that he said actually matters to voters.
“The combination of those two things was the powerful one-two punch that made us defy all the odds and provided the right so our candidates, both incumbent and non-incumbent, could prevail,” Schumer said, describing when he thought things began to shift for Democrats after dire midterm predictions.
He called the Supreme Court’s June decision to overturn national abortion rights “the crystallization” for the public on Republicans’ move to the right: “[That’s] when people said, ‘Wow, these MAGA Republicans are serious about turning the clock all the way back,'” he said.
Schumer said the conservative court’s majority decisions to expand concealed carry for firearms and to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to curb emissions only added to these fears.
The House Jan. 6 committee’s public hearings on the Capitol attack also “played an important effect,” he contended, in exposing extremism in the GOP.
Now that Democrats have total control of the Senate and are no longer governed by a 50-50 power-sharing agreement with Republicans, Schumer said they are breathing a “sigh of relief.”
Unlike in an evenly split chamber where committees hold an even split of partisan representation, the additional seat will allow Democrats to have clear majorities on committees, making it easier to move future legislation and judicial and executive nominations.
Schumer also highlighted the subpoena power Democrats will have to investigate private sector as well as government entities.
“It gives us just a lift. The fact that we got the 51 votes gives us just a great feeling, enthusiasm, unity, encouragement,” he said.
The Senate leader declined multiple questions to speculate on what specific actions Democrats might take in the new Congress. The House’s incoming GOP majority has already promised what they call aggressive oversight of the Biden administration, including focus on the southern border, the Afghanistan withdrawal and the president’s son Hunter.
Speaking with reporters, Schumer repeated a broad message that he hopes to work with non-MAGA Republican lawmakers — and promised to pursue that goal “with the same kind of energy that we pursued winning this election.”
“There are a good number of Republicans in the Senate and the House who are not MAGA Republicans who know that if the Republican Party follows the hard right and the extreme members in their caucuses, they’ll continue to lose ground. It is my intention to reach out to them and see how can we work in a bipartisan way,” he said.
Asked if he thinks Democrats would have the same wins with President Joe Biden on the ticket in 2024, Schumer said Democrats tend to do better in presidential election years — before reinforcing his support for Biden, when pressed.
“I think President Biden being on the ticket, if he runs — and if he runs, I’ll support him — would be very, very helpful,” Schumer said.
Of Warnock’s win, Schumer said he was moved to tears Tuesday night when the Georgia lawmaker mentioned his mother in his victory speech.
“He said she grew up in the ’50s picking someone else’s cotton and somebody else’s tobacco,” Schumer said. “And last night — this is so touching, every time I read it I get choked up — last night, she helped pick her son to be United States Senator. Only in America.”
He praised Warnock for having four electoral victories against Republicans in two years in a historically red state, and he took a moment of self-congratulation for his efforts to recruit the reverend to run.
“The people of Georgia are better off, the Democratic Senate caucus is better off and America is better off because he ran and won,” Schumer said. “He’s going to have a great, great future.”
(Note Language) If there’s one thing you can expect from Cardi B, it’s that she’ll keep it real with her fans. In a recent Instagram Live, the rapper did just that, explaining the wait for her sophomore album to her loyal BardiGang fanbase.
“I’m just a mom and I do have anxiety. I’ve been having a lot of anxiety, because I know right after I drop my album, I have to go out on tour and I have bad separation anxiety from my kids,” she explained.
Her dissatisfication with the music she’s recorded and her financial condition have also contributed to the delay.
“When it comes to music and everything, I just be feeling like I don’t be liking anything,” she continued. “I feel like I got so many songs and I don’t like anything. I feel like nothing is good enough … And I got so much money saved up I just be like, ‘Yeah, whatever the f***.’”
According to Cardi, “Making music to me has become like a job that gives me anxiety because everybody just critiques everything that I do.” However, she’s determined to “let that go.” “I have to release more music — I have to go out there,” she said.
Cardi’s debut and only album to date, Invasion of Privacy, came out four years ago.
Future is having “One Big Party” for his 2023 tour.
On Tuesday, the rapper announced his first headlining trek in over three years, titled the One Big Party Tour. He’s currently set to turn up at arenas in six cities across the U.S.
On the launch date, January 7, Future will kick off the show at Houston’s Toyota Center. He’ll then make stops at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center, Chicago’s United Center, Atlanta’s State Farm Arena and Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., before wrapping up at Boston’s TD Garden on January 27.
“ShowTime,” Future wrote on social media. “I’m ready To bring ONE BIG PARTY too your city! PLUTO.”
Tickets for the tour, which follows April’s release of his I Never Liked You album, go on sale Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET.
