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Missing Princeton student Misrach Ewunetie found dead, death doesn’t appear suspicious

October 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(PRINCETON, N.J.) — Princeton student Misrach Ewunetie was found dead on campus Thursday nearly one week after she went missing, officials said.

The 20-year-old’s body was found around 1 p.m. “outside on the Facilities grounds behind the tennis courts” by a facilities employee, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said.

“There were no obvious signs of injury and her death does not appear suspicious or criminal in nature,” prosecutors said.

An autopsy will be conducted, prosecutors said.

The university said in a statement, “The Department of Public Safety has been working closely with local and state law enforcement and does not believe there is any related threat to campus or the surrounding area.”

“Misrach’s death is an unthinkable tragedy,” the university added. “Our hearts go out to her family, her friends and the many others who knew and loved her.”

Ewunetie was last seen at about 3 a.m. on Friday near Scully Hall on the school’s New Jersey campus, according to the university.

One of her suitemates saw her at home at about 3 a.m. Friday, but when her direct roommate came home around 4:30 a.m., Ewunetie wasn’t there, her brother, Universe Ewunetie, told ABC News.

On Saturday, Misrach Ewunetie was supposed to have an interview about 45 minutes away from campus regarding her U.S. citizenship application, and the family was concerned when she didn’t show up, her brother said.

By Sunday, text messages weren’t getting delivered, and her phone went straight to voicemail, he said.

Her phone’s last ping was at 3:30 a.m. Sunday near an off-campus housing complex that’s about a 30-minute walk from her dorm, according to Universe Ewunetie. The last time her phone pinged to a cell tower was 6 a.m. Sunday, he said.

Law enforcement swarmed the campus searching for her, using helicopters and drones.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted earlier Thursday that he was in touch with officials “who are doing everything they can to find her.”

Later on Thursday, the governor tweeted, “We are heartbroken by the tragic news that missing @Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie was found dead this afternoon. Our hearts go out to her family, friends, and fellow students who knew and loved her.”

ABC News’ Nick Cirone contributed to this report.

Music notes: Taylor Swift, Macklemore, Dua Lipa and Katy Perry

October 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Taylor Swift‘s Midnights comes out Thursday night and Twitter says the album is the most anticipated album of all time. People tweeted about the album 1.6 million times in the first three days following its announcement. Fans are most excited about her “Snow on the Beach” collab with Lana Del Rey, “Lavender Haze” and “Karma.”

Macklemore is still celebrating his breakout hit “Can’t Hold Us” being RIAA-certified Diamond. He told Billboard of being among the few artists with two Diamond singles off one album, “It’s amazing. Not everyone has it. I believe only 20 people have it in history. Is that right? Can I flex?” “Thrift Shop,” also off the The Heist album, was also minted Diamond. He revealed record labels told him of the song, “‘Yeah, it’s cool. I don’t hear it on the radio, though.'” Joke’s on them!

We may finally know why Dua Lipa was palling around with comedian Trevor Noah and accidentally sparked dating rumors. Turns out he was a recent guest on her At Your Service podcast, where the two chatted about their favorite comedians. The episode airs Friday.

Speaking of Dua, she revealed her first fragrance was Britney Spears‘ “Curious.” She spoke with Byrdie about being the new face of YSL Beauty Libre fragrance and said of Britney’s famous perfume, “I like that it was really fresh.”

Katy Perry has a new venture — a jewelry line that honors her PLAY residency in Las Vegas. She’s teamed up with Twila True Fine Jewelry to sell the new offerings at their store at Resorts World, where her residency is being held. You can also buy the new line on the Twila website, which offers new charms, pendants, rings and more.

2023 Beach Boys cruise will feature The Temptations, The Righteous Brothers & more

October 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The Beach Boys have announced plans for the second installment of The Beach Boys Good Vibrations Cruise, a star-studded nautical festival that will take place next year from March 3 to March 8.

The cruise will set sail from Miami and will stop at Harvest Caye, Belize and Costa Maya, Mexico before returning to port.

The musical extravaganza will feature two unique concerts by The Beach Boys, a special sail-away set by The Isley Brothers and open-sea performances by The Temptations, The Righteous Brothers, Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath and popular Beatles tribute act RAIN.

Besides the many performances, the cruise will feature such events, attractions and activities as a photo with The Beach Boys, the chance to interact with the various artists, themed nights, on-shore excursions in Harvest Caye and Costa Maya and much more.

Tickets for the cruise go on sale on Friday, October 8 at 2 p.m. ET. Visit TheBeachBoysCruise.com for all the details.

Reservations are available now, with early-bird prices currently in effect.

The cruise is presented by Club Kokomo Spirits, a new canned-cocktail brand that Beach Boys frontman Mike Love recently co-founded.

In other news, The Beach Boys have scheduled a special 2022 holiday tour called Tis the Season that will feature the band performing with a symphony. The trek runs from a November 26 show in Mashantucket, Connecticut through a December 18 concert in Chicago. Visit TheBeachBoys.com for the group’s full list of shows.

Grey Poupon weighs in on Olivia Wilde dressing controversy with its Don’t Worry Dijon

October 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Olivia Wilde and her ex Jason Sudeikis may have called a former nanny’s rumors about them false, but one ingredient of her story is getting stronger: Wilde’s salad dressing.

And now the mustard brand Grey Poupon is layering on the snark because of it.

The nanny claimed this “special dressing” that Wilde reportedly made for her now-boyfriend, Harry Styles, reportedly made Sudeikis jealous enough for him to lay under her car to make her late for a meet-up with her Don’t Worry Darling leading man.

Again, both Wilde and Sudeikis called the allegations false, but as reported, Wilde recently raised eyebrows when she posted the actual recipe, cribbed from Nora Ephron‘s book Heartburn. “Mix 2 tablespoons Grey Poupon mustard with 2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar,” the recipe said in part.

The mustard brand evidently heard about it and is now offering a limited edition Don’t Worry Dijon. On Instagram it displayed a picture of the newly redesigned bottle, complete with new branding and the cheeky tagline, “Made with Style.”

Grey Poupon invited users to stay tuned to see how they can win their own bottle of the stuff.

‘E.T.’ celebrates its 40th anniversary with all new 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and digital release

October 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Steven Spielberg‘s Oscar-winning classic E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial had its 40th birthday in June, and in celebration, Universal has just released an all-new 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and digital version of the film.

E.T. The 40th Anniversary Edition includes 45 minutes of all-new bonus features, including a retrospective of the film and its legacy, as well as a featurette with Spielberg reflecting on his career and the making of the film.

The new version also includes deleted scenes, a cast and filmmaker reunion, and a discussion with John Williams about the iconic, Academy Award-winning score from the film.

“I think it’s great because, you know … it has a special place in a lot of people’s hearts,” Henry Thomas, who played Elliot in the film, tells ABC Audio.

He continues, “[E.T. was] a lot of people’s first experience of seeing a film in the theater. And so it’s special and they’re showing it to their kids. And, you know, it’s kind of become our generation’s Wizard of Oz.”

The movie is so beloved that Thomas’ audition tape recently resurfaced and went viral online. The improvised scene saw the child actor conjuring real tears and famously ends with Spielberg, off camera, saying, “OK, kid: You got the job.”

About that, Thomas laughs, “I think it’s kind of funny, actually, because, you know, when I see the audition tape, I just see, like, myself being really scared and desperate to get a job. You know … I don’t see any acting genius there.”

Equally unimpressed were Thomas’ three kids. “I expected them to be amazed that I was in this movie. But they immediately … said, ‘Oh, that’s when you were a kid. This was the famous movie you did when you were a kid, Dad.'”

Alicia Keys announces ‘Santa Baby’ holiday album

October 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Alicia Keys is looking to add some merry & bright to this holiday season.

The Grammy winner announced her first holiday album, Santa Baby, will be released November 4 exclusively on Apple Music.

The album, which was recorded while on her sold-out European tour this summer, will feature seven reimagined holiday classics, as well as four original songs written by Keys. The first single, “December Back 2 June,” will be released Friday, October 28.

“I love this music! It feels so good!” Keys said. “I picked each song based on my all-time favorites and I wrote the new ones based on real holiday emotions and stories. The holidays are such a beautiful time to slow down, be with the ones you love and make meaning! Santa Baby is definitely going to be the perfect holiday soundtrack. I can’t wait for you to fall in love with it.”

To ring in the holiday season, Keys will perform live music from Santa Baby on national TV. More information on the performances to be announced soon.

Nashville notes: Lainey Wilson’s album release party, Morgan Evans’ new song + more

October 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Lainey Wilson is throwing a virtual release party for her new album, Bell Bottom Country, on October 30 at 3 p.m. ET. Tickets and merch bundles are available now.

Morgan Evans has released the studio version of “Over For You,” a song he wrote in the midst of his divorce from Kelsea Ballerini. “It was a difficult time in my life and writing this song helped me process a lot of what I was going through,” Morgan explained on Twitter.

Tenille Townes has announced a short run of dates, billed as the Side A + Side B Tour, for January 2023.

Taylor Swift explains the origins of her Easter eggs: “It’s really about…trying to entertain” my fans

October 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

For as long as Taylor Swift‘s been releasing albums, fans have been poring over her lyrics, artwork, social media feeds and every utterance, trying to determine if she’s dropping Easter eggs and hidden messages about her life and future plans…or just trolling them. Now, Taylor explains how it all started.

Longtime Swifties know that Taylor started this with her debut album: She randomly capitalized letters in the lyrics printed in the CD booklet, spelling out messages revealing the songs’ meanings. She continued to do this through the release of 1989. In an email to The Washington Post, Taylor reveals the inspiration behind the “secret messages” idea.

“I remember saving up to buy a CD when I was a kid, tearing it open, and laying on the floor reading every word of the lyric booklet. Reading lyrics and seeing which photos defined the album were two of my favorite parts of experiencing a record release,” Taylor wrote to The Post. “I felt like some artists really leaned into their album packaging in a creative way. The Chicks’ Fly album was my favorite because their photos depicted all the meanings of the word ‘fly’ in very theatrical ways.”

Taylor goes on to say that when she released her self-titled debut, “I wanted to recreate the experience I used to have for my fans in a reimagined approach. I decided to encode the lyrics with hidden messages using capital letters.”

“My fans and I have since descended into color coding, numerology, word searches, elaborate hints, and Easter eggs,” she notes. “It’s really about turning new music into an event for my fans and trying to entertain them in playful, mischievous, clever ways.”

And Taylor promises, “As long as they still find it fun and exciting, I’ll keep doing it.”

Legal victory for Kevin Spacey as sexual abuse suit is dismissed

October 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Actor Kevin Spacey was found not liable Thursday in a civil sexual abuse trial brought by fellow actor Anthony Rapp.

The lawsuit against the Oscar winner has been dismissed.

The accusations stemmed from an incident in 1986 when Rent veteran Rapp alleged Spacey climbed on top of him at a party when he was just 14 years old and Spacey was 26.

An emotional Spacey told jurors in court testimony Monday that the allegations were not true.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Faith No More’s Mike Patton shares struggle with alcohol use: “The drinking just … happened”

October 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Faith No More frontman Mike Patton has shared that he struggled with alcohol use amid the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

Speaking with The Guardian, Patton recalls actually feeling good at the beginning of the pandemic — “It allowed me to be an antisocial motherf***er!” he laughs — but then “something changed — and not for the better.”

“Because I was isolated so much, going outside was a hard thing to do, and that’s a horrible thing,” Patton says. “The idea of doing more Faith No More shows — it was stressful. It affected me mentally. I don’t know why, but the drinking just … happened.”

In addition to the battle with alcoholism, Patton was diagnosed with the anxiety disorder agoraphobia. He revealed in a Rolling Stone interview published over the summer that the diagnosis forced Faith No More to cancel a tour in 2021.

Those dates, Patton tells The Guardian, won’t be rescheduled. He plans to return to the live stage in December for a run of South American shows with Mr. Bungle. Patton says he’s been “doing pretty good” lately and has been sober “for a while,” though he admits he’s afraid of playing shows again.

“I’m afraid of myself,” Patton says. “The band is rock solid and I want to make sure that I bring it. There are a few issues going on.”

When asked to clarify those issues, Patton replies, “I don’t know if I wanna tell you.”

Patton is also set to release a new album with his band Dead Cross, titled II, on October 28.

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