(NEW YORK) — Travelers facing surging summer prices can expect good news as domestic airfare is expected to drop by nearly 40% in the coming fall months, according to data from the travel booking platform Hopper.
According to Hopper data, round-trip domestic airfare is expected to drop about 38% from its peak summer prices in September and October. Round-trip domestic airfare is expected to run around $238 on average, which is $142 cheaper than high summer fares.
Some of the best deals for domestic travel, according to Hopper, are to San Diego, California, which runs about $252 round-trip on average — a savings of $230 from peak summer prices. Airfare to Salt Lake City, Utah, is averaging $242 round-trip, which is down about $200 from summer. And round-trip prices to Los Angeles, California, will go for $246 on average during the fall months.
International airfare prices, meanwhile, are set to fall by about 19% — good news for those looking to embark on overseas adventures, now that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dropped COVID-19 restrictions for international travel.
Hopper says travelers can find flights to Grenada, Grenada, for $483 round-trip, which is a savings of $460 from peak summer prices. Travelers can find trips to Zurich, Switzerland, for $691, which is a savings of $275. And round-trip airfare to Bali, Indonesia, can be found for $1,183, down $431 from summer peaks.
Travel experts at Hopper advise that travelers book domestic trips at least three weeks in advance. They advise that prices will begin to rise quickly in the final few weeks before the trip.
For international travel plans, the experts advise booking at least one month in advance, noting that now is a good time to get the best price. Experts also advise being flexible on days you travel. Hopper says that mid-week flights and hotel stays can save big bucks compared to weekend trips.
Garth Brooks is using his voice to shine a spotlight on national parks.
The country giant serves as the narrator and executive producer of the National Geographic series America’s National Parks, a five-part documentary that explores the vast terrain of Yosemite National Park in California, Texas’ Big Bend, Hawai’i volcanoes, the Badlands of South Dakota and the Grand Canyon. Viewers will also get to see elusive animals like the Mexican long-nosed bat.
In a preview of the Grand Canyon episode, Garth can be heard narrating the journey of a female mountain lion as she attempts to hunt for food for her cub. “Every day is a battle for survival in one of America’s grandest national parks,” Garth says over a cinematic score.
First lady Jill Biden will introduce each episode when the series premieres on August 29 at 9 p.m. ET.
(NEW YORK) — A Texas doctor who survived six brain surgeries and a stroke is now treating people at the same hospital where she used to be a patient, bringing a unique perspective to her practice as a physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physician.
“You learn so many things in medical school but one of the things you don’t learn is how to be a patient,” Dr. Claudia Martinez told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “What they’re feeling, what they’re thinking, what their families are thinking — and we went through that for so many years, me and my mom, just navigating the medical system from the other side and seeing all the barriers we had to go over.”
“I’m very thankful for that experience and getting to now share what I know with patients and better help them,” she added.
Martinez, 31, is a third-year resident physician at TIRR Memorial Hermann hospital, a teaching hospital for Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. But just a few years ago, she was unable to walk or do many everyday tasks by herself. It was at TIRR where Martinez rebuilt her life and where her doctor, Dr. Lisa Wenzel, both treated her and supported her dream of pursuing medicine.
“[Wenzel] was in charge of my entire rehab stay. She’s a spinal cord injury specialist. She’s been my mentor along the way and my advocate, the one who has helped me get my accommodations for medical school and now residency, and just really given me that hope that I could still be a physician even though she saw me at my lowest point,” Martinez said.
Martinez was diagnosed in 2011 with Chiari malformation, an abnormality where portions of the brain “[extend] through the natural opening at the base of the skull,” creating pressure on the brain, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Often, surgery is the only option for patients.
“So my first brain surgery was for Chiari malformation and many of the subsequent [surgeries],” Martinez said of her experience. “The last two were for a complication that developed from my previous surgeries where my brain stem got tethered to the dura — it’s a pretty rare occurrence but it was causing a lot of issues in regards to my brainstem, and so the surgeon had to go in there and kind of de-tether that area.”
Overall, Martinez had six brain surgeries in the span of five years with her first surgery in 2012 and her last on Feb. 6, 2017.
“The recoveries from each brain surgery got harder each time,” Martinez recalled. “After my first one, it was pretty OK, but then after that second one, the third, the fourth and fifth, every time it was just more and more difficult to bounce back.”
It was during her sixth brain surgery when Martinez said she suffered a stroke.
“It was a very risky surgery. Going in, the neurosurgeon told us there were many complications that could happen, [saying], ‘Expect these things to happen because of the area that we’re going to manipulate; your brain stem controls your breathing, your heart rate, a lot of your autonomic functions,'” Martinez recalled. “…I ended up with a stroke that left me unable to function from the neck down. And of all the things that really could have happened, it was a success in our eyes, but it definitely changed my life for sure.”
After her stroke, Martinez said she couldn’t walk and was “unable to function from the neck down.” She was transferred to TIRR Memorial Hermann where she underwent intensive physical, speech, and occupational therapies for a year.
“There was a point when I was at TIRR that I was like, ‘I didn’t think that I would make it here.’ But I was very persistent, and I wanted to prove not to other people, but just to myself that I could do this. I worked harder than my classmates because I never wanted my disability or my medical illness to define me or have other people let me kind of slide by with doing less, just because I had a disability or was in the hospital so long,” Martinez said.
Despite her difficulties and the long odds, Martinez didn’t give up. With the support of her family and medical team, she took a year off from medical school to focus on recovery. She then returned to finish her degree program and was matched with TIRR in the spring of 2020 for her residency. Martinez graduated from UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School that May.
Martinez said her health experiences resulted in at least two unexpected outcomes. The first was the need to shift her initial goal of becoming a surgeon to specializing in PM&R.
“Of all the function I’ve regained, [the function in my] hands is the one that has been the biggest limiting factor, so I kind of see it as a blessing in disguise,” Martinez said. “From there, I got redirected and had to look elsewhere. And when I got to TIRR and saw what they do and how they help after these big life-changing events, I just knew I was meant to be here all along.”
The second unexpected outcome from her medical hurdles was meeting her husband Andrew, after local news outlets in Texas, including ABC affiliate KTRK-TV in Houston, shared her journey. The two bonded over their shared experiences undergoing brain surgeries; Andrew had undergone treatment for glioblastoma, a rare type of tumor that can affect the brain or spinal cord.
Today, Martinez wants others to know that “disabilities don’t define the capability of a person.”
“Never underestimate someone with a disability,” she said. “There’s so much that they can do and they have so much worth to bring to the world. Sometimes we just need to have a little compassion and patience and now that I’m here being a physician, there [are] so many things that I do differently than my colleagues just because I have a disability, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do the things they do.”
If you’re introducing Evanescence to someone who’s never heard the band before, your first instinct is probably to start blasting “Bring Me to Life.” But frontwoman Amy Lee thinks there’s a different song that’s better for newcomers.
Speaking to Revolver, Lee picks the song “Broken Pieces Shine” — a track off Evanescence’s 2021 comeback album The Bitter Truth — as the best starting point for new listeners
“It wouldn’t be from the first album,” Lee shares. “I feel like we got better after that. I know it seems weird to pick something off our new album, but I think I would.”
In choosing “Broken Pieces Shine” specifically, Lee explains that the song “encapsulates something thematically and lyrically that is very us.”
“There’s something about being the different ones, about being the broken ones, about being the people who have been through something,” Lee says. “Those are our people.”
“I’m going to wear my scars proudly and I’m going to wear my tears as a badge of honor,” she continues. “I don’t want to forget the pain, I want to use the pain. I think there’s a lot of all that in that song where, for me, it’s like, this is what Evanescence is.”
Lee notes that “Broken Pieces Shine” is also “a great song musically, as well.”
“The way that it kicks in, I put a lot of thought into that intro,” she says. “Like, this is gonna be us coming back with our first music that’s the rock stuff, first all-original album since 2011 — we need to come back with who we are.”
Evanescence will be touring the U.S. in support of The Bitter Truth alongside Korn beginning August 16 in Denver.
Young Thug has been hit with some new charges from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.
According to ABC affiliate WSB, the rapper, whose name is Jeffrey Williams, is facing “a new gang charge, new drug charges, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a machine gun.”
The new indictment, per the outlet, stems from arrests that were made on March 17 and May 9 and involves Young Thug and four other defendants.
On May 10, Williams, 30, was among 28 individuals — including fellow Atlanta rapper Gunna, born Sergio Kitchens — included in a 56-count grand jury indictment. The counts include conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, murder, armed robbery, and participation in criminal street gang activity. A few days later, Young Thug was also charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of firearm during commission of a felony.
At the time of the indictment, Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel told local WSB, “Mr. Williams committed no crime whatsoever and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him.”
Katy Perry is attributing her success as an artist and footwear designer to the financial obstacles she faced growing up.
The “Roar” hitmaker’s shoe line, Katy Perry Collections, shared a video of the star serving as keynote speaker of the PROJECT show in Las Vegas, where she opened up about her childhood. “When I was 13, I was growing up with limited resources,” Katy began. “My family didn’t have a whole hell of a lot. Sometimes, we had food stamps.”
To help get by, Katy said her family depended on the offerings from her church. To further help her family, she would sing for donations. Katy also sang at the local farmers market to raise money, joking she’d earn “about $20 and two avocados.”
The American Idol judge reflected on how that impacted her creativity and sense of style. Katy said she would shop for clothes at second-hand stores “on a shoestring budget.”
“I would go thrifting all the time,” she explained, adding she “trained” her eye to locate stylish items that would suit her. But, because she was rifling through clothes from the ’40s to the ’60s, Katy remarked, “I started dressing like a pinup girl when I was 13, which was interesting.”
However, Katy said that’s what allowed her to cultivate her own style and “stand out in a unique way,” because she wasn’t wearing the latest trends like other girls her age.
Katy also reflected fondly on a pair of dalmatian-shaped flats she bought in a thrift store, which earned her compliments from strangers.
“That was such a big deal,” she said of the attention. “I would wear them everywhere!” Katy says those are the flats that “started my love for shoes”…and of course, the rest is history.
Alt-rock mainstays The Lemondheads have announced a U.S. tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band’s 1992 album, It’s a Shame About Ray.
The trek, during which Evan Dando and company will play It’s a Shame About Ray in its entirety each night, will launch November 17 in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and will wrap up December 17 in Boston.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 12. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit TheLemonheads.net.
It’s a Shame About Ray, the fifth Lemonheads album, spawned the band’s breakout single in the title track. A rereleased version of the record also included a hit cover of the Simon & Garfunkel classic “Mrs. Robinson.”
Denim & Rhinestones isn’t merely the title of Carrie Underwood‘s new album, it also captures the spirit of the music she channels into the visual element.
When naming the project, Carrie says she took every element into consideration and didn’t want to simply name it after a song out of convenience. Instead, she thought about the fun, light-hearted spirit of the album that also carries over into the glamorous aesthetic.
“When you think denim and rhinestones, you get a picture in your head of something, so that was part of it. It’s nice when you have a theme and you can live there,” she says. “For Cry Pretty, I felt like I was in pink a lot and there’s a lot of glitter and stuff like that. So I like how each album has its own look and feel and vibe and aesthetic.”
On the cover of the new project, Carrie dons a denim dress with a matching denim jacket and sparkling fringe. The singer notes she’s now seeing similar bedazzled looks everywhere, giving her more inspiration for her style as she prepares to go on tour.
“I feel like this a fun one. Right now, there’s denim and rhinestones everywhere, so I’d like to thank all the people in the fashion industry that totally made their clothes based off my album,” she jokes. “It helps me when there’s a wide selection of clothes to choose from.”
Carrie will hit the road on the Denim & Rhinestones Tour this fall, launching on October 15 in Greenville, South Carolina, and continuing through March 2023. Jimmie Allen joins her as the opening act.
OneRepublic‘s latest hit, “I Ain’t Worried,” is from the soundtrack of the record-breaking box office smash Top Gun: Maverick. Frontman Ryan Tedder jokes to ABC Audio that the movie is doing all the promotion for them.
“It was crazy watching [Maverick] for the first time, because, basically, it’s a $200 million music video for our song,” Ryan laughs. “So I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
But things did get better, thanks to the movie’s star, Tom Cruise.
“When we shot the video … we handed it to him, and he’s like, ‘No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I’m going to re-edit your video,'” Ryan says of Cruise. “And he gives us, like, $70 million worth of content [for the clip].”
Ryan laughs, “So it’s the most expensive video in history, if you think about the actual production of what’s in the video. Y’know, F-15s flying all over the place and Tom Cruise … like, it’s crazy!”
And while OneRepublic has had many hits, and Ryan’s co-written a bunch more for other artists, he says he still can’t get over how well “I Ain’t Worried” is doing.
“I mean, the whole thing is still hilarious, in [the] best way. It’s just hilarious to me,” Ryan says. “It’s like, you put out music, you never know what’s really going to be a smash, especially in 2022. And I just kept telling myself, ‘If we just keep putting out great songs, one of ’em’s gonna go nuts.’ And it did!”
OneRepublic is currently out on their Never Ending Summer tour, which hits Denver, Colorado, Friday night.
Former Yes frontman Jon Anderson just finished a U.S. tour with the Paul Green Rock Academy celebrating the 50th anniversary of his old band’s classic album Close to the Edge. Now the 77-year-old singer has revealed he’s got potential plans for a new trek with a different group of musicians.
Anderson tells ABC Audio that he recently discovered a group called The Band Geeks that he says “do very, very good interpretation[s] of Yes music.” The group is led by Richie Castellano, who’s been Blue Öyster Cult‘s bassist since 2004.
“It kind of freaked me out how good they were,” Anderson notes. “So last November, I got in touch with the bass player, and I said, ‘Guys, would you be interested in going out and doing epics and classics?’ And they said, ‘Yes! We would!'”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer continues, “They actually sound just like Yes. It’s kind of wonderful and frightening at the same time. The bass player, perfect Chris Squire sound … [The] guitarist, perfect Steve Howe. And [the drummer sounds like] Alan White, Bill Bruford-y Alan White.”
Anderson says he’s hoping to put together a set that includes the epic “Close to the Edge,” as well as some lesser-known Yes songs, among them “The Ritual,” “The Gates of Delirium” and “Mind Drive.”
“These are really, to me, very special Yes pieces of music that got lost in the quagmire of life,” Anderson maintains. “And I think they’re brilliant.”
Anderson says he recently shot a video of him singing some Yes material with The Band Geeks that he’s planning to use “to promote the idea” of the tour. However, no official plans for the trek have been confirmed.
