Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Founding Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell has a very busy 2022 tour schedule plotted out with his current band, The Dirty Knobs, which last month released their second studio album, External Combustion.
The group’s itinerary includes headlining shows at clubs and theaters, some festival appearances, and a stint supporting country star Chris Stapleton at select large venues in June and July. But perhaps the cherry on top for Campbell and The Dirty Knobs is a recently announced series of seven concerts opening for The Who this fall.
“For me, that’s like, ‘Yeah, man, sign me up! I’m there,'” Mike tells ABC Audio about getting to perform with the British rock legends. “We’re all excited about that.”
He continues, “I’m a huge…’60s fan. The Who is one of my favorite bands, so I’m just kind of thrilled that that happened.”
Campbell cites The Who’s Pete Townshend as a major inspiration, noting, “He is one of the best riff writers and songwriters ever, and from that British mold…That’s what I grew up on was the ’60s, so it’s a big deal for The Dirty Knobs to be on that bill.”
The Dirty Knobs’ seven-show stand with The Who runs from an October 14 performance in St.Louis through a November 1 concert at the famed Hollywood Bowl in LA.
The 72-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer tells ABC Audio that the Hollywood Bowl show will be poignant for him because that’s where Petty & the Heartbreakers played their last concert in September 2017, a week before Tom Petty‘s death.
“[I]t’ll be [a] kind of full circle, emotional thing to go back to the Hollywood Bowl and play, you know, opening for The Who,” Campbell says.
The search for the next American Idol continued Monday night, with a surprising twist.
For the first time ever, the show had a judge’s song contest, which meant that Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie each chose one song for each individual contestant to sing. The contestant then performed one of the songs and guessed which judge picked it. The judge whose song got chosen the most would be declared the winner. Later in the show, it was revealed that this judge would also have the ability to save one contestant from elimination.
After everyone took the stage, the tally revealed that Luke and Katy tied as the winners of the judge’s song contest. When America’s votes left Lady K and Tristen Gressett in the bottom two, Katy and Luke used their powers to advance Lady K into the Top 10.
Here’s the official American Idol season 20 Top 10.
Nicolina: “Since U Been Gone” Kelly Clarkson
Mike Parker: “Chasin’ You” Morgan Wallen
Fritz Hager: “Wonderwall” Oasis
Christian Guardino: “I’m Not The Only One” Sam Smith
Noah Thompson: “Heartbreak Warfare” John Mayer
Lady K: “traitor” Olivia Rodrigo
Huntergirl: “9 to 5” Dolly Parton
Leah Marlene: “Make You Feel My Love” Bob Dylan
Emyrson Flora: “lovely” Billie Eilish ft. Khalid
Jay: “Lilac Wine” Jeff Buckley
Eliminated:
Tristen Gressett: “You Can’t Always Get What you Want” The Rolling Stones
(NEW YORK) — The family of the teenager who died after falling from an amusement park ride in Florida told ABC News’ Good Morning America that his death was preventable.
“This could’ve been prevented … it should’ve been prevented,” Nekia Dodd, the mother of Tyre Sampson, told GMA. “So as an operator, you have a job to check those rides, you know. The video I saw, that was not done. And if it was done, it should’ve been done more than once, you know.”
Sampson, 14, died after falling from a ride at ICON Park in Orlando on March 24. His parents filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit on Monday.
Dodd and Tyre Sampson’s father, Yarnell Sampson, filed the lawsuit in the 9th Circuit Court in Orange County, Florida, accusing ICON Park in Orlando and other defendants, including the manufacturer and the operator of the FreeFall thrill ride, of negligence.
“Tyre had a long and prosperous life in front of him that was cut short by this tragic event,” the lawsuit states.
“Orlando Slingshot continues to fully cooperate with the State during its investigation, and we will continue to do so until it has officially concluded,” Trevor Arnold, attorney for Orlando Slingshot, said in a statement to ABC News. “We reiterate that all protocols, procedures and safety measures provided by the manufacturer of the ride were followed. We look forward to working with the Florida legislature to implement change in the industry and we are also supportive of the concepts outlined by State Representative Geraldine Thompson to make changes to state law through the ‘Tyre Sampson Bill’ to prevent a tragic accident like this from ever happening again.”
Last week, officials listed operator error as the primary suspected cause in the death of Sampson, who slipped out of his seat on a drop-tower ride and fell more than 100 feet to the pavement.
Sampson’s parents are scheduled to hold a news conference with their attorneys Tuesday to discuss the legal action.
You can watch the full interview with Dodd Tuesday morning on GMA.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto 6, Boston 2
Texas 6, Houston 2
LA Angels 3, Cleveland 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco 4, Milwaukee 2
Philadelphia 8, Colorado 2
NY Mets 5, St. Louis 2
LA Dodgers 4, Arizona 0
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Boston 116, Brooklyn 112 (Boston wins 4-0)
Toronto 103, Philadelphia 88 (Philadelphia leads 3-2)
Dallas 102, Utah 77 (Dallas leads 3-2)
Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(ORLANDO, Fla.) — The parents of a 14-year-old boy who fell to his death in March from the world’s tallest tower drop ride at a Florida amusement park filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit on Monday alleging park officials failed to warn riders of “unreasonably dangerous and foreseeable risks.”
The tragedy unfolded on March 24 when Tyre Sampson, who was on spring break, slipped out of his seat and fell more than 100 feet to his death, according to the lawsuit.
Sampson’s mother and father, Nekia Dodd and Yarnell Sampson, filed the lawsuit in the 9th Circuit Court in Orange County, Florida, accusing ICON Park in Orlando and other defendants, including the manufacturer and the operator of the FreeFall thrill ride, of negligence.
“Tyre had a long and prosperous life in front of him that was cut short by this tragic event,” the lawsuit states, adding that the teenager was an honor student and football player at his school in St. Louis.
Sampson’s parents are scheduled to hold a news conference with their attorneys Tuesday morning to discuss the legal action.
The lawsuit comes a week after Florida state officials announced the findings of a forensic engineer’s field investigation report on the incident that killed Sampson.
The report showed that the operator of the FreeFall ride, which is the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower at a height of 430 feet, “made manual adjustments to the ride resulting in it being unsafe.”
The report by Quest Engineering & Failure Analysis, Inc., said manual manipulations were made to the seat Sampson was sitting in to allow the harness restraint opening to be loosened, apparently to accommodate the more than 300-pound teenager. The investigation found Sampson’s harness restraint opening was “almost double that of a normal restraint opening range.”
Nikki Fried, the Florida commissioner of agriculture and consumer services, said the adjustment by the individual operator, who was not identified in the report, enabled the FreeFall’s sensor lights to illuminate, “improperly satisfying” the ride’s electronic safety mechanisms and enabling the ride to operate “even though Mr. Sampson was not properly secured in his seat.”
Fried said the initial permit inspection for the new ride was done in December and no deficiencies were found.
“We followed the protocols, we followed the manual and everything was up to par per the manual of the manufacturer,” Fried told reporters.
She said the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Besides the amusement park, the lawsuit names as defendants Extreme Amusement Rides, the ride’s owner and operator that also does business under the name The SlingShot Group of Companies; the ride’s manufacturer, Funtime Handels GMBH of Austria; and Keator Construction, LLC, the general contractor responsible for building the attraction.
Also named as a defendant was the Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, a Germany-based company that manufactured the seats and safety harnesses for the FreeFall.
The state investigation determined that the “normal” restraint opening for seats on the FreeFall ride was 3.33 inches. Sampson’s seat was adjusted before the ride started to an opening of 7.19 inches, the investigation found.
Florida state Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, said at a news conference last week that the manufacturer’s guidelines for the FreeFall specifically say the maximum weight of a rider is 250 pounds.
On the day of the incident, Sampson was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 380 pounds, according to the lawsuit.
“No weight or height restrictions were posted at the ticket counter, and no ICON or SlingShot defendant employees, agents, apparent agents, servants or contractors advised Tyre about any weight or height restrictions,” the lawsuit contends.
The lawsuit alleges that ICON Park and The SlingShot Group “knew or should have known” from its own tests that riders of the FreeFall would be “subject to unreasonably dangerous and foreseeable risks, and that serious injury and death of the occupants in the ride could result.”
ICON Park had no immediate comment on the lawsuit, but a spokesperson told ABC News attorneys for the park are expected to release a statement soon.
Trevor Arnold, an attorney for The SlingShot Group said in a statement released to ABC News on Monday that the company “continues to fully cooperate with the state during its investigation, and we will continue to do so until it has officially concluded.”
“We reiterate that all protocols, procedures and safety measures provided by the manufacturer of the ride were followed,” Arnold said. “We look forward to working with the Florida legislature to implement change in the industry, and we are also supportive of the concepts outlined by State Representative Geraldine Thompson to make changes to state law through the ‘Tyre Sampson Bill’ to prevent a tragic accident like this from ever happening again.”
In a statement last week to ABC News, ICON Park it was “deeply troubled” by the state’s preliminary investigation that found the ride operator misadjusted the harness and safety sensor light on the FreeFall. “ICON Park is committed to providing a safe, fun experience for families. We will continue to support the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services with their ongoing investigation,” the amusement park said.
A representative for Keator Construction said the company had no comment. Funtime Handels GMBH and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides have yet to respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.
(MADISON, Wisc.) — A family and college community are mourning the loss of a 21-year-old track star at University of Wisconsin-Madison who died by suicide.
Sarah Shulze, a cross-country athlete, died on April 13, according to a statement from her parents and two sisters.
“Sarah took her own life. Balancing athletics, academics and the demands of every day life overwhelmed her in a single, desperate moment,” the family wrote on Shulze’s website. “Like you, we are shocked and grief stricken while holding on tightly to all that Sarah was.”
The family described Shulze as a “power for good in the world” who advocated for social causes and women’s rights and was a member of the Student Athlete Council at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
On Friday, the family announced the launch of a foundation in Shulze’s name to “continue to support the causes most important to our Sarah.”
The foundation, named the Sarah Shulze Foundation, will focus on women’s rights and student athletes and mental health, according to the family’s statement.
On college campuses in the United States, around 30% of women and 25% of men who are student-athletes report having anxiety, according to data shared by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
Among athletes with known mental health conditions, only 10% seek care from a mental health professional, according to the ACSM.
The NCAA found that during the coronavirus pandemic, student-athletes’ mental health was even negatively affected, with students reporting stress due to academic concerns, lack of access to their sport, financial worries and COVID-19 health concerns.
Professional athletes like Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka have been public in recent years about the pressure, stress and burnout they’ve faced at the top of their sports, and those are struggles college athletes may feel too.
According to the ACSM, student-athletes face pressures from academics and competing, as well as other stressors like being away home home, traveling for games, feeling isolated from campus and other students due to their focus on sports and adapting to being in the public spotlight.
Following Shulze’s death, the University of Wisconsin-Madison issued a statement, describing the college community as “heartbroken.”
“Sarah was a beloved daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend, teammate and Badger student-athlete,” the school said. “We extend our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to Sarah’s family, friends and Badger teammates during this extraordinarily difficult time.”
Earlier this month, Cailin Bracken, a lacrosse player at Vanderbilt University, gained national attention after writing an essay urging coaches, schools, parents and fellow players to pay attention to the mental health of student-athletes.
“Playing a sport in college, honestly, feels like playing fruit ninja with a butter knife,” Bracken wrote in an essay titled, “A Letter to College Sports.” “There are watermelons and cantaloupes being flung at you from all different directions, while you’re trying to defend yourself using one of those flimsy cafeteria knives that can’t even seem to spread room-temperature butter.”
“And beyond the chaos and overwhelm of it all, you’ve got coaches and parents and trainers and professors who expect you to come away from the experience unscathed, fruit salad in hand,” she added.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You can reach Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (U.S.) or 877-330-6366 (Canada) and The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.
The track is titled “All Comes Crashing,” and will arrive on Thursday, April 28. You can pre-save “All Comes Crashing” now, and check out a 15-second teaser via Metric’s Twitter.
“All Comes Crashing” will follow Metric’s 2018 album, Art of Doubt.
Metric is set to play a trio of concerts in Mexico in May. In August, they’ll headline a hometown show in Toronto with support from Interpol and Spoon.
(WASHINGTON) — The coronavirus response coordinator for President Donald Trump’s COVID task force, Dr. Deborah Birx, told ABC News in an exclusive interview that she became “paralyzed” when Trump raised the possibility of injecting disinfectant into people to treat the virus – and revealed how she thinks data meant to keep New York City playgrounds open led the president to make that ill-advised jump.
Birx, who spoke with Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News’ chief medical correspondent, before the Tuesday release of her new book, also said she had a pact with other doctors on Trump’s team – including Anthony Fauci – that if one of them was fired, then they would all resign.
From the start, she wrote in the book, “Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, COVID-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It’s Too Late,” she was unequipped to deal with the toxic political atmosphere that was the Trump White House.
MORE: Birx on Trump’s disinfectant ‘injection’ moment: ‘I still think about it every day’
And even though she was the only one on Trump’s team with on-the-ground experience dealing with a deadly pandemic, she was constantly sidelined, she said.
’I wanted it to be “The Twilight Zone”’
But many Americans have come to associate Birx with her failure to more forcefully correct Trump during that White House press briefing on April 23, 2020.
New York City had recently closed its playgrounds and, according to Birx, a Department of Homeland Security scientist had just briefed Trump on how it appeared sunlight made them safe.
“So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just a very powerful light — and I think you said that hasn’t been checked because of the testing,” Trump said. “And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way, and I think you said you’re going to test that, too.”
“I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? As you see, it gets in the lungs, it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that,” the president continued.
“I wanted to be able to reassure the parents that the natural disinfection activity of the sun, with its ability to produce those free radicals that eat these viruses and bacteria and fungi, their membranes, that that would work,” Birx told Ashton. “And that they could get their children outside to play on the playground.”
But when Birx said she saw Trump and the government scientist informally continue their conversation before cameras – and the president make the leap to publicly question whether humans could be treated with disinfectant – she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“I just wanted it to be ‘The Twilight Zone’ and all go away,” Birx said. “I mean, I just– I could just see everything unraveling in that moment.”
Birx also addressed that moment in a Monday interview with “Good Morning America.”
“This was a tragedy on many levels,” she told co-anchor George Stephanopoulos.
“I immediately went to his most senior staff, and to Olivia Troye, and said this has to be reversed immediately,” she said; Troye was an adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence.
“And by the next morning, the president was saying that was a joke,” Birx said. “But I think he knew by that evening, clearly, that this was dangerous.”
Birx said she was concerned Americans thought Trump had been speaking directly to her, when in reality he was mainly speaking with the Homeland Security scientist. Trump did at one point, though, ask her: “Deborah, have you ever heard of that? The heat and the light, relative to certain viruses, yes, but relative to this virus?”
“Not as a treatment,” she replied. “I mean, certainly fever is a good thing. When you have a fever, it helps your body respond. But not as — I’ve not seen heat or (inaudible).”
Birx now says she regretted not saying more.
“We had spent so much time getting everyone to take the virus seriously, and we had these whole series of actions that were critical to saving American lives in that moment,” Birx said. “And I could see everything would be unraveled after that moment
Birx: Doctors had pact to resign
Birx also wrote in her book about how she had a pact with other doctors on Trump’s coronavirus task force that if one of them was removed from the task force, then all of them would resign from it.
She said the doctors included Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
“I actually wasn’t worried about myself being fired because I was dual-hatted, and I would go back to the State Department and my PEPFAR job, full time,” Birx told Ashton, referring to her role as the coordinator of the U.S. government’s program to combat HIV/AIDS, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
“I was very worried about Bob and Steve– because you can hear in the hallways how people were talking about them,” she said, referring to Redfield and Hahn. “And so, I went to the vice president multiple times to call Bob and Steve because I was worried about them feeling like they were–at that risk. And I was very clear to the chief of staff that if anything happened to Bob or Steve, we would all leave.”
Asked if that ever came close to happening, Birx said “there were times that I felt like Steve particularly was under a lot of pressure” over vaccine development.
“I wanted him to know that I had his back, no matter what,” she said. “And I think all of us knew– all of us knew what it was like to be there and in the trenches. Although, they got to go home after the task force and back to their agencies. I was still in the White House.
“But,” she continued, “they had enough understanding about what was happening in the White House to understand that all of us were at risk at one time or another.”
A big-screen adventure of the Hot Wheels you may have played with as a kid is coming to the big screen, and Star Wars sequel director J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot company are behind the wheel.
Teasing, “the iconic and timeless toy racing car” in a “high-throttle action film,” Warner Bros. Pictures and Mattel announced the collaboration that promises to, “bring to life this beloved, multi-generational franchise and showcase some of the world’s hottest and sleekest cars, monster trucks and motorcycles.”
In a press release, Hannah Minghella, Bad Robot’s President of Motion Pictures, said, “Before Hot Wheels became the global household name it is today, it was the dream of Elliot Handler, who was inventing and building toy cars at home in his Southern California garage. It’s that imagination, passion, and risk-taking spirit that we want to capture in this film.”
And if you think it might be a stretch to make a movie out of Hot Wheels, Mattel Films, the iconic toy brand’s big screen off-shoot, already has Barbie in the pipeline with Warner Bros., starring producer Margot Robbie.
Mattel Films is also developing films based on its other toys including Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, and, somehow, Magic 8 Ball, the card game UNO, and the View Master goggles.
Hey, people thought a LEGO movie was far-fetched at one point, and the series made over a billion bucks worldwide.
