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Cypress Hill documentary chronicles 30 years of friendship, hip hop influence and psychedelic hits

April 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Cypress Hill‘s journey from their humble beginnings “from this little spot in East LA” to their worldwide influence on hip hop music proved to be an unpredictable one that the members are glad they embarked upon. Their pioneering combination of West Coast rap, Latin music and rock earned them many “first” accolades, and for the last three decades, the group’s impact on hip hop culture has continued to grow.

The new Showtime documentary Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain provides an in-depth look into the lives of group members DJ Muggs, Eric Bobo, B-Real and Sen Dog, dating back to the rise of the iconic group in the early ’90s.

Founding member Sen Dog, born Senen Reyes, told ABC Audio that the group didn’t foresee the massive success they’d come to achieve.

“At the beginning, we thought we’d have maybe two, three albums. And we thought that girls wouldn’t like it because we were too hardcore underground,” he said. “And we were wrong about all that stuff.”

They were wrong indeed. After the group’s critically acclaimed debut album in 1991, they went on to release nine others, including the Billboard chart-topper Black Sunday, which includes the 1993 Gold RIAA-certified song “Insane in the Brain.”

Regarding the psychedelic track, Sen Dog admitted, “We thought that we had a good song, not a great song.”

Director Estevan Oriol made sure to highlight the group’s advocacy for marijuana, affectionately referred to as “the flower.” Oriol, a longtime friend of the band, told ABC Audio that he felt “a lot” of pressure to tell the group’s story authentically and truthfully.

Oriol said it was “next to impossible” to put 30 years of history into 90 minutes, but he and the crew did just that. (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)

Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain airs tonight on Showtime, at 8 p.m. ET.

Olivia Rodrigo and Gwen Stefani share wholesome Instagram exchange

April 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Olivia Rodrigo isn’t shy about her love and appreciation for Gwen Stefani and, on Wednesday, the two engaged in a brief, complimentary back and forth.

Olivia took to her Instagram story and shared a throwback commemorative photo of Gwen’s band No Doubt, which took over The Rave / Eagles Club on August 8, 1995 and August 13, 1996. Olivia was at the Milwaukee venue on her own SOUR world tour, so she must have walked through the halls to check the posters of all the famous acts who performed before her.

“Nobody does it like gwen,” Olivia captioned the snap and used two puppy-eyed emojis.

Of course, the “Slow Clap” singer caught wind of the shout-out and shared Olivia’s post to her own Instagram story, writing, “Thank UUU” along with a kiss and black heart emoji. Gwen added, “Good luck tonight !!” and soundtracked her shout-out to Olivia’s Grammy-nominated song, “good 4 u.”

This isn’t the first time the ladies praised one another. Last December, the 19-year-old singer told TIME that Gwen is the artist she wants to write a song with most. Of course, Gwen sweetly responded with, “I’d be honored.”

Gwen continued of Olivia’s “drivers license” debut single, “Olivia’s storytelling is confessional and intimate, it’s also larger than life… Rare is the artist who can transport that way, especially at such a young age. And for anyone going through their first heartbreak, Olivia’s voice is a light in the dark.”

Check out Ann Wilson’s new duet with Vince Gill on classic Queen ballad “Love of My Life”

April 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Heart‘s Ann Wilson has debuted another advance track from her forthcoming solo album, Fierce Bliss, a duet version of the classic 1975 Queen ballad “Love of My Life” featuring country star and current Eagles touring member Vince Gill.

“‘Love of My Life’ is a beautiful song about endless love,” Ann says in a statement. “It was my honor to duet with Vince Gill on this song; an unforgettable experience for which I’m grateful!”

She further explains, “I had the idea for the Queen song ‘Love of My Life’ as a duet, so I just tried to picture who would be ‘the male angel’ that would sing the other part of it. I thought how great the song would be if it was stripped down and just sung with soul, and it had to be Vince Gill because he’s got that voice, that soul.”

Wilson and Gill recorded the track with the members of Ann’s current backing group, The Amazing Dawgs.

The “Love of My Life” duet is available now via digital formats, while a companion music video for the tune has debited on Wilson’s official YouTube channel. The clip shows a thorny rose and a woman’s hand with long, sharp fingernails pulling petals off of the flower. As she comes to the last few petals, she removes the hand that was holding the rose, and we see that it’s bleeding. We then see a man’s hands enter the frame, and he helps wipe the blood off of the woman’s hand.

“Love of My Life” is the fourth advance tune that Ann has released from Fierce Bliss, following the original songs “Greed” and “A Moment in Heaven,” and a cover of Eurythmics‘ “Missionary Man.”

As previously reported, Fierce Bliss will be released on April 29, and can be pre-ordered now.

Watch the trailer for Machine Gun Kelly & Mod Sun’s ‘Good Mourning’ movie

April 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Sun have premiered the trailer for their upcoming movie Good Mourning.

The clip lays out the plot of the stoner comedy, which stars Kelly as an actor named London Clash who receives an ambiguous, possible break-up text from his girlfriend. His efforts to find and talk to her are interrupted by an important career meeting and a whole bunch of high jinks that often involve weed.

Kelly and Mod, who also worked together on Downfalls High, co-directed and co-wrote Good Mourning. The cast also includes Megan Fox, Pete Davidson, Becky G, Whitney Cummings and Dove Cameron, and even features a cameo from Dennis Rodman.

Good Mourning premieres in theaters and on-demand on May 20.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

Sorry, Swifties! Drake and Taylor Swift are reportedly not collaborating

April 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

After sparking rumors that Taylor Swift collaborated with Drake on a new song, it appears that it was all a misunderstanding. According to people connected to the two hitmakers, they haven’t jumped into the recording studio together.

Drake sparked the collab rumors Monday after posting a throwback photo of him hugging Taylor and, of course, Taylor’s fans did what they did best — they looked for Easter eggs. Taylor is famous for leaving clues on her posts that have often hinted at release dates, song titles and other music-related matters.

Because the Drake throwback snap was fifth in the carousel of photos, Swifties believed Drizzy was subtly hinting that Taylor was about to release the re-recording of her fifth studio album, 1989, which would feature a “From the Vault” track featuring the Canadian rapper.

Leave it to TMZ to investigate. The outlet spoke with their sources, who purportedly have “direct knowledge,” and found that Drake was simply shouting out his old friend. They added the post had no hidden messages.

But fans are remaining hopeful Taylor drops her re-recorded 1989 album soon and have latched onto possible numerical Easter eggs spotted in her year-old The Late Show with Stephen Colbert interview. The longstanding belief is that Taylor will release the album on Friday, May 14.

She’s already dropped her updated version of “Wildest Dreams” from the album, which is also giving fans hope that 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is on the horizon.

Nearly 800 homes, 1,000 animals evacuated from Tunnel Fire in Arizona

April 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.) — Dangerous fire conditions are creating the perfect fuel for wildfires to scorch through the arid landscapes of the Southwest.

The Tunnel Fire, which sparked Sunday about 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona, exploded to more than 16,000 acres by Wednesday morning, destroying at least 25 structures, according to Coconino County officials. More than 200 firefighters are battling the fast-moving inferno, which is currently 0% contained.

An additional 250 structures are threatened, which has prompted evacuations of nearly 800 homes and 1,000 animals in the area. While the Red Cross has opened a shelter at a local middle school, the Fort Tuthill County Stables has been opened for horses, goats, sheep, pigs and chickens that reside in the evacuation zone, according to the county.

A red flag warning has been canceled in Arizona due to relaxing winds but remains in five neighboring states from Nebraska to New Mexico.

Videos taken in the region show skies covered in orange flames and thick plumes of smoke as the blaze continues to gain traction and spread. Some flames are reaching up to 100 feet, according to officials.

A decades-long megadrought, combined with low humidity and high winds, has created tinderbox conditions in the area.

The Southwest is experiencing the driest conditions in at least 1,200 years, a study published in Nature Climate Change in February found.

Officials have declared a state of emergency in the area affected by the Tunnel Fire.

ABC News’ Max Golembo and Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.

“No one should have to go through this”: Johnny Depp testifies to “bloody” attack by Amber Heard

April 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NOTE CONTENT) In dramatic testimony in a Fairfax, Virginia courtroom Wednesday, Johnny Depp testified to a litany of psychological and physical abuse he says he suffered at the hands of his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

The testimony laid out, in graphic detail, the attack Depp said he endured during at a rented home in 2015, during which he says Heard threw a large vodka bottle at him, severing the tip of his right middle finger.

The altercation happened after a clean and sober Depp said he fell off the wagon, after first locking himself in a bathroom. While a despondent Deep took “his first drink of alcohol in some time,” Heard allegedly began berating him, grabbed the vodka bottle and threw it at his head. It missed, and shattered behind him.

Depp says he responded by grabbing another larger bottle and pouring himself another shot. Depp said Heard grabbed that bottle, too, and threw it, smashing it against his hand and the bar and cutting off the top of his finger.

With his finger “gushing blood,” Depp said he recalled thinking to himself, “No one should have to go through this,” and suffered a “sort of a nervous breakdown.”

He added, “I started writing with blood on our walls, little reminders of our past…lies that I caught her in,” Depp said soberly, noting he could hear only “white noise, just somebody yelling, a high-pitched constant attack…of insults.”

“I was in shock,” he explained.

When his attorney showed him a photo of him in the emergency room, it sparked another memory for Depp, who pointed out an injury on his cheek, saying it was where Heard stubbed a cigarette out on it.

The actor also claimed to have told doctors at the emergency room he’d cut his own finger “to protect” Heard. “I didn’t want to see her get in trouble,” he explained.

The actor also testified he contracted MRSA three times after the injury, which was hidden from moviegoers during subsequent film work using CG technology. “I feared that I would lose my finger, my arm and my life,” he said.

Depp’s testimony earlier in the morning spoke about his substance abuse and painful attempts at detoxing, all the while detailing what he described as constant “bullying” he endured during his tumultuous relationship with Heard.

Heard’s lawyers were scheduled to cross-examine Depp after a lunch break.

Depp is suing the Aquaman actress for defamation for her 2019 Washington Post op-ed in which she said she was a victim of domestic abuse, and implied her abuser was Depp.

Les Claypool releases Ukraine tribute song featuring Stewart Copeland, Sean Lennon & more

April 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Primus frontman Les Claypool has released a new song in support of Ukraine as it continues to fight against Russia’s ongoing invasion.

The track, which Claypool co-wrote with Ukrainian musician Eugene Hütz of the band Gogol Bordello, is titled “Zelensky: The Man with the Iron Balls” after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Along with Claypool and Hütz, the song features The Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Sean Lennon, bluegrass musician Billy Strings, and Gogol Bordello violist Sergey Ryabtsev.

“The night of the invasion, I was dining with close friends of mine from Poland who were hosting their family visiting the US from their town, which is 50 kilometers from the Ukraine border,” Claypool says. “Needless to say, they were stressed and concerned about what was happening in their homeland. After a few vodka shots of solidarity, I started texting with my buddy Eugene from Gogol Bordello to get his perspective and insight.”

“In that vodka-laced dialogue, we started mutually praising Zelensky for his surprisingly epic display of courage,” Claypool continues. “‘Zelensky has balls of steel!’ we agreed. It was then that we decided that some freaky, ‘East meets West’ art needed to be thrown that way.”

“Zelensky: The Man with the Iron Balls” is available now via digital outlets. Proceeds will be donated to the humanitarian aid organization Nova Ukraine.

FDA issues warning about false results with prenatal genetic screening tests

April 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Common prenatal tests done to test for genetic abnormalities are the subject of a new warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA issued a notice Tuesday warning people about the risk of “false results, inappropriate use and inappropriate interpretation of results” from non-invasive prenatal screening tests, also called non-invasive prenatal tests and cell-free DNA tests.

The tests are used to screen for possible genetic abnormalities in fetuses that could indicate the possibility of a health condition like Down syndrome, a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome, which changes how a baby’s brain and body develop, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In its new warning, the FDA reminds people that the prenatal tests are screening tests, not diagnostic tests that would confirm a health condition.

“While genetic non-invasive prenatal screening tests are widely used today, these tests have not been reviewed by the FDA and may be making claims about their performance and use that are not based on sound science,” Jeff Shuren, M.D., J.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement. “Without proper understanding of how these tests should be used, people may make inappropriate health care decisions regarding their pregnancy.”

“We strongly urge patients to discuss the benefits and risks of these tests with a genetic counselor or other health care provider prior to making decisions based on the results of these tests,” said Shuren.

The prenatal screening tests that are the subject of the FDA’s warning are standard in prenatal care in the United States, according to Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News chief medical correspondent and a board-certified OBGYN.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that prenatal genetic screening options should be made available to “all pregnant patients regardless of maternal age or risk of chromosomal abnormality.”

In the U.S., 25% to 50% of pregnancies undergo non-invasive prenatal screening tests, according to data published in the medical journal Obstetrics & Gynecology

The screening tests, which are up to 99% accurate for screening out diseases like Down syndrome, are done by taking a blood sample from the pregnant woman. An ultrasound of the fetus is typically done in conjunction with the screening tests, according to Ashton.

If the tests flag an increased risk that the fetus may have a problem with its chromosomes, more testing will be done, either via an amniocentesis — a procedure in which a small sample of amniotic fluid is removed for testing — or chorionic villus sampling (CVS), in which a small piece of tissue is removed from the placenta for further testing.

Ashton said the FDA’s warning centers on the fact that the initial screening tests are not 100% accurate, explaining, “What the FDA is worried about is that women may make incorrect decisions about continuing their pregnancy based on this result.”

Both Ashton and ACOG stress that the results of non-invasive prenatal screening tests should be analyzed by a qualified medical provider, and that pregnant women should be in close touch with their provider about the results.

“This is a perfect example — anyone can do a test. It’s using the results of that test, which requires medical credentials and judgment and experience, that matters,” said Ashton. “So a woman should talk to their midwife, their obstetrician about what to do with the results of this test.”

Questions arise over Syracuse police’s treatment of young boy

April 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(SYRACUSE, N.Y.) — Police officers in Syracuse, New York, are under scrutiny after a video went viral of an 8-year-old boy being put into the back of a police cruiser after allegedly stealing a bag of chips.

The boy is seen crying and screaming while an officer walks him to a marked police vehicle. Bystanders are heard shouting at police to let go of the child, offering to pay for the chips and to walk him home themselves.

The boy was not handcuffed or arrested and was not injured, officials said. Police say they drove the boy home to his father following the incident on Sunday in the city’s northside.

Kenneth Jackson, the man who took the video, can be heard shouting in protest: “I’m taking this video to help to make sure you all don’t kill him because that’s what you all do.”

He told Good Morning America in an interview that he believes the incident highlights the tension between law enforcement and the people they serve.

“We have a policing problem when it comes to policing the community,” Jackson said. “Clearly, as the world can see, there’s a big disconnect.”

The footage has been viewed millions of times on social media, sparking outrage and criticism of the police officers’ actions.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul denounced the officers’ actions.

“As a mother, that was a heart-wrenching video to witness,” she said Wednesday at a press conference. “Many of us are parents and you can’t help but imagine the fear in that child as he had to endure that experience.”

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh released a statement on the incident, saying, “What occurred demonstrates a continuing need for the city to provide support to our children and families and to invest in alternative response options to assist our officers.”

He added that the child was not handcuffed nor arrested during the incident.

“He was placed in the rear of a patrol unit where he was directly brought home,” the department statement said. “Officers met with the child’s father and no charges were filed.”

The Syracuse Police Department has said that the incident is under investigation. The department is also reviewing body camera footage taken of the incident.

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