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Kevin Spacey formally charged with four counts of sexual assault by English prosecutors

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NOTE CONTENT) Prosecutors in England have formally charged Oscar winner Kevin Spacey with four counts of sexual assault against three men and an additional charge regarding nonconsensual sexual activity.

The star of House of Cards, until his ouster in 2017 amid a collection of sexual misconduct allegations against him, is scheduled to “voluntarily appear” in a British court Thursday to defend himself.

The alleged assaults happened years ago, when Spacey was the head of London’s famed Old Vic Theatre.

According to the formal charges, the alleged victims include a man who is now in his 40s; another man who is now in his 30s; and a third person, who is now in his 30s. The alleged incidents occurred in 2005, 2008 and 2013, respectively.

Spacey was also charged with “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent” related to the alleged 2008 victim.

Last week, Spacey gave an exclusive statement to ABC’s Good Morning America in which he said he is confident he can prove his innocence.

Through a spokesperson, Spacey told GMA: “I very much appreciate the Crown Prosecution Service’s statement in which they carefully reminded the media and the public that I am entitled to a fair trial, and innocent until proven otherwise. While I am disappointed with their decision to move forward, I will voluntarily appear in the U.K. as soon as can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am confident will prove my innocence.”

Unrelated sexual misconduct allegations first surfaced against Spacey in 2017 when Rent veteran and Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making a sexual advance against him when he was 14. On Twitter, Spacey said he did not recall the incident, but apologized. A civil suit by Rapp against Spacey was filed in 2020 and is still ongoing.

Music notes: Joe Jonas, Harry Styles, Kate Bush and Ed Sheeran

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Joe Jonas is the new face of the “Don’t Mess with Texas” anti-littering campaign. A commercial dropped Monday which sees Joe prancing around in colorful cowboy clothes as he removes garbage from an office in an attempt to “keep Texas clean.”

Harry Styles‘ “As It Was” is still the #1 song in the country, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for a sixth week. The song was streamed 25 million times and sold nearly 7,000 copies over the past week.

Elsewhere on the Hot 100, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” surged to fourth place, completing the longest run to the top five. The song, which came out in 1985, spent 36 years, nine months and two weeks making its way to the new chart milestone. The song is enjoying a renaissance thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things. It sold 22,200 copies over the past week and was streamed 29 million times.

Ed Sheeran shared on Instagram how he put together his Mathematics tour, which involves a moving stage that can also revolve, pyrotechnics, fireworks “and a band at some point” so he wasn’t just “standing still with a loop pedal” in front of fans this time around. He shouted out the “many people involved in making it happen.”

Music notes: Zayn, BTS, Ariana Grande, Jack Harlow, Pitbull and more

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Zayn was feeling nostalgic for his One Direction days and shared a clip of himself singing “You & I.” Fans think he was referencing Liam Payne‘s comments about being the most successful member of 1D, since Zayn made sure to show off all his awards in the video.

BTS tapped Silk Sonic‘s Anderson .Paak to drum during their Proof Live performance on Monday. They performed their new song “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” together.

In other BTS news, fans tweeted about them over 22 million times when they released Proof on Friday — the most coming around 1 a.m. ET, when 3 million people tweeted about the album.

Does Ariana Grande really need her own toilet seat when she goes on tour? Music News reports that British radio host Roman Kemp made the claims about Ariana at Capital’s Summertime Ball. Fans suggest that, if true, it could be for health reasons.

Jack Harlow added more dates to his Come Home The Kids Miss You tour, with new stops set in New York, Cincinnati and more. Tickets go on sale June 15 at 10 a.m. local time on his touring website.

Fans have streamed Pitbull and Kesha‘s 2013 hit “Timber” over 1 billion times on Spotify, making it the newest member of the streamer’s billions club. Pitbull said on Instagram, “We appreciate every one of these streams.” Kesha is urging fans to send her “videos of ur best drunk timber moment” to celebrate.

Selena Gomez says ‘Only Murders in the Building’ co-stars taught her to expect more from men

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Selena Gomez is much, much younger than her two co-stars in the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, but she says being around them has taught her some valuable lessons — including one about her love life.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast, Selena talks about how great it is working with co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short, comedy legends who are 76 and 72, respectively. “Being around two adult gentlemen — because that’s what they are; they are very sweet and kind and hilarious and inappropriate sometimes and it’s the best — I just learned so much.”

She adds, “And my expectation for a man, to be honest — or any human — is to be as decent as these two human beings are. Because they have been doing this longer than I’ve been alive, and they are the kindest people.”

But whether or not Selena is actively looking for a man is another issue entirely — she’s kinda busy. Having finished filming the second season of Murders, she says she’s going to be working on new music “until season 3.”

“My therapist is like, ‘Girl, are you ever gonna find a man?!’ I’m like, ‘I dunno’… But I do feel like right now, in my life, I am just so open, and I love what I do … I just am in a really good space right now, and I’m enjoying it,” she notes.

As for the prospect of turning 30 on July 22, Selena says she’s happy about getting older, because she’s finally arrived at a place where her emotions aren’t “taking over me anymore.”

And, she reveals, “I am having a party, because I was like, ‘You know what? All my friends back home are married with kids, so I’m just gonna throw my own party.’”

S&P 500 closes in bear territory as global stock selloff gains steam amid inflation

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Global stocks tumbled and the S&P 500 closed in bear market territory Monday as fears over inflation rattle investors around the world.

The S&P 500 closed down 151 points, or 3.88%, meaning it’s down 21.3% since its high on Jan. 3. The Dow was down 876 points (2.79%) and the Nasdaq dropped 530 points (4.68%).

On Friday, investors were disappointed to learn that inflation is moving in the wrong direction. U.S. consumer prices surged 8.6% year-over-year in May, to a fresh 40-year high, led by higher prices for energy, food and housing. For the first time in history, a gallon of regular gas now costs $5 on average nationwide, according to AAA, and experts predict gas prices could average $6 a gallon by August.

“Any talk that we are at peak inflation has to be tabled at least until prices stop rising,” said David Nelson, chief strategist at Belpointe Asset Management.

The worse-than-expected inflation report has investors raising their bets on more aggressive interest rate increases from the Federal Reserve, possibly as soon as the central bank’s policy-setting meeting this week.

According to the CME FedWatch Tool, there is now about a 25% chance that the Fed will raise short-term interest rates by three-quarters of a point at the end of Wednesday’s policy meeting as the Fed ratchets up its fight against high inflation.

The likelihood of a half point rate hike at the Fed’s September meeting has now jumped to 50%, up from 25% before Friday’s inflation report.

“The debate continues over whether the Fed can slow inflation using its many monetary policy tools without pushing the economy into a recession,” Art Hogan, chief market strategist at National Securities, told ABC News. “Raising rates by three-quarters or even one percentage point on Wednesday would send a strong message that this Fed is willing to do what needs to be done to get inflation moving in the right direction.”

Inflation fears have sparked a broad-based selloff on Wall Street that has spread beyond stocks to the bond market and cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin, the biggest cryptocurrency, traded below $24,000, down nearly 14% in just 24 hours.

Despite this year’s rapid stock market selloff, strategists at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs said the market does not fully reflect the risks facing the economy.

“The Equity Risk Premium does not reflect the risks to growth, which are increasing due to margin pressure and weaker demand as the consumer decides to hunker down,” Morgan Stanley strategists, led by Michael Wilson, wrote in a note on Monday.

If the S&P 500 closes Monday’s trading session with a decline of more than 1.3%, the index would be in a bear market, defined as a 20% drop from a recent high. The technology-heavy Nasdaq-100 slipped into a bear market in March.

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ returning for fifth season on September 14

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The Emmy-winning drama The Handmaid’s Tale will return to Hulu on September 14 with a pair of new episodes.

The streaming service on Monday teased a pair of first-look shots from the forthcoming season, featuring Yvonne Strahovski‘s Serena smiling smugly under a mourning veil and Elisabeth Moss‘ June Osborne staring into camera, looking stern.

Hulu sets up the next chapter: “June faces consequences for killing Commander Waterford while struggling to redefine her identity and purpose” as “the widowed Serena attempts to raise her profile in Toronto as Gilead’s influence creeps into Canada.”

Meanwhile, according to the streamer, “Commander Lawrence … tries to reform Gilead and rise in power” as “June, Luke and Moira fight Gilead from a distance as they continue their mission to save and reunite with Hannah.”

In a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, star and producer Moss teased of season 5, “June’s dealing with, ‘What does freedom actually mean?’ And can she really be free? And what does that mean? And, ‘Where do I place my anger?'”

Nashville notes: Russell Dickerson, 4th of July broadcast & more

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Russell Dickerson‘s hit “She Likes It” featuring Jake Scott has been certified Gold by the RIAA. He was presented with a plaque backstage at his set at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest.

CMT will broadcast Nashville’s Fourth of July event, Let Freedom Sing!, headlined by Old Dominion. The broadcast is part of the network’s “Red, White & Blue Weekend,” airing at 10 p.m. ET.

Nicolle Galyon has unveiled the video for “winner,” the first single off her debut album, firstborn. The video was filmed in her hometown of Sterling, Kansas.

Ellie Goulding says motherhood “has taken over everything” about her life

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Ellie Goulding admits motherhood is not a walk in the park and says it has changed everything in her life. The “Lights” singer revealed how having a baby not only changed her schedule, it also changed who she is as a person.

Ellie appeared on Secret Socials and revealed, “Motherhood has taken over everything, it’s influenced everything.”

Ellie welcomed her son, Arthur, last year with husband Caspar Jopling. The singer said she has had her fair share of sleepless nights, but her maternal instincts soften the blow. “Obviously the first thing is you just want to be with your baby all the time,” she said. “And then it’s just this whole new world of emotion and sleeplessness, a combination of that!”

The Grammy nominee added becoming a mom has had a significant impact on her songwriting process. “I’ve managed to write a whole bunch of songs, actually it seems to have come even more naturally. I don’t know what it is,” she raved, but hinted fans won’t hear that music for quite some time.

“I haven’t quite hit that point yet where I’m wanting to talk about this thing I have with my child, and this insane bond and connection, and with my husband. I haven’t touched on that yet,” Ellie explained. She added of what fans will hear with her new album, “It’s kind of, like, if you were dancing to music on a different planet. It’s dance music, it’s electronic music. It’s kind of uplifting. It’s kind of sensual.”

The singer noted this new effort is “the opposite” of her last album, Brightest Blue, which she said was a “deep and meaningful” album about leaving her “wild child” days to enter “womanhood.”

Ellie released Brightest Blue, her fourth studio album, in 2020.

Permitless carry gun law goes into effect in Ohio

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — An Ohio law that allows those 21 and older to no longer carry a permit or complete the eight-hour handgun training course to carry and conceal a firearm went into effect on Monday.

The law, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in March, also ended the requirement for gun carriers to inform police officers if they have a concealed weapon on them unless specifically asked.

SB 215, referred to as the permitless carry or constitutional carry law, passed through the Ohio House and Senate without any Democratic votes.

The law does have some criteria for who is allowed to follow permitless carry. It says you must be 21 years of age or older, be a legal resident, not be a fugitive, not be the subject of a protection order and not have been hospitalized or adjudicated as being mentally ill.

Further, one must not have been dishonorably discharged from the military, not have a conviction or delinquency for a felony, a drug offense or domestic violence.

Those who do not have a conviction of a violent misdemeanor within the last three years, do not have two or more convictions for violent misdemeanors within the last five years and are not forbidden to carry a firearm under state or federal law are now allowed permitless carry under the new law.

The law allows those within these criteria in Ohio to skip the eight-hour training, submit an application through their local sheriff’s office and pass a background check in order to obtain, carry and conceal a firearm.

The Buckeye Firearm Association director Joe Eaton said the organization has been working for almost two decades to get permitless carry enacted in the state.

“The Buckeye Firearm Association is very excited to finally see permitless carry,” Eaton told ABC News. “It gives crime victims one more alternative for how they choose to protect themselves.”

Michael Weinman, governmental affairs chair of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, said the organization has been fighting this law and is still opposed to it.

Weinman said permitless carry will make it easier for people who don’t know how to safely use guns to have them.

“When we did have a conceal carry permit, thousands were revoked or suspended each year. That means that every year, there are law-abiding people that become not law-abiding people,” Weinman told ABC News. “[With this law] there are just more guns on the street and less laws with them.”

Weinman said the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police is in favor of having permits and requiring background checks.

According to the Ohio Attorney General’s office, 2,300 concealed carry licenses were suspended or revoked in 2021, and 2,047 were revoked or suspended in 2020.

The office reports that the number of concealed carry licenses across Ohio went from 54,426 in 2019 to 94,298 in 2021.

More than 108,000 licenses were renewed in 2021, a 50% increase from 2020, according to the office.

However, there was also a 50% increase in the number of licenses denied in 2021 from 2020.

According to Everytown, an anti-gun violence organization, Ohio is ranked 30th in the country for gun law strength, citing incidents of gun violence and the lack of gun control laws in the state.

Ohio is now the 23rd state in the U.S. to allow permitless carry.

Carrie Underwood’s two kids won’t be joining her on her Denim & Rhinestones Tour this fall

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Carrie Underwood’s hitting the road for a massive headlining tour in support of her new album, Denim & Rhinestones, this fall. The singer says her two sons — 7-year-old Isaiah and 3-year-old Jacob — won’t be coming along for the ride, for one simple reason: it conflicts with the school year.

“My oldest is in school, so I don’t really want him to miss out on the normalcy of being there,” Carrie explains to E! News’ Daily Pop. However, she says that she’ll get to see her kids when she can, adding that they “will probably come out on the road with us maybe more on the weekends.”

Isaiah and Jacob have had plenty of chances to see their country superstar mom’s shows. They attended her Las Vegas residency earlier this year and during a recent appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, they made a hilarious cameo in the background, doing what one fan who captured video footage described as “breakdancing.”

While Carrie’s boys may not make it out to the Denim & Rhinestones Tour this year, the trek will still be a party: Carrie is bringing Jimmie Allen as direct support for the show.

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