(BEIJING) — Mikaela Shiffrin came up empty-handed in her third competition after shockingly wiping out in her first two races, both of which she was expected to contend for the gold.
Shiffrin finished ninth in the super-G, with Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami winning gold, her second medal of the Games. The event is not one of Shiffrin’s best, but she is expected to be a contender again in the Alpine combined in a week.
Two days earlier, Shiffrin had shockingly busted out of the competition just seconds into the first run of the slalom. Shiffrin missed the fourth gate in her run, the event where she won her first Olympic gold in 2014.
The skier, who was expected to challenge for several medals in Beijing, sat on the side of the hill, with her head in her hands, for 20 minutes after the stunning accident.
The 26-year-old also fell during her first run in the giant slalom on Monday, disqualifying her from the event.
“Could blame it on a lot of things…and we’ll analyze it till the cows come home, but not today,” Shiffrin said on Instagram following that crash. “Today I chalk it up to really awful timing of a really frustrating mistake. Moving focus to slalom now, AND cheering for my teammates in the second run of the GS and the DH!”
Sweden’s Sara Hector took the gold with a time of 1:55:68, followed by Italy’s Federica Brignone with a time of 1:55.97 and Gut-Behrami with a time of 1:56:41.
Shiffrin is one medal away from tying the record for most Olympic medals by a female American Alpine skier, four. She is two gold medals away from holding the record for most golds ever by a female Alpine skier, also four.
Shiffrin aims to have many chances to attempt those feats during the games as she plans on competing in three other Alpine events over the next two weeks.
She is still expected to compete in the downhill on Valentine’s Day and the combined on Feb. 17. She also said on Thursday she may compete in the team event, which she had not planned to enter coming into the Games.
Shiffrin, a Colorado native, has been competing since she was 16 and quickly became one of the sport’s all-time greatest skiers with her record-setting performances. She is the most decorated Alpine skier in the world circuit having won 11 World Championship medals, six gold.
At 18 years old she became the youngest slalom champion when she won a gold medal in the 2014 Sochi Games. Shiffrin won a gold medal in the giant slalom competition and a silver medal in the combined competition during the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
(BEIJING) — Legendary snowboarder Shaun White came up short in his bid to win his fourth overall and second straight gold medal in the halfpipe. He settled for fourth place in what he said will be his fifth and final Olympics.
Japan’s Ayumu Hirano won the gold, while Australian Scotty James earned silver and Switzerland’s Jan Scherrer took bronze.
The final results looked like they would be filled with controversy until the last run by Hirano.
Hirano landed a picture-perfect triple cork 1440 in his second run, a trick that no one has ever landed in a clean competition run, as well as two double-cork 1440s and two 1260s — but it was not rewarded by the judges. He scored just a 91.75, placing him second behind James, who was rewarded for his big switch rotations.
However, the Japanese snowboarder came back with the same run in his third and final attempt, and scored a 96.00 to launch him into first place. James finished in second with a 92.50 and Scherrer had a 87.25.
The other Americans in the final, Taylor Gold and Chase Josey, finished fifth and seventh, respectively.
White put down a full run in his first attempt, but was a bit sketchy on one landing. He cleaned it up in his second run to put down an 85.00. But sitting in fourth, just two hits into his final competition run, he clipped the deck and slid into the bottom of the pipe. White got a round of applause from his competitors as he walked to the back with some tears in his eyes.
The 35-year-old White was attempting to become the first Winter Olympian to win four gold medals in the same individual event. He won gold in Torino in 2006, Vancouver in 2010 and Pyeongchang in 2018. He also finished fourth in 2014.
“To be atop a sport like this for this long, I feel so honored to be doing that,” White told “Good Morning America” in January. “And it’s so wild because when I look around, everybody in the area are all people I used to compete with, you know, they’re coaches now.”
White teased that he had been working on new moves to compete with some of the younger athletes in Beijing, including Japan’s Ayumu Hirano and Ruka Hirano, who have both landed triple corks — triple-twisting off-axis rotations one step up from the double corks that have become commonplace for the top snowboarders. But Ayumu Hirano, despite landing the triple cork in two previous competitions, had not been able to win the events due to mistakes on other tricks.
“There’s talks of doing a 16[20], which is 180 [degrees] past the 1440,” White told “GMA,” referring to quadruple-rotation trick he landed in his 2018 gold medal run. “But it’s gonna be incredible. I don’t want to give anything away, but working on some new moves and I’m hoping that everything really peaks once I get to the competition.”
Even White’s appearance in Beijing was no certainty just weeks ago. He mostly took off from competing on the world stage since Pyeongchang, saving his aging body for one more run at the Olympics. But he tested positive for COVID-19 in December only to narrowly be cleared to compete at the last U.S. Olympic trials qualifier in early January.
He struggled at that event at Mammoth Mountain, however, and pulled out of the final due to the lingering effects of COVID-19. He rebounded in Laax, Switzerland, with a third-place finish in a world cup event on Jan. 15 — his final competition before Beijing. The finish in Laax locked up an automatic qualifying spot, though the U.S. team could have still chosen him as its one discretionary pick.
White did not compete at last month’s X Games, won by New Zealand’s James.
Gold, Josey and Lucas Foster were the other Americans in the men’s halfpipe competition. Foster was the only one making his Olympic debut, and the only one to miss the final.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Memphis 132, Detroit 107
Miami 112, New Orleans 97
Washington 113, Brooklyn 112
Toronto 139, Houston 120
Dallas 112, LA Clippers 105
Phoenix 131, Milwaukee 107
New York 116, Golden State 114
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 2, Ottawa 0
Columbus 4, Buffalo 3 (OT)
Washington 5, Montreal 2
Carolina 6, Boston 0
New Jersey 7, St. Louis 4
Calgary 5, Toronto 2
Colorado 3, Tampa Bay 2
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Gonzaga 89, Pacific 51
Michigan 82, Purdue 58
Arizona 72, Washington St. 60
Duke 82, Clemson 64
Saint Mary’s (Cal.) 86, San Diego 57
Murray St. 73, Tennessee St. 62
It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since Whitney Houston‘s shocking and tragic death on February 11, 2012. But we will always love her: Her life story, and her music, are still captivating and entertaining fans around the world.
Ironically, Whitney died on the weekend of the Grammy Awards — a show which had honored her six times in her career — and on the exact day of her mentor Clive Davis‘ legendary pre-Grammy party. Unbelievably, the party went on as scheduled — at the Beverly Hilton, just downstairs from the hotel suite where Whitney was found dead in her bathtub.
That night, Davis told guests that Whitney would have wanted the party to go on, and that her family told him not to cancel, but he faced harsh criticism from others, including Sharon Osbourne and Chaka Khan.
At the Grammy Awards the following night, host LL Cool J opened the ceremony with a moving prayer, while Jennifer Hudson brought the audience to tears with a rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”
Three years later, Whitney’s family was once again touched by grief: In 2015, her only child, Bobbi Kristina Brown, was found unconscious in a bathtub, and after spending six months in a coma, she died at the age of 22.
An authorized biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, co-produced by Clive Davis and Whitney Houston Estate president Pat Houston, is expected to hit theaters on December 23, 2022. Meanwhile, an authorized concert production starring a hologram of Whitney is currently running at Harrah’s Las Vegas.
And Whitney’s music is still being discovered by new generations through a series of remixes, such as Kygo‘s 2019 chart-topping reworking of Whitney’s “Higher Love,” Clean Bandit‘s 2021 remix of “How Will I Know,” and the 2019 “duet” “Do You Hear What I Hear,” featuring Whitney and Pentatonix.
Whitney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 by Alicia Keys, who said, “Whitney Houston is one of one. There is no one like her, and there never will be.”
Valentine’s Day is coming up fast, but don’t expect NFL star Rob Gronkowski to be among the crowd of procrastinators scrambling to whip up some last-minute plans. The Buccaneers tight end, who’s been dating Wipeout host Camille Kostek, told ABC Audio he knows exactly how to “be a good boyfriend.”
“She loves New York City, so I might have to take her on a date… She loves the Four Seasons,” Gronkowski declared when asked about his V-Day plans. “I shall take her up to New York City [and to] a nice restaurant there.”
While Gronk will also “bring some flowers” — a Valentine’s Day staple — he says his plans for spoiling his girlfriend rotten will cross over several state lines.
“She loves it up north… She loves the snow,” said Gronkowski, noting Kostek is a Connecticut native and is overdue for a visit back home. “We’ve been down here in Florida and it’s kind of very nice every day. [NYC] is by Connecticut, so [we’re] stopping by her parents after.” Overall, Gronkowski says his main objective is to “just be the good boyfriend that I am!”
Luckily for Kostek, after spending her days in the Sunshine State, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model could be reunited with her beloved snow this weekend. According to ABC affiliate WTNH, Connecticut is expected to receive between one to three inches of snow on Sunday.
Kostek, 29, and Gronkowski, 32, first met when she was a cheerleader for the New England Patriots in 2013. The private couple began dating in 2015 and, in November, celebrated the eighth anniversary of their first meeting.
This weekend, the long awaited Fresh Prince reboot, Bel-Air, arrives on your screens. The drama flips the script on the original sitcom version — this is a darker, more realistic take on the story of a kid who moves from the rough streets of west Philly to the manicured sidewalks of Bel-Air.
Newcomer Jabari Banks takes over the role that made Will Smith a household name, and he tells ABC Audio that this new version might ruffle the feathers of some fans, and that’s ok.
“We’re not taking away from the original,” he says. “I think we’re just expanding upon that. And so if people are interested in seeing that, it’s going to be super exciting watching.”
And for fans of the original, Banks promises, “There’s a lot of callbacks to the original. A lot of Easter eggs that are going to excite people.”
Jabari wasn’t even born when the original Fresh Prince aired, but he’s no a stranger to the show.
“My family had the six-season box set in our house, and that would just be on repeat all the time…And so it’s really raised me in a way,” notes Banks. “I dressed up as the Fresh Prince in high school for character day, and made all my friends dress up as the rest of the characters.”
Banks says Smith has become a mentor to him, warning the 23-year-old that he’ll face “a lot of ups and downs” in his career. but, “through it all, just stay grounded.”
Bel-Air will debut with three episodes streaming Sunday on Peacock, and on NBC after the Super Bowl. New episodes will stream weekly after that, and Banks says he’s thrilled: “It’s amazing and during Black History Month…[I’m] so grateful.”
Eddie Vedder is celebrating the release of his new solo album, Earthling, alongside Bruce Springsteen.
The Pearl Jam frontman will be joined by The Boss for a chat about the record Friday at 2 p.m. ET on Amazon Live.
In a clip from the conversation, Springsteen asks Vedder about some of his influences, including The Jackson 5, The Beatles and The Who, as well as, of course, the “Born to Run” rocker himself.
“Ah, grazie,” Springsteen responds.
Earthling, Vedder’s first solo album in 11 years, is out today. It was produced by Ozzy Osbourne collaborator Andrew Watt and features guests including Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, ex-RHCP guitarist and current Pearl Jam touring member Josh Klinghoffer, Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr and Elton John.
Watt, Smith and Klinghoffer are also members of Vedder’s solo live band, The Earthlings, along with Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney and singer-songwriter Glen Hansard. Their tour continues February 15 in San Diego.
Here’s the Earthling track list:
“Invincible”
“Power of Right”
“Long Way”
“Brother the Cloud”
“Fallout Today”
“The Dark”
“The Haves”
“Good and Evil”
“Rose of Jericho”
“Try”
“Picture” feat. Elton John
“Mrs. Mills”
“On My Way”
Michael McDonald, the soulful singer and talented songwriter and keyboardist who found success with The Doobie Brothers, as a solo artist and as a collaborator with various other musicians and singers, celebrates his 70th birthday this Saturday, February 12.
In 1974, McDonald briefly was a member of Steely Dan‘s touring band. He would go on to contribute backing vocals to all of Steely Dan’s albums, from 1975’s Katy Lied through 1980’s Gaucho.
McDonald joined The Doobie Brothers in 1975. During his tenure with the group, Michael sang and wrote or co-wrote some of the band’s biggest hits, including “Takin’ It to the Streets,” “Real Love,” “Minute by Minute” and the chart-topping “What a Fool Believes.” The latter, which McDonald co-wrote with Kenny Loggins, also won multiple Grammy awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
After The Doobie Brothers’ 1982 breakup, Michael launched a successful solo career. Among his solo hits are 1982’s “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” and 1986’s “Sweet Freedom.”
McDonald also lent backing vocals to notable tunes by other artists, including Loggins’ 1979 hit “This Is It,” which he co-wrote, and Christopher Cross‘ 1981 #2 single “Ride Like the Wind.” In addition, he scored hit duets including the Grammy-winning “Yah Mo B There” with James Ingram in 1983, and the chart-topping “On My Own” with Patti LaBelle in 1986.
McDonald has reunited with The Doobies several times over the years after the band’s initial breakup. Starting last year, Michael rejoined the group to take part in their 50th anniversary tour, which gets underway again in June.
(DELPHI, Ind.) — In Delphi, Indiana, a close-knit town of nearly 3,000 residents, this weekend marks five years since its most haunting event — the slayings of two eighth-grade girls on a local hiking trail — a devastating crime that stripped families of their innocence and thrust the rural community into a murder mystery that remains unsolved.
Feb. 13, 2017 was an unusually warm day in Delphi, about 70 miles north of Indianapolis, and best friends Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, were enjoying a day off from school.
They headed to the trail — and never made it home.
There appears to be substantial evidence in the case — from audio and video footage of the suspect to a new lead from social media — but no arrest has been made. Police are also not willing to disclose key facts about the crime, such as the cause of death, which experts interviewed by ABC News say is unusual.
They also say that the benefit of continued secrecy and pursuing cryptic leads in the case may have passed.
Nonetheless, five years on, the families still say they have faith in the head of the Indiana State Police, Doug Carter, who said he urges them to continue to hold his feet to the fire.
“We know a lot about you … today could be the day — sleep well,” Carter said in a direct message to the killer.
Watch the full story on “Nightline” TONIGHT at 12:35 a.m. ET on ABC.
‘Our own little bubble’
Libby was outgoing and competitive, excelling in softball, soccer, swimming and volleyball. But she also stood up for the underdog, her grandmother and guardian, Becky Patty, told ABC News.
“She made an impression on people with her kindness,” she said.
Abby was independent, artistic and musical, said her mother, Anna Williams.
“She was one of the most helpful kids I’ve ever had the pleasure of being with,” her mom said. “She loved helping other people … assisting her nieces, playing games.”
The inseparable friends spent their last night alive having a sleepover at Libby’s house, Becky Patty said. There was no school on Monday, Feb. 13, so the girls slept in and had pancakes.
“We were in our own little bubble,” Becky Patty said.
When Abby and Libby didn’t come home from their afternoon at the trail, Libby’s grandfather, Mike Patty, went to look for them.
By nightfall, the girls were still missing and he called the police. Officers and neighbors descended on the streets and trails with flashlights, he said.
Williams said, “We couldn’t find anything on any form of social media saying that they were planning on hanging out or anything with people … the only logical reasoning for them not to be here is that neither of them had a good sense of direction and they’re lost and somebody’s hurt.”
The next day — Valentine’s Day — the girls’ bodies were found near the trail.
Video, a recording and a sketch
The murders cast fear across Delphi, with parents keeping their kids inside and once-friendly neighbors looking at each other with suspicion.
In 2017, authorities released a grainy image of the suspect, who they say was on the trail the day the girls went missing. In 2019, police released a brief video clip — footage taken from Libby’s phone — showing a grainy image of the suspect walking on the bridge near where the girls were last seen.
Police also publicized the suspect’s voice — a recording of him saying, “guys … down the hill” — which was recovered from Libby’s phone.
Authorities in 2019 released a new suspect sketch that officials said was based on a witness’ recollection of what he or she saw.
Despite all that evidence, no arrest has been made.
Two Indiana State Police detectives work full-time on the case, investigating alongside local authorities and looking into all tips and leads that come in, state police spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Piers said.
Carter, the Indiana State Police superintendent, told ABC News this week, “My resolve to catch him is as strong now as it is Day One.”
“I get 25 to 30 tips a week personally,” he said. “I can assure you — it’s moving.”
A deepening mystery
So much remains a mystery. Most significantly, how Abby and Libby died has still not been released to the public. The state police spokesman would only say that’s because “there is some information about this case that we cannot release to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
“One day I’m gonna be able to explain it — we will be able to explain why we held certain things,” Carter said.
Speaking directly to the killer, he added, “We know a lot about you,” though he didn’t elaborate.
Though police routinely withhold details from the public when working to identify a suspect, ABC News contributor and former FBI agent Brad Garrett said that he thought the lack of disclosure of the particular aspects of the cause of death is strange.
“It’s odd to me that they have not released what caused Abigail and Libby’s death, because it’s fairly routine … for the public to at least generally know what happened,” he said.
Garrett said the cause of death having a unique aspect that only the killer would know is the only logical reason he can think of for law enforcement withholding the information.
Robert Ives, the chief prosecutor in Carroll County at the time of Abby and Libby’s murders who has since retired, thinks the time has passed to keep the cause of death a secret.
“I would like to hear an explanation from those leading the investigation what benefit is gained with secrecy,” Ives told ABC News.
Two months ago came a new lead — but that’s also shrouded in mystery.
State police announced in December that, while investigating Abby and Libby’s case, they “uncovered” a fake Snapchat and Instagram profile called “anthony_shots,” where the unknown user took photos of a known male model and communicated with underage girls “to solicit nude images, obtain their addresses, and attempt to meet them.”
The user of the “anthony_shots” profile, which was active in 2016 and 2017, “portrayed himself as being extremely wealthy and owning numerous sports cars,” police said.
The male model in the photos has been identified and isn’t a person of interest, according to police.
Authorities won’t say if Abby or Libby communicated with the fake profile.
Carter was tight-lipped on the “anthony_shots” investigation, saying the profile has “generated a tremendous number of leads for us — and that’s as far as I can go.”
In a statement this week state police said they’re urging anyone who communicated with, met or tried to meet the “anthony_shots” profile to contact law enforcement.
Mike Patty said he sometimes gets criticized for being so supportive of law enforcement. He admitted he gets frustrated, saying he “never thought we’d be here five years and not have resolution.”
But Mike Patty’s still supporting the police, because, he says, “Who else is gonna make the arrest for me?”
“What’s the most effective way to get this done? It’s to support them, right?” he said.
“Obviously I don’t know everything they [the police] have,” he said. “And they’re not gonna roll those cards out on the table at this point in time.”
“Our job is to get the information out there,” he continued. “‘Cause one day we’re gonna get ahold of the right person. Or they’re gonna hear our plea for their help enough that they’re finally gonna say something.”
Williams agreed.
“It did feel we do have more information than a lot of cases have,” she said. “I’m not saying that the cops are in error — law enforcement has done us well … the thousands and thousands and thousands of hours that they have put into our case is frustrating for everybody.”
Carter said, while having conversations with Mike Patty, “There’s things he wants to know that we haven’t told him. Can you imagine? I can’t. He’s looking at a man that knows the answer to a question he’s asking about the death of a grandchild. And I won’t tell him.”
“I want them to continue to hold us to the fire,” Carter said of the families.
‘We always have hope’
Those middle-schoolers enjoying a warm day in the fresh air would now be young adults finishing their freshman year of college. Williams said Abby “would’ve turned into a really good young lady.”
Becky Patty said she made a vow to Libby to never give up on finding her killer and to “live our life making her proud.”
“We live our life like she would want — she was way more giving and she was way more forgiving than the rest of us,” Becky Patty said.
“We include her every day in our life,” she continued. “She’s just not physically standing here, but she’s here. So we just don’t let her be gone.”
Mike Patty said he’s still hopeful for an arrest.
“We always have hope,” he said.
“So if you know and you’re not saying something, I encourage you to do so, ’cause … this guy could strike again,” he said. “I don’t want it to happen to anybody else.”
Ian McDonald, a multi-instrumentalist and founding member of King Crimson and Foreigner, has died at the age of 75.
The rocker “passed away peacefully on February 9, 2022 in his home in New York City, surrounded by his family,” according to a press release. A cause of death was not given.
McDonald co-founded King Crimson in 1968, alongside Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake and lyricist Peter Sinfield. He contributed saxophone, flute, clarinet, Mellotron, harpsichord, piano, organ, vibraphone, the band’s influential debut album In the Court of the Crimson King, as well as backing vocals and production. McDonald left the band after their first U.S. tour in 1969, although he later contributed sax to two songs from the group’s 1974 album, Red.
In 1976, Ian became a founding member of Foreigner, joining guitarist Mick Jones, singer Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood and bassist Ed Gagliardi. McDonald played on the band’s first three albums: Foreigner, Double Vision and Head Games, all of which went platinum, and produced such classic songs as “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded” and “Double Vision.”
McDonald also took part in several Foreigner reunion concerts alongside the band’s other surviving original members in 2017 and 2018.
McDonald was also an in-demand session musician, playing on numerous recordings by the likes of T. Rex, Steve Hackett and Asia. Notably, he played saxophone of T. Rex’s signature tune “Bang a Gong (Get It On).”
