Costello also will take part in an interview on the show.
The Boy Named If, which was released this past Friday, is a 13-track collection that’s described in a press statement as an album “of urgent, immediate songs with bright melodies, guitar solos that sting and a quick step to the rhythm.”
Costello explained about the project, “The full title of this record is The Boy Named If (And Other Children’s Stories). ‘IF,’ is a nickname for your imaginary friend; your secret self, the one who knows everything you deny, the one you blame for the shattered crockery and the hearts you break, even your own.”
The Boy Named If is available on vinyl, CD, cassette and digital formats. There’s also “an 88-page hardback storybook edition,” each copy of which is signed and numbered by Elvis, although that version appears to be currently sold out.
The storybook edition features 13 illustrated short stories that have the same titles as the album’s songs and relate to the corresponding tunes in some way. The stories feature the lyrics of the songs, and the illustrations were created by artist Eamon Singer.
Meanwhile, coinciding with The Boy Named If‘s release, Costello debuted a lyric video for the title track on YouTube. The clip appears to offer an animated version of the illustrated story that accompanies the song.
Costello and The Imposters’ current plans to promote the album include a U.K. tour that kicks off June 5 in Brighton, England.
The third episode of Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett proved pretty divisive with the Star Wars fanbase, all thanks to some space scooters.
The Robert Rodriguez-directed episode sees Temuera Morrison‘s bounty hunter-turned crime boss hiring a group of young cyborg thugs, but their appearance — and their candy-colored, arguably Earth-bound hovering scooters — drew flak from some fans. Many made references to Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, or to Griff Tannen’s hoverboard gang in Back to the Future 2, or Rodriguez’s Spy Kids series.
The term “Mos Vespa” was coined, a play on the Tatooine city Mos Espa, and of course, the iconic Italian scooter brand.
There were its defenders, too, seeing the scooters as a tribute to 1979’s Quadrophenia, and British mod culture.
But the controversy wasn’t limited to the nerdisphere: Morrison was asked about it on Friday, at Disney+’s portion of the Winter Television Critics Association confab.
“Some of these things are out of our control,” he noted, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “We can’t say as performers, ‘We don’t want to work with these people, that’s not good enough.'”
He allowed of the gang, including Yellowjackets star Sophie Thatcher, “They brought a lot of color to it, I thought … they were great, were working hard.”
Co-star Ming-Na Wen added, “This is a real homage to the things George Lucas always loved — whether it was the Mods in the ’60s, or American Graffiti.”
Wen added, “Sophie was a lovely human being, and I definitely enjoyed getting to know her.”
A new episode of The Book of Boba Fett drops Wednesday on Disney+.
Taika Waititi has a pretty wicked sense of humor, and the Jojo Rabbit Oscar winner proved it again with an Instagram Live video on Sunday, in which he “accidentally” revealed the return of Robert Downey Jr.‘s Iron Man into the MCU.
Of course, it was just a fairly elaborate gag.
Downey’s Tony Stark sacrificed himself to save the world at the close of Avengers: Endgame, but a fake script posted by Waititi, supposedly from his forthcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, gave fans a false sense of hope that he might return. A close look at the script page, however, proved Waititi was just pulling their legs.
Fans, including Phase Zero – MCU on Twitter, snapped a screenshot of the screenplay, and it’s pretty obvious the whole thing was a prank. After all, it’s doubtful Marvel Studios would have Downey return to big screen at all, let alone with a hearty, “Wazzzaaaap!” a la those Budweiser commercials from 1999.
The same goes for some of the other dialog. After a hug, Thor asks the resurrected Stark, “But how? I saw you die.”
“Science,” Stark explains, adding, “Also, Thanos is back.”
A few lines later, after displaying an Iron Man suit decorated with, “all the flags of every nation,” Stark explains to the God of Thunder, “Everyone who died is coming back, and this time we’re avenging more than ever….From now on, we’ll be known as ….The Avengererers.”
The actual Thor: Love and Thunder, in which we guarantee this scene won’t appear, hits theaters July 8.
The breakout Italian rockers are set to play Saturday Night Live this weekend on January 22, marking their debut performance on the long-running NBC sketch show. MacGruber star and SNL alum Will Forte will host.
Måneskin, of course, had a huge 2021, thanks to their win at the Eurovision Song Contest and their viral hit cover of the Four Seasons song “Beggin’.”
In addition to their first SNL performance, 2022 will include Måneskin’s debut set at Coachella. The iconic California festival takes place this year April 15-17 and April 22-24.
The new year wasn’t off to a good start for Full House alum Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli. Their home has been burglarized, to the tune of $1 million.
The incident occurred on January 3 between 2 and 3 in the morning, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department confirmed to ABC News. Loughlin and Giannulli were not at their Hidden Hills home at the time. Neither were their children 23-year-old Bella, 23 and 22-year-old Olivia Jade.
Authorities state that the suspects entered through the back bedroom window of the couple’s Los Angeles home and stole items worth approximately $1 million. They believe the burglars could be part of a South American crime group, which TMZ describes as a crew of crooks who “travel to America, hit locations and then quickly leave the country.”
Loughlin “feels violated by what happened,” according to a Us Weekly source, who added, “It was a very emotional day for her.”
Last week, Katy Perry’s fiancé Orlando Bloom turned 45 and she raved about him on Instagram, writing that he is the “kindest, deepest, most soulful, sexy & strong man I know.” But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have flaws — and she just revealed one on British radio.
While speaking to the U.K.’s Heart radio, Katy was asked to name Orlando’s “worst habit.”
“Oh my God…he loves to floss, which thank God, because some partners don’t and it’s disgusting and he has brilliant teeth,” Katy replied. “But he leaves the floss everywhere! On the side of my bed, and in the car, and on the kitchen table…I’m like, ‘There are [garbage cans] everywhere!’”
In the same interview Katy was also asked if she thinks she’s a better singer than Adele.
“F*** no!” Katy replied immediately. “Who is a better singer than Adele? You tell me that!”
(NEW YORK) — Former world No. 1 tennis player Chris Evert revealed she is battling Stage 1 ovarian cancer.
Evert shared the news in a Tweet on Friday.
“I wanted to share my stage 1 ovarian cancer diagnosis,” she said. “Thanks to all of you for respecting my need to focus on my health and treatment plan.”
The tennis legend, who made her debut at age 16 at the 1971 U.S. Open and is an 18-time Grand Slam winner who took home 157 singles titles and 32 doubles titles during her career, opened up in depth about her diagnosis in an ESPN article she co-wrote with friend and ESPN journalist Chris McKendry.
In the article, McKendry talks about the moment she learned Evert was diagnosed in a conversation she had with her over text.
“It was short, simple and yet so damn complicated. I got a text on Dec. 7,” McKendry wrote. “My friend Chrissie has cancer. The disease had killed her sister Jeanne. My god.”
McKendry details how Evert was nervous about her diagnosis, which was discovered following a preventive hysterectomy in early December.
“We thought we were being proactive,'” Evert told McKendry. But following the surgery, doctors told Evert that she would need to go back for lymph nodes and tissue samples. The pathology revealed malignant cells and a tumor in Evert’s left fallopian tube.
She had surgery again on Dec. 13 to see if the cancer was in its first or third stage.
During this period of waiting to see what the results were, Evert shared that it reminded her of her younger sister, Jeanne Evert Dubin, who was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
For Dubin, also a former professional tennis player, it was late-stage ovarian cancer and it had spread. She died in February 2020 at the age of 62 after battling the disease for over two years.
Evert said that Dubin tested negative for harmful mutations of the BRCA1 gene.
Mutations in the BRCA1 and 2 genes increase the likelihood for developing breast or ovarian cancer in women, and, to a lesser extent, breast cancer in men, according to the National Cancer Institute, although the BRCA genes are not the only genes associated with breast/ovarian cancer.
The increasing likelihood of developing cancer from a BRCA mutation depends on the type of mutation.
After Jeanne’s diagnosis, the Evert family was notified of a change in the interpretation of Jeanne’s genetic report, which prompted Evert to send her blood for genetic testing. It revealed that she had a variant of the BRCA1 gene, which led her to undergo the preventive hysterectomy.
Evert learned she has stage 1 ovarian cancer, which after chemotherapy, could mean there is a 90% chance the cancer doesn’t return.
“I feel very lucky that they caught it early and expect positive results from my chemo plan,” she wrote on Twitter.
Evert, who is also an analyst for ESPN, will be covering the Australian Open remotely.
She said she hopes her story inspires women and men to be aware of their bodies and to get screened for cancer before it’s too late.
“‘We need to have these conversations,'” Evert told McKendry. “‘Ovarian cancer is a very deadly disease. Any information is power.'”
“‘Be your own advocate. Know your family’s history. Have total awareness of your body, follow your gut and be aware of changes,'” Evert added. “‘Don’t try to be a crusader and think: This will pass.'”
What women should know about ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer originates in the ovaries, which make female hormones and produce eggs, or in the nearby areas of the fallopian tubes and the peritoneum, the tissue that lines your abdominal wall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 78, while her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 108, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Ovarian cancer can affect females of all ages and races but is most common in women ages 63 and older and is more common in white women than Black women, according to the ACS.
While early signs of ovarian cancer can be vague, the main symptoms are abdominal pain or pelvic pain, bloating and an increase in urination, according to the CDC.
It is particularly important for women to pay attention to symptoms of ovarian cancer and speak openly with their doctor because there is currently no reliable way to screen for the disease.
In some cases, targeted use of pelvic scans and sonograms or a CA-125 blood test may be used to detect ovarian cancer, but additional testing is “not one size fits all and it is not recommended for all women,” said ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a board-certified OBGYN.
Treatment for ovarian cancer usually involves a combination of surgery and chemotherapy, according to the CDC.
While there is no known way to prevent ovarian cancer, there are things associated with lowering the risk of getting ovarian cancer, including using birth control for five or more years, having given birth, breastfeeding, having had a hysterectomy, having had your ovaries removed and having had a tubal litigation, according to the CDC.
ABC News’ Katie Kindelan contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Some automakers tout engine performance, cutting-edge technology or exclusivity to attract buyers. Japanese automaker Subaru has a different approach.
In 2019 the company transformed 10,000 square feet of the Javits Convention Center in New York into a state-of-the-art immersive exhibit where Yellowstone’s Old Faithful geyser and Denali’s snowcapped peak were the focus — not the company’s sport utility vehicles.
Deer, foxes and muskrats can be spotted along the walking trails at Subaru’s Indiana facility, the sole U.S. manufacturing plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. Materials on site are either reused, recycled or repurposed and in 2004 the plant achieved zero landfill status — another industry first.
“Business has to have a purpose besides selling cars and making money — it has to make our society better,” Thomas Doll, president and CEO of Subaru of America, Inc., told ABC News. “We pride ourselves that we have that community aspect.”
Subaru, a longstanding partner of the National Parks Foundation, has given more than $68 million to organizations working to conserve national parks and helped fund projects to protect over 85 million acres in 400 national parks. The company also donates millions of dollars to various charities such as Make-A-Wish and ASPCA as part of its “Share the Love” event, now in its 14th year. Shelter puppies are often the stars of Subaru’s auto exhibits and the marque has helped find homes for more than 74,000 rescue animals across the country.
“Subaru’s support of various causes attracts a certain type of buyer and really does contribute to their success,” Ed Kim, president and chief analyst of AutoPacific, told ABC News. “Subaru customers are among the most affluent.”
Industry watchers agree that Subaru could do even more to protect national parks and the planet: Build more EVs. Owners who are eager for an all-electric Subaru will have to wait until later this year, when the Solterra SUV enters production.
“We’re a small company but we’re not afraid of EVs,” Doll said.
Slower road to electric vehicles
The small automaker decided early on to tap into potential markets that were overlooked by mainstream brands, according to Kim.
“It was the first auto brand that actively marketed to the LGBTQ community when no one else was doing that,” he said. “It attracted a lot of LGBTQ customers and became a brand for people who identified with a more progressive mindset.”
Karl Brauer, executive analyst of iSeeCars.com, said Subaru’s aggressive push as a lifestyle utility automaker — one that also offered standard all-wheel drive for its vehicles — was prescient and helped boost sales.
“Subaru made off-road vehicles a core component of its entire brand image a decade or more ahead of the industry,” he told ABC News. “The company decided what it wanted to be and it’s worked really well. It’s cultivated a fairly specific and loyal customer base.”
The company, though, has been surprisingly slow to bring an electric vehicle to the market. Subaru currently only makes one hybrid — the Crosstrek plug-in. In November, it debuted the Solterra, an AWD, emissions-free ute that was developed in partnership with Toyota. The Solterra gets an estimated range of more than 220 miles and produces 215 horsepower from its front and rear electric motors. Sales begin in mid-2022.
“It’s a technically advanced EV that’s versatile and has a lower center of gravity and better handling,” Doll said.
Federal regulations are going to require that Subaru participate in the electric world, according to Stephanie Brinley, an automotive analyst at IHS Markit.
“The company can’t sit out that part of the market,” she told ABC News. “That’s the reality.”
Added Kim: “The mindset of a Subaru customer is so perfect for electrification. They’d be more than happy to pay more for a hybrid or an EV.”
Chip shortages and younger drivers a challenge
The lack of EVs, however, has not caused the company to lose sales nor customers, according to Brauer. What has? The ongoing global chip shortage. Subaru of America delivered 51,146 vehicles in December, a 19.5% plunge from a year ago. In 2021 the brand sold 583,810 vehicles, a 4.6% drop compared to 2020.
“It’s not a demand problem, it’s a supply problem. We’re trying to recover from this microchip shortage which is much worse than [2020],” said Doll. “Retailers are sold out essentially — each dealer has six cars on average. We have car lines that are sold out. It pains me … but there is nothing Subaru can do. We’re not going to produce cars without certain chips or build a car and park it until a chip comes in.”
Kim noted that all automakers are still struggling to build vehicles and stock showrooms as consumer demand soars.
“The chip shortage is real,” he said. “Subaru is suffering like almost everyone else. The product is sought after but Subaru doesn’t have the means to build cars without all these chips.”
Subaru has another obstacle to conquer this year: Getting young drivers to buy its newly revamped BRZ sports car, a slinky, lightweight rear-wheel drive coupe that’s geared toward male drivers in their late 20s and early 30s. Even Doll has questioned how much longer true performance cars, like the BRZ and WRX sedan, can survive in the U.S. But scuttling production of either car is not on the table — for now.
“The BRZ and WRX are gateways to the brand,” said Doll. “And we’re definitely committed to the manual and expect 85% of customers to buy the manual in the BRZ.”
In fact, performance cars and Subaru’s rally racing history have brought dedicated enthusiasts to the brand, who learned about these conveyances from video games and internet groups.
“So many U.S. enthusiasts wanted the WRX — they were screaming for this car — but it took a while for Subaru’s U.S. division to bring these models to the country,” said Kim. “This is a fantastic performance car with a tremendous legacy in rallying.”
He added, “These buyers skew very heavily male and are not political. There is a cultural divide between Subaru’s regular lineup versus its performance lineup.”
Charitable causes, puppies, conservation, AWD — all these factors have solidified Subaru’s position in the hyper competitive automotive industry, according to Brinley. Now Subaru has to accept that it is no longer a niche automaker.
“A lot of customers connect and identify with the brand,” she said. “The constant challenge for Subaru is brand authenticity.”
(BEIJING) — No public tickets will be sold to next month’s Beijing Olympics due to COVID-19, the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee said.
Instead, groups of spectators will be invited to the games, and “the organizers expect that these spectators will strictly abide by the COVID-19 countermeasures before, during and after each event,” the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee said.
The organizing committee said this change is due to the “grave and complicated situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the safety of all participants and spectators.”
The Opening ceremony is set for Friday, Feb. 4.
China is tightening travel restrictions for its capital ahead of the Olympics, requiring all travelers to Beijing to take a nucleic acid test within 72 hours of entry.
The testing rule, which will begin on Jan. 22, was announced after Beijing recorded its first omicron case this weekend in a suburb near many Olympic venues. Health authorities have sealed off the patient’s residential compound and workplace.
ABC News’ Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.
After the comedian’s unexpected death last week, he was laid to rest on Friday and, for the first time his widow, Kelly Rizzo, has taken to Instagram to pen a heartfelt tribute to her lost love.
“My sweet husband. After much reflection this week, I’m trying, really trying, to not think I was robbed of time. But instead to think: How lucky was I that I got to be the one to be married to THE MOST INCREDIBLE MAN ON EARTH,” Rizzo wrote alongside a selfie of the couple, who wed in 2018.
“I was the one who got to go on this crazy ride with him and be in his life these last 6 years. We had that time to make each other the happiest we’d ever been and change each other’s lives forever. I got to be the one to love him and cherish him,” she continued. “He deserves all the love. Every ounce of it. Because that’s how amazing Bob was. He was love. If you were in his life you KNEW he loved you. He never missed an opportunity to tell you.”
Rizzo wasn’t the only one remembering “America’s Dad.” America’s Funniest Home Videos also honored Saget, who was a former host of the show, with montage of moments described as “Bob being Bob.”
Before playing the clip, current AFV host Alfonso Ribeiro announced, “As you’ve heard, the world lost a legend last week, and AFV lost a family member.”
“Bob Saget is synonymous with AFV to this day, and this show wouldn’t have been the same without his unique sense of humor,” he continued. “It’s been my honor to continue carrying the torch Bob so brightly lit.”
