It’s been a big year for Walker Hayes, who saw his song, “Fancy Like,” skyrocket his career into superstardom.
But as for New Year’s resolutions, the singer says he’s actually not sure whether he kept the goals he set for the year — or even if he made any resolutions to begin with.
“I was just talking about this with a buddy. I don’t remember my New Year’s resolutions from last year,” the singer admits. “I can’t remember if I made them or not.”
And while 2022 is shaping up to be another big year for Walker career-wise, he hasn’t quite settled on a personal resolution for this New Year’s Eve — but he’s got some ideas. The singer says he might borrow a New Year’s resolution from a friend of his, whose goal was all about spreading love and support to those he cared about.
“I actually got a text from somebody a while back, and they said, ‘Hey, my New Year’s resolution was to text somebody encouragement every day. Everyone in my contacts. I just got to the Ws,’” he recounts. “I might make that my resolution. I think that’s a great idea, to just go through the contacts, A through Z, and hit somebody with some encouragement.”
In the meantime, Walker’s planning to bring joy to a nationwide crowd on New Year’s Eve. He’ll perform from the LA outpost of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. The show airs tonight on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
In late November, Beatles fans were treated to the docuseries The Beatles: Get Back, a joyous, reverent and lengthy look at the January 1969 recording sessions that yielded the band’s final studio album, Let It Be.
Directed by Lord of the Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson, Get Back was a three-part presentation running for a total of more than seven-and-a-half hours that premiered on the Disney+ network on November 25, 26 and 27.
The series was created from dozens of hours of previously unseen footage shot for what became the film Let It Be. But while the Michael Lindsay-Hogg-directed 1970 movie focused more on the tensions between the band members during the sessions, Get Back offers a more well-rounded look at The Beatles’ relationships as they came together to create that music.
Besides showing the Fab Four working on the songs that eventually appeared on Let It Be, Get Back also captures the group jamming on covers and older Beatles tunes, playing songs that would be featured on Abbey Road and the band mates’ future solo albums — joking, arguing, chatting and more. Some of the jams included the affable and talented soul/R&B keyboardist Billy Preston.
The Beatles: Get Back ends with footage of the entire surprise performance that The Beatles on the roof of their Apple company’s headquarters in London’s Savile Row, which turned to be the last time the band played together in public.
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A month before The Beatles: Get Back debuted, an expanded reissue of Let It Be was released, sending the album back into the top five of the Billboard 200 after it topped the chart back in 1970. A companion The Beatles: Get Back coffee-table book also was released in October.
Meanwhile, surviving Beatles members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both had eventful years.
Sir Paul began 2021 with his latest solo album, McCartney III, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200 after hitting stores at the end of December 2020. In April, an album titled McCartney III Imagined was released, featuring various artists remixing or covering the songs on McCartney III.
In July, the documentary miniseries McCartney 3,2,1 featuring Paul in conversation with producer Rick Rubin, premiered on Hulu. Then in September, McCartney published the illustrated children’s book Grandude’s Green Submarine, a sequel to his 2019 book, Hey Grandude!
In early November, Paul released the book The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, which offers a self-portrait of the music icon while profiling 154 songs he’s written throughout his long career. The Lyrics was named Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year, and also was picked by People magazine as one of 2021’s top-10 books. Also in November, McCartney got the good news that McCartney III had received a 2022 Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album, while a song from the record, “Find My Way,” scored a nod for Best Rock Song.
As for Ringo, he released two EPs of new songs during 2021 — Zoom In and Change the World — that were packed with guest collaborators, including McCartney, Joe Walsh, Dave Grohl, Sheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, Toto‘s Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams, and more.
2021 also saw deluxe reissue of classic solo albums by late Beatles members John Lennon and George Harrison — John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and All Things Must Pass.
If your house is overrun with clutter – here’s advice from organizing expert Dana K. White. She says we need to change our mindset about our “stuff.” She calls it “The Container Theory.”
She says, the solution for clutter is not to get a new shelving unit, rent a storage unit, or even buy a bigger house. The solution is to let your house be your container. Essentially – you can’t fit more into it than the space allows. Meaning…
The size of your closet determines how many clothes you can have.
The size of your bedroom determines how many dressers you can have.
And your house determines what a bedroom is – and no other room should change itself to hold the overflow. So the office should not become a make-shift closet space.
It’s like only being able to spend the cash you have in your wallet. Once the cash runs out – you can’t spend anymore.
Well, once your closet space runs out, you can’t bring any more stuff into the house without getting rid of something else currently taking up space.
There are certain resolutions you should never make because they’re practically impossible to keep. Let us help point you in the right direction this year with a list of the top resolutions you shouldn’t make, starting with:
Conquering your fear of heights… by skydiving. Why shouldn’t you do it? Because going to extremes for your emotional health is more foolish than fearless. Psychotherapist Dr. Patricia Farrell says you should have a healthy respect for heights, speed and other dangerous things. So, don’t bungee jump or skydive to conquer your fear – only do it if it’s a longtime dream – not if it’s about proving something to yourself or others. If fear is something that’s really holding you back in life, seek counseling.
Do hard-core exercise every day. The boot-camp approach may get you buff in a hurry, but it can also overtax muscles. And personal trainer to the stars, Liz Neporent, says that makes you more susceptible to injury. Instead, vow to do something every day. A goal you’ll actually stick with makes more sense than going for broke and burning out.
To fit into your favorite pair of jeans from high-school. Even if you weigh what you did at age 17, your body could be a lot different. According to Fitness magazine, our bodies go through a variety of changes over the years. Muscle is replaced by fat – or vice versa. Curves become more defined, especially after having kids. So, drop your old jeans off at Goodwill and splurge on a new pair. Instead, your resolution should be to stay within 10 pounds of the weight you were senior year, as long as that was a healthy weight. There’s no reason why you have to weigh more as you age, according to Dr. Walter Willet from the Harvard School of Public Health. He says, next to not smoking, that’s the most important thing you can do to stay healthy and live a long life.
Some New Year’s resolutions seem like a good idea, but set you up to fail. What New Year’s resolutions were a total bomb for you? Which ideas did you think would be great but ended up fizzling out?
Not so. According to researchers from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, people are 10 times MORE likely to change a behavior if they make a resolution than if they don’t. According to Dr, Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s senior medical correspondent, you should think of them more as “all year” resolutions because it shows that you’re making a commitment to long-term change. Here are three ways to start the New Year off healthy:
Exercise regularly. People who work out live up to seven years longer than those who don’t. Also, exercise can reduce depression and boost self-esteem. Just 10 minutes of activity three times a day can do the trick.
Protect your skin. One in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer, and this time of year, the sun’s rays can reflect off ice and snow. So make sure you have a year-round supply of sunscreen.
Skip the drive-thru. A study from the Canadian Journal of Public Health found that communities with more fast-food outlets have higher rates of heart disease and death. So, instead of relying on take-out, fill your plate with fruits and veggies. A rule of thumb: The more colors your eat, the healthier you’ll be.
It’s a new year and everybody’s looking for love. Online dating peaks in January. And these days, 20% of couples meet online. The problem is, if a guy doesn’t find someone he’s interested in after 3 months – 97% of the time, he’ll give up! So, here are tips for online daters – men AND women:
Let’s start with your picture. The vast majority of people look at profile pictures to decide whether or not they want to read your message. To figure out which picture to use on your profile, try OK Cupid’s “My Best Face” application. You upload a few photos and members vote on your pictures, so you know which ones people are drawn to – because you’re only as good as your worst photo. According to their algorithms, the strongest photos of men are ones in which they’re doing something interesting and not looking directly at the camera or smiling. For women, guys like pictures of girls smiling and looking directly at the camera. But it also helps if the background is interesting, like you at basketball game.
Here’s a tip for guys: When it comes to your profile bio, forget loading it with lists of likes and dislikes. Women respond more to stories, mental images and emotions. So, instead of saying, “I play guitar.” Say, “I remember seeing Jimmy Page on TV when I was 10 and after that, I begged my parents for a guitar. I’ve been playing ever since.”
Hint at what you might like to do on a date. The president of SpeedDate.com suggests saying, “My favorite thing to do on a Sunday morning is to go for a hike up Summit’s Peak with my dog Casper,” instead of saying, “I like hiking,” and “I like dogs.” It’s an instant icebreaker.
Be genuine in your profile. That comes from psychiatrist and relationship expert Dr. Eva Ritvo. She says you shouldn’t kid yourself into thinking you can get away with pretending to be something you’re not. Why? Because your prospective date will Google you. But the fact is that people do stretch the truth. A study from MIT found that the average female online dater says she weighs less than the average woman of the same age. And the older a woman gets, the more pounds she shaves off. It’s six pounds for a woman in her 20s, 18 pounds for a woman in her 30s, and 20 pounds for women in their 40s. So, how can you tell if someone is fudging the truth about their weight? Take a look at their picture. Women who post photos taken from an odd angle, or who only focuses on one body part, tend to be the ones lying.
Don’t give up; just get different people to notice your profile. A lot of people give up after three months if they haven’t found someone they’re interested in. Laurie Davis is an online dating coach, and the founder of eFlirt Expert. She says you can change the system by uploading new pictures and changing the details in your bio. Do that and your profile will climb back to the front page of search results. It’s like shooting to the top of a Google search – and more people will see your profile.
Guys, if you send a message to a woman, don’t use the words “sexy” or “beautiful.” It’ll cut your responses by 10%. If you use texting shorthand, like the letters U-R instead of spelling out “you’re,” your response rate will drop by 25%.
Don’t troll for dates late at night – it’s the online dating equivalent of drunk texting someone from a bar.
And know this: Michigan State University found that the best predictor of how many messages people receive isn’t how they look – it’s how many messages they send.
Let’s call it January’s Law – the bigger your list of resolutions, the less likely you are to accomplish ANY of them. But there’s nothing better than crossing something off your life’s to-do list, whether it’s finishing a book you wanted to read, or finishing that novel you’ve always wanted to WRITE. And here’s the good news – if you can’t get it done in January, there are 11 more months in the year! But, to keep you rolling, here are some easy tasks you can do in just 15 minutes that’ll help make your life easier.
Empty your email inbox. Either delete old messages or file them. If your inbox is just too overwhelming to tackle, then focus on one week or even one DAY’s worth of emails.
Take digital photos of all the valuable items in one room of your house. For insurance purposes. Keep the photos in a folder with the original receipts or estimated values, and serial numbers and warranties.
Create a list of parties you think would be fun to throw this year. Then later, pick one and make it happen. Come up with a fun theme – such as a summer carnival, complete with a hamburger cook-off, or a softball championship competition.
Program 5 essential numbers into your cell phone – like your doctor and your favorite take-out restaurant. This way you’ll avoid searching in address books, phone books or through random business cards for the same numbers again and again.
Memorize a short poem. You’ll always feel a bit more cultured if you can recite a fabulous poem on cue. Head over to The Academy of American Poets page at Poets.org. You can hear great poets – like Robert Frost – read their own work.
(NEW YORK) — Amid a record-breaking surge, the U.S. is now averaging more COVID-19 cases per day than at any other point in the pandemic, according to new data updated on Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Federal data shows the nation is now reporting an average of more than 277,000 new cases a day, shattering the previous record of 250,000 cases per day from last January.
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“These numbers are absolutely staggering, especially considering we are two years into the pandemic,” said John Brownstein, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor.
The record average comes after the U.S. reported two consecutive days of more than 430,000 new cases, following soaring demand for tests and a backlog of holiday reporting data.
Over the last month, the U.S. daily case average has tripled, and the nation has reported more than 1.9 million new cases in the last week alone — an average of about three Americans testing positive for COVID-19 every second.
“The combination of the most transmissible variant to date alongside holiday travel and gatherings is a recipe for record-breaking case counts,” Brownstein said, referring to the omicron variant. “These numbers are likely to be a significant undercount given, the shortages in testing and the absence of home test results in official counts.”
Although the significantly high case total is due, in large part, to the country’s latest surge, a number of factors, including data backlogs from the holiday weekend, and a surge in testing demand, may artificially increase the totals.
In addition, more than 30 states are not reporting consistently over the holiday stretch, which can also significantly skew data.
However, on Tuesday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told NPR in an interview that given the shortage in COVID-19 tests right now, ultimately, the official number of positive cases is likely undercounted.
The nation’s latest surge is widespread, with every state in the country currently experiencing high community transmission. In June, no states were reporting high community transmission.
Hospitalizations are also on the rise, according to federal data, albeit about two-thirds the levels experienced last winter.
Across the country, more than 84,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 — up by 40,000 patients in the last seven weeks. On average, more than 9,400 Americans are being admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 every day, up by nearly 20% in the last week.
With increased demand in testing and a renewed strain on the hospital system, the federal government has deployed surge teams to help to support the national COVID-19 response, from vaccinations, to testing, to clinical care.
More than 13,000 National Guard members have been activated in 48 states to support the nation’s COVID-19 response, including vaccinations, testing and clinical care.
On Monday, Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC News’ Whit Johnson that it is difficult to know exactly when the country’s latest surge will peak, given the fact that so many Americans remain unvaccinated.
“It’s going to get worse before it gets better — that’s for sure. We don’t expect things are going to turn around in a few days to a week. It likely will take much longer than that, but that’s unpredictable,” Fauci said.
At this time, 89 million Americans remain completely unvaccinated, and less than a third of fully vaccinated people have been boosted.
It looks like we’ll have new Silversun Pickups music to listen to next year.
In a tweet Tuesday, the “Panic Switch” outfit wrote “‘6’ in 2022,” presumably referring to the band’s sixth studio album. The post also includes a photo of a balloon shaped like the number 6 alongside a bunch of amps and guitars.
Silversun Pickups released their fifth album, Widow’s Weeds, in 2019. It spawned the singles “It Doesn’t Matter Why” and “Don’t Know Yet.”
Last year, SSPU dropped a cover of the ’80s Martika hit “Toy Soldiers.”
On Tuesday, the “When I’m Gone” rockers posted a clip of the Ozzy Osbourne solo classic “Crazy Train,” along with a video of the letter C. Today, they’ve put up a snippet of the Heart tune “Crazy on You,” accompanied by a video of the letter R.
While the initial teaser made it seem that Dirty Honey might be hinting at a cover of “Crazy Train,” the “Crazy on You” post has sparked some new theories, including that the band might be gearing up to release a new song called “Crazy.”
If spelling the word “Crazy” is indeed what the posts are leading up to, Dirty Honey will hit the last letter on Saturday. Until then, stay tuned.
Dirty Honey is already set to go crazy on the road in 2022 on the co-headlining Young Guns tour with Mammoth WVH, which kicks off January 18 in Philadelphia.
