(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Milwaukee 118, Golden State 99
New Orleans 113 L.A. Clippers 89
Final Memphis 116 Minnesota 108
Final Oklahoma City 130 Brooklyn 109
Final Denver 140 Portland 108
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Columbus 6, Carolina 0
Tampa Bay 4, Vancouver 2
Boston 3, Philadelphia 2
Winnipeg 3, Detroit 0
NY Islanders 3, New Jersey 2
St. Louis 2, Seattle 1
Buffalo 4, Nashville 1
Chicago 3 Montreal 2 (OT)
Ottawa 4, Calgary 1
NY Rangers 3 San Jose 0
Los Angeles 6, Pittsburgh 2
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Oregon 84, UCLA 81
Wisconsin 78, Ohio St. 68
Texas Tech 78, Oklahoma St. 57
DePaul 96, Seton Hall 92
Gonzaga 110, BYU 84
Southern Cal 81, Oregon St. 71
Arizona 76, Colorado 55
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for TOM FORD: AUTUMN/WINTER 2020 RUNWAY SHOW
Lisa Bonet may have dropped a hint about her split with Jason Momoa in an interview published weeks ago.
Bonet interviewed her fellow A Different World alum Marisa Tomei for Interview and had a cryptic response when the Spider-Man: No Way Home star asked “What’s calling you?”
“Definitely learning how to be authentically me, learning to be new, and following this invitation from the universe to step into this river of uncertainty,” the 54-year-old Cosby Show star replied. “We’ve eliminated all this extra noise, and now it’s time to grow our roots deeper into our own values.”
Momoa, 42, released a joint statement announcing that the two have decided to uncouple on behalf of himself and Bonet — who’s not on social media — on Wednesday, via Instagram.
“We have all felt the squeeze and changes of these transformational times… A revolution is unfolding ~and our family is of no exception… feeling and growing from the seismic shifts occurring And so~ We share our Family news~ That we are parting ways in marriage,” the Aquaman star wrote. “We share this not because we think it’s newsworthy ~ But so that~ as we go about our lives we may do so with dignity and honesty,”
Momoa and Bonet reportedly began dating in 2005 before tying the knot in 2017. They share two children Lola Iolani Momoa, who was born in 2007, and Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa, who they welcomed the following year.
Melissa Etheridge has an extensive collection of guitars, and she’ll be showcasing them, not in a museum exhibit, but in the pages of a new graphic novel called Heartstrings, coming this June.
Published by Z2 comics, the novel features Melissa relating the “untold stories” of her favorite instruments, in collaboration with two writers and an illustrator. According to a press release, the novel promises “insight into the creative mind of one of the greatest songwriters of the past 30 years.”
“As many of my fans know, my relationship…to my guitars is beyond special and these instruments hold a very significant place in my life,” says the Grammy-winning star. “I am so excited to share all these stories and images from my entire collection and have them all be a part of this incredible graphic novel.”
The book will be available in softcover and hardcover formats in bookstores, comic shops and record stores in June, which is also Pride Month.
Deluxe and super-deluxe versions are also available at the Z2 comics website, and there’s a very limited $999 Platinum edition that comes with a Epiphone guitar and a copy of the book, both signed by Melissa, plus various collectibles, like art prints, coasters and a journal. The regular book costs $25.
In other Melissa news, a vinyl version of her 2021 album One Way Outgets its release today. The record features a collection of recently recorded songs that Melissa wrote during the late 80’s and early 90’s, but didn’t release at the time.
Michael Ray’s move towards the ‘90s-era country music that first inspired him is paying off, as his latest single, “Whiskey and Rain,” has officially become his fourth number-one hit.
As the singer takes his victory lap for his latest chart victory, he’s especially excited to be celebrating success with a song so true to his artistic identity.
“The journey of this song has just been an incredible one to be on,” Michael recounts. “If you’re a fan of mine and you know who I am as an artist — and it was shaped by ‘90s and early 2000s country music — and I feel like this song really reflects a lot of those influences.”
Specifically, the song takes cues from hitmaker Gary Allan, especially his 1998 release, It Would Be You. The title track off that album was a Top 10 hit for Gary, and as a whole, the project launched a fandom in Michael that helped kick off his journey to country music stardom.
“I remember hearing ‘It Would Be You’ for the first time and it just spoke to me. As a kid, I just bought every Gary Allan record and learned all the covers I could,” the singer explains, adding that that influence is alive and well in his music today.
“There’s a lot you can hear of his influence on ‘Whiskey and Rain’ and throughout this EP project, this Higher Education project. So, big fan of Gary’s,” Michael says.
Halestorm has released a new acoustic session recorded for “Coffee Notes,” a new music series from the company Death Wish Coffee.
The video features Lzzy Hale and guitarist Joe Hottinger performing unplugged renditions of Halestorm’s new single “Back from the Dead” and their classic tune “I Miss the Misery.” Additionally, Hale sings a solo piano version of “I Will Always Love You,” originally written by Dolly Parton and made huge by Whitney Houston.
“We’re thrilled to release Coffee Notes featuring the amazing band Halestorm to kick off our 10-year brand anniversary as this is exactly the kind of artist-celebrated content that we want to offer our devoted Death Wish Coffee fans,” says Death Wish Coffee CEO Mike Pilkington.
“Halestorm is the perfect collaboration for Coffee Notes to celebrate our rockstar anniversary with real rockstars,” Pilkington adds. “We are proud to give our customers this exclusive experience and the chance to win a signed guitar as a thank you to their undying loyalty.”
You can watch the session now via DeathWishCoffee.com, where you can also enter to win a Gibson guitar signed by Hale and Hottinger.
Chloe Bailey grew up admiring Beyoncé, and now she’s living a dream come true as she’s signed to her idol’s Parkwood Entertainment label.
Chloe’s Beyoncé connection began in 1998 when she was five years old playing a younger version of Queen Bey’s Lilly character in the film The Fighting Temptations. Ever since then, her mentor has inspired her, especially about being comfortable with her appearance.
“It was Beyoncé who made me look at my body and say maybe it is okay to have my body. Maybe it is okay to have a plump butt. Maybe it is okay to have to shake and jump to fit in my jeans,” Bailey says in the In the Know by Yahoo January cover story.
After earning five Grammy nominations with her sister Halle as Chloe x Halle, Chloe made her solo debut in 2021 with “Have Mercy.”
The erotic music video for the song fired up social media, as people commented, positively and negatively, about her sexy appearance. Chloe insists that she won’t allow her critics to affect her confidence.
“There has never been a point in time that a society has ever been comfortable with the woman being powerful in the skin that she’s in,” the 23-year-old entertainer says. “So I just have to give kudos to every woman who’s inspired me, every one of my peers right now who’s saying, ‘I love my body. I feel sexy.'”
Regardless of the social media trolls, Chloe is determined to feel good about herself.
“No matter what women do, no matter how talented we are, no matter how screwed on our head is, someone will always have a problem because we choose to celebrate our body and the skin that we’re in,” Chloe maintains. “But you shouldn’t dim your light, period.”
One reason Katy Perry wanted to have a Las Vegas residency is because it gives her more time to spend with her 16-month-old daughter, Daisy Dove. Now, Katy says Daisy is a big part of her preparation to hit the stage.
“Daisy’s with me all the time and she loves seeing Mama get ready and turn into the character,” she tells People magazine, referring to the fact that she portrays a doll in her residency show PLAY. “And I get to give bath time between 6:00 and 7:00. It’s a great routine. I thrive on routine.”
Katy also reveals that Daisy is “a combination” of both her and her father, Katy’s fiancé, Orlando Bloom.
“We are fearless with lots of chutzpah and just big characters,” Katy notes. “So the combination of us both is definitely coming out. It’s amazing to see everything new again through a toddler’s eyes.”
If you’re not familiar, “chutzpah” is a Yiddish word that means “extreme self-confidence” or “audacity.”
Katy’s current PLAY residency, which takes pace at Resorts World Las Vegas, wraps up with two more performances — tonight and Saturday night. She’ll then return March 2 for a string of eight additional performances.
Moody Blues singer/bassist John Lodge‘s new live album The Royal Affair and After, featuring performances from his stint on the Yes-headlined 2019 Royal Affair Tour and from his subsequent U.S. solo trek, gets its release today on CD and digital formats.
The album is mainly made up of renditions of popular Moody Blues songs, and features current Yes frontman Jon Davison on two songs.
Lodge tells ABC Audio that during the Royal Affair trek, he invited Davison to join him and his 10,000 Light Years Band to sing backing vocals on their encore, the 1968 Moody Blues gem “Ride My See-Saw.”
“[I]t was fantastic,” Lodge says of Davison’s performance.
For Lodge’s headlining tour, he decided to salute his fellow Moody Blues members by including songs they wrote for the group in his set, among them the Justin Hayward-penned Moodies classic “Nights in White Satin,” on which Davison sang lead.
“[H]e sings a fantastic version, and it’s on the album,” John notes. “And I’m really pleased with it, because he’s brought the exact emotion to the song.”
Lodge also recorded Moody Blues drummer Graeme Edge reciting the spoken-word piece “Late Lament” that Graeme wrote for The Moody Blues’ Days of Future Passed album for use on John’s tour. Audio of Edge’s performance is included on The Royal Affair and After.
Edge died of cancer at age 80 in November 2021, and Lodge says he visited Graeme four days before he passed away, and gave him a copy of the new CD.
“We had a few laughs, a few tears,” John shares, adding that when he gave Graeme the CD, “he was tickled pink.”
A blue-vinyl LP version of The Royal Affair and After will be released on January 28. Here’s the album’s full track list:
“Steppin’ in a Slide Zone”
“Saved by the Music”
“Legend of a Mind”
“Sunset”
“Late Lament” (with Graeme Edge)
“Nights in White Satin” (with Jon Davison)
“Gemini Dream”
“Isn’t Life Strange”
“I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)”
“Ride My See-Saw” (with Jon Davison)
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.5 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 843,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 62.6% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jan 13, 8:39 pm
Report shows omicron’s rapid spread in NYC
Omicron became the dominant variant in New York City within five weeks after it was first detected, according to a new report released Thursday by the city’s health department.
By comparison, it took 20 weeks for the delta variant to become dominant.
The report, which details preliminary findings on the city’s omicron wave, found that there have been lower hospitalization rates but more total hospitalizations compared to the delta wave due to “significantly greater case numbers.”
Unvaccinated New Yorkers were more than eight times more likely to be hospitalized than those who were fully vaccinated early in the omicron wave, the report found. Black New Yorkers and people ages 75 and older also were more likely to be hospitalized.
Jan 13, 7:56 pm
Study finds higher risk of COVID-19 complications for unvaccinated pregnant women
Unvaccinated pregnant women with COVID-19 and their newborn babies have a higher risk of complications from the disease compared with those who are vaccinated, a new study found.
In the study, published Thursday in Nature Medicine, researchers from Public Health Scotland looked at vaccination rates and COVID-19 outcomes in 131,875 pregnant women in Scotland between Dec. 8, 2020, and Oct. 31, 2021, when the delta variant was dominant.
They found that 90.9% of COVID-19 hospital admissions, 98% of intensive care admissions and all 450 newborn deaths were in unvaccinated pregnant women.
The study reiterates the importance of pregnant women getting vaccinated against the virus due to a greater risk of dangerous health complications from COVID-19. A growing body of research has shown the vaccines to be safe and effective for pregnant women.
-ABC News’ Dr. Siobhan Deshauer, Sony Salzman and Dr. Alexis Carrington
Jan 13, 6:58 pm
Over 200 scientists, doctors sign letter in support of Fauci
Following heated exchanges between Dr. Anthony Fauci and several Republican senators at a Congressional hearing Tuesday, more than 200 prominent science and public health leaders have now penned an open letter voicing their support of the White House chief medical adviser’s service and leadership — and condemning attacks against him.
“We deplore the personal attacks on Dr. Fauci,” the letter says. “The criticism is inaccurate, unscientific, ill-founded in the facts and, increasingly, motivated by partisan politics. It is a distraction from what should be the national focus — working together to finally overcome a pandemic that is killing about 500,000 people a year.”
Signatories include former Senate majority leader Bill Frist, a Republican; Rich Besser, former acting director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; members of President Joe Biden’s transition COVID-19 task force; and several Nobel laureates.
The letter comes two days after a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee hearing, during which Fauci publicly accused Republican Sen. Rand Paul of fomenting the violent threats and harassment that he and his family have had to contend with during the pandemic’s politicized climate.
-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik
Jan 13, 4:23 pm
Inside an Ohio children’s hospital facing a COVID surge
More than 300 children with COVID-19 are in Ohio hospitals, including Dayton Children’s Hospital, where workers are seeing a significant increase in pediatric COVID-19-related hospitalizations.
Dr. Vipul Patel, chief of pediatric intensive care at Dayton Children’s, told ABC News the ICU is now busier than at any other point in the pandemic.
COVID-19 is only exacerbating previously existing health issues for many children, Patel explained, adding that many parents are shocked to see their children become so sick, and some families have even expressed regret for not vaccinating their kids. Nationwide, about 35% of eligible children (ages 5 to 17) are fully vaccinated, according to federal data.
Dayton Children’s respiratory therapist Hillary O’Neil said it’s been particularly difficult to see children who are too young to understand what is happening sick and scared.
“You can see it in the faces of kids that can’t talk — their eyes get really big and they, we watch them struggle to breathe,” O’Neil said. “Then on top of that we watch their parents struggle to watch their child, and that is sometimes just as hard as watching the kids.”
Jackie Kerby, whose baby, Enaeshya, is hospitalized with COVID-19, told ABC News, “She’s getting these fevers in the night, and they’re not coming down. … I am terribly scared.”
Across the U.S. more than 5,000 children are currently hospitalized with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, according to federal data. On average, hospital admissions among children have quadrupled over the last month.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos, Kayna Whitworth
Jan 13, 3:20 pm
New York COVID-19 cases falling
New York state’s COVID-19 cases are falling after experiencing a major surge over the holidays, according to state data.
New York recorded 60,374 new cases in the last 24 hours — an improvement from New Year’s Day when 85,476 daily cases were reporting during a spike in testing demands.
Jan 13, 3:00 pm
Supreme Court issues stay of vaccine-or-test requirement on private businesses
The Supreme Court has issued a stay of the vaccine-or-test requirement imposed on private businesses with at least 100 employees by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In a 6-3 ruling, with the three liberal justices dissenting, the court finds likelihood the challengers will prevail and that OSHA exceeds its authority.
At the same time, the justices voted 5-4 to allow the Biden administration to require health care workers at facilities that treat Medicare and Medicaid patients to be vaccinated, subject to religious or medical exemptions.
-ABC News’ Devin Dwyer
Jan 13, 11:22 am
8,000 Delta employees test positive within 4 weeks
About 8,000 of Delta Air Lines’ 75,000 employees had COVID-19 over the last four weeks, Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC.
“Good news is that they were all fine. There’s been no significant issues,” he said.
“But it’s knocked them out of the operation” amid the busiest travel season in two years, he said.
United CEO Scott Kirby said Tuesday that around 3,000 of United workers have COVID-19 right now.
Across the U.S., 3,783 TSA employees are currently at home with COVID-19, the agency said.
-ABC News’ Mina Kaji, Sam Sweeney
Jan 13, 10:53 am
Biden: White House now trying to acquire 1 billion tests
President Joe Biden said he’s directing his team to procure 500 million additional tests to meet future demand — bringing the total to 1 billion.
Biden said the White House is on track to roll out a website next week allowing Americans to order tests shipped to their homes.
The administration will also announce next week how it’s making high-quality masks available for free, Biden said.
Biden also made a plea to social media companies and media outlets.
“Please deal with the misinformation and disinformation that’s on your shows — it has to stop,” he said. “COVID-19 is one of the most formidable enemies America has ever faced. We’ve got to work together.”
Jan 13, 10:27 am
US death toll up 50% since Christmas
The U.S. is now reporting an average of 1,650 new COVID-19-related deaths each day — up by about 50% since Christmas, according to federal data.
Indiana currently has the highest death rate, followed by Delaware and New York City.
Twenty-six states are now averaging more daily cases than at any point in the pandemic, according to federal data.
Surging national case numbers, however, may not be indicative of what is happening in every region of the country. Some areas could see a decline or a plateau in cases, according to some experts.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Jan 13, 5:02 am
Biden sending medical teams to hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19
President Joe Biden will deploy military medical teams to hospitals in six states where COVID-19 infections are surging.
Teams of doctors, nurses and clinical personnel will be sent as early as next week to New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Michigan and New Mexico, Biden is expected to announce on Thursday alongside Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
Biden in December directed the defense secretary to ready 1,000 military medical personnel to deploy to hospitals across the country as needed in January and February. The teams now being readied will be the first to start arriving at hospitals.
They’ll be sent to Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Henry Ford Hospital near Detroit, University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque and University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey.
Biden, Austin and Criswell on Thursday will also “be briefed on the administration’s efforts to send resources and personnel to hard-hit communities across the country that are experiencing a surge in hospitalizations due to the Omicron variant,” according to a White House official.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Jan 12, 7:24 pm
Testing labs now struggling with their own staffing shortages due to virus
The labs shouldering much of the nation’s PCR COVID-19 testing are getting slammed with demand again during omicron’s surge, and now they’re grappling with a new challenge: their workforces are getting hit by the virus they’ve been tasked with tracking.
The American Clinical Laboratory Association, the national trade association representing some of the leading clinical labs responsible for COVID diagnostics, is warning that their members’ workforce is strained as more workers call out sick.
“Labs are now facing a wave of new issues brought on by a fast-spreading variant that has not spared the laboratory care work force,” an ACLA spokesperson told ABC News.
COVID-19 infections have increased laboratory staff sick leave — a “significant factor in determining overall capacity” at an industry-wide level, the spokesperson said.
“We have been pressured to get our capacity where we believe it can be because of the labor problems we see,” Quest Diagnostics CEO Steve Rusckowski said Wednesday at the JPM Healthcare Conference. “Some of this is just getting the labor to do our work, but secondly, is because of callouts because of the virus have been considerable over the last two weeks.”
-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik
Jan 12, 7:00 pm
Chicago teachers accept deal to reopen classes
Chicago teachers voted Wednesday to accept the deal made by the union and city to re start in-person classes.
The deal ended the five-day standoff after the union voted to switch to remote learning due to the omicron surge.
Union leaders made a tentative agreement on Monday and urged teachers to back the deal despite frustration that the district wouldn’t grant demands for widespread coronavirus testing or commit to districtwide remote learning during a COVID-19 surge.
The final agreement will expand COVID-19 testing and create standards to switch schools to remote learning.
The deal also resulted in the purchase of KN95 masks for students and teachers and bigger incentives to attract substitute teachers. The city also agreed to give teachers unpaid leave related to the pandemic.
Jan 12, 6:07 pm
96% of Army members fully vaccinated
The U.S. Army released an update on the vaccine status of its members.
As of Jan. 11, 96% of members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 97% have at least one dose, according to the Army.
All armed service members are mandated to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Around 18,000 members remain unvaccinated, the data showed.
The Army has chosen not to discharge unvaccinated soldiers but instead “flag” them so they’re not promoted and are not allowed to re-enlist.
“To date, Army commanders have relieved a total of six active-duty leaders, including two battalion commanders, and issued 2,994 general officer written reprimands to soldiers for refusing the vaccination order,” the Army said in a news release.
Art inspired by musicians including Nine Inch Nails and U2 will be displayed at an upcoming new exhibition celebrating the 30th anniversary of Interscope Records.
Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined features over 50 original works by visual artists relating to a particular album or song from the Interscope catalog. Other musicians featured include Machine Gun Kelly, Billie Eilish and No Doubt.
“Interscope’s original mission was to find the most profound artists, empower their creativity and watch what happens,” says the label’s co-founder, Jimmy Iovine. “For the 30th, we wanted to continue that vision by assembling the most admired visual artists and empower them with that same creative license to honor the musical artists we have worked with over three decades.”
The exhibition will be on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from January 30 to February 13. For more info, visit LACMA.org.
