Meghan Trainor is getting us into the Christmas spirit early.
The singer has released a cover of the classic holiday tune, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” The new track will be included on a deluxe edition of A Very Trainor Christmas, which will be available as a digital exclusive on October 29.
It’s one of three new additions on the album. The other two are a cover of the Darlene Love classic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” and an original tune called “Christmas Coupon.”
“It’s Riley‘s first Christmas so naturally I had to add a few more tunes for this special season,” Meghan wrote about her baby boy, who was born in February of this year.
Meghan originally released A Very Trainor Christmas, her first Christmas album, last year.
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters has tied the knot with his girlfriend of five years, Kamilah Chavis.
The British rock legend shared the happy announcement on Instagram, along with photos from the ceremony, which was reportedly held in New York’s The Hamptons. Waters titled the reveal, “I’m so happy, finally a keeper.”
The photos include snaps of the happy couple sharing kisses, cutting their cake, laughing together and, of course, photos of Chavis’ lace wedding dress.
Not much else is known about the couple’s nuptials.
In a 2018 interview, the 78-year-old Waters told Infobae, an Argentine media outlet, how he and his new bride first met and fell in love. “I actually met her at one of my concerts a couple of years ago. She worked in transportation. She was driving the car that was taking me,” the bassist said. “Something about her attracted me.”
Waters admitted that he made the first move and that he threw Chavis a compliment, which was, “Did someone ever tell you that you have beautiful cheekbones?”
It worked, and he recalled, “I saw a little reaction, and that was the beginning.”
This is Waters’ fifth marriage. He was previously married to Judith Trim, his childhood sweetheart, from 1969 to 1975, aristocrat Carolyne Christie from 1976 to 1992, actress Priscilla Phillips from 1992 to 2001 and to filmmaker Laurie Durning between 2012 and 2015.
(NEW YORK) — All three currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines still showed signs of a strong immune response eight months later without a booster, according to a study published Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study analyzed specific markers of immunity found in the blood of people vaccinated with Pfizer, Moderna and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
Echoing evidence from the real world, researchers found cellular signatures suggesting that all three vaccines produce strong and long-lasting protection from severe illness.
But the analysis also hinted at differences in the way the vaccines produce antibodies — with Pfizer and Moderna antibodies spiking and then fading quickly, while Johnson & Johnson antibodies started at a lower level but remained more stable over time.
“By month eight, antibody responses were comparable for these three vaccines,” said Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who coauthored the research.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines rely on the same type of technology, called mRNA, while Johnson & Johnson uses a different technology, called viral vector. The two technologies prompt different types of immune responses.
Thought the pandemic, scientists have used antibodies — virus fighting proteins in the blood — as one indication that vaccines are working. But antibodies are only one part of the body’s overall immune response.
This new study is among the first to directly compare not just antibodies, but also T-cells, across all three vaccines. T-cells are also a crucial part of the immune system, and may offer longer-lasting protection even after antibodies fade.
“We think the antibodies are often more relevant preventing against infection, and the T-cells are more relevant killing the virus — so preventing severe disease,” said Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases at South Shore Health and an ABC News medical contributor.
“T-cell responses likely contribute to vaccine protection against severe disease,” said Barouch. “T-cell responses were relatively stable for all three vaccines for eight months.”
The study helps explain on a cellular level an observation that public health experts are seeing in the real world — protection against severe disease is holding strong, even as protection against mild breakthrough infections fluctuates over time.
“The higher the neutralizing antibody titers, the more protected you are against infection,” Ellerin said. “I think that’s why there’s an advantage to two doses of mRNA vacancies compared to the single dose Johnson & Johnson against preventing infection.”
But, Ellerin said, “When it comes to severe disease, that’s a completely different story. And they all do great.”
For scientists and doctors currently debating need for booster shots, the study underscores the fact that even 18 months into the pandemic, there’s no one test that can perfectly measure how protected a person is from COVID-19 — potentially muddying the waters about the best time to boost.
(NEW YORK) — Over the last several years, cases of valley fever, a disease common to the arid West, have been steadily creeping up.
Between 2014 and 2018, valley fever cases tripled in California alone, and the state reached a record high of 9,004 new cases in 2019.
Now, experts believe the disease may spread to other parts of the country, and it may be due to climate change.
“I have talked to some people that the cases are over the usual numbers,” Dr. George Thompson, a professor of medicine at UC Davis, said. “We’re probably up 30% [in my practice].”
Valley fever, or coccidioidomycosis, is caused by the coccidioides fungus and can manifest as a primarily respiratory illness that self-resolves, or as a more severe, systemic condition that requires immediate medical attention.
The more severe version, disseminated coccidioidomycosis, affects 5-10% of infected people and can affect the skin, joints, heart and even the brain and spinal cord. Once those areas are impacted, the disease can be difficult to treat, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.
The coccidioides fungal spores commonly reside in soil throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Texas and as far north as Washington. Any disturbance of the dirt, such as construction work and burrowing animals, can send plumes of coccidiodes spores into the air, where people can inhale them.
While valley fever is historically endemic to the hot and dry southwestern United States, experts are concerned that the fungus may be on the move due to ecologic and environmental changes, among other factors.
“There’s a bit of seasonality … it’s multifactorial. There’s no question there’s been a strong, steady increase,” Dr. Andrew Comrie, a professor of climatology at the University of Arizona, told ABC News.
Improved surveillance and diagnostic methods may be catching more valley fever cases than before, but experts believe the recent rise in known cases is, in some part, a result of changing global climate trends.
So far, research based on predictive modeling has shown that changing climate patterns may lead to coccidioides spreading as far east as Kansas and as far north as North Dakota.
These models are based on trends seen in precipitation and temperature: two factors critical to the lifecycle of the fungus responsible for valley fever.
Projections show that average annual temperature may increase by 3-6 degrees by the end of the 21st century, and rainfall is predicted to decrease further in the western and southwestern U.S. — setting up more ideal environments for coccidiodes to spread.
But climate change might not be wholly to blame for the fungus’ spread.
“It’s a lot hazier than we would like it to be,” Comrie said.
Predictive modeling can only provide part of the story based on estimates, and there is inherently a time lag between when a patient is diagnosed with valley fever and when that person was actually exposed to the fungus.
Comrie also pointed out other theories, debunking one myth in particular, which sets duststorms as the enemy. Duststorms — gigantic walls of loose dirt — commonly blow through Arizona, and people may worry that toxic fungal spores are released in the air along with the dust. However, Comrie wants to dispel that fear (overall, Valley fever appears uncorrelated with duststorms as a whole) and instead focus on rodents as potential vectors for valley fever. Burrowing mice, for example, easily disturb the soil layer where the coccidiodes fungi sit, increasing the risk of dissipating the dangerous spores.
“More disturbances means more infections,” Comrie said, which in turn means more attention needs to be given to valley fever, as experts believe it will only become more common in the country as the environment changes.
“A lot of primary care doctors are going to be the first ones to encounter the disease,” Thompson said. “It’s important for patients to know whether they need to get tested for coccidiodes.”
Seal isn’t 17-year-old Leni Klum‘s biological father, but he says he most certainly is her dad.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Seal opened up about their special bond and why walking the red carpet with Leni for the first time this week was “one of the proudest moments of my life.”
“It’s everything and it has always been like that, from the day I met her mother,” he remarked of their relationship. “[Heidi] was two weeks pregnant with this beautiful lady. We have always had that bond.”
Leni is the daughter of Heidi Klum and Flavio Briatore, an Italian businessman. After Klum and Seal wed in 2005, the Grammy winner officially adopted Leni. Although the power couple called it quits in 2014, the British singer says he has always maintained that special bond with his daughter.
Seal also opened up about how special it was for him to be able to support his brother, Jeymes Samuel, at the premiere of Jeymes’ directorial debut, The Harder They Fall, a Western that features an all-Black cast.
“There was a moment where we were standing together, taking a picture down there, and I looked to him and I got all teary. I said, ‘Wow, this is your moment,'” he shared. “He looked at me and he just knew what I meant by that. It was more than words could ever say.”
Seal, who assisted with the movie’s soundtrack, marveled over how incredible it was for him to walk a red carpet celebrating his brother’s work.
“We came from a blue-collar, working class area of London, fighting through all of the things that could potentially hold us back,” he reflected on their respective struggles. “To see him here today, on his moment, honestly, it is everything to me.”
At its heart, The Last Duel, out in theaters today, is a story about believing women. It’s based on a true story of a high-ranking French official accused of rape in the 14th century, told from three different perspectives: the accused, the accuser, and the accuser’s husband.
The film was written by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Nicole Holofcener, and Affleck tells ABC News it’s a story he thinks most in the United States don’t know.
“We were totally like blown away by the story. We had no idea,” the Academy award winner recalls. “I know it’s a fairly well-known story still in France, because at the time it was the sort of, I don’t know what the equivalent would be, the O.J. Simpson case or something, a very famous person accused of a horrible crime,” he adds. “It was very sensational. And so, it even lingers to this day in the consciousness in France. But I’m pretty confident that it’s a story that is very unfamiliar to audiences here.”
Even though the story wasn’t necessarily a well-known one in the U.S., Jodie Comer, who plays the woman at its center, shares that she was “fascinated” at the idea of the film having three perspectives “but ultimately one truth,” which made the gig pretty easy to say “yes” to.
As if the film wasn’t already star-studded enough, Adam Driver appears and gets in a few scuffles with Damon, who says he enjoyed the bumps and bruises.
“It was really fun. It was really physical. And you know, and I had to try to keep up with Adam Driver. He’s a good deal younger than I am, and he’s very physically fit,” Damon admits. “So, there was that.”
Lance Bass and husband Michael Turchin are officially a family of four. On Thursday, the *NSYNC member happily revealed that their twins have finally arrived.
“The baby dragons have arrived!! I can not express how much love I feel right now,” Lance, 42, celebrated on Instagram, posting photos of the birth certificates. “Thank you for all the kind wishes. It meant a lot.”
And while the singer may have walked into fatherhood feeling confident, he hilariously revealed that he still has a lot to learn and frantically asked his followers, “Now, how do you change a diaper??! Ahhhhhhhh!”
And when sharing the delightful news to his personal Instagram, Michael, 34, may have given away why his husband is asking strangers on the internet about diaper duty.
“They’re pure perfection and yes that includes the dozens of poops we’ve already dealt with,” the visual artist laughed. “Our hearts our full!!!”
The couple, who wed in 2014, also revealed the names of their two bundles of joy: daughter Violet Betty and son Alexander James. Their birth certificates state the infants arrived just one minute apart on Wednesday, October 13.
Lance and Michael first revealed that they were going to become parents in June in an interview with People, where they shared the years of hardships they faced during their journey, which included IVF and a heartbreaking miscarriage in 2020.
Lance explained why he and Michael wanted to share their story, even the painful moments, telling People, “A lot of times I would believe that couples feel very alone in that situation. But to know that other people are going through the same exact thing, it’s really comforting.”
It’s safe to say that William Shatner and Prince William don’t see eye to eye when it comes to space exploration.
Just one day after Shatner traveled to space with Jeff Bezo‘s company Blue Origin, the royal criticized space travel, and while he didn’t name the Amazon founder he told BBC, “We need some of the world’s greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live.”
When asked to respond to the Prince’s comments, the Star Trek alum told Entertainment Tonight, “He’s a lovely Englishman. He’s going to be king of England one day. He’s a lovely, gentle, educated man, but he’s got the wrong idea.”
“The idea here is not to go, ‘Yeah, look at me. I’m in space.’ The landing that consumed all that…energy and people to take a look and go, ‘Oh, look at that.’ No,” Shatner clarified. “I would tell the prince, and I hope the prince gets the message, this is a baby step into the idea of getting industry up there, so that all those polluting industries, especially, for example, the industries that make electricity…off of Earth.”
“We’ve got all the technology, the rockets, to send the things up there…You can build a base 250, 280 miles above the Earth and send that power down here, and they catch it, and they then use it, and it’s there,” Shatner continued. “All it needs is…somebody as rich as Jeff Bezos [to say], ‘Let’s go up there.'”
“The prince is missing the point,” Shatner repeated. “The point is these are the baby steps to show people [that] it’s very practical. You can send somebody like me up into space.”
(NEW YORK) — The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 721,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 66.2% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Oct 15, 9:54 am
Vaccine requirement for foreign travelers to begin Nov. 8
Beginning Nov. 8, foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. by air and nonessential travelers crossing land borders must show proof of full vaccination to enter the U.S., the White House announced Friday.
Essential workers crossing via land, like those who come for work or school, have until January to become fully vaccinated.
Air travelers will still be required to show proof of a negative test within 72 hours of departure, in addition to their vaccination status.
Oct 15, 9:12 am
FDA panel hours away from vote on J&J boosters
The independent FDA advisory panel is meeting Friday and will hold a nonbinding vote on whether the Johnson & Johnson booster shot should be used.
Officials with the National Institutes of Health will also present data Friday on whether it’s safe and effective to mix-and-match vaccine booster doses.
Oct 14, 7:18 pm
CDC advising states to preorder Pfizer’s vaccine for young children
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising states to order Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine doses for children ages 5 to 11 ahead of a vote on its authorization.
An independent Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is scheduled to discuss the vaccine on Oct. 26, and a vote is expected soon after. In planning documents posted by the CDC, the agency is advising states to order their doses in advance of the meeting, with preorders starting Oct. 20.
This is meant to “ensure that vaccine can be placed in many locations nationwide, making it easier for children to get vaccinated” and “allow for a manageable and equitable launch,” the CDC said.
A decision from the CDC on recommending the vaccine is not likely until early November; the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to meet on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3.
Oct 14, 3:17 pm
FDA panel votes in support of authorizing Moderna booster
The independent FDA advisory panel on Thursday voted unanimously to authorize Moderna vaccine boosters for Americans 65 and older, anyone 18 and older with underlying conditions and those frequently exposed to the virus through work or home life.
The recommendation is in line with what the FDA and CDC authorized for Pfizer booster shots last month.
The FDA panel will meet on Friday on J&J boosters. Following next week’s meetings from the CDC’s independent advisory group, Moderna and J&J boosters could be authorized and recommended for specific populations as soon as Oct. 22.
For those who’ve been wondering how Megan Thee Stallion puts the spice in her more-sensual tracks, wonder no more.
The “Savage” rapper was the latest guest on First We Feast’s Hot Ones and, while chowing down on a buffet of super-spicy wings, broke down how to make a good freak anthem. “First of all, you need to have that good bassline, that good drum pattern, so you can be on rhythm,” the Grammy winner explained. “You got to match the strokes to the drums. If you cannot match the stroke to the beat, it ain’t heat.”
“Then you just gotta have somebody that can really sang, Megan went on. “Not sing but SANG, because when somebody can sang, you really feel it in your soul,” she added and made a few gestures when demonstrating how a good vocal riff can set the mood.
Elsewhere, the 26-year-old opened up about working with snakes when filming the “WAP” music video with Cardi B — revealing that it was the “Up” rapper’s idea and she was dead-set on using real live serpents.
“I was like, ‘Okay, if Cardi B saying she wanted me to lay down with some snakes, I guess I got to lay down with the snakes with her a**,'” Megan laughed, adding that she met the snakes and bonded with one green serpent in particular and joked, “We was killing it the whole time.”
But, she admits while she and Cardi were “trying to be all sexy” in the snake pit, “we were scared as hell.”
Unsurprisingly, Meg can handle her hot sauce and didn’t even break a sweat after trying one with an ominous “TBA” Scoville rating.
