It’s not exactly clear that Kristen Bell is spoofing a previous Netflix movie, but it sure sounds like it, judging by the title of her new series The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.
In a new trailer for the film, Bell certainly seems to be going through the same motions as Amy Adams in the streaming service’s 2021 release The Woman in the Window: Drinking too much, taking pills, possibly witnessing a murder from across the street — Check, check and check.
However, although the series is being described as a spoof by various outlets, the trailer plays things very straight: Nobody believes Bell’s character — and she even doubts herself — as she tries to unravel the mystery in her neighborhood as well as she can considering her booze and chemical intake.
That said, consider its creators: Bell, a comedy veteran, co-produces, along with Will Ferrell, and the show was created by Mike Tyson Mysteries alumna Rachel Ramras and Robot Chicken writer Hugh Davidson.
Check it out for yourself when all eight episodes of The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window debut on January 28.
The cast also features Michael Ealy, Mary Holland, Shelley Hennig, Cameron Britton, Christina Anthony, Benjamin Levy Aguilar, and Samsara Yett.
Netflix premieres all eight episodes of The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window on January 28.
Last year, Five for Fighting — aka John Ondrasik — released a new song called “Blood On My Hands,” which summed up his anger about the U.S. withdrawal strategy from Afghanistan. After many veterans thanked John for writing the song, he’s now expanded it into a video, as well as a charity initiative.
An acoustic version of the song, “Blood On My Hands (White House Version),” has now been released on Spotify, iTunes and Apple Music, and it comes with a “docu-music video” that shows John performing the song in front of the White House, interspersed with a montage of news reports on the devastating effects that the withdrawal has had on the people of Afghanistan, particularly women, children and artists.
The video ends with an interview John did with Amrullah Saleh, the former vice president of Afghanistan, and includes a donation link to John’s charity site, WhatKindofWorldDoYouWant.com. The money from that, as well from sales from the two versions of the song, will go to various charitable organizations.
In a statement, John says, “This music video…is call to action… to demand accountability where there has been none; to fiercely fight for Afghan women and children facing the greatest human rights setback of our generation; to support freedom of expression for artists in hiding; and to recognize and assist [the] heroic organizations rescuing [those] who still, to this day, are abandoned to Taliban atrocity.”
Following a blistering racial controversy last year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is pressing ahead with this year’s Golden Globe Awards ceremony — minus a broadcast partner and now, apparently minus celebrity presenters.
According to Variety, the organization has been trying to book its usual cadre of famous people to present the awards at the podium but, unlike years past, is coming up empty.
The reason? In February of last year, a Los Angeles Timesexposé revealed the HFPA hadn’t included a Black member in 20 years. Following the controversy — and the ouster of one of its heads over racially insensitive emails — Hollywood shunned the organization. Tom Cruise even went so far as to return his three trophies in protest. The HFPA’s longtime broadcast partner NBC later said it wouldn’t carry the show.
In August, however, the HFPA vowed to carry on, announcing reforms to its bylaws and membership rules with the intention of bringing diversity to its ranks. In December, the organization tapped Snoop Dogg to read its usual list of nominees. However, also for the first time, most of the nominees didn’t even acknowledge the honor.
Variety obtained a copy of the email the HFPA sent to try to secure some star power for the event. “The Golden Globes will move forward with a small event on January 9th that will not only award the best performances in television and film for 2021, but also on recognizing the importance of supporting diverse creatives across the industry,” the pitch reads in part.
The organization also insisted, “The event this year will celebrate and honor a variety of diverse, community-based programs that empower inclusive filmmakers and journalists to pursue their storytelling passions.”
Following the release two weeks ago of “Poison,” featuring the late Aaliyah and The Weeknd, the former’s posthumous Unstoppable album will be released later this month with more all-star collaborations.
Aaliyah’s uncle, Barry Hankerson, confirmed the news Monday on The Geno Jones Show. Hankerson owns Blackground Records, which controls the rights to Aaliyah’s music. “Poison” will be on the album, and Hankerson says in addition to The Weeknd, there will be more collabos on the project.
“Because of that success, we think it’ll only get better with people such as Ne-Yo and Snoop Dogg, Future, and Drake — one of her biggest fans,” said Hankerson. “Those are the features that’ll be on the record and that’ll be out in January.”
Hankerson did not specify an Unstoppable release date.
Two Aaliyah albums that were released after her death became available on digital platforms for the first time in October. I Care 4 U, from December, 2002, features 14 tracks, including Aaliyah’s hits “Back & Forth,” “Are You That Somebody?,” “One in a Million” and “Try Again.” It also has songs that were previously unreleased, including “Miss You,” “I Care 4 U” and “Come Over.” The compilation debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart.
Ultimate Aaliyah originally arrived in May 2005 as a posthumous box set. The first disc is a greatest hits collection. The second, titled Are You Feelin’ Me?, has songs from the Romeo Must Die soundtrack and additional tracks produced by Timbaland. The third disc is a DVD documentary titled The Aaliyah Story.
August 25, 2021 marked the 20th anniversary of Aaliyah’s death at the age of 22. She died in 2001 with eight other people in a plane crash after shooting the “Rock the Boat” video in the Bahamas.
(WASHINGTON) — The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack is expected to ask Fox News host Sean Hannity to cooperate with its investigation, a development first reported by Axios.
A conservative media star and close ally of former President Donald Trump, Hannity was one of the many prominent Trump associates who texted Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, during the Capitol riot last year.
“Can he make a statement?” Hannity asked Meadows of Trump, according to text messages Meadows voluntarily turned over to congressional investigators. “Ask people to leave the Capitol.”
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., revealed the exchanges in a Dec. 14 committee meeting, reading them and others aloud.
Hannity later defended the messages on his nightly Fox News program — where he frequently criticizes the select committee investigation and accuses the panel’s lawmakers of trying to politically damage Trump.
“Surprise, surprise, surprise: I said to Mark Meadows the exact same thing I was saying live on the radio at that time and on TV that night on Jan. 6 and well beyond Jan. 6,” Hannity said.
Jay Sekulow, Hannity’s attorney, tells ABC News they have not been contacted by the panel.
“If true, any such request would raise serious constitutional issues including First Amendment concerns regarding freedom of the press,” Sekulow told ABC News.
A spokesperson for the committee declined to comment.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., confirmed the committee’s plans in an afternoon MSNBC appearance, suggesting the missive to Hannity could be released as early as Tuesday evening.
(NEW YORK) — Some state-run vaccine lotteries did not help increase COVID-19 immunization rates, a new study suggests.
Over the spring and summer, at least 19 states — including California, New York, Ohio and West Virginia — tried to incentivize unvaccinated individuals to get shots, offering cash prizes, free tickets, guns, college scholarships and trucks.
However, research from the Boston University School of Medicine found some of these prizes had little to no effect on convincing residents to get vaccinated against COVID.
For the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the team compared vaccination rates between 15 states that offered lotteries with cash prizes and 31 states that did not between May 24, 2021 and July 19, 2021.
Data of daily rates of first doses came from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study found that about four weeks before the lottery announcement, the lottery states were vaccinating an average of 225 per 100,000 people with their first doses.
Immediately after the lottery announcement, the rate increased by 1.1 per 100,000 people.
However, by the fourth week following the lottery, the rate had fallen to fewer than 100 per 100,000 people receiving their first shots.
The trend was similar among U.S. states without lotteries, which experienced a decline in rates nearly mirroring those seen in the lottery states.
Vaccine lotteries had initially been deemed a success after reports that vaccination rates had significantly boosted, such as in Ohio, where officials said they saw a 55% increase in vaccinations for young adults following the state’s Vax-A-Million lottery.
However, it appears the boosts were likely temporary.
One limitation of the study is the small number of states analyzed. Because researchers only looked at 15 states with lotteries, small increases in vaccination rates may not have been detected.
The team insists, however, that the findings are strong and that more research should be conducted on vaccine incentives that work.
“This study did not find evidence that vaccine lottery incentive programs in the U.S. were associated with significantly increased rates of COVID-19 vaccinations,” the researchers wrote.
“Given the lack of a strong association between state lottery-based vaccine incentives and increased vaccination rates, further studies of strategies to increase vaccination rates are needed.”
A previous study from Boston University found similar results when researchers looked at Ohio, specifically comparing vaccination rates from one month before the lottery started — April 15 to May 12 — and one month after the lottery was announced — May 13 to June 9.
They found the daily vaccination rates declined from 485 shots for every 100,000 adults prior to the lottery to 101 for every 100,000 by early June.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 827,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 62% 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 04, 3:42 pm
Florida hospitals say half of COVID patients admitted for other reasons
At least three major health systems in Florida said half of their COVID-19 patients were originally admitted to hospitals for other reasons.
During a briefing about the pandemic in Jacksonville on Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said about 50% of COVID hospitalizations at Orlando Health and Miami Jackson Health and 60% at Tallahassee Memorial were being treated for other reasons and learned were positive for the virus during their stays.
In a tweet, Miami Jackson Health said its exact figure is 53%.
DeSantis called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to change the way it reports COVID-19 hospitalizations.
“It really isn’t instructive if you have something that is very widespread and mild, and it’s catching people as they go into the hospital with positive tests, but they’re not actually having any clinical diagnosis,” he said.
It comes one day after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said hospitals in her state would be surveyed about how many patients were being admitted to hospitals for COVID as opposed to with COVID.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie
Jan 04, 2:15 pm
Daily COVID deaths in US up 10% in last week
The U.S. is recording 1,200 new COVID-19 deaths every day, up by about 10% in the last week, according to federal data.
Nearly 828,000 Americans have now died due to the virus. Just three weeks ago, the death toll surpassed 800,000.
Additionally, more than 112,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, with just under a fifth of those patients — nearly 20,000 — in intensive care units.
On average, more than 12,700 people in the U.S. are being admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 daily, a figure which has nearly doubled over the last month.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Jan 04, 2:13 pm
COVID vaccines not linked to premature births: CDC study
COVID-19 vaccines do not increase the risk of premature or low-weight birth among babies born to pregnant vaccinated women compared with those born to unvaccinated women, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published Tuesday.
Researchers from Yale looked at electronic health data from more than 40,000 pregnant women from the CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink.
There were 7.0 premature births for every 100,000 babies born among unvaccinated women compared to 4.9 births per 100,000 for babies born to women who received a COVID vaccine while pregnant.
Additionally, rates of low-birth weight were 8.2 per 100,000 in both the unvaccinated and vaccinated groups.
The team said the findings add to a growing body of evidence that getting vaccinated against COVID is safe for pregnant people and for their babies.
Pregnant women are at increased risk for severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19, but only 40% have been vaccinated, CDC data shows.
Jan 04, 1:19 pm
Omicron variant makes up 95% of COVID cases in US
The omicron variant accounts for 95% of all new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday.
In early December, the highly transmissible variant made up 0.6% of new infections.
Meanwhile, the delta variant — responsible for the summer surge — makes up 4.6% of new cases, the CDC said.
The data also showed the omicron variant is dominant in all regions of the country. In the New York-New Jersey region and in the Southeast, the variant is linked to 98% of new infections.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Jan 04, 12:27 pm
UK records more than 200,000 COVID cases
The United Kingdom recorded more than 200,000 cases of COVID-19, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
The 218,724 new infections is the highest figure ever reported in a single day and an increase of nearly 60% from the number of cases reported on the same day last week.
However, there has been a backlog of data due to the holiday weekend so the number includes four days of data from Northern Ireland and two days of data from Wales, the UKHSA said.
-ABC News’ Mike Trew
Jan 04, 10:20 am
Sen. Rob Portman tests positive for COVID
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, tested positive for COVID-19 last night, according to a press release.
Portman took an at-home COVID test which came back positive. The senator said he is asymptomatic and feels fine.
“I have been in contact with the Attending Physician and my personal doctor. I am following their medical advice and following CDC guidelines and isolating for the recommended five days,” Portman said in the statement.
He will be working remotely this week, but will not be able to be in Washington, D.C., for votes.
Jan 04, 9:54 am
Sweden’s King and Queen test positive for COVID-19
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia tested positive for COVID-19 last night, according to a palace statement.
Both are fully vaccinated and have received a third booster shot.
The king and queen said they have mild symptoms and are feeling well, in the statement.
They are isolating at home and contact tracing is ongoing.
Jan 04, 6:36 am
US reports 1 million new daily COVID cases
More than 1 million new COVID-19 cases were reported in the United States on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The 1,082,549 new infections were about double last week’s record daily cases, according to the university’s data. It was unclear whether the newly reported cases included backlogs from holiday testing.
The US recorded 1,688 deaths related to COVID-19 on Monday, below the record high of 4,442, set on Jan. 20, 2021, according to the university’s data.
Jan 04, 6:32 am
US reports record 325,000 new pediatric COVID infections last week
A record 325,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week amid the nation’s most significant COVID-19 infection surge yet, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.
Children accounted for about 17.4% of last week’s reported COVID-19 cases, down from previous weeks, when children accounted for more than a quarter of all new cases.
A total of nearly 7.9 million children have tested positive for the virus, since the onset of the pandemic.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Jan 03, 4:02 pm
New York looking into COVID-19 hospitalizations that began for other reasons
New York’s hospitals will be required to report a breakdown of how many COVID-19 patients were admitted due to the coronavirus and how many were admitted for other needs and only discovered they were infected during their stays.
During a COVID-19 briefing on Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul cited anecdotal reports of as many as 50% of patients at some hospitals testing positive for the virus who were actually admitted for other reasons, such as car accidents.
“I just want to always be honest with New Yorkers about how bad this is,” Hochul said. “Yes, the sheer number of people infected are high, but I want to see whether or not the hospitalizations correlate with that.”
She continued, “And I’m anticipating to see that at least a certain percentage overall are not being treated for COVID.”
Hospitals will begin reporting their breakdowns Tuesday, but it’s unclear how soon the data will be publicly available.
-ABC News’ Joshua Hoyos and Will McDuffie
Jan 03, 3:11 pm
Surgeon general warns next few weeks ‘will be tough’
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations will continue to increase as the omicron variant rapidly spreads across the country.
“The next few weeks are going to be tough for us,” he told ABC’s “The View” on Monday. “We’re already seeing record levels of cases, and we’re seeing hospitalizations starting to tick up. We’re seeing some of our hospital systems getting strained at this point.”
Information from South Africa and the United Kingdom indicates omicron could be less severe than previous COVID-19 variants, Murthy said.
“We’re still going to see a lot of people get sick and a lot of hospitalizations, but the overall severity may end up being significantly lower,” he said.
Murthy said both South Africa and the U.K. “had a very rapid rise, but then they had a very steep fall” in cases
“I’m hoping that that’s what happens here too,” he added.
(NEW YORK) — The coldest temperatures of this season so far have created black ice conditions in the mid-Atlantic states on Tuesday. A freeze warning was issued Tuesday along the Gulf Coast, where temperatures are near or below freezing.
A record 6.9 inches of snow fell at Reagan National Airport yesterday, with up to 10 inches of snow around the Washington, D.C., metro area.
The highest snowfall totals were in Virginia, Delaware and southern New Jersey where more than 14 inches of snow fell.
An Amtrak train with 220 passengers and six crew members is stranded in Lynchburg, Virginia, due to Monday’s storm. The train, which was headed to New York from New Orleans, was forced to return to Lynchburg after a separate train encountered downed power lines and trees, according to ABC 13 News.
A new cross-country storm could bring more snow for the Interstate 95 corridor following a heavy snowstorm. Traffic on I-95 was so bad, Virginia Sen. Tim Kane said he was trapped on the highway for 19 hours, following a multi-vehicle accident.
Interstate 84 was closed in Oregon on Monday due to whiteout conditions, leaving trucks and cars stuck on the highway.
Twenty states from California to Michigan are on alert for heavy snow and gusty winds. As much as 2 to 3 feet of snow is possible in the northern Rockies, with wind gusts over 75 miles per hour in some areas.
There is also a blizzard warning in place for the eastern Dakotas and northwestern Minnesota along with winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings. Several inches of snow is expected to fall Tuesday through Friday.
Wind chill alerts are in place from Montana to Iowa as wind chills on Wednesday morning will be well below zero. Parts of Montana and the Dakotas could see wind chills 30 to 50 degrees below zero on Tuesday night into Wednesday.
A new storm is now in the West moving through the Rockies, bringing heavy snow. This storm could reach the East Coast by Friday morning, bringing more snow to the I-95 corridor.
Both long-term storm models, European and American, are showing snow for the I-95 corridor by Friday morning.
Another bitter cold blast is on its way for the Midwest and eventually into the Northeast, behind this next storm. Temperatures could reach a low of zero degrees in Chicago and the teens in D.C. by the weekend.
Sara Bareilles candidly spoke about her recent struggles with mental health, saying she endured a “very low year,” and detailed the steps she’s taking to heal.
Sharing an Instagram slideshow of photos from a recent vacation, the “Brave” singer explained that she had been quietly struggling for a while.
“I went to the coldest place with the warmest people. The Northern Lights graced our final night and we chased them on snowmobiles and yelped with delight,” Sara wrote, adding she is “grateful for these kind hearts” for providing her a trip to remember. The photos include snow-covered landscapes and the Northern Lights in the night sky, as well as a video of the singer stripping down to a bathing suit to dunk herself in ice-cold water.
Sara then revealed the effect her trip had on her mental health, saying it allowed her to feel “seen and loved by my Bub,” a likely reference to husband Joe Tippett, to whom she’s been married to since 2016.
“It has been a very low year for me with regard to my mental health, and I am also grateful that part of the reason I can touch my joy again is I finally got the help of some medication. It’s been a journey to try and pull up, and I found this year I needed more help,” the Grammy winner admitted. “It is helping. I am relieved and feel more like myself- and I will find my way again and now it feels possible.”
Sara closed her post with a message to those who may find themselves in her shoes, writing, “If you’re struggling- I see you, and I hope you remember you’re not stuck as long as you’re willing to change the view. Begin Again.”
An icon and a new star are teaming up, as Cher and Saweetie are starring in the new M·A·C “Challenge Accepted” campaign. The initiative invites users to put M•A•C makeup to the test, showing how it goes “above and beyond the call of beauty” — and then share the results by using the hashtag #macchallengeaccepted.
“Being an icon to me is thinking outside the box and stepping outside of your comfort zone, so this challenge is right up my alley,” Saweetie says in a statement. “I was so honored to partner with a legend like Cher and a brand I’ve always loved like M•A•C, it was the perfect fit.”
The “Icy Chain” rapper continues, “M•A•C Lipgloss has always been my favorite go to lipgloss. I’ve been using it for as long as I can remember. Cher’s regal energy is so contagious so being alongside her in Challenge Accepted has been an unforgettable experience.”
2021 was a breakout year for Saweetie, who rang in 2022 performing on the Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party special on NBC. She secured several partnerships, including her “Saweetie Meal” with McDonalds, and won the BET Hip Hop Award for Hustler of the Year. In addition, the 28-year-old entertainer is nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, and Best Rap Song for “Best Friend” with Doja Cat.
