Chris Meloni, star of Law & Order: Organized Crime, got a little cheeky when bringing up the internet’s obsession with his backside.
Meloni, 60, became an online spectacle after on-set photos of his shapely bottom went viral in the spring. Speaking Wednesday with Men’s Health, the actor admitted he’s likes his newfound sex symbol status and laughed, “How much am I allowed to taste of this fruit? How much am I allowed to enjoy this?”
He also reveled in the fact that he’s on the magazine’s cover, and confessed, “The aspect of age comes into play… and how I feel about it. A friend of mine said, ‘Did you ever think in a million years you’d be on the cover of Men’s Health?’ I said, ‘Certainly not at age 60.'”
Meloni also addressed why he walked away from Law & Order: SVU a decade ago, bluntly revealing it was over a salary dispute.
“[NBC] literally came to me on a Thursday night and said, ‘This is the deal. We want the answer by tomorrow. It’s our way or no way,” the Emmy nominee explained, adding that he refused to compromise and responded, “This is what I want. If you can’t do it, that’s fine. Let’s figure out my exit.”
Meloni then explained why he returned to the franchise, saying showrunner Dick Wolf wanted him to come back “since the day he left.” The actor said he heard Wolf’s pitch for Law & Order: Organized Crime — a series about his character, Elliot Stabler — and agreed to return to NBC.
He added that he is “not stressed” about the success of the series, which was renewed for a second season, saying his mentality this time around is “just ride. Just do, just be.”
(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — A search is on for the unknown gunman or gunmen who ambushed and fatally shot a 26-year-old sheriff’s deputy near Louisville, Kentucky, authorities said.
Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy Brandon Shirley was shot at about 2:30 a.m. local time Thursday while working an off-duty security job at Rockford Lane Auto Sales in Shively, Jefferson County Sheriff John Aubrey said at a news conference. Shirley was in uniform at the time, the sheriff said.
Shirley was rushed to a hospital where he died, Aubrey said.
The Louisville Metro Police Department is investigating.
Police chief Erika Shields said Shirley was “targeted” and “ambushed.”
She called the shooting “sickening” and vowed to make an arrest.
Shirley, assigned to the court security division, joined the department in 2019.
My deepest condolences are with the family of Jefferson County Sheriff Deputy Brandon Shirley. Please pray for his loved ones and our brothers and sisters at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office as they grieve. On behalf of the Chicago Police Department, we stand with you.
— Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown (@ChiefDavidBrown) August 5, 2021
Aubrey described Shirley as courageous and well-liked.
Shirley and three other officers were recently awarded the medal of valor for assisting during a shooting at Jefferson Square Park, the sheriff said.
Forty-five law enforcement officers have been fatally wounded in the U.S. so far this year, according to FBI data.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III will join ESPN as a college football analyst this fall, according to a report byFront Office Sports.
He could also contribute to ESPN’s NFL coverage, according to the report.
The former Baylor star was drafted second overall by Washington in the 2012 draft and started 28 of 32 games his first two seasons before injuries derailed his career. Griffin threw for 6,403 yards and 36 touchdowns his first two seasons.
Griffin, who is a free agent, spent the past three seasons with Baltimore, appearing in 14 games and starting two.
(New York) — With the hyper-transmissible delta variant driving a new COVID-19 surge, many families are wondering if it’s safe to send young children back to school for in-person learning.
Once again, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that adults and children wear masks in schools. Meanwhile, a COVID-19 vaccine isn’t likely to be available for children under 12 before the end of the year.
But Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez says that with the right precautions in place, children will benefit from in-person learning this year.
“I understand it is nerve-racking,” Bracho-Sanchez, a primary care pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Irving medical center explained in a conversation with ABC News on Instagram Live.
“Let’s trust the science. Let’s take a deep breath.”
Experts agree that the best step adults can take to keep kids safe is to get vaccinated themselves. Children are less likely to become infected with the virus if all the adults around them are immune, creating an invisible ring of protection.
Is delta more dangerous for children?
Data is still emerging on the new delta variant. For example, it’s still not clear if the variant causes more severe illness in adults and children, though the National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins recently told CNN the data is “tipping” that way.
But the real danger of delta is that it’s highly contagious and now surging in communities with low vaccination rates. The CDC now recommends that everyone in school settings — vaccinated or unvaccinated — wear a mask to slow transmission.
“I know it is frustrating, but it really, truly does make sense and we should be doing it,” Bracho-Sanchez said.
How can parents help kids prepare for in-person learning?
Bracho-Sanchez says children will benefit from in-person learning, but parents should be empowered to advocate with their school district to ensure the learning environment is as safe as possible.
At home, parents can help children transition by asking them about how they’re feeling about going back to a classroom.
“You know, I’ve seen kids who have seen too much and have been through too much in the past year and a half,” said Bracho-Sanchez. “Some have witnessed family members passing away … and we’re now going to ask them to make a transition and to perform at a level that they haven’t really been supported to perform at once the school year starts again.”
Bracho-Sanchez said she reminds her patients to go back to the basics: Get the school year off on the right foot by ensuring children are getting outdoor time, nutritious food and plenty of sleep.
“Once we’ve implemented all of those basics, we can also start having conversations about how kids are feeling about going back to school,” she said. “All it takes is creating this space and asking those questions.”
Should I consider holding my child back to catch up after last year?
Some schools might recommend certain children be held back a grade to make up for last year. But according to Bracho-Sanchez, this decision shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“We know we have studies … we have data … that show that kids who have been held back a grade actually are at higher risk of dropping out in the future,” she said.
Parents and teachers should help students achieve while staying in their own grade, she said, and parents are encouraged to reach out to their pediatrician if a school recommends holding a child back.
“I think there’s a lot the parents can do,” she said. “Now is the time to come together as a community.”
Courteney Cox may be besties with Ed Sheeran, but her Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston now has a special bond with another chart-topping British singer: Harry Styles.
Aniston was recently photographed for the new issue of InStyle wearing the exact same color-block brown-toned Gucci suit that Harry wore to the Brit Awards in February of this year. Harry accessorized the suit with Gucci sneakers and the brand’s bamboo-handle brown leather handbag, while Aniston paired it white, high-heeled Gucci loafers and a Carolina Bucci scarf.
Fans went crazy over the two stars’ twinning moment, especially because, as some pointed out, Harry said that Aniston was his first celebrity crush. Jennifer has now reacted by posting a side-by-side photo of herself and the “Watermelon Sugar” singer on her Instagram Story, with the caption, “Just call me Harriet Styles.”
And this isn’t the only time the two stars have twinned: Writer Evan Ross Katz posted a side-by-side shot of Harry wearing a white t-shirt that reads “Save the drama for your mama,” which is identical to a t-shirt that Jennifer’s character Rachel Green wore in season 10 of Friends.
“Harry Styles and Jennifer Aniston wore the same outfit not once but TWICE,” Katz wrote. “So don’t you DARE tell me they’re not the same person with the ability to morph between time and space.” A fan responded, “The multiverse we didn’t know we needed.”
Aniston reposted the t-shirt shot as well, with the side-eye emoji.
In “bound to make you feel old” news, South Park has aired for some 25 years. And in related “bound to make you feel poor” news, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone just signed a reported $900 million deal to continue the show.
The massive agreement the pair just inked with Viacom’s MTV Entertainment Studios will bring 14 South Park movies exclusively to Paramount+, while also keeping the show on the air on Comedy Central through 2027.
“Comedy Central has been our home for 25 years and we’re really happy that they’ve made a commitment to us for the next 75 years,” joked Parker and Stone in a statement.
The animated series had been on hiatus for most of the pandemic, though the pair managed to produce two specials during the lockdown. “When we came to ViacomCBS with a different way to produce the show during the pandemic [key executives] were immediately supportive and enabled us to try something new that turned out to be really well received,” Parker and Stone said.
March’s The South ParQ Vaccination Special scored 3.5 million total viewers, and last September’s Pandemic Special also scored massive numbers, as well as the show’s 19th Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Animated Program category.
Parker and Stone commented, “We can’t wait to get back to doing traditional South Park episodes, but now we can also try out new formats. It’s great to have partners who will always take a chance with us.”
Papa Roach has premiered the video for “Swerve,” the band’s new, collaborative single with FEVER 333‘s Jason Aalon Butler and rapper Sueco.
The clip finds Jacoby Shaddix and company leading a motorcade down a sunny neighborhood street, much to the confusion of the residents. You can watch it now streaming on YouTube.
“Filming this music video with Jason and Sueco was one of the most fun experiences we’ve had,” Shaddix says. “I am so excited to share it with the world.”
“Swerve” premiered earlier this week. It’s the first preview of the next Papa Roach album, the follow-up to 2019’s Who Do You Trust?
Taylor Swift knows just how to send her Swifties into a tizzy.
She posted a teaser video Thursday of a vault opening to reveal a series of jumbled letters. A distorted song, possibly playing backwards, can be heard in the background.
Taylor captioned the clip, “*presses post* *cackles maniacally*,” and then added, “Level: casually cruel in the name of being honest.”
Fans recognized that last part as a lyric from “All Too Well.” Taylor has already teased that an extended version of the fan-favorite track will appear on her next re-recorded release, Red (Taylor’s Version).
As for the jumbled letters — 13 phrases, to be exact — Swifties were already hard at work decoding. According to Variety, the puzzle appears to reveal song titles and album guests.
Some of the letters apparently spell out “All Too Well Ten Minute Version.” The names Chris Stapleton, Ed Sheeran and Phoebe Bridgers have also been pulled out of the puzzle so far. Ed was an album guest we already knew — he’s confirmed that he and Taylor had re-recorded their 2012 duet, “Everything Has Changed,” for the album.
Red (Taylor’s Version), which contains 30 tracks, will be released on November 19. It’s available for pre-order now.
(New York) — The availability of food and how crops will fare as a result of climate change has long been of interest to environmental researchers, but scientists are now finding other threats to food supplies that can severely impact global food security.
Climate change may pose an increased risk for crops to become infected with pests and pathogens, leaving the yields inedible and risking quantities of the world’s food supply, according to a study published Thursday in Nature Climate Change.
Researchers at the University of Exeter in England studied models for the production of four major commodity crops — maize, wheat, soybean and rice — as well as eight temperate and tropical crops, to predict how the crops would respond to future climate scenarios.
The researchers found that, overall, the yield of the crops will increase at high latitudes, such as North America and parts of Europe and Asia. However, the findings also suggest that risk of infection from 80 fungal and oomycete, or fungal-like, pathogens will increase at high latitudes as temperatures increase, according to the paper.
As global temperatures warm, pest outbreaks are common, and pathogens can more easily attack crops, scientists said. Temperature is a “major determinant” of disease risk, and global distribution of plant pathogens have already shifted with the current warming, according to the study.
Climate change will not only affect the number of pathogens able to infect crops, but the composition of how the pathogens are assembled as well, the scientists said.
The higher temperatures also pose the possibility of major shifts in species composition within pathogen communities in some regions, such as the United States, Europe and China.
Food scarcity is a “continuous concern” as global populations expand, the amount of arable land decreases and the threat of climate change increases.
The researchers concluded that plant pathogens represent a “major threat” to crop production and food security, which reinforces the need for “careful crop management.”
