Former Journey frontman Steve Perry has donated a favorite classic car he owns to an auction to raise money for a charity affiliated with his hometown-area baseball team, the San Francisco Giants.
Perry’s silver 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SL convertible is up for bid via Capital City Auto Auction, and the money raised by the sale will benefit the Giants Community Fund’s Junior Giants program.
The initiative provides free baseball and softball programs for over 20,000 children and teens in under-sourced communities. Junior Giants also works with local agencies, families and volunteers on various other community projects in the areas of education, health and violence prevention.
Perry’s car is painted silver with black leather interior. When he was in Journey, Steve used to drive the Mercedes to writing, recording and rehearsal sessions, and he has written many songs during his rides.
Along with the car, the top bidder will receive a custom-made red tuxedo jacket that Perry wore at many concert performances, and an autographed copy of his upcoming holiday album, The Season.
Proxy bidding for the vehicle is open now, and a live online auction will be held on Thursday, September 23, starting at 9 a.m. PT. As of Friday, the bidding stood at $27,050.
(WASHINGTON) — Law enforcement leaders were unified in their message on Friday: We are prepared for the “Justice for J6” rally.
The event on Saturday, billed as a protest against defendants being detained in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection, has law enforcement on high alert as they seek to avoid the kind of violence that ensued during the Capitol riot.
“There have been some threats of violence associated with this events for tomorrow. And we have a strong plan in place to ensure that it remains peaceful and that if violence does occur, that we can stop it as quickly as possible,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Tom Manger told reporters at a press conference on Friday.
“Over the last eight months, the leadership of the U.S. Capitol Police Department has been preparing, working to ensure that we don’t have a repeat of January 6,” Manger continued.
Fencing around the Capitol complex starting going up on Wednesday night, Capitol Police said, as part of the “enhanced security posture” to shield the Capitol from any violence that could break out.
Manger told ABC News’ Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott he is most concerned about violent conflicts between protesters and counterprotesters.
The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday warned that some individuals involved in or opposed to the rally “may seek to engage in violence” but said there was no “specific or credible plot associated with the event,” according to a bulletin shared with state and local law enforcement and obtained by ABC News.
There was, however, a caveat.
“Lone offenders and small groups of individuals can mobilize to violence with little-to-no warning, particularly in response to confrontational encounters with perceived opponents or calls for escalation by key influencers,” the bulletin says. “The likely use of encrypted or closed communication platforms by those seeking to commit violence challenges law enforcement’s ability to identify and disrupt potential plotting.”
In early September, some social media users “discussed storming the US Capitol on the night before the rally, and one user commented on kidnapping an identified member of Congress,” the bulletin says. House offices were encouraged to work remotely Friday, according to a Thursday email from the House Administration Committee and obtained by ABC News.
Melissa Smislova, the deputy under secretary for intelligence and enterprise readiness at the DHS, told attendees at the Homeland Security Enterprise Forum on Tuesday that the department expects 700 people in Washington for the event, the same number permitted to attend.
Top DHS officials, including Homeland security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, have said they’ve stepped up their communications with state and local partners in advance of the event.
Mod Sun says he feels lucky to be dating AvrilLavigne, because not only is she supportive but she also gives him valuable career advice.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Mod, born Derek Ryan Smith, gushes of Avril, “She’s an icon, so I’m just lucky to be next to her. I have to step my game up just to be next to her on stage, because she’s that good. I learn from her every day, she teaches me, she was giving me vocal tips today.”
He continues, “She’s been my biggest supporter, which is not something I’ve ever really had in my life before, is someone supporting me that much, that I’m, like, that close with. So to have her in my life, supporting me and helping push me…she’s the first one that I play like music to now.”
Mod also shares what it’s like for him and Avril to go on double dates with his “legit best friend” Machine Gun Kelly and Kelly’s girlfriend, Megan Fox.
“Well, I suppose I’m the designated driver, first off,” says Mod, who’s now sober. “It most likely ends in a parking lot off of Sunset [Boulevard in Los Angeles] listening to music as loud as we can in the back of a pickup truck.”
Can a chart-topping ’90s vocal group beat a chart-topping modern-day vocal group on a game show? Tune in Sunday night to find out, as Wilson Phillips takes on Pentatonix on ABC’s Celebrity Family Feud.
Billboard has a preview clip of the episode, which mostly features host Steve Harvey attempting to pronounce the surnames of the members of Pentatonix. He makes it through most of them, but blows it when it comes to member Kevin Olusala [oh-LOO-shah-la].
As for Wilson Phillips, the “Hold On” group’s team includes original members Carnie and Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips Baldwin, as well as Chynna’s half-sister Bijou Phillips and Carnie and Wendy’s mom, Marilyn.
Celebrity Family Feud airs at 8 p.m. ET Sunday on ABC.
(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department has announced charges against an Ohio man accused of making threats against a local reproductive health services clinic.
Newly unsealed charging documents allege Carlos Manuel Rodriquez Brime, 25, of making two separate threats via telephone to the Your Choice Healthcare facility in Columbus on April 11.
“My girlfriend is a patient there and I’m going to bring the heat. If she kills my baby, I’m going to kill her,” Brime allegedly said in the first call.
A little over two hours later, Brime called again and made a bomb threat, saying, “My organization will be bringing a bomb to your facility. I suggest you close your doors.”
Brime was charged with one count of violating the FACE Act, which makes it a crime to threaten anyone receiving or providing reproductive health services.
In recent weeks, the Justice Department has vowed aggressive enforcement of the FACE Act in Texas against anyone who levies threats against those seeking abortions or reproductive health clinic workers, after the state’s restrictive law banning most abortions took effect earlier this month.
Brime is also charged with two other counts making threatening statements and making a bomb threat. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the DOJ.
He was arrested Thursday and ordered to remain detained pending further legal proceedings. He has not yet entered a plea in his case and his arraignment is scheduled for next Thursday.
A public defender listed as representing Brime did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Faith No More was supposed to perform with System of a Down at several shows in Los Angeles next month, but earlier this week, those shows were canceled as frontman Mike Patton works through some mental health issues.
SOAD’s Serj Tankian says he’s bummed that the two acts won’t get to perform together, but Patton’s health comes first.
Speaking to Billboard, Tankian said that it’s “really sad” that Faith No More won’t be joining them, and adds, “Mike is a friend of mine and I’ve reached out to him and his manager. I just hope he’s O.K. I love him dearly. I know he’s influenced so many artists and bands, including ours.”
“It would’ve been great to play together, but the important thing is health and the important thing is everyone’s O.K., and we can always find time to play together again,” Tankian notes.
In a statement, Patton explained that he has “issues that were exacerbated by the pandemic that are challenging me right now.”
When he’s not collaborating with seemingly every artist under the sun, Elton John is speaking out various topical issues, and one of them in particular really has him riled up.
Elton has been complaining for months that since “Brexit” — when the U.K. left the European Union — touring in Europe is now extremely difficult for British musicians, because they have to get special permits and visas, which are very costly. Elton has taken part in hearings on the issue, but now, he’s decided to go straight to the top.
In the new episode of his Rocket Hour Apple Music show, Elton says he’s requested a meeting with British prime minister Boris Johnson, but admits, “I’ve yet to hear back from him.”
“I’m on the warpath to try to get this sorted out,” Elton declares. “What has happened is that it’s impossible for young artists financially to pay for visas, negotiate their way through all of the red tape that’s necessary for going to Europe. It’s financially impossible for them to do so.”
Recalling how important is was to him personally to get to perform in Germany at age 17, Elton says, “It’s so imperative for young artists to have that opportunity to do that. It makes them grow as songwriters, as artists, and as human beings. And it’s their right to be able to tour wherever they want to…so, at the moment they can’t, but we’re going to try and fix it.”
The legendary star continues, “I’m going to fight for this, and we’re going to continue to try and fight for this because it’s a desperate thing that’s holding young artists back,” adding, “It breaks my heart that these people are being held back by these ridiculous Brexit rules.”
The full episode will stream Saturday on Apple Music 1.
Drake Bell took to Instagram Friday to explain his guilty plea in June for improper conduct with an underage girl.
The 35-year-old former Drake & Josh star also wanted to address what he called, “entirely false” reports regarding his plea, for which he was sentenced in July to two years probation and community service.
Bell, whose birth name is Jared Drake Bell, was indicted in May on charges stemming from an interaction with a then-15-year-old girl in December of 2017. He initially entered a not guilty plea before deciding to take a deal, pleading guilty to attempted endangering children, a fourth-degree felony, and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a first-degree misdemeanor.
In his post, Bell explained, “I didn’t get arrested, I didn’t go to jail,” and for that matter he didn’t change his name and move to Mexico, he said in the Spanish-subtitled post. Bell maintains, “I responded to a fan whose age I didn’t know, and when I became aware of their age, all conversation and communication stopped.”
The alleged victim, “continued to come to shows and pay for meet and greets,” Bell said, maintaining he didn’t know this was the same person he’d cut off.
Bell maintains that while his behavior was “reckless and irresponsible,” he wanted to make clear, “there were no sexual images, nothing physical” between he and his accuser. “I was not charged with the disseminating of photographs or…anything like that. This is strictly over text messages.”
“It’s not me telling you that the claims are false, but the state of Ohio,” Bell added. “If these claims were remotely true…I would not be here at home with my wife and my son.”
Bell’s statements sync with what his attorneys claimed at sentencing.
(WASHINGTON) — Federal advisers on Friday voted 18-0 in favor of recommending Pfizer booster shots for anyone over 65 or anyone who is at high risk of severe disease from COVID-19. However, the panel declined to recommend boosters for all Americans as young as 16 who took the Pfizer vaccine more than six months ago.
If the Food and Drug Administrations agrees with the plan, which is likely, it’s possible that booster shots would roll out as early as next week to these populations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would weigh in first though with more specific recommendations on who exactly should take the third shots.
Members of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee scrutinized new data from Israel and questioned whether boosters are really necessary, particularly among younger populations.
The largest sticking point was the lack of data on the effect boosters could have on young people, particularly because 16- and 17-year-olds weren’t included in the trial. Myocarditis, a heart inflammation condition, occurred mostly in young men, though very rarely, after their second mRNA dose, so members wanted to see more data on the effects of a third shot.
While many Americans have already opted for third shots, with doctors allowing them as an “off-label” practice, it’s up to federal regulators to decide how the vaccines are labeled and administered.
The debate has become unusually charged, in part because of White House involvement. President Joe Biden said he would only act on rolling out boosters if the FDA and CDC agreed. But his public pronouncement that the rollout would begin as early as Monday suggested the decision was a foregone conclusion, leading to accusations by some scientists that the Biden administration was pressuring independent regulators.
Following FDA approval, the CDC will determine who exactly should get a booster. After that CDC recommendation is made, booster shots would be available through any of the nation’s 40,000 pharmacies, doctors offices and other sites already offering the Pfizer vaccine.
The CDC has said vaccines still offer extraordinary protection against hospitalization and death, with more than 90% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 being unvaccinated. At Friday’s FDA briefing, a CDC official said vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization in adults age 75 and older remained at about 88% through July.
But there were other signs that immunity waned with time.
A new Israeli study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found 11.3-fold lower rates of infection and 19.5-fold lower rates of severe COVID-19 among people older than 60 who got a booster dose. Also, an Israel Ministry of Health analysis estimated approximately 10-fold improved protection against infection and severe COVID-19 among people who got a booster.
Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of public health services at Israel’s Health Ministry, said Israel became concerned when it saw cases of fully vaccinated residents infecting other members of their households and – at times — winding up hospitalized.
“We definitely see that cases that are vaccinated — doubly vaccinated — that are no longer fresh” six months from their second dose, Alroy-Preis said. These vaccinated cases “are infecting other people. It’s obviously less than non vaccinated. But we’re seeing that, especially in their household.”
ABC News’ Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
Law & Order: SVU co-star Demore Barnes, who played Deputy Chief Christian Garland on the long-running series, says he was just as surprised as his fans were about news he won’t be returning for season 23.
Neither Barns nor Jamie Gray Hyder, who played Detective Kat Tamin, will be seen in SVU‘s upcoming season, which kicks off Thursday.
In an Instagram post, in which he acknowledged that, “it’s almost every actor’s…right of passage just to appear in even one episode of SVU,” Barnes addressed his followers regarding the development.
“While I know you were happy that I was here, and that I’m happy that I was here, I also know you’re sad and surprised and I am too. I don’t totally know why this happened.”
Barnes said he was “so very proud” to portray his character, the first Black person to hold the position of deputy chief of the sex crimes unit. He also heaped praised on the cast and crew, particularly star and executive producer Mariska Hargitay, who he says “spearheaded” his path to series regular.
Referencing series creator Dick Wolf‘s company, which he also thanked in his post, Barnes said, “I hope that Wolf Entertainment’s leadership, in giving me [the] opportunity [to] amplify vital voice and story, will result in many studios continuing to open doors of opportunities for others to do the same. This must continue.”
He closed with, “Chief Garland and I would not have it any other way.”
