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Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding charity event returns with Ace Frehley, The Rascals’ Felix Cavaliere & more

November 29, 2021 by WDNY Radio

It was canceled for 2020, but Alice Cooper‘s annual charity fundraiser, Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding, is returning for 2021.

Scheduled for this Saturday, December 4, the lineup includes Tom Morello, Ace Frehley, Ed Roland of Collective Soul, Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray and Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals. Of course, Alice himself will perform with his touring band. It takes place at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix, Arizona, where Alice lives.

According to the Arizona Republic, Alice’s wife Sheryl Cooper, a choreographer and dance instructor, will perform at the event for the first time.

As always, the event will raise money to pay for staff and resources at Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers, which provide free music, dance, arts and vocational training programs for young people aged 12-20. There are two such centers: one in Phoenix and one in Mesa, Arizona.

“The uniqueness of this concert is that you’ll never see this caliber and variety of artists on the same stage again,” said Alice in a statement. “Come join our ultimate Christmas party and help support the teens at The Rock Teen Center!”

Meanwhile, the shock rocker will kick off a tour January 28 in Cincinnati; he’ll play eight shows through a February 8 concert in Orlando, Florida. The next day, he sets sail on the Monsters of Rock Cruise.

Co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey is resigning from Twitter

November 29, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Jack Dorsey is resigning from his role as CEO of Twitter, the social media platform he co-founded in 2006, he announced in a tweet on Monday.

“There’s a lot of talk about the importance of a company being ‘founder-led,'” Dorsey wrote. “Ultimately I believe that’s severely limiting and a single point of failure. I’ve worked hard to ensure this company can break away from its founding and founders.”

not sure anyone has heard but,

I resigned from Twitter pic.twitter.com/G5tUkSSxkl

— jack⚡️ (@jack) November 29, 2021

Dorsey has been in his most recent role as CEO since September 2015. He said that Twitter’s chief technology officer, Parag Agrawal, will replace him as CEO.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Valerie Bertinelli splits with husband of 10 years

November 29, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Hot in Cleveland alum and current Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli has filed for legal separation from her husband of 10 years, Tom Vitale, according to documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight.

Bertinelli filed the paperwork in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday. The documents list the date of separation as “TBD” and “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the legal separation. The filing also notes a premarital agreement dated Dec. 21, 2010 that is “fully binding on the parties.”

The 61-year-old TV personality and Vitale tied the knot in 2011 and have no minor children. Bertinelli wants to terminate the court’s ability to award support to both of them.

Bertinelli was previously married to rocker Eddie Van Halen from 1981-2007, with whom she had her now-29-year-old son, Wolfgang, in 1991. Eddie died in October 2020 from lung cancer at age 65.

Dave Grohl & Greg Kurstin’s Hanukkah Sessions series returns with metal Lisa Loeb cover

November 29, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin‘s Hanukkah Sessions is back for 2021.

The Foo Fighters frontman and the producer first launched the series in 2020, releasing covers of songs by eight Jewish artists for each night of the holiday. With Sunday being the first night of Hanukkah this year, they’ve started it up again, beginning with a rendition of Lisa Loeb‘s ’90s hit “Stay (I Missed You).”

The cover begins as a faithful tribute before taking an unexpected turn into black metal with Grohl’s growling vocals and pounding guitar riffs. In an accompanying video, streaming now on YouTube, Grohl wears a dress and glasses modeled after Loeb’s iconic look from the original “Stay” clip.

“Welcome back to the menorah, y’all,” Grohl and Kurstin say. “Let’s kick [off] this year’s Hanukkah Sessions with one of Dallas, Texas’ favorite Jewish daughters. So put on your coffee shop spectacles and your Betsey Johnson dress and HAVA listen to this.”

The first season of Hanukkah Sessions featured covers of songs by Beastie Boys, Drake, Mountain, Peaches, Bob Dylan, Elastica, The Knack and The Velvet Underground.

Music, actually: Elton John & Ed Sheeran’s new Christmas song is coming on Friday

November 29, 2021 by WDNY Radio

After Ed Sheeran teased it a while back, we now have a release date for his holiday collaboration with Elton John: a song called “Merry Christmas.” The date is revealed in an adorable video inspired by everyone’s favorite British Christmas movie, Love, Actually.

In the video, we see Elton answering his door to find Ed on his doorstep with a series of cue cards, which detail the story of how the collab came about.

“Hello. Last Christmas, I received a call from my mate, Elton John, and he told me, ‘We should do a Christmas song,'” the cue cards read as Ed goes through them one by one. “And I replied, ‘Yeah, maybe in 2022.’ But I actually wrote the chorus that day, and here we are.”

Ed continues to shuffle through the cue cards: “Our Christmas song, ‘Merry Christmas,’ is out this Friday. Go pre-order or pre-save it now. It has sleigh bells. A lot of them.”

All the U.K. profits from “Merry Christmas” will be donated to Ed and Elton’s respective favorite charities: the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

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Ryan Reynolds serenaded by Barenaked Ladies’ Steven Page for getting Canada’s Governor General honor

November 29, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Ryan Reynolds was just given his native Canada’s Governor General honor, and to mark the occasion, fellow Canadian and Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page — along with seemingly all of the Great White North — sung the actor and entrepreneur’s praises.

Officially, the award from the country’s National Arts Centre, “recognizes work of an extraordinary nature and significance in the performing arts by an individual artist…”

In a split-screen Instagram video, Ryan is seen wearing the medal, and reacting to Page’s video tribute, the chorus of which is, “Canada loves you back.”

A tearful Ryan watches the video, and laughs along with Page’s lyrics, which call the Deadpool star, “A genuine Canadian icon, like Shatner and Alex Trebek.”

Also giving to Canadians’ penchant for self-deprecation, the song notes, “of all the Canadian Ryans, you’ve got to be in the top 3.”

The video features clips from everyone from hockey players to those benefitting from Reynolds’ charitable initiatives, all singing along, along with postcard-perfect shots of the country.

Reynolds captioned the video, “I’m not crying. It’s just maple syrup.”

He added, “Also, it’s worth noting @stevenpage is not only a friend but an absolute legend. He wasted this perfectly awesome song on me.”

Ryan thanked those in the National Arts Centre, “for keeping the performing arts alive and well throughout Canada and being a champion for voices which have been historically silenced or overlooked.”

He also added, “I’m a wreck.”

Incidentally, when one fan noted that Reynolds’ pal and frequent fake foil Hugh Jackman doesn’t have his own song in his honor, Ryan replied, “Hugh Jackman IS his own song.”

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Queen’s Brian May says his words were “subtly twisted” into seemingly anti-trans comments

November 29, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Last week, Queen‘s Brian May gave an interview to the British paper The Mirror in which he reacted to the BRIT Awards — the British equivalent of the Grammys — doing away with the male and female solo artist categories in favor of just one single solo artist award. Now, he’s clarifying his comments, which some have interpreted as being unsupportive of the transgender community.

On Instagram, May wrote, “Yes – I was ambushed and completely stitched up by a journalist…and it’s led to a whole mess of press stories making it look like I’m unfriendly to trans people. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

“My words were subtly twisted. I should have known better than to talk to those predatory Press hacks,” the guitarist continues. “Sincere apologies to anyone who has been hurt by the stories. My heart is open as always to humans of all colors, all creeds, all sexes and sexualities, all shapes and sizes – and all creatures. We all deserve respect and an equal place in this world.”

May went on to thank fans who “stepped up to defend me,” adding, “It means so much that you have faith in me.”

The guitarist was quoted as saying of the category change, “It’s a decision that has been made without enough thought..I get so sick of people trying to change things without thinking of the long-term consequences.”

He then mentioned the current “atmosphere of fear,” in which people are “are afraid to say how they really think,” and was quoted as saying that if Queen’s original lineup were around today, they wouldn’t have been considered diverse enough.

“We would be forced to have people of different colors and different sexes and we would have to have a trans [person],” the paper quoted him as saying.

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New York Giants legend Michael Strahan reflects on family, teammates as sports world celebrates his jersey retirement

November 29, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — No New York Giant will ever wear Michael Strahan’s famed number 92 again after the team officially retired it from circulation on Sunday.

For 15 seasons, Strahan was a fearsome quarterback in the league. He notched 141.5 career sacks, 854 tackles, four interceptions and one Super Bowl Championship title.

“When I came to New York to play football, I just wanted to play football. I just was happy to have a job. And I never figured that that job would transfer into like a career and doing what I love and the best city in the world,” the Good Morning America co-anchor said. “And now to have my jersey retired. It’s absolutely incredible honor. Lost for words.”

During his speech at MetLife Stadium in front of a stadium full of longtime fans, Strahan praised his family for their support.

“I am so grateful to have my family here because without them, I am not here,” he said. “My father is here in spirit and my mom is here. Thank you, mom, for giving birth to me. For encouraging me and for being the toughest person in my life.”

🙏🏾🙏🏾 https://t.co/mZA4cqVNYi

— Michael Strahan (@michaelstrahan) November 28, 2021

For Strahan, this moment was also about his teammates.

“You don’t do anything alone. Everything’s not always about you,” he told ABC News. “And teamwork makes the dream work.”

Former teammates, competitors, friends and colleagues continued the celebrations on social media, hailing Strahan’s incredible career.

“Congrats you are one of a kind and it was an honor to play against you,” Tom Brady commented on Strahan’s Instagram post.

Lindsay Lohan engaged to boyfriend Bader Shammas, “My future”

November 29, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Lindsay Lohan is getting married!

On Sunday, the Mean Girls alum announced that she’s engaged to be married to her boyfriend, Bader Shammas.

Sharing a carousel of pictures of the couple grinning from ear to ear — and showing off the sparkler on her ring finger — Lohan wrote, “My love. My life. My family. My future. @bader.shammas#love [ring emoji].”

Lindsay’s mother, Dina Lohan, also expressed her excitement, writing in an Instagram Story “My heart is full,” along with a snapshot of the newly engaged pair.

“My heart is whole,” Dina further told Entertainment Tonight. “For a mother, there is nothing more important than to see your children happy and loved. Her beautiful new journey begins. Love and light.”

Lohan, 35, and Shammas, who’s the assistant vice president of the global investments bank Credit Suisse, have been dating for two years, according to The Independent.

This is Lindsay’s second engagement. She was previously engaged to Russian millionaire Egor Tarabasov before splitting in 2016.

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‘Encanto’ delights with a box office-topping $40.3 million Thanksgiving weekend debut

November 29, 2021 by WDNY Radio

‘Encanto’ delights with a box office-topping .3 million Thanksgiving weekend debut

Encanto topped the Thanksgiving weekend box office with an estimated $40.3 million over the five-day weekend. The Disney animated musical, featuring the voice of Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Stephanie Beatriz and songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, delivered an estimated $27 million over the three-day weekend.

Overseas, Encanto added another $29.3 million, bringing its five-day global total to $69.6 million.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife — the fourth and latest entry in the sci-fi comedy franchise — took second place with an estimated $24.5 million between Friday and Sunday and just under $35.3 million for the five-day weekend. It’s two-week stateside total now stands at $87.8 million and $115.8 million worldwide.

The second of this week’s new major releases, House of Gucci, grabbed an estimated $14.2 million over the three-day weekend and $21.8 million over the five-day holiday for a third-place finish. The true-life story — starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Al Pacino, Salma Hayek and Jeremy Irons — added an estimated $12.9 million overseas, for a worldwide tally of $34.7 million.

Fourth place belonged to Marvel’s Eternals, which delivered an estimated $7.9 million over the three-day weekend and $11.4 million over the five-day holiday. After four weeks, Eternals has racked up $150.6 million domestically and another $217.8 million overseas, for a global total of $368.4 million.

Another new release, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, rounded out the top five, opening with an an estimated $5.3 million domestically over the weekend and $8.8 million between Wednesday and Sunday. The reboot of the six-film horror franchise scared up an estimated $5.1 million overseas, for a first-week worldwide tally of $13.9 million.

Meanwhile, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza, which opened on Friday, nabbed the best pandemic-era debut for an independent film, grabbing $336,000. Licorice Pizza — starring Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman — son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman — Bradley Cooper and Sean Penn opens nationwide on Christmas day.

Finally, Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune, in its fifth week of release, cracked the $100 million plateau at the domestic box office over the weekend.

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