Kelsea Ballerini takes a tumble on stageEntertainment
Author: business
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See how 'Harry Potter' TV series cast compares to the film actorsTV
See how ‘Harry Potter’ TV series cast compares to the film actorsTV
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Emily Ratajkowski joins Olivia Munn in slamming Blue Origin flight
Watch zero gravity inside Blue Origin space flight with Katy Perry
Katy Perry, Gayle King and four other women experienced zero gravity as they reached the edge of space on Blue Origin.
If celebrity space travel is the news of the day, so is celebrity criticism of celebrity space travel.
In a TikTok posted Monday, model and actress Emily Ratajkowski spoke out against a mission that same morning that sent stars like Gayle King and Katy Perry into space.
“That space mission this morning? That’s end times (expletive),” she told followers. “This is beyond parody.”
Perry and King joined journalist Lauren Sánchez and three others Monday for a brief flight to space in a capsule built by Blue Origin, the intergalactic exploration company founded by Sánchez’s billionaire fiancé Jeff Bezos.
The mission, the first for an all-female space crew since 1963, was marketed as a feminist landmark − a chance to see mothers and female storytellers launch toward the heavens. Critics, however, lambasted it as a ploy to promote Blue Origin’s pricey tickets to space and called out the contradiction of touting environmental concern despite contributing to pollution.
“Saying that you care about Mother Earth and it’s about Mother Earth, and you’re going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s singlehandedly destroying the planet,” Ratajkowski continued. Bezos, who is set to wed Sánchez later this year, is also the founder and chief executive of Amazon.
Both Sánchez and Perry said their 11-minute jaunt to space had made them more appreciative of earthly existence.
“Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space for what?” Ratajkowski said. “I’m disgusted. Literally, I’m disgusted.”
She wasn’t the only star to voice dissent. In a post to her Instagram stories Monday, actress Olivia Wilde reposted a meme of Perry kissing the ground after leaving the capsule and wrote, “Billion dollar bought some good memes I guess.”
Ratajkowski and Wilde’s criticisms follow similar comments from Olivia Munn, who said during an appearance on “Today” earlier this month that the whole mission seemed “gluttonous.”
“I’m just saying this. I know this is probably not the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now,” she said.
“It’s so much money to go to space,” Munn added, later pointing out that all the rocket fuel can’t be good for the planet. “There’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs … I think it’s a bit gluttonous.”
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Meghan Markle revisits heartbreaking 2020 miscarriage
Prince Harry visits Ukraine to meet wounded warriors
Prince Harry makes surprise visit to Ukraine, where he met victims of war in Ukraine as a part of his work with wounded veterans.
Duchess Meghan is revisiting the miscarriage she suffered in the summer of 2020.
The Duchess of Sussex addressed her heartbreaking experience on the Tuesday episode of her “Confessions of a Female Founder” podcast with Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani.
The pair, who met under “different circumstances” in 2018 when Meghan was pregnant with Prince Archie while living as a working royal in the United Kingdom, discussed their individual experiences with miscarriages during the episode.
“I’ll bring this up if you’re comfortable talking about it, because I know you’ve spoken publicly about, as you’re doing Girls Who Code, all the interpersonal things that are happening for you at that time and the miscarriages that you’ve experienced,” Meghan said.
Meghan shares 5-year-old son Archie and daughter Princess Lilibet, 3, with her husband Prince Harry.
“I’ve spoken about the miscarriage that we experienced,” she added. “I think in some parallel way, when you have to learn to detach from the thing that you have so much promise and hope for and to be able to be okay at a certain point to let something go that you plan to love for a long time.”
Saujani said, “I don’t think anyone’s seen it that way, like, said it that way for me,” telling Meghan that she had a “scary habit” of showing up to “perform” socially after being told by doctors that she had miscarried.
During her conversation with Meghan, the CEO of Moms First also divulged that after the string of miscarriages, which she contributed to “autoimmune issues,” she handed Girls Who Code duties over to her team.
“You have this beautiful line that I quote all the time, ‘The most important title I have is mom.’ And I so desperately wanted that title,” Saujani told Meghan.
Duchess Meghan revealed her own miscarriage in November 2020
In a November 2020 essay in The New York Times opinion section, Meghan intimately revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage in July of that year.
“It was a July morning that began as ordinarily as any other day: Make breakfast. Feed the dogs. Take vitamins. Find that missing sock. Pick up the rogue crayon that rolled under the table. Throw my hair in a ponytail before getting my son from his crib,” Meghan wrote.
“After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right.”
She continued, “In being invited to share our pain, together we take the first steps toward healing.”
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Al Roker, ‘Today’ co-hosts send love
Sheinelle Jones takes break from ‘Today‘ show to focus on family
Sheinelle Jones took to Instagram to explain that she is taking a temporary break from NBC’s “Today” show to address a family health matter.
unbranded – Entertainment
Amid “Today” host Sheinelle Jones’ ongoing absence, her co-anchors are sending love and prayers her way.
During an Access Hollywood segment that aired Friday, fellow “Today” anchors Al Roker, Craig Melvin and Dylan Dreyer offered an update on their colleague who stepped back over three months ago to deal with “a family health matter.”
“Just talked to her a couple of days ago,” Melvin said, “she’s taking some time to be with her family and we talk to her all the time. And we love our girl. It’s been nice to see how much everyone else loves her too.”
The beloved co-anchor of the NBC morning show’s third hour paused hosting duties in December but did not appear to be stepping back permanently from her role. She first raised eyebrows with an absence during the high-profile exit of former “Today” main co-anchor Hoda Kotb in January. The celebrations, dubbed a “Hoda-bration,” featured messages from “Today” personalities sans Jones.
Shortly after, Jones took to Instagram to confirm her hiatus, writing in a post: “I sincerely appreciate all of you who have reached out while l’ve been absent from the show. I want to share with you that I’m taking time to deal with a family health matter.”
“We’re just praying for her,” Roker said in the “Access Hollywood” clip.
“She misses being here,” Dreyer added. “She wishes she was here with us but she’s doing what she needs to do and she’ll be back.”
Jones shares three children with her husband, Uche Ojeh: oldest son Kayin, 15, and 12-year-old fraternal twins Clara and Uche Jr.
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“It’s not lost on me how lucky l am to have not only the support of my Today Show family, but to also have all of you,” Jones continued in her post. “Your kindness means so much to me. I’ll see you soon.”
Jones, a graduate of the esteemed Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, joined “Today” in 2014 after a near-decade at Fox 29 News Philadelphia, where she co-hosted the morning show “Good Day Philadelphia” alongside local broadcasting legend Mike Jerrick. She currently co-hosts the third hour alongside Melvin, Al Roker and meteorologist Dylan Dreyer.
Contributing: Jay Stahl
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Lil Nas X in hospital with partial face paralysis
Lil Nas X is in the hospital with partial face paralysis, but he’s joking his way through it.
The “Old Town Road” rapper posted an Instagram video of himself from a hospital bed late Monday night, telling his followers he “lost control of the right side” of his face.
“This is me doing a full smile by the way,” he said in the video, laughing in disbelief. “I can’t even laugh right, bro. Oh my God!”
The 26-year-old singer joked about his condition on his Instagram stories, but assured fans he was OK. “Stop being sad for me!” he wrote.
“Imma look funny for a lil bit but that’s it,” he added with crying emojis.
What causes partial face paralysis? Bell’s palsy, Lyme disease, more
Partial face paralysis is usually caused by swelling or damage of the facial nerve, damage to the part of the brain that signals the muscles of the face, or weakness caused by diseases like myasthenia gravis and some muscular dystrophies, according to Penn Medicine. Face paralysis can also be caused by Bell’s palsy – a somewhat common condition when the facial nerve becomes inflamed – stroke, Lyme disease, shingles or as a side effect of certain medications.
Though rare, facial paralysis can be caused by Ramsay Hunt syndrome, the disease “when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Justin Bieber has been diagnosed with the condition.
Testing for a cause could include MRIs or CT scans. Treatment also depends on the cause but could include physical, speech or occupational therapy, or in the case of Bell’s palsy, surgery if symptoms last more than 6 to 12 months to improve facial appearance.
Lil Nas X recently released the EP “Days Before Dreamboy” in late March, ahead of the release of his upcoming second studio album, “Dreamboy,” set to drop this year. The rapper released his debut album “Montero” in 2021.
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What to know as retrial starts
Harvey Weinstein begs for quick retrial to get out of ‘hellhole’
Harvey Weinstein is seeking an earlier start to his sexual assault retrial, telling the judge, “I need to get out of this hellhole as quickly as possible.”
unbranded – Entertainment
Harvey Weinstein, whose 2020 rape conviction struck the gavel on the #MeToo movement’s legal impact, is back in court to revisit the since-overturned ruling.
Weinstein’s retrial begins in New York court Tuesday with jury selection. The legal redo, a proceeding that will largely mimic Weinstein’s original state trial, is expected to last four to six weeks.
A New York appeals court overturned Weinstein’s original conviction last April, finding that the judge in his case erred by admitting “irrelevant” testimony from women whose allegations were not part of the case. He was granted a retrial and pleaded not guilty in September.
The commencement of jury selection, which Judge Curtis Farber previously said may last up to five days, according to ABC News, comes a week after the retrial’s start date was reportedly challenged in court due to a dispute over witness selection. Prosecutors and Weinstein’s attorneys argued over the trial participation of an assistant district attorney, who allegedly took notes during a 2020 interview with a third woman now testifying against the disgraced producer, according to The Associated Press.
Per AP, Weinstein’s legal team said it might call the unnamed lawyer as a witness. Prosecutors threatened a request to delay the trial by 60 days if an agreement on the notes dispute could not be reached.
In the months leading up to his retrial, Weinstein, who continues to serve a 16-year prison sentence stemming from his 2022 California rape conviction, urged a judge in New York to start his trial sooner amid health concerns.
Here’s everything you need to know about the retrial.
What is Harvey Weinstein charged with?
Weinstein’s retrial will cover two charges of assault and one of rape stemming from allegations by three different women: two who allege Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex in 2006 and one who alleges he raped her in 2013.
Unlike the 2020 case, the second assault charge stems from the allegation of an unnamed woman who was not part of the first trial. The other two charges are related to accusers Miriam “Mimi” Haleyi and Jessica Mann, whose allegations in the first trial were part of the charges of which Weinstein was convicted.
Is Weinstein still in jail?
Weinstein is currently housed in Rikers Island jail in New York City. He returned to New York in 2023 after having been extradited to California to face charges in his other sex crimes conviction, according to the AP.
In November, Weinstein criticized Rikers Island and Bellevue Hospital staff for allegedly failing to provide proper medical care while in custody, according to a claim notice his attorney Imran H. Ansari filed with the New York City Comptroller’s Office.
Weinstein’s medical conditions – which include chronic myeloid leukemia (bone marrow cancer), coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and other ailments – “deteriorated significantly, unreasonably, and dangerously, leading to multiple instances where (Weinstein) feared for his life,” Ansari’s filing stated.
Jeanette Merrill, assistant vice president of communications and external affairs for NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services, told USA TODAY in a statement that the agency does not comment on individual patients but noted it “continues to work with the Department of Correction to ensure people in custody have access to high-quality health care.”
Will Harvey Weinstein testify in retrial?
Weinstein will not be required to testify in his defense case, ABC News and AP reported April 9.
Farber ruled that if he were to take the stand, Weinstein can be asked by prosecutors about his 2022 California rape conviction but not “the nature of the crimes or underlying facts,” per AP.
What happened during Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 trial?
After being indicted in May 2018 on charges of five sex crimes, including rape and predatory sexual assault, Weinstein was convicted in February 2020 on two counts: criminal sexual act in the first degree related to accuser Haleyi and rape in the third degree related to accuser Mann.
Ex-production assistant Haleyi accused Weinstein of forcing oral sex on her in his New York apartment in July 2006, while Mann, a former actress, alleged Weinstein raped her in a New York hotel room in March 2013.
The verdict was a partial win for the prosecution: Weinstein escaped the two most serious charges of predatory sexual assault, plus one charge of rape in the first degree, which spared him the possibility of a sentence that included life in prison.
Besides Haleyi and Mann, Weinstein’s trial also featured testimony from four other accusers who claimed Weinstein sexually assaulted them in New York or California as far back as 1993 and as recently as 2013.
Contributing: Anna Kaufman, KiMi Robinson, Taijuan Moorman, Maria Puente and Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY
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Leslie Odom Jr. returns to ‘Hamilton’ on Broadway
Leslie Odom Jr. initially said ‘no thank you’ to ‘One Night in Miami’
Leslie Odom Jr. chats with USA TODAY’s Patrick Ryan about his portrayal of Sam Cooke in Regina King’s “One Night in Miami.”
Entertain This!, USA TODAY
Leslie Odom Jr. is returning to Broadway for a much anticipated “Hamilton” reprisal.
The actor, among the founding fathers of the musical itself, will return to his role as constitutional framer Aaron Burr starting in September, he revealed in a Monday appearance on the “Today” show. A brief stint in his most defining character, Odom will embody the former vice president for just 12 weeks.
“You don’t get shows that run 10 years,” Odom told host Savannah Guthrie, remarking on the longevity of “Hamilton” as a Theatre District favorite. “There’s a lot of shows we love, great shows, that you know they come and they go. That’s the nature of the theater.”
“For something to be embraced by the public and the culture in the way that ‘Hamilton’ has … it’s twice in a lifetime,” he added.
Odom, who originated the role in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit, won a Tony Award for his performance in 2016. Now, he’s celebrating the show’s 10th anniversary in style and, while stopping short of revealing the details, teased in his appearance on “Today” that there are plenty more surprises in store for audiences heading to a performance any time over the course of the year.
The musical, a lively hip-hop infused take on early American history, has become a cultural phenomenon and catapulted both Odom and Miranda from Broadway performers to true blue Hollywood stars.
Odom, who started on Broadway in “Rent” when he was 17, told “Today” that this moment in his career has him feeling reflective.
“The fact that I’m still doing it and that I get to do it in these pieces that mean so much to me is just very meaningful,” he said.
“I knew how I felt about it, but I could not imagine that you (the audience) would feel the way that I did,” he said of its enduring success, adding that the show’s release for streaming on Disney+ during the pandemic added a whole new legion of young fans.
Audiences can see Odom in the role of Burr at the Richard Rodgers Theatre starting Sept. 9 through Nov. 23.
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What to know about free-range parenting
Actor and comedian Dax Shepard says he and wife Kristen Bell let their kids ride motorcycles in their neighborhood – and parenting experts say that’s a good thing.
“Do whatever you want. I trust you, you know how to get home,” Shepard says. “You know how to flag a stranger. They’ve had really a ton of autonomy, I think, relative to other kids.”
On the March 12 episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, the actor opened up about his free-range parenting style with Jonathan Haidt, author of “The Anxious Generation.”
Haidt praised Shepard for his parenting style and emphasized the importance of letting children problem solve and make choices when they encounter obstacles.
“The gut response is why should you take any risk,” Haidt says. “Whereas, if you think about it, you realize, ‘Wait, If I don’t train my child how to take risk … I’m creating a child who won’t be able to deal with the world, and that’s what we’ve done.”
What is free-range parenting?
Free-range parenting is a philosophy that emphasizes free play, increased independence and limited parental intervention. Advocates of the practice argue constant supervision restricts a child’s natural process developing resilience, independence and resourcefulness, and encourages children to problem solve without direct supervision, such as taking public transit, walking to school or playing at the park.
Lenore Skenazy, the author of “Free-Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow,” said in a 2020 Armchair Expert episode that constant parental intervention is a “disempowering, distressing, demoralizing way to live.”
“There’s something lost to the kids when they are constantly under surveillance and constantly helped and assisted and supervised,” says Skenazy.
Shepard says he had an “inordinate amount of free time and responsibility” as a child and started working in cornfields at 12 years old in the summer, which he says makes him predisposed to embracing the “anti helicopter” parenting movement.
Proponents of protective parenting argue free-range parenting increases the risk children encounter danger and can result in neglect when children are improperly supervised. Free-range parents also may run into legal issues; states like Illinois and Oregon don’t allow children to be left alone under the ages of 14 and 10, respectively.
Why overprotection isn’t always a good thing
Skenazy says constant overprotection inadvertently creates vulnerable kids who don’t know how to respond to adverse situations. On the other hand, Skenazy argues, giving kids a “practical roadmap” for how to stay safe can be empowering.
As hands-off as Skenazy and Haidt are about kids in the real world, they advocate for a more restricted online one. Shepard’s kids, who are 10 and 12, have iPods with restrictions. They can text on WiFi at home, listen to music and audiobooks, and create home movies, but don’t use games or social media.
Shepard says the approach is working.
“I just deep panicked that they were going to get obsessed with it,” Shepard says. “They forget to charge it. A month goes by and they go, ‘Oh, I want to do whatever,’ and they charge it.”
In the podcast, Haidt describes that America underwent a “moral panic” throughout the 1990s when there was a disproportionate level of concern about kidnappings and sex trafficking as parents simultaneously stopped trusting their neighbors, resulting in a “clamp down on the autonomy of children.”
“What’s so insane about what’s happening, parents are afraid to let their kids run around outside because they’re afraid they’ll get picked up by a sex predator,” Haidt says, adding that now, sex predators can easily contact children on social media.
Here’s what Haidt and Skenazy say parents can do to raise resilient children
Haidt advocates for four norms for parents and schools: no smartphones until high school, no social media before 16, phone-free schools and more independence, responsibility and freedom in the real world.
Haidt acknowledged that parents who restrict phone use may isolate their children socially if they’re the only kids in their class without a smartphone. He emphasized that the four norms will only function as proper solutions if parents collectively decide not to give their kids smartphones.
“The key is to give your kids a great, exciting social childhood,” Haidt says. “If your kids have a gang, if they have just a few other kids that they can hang around with, they’re probably gonna come out fine.
Shepard says taking worthwhile risks, like driving a car, are a part of everyday life.
“What people are not doing, I think accurately, is assessing what’s at stake,” Shepard says. “If you don’t drive a car you’re not going anywhere in your life and if your kids don’t have this sense of competence and autonomy, they’re going to miss out on where the car takes you.”
Skenazy advocated for teaching children the three R’s when it comes to threats: Recognize, resist and report, and said she embraces the idea that when adults step back, kids step up.
“Tell your kids that if something happens to them that makes them feel bad or sad, they can talk to you about it,” Skenazy says. “Even if somebody says, ‘this is our secret,’ you can tell me, and nothing bad will happen to you. I won’t be mad at you, I won’t blame you.”
Like the immune system, Haidt says kids are antifragile — meant to learn from challenges.
“Imagine your kid in two ways. In one, your kid is competent and confident, and they go out there into the world and they’re doing things. And the other, they’re just always afraid because they think everything’s risky. Which one do you want for your kid?” Haidt says.
Rachel Hale’s role covering youth mental health at USA TODAY is funded by a grant from Pivotal Ventures. Pivotal Ventures does not provide editorial input. Reach her at [email protected] and @rachelleighhale on X.
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Dana Perino talks Fox News hosting gigs, bipartisanship and new book
Fox News’ Dana Perino talks about the election
Fox News’ Dana Perino talks about the idea that Americans are divided, ahead of the RNC starting.
Dana Perino beats her 4:45 a.m. alarm every morning by two minutes. And it’s easy to see why.
The 52-year-old Fox News host for “America’s Newsroom” and “The Five” has no time to waste. She anchors the news. She races on her Peloton bike. She ballroom dances.
You name it, Perino, who previously served as President George W. Bush’s press secretary, is probably doing it. But she didn’t get to be her best self on her own. She’s giving credit to the people and advice that have shaped her in a new book called “I Wish Someone Had Told Me … ” (Fox News Books, 263 pp., out April 22). Part-memoir, part self-help book, it features words from Fox News personalities like Bret Baier, Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro, plus journalist Salena Zito, novelist Patti Callahan Henry and Perino’s husband, businessman Peter McMahon.
A day in the life for Dana Perino
OK, back to that morning routine. After her early wake-up, Perino mediates or prays. Then she switches to checking for breaking news, something she says happens more often with the Trump administration than the Biden administration.
Next, her morning involves movement (diet and exercise advice peppers her book). Anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes of pedaling on her Peloton and a mix of strength training or yoga. She listens to several podcasts on rotation while getting ready for her first call of the day at 6:45 a.m., after which she heads into the studio to finish prep for “Newsroom,” which she hosts with Bill Hemmer.
In between her shows, she either pauses for a private Pilates session or takes a ballroom dancing class while also preparing for “The Five.” Even when life appointments get in the way, Perino is walking and calling friends and sources or checking out another podcast.
“In the news hour, I am asking questions and trying to get sources to give us something interesting,” she says. “For ‘The Five,’ I have to give my analysis or my opinion, and I have to bring energy.”
After work, she rushes home. She only goes out one night per week, advice from Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott that’s included in the book. Perino sings her praises about her ability to manage life and career.
Once home, Perino and McMahon only eat healthy meals; they never order in. Yes, even in New York. He always cooks and she helps a bit with the dishes – “my husband will laugh about that,” she quips – before watching an hour of TV, choosing an outfit for the next day.
Perino is tucked into bed by 9 p.m. and reading a novel (right now that’s Jojo Moyes’ latest, “We All Live Here”) before drifting off. She avoids checking her phone, or at least tries, and is asleep by 9:30 p.m.
Whew.
Dana Perino says ‘we are not as polarized in practice’
How does Perino accomplish it all and stay sane? For starters, she limits her time to two hours on Instagram per day, but she says she’s cutting that back to an hour. She’s posting on TikTok and trying to connect to a Gen Z audience, but knows “The Five” viewers span all ages.
“You have families across generations who are watching it, some of them at the same time,” she says. “There was this one family – I didn’t keep in touch with them, I wish I had – the grandmother lived in Virginia, and the kids lived in California, and they would get on FaceTime and watch ‘The Five’ together.”
When Perino thinks of them, she tries “to keep in mind when I’m talking on ‘The Five’ or even on social media, that there are a lot of different people that might be willing to listen to something that I might say. It might be an important point that I think is newsworthy. It might just be something fun and entertaining. And I think one thing I have learned about myself, and since leaving the White House and coming to Fox, it has kind of taken me a few years, is that having fun and a little bit of lightness to life is not a bad quality. It’s not superfluous.”
That’s another key theme to the book. What actually matters in life?
Not political partisanship, in her eyes. It’s about stepping up in your community.
“I actually believe that we are not as polarized in practice as we talk about in the media or in theory,” she says. “I think communities actually get along quite well.”
So with so much packed into her life, is there anything more she wants?
“The only thing I really wish for right now is more time, because I have a lot I want to fit into my days in my life, and I would buy anyone’s extra minutes if they were selling them,” Perino says. “But the most bipartisan thing that we all share is that we all get the same amount of time in a day.”