KISS singer Gene Simmons talks touring, moreEntertain This!
Author: business
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John Mulaney’s Netflix show sees Joan Baez blast Trump administration
Rock Hall 2017 class includes Pearl Jam, Tupac and Journey
Seattle rockers Pearl Jam, the late rapper Tupac Shakur and 1970s hitmaking band Journey were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Joan Baez, Electric Light Orchestra and Yes were also part of the 2017 class inducted.
USA TODAY
Joan Baez, long an outspoken advocate for civil rights, isn’t going to start holding her tongue now.
In an appearance on John Mulaney’s new Netflix talk show, the singer-songwriter took aim at the “incompetent billionaires” whom she accused of taking over the U.S. government.
“You said I could say anything I want out here,” Baez, 84, told Mulaney during the Wednesday night premiere of “Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney.” “We’re all here to be silly and have fun, and as long as we recognize the fact that our democracy is going up in flames … we’re being run by a bunch of really incompetent billionaires.”
While Baez did not name drop, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has taken an outsized role in President Donald Trump’s administration. Musk, who was not elected to public office, has been designated a special employee by Trump and has begun to slash large swaths of the federal government through his Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE. Multiple tech billionaires, including Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon head Jeff Bezos, were present at Trump’s inauguration, and Trump himself has been reported to have a net worth of $4.6 billion, according to Forbes.
Baez, whose anthems helped to score the 1960s civil rights movement, has long combined her music career with activism. From the Vietnam and Iraq Wars to the struggle for LGBTQ rights, the songstress has signed her name to several anti-violent causes.
Her role in the success of Bob Dylan, another folk hero, was recently dramatized in the Oscar-nominated biopic “A Complete Unknown.” Baez’s character was played by Monica Barbaro.
“At first, he was that protest voice also, and then he didn’t want to do that anymore,” Barbaro told USA TODAY of Baez’s insights on Dylan. “She was also in love with his potential.”
Baez’s seeming distaste for Musk resurfaced later in the show when she shared an anecdote about crashing a Tesla car shortly after purchasing it.
Tesla, one of Musk’s many business ventures, has taken a hit in sales in recent months, as his ties to Trump scare off some buyers. As a remedy, the president hosted a quasi-car show in front of the White House this week and agreed to buy one of the models.
“I hated that thing,” Baez said of the Tesla her assistant had encouraged her to buy. “But I thought I was supposed to like it. So I drove off in it. Within 45 minutes I had smashed it into an oak tree on my property. … I was thinking, ‘That’s a sign.’”
Mulaney’s show, a new venture for Netflix, sees the wildly popular comedian host other comics and actors for live interviews every Wednesday.
Baez was joined by Michael Keaton and Fred Armisen as the inaugural guests.
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TV show ‘will linger with you’
Kate Hudson on sports, family, and her Netflix series ‘Running Point’
Kate Hudson opens up about her love for sports, how they bring her comfort, and what it was like growing up with famous parents—plus, how it all connects to her new Netflix series, ‘Running Point’.
Entertain This!
Netflix’s “Adolescence” is getting rave reviews.
The new crime drama mini-series, released Thursday on Netflix, has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on the scores of seven critics, with more praise likely to come.
Directed by Philip Barantini and starring Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham, Christine Tremarco, Ashley Walters and Erin Doherty, with Graham and Jack Thorne co-writing, its synopsis reads: “A family’s world turns upside down when 13-year-old Jamie Miller is arrested for murdering a schoolmate. The charges against their son force them to confront every parent’s worst nightmare.”
The concept isn’t new – “Defending Jacob” on Apple TV+ also follows a child accused of a serious crime – but this show is being praised for its performances, writing and themes, with The Guardian saying the “devastating questions it asks, will linger with you.”
Variety calls the “gutting, raw and stunningly acted” series “dark and brilliantly written.” The Hollywood Reporter praises the actors’ performances, “especially Graham, who has never been better,” while The New York Times writes that the acting is “superb, with varsity weeping and real sense of heft and verisimilitude.”
Rolling Stone praises the show’s cinematography – it uses a one-shot filming technique – saying, “because there are no cuts, there is no escape from the raw, difficult emotions of any given moment.” THR called the camerawork “audacious,” though, thankfully, not “visceral.”
The show offers a social critique of toxic masculinity in the social media age, especially in context of the teenage experience, from a nuanced and complex take, critics say.
“‘Adolescence’ asks who and what we are teaching boys and how we expect them to navigate this increasingly toxic and impossible world when our concept of masculinity still seems to depend on boys and men doing so alone,” writes Guardian critic Lucy Mangan.
“This show unpacks the complexities of humanity and manhood and how the rise of the manosphere has so eerily and quickly permeated itself into the lives of young people through social media,” writes Variety’s Aramide Tinubu. “‘Adolescence’ highlights how we’ve failed ourselves and will continually fail the generations coming behind us.”
However, The New York Times suggests its story could be overwhelming for some viewers.
“For better or worse, ‘Adolescence’ evokes in the viewer the feelings of its characters: overstimulation, confusion, an increasingly powerful desire to tell everyone to sit down and be quiet for five dang seconds,” writes the Times critic Margaret Lyons.
Overall, however, critics consider the short series a must-see.
Rolling Stone raves it is “an early contender for the best thing — you will see on the small screen this year.” And the Guardian called the series “the closest thing to TV perfection in decades” and a “deeply moving, deeply harrowing experience.”
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Iconic '90s vocal group En Vogue: Photos over the yearsMusic
Iconic ’90s vocal group En Vogue: Photos over the yearsMusic
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Rapper faces allegations of rape, kidnapping
Marlon Wayans slams Soulja Boy for transphobic comments
Marlon Wayans has fired back at Soulja Boy after the rapper made homophobic and transphobic remarks about the comedian and his transgender son, Kai.
unbranded – Entertainment
Soulja Boy is facing a civil trial more than four years after a former personal assistant accused him of rape and kidnapping.
The civil trial is underway in Santa Monica, California, and opening statements are expected to begin within days, according to a news release.
USA TODAY has reached out to Soulja Boy’s attorneys for comment. In 2021, the rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, told TMZ, “I vehemently and unequivocally deny these allegations. I am in contact with my legal team and the appropriate legal action will be taken against these lies.”
In a lawsuit filed in January 2021, an anonymous woman who began working for Way as a personal assistant in 2018 alleged the rapper began sending her unsolicited pictures of his penis within the first month of her employment, and a romantic relationship between them began that ultimately turned toxic. She accused Way of “numerous instances of physical violence,” including kicking, throwing and punching, as well as “sexual assaults, spitting on her body, and threats of physical violence and death.”
In one incident, the woman alleged Way “became irate” with her in a car, grabbed her and pushed her out of the vehicle. The lawsuit also said the rapper punched her in the head “on at least ten separate occasions” and would inappropriately touch her, “forcefully pull her pants off” and rape her on numerous occasions.
When the woman tried to quit and leave Way, the lawsuit alleged he locked her in a room against her will for three days with no hot water.
In August 2020, the lawsuit said the woman ran away and moved out of Way’s home after he attacked her, but when she attempted to retrieve her personal belongings, he allegedly refused to give them back and “instead used the opportunity to rape” her again. She was then violently attacked when trying to retrieve her belongings again a few months later, the suit alleged. Jane Doe also alleges she is owed unpaid wages.
Four months after the complaint against Way was filed, he faced another lawsuit in May 2021 from a woman who alleged he subjected her to “constant abuse” during their romantic relationship. She said she suffered a miscarriage after Way became irate and began punching and kicking her.
“It took her years to escape the psychological and physical grasp of her abuser,” her lawyer, Neama Rahmani, told USA TODAY at the time.
Way was also accused of assault and kidnapping by a former girlfriend, Kayla Myers. According to Billboard, he was ordered to pay her $235,900 in compensatory damages and $236,000 in punitive damages in 2023.
Contributing: Maria Puente
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Dawn Robinson of En Vogue reveals she’s living in her car
En Vogue singer Dawn Robinson has lived in her car for the past three years
Former En Vogue singer Dawn Robinson has revealed on social media that she has spent the past three years living in her car.
Bang Showbiz – Music
For En Vogue’s Dawn Robinson, the road has become her home.
In a candid video blog posted Tuesday, the Grammy-nominated R&B singer revealed to fans that she’s been living in her car for the past three years.
“This is not like, ‘Oh my God, poor Dawn. She’s living in her car. It’s terrible. Oh, woe is me,’” Robinson said in the nearly 20-minute clip. “I’m learning about who I am. I’m learning myself as a person, as a woman.”
While Robinson did not detail the circumstances that led to her living in her car long-term, the singer said she first took refuge in her vehicle in 2020 after living with her parents in Las Vegas. Robinson said her relationship with her mother, which allegedly became turbulent, led her to taking shelter in her vehicle.
After about a month of living in her car, Robinson said she was persuaded by her former co-manager to move to Los Angeles, where he rented a hotel room for her for a period of 8 months. Despite the living arrangement, Robinson said she moved back into her car in March 2022 after the unnamed manager allegedly refused to help her find an apartment.
“I felt like he was playing games,” Robinson said. “Sometimes I think people want to trap you and keep you in a situation where you’re vulnerable and depending on them, and I wasn’t the one.”
Representatives for Robinson were not available for comment at the time of publication.
Who is Dawn Robinson?
Robinson co-founded En Vogue alongside vocalists Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron and Maxine Jones in 1989. The R&B-soul group, known for hits such as “Hold On,” “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” and “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” has scored six top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and reportedly sold 20 million records worldwide.
Dawn Robinson now: Singer felt ‘free’ after moving into car
In her Tuesday video, Robinson shared with fans that while she was initially anxious about living in her car, she learned to embrace her “off-grid” lifestyle.
“I felt free. … I felt like I was on a camping trip,” Robinson said. “It was the right thing to do. I didn’t regret it.”
Robinson, who left En Vogue in 2011, said she’s been documenting her experience on film and wants to use the footage she’s collected to make a documentary about her journey.
“If you would have said to me while I was in En Vogue, ‘You’re going to be living in your car one day,’ I’d be like, ‘Huh? No, I’m always going to have an apartment. I can’t live in my car. How can I do that?,’” Robinson said. “We say that we can’t do certain things before we even know we’re capable.”
And despite the difficulties of “car life,” the former En Vogue singer maintained that she wouldn’t “trade my experiences and what I’ve gone through for the world.”
“It is not something that I would have chosen, but I’m glad that I put myself out here. … I have no shame,” Robinson said. “When I succeed again — because I will — when I’m on top again … getting to that point is only up to me. So, from my car into that life is going to be amazing.”
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Crossword Blog & Answers for March 13, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Rear Ends
Constructors: Neville Fogarty & Erik Agard
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructors
Erik: Thank you to Neville for inviting me to collab on this very smart, very fun idea, and to Amanda for her keen editing eye as always!
Neville: I thought of Erik immediately when I had this idea to include REKHA SHANKAR in a puzzle, and I’m grateful for his contributions throughout the construction process. I echo his thanks to Amanda for her willingness to green-light a puzzle whose title apparently refers to butts.
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- ERIN (17A: “The Office” receptionist who didn’t understand planking) The mockumentary TV series, The Office, ran for nine seasons that originally aired from 2005 to 2013. Planking – lying facedown, often in an unusual location – is featured in the first episode of season 8. In the episode’s opening, ERIN is seen planking on a parking divider. Later, ERIN (who has dirt from the divider down her middle) says, “Planking is one of those things where you either get it or you don’t. And I don’t … but I am so excited to be a part of it!” Once again, my lack of TV watching meant I didn’t know this answer right away. However, it was easy to figure out the answer with the help from crossing answers.
- REKHA SHANKAR (49A: “DesiQuest” star who hosts “Smartypants”) DesiQuest is “an epic, culturally authentic Dungeons & Dragons actual-play show with an all Desi cast” that includes REKHA SHANKAR as Laddoo Auntie, “a great home cook and a strict auntie.” I had not heard of DesiQuest, but I am intrigued by the website. I also hadn’t heard of the TV show, Smartypants, but I definitely got distracted watching clips of the show (and laughing!). As the clue informs us, REKHA SHANKAR hosts Smartypants, which is a production of the comedy subscription streaming service Dropout. On the show, comedians (members of the Smartypants Society) take turns giving PowerPoint presentations on a number of unusual subjects. The show, which premiered in 2024, has been renewed for a second season that is scheduled to air this year. I also enjoyed exploring REKHA SHANKAR’s website, which has a page on puns and a page with a “voicemail from my mom.”
- GREEDY (4D: Jen Winston book subtitled “Notes From a Bisexual Who Wants Too Much”) According to her Instagram bio, Jen Winston is a “bisexual author with perfect opinions.” Her 2021 collection of essays is titled GREEDY: Notes from a Bisexual Who Wants Too Much. She also writes a Substack called “The Bi Monthly.”
- GREASE (25D: “Bear ___” (Indigenous adaptation of a 1978 musical)) Bear GREASE is, as the clue tells us, an indigenous adaptation of the 1978 musical GREASE. The show is about a theatre company attempting to take their indigenous rendition of GREASE to Broadway. Bear GREASE was written and created by LightningCloud, the collaborative duo of Crystle Lightning and Henry Cloud Andrade.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- SPARE (15A: Memoir whose second part takes its title from the poem “Invictus”) SPARE is the 2023 memoir by Prince Harry. The book’s title refers to the adage, “an heir and a SPARE,” that has been used to describe what is necessary to make sure royal inheritance stays in a family. The second part of the book is titled “Bloody, But Unbowed,” which is from William Ernest Henley’s 1875 poem, “Invictus.”
- HIJAB (18A: Headwear for Rep. Ilhan Omar) Ilhan OMAR is the U.S. representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district. Ilhan OMAR was born in Somalia, and immigrated to the United States with her family when Somalia was in the midst of a civil war. Along with Rashida Tlaib, she is one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress. Ilhan OMAR was the first woman to wear a HIJAB on the House floor. I appreciate HIJAB being clued in reference to a HIJAB-wearer.
- REFRIGERATOR CAR (35A: Cool part of a train) This clue had me going for a bit, trying to decide what the coolest part of a train is. The caboose is pretty cool, though they’re not used too often nowadays. I chuckled when I finally figured out the answer.
- CRAMP (40A: Charley horse, for one) This clue brought up a long-forgotten memory of a small plastic horse figurine I bought with my own money when I was a kid. I named that horse Charlie. Back to the actual clue… A charley horse is a painful CRAMP that typically occurs in the calf muscle. I read that although a charley horse is usually brief, they can last longer than that, even a couple of days. That makes me hurt just to think about it, as these CRAMPs are so painful.
- WII (42A: Original “Just Dance” console) Just Dance is a series of motion-based video games in which players are scored based on how closely they follow dance choreography. The first Just Dance game, for the WII, was released in 2009 and featured songs by the Spice Girls, the Beach Boys, and MC Hammer, as well as a number of other artists.
- ORCA (58A: Whale with large, white spots behind its eyes) The large, white oval-shaped spots located just above and behind their eyes are part of the characteristic markings of ORCAs.
- SEAS (Black, North, etc.) The Black SEA is located between Europe and Asia, and is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. The North SEA is located in Europe, between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
- TART (64A: Bakewell ___ (confection with frangipane)) Who else knows about the Bakewell TART from the Great British Bake Off (known as the Great British Baking Show in the U.S. due to trademark restrictions)? The English dessert consists of a shortcrust pastry with layers of jam and frangipane, and is usually topped with sliced almonds.
- TDS (65A: Niners’ 6-pointers) The Niners here are the NFL team the San Francisco 49ers, who score touchdowns (TDS) worth 6 points.
- OSCAR (48D: “Sesame Street” grouch) It was just four days ago that we saw OSCAR the Grouch as a theme answer.
- AREA (51D: The “A” in LAN) LAN here stands for “local area network,” and refers to an interconnected network of computers.
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
- REFINED SUGAR (19A: Type of sweetener found in processed foods)
- REFRIGERATOR CAR (35A: Cool part of a train)
- REKHA SHANKAR (49A: “DesiQuest” star who hosts “Smartypants”)
REAR ENDS: The word REAR is split and found at the ENDS of the theme answers: REFINED SUGAR, REFRIGERATOR CAR, and REKHA SHANKAR.
This is a fun and straightforward theme. I appreciate that the word REAR is split in the same way in each theme answer. As you can probably tell from my comments above, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about REKHA SHANKAR and her comedy. I am always happy to see a collaboration of these two constructors. Thank you, Neville and Erik, for this excellent puzzle.
For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles
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History of rock ‘n’ roll brought to life in ‘Amplified’ Las Vegas exhibit
It’s one thing to hear the story of rock ‘n’ roll; it’s another to be fully immersed in it.
“Amplified” is a new exhibit in Las Vegas hoping to bring fans of the guitar jamming, drum banging music genre to Illuminarium, an attraction about a mile west of the Strip.
Eventgoers walk into an L-shaped room and stand under a sky of 50 projectors. The show envelops visitors in a sea of vibrant photos, videos and animations.
The audio smoothly transitions between seven decades of rock ‘n’ roll history. Actor Kevin Bacon narrates. The clips play on every inch of the 360-degree theater, including the floor.
“We approached one of our partners, David Rockwell, who’s done every Nobu restaurant in the world,” says Alan Greenberg, the CEO of Illuminarium Experiences. “He didn’t want this to be a box or a sphere design. He wanted to have a surprise where people could walk around a corner to see things.”
The storytelling weaves through the evolution of rock ‘n’ roll with backstage videos, recording studio clips, muscle cars, the fight for civil rights and larger-than-life hair. Keep your phone at the ready if you want to capture moments of your favorite artists, because they fly by in the strum of a guitar chord.
“The story is not only told through narration,” says executive producer Brad Siegel. “The story is told through the song choices. Every one of the songs needed to work hard enough to reinforce and fill out the story.”
There’s a dance break to “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan halfway through.
Siegel, the founder of Brand New World Studios, started working on the project two years ago. In conjunction with Illuminarium Experiences and Rolling Stone Magazine, he oversaw the production combing through 10,000 photographs and 250 archival clips.
The culmination includes a carousel of all 1,300 Rolling Stone covers chronologically displayed.
“That shows the impact on pop culture,” Siegel says. “Being on the cover of Rolling Stone is, as we say, the Mount Olympus of a career. Doing the Rolling Stone interview is the apex of a career. You’ve made it.”
Images zip by swiftly
More than 300 artists are included in the show including Taylor Swift. Before you walk into the gnomon-shaped theater, you stand in a room with the names of every singer and band snaking along the wall.
Swift appears nine times during the show: four times in the 50 minutes leading up to the magazine cover rollout, four magazine covers (one in the 2000s and three in the 2010s) and then once during the ending credits.
Can you spot the two Swift covers in the image below?
Long live the Eras Tour with our enchanting book
“A lot of people have affected rock ‘n’ roll,” Greenberg says. “A lot of people have been affected by rock ‘n’ roll. We wanted to broaden the audience to tell the overall story.”
The experience opened to the public Wednesday. Tickets start at $39. The hope is to expand “Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified” to more locations, possibly including Scottsdale, New York, Montreal, Sydney and Melbourne.
Don’t miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.
Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network’s Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
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First ‘We Need Diverse Books Day’ will be April 3
Looking to broaden the stories on your bookshelves this year? Mark your calendars: A new day celebrating diverse reading is on the horizon.
The nonprofit We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) is launching its inaugural “We Need Diverse Books Day” April 3 to highlight the importance of access to inclusive reading, the organization announced exclusively to USA TODAY.
WNDB was inspired by a viral Twitter hashtag in 2014 in response to an all-white, all-male children’s author panel at BookCon. Now, 10 years after its grants and programming launched, the organization will celebrate by donating 10,000 titles to schools and libraries across the country.
What is ‘We Need Diverse Books Day’?
WNDB is encouraging readers of all ages to pick up a book that features the stories of marginalized communities. Across social media, the organization will recommend titles and resources on where to obtain copies.
You can get involved by requesting a diverse book at your local library or buying from your independent bookstore and sharing your recommendation and review on social media using #DiverseBooksDay, WNDB says. And for every $10 donated, the nonprofit says it will provide a diverse book to an underresourced school.
“WNDB has helped change the landscape of children’s literature, but diverse books are for everyone and for readers of any age,” Roxane Gay, “Bad Feminist” author and WNDB board member said in a statement. “We can all grow and benefit from reading books that reflect the diversity of our world.”
‘We Need Diverse Books Day’ highlights need for inclusive reading
The inaugural reading day comes as book bans are on the rise across the country. PEN America’s study of over 1,000 of the most commonly banned books found 44% include people and characters of color and 39% contain LGBTQ+ people and characters.
Dhonielle Clayton, WNDB board chair and author of “Blackout,” stressed the importance to young readers of seeing themselves represented in books.
“Growing up, I was a huge bookworm, but I rarely saw a girl like me on a book cover,” Clayton said in a statement. “I know firsthand as an author and educator that there is power in diverse literature to build self-affirmation in young readers and to encourage them to dream big. These children deserve to know that their lives matter, both on and off the page, and they can grow up to become lifelong readers.”
A 2023 study by nonprofit First Book found that students spend more time reading when educators add new, diverse books to their classrooms. And while 99% of surveyed educators agreed that a diverse classroom library is crucial, only 58% said their library collection is as diverse as their students are.
The “faith and tireless work” of WNDB supports authors of color and gets diverse books into the hands of readers, says Angie Thomas, the bestselling author of “The Hate U Give.” Thomas won the organization’s Walter Dean Myers Grant in 2015. In addition to grants, WNDB hosts awards, campaigns to champion diverse reading, mentorship and “adopt a library” programs.
“Winning that grant allowed me to purchase a laptop so that I could write my debut novel ‘The Hate U Give’ and launch my career,” Thomas said in a statement. “WNDB’s programs have now supported hundreds of writers like me, helping us tell our stories so that we can share them with readers everywhere.”
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at [email protected].
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These famous women were once Girl ScoutsCelebrities
These famous women were once Girl ScoutsCelebrities