Category: BUSINESS

Eric Dane isn’t letting his health challenges slow him down.

The “Grey’s Anatomy” alum, 52, revealed he’s been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, in an exclusive statement to People magazine.

The award-winning actor, who currently stars on the HBO teen drama “Euphoria” said he’s “grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.” Dane is married to actress-model Rebecca Gayheart, with whom he shares two children.

“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to (the) set of ‘Euphoria’ next week,” Dane told People. “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”

ALS, commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare degenerative disease that can impact the brain and spinal cord. Other stars who’ve battled ALS include late R&B singer Roberta Flack, world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, “SpongeBob SquarePants” creator Stephen Hillenburg and former U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace.

Here’s what else to know about the condition, including its symptoms and methods of treatment.

What is ALS? The rare disease made it ‘impossible’ for Roberta Flack to sing

What is ALS?

According to the National Institutes of Health, ALS progressively degrades, then kills nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

It’s commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the famous baseball player who got the illness and had to retire in 1939.

It’s a noncommunicable disease, and cases are not reported to federal health officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts surveys to study how common it is.  

According to one of the most recent surveys published about the disease in 2017, there were between nearly 18,000 and 31,000 cases of ALS in the United States.

What are the early signs of ALS?

ALS is found equally among men and women.

About 5-10% of ALS cases occur within families, according to the CDC. This is called familial ALS, and it means that two or more people in a family have ALS. These cases are caused by several inherited factors. 

Signs and symptoms of ALS — and the order they occur — vary from one person to another.

According to the ALS Society of Canada, potential early signs of the disease include tripping, dropping things, slurred or “thick” speech, difficulty swallowing, weight loss, decreased muscle tone, shortness of breath, increased or decreased reflexes and uncontrollable periods of laughing or crying.

What are the symptoms of ALS?

Potential early symptoms include:

• Feeling weak
• Fatigue
• Muscle cramping or twitching
• Muscle stiffness or rigidity

Over time, the muscle weakening will continue to spread throughout the body, eventually causing difficulties with breathing, chewing, swallowing and speaking.

The senses of sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell are usually not affected, and for many people, muscles of the eyes and bladder remain functional until very late in the disease, according to the ALS Society of Canada.

It is not known what causes most cases of ALS, but some inherited factors have been found to cause familial ALS.

Other factors that scientists are studying to find links to ALS include environmental exposures, diet and injury, according to the CDC.

Is ALS curable? 

So far, a cure has not been found for ALS.

People with ALS live from 3 to 5 years after symptoms develop, according to the CDC. How long a person lives with ALS seems to be related to age; people who are younger when the illness starts live slightly longer.

People with familial ALS typically live only one to two years after symptoms appear, the CDC reports.

Are there treatments for ALS?

While there is no cure for ALS, there are treatments that can slow the progression of the disease.

The drug riluzole, marketed under the brand name Rilutek, was the first treatment approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The drug was approved in 2017. A glutamatergic antagonist, it’s a disease-modifying treatment shown to extend life in patients with ALS, associated with a 35% reduction in mortality.

Edaravone, sold as Radicava, was approved in its pill form by the FDA in May. A third treatment is Amylyx Pharmaceuticals’ Relyvrio, which the company announced was approved by the FDA in September 2022.

MINNEAPOLIS – The sight of Marshall amps stacked three high and more than a dozen across the back of a stadium stage can mean only one thing: AC/DC is back.

Taking the stage for their first U.S. non-festival performance since 2016 with a guttural roar in the form of “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It),” the quintet accelerated through two hours of sweat-inducing, fist-thrusting rawk in support of 2020’s “Power Up” album.

There wasn’t anything flashy about their stage at Thursday’s US Bank Stadium concert, the first of 13 shows the band will play this spring, because there doesn’t need to be.

A trio of video screens (and panels on the side for those with an obstructed view), a wall of lights and occasional lasers were the only necessities to complement the focal points of the show – the duck-walking Angus Young and wild-eyed king of gesticulation Brian Johnson.

More: AC/DC setlist: All the iconic songs rocking the Power Up tour

Though Johnson’s patented shriek was somehow overpowered by the music for the first couple of songs, the sound leveled out in time for “Demon Fire,” accompanied by video of a cloaked figure conjuring smoke from (not on) the water.

Seeing Johnson, 77, back onstage was particularly poignant considering he was forced to leave AC/DC’s 2016 Rock or Bust World Tour due to severe hearing loss (it’s since been rectified).

And while the vision of Young, a vigorous 70 in his trademark schoolboy shorts, tie, crew socks and black shoes, is always amusing, there was nothing but serious respect for his finger-blistering playing.

The whizzing notes of “Thunderstruck” – a locomotive rumbling into overdrive – and the chunky chords of “Highway to Hell,” which included Young sporting the devil horns that hundreds in the crowd wore in rock ‘n’ roll solidarity, proved his dexterity is undiminished.

Young is the only original member of AC/DC, having co-founded the band with brother Malcolm, who died in 2017 from the effects of dementia.

Stevie Young replaced his uncle Malcolm on rhythm guitar in 2014, but there were a couple of different faces in the backline since AC/DC’s last tour when erstwhile drummer Phil Rudd departed to care for longtime partner Toni Wilson (who was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer in 2023), and bassist Cliff Williams announced his retirement.

The booming AC/DC rhythm section is now anchored by Matt Laug and Chris Chaney, respectively, who muscled through the bottom-heavy “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and the band’s 2020 No. 1 rock hit, “Shot in the Dark.”

While fans bellowed every time Young took a heel-to-stage bounce down the catwalk, Johnson’s moves were equally electrifying. He looked like Joe Cocker on epinephrine during “Whole Lotta Rosie” – a cartoon image of the titular character outlined in neon writhed on the video screens – and swaggered across the stage like a boisterous barkeep throughout “Have a Drink On Me,” one of the bluesiest songs in the band’s canon.

More: Las Vegas Sphere concerts: All the bands that are playing and how to get tickets

Johnson’s reedy yowl echoed through the venue as he sang “Hells Bells” underneath the signature gold AC/DC bell hanging ominously above the stage, but he also knew when to cede the stage to Young, whose molten playing on “Riff Raff” and “Let There Be Rock” threatened to melt his strings.

AC/DC’s setlist – a replica of the shows they played in Europe last year – peppered album tracks such as “Sin City” and “Shot Down in Flames” with song staples of barroom jukeboxes worldwide. Is there a music fan on the planet who hasn’t been tempted to whip out their best air guitar to the iconic riffs of “You Shook Me All Night Long” or “Back in Black”?

It’s been 50 years since AC/DC released their debut album, “High Voltage,” and while it was uncertain in recent years if the band would ever stampede across stadiums again, there’s no doubt now.

So to a band that still continues to rock, we salute you.  

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Potion Explosion

Constructors: Amie Walker & Amanda Rafkin

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• PIRATES (25A: Disneyland ride that features a dog with keys in its mouth, for short) The PIRATES of the Caribbean (PIRATES, for short) ride at Disneyland originally opened in 1967. It was the last ride Walt Disney personally helped design, and the ride opened three months after he died. The PIRATES ride tells the story of a band of pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries. In one of the ride’s scenes, a dog with keys in its mouth is seen. The PIRATES ride was the inspiration for the PIRATES of the Caribbean movies, and the dog with the keys is a character in those movies. I have been to Disneyland, and I have seen the PIRATES of the Caribbean movies. However, it’s been years since those things happened, so I needed the help of crossing answers here.
• ETHIC (51D: Word after “work” or “hacker”) I was familiar with the phrase “work ETHIC,” but the idea of a “hacker ETHIC” was new to me. The hacker ETHIC originated in the 1950s and 1960s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The informal code aims to make sure hacks are amusing and well-received. According to the hacker ETHIC, a hack must “be safe, not damage anything, not damage anyone, either physically, mentally, or emotionally, and be funny, at least to most of the people who experience it.”

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• RAFT (10A: “Lost” rescue vessel (or was it?)) Lost was an ABC sci-fi TV series that originally aired from 2004-2010. The series followed the aftermath of a plane crash on a mysterious island. Although I have not seen Lost, I have a number of friends who are fans. I was able to infer RAFT as the answer here from the bits and pieces about the show I’ve picked up from listening to my friends talk about it.
• ERRED (17A: Made a tpyo) This is a cute clue. It’s also painful for me to look at the intentional typo.
• AMES (18A: College town in Iowa) AMES, Iowa is the home of Iowa State University. Living as I do in Iowa City, Iowa – home of the University of Iowa – AMES is “that other college town in Iowa.” (I kid! My husband and son are both Iowa State alums.)
• CATS (19A: Black ones are sometimes called “voids”) The nickname of “voids” for black CATS is due to their ability to seemingly disappear against black backgrounds. When I was a kid, a black CAT adopted our family, so I have a soft spot for black CATS. My current CAT, Willow, is not a black CAT, as you probably know by now. My husband and I returned home yesterday after a two-week road trip. Willow has a lot to say about our absence. She is sticking quite close to me and letting me know exactly how she feels about us being gone!

• LHASA (44A: Capital of Tibet) Tibet is an autonomous region located in the southwestern part of China. The capital of Tibet is LHASA. 
• SHE-RA (62A: He-Man’s twin sister) In Mattel’s Masters of the Universe franchise, SHE-RA and He-Man are twins that battle their own foes, and sometimes make appearances together, as in the 1985 animated movie, He-Man and SHE-RA: The Secret of the Sword. 
• RACHEL (10D: Jennifer’s “Friends” character) The TV sitcom Friends originally aired on NBC from 1994-2004. The character of RACHEL Green was played by Jennifer Aniston. The use of the first name in the clue alerts solvers that the answer will be the character’s first name.
• PATTI (25D: Broadway star Lupone) PATTI LuPone’s acting career spans six decades. She is most known for her work in musical theater, and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2006. In the 2020-2022 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company, PATTI Lupone played the role of Joanne. She won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance. My husband and I were fortunate enough to see PATTI Lupone in Company on Broadway in June 2022. She was amazing.
• ILHAN (26D: Representative 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. 
• SUMO (28D: Honbasho sport) A honbasho is a professional SUMO tournament.
• IF/THEN (46D: Idina Menzel musical about the consequences of our choices) IF/THEN is a musical about Elizabeth (played by Idina Menzel), a 38-year-old woman moving back to New York City to make a new start. Elizabeth adopts a new name for her new life, and the musical tells the story of two possible paths, one taken by Liz, and one by Beth. PATTI Lupone and Idina Menzel in the same puzzle? This must be my lucky day; I’m a fan of both of these women. On our recent vacation, my husband and I were fortunate enough to see the musical Redwood on Broadway, which stars Idina Menzel. I was thrilled to be able to see her perform in person.
• STORE (52D: Daiso or Target, e.g.) Daiso is a franchise of Japanese 100-yen shops, similar to dollar STOREs found in the United States. Daiso has over 3,500 STOREs in Japan, and over 2,000 STOREs in other countries. Daiso STOREs in the United States are located in California, Washington, and Texas. Target is an American retail chain. Since the clue gives two examples, solvers only need to be familiar with one of these STOREs to be successful.
• OSLO (55D: Norwegian Nobel Institute city) OSLO is the capital of Norway. OSLO has been the home of the Norwegian Nobel Institute – which assists the Nobel Committee in selecting the Nobel Peace Prize recipient – since 1904. (At that time, OSLO was known as Kristianaia.) The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in OSLO in December of each year.
• OP-ED (56D: Opinion piece) At first glance, it might seem that the word “opinion” in the clue is a dupe of the OP part of OP-ED. However, OP-ED is short for “opposite the editorial page,” a nod to the location of OP-EDs in printed newspapers.
• A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
  • ENABLER (48A: Person whose “advice” should probably be ignored)
  • ELEPHANT (4D: The ___ in the room)
  • IT’S A GIFT (9D: Words that might precede “…and a curse”)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• STOP IN TO SAY HI (20A: Pay someone a quick visit)
• THAT’S A MOOT POINT (38A: “No use discussing it now”)
• HOT BUTTON TOPIC (54A: Sensitive issue)

POTION EXPLOSION: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word POTION: STOP IN TO SAY HI, THAT’S A MOOT POINT, and HOT BUTTON TOPIC.

POTION EXPLOSION is the name of a board game. Today, it serves as title and revealer for this puzzle. The word EXPLOSION is serving as an anagram indicator. The word POTION has “exploded,” resulting in a rearrangement of its letters to OPINTO, OTPOIN, and ONTOPI. It took me a few moments to identify the theme today, making for a nice “Aha!” moment. Thank you, Amie and Amanda, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

AC/DC is back on the “Rock N Roll Train” and steamrolling through with renewed vigor.

On the band’s first North American tour since singer Brian Johnson, 77, was forced to leave the road in 2016 because of severe hearing loss, the quintet powered up, around and through US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis at the April 10 kickoff.

The tour named for the 2020 “Power Up” album – the band’s first since AC/DC guitarist and co-founder Malcolm Young died in 2017 – loped through a round of European dates from May to August last year, but that hardly diminished the quintet’s stamina.

Angus Young, still sporting his schoolboy uniform of shorts, tie, crew socks and black shoes, extracted roars from the sold-out stadium crowd every time he blistered his fingers during solos on classic rock mainstays (“Back in Black,” “Highway to Hell”) and album cuts (“Have a Drink on Me,” “Riff Raff”) alike. Johnson, meanwhile, has a well-preserved shriek to accompany his wild-eyed delivery and appeared gleeful as he waved his arms and shimmied a hip through “Whole Lotta Rosie” and “You Shook Me All Night Long.”

The band – Johnson, Young, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug and bassist Chris Chaney – thundered through a 21-song set rife with fist-pumping hits.

Here are the songs the band is playing on this 13-date stadium tour with The Pretty Reckless opening.

More: Las Vegas Sphere concerts: All the bands that are playing and how to get tickets

AC/DC’s Power Up Tour setlist

1. “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)”
2. “Back in Black”
3. “Demon Fire”
4. “Shot Down in Flames”
5. “Thunderstruck”
6. “Have a Drink on Me”
7. “Hells Bells”
8. “Shot in the Dark”
9. “Stiff Upper Lip”
10. “Shoot to Thrill”
11. “Sin City”
12. “Rock N Roll Train”
13. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
14. “High Voltage”
15. “Riff Raff”
16. “You Shook Me All Night Long”
17. “Highway to Hell”
18. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
19. “Let There Be Rock”
20. “T.N.T.”
21. “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”

Another day, another dating series to get hooked on.

With its format as a live show, Netflix’s “Pop the Balloon Live” sets itself apart from the likes of “Too Hot to Handle” and “Love is Blind” (which the streamer still euphemistically calls “social experiments”). And, arguably, it comes across more overtly as competition than a love connection.

The show, which is adapted from Arlette Amuli and Bolia Matundu’s YouTube series “Pop The Balloon or Find Love,” premieres Thursday night and promises a cast of “everyday daters” alongside reality TV veterans.

Here’s what to expect from “Pop the Balloon Live.”

How to watch ‘Pop the Balloon Live’

The new Netflix series airs episodes Thursdays at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT.

After premiering live, episodes will be available to watch back on Netflix.

What is ‘Pop the Balloon or Find Love?’

Since launching their first episode in December 2023 with Phoenix singles, Amuli and Matundu have racked up 1 million subscribers.

The YouTube series’ premise has contestants line up in front of a prospective match. Someone pops a balloon “if you’re not feeling the person,” but they could also “keep it to find out if they’re your match.” Amuli then asks why someone is or is not their type, and typically brutal honesty ensues.

How does ‘Pop the Balloon Live’ work?

Netflix’s description for its adapted series reads: “Each episode features a lineup of singles, surprise mystery daters, and a signature red balloon. If your balloon pops, your shot at love is over. No second chances.”

As host Orji explained to Netflix’s Tudum, “In the simplest terms, it’s like, ‘Hey, how can we put people in the same room and have them have real conversations? How can we also show people what some of their blind spots might be too?

“Maybe you pop the balloon too soon, and now you’re like, ‘Ah, they could have been a great guy, but I judged them based on something superficial.’ It’s also an opportunity for people to have real learnings about themselves.”

Unlike the original YouTube series, she said, “When there is a connection, they get a chance to ask deeper questions and see if this is a match they want to take into the real world.”

‘Pop the Balloon Live’ cast

Fans might notice some familiar faces from across the reality TV universe. Some of these reality TV veterans are:

• Johnny Bananas (“The Challenge”)
• Zaina Sesay (“The Ultimatum”)
• Chase DeMoor (“Too Hot to Handle”)
• Farrah Abraham (“Couples Therapy,” “Celebrity Big Brother”)
• Demi Burnett (“Bachelor” franchise, “Got to Get Out”)

Sure, we are no spring chickens, but the latest bout of bad theater etiquette is rightfully ruffling feathers.

Unruly youngsters are flocking to cinemas to see Jack Black’s “A Minecraft Movie,” a lightly unhinged video-game adaptation teeming with porcine witches, flame-throwing skeletons and baby monsters riding poultry. The PG-rated comedy adventure squawked to a staggering $163 million last weekend, the highest opening ever for a video-game film.

But “Minecraft” mania has been fueled by a series of disruptive TikTok trends, with audience members filming themselves as they clap, cheer, scream, jump on seats, and throw popcorn at the screen. One particular scene has become an instant meme, as Black proclaims, “Chicken jockey!” while a pint-sized zombie mounts a bird inside a boxing ring. Adolescent moviegoers frequently shout along with that and other popular lines, including “I am Steve!”

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Police have been called to ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ after complaints of vandalism and live chickens

Footage has circulated on social media of police being called to attend to rowdy filmgoers, some of whom have started bringing live chickens to the movie with them. Multiple U.K. theater chains have issued warnings about kicking out disorderly patrons, while one theater in Washington Township, New Jersey, has announced a ban on unaccompanied minors seeing the blockbuster without a parent or guardian.

“Large groups of unsupervised boys engaged in completely unacceptable behavior, including vandalism,” the Township Theatre management team wrote in a Facebook post. “If your son was at Township Theatre last night, we strongly encourage you to have a conversation with him about his behavior.”

For theater owners, the “Minecraft” phenomenon is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the film has single-handedly reignited a sluggish box-office year, with new movies including “Snow White,” “Mickey 17” and “Captain America: Brave New World” all vastly underperforming in recent months. The success of “Minecraft” has been driven almost entirely by the hard-to-reach young adult demographic, many of whom grew up with the 2011 video game. Eighteen to 24-year-olds accounted for 43% of the film’s audience, followed by 13 to 17-year-olds at 35%, according to PostTrak exit polls.

Jennifer Grygiel, an associate professor of communications at Syracuse University, spoke to NPR earlier this week about why “Minecraft” has resonated so strongly with Gen Z moviegoers in particular, saying that it’s an opportunity for them to congregate and connect offline.

“Maybe some of it is there just isn’t enough that’s bringing them together in the real world,” Grygiel told NPR. “They do want to be analog. They do want to find fun. They do want some entertainment in the terrestrial space.”

Phone use in theaters has become increasingly common after ‘Barbenheimer’

But at some point, theater owners will need to draw a line in the sand on where they come down on appropriate theater behavior. Although cineplexes have long struggled with people talking and texting during movies, audience phone use reached a fever pitch in 2023, thanks to the social media-propelled double feature of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” and Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” concert film, as young patrons filmed themselves singing and dancing along to her songs.

The worrying trend has only become even more prevalent this past year, with audiences filming much-discussed moments from “Wicked,” “Babygirl,” “Nosferatu” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” on opening weekend and sharing clips to social media.

Interactive screenings are not out of the norm. (After all, who hasn’t enjoyed a rambunctious showing of “The Room” or “The Rocky Horror Picture Show?”) But recent incidents continue to inspire “debates about what level of participation with other audience members, or on the phone, is appropriate without being distracting to others,” says Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory, a movie industry analysis site.

“Should there be screenings specifically made available and eventized as interactive events?” Robbins asks. “It’s an ongoing discussion in the industry as younger generations have different consumer expectations in a media-dominated world than their elder counterparts.”

Major chains such as AMC offer movie fans the chance to rent out theaters for a steep price, allowing them to belt their hearts out to “Wicked” as loudly as they please. Alamo Drafthouse, meanwhile, will sometimes host “rowdy” screenings of recent cult classics including “Cats” and “Fifty Shades Freed,” where theatergoers are free to hoot and holler throughout.

But for the time being, it seems unlikely that theater owners will take any meaningful action against your average rude patron. So please, folks, we politely beg: Be respectful, turn off your phones and leave the chicken at home.

It’s official. The Oscar for best stunt is finally rolling up to the Academy Awards.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the creation of the honor − officially called the Academy Award for Achievement in Stunt Design − beginning in 2028 for the 100th Academy Awards.

“Since the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a joint statement on Thursday. “We are proud to honor the innovative work of these technical and creative artists.”

Category rules for eligibility and voting for the inaugural award will be announced in 2027. More than 100 stunt professionals are members of the Academy’s Production and Technology Branch.

‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’: Brad Pitt’s role boosted stunt profession with Oscar push

The stunt award has long been advocated by stunt professionals and the people who admire the art onscreen. In 2019, the year Brad Pitt starred as a stuntman in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” a high-octane “Stand Up for Stunts” video played before the movie at the Alamo Drafthouse theater chain. 

In 2012, legendary stuntman Hal Needham was presented with an honorary Oscar and was introduced by Quentin Tarantino at the Governors Awards. “You know, you’re looking at the luckiest man alive,” Needham said during his acceptance speech. “And lucky to be alive.”

Hollywood reacts to the news of best stunt design Oscar

There was a long-overdue celebration for the Oscar for best stunt design on Thursday. “The Fall Guy” director David Leitch, the onetime stuntman who spearheaded the award initiative with stunt actor Chris O’Hara, said in a statement: “This has been a long journey for so many of us.”

“Stunts are essential to every genre of film and rooted deep in our industry’s history − from the groundbreaking work of early pioneers like Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin, to the inspiring artistry of today’s stunt designers, coordinators, performers, and choreographers,” Leitch said. “We are incredibly grateful. Thank you, Academy.” 

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” co-director Joe Russo posted a Ryan Gosling thumbs-up GIF from “The Fall Guy” on X.

“Stunt Teams getting the news they can now win an Oscar,” Russo wrote.

To reach Higashiyoshino, in Nara Prefecture, one must travel more than four hours by bullet train from Tokyo. The surrounding countryside is deep in cedar and cypress trees; 96 per cent of the land is forest, in which bears and antelopes still roam freely through the vegetation, and the small population of 1,322 villagers live in dwellings between the trees. It’s here, in this remote outpost, that the British product designer Felix Conran and his partner Emily Smith settled last year, having found an abandoned 140-year-old wooden house. Together, they’ve undertaken a mammoth renovation using traditional Japanese carpentry.

Conran, 30, is no stranger to rural life. His grandfather, the late Sir Terence Conran, founder of Habitat and London’s Design Museum, made his home at the 18th-century Barton Court, a near ruin in Berkshire that he transformed into a country pile in the ’70s. Conran’s father, the furniture designer Alex Willcock, lived in West Sussex in a Grade II-listed 17th-century residence, Kemps House, also taking on some of the renovation himself. Restoration is in the blood.

This is a case study in reviving abandoned houses

Conran’s own journey to Japan is the culmination of a series of life developments. He studied product design at Central Saint Martins before co-founding the furniture company Maker & Son with his father in 2018. The company, which at one point employed up to 250 people, produces handmade pieces in natural materials. “My life and joy was tied to the success of my company,” says Conran of building the business with Willcock, which they sold in 2022. Having divested himself of the responsibility, the designer found himself relieved of the pressure, but at a loss as to what to do. So, the following year, Smith suggested they embark on a three-month holiday in Japan. The road trip, which took them across the Japanese archipelago from the north to Okinawa, proved to be life-changing. Once they reached Higashiyoshino village, the couple booked into an Airbnb. “Within half an hour, I was mesmerised by the village, which has a clear stream flowing right through it,” remembers Conran. “Emily and I looked at each other and said, ‘Shall we live here?’” 

Their Airbnb host Kazu Sakamoto told them about a number of ancient abandoned wooden houses nearby. “It was then I had the idea that this could be my profession in Japan – to restore and renovate old neglected houses and turn them into modern homes.” Conran set up a company Ha Partners, named after the Japanese word for mother (“haha”) and Smith’s mother’s Korean family name so that he could work in the country, and returned to the UK to pick up their two dogs before the couple moved to Higashiyoshino last March.

Conran’s new home, which he and Smith have named Forest House, is one of his first renovations in this new building adventure. It was previously used as a warehouse and cattle shed. “There are an increasing number of old houses, not only in Higashiyoshino village but across rural Japan, that are no longer in use and left in a poor condition as it costs money to demolish them,” says Conran. “My aim is to show that it is possible to breathe new life into these neglected buildings, not by restoring them exactly as they were, but by appropriating them into modern and lovable houses, preserving as much as can be preserved. It is not a question of why I as an English person would do such a thing, but why I as a human being would do this. It was a pity to see a house, which has been part of the local history and culture, left to ruin. Renovating this place in Higashiyoshino is a case study in reviving other abandoned houses.” 

Intriguing details about the property arrived from next door. “Our 87-year-old neighbour Mr Kizu, who was born in this village and lived here all his life, told us the original house had been uninhabited for more than 85 years,” he says. “It would have been easier to demolish it and build from scratch, but then it would have looked as though a spaceship had landed here from nowhere. I believe a home should be part of the progression of local tradition, not detached from it.”

What drew us to the area is the care people put into everyday life

Although Conran is an accomplished designer, he had little experience in restoration work. For these houses, he sought the help of his friend, local Japanese architect Na Yamamoto, who helped him draw up plans for the house. Carpenters and woodworkers adept in traditional Japanese carpentry were then brought in to work with the timbers. “During the process of dismantling the house, we discovered the concealed wood joinery. I was amazed by the dextrous skill of carpenters who, more than 100 years ago, made these joints so they were not visible externally, without a single nail,” Conran recalls. “The techniques they used make these structures very strong. Discovering them was like talking to a person I’d never met.”

Kenta Kitamori, a 34-year-old carpenter who worked with Conran, used traditional kanawa and shachi joints for the beams, and daisen joints for posts – replicating techniques that have been used in temples and shrines for more than 300 years. The exterior walls, meanwhile, were treated with armour cladding or yoroi bari, a traditional construction method in which wood veneer is laid in slightly tilted layers (like the structure of armour). It’s a technique that was developed in the rainy regions of Japan, such as Nara, as it allows rainwater to drain away. Instead of acting as a structural wall, however, the walls are a membrane to improve insulation. The original structural wall has cedar cladding.

The abundant use of cedar and cypress also helps connect the family to their surroundings. Cedar and cypress trees from this region are more robust than those from other parts of Japan. “Generally, 3,000 trees are planted on a hectare of land but, in Higashiyoshino, people plant 10,000 per hectare,” Conran explains. “In such a high density, trees can’t grow rapidly and will mature more slowly. This creates a denser wood. In the west, cedar and cypress are not considered suitable for building materials, but Yoshino wood is extremely strong.”

Inside the house, wood is found everywhere: from the window frames to the flooring and kitchen, which were all designed by Conran, except for several pieces made by Hiiro Yamamoto, a local craftsman. Entering through the sliding door at the front of the north-facing house, the floor is raised 30cm off the ground, as in traditional Japanese houses. The bedroom and bathroom are found on the east side to take advantage of the morning sun, while the dining area and kitchen, on the west side, benefit from the warmth of the afternoon light. In the centre of the house, a fireplace was built to resemble an irori, the hearth where people would traditionally gather and cook. The most impressive feature, however, are the 3,200 wood blocks covering the floor, all cut to 15cm by 7.5cm in size. 

In the old days in rural Japan, the whole village would gather to build a single house. While Conran and Smith armed themselves with trowels to apply the Japanese keisodo plaster walls (which contain diatomite to make them breathable, insulating and sound-absorbent) themselves, a list of local carpenters, woodworkers, plasterers and neighbours helped out in this instance, watched on by 92-year-old Mrs Umemoto, who lives across the street.

Reflecting on their first year, Conran says: “I am intentionally enjoying each day.” He points to the surrounding landscape. “What drew us to this area is the care people put into their everyday life. People know they are blessed to be in nature. Mrs Umemoto was born here and even at the age of 90-plus, she climbs up the mountain slopes that can be 45 degrees or more, to smell the wild plants and mushrooms, and gather magnolia leaves. She lives an almost self-sufficient life. I think that is what a beautiful life is all about,” he concludes. “I learn from those who have the knowledge and wisdom. Every day is a new discovery.” 

President Donald Trump may be a business tycoon, but Whoopi Goldberg isn’t sold on the commander in chief’s tariffs.

“The View” co-host, 69, criticized the president’s market-rattling approach to import tariffs during Wednesday’s episode of the ABC talk show. The discussion came just hours before Trump, 78, announced a 90-day pause on U.S. levies.

“All you countries who watch us, this is not our wish,” Goldberg said. “This is not what the American people want. We don’t like it. We don’t like how this is being done.”

Trump’s about-face followed an escalating trade war with China and the European Union. China hit back at Trump’s 145% tariffs on Chinese imports, which went into effect Wednesday, with 84% tariffs on U.S. exports.

Later, the EU said it would impose 25% tariffs on a range of U.S. exports in a first round of countermeasures to Trump’s universal 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum.

The tit-for-tat levies heightened concerns from business leaders and economists about a possible recession. But Trump downplayed the economic turbulence in a Wednesday morning post on his social media network, Truth Social: “BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before!”

Goldberg continued: “That’s why you will hear us kvetching about this as long as we are able because no one we are talking to understands what’s going on. And therefore, when they say ‘America,’ they are not talking about us.

“They are talking about that very narrow band of America that they think they represent, that I think they don’t realize they’re starting to lose.”

‘None of your business’: Whoopi Goldberg defends Selena Gomez’s body on ‘The View’

The tariff pause, which applies to nations that did not retaliate against the tariffs Trump unveiled last week, sent battered U.S. stocks soaring Wednesday, although they gave up a significant amount of the gains Thursday. The EU responded by putting on hold for 90 days its first countermeasures against U.S. tariffs.

Additionally, National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said Thursday that the U.S. has already received “serious” trade deal offers from almost 20 nations and that two deals are “almost closed.”

Despite the pause, Trump’s 10% baseline tariffs on most imports remain in effect. Trump said he will revive the higher reciprocal tariffs if the U.S. is unable to reach trade deals with those nations.

Whoopi Goldberg slams Donald Trump for calling ‘View’ hosts ‘dumb’ after Kamala Harris interview

This isn’t the first time Goldberg has been critical of Trump. After the president called Goldberg’s raunchy comedy style “filthy, dirty” and “disgusting” during an October 2024 campaign rally, Goldberg walked out to “Dirrty” by Christina Aguilera on “The View” and then roasted Trump for his remarks.

“I was filthy and stand on that fact. I have always been filthy, and you knew that when you hired me,” said Goldberg, who previously performed at Trump-hosted events. “I headlined, babe, at your casino, which I might’ve continued to play had you not run it into the ground. How dumb are you? You hired me four times.”

Contributing: John Bacon, Joey Garrison, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Jorge L. Ortiz and Jay Stahl, USA TODAY