Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings’ ego is apparently growing by the minute after Mayim Bialik is on hiatus from the show, according to an insider.
Jennings, 49, is “is throwing his weight around and acting like he owns the place these days. He’s even demanding a fatter paycheck,” a source dished.
However, it doesn’t sound like he will be breaking the bank anytime soon. “They’re not just going to throw money at him. Ken still has a lot to prove, although he may not think so. The pressure is squarely on his shoulders now to deliver ratings and live up to all the hype he’s created for himself,” the insider said.
As OK! previously reported, after Pat Sajak announced he would be stepping down as host fromWheel of Fortune, Jennings and Bialik are nervous for what the future holds for them.
“Pat Sajak’s departure and the way Vanna White’s been treated serve as a stark reminder there’s no room for complacency in this cutthroat game show world,” the source dished to RadarOnline. “Ken and Mayim are under no illusions about that! There’s a serious possibility they’ll both be booted in favor of some hotshot.”
Jennings and the actress don’t always see eye to eye, which doesn’t make the producers want to keep them around.
“Word is their bosses are sick of them fighting and have considered replacing them both with a more fan-friendly host,” the source spilled. “Mayim and Ken are finally seeing the writing on the wall and they’re determined to keep the ratings up and prove their worth, one episode at a time.”
The two hosts are on a mission to get more money from their gig — but time will tell if that happens.
“They’re griping that they’re ONLY getting about $1 million to host the whole season while Alex pulled in $10 million a year, and they don’t think it’s fair!” the source said, referring to late host Alex Trebek, who passed away in 2020.
An Indiana woman was killed Monday morning when a wheel broke loose from a passing pickup truck and smashed through her windshield, police reported.
The woman was driving down the westbound lane of I-70 near Indianapolis at about 7:45 a.m., when the left rear wheel broke off a Nissan pickup truck traveling in the eastbound lane, Indiana State Police said.
After careening across the median, the wheel bounced up into the woman’s red SUV, causing the windshield to collapse in and the front end of the roof to tear away.
The car landed on its side near a house after tumbling through a ditch and a fence
She then lost control of the car and went careening off the highway and crashing through a fence. The vehicle finally came to rest on its side in a yard about 25 feet from a house.
A 911 call was placed by a witness shortly after the accident, and paramedics arrived on the scene to find the woman unresponsive in her “severely damaged car,” police said.
Responders provided medical aid and attempted to save the woman, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Nissan that lost its wheel was located by police.
The wheel flew off of a grey Nissan pickup truck. Police later located the driver of the truck
Authorities declined to release the victim’s name.
The accident is still under investigation, police said.
Arleen Sorkin, who portrayed Calliope Jones on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives and served as the original voice of the DC Comics character Harley Quinn, had died. She was 67.
Sorkin died Thursday, a source told The Hollywood Reporter. Health issues kept her from acting in recent years.
DC boss James Gunn wrote on Instagram Saturday: “Rest in Peace, Arleen Sorkin, the incredibly talented original voice of Harley Quinn, who helped to create the character so many of us love. Love to her family and friends.”
Mark Hamill, who often recorded his lines as the Joker opposite Sorkin, also remembered her in a tribute, writing: “Devastated to learn we’ve lost the brilliant Arleen Sorkin. Not just a wonderful talent, but a truly wonderful person. I’m grateful not only to have worked with her, but to have been her friend. Sending my heartfelt condolences to her family & loved ones.”
Devastated to learn we've lost the brilliant Arleen Sorkin. Not just a wonderful talent, but a truly wonderful person. I'm grateful not only to have worked with her, but to have been her friend. 🙏 Sending my heartfelt condolences to her family & loved ones. 💔 pic.twitter.com/g1Mb3BWoKn
Harley Quinn was intended to be a one-episode character when she debuted on Batman: The Animated Series in the 1992 episode “Joker’s Favor,” which introduced her as a henchwoman to Hamill’s Joker.
Paul Dini, Harley Quinn co-creator and Batman writer, was a college friend of Sorkin’s and said he was inspired to cast her after being home sick one day and catching her on an episode of Days of Our Lives, in which she played a harlequin in a dream sequence.
“I thought about a character kind of like her persona at the time, which was the snappy, wisecracking blonde,” Dini told THR in 2016.
The character proved to be a hit, and Sorkin returned for eight more episodes and reprised the role for video games, animated movies and animated series over the years, including Gotham Girls, Justice League, The Batman Superman Movie: World’s Finest and more.
“I would sing in the car on the way to work — ‘Adelaide’s Lament’ from Guys and Dolls. And when I got there, I was ready,” Sorkin told THR in 2016. “Adelaide from Guys and Dolls is someone I always wanted to play. So it was very easy for me to find Harley’s voice. But I made her even more extreme.”
Harley Quinn has grown to become internationally known, with Margot Robbie portraying her on the big screen.
Tara Strong, who went on to voice Harley Quinn in other iterations, called Sorkin “the inspiration & the heart & soul of this iconic character.”
Born on Oct. 14, 1955, in Washington, Sorkin worked in a comedy troupe and as a cabaret performer in the 1970s and ’80s, then played Jones on Days of Our Lives from 1984-90, with return engagements in 1992, 2001, 2006 and 2010.
Her other acting credits include Duet, Open House, Dream On, Ted & Venus, I Don’t Buy Kisses Anymore and Frasier. From 1990-92, she co-hosted America’s Funniest People alongside Dave Coulier.
Sorkin also served as a writer and producer on the TV shows How to Marry a Billionaire and Fired Up, co-wrote the 1997 film Picture Perfect and penned two episodes for Tiny Toon Adventures.
Survivors include her husband, producer-writer Christopher Lloyd, and their two children.
Tim McGraw is known for country songs like “I Like It, I Love It” and “Live Like You Were Dying,” and he’s not changing his tunes anytime soon.As songs like Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” and Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” have taken over the charts, McGraw says that he has no interest in releasing similarly topical music or in getting involved in the heated conversations surrounding these kinds of songs.
In an interview with USA Today, the singer was asked about the culture wars currently taking place in country music, and he responded, “I only pay attention to the kind of music I make. I let the songs I record speak for themselves.”
“I stand for what I stand for and that’s all out there.” He said that he wasn’t sure what the apparent trend of these politically charged songs mean for country music going forward, but he did make it clear that he’s not getting involved. “I just try to stay consistent in what I do,” he stated.
While McGraw has never been hugely vocal about his beliefs, he has been open about them. In 2008, he referred to himself as a “blue-dog Democrat” in an interview with People and announced that he and his wife, Faith Hill, were Obama supporters.
He’s also been critical of Donald Trump at times, and he’s expressed his stance on gun control, telling Billboard in 2017, “There is some common sense that’s necessary when it comes to gun control.
They want to make it about the Second Amendment every time it’s brought up. It’s not about the Second Amendment . . . Military weapons should not be in the hands of civilians.”
While fans won’t hear anything similar to “Try That in a Small Town” on McGraw’s new album, called “Standing Room Only,” they can expect to hear a heartfelt song about his daughter Gracie and her move across the country. “Nashville CA/L.A. Tennessee” is the name of a song on the album that he co-wrote with Bob Minner, his guitar player, and Lori McKenna, a singer-songwriter who also added vocals to the track.
He told the story of how he drove Gracie to Los Angeles, helped her move her things into her new home and then hesitated to leave.
“She puts both hands on my shoulders and says, ‘Dad, I’ve got this,’” he said emotionally. “She gave me a big hug and I said I love her and when I was driving back by myself I called Bob and we were swapping stories about our kids growing up, and he called Lori and we started working on the song. It’s not really spot on, but the inspiration came from moving my daughter.”
Elsewhere in the interview, he said, “Throughout my career, my records have gravitated toward those kinds of songs. Stories about life. We all fail. We all have our terrible moments. And we’re going to have moments and we’re going to do the wrong thing, say the wrong thing, be politically incorrect from time to time.
“But all you can do is get up the next morning and try to do the next best thing. I’m always looking for songs that are life-affirming because they’re therapeutic to me and remind me of how much of a better person I need to be.”
A hot air balloon pilot involved in a crash that killed all five people on board is said to have had drugs, including cocaine, in his system.
An investigation was launched by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) after the crash in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2021. The NTSB said in its final report released this week that the pilot, Nichola Meleski, did not maintain enough clearance from power lines while trying to land.
He ended up hitting the power lines before crashing the hot air balloon into a busy intersection. Investigators found no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures.
The amounts of cocaine and marijuana found in his system suggested “recent use” which likely would have had “impairing effects” that contributed to the crash on June 26, 2021, according to the report. The report said Meleski had used cannabis “within the last few hours” and had also used cocaine recently.
“Some impairing effects of THC would likely have been present, that would have effected the pilot’s ability to successfully operate the balloon.”
Meleski’s family said in a statement their hearts go out to the families of the passengers – Mary Martinez, her husband Martin, and their friends, Susan and John Montoya.
“We cannot express the depth of our grief and sadness for the pain this accident has caused – our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of the passengers,” they said. “We also want to thank the entire hot air ballooning community of New Mexico and across the world.
“The outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming and we continue to grieve with you. Nick loved this community so dearly, and our family will continue to support the sport any way we can. Whether you crew for a pilot or are a veteran in the skies…
“May the winds welcome you with softness. May the sun bless you with its warm hands. May you fly so high and so well that God joins you in laughter And sets you gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.”
Witnesses told investigators that the balloon’s envelope, the actual ‘balloon’, separated from the basket after hitting the power lines and floated away. It was found south of the crash site.
Martin Martinez worked as a police officer, first for the city of Albuquerque and later for its public school system. Mary Martinez, a mum-of-two, is remembered for her love of helping people. Susan Montoya was an assistant school principal and her husband worked with special educational needs students.
Federal officials said the hot air balloon crash was the deadliest in New Mexico’s history and the second deadliest in the US since 2016. Albuquerque is home to an annual international balloon fiesta that draws hundreds of pilots and tens of thousands of spectators every October.
Legendary music executive Jerry Moss, a co-founder of A&M Records whose roster included such hit acts as Janet Jackson, The Police, Sting, the Carpenters and Sheryl Crow, died Wednesday. He was 88 years old.
The death was attributed to natural causes, said Moss’ widow, Tina Morse, per the Associated Press, which also reported that Moss died at his home in Bel Air, California, via a statement from his family.
“They truly don’t make them like him anymore and we will miss conversations with him about everything under the sun, the twinkle in his eyes as he approached every moment ready for the next adventure,” according to the statement,
Moss co-founded A&M Records with trumpeter Herb Albert, who would also record for the label, in 1962, Rolling Stone reported–their surnames made up the ‘A’ and ‘M’ in A&M Records. The initial plan for their then-new partnership, as both men told the magazine in 2012, was to release Alpert’s “Tell It to yhe Birds” and Charlie Robinson’s “Love Is Back in Style,” which had a trumpet solo by Alpert. A&M Records co-founder Jerry Moss.
“Herb’s record was a hit. It sold several thousand copies, which was enough to get us going,” Moss told Rolling Stone at the time.
A&M Records signed some of music’s popular acts in the following decades, including Joe Cocker, Styx, Joe Jackson, Squeeze, Suzanne Vega, the Human League, Cat Stevens, Amy Grant and Soundgarden. Among the label’s smash hit albums were Carole King’s Tapestry, Jackson’s Control, The Police’s Synchronicity, Bryan Adams’ Reckless and Peter Frampton’s “Frampton Comes Alive!” Even Alpert himself found success on A&M with his 1965 album Whipped Cream & Other Delights and his 1979 single “Rise.”
Moss was born in Brooklyn, New York, and got his start in the music business doing radio promotion for Coed Records, per Variety. He later moved to California and launched an independent record promotion company; his work as a record producer brought him in contact with Alpert, both of whom started A&M in Alpert’s garage. “We had a huge advantage,” Alpert told Rolling Stone in 2012. “There was no board of directors – just Jerry and myself. We made decisions quickly, and signed artists we liked.”
In 1989, A&M was sold to Polygram for $500 million, and Moss and Alpert continued with the label until 1993, Variety reported. The two executives were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
“What we built we’re very proud of,” Moss told music writer Barney Hoskyns for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s program notes. “We were able to communicate with people that the label really meant something unique in the music world.”
Some of the artists who were on the roster paid tribute to Moss on social media following the news of his death.
“I am so sorry to hear Jerry Moss has left us,” Peter Frampton wrote on Twitter (now known as X). “Jerry was a true gentleman and if it weren’t for him, so many lives might have turned out very differently…He loved great music and went out of his way to make a place where artists could find themselves and create with his lovely encouragement and patience. I love you, Jerry, and my thoughts are with wife Tina and the entire family. Rest now my dear friend.”
(1/2) I am so sorry to hear Jerry Moss has left us. Jerry was a true gentleman and if it weren’t for him, so many lives might have turned out very differently.
“A gentleman, a mentor, a friend, and utterly irreplaceable,” Sting shared in an Instagram post that featured a photo of him and Moss. “A devastating loss.”
“Jerry Moss was an honest man,” tweeted Yusuf/Cat Stevens, “and was a great patron of musical talent. It was at his Malibu house I re-connected with God, out there in the Ocean. May he rest in peace. #jerrymoss”
Jerry Moss was an honest man, and was a great patron of musical talent. It was at his Malibu house I re-connected with God, out there in the Ocean. May he rest in peace. #jerrymosspic.twitter.com/WjcmCAT5ne
Former Police guitarist Andy Summers also wrote about Moss via X: “Very sad to hear of the passing of the great Jerry Moss. He was a kind, clever and thoughtful man who was fun to be around and be involved with. It never felt like business but rather a fruitful and creative partnership. He will be missed. Thanks Jerry.”
Six people have died after a plane fell from the sky in Canada.
Police in Calgary confirmed the incident occurred just west of the city, in the Alberta mountains, after taking off the night before from Springbank airport. The pilot had five passengers on board.
Travelling in a single-engine Piper PA-32, they were bound for Salmon Arm in the neighboring province of British Columbia. Officials say the plane was reported overdue at 1:00 am on Saturday, and a Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules plane was soon dispatched to search for the missing aircraft.
The search team located it by tracing an emergency locator transmitter to Mount Bogart, where it was confirmed none had survived the crash.
A Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said the agency is investigating the incident. It recalls the tragic crash of a small plane carrying a ‘will you marry me?’ banner two years ago.
The 1974 Cessna 172 plane was trailing the message over Montreal when it burst into flames and crashed in the city’s Parc Dieppe.
The plummeting aircraft was observed by revellers at the nearby Osheaga Get Together music festival.
Evidence retrieved from the crash site showed that the plane bounced upon impact and spun before coming to a stop. One passenger died and the pilot, Gian Piero Ciambella, sustained injuries.
He had previously earned an award for an ‘extraordinary piloting feat’ after making an emergency landing in the city when his engine stalled during a flight in 2016.
Earlier this week, two pilots also died after their plane – incidentally, thought to be a Canadair craft – crashed into a hillside while fighting raging wildfires on the Greek island of Evia, near Athens.
Locals explained how an almost identical tragedy – again, involving a Canadair plane, and also claiming the lives of two men – took place almost fifteen years ago to the day.
An Alabama teenager was brutally attacked and left unconscious with a broken nose by a group of several men at a country music festival on Saturday night.
Reid Watts, 18, attended the “Rock the South” music festival with a group of his friends when a fellow concertgoer accused him of spilling a drink on them, which eventually led to the teen getting beaten up by a group of “30- to 40-year-old” men.
Watts said he tried to clear up any hostility with his accuser as he didn’t have a drink on him and the two reportedly shook hands, but moments later while some of his friends left for the restroom, he was attacked from behind.
“Some dude said I was spilling beer on him or something along those things, and then I talked to him because I didn’t have a drink on me at the time, like I didn’t have anything, I talked to him and shook his hand because I thought everything was okay because I explained to him it wasn’t me,” Watts recalled to WBMA.
“Then a few minutes later, I was walking back and got hit in the back of the head, then I hit the ground and tried to cover my face, then I got knocked out and that was really all I remember,” Watts added.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
Watts’ girlfriend, Katie Hudgins, said she was left traumatized after watching the group of men beat up her boyfriend in front of her, and even rob the defenseless teen.
“It was horrible, I’m traumatized, I felt so helpless because I couldn’t get in there and get to him and I had to sit there and watch him get beat up while he’s unconscious, it’s horrible,” Hudgins said.
The brawl wasn’t broken up until festival security got to the teen and rushed him out, Watts’ mother said as she asked for help finding her son’s attackers.
“Please help me find the cowards who did this to my son tonight at Rock the South. There were several grown men (30s-40s) who jumped on him and beat him unconscious while his girlfriend stood there screaming and crying for help,” Kaci Howard said in a Facebook post. “They continued beating him while he was on the ground until security finally got to them and got Reid and Katie out of there and to an ambulance.”
Watts was rushed to a local hospital, where Howard shared a photo of her beaten-up son with swollen eyes, a reddened face, and wearing a neck brace while being examined.
“He has a fractured nose, concussion, stitches, knots the size of softballs on the back of his head. He never even saw it coming,” Howard added.
Watts was rushed to a local hospital, where Howard shared a photo of her beaten-up son with swollen eyes, a reddened face, and wearing a neck brace while being examined.
Although it is unclear when the attack happened, singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton was headlining Saturday’s concert at York Farms in Cullman, Alabama.
One bystander claimed he tried to help Watts, saying he couldn’t watch his own friends get jumped like that, so he didn’t want to see a stranger beaten up either.
“I was thinking maybe if it was my little brother or one of my friends, I would hope someone would do the same. It was just so many people standing around watching,” Chase Brown told the outlet.
Watts was released from the hospital and has been healing at home following the attack.
“I’m all right, and it could’ve been a lot worse,” Watts said.
It is unclear what exactly led to the assault.
Police opened an investigation and initially asked festival-goers for help identifying the men responsible for Watts’ injuries.
Watts was released from the hospital and has been healing at home following the attack.
But cops have said they no longer need more information as investigators are working the case and will file charges soon, with a press conference scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
“The part that we are the most concerned with is that portion where Mr. Reid is on the ground and it’s obvious that he is unconscious, you can see that his legs are not moving and he continues to be punched in the face,” Chief David Nassetta of the Cullman Police Department told the WBMA.
Festival organizers offered a $10,000 reward and lifetime tickets for information that would lead to the arrest of Watts’ attackers.
The festival also called the perpetrators “gutless cowards,” but thanked everyone for sharing information and photos.
“We’ve always been about community. We are proud of how our fans have come together like never before. Thank you RTS Family for your great work,” the festival said on Instagram.
Dozens of tourists have fled the waters of a Northern Territory national park swimming hole after it’s believed a man was attacked by a crocodile.
NT Parks and Wildlife closed Wangi Falls, in Litchfield National Park, on Monday afternoon after “unconfirmed reports of an incident with a crocodile,” according to a social media post.
“We have closed access for safety reasons,” it reads, “please obey all closures and do not enter the water.”
NT News reported an off-duty nurse helped the man, aged in his 60s, until staff from a local health clinic arrived to transport the man.
The Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife posted this update following the incident.
Taneka Starr, a visitor from Tasmania, told the paper about 80 people were swimming at Wangi Falls when the attack took place.
“He saw the croc and warned another man which diverted the croc back to him,” Taneka said.
“People on the viewing platform were screaming at us to get out of the water, which we all did.“[It was] terrifying.”
The crocodile was caught in a trap by the Crocodile Management Team.
She said the man suffered scratches and an open-wound to his arm, and while he was in shock, tried to downplay his condition because his grandchildren were present.
A Tasmanian police officer put her body on the line to protect her family during the attack.
Detective Taneka Starr was on holiday with her family when onlookers began screaming about the crocodile. “We formed a circle together to make sure we all made it out of the water safely as a group, especially the children,” she said.
“We then saw that a man had suffered injuries to his arm and together my sisters and I provided first aid. I’m so glad that everyone was OK. It was a pretty terrifying experience.”
Wangi Falls is a popular dry-season swimming hole, about an hour’s drive south of Darwin.
The incident comes just a day after a 2.5m saltwater crocodile (a “saltie” to the locals, as opposed to a “freshie”) closed Bitter Springs, in the Elsey National Park.The NT Government says while they take visitor safety seriously, the way people behave around crocodile habitats is their responsibility.
“Any body of water in the Top End may contain large and potentially dangerous crocodiles,” reads their crocodile education website Crocwise.
Russian secrect service agents foiled an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin, insiders have said.
The Federal Protection Service (FSO), which has responsibility for protecting top Russian officials, apparently stopped an attempt to kill Putin with explosives placed in a river bed underneath a bridge.
Telegram channel VChK-OGPU claimed the device was timed to blow up as Putin‘s motorcade travelled across the unnamed bridge, likely to be somewhere along the route from the Kremlin to the President’s residence outside Moscow.
The Telegram post states: “The FSO was checking information about the preparation of an assassination attempt on Putin with the help of explosives at the bottom of the Moskva River, laid down from a barge.
“A duty officer of the Federal Security Service reported a suspicious barge under the bridge.”
Russian secrect service agents foiled an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin, insiders have said.
The Federal Protection Service (FSO), which has responsibility for protecting top Russian officials, apparently stopped an attempt to kill Putin with explosives placed in a river bed underneath a bridge.
Telegram channel VChK-OGPU claimed the device was timed to blow up as Putin’s motorcade travelled across the unnamed bridge, likely to be somewhere along the route from the Kremlin to the President’s residence outside Moscow.
The Telegram post states: “The FSO was checking information about the preparation of an assassination attempt on Putin with the help of explosives at the bottom of the Moskva River, laid down from a barge.
“A duty officer of the Federal Security Service reported a suspicious barge under the bridge.”
Divers were reportedly seen in the water after the suspect barge was ordered to move, “due to the movement of motorcades over the bridge”.
The FSO is thought to have checked the papers of the crew of the barge, who claimed they were carrying out repairs to the bridge.
Nothing has been announced officially as of yet related to the detection of explosives.
The post added: “The employee said that in connection with security measures, it is necessary to remove the ship, this is due to the movement of motorcades along the bridge itself.
Immediately after that, the divers began to examine the bottom of the river, and after a few hours, the FSO demanded to check the documents of all those present on the barge.
“The officers were interested in documents confirming the completion of repair work at the bridge on that particular day and time.
“Special services are still working with the repair team and their superiors.”
A brief clip shot from the bridge appeared to show security forces on a boat in the Moskva near the Novoarbatsky Bridge.
The activity was close to the World Trade Centre and the White House headquarters of the Russian government near the former Ukraine Hotel, a Stalin tower now which is now called the Radisson Collection Hotel.
A drone strike in May targeted the Kremlin in what Russia claimed was likewise at attempt by Ukrainian forces to assassinate Putin.
Ukraine‘s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, refused the suggestion, saying: “We don’t attack Putin or Moscow.
“We fight on our territory. We’re defending our villages and cities”
