Chappell Roan recalls reaction to hearing her music on radio for first time
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Music legend Connie Francis dead at 87
Iconic singer Connie Francis, known for hits Pretty Little Baby and Everybody's Somebody's Fool, has died at age 87. Francis' death was confirmed on social media by her friend and copyright manager, Ron Roberts on Thursday — two weeks after she was hospitalised due to 'extreme pain', reports the New York Post. 'It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,' Roberts wrote on Facebook. 'I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news.' The chart-topping vocalist, who earned her stripes as one of the most successful female singers in the 1950s and 1960s, was rushed to the hospital in Florida on July 2. 'I am back in hospital where I have been undergoing tests and checks to determine the cause(s) of the extreme pain I have been experiencing,' Francis wrote. In a series of posts on July 3 and 4, Francis said that she was 'feeling much better' during her hospital stay. The following week, the singer — born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero — told fans she remained under the watchful eye of doctors and nurses as they determined the cause of her pain. The Stupid Cupid songstress revealed in May that a recent hip injury had temporarily landed her in a wheelchair. Despite retiring from the music industry in 2018, Francis' track Pretty Little Baby had recently gone viral on TikTok — over six decades after she released the song as part of her 1962 album Connie Francis Sings. 'To tell you the truth, I didn't even remember the song!' Francis said about the track's resurgence in popularity. 'I had to listen to it to remember.' 'To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is touching the hearts of millions of people is truly awesome. It is an amazing feeling,' the J amboree actress shared. 'It's an honour. To see that they're paying homage to me is just breathtaking.' 'It's truly awesome. I never thought it was possible. It's a dream come true. To think that kindergarten kids now know my name and my music? It's just thrilling,' she added. In her final social media post before her death, Francis thanked various celebrities — including the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift — who had listened to her viral track on social media. 'There have been many wonderful artists who have paid tribute to me by singing Pretty Little Baby,' the singer said in a TikTok video shared on June 26. Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1937, Francis' love affair with music kickstarted at the young age of 4 after she took part in various talent contests and pageants in her neighbourhood. She later dipped her toes in TV work, landing a prominent spot on NBC's Startime Kids during which she assumed her stage name, Connie Francis. Her glittering music career boasts a slew of hit tracks, including Top 10 singles Who's Sorry Now?, My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own, Where the Boys Are and Don't Break The Heart That Loves You. She was the first female singer to reach the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts with her 1960 song, Everybody's Somebody's Fool. In 1955, she signed a recording contract with MGM Records, however, the partnership proved to be unsuccessful, as most of Francis' songs didn't get traction. Just as the label was gearing up to drop her in 1957, her father — who had been her biggest fan and supporter — convinced her to record a version of Who's Sorry Now? as a last-ditch attempt to salvage her music career. Luckily, the singer's career took great strides in the years that followed, as she was able to propel to stardom through hits like My Happiness, Lipstick on Your Collar and Among My Souvenirs. What's more, her 1959 album, Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites went down a treat with her fans, paving the way for her hit 1960 track, Everybody's Somebody's Fool, to top the newly established charts. As the 1970s hit, Francis' music career appeared to wane after she suffered several personal setbacks. In addition to becoming a survivor of rape, Francis temporarily lost her voice in 1977 following nasal surgery. On top of that, her brother George had been murdered by the mafia in 1981. Still, she attempted to channel her hardships through new songs at the time, though these were unsuccessful. Her mental health took a hit, prompting her father to commit her to multiple psychiatric hospitals. After surviving a suicide attempt in 1984, Francis released a tell-all memoir titled, Who's Sorry Now? Following her personal struggles, the musician had partnered with Ronald Reagan's presidential administration on a task force on violent crime. She was also a voice for rape victims. Francis further raised awareness of the effects of trauma through her partnership with Mental Health America in 2010. As for her private life, Francis had dated singer Bobby Darin in the early years of her career — much to her father's dismay. She considered Darin, who died in 1973 at age 37, the love of her life, though her father had kept them apart for reasons unknown. 'My personal life is a regret from A to Z,' Francis told People in 1984. 'I realised I had allowed my father to exert too much influence over me.' Francis was married a total of four times, tying the knot with her first husband, Dick Kanellis, in 1964 and divorcing just five months later. She later married Izzy Marion in 1971, but the pair parted ways 10 months later. In 1973, she tied the knot with Joseph Garzilli, with whom she adopted a son, Joseph Jr. the following year. The pair ultimately split in 1977. Her final marriage was to Bob Parkinson in 1985, however, the pair called it quits after just a few months of married life. Francis is survived by her son.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Citizen Kane's iconic Rosebud sled sells at auction for more than $22 million
Hollywood history has gone under the hammer, with the more than $22 million sale of Citizen Kane's famous Rosebud sled. The once-thought-to-be-lost sled from Orson Welles's 1941 film was sold at a Texas auction on Thursday for $US 14,750,000 ($22.8 million) — becoming the second most-valuable piece of movie memorabilia ever sold. The sled is one of only three known to survive and was miraculously saved from disposal by director Joe Dante in 1984 while filming on a Paramount set that was once a RKO lot. The Gremlins director recognised the sled's importance, and preserved it for decades, even planting it as an Easter egg in four of his own films, including Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Scientific testing confirmed the sled's period authenticity, and like the others, the sled bore the signs of production use, including original paint, wear, Heritage Auctions said in a statement. "I've had the honor of protecting this piece of cinematic history for decades," Dante said. "To see Rosebud find a new home — and make history in the process — is both surreal and deeply gratifying. Only a few versions of the sled were produced for the 1941 production — with one being sold to producer-director Steven Spielberg in 1982, and an anonymous buyer in 1996. Thursday's buyer is unknown. Citizen Kane is frequently cited as the greatest film ever made, and the sled symbolises the film's theme of innocence lost. In 2024, the sale of Dorothy's ruby red slippers from Wizard of Oz made history when they sold for $US 32.5 million ($50.3 million) at auction. This week's auction also boasted a slew of other infamous film props including the inscribed tablets from Cecil B DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments, Indiana Jones's bull whip from The Last Crusade and Luke Skywalker's Red Five X-wing from The Empire Strikes Back.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Oprah reveals Harry's panicked call: ‘Problem'
IN LONDON Oprah Winfrey has lifted the lid on the panicked call she recently received from Prince Harry while he was grappling with an unusual 'problem'. Speaking on Kelly Ripa's Let's Talk Off Camera podcast, the TV queen was asked about potentially being gifted baby chickens, to which she joked that she'd immediately take them over to her neighbours, 'the Sussexes''. In a cheeky nod to Meghan's pointed correction of Mindy Kaling, who called her 'Meghan Markle' on her Netflix series and was told it was actually 'Meghan Sussex now', Winfrey deliberately mispronounced the surname, adding extra 'xessesses" at the end. The 71-year-old went on to explain how she'd recently received an emergency call from the Duke of Sussex, whose home with Meghan and their two kids, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, is just around the corner from her own in Montecito. 'I get a call from Harry, Prince Harry, on Easter Saturday, and he says, 'Sorry to bother you, O, but we have a duck problem here',' she said, imitating the prince's British accent. 'A duck had come into their yard and laid their eggs and had these chicks. 'And he said, 'Our pond is a stream, we don't have a pond, so can we bring the ducks over to your pond?'' Winfrey recalled that she'd asked him to 'wait' until her best friend Gayle King's grandchildren arrived, as they were due to visit a short time later. 'I said, 'Wait until I can get the kids to come down to the pond so they can see you put the ducks in the pond'. And he goes, 'No, we're coming right away, we're coming over!'' However, she added, the scene turned chaotic when the 'mama duck' took off, leaving Harry, Meghan and herself to chase her. 'As he opens the door, the mama duck flies out. And he's got all the baby ducks in a box,' she told Ripa. 'We're chasing the mama duck who is in the front yard and has flown to the other side. 'We've got her ducks. Harry's running after, Meghan gets out, she's running after, chasing the mum and trying to get her to come back to her ducks.' 'And for like half an hour, we're running around with the ducks in a box. We have video. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen.' Over Easter, Meghan had shared a clip of the ducks on her Instagram page, showing herself on a driveway as they made their way across the path in front of her. 'Wishing you a Happy Easter full of love … and surprises!' she captioned it. Meanwhile, Winfrey has been a friend of the Sussexes' for years, even attending their 2018 wedding at Windsor Castle. She famously conducted their first post-royal interview, which featured explosive details about their time working within the monarchy.
