Latest news with #entertainer
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hulk Hogan dies at 71: Live updates and reactions to wrestling icon's death
The professional wrestling icon and entertainer died in Clearwater, Fla., on Thursday morning. Hulk Hogan, the professional wrestling icon and entertainer, has died. He was 71. Paramedics were dispatched to Hogan's Clearwater, Fla., home on Thursday morning following a call about a cardiac arrest, police wrote in a Facebook post. The wrestling legend was treated before being brought to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Born Terry Gene Bollea, Hogan gained fame as a member of the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) and was known for dramatically ripping off his shirt as he entered the ring. Follow the blog below for the latest updates and reactions to Hogan's death. The Clearwater, Fla., police department posted a statement to its Facebook page confirming Hulk Hogan's death. "A 71-year-old resident, Terry Bollea, also known as Hulk Hogan, was treated by Clearwater Fire & Rescue crews before being taken by Sunstar to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased," authorities wrote. According to the Yahoo Sports combat website Uncrowned, Hogan died after suffering from cardiac arrest Thursday morning. WWE posted a brief statement on X in response to the news of Hulk Hogan's death. TMZ is reporting that Hulk Hogan was found unresponsive by paramedics who were dispatched to his Clearwater, Fla., home on Thursday morning for what was described as a "cardiac arrest."
CNA
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Singer-actor Zhang Yiyang was executed in 2024 for the murder of teenage girlfriend, Chinese court confirms
Chinese singer-actor Zhang Yiyang was sentenced to death by firing squad in December 2024 for the murder of his 16-year-old girlfriend in 2022, a recent investigation report from a Chinese court has confirmed. Zhang is said to be the first Chinese entertainer to be given the death penalty. The report from the Intermediate People's Court of Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province, which has circulated in Chinese media, stated that Zhang and his then-girlfriend started dating in September 2021. But when she would propose to break up, Zhang would refuse and often threaten her with suicide. On Feb 26, 2022, Zhang, who was 30 at the time, lured his then-girlfriend to a forest in Xingping City, Shaanxi Province, on the pretext of spending his birthday together. The couple had another dispute over a breakup and Zhang stabbed her neck multiple times with a folding knife he carried, leading to her death. According to the report, the Chinese actor-singer went home and threw her phone and his clothes into a reservoir. The next day, he attempted suicide in a hotel room in Xingping City using the same knife. He was later discovered by a hotel staff member who alerted the police. He was then sent to a hospital. In accordance with China's criminal law, the court sentenced Zhang to death for intentional homicide. Zhang's appeal was dismissed and he was executed on Dec 18, 2024, the report stated. According to Chinese media outlets, after police investigations, Zhang was found to be psychologically paranoid and had a strong desire for control. He had long threatened his then-girlfriend with suicide whenever she mentioned breaking up. Zhang had appeared in films such as The Soul Of The Dragon and released songs like I Only Care About People Who Care About Me and Crying Man. Many netizens have also criticised the entertainment industry for continuing to circulate Zhang's posthumous works despite his crimes, including the film The Sound Of Music (also known as Jieyou Sound Hall), which was released in March this year.
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Mural of Peterborough strongman legend Walter Cornelius unveiled
A mural celebrating a "well-loved" strongman, lifeguard and entertainer has been completed in the city that became his Cornelius, who fled his native Latvia in the 1940s and settled in Peterborough, was known for stunts such as pushing a pea with his nose for a mile (1.6km) and attempting to fly across the River artwork was painted by local artist Nathan Murdoch on the back of the former TK Maxx and Woolworths building on Wentworth said when he found out about Mr Cornelius' story, he wondered: "Why is there not more about him in the city?" Mr Murchoch added he had received a great response on social media from people who knew the strongman, who died aged 60 in 1983. "The tales coming are really interesting and he was a very well-known and well-loved person of the city," he said. Mr Cornelius became a favourite with TV viewers after he first appeared on BBC children's programme Blue Peter in 1967, performing a stunt in which presenters Christopher Trace and John Noakes battered his body with returned to the show several times, but his summer day job was as a lifeguard at the lido in Peterborough, where he taught generations of children to swim. Mr Cornelius made the city his home after rowing 400 miles across the Baltic with a Russian bullet wound in his stomach, according to his friend Chris feats included breaking more than 50 World Records and walking on his hands for 153 miles (246km), said Mr Allen. He became known as the "birdman of Peterborough" after an unsuccessful attempt to fly across the Nene for charity on a pair of homemade wings. Yet, the only acknowledgement of Mr Cornelius's story and achievements in the city was a "birdman" silhouette weathervane at the Lido. So Peterborough Positive, the city's Business Improvement District (BID), decided to commission the mural. Pep Cipriano, its chief operating officer, said: "Walter was a colourful, eccentric character and lots of people have great memories of when he was fulfilling all these feats, including going on Blue Peter."He became a Peterborough celebrity and needed to be honoured - but he was also a lifeguard at the Lido and with its 90th anniversary next year; it's a nod to one of its most famous employees."He hopes the publicity will see more people coming forward to share their stories of Mr Cornelius, whose life he described as "a Hollywood film waiting to happen". Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nanaimo singer Cameron Whitcomb tops 2025 Canadian Country Music Awards nominations
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Nanaimo country singer Cameron Whitcomb has topped the nominations list at the 2025 Canadian Country Music Awards with nods in six categories including entertainer, songwriter and male artist of the year. Whitcomb is tied with Waterdown, Ont., singer Josh Ross, who also has six nominations. Ross recently apologized to fans after facing criticism for calling the U.S. 'the best country in the world'. He and Whitcomb are up against each other in three categories. Whitcomb, whose career kicked off when he began posting videos of himself singing on Reddit, was spotted by an American Idol producer who invited him to audition for the program. Whitcomb competed on Season 20 of Idol in 2022, reaching the top 20 before being eliminated. The experience led him to decide to pursue a music career. He released his debut single Shoot Me Dead in 2023, inking a deal with Atlantic Records. His 2024 single Quitter was serviced to radio in Australia, Canada and the U.K., where it received favourable reviews. He has been steadily touring across North America over the past two years, building a solid fan base for his high-energy live show. Whitcomb's most recent EP Options was released on March 17. It includes singles such as the rocking Gasoline & Matches, and Bad Apple. Other B.C.-based acts in the running for awards include Surrey's Tyler Joe Miller with four nominations. Perennial favourite Dallas Smith has one nomination in the Fans Choice category. Smith has won eight CCMAs. New to this year's CCMA Awards is the francophone Artist of the Year award to be presented to a solo, duo or group act demonstrating exceptional achievements within the nomination time frame. This year's nominees are: Francis Degrandpré, Fred Dionne, Sara Dufour, Vince Lemire, and Salebarbes. The full list of 2025 CCMA Awards nominees can be found at Local fans will have two opportunities to put Whitcomb in first place as they can vote in both the Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year, and Fans Choice awards by casting their ballot at It says a lot about the explosion of country music into the mainstream that the Breakthrough Artist Award is presented by Birkenstock. Socks or not, the comfort shoe brand is not likely anyone's first go-to when thinking about big hats and buckles. The Fans Choice Award is presented by Bud Light, which seems much more 'on brand.' Country Music Week kicks off on Sept. 10 in Kelowna. The four-day-long event includes an industry conference, fan events, country crawl and the big awards show. That event will include performances from Madeline Merlo, Tyler Joe Miller, Sacha and Restless Road, Smith and Alexandra Kay, Thelma & James, Whitcomb and more act announcements to come. The 2025 CCMA Awards presented by TD take place on Sept. 13 at 5 p.m. at Prospera Place. Tickets are on sale now at selectyourtickets. sderdeyn@ Related The best Vancouver concerts in July: The Weeknd, Katy Perry, Paul Simon and more Vancouver Folk Festival: A classic Neil Young album reimagined, plus 5 must-see performers Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances.
Washington Post
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The first casualty is sleep as the bombs and missiles fall on Kyiv
KYIV — Sleep, never something to be taken for granted by Ukrainians, has become a rare and precious commodity for Kyiv residents in the past two months as nighttime onslaughts have sharply increased. Rare is the night that is not interrupted by the blare of air raid sirens or the sound of explosions. As they get ready to bed down, Ukrainians prepare for the possibility that they may have to scramble at a moment's notice to what they hope is safer location — a room or hallway with two walls separating it from the outside — or if the barrage is particularly bad, a bomb shelter, subway station or underground parking garage. In these places, amid the crying children and worried conversations among neighbors, sleep is fitful, if possible at all. Vitaliy Borysyuk, a well-known Ukrainian actor and entertainer, described how one night, as he and his wife and daughter were getting ready to go to sleep, he glanced at social media and saw reports that 15 to 20 drones were converging on Kyiv. They quickly descended from their 14th-floor apartment to the garage in their building. 'As we were gathering our things, we heard next to our windows the screech of drones flying by, and then three or four explosions in the distance,' he said. Just after they arrived, an 11-foot self-detonating Shahed drone plowed into the apartment building directly across from theirs, he said. Then a second drone smashed into the building next to that. After the all clear in the early-morning hours, they returned to their apartment. 'I could not sleep from the stress,' he said. He finally snatched two hours between 7 and 9 a.m. Faces on the streets of Kyiv show signs of the persistent lack of sleep. 'This sleeplessness means that you simply cannot function, because, as banal as it sounds, you just don't have the energy. You feel drained,' said Valeriya Lokhanchenkova — a barista speaking on her day off — as she sat in a cafe on the ground floor of one of the buildings that had been struck overnight. Outside, workers swept up the debris from the pavement and the burned-out shells of apartments smoldered above. But the effects of lack of sleep go beyond exhaustion, Lokhanchenkova said. She feels 'apathy' and a general sense of depression. 'You don't want anything and don't plan anything.' At a neighboring table, Ilona Kovalenko, a self-employed entrepreneur, said that 'during the attacks, it's impossible' to fall asleep, especially since she and her husband have a dog who 'simply doesn't allow us to sleep.' She finds it hard to focus during the day and has to make a conscious effort to overcome her increasing irritation. 'You have to take care of yourself,' she said. Experts say the effects of chronic sleep deprivation, including elevated levels of stress, anxiety and short-term memory loss, are on the rise. Olena Poliukhovych, a sleep specialist at Kyiv's Universum medical clinic, said the number of patients coming to her with acute sleep problems has increased threefold in the past month and a half. 'There has been a significant deterioration since the air attacks that began in June.' The reasons vary. Patients are woken up by the explosions or 'lie awake wondering if they need to go to the bomb shelter,' she said. Others have trouble falling asleep in general. 'They lie there and have a high level of anxiety,' she said. 'The anxiety is because they fear there may be an attack and they are waiting for something to happen. If they're older, they're worried about their children, grandchildren and relatives. If it's a young man, he could be worried about mobilization. If it's women, they're worried about their men on the front lines.' When people do fall asleep, their sleep is 'superficial,' Poliukhovych said. Over time, they develop ailments such as 'headaches, mood decline, and loss of concentration, memory and appetite,' and often 'acute hypertension' and problems with their endocrine system. Poliukhovych said she was also experiencing higher levels of anxiety. 'During the last attack, I was so exhausted that I lay down with my husband in the corridor and I was so angry. I started to curse the drones,' she said, letting loose expletives to illustrate the scene. 'And when I was finally falling asleep — 'Boom!'' she said. One of the social media channels that warn of impending attacks and inform of the consequences reported that what she had heard was a ballistic missile attack, she said. It was not clear if the missile was intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses. Children have a particularly hard time dealing with lack of sleep or interrupted sleep, specialists at the sleep laboratory at Kyiv's Okhmatdyt children's hospital said. 'A lot of children who have sleep disorders or insomnia have increased anxiety, [and] there is a link between interrupted sleep and attention deficit syndrome and hyperactivity,' said Roman Shevchenko, head of neural monitoring at the hospital's sleep lab. Uninterrupted sleep is crucial for the development of a child's central nervous system, he said. There is a joke making the rounds on Ukrainian social media right now: 'I'm not going to the bomb shelter, because I want to sleep more than I want to live,' Shevchenko said. 'On one hand, this is ridiculous. But on the other, this is our reality — that we are so exhausted that we cannot worry all the time.' That calculus entirely changes when children are involved, however. 'Before we had our child, we would stay in bed' when the attacks started, said Olha Syrotiuk. But after her daughter Yaroslava's birth five months ago, she and her husband Dmytro would 'go down to the shelter every time,' she said. But this proved to be too much. 'If before you managed to work just on adrenaline and get through the day, now you notice that this sleep deprivation builds up. And one of the last times when I came back home after the shelling had ended, I just didn't feel my own body,' she said, saying she felt numb. In the shelter, Yaroslava often does not sleep well, she said. Even if she does sleep, Olha and Dmytro do not, 'because you hear the explosions, and by the time all of it is over and you manage to get back to your house, you end up sleeping two more hours and then you have to get up anyway and feed the baby and then start working.' The family has temporarily moved to Ternopil in western Ukraine, where attacks are much more seldom, until the situation in Kyiv improves, she said. 'Combining having a child with work is just fine, but combining a child with work and Shahed drones is too much,' she said.
