Rick Derringer, legendary McCoys guitarist and Grammy-winning Weird Al producer, dies at 77

Rick Derringer, legendary McCoys guitarist and Grammy-winning Weird Al producer, dies at 77

Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Rick Derringer, the pioneering guitarist, frontman of the influential, proto-garage-rock act the McCoys, and a Grammy-winning producer forWeird Al Yankovic, has died at 77. Tony Wilson, Derringer's longtime caretaker and friend, announced his death in Ormond Beach, Fla., in a TuesdayFacebook postthat read, "Legendary musician/entertainer Rick Derringer Received His Wings And Passed On This Memorial Day." Wilson noted that Derringer "passed on at 8:09 PM on May 26th, surrounded by his loving wife, Singer Songwriter, and band of 28 years Jenda Derringer, [and] his caretaker and close friend Tony Wilson." No cause of death was given. Born Richard Dean Zehringer on Aug. 5, 1947, Derringer was the son of an Ohio railroad foreman and first formed his influential band, the McCoys, while still in eighth grade. The band recorded their first and most enduring hit, "Hang On Sloopy," the year after the original, the Vibrations' song "My Girl Sloopy," was released in 1964, before Derringer had turned 18. The song charted higher thanThe Beatles' "Yesterday" and paved the way for Derringer's continued success. Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Derringer formed and joined a number of groups throughout his storied seven-decade career, including the Edgar Winter Group, which scored Derringer another big hit in 1972 with "Frankenstein." His 1973 solo debut,All American Boy, was buoyed to success by lead single "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo," which has been re-introduced generation after generation via inclusion on the soundtracks for 1993'sDazed and Confusedand the season 4 soundtrack ofStranger Thingsin 2022. Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Over the years, Derringer collaborated with a number of iconic musicians and musical acts, from Steely Dan ("My Rival"), to Todd Rundgren (Derringer produced several Rundgren albums),Bonnie Tyler("Total Eclipse of the Heart"), andBarbra Streisand("Left in the Dark"). Derringer went on to Grammy glory for producing six albums for Weird Al Yankovic. In his post announcing Derringer's death, Wilson noted that arrangements for a memorial service for Derringer will be announced at a later date out of respect to his family and loved ones. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byRobert Mejias

in

May 27, 2025

Rick Derringer, legendary McCoys guitarist and Grammy-winning Weird Al producer, dies at 77

Rick Derringer, legendary McCoys guitarist and Grammy-winning Weird Al producer, dies at 77 Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Rick Derringer, the...

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Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mind-blowing

Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mind-blowing

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solvetoday's puzzlebefore reading further!Mind-blowing Constructor:Lynn K. Watson Editor:Anna Gundlach NINJA (22D: Spy also called a shinobi) In feudal Japan (1185-1868), a NINJA, or shinobi, was a covert agent. NINJA is having a moment, as we saw FRUIT NINJA as a theme answeryesterday. HOP IN (14A: "Come take this car for a spin with me!") and IN HERE (48D: "Come hide with me!") This puzzle is ready for some escapades. ELENA (17A: "My Brilliant Friend" author Ferrante) ELENA Ferrante is the author of multiple books, including a coming-of-age series of four books known as theNeapolitan Novels, of whichMy Brilliant Friendis the first. The TV seriesMy Brilliant Friend(2018-2024) is based on ELENA Ferrante'sNeapolitan Novelsseries. ELENA Ferrante is a pseudonym. In spite of her recognition as an influential writer, the Italian author has kept her identity secret since her first book was published in 1992. FITBIT (24A: Step-counting gadget) The step-counting FITBIT is an example of wearable tech. I used to have a FITBIT. In fact, I've had two different FITBITs, and both of them broke. I took this as a sign that I was simply not destined to know how many steps I take each day. OAHU (35A: Island with a state capital) The island of OAHU is home to Honolulu, the state capital of Hawaii. JETER (38A: Yankees legend Derek) Derek JETER is a former professional baseball player. He spent his entire 20-year MLB career (1995-2014) with theNew York Yankees. During that time he was a 14-times All-Star and a 5-times World Series champion. Derek JETER was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020. MAID IN MANHATTAN (40A: Jennifer Lopez rom-com set in a New York hotel) In the 2002 movieMAID IN MANHATTAN, Jennifer Lopez stars as the titular MAID. Ralph Fiennes stars as a high-profile politician. The movie is a rom-com, so you can probably figure out how the story unfolds. TETE (45A: Head, in French) Whenever I see the word TÊTE in crosswords, I think of the phrase TÊTE-À-TÊTE, which literally means "head-to-head." NES (46A: The Legend of Zelda console)The Legend of Zeldais a video game franchise. The originalLegend of Zeldawas released by Nintendo in 1986. NES stands for Nintendo Entertainment System. ROARED (49A: Sounded like a lion) My cat, Willow, can't ROAR like her big cat cousins, because house cats don't have the ability to ROAR. However, she can purr, which is something house cats can do that big cats can't. Generally, a cat can either purr or ROAR, but not both. Here's a picture of Willow living on the edge – the edge of the SOFA (53A: Piece of furniture in a den), that is. CHEF (1D: Julia Child, e.g.) Julia Child (1912-2004) was a CHEF, author, and TV personality. She introduced many Americans to French cuisine with her cookbook,Mastering the Art of French Cooking(1961), and her TV shows. HOLI (2D: Hindu festival of colors) HOLI, also known as the "festival of spring" and the "festival of colors," is a Hindu festival celebrating the end of winter and the arrival of spring. The date of HOLI varies with the lunar calendar. This year HOLI was celebrated on March 13 and 14. KELP (7D: Seaweed like kombu) Kombu is edible KELP. The seaweed is full of umami and is used to make dashi stock. SUN (11D: Closest star to Earth) The SUN is, of course, the star at the center of the Solar System, of which the Earth is a part. The Earth orbits the SUN at an average distance of 93-million miles. The nearest star to the Earth after the SUN is Proxima Centauri, which is 4.25 light years – approximately 25.5 trillion miles – away. ROMAN (28D: Like the numeral MMXXV) In case your ROMAN numeral knowledge is a bit rusty, MMXXV is, appropriately, 2025. ALDI (31D: Germany-based grocery chain) Here's a fun fact: Headquartered in Germany, ALDI is actually the name of two supermarket chains, ALDI Nord and ALDI Süd. Although the two ALDI chains appear as a single enterprise, and they have contractual agreements with each other, they are owned and operated independently. It is ALDI Süd that operates in the United States. ETTA (39D: "At Last" singer James) ETTA James (1938-2012) is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, and the Grammy Hall of Fame. She recorded "At Last" in 1960 as the title track for her debut album. Her recording of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. TEAS (58D: Oolong and hojicha) Oolong is a TEA made from semi-oxidized TEA leaves, and can be made from a variety of TEA plant cultivars. Oolong is similar to black TEA. Hojicha is a roasted Japanese green TEA. The roasting process results in a TEA with a nutty, toasty, sweet flavor with little to no bitterness. SIRE (61D: "Your majesty") It's true, SIRE is an equivalent form of address to "your majesty." Years ago when my daughter was in high school, she instructed my iPhone to refer to me as "your majesty." To this day (over 11 years and several iPhones later), my phone still addresses me as "your majesty," and if I ask it, "Who is your majesty?" it will show me a picture of myself. I'm not tech-savvy enough to undo this, and honestly, why would I want to? A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed: OUT (23A: Call in baseball and tennis) TUNES (71A: Twists the pegs on an ukulele) FIND MY IPHONE (20A: App that locates lost Apple devices) MAID IN MANHATTAN (40A: Jennifer Lopez rom-com set in a New York hotel) HIT AND MISS (56A: Unreliably successful) MIND-BLOWING: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word MIND: FIND MY IPHONE, MAID IN MANHATTAN, and HIT AND MISS. The word "BLOWING" in the title is a hint to solvers that today's theme is a hidden anagram theme. In each theme answer the word MIND is blown (in a way) and reconstructed with a different letter order. We have the MIND anagrams IND/M, D/IN/M, and ND/MI. Thank you, Lynn, for this MIND-BLOWING puzzle. USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Crossword Blog & Answers for May 28, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher

byRobert Mejias

in

May 27, 2025

Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mind-blowing

Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mind-blowing There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solvetoday...

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Miley Cyrus Debuts New Album ‘Something Beautiful’ With Surprise Performance at Fan-Only TikTok Event in Los Angeles

Miley Cyrus Debuts New Album 'Something Beautiful' With Surprise Performance at Fan-Only TikTok Event in Los Angeles

Miley Cyrus took a momentduring TikTok's fan-only listening event for her new album "Something Beautiful" to give the 100-person audience a heads up: "My next album is about to be extremely experimental, so have fun with that," she said. "'Something Beautiful' is just the appetizer." By that point, the room had already heard the album in full, as Cyrus had chosen Los Angeles' Chateau Marmont to preview her ninth record (out Friday) for fans that were lucky enough to secure an invite through social media. But what they didn't expect was a surprise performance from Cyrus, who appeared after album playback to debut a handful of songs from the project as well as a few fan favorites, including an impromptu rendition of her earlier hit "The Climb." More from Variety Miley Cyrus Unveils Official Trailer for 'Something Beautiful,' Her New Visual Album Why Harrison Ford Urged Miley Cyrus to Avoid Filming 'Something Beautiful' in a Forest Miley Cyrus Reveals 'Something Beautiful' Track List, Featuring Naomi Campbell and Brittany Howard The evening, in partnership between TikTok and Cyrus, was certainly for fans, as she consistently acknowledged how intricately they knew every adlib and key change. Dressed in archival Mugler, she took the makeshift stage at the front of the room — which also counted actress Anya Taylor-Joy in the audience — and began with "More to Lose," the sweeping ballad that she previously released as a single. "I've been experimenting with this album for the past year or two by having these nights at Chateau, they were invite-only, super exclusive, just my closest friends and my family," she said at the beginning of the set. "This was the way that I kind of discovered the album, because if it can't stand up with me and Michael Pollack on the piano, who I wrote these songs with, [Jonathan] Rado on the guitar, and Maxx Morando on the drums, then what are we even doing?… So making the album and fully realizing it all and watching it become this butterfly and have this metamorphosis, this evolution, it's so reflective of my life and everything that I'm experiencing and I pour that into the production. But at the heart of this album, it's still been us, really. It's been us three in a room making this album for the past couple of years." Miley Cyrus debuting songs from her upcoming album "Something Beautiful" during a TikTok fan event at LA's Chateau Marmontpic.twitter.com/mwsvvSUPPG — Variety (@Variety)May 28, 2025 Cyrus segued into the live debut of "Easy Lover" and her Grammy-winning smash "Flowers," describing it as "one of the most exciting songs I've ever gotten to put out into the universe." She continued with a makeshift cover of "The Climb" that Pollack — who previously worked with Cyrus on "Flowers" and others, including Beyoncé and Justin Bieber — knew how to play, much to Cyrus' surprise. She then concluded with "End of the World," describing how she wrote it in the very room she was standing. "That song was written in this room," she said. "It totally changed and morphed just from being right here in this place under the ceiling, and this place has so many memories for me that I'm not going to tell you about. You'll think differently of me. But all jokes aside, I just want to thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for all your support over all this time and on this album. It's totally a devotion and dedication to the ride that we've been on together, and I look forward to it continuing to places we couldn't even imagine." There was one last surprise in store for the evening as an attendee stood up just as she finished addressing the crowd to propose to his boyfriend. "Go get a room! Put it on my bill. If you want a bed, I'll charge it to my card," she said as the room erupted. "Something Beautiful" arrives this Friday, followed by its visual film on June 6. A couple gets engaged at Miley Cyrus' TikTok fan event at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. "Get a bed, charge it to my card," said Miley.pic.twitter.com/62U3bvym3w — Variety (@Variety)May 28, 2025 Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

byRobert Mejias

in

May 27, 2025

Miley Cyrus Debuts New Album ‘Something Beautiful’ With Surprise Performance at Fan-Only TikTok Event in Los Angeles

Miley Cyrus Debuts New Album 'Something Beautiful' With Surprise Performance at Fan-Only TikTok Event in Los Angeles Miley Cyrus too...

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Kaia Gerber Says Goodbye to Her Dog of 17 Years: 'My Forever Best Friend'

Kaia Gerber Says Goodbye to Her Dog of 17 Years: 'My Forever Best Friend'

Kaia Gerber/Instagram; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Kaia Gerber's childhood dog Widget died at 17 years old Gerber shared a sweet tribute to the pooch via her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, May 27 On May 23, her mother Cindy Crawford shared memories of the beloved family pet Kaia Gerbershared the sad news that her dog, Widget, died at 17 years old. In anInstagramStories video uploaded on Tuesday, May 27, Gerber, 23, posted a video of her kissing her childhood pet on the head. "Saying goodbye to my forever best friend. Thank you for seventeen joyful years tiny dancer," she wrote. Gerber's motherCindy Crawfordannounced Widget's death on May 23 and confirmed that she died on May 22. Crawford, 59, wrote in anInstagrampost, "I didn't grow up with dogs and, in fact, had been afraid of dogs since I was little as I got bit twice as a young girl. After I had kids, I knew I didn't want to pass my fear of dogs along to them, so we got two small dogs — that weren't too scary ;)." Cindy Crawford/Instagram "What I didn't know was how much fun having little furry friends adds to family life," she continued. "I loved watching my kids chase our dogs around or dress them up or just cuddle up together on the couch. And as my kids grew older, and our dogs too, their friendly presence continued to bring joy to our lives." Gerber then revealed that Widget's sister pooch Sugar previously died. The post concluded, "We had to say goodbye to our little girl Widget yesterday. She was a puppy for 17 years and we will miss her. Hopefully she is eating endless snacks with her "sister" Sugar somewhere in doggy heaven. 🙏" The carousel of photos included images of Widget, a white and grey Shih Tzu, enjoying time in the sun and playing with her sister Sugar outside. Crawford's post was met with an outpouring of condolences and support. Fellow dog loverParis Hiltoncommented a series of emojis, writing, "🥺💔🫶🙏." Paulina Porizkova wrote, "17 years of unconditional love is something to grieve. Sorry all of you.❤️" PETA commented, "We are so sorry for the loss of your beloved companion and cherished family member, Widget. The 17 years of special memories and unconditional love you shared will remain in your hearts forever. Sending our deepest condolences and lots of love 💗." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Mario Lopez, Camille Meyer, and more additionally shared kind words for the Gerber family as they mourn the loss of their beloved pet. Read the original article onPeople

byRobert Mejias

in

May 27, 2025

Kaia Gerber Says Goodbye to Her Dog of 17 Years: 'My Forever Best Friend'

Kaia Gerber Says Goodbye to Her Dog of 17 Years: 'My Forever Best Friend' Kaia Gerber/Instagram; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Ka...

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Chloe Fineman says they 'begged Dana Carvey' to do “SNL” Jennifer Coolidge impression

Chloe Fineman says they 'begged Dana Carvey' to do "SNL" Jennifer Coolidge impression

John Nacion/Variety via Getty; Paul Morigi/Getty; Emma McIntyre/Getty Chloe Finemanhas explained how that amazingtripleJennifer Coolidgeimpression — Fineman,Dana Carvey, and hostAriana Grande— landed onSaturday Night Live. "I didn't even think we were gonna do that sketch and then Ariana really wanted to do Jennifer Coolidge," Fineman explains on Wednesday's episode ofThe Jennifer Hudson Show. "And then we begged Dana Carvey, and he's like, Yeah, I'll do it.' And we all have a very different impression, and it's magic." The October 2024 sketch that resulted shows the three impersonatingThe White Lotusstar in a parody of an ad for Maybelline — specifically a Maybelline longwear liquid lip product, or something like that, that goes on like a dream. Grande appears as Fineman's reflection in the mirror, as both are draped in fluffy pink robes and beneath a pile of blonde hair. Near the end,SNLlegend Carvey, who was part of the cast from 1986 to 1993, popped up as a third Coolidge. See the full sketch below. It ends with all three putting the lip product — they finally settle on the name "lip lasting long, long lip color, ultimate plumper gloss-colored liquid lip color" — on each other. Carvey revealed just after the sketch aired that he'd taken on the part at the last minute. "They threw it at me Thursday night," theWayne's Worldstar told cohostDavid Spadeon theirSuperflypodcast, a spinoff series of their popular seriesFly on the Wall."They explained to me that the character was like a Snow White thing, that my Jennifer Coolidge had been trapped in the mirror for 100 years." Carvey noted that "it was kind of an acid-y, esoteric sketch. I still don't quite understand it, but that was fun." He also noted that, between dress rehearsal and the live show, the sketch had been trimmed. Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. "One was we eat corn," Carvey said on the podcast. "It was a lot wilder, it was amazing. It was a non sequitur like, 'Hey. Wow. Let's eat some corn.' They suddenly have corn. 'Can I have your corn?'" During her own interview, Fineman said she has a new obsession. "I'm really intoGabby Windeyright now." Fineman said. She suspects the formerBachelorettestar is "our next Jennifer Coolidge." Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byRobert Mejias

in

May 27, 2025

Chloe Fineman says they 'begged Dana Carvey' to do “SNL” Jennifer Coolidge impression

Chloe Fineman says they 'begged Dana Carvey' to do "SNL" Jennifer Coolidge impression John Nacion/Variety via Getty; Paul ...

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