Brian Littrell Makes Surprising Admission About Son Baylee’s ‘American Idol’ Appearance (Exclusive)

Brian Littrell Makes Surprising Admission About Son Baylee's 'American Idol' Appearance (Exclusive)

Brian Littrell Makes Surprising Admission About Son Baylee's 'American Idol' Appearance (Exclusive)originally appeared onParade. Brian Littrellis getting candid about his sonBaylee's stint on Season 23 ofAmerican Idol. The 50-year-old musician made a surprising admission about the topic while chattingexclusively withParadefor the recent cover story alongsidehis Backstreet Boys bandmatesAJ McLean,Nick Carter,Kevin RichardsonandHowie Dorough. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 "It wasn't [my idea] actually," Littrell began. "To be honest with you, I didn't want him to do it at first, but they courted him for a couple of years. They were like, 'Come and audition,' and he was like, 'Nah.' I don't think he was ready at that time, but he did well. He stepped up. He's super professional. He's just a great individual. He's just a great person. He has a heart of gold, and he's super talented." Baylee, 22, made it to the Top 20 on the most recent season ofAmerican Idol, but did not advance to the Top 14. Littrell continued: "I get choked up a little bit when I talk about my boy. He's just [the] most inspiring thing in my life right now. He inspires me more than anything. Top 20 isn't a bad thing out of 124,000. Let me just take this shameless plug really quick: His first single comes out [July 24]. It's called 'Hey Jesus.' Check that out." Littrell's bandmatesalso couldn't help but gush about Baylee's appearance on the long-running singing competition series. In fact, McLean, 47, toldParadethat he was "bawling his eyes out" when he watched his first performance. "We've known Baylee his whole life, so to watch him come from singing with us during soundcheck to opening up for us back in the day to now, having his own career… He's an incredible songwriter," he said. "It's unbelievable, the level of talent. Obviously, the apple didn't fall far. Honestly, he did fantastic in my opinion." Related:Watch a Backstreet Boys Member's Son Wow 'American Idol' Judges With an Original Song Brian Littrell Makes Surprising Admission About Son Baylee's 'American Idol' Appearance (Exclusive)first appeared on Parade on Jul 2, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

Brian Littrell Makes Surprising Admission About Son Baylee’s ‘American Idol’ Appearance (Exclusive)

Brian Littrell Makes Surprising Admission About Son Baylee's 'American Idol' Appearance (Exclusive) Brian Littrell Makes Surpris...

Read More

Dave Grohl honors late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins on debut album's 30th anniversary: 'We all miss you'

Dave Grohl honors late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins on debut album's 30th anniversary: 'We all miss you'

Foo Fightersare celebrating the 30th anniversary of their eponymous 1995 debut album by paying tribute to those who have rocked with them over the years, including their beloved late drummer,Taylor Hawkins. The Grammy-winning rockers dropped a surprise single in honor of the milestone achievement on Wednesday. The roaring track, titled "Today's Song," follows frontmanDave Grohlas he reflects on his own personal growth, navigating life's hardships, and the passage of time — themes that he further expanded upon in a poignant statementpublished on the band's website. "Over the years, we've had moments of unbridled joy, and moments of devastating heartbreak," Grohl wrote in part. "Moments of beautiful victory, and moments of painful defeat. We have mended broken bones and broken hearts. But we have followed this road together, with each other, for each other, no matter what. Because in life, you just can't go it alone." Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty The 56-year-old musician also took a moment to thank the band's previous members, including their latest drummer Josh Freese, who replaced Hawkins behind the drums on the last Foo Fighters tour andannounced that he'd been let gofrom the group in May. "It should go without saying that without the boundless energy of William Goldsmith, the seasoned wisdom of Franz Stahl, and the thunderous wizardry of Josh Freese, this story would be incomplete," Grohl explained, "so we extend our heartfelt gratitude for the time, music, and memories that we shared with each of them over the years. Thank you, gentlemen." And last, but certainly never least, Grohl shared a heartfelt message to Hawkins, whodied suddenly at 50while the band was on tour in 2022. "And… Taylor. Your name is spoken every day, sometimes with tears, sometimes with a smile, but you are still in everything we do, everywhere we go, forever," he confirmed. "The enormity of your beautiful soul is only rivaled by the infinite longing we feel in your absence. We all miss you beyond words. Foo Fighters will forever include Taylor Hawkins in every note that we play, until we do finally reach our destination." But the end isn't in sight just yet. In his note, Grohl shared that "I am still grateful for life, love, music, and the mystery of where this path may lead us next," adding, "Let's keep moving." Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. "Today's Song" comes almost two years after the release of the band's 2023 albumBut Here We Are, which served as an exploration of grief following the death of Hawkins and Grohl's mother, Virginia. The album wasshortlisted as one ofEntertainment Weekly's best albums of the yearat the time, calling it a "stirring exploration of how we process grief and the many discordant emotions that come with it." Listen to "Today's Song" above. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

Dave Grohl honors late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins on debut album's 30th anniversary: 'We all miss you'

Dave Grohl honors late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins on debut album's 30th anniversary: 'We all miss you' Foo Fightersare ...

Read More

Flint replaces most lead pipes, 10 years after the Michigan water crisis

Flint replaces most lead pipes, 10 years after the Michigan water crisis

Flint has replaced most of its lead water pipes, more than 10 years after contaminated water was found in the Michigan city's water system, prompting national outrage. State officials submitted a progress report in court on Tuesday showing that they had replaced 11,000 lead pipes in the city and restored more than 28,000 affected properties. "Thanks to the persistence of the people of Flint and our partners, we are finally at the end of the lead pipe replacement project," said Allen C. Overton of the Concerned Pastors for Social Action, one of the plaintiffs in a 2017 lawsuit against officials over the scandal. "While this milestone is not all the justice our community deserves, it is a huge achievement." The Michigan Attorney General's Office did not immediately return a request for comment. In 2013,officials stopped buying waterfrom Detroit and created a pipeline to Lake Huron as a cost-cutting measure. Until the pipeline's completion, the city's primary water source came from the Flint River in 2014. Quickly,residents reported a murky, foamy qualityof the water coming from their pipes. After testing positive for high levels of trihalomethanes — a disinfectant byproduct — E. coli bacteria and lead, city officials said that the water was still safe for consumption. It wasn't until October 2015 that the majority-Black city switched back to Detroit water. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the water crisis exposed nearly 100,000 residents of Flint to lead due to the crisis. Criminal chargeswere brought for several deaths related to the contamination, but were later dismissed. The 2017 lawsuit wassettled in 2021for $626 million, which included an agreement to replace the lead pipes free. "We would not have reached this day without the work of so many Flint residents who worked to hold our leaders accountable," Overton said. "I have never been prouder to be a member of the Flint community." The report says that roughly 4,000 homes still have lead pipes. Those homes were likely either vacant or homes that belonged to Flint residents who opted out of having the pipes replaced, according to a spokesperson for the advocacy group that led the lawsuit, the Natural Resources Defense Council.

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

Flint replaces most lead pipes, 10 years after the Michigan water crisis

Flint replaces most lead pipes, 10 years after the Michigan water crisis Flint has replaced most of its lead water pipes, more than 10 years...

Read More

Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority strikes down 176-year-old abortion ban

Wisconsin Supreme Court's liberal majority strikes down 176-year-old abortion ban

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court's liberal majority struck down the state's 176-year-old abortion ban on Wednesday, ruling 4-3 that it was superseded by newer state laws regulating the procedure, including statutes that criminalize abortions only after a fetus can survive outside the womb. The ruling came as no surprise given that liberal justices control the court. One of them went so far as to promise to uphold abortion rights during her campaign two years ago, and they blasted the ban duringoral argumentsin November. Ban outlawed destroying 'an unborn child' The statute Wisconsin legislators adopted in 1849, widely interpreted as a near-total ban on abortions, made it a felony for anyone other than the mother or a doctor in a medical emergency to destroy "an unborn child." The ban was in effect until 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide nullified it. Legislators never officially repealed it, however, and conservatives argued that the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe reactivated it. Ruling: Post-Roe laws effectively replaced ban Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat,filed a lawsuitthat year arguing that abortion restrictions enacted by Republican legislators during the nearly half-century that Roe was in effect trumped the ban. Kaul specifically cited a 1985 law that essentially permits abortions until viability. Some babies can survive with medical help after 21 weeks of gestation. Lawmakers also enacted abortion restrictions under Roe requiring women to undergo ultrasounds, wait 24 hours before having the procedure and provide written consent, and receive abortion-inducing drugs only from doctors during an in-person visit. "That comprehensive legislation so thoroughly covers the entire subject of abortion that it was clearly meant as a substitute for the 19th century near-total ban on abortion," Justice Rebeca Dallet wrote for the majority. Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski, a Republican, defended the ban in court, arguing that it can coexist with the newer abortion restrictions. Dane County Circuit Judge Diane Schlipperruledin 2023 that the 1849 ban outlaws feticide — which she defined as the killing of a fetus without the mother's consent — but not consensual abortions. Abortions have been available in the state since that ruling, but the state Supreme Court decision gives providers and patients more certainty that abortions will remain legal in Wisconsin. Urmanski had asked the state Supreme Court to overturn Schlipper's ruling without waiting for a decision from a lower appellate court. Liberal justices signaled repeal was imminent The liberal justices all but telegraphed how they would rule. Justice Janet Protasiewicz stated on the campaign trail that she supports abortion rights. During oral arguments, Dallet declared that the ban was authored by white men who held all the power in the 19th century. Justice Jill Karofsky likened the ban to a "death warrant" for women and children who need medical care. A solid majority of Wisconsin voters in the 2024 election, 62%, said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to AP VoteCast. About one-third said abortion should be illegal in most cases and only 5% said it should be illegal in all cases. In a dissent, Justice Annette Ziegler called the ruling "a jaw-dropping exercise of judicial will." She said the liberal justices caved in to their Democratic constituencies. "Put bluntly, our court has no business usurping the role of the legislature, inventing legal theories on the fly in order to make four justices' personal preference the law," Ziegler said. Urmanski's attorney, Andrew Phillips, didn't respond to an email. Kaul told reporters during a news conference that the ruling is a "major victory" for reproductive rights. Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, called the ruling "deeply disappointing." She said that the liberals failed to point to any statute that explicitly repealed the 1849 ban. "To assert that a repeal is implied is to legislate from the bench," she said. Court dismisses constitutional challenge Planned Parenthood of Wisconsinasked the Supreme Courtin February 2024 to decide whether the ban was constitutional. The court dismissed that case with no explanation Wednesday. Michelle Velasquez, chief strategy officer for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said Wednesday's ruling creates stability for abortion providers and patients, but she was disappointed the justices dismissed the constitutional challenge. She hinted that the organization might look next to challenge the state's remaining abortion restrictions. Kaul said he has no plans to challenge the remaining restrictions, saying the Legislature should instead revisit abortion policy. Democratic-backed Susan Crawford defeated conservative Brad Schimel for an open seat on the court in April, ensuring liberals will maintain their 4-3 edge until at least 2028. Crawford has not been sworn in yet and was not part of Wednesday's ruling. Abortion fight figures to play in 2026 court race Abortion figures to be a key issue again next spring in another race for a state Supreme Court seat. Chris Taylor, a state appellate judge who served as Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin's policy director before a stint as a Democratic legislator, is challenging conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley. Taylor's campaign sent out an email Wednesday calling the ruling a "huge victory" and asking for donations. She issued a statement calling the decision the correct one and blasting Bradley's dissent as "an unhinged political rant." Bradley wrote that the four liberal justices fancy themselves "super legislators" and committed "an affront to democracy."

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority strikes down 176-year-old abortion ban

Wisconsin Supreme Court's liberal majority strikes down 176-year-old abortion ban MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court's...

Read More

Man joins his wife as a ‘Jeopardy!’ champion

Man joins his wife as a 'Jeopardy!' champion

A couple is giving new meaning to "Double Jeopardy." Real estate agent Jason Singer of Portland, Maine, won the July 1 episode of"Jeopardy!"and became a champion four years after his wife Susan McMillan took home the same title in 2021. The "Jeopardy!" team confirmed Singer and McMillan may be the first already-married couple to become "Jeopardy!" winners. Singer won with the answer "Who is [Laurence] Olivier?" in Final Jeopardy and earned $22,401 overall. McMillan won $35,600 when she was on the show. 'Jeopardy!' contestant's familial tie to final clue helps her win game McMillan told"Good Morning America"she gave her husband some advice ahead of his big win. "I told him he really needs to be on point with the buzzer timing," said McMillan. "Everyone there knows pretty much all the information." Singer, meanwhile, said simply having his wife nearby before his turn on the game show ended up being the best way to prepare. "Just the fact of being her husband is the greatest preparation one could ever get, because she's so curious and surrounds herself with such interesting and cosmopolitan things all the time that by osmosis, I almost had to get better," Singer said. 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' to be available for next-day streaming: Find out where In his final answer, Singer also added "#BringBackSusan," a nod to his wife. The couple said when they first started dating, they bonded over their love of "Jeopardy!", and 20 years later, they still practice trivia during lunch.

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

Man joins his wife as a ‘Jeopardy!’ champion

Man joins his wife as a 'Jeopardy!' champion A couple is giving new meaning to "Double Jeopardy." Real estate agent Jason ...

Read More

Cassie's Team Breaks Silence on Diddy's Split Verdict

Cassie's Team Breaks Silence on Diddy's Split Verdict

Casandra "Cassie" Ventura's lawyer is speaking out after jurors foundSean "Diddy" Combsguilty on prostitution charges. "This entire criminal process started when our client Cassie Ventura had the courage to file her civil complaint in November 2023," Douglas H. Wigdor said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE on Wednesday, July 2 — shortly after theverdict was readat the federal courthouse in New York City. "Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution." Combs was acquitted of the most serious counts: sex trafficking and racketeering, but convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution involving ex-girlfriend Ventura and a second witness who testified under the pseudonym "Jane." "By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice," Wigdor added. "We must repeat – with no reservation – that we believe and support our client who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial." The statement concluded, "She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion. This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors." Paras Griffin/Getty ; Dominik Bindl/Getty Both Ventura and Jane spent several days on the stand and testified about the sexual encounters known as both "Freak Offs" and "Hotel Nights." At one point during her testimony, Ventura also alleged that Combs raped her near the end of their 11-year relationship. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Over the course of Combs' trial, prosecutors called nearly three dozen witnesses across the span of 29 days of testimony. Defense attorneys did not call any witnesses, instead using cross-examination to undermine the prosecution's case. Prosecutors' case centered around portraying Combs as the leader of a multi-faceted business empire used to commit multiple criminal acts, and further alleging that the Bad Boy Records founder forced or coerced women into performing in highly orchestrated sex acts with male sex workers. Combs could still face a maximum of 20 years for the charges he was convicted on — 10 years for each count. His defense team proposed to the court that he be released Wednesday on bond to live at his Florida home. Judge Arun Subramanian asked both sides to submit letters by 1 p.m., after which he would consider their positions and make a decision on Combs' immediate fate. Combs still faces several civil suits accusing him of sexual misconduct, which he has repeatedly denied. Read the original article onPeople

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

Cassie's Team Breaks Silence on Diddy's Split Verdict

Cassie's Team Breaks Silence on Diddy's Split Verdict Casandra "Cassie" Ventura's lawyer is speaking out after jurors ...

Read More

FBI announces move to new D.C. headquarters

FBI announces move to new D.C. headquarters

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has selected a new headquarters building in Washington, D.C., after nearly two decades of failed attempts to find a permanent new space, the Bureau announced on Tuesday. The FBI has been headquartered in downtown D.C. at the J. Edgar Hoover building since 1975 but structural problems have plagued the building for the last 20 years, leading to redevelopment and relocation projects that until Thursday had not successfully been resolved. "This is a historic moment for the FBI," FBI Director Kash Patel said in astatement, adding he is "ushering FBI Headquarters into a new era and providing our agents of justice a safer place to work." The Bureau and the U.S. General Services Administration selected the Ronald Reagan Building, blocks away from the Hoover building, as the new location. It was home to the U.S. Agency for International Development until this year, when the Trump administration consolidated USAID into the State Department andallowed Customs and Border Protectionto take over the building's lease. "Moving to the Ronald Reagan Building is the most cost effective and resource efficient way to carry out our mission to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution," Patel continued. It is unclear when the FBI will begin its transition out of the Hoover building. In a March speech at the Justice Department, President Trump said his administration is "going to build another big FBI building right where it is, which would have been the right place, because the FBI and the DOJ have to be near each other." "They were going to build an FBI headquarters three hours away in Maryland, a liberal state," Mr. Trump said, adding that the state's political leadership had "no bearing" on his decision to cancel a previous Biden administration plan to move the headquarters to Maryland. During his first term, Mr. Trump abandoned a plan to move the FBI to one of three locations in Maryland or Virginia, instead proposing a smaller headquarters in Washington to replace the Hoover building. Under the Biden administration in 2023, the GSAchose a site in Greenbelt, Maryland, to serve as the new location for the FBI headquarters. The decision came after a 15-year debate on whether the headquarters should be relocated to Maryland or Virginia. Democratic members of Congress from Maryland blasted the decision to scrap plans for a new Maryland headquarters, saying that Congress "appropriated funds specifically for the purpose of the new, consolidated campus to be built in Maryland." "Simply moving down the street would ignore the real threats the Bureau faces and further jeopardize the safety of those protecting our communities," the Maryland lawmakerssaid in a joint statement. "That's why we will be fighting back against this proposal with every tool we have." In May, Patel told Congress his goal is to move about 10% of the Bureau's Washington workforce — about 1,500 people — away from the D.C. area and redeploy them across the country, including a sizable number of personnel at the FBI's facility in Huntsville, Alabama. In an interview with Fox News the same month, Patel called the Hoover building "unsafe for our workforce." Details from inside the courtroom as Sean "Diddy" Combs jury announced verdict Split verdict in Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial | Special Report House Republicans scramble to meet Trump's Fourth of July deadline on budget bill

byMario Satorik

in

July 02, 2025

FBI announces move to new D.C. headquarters

FBI announces move to new D.C. headquarters The Federal Bureau of Investigation has selected a new headquarters building in Washington, D.C....

Read More