By Zoe Sottile, CNN Fifties’ child star Gayla Peevy’s plea for a “hippopotamus for Christmas” came true for one Virginia zoo. The Metro Richmond Zoo welcomed the birth of a pygmy hippopotamus in time for Christmas, according to a December 22 news release from the zoo. The adorable newborn was born on December 6, says
Continue Reading By Dan Heching, CNN Lizzo had an emotional Christmas after receiving a holiday greeting from one of her icons. The singer, who is also a classically trained flutist, posted a clip to her Instagram Story on Sunday showing flutist Sir James Galway wishing her a merry Christmas. The snippet showed Galway in front of a
Continue Reading By Dan Heching, CNN Cher had enough ice on hand for more than just holiday cocktails this weekend, but she’s remaining mum for now on whether it means wedding bells are in her near future. The legendary entertainer, who has been linked to rapper and music executive Alexander “AE” Edwards, posted an eye-catching photo of
Continue Reading By Brian Lowry, CNN The movie business is undergoing a transformation, fueled by declining box-office revenues as more people prefer consuming entertainment in the comfort of their homes. That also merits looking back at the movies released in 2022 in slightly different fashion, from the most disappointing titles to, here, the most satisfying. “Satisfying,” in
Continue Reading Review by Brian Lowry, CNN Bringing vibrant energy to the translation from book to musical to screen, “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” lands on Netflix as a rewarding example of the perilous practice of building such efforts around children. Of course, it helps that the young star, Alisha Weir, is terrific, aided by wonderful turns
Continue Reading Lisa Morrow, CNN With sloping banks studded with elegant private mansions, palace parks and centuries-old groves, the Bosphorus is the embodiment of Istanbul. This 19-mile (30-kilometer) strait runs from the Black Sea in the north to the Sea of Marmara in the south. The urban sprawl covers Europe in the west and Asia to the
Continue Reading Lisa Morrow, CNN With sloping banks studded with elegant private mansions, palace parks and centuries-old groves, the Bosphorus is the embodiment of Istanbul. This 19-mile (30-kilometer) strait runs from the Black Sea in the north to the Sea of Marmara in the south. The urban sprawl covers Europe in the west and Asia to the
Continue Reading By Forrest Brown, CNN Last week’s winter weather travel mess is lingering like a vicious hangover into this week — and the headaches have been migraine-proportioned for Southwest Airlines, its CEO Bob Jordan, airline employees and most of all its frustrated passengers on Monday. A total of 4,002 flights within, into or out of the
Continue Reading By Zoe Sottile, CNN Rapper Meek Mill has paid bail for 20 women so that they can spend the holidays at home, according to the REFORM Alliance, an organization he launched in 2019 alongside Jay-Z. The women were incarcerated at Riverside Correctional Facility in Philadelphia and were unable to afford bail, according to an Instagram
Continue Reading By Zoe Sottile, CNN A dog abandoned at the San Francisco airport has found a forever home with a United Airlines captain, according to the San Francisco SPCA. A pup named Polaris had arrived to San Francisco with a traveler from an international destination. But the dog was abandoned at the airport when “the customer
Continue Reading By Forrest Brown, CNN With much of the United States still reeling from a nearly weeklong winter storm, flight cancellations and delays and other transportation challenges continued to pile up on Christmas Day. At least 3,181 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. And
Continue Reading By Forrest Brown, CNN With much of the United States still reeling from a nearly weeklong winter storm, flight cancellations and delays and other transportation challenges continued to pile up on Christmas Day. At least 3,181 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. And
Continue Reading By Zoe Sottile, CNN Maxi Jazz, the British musician best known as the lead vocalist for dance group Faithless, has died, according to the band. The band announced Jazz’s passing in a Facebook post on Saturday. The singer, born Maxwell Fraser, was 65 years old. He died peacefully in his sleep on Friday night, according
Continue Reading By Chloe Melas, CNN Seventeen years after meeting, Katharine McPhee and David Foster teamed up for their first joint holiday album. The husband and wife met in 2006 on the set of “American Idol,” the stage that catapulted McPhee’s career, but had yet to collaborate. Their seven-song EP, “Christmas Songs,” is out now, featuring holiday
Continue Reading Kate Springer, CNN “The jungle is our playground, and the sea is our wonderland.” That’s how Sook Yee Lai remembers her childhood on Christmas Island, an overseas territory of Australia that’s about a 3.5-hour flight northwest of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. “We do lots of free diving, snorkeling, diving, surfing, caving and walking
Continue Reading By Lisa Respers France and Taylor Romine, CNN A Los Angeles jury on Friday found rapper and singer Tory Lanez guilty of three charges related to the July 2020 shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the Hollywood Hills, the Los Angeles County District Attorney told CNN. Lanez had pleaded not guilty to assault
Continue Reading By Shivani Vora, CNN Christmas is celebrated in many ways in many corners of the globe, and the cuisine that marks the holiday is as diverse as the people feasting on it. Food traditions are comforting at a time when many of us have had another very challenging pandemic year. And Christmas dishes are particularly
Continue Reading By Dan Heching, CNN Whatever you craved from the content gods in 2022, one thing that probably wasn’t on your preferred menu: Multiple stories that focused on, explored, and even celebrated cannibalism. Yes, movies and TV shows about people eating people. This sudden cultural preoccupation with the taste of human flesh could potentially be considered
Continue Reading By Forrest Brown and Karla Cripps, CNN Winter weather continues to disrupt holiday travel across the United States on Friday, leaving travelers facing delays and cancellations during one of the busiest times of the year. On Friday, 5,934 flights were canceled after nearly 2,700 cancellations on Thursday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware. Cancellations were
Continue Reading By Zoe Sottile, CNN Former YouTuber Jenna Mourey, known by her channel name Jenna Marbles, has tied the knot with Julien Solomita, according to an Instagram post from her long-time partner. Solomita posted a series of photos of the couple to his Instagram on Thursday with the caption, “married otters
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