Kevin James Explains How His Performance with Jelly Roll Came to Be: 'He's a Wonderful Human Being' (Exclusive)New Foto - Kevin James Explains How His Performance with Jelly Roll Came to Be: 'He's a Wonderful Human Being' (Exclusive)

taylorteaguee/TikTok Kevin James tells PEOPLE he and Jelly Roll are friends and calls the country star a "wonderful human being" The two stars performed together in Ohio earlier this month when Jelly Roll brought him onstage James joined Jelly Roll for "Need a Favor" at the Buckeye Country Superfest Kevin James' hilarious performance withJelly Rollwas a case of "right place at the right time." During an event to celebrate thereturn ofHeathers the Musicalto the stageon Monday, June 30, in New York City, PEOPLE asked theKing of Queensstar, 60, how hisviral performance with Jelly Roll in Columbus, Ohio, came to be. "I'm a good friend of his," James tells PEOPLE, later adding that the country superstar, 40, is a "great friend of mine" and a "wonderful human being." "We just happened to be in Columbus together and we just went out and had fun," James tells PEOPLE. Back on June 21, Jelly Roll brought James out to the Buckeye Country Superfest to join him onstage for "Need a Favor." The two stars looked alike, even dressing in head-to-toe black as James showed off his dance moves. The video could serve as James' Broadway audition, as he tells PEOPLE the only way he'd star in a Broadway show is if it involved dancing. 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. "I was born to dance, so if there's a dancing show, then I would be interested in," James says. "Other than that, I can't be bothered. It's got to be full dance." taylorteaguee/TikTok James was among the stars attending a gala performance ofHeathers the Musicalto celebrate the show's return to Broadway. It is being performed Off-Broadway at New World Stages through Sept. 28. The show is based on the 1989 cult film of the same name, and centers on high school student Veronica Sawyer, who suddenly becomes popular after she joins the Heathers. She soon meets the rebellious J.D., who shows her that popularity isn't all it's cracked up to be. TheGrown Upsstar will be taking the stage himself, although not to dance. His stand-up comedy tour returns to the road in September and tickets are on sale athis website. He also stars in the upcoming action-packed movieGuns Up, out on July 18. Jelly Roll is also on tour, with stops planned throughout the summer and fall. His most recent album,Beautifully Broken, was released in October 2024. Read the original article onPeople

Kevin James Explains How His Performance with Jelly Roll Came to Be: 'He's a Wonderful Human Being' (Exclusive)

Kevin James Explains How His Performance with Jelly Roll Came to Be: 'He's a Wonderful Human Being' (Exclusive) taylorteaguee/Ti...
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed ResultsNew Foto - Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Results

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solvetoday's puzzlebefore reading further!Mixed Results Constructor:Dennis McCartney Editor:Amie Walker JAPAN (8A: Country made up of 14,125 islands) JAPAN is an island country that extends along the Pacific coast of Asia. Four of its 14,125 islands, are considered "main islands." Those are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The islands of JAPAN stretch across a distance of 1,900 miles. Approximately 260 of the islands are inhabited. GURU (14A: Sikh spiritual leader) Sikhism is a religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent in the late 15th century. GURU Nanak, born in 1469, was the founder of Sikhism. He was succeeded by nine other GURUs. The tenth GURU affirmed the sacred scripture, Adi Granth, as his successor, ending the line of human GURUs. The central religious scripture of Sikhism, GURU Granth Sahib, is regarded as the final, sovereign, and eternal living GURU. IOWAN (18A: Person from Des Moines) Greetings from an IOWAN who lived in Des Moines (the state's capital) many years ago, but now lives elsewhere in the state. ARIANA (22A: "Yes, And?" singer Grande) ARIANA Grande released"Yes, And?"in January 2024. The song debuted at the top ofBillboard's Hot 100 chart. The lyrics of "Yes, And?" focus on self-confidence, and address negative press Ariana Grande received during 2020 to 2023. SIDE (23A: A Mobius strip only has one)  I find Mobius strips fascinating. You can make a model of a Mobius strip by taking a long, narrow piece of paper and giving one end a half twist before taping the ends together into a loop. To demonstrate that the Mobius strip only has one SIDE, draw a line down the center of it. Without lifting your pencil or pen, you will meet your starting point. If a MOBIUS STRIP is cut in half (along the line you drew down the center) it will result in a long loop with two twists in it, rather than two loops. CERAMIC (30A: Like some tile) We just saw CERAMIC in the puzzletwo days agoclued as [Made of fired clay]. When I wrote about it then, I commented that I don't usually consider bricks as being CERAMIC even though they fit the definition. I am familiar with CERAMIC tile, though, as we have a lot of it in our house. POGO (39A: ___ stick (bouncing toy)) Several years ago (while writing a clue for POGO in a puzzle I was constructing), I learned aboutextreme POGO. Now that's what I think of anytime POGO sticks are mentioned. I am not a coordinated person (my family frowns on my use of ladders...), so I don't think extreme POGO is in my future. It's fun to watch though. CALYPSO (41A: Harry Belafonte genre) I just mentioned Harry Belafontethree days agowhile writing about the song "Hava Nagila," so it was fun to see his name pop up in the puzzle today. Harry Belafonte (1927-2023) was a singer, actor and activist whose third studio album was titledCALYPSO(1956). He is credited with popularizing CALYPSO music, a style of music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the early to mid-19th century. Harry Belafonte's nickname was the "King of CALYPSO." MOD (45A: Online admin who might wield the "banhammer") "Banhammer" is an informal term used to refer to the power of a MOD (short for moderator) to block a user from participating in an online community. The term is especially popular in the online gaming community. SRY (48A: "oops, my b") and OUCH (49A: "That hurt!") These consecutive clues seem to go together. ALOO (58A: ___ tikki (potato snack)) I will occasionally give the reminder that ALOO is a South Asian word for potatoes and is often seen in the names of dishes that contain potatoes. I give these reminders for clues such as this. If a dish contains potatoes, it's quite possible the name of the dish includes the word ALOO, as is the case with ALOO tikki, a croquette made of potatoes, peas, and spices. SLIP (61A: Freudian ___) A Freudian SLIP is an error that in psychoanalysis is attributed to a subdued unconscious wish or thought. One time when I was in college, a friend of mine dressed up as a Freudian SLIP for Halloween. She wore a SLIP and pinned a picture of Freud onto it. LINDT (63A: Swiss chocolate brand) Just highlighting this to say that LINDT chocolate truffles are some of my favorite chocolates. NASCAR (1D: Daytona 500 org.) The headquarters of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) are located in Daytona Beach, Florida. Since 1959, the Daytona 500 has been held annually at the Daytona International Speedway. PAW (10D: Cat's foot) My cat, Willow, will sometimes place her PAW on my arm. I like to imagine that it's to remind me I am hers. AMA (11D: Reddit Q&A) Reddit is an online social site for news aggregation and discussion. AMA stands for "ask me anything," a genre of interactive interviews that are especially popular on Reddit. NIN (12D: Author Anais)I wrote about Anais NIN a couple of months ago. ODE (21D: "___ to Our Ocean" (Amanda Gorman poem)) Amanda Gorman wrote"ODE to Our Ocean"in 2020 for World Ocean Day. It's always a good day to be reminded of this powerful poem and to take a few moments to read it. CHE (33D: Activist Guevera) CHE Guevara was a major figure in the Cuban Revolution. He served as Minister of Industries of Cuba from 1961-1965, and was executed in Bolivia in 1967. POP ART (42D: Andy Warhol's genre) POP ART includes imagery and themes from popular culture. Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was a leading figure in the POP ART movement. One of his most famous works isCampbell's Soup Cansa 32-painting series in which each painting depicted a can of Campbell's soup, representing each of the varieties offered by the company at the time. DALLAS (47D: Texas home of the WNBA's Wings) The DALLAS Wings are a WNBA team founded in 1998. They have won three WNBA Championships, in 2003, 2006, and 2008. SOIL (54D: Makeup of some beds) Think garden beds here, rather than beds that you sleep in. ASL (55D: Language in the film "CODA") The 2021 movie,CODA, stars Emilia Jones as Ruby Rossi, a hearing "child of deaf adults" (CODA). Sian Heder, who wrote and directedCODA, learned ASL (American Sign Language) while working on the movie, and about 40% of the screenplay was in ASL. Emilia Jones also learned ASL before the filming ofCODAstarted. CODA won an Academy Award for Best Picture. A couple of other clues I especially enjoyed: FEDORA (51A: Hat for a film noir detective) SUSHI CHEFS (7D: Culinary artists who might punnily say "That's how we roll!) CULTURE SHOCK (19A: experience for some travelers in new surroundings) RULES THE ROOST (35A: Has complete control) APPLE STRUDEL (53A: Fruit-filled Viennese pastry) MIXED RESULTS: Each theme answer contains an anagram of the word RESULT: CULTURE SHOCK,RULES THE ROOST, and APPLE STRUDEL. The word MIXED in the title is a hint that this might be a hidden anagram theme. Indeed, each of the three theme answers contains the MIXED up letters of the word RESULT: LTURE/S, RULES/T, and LE/STRU. Congratulations to Dennis McCartney making aUSA Todaycrossword debut! Thank you, Dennis, for this enjoyable puzzle. USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Crossword Blog & Answers for July 1, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher

Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Results

Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Results There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solvetoday...
Will Smith Shares NSFW Photo in Honor of the 26th Anniversary of "Wild Wild West "

Murray Close/Getty Will Smith shared a hilarious throwback photo in honor of the 26th anniversary ofWild Wild West The steampunk action comedy film was released in 1999, and co-starred Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek, and more Smith previously said thatWild Wild Westwas his "worst" film Will Smithis keeping the west wild. In honor ofWild Wild West's 26th anniversary, Smith, 56, shared a cheeky still from the film in which he was clad in nothing but a strategically placed cowboy hat. The actor captioned the June 30 Instagram photo: "Wild Wild West came out 26 years ago today- sorry this is the only photo I could find." One user wrote in the comments, "My favorite scene. Explanation not needed." Another wrote, "You were one of my early childhood crushes. Well done on on building a career that truly had and still has an impact. 💜✨" Murray Close/Getty Wild Wild Westwas released in 1999. The film, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, was loosely based on the 1960s CBS show of the same name created by Michael Garrison. The film followed two secret service agents (Smith and Kevin Kline) as they protect President Ulysses S. Grant from the growing unpredictable threats of the American western frontier. Smith once referred toWild Wild Westas his worst film. In a 2021 interview withGQ,the actor answered a question about what he thinks is his best film and his worst film. He said, "For the best, I think it's a tie between the firstMen in BlackandPursuit of Happiness. For different reasons, those are the two almost-perfect movies." 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 juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. As for the worst, he said, "I don't know,Wild Wild Westis a thorn in my side." "To see myself in chaps… I don't like it," he added, laughing. The choice to star inWild Wild Westcame the same time he wasoffered the role of Neo inThe Matrix. Smith turned down the role in the film, which turned out to be a mega-hit, to do the steampunk Western action comedy.Keanu Reeveswent on to star inThe Matrixin his place. Read the original article onPeople

Will Smith Shares NSFW Photo in Honor of the 26th Anniversary of “Wild Wild West ”

Will Smith Shares NSFW Photo in Honor of the 26th Anniversary of "Wild Wild West " Murray Close/Getty Will Smith shared a hilariou...
Philadelphia city workers strike after contract talks failNew Foto - Philadelphia city workers strike after contract talks fail

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nearly 10,000 city workers in Philadelphia who collect trash, answer 911 calls, maintain city pools and perform other jobs went on strike Tuesday after contract negotiations broke down. District Council 33 President Greg Boulware said the city hadn't agreed to a high enough wage increase,WPVI-TVreported. Mayor Cherelle Parkersaid the city would suspend residential trash collection, close some city pools and shorten recreation center hours, but vowed to keep the city running. Police and firefighters are not on strike. Parker, a pro-labor Democrat, promised that Fourth of July celebrations in thenation's birthplacewould go on as usual. "Keep your holiday plans. Don't leave the city," she said at a Monday afternoon news conference that followed hours of last-minute negotiations. City officials urged residents to be patient and not hang up should they need to call either 911 or the city's non-emergency helpline. They said they would open drop-off sites for residential trash. Parker said she had offered raises that amount to 13% over her four-year term and added a fifth step to the pay scale to align with other unionized workers. District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is the largest of four unions representing city workers. "We believe it's a fair offer and still fiscally responsible for the people of this city," said Parker, who took office last year. Union leaders, in their initialcontract proposal, asked for 8% annual raises each year of the three-year contract, along with cost-of-living hikes and bonuses of up to $5,000 for those who worked through the pandemic. The union also asked the city to pay the full cost of employee health care, or $1,700 per person per month. "District Council 33's members contribute as much blood, sweat and tears as does anyone else," they said in a demand letter. "We all make the city work. Our contract must reflect that reality." In November, thecity transit systemaverted a strike when the parties agreed to a one-year contract with 5% raises.

Philadelphia city workers strike after contract talks fail

Philadelphia city workers strike after contract talks fail PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nearly 10,000 city workers in Philadelphia who collect trash,...
Thailand's king approves new Cabinet for coalition government shaken by leaked phone callNew Foto - Thailand's king approves new Cabinet for coalition government shaken by leaked phone call

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's king approved the appointments of new Cabinet members Tuesday in the coalition government shaken by a major party's departure over the prime minister'sleaked phone callwith Cambodia's former leader. The reshuffle came during speculation over whether the Constitutional Court will take a petition accusing Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra of a serious breach of ethics over the leaked call. The court could suspend her from office pending the investigation. Paetongtarn said she would accept and follow the process although she didn't want to see her work interrupted. "If you ask me whether I'm worried, I am," she told reporters Monday. The endorsement of her new Cabinet by King Maha Vajiralongkorn was published in the government gazette. The reshuffle replaced former Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, which had held several Cabinet positions but left the coalition over the leaked call. Anutin was replaced by Phumtham Wechayachai, who had been defense minister for the past year and also will lead the Interior Ministry. The Defense Ministry post was left blank, with the deputy minister becoming the acting minister instead. Paetongtarn took the position of culture minister. She said she wanted to promote Thai culture on a global scale. Before she became prime minister, Paetongtarn had promoted Thailand's "soft power," highlighting its food, culture and sports. The Constitutional Court last yearremoved her predecessorover a breach of ethics. Thailand's courts, especially the Constitutional Court, are viewed as a bulwark of the royalist establishment, which has used them and nominally independent agencies such as the Election Commission to cripple or sink political opponents. Paetongtarn also faces investigations over an alleged breach of ethics by the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, whose decision could also lead to her removal. Outrage over the call mostly revolved around Paetongtarn's comments toward an outspoken regional army commander and her perceived attempts to appease Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen to easetensions at the border. Thousands of conservative, nationalist-leaning protestersrallied in central Bangkokon Saturday to demand Paetongtarn's resignation.

Thailand's king approves new Cabinet for coalition government shaken by leaked phone call

Thailand's king approves new Cabinet for coalition government shaken by leaked phone call BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's king approved th...
Iowa's civil rights protections no longer include gender identity as new law takes effectNew Foto - Iowa's civil rights protections no longer include gender identity as new law takes effect

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa became the first stateto remove gender identityfrom its civil rights code under a law that took effect Tuesday, meaning transgender and nonbinary residents are no longer protected from discrimination in their job, housing and other aspects of life. The law also explicitly defines female and male based onreproductive organs at birthand removes the ability for people to change the sex designation on their birth certificate. An unprecedented take-back of legal rights after nearly two decades in Iowa code leaves transgender, nonbinary and potentially even intersex Iowans more vulnerable now than they werebefore. It's a governing doctrine now widely adopted byPresident Donald Trumpand Republican-led states despite themainstream medical viewthat sex and gender are better understood as a spectrum than as an either-or definition. When Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Iowa's new law, she said the state's previous civil rights code "blurred the biological line between the sexes." "It's common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women. In fact, it's necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls," she said in a video statement. Also taking effect Tuesday are provisions in the state's health and human services budget that say Medicaid recipients are no longer covered for gender-affirming surgery or hormone therapy. A national movement Iowa's state Capitol filled with protesters as the law went through the Republican-controlled Legislature and to Reynolds' desk in justone week in February. Iowa Republicans said laws passed in recent yearsto restrict transgender students' useof bathrooms and locker rooms,and their participation on sports teams, could not coexist with a civil rights code that includes gender identity protections. Abouttwo dozen other statesand the Trump administration have advanced restrictions on transgender people. Republicans say such laws andexecutive actionsprotect spaces for women, rejecting the idea that people can transition to another gender. Many face court challenges. About two-thirds of U.S. adultsbelieve that whether a person is a man or woman is determined by biological characteristics at birth, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in May found. But there's less consensus on policies that target transgender and nonbinary people. Transgender people say those kinds of policies deny their existence and capitalize on prejudice for political gain. In a major setback for transgender rights nationwide, the U.S. Supreme Court last monthupheld Tennessee's banon puberty blockers and hormone treatments fortransgender minors. The court's conservative majority said it doesn't violate the Constitution's equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. Not every state includes gender identity in their civil rights code, but Iowa was the first to remove nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank. Incidents of discrimination in Iowa, before and after July 1 Iowans will still have time to file a complaint with the state Office of Civil Rights about discrimination based on gender identity that occurred before the law took effect. State law requires a complaint to be submitted within 300 days after the most recent incident of alleged discrimination. That means people have until April 27 to file a complaint about discrimination based on gender identity, according to Kristen Stiffler, the office's executive director. Sixty-five such complaints were filed and accepted for investigation from July 2023 through the end of June 2024, according to Stiffler. Forty-three were filed and accepted from July 1, 2024, through June 19 of this year. Iowa state Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, a Democrat and the state's first openly transgender lawmaker, fears the law will lead to an increase in discrimination for transgender Iowans. "Anytime someone has to check your ID and they see that the gender marker doesn't match the appearance, then that opens up hostility, discrimination as possibilities," Wichtendahl said, naming examples such as applying for a job, going through the airport, buying beer or getting pulled over in a traffic stop. "That instantly outs you. That instantly puts you on the spot." About half of U.S. states include gender identity in their civil rights code to protect against discrimination in housing and public places, such as stores or restaurants, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Some additional states do not explicitly protect against such discrimination, but it is included in legal interpretations of statutes. Five years ago,the U.S. Supreme Court ruledLGBTQ people are protected by a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in the workplace. But Iowa's Supreme Courthas expressly rejectedthe argument that discrimination based on sex includes discrimination based on gender identity. Changing Iowa birth certificates before the law took effect The months between when the bill was signed into law and when it took effect gave transgender Iowans time to pursue amended birth certificates before that option was eliminated. Keenan Crow, with LGBTQ+ advocacy group One Iowa, said the group has long cosponsored legal clinics to assist with that process. "The last one that we had was by far the biggest," Crow said. Iowa's Department of Transportation still has a process by which people can change the gender designation on their license or identification card but has proposed administrative rules to eliminate that option. Wichtendahl also said she has talked to some families who are looking to move out of state as a result of the new law. "It's heartbreaking because this is people's lives we're talking about," Wichtendahl added. "These are families that have trans loved ones and it's keeping their loved ones away, it's putting their loved ones into uncertain future, putting their health and safety at risk."

Iowa's civil rights protections no longer include gender identity as new law takes effect

Iowa's civil rights protections no longer include gender identity as new law takes effect DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa became the first ...
Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Oprah for Attending Jeff Bezos' Wedding: 'How Is That Possible? He Treats His Employees With Disdain… He Is Not a Nice Man'New Foto - Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Oprah for Attending Jeff Bezos' Wedding: 'How Is That Possible? He Treats His Employees With Disdain… He Is Not a Nice Man'

Rosie O'Donnell wrote in an Instagram post that she was sickened by Jeff Bezos' lavish wedding to Lauren Sanchez in Venice, Italy. The days-long event featured a ton of A-list celebrities, from Sydney Sweeney to Leonardo DiCaprio, and promptedwidespread backlashand protests from Venice locals. "The Bezos' wedding. It turned my stomach seeing all these billionaires gathering in the gross excess of it all. The show of it," O'Donnell wrote before calling out Oprah for her attendance at the event. More from Variety Italian Press Plays Up 'No Space for Bezos' Versus 'Welcome, Mr. Amazon!' Plus a Bomb-Sniffing Dog Named Elvis The Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sanchez Wedding Extravaganza Is the Ultimate Billionaire Flex by a Couple Flying Above Cost-Cutting Times Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Forge Ahead With Venice Wedding After Activists Threaten to Block a Canal With Inflatable Crocodiles "Is Oprah friends with Jeff Bezos? Really? How is that possible? He treats his employees with disdain. By any metric he is not a nice man. And his fake fem bot wife who looks like that… Why would he choose her after the salt of the earth Mackenzie [Scott]? Sold his soul is what it looks like from here. The devil is smiling at all his conquests." Oprah attended the Bezos wedding with longtime friend Gayle King, who is well-acquainted with Sanchez after theirspace flight togetherearlier this year courtesy of Bezos' Blue Origin company. O'Donnell expanded on her anti-Bezos thoughts in a post on her Substack page. Other celebrities who criticized the Bezos wedding include Oscar winner Charlize Theron, whomade a quipabout Bezos' wedding guests while hosting her annual party for the Africa Outreach Project. She told attendees: "I think we might be the only people who did not get an invite to the Bezos wedding. But that's ok because they suck and we're cool." O'Donnellmade headlinesearlier this year for revealing she fled America after the re-election of Donald Trump. She currently lives in Ireland and toldVarietyshe has no plans on returning to the U.S. until Trump is out of office. "With the current political climate, when would it be safe to come back with my child?" she asked. "I'm not going to push it before this administration is completely finished, and hopefully held accountable for their crimes." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rosie O'Donnell (@rosie) Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

Rosie O’Donnell Calls Out Oprah for Attending Jeff Bezos’ Wedding: ‘How Is That Possible? He Treats His Employees With Disdain… He Is Not a Nice Man’

Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Oprah for Attending Jeff Bezos' Wedding: 'How Is That Possible? He Treats His Employees With Disdain… ...

 

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