Billy Joel shares health update after brain disorder diagnosis

Billy Joel shares health update after brain disorder diagnosis

Billy Joelis providing an update on his health two months after announcing he wasdiagnosed with a brain disorder. The "Piano Man" singer, 76, sat down withBill Maheron thecomedian's "Club Random" podcastin an episode released on Monday, July 21. Joel, who in May said he has been diagnosed withnormal pressure hydrocephalus, said he is feeling "fine" but having issues with his balance. "My balance sucks," he said. "It's like being on a boat." The singer continued, "I feel good. They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I'm feeling." Joel also said he initially thought his balance issues were from drinking, noting that he used to drink "like a fish." When Maher asked Joel if his health issues were fixed, though, the Grammy winner noted, "It's not fixed. It's still being worked on." According to the Cleveland Clinic, normal pressure hydrocephalus occurs when fluid buildup disrupts brain function, and symptoms can include cognitive difficulties. Billy Joelbreaks silence on normal pressure hydrocephalus diagnosis, canceling concerts In May, Joel canceled his upcoming concerts due to the diagnosis. A statement shared on his Instagram said that his condition "has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance." "Under his doctor's instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period," the statement said. "Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committed to prioritizing his health. He is grateful for the support from fans during this time and looks forward to the day when he can once again take the stage." Billy Joel'sdocumentary reveals suicide attempts, influence of first wife on his career At the time, Joel also told fans that he was "sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience." Since then, the first part of an HBO documentary about Joel, "Billy Joel: And So It Goes," premiered on July 18, with the second part set to debut on July 25. Radio hostHoward Stern previously relayed a health updateon Joel in June, telling listeners that he had dinner with the singer, who seemed to be doing well. "He does have issues, but he said, 'Yeah, you can tell people I'm not dying,'" Stern said on June 3. "He wants people to know that. He's just go to deal with some medical stuff." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Billy Joel health: Singer provides update to Bill Maher

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 21, 2025

Billy Joel shares health update after brain disorder diagnosis

Billy Joel shares health update after brain disorder diagnosis Billy Joelis providing an update on his health two months after announcing he...

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James Gunn Doesn’t Get How ‘Superman’ Is ‘Considered Woke’ and Says ‘Anti-American Sentiment Around the World’ Isn’t ‘Helping Us’ at Global Box Office

James Gunn Doesn't Get How 'Superman' Is 'Considered Woke' and Says 'Anti-American Sentiment Around the World' Isn't 'Helping Us' at Global Box Office

James Gunn said in aninterview with Entertainment Weeklythat he remains somewhat confused over the conservative backlash that erupted before the release of "Superman." Fox News and other right-wing outletsbranded the movie"SuperWoke" after Gunn went viral for telling the Times of London that Superman is an "immigrant" and "the story of America." "I've heard people say it was woke, and then I've heard a lot of people say it's not. I am curious as to what in the movie is considered woke," Gunn told EW amid "Superman's" box office success. "I think people took something I said…The guy for the London newspaper. Originally, he said that [Superman comic creators] Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were the sons of immigrants, and they wrote Superman as an immigrant story. And I said, yeah, it's a story about an immigrant, but mostly it's a story to me about kindness, which it is. That's the center of the movie for me." More from Variety Kevin Feige on Marvel Studios' Future, Focusing on Lower Budgets, Less TV and More Robert Downey Jr.: 'Look at "Superman," It's Clearly Not Superhero Fatigue' Box Office: 'Superman' Surpasses $400 Million Globally, 'Jurassic World Rebirth' Nears $650 Million Milestone 'Superman' Remains No. 1 With $57 Million as 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' and 'Smurfs' Underwhelm "That's the thing we can all act upon, is kindness," the director continued. "And so what does that lead to? Well, does that lead to the way you vote? Sure. Does that lead to everything? Yeah. Does it lead to how many people are dying from road rage? Yes. All those things are affected if people just start to value kindness. I mean, peopledidvalue kindness in the past. That was an American value, was kindness, and it doesn't necessarily seem to be that way to me anymore. So that was always the center of the movie for me, and it wasn't about anything other than that." Gunn's initial "immigrant" comment drew detractors like Fox News and Dean Cain, the former Superman actor who predicted Gunn's quote would hurt the film's box office. But Gunn also had his defenders like his brother, Sean Gunn, whotoldVariety: "Yes, Superman is an immigrant, and yes, the people that we support in this country are immigrants and if you don't like that, you're not American. People who say no to immigrants are against the American way." Whatever "SuperWoke" conservative backlash existed before the film's release, it has done nothing to deter U.S. audiences from showing up in force to movie theaters. "Superman" is a bonafide box office hit domestically with a strong $235 million after two weekends of release. The film's international haul, however, is lagging behind at $171 million. Still, "Superman" is at $406 million worldwide so far. "We're definitely performing better domestically than we are internationally, but internationally is also rising and having really good weekday numbers in the same way we are," Gun said ina separate interview with Rolling Stone"So obviously the word of mouth is very positive both here and everywhere else. Which is the thing that we needed to do the most. At the same time, there are certain countries in which it's really performing well. Brazil and the U.K." "Superman is not a known commodity in some places. He is not a big known superhero in some places like Batman is. That affects things," Gunn added. "And it also affects things that we have a certain amount of anti-American sentiment around the world right now. It isn't really helping us. So I think it's just a matter of letting something grow. But again, for us, everything's been a total win. Having the movie come out and be something that has been embraced by people everywhere — this is just the seed of the tree that Peter and I have been watering for the past three years. So to be able to have it start off so positively has been incredibly overwhelming." "Superman" is playing in theaters nationwide from Warner Bros. and DC Studios. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 21, 2025

James Gunn Doesn’t Get How ‘Superman’ Is ‘Considered Woke’ and Says ‘Anti-American Sentiment Around the World’ Isn’t ‘Helping Us’ at Global Box Office

James Gunn Doesn't Get How 'Superman' Is 'Considered Woke' and Says 'Anti-American Sentiment Around the World' I...

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King Charles Faces Backlash After 11 of His 12 Gardeners Quit Over Low Wages and Demands: Report

King Charles Faces Backlash After 11 of His 12 Gardeners Quit Over Low Wages and Demands: Report

Chris Jackson/Getty King Charles has become embroiled in a dispute involving the gardeners at his beloved Highgrove House The King devolved management and ownership of the gardens to the King's Foundation charity shortly before he acceded to the throne The Sunday Timesclaimed that low morale and low pay have fueled the departures of many staff in recent years King Charlesis a passionate green-thumbed enthusiast who has a vision for the secluded and beloved garden at one of his country homes, but those demands and claims of low pay have been blamed for fueling a series of departures of staff in recent years. Since March 2022, 11 out of the 12-strong team of gardeners have departed from the team working on the gardens at the royal residence of Highgrove House,The Sunday Timesclaimed on July 20. Half of them were earning the minimum wage for the U.K., the paper's investigation said. Charles devolved management and ownership of the gardens, which welcome around 40,000 visitors a year, to the King's Foundation in 2021. The King still occupies the mainHighgrove House, which he moved into in 1980 ahead of his wedding to the then-Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. Their sons,Prince WilliamandPrince Harry, grew up there and enjoyed the delights of the garden, including the treehouse, now an attraction for William's children. King Charles, 76, finds the gardens to be a refuge, and he has a specially-constructed sanctuary that he heads to for spiritual tranquility and recently held the first Harmony Summit in which he joined indigenous people and environmentalists (and a film crew from an upcoming Amazon Prime documentary) in seeking communion with nature, theBBC reported. Matt Cardy/Getty Workers on the estate have told PEOPLE that King Charles is often seen in the house's gardens by some of the thousands of visitors who take the tour each year. But his keen eye for details and exacting standards have seen him sometimes leaving detailed memos and notes giving his feedback about plants or horticultural matters that some workers are said to have found overwhelming,The Sunday Timessaid. One member of staff is reported to have filed a grievance against management, saying they were "under-resourced and constantly struggling to fulfill the King's request,"The Sunday Timesreported. The complaint said staff "developed physical injuries trying to keep up, and that the team suffered from low morale." When one gardener reportedly failed his probation after "revealing a lack of knowledge about a particular flower," Charles is said to have uttered: "Don't put that man in front of me again,"The Sunday Timessaid. The King's Foundation brought in a specialist human resources consultancy, and it upheld claims about staff shortages, inadequate management practices and low pay, leading to difficulties in retention, it was reported. A King's Foundation spokesperson told PEOPLE in a statement, "At The King's Foundation, we take staff welfare extremely seriously and strive to be an exemplary employer. We are proud to regularly report very high satisfaction rates in our annual staff survey." "Our staff turnover is well below the national average, as is the number of formal grievances raised. For the gardening team at Highgrove specifically, we regularly review guidance from the Professional Gardeners Guild for pay benchmarking." Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty The statement went on, "Highgrove has also seen many positive developments since The King's Foundation became the charitable custodian of the gardens. Since 2022, the operating profit has more than doubled, a new education facility teaching traditional heritage skills to hundreds of students has been established, and visitor numbers continue to reach over 40,000 annually." Those close to King Charles' foundation say that staffers have received pay rises each year since 2022, adding up to between 15% and 19%, in line with national averages. Recognizing that visitors enjoy seeing or sensing that Charles has had a personal and deep influence on the gardens, that he has helped develop over more than four decades. Deemed by those close to him as a visionary, they say Trustees of the foundation welcome his input and believe it is reasonable for him to add his input and suggestions for improvements in presentation or management. When PEOPLE visited in summer 2024, Gráinne Ring, the head gardener who leads a team of 15, including apprentices that the King is encouraging, said, "I see my job as a facilitator of the garden, a facilitator of what His Majesty wants. He has been a gardener longer than me! I can choose the bulbs, but he will choose the color schemes. It's really about working together." Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! In recent years, Highgrove's gardens have broadened to include educational courses in craft skills, including theMetier d'Arts Fellowshipand furniture making. Read the original article onPeople

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 21, 2025

King Charles Faces Backlash After 11 of His 12 Gardeners Quit Over Low Wages and Demands: Report

King Charles Faces Backlash After 11 of His 12 Gardeners Quit Over Low Wages and Demands: Report Chris Jackson/Getty King Charles has become...

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Judge restores program for mentally incompetent detainees

Judge restores program for mentally incompetent detainees

A federal district judge ordered the Trump administration to restore a program to appoint attorneys for people deemed mentally incompetent in deportation hearings. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled July 21 that the sudden end to the program in April caused irreparable harm. "The action was taken without any record of considering the acute reliance interests and consequences for the administration of justice, the vulnerable population affected, or the ongoing representations that will be disrupted," Ali wrote. USA TODAY previously spotlighted the sudden budget cut that upended the $12 million program.It left 289 detainees with active cases suddenly without their attorneys. The attorneys argued they faced an impossible choice: withdraw from the cases and leave their must vulnerable clients, or keep working for free. Ali wrote that he was ordering the Department of Justice to restore the program, known as providing "qualified representatives" in the short term, but that the department is free to make changes in the future, inhis 27-page ruling. By law, detainees with severe disabilities are still supposed to be given a fair hearing where they can present evidence and cross-examine witnesses. But they were caught up in the administration's zest to ramp up removals under the auspices of saving taxpayers money. Immigration attorneys paid through the program said they were relieved and would continue to represent their clients in court. "Today's decision confirms the common-sense notion that a government agency must have a good reason for the actions it takes, especially those that impact people's fundamental rights," said Evan Benz, senior attorney at Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. "In this case, the government decided to stop providing lawyers to some of the most vulnerable people in our immigration system – those with severe mental and cognitive disabilities who are detained in ICE custody – for no other reason than 'convenience.' As the judge recognized, that is simply not acceptable." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Judge restores program aiding mentally ill detainees

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 21, 2025

Judge restores program for mentally incompetent detainees

Judge restores program for mentally incompetent detainees A federal district judge ordered the Trump administration to restore a program to ...

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Environmentalists' lawsuit to halt Alligator Alcatraz filed in wrong court, Florida official says

Environmentalists' lawsuit to halt Alligator Alcatraz filed in wrong court, Florida official says

Florida's top emergency official asked a federal judge on Monday to resist a request by environmentalists to halt an immigration detention center known asAlligator Alcatrazin the middle of the Florida Everglades because their lawsuit was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. Even though the property is owned by Miami-Dade County, Florida's southern district is the wrong venue for the lawsuit since the detention center is located in neighboring Collier County, which is in the state's middle district. Decisions about the facility also were made in Tallahassee and Washington, Kevin Guthrie, executive director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said in a court filing. "And all the detention facilities, all the buildings, and all the paving at issue are sited in Collier County, not Miami-Dade," Guthrie said. Paul Schwiep, an attorney for the environmental groups, responded during a virtual court hearing on Monday that the southern district was the proper venue since "a substantial portion of the events" took place in Miami-Dade County. Environmental groupsfiled the lawsuitagainst federal and state officials in Florida's southern district last month, asking for the project being built on an airstrip in theheart of the Florida Evergladesto be halted because the process didn't follow state and federal environmental laws. U.S. District Kathleen Williams scheduled a June 30 hearing to consider whether the lawsuit was filed in the correct court. She also said during Monday's hearing that she was going to hold off ruling on the environmental groups' request for a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction stopping the project until an Aug. 6 hearing in Miami. The lawsuit was filed before the facility was opened to detainees, and Schwiep estimated during Monday's hearing that 900 people have been sent to Alligator Alcatraz in the past three weeks. Given that pace, Schwiep said the environmental groups' goal wanted to halt further construction and the movement of additional people to the facility. Critics have condemned the facility as a cruel and inhumane threat to the ecologically sensitive wetlands, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican state officials have defended it as part of thestate's aggressive pushto supportPresident Donald Trump'scrackdown on illegal immigration. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noemhas praised Floridafor coming forward with the idea, as the department looks to significantly expand its immigration detention capacity. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky:@mikeysid.bsky.social.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 21, 2025

Environmentalists' lawsuit to halt Alligator Alcatraz filed in wrong court, Florida official says

Environmentalists' lawsuit to halt Alligator Alcatraz filed in wrong court, Florida official says Florida's top emergency official a...

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