| News Short | News Headline |
| Violinist sues Will Smith for firing him after harassment complaint | Violinist Brian King Joseph filed suit against actor and rapper Will Smith alleging wrongful termination and retaliation after reporting sexual harassment. Joseph, who competed on America's Got Talent in 2018, toured with Smith in 2024 and 2025. He claimed in the suit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court that Smith was "deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation" after he joined the Based on a True Story tour. He said he and Smith had spent time alone, with Smith allegedly telling Joseph that they shared a "special connection." The suit also mentioned a March "hotel intrusion" in Las Vegas. Joseph said he reported the intrusion to hotel security, police and Smith's management. |
| HAIM's Este Haim weds Jonathan Levin at star-studded wedding | Este Haim married Jonathan Levin on New Year's Eve in California. The bassist is a member of the pop-rock band HAIM, which she formed with her sisters Alana and Danielle. She wed Levin, an entrepreneur, in a custom Louis Vuitton look. "I've been looking forward to this day since I was five," the 39-year-old told Vogue. Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks were among the high-profile guests in attendance. HAIM released its latest studio album, I Quit, in June. The record marked the sister trio's first new album since Women in Music Pt. III in 2020. |
| BTS to make full-group comeback with new album in March after nearly 4 years | SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- K-pop sensation BTS will release a new album featuring all seven members on March 20, marking its first full-group comeback in nearly four years, the band's agency said Thursday. The album will be the group's first release since the anthology album Proof in June 2022, according to BigHit Music. BTS also released a handwritten New Year's letter thanking fans for their support and saying they missed them. RM, the group's leader, wrote that he had "waited more desperately than anyone else" for the comeback. The group had been on hiatus while members completed South Korea's mandatory military service. All seven members have now been discharged. |
| Famous birthdays for Jan. 2: Paz Vega, Renee Elise Goldsberry | Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include: -- U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater in 1909 -- Writer Isaac Asimov in 1920 -- Televangelist Jim Bakker in 1940 (age 86) -- Zoologist Jack Hanna in 1947 (age 79) -- Journalist Judith Miller in 1948 (age 78) -- Filmmaker Todd Haynes in 1961 (age 65) -- Actor Gabrielle Carteris in 1961 (age 65) -- Actor Tia Carrere in 1967 (age 59) -- Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. in 1968 (age 58) -- Model Christy Turlington in 1969 (age 57) -- Actor Taye Diggs in 1971 (age 55) -- Actor/musician Renee Elise Goldsberry in 1971 (age 55) -- Actor Dax Shepard in 1975 (age 51) -- Musician Doug Robb (Hoobastank) in 1975 (age 51) -- Actor Paz Vega in 1976 (age 50) -- Musician Jerry DePizzo Jr. (O.A.R. |
| Famous birthdays for Jan. 3: Florence Pugh, Danica McKellar | Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include: -- Philosopher Cicero in 106 B.C. -- Feminist/abolitionist Lucretia Mott in 1793 -- U.S. first lady Grace Coolidge in 1879 -- Writer J.R.R. |