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Elsewhere
Celine Dion says she's suffering from a rare neurological disorder. It's called Stiff-Person Syndrome and she said the disorder impacts around one in a million people. It's characterized by fluctuating muscle rigidity in the limbs and a heightened sensitivity to stimulus such as noise, touch and emotional distress can set off muscle spasms. In an Instagram post, Dion said the spasms are impacting her ability to walk and sing. The singer has postponed the restart of her European tour that was set to begin in February.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/08/entertainment/celine-dion-stiff-person-syndrome/index.html
Next year's Miss Universe contest is finding a new streaming home. The Miss Universe Organization will broadcast the event on The Roku Channel. The three-hour show will be streamed live from New Orleans on January 14th. The contest will feature some 90 women from all over the globe.
https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/miss-universe-pageant-stream-roku-channel-2023-1235451201/
Los Angeles County is granting a child's request for a unicorn license. The girl recently wrote a letter to Animal Care and Control, asking to keep a unicorn in her backyard if she can find one. Director Marcia Mayeda responded with a pink unicorn license and a few conditions. Those conditions include giving the unicorn "regular access to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/08/california-girl-unicorn-license-madeline
Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter is back in court--being sued for sexual battery. A woman named Shannon Ruth says when she was 17 in 2001, Carter allegedly assaulted her multiple times on his tour bus in Washington State. Sources close to the singer say the accusations are completely false. This isn't the first time he's faced such accusations; in 2017 singer Melissa Schuman claimed Carter sexually assaulted her in his apartment in 2002. And, this late development, the Hollywood Reporter says "A Very Backstreet Holiday" was scheduled to run next Wednesday night on ABC, but is now being replaced by comedy reruns.
A new book about Alice Cooper is set to arrive ahead of the rocker's 75th birthday. The biography titled "Alice Cooper at 75" will appear on Motorbooks on January 31st. Journalist Gary Graff narrates Cooper's career through the lens of 75 key events, releases and collaborations. The book dives into his childhood and early garage band days. Alice Cooper turns 75 on February 4th.
https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Cooper-at-Gary-Graff/dp/0760378274
New York City is still on the hunt for its Rat Czar. Mayor Eric Adams says he's fixated on killing rats, adding they take up residency in every neighborhood across the five boroughs. The city posted a job listing last week looking for a "blood thirsty" candidate who would be willing to successfully mitigate the city's rat problem, earning them a paycheck of up to 170-thousand-dollars a year. The mayor says he fears rats and says anyone who isn't afraid of them is his hero and can have the job as Rat Czar.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/eric-adams-rats-mayor-infestation-b2241564.html