For some country stars, living with chronic illness is just one of the facts of life. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
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For some country stars, living with chronic illness is just one of the facts of life. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
When you want something extra special, combining your leftover pulled pork with nachos is a recipe for success – and the absolute peak of casual comfort food.
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Hosting a pool party this summer? Your guests will appreciate if you have one of these on hand to keep the good times in the water. It’s no average floaty!
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Accused murderer and confirmed folk hero Luigi Mangione appeared in court again this week.
His attorneys revealed that they intend to put forward an affirmative defense: Extreme Emotional Disturbance.
If successful, Luigi could potentially be convicted and get out in his early 30s.
But it’s possible that this is a gambit to put UnitedHealthCare on trial. If so, he might get out even sooner.
What is Extreme Emotional Disturbance?
On Wednesday, June 17, Luigi appeared in court alongside his attorneys.
There, his lawyers told the judge that he hopes to use an unusual but familiar defense at his trial: Extreme Emotional Disturbance.
Simply put, an EED defense is an affirmative defense, in which a defendant says that they committed an act during an altered state of consciousness.
This would mean that Luigi (allegedly) committed an act of voluntary manslaughter.
If the jury agrees with the defense’s case, this would mean a conviction — and a minimum sentence of five years. (The maximum sentence would be more like 25 years.)
Assuming that the judge permits this defense strategy, this would play out in court by effectively putting UnitedHealthCare on trial.
The core argument would be that the company’s egregious conduct prompted Luigi to have a psychological break.
In court, they would have to show that Luigi had a plausible yet extreme emotional reaction to denied healthcare claims alongside his lasting pain.
However, Luigi will also be facing murder charges in federal court — where the Extreme Emotional Disturbance defense is unavailable.
Nothing about his attorneys’ comments in court on Wednesday suggested what their planned defensive strategy would be in federal court.
What is the broader strategy here?
If successful, Extreme Emotional Disturbance arguments could get Luigi anywhere from 5 to 25 years behind bars. (That’s what First Degree Manslaughter will land you in New York.)
So why, some ask, would he try this defense first instead of simply saying that he’s been framed by a bloodthirsty police force under intense political pressure?
Is the prosecution’s case airtight in proving that he did the deed? That would be surprising, considering.
It is also possible that his team hopes that his affirmative defense will end, not with the jury siding with him, but with jury nullification.
Simply put, someone sitting there hearing how awful UnitedHealthCare is might just vote to acquit him, no matter what evidence is presented.
THE COURTROOM SKETCH ARTIST DREW THE MOMENT THEY REALIZED THEY FORGOT LUIGI
— 💚 24 / 7 Luigi Mangione Posts (@werlyloveluigi.bsky.social) June 16, 2026 at 10:52 PM
At this point, we should acknowledge that Extreme Emotional Disturbance defense strategies do have a partially ugly history.
Yes, they can apply to sympathetic situations, such as someone who sees a loved one being attacked and then kills the attacker. But EED has also been used in “gay panic” and “trans panic” defenses, as well as in racist and other bigoted ways.
Those instances are problematic because the victims of those crimes were innocent, the only “emotional disturbance” being the perpetrator’s bigotry.
Luigi isn’t accused of killing an innocent person, however, but a for-profit healthcare CEO. That’s arguably as far from an innocent person as you can get.
Tens of millions of Americans view Luigi favorably. Finding jurors who haven’t already formed a strong opinion on this young man will be an unenviable task.
Luigi Mangione Pursing ‘Extreme Emotional Disturbance’ Defense: What Does It … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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Country Next: DEK of Hearts
In just over two years as a band, DEK of Hearts have gone from being music-loving college friends who cut their teeth on the Broadway circuit to one of country music’s fastest-rising acts. Comprised of Dylan John, Emily Clapp, and Kollin Bailey, the group has quickly built a reputation for their soaring harmonies, genre-blending sound, and undeniable onstage chemistry.
The trio’s momentum has only continued to grow in recent months. After winning the State of Tennessee’s 2025 Tennessee Songwriters Week competition and captivating audiences as finalists on Season 28 of NBC’s The Voice, the group reached another major milestone when they made their Grand Ole Opry debut on May 29, 2026. Their performances of “Dear Ole Whiskey” and newest single “Crazy Lady” earned two standing ovations from the crowd before they later returned to the stage to join Carly Pearce in singing “Boondocks.”
With a name derived from the first letter of each member’s first name, DEK of Hearts are proving that they are just getting started. Fans can find the group bringing their growing catalog of music on the road throughout 2026 while serving as direct support for Carly Pearce, Brett Young, and Niko Moon.
Emily was on vocal rest during DEK of Hearts’ interview with Country Now, but her bandmates Dylan and Kollin opened up their early days as a trio, how their bond with Carly Pearce led them to fulfilling a huge dream, what that moment in the historic venue meant to them, new music and more.
How did you initially meet and decide to form a trio?
KOLLIN: We all met at Trevecca Nazarene University here in town. It’s so funny. We all came at different times. Dylan came as a freshman. Emily transferred to the sophomore and I transferred as a junior, but we were all the same year. And so our senior year we traveled on…The school had two traveling worship teams. So Emily and I traveled together on a team and then Dylan traveled with Emily’s now husband. And so we traveled kind of the South and did camps and played at churches. And then for our degrees, we had to have a senior recital. And so for my senior recital, I did a country concert with Rhonda Vincent and then I just asked them since they were my friends to sing backup. And we sang “What If I Never Get Over You” by Lady A and people were like, “Hey, there’s something there when all three of you are singing, you should chase it.” That was May of 2023. We didn’t form the trio or really talk about it for a couple months and then we formed and debuted as Dek of Hearts on April 24th of 2024. So we’ve been doing this for a little over two years.
At what point did you guys decide we’re going to take this to the next level and audition for The Voice?
DYLAN: Like Kollin was saying, after the trio started, we really did a lot of workshopping at the bars and stuff in Nashville. So as we continued to build a good set and build our chemistry together at…we loved to do movie nights together and Emily and I love to cook so we’ll go back and forth. But we were doing a movie night and we saw that you had a day or two left to audition for The Voice. So we sat down and did “Heads Carolina.” And honestly, we didn’t think much of it other than like, “Hey, this might be a good next step.” Not that this was ever the dream, but I mean it sure was beating like, Oh, the three, four hour stuff is great, but unless you’re really cut out for that and you want to do that, we wanted something more out of what we were doing, not just to stay, but how can we continue to grow and get better? So it was just a cool next step.
Whose idea was it to name your group DEK of Hearts?
KOLLIN: So we actually debuted as Good Hope Road for one show, which was the street my grandparents’ first house was on and they were living on love. And then as we got together, it was like, that’s only special to me, not for Dylan and Emily as well. And so somebody came to one of our bar gigs and they threw out Deco and then Art Deco and they’re like, “Something’s there.” And then we were like, “Dek.” And then Heart Street is the street that we would load in on and leave on at our school when we were on the worship teams. And so that made a whole lot more sense and was a little bit more fitting to all three of us.
What were you hoping to accomplish when you really started to gain traction as a trio?
KOLLIN: Looking back, we were so naive and had no clue what we were doing. We really thought we were making money once we got out of the tips only bars to the guarantee bars. And ignorance was bliss because if we would’ve known what we know now, we probably wouldn’t have kept going and been so encouraged while we were doing it. But I mean, obviously our dream when we started would be like, “Man, we would love to play the Grand Ole Opry.” And that was my biggest dream since I was a little boy. As we formed the trio, that was our biggest dream. It’s so funny with us just making our Grand Ole Opry debut, and they just asked us to come a second time. So that’s so exciting.
How have your dreams evolved since those early days?
KOLLIN: Now it’s like, okay, now what? We just went to CMA Fest and we’re like, Nissan Stadium would be awesome and we want to be nominated for a CMA and ACM award and all of the things. And it’s so interesting, as a group navigating the country scene, it’s actually so much different than solo artists. So that’s been fun to workshop and look at other artists. Obviously our hero is Lady A, they paved the way for trios like us. And so yeah, that’s been interesting. Our goals have definitely changed, especially with us reaching our biggest dream so quick. Now it’s like, “Hey, we can’t stop here. We got to keep going.”
What’s been the most challenging part about working and growing as a trio?
DYLAN: So we had always told ourselves right off the bat when we started, if it starts to affect the friendship, then we don’t want to keep doing music together because I was like, the friendship and the relationship is a lot more important than the music thing. It’s cool that we get to do it together, but also just staying rooted in our faith and making sure that we’re supporting each other, looking out for each other and encouraging each other. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really cool when we all moved to Nashville. We all wanted to do music, but it looked really different. And so I think just constantly when you have rough days or you’re upset or you’re just like, “I’m just tired. I’m tired of traveling. I want to be home.” It can start affecting people. I think just constantly coming back to remembering like, “Hey, let’s look back and see how the Lord has been blessing what we’re doing and being thankful.” And it kind of reunites and puts you back on the same vision. But yeah, it’s just been awesome. We’ve been together for a little over two years and to see how the Lord has fast tracked a lot of what we’ve been doing, just bumping us into the right people, us trying to grow those relationships, like meeting the bar managers, meeting agents, just everyone. You just never know who you’re going to run into again. So we’re just trying to make it work and be good to people along the way.
How did you react when Carly Pearce invited you to make your Grand Ole Opry debut?
DYLAN: So being on the road with Carly that last night in Canada, she’s like, “Hey, come sit down and let’s just talk.” It was really sweet of her to take the time to do that and kind of tell us more of her story. It just felt super casual and comfortable. But along that conversation, she had mentioned, “Oh, have you guys played the Opry?” We told her, “No, it’s our biggest dream.” And she just kind of looked at her bass player and was like, “Okay, okay.” And then so it was just a couple days later and they’re like, “Hey, we want you guys to come in for the WSM interview.” And Kollin had done this stuff before with his former boss, Rhonda Vincent and Kollin’s like, “It’s never that long. We’re not going to go into it thinking what it’s going to be, but something might happen.” So walking in there and then having her come in the room and surprise us, it was really cool that she just followed through with her word and she really believes in us.
She could say something and not do anything, but her actions were definitely speaking for that. But yeah, that night was just such a rush. It was great to have all of our families there to support us and be backstage and look at the history and just something really cool to experience, especially someone who didn’t grow up listening to the Opry. You’re just amazed to see how many different kinds of acts now with different people like Sabrina Carpenter and Steven Curtis Chapman. There’s just so much history in there. It’s really cool.
Kollin, since you had previously worked as a backstage tour guide at the Opry, what did that moment mean to you?
KOLLIN: I had seen a lot of Opry shows. I worked for a Bluegrass artist named Rhonda Vincent and I went into it like, “Kollin, manage your expectations because you’ve seen a lot of debuts and there are so many different things that can happen on your debut night.” I mean, something that we were just so honored and surprised by was the two standing ovations that we got. When I had dreamed about it, I never got to that point in the dream. We’re at the end of the song people stand up sometimes. And so I mean, what a surreal night it was. My family, we all talk about it and it’s like, seriously guys, Carly was the MVP that night. She tee’d it up so well to us, shared her platform with us. It was so sweet to us. I mean, it surpassed all of our expectations and I cannot think of a better night that we’ve ever had.
You performed your newest single, “Crazy Lady” while in the circle. Tell me a bit more about this song and the inspiration behind the story.
DYLAN: We’ve done a lot of cinematic stuff and Emily’s husband is really good and gifted with that. And so it’s a lot of fun to be able to try different things and see what the audience likes. But yeah, that song, it’s not anything that we’ve been through. Kollin and I haven’t really ever dated a “Crazy Lady,” not planning on it, but I just think it’s a fun song. We’ve done it all. We love “Dear Ole Whiskey” and we’ve done things that it’s super important to highlight and things that people go through, but also be like, “Hey, you can cry with us, but you can also have fun with us at our shows.”
Is there anything you can tease in terms of new music?
KOLLIN: We’re super excited to be back at the Opry…It’s July 7th, which is so funny because that is, to the day, a year from our blind audition to now, which crazy. And Opry had no idea that was the date because that’s not necessarily public knowledge. I know that we will be teasing a new song there. It probably won’t be our next release. It’ll probably be the second release, but we have a single coming out in mid to late July and then we’ll be releasing more music every six to eight weeks and we’re super excited.
Since you are currently performing across the U.S as direct support for Carly Pearce, Brett Young, and Niko Moon, what has been one of your favorite moments in the live shows lately?
DYLAN: I mean, I think those collaborations are cool. I don’t know if it’ll ever get better than those moments with Carly. I’m not expecting that to happen a lot, but I also love too, we’re doing a lot more full-band stuff now and we have a great band and it’s nice to be able to rely on them and bring them into what we’re doing. But I do love like sometimes during the set, it’ll be just the three of us. I love those moments just because that’s where it started.
KOLLIN: I also love the storytelling aspect. If you come to a show, people are always like, “Man, you guys have the stories not just to tee up the songs, but getting to hear…” We talk about the good, the bad, the ugly. We want people to laugh and we want people to know that we’ve been through things and we want to give people hope. And so I love how versatile our stories can be and showing…I know we’re only like 25 years old, but we’ve lived quite a bit of life in 25 years. And so it’s been so fun to be able to share the stories of our lives and relate to people in really hard situations. So I love that. And of course, when we’re up there on stage, we’re sweating and we’re giving everything we’ve got. We love that so much. So yes, I am so excited about our live shows.
Fans can follow DEK of Hearts on Instagram.
The post Country Next: DEK of Hearts appeared first on Country Now.
Country Now
Imagine the surprise when Tim McGraw walked up to Russell Dickerson with a stack of cash tucked in his jeans—just another day in country music, right? Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Imagine the surprise when Tim McGraw walked up to Russell Dickerson with a stack of cash tucked in his jeans—just another day in country music, right? Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
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Donald Trump has a few pretty famous passions. One of them is decorating.
He undertook a project to paint the reflecting pool on the National Mall, shelling out $13 million in a sweetheart deal with the pool contractor.
Trump’s project has instantly backfired, resulting in a comically aggressive algae bloom that any expert might have predicted.
But his diehard fans — yes, they still exist — are spinning another theory. They believe that the project was sabotaged.
Red, White, and … Green?
Facing the Lincoln Memorial, the reflecting pool is a monumental installation. Multiple presidents have worked to revitalize the iconic national symbol.
Thus far, only Donald Trump has shelled out $13 million to a pool contractor with whom he had previously worked.
What would be a massive scandal under any other administration gets barely any attention under the Trump regime. Much larger and more blatantly corrupt financial transactions take place with this crowd constantly.
Within days of the completion of the renovation, in which Trump resolved to paint the bottom of the pool a blue in roughly the same hue as that of the American Flag, the pool was no longer blue.
It is green. A massive and predictable algae bloom has turned the reflecting pool project into Trump’s latest expensive blunder. What gives?
Took a 20 mile bike ride this morning to check out the Reflecting Pool
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 11:11 AM
MAGA was, at its core, built upon conspiracy theories, some of which were rooted in simply misunderstanding existing systems.
So it is no surprise that some of Trump’s lingering supporters believe that this is not merely what happens when you have a massive pool of standing freshwater exposed to the sunlight and heated by a dark blue bottom, but a vindictive piece of sabotage by the “deep state” or whatever.
“A week later it’s green again, loaded with algae… Sabotage… Vandalism?” a MAGA commentator named Grant Stinchfield tweeted. “I believe it is.”
He continued: “The left can’t stand Trump, American greatness, and his quest to make DC beautiful again. What a shame!”
In an accompanying video, Stinchfield added: “Is it nefarious? I tend to think so. You wouldn’t have so much algae that you see in here, you would not have that that quickly unless somebody did something. I’m telling you.”
President Trump fixes the reflecting pool and a week later it’s green again, loaded with algae… Sabotage… Vandalism? I believe it is. The left can’t stand Trump, American greatness and his quest to make DC beautiful again. What a shame! pic.twitter.com/ohvldLLgZL
— Grant Stinchfield (@stinchfield1776) June 13, 2026
Not everyone thinks that it’s sabotage
Some conservatives are bending over backwards to defend Trump’s blunder (this specific one, there are just so many these days) without claiming that the Obamas planted antifa algae in the water.
For example, notorious right-winger Emily Miller says that there’s a piece of Trump-friendly tech that just hasn’t come into play yet.
According to her, Trump plans to implement a “nano-bubbler,” which she believes will purge the algae and keep it at bay.
(We’re not sure what technology she refers to. Nano-bubbles are tiny bubbles. A device that generates them might be used to oxygenate water, but given the factors involved, it’s not clear if it would keep the reflecting pool algae-free if it even exists and is installed.)
Meanwhile, Trump’s actual response seems to be having people pour gallon after gallon of hydrogen peroxide into the reflecting pool. The bleaching agent has, thus far, only lightened the perimeter of the pool.
Not believing in science really comes back to bite you, doesn’t it?
— Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) (@repstansbury.bsky.social) June 14, 2026 at 6:01 PM
In the early weeks of the Trump regime retaking power in 2025, many people quipped that everything looks like a conspiracy if you don’t know how anything works.
This applies as much to the reflecting pool snafu as it does to the deadly cuts that DOGE made to government spending.
Dark colors absorb more heat from the sun, making for a hotter pool. A large, stationary, unchlorinated freshwater pool heated by intense sunlight just a week before summer begins is going to fill with algae.
There’s a reason that the bottom of the pool wasn’t painted dark blue before this. There are reasons for so many things that normal politicians who understand how the world works would have at least had the curiosity to ask about.
Is Trump a fundamentally incurious person? He seems to be constantly learning new things while in office, from how “dumb” is spelled to the optimal conditions for algae to grow.
Right now, he’s surrounded by ever-nodding yes men who would be afraid to question him even if they themselves had the wisdom of expertise to do so. It’s a catastrophe. This is a small, yet visibly glaring, example of what happens when the executive branch is filled with incompetence.
Antifa Algae? Trump Fans Spin Wild Theories About Reflecting Pool was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Reading Time: 2 minutes
We have tragic news to report from the world of music.
Walter Parazaider, a founding member of the iconic rock band Chicago, has died at the age of 81 following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
News of Parazaider’s passing was confirmed by his wife, JacLynn, who revealed that he died early Wednesday morning while receiving hospice care.
She was by his side when he passed away.
While his name may not have been as recognizable as some frontmen of his era, Parazaider played a crucial role in shaping the sound of Chicago, one of the most successful rock bands of all time.
The woodwind musician helped found the group in 1967.
Before becoming known simply as Chicago, the band performed under the names The Big Thing and Chicago Transit Authority.
Parazaider was a key member of the band’s celebrated brass and woodwind section alongside fellow founding members Lee Loughnane and James Pankow.
Over the decades, he contributed to some of Chicago’s biggest hits, including “25 or 6 to 4,” “Saturday in the Park,” and “If You Leave Me Now.”
The band’s unique blend of rock and horn-driven arrangements helped sell more than 100 million records worldwide and earned Chicago a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
According to TMZ, Parazaider was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease six years ago. His wife said he fought the illness bravely before ultimately succumbing to it this week.
“He had put up a good fight with Alzheimer’s and unfortunately it ended tonight,” JacLynn told the outlet. “We are going to miss him for sure.”
She also reflected on the couple’s nearly six decades together, noting that they had been married for 59 years.
Parazaider retired from Chicago in 2016 after decades of touring and recording with the band. He later revealed his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2021.
For generations of fans, Walter Parazaider’s musicianship was an essential part of Chicago’s signature sound.
Though he often stayed out of the spotlight, his contributions helped transform the band from a local Chicago act into one of the most enduring groups in rock history.
Parazaider is survived by his wife and their daughters, Laura and Felicia.
A memorial service is expected to be announced at a later date.
Our thoughts go out to Walter’s loved ones, friends, and fans during this difficult time.
Walter Parazaider Cause of Death: Chicago Founding Member Was 81 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip