Guitarist Eddie Van Halen dead of throat cancer at age 65

Eddie Van Halen, the iconic guitarist and songwriter who helped give Van Halen it's name and sound, passed away yesterday after a battle with throat cancer. He was 65-years-old. Eddie Van Halen’s mastery of the guitar, even though he never learned how to read music, is widely considered to have have changed the sound of popular rock ‘n roll. Michael Jackson’s song, Beat It, wouldn’t have sounded the same without him! Eddie Van Halen's death was announced by his son, Wolf Van Halen, on Twitter. Wolf Van Halen tweeted, "I can't believe I'm having to write this... but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning. He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I've shared with him on and off stage was a gift." Eddie Van Halen battled an assortment of issues with his health in recent years, including hip-replacement surgery in 1999, tongue cancer in the early 2000s, a history of drug and alcohol abuse that led him to a rehabilitation facility in 2007, and surgery for diverticulitis in 2012. 

SNL pays live audience $150 to get around pandemic rules

Saturday Night Live is paying their audience! Their in-studio audience members went home with paychecks after the show’s season premiere this past weekend. New York state guidelines still prohibit ticketed events, but the show found a clever loophole. SNL could legally have a live audience if they pay the crowd as if they were employees. The state’s health department confirmed that SNL had complied with rules, which state that the only allowed audience members at live shows are paid employees, cast and crew. The audiences just can't exceed 25% of the show’s usual capacity and can be no more than 100 people total. It’s not clear how many of the show’s audience members were paid on Saturday night, but it's legal!

Apple TV+ has ordered a docuseries called The Supermodels! The focus will be on 90's runway icons Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista. The series starts in the 1980s when the 4 models skyrocketed to superstar status. Naomi Campbell wrote on Instagram, “My sisters Christy, Linda, Cindy and I are extremely thrilled to share our story with the world and there could be no better partners than Brian Grazer, Ron Howard which is a dream come true to bring it to life, as we knew they would respect and honor our story... We hope our journey seen in the docuseries will encourage, motivate and inspire young people around the world. We look forward to this great adventure ahead with director Barbara Kopple.”