On this day in history, September 11, 1970 Jimi Hendrix gives his haunting final interview before death
NME’s Keith Altham sat down to talk with Jimi Hendrix on September 11, 1970, one week before the singer's death
2023-09-11 19:23
Why did Naya Rivera shade Ariana Grande? Late 'Glee' star's accusations against singer resurface after Ethan Slater romance reveal
Naya Rivera had spoken up about finding the singer at her fiance Big Sean's house just before he broke up with her to date Ariana Grande
2023-07-31 19:29
Steve Harwell and his ex-fiancee Esther Campbell split in 2019 due to Smash Mouth singer's abusive behavior
Steve Harwell was being treated at home for his liver disease before his death at 56
2023-09-05 06:18
Pat Robertson dies at 93; founded Christian Broadcasting Network, Christian Coalition
Pat Robertson, a religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition, has died. He was 93. Robertson's death Thursday was announced by his broadcasting network. No cause was given. Robertson’s enterprises also included Regent University, an evangelical Christian school in Virginia Beach; the American Center for Law and Justice, which defends the First Amendment rights of religious people; and Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian organization. But for more than a half-century, Robertson was a familiar presence in American living rooms, known for his “700 Club” television show, and in later years, his televised pronouncements of God’s judgment on America for everything from homosexuality to the teaching of evolution. The money poured in as he solicited donations, his influence soared, and when he moved directly into politics by seeking the GOP presidential nomination in 1988, he brought a huge following with him. Robertson pioneered a now-common strategy of courting Iowa’s network of evangelical Christian churches, and finished in second place in the Iowa caucuses, ahead of Vice President George H.W. Bush. At the time, Jeffrey K. Hadden, a University of Virginia sociologist and a Robertson biographer, said Robertson's masterstroke was insisting that three million followers across the U.S. sign petitions before he would decide to run. The tactic gave him an army. ″He asked people to pledge that they’d work for him, pray for him and give him money,” Hadden told The Associated Press in 1988. ″Political historians may view it as one of the most ingenious things a candidate ever did.″ Robertson later endorsed Bush, who won the presidency. Pursuit of Iowa’s evangelicals is now a ritual for Republican hopefuls, including those currently seeking the White House in 2024. Robertson started the Christian Coalition in Chesapeake in 1989, saying it would further his campaign’s ideals. The coalition became a major force in Republican politics in the 1990s, mobilizing conservative voters through grass-roots activities. By the time of his resignation as the coalition's president in 2001 — Robertson said he wanted to concentrate on ministerial work — his impact on both religion and politics in the U.S. was “enormous,” according to John C. Green, an emeritus political science professor at The University of Akron. Many followed the path Robertson cut in religious broadcasting, Green told the AP in 2021. In American politics, Robertson helped “cement the alliance between conservative Christians and the Republican Party.” Marion Gordon “Pat” Robertson was born March 22, 1930, in Lexington, Virginia, to Absalom Willis Robertson and Gladys Churchill Robertson. His father served for 36 years as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Virginia. After graduating from Washington and Lee University, he served as assistant adjutant of the 1st Marine Division in Korea. He received a law degree from Yale University Law School, but failed the bar exam and chose not to pursue a law career. Robertson met his wife, Adelia “Dede” Elmer, at Yale in 1952. He was a Southern Baptist, she was a Catholic, earning a master’s in nursing. Eighteen months later, they ran off to be married by a justice of the peace, knowing neither family would approve. Robertson was interested in politics until he found religion, Dede Robertson told the AP in 1987. He stunned her by pouring out their liquor, tearing a nude print off the wall and declaring he had found the Lord. They moved into a commune in New York City’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood because Robertson said God told him to sell all his possessions and minister to the poor. She was tempted to return home to Ohio, “but I realized that was not what the Lord would have me do ... I had promised to stay, so I did,” she told the AP. Robertson received a master’s in divinity from New York Theological Seminary in 1959, then drove south with his family to buy a bankrupt UHF television station in Portsmouth, Va. He said he had just $70 in his pocket, but soon found investors, and CBN went on the air on Oct. 1, 1961. Established as a tax-exempt religious nonprofit, CBN brought in hundreds of millions, disclosing $321 million in “ministry support” in 2022 alone. One of Robertson’s innovations was to use the secular talk-show format on the network’s flagship show, the “700 Club,” which grew out of a telethon when Robertson asked 700 viewers for monthly $10 contributions. It was more suited to television than traditional revival meetings or church services, and gained a huge audience. “Here’s a well-educated person having sophisticated conversations with a wide variety of guests on a wide variety of topics,” said Green, the University of Akron political science professor. “It was with a religious inflection to be sure. But it was an approach that took up everyday concerns.” His guests eventually included several U.S. presidents — Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. At times, his on-air pronouncements drew criticism. He claimed that the terrorist attacks that killed thousands of Americans on Sept. 11, 2001 were caused by God, angered by the federal courts, pornography, abortion rights and church-state separation. Talking again about 9-11 on his TV show a year later, Robertson described Islam as a violent religion that wants to “dominate” and “destroy,” prompting President George W. Bush to distance himself and say Islam is a peaceful and respectful religion. He called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2005. Later that year, he warned residents of a rural Pennsylvania town not to be surprised if disaster struck them because they voted out school board members who favored teaching “intelligent design” over evolution. And in 1998, he said Orlando, Florida, should beware of hurricanes after allowing the annual Gay Days event. In 2014, he angered Kenyans when he warned that towels in Kenya could transmit AIDS. CBN issued a correction, saying Robertson “misspoke about the possibility of getting AIDS through towels.” Robertson also could be unpredictable: In 2010, he called for ending mandatory prison sentences for marijuana possession convictions. Two years later, he said on the “700 Club” that marijuana should be legalized and treated like alcohol because the government’s war on drugs had failed. Robertson condemned Democrats caught up in sex scandals, saying for example that President Bill Clinton turned the White House into a playpen for sexual freedom. But he helped solidify evangelical support for Donald Trump, dismissing the candidate's sexually predatory comments about women as an attempt “to look like he’s macho.” After Trump took office, Robertson interviewed the president at the White House. And CBN welcomed Trump advisers, such as Kellyanne Conway, as guests. But after President Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020, Robertson said Trump was living in an “alternate reality” and should “move on,” news outlets reported. Robertson’s son, Gordon, succeeded him in December 2007 as chief executive of CBN, which is now based in Virginia Beach. Robertson remained chairman of the network and continued to appear on the “700 Club.” Robertson stepped down as host of the show after half a century in 2021, with his son Gordon taking over the weekday show. Robertson also was founder and chairman of International Family Entertainment Inc., parent of The Family Channel basic cable TV network. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. bought IFE in 1997. Regent University, where classes began in Virginia Beach in 1978, now has more than 30,000 alumni, CBN said in a statement. Robertson wrote 15 books, including “The Turning Tide” and “The New World Order.” His wife Dede, who was a founding board member of CBN, died last year at the age of 94. The couple had four children, 14 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren, CBN said in a statement. ____ Former Associated Press reporter Don Schanche contributed to this story.
2023-06-08 21:55
Is George Stephanopoulos OK? ‘GMA’ host takes sudden break from show as Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan return
George Stephanopoulos has an impeccable record of not missing the morning show
2023-08-01 10:56
Scott Disick's daughter called him out for dating younger women
In the latest episode of The Kardashians, Kris and Khloé were on a mission to find a new girlfriend for Scott Disick, ex of Kourtney and father of their three children. Since splitting from Kourtney in 2015, Disick has had numerous public relationships, with most of the women being significantly younger than him. Such as Sofia Richie, who was 19 when the pair started dating, whilst Disick was 34. Ahead of their matchmaking, Kris and Khloé visited Disick to see what he was looking for in his next partner. "I just need somebody who doesn't give up on somebody, you know?" Disick told Kris when asked to describe his perfect woman. "I have been through, like, a lot of different things. I definitely know I'm not easy and I'm not perfect." Scott and Kourtney's 11-year-old daughter Penelope then entered the room, with Khloé enlisting her help to figure out what they should be looking for. But one requirement had viewers laughing: "Older". Disick himself has acknowledged that in order to move on form Kourtney he should probably start dating someone "more age-appropriate". Khloé suggested Disick start dating women in their "late 20s" but this didn't seem old enough for Penelope who said "No! 20s?! You're 40! You're not gonna date someone 19." Scott admitted he would date someone that age but it would "not be a good look". Many viewers loved Penelope's bluntness: However, some didn't see a funny side and thought it was "gross" that he would date someone only eight years older than his daughter. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-10-21 20:28
Beyoncé omits her usual Lizzo shout-out in 'Break My Soul'
Beyoncé appeared to skip over Lizzo's name as she performed "Break My Soul (Queen's Remix)" at a concert in Boston on Tuesday, following the news that Lizzo is being sued by three former dancers alleging harassment and hostile work environment.
2023-08-02 18:25
Internet erupts as Fox News anchor Sean Hannity shares James Comer's update on 'Biden family probes'
People have not held back after Sean Hannity posted James Comer’s statement about ‘putting a timeline’
2023-09-01 15:26
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour choreographer Mandy Moore praises singer, says she 'wants fans to have the best show possible'
'Taylor Swift wants me? But you know, at first, I was like, wow, you know, that was a huge honor first and foremost,' said Mandy Moore
2023-11-28 02:20
Joe Rogan names Alexander Volkanovski as his 'pound-for-pound king' despite MMA fighter losing to Islam Makhachev
MMA fighter Alexander Volkanovski may have technically lost to Islam Makhachev but in Joe Rogan's eyes, he was the winner
2023-10-03 23:19
'They have made those sacrifices': Israel-Hamas war claims the lives of several journalists reporting from the raging conflict
Some journalists are making the ultimate sacrifice while covering the war between Israel and Hamas.
2023-10-11 10:54
Celebs who broke up with their partners over text message or phone
Let's take a look at some notable instances of stars reportedly breaking up with their partners over the phone or via text messages
2023-10-29 20:46
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