Entertainment

Frank Sinatra ‘Saved’ Sammy Hagar’s Life During a Fight

Sammy hagar tout 050125 9ea21443385b4d6c881c4f967193eb85

The Red Rocker owes his life to Ol’ Blue Eyes.

On Wednesday night, Sammy Hagar premiered his new Las Vegas residency show and recalled his first time traveling to Sin City in the late ‘60s, which included a chance meeting with Frank Sinatra.

“I had this little band, and we got in a van and we drove to Vegas. We thought we were gonna get a gig at one of these bars for something,” he said. “So I run into a guy and he goes, ‘You guys are pretty good.’ We auditioned. He goes, ‘I work for Frank Sinatra. Wanna come see him tonight?'”

Hagar immediately agreed, as he wasn’t about to miss that opportunity, noting that Sinatra was sipping a martini and smoking a cigarette during the brief meeting. Having been told that Hagar was an aspiring singer, Sinatra decided to invite the future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer onstage.

Kenny Aronoff, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Rai Thistlethwayte perform during opening night of The Best Of All Worlds Stays In Vegas – The Residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM on April 30, 2025 in Las Vegas.

Denise Truscello/Getty

“I’m there, and he does some weird song that I don’t know, and he called me up,” Hagar said from the Park MGM stage. “I don’t know the song — I was like 20 years old. I’m running around, I’m jumping on tables, going out in the audience, working it real hard, and Frank’s just watching me. He looks at his buddies, and they want to come get me off stage.”

Frank, though, let Hagar continue. Following the show, a youthful Hagar stood outside Sinatra’s dressing room hoping to score a second meeting, but when the “My Way” vocalist didn’t come out, the Red Rocker exited the showroom.

“I’m walking out the back door, and these guys jump me, and they’re beating the s— out of me, working me hard. I’m thinking I’m dying,” Hagar said. “Frank walks out, opens the door [wags his finger] and says, ‘That’s enough.'”

The men stopped the beating immediately.

Sinatra, Hagar said, “Saved my f—ing life.”

Sammy Hagar and Kenny Aronoff perform during opening night of The Best Of All Worlds Stays In Vegas – The Residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM on April 30, 2025 in Las Vegas.

Denise Truscello/Getty

On Wednesday, Hagar, now 77, let his set list do the punching, opening the show with the debut of his newest song, “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight,” a guitar-driven, poignant single about his relationship with the late Eddie Van Halen, which was released last week.

Throughout the two-hour show, the former Van Halen singer made it a habit of stating the year each song was released, some of which were over four decades old. He previously promised that his The Best of All Worlds residency show would feature an “only in Vegas” setlist, and that was certainly the case.

While he and the band played hits such as “Panama,” “I Can’t Drive 55” and “Why Can’t This Be Love,” Hagar also delved deep into his catalog, performing Van Halen’s “Amsterdam” for the first time since 2007, and “Love Walks In” for the first time since 1993 and “Humans Being” from the 1996 movie Twister. During “Right Now,” words and inspirational messages flashed on an oversized screen behind Hagar, including, “You’re missing the moment if you’re on your phone,” “Let’s all shift, happily to a higher frequency” and “This music is alive and well.” Kesha even made a surprise appearance, coming out on stage for “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love.”

Hagar posted a video with Kesha, 38, on his Instagram page after the show, joking that his wife of 29 years, Kari, “even lets me love this girl.” Of Kesha, he added, “She’s my favorite.”

Last November, Hagar told PEOPLE that he and bassist Michael Anthony often imbibe before taking the stage as a pre-show ritual. At the opening night of the residency, though, they happily tippled on stage during the show in full view of the crowd. Naturally, Hagar drank Santos tequila, the spirit brand he owns with Guy Fieri, while Anthony sucked down a mini bottle of Jack Daniel’s.

“Mike and I start drinking 20 minutes before every show. We start drinking little tequila, just sipping,” Hagar told PEOPLE last year. “There’s a certain time when you get a buzz. We try to go out on that high because it makes you a little bit looser and it’s more fun. I can’t explain it, but it really helps not walking out cold.”

The Best of All Worlds residency show continues May 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 14, 16, 17.

Entertainment

Why Golden Globe-winning actress Ann Jillian quit Hollywood at her career peak

wp content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F04%2F126430287

Ann Jillian went from a Disney child star to a ’80s sitcom favorite, even portraying her own battle with cancer on screen.

Then, at the height of her career, she walked away from Hollywood.

The actress, who won a Golden Globe in 1989 for the TV movie “The Ann Jillian Story,” recently appeared on the podcast “Famous with Jacy Dawn Valeras” to discuss leaving showbiz at the peak of her career.

“I’ve been out of it for a while,” said the 76-year-old. “I’ve been out of it for a good reason. I gave birth to my one and only son when I was 42, and I took that seriously too.

“Now, maybe somebody out there can do this, and good for them,” she said, speaking about balancing both motherhood and fame.

“I love that they can. For me, I recognize that I cannot. Since I like to focus on what I do, I cannot do all things at the same time.

“I can, over the course of a lifetime — the life that the good Lord has given me — I can do everything that I want to do, but not all at the same time. Ultimately, if you try to do it all at the same time, something is going to suffer because your focus is going to go away from one thing.

“And I was determined at my age, at 42, that it was more likely going to be my only son,” Jillian added.

The actress got her start as a child star whose stage name was given to her by Walt Disney himself before she starred in 1961’s “Babes in Toyland.”

Just a year later, she appeared in 1962’s “Gypsy” alongside Natalie Wood and Rosalind Russell.

Jillian successfully grew up in the public eye and went on to star in the TV series “It’s a Living” from 1980 to 1986. In 1985, Jillian was diagnosed with cancer at age 35, which she fought — and won.

In 1992, Jillian gave birth to Andrew Joseph Murcia, the Los Angeles Times reported. Jillian said on the podcast that she had no regrets about her decision to prioritize motherhood.

“I felt that I had a great career,” she explained. “When I left the industry, so to speak, it was after my son was born … I had to be there to put him to bed. But then he had to grow roots. He had to go to school. And I thought about this.

“I thought, ‘I don’t want to be a thousand miles away if he gets a boo-boo. I don’t want to be a thousand miles away when he wants to talk about something just terrible that happened at school or just wonderful that happened at school.’

“I want to be there to see him get his first communion,” she said. “I don’t want to be in front of a camera somewhere when it’s time for him to have his first communion.

“So, basically, I hung up my dancing shoes, so to speak, and said, ‘Nope, nope, this is the most important role I have to play right now, and that’s being a mom.’

“I’m sure I made some mistakes along the way,” Jillian continued. “But I learned an awful lot, too. And I had the privilege with my husband and God of bringing life into the world and raising a young man who is now an international tax attorney.

“He’s handsome. He’s witty. He could have been an actor because he’s got a mind like a steel trap, his delivery is way better than mine ever was and he has a great voice. And I wouldn’t trade that for the world, for the time that I was gone.”

Over the years, Jillian has been selective in choosing gigs that won’t keep her far away from her family. Her last appearance was in a 2000 episode of “Walker, Texas Ranger.”

“I love my industry,” Jillian told the outlet. “I love what I did during the time that I was in that industry. I loved the job that I had and was thankful for it. I was really thankful … I find it remarkable when I look at it now.”

In 2021, Jillian spoke to Fox News Digital about how many people viewed her as a sex symbol during her time on “It’s a Living.”

“Well, it didn’t bother me,” Jillian said at the time. “I took it more as [the public] appreciated my looks. And that was fine with me. When you look good, you feel good. And that’s how I felt.

“I certainly don’t approve of some of the things that have happened over the years [in the industry],” she said.

“I support women standing up for themselves. But if you ask me specifically how I felt about that title back then, then I have to be very honest with you. And the truth is, I felt quite honored that people liked the way I looked, and I pleased their eyes. I was fine with that.”

Jillian also noted that faith kept her grounded in Hollywood.

“Some might say it’s not a normal childhood to go into a studio in front of cameras,” she said.

“That’s true. But from a young age, I was taught that it was just playing pretend. I just got paid for it. And playing pretend is very childlike, and it made me happy. I was never forced. I did it because I loved it. And I think that made the difference.”

Entertainment

Al Pacino and Beverly D’Angelo reunite for his 86th birthday

wp content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F04%2F126385579

Al Pacino and Beverly D’Angelo may have split in 2004, but that didn’t stop them from celebrating the “Godfather” star’s 86th birthday together.

The former couple was spotted stepping out in Beverly Hills on Friday evening, the night before Pacino’s big day.

D’Angelo, 74, went casual in a pair of black pants and a beige blazer, accessorizing with a colorful scarf and gold sunglasses.

The “National Lampoon’s Vacation” star carried a tan leather handbag and finished the look with comfy sneakers for the outing.

The “Scarface” icon, meanwhile, wore a navy blue jacket with black pants and sneakers. He finished the ensemble with a pair of round sunglasses, a scarf and a beanie cap.

The former couple are parents to grown twins Anton and Olivia, 25, whom they welcomed in 2001 via IVF amid a relationship that lasted from 1996 to 2004.

“In 1997, he looked me in the eye and said ‘I want you to be the mother of my children,’ and although I’d avoided that role my whole life, I was deeply in love and I was 100 percent in,” D’Angelo said in a 2023 Instagram video.

While she admitted that their split was “complicated,” she also emphasized that their commitment to their children has triumphed.

“Yikes, it got complicated, and our split was finalized in 2004,” she shared, adding that “the power of our love for our children was the basis for resolving our conflicts and creating a new history as coparents.”

“As for me and Al, it is a unique and profound friendship between two artists that endures to this day, through thick and thin, 27 years now of doing it our way, and there you have it,” she told followers at the time.

The entire family was spotted enjoying an outing back in 2023, with Pacino and D’Angelo taking their twins — then 22 years old — to a Los Angeles escape room.

Since their split, D’Angelo appears to have remained single, while Pacino — who also shares daughter Julie Marie, 36, with ex-girlfriend Jan Tarrant — has welcomed son Roman, 2, with former partner Noor Alfallah.

Entertainment

‘Wicked’ star Marissa Bode claims she was denied boarding Southern Airways flight over her wheelchair

wp content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F04%2Fwicked

“Wicked” actress Marissa Bode claimed she was denied boarding her Southern Airways flight because she uses a wheelchair — and she’s not holding back after calling out the airline.

The 25-year-old, who has been confined to a wheelchair since being involved in a car crash at age 11, took to TikTok on Thursday, claiming, “I was denied boarding a flight because I’m disabled,” describing the experience as “awful.”

Bode said the interaction occurred during a layover flight while she was traveling to a speaking engagement in Pennsylvania.

She said her first flight on United Airlines went smoothly, but things took a turn when she approached the gate for her connecting flight with Southern Airways — which serves only eight states in the US.

“I got to the gate and was like, ‘Hey, could you help me locate my boarding pass?’” she said.

“And the two people at the gate look at me and they’re like, ‘Can you stand?’ And I said, ‘No.’ And they said, ‘I’m sorry, because of that we’re gonna have to deny you boarding.’”

Bode said she was stunned by the explanation that followed.

“They proceeded to tell me all the planes within this airline have stairs to get on the plane. Wild. Never heard of that before … You’re telling me none of the people who have flown on your plane before are disabled?”

She went on to call the situation “blatant segregation,” adding that staff also raised concerns about her 35-pound wheelchair.

The actress said her team had already coordinated with the airline before the trip.

“My manager spoke to them beforehand and they fully assured that I would be set for my flight,” she said, suggesting the denial came despite prior arrangements.

“It is always something when I’m flying,” she said. “It is very rare that I’m flying and there isn’t a problem with my chair or I’m not talked down to.”

She added that the situation went beyond a simple mix-up.

“It’s so much more than bad communication,” she said. “It’s so much more than a mistake. These are our lives. This is our entire existence you’re talking about. My wheelchair is my freedom.”

Bode also addressed how she felt reacting in the moment.

“And of course when I’m crying out of frustration and talking to the people at the gate very firmly, I look like a crazy person,” she continued. “I look like the one that’s in the wrong.”

Ultimately, she had no choice but to make the trip by car instead.

“I had to drive three and a half hours to get to my destination,” she said, before blasting the airline directly: “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“And airlines as a whole, once again, do f—ing better,” she added.

Under the Air Carrier Access Act, airlines are prohibited from discriminating against passengers with disabilities and are required to assist, including help with boarding and connections.

However, Southern Airways’ contract of carriage states that passengers “must be able to ascend and descend several steps” due to the design of its smaller aircraft, which typically carry fewer than 30 passengers.

The airline notes that it is not required under federal law to provide mechanical lifts in those cases, though ramps may sometimes be available.

The incident comes as Bode continues to gain visibility following her role as Nessarose in “Wicked.”

After the original film’s release in 2024, she faced backlash online tied to her character, with some viewers criticizing Nessarose as a “bad sister” to Elphaba — commentary that spilled into hateful comments about her disability.

“Aggressive comments and jokes about Nessa’s disability itself is deeply uncomfortable, because disability is not fictional,” Bode said at the time.