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NEED TO KNOW

• Laura Dern is speaking about the limitations she's lived with because of her height

• The actress, who is nearly 6 feet tall, took part in an interview for The Independent alongside her costar Andra Day and talked about how her height has affected her career

• Dern is one of the many female celebrities who've opened up about their height

Laura Dernis offering insight on how it is up there — up there being the view at 5'11."

The actress, 58, spoke toThe Independentabout her latest film and during the conversation opened up about how her height — plus having a "radically tall torso" — has impacted her acting career.

"I was 5'11" at 12 years old and acting already, so I was losing parts constantly!" the star said in an interview published on Jan. 31, joking that she's been rejected for roles about "150 times."

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That's why filming oppositeWill ArnettinBradley Cooper'sIs This Thing On?was so great (Arnett is an impressive 6′2″).

"It means that when Will and I are sitting side by side, we're the same height. And it's crazy to be in a scene with a male actor, and we're actually looking straight into each other's eyes, you know?"

Dern's statuesque figure did make her look like a natural at Paris Fashion Week, especially when she made herrunway debut in the Gabriela Hearst showthis past October. In fact, theBig Little Liesstar commanded the catwalk in her look — a romantic floral appliqué dress and sandals.

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She's also not the first celebrity to speak out about how Hollywood treats tall people. Her friendNicole Kidman, who stands at Dern's height, said she once lied about her measurements in the hopes of securing a role inAnnie.

"I had to talk my way through the door because they were measuring you before you went in. I was mortified," she said on theRadio Times Podcastin January 2024. So, she told them she was "5 ft. 10½ in."

In the same interview, the Oscar winner relayed hergrievances over wearing heelsfor public events. "Whenever you go on the red carpet, they send the shoes, and the shoes are always so high. And I'm like, 'Do they have a kitten heel? I'm just gonna be the tallest person — the giraffe!'"

Game of ThronesandWednesdaystar Gwendoline Christine, who is over 6 feet tall, was also once"concerned" about being "cast-able"because of her appearance. Although she believed if she molded herself to societal standards that things might work out, she realized: "No, I'm not going to make any effort to fit in."

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Despite her famous father's wishes,Teddi Mellencampis adamant about recovering from stage four cancer in the comfort of her own home.

The former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star heard John Mellencamp's plea to move back to Indiana so that she could heal in peace — and be closer to him — but she's not moving anytime soon.

Teddi, 44, who was recently revealed as Calla Lilly on "The Masked Singer," cited a few important reasons as to why she wouldn't be leavingLos Angelesfor the Midwest.

John Mellencamp Wants Daughter Teddi To Move 'Back Home' To Indiana During Cancer Fight

During an appearance on"The Today Show"earlier this year, the "Jack & Diane" singer admitted he tried to talk Teddi into moving home during her cancer battle.

"I said, 'Move back to Indiana, bring the kids and just come back and live in Indiana,' but she won't do it," he said.

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Teddi was taken aback when she heard her dad's words, and confessed during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, "I'm not going to Indiana."

WATCH: Teddi Mellencamp laughs off dad's plea to move out of Hollywood

"I have all these kids, they go to school here," Teddi said. "Edwin [Teddi's estranged husband]lives here … Come on. Between him saying that, and I'm suffering, I'm like, you're really putting me through the wringer."

Teddi Mellencamp Struggles With Speech Following Cancer Treatment

She added, "I get a call from my publicist. She's like, 'Hey, anything we need to talk about? And I'm, like, 'By suffering, he means I'm depressed right now."

The"Cherry Bomb" singernoted in his "Today" spot that Teddi had both good and bad days, and usually feels like herself until she receives immunotherapy treatment which makes her "feel like hell for about four days."

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"You can't say you're cancer-free with the type of cancer she's got for three years," he explained. "So she has lesions in her brain, it went from her back, just a little, teeny spot on her. Over the last couple years it grew, and it gotinside her brain and her lungs."

The co-host of "Two T's in a Pod"podcast thought her father was only looking out for her best interests.

"Of course he wants me there. I mean, he checks on me every single day on the phone," she told Fox News Digital. "And there are some days where I'm laughing, and I'm having the best time, and there's some days when I'm crying, and I feel like I don't know how I'm going to do this another day."

She noted that John "sees the highs and lows" as she recovers from cancer.

"I think he wants to be there for them [her kids] and he knows that he lives far away. But lucky for him, I have a great support of friends out here."

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She hasn't completely ruled out a move, but don't count on Teddi to start packing for chillier weather.

"Sometimes I think I would go to where my sister lives … in Hilton Head,South Carolina,and that's where I'm from," she said. "He has a house kind of near there. So if I would ever go home, it would be to South Carolina, not Indiana. No offense to Indiana, but I do not like cold weather."

As for competing on "The Masked Singer," Teddi says "it was so exciting" for her kids.

"It's their favorite show. So like, they were beyond excited. They knew the second they heard my voice that it was me, because I had kept it a secret from them," she shared. "And so they were, beyond excited, but other than that, I mean I would say 'Masked Singer' has done so much for me, because leading up to it, I had been really, really sick. And I even see improvement in my emotions now, you know, like you could see if you watch closely when I was singing, my hands were really shaking.

"And I had kind of forgotten how much I was shaking. And then when I watching that, I was like, oh yeah, I forgot that, because when you're recovering, you forget, you kind of only think about the negative, not the positive. And I'm like, that is a huge positive. That drove me crazy. I couldn't write. Like my hands were shaking so bad that I couldn't write. Like now, my hands don't shake at all. Like you've gotta be grateful for those things, because it is happening whether it's happening on my timeframe or not."

WATCH: Teddi Mellencamp says 'The Masked Singer' helped her heal

Teddi first shared she was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma in March 2022, and later shared in April 2025 that her skin cancer hadgrown to stage 4and that it had spread to her brain and lungs. She had surgery to remove the tumors on her brain, saying at the time that while getting them removed, doctors ended up finding more.

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Later that month, a scan showed her tumors were decreasing in size. One of the many debilitating effects she suffered from on her cancer journey was her inability to speak clearly. Her stint on "The Masked Singer" helped her in more ways than one.

"'The Masked Singer' has done so much for me because leading up to it, I had been really, really sick," Teddi said. "And I even see improvement in my motions now. . . . You could see if you watch closely when I was singing, my hands were really shaking. And I had kind of forgotten how much I was shaking.

"Then when I was watching that, I was like, 'Oh yeah, I forgot that,' because when you're recovering, you forget, you kind of only think about the negative, not the positive. And I'm like, that is a huge positive. That drove me crazy."

She added, "I couldn't write, like my hands were shaking so bad that I couldn't write. Now my hands don't shake at all … you've gotta be grateful for those things, because it is happening, whether it's happening in my timeframe or not."

Her "timeframe" hasn't always aligned with her actual path. Teddi admitted last year that her father insisted she finalize burial plans and make sure her will is up to date.

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"Yesterday, my dad calls me 11 times in a row. Finally, I answer, I'm like, 'I'm in the bath. Let me live a little,'" Teddi explained. "He goes, 'I just want to make sure you're going to be in our group family mausoleum.'"

She added, "He's like, 'Well, there's going to be the top five, and then we're gonna have little areas around it, and then that's where everyone's going to get buried.' He goes, 'You'redoing your will right now, so you may as well put it in there.'"

In the end, she said, "I think I agreed to be in the mausoleum," and joked that someone she had met not too long ago had inspired her to get "Hot girls never die" put on her tombstone.

Original article source:Teddi Mellencamp refuses famous father's plea to move home to Indiana during cancer fight

As many of us who were teenagers in the '90s might recall, Pearl Jam's "Black" (from the 1991 albumTen) was pretty much the go-to song for young Gen X-ers going through a breakup.Eddie Vedder's passionate vocals and desperate lyrics were just the thing for high school heartbreak: "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life / I know you'll be a star / In somebody else's sky / But why, why, why can't it be / Oh, can't it be mine?"

Now, 35 years later, it turns out those lovelorn lines are just as relevant as ever.

AsForbesreported, Pearl Jam's "Black" is back on the charts; specifically,Billboard'sHard Rock Streaming Songschart, which tallies hard rock songs getting the most streams on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. "Black" debuted at #24, the only hard rock debut of the week.

Somewhat surprisingly, this is only the second time Pearl Jam has appeared on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart. A little less than three years ago, "Evenflow" enjoyed a short stay on the same chart, though it peaked at #25.

Pearl Jam's 'Black' was never released as a single

While it's been a fan-favorite for decades, "Black" was never actually released as a single. Though the record company hoped to turn the emotional tune into a big hit, Vedder refused, according toGenius.

"Fragile songs get crushed by the business," he said. "I don't want to be a part of it. I don't think the band wants to be part of it."

As the singer once explained, "Black" is really about "letting go," perGrunge.

"It's very rare for a relationship to withstand the Earth's gravitational pull and where it's going to take people and how they're going to grow," he said. "I've heard it said that you can't really have a true love unless it was a love unrequited. It's a harsh one, because then your truest one is the one you can't have forever."

Harsh indeed.

Related: '90s Rock Legend Announces First Solo Tour in 7 Years

This story was originally published byParadeon Feb 7, 2026, where it first appeared in theNewssection. Add Parade as aPreferred Source by clicking here.

NEW YORK − A New York judge convicted a police sergeant of second-degree manslaughter for throwing a cooler at a man's headduring a fatal 2023 chase.

Bronx County Judge Guy Mitchell rendered his Feb. 6 verdict against New York City Police Sgt. Erik Duran, 38, for causing the death of 30-year-old Eric Duprey, according to New York Attorney GeneralLetitia James' office, which investigates police killings. Duprey, a delivery driver, had three children.

"I offer my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Eric Duprey," James, whose office prosecuted the case in Bronx Criminal Court, said in a statement. "Though it cannot return Eric to his loved ones, today's decision gives justice to his memory."

James' office said the conviction carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Duran reportedly faced assault and criminally negligent homicide charges, but those were dropped in the bench trial. Duran opted for a decision by a judge instead of a Bronx jury, theNew York Post reported.

After the Feb. 6 felony conviction, the NYPD fired Duran in accordance with state law, the department said in an email. Duran, a member of an NYPD narcotics unit in the Bronx, had been suspended without pay.

Duran is the first NYPD officer in nearly a decade to be convicted for killing someone. In February 2016,Police Officer Peter Liang was convicted of second-degree manslaughterfor fatally shooting an unarmed man in a Brooklyn stairwell.

Lawyers for Duran didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Vincent Vallelong, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, an NYPD union, called the verdict a "miscarriage of justice," maintaining Duran's innocence.

"Our attorneys are reviewing all our legal options," Vallelong said in a statement. "We are confident Judge Mitchell's verdict will be overturned."

An attorney for Duprey's family didn't immediately respond to an email request for comment.

Security video released by James' officecaptured the Aug. 23, 2023, incident in the West Bronx. Footage showed Duprey attempting to flee on a motorized scooter in the Bronx before Duran, who was undercover, threw a cooler full of ice and drinks at Duprey's head. Video showed Duprey, who wasn't wearing a helmet, fall off the scooter. Duprey died minutes later.

Police said Duprey was trying to evade police on a friend's scooter after he was allegedly caught selling drugs in an undercover sting. TheNew York Times reported Dupreysold an undercover police detective $20 worth of cocaine before trying to flee on the scooter.

NYPD records show Duran first became a police officer in 2010. He rose to the rank of sergeant in 2018 and became a detective squad sergeant in 2022. Before Duprey's killing, theCivilian Complaint Review Board found Duranhad a substantiated report of abuse of authority during a January 2022 stop, about 2 miles away in the Bronx, city records show.

Duran's sentencing is scheduled for March 19, James' office said.

Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email atemcuevas1@usatoday.comor on Signal at emcuevas.01.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NYPD sergeant convicted of manslaughter in cooler-throwing death

As fans from around the countrydescend on Californiato watch the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday'sSuper Bowl, officials are telling them to leave their drones at home.

The police chief in Santa Clara, where this year's big game will be played, said authorities are prepared to shoot down a drone, if necessary.

Unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, can be easily purchased online and are increasingly popular with hobbyist drone pilots, including sports fans who want to film their favorite events.

But the risks posed by drones are real, whether a hobbyist drone malfunctions and falls into the stands or a bad actor uses a drone to drop something into the stadium.

Retired Army Col. Bill Edwards, who runs counter-drone training at Washington, D.C.-based tech company ENSCO, expects people will try to fly drones at the big game.

"We have to expect it at every major event that's happening in the country," Edwards said in an interview.

To get ahead of the issue, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a ban on all drone flights over the Super Bowl, which has been classified by the federal government as a top special event that merits extensive interagency support.

The FAA says it is collaborating with the FBI to detect, track and assess unauthorized drone activity, and drone operators who fly them in restricted airspace without authorization face fines of up to $75,000, confiscation of their drone and federal criminal charges.

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Law enforcement agencies working on Super Bowl security use layers of responses and mitigation efforts for drones.

"Everything from ground intercept teams to contact the pilot on the ground to redirecting it, landing it or even shooting it down depending on the circumstances," Santa Clara Police Chief Cory Morgan said.

Technological advancements to drones made overseas during the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East pose new challenges to law enforcement.

Edwards, who trains such police departments as the New York Police Department on drone threat mitigation, points to fiber-optic drones that can evade radio frequency detection systems as a particular concern.

"It's promulgating the technology's capability 20 years into the future — now," he said. He also said, "The threat level has increased a hundredfold."

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The first week of the partial reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt was marked by confusion, and logistical hurdles, according to Palestinians attempting to cross and multiple sources who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity.

The disorder resulted in far fewer Palestinians traversing the border between Egypt and Gaza than was expected, nearly two years after Israel seized and shut the crossing.

When the partial reopening was announced last week, an Israeli security official told CNN that 150 Palestinians per day would be allowed to leave Gaza, while only 50 would be permitted to enter. But even that detail was unclear, as Egyptian state media reported that only 50 would be allowed to leave and the same number to enter.

In the end, the number of people who crossed during the first week amounted to only a fraction of those figures. On Monday, when the crossing officially reopened, only 12 Palestinians crossed the Rafah border in each direction. On Tuesday, the highest day for which CNN has obtained numbers, 40 crossed each way.

In those first two days, most of the Palestinians who were medically evacuated to Egypt during the war and were due to return to Gaza were barred from re-entering the territory, despite receiving prior approval from Israeli and Egyptian authorities.

It was not immediately clear why the numbers allowed through the crossing have changed each day.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 20,000 people in Gaza have completed medical referrals and are awaiting permission to travel abroad for treatment. Since the war began, about 1,000 Palestinians have died while waiting to be approved for medical evacuation, according to the ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO).

CNN has reached out to Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) for comment but has yet to receive a response.

The few who did manage to pass through from Egypt described an arduous and exhausting journey.

Harsh journey home

To return to Gaza via the Rafah crossing, Palestinians must undergo three security checks – first with Egyptian forces, then with the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Rafah (EUBAM) alongside Palestinian forces, and finally the Israeli military once inside Gaza.

Those who returned on Monday told CNN they reached the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing at 3 a.m. but did not make it into Gaza until 11:30 p.m. Some described difficulties, mistreatment, and increased scrutiny at both EUBAM and particularly Israeli checkpoints.

Um Omar, frustrated and in tears, said Israeli forces had handcuffed those crossing and questioned them at length.

"The Israelis made everything difficult today. They searched us and they interrogated us about everything – about migration (from Gaza), about Hamas, about the 7th of October, and every topic you can imagine," she said.

The Egyptians treated them well and tended to their needs, she said, while the Israelis prevented them from having anything on them, including food and drink.

"They made us get rid of all our belongings. They only allowed one bag of clothes per person. Even a little girl was not allowed to take her toy with her. They told her the toy is forbidden and took it from her," Um Omar said, shouting angrily.

Lamia Rubia, 27, said all of her belongings were searched, and many items were confiscated.

In a statement, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) reported similar accounts from Palestinians returning to Gaza, alleging "patterns of ill treatment and coercion."

"After two years of utter devastation, being able to return to their families and what remains of their homes in safety and dignity is the bare minimum," the statement said, quoting the head of OHCHR's Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ajith Sunghay.

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A diplomatic source told CNN that returning Palestinians could bring only one bag of belongings and face limitations on how much cash they can carry. But the exact restrictions are still unclear as different authorities try to streamline a system that has just begun working.

In response to a query from CNN, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied any mistreatment, saying in a statement that "no incidents of inappropriate conduct, mistreatment, apprehensions, or confiscation of property by the Israeli security establishment are known."

"Security authorities at the screening facility conduct a cross-check of the identities of incomers with lists approved by the Ministry of Defense. Additionally, they conduct a thorough screening of luggage, in accordance with the security policy that was coordinated in advance with Egypt and European Union Border Assistance Mission to Rafah (EUBAM), and in accordance with international law," the statement continued.

CNN has reached out to the EUBAM but has yet to receive a response.

A source at the European Union, however, told CNN the policy at the crossing is not decided by the EUBAM, but is rather based on the Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing (APRC) and theAgreement on Movement and Access (AMA) – two documents signed in 2005 by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The list of authorized items is part of the AMA agreement, and anything not authorized gets confiscated before entering Gaza, the source added.

"The EUBAM is limited to monitoring and supporting Palestinian border officials. We don't know of any problems so far besides some minor logistics," the source said.

Tearful reunions

In southern Gaza, family members waited for hours to welcome the return of their loved ones.

Iman Rashwan, 30, had been waiting since 8 a.m. on Monday for her sister and mother to return from Egypt. They left in March 2025 after her brother was killed.

"He was my mother's only son. She had a heart condition, and her heart became very weak from the grief, so they had to medically evacuate her to Egypt," Rashwan said.

Despite the delay, joy erupted in hugs, smiles, and tears as the UN-marked bus carrying the returnees arrived, reuniting families who had been torn apart by the war.

"Open, open, open!" Rashwan shouted in glee, as she banged on the bus windows.

Her wheelchair-bound mother was the first to appear, and Rashwan immediately collapsed in her arms.

"My longing for Gaza was huge. I love Gaza and I do not want to leave my country… I didn't know I'd be gone for this long," Rashwan's mother said, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Today's trip was so difficult. Today was a taste from hell… the Egyptians treated us well, but the journey got difficult when we reached the Israelis," she added.

The hardships awaiting these Palestinians in a devastated homeland may outweigh the trials of their journey. As they arrived, however, they were simply grateful to be back in Gaza, with no wish to relive the journey they had just endured.

"I advise every Palestinian from Gaza not to leave their country and not to even think about leaving," Um Omar said.

As another woman emerged from the bus, she shouted: "Nobody leave Gaza! You are better off staying here and maintaining your dignity."

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CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) —Lindsey Vonnwrapped up her second straight successful downhill training run Saturday and appears ready to go for gold at theMilan Cortina Olympicsat the age of 41 on Sunday, little more than a week after rupturing the ACL of her left knee.

APTOPIX Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing

The Americancrossed in third position, 0.37 seconds behind leader and teammate Breezy Johnson, and pumped her fist after seeing the result.

"All good," Vonn told The Associated Press.

Aksel Lund Svindal, the 2018 Olympic downhill champion from Norway who now coaches Vonn, said she was "very calm" after her run "and didn't talk about the knee at all."

"And then I didn't want to ask, either, because I figured that's a good sign," Svindal said. "When she's calm means that she feels like she has it under control. She knows that she'll have to push harder tomorrow because the rest of the girls will and it's the Olympic downhill — you're not going to get away with a medal there unless you push hard. I think she's ready for that."

Still, Vonn has been favoring her right leg while landing jumps during training, which has put her off balance at times.

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"Try to have less of that tomorrow if we can," Svindal said. "It's the landings that hurt the most."

Vonn is competing with a large brace covering her injured knee. She had a partial titanium replacement inserted in her right knee in 2024 and then returned to ski racing last season after nearly six years of retirement.She crashed during the final World Cup downhill before the Olympics, raising the possibility that she would end not just her season but her career.

Instead, she has been steadfast in saying she would ski at the Olympics if at all possible and, after a training run was canceled Thursday, hit the Olympia delle Tofana downhill course on Friday and Saturday with the other racers.She placed 11th in Thursday's training,though the times mean little since the athletes do not always go their hardest.

Svindal noted that Vonn's brace negatively affects her aerodynamics, but added, "We're not focusing on that because if she starts to ask to take the brace away I think there's a couple of doctors that would have something to say about that. Please don't ask her that question."

Vonn holds the record of 12 World Cup wins in Cortina.

AP Olympics:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics