News in brief this evening: Top stories from Jan. 12

LOS ANGELES — Harry Styles has been booked for this year's Coachella festival, joining a lineup that includes headliners Kanye West and Billie Eilish, as well as EDM group Swedish House Mafia.

According to a source, the British pop star (and former One Direction heartthrob) will headline the 2022 edition of pop music's highest-profile festival, which is scheduled to go down April 15-17 and April 22-24 at the Empire Polo grounds in Indio.

The news was first reported in Billboard.

The show will mark the first time Coachella has taken place in three years, after the 2020 and 2021 editions were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A huge moneymaker for Goldenvoice, the Los Angeles-based promoter that puts it on, Coachella in 2020 was supposed to feature Frank Ocean, Travis Scott and a reunited Rage Against the Machine.

Last August, Goldenvoice chief Paul Tollett told the Los Angeles Times that Ocean would headline the show in 2023. Scott reportedly dropped off the lineup after 10 attendees of his Astroworld festival died in Houston in November; Rage is said to have pulled out as well.

A Goldenvoice representative didn't respond immediately to a request for comment on Styles' booking.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ronnie Spector, the cat-eyed, bee-hived rock 'n' roll siren who sang such 1960s hits as "Be My Baby," "Baby I Love You" and "Walking in the Rain" as the leader of the girl group the Ronettes, has died. She was 78.

Spector died Wednesday after a brief battle with cancer, her family said. "Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humor and a smile on her face. She was filled with love and gratitude," a statement said. No other details were revealed.

The Ronettes' sexy look and powerful voices — plus songwriting and producing help from Phil Spector — turned them into one of the premier acts of the girl-group era, touring England with the Rolling Stones and befriending the Beatles.

Spector, alongside her sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley, scored hits with pop masterpieces like "Baby, I Love You," "Walking in the Rain," "I Can Hear Music" and "Be My Baby," which was co-written by Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.

"We weren't afraid to be hot. That was our gimmick," Spector said in her memoir. "When we saw The Shirelles walk on stage with their wide party dresses, we went in the opposite direction and squeezed our bodies into the tightest skirts we could find. Then we'd get out on stage and hike them up to show our legs even more."

Spector, born Veronica Bennett, and her multiracial bandmates grew up in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan. They began singing and dancing in clubs as Ronnie and the Relatives, becoming noteworthy for their liberal use of eyeliner and mascara.

"The louder they applauded, the more mascara we put on the next time," she wrote in her memoir. "We didn't have a hit record to grab their attention, so we had to make an impression with our style. None of it was planned out; we just took the look we were born with and extended it."

In March 1963, Estelle Bennett managed to arrange an audition in front of Phil Spector, known for his big, brass-and-drum style dubbed the "wall of sound." They were signed to Phillies Records in 1963. After being signed, they sang backup for other acts until Spector had the group record "Be My Baby" and "Baby I Love You."

The group's debut album, "Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica," was released in 1964. Five of its 12 tracks had made it to the U.S. Billboard charts.

"Nothing excites me more than just being onstage, having fun and flirting and winking to the guys and stuff like that," she told People magazine in 2017. "I just have so much fun. It's just the best feeling when I go out and they say, "Ladies and gentlemen…" —my heart stops for a minute—"…Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes!" Then I just go out there and the crowd reacts the way they react and I can go on singing forever."

After touring Germany in 1967, the Ronettes broke up. Spector married Ronnie in 1968, then she said he kept her locked in their Beverly Hills mansion. Her 1990 autobiography "Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts And Madness" tells an unhappy story of abuse. The couple divorced in 1974. Phil Spector was sent to prison in 2009 for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson and died in 2020.

Ronnie Spector's influence was felt far and wide. Brian Wilson became obsessed with "Be My Baby" and Billy Joel wrote "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" in Spector's honor. Amy Winehouse frequently cited Spector as an idol.

Martin Scorsese used "Be My Baby" to open his 1973 film "Mean Streets" and the song appears in the title sequence of "Dirty Dancing" and the closing credits of "Baby Mama." It also appeared on TV in "Moonlighting" and "The Wonder Years."

When the Ronettes were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones remembered opening for the trio in England in the mid-1960s. "They could sing all their way right through a wall of sound," Richards said. "They didn't need anything. They touched my heart right there and then and they touch it still."

After the Ronettes broke up, Spector continued to tour and make music, including "Take Me Home Tonight" with Eddie Money, recording Joel's "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, and recording the 1999 EP "She Talks to Rainbows," which included her first ever recording of "Don't Worry Baby," written for her by Brian Wilson.

In 2006, she released "Last of the Rock Stars," her first album in 20 years and it featured appearances by the Raconteurs, Keith Richards, Patti Smith and the Raveonettes. In 2010 she released a doo-wop Christmas EP called "Ronnie Spector's Best Christmas Ever" and in 2016 released "English Heart," her covers of songs from Britain in the '60s.

She is survived her husband, Jonathan Greenfield, and two sons, Jason and Austin.

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

Photos: The life of Ronnie Spector

Ja Morant scored a game-high 29 points to help fire the Memphis Grizzlies to an NBA-best 10th straight victory with a 116-108 defeat of the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

The 2020 Rookie of the Year added five rebounds and a team-best eight assists as the Grizzlies survived a third quarter Warriors fightback to roar home in the fourth -- Morant scoring five points in the final minute to seal the victory and extend a franchise record winning streak.

Grizzlies pair Tyus Jones and Ziaire Williams each scored 17 points, with Jones perfect from deep -- converting all five of his three-point attempts, a game-high.

A feat made all the more impressive given he shared the court with the undisputed three-point king Steph Curry, though the Warriors guard's sights were -- for once -- out of sync at FedExForum.

Curry converted just two of his nine three-point attempts yet still led scoring for the Warriors with 27 points, adding a game-high 10 assists as well as 10 rebounds.

Klay Thompson -- featuring for the second straight game after an emotional long-awaited return from injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday -- scored 14 points to finish as the Warriors' second highest scorer despite clocking just 20 minutes on court.

As joyous as Thompson's homecoming was, it now marks the sole victory in the Warriors last four games.

A 30-10 record keeps them within reach of the Phoenix Suns (31-9) at the top of the Western Conference but with road trips to the Milwaukee Bucks (26-17) and the East-leading Chicago Bulls (27-11) to come, that gap could soon get wider.

Despite a poor start proving too much to undo, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was pleased by the manner of the fightback against "the hottest team in the league."

"We did a lot of really good things to get back in it after a really bad first half," Kerr told reporters.

"It was a great game. Two of the best teams in the league. They're the hottest team in the league, and we gave ourselves a chance, but we didn't play well enough to win."

'We're one of the best teams in the league'

For the Grizzlies though, it's sunshine and rainbows as 10 straight victories have rocketed them up the Western Conference to a 29-14 record -- and Morant believes the Grizzlies are now commanding the respect they deserve from the league.

"I bet you we've got it now. Go on social media," Morant told reporters.

"Number one is we're one of the best teams in the league. Number two ... is how deep our roster is. No matter what's thrown at us, we bounce back from it, come out and win games.

"Just got to keep it rolling -- continue to play together, continue to battle and whatever is fueling us, continue to do."

Booker sees Suns through

Elsewhere in the NBA, the visiting Suns edged the Toronto Raptors 99-95 to snap the home side's six-game winning streak.

Devin Booker made back-to-back jumpers to put the Suns ahead and tee up a pulsating final minute, with Deandre Ayton's free throws sealing the victory and lifting the Western Conference leaders to 30-9.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers overcame a 25-point, third-quarter deficit to stun the visiting Denver Nuggets 87-85.

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Joe Judge became the fifth NFL coach to be fired after he was relieved of his duties by the New York Giants on Tuesday.

The team announced the decision to dismiss Judge just a day after senior vice president and general manager Dave Gettleman announced his retirement.

"[Giants chairman and co-owner] Steve (Tisch) and I both believe it is in the best interest of our franchise to move in another direction," team president John Mara said.

"We met with Joe yesterday afternoon to discuss the state of the team. I met again with Joe this afternoon, and it was during that conversation I informed Joe of our decision. We appreciate Joe's efforts on behalf of the organization.

"I said before the season started that I wanted to feel good about the direction we were headed when we played our last game of the season. Unfortunately, I cannot make that statement, which is why we have made this decision.

"We will hire a general manager and that person will lead the effort to hire a new head coach."

Judge spent two years as Giants head coach, amassing a 10-23 record during that time span.

Despite looking relatively safe midway through the season, Judge's grip on the job became increasingly shaky as their 2021 spiraled.

Following a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Daniel Jones, the Giants ended the season on a six-game losing streak, which featured some significant struggles in the absence of Jones. The team finished with a 4-13 record, tying a franchise-worst for losses in a season.

He is the third consecutive Giants coach to not reach a third season, just like Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur before him.

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Judge becomes the fifth NFL coach to be fired after a slew were relieved of their duties on Monday.

Brian Flores was fired by the Miami Dolphins, Matt Nagy by the Chicago Bears and Mike Zimmer by the Minnesota Vikings.

On Sunday, the Denver Broncos parted ways with head coach Vic Fangio.

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Bob Saget's family is waiting for the results of his autopsy report and not speculating on his cause of death, two sources close to the late actor and comedian tell CNN.

Saget, who was found dead in his Orlando hotel room on Sunday, hours after a two-hour stand-up performance, had Covid-19 in December, according to the source, who called any link to Saget's death "speculative."

"At this time, there is no evidence of drug use or foul play," Orange County Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany said in a statement to CNN on Monday. "The cause and manner of death are pending further studies and investigation which may take up to 10-12 weeks to complete."

"Bob seemed healthy. He would not have traveled and been performing had he been not feeling well," one of the sources added, reiterating the family is waiting for the medical examiner's complete report.

At the time of his death, Saget was in Florida to perform a series of stand-up shows. In a January 5 episode of the "A Corporate Time with Tom and Dan," Saget talked about his experience with Covid with his signature humor.

"It is not good. It does not feel good, I had it...I don't know if I had Delta or, I might have had a combo, maybe at one point they were working together, I don't know. I think at one point Omicron was opening for Delta but then Omicron got so big Delta's opening now for Omicron," Saget joked.

Saget talked about feeling energized and excited about performing in several social media posts just prior to his death.

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Fans of Taco Bell's chicken wings have just a few hours left to get them before they disappear from menus.

Last Thursday, the chain rolled out the surprising new item for a seven-day stint that sparked excitement and got its hungry customers salivating. The $5.99 price gets you five bone-in wings that are coated in a queso seasoning and served with a spicy ranch dipping sauce.

Like many fast food promotions, the wings were always intended to be a limited time offer. The industry's chains constantly tweak their menus with niche and oddball products that drum up excitement and social media attention. These specialty offerings are a way to cut through the noise.

McDonald's is the biggest proponent of the practice, with the McRib being sold in the fall, Filet-O-Fish and Shamrock Shakes appearing on menus in February and its McFlurry lineup constantly getting refreshed. And Starbucks has created a nationwide phenomenon with the annual release of its red-colored cups and complimentary seasonal menu during the holidays.

Limited-time items are an important marketing tool for the food industry to draw in foot traffic and interest, according to Alexander Chernev, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

"When you have these exclusive products, which exist for a short period of time, it gives people a reason to come to the store," Chernev previously told CNN Business.

These items offer consumers some variety — key for fast food, as it's a notoriously thin-margin business with little customer loyalty. Offering something new gives people a reason to come back.

"You need consistency because that's the brand mantra," said Chernev. "But no matter how much you like something, consuming something different increases the enjoyment of what you consumed before."

There is a basic tenet of supply-and-demand economics behind limited-time releases, too: Scarcity can build hype. "It's a way to create excitement for the menu," R.J. Hottovy, a former consumer strategist for Morningstar, previously told CNN Business.

Also, the limited-time items can help chains experiment with a new food before launching it nationwide. Chipotle commonly does that with a practice it calls a "stage-gate process."

That's what Chipotle did with its smoked brisket meat before taking it nationwide last September, a process it has also used for plant-based chorizo, riced cauliflower, carne asada and its popular quesadilla.

-— CNN Business' Danielle Wiener-Bronner contributed to this report.

-— An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed an item in a list of food the company was offering nationwide last year. It was smoked brisket meat.

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If you've ever considered donating blood, now is the time to take action.

Blood donations are absolutely critical right now as the United States faces the worst blood shortage in over a decade, according to the American Red Cross website.

Know your blood type? Type O-positive, Type O-negative and platelets are in the most need right now, the organization said.

The Red Cross, which supplies 40% of the country's blood supply, has seen a 10% decrease in donations since March 2020.

Blood donations are needed for all types of patients such as trauma victims and cancer patients, according to Jessica Merrill, director of biomedical communications for the American Red Cross.

"I know of a teenage cancer patient in New York who recently had to go without a scheduled transfusion due to the lack of available blood," Merrill said. "Imagine how hard it is for a parent to take their sick child home without the treatment they need to feel better."

Many factors are causing the shortage, including canceled blood drives due to illness and staffing limitations, and an active flu season. Weather-related closures have also prevented some blood drives from taking place.

A surge in Covid-19 cases could have also contributed to the ongoing shortage, according to the Red Cross.

Additionally, there has been a 62% drop in college and high school blood drives during the pandemic. These drives made up 25% of donors in 2019 and now account for a mere 10%.

Blood donations are perishable

Blood can't be stockpiled, and the Red Cross has less than a one-day supply of critical blood types.

Red blood cells have a shelf life of 42 days while platelets have a shelf life of five days, according to the Red Cross.

"The demand for blood never goes away because it's got a shelf life, and we're constantly having to replenish," said Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical officer of the American Red Cross.

There are eight primary blood types, and humans can only receive certain types of blood that are compatible with their own. If they receive incompatible blood, their body will reject it and they could potentially die. The one exception is Type O-negative blood, which is compatible with all other blood types.

Covid-19 and the flu

If you are sick with Covid-19, the flu or another illness, the Red Cross asks that you do not donate blood at this time.

Fully recovered Covid-19 patients are welcome to donate blood, according to Young. This means the blood donor must be in good health and at least 14 days outside of their last day of Covid-19 symptoms, she explained.

Donors with a fever or cough that brings up phlegm are asked not to donate until 24 hours after their symptoms go away. If you're taking an antibiotic treatment for sinus, throat or lung infection, you must wait until you are finished with the treatment.

People who have received the Covid-19 vaccine are eligible to donate blood, Merrill said.

You need to wait at least eight weeks between standard whole blood donations, seven days between platelet donations and 16 weeks between automated Power Red donations, which prioritize extracting red blood cells.

Not sure about your blood type?

You can find out by donating blood or getting it drawn at a doctor's office. There are at-home testing options available for purchase online, either with finger-pricking or saliva-based testing. It is not necessary to know your blood type to donate blood.

If you're not eligible to donate, you can volunteer at a blood drive as a blood donor ambassador or a transportation specialist.

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An asteroid estimated to be a kilometer (3,451 feet) wide will fly by Earth on January 18.

It will pass within 1.2 million miles of our planet, moving at 47,344 miles per hour, according to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies, which tracks potentially hazardous comets and asteroids that could collide with our planet.

The approaching asteroid is known as 7482 (1994 PC1) and it was discovered in 1994, according to NASA.

Nobody expects 7482 (1994 PC1) to hit Earth, but it's the closest the asteroid will come for the next two centuries, according to NASA projections. The flyby is expected to take place on Tuesday January 18 at 4.51 p.m. ET.

It won't be the largest asteroid to ever sweep past Earth. That honor belongs to the asteroid 3122 Florence (1981 ET3), which flew by and missed colliding with Earth on September 1, 2017. That asteroid is estimated to be between 2.5 miles and 5.5 miles wide, and it make another pass again on September 2, 2057.

While 7482 (1994 PC1) is unlikely to be visible with the naked eye, amateur astronomers with a small telescope should be able to spot it, according to the website EarthSky.com.

In September this year, a NASA spacecraft will deliberately crash into an asteroid to change its motion in space -- testing technology developed to deflect an asteroid hit.

Known as the DART mission, or the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, the spacecraft is aiming for Dimorphos, a small moon orbiting the near-Earth asteroid Didymos.

Near-Earth objects are asteroids and comets with orbits that place them within 30 million miles (48 million kilometers) of Earth. Detecting the threat of near-Earth objects, or NEOs, that could potentially cause grave harm is a primary focus of NASA and other space organizations around the world.

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Prince Andrew has formally denied allegations that he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre and has demanded a jury trial in her civil lawsuit, according to a legal filing Wednesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The 11-page filing responds paragraph-by-paragraph to the allegations in Giuffre's lawsuit, in which she alleged that the late financier Jeffrey Epstein trafficked her and forced her to have sex with his friends, including Andrew, and that Andrew was aware she was underage in the US at the time.

She alleged Andrew sexually abused her at Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands, at his mansion in Manhattan and at his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell's home in London.

In his response Wednesday, the prince repeatedly and flatly denied the abuse.

"Prince Andrew denies that he was a co-conspirator of Epstein or that Epstein trafficked girls to him," his attorneys Andrew B. Brettler and Melissa Y. Lerner wrote.

He also denied he was a "close friend" of Maxwell and denied that he became a "frequent guest" in Epstein's homes around the world. On other points, the attorneys write that the prince "lacks sufficient information to admit or deny the allegations."

Still, Andrew did admit in the court filing that he met Epstein in 1999; that Epstein and Maxwell attended the prince's 40th birthday party in 2000; and that Andrew was photographed with Epstein in Central Park and stayed at Epstein's New York City mansion in 2010.

Finally, the filing puts forth 11 affirmative defenses, including one that states, "Giuffre's alleged causes of action are barred in whole or in part by her own wrongful conduct and the doctrine of unclean hands."

Giuffre's attorney David Boies said in a statement they looked forward to a trial.

"Prince Andrew's answer continues his approach of denying any knowledge or information concerning the claims against him, and purporting to blame the victim of the abuse for somehow bringing it on herself," he said. "We look forward to confronting Prince Andrew with his denials and attempts to blame Ms. Giuffre for her own abuse at his deposition and at trial."

How we got here

The filing comes two weeks after a federal judge in New York denied the prince's motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

The ruling set up a dramatic series of legal proceedings for Queen Elizabeth II's third child that could have major ramifications for Buckingham Palace.

The long-running allegations against Andrew, 61, have already dramatically tarnished his public standing, and he stepped back from royal duties in late 2019. In the wake of the judge's decision earlier this month, Andrew was stripped of his military titles and charities, Buckingham Palace announced.

Andrew has until July 14 to potentially answer questions about the case under oath, following a ruling made by Judge Lewis Kaplan last year. If the case is not settled, Andrew could face a trial date between September and December 2022.

Giuffre brought her case under the Child Victims Act, a New York state law enacted in 2019 that temporarily expanded the statute of limitations in child sex abuse cases.

The civil suit stems from the sprawling and disturbing allegations against Epstein, the wealthy sex offender who befriended a series of powerful men despite a sketchy history.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges and in July 2019 was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges. Prosecutors accused him of carrying out a decades-long scheme of sexual abuse of underage girls, flying them on private planes to his properties in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the US Virgin Islands. He died by suicide in prison before he could face trial.

Maxwell, his former girlfriend and close associate, was arrested in 2020 and accused of facilitating the abuse scheme. A federal jury convicted her in December on five federal counts, including sex trafficking a minor and conspiracy.

Giuffre was not one of the four women who testified in Maxwell's trial that they had been abused. Still, she was mentioned in the trial when Carolyn, one of the victims, testified that Giuffre had recruited her to come to Epstein's home in Palm Beach, Florida.

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