The New York Budgets

Tag: Celebs

  • Coldplay fan who revealed CEO’s affair with company’s HR chief has six-word response for the cuddling couple

    Coldplay fan who revealed CEO’s affair with company’s HR chief has six-word response for the cuddling couple

    Fox Business Video

    The Coldplay fan who accidentally exposed a tech tycoon’s apparent affair with his head-of-HR mistresshad a blunt message for the canoodling pair: “Play stupid games … win stupid prizes.”

    Grace Springer, 28, filmed the now-viral moment Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his chief human resources officer, Kristin Cabot, were busted on a “kiss cam” embracing at the band’s Boston concertWednesday night — a clip now seen close to 50 million times.

    “I had no idea who the couple was,” the Coldplay megafan told the US Sun.

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    Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot at the Coldplay concert. (Grace Springer/Storyful)

    Springer “just thought I caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it” — with no idea how mega-viral it would soon go.

    “A part of me feels bad for turning these people’s lives upside down, but, play stupid games … win stupid prizes.”

    The awkward video showed Byron and Cabot scrambling to hide their faces after the jumbotron suddenly panned to them during the concert.

    “F–king hell, it’s me,” Byron appeared to say in the video, while his HR chief appeared to mouth, “This is awkward.”

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    Grace Springer (right) at the Coldplay gig before she caught the awkward moment of Andy Byron with Kristin Cabot on the kiss cam. (@instaagraace/Instagram)

    As Cabot flung her hands over her face and Byron ducked down out of view, frontman Chris Martin quipped, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

    The “Fix You” crooner later added, “I hope we didn’t do something bad…”

    As Springer’s clip exploded on social media, online sleuths quickly found that Byron appeared to be married to Megan Kerrigan Byron, while Cabot had recently divorced her husband, Kenneth Thornby.

    “I hope their partners can heal from this and get a second chance at the happiness they deserve with their future still in front of them,” Springer said.

    “I hope, for them, my video was a blessing in disguise.”

    It wasn’t immediately clear how, or if, the apparent scandal could play out professionally.  

    Cabot, who was only appointed to her position at the firm in November, previously boasted on LinkedIn that she leads “by example and win[s] trust with employees of all levels, from CEOs to managers to assistants,” and she was “energized” by her conversations with Byron.

    Meanwhile, Byron gushed that Cabot was “a proven leader.”

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    Andy Byron (3rd from left) and Kristin Cabot (far right) in an undated photograph. (Bain Capital Ventures)

    “Kristin’s exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory,” Byron wrote in a memo to staff when she joined the company.

    “She is a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer.”

    Neither Byron nor Cabot, who both have families of their own, has spoken out yet about the sordid saga.

    “The only way it could be worse is if the head of HR was having an affair with someone who worked for her. That’s the only permutation I could think of that could be worse — but this is pretty high up there.”

  • ‘Pretty Little Baby’ singer Connie Francis dies at 87 after being hospitalized

    ‘Pretty Little Baby’ singer Connie Francis dies at 87 after being hospitalized

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    In 1955, the singer signed a recording contract with MGM Records. (Getty Images)
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    Francis was further propelled to stardom through hits like “My Happiness,” “Lipstick on Your Collar” and “Among My Souvenirs.” (WireImage)
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    Francis earned her stripes as one of the most successful female singers in the 1950s and 1960s. (Bettmann Archive)

    Iconic singer and New Jersey native Connie Francis, known for hits such as “Pretty Little Baby” and “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” has died at 87.

    Francis’ death was confirmed on social media by her friend and copyright manager Ron Roberts Thursday — two weeks after she was hospitalized due to “extreme pain.”

    “It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,” Roberts wrote on Facebook. “I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news.”

    The chart-topping vocalist, who earned her stripes as one of the most successful female singers in the 1950s and 1960s, was rushed to the hospital in Florida July 2.

    “I am back in hospital where I have been undergoing tests and checks to determine the cause(s) of the extreme pain I have been experiencing,” Francis wrote.

    In a series of posts on July 3 and 4, Francis said she was “feeling much better” during her hospital stay.

    The following week, the singer — born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero — told fans she remained under the watchful eye of doctors and nurses as they determined the cause of her pain.

    The “Stupid Cupid” songstress said in May that a hip injury had landed her in a wheelchair.

    Despite retiring from the music industry in 2018, Francis’ track “Pretty Little Baby” had recently gone viral on TikTok — over six decades after she released the song as part of her 1962 album “Connie Francis Sings.”

    “To tell you the truth, I didn’t even remember the song!” Francis said about the track’s resurgence in popularity. “I had to listen to it to remember.”

    “To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is touching the hearts of millions of people is truly awesome. It is an amazing feeling,” the “Jamboree” actress said. “It’s an honor. To see that they’re paying homage to me is just breathtaking.” 

    “It’s truly awesome. I never thought it was possible. It’s a dream come true. To think that kindergarten kids now know my name and my music? It’s just thrilling,” she added.

    In one of her final social media posts, Francis thanked various celebrities — including the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift — who had listened to her viral track on social media.

    “There have been many wonderful artists who have paid tribute to me by singing ‘Pretty Little Baby,’ ” the singer said in a TikTok video shared June 26.

    Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1937, Francis’ love affair with music started at the age of 4 after she took part in various talent contests and pageants in her neighborhood. 

    She later dipped her toes into TV work, landing a prominent spot on NBC’s “Startime Kids” during which she assumed her stage name, Connie Francis.

    Her glittering music career boasts a slew of hit tracks, including Top 10 singles “Who’s Sorry Now?,” “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own,” “Where the Boys Are” and “Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You.”

    She was the first female singer to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts with her 1960 song “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.”

    In 1955, she signed a recording contract with MGM Records, but the partnership proved unsuccessful, as most of Francis’ songs didn’t get traction.

    Just as the label was gearing up to drop her in 1957, her father — who had been her biggest fan and supporter — convinced her to record a version of “Who’s Sorry Now?” as a last-ditch attempt to salvage her music career.

    Luckily, the singer’s career took great strides in the years that followed, as she was able to rise to stardom through hits like “My Happiness,” “Lipstick on Your Collar” and “Among My Souvenirs.”

    What’s more, her 1959 album, “Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites,” proved a treat with her fans, paving the way for her hit 1960 track “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” to top the newly established charts.

    As the 1970s arrived, Francis’ music career appeared to wane after she suffered several personal setbacks.

    In addition to becoming a rape victim, Francis temporarily lost her voice in 1977 following nasal surgery. On top of that, her brother George was murdered by the Mafia in 1981.

    Still, she attempted to channel her hardships through new songs at the time, though these were unsuccessful.

    Her mental health took a hit, prompting her father to commit her to multiple psychiatric hospitals.

    After surviving a suicide attempt in 1984, Francis released a tell-all memoir titled, “Who’s Sorry Now?”

    Following her personal struggles, the musician had partnered with Ronald Reagan’s presidential administration on a task force on violent crime. She was also a voice for rape victims.

    Francis further raised awareness of the effects of trauma through her partnership with Mental Health America in 2010.

    As for her private life, Francis had dated singer Bobby Darin in the early years of her career — much to her father’s dismay. She considered Darin, who died in 1973 at 37, the love of her life, though her father had kept them apart for reasons unknown.