Liam Neeson Fights to Stop Ban on New York City's Horse-Drawn Carriages

After his revealing 60 Minutes interview, Liam Neeson is making headlines again, this time for taking a controversial stance on New York City's horse-drawn carriages.



On Sunday, the actor and New York City resident invited every New York City Council member to tour the Clinton Park Stables, one of the stables where Central Park's off-duty carriage horses are housed. Neeson used the meeting as an opportunity to speak against the proposed ban on the park's iconic horse-drawn carriages, reports The New York Times.



"This is an industry that's been here since before Abraham Lincoln's first inauguration,” Neeson told the press gathered at the stables. "A beautiful industry it is. It's a connection with our past."



Neeson also added that he believes the horses are well-cared for, but animal-rights activists disagree. Many supporters of the carriage ban believe the horses are treated like prisoners, and that bustling Midtown traffic is no place for an animal.



New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who helped to put the ban together, was missing from Neeson's meeting. The mayor's absence ignited a snappy response from the actor.



“He should have manned up and come,” Neeson said.



On MSNBC's Morning Joe program, the mayor said, "I am a Liam Neeson fan. I am, [but] horses in the streets of the city today don't make sense. They've been banned in cities all over the world. We're going to fix it. But I will spend time with Liam Neeson. He's a great actor."



If de Blasio's ban passes, the plan is to relocate all carriage horses to rescue farms. The mayor told The Times that he is also working to set up alternate employment opportunities for the drivers, such as bringing a line of antique-style electric cars to Central Park as a replacement.



Jimmy Fallon showed his support for Neeson's fight, siding with the actor during a Tonight Show interview on Thursday. But the ban isn't without its own celebrity supporters.



Numerous entertainers have spoken out for an end to horse-drawn carriages over the years, including Miley Cyrus, Alec Baldwin and Kaley Cuoco. One of the effort's most prominent supporters is Glee actress Lea Michele, who has worked with PETA since 2011 to spread awareness about the dangerous conditions carriage horses endure on a daily basis.





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Kylie admires 'unapologetic' Rihanna/Miley; Says male celebs get free pass + More

Kylie Minogue has spoken out in defence of Rihanna and Miley Cyrus, stating that male pop stars are more likely to get away with bad behaviour than their female counterparts.



The Voice coach, who has been in the music industry for 26 years, said she respected "unapologetic" women like the two singers, and said that Miley had been made a "scape goat".



"I admire people like Miley, like Rihanna, girls that are just… they are quite unapologetic about what they're doing," Kylie, 45, told Sky News.



"Is it too much? It depends on what your personal taste is. But she's definitely a scapegoat for what might be happening in the broader sense of pop music.



"Let's not forget, there's always been sex, drugs and rock and roll," she added. "But the guys seem to get away with it."



Kylie, who split from her Spanish boyfriend of five years Andres Velencoso in October, also said that life as a pop star can be a lonely one. :(



"I definitely have moments where I'm quite morose," admitted the songstress, whose 12th studio album, Kiss Me Once, is set for release 18 March. "Everyone has to do it, you have to go down sometimes".



Kylie Minogue Kiss Me Once album review: 'Ranks among her best'



After 25 years in the game, it's easy to assume that Kylie Minogue would want to impart her pearls of wisdom in her music and turn out deeply personal records that are the result of years of artistic growth. But on the contrary, the latter 14 years of her career have seen the singer remain largely in the same lane, turning out solid-yet-harmless, chart-friendly songs that fall neatly between electro and disco on the pop spectrum.



As such, little else should be expected of her 12th studio album Kiss Me Once - and when considered as a collection of catchy pop songs, the results are impressive. Lead single 'Into The Blue' finds the 45-year-old taking the mature approach to dance by reflecting on the past over glitzy synths and elegant strings that soar on the chorus, but there's little to suggest that Kylie is considering handing down her glad rags anytime soon - from her recent signing to Jay Z's Roc Nation management to the cutely kitsch title of the album itself.



The list of producers and songwriters involved is dazzling if exhaustive - including Ariel Rechtshaid (Haim), Sia (Rihanna, Britney Spears), MNEK (The Saturdays) and Pharrell (everyone) - but Kiss Me Once hangs together surprisingly well in spite of this and rarely suffers from the 'too many cooks' syndrome that has plagued her recent efforts.



'I Was Gonna Cancel' is packed with Pharrell's usual slinky funk but has been given a necessary dash of disco sparkle, while 'Sexy Love' and 'Kiss Me Once' are essentially modern takes on her Pete Waterman classics, the latter packed to the brim with '80s nostalgia (it has church bells and everything!) courtesy of Sia.



What is surprising is a lack of obvious 'big single' moments. The album's only ballad 'Beautiful', an overly vocoded duet with Enrique Iglesias, will inevitably be released despite being one of the weaker offerings, while R&B-flecked sex jam 'Sexercize' is the only other song here likely to catch the attention of radio.



Regardless, Kiss Me Once is a triumph and easily ranks highly among the best albums of her career. The euphoric blasts of 'If Only' and soothing synths on 'Feels So Good' - a remake of Tom Aspaul's 'Indiana' - is where Kylie breaks new ground and sounds at her most exciting and re-energised, pointing to a singer who is far from ready to hang up her stilettos yet.



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Buy Kiss Me Once on Monday if you like feeling good about yourself

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Minnesota girl battling leukemia meets Miley Cyrus!

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- It's been a rough road to this point for Lulu Martinez, a young woman from central Minnesota who is battling leukemia for the second time.



Her older sister Brittany wanted to do something special for Lulu so she started a Twitter campaign to see if she could get Lulu to meet her favorite singer, Miley Cyrus.



It all started with the hashtag #MileytoLulu. It took off and it worked.



"Been freaking out the whole week and on the way here in the car, it's been fun," says Brittany.



After weeks of trying to spread the word, Lulu found out that Monday night at the Miley Cyrus concert she'd get to go back stage. On the way to the Xcel Energy Center she found out that everyone in her group would get to go, too.



"Screaming, can't breathe, is this actually happening? Stuff like that," says Lulu as she describes her reaction to the news.



When the moment finally arrived, Lulu and her clan headed backstage. First, they met up with a few Minnesota Wild hockey players and then the main event.



"It was memorable. It was nice. She just asked how we were and she said she liked my shirt," says Lulu.



Lulu gave Miley one of her own T-shirts and a team Lulu bracelet while they talked and took pictures.



"I'll probably brag about it at school until I graduate and then after I get married too," jokes Lulu about the experience.



And, when you meet your favorite superstar, there's bound to be some nerves right?



"Well, at first I was because I wasn't feeling good and I'm like, I'm going to meet Miley and I'm going to puke and she's going to remember me as the girl who puked, but I didn't puke. I was all good. It went smooth," she says.



A memorable night for Lulu and for Brittany. The memories go beyond just meeting a singer, they're of all the people who helped make her sister's dream a reality.



"It's amazing in less than a month that we got this far. Just thankful for everyone that's helped," says Brittany.



And once you've met your idol, what's next?



"I'll probably just keep following her on Twitter like I usually do and obsessing like I usually do," says Lulu.

You can watch the video at the source .