There’s a very good reason that Henry Winkler is considered to be one of the nicest guys in show biz. The eternally sunshiny 78-year-old Happy Days veteran always brings the good cheer to his talk show appearances, that is when he’s not taking time to send fan notes to fellow artists he’s inspired by.

During a visit to Live with Kelly and Mark on Tuesday (Oct. 15), Winkler was predictably enthusiastic about one of his recent kind letters eliciting an equally generous response when he shared how happy he was to get a thank you video from Jelly Roll.

“Oh my gosh, it was the most amazing thing that it came from you and that he answered,” Winkler told Ripa about getting an equally sweet reply from the “I Am Not Okay” that the singer sent to the daytime talk show host. Winkler explained to the studio audience that he often writes what he calls “fan notes” to artists he admires. “And I wrote one to Jelly Roll, ‘Dear Mr. Roll,’” he explained. “And I never thought I would hear back and all of a sudden I got a video from Kelly of Mr. Roll thanking me!”

Ripa responded that being a conduit of the mutual admiration society was “the most exciting thing that has ever not happened to me… it was for you, so it had nothing to do with me. “It was great,” Winkler said before Ripa cued up the tape.

“Hey Mr. Winkler, it’s Jelly Roll,” the singer said in the clip scrolled on Ripa’s device. “I’m just sending my love. I have been hoping to see you ‘cause I got a note and they said it was from you. I didn’t believe it and this is my publicist — she hates being embarrassed but now she is — and she told me it was you, she confirmed and I cannot tell you how much that meant to me.”

Jelly promised to send Winkler a picture of the letter when he gets back home. “I hope you don’t mind, I framed it. I hung it up on my wall where I have like hand written lyrics from Craig Morgan, all the stuff that’s really been special in my career. Thank you, I’m absolutely honored Mr. Winkler. I can’t wait to see you and hopefully give you a hug man. I’m a big hugger, I’ll squeeze you.”

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week, Winkler first revealed that he’d sent the letter to the country star. “I really believe that when I see something that I think is wonderful you’ve got to let the person know,” he told the late night host, who has been on the receiving end of some of those nice notes. When asked who the most recent recipient was, Winkler said it was Jelly Roll, following an appearance on Kimmel’s show.

“I wrote him a letter, ‘Dear Mr. Roll,’ and all of a sudden I got a video back on my phone… it was amazing,” Winkler said. “I think that he is so filled with emotion.”

Watch Winkler kvell about his Mr. Roll moment below.

The long-standing animus between former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth and band’s late guitar legend Eddie Van Halen was legendary, and apparently permanent. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the band’s retired drummer, Alex Van Halen, revealed that after Eddie’s death in 2020 at 65 due to complications from throat cancer, he approached Roth about a reunion tour that would pay tribute to his younger brother.

Following some rehearsals in 2022, Alex said the project fell apart over what he described as Roth’s refusal to include a segment paying homage to the rocker some consider the greatest guitarist of all time.

“The thing that broke the camel’s back, and I can be honest about this now, was I said, ‘Dave, at some point, we have to have a very overt — not a bowing — but an acknowledgment of Ed in the gig,” he said of his get-back plans that began to go south when he felt numbness from peripheral neuropathy that he took as an “omen from above” that maybe things were not meant to be.

“If you look at how Queen does it, they show old footage,’” Alex said of that band’s hat-tipping to late singer Freddie Mercury on their recent tours with replacement singer Adam Lambert. “And the moment I said we gotta acknowledge Ed, Dave f–kin’ popped a fuse.… The vitriol that came out was unbelievable.”

Alex, in his first interview since Eddie’s death, said Roth adamantly refused the idea, finding it “offensive,” for reasons he still cannot understand and which raised his ire. “I’m from the street,” he told the magazine. “‘You talk to me like that, motherf–ker, I’m gonna beat your f–king brains out. You got it?’ And I mean that. And that’s how it ended… It’s just, my God. It’s like I didn’t know him anymore. I have nothing but the utmost respect for his work ethic and all that. But, Dave, you gotta work as a community, motherf–ker. It’s not you alone anymore”; RS said Roth declined to comment for the story.

The profile also runs down the other A-list rock icons who were discussed as potential frontmen for the band that has had three lead singers over the years. Founding vocalist Roth held the seat from 1974-1985, then again for a brief time in 1996 and once more from 2007-2020, while Sammy Hagar took over from 1985-1996 during the band’s chart peak, and again from 2003-2005, while Extreme’s Gary Cherone briefly kept the mic warm from 1996-1999 between the other two vocalist’s stints.

Around 2001, following Cherone’s exit and Hagar’s return, the Van Halens had a chat with Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, manager Sharon Osbourne, as they contemplated a plan to have the metal god take over as vocalist. “When you get a dog, you don’t expect it to be a cat,” Alex explained. “When you get an Ozzy, you get Ozzy. Play the music, he’ll sing, and it’s gonna be great.”

But, right before they were slated to get to in the studio, the Osbourne’s began working on their MTV reality show The Osbournes, which scotched the plan; Ozzy confirmed the talks and said if it had come to pass it would have been “phenomenal.”

Van Halen also noted that the brothers jammed with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell at one point — he couldn’t remember when — and when Eddie stepped out of the room for a bit Alex jammed alone with the singer. “Chris was in a very fragile part of his life, so to speak,” he said of the singer who died in 2017 at age 52. “I got behind the drums, and he started playing bass. We played for 45 minutes. This motherf–ker got so into it he started bleeding. I said, ‘This is the man you want.’ And then he died.”

Saying the demise of the original lineup was the “most disappointing thing” he’d experienced in his life until Eddie’s death, Alex said, for him, another brick in the wall of their demise was Eddie’s decision in 1982 to play his infamously spiraling guitar solo on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” That led to Roth deciding to strike out on his own as a solo act which began what Alex said was a death spiral for the group. After asking his brother not to take the gig — suggesting that Jackson guest on a VH album instead — Eddie did it anyway and in 1984, Jackson’s monumental album Thriller blocked VH’s 1984 album from the No. 1 position on the Billboard 200 album chart.

“Why would you lend your talents to Michael Jackson? I just don’t f–king get it,” Alex told RS about the feud that went on for years. “And the funny part was that Ed fibbed his way out of it by saying, ‘Oh, who knows that kid anyway?’ You made the mistake! Fess up. Don’t add insult to injury by acting stupid.”

Alex Van Halen’s memoir, Brothers, is slated for release on Oct. 22.

For anyone aching to start the holiday season early, Clay Aiken is here to deliver tidings of comfort and joy.

On Wednesday (Oct. 16), the American Idol alum announced his new holiday album, Christmas Bells Are Ringing, due Friday, Nov. 22. Reimagining 10 classic holiday songs in his signature soulful style, Aiken’s LP will mark his first full-length release in over a decade.

“It’s been a while, but it feels like the right time to release this album. The whole world is a mess these days, so I think we could all use a bit more of the kindness and cheer that comes with the holiday season,” Aiken tells Billboard in an exclusive statement. “The holidays have taken on a different meaning for me over these past 15 years as a father. I’m excited to share that Christmas spirit with this album.”

Aiken is also offering fans a tease of what’s to come with his new rendition of the Christmas classic “Do You Hear What I Hear,” made popular by Bing Crosby. Revitalizing the Christmas anthem, Aiken said in a statement that he wanted to share a song that offered people hope in a year of intense divisiveness. “The whole American political climate over the past few years hasn’t really given us much in the way of hope or optimism,” he said. “As much as I wanted to believe I might be able to make some positive change in that world, I’ve realized that music often does a better job of that.”

The album is set to feature a slew a holiday classics, including the Carpenters’ “Merry Christmas, Darling,” Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and even Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.”

In the 12 years since Aiken’s last studio album, 2012’s Steadfast, Aiken has set his aspirations to other fields: In 2022, the singer ran for the Democratic nomination in North Carolina’s 6th Congressional district, stating that he was inspired to run after seeing North Carolina’s lieutenant governor Mark Robinson ask “What is the purpose of homosexuality?” during a speech and wanting people in office “to start acting like grown-ups instead of children.” Aiken ultimately lost his primary to Rep. Valerie Foushee, who went on to win the seat.

Listen to Aiken’s rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear” and see the full track list for his upcoming holiday album below:

Clay Aiken’s Christmas Bells Are Ringing tracklist:

Fresh off releasing new album Spill the Feels led by the DJ Khaled-featuring single “LOVE, MONEY, FAME,” SEVENTEEN’s ongoing global takeover steps into the Big Apple as the K-pop powerhouses partner with Spotify for an exclusive pop-up experience made for their most loyal fans, affectionately known as Carats.

Billboard can exclusively reveal details for Spotify x SEVENTEEN Present: Carat Station NYC, for Oct. 26 in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood offering fans an in-person experience through their own whimsical, SEVENTEEN-themed world.

Like the band’s recent pop-up with Spotify in Seoul, the immersive experience will let local Carats explore a fantastical train station in the clouds with special, fan-centric details inside. Attendees can explore interactive kiosks and photo ops, including personalizing your light stick at the Charms Customization Station, indulging in Korean delicacies at the Dining Concourse, and exploring the Carat Street Flower Market that will be exclusive to the NY location.

“K-pop is now a major global and growing genre on Spotify and our Carat Station pop-ups represent that,” Lucy Davidson, Lead Label Partnerships at Spotify, tells Billboard. “By bringing the activation to New York City, we’re showing SEVENTEEN’s fans around the world that we see them too…Spotify’s Music teams in Korea, the U.S. and Japan worked in lockstep to create unique events in each city that feel both authentic to that particular place and connected to the larger Carat fandom. That’s why you’ll see common threads throughout each experience, but unique elements as well — like the Flower Market kiosk in New York City.”

Spotify will send personal invitations to SEVENTEEN’s top listeners in the NYC area starting today (Oct. 16), and the event will be open to the public at a soon-to-be announced location. Fans can also make reservations which will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis. RSVP at this link here.

SEVENTEEN also shared an exclusive message with their fans reading on Billboard, saying, “Hi Carats! Thanks for stopping by Carat Station in Seoul this past week. We hope you had so much fun! New York, don’t worry! We have a surprise coming your way too. October 26. See you soon!”

“The Carat Station concept was inspired by the idea that the fan journey starts long before the concert begins,” Davidson adds. “Fandoms are built in the hours leading up to the ‘big moment,’ whether through streaming the music, exploring the artist’s stories, watching videos, or connecting with other fans. Every genre has a unique fandom and K-pop is no different. We know New York’s Carats will be looking for insider details in every corner and so we’ve done our best to deliver SEVENTEEN-specific references for them to discover throughout the experience.”

Carat Station NYC runs parallel to the upcoming U.S. leg of SEVENTEEN’s RIGHT HERE world tour that kicks off its U.S. leg with two shows at Chicago’s Allstate Arena on Oct. 22 before two dates at the UBS Arena in New York.

Get ready for Spotify x SEVENTEEN Present: Carat Station NYC with images from the recent Seoul experience below and check out Spotify’s SEVENTEEN WORLD TOUR [RIGHT HERE] playlist.

Britney Spears isn’t afraid to share her obsessions. On Tuesday (Oct. 15) the “Toxic” singer posted a lengthy tribute to her favorite women on Instagram Stories, reeling off a long list of famous singers, actresses and models who she is obsessed with.

“Women I genuinely admire and have crazy girl crushes on 😘😘😘!!!” she wrote. “I have girlfriends I hang out with every now and then but it’s not the same as when we were younger !!! But why isn’t it ??? I wanted to share the women who inspire me !!!” Sure, there are friends she grew up with who she was so close to they finished each other’s sentences and even began to speak, walk and share mannerisms with.

But eventually you “get married and you grow up an live worlds apart,” she said. So, Brit ran through a list of women who inspire her now. First up was former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, who she said is a “classic babe and seems so sweet!!!”

She also had kind words for Vox Lux star Natalie Portman, who she called the “coolest person,” recalling meeting the star on a New York street and realizing they had the same shirt on. She also gave props to “I Luv It” singer Camila Cabello, “because she’s so darn pretty and she makes me giggle out loud !!! Her personality is so sweet and kooky I think it’s healthy to be silly !!! I wish I was more like that.”

Britney then wondered if it’s “even normal to be that pretty ???” in reference to model Kendall Jenner and wrapped things up with shout outs to Selena Gomez and Drew Barrymore, just because they’re “literally gorgeous”; both women were on hand for Spears’ 2022 wedding to now ex-husband Sam Ashgari. In the end, Spears admitted that even she wasn’t sure why she committed all that to digital ink before wrapping up with a tease of what’s next.

“I’m away writing my novel and learning about myself,” said Spears, who penned two books with her mother, Lynne Spears, 2000’s Heart to Heart and 2001’s A Mother’s Gift, before releasing her 2023 tell-all memoir, The Woman in Me. At press time no additional information was available about the book from the singer who said in January that she will “never return to the music industry.”