Miles Teller is remembering a dear friend.

The “Top Gun: Maverick” star paid tribute to Charles Thomas “Chuck” Coleman — who was the flight instructor for Teller and the cast of the 2022 action film — after he died in a plane crash in Las Cruces, N.M., on Oct. 20. He was 61.

“RIP Chuck Coleman,” Teller wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Oct. 21 alongside several photos of the two. “Chuck was our aerobatics flight instructor and instrumental in our preparation for “Top Gun: Maverick.””

RIP Chuck Coleman. Chuck was our aerobatics flight instructor and instrumental in our preparation for Top Gun: Maverick. He was an aerospace engineer, air show and test pilot, and our friend and ally. Chuck had a very easy going way about him and we always felt comfortable with… pic.twitter.com/93giSZdbgz

— Miles Teller (@Miles_Teller) October 21, 2024

Teller added that Coleman was “an aerospace engineer, air show and test pilot, and our friend and ally.”

“Chuck had a very easy going way about him and we always felt comfortable with his expertise at our disposal,” he continued. “He was kind, humble and curious about others and the world we live in. Gone too soon but his contributions will live on forever. Thanks for the memories, Chuck.”

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Coleman was the only person onboard his single-engine Extra Flugzeugbau 300/L plane when it crashed during a performance at the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo, according to Las Cruces city officials and the Federal Aviation Administration, via the New York Times. The show included aerobatic performances and helicopters, as well as airplanes.

“Unfortunately, we had a tragic ending to our Air and Space Expo this weekend,” Las Cruces mayor Eric Enriquez said in a statement posted to the city’s Facebook account Oct. 21. “We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones and fans of Chuck Coleman.”

The city of Las Cruces confirmed that his accident is being investigated by New Mexico State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Before training the cast of “Top Gun: Maverick,” Coleman’s website noted that he “flew 140 flights in order to prepare the actors to fly in Navy F-18 Hornets.” Coleman also worked on the 2004 documentaries “Black Sky: The Race for Space” and “Black Sky: Winning the X Prize“, as well as performing stunts for 2002’s “The Round and Round.“

His website also stated that Coleman had “over 10,000 hours total flight time” and that he had “performed in hundreds of airshows and given over 3,000 rides in aerobatic aircraft.”

In an Instagram story published Oct. 22, Bryan revealed that he and LaPaglia split, adding, “I respect and love her with every ounce of my heart.”

“She has loved me unconditionally for a very long time and for that I’ll always thank her,” he continued.

The “Something in the Orange” singer explained that he felt the two should split after he “had an incredibly hard year personally and struggled through some pretty severe things.”

“I am not perfect and never will be. Please respect Brianna’s privacy and space in this and if you have it in your heart, mine too,” he wrote. “With everything I am and to anyone I let down, I am sorry. I try my best in everything. I failed people that love me and mostly myself.”

About an hour after Bryan posed, LaPaglia also took to her Instagram story, sharing that she was feeling “really blindsided.”

“Hey guys I’m feeling really blindsided right now. Gonna hop off social media for a while and attempt to heal privately, when I’m ready I’ll be back and ready to talk,” she wrote.

LaPaglia then thanked followers for their “kind words,” before writing, “Remember you are so loved and everything’s always gonna be okay.”

In a follow-up video shared to YouTube, LaPaglia reiterated that she was “completely blindsided” by the Instagram announcement.

“I just woke up to Zach posting on his Instagram that we broke up and I had no idea that post was going up,” she said. “He didn’t text me. He didn’t call me.”

LaPaglia explained that she was only prompted to check Bryan’s post when she received texts asking if she was OK.

“I was completely blindsided by that. I also genuinely feel like I have — see how swollen my face is? I’ve been crying for like five days straight,” she said.

“I’m at the point where it’s like, how can you give someone everything and love them so unconditionally — like through stuff that you shouldn’t, but you just love them and you just see the good in them — like how can you … give every ounce of yourself to someone and then be discarded of in a few days?” she continued. “It’s really, really heartbreaking.”

LaPaglia said she doesn’t want to talk about details surrounding their breakup at this time, but added that she eventually will.

“Right now, I wanted to heal privately and I didn’t even know he was going to post that. And we broke up yesterday,” she said. “So I wasn’t ready to do anything publicly.”

She then asked that people respect her privacy and respect that she’ll “talk about everything” when she’s ready, also thanking people for their “kind messages.”

“I’m going to be OK. I’m going to be fine. I’m just obviously really, really hurt right now,” she said.

When did Zach Bryan and Brianna Chickenfry start dating?

The “Barstool Sports” host first announced that she had been “hanging out” with Bryan for three weeks on a July 2023 episode of her podcast “PlanBri Uncut.”

“It’s fun, it’s casual and yeah, I just wanted to address it because the whole internet is freaking the f— out and people are doing s—” she said.

About a month later, LaPaglia publicly called herself Bryan’s girlfriend for the first time on an August 2023 episode of her “BFFs” podcast, which she co-hosts with Dave Portnoy and Josh Richards.

At the time, she explained that she initially kept the relationship under wraps because “I just got out of a relationship, he just got out of a relationship,” but decided to go public when a photo went viral.

On July 14, LaPaglia shared a series of photos with Bryan for their one-year anniversary, writing that it had been “a year full of loving harder than I thought I was capable of and laughing louder than any year before.”

“You’ve made me appreciate all the things that were always right in front of me. You brought me back home to my family and you’ve helped me love myself again,” she captioned the post. “There isn’t a damn thing I wouldn’t do for ya. My person forever. I love you my Zachary.”

LaPaglia’s most recent post with Bryan was on Oct. 11, where she shared a photo of him holding a guitar standing next to her. She wrote, “How are you gonna live a life you look forward to looking back on ?”

Bryan primarily posts about his music on his Instagram page, but the singer shared a similar photo the same day as LaPaglia with the location set to Los Angeles.

He captioned the post, “We’ll lose loved ones and never let them die, we’ll grow up and keep them alive, it will take undeniable steam, our timing will be off sometimes, you’ll chase the unknown and give it too much.” 

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Here’s what to know about the drug cocktail.

What is pink cocaine?

Pink cocaine is typically a powdery mix of ketamine and illegal substances such as methamphetamine, MDMA (also called molly or ecstasy), or opioids, according to WebMD. Researchers have also found new psychoactive substances, which are a new kind of synthetic drug, mixed in, the health-focused news outlet said. Pink cocaine can also include benzodiazepines, caffeine, hallucinogens, and the street drug bath salts.

Despite its name, the recreational drug may not contain cocaine at all and gets its color from food coloring. It is also referred to as tusi, tusibi, tuci, or tucibi.

How does pink cocaine affect someone?

It can be hard to determine how the drug cocktail may affect someone after ingesting it. WebMD said this is due to several factors: the types of drugs mixed in the pink cocaine; whether alcohol is involved; how much pink cocaine is taken; and how the body reacts to the drugs.

Pink cocaine also often includes both depressants and stimulants.

Potential side effects can vary but may include confusion, hallucination, strange thoughts, agitation, and feelings of sickness, according to WebMD. The National Capital Poison Center said physical and sexual assaults, as well as traumatic injuries, have occurred when people are impaired by the drug.

Shortly before Payne’s death, a hotel receptionist called 911 to report that a distressed guest who was intoxicated with alcohol and drugs was “breaking the whole room.” According to audio obtained from local media by Telemundo, the caller said that the guest was “in a room that has a balcony, and, well, we are a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening.”

Argentina’s emergency health service, Sistema de Atencion Medica de Emergencia, or SAME, confirmed to Telemundo that Payne fell from the balcony of his third-floor room at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. Payne, 31, was found dead a few minutes after the 911 call, SAME director Alberto Crescenti told the Argentine TV station Todo Noticias TV.

An autopsy found that the singer had 25 injuries “compatible with those produced by a fall from height” and that his cause of death was “polytraumatism, internal and external hemorrhage,” according to the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office.

Is pink cocaine dangerous?

Yes.

Because it is a street drug, “there’s no way to know exactly what’s in pink cocaine,” WebMD said, noting there’s concern that some batches may include fentanyl, the highly potent opioid responsible for many overdose deaths.

“The drug market now is more dangerous than I’ve ever seen it,” Bridget Brennan, the special narcotics prosecutor for New York, told NBC News in August after pink cocaine — commonly used in the club and party scenes — was mentioned in a lawsuit against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Brennan warned that “you absolutely cannot trust that your dealer is selling you a product that you asked for.”

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The coffee chain announced that, beginning Oct. 22, people in the United States, Canada and other select international locations can purchase two new drinks in partnership with the upcoming movie “Wicked.”

The limited-time drinks are inspired by the film’s main characters, Glinda (the Good Witch of the South) and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West).

Glinda’s Pink Potion is “inspired by Glinda’s bright character and of course her iconic association with all things pink,” according to Starbucks beverage developer Natalia Vasquez, and features a Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refreshers Beverage shaken with coconut milk, ice and a scoop of freeze-dried dragonfruit, and topped with nondairy strawberry cold foam and colorful candy sprinkles.

Meanwhile, Elphaba’s Cold Brew is “inspired by Elphaba’s bold energy and stunning green skin,” according to Starbucks beverage developer Rosalyn Batingan, and features Starbucks Cold Brew sweetened with peppermint-flavored syrup, and topped with nondairy matcha cold foam and green candy sprinkles.

In addition, Starbucks will also sell “Wicked”-inspired gift cards. Beginning Nov. 7, fans can also purchase a variety of “Oz”-related tumblers, with options from the Glinda, Elphaba or Emerald City collections, in addition to other general “Wicked” choices and a trio of mugs from the “Wicked” Discovery Series Collection.

“Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, opens Nov. 22, while “Wicked Part Two” is slated to open in theaters on Nov. 21, 2025. A promotional blitz for the highly anticipated movie is already underway. “Wicked” Stanley cups have already been causing chaos at Target, while Walmart seems to already be sold out of its microwaveable “Wicked” Mystery Color Macaroni and Cheese that comes with color-changing pink or green cheese.

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The former child actor will drive full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2025 for Reaume Brothers Racing. He will pilot the No. 33 Ford F-150 for all 25 races next season.

“I’m incredibly excited to join Reaume Brothers Racing full-time in 2025,” Muniz said, via NASCAR.com. “My longstanding relationship with Ford has been a game changer, and I am thrilled to help facilitate additional support allowing us to tap into their exceptional technical and engineering resources. I’m confident that this synergy will elevate Reaume Brothers Racing and help us achieve great things together. I can’t wait to get started.”

Muniz, 38, is best known as the star of “Malcolm in the Middle,” which ran from 2000 to 2006, as he earned Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his performance.

But since 2006, Muniz’s passion has shifted to racing. He began driving professionally that year, but his NASCAR career didn’t begin until years later. Muniz tested in the ARCA Menards Series, a lower-level division, at Daytona International Speedway in 2022 before jumping into the series full-time in 2023. Over 20 starts that season, Muniz had a best finish of fifth and scored 11 top-10 finishes.

Muniz jumped in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series for select starts in 2024 as he continued to climb up the ladder. The Truck Series is considered the third-tier of NASCAR and the Xfinity Series is the second-tier below the top level Cup Series.

In two Truck Series starts for Reaume Brothers Racing this year, Muniz has posted finishes of 31st and 29th. He will run two more races this season to prepare for next year, including this Saturday’s event at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Twenty people, including filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee and Ken Burns and singers Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah, received National Medals of Arts. Two of the arts medals were awarded posthumously: one to late singer Selena Quintanilla and one to late artist Ruth Asawa.

The arts medals are given “to individuals or groups who are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in the United States.”

Biden was also honoring 19 recipients of National Humanities Medals, including playwright-screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and historian Jon Meacham. Late chef-author Anthony Bourdain received a posthumous humanities medal.

“Above all, you are the masters of your craft that have made us a better America with all of you have done,” Biden said at the White House ceremony.

Biden took a brief detour in his remarks to give a shout-out to Vice President Kamala Harris’ run for the White House.

“I know the power of the women in this room to get things done” and boost the next generation, he said, adding that the female winners were “proving a woman can do anything a man can do, and then some, and that includes being president of the United States of America.”

The line drew a standing ovation.

Biden also told the winners that the moment was a “very consequential time in the arts and humanities in America” because “extreme forces are banning books, trying to erase history, spreading misinformation.”

Actors Idina Menzel and Eva Longoria, producer Bruce Cohen and musicians Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez and Herbert I. Ohta also received arts medals, along with photographers Randy A. Batista and Clyde Butcher, artists Carrie Mae Weems, Alex Katz and Mark Bradford, arts leaders Jo Carole Lauder and Bruce Sagan and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Other humanities winners included former U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo, actor-literacy advocate LeVar Burton, cartoonist Roz Chast and philanthropists Wallis Annenberg and Darren Walker. The humanities medals honor “an individual or organization whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience, broadened citizens’ engagement with history or literature, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to cultural resources.”

The arts medals are managed by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the humanities medals by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The video of their conversation went viral after appearing on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday: By midday Monday, it had been viewed over 14.2 million times on that platform alone.

In the clip, Garfield discusses missing his late mother, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2019. “She passed away not too long ago, and you know, I just miss her,” he tells Elmo.

When the Muppet offers his condolences, Garfield reassures him that feeling upset or grieving someone is OK. “That sadness is kind of a gift,” Garfield says. “It’s kind of a lovely thing to feel, in a way, because it means you really loved somebody when you miss them.”

Garfield explains that his memories actually help him cope: “When I miss my mom, I remember all of the cuddles I used to get from her, all of the hugs I used to get from her. It makes me feel close to her when I miss her, in a strange way.”

This interaction is “extremely important” not only because it shows how to handle loss, but how to comfort someone who has experienced loss, says Sherry Cormier, a psychologist and author of “Sweet Sorrow: Finding Enduring Wholeness after Loss and Grief.”

“Both at the beginning and at the end there is such an emphasis on listening,” Cormier says. “Listening is pretty hard to do.”

Listening is the ‘greatest gift’ you could give a grieving person

Elmo begins the conversation by saying he is “checking in on everybody” and wants to know how Garfield is doing. Garfield asks if Elmo is sure he wants to listen, to which Elmo responds: “Oh, Elmo would love to!”

That’s great modeling because, when comforting a friend who is coping with a recent loss, many people become too preoccupied with what to say, Cormier says. A grieving person usually just needs to feel heard.

“If we didn’t spend so much time worrying about what to say and what’s the right thing to say and what’s the wrong this to say and we showed up and just listened, that would be the greatest gift you could give to any person who is grieving a loss,” Cormier says.

The conversation between Garfield and Elmo emphasizes that grief often doesn’t have a finite end, says Karla Vermeulen, an associate professor of psychology at the State University of New York, New Paltz.

“It’s getting away from the idea that there is some magical, tidy closure where the loss doesn’t hurt any longer,” Vermeulen says. “Andrew did not pretend he was over it. He acknowledged that even though it was a few years ago, it still feels very recent to him.”

That may be part of the reason the video triggered an outpouring of emotional responses online from people who could relate. A writer for the Guardian UK called Garfield’s candid, vulnerable performance on the Sesame Workshop the actor’s “best work yet.”

The clip shows that mourning can be complex and sadness isn’t altogether negative.

“It’s a simple and more nuanced way of recognizing sadness is the cost of having loved someone now that they are no longer here in person,” she says.

On Oct. 8, Fischer, 50, shared an Instagram post for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, revealing she had been diagnosed with Stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer in December 2023. She wrote that after undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, she’s now cancer free. 

In a one-on-one conversation with TODAY’s Hoda Kotb, which aired on Oct. 21, Fischer said she hoped sharing her story will bring comfort and hope to another woman receiving a breast cancer diagnosis.

The diagnosis

The actor told Hoda that in October 2023, she went in for her routine mammogram appointment that she had been putting off. 

“Three weeks later, they said, ‘Oh, your mammogram was fine. There were a few spots that were difficult to see. You have very dense tissue. We would recommend that you do another mammogram and maybe follow up with a breast ultrasound,’” she said of the conversation with her doctor. 

“I was like, ‘This is the appointment that won’t end,’” Fischer added, laughing. 

She explained that she felt “no level of concern” when she went back for her breast ultrasound. However, they then asked her to do a biopsy, saying it likely was a “10% chance it’s cancerous.” 

Fischer said she was on a hike by herself when she received the results via her patient portal.

“I checked the portal on the hike, and that’s when I saw words like ‘invasive,’ ‘ductal,’ ‘carcinoma,’ ‘malignant,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘Those words sound like cancer words.’” 

She then called her husband, Lee Kirk, to tell him the results, though she wasn’t sure it was cancer until her doctor confirmed it later that same day. 

When her doctor told her of her diagnosis, Fischer said she just felt “disbelief.” 

“I think the word that really got me was when we found out that I was triple-positive and my oncologist said chemotherapy. That was when I really lost it,” she said. 

Treatment

Fischer opened up to Hoda about the reality of losing her hair during chemotherapy, which she said was one of the side effects she was most concerned about. 

“I started by having just a big bald patch down this side of my head. And I would kind of do a real elaborate comb-over,” she said, laughing. “I was like, ‘Oh, I understand why the gentlemen do this now. Yes, I can sort of pretend like that isn’t there for a while.’” 

Although Fischer said she considered it, she never had a “big shave-your-head moment.” Aside from styling her new part, she said she also opted to wear more hats and wigs during treatment. 

Leaning on her support system

When it came to sharing the news with friends and family, the “Hall Pass” actor revealed one of the first people she called after receiving her diagnosis: Christina Applegate. 

“I called her, and she answered the phone, and she said, ‘Which one is it?’ And I said, ‘It’s breast cancer.’ And she said, ‘I effing knew it.’” Fischer recalled of their conversation. “She’s salty. Salty language that one. I love her for it.” 

Fischer said Applegate put her in touch with fellow survivors and that they took on her journey “together.” 

As for telling her children, Weston Lee, 13, and Harper Marie, 10, Fisher said she and her husband “sat them down” and were “very honest with them.” 

“They’re 10 and they’re 13, and they were going to be living in the house while I went through this. They’re going to see it. And the biggest thing that I wanted them to know was that any ways that I seemed sick during this process were side effects of treatments. They weren’t cancer making me sick,” she said. 

“That distinction, I think, really put them at ease. And then we just kind of did it together. And they were amazing.” 

Where things stand

Along with chemotherapy, Fischer said she also underwent a lumpectomy and radiation. Following her latest screenings, the actor said she’s cancer free, though she’s continuing to take tamoxifen and Herceptin for the next year. 

Fischer told Hoda that two saving graces during her experience were maintaining a sense of humor and normalcy.

“Humor helped through all of this. And working helped. And staying in the world helped,” she said. “My oncology nurse, Ron, was an amazing man. … When I started chemotherapy, he said to me, ‘Listen, I want you to get up every day, and I want you to walk. Every day.’”

“‘I want you to drink a ton of water. Walking and water. That’s what I want you to do. And I want you to take care of those kids. The women who get up and at it are the women who do better in my experience.’” 

Fischer said some of the best advice she received was to “live your life during this process,” while also listening to her body. 

“I did that,” she said. “And some days I just walked circles in my own living room. Some days I walked all around the block. But I did every day get up and do those things. And I think it made a really big difference.” 

Looking back at the past year, Fischer told Hoda that one of the biggest lessons she’s learned is the impact of people taking care of other people. 

“So many people took care of me, and my family, and my children, and I am so grateful for it — in so many small ways,” she said. “And the thing is, is that everybody had the right way or the perfect way to do it.” 

Fischer explained that some friends put her chemotherapy schedule on their calendars, while others sent thoughtful texts and picked her kids up from school. She said her mother-in-law recorded prayers that she would send before treatments. 

The mother of two said this entire journey caused her to look at the world through a new lens of gratitude. 

“I liked that people were annoyed if I was late with an email,” she said. “I liked being regarded as my old self, so to speak.” 

“All of the most important things became so clear so quickly. And the cool thing is that that focus never leaves. So I will get to carry that with me now. … I’ll say I find the world to be such a beautiful place in all of its quirkiness.” 

Fischer added that everyday annoyances have suddenly become “charming” to her. 

“Like, you know, just traffic. ‘Oh, look at you, cute traffic. Look at all the people just goin’ places,’” she said. “How great that I get to sit in traffic. How cool.” 

Fischer’s final takeaway from her experience is a message to all women: “Please don’t skip your mammogram appointment. Please get all the extra screenings that the doctor wants you to get.” 

She credits the success of her treatments to her early diagnosis, encouraging more people to book the “annoying” appointment. 

“If I had waited six more months, it could have been much worse. It could have spread. It was a very aggressive form of cancer,” Fischer said. “I’m really lucky that my cancer had not spread into my lymph nodes. It hadn’t spread anywhere else in my body.” 

“My tumor was still very small, too small to feel,” she added. “That’s the thing. A self-exam would not have (caught the cancer). It really was that routine mammogram that started all of this. And I’m so grateful that I went to that appointment.”

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Chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, milkshakes – and now TV shows and podcasts?

Chick-fil-A plans to launch a new app on Nov. 18, with a slate of original animated shows, scripted podcasts, games, recipes and e-books aimed at families.

While it’s an unusual move for a restaurant company to wade into the crowded media world, Chick-fil-A has been expanding outside of food for years already — with the ultimate goal of directing more people to its over 3,000 restaurants. Since 2019, Chick-fil-A has held the spot of the third-biggest U.S. restaurant chain by sales, trailing only Starbucks and McDonald’s, with many fewer locations than either. Last year, its revenue reached $7.89 billion, according to franchisee disclosure documents.

As it tries to drive more restaurant sales, the company has sold branded merchandise, like a sleeping bag that resembles its chicken sandwich’s packaging, and created a spinoff brand called Pennycake, which offers family-friendly games and puzzles. And for the last five years, it’s released animated shorts on YouTube during the holiday season as part of its “Stories of Evergreen Hills” series.

“We’ve been paying attention to some research and conversations we’ve had with families that are our customers, and insights bubbled up that content and games are both adjacent to mealtime,” said Dustin Britt, Chick-fil-A’s executive director of brand strategy, entertainment and media.

“Our belief is, as we add value to their experience, then we’re giving them a reason to want to enjoy more Chick-fil-A with us,” he added.

A preview of the app viewed by CNBC included the first 22-minute episode of “Legends of Evergreen Hills,” which continues protagonist Sam’s adventures in the fantasy world of Evergreen Hills; the first installment of “Hidden Island,” a scripted podcast about a family that shipwrecks on a deserted island; and a step-by-step cooking tutorial that uses a Chick-fil-A milkshake as a key ingredient.

Customers can pre-download the free Chick-fil-A Play app for their iPhones, iPads and Android devices ahead of the launch next month.

Why is Chick-fil-A is betting on content

Chick-fil-A decided to create the app following years of discussions with customers and as consumer behavior shifts away from prolonged visits to its restaurants.

While many of Chick-fil-A’s customers still enjoy its in-restaurant playgrounds, more of its customers are now using its drive-thru lanes and ordering delivery, according to Khalilah Cooper, Chick-fil-A’s vice president of brand strategy, advertising and media. Rival McDonald’s has slowly been erasing its PlayPlaces, a change likely resulting from fewer children using the playgrounds, concerns about health and safety, and a shift away from marketing to children.

“We’re looking at this app as a way to have a digital playground for the entire family to enjoy, whether they’re in our restaurants, in the drive-thru, driving to soccer practice or even relaxing at home,” Cooper told CNBC. “We want it to be an extension of our in-restaurant signature hospitality and generosity.”

The content on the app focuses on themes like generosity, friendship, problem-solving, creativity and entrepreneurship, according to Cooper. Chick-fil-A designed the app’s content to appeal to children 12 years old and under and their parents.

After the initial launch, new episodes of “Legends of Evergreen Hills” will release weekly through the holidays; “Hidden Island” will follow a similar drop schedule. Next year, the Play app will launch “Ice Lions,” another scripted audio series based on the true story of Kenyan teenagers who want to form the country’s first ice hockey team.

Most of the content that will be available on the app was created with outside partners led by Chick-fil-A’s internal team, but some of it was licensed. The company didn’t disclose the names of its external partners.

“We’re constantly thinking about what additional elements we can add into the app over time,” Cooper said.

In August, media publication Deadline reported that Chick-fil-A has been working with outside production companies for content, including unscripted shows, like a family-friendly game show.

“I’ll say that we’re exploring a variety of different types of content, and everything right now is a potential opportunity for us. We’re going to keep learning and exploring and figuring out what things work,” Britt said.

Restaurants as media brands

As legacy media players like Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have found out, making content is expensive and attracting viewers is difficult, given the glut of available options on streaming services.

For brands like Chick-fil-A, the calculus is a bit different. Rather than using content to make money from subscriptions or advertisements, they’re looking to sell more of their own products. That’s been the case since Procter & Gamble first sponsored daytime radio shows to sell its soap – creating the soap opera.

“There’s a lot of content creation that happens from media houses for brands, and I think that brands want to tap into that because it feels more authentic. It feels more like content and not an ad,” said Stephani Estes, chief media officer for Goodway Group, a digital marketing agency.

More recent entrants include Starbucks, which announced this summer that it will create original content through a partnership with Sugar23. And in January, Chuck E. Cheese said it’s working with “Top Chef” producer Magical Elves to create its own game show.

“I think the biggest question I would have, as a marketing professional, is what is the business problem that you’re trying to solve? And is the dollar invested in that content creation or particular initiative going to pay out more than spending that dollar somewhere else in the marketing funnel?” Estes said.

For Chick-fil-A, the branded content gives it a way to connect with kids – without the same stink as advertising directly to them – and foster goodwill toward the brand from their parents.

And unlike Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, Chick-fil-A has some flexibility to figure out if the investment is working. As a family-owned company, it isn’t beholden to shareholders who might push back against an expensive marketing endeavor.

Chick-fil-A also has cash to burn, especially given its meteoric growth over the last decade. From 2018 to 2023, its systemwide sales nearly doubled. Last year, it raked in net earnings of $1.07 billion. Chair Dan Cathy, who served as CEO from 2013 to 2021 and is father to current CEO Andrew Cathy, has a net worth of $10.6 billion, according to Forbes estimates.

Coincidentally, Dan Cathy owns Atlanta-based Trilith Studios, whose stages have acted as sets for many Marvel movies and TV shows, plus Francis Ford Coppola’s 2024 mega-flop “Megalopolis.” Tax breaks and cheap labor have helped Atlanta become the “Hollywood of the South” over the last decade. Cathy has previously drawn criticism for remarks he made in 2012 opposing same-sex marriage, and the company’s foundation donated to anti-LGBTQ groups during his time as chief executive.

Dan Cathy was not directly involved in the development of the Play app or making decisions related to the content, according to Cooper. Chick-fil-A also hasn’t worked with his studio – yet.

“We’ve not currently done any work directly with Trilith to date, but that’s something that we continue to explore, where it makes the most sense for both our businesses and brands,” she said.

NBC News has obtained five new civil lawsuits filed Sunday in the Southern District of New York by Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee. The suits do not name any of the plaintiffs.

The five suits include allegations Combs sexually assaulted or raped the plaintiffs in separate incidents from 2000 to 2022. Two of the plaintiffs are men and three are women, including a woman who alleged Combs raped her when she was 13 years old, according to the suits.

Combs is also accused of drugging one of the men and the three women, according to the suits. 

Buzbee told NBC News he plans to file a total of seven suits Sunday night.

“We will let the allegations in the filed complaints speak for themselves, and will work to see that justice is done,” Buzbee said in a statement Sunday. “We expect to be filing cases weekly naming Mr. Combs and others as defendants as we continue to gather evidence and prepare the filings.”

Combs’ team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Buzbee filed six other suits against Combs last Monday.

Combs, via his attorneys, denied all of the accusations in a statement last week.

“Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial process,” the statement said. “In court, the truth will prevail that Mr. Combs has never sexually assault anyone — adult or minor, man or woman.”

Combs is being held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. His criminal trial has been set to start May 5.

Federal prosecutors said at a hearing this month that they are going through data on over 90 devices belonging to Combs that were seized at his properties in raids this year and when he was arrested in New York.

Combs’ legal team filed a motion Tuesday requesting that his accusers in the federal sex trafficking case be publicly identified so he can prepare a proper defense.

Combs continues to fight his bail denial, with his attorneys recently having filed an appeal in New York’s federal appeals court.

In the months since his former girlfriend Casandra Ventura filed a lawsuit against him — which was immediately settled — several people have sued Combs, including Dawn Richard, a former member of the girl group Danity Kane, who alleged that Combs groped, assaulted and imprisoned her and threatened her life.

Combs has denied all the allegations against him.

Dan Mangan, CNBC contributed.

This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:

• Harris says Trump ‘demeans the office’ of the president after he calls her a ‘s—‘ vice president
• Andrew Garfield gets vulnerable about grief, with support from Elmo
• Sen. Lindsey Graham to Republicans supporting Harris: ‘What the hell are you doing?’

Justin Bieber has returned to the stage, this time as a dad.

The singer gave a surprise guest performance at Don Toliver’s concert at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Oct. 19. Justin Bieber’s wife Hailey Bieber joined him at the show, sharing footage of him onstage on her Instagram Stories.

The “Yummy” singer danced while holding his microphone in the air as the headliner performed their 2023 track “Private Landing,” which also features Future.

“Make some noise for f—ing Justin B!” Toliver told the cheering crowd, as seen in a video shared by Lori Harvey.

This marked Justin Bieber’s first time appearing onstage as a dad. Hailey Bieber gave birth to their first baby, son Jack Blues Bieber, in August.

Justin Bieber last performed onstage in July, giving a private concert at a pre-wedding celebration for billionaire heir Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in India.

The 30-year-old has performed sets at a few events since he cut short his “Justice” world tour in 2022 amid struggles with exhaustion and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which had caused him to experience partial face paralysis.

READ Hailey Bieber’s Dad Stephen Baldwin Credits Her With Helping Husband Justin Bieber “Survive”

Justin Bieber has not released new music since 2023. However, he shared some Instagram pics of himself playing a keyboard and holding a microphone inside what appeared to be a studio on his Instagram Oct. 20, the day after his surprise performance, leading fans to speculate that he may be gearing up for a comeback.

The “What Do You Mean?” singer also included photos of birds and a snap of himself and Hailey Bieber leaning in for a kiss.

In September, indie singer-songwriter Mk.gee said he’s been writing and recording new music with Justin Bieber.

“He’s searching,” he told The New York Times about the “Peaches” singer. “Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music.”

Mk.Gee, whose real name is Michael Gordon, added, “You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something.”

Liam Payne‘s ex-girlfriend from his early days in One Direction says the singer contacted her just weeks before his death.

Danielle Peazer, who dated the singer one and off for two years until 2013, shared details about his final message to her as part of a tribute to him that she shared on social media Oct. 20, four days after his sudden passing at age 31.

“Receiving a message from you a couple of weeks ago expressing your happiness for the love I found with Sonny and Mia,” the 36-year-old wrote on Instagram, “is something I’ll cherish forever.”

Peazer — who met Payne in 2010 when she was a dancer on “The X Factor” and he was a contestant on the show competing with the newly formed boy band One Direction — had welcomed her first child, daughter Mia, with boyfriend Sonny Jay in May.

The model’s comments were part of a personal, posthumous letter to Payne that she included in her post.

“I’m sorry your story didn’t end differently,” she wrote, “and I’m sorry you didn’t ever get to share more of your magic with the world.”

READ Liam Payne’s Ex Danielle Peazer Shares How She’s Coping After Singer’s Death

Payne, who had struggled with alcohol addiction and mental health battles throughout his life, was found dead Oct. 16 after falling from the balcony of a Bueno Aires hotel room.

Tributes to him have poured in from all over the world, including his former bandmates and at the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Oct. 19, where he was included in the memorial segment honoring stars who have passed over the past year.

In her personal letter to Payne, Peazer also shared details about the nature of her and the singer’s on-again, off-again relationship.

“At times, you were my favorite person in the whole world, but you could also wind me up so much and I probably annoyed the hell out of you sometimes too,” she wrote. “It was something we learned to accept of each other over 14 years, we could disagree on so many things yet still look out for each other in times of need and laugh about our disagreements and petty behavior 10 mins later.”

She added, “Our relationship may have ended back in 2013, but that seemed to be just the start of our story. The things we went through and experienced from then all the way until last year could be described as unique to some and misunderstood by others, but I think deep down we always knew we’d have some sort of connection forever, no matter where our individual lives took us.”

Peazer said she wished Payne knew he was “always more than enough for this world without having to search for a role to play just to please others.”

“Thank you for teaching me about the importance of setting boundaries,” she added, “and that I should always protect my heart.”

She ended her letter to Payne with, “Rest easy my friend. Love Danielle x.”

In her tribute post, Peazer also shared a message to Payne’s loved ones in her post, including his and ex Cheryl Cole’s son Bear, 7.

“His most important role and something he was the most proud of out of all of his monumental successes was that he was a father,” she wrote about the music artist. “The thought that there is now a child growing up without one of their parents is heartbreaking and unfair.”

Peazer continued, “To Liam’s son Bear, as well as his parents and sisters, my love, thoughts and strength goes to you. The magnitude of this loss is incomprehensible and I will continue to support you in any way I am able to.”

Peazer had shared her tribute one day after thanking fans for their support in wake of the singer’s death and noting that she was trying to process the loss.

Her partner Sonny expressed support for her in response to her latest post, commenting on it with a red heart emoji.

On Oct. 19, the actor showed up to the event donning a glittering gold dress that was reminiscent of a similar look Cher once rocked in 1972.

Zendaya’s flirty frock showed plenty of skin and featured a halter top neckline, a revealing crisscross design at the bust and a V-shaped bottom with an up-to-there slit. The star paired the sheer, sparkly design with gold pumps for an added dose of sass.

The 28-year-old wore her long hair in a straight, sleek style to finish off the look.

Zendaya’s longtime stylist Law Roach posted a video of his client posing for photographers at the event along with the following caption: “We love you @cher @bobmackie …..”

Roach also offered details about Zendaya’s outfit in a separate Instagram story, describing the frock as an item from the fall 2001  Bob Mackie Couture collection, Foreign Intrigue.

Per the stylist, the gown was “hand-beaded” in gold, diamond and iridescent bugle beads and aurora-borealis stones.

At the event, Zendaya took the stage to speak about Cher before the music legend was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“Thank you for being an advocate, for being an ally, for painting the way for so many humans of all kinds to live in and speak their truth and to have the courage to be as daring and as open-hearted as you,” she said.

Zendaya continued by sharing a quote from the musician.

“Cher once said you should never be inhibited by what people expect you to do. And those are words I hope we can all learn to live by,” she said.

When Cher took to the podium to speak about her career, she shared a message of hope.

“My life has been just a roller coaster and the one thing that I have never done is I never give up. I never give up. And I’m talking to the women. I’m talking to the women, ok? You guys are on your own. You know? We’ve been down and out and we keep striving and we keep going and we keep building and we are somebody,” she said.

In addition to Cher, several other musicians were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• One Direction speaks out following the death of Liam Payne
• Fans are applauding Carson’s words about how to process the loss of Liam Payne: ‘For today … we mourn’
• Children of influencers are pushing back … and some lawmakers are on their side

Jennifer Lawrence is going to become a mother of two.

The Oscar winner is pregnant with her second baby, her rep confirmed to Vogue Oct. 20. The news comes hours after she was photographed showcasing a baby bump in a white T-shirt, paired with black pants, while out to dinner in Los Angeles.

E! News has reached out to Lawrence’s rep for comment and has not heard back.

The 34-year-old’s latest outing took place on her and her husband Cooke Maroney’s fifth wedding anniversary. The pair, who married in Newport, Rhode Island in October 2019, are parents to a son, Cy, 2.

While Lawrence has been notoriously private about her personal life, she has occasionally shared tidbits about her child and her experiences as a first-time mom. In 2022, the “Hunger Games” star revealed Cy is named after American painter Cy Twombly, a favorite artist of her husband, an art gallery director.

READ Inside Jennifer Lawrence’s Mom Life With Son Cy and Husband Cooke Maroney

“It’s so scary to talk about motherhood,” Lawrence told Vogue at the time. “Only because it’s so different for everybody.”

She continued, “The morning after I gave birth, I felt like my whole life had started over. Like, Now is day one of my life. I just stared. I was just so in love. I also fell in love with all babies everywhere. Newborns are just so amazing. They’re these pink, swollen, fragile little survivors. Now I love all babies. Now I hear a baby crying in a restaurant and I’m like, Awwww, preciousssss.”

Lawrence has also shared her thoughts on raising a child whose parent is famous.

“Of course, I’ve contemplated having a child that’s being born into a lifestyle that’s different from his friends,” she told fellow actress Cameron Diaz in a 2023 Interview magazine chat. “But kids have advantages and disadvantages when they’re born, all of them.”

Lawrence continued, “The best thing I can do is just make sure he knows he’s loved, and that he’s our number one priority, and try to be a good example of kindness. I’m sure there will be challenges specifically from my choices and my lifestyle, and we’ll both have to confront that and deal with it when that day comes.”

The show features a group of men and women who blindly date each other — as in, going on dates where they can hear the other person, but not see them. The goal is to find a match and get engaged, at which point the couple gets to see each other’s faces.

Leo Baudy, a 31-year-old art dealer, says he wants to find a woman who doesn’t want him solely for his fortune, but he is also quick to tell his dates that he makes a lot of money. He inherited his lucrative business and much of its wealth from deceased relatives, he says.

While Baudy briefly found a match on the show, his contradictory admissions drew ire from viewers online. “If Leo doesn’t want girls to date him for his wealth and career, why does he constantly mention it?” one user asked on X.

Of course, TV doesn’t always mirror reality. But how to bring up money on a date or in a new relationship is a tricky topic for many people. In fact, 44% of adults say they wouldn’t go on a second date with someone who brought up money on the first date, a 2022 survey from The Balance found.

While dating and etiquette experts alike generally advise against bringing up finances on a first date, money is an important topic to discuss if you’re thinking about a long-term partnership with someone. And it can be a pain point for individuals who might have unaddressed shame around money — whether it’s about having a lot or not enough.

Here’s how to bring it up gracefully. 

Subtlety over secrecy

Certain financial situations, such as debt or a lack of financial literacy, can be deal breakers in a romantic partner for some people. But bringing up money as soon as you meet someone can be awkward and unattractive. 

“Especially when you’re dating, you don’t want [money] to be a big secret, but also you don’t want to come out of the gate with, like, here’s my credit report and my credit score,” Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, a financial therapist, tells CNBC Make It.

Instead of asking direct questions or bringing up your own specific situation like Baudy, introduce conversation topics that can give you hints, Bryan-Podvin says. That can include basic questions, such as where they work or what part of town they live in, “but also things like, ‘What was your favorite vacation that you took this year?’ or ‘Where are you hoping to travel this year?'”

You can also try asking about big-picture goals, such as if they want to own a home or move to a different city, Bryan-Podvin suggests.

These types of questions can give you hints about their financial status and spending habits, and illuminate the kind of lifestyle they lead. Knowing someone is planning several international vacations may be preferable — or not — to you, compared with someone who’s more into road trips, for example.

‘Lead with vulnerability’

Everybody has a different experience with money. Some people may be guarded and hesitant to share. Others, like Baudy, may come off as judgmental toward others.

Rather than assuming other people have bad intentions, Bryan-Podvin says to embrace your feelings about money and be transparent in a respectful way. 

“You can lead with vulnerability rather than leading with ‘I have money and therefore I don’t want a gold digger,'” she says. “There are different ways to communicate things without it being so gross or off-putting.”

She suggests acknowledging that you ask a lot of money-related questions and that it’s because you’ve had negative experiences in the past and you want to be careful, for example. It’s helpful for your partner to know where you’re coming from when you start to talk about things like sharing bills and setting goals together.

“Often, the big worry is, ‘If I talk about [money], people are going to think I’m weird,'” Bryan-Podvin says. “But often…when we don’t talk about it, we assume the other person can read our mind, and then we get mad at them when the way they read our mind doesn’t match the way that we really think.”

Want to earn more money at work? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Negotiate a Higher Salary. Expert instructors will teach you the skills you need to get a bigger paycheck, including how to prepare and build your confidence, what to do and say, and how to craft a counteroffer. Pre-register now and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 50% off through Nov. 26, 2024.

Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.

This time, however, he was not playing former President Donald Trump and was instead playing Fox News anchor Bret Baier as he spoofed his interview this week with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Baldwin as Baier, interviewing Harris as Maya Rudolph, first began by asking the vice president “the number of murderers” she had let into the country.

“Bret, I’m glad you brought up immigration –” Rudolph as Harris was then caught off by Baldwin as Baier, who followed up with “a million? Two million?”

The two sparred over immigration before Rudolph as Harris concluded that she is the only candidate who has prosecuted Mexican drug cartels and that “if she was in ‘Breaking Bad’ it would have ended in three episodes.”

The two then touched on the moment in the real-life interview when Baier showed Harris a clip about Trump’s “enemy from within” comment, which he doubled down on in a Fox News town hall with Fox News’ Harris Faulkner.

“I always say, we have two enemies,” Trump said in real life, adding: “We have the outside enemy, and then we have the enemy from within, and the enemy from within, in my opinion, is more dangerous than China, Russia and all these countries.”

The clip Baier showed Harris in the interview was a mistake, the anchor later said, that did not give Trump’s full answer doubling down on his “enemy from within” comments.

In the “SNL” sketch, James Austin Johnson reprises his role as the former president.

“They said I was threatening. Not true. I would never threaten anything, except, perhaps, violence,” Johnson as Trump said.

“I have been investigated more than Alfonse Capone, who famously did nothing wrong,” he added.

Dana Carvey also returned to play President Joe Biden, who appeared in press conference clips shown to Rudolph as Harris. Which Baldwin as Baier took out of context.

“Everything she touches will be destroyed, no joke. Watch out Florida,” Carvey as Biden said in one clip.

To which Rudolph as Harris clarified that he was talking about Hurricane Milton and not her potential presidency.

Also on “SNL,” Billie Eilish performed as the musical guest and Michael Keaton hosted.

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He had just run through an exploding wall — literally — as a stunt double for former NFL star Rob Gronkowski in a Super Bowl commercial and had plaster all over his hair, face and body. 

But he had a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to New York in a matter of hours, and his appearance was the last thing on his mind. Quickly throwing on a different set of clothes, Wallschleger rushed off the set and headed to Los Angeles International Airport for an acting role he had booked … as Gronkowski.

Portraying Gronkowski, the future Hall of Fame tight end and larger-than-life personality, on screen was easy. After all, they’ve been friends since college. 

“I’ve hung out with him for so many years,” Wallschleger said of playing Gronk on FX’s “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez.”

“It’s kind of like imitating your brother.”

That familiarity was evident this past week when Wallschleger’s imitation of Gronkowski, the former New England tight end, went viral. The scene — Gronkowski speaking to teammate Aaron Hernandez in the Patriots locker room — was so spot on that the real-life version had to applaud the effort. 

I asked @RobGronkowski about the viral gronk actor clip from the FX show..

we watched it twice. 🙂

Backstory here: pic.twitter.com/whqASbUk90

— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) October 10, 2024

“That’s my good friend Laith who is playing me there. I’ve known him for about 14 years,” Gronkowski said on the “Up and Adams” podcast. “He got the laugh right on. If I’m up and energized and someone cracks a good joke, that’s definitely my laugh right on.”

Wallschleger, an actor, stunt double and voice-over artist, is a former defensive end at the University of Delaware who spent training camp with the Arizona Cardinals. After his athletic career came to a close in 2018, he auditioned for and got into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and moved to Los Angeles full-time to pursue a career in entertainment. 

He admits his physique — 6-foot-4, 255 pounds — and background as an athlete helped him land small roles early on. His first big break was as a football player in a film called “It’s Time” about former Ole Miss defensive back Chucky Mullins, who was paralyzed after he made a tackle. It was there that Wallschleger met executives from Game Changing Films, a group that casts actors for sports-related projects. They eventually helped him get shows like The CW’s “All-American.”

The company’s mission seemed simple enough: find actors who could actually play sports to make a show or movie appear genuine. Except it wasn’t that easy. 

“You have the size component, you have the speed component, and then you have the performance component. It’s really hard to find all those things in an actor,” Wallschleger said. “Actors are, most of the time, pretty small. I mean, you look at Tom Cruise and he’s like, what, 5-8 or something like that? So it’s really difficult to find that combination.”

Wallschleger has gone on to play roles on “NCIS,” “Grown-ish,” “The Rookie,” “9-1-1” and other shows. He is currently filming an episode of Peacock’s “Poker Face,” and he is in an upcoming show called “Paradise,” starring Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden. Oh, and it was announced this week that he is the lead in a Lifetime Christmas movie about a football player who finds love with a pop star (sound familiar?).

He has also narrated Dodge Challenger commercials and multiple video games. 

His true calling, however, may be as a stunt double for, in his words, “all the big white guys in the NFL.” 

Wallschleger has been cast as Travis Kelce, Nick Bosa, Joey Bosa, JJ Watt and Zach Ertz. In the NFL 100 Super Bowl commercial, he played legendary Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and tackled Deion Sanders through a table.

No, of course not the real Deion Sanders. His stunt double. 

“They get paid millions of dollars,” Wallschleger said of professional athletes and coaches. “The last thing they want to do is step wrong, slip on something and then blow out a knee doing a freaking Visa commercial.”

Wallschleger is best known, at least now, as Gronk 2.0. The two became close friends years ago through his cousin Dean “Mojo” Muhtadi, who knew Rob’s brother Dan Gronkowski. The families started hanging out, and they have countless stories of partying together since. 

The camaraderie has paid off in a big way. When FX needed someone to play Gronk in “American Sports Story,” Wallschleger was a natural fit. He would go on to film scenes as the teammate of Hernandez, the Patriots tight end later convicted of murder.

Wallschleger said he initially was worried about telling his friend about the role. Years ago, Gronk refused to speak about the highly sensitive matter.

“Back then, what’s there to gain to comment on that?” Wallschleger said. “You want to respect the family and the severity of the situation and just kind of stay out of it. But he gave me his full endorsement on set.”

Usually, playing Gronk is far more fun.

For FanDuel’s “Kick of Destiny,” a live field goal attempt at halftime of the Super Bowl, Wallschleger stepped in for his friend in commercials leading up to the event.

In one, a montage similar to those in the “Rocky” films takes place. Gronk’s quad explodes from overtraining and rips his shorts.

“That was my leg,” Wallschleger said. “It really kind of stemmed from there. It was like, ‘Hey, man, like, if you need me in the future, I got you.’”

This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:

• Ga. students take to streets to denounce ‘dehumanizing’ law that criminalizes handing out water to voters in line
• 3 killed and 8 injured by gunfire following a Mississippi school’s football game
• Oakland Hills fire in California damages 2 homes, sparks evacuations

Rosie O’Donnell‘s daughter Chelsea Belle O’Donnell is in legal trouble.

The 27-year-old, a mother of four, was arrested twice over the past month in Wisconsin on drug-related offenses and other charges, including child neglect, court records show. O’Donnell shared a throwback pic of her daughter with one of her kids as a newborn Oct. 19 following reports about her arrests.

“Chelsea is in the news today,” the comedian wrote on Instagram. “This is a photo from a better time.”

Chelsea O’Donnell has not yet entered a plea and is due back in court in November. She has also not commented on her arrests. No lawyer or other representative for Rosie O’Donnell’s daughter is listed in any of the summaries of her Wisconsin court cases seen by E! News.

Rosie O’Donnell’s daughter — mom to daughters Skylar, 5, Riley, 3, and Avery, 2, and son Atlas, 11 months — was first arrested in September in Marinette County, Wis. on felony counts of neglecting a child, maintaining a drug trafficking place and possession of methamphetamine.

READ Rosie O’Donnell’s Son Blake O’Donnell Marries Teresa Garofalow Westervelt Instagram/Rosie O’Donnell

She was also charged at the time with misdemeanor possession of THC, illegally obtained prescriptions and drug paraphernalia, as well as domestic abuse, court records show.

Then on Oct. 14, three days after her most recent arrest in nearby Oconto County, prosecutors charged Chelsea O’Donnell with felony possession of methamphetamine and narcotic drugs and bail jumping, as well as misdemeanor counts of drug paraphernalia possession and resisting or obstructing an officer.

In June 2018, amid news she was pregnant with her first child, Rosie O’Donnell revealed the two had reconnected again. Skylar was born the following December and the comedian could not have been prouder.

“My daughter chels-jake-and skylar rose my first grandchild !!!” the comedian tweeted at the time, while sharing a pic of herself with the newborn. “#Nana & Skylar #bigLove.”

The comedian, who has occasionally shared pics of her daughter’s kids on social media over the years, had last spoken publicly about her relationship with her in 2018.

“She’s doing better now and we’re both communicating with each other,” the “And Just Like That star” said on “The Talk.” “When somebody does something unforgivable to you and you can forgive them and they can forgive you, there’s a kind of grace that descends upon the both of you, within that.”

Soon after Chelsea O’Donnell was found, she moved in with her birth mother, Deanna Micoley, who had placed her for adoption as a baby. In 2016, Rosie O’Donnell and her daughter reconciled.

The following year, Chelsea O’Donnell made more allegations about her adoptive mom with regard to her upbringing. “Since I was 12, Rosie has been verbally abusive,” she told the Daily Mail, adding that the two were currently estranged.

In a statement to the newspaper, the comedian called the daughter “mentally ill” and said her daughter’s comments were “unfounded – untrue – and desperate.”

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During the filming of “Beast Games,” MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, faced public backlash amid claims that he fostered an unsafe working environment. At least five contestants filed a class action lawsuit in September alleging they were “shamelessly exploited” while competing. Representatives for Donaldson have not commented on the lawsuit but previously said the production team has “taken steps to ensure that we learn from this experience.”

The accusations highlight what some in the digital production world — which typically refers to content created for social media platforms — have identified as a growing concern in the industry for years. Online content creators, they say, often fail to ensure the same basic standards for treating cast and crew that more traditional entertainment sets do.

“I’ve worked with some production companies that are just like working on a union shoot, and some of them do operate as union shoots, and others that absolutely do not,” said Mair Mulroney, an actor who previously appeared on the popular channel run by YouTuber Dhar Mann. “It’s the wild, wild west, really and truly.”

The traditional entertainment and digital media industries have not always aligned in their creative visions and methods, which has caused some tension between the two in the past. However, as digital productions grow, those who work with or under creators said some could benefit from the structure seen on traditional Hollywood sets.

Could Hollywood unions help?

Unlike Hollywood sets, most digital productions do not necessarily rely on union workers.

YouTubers are used to calling the shots on most of their projects. Even with “Beast Games,” a reality competition program that Amazon Studios reportedly paid $100 million to acquire, Donaldson said he was granted full creative control by the more traditional studio.

When accusations about working conditions on Donaldson’s show first surfaced, many online speculated whether it was a nonunion production, which isn’t unusual for a reality show. The show was shot in Las Vegas, Toronto and Panama.

In Hollywood, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) ensure there are protections in place for members on sets, like enforcing break times, assessing risks and requiring producers to accommodate requests for intimacy or stunt coordination.

Some believe the digital entertainment space — which includes a wide range of productions, including reality and scripted content — would benefit from union oversight.

“The unions have to approach new media and help it grow up,” said Scott Brown, an Emmy-nominated digital producer who previously worked for MrBeast. “Because new [digital] media has got about 15 years, the unions have 100. They’ve got to bring that knowledge.”

Representatives for SAG-AFTRA declined to comment.

An IATSE spokesperson said the union “believes that all production and post-production workers deserve fair wages, health and pension benefits and appropriate workplace protections.”

“We continue to scout for organizing opportunities in our covered work areas in all content channels,” the spokesperson said in an email.

A representative for Donaldson said the “Beast Games” shoot in Toronto worked with union members from the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET) and the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC). The representative said it also had nonunion crew members.

The DGC confirmed in an email that “Beast Games” was a signatory of its side letter for reality productions and its members were allowed to work on the production, which the guild said had “a mix of non-union and union personnel.” NABET did not respond to a request for comment.

Creators would have to give up some autonomy

Producer Bernie Su said traditional media can sometimes have “asinine bureaucracy” in production that is counterintuitive to the needs of digital sets, which often produce work faster and cheaper.

Su used SAG actors in all of his Emmy-winning digital series, including “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” and “Emma Approved” on YouTube, as well as the Twitch series “Artificial.”

While he believes not every production needs to employ union-represented workers, if YouTubers ever want to use big stars, they would have to abide by SAG rules and become a union set.

YouTubers would become signatories to SAG “when it provides value to them,” Su argued.

While the entertainment industry has been slowly bouncing back from last year’s SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes, Mulroney said digital productions have been offering more consistent, albeit nonunion, work.

“You just kind of have to kind of go with the consequences of doing that,” she said. “And things may not always be as professional as what you would typically be used to when you work on a union set.”

In February 2023, the “consequences” of working on a nonunion set became too much for Mulroney and several of her fellow cast members who worked on creator Dhar Mann’s videos. The YouTuber, known for his videos on morality, has amassed 22.3 million followers to his channel.

A small group protested Mann, alleging that he created a “toxic” culture on his sets. They claimed he underpaid them and perpetuated a “culture of fear” in the workplace that led to actors feeling silenced, unable to take on other roles and unable to give feedback out of fear that Mann’s studio would withhold acting jobs from them as “punishment.”

At the time, Mann released a statement on Instagram calling out “misinformation being spread by protests,” saying the company does pay its actors “for any work they perform.” He said the rate for actors with speaking roles was $33-$44 per hour.

“I do acknowledge that there’s always opportunity for growth,” he wrote, saying he met with the actors and “came up with ways to improve things such as a more efficient booking system, stronger communication and more consistent hours and pay.”

Mulroney said she has not worked with Mann since the protest ended.

Representatives for Mann did not respond to a request for comment.

Mulroney still ultimately believes that YouTube is “a great place for people to be discovered, because there are no rules.”

“At the same time,” she said, “I think when something is starting to operate as a studio, if a channel is starting to operate that way and then they’re hiring full-blown productions, I do think that at that point you’ve stepped onto a different level.”

The digital media industry has reached a maturation point in recent years. Conventions like VidCon have turned from fan-oriented gatherings to a meeting point for entrepreneurial creators to learn how to grow alongside this burgeoning entertainment medium.

There has been a big push this year, including from YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, to elevate digital media productions to the level of respect and recognition that film and television receive in the entertainment industry.

But the respect goes both ways, Mulroney said, adding that some creators don’t respect the work of the cast and crew who are helping them execute a video. If YouTube and its creators want to be considered for recognition at the Emmys, Mulroney said, “then you need to play by the [entertainment industry] rules. They’re there for a reason.”

Creative control can be a sore spot between creators and Hollywood studios. In the past, the entertainment industry has tried to force traditional television models onto digital platforms, said Brown, the producer. In the mid-2010s, entertainment executives would invest in YouTube brands but often would not let them maintain their creative vision.

Over the years, it has become more widely understood that digital is its own medium with its own idiosyncrasies, according to Brown, who is now CEO of the independent, digital-focused production company Second Rodeo Productions.

Brown said creators can sometimes become “a victim of that belief that you have to do it all yourself.” But Brown said he hopes they “start to realize the power of collaboration.”

“Moving image content is a remarkably collaborative medium, and creators don’t realize it, but they’re actually limiting themselves by not entering into fruitful collaboration with good partners,” Brown said.

“I look forward to the days, that I think are not far off, where the guilds and the people who, for lack of a better term, are the producers, the studios come together and create a system that works for everybody.”

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

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Bethany Hamilton and her family are mourning the loss of her nephew.

Andrew Hamilton, the son of the surf icon’s older brother Timothy Hamilton and wife Kyah Hamilton, has died, one week he was found unconscious in a partially filled bathtub. He was 3 years old.

“Andrew Samuel Hamilton, born December 26th 2020, entered his heavenly rest on Friday, October 17, 2024,” read a message posted on Timothy Hamilton’s Instagram Oct. 19, “succumbing to injuries sustained a week prior in a drowning accident, after all of the best life-saving interventions had been exhausted.”

Andrew Hamilton is the second-youngest of six siblings. “Andrew’s passing is mourned by me, his father, his mother Kyah, and all of our children, Thomas, Joshua, Matthew, Noelle, and John,” Timothy Hamilton wrote, “as well as by his grandparents, his aunts, uncles, and cousins, and by his family in Christ, the congregation of Saint Matthew’s Lutheran Church, together with her pastor William Pierce.”

READ Surfer Bethany Hamilton Shares Update After 3-Year-Old Nephew’s Drowning Incident

The 38-year-old said the church leader’s “steadfast prayers at Andrew’s bedside and preaching of God’s Words to our broken hearts has sustained our souls this past week.”

Timothy Hamilton added, “It hurts terribly and we miss Andrew more than words can express. But we do not mourn as those who have no hope. We rejoice in the certain hope of the glory of God, into whose name Andrew was baptized, whose precious blood washed Andrew clean and made him a child and heir of heaven.”

Bethany Hamilton, 34, also shared her own tribute.

“The Lord has receive my sweet nephew Andrew into his beautiful care,” the athlete wrote on her Instagram. “While my family and I will miss him dearly, we trust that his joy is full with Jesus.”

She continued, “Here is a prayer of faith that was prayed by my brother, and our whole family, this last week. This prayer paints so incredibly what it is to have faith. Faith is to trust that Gods will for our life is greater than our own. Thank you all for the love, prayers and support is this trying time. Be blessed.”

Bethany Hamilton, a mother of four who documented her experience surviving a 2003 shark attack that cost her her left arm in a memoir and the 2011 film “Soul Surfer,” had last week issued a public plea to reach a medical expert on drowning injuries to try and help Andrew after he was hospitalized in Oahu, Hawaii.

A fundraising page set up for the family had noted that on Oct 11, “Andrew came down with a fever and threw up. He was in the bathtub soaking in 6 inches of water and epsom salt; just 15 feet from the kitchen and living room.”

The message continued, “He was found unconscious — which is baffling as he’s the strongest child of his 5 siblings at that age and an amazing swimmer, even in the open ocean. Chest compression began, he had a slight heartbeat. He spent a few hours at Wilcox hospital before medical evacuation to Oahu.”

The family later updated the page to note that Andrew Hamilton had suffered kidney damage, had swelling in his brain and was also on a ventilator.

Following his death, Bethany and Timothy Hamilton’s eldest brother Noah Hamilton, 42, also shared a tribute to the child, in which he shared that he had gone surfing with him two days before his drowning accident.

“The only solo time I ever got to play with him,” he wrote on Facebook. “I’ve played with his 4 older siblings. We had so much fun. On our last wave I threw him off the board and he swam to shore through the waves and current sucking him back to sea. I will cherish this memory.”

Noah Hamilton continued, “He was a strong hammer of a kid. We will never know how he got into trouble in a bath with 6in of water. But what we do know is that he’s in heaven singing with the Angels, resting in his heavenly father’s arms of love. I love you Andrew.”

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The singer was set to kickoff the U.S. leg of his “Stairway to the Sky Tour” next week in California. Malik made the announcement Saturday on his social media accounts.

“Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I’ve made the decision to postpone the US leg of the STAIRWAY TO THE SKY Tour,” he wrote.

“The dates are being rescheduled for January and I’ll post them as soon as it’s all set in the next few days. Your tickets will remain valid for the new dates. Love you all and thank you for your understanding.”

The tour was scheduled to make seven stops in the United States during the fall:

Oct. 23: San Francisco
Oct. 25: Las Vegas
Oct. 27: Los Angeles
Oct. 28: Los Angeles
Oct. 30: Washington, D.C.
Nov. 2: New York City
Nov. 3: New York City

Payne died on Oct. 16, following a fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

His former One Direction bandmates, Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, shared a moving tribute to their late friend.

“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” they shared in a joint statement. “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.”

“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly.”

They ended the message with, “We love you Liam.”

Liam Payne‘s sister is speaking out after the tragic loss of the singer.

Three days after the One Direction alum, 31, was found dead after falling from the balcony of a Bueno Aires hotel room, one of his two older sisters, Ruth Gibbons, shared a heartbreaking tribute to her late sibling.

“Liam is my best friend,” the 33-year-old wrote on Instagram Oct. 19. “No one could ever make me laugh as much as him, doing his impressions always had me creasing and he loved seeing how much of a laugh he could get.”

Gibbons recalled the early days of Payne’s much career, when he became a member of One Direction as a contestant on The X Factor in 2010.

“He moved out when he was 17 to chase his dreams, it’s this that forced me to finally pass my driving test during the X Factor live show,” she wrote. “I couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to get to him. I would regularly drive to have tea with him after I finished work, just to sit around.”

Gibbons added, “Liam loved 1D, he loved his brothers and we talked about it so much. He would just play song after song that had been recorded but never used and we’d sit having a mini 1D concert.”

Concerts Oct 19

Zayn Malik postpones US tour dates following death of One Direction bandmate Liam Payne

Celebrity News Oct 17

One Direction speaks out on Liam Payne's death: ‘completely devastated'

Payne’s sister touted the singer’s kindness.

“I don’t feel this world was good enough or kind enough to you, and quite often over the last few years, you’ve had to really try hard to overcome all that was being aimed at you,” she said about her brother, who had struggled with alcohol addiction and mental health battles throughout his life. “You just wanted to be loved and to make people happy with your music.”

Gibbons also made a promise to Payne about his and ex Cheryl Cole‘s son Bear, 7.

“We’ll take care of Bear and he will always know how incredible his Dad is and how much you idolize him,” she wrote. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. Love you, oh how my heart misses you, Ru xxx.”

Gibbons added, “One last time I need you to know, I’m here if you need anything, I’d drive to the end of the universe to bring you back.”

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In a world where shows like “Love Is Blind,” “90 Day Fiancé” and “Married at First Sight” are the norm, let alone the cottage industry that is Bachelor Nation, “The Dating Game” sounds rather quaint.

As first conceived by game show impresario Chuck Barris in 1965, there was a simple premise: A woman looking for love asks three suitors who are hidden behind a screen a series of questions. At the end, she picks one to go out with.

But while charm, chemistry and double entendres ruled the hour, the vetting process left something to be desired. Because on the episode that aired Sept. 13, 1978, teacher Cheryl Bradshaw’s winning suitor turned out to be a serial killer.

“Bachelor No. 1” Rodney Alcala would later be convicted of seven murders, including the killing of a 12-year-old girl, and authorities have speculated that his true victim count could be closer to 100 women.

Anna Kendrick plays inspired-by-this-true-story Sheryl in “Woman of the Hour,” which approaches the harrowing story from the bachelorette’s perspective and marks the “Pitch Perfect” star’s directorial debut.

PHOTOS: TV’s most killer true crime transformations

“I feel very emotionally connected to the material,” Kendrick told E! News correspondent Will Marfuggi ahead of the film’s Oct. 18 premiere on Netflix. “I obviously like making kind of lighthearted fare, but I really felt drawn to this story and the way in which it teased out these larger themes around the way that women, especially, have to move through the world in a constant survival mode.”

Kendrick singled out a scene in which Alcala (played by Daniel Zavallo) is at a tiki bar as one of her trickier balancing acts in the film, sharing that a previous version of the script had a splashier moment that showed him getting upset at a waitress after she knocks over a glass.

Instead, they forwent the obvious red flag in favor of subtler creepy vibes. Kendrick thought they “could make something really terrifying happen,” she explained, “without making it clear on paper what’s happening.”

And it’s all the more terrifying because “Woman of the Hour” is based on a grisly true story. Read on for all the details on how Bradshaw was set up on a TV-facilitated date with a murderer:

How did Rodney Alcala end up on “The Dating Game?”

When Alcala showed up as Bachelor No. 1 on “The Dating Game” in an episode that aired Sept. 13, 1978, he was introduced by host Jim Lange as “a successful photographer who got his start when his father found him in the dark room at the age of 13, fully developed.”

“Between takes, you might find him skydiving or motorcycling,” Lange continued. “Please welcome Rodney Alcala.”

Bradshaw, a school teacher from Phoenix who’d previously worked as a foot masseuse, started by asking Bachelor No. 1 what his “best time” was.

Alcala’s response: “Nighttime.” Asked to explain further, he said, “Nighttime is when it really gets good. Then you’re really ready.”

Bradshaw also asked her suitors, “I am serving you for dinner. What are you called and what do you look like?”

Alcala memorably replied, “I am called the banana and I look really good.” Pressed for more detail, he said, “Peel me!”

Reflecting on how bizarre the exchange was in hindsight, former “The Dating Game” producer David Greenfield admitted on ABC News’ “20/20” in 2021 that it “sounds horrible.”

At the time, though, he explained, “that’s a good solid answer…We were looking for raunchy, sexy answers, and that was one. Take it in context now, it’s like, ‘Oh my God.'”

And after a commercial break, Bradshaw made her choice: “Well, I like bananas, so I’ll take number one.”

But she never actually went out with Alcala (the show proposed a tennis lesson date followed by a trip to the Magic Mountain amusement park), instead getting turned off quickly once she met him face to face.

Richard Ramirez and the real American horror story behind the Night Stalker murders

“I started to feel ill,” she told the Sunday Telegraph in 2012. “He was acting really creepy. I turned down his offer. I didn’t want to see him again.”

Ellen Metzger, who was “The Dating Game” contestant coordinator, recalled Bradshaw asking for an out the day after the taping.

“She said, ‘Ellen, I can’t go out with this guy. There’s weird vibes that are coming off of him. He’s very strange. I am not comfortable. Is that going to be a problem?’” Metzger said on 20/20. “And of course, I said, ‘No.'” (As in, no problem.)

Actor Jed Mills, Bachelor No. 2 on Bradshaw’s episode, remembered literally recoiling from Alcala during the taping.

“He was creepy,” Mills told CNN years later. “Definitely creepy. Something about him, I could not be near him. I am kind of bending toward the other guy to get away from him, and I don’t know if I did that consciously. But thinking back on that, I probably did.”

Who was the “Dating Game Killer”?

Alcala’s fateful appearance on “The Dating Game” in 1978 came four years after his release from prison, where he’d served 34 months for child molestation after kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl in 1968.

Between committing that crime and being arrested for it, however, he killed at least one woman — a murder he wouldn’t be prosecuted for until decades later once advancements in DNA testing linked him to a series of cold cases — and he murdered at least four more before he was Bachelor No. 1.

PHOTOS: Biggest unsolved murder mysteries

But thanks to a good Samaritan who witnessed the 8-year-old getting into a car with a man she seemingly didn’t know, after which he tailed them to an apartment building and called police, officers found the child alive on the evening of Sept. 25, 1968.

They also found Alcala’s UCLA student ID at the scene, so they had a suspect immediately.

But Alcala — a 25-year-old Army veteran who had gone AWOL and was diagnosed by a military psychiatrist with chronic and severe antisocial personality disorder before he went to college — was long gone, per Stella Sands’ 2011 book about the case, “The Dating Game Killer: The True Story of a TV Dating Show, a Violent Sociopath, and a Series of Brutal Murders.”

Unbeknownst to authorities in California, Alcala had surfaced in New York going by the name of John Berger. Using that alias, according to Sands, he enrolled at NYU, graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 1971 at the age of 27, worked as a photographer and secured a job as a counselor at an arts and drama camp in New Hampshire.

Who were Rodney Alcala’s murder victims?

On the evening of June 24, 1971, Cornelia Crilley, a 23-year-old TWA flight attendant, was found dead in the Manhattan apartment she’d moved into that very day. Police (called by her boyfriend, per Sands, after Crilley’s mom couldn’t get her on the phone) discovered her body in a bedroom with a stocking tied around her neck. She was partially clothed and had bite marks on her chest — so investigators were able to collect DNA at the scene, only there was no way to match it to a suspect at the time.

“He kept trophies, usually jewelry,” Kendrick, who used real-life case details to depict the killer’s crimes in “Woman of the Hour,” told “Rolling Stone”. “The mental image of him, in the aftermath of violating and brutally killing a person, taking the time to remove a delicate piece of jewelry, haunts me. He preserved them for years. He treated an earring with more respect than a human being.”

Meanwhile, about a month after Crilley was killed, Los Angeles police detectives who’d been searching for Alcala since connecting him to the aforementioned 1968 child assault contacted the FBI. The bureau subsequently added the suspect to its most-wanted list.

Why Kara Robinson’s escape from a suspected serial killer in 2002 is as timely a story as ever

In August 1971, a couple of the campers where “John Berger” was a counselor saw his picture in the local post office. Per Sands, they didn’t really think Berger could be Alcala, especially since the fugitive was accused of harming a little girl, but they told a camp director, who called the FBI.

Alcala was arrested at the camp the next day and flown back to L.A. to face charges in the 1968 assault.

However, his young victim and her family had left the country and were unavailable to testify. Alcala pleaded guilty to child molestation and on May 19, 1972, a judge sentenced him to a maximum of 10 years in prison with the possibility of parole.

Long Island accused serial killer Rex Heuermann charged with murders of two more women

Alcala served time at the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, Calif., and the California Medical Facility (a state prison psychiatric hospital) in Vacaville. He was released in August 1974 after a state prison psychiatrist deemed him “considerably improved,” according to Sands’ book. He moved back in with his mother and was required to register as a sex offender.

On Oct. 13, 1974, he offered to give a 13-year-old girl who was waiting for her bus a ride to school but ended up taking her to Huntington Beach, where he gave her a joint. A park ranger, sensing something wasn’t right, called police. Alcala was arrested and charged that December with sale of marijuana, kidnapping and violating his parole.

He was convicted of the parole violation and giving drugs to a minor and sent back to prison. He was released on June 16, 1977.

On July 15, 1977, Ellen Jane Hover — who had recently moved to New York after graduating from college in Pennsylvania — disappeared.

Two days earlier, during the infamous city-wide blackout that swathed Manhattan in darkness and prompted far more people than usual to be congregating outside, a friend had noticed Hover talking to a tall, skinny man with a ponytail.

Asked who the “freaky-looking guy” was, per Sands, Hover told her friend he was “all right.” After the 23-year-old failed to show up for a dinner date on the 15th and her parents called police, investigators found that she had written “John Berger, photographer,” in her diary.

Police found Hover’s remains 11 months later in a shallow grave in North Tarrytown, Westchester County.

Why the “Son of Sam” serial killer case was terrifying enough without the extra theories

While New York authorities were searching for Hover, the body of Jill Barcomb, 18, was found in the Hollywood Hills on Nov. 10, 1977, and Georgia Wixted, 27, was murdered in her Malibu apartment barely a month later, police finding her body on Dec. 16.

In September 1977, Alcala secured a job as a typesetter at the Los Angeles Times after presenting a mostly falsified resume. He worked there until May 1979, according to Sands.

That December he was questioned by the FBI at LAPD headquarters about Hover’s disappearance in New York — the bureau having connected the name Berger found in the woman’s diary to Alcala — and he admitted to knowing her. He told investigators he took her to a spot in Westchester to photograph her but then took her back to Manhattan and dropped her off at her apartment, alive and well.

The true story of the Hillside Strangler will give you nightmares

In March 1978, Alcala — since he was a registered sex offender — was interviewed by detectives from the LAPD’s Hillside Strangler task force before they ultimately arrested cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr. in connection with the murders of 10 women between October 1977 and February 1978.

Meanwhile, he continued to work at the LA Times and take pictures on the side.

On June 24, 1978, 32-year-old Charlotte Lamb was found dead in the laundry room of an El Segundo, Calif., apartment complex — but because she didn’t live there, she wasn’t identified for several days.

Lamb told friends she was going to a nightclub on June 23 and her family called police three days later once they realized no one had seen her since. Authorities soon realized the missing woman was their Jane Doe.

Less than three months later, Alcala was the man of the hour on “The Dating Game.”

On June 14, 1979, Jill Parenteau, 21, was strangled to death in her Burbank apartment. Six days later, 12-year-old Robin Samsoe was reported missing after last being seen riding her bike to a ballet lesson. The child’s remains were found July 2 in the Sierra Madre foothills.

The Samsoe case was headline news. And, according to Sands’ book, it was ultimately the same good Samaritan who called police in 1968 to report that he had seen a young girl get into a car with a suspicious man — leading authorities to where Alcala had taken his 8-year-old victim — who called again to suggest they should look at the perpetrator of that crime for this one.

Once police dug up Alcala’s mug shot, he looked a lot like the composite drawn up with the help of witnesses who told police they’d seen a man photographing Samsoe by the Huntington Beach Pier the day she disappeared.

He was arrested July 24, 1979.

What happened to Rodney Alcala?

Alcala was found guilty of Samsoe’s murder in 1980 and given the death penalty.

His conviction was overturned four years later after the California Supreme Court ruled that introducing evidence of his previous crimes at trial had been prejudicial — but he was retried, re-convicted and re-sentenced to death in 1986.

A federal appeals court overturned his conviction yet again in 2003 and he was granted a new trial, but he remained locked up.

With the help of advances in DNA testing, Alcala, then 66, was convicted in Orange County, Calif., of the 1970s-era murders of Barcomb, Wixted, Parenteau and Lamb in 2010, bite marks containing traces of Alcala’s saliva and other bodily fluids from the killer connecting him to all four victims.

During the same proceedings, he was also found guilty of Samsoe’s murder for a third time.

Alcala, who defended himself and maintained he had an alibi for Samsoe’s disappearance (but did not offer any defense regarding the other victims), was again sentenced to death.

“There are 36 people now that all agree that this man deserves to die,” Samsoe’s brother told the Los Angeles Times, referring to the three 12-person juries who’d arrived at the same conclusion.

In 2012, again linked by DNA, Alcala pleaded guilty to the New York murders of Crilley in 1971 and Hover in 1977. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Alcala spent the rest of his days behind bars at Corcoran State Prison before dying of natural causes at a nearby hospital in July 2021. He was 77.

“The planet is a better place without him, that’s for sure,” Tali Shapiro, the 8-year-old girl Alcala assaulted in 1968, told the New York Times after his death.

“I know it’s awful what happened to me, but I’ve never identified with it,” the 61-year-old added. “I’ve moved on with my life, so this doesn’t really affect me. It’s a long time coming, but he’s got his karma.”

“Woman of the Hour” is streaming on Netflix.

Love knows no bounds, but in some cases it does know bars.

Lyle Menendez, 56, and his brother Erik Menendez, 53, have been locked up since March 1990, when they were first arrested for the Aug. 20, 1989, murders of their parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez.

And since each was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in 1996 at the end of their second trial, they’ve been serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

But it was their first trial in 1993, which put “Court TV” on the map and triggered a four-ring media circus, that turned the Menendez brothers into full-blown celebrities. Mostly they were deemed villains, but also tragic figures. And, once the defense alleged that the siblings had been sexually abused by their father, some saw them as victims, too.

And in a not uncommon turn of events when it comes to criminal defendants, including convicted murderers, they became objects of desire to more than a few women on the outside.

A new generation crushing on them over TikTok are out of luck, though: While California law doesn’t allow conjugal visits for prisoners serving life sentences, both brothers have been married for more than two decades.

Erik Menendez tied the knot with Tammi Saccoman in 1999 and Lyle Menendez swapped vows with his second wife, Rebecca Sneed, in 2003.

While both women lead private lives, notorious spouses aside, Saccoman has lately been relaying statements from her husband through X since the premiere of Ryan Murphy‘s Netflix series about the case, “Monsters: The Menendez Brothers.” In a nutshell: Erik Menendez thinks it’s trash. Murphy’s response: “The Menendez brothers should be sending me flowers.”

The 35-year-old case is back in the headlines — and not least because the brothers have always had their champions who believe they acted in self-defense, including numerous family members who held a press conference Oct. 16 to call for the siblings’ release from prison.

Attorneys for the brothers filed a habeas corpus petition in 2023 requesting that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office open an evidentiary hearing or vacate the convictions and sentences in the wake of alleged new evidence coming to light, including a letter purportedly written by Erik Menendez in 1988 in which he mentions being abused.

After the family presser, L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón said his office is reviewing the Menendez case, telling NBC News, “I think that there is a certain level of evidence that points out that there were a lot of problems in the household.”

Later that evening, Saccoman posted on X, “Erik feels deeply grateful and profoundly humbled by the overwhelming outpouring of love and support from his family today. Their belief in him and encouragement, care, and understanding mean more to him than words can express.”

Crime and Courts Oct 15

Family of Lyle and Erik Menendez plead for brothers' release from prison

Crime and Courts Oct 4

Author describes how he found key evidence that could free Menendez brothers 

Crime and Courts Oct 3

Menendez brothers' attorney hopes to bring them home by end of year

While the proverbial jury is still out, get to know the women who married the Menendez brothers after they were convicted of murder:

Anna Eriksson

Lyle Menendez, then 28, married model and salon receptionist Anna Eriksson on July 2, 1996, the day he and brother Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 1989 double murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.

Eriksson started writing to Lyle Menendez in 1993 during his first trial, which ended in a mistrial, and then moved to California to be near him the following year. She became a reliable presence at the months-long retrial that began in 1995 and resulted in convictions in March 1996, according to the Los Angeles Times.

They couldn’t take their vows in person, however, Lyle Menendez took the plunge over speaker phone, the groom in custody and the bride in the office of defense attorney Leslie Abramson.

He seemingly hoped to be able to wed Eriksson in person, once he knew where he’d end up.

“We do have a marriage proceeding,” California Correctional Institution spokesman Lt. Jack Pitko told the LA Times in September 1996 once the brothers had been ordered to separate prisons. “There’s a waiting list…But I don’t see why he shouldn’t be able to get married if he follows all the rules.”

Eriksson filed for divorce in 2001 after, according to multiple reports from the time, she allegedly found out Lyle Menendez was exchanging letters with other women.

Rebecca Sneed

Lyle Menendez didn’t rush into anything when he married journalist Rebecca Sneed, reportedly 33 at the time, in November 2003: He had known her for 10 years, first through letters and eventually from in-person visits, a prison spokesperson told the Associated Press in confirming the nuptials.

The ceremony took place at Mule Creek State Prison near Sacramento, where Lyle Menendez resided until he was reunited with Erik Menendez in 2018 at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in southern San Diego County.

“Our interaction tends to be very free of distractions and we probably have more intimate conversations than most married spouses do, who are distracted by life’s events,” Lyle Menendez told People in 2017. At the time, Sneed was living in Sacramento and was said to visit weekly.

“We try and talk on the phone every day, sometimes several times a day,” Lyle Menendez added. “I have a very steady, involved marriage and that helps sustain me and brings a lot of peace and joy. It’s a counter to the unpredictable, very stressful environment here.”

Sneed “put up with a lot,” he acknowledged. “But she has the courage to deal with the obstacles. It would be easier to leave, but I’m profoundly grateful that she doesn’t.”

Tammi Saccoman 

Erik Menendez’s wife Tammi Menendez, now 62, was married to Chuck Saccoman when she first spied the younger Menendez brother on TV in 1993 and felt a special place in her heart for the 22-year-old murder defendant.

As she later told People, she informed her husband she was going to write to Erik Menendez and Chuck Saccoman gave her his blessing.

“I saw Tammi’s letter and I felt something. I received thousands of letters, but I set this one aside. I got a feeling,” He told the publication. “And I wrote her back. Tammi and I continued to correspond. I enjoyed writing to her. It was a slow friendship. It was special to me because it was not associated with the trial and the media. Tammi was someone not in the craziness.”

However, as she detailed in her 2005 book “They Said We’d Never Make It: My Life With Erik Menendez,” she doubted the brothers’ abuse defense at first. And she told MSNBC that Erik Menendez mentioned having a girlfriend of several years early on.

But in 1996, as she has detailed in her book and interviews, she found out that Chuck Saccoman had abused her teenage daughter from a previous relationship. They also shared a then-9-month-old daughter.

Chuck Saccoman turned himself in to the police and died by suicide two days later, according to People.

After Chuck died, “I reached out to Erik,” she told the publication in 2005. “He comforted me. Our letters started taking on a more serious tone.”

She admitted she was “really nervous” when she finally met Erik Menendez in person at Folsom State Prison in August 1997.

“Erik had no idea what I looked like; I’d only sent him a tiny, 1-by-1 picture,” she explained. “But when he walked into the room, he was so full of life, he hopped down the stairs. It was like I was meeting an old friend.”

They married in 1999, a Twinkie serving as their wedding cake. 

And they’ve been together ever since, though she has acknowledged that the lack of conjugal visits can be tough.

“A kiss when you come in, a kiss when you leave,” she described the routine on MSNBC in December 2005. ‘You can hold hands and that part of it is very difficult, and people don’t understand.”

Erik Menendez said he tried not to think about what was then the likelihood that he would never get out of prison.

“Tammi is what gets me through,” he told People in 2005. “I can’t think about the sentence. When I do, I do it with a great sadness and a primal fear. I break into a cold sweat. It’s so frightening I just haven’t come to terms with it.”

But on a more optimistic note, Tammi Menendez had also taught him “how to be a good husband,” Erik Menendez said. “There is no makeup sex, only a 15-minute phone call, so you really have to try to make things work.”

Decades after Danielle Fishel captivated an entire generation as Topanga Lawrence on the ’90s show “Boy Meets World,” she’s bringing fans into another world — the one she’s faced amid her cancer journey.

Two months after sharing she was diagnosed with high grade ductal carcinoma in situ — stage zero breast cancer — with possible micro invasion, a condition that would require her to undergo surgery, the actress gave an update on her health.

“On August 13, I had my first surgery,” Fishel exclusively told E! News about her lumpectomy. “They went in, they removed a mass. That pathology came back that they had one margin they weren’t thrilled with. The medial margin had cancer a little too close to it.”

As a result, the 43-year-old underwent a second procedure in September. “That pathology came back with no more evidence of cancer and all clear margins,” she said. “So surgically, I am now done.”

“Boy Meets World” star Danielle Fishel shares breast cancer diagnosis

But as Fishel noted, her treatment plan is far from over.

“The next stage is radiation, and the decision about whether I need to do whole breast radiation, or I need to do targeted radiation, or a combination of the two or if I’m going to do radiation at all,” she explained. “Those are topics that I have yet to decide, and I have to make them with the care of my doctors. I haven’t picked a radiation oncologist yet. I’m about ready to start those appointments.”

“Additionally,” the “Girl Meets World” alum said, “I will most likely be starting a hormone therapy, an estrogen blocker, because my cancer was estrogen-positive, so it was feeding off of estrogen.”

While Fishel is grateful she caught her cancer early, she emphasized that, no matter the stage, it’s still a difficult road.

“Being on hormone therapy, that’s a lifelong thing or at least until I’m all the way through menopause,” the “Pod Meets World” host noted. “When I first was diagnosed, I had a fellow cancer survivor reach out to me, and I was like, ‘Yeah, but thankfully mine is stage zero.’ And she wrote back and she said, ‘I just want you to know there is no easy cancer.’ And I thought about her saying that to me many times over the course of this treatment that I’ve been on so far.”

One of the hardest parts, Fishel said, has been the constant waiting.

“Once you find out you know you have cancer, you want so badly to make a plan, and to move forward on that plan, and to get the cancer out of you,” she shared. “And there’s kind of a lot of time before you can start making all of those, aside from the fact that it takes a long time to get certain doctor’s appointments.”

Even after seeing those specialists, she continued, there’s more waiting for test results and dealing with the unknown can be scary.

“I needed to have an MRI, and waiting for the results of the MRI takes five to seven days,” the TV star — who shares sons Adler, 5, and Keaton, 3, with husband Jensen Karp — added. “I needed to have genetic testing to see if I carried the BRCA gene. Getting those results takes up to a week. Even the unknown of based on your biopsy this is your diagnosis, but ultimately they don’t know until they surgically open you up and look inside and then run that pathology. At any point, your diagnosis can change.”

As Fishel navigates the next steps in her treatment, she’s giving herself permission to feel all the emotions.

“I had lymph node removal to see if it had traveled to my lymph nodes. Thankfully, it had not,” she said. “But recovering from lymph node removal was not easy and is still something I’m dealing with. I have an incision in an uncomfortable place. I have two scars I didn’t have before. I currently have a dent in my breast where a mass was removed. I’m trying to stay positive and say I’m so happy that because I had my routine screening I found it so early. But there’s also a mourning and a sadness that is expected and I’m trying to not toxic positivity my way out of it.”

And if she’s able to convince people to stay on top of their routine screenings, then she knows publicly sharing her story will have been worth it. Which is why she partnered with Aflac during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month to remind all the millennials who grew up watching her on TV how life-saving preventive care can be and to urge them to schedule any appointments they’ve been putting off.

“I was so blessed to be able to grow up on a TV screen and be a recognizable face to a lot of millennials,” Fishel told E!, going on to cite Aflac’s 2024 Wellness Matters Survey. “And if 65 percent of millennials are putting off their regular health screenings — and more than half of people who find out they have cancer, find out they have cancer at routine screenings like I did — I knew I had the ability to go public with my story and hopefully have it make a difference. And that was really important to me.”

“If I could say there’s been one thing that’s been helping me stay grounded and get through the diagnosis and the treatment and the upcoming treatments that I have,” she added, “it’s been being able to focus on something bigger and greater than me.”

Payne, a singer and former member of One Direction, died Oct. 16 after falling from a balcony on the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.

The former couple welcomed their son Bear in March 2017 and had dated for two years before they called it quits in July 2018.

Read on to learn about Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole’s past relationship.

2008: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole meet for the first time

In 2008, Payne and Cole met when Payne auditioned for “The X Factor” at 14 years old. At the time, Cole was acting as a judge on the program alongside Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh.

For his audition, Payne sang a rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra. Though Cowell wasn’t completely sold by Payne’s performance, Cole said she adored the young singer and voted him through to the next round.

“I like you. I think you’re really cute,” she told him.

Later in a separate interview on the show, Payne said he liked Cole’s compliment that she gave him.

“Cheryl thought that I was cute, which was a great compliment,” he said.

While he was later cut from the competition by Powell, Payne returned to the singing competition in 2010 and said he understood why he was sent home.

“I was really young and I wasn’t ready and now I’m 16 and I’m back to give it another shot,” he said on stage before singing “Cry Me a River” by Michael Bublé.

During that season, Cole was eventually grouped together with fellow “X Factor” contestants Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, and formed One Direction.

2016: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole start dating

In 2016, Cole split from her second husband, Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini. As the pair called it quits, rumors started to swirl that Payne and Cole were seeing each other.

The couple made their red carpet debut in May 2016 while they attended the Global Gift Gala in Paris.

At the event, Cole was honored with the Global Gift Philanthropist Award.

“So proud of her tonight such a special award #GlobalGiftGala,” Payne captioned a photo of them together at the gala on X.

So proud of her tonight 😘😘such a special award #GlobalGiftGala pic.twitter.com/lZFr2SAzdP

— Liam (@LiamPayne) May 9, 2016

2017: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole welcome a child together

In March 2017, Payne and Cole announced on Instagram that they had welcomed their son, Bear, according to People.

While appearing on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” in September 2017, Payne explained why they chose the name Bear.

The singer said as a newborn, his son made a rumbling noise in his sleep, which led to him being assessed by specialists. Finally, one doctor said, “There’s nothing wrong with him. He just likes to make a lot of noise.”

“So he just became Bear,” Payne told host James Corden.

In a July 2018 interview with People, Payne shared that he likes to play his new music for Bear.

“For me, I love making great music for my fans. But when you make something that your son loves, it’s the best thing ever,” he shared.

2018: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole break up

After two years of dating, Payne announced in a July 2018 post on X that he and Cole had broken up.

“Cheryl and I are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It’s been a tough decision for us to make,” Payne wrote. “We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.”

Cole also echoed a similar statement on the platform.

“We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It’s been a tough decision for us to make,” she wrote. “We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.

Though the pair had gone their separate ways, they seemed to maintain a good co-parenting relationship. In 2020, Payne gave Cole a shoutout on Bear’s third birthday and he thanked the “Fight for This Love” singer for showing their son “all the love in the world.”

2024: Cheryl Cole speaks out after Liam Payne’s death

On Oct. 18, two days after Payne’s death was confirmed, Cole issued a statement to her followers on Instagram, asking for grace and courtesy on behalf of their son.

The post featured a black-and-white photograph of Payne curled up in bed, gazing at Bear, then an infant, as he laid peacefully beside him.

“As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being,” her post begins.

“Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”

“What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days,” she continued. “It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future. I am begging you to consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces. Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them.”

“Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last,” she ended the letter writing, “Thank you, Cheryl.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Fans are applauding Carson’s words about how to process the loss of Liam Payne: ‘For today … we mourn’
• ‘We Live in Time’ ending: Director says it’s ‘awful in the best sense of the word’
• ‘Sister Wives’ star Kody tells Meri he wishes she left ‘sooner.’ How she reacts

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Blac Chyna is celebrating a milestone.

The “Seen Her” rapper is engaged to songwriter Derrick Milano after more than a year of dating. Milano proposed to Chyna at Howard University’s homecoming celebration — also known as Yardfest — on Oct. 18 in front of a crowd of students who were all cheering the couple on.

In a video shared to X, formerly Twitter, Milano can be seen getting down on one knee in front of Chyna (real name is Angela White) with a ring box and asking, “Will you marry me?” Chyna looked surprised by the question, but quickly gave Milano a kiss and hug as the two shared a moment before he put the ring on her finger.

Only @HowardU #YardFest can make MAGIC happen like this 🙌🏽🙌🏽

My guy @DerrickMilano just popped the BIG question to the HomeTeam @BLACCHYNA 💍

CONGRATS 🎊 🎉 #BlackLove 🫶🏽 #QuickSilva #HowardHomecoming #Marriage pic.twitter.com/1dWZ7yulB9

— THE PARTY KINGPIN !! (@DJQUICKSILVA) October 18, 2024

Milano then reiterated the question, saying, “Angela, will you marry me?” and enthusiastically telling the crowd, “She said ‘Yes!'”

Milano also shared his excitement on Instagram, reposting photos of the two admiring her ring in his Stories, along with several videos capturing the moment.

READ Blac Chyna Reassures Daughter Dream, 7, About Her Appearance in Heartwarming Video

This is the third engagement for Chyna, who was previously engaged to Tyga — with whom she shares son King Cairo, 11 — and Rob Kardashian, with whom she shares 7-year-old daughter Dream.

Chyna and Milano first went public with their romance in September 2023 when she shared a photo of the two on Instagram with a heart and prayer hands emoji in the caption. However, the reality star confirmed the duo had actually been dating since May 2023 when she posted an anniversary tribute to the Grammy winner.

“Happy 1 year anniversary @derrickmilano,” she wrote in May 2024 alongside a montage of the two over the year. “Reflecting on a year of pure magic and joy with you, my dearest Derrick. Your love, support, and friendship have filled my life with light and warmth.”

The 36-year-old thanked Milano for “showing me the true meaning of love.”

“Here’s to countless more years of love and togetherness,” she added. “I cherish you always.”

Not to be outdone, Milano shared his own message to Chyna, writing, “I found balance, happiness & GOD when I met you & I can’t thank you enough for helping me grow as not only your Man, but a MAN who genuinely loves his woman.”

“From our very first date to even breakfast this morning, it still feels surreal that I found my person & GOD placed us with one another,” he continued. “One year down and an infinity to go.”

Bethany Joy Lenz is getting candid about a hard time in her life.

The “One Tree Hill” star has been frank about her time as a member of the “The Big House Family” organization – which she says was a “cult” – for nearly 10 years, and now she’s detailing how being in a difficult marriage during those years has left a lasting effect on her.

“I had a crazy sex drive,” Lenz shared on the Oct. 16 episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “It’s kind of amazing that I didn’t have sex until I was married. It felt like this promise that I had been given as a good evangelical was a big crock.”

The 43-year-old added, “I thought if I save myself for marriage, then the promise is amazing sex and super deep intimacy, and nothing’s ever as good. And then we have sex, and it’s like, ‘Why do I feel so sad? I don’t feel more connected to you. I feel farther away from you.’ And I don’t think that necessarily had anything to do with saving myself for marriage. It was just that I married the wrong person.”

READ One Tree Hill’s Bethany Joy Lenz Reveals Where She Found “Safety” Amid Exit From Cult Life

The issues made her and her husband — whom she calls QB, adding he was also the son of the organization’s leader — create a “sex schedule” to help with their intimacy issues, especially because her husband was going back and forth between the Pacific Northwest and Wilmington — where she filmed “One Tree Hill” — a lot.

“Because I was so disinterested in sex, I was then asked to go on a schedule,” she told host Alex Cooper. “Basically of like, ‘You just have to do it. Just do it. This is your duty. This is your job as a wife. Your emotions will fall in line. If you do it enough, then eventually, you will find a way to enjoy it.'”

Lenz admits she participated in the routine “in order to keep the peace in my marriage,” but that the schedule contributed to her anxiety and unhappiness in the relationship knowing that they would have to keep to the schedule after she picked him up from the airport when he got back into town.

“My stomach dropped every single time,” she said. “In fact, it really affected my relationships afterwards — like, other boyfriends when I had to go pick them up from the airport. I had so much PTSD from showing up at the airport to see him knowing that I was gonna have to start this sex schedule for the next, like, two weeks or three weeks or whatever.”

Though Lenz did not reveal the identity of “QB,” she notes the two had a daughter together. She was previously married to musician Michael Galeotti for five years before the couple divorced in 2012. They share 13-year-old daughter Rosie.

E! News has reached out to Galeotti for comments, but has not heard back.

Looking back on that time in her life, Lenz admits that she and her husband “didn’t have a lot in common,” but that she felt like she’d “run out of options” when it came to finding a partner because she couldn’t date a non-Christian or anyone outside the group, so her relationship with QB “became this sort of arranged situation.”

But despite the difficulty, Lenz did admit that she felt empathy for her ex husband.

“It’s so sad because he — like the poor guy never had a shot,” she shared. “[He] was raised by this narcissist. He’s thrust into a marriage with a girl that’s not right for him. He’s doing the best that he can.”

She added, “It was just a mess all around.”

And while Lenz reiterated that it was the wrong marriage for both of them, she did add it was hard to think so negatively about it, “because I have an amazing daughter, and so, is anything wrong?”

The “Dexter” alum also detailed her life with the group in her upcoming memoir “Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While Also in an Actual Cult),” where she describes how she ended up joining in the first place.

“I had always been looking for a place to belong,” she told People. “It still looked normal and then it just morphed. But by the time it started morphing, I was too far into the relationships to notice.”

However, about 10 years after joining, she found that something was off about the community and realized she needed to get out.

“The stakes were so high,” she said. “They were my only friends. I was married into this group. I had built my entire life around it. If I admitted that I was wrong — everything else would come crumbling down.”

On Oct. 16, the former One Direction band member died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

The autopsy report, according to a press release from the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office, details how the singer died and sheds light on the injuries he sustained before passing away.

How did Liam Payne die?

The Sistema de Atencio Medica de Emergencia shared the following statement with Telemundo, part of NBCUniversal, after Payne’s death.

“British musician Liam James Payne, composer and guitarist, former member of the band One Direction, died today after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Palermo,” the statement read. “In the afternoon, police personnel from Precinct 14B were directed to the hotel by a 911 call reporting an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

The call, which occurred minutes before Payne’s death, according to the prosecutor’s office, did not name Payne.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the Security Ministry of Buenos Aires said Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room.” Medics noted that the singer had “extremely serious injuries” and declared him dead on the scene.

What did Liam Payne’s autopsy report show?

The Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office shared details from Payne’s autopsy in a press release obtained by TODAY.com.

Per the autopsy, Payne died of “polytrauma and internal and external bleeding.”

The prosecutor’s office called the death “doubtful/undetermined,” meaning there was no conclusive information about the cause of death.

Following Payne’s death, “a series of substances were seized from the musician’s room, which would prove a previous situation of alcohol and drugs consumption,” the release said.

Payne was open about his history of addiction prior to his death.

Payne’s injuries outlined

Payne died as a result of “multiple traumatic injuries” and “internal and external bleeding” he sustained after falling from the balcony, according to the release from the prosecutor’s office.

Forensic experts found a total of 25 injuries “compatible with those produced by a fall from height.” The singer’s brain and skull (cranioencephalic) injuries in particular were “sufficiently suitable to cause death.”

The internal and external hemorrhages in his skull, chest, abdomen and limbs “contributed to the mechanism of death,” according to the release.

He was likely alone when he fell

Per the prosecutor’s office, “everything indicates that the musician was alone when the fall occurred, and that he was going through some kind of breakdown as a result of substance abuse.”

After forensic experts analyzed the singer’s hands, they did not find any defensive injuries, which led them to believe that “all the injuries on the body were vital and produced at the same time, and that no injuries were observed that could suggest the intervention of third parties.”

Additionally, the position of Payne’s body suggested that he “did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.”

An investigation is ongoing

Additional studies to determine whether there was alcohol or drugs in Payne’s system at the time of his death have been requested, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Following Payne’s death, officials interviewed five witnesses. The group included three hotel workers and two women who had been with Payne in his room in the hours before his death but were not present at the time of death.

Per the prosecutor’s office, the ongoing investigation is “aimed at determining the possible involvement of third parties in the events prior to the victim’s death.”

What is polytrauma?

The National Library of Medicine describes polytrauma as a condition characterized by “multiple injuries, some of which may cause significant disability and may be life-threatening.”

The prosecutor’s office’s statement defined polytrauma as “multiple traumatic injuries.”

Polytrauma usually means injuries involving multiple organs or systems. Common causes of polytrauma include car accidents, and suicide or homicide attempts.

Death due to polytrauma may occur as soon as the injuries are sustained or shortly after, or it may take longer, research shows. When it’s immediate, it’s usually due to a primary brain injury or significant of blood loss; when it’s later, it’s often due to a secondary brain injury or the body not being able to recover from the injuries.

What was in the 911 call before Liam Payne’s death?

On the afternoon of Payne’s death, authorities responded to a 911 call from Payne’s hotel made by a staff member about a guest who had destroyed objects in their room while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, according to audio of the call obtained by Telemundo.

The call was placed minutes before Payne’s death, according to the prosecutor’s office. The call does not mention Payne by name. The guest in question had been at the hotel for two to three days.

The guest had “overindulged in drugs and alcohol,” the transcript reads. “Well, when he is conscious he breaks … the whole room. Well, we need you to send someone, please.”

Music & Musicians Oct 16

Liam Payne, former One Direction singer, dies at 31 in Argentina hotel fall

Celebrity News Oct 17

Hotel called 911 about Liam Payne ‘breaking the whole room' while intoxicated before his fatal fall

During the conversation, the hotel employee expressed concern about the guest’s well-being.

“And we need someone to be sent to us urgently, because well, I don’t know if he is at risk. The guest is in a room that has a balcony, and, well, we are a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening,” the caller said. 

Where did Liam Payne die?

A press release from the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office said that Payne died at the hotel Casa Sur in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the neighborhood of Palermo. He was staying in a bedroom on the third floor of the hotel and fell from the balcony outside his room.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• One Direction speaks out following the death of Liam Payne
• Fans are applauding Carson’s words about how to process the loss of Liam Payne: ‘For today … we mourn’
• Children of influencers are pushing back … and some lawmakers are on their side

Lizzo is keeping busy.

Less than two months after she announced on Instagram, “I’m taking a gap year & protecting my peace,” the 36-year-old revealed she has quietly been hard at work on her newest ventures.

“As soon as I stepped down home from tour — I may not be as public-facing — but I went straight to Yitty headquarters,” Lizzo said at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit Oct. 14, referring to the shapewear brand she launched in 2022 in partnership with Fabletics, “and I’ve just been working, working, working.”

The “Good as Hell” singer, who had toured for 10 months until July 2023, continued, “So you might not see me, but I’ve been working. It ain’t a gap year, it’s a grind year.”

Lizzo, whose latest musical release was the song “Pink” from the Barbie soundtrack, also said she was “very, very close” to finishing a new album.

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Lizzo breaks down what she eats in a day amid major lifestyle change

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Lizzo announces she's quitting with emotional Instagram post

She has kept a lower profile since 2023, when after her tour ended, three of her former backup dancers filed a lawsuit against her, accusing her of creating an “abusive work environment” in which they were subjected to sexual harassment, weight-shaming and disability discrimination,” accusations Lizzo later denied on social media.

And she specifically shared insight into why she didn’t want to discuss the case.

“I don’t want to talk about things like that,” she said. “This isn’t the space — where we’re celebrating female CEOs and powerful women — this isn’t really the space to talk about the negative things that happen to us because so much negative stuff happens to powerful women.”

The four-time Grammy winner also shared insight into her current mindset when it comes to social media.

“I’ve been canceled for everything at this point,” she said, laughing. “Only God can cancel me now. I think that I talk about the things that are important to me, and I talk about the things that I can bring a difference to, and I think those are my boundaries now with the public.”

Liam Payne’s girlfriend is grieving her insurmountable loss.

Kate Cassidy, who had dated the One Direction singer since 2022, shared a tribute to the musician following his Oct. 16 death at age 31.

“Thank you for all the kind words and love that has been sent my way,” she wrote in an Oct. 18 Instagram Stories post. “I have been at a complete loss. Nothing about the past few days have felt real. I ask and pray that you give me the grace and space to navigate this in private.”

Cassidy went on to call the singer her “angel.”

“You are everything,” she noted. “I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam.”

Cassidy had been vacationing with Payne in Argentina for two weeks before his passing, though their trip was originally only scheduled for about five days. She ultimately flew out of the country on Oct. 12, sharing on TikTok that she felt a “need” to go home to Florida while he remained in South America.

“I was so ready to leave,” she said in an Oct. 14 TikTok video. “Honestly, love South America but I hate staying in one place for too long.”

The 25-year-old added in the caption, “soooo happpiii to b back in sunshine state.”

During their travels, the pair had attended concerts, enjoyed bowling dates and tried local cuisine — including Argentine Chinese food and Wagyu steak, as well as indulged in their favorite treats like McDonald’s, Oreos and Skittles, as Kate shared in her TikTok vlogs.

“I’m very grateful for the simple things in life,” she wrote in one post, while Payne had added on Snapchat prior to his death that he was savoring a “lovely day in Argentina.”

The internet influencer had shown highlights from her and Payne’s relationship over the years, including a viral TikTok video where she showed off her love for One Direction — which was also made up of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.

“I am the best manifester, and I’m going to show you why,” Cassidy said, showing off a popsicle stick craft of Liam she had made as a kid. “It’s a popsicle stick — I don’t know why — of Liam.”

Then, she cut to herself going into a room with Payne sitting on the bed.

“And somehow, 10 years later,” she added as Payne smirked at the camera. “Careful what you wish for!”

Cassidy had also showed off sweet moments of Payne throughout their relationship — including the couple participating in viral TikTok trends and vlogs. In one, the influencer showed off one of their favorite activities and jokingly complained, “He drags me to bowling at least four times a week.”

Prior to his relationship with Cassidy, the late One Direction member also dated Cheryl Cole — with whom he shares 7-year-old son Bear — Maya Henry and Sophia Smith.

Before he joined One Direction, Payne previously auditioned for “The X Factor” in 2008, making it to the judges houses round as a solo artist. He was then placed with One Direction during the 2010 season, finishing third.

Following One Direction taking an indefinite hiatus in 2016, the 31-year-old went on to release the “EP First Time” and the album “LP1,” which included his biggest hit “Strip that Down” featuring Quavo.

In 2022, Payne sparked debate when he said he had the most successful solo career of the group with his initial single release, adding on Logan Paul’s podcast that band had been formed around him in the first place—due to his prior stint on “The X Factor.“

After receiving backlash for his comments, he later apologized in a vulnerable YouTube video.

“A lot of what I said came from the wrong place,” Payne explained. “I was so angry at what was going on around me, and instead of taking a look inwards, I decided to look outwards at everybody else — and just took it out on everybody else, which is wrong.”

He added that his fellow One Direction members supported him through the “life-changing” experience, which led to him seeking rehab in 2023. “The rest of the boys really stood by me,” he added, “and came to the rescue.”

Simon Cowell is navigating a heartbreaking loss.

The longtime talent judge broke his silence over the death of Liam Payne, a former member of One Direction, whose fame — alongside bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik — skyrocketed after the band was formed on “The X Factor” in 2010, with Cowell largely being credited over the years for placing the five men together.

“You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,” Cowell began his message, posted to Instagram Oct. 18. “Liam, I am truly devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty. And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.”

The 65-year-old noted that he’s finding it difficult to put his emotions into words.

“I went outside today, and I thought about so many times we had together,” he continued. “I wanted to let you know what I would always say to the thousands of people who would always ask me. What is Liam like? And I would tell them you were kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused.”

While Payne first entered the “X Factor” competition in 2008 as a solo artist, it wasn’t until he returned two years later and was placed into One Direction that he found success. And while their coming together — and the phenomenon the band would become — may have felt like kismet, Cowell has been clear over the years that he always saw the possibilities.

“I had to tell you when you were 14 that this wasn’t your time,” Cowell reflected in his message. “And we both made a promise that we would meet again. A lot of people would have given up. You didn’t. You came back and within months the whole world knew Liam.”

The music producer recalled Payne — who shared 7-year-old son Bear Grey Payne with ex Cheryl Cole — visiting him last year. “We reminisced about all of the fun time we had together,” he wrote. “And how proud you were to be a Dad.”

He noted that Payne’s son has his smile and that same “twinkle” in his eyes.

“And he will be so proud of everything you achieved,” Cowell noted. “And how you achieved it.”

Cowell concluded his message by sharing he always thought of One Direction’s five members as brothers.

Celebrity News Oct 18

Liam Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy breaks silence on his death 

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Liam Payne's ex fiancée Maya Henry claimed singer foresaw his death

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One Direction speaks out on Liam Payne's death: ‘completely devastated'

“And reading their messages today I believe you were,” he said, referencing the band’s tributes. “And now Liam, I can see the effect you had on so many people. Because you left us too soon. Rest in peace my friend.”

Prior to sharing the heartbreaking statement, he canceled filming for “Britain’s Got Talent” — of which he is the creator— the day after Payne’s death, hitting pause on the audition stage of the competition series which was set to take place in Blackpool, England.

Payne died at the age of 31 after he suffered a fatal fall from a third-story balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct. 16.

As far as deciding to place the five into a group, Cowell told Rolling Stone in 2012, “I’ve done this for so many years, certain times a group like that may not work, but this particular year it felt like the right thing to do, and we were just lucky that we had these five guys, all with different strengths. The chemistry was incredible.”

He also reflected at the time on his first impression of Payne.

“I’d auditioned him before on The X Factor, when he was 14,” the “American Idol” alum remembered. “And he didn’t make it. Funnily enough, he didn’t have much support from the other judges, but I’d always backed him.”

He continued, “When he came back the second time, I was really proud of him because he really made an effort and he wanted to prove a point — and he was good. I always knew that with confidence he would be a valuable member of this band.”

And valuable he — and all five members — became. Despite finishing in third on “The X Factor,” Payne and One Direction would go on to become a global phenomenon, with the band earning four number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and six top 10 hits during their six years together before parting ways into solo careers.

But while Payne owed his rise to fame to the band, he’d also been candid over the years about the ways in which he struggled with life in the spotlight during his One Direction tenure.

“Fame made me a little bit nuts and distracted me a lot from the person I was,” he told #Legend magazine in 2018. “And it pissed me off in the end, because it was like, ‘You could have been this guy, but you chose to do this.’ Nobody really knew anything about me. I put on a front that wasn’t really me.”

Which is why when One Direction officially decided to part ways in 2016, one year after Zayn was the first to leave the group, the artist breathed a sigh of relief.

“I remember the day we finished, because of the place I was in, I was quite happy that we had a break,” Payne continued. “I said to the person with me at the time, ‘Thank God I don’t have to play that person again for a long time.’ It was exhausting and I couldn’t keep up with myself.”

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Cruz Beckham is putting his new love on display.

David Beckham and Victoria Beckham’s youngest son made his new romance with girlfriend Jackie Apostel Instagram official while giving her a sweet birthday shoutout.

“Happy birthday xx,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories on Oct. 17. “I love you.” The sweet message from the 19-year-old appeared over a picture of Jackie, who reportedly turned 29, surrounded by friends as she sits in front of a birthday cake with candles.

On her respective Instagram Story, Apostel shared the pic, following it up with a mirror selfie with Cruz Beckham in which he embraces her as they pose. She simply captioned the snap with a kissy face emoji.

The IG love comes after pair were spotted in sharing a kiss as they walked around Beverly Hills earlier this week.

Cruz Beckham — who previously dated Norwegian musician Bby Ivy — and the Brazilian singer first sparked dating rumors in June when they were spotted at the Glastonbury Music Festival, and then the following month during a date night in London.

Apostel joined Cruz on Sept. 27 while they sat front row — alongside David Beckham, his little sister Harper Seven Beckham, 13, and brother Romeo Beckham, 22, — at Victoria’s presentation during Paris Fashion Week. Oldest brother, Brooklyn Beckham, 25, was noticeably absent from the show.

After the show, Apostel thanked Victoria Beckham for gifting her the chic white dress that she wore for the occasion.

“the most beautiful show and the most beautiful dress,” she captioned the photo carousel that included film portraits of her showing off the dress in a hotel room. “congratulations @victoriabeckham.”

Cruz Beckham has been spending time embracing another love, music. The youngest Beckham brother opened up about turning down a soccer contract to pursue his first love, telling I-D magazine in 2022, “At that point, I just decided: this is exactly what I want to do.”

Al Pacino made a swift exit after encountering a fan who was out of order.

In his new memoir “Sonny Boy,” the 84-year-old recalled a wild night after grabbing drinks with fellow actor Gene Hackman’s brother Richard Hackman during a “cross-country” journey. And it resulted in him the ill-advised decision to accept a ride from a stranger.

“A woman said to me, ‘Oh, I’ll drive you home.’ And without a second thought, I got into her car with her,” he wrote in the book, per People. “But as we drove, even in my daze, I could recognize that she was not taking me back to where I was staying.”

And as he remembered, she didn’t hold back on sharing her plan when he asked her what she was doing. “I said to her, ‘What is going on here?’” the Oscar winner continued. “And she said straight out, ‘I’m kidnapping you.’”

Noting that at the time he was already “well-known” following his breakout role in “The Godfather,” he could sense the woman’s behavior being more than just a flirtation. As a New Yorker, he knew how to get himself out of the situation.

“I am from the South Bronx. When I see some crazy person trying to do something to me, I know how to escape,” the Irishman actor said. “I said, ‘No, you’re not. I’m getting out.’ She said, ‘No, no,’ and she kept driving.”

And in an effort to make his point, “I opened the door as if to jump out of the car. I was a little drunk, but I was ready to leap from a moving car if I had to. This ain’t happening to me, man.”

In the end, his threats to exit the moving vehicle led to the woman ultimately driving him to the place where he was staying.

Pacino, who is the father of four, expressed his desire to finally write a memoir and reflect on his life, after the birth of his 16-month-old son Roman with ex-girlfriend Noor Alfallah. (He’s also dad to Julie Marie, 35, whom he shares with ex-girlfriend, Jan Tarrant and twins Anton and Olivia, both 23, whom he shares with actress Beverly D’Angelo.)

“I want to be around for this child,” he expressed in an interview with the BBC published Oct. 14. “And I hope I am.” “I hope I stay healthy, and he knows who his dad is, of course.”

In a recent interview with Shannon Sharpe on his podcast “Club Shay Shay,” the rapper said that the mother of his child “never visited him (Joey) again,” after his birth.

Fat Joe was 19 when his son was born.

“When he’s born, the doctor tells us, ‘Hey I got bad news … he has Down syndrome; he’s going to be a big challenge,’” Fat Joe told Sharpe. 

“His mother was like ‘Yo, I can’t do this. I’m going to have to give him up for adoption,'” said Fat Joe.

That’s when his own mother said in no uncertain terms that she did not want her grandchild placed for adoption, he said.

“So,” Fat Joe continued, “we raised him. I never seen his mother again.”

Joey, 33, has been under the care of Fat Joe and the rapper’s parents all his life.

The rapper told Sharpe that he never shut his son’s mother out from the opportunity to see Joey, “It was always available for her to see her son,” Fat Joe said.

The rapper, whose given name is Joseph Cartagena, said that while learning about a diagnosis of Down syndrome can be scary, quitting on Joey was never an option.

“[A] father’s got to be a father,” said Fat Joe. “I don’t know how to be a fake father. So I got to take care of my kids regardless and do everything I can for them. I don’t know how to give up on my kids. I don’t know how to not love on my kids. That’s impossible.”

Fat Joe is also the father of son Ryan, from a previous relationship, and daughter Azariah, who he shares with his wife, Lorena Cartagena.

At home, the rapper said that Joey is happy — really happy.

“This guy’s happy,” Fat Joe told Sharpe. “I swear to God, he’s always happy. He’s never sad. He’s like, if you’re stuck in a place, he’s stuck in happiness.”

Fat Joe said one of Joey’s quirks is that he will only sleep if someone is looking at him, and he’s been that way his entire life.

“He doesn’t sleep without one person, without someone sitting there looking at him,” Fat Joe said on the podcast.

While Fat Joe has two younger children, he explained that Joey is the “Don” of the family.

“He does what he wants. He gets what he wants. He’s the Don,” explained the rapper. “He sits at the end of the table, he knows ‘Oh, those are my little brothers and sisters.'”

While there have been challenges along the way for Joey, Fat Joe said he believes that his son is his biggest blessing.

“He’s our biggest blessing because we treat him the way we do because we never gave up on him,” Fat Joe said.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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JoJo Siwa should’ve known better.

In an exclusive preview clip for the latest episode of “Punk You” — an all-new digital prank show from the creator of “Punk’d” — the “Dance Moms” alum was tricked into thinking her identity had been stolen, leading to allegations of wire fraud, bank fraud and credit card fraud.

As the pop star’s driver was stopped by an SUV posing as an FBI vehicle, she quipped, “Getting pulled over by the secret agents? This is a new one.”

But panic seemed to set in quickly for the 21-year-old, who asked her driver if the doors to their car were locked.

Later in the episode — premiering Oct. 19 on “Punk You”‘s YouTube channel — Siwa called her mom, Jessalynn Siwa, to fill her in on the unfolding situation.

“I got pulled over by the FBI,” the “Karma” singer said as her mother, who appeared to be in on the elaborate stunt, listened intently alongside JoJo Siwa’s friends. “They brought us up to the rooftop of a parking structure, and apparently somebody is stealing my identity.”

READ JoJo Siwa Seemingly Plays Into Beyoncé & Sean “Diddy” Combs Conspiracy Theory With Award Show Shoutout Chelsea Guglielmino/WireImage

“I’m shooken,” JoJo Siwa admitted during the phone call, “because, like, what the f— is happening right now?”

After assuring her daughter she would come to her location, a flustered Jessalynn Siwa told the group how she could tell JoJo Siwa had been successfully duped.

“Her code word is ‘Beyoncé,’” the momager revealed, “and she texted me ‘Beyoncé.’”

While the prank show — which is also set to play tricks on stars like Sexyy Red, NLE Choppa, Jynxzi and DDG — managed to pull a fast one on JoJo Siwa, the J Team star seems to have her finances in order. After all, she recently told E! News about her lavish vacation plans with girlfriend Dakayla Wilson.

“We’re about to take her on the best birthday extravaganza,” JoJo Siwa evealed. “We’re going to Hawaii. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

“But look, it’s not about the money,” she noted. “It’s about the person, it’s about the time and the thing you do and the experience.”

She was initially diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in 2019 but opted against the doctor-recommended double mastectomy to treat the cancer at the time. The cancer then progressed to Stage 4.

How is Ananda Lewis doing with her breast cancer?

Speaking with The New York Times Wednesday, Lewis said she’s now taking a drug that treats metastatic cancer but isn’t a candidate for surgery and chemotherapy given the current stage of her illness.

“Those medications are working beautifully for me in combination with the other things I’m doing that help support my body,” she told the Times. “I’m really thriving right now.”

She previously shared at a CNN roundtable on Tuesday that the current medications she’s on have shrunk some of the tumors, making a few of them “almost undetectable.”

Ananda Lewis’ breast cancer treatment

Lewis first revealed her cancer was Stage 4 and opened up about her decision to refuse the double mastectomy, expressing some regret, at the CNN roundtable.

“I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way,” Lewis told her long-time friend and CNN correspondent Stephanie Elam, who hosted the interview. “Looking back on that I go, ‘Girl, maybe I should’ve (had the surgery).'”

At the time, Lewis felt that she “didn’t have good options” when it came to her breast cancer treatment.

“They wanted to take both (breasts),” she said. “They wanted to do all these big things that I was not ready for.”

Instead, Lewis underwent chemotherapy and focused on alternative options, such as improving her mental health, getting more sleep and drinking less alcohol. She also completed monthly ultrasounds to monitor the cancer’s growth.

“I was watching, monitoring, seeing what the tumor was doing, seeing how it was reacting to things,” she recalled.

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But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lewis’ cancer spread.

“The tumor kept growing. I could feel that,” she said. “Then I had to go get some help.”

At that time, Lewis underwent a type of targeted chemotherapy and said she responded well to the treatment. But in October 2023, a scan revealed that the cancer spread throughout her body, considered Stage 4.

“That scan showed that I had this kind of up my spine, through my hip, almost everywhere but my brain,” Lewis said. “I’ve never been in pain like that in my life.”

“I don’t get afraid of things,” Lewis continued. “I was just like, ‘Fudge, man, I really thought I had this.’ I was frustrated. I was a little angry at myself.”

Refusing treatment for cancer

Stage 3 breast cancer is often considered treatable, with 86% of patients surviving five or more years, the American Cancer Society says. However, Stage 4 breast cancer, also known as metastatic breast cancer, is considered incurable and has a five-year survival rate of 31%.

Multiple previous studies have shown that cancer patients who delay or refuse traditional treatments — such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy — and instead opt for alternative medicine have a greater risk of death.

Lewis has also said she regrets refusing to undergo regular mammograms out of fear of radiation exposure. In a 2020 Instagram story, she said she was exposed to far more radiation being treated for breast cancer than she would’ve had from mammograms, the Times reported. She also urged the importance of early detection of breast cancer.

“I wish I could go back,” she said in the video as she teared up, the Times reported. “It’s important for me to admit where I went wrong with this.”

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY here:

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Kate Cassidy was by Liam Payne’s side in the time leading up to his sudden death.

In the weeks before the One Direction alum’s death after falling from a third-story balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct. 16, his girlfriend of two years had been documenting their travels around the world.

The duo spent time in France in late August to attend a wedding, with Cassidy, 25, sharing a TikTok video of the two dancing in a bathroom in their formal attire. She subsequently shared glimpses of their trips to the French capital as well as Costa Navarino in Greece the following month.

Beyond the glamorous locations, she shared a TikTok of their travel meals, noting that she was “always eating good.” In her Oct. 12 post, set to Chris Isaak’s 1989 hit ballad “Wicked Game,” she included a shot of Payne sitting beside a resealable package of Skittles and images of more food, including platters of sushi, and Wagyu beef as well as some McDonalds.

READ Liam Payne’s Official Cause of Death Confirmed by Authorities Bill McCay/Getty Images

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Hotel called 911 about Liam Payne ‘breaking the whole room' while intoxicated before his fatal fall

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In the two weeks before his death, Payne and Cassidy had spent time in Buenos Aires, where they saw performances by the singer’s One Direction bandmate Niall Horan as well as Paul McCartney.

During their most recent trip, Cassidy gushed about the quality time with Payne, sharing a picture of the “Strip That Down” singer on horseback alongside the caption, “I am very grateful for the simple things in life.”

Cassidy ultimately left Argentina on Oct. 12 while Payne remained behind.

“I was so ready to leave,” she explained in an Oct. 14 TikTok. “Honestly, loved South America but I hate staying in one place for too long and we were supposed to be there for like, five days. Turned into two weeks and I was just like, ‘I need to go home.’ Of course my [plane] seat was 1D. I feel like this happens every single time I fly.”

Cassidy continued, “I bought this neck pillow, because I normally bring Squishmallows on the plane, but I gave it to Payne.”

“Just enjoying coffee and breakfast even though it’s like 1 p.m.,” Liam said, to which Kate responded, “Literally, we sleep in every day until at least 12.”

The singer also shared a photo of a patio by a garden, writing, “Happy I got some time away.”

Payne had also shared footage of his time with Cassidy in Argentina on social media. According to screenshots circulating on X after his death, the singer had posted a Snapchat video of the two eating breakfast, captioning it, “Lovely day in Argentina.”

“Just enjoying coffee and breakfast even though it’s like 1 p.m.,” Payne said, to which his girlfriend responded, “Literally, we sleep in every day until at least 12.”

The singer also shared a photo of a patio by a garden, writing, “Happy I got some time away.”

Just hours before his death on Oct. 16, Payne, 31, posted a final photo with Cassidy of the two posing in swimsuits in front of a mirror, a pic she had first posted on Instagram in August 2023 on his 30th birthday.

Coroners had determined that Payne died from multiple traumatic injuries and external and internal bleeding as a result of his fall, Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 had said in a press release.

A toxicology report is reportedly still pending. Police had found inside the room substances suspected to be narcotics and alcoholic beverages, as well as destroyed objects and furniture, the release said.

Previously, Buenos Aires emergency services chief Alberto Crescenti expressed that when authorities arrived for assistance, there was nothing they could do to save the singer.

“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life,” he explained to the Argentine publication La Nación in Spanish. “Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.”

He added, “The team could do absolutely nothing. There was no resuscitation because it was confirmed that he had died. The whole body had very serious injuries.”

One Direction is sharing what made Liam Payne beautiful.

After the singer’s tragic passing on Oct. 16, his former bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, who met and formed a group during “The X Factor” in 2010, paid tribute to their friend.

“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing,” they wrote in a joint statement posted to One Direction’s Instagram Oct. 17. “In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.”

The singers continued, “The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly.”

They ended the message with, “We love you Liam.”

According to local authorities in Argentina, Payne died after falling from the third floor of a hotel Oct. 16. He was 31. His cause of death was later confirmed as “polytraumism (multiple traumatic injuries), internal and external hemorrhage.”

Investigators are still waiting on results of his toxicology report, but the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office stated that a “series of substances were seized from the musician’s room, which would prove a previous situation of alcohol and drugs consumption.”

While One Direction had been on hiatus since 2015, they remained big supporters of each other over the years. In fact, Payne and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy attended Horan’s concert in Buenos Aires on Oct. 2, two weeks before his death.

“I think we might just go and say hello,” Payne told fans in a Snapchat video, shared on X Oct. 1. “It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We’ve got a lot to talk about. And I would like to square up a couple of things with the boy. No bad vibes or anything like that. But just, um, we need to talk.”

In March 2023, Payne also supported Tomlinson at the London premiere of his documentary, “All of Those Voices.”

“I’m so excited to be here,” he told On Demand Entertainment on the red carpet. “We had a call yesterday, I was trying to surprise him actually, but I didn’t know how I was going to get in otherwise.”

As Payne—who shared 7-year-old son Bear Gree Payne with ex Cheryl Cole—explained at the time, he was returning the favor after his bandmates supported him.

“All the boys have been there for me. I’ve suffered a bit of a dark time in my life at the moment,” Payne, who completed a 100-day rehab stay in 2023, continued, “and to be honest with you, I wouldn’t be here without the boys.”

And earlier that year, Payne showed love to Styles after he won big at the 2023 Grammys.

“Wow… this image is really something to wake up to,” Payne wrote on Instagram at the time alongside a picture of his pal holding two awards, “and when you write music like you do Harry you deserve every millisecond of that moment looking down smiling at the trophy you’ve earned.”

“God bless you brother,” he continued, “congratulations.”

Following his death, Payne was also remembered by fellow stars, including Charlie Puth.

“Liam was always so kind to me,” Puth, who collaborated with Payne on the 2017 song “Bedroom Floor,” wrote on his Instagram Story Oct. 16. “He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone.”

Paris Hilton also sent love to Payne’s family.

“So upsetting to hear the news of @LiamPayne passing,” she wrote on X Oct. 16. “Sending love and condolences to his family & loved ones.”

The allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs continue to mount.

While the rapper has been in jail since his September arrest — facing charges of sex trafficking, prostitution and racketeering, to which he’s plead not guilty — additional victims have come forward alleging they were sexually assaulted by Combs.

And in a recent slew of filings obtained by E! News, one plaintiff — identified as Jane Doe in the docs — alleges the baby oil found in Combs’ house was laced with Rohypnol or GHB, which are often referred to as the date rape drug.

“Combs particularly fancied the use of the popular date-rape drug Rohypnol, or GHB,” the Oct. 14 filing alleges, “to commit heinous non-consensual acts of sexual violence and rape against countless victims.”

The lawsuit references the allegations against Combs of “dousing victims in lotions or similar body oils” and claims these lubricants were laced with GHB “so that the drug would be absorbed through the victim’s skin and make it easier to take advantage of, exploit, and assault him or her.”

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But the 54-year-old’s use of GHB was allegedly not limited to the baby oil — of which authorities say they seized 1000 bottles of while executing search warrants on Combs’ home in September. According to the filing, the drug could also be found in beverages at his events.

“Combs often would secretly use the drug in an alcoholic beverage served at his parties,” the filing adds, “typically in a seemingly innocent glass of champagne or a ‘lemon drop.’ Partygoers were forced to consume the alcoholic beverage, containing GHB, either prior to entering or while at Combs’ party.”

Jane Doe’s civil suit was one of five new filings against Combs. The complaints were made on behalf of three men and two women, all of whom remained anonymous, and included allegations against Combs spanning from 1995 to 2021.

Among the claims within the filings were allegations of sexual assault and rape, including one claim from a female victim that accused Combs of raping her in a Manhattan hotel room when she was 19 years old.

E! News reached out to Combs’ legal team at the time of these filings but did not hear back.

The lawyer behind the filings, Tony Buzbee — who previously said he was representing 120 accusers of Combs — spoke to the influx of claims he’s received and plans to file in the coming weeks.

“We will let the allegations in the filed complaints speak for themselves, and will work to see that justice is done,” Buzbee said on Instagram Oct. 14. “We expect to be filing many more cases over the next several weeks naming Mr. Combs and others as defendants as we continue to gather evidence and prepare the filings.”

The attorney also provided insight as to why so many alleged victims may have chosen now to come forward against Combs, who is set to begin his trial on May 5.

“I think the indictment and the arrest kind of gave people a little more comfort that they had more safety and support to step forward,” he told Law & Crime earlier this month. “When I made an announcement that I was going to pursue this case, the floodgates really opened. In a 10-day period, we got 3,200 calls and then from the press conference we had yesterday, we had 12,000 calls in about 24 hours.”

Meanwhile, Combs’ legal team previously issued a blanket denial of culpability against existing and future allegations of sexual assault.

“He cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” one of his attorneys Erica Wolff told E! News in an Oct. 1 statement. “That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors.”

“He looks forward to proving his innocence,” Wolff continued, “and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”

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TODAY.com caught up with Alex herself to get some clarity about the “Love Is Blind” Season 7 couple. 

When it comes to her breakup, Alex says she and Tim ultimately weren’t a match on many fronts — including their cuddling styles, which came up more than once on the show.

Tim, speaking with his parents, said Alex wanted more affection than he did. Alex, speaking to TODAY.com, agrees.

“As you saw, he said he also wasn’t super affectionate, but I am. With a relationship comes compromise. That was just something that needed to be learned,” Alex says.

Even though her romance didn’t make it to the altar, Alex doesn’t regret her decision to appear on the Netflix dating series.

“I had a really great experience. I probably would have asked different questions in the pods, but I had the best time,” she says, adding that she was her “authentic” self throughout the experiment.

She and Tim were “just two different people who come from two different worlds,” she says.

“I think that we both didn’t understand what tools we would need to date each other fully. That’s just where certain things went wrong.”

Below, she breaks down what really happened between them.

The breakup

During your breakup scene, Tim criticized you for taking a nap while his parents were visiting. Do you want to share your side of the story?

We literally just filmed with his parents all day. Unfortunately, I had a really busy schedule and I had somewhere I had to be that evening. I just wanted to take a nap before I left. It was just an hour nap. That’s all it was.

During your breakup, Tim said he never wanted to talk to you again. Have you spoken to him since?

No, I never reached out to him because if you say you never want to speak to me again, I’m going to give you what you want. He has not reached out to me and he’s not blocked. 

Were you tempted to rekindle the relationship at any point after the breakup?

Any time that I had an inkling to do it, I just remembered that night (of the breakup) and I just never did.

In the breakup scene, Tim had already made up his mind that he was ready to move on,  but you didn’t seem interested in fighting for your relationship. Why was that?

I feel like I had made it very clear how I felt. I’m just never one to chase anyone. If that’s your wish, by all means — let’s end it.

When do you think Tim had officially made up his mind that he was ready to call it quits?

Well, he actually told me that day (of the breakup) that he made up his mind the night before, which also threw me off because he literally made plans with me earlier that day for the rest of the week. The night of the breakup, we were going to go out because it was Halloween, so we had plans.

I didn’t know really what to believe.

You and Tim broke up two days after he got your father’s blessing to marry you. What changed in your relationship between that family meeting and the breakup?

Honestly, I don’t know. I wish to this day I could give you an answer. The time that he met with my family, that was the most anxiety-driven time for me. I knew for a fact that I could not say yes until my father gave him his blessing. As soon as we got that, I was very thankful.

For me to walk into a breakup … it kind of threw me off because I thought we were going to just talk about what our plans were for this week, what we had going on. It threw me off. I didn’t know what happened.

How did your dad respond to the breakup?

He was truly devastated. To this day, he does not like Tim. He didn’t like that (Tim) went through that entire process. He looked at the letter (that Tim wrote to him), because my dad still has the letter. He looks at it like it was just all a lie. He reread it and was like, “Was any of this true?”

The pods and beyond

Your fight in Mexico wasn’t shown on camera, but Tim showed up to your room the next morning ready to call it quits. What were you and Tim fighting about?

He wanted me to express more on why I was upset. I made it clear that I wasn’t upset with him. I was just thinking about home and family, and I guess at the time he just didn’t like that answer. It just kind of intensified after that because if you’re saying one thing and the other person doesn’t believe you, we’re not really going anywhere. It’s going to build up.

What was the dynamic like between you and Tim when you moved in together?

Our dynamic was really good. We both worked remotely. Sometimes Tim would go back to his home because he had different monitors.

It was really an easy dynamic. And every time we would come home or he would come home, he would either want to go out to eat, which was fine, or we would go out with the other couples and then that would be our routine every day and it was great. We were always on the same page when it came to living with each other in our space and whatnot.

As you look back on this dating experiment, was there a point where you believed your relationship with Tim would work?

I literally thought we were going to go all the way. There wasn’t really a doubt in my mind. In my previous relationship, couples are going to argue, they’re not going to see eye to eye on everything. So I didn’t really think our issues would ever be too big to not go the whole way.

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Martha Stewart has the recipe for keeping an affair private.

The famed culinary expert recently admitted that she had an affair in the early stages of her marriage to Andy Stewart. And now she’s sharing the key ingredients to keeping it cool and contained for more than 30 years.

“Very easy,” she said at the launch party for her 100^th cookbook “Martha: The Cookbook” on Oct. 16, per The Daily Mail, “you have to be circumspect.”

Stewart’s affair came to light on Oct. 10 when the trailer for her upcoming documentary “Martha” was released. In a clip, the former model shared a piece of advice for young women.

“Young women, listen to my advice,” Stewart, 83, said in the trailer. “If you’re married and your husband starts to cheat on you, he’s a piece of s–t.”

Off camera, a producer asked Stewart about her own affair, in which she said, “Yeah, but I don’t think Andy ever knew about that.”

Martha and Andy, who share daughter Alexis Stewart, 59, were married from 1961 to 1987. 

Following her marriage, Stewart was linked to Anthony Hopkins, and tech billionaire Charles Simonyi — whom she dated on and off for 15 years. She hasn’t been married again. Andy Stewart, meanwhile, went on to marry now-ex Robyn Fairclough in 1993, and has been married to Shyla Nelson, since 2016.

Stewart isn’t opposed to finding romance again herself. Though she has two deal breakers: bad breath, and lack of generosity.

“I know a lot of eligible men,” she told E! News in 2023. “I think they really want a woman who will take care of them, so I’m still not quite in the position where I can take care of a man full-time because I work too much.”

She continued, “If I analyze my life, I think the work has taken precedence over the romance. I have a hard time making room for both and it’s not the highest priority that I have a boyfriend, but it would be nice!”

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Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, her long-time managers Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press.

“As we celebrate her legacy, we offer our thanks to her friends and fans and the countless audiences she entertained throughout her long life,” Reyes and Rosamonda said in a joint statement. “Your love, support and appreciation meant so very much to her and was a sustaining gift in her life.”

Her entertainment career spanned eight decades across film, television and the stage, and appeared in several notable films including “We’re Not Married!” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” but she is best remembered for her turn in “South Pacific.”

The screen version of “South Pacific” received three Academy Award nominations and won for best sound, while Gaynor was a best actress nominee for a Golden Globe.

The role of the love-sick nurse Nellie, created on Broadway by Mary Martin, had been eagerly sought by Hollywood stars. Sinatra helped Gaynor land it.

She was starring with him in “The Joker Is Wild,” when she had a one-day opportunity to audition for lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. It was the same day she was scheduled for her biggest scene with Sinatra. When she explained her plight, he told her, “Don’t worry, I’ll change the schedule.”

Hammerstein was impressed with Gaynor, who had already won the approval of director Josh Logan and composer Richard Rodgers. She was cast opposite Rossano Brazzi, about whom she sang “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy.”

“South Pacific” was not the turning point in her career that Gaynor had hoped it would be, and she shifted her focus from film to television, making early appearances on Donald O’Connor’s variety series “Here Comes Donald,” and on CBS’ “The Jack Benny Hour.” In October of 1959, she was the only women to guest star alongside Sinatra, Crosby, Dean Martin and Jimmy Durante on ABC’s “The Frank Sinatra Timex Show” special.

Later in her career, Gaynor reinvented herself as a performing entertainer. Working with her husband and manager Jack Bean, she starred in her own musical revue that was a big draw in theaters throughout the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia.

She became the highest paid female entertainer in Las Vegas and was the first woman to be awarded the Las Vegas governor’s trophy for “Star Entertainer of the Year” in 1970.

When touring with a full orchestra, a corps of dancers and backstage personnel became too unwieldy and expensive, Gaynor slimmed down the production, eventually making it a one-woman show. They continued touring every year until 2002 when Bean’s illness required a hiatus.

“I love touring; I’ve been doing it much of my life,” Gaynor said in a 2003 interview. “We go back to the same places; it’s like visiting friends. After the show, people come backstage to the dressing room, and we renew friendships. We send out almost 3,000 Christmas cards every year.”

Born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber (Mitzi is diminutive for Marlene) in Chicago on Sept. 4, 1931, she was a part of a musically inclined family and started singing and dancing at a young age.

In a 2003 AP interview, Gaynor said she has a clear memory of her stage debut. She had been taking ballet and tap lessons and at age 7 she was scheduled for a tap routine at the dance school recital. She had neglected to use the bathroom, and when she faced the audience, a puddle formed on the stage.

“I ran kicking and screaming off the stage,” she recalls. “But I got huge applause. So I dried off and put some lipstick on. After the next girl did a hula with batons and slipped on the wet floor, I went out and said, ‘I’m OK now. Can I do it?’ And I got cheers!”

Gaynor and Bean married in 1954 and in 1960 bought a spacious house in Beverly Hills that became their home until his death in 2006. They rarely appeared at Hollywood events, preferring to entertain a few close friends. The couple had no children.

The company announced that its newest theme park, Universal Epic Universe, will open at Universal Orlando Resort on May 22, 2025.

Dubbed Universal Destinations and Experiences’ most ambitious theme part, Epic Universe will have 50 immersive experiences and five themed “worlds”: Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk and Dark Universe.

“This is such a pivotal moment for our destination, and we’re thrilled to welcome guests to Epic Universe next year,” Universal Orlando Resort president and COO Karen Irwin said. “With the addition of this spectacular new theme park, our guests will embark on an unforgettable vacation experience with a week’s worth of thrills that will be nothing short of epic! Our Universe will never be the same.”

Sitting at the end of the park will be the new Universal Helios Grand Hotel. The 500-room property includes scenic views of Epic Universe and has a dedicated entrance into the park.

When do Universal Epic Universe tickets go on sale?

The first wave of ticket sales will go live on Tuesday, Oct. 22. The sales will include a variety of multi-day tickets and vacation packages that include three, four or five days admission to Universal’s theme parks, including one day admission to Epic Universe.

Jan 30

See the first look at Universal's new Epic Universe theme park featuring Nintendo and Harry Potter

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Annual passholders can get their hands on single-day Epic Universe tickets beginning Thursday, Oct. 24, before they go on sale to the general public. Single-day tickets for the general public will be available in the months leading up to the opening of the park.

In addition to Epic Universe tickets, Universal Helios Grand Hotel reservations will also open on Oct. 22 with stays beginning on May 22.

Universal Epic Universe ticket prices

Three-day packages that include one day at Epic Universe will range from $352 to $521 depending on the dates.

Guests can receive a maximum savings of $200 with a seven-night vacation package that includes a five-day ticket, one-day separate entry into Epic Universe, a seven-night star at a Universal Orlando resort and early park admission for Universal Epic Universe, Universal Volcano Bay and either Universal Studios Florida or Universal Islands of Adventure up to one hour before the park opens.

“We have a guest who is overindulged in drugs and alcohol and … Well, when he is conscious he breaks, he is breaking the whole room. Well, we need you to send someone, please,” the call from the Casa Sur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires said.

The caller tells the operator that police are needed “urgently” because he was at risk.

“The guest is in a room that has a balcony and, well, we are a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening,” the caller said, according to audio obtained via local media by Telemundo.

The caller — who describes themselves as the head of reception and does not mention Payne by name — says the guest had been there for two or three days.

Sistema de Atencion Medica de Emergencia, the emergency health service, confirmed to Telemundo that Payne fell from the balcony of his third-floor room at the hotel in the city’s Palermo district.

Celebrity News Oct 16

‘Tragic and so young': Celebrities react to former One Direction singer Liam Payne's death

Music & Musicians Oct 16

Liam Payne, former One Direction singer, dies at 31 in Argentina hotel fall

SAME director Alberto Crescenti told Argentine TV station Todo Noticias TV that Payne was found dead a few minutes after the 911 call. When paramedics found him, there was no possibility of resuscitation, he said, adding that Payne appeared to have a fracture at the base of his skull.

Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office said Payne had 25 injuries “compatible with those produced by a fall from height” and that his cause of death was “polytraumatism, internal and external hemorrhage.”

In a statement, the office said that autopsy findings indicate the musician “could have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.”

A variety of substances were found in Payne’s room, which the prosecutor’s office says would prove alcohol and drug consumption. It added that everything indicates that Payne was alone when he fell.

In a series of Snapchat posts uploaded to Payne’s account on Wednesday, he talked about his time in Argentina, how he had been playing polo and mentioned that his girlfriend was heading back to Florida.

The U.K. Foreign Office said in a statement: “We are in contact with local authorities regarding reports of the death of a British man in Argentina.”

Firefighters were seen removing Payne’s body from the scene early Thursday as fans gathered, Reuters reported.

Representatives for Payne have not responded to NBC News’ request for comment.

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Seinfeld, co-creator and star of his eponymous 1990s sitcom, criticized political correctness in an interview with The New Yorker in April. He suggested it was impeding comedians, who have to worry about offending people.

“You just expected, there’ll be some funny stuff we can watch on TV tonight,” he said in the interview. “Well, guess what? Where is it? This is the result of the extreme left and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people.”

On Tuesday, Seinfeld expressed regret over his comments and said they are “not true.”

“I don’t think, as I said, ‘the extreme left’ has done anything to inhibit the art of comedy,” Seinfeld said in the podcast. “I’m taking that back officially.”

Representatives for Seinfeld did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Seinfeld added that culture always changes and a comedian’s job is to adjust to it. He said it was “not my business” to like or dislike how popular culture has shifted.

“Whatever the culture is, we make the gate,” Seinfeld said, using a skiing analogy. “You don’t make the gate, you’re out of the game.”

Conservative pundits such as Fox News’ Sean Hannity and YouTube commentator Benny Johnson embraced Seinfeld’s previous remarks.

Elon Musk also shared Seinfeld’s comments at the time, with the caption, “Make comedy legal again!”

The impact of political correctness in comedy has been a hot topic for years. Some comedians have bemoaned the fact that they can’t say certain words or make certain jokes anymore out of fear of offending people. Others, like Seinfeld’s former co-star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, said tolerance in comedy is “not a bad thing.”

“Breaking Bread” host Papa told Seinfeld that it was “refreshing” to hear him say that the shift in culture and young people’s preferences was “not our business.”

Seinfeld said he didn’t realize people were paying attention to him or would care about his comments.

“Comedy is hard — big giant period,” he said.

He also addressed his previous comments about missing “dominant masculinity.” He said people like John F. Kennedy, Muhammad Ali and Sean Connery were people he aspired to when he was younger.

“What I was really saying is I miss big personalities, that’s what I was really saying,” he clarified.

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In a statement to Telemundo, Argentine officials confirmed Liam Payne, died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires.

Payne rose to fame in 2010 when he formed the band One Direction with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik in an appearance on the TV show “The X Factor.”

Celebrities from the Hollywood and music world have posted tributes to the 31-year-old Payne as word of his death spread through the industry.

“So upsetting to hear the news of @LiamPayne passing,” Paris Hilton posted on X. “Sending love and condolences to his family & loved ones. RIP my friend,” she added.

So upsetting to hear the news of @LiamPayne passing😢 Sending love and condolences to his family & loved ones. 🙏 RIP my friend🥺

— Paris Hilton (@ParisHilton) October 16, 2024

“We’re incredibly sad to learn of the tragic passing of Liam Payne,” BRIT Awards posted on X. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family at this time.”

Throughout his music career, Payne was nominated for three BRIT Awards.

“Liam was always so kind to me,” Charlie Puth, who worked with Payne on his 2017 single “Bedroom Floor,” shared on Instagram. “He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone.”

Music producer Zedd also commented about Payne’s passing on social media.

“RIP Liam,” the DJ shared on X. “Can’t believe this is real… absolutely heartbreaking.”

RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real…
absolutely heartbreaking … 💔

— Zedd (@Zedd) October 16, 2024

Other “X Factor” alumni have also shared their condolences

“Sending strength to Cheryl and his son Bear ❤️ and all the One direction Family,” John and Edward Grimes from Jedward posted on X.

Sending strength to Cheryl and his son Bear ❤️ and all the One direction Family
RIP @LiamPayne

— JEDWARD (@planetjedward) October 16, 2024

“Extremely sad news. V tragic and so young. RIP Liam x,” tweeted Rylan Clark, another “X Factor UK” contestant.

Both Clark and Jeward were on different seasons to that of Payne’s on the “X Factor UK.”

Buenos Aires police said in a statement that Payne fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital, resulting in “extremely serious injuries.” Medics confirmed his death on the spot, the statement said.

Pablo Policicchio, the communications director for the Buenos Aires Security Ministry, said in a statement to The Associated Press that police rushed to the hotel in response to an emergency call just after 5 p.m. local time warning of an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” At 5:07 p.m., arriving police requested an ambulance after finding a man who had apparently just plunged from the third-floor balcony. Medics pulled up a few minutes later.

Alberto Crescenti, head of the state emergency medical system, told Argentina’s Todo Noticias TV channel that authorities were investigating the circumstances of his death and conducting an autopsy. He declined to answer further questions about the incident until authorities completed their investigation.

Payne had been vocal about struggling with alcoholism, posting a video in July 2023 to his YouTube channel where he said he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment. Representatives for Payne did not immediately return emails and calls.

Dozens of One Direction fans flocked from across Buenos Aires to the Casa Sur Hotel after the news broke, forming lines that spilled into the cordoned-off street outside the hotel where police stood sentinel. Forensic investigators were seen exiting the hotel, from where Payne’s body was removed around three hours after the fall. Young women filming with their cellphones expressed shock and heartbreak as a makeshift memorial with rows of candles and bouquets quickly grew outside the hotel.

“I didn’t think he was going to die so young,” 21-year-old Isabella Milesi told The Associated Press.

Payne was one of five members of One Direction, which formed when they each auditioned for the British singing competition series “The X Factor” in 2010, two years after Payne’s first attempt to get on the show. At 16 the second time around, Payne sang Michael Bublé’s version of “Cry Me a River,” appearing nervous at the start but warming up with the audience’s cheers and applause.

After each singer failed to make it through the competition as solo acts, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson into what would become one of the most successful boy bands — even though they lost the competition.

Each member had their own persona, with Payne — who hailed from Wolverhampton, a city in the West Midlands region of England — being known as the responsible one. The band became known for their pop sound and romantic hits like “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Night Changes” and “Story of My Life.” Payne had prominent solos on songs including “Stole My Heart” and “Change Your Ticket,” co-writing several of the band’s hits. They had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard charts by the time they disbanded in 2016 and a highly loyal fan base, known as “Directioners,” many of whom were teen girls.

“I’ve always loved One Direction since I was little,” said 18-year-old Juana Relh, another fan outside Payne’s hotel. “To see that he died and that there will never be another reunion of the boys is unbelievable, it kills me.”

With his meteoric rise to fame, Payne had said that it took some time to adjust to the public eye.

“I don’t think you can ever deal with that, it’s all a bit crazy for us to see that people get in that sort of state of mind about us and what we do,” he said in a 2013 interview with the AP after recounting an experience where a fan was in a state of shock upon meeting him.

After the group’s dissolution, Payne — like each of his erstwhile bandmates — pursued a solo career, shifting toward EDM and hip-hop. His 2017 single “Strip That Down,” featuring Quavo, reached the Billboard Top 10, and stayed on the charts for several months. He put out an album “LP1” in 2019, and his last release — a single called “Teardrops” — was released in March.

Payne had a 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, with his former girlfriend, the musician Cheryl who was known as Cheryl Cole when she performed with Girls Aloud. She was an “X Factor” judge during One Direction’s season, although their relationship began years later. Payne was previously engaged to Maya Henry, from August 2020 to early 2022. Henry released a novel earlier this year that she said was based on their relationship.

In addition to his son, he is survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.

An official poster for the upcoming movie, which hits theaters in November, was released by distributor Universal Pictures earlier this month. (NBC News and Universal are both part of Comcast.)

The image features Ariana Grande’s character, Glinda, whispering to Erivo’s Elphaba. The film’s poster differs from the Broadway version, as it shows Elphaba’s eyes by lifting her hat and changes her lipstick color from red to green. Amid buzz for the musical, many online began pointing out the changes. One person altered the poster to cover Elphaba’s eyes, which prompted Erivo’s post.

“Our poster is an homage not an imitation, to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me,” Erivo wrote in her Instagram story on Wednesday. “And that is just deeply hurtful.”

The edited poster did not include changes to Glinda’s outfit or hair.

Erivo said the original Broadway poster was a illustration that wasn’t based on real actors, and that showing her face in the film version of the poster was a purposeful choice.

“I am a real life human being, who chose to look right down the barrel of the camera to you, the viewer …because, without words we communicate with our eyes,” she wrote.

She described the edited version of the poster as “the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen,” and compared it to two offensive AI-created memes related to the film that have also been widely shared online. One image depicts Grande and Erivo punching each other as their characters. Another shows Grande’s character asking Erivo’s if the color of her genitals match the color of her green skin.

In a second Instagram story, Erivo posted the unedited version of the film’s poster, writing, “Let me put this right here, to remind you and cleanse your palette.”

“Wicked,” directed by Jon M. Chu, opens in theaters Nov. 22. Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum and Bowen Yang star alngside Erivo and Grande.

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The motion requests that U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian of the Southern District of New York identify Combs’ accusers because, his lawyers argue, the torrent of anonymous allegations are damaging his reputation, leading to a “media circus” and depriving him of a fair trial.

Identifying anonymous accusers would allow Combs to adequately prepare for his trial, prevent any surprises and protect him from double jeopardy should he be prosecuted again for the same offense, according to the filing from Combs’ team of lawyers.

“His case is unique, in part because of the number of individuals levying allegations against Mr. Combs due to his celebrity status, wealth, and the publicity of his previously settled lawsuit,” the motion reads.

It also alleges grand jury leaks and false inflammatory statements by Department of Homeland Security agents tied to the release of security video showing Combs beating his ex-girlfriend, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. (Combs apologized for the incident, saying that it was a one-off instance and that he had sought therapy and had changed, and he settled a lawsuit in which Ventura had accused him of rape and physical abuse.)

Combs’ legal team filed a petition claiming the government provided the video to CNN and was responsible for leaking other information to the media. 

“Between the grand jury leaks and the incendiary public statements, the agents all but ensured that the grand jury would be tainted as well as the general public from which we will soon select a jury,” the filing says.

“This had a pervasive ripple effect, resulting in a torrent of allegations by unidentified complainants, spanning from the false to outright absurd. Yesterday alone, anonymous accusers filed an additional six lawsuits,” it argues.

The motion also mentions a recent news conference at which Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee said he is representing 120 accusers in a series of lawsuits against Combs, with allegations including sexual abuse of minors. The filing called the news conference a “publicity stunt” and the allegations “outrageous and deeply prejudicial.”

“These accusations came on the heels of more than a dozen lawsuits previously filed and currently pending, several of which have already been discredited but only after irreparably damaging Mr. Combs’ character and reputation,” the motion says. “These swirling allegations have created a hysterical media circus that, if left unchecked, will irreparably deprive Mr. Combs of a fair trial, if they haven’t already.”

On Monday, Buzbee filed six complaints in the Southern District of New York on behalf of four males and two females, none of whom are named in the filings. The incidents alleged in the complaints span 1995 to 2021 and include accusations of sexual assault and rape. 

Buzbee announced at a news conference on Oct. 1 that he was representing accusers with allegations against Combs under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act. Under the law, victims have a two-year window ending in March 2025 in which to file older claims. 

“We’re going to just try to file cases that we feel are credible and legitimate,” Buzbee said.

The lawsuits name Combs and his various businesses as defendants, and the accusers are seeking unspecified damages. Lawyers for Combs denied the allegations in the suits.

NBC News has not independently corroborated any of the allegations in the complaints.

Combs is fighting his pretrial detention on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges, for which Subramanian set a May 5 trial date.

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