On stage at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, a far cry from the sweaty basement punk shows of the band’s early days, Jimmy Eat World played breakthrough power pop hit “The Middle” as the sold-out crowd sang along with the final chorus that “everything will be all right, all right.”
“It really is incredible to us to think about everyone who bothered to spend time with this record and made something of it for themselves over 25 years. This is your guys’ record as much as it’s ours, really,” singer-guitarist Jim Adkins said from the stage.
The band, which has generally shied away from nostalgia plays over its 30-plus year career, is performing the platinum-selling “Bleed American” album in its entirety on tour this summer, including a stop at Warped Tour in Long Beach on Saturday, a matching bookend to the band’s original promotion of the album.
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“It solidified us as, ‘This is what we do. Let the day job go.’ It turned into full-time rock and roll. And that moment only happens once, so it felt appropriate to honor it at 25,” bassist Rick Burch said backstage before the band’s Brooklyn tour stop in June.
Released on July 24, 2001, “Bleed American” was one of the last great rock records of the monoculture, arriving months before Apple’s iPod launched and made shuffle the default and 15 years before streaming became the dominant way to consume music.
“When ‘Bleed American’ took off it was right at the transition of the internet,” says Jim Adkins.
(Evelyn Freja / For The Times)
A hit with Hollywood roots
Just over a quarter of a century ago, four guys from Mesa, Ariz., came to L.A. to record their fourth album.
Jimmy Eat World’s Adkins, Burch, drummer Zach Lind and guitarist Tom Linton earned recording money between tours by working construction, driving around car dealership customers and selling art supplies and auto parts.
The band had cut ties with Capitol Records after 1999’s “Clarity” — a sweeping, lush and highly influential work highly regarded by their contemporaries that would inspire third-wave emo superstars including My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Paramore — that the major label had no idea how to market, even after “Lucky Denver Mint” got pickup on L.A.’s alt rock tastemaker KROQ-FM.
“If that song would have been on ‘Bleed American,’ that would have been a No. 1 song,” said Jim Suptic, of Kansas-based second-wave emo band the Get Up Kids, who have been on the “Bleed American” anniversary run. Suptic said that he was inspired to start the band after seeing Jimmy Eat World live in the mid-’90s.
With the band’s tight budget, producer Mark Trombino, who produced “Clarity” and predecessor “Static Prevails,” worked with the band for free in L.A., banking on the future success of the album. After recording drums at Cherokee Studios, the band relocated to Harddrive Analog & Digital Recording in North Hollywood to make the bulk of “Bleed American.”
“The studio was so small, it didn’t have a lounge,” Lind recalled.
But there was a bus stop outside they used instead, where they would hang out with “an assortment of characters,” Adkins said.
He and Lind commuted to the Valley from Redondo Beach, where they crashed on the floor of Lind’s brother’s place. Linton fondly remembers the great food in the city and hanging out with friends in other bands while Burch spent downtime skateboarding in L.A.
Even without the cash or support from a label, recording “Bleed American” didn’t feel like a do-or-die moment for the band’s future.
“We just kind of figured we might have to go out and just release this ourselves. Let’s just do the best job we can, and be happy with what we put out,” Linton said.
But with the buzz growing around the new music, record labels came calling.
‘The Middle’ meets the moment
By the time the album dropped in July 2001, the guitar-heavy snarling title track of “Bleed American” had already been in regular rotation on alt-rock stations for a month.
After a stint on the Warped Tour, Jimmy Eat World set out on a U.S. headlining tour in the fall, with Hey Mercedes opening.
“I remember that tour in particular, them sort of really finding their confidence in their voice and their shows and their performance and the whole package. And this was before ‘The Middle’ really broke, but I could tell that they were really firing on all cylinders,” said Hey Mercedes singer-guitarist Bob Nanna, whose influential emo group Braid first played with Jimmy Eat World in 1998.
The album landed on the Billboard charts three weeks after its release, and while its peak position was 31, it remained on the chart for 70 weeks. (A couple of months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the name of the album was changed to “Jimmy Eat World” on pressings before reverting to the original title in 2008.)
“When ‘Bleed American’ took off it was right at the transition of the internet,” Adkins said.
By 2002, “Bleed American” was taking off due to the popularity of the song “The Middle.”
(Scott Gries / Getty Images)
The media landscape hadn’t yet transformed. Rock music magazines like Spin, NME, Alternative Press and Kerrang! were thriving. The band made the rounds on the late-night talk shows as “The Middle” video clip played on MTV’s popular show “Total Request Live.”
“Things hadn’t splintered out into a zillion niche locations just quite yet,” Adkins said.
By March 2002, “The Middle” had hit the Billboard charts, where it climbed to No. 5 by the summer and spent 33 weeks on the Hot 100.
“They were a real band that had a radio hit, and not a radio band reverse engineered,” the Get Up Kids’ Suptic said.
The success was surreal for the band members as they heard the song on the radio, in restaurants and the gym. Today, you can still summon an entire generation with the opening guitar melody.
“I understand why that song has resonated,” Lind said. “I think there’s a few themes in the album that resonate with people in times when things are going tough. You know, ‘The Middle’ is definitely one of those songs that so many people have found encouragement from, whether they’re dealing with a breakup or going through cancer.”
“It seems like one of those songs that people have used to feel better and I think that’s obviously really powerful.”
“It solidified us as, ‘This is what we do. Let the day job go.’ It turned into full-time rock and roll,” says bassist Rick Burch about the success of “Bleed American.”
(Evelyn Freja / For The Times)
Here we are now
But the fans selling out the tour dates around the U.S. know much more than the hits, singing along to the deep cuts after traveling hundreds of miles to get to the show, in some cases.
Fans traveled from states like Michigan and Texas for the tour kickoff at Red Rocks in Colorado.
Robie O’Donnell took the train up to New York from the Washington, D.C., area to take his 12-year-old daughter to her first Jimmy Eat World show. The Brooklyn show was his 25th after he discovered them in the late ‘90s from a recommendation on the Get Up Kids’ website.
Behind him in line hours before doors opened was Jane Kung, who was only 8 when “Bleed American” was released and got into it when she was in high school. She didn’t want to miss the chance to hear it live.
“The fact that so many people wanted to come see this is something I didn’t expect,” Adkins said about the tour.
The fans get a chance to geek out over the rarely-played deep cuts from the album, like “Your House,” which required a revamp because of the studio work on the song, and the live debut of “(Splash) Turn Twist,” which was on the Japanese import of the album. Even louder than the sing-along to “The Middle” is the call and response from the crowd on the album’s second-biggest hit, “Sweetness.”
“Having this piece that we’ve created be embraced by so many is a very accomplished feeling,” Burch said.
Nanna even ventured into the crowd after Hey Mercedes opened the Brooklyn show, singing along to “A Praise Chorus,” the band’s crunchy guitar-filled love letter to rock music, among others.
“The world is a tough, s— place now and to have these moments where everybody can sing along to something that’s just pure joy was really soul enriching,” he said.
It began as a whimsical idea that occurred to Daniel Leigh after an idyllic trip to the United States: Sell his family’s five-bedroom home in England and travel the world with his wife, Lauren Vaknine, and their two children.
So he was surprised when, a few months later, Vaknine and their children, Braxton, 10, and Viva, 7, agreed to go along with the plan.
When they got back from their trip to America in March, they noticed that others had successfully raffled their homes on the British website Raffall. The online platform raffles everything from cars to homes, including one man who promoted his house to Americans last year as a “safe haven from Trump.” The couple decided to try it too.
The home is located just 20 minutes outside of London in Elstree.
(Lux Visuals Ltd.)
In June, they put their house in Elstree, about 20 minutes from London, up as a sweepstakes prize online and began selling tickets for five British pounds each, or $6.75.
“While someone new makes memories in our home, we get to go and make some of our own,” said Leigh, who has worked in educational recruitment in London for more than 20 years.
Leigh got the idea after reading a New York Times article about Imelda Collins, who raised about $1.4 million last year by raffling her two-bedroom cottage in Ireland. She sold 206,815 tickets at $6.70 each, and in October, Collins sold her cottage to Kathleen Spangler, a 29-year-old U.S. Marine Corps officer from Dayton, Ohio, who had bought three tickets on a whim and promptly forgot about them.
Leigh and Vaknine, both 42, grew up in the same village and went to high school together.
But after their family trip to New Orleans; Asheville, N.C.; and South Carolina spots Charleston, Folly Beach and Lake Keowee, they began to wonder if they wanted to stay in the same town forever. Kayaking and seeing the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains made them rethink their life.
The couple’s open kitchen was renovated in 2021.
(Lux Visuals Ltd.)
The living room.
(Lux Visuals Ltd.)
“Living on a lake was the most peaceful life I’ve ever had,” Leigh said. “It was perfect. In England, the kids spend most of their time indoors because of the weather, and we have to keep them busy with things like trampolines or indoor parks. Every family outing costs about $300. You can’t just go to the lake, the beach or hike in the mountains.”
Leigh said they have worked hard to build the life they thought they wanted, with two kids, their dog and a home. But after achieving professional success, they realized it was not the future they hoped for.
“We keep chasing goals that always seem just out of reach, simply because we feel we have to keep going,” he said. “There’s so much life to live. We’re seeing many of our parents and our friends’ parents pass away, and it makes you realize that life can feel like a conveyor belt. You either live or you just keep moving along.”
For Vaknine, a holistic wellness coach who was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at age 2, selling their home and traveling the world carries even deeper meaning.
“I have been on a long journey,” said Vaknine, who has been in remission for the past decade. “From being head-to-toe disabled to being fully able-bodied, you don’t come through that without realizing that there is so much more to life than working, taking the kids to school and making dinner in the same house every day. For me, the extraordinary life isn’t about mansions, yachts or extravagance. It’s about experiencing life fully, finding deep inner joy, and I can’t do that if I stay within the same four walls in the same town I grew up in.”
Her husband added, “She lives a life of gratitude for everything. That’s what this is about: Let’s live life in the moment and do what we can when we are fully able.”
Their five-bedroom home, which is estimated at about $2 million, is on a quiet cul-de-sac with just five other houses in Hertfordshire, England. It has 2,226 square feet of living space, a south-facing garden, an open-plan kitchen, a dining and living room renovated in 2021, plus a home office and gym.
Leigh said they are not trying to make a profit, but they need to sell 550,000 tickets to cover the property’s costs, legal fees, taxes, prize money and raffle expenses.
“The ticket target has been set to cover all of the associated costs, so it’s unlikely there will be much left over,” he said. “If ticket sales exceed the target, then certainly, but that’s not the goal.”
If they don’t reach the ticket target, a winner will still be chosen and will get 50% of the money raised. They hope the winner gets the house.
One of the home’s bathrooms.
(Lux Visuals Ltd.)
One of the five bedrooms in the couple’s home.
(Lux Visuals Ltd.)
One reason homes aren’t auctioned often on the site, he said, is that you have to promote them yourself. Leigh estimates they’ve spent about $17,000 so far and are about to spend another $15,000 on Meta advertising. They also have to pay for their own legal advice.
The raffle has become a family project, and their children have helped with promotion. In one video, Braxton asks what might be the most important question about their move: “Are we bringing the dog?”
“We may have to leave him with family for a while,” Leigh said of their dog Story. “He’s the size of a small pony, so traveling with him could be a challenge. He’d definitely be missed, though.”
Working together to promote their home has been a valuable lesson for their children, Leigh said, showing them “that if you put your mind to something, you can do it. I want them to see hard work. It’s not just fun to do videos. It’s staying up till midnight, getting up early, running two jobs and making sure you don’t miss an interview. And in the end, the kids will see that life can change, and there’s a world out there if you make it happen.”
The family recently spent time in North Carolina, South Carolina and Louisiana. “We’re huge fans of America,” Leigh said. The couple hope to visit all 50 states after their home is raffled on Dec. 7.
(Daniel Leigh)
The kids aren’t worried about losing their home, Leigh said. “They are excited about going on a holiday, which we hope will include Australia, India and every state in America.”
With a record number of Americans applying for British citizenship, the couple’s raffle may be well-timed. The winner, chosen randomly by Raffall on Dec. 7, will get a mortgage-free home with all legal fees and taxes paid, plus $45,000 for household bills. The property transfer may take up to 60 days or longer according to Raffall’s terms and conditions.
Part of every ticket sale will go to Solace Women’s Aid, a British charity supporting women and children affected by domestic violence. Leigh notes that not every state can take part in Raffall competitions because of different state gambling, lottery and consumer protection laws.
At a time when many people are trying to choose between traveling or saving for a house, the couple is offering raffle entrants a chance to do both.
That’s the point, Leigh said: “If not now, when? That question changed everything.”
ABBEY Clancy revealed her and Peter Crouch’s daughter Sophia Ruby was nearly arrested while going through airport security.
The model, 40, opened up about her recent family trip to New York with her kids Sophia, 15, Liberty, 11, Johnny, eight and Jack, seven.
Abbey Clancy reveals her daughter Sophia was ‘nearly arrested’ at the airportCredit: YouTubeThe model was travelling with her four kids when the mishap took place in New YorkCredit: YouTube
But things took a surprise turn when US immigration grilled Sophia when she made a ill-timed joke about a “gun” while entering the US.
Speaking on the latest episode of their podcast The Therapy Crouch, Abbey said: “Sophia nearly got arrested at the airport, we’re landing in New York, it’s kind of security heavy… strict.
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“Those immigration officers are not fun. You cannot crack a joke with them.
“Sophia renewed her passport since she last visited the US and she had to do her fingerprints.
“Sophia was like ‘why do I have to do fingerprints? Is that in case there are fingerprints on the gun?’
“They were like ‘sorry Miss, what did you say? What fingerprints on the gun?’ and then she was like ‘there’s guns here and you could have my fingerprints…’ and they were like ‘what? your fingerprints are on a gun?’.”
Sophie (left) made an ill-timed joke while going through US immigrationCredit: InstagramSophia was questioned by security after the joke didn’t go down wellCredit: Instagram
Abbey was then forced to intervene to explain that her daughter was just making an observation about how they catch criminals.
The mum-of-four continued: “I was like ‘no, my daughter is not saying her fingerprints are on a gun’, she’s saying ‘is that how you catch criminals, if fingerprints are on a gun?’”
But things went from bad to worse when a woman left a bag unattended next to Abbey in a queue, leaving security panicked.
Abbey said: “A lady left her bag and the queue spirals and everyone was going ‘whose is this?’
“At this point she was at the opposite end and I was right near the bag and I was thinking f***ing hell, so this poor woman got accused of leaving a bomb bag.
“She just left it at the end as she didn’t want to keep carrying it.
“So then we got our bags and the driver left us because we were taking too long and I just burst into tears.”
Just last week, Abbey and Peter were accused of boasting about their wealth after moving to Portugal while their £3m UK mansion is renovated.
Peter read out a question from a listener, which asked: “Have you completely relocated to Portugal or are you there while renovating your home?”
Abbey replied: “Obviously, we soldour house, we were looking for a new house, we thought we would try living in Portugal for a bit.
“We’ve absolutely loved it and you know it works perfectly for us because you know we can renovate our new place and all come back and it’ll be done.”
However, some fans thought they were boasting about their wealth and one commented bluntly: “Yeah when you have bagfulls of money, yeah try another country.”
“Bet they’re in Quinta do Lago as it’s very fancy,” added another.
The pair were giving a tour of their luxury estate prior to hosting an extravagant dinner party with lavish catering provided by London’s Nobu.
The multi-million pound property featured its own luxury cinema room and a spacious home office for Peter and his trophies.
Fashion-savvy Abbey had her own walk-in wardrobe, while the outside area boasted a ‘magical’ and ‘peaceful’ garden complete with a high-tech BBQ and swimming pool.
One fan commented: “We get it, you’re loaded. Well done.”
A second added: “How they live, we don’t need to know.”
MrBeast and Thea Booysen met in 2022Credit: GettyThe couple, who got engaged in 2024, are now husband and wifeCredit: Instagram/mrbeast
After dating for four years, Jimmy and Thea got said ‘I do’ on Richard Branson‘s ultra-luxury Necker Island resort.
“I found MrsBeast. And it was the best day of my life,” he announced on Instagram, alongside a sweet snap of them on their wedding day.
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Fans rushed to the comments to congratulate the newlyweds, with one person writing: “All the best for your newly married life and congratulations both of you.”
Another then wrote: “Really happy for you guys, may god keep you together forever.”
The couple’s wedding was attended by 70 loved ones, as per reports.
Their lavish wedding kicked off on July 14, with the festivities going on for a week at the stunning 74-acre private island in the Caribbean.
The couple first met when MrBeast was visiting South Africa, Thea’s home country.
Both Jimmy and Thea are gamers and content creators, though she was quite shocked by how down-to-earth he was.
Speaking to People, Thea said: “When I met him, I was quite surprised how down-to-earth he was, and also how intelligent he was.
“I thought YouTubers were just sort of a persona, but when I met him, I was quite surprised to see that he’s actually a nice guy. He wasn’t sitting there with an ego.”
MrBeast’s YouTube channel has over 500m followers, and his Instagram page is nearing 90m followers.
The 28-year-old content creator was born in Wichita, Kansas, but is now based in North Carolina.
He first joined YouTube in 2012 when he was just 13.
He began by uploading videos of video game playthroughs and net worth estimates of fellow YouTubers.
MrBeast has now scaled his massive YouTube stunts into a global, multiproduct production studio.
Under Beast Industries, he oversees a media empire, food lines (Feastables and Lunchly), analytical tool Viewstats, and licensing deals.
JADE Thirlwall has split from Jordan Stephens after six years as a couple.
The Little Mix star began dating the Rizzle Kicks singer in 2020 and had since moved in together – dividing their time between homes in London and Margate.
Jade Thirlwall has split from Jordan Stephens after six years togetherCredit: GettyThe Rizzle Kicks singer and former Little Mix star failed to celebrate their sixth anniversaryCredit: GettyThe celebrity couple secretly split earlier this year, although remain closeCredit: GettyJade has been throwing herself into work to help move on from the splitCredit: Getty
But The Sun has learned they separated earlier this year, although are still close.
A source said: “Jade and Jordan had a very serious and loving relationship but recently they have had some frank discussions about their future and have decided to separate.
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“It’s not been an easy time but they’ve both been throwing themselves into work.
“Their friends adore them as a couple and are really hoping they get back together but it’s still very raw at the moment.”
They have also not been photographed together for several months – with their last red carpet appearance as a couple being at February’s Brit Awards where they partied until the early hours.
Neither have posted about each other on Instagram since mid-March, and Jordan recently wiped all of the TikTok videos they made together from his profile.
When asked in June about progress on her second album, she hinted at her heartache.
She told The Fader: “I’m just writing stuff. Whatever I’m going through at the minute, like privately, I’m sort of putting pen to paper.
“I think this is the exciting phase or the experimental phase, where you don’t know what it’s going to be yet.”
Jade hinted about heartbreak when she was quizzed about her second albumCredit: GettyThe Sun first revealed the musical couple were dating in 2020Credit: Getty
The Sun first revealed they were dating in 2020 after they went on a series of socially distanced walks during the Covid lockdowns.
The Shout Out To My Ex singer said she “slid into his DMs” after a friend suggested they would be a good match, and they had dates on video call.
She explained: “It was through a friend. I slid in the DMs. I’d been doing this for quite a while. I kept getting pied left, right and centre.
“Jordan and I did a few Zoom dates in lockdown. We made a joke and said it was business and put suits and ties on and asked each other questions. I did the full shebang, a full suit.
“Then we had a socially distanced date in Greenwich park, apart from each other just chatting.”
Jordan recently took over as co-host of the popular Miss Me? podcast with Miquita Oliver, replacingLily Allen.
Fans had noticed he hasn’t spoken about Jade on the podcast for several weeks.
He had a successful career as one half of pop duo Rizzle Kicks from 2008 to 2016 before relaunching the group in 2024.
As a musician, Jordan also worked on her debut album That’s Showbiz Baby! which was released last year.
Jade said at the time: “I actually really didn’t want to date a musician. I’d done it previously; it never works out well. But it’s amazing now. We write together.
“He’s on my album; I’m on his. Jordan’s on the backing vocals for Headache.”
She is currently on a festival tour which will see her spend August travelling across America, Japan, Ireland and the UK.
OAKLAND — The 17th year of Mosswood Meltdown at Oakland’s Mosswood Park brought with it a parade of free-thinking freaks on stage and in the crowd that descended on a punker’s picnic paradise for its annual outing of 20 bands over three days last weekend.
Hosted by the pencil-mustachioed art film icon John Waters, it began with a “pre-party” that exploded with main-event energy courtesy of lo-fi indie rock heroes Pavement, along with Wednesday and Vivian Girls on Friday night. The main fest lineup, topped by underground legends Iggy Pop and Bikini Kill, brought wild music with a message of unity among generations of punks to the tree-lined stages surrounded by a city that knows how to throw a good-time rager while staying deathly serious about its musical taste. Here are 10 moments that stood out at this year’s fest.
John Waters hosted the entire weekend, bringing his cackle-inducing foul-mouthed band intros to nearly every set at Mosswood Meltdown.
(Dick Slaughter)
Saturday
Singer/guitarist Toyozo (Yusuke Toyoshima)of The Fadeaways at Mosswood Meltdown
(Dick Slaughter)
The Fadeaways stand out early
Performing Saturday in Mosswood Park was a homecoming for Japanese revival rockers the Fadeaways. It was barely a year ago that they played a guerilla-style set by the festival entrance for a crowd of unsuspecting new fans. Going from ground level to being introduced on the main stage by Waters was a bucket-list achievement. “Their intense leaps in the air remind me of a throwback ricocheting tear-gas canister landing in a crowd of ICE agents,” the fabulously filthy host told the crowd before bringing them up. When they took the stage, the band wasted no time exploding into a searing 10-song set led by “That Girl” and including a screeching cover of the Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie.”
Snooper lead singer Blair Tramel performing on the Field Stage at Mosswood Meltdown
(Dick Slaughter)
Snooper and itspuppeteers of chaos
Performing its third set at the festival since 2022, this Nashville four-piece band has quickly become a staple of this fest thanks to a larger-than-life-size puppet show and an electro-shock energy that helped it rumble through an early set on the Field Stage Saturday. Frontwoman Blair Tramel let the creativity of her paper-mache puppets made for the show match her highly caffeinated caterwaul on songs like “On the Line” and “Long Way,” where blown-out guitar tones, glitchy beats and shrieking vocals took Saturday’s decibel level unapologetically into the red.
The Spits performing on the Amphitheater Stage at Mosswood Meltdown.
(Dick Slaughter)
The Spits went full throttle
The sunken Amphitheater stage was a tough place to see anything if you didn’t show up to grab a spot at least 20 minutes early (or just climb a tree). But sweating in the sun to watch a band like the Spits, another Mosswood favorite, was worth pre-planning to get into the pit. The four-piece from Kalamazoo, Mich., hilariously clashed with the all-pink game show backdrop of the stage. Entering in sleeveless denim vests backed with a hailstorm of machine samples and maniacal Vincent Price laughter, the band clearly wasn’t playing any games as the members pounced on the crowd with 26 songs performed at breakneck speed, with dirty, piston-pumping rhythms on “Spit Me Out,” “Rip Up the Streets,” “Bring” and “SK8.”
Mannequin Pussy singer Missy Dabice and bassist Colins “Bear” Regisford on the Field Stage at Mosswood Meltdown
(Dick Slaughter)
Mannequin Pussy end with a loud bark
Blissfully ferocious and never short on words from the stage, frontwoman Missy Dabice didn’t get to say as much as she wanted to between songs due to the brevity of a festival set. But after a well-received set full of songs off 2024’s “I Got Heaven” and 2019’s “Patience,” Dabice still left room for some fiery parting words that embodied the tone of the weekend before wrapping things up with the band’s seething battle cry “Loud Bark.” “Don’t forget to celebrate the beauty of life while in every breath in turn fighting against fascism in every section of this country, good night!”
Otoboke Beaver drummer Emi “Leo” Morimoto performing on Saturday at Mosswood Meltdown
(Dick Slaughter)
Otoboke Beaver’s fury lights a fire
This quartet from Kyoto, Japan, put the Mosswood crowd in a stranglehold at the Field Stage and didn’t let up once during its entire set of math-rocky, manic, candy-colored fury. Even if you had no idea of the meaning behind song titles like “Don’t Light My Fire” or “I Am Not Maternal” or “Hey Where’s the Thank You?” sung mostly in Japanese, its joyous hell-raising energy left a lasting impression with the crowd. You couldn’t help but smile watching the members shred as an inflatable, beaver-shaped inner tube bounced around the mosh pit while they did their best to sound like a satanic garage band.
Iggy Pop headlining Saturday night at Mosswood Meltdown.
(Dick Slaughter)
Iggy Pop’s eternal lust for life
Iggy Pop’s ability to stay shirtless and savage at 79 goes beyond scientific explanation. One can only assume he’s made a deal with the devil that he’ll never stop performing. That seemed OK with the packed crowd that watched him headline Saturday night, rolling through all the Stooges and solo classics that made him the king of the underground. He kicked off his 18-song set with “T.V .Eye” and continued ripping into “Raw Power and “I Got a Right” before anyone in the crowd had a chance to catch their breath. With the Los Tropicanos backing band behind him, Iggy’s energy was transferred through the players who bolstered his catalog of Detroit-bred proto punk with tight precision and the right amount of stumbling sleaziness. Though he ended the set in a cage from “Wild One” to “Mass Production,” it’s clear that he’ll never be confined and that should give us all a bit of extra hope for ourselves.
A crowd surfer at Mosswood Meltdown.
(Dick Slaughter)
Sunday
Peaches Christ performing on the Field Stage at Mosswood Meltdown.
(Dick Slaughter)
Peaches Christ sings with punk pride
The fire on stage for Day 2 of the fest started early by a pack of drag queens led by Peaches Christ. She sauntered on the stage with electrified green and purple hair and Vivienne Westwood-style chic to perform a cover of the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen.” Showing the true rainbow colors of the punk scene has always been an important aspect of Mosswood’s ethos and as a staple of the fest, Christ compelled everyone in the crowd to sing loud and proud as she and her squad each took turns performing classics from the canon of mosh pit hits including “New Rose” by the Damned and “Add It Up” by Violent Femmes. Following her was fellow queen Kochina Rude who came out dressed as Pee-wee Herman to perform the Germs’ “Lexicon Devil” before stage-diving into the crowd. Between flamboyant showmanship and a strong commitment to the vocals on tough songs like Suicidal Tendencies’ “Institutionalized” (slayed by Trixxie Carr) the LGBTQ community’s spirit was on display throughout the set.
Drummer Nick Aguilar and bassist Nikki Piclle of Frankie and the Witchfingers.
(Dick Slaughter)
Frankie and the Witchfingers leaves the crowd spellbound
Casting a spell on the crowd with their sharp synth-laden aggression and bouncy ‘80s dance punk rhythms, Frankie and the Witch Fingers arrived with a bang in the late afternoon sun. With a guitar hiked up to his clavicle, frontman Dylan Sizemore convulsed with energy that saw the power of every chord electrify his bones during the jam-heavy “Conducting Experiments” while the rhythm section of drummer Nick Aguilar and the neon green-haired bassist Nikki Pickle kept the crowd bouncing and magnetized the attention of eyes all around the fest. The best crowd surfing of the day came thanks to a seasoned, white-haired fest attendee in a bike helmet who was getting tossed around like a white-water rafter. The head gear was definitely a smart idea.
Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein of the Return of Jackie and Judy perform on the Field Stage at Mosswood Meltdown.
(Dick Slaughter)
The Return of Jackie and Judy revive the Ramones
It’s one thing to perform a set of cover songs, but it’s another thing to play tunes that ensure the vibe of an entire festival is covered as well. “I hope you like the Ramones ‘cuz that’s all we’re playing,” said Carrie Brownstein of Sleater Kinney. Alongside SK bandmates Corin Tucker, Toko Yasuda and “Portlandia” co-star/“Saturday Night Live” comedian Fred Armisen, the quartet formed Ramones tribute the Return of Jackie and Judy. From the thunderous opening chant of “Blitzkrieg Bop” (“Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!”), the all-age crowd strapped in for a roller-coaster ride of leather-clad punk classics that had everyone shouting along. Brownstein did a good job of meeting the moment with both joy and reverence, at various points talking to the crowd about the enduring spirit of the songs as well as dedicating “Rock-n-Roll Radio” to L7 bassist Jennifer Finch, who died Saturday.
Kathleen Hanna and Tobi Vail of Bikini Kill performing on Sunday at Mosswood Meltdown.
(Dick Slaughter)
Bikini Kill passes the torch
The entire vibe around Sunday was fueled by female empowerment thanks to riot grrrl godmothers Bikini Kill. Throngs of young girls in Day-Glo punk garb and face paint mashed against the barricade to see the roots of revolutionary aggression come crashing through the chords of classics like “Carnival,” “Alien She” and, of course, “Rebel Girl.” But frontwoman Kathleen Hanna was just as stoked to see them having a good time in front of her. “I can’t wait to open for you in 10 years,” Hanna said to inspire all the girl bands yet to form in the crowd. . Giving a shout-out to female-fronted young bands like Bitchfit that played one of the most impressive ground-level sets of the weekend was a warm and fuzzy torch-passing moment that summed up the reason a festival like this is still so vital to the survival of punk culture.
Actor Kaylee Hottle, best known for her portrayal of a young deaf orphan who shares a special bond with the giant guardian ape in “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” has died. She was 18.
Hottle died Tuesday morning after the car she was a passenger in crashed into a culvert off the side of the road in Ijamsville, Md., the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Her father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed her death in a video on Facebook.
“I am taking a flight that I never would like to take,” he wrote in the caption of the video post, in which he explained the situation in American Sign Language. He was on his way from Texas to claim her body, according to TMZ.
The Texas School for the Deaf also addressed the actor’s death on social media.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland,” read the Instagram post. “Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time.”
Hottle’s breakout role was in the 2021 MonsterVerse crossover “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which marked her big-screen debut as the young orphan Jia. Jia is the last remaining survivor of the Iwi tribe on Skull Island who shares a connection with Kong, the island’s protector. Her adoptive parent, Dr. Ilene Andrews, is a linguistics expert and Kong researcher, played by Rebecca Hall. Hottle reprised the role in the 2024 follow-up, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.”
“After I watched the movie, I thought, ‘Wow, this is going to make such a big impact,’” Hottle said in a 2024 interview with New York’s WABC. “I was so excited. She’s a young deaf girl, just like many others out there. And this journey that she’s going on is just going to be so amazing.”
The actor, who was born in Atlanta, was from an all-deaf family, which included four generations of deaf relatives on her father’s side, according to IMDb.
Authorities said Hottle was one of two passengers in the 1995 Honda Accord that was involved in the crash. While the incident is still being investigated, the Sheriff’s Office said in its news release that “excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision.”
Millie Bobby Brown, who also appeared in “Godzilla vs. Kong,” was among those who shared tributes to Hottle following the news of her death.
“I’m so devastated to hear this,” she wrote in her Instagram story, which included a black-and-white photo of Hottle as Jia. “You will be deeply missed Kaylee.”
“I am absolutely gutted about the passing of sweet Kaylee Hottle,” Oscar winner Marlee Matlin wrote on Instagram. “May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity. … Such a privilege to have met Kaylee last year. Please be kind to one another. Take the time to listen to your child. Say 🤟🏼 each time you part. 🩵”
TEEN Mom alum Nathan Griffith looks like he’s aged quickly during his latest stint in prison.
In his latest mugshot, former MTV star Nathan, 38, has deep wrinkles in his brows and a long beard as he serves time behind bars in Nevada after he was arrested twice for domestic violence in the past few years.
Nathan Griffith is serving a four-year sentence in a Nevada prisonCredit: Nathan Griffith/InstagramNathan was recently granted paroleCredit: Southern Desert Correctional Center
As The U.S. Sun previously reported, he was sentenced to four years in prison in May 2025 after he was charged with domestic battery in 2023 and again two years later.
He was busted for strangling his sister Heather in the first incident, then charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend Anastasia and violating his probation in the second.
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Nathan had a hearing to request an early release on parole in April, The Ashley’s Reality Roundup first reported.
“I have failed in my decision-making,” Nathan said during the hearing, according to the outlet.
“I have failed in numerous of things I have done in life. And I have failed as a human. Words cannot express how regrettable I am in for my decisions and actions.
“Over the last few years, I became so pathetic that I didn’t care about myself or anything, not even my life.
“I’m sure the parole board has received a few letters describing who I was in my former years, of how great of a person I was.
“We can sit here listening to the many marvelous things I have done and accomplished, or how nice, kind and charitable I am.”
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Nathan is dad to Jenelle Evans’ son KaiserCredit: Nathan Griffith/InstagramNathan was once engaged to Jenelle, but they split soon after Kaiser was bornCredit: Twitter
“But the attributes and accomplishments did not land me here in prison.
“My lack of insight and compassion, and selfishness has put me here. I was hurting so intensely inside that I couldn’t manage my pain nor myself.”
He also admitted he struggles with alcoholism, The Ashley added.
As The U.S. Sun reported, he checked into rehab in 2024, though sobriety did not seem to stick.
Nathan is actively working to change his life in prison, he claimed during the parole hearing, completing 11 education certificates, including a trauma program and anger management course.
His parole was approved in July, though he does not have to legally be released until November.
Nathan is the ex-fiancee and second baby daddy of Teen Mom star Jenelle Evans, with whom he shares son Kaiser, 12.
Nathan is still married to May Oyola after their 2022 wedding, despite separating for a brief time in 2025.
In 2021, he told The U.S. Sun he struggles with PTSD and other mental health issues after serving time in the United States Marine Corps.
A hit crime series series that delves into unsolved murders is available to binge
Cold Justice has been a hit with viewers(Image: ITV screengrab)
A series that explores real unsolved murders is streaming on ITVX and viewers are “obsessed”.
Cold Justice follows former Texas prosecutor Kelly Siegler and her team of investigators as they look into old cases that nobody ever managed to crack.
Murders they explore include the death of a young journalist and the killing of a family of four on Halloween. Another episode focuses on a young man who discovers his father dead on his front steps.
The show, which first hit screens in 2013, has proved enormously popular with audiences, with many posting messages online saying that while it is “disturbing”, it makes for a “gripping” watch, reports Wales Online.
“Perhaps the best real crime show on TV,” one viewer wrote on IMDb.com. “I enjoy this show best of all the many crime shows I watch.”
Somebody else said they were “obsessed”, as another said: “Love the show… I’ve been hooked since the first episode.”
“Just found this show and I’m so addicted,” one person wrote on X, which was formerly Twitter.
“Kelly and her team plus the officers really care about these cold cases and want to solve them for the families to get their justice. Really feel Kelly has her heart 100% in this show and I’m hooked. Two seasons down in three days!”
“I’m obsessed with Cold Justice,” remarked somebody else. “I am always in absolute awe watching how brilliant @SieglerKelly is. She just seems like a kind, sympathetic, people person who actually wants to bring answers to these poor families.”
One fan said they had “never missed an episode”, adding: “I am beyond obsessed with the closure and hard work @SieglerKelly and her team do to help with these cases. If you haven’t watched Cold Justice you should definitely start.”
“It is the best show out there!” exclaimed another fan.
“It’s the best show on TV and helping so many families,” commented another.
Nine series of Cold Justice have aired since it began 13 years ago, with Kelly and the team helping to secure a number of arrests and convictions as a result of their investigative work.
The ongoing saga of the Cinerama Dome, among the most iconic movie theaters in Los Angeles, took another twist Tuesday. Reports surfaced that Sony and Alamo Drafthouse, the theater chain owned by the company, have been in talks to take over operation of the venue.
The theater and the adjacent 14-screen ArcLight Hollywood multiplex have been closed since March 2020. In April 2021 it was announced that the venue would not be reopening and it has sat dormant ever since, becoming the focus of intense public interest.
The news of Sony and Alamo’s interest in the property was first reported by Deadline. Representatives for Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A city hearing in May regarding alcohol sales at the site provided a rare opportunity for public comment on the property.
“I know that this has been hard and it has seemed like the citizens versus the ownership — that’s not what it is,” local preservation advocate Kim Cooper said. “People want to come together and help and bring this place back.”
The Dome has long been owned by the family of William R. Forman — the founder of Pacific Theatres — who opened the Dome in 1963. In an interview with The Times following the May meeting, Elizabeth Peterson-Gower, a land use consultant representing the venue’s owners, said the owners hoped to have a reopening time frame “in the near future.”
Sony purchased the Austin, Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse in 2024, with venues in major cities all across the U.S., including L.A. Though the Drafthouse chain was rooted in a fan-friendly ethos and a notoriously strict no-phones policy in its theaters, the company has recently come under fire for switching up the ordering system for its in-seat food service, forcing patrons to pull out their phones during a movie.
The Cinerama Dome news comes on the heels of a strong summer of moviegoing, as audiences have been flocking to theaters to see movies such as “The Odyssey,” “Toy Story 5,” “Backrooms” and “Obsession.” There has been a newfound attention on theatrical presentation and film formats, including the limited number of venues capable of projecting Imax 70mm or 70mm film, around the country.
Theatergoing in L.A. has been undergoing a renaissance of its own. The Alex Theatre in Glendale is showing a first-run movie with “The Odyssey” for the first time since 1991, while the American Cinematheque has relaunched the Village Theatre in Westwood under the new name the Directors Village to acknowledge the consortium of filmmakers who took over ownership.
JENNIFER Lopez’ ex-husband Marc Anthony has become a dad for the EIGHTH time aged 57 after his fourth wife Nadia Ferreira, 27, welcomed their second child together.
Singer Marc and model Nadia – who also share three-year-old son Marco – took to social media to reveal their happy news, telling fans they’d welcomed a baby girl named Myla.
Marc and forth wife Nadia have welcomed a baby girl named MylaCredit: InstagramThe couple are also parents to three-year-old son MarcoCredit: Instagram
Their caption, translated from Spanish, read: “What a great blessing to be able to share with you the arrival of our precious MYLA.
“You can’t imagine the happiness we have at home, we are over the moon.”
He is also dad to Chase, 35, and Arianna, 31 – who he shares with ex-girlfriend Debbie Rosado – and Cristian, 25, and Ryan, 22, from his first marriage to Dayanara Torres.
Marc has been married four times and shares eight children with three different womenCredit: Getty ImagesHe and Jennifer, pictured in 2008, share twins Max and EmmeCredit: AFP via Getty Images
Marc and Nadia tied the knot in 2023 in a star-studded ceremony at Perez Art Museum in Miami.
In 2014 – three years after he and Jennifer called time on their marriage – Marc married model Shannon Di Lima.
OASIS have officially landed the UK’s biggest selling studio album of all time.
New lists revealed today have shown how the band’s epic reunion last year has prompted their iconic studio album, (What’s The Story?) Morning Glory, to become Britain’s biggest seller.
Oasis have officially landed the biggest selling studio album in the UKCredit: GettyTheir reunion last year has propelled them to the top spotCredit: Getty
The 1995 record has seen brothers Noel and Liam leapfrog The Beatles‘ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper – previously the long-standing biggest studio album.
Oasis now sit at number three overall – with ABBA and Queen’s compilation records in first and second position.
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A source told The Sun of the epic achievement: “This milestone cements Oasis as the UK’s most influential and successful band.
“After their Oasis Live ‘25 shows last year, that album sold like hot cakes.
The Beatles now have the third best selling studio album of all timeCredit: GettyAdele sits just behind OasisCredit: AFP
“With their 2027 dates due to be announced next month, the sales are only going to skyrocket.
“Noel and Liam should be cracking out the champagne.”
The Official Charts Company confirmed the rankings today as they marked 70 years of compiling Britain’s music.
Sitting behind Oasis at number four is Adele’s 2011 record, 21, which has managed to push The Beatles’ 1967 effort into fifth place overall – with those three records making up Britain’s biggest studio albums of all time.
The 1970s take over sixth and seventh position with Fleetwood Mac‘s ’73 album, Rumours, in sixth followed by Pink Floyd’s 1973 effort, The Dark Side of the Moon.
Michael Jackson sits in eighth with 1982’s Thriller followed by Bob Marley’ ’84 record Legend in ninth and Dire Straits’ 1985 release, Brothers in Arms, rounding out the top ten.
BBC sitcom The Power of Parker, which featured a cast made up of Conleth Hill, Sian Gibson and Benidrom star Sheila Reid, has been axed after two series on air
The Power of Parker has been axed after two series on air(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Boffola Pictures)
The Power of Parker has been axed after two series on air. The sitcom starred Conleth Hill, best known for his role as Varys in Game of Thrones, as wannabe business guru Martin Parker, whose seemingly successful life is in fact all built on lies.
All set in Stockport in 1990, the programme also stars creator Sian Gibson, best known for her role in Peter Kay’s Car Share, and Sheila Reid, known to fans of Benidorm as Madge Harvey, in the cast.
The final episode of series two saw Martin bracing himself for arrest on a charge of attempted murder, and along with his mistress and his wife pushed business rival Sandy (Steve Pemberton) into the back of a bin wagon. But Sandy then turned back up with video evideoce and threatened to go to the police if they did not pay up. However, viewers will never get to see just what happened now that the show has been pulled.
A source said: “Losing any series will feel like a crime for its fans. But for the two million who watched The Power Of Parker, its axe with so many loose ends is a major felony.
Speaking to The Sun, the source added: “The ratings just didn’t deliver enough bang for buck and it was decided the series would be chopped to make way for new formats.”
Over the years, the BBC has been responsible for comedies such as Only Fools and Horses, The Vicar of Dibley and Fawlty Towers amongst a whole host of other sitcom staples.
A spokesperson said: “There are no plans for a third series of The Power Of Parker. We’d like to thank Paul Coleman, Sian Gibson and the team at Boffola Pictures for bringing the show to our screens.”
Whilst promoting what turned out to be the last series, which focused what happened after Martin after losing his electrical goods store over an affair with Kath (Sian Gibson) – the sister of his wife Diane (Rosie Cavaliero), Conleth revealed to presenters Alex Jones and Roman Kemp on The One Show that his character had experienced a “huge fall from grace” with things being exacerbated by Kath.
However, his co-star then chimed in and told fans that there would be plenty of “twists and turns” coming up as she said: “Kath makes everything worse but there’s lots of twists and turns and there’s a huge twist in one of the episodes which means that Kath and Diane, her sister, played by lovely Rose Cavaliero, and Martin all have to work together.”
Conleth previously explained that his family weren’t too impressed with the character when the first series aired. He said: “My older relatives didn’t like him because he was an adulterer,” he shares.
“I based him on a mate of mine back home who wears cowboy boots and suits. When he doesn’t, he looks like a dumpy middle-aged man but transforms in the suit and cowboy boots,” he admits. “It’s just something about the choice of ‘I’m going to give myself a couple more inches’ in the boots that I liked immediately.”
Freddy Brazier spent around eight hours in hospital yesterday after being attacked by his gran’s dogCredit: CLICK NEWS – SPLASHJackiey Budden required medical treatment after an attack from the dog days earlierCredit: Doug Seeburg
The alarm was first raised during an attack on July 16 by a concerned neighbour who heard screams of agony as the Pocket Bully, Pablo, gripped onto Jackiey, 68, leaving her requiring medical treatment. The fire brigade was also called out.
But just four days later the dog struck again, in a more severe attack. Freddy had returned to help his frantic gran before he, too, was launched upon by Pablo.
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There are now questions over whether the dog could face questions over safety – following a growing concern over illegally bred dogs including the now infamous XL Bully which has since been outlawed – and is a similar sort of animal to Freddy’s.
Last night a source said: “It’s been a shocking few days.
Bulldog Pablo attacked Jackiey before turning to Freddie when he tried to helpCredit: Instagram/pablothepocket_Freddie is the son of TV presenter Jeff Brazier and Big Brother icon Jade GoodyCredit: Getty
“During the first incident Jackiey home alone and she was mauled – on this occasion one of her panicked neighbours raised the alarm.
“Both the police and the fire brigade attended, but fortunately it wasn’t too serious – and they agreed not to pursue criminal charges.
“But a few days later the incident was repeated, and this time it was worse.
“Jackiey has been very upset – she is devastated as she views that dog as a grandson.
Freddie had a row with his ex Holly Swinburn over the pet bulldogCredit: Instagram/hollyswinburnxIn the first attack Jackiey was mauled by the dog before neighbours raised the alarmCredit: Doug Seeburg – The Sun
“Freddy came back to take Pablo but caught up in it all as the dog was clearly still frenzied.
“Freddy went to A&E immediately, but discharged himself after complaining that the waiting time was too long.
“But yesterday he was forced to return and his injuries couldn’t be ignored. He was still night was still in hospital receiving significant treatment.
“It’s been an awful view days and Freddy is devastated as he absolutely adores that dog and Pablo is a huge part of the family.”
Freddy moved in with gran Jackiey after clashing with dad JeffCredit: InstagramJackiey is said to be devastated by the attack from the loved family petCredit: Rex Features
SHAKIRA’S performance at the Super Bowl 2020 halftime show was plagued by backstage tensions with her Latina co-star Jennifer Lopez.
But today, the South American She Wolf singer is howling with delight as she dominates music charts around the world following a show-stopping performance at the World Cup Final.
Shakira was paid an eye-watering £15million for her incredible World Cup performanceCredit: The Mega AgencyThe Colombian popstar, who burst onto the scene in the nineties alongside J-Lo, was watched by 1.5billion viewersCredit: Getty
Colombian beauty Shakira, 49, pulled off the ultimate performance, wowing 1.5billion global viewers at Sunday’s mega gig.
The mum-of-two, who is worth £224million, celebrated her success by sharing snaps of herself with Beyonce, Jay Z, David Beckham, BTS, Tom Cruise and Anya Taylor-Joy.
Elsewhere, her rival J-Lo was left washing away her woes after she was pictured in a bathtub on a day out with her sister.
It came after she sang at an intimate gig for Dolce and Gabbana in Sicily last week — a much less extravagant showcase than Shakira’s.
Insiders say J-Lo was licking her wounds after being desperate to land the World Cup gig herself, 12 years on from her stellar performance at the 2014 tournament in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
To add insult to injury, her latest movie, Kiss Of The Spider Woman, was branded a box office flop.
As one music insider said: “J-Lo practically dismissed Shakira as some sort of backup singer at the Super Bowl, but how the tables have turned.
“Naturally J-Lo would have loved her chance to shine on the world stage again.”
Rumblings of a feud between the pair first began in February 2020.
The American football body, the NFL, had booked Shakira and J-Lo to co-headline the prestigious Super Bowl half-time show, a slot that has attracted the likes of Michael Jackson, Prince and Beyonce.
Fans went wild for Shakira as she sang hits including Whenever, Wherever and Hips Don’t Lie, and J-Lo belted out her bangers On The Floor and Love Don’t Cost A Thing.
The critics lapped it up, calling the concert “electric” and the “sexiest half-time show in memory”.
But behind closed doors, Jennifer, 56, was said to be unhappy that she had to share the stage.
In her 2022 Netflix documentary Halftime, a furious J-Lo raged behind the scenes. She blasted the joint performance as “the worst idea in the world”, with her manager Benny Medina adding: “It was an insult to say you needed two Latinas to do the job that one artist historically has done.”
Shakira celebrated her World Cup triumph with selfies with stars including David BeckhamCredit: InstagramBeyonce and Jay-Z even wanted a selfie with ShakiraCredit: Instagram
J-Lo made it very clear she felt she had deserved the 12-minute slot to herself.
Fans also spotted a difference in how the artists shared promotional photos on Facebook in the weeks before the event.
While Shakira’s snaps featured both Latina artists, J-Lo’s were of herself.
Despite J-Lo’s very public comments, her rival has been more discreet, though she has hinted at tensions. Shakira, who released her first album aged 14, confessed: “It wasn’t an easy show to put together.
“There was a lot of work behind it, a lot of stress. But it was one of the highlights of my career.”
Fast forward to now and the tables have turned for the stars, who both burst on to the pop scene in the mid-Nineties.
Shakira’s infectious World Cup anthem with Burna Boy, Dai Dai, has taken the world by storm, triggering a chart frenzy the likes of which J-Lo has not experienced since 2011 when On The Floor — her collaboration with Pitbull — went to No1.
Minutes after her hip-shaking performance of the track at the World Cup Final, it was riding high at the top of Spotify’s chart, handing the star her biggest streaming day ever — and the biggest streaming day in US Spotifyhistory to boot.
Shakira’s former friend J-Lo was left washing away her woes in the bath after performing an intimate gig in Milan, ItalyCredit: jlo/ InstagramJ-lo was said to have raged’ over the idea of sharing the Superbowl stage with Shakira despite it being praised by criticsCredit: Getty
Shakira has pledged to donate all royalties from Dai Dai to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.
A music insider said: “Shakira’s numbers are astronomical. She is dominating every single music chart on Earth. It’s quite the achievement for any artist, never mind one who turns 50 next year.”
What’s more, the singer’s phenomenally successful Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Women No Longer Cry) tour was officially 2025’s highest-grossing global trek and the most lucrative tour of all time by a Hispanic artist.
To top off her reign, Shakira is heading back to Europe this autumn for a 12-arena residency across September and October in Madrid.
It will be at a brand new, specially built venue dubbed the Shakira Stadium.
An insider added: “Having a literal stadium built in your name in Spain is one hell of a mic drop. You can’t buy that kind of triumph.”
It has been a different story for J-Lo, who was forced to cancel her This Is Me . . . Live tour in 2024 amid reports of weak ticket sales.
She said in a statement she was “heartsick and devastated”.
Jennifer performed at the opening ceremony for the 2014 Brazil World Cup in Sao PauloCredit: AFPTo add insult to injury, her latest movie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, was branded a box office flopCredit: Alamy
What makes this triumph even sweeter for Shakira is it was born from the ashes of heartache. Both stars have endured devastating public splits.
Spanish media reported she discovered his infidelity when she returned to their Barcelona mansion and noticed someone had been eating her strawberry jam — a spread that her hubby loathed.
Instead of moping, Shakira — who has sons Milan, 13, and Sasha, 11, with her ex — marched straight into the recording studio.
She teamed up with Argentine producer Bizarrap to release a ruthless diss track that mercilessly mocked Pique and his new, girlfriend, Clara Chía Marti, who was in her early twenties at the time.
In an obvious dig, she sang: “I’m worth two 22s. You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo. You traded a Rolex for a Casio.”
Shakira also proudly declared in the lyrics: “Women don’t cry any more, they cash in.”
J-Lo and Ben rekindled her early noughties flame but it sadly ended in divorce againCredit: GettyIn 2022, Shakira’s 11-year relationship with Spanish football legend Gerard Piqué, 39, came crashing downCredit: Getty
And cash in she did. The song shattered several GuinnessWorld Records, rocketed her career to new heights and proved that hell hath no fury like a Colombian pop goddess scorned.
J-Lo, took a different approach. After three failed marriages — to Ojani Noa, Cris Judd and Marc Anthony — with whom she has 18-year-old twins Max and Emme — J-Lo rekindled her early Noughties romance with ex-fiancé Ben Affleck in 2021.
Bennifer 2.0 tied the knot in 2022, and Jen became so hopelessly obsessed with their “fairytale” that she self- funded a cringe-inducing, £15million musical film, This Is Me . . . Now: A Love Story.
J-Lo’s recent cinematic efforts have not fared any better.
While she was once the undisputed queen of the romcom, with movie hits including The Wedding Planner and Maid In Manhattan, her recent films have failed to set the box office alight. In fact, 2024 sci-fi flick Atlas was widely panned, while last year’s Kiss Of The Spider Woman lost millions, leaving Hollywood insiders questioning J-Lo’s bankability.
Even a recent return to romcom in Netflix’s Office Romance scored a measly 49 per cent on movie review website Rotten Tomatoes.
While recent professional endeavours may have struggled, J-Lo is the ultimate comeback queen.
And her £300million business empire, including the booming JLo Beauty line, proves she is a formidable force.
So while Shakira is enjoying global adoration, it would perhaps be foolish to write J-Lo out of Hollywood quite yet.
The popular BBC competition has returned for its 12th season, with Esme Young and Patrick Grant reprising their roles as judges, whilst comedian Sophie Willan replaced Sara Pascoe as presenter.
As the new season aired its second week, the 11 remaining amateur sewers took part in three challenges.
First, they faced the Pattern Challenge, constructing a top with adaptive elements, then they faced a Transformation Challenge, where they had to convince the judges that their least favourite colours, brown and purple, could be transformed into attractive garments.
Finally, in the Made-to-Measure, the sewers had to use one colour to create an eye-catching outfit.
During the first task in the show, two contestants opened up about their passion to promote adaptive clothing.
Oxfordshire engineering PhD student Beth shared: “The adaptive side of it is really great because it’s quite a personal thing for me.
“My dad broke his neck in a motorbike accident. Very luckily, he’s still with us but he can’t feel with his hands.
“I’ve used really big buttons with quite large button holes so he can do them himself.”
Beth, 24, also shared how she creates clothes for her own needs, explaining: “I have scoliosis which is the curvature of the spine, and so being able to make dresses or tops that celebrate my back from all the lifting I do is quite an empowering thing.
“Without sewing that wouldn’t be possible for me.”
Not long later, another Sewing Bee star shared their health condition, after suffering from pain.
Contestant Rebecca, 27, revealed she made garments adjusted for her own needs.
She said: “Almost everything I make for myself is adaptive. I have chronic stomach pain, so for me, adaptive fashion is making sure there is nothing tight around my stomach.”
The chartered actuary from London was crowned winner of the first challenge, and celebrated: “I’m so thrilled to have specifically won the adaptive fashion challenge as an invisibly-disabled person.”
The Great British Sewing Bee airs Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
More Kraft Heinz products will be available in Walt Disney Co.’s U.S.-based theme parks and on cruise ships after the two companies recently inked a multiyear partnership.
Ten Kraft Heinz brands will be part of the deal, including Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese, the companies said in a statement Tuesday.
Both Disney and Heinz declined to comment on the financial terms of the deal, but a Heinz spokesperson said it is Disney’s “highest level of partnership” and designed to be an ongoing effort.
The partnership, which begins this summer, will result in new menu items, experiences and product offerings at Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort, Orlando’s Walt Disney World and on Disney cruise ships sailing out of ports in North America.
In the short term, new Heinz condiment stations and custom-designed equipment will be installed throughout the parks, the companies said.
Beyond the use of Kraft Heinz brands at Disney parks and on cruise ships, the partnership also allows for “integrated marketing campaigns” and digital content across Disney’s media platforms.
“Together we will build creative experiences for our consumers across our destinations, platforms, and fan touchpoints,” Becca Vodnoy, Walt Disney Co. senior vice president of corporate alliances, said in the statement.
Escape to the Country presenter Sonali Shah’s mystery house pick left a buyer facing a difficult decision
Sonali Shah is a presenter on Escape to the Country(Image: BBC screengrab)
Escape to the Country’s latest buyer confessed he was “flummoxed” as he faced a difficult decision.
The series sees property experts helping people to find new homes, often miles from where they live. The presenters show potential buyers a series of houses plus a mystery pick.
And it was the mystery property that proved to be a problem for Andrew, when he fell in love with it after he had already come close to committing to a more affordable cottage, reports Leeds Live.
Andrew had decided to relocate from his city residence in the Netherlands to the countryside of the Peak District, where he’d spent childhood years and where his grandmother had lived.
The BBC show’s presenter Sonali Shah found him a cottage from 1850 that ticked all his boxes, but complications arose when she unveiled a mystery property that actually consisted of two distinct dwellings, each with its own bedroom, kitchen and outdoor area. The catch was its £400,000 price tag, exceeding his £375,000 budget.
Andrew was impressed with the position of Sonali’s mystery pick, saying the view was “definitely the best so far”. He went on: “It’s the kind of view of fields that I was asking for. That’s what I really like.”
He also liked the way the property had been finished, noting: “It has all the charm of an old cottage, and it’s completely renovated.”
His sister Sue said she thought they were going to have “a problem” and Andrew admitted that was the case.
“What have I done? What have I done?” exclaimed Sonali as she perched on the stairs listening to them.
She continued: “They really liked a house. They were probably going to make a move on that, and then I come in with this mystery house that is amazing. Oh, dear.”
Later, Andrew conceded that seeing the mystery house had made his decision “more difficult”.
And after deliberating with Sue, he remained uncertain about which property to pursue.
“I really like, obviously, house number one, but I really like the mystery house too so I’m flummoxed now,” he explained. “I have to do a lot of soul searching.”
Sue said: “I think this mystery house has definitely delivered something different for Andrew, something he certainly wasn’t expecting, and now he’s a bit flabbergasted, I think. I think that as Andrew’s sister I’ve now been put in a very, very difficult position, because I don’t really know what to advise him to do.”
Nevertheless, Andrew ultimately went back to the first cottage and submitted an offer, which was accepted.
The Broad’s “Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind” is more mind than music. She opens your mind; you make the music. Look into an empty “Box of Smile” and maybe you will. “Give Peace a Chance” — of course.
She breaks, and she mends, and not just your mind. Something tells me the Broad won’t go along with Ono’s “Collecting Piece II” from 1963, which has the following instructions: “Break a contemporary museum into pieces with the means you have chosen. Collect the pieces and put it together with glue.”
That’s a smile piece, too, although Ono looks all business holding a crystalline hammer on the catalog cover photo. I still smile when I recall how her piece for an orchestra that asks the players to bang their heads against a stage wall utterly delighted an audience and musicians at a performance in New York. Only Ono remained deadpan.
There were more smiles Saturday evening when The Broad, in collaboration with REDCAT across the street, presented a program of two Ono performance pieces. It began with six members of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra playing Boccherini’s First Sextet. This happens to be the first work ever written for pairs of violins, violas and cellos, as an expression of freedom that, in 1776, felt revolutionary.
Perhaps that is why LACO chose the Italian composer to represent a contemporary revolutionary artist in the wake of our 250th July 4. The actual piece being performed was Ono’s “Sky Piece for Jesus Christ,” in which she instructs an orchestra, whatever size (although she tended to like something larger than a sextet), to begin by playing a work, say, by Mozart.
It doesn’t much matter what is chosen, because at the premiere in a 1965 Fluxus concert at Carnegie Recital Hall, Ono and a couple of colleagues crept on stage and began wrapping the musicians in gauze. After a few minutes, they could no longer play.
Amusing, yes, but this is also an act of silencing, maybe even passive-aggressive violence. You smile (and a player or two at REDCAT couldn’t suppress a smile), but you don’t feel so hot doing so.
Members of the L.A. Chamber Orchestra covered in gauze while performing Yoko Ono’s “Sky Piece to Jesus Christ” at REDCAT.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
There is, in fact, more to this “Sky Piece” than meets the smile. Ono meant Jesus Christ to stand for John Cage. Cage was a key inspiration for Ono’s art. When the Beatles broke up and Ono and John Lennon moved to New York in the late 1960s, they first wanted to be as far from the limelight as possible, Ono having been demonized in the popular press over supposedly breaking up the Beatles (she didn’t!!!!). Cage found them a small two-bedroom apartment next door to him and his partner, Merce Cunningham, in their modest West Village building (a significant fact curiously ignored in the otherwise illuminating new documentary “One to One: John and Yoko” about the couple’s new New York life there).
Ono and Cage had a long, meaningful but not always easy relationship. Cage, who wrote music to suppress his ego, had a problem with Ono’s exhibitionism. In 1962, he dedicated a piece to Ono titled “0’00” (4’33” No. 2),” an Ono-like composition with a single sentence of instruction: “In a situation provided with maximum amplification (no feedback) perform a disciplined action.”
Cage later added other qualifications. One insistence is that the action should fulfill an obligation to others. However much Ono’s “Sky Piece” comes across as a playful Cage rejoinder, Ono did, the year before in Kyoto, create what could be called a version of “0’00”,” although an actual silent piece.
This is her famous “Cut Piece,” which the performance artist known as MPA performed at REDCAT following “Sky Piece.” It was clearly the draw that caused the program to be sold out months in advance.
There are many meanings that have been inscribed to “Cut Piece,” in which Ono invited the audience to come on stage and, with a pair scissors, cut off a small piece of her dress. Along with questioning social and sexual taboos, feminism and acts of aggression, Ono also confronts her own issues with ego from a Buddhist perspective, just as Cage had.
“Cut Piece” has a central place in Ono’s work as do film clips of her performing it in the Broad exhibition. Ono sits without a trace of emotion as she is stripped bare. Attention is directed away from her to the cutters. But the action is nullified by the fact that Ono assumes the stoic posture of the Buddhist monks seen in the news at the time setting themselves aflame in protest of the Vietnam War.
War had, indeed, inspired Ono in her shocking, exhibitionist (however ego-denying) disciplined action. It’s fulfillment of an obligation to others is, like so much in Ono, a two-edged sword forcing us — be we active cutters or passive observers — into contemplation of violence.
MPA’s performance was extraordinary. She introduced “Cut Piece” by noting that in Ono’s six performances over a half-century, the last in 2003 in response to the Gulf War, anger had turned into something more gracious. It was her way of saying to a new generation, give peace a chance.
To begin her own performance, MPA announced that she has retained Ono’s intent to perform “Cut Piece” in time of war. She said take the square of clothing and honor it, let it mean something to you.
At the few performances I’ve seen of “Cut Piece,” there has typically been audience hesitation at first. Not this time. What looked like almost half the full house immediately walked on stage and lined up. In the age of Instagram, everyone’s 15 minutes of fame has turned into an eternity. The cut piece of fabric — a custom garment designed by Victor Barragá — becomes proof of not missing out.
Most cutters approached MPA self-consciously as if walking to a casket at a funeral, although a few acted more like performers themselves wanting to be seen. Through it all, some 40 minutes, MPA didn’t move a muscle. It was as if she had abstracted herself from scissors and spectators, projecting not so much courage as strength. She inspired silence.
An evening that had begun as silencing a smiling sextet ended in a sublime effort to open the mind beyond body and music to give peace a chance.
The Only Way Is Essex’s Dan Edgar and Chloe Lewis were spotted out and about togetherCredit: Instagram/tonicterraceThe pair stepped out at Tonic Terrace in BournemouthCredit: Instagram/tonicterrace
The pair stepped out together at Tonic Terrace in Bournemouth and posed for the camera.
The venue posted on Instagram: “Amazing to have @chloelewis91 & @danedgar pop in and see us on Saturday night 🤍
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“Hope you enjoyed your cocktails and come back and see us soon!”
Speaking on his new girlfriend Chloe, who was on the show between 2015 and 2019, Dan said previously: “She’s very understanding and very grown up as a person anyway.
Dan shared a slew of images on Instagram and captioned them: “A very different few days in ibiza mixed with a first look at some newness we have coming from the brand. Recharged and ready to go.”
In what appeared to be their first interaction on social media, Chloe replied with a sweet heart hands emoji beneath Dan’s post.
Fans were then thrilled when Dan liked her post and flocked to comment.
One wrote: “Love this love you 2.”
Another said: “Finally, a confirmation.”
A third added: “Love Chloe and Dan together. @chloelewis91 is stunning, and seems like such a kind person too.”
Her major break arrived when acclaimed casting director Sarah Halley Finn was seeking a deaf actress to play Jia – a young Iwi girl with a unique bond with King Kong – in the 2021 blockbuster Godzilla vs Kong.
Guided to Kaylee by an assistant director who remembered her performance in the Convo commercial, the film team knew she was perfect for the role.
The movie became a massive global hit, launching Kaylee into the international spotlight.
She reprised her role as Jia in the 2024 sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Her performance in the film earned her a nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor at the 52nd Saturn Awards.
Outside of her film work, Kaylee was a senior student at the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) in Austin, Texas.
Local law enforcement sources confirmed to The U.S. Sun that officers were called to the scene of a fatal crash involving the teenage star, where emergency personnel remained on site.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, first revealed the news of her death during an emotional 23-minute livestream on Facebook.
In the video, presented in American Sign Language (ASL), Joshua shared that he was forced to board an urgent flight to Maryland after receiving a call from officials informing him of the tragic accident.
He explained that authorities notified him that Kaylee’s heart had stopped while she was being transported to the hospital in an ambulance.
Captioning the live broadcast, he wrote: “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take.”
Exact details regarding the cause of the collision, the vehicle involved, or whether anyone else was injured remain unconfirmed as emergency services continue their investigation.
Her former school released a statement noting that official information remains “very limited” and urged the public to refrain from speculating on the circumstances while inquiries continue.
Who has paid tribute?
Tributes have poured in from across the deaf community and film industry following news of the young star’s death.
Kaylee’s school released a statement mourning the loss of their student.
It said: “It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland.
“Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time.”
The school added that counseling and support services have been made available for students and staff as they process the loss.
Her father’s livestream received a flood of condolences from friends, family, and members of the deaf community, while fans worldwide have taken to social media to honor Kaylee’s screen representation and express sympathy for her family.
