That’s one way to understand Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” on which music’s biggest star offers up a dozen precision-cut pop songs just 18 months removed from last year’s sprawling and emotionally unstable “The Tortured Poets Department.”
That earlier LP, which contained 16 tracks before Swift expanded it with 15 more, was perhaps the most divisive of the singer’s two-decade-long career; it racked up bonkers sales and streaming numbers, of course — at this point, she’s truly too big to fail — but its mixed reception among tastemakers and even some fans seemed to rattle Swift, who for all her alertness to the brutality of being a woman in the public eye has become accustomed to a certain level of idolatry.
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So here’s “Showgirl,” her 12th studio LP, for which she stepped away from her longtime creative partner Jack Antonoff to reteam with Max Martin and Shellback, the two hit-making Swedish producer-songwriters who helped her transition cleanly from country to pop in the mid-2010s with blockbuster albums like “Red” and “1989.” Swift has said she made the new album while roaming around Europe in the summer of 2024 on her record-obliterating Eras tour, which explains the title even as it begs all sorts of questions about her psychotic work ethic.
And let’s be clear: These three can craft a hook as neatly and as skillfully — as deviously, really — as anyone in the business. In contrast with the bleary “Tortured Poets,” which yielded only one pop-radio monster in the Hot 100-topping “Fortnight,” “Showgirl” is likely to spin off several, not least the album’s lead single, “The Fate of Ophelia,” which rides an irresistible new wave groove that evokes the veteran hookmeisters of Eurythmics. (Look ’em up, kids.)
As a piece of psychological portraiture, though — the framework, for better or for worse, by which Swift has trained us to interpret her music — this collection of expertly tailored bops falls well short of its predecessor; “Showgirl” feels like a retreat from the vivid bloodletting of “Tortured Poets,” which captured a woman whose one-of-one success had emboldened her to speak certain toxic truths.
Is that because she’s ended up in a healthy romantic relationship with Travis Kelce, the NFL star whom she’s engaged to marry? One hates to indulge hoary ideas about happiness being bad for songwriters. Yet there’s no denying that Swift’s lyrics about love here lack the kind of depth she’s mined in tunes thought to have been inspired by the dastardly likes of John Mayer and Matty Healy.
“Please, God, bring me a best friend who I think is hot,” she sings, somehow, in the electro-trappy “Wish List,” which recounts all the hoping and dreaming she did before she finally met Mr. Right; “Wood,” a kind of kiddie-disco number that sounds like Martin was aiming it for the “Trolls” movie franchise, exults in the erotic thrill of a guy brandishing “new heights of manhood.” (In case you missed it, I’m sorry to say that’s a reference to Kelce’s podcast, on which Swift recently appeared and dropped a bar about her fiancé — “He may not have read ‘Hamlet,’ but I explained it to him” — that she really should have saved for “The Fate of Ophelia.”)
Elsewhere, she makes familiar complaints about the punishing experience of celebrity, as in “Elizabeth Taylor” — “Oftentimes, it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me” — and “Cancelled!,” which feels like a goth-Nirvana redo of “Look What You Made Me Do,” from 2017’s genuinely startling “Reputation.”
And then there’s the acidic “Actually Romantic,” which seems to be a response to Charli XCX’s “Sympathy Is a Knife,” in which Charli expressed her anxieties about being compared to Taylor in a zero-sum pop scene; Swift gets off some funny lines about chihuahuas and cocaine but totally forgoes the sense of empathy that made her such an icon to every pop songwriter who’s come up behind her.
What’s good on “Showgirl”? “Opalite” is a gorgeous soft-rock tune about overcoming old instincts — “I had a bad habit of missing lovers past / My brother used to call it ‘eating out of the trash’” — while “Ruin the Friendship” looks back at a shoulda-woulda high-school dalliance with the pin-prick precision that Swift has always mustered when writing about her adolescence. Both songs ride coolly laidback Fleetwood Mac-style grooves that feel new for Martin and Shellback, who throughout the album rely more than you’d expect on live instrumentation. (Hang with “Wish List,” if you can, for a killer bass line that shows up in the second verse.)
Swift sings more than once about legacy and inheritance on this album: “Father Figure,” which interpolates George Michael’s late-’80s classic of the same name, is narrated by a mentor who’s betrayed by his protégé; the Broadway-ish title track, which closes the album with a feature from Sabrina Carpenter, tracks the aspirations of a showbiz hopeful from fresh-faced naivete to all-knowing cynicism.
Maybe those songs are Swift’s way of telling us that she knows “The Life of a Showgirl” isn’t as sharp as it could’ve been. We’ll see if it’s as tidy as it needed to be.
TAYLOR SWIFT has admitted she no longer believed in marriage and had given up on love after splitting from long-term boyfriend Joe Alwyn.
The superstar has used her new album The Life Of A Showgirl — out today — to document going from depression to being wooed back to life by her fiancé, Travis Kelce.
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Superstar Taylor Swift as a showgirl in a shot for her new album
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The Life Of A Showgirl documents Taylor going from depression to being wooed back to life by Travis KelceCredit: AP
Though in a move that is sure to get the world talking, Taylor savages a mystery person, believed to be singer Charli XCX, for mocking her.
Taylor and Travis started dating in the summer of 2023 before he popped the question in August this year.
On lead single The Fate Of Ophelia, Taylor sings: “And if you’d never called for me. I might have drowned in the melancholy.
Rediscovered love of life
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“I swore my loyalty to me, myself and I, right before you lit my sky up.”
She adds: “You dug me out of my grave and saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia.
“And if you’d not come for me, I might have lingered in purgatory.
“No longer drowning and deceived, all because you came for me.”
The song is based on Shakespeare’s character Ophelia in Hamlet.
After being toyed with by rich and powerful men, Ophelia goes insane and kills herself by drowning.
Travis Kelce tells Fox NFL Sunday he broke down in tears in emotional Taylor Swift proposal moment
The track acts as a bridge between the doom of Taylor’s 11th album The Tortured Poets Department and her new, rediscovered love of life, all thanks to her Kansas City Chiefs man.
On Eldest Daughter, Taylor pines for true love, admitting she feels played and betrayed by men her whole life.
She says: “I’ve been dying just from trying to seem cool. But I’m not a bad bitch.
“The last time I laughed this hard was on the trampoline in somebody’s backyard. I must have been eight or nine.
“The night I fell off and broke my arm. Pretty soon I learned cautious discretion. When your first crush crushes something kind. When I said I don’t believe in marriage, that was a lie.”
Vowing she still secretly pines for true love despite being hardened to disappointment, Taylor sings: “And I’m never gonna let you down. I’m never gonna leave you out. So many traitors. Smooth operators.
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Taylor and Travis hand in hand in New York last yearCredit: Getty
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Taylor announces the album on Travis’s podcastCredit: YouTube / New Heights
“But I’m never gonna break that vow. I’m never gonna leave you now.”
Despite only being out today, thanks to pre-orders The Life Of A Showgirl is already the fastest selling album of the year.
Written during Taylor’s record-breaking Eras Tour last summer, the record peels back what life was like for the star away from the stage.
On song Elizabeth Taylor, she sings about dating Travis: “Sometimes it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me.
“All the right guys promised they’d stay, under bright lights they withered away. But you bloom. Tell me for real. Do you think it’s forever?”
Despite the glitz and glamour, Taylor says she had “everything and nothing all at once” — pining for true love over material goods.
She sings: “Hey, what could you possibly get for the girl who has everything and nothing all at once?
“Babe, I would trade the Cartier for someone to trust.”
On Opalite, Taylor sings about “dancing through the lightning strikes”, a reference to her splitting with British actor Joe just weeks before embarking on the biggest tour of her career.
Storytelling best
Continuing with the theme of yearning for the simple things in life, Taylor uses Wi$h Li$t to double down on wanting love over material goods.
She pines: “I made wishes on all of the stars. Please, God bring me a best friend who I think is hot, I thought I had it right once, twice but I did not.”
She adds: “I just want you. Have a couple kids.”
For the title track, Taylor reverts to her storytelling best alongside fellow superstar Sabrina Carpenter.
The Life Of A Showgirl tells the brutal reality of life on the road chasing fame and fortune.
Taylor sings: “The more you play the more that you pay. You’re softer than a kitten so. You don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe
She continues: “I’m married to the hustle. And now I know the life of a showgirl, babe. And I’ll never know another. Pain hidden by the lipstick and lace.”
As a final nod to her record-breaking 24 months, the song — and album — fades out with live audio thanking fans as she takes her final bow on her Eras Tour.
TRACK-BY-TRACK
1. The Fate Of Ophelia 3:46
AN infectious pop track about Travis making a play for Taylor while she was heartbroken and had vowed herself off men following the breakdown of her relationship with Brit Joe Alwyn.
2. Elizabeth Taylor 3:28
A POP earworm which reveals how Taylor’s life away from the stage isn’t as glamourous as fans think and she pines for a man rather than material goods. She says if her Travis fling doesn’t work out, it will break her.
3. Opalite 3:55
ANOTHER pop track about how she often finds herself thinking about former flames – but meeting Travis has turned her heartbroken days at the start of the Eras Tour to a love-filled life.
4. Father Figure 3:32 (written by Swift, Martin, Shellback, and George Michael)
THIS is about how she was courted by record label Big Machine Records’ Scott Borchetta and signed when she was just 15, looking to him for guidance. He then turned on her and sold her master recordings, forcing a six-year battle to own her own work.
5. Eldest Daughter 4:06
THE most emotional track about how Taylor has desperately tried to be “cool” to win a man but accepts she is never going to be an “It Girl”. Then adds that despite meeting a series of men with bad intentions, she will still do anything for real love
6. Ruin The Friendship 3:40
A LOVE letter to Taylor’s late high school friend Jeff Lang, who passed away aged 21. The track is about the inner battle of whether you tell a friend you have deeper feelings for them and risk ruining the friendship but in turn potentially find The One.
7. Actually Romantic 2:43
BELIEVED to be about Charli XCX and how Taylor believes the singer mocks her and slags her off behind her back. Rather than being offended, Taylor finds her obsession amusing.
8. Wi$h Li$t 3:27
WHILE the world wants material goods, cars and money, Taylor says she just wants a man and kids, and to live her life away from the media spotlight.
9. Wood 2:30
A FUNKY track and Taylor’s dirtiest ever. Littered with innuendos about hooking up with Travis
10. Cancelled! 3:31
REMINISCENT of her Reputation album which sees Taylor play the role of an evil villain who masterminds her friends all being cancelled and they unite together in some evil union. Fans will no doubt link it to her fall-out with actress Blake Lively.
11. Honey 3:01
PRIOR to meeting Travis, being called Honey was seen by the star as an insult – but he uses it as her pet name.
12. The Life Of A Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter) 4:01
A FICTIONAL tale of how many dream of being a showgirl for the fame and fortune but, in reality, it is a lot harder than that in a cut-throat industry
TOTAL LENGTH: 41:40
CHARLI XCX
‘It’s sweet all the time you’ve spent on me‘
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Actually Romantic appears to be a full take-down of Brit singer Charli XCXCredit: Getty
THE most brutal track on the album is called Actually Romantic.
It appears to be a full take-down of Brit singer Charli XCX, who is friends with Taylor’s love rat ex Matty Healy.
Charli’s husband George Daniel is part of Matty’s band The 1975.
Taylor sings: “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave.
“High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me.
“Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face. Some people might be offended. But it’s actually sweet, all the time you’ve spent on me.”
Charli has long been accused of glamorising drug use – even releasing a vinyl of her latest record Brat filled with white powder. Rather than being a flash-in-the-pan spat, the duo have a long history.
Charli supported Taylor on her 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour. But the Brit hated the experience.
She told Pitchfork mag in 2019: “I’m really grateful that Taylor asked me on that tour. But, as an artist, it kind of felt like I was getting up on stage and waving to five-year-olds.”
From then on things seemed to sour further – and Charli’s Brat album track Sympathy Is A Knife is believed to be about Taylor.
Charli sings: “This one girl taps my insecurities. Don’t know if it’s real or if I’m spiraling. Cause I couldn’t even be her if I tried.
“I’m opposite, I’m on the other side. I feel all these feelings I can’t control.”
SCOTT BORCHETTA
‘They don’t make loyalty like they used to’
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On her track Father Figure Taylor appears to round on Scott BorchettaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
DESPITE plenty of floor fillers, Taylor’s new album is not all sweetness and light. As well as having a dig at Charli XCX, on Father Figure Taylor appears to round on Scott Borchetta.
He is the CEO of her first label Big Machine Records, who sold the rights to her first six albums in 2019.
The track features lines of George Michael’s 1987 single of the same name, as she seemingly talks about how Borchetta, right, boasted about being able to make her a star before stabbing her in the back.
“I’ll be your father figure, I drink that brown liquor. I can make a deal with the devil because my d’s bigger. This love is pure profit, just step into my office.”
She later adds: “They don’t make loyalty like they used to.”
Her reference to brown liquor is thought to be a nod to how Borchetta celebrated selling her masters to Scooter Braun over a glass of whisky.
In an open letter to fans about the sale, Taylor wrote: “These are two very rich, very powerful men.
“Then they’re standing in a wood-panel bar doing a tacky photoshoot, raising a glass of scotch to themselves.
“Because they pulled one over on me and got this done so sneakily that I didn’t even see it coming.”
Earlier this year, Taylor finally bought back her masters.
Hinting at her victory, she ends the track singing: “We drank that brown liquor. You made a deal with this devil. Turns out my d’s bigger. You want a fight, you found it.”
BIZARRE VERDICT
★★★★☆
THE Tortured Poets Department – for me the best Taylor album until now – was always going to be a hard act to follow.
But a drastic change of direction here has served the star well.
Lyrically, she continues at her best – with enough metaphors and coded literary references to keep fans speculating for ages.
Pop records are the hardest to perfect when it comes to both lyrics and melodies, but with producers Max Martin and Shellback by her side, Taylor has once again made magic.
With The Life Of A Showgirl, she proves yet again she’s the best in the business. Are there a couple of skips? Yes. But there’s also some of her best ever work.
Lead single The Fate Of Ophelia is an earworm of a track that’s perfect for both radio and dancefloors. It’s also possibly the most infectious Taylor lead single of all time.
Elizabeth Taylor, Ophalite and Cancelled! are also standouts.
Taylor’s reign atop the music industry is far from over.
I KNEW The Life Of A Showgirl was going to be a massive album.
But Taylor Swift has exceeded all expectations by scoring the fastest-selling album of the year — before it’s even been released.
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Taylor Swift has exceeded all expectations by scoring the fastest-selling album of the year — before The Last Showgirl has even been releasedCredit: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
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Taylor’s 12th album will finally come out tomorrowCredit: AP
Music insiders tell me she has so many pre-orders for physical copies of her 12th album, which will finally come out tomorrow, that it is a dead cert for No1 next Friday.
And along with pre-save data from streaming services Spotify and Apple Music, it will instantly surpass Sam Fender’s record of the biggest single-week sales in 2025, which he set with 107,000 copies for February’s People Watching.
An industry source told me: “The reception from fans has been very impressive because the pre-orders for this album have been absolutely massive. She hasn’t even released a song from the album yet so it’s remarkable.
“No one can compete with her in terms of sales.”
READ MORE ON TAYLOR SWIFT
Spotify has said The Life Of A Showgirl is the most pre-saved album in the streaming service’s history, with more than 5.5million saving it to instantly appear on their accounts tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, Apple Music has said it is her most pre-added album ever, and she is the most “favourited” artist on the service.
In 2022, Taylor shifted 204,500 UK copies of her album Midnights in its first week.
But last year, she blew those sales out of the water when The Tortured Poets Department achieved 270,000 chart units in its first week.
That made it the biggest seven days of sales for an album in the UK for seven years, since her pal Ed Sheeran sold an eye-watering 670,000 copies of Divide in 2017.
There are other records she is breaking, too.
NFL fans threaten to boycott Super Bowl 2026 over halftime show announcement as Taylor Swift is snubbe
She has become the first solo female artist in American history to have certified album sales in the US of more than 100million, as determined by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Their figures also show her album 1989 is now her biggest-selling album, as it has gone 14-times platinum.
I don’t envy the other artists who have albums out tomorrow. I doubt they’ll get a look in.
Hailey marks another rear
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Hailey Bieber missed her wedding anniversary for Paris Fashion WeekCredit: Instagram/haileybieber
HAILEY BIEBER put on a flirty display in this yellow negligee – as she missed her wedding anniversary for Paris Fashion Week.
The model posted a string of snaps on Instagram, alongside the caption “bisou”, which means “kiss” in French.
While her husband Justin remained at home in the US, she stayed in Paris on Tuesday, six years since their South Carolina wedding.
The event on in 2019 was attended by friends and family, but they had secretly tied the knot , on September 13 2018.
Perhaps they had already celebrated this year, or maybe the pics were his anniversary gift.
Zara’s stripped off for the main pose
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Zara Larsson has been hard at work on brand Main Rose, which she unveiled with this sultry snap in a pink leotardCredit: Main Rose/Brianna Capozzi
ZARA LARSSON is on track to score her fourth Top 20 album tomorrow with the release of brilliant new record Midnight Sun.
But the Swedish singer has also been hard at work on clothing and lifestyle brand Main Rose, which she unveiled with this revealing snap of her in a long-sleeved pink leotard.
The Swedish singer, who started the project a year ago, wrote on Instagram: “Building Main Rose is genuinely a lust for me to creatively expand myself.
“To elevate one’s first layer, literally and figuratively, feels like a fun and natural first chapter for me to explore. Afterall, my dream outfit is really just a pair of panties.”
Amal’s looking lawsome
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Amal Clooney looked sensational in this designer minidress at the New York launch of comedy drama Jay KellyCredit: Getty
She looked sensational in this designer minidress at the New York launch of comedy drama Jay Kelly.
It remains to be seen whether their twins Alexander and Ella will follow his career path, become a human rights lawyer like Amal, or do something else.
Asked if they had inherited the acting bug, he told E! News: “I don’t know, it’s so hard to tell at eight.
“They’re very funny kids, and they love to get up and sing. But you know, I hope they do exactly what they want to do in life, and that’s all you can hope for.”
On whether they know he’s a big star, George added: “They have some idea. My kid came up to me the other day and said, ‘Papa what’s “famous?” Somebody in my class said you’re famous’. I said, ‘Tell that kid I’m very famous’.”
“They saw Fantastic Mr. Fox. I won’t let them see Batman & Robin, I want them to have respect for me.”
The Becks Factor reaches £73m
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David Beckham enjoyed another year of record-breaking profits
GOLDENBALLS has done it again – enjoying another year of record-breaking profits.
David Beckham’s company racked up revenue of £73.4million, as he goes from “face to founder” with more behind-the-scenes deals than ever.
The latest figures for DRJB Holdings, the umbrella company for his business ventures, show consolidated profits up 24 per cent to £35.1million.
A source said: “David is still an incredibly sought-after face for campaigns, but he has matured into an incredibly impressive and canny businessman, too.
“He really enjoys the boardroom machinations and while he looks as incredible as ever, probably won’t want to be on billboards in his pants for ever.
“Six years after setting up his own brand management operation, he is more hands-on than ever. Right now he’s at a really exciting next stage of evolution, and loves getting involved with new projects.”
This is partly thanks to successful deals with Boss menswear, and a license agreement with Safilo eyewear.
David also branched out into the wellness industry for the first time, with his IM8 supplements.
Other strategic partnerships include deals with speaker makers Bowers & Wilkins, Stella Artois beer and tech firm Shark Ninja.
Meanwhile, the former England captain’s profile has never been higher internationally following his four-part documentary from 2023.
News of his latest commercial success comes ahead of wife Victoria’s own Netflix docu-series, which comes out next week.
I can’t wait to see plenty more Becks on my box.
Stel-Hel Fashion week secret
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Stella McCartney enlisted Helen Mirren, above, to open her showCredit: Getty
He told the I’m ADHD! No You’re Not podcast: “I’ve just realised I have Tourette’s, but they don’t come out. They are intrusive thoughts. I was just walking down the road the other day, and I realised these intrusive thoughts are inside Tourette’s. It just doesn’t come out.
“Not only that, you would think that a stadium full of people professing their love to you would work as (a distraction), but whatever it is, inside me cannot hear it. I cannot take it in.”
Robbie also said he recently took a test to see if he is autistic.
He added: “It turns out I’m not, but I’ve got autistic traits. And it’s around social stuff, it’s about interaction.”
Dua’s in Bruise control
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Dua Lipa injured her shoulder while on tour in AmericaCredit: Getty
DUA LIPA has had a lucky escape after accidentally injuring her shoulder while on tour in America.
The New Rules singer was spotted with a deep bruise, leading fans to fear she could have seriously hurt herself.
But I’m told while the mark does look bad, Dua hasn’t been hugely harmed.
More importantly, while she is due to undergo physio to make sure of a full recovery, it also means her US tour can carry on without a hitch.
A source said: “The injury happened while Dua was enjoying some down time from her show.
“It’s been painful but after being checked over by a radiologist, she’s been given the all clear.
“The tour will still be going ahead as planned. It’s just one of those things.”
While it’s no secret Dua loves a holiday and has previously joked about her life being one big vacation, she is also one of the hardest working women in music.
I just hope she is looking after herself too.
BEAT IT
ELECTRONICS giant Beats has added another pair of headphones to its ever- expanding collection.
The tiny Powerbeats Fit are billed as perfect for gym sessions and come in four bold colours, including bright orange and pink.
At least they will be hard to lose.
It’s a Slim volume
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FatBoy Slim is releasing a bookCredit: Getty
FATBOY SLIM is releasing his first book, with the brilliant title It Ain’t Over . . . ’Til the Fatboy Sings.
It documents his 40 years in showbiz through photos, flyers and stories and is out on October 16.
But fans can also see him at the Theatre Royal in Brighton on October 14 for a Q&A about it.
The DJ, whose real name is Norman Cook, said: “This year I’ll have been in showbiz for 40 years, and to celebrate that we thought we’d create a big book full of stuff which I’ve kept over the years. I’m really excited to appear in one of my favourite venues for something a little different this time.
“It’ll be nice to get up close and personal with the audience in a beautiful setting and to share some of my stories.”
Another week, another big-name running back across the field on the opponent’s sideline.
Rams running back Kyren Williams acknowledged the well-deserved attention Saquon Barkley received last week before the Rams played the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Now Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts, the NFL’s leading rusher, is coming to SoFi Stadium.
Williams said a “competitive mindset” drives him when high-profile backs are in the building.
“I know how people look at those guys,” Williams said, “and so it’s like, ‘Bro, you better look at me the same way.’ I love it.”
Williams, who signed a $23-million extension before the season, and second-year pro Blake Corum are providing the Rams with the backfield balance coach Sean McVay envisioned as the Rams built a team regarded as a Super Bowl contender.
Last season, the 5-foot-9, 207-pound Williams carried the ball 316 times. Only Barkley (345 carries) and Derrick Henry (325) of the Baltimore Ravens had more. The Rams averaged 103.8 yards rushing per game, which ranked 24th among 32 teams.
Through three games, the Rams are ranked ninth, averaging 127 yards rushing per game.
Williams, a fourth-year pro, has rushed for 226 yards and a touchdown in 55 carries (4.1 yards per carry). He also has five receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Rams running back Kyren Williams celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Houston Texans on Sept. 7.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Corum has rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in 14 carries (7.1 yards per carry). He has one catch for 14 yards.
“Those two play off each other really well,” McVay said, adding, “We feel really good about where both of those guys are at, and continue to lean into it and look for a good balance of being able to keep Kyren feeling good throughout it and take advantage of Blake’s skill set.”
McVay has said that ideally he would like to see Williams get 65% of the carries, Corum 35%. But the flow of the game dictates whether that plays out.
After Williams carried the ball 18 times, and Corum only once, in the opener against the Houston Texans, the duo provided more balanced production in the next two games.
“It was a good one-two punch,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said.
That is what McVay and general manager Les Snead aimed for after Williams carried a combined 544 times in the previous two seasons.
“We’ve got it kind of dialed into where, like, we’re able to feed off each other,” Williams said of he and Corum. “It’s like friendly competition as well. I go out and make a play, now Blake is going to come in and make a play.
“It allows me to stay fresh throughout the whole game. So it doesn’t feel like I just took 50 carries and it’s only the second quarter. To me it’s a great system.”
Rams running back Blake Corum carries the ball during a preseason win over the Dallas Cowboys in August.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Corum, a 2024 third-round draft pick from Michigan, is enjoying the expanded opportunity after getting only 58 carries last season.
“It’s been great getting my feet under me, being able to just go out there and play free and fast,” he said. “Kyren and I are feeding off each other, so it’s been phenomenal.”
Against the Eagles, Williams bested Barkley, who was limited to 46 yards rushing in 18 carries.
Taylor, the 2021 NFL rushing champion, arrives Sunday averaging 112.7 yards rushing per game. Last week, he gained 102 yards and scored three touchdowns in 17 carries against the Tennessee Titans.
After each of the last two games, Taylor was named AFC offensive player of the week.
Both Williams and Corum aim to continue their production, and to break free for long gains. This season, each of their longest runs has been 15 yards.
“I know I’m capable to create not those 15-yard runs but those 40- and 50-yard runs,” Corum said. “Just need to keep working in practice to hopefully go out and show that on Sundays.”
At midseason, junior quarterback Taylor Lee of Oxnard Pacifica is a revelation, someone who didn’t start last season and has thrust himself into MVP consideration with 19 touchdown passes in his last three games and 26 in five games for the unbeaten Tritons (5-0).
“He’s amazing,” L.A. Hamilton coach Elijah Asante said. “Someone’s going to get a real good quarterback. The kid can play.”
On Thursday afternoon, Hamilton and Pacifica decided to play each other after both schools were given forfeit victories. Instead of taking the forfeits, they played at Hamilton, and Pacifica won 42-14 with a running clock through much of the second half.
Lee completed nine of 10 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns.
He could have thrown touchdowns all night but Hamilton was able to run off plenty of time in the first half with short passes until drives were halted by a fumble and interception. Freshman quarterback Thaddeus Breaux completed 31 of 45 passes for 270 yards, with touchdown passes to Kristian Leslie and Jacob Riley. Leslie caught 16 passes for 125 yards.
What’s impressive about Lee is his ability to run Pacifica’s no-huddle, quick tempo offense. At the end of the second quarter, he moved the team quickly down field in 30 seconds, completing four consecutive passes for 82 yards and ending with a two-yard touchdown pass to Will Jones Jr. for a 28-0 halftime lead. It was like watching Corona Centennial’s effective no-huddle offense.
“We try to do it that way,” coach Mike Moon said.
Lee has benefited from a receiving group he’s known for years through youth football.
“I’ve been playing with the receivers since I was 6,” Lee said.
There’s also the offensive line made up of seniors.
“They’re my best friends,” Lee said.
Pacifica has to keep improving with its Marmonte League opener against Oaks Christian next week.
Hamilton (2-3) starts Western League play next week against Fairfax.
Thursday’s game brought no injuries and lots of sportsmanship. Both coaches were thrilled to have the opportunity to play. “A blessing,” Moon said.
Taylor Swift’s first manager speaks out against her in new Channel 4 documentary charting superstar’s success amid multiples feuds along the way
Taylor airs on Tuesday 30 September, 9.15pm, Channel 4(Image: PA Archive)
Taylor Swift’s‘ former manager has slammed her for using fans to fight her battles in a new documentary to be broadcast on Channel 4. Taylor asked fans to let their feelings be known after her former record label boss Scott Borchetta sold her back catalogue to Scooter Braun for more than $300 million (£222m) in June 2019. It meant Taylor lost control over her musical legacy.
Taylor wrote on social media: “Please let Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun know how you feel about this. Scooter also manages several artists who I really believe care about other artists and their work. Please ask them for help with this – I’m hoping that maybe they can talk some sense into the men who are exercising tyrannical control over someone who just wants to play the music she wrote.”
However, Scooter hit back, claiming his family received death threats. Now Channel 4’s new documentary sees her first manager Rick Barker slam her behaviour.
He says, “No one stole her music, no one made her sign a bad record deal, those were the types of record deals everyone signed at that time and Scooter Braun made a very good business decision. The decision Taylor made to turn the fans loose on Scott and Scooter with only half of the conversation…
“I was a little disappointed, death threats started happening, people started showing up at people’s houses and this was something that should have been discussed behind the scenes. They are called fans for a reason – it’s short for fanatics.”
The show also features interviews with songwriter Robert Ellis Orrall, who was one of the first to witness Taylor’s ability to turn out hit songs. He worked with her in 2003 when she was just 13 to record a demo featuring three tracks called Invisible, Just South Of Knowing Why and Need You Now.
Recalling their studio sessions, Robert tells the documentary, “Right from the get-go Taylor directed the session. We wrote three songs in the first two days that we were together and two of those are on the debut album, Taylor Swift. After we’d written a few songs, her dad said, ‘Here’s another 15 that she wrote.’”
Holding up a CD for the camera, Robert reveals he has another 16 songs written by Taylor that have never been heard by the public.
“I have tons of these from way back,” he says on the show, which features interviews with lots of Taylor’s early collaborators. “Here are 16 songs copyright 2003, the same year we started writing. None of those are anything you’ve ever heard.”
While Robert was co-writing with Taylor, he credits her with bringing all the creative ideas, saying she was a powerhouse even in her early teens. When he was working with Taylor, Robert quickly recognised the huge star she would become. Robert was one of the co-writers on her early track Place In This World and he was confident it would speak to fans. “Every kid feels that way and millions of kids could relate to that,” says Robert. “She had a plan and she wasn’t going to go off that plan. She was not going to be stopped. People were telling her ‘no’ left and right… She was having none of that.”
Robert helped Taylor get discovered, encouraging her to sing at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville where he had a regular slot. On that stage she was spotted by Scott Borchetta who signed her to his new Big Machine Records label.
In the documentary, audio footage of Taylor talking about her big break is played. She says, “I’m looking out and seeing all these faces and there is one guy that is really getting it and has his eyes closed and I kept noticing him and after the show he said, ‘Hi, I’m Scott Borchetta.’ He goes, ‘The good news is that I want to set up my own record labels and I would like you to consider being one of my first artists.’” The pair worked together for 12 years and released six albums.
Men’s team manager Arne Slot said Beard “did great things for this football club”.
“I think the Melwood staff and everyone that worked with him liked him so much – and that’s probably even a more important legacy to leave behind than the trophies you win,” he added.
“The person you are is always more important than what you’ve won. But in his situation, both things were combined: so successful as a manager and a great human being.
“It’s not only that he gets all the respect he deserves here at Liverpool but I think all around women’s football.”
Liverpool Women managing director Andy O’Boyle also paid tribute to Beard, saying: “On behalf of everyone at Liverpool Football Club, I’d just like to extend our greatest condolences to Matt’s family; his wife Debbie, his children Harry and Ellie, and his wider family and friends.
“It has been a really sad time for everyone. You have seen how the club and football have come together, and we extend our sympathies to Matt’s family and friends at this time.
“Matt has been an iconic figure in the women’s game. Obviously winning two WSL titles with Liverpool and then also getting promoted from the Championship up to the WSL. You can see over the years the success he has brought to the club.
“Not just the success on the pitch, the success off the pitch as well in terms of the people, the players, the staff, colleagues within the game – you can see how much love and joy he brought to Liverpool, the football club and also to women’s football and wider football.”
American Taylor Fritz stunned world number one Carlos Alcaraz as Team World turned things around to take a 9-3 lead on day two of the Laver Cup.
Team Europe had led 3-1 after Friday but Team World won all four matches in San Francisco on Saturday to turn the tide before Sunday’s final day.
Fritz, who had not beaten Spaniard Alcaraz in three previous meetings, sealed a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 victory in the final singles match of the day.
The world number five said it was one of the best moments of his career so far.
“I think I take almost more pride in this one because I feel like, start to finish, I won it, I earned it,” he said.
“A lot of the decisive points in the match weren’t so much him giving them to me – I felt like I made it happen in those moments. Just start to finish, I played an amazing match. I’m hoping this can be a sign of things to come.”
MILWAUKEE — Brandon Woodruff pitched five solid innings, Sal Frelick hit a three-run homer and Blake Perkins tied a career high with five RBIs to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 9-2 win over the Angels on Wednesday night.
Woodruff (7-2) gave up two hits and one run, struck out nine and threw 52 of his 69 pitches for strikes. He was pitching on 10 days rest to manage his workload after he missed last season while recovering from right shoulder surgery.
Angels starter José Soriano (10-11) exited with one out in the second after being struck by a line drive off the bat of Jake Bauers. Soriano sustained a right forearm contusion. X-rays were negative.
Connor Brogdon came on in relief and gave up an opposite-field single to Blake Perkins that drove in a pair. Frelick’s three-run homer later in the inning gave the Brewers a 5-0 lead.
Taylor Ward provided the Angels offense with homers in the fourth and sixth.
The Angels (69-83) have lost six straight, while the major league-best Brewers (93-59) have won four of five.
Key moment
After Soriano departed, the switch-hitting Perkins, batting left-handed, came up next and hit a grounder between shortstop and third on a 2-2 pitch from Brogdon to get the Brewers on the board.
Key stat
Mike Trout remains stuck on 399 career home runs after going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Trout has homered just twice since Aug. 6, the last coming on Sept. 11.
Up next
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-11, 4.08 ERA) starts for the Angels against Brewers RHP Quinn Priester (13-2, 3.25) in the series finale Wednesday.
U.S. tennis star Taylor Townsend wasn’t prepared for some of the food she would be offered while taking part in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals tournament in Shenzen, China.
She apparently was also not expecting the backlash she faced after she posted her criticism of some of the local dishes — which included bullfrogs, turtles, sea cucumbers and, in her words, “an animal lung” that was “sliced up” and on a skewer — on Instagram.
Those posts have since been removed, and Townsend has posted a video on her Instagram Story in which the world’s top-ranked doubles player apologizes “sincerely from the bottom of my heart.”
“I understand that I am so privileged as a professional athlete to be able to travel all around the world and experience cultural differences, which is one of the things that I love so much about what I do,” Townsend said.
“I have had nothing but the most amazing experience and time here … and everyone has been so kind and so gracious. And the things that I said were not representative of that at all.”
The 29-year-old Townsend’s name was in the headlines during last month’s U.S. Open. After Taylor defeated Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in the second round of the singles competition, the players appeared to have a heated discussion.
Afterward, Townsend told reporters that Ostapenko “told me I have no education, no class.”
Ostapenko later apologized on her Instagram Story and explained that English isn’t her native language. “So when I said education,” Ostapenko wrote, “I was speaking only about what I believe [is] tennis etiquette, but I understand how the words I used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court.”
Townsend is one of six players representing the U.S. in the international team tournament in Shenzen. Earlier this week, she posted video of some of the food she and her teammates had been offered, apparently as part of a buffet. She also added a video of herself from later in the evening in which she criticized some of the offerings.
“I’m honestly just so shocked I like what I saw in the dinner buffet … These people are literally killing frogs. Bull frogs. Aren’t those poisonous? Like, aren’t those the ones that be giving you warts and boils and stuff?” Townsend said. “And turtles? And the fact that, like, it’s all stewed up with, like, chilies and peppers and onions and like, ‘Oh, you really made this a dish?’
“And then you got the sea cucumbers just staring there, like with the noodles, the only thing that we eat. So all in all, gotta give this like a solid 2 out of 10 so far, because this is crazy.”
One portion of the video, which showed portions of the buffet spread, featured the caption, “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen … and people are eating this,” followed by emojis of a melting face and a face screaming in fear.
The comments went viral on Chinese social media, with many commenters slamming Townsend as culturally insensitive.
Townsend’s apology comes as the U.S. prepares to face Kazakhstan on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
“I just truly wanted to apologize,” Townsend said in the new video. “There’s no excuse, there’s no words, and for me, I just — I will be better.”
Sept. 12 (UPI) —Taylor Swift has agreed to sit for a deposition in the legal battle between actress Blake Lively and actor and producer Justin Baldoni, according to court documents.
Swift has agreed to the request from Baldoni’s legal team but is not available until Oct. 20, which falls beyond the Sept. 30 deadline imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Lewis J. Liman.
Lawyers for Baldoni have asked for an extension from Oct. 20 to Oct. 25 to depose Swift, who will be unavailable because of “pre-existing professional obligations.”
The 35-year-old pop icon is releasing her 12th albumThe Life of Showgirl on Oct. 3 and is “unable to do so [attend a deposition]” before the court-imposed deadline at the end of the month.
Liman has yet to rule on the extension request.
Lively, 38, is suing Baldoni, her co-star in the film adaptation of Colleen Hooover’s romantic novel It Ends With Us, for alleged sexual harassment on the movie set. Lively also contends the 41-year-old and his fellow Wayfarer Studios producers launched a smear campaign against her following the accusations.
Lively has already given a deposition in the case, while Baldoni has yet to be deposed.
Swift was not involved in the film, although one of her songs was used. She was, however, close friends with Lively and her husband, Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds.
At issue in Swift’s deposition will likely be anything the pair said or wrote about conditions on the film set.
Baldoni’s legal team at one point tried to subpoena Swift, a move that was not well received by the pop star’s team. The filing was later withdrawn.
In the most recent court filing, Lively’s legal team told the judge they expect Baldoni’s lawyers to ask for a 30-day extension to the court proceedings, beyond the Sept. 30 deadline.
“Ms. Lively misleadingly implies the Wayfarer Parties seek a blanket thirty-day extension of the discovery cut-off date,” Baldoni’s lawyer wrote in the filing.
“In fact, the Wayfarer Parties requested an agreement solely to take the deposition of Taylor Swift during the week of October 20-25.”
ABC has found its newest “Bachelorette” in “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” reality star Taylor Frankie Paul.
Paul, who appeared in the popular Hulu series, revealed her upcoming foray into Bachelor Nation on Wednesday’s episode of Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “It has not hit me. Right now in this moment, I’m just thinking about it and it’s not real,” she told Cooper.
She added: “It’s not real. It’s not going to be until I have the limos [full of suitors] pulling up.”
The 31-year-old #MomTok influencer-turned-reality TV personality breaks a longtime norm for the “Bachelor” franchise. Incoming leads on “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette” have historically been contestants from previous seasons. Paul, on the other hand, has not.
Don’t mistake her for a reality TV rookie, though.
Paul was announced as the newest “Bachelorette” a year after “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” became a buzzworthy hit. The series follows a group of Utah-based TikTok influencers who became the subject of social media scandal when Paul announced she and her then-husband had participated in “soft swinging” and were going their separate ways. The series’ debut chronicled the fallout and explored how its young, modern stars navigate the traditionalist culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Speaking to Cooper, Paul said she once thought the “Bachelorette” gig was “unattainable” and shared how she thinks she landed the part. She said she had been open on social media about being single and her fans began making the case for her to become the series’ next star. Ultimately, she received the invitation.
She said she initially hesitated to accept, citing her co-parenting commitments. Paul shares a daughter and son with her ex-husband, and another son with an ex-boyfriend. She explained that she tapped her inner circle to help care for the children, voicing her determination to “make it work.”
Paul is the latest “Mormon Wives” star to cross over to ABC programming. “Dancing With the Stars” announced in July that Paul’s fellow #MomTok-ers Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt would take the dance floor for Season 34. Disney owns both “Mormon Wives” streamer Hulu and “Bachelorette” and “DWTS” home network ABC.
“The Bachelorette” won’t return until 2026, but viewers can catch Paul beforehand when “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” Season 3 premieres Nov. 13 on Hulu.
Kyle Hendricks threw seven shutout innings, Chris Taylor and Yoán Moncada hit three-run homers, and the Angels scored all of their runs with two out in a 12-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Hendricks (7-9) gave up four hits, struck out six and walked one in his best start of the season, throwing 58 of 80 pitches for strikes. Right-hander Zabby Matthews (4-5) took the loss, giving up five runs and seven hits in 4 ⅔ innings.
The Angels had 17 hits and went eight for 17 with runners in scoring position. Leadoff man Mike Trout and Moncada each scored three runs. Luis Rengifo delivered two clutch hits, a two-out, two-run single in the first inning and a two-out RBI single in the fifth, as the Angels built a 5-0 lead.
The Angels blew open the game with four runs in the sixth and three in the seventh. Taylor followed Taylor Ward’s RBI single with a three-run homer to center in the sixth and Moncada followed singles by Sebastian Rivero and Bryce Teodosio with a three-run shot, his 12th of the season, to right.
Twins infielder Ryan Fitzgerald, who threw a scoreless eighth inning, broke up the shutout with a two-run homer in the ninth.
Angels right fielder Jo Adell, who is fourth in the American League with 35 homers and seventh with 94 RBIs, was scratched from the lineup because of vertigo for the second straight game.
Key moment
The Twins threatened in the sixth by putting two on with one out, but Hendricks stopped any hopes of a comeback by getting Trevor Larnach to pop out to third and Luke Keaschall to fly to left, preserving a 5-0 lead.
Key stat
Trout has gone a career-high 119 plate appearances and 27 games without a homer since hitting his 398th on Aug. 6. His previous long drought was 117 plate appearances in 2015.
Up next
Twins right-hander Taj Bradley (6-7, 4.92 ERA) will oppose Angels right-hander Jose Soriano (10-10, 4.07 ERA) in Wednesday’s series finale.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift announced their engagement more than a week ago, and the excitement has yet to wear off for the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.
On this week’s episode of the “New Heights” podcast, Kelce described to his brother, Jason, how it feels to introduce the pop music superstar as his fiancée.
“I still get giddy,” Kelce said. “I love it. It’s exciting times.”
The brothers opened the show with Kelce’s first public comments on his upcoming nuptials since he and Swift made the announcement on Aug. 26 with a joint Instagram post. That post has received more than 36 million likes and has been reposted more than any other Instagram post, passing the 1-million mark in its first six hours.
“I appreciate everybody that reached out and sent something, and all the posts, and all the excitement that’s been going on,” Kelce said. “It’s been really fun telling everybody who I’m going to be spending the rest of my life with.”
Just days after the announcement, the couple attended a college football game between Cincinnati (the Kelce brothers’ alma mater) and Nebraska at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs’ home field. While much of the public was thrilled to see Swift’s massive engagement ring out and about for the first time, Kelce said it was another first that made the occasion special to him.
“Actually, it was my first time introducing Taylor as my fiancée to a few of my teammates,” Kelce said. “So, yeah, it was pretty cool.”
Kelce provided no insight into any wedding plans, though, telling his brother at one point, “We’re gonna see how it all shakes out.”
HOUSTON — José Soriano and two relievers combined for a two-hitter and Oswald Peraza hit his first home run since a trade from the Yankees to lead the Angels to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Angels outfielder Taylor Ward was injured trying to make a catch on that hit when he crashed face-first into the metal scoreboard in left field.
He was bleeding and appeared to have a cut above his right eye. He held a smaller cloth to his head as he was slowly carted off the field while resting his head on the shoulder of a team employee who rode the cart with him. There was no immediate update on his injury.
Soriano (10-9) allowed one hit and struck out eight in seven innings. Luis García allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen threw a perfect ninth for his 25th save.
There were two outs in the fifth when Peraza connected off Hunter Brown (10-7) into the bullpen in right-center field to put the Angels up 1-0. His homer comes after his two-run single in the ninth inning Saturday helped Los Angeles to a 4-1 victory that snapped a three-game skid.
Yoán Moncada walked to start the eighth and scored on Mike Trout’s double that bounced off the wall in center field to make it 2-0. Ward walked before Luis Rengifo reached and Trout scored on an error by Lance McCullers Jr. when the pitcher overthrew first base.
Yordan Alvarez singled with no outs in the first and Soriano walked a batter in the second and sixth innings. The Astros didn’t get another hit until Ramón Urías doubled with one out in the eighth inning.
Brown allowed three hits and a run with five strikeouts in six innings. McCullers Jr. allowed three hits and two runs in his first relief appearance since 2018.
Up next: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 3.68 ERA) will start for the Angels in the series finale Monday. Houston hasn’t announced its starter.
Taylor Townsend put aside the controversy over comments made about her by Jelena Ostapenko to stun fifth seed Mirra Andreeva and reach the US Open last 16.
The 29-year-old American said her 7-5 6-2 win over the Russian was “bigger than me” as she reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2019.
Fellow players including Naomi Osaka came to Townsend’s defence this week after Ostapenko told her she had “no education” and “no class” after their second-round match on Wednesday.
Osaka said those comments were “one of the worst things you could say to a black tennis player”.
Ostapenko argued with Townsend after losing 7-5 6-1 and claimed the American doubles specialist had not apologised after a net cord landed in her favour.
The 2017 French Open champion denied any element of racism to her remarks and Townsend said she did not think there was a racial undertone to the Latvian’s comments.
After claiming one of the biggest wins of her singles career against Andreeva on Friday, Townsend told the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium: “This feels good.
“All I’m going to say is welcome to the show. I feel amazing. I’m really just proud that I kept the main thing the main thing.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who supported me over these last 48 hours.
“It’s bigger than me. It’s about the message, it’s about the representation, it’s about being bold and being able to show up as yourself and I did that tonight.
“You guys saw the real Taylor Townsend tonight.”
Townsend, who will play unseeded Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round on Sunday, took just 76 minutes under the lights to surge past 18-year-old Andreeva with some fearless shot making.
She came through a tense first set before running away with the second, hitting a total of 23 winners.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement may have kicked off a major earthquake in the real world this week, but it hasn’t put serious seismic activity into the lives of the spouses-to-be: They were spotted out Thursday night in a luxury box catching — wait for it — a college football game, where Swift took her new engagement ring out for a test drive.
It was the first game of the 2025-26 NCAA season for the hometown University of Cincinnati Bearcats, the Kelce brothers’ alma mater, who lost to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Cornhuskers by a field goal at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The bros (Jason was there too) were rooting for the Bearcats, obviously, with Travis rocking a street-art emblazoned Cincinnati cap and his older sibling sported a more traditional college typeface on his chapeau.
Swift rocked a denim miniskirt, according to People, with a white sweater, white boots, green nails and, oh yes, that massive engagement ring. The Old Mine Cut diamond ring was designed by Travis Kelce and New York City-based jewelry designer Kindred Lubeck, according to myriad media reports.
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While experts who talked to People put the size of the stone at between 5 and 10 carats and guesstimated its value as anywhere from $125,000 to $5 million — which is quite the range — folks who talked to Page Six said it likely came with a $1-million price tag. Basically, nobody knows the value of a custom-made, vintage-style ring with a one-of-a-kind hand-etched diamond that is currently sitting on the ring finger of a global pop star. Go figure.
“It’s my engraved pieces that put me on the digital map,” Lubeck told VoyageJacksonville in 2024. “I started making reels showcasing my work and people started noticing. Eventually, I started getting requests for me to make engagement rings.”
The Neptune Beach, Fla., native has described herself as a goldsmith specializing in hand engraving who got started working part time with her jeweler dad in her hometown during the pandemic lockdown.
“Basically, I take very small, sharp instruments and cut away bits of metal, usually on the sides of rings, into a particular design,” she said. “People just go crazy for it when I post it online.”
No kidding: On Friday, Lubeck appeared to be sold out of every big-ticket ring she had been offering on her website, though a handful of sub-$20,000 designs were still in stock. (Swifties, where you at? A bunch of them can be had for less than $5,000! And they’re not even “distressed.”)
The Grammy-winning “Love Story” pop icon and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end announced the beginning of their engagement era on Tuesday in a joint Instagram post.
“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” Swift captioned photos from the garden engagement, which actually took place a couple of weeks earlier.
Kelce’s dad told a Cleveland news station the same day that Travis had popped the question at home in Lee’s Summit, Mo., after months of planning, right before the two headed out for dinner. Before they left, Travis told Taylor, “‘Let’s go out and have a glass of wine.’ … They got out there, and that’s when he asked her, and it was beautiful,” Ed Kelce said.
He added with a happy shrug, “I don’t know how much I’m supposed to say, but I don’t care!”
But Vice President JD Vance definitely cares — about the effects this pairing might have on the NFL this season.
“I will say as a football fan — as a Cincinnati Bengals fan — I hope that the NFL does not put a thumb on the scale for the Kansas City Chiefs just because Travis Kelce is now getting married to maybe the most famous woman in the world,” the veep told USA Today this week.
“You guys can’t sort of have this, ‘I’m worried they’re going to have a Super Bowl wedding’ thing this season. Can’t do it. The Kansas City Chiefs have to follow the same rules as everybody else.”
So in the case that the NFL’s “deep state” turns romantic and favors the Chiefs in this pigskin-tinted love story, Vance is urging fans to be ready to act.
“I think all football fans should be willing to push back on the NFL,” he said, “and say, ‘Look, you guys got to be fair.’”
Fair enough.
Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.
“So, they don’t have that person slowing them down.
“I used to try and practice with somebody if I could to keep me in that rhythm of playing.
Luke Littler responds to calls for him to retire after Australian Darts Masters
“So, that is why a lot when a player plays a younger player [like Littler], they start slowing them down to put them off because they are not used to it.
“Anybody who plays Luke Littler will slow their throw down.”
This year has been a success for Littler as he has already won the World Darts Championship, World Matchplay, Belgian Darts Open and UK Open among others.
Kansas City Chiefs fans sure are excited about the upcoming season.
Fanatics, the official online sportswear retailer for the NFL, reports that sales of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce jerseys jumped a whopping 200% on Tuesday.
Clearly, fans were doing some early packing for the team’s season opener against the Chargers in São Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 5. Those fans simultaneously realized they didn’t have enough gear to properly represent the reigning AFC champions at Corinthians Arena.
What other possible explanation could there have been?
Haha, wrong — at least, it would seem that way, based on the typical behavioral patterns of Swifties.
Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce kisses pop superstar Taylor Swift after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
Kelce and Swift’s romance can be traced back to July 2023, when Kelce was able to pass along a friendship bracelet with his phone number to Swift’s camp at an Eras tour concert in Kansas City. They officially became an item that fall.
Swift attended her first Chiefs game on Sept. 24, 2023. Fanatics reported at the time that sales of No. 87 Chiefs jerseys experienced a 400% boost over the previous day, placing Kelce among the top five NFL players in jersey sales for that day.
On Aug. 13, Swift made her first-ever podcast appearance on “New Heights,” which is hosted by Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce, the former Philadelphia Eagles center. A total of 1.3 million people tuned in simultaneously after the episode dropped, setting a Guinness World Record for most concurrent views for a podcast on YouTube.
Kelce and Swift’s joint Instagram post regarding their upcoming nuptials has received more than 33.4 million likes. Billboard reported Wednesday that it has been reposted more than any other in the site’s history, passing the 1-million mark in its first six hours.
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So, yeah, it would seem pretty on-brand for Swifties to celebrate by purchasing large volumes of Travis gear.
By the way, if you think those numbers are impressive, just imagine what the jersey sales will be like if the couple decides to hyphenate their names after saying “I do.” What self-respecting Swiftie would want to be without a “Kelce-Swift” (“Swift-Kelce”?) jersey as part of their wardrobe?
Taylor Townsend said she “let my racquet talk” after claiming Jelena Ostapenko told her she had “no class” and “no education” after losing to her in the US Open.
