The News

 Tito Jackson, a member of the famous family band The Jackson 5 and brother to Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson

According to Entertainment Tonight (who was first to report the news), Jackson died on Sunday, Sept. 15 after suffering an apparent heart attack.

Leading up to his death, Tito had been performing with brothers Jackie Jackson and Marlon Jackson as The Jacksons, and had shows in Scotland, California and England over summer 2024. They performed as recently as Sept. 8 in Surrey, England, and had appearances set for Oct. 25 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Nov. 1 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Just earlier this week, while Tito was in Munich, Germany, with The Jacksons, the brothers "visited the beautiful memorial dedicated to our beloved brother, Michael Jackson," Tito wrote on Facebook. "We're deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive."

Tito was an original member of The Jackson 5, which also featured Michael, Jackie, Jermaine Jackson and Marlon (and, later, Randy Jackson). The family pop group had hit songs with "I Want You Back," "ABC" and "I'll Be There," throughout the '70s. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Tito went on to have a solo career, releasing two studio albums: Tito Time in 2016 and Under Your Spell in 2021.

In 2003, Tito began performing and touring blues and funk music across the world, according to his website. He also toured with the BB King Blues Band at times, notably in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Tito spoke of his affinity for blues music in a 2021 cover interview with Blues Blast magazine, explaining, "It was the blues that got me interested in the guitar."

After taking a break from the spotlight following his success with his siblings, Tito told the outlet that he realized, "I wanted to play some music, and I wanted to be on stage again. I’d been playin’ the Jackson 5 stuff for all my life practically, but the blues had been the main music in my family. I just wanted to jam, but I couldn’t get no pros to do that kinda thing."

His last single, "Love One Another," was released in 2021. In the song description on YouTube, Tito said that the track was recorded in the wake of the pandemic and noted his "aim was to convey a message of love, unity, and peace, offering a balm for troubled times."

"It's a call for people to join hands, embrace love, and exhibit kindness to one another, drawing inspiration from the enduring legacy of the Jackson Family," said Tito. "Through my music, I'm dedicated to spreading a positive message of harmony and togetherness."

Members of the Jackson family appear in the music video, as well as celebrities like Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian. Tito's three sons, Taj, TJ and Taryll, are also featured. The men comprised the band 3T, which Tito managed, and who were featured in 2015 reality series The Jacksons: Next Generation.

As he entered his 70s, Tito had no intention of slowing down. "We love it, I still love the traveling, this type of thing, it's great," Tito told Fox 5 San Diego in August of touring now with his brothers.

Tito was preceded in death by his ex-wife Dee-Dee Martes-Jackson (Taj, TJ and Taryll's mother) in 1994; his father Joe Jackson in 2018; and brother Michael in 2009.

 Just two months after an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in July during a rally in Pennsylvania, another apparent attempt on the Republican presidential nominee’s life was foiled by authorities on Sunday at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump was unharmed, and a suspect who fled the scene was arrested. Politicians across the spectrum have condemned the attack, and law enforcement officials are investigating.

Hiding in the bushes: what happened

While Trump was golfing on Sunday around 1:30 p.m., a Secret Service agent, positioned one hole ahead of the former President, noticed a rifle muzzle an estimated 300-500 yards away, peeking out of bushes lining the golf course, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a press briefing later on Sunday. (For reference, the shooter in July was appx. 400 feet—about one-third of the distance—away from Trump.)

As Secret Service personnel opened fire at the gunman hiding in the bushes, Bradshaw recounted, the gunman dropped his weapon and other items—an “AK-47-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks which were hung on the fence that had ceramic tile in them, and a GoPro [camera]”—and fled in a vehicle.

It’s unclear if the suspect had managed to take any shots at Secret Service agents during the engagement, a Secret Service representative said during the press briefing on Sunday

A witness reported seeing the suspect flee from the bushes and photographed the vehicle he jumped into. Authorities were able to pull that vehicle over on a highway, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post around 3:30 p.m. “We did not give him an opportunity to put up a fight, we had him contained, forced off the road, taken out at gunpoint,” Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told the media of the arrest during the later press briefing, adding that the suspect was unarmed, “relatively calm,” and “not displaying a lot of emotions” when he was stopped.

The witness was brought in to confirm the suspect was the same person seen fleeing earlier. Authorities have not named the suspect, though anonymous sources in law enforcement have identified the man arrested to multiple media outlets as Ryan Routh.

READ FULL NEWS 

 There’s an unspoken rule amongst starting quarterbacks everywhere.

“Never let them see the backup.”

While Texas likely won’t be replacing starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, who was sidelined during the Longhorns’ blowout victory against UTSA in the first half with an abdominal strain, Arch Manning showed us what the future of Texas football looks like.

And it’s pretty freaking awesome.

Ewers likely won’t miss much time with the strained abdomen. It’s just a pulled muscle.

But Manning left little meat off the bone during his first real opportunity to play. He saw that opportunity and kicked the door down. It was a small sample size, but in Stephen Sarkisian’s offense, Manning looked like the future face of college football. A Heisman candidate. A “can’t miss” NFL quarterback prospect.

Hell, even New York Giants fans are already clamoring for their team to draft Manning, who is still technically a freshman after redshirting last season.

Manning’s first three plays were nothing short of electric. A touchdown pass, a handoff and a 67-yard touchdown run that damn near broke the internet. Seriously, though. Mannings do not normally move like that.

Usually, when a starting quarterback goes down, everyone holds their breath. That should’ve especially been the case with Ewers, who has Texas as the No. 2 ranked team in the nation with legitimate National Championship aspirations.

But the hype around Manning is unreal. He’s certainly the most high-profile backup quarterback in recent memory. And he stepped into the game and actually delivered right away. The future of Texas football—and candidly college football—is in great hands with another Manning in the driver’s seat. 

The Longhorns did not just beat UTSA. They dismantled them. Manning threw for 223 yards and four touchdowns, completing 75 percent of his passes. Ewers had 185 yards of his own before exiting the game and added two touchdown passes.

Up next, Texas has LA-Monroe. After that, they have Mississippi State, an SEC school that was just dominated by Toledo in a game where they paid $1.2 million just to be embarrassed on their home field.

If the Longhorns wanted to let Ewers get rested up, they have that luxury. After what was put on tape Saturday night, Manning shouldn’t have any issue with those next two matchups. The Longhorns have an October 12 matchup with current No. 15 Oklahoma, followed by a showdown with the Georgia Bulldogs. You have to imagine they’d want Ewers in uniform, healthy and ready to go for those ones. 

Ewers is eligible for the NFL Draft after this season and is anticipated to be a top quarterback prospect. There are so many games left to be played for a team with title aspirations this year, but it’s hard not to dream a little bit about what the future might look like.

SOURCE 

  Actor Chad McQueen, son of Hollywood legend Steve McQueen, has died at age 63.

McQueen got his big break in 1984 when he was cast in the hit movie “The Karate Kid,” in which he played Dutch, the adversary of Ralph Macchio’s lead character.His attorney, Arthur H. Barens, told The Associated Press that he died on Wednesday.

McQueen followed in his father’s footsteps, both on screen and on the motor racing circuit.

His wife, Jeanie Galbraith, posted a tribute to him on Instagram, together, with their son Chase, and daughter, Madison.

McQueen is also survived by his son from a former relationship, Steven R. McQueen – an actor, who appeared in “The Vampire Diaries.”

Chad McQueen reprised his role in “The Karate Kid” sequel in 1986, as well as several other films, and also produced two documentaries about his father: “I Am Steve McQueen” in 2014 and “Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans” the following year.

Actor Steve McQueen relaxes with his daughter Terry and his son Chad as he stars in the movie "Le Mans" in Le Mans, France on June 24, 1971 . 

His father, who shot to fame in the 1960s with action movies “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Great Escape,” died in Mexico in 1980 aged just 50, following surgery to remove a tumour.

Besides his acting career, McQueen inherited his father’s passion for cars. According to AP, he spent years racing professionally – including in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona races – but suffered a series of injuries as a result.

In 2010, he founded McQueen Racing, which he ran with his children Chase and Madison, creating custom cars and motorcycles and working with the movie industry.

 Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel’s Friday morning press conference was centered on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s condition and future after he suffered a concussion in Thursday night’s loss to the Bills, but there were also discussions about how the team will be moving forward while waiting for answers on those fronts.

Skylar Thompson replaced Tagovailoa on Thursday night and is the only other quarterback on the 53-man roster. Tim Boyle is on the practice squad, but McDaniel said he expects there to be another option in the mix soon.

“We will bring in someone, we’re just evaluating the pros and cons for the different situations,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel added that he expects Thompson to remain “the next man up” when it comes to the starting job and that the team is confident in his ability to run the offense. Thompson started three games during his rookie season in 2022, but Thursday night was his first appearance since a Wild Card loss to the Bills that year.

 It must be exhausting rooting for anyone other than Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards, as the pop superstar just keeps dominating.

Swift cleaned up at Wednesday's VMAs, taking home the most statues with seven and breaking the record for most wins for any solo artist in history with 30.

The night was bookended by major wins for the singer, starting with her taking the best collaboration award for "Fortnight," the "Tortured Poets Department" track featuring Post Malone. Malone joined Swift on stage, and she honored him as "everyone in music's favorite person" to work with.

At the end of the evening, Swift received the top prize of video of the year for "Fortnight." She holds the record for most wins in that category with five, including three consecutive victories since 2022, for "Bad Blood," "You Need to Calm Down," "All Too Well," "Anti-Hero" and "Fortnight."

How many VMAs did Taylor Swift win? Full list of her victories

But that wasn't all for Swift, who in addition to her televised wins took home several additional VMAs that weren't handed out on the telecast. Here's her complete haul:

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

• Video of the year - "Fortnight"
• Best collaboration - "Fortnight"
• Song of summer - "Fortnight"
• Best direction - "Fortnight"
• Best editing - "Fortnight"
• Artist of the year
• Best pop

 Shannon Sharpe came clean about the sultry Instagram Live post he put out on Wednesday afternoon, sharing with his roughly 3.2 million followers live audio of himself engaged in sexual activity with a woman. 

“Obviously I am embarrassed. Someone that is extremely, extremely private and to have one of your most intimate details – the audio – heard for the entire world to hear, I’m embarrassed for a number of reasons,” a contrite-sounding Sharpe initially said during an emergency episode of “Nightcap.” 

There are a lot of people that count on Shannon to be professional at all times and I always try to be professional at all times, even when I’m behind closed doors. … I’m very disappointed in myself, not for the act. I think there are millions and billions of people of consenting age that engage in activities, but for the audio to be heard I’m disappointed in myself. I let a lot of people down.”

It was on Wednesday afternoon that the video went live on Instagram of Sharpe engaging in the activity with an unknown female, who could be heard moaning. 

Clips that appeared on social media showed thousands of people tuning in live for the NSFW feed.

Sharpe initially claimed his Instagram account had been hacked in a post on X before he deleted the post and admitted Wednesday night that the event occurred because of his lack of technological knowledge. 

“I threw my phone on the bed, engaged in an activity,” Sharpe said. “I did not know IG live. I’ve never turned IG live on so I don’t know how it works and all of sudden my other phone started going off.”

It was Sharpe’s marketing partner Jamie Fritz who was finally able to get through to alert him of the situation and it was another person who eventually ended the live video, he explained on the show. 

“My phone wasn’t hacked. It wasn’t a prank, it was me being a healthy, active male,” he added. “Ya’ll thought I was bulljiving, Unc get it in.” 

Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson did attest to Sharpe’s lack of technological awareness, telling the audience during the episode that the three-time Super Bowl champ has butt dialed him in the past without even realizing it. 

However, while Johnson did attempt to show Sharpe grace, he couldn’t help but prod him over Sharpe chastising Johnson previously over his professionalism. 

“I’m baffled. I never thought I’d see the day where you, Unc, would pull something so out of character,” Johnson said. “A little unprofessional. I’m not mad, I’m thoroughly disappointed because I hold you to a higher standard. The type of standard you just tried to chastise me for just Saturday. So this has really sent me into a complete shock

SOURCE