After a combined two divorces, a rumored affair, and months of tabloid gossip, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster have finally made their glossy paparazzi debut. Per People, the former Music Man co-stars were photographed holding hands on Monday night, as they waltzed down the streets of Santa Monica laughing and staring into each other’s eyes. Actually, they look so carefree and in love I’m almost inclined to believe they’re blissfully unaware of all the drama surrounding their relationship. Almost.
Let’s recap the couple’s timeline, shall we? In December 2021, Jackman and Foster hit Broadway to premiere their revival of the 1957 classic, The Music Man. They spent nearly two years onstage together playing Professor Harold Hill and Marian Paroo, and sources later told “Page Six” that the actors spent “all of their free time together” and “[snuck] around.” (Neither has commented on rumors of an affair.) In 2023, Jackman and his now ex-wife Deborra-lee Furness announced that they had decided to mutually end their 27-year marriage. The following year, Foster filed for divorce from her husband of ten years, Ted Griffin. And now, Foster and Jackman have hard launched their love with totally candid, definitely not pre-arranged photos in People. Who said romance was dead?
On Saturday, Jackman was also reportedly spotted in the audience of one of the final performances of Foster’s Once Upon a Mattress at Los Angeles’s Ahmanson Theatre. He sat next to Carol Burnett, who originated Foster’s role in the 1959 production of the show. Cute! Messy origins aside, I will begrudgingly root for Wolverine and his new paramour. I need something to believe in anyways, and soulmates finding each other later in life seems like a small miracle I can get behind.
As a fictional tennis coach, Zendaya juggled trysts with two professional athletes. But off-screen, the actor has no more Challengers to speak of, at least romantically.
That was confirmed Monday, when People and TMZ reported that the actor, who was born and raised in Oakland, was engaged to Tom Holland. Zendaya attended the Golden Globes with what appeared to be an engagement ring on her finger, sparking a flurry of online speculation. The news arrives after a career-defining year for Zendaya, who reached even greater heights of commercial and critical success with her starring roles in “Dune: Part Two” and “Challengers.”
Zendaya and Holland met on the set of “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Although Zendaya and Holland’s franchise is marked by an absence of upside-down kiss scenes, their relationship seems stronger for it; with their engagement, the pair could easily claim the title of the most enduring “Spider-Man” couple. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, who played Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson in the Sam Raimi “Spider-Man” films, dated for around a year before their break-up senses started tingling. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, whose two “The Amazing Spider-Man” films are unfairly maligned on Letterboxd, were entangled in each other’s web for four years.
Hailing from Oakland, Zendaya got her start acting at the California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda. When that venue was at risk of shutting down last year, she donated $100,000 to save it. In 2024’s whirlwind of celebrity look-alike contests, Oakland answered New York’s Timothée Chalamet-themed gathering with a Zendaya look-alike contest.
A former Fox Sports hairstylist alleges in a lawsuit that a network executive used “his position to sexually harass women,” as well as that Skip Bayless touched her inappropriately and propositioned her for sex.
Noushin Faraji, who says she worked at Fox Sports from 2012 through last August, made a series of allegations in the 42-page lawsuit obtained by Front Office Sports. Fox, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, Fox Sports EVP Charlie Dixon, Bayless, and FS1 host Joy Taylor are listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
In the suit filed Friday in Los Angeles, Faraji alleges that Dixon, the head of content for FS1, grabbed her buttocks at a birthday party in West Hollywood. When she relayed the encounter to Taylor, the Fox host allegedly told her to “get over it,” according to the suit.
The lawsuit seeks class-action status on behalf of Faraji and other nonexempt Fox employees working in California over the past four years. Faraji seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
After starting work on the Undisputed morning show starring Bayless, the suit alleges he began giving Faraji “lingering hugs and kisses on the cheek while putting his body against hers and pressing against her breasts.” The single mother alleges she repeatedly told Bayless she was not interested in him and did not “date at work.” She also claims she told Bayless she was suffering from ovarian cancer, after developing issues with her left ovary, in an effort to halt his advances.
Instead, Bayless became more aggressive over the years, according to the suit. He allegedly offered Faraji $1.5 million to have sex with him—and claimed he could “change” her life. The suit also claims Bayless accused Faraji of sleeping with Shannon Sharpe, his co-star on
During her time at Fox, Faraji alleges she made multiple complaints to the Human Resources and Employee Relations departments.
Meanwhile, the suit alleges Taylor began “insulting Ms. Faraji on a personal and professional level” after their friendship ended. The suit also alleges that Taylor mocked the “English” pronunciation of Faraji, who is of Persian descent.
“Her lengthy tenure at Fox Sports and not-so-thinly-veiled references to multiple anonymous witnesses suggests that she may have the receipts to back up her version of the events,” said Daniel Wallach, a sports law attorney and co-host of the podcast Conduct Detrimental. “Just as importantly, she contemporaneously raised these issues with co-workers, which, in the jurors’ eyes, could boost the credibility of these claims.”
Fox Sports released the following statement to FOS: “We take these allegations seriously and have no further comment at this time given this pending litigation.”
Ms. Faraji’s lawyers did not immediately respond to FOS.
The lawsuit follows a year of major talent changes at FS1, Fox’s national sports cable network. In August, Bayless left after eight years as the star of the Undisputed morning show. His former on-air partner, Sharpe, reached a buyout agreement in 2023 after publicly clashing with Bayless on the air.
After the cancelation of Undisputed, Dixon and FS1 management revamped the network’s weekday studio lineup this year, launching the new Breakfast Ball and The Facility, while keeping Colin Cowherd’s The Herd and Nick Wright’s First Things First in their time slots. The suit clears Cowherd of wrongdoing, saying “throughout her entire tenure at Fox, Mr. Cowherd was professional and respectful to Ms. Faraji and her coworkers.”
If you’ve visited a Chick-fil-A recently and wondered why their beloved waffle fries look a bit different, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. In November 2024, the brand added pea starch to their Potato Waffle Fries recipe in an effort to make the popular side stay crispier, longer.
The change went largely under the radar, but Chick-fil-A enthusiasts like Daryl-Ann Denner noticed the change immediately.
"I eat Chick-fil-A at least a few times a week, and I would say by the middle of November I caught on to something being different with the fries,” Denner, the founder and CEO of clothing brand Nuuds, tells Southern Living. “At first, I just thought I kept getting a bad batch. Then, I blamed it on the location being off, but when I visited another location with my mom, I asked her if she noticed that the fries were grainier than usual."
Denner says her mom confirmed she noticed the same difference in the fries.
“I immediately went to Google and saw a notice that CFA had changed the recipe for their fries,” Denner, 34, says of the notice of the change on the brand’s website.
Daryl Ann Denner/Instagram
The Texas-based Chick-fil-A superfan isn’t an outlier.
A recent social media post from the brand is flooded with comments from guests citing taste and quality concerns—and begging the brand to revert back to the old style of fries.
“Your new fries are terrible. I can’t even eat them anymore and they were my favorite thing. Please go back!” one user wrote.
Another added, “Please bring back the old fries, new ones are sooo gross!”
Taste and quality aside, parents are concerned about the recipe change, citing food allergies.
“So many kiddos with peanut allergies also cannot eat peas!! Unfortunately we won’t be able to eat there anymore now,” one mom commented.
Another mom added, “Please go back to the original fries. My daughter has an allergy to peas and pea protein. We can no longer visit the restaurant due to allergy concerns and cross contamination.”
On the Chick-fil-A website, food allergies, as well as food safety, are addressed with a link to access food and nutrition for all menu items at Chick-fil-A, noting that the new recipe does not contain any of the nine major allergens.
“We know Chick-fil-A fans love our Waffle Potato Fries. We recently made a slight adjustment to our Waffle Potato Fries recipe, which offers the same great taste while also making our Waffle Potato Fries stay crispier, longer,” a Chick-fil-A spokesperson tells Southern Living.
But for some Chick-fil-A lovers, the change is not worth it.
“They used to be my favorite snack,” Denner says, saying her entire family wants the old recipe back. “Whether or not I was getting a meal, I would get fries and a large Diet Coke. Now, I order my entree and don’t get a fry. They are dry, grainy, and have no flavor anymore. My kids won’t even eat them.”
Soccer star Lionel Messi was unable to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden on Saturday due to a scheduling issue.
Messi, the Argentine World Cup champion, was noticeably absent during the ceremony where 18 other recipients received the highest civilian honor in the United States.
Messi sent a letter to the White House to inform officials he would be unable to attend after learning in December he would receive the honor, Messi’s management team and Inter Miami told USA TODAY Sports.
Messi said he is deeply honored and it is a profound privilege to receive the recognition, but would be unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts and prior commitments. Messi appreciated the gesture and noted he hopes to have the opportunity to meet Biden in the near future.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, basketball legend Magic Johnson, fashion designer Ralph Lauren, U2 frontman Bono, actors Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington, and popular science education host Bill Nye were among recipients Saturday.
Messi, 37, is the most decorated player in the history of professional soccer, finishing his legendary career in the United States with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
Messi has won 46 titles for club and country during his career, including four UEFA Champions Leagues, two Copa Americas and one FIFA World Cup. He has also won eight Ballon d'Or awards and named FIFA's world's best player eight times.
Messi was named MLS MVP in his first full season last year, scoring 20 goals and adding 16 assists in 19 matches while his club set a league record with a 74-point campaign.
Messi will begin a busy 2025 with Inter Miami later this month, which includes competing in the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
Messi has yet to declare whether he will play in the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The White House recognized Messi for supporting “healthcare and education programs for children around the world through the Leo Messi Foundation and serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.”
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the highest civilian honor in the country. It is presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.
Apple has agreed to pay $95m (£77m) to settle a court case alleging some of its devices were listening to people without their permission.
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The tech giant was accused of eavesdropping on its customers through its virtual assistant Siri.
The claimants also allege voice recordings were shared with advertisers.
Apple, which has not admitted any wrongdoing, has been approached for comment.
In the preliminary settlement, the tech firm denies any wrongdoing, as well as claims that it "recorded, disclosed to third parties, or failed to delete, conversations recorded as the result of a Siri activation" without consent.
Apple's lawyers also say they will confirm they have "permanently deleted individual Siri audio recordings collected by Apple prior to October 2019".
But the claimants say the tech firm recorded people who activated the virtual assistant unintentionally - without using the phrase "Hey, Siri" to wake it.
They say advertisers who received the recordings could then look for keywords in them to better target ads.
The lead plaintiff Fumiko Lopez claims she and her daughter were both recorded without their consent.
They allege they were served targeted ads after talking about products including Air Jordans.
Apple has proposed a decision date of 14 February in the court in Northern California.
Class action lawsuits work by a small number of people going to court on behalf of a larger group.
If they are successful, the money won is paid out across all claimants.
According to the court documents, each claimant - who has to be based in the US -could be paid up to $20 per Siri-enabled device they owned between 2014 and 2019.
In this case, the lawyers could take 30% of the fee plus expenses - which comes to just under $30m.
By settling, Apple not only denies wrongdoing, but it also avoids the risk of facing a court case which could potentially mean a much larger pay out.
The California company made $94.9bn in revenue in the three months up to 28 September 2024.
Apple has been involved in a number of class action lawsuits in recent years.
In January 2024, it started paying out in a $500m lawsuit which claimed it deliberately slowed down iPhones in the US.
In March, it agreed to pay $490m in a class action led by Norfolk County Council in the UK.
And in November, consumer group Which? started a class action against Apple, accusing it of ripping off customers through its iCloud service.
The same law firm is suing Google in a similar class action, accusing it of listening to customers using Google devices.
The Osmonds’ rise to fame began when they were discovered by Andy Williams’ father while performing at Disneyland. During the 1960s, they became regular performers on "The Andy Williams Show" and later toured extensively throughout Europe. Over time, the group eventually went their separate ways as they pursued solo music careers.
Best known as the brother of Marie and Donny Osmond, stars of the 1970s variety show "Donny & Marie," Wayne Osmond's passing on New Year's Day was confirmed by his family in an emotional statement.
The Osmonds started as a barbershop quartet before rising to fame as “teen music idols.” They later went on to produce the popular TV series "The Osmond Family Show," which was filmed in Orem.
Wayne Osmond, beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully last night surrounded by his loving wife and five children," the family's statement obtained by local ABC affiliate KTVX read.
“His legacy of faith, music, love, and laughter have influenced the lives of many people around the world. He would want everyone to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that families are forever, and that banana splits are the best dessert. We love him and will miss him dearly,” the family added.
Several of Wayne’s siblings have shared heartfelt tributes on social media to honor their brother. Jay Osmond expressed that throughout his life, he “always felt the most connected to Wayne out of all of my siblings.”
“My heart is deeply saddened for the loss of my brother Wayne. It is said that where there is great love there is great grief as we part during our earthly journey,” Jay said. “What gives me joy is to know that my brother ‘Wings’ has earned his wings and I can only imagine the heights he is soaring right now.”
Merrill Osmond shared more details, revealing that his brother suffered a “massive stroke.” He recounted rushing to the hospital upon hearing the news and expressed gratitude that he was able to be there to say his final goodbyes.
Amanda Bynes was seen out and about in Los Angeles on Tuesday (April 15). The 39-year-old former actress wore grey sweats for her outing...
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