Author: business

Massive new box set has hundreds of unreleased tracks
If you have enjoyed the musical ride of the Grateful Dead, there’s a new box set for you: “Enjoying the Ride,” has 60 CDs marking the band’s 60th anniversary. It has 17 complete concerts and more.

Want the music to never stop? There’s a new massive Grateful Dead box set just for you.
“Enjoying the Ride,” is a 60-CD box set encompassing more than 60 hours of music, collected from the iconic band’s live performances from 1969 to 1994.

Available to pre-order now on Dead.net and due out May 30, “Enjoying the Ride” ($599.98) comes on the 60^th anniversary of the iconic band’s formation in 1965 and changing its name from the Warlocks to the Grateful Dead later that year.

Nearly all of the 450 tracks in the set are previously unreleased and fans can listen to three of those tracks – unreleased versions of “Scarlet Begonias,” “Touch Of Grey,” and “Fire On The Mountain,” recorded live at the Berkeley Greek Theatre on July 13, 1984 – on streaming services now.

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The collection is comprised of concert recordings from 20 different venues across the U.S.: 17 full-length concerts, some with additional material from the same venue, plus multiple performances from shows at three other venues: Fillmore West, Fillmore East, and Boston Music Hall.

“On these 60 CDs, you’ll find music spanning more than 25 years, from 1969 to 1994, with the venues and the millions of journeys to get to them, making an essential part of the story,” said Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager David Lemieux. “Going to see the Grateful Dead, following them from city to city, was likened to the modern equivalent of running away and joining the circus. These 20 venues are where the circus took us, and the show was something we never wanted to miss.”

The box set has a special meaning for Rhino Records President Mark Pinkus, because it includes that July 1984 show at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California, his first-ever Grateful Dead concert, which he recalls had an “epic ‘Dark Star’ encore.

“This show marked the start of a lifelong journey for me, and I’m willing to bet there are many shows in this fantastic set that will resonate with fans who also found community on the road,” Pinkus said in a statement. “I am forever honored to work alongside David and the Grateful Dead to keep this long, strange trip alive.”

Only 6,000 individually numbered copies of the 60-CD set will be made available. Digital downloads in ALAC ($399.99) and high-res FLAC ($499.99) will be available on the same day.

Included with the set, a tour guide with liner notes by Jesse Jarnow (author and co-host of the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast podcast) with a producer’s note from Lemieux, plus scores of photos.

Get an edited-down Grateful Dead retrospective

If 60 CDs seems a bit much, Rhino is releasing some smaller versions:

Vinyl LPs: “The Music Never Stopped,” ($149.98) is a six-LP version of the music in the box set with at least one song from each venue in the deluxe set.

Compact discs: A three-CD version of “The Music Never Stopped” is priced at $34.98.

Digital: A download version of “The Music Never Stopped” is available in ALAC ($14.99) and high-res Flac (26.99).

For the record, this isn’t even the largest Grateful Dead CD box set ever released. A decade ago, Rhino released “30 Trips Around the Sun” for the band’s 50^th anniversary, a collection of 80 CDs. Only 6,500 were made, but there’s a few available on eBay, starting at $2,300.

For a supposedly fading technology, compact discs have shown some resilience. Other musicians recently issuing mega-box sets include Bob Dylan and The Band: The 1974 Live Recordings ($159.99), a 27-CD set with 417 live tracks from the 1974 tour, and Neil Young Archives Vol. III (1976-1987), a 17-CD set of unreleased albums and songs, including alternate and live versions (deluxe version with Blu-ray Disc, $449.98; CD version, $239.98).

Also on tap: Dogfish Head’s Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale

The new box set isn’t the only celebration of the Dead’s legacy being served up. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery recently released Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale, in collaboration with the Grateful Dead. The 5.3% ABV beer is made with granola and krenza, a sustainable grain.

“As a beer geek with a music problem, few things in life are as sensorially sensational as enjoying a great beer while simultaneously listening to some great music,” said Dogfish Head founder and brewer Sam Calagione in a press release. It’s the third beer the Delaware-based brewery and band have collaborated on. “With its layered, nuanced flavors of tropical hops complemented by its malty body, our Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale is as compelling and joyful as the band’s music.”

And the live music hasn’t stopped either. Dead & Company, which includes Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, along with John Mayer, will kick off their second residency at Sphere in Las Vegas next week.

Follow Mike Snider on Threads, Bluesky and X: mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider.

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March 12, 2025
Blake Lively’s ‘Another Simple Favor’ nearly ‘killed’ by director

AUSTIN, Texas – Paul Feig appeared a voguish cowboy at the world premiere of “Another Simple Favor” on Friday. His cowboy hat, cream jacket with fringe and matching boots were fitting, given the location of South by Southwest and the fact that the filmmaker had triumphed in a metaphorical gunslinging duel with his fears about making a follow-up to the 2018 original.

“There were a lot of times in the development of this I tried to kill it because I was just like, ‘If we don’t get it right, let’s not do it,’ ” Feig says on a lively patio at the Four Seasons during the festival. He pairs a cherry red Lucchese boot with a pinstripe suit for the occasion. “We actually had a script that was greenlit, and we threw 70% out of it” after reading online what people were looking forward to about the movie. “I’m not about fan service, but also I don’t want to rug pull an audience.”

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In “A Simple Favor,” enthusiastic mommy vlogger Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) attempts to find her missing, enigmatic friend Emily (Blake Lively) only to learn Emily has faked her own death, which she tries to pin on her flailing husband Sean (Henry Golding). But Emily is arrested after Stephanie secretly records Emily’s confession for a livestream. Get your martinis ready to toast “Another Simple Favor” when it arrives on Amazon’s Prime Video May 1.

“There have been very few sequels I’ve seen where I’ve gone, ‘Oh, I’m so glad they made that,’ ” Feig says. “To do a sequel, do you deconstruct those people so they’re having problems again? Will the audience not have patience for that? ‘I thought, we just repaired them in the first one? Why are they a mess again now?’ Or are you just going to take them into a situation as the characters we already know and then we’re losing that fun of discovery of who they are.”

Feig needed to push his leads “out of their comfort zones.” Emily has strutted out of prison, likely in Christian Louboutins, thanks to high-powered attorneys. Which is great, considering she’s engaged to be married to the mysterious Dante (Michele Morrone) in a fabulous wedding in Capri, Italy. And she wants Stephanie to be her maid of honor. Golding returns for the sequel. Elizabeth Perkins replaces Jean Smart as Emily’s mother and Allison Janney plays Emily’s aunt.

“It’s a new mystery of, ‘What’s Emily up to?’ ” Feig says. “And I think that was the fun of this because Emily’s such a good, slippery character that you never quite know what her motivations are.”

And Stephanie has more of a backbone this time around, at Kendrick’s urging. When Emily surprises Stephanie at a book signing, Feig envisioned a startled and nervous Stephanie. But Kendrick explained to Feig, “ ’I put her in jail already once,’ ” the filmmaker remembers. “I was like, ‘You know, you’re right.’ And so we readjusted the script to give her that.”

Feig also welcomes the ideas Lively had about Emily, “probably my favorite character I’ve ever been fortunate enough to play,” Lively said at Friday’s screening.

For Feig, Emily is “the perfect role” for Lively. “It’s not who she is at all,” he says. “Blake is just the sweetest kind of Earth Mother. But she can snap into this character and just be so biting and asserting and scary, but funny at the same time.”

He remembers when they met for the first movie. “She’s pitching me ideas, and I’m pitching back to her and together we take the character as we had written it originally, and then make it even better and more interesting and more three-dimensional,” Feig says. “But that’s what I do with all my actors. That’s my process, no matter who I’m working with.

“The idea that movie stars show up to a movie and just go, ‘OK, I’m just going to do it the exact way you wrote it,’ there’s not a movie star I’ve ever known or ever talked to who works that way,” Feig says. “Everybody collaborates.”

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Lively is currently involved in competing lawsuits with her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni. In one suit, Baldoni and co-defendants accuse Lively of “asserting control” over creative elements of the film.

It’s not the case for Feig, who in January took to X to squash rumored tension between his co-stars.

“It’s totally sexist, 100% sexist,” he tells USA TODAY. “When I was going to do ‘Bridesmaids,’ a male producer I know said, ‘Oh, boy, get ready. Six women in a cast. They’re going to be fighting.’ ”

Feig was befuddled. “Of course it was the greatest experience of my life,” he says. “Everybody got along so well. People try to invent this (expletive) when two women get together.”

Now that his worries about doing an “A Simple Favor” sequel have ridden off into the sunset, would he be game for saddling up for another? For “Bridesmaids,” perhaps? It’s up to star and co-writer Kristen Wiig, Feig says.

“I know it seems like it’s easy,” he adds. “But that’s the scary part.”

March 12, 2025
NeYo ‘pyramid’ of 4 girlfriends goes public

Better make that Miss Independent(s).

Ne-Yo is taking his multi-partnered love public with a new post introducing his “pyramid” of polyamory to the world. The R&B crooner, who previously revealed he has multiple girlfriends simultaneously, gave more details to Instagram followers Sunday when he shared a photograph identifying the four ladies that make up his quadruple relationship.

“Since the world is so intrigued, I guess I should introduce my loves properly,” he captioned the photo. “LADIES AND GENTS I PRESENT MY PYRAMID.”

The women, tagged in the post, are listed as Cristina aka PB (Pretty Baby), Arielle aka TF (Twin Flame), Moneii aka PF (Phoenix Feather) and Bri aka SLS (Sexy Lil’ Somethin’).

Why are we so obsessed with polyamory? Read more.

“Say something nice or move on with your life,” Ne-Yo wrote alongside the shot of the foursome at dinner. “We happy over here.”

Polyamory, which is defined as the practice of engaging in multiple romantic relationships, with the consent of all the people involved, represents a relationship second act for Ne-Yo, who was married to actress Crystal Renay from 2016 to 2023.

When the two divorced, Renay accused Ne-Yo of infidelity and a court battle revealed her allegation that he had fathered two children with another woman during their marriage. Since then, the singer has been on a quasi-press tour for his new relationship format, claiming he should have opted for multiple lovers the whole time.

“I feel like I wasted a lot of time just being dishonest about things, to the point where had I taken this approach initially I probably could have saved myself a lot of headache and heartache,” he told hosts on the “Rickey Smiley Morning Show” during an interview last month.

‘I’m wired differently’: What it feels like to be polyamorous and how couples make it work

“The key ingredient to making it work is honesty, everybody gotta be telling the truth,” he said. That the women are in on the “pyramid” has been evident across social media as Cristina, Arielle and Moneii (Bri appears to be the newest addition) have a joint Instagram account where they post under the name “The Mrs. Lefts.”

Photos show the three women poolside with Ne-Yo, showing off lip tattoos of his name and holding hands with one another as they stroll behind him on vacation.

“I ain’t manipulating nobody, I ain’t brainwashing nobody, I ain’t lying to nobody,” the singer said. “Here’s what it is: I like you but I also like her, and her and her. If you cool with that, come on, we gonna have a great time.”

In a separate interview Thursday, he revealed that the vow for honesty came after his split with Renay.

Why being polyamorous is different for people of color

“I decided after my divorce that I wasn’t going to lie to anybody anymore, including myself,” he told host J Cruz on Los Angeles’ Real 92.3 radio station. “She might be with it, and she might not, but either way you slice it, if you lie and she catches you, and she’s going to catch you … you’re better off just keeping it a buck and letting the ones that rock the way you rock gravitate to you.”

In the meantime, Ne-Yo continues to make love songs for all kinds of couples, throuples, quadruples and more. His latest track, “Show Me,” is a sexy, slow-moving take on a club anthem.

March 12, 2025
Rosie O’Donnell moves to Ireland amid Donald Trump’s presidency

Rosie O’Donnell doesn’t call the land of the free home anymore.

The comedian and former talk-show host opened up about her recent move to Ireland in a lengthy video posted to TikTok on Tuesday.

“It’s been pretty wonderful, I have to say,” O’Donnell said in the nearly 10-minute clip. “The people are so loving and so kind, so welcoming. And I’m very grateful.”

Although O’Donnell said she did not anticipate leaving the U.S., she said the political climate following President Donald Trump’s election inspired her relocation, which took place Jan. 15.

“It’s been heartbreaking to see what’s happening politically and hard for me personally as well,” O’Donnell said. “The personal is political, as we all know.”

She added: “I just felt like we needed to take care of ourselves and make some hard decisions and follow through. And now as we’re getting settled, I was ready to post this and to tell everybody what’s been going on.”

O’Donnell isn’t the only celebrity to express political disillusionment following Trump’s election victory in November 2024.

Stars such as Christina Applegate, Stephen King, Billie Eilish, Bette Midler and Sophia Bush have previously shared their grievances on social media.

Rosie O’Donnell encourages Americans to ‘protect your sanity’

Although the Emmy-winning host has been enjoying the warm reception from her Irish neighbors, O’Donnell also shared the pangs of homesickness she’s been experiencing. The comic moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old child Clay.

“I miss my other kids. I miss my friends,” O’Donnell said. “I miss many things about life there at home, and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country, and when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back.”

Rosie O’Donnell talks family: Comedian addresses daughter Chelsea’s third arrest in 3 months

O’Donnell has five children, including daughter Chelsea O’Donnell. Chelsea, who O’Donnell previously said has struggled with drug addiction, underwent a trio of arrests in the fall of 2024 on various charges, including allegedly maintaining a “drug trafficking place.”

The comic concluded her Tuesday video by encouraging Americans to “protect your sanity as much as you can” and to advocate for their civic values when possible.

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“I encourage everyone to stand up, to use their voice, to protest, to demand that we follow the Constitution in our country, and not a king — not a man —and we don’t have cruelty as part of our governing style,” O’Donnell said.

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, KiMi Robinson and Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY

March 12, 2025
Former ‘Bachelorette’ files restraining order against ex-husband

Former “The Bachelorette” star DeAnna Pappas has filed a restraining order against her ex-husband following an altercation in Los Angeles County that ended in her arrest.

The Season 4 lead was arrested on a misdemeanor charge on Feb. 27 in Santa Clarita, California and released later that day on a $20,000 bond, arrest records show.

A temporary restraining order filed Monday demands her former husband and co-parent Stephen Stagliano, 41, stay at least 100 yards away from her until the end of a hearing date scheduled for March 27, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY.

Pappas, 43, said Stagliano accused her of being an alcoholic and refused to leave her home on the day of her arrest, records show. She also alleged Stagliano physically shoved her after she tried to shut her garage door while yelling for him to leave.

“I attempted to shut the garage door again. Stephen used his hand and pushed the garage door upward again so that it would not close,” Pappas said in a Monday filing. “Stephen then took his hands, grabbing me, and then forcefully shoved me. He pushed me back again.”

USA TODAY has reached out to the attorneys representing Pappas and Stagliano for comment.

Stagliano’s mother alleges Pappas’s breath smelled like alcohol

Upon arrival, officers told Pappas that Stagliano had called reporting a domestic violence incident in which she was the aggressor while drunk. After her bail, Pappas said she voluntarily participated in drug and alcohol testing and has repeatedly denied suffering from alcoholism.

“This is wholly false and fabricated as a way for the Respondent to gain leverage in his attempt to alienate the children from me,” Pappas said in an opposition to an ex parte application that Stagliano filed. “I am not an alcoholic.”

Stagliano’s mother Lynn said in a declaration that she “very clearly smelled alcohol on DeAnna’s breath” while picking their 9-year-old son on Feb. 26, the morning before the arrest.

Pappas says Stagliano tried to smell her breath day of arrest

Pappas claims that Stagliano insisted on getting close to smell her breath to ensure she wasn’t drunk, court records show.

She said after ignoring her ex-husband’s comment, she headed to the garage where he followed her and the altercation ensued while their 11-year-old daughter was still inside his vehicle with the engine running. She also alleged she saw Stagliano stealing from the garage.

In a witness statement, Pappas’s friend and neighbor Illisa Gooden attested Stagliano’s presence created “an uncomfortable and distressing environment” and caused a “psychologically tormenting effect on DeAnna.”

Pappas and Stagliano finalized divorce in 2024

Pappas and Stagliano announced they were separating in January 2023 after 11 years of marriage, according to magazine In Touch Weekly. Their divorce wasn’t finalized until June 2024.

The ex couple share two childen: 11-year-old daughter Addison and 9-year-old son Austin.

As part of their divorce agreement, “neither party shall drink alcohol in excess of the legal limit during their custody periods, or have a child and/or children in their custody and control when being intoxicated.”

March 12, 2025
A look back at KISS: Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and more rock 'n' roll momentsMusic

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March 12, 2025
Crossword Blog & Answers for March 12, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Page-turner (Freestyle)
Constructor: Dena R. Verkuil

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

CLAM (1A: Jogaetang mollusk) Jogaetang is a CLAM soup or CLAM stew in Korean cuisine.

APRICOT (19A: National fruit of Armenia) The scientific name of the APRICOT tree is Prunus armeniaca. It is so named because APRICOTs have been cultivated in Armenia for many years. It was originally thought the trees originated in Armenia, but genetic studies have shown that domestication of APRICOT trees occurred in Central Asia and China, before making its way to Armenia in West Asia. Nonetheless, as the clue informs us, the APRICOT is the national fruit of Armenia, and images of APRICOTs are often depicted on Armenian souvenirs.

CELLO (38D: Sol Gabetta’s instrument) Sol Gabetta has been playing the CELLO since she was four years old. She has performed with orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the U.S. In addition to performing, Sol Gabetta teaches at the Basel Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland.

NBA (59D: Org. in which Brittni Donaldson coaches) Brittni Donaldson is an Assistant Coach for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. She is the team’s first female coach. In learning about Brittni Donaldson, I discovered she was born in Iowa, and attended the University of Northern Iowa.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

IMAN (15A: One-named model with a Global Chic line) IMAN is a model and actress. She founded IMAN Cosmetics in 1994, focusing on difficult-to-find shades for women. Global Chic is IMAN’s line of handbags, jewelry, clothing, and fashion accessories, which have been available exclusively through the Home Shopping Network (HSN).

HALEY (17A: “Queen” author Alex) Queen: The Story of an American Family was published in 1993, a year after Alex HALEY’s death. Before he died, the author asked screenwriter David Stevens to finish the historical novel about his ancestors. Queen is based on the life of Alex HALEY’s grandmother, Queen Jackson HALEY, who was the daughter of an enslaved woman and a plantation owner. The book was adapted into a TV miniseries, Alex HALEY’s Queen, that originally aired in 1993. Halle Berry starred in the miniseries as the title character.

UTERUS (25A: “Mind Your Own ___” (reproductive rights slogan)) On Etsy, one can find a number of products – shirts, mugs, stickers – with the reproductive rights slogan, “Mind Your Own UTERUS.”

APU (36A: Hari Kondabolu’s “The Problem with ___”) The Problem with APU is Hari Kondabolu’s documentary focusing on The Simpsons‘ character APU Nahasapeemapetilon. The film explores negative stereotypes of people of Indian and South Asian heritage.

STEPDAD (39A: Jay Pritchett, to Manny, on “Modern Family) and SON (34D: Homer Simpson, to Abe) Today’s puzzle is testing my knowledge of fictional family relationships. Modern Family (2009-2020) is a mockumentary TV series that follows the lives of three families. One of the families is that of Jay and Gloria. Manny is Gloria’s son from a previous marriage, making Jay his STEPDAD. On the sitcom The Simpsons, Abe is Homer Simpson’s father, meaning Homer is Abe’s SON, of course.

LIU (41A: Simu who played a Ken) The “a Ken” in this clue, rather than “Ken” made me chuckle. Simu LIU portrays “Tourist Ken,” one of eight characters named Ken in the 2023 movie Barbie.

MAHALO (49A: Hawaiian “Thank you”) The Hawaiian word, “MAHALO,” means thanks, gratitude, admiration, and praise. We frequently see the Hawaiian word, “aloha,” in the puzzle, which is used as a greeting, and whose meaning also encompasses love, affection, peace, compassion, and mercy. I enjoyed seeing an additional Hawaiian word today.

BAIL (64A: Target of Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act) The Pretrial Fairness Act is a section of a 2021 Illinois law known as the SAFE-T Act (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act). The Pretrial Fairness Act took effect in 2023. One of the aspects of the law was elimination of cash BAIL. Pretrial release decisions are instead focused on safety and flight considerations.

ANDY (67A: Buzz Lightyear’s owner in “Toy Story”) I’m going to (quietly) admit that I have never seen the animated 1995 movie Toy Story (or any of its sequels). Side note: Has it really been almost 30 years since Toy Story was originally released?! Anyway, because I haven’t seen Toy Story, I had to reach deep to come up with the name of ANDY, the young boy who owns the toys in the movie. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with ANDY without any help from crossing answers.

AVID READER (10D: Bookworm) Are you an AVID READER? What are you reading? A couple of months ago when I asked this question, I shared that I was reading the first book in a cozy mystery series, The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian. I am currently on the seventh book in the series, The Alchemist of Monsters and Mayhem. There are eight books in the series, and I will be sad when I am done with them. I am really enjoying the quirky characters in these books, a 300-year-old alchemist named Zoe, and a stone gargoyle named Dorian who has come to life and is an accomplished French chef.

STATE (22D: Iowa or Idaho) Hello from Iowa! Nice alliteration in the choice of STATEs here. There are two other U.S. STATEs that start with the letter I, Illinois and Indiana.

PURINA (28D: Fancy Feast brand) and CAMO (9A: Pattern you don’t want to be seen in) Fancy Feast is a brand of wet cat food by PURINA. My cat, Willow, has never tried Fancy Feast, but I’m sure she would be a fan. I’ve paired this clue with the clue for CAMO, because it reminded me of a cat-patterned fleece blanket that we have, which works as CAMO for Willow.

GAS (43D: Krypton or oxygen) Krypton is a chemically inert, colorless, odorless noble GAS. It is used in lighting (similar to the noble gases neon and argon) and in photography. Oxygen, on the other hand, is a highly reactive element. Oxygen is the second-most abundant GAS in the atmosphere, after nitrogen.

EATALY (46D: Market chain founded in Turin) The first EATALY opened in Turin, Italy in 2007. The chain, whose name is a portmanteau of “eat” and “Italy,” now has stores worldwide.

DUA (48D: “Illusion” singer Lipa) “Illusion” is a 2024 song by DUA Lipa. It is from her album Radical Optimism.

IBEX (56D: Mountain-climbing goat) The IBEX is a species of wild goat found in Eurasia, North Africa, and East Africa. Both male and female IBEX have large horns that curve backwards and have knobby ridges. IBEX are well-suited for living in mountainous terrain, as their hooves have sharp edges and concave undersides that act similar to suction cups. Here’s a fun fact: IBEX can jump more than six feet straight up without a running start.

CAN (60D: “We ___ Do It!” (1943 poster phrase)) “We CAN Do It!” motivational posters were originally used in the 1940s by the Westinghouse Company. The posters show a woman wearing a red-and-white, polka dot bandana. Since the 1980s, she has been known as Rosie the Riveter.

TEA (62D: Sencha or rooibos) Sencha is a type of Japanese green TEA made by infusing processed whole tea leaves in hot water.Rooibos is a red TEA made from the leaves of the rooibos plant, which is naturally caffeine-free.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

PAGE-TURNER (Freestyle): There’s no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to AVID READER (10D: Bookworm). We have a book referenced in the grid as well, Queen by Alex HALEY at 17-Across.

Some venues don’t give titles to their themeless puzzles, opting to simply use “Themeless” or “Freestyle” as a title. USA TODAY has chosen to label themeless puzzles as “Freestyle” but also give them titles that refer to one or more answers in the grid. I like this choice. Using the word Freestyle lets solvers know not to spend time looking for a theme. Using a title as well is a way for the constructor to highlight a favorite answer or two in the grid. Thank you, Dena, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles
March 12, 2025
Raphael Saadiq talks about explosive year on heels of ‘Cowboy Carter’
- Musician Raphael Saadiq is launching a one-man show called “No Bandwidth: One Man, One Night, Three Decades of Hits” starting May 31 in New York.
- Saadiq rose to fame as a vocalist in the R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné! and is known for his work with artists like Beyoncé and Lucy Pearl, earning him three Grammys and numerous other accolades.
- The “No Bandwidth” show will feature Saadiq performing music, sharing stories and connecting with the audience in a personal setting.
- Saadiq also recently celebrated success with Beyoncé’s album “Cowboy Carter,” for which he co-wrote and produced several songs.
Raphael Saadiq, who has cemented his mark in the music industry over the past three decades, has a special year planned for his fans with the release of exclusive content and a new one-man show.

“No Bandwidth: One Man, One Night, Three Decades of Hits” will run for only four nights, kicking off May 31 in New York before heading to Los Angeles on June 6 and his hometown of Oakland, California, on June 7 and June 8.

“It’ll be me singing sometimes, me playing some instruments, me talking, telling stories, talking about the past and talking about the present,” Saadiq says. “We’re just going to be in one place all together. It’s going to be no phones. We’re really going to be close and personal.”

Saadiq rose to fame in the ’80s and ’90s as the lead vocalist for the R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné! Founding member and Saadiq’s brother D’Wayne Wiggins died after a battle with bladder cancer this month.

In 1999, Saadiq also formed another R&B group, Lucy Pearl, and released music with its members before eventually releasing five solo albums. The versatile music mogul has earned three Grammy Awards, received 20 additional nominations, and had his work recognized by both the Oscars and Golden Globes.

This year he won a Grammy for album of the year for his work on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter,” on which he helped produce and write a number of songs. He also kicked off the year by performing at the NBA All-Star Game in Oakland and announcing the launch of his vinyl club.

“The (past) year has been really successful. I have worked with some amazing people,” Saadiq says. “Though maybe different than some, I’ve had a lot of years like this.”

‘No Bandwidth’ shows significant in more ways than one

As a producer, instrumentalist, composer and songwriter, he has written and produced for music legends while becoming one himself. Some of those artists include Beyoncé, the Isley Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Erykah Badu, Solange Knowles, D’Angelo and John Legend.

His first one-man show will be held at the Apollo Theater in Harlem — an intentional choice.

“There’s so much seasoning left on the floor at the Apollo. When you walk on that floor, you have to understand the people who worked so hard — blood, sweat and tears — and the ancestors that touched that stage,” Saadiq says. “I wanted to take some of that energy and then just bring it out. Every time I go to the Apollo, I feel that way. But to go back by myself, and as a one-man show, is monumental for me.”

Fans can expect his performance include his work from throughout the years.

“It’s not about the talent that I have and have been blessed with,” Saadiq says. “I’ve been blessed to work with so many good people. So I’m taking little pieces of everybody as I can remember, and then sort of bring it to to the stage.”

Through his vinyl club, Saadiq is offering fans a rare glimpse into his back catalog. Those with a membership receive exclusive quarterly releases, including his most celebrated albums, new releases and more.

“It’s really giving me that outlet to talk to people who really love and enjoy music,” he says.

‘Cowboy Carter’ and Saadiq’s continuous collaboration with Beyoncé

While he’s no stranger to collaborative and solo success, Saadiq recognizes the uniqueness of his recent endeavors, including his collaboration with Beyoncé.

In addition to being a songwriter on Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning hit “Cuff It” from her 2022 album “Renaissance,” he co-wrote and produced a number of songs from her eighth studio album, including “Texas Hold ‘Em,” “16 Carriages,” “Bodyguard” and “Ameriican Requiem.” He also played the instruments for multiple songs, including “Ya Ya” and “Just For Fun.”

“I think ‘Cowboy Carter’ just brought the perspective that Black people sang country music first. And (Beyoncé) brought a lot of people from the past and (present)… like Shaboozey, who’s been already singing country music,” Saadiq says. “It sort of gave them an outlet to get out to a bigger audience.”

Tickets are now available for Saadiq’s upcoming shows on raphaelsaadiqmusic.com.

Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network’s Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
March 12, 2025
Nicolas Cage dismissed from lawsuit brought by ex-girlfriend

Nicolas Cage is out of legal hot water.

The actor, who was sued alongside his son last month by ex-partner Christina Fulton, was dropped from the claim Monday.

Fulton dropped the charges against the Oscar-winning actor without prejudice, but maintained her claims against their son, Weston Cage.

In now dismissed claims, she alleged Cage, 61, knew that his son was violent with a history of mental instability and substance abuse and chose not to act, amounting to negligence. Fulton’s accusation – that Nicolas Cage bailed their son out of jail, supported him financially and supplied him with alcohol – cannot be refiled in court.

“Ms. Fulton and Mr. Cage have reached an amicable and confidential resolution,” her lawyer, Joseph Farzan told USA TODAY in a statement Wednesday.

“It appears Ms. Fulton and her personal injury lawyers saw the writing on the wall.” Michael A. Goldstein, a lawyer for Weston Cage, said in a separate statement. “Ms. Fulton’s continuing lawsuit and objectives are suspect given earlier claims of concern for his well-being. Perhaps she will reconsider and send positive energy instead.”

USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Nicola Cage for comment.

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In a February lawsuit, Fulton accused the younger Cage of assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Police arrested the 34-year-old in July for assault with a deadly weapon, after allegedly punching and causing injury to two people. Fulton, 57, says she was one of those alleged victims.

The arrest followed an April incident in which Cage, an actor himself, allegedly punched two people repeatedly at a downtown Los Angeles apartment complex. The Los Angeles Police Department ultimately charged him with two felony counts of assault, to which he pleaded not guilty and was released on bond.

In a statement shared with USA TODAY at the time, Fulton said she was contacted by Weston Cage’s friends urging her to help him, but when she arrived to console him, “he was already in the midst of a manic rage.”

“Within minutes, I was brutally assaulted and sustained serious injuries,” she said in her statement. “As a mother, I am deeply saddened and concerned about Weston’s on-going mental health crisis. It is imperative that he receives the help he desperately needs.”

Fulton has requested a jury trial and financial damages after the attack allegedly left her with a brain concussion, neck and throat injuries, “disfiguring eye injury,” dental and abdominal trauma and PTSD.

She also claims the assault “devastated” her modeling and acting career, forcing her to miss filming for a Netflix show and jeopardizing her business ventures, including an unspecified “multimillion-dollar opportunity.”

In response to Fulton’s original filing, Goldstein called the suit a “money grab” and “call for attention.”

“Ms. Fulton’s decision to file a lawsuit against her own son is not surprising given her past history of litigation against family members,” he wrote in a statement to USA TODAY at the time. “Ms. Fulton correctly advised the responding LAPD officers that her son was in the midst of a mental health crisis at the time of this incident. We will deal with this appropriately, and in a courtroom.”

Contributing: Naledi Ushe, KiMi Robinson, Taijuan Moorman

March 12, 2025
Millie Bobby Brown talks starting a family with Jake Bongiovi

Millie Bobby Brown wants some little Elevens of her own.

The “Stranger Things” star, 21, opened up on the “SmartLess” podcast Monday about her desire to start a family with her husband, Jake Bongiovi.

“Jake knows how important it is to me (to have children),” she said. “Of course, I want to focus on really establishing myself as an actor and as a producer, but I also find it’s so important to start a family for me, personally. It’s a huge thing.”

She added, “Jake was like, ‘We cannot do that until we get married.’ So that was his thing, and my thing was, I really want a family. I really want a big family. I’m one of four. He’s one of four. So it is definitely in our future.”

Brown and Bongiovi, who is the son of Jon Bon Jovi, tied the knot in 2024 in a ceremony officiated by the actress’ “Stranger Things” co-star Matthew Modine. They met through a mutual friend and confirmed their relationship in 2021.

Brown told the “SmartLess” hosts that it has been “so great” having Jon Bon Jovi as a father-in-law.

“When I need him, he is very much there for me in the best ways, always making sure I’m OK,” she said. “If there’s anything that’s ever going on, I’m always like, ‘Can you help me out in this situation?’ And he’s so informative. His wisdom is ridiculous.”

Brown rose to fame as a child actor starring as Eleven on “Stranger Things,” which debuted on Netflix in 2016. After five seasons, the show will conclude with its final season later this year.

After wrapping filming the Netflix series, Brown delivered an emotional speech on the show’s set.

“Isn’t graduation supposed to bring relief, like you’re glad to leave behind the teachers and classmates? Not me,” she said in a video shared on Instagram. “I am nowhere near ready to leave you guys.”

Millie Bobby Brown slams ‘horrible’ media coverage of her looks: ‘I’m now a target’

Millie Bobby Brown on ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast

Brown discussed her marriage further on Tuesday’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast. She recalled that she started to realize she saw a future with Bongiovi when they began talking about “bigger things that I had never spoken about” with anyone else, including how they wanted to raise their children.

Millie Bobby Brown gives defiant response to criticism of her looks: ‘Women grow!’

The “Electric State” star went on to look back at her wedding and her elaborate first dance, which was a “six-minute, choreographed routine” to a medley of songs from “Grease.”

“We dressed as Sandy and Danny,” she said. “It was epic. It was unbelievable. People could not believe what they were hearing. … We had been practicing for a year and a half. We went to dance lessons.”

While reflecting on shaving her head to play Eleven on “Stranger Things,” Brown also told host Alex Cooper that she plans to do so again when she has her first child.

“Maybe like right before I’m about to give birth,” she said. “Hair is such an ordeal anyway to deal with. I’m going to nurture my child. Why deal with my hair?”

March 12, 2025