Category: BUSINESS

Director Ryan Coogler told hosts of “The Breakfast Club” Monday that Boseman’s death weighed heavily on him and “Black Panther” actor Michael B. Jordan.

“Out of all of my actors, Chad’s death actually hit Mike (Jordan) the hardest,” Coogler said. Jordan, who stars in Coogler’s current project “Sinners,” acted alongside Boseman’s title superhero as Erik Killmonger in 2018’s “Black Panther.”

“Chad was older than us, he was quite a bit older than us, even though he looked like he was the same age,” Coogler said of Boseman, who died at 43 in 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer. “He was a fully baked man from the South. He was an old school man’s man and compared to that dude when we worked together bro, me and Mike was kids.”

After contestants Breanna Nix and Rylie O’Neill performed a cover of Christian worship singer Brandon Lake’s song “Gratitude,” the newly minted judge’s voice wobbled while expressing what the performance meant to her.

“I know how difficult it is to come into the entertainment industry and bring your faith with you. It is a brave thing to do because there are a lot of outside forces that are going to tell you not to do that,” she said as Lionel Richie rubbed her back. “I want to tell you that I’m proud of you guys.”

Little did Breanna and Rylie know, the songwriter himself was listening to their performance.

After the women performed their song, eyes gazing upward and arms reaching toward the heavens, Jelly Roll cut off the judges’ feedback to bring “Hard Fought Hallelujah” collaborator Lake in via FaceTime. “That was the most gorgeous version of ‘Gratitude’ I’ve ever heard,” he told Breanna and Rylie.

Constructor: Wendy L. Brandes

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Wendy: As a new semester of school started in January, I was thinking about how to discuss *unexcused absenses* on my syllabus.  It struck me that there is a whole universe of words that can be used to describe taking a day off from school.  My three favorites are in this puzzle!  ** My students are allowed two unexcused absences 😉

Many thanks to Sally for making USA Today puzzles come to life in her reviews.  And, as always, huge thanks to Amanda for her brilliant edits.  She adds so much to every puzzle.  Much appreciation goes to the entire USA Today team for all that they do.

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• BRAD (1A: Janet’s fiance in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”) The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 movie based on the 1973 musical stage production, The Rocky Horror Show. The movie was received negatively when it was first released, but has become a cult classic and is now the longest-running theatrical release in film history. The movie is often shown at midnight, and features extensive audience participation. In the movie, Susan Sarandon portrays Janet, and Barry Bostwick portrays her fiancé, BRAD. I chuckled when I saw this clue, because I knew it meant that I would have to admit I’ve never seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’ve picked up quite a bit of knowledge about the movie even without seeing it, but that knowledge did not extend to the names of the engaged couple in the movie until today.
• LEAVE (55D: “___ the World Behind” (Rumaan Alam novel)) Rumaan Alam’s novel, LEAVE the World Behind, was published in 2020. The apocalyptic thriller was adapted into a 2023 Netflix movie of the same name. The story is set on Long Island, New York and centers on the experiences of two families as they deal with a rapid breakdown in phone service, TV reception, and other technology.

Jessica Chou, 35, describes herself as a die-hard Beyoncé fan who, like many others, went through hoops to secure presale tickets for the Grammy-winning singer’s upcoming Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit Tour. She purchased tickets through the first Beyhive presale for Beyoncé’s Los Angeles show.

“For ‘Renaissance,’ I was up in the ‘Beyhive’ area. So I’m not new to ticket prices being insanely high,”Chou explains.

However, she grew frustrated when comparing the cost of her presale tickets to current ticket prices.

Last night, the season finale episode of “The White Lotus” had everyone on edge.

After eight episodes of the action-packed HBO drama, viewers finally learned the fates of Thailand’s White Lotus resort guests. And if the final episode’s plot lines, motifs and even cinematography seem a little familiar, there’s a reason why.

The fingerprints of English playwright William Shakespeare are all over “White Lotus” Season 3’s dramatic end. While the Ratliff family has a run-in with poison that could be seen as a callback to “Romeo and Juliet,” there are other parallels involving couple Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) as well as a nod to “King Lear” in the show’s closing moments.

Not familiar with the Bard of Avon’s work? We’ll break down how the show may have drawn inspiration from the 16th-century writer’s works.

‘White Lotus’ finale recap: Rick’s tragic blunder, one blender and a $5M payout

Rick Hatchett’s arc parallels Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’

In Monday night’s episode, the remaining 42 singers, sleep deprived from overnight rehearsals, paired up for the head-to-head round. It was sink-or-swim as the aspiring stars struggled to memorize lyrics, went on vocal rest to preserve their overworked vocal cords and — for some — adapted to singing with another person for the first time.

While some pairings both made it through to the next stage, other duos only had one successful contestant. In a few rough cases, neither singer earned a spot in Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan’s Top 24.

Jelly Roll returned to the show as the first-ever artist in residence to dispense advice and encouraging words from side stage. He even got a celebrity cameo for one lucky pair.

In competing motions filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Combs’ legal team and government prosecutors argued over the admission of evidence from past claims detailing the rapper’s alleged sexual abuse, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY.

The allegations would add onto the sexual offenses underlying the federal grand jury indictment that resulted in Combs’ September 2024 arrest in Manhattan. Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is expected to go to trial on May 5.

“These incendiary allegations are substantially more serious than the charged offenses and, if admitted, would make it impossible for Mr. Combs to receive a fair trial,” Combs’ attorneys said in the filing.

The British monarch and his longtime partner, who celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, marked the sentimental milestone on Monday with a pair of portraits shared on social media. The photos, taken at Villa Wolkonsky in Rome, come amid the couple’s four-day state visit to Italy, during which Charles is expected to address the Italian parliament.

The first portrait shows Charles, 76, and Camilla, 77, posing arm in arm in a lush outdoor area. In the second image, Charles can be seen gazing lovingly at the queen consort while they sit on a concrete ledge.

“As we begin our first visit to Italy as King and Queen, we are so looking forward to celebrating our twentieth wedding anniversary in such a special place – and with such wonderful people!”, the couple captioned the photos on Instagram. “A presto, Roma e Ravenna!”