Category: BUSINESS

The Grammy-winning singer took hold of the stage at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for the third night of her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit Tour on May 4. The groundbreaking concert seemingly went on without a hitch. However, there was a minor, yet significant, change in a visual involving the Sphere.

In the original interlude, Beyoncé was seen towering hundreds of feet tall while striding through the Las Vegas skyline before she picks up and toys with the the Sphere. During Sunday night’s show, she replaced the Sphere visual with Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium — where she’ll close out her tour in July. And her Parkwood Entertainment company made sure to reiterate this by posting the new visual on Instagram during the show.

Prior to the change, Sphere Entertainment Group Co. reportedly demanded the singer remove the visual by May 5, claiming she used Sphere’s imagery “without permission.” According to the letter, it amounted to “unauthorized use of the company’s intellectual property.”

The annual fashion extravaganza, one of the most coveted events of the year, returns to New York City on May 5 with the dress code “Tailored for You,” in conjunction with the Costume Institute’s “Superfine” exhibit, challenging attendees to put their bespoke spin on the spiffiness of dandyism.

The dress code, according to Vogue, pays tribute to the exhibit’s menswear focus and is “purposefully designed to provide guidance and invite creative interpretation.”

About 450 guests compromising of “rising stars, young creatives and paragons from the worlds of fashion, the arts, sports, and politics” are expected to walk up the famed steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Vogue says.

In anticipation for the big night, here’s what to know about the event, including who is attending, and how to watch it live.

The star of Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” admits it was his fault he missed the big livestream reveal of the “Avengers: Doomsday” cast in March that found him joining Anthony Mackie and Chris Hemsworth in the A-list squad. “The signs were there,” he says: Pullman remembered filming a short cameo for the “Thunderbolts*” post-credits scene that sets up “Doomsday,” but wasn’t totally clear about the whole thing.

After a day of shooting in Vancouver, “I got back to my phone and I had all these texts. It was such a massive amount of possibilities that lie within that piece of information,” Pullman, 32, says. Then again, he had a hard time believing he was joining the MCU in the first place. “It does feel like a little bit of this untouchable world. I just kept waiting for somebody to announce that they had made some grand error. But I made it this far.”

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Pullman’s superhero, the Sentry (aka Robert Reynolds), is arguably the most powerful Avenger now. He does have a dark side to those abilities, though, which is explored alongside his character’s new teammates Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). 

As many as 150 potential jurors will be brought into a Manhattan courtroom one by one and questioned by Judge Arun Subramanian, the prosecution and defense to determine whether they are qualified to serve on Combs’ jury. The goal is to get through all potential jurors in three days.

The embattled hip-hop mogul, 55, who at one time was among the most powerful figures in the music industry, has experienced a sharp fall from grace after facing a bevy of lawsuits and criminal charges accusing him of rape and sexual assault. He is headed to court to battle federal sex crimes charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

During his final court hearing on May 2, Combs confirmed he turned down a potential plea deal. Subramanian previously rejected a request from the rapper’s legal team to delay the start of the trial.

Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.

Diddy on Trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom with USA TODAY as Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces sex crimes and trafficking charges. Subscribe to the newsletter.

Combs, whose label Bad Boy Records helped make him a king-maker in the world of hip-hop, was toppled from on high in September, when authorities arrested him on federal charges, alleging he was helping run a criminal sex trafficking operation.

Now behind bars as he awaits the court proceedings, Combs has simultaneously faced a torrent of civil suits painting the music mogul as a longtime abuser, following a quickly-settled lawsuit from ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura − who alleged Combs raped and assaulted her.

As Combs arrives for his day in court May 5, here’s a look at the charges he faces.

‘Coercive control’ is the phrase you won’t hear about at the Diddy trial. Why it’s still important.

Season 6 of “The Handmaid’s Tale” just delivered a shocking twist no one saw coming.

As June (Elisabeth Moss), Luke (O-T Fagbenle), and Moira’s (Samira Wiley) set their plans to take down Gilead into action, an unanticipated betrayal completely blindsides June.

While the trio were able to successfully infiltrate Jezebel, meet up with Janine (Madeline Brewer), whose help they need to destroy Gilead, and get ahold of the intel needed, things take a turn for the worse as June discovers Nick (Max Minghella) ousted their plans to Commander Wharton (Josh Charles), who has now shut down Jezebel’s. It is not yet known what will happen to the women there, but given history, it can’t be very good.

‘The Testaments’: Will ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ return for another season?

In the final season of the Emmy-winning drama series, June will fight to take down Gilead with Luke and Moira joining the resistance, per Hulu. Serena, meanwhile, “tries to reform Gilead while Commander Lawrence and Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) reckon with what they have wrought, and Nick (Max Minghella) faces challenging tests of character.”

Constructor: Dan Kammann & Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• PIN (60D: Target for a bowler or a golfer) I filled in this answer immediately, because I knew that a PIN (or ten PINS initially) is a target for a bowler. At the same time I thought, “What is a PIN in golf?” Well, add this to the sports knowledge I have gained from solving crosswords. In golf, PIN is another name for the flagstick, which marks the location of the cup or hole. I also learned, in searching for information on the meaning of PIN in golf, that it’s not always wise to aim for the PIN.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• OCTOBER (14A: Thanksgiving Day month in Canada) In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in OCTOBER.
• CHINESE (16A: From Xi’an or Xining) Xi’an and Xining are CHINESE cities. Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi province in north central China. It is the home of the Terracotta Army, a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Chi Huang, the first emperor of China. Xining is the capital of Qinghai province in western China. It is home to Qinghai University.
• FBI (26A: Org. in “White Collar”) White Collar is a TV series that originally aired from 2009-2014. Matt Bomer stars as Neal Caffrey, a con artist and forger who makes a deal with the FBI to work as a consultant for them in exchange for being released from prison. I know I often comment about not having seen a show because I don’t watch much TV. White Collar, however, is a TV show I have seen! I really enjoyed Matt Bomer’s character, as well as the character of Mozzie, Neal’s best friend portrayed by Willie Garson.
• ALI (31A: Boxer nicknamed “The Greatest”) This clue about boxer Muhammad ALI (1942-2016) made me think of the acronym GOAT – greatest of all time. It turns out that’s appropriate, as the use of the term GOAT traces back to Muhammad ALI. As the clue informs us, Muhammad ALI was widely known by the nickname, “The Greatest.” In 1992, Muhammad ALI’s (fourth) wife, Lonnie Williams, played on that nickname and incorporated Greatest of All Time, Inc. (G.O.A.T. Inc) for promotional and licensing purposes. The acronym caught on, and the rest, as they say, is history.
• EMUS (40A: Outback birds that can sprint up to 31 mph) This is a fun animal fact. If you need a SMILE (47D: “Say cheese!”) today, check out this video of an EMU with the zoomies.
• HOOKS (42A: Crochet tools that look like J’s) This is fun! I’ve always thought crochet HOOKS resembled miniature shepherd’s crooks. They do, but turn them the other way around, and they also resemble J’s.
• MRI SCAN (54A: Hospital procedure in a tube) An MRI SCAN (magnetic resonance imaging scan) utilizes strong magnetic fields and radio waves to generate pictures of the inside of the body. Most MRI SCANs are done inside of a capsule-like long tube. Open MRI machines have been developed that utilize magnets on the top and bottom of the machine, but the sides are open. Although open MRIs may result in images with a lower resolution, they are helpful for patients who may struggle with the enclosed space (and the noise) of a traditional MRI SCAN.
• ABE (5D: Homer Simpson’s father) On the animated TV series The Simpsons, Abraham Jedediah “ABE” Simpson II aka Grampa Simpson, is Homer Simpson’s father. Dan Castellaneta voices both Homer Simpson and his father. Unlike White Collar, my knowledge of The Simpsons has been gained from the show’s many mentions in crosswords.
• SPEEDO (9D: Fastskin swimwear) SPEEDO’s Fastskin swimwear line is made using high tech fabric designed to decrease water resistance. The fabric used in the Fastskin suits is inspired by the skin texture of sharks.
• TRAP MUSIC (20D: Genre that originated in Atlanta) TRAP MUSIC is a subgenre of hip hop that uses synthesized drums and is characterized by complicated drum patterns. TRAP MUSIC originated in Atlanta, Georgia in the early 1990s.
• SIS (22D: Violet, to Dash Parr, for short) This clue is a reference to the 2004 animated movie The Incredibles.The movie is centered on a couple of superheroes, Mr. Incredible aka Bob Parr and Elastigirl aka Helen Parr, and their family. Their family consists of daughter Violet and sons Dash and Jack-Jack. This makes Violet the sister – SIS for short – of Dash (and Jack-Jack). The superhero family also featured in a sequel, Incredibles 2 (2018).
• HEN (42D: Female bird or lobster) A nice reminder that female lobsters are referred to as HENs. Female crabs are also HENs, as are female salmon.
• O’NEAL (50D: Oscar winner Tatum) Tatum O’NEAL is the youngest person to have won an Oscar (aka Academy Award). She was ten years old when she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Paper Moon (1973), in which she co-starred alongside her father, Ryan O’NEAL.
• CRETE (52D: Greek island known for its olive oil and raki) CRETE is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands. There are many olive groves on CRETE (as there are in many regions of Greece), and Cretan olive oil is noted for its unique taste and quality. Raki is a fruit-based spirit that some consider the national drink of Crete.