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Fyre Festival 2 location issues continue as Mexico becomes less likely

‘The municipal government of Playa del Carmen informs that no event of that name will be held in our city,’ Playa Del Carmen’s city hall said in a statement.

The future of Fyre Festival 2 continues to remain rocky, as Mexican government officials claim the second take of the infamous festival isn’t happening, again.

In late March, the festival announced it would be held in Playa del Carmen, Mexico from May 30 to June 2, a change from the initially-promoted location of Isla Mujeres, Mexico. After Isla Mujeres government officials claimed they were unaware of such an event, the festival location was moved. Now, Playa del Carmen is pushing back too.

“The municipal government of Playa del Carmen informs that no event of that name will be held in our city,” Playa Del Carmen’s city hall shared in a social media statement on Wednesday. “After a responsible review of the situation, it is confirmed that there are no records, plans or conditions that indicate the holding of such an event in the municipality.”

During a Fyre Festival 2 press conference in Playa del Carmen on March 27, Martina Beach Club Founder Fernando Delgado told local journalists that the festival had secured the necessary permits in the city. Martina Beach Club is in Playa del Carmen.

Fyre Festival staff nor Playa del Carmen city hall staff immediately responded for comment when contacted by USA TODAY on Friday.

In 2018, Billy McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison for engaging in several fraudulent schemes related to the first Fyre Festival. After his arrest, the festival’s organizer acknowledged that he had defrauded investors out of $26 million and more than $100,000 in fraudulent ticket-selling schemes.

Why did Fyre Festival 2 move from Isla Mujeres?

Initially, Fyre Festival 2 was promoted to be held on Isla Mujeres, a small island off the western coast of Mexico, about an hour’s drive and ferry ride from Cancun.

But in February, Isla Mujeres government officials and the management of a five-star hotel that was listed on the festival’s website claimed they weren’t working with Fyre Festival 2 or even knew about it.

In a social media statement, McFarland responded by saying that the festival had terminated contracts with two Isla Mujeres hotels, though he didn’t specify which ones.

“We have been working on building Fyre in Mexico since September (2024),” McFarland previously told USA TODAY in a statement. “We were blindsided by comments made to the media, and we ultimately found the perfect home for Fyre Festival 2 in Playa del Carmen.”

Fyre Festival 2 lineup still yet to be shared

Only 2,000 tickets are available for Fyre Festival 2, ranging between $1,400 for one person to $1.1 million for a group of eight.

During the March 27 press conference, Manuel Reta, Lostnights head of artists and commercial relations, said fans could expect a lineup of 40 entertainers to be shared this week. But as of Friday morning, no lineup was shared. Lostnights, a festival production company, is helping produce Fyre Festival 2.

What happened during the first Fyre Festival in 2017?

Intended to be held over two weeks, in April and May 2017, the first Fyre Festival was promoted by social media influencers like Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber, and ticketholders were promised acts like Blink-182 and Migos.

However, upon arrival, festival-goers learned that the artists had canceled. Due to poor Caribbean weather, the festival was essentially washed out, with the promised luxury accommodations and gourmet food nowhere to be found. In the end, attendees only stayed one night before they were evacuated.

The festival inspired two documentaries, Netflix’s “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” and Hulu’s “Fyre Fraud.”

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].

April 5, 2025
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April 5, 2025
Prosecutors add new charges to criminal case in indictment

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been hit with two new sex crimes charges by federal prosecutors.

In the third superseding indictment, filed Thursday in the Southern District of New York, federal prosecutors charged the embattled music mogul with two additional charges: one count of sex trafficking and one count of transportation to engage in prostitution of “Victim-2,” one of three female victims included in the indictment.

Federal investigators claim that Combs’ behavior in the additional charges took place from 2021 to 2024.

The additional charges come as Combs’ federal sex crimes trial is set to begin May 5 in Manhattan, where he was originally indicted after a pair of federal raids that targeted him as the subject of a sex trafficking investigation.

In response to the new charges, Combs’ team said in a statement Friday to USA TODAY, “These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships. This was their private sex life, defined by consent, not coercion.”

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs arrested in New York following sex trafficking investigation

Diddy charges: What does he face in criminal case?

Combs currently faces two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering. His upcoming trial is scheduled to begin May 5.

Previously, Combs was charged with one count each of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution following his September arrest at a New York hotel. He has pleaded not guilty to all the previous charges.

Diddy shocks with new look in court

Last month, Combs shocked courtroom attendees with a grizzled new look at a pretrial conference.

In court: Diddy pleads not guilty again, shocks with new look

The graying music mogul appeared in court during the conference in front of U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian at Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan.

At the hearing, his attorneys disputed various aspects of the disgraced rapper’s May trial – including jury selection, submitted evidence and the trial’s court timeline. His next court hearing is set to take place April 25.

Russell Brand charged with rape, sexual assault

Diddy trial set to begin in May

The trial is slated to begin almost one year to the day after a bombshell CNN video surfaced May 17, 2024, featuring hotel footage of Combs physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura Fine at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. He later apologized.

Combs has been the subject of public scrutiny surrounding his alleged abusive and sexual behavior for nearly two years.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in court: What to know about federal sex crimes trial

His legal troubles started brewing on Nov. 16, 2023, when Ventura sent shockwaves through Hollywood and beyond, filing a sex trafficking and sexual assault lawsuit against Combs in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The exes settled the civil suit one day later for an undisclosed amount.

But dozens of other civil cases have mounted for Combs in recent months, too. The music mogul has been the frequent subject of civil lawsuits alleging rape, sexual assault or inappropriate sexual behavior.

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Edward Segarra, Patrick Ryan, KiMi Robinson, Anika Reed, USA TODAY

April 4, 2025
Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assaultEntertainment

Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assaultEntertainment

April 4, 2025
Val Kilmer’s kids pay tribute to ‘extraordinary father’ after death

Val Kilmer’s kids are sharing a statement in the wake of the Hollywood legend’s Tuesday death.

Mercedes Kilmer, 33, and Jack Kilmer, 29, released a statement to People magazine Thursday mourning the “Top Gun” star’s loss.

“Thank you for honoring our extraordinary father’s memory,” the statement read. “We are so proud of him and honored to see his legacy celebrated. At this time, we would like to grieve privately.” USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Jack Kilmer for comment.

The actor died of pneumonia on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, his daughter told The New York Times and The Associated Press. Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered, she said.

Val Kilmer says he felt ‘grateful rather than humiliated’ in his final years

The reclusive actor, who retreated from Hollywood’s limelight in recent years, publicly battled the disease for much of the past decade, permanently losing his voice to a tracheotomy, but continuing to act and write.

However, Kilmer was candid during the final years of his life, letting fans inside his legendary career with a revealing 2020 memoir and an intimate 2021 documentary.

The “Tombstone” actor looked back at his personal ups and downs in “Val,” which was culled from hundreds of hours of personal home footage. The documentary was narrated by his son, Jack, after Kilmer lost his natural voice following a yearslong battle with throat cancer that began in 2014.

Val Kilmer’s treehouse: Inside with USA TODAY, where he spoke about missing his kids

In the summer of 2006, USA TODAY reporter Marco della Cava visited Kilmer on land near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he was building something new: not a motion picture, but a treehouse.

The iconic actor — who had made his name in “Top Gun,” “The Doors” and many other films — was crafting an elaborate treehouse built high in a stand of old oak trees with material sourced from an old barn on his 6,000-acre spread.

“I’ll fib and say it’s for my kids, but it’s really for me,” he told USA TODAY at the time. “I had a treehouse as a child. So being an adult … well, it’s strangely, weirdly satisfying to sit in a tree.”

Val Kilmer sought refuge in a treehouse. Here’s what happened when I visited.

Mercedes, then 14, and Jack, 11 lived mainly with ex-wife, actress Joanne Whalley and Kilmer had built the treehouse for them, telling USA TODAY that “they haven’t seen this place yet, but I can’t wait, my son’s a monkey. He’ll be up on that tin roof in no time.”

Contributing: Bryan Alexander, Charles Trepany, Patrick Ryan, Marco della Cava

April 4, 2025
Is ‘Minecraft’ too scary for kids? Our guide for parents.

Take heart, parents: “A Minecraft Movie” isn’t near as bad as the trailers make it out to be.

Based on the wildly popular video game, the fantasy comedy film (now in theaters) is a deeply strange fever dream that also gets a few genuine laughs. That isn’t terribly surprising when you realize it was directed by Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite”) and stars Jack Black, who fully commits to all the gobbledygook about magic orbs and killer pigs.

Despite lukewarm reviews, “Minecraft” is expected to top the box office this weekend as the rare family film in the marketplace this spring. But just how safe is it for your kids?

We break down everything you need to know before bringing your brood to the big-screen adventure:

What is ‘A Minecraft Movie’ about?

Four misfits – a young science wiz, Henry (Sebastian Hansen); his older sister, Natalie (Emma Myers); a real estate agent, Dawn (Danielle Brooks); and a video-game store owner, Garrett (Jason Momoa) – are pulled through a mysterious portal that transports them to the Overworld, a cubic land that puts your imagination to the test. The motley crew endures a series of tasks in order to get home, teaming up with master crafter Steve (Black) along the way.

What is the ‘Minecraft’ movie rating?

“A Minecraft Movie” is rated PG for violence/action, language, suggestive/rude humor and some scary images.

Is the ‘Minecraft’ movie kid-friendly?

For the most part, yes, although children ages 8 and younger might be frightened by some of the action sequences. In an early scene, Garrett, Dawn and the kids are chased by skeletons shooting flaming arrows and riding enormous spiders. A bunch of zombies are briefly shown ripping a pink sheep to shreds, before Steve swoops in and lights all the monsters on fire.

There’s a, well, creepy scene with a mob of Creepers, which are essentially dead-eyed plant creatures. And an innocent chicken becomes lunch after having hot lava poured onto it. Not to mention all the characters in the Overworld have giant, blocky heads, which are initially jarring if you’re not at all familiar with the game.

Who is the ‘Minecraft’ movie bad guy?

The film’s main villain is Malgosha (voiced by Rachel House), a Piglin queen and evil sorceress who’s aided by an army of hulking, hoglike soldiers. She’s totally ridiculous and kind of fierce, although little kids might be afraid of her glowing eyes and tusks. Malgosha uses her staff to zap her porcine minions when they disobey, causing them to disappear. She also stabs a cute little piglet when he draws her a picture she doesn’t like. It’s quick, but honestly still mildly disturbing.

Is the ‘Minecraft’ movie inappropriate?

Not particularly. Like a lot of children’s movies, there are many jokes that use the word “butt,” and at one point, Dawn says, “What the hell?” Aside from Black’s deranged performance, the highlight of the film is Jennifer Coolidge, who plays a lubricious vice principal named Marlene. In classic Coolidge character fashion, she freely talks about her recent divorce and falls in love with an Overworld villager after hitting him with her car. There’s some light sexual innuendo throughout, but most all of it will go over kids’ heads.

April 4, 2025
Russell Brand: Look back at his career in photos amid rape chargesCelebrities

Russell Brand: Look back at his career in photos amid rape chargesCelebrities

April 4, 2025
Russell Brand charged, arrested for rape allegations after BBC conduct

Russell Brand is being charged with rape and sexual assault in the U.K.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed in a release Friday that the comedian, 49, had been charged with rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault. A first court appearance is scheduled for May 2.

Detectives in the U.K. began investigating Brand in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations, the release revealed. The tips followed a growing body of reporting in the British press that accused Brand of inappropriate sexual behavior.

Brand, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, took to Instagram Friday to respond to the charges.

“We’re very fortunate in a way to live in a time where there’s so little trust in the British government,” he told followers in a video statement. “We’re very fortunate, I suppose, that this is happening at a time where we know that the law has become a kind of weapon to be used against people.”

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The charges stem from a series of alleged incidents in the late 1990s and early 2000s: a rape in 1999, an incidental assault in 2001, an oral rape and sexual assault in 2004 and another sexual assault between 2004 and 2005, according to Metropolitan Police.

“The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers,” Andy Furphy, a detective superintendent with the Metropolitan Police, said in the release. “The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”

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“I’ve always told you guys that when I was young and single before I had my wife and family … I was a fool, man,” Brand continued in his Instagram statement, saying he was a drug and sex addict and even an “imbecile,” but never a rapist.

“I’ve never engaged in nonconsensual activity, I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes,” the actor continued, saying he felt “grateful” he would have the opportunity to defend himself in court.

Russell Brand rape, assault charges follow BBC apology

The charges against Brand follow a formal apology given by the BBC to employees in January over its handling of harassment complaints against the comedian during his tenure at the network.

The British news organization published the results of a review into Brand’s conduct, revealing that power dynamics at play created a breeding ground for Brand’s “unacceptable” behavior.

Brand, who served as a presenter on BBC’s 6 Music and Radio 2 between 2006 and 2008, first fell under scrutiny in 2023 after a spate of women accused the actor of emotional and sexual abuse.

The accusations of wrongdoing at the BBC included Brand exposing his genitals to a woman in a bathroom shortly before recording a segment for his radio show in which he joked about the encounter. The woman was not a BBC employee but worked in the same building as the company’s Los Angeles bureau.

Another claim, made by a woman who said she had a three-month relationship with Brand when he was a presenter for Radio 6, alleges he used to have a car pick her up at school or her grandmother’s house and bring her to his home. She was 16 at the time while Brand would have been in his 30s.

“What is clear is that many BBC staff and freelancers, especially in more junior roles, found Russell Brand demanding and difficult to work with and his behavior extreme, but all felt that there was no point in complaining as they believed they would not be listened to and, rightly or wrongly, that Russell Brand as a high-profile presenter had the support of the station management,” wrote Peter Johnston, the BBC Director of Editorial Complaints and Reviews.

Long a controversial figure, Brand has since fallen out of public grace amid reports of alleged rape and assaults. In the years since he has taken a religious turn, announcing plans last year to be baptized and using his social media to dip into conspiracy circles, spreading unfounded theories on topics ranging from 9/11 to the COVID vaccine.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.

April 4, 2025
Amy Duggar King reveals husband’s ‘life-threatening’ health update

Amy Duggar King is giving fans a family health update about husband Dillon King.

The “Counting On” star and “19 Kids and Counting” alum revealed in a birthday post Thursday that her husband of years was dealing with “life-threatening” health issues.

“Happy Birthday to my favorite person on the planet! Y’all I adore this man! Dax has the best dad on the planet and he’s so loved by so many family and friends!” Duggar King wrote alongside a picture of her husband in a hospital bed, adding that “normally we’d be celebrating in a huge way but currently we are facing some possible life threatening medical concerns.”

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She continued: “Today I’d like to ask for some prayers on his behalf. I know God has him, but we welcome the prayers!! I can’t think of a better gift for him!” Her cousins Jinger Duggar Vuolo and Jill Dillard both wrote well wishes in the comments section.

“Dillon we can get through anything together,” Duggar King concluded the note.

In 2019, the former “19 Kids” star and her husband welcomed their first and only child – a son, Daxton “Dax” Ryan King. At the time, the couple confirmed the news to People magazine and shared a photo to Instagram.

“He’s absolute perfection!!!” the new mom wrote alongside a photo of the new family of three in a hospital room with a blanket over them reading “God gave us you.”

Duggar King rose to fame as the outspoken cousin of the Duggar family, TV’s unconventional stars from the controversial show “19 Kids and Counting” featuring Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar’s crew of children in rural Arkansas. All of the couple’s 19 children had “J” names.

The series was canceled in 2015 following revelations that their eldest son Josh Duggar had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter when he was a young teen. At that time, he admitted to a porn addiction and cheating on his wife and apologized.

TLC spun off another series “Counting On,” featuring storylines from Josh Duggar’s sisters and their young families, but that show was also canceled in June 2021 following his arrest for downloading and possession of child pornography.

Duggar King has remained a fan favorite among “Counting On” fans after publicly slamming her cousin on multiple occasions, including a May 2022 Instagram post calling for Josh Duggar’s wife Anna Duggar to divorce him a week before he was sentenced to 12 and 1/2 years in prison.

“I have not spoken to him, and I will not. I will not,” Duggar King told People in 2024. “When you just cross those evil lines like that, there is no coming back. I just think there’s no coming back.”

Contributing: Amy Haneline

April 4, 2025
Max Thieriot reveals if wildfires impacted ‘Fire Country’ Season 3

NEW YORK – March Madness may be winding down on CBS, but the tension is still ramping up on the network’s hit TV show “Fire Country,” which follows a prison release firefighting program that is teamed up with full-time first responders in Northern California.

“This is a really exciting episode,” the show’s star and creator, Max Thieriot, tells USA TODAY ahead of Season 3’s return (Friday, 9 ET/PT). Take Morena Baccarin’s character, Sheriff Mickey Fox: “Now we get to really dive deeper into her story. Even though it’s a ‘Fire Country’ episode, there’s a lot of new texture to it.”

Thieriot, 36, explains that learning more about Mickey is intentional: She will headline a new spinoff, “Sheriff Country,” this fall.

“We quickly realized how fans responded to this sense of community and the sense of family and some of the fabric that is “Fire Country,” the series co-creator says of the upcoming spinoff. After seeing fans’ reactions from the series’ first six episodes in 2022, “I was like, ‘I got four different spinoffs.’ I was ready to go.”

His agent told him to “settle down and take a breath,” which Thieriot did, although he admits he’s “always thinking ahead.”

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The next ‘Fire Country’ episode was filmed before the California wildfires

In January, a massive wildfire killed at least 29 and burned over 37,000 acres in southern California, devastating neighborhoods and livelihoods. In a now-viral video, a sky cam from Fox’s Los Angeles station captured a water drop executed by first responders over a burgeoning fire in the Hollywood Hills. The drop completely extinguished the flames.

Viewers of Friday’s “Fire Country” episode will see a similar water drop, but the episode was filmed before the real-life January wildfires. Viewers have already seen a fictionalized version of a program that uses incarcerated people as volunteer firefighters. The program has been criticized, including recently by Kim Kardashian, for not properly compensating the workers.

“Clearly with the Los Angeles wildfires, so much attention was brought to the inmate firefighter program,” Thieriot says. “As devastating and tragic and unfathomable as the (wildfires) were, the takeaway I think that we get from that stuff is learning how to be more proactive next time, learning and understanding what these firefighters do and what they sacrifice.

“I guess that’s also how I feel you have to reflect on any difficult situation, right? ‘OK, how do we come out of this stronger?’ To see Los Angeles (receive) the outpouring and outreach of support from other states and agencies and firefighting resources…it’s nice to see in times like this.”

Season 3 wrapped filming in late February, but Thieriot says the tragedy did not impact production of the series. Remaining episodes feature a cameo from country music singer Jelly Roll. Thieriot directed this month’s penultimate episode; the two-part finale airs April 25. The actor teases he’s already tossing around Season 4 ideas, but that work on the next installment won’t officially begin until May.

“Our goal is to tell authentic stories and personal stories, stuff that’s relatable and human,” he says. “We don’t change stuff to make it seem less realistic.”

April 4, 2025