SUPERSTAR Taylor Swift has quietly donated $100,000 to help save the life of little girl fighting cancer.
The Sun can reveal the Look What You Made Me singer, 35, made the huge donation on Friday night after finding herself trawling the pages of GoFundMe.
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Taylor Swift has donated $100,000 to help a young girl battling cancerCredit: APLilah is one of just 58 people in the world with her conditionCredit: standwithlilah
The singer’s money will go towards to helping a little girl named Lilah who suffered her first seizure aged 18 months before having surgery to remove a stage 4 tumour just weeks later.
She has since been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of brain cancer – with only 58 known cases in the world.
A source said: “Taylor has always been keen to give back and help others but even by her standard this is staggering.
“She often finds herself on GoFundMe reading about the plight of others and Lilah’s story really touched her.
“Hopefully, her donation can help bring an end to her years of pain.”
Lilah’s mum previously took to social media to reveal how she turned to Taylor’s music to help get her through her darkest moments.
She even almost named her daughter after Taylor’s 2020 single Willow.
Posting on Instagram, she wrote: “Also Lilah’s name was originally going to be Willow.
“We were set on that name my whole pregnancy but ultimately ended on Lilah. I listened to Taylor my whole pregnancy and then birthed a mini Swiftie.”
Lilah loves Taylor’s music and during her cancer treatment she always found joy in it. I hope Lilah gets through this diagnosis and gets to one day go to a Taylor Swift concert in person. I know she would love it.”
After two rounds of chemo Lilah and her family are now trying to figure out the next stage of treatment.
Her family added via her GoFundMe page: “All the donations we receive will help us with travel expenses and paying bills as we are still out of work while Lilah is in treatment.”
Lilah was originally going to be named after Taylor Swift single WillowCredit: Getty
Mattel announced Monday that it had assembled a team of four international rugby athletes to help encourage girls to embrace their confidence and stay in sports. The new “Team Barbie” campaign is to celebrate International Day of the Girl, which is Oct. 11.
“We all doubt ourselves at times, myself included,” Maher said in a statement. “If sharing my story can inspire other young girls to believe in themselves the way I have, then I’ll have truly made an impact. Being part of Team Barbie is about showing girls that confidence isn’t something to shy away from, but something to own.”
Also part of Team Barbie are Ellie Kildunne from the U.K., New Zealand’s Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Nassira Konde from France.
A breakout star at the 2024 Paris Olympics even before the rugby sevens team’s historic bronze medal, Maher became known for her social media videos that offered a humorous glimpse into the day-to-day life of an Olympic athlete. She has also used her platform to empower women, champion body positivity and help raise the profile of rugby in the U.S.
The Barbie doll versions of international rugby stars Ellie Kildunne, left, Ilona Maher, Nassira Konde and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe.
(Mattel)
“As women, a lot of times our body has been this object to be looked at and to be objectified, and I hate that there’s girls out there that feel like they don’t have a purpose for their body, and so they want to change it constantly,” Maher told The Times last year. “To get into sports and a sport like rugby, a sport like canoe, and track and field gives your body a purpose, shows what it can do and what it’s capable of. It’s not just something that is for others to judge.”
As part of its campaign, Mattel conducted a study to try to better understand why girls tend to stop participating in sports. The research found that only 53% of girls ages 6 to 14 feel confident while playing sports and that 1 in 3 girls stops playing sports by age 14 “primarily due to body confidence concerns, self-doubt, and a lack of visible female role models.”
“At Barbie … [w]e’re committed to breaking down the barriers — from gender stereotypes to self-doubt — that hold girls back from realizing their limitless potential,” Krista Berger, the senior vice president of Barbie, said in a news release for the new campaign. “By showcasing the stories of incredible role models whose confidence has fueled groundbreaking success, we’re showing girls that the future of sports — or wherever their passion takes them — is theirs to claim, with Team Barbie cheering them on.”
Other female athletes Barbie highlighted last year included tennis player Venus Williams, soccer stars Christine Sinclair and Mary Fowler, boxer Estelle Mossely, gymnasts Alexa Moreno and Rebeca Andrade, paratriathlete Susana Rodriguez, swimmer Federica Pellegrini and track and field sprinter Ewa Swoboda.
It is the season for wrapping up warm and enjoying an autumnal walk, and this beautiful village in the north of England has been compared to the fictional town of Stars Hollow where Gilmore Girls is set
This beautiful village has been compared to Stars Hallow in beloved autumn show Gilmore Girls (file)(Image: visitbradford)
As the chillier days arrive, many of us are putting up our Halloween decorations, lighting candles, snuggling on the sofa with a blanket and switching on our favourite cosy, autumnal shows and films. While many choose horror films at this time of year – or programmes like Wednesday or Stranger Things on Netflix for magic and excitement – one of the most cherished cosy autumn shows is Gilmore Girls.
The programme, created in the early ’00s, is set in the fictional New England town of Stars Hollow, renowned for its autumn festivals, pumpkin patches, and coffee shop culture – and recently one Yorkshire town has been likened to it. Haworth has been dubbed the “real life Stars Hallow in England”.
The enchanting West Yorkshire location is steeped in history and perfect for those wanting to discover a picturesque, charming village this autumn. Tucked away in the Yorkshire Moors, it is best known for being the residence of the Brontë sisters, who penned some of the most revolutionary novels in history.
From delightful cafés, independent shops like Mrs Brighton’s Sweet Shop and The Cabinet of Curiosities, and excellent pub food, there is plenty to do.
You can picture Gilmore Girls’ Lorelai strolling around the cobbled streets before pausing for a coffee, and Rory relishing reading and selecting a new book in one of the shops.
In a recent video shared on her social media, @lilyjbet gushed: “Just found England’s very own Stars Hollow. Haworth, a dreamy Yorkshire village, feels like stepping straight into Gilmore Girls – filled with cosy cafés, charming bookshops, and the sweetest little independent stores. Easily reached by train to Keighley and a short bus ride, it’s the perfect autumn escape.”
Another user chimed in: “It’s a gorgeous place! It’s where the Brontë sisters grew up, their parsonage is just around the corner from those shops. Steeped in history.”
A second added: “I love it there it has the Brontë sisters house and it gives of Gilmore girls.”
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Another fan enthused: “I adore it here, well worth the trip to the Brontë house/museum while you’re there.
“Oh my god, I need to move there,” one user exclaimed.
“Awww such a magical place,” another commented. Another user shared: “Haworth is so pretty, I’m desperate to go back, its been a while.
“It’s so dreamy,” echoed another.
How to get there
If you’re driving there are a number of car parks you can use. The Bronte Village car park is open from 6pm to midnight, while the Gas Street car park is open 8am until 6pm, and the museum car park is open 8am until 10pm.
Keighley is the nearest train station to Haworth. According to Trainline, from London there are typically two trains a day that run to Keighley and it will take you just short of three hours. From Birmingham to Keighley there are around 28 train per day, and there are over 160 trains per day from Manchester to Keighley, taking around 2 hours and 26 minutes to get there.
Lauren Perlmutter is a “Gilmore Girls” superfan. She’s watched the show on a loop for the past 10 years. It’s mostly been in chronological order, and sometimes just in the background while she’s working on something else but craving the show’s comforting familiarity.
“It’s like my bowl of chicken noodle soup,” she said.
Perlmutter, 23, like many fans of the beloved series, was born after it first debuted Oct. 5, 2000 on the WB. Her mom, Joelle, had caught “Gilmore Girls” every now and then when it was airing, and she introduced it to her daughter years later, watching it more intently with her new viewing partner.
The series, which starred Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore, a young single mom, and Alexis Bledel as her teen daughter Rory, is beloved for its witty writing and the small-town charm of its fictional setting, Stars Hollow, Conn.
Fans walk through a recreated gazebo like the one in the fictional town of Stars Hollow. “Gilmore Girls” is set in Connecticut, but much of the filming took place on a backlot at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.
(Etienne Laurent/For The Times)
Like the Gilmores, the Perlmutters established a Friday night tradition, except instead of a tense (mandatory) dinner with three generations, the pair would churn through episodes of the show and enjoy spending quality time together.
Lauren said she saw herself in the bookish Rory.
“I was so academically oriented. I strived really hard, and I was valedictorian at UCLA, and [my mom] was there in the audience and we made the same faces they did during Rory’s graduation, and I had a speech very similar to Rory’s,” she said. “Being able to have this background story of two women being raised, and then translated over into my life with my mom was just so special.”
Although their busy schedules make it hard to maintain their tradition weekly — Lauren is in graduate school at Pepperdine training to be a therapist (although she once considered pursuing journalism like Rory) — the Perlmutters still get an occasional Friday night viewing party in.
In celebration of the show’s 25th anniversary, Warner Bros. Television Group hosted an immersive pop-up event at the Grove that promised to give fans “a weekend in Stars Hollow” with set recreations and fall decor abound. The Perlmutters were first in line on Saturday morning, even with their drive from the San Fernando Valley.
Despite a prominently displayed “no cell phones” sign like the one from Luke’s Diner, fans couldn’t help but take selfies and videos of the set recreations. The Stars Hollow gazebo, the famous town sign, a replica of Lorelai’s beloved Jeep Wrangler and a display of 1,000 daisies from a romantic proposal scene in the first season were popular photo spots, and visitors cycled through Luke’s to grab coffee and donuts. And plenty of themed merchandise — ranging from the typical stickers, hats and mugs to ultra-specific items like bath salts with branding from Lorelai’s inn — was available for purchase.
While the fanbase is largely made up of women, some men enjoy the show as well. As one husband and father who attended the event with his more enthusiastic wife and daughters put it, “every man had a crush on Lorelai.”
Several hundreds of fans cycled through the Grove to celebrate the show’s anniversary.
(Etienne Laurent/For The Times)
“Gilmore Girls” also starred Melissa McCarthy as Sookie St. James, Lorelai’s longtime friend and chef at the inn she runs; Scott Patterson as the curmudgeonly but lovable eponymous diner owner Luke Danes; Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann as Emily and Richard Gilmore, Lorelai’s (very traditional) parents; and Keiko Agena as Lane Kim, Rory’s rock music-loving best friend. It was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who went on to make the hit series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and several other major projects.
During its original run from 2000 to 2007, the series was popular among viewers but not so much among critics. The show was nominated for only a single Emmy in its seven year run — one for makeup, which it won.
Serri Ferrante and Winona Parks, longtime friends who both work in television, said they suspect the lack of critical acclaim the series got could be attributed to the small size of the WB network, where it aired, and the likelihood that its budget for awards campaigns was small.
“I always voted for it,” Ferrante said, “but it was like a throwaway vote.”
Still, as the scores of young fans at Saturday’s celebration at the Grove prove, “Gilmore Girls” found a bountiful second life through streaming services.
Brittania Chacon, a 22-year-old from Mid-City, said she discovered the series when it kept popping up on her TikTok feed a year ago. It was autumn, which she says is the perfect time to watch — and many fans agree. (The show gets a seasonal boost in streaming ratings every year, according to Nielsen.)
The young crop of fans makes Ferrante “feel old,” she said, “but then it makes me feel connected to another generation.”
While most fans said they return to the show repeatedly either because of its relatable plotlines, sharp writing or the friendly comfort of their favorite characters, for some, it also acts as a primer for difficult conversations between mothers and daughters.
“It helped me talk to her about things that are not easy to talk about — dating, relationships, growing up,” Susie Park of Glendale said. Her 13-year-old daughter Ella, who started and finished the show over the course of the summer, confidently established herself as a member of “Team Jess,” referencing fans’ different camps of support for Rory’s boyfriends throughout the show.
“I think it’s amazing that it’s intergenerational and that I can actually show my daughter and that it resonates with her. She’s at an age where she’s supposed to be taking sex education classes and it wasn’t very helpful, but this was a lot more helpful,” Susie said as Ella burst out laughing.
Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), left, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) and Richard Gilmore (Edward Herrmann) in a scene from “Gilmore Girls.”
(Mitchell Haddad / The WB)
Regardless of which team fans are on regarding Rory’s boyfriends or which of the memorable recurring characters is their favorite, most can agree that they want to see more of the Gilmores and Stars Hollow.
In 2016, many original cast members and creatives reunited to make a revival miniseries, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.” The Netflix series had four episodes representing the four seasons to continue the Gilmore family’s story several years later. While it was hotly anticipated, it was not particularly well received by critics and fans alike because some felt the characters seemed to stray from their core attributes and values that made them so loveable.
So more than two decades after the start of the story, many fans are clamoring for another slice of Stars Hollow life. Graham, who reunited with Bledel onstage at the Emmy Awards last month, said on the red carpet that she’d like the idea of a “Gilmore Girls” Christmas movie.
Regardless of whether the story continues in some shape or form, “Gilmore Girls” is regarded as one of the best series of all time and Lorelai and Rory will continue to fuel conversations between mothers and daughters for generations to come.
Eleni Zumot, who attended Saturday’s event with her sister, her mother and her 9-month-old daughter Amelia (sporting a pink Luke’s Diner t-shirt), said she hopes to re-watch the show with her daughter when the time is right.
A FOOTBALL league assistant referee who preyed on teenage girls has been jailed for 13-and-a-half years.
Gareth Viccars, 47, was locked up behind bars for a string of child sexual abuse offences involving three 15-year-old schoolgirls.
Viccars previously pleaded guilty to 16 counts, including sexual communications with a child, meeting with a child following sexual grooming, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual activity with a child.
The offences spanned three years between November 2021 and October 2024 and involved three girls aged 15, Snaresbrook Crown Court previously heard.
On Thursday, Viccars was jailed for 13 and a half years with a further three and a half years on extended licence at the same court.
Viccars was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
Addressing the referee, Judge Caroline English said: “You did deliberately target these three young victims and you did so on account of their ages at the material time.
“I am therefore quite satisfied that in all three cases you preyed upon young women that were vulnerable.
Viccars was an assistant referee at the time of offending.
He has worked as an official for League One clashes in the EFL alongside his day job as an estate agent.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the organisation responsible for managing all Premier League and EFL matches across England, said he was suspended “as soon as the allegations came to light”.
Viccars was not considered for appointments after his initial suspension.
The PGMOL has since removed him from the organisation’s list, it is believed.
It is understood the former assistant referee did not officiate during the last season.
Predator Teachers Jailed After Sexually Abusing Vulnerable Students
The judge said that despite Viccars’s guilty pleas and expressions of remorse, there remained a lack of acknowledgment from the defendant that he had “a sexual interest in female children”.
This interest was clear from the contents of messages sent to his victims and a statement from Viccars’s ex-girlfriend, which said he used to ask her to dress up in school uniform.
Viccars, who appeared in the dock wearing a dark green sweatshirt, nodded as the judge read out her sentencing remarks.
The prosecutor Charlotte Newell KC told the court Viccars had met his victims online through the messaging app Snapchat, telling one girl that talking on WhatsApp was “too risky”.
She said Viccars had lied and told one of his victims he was a teacher when they first started communicating and was aware that she was 15 years old.
The court heard he had abused another of his victims over a period of several years – taking her to football matches and told others he was “mentoring” her.
A scrapbook chronicling the two’s “relationship” that was made by the teenager, and given to Viccars, was handed to police and formed part of the evidence against him, the prosecutor said.
In court, Viccars watched the victim read out an impact statement during which she said he had been her “world” and that she had trusted him “completely” for almost three years.
Addressing her abuser, she said he had won her over with “kind words” and “attention” and had isolated her “in plain sight”.
“Now I know what you really wanted was someone young enough to manipulate,” she added.
After the sentencing, the Met Police said they believed there may be other victims of Viccars as he had been “spamming hundreds of girls on Snapchat”.
DCI Ross Morrell, who led the Met’s investigation, said: “He began with a profile of ‘sorry I think I’ve added the wrong person’, and then he would go in to lie, manipulate them, and then go on to abuse them.
“If anyone thinks they’ve been a victim, then please contact 101, reference this appeal.
“You will be entitled to specialist care, specialist advice, and you will be believed.”
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Gareth Viccars was jailed on Thursday at Snaresbrook Crown Court for a string of child sex offencesCredit: PA
Its campus and enrollment are tiny, but Marymount High is a giant in the world of high school volleyball and this year’s squad looks to have the talent to compete for a championship.
The Sailors took first place out of 64 teams at the prestigious Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas, taking down rival Sierra Canyon, 21-25, 25-15, 25-12, in the final on Sept. 20. Senior hitter and Washington commit Sammy Destler was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
Marymount did not drop a set en route to the Hawaiian Island Labor Day Classic title in Hilo in late August. Last weekend in Phoenix, the Sailors advanced to the championship match of the Platinum Division at the Nike Tournament of Champions Southwest, falling to reigning Southern Section Division 1 champion Mater Dei. The two programs could meet again in the CIF playoffs in November.
For those keeping score, that makes three finals and two titles at three tournaments in three different states over four weeks against the best competition in the nation — just the way head coach Cari Klein likes it.
Marymount High volleyball players, from left to right, Makenna Barnes, Sammy Destler and Elle Vandeweghe clap hands during a match.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
“Winning Durango was huge … and very fun,” said Klein, who reached the 700-win plateau early this season, her 28th at the all-girls Catholic school with 350 students across the street from UCLA. “These last two years we’ve gotten better the second day. Then playing TOC right after is a tough turnaround. It’s a lot of travel and a lot of volleyball.”
Three Sailors joined Destler on the all-tournament team in Durango: senior setter Olivia Penske (committed to Georgetown), junior hitter Makenna Barnes (an early Northwestern commit who has pounded a team-best 217 kills) and junior middle/opposite hitter and Stanford beach commit Katelyn Oerlemans, who leads the team with 63 blocks.
The roster also features senior middle blocker and Southern Methodist commit Elle Vandeweghe, senior middle blocker Frankie Jones (Brown), senior outside hitter Presley Jones (Amherst), senior libero Declan Eastman (Rice) and senior opposite hitter Grace Jamison (Lafayette).
Marymount lost to Mater Dei in one of the best finals in tournament history (28-26 in the third set) at Durango one year ago.
Girls’ volleyball coach Cari Klein has racked up more than 700 wins during her 28 seasons at Marymount High.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
“People don’t realize how few students we have or how academically-oriented it is,” Klein said. “Our girls have their books out in between every game. They’re studying on buses, on trains, in hallways … any chance they get to do schoolwork.”
Having played the sport herself (she was a state MVP at Irvine High in 1988 then an All-West Coast Conference hitter at Pepperdine), Klein demands a lot of her players, but she also tries to make the daily routine fun, worth getting up at the crack of dawn. Her motto is a hard practice makes an easy game.
Destler, who started playing for Klein’s Sunshine Volleyball Club when she was 8, takes that message to heart. After Marymount was dealt its first loss at Redondo Union on Sept 2, she stated: “We have practice at 5:45 a.m. tomorrow and I have to like it.”
The Sailors (29-3) are off to their best start since the 2021 team that finished 35-0, winning 92 of 100 sets in the process, and earned Klein PrepVolleyball.com national high school coach of the year honors.
Of the 20 players on varsity, eight are seniors and nine are juniors.
“This team is similar to the 2021 team,” Klein said. “What’s different is that those seniors four years ago were so hungry because they lost their junior year to COVID-19.”
Marymount’s longest drought between section finals appearances in Klein’s tenure is five seasons (2013 to 2017), so the team is about due. She also wants to add another player of the year to those she has already mentored — Haley Jorgensborg (2001); Stesha Selsky (2002 and 2003); Kelly Irvin (2005); Lauren Greskovics-Fuller (2011); and Elia Rubin (2021).
“There are nine or 10 teams in our section that could really give us a match,” said Klein, who has steered the Sailors to 10 Southern Section titles (including a record six in a row from 2001 to 2006), eight regional crowns and seven state championships since taking over the program in 1998. “Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Sierra Canyon, Newport Harbor, Santa Margarita, Redondo, Mira Costa, Harvard-Westlake, Mater Dei — all very hard to beat. And if you get to the next level, there are four San Diego schools that are really strong too. CIF is stacked.”
In addition to the postseason success, Marymount has won 24 league titles under Klein. To add to that total, it must beat Sierra Canyon, which defeated the Sailors three times last season. The first of the schools’ two Mission League meetings is Monday night in Chatsworth.
In one regard, a section title in 2025 would be sweeter than the others for Klein because she lost her home in the Palisades fire in January, as did some of her players. She has been living in Playa del Rey with her husband, former Palisades High quarterback Perry Klein.
“We’ve all had to deal with it already, but a lot of girls in the program have been affected and the younger club players as well,” she said. “It’s a pretty emotional year for Marymount.”
Shakira Khan opened up about her experience on Love Island during a chat on Paul C. Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast. She spoke about feeling like an outcast and the divide in the villa.
The divide has had the world speaking – but where did it stem from?(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Love Island star, Shakira Khan, 22 has opened up about what life inside the Love Island villa was really like, claiming the show’s “outcasts” all had one thing in common.
Shakira took to Paul C. Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast to delve into how she and other women of colour were pushed to the margins in the villa saying a troubling “outcast” pattern quickly emerged.
She revealed that she, along with fellow Islanders Toni Laites and Yasmine Pettet called themselves “the outcasts” after feeling pushed out by the main group but soon noticed it wasn’t just them.
“People couldn’t sit there and say there was no divide, there was a divide and that’s okay,” she explained. “As much as people want to sh*t on that, that was my lived experience and my friends will say the same.”
“Me, Toni and Yas call ourselves the outcasts but you could collectively add Billykiss to that, Malisha, Andrada, Emma and there’s a pattern here which I don’t think anyone wants to talk about,” she said. “Women of colour.”
It was clear during the season there was a divide in the show, many viewers took to social media to share their opinions and what side of the fence they were sitting on. Shakira said viewers weren’t wrong to sense a divide on the show, but insisted it ran far deeper than what made it to air.
The divide started on one of the very first days, when Shakira found herself single in the villa, therefore putting her at risk of being sent home. After she pulled islanders for chat’s with each conversation being reciprocated which led to girls began to talk and the quickly there was a shift – the divide began.
According to Shakira, anyone seen as a “threat” to the main group was quickly isolated. “We banded together, the outcasts,” she said.
She drew a direct link between her villa experience and wider society, saying it reminded her of segregation growing up. “It boils down to childhood, people were banned from the community, even in my hometown,” she said.
“We talk about the segregation of white communities, Asian communities people find community in their own and people they have shared experiences with.”
Shakira revealed that these moments in the villa soon had an impact on her. “If you get told 100 times a day ‘you’re wrong, you’re irrelevant’, that’s what you start to internalise. You believe that’s the opinion on the outside because you’ve got nothing else to go off,” she said.
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Who is Shakira Khan?
Shakira Khan, 23, from Burnley is an former contestant from season 12 of Love Island She was one of the main villa girls, starting from day one. Throughout the season, we watched Shakira face many challenges from a chaotic love triangle to villa rivalries, however she made it all the way to the Love Island final despite feeling her being mixed heritage, Pakistan and White may hinder her experience.
“I went to a predominantly white high school, I was not the beauty standard, so I was thinking, ‘What have I signed up for?’ she told I-D Magazine. “Everyone’s gonna love the blonde hair, blue-eyed girls, we see year in year out on Love Island. I thought, based on initial attraction, it wasn’t going to go well for me, but I was pleasantly surprised.”
Where can I listen to the We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson podcast?
No, Shakira did not win Love Island 2025, however she came second place with her partner Harry Cooksley. Toni Laites and Cash Mercer won the show and the £50K prize.
Are Shakira Khan and Harry Cooksley still together?
Yes the pair are still dating and going strong since the Villa, Shakira explained on the podcast he treats her well. “He’s witty, he’s charming, he’s intelligent – all those things that I said I look for in a partner.”
“We’re dating each other, can’t put a label on it.” she said, “I’m not dating anyone else, he’s not dating anyone else so you can say we’re exclusively dating each other.” she added
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The singer D4vd called off a series of upcoming tour dates, including a concert this weekend at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre, as police investigate his connection to the death of a teenage Inland Empire girl whose decomposed body was discovered this month in a car registered to the musician.
A representative for the Greek said the show, which was scheduled for Saturday night, had been canceled. Other tour dates in San Francisco and in Europe had either been removed from or were listed as canceled on Ticketmaster’s website by Friday afternoon.
An event at L.A.’s Grammy Museum scheduled for Wednesday — in which D4vd planned to perform and to take part in a conversation about his work — has also been called off. A representative for D4vd didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week, D4vd, 20, announced that he would release a deluxe edition of his 2025 album, “Withered,” on Friday, but the project hadn’t appeared on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music by Friday morning.
Police are investigating the singer’s ties to Celeste Rivas, who was reported missing in April 2024 and whose whereabouts were a mystery until this week, when authorities identified her remains after they found a body in the trunk of a Tesla in a Hollywood tow lot on Sept. 8.
It’s Viva Las Vegas for the top girls volleyball teams in Southern California. They’ll be in Las Vegas this weekend for the 30th Durango Classic that will be played at four sites beginning Friday.
Seven of MaxPreps’ top 10 teams nationally are scheduled to compete, including Sierra Canyon, Mater Dei, Redondo Union, Marymount and Mira Costa.
Sea Hawks go on the road and sweep in 3 close sets against a scrappy El Segundo squad. Redondo moves to 13-3, 2-0 league.
Next up the #1 girls high school tournament in the country, Durango!
Sierra Canyon is ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section power rankings after knocking off Redondo Union last week.
It’s also one of the first chances to see teams strengthened by players who had to sit out the first half of the season after transferring without moving. The sit-out period ended Sept. 13. …
The Ivy League football season begins on Saturday, and there are 39 players from Southern Section high school teams listed on Ivy League rosters.
It’s my annual look at players from Southern California playing in the Ivy League. There’s 39 from Southern Section. Loyola and Harvard-Westlake have five each. Brains and brawn. pic.twitter.com/pePe8PDhOC
Derry Girls actress Siobhan McSweeney appears alongside Will & Grace star Eric McCormack in a new BBC thriller, playing a supporter of US President Donald Trump
Siobhan McSweeney has ditched comedy for “straight” drama in her next role – playing an American supporter of Donald Trump in BBC thriller Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue.
The six-part murder-mystery is written by the creator of Foyle’s War, Anthony Horowitz, and features a cast of nine main characters who survive when their plane crashes in the Mexican jungle.
But in the plot they then begin to die one after another in strange and violent ways and soon realise there is a murderer in their midst. As the story unfolds in flashback, viewers will meet the survivors as they battle to stay alive against the heat, a shortage of supplies – and each other.
IN the plot Siobhan’s character is a motel owner, and she and her husband are huge Trump supporters
Derry Girls and Amandaland star Siobhan, 45, said the whole project had been a departure from the norm for her. “It’s the first time, apart from theatre, that I’ve played an American, so the accent was a challenge,” she admitted.
“Another challenge would be one that’s the same with every show, where you’re going to spend an awful lot of time with these people and you worry if you are all going to get on. It turned out to be one of the most joyful jobs I’ve ever been on.”
In the series by Horowitz, who has also scripted Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Midsomer Murders, Siobhan plays a Trump-loving Texan woman who runs a chain of motels with her husband, who is also on the plane and a fully signed up member of the Make America Great Again campaign.
The actress, 45, is best known for her role as acid-tongued Sister Michael in Derry Girls(Image: This picture may be used solely for Channel 4 programme publicity purposes in connection with the current broadcast of the progr)
She laughed that in real life if she was caught in a similar situation to this group, she’d be a goner. “I’d be dead within two days!” she said. “What really comes across, which is something that you never think about in these survival stories, is that you think they’re on the move but they’re not. They’re stuck in one area. They’re stuck beside the plane, so I guess I’d die of boredom.”
When it hits the screen later this month viewers will also see Will & Grace favourite Eric McCormack, who plays a doctor who has been struck off. He says that if the situation was real, he’d fare even less well. “I’d last 30 to 40 minutes,” he declared. “Actually, I take that back. There’s a full bottle of vodka on the plane, so I’d last six to seven hours, until the vodka ran out.”
She also proved a huge hit in Amandaland, in which she plays a stressed-out chef(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Merman/Natalie Seery)
Siobhan, who also hosts Channel 4’s Great Pottery Throwdown and is currently fronting the Irish version of The Traitors, said she jumped at the chance to film in “Mexico”, which was actually Gran Canaria. “Then there was the idea of filming in the Canary Islands for the summer, whereas I usually get to film in Northern Ireland. So it was like ‘Let’s have a bit of fun’.”
Writer Horowitz said he hopes that BBC viewers enjoy the series. “I’ve always believed that murder stories are popular because they’re about the search for truth. We live in a world in which it is very hard to be sure of anything anymore – we have 24-hour news, fake news, post-truth. How do you know what’s real any more? But whodunnits lead to absolute truth. It’s revealed at the end of the final episode.”
– Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue will air on BBC1/iPlayer this September
In an early season showdown between two of the top girls volleyball teams in the state, Redondo Union took control over the last two sets to handle Marymount 25-23, 18-25, 25-21, 25-14 and prove it is a threat for its first Southern Section championship since 2019.
The squads entered their nonleague matchup with a 22-1 combined record this fall and could meet again down the road with the stakes even higher. The Sea Hawks’ triumph was all the more impressive given that it was accomplished without libero Rowan DeVore (sidelined with flu) and senior twins Avery and Addi Junk, who are skipping the indoor season to concentrate on beach volleyball, which both are committed to play at Florida State.
California commit Abby Zimmerman was almost unstoppable, pounding a match-high 26 kills, Leah Blair (committed to play beach at Washington) had 10 kills and UC Irvine-bound Taylor Boice added seven kills for the home side. Setter Marlo Libbey had 33 assists and served three aces.
Zimmerman led her school to the beach title in the spring.
“Indoor is my favorite and we’ve put in so much work, it would be great to go out on top my last year,” Zimmerman said. “This was a solid match for us and if we can bring the same energy and fight every game we have a good chance.”
Both programs were coming off successful trips to Hawaii. Redondo Union finished runner-up to national power Byron Nelson (Texas) for the second straight season at the Ann Kang Invitational, while Marymount did not drop a set on its way to the Hawaiian Island Labor Day Classic championship Saturday in Hilo.
Junior hitter Makenna Barnes had 16 kills, Washington commit Sammy Destler added 14, Olivia Penske had 36 assists and Declan Eastman recorded 11 digs for the Sailors, who were trying to avenge a five-set defeat in the first round of the CIF SoCal Open Division regionals last fall.
“I play on the same club team as Abby and Taylor… we’re best friends,” Destler said. “This was a much-needed wake-up call for us. We have practice at 5:45 a.m. tomorrow and I have to like it. Redondo’s a whole different level than the teams we saw in Hawaii.”
Tuesday’s nonleague match not only featured many of the Southland’s most talented players, but also two of its most successful coaches in Redondo Union’s Tommy Chaffins (who passed the 900 career wins milestone last year) and Marymount’s Cari Klein (who has led her Sailors to 30 or more victories in three of the last four seasons).
Klein said the trip back from Hawaii had a little drama as the plane had engine problems and had to divert to Oahu.
Marymount was off to its hottest start since 2021 when it finished 35-0 en route to its 10th section title and seventh state crown under Klein and the No. 1 national ranking.
The schedule only gets tougher for Redondo Union (14-1), which travels to reigning Division 1 champion Mater Dei on Thursday and hosts 2022 champion Sierra Canyon next Tuesday. Marymount (9-1) will try to shake off its first loss when it hosts the Sea Hawks’ Bay League rival, Mira Costa, on Thursday.
“We’re very close on and off the court and we bonded even more in Hawaii,” Boice said. “Tonight we simply wanted it more.”
The legendary singers reunite in Apple TV’s KPOPPED
Apple TV is set to host an unexpected Spice Girls reunion in its new competition show.
KPOPPED, which lands on the streamer on Friday (August 29), follows iconic Western musicians as they reimagine their hit songs in the style of South Korean pop music.
The stars are paired up with a Korean group and sent off to rehearse for a final performance, which will be judged by a Seoul-based audience.
The synopsis reads: “This energetic music series, starring PSY and Megan Thee Stallion, features surprising collaborations and behind-the-scenes moments of connection from iconic Western artists and top K-pop idols while they create genre-blending covers of their biggest hits.”
Spice Girls stars Mel B and Emma Bunton feature in episode two (Image: Apple TV+)
While PSY and Megan Thee Stallion are pegged as the stars of the show, the series also features Spice Girls legends Mel B or and Emma Bunton.
The duo will compete in episode two, where they team up with Korean girl group Itzy to reimagine their hit singles ‘Wannabe’ and ‘Say You’ll Be There.’
Alongside a modern performance of these chart-toppers, viewers will also be treated to behind-the-scenes footage of Emma and Mel as they prepare for the final battle.
The pair will perform together (Image: Apple TV+ )
But the celebrity appearances don’t stop there, KPOPPED also features fellow pop icon Kylie Minogue, R&B star Patti Labelle and rapper Vanilla Ice.
Other musicians taking the stage include Kesha, Eve, J Balvin, TLC, Boy George, Jess Glynne, Ava Max, and Boyz II Men.
As for the K-Pop groups, BILLIE, Itzy, KEP1ER, JO1, Ateez, STAYC, Kiss of Life, and Blackswan are all on the line-up.
KPOPPED lands on Apple TV+ tomorrow (Image: Apple TV+)
As viewers gear up for the series premiere, many have taken to social media to gush about its star-studded cast.
Taking to the trailer video’s YouTube comments, one person penned: “IT’S SOOOO INSANE to see Boys to Men, Kylie, Megan and Spice Girls, legends that have directly inspire K-pop be finally put together in a show with live K-pop performers!”
Someone else gushed: “The show hasn’t even come out yet, but I already think it deserves another season.”
A third fan said: “Never have I ever imagined Megan, Billie, Spice girls will do a show with K-pop groups! I’m happy for Blackswan they’re underrated! Best of luck Ateez, Itzy & Kep1er! This is going to be ICONIC.”
KPOPPED premieres on Friday, August 29 on Apple TV+
NIGEL Farage today appeared to row back on his pledge to include women and children in illegal migrant deportations.
The Reform leader said the two groups would be “exempt” from being sent packing for five years – but not “forever”.
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Nigel Farage today appeared to row back on his pledge to include women and children in illegal migrant deportationsCredit: PA
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The Reform leader said women and children will not feature in the first five years of mass deportationsCredit: Getty
On Tuesday Mr Farage declared that under his mass deportation plan, 600,000 illegal migrants, including females of all ages, would have no right to stay in Britain.
But pushed on the issue again at a press conference in Edinburgh today, he clarified: “I was very, very clear yesterday in what I said, that deportation of illegal immigrants – we are not even discussing women and children at this stage.
“I didn’t say exempt forever, but at this stage it’s not part of our plan for the next five years.”
It comes as the Taliban confirmed it is “ready and willing” to strike an illegal migrant returns deal with Mr Farage.
A senior official suggested the extremist group would ask for aid to support deported Afghans instead ofmoney.
The official told The Telegraph: “We are ready and willing to receive and embrace whoever he [Nigel Farage] sends us.
“We are prepared to work with anyone who can help end the struggles of Afghan refugees, as we know many of them do not have a good life abroad.
“We will not take money to accept our own people, but we welcome aid to support newcomers, since there are challenges in accommodating and feeding those returning from Iran and Pakistan.
“Afghanistan is home to all Afghans, and the Islamic Emirate is determined to make this country a place where everyone – those already here, those returning, or those being sent back from the West by Mr Farage or anyone else – can live with dignity.”
The Taliban official also suggested it will be easier for Afghanistan to “deal” with Reform than Labour.
He said: “We will have to see what Mr Farage does when or if he becomes prime minister of Britain, but since his views are different, it may be easier to deal with him than with the current ones.
“We will accept anyone he sends, whether they are legal or illegal refugees in Britain.”
The Taliban are hardline Islamist militants who seized back control of Afghanistan in 2021 after two decades of war.
They enforce brutal Sharia law, with strict rules on women, media and daily life, backed by violence and fear.
Branded terrorists by the West, they’re accused of harbouring extremists and crushing human rights while clinging to power.
The Reform UK boss said the public mood over Channel crossings was “a mix between total despair and rising anger”, warning of a “genuine threat to public order” unless Britain acts fast.
This morning Tory Chairman Kevin Hollinrake confirmed his party would also “potentially” look to strike a returns agreement with the Taliban.
He added that his party’s deportation plan, which was published in May, is “far more comprehensive than the one we’ve seen from Reform, in that it dealt with both legal migration and illegal migration”.
Unveiling a five-year emergency programme, dubbed Operation Restoring Justice, Mr Farage yesterday tore into what he called an “invasion” on Britain’s borders and pledged the boldest deportation plan ever put forward by a UK party.
Speaking at an aircraft hangar in Oxfordshire, Mr Farage declared: “If you come to the UK illegally, you will be detained and deported and never, ever allowed to stay, period.
“That is our big message from today, and we are the first party to put out plans that could actually make that work.”
Reform’s plan centres on a new Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill, which would make it the Home Secretary’s legal duty to remove anyone who arrives unlawfully, and strip courts and judges of the power to block flights.
Britain would quit the European Convention on Human Rights, scrap the Human Rights Act and suspend the Refugee Convention for five years.
Reform would also make re-entry after deportation a crime carrying up to five years in jail, enforce a lifetime ban on returning, and make tearing up ID papers punishable by the same penalty.
Mr Farage said women and children would be detained and removed under the plans, with “phase one” focusing on men and women and unaccompanied minors deported “towards the latter half of that five years”.
He even raised the prospect that children born in Britain to parents who arrived illegally could also be deported, but admitted it would be “complex”.
He said: “How far back you go with this is the difficulty, and I accept that… I’m not standing here telling you all of this is easy, all of this is straightforward.”
There would also be a six-month “Assisted Voluntary Return Window” with cash incentives to leave before Border Force begins US-style raids. Mr Farage said: “Will Border Force be seeking out people who are here illegally, possibly many of them working in the criminal economy?
“Yes, it’s what normal countries do all over the world.
“What sane country would allow undocumented young males to break into its country, to put them up in hotels, they even get dental care? How about that?
“Most people can’t get an NHS dentist. This is not what normal countries do.”
The scheme would also see prefab detention camps built on surplus RAF and MoD land, holding up to 24,000 people within 18 months.
Inmates would be housed in two-man blocks with food halls and medical suites – and would not be allowed out.
Five deportation flights would take off every day, with RAF planes on standby if charter jets were blocked.
There’s already a surprise team emerging in girls’ volleyball.
Harvard-Westlake, under first-year coach Morgan Wijay, is 7-0 and won its division of the Lakewood tournament last week. Wijay left Bishop Alemany to take over a Wolverines program that went 13-15 last season and 2-8 in league. The Wolverines have a showdown match with 3-0 Marymount on Thursday at Marymount.
Maya Stillwell, a 6-foot-4 senior middle blocker who has committed to Northwestern, gives Harvard-Westlake a force in the middle. Another middle blocker is Penn commit Lauryn Lewis, the daughter of former Laker Larry Lewis. Junior opposite hitter Sophia Cotter is committed to Princeton. Outside hitter Kylie Parker is another top player. …
The Palisades football team’s game against Dymally this week was canceled because Dymally did not have enough players, but the Dolphins were able to schedule a game against El Camino Real on Sept. 19.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].
The addition of girls flag football is helping fuel rising participation in high school sports nationally, with a record 8,260,891 boys and girls having participated in the last school year, according to the annual survey from the National Federation of State High School Assns. released on Monday.
There were 68,847 girls playing flag football, a 60% increase from the previous year.
Girls sports led the increases, including wrestling rising 15%.
Football remains the most popular boys sports at 1,001,039. Track and field tops girls sports at 513,808.
Girls flag football has been rising in popularity in Southern California. In the Los Angeles City Section, there are now more flag football teams (91) than 11-man football teams (71).
The fatal blaze rocked Guatemala and highlighted widespread abuse in the government’s shelter system.
A Guatemalan court has convicted six people in connection with the deaths of 41 girls at a state-funded youth shelter in 2017.
On Tuesday, Judge Ingrid Cifuentes gave the former officials, who had all pleaded not guilty, sentences of between six and 25 years for charges ranging from abuse of authority to manslaughter.
Two of the people convicted were ex-police officers, while the other four were ex-child protection officials.
Prosecutors had sought sentences of up to 131 years for some of those on trial.
The judge said she did not have the jurisdiction to make a ruling against a seventh defendant, who used to be the children’s prosecutor at the attorney general’s office.
As well as handing down the prison terms, Cifuentes also ordered an investigation into former President Jimmy Morales, who was Guatemala’s leader at the time of the blaze.
Emily del Cid Linares, 25, a survivor of the fire who suffered burns, said she was satisfied with the verdict.
“I feel like a weight has been lifted from me,” she said. “What I most feel is that they [the victims] will be able to rest in peace. [Those responsible] are going to pay for what they did.”
The tragedy at the Virgen de la Asuncion youth shelter, which is located 22km (14 miles) east of the capital, Guatemala City, shook the country and went on to highlight the widespread abuse in the government’s shelter system.
The fire broke out on March 8, 2017, a year after the home, which housed hundreds more children than its legal capacity, was ordered to close by a court.
The blaze started in a classroom in which 56 girls had been locked after their attempt to escape the shelter the previous day. After being brought back to the site by the police, they were shut in a room with no access to a toilet.
Witnesses said that one of the girls set fire to their foam mattresses to protest against their treatment at the home, which is alleged to have included sexual abuse.
Nineteen girls died on March 8 from their injuries, with a further 22 later succumbing to their injuries. The fire also severely injured 15 others.
MEL B has shared the first look at her second wedding in Morocco.
The star – aka Scary Spice – tied the knot with hairdresser Rory McPhee, 37, at St Paul’s Cathedral inLondon on July 5 in a star-studded ceremony.
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The couple first tied the knot on July 5 at a ceremony in LondonCredit: Instagram
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It was reported the second wedding would give the absent Spice Girls the chance to reuniteCredit: Getty
However, the only other Spice Girl in attendance on her big day was Emma ‘Baby Spice’ Bunton.
It was previously reported that Mel’s second wedding in Morocco – which she described as “more informal, sexy and beautiful” – would give the other Spice Girls the opportunity to reunite and celebrate their band mates nuptials.
Now Mel, 50, has shared the first snap from her second big day, where she stunned in a strapless sheer gown covered in red beading.
Meanwhile Rory looked dapper in a short white tuxedo jacket, black trousers and bow tie.
The newlyweds beamed and danced in the snap in front of their Moroccan venue, and Mel caption the snap: “We got married!!! Again!
“A wedding so good we keep the celebration going with our closest and dearest in our fav place at @selmanmarrakech [three heart emojis] we had the time of our lives!!”
And it seems Mel C, who had missed the London ceremony, was in attendance as she commented: “What a weekend! So happy we got to share it with you [three heart emojis].”
Mel’s sister Danielle also shared pictures on her Instagram Stories of the celebrations.
Mel B stuns in white gown at star-studded St Paul’s Cathedral wedding
Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ camp perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas, was a place of laughter, prayer and adventure just days ago.
Among the girls at the camp was eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla, smiling ear-to-ear in a picture taken on one of those days – “having the time of her life” with her friends.
But the next day, the camp she and so many other young girls loved turned into the site of one of the deadliest flood disasters in recent Texas history.
Renee was among those killed.
“She will forever be living her best life at Camp Mystic,” her uncle Shawn Salta wrote on Facebook.
Photos show the eerie aftermath: the bunk beds mud-caked and toppled, the detritus of a summer camp cut tragically short.
Destroyed personal belongings are scattered across soaked interiors where children once gathered for Bible study and campfire songs.
Eleven of its campers and one camp counsellor are missing. Many of the unaccounted-for girls were reportedly sleeping in low-lying cabins less than 500ft (150m) from the riverbank.
On Sunday, the rain was pouring down as the BBC reached Camp Mystic.
The entrance was cordoned off by police and the rubble of what might have been some kind of gatehouse was strewn across the ground.
More rain is forecast, which will make the rescue effort even harder.
Three days after the deluge, hope is fading and this is rapidly becoming a recovery exercise more than a rescue mission.
Getty Images
Camp Mystic has been operated by the same family for generations, offering girls a chance to grow “spiritually” in a “wholesome” Christian atmosphere, according to its website.
Families from all across Texas and the US send their daughters each summer to swim, canoe, ride horses and form lifelong friendships.
But the beauty of the Guadalupe River, which draws so many to the area, also proved deadly.
The floodwaters arrived with little warning, ripping through the picturesque riverfront area that is home to nearly 20 youth camps.
Though Camp Mystic suffered the greatest losses, officials say the scale of the disaster is far-reaching.
Nearby, the all-girls camp Heart O’ the Hills also faced flooding.
Its co-owner and director, Jane Ragsdale, was among the dead. Fortunately, the camp was out of session at the time.
A statement from the camp said, “Most of those who were on camp at the time have been accounted for and are on high ground… We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful.”
An unknown number of other campers were in the area for the holiday weekend.
Getty Images
Questions are mounting over why so many camps were situated so close to the river, and why more was not done to evacuate the children in time.
Congressman Chip Roy, who represents the area, acknowledged the devastation while urging caution against premature blame.
“The response is going to be, ‘We’ve gotta move all these camps – why would you have camps down here by the water?'” Roy said.
“Well, you have camps by the water because it’s by the water. You have camps near the river because it’s a beautiful and wonderful place to be.”
Families of the missing meanwhile face an agonising wait for news. Search and rescue teams – some navigating by boat, others combing through debris – are working round the clock.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said on Sunday the search for survivors continued.
“Until we can get them reunited families, we are not going to stop,” City Manager Dalton Rice said.
Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency, and officials warn the final toll may rise in the days to come.
Following the success of Louis Theroux’s series called Boybands Forever, the journalist is planning a girl group version, but one iconic group has reportedly shunned his approach
Louis Theroux is planning a new documentary(Image: officiallouistheroux/Instagram)
Louis Theroux is used to interviewing the best in the business. However, one band has reportedly shunned his advances to tell their story.
The popular journalist is creating a new bombshell BBC documentary on girlbands following on from last year’s successful production of Boybands Forever. It’s thought Louis had seen the iconic band as being instrumental in any production.
However, a TV insider has claimed that the quintet – made up of Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Melanie C, Melanie Brown MBE and Geri Horner – aren’t prepared to bare all just yet.
While last year’s boyband version saw Robbie Williams open up on his turbulent time in Take That, the source says the Girl Power group aren’t looking to follow suit.
The Spice Girls are reported to have rejected Louis’ approach(Image: Getty Images)
Talking to the Sun, a source said: “The difference is that the Spice Girls are fast approaching 30 years since the release of their debut single Wannabe and have a string of projects in the pipeline.
“Many of the issues that Robbie brought up on Boybands Forever were wholly justifiable, and most viewers sympathised with his situation when he was in Take That.
“But none of the Spice Girls want to do the same, and they feel it wouldn’t be fair on their loyal fans to spoil the magic of Girl Power so close to their anniversary year. They want 2026 to be a moment when they celebrate the group’s achievements.”
Robbie Williams opened up on Boybands Forever(Image: BBC/Mindhouse Productions/Harry Truman)
While the Spice Girls are reportedly steering clear of the offering, other groups from the era are expected to feature. With it thought chats will be conducted face to face, members of groups such as Eternal, Atomic Kitten, Girls Aloud, Sugababes and All Saints are rumoured to be taking part.
Boybands Forever, which was released at the back end of last year, was a series that focused on boybands of the 90s and early 2000s. Among those who featured, as well as Robbie Williams, was Simon Cowell.
Brian McFadden also featured on Boybands Forever(Image: BBC/Youtube)
Prior to its release, Louis said of the series: “It involves some of the icons of modern British pop – and we see them through their highs and lows.” He added: “It’s how they came together, the experience of sudden fame, the opportunity and temptations that came their way, conflicts within the groups, between the groups, and between the boys and their managers.
“It’s a gripping fable about getting everything you dreamed of, and it not being what you imagined, centred on a generation of young men, and their managers, who were wildly successful and also immensely vulnerable, having the times of their lives and also in some cases cracking up.”
