The reunion took place in London, where John described the gathering as a "brilliant birthday surprise" in a social media post shared on Instagram. John, who turned 79, posted a photo of the two smiling together at the lunch table, captioning it to express his joy at seeing his "Rocketman" once again.

Egerton, known for his Oscar-nominated performance as the openly gay singer-songwriter in Rocketman, responded warmly to the post, underscoring their close relationship forged during the film's production. The biopic, directed by Dexter Fletcher, offered an unflinching portrayal of John's life, including his struggles with addiction, his coming out as a gay man in 1976, and his marriage to David Furnish in 2005 after civil partnership in 2005. This authentic depiction earned praise from LGBTQ+ advocates for humanizing the experiences of gay men in the public eye.

John, a longstanding ally and icon for transgender people and the broader LGBTQ+ community, has used his platform to support initiatives like the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which has raised billions for HIV prevention and treatment globally. The surprise lunch, arranged discreetly for the birthday, reflects the personal bonds that extend beyond the screen, with John noting in his post how meaningful it was to reunite with Egerton amid his ongoing farewell tour and recent biographical projects.

Within LGBTQ+ circles, the event sparked positive reactions on social media, with fans celebrating the duo's friendship as a symbol of acceptance and artistic collaboration. Rocketman's success, grossing over $195 million worldwide, helped normalize queer narratives in mainstream cinema, contributing to greater visibility for gay and bisexual men. Egerton, who is straight but immersed himself in John's story, has spoken in interviews about the role's impact on his understanding of LGBTQ+ histories.

The birthday milestone comes as John, married to film producer David Furnish since 2014, continues to influence music and philanthropy. Their shared photo, showing relaxed camaraderie over lunch, went viral quickly, amassing thousands of likes and comments from fans worldwide. Community responses highlighted the reunion's heartwarming nature, with many noting how such moments affirm the lasting alliances formed through storytelling about LGBTQ+ lives.

This event, occurring just one day prior to reports on March 26, underscores John's enduring cultural presence at 79, blending personal celebration with his legacy as a gay trailblazer in music. No further details on the lunch's menu or additional attendees were disclosed, maintaining the intimate tone of the surprise. The story, confirmed across entertainment outlets, celebrates a friendship rooted in one of cinema's most pivotal queer biopics.

That original case settled last year, incorporating an NDA that twigs' attorney Mathew Rosengart now claims violates California's STAND Act, a law prohibiting NDAs that restrict survivors from disclosing sexual abuse, assault, or battery. Months after the settlement, LaBeouf's legal team issued an arbitration demand against twigs, alleging she breached the NDA by stating in an interview that she did not feel safe with him; the arbitration was later dismissed. The new complaint argues the NDA unlawfully bars twigs from discussing her experiences of sexual abuse, assault, and battery by LaBeouf.

Rosengart stated in the filing: "twigs files this action to right a wrong, and also on behalf of other women who are the victims of sexual and domestic violence who do not have the resources to speak out and defend themselves from predators." He added: "In so doing, she seeks to ensure that survivors of sexual misconduct are not bullied or silenced like she was." The lawsuit emphasizes that it seeks no monetary damages, focusing instead on "justice and law, not money," and requests a judicial declaration that the NDA provisions are illegal and unenforceable.

LaBeouf's representatives responded by arguing the NDA is lawful because the STAND Act's protections apply only to "sexual assault," not "sexual battery," a distinction the complaint calls "preposterous" and legally erroneous, noting that "assault is a precondition of battery." The filing further contends that LaBeouf has discussed twigs' trauma publicly without restriction, while attempting to prohibit her from doing the same, creating an ongoing controversy.

This development revives details from the 2020 lawsuit, where twigs described a "living nightmare" marked by isolation, verbal abuse, jealousy, and physical violence, including a Valentine's Day 2019 incident where LaBeouf allegedly choked her and threatened to crash his car. A housekeeper witnessed LaBeouf lifting twigs off the ground as she tried to leave, and former partner Karolyn Pho corroborated a pattern of abuse in a supporting declaration. LaBeouf previously told The New York Times he accepted accountability for some actions but disputed others.

While FKA twigs identifies as part of the queer community and has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ artists in music, no specific LGBTQ+ organizations have issued on-the-record statements about this filing as of February 26, 2026. The case highlights broader implications for survivors, particularly in entertainment where NDAs have historically silenced victims of abuse, potentially affecting transgender people and others in LGBTQ+ communities facing similar barriers to speaking out. Advocacy groups like RAINN emphasize resources for sexual abuse survivors, noting the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

The lawsuit arrives amid twigs' ongoing career, including recent efforts to address cease-and-desist letters from another act over her name, underscoring her determination to control her narrative. Legal experts view the STAND Act challenge as a test case for how California courts interpret NDA restrictions in abuse settlements, with potential ripple effects for high-profile survivors. Neither party has commented further publicly since the filing.

He never got the chance.

After giving up five runs and getting only two outs Thursday in an 11-7 loss at the New York Mets, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner got the hook from manager Don Kelly after throwing just 37 pitches. It was by far the shortest of his 56 major league starts.

“I’m not as upset about this for me, personally, as people would probably think,” Skenes said. "Because they did a really good job. It was an abnormal outing.”

The 23-year-old allowed four hits and issued two walks, including one to leadoff hitter Francisco Lindor. Skenes also hit a batter with a pitch, and Kelly wondered if the right-hander's fastball command wasn't up to his usual standards.

The five runs Skenes allowed matched his career high. The two-time All-Star also gave up five in six innings on April 8, 2025, against St. Louis.

Skenes said Kelly told him something along the lines of it's too early in the season to push it.

“He wants to stay out there and pitch,” Kelly said. "It’s a really tough thing going to get him in the first inning right there. The bottom of it is Paul’s health. You’re getting close to 40 pitches, yeah 37 pitches and Lindor had a seven-pitch at-bat that first at-bat. If he runs another 7-10, you’re into dangerous territory with the starting pitcher in one inning, so we had to make the move.”

It was not all on Skenes, who was hurt by shoddy defense from Oneil Cruz in center field.

Handed a 2-0 lead on Brandon Lowe's two-run homer, Skenes walked Lindor in the bottom of the first. Juan Soto followed with a soft single, and Bo Bichette lofted a sacrifice fly.

Jorge Polanco nubbed an infield single, and Skenes walked Luis Robert Jr. on 10 pitches. After pitching coach Bill Murphy visited the mound, Cruz misplayed Brett Baty's line drive into a bases-loaded triple, coming in a couple of steps before letting the ball sail over his head.

“(It) was one of those low line drives that it takes a little bit more time for me to read it, and they’re really tough balls to read because you don’t know if you’re going to have to come in or go back,” Cruz said through an interpreter. "It got in the sun a little bit at the end, but those are the ones that I will get better at, for sure.”

Marcus Semien then popped up to shallow center, but Cruz lost the ball in the sun and it dropped beside him for an RBI double that gave New York a 5-2 lead. Cruz is a converted shortstop who began playing center field in 2024 before becoming a full-time outfielder last year.

“That ball straight at him, he came in, got a bad read,” Kelly said. "He’s been working hard out there. He just needs to continue to get better. Then the one in the sun. He just lost it in the sun.”

Carson Benge struck out on three fastballs clocked 96-98 mph in his first big league plate appearance, but Skenes grazed No. 9 batter Francisco Alvarez with an 0-1 sinker and that was the end of his afternoon.

Mets fans roared as Skenes walked slowly off the mound toward the dugout.

“I felt good, but (we were) being precautionary,” Skenes said. "The pitch count wasn’t going to be super, super high today anyway.”

Skenes was coming off two starts for the U.S. at the World Baseball Classic. Kelly brushed off Skenes participating in that event as anything contributing to this outing.

Yohan Ramírez relieved and prevented further damage by retiring Lindor on a flyball with runners at second and third. Ramírez was the first of six Pirates relievers.

“Obviously not ideal to have a bullpen game on opening day," Skenes said.

Skenes made his second opening-day start as he begins his third major league season. He became the eighth starting pitcher since at least 1906 to allow five or more runs in less than an inning in a season opener.

“It’s nice to get it out of the way,” Skenes said. “Just flush it."

Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion and minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, was asked in a recent interview with CNBC if he's looked into the rules regarding a minority owner returning to NFL play.

“I actually have inquired, and they (the NFL) don’t like that idea very much, so I’m going to leave it at that,” Brady said. “We explored a lot of different things, and I’m very happily retired. Let me say that, too.”

It wouldn't have been Brady's first time coming out of retirement. The three-time league MVP briefly retired during the 2022 offseason after two seasons with the Buccaneers. He had a change of heart 40 days later and went on to play for one more year before retiring “for good” in February 2023.

Brady recently turned heads in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, where he played alongside Jalen Hurts, Devonta Smith, Stefon Diggs and Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty. He also reunited on the field with his teammate of 11 seasons and four-time time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski.

In 2029, the year the telecast moves from ABC to YouTube, the ceremony itself will move from its longtime home at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood to downtown Los Angeles and the Peacock Theater, 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) away. The Academy announced Thursday that it has reached a 10-year agreement with AEG, which operates the L.A. Live complex where the Peacock Theater sits.

It's a surprising move, given that the Dolby was developed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself, expressly as a home for the Oscars. The ceremony has been held there since 2002 (with the exception of the COVID-driven downsized show at Union Station in 2021) and has provided an especially steady home for the Oscars, which have never stayed in a single venue for such a long stretch. The awards bounced between various LA hotels in its early years, before moving up to theaters in the mid-1940s.

The downtown Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, a fine arts facility that is home to the LA Opera, became heavily identified with the Oscars when it hosted the ceremony from 1968 to 1986. The ceremony then alternated between the Chandler and the Shrine Auditorium, next to the University of Southern California, until the long-term move to Hollywood.

The Dolby will continue to host the show as it airs in its final years on ABC, concluding with the 100th Academy Awards in 2028.

The Peacock Theater is next to the Crypto.com Arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings. The theater has hosted the Emmy Awards nearly every year since 2008 and, in recent years, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

The academy says in its announcement that, under its agreement, AEG will make major upgrades to the theater and its tech setup, and will “collaborate closely with the Academy to incorporate bespoke design elements needed to accommodate the Oscars ceremony.”

The Peacock Theater, previously known as the Nokia Theatre and Microsoft Theater, opened in 2007, as the then-Staples Center site expanded to become the L.A. Live entertainment complex. It hosted concerts from the Eagles and the Chicks to celebrate its opening.

The theater's capacity of about 7,000 is about twice that of the Dolby. And its plaza is bigger and more open-air than the Dolby's Ovation Hollywood complex, which has more of an enclosed shopping mall feeling. Like Hollywood, L.A. Live also has multiple hotels, essential to the logistics of the Oscars.

And there is a cinema at the site, though its Regal theaters multiplex lacks the historic patina of the TCL (formerly Grauman's) Chinese Theatre next to the Dolby on Hollywood Boulevard.

“For the 101st Oscars and beyond, the Academy looks forward to closely collaborating with AEG to make L.A. LIVE the perfect backdrop for our global celebration of cinema,” the academy's CEO Bill Kramer and its president, Lynette Howell Taylor, said in a joint statement.

Alexander Kornyev (Aleksandr Kuznetsov) is a fresh-faced prosecutor who arrives at the Soviet prison in Bryansk in 1937. This is not, you might be thinking, where anyone new to the job should be in a rush to get to. Yet before even the news of his appointment has reached this penal outpost, Alexander turns up with a note, written in blood, from a prisoner he wishes to speak with.

That this note has reached Alexander is nearly as surprising to the prison warden as Alexander’s unexpected presence in his office. The first scenes of “Two Prosecutors,” where a pile of prisoner letters all attesting to brutality and injustice are burned, only hint at how the note has made its unlikely way to the prosecutor.

This is the height of Josef Stalin’s Great Purge, when suspected dissenters and Bolsheviks were rounded up by the NKVD, the secret police, and sent to prison, to the gulag or to death. It was not exactly an opportune time for a young lawyer hardly out of college to stroll into the belly of Stalin’s bureaucratic beast and start asking questions.

Where could such an intriguing idea for a story come from? A prisoner, himself. “Two Prosecutors” is based on a novella by Georgy Demidov, a physician imprisoned for 14 years in Soviet labor camps. He wrote the book in 1969, but it wasn’t published until 2009, posthumously.

Loznitsa, a leading Ukrainian filmmaker, is also not unfamiliar with Russian state violence. The director, who has lived in Berlin since 2001, is best known for stark documentaries about his native country (including 2024’s “The Invasion” and 2014’s “Maiden”) as well as films about Stalinist Russia (2021’s “State Funeral” and 2019’s “The Trial”). The cast also includes several Russian actors, including Kuznetsov, who left their country after speaking out against Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine.

“Two Prosecutors,” which debuted last year in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, is Loznitsa’s first fiction film in seven years. But the sober eye he brings to nonfiction is very much at work in “Two Prosecutors,” a starkly drawn period drama of bleak absurdism.

Beyond any direct lines of connection between past and present, “Two Prosecutors” has the neatness and timelessness of a parable, one that Gogol might have written, and one that could resonate in any era where the naively courageous challenge fascism.

It’s cunningly, even sinisterly structured. In the first half of the film, we follow Alexander’s prolonged entry into the prison. It takes countless series of doors and locks to get through, and each step is watched suspiciously by stone-faced guards. He’s made to wait for hours and urged to reconsider. “Do you know where your predecessor is now?” he’s asked. Every step forward for Alexander into the totalitarian maw is potentially one step further from his own freedom.

When he does finally, stubbornly reach the prisoner, the encounter is equally foreboding. I.S. Stepniak (a tremendous Aleksandr Filippenko) is himself a former prosecutor, a Bolshevik who vividly relates his story and details Stalin’s crackdown. He isn’t seeking personal justice; he wants the truth out. His bruised body is evidence.

Alexander, knowing local officials can’t be trusted, immediately sets out to Moscow to make a report to the chief prosecutor. In the capital, he encounters just as many hallways and barriers to entry as he did in the prison; “Two Prisoners” is composed like a sinister palindrome.

Alexander’s second passage through the layers of totalitarian bureaucracy goes similarly. He manages to get a meeting with the prosecutor, Andrey Vyshinsky (Anatoliy Beliy), but we long ago knew that Alexander’s whistle blow is sure to fall on deaf ears, and he is unwittingly sealing his own fate. The walls are closing in on him.

“Two Prosecutors,” a Janus Films release in theaters, is not rated by the Motion Picture Association. In Russian and Ukrainian, with subtitles. Running time: 118 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

With a new haircut Malinin presented all that the spectators expected from the defending two-time world champion at O2 Arena.

He will go to Saturday’s free skate with a massive lead of more than nine points after a personal-best 111.29 score in the short program.

The performance showed the Olympic failure was behind him.

Known as the “Quad God,” Malinin opened with a quad flip and a combination of quad lutz and a triple toe loop. The only skater to have successfully landed a quad axel in competition performed only a triple version of his trademark jump.

French skater Adam Siao Him Fa nailed a perfect quad toe loop in combination with a triple toe loop plus a quad salchow for 101.85 points.

Aleksandr Selevko of Estonia was a surprise third after a personal best 96.49.

Japanese Olympic bronze medalist Shun Sato was fourth. Countryman and favorite Yuma Kagiyama, a two-time Olympic silver medalist and three-time worlds silver medalist, fell in a lutz attempt.

Andrew Torgashev was seventh and fellow American Jacob Sanchez was 10th in his senior worlds debut.

Malinin in familiar position

Malinin helped the U.S. win the team gold in Milan and was heavily favored to win individual gold with an unrivaled program. His five-point lead over Kagiyama and Siao after the short program seemed insurmountable.

But in one of the biggest upsets in figure skating history, Malinin fell twice and made other glaring mistakes in a disastrous free skate, falling from first to eighth place.

Malinin said he succumbed to the pressure at his first Games.

Olympic champion Mikhail Shaidorov from Kazakhstan was skipping the worlds.

The pairs free skate was later Thursday.

Not only is the 5-foot-5 grad student now at another school, but playing an entirely different sport.

Shooting jumpers has been replaced by covering receivers and catching passes at Warner University in Florida. It’s opened up a whole new lane for her — one that could possibly end up with Gordon on the 2026 Team USA flag football squad for world championships this summer in Germany. Down the road, maybe even on the team when the sport makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Games.

Same with Loryn Goodwin, a second-round pick by the Dallas Wings in the WNBA draft who pivoted and turned her talents toward the football field.

The sport is so new that USA Football is looking for players in all sorts of places. Gordon and Goodwin were among the athletes named to a pair of training camps this spring in Chula Vista, California. Their journeys could be just the start of a migration of players to the football field from the basketball floor or the soccer pitch or the volleyball court or the world of track.

“Friends that I have played basketball with are asking me, ‘How did you get into this? How did you start?’” said Goodwin, who played hoops at North Texas, Butler, UTSA and Oklahoma State, where she earned All-Big 12 honors. “Anybody can play. To be elite, you’ve just got to put the time in.”

The path from hoops to the field

The skill set from basketball to flag football is a natural crossover. Rebounding is akin to the timing of pass catching, while the ability to read a defense and hand-eye coordination remain paramount. Not to mention both are 5-on-5, featuring sudden stops and starts.

All those things came in handy for Team USA receiver/defensive back Isabella “Izzy” Geraci, who's developed into one of the top players in the world after a basketball career at Cleveland State and USC Upstate. She envisions players of all sorts and heights one day turning up on flag football fields.

“With the pace the sport’s going, there may be a lot of women who are interested in joining the game,” said Geraci, whose last season was 2022-23 with USC Upstate where she started all 31 games. “Some of those women may be 6-5, 6-6 — your freak athletes.”

A sneaker convention leads to flag football

Gordon was finished at Florida State last season after a career that saw her score more than 1,000 career points and earn All-ACC honors.

Finished, too, with college sports — or so she thought.

She attended a sneakers convention in Tampa, Florida, last summer when she ran into Warner coach Tim Mimbs. She dabbled in flag football in high school but not recently.

“He's like, ‘Want to give flag football a try again?'” Gordon recounted. “I took a chance on myself and here we are.”

In addition to being a receiver (six TD catches this season) and a safety (seven interceptions, two for scores), she's working toward her master's degree in business.

Last week, Gordon participated in the U.S. national team trials, where she stood out and earned an invitation — along with Goodwin — to the training camps in April and May. On the men's side, Heisman Trophy winner and NFL QB Robert Griffin III earned a spot, while 66-year-old Hall of Famer Darrell Green fell short in his comeback bid.

After the two camps, selected athletes will move to a third one in June. USA Football will then name the 2026 alternates and final 12-athlete rosters for both the men’s and women’s teams. It's another step in identifying talent before the Summer Games.

Following her brothers path

There's a clip on Instagram that shows Goodwin's pass-catching prowess. It was a backyard family football game a few years ago. Blanketed by little brother TJ, a quarterback in college, Loryn Goodwin sprang free and made a one-handed grab while falling to the grass.

She comes from a family of tackle football players. Another brother, Jayden, played defensive back at Air Force and her cousin, Marquise, was a receiver in the NFL.

A flag football player as a kid, she gravitated toward hoops, where she moved around in college — “before transferring was cool,” she laughed — due to coaches leaving, family situation and staff changes. She found the perfect fit at Oklahoma State and averaged 20.6 points in 2017-18 for a Cowboys team that made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Goodwin was taken by the Wings with the 18th pick. She spent time with the Wings and Los Angeles Sparks. She also played in Europe, where she broke her foot and led to the end of her pro hoops career.

Enter flag football.

A friend introduced the 32-year-old Goodwin to a team in Florida. Little did she know it was an all-star squad.

“I was playing at the very highest level right off the bat with zero experience,” Goodwin said. “That’s wild to think about.”

It prepared her for this — a chance to make the Team USA roster this season. Down the road, maybe the Olympics.

“I've put," Goodwin said, "everything into this.”

In January, he was released from federal prison to home confinement after serving just over half a six-year sentence for his role in a New York-based drug trafficking scheme. During that time, he thought about everything he missed: his family, his kids, the sound of a car engine as he drives, food — “I love to eat,” he told The Associated Press — and, of course, music. He wasted no time jumping right back into it: His next album, “Zavier,” arrives Friday.

He started working on it “as soon as I got released,” he said. “Jan. 7, 2026.”

And when did he finish? “Jan. 10, 2026,” he laughed. “I had a lot to say. It’s been a few years of holding things in there.”

He estimates that he and his collaborators made 123 songs in total; 17 make the final list.

Less than a week after the artist born Willie Maxwell II dropped “The Butterfly Effect,” in 2021, he was indicted and arrested. He released his last album — 2023's “King Zoo” — while incarcerated. Because of that, “Zavier” feels like both a reintroduction and new chapter for him — a real opportunity to make an album truly his own for the first time in half a decade.

“Before, being incarcerated, I had to call when I could call, 15-minute calls,” he recalls of working on “King Zoo.” “After a certain time, the phone was off. So, it was just, like, ‘I just hope it sounds good.’”

This time, he could be in the studio. He could be hands on. “That's my safe haven,” he said. “The studio is my safe haven.”

The road to ‘Zavier’

Those expecting a concept record about Fetty Wap's time behind bars would be wise to look elsewhere. “I didn’t want it to be an emotional album,” he says. “I didn’t want it be, like, ‘OK, we get it. You were away. You’re home now.’ Where’s the fun Fetty?”

Fun Fetty Wap abounds on “Zavier,” as does a serious Fetty Wap, a lustful Fetty Wap, a tender Fetty Wap. It's “a lot of different sounds up in there,” he says. “A lot of different areas to go to.”

The eclecticism works, largely because of Fetty Wap's unmistakable style.

“The whole ‘Zavier’ thing is just, like, bring back the same energy as the ‘Fetty Wap’ album,” he continued, referencing his 2015 breakthrough record — the one that brought the diamond-selling “Trap Queen” to the masses. “Just a more matured sound. … ‘Zavier' is just an upgraded Fetty Wap.”

As for that name? “I'm Zavier,” he said. “This is who I am. It's just a different side of me when I came home from prison.”

If there is a song that encapsulates that time in Fetty Wap's life, it's “I Remember” featuring Chicago rapper G Herbo. It's as diaristic as a songwriter can be: a list of recollections from each stage of his life atop a minimal beat and spare guitar. He describes it as “an ode to the past and the present.”

“I gave them a glimpse of what was going on with me. … Pre-Fetty, then being Fetty Wap, and after Fetty Wap,” he said. “Then prison, then coming home, you know what I mean? I put everything in that song.”

‘White Roses’ is his favorite track

But there is no shortage of what he calls “feel-good music.” That's found in the NSFW-and-then-some R&B banger with Tink, “Nasty” — “Gotta get a little freaky,” he says, smiling — and in all-star collaborations, including tracks with Wiz Khalifa, Honey Bxby and Max B, the last of whom was also released from prison recently.

“I got the beat, and I’m like, ‘I’m about to sound like Max B. I’m going to sound Max B and then I’m gonna make Max B sound like the old Max B,’” he said about the song “BossDon.” But it worked.

He also looked toward his family for inspiration: Fetty Wap's sisters are featured on the throwback “White Roses.”

“‘White Roses’ is actually my favorite track,” says Fetty Wap. “I recorded everything exactly how I wanted it to sound. … And then after it was done, I’m like, ‘Something’s missing.’ I called my sisters. I was like, ‘Yo, come to the studio.’ They was like, ‘What’s up?’ (I said) ‘I need you to go in there.’”

They add doo-wop-style harmonies to the song, a romantic moment on “Zavier” and Fetty Wap's strongest vocal performance — melodic, with a controlled vibrato.

In whole, Fetty Wap hopes “Zavier” gives his audience a sense of “good energy, positivity,” he said.

“I’m not looking for any type of, like, sympathy,” he adds. “Just love the music, you know? And if you don't — let me know so I can make better music.”