The Fanatics Flag Football Classic in LA last Saturday showed the men’s national team can bring it home. The men dominated games against teams made up of current and former NFL stars, including Tom Brady, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels. The team is also undefeated in International Federation of American Football games since 2018, winning by an average score of 50-17, and has captured five straight world titles.

It should be end of discussion. But it won’t be because NFL players have made it clear they want an opportunity to compete for their country and league owners have voted to allow it. Burrow treated last week's tournament in Southern California like an audition. He was out there running, cutting, juking more than he’s ever done in an NFL game. Bengals fans had to be scared he’d get injured with the way he played.

Flag football and the Olympics are on the agenda for the NFL’s annual meeting in Phoenix next week so there will be more discussion about it. USA Football is currently selecting its roster for the 2026 season. The list of athletes in line includes flag-football experts who are reigning world champions, along with those from basketball, track and tackle football backgrounds. Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL QB Robert Griffin III also is in the mix.

Brady, who still showed at age 48 that he excels at throwing a football, took his name out of the conversation for Team USA after going 0-2 in the tourney.

“LA ’28 will be a lot of guys like you saw out there on the field who make a big commitment to trying to be their best and go out there and showcase their skillset to a global audience,” the seven-time Super Bowl champion said.

Flag football and tackle football are not the same game, of course. The games are so different that Brady was already talking about modifying flag rules to emphasize more passing.

NFL players and coaches weren’t prepared for the round-robin tournament after only a couple practices. They couldn’t rely on superior football talent to outplay an elite team that understands how to take advantage of the sport’s various nuances.

Flag football requires a unique set of skills. Exceptional speed, quickness, and elusiveness, especially in a 5-on-5 setting, are priorities. The game is simply suited to the fastest players.

That rules out many NFL superstars. For example, the league’s best edge rushers are among some of the greatest athletes because they combine power and speed. But Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons aren’t going to get to the quarterback fast enough to pull flags. Forget about interior defensive linemen. Linebackers won’t make the cut. Most safeties wouldn’t, either.

“I think when you look at it, you build it with corners and nickels on the defensive side of the ball and fast, skilled guys on the offensive side,” said Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly, who played in the showcase. “I think linebackers are going to want to get themselves in that game but it feels a lot like a nickel, corner game on the defensive side of the ball.”

Pulling flags is an art in itself, one that demands plenty of practice. Forget about the fundamentals of tackling. They simply don’t apply in flag.

“When you traditionally go to tackle somebody, you want to have the man in front of them versus this game (where) you gotta be on the side, your eyes have to be in the right place and you really have to track that flag,” Kuechly said. “These guys do a tremendous job of sinking lower and you miss that flag. So the technique that we learned as the game went on was attack that near hip, play with our eyes directly on that flag and then anticipate them dropping. That’s what they are so good at and it was, quite frankly, very difficult for us to get those flags.”

The NFL plays a violent, physical sport. Flag football is built on finesse, so being bigger, stronger and more powerful works against you.

Team USA’s offense led by Darrell “Housh” Doucette III, Nico Casares, Velton Brown Jr. and Pablo Smith was unstoppable in three games last Saturday, scoring a touchdown on every possession except for a kneel-down to end one victory.

“Their skillset was very different than anything we’ve seen in the NFL, the speed, the quickness, the ability to create,” Kuechly said. “Our inability to put our hands on those guys made this game very difficult. The scheme is very different. The concepts are very different. With time, it’ll change and we’ll have a better feel for it.”

The right mix of NFL players — speedy cornerbacks, quick wide receivers, shifty running backs and elusive quarterbacks — could probably win the gold if they had the time to dedicate themselves to learning the intricacies of the sport.

“If we’re looking at great athletes, the NFL players are athletes,” Brady said.

But when would they have time to devote to flag? It’s difficult to imagine any team being willing to allow players to take time away from preparing for the NFL season, and to risk injury doing it. It’s surprising players like Burrow, Daniels, Hurts, Saquon Barkley and others had permission to play in the Fanatics showcase.

So who will represent America in 2028?

“Whoever gives the team the best chance to win should be out there,” Brady said.

Clearly, right now, that's Team USA.

During the podcast episode, O'Neal showed rapper Jim Jones the viral headline and read aloud the alleged messages to demonstrate their inauthenticity. One fabricated message attributed to O'Neal stated, "Damn, baby I would keep your farts in a cologne bottle and spray it on me every day," followed by lines like "Just jokes. I'm Shaqs. What's your name baby?" and more explicit content referring to himself as "Big Diesel" and using terms like "snow bunny kitty." O'Neal laughed off the content, stating, "First of all ladies, the Diesel got way more game than that, I'm just saying."

O'Neal emphasized that he did not send such messages to Carpenter or anyone else, highlighting a mismatch with his personal style. He blamed artificial intelligence for creating the convincing fakes, noting how AI can generate realistic-looking content that spreads rapidly online. The podcast discussion, hosted by O'Neal himself, served as his on-the-record rebuttal, turning the rumor into a moment of public clarification.

Sabrina Carpenter, known for her hits and rising stardom in pop music, has not issued any public statement regarding the alleged DMs or O'Neal's denial. The 26-year-old singer, who has built a massive following through music and acting, maintains a professional presence amid various celebrity rumors. No response from her team or representatives has been reported in coverage of the event.

This episode highlights the growing challenge of AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation targeting high-profile figures in entertainment and sports. O'Neal, 53, has been candid about his past relationships and marriages in public forums, but he drew a firm line against these unsubstantiated claims. The viral spread underscores how quickly fabricated content can dominate social media, often blurring lines between reality and hoax.

While the story primarily involves heterosexual celebrities, it intersects with broader discussions on online harassment and consent in digital spaces, issues that affect LGBTQ+ individuals disproportionately in celebrity culture. LGBTQ+ media outlets have not yet weighed in specifically on this incident, but patterns of fake explicit content targeting women in entertainment echo concerns raised by organizations like GLAAD about digital abuse. No direct community responses or impacts on LGBTQ+ perspectives have been documented in relation to this event.

The podcast clip from "The Big Podcast" quickly gained traction, with TMZ covering O'Neal's denial in a video segment that replayed his mocking reading of the messages. Jones' reaction and O'Neal's humor diffused the rumor, positioning it as an absurd fabrication rather than a credible scandal. As of March 25, 2026, the story remains contained to entertainment news cycles without legal or further developments reported.

O'Neal's swift response exemplifies how public figures can counter viral falsehoods through direct engagement, potentially setting a precedent amid rising AI misuse. The event, occurring within the last week before March 27, 2026, serves as a reminder of the need for media literacy in an era of sophisticated digital forgeries. Coverage from multiple outlets confirms the core details without contradiction.

Kudrow recalled driving home from the Friends set in the days after the attacks and encountering fans who recognized her at stoplights. People in neighboring cars would look over, sometimes on the verge of tears, and simply say, "Thank you." "After 9/11, it still gets me a little emotional, I have to say. Someone would look over and just go, 'Thank you,' like, about to cry, and just say, 'Thank you.' And I fully understood what they meant," she shared. This moment led her to grasp the deeper meaning of such shows: "That's when I think I really took it in, you know, what these shows do mean to us. And felt very proud to be contributing to a break for people."

Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004, provided a much-needed mental respite during a time of national grief. Kudrow described it as offering a "mental health service" to audiences seeking normalcy amid devastation. Interestingly, Kudrow herself turned to another NBC sitcom for personal comfort: Will & Grace. In a 2023 interview with PEOPLE magazine, she revealed that after constantly watching news coverage where "every single thing I saw was someone who knew someone that was in one of the towers," she began binge-watching Will & Grace. "I just needed that break, and I was so grateful that there was something to watch where 9/11 hadn’t happened at all. It was a break that I really needed," she admitted.

Will & Grace, which featured gay leads Will Truman and Jack McFarland alongside straight characters Grace Adler and Karen Walker, broke ground as one of network television's first major sitcoms with prominent LGBTQ+ characters. Airing episodes filmed before 9/11 allowed viewers like Kudrow to immerse in a world untouched by the tragedy, underscoring comedy's therapeutic power. While Friends itself did not center LGBTQ+ storylines—though it included episodes touching on gay characters like Carol, Ross's ex-wife who is a lesbian—the Kudrow interview highlights a broader cultural moment where sitcoms fostered community and escape.

The Vanity Fair interview, published around March 25, 2026, has resonated widely, prompting reflections on Friends' enduring legacy more than two decades after its finale. Kudrow, an Emmy winner also known for Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and her HBO series The Comeback, continues to discuss Friends in recent appearances, including a March 22, 2026, CBS Sunday Morning web exclusive. Her comments affirm how entertainment, including shows with inclusive representations like Will & Grace, supported emotional recovery post-9/11. No specific LGBTQ+ community responses to this recent interview were documented in available sources, though the reference to Will & Grace evokes its historical role in mainstreaming gay visibility during turbulent times.

This anecdote illustrates entertainment's universal appeal in crises, bridging personal stories with collective healing. Kudrow's vulnerability in revisiting these memories underscores the lasting bond between performers and audiences.

On “Changes,” the lead single from his fourth album, “Whatever's Clever!,” he ponders those shifts: “There’s been some changes in our life, oh / I can feel the distance,” he sings. “Space and time, has made everything different.” An eight-member choir backs him up in the song's latter half, joining Puth's keys and a steady drum. These layers, while plenty, aren't heavy. Puth keeps the track buoyant.

That light, playful energy is felt across much of the album releasing Friday (“Beat Yourself Up,” “Washed Up”). Puth and his co-producer BloodPop pull from a Mary Poppins bag of musical tricks — a choir! an orchestra! Kenny G! — to create complex tracks with influences that range from yacht rock to jazz and R&B, diverting from Puth's previous pop. Consider the wonky “Until It Happens To You,” which combines the orchestra and choir for a song about embracing the best of times while anticipating the worst, with a bubbly spoken introduction and interlude by Jeff Goldblum.

Musically, the outcome is fun, largely because Puth, with his perfect pitch and Berklee College of Music training, has only leaned further into his “Professor Puth” persona, giving listeners the tools to break down those layers themselves through explanatory TikToks and talk show appearances. But Puth and BloodPop play it safe lyrically throughout the album, often relying on generic platitudes. (“You know everybody cries,” Puth sings on “Cry.” “Cry, cry, cry.”)

And yet, painting in broad strokes has worked before for Puth, and there are moments — when he pushes a simple idea a bit further — where it does here, too: “Love in Exile,” featuring and written with Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, is catchy and quotable. “Sideways,” featuring verses and harmonies by Coco Jones, recalls Puth's early collaborative hits like Wiz Khalifa's “See You Again” and “We Don't Talk Anymore” with Selena Gomez, with their affecting but not overly complicated lyrics.

The album ends with “I Used To Be Cringe,” another meditation on transformation. Puth lists the compromises he made to fit into the industry (“I used to lie and say I was taller / And throw words around like ‘baller’”). But the acoustic guitar-set ballad feels incomplete, its introspection never quite too deep.

If the album is seen as a sort of scrapbook assembled ahead of his next chapter, then flipping back to the first page reveals Puth knows growth comes with those dreams being rewritten: “Sometimes the wind blows in different new directions,” he sings on “Changes.” Where that takes him, we'll have to see. For now, Puth is embracing his influences and flexing what he's learned. And that makes for a good time.

___

“Whatever's Clever!” by Charlie Puth

Three stars out of five.

On repeat: “Sideways (Feat. Coco Jones),” “Changes”

Skip it: “Don't Meet Your Heroes,” “I Used to Be Cringe”

For fans of: Yacht rock, layered melodies, unexpected choirs

The crowd in O2 Arena was applauding the Olympic champions before the start of their unrivaled dance to music by Madonna, and they delighted the spectators from the opening twizzle sequence to a rotational lift at the end.

Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron hugged after seeing their personal-best score of 92.74 points, which was better than the 90.18 they received for their rhythm dance at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

“It′s our first world championships together so we really wanted to have fun and we really enjoyed the crowd,” Fournier Beaudry said. “They were exchanging energy with us and it just reminds us why we do it, we wouldn′t be there without them. It′s just a very very nice moment for us.”

Olympic bronze medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada were a distant second with 86.45 heading to Saturday′s free dance.

Britain′s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, third at last year's worlds, were third again with 85.09.

U.S. pair Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, fifth at the Olympics, were lying fourth, and teammates Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were seventh.

At the Olympics, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron narrowly beat U.S. stars Madison Chock and Evan Bates to the gold in a result that sparked a furore over judging.

Chock and Bates decided not to pursue a fourth straight ice dance world championship, joining Olympic teammate Alysa Liu in withdrawing from the worlds, a common decision for skaters who compete at the Winter Games.

Cizeron said the skaters were not under as much pressure in Prague as they were in Milan, which helped their performance.

“What′s really fun of this championships is that, I think I can speak for everyone, we feel it′s more like a show and we're little bit less stressed maybe than at the Olympics," he said. “That extra magic from the crowd allows us to perform to our best.”

The French couple was created this season when Fournier Beaudry, who previously skated for Canada, was left without a partner after Nikolaj Sorensen faced allegations of sexual maltreatment. Fournier Beaudry teamed with multiple world champion Cizeron, who retired after winning the 2022 Olympics with Gabriella Papadakis.

Later Friday at the worlds, the retiring Kaori Sakamoto of Japan goes after her fourth individual title in her farewell free skate.

The exhibition traces a century of art and innovation at the couture house, charting the way founder Elsa Schiaparelli worked with leading artists in Paris in the 1930s to current creative director Daniel Roseberry, who continues to capture global attention by dressing stars like Margot Robbie in sculptural designs.

“'Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art' will celebrate one of the most ingenious and daring designers in fashion history," museum director Tristram Hunt said Wednesday.

Highlights among the 400 objects on show include Dalí’s famous Lobster Telephone, from 1938, displayed along with the “Lobster Dress," a white silk gown embellished with a red lobster that Schiaparelli created with the surrealist artist. The dress was famously worn by Wallis Simpson, the American socialite whom King Edward VIII abdicated to marry.

Another collaboration with Dalí is the “Skeleton dress,” a black dress with 3D quilting resembling the contours of human bones.

“You cannot imagine how shocking this would have been in 1938 when it was first shown. It is a kind of punk look,” Rosalind McKever, one of the show's curators, told The Associated Press.

Also on show is an evening coat with pink silk roses created by Schiaparelli and French artist Jean Cocteau, who died in 1963.

Coco Chanel, one of Schiaparelli's contemporaries, famously described her as “that Italian artist who’s making clothes,” McKever said. “But Schiaparelli would have taken that as a compliment because she was so integrated in this artistic community,” she said. “She even said, ‘For me, dress designing is not a profession, but an art.’”

Schiaparelli opened her first Paris business in 1927, designing practical daywear like trouser suits, an unusual choice for women at the time, as well as more imaginative and whimsical items such as shoes with leopard fur.

She went on to design clothes and costumes for famous fans like Mae West and Marlene Dietrich, who favored the designer's sharply tailored trouser suits.

While the designer retired in the 1950s and died in 1973, current designer Roseberry has taken on the mantle and brought Schiaparelli's creative legacy and haute couture drama to a modern audience.

One of the most eye-catching displays is a red jewel-encrusted dress worn by Grande to last year's Oscars for a medley performance from “Wicked." The sumptuous ball gown features a ruby slipper protruding from the back of the dress in tribute to “The Wizard of Oz.”

There are also sparkling cabinets filled with jewelry, buttons and perfume bottles, each created like a work of art.

The exhibition opens on Saturday and runs until Nov. 8.

Hoda Kotb said after her emotional interview with her former co-host aired that Guthrie will return April 6. Guthrie said it’s hard to imagine returning to a place of joy and lightness. While she doesn’t know if she can do it or if she will belong anymore, Guthrie said she wants to try.

“I can’t come back and try to be something that I’m not. But I can’t not come back, because it’s my family,” Guthrie said. “I think it’s part of my purpose right now. I want to smile and when I do, it will be real and my joy will be my protest. My joy will be my answer. And being there is joyful and when it’s not, I’ll say so.”

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Feb. 1. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. The FBI released surveillance videos of a masked man who was outside Guthrie’s front door in Tucson on the night she vanished. The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of their mother.

In another part of the interview with Kotb that aired Thursday, Guthrie shared that she and her siblings knew that their mother's disappearance wasn’t a case of a person wandering off, given the pain she was living with and knowing that doors at her home were propped open, blood was found on the front doorstep and a camera had been yanked off. She said they knew something was very wrong and her brother knew immediately that their mother had been kidnapped for ransom.

The longtime “Today” show co-anchor said they don’t know that their mother was taken because of her, but acknowledged that it would make sense and that was “too much to bear.” While she said some of the purported ransom notes were fake, Guthrie said she believed the two that she and her siblings responded to were real.

In the portion of the interview that aired Friday, Savannah Guthrie appealed again for information, saying her family needs answers and someone has the power to help.

“How can someone vanish without a trace?” Guthrie asked in the interview. “How? Someone knows something. Even if that something is someone’s been acting strange for the last seven or eight weeks. Even if it’s just that. Somebody knows. And maybe somebody’s afraid and I understand that, but our hearts are in agony. We can’t breathe. We can’t live. We can’t go on. We can’t be in peace. We can’t go forward. We have to know what happened to her.”

Akiva Schaffer, known for his work with The Lonely Island comedy trio, is set to direct the film. Schaffer recently helmed the "The Naked Gun" reboot and previously directed Disney's Emmy-winning hybrid film "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers". He will rework the original script by Michael Montemayor alongside writing duo Gregor & Mand. This creative team brings a comedic bent to the project, potentially reimagining the stepsisters' dynamic in a fresh, live-action context.

The news arrives amid Disney's aggressive push into live-action spin-offs and sequels from its animated catalog. Just one week prior, the studio revealed plans for a live-action "Lilo & Stitch" sequel slated for theaters in 2028. Developments around "Moana" and "Tangled" live-action projects have also surfaced recently, signaling Disney's intent to create new franchises from established IPs. "Stepsisters" is expected to follow a similar timeline, though no release date has been confirmed.

While primary details stem from Deadline's reporting, coverage has quickly spread across entertainment outlets, confirming the core elements of the announcement. MovieWeb highlighted the unusual premise of centering the "abusive" stepsisters, noting Disney's move to give these peripheral characters their own narrative arc. The DisInsider emphasized Schaffer's involvement as a reassuring factor for fans skeptical of the concept.

No official comments from Disney executives or the creative team were available in initial reports, but the project's alignment with recent announcements underscores a pattern in the studio's strategy. Regarding LGBTQ+ perspectives, searches across major outlets and LGBTQ+ media such as GLAAD, PinkNews, and The Advocate yielded no specific community responses or analyses tied to this announcement as of March 26, 2026. Disney's track record includes inclusive storytelling in recent live-action projects, such as diverse casting in "The Little Mermaid" and "Mufasa: The Lion King", but "Stepsisters" details remain too preliminary for confirmed implications.

The original 1950 animated "Cinderella" film, directed by Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, and Clyde Geronimi, introduced Anastasia and Drizella as comic foils to the protagonist, with their mother Lady Tremaine as the primary villain. A live-action spin-off could delve into their backstories, motivations, or redemption arcs, though plot specifics are undisclosed. Schaffer's comedy expertise suggests a humorous tone, potentially subverting traditional fairy tale tropes.

Industry observers note Disney's live-action remakes have grossed billions globally, with "The Lion King" alone earning over $1.6 billion. This spinoff could tap into that proven formula while testing audience appetite for villain-centric stories. Casting rumors and further production updates are anticipated soon, given the rapid pace of Disney's announcement cycle.

As Disney continues to mine its vault for content, "Stepsisters" represents an innovative pivot, potentially broadening the "Cinderella" universe for modern audiences. Cross-referenced reports affirm the project's legitimacy, with no conflicting details emerging.

Draper recounted learning about the divorce filing through TMZ while in Los Angeles, expressing shock that Ngatikaura acted unilaterally. "So I actually found out that he filed through TMZ... We had made an agreement to do it together and he blindsided me and filed because he wanted the headline first," she said. She emphasized their prior agreement to inform their children together first, including Ngatikaura's 13-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, before any public announcement.

Among her most serious claims, Draper alleged that Ngatikaura used escorts while in Texas for summer sales work, prior to filming Mormon Wives. She stated that a woman from an escort service contacted her with proof, including screenshots linked to Ngatikaura's phone number: "She sent me so much proof… And she sent the screenshots and it's his phone number. She wouldn't have known his phone number."

Draper further accused Ngatikaura of funding sex parties and orgies, possibly with her money, based on rumors confirmed through her sister and other reports. "I have to believe they are orgies, like sex parties. I dunno what other kind parties you would pay for," she remarked, noting she had not confronted him directly. These revelations come amid the couple's high-profile split, which has drawn attention within the MomTok online community of influencer mothers.

The Mormon Wives cast, including Draper and Ngatikaura, gained prominence through their portrayal of life within and navigating away from strict religious expectations, often touching on themes of personal autonomy and relationships. While the allegations do not directly involve LGBTQ+ identities, they highlight broader discussions on marital infidelity and non-monogamous activities in public-facing relationships, which can intersect with conversations in LGBTQ+ communities about consensual non-monogamy and relationship transparency. No specific LGBTQ+ community responses to this event were documented in available coverage at the time of reporting.

Draper also addressed ongoing MomTok dynamics, responding to recent headlines involving Taylor and Dakota, and shared her vision for the group's future. The 80-minute episode has since amassed significant views, fueling online discussions about reality TV stars' personal lives. Ngatikaura has not publicly responded to the claims as of March 26, 2026.

This story underscores the intense scrutiny faced by reality television personalities, particularly those from conservative backgrounds transitioning to more open narratives. Draper's appearance on Call Her Daddy, a podcast known for candid discussions on relationships and sexuality, amplifies these personal disclosures to a wide audience.