On Monday, Sapp claimed on The Rickey Smiley Morning Show that false narratives have emerged about him and the large sum he asked congregants and viewers to help raise for the church. Some have even confronted the Grammy-winning gospel artist […]
Zelle, a popular payment service, shut down its standalone app on Tuesday and will now operate exclusively through financial institutions.
While online rumors have run rampant that the service itself would no longer but, the service will still exist…only the app has been shut down.
Dennis Rodman is debunking rumors swirling around online that he’s dead. The prank was started by a meme page as an April Fool’s Day prank, but it was quickly called out by fans.
The Hall of Famer posted a photograph of himself on Instagram, posing with two thumbs up.
Dennis Rodman debunked April Fool’s Day rumors claiming he died
“Yesss Sirr Alive and Well 👍🏾 What’s up,” he captioned his Instagram post before adding the following the hashtags #alive and #imhere.
Fans noted their initial fear after reading the rumors.
“Definitely came straight here,” one person commented under his post.
“I was about to start crying,” another person wrote.
“Damn!!! I had come to see if it were true!!!” a third person chimed in.
The death rumors about Dennis Rodman seem to have started from an AI-generated meme posted on Facebook
A Facebook post from Memerunnergpt, which shares AI-generated memes, claimed Rodman had died from an “autoerotic asphyxiation accident” and that his body was “found in his apartment.”
“We don’t play about deaths on April Fools. That’s outta line. Keep that s**t cordial and practical jokes. I’m the main one preaching about the world being sensitive nowadays, but we never played about deaths on April fools, and never will,” one person commented in criticism of the prank.
“I wonder if these celebrities can sue for fraud cause this is ridiculous. Why wish death on someone? And then tag him is bold,” someone else added.
Dennis Rodman’s daughter Trinity recently criticized his parenting
Rodman’s daughter Trinity is an athlete in her own right. She is a professional soccer player for the Washington Spirit and won a gold medal with the U.S. team during the Paris Olympics. In December, she talked about her relationship with her father and said he contributed to an unstable environment during her childhood because of his partying lifestyle.
“He’s not a dad,” she told Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast, as Blavity reported. “Maybe by blood but nothing else.”
In a 2023 interview with ESPN, Trinity opened up about how her mother and brother sometimes lived out of motels and cars.
“Growing up, people always thought that me and my dad had a close relationship, and we never did,” she said. “Living in Newport Beach, my dad was a little bit around, but was still in the party, NBA phase. He wasn’t in our lives.”
Trinity rekindled with her relationship with her father as she launched her professional career and he attended one of her games.
“It was amazing to see him and hear him cheer me on on the sideline and knowing the other half of my parents was proud of me,” she said. “I’ve gotten to a place where I’ve found peace with it. I’m not looking at it negatively.”
Good news for Nintendo Switch fans — the gaming company announced on Wednesday that its latest gaming console, the Nintendo Switch 2, will be released in June. According to The Associated Press, the company shared the device’s new features and launch bundle game, Mario Kart World.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Kart World, and other Switch 2 games coming to the console.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will include updates to Joy-Con controllers, a “GameChat” feature, and more
The game company’s hour-long Nintendo Direct presentation revealed the Switch 2 and its new features, including a more vibrant display, larger screen, and new games that will be released alongside the console.
A key update is a revamped “C” button on its Joy-Con controller. According to Variety, the new button will include a built-in microphone. The Associated Press reported that a new “GameChat” feature will offer users a more interactive multiplayer experience. Using the new “C” button, players can “communicate with friends and family while playing a game” and share their game screens with other players. Players must subscribe to Nintendo’s Switch Online service to use the feature.
The new Joy-Con controllers are magnetically detachable and ditch the original red and blue colors for a mostly all-black color scheme. Users can also use the controllers as wireless mice while playing certain games. Nintendo showed how to use the feature in various games, including angling a golf club in a golf game.
Nintendo also revealed that, when docked, the Switch 2 will be able to sustain a 4K resolution for compatible games. The Switch 2 will also offer players 256 gigabytes of storage — eight times more than the original, Variety reported.
What new games will come with the Switch 2?
In addition to the new console and controllers, Nintendo announced an array of new games fans can play on the Switch 2. According to The Associated Press, Wednesday’s presentation began with an in-depth look at Mario Kart World. The game offers new pizazz to the beloved original, including new in-game character capabilities like tail-whips, flips, rail grinds and other tricks.
Mario Kart World will also see a first for the franchise: an off-road experience for players to navigate, Variety reported. The new game will include the most racers in franchise history (24), and players will get to drive their karts, motorcycles, boats, trucks, snowmobiles and planes through varied regions. The presentation revealed new vehicles, items and racer costumes for the racers.
The Associated Press reported that Nintendo also revealed a new James Bond game, Project 007, that’ll be a new addition to the iconic Nintendo 64 console game. Nintendo also shared that Switch Online subscribers can access a limited selection of GameCube titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and F-Zero GX.
Other games will be released following the Switch 2’s launch. According to Variety, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was given a winter release. A new goth-inspired action game, The Duskbloods, will be released in 2026; Kirby Air Riders, a sequel to the 2003 game, is releasing this year, and Donkey Kong Bananza will drop on July 17.
When can you preorder the Nintendo Switch 2?
As The Verge reported, the Nintendo Switch 2 will be available for preorder in the United States via certain retailers beginning April 9. It will be available as just the console or a bundle with Mario Kart World. The standalone price is $449.99, and the bundle price is $499.99. The official launch date will be June 5.
Following a fierce battle against throat cancer in 2014 that required two tracheotomies that robbed him of his signature honeyed voice, actor Val Kilmer died on Tuesday (April 1) at age 65. The Julliard School-trained star who got his start on the big screen in the comedies Top Secret! and Real Genius in the mid-1980s and went on to stardom after his biting turn as Iceman in 1986’s Top Gun passed away in Los Angeles from pneumonia surrounded by his family and friends, according to the Associated Press.
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The intense actor who also played Batman in 1995’s loopy Batman Forever and faced off with Al Pacino’s cop in the heist flick Heat that same year also lit up the screen in his mesmerizing, wraith-like portrayal of a tuberculosis-stricken Doc Holliday in 1993’s Tombstone. In a nearly four-decade career that spanned comedy, drama and historical epics, it was Kilmer’s eerily method portrayal of Doors singer Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s 1991 The Doors biopic that became one of his signature roles.
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Actress Jennifer Tilly — who auditioned for the movie for the role that Meg Ryan landed as Morrison’s girlfriend, Pamela Courson — posted a loving tribute to Kilmer on X following the announcement of his death.
“A long time ago, I was auditioning for the movie The Doors. It was kind of a cattle call. They paired together potential Jims with potential Pamela‘s. And they were running behind so we were spilling out of the casting office, sitting on the porch, the lawn, and the driveway,” she wrote.
“All of a sudden, a sixties convertible came screeching up, blaring Doors Music at top volume. And a guy jumped out and strode inside: He had wild hair and he was barefoot, shirtless, and wearing nothing but a pair of tight leather pants,” she added. “We all looked at each other like… Who is this guy? We were more than a little shook by the sheer audacity of his entrance. Well of course it was Val Kilmer and from that minute on, nobody else stood a chance. Rip King.”
Kilmer’s final movie appearance was a sentimental return for the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick, in which he appeared after losing his voice to cancer, with his lines digitally enhanced due to the damage to his vocal cords following radiation treatment.
In a statement, Heat director Michael Mann paid tribute to the famously Method actor who threw himself full-bore into his roles, saying, “While working with Val on Heat I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character.” On Instagram, friend and fellow actor Josh Brolin wrote, “See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those. I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”
Cher, who dated Kilmer in the early 1980s, also honored the actor in her signature pithy way, posting on X, “VALUS Will miss u,U Were Funny,crazy,pain in the ass,GREAT FRIEND,kids U, BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness.”
Josh Gad also honored the “icon” who had a huge impact on him, posting a pic of Kilmer in his Top Gun uniform, writing, “RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood. You truly were an icon.” Director Francis Ford Coppola, who worked with Kilmer on the little-seen 2001 horror movie Twixt, said on Instagram, “Val Kilmer was the most talented actor when in his High School, and that talent only grew greater throughout his life. He was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know — I will always remember him.”
In addition to the lightweight Batman Forever, Kilmer also appeared alongside Marlon Brando in the bizarre, famously troubled 1996 science fiction movie The Island of Dr. Moreau, played painter Willem de Kooning in the 2000 biopic Pollock, as well as 1970s porn star John Holmes in Wonderland and Phillip II of Macedon in Stone’s 2004 sword-and-sandals historical drama Alexander.
Kilmer continued to star in films throughout the early and mid-2000s, often in direct-to-video projects or in cameos in small films. His 2021 documentary, Val, featured footage Kilmer filmed from throughout his career, including during his throat cancer treatment, with his son, Jack Kilmer, narrating the project.
Billboard Women in Music 2025
Selena Gomez and benny blanco’s first collaborative album, I Said I Love You First, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated April 5). It’s the fourth leader for Gomez and first for blanco. The set sold 71,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending March 27, according to Luminate. It’s the best sales week for Gomez since 2015 and blanco’s best sales week ever.
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Of the 71,000 sold, vinyl purchases comprise 21,000 – the biggest week on vinyl for either artist. The title – the first album pairing from the real-life couple – also enters at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart.
In total, I Said I Love You First is Gomez’s eighth top 10 on Top Album Sales, and the first for blanco.
Also debuting in the top 10 on the latest Top Album Sales chart: Japanese Breakfast’s For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) and My Morning Jacket’s is.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units.
Of the 71,000 copies sold of I Said I Love You First, physical sales comprise 38,000 (21,000 on vinyl and 17,000 on CD) and digital download sales comprise 33,000.
The opening-week sales of I Said I Love You First were bolstered by its availability across seven vinyl variants (different color editions, some with alternate covers; including a signed version), three CD versions (a standard CD, a signed edition, and a zine/CD version with expanded packaging), a deluxe box set containing branded merch and a CD, and 10 different digital download iterations.
Of the download editions, firstly, there was a widely available standard set at digital retail. Then, through the album’s opening week, nine additional download variants were issued, all initially exclusively available through Gomez’s webstore, and each sold for $5. All of the variants included the standard album’s 14 songs, plus bonus material. Five of the variants each had one bonus track (“Stained,” “Talk,” “That’s What I’ll Care [Seven Heavens Version],” “Scared of Loving You [Live From Vevo]” and “How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten [Live From Vevo],” respectively) and one contained two bonus cuts (an acoustic version and extended version of the album single “Call Me When You Break Up”). There was also an Explained: Narrated by Selena Gomez edition (with 14 bonus tracks with Gomez providing commentary on each of the set’s 14 songs), a Slowed & Reverbed edition (with 14 bonus slowed and reverbed versions of the album’s songs) and an Instrumentals edition (with 14 bonus instrumental versions of the tracklist).
All nine of the variants became available in the iTunes Store on Wednesday (March 26). The variants were only sold in the iTunes Store through March 27, the final day they were also sold in Gomez’s store.
Lady Gaga’s chart-topping MAYHEM is a non-mover at No. 2 on Top Album Sales with a little over 13,000 sold (down 44%).
Japanese Breakfast lands its best sales week ever and highest charting title on Top Album Sales as For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) debuts at No. 3 with 13,000 sold. (It’s the second top 10 for the act.) The album’s sales were aided by its availability across eight vinyl variants (including a signed version), along with a standard download, CD and cassette edition. Vinyl sales tallied up to just over 10,000 – the act’s best week on vinyl, and it yields at No. 2 debut on the Vinyl Albums chart.
Kendrick Lamar’s former No. 1 GNX is steady at No. 4 on Top Album Sales (a little more than 11,000; down 9%) while The Weeknd’s chart-topping Hurry Up Tomorrow jumps 15-5 (11,000; up 92% following the release of a deluxe CD boxed set edition of the album sold in the artist’s webstore).
My Morning Jacket’s latest studio album, titled is, debuts at No. 6 on Top Album Sales with nearly 10,000 sold – with 7,000 of that sum on vinyl. It’s the fifth top 10-charting effort for the act. It also launches at No. 4 on the Vinyl Albums chart. The set was available across five vinyl variants, along with a standard CD and download edition.
Rounding out the rest of the top 10 on Top Album Sales: Sabrina Carpenter’s former leader Short n’ Sweet slips 6-7 (nearly 10,000; down 5%), LE SSERAFIM’s HOT falls 1-8 in its second week (8,000; down 80%), Playboi Carti’s MUSIC drops 3-9 (just over 7,000; down 51%) and Chappell Roan’s chart-topping The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess dips 9-10 (7,000; down 13%).
Mo’Nique is once again voicing her disappointment with Tyler Perry. The veteran comedian recently sat down for an interview on the Wake Up With Red Grant show.
Mo’Nique said Perry is actually a better person when he’s playing as Madea.
“Madea is a far better human being because the principles and values that she stands on, once he goes back to Tyler Perry, he drops it off,” the comedian told Red Grant, according to Vibe.
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She reflects on letter she wrote to Tyler Perry following Angie Stone’s funeral
Reflecting on the letter she recently wrote to Perry following Angie Stone’s funeral, Mo’Nique doubled down on calling Perry a hypocrite for talking about how the mistreatment Stone faced throughout her career.
“Angie Stone was a warrior,” Mo’Nique said. “Angie Stone was a fighter, baby and to watch that man up there be hypocritical over top of my sister? No sir. You cannot do that because if it was the other way around, I know my sister would’ve done the same damn thing. It’s like what you will not do is be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I won’t allow that, Tyler Perry.”
The Oscar winner also questioned Perry’s acts of kindness.
“He does [do ‘such nice things for people’], but he gon’ make sure you damn well know about it,” Mo’Nique said. “When you do things from [your heart], that [should be] between you and the universe.”
Mo’Nique also cited Perry as the reason why she gained a reputation as an actress who’s difficult to work with.
“I’m not tryna dress it up. I’m too damn grown to be scared to say it out loud, but when that brother says ‘Oh she’s difficult to work with,’ people ran with that. It affected my career for 12 years,” she said. “What I will say is that people that have worked with me, nobody has ever said ‘Oh my God, she’s difficult to work with.’ And Tyler Perry a** ain’t never worked with me! So figure that out.”
What did Mo’Nique say in her open letter to Tyler Perry?
As Blavity reported, Mo’Nique wrote a lengthy Instagram post to address the “unsettling discrepancies in [Perry’s] actions towards” her.
“You expressed anger over Angie’s mistreatment,” she wrote. “Yet, you labeled me ‘difficult to work with,’ despite never having worked with me. How can you condemn poor treatment of others when you’ve imposed the same on me? We have audio of you admitting you were wrong.”
Mo’Nique also called out Perry for failing to give her the “public apology” he promised her circa 2016.
“In closing, I hope your words at Angie’s funeral inspire you to correct the wrongs done to my family and me,” she said. “You have the power to do so. As you’ve shared biblical teachings, please remember: ‘What will it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul” (Mark 8:36). We await your response.”
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate who is accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, could face the death penalty if convicted. In a statement released on Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi is pushing for federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Mangione, according to ABC News.
“Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Bondi’s statement began. “After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”
Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, criticized Bondi’s decision, calling it politically motivated. The decision to seek the death penalty “goes against the recommendation of the local federal prosecutors, the law, and historical precedent,” Agnifilo said.
She added, “By doing this, they are defending the broken, immoral, and murderous healthcare industry that continues to terrorize the American people.”
When and why did the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting happen?
Thompson was murdered outside a Hilton hotel in Manhattan as he was on his way to a UnitedHealthcare investors conference. Bullet casings engraved with words like “deny” and “delay” were found at the scene of the crime. Less than an hour later, Thompson was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital.
On Dec. 9, 2024, Mangione was arrested in connection to the shooting at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. As Blavity reported at the time of the murder, “Law enforcement officials said Mangione was carrying a handwritten ‘manifesto’ criticizing health insurance companies for prioritizing profits over giving care to the public.”
“To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” the manifesto reads in part, according to Newsweek.
“I do apologize for any strife of traumas but it had to be done,” the letter continued. “Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming. A reminder: the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy.”
When is Luigi Mangione due back in court?
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state charges. While he has not entered a plea for the federal charges, he is due back in federal court on April 18, 2025. He remains in custody at a federal detention center in Brooklyn, which is the same place where Diddy is being held as he awaits his sex trafficking trial.
In a February 2024 statement, Mangione expressed his gratitude for the droves of supporters who protested outside the courthouse.
“I am overwhelmed by — and grateful for — everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support,” he said in the statement, per a website his defense team created on his behalf. “Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial, and even class divisions, as mail has flooded MDC from across the country, and around the globe. While it is impossible for me to reply to most letters, please know that I read every one that I receive.”
Richard Sherman‘s home was recently burglarized by gunmen while his family was inside. The break-in happened on Sunday just after midnight on Sherman’s 37th birthday, according to ABC News. The incident took place after a series of burglaries at NFL and NBA players’ homes.
“House being robbed at gun point with my family in it isn’t what anyone wants for a birthday gift,” he wrote on social media. “Scary situation that my wife handled masterfully and kept my kids safe. If anyone has any info that can help find these people please reach out.”
Sherman shared security camera footage on social media in the hopes of it helping the investigation. The video captured three individuals coming through a window at his home.
House being robbed at gun point with my family in it isn’t what anyone wants for a birthday gift. Scary situation that my Wife handled masterfully and kept my kids safe. If anyone has any info that can help find these people please reach out. pic.twitter.com/HSHPiRHuoP— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) March 31, 2025
There are no suspects and no arrests have been made so far. Law enforcement said the investigation is currently active. It is unclear if anything was taken from Sherman’s home.
The burglary happened after several incidents at the homes of professional athletes.
As reported by USA Today, at least nine athletes have had their homes burglarized in recent months. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow are among those who have been targeted.
In February, prosecutors charged seven Chilean individuals with such burglaries. They allegedly stole cash and luxury items such as jewelry and watches. Previous burglaries have been conducted as it was known that the athletes would be away from home. Sherman did not share whether he was in the house at the time of the incident.
Hooters of America, the restaurant chain known for its chicken wings and an all-female waitstaff dressed in signature orange athletic shorts and white tank tops, filed for bankruptcy Monday. The company founders plan to keep locations open and rebrand under new ownership.
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