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Bad Bunny Super Bowl LX halftime show not being reconsidered, Goodell says

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Bad Bunny Super Bowl LX halftime show not being reconsidered, Goodell says


The NFL is not considering dropping Bad Bunny as its Super Bowl halftime headline performer, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday, reaffirming a decision to put the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist on the league’s biggest stage that led to criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump and some of his supporters.

Goodell addressed the Bad Bunny controversy at his news conference following the annual fall owners meeting. It is the first time he has commented on the move announced in late September that garnered worldwide attention, including an increase in streams of Bad Bunny’s music, along with backlash.

“It’s carefully thought through,” Goodell said. “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. It’s pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching.”

The 31-year-old born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has been vocal in his opposition to Trump and his policies. He decided to do a 31-day residency in Puerto Rico, avoiding stops in the mainland U.S., citing concerns about the mass deportation of Latinos.

He performs in Spanish and is expected to do so at the Super Bowl.

“We’re confident it’s going to be a great show,” Goodell said, acknowledging there could be more talent added to the lineup along with Bad Bunny. “He understands the platform that he’s on, and I think it’s going to be exciting and a united moment.”

The San Francisco 49ers are hosting the Super Bowl on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It is unclear if Trump plans to be there, though he has made appearing in person at major sporting events a significant part of his second term in the White House.

Trump in an interview on conservative news network Newsmax said he had “never heard of” Bad Bunny.

“I don’t know who he is,” Trump said. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s, like, crazy. And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Goodell defended the decision on Wednesday, explaining it was made because of Bad Bunny’s immense popularity.

“He’s one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world,” Goodell said. “That’s what we try to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s an important element to the entertainment value.”

Echoing what senior VP of football operations Troy Vincent said Tuesday, Goodell said there has not been much discussion about the tush push quarterback sneak since an effort to ban it narrowly failed to pass in the spring.

Vincent said the primary concern is how tough it is to officiate the maneuver that the Philadelphia Eagles have successfully executed so often. It was not on the formal agenda at this meeting, though owners did get an update on penalties and other football matters.

“It’s something we will continue to monitor on all phases, just like we do every other aspect of the game,” Goodell said. “We don’t have any proposals to bring it back up. It wouldn’t surprise me if something does evolve. But it’s not something we’re really focused on during the season.”

Asked about replay reviews and the length of time they are taking, Goodell said game times are actually down through the first seven weeks compared to last season, despite a surge in kick returns after an adjustment was made to the so-called dynamic kickoff.

“That’s quite remarkable when you add the number of kickoffs,” Goodell said. “You’re going to get more fouls. You’re going to get different sets of fouls. You’re going to have a little bit (more) length of the game.”

Goodell said he had breakfast with interim Players Association executive director David White before one of the league’s international games this season but expects any talk about a move to an 18-game regular season and other collective bargaining discussions to wait until the union chooses its long-term leader.

The current CBA runs through the 2031 league year. White told The Associated Press last month that an 18-game season was not inevitable.

“The negotiations will be a lot more than just simply the 18 and two (exhibition games),” Goodell said. “There are a lot of issues that we are going to raise and I’m certain that the players will raise, and that’s what it should be. That’s what collective bargaining is all about. They’re going to need time to make sure that they’re prepared, that they’re ready for the negotiations (and) they have their priorities straight, and then we can begin negotiations.”

Goodell said work is being done to choose sites for the Super Bowl to cap the 2028 and ’29 seasons and expects an announcement on those next year.



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Abbottabad woman doctor killed within hour of abduction, reveals DPO

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Abbottabad woman doctor killed within hour of abduction, reveals DPO


Dr Warda Mushtaq can be seen in this undated image. — Screengrab via Geo News
  • Friend allegedly pawned 67 tolas of doctor’s gold.
  • Three suspects in custody, one key suspect absconding.
  • Strangled in Jinnahabad, body buried near Thandiani.

Dr Warda, a medical officer at Abbottabad’s DHQ Hospital, was abducted outside the facility and killed barely an hour later, District Police Officer Haroon ur Rasheed has said, while sources say the case is tied to 67 tolas of gold she had entrusted to a friend for safekeeping.

According to the MS DHQ Hospital, the post-mortem examination of murdered medical officer Dr Warda has been completed, and the report will be made public soon. 

The sources said she had been serving as a medical officer at the DHQ Hospital and, with her husband abroad, was living at home with her children. The DPO said she was abducted outside the DHQ Hospital on December 4, and her body was recovered four days later.

The sources said that around the time of her planned departure abroad, Dr Warda was worried about 67 tolas of gold in her possession. A female suspect, identified as her friend Rida Jadoon, allegedly gained her confidence and persuaded her to deposit the 67 tolas of gold with her as an amanat (safekeeping). 

Police later found that this gold had been pawned elsewhere and that Rs5 million had already been obtained against it.

In the murder case, police have so far arrested three suspects: prime suspect Rida Jadoon, her employee, Nadeem, and Pervaiz, who is a relative of Nadeem. Another key suspect, Shamraiz, who is Nadeem’s uncle, remains at large. 

The sources said that the three related suspects belong to the same village from which Dr Warda’s body was recovered. Police sources added that raids have been conducted at multiple locations, including Peshawar, to arrest the absconding suspect.

According to investigators, the suspects first took Dr Warda to an under-construction house in Jinnahabad. DPO Rasheed told a press conference that she was strangled to death and that she was killed barely an hour after being abducted, before her body was taken and buried near Thandiani. He said both vehicles used in the crime have been seized.

The suspects had gained Dr Warda’s trust, particularly Rida, and had her gold stored with them. On the day she was murdered, they made her write cheques which were later presented at the bank but bounced, while she had already been killed within an hour of her abduction. 

The three arrested suspects have now been produced before the Anti-Terrorism Court, which approved a three-day physical remand after investigators had requested 15 days. Police added that Rida’s husband, Waheed, has also been named in the case.





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Taylor Swift set to appear on Stephen Colbert show before docuseries premiere

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Taylor Swift set to appear on Stephen Colbert show before docuseries premiere


Taylor Swift soon to join Stephen Colbert on his late night show

Taylor Swift’s fans are in for a treat as their favourite singer is going to grace The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with her presence soon.

This would be her third appearance on late night shows with the previous two on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Late Night with Seth Meyers to promote her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl.

The Fate of Ophelia hitmaker will join the show host Wednesday, December 10, just two days before the highly anticipated premiere of her six-part Eras Tour docuseries on Disney +.

Stephen Colbert broke the news to the viewers with a hilarious video featuring him dancing to Swift’s track, Opalite.

The clip ended with Travis Kelce’s girlfriend popping up in a cozy cardigan.

Swift said on the phone, “Hey Stephen” which was a wink to her beloved Fearless song.

The Eras Tour docuseries promises behind-the-scenes footage, sound bites from her mother Andrea Swift and cameos from stars like Ed Sheeran, Sabrina Carpenter and Florence Welch.

The series will also give a rare glimpse into how Grammy-winning singer engineered her marathon three-hour concerts.

Episodes of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will air at 11:35 p.m. ET on CBS, and stream on Paramount+ the following day.





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Cynthia Erivo marks back-to-back Golden Globes nomination with sweet note

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Cynthia Erivo marks back-to-back Golden Globes nomination with sweet note


Cynthia Erivo marks back-to-back Golden Globes nomination with sweet note

Cynthia Erivo celebrated her second consecutive Golden Globe nomination for Wicked.

The Harriet star achieved a major milestone as she became the first black woman to be nominated twice in the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category.

The Grammy winner took to her Instagram to acknowledge the achievement and express her gratitude to friends and family who supported her through the journey.

Cynthia Erivo marks back-to-back Golden Globes nomination with sweet note

“WOW!!! What lovely news to receive live from the rehearsal room of @draculawestend. It’s an honour to be nominated once again for this film,” she wrote.

Erivo added, “It has been a beautiful journey to play this character, and this is the cherry on top. This entire journey could never have been possible without the wonderful leadership of my brother and glorious director @jonmchu and producer extraordinaire everyone could only wish for, Marc Platt.”

In addition to her, co-star Ariana Grande also earned a nod in Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture, on which the British actress wrote, “Congratulations to my sweet sister @arianagrande!! Thank you @goldenglobes!!”

Erivo has been nominated alongside Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another), Amanda Seyfried (The Testament of Ann Lee) and Emma Stone (Bugonia).

Wicked: For Good received five nominations including Best Original Song – Motion Picture for No Place Like Home and The Girl in the Bubble.

Previously, the film earned four nominations, however, neither Grande nor Erivo won awards for their performances in the movie, the film did win the ceremony’s Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award, for which it is also nominated this year.





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