Jennifer Lopez Returns to Host American Music Awards for Second Time
Organizers behind the 2025 American Music Awards have tapped Jennifer Lopez to host the star-studded ceremony, marking her second time as emcee after first hosting in 2015. Lopez, a three-time AMA winner, will also perform at the awards show in Las Vegas set for Memorial Day. The American Music Awards will air live from Las Vegas on CBS for the first time after running on ABC from 1974 to 2022. It will also stream on Paramount+.
Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler Top Highest-Paid Golfers Ahead of Masters
Ahead of the Masters beginning Thursday, Sportico dropped its list of the highest-paid golfers in 2024. Topping the bunch is Jon Rahm ($105.7 million total earnings), followed closely by Scottie Scheffler ($104.3 million). Sitting in third is Rory McIlroy ($79.8 million), while Tiger Woods ($62.1 million) and Xander Schauffele ($55.8 million) take fourth and fifth place, respectively. Collectively, the top 10 highest-paid golfers brought in a combined $611 million.
Stock Market Surges Following Tariff Delay
President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on all the “reciprocal” tariffs that went into effect at midnight Wednesday, with the exception of China, which will see tariffs increased to 125% “effective immediately.” In response, stocks improved, with the S&P 500 recording its largest single-day gain since 2008, the Dow surging for its biggest advance since March 2020, and the Nasdaq recording its biggest jump since January 2001.
Florida-Houston Draws Over 18M Viewers, Most-Watched Men’s Title Game Since 2019
Florida’s 12-point rally in the second half to defeat Houston in Monday’s NCAA Men’s National Championship is officially the most-watched college title tilt since 2019, averaging 18.1 million viewers on CBS. The final March Madness game of 2025 peaked at 21.1 million during the contest’s thrilling conclusion. The men’s Final Four also experienced a jump in viewership from recent years, averaging 16.4 million viewers across the three games, the best mark in eight years.
Shaboozey Tapped to Headline FanDuel’s Kentucky Derby Party
Shaboozey is set to headline FanDuel’s Kentucky Derby Party on May 2 at Paristown Arts and Entertainment District in Louisville. This is the second year that FanDuel is hosting the event on the eve of the Kentucky Derby, with Luke Bryan and Neyo headlining in 2024. FanDuel is also donating $100,000 to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, a nonprofit that backs the care, retraining, and rehoming of retired racehorses.
Sports Illustrated Unveils SI Women’s Games, Partners with Scripps
Sports Illustrated announced Wednesday the arrival of its inaugural SI Women’s Games, an invite-only, all-star competition featuring elite athletes competing across six sports – basketball, gymnastics, tennis, volleyball, flag football, and combat sports. Festivities for the company’s first-ever live event are scheduled to take place from Oct. 28 to Nov. 2 in Oceanside, California, and will be broadcast live in partnership with Scripps Media’s ION Television.
Golden State Valkyries, Sephora Team Up for Multi-Year Deal
The Golden State Valkyries and Sephora have entered a multi-year partnership, making the beauty retailer a founding partner of the WNBA team set to begin its inaugural season next month. Sephora is also the naming rights partner for the team’s Oakland-based performance center and will be the presenting partner for the Valkyries content day and training camp.
National Recording Registry Adds Tracy Chapman, Elton John, Minecraft
Hit songs from Tracy Chapman (“Fast Car”), Elton John (“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”), Mary J. Blige (“My Life”), Celine Dion (“My Heart Will Go On”), and Amy Winehouse (“Back to Black”) are among the 25 new additions to the National Recording Registry. Also added were Miles Davis‘s Bitches Brew album, the original cast recording of Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, and the score for the Minecraft video game. Created in 2000 by the Library of Congress to help bring awareness to its preservation efforts, the registry now boasts 675 titles.
Universal Theme Park Coming to the United Kingdom
Universal is building a theme park in the United Kingdom, with construction on the 476-acre complex located near Bedford expected to start next year. With a target completion date of 2031, the UK government says the Universal park will generate nearly £50 billion ($64 billion) for the British economy by 2055, bringing in 8.5 million visitors in its first year of operation and creating an estimated 28,000 jobs.
Robert Pattinson Could Be Next ‘Dune’ Villain
Robert Pattinson could potentially enter the Dune universe, with multiple reports suggesting the actor is in talks to play the role of Scytale, the chief villain of the third and final instalment of the series. No formal offer has been made, but Pattinson would join an elite franchise that includes Academy Award nominees Timothée Chalamet, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, two-time Emmy winner Zendaya, and SAG winner Anya Taylor-Joy.
Image: Neilson Barnard / Getty Images
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