NFL Taps Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile, Coco Jones for Super Bowl LX Pregame Show

The NFL confirmed Sunday night that Super Bowl LX’s pregame entertainment will feature Charlie Puth performing the national anthem, Brandi Carlile singing “America the Beautiful,” and Coco Jones performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The event will also feature an American Sign Language performance by Fred Beam, Julian Ortiz, and, for the first time, a multilingual ASL program during the halftime show led by Celimar Rivera Cosme.

The WNBA and its players’ union have agreed to a six-week extension of the current collective bargaining agreement, moving its expiration to Jan. 9. This follows the end of a previous 30-day extension on Nov. 30, with negotiations toward a new deal continuing over the Thanksgiving weekend. The extension also affects the timing of offseason events, including expansion drafts for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, whose dates and rules are still to be determined under the new CBA.

Fanatics set a record for single-day sales on Black Friday, with sales on the company’s app hitting an all-time high after surging 285% year-over-year. Combined with Thanksgiving sales, Fanatics had its best 48-hour stretch ever, up more than 20% on those days last year. Top sellers included NFL jerseys, especially Micah Parsons, as well as the league’s collection with Lululemon, NBA City Edition jerseys, Dodgers World Series merch, NHL alternate jerseys, and limited-edition collections from BAPE, Golf Wang, and Off Season.

Zootopia 2 had a record-breaking opening, earning $96 million in North America over the weekend and $156 million during the five-day Thanksgiving period. Since its Wednesday debut, it has made $556 million globally, the highest international opening ever for an animated film and the top international opener of 2025. Meanwhile, Wicked: For Good earned $62.8 million domestically in its second weekend, bringing its North American haul to $270.4 million and international earnings to $393 million. Together, the two sequels helped boost the Thanksgiving box office to $290 million over five days.

Nick Jonas is returning to solo work with a new album, Sunday Best, arriving Feb. 6, his first in nearly five years. Released through Republic Records, the record draws on his church choir roots and offers an intimate look at his life. Collaborators include JP Saxe, Josette Maskin of MUNA, Blush, and Ryan Daly.

Adidas has added Indiana quarterback and Heisman favorite Fernando Mendoza to its NIL roster. Mendoza, having set a school record for most touchdown passes in a season and ranking among the Big Ten’s top passers, joins Three Stripes’ growing roster of college and pro football partners, including Jeremiah Smith, Behren Morton, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Hunter, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Micah Parsons.

NC State and Virginia will make history on Aug. 29 by playing the first college football game in South America, dubbed “College Football Brasil,” at Rio de Janeiro’s Nilton Santos Stadium. Home to Botafogo, the venue has hosted major international events, including the FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. Airing on ESPN, Virginia will be the home team, with the matchup counting toward ACC standings.

Dior has named rapper 070 Shake (born Danielle Balbuena) as its newest brand ambassador. Known for her work on Kanye West’s Ye and collaborations with Pusha T and Nas, 070 Shake has released three albums since 2020, including Petrichor. She joins Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson’s diverse ambassador lineup, which recently added Mikey Madison, Mia Goth, Greta Lee, and Thai actresses Lingling Kwong and Orm Kornnaphat.

Paramount has scheduled new, untitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog films for 2028, with TMNT set for Nov. 17 and Sonic for Dec. 22. Producer Neal H. Moritz, known for the successful Sonic trilogy, is attached to the TMNT project. These releases are separate from Sonic the Hedgehog 4, coming March 19, 2027. Paramount also plans a Top Gun re-release on May 13, for the franchise’s 40th anniversary.

With the official launch of legal sports betting in Missouri, FanDuel announced Monday that its mobile sportsbook is now live in the state. To mark the milestone, the company is rolling out a series of promotions and community initiatives, including $300,000 donations to Guns ‘N Hoses, a St. Louis nonprofit supporting the families of first responders, and Veterans Community Project, an organization focused on ending veteran homelessness. FanDuel’s mobile sportsbook is now available in 25 states and territories.

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