• • A federal lawsuit has been filed aimed at stopping this weekend’s UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House from going forward, but with strong storms expected in Washington, DC on Sunday night, Mother Nature may have the final say on the matter.
  • Former reality stars of “Chrisley Knows Best,” Todd and Julie Chrisley sue their defense lawyers for $25 million, blaming the law firm for alleged mistakes made that led to their conviction for fraud and tax evasion leading to jail time and lost income opportunities. Interesting theory, but I think the real culprit here was the fraud and tax evasion.
  • Taylor Swift makes more history, as she is the youngest woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Not to detract from her talents, but some credit should be shared with her exes.

• • Recording artist M.I.A. sues rapper Kid Cudi for $2.8 million over Cudi’s decision to cut her from the remainder of his “Rebel Ragers” tour. In his defense, she did choose her name.
  • A Dallas-area artist is suing FIFA after the organization painted over the artist’s giant mural to promote the upcoming World Cup matches. The artist is suing for $25 million or roughly the cost of entry to one World Cup match.
  • “Euphoria” star Sydney Sweeney’s production company Honey Trap and signs a deal with Sony Pictures, giving the studio the first crack at showcasing her body (…of work) in producer and directorial roles.

• • The aforementioned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cries foul as he had his lawyers send a cease and desist letter sent to Underdog Sports relating to the use of his name, image and likeness in a promotional Operation-style game called “Unethical Hoops,” that pokes fun at SGA’s notorious reputation for drawing questionable fouls.
  • Podcaster Jay Shetty signs a $100 million deal with Netflix and Spotify for the videos distribution rights to his motivational, self-help podcast “On Purpose.” So you could say his methods seem to be working.
  • Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Ohio native Travis Kelce buys a minority equity stake in the MLB’s Cleveland Guardians—meaning fiancée Taylor Swift may now have reasons for visiting the city other than accepting Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honors.

For now, the closest to Knicks action that I have been seeing is the Knicks’ Miles “Deuce” McBride endorsing Vuori active apparel, Josh Hart appearing in a Patrón Tequila commercial, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson and Jose Alvarado appearing alongside former Knicks John Starks and Patrick Ewing in an AT&T spot, former Knicks star Carmelo Anthony partnering with skin and haircare brand CeraVe to help launch its new anti-dandruff shampoo and even Brunson’s wife Ali Marks Brunson endorsing Brodo bone broths. Turns out that winning basketball games in the greatest city in the world is a powerful marketing tool.

Speaking of powerful marketing tools, the Spotlight will be following the lead of its hometown team and taking time to recharge. If the bodies of the New York Knicks could stand to benefit from some recovery, so too could the wit of my New York-ness. So, I’ll catch you on the other side of Memorial Day. Until then, it’s “Go NY Go NY Go!”

• • Buddy comedy “Grown Ups” is getting another sequel at Netflix with its original cast – Adam Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock and Kevin James. The film comes 13 years after the last sequel, “Grown Ups 2”—so in a way, it is the Grown Ups sequel’s bar mitzvah.
  • Former New York Yankees Hall of Fame Closer Mariano Rivera is launching his own line of hot sauces, while teammate Alex Rodriguez partners with sunflower seed brand, “SMACKIN” to unveil a limited edition Honey BBQ flavor. Both sound great, but my preferred Yankees flavor would be the taste of a 2026 World Series victory.
  • Pop star Dua Lipa sues electronics giant Samsung for allegedly using her image on the box of its televisions without her permission – evidently not what the singer had in mind when she dreamt as a little girl of being on TV.

• • The NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments are seeing their fields again expanding – from 68 teams to 76 teams. This reminds me of those shaving companies that try to convince you that you need additional razorblades in their already adequate razorheads, all in the name of making a few extra bucks. So far, reception to the news of the expansion, like that of the use of additional blades, seems to be increased irritation.
  • Pickleball, Inc., parent company of Major League Pickleball, receives a $225 million investment from Apollo Sports Capital and Dundon Capital Partners, bringing the company’s valuation to a cool-as-a-cucumber $750 million.
  • James Cameron and The Walt Disney Company were sued by actress Q’orianka Kilcher alleging that her likeness was used to create the facial features of a blue-skinned character Neytiri in “Avatar.” Lawyers for Smurfette and The Blue Man Group could not be reached for comment as to whether they’d assert claims of their own.

• • Projected first pick in this year’s NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa trades in his $4 million NIL deal with Nike for a multi-million dollar professional endorsement deal with the brand, complete with his own logo for signature shoes. Through Nike’s investment in the young talent, they see Dybantsa a shoe-win.
  • Last week’s London Marathon featured two runners (Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha) becoming the first ever to finish the race in under two hours, due in part to $500 pairs of Adidas sneakers Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. In other words, two two-hour feats on two feet thanks to what two were wearing on two feet.
  • *Non-foot/shoe story*: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently launched a sunscreen product under his PAPATUI men’s skincare brand, presumably driven by a desire to capitalize on the men’s skincare market as well as to protect sunbathers who have over-consumed his Teremana tequila.

• • Hitting $200 million in retail sales in just three years, Comedian Kevin Hart’s Tequila Brand Gran Coramino is experiencing significant growth—which is more than can be said for Kevin Hart.
  • YouTube rolls out DeepFake AI detection to Hollywood, allowing celebrities to police content that may make unauthorized use of their likenesses. The service is being offered for free, presumably because of the ease with which one can spot a fake in Hollywood.
  • New York Yankees players have formally requested that the team approve the use of alternate, blue jerseys with gray lettering for games played on the road (rather than the gray with navy lettering that they have historically used when not in their home white with navy pinstripes). Meanwhile New York Mets players were considering invisibility cloaks in the midst of their recent 12 game losing streak.

For this “beautiful game,” the lower barrier to entry for those learning to play, stands in stark contrast to the price of entry for those looking to watch in person. And that’s to say nothing of concession prices (which don’t really seem like much of a “concession”) or even transit prices, which could cost about $150 for a train ride between New York City and the Meadowlands. That people are willing to pay these prices is a testament to the draw of the World Cup and the explosion of popularity of soccer here in the US, but still, it does not have to be this way. The mountains of dollars that go into infrastructure, security and planning for these events have to come from somewhere—and municipalities are (rightly so) loathe to pass the costs onto taxpayers, and FIFA is not ponying up any money despite standing to earn an estimated $11 billion from this Summer’s tournament. So, alas, prices get passed along to the consumer. So, unless I win some sort of sweepstakes or get invited to a match (first two rounds of beers are on me, just saying…), I will be making a fiscally responsible decision to watch from the best seat in the house (my own). And if these prices seem like a strain for a gainfully employed lawyer who has a casual interest in soccer, then they are completely out of reach for a working class family with kids that eat, sleep and breathe soccer and who would give anything to be close to the action.

• • Philadelphia 76ers Guard Tyrese Maxey debuts his signature New Balance shoe, the Maxey v1 during his team’s NBA Playoffs play-in game – meaning not only are the shoes tie-on but they are on Ty.
  • Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi has been sued for $7 million for allegedly breaching a contract to play in an international friendly match between Argentina and Venezuela. So much for being friendly!
  • Just four years after the commercial success of the 2024 film “Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel to the 1986 film “Top Gun,” Actor Tom Cruise is reprising his role for “Top Gun 3.” A big relief for those concerned that another 18 year lag might mean that Maverick’s fighter jet might have to be replaced with a missile-equipped wheelchair.

• • Emmy Award winning actor Zendaya builds on her partnership with apparel and footwear brand, On – rolling out a co-created collection of athleisure clothing to go with a new sneaker, the Cloudnova Moon. With the brand hiring Spike Jonze to direct the ad launching the collection, they are betting that sales will not crater.
  • Shaquille O’Neal unveils a new professional dunking league called “Dunkman” in which competitors will vie for prize money of $500,000 and a world championship title. Perhaps that can inspire my kids to slam their laundry in their hampers.
  • Faced with sponsors defecting over a string of antisemitic comments, actions and behaviors by its announced headliner, Ye, UK music festival Wireless was forced to cancel the festival altogether. Kudos to them for making the “difficult” choice of letting their conscience catch up with them (rather than rebranding as “Sponsorless”).

• • Having had earlier stints playing professional basketball in Africa and Canada, rapper J.Cole is now looking east, signing with the Chinese Basketball Association’s Nanjing Monkey Kings. Talk about a world tour.
  • Kim Kardashian is teaming up with Paramount+ to produce “Team Moms,” an unscripted show following youth baseball players and their families. Undoubtedly the biggest draw to the project was that it involved large diamonds.
  • Taylor Swift is sued by a Las Vegas showgirl for Swift’s use of “The Life of a Showgirl” as her latest album title, allegedly infringing on the latter’s trademark, “Confessions of a Showgirl.” So while she may have been saved from the fate of Ophelia, Swift may not be saved from the Central District Court of California.