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Filmmaker Spike Lee stated in a new interview that he enjoyed the Michael Jackson biopic and criticized movie critics for calling attention to a lack of emphasis placed on child sex abuse allegations made against Jackson in the '90s

NEED TO KNOW

• Michael notably ends in 1988, and multiple outlets have reported that legal complications prevented the movie from dramatizing allegations first made against Jackson in 1993

• Lee notably directed two music videos for Jackson and directed a 2016 documentary on the early portions of Jackson's career

Spike Leethinks those who are criticizing theMichael Jacksonbiopic for not including allegations of child sex abuse made against the late pop star are simply asking for a different movie.

Lee, 69, toldCNNin a recent interview that he has already seenMichaeltwice since the movie hit theaters on April 24. The famed filmmaker simply stated, "Love it," when asked for his thoughts on the movie, which stars the King of Pop's real-life nephewJaafar Jacksonas Michael throughout the 1970s and '80s.

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On review aggregators likeRotten Tomatoes,Michaelholds negative reviews from professional film critics, but positive reviews from audience members. While speaking with CNN, Lee said he thinks it's unfair that the negative reaction to the movie has centered around its exclusion of the firstallegations of child sex abuse made against Michael in 1993.

"First of all, if you're a movie critic and you're complaining about the [allegations] that you know, all this other stuff, but the movie ends in '88," Lee said, when asked what he makes of the criticism against the movie. "You're talking about accusations [that] happen [later], so you're critiquing the film on something you wanted, but it doesn't work in the timeline of the film."

"But the people who showed up, they showed up worldwide," he continued. "People showed their love."

Lee notably directed music videos for Michael's 1996 song "They Don't Care About Us" and the 2009 track "This Is It," as well as the 2016 documentaryMichael Jackson'sJourney from Motown to Off the Wall. He referred to Michael, who died at 50 in 2009, and the late musicianPrinceas "beautiful people" during the interview.

When asked again if Lee thought it "wouldn't be appropriate" forMichaelto dramatize those allegations, Lee added, "The allegations came post-'80s. The film ends in '88. So people said [rude gesture], and have seen it more than once, like me."

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The biopic of the "Thriller" singer's life has attracted as much news for what it ultimately did not depict as for what moments from Michael's life it did feature. On April 20,Michael's directorAntoine Fuquashared new details aboutthe massive overhaulMichaelunderwentin 2025 after lawyers reportedly learned of a previously overlooked clause in a settlement agreement between the singer and one of his accusers in an interview withThe New Yorker.

In 1993, Michael was accused of sexually abusing 13-year-old Jordan Chandler. He ultimately settled with the Chandler family out of court for a reported $25 million.

The producers behind the movie had to rewrite and reshoot significant portions of the movie after lawyers realized that the settlement included an agreement that the Chandlers could never be mentioned or dramatized in a movie, per a January 2025 report fromPuck.

At the time, the outlet claimed the Chandler saga was a key "backbone" of the movie, which Fuqua confirmed while speaking withThe New Yorker. The outlet additionally reported that the movie was initially meant to open on the 1993 police raid onNeverland Ranch, the singer's infamous California compound, as investigations into those allegations began.

Despite critics' negative reaction to the movie,Michaelis already thethird-highest grossing movie of the year in North Americaand the fourth-most popular movie of the year at thebox office around the world, behindProject Hail Mary, the Chinese racing moviePegasus 3andThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

Varietyalso reported on April 7 that the movie's studio Lionsgate believes "roughly 30%" of footage shot for the movie that did not make it intoMichael's final cut could be reused for a sequel. It is unclear how much of that footage involves the legal complications related to dramatizing Chandler's allegations.

The movie itself ends with a title card that reads: "His Story Continues."

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John Travolta shared a video on Instagram of himself training to fly a Bombardier Global Express private jet

NEED TO KNOW

• The Saturday Night Fever actor obtained his license to fly the long-range jet back in February

• Travolta, a licensed pilot since age 22, is qualified to fly various planes, including Boeing 747s and Gulfstreams

John Travoltais reaching new heights!

On Tuesday, May 5, the Oscar winner, 72, shared avideo on Instagramtaken during his training to fly an ultra-long-range private jet — the Bombardier Global Express.

In the footage, he showed himself in a classroom surrounded by screens that replicated all of the instruments in the aircraft’s flight deck.

“That’s the Global Express,” Travolta explained, while showing a photo of the aircraft's exterior on a screen. “These are the screens that we refer to all around the classroom,” he shared.

In the clip, theGreasestar also showed a representation of what pilots approaching New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport see when flying the jet.

He appeared to be sitting inside a makeshift aircraft where he could practice using the instruments with the view of the ground below changing in real-time.

“Alright, this is the Global Express simulator on final approach for JFK,” he explained.

Travolta gushed in the caption of the post about the aircraft being a “great plane” as he revealed he’d just completed the necessary simulator training.

Travolta's progress comes after his72nd birthdaycoincided with him achieving his license to fly Global Express jets in February.

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According toFly Blade, the long-range business jet, designed and manufactured by Bombardier Aviation for luxury travel, can fly up to 7,900 nautical miles non-stop.

Travolta has become qualified to pilot a variety of different planes, including theBoeing 747, 707 and 737, since obtaining a pilot license at age 22. ThePulp Fictionstar has also been an ambassador for Qantas Airways since 2002.

The flying enthusiast's late wife,Kelly Preston, toldThe Telegraphin 2018 that they “travel all the time” using Travolta’s planes.

"He's had his license for almost 30 years," she said at the time. "At our house in Ocala, northern Florida, we have the planes parked out front because we have a runway attached. I never get nervous when John's piloting because he's calm in any situation and can handle the pressure. He's flown us all over the world – Russia, South Africa, Australia, Tahiti, the UK, the U.S. and the Far East."

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While attending the 10X Growth Conference in 2020, Travolta was asked about his collection of three private jets.

“It’s a practical reason,” he said in aYouTube Shortfrom the event. “I’m a pilot myself, I have 12 jet ratings including the 747, 707, the Gulfstream, the Bombardier, the Learjet, the Citation."

“I love flying, so there’s that,” he continued, adding, “But, I do not like chartering. So if I have one jet that’s inoperable, I have one to back it up.”

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Kylie Jenner couldn't stop laughing as she documented her beauty team attempting to dye her eyebrows back to their usual color after bleaching them for the 2026 Met Gala

NEED TO KNOW

• "My brows are ruined. What is this? What the f--- is this?" the Kylie Cosmetics founder said in between fits of giggles in a clip on her Instagram Stories

• Jenner donned custom Schiaparelli for fashion's biggest night out on Monday, May 4

Kylie Jenner’s bold beauty moment at the2026 Met Galaappears to have come at a price.

On Monday, May 4, the Kylie Cosmetics founder, 28, opted for bleached eyebrows as she attended fashion’s biggest night out,wearing custom Schiaparelli.

However, when it came to dying her brows back later on in the evening, things didn’t exactly go to plan.

Jenner couldn’t stop laughing as she filmed herself with one bleached brow and one that had been dyed back to her usual color.

“My brows are ruined. What is this? What the f--- is this?” Jenner said while giggling as she filmed her reaction in a clip shared on herInstagram Stories.

“This looks horrible,” the beauty mogul added, as celebrity hairstylist Iggy Rosales was accused in the video of leaving her “with no hair.”

“This looks horrible,” Jenner insisted, while in between fits of giggles, showing fans her brows, which didn't appear to be quite as full as they usually are.

“Trying to dye my brows back,” Jenner wrote over the clip, adding a shocked face emoji.

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Monday marked Jenner’s ninth appearance at the much-talked-about annual event, and this time, she stepped out in a nude corset with faux nipples underneath a voluminous skirt that looked like a dress being taken off.

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The butter duchess satin skirt was embroidered with over 2,000 sating stitch balls, 10,000 natural baroque pearls and more that 7,000 painted pearlescent fish scales. The look required roughly 11,000 hours of embroidery work.

Jenner teamed the glamorous look with an antique silver necklace decorated with rhinestones, pearls and small hand-sculpted bird heads, as well as matching chandelier earrings in warm silver adorned with pearls and crystal stones.

Jenner — who wore her dark hair in soft, glamorous curls — showed off her lack of brows prior to the event, writing over a photo on her Instagram Stories, “I don't have any brows with me luck.”

Hairstylist Rosales spoke about the look toVogue, sharing, “The dress feels like it’s slipping away. It becomes this living sculpture.”

Rosales stated that the beauty look had to be an extension of the dress, per the outlet, with him and celebrity makeup artist, Ariel Tejada, coming up with the daring get-up.

“We even tested no brows just to see how far we could push it,” Rosales continued to tellVogue.

Jenner's ensemble was her own interpretation of this year's theme, "Costume Art," with the formal dress code, "Fashion Is Art." Curated byAndrew Bolton, the costume exhibit explored the relationship between clothing and the human body, with sections for the pregnant body, aging body, and naked body, among several others. Costumes were paired with pieces of art dating back 5,000 years.

While the exhibition could only be seen by celebrities like Jenner on May 4 — the iconic first Monday in May — the public will be able to view it from May 10, 2026, through January 10, 2027.

Co-chairs of this year's gala wereBeyoncé— whomade her first Met Gala appearance since 2016— as well asNicole Kidman,Venus WilliamsandAnna Wintour.

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A criminalinvestigationhas been launched by the UK’s healthcare watchdog following thedeathof ateenageradmitted to an NHS mental health unit.

Lucy Curtis, aged 17, died on New Year’s Day in 2024 following an incident at Riverside Adolescent Unit at Blackberry Hill Hospital in Bristol.

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) temporarily closed the site weeks later afterit saidinternal reviews “did not provide assurance that the unit could consistently deliver a safe level of care moving forward”.

A full inquest into Lucy’s death is set to take place in June.

This week, AWP confirmed that theCare Quality Commission(CQC) had started an investigation into the care and treatment of the teenager, which could potentially lead to prosecution for failures to provide safe care resulting in avoidable harm.

Any prosecution would be brought under the Health and Social Care Act.

Sarah Jones, chief nursing officer for AWP, said: “The trust extends its deepest condolences to Lucy’sfamily, and we continue to meet with them to provide updates and support.

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“We are aware of the CQC’s investigation and will cooperate fully. This sits alongside our support for the previous reviews already undertaken and the forthcoming inquest into Lucy’s death. We are committed to addressing every concern raised and to delivering improvements swiftly, safely, and transparently.”

Lucy’s family have decided to hold back commenting until the full inquest.

Since her death, they have been raising money for charity through a series of walking challenges. In a tribute, they said that Lucy, who worked at a cafe near Thornbury, was “very bright” and “absolutely happy 99 per cent of the time”.

The CQC would not comment ahead of the inquest.The Independentunderstands that the health watchdog would notify the public if any action were to be taken in due course.

The Riverside Adolescent Unit provided highly specialist care for young people with the most serious mental health difficulties. Since its closure, patients have been admitted to other units across the West Country.

AWP has said it is committed to opening a new specialist child and adolescent mental health service unit in the Bristol area, but is also developing community-based support and exploring local privately-run services, including for young people requiring specialist eating disorders care.

Ms Jones said: “As we work with partners to design a modern, high‑quality service for the future, we are equally focused on having reliable interim plans in place which include access to care as close to home as possible.”

Have you been impacted by the closure of Riverside Adolescent Unit, or an incident at another site? Email alexander.ross@independent.co.uk

There's nothing quite as exhilarating as the feeling of completing the daily New York TimesWordle,Strands,Mini CrosswordandConnections Sports Editionword games in one fell swoop. But sometimes that can be easier said than done. If you need help with today'sConnectionspuzzle, keep reading.

Spoilers ahead! We've warned you. We mean it. Read no further until youreallywant some clues or you've completely given up and want the answers ASAP. Get ready for all of today'sNYT 'Connections’ hints and answers for#1057 onSunday, May 3, 2026.

If you've been having trouble with any of theconnections or wordsin Sunday's puzzle, you're not alone, and these hints should definitely help you out. Plus, I'll reveal the answers further down.

Related:The 26 Funniest NYT Connections Game Memes You'll Appreciate if You Do This Daily Word Puzzle

Hints About Today's NYT Connections Categories on Sunday, May 3

1. Domicile additions.

2. Commonly associated with Woodstock.

3. Events that changed history.

4. Talk with your hands.

Related:300 Trivia Questions and Answers to Jumpstart Your Fun Game Night

Ready for the answers? Scroll below this image (the image that represents your very appreciatedpatience!).

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Today's Connections Game Answers for Sunday, May 3:

1.HOME STRUCTURES:GARAGE, HOUSE, PORCH, SHED2.ASSOCIATED WITH 1960s COUNTERCULTURE:ACID, COMMUNE, FREE LOVE, HIPPIE3. FAMOUS REVOLUTIONS IN HISTORY:FRENCH, GREEN, INDUSTRIAL, SEXUAL4.GESTURES MADE WITH THE INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS:AIR QUOTES, BUNNY EARS, FINGERS CROSSED, PEACE

How'd you do?

Up Next:-15 Fun Games Like Connections to Play Every Day-Hints, Clues and Answers to the NYT's 'Mini Crossword' Puzzle

Did You Miss a Few Days?Let's Catch You Up With Recent Connections Answers

Related: I Tried Shake Shack's Bold New BBQ Menu and It's the Perfect Ode to Summer

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