Rising Canadian star Victoria Mboko set for marquee match against Coco Gauff at NBO

Jeannie Seely, soulful country singer behind hits like ‘Don’t Touch Me,’ dies at 85

Justin #Timberlake has Lyme disease. The “Mirrors” singer opened up about his diagnosis in an Instagram post Thursday, writing that he wanted to “shed some light” on what he’s been going through behind the scenes.

“Living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically,” Timberlake wrote. “When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked for sure. But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness.”

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection, with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi being the most common cause, Dr. Leana Wen previously told CNN. Wen is an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Lyme disease is transmitted through the bite of a particular tick, the black-legged tick. There are three stages of Lyme disease, which can include flu-like symptoms, dizziness, chest pain, palpitations, arthritis, facial nerve paralysis, ongoing joint pain, fatigue, depression, palpitations, and other neurological, rheumatological and cardiac involvement.

Timberlake went on to say this week that he was “faced” with a decision to stop touring or to keep going, writing that “the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling.”

“I’m so glad I kept going,” he wrote.

Timberlake has been on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour since April 2024, and performed his final show on Wednesday in Istanbul. In his post on Thursday, Timberlake celebrated his experience while candidly questioning what his Lyme disease diagnosis means for his future on stage.

“There really is no way to put into words the feeling of being on a stage and getting to share the experience of live music with all of you. It’s a vibration of frequency that is unmatched,” he wrote. “I honestly don’t know what my future is onstage but I’ll always cherish this run!”

Timberlake acknowledged that while he’s typically a private person and was initially “reluctant” to speak about his health, he is choosing to open up about it now because he’s “trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted,” and wants to “help others.”

“Sharing all of this with the hope that we can all find a way to be more connected,” he added. “I’d like to do my part to help others experiencing this disease too.”

HYROX SA has become profitable just 18 months after launching, thanks to a fast-growing fan base and a diverse set of revenue streams.

#Montreal plans to shut down ‘MAGA superstar’ singer’s show over lack of permit.

The City of Montreal said it will issue a fine to a downtown church after it held a concert by a U.S.-based Christian musician who has been described as a “MAGA superstar,” without proper permits.

Sean Feucht’s show at the Ministerios Restauración Church in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough went ahead Friday evening despite the city initially saying it would be cancelled.

Earlier Friday afternoon, the city told CTV News that the church “does not have a permit to organize a concert, and district inspectors have notified the owners that the event cannot take place.”

The city said police had been mobilized to enforce regulations and “violation notices will be issued if the concert goes ahead.”

But Feucht posted on social media that “The church IS NOT BACKING DOWN!!!” and it’s “time to take a stand for the gospel in Canada!”

Feucht spent two hours singing and preaching in the church.

After the event, the city said it would issue a statement of offence and hand out a fine “since the organization violated the regulations by going ahead with the show.”

Six dates of Feucht’s Canadian tour have been cancelled so far. His concerts in Quebec City, Gatineau, Charlottetown, and Halifax were all cancelled earlier in the week.

Event organizers said the events were called off after complaints and reports of planned protests.

#Rapper #GloRilla is arrested on drug charges following investigation of a burglary at her home.

GloRilla, whose real name is Gloria Woods, voluntarily turned herself in Tuesday and was released on US$22,260 bond the same day, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were called to the rapper’s home at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday on reports of a burglary. Woods wasn’t present, and had performed during halftime of the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday in Indianapolis.

Three suspects entered the home and were stealing items when an occupant of the house fired a weapon at the intruders. The suspects fled the scene and did not appear to have been injured, according to the sheriff’s office.

A drug task force secured a search warrant for the home after deputies noticed a “strong odor consistent with illegal narcotics” while investigating the burglary. The task force discovered marijuana “in plain view inside the master bedroom closet,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

Woods was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance.

The suspects weren’t located, “despite an extensive search,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a statement sent to The Associated Press. The investigation into the burglary is ongoing and detectives recovered physical and trace forensic evidence believed to belong to the suspects, the office wrote.

Woods’ attorneys, Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, wrote in a statement the suspects took off with “high value jewelry” when they realized the home wasn’t vacant.

Woods had family staying at her home who “were traumatized” by the incident, her lawyers wrote.

“The homeowner is a victim of a serious crime, and we are committed to bringing the suspects to justice,” Sheriff Ron Freeman wrote. “At the same time, we must continue to uphold and enforce the law in all aspects of this case.”

Woods’ attorneys said that her arrest is “a disturbing window into how warped law enforcement priorities have become.”

“When her family members did the right thing and called law enforcement, instead of investigating the violent home invasion and theft at Ms. Woods’ home, they instead sought a search warrant,” Findling and Goldberg wrote. “No arrest warrants have been issued for the violent home invaders. Ms. Woods is a victim, not a suspect. This is our tax dollars at work, absolutely unbelievable.”

Itzel Luna, The Associated Press

#Taylor Swift gets lucky 13 Madame Tussauds statues. In honour of Swift’s lucky number, 13 of the waxwork museum’s 22 branches will each receive a statue of the “Love Story” and “Blank Space” singer, in what it called the “most ambitious project” of its 250-year history.

The statues were inspired by some of the 35-year-old songwriting sensation’s looks from her record-shattering “Eras Tour” from 2023 to 2024.

With 149 shows across the world over nearly two years, the tour raked in US$2 billion, making it the most lucrative in music history to date.

More than 40 artists worked for more than a year on the statues of Swift, one of the most acclaimed artists of her generation with 14 Grammy Awards.

“This is the most ambitious project in Madame Tussauds’ 250-year history, which only feels right to reflect the stratospheric status of Taylor Swift,” said Danielle Cullen, the museum’s senior figure stylist.

U.K.-based Swifties are well served, with one waxwork slated for London and another for the northern seaside resort town of Blackpool.

Another 10 will find a permanent home at the branches of Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Nashville, New York, Orlando and Sydney.

The thirteenth statue, which will travel around the remaining museums, will begin its worldwide walkabout with a residency at Madame Tussauds Shanghai.

#Canadian star swimmer Oleksiak notified of anti-doping rules violation. According to the ITA, Oleksiak committed three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period between October 2024 and June 2025.

She has been made aware of the case and has accepted a voluntary provisional suspension pending the resolution of the matter.

She has the right to provide her explanations for each of the three whereabouts failures.

Given that the case is underway, there will be no further comments from the ITA, World Aquatics or Oleksiak during the ongoing proceedings.

That implies that the third missed test came after Oleksiak qualified for the Canadian team at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

In a now-deleted Instagram post, Oleksiak announced two weeks ago that she was withdrawing from the World Championship team and accepting a voluntary provisional suspension. Any eventual sanction would be reduced by the amount of time she was suspended under the voluntary provisional suspension.

In the post, Oleksiak asserted “I am and always have been a clean athlete” and that the case “does not involve any banned substance; it’s about whether I updated my information correctly.”

Swimming Canada echoed the sentiment and said “We support her decision and believe she is a clean athlete who made an administrative mistake.”

A Whereabouts Case is an Anti-Doping rule violation that can affect athlete eligibility even if they have never taken a banned substance. The World Anti-Doping Code defines a Whereabouts failure as any combination of three missed tests or filing failures in a 12-month period.

Athletes who are members of the “Registered Testing Pool” which is the highest tier of athlete testing, are required to report an accurate and up-to-date filing of their whereabouts at all times. This is so they can be drug tested at any time and any place with no advance notice.

According to World Aquatics, if an athlete in the testing pool submits “late, inaccurate or incomplete whereabouts that lead to (them) being unavailable for testing, (they) may receive a Filing Failure.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2025.

Toronto International Film Festival sets lineup with Sydney Sweeney, Aziz Ansari and ‘Knives Out 3’.

#TIFF laid out the selections to its galas and special presentations programs, which make up the bulk of the red carpet premieres to North America’s largest film festival. Films making their world premieres include Ansari’s “Good Fortune,” starring Keanu Reeves as an angel trying to teach a struggling man (Ansari) a lesson; David Michôd’s “Christy,” with Sweeney playing the boxer Christy Martin; and Alice Winocour’s “Couture,” starring Jolie as an American filmmaker attending Paris Fashion Week.

Those films join previously announced TIFF world premieres including Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” All three of Johnson’s “Knives Out” films have premiered in Toronto.

Also debuting in Toronto will be Derek Cianfrance’s “Roofman,” starring Channing Tatum as a struggling father turned thief; Nia DaCosta’s Ibsen adaptation “Hedda,” starring Tessa Thompson; Nicholas Hytner’s WWI drama “The Choral,” with Ralph Fiennes; Steven Soderbergh’s third 2025 release, “The Christophers”; Hikari’s “Rental Family,” starring Brendan Fraser as an American actor in Japan; and Paul Greengrass’ “The Lost Bus,” with Matthew McConaughey as a bus driver navigating California’s 2018 Camp Fire.

The Toronto International Film Festival will kick off Sept. 4 with the debut of the documentary “John Candy: I Like Me,” from director Colin Hanks and producer Ryan Reynolds. The festival runs through Sept. 14.

Toronto has long been one of the prized launching pads to the fall movie season, though many of the top films often first go to the Venice or Telluride film festivals. This year, that includes TIFF selections like Chloe Zhao’s “Hamnet,” Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and Edward Berger’s “Ballad of a Smaller Player.” The designation of those premieres suggests “Frankenstein” will first play Venice, while the other two will likely play both Venice and Telluride.

Other notable films premiering in Toronto include James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg trials drama “Nuremberg,” with Rami Malik and Russell Crowe; Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s “Swiped,” starring Lily James as Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd; and Agnieszka Holland’s Franz Kafka drama “Franz.”

Several directorial debuts will be landing in Toronto including those by Brian Cox (“Glenrothan”) and Maude Apatow (“Poetic License”). Other selections include “Bad Apples,” with Saoirse Ronan as a teacher with a poorly behaved student; “Easy Waltz,” a Las Vegas-set drama starring Vince Vaughn and Al Pacino; and Alex Winter’s “Adulthood.”

A number of standouts from May’s Cannes Film Festival will also play in Toronto, such as Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just an Accident,” Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” Oliver Laxe’s “Sirât” and Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague.”

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press

‘Superman’ flexes its might in second weekend with $57.3 million.

None of the week’s new releases — “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “Smurfs,” and “Eddington” — came close to touching Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ superhero success. “Superman” dipped 54 per cent from its domestic opening, an average decline for a big summer film.

In two weeks, “Superman” has grossed $406.8 million worldwide, a good start for the movie DC Studios is banking on to restart its movie operations. A big test looms next weekend, when the Walt Disney Co. releases Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”

Strong audience scores and good reviews should help propel the $225 million-budgeted “Superman” toward profitability in the coming weeks. For Warner Bros. and DC Studios, “Superman” is key to kicking off a 10-year plan for the comic book adaptation studio. Co-heads Gunn and Peter Safra were tasked with rehabilitating the flagging operation. Next on tap are the films “Supergirl” and “Clayface” in 2026.

But “Superman” is far from flying solo in theaters right now. Universal Pictures’ “Jurassic World: Rebirth” came in second this weekend, with $23.4 million in its third week of release. The seventh “Jurassic” movie, this one starring Scarlett Johansson, held its own despite the competition from “Superman.” In three weeks, it accrued $648 million worldwide.

Apple Studios and Warner Bros.’ “F1: The Movie” has also shown legs, especially internationally. In its fourth weekend, the Brad Pitt racing drama dipped just 26 per cent domestically, bringing in $9.6 million in North America, and another $29.5 million overseas. Its global total stands at $460.8 million.

But both of the biggest new releases — Sony Pictures’ “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and Paramount Pictures’ “Smurfs” — fell flat.

“I Know What You Did Last Summer” opened with $13 million, a fair result for a movie budgeted at a modest $18 million, but a disappointing opening for a well-known horror franchise. The film, directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, is set 27 years after the 1997 original. Teenagers played by Madelyn Cline and Chase Sui Wonders are again haunted for covering up a car accident.

The movie’s reviews (38 per cent “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) were poor for “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and audiences graded it similarly. The film notched a “C+” on CinemaScore. The original collected $72.6 million in its domestic run in 1997.

Paramount Pictures’ “Smurfs” debuted in fourth place this weekend with $11 million. The latest big-screen reboot for the woodland blue creatures prominently features Rihanna as the voice of Smurfette. But reviews (21 per cent “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) were terrible. Audiences were kinder, giving it a “B+” on CinemaScore, but the $58 million-budgeted release will depend largely on its international sales. In 56 overseas markets, “Smurfs” earned $22.6 million.

Ari Aster’s “Eddington” opened with $4.2 million on 2,111 screens for A24. Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, “Eddington” has been particularly divisive. The pandemic-set Western features Joaquin Phoenix as the right-wing sheriff of a small New Mexico town who faces off with its liberal mayor (Pedro Pascal).

While Aster’s first film, 2018’s “Heredity” ($82.8 million worldwide against a $10 million budget) helped establish A24 as an indie powerhouse, but the less-than-stellar launch of “Eddington” marks the second box-office disappointment for Aster. His 2023 film “Beau Is Afraid” cost $35 million to make but collected just $12.4 million worldwide. “Eddington” cost about $25 million to produce. Audiences gave it a “C+” on CinemaScore. None of Aster’s previous films have been graded higher.

Yet collectively, Hollywood is enjoying a very good summer. According to data firm Comscore, the 2025 summer box office is up 15.9 per cent over the same period last year, with the year-to-date sales running 15 per cent ahead of 2025. Summer ticket sales have amassed about $2.6 billion domestically, according to Comscore.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. “Superman,” $57.3 million.

2. “Jurassic World Rebirth,” $23.4 million.

3. “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” $13 million.

4. “Smurfs,” $11 million.

5, “F1: The Movie,” $9.6 million.

6. “How to Train Your Dragon,” $5.4 million.

7. “Eddington,” $4.3 million.

8. “Elio,” $2 million.

9. “Lilo & Stitch,” $1.5 million.

10. “28 Years Later,” $1.3 million.

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press