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Republicans raise concerns about Florida special election as candidates vie to replace Mike Waltz

March 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(FLORIDA) — Some Republicans are raising concerns ahead of a key special election in Florida on Tuesday in what appeared to be a safe U.S. House district for the party as Republican state Sen. Randy Fine vies for the chance to take the seat vacated by former Rep. Mike Waltz.

The special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, which is on the state’s eastern coast and includes the city of Daytona Beach, is being held on Tuesday, April 1, to fill the vacancy created by Waltz when he resigned to become President Donald Trump’s national security adviser.

Some concerns have been raised with Fine’s own party over his fundraising and campaigning as he has lagged behind Democratic candidate Josh Weil, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Fine has raised or received about $987,000 from late November 2024 through mid-March, while Weil has raised or received over $9 million from Oct. 1, 2024, through mid-March. Fine also donated $600,000 to himself last week, according to other FEC filings.

(Weil’s campaign has spent over $8 million of its money, per the filings. Fine’s campaign also spent much of its money before his own donations last week.)

Another special election, in the state’s 1st District, will also occur on April 1 to fill the vacancy left by former Rep. Matt Gaetz when he resigned from Congress late last year.

While Republicans are favored to win both races, given that the districts were ruby-red in 2024, some have speculated that the margin between the Republican and Democratic candidates could be tighter than anticipated, given Trump’s voter disapproval ratings and Democrats’ success in some recent legislative district elections.

Those voicing concerns about the 6th District race include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who told reporters on Tuesday, “Regardless of the outcome in that, it’s going to be a way underperformance from when I won that district by in ’22 [as a candidate for governor] and what President Trump won in November.”

“They’re going to try to lay that at the feet of President Trump,” DeSantis added. “That is not a reflection of President Trump. It’s a reflection of the specific candidate running in that race. And President Trump, if he were on the ballot in this special election, he would win by 30 points, no question.”

DeSantis did say that he still expects a Republican candidate will be successful in the district. Still, DeSantis and Fine have clashed before, including when Fine switched his endorsement in the 2024 presidential primaries from DeSantis to Trump.

Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser, said on Monday on his podcast show that “Trump won that district by 30 points in November. … We have a candidate that I don’t think is winning. That’s an issue.”

ABC News reached out to Fine’s campaign for comment about the Republican concerns.

Fine, on social media, has continued to express optimism, writing on X on Tuesday night, “As I sit in my [state] Senate office for the last time, I want to thank the voters who have elected me seven times to represent them in Tallahassee. It’s been a profound honor, and I can’t wait to do it again.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of House Republicans, has not invested in the race but indicated it is not worried about a loss.

“Randy Fine is going to be a member of Congress. Everything else is just noise,” Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the NRCC, told ABC News.

Fine, who was elected to the Florida state Senate in 2024, previously served as a state House representative and worked beforehand as a casino executive. In the state legislature, Fine promoted bills on school choice, immigration, combating antisemitism and other issues.

He also sponsored a high-profile measure in 2022 that would eliminate some special districts in Florida, including one that encompasses Walt Disney World, amid a fight between the Florida government and The Walt Disney Company. (ABC News is owned by The Walt Disney Company, which also owns Walt Disney World.) A settlement was reached in March 2024.

The Florida special elections could affect the balance of power in the House of Representatives. As of Wednesday, less than a week out to the special election, Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the U.S. House, with 218 seats to Democrats’ 213 seats. (Four seats, including the two Florida seats, are vacant.)

Fine does have some momentum — for instance, he does have Trump’s strong endorsement.

Trump wrote in late March on his social media platform Truth Social, “A highly successful, Harvard educated businessman, and greatly respected State Legislator, Randy has been a tremendous Voice for MAGA.” The president also encouraged Republicans to vote early. The early voting period began on March 22.

Fine also has recent history pointing in favor of Republicans holding on to the district.

In the U.S. House general election in this district in 2024, Waltz received 67% of the vote, while Democratic candidate James Stockton received 33% of the vote. In this district in the presidential race, meanwhile, Trump received about 65% of the vote, while Vice President Kamala Harris received about 35% of the vote.

Both Democrats and Republicans have said special elections are not necessarily comparable to regular elections, given that voter turnout can be much lower during the special elections.

ABC News’ Lauren Peller and Soo Rin Kim contributed to this report.

Ukraine ‘doesn’t trust’ Russia, Zelenskyy warns as strikes follow ceasefire progress

March 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) –The success of a nascent potential agreement between Ukraine and Russia to pause naval and energy infrastructure attacks will depend on Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, warning that Kyiv has no trust for Russian President Vladimir Putin after more than three years of full-scale war.

“Now, results are needed from Russia,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address on Tuesday. “We do not trust them. And frankly — the world doesn’t trust Russia. And they must prove that they are truly ready to end the war — ready to stop lying to the world, to President [Donald] Trump and to America.”

“How Russia behaves in the coming days will reveal a lot — if not everything,” he said.

“If there are air raid alerts again, if there is renewed military activity in the Black Sea, if Russian manipulations and threats continue — then new measures will need to be taken, specifically against Moscow,” Zelenskyy said.

Russia and Ukraine “agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea,” according to White House readouts, published Tuesday after three days of meetings with representatives from Kyiv and Moscow in Saudi Arabia.

The nations also agreed to “develop measures to implement the agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine,” the White House said. Trump said, “We are making a lot of progress.”

Drone strikes continued through Tuesday night into Wednesday despite the apparent progress on a partial ceasefire agreement.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 117 drones into the country overnight, of which 56 were shot down and 48 lost in flight. “Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad and Cherkasy regions were affected by the Russian attack,” the air force wrote on Telegram.

In Russia, the Defense Ministry said its forces downed nine Ukrainian drones, including two over the Black Sea. In the western Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a drone attack wounded one person and broke the windows of several buildings.

On Wednesday morning, Zelenskyy said in a statement posted on Telegram that “there were 117 more pieces of evidence in our sky that Russia is dragging out this war — 117 strike drones.” He added, “To launch such large-scale strikes after ceasefire negotiations is to show everyone in the world with all the obviousness that Moscow is not going to make a real peace.”

“Strong steps from the world and clear pressure on Russia are needed,” Zelenskyy continued. “More pressure, more sanctions from the U.S., so that the Russian strikes stop.”

Questions remain as to the nuances and extent of the agreements. Russia and Ukraine both released their own readouts emphasizing different elements of what was purportedly agreed with the U.S.

Russia for example, said the U.S. agreed to “help restore access to the world market for Russian exports of agricultural products and fertilizers,” plus to reduce the cost of shipping insurance and expand access to ports and payment systems. Such steps will require the lifting of some sanctions on Russian agricultural and food companies, the Kremlin said.

That point was not reflected in the Ukrainian readout. Kyiv’s announcement also said the U.S. would help with prisoner of war exchanges, the release of civilian detainees and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children — a topic not mentioned in the Russian readout.

After Putin spoke with Trump last week, the White House said a proposed 30-day partial ceasefire would pause attacks on “energy and infrastructure.” The Kremlin said the agreement referred to “energy infrastructure.” Tuesday’s White House statement reverted to the wording used by Russia.

Russia said the proposed 30-day pause in attacks on energy infrastructure began on March 18, and on Tuesday published a list of facilities subject to the pause in strikes. Moscow said either side could opt out of the freeze in the event of violations by the other. All nuclear and other power plants, oil and gas depots, pipelines and storage facilities, plus hydroelectric dams were among the facilities included.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated the same claims Wednesday to reporters.

“As for whether it means anything or not, I can only repeat what I said both the day before yesterday and yesterday: Putin’s order on the moratorium [on strikes on energy facilities] is in force and is being implemented by our armed forces,” Peskov said.

Both sides have accused the other of continuing to attack energy and other critical infrastructure targets throughout the ceasefire negotiations. Zelenskyy’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, said in a post on X on Tuesday that Russia has hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure eight times since March 18.

“I think there will be a million questions and details,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday, shortly after the news on the negotiations was announced.

Later, in his evening video address, Zelenskyy said the onus for the success of the partial ceasefire is on Moscow.

“Diplomacy must work,” he added. “And from the Ukrainian side, we are doing everything to make that happen. I thank everyone who is helping. I am grateful to the United States for the constructive and effective work of our teams.”

ABC News’ Patrick Reevell, Anna Sergeeva and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

Atlantic story on Yemen chat reportedly showed rare instance of Vance breaking with Trump

March 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Amid the fallout from The Atlantic’s Monday article reportedly detailing the Signal group chat discussing the U.S. attack on Houthis in Yemen, Vice President JD Vance appearing to break with President Donald Trump is also getting attention.

Vance made a noteworthy statement in the chat, appearing to break with Trump and questioning whether the president recognized that a unilateral U.S. attack on the Houthis to keep international shipping lanes open was at odds with his tough talk about European nations paying their share of such efforts, according to an account by Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic editor-in-chief who said he was inadvertently included in the conversation.

“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now,” Vance wrote in the chat, according to Goldberg. “There’s a further risk that we see a moderate to severe spike in oil prices. I am willing to support the consensus of the team and keep these concerns to myself. But there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the messaging work on why this matters, seeing where the economy is, etc.”

On the day before the attack, according to The Atlantic’s reporting published on Monday, Vance participated in the chat as he told the group he was traveling to Michigan for an economic event.

“Team, I am out for the day doing an economic event in Michigan. But I think we are making a mistake,” Vance wrote in the chat, according to Goldberg. “3 percent of US trade runs through the suez. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message.”

Ultimately, he supported the attack, telling Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, “if you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again,” according to Goldberg’s account.

The White House has insisted the communications in the group chat were not war plans and criticized The Atlantic journalist who detailed the account.

“This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X on Wednesday.

William Martin, Vance’s communications director, said the vice president and Trump “are in complete agreement.”

“The Vice President’s first priority is always making sure that the President’s advisers are adequately briefing him on the substance of their internal deliberations. Vice President Vance unequivocally supports this administration’s foreign policy. The President and the Vice President have had subsequent conversations about this matter and are in complete agreement,” he said in a statement.

Asked if Vance and Trump had spoken between the time Vance raised his concerns with the group, as reported by The Atlantic, and he concurred with those advocating to go ahead with the strike, a spokesperson for Vance said the statement Martin provided to ABC News made it clear that they did, pointing out the line that they had “subsequent conversations about this matter.”

The comments from Vance are striking, given that he has been in lockstep, at least in public, with Trump, his top defender most of the time since being chosen as his running mate last July.

No situation depicted that more than Trump and Vance’s Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month, where the three men got into a shouting match in front of the media over the prospects of a ceasefire deal to end the war in Ukraine. Vance berated Zelenskyy for not being thankful for the support the U.S. has provided Ukraine.

“Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance said to Zelenskyy. “Right now, you guys are going around enforcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”

During the campaign cycle, where Vance was the policy attack dog for the president and previously said that Trump needs a vice president who wouldn’t “stab” him in the back, there was only a handful of times he deviated from Trump on policy, with the most notable incident occurring in an NBC interview during the presidential campaign when he said Trump would veto a national abortion ban. A few weeks later, Trump, during his debate with Kamala Harris hosted by ABC News, was asked about Vance’s comments on an abortion ban.

“Well, I didn’t discuss it with JD, in all fairness,” Trump said.

Since then, Vance has been more careful not to deviate publicly from the president’s policy position.

Following their victory in November, a source close to Vance told ABC News that the vice president was tasked to ensure that all of the priorities of the Trump administration move forward and would work on any of the issues Trump needs him to further.

In November, a source familiar with Vance and Trump’s relationship said Vance was focused on doing whatever was needed to support the president-elect and the administration.

El Salvador prison holding alleged Venezuelan gang members has been criticized for alleged abuses

March 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — In February 2023, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted to social media a tightly edited video with dramatic music showing thousands of men, with their heads pushed down, being transferred to the country’s newest prison: the Terrorism Confinement Center.

“Early this morning, in a single operation, we transferred the first 2,000 gang members to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT),” Bukele said on X. “This will be their new home, where they will live for decades, unable to do any more harm to the population.”

Two weeks ago, Bukele posted a similar video on X in which hundreds of men in white uniforms, with their heads shaved, are seen running bent over while being moved into the mega prison. But this time, the individuals weren’t criminals who were arrested in El Salvador.

The video showed CECOT receiving over 200 Venezuelan migrants who are alleged to be members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The migrants were sent to El Salvador by U.S. authorities under the Alien Enemies Act, as part of a $6 million deal the Trump administration arranged in their effort to crack down on illegal immigration.

CECOT, one of Latin America’s largest prisons, was opened as part of a crackdown on criminal gangs in El Salvador, whose incarceration rate is one of the highest in the world. The mega prison, which can hold up to 40,000 detainees, has been criticized by human rights groups over alleged human rights violations.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was scheduled to visit the prison on Wednesday along with the Salvadorian minister of justice.

The move by the Trump administration to deport alleged migrant gang members to a notorious prison in another country, without due process, has sparked an outcry from relatives of some of the detainees and by immigration advocates and attorneys who say that some of those deported were not Tren de Aragua gang members.

An official with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week acknowledged in a sworn declaration that “many” of the noncitizens deported last week under the Alien Enemies Act did not have criminal records in the United States. Administration officials have not been clear about the evidence they have that shows the detainees are gang members.

In a subsequent sworn declaration, ICE Acting Field Office Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations Robert Cerna argued that “the lack of specific information about each individual actually highlights the risk they pose” and “demonstrates that they are terrorists with regard to whom we lack a complete profile.”

The declaration was included in the Trump administration’s recent motion to vacate Judge James Boasberg’s temporary restraining order blocking deportations pursuant to the Alien Enemies Act.

“While it is true that many of the [Tren de Aragua gang] members removed under the AEA do not have criminal records in the United States, that is because they have only been in the United States for a short period of time. The lack of a criminal record does not indicate they pose a limited threat,” Cerna said.

Ivannoa Sanchez, who told ABC News that her husband, Jose Franco Caraballo Tiapa, is being held at CECOT, said that he has never been in trouble with the law.

“He has never done anything, not even a fine, absolutely nothing,” said Sanchez.

“I can’t rest, I don’t even eat, I haven’t even had juice or water because I know he isn’t eating either,” Sanchez said.

Juanita Goebertus, the director of the Americas Division of the advocacy group Human Rights Watch, told ABC News that detainees in CECOT, as well as other prisons in El Salvador, are denied communication with their relatives and lawyers, and only make court appearances in online hearings, often in groups of several hundred detainees at the same time.

“The Salvadoran government has described people held in CECOT as ‘terrorists,’ and has said that they ‘will never leave,'” Goebertus said, adding that the Human Rights Watch is not aware of any detainees who have ever been released from CECOT.

According to human rights advocates and immigration attorneys, CECOT prisoners only leave their cell for 30 minutes a day and sleep on metal beds in overcrowded cells.

“They only have about half an hour outside of their windowless cells to be outside in a hallway of the prison,” Margaret Cargioli, an attorney for the nonprofit Immigrant Defenders Law Center, told ABC News. “They are overcrowded within each of the cells, and they’re sleeping on metal.”

For years, Amnesty International has published reports on detention centers and prisons in El Salvador, and has alleged systematic abuse of detainees and “patterns of grave human rights violations.” Those findings were acknowledged in a 2023 human rights report published by the U.S. Department of State that said there have been significant human rights issues in Salvadoran prisons.

Ana Piquer, the Americas director at Amnesty International, called the detainment in El Salvador of the Venezuelan migrants a “disregard of the U.S. human rights obligations.”

“Amnesty International has extensively documented the inhumane conditions within detention centers in El Salvador, including the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) where those removed are now being held, ” Piquer said in a statement. “Reports indicate extreme overcrowding, lack of access to adequate medical care, and widespread ill-treatment amounting to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.”

Attorneys representing some of the Venezuelan migrants told ABC News that the lack of communication is a special concern — as opposed to the U.S., where detainees can communicate with their families and attorneys.

“There’s no communication with family or counsel,” Cargioli said of CECOT. “The concern just raises to an entirely other level.”

The countdown’s on to #newmusic from Old Dominion

March 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Old Dominion fans have something to look forward to.

In a new Instagram video, the band sits at a bar while a snippet of an unknown song plays.

“Couple days, couple weeks, couple months, get away from it,” they sing. “Now I see why they say every heartbreak’s got a lesson you can take from it/ Maybe we both share a little bit of blame for the stupid fights/ But with a little hindsight, I can see it was me most nights.”

Along with a portion of the lyrics, the accompanying post adds “#newmusic #odies #comingsoon.”

Since Odie’s is the band’s mark on the Nashville bar scene, it’s safe to assume that’s exactly where they’re sitting in the video, but the name of the new song isn’t apparent.

OD hasn’t released a new album since October 2023’s Memory Lane. Their latest hit, “Coming Home,” is from last year’s Odies But Goodies compilation. So far there’s no word on when the new music will arrive or what form it will take.

Spiritbox’s Mike Stringer announces signature guitar line with Aristides

March 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Spiritbox guitarist Mike Stringer has announced a new signature guitar line in collaboration with the company Aristides.

Dubbed the STX Collection, the line includes five distinct models and offers multiple string configurations.

“I first started playing Aristides guitars in 2015, and their instruments have shaped the overall sound of my band, our recordings, and my playing,” Stringer says. “Today, after 10 years of playing their guitars, I am very proud and honored to announce the launch of the first ever Aristides artist collaboration line: The STX series. An offset model available in 6, 7, and 8 string configurations, focused on ergonomics, quality and precision.”

“My entire career, I’ve been trying to find the instrument that covers all the ground I need,” he continues. “We’ve accomplished this with the STX. I cannot wait for guitarists to get their hands on one!”

You can watch a playthrough video of Stringer jamming an STX guitar on the Spiritbox song “Perfect Soul” on YouTube.

For more info, visit AristidesInstruments.com.

“Perfect Soul” appears on the new Spiritbox album Tsunami Sea, out now. Spiritbox will launch a U.S. tour in support of the record in April.

Gene Simmons stands by his $12,000 roadie experience

March 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Gene Simmons stands by his ,000 roadie experience

Gene Simmons stands by his $12,000 roadie experience — Disney/Eric McCandless

Gene Simmons made headlines when it was revealed he was offering up the chance to be his roadie for a day to a fan willing to shell out $12,495 for the experience. While many fans were shocked by the price tag, the KISS rocker says he thinks it’s totally worth it.

“When I was a kid and went to see shows, I was always curious, ‘What’s it like when they’re in a hotel? What’s it like when the stage is set up? What’s it like being onstage when they’re performing and seeing the audience from the stage?’” Simmons tells The New York Post. “I decided, ‘You know what, nobody’s ever done it. Why not open the idea to be my personal roadie for the day?’”

“The Ultimate Gene Simmons Experience” is only available to one person per show, but that person will become a member of the Gene Simmons Band crew for the entire day. They’ll help load in and set up for the show, and get a GSB crew member shirt, hat and laminate.

Plus, the purchaser and their guest will get some personal time with Simmons and receive a signed bass guitar Simmons used for rehearsals.

“You meet at the hotel where you have breakfast together or, you know, whatever floats your boat,” Simmons tells the paper. “You ride with me to the gig. You can set up amplifiers and drums to your heart’s content. You’re onstage, right offstage to my right. You can video the crowds, whatever. And I pull you onstage to sing a song with me.”

More info can be found at genesimmonsaxe.com.

After postponing several tour dates scheduled for April, the Gene Simmons Band is set to kick off their tour on May 2 in Peachtree City, Georgia. A complete list of dates can be found at GeneSimmons.com.

Marvel announces star-studded cast of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

March 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The Avengers are assembling. Again.

Marvel announced the cast of Avengers: Doomsday during a livestream and on its social media channels on Wednesday.

The film’s cast members include Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, Winston Duke as M’Baku and Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr.

Superheroes that audiences have yet to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will also join this new ensemble. Vanessa Kirby will join the crew as Sue Storm, Ebon Moss-Bachrach joins as The Thing and Joseph Quinn joins as Johnny Storm. All three actors make their Marvel debut in the upcoming film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which releases in theaters on July 25.

Lewis Pullman also joins the movie in the role of Bob Reynolds, or Sentry. He debuts as the character in the upcoming film Thunderbolts*, which releases on May 2.

Notably, many actors from the X-Men franchise have joined the film, including Patrick Stewart. He famously played Professor Charles Xavier and previously made a cameo in the 2022 film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Kelsey Grammer has also joined the film’s cast. He previously reprised his X-Men role of Beast in the post-credits scene of the 2023 film The Marvels. Ian McKellen will also appear in the film. He previously played Magneto in the X-Men films. Alan Cumming, who played Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, is also set to be in the movie, along with Rebecca Romijn, who played Mystique in the X-Men franchise and James Marsden, who played Cyclops.

It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024 that Robert Downey Jr. would make his return to the MCU in the upcoming Avengers film. Instead of playing Iron Man, however, Downey will play the villain Doctor Doom.

Avengers: Doomsday finds brothers Joe and Anthony Russo back in the directors chairs. They return to Marvel after having helmed the two Captain America films Winter Solider and Civil War, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

Avengers: Doomsday crashes into movie theaters on May 1, 2026.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Disney is the parent company of Marvel and ABC News.

Luke Kirby stars in trailer for Amy Sherman-Palladino dance world comedy ‘Étoile’

March 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The trailer for Amy Sherman-Palladino‘s latest comedy series has arrived.

Amazon Prime Video released the official trailer for Étoile on Wednesday. It marks the latest project from Sherman-Palladino, who created Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

The new series focuses on the competitive ballet world and centers on the heads of two rival dance companies.

Mrs. Maisel fan-favorite Luke Kirby plays Jack, the head of a New York company, while French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg plays Genevieve, the head of a company in Paris.

Both companies seem to be in a bit of a rut. In order to fix this, Genevieve suggests they swap dancers.

“We trade our top talent, Paris and New York. Put fresh faces out there, get people interested in dance again,” Genevieve says in the trailer.

The studios’ top ballerinas are played by Lou de Laâge and Gideon Glick, who star in the Paris and New York dance companies, respectively.

Also featured in the trailer are David Alvarez, Simon Callow, David Haig, dancer LaMay Zhang in her screen debut and Gilmore Girls alum Yanic Truesdale.

Ètoile premieres on Prime Video on April 24.

Ariana Grande becomes an old woman in teaser for ‘Brighter Days’ film

March 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

What would Ariana Grande look like as an old woman? We’ll find out on Friday, when she releases Brighter Days, the short film she’s created to promote the deluxe version of her album eternal sunshine.

Ari posted a snippet of the film to Instagram Wednesday. It shows Ari as Peaches, her character from the video from “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” at the Brighter Days clinic. In the original video, Peaches goes to the clinic to get memories of her ex-boyfriend wiped, just like the characters in the 2004 film that inspired the video and album: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

But this time around, Peaches appears to have aged. We see her from behind, sitting in a wheelchair in the waiting room, as a robotic voice calls, “Is there a Peaches here? Peaches?”

Ariana shared to her Instagram Stories of a shot of her hands — which are now old and wrinkled — holding a peach-shaped purse. There’s also a shot of her cascading gray hair.

As previously reported, eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead will include several new songs, including “Twilight Zone,” “Hampstead,” “Past Life,” “Dandelion” and “Warm.” She’s hosting screenings of the short film in theaters in Boca Raton, Chicago, LA and New York on March 30.

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