- Pop Base
- Posts
- Pop Base: FIFA World Cup Halftime show, Menendez Brother's Appeal, and More!
Pop Base: FIFA World Cup Halftime show, Menendez Brother's Appeal, and More!
2026 FIFA World Cup to introduce halftime show for the first time
During the Global Citizen Festival, FIFA and Global Citizen unveiled plans to collaborate and produce the first-ever Super Bowl-style halftime show at the 2026 World Cup final, scheduled for July 19 in the New York New Jersey Stadium.
The partnership extends beyond this initiative, forming a broader four-year agreement between the two organizations. Global Citizen, an advocacy group renowned for hosting entertainment events to raise funds and fight world hunger, has joined forces with FIFA. Through this collaboration, they aim to use football to drive positive change in society.
“Through this partnership, FIFA and Global Citizen will bring together the worlds of sport and entertainment to actively contribute to a better world. We are committing to a series of joint activities that will help promote access to football and engage fans of the sport in an effort to create positive change in their local communities,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino declared.
“Together with FIFA, we have a remarkable opportunity to broaden our movement of action takers… FIFA and Global Citizen share a common vision to work with football fans around the world with a view to driving positive action towards ending extreme poverty by ensuring that all children have access to quality education,” Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans asserted.
Evans pointed out that approximately 5 billion people engaged with the previous World Cup in some manner. FIFA also proclaimed that roughly 1.5 billion people tuned in to watch the game live. The two organizations plan to utilize such an audience in collective action by incentivizing those who participate in the cause with various promotions, which will include the chance to win tickets to the FIFA Club World Cup matches.
Before the World Cup in 2026, Global Citizen is also set to join the preparation for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. This is a new competition that will take place in 11 American cities and will feature 32 different clubs from six continental confederations.
Erik Menendez’s daughter announces appeal results to be released within 60 days
Erik Menendez’s daughter Talia Menendez took to Instagram to announce that the result of the appeal on their family’s case will be released in the next two months.
“Within 60 days we will hear back from the LA County District Attorney office regarding their decision for Erik's and Lyle's appeal for freedom filed in May last year. As everyone knows, there was new evidence proving the abuse endured after decades of not being believed and that evidence had been excluded from the retrial,” she explained in a statement posted through her Instagram story.
The new evidence in question is a letter written by Erik detailing the abuse to his cousin Andy, dated December 1998–months before the killing of their parents took place. “It’s still happening, Andy, but it’s worse for me now… Every night, I stay up thinking he might come in… I’m afraid… He’s crazy. He’s warned me a hundred times about telling anyone, especially Lyle,“ the letter reads.
A new witness, Roy Rosello, also came forward with a sworn affidavit stating that he was also a victim of abuse perpetrated by their father. This occurred when Rosello was still a member of Menudo, a Puerto Rican boy band that Jose Menendez handled.
According to Talia, there are four possible outcomes for the appeal. First, the Court can declare that the brothers have completed their time and prepare them for release. Second, they can be made to serve three to five years more. Third, the appeal can be redirected to the parole board which is “not a great option” because “the case will become political.” Lastly, there could be no change at all and the brothers will continue to serve their sentence of life without parole.
“I'm praying the DA/judge has compassion not only for what my dad and uncle endured but also the fact that all of us family wants them home. Almost 35 years is enough time locked away. They have spent more time incarcerated than alive in the real world,” Talia added.
Recently, the Menendez trials regained attention from the public with the release of Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The series followed the real-life story of Erik and Lyle who were convicted of murdering their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez. Their defense argued the killings were a response to years of physical and sexual abuse, while some viewed it as a scheme to gain access to their parent's inheritance.
Last week, Erik expressed his disapproval of Murphy’s “inaccurate” and “dishonest portrayal.” The director then responded by clarifying that he never reached out to the Menendez family, nor does he have any intention of doing so, despite the series being based on their story.
Murphy believes that he is doing the family a favor.
“I have no interest in talking to them […] They are now being talked about by millions of people all over the world [...] And I think the interesting thing about it is it’s asking people to answer the questions, ‘Should they get a new trial? Should they be let out of jail? What happens in our society? Should people be locked away for life? Is there no chance ever at rehabilitation?’ I’m interested in that, and a lot of people are talking about it. We’re asking really difficult questions, and it’s giving these brothers another trial in the court of public opinion.”
The More You Know
KISS OF LIFE teases its new album Lose Yourself with a 6-minute sampler featuring snippets of each track. The album will be out on October 15.
SEVENTEEN also released track samples for their six new songs on their Instagram account, giving fans a taste of what to expect from their upcoming album, SPILL THE FEELS. The album will be available on all streaming sites on October 14 at 5 AM (ET).
aespa, the K-Pop girl group renowned for their iconic aesthetic and the intricate lore underlying their songs, dropped new ae-character designs for their October comeback, “Whiplash.” The videos showcasing the new characters are available on the group’s official Youtube channel.
BLACKPINK members Lisa and Jennie are both gearing up for their respective solo comebacks. Lisa premiered a new song titled “Moonlit Floor” during her performance at Global Citizen Festival 2024. The song will be officially released on October 5. Meanwhile, Jennie just unveiled a teaser video talking about the “Pretty Girl Mantra”, hinting at a forthcoming music release centered on such a theme.
Kelli Welsh, the ex-fiancée of Lana Del Rey’s alligator tour guide husband Jeremy Dufrene comes forward to say she was just as surprised as everyone over the wedding: “I am in shock because we were engaged for 12 years, and he got married after one month.”