Category: 5. Entertainment

A high-stakes dance competition is on the horizon, putting Abhira against Geetanjali, with Maira’s love and acceptance hanging precariously in the balance.

Published: Saturday,Aug 09, 2025 03:27 AM GMT-06:00

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, the popular Star Plus show produced by Rajan Shahi’s Director’s Kut, continues to captivate audiences with its engaging storylines and complex characters. The show, starring Samridhii Shukla as Abhira and Rohit Purohit as Armaan, has taken a significant turn after a major time jump, introducing fresh plot twists that keep viewers hooked.

Current track of the show revolves around Maira finally agrees to give Abhira a chance after Armaan and Geetanjali’s convincing efforts. Fans are excited to see Maira and Abhira’s bond grow. However, a bigger twist looms: Abhira has one month to prove herself to Maira, or she’ll step aside and let Geetanjali take Maira back. Unbeknownst to Abhira, Geetanjali has already decided to reclaim Maira, regardless of Abhira’s efforts. Geetanjali has secretly placed a phone in Maira’s teddy bear, allowing her to covertly communicate with Maira and influence her thoughts, ensuring Abhira’s efforts will be futile.

In tonight’s episode, Abhira grapples with Maira’s allergy, confronting Armaan’s hypocrisy. Her distress escalates as Maira confesses to seeing Geetanjali as her mother.

The recently released promo shows Abhira telling Maira that she was about to bring a gift for her. Maira then informs Abhira that a national dance contest will be happening soon, where children will participate along with their parents, and shocks Abhira by asking her if she can participate with Geetanjali. Meanwhile, Armaan will ask Maira on a video call why she won’t be participating with Abhira. Maira will express concerns about Abhira’s lack of classical dance skills, but Armaan will reassure her that Abhira will learn it for her. Maira will then decide that both Abhira and Geetu will practice, and she’ll choose her partner later. Abhira will firmly decide to win the competition for Maira’s sake.

A high-stakes dance competition is on the horizon, putting Abhira against Geetanjali, with Maira’s love and acceptance hanging precariously in the balance. The battle transcends mere performance, evolving into an emotional showdown that puts their bond with Maira to the test, exposing the depths of their love and motherhood.

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown is in the books, and with SummerSlam in the rearview mirror, WWE’s Clash in Paris at the end of the month is front and center. This SmackDown felt like it picked up on many of the big momentum swings from SummerSlam in a number of ways, and though there were some fun matches tonight, it was actually the various backstage and in-ring segments that stole the show more often than not. We’re here to break down the biggest moments of the night and reveal whether they were huge hits or big misses, and let’s start with the very first segment of the night.

Hit: Cena’s Unexpected Opponent

Cena started off the show in a way only he can, and the crowd gave him a hero’s welcome. Having Logan Paul come out and be his adversary was not something I expected, but it was actually pretty great, and it builds off the brief alliance the two had during Cena’s heel days. If the Cena that showed up at SummerSlam is accounted for at Clash in Paris, this could be another great entry in Cena’s retirement tour, as Paul has shown he can deliver big moments and hold his own.

While Lesnar is clearly looking over Cena’s next move, he will likely create an awesome match with Paul at Clash in Paris in the meantime, and if Lesnar is involved in that match in some way, we could see Cena lose there once all is said and done.

Hit: MVP LeRae

Those who tuned into SummerSlam’s epic WWE Tag Team TLC match will remember that Candice LeRae had one of the biggest moments of the night when she careened off the ladder and then landed directly onto another ladder positioned between the ring and the announce table. Tonight LeRae revealed the gnarly bruise that the impact caused, but WWE also utilized the fall she took (and Johnny Gargano’s lack of care after the fact) to feed the rivalry between DIY and the Street Profits as well as the internal turmoil amongst Gargano (or Husband of the Year) and LeRae, and it made for fantastic TV. Also, anytime LeRae can be more involved on the TV side is a win in itself.

Hit: The Return of Charly

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Early in the show, Charlotte Flair teased that she had a surprise for Alexa Bliss, and while the first impression was a birthday cake that was mostly for Flair, The Queen did eventually deliver. That’s because Flair revealed the return of something Bliss gave her over 4 years ago, and that’s Lilly’s best pal Charly.

During Bliss and Flair’s previous feud, Bliss gave Flair her own version of Lilly, complete with a Championship Title, and her name was Charly. At the time, Flair was less than enthused, but times have changed quite a bit, and now the allies (not friends…yet) are the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Bringing Charly back was a fun nod to their previous story, but it was also one more step to truly being friends and hugging, and this moment from Flair was absolutely hilarious. These two can’t help but shine in every segment together, and hopefully, fans get to see them stick together for a considerable length of time.

Hit: Always Creating a Moment

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Bliss and Flair were interrupted by Chelsea Green and her Secret Hervice, which ended up creating a match between Flair and Green. The match was fun and further solidified the alliance between Flair and Bliss, but it would be Green delivering the most unforgettable moment of the match, as she had her face slammed into a birthday cake in the ring. While another loss for Green is regrettable, Green is one of the best at turning anything into a standout moment, and this was no different. Green turned a loss into comedy gold, so while we’d love to see her win more, you can’t do anything but praise what she turned this loss into.

Miss: Missing from the Ring

WWE made a big splash when it revealed that Giulia was going to be calling WWE SmackDown home, and then she was able to take Zelina Vega down and attain Championship gold as the new WWE Women’s United States Champion. Vega would get a rematch for the Title on the July 25th episode of SmackDown, and while Giulia would retain, she hasn’t returned to the ring in the two weeks since.

The good news is we have seen Giulia in backstage segments, as she has been paired with Kiana James as her new manager, but that hasn’t led to any sort of match or announcement of one. While Giulia holding the Championship is great, it would be even better to see her in the ring defending it, and at this rate, it could be another two weeks before we actually see that happen. That said…

Hit: Michin is Priceless

After a segment between Giulia and Jade Cargill, Michin came in and stole the show. Michin asked Cargill what she was going to do with James’ business card, and when Jade gave it to her, Michin said she might have to call the one with the glasses to line up a US Title shot, and then ended with a hilarious laugh as she walked away with a random kendo stick. Michin is always gold in the ring, and if we get a fun side of her like this in promos and backstage segments, her TV time will be even better.

Hit: Cena and Truth

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Right off the bat, Ron Killings (R-Truth) is finally back on TV, and that’s an immediate hit right there, but the segment got even better. That’s because Killings ran into Cena in the back, and they then proceeded to mime each other as Killings celebrated the return of his hero.

After Killings celebrated the return of the real Cena, Cena then hilariously attributed his entire heel run to Killings, saying “you started really acting weird for like 5 months”, and then said “it’s good to have you back” as he left. Killings looked confused and then happy about the return, and it was a welcome reminder that not only is Killings always great, but when he’s with Cena, it can only be a good thing.

What did you think of WWE SmackDown tonight and our picks? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!

In the wake of SummerSlam weekend, Friday’s episode of “WWE SmackDown” headed north to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and promised visits from both John Cena and Cody Rhodes. After the “Raw after SummerSlam” delivered the goods, it was up to the blue brand to keep the momentum going.

Welcome back, John Cena!

However you may feel about the John Cena heel turn, it’s hard to argue that the next four-plus months of Cena’s retirement tour aren’t better off because of the past four.

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In Cena’s promo he said the audience at home could feel the energy of the Montreal crowd through our screens, and he was absolutely correct. Just like the 60,000 strong at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night, the Montreal crowd erupted when Cena’s music opened the show.

Here’s the reality about the Cena turn. The initial shock was immense, but with it somehow came even larger expectations. For a generations of fans who lived through Hulk Hogan joining the nWo and Seth Rollins betraying The Shield, the belief was Cena could come close to or exceed those as a bad guy.

While that didn’t happen — partially due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, as Paul Heyman alluded to during his visit on “The Ariel Helwani Show” — we did get a record-breaking 17th championship, fresh feuds with Randy Orton and CM Punk, arguably the best match of his career against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam and now we get this final run, 11 more dates where we can appreciate Cena one more time.

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Cena’s show-opening promo turned into a tease of his looming program with Brock Lesnar and then he issued his usual open challenge to the locker room, which Logan Paul answered. Paul challenged Cena to a match at Clash in Paris at the end of the month and, before he gave his answer, Cena was attacked by Drew McIntyre. Rhodes made the save, and the main event for the night was set.

Ultimately, the main event served as a way to set up Rhodes’ next challenger for the Undisputed WWE Championship, as after Paul delivered a low blow to Cena and the two fought to the back, McIntyre eviscerated Rhodes, culminating with a Claymore Kick through the announcers’ table in a very unique spot. McIntyre vs. Rhodes will almost certainly happen at Clash in Paris.

🎉 🥳 Birthdays, buddies and beatdowns

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss remain arguably the best thing in WWE right now. The Flair-Bliss birthday segment wasn’t quite “This is Your Life” or “The Festival of Friendship,” but it drew great pop and continued the momentum these two have been building since being paired together.

Chelsea Green — wildly underrated — interrupted, insulted the Montreal Canadiens (she’s a British Columbia native) and found herself in a singles match against Flair. These two had a good TV match that culminated in the…

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🎂 Uncrowned Cake of the Night 🎂

As the match reached its closing stages, Green called for her Secret Her-Vice to put a sheet cake into the ring. Green lined up to deliver an Un-Pretty-Her to Flair onto the cake that was reversed and led to a Figure Eight leg lock and submission. The subtlety in Green filling her hands with cake and spreading it on her face, enough for Flair to get a taste in the submission hold, showed the brilliance and little things that help make good moments great.

New Bloodline in the hunt for the tag titles

The Motor City Machine Guns lost a tag match against JC Mateo and Talla Tonga. The match itself was solid — is there ever anything lower when MCMG is involved — and it injected a much-needed new threat into the tag-team division on “SmackDown.” An unreal TLC match at SummerSlam resulted in the Wyatt Sicks retaining, essentially making them untouchable as champions when it comes to the other teams involved in said match.

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Solo Sikoa’s MFT faction is one of the few that can match up from a numbers perspective with the Wyatt Sicks, so this feels like a good direction to go in, even if it has Tonga and Mateo jumping the line.

In the aftermath, Solo Sikoa cut a promo and earned himself a match with hometown hero Sami Zayn. Zayn picked up a big win, utilizing his knowledge of Sikoa and his faction’s tactics to please the Montreal crowd. Zayn’s usually on “Raw” and faces Rusev on Monday night, so the result here shouldn’t throw a wrench into the United States Championship picture.

🤔 Friday findings 🤔

1. The Wyatt Sicks cut a promo that was the usual levels of cryptic and creepy, but Nikki Cross had a line that stood out, saying their actions weren’t for “fame” or “glory.” With Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis standing there with the tag titles on their shoulders, it sends a different message. I’m not a fan of keeping championships off TV, but it would have made sense here.

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2. Sticking with the tag division, it looks like “Miz is Money” is making a return. I love this for both Carmelo Hayes and The Miz, but it also illustrates the issue with having the Wyatt Sicks on top as a dominant, supernatural faction. The same problem presents itself with DIY and Street Profits, who will face one another next week.

3. Aleister Black delivered one of his best promos since coming back to WWE on Friday. He should make a move up the card fast on “SmackDown.”

4. The R-Truth heel turn is officially over, thankfully.

👑 The path to WWE’s next PLE is a lot clearer, at least at the top of the card. I’m still having a tough time with the Wyatt Sicks, but this was a good show. I give this show a Crown score of: 8/10 👑

Princess Beatrice’s husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, rang in her 37th birthday late Friday with a sweet birthday tribute.

King Charles’ niece, who turned 37 on August 8, got a public shoutout from her property developer husband later that day after her mother, Sarah Ferguson, and sister, Princess Eugenie, also extended birthday wishes.

“Happy Birthday to my BEAUTIFUL wife. You are the greatest. We love you so much,” Edo, 41, shared on Instagram along with her photo taken at Royal Ascot in June 2023.

He signed off the note with the initials of his name and their three children, including her stepson Christopher Woolf, 9, whom Edo welcomed with a former partner before marrying Beatrice.

Beatrice and Edo later welcomed their first child, daughter Sienna, 3, in September 2021, and a second child, daughter Athena, 6 months, in January.

Princess Beatrice is Prince Andrew and Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson’s elder daughter. Although Beatrice is not a full-time working royal and currently works as a strategist for tech firm Afiniti, Beatrice is still ninth in line to the throne, while her daughters are tenth and eleventh, respectively.

Yet, neither the Prince and Princess of Wales nor King Charles and Queen Camilla have released any public message to ring in Princess Beatrice’s birthday.

However, it is expected that King Charles has a “nice gift” for Princess Beatrice despite an apparent rift in the family owing to her father’s scandals.

A former royal butler, Grant Harrold, who served the royal family at Highgrove from 2004 to 2011, has lifted the curtain on how King Charles will mark Beatrice’s special day.

“King Charles will be eager to celebrate Princess Beatrice,” Harrold said, per Gloucestershire Live.

“While the celebrations may be a private affair, a celebration is anticipated, reflecting her quiet but valued presence within the Firm. I don’t see any big celebrations, as it’s not a major birthday,” Grant added.

He further explained, “I think Beatrice will go for a quiet and private affair with best wishes from the whole family, and a nice gift from King Charles.”

“He doesn’t tend to give money, so I imagine he would give Beatrice a piece of jewellery,” Grant further noted.

Machine Gun Kelly revealed his secret rehab stint he took last year in the wake of his split from Megan Fox in November.

MGK released his new album, Lost Americana, on August 8, in which he hinted at his breakup from ex-fiancée Fox and dished on what really happened between them.

In the track Treading Water, featured in his new album, he also candidly spoke about his secret rehab stint at the end of last year.

“I just broke somethin’, but I’m fixated on the gossip that I know is happenin’/ While I’m just being left out of the conversation,” Kelly sings in the new song.

The rapper shared in The New York Times’ Popcast podcast on Friday about his rehab stating, “Here’s the real deal, I spent Christmas and New Year’s, the whole month of December and late November, in a rehab facility. I came out, the world was very loud about me and my personal business,” via Daily Mail.

“Ironically, neither me or Megan have said anything. To this day, there could have been zero drama, and you would never know, because none of us have said one thing,” he continued. “It’s all claims and things that have happened out of our control, I guess. I came home to this.”

Kelly, whose real name is Colson Baker, reveals in the track that he penned the song while “in Room Three, spending Christmas in rehabilitation.

“It’s a complicated relationship, that’s nobody’s business,” he hit back at the rumors of their relationship.

He further noted in the podcast that Fox, who was pregnant with their daughter Saga at the time of their split, had her water break soon after he completed his album, “So my baby was up there like, ‘Nah, dad, you’re going to finish the album first.’ Saga was waiting for the intro, damn.”

IFor those unversed, the rapper and Fox welcomed their now-4-month-old baby girl, Saga, in March.

Blake Lively’s deposition sealed in legal battle with Justin Baldoni

Blake Lively’s deposition in her ongoing legal dispute with her It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni has been sealed.

Judge Lewis Liman, presiding over the case in New York, ordered last week that the nearly 300-page deposition be sealed, further accusing Baldoni’s lawyers of inviting “scandal.”

The judge criticised Baldoni’s legal team for attaching the entire transcript to a court filing despite only referencing two pages.

“The Wayfarer Parties’ attachment of the entire, nearly 300-page deposition—after citing only two pages of it in the Letter—served no proper litigation purpose and instead appears to have been intended to burden Lively (and as a result, the Court) and to invite public speculation and scandal,” Litman wrote in his order.

The judge said Baldoni’s team failed to argue that the full deposition was relevant, suggesting the filing was a strategic move to prompt a public-relations response from Lively. 

“The conclusion is inescapable that the Wayfarer Parties filed gratuitous amounts of irrelevant pages so that, if Lively moved for continued sealing of the irrelevant pages, the Wayfarer Parties could then use Lively’s response for their own public-relations purposes. The Court has not only the power but also the responsibility to step in,” the judge concluded.

The legal battle stems from Lively’s allegations that Baldoni sexually harassed her during the film’s production, and Baldoni’s counterclaim accusing Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, of attempting to destroy his career through false allegations.

In June, both lawsuits were dismissed, with the court ruling that Lively’s harassment claims are legally protected.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mom, Pamela Warner, tugged at some heartstrings as she remembered him.

Three weeks post Malcolm-Jamal’s death, his mother Pamela spoke for the first time by taking to her Instagram and starting the “Malcolm-Jamal Warner Living Legacy” account.

In the first post of the handle, she announced that through the account, the team “will be sharing updates on the work being done” in the memory of her son, who tragically passed away due to drowning on a family vacation on July 22.

“This is the official account honoring Malcolm-Jamal Warner, lovingly run by his mother, Pamela Warner,” the first post read.

On August 8, a second post was uploaded in which Pamela penned down a touching note to pay tribute to Malcolm-Jamal.

“Needless to say our hearts are heavy with the loss of Malcolm, the post began. “He was a kind, loving man with a huge heart for humanity. He wanted all to be aware of their inner strength and that they could succeed, accomplish and transform.”

“This was his latest mission and work, transformation, in order for you to be fully present in your life,” she noted.

Gushing over Malcolm-Jamal as “exceptional husband, father, and son,” who was ” deeply in love with life, his wife, and his daughter.”

Sharing insights into her and Malcolm Jamal, she wrote, “He was not only my son, but also my teacher, coach, confidant, business partner, and best friend. He was the son that his father was immensely proud of and loved fiercely and unconditionally.”

“He was in love with the magic of being an actor, always studying and honing his craft. Though he began his musical journey a little later in life, at 26, he excelled as a bassist and formed his own band, Miles Long. A poet as well as a musician, he released four albums — two Grammy-nominations and one Grammy award.”

While expressing the comfort in heart that Malcolm must be in peace noting, he was given birth in water and his soul departed through water, she acknowledged, “This was his time. His mission on earth had been completed.”

“Hold close to whatever part of Malcolm’s life that touched yours. In keeping it near, you keep his spirit alive — nourishing you with the peace, love, joy and light that embodied Malcolm-Jamal Warner,” she concluded.

Imagine walking into science class and instead of learning about real elements like hydrogen or oxygen, you find a Periodic Table filled with your favourite superheroes!

That’s precisely what The Periodic Table of Marvel does — it turns Marvel characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man and Thanos into colourful, element-style symbols in a big, bold and super cool book.

Created by DK and Marvel Entertainment, this book isn’t about real chemistry, but it makes you feel like a science project. Unlike major or minor components, metals or non-metals, this book brings to you over a 100 heroes, villains, gadgets and teams spread over 190-odd pages. With fun categories like Villains, Cosmic Beings and Tech Users, you won’t feel for a moment that you are not in a chemistry class.

The book tells you about the Powers, Affiliations, Famous moments and Cool stats of nearly all of Marvel’s Characters.

Written by Marvel expert Melanie Scott, this book is styled like the Periodic Table. Instead of organising characters alphabetically or by movie/story, this book uses a periodic table layout, like the one you see in science class — but for superheroes! Each character has a symbol (like Iron Man = Fe, Spider-Man = Sm).

Do you know that the Infinity Gauntlet is listed as its own “element” in the Tech section? Are you aware that Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord, and Groot are grouped under “Cosmic Beings,” reflecting their deep connection to space adventures, much like outer space elements in a chemistry chart. The book reveals unexpected connections, such as how Ant-Man and Ultron are linked by science and shrinking technology.

You can read it all at once like a comic adventure or flip through it anytime you want to discover something new. Each character gets their full-page profile, complete with amazing pictures, fun facts, powers and significant moments from their stories.

The book is perfect for kids ages 8–14 who love Marvel and want to know more about the characters. Don’t worry, if you are a DC fan, this book is designed to make you closer to Marvel. It’s not a deep dive, but it is a great way to explore the Marvel universe without getting overwhelmed.

Parents can also dive in and relive their days as schoolboys. They can even educate themselves by going through the book.

Published in Dawn, Young World, August 9th, 2025

WHEN you go out for a meal to a fancy restaurant, this is how matters proceed. As soon as you are seated, everyone grabs their phones and takes videos of the decor and ambience. This includes shots of the menu, the table arrangements and the general environment. Then, as soon as the food arrives, it must be photographed before it is eaten. Sizzling or smoking plates, blowtorches flaming crusts — all the dramatic touches are duly recorded. After the meal, there is another photo shoot, lipsticks are refreshed and cheeks sucked in. If there are five people, there will be as many takes of the photos, sometimes in multiple locations inside and outside the eatery.

As someone who is tired of this part of maintaining social relationships, I find this sort of thing tiresome and inauthentic. I am in a minority, however, because broadcasting where one eats, who one eats with, what one eats and what one wears when one eats has become the mainstay of social experience. If it is not promptly Instagrammed, we are forced to admit it didn’t happen, wasn’t enjoyed or had no value.

Value, in fact, is central to all of this. In the social media multiverse, our much-curated images and the record of our lives are equal to the value of our company. In other words, company is now a commodity and must be advertised and branded as one. Those who are not willing to participate in this marketplace of individual branding are increasingly outliers. If you feel strongly about your non-participation, you must let people know in advance and stand tolerantly to the side as others showcase their brand.

Influencers are to blame for this state of affairs. We all know that professional content creators engage in all this to burnish their credentials and boost reach; they imagine themselves the celebrities they almost are. Their habits, all of them designed to make us believe that they are ‘just like us’, are fed to an unthinking, scrolling public via 30-second reels or 20-minute vlogs. Influencers, we believe, are more or less benign, and the entertainment they provide is neutral in nature.

Influencer content is hardly real.

But the part that consumers miss is how the behaviour and strategies deployed by influencers are transforming the way in which we see ourselves and others. The people at the restaurant referred to earlier are not influencers. They may have a few hundred followers at most. Yet they feel pressured to use the strategies and vocabulary of influencers to present themselves as a valuable commodity. This is not to say that, prior to the advent of social media, people were not assessed based on their social capital. Indeed, they joined exclusive clubs to project just that. The difference is that in the current age of influencer domination, we have become obsessed with actions that will look good on social media.

Similar things can be said about the strategies that social media influencers use to appear ‘authentic’ or ‘relatable’. These strategies increase their viewership and earn them endorsements. They are devised by ‘algorithmic experts’, who evaluate which platforms push which content. Hence, influencers who go viral do not do so ‘accidentally’ because some of their content resonated with a large population. They go viral because they have crafted their content in a way that boosts its circulation and appears authentic to the public.

An example of this is deliberate mispronunciation. Influencers know if they mispronounce a word, many people will res­pond to their instinct to correct the in­­­f­luencer. This, in turn, will annoy others who will call out the correctors for ‘judging’. Engagement will go up and incr­e­­­­ase ‘views’ and ‘li-kes’. Another example is rage-bait. This occurs when an in­­fluencer deliberat­e­­ly does something unsightly, like wearing an ugly outfit. Once again, viewers will respond to the instinct to correct or berate, in the process earning dollars for the influencer who baited them.

Then there’s the ‘apology video’ — for instance, when an influencer does something stupid or is rude to a spouse or criticises a child. The fake controversy garners attention and criticism, only to be followed by the apology video in which fake tears are shed to pretend that influencers are just as fallible as their viewers. In the meantime, many wannabe influencers start putting up their own videos in which they end up sharing all sorts of intimate information that should never be online.

Influencer content, like so many other media, is hardly real. It is only when those who consume influencer content become aware of this truth that people will stop pretending that an untapped audience exists for their restaurant visits. Until then, wait 10 minutes before biting into that burger so it can be captured from every angle.

The writer is an attorney teaching constitutional law and political philosophy.

rafia.zakaria@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025

Blake Lively scored two legal wins in her ongoing courtroom battle with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.

On Friday, Aug. 8, Manhattan federal judge Lewis Liman ordered that Blake Lively’s recent deposition transcript remain sealed for the time being. He also criticized Justin Baldoni’s legal team for submitting nearly 300 pages when only a few excerpts were relevant.

Liman wrote:

“The Wayfarer Parties’ attachment of the entire, nearly 300-page deposition — after citing only two pages of it in the Letter — served no proper litigation purpose and instead appears to have been intended to burden Lively (and as a result, the Court) and to invite public speculation and scandal.”

The court removed the transcript from the public record but noted it may reappear later, including at the March 2026 trial.

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Justin Baldoni’s legal tactics against Blake Lively slammed as “media circus”

Earlier this week, Blake Lively’s lawyers accused Justin Baldoni of “creating a media circus” by releasing the transcript the day after she was deposition.

The motion also states that leaks to the Daily Mail and TMZ sparked misleading stories, including comments about her attire, and falsely suggested that only Baldoni and his attorney Bryan Freedman were present during the deposition, when in fact she:

“needed a large contingent of people with her to testify, while misleadingly suggesting that only Mr. Baldoni and [his attorney Bryan] Freedman were present for the deposition on their side.”

Contrary to claims that Baldoni attended with only his lawyer, he was accompanied by the Con Man star and Wayfarer execs Steve Sarowitz, Jamey Heath, Jennifer Abel, and Melissa Nathan. She was also questioned directly by two of his eight attorneys present, who represented the Wayfarer and Wallace parties.

Baldoni’s legal team said the filing was meant to counter accusations of a smear campaign. However, Liman was not persuaded, stating:

“The conclusion is inescapable that the Wayfarer Parties filed gratuitous amounts of irrelevant pages so that, if Lively moved for continued sealing of the irrelevant pages, the Wayfarer Parties could then use Lively’s response for their own public-relations purposes. The Court has not only the power but also the responsibility to step in.”

Meanwhile, Blake Lively’s representative spoke with People and said that they are:

“pleased with the outcome of her deposition and now look forward to deposing Justin Baldoni and each of the co-defendants in short order.”

They added:

“Deposition testimony is confidential for good reason — it’s evidence in a legal proceeding and is subject to objections and evidentiary rules. Juries aren’t just handed deposition transcripts to read at home, and instead they listen to testimony that is presented at trial under a judge’s supervision.”

Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against Baldoni in December, alleging misconduct on the set of It Ends With Us.

Baldoni denied the allegations and filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, which was dismissed by Judge Liman in June.

Both parties are expected to testify when the case goes to trial in New York in March 2026.