“Umbrella” changed everything for Rihanna. The Barbados-born pop sensation had burst onto the scene in 2005 with “Pon De Replay,” reaching No. 2 in the US and hitting Top 10s worldwide. “SOS” went one better the following year, securing the top spot in the US and establishing Rihanna as a global force. But “Umbrella” marked the point where Rihanna not only enjoyed one of the biggest international hits of the decade, but also found an identity of her own. Her career to date had seen her flirting with genres and image as she found her feet – from the moment she coolly intoned the “ella ella eh” hook she became the edgier, more sophisticated Rihanna who’d go on to conquer the pop world.
It could all have been very different. The song – written by Christopher “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The Dream” Nash – was originally offered to Britney Spears and then to Mary J. Blige, both of whom turned it down. Once Rihanna heard the demo, she was determined to make it her own, as she told The Ellen Show in 2007, “The first time I heard ‘Umbrella’ I just knew how much I loved the song. I thought it had one of the most original sounds of any song that I’ve ever heard…. Eventually, I just went up to one of the managers and was like, ‘This song is mine…. I’m gonna fight you if I don’t have this song.’”
The song itself – an offering of shelter from an emotional storm – came easy. Nash broke down the writing of “Umbrella” in a 2007 interview with Blender, beginning with his reaction when he heard a hi-hat loop that Stewart was working on: “I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, what is that beat?’ Then Tricky starts putting some chords over it, and immediately the word popped into my head: umbrella. I ran over to the vocal booth and started singing… The first verse was written in 60 seconds. Then we had to grow it to the hook. Tricky would put the next chord on there, and I was singing it out: ‘When the sun shines, we’ll shine together.’ I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is crazy.’ I was getting goosebumps.”
In Rihanna, Nash and Stewart found the perfect voice for their stormy R&B power ballad. Nash’s lyrics might’ve felt overly sentimental had they not been sung with her attitude; the harsh, minimal beats and cinematic strings of Stewart’s music may not have worked without Rihanna’s sass and grit. Stewart later told MTV that any doubt over the singer was cast aside in the studio, “When she recorded the ‘ellas,’ you knew your life was about to change if you had anything to do with that record.” Once Rihanna’s vocals were laid down, she called upon her mentor and Def Jam label boss, rapper Jay-Z, to add a verse – a ringing endorsement and sign that “Umbrella” had massive hit potential.
Click to load video
“Umbrella” got its official release on March 29, just over two months after Nash and Stewart wrote it. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks and paved the way for the multi-platinum success of Rihanna’s coming-of-age album, Good Girl Gone Bad. Worldwide success quickly followed: “Umbrella” reigned supreme at the top of the UK charts for 10 weeks and has sold more than six million copies worldwide. Its success also gave Rihanna the confidence and clout to take charge of her own destiny. “Umbrella” had certainly proved a song worth fighting for.
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Alaskans across the state came out to protest on Saturday as part of the third No Kings nationwide day of action against the Trump administration. Crowds braved icy weather to demonstrate with signs, songs and speeches to condemn President Donald Trump and foreign wars, and called for protections of equal rights and democracy.
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
In Juneau, a large crowd gathered at Overstreet Park by the iconic whale statue, under winter sunshine to protest.
“No Kings, No Consent is a peaceful day of mass mobilization in response to this regime’s brutality and their attempts to control us,” said Gina Chalcroft, an organizer with Juneau Indivisible, to cheers from the crowd. “We join with, that we know of, 25 other Alaskan No Kings rallies today, because we know that we can overcome this repression when we unite, because there is power in community.”
The crowd yelled “no consent!” in a call and response style, including to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement patrolling American cities, separating families and killing protesters; Congress cutting health care benefits, and the US invading Venezuela and bombing Iran.
Many signs in the crowd condemned the Iran war, including from veterans, reading “I served for freedom, not fascism” and “war leads to more war, more death, more suffering.”
Heidi Drygas, executive director of the Alaska State Employees Association AFSCME Local 52, the largest public employees union in Alaska, addressed the crowd and urged worker unity. She said rising costs and cuts to social services are pushing Alaskans to the brink.
“Right now, it’s not just the poor and underprivileged who are struggling. Our middle class is vanishing before our very eyes,” Drygas said. “In times like these, silence is not an option. Billionaires are driving up the cost of living for working families, then they go cash in their massive tax breaks at our expense,” she said.
Drygas pointed to cuts in public assistance programs like Medicaid and Medicare as undermining working families, as well as the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown.
“ICE’s efforts are a direct attack on workers’ fundamental freedoms to work with dignity, to raise our families without the threat of violence from our government and safely return home to our loved ones at the end of a working day,” she said.
Juneau resident Dune Rothman helped attendees register to vote or check their voter registration at the No Kings rally on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Speakers condemned the Alaska Division of Elections for sharing a detailed list of Alaskans voter information with the U.S. Department of Justice. At the event, volunteers staffed a voter registration table for attendees to register to vote or check their information.
Juneau resident Dune Rothman said he volunteered to support voter registration at each of the No Kings events.
“I’ve been doing voter registration, non-partisan, for about 40 years, on and off,” he said. “I think it’s really critical now that everybody is checking on their voter registration regularly to make sure that nothing untoward has happened.”
Rothman said he was forced into early retirement last year from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration due to the Trump administration’s mass firings with DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency. Now he spends his time on volunteer work.
“It’s really important that all of the citizens now really stand forward and do their civic duty in the country,” he said.
Demonstrators rally in Seldovia, Alaska for the third No Kings protest on Mar. 28, 2026 (Photo courtesy of Mark Janes)
More than 3,000 No Kings protest events were planned on Saturday nationwide. Social media posts and an online map of events show No Kings rallies in at least 25 communities across Alaska from Kotzebue to Bethel, to Seldovia to Ketchikan. Several participants spoke with the Alaska Beacon after events wrapped on Saturday afternoon.
Nicole Collins is a member of Ketchikan Mayday for Democracy which holds monthly protests and events to protect democracy and raise awareness around local issues in the community. In Ketchikan, she said roughly 250 people of all ages participated in a rally and march, followed by a tailgate party, food donation and voter registration drives.
“Today seemed different than any other times that we’ve been out here. It felt a little more subdued,” she said, and people shared concerns about the Iran war.
“We were promised no new wars,” she said. “We’re putting our troops in danger, and we’re not really sure why, and that there’s a lot of distrust in this administration…. So there’s just a lot of confusion and concern, really just for our country.”
On the Kenai Peninsula, Michele Vasquez, an organizer with the non-partisan community group Many Voices, said it was the largest turnout in Soldotna she’s seen yet, with roughly 400 participants.
Demonstrators are seen at the third No Kings protest in Soldotna on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Michele Vasquez)Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Soldotna on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Michele Vasquez)
“The folks that are protesting today, it is from the far left to the right. I mean, there is no set political spectrum here,” she said. “These are people from all backgrounds.”
She said in the wake of ICE arrests of a family and immediate deportation to Mexico, many protest signs and speakers focused on the Trump administration’s overreach and abuse of power. She said local organizing efforts are also focused on “know your rights” training, outreach and support to local immigrant families.
“I’m just personally overwhelmed by my community and the love and care that each of them have for their country, and want to see it get back on track,” she said.
In Matanuska Susitna Borough community of Wasilla, Dave Musgrave, an organizer with Mat Su United for Progress said approximately 650 people came out to protest on Saturday. He said the event was uncertain due to strong winds throughout the region this week, but people turned out.
“The vibe was upbeat. Everybody was happy to be together,” he said. “We continually have new people show up, and they are so appreciative that, especially here in a very conservative part of the state, they are so appreciative that they found some community that they can connect with that shares their values.”
Musgrave said demonstrators shared concerns about rising prices for daily necessities, tariffs, and U.S. wars abroad. He said while usually there has been a small group of pro-Trump counter protesters at past No Kings events, they didn’t show up on Saturday.
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Wasilla on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Dave Musgrave)
“I’ve always told them they are welcome to be here, that they had their First Amendment rights also, and they’ve always understood it. And we’ve always gotten along pretty well,” he said. “But they weren’t even here today for whatever reason.”
Organizers said protests are ongoing, and they are focused on resisting the Trump administration, and mobilizing voters to win Democratic seats and flip the U.S. Congress to a Democratic majority at the midterm elections in November.
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Claire Richardson, an organizer with Juneau ReSisters addresses the crowd at the third No Kings rally in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Diana Barajas, a Juneau resident, held a sign calling for Trump to be held accountable for crimes in association with the disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein at the third No Kings rally on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Demonstrators rally at the third No Kings protest in Juneau on Mar. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Kim Novak isn’t feeling euphoric about Sydney Sweeney portraying her onscreen.
The Vertigo actress reacted to the Euphoria star’s casting in the upcoming drama Scandalous—which is set to chronicle… E! Online (US) – Top Stories
Bobby Flay is clearly smitten with fellow chef and girlfriend Brooke Williamson, but he has no plans to pop the question. His reasons are understandable.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Looking for a great deal and something new to try? Check out the best items at Costco for April 2026 that shoppers won’t want to miss at the warehouse chain.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (ATLANTA) — The United States men’s national team impressed early against Belgium. Then the wheels fell off. A first-half lead in Saturday’s high-profile World Cup warmup match against Belgium — FIFA’s No. 9 ranked squad — melted away as the USA conceded four straight goals in front of a heavily pro-USA crowd of 66,867 fans at the home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United. Weston McKennie put coach Mauricio Pochettino’s team ahead in the 39th minute by deftly redirecting an Antonee Robinson corner kick past Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The visitors equalized before the first half was over, though, when fullback Zeno Debast’s low rocket flew through a sea of bodies, past the outstretched hand of USA keeper Matt Turner and into the bottom corner of the net. Belgium got another shortly after the break, then scored three more as they ran away with the second-to-last match before Pochettino must select his final 26-player World Cup roster, though the Americans did pull one back late via second half substitute Patrick Agyemang. Here are my takeaways: 1. USA Faltered In the Second Half Pochettino’s side entered the match on a three-match winning streak, all against World Cup-bound foes. But Belgium is better than any of those teams by some distance. Still, the USA matched them almost evenly in the first half, even if the guests had almost 60 percent of possession and one more shot on target. Only a brilliant (and lucky) save by Senne Lammens on McKennie’s earlier shot in the opening stanza kept the game scoreless almost until the intermission. With former Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and current Man City star forward Jeremy Doku leading coach Rudi Garcia’s attack, Belgium tested a USA backline missing injured center back Chris Richards repeatedly, mostly to no avail. Central midfielders Tanner Tessmann and Johnny Cardoso covered when fullbacks Robinson and Tim Weah bombed forward, repeatedly frustrating the Red Devils. Tim Ream and Mark McKenzie held firm, while Turner made a series of acrobatic saves in his first start since losing the No. 1 job to Matt Freese last June. The winning streak is over. A 5-2 loss is unsightly, at best. But based on the performance, the lopsided scoreline was probably both a little bit harsh on the home squad and a crucial reminder that there are no moral victories at the highest level. For Pochettino and Co., it’s better to learn that lesson now than in June. 2. Silver Linings? ‘Jedi’ and Matt Turner Stood Out Turner played every minute of the USA’s four matches at the 2022 World Cup. Antonee “Jedi” Robinson was on the field for all but the final moments of the round of loss to the Netherlands in Qatar. But both veterans had been out of Pochettino’s lineup for most of the Argentine’s tenure — Robinson because of injury, Turner because of the emergence of Freese. But both returned to Poch’s starting lineup on Saturday. And while Jedi’s return — U.S. Soccer’s male player of the year in 2024 didn’t make a single appearance last year because of knee issues — was expected, Turner’s was the biggest surprise before the match against the Red Devils kicked off. Jedi looked as good as ever, just as he has done with Fulham in the Premier League. And Turner justified Pochettino’s decision by making a series of fine stops during an overall confident display, even if his poor clearance led to a goal that was only ruled out because it inadvertently deflected in off forward Charles De Ketelaere’s arm. Turner’s best save of all might have been on the play that led to De Bruyne’s successful penalty, with Turner tipping the ball over his crossbar after it hit Ream’s hand and changed trajectory. 3. Pochettino Went With Best Available Players Richards wasn’t the only projected World Cup starter missing on Saturday. Tyler Adams, who captained the Americans at the last World Cup in Qatar, is injured. So is right back/winger Sergiño Dest. Yet Poch still got his best available players on the field, deploying Weah as an outside defender even with natural right back Joe Scally available. (Scally came on late in the second half.) At his core, Poch is a pragmatist. His lineup choices on Saturday confirmed as much — and provided a preview of what USA fans can expect in terms of personnel decisions when their World Cup campaign begins in earnest on June 12 versus Paraguay in Los Angeles. Who fills those spots is another matter. With just three more tuneup games to go before then, there are still plenty of lineup questions remaining. 4. Another Big Test Awaits Belgium is good. Very good. Reigning UEFA Nations League champions Portugal — FIFA’s sixth ranked side and the team that the USA will close out the March window in Tuesday’s match in Atlanta — is even better. That’s a scary thought. Yet it’s also an opportunity to right Saturday’s wrongs almost immediately and end this month on a decidedly brighter note. 4 ½. What’s Next? Time to regroup for that Tuesday game against Portugal, which will be taking on Mexico on Saturday night in Mexico City. The Portuguese are without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo during this swing through North America, but there is still tons of quality star power. Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes. PSG dynamic duo Nuno Mendes and Vitinha. The USA will have its hand full.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
UConn men’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma is ripping the double-regional format being used in the women’s NCAA Tournament, saying it doesn’t make sense for the teams still playing or for efforts to grow the game. Auriemma brought up attendance, bad shooting percentages and teams having to come to the arena early and late on the same day when taking aim at the format that’s in place for the fourth year, and set to continue for at least five more. “Well, I think the first question you’d have to ask is why did they go from four (sites) to two. What was the rationale?” the 12-time national champion coach said Saturday. “If they can explain it legitimately and then prove that it works, then great. So what was the reason?” NCAA officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The defending national champion Huskies (37-0), the overall No. 1 seed, play Notre Dame (25-10) in the Fort Worth Regional 1 final on Sunday. The Huskies held their required media availability Saturday morning, after the Fighting Irish had already completed their session and before two Sweet 16 games in Fort Worth Regional 3 were played at Dickies Arena. UConn and Notre Dame both had scheduled practice times there later in the evening. “So we had to get our kids up, come over here. You already knew who we were playing last night, but we can’t get on the court, and neither can the other teams,” Auriemma said. “Does anybody who makes these decisions ever ask the coaches and the players, hey, does this work?” AP All-America teammates Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong agreed with their coach’s strong sentiment. “Everyone’s trying to figure that out right now,” Fudd said. “Every team is going through that. There’s no excuse in that. So we’ll figure it out. We’re making it work, but it definitely isn’t the most ideal setup.” Auriemma, the winningest men’s or women’s NCAA basketball coach with 1,287 victories, didn’t wait for a question from reporters to share his thoughts on the format, opening his session by reading off a piece of paper these numbers: 4 for 20, 4 for 22, 1 for 17, 5 for 17, 4 for 16, 7 for 26. “That’s the 3-point shooting yesterday across the country,” he said. “How many arenas are we going to sell out with that? Now, maybe it was just a bad day shooting by everybody. These are all teams that average probably 30%, over 30, for the season. Know what time our shootaround was yesterday? Six in the morning, 6:20, I think, for half an hour.” He also mentioned the total combined attendance (18,821 announced) at the two venues Friday, in Fort Worth and Sacramento, California. UCLA coach Cori Close, whose team is the top seed in Sacramento Regional 2 and plays Duke in an Elite Eight game on Sunday, said it is important to get maximum exposure and coverage while also looking for the best setup to have high-level basketball played on the court. “I think that I was in favor of going to the two regional sites when that happened,” Close said. “I think every year we should look and go, where are we in our game, how did this play out efficiency-wise, from a student-athlete well-being side, is there some ways in which we can organize to make things a little bit more cohesive so teams aren’t going back and forth from media coverage to practices later and those kinds of things?” Auriemma said there is a lack of input from coaches, and that nothing changes even when the NCAA sends representatives to schools every year after the tournament. “Hopefully I’m speaking for the other coaches,” he said. “Some coaches might think I’m full of it. And this is not about UConn. I hope everybody understands that. This is not about us. … We’ve managed to go to the Final Four and win national championships no matter where they’re played, when they’re played, what time they’re played, whatever. “I think there is a level of frustration right now among the coaches that’s higher than any time I’ve ever seen it.” Duke coach Kara Lawson would like more practice time on the game court, especially more than the designated half-hour on game days for shootarounds, which routinely last about an hour the rest of the season. “That would be the only thing I’d change,” Lawson said. “I mean two regionals. I think the arena thing is the thing that’s hard. It’s not that we’re in the same city, it’s that we don’t get long enough practice or shootaround times in the venue for your most important games of the season.” For the second day in a row, Auriemma mentioned new rims and new basketballs being used during NCAA Tournament games, and the impact those have on shooting. “It’s hard to make shots in the postseason,” Auriemma said Friday after UConn’s 63-42 win over North Carolina, in which the teams were a combined 8 of 42 on 3-pointers. “They just break out these new baskets, new rims, and then it gets in the kids’ heads.” The coach on Saturday again brought up “new basketballs right out of the box” and the rims. “Got people dribbling the ball off their feet,” he said. “You got people missing layups all over the place. You bounce the ball, and it goes up to the ceiling. There’s just no concept of how basketball is played. Not that I have any of the answers. “Believe me, I just have questions.” Reporting by The Associated Press.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Kim Novak isn’t feeling euphoric about Sydney Sweeney portraying her onscreen.
