Alexandra Artrip Asks Fans to Give Practical Magic 2 a Chance
Alexandra Artrip is asking Practical Magic fans to put down the pitchforks before the sequel even arrives. The actor, who played Antonia Owens in the original film, addressed the backlash surrounding her replacement by Maisie Williams in Practical Magic 2.
According to Just Jared, Artrip discussed the reaction in a video shared through her Instagram account dedicated to the franchise. She said she understands that fans are trying to defend her, Evan Rachel Wood and the emotional connection they have to the original movie. But she also made it clear that her page should not become a home for attacks or endless recasting complaints.
Her message was notably generous toward the new lineup. Williams is taking over the role of Antonia, while Joey King is playing Kylie, the sister originally portrayed by Wood. Artrip called both actresses “lovely” and said she trusted the production team had made the choices it believed would give the sequel the best chance of succeeding.
That puts Artrip in an unusual position for a performer caught in a fan revolt: she is the person being replaced, yet she is also asking the audience to support the replacement. Her response takes some oxygen away from the idea that loyalty to the original cast requires boycotting the follow-up. It also gives Williams and King room to enter the story without being treated as enemies of the franchise.
Artrip’s larger point is that a sequel does not erase what came before. She encouraged viewers to approach the new film with an open mind, arguing that nothing can diminish the memories attached to the original. She also expressed excitement that the world is expanding in 2026 with a new novel and additional content.
So the backlash is real enough to have reached the original Antonia—but the person at its center is not feeding it. For now, Artrip’s position is less “bring back the old cast” and more “let the new witches prove themselves.”
Jackson Olson and Maggie Sajak Reveal Their Real Meet-Cute
Disney gave Jackson Olson and Maggie Sajak a very convincing origin story. When the couple hard-launched their relationship with a photo at Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle in April, the location practically invited fans to assume that was where their romance began. According to Us Weekly, they recently set the record straight: it wasn’t.
In an Instagram video shared September 6, Olson said the pair actually met at a Dodgers playoff game on October 16 of the previous year. Sajak explained that they had followed each other on social media about a month earlier, then each posted Instagram Stories from the game. The accidental crossover came when Sajak appeared in the background of one of Olson’s photos.
That tiny piece of digital evidence apparently did more work than a formal introduction. Sajak said one of them eventually sent a direct message to the other, though the couple declined to identify who made the first move. They exchanged a wave, and Olson noted that Sajak agreed to get a drink before they went back to their separate seats.
The timeline makes the relationship feel less like a fairy-tale setup and more like a modern celebrity meet-cute: mutual follow, shared event, background cameo, then a DM. Their Disney post was the public reveal, but the Dodgers game was the quieter beginning they had been keeping to themselves.
Olson, 28, is known for playing with the Savannah Bananas, while Sajak, 31, is a television personality. Olson later described Sajak as “The One” in an Instagram post, adding a notably serious note to a relationship that started with two people barely crossing paths at a baseball game. For now, the couple’s own video is the clearest account of how it began, with Us Weekly providing the reported details.
Alex Van Halen Revives Sammy Hagar Feud With Insult
Alex Van Halen has apparently found one more reason to keep the Sammy Hagar chapter of Van Halen firmly closed. In an interview with Brazilian music journalist Marcelo Vieira published earlier this month, Alex was asked about Hagar’s 2011 memoir, “Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock.” His response, as translated from the Portuguese interview by Roadie Crew and reported by Page Six, was blunt: “I don’t know what he wrote, and I don’t wanna know.” He then called Hagar “a complete idiot.”
Hagar did not let the remark pass without a reply. In an Instagram comment over the weekend, he wrote that the comment was unnecessary “at this time in our lives,” then added, “I guess the truth hurts sometimes. Peace already.” It is hardly a kumbaya moment, but it is at least shorter than a memoir and considerably less expensive to print.
The exchange lands on top of a relationship that has been cold for years. Hagar has said the former bandmates have not spoken in more than two decades, making this less a fresh argument than a very old score continuing to collect interest. Alex’s representative had not responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, according to the supplied report.
The creative split is also still visible in how each man talks about Van Halen’s history. Alex declined Hagar’s invitation to join the 2024 “Best of All Worlds” tour with former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, telling Billboard, “I’m not interested,” and saying the project was not doing the band justice. While promoting his 2024 memoir, “Brothers,” Alex focused largely on the original David Lee Roth lineup and said the band after Roth’s departure was not the same band. That framing left Hagar’s decade-long run with Van Halen mostly outside the story.
So the headline-making insult is real as a reported comment, while the larger feud remains a matter of competing memories and long-running resentment—not evidence of a reunion, reconciliation, or new musical showdown. For now, the Van Halen family tree still has one very thorny branch.