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Rhode Island
This Is Where You’re Most Likely to Have a Celebrity Sighting—and No, It’s Not Los Angeles or New York City
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/TAL-watch-hill-rhode-island-WINTCELEBSPOT0325-d3f8ab13b9f9472d8b27bb0c9b7292fc.jpg?ssl=1 "This Is Where You’re Most Likely to Have a Celebrity Sighting—and No, It’s Not Los Angeles or New York City")
Believe it or not, celebrities really are just like the rest of us. Sure, they get to spend their days professionally playing pretend, and they get paid a ton to do it. But when it comes to their downtime, they enjoy all the same things we do, including taking a little vacation. And while you may assume most split their time between major hubs like Los Angeles and New York City, it turns out that celebrities love hidden gems, too.
In February, Casino.org released a study that looked at the places where people are most likely to have a celebrity sighting across the globe. And the No. 1 place is a Swiftie hot spot that may surprise you.
“Watch Hill, Rhode Island, ranks No. 1 worldwide for celebrity sightings (per capita)—especially for Taylor Swift, Blake Lively, and Ryan Reynolds fans,” the company said in a statement obtained by Travel + Leisure. (Watch Hill is a neighborhood in Westerly, Rhode Island, that is about an hour from Providence and Newport.)
Methodology
To find these destinations, the team scraped data from a popular celebrity-sighting Instagram account over the past six months, identifying the 42 global cities where celebrities have been seen the most.
The small town got a significant celebrity boom when Taylor Swift moved in, though it’s a place well worth visiting even without the promise of seeing the world’s most famous touring artist. In Westerly, travelers can check into iconic hotels like the Ocean House, which gives everyone the A-list treatment and also has a private stretch of beach, a zen spa, and opulent bedrooms for all. (It’s also a stone’s throw from Swift’s house, so who knows who you may see while there.)
But Rhode Island isn’t the only place for celebrity sightings. Coming in at No. 2 on the list is a mountain favorite: Aspen, Colorado. It ranked second with “151 celebrity sightings per 100,000 people,” with regulars like “Hailey Bieber, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Kevin Costner” frequently seen strolling the streets and shredding the mountain in winter.
Aspen was followed by several Californian cities, including West Hollywood, Malibu, and Bel-Air, rounding out the top six spots, while Santa Monica came in at No. 10.
However, celebrities don’t spend all their time in the U.S. In No. 7 is St. Barts, a gorgeous Caribbean island with 17 sightings per 100,000 people. Visiting the island also gives you a “high chance of spotting Leonardo DiCaprio.”
St. Barts is followed by Shoreditch in the U.K., where you could see Emilia Clarke and DJ Bassi Fox. Cottesloe, Australia, cinched the ninth spot, with 2.5 celebrity sightings per 100,000 people, with “Drake among the stars frequently seen there.”
However, if you do see a star, remember that they’re on their downtime too, and let them relax just as you are—even if you may be freaking out a little on the inside.
Why is the flag at half staff? These are possible reasons
The flag of the United States of America is flown at half-staff on several occasions, generally marking that the country is in mourning
On Friday, May 15, flags will be flown at half-staff across the United States to commemorate Peace Officers Memorial Day.
Recognized each year since 1962 as part of May’s National Police Week, the national observance pays tribute to United States law enforcement officials who gave their lives in the line of duty, whether at the local, state or federal level.
“United in gratitude, we recommit ourselves to supporting those who keep the peace in our neighborhoods, and we offer our heartfelt appreciation for the service they render to community and country,” reads a proclamation from President Trump. “Their steady presence brings calm to our streets, their dedication preserves the order that allows our Nation to flourish, and their unwavering vigilance is the reason families across America can rest under the promise of a safer tomorrow.”
In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, the flag of the United States at all public buildings and grounds across the country and its territories – including in Rhode Island – will fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Friday, May 15.
Why are flags flown at half-staff?
According to the official website of the U.S. General Services Administration, flags typically fly at half-staff when the country or specific state is in mourning. Observances include national tragedies, days of remembrance and deaths of government or military personnel.
The president, the state governor or the mayor of Washington, D.C., can order flags to fly at half-staff.
Half-staff vs. half-mast
While half-staff refers to lowered flags on land, half-mast refers to those at sea. Both refer to a flag being flown beneath the top of its staff as a sign of respect.
RI’s Verdi Productions films ‘Bad News On The Doorstep’ in Providence
Verdi Productions wrapped filming of Tom DeNucci’s “Bad News On The Doorstep” early on May 23 in Providence.
Verdi Productions’ secret horror movie, “My Boyfriend is a Demon,” now filming in Rhode Island, is no longer a secret as Chad A. Verdi, the East Greenwich production company’s president, has announced the cast and given an outline of the movie’s plot.
The ensemble cast comprises veteran actors and rising young talents. The story follows Mary, a lonely, small-town girl who creates a fake Instagram account that pretends to be boyfriend, a guy too perfect to be real. Mary puts so much effort into making him “real” that he shows up at her door one day.
The cast includes:
- Mattias Ferrell, son of comic actor Will Ferrell and known for “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie” and “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”
- Coco Arquette, daughter of Courteney Cox and David Arquette and known for “Cougar Town.”
- David Arquette, known for his work in the “Scream” film franchise.
- Rosanna Arquette, David’s sister and Coco’s aunt, known for “The Moment.”
- Bailey Sloan, known for “Ragamuffin.”
- Jack Champion, known for “Avatar.”
- Ever Anderson, known for “Peter Pan & Wendy.”
- Vinnie Hacker, known for “Euphoria.”
- Josephine Reitman, known for “Juno.”
- Savannah Lee Smith, kown for “Tunsel Town.”
- Lisa Yamada, known for “Elle.”
- Ty Law, known for “Friday Night Lights.”
“My Boyfriend is a Demon” is written and directed by first-time director mishka.
“My Boyfriend is a Demon” is filming in Providence
The movie began filming in Rhode Island in April and has rented Providence’s Cranston Street Armory for the month of May to use as a studio.
The producing team for Verdi Productions includes Chad A. Verdi, Chad Verdi Jr., Paul Luba, Michelle Verdi and Sera Verdi. Executive producers include Ketchup Entertainment and Kinolime.
Good morning! Happy Thursday! Today will be pretty unsettled with the chance for showers and t’storms. Friday will still be damp with showers and drizzle, but the weekend still looks amazing!
The one good thing with the rain, for allergy sufferers at least, the pollen levels will be lower. In fact, both today and tomorrow, the tree pollen counts will be low locally. Do expect a spike in the pollen count for Saturday and Sunday with the dry weather.
INTERACTIVE RADAR: Live Pinpoint Weather 12 Radar »
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” FLIGHT TRACKER
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” POWER OUTAGES
TODAY
Hour-by-hour forecast for today…
We’ll have some showers around during the morning commute today, but the greatest chance for showers and t’storms will be after 9AM and before 5PM.
Showers and thunderstorms could slow travel around mid-day. Rain could fall heavily at times.
A line of showers and t’storms will be sweeping across the area through the afternoon as a slow-moving weather systems moves through the region.
Highs today will be in the upper 50s to lower 60s with southeast to east winds of 5-15mph.
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” BEACH AND BOATING FORECASTS
TONIGHT
Showers are still possible this evening; although they won’t be as numerous.
TOMORROW
That low center will be nearby Friday morning, and we’ll be stuck with a damp, cool windflow. Expect drizzle and showers in the morning and possibly some lingering showers in the afternoon.
Highs Friday will only be in the 50s. The average high this time of year is in the upper 60s.
LOOKING AHEAD
Then…there’s the weekend. Saturday looks amazing with lots of sunshine and dry weather. It’ll be warmer, too, with highs in the 70s.
-Meteorologist T.J. Del Santo
T.J. Del Santo (tdelsanto@wpri.com) is the weekday morning and noon meteorologist for 12 News. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Threads and BlueSky.
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