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Last night, a stunning Strawberry Supermoon lit up skies around the world, as our lunar satellite appeared 17 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than usual. The spectacular event could be seen rising over famous landmarks, including New York's Statue of Liberty, London's Shard and the Great Pyramid of Giza. While there is no single definition, the term supermoon generally refers to a full moon that appears brighter and larger than other moons because it is at its closet orbit to Earth. The Strawberry Supermoon technically peaked yesterday at 12:51 BST (07:51 EDT), but if you missed it, there's good news - the full moons on July 13 and August 11 are also likely to be classed as supermoons. Last night, a stunning Strawberry Supermoon lit up skies around the world, as our lunar satellite appeared 17 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than usual. Pictured: the supermoon appears next to London's Shard The spectacular event could be seen rising over famous landmarks, including New York's Statue of Liberty (pictured), London's Shard and the Great Pyramid of Giza While there is no single definition, the term supermoon generally refers to a full moon that appears brighter and larger than other moons because it is at its closet orbit to Earth. Pictured: the supermoon sets behind the telecommunication devices on top of the Feldberg mountain near Frankfurt What is a supermoon? The Moon orbits Earth in an ellipse, an oval that brings it closer to and farther from Earth as it goes around. The farthest point in this ellipse is called the apogee and is about 253,000 miles (405,500 kilometers) from Earth on average. Its closest point is the perigee, which is an average distance of about 226,000 miles (363,300 kilometers) from Earth. When a full moon appears at perigee it is slightly brighter and larger than a regular full moon – and that's where we get a 'supermoon. Source: NASA Some parts of the scientific community, including NASA, use the supermoon definition set by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, who classed it as a full moon that comes within 90 per cent of its perigee — the closest point to Earth in its orbit.However, retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak calculates supermoons to account for changes in the lunar orbit each lunar cycle.Under his definition, May's full moon was a supermoon, while NASA did not classify it as such.June's full moon was 222,238.4 miles (357,658 km) from our planet when it rose at dusk, with skywatchers told to look in a southeasterly direction after sunset to see it creep up over the horizon.Cloud cover across much of England and Wales was minimal last night, although people in Ireland and Scotland unfortunately had their view obscured.If you snapped a picture of last night's Strawberry Supermoon, you could be in line for a prize. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is encouraging people to submit their photos of the supermoon to win a 'brilliant astronomy prize'. 'The good news is that the Super Strawberry Moon will still appear full for a few days in and around 14 June, so there will be plenty of chances to capture that all-important shot,' it said. The Strawberry Supermoon technically peaked yesterday at 12:51 BST (07:51 EDT), but if you missed it, there's good news - the full moons on July 13 and August 11 are also likely to be classed as supermoons. Pictured: the supermoon seen over the Skyline of the CBD in Sydney Some parts of the scientific community, including NASA, use the supermoon definition set by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, who classed it as a full moon that comes within 90 per cent of its perigee — the closest point to Earth in its orbit. Pictured: the supermoon over the Great Pyramid of GizaJune's full moon was 222,238.4 miles (357,658 km) from our planet when it rose at dusk, with skywatchers told to look in a southeasterly direction after sunset to see it creep up over the horizon'Due to optical illusion, the moon often appears much larger when it's near the horizon, so for a really dramatic photograph look for the moon just after moonrise or before moonset.' June's moon gets its name from it being strawberry season, when the berries are ripe for picking. The Farmer's Almanac also notes that this specific full moon has had a number of names in the past, all linked to the natural world, including blooming moon. Other names, often given by Native American tribes, include green corn moon, hoer moon, birth moon, egg laying moon, honey moon and mead moon.The phrase 'honeymoon' may be tied to this full moon, possibly due to the tradition of marrying in June or because the 'honey moon' is the 'sweetest' moon of the year. If you snapped a picture of last night's Strawberry Supermoon, you could be in line for a prize. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is encouraging people to submit their photos of the supermoon to win a 'brilliant astronomy prize'. Pictured: the Strawberry Supermoon behind lower Manhattan and One World Trade Centre June's moon gets its name from it being strawberry season, when the berries are ripe for picking. Pictured: the full moon rising between two towere in Dubai The Farmer's Almanac also notes that this specific full moon has had a number of names in the past, all linked to the natural world, including blooming moon. Pictured: the full moon behind the ancient temple of Poseidon TV presenter, author and world-class astronomer Mark Thompson has previously said that a supermoon is a great opportunity to look for features on the lunar surface.'The ease with which the full moon can be spotted makes it a great object for kids and newcomers to stargazing,' he added. 'See how many craters you can spot or if you can locate the Sea of Tranquillity where Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin landed in 1969.' Taking photographs of the moon can be a challenge, explained Thompson, who said people are often inspired to capture their own picture but just see a tiny white blob.'To successfully capture lunar close-ups, a long lens is a must,' he said. 'Aspiring photographers should check out these expert tips from Canon for more advice.' FULL MOON NAMES AND THEIR MEANINGS January: Wolf Moon because wolves were heard more often at this time.February: Snow Moon to coincide with heavy snow.March: Worm Moon as the Sun increasingly warmed the soil and earthworms became active.April: Pink Moon as it heralded the appearance of Phlox subulata or moss pink – one of spring's first flowers.May: Flower Moon because of the abundance of blossoms.June: Strawberry Moon because it appeared when the strawberry harvest first took place.July: Buck Moon as it arrived when a male deer's antlers were in full growth mode.August: Sturgeon Moon after the large fish that was easily caught at this time.September: Corn Moon because this was the time to harvest corn.October: Hunter's Moon after the time to hunt in preparation for winter.November: Beaver Moon because it was the time to set up beaver traps.December: Cold Moon because nights at this time of year were the longest.Source: Old Farmer's Almanac

Space Exploration

Tyson Fury says he will “100%” reverse his decision to never step into the ring again by defending his world heavyweight title – if the money is right.After flooring Dillian Whyte at Wembley before a sellout crowd in April, the 33-year-old undefeated WBC heavyweight champion insisted that he would retire and has played down suggestions that he could be persuaded to face the winner of an expected rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.However, in an interview with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, Fury appeared more than ready to return to the boxing ring.“I will be back in the ring 100%, just like in the movie when Jerry Maguire shouted: ‘Show me the money!’ If anyone can show me the money then it’s [promoter] Frank Warren. I call him the Magic Man and we are going to make some big, big things happen.”Fury added: “Me and Frank have something spectacular coming but it does not involve Usyk or Joshua at this moment. I will make a decision on all this but I have only just fought three months ago. I would not be expected to fight until October, November, December anyway. But because I have said I am retiring everyone is on me: ‘Are you really retired? Have a couple more fights’ – every single day.”“What I would say to the people who want this fight to happen is: you better have a big chequebook,” he said. “Because to bring the big GK [Gypsy King] out of retirement to redeem this country – yet again – it’s going to cost.”Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks.The British fighter said he was incorporating his boxing training into his usual domestic routine at home in Morecambe, Lancashire. “I train twice a day, every day, running in the morning and weights and boxing in the evening,” Fury said. “I have been enjoying myself, running a minimum of four miles and maximum six and I am sparring and boxing.“I am a prize fighter and I do fight for prizes but it is going to cost if you want me. Until then, the Big Mac is going to stay in Morecambe, training like a lunatic, getting haircuts and shaves on Mondays, car valets on Tuesdays, bin days on Wednesdays and training every day.”

Boxing

The Strawberry Supermoon rises in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York, late Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)The Associated PressBERLIN -- From Frankfurt and New York to Istanbul and Beijing, skygazers could enjoy a beautiful supermoon rise over the horizon in an impressive astronomic spectacle.The full moon appeared bigger than normal and sometimes slightly orange-colored as it lit skies around the globe. It reached its full stage on Tuesday during a phenomenon known as a supermoon because of its proximity to Earth. It's also referred to as the “Strawberry Moon” because it's the full moon at strawberry harvest time.In Frankfurt, it rose behind the German city’s banking district’s skyline, while in Beijing the forbidden city’s roof decorations depicting sacred beasts were silhouetted in sharp black by the moon. The moon also illuminated New York City’s Statue of Liberty and shone on the pillars of the ancient temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion south of Athens, Greece.

Space Exploration

'I'm very happy!' Tom Hiddleston CONFIRMS his engagement to Zawe Ashton after star was spotted wearing sparkling ring on her wedding finger Published: 05:51 EDT, 15 June 2022 | Updated: 05:55 EDT, 15 June 2022 Tom Hiddleston has finally confirmed his engagement to Zawe Ashton.The Essex Serpent actor, 41, told in a new interview on Tuesday that he is 'very happy' about his upcoming nuptials to the Fresh Meat actress, 37.The couple's romance blossomed after they starred in the 2019 play Betrayal and has gone from strength to strength since - eventually leading to a proposal in March. Love: Tom Hiddleston has finally confirmed his engagement to Zawe Ashton who he proposed to in MarchDuring a chat with the LA Times he confirmed he was set to wed the beauty but kept tight lipped about the romance, simply saying: 'I'm very happy' and nothing more.Tom and Zawe previously set tongues wagging about a possible engagement as they appeared at the BAFTAs earlier this year, after which she was pictured wearing a huge diamond sparkler on her ring finger in a photo shared by host AJ Odudu. The couple were reportedly congratulated by industry friends at the BAFTAs - after Zawe hid her hand as she took to the red carpet in a pink cape dress. Spotted: Tom and Zawe previously set tongues wagging about a possible engagement as they appeared at the BAFTAs earlier this year, after which she was pictured wearing a huge diamond sparkler on her ring finger in a photo shared by host AJ Odudu (pictured) Zawe concealed her stunning diamond-encrusted ring from photographers on the red carpet, draping her stunning flowing pink gown over her hand. Tom, meanwhile, looked devilishly handsome in a black blazer and trousers, as he posed hand-in-hand with Zawe.However, later in the ballroom of London's Grosvenor Hotel the couple caught up with TV personality AJ who snapped a picture which showed the diamond ring. MailOnline contacted Tom and Zawe's representatives for comment at the time. Yay! The Essex Serpent actor, 41, told in a new interview on Tuesday that he is 'very happy' about his upcoming nuptials to the Fresh Meat actress, 37 Zawe and Tom met while starring in the 2019 play Betrayal and have kept their relationship out of the spotlight ever since. Their play Betrayal followed a seven-year extramarital affair between two characters, Emma and Jerry, with the latter character being Emma's husband Robert's friend.Tom played Robert in the play with Zawe starring as his on-stage wife Emma and Charlie playing Jerry.The couple confirmed their romance during a steamy PDA-filled holiday at the beach in Ibiza in September last year before making their red carpet debut together at the Tony Awards in New York City. The start: The couple's romance blossomed after they starred in the 2019 play Betrayal (pictured) and has gone from strength to strength since - eventually leading to a proposal in MarchLast year it was revealed the pair had moved in together after months of romance rumours, and they are now said to be living together in Atlanta, Georgia. Sources close to the duo said The Night Manager star, and the actress are 'very well suited and enjoy the quieter side of life'.An insider told The Sun: 'Tom and Zawe have stayed quiet about their relationship but she has spent the last few weeks with him in the US.'They are very well suited and enjoy the quieter side of life away from the glitz and glamour of the showbiz world.'Tom was also said to be wary of highlighting the romance due to the attention his past relationship with Taylor Swift drew.A source said: 'Tom really has fallen for Zawe in a big way. But he is so paranoid about his private life since his relationship with Taylor that he has gone to great lengths to keep this under wraps.' Tom told the New York Times after his romance with Taylor: 'Yes, I'm protective about my internal world now in probably a different way. That's because I didn't realise it needed protecting before.'During Tom's short-lived fling with Taylor the pair didn't shy away from showing off their romance with lots of public outings. Headline making: Tom's last high profile romance was with singer Taylor Swift (pictured in 2016 together) The couple got together shortly after Taylor's split from Calvin Harris after first meeting at the Met Gala in May 2016, and during the first few weeks of their romance they travelled around the world together.They even took the huge step of meeting one another's parents, with Taylor jetting to the UK to spend time with Tom's mother in Suffolk, while he went to her adopted home town of Nashville, before calling it quits in late 2016. Along with his highly publicized relationship with Taylor in 2016, Tom also previously dated his Wallander co-star Susannah Fielding, with the pair splitting up in 2011. Busy: Tom is currently starring in The Essex Serpent alongside Claire Danes, with the trailer released earlier this week Advertisement

Celebrity

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! "Lightyear" actor Chris Evans, who plays the titular role in Walt Disney’s new Pixar movie, has responded to critics who say the film’s kissing scene between two female characters pushes a pro-gay agenda."The real truth is those people are idiots," Evans said during an interview with Reuters Television. "There's always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before. But those people die off like dinosaurs. I think the goal is to pay them no mind, march forward and embrace the growth that makes us human."In the film, Evans voices the character Buzz Lightyear, whose story inspires an action figure by the same name in the "Toy Story" franchise. Lightyear, CinemaCon. (Getty Images)"Every time there’s been social advancement as we wake up, the American story, the human story is one of constant social awakening and growth and that’s what makes us good," Evans added.PIXAR'S SHORT FILM ‘OUT’ FEATURES FIRST GAY MAIN CHARACTERThe comment comes as some critics of the film have argued the decision to include LGBTQ representation and a scene with a gay married couple kissing in a film marketed to children was intentional.The on-screen kiss takes place between Hawthorne, a female lead voiced by Uzo Aduba, and another female character.DISNEY, PIXAR'S 'LIGHTYEAR' SEES SAME-SEX KISS RESTORED AMID CONTROVERSY WITH QUEER CHARACTER: REPORTIt was reportedly removed from the film earlier this year, amid controversy over Disney’s quietness over Florida’s "Don’t Say Gay" bill that barred conversations about LGBTQ identity in K-12 classrooms, Variety reported in March of this year, citing "a source close to the production." The scene, however, was ultimately restored to the film. U.S. actor Chris Evans attends the Out-of-This-World Premiere of Disney and Pixar's "Lightyear" at the El Capitan Theater on June 8, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)"Lightyear" plays in some theaters on Thursday before a worldwide release Friday. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERIt will not be shown in the United Arab Emirates or Malaysia, due to the on-screen gay kiss. U.S. actor Chris Evans attends the Out-of-This-World Premiere of Disney and Pixar's "Lightyear" at the El Capitan Theater on June 8, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)The film "is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country’s media content standards," the UAE Ministry of Youth and Culture Media Regulatory Office said in a tweet. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"The office confirms that all films screened in cinemas across the country are subject to follow-up and evaluation before the date of screening to the public, to ensure the safety of the circulated content according to the appropriate age classification," the tweet added.

Movies

Apologies in advance, this is going to be something of a light-touch blog. But I will try my best to keep on top of events and please just holler if I’ve missed something, either BTL or by whistling an email over. Toast time.CCLive’s favourite jam Photograph: Zoonar GmbH/AlamyA long shot but... the Guardian writer, and my lovely friend, Emma John has long been planning a cricket game in memory of her mum. The rail strike has thrown a rather large spanner in the works. If you are free next Thursday, can get to Long Marston in Buckinghamshire, and fancy a fun game of cricket, please get in touch (or email me and I’ll pass the message on).I've organised a cricket match in memory of my Mum next Thursday 23 at 4pm, at Long Marston CC in Bucks, but the rail strike means we're an entire team short of players. This is an SOS for anyone of any ability who fancies a fun T20 knockabout followed by a free BBQ!— Emma John (@em_john) June 15, 2022 Tuesday's round-upThe Leicestershire jalopy juddered to a wheel-spinning defeat at Grace Road after they followed their highest score of the season with being bowled out for 99.The defeat, by an innings and nine runs, was their fifth of the season. Nottinghamshire’s Liam Patterson-White (the left-arm spinner with the most Championship wickets) took four for 15. Tom Moores, 81 not out, had guided Notts to a lead of 108 until he was hit under the chin and forced to retire. Leicestershire’s second innings never got going, and when Hasan Azad was caught for 34 the rest folded quickly.There were twin centuries from Brett D’Oliveira and Ed Barnard for Worcestershire at Durham’s Riverside. Barnard, who has been linked with a move to Warwickshire at the end of the season, reached his 50 with a straight drive, and was undefeated on 116 at stumps.Shan Masood came within a pinch of 1,000 runs for the season, as he once more swept on his batting cloak, and led Derbyshire to victory as they chased down 219 at Chesterfield. Middlesex, who had suffered a second‑innings collapse of seven wickets for 101, could only rue their chances as they dropped Masood twice before finally dismissing him for 98.Somerset defied the odds after building a second-innings lead of 117 against Surrey at Taunton thanks to Lewis Goldsworthy and Lewis Gregory.It was all go at Canterbury, as Jordan Cox and Jack Leaning made centuries, Tom Price took a hat‑trick and Jacob Duffy put Kent in the driving seat with four for eight before stumps. Gloucestershire, in their second innings, are 37 for five and still 89 runs behind.Alex Davies made a hundred against Lancashire, his former club, as Warwickshire set them 329 to win while Sussex lost early wickets at Sophia Gardens after Glamorgan’s tail wagged alongside Eddie Byrom’s career-best 178. Three late wickets for Keith Barker put Hampshire in a good position against Yorkshire.Start of play scoresThe Rose Bowl: Hampshire 410 v Yorkshire 428 and 101-5Canterbury: Kent 564 v Gloucestershire 438 and 37-5Taunton: Somerset 180 and 319-8 v Surrey 382-9Edgbaston: Warwickshire 292 and 327-9dec v Lancashire 291 and 5-0Division TwoChesterfield: Derbyshire 229 and 222-4 v Middlesex 251 and 196. Derbyshire win by six wicketsThe Riverside: Durham 642-7dec v Worcestershire 431-6Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 494 v Sussex 376 and 89-3Grace Road: Leicestershire 440 and 99 v Nottinghamshire 548-9. Notts win by an innings and nine runsPreviewGood morning! As Jonny Bairstow leaps off the front page of the newspapers, there is still business to attend to in the County Championship. Two games were over in three days: Notts beating collapsability Leicestershire in a blink and Masood-insipired Derbyshire easing to victory over Middlesex. Of the remaining matches, only the one at The Riverside looks a sure-thing draw. Somerset could yet spring an unlikely surprise at Taunton, there’s all to play for at Sophia Gardens, Gloucestershire’s late-evening balsa wood impression has added jeopardy at Canterbury, and two intriguing matches play out at The Rose Bowl and Edgbaston.

Other Sports

Allie Eve Knox creates adult content.She makes sexually provocative videos, sells subscription services on platforms like OnlyFans, performs live via webcam, and works as a findomme – short for financial dominatrix, a fetish involving dominance-submission dynamics and cash.The Texas native is also a major advocate of cryptocurrency. Knox describes herself as "one of the most outspoken sex workers, particularly for crypto." Her interest kicked off in 2014, which is when she says several vendors, including PayPal, Square Cash, and Venmo, shut down her accounts because of red flags related to sex work.So Knox started accepting cryptocurrencies instead. Her first exchange of bitcoin for content was pretty casual. It started on a Skype call with a client. "I had a Coinbase account at the time, and he said, 'Hold your QR code right to this camera here,' and he sent it through the camera. And I got it," she explained.It took 15 minutes, and there were no chargebacks, no website commission fees, and no bank intermediaries to turn down the transaction – all major pluses in her industry. But the biggest attraction was having total and irreversible ownership over the money she had earned. "I could cash it out. I could hold it. I could watch it go up and down," said Knox."It was mine."Knox is one of many adult workers who say that cryptocurrencies like bitcoin give them a sense of security and independence as banks, credit card companies, and payment processors tighten regulations around adult content. With crypto, there is no middleman making a judgment call on which transactions are acceptable. OnlyFans and the policy whiplashSex work is an umbrella term that includes anyone who engages in some form of erotic labor, whether virtual or in person."The majority of sex work in the U.S. is legal. It's not dealt with fairly, but it's still legal," explained Kristen DiAngelo, an activist and Sacramento-based sex worker who has spent over four decades in the industry. "Stripping is legal…massage is legal…escorting is legal. The only thing that's really illegal in the U.S. is the honest exchange of sexual activity for remuneration, for money."Some escorts – who charge anywhere from $1,700 an hour to $11,000 for a full 24 hours – now explicitly say in their ads that they prefer to be paid in bitcoin or ethereum.The sex work industry also includes performers on the popular subscription video site OnlyFans, many of whom work exclusively online and have never seen their subscribers or fans in person. Allie Rae is a 37-year-old mother of three boys who says she went from making about $84,000 a year as an ICU nurse in Boston to $1.3 million, thanks to her work on OnlyFans, which has more than 130 million users.Last August, Rae didn't know a lot about cryptocurrency, nor did she accept it for her work, but she was convinced that bitcoin and other altcoins were "100% the future," because they seemed like a far more secure method of payment.At the time, OnlyFans was navigating a publicity nightmare. After banks started flagging and rejecting transactions on the site, OnlyFans announced plans to ban sexually explicit content, its core product. The decision was met with such blowback that OnlyFans reversed course within days. The whole episode gave whiplash to OnlyFans performers, some of whom realized that they were just one company policy change away from financial ruin.Rae, a star of the OnlyFans ecosystem, was spooked, telling CNBC that she felt "kicked to the curb," and never wanted to be put in that position again.So she took action. She started with the basics, teaching herself the fundamentals of crypto, then decided to put real skin in the game by assembling a team of developers to build WetSpace, a cryptocurrency-powered adult entertainment platform, into which she has vowed to invest $1 million of her own money. As Rae describes it, WetSpace will be a place where creators don't have to worry about "big banking restrictions and payouts."By December, Rae had gone from bitcoin novice and OnlyFans ingénue to an adult content entrepreneur speaking fluent crypto, with terms like "smart contracts" and "ERC-20 tokens" rolling right off her tongue. Adult content creators have also jumped on the non-fungible token, or NFT, bandwagon. Knox tells CNBC she's sold photos of herself as NFTs on OpenSea and through SpankChain's custom NFT marketplace. Thus far, the most she's gotten from a single sale is $1,200 worth of ethereum. The disenfranchised strike backDiAngelo tells CNBC she will never forget the first time her bank account was closed without warning.It happened when she was on a trip to Washington, D.C. over a decade ago."I had just gone into the bank, made a deposit, and I went to buy lunch in Dupont Circle," said DiAngelo. "I gave him my card, and it was declined. I gave him my card, and it was declined again. And I gave my card again, and it was declined again. And I was like, 'No, no, no, no, that can't be right. There's something wrong.'" DiAngelo called Citibank and learned that her account had been frozen and she should tear up her credit card. DiAngelo says the customer service rep told her that they weren't "at liberty" to tell her why it had happened, and she would have to write a formal letter to request additional details. They did, however, say that she was still responsible for any money owed. "That put fear in my heart, like I thought my world was collapsing. My bank account was frozen. I couldn't access my money," she said. (Citibank did not respond to a request for comment.)There was particular irony in her situation, as DiAngelo did a stint as a stockbroker at Citibank in the 1980's, always pays her taxes, and has a credit score over 800.Allie Eve KnoxAllie Eve KnoxSo DiAngelo did what other sex workers do: She "platform hopped," meaning that she brought her money to another bank. When they also flagged and closed her account, she moved on to the next. After being shut out of a third bank, DiAngelo says she turned exclusively to bitcoin for her online banking needs. Nearly every sex worker interviewed for this story mentioned platform hopping. The government has a set of anti-trafficking guidelines drawn up by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, and the banks and big payment apps keep an eye out for activity deemed suspicious by those guidelines. Those red flags include making cash deposits frequently – a hallmark of the sex work profession."We will change, we will pivot, we'll go to other platforms," Knox said. "This is just a constant like jumping through hoops cycle."In 2014, for example, PayPal booted her because of a payment for her used socks that was large enough to get red-flagged. Knox says neither she nor the buyer were refunded. (PayPal tells CNBC that her account was "closed due to policy violations.")Later, in 2016, Coinbase closed her account and blocked her from making others. (Coinbase acknowledged to CNBC that its terms of service prohibit the use of its "commerce or retail services connected to adult content.")"We're the ones being punished – not the traffickers, not those that are actually abusing workers," said Alana Evans, who has been an adult performer since the late 90's. Evans is currently president of the Adult Performance Artists Guild, or APAG, a federally recognized union within the adult industry that represents all workers from adult film set actors, to content creators."They've attacked our banking; our ability to operate like the rest of the world," explained DiAngelo. "You don't exist if you can't use the banking system."Evans says that once you've been in the industry and labeled as an adult performer, it is virtually impossible to get a job outside the industry – even at a fast food restaurant. "We are stigmatized. We are discriminated against," said Evans, who is actively looking to foment change in her role as the head of APAG. She says she has met directly with Mastercard and other companies to address the issue, and she is advocating with members of Congress to add occupation to the list of protected title practices, which currently includes race, age, and religion. Mastercard confirmed the meeting with Evans, saying that the company "welcomes dialogue and different perspectives" about its policies and programs.For many sex workers, bitcoin is more than a way to reclaim financial independence — it's an industry standard.In 2018, the U.S. passed a federal law designed to eliminate online sex trafficking. The Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act and Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, or FOSTA-SESTA, meant that owners of web sites could face criminal charges for content that promoted trafficking."It meant any site online, or any venue that does business online, that could possibly receive profits for prostitution in any way could be indicted and do 25 years in prison," explained DiAngelo, who is currently a researcher and lecturer at the University of California, Davis.FOSTA-SESTA spelled an end for Backpage – once the bastion of online advertisements for sex workers — and persuaded Craigslist to discontinue its personal ads.But critics say the net effect of this law was to drive the trade further underground. Workers lost the ability to pre-screen clients, and many in the industry tell CNBC it led to a spike in street work and violence.It also turned bitcoin into a necessity for many escorts. Advertising is essential to attract new business, and workers using popular escort directories like Slixa and Eros tell CNBC that these platforms encourage payment in cryptocurrencies within the U.S. One industry vet says typical ads cost $480 worth of bitcoin for two weeks.Eros did not respond to a request for comment, while Slixa shared in a written statement that it "does not advertise or have as advertisers 'sex workers' as that term is traditionally defined," and that it takes multiple forms of payment."I think that in some ways crypto offers a way forward," said Mike Stabile, a spokesman for the Free Speech Coalition, which is an adult video trade group that advocates for the rights of sex workers."It means that you can move away from these handful of payment processors, the handful of credit cards that seem to control what content can be sold," continued Stabile.Mastercard disputes the assertion that it's biased against sex workers. "Let us be clear – allegations of bias against adult content creators are demonstrably untrue. Our actions and business practices against trafficking and exploitation clearly show this."It's just an up-and-down kind of roller coaster. That's the beauty and the pain of crypto.One hazard of the trade are chargebacks, in which a transaction is reversed when a consumer claims they have been fraudulently charged for a good or service they did not receive. It is a tool designed to protect consumers, but many sex workers say it is a tool that is abused in their industry by clients who dispute a transaction for a product or service they have already received.Take OnlyFans. There are some customers who will dispute a transaction once they've already received custom video clips, or photos. OnlyFans' official policy on its website says the creator, not the company, foots the bill for a chargeback. (OnlyFans did not respond to requests for comment.)Many models have taken to forums like Reddit to share their experiences, in which they say these alleged scammers will sometimes put in for a chargeback six months after receiving pictures or videos.Transactions in cryptocurrencies are final, rendering chargebacks impossible. A wave of innovationOnline, the adult industry often leads technology shifts, and that's certainly been the case with crypto.UK-based escort agency VIP Passion started to accept bitcoin in 2013. Two years later, Backpage made a similar move into bitcoin, litecoin, and dogecoin after Visa and Mastercard refused to process payments for its "adult" section.Visa said at the time that the company's rules prohibited the network from "being used for illegal activity" and that Visa had a "long history of working with law enforcement to safeguard the integrity of the payment system." Mastercard issued a similar statement, saying that the card company has rules prohibiting its cards from "being used for illegal or brand-damaging activities."Pornhub – one of the world's most highly trafficked websites – began accepting a crypto token called verge in 2018. As litecoin creator Charlie Lee noted at the time, the porn industry is often a "leading indicator of technology adoption," so he was "glad to see them opening up to cryptocurrency." When PayPal decided to stop payouts to over a hundred thousand Pornhub performers, the site added tether (a stablecoin pegged to the price of the U.S. dollar) as an alternative option. In Dec. 2020, Pornhub went full crypto in some countries after Mastercard and Visa cut ties with the platform over claims of illegal content running rampant on the porn site. In a statement to CNBC, Mastercard said its decision was "based on an internal investigation that confirmed violations of our standards prohibiting unlawful content on their site." Visa did not respond.Allie Eve KnoxAllie Eve KnoxNowadays, it's par for the course to see adult websites accept cryptocurrency, and some deal in it exclusively.Chaturbate and FanCentro accept digital tokens, and live-streaming webcam platform Stripchat tells CNBC that 23% of its active models are now paid in a mix of cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, ethereum, and USDC, which is a stablecoin pegged to the value of the U.S. dollar. Customers can also leave tips, and the company says its largest tip yet was $100,000 deposited in tether.It helps that recent advancements in payment technology have made it easier than ever to transact in cryptocurrency. The Lightning Network, for example, is a payments platform built on bitcoin's base layer that enables virtually instantaneous transactions."An OnlyFans that is Lightning based could easily survive the sort of censorship they faced in August," explained Boaz Sobrado, a London-based fintech data analyst. "Political pressure and stigma can be applied to card companies, which can then make it very difficult for otherwise legal businesses like OnlyFans to operate.""This entire vector is removed if you have a payment system which doesn't suffer from political pressures. And that's the case with the Lightning Network, which has inexpensive payments, easy transactions, and is not easily censorable," continued Sobrado.Stripchat's top crypto payoutsBitcoin49.4%Ether15.1%Tron14.5%Litecoin10.5%Binance Coin10.3Some adult media companies have even turned to blockchain technology to develop their own digital currencies and platforms.SpankChain is a cam-site built on ethereum's blockchain that, among other things, tries to make it easier for adult performers to safely get paid online. LiveStars, also built on ethereum, is an adult streaming platform and social network that promises greater privacy and security to users, plus similar payment solutions that intend to make transactions faster and more profitable for the performer – which is significant to workers who are accustomed to paying 40% to 50% commission fees on traditional platforms that run on fiat payment rails. CumRocket – which Elon Musk appeared to back in two cryptic tweets last June – has its own NFT marketplace and token, which can be used to tip and message content creators. Volatility and learning curve present problemsStabile warns there are still barriers to mass crypto adoption among sex workers. For one, there's a steep learning curve for both workers and customers. Sex workers have written and circulated guides online on how to use crypto, but a sizable knowledge gap remains.It is also difficult to get some customers to spend their bitcoin on adult content. "They generally use it as a store of value," says Stabile. "It's a speculative currency."Knox says often clients choose not to pay her in crypto. "That's the hurdle that we're at right now. We can take it all day long, but until people start using it and start paying us with it, it's not going to really take off for adoption," said Knox. Sex workers who do accept crypto also have to contend with volatile prices, which can cut into their earnings. For instance, bitcoin is down more than 40% from its November all-time high.Evans tells CNBC she stuck it out through the multi-year crypto winter that began in late 2017, when prices plunged."I literally had a paycheck that was worth one-tenth of what it was, because I held on to it," explained Knox. "It's just an up-and-down kind of roller coaster. That's the beauty and the pain of crypto."That volatility can create upside, too.When Knox began accepting cryptocurrency in 2014, it was mainly for convenience, rather than any sense of crypto as a long-term investment. In her early days, Knox tells CNBC she would get two bitcoin in exchange for an hour-long Skype session. A single bitcoin is now worth around $40,000, and has been as high as $69,000.Kristen DiAngeloKristen DiAngelo"I just kind of left it on the backburner and would collect it whenever people would pay me in it," said Knox, who tells CNBC she still holds a good portion of her crypto stake. "I collected till about 2017 and then crypto went crazy. It was one of those things where I was like, 'Oh, wow, this was an accidental great investment for me.'"Beyond price volatility, trading in crypto often incurs extra fees."Buying the crypto to pay for [ads] was always fraught with all these hidden fees that these trading sites would be charging," said San Francisco-based Maxine Doogan, who has been working as a prostitute for more than thirty years. Instead of using a traditional exchange like Coinbase, Doogan instead goes through a convoluted process that involves finding an intermediary via a trading site, and then depositing cash into that person's bank account, trusting that they will then electronically transfer bitcoin into her crypto wallet. Some of these intermediaries will accept gift cards. Others ask sex workers to buy a regular "vanilla" credit card and send them the numbers, in hopes that they'll follow through on the trade.DiAngelo says that in the early days of crypto, she would use bitcoin ATMs at liquor stores and gas stations to deposit cash to buy bitcoin. These machines charge commissions above and beyond the cost of the transaction.Another major problem relates to the rules that govern cryptocurrency exchanges. Many platforms like Coinbase require know-your-customer, or KYC compliance. In practice, that means having to connect an ID and bank account to the platform – a non-starter for many working in the industry. Because of this, some workers later find they can't cash out the crypto they have earned for products or services rendered.While there are tokens designed with privacy and anonymity in mind (zcash and monero, for example), the blockchain technology that underpins cryptocurrencies like bitcoin is transparent by design, leading some in the industry to worry that with the right tools and crypto know-how, friends, family, or the government technically have the ability to track their steps.But Rae remains convinced that cryptocurrency is the future for the sex work industry."Cryptocurrency is our only option. I don't feel like we're going to survive under stricter and stricter rules from the banking industry," said Rae."For people like me making millions of dollars, a thirty day notice from OnlyFans would be the end of us. Crypto really feels like it's kinda it, otherwise we're going to be controlled forever and who knows the kind of content they're going to continue to ban. They can turn you off tomorrow."

Emerging Technologies

Bradley Cooper has spoken out about being addicted to cocaine and struggling with drink problems in the early noughties before his rise to fame, saying he was "so lost" during this period.The Hollywood star, a three-time best actor Oscar nominee whose film breakthrough came with the The Hangover in 2009, said he turned to alcohol and drugs after severing his Achilles tendon and leaving American action series Alias, from which he "got fired slash quit". Speaking on the Smartless podcast, Cooper, 47, said he was "totally depressed" during this time in his life but is now thankful he experienced the issues when he was younger and before the height of his fame."I was so lost and I was addicted to cocaine, that was the other thing," the actor told podcast hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, speaking about the early noughties.Cooper explained that Arnett - who was married to his friend and Wet Hot American Summer co-star Amy Poehler at the time - helped him realise he was on a self-destructive path after the pair attended a party together. Arnett apparently said he was acting like a "real a**hole" at the event. "That was the first time I realised I had a problem with drugs and alcohol and it was Will saying that to me, and I'll just never forget it," Cooper said. More on Bradley Cooper Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears: Ten of the shortest celeb marriages Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper 'mapped out' Oscars song to look like love Lady Gaga responds to Bradley Cooper romance rumours after Oscars Shallow duet Speaking about struggling with addiction before he was a household name, the star said: "I will say this - I did have the benefit of that happening when I was 29."So at 29, it wasn't really until [The] Hangover - I was 36 when I did The Hangover - so I got to go through all of those things before fame even played into my existence on a daily level."Cooper starred as Phil in the award-winning comedy and its two sequels.He said he is "still working on self-esteem" even now, "but I definitely made major breakthroughs from 29 to 34, where at least I was able to stand in front of somebody and breathe and listen and talk".Cooper, who was Oscar-nominated for his performances in Silver Linings Playbook, American Sniper and A Star Is Born, also spoke about the joys of being a father to Lea, his daughter with ex-partner Irina Shayk, who was born in 2017."Fatherhood is, I mean everything changed... everything is brought out in glorious colours by the fact that I get to be a father to a wonderful human being."It's just the absolute greatest thing."During the interview, Cooper also played an audio clip of his daughter singing Baha Men's Who Let The Dogs Out, which features in the first Hangover movie - resulting in him texting his co-stars Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms: "Hangover 4, let's do it!"

Celebrity

There’s been a sniffer dog in the press room today. He’s been a busy boy.A security officer and dog patrol the grounds at Royal Ascot. Photograph: Alastair Grant/APIt’s almost that time again ... the royal procession down the track is back at about 2pm (after being seen for the first time since 2019 yesterday) and we can expect the details of who will be in it at midday. The Queen is again a doubtful runner at Ascot and people will be waiting to see if she’s in the first carriage, though there is a suggestion that she might arrive by car if she does go to the races and if there’s a day she’s likely to go then it’s Thursday, Gold Cup day, when she traditionally presents the trophy to the big-race winner and she also has an odds-on shot running in one of the races.This is also the time when I mention the Serpentine gallery exhibition by artist Mark Wallinger I saw back in 1994 when one of his installations, called ‘Royal Ascot’, consisted of a series of video monitors on top of wheeled flight cases, each isolating the royal carriage’s leisurely progress down the track on the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (respectively, as it was then) of the meeting with the added TV commentary.The point Wallinger was making is that the difference from day to day was barely discernible but what was different yesterday, a point made by former Racing Post editor Bruce Millington and by Jack Keene in the Sun, was that the procession passed by “in total silence, with none of the usual rapturous applause and cheers.” The Queen’s passing will clearly mark a major shift in support for the monarchy. Keene himself says it’s time to ditch the procession. Off with his head! Or maybe just the photo-shopped Royal Ascot topper?!Non runnersDon’t put these on your betting slips. They aren’t turning up! I do like the idea of these horses self-certificating ...6.10pm Kensington Palace Handicap1 Technique (Self Certificate – In Season)12 Mobadra (Self Certificate – Infection)Sorting the finishing touches ... Photograph: Aaron Chown/PAGoing newsThe Ascot clerk of the course Chris Stickels has just been on Sky Sports Racing and said: “We’ve put 4mm of watering on the track to maintain the moisture. It will be fast ground but it’s a fantastic racing surface. We still have a dry forecast for the next couple of days and then we’re not sure what is going to happen on Saturday. There are one or two forecasts of thunderstorms.”The going for day two of Royal Ascot is officially Good to Firm, with the GoingStick readings at 8am: Stands side: 8.4Centre: 8.4 Farside: 8.5 Round: 7.4The farside is just a bit quicker on the straight but not much in it. Perhaps those in the low numbered stalls may be at advantage in the opener according to some pundits ...Worth noting that on good or faster since 2000, three Queen Mary winners (Romantic Myth, Maqaasid and Campanelle) have come from the stall nearest the far rail (1). @TheTote1000 @WorldPool— Rory Delargy (@helynsar) June 15, 2022 PreambleGreg WoodGood morning from Royal Ascot, where temperatures are forecast to reach 25C this afternoon, the good-to-firm ground will be getting quicker by the minute and several thousand gentlemen (and rogues) who are really not dressed for the weather will already be perspiring freely as the Royal Procession makes its way down the track at 2pm.But it should be worth the discomfort, because Wednesday’s card has something for everyone: a couple of juvenile sprints, a field full of St Leger types in the Queen’s Vase, one of the year’s most competitive handicaps and the Royal meeting’s first ever £1m race at 3.40. That works out as £200,000 per runner in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, but what the feature event lacks in numbers, it makes up for in quality and variety. Bay Bridge, the favourite, is stepping up to Group One company for the first time, whereas his four rivals all have at least one victory at the highest level to their name. Sir Michael Stoute’s colt was odds-against at 5-4 on Tuesday afternoon but there has been plenty of cash for him this morning and you will now struggle to beat 10-11. There were echoes of the great Mtoto about his win in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown last time – which to my mind is pretty much the highest praise you could ever attach to a racehorse – and Bay Bridge will send his Derby-winning trainer, Sir Michael Stoute, past £2m in prize money in 2022 if he picks up the £600,000 first prize. His biggest rival according to the betting is Japanese-trained Shahryar, who took the immensely valuable Sheema Classic on World Cup night in Dubai back in March and is looking to be the first runner from Japan to win a race at the Royal meeting. All five runners, though, will go to post with a realistic chance, and it promises to be a fine highlight despite the lack of numbers. The action is underway at 2.30pm as a big field of juvenile fillies flies down the five-furlong course in the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes. News, results, race-by-race previews and even in-running commentaries will be here on the blog as the action unfolds, so let’s saddle up for the second afternoon at the Royal meeting.

Other Sports

After seven months of play, the Warriors entered the NBA Finals thinking they had finally figured out their rotations. They thought wrong. Since the Finals started, Golden State has mixed and matched personnel like it was a November Sunday and everyone was watching football instead of their game. The starting lineup has changed, Andre Iguodala has gone from regular minutes to injuries, to spot minutes, to regular minutes again. Draymond Green was benched at one point, and Nemanja Bjelica has become a trusted player after not playing in Game 1. All this tinkering hasn’t been in vain, though. The Warriors have found a new spine of Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney. They might have found their best lineup in Game 5, too. It’s one that could seal the series for Golden State if used again in Game 6 Thursday night in Boston. And this lineup is anything but conventional. Without all this Finals experimentation, would Warriors coach Steve Kerr have decided that Gary Payton II, all 6-foot-3 of him, should see minutes at power forward? I doubt it. But without Payton II at the four, I also doubt that the Warriors would be one win away from a fourth championship. Payton didn’t play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals — he was coming off a fractured elbow, after all. But Kerr called Payton’s DNP a mistake. So then, in Game 2 of the series, he played 26 minutes. The Warriors won handily. No lesson was learned, though. The Warriors split in Boston, but Payton only played 10 minutes a game, performing better in Game 4, the Warriors’ win. He was a man without a role. He was a man who needed one. When Payton plays, he’s an asset. He’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, despite his size, and offensively, he is sharp, aggressive, and can knock down a corner 3, too. Payton plays so much larger than he actually is. The Warriors need to keep exploiting the optical illusion. And when early foul trouble on Looney forced Kerr to play Green at center in the first half of Game 5, Payton found his best position and the Warriors found their best five-man lineup, in turn. In five minutes with Payton in the Warriors’ starting lineup instead of Otto Porter on Monday, Golden State had a 150 offensive rating and 100 defensive rating for a net rating of 50. For the folks who aren’t up on offensive and defensive rating, that means the Warriors would have outscored Boston by 50 points over 100 possessions. In simpler terms: Very good, do more of that. Swap out Draymond Green for Kevon Looney in that lineup — as the Warriors did for eight minutes in Game 5 — and you’d have a defensive rating of 86.7 and a net rating of 42.7. Again, stupendous. Of all the lineups used by either team in this game for five or more minutes Monday, these two lineups were unquestionably the best. And it should be noted that the Warriors’ starting lineup posted a minus-22 net rating in Game 5. It didn’t work until Payton was at the four. In the two games where Payton has played, Payton has given the Warriors exactly what they need, without sacrificing anything in the process. The Warriors lose nothing on the glass when Payton is in the game. He’s arguably the best small rebounder in the game. And defensively, he gives Golden State a third, sometimes fourth defender to square up with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics’ two talented wings who are hunting for matchups off high screens. Rebounding, stout defense, enviable smarts, and the ability to knock down a corner shot and rise above the rim? That’s everything the Warriors want in a frontcourt alongside either Green or Looney. That’s the kind of play the Warriors have been looking for from Porter in this series, and have only received in spurts. So who cares if it comes from a player who looks nothing like a power forward? These Warriors are a much different team than the first championship addition, but there’s something familiar about Payton’s play. (And no, it’s not a resemblance to Quinn Cook, who at 6-foot-flat (at best) spaced the floor as a four for the injured 2019 Warriors in the NBA Finals and who had two critical misplays in the final moments of Game 6 of that series.) It’s a resemblance to vintage Iguodala — everywhere on defense, doing all the little things that need to be done, and with an uncanny penchant for knocking down big shots in big moments. Now, I’ve already tried my hand at suggesting starters, so let’s, instead, take this data and suggest a closing lineup for the Warriors on Thursday and perhaps Sunday: The Warriors need to ensure that it includes Payton, the team’s best power forward.

Basketball

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! "Lightyear" actor Chris Evans, who plays the titular role in Walt Disney’s new Pixar movie, has responded to critics who say the film’s kissing scene between two female characters pushes a pro-gay agenda."The real truth is those people are idiots," Evans said during an interview with Reuters Television. "There's always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before. But those people die off like dinosaurs. I think the goal is to pay them no mind, march forward and embrace the growth that makes us human."In the film, Evans voices the character Buzz Lightyear, whose story inspires an action figure by the same name in the "Toy Story" franchise. Lightyear, CinemaCon. (Getty Images)"Every time there’s been social advancement as we wake up, the American story, the human story is one of constant social awakening and growth and that’s what makes us good," Evans added.PIXAR'S SHORT FILM ‘OUT’ FEATURES FIRST GAY MAIN CHARACTERThe comment comes as some critics of the film have argued the decision to include LGBTQ representation and a scene with a gay married couple kissing in a film marketed to children was intentional.The on-screen kiss takes place between Hawthorne, a female lead voiced by Uzo Aduba, and another female character.DISNEY, PIXAR'S 'LIGHTYEAR' SEES SAME-SEX KISS RESTORED AMID CONTROVERSY WITH QUEER CHARACTER: REPORTIt was reportedly removed from the film earlier this year, amid controversy over Disney’s quietness over Florida’s "Don’t Say Gay" bill that barred conversations about LGBTQ identity in K-12 classrooms, Variety reported in March of this year, citing "a source close to the production." The scene, however, was ultimately restored to the film. Chris Evans attends the Out-of-This-World Premiere of Disney and Pixar's "Lightyear" at the El Capitan Theater on June 8, 2022, in Hollywood, California. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)"Lightyear" plays in some theaters on Thursday before a worldwide release Friday. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERIt will not be shown in the United Arab Emirates or Malaysia, due to the on-screen gay kiss. In the film, Chris Evans voices the character Buzz Lightyear. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)The film "is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country’s media content standards," the UAE Ministry of Youth and Culture Media Regulatory Office said in a tweet. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"The office confirms that all films screened in cinemas across the country are subject to follow-up and evaluation before the date of screening to the public, to ensure the safety of the circulated content according to the appropriate age classification," the tweet added.

Movies

K-pop boy band BTS' goods are seen on display at a cafe in Seoul, South Korea, June 15, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSEOUL, June 15 (Reuters) - K-pop pioneers BTS faced tears and sympathy from fans but anger from shareholders in their management company on Wednesday, a day after the band, pleading exhaustion, announced a break from group musical activities to pursue solo projects.Many in South Korea reacted with shock and dismay at Tuesday’s news that, with some of its seven members approaching military service age, also triggered speculation about the future of a band whose upbeat hits and messages of youth empowerment have turned them into global stars."I could relate to them as they shed tears and honestly told us how they felt," fan Nini Lee told Reuters from a café in Seoul where she had gathered with other fans.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"Their voice gave me huge strength when I had tough times, and I'm no longer afraid of such headwinds ...Now I want to give my voice of courage to them.".Kim Young-sun, who runs the cafe, said she felt sorry that she as a fan had only wanted more from BTS at a time when they were struggling, wishing them a well-deserved break to recharge their batteries.BTS Leader and rapper RM, in a tearful video released on Tuesday on the ninth anniversary of a group that last year became the first Asian band to win artist of the year at the American Music Awards, said he had "felt guilty and afraid" to ask for the rest that he desperately needed.Singer Jimin said they were struggling to find their identity in what he called an "exhausting process," while RM also lamented that the K-pop industry could not provide young artists with "time to mature".On social media, some other fans blamed BTS' management group HYBE for relentlessly pushing for new albums and other moneymaking opportunities. read more The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment."The K-pop and idol industry had long been running on a profit-making system where the stars cannot take a rest even when they burned themselves out," said Jung Duk-hyun, a South Korean cultural critic.SHAREHOLDER 'DYNAMITE'Tuesday's unexpected announcement fuelled anger among investors in HYBE, which went public two years ago and whose shares (352820.KS) plunged 25% on Wednesday, wiping nearly 2 trillion won ($1.55 billion) off its market value."They've planted 'dynamite' in the hearts of shareholders," one wrote on a Samsung Securities stock trading platform, referring to one of the group's hit songs.HYBE shares had performed relatively poorly in recent months, and the company's chief executive and some BTS members unloaded stock totalling 10 billion won ($7.75 million) in December.All able-bodied South Korean men are subject to about two years of military service, and the oldest member of BTS, Jin, is required to begin his duty next year.A bill pushing for providing military exemptions to globally renowned artists is pending in parliament, amid prolonged debate over whether BTS deserves similar benefits that sport athletes enjoy.Lee Ki-hoon, an analyst at Hana Financial Investment Co. Ltd., wrote in a report that BTS' lack of public activity including the impact of military service could result in a 750 billion won revenue loss in 2023.($1 = 1,290.1600 won)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Hyonhee Shin, Yeni Seo and Minwoo Park; Additional reporting by Joori Roh; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Music

Welcome to Moving the Goalposts, the Guardian’s new (and free) women’s football newsletter. Here’s an extract from this week’s edition. To receive the full version once a week, just pop your email in below:“It’s been a massive challenge, but a great learning curve for me,” Casey Stoney reflects after a whirlwind few months as head coach of one of the NWSL’s newest sides, San Diego Wave. The expansion team are currently riding high at the top of the league, having already won more games than ever before by a club in their debut year.Leaving Manchester United after three years in charge, Stoney decided to step out of her comfort zone and move halfway across the world. Despite loving her new environment, it has not been without its difficulties. Visa issues meant that she had to make the move alone, leaving her partner Megan back in England with their three children. Thankfully, the situation has been resolved and her family will join her in due course, but Stoney describes leaving them as the “hardest thing I’ve ever done”.One would imagine starting a new team from scratch would be a daunting prospect for any manager, but Stoney has approached the task with a typically cool head. After all, it is not her first rodeo having taken on a similar project with United back in 2018. “I think where other people maybe panic about stuff or think we’re not going to get players, I’m quite calm because I’m like, ‘They will come’,” she says. “We’re in an incredible city. We’re building something new and exciting.”For Stoney, establishing a strong environment is key. “I did a lot of research, and I came over with my eyes very much wide open,” she says. “One thing I was very aware of was that some of them have been in environments where it hasn’t been conducive for them to be able to perform. I wanted to create something with the club where it’s different. Where there isn’t a fear of making mistakes and where they do have psychological safety.”There are, of course, differences to her time in England. The rules in the America mean that she has had less control over player recruitment, acquiring them through drafts as well as trades. Instead of starting with young players at the age of 16, she now works with them at 22 when they have emerged from the education system: “They do come out of college, in my opinion, not really prepared for the professional game. It gives us a challenge in the first year – we’re going to have to go on a journey with a lot of them to get them prepared.”Fans do the mexican wave at the game between the San Diego Wave FC and the NJ/NY Gotham FC in May. Photograph: Meg Oliphant/Getty ImagesNevertheless, she is keen to stress the quality of youth she has in her rank and does not shy away from giving them opportunities. Naomi Girma, for example, “looks like a veteran” and has played consistently, recently being awarded the NWSL’s “Rookie of the Month”. This youth, blended with the experience of Alex Morgan and Jodie Taylor, has made Stoney’s job enjoyable: “They’re a great group. They’re so coachable. They want to learn, and they want to do well. When you’ve got a group like that, as a head coach, it’s a dream.”Other contrasts include the athleticism and the transitional nature of the league: “I came off the game the other day thinking I’m going to go grey so early over here. You feel like you can score and concede in the same phase of play. It’s fast; it’s end-to-end; it’s transitional. There’s probably not as much desire to keep the ball, which is something I’m trying to improve.”Community foundations are key to American clubs. The Wave have been welcomed enthusiastically by their growing supporter base at the Torero Stadium. “I’ve never encountered anything like it,” enthuses Stoney. “The crowds here are unbelievable. We’re getting over 5,000 every game; that’s standard for us. At United, I wasn’t getting that and you think about how big it is with that brand and that badge. That’s a definite difference that I’ve seen here. The ability to get out into the local community and drive the fan base from there.” In September, Wave will be moving to the Snapdragon Stadium, a 35,000-seater arena, an exciting prospect as the club continues to grow.Alex Morgan (right) in action against OL Reign in June. Photograph: Justin Fine/CSM/ShutterstockWork in the community includes occasions such as Pride Night, held at Torero for the first time last week, that help to educate and bring visibility. LGBTQIA+ rights are close to Stoney’s heart and she is passionate about her club standing up for what they believe: “If I’m honest, it’s really needed here because there are some states that are going backwards. It’s important. I’ve got Megs and the three kids, and I want them to grow up in a society where it’s not an issue.”With the NWSL only a couple of months in, Stoney will have a busy summer in California. However, she will have one eye firmly fixed back home as England host the European Championships this summer. “I had 18 years as a Lioness so it’s deep-rooted in my heart. I’ll follow them every step of the way. I think they’ve got an incredible manager who knows how to win it. And we’ve got a good blend of experience and youth … It’s [about] the players going out there and seeing it as an opportunity, not a threat. What an opportunity they have to change the game forever.”Quote of the week“It took me until I met Megs maybe and had the kids to be comfortable in my own skin … because you’re taught to conform and that it’s not normal. Like what is normal? And that’s what I teach the kids. Families look different; everybody looks different. If we’re all the same, it’d be so boring” – Stoney on the importance of Pride Month.Got a question for our writers – or want to suggest a topic to cover? Get in touch by emailing moving.goalposts@theguardian.com or posting BTL.

Soccer

ARLINGTON — As the Chrises in charge of the Rangers go, one is given a bit to hyperbole, the other not so much.So, when ebullient, optimistic manager Chris Woodward speaks of a player being the best he’s ever seen at anything, you chalk it up to enthusiasm. But when it’s the more reserved and measured GM, Chris Young, who slips for even a moment into hype man mode, you take note.Like Monday, for example. Talking about the start of rookie Ezequiel Duran, he let this slip: “It’s been phenomenal.”Phenomenal.This was all the qualifier to an attempt to answer a more challenging and, at least for now, hypothetical question. That being: What will you do with Duran when Josh Smith returns from the injured list?“Aw, you aren’t going to go there, are you?” he said.How can you not?In the three weeks since the Rangers decided their offense needed some kind of jolt, that’s exactly what Smith, before a shoulder injury, and Duran since have provided. The duo, the Yankees’ gift to the Rangers’ future as part of the Joey Gallo trade, began Tuesday slashing a composite .354/.426/.448/.874. And that was before Duran’s smart at-bat to start the third inning against Jose Urquidy that led to the Rangers’ first run in an eventual 4-3 loss to Houston that included blowing a three-run, eighth-inning lead.The loss once again highlighted that despite a potential bright future, the Rangers are still not talented enough to overcome crucial mistakes. In the eighth, Corey Seager, playing at double-play depth, refused to take a double play after consecutive singles and that simply opened the door for a championship-caliber team to push it down.Seager attempted to go home with Alex Bregman’s grounder, though the conventional play was to trade the run for two outs. While his throw home was on the mark, the Rangers blew the rundown when rookie catcher Sam Huff fired high to Duran, who could not corral the ball. A run scored. Everybody was safe.Two batters later, Kyle Tucker drove a pitch from John King into the bullpen for the lead.“When you don’t execute against these guys, they’ve been there, done that,” King said, speaking more about the hanging breaking ball than the defensive mistake. “They will get you.”Seager was unavailable in the clubhouse after the loss. Woodward acknowledged that Seager should have taken the double-play opportunity that was presented him.“He probably should have done that,” Woodward said. “But hindsight is 20-20. He’s playing aggressive, trying to make a play. It’s hard to fault him on that part. But, looking back on it, having two outs, up 3-1 and having [Yordan] Alvarez at the plate is still better.”Despite the ugly come-from-ahead loss, the Rangers are improved from a year ago. Guys like Duran and Smith offer the possibility for more improvement to come. And the decision about them both is coming, perhaps faster than expected. Smith took batting practice for the second straight day Tuesday. His sprained left shoulder seems to be remarkably better after just 10 days. He could be headed on a rehab assignment before the end of the week.“We’ll see how it plays out,” Young said of finding a way to work both Duran and Smith onto the roster and into the lineup together. “When we brought Ezequiel up, we thought it was probably for the short-term. We were bringing him up from Double-A. But he’s gotten off to a phenomenal start. I’ve just learned that these things usually end up working themselves out.”Texas Rangers' Ezequiel Duran is doused after the team defeated the Chicago White Sox in a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)(Nam Y. Huh / ASSOCIATED PRESS)For sure. Duran will cool down. He has to, doesn’t he? Smith’s rehab could plateau or, worse, he could regress.Or, come about July 1, you could look out at the left side of the diamond and see one of them at third base and the other in left field. That’s one scenario the Rangers are considering.After all, Smith and the Rangers talked about the outfield last winter. He even went out on his own and got an outfield glove. Played some center field down in Round Rock in the first month of the season. He hasn’t played left, but he’s willing to. He could use a week-long rehab assignment as a left field crash course. Eh, given circumstances of the last few days, maybe “left field” and “crash” are not a good combo. He could get a tutorial. He’s apparently a pretty quick learner.It would also give the Rangers a bit more time to wrap their brains around exactly what it is that Duran is doing and if it’s sustainable. Even the ever-optimistic Woodward acknowledged being a bit surprised by Duran’s start.“But he’s made adjustments in the time of one at-bat,” Woodward said. “He doesn’t seem to get bothered at this level. I don’t know if he’s been fully exposed yet. But there are just little things that keep happening out there that say he’s got a slow heartbeat. How long he stays is a matter of how consistent he is.”And if he is, in two weeks you may just a whole new look on the left side of the field.On Twitter: @Evan_P_GrantRelated:How the Rangers’ bullpen imploded in eighth inning of 4-3 loss to AstrosRelated:Adjusting and simplifying has Rangers’ OF Adolis García catching up to opposing fastballsRelated:Rangers notebook: Jesús Tinoco impresses amidst COVID absences; Eli White wrist updateFind more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter.Evan Grant, Rangers beat writer/insider. Evan has covered the Rangers since 1997. He has twice been named one of the top 10 beat writers in the country by the AP Sports Editors. His passions outside of covering baseball are his wife, Gina, his two step kids, two crazy dogs & barbecue. Let's not discuss the cat. Evan graduated from Georgia State University, but oddly is a Georgia fan. egrant@dallasnews.com @Evan_P_Grant

Baseball

A mixed bag of June fixtures wrapped up on Tuesday with a testy 1-1 draw away to El Salvador as USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter continued his World Cup preparations.The window opened with two useful friendlies against World Cup-bound nations – a morale-boosting 3-0 victory over Morocco and a resilient and sometimes fluent goalless draw with a slightly superior Uruguay team.Then came the imposition of two Concacaf Nations League fixtures: a virtually meaningless 5-0 win over Grenada and Tuesday’s visit to sodden San Salvador, in which an injury-time Jordan Morris header saved American blushes – and exemplified American determination.A spirited second-half display was the main positive for the US, as Yunus Musah delivered a kinetic star turn. Substitute Paul Arriola was sent off for a lunge and El Salvador also ended the match with 10 men. It was an archetypal febrile, bad-tempered, VAR-less Concacaf scrap on a dreadful surface, a context that will bear little resemblance to the Group B games in Qatar against Wales, England and Iran. You’d hope.Here are a few takeaways from the latest round up matches.Ferreira up frontFrance famously won the ’98 World Cup with a goal-averse striker turned swimming-pool salesman, Stéphane Guivarc’h, leading the line. It shouldn’t be beyond the US to get out of their group without a top-class No 9. The wingers are a threat, the midfield has drive, and it’s not as if the central strikers contributed much from open play during the successful qualifying campaign.As of now the best option appears to be Jesús Ferreira of FC Dallas. The in-form 21-year-old moves well off the ball and scored four goals against Grenada in Austin last Friday. True, you could fit the entire adult population of Grenada into 108,000-capacity Michigan Stadium. But given the modest calibre of the opposition and his quiet performances against Uruguay and Morocco, the pressure was on Ferreira to fill his boots and he did, with three fine finishes and a tap-in.Haji Wright of Antalyaspor was given his first US start against El Salvador but enjoyed little service and there was not much to note other than a decent chance the 24-year-old put wide. He was taken off at half time and replaced with Ferreira, but it was another substitute, the pugnacious Morris, who delivered the equaliser from close range.Horvath horror show Nottingham Forest back-up keeper Ethan Horvath got his chance on Tuesday on a pitch seemingly imported from the Glastonbury festival. His feet appeared stuck in the mud in the 35th minute as he watched Alexander Larin’s cross/shot fly into the net. Rain won’t be a problem in Qatar, but the goal – El Salvador’s only shot on target – was the kind of cruel moment that can doom an international career.Matt Turner was solid in goal against Morocco and didn’t face a shot on target against Grenada, while Sean Johnson excelled against Uruguay, the toughest opponent the US met this month. With Zack Steffen not in the squad, both Turner and Johnson bolstered their cases to be picked ahead of the error-prone Manchester City reserve. Turner may now be the favourite to start in Qatar, even if he doesn’t see much first-team action at Arsenal next season.Tuesday’s freakish strike was the only goal the US conceded in the four games. The redoubtable Aaron Long partnered Cameron Carter-Vickers at center-back against El Salvador and deserves the edge over the Celtic defender as Berhalter decides who will slot in alongside first-choice Walker Zimmerman.Two games to goGregg Berhalter is yet to settle on his final XI for the World Cup. Photograph: Scott Wachter/USA Today SportsThe US only have just 180 minutes of match action before the World Cup. Come the autumn and September’s climatic pair of friendlies in Europe, Berhalter will have to decide how much weight he places on current club form as opposed to what he’s witnessed over the longer term in training camps and international matches.That’s a calculation for any manager ahead of a World Cup, of course. But this time the finals take place in November and December, less than halfway through the European season. Not to mention the sheer number of American players who may be on the move this summer – or have already switched clubs, like Brenden Aaronson. The Athletic listed 14 who could soon change employers, including key men such as Christian Pulisic, Sergiño Dest and Weston McKennie.Maybe they flourish in fresh surroundings; perhaps they struggle to adapt. Berhalter’s best-laid plans may end up requiring significant last-minute revision even without injuries.Leaving it lateOn the one hand, the fewer people who see Pulisic’s latest hairstyle, the better. On the other, the lack of buzz around the June window was a shame. With five months until kick-off against Wales in Qatar, the fixtures didn’t feel like a send-off series. But US Soccer’s policy of playing in small MLS stadiums and late kick-off times for matches broadcast on a merry-go-round of niche channels do nothing to promote the product to casual observers.Sure, Friday’s NBA finals Game 4 held more interest for the average American sports fan than a Nations League stroll in a Texan sweatbox against the world’s 170th-ranked team. But did the Grenada game need to kick off on a Friday night at 10pm ET and be broadcast in English on the cavernous ESPN+ subscription streaming service, where viewers may have been distracted by alternative delights such as the La Crosse Loggers versus the Bismarck Larks in the Northwoods baseball league?Tuesday’s clash in San Salvador, on FS1, Univision and TUDN, also kicked off at 10pm ET as the USMNT continued its war on people who have to get up early the next morning. The game even clashed with a rescheduled home MLS match for one of the continent’s most popular clubs, as Seattle hosted Vancouver. This on the day that MLS announced a lucrative and comprehensive deal with Apple TV; compare and contrast.Thoughts turn to 2026As hosts of the biennial Gold Cup, the US are fortunate to play a lot of home games. Habitual travel sickness – their only away win in the Octagonal was against Honduras, by far the worst team – doesn’t bode well for Qatar, but it won’t be a problem four years from now.Fifa finally reveals the identity of the 2026 World Cup host cities on Thursday. Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara are safe bets but there’s intrigue regarding the American and Canadian cities. Kansas City ahead of Baltimore/Washington? Houston but not Boston? There are rumblings that Fifa will snub Edmonton, leaving Canada with only Toronto and Vancouver.Then there’s the matter of who’s awarded the prime fixtures, with the New York and Dallas areas vying for the final. Los Angeles, too, though the field at SoFi Stadium is too narrow for Fifa’s liking. That’s right: Stan Kroenke – the owner of Arsenal and the Colorado Rapids – built a $5.5bn stadium with soccer as an afterthought.

Soccer

"I was just looking for the team store" he told an official after he entered Chase Center and "shot around on the court for 10 minutes."Fans arrive at the Chase Center before Game 1 of basketball's NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics in San Francisco, on June 2, 2022.John Hefti / APJune 15, 2022, 4:15 AM UTCA man who posed as Golden State Warriors star shooting guard Klay Thompson said he had been banned from the team’s home court after he recorded himself walking into San Francisco’s Chase Center and “shot around" for 10 minutes before Monday's NBA Finals game.The man, who goes by BigDawsTv on social media accounts, posted a photo of what he said was a letter banning him. The letter, which appeared to be signed by the Warriors' vice president of security and addressed to Dawson Gurley, described the conduct as a crime and a violation of NBA and Chase Center rules."You are banned, indefinitely, from attending any future NBA, WNBA, G League or 2K League games, or any concert and or event held at Chase Center," the letter says. "Any violation of you being found at any of these properties, whether ticketed or not, you will be subject to arrest for criminal trespass."Neither the Warriors nor Chase Center immediately responded to requests for comment.But in a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, the team said a person "falsely impersonated a Warriors player in a deliberate attempt to access unauthorized areas within Chase Center" and received a lifetime ban from the venue and Kaiser Permanente Arena.Gurley posted a video to YouTube of himself entering the stadium dressed in Warriors attire and passing through security. After shooting on the court, a woman can be seen asking for his credentials."No, they just let us in," he says. While being escorted out of the building, he adds: "I was just looking for the team store." In a series of tweets, Gurley complained about the ban, noting that he was losing $10,000 on season tickets and that he passed through several layers of "incompetent" security. Later, he posted the venue had every right to ban him."Was it worth it to lose 10K on tickets and be banned for life?" he tweeted. "Absolutely. I was an NBA player for 10 minutes bro."Gurley has previously dressed up as Thompson, including during a 2017 game when he appeared to access the VIP section of the Warriors' parking lot and sat in front-row seats.The Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals by 10 points, 104-94. Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday.Tim Stelloh is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Basketball

Amber Heard said she fears she could face further lawsuits from former husband Johnny Depp if she continues to speak out about their relationship following their high-profile defamation trial. Speaking with Savannah Guthrie in her first interview since a Virginia jury found she had defamed Depp in saying he abused her over the course of their relationship, Heard said she felt "scared" to speak out.Asked if she felt "nervous" about what she can say following the trial's outcome, Heard said: "Of course. I took for granted what I assumed was my right to speak.""I’m scared that no matter what I do, no matter what I say, or how I say it — every step that I take will present another opportunity for this sort of — silencing, which is what, I guess, a defamation lawsuit is meant to do," she said, after being asked whether she feared she could be sued by Depp again. "It’s meant to — meant to take your voice," she said.'Teams of lawyers' reviewed op-ed draftsHeard maintained that the 2018 op-ed at the center of the lawsuit had not been specifically about Depp, despite the trial's outcome.In the essay, published by The Washington Post, Heard said she had become a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” She never mentioned Depp by name, but his attorneys said the piece had indirectly referred to allegations she made against him during their divorce in 2016."The op-ed wasn't about my relationship with Johnny," Heard told Guthrie. "What the op-ed was about was ... me loaning my voice to a bigger cultural conversation that we were having at the time," she said, noting the op-ed was published at the height of the #MeToo Movement."I obviously knew it was important for me not to make it about him," she said. "Or to do anything like defame him." She said she had "teams of lawyers" review all of the drafts of the op-ed.Heard further said that she had not hoped for Depp to be "canceled" after the piece was published."When you wrote this op-ed, it was the height of #MeToo. Legions of powerful men being canceled, losing their jobs. Did you want that to happen to Johnny Depp?" Guthrie asked."Of course not. Of course not. It wasn’t about him," she said.'I have no bad feelings or ill will' Reminded of how she said she still had "love for Johnny" during her explosive defamation trial, Heard said that sentiment had not changed.Asked whether that statement was still true, she said: "Yes." "Absolutely. Absolutely. I love him. I loved him with all my heart," she said. "And I tried the best I could to make a deeply broken relationship work. And I couldn’t.""I have no bad feelings or ill will toward him at all. I know that might be hard to understand or it might be really easy to understand. If you’ve just ever loved anyone it should be easy," she said.'I'm not a perfect victim'Still, during the interview, Heard said she felt she had been left humiliated by her ex-husband and the defamation trial."There’s a text message where Johnny promises total global humiliation for you. Do you feel like that came true?" Guthrie asked. "I know he promised it. I testified to this," Heard responded, after taking multiple deep breaths. "I’m not — a good victim. I get it. I’m not a likable victim. I’m not a perfect victim.""But I — when I testified I asked the jury to just see me as human and to hear his own words, which is a promise to do this," she said. "It feels as though he has."Depp, who was not in court for the verdict, sued Heard for $50 million in damages over her essay in The Washington Post. Heard countersued Depp for $100 million in a claim focusing on statements made by his former attorney Adam Waldman in 2020 to the Daily Mail, branding her allegations of abuse a "hoax." A jury found on June 1 that Heard defamed Depp, awarding him $15 million in damages. The sum of $5 million in punitive damages was brought down to to $350,000, the the state’s statutory cap or legal limit, making his total damages $10.4 million. Heard was also awarded $2 million in compensatory damages in her counterclaim, but nothing in punitive damages. Her attorney, Elaine Bredehoft, previously told “TODAY” that her client intended to appeal and can’t pay the $10.4 million judgment in the case.Asked about how she sees her future now, in the wake of the defamation trial, Heard said: "I get to be a mom, like, full-time, you know where I'm not having to juggle calls with lawyers."If she talks to her daughter about her experience through the trial one day, Heard said she would tell her: “I think no matter what, it will mean something.”"I did the right thing. I did everything I could to stand up for myself and the truth," she said.Chantal Da SilvaChantal Da Silva is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital based in London. Marlene Lenthang and Doha Madani contributed.

Celebrity

Actor Chris Evans has criticised people who react negatively to films reflecting traditionally under-represented groups, calling them "idiots" who will "die off like dinosaurs".The Hollywood star voices the young Buzz Lightyear in the animated Toy Story spin-off Lightyear, which has been banned in the United Arab Emirates because it depicts a kiss between two female characters. Speaking about those who are against the move to reflect different groups on screen, Evans told Reuters TV: "The real truth is those people are idiots." Image: Evans voices the young Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story spin-off. Pic: Pixar/Disney "Every time there's been social advancement as we wake up, the American story, the human story, is one of constant social awakening and growth and that's what makes us good," Evans added.Lightyear, the character's origin story, is due to be released in cinemas on Thursday. As well as being banned in the UAE, which includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Disney has also been unable to secure permission to show the Pixar film in 13 other Middle Eastern and Asian countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and Lebanon. The UAE's Ministry of Youth and Culture's Media Regulatory Office has said the film is "not licenced for public screening" due to its "violation of the country's media content standards". More from Ents & Arts Bradley Cooper opens up about cocaine addiction and alcohol problems before his Hangover film breakthrough BTS: 'We should spend some time apart' - Teen hearts break worldwide as K-pop stars BTS try going solo Amber Heard says she and Johnny Depp were 'awful to each other' but that she 'always told the truth', in first interview since actor's libel case win Buzz's close friend in the film is a female space ranger who marries another woman and a scene showing pivotal moments throughout the couple's relationship includes a brief kiss."There's always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before. But those people die off like dinosaurs," Evans said. "I think the goal is to pay them no mind, march forward and embrace the growth that makes us human."Producer Galyn Susman questioned why viewers "don't get more upset showing failed relationships".She said Lightyear shows a relationship that "lasts an entire lifetime" and is "loving" and "supportive" - showing Buzz "exactly what he doesn't have and that's the whole point"."We should all be so lucky to have that kind of relationship in our life."On Monday, Evans surprised young patients at a pre-release screening for the film, greeting families at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital at the hospital's CW+ MediCinema - one of six in-hospital cinemas the charity runs in the UK.The Captain America star spent time chatting to patients and signing posters before attending the London premiere later in the evening.

Movies

Amber Heard has admitted that she 'absolutely still loves' her ex-husband Johnny Depp, despite once again speaking out to accuse him of physical abuse during their relationship - insisting that her lack of visible injuries does not mean that her claims were 'fake' or a 'hoax'. The 36-year-old actress once again spoke out about the abuse she claims she suffered at the hands of her former spouse during a wide-ranging Today show interview with Savannah Guthrie - just days after she was found guilty of defaming Depp, 59, in a Washington Post op-ed in which she stated she was a survivor of 'domestic abuse'. In the third installment of the interview - which will air in full on NBC's Dateline on Friday - Heard also hit back at several moment during the trial when she was called out for 'lying', including claims that she 'faked' bruising on her face and that she tipped off TMZ as to when she was planning to visit a courthouse in order to file a restraining order against her ex-husband. Heard also addressed her plans for the future, revealing that she plans to be a 'full-time mom' to her one-year-old daughter Oonagh Paige - hours after her team denied rumors that the actress has been cut from her $2 million role in the Aquaman sequel. The final installment of the three-part interview aired one day after Heard publicly accused Depp of physical abuse again on Tuesday morning, insisting that she will 'stand by every word of her testimony... until the day she dies', less than two weeks after she was found guilty of defaming the actor by claiming that he sexually assaulted her during their marriage. In Tuesday's broadcast, Heard branded her former spouse a 'liar' and repeated her claims that he beat her during their marriage while speaking out about the 'unfair' verdict in the former couple's $8 million defamation trial during an interview with the Today show's Savannah Guthrie. Heard also accused the jurors in the trial of being duped by her ex-husband, branding him as nothing more than a 'fantastic actor' who 'convinced the world he had scissors for fingers', in a bizarre reference to his performance as Edward Scissorhands in Tim Burton's 1990 movie. She quickly clapped back at Guthrie, 50, when asked what she thought about allegations made by Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez - who shot to online fame after her ferocious cross-examination of Heard on the stand - that she had been 'performing' on the stand and that she had lied about the abuse she says she suffered at the hands of the actor. 'Says the lawyer for the man who convinced the world he had scissors for fingers,' Heard hit back. 'I'm the performer? I had listened to weeks of testimony insinuating, or saying quite directly, that I'm a terrible actress. So I'm a bit confused how I could be both.'Earlier this month, a jury ruled that Heard defamed her ex-husband by publishing a piece about being a sexual assault survivor in the Washington Post. She was ordered to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, although the second payment was reduced to $350,000 per Virginia law by the judge. She was awarded a relatively paltry $2 million in compensatory damages, meaning that Depp, 59, walked away from the case with Heard owing him $8.35 million.But despite a jury ruling overwhelmingly in her ex-husband's favor, finding Heard guilty on three counts of defamation against him, the actress refused to walk back her claims of abuse against him - instead doubling down on her allegations that he was physically violent towards her and accusing him of 'lying' on the stand when he said that he 'never hit her'. 'He said he never hit you. Is that a lie?' Guthrie questioned, to which Heard responded bluntly: 'Yes it is.' She added: 'To my dying day, I will stand by every word of my testimony.' On Tuesday, Heard publicly accused Depp of physical abuse again - days after she was found guilty of defaming him in an $8 million trial about an op-ed she published in the Washington Post in which she said she was a survivor of sexual assault The actress also spoke out about the verdict in the former couple's $8 million defamation trial, which she blasted as 'unfair', while accusing the jury of being swayed by biased 'social media representation' Heard also accused Depp's lawyers, Vasquez and her associate Benjamin Chew, of trying to 'distract the jury from the real issues' during the trial, conceding that they had 'done a better job of that' than her own legal team. Her renewed public allegations of abuse against her former spouse will no doubt raise questions as to whether Depp would have a case to sue her for defamation again - and could well put a spanner in the works as far as Heard's plans to appeal the verdict in the ex-couple's previous defamation trial. Heard also suggested that the trial had called into question her First Amendment right to free speech, claiming that she had 'spoken her truth and spoken it to power' only to have ended up 'paying the price' for that. When grilled by Guthrie about audio clips that were played during the six-week trial in which the actress could be heard admitting to being physically abusive towards Depp, Heard insisted that she only ever 'responded to [physical violence]' but that she 'never instigated it'. Heard made a bizarre reference to Depp's performance in Tim Burton's 1990 movie Edward Scissorhands (pictured), questioning how his lawyer Camille Vasquez could say she had been 'performing on the stand' while defending a 'man who convinced the world he had scissors for fingers''I never had to instigate it, I responded to it,' she claimed. 'When you're living in violence and it becomes normal - as I testified to - you have to adapt.'Heard added that, while she 'has so much regret' over the 'horrible' and 'ugly' things she did and said to Depp, she was only acting as a 'person in extreme emotional, psychological, and physical distress' who felt that their 'life was at risk'. 'I know much has been made of these audio tapes,' she said. 'They were first leaked online after being edited. What you would hear in these clips [was] not evidence of what was happening, it was evidence of a negotiation, of how to talk about that with your abuser.' She continued: 'As I testified on the stand about it. When your life is at risk, not only will you take the blame for things that you shouldn't take the blame for, but when you are in an abusive dynamic - psychologically, emotionally, and physically - you don't have the resources or the luxury of saying, "Hey this is black and white." 'Because it is anything but when you are living in it.' Heard also took aim at the witnesses who testified on Depp's behalf during the trial, branding them 'paid employees and randos' and accusing them of 'filing rank' and 'supporting the person they depend on'. While insisting that she never 'instigated' any violence in her relationship, Heard did admit to behaving in 'horrible, almost unrecognizable to herself ways', telling Guthrie that she 'was pushed to the extent where she didn't know the difference between right and wrong'. 'I did do and say horrible, regrettable things throughout my relationship,' she confessed. 'I behaved in horrible, almost unrecognizable to myself ways. I have so much regret. I freely and hopefully and voluntarily talked about what I did. I talked about the horrible language. I talked about being pushed to the extent where I didn't even know the difference between right and wrong. 'I will always continue to feel like I was a part of this. Like I was the other half of this relationship, because I was.' Interesting, Heard went on to describe her marriage to and relationship with Depp as both 'ugly' and 'beautiful', saying: 'It was ugly. And could be very beautiful. It was very, very toxic. We made a lot of mistakes. But I've always told the truth.' The interview - which was pre-recorded last week - is being aired in three parts on the Today show this week, with the first clip broadcast on Monday; the sit-down will air in full on NBC's Dateline on Friday night at 8PM. During the first part of the sit-down with Guthrie - who last week interviewed Depp's legal team on the show and whose husband Michael Feldman actually consulted for them during the trial - Heard also insisted that the jury's decision was influenced by what she called 'unfair social media representation' and by her husband calling on 'paid employees and randos' to testify on his behalf.Heard appeared to take aim at 37-year-old Vasquez (seen right earlier this month) for defending Depp (seen left on June 3) When asked whether Depp had 'lied' when he said on the stand that he had 'never hit her', Heard insisted that he had, while hitting out at the actor's lawyer Vasquez (pictured together in court) for accusing her of 'performing' on the stand 'I'll put it this way, how could they make a judgment, how could they not come to that conclusion [that I couldn't be believed]?' she said. 'They had said in those seats and heard over three weeks of nonstop, relentless testimony from paid employees and towards the end of the trial, randos, as I say.'I don't blame them, I don't blame them, I actually understand, he's a beloved character and people feel that they know him. He's a fantastic actor.'Again, how could they after listening to three and a half weeks of testimony about how I was an uncredible person and not to believe a word that came out of my mouth.' During the marathon six-week trial in Fairfax, Virginia, which started on April 11 and concluded on June 1, Depp called 38 witnesses while Heard's team called 24.Both Depp and Heard gave evidence for four days each, including a forensic cross examination from the opposition lawyers – then both returned to the witness stand to testify a second time.The jury saw dozens of texts, photos, videos, medical records and even pages from the former couple's 'Love Journal' they hand wrote to each other.The libel case was so complicated that the verdict sheet had 42 questions the jury had to answer before delivering the verdict: 24 questions for Depp's claims and 18 for Heard's counterclaim.The court heard clips of recordings that Depp and Heard made during their arguments, some of their most intimate moments that were played back for the world years later in the most public setting imaginable.Throughout the trial, social media was flooded with posts about the legal proceedings - with the majority being shared in support of Depp under the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp. As of June 13, the hashtag had more than 20.6 billion views on TikTok, while the #JusticeForAmberHeard tag had a relatively low 92.4 million views. The interview marks the first time that Heard has publicly addressed the verdict - which she previously blasted as a 'setback for other women' in a statement published minutes after the ruling was read out in courtHeard, who says she was subjected to 'hate and vitriol' online throughout the trial and in the wake of the verdict, doubled down on claims previously made by her lawyer that the trial was biased by social media campaigns, with the Aquaman actress branding the final verdict 'unfair'. 'Even somebody who is sure I'm deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I'm lying, you still couldn't look me in the eye that you think on social media there's been a fair representation,' she said. 'You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.'But despite insisting that social media played a key role in the outcome of the trial, Heard, whose interview will air in full on NBC's Dateline this Friday at 8pm after being teased out on the Today show on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, claimed that she isn't taking any negative public opinions about her 'personally', insisting that she 'doesn't care what anyone thinks about her'. 'I don't care what anyone thinks about me or what judgments you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home in my marriage behind closed doors,' she told Guthrie. 'I don't presume the average person should know those things so I don't take it personally.'The interview marks the first time that Heard has publicly addressed the verdict - which she previously blasted as a 'setback for other women' in a statement published minutes after the ruling was read out in court. 'The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I'm heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband,' Heard said in a statement shared just minutes after the verdict was read out in court, where she was present for the judgement, while Depp was said'I'm even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.'The day after the ruling was handed down, Heard's lawyer Elaine Charlson Bredhoft revealed that her client was planning to appeal the verdict, insisting that she had 'excellent grounds' to do so, while claiming that the actress is unable to pay the $8.35 million in damages that she owes Depp.During an appearance on the Today show, Bredhoft was asked if the Aquaman actress would be able to pay the damages she owes Depp after a jury vindicated his claims that she lied by accusing him of abuse during their marriage, to which she replied: 'No, absolutely not.' Last week, Depp's lawyers Camille Vasquez and Benjamin Chew sat down with Guthrie, 50, to discuss the trial - and they slammed any suggestion that social media played a part in the jury's verdict as 'utterly false'The lawyer also echoed her client's thoughts on the verdict, blasting it as a 'significant setback' for women.'It's a horrible message. It's a setback, a significant setback because that's exactly what it means,' Bredhoft said of the verdict.'Unless you pull out your phone and you video your spouse or your significant other beating you, effectively, you won't be believed.' Heard's attorney Elaine Bredehoft has suggested that her client will appeal the verdict, saying she has 'excellent grounds' to do soShe also suggested that the jury in the case had been swayed by public opinion - including social media posts that were shared in support of Depp - a claim that his legal team has since slammed as 'utterly false'.To be granted an appeal, Heard would likely need to demonstrate that there were errors in the trial, or in the presiding judge's reading of the law.She would also need to post bond of the full $10,350,000, plus interest charges over the course of an appeal trial.Depp originally sued Heard for $50million claiming that she defamed him with an op-ed piece published by the Washington Post in 2018 in which she claimed to be a survivor of domestic abuse.Heard then countersued for $100million claiming that Depp's lawyer Adam Waldman made defamatory statements by calling her claims a 'hoax.'The actress's appearance on the Today show comes less than a week after Guthrie, 50, sat down with Depp's lawyers Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, who slammed any suggestion that social media played a role in the jury's decision-making as 'utterly false'. 'My view is that social media played no role whatsoever this was a decision made by the jury on the evidence. It was overwhelmingly in Depp's favor,' said Chew. 'She's sunk to a new low': Heard faces FURIOUS backlash online for REPEATING abuse allegations against Depp in Today interview BY LILLIAN GISSEN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Twitter users unleashed a furious tirade on Amber Heard after she sat down for an explosive interview with the Today show in which she discussed the 'unfair' verdict in her defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp, calling the interview 'painful to watch' and claiming that they've 'heard enough of her sickening lies.'During the shocking new interview, the actress insisted that she's going to 'stand by every word of her testimony until the day she dies,' less than two weeks after she was found guilty of defaming her ex by claiming that he abused her during their marriage.The 36-year-old blasted Depp, 59, as a 'liar' and reiterated her claims that he beat her during their marriage, while speaking to Today host Savannah Guthrie.Now, the Aquaman star is facing fierce backlash from social media users - with oneaccusing her of 'acting' throughout the appearance and another saying it made them 'sick to their stomach' to listen to her 'bull s**t.''I've heard enough of her sickening lies,' one person wrote on Twitter after the interview aired.'She is such a liar that is just painful to watch,' added another, while someone else said, 'And the Oscar goes to...'A fourth tweet read, 'Contrived performance yet again.'Other viewers tweeted, 'She needs professional help,' and, 'What a sad human being.''I'm sick of listening to her BS. Listening to her made me sick to my stomach. She contradicts herself constantly. her 15 minutes of fame is over,' wrote a different Twitter user.Another person slammed the Today show for 'enabling an abuser,' while someone else said the network has 'sunk to a new low,' and a third bashed them for 'giving credit to a manipulative piece of s**t like Heard.''Nobody believes her Savannah. Give it up and stop interviewing abusers,' responded one disgruntled Twitter user.'Shame on you. Women do tell lies, they are not always truthful, and this witch got caught. Her reputation is done.'Another wrote, 'Quit enabling this abuser and stop giving her air time. She said she wanted to move on, so why is she not?''Nice to see news [organizations] still giving credit to a manipulative piece of s**t like Amber Heard,' agreed someone else.'If this trial had gone the other way, no chance in Hell we'd see any news org even touch Johnny Depp. But that's the news nowadays - needs viewers, clicks, and money.' 'As if she was not given a chance to prove her side in the court?' asked a different user. 'Now NBC has given [her] that opportunity? I hate [NBC] to the core.''So sad. The Today show has sunk to a new low,' read another tweet.'Enough already - these two celebrities have gotten more court time and TV time than important things. Stop covering this toxic slurry relationship... Please!' begged a different person.'She's a liar. Why would she be given a platform to continue to lie?' tweeted one viewer, while another called it a 'total waste of broadcast time.''NBC gives domestic abusers the spotlight. Shame on NBC,' wrote another user.Someone else said, 'Interview the abuser and promote her lies, meanwhile, ignore the victim.''Why the Hell are you seriously allowing this abuser a platform? It's shameful, it really is. Stop enabling her,' read a different tweet.

Celebrity

A sealed VHS tape of the hit 1980s movie Back to the Future has sold for $75,000 in the first ever auction of the now antiquated video-playing format.The auction, held by Texas-based Heritage Auctions, featured 260 sealed VHS tapes, most of which were first-edition copies of movies from the 70s and 1980s. The Hill reported that the price tag meant the tape was likely the most expensive ever sold.The copy of Back to the Future, was previously owned by actor Tom Wilson, who portrayed Biff Tannen in the movie series.It included a signed note from Wilson that said: “This is a VHS tape of the first release of Back to the Future, sent to me by the studio at that time. Since I knew that the VHS platform would be around forever, I saved it for later and now I can’t find a VCR. Oh well. Enjoy!”There is a mini-boom among collectors for old VHS tapes, especially those that are first editions of hit movies or are in their original wrapping.

Movies

BERLIN (AP) — From Frankfurt and New York to Istanbul and Beijing, skygazers could enjoy a beautiful supermoon rise over the horizon in an impressive astronomic spectacle.The full moon appeared bigger than normal and sometimes slightly orange-colored as it lit skies around the globe.It reached its full stage on Tuesday during a phenomenon known as a supermoon because of its proximity to Earth. It's also referred to as the “Strawberry Moon” because it's the full moon at strawberry harvest time.In Frankfurt, it rose behind the German city’s banking district’s skyline, while in Beijing the forbidden city’s roof decorations depicting sacred beasts were silhouetted in sharp black by the moon.The moon also illuminated New York City’s Statue of Liberty and shone on the pillars of the ancient temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion south of Athens, Greece.A seagull is silhouetted against a supermoon, in Rome, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. Andrew Medichini/Associated PressA supermoon rises behind sculpture of Tomislav of Croatia, the first Croatian king, in downtown Zagreb, Croatia, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Darko Bandic/Associated PressPeople watch the rising moon Monday, June 13, 2022, in East Boston, Mass. Charlie Riedel/Associated PressThe full moon rises over Marseille, southern France, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Daniel Cole/Associated PressThe full moon sets behind the telecommunication devices on top of the Feldberg mountain near Frankfurt, Germany, early Wednesday, June 15, 2022. Michael Probst/Associated PressThe strawberry supermoon rises behind the village of Imerovigli on Sandorini's caldera, in Greece's Cyclades islands, on Tuesday, June 14, 2022.Petros Giannakouris/Associated PressThe strawberry full moon rises behind the ancient temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of Athens, Greece, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Thanassis Stavrakis/Associated PressThe full moon rises between two towers, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Kamran Jebreili/Associated PressThe full moon rises over the cross of St. Joseph Church in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Hadi Mizban/Associated PressThe full moon rises in the clouds over a church in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, June 13, 2022.Dmitri Lovetsky/Associated PressA supermoon rises behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Emrah Gurel/Associated PressSculptures of angels fixed at the St. Isaak's Cathedral are silhouetted on the full moon in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, June 13, 2022. Dmitri Lovetsky/Associated PressThe full moon rises behind buildings in the banking district in Frankfurt, Germany, late Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Michael Probst/Associated PressThe "Strawberry supermoon" full moon rises behind a tree branch on June 14, 2022 as seen from Lawndale, California. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty ImagesA supermoon rises above the skyline of downtown Los Angeles, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Ringo H.W. Chiu/Associated PressRoof decorations on the corner tower at the Forbidden City depicting sacred beasts are silhouetted against a supermoon, Tuesday, June 14, 2022, in Beijing. Ng Han Guan/Associated PressThe Strawberry Supermoon rises in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York, late Tuesday, June 14, 2022. J. David Ake/Associated Press

Space Exploration

Kate Bush has shared her excitement after her 1985 hit Running Up That Hill has climbed to the top five in the US charts after appearing in Stranger Things.The singer, 63, admitted she has 'never experienced anything quite like this' after her song was given a 'whole new lease of life' in the hit Netflix sci-fi series.After going viral on TikTok and reentering the charts in a number of countries, the track has seen Kate achieve her first ever top five single in America. Thrilled: Kate Bush (pictured in 2014) has shared her excitement after her 1985 hit Running Up That Hill has climbed to the top five in the US charts after appearing in Stranger ThingsRunning Up That Hill has climbed all the way up to number four in the US charts almost four decades after its release, with the single originally only reaching number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100.The popular tune has also hit the number one spot in Norway and Austria, with her album Hounds Of Love reaching number one on Billboard's Top Alternative Albums Chart in the US.Speaking about the milestone achievement, Kate gushed: 'It's all so exciting! Since the last post, 'Running Up That Hill' has gone to No. 1 in Norway and Austria.'This is such great news and we just heard today that it's up from No. 8 to No. 4 in the U.S. Comeback: The singer, 63, admitted she has 'never experienced anything quite like this' after her song was given a 'whole new lease of life' in hit Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things'The track is being responded to in so many positive ways. I've never experienced anything quite like this before!'She went on to thank her fans and Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers for featuring her music in the popular supernatural thriller.'I just want to say a really big thank you to everyone in the U.S. who has supported the song,' she added.'It's the first time I've had a top ten single over there and now it's in the top 5! Thank you so much again to the Duffer Brothers – because of their latest, extraordinary series of Stranger Things, the track is being discovered by a whole new audience.'In the fourth season of the hit show, Running Up That Hill happens to be grieving teen Max Mayfield's (Sadie Sink) favourite song, and it unexpectedly saves her life in episode four. Tune: In the fourth season of the hit show, Running Up That Hill happens to be grieving teen Max Mayfield's (Sadie Sink) favourite song, and it unexpectedly saves her life in episode fourSince the much-anticipated latest instalment of Stranger Things hit Netflix in May, streams for Running Up That Hill have surged by 153 per cent on Spotify.The music video, directed by David Garfath, has amassed a staggering 67.6million views on YouTube, a jump from 56.5million at the end of May - which was a nearly 15,000% rise from the previous week.Earlier this month, Kate broke her silence and issued a rare statement thanking fans of Stranger Things for the surprising resurgence of her hit.'You might've heard that the first part of the fantastic, gripping new series of Stranger Things has recently been released on Netflix. It features the song, Running Up That Hill which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show — I love it too,' she wrote on her official website. Impressive: The music video for the track, directed by David Garfath, has amassed a staggering 67.6million views on YouTube, a jump from 56.5million at the end of May'Because of this, Running Up That Hill is charting around the world and has entered the UK chart at No. 8. It's all really exciting! 'Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song. I wait with bated breath for the rest of the series in July. Best wishes, Kate.'Speaking about the song's success, Sony Music Publishing's Wende Crowley previously said that Stranger Things' music supervisor Nora Felder discussed using it as Max's song pre-pandemic.She told Variety: 'She wanted to make sure it was within the realm of possibility before she got the Duffer Brothers on board with the idea, since the song was going to be "such a focal point to Max's storyline".'Kate Bush is selective when it comes to licensing her music and because of that, we made sure to get script pages and footage for her to review so she could see exactly how the song would be used.' Success: Running Up That Hill has climbed all the way up to number four in the US charts almost four decades after its original release. Pictured: Kate Bush in 1978The show's supervisor Nora said she chose the track because it resonated with Max's pain and loss.'I think it's struck a chord for so many people because it really touches on the alienation and emotional struggle that so many of us go through at one point or another in life, especially as teenagers,' she told US journalists.Nora approached Kate for permission to use it, but was nervous about the response because of the singer's reputation for being fussy how her music is used. But she was already a fan of the drama and happily consented.It is not the first time that Kate has recruited a new generation of young fans as her 1980 single Babookshka went viral on TikTok last year and was harnessed in thousands of videos. Overjoyed: Earlier this month, Kate broke her silence and issued a rare statement thanking fans of Stranger Things for the surprising resurgence of her 1985 hitRunning Up That Hill has inspired many artists such as Kim Petras, Placebo, Alanis Morissette, Ellie Goulding, Charli XCX, k.d. lang, Grimes, Solange Knowles, Adele and Coldplay.The reclusive raconteur with the four-octave soprano pipes hasn't released new music since her 10th studio album 50 Words for Snow in 2011.She may be worth an estimated £30million and live in a £6.4million Oxfordshire mansion but she shuns the spotlight.In March, Kate was nominated for the third time to be inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this November, but she did not receive enough votes from fans. Career: The reclusive raconteur with the four-octave soprano pipes hasn't released new music since her 10th studio album 50 Words for Snow in 2011

Music

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJune 13 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O)said on Monday that customers in Lockeford, California would be among the first to receive drone deliveries later this year.This would be the first time Amazon makes drone deliveries to the public, and it follows several pilots and mission-specific programs from companies such as Walmart Inc (WMT.N), United Parcel Service Inc (UPS.N) and FedEx Corp (FDX.N) .Amazon boxes are seen stacked for delivery in the Manhattan borough of New York City, January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File PhotoThe online retailer said it was working with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and city officials for permits.The drones will have the capability to fly beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) and will be programmed to drop parcels in the backyards of customers in Lockeford, which has a population of about 4,000 people.Amazon made its first customer delivery by drone in the United Kingdom in 2016 and has touted its plans for drone delivery for years before that.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Amy Caren DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Emerging Technologies

CHICAGO -- The second largest carillon in the world resides on the South Side of Chicago, in the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Chapel. It weighs 100 tons, and is made of 72 bronze bells.The carillon is an instrument that enables a player to use hand and foot pedals, like those on an organ, to strike bells of differing sizes. Each bell has a tone that falls on the chromatic scale. It plays much like a piano, only louder and with larger keys.To accommodate the weight and dimensions of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon, it is housed inside of a steeple. It takes 235 steps to climb to the keyboard, and a few dozen more to reach the smallest bell.Joey Brink is the University Carillonist. He plays carillon for the entire campus to hear -- and trust us, you'll hear it -- and he also teaches a studio of 20 carillon students each year.Each year, Brink welcomes in four or five new students to the studio. Although many of them are unfamiliar with the instrument when they arrive on campus, some go on to play carillon professionally.

Music

Texas Rangers relief pitcher John King, right, is pulled from the baseball game by manager Chris Woodward (8 as catcher Sam Huff stands on the mound during the eighth inning against the Houston Astros in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero)(LM Otero / ASSOCIATED PRESS)ARLINGTON — The Rangers have a royal mess in the bullpen: What to do with their struggling King?For the second time in five days, the Rangers turned to lefty John King in a high leverage situation only to leave with burn marks on their hats. On Tuesday, King retired one of five batters after entering with a three-run lead. He left trailing 4-3 after Kyle Tucker’s two-run homer on a breaking ball that stayed in the strike zone.Though manager Chris Woodward said Tuesday’s blown save wasn’t entirely King’s fault — and he was right — he also suggested he’s going to have to take King out of high leverage situations. The Rangers could have José Leclerc back, perhaps before the end of the week, after two years of injuries. He could potentially supplant King in the pecking order. Since May 29, King has allowed 17 hits and 10 earned runs in just eight innings of work.“I think it’s not fair to [King] to just keep putting him in that situation,” Woodward said after the game. “I’m not saying I won’t do that again. I just think you want to put him in some situations to have success and he’s been pitching in high leverage situations all year. So maybe some things that are a little earlier in the game, a little less leverage situations maybe better for him just to kind of get back on track.”The biggest mistake of the inning actually came on a well-executed pitch by King. Against Alex Bregman, with two runners on and the infield at double play depth, King got a grounder that should have been a double play ball. Instead, Corey Seager went home with it and a botched run down ensued. The inning deteriorated after that.King has the third highest average “Leverage Index,” used to measure the relative difficulty of a situation, among Rangers’ relievers. The Rangers, however, opted not to use the guy who had the highest average number — Dennis Santana — until after the lead was already gone.With a balanced top of the Houston order coming up, Woodward chose to go with King over Santana to start the eighth. It meant King, a lefty, would face at least two right-handed hitters before he could be removed: Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. Had the Rangers gone to the right-handed Santana, he would have had to face lefty Michael Brantley second, and, if anybody reached base, lefty Yordan Alvarez as the No. 4 hitter. However, a pitcher could be removed after three batters, so if the Rangers had wanted to play a matchup at that point, they could.Splits, at least over the course of the first two months, suggested that Santana might have a better shot against the lefties than King against the right-handers. Right-handed batters were hitting .342 against King this season, lefties were hitting a mere .074 in 27 at-bats.“I think King is a good match for anybody,” Woodward said. “Balls moving away from Altuve and Bregman are good. We got that, especially against Bregman. It worked out exactly like we expected. We just didn’t make the play behind him. King is sometimes better against right-handers than lefties. It’s not a left-right thing. It’s about getting the guy out.”Ultimately, though, the Rangers didn’t do that either.+++Related:Rookies Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran already setting Rangers up for difficult decisionRelated:Adjusting and simplifying has Rangers’ OF Adolis García catching up to opposing fastballsFind more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.Evan Grant, Rangers beat writer/insider. Evan has covered the Rangers since 1997. He has twice been named one of the top 10 beat writers in the country by the AP Sports Editors. His passions outside of covering baseball are his wife, Gina, his two step kids, two crazy dogs & barbecue. Let's not discuss the cat. Evan graduated from Georgia State University, but oddly is a Georgia fan. egrant@dallasnews.com @Evan_P_Grant Be the smartest Rangers fanGet the latest news, analysis and opinion delivered straight to your inbox.By signing up you agree to our privacy policyMost Popular on DallasNews.com123456

Baseball

On the final weekend of last September, the UC Berkeley women’s swimming program held a team bonding retreat on a beach near San Luis Obispo. At one point, Cal head coach Teri McKeever and her assistant coach Dani Korman met separately with each of the team’s classes. “During the freshmen meeting, they all sat in a circle while Teri asked them to raise their hands if they thought one of the girls was a problem and had ‘an attitude,’” recalled Cal sophomore Emily Gantriis, an NCAA champion swimmer, in a journal she provided to the Southern California News Group. The swimmer McKeever singled out for having “attitude” was African American. “Teri did this in front of her!” Gantriis continued. Gantriis’ account has been confirmed by four other members of the 2021-22 Cal team, three former Cal swimmers, and five parents. “I could tell that Teri wanted to pit the rest of the team against her. Almost all of the freshmen in that meeting left in tears, and many were confused about what Teri even expected of them. “Teri then met with the other three classes and made us decide which of the freshmen were ‘gems,’ and who we should not spend any time and energy on. It was clear that her aim was to divide in the team, between those who were ‘on board’ and those who were not. The freshmen who were not catching on quick enough would be the ones to face Teri’s daily wrath. But it wasn’t just those freshmen that Teri targeted. “Anyone else on the team who refused to reinforce her message was at risk. When Teri asked me who I thought was weighing the team down at the meeting on the beach, I refused to answer because I felt super uncomfortable and that it would just be putting wood on the fire. At that moment, Teri realized that I did not buy into her bullying tactics. That made me a target too.” Gantriis is the first swimmer on the 2021-22 Cal roster to publicly come forward and be named in describing the alleged mistreatment by McKeever. The three-time Pac 12 champion, in a series of interviews with SCNG in which she shared her journal and emails, not only alleges that she was bullied by McKeever, the 2012 U.S. Olympic team head coach, on almost a daily basis, but that the coach also targeted freshmen Stephanie Akakabuta and Reed Broaders, both African American, for regular verbal and emotional abuse. Gantriis, a multiple European Championships medalist for her native Denmark, also said senior associate athletic director Jennifer Simon-O’Neill, a longtime close friend of McKeever’s who until recently had direct oversight of the women’s swimming and diving program, dismissed allegations of bullying against the head coach. These allegations are supported by dozens of current and former Cal swimmers and divers and their parents. Gantriis is one of 36 current or former Cal swimmers and divers, 17 parents, a former member of the Goldens Bears’ men’s swimming and diving squad, two former coaches and two former Cal athletic department employees who have told the SCNG how McKeever routinely bullied swimmers, often in deeply personal terms, or used embarrassing or traumatic experiences from their past against them, used racial epithets, body-shamed and pressured athletes to compete or train while injured or dealing with chronic illnesses or eating disorders, even accusing some women of lying about their conditions despite being provided medical records by them. UC Berkeley swim coach Teri McKeever speaks during a news conference in 2012. McKeever coached the U.S. Olympic team that year. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) Nine Cal women’s swimmers, six since 2018, have told SCNG they made plans to kill themselves or obsessed about suicide for weeks or months because of what they describe as McKeever’s bullying. McKeever, the most successful female coach in the sport’s history, was placed on paid administrative leave by the university on May 25, a day after an SCNG investigation detailing her alleged bullying of swimmers was published. The university has also hired a Los Angeles-based law firm to conduct an investigation into the allegations. The probe will be overseen by the school’s human resources office. “I’m just happy this is out and Teri is never going to be able to coach again,” Gantriis said in an interview with SCNG. “Because I don’t want anyone else to have to go through this hell again.” McKeever, 60, declined comment. A spokesman for the university said the school was unable to comment for this report because of “stringent laws and campus policies” regarding personnel, privacy and due process. Cal is not making Simon-O’Neill available for comment for similar reasons, an athletic department spokesperson said. Gantriis confirmed she has been interviewed by the university’s Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination as part of a formal investigation into allegations that McKeever recently used a racial epithet and profanities in disparaging rap music. The investigation into the incident initially focused on potential racial discrimination but has since been expanded to also consider possible discrimination based on sexual orientation and national origin, according to five swimmers, two parents and confidential university documents obtained by SCNG. The OPHD investigation was launched prior to the initial SCNG report. Gantriis and four other members of the 2021-22 squad said McKeever repeatedly made comments about an African American swimmer’s appearance this past academic year. Gantriis is one of at least six athletes on the 2021-22 Cal roster who has either transferred or entered the NCAA’s transfer portal since the season’s end. She said she will likely transfer to Wisconsin or Louisville. Of the 61 swimmers who joined the Cal team as freshmen between the 2013-2014 and 2020-21 seasons, 26 (42.6 percent) left the program before completing their NCAA eligibility. “Swimming for Teri is not about being excited about swimming anymore,” Gantriis said in an interview. “It’s only about not messing up. That’s how you feel because you’re so afraid. She makes you doubt yourself. “The screaming, being called a piece of (expletive) all the time, the PTSD, I don’t want to live that again.” ‘She changed me as a person’ Gantriis, a sprinter, has been a member of the Danish national team since 2016 and competed in the 2019 World Championships. A year later she joined a Cal program that was world famous after winning four NCAA team titles under McKeever and producing 26 Olympians who have combined for 36 Olympic medals. “I had the unique opportunity to attend one of the best academic institutions in the world while I was swimming under one of the most accomplished coaches in the world,” Gantriis wrote in her journal. “It seemed to be the best place for me because I wanted to come out of my comfort zone and be surrounded by dedicated and ambitious people. “I knew going in that I would be pushed and held to a high standard. However, I never thought daily emotional abuse would be part of my life the past two years. There’s a difference between being a “tough coach” and being an abuser. I am relieved the truth is out, so no one ever has to go through this again. There is NEVER an excuse for coaches in a position of power to abuse or humiliate athletes. NEVER! “A good coach can be demanding and still empathetic. However, Teri was definitely not empathetic. “She would see people leave practice in tears and it would not touch her. There is a difference between being tough and demanding and then being abusive! Teri’s attacks would often become personal. She was good at finding a person’s weakness and then latching onto it. Her insults felt calculated and strategic. She would constantly play mind games, trying to manipulate her swimmers into believing that they were crazy. She would coach through fear and intimidation. “She changed me as a person and made me feel so bad about myself every single day.” While Gantriis claims McKeever verbally abused her during her first semester at Berkeley, she was not one of the coach’s targets for almost daily bullying. But it was also clear to Gantriis that McKeever had what Golden Bears swimmers refer to as the coach’s “(expletive) list.” “For Teri’s victims, it became more about surviving each day than striving for excellence,” Gantriis said. “Then, she would manipulate the rest of the team into believing that there was justification for her abusive behavior. She would try to convince everyone else on the team and yourself that you were the sole cause of these problems. “Her main target that semester was another freshman. Teri would scream at her all the time and the last practice before we never saw the girl again was when Teri told her she was not working hard enough and everyone could see it, so she did not deserve to wear the Cal cap. I remember feeling so bad about it all, but I was just trying to survive, so I was relieved that it was not me who was Teri’s main target or punching bag; so I just watched it all happen.” Alleged bullying became a nearly daily routine Into the winter of 2021, however, McKeever was screaming at Gantriis almost daily. “‘You’re useless, you’re a piece of (expletive), you’re a piece (expletive),” Gantriis recalled. “And she would get really close to you when she screamed. Right in your face. So close. You could feel her spit in your mouth really. She was really aggressive, really intimidating. You were really scared at that moment.” At times McKeever would get physical, Gantriis said. “She would grab me and tug really hard on my arm and scratch her nails into me,” Gantriis said. Although Gantriis was part of three victorious relays at the Pac 12 Championships, she said she continued to swim in fear of incurring McKeever’s wrath. “She would scream in a way that was extremely degrading,” Gantriis said. “This would make me always be on edge and I had anxiety every day coming into practice.” Gantriis and two other swimmers said she was badgered repeatedly in abusive terms about slow starts on relays. “My first night competing at the 2021 NCAA Championships was an emotional roller coaster,” Gantriis said. She was on the winning 200-yard freestyle and swam a personal best in the 50 freestyle. “My last event of the night was the 400 medley relay,” Gantriis said. “I was swimming the freestyle leg. As I stood on the block, anticipating my teammate’s finish, I kept telling myself, ‘Emily, do not jump too slow, do not jump too slow, do not jump too slow.’ I was so traumatized from Teri leaving practice in anger that one day a week prior, and I did not want to witness her reaction to another delayed relay start. Paralyzed with fear, I accidentally dove into the water 2 or 3/100 of a second too early and disqualified the relay.” Gantriis returned to Berkeley to train for the Danish Olympic Trials. “As I was walking into the pool, Teri stopped another girl on my team and asked: ‘Why are you here?’ She answered that she wanted to train,” Gantriis wrote in her journal. “Teri flew into a rage and made her feel so unwanted. Teri would then say: ‘Okay __, I just want to let you know that I will not be focusing on you at all.’ Teri would also tell this girl that she was the weakest link on the team or that Teri could not believe she was wasting so much time on someone so slow. I would also hear her talk about other swimmers and say: ‘I would never have recruited her if I had seen how she swam’ about another girl or our team.” Gantriis wondered if McKeever wasn’t also having second thoughts about recruiting her. “I asked her after NCAAs whether she wanted me to come back because I felt like she did not want me to be there,” Gantriis wrote. “She answered: ‘If I did not want you to be here, I would make your life very miserable.’ I already felt like she made my life miserable.” It would only get worse. McKeever kicked Gantriis out of practice several times a week for seemingly no reason, according to Gantriis and four other Cal swimmers. And McKeever’s bullying became increasingly personal during her sophomore season, Gantriis said. “Teri convinced me and other team members that I had psychological problems,” Gantriis said. “I never had any problems before coming to Cal. She told me multiple times I was mentally ill, just as she did to other swimmers she targeted. I was already seeing a sports psychologist and a therapist because I needed professional help on how to cope with the way Teri treated myself and others. However, Teri told me that counseling was required before I could come back to practice. She made me meet with a life coach, who also happened to be a good friend of hers. When I told my feelings to the life coach, she would respond with: ‘Have you never had a coach scream at you before?’ She invalidated my feelings and made me feel like I was overly sensitive for feeling upset. “I stopped seeing her because I liked my own certified psychologist more. Teri later blamed me for not talking with the life coach, but I wasn’t the only one on the team who had problems with her methods. Two months before I was required to talk with the life coach one-on-one, Teri brought her in to do an activity with our entire team. We all taped a blank piece of paper on our backs. Then, we all had to go around and write what each of our teammates should keep doing, and what they should stop doing. When we got home, we could take off the piece of paper and read it. Many of my teammates were in tears after receiving such negative anonymous feedback. I remember thinking how wrong the ‘team building’ exercise was, but because no one did or said anything it was very normalized.” Dividing the team McKeever tried to convince Gantriis that her teammates disliked her and wanted her off the team, according to Gantriis and four other swimmers and four parents of Cal team members. “I was terrified to fail,” Gantriis said. “Before my races, I was consumed with fear, not because of the actual race itself, but because of her reaction to my swimming afterwards. After every single race, I ran straight from the pool to the toilet to throw up. At this swim meet, I did not receive any positive or constructive feedback, just insults. I just wanted to avoid the screaming in my face at all costs, and my body started reacting really badly. “Teri would tell me, ‘I do not trust you, and your teammates do not trust you.’ But I knew that most of my teammates did trust me, and those who didn’t were likely basing their opinions off of Teri’s narrative. Teri wanted me to believe that I was alone, and that no one on the team supported me. And she did everything in her power to convince my teammates that they should not support me.” But when McKeever decided not to take Gantriis to the NCAA Championships last March, much of the team rallied around the swimmer creating a mini-revolt against the coach, according to Gantriis, four teammates and four parents. The four swimmers said they were traumatized by McKeever’s treatment of Gantriis, “Teri really crossed the line with Emily,” a swimmer said. “Brutal,” is how another swimmer described McKeever’s treatment of Gantriis. Swimmers viewed by their teammates as team leaders confronted McKeever about her treatment of Gantriis. The encounters were heated, according to nine people familiar with the conversations and emails. “She created a culture where if you did not participate in talking bad to her about certain people on the team, then you would just be the next target,” Gantriis said. “She picks people out and bullies them. She would single people out a lot. Furthermore, the consequences are not the same for everyone – it depends on who you are. In meeting with people on her good side, she would ask, ‘Do you think this person deserves to be on this team?’ ‘Do you think this person deserves to be on this team?’ “If Teri asks, ‘Who on this team is a problem?’ you want to tell her the people she already does not like so you can get even more on her good side. She creates an atmosphere that is about dividing the team. She would try to put people against each other and ask after she threw people out of practice, ‘Isn’t it much better now that this person is not here?’ “She would try to put in the back of our minds that these people were bringing the team down. You do not want to be affiliated with a person she has on the (expletive) list, because then you are also going to be on her (expletive) list. This is a very effective way of isolating people she does not like. “Teri would ask people on the team in front of me, ‘Do you agree that she is not doing this?’ They would say yes and later tell me they did not mean it and just felt like they had no choice in front of Teri. No one wanted to say anything to Teri because of fear of getting on her bad side. A girl decided to stand up for me, but she just ended up getting on her bad side because of it. “She is very strategic about everything and makes sure you feel like no one wants you to be on the team. You feel like the team would be better without you. Teri would tell you that the whole team did not want you to be on the team. She also, by saying other things, makes you feel like no one wants you on the team. As a young girl coming to college, you are in an age trying to find yourself, and Teri just tries everything to tear you down.” Administrators didn’t act on complaints Dozens and dozens of young women, some of sport’s top athletes and students, were repeatedly put into that position, Gantriis said, because McKeever’s alleged bullying was repeatedly ignored by a series of administrators, in particular current Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton and Simon-O’Neill. Gantriis is one of several swimmers who said McKeever boasted during heated meetings or discussions about her relationship with Simon-O’Neill. “Teri assured me that anything I told Jenny would not be taken seriously, because Jenny believed her and not me,” Gantriis said. Multiple current and former Cal swimmers have portrayed Knowlton as condescending and patronizing in meetings with swimmers about McKeever’s alleged bullying, telling them they would appreciate McKeever’s “tough” coaching later in life. Interviews with Gantriss and other current and former swimmers as well as eight parents reveal that Simon-O’Neal has repeatedly ignored, dismissed or failed to take effective action on allegations of bullying against McKeever. Cal removed the women’s swimming and diving program from Simon-O’Neill’s direct supervision on May 25, according to university documents and emails. When recently asked about Simon-O’Neill’s status at Cal, a university spokesman would only refer to the recent change in direct supervision of the swim team. “The school failed dealing with this because of Teri’s success and the conflict of interest there was!” Gantriis wrote in her journal. “This abuse was only possible because the school administration did not listen. I can understand if two or three swimmers complained. However, if more than 40% have transferred or stopped on a team that shows that there is a problem! “Jenny Simon O’Neil would have Teri’s back and not the athletes. I talked with Jenny and her response was just that ‘it sounded like me and Teri were not a personality match’ and ‘Teri had great success and was a phenomenal coach.’ “I had a meeting with (senior associate athletics director for performance, health and welfare) Ryan Cobb where he just told me that the next step was to meet with Jenny Simon-O’Neil. It took me a lot of courage to even talk with them and it was first after I decided to transfer, I had the courage because I had nothing to lose. However, no one would listen, and I knew I was not the first that had tried to contact them. It is so hard to prove verbal abuse because there is such a fine line between tough coaching and abuse, but Teri definitely went over that line.” RELATED: UC Berkeley swimmers allege coach Teri McKeever bullied and verbally abused them for years UC Berkeley places swim coach Teri McKeever on administrative leave USA Swimming told of Teri McKeever’s alleged bullying in 2015 Ex-UC Berkeley swimmer on McKeever: ‘I honestly didn’t know how far she would go’ McKeever’s bullying led to lifelong issues, more former UC Berkeley swimmers allege

Swimming

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro speaks during a ceremony in Brasilia, Brazil April 28, 2022. REUTERS/Andressa Anholete/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comBRASILIA, June 15 (Reuters) - Tax cuts are likely to cost over 110 billion reais ($21.5 billion) in Brazilian tax revenue this year, as President Jair Bolsonaro tries to ease inflation and spur the economy in an election year despite economists' warnings of blowback in 2023.The estimated revenue loss, calculated by Reuters based on Brazilian Treasury data, includes a new government proposal to lower fuel prices that is still pending approval in Congress.High inflation and an uneven economic recovery are weighing on the popularity of Bolsonaro, who trails former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the presidential race. As the October election approaches, Bolsonaro's government has increasingly embraced a patchwork policy of tax breaks.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comHowever, more than half the new incentives are set to expire at the end of the year, leading analysts to warn of looming inflationary pressures in early 2023."We're going to have this dilemma next year: either we'll have higher inflation than forecast or we'll have a worse fiscal outlook than forecast in order to keep the tax exemptions," said former Treasury Secretary Jeferson Bittencourt, now an economist at ASA Investments.The measures push about 0.9 percentage point of inflation from this year to 2023, he estimated, which would pressure the central bank to keep interest rates higher for longer. Policymakers have hiked interest rates to 12.75% from a 2% record-low in March 2021 and are set to raise them again this week.The Economy Ministry did not reply to a request for comment."You solve a problem in 2022, but set up a bigger one in 2023," said XP Investimentos economist Tatiana Nogueira.The tax breaks this year range from lower import tariffs and industrial taxes (IPI), and even a special tax regime for soccer clubs. Brazil's IPI tax is levied on industries that make and import manufactured products, like refrigerators, cars, air conditioners and televisions.More than half of the lost revenue this year is set to come from tax cuts and state subsidies to tamp down soaring fuel prices, expected to cost around 64.8 billion reais, pending further revisions in Congress.In March, Special Treasury and Budget Secretary Esteves Colnago criticized tax breaks on gasoline for benefitting mostly middle- and upper-class families rather than the neediest Brazilians.XP's Nogueira also warned that part of the savings from such tax breaks are absorbed by the fuel supply chain, with only 60% to 80% of the benefit reaching consumers.Even that cost relief could soon be offset with a price increase from state-run oil firm Petrobras (PETR4.SA), which has a policy of setting domestic fuel prices in accordance with global market.Petrobras last raised gasoline prices in March. Fuel importer association Abicom estimates they now lag global benchmarks by about 17%. read more ($1 = 5.1148 reais)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Bernardo Caram; Writing by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Brad Haynes and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Latin America Economy

SAN FRANCISCO – Scoreless nights from 3-point land are few and far between for Stephen Curry. It’s happened only 36 times in 959 NBA regular season and playoff games, including Monday. But history shows that Curry typically rebounds from an off perimeter shooting night with ease. Over the course of his career, he’s shooting 49% on 3-pointers (99-of-202) in a game and averaging 20.9 points after not making a triple in the previous contest. That’s why the Warriors feel they have no reason to worry about Curry bouncing back in a potential championship-clinching Game 6 Thursday night when Golden State looks to once again stun the Celtics on their home court and silence the hostile Boston crowd. If anything, they see Curry’s 0-for-9 shooting from 3-point range in Game 5 as a motivation. “He’s going to be livid going into Game 6,” Draymond Green said after the Warriors’ 104-94 win. “And that’s exactly what we need.” Curry has already turned in a legendary performance under the Celtics 17 championship banners on the parquet court of TD Garden this series. In Game 4, Curry poured in 43 points and made seven 3s while grabbing 10 rebounds in what was an impressive two-way showcase by the frontrunner for this year’s Finals MVP. But Curry wasn’t able to stir up the same magic back home at Chase Center Monday night. That, and the Celtics suffocating defense wouldn’t allow it, throwing double and triple teams at the Warriors superstar. The gravitational pull of Curry opened the floor for others such as Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson to take advantage of as they helped carry the Warriors to a victory to take a 3-2 series lead. Curry finished the night with 16 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals. He wasn’t the only player who struggled from deep. The Warriors converted on just nine of their 40 attempts from 3-point range, and leading scorer Wiggins missed all six of his attempts. Monday night marked the end of two of Curry’s NBA-record steaks. He’s the only player to make at least one 3-pointer in 132 career playoff games and 233 overall consecutive games. “Steph was probably due for a game like this. He’s been shooting the ball so well that, at some point, he was going to have a tough night,” said coach Steve Kerr, who tipped his cap to Boston’s defense. “But even for the best shooter in the world, games like this happen. And fortunately they don’t happen too often. “I like Steph coming off of a game like this, too. I like his ability to bounce back.” Fans and Warriors players alike haven’t needed to see Curry to rebound from a poor perimeter shooting night in quite some time like Game 5 – Curry’s worst 3-point shooting performance in 3 1/2 years — but the Warriors superstar’s track record should serve as a warning for the Celtics, who are on the brink of elimination. In fact, one of Curry’s best shooting nights from beyond the 3-point line came after he went 0-for-10 from downtown in the game before. Curry went berserk Nov. 7, 2016, making then an NBA record 13 triples for 46 points in a win over the Pelicans. “There’s a fire burning and I want to make shots,” Curry said. “But the rest of it is about how we win the game, and we did that… looking forward to that bounce back.”

Basketball

If you tell a friend you saw a movie last night, and your friend knows perfectly well you never left your apartment, they’d have every right to call you a liar. You can’t see a movie at home, unless you have a weak grasp of grammar. You can only see a movie in, yes, a movie theater. That’s the point. In a theater, you’re at the mercy of the motion picture. It’s forced upon you, like some higher-dimensional object, almost out of time, there to be looked at, all at once, in its entirety (a motion picture). So again, if you stayed home, there’s no way you saw a movie. What you did, and this is completely different, was watch it.That’s how most movies are experienced today. They are not, as they were for most of their history, seen. They are watched—on TVs, computers, tablets, phones. If you’re an average American, Gallup says, you saw (in theaters) exactly one movie in 2021, and it was probably the new Spider-Man. (I, being above average, saw it twice.) Even the phrase “see a movie,” on the rise throughout the 20th century, now appears to be on its way out, replaced by one that (surprise surprise) dates back only a few decades, to the VHS boom of the ’80s: “watch a movie.”Nobody blames you for this development. Actually, that’s not true. Cinephiles do, with their belief in the sanctity of the cinematic cathedral, the enveloping darkness and picture quality and transporting sound. “It’s the only way to see a film,” they claim, emphasis on film—the same way a business exec might say first class is the only way to fly. Maybe so, but the underlying assumption—that seeing is somehow superior to watching, is the first-class experience—is not, for most of us, entirely self-evident.Think about what it means to watch. Right away, it sounds like the more active, and therefore more worthwhile, activity. To watch is to concentrate on, to continuously attend to; to see, meanwhile, is merely to behold, almost passively. Sure enough, it’s hard work to focus on a movie at home. Everything seems to conspire against you: The rewind button beckons, the bathroom calls, the kitchen tempts. Your phone, meanwhile, offers texts, calls, TikTok, information. What other movie was that actress in again? Let’s Google her. Then let’s watch the trailer. Then let’s text a friend about it. Now Mom’s calling. And on and on, to say nothing of crying babies, barking dogs, screaming neighbors, and malfunctioning Alexas. By the time you finally remember you were watching a movie, it’s time for bed. You’ll finish it tomorrow.To watch a movie at home, then, though it’s in theory to actively engage with it, is in practice to ignore it, or at best to experience it piecemeal, halfheartedly. If any of the streamers—Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, whichever—were to release data on this, I’m certain it would be confirmed. I don’t know anyone who watched, say, Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League without breaks. Or Drive My Car, this year’s Oscar winner for best foreign film. Took them days, if not weeks. If they finished at all.Of course, those movies were both four hours long. An impossibility, you say—neither body nor brain can be expected to endure that. But would you say it’s equally impossible to watch four hours of television? Not a chance, because you watched four hours of TV last weekend. Or last night. That’s why simpleminded arguments like “our attention spans are shot” are so rarely, on their own, convincing. You simply attend to different things these days, like TV, or TikTok. (Worse things, some say, less unified, less artistic, but to an alien it looks like complete attention all the same.) In 2022, there’s something uniquely daunting about the prospect of committing to a movie, even for just 90 minutes. So you scroll and scroll and scroll, never quite ready to make a decision, aware, on some level, that you lack the strength to see it through.Maybe this doesn’t bother you. Movies are a dying art form; TV is ascendant! I suspect, however, it does. The less you watch movies, the more you miss them. You miss the completeness of them, of a story fully told—something TV (or TikTok, neverending) almost never provides. A movie is designed, after all, to be watched all at once, its rhythms and pacing serving the arc of a single emotional journey.

Movies

Andrew Cogliano was entering his 15th season in the NHL and had played in the Western Conference throughout his professional career. Still, some Sharks players and coaches needed to get to know him after the longtime winger signed a one-year contract with San Jose in July 2021. It didn’t take much time for everyone in teal to find out what kind of player they had on their hands. “Well, Cogs, he had a little bit of old school in him,” Sharks goalie coach Evgeni Nabokov said this week. “The professionalism, the discipline, and preparation were off the charts, and the way he cared for his teammates and for the result of the game. “Not many players these days when we lose will get pissed off. He literally would get pissed off, and I guess that’s what I liked about him.” The Colorado Avalanche have also gotten to know Cogliano in recent months after they acquired him from the Sharks at the trade deadline in March. The same qualities he showed in the South Bay have been evident in the Mile High City as the Avs marched toward the Stanley Cup Final. Although Cogliano, who turned 35 on Tuesday, has only averaged about 10 minutes of ice time per game between the regular season and playoffs, he’s made contributions to the talented Avalanche with his speed and heady play at both even strength and on the penalty kill. Playing on the fourth line, at times with Darren Helm and Logan O’Connor, Cogliano has two game-winning goals and an assist in 11 playoff games. Now Cogliano can become the 18th player in NHL history to win his first Stanley Cup after appearing in 1,000 career games or more. Cogliano, who has played in 1,140 games, including 56 with the Sharks, advanced to the final in 2020 with Dallas, but the Stars lost to the Lightning in six games. “He leads by example every day,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of Cogliano earlier this month. “Pre-practice, pre-game, the work that he puts in. He’s a wealth of knowledge, he’s been around a long time, has a nice calming presence and demeanor to him and he’s highly competitive when he steps on the ice.” Cogliano injured his finger in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Edmonton Oilers on June 6 and is questionable to play in Game 1 of the Cup final Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, even if Cogliano has to miss the start of the series, being part of a Cup run is preferable to watching from home, as the Sharks were realistically out of the playoff chase by the middle of February. SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 20: San Jose Sharks’ Andrew Cogliano (11) waits for a face-off against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) With the March 21 trade deadline nearing and the Sharks out of the hunt, a few teams reached out to the Sharks about Cogliano, the type of responsible and disciplined depth player playoff contenders covet. When Cogliano heard Colorado was among the teams that had interest, there wasn’t much of a need – from his perspective, at least – to explore other possible destinations. “(The Sharks) mentioned Colorado (as a possibility),” Cogliano said on March 23, two days after he was dealt to the Avalanche for a 2024 fifth-round draft pick, “and from my perspective, that was basically the best option I think in terms of fit and opportunity.” The trade, from San Jose’s perspective, was less about the return than it was about getting one of its respected veterans to a contender. The Sharks did the same with Patrick Marleau in 2020 when they dealt him to Pittsburgh, and with goalie Devyn Dubnyk last season, sending him to the Avalanche. “First class,” Cogliano said of the Sharks. “They were great all the way through the year. I have a great relationship with them.” Now, nearly three months after the trade, Cogliano and the Avalanche are facing the Lightning in a compelling matchup. Colorado is the NHL’s best team right now and Tampa Bay is looking to become the first team to win three straight titles since the New York Islanders won four straight from 1980 to 1983. “The (Sharks) approached me saying there’s a couple of teams that were asking and if I would like the opportunity,” Cogliano said of going elsewhere. “I’ve played 15 years and you play to play in the playoffs, simple as that. “This was the first year (in close to) 10 years where (we were) in a tough spot to make the playoffs. It was a situation for me that I’d never been used to and it wasn’t enjoyable. So if I got the opportunity, I was going to take it — in whatever capacity and role that was going to be.” Cogliano averaged just over 13 minutes of ice time per game for the Sharks, leading all forwards in shorthanded time and anchoring one of the NHL’s top power plays. Beyond the numbers, though, was the example he set for several of the Sharks’ younger players in his brief time in San Jose. “The biggest thing with Cogs is his leadership and intensity,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said on March 21. “Really, there’s nobody on our team that wants to win more than that guy.” “He hated to lose, and when you see how much an athlete cares, I don’t know how what else you can ask from (a player),” Nabokov said. “He’s a professional and he does things the right way. I hope he does well.”

Hockey

Spain believe they have fresh information that should see their national team reinstated at next year’s men’s Rugby World Cup.World Rugby announced in April that Spain had been excluded from the tournament for fielding an ineligible player in the qualifying stages but an appeal is due to be heard on Thursday.The Spanish rugby federation (FER) was also fined £75,000 after it emerged that a reserve front-row forward, Gavin van den Berg, had not fulfilled the necessary three-year residency criteria because in his first year he spent 127 days back in his native South Africa. It was then found that certain date stamps on a photocopy of the player’s passport did not match those on the original document.As a result Romania were promoted into Pool B in next year’s tournament alongside South Africa, Ireland and Scotland. Spain had also been ejected from qualifying for the 2019 tournament in Japan for using ineligible players.This time, however, the FER is arguing the player and his club were largely to blame, adding that Van den Berg played only a peripheral on-field role. He featured as a substitute for 22 and 34 minutes respectively in his side’s 52-7 and 43-0 wins against the Netherlands, only coming on after Spain were already well ahead.The Breakdown: sign up and get our weekly rugby union email.The appeal will be conducted virtually by an independent panel, with Spanish players desperately hoping for a reprieve. “We know these appeals are difficult to overturn but there is some optimism because of the characteristics of the case,” squad member Koi Hogg told the Guardian. “It wasn’t a case of a cynical act by the federation. They were basically lied to and we’ve got new information that will shed light on that.“We also think the penalty was excessive in terms of the role the player actually played on the pitch. The two games were both arguably won before he even came on. You can imagine how the rest of us feel. It would be huge for Spain to be in next year’s World Cup. It would put us on the map.”

Other Sports

In this photo taken on April 3, 2022, South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. BTS announced on June 14, 2022 that they were taking a break from one of the world’s most popular acts to focus on solo pursuits. Photo: ANGELA WEISS / AFP It was meant to be a celebratory occasion, but fans around the world were left heartbroken after K-pop group BTS released a highly anticipated video event marking the ninth anniversary of their debut. Seated at a long table and surrounded by purple balloons, the boy band dropped a bombshell announcement on their future plans.“We’re going into an ‘off’ now,” said BTS member Suga, which was originally translated as “hiatus” in the video’s English subtitles. But just hours after the news broke, Hybe, the entertainment company that manages BTS, scrambled to clear the air, denying that the band is going on a “hiatus.”As of writing, the subtitles have been revised to say that BTS is taking a “temporary break.”“To be clear, they are not on hiatus but will take time to explore some solo projects at this time and remain active in various different formats,” Hybe said in a statement sent to VICE World News. But fans got the gist of their message: BTS is going on a break. The announcement came as a shock to most, with the band giving no definite indication that they were considering the move. “I immediately started bawling,” Trish Sotto, an ardent BTS fan from the Philippines who had flown to Los Angeles last year to catch the group perform live, told VICE World News. “Not in my wildest imagination would I have expected an announcement about a break. In fact, our entire fandom was gearing up for a tour announcement.”As fans wonder what the break means for the future of BTS, many have also expressed overwhelming support for the band’s decision to put their mental health first. Some say that the break is a long time coming for the boy band, as members faced burnout, an identity crisis, and looming enlistment into South Korea’s military.Since debuting in 2013, the group has grown to become one of the world’s biggest music sensations. They have unlocked milestones for K-pop on the world stage—becoming the first K-pop group to be nominated for a Grammy Award, bagging Artist of the Year at last year’s American Music Awards, and having been invited to speak at the United Nations.But between relentless concert tours, album preparation, and dance choreography, it is clear now that burnout had begun to set in. In the video released on Tuesday, the members opened up about their struggles with exhaustion and creative block.“The problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature. You have to keep producing music and keep doing something,” said RM, the group’s leader. “It feels so wrong to even say that we’re exhausted.”“[Making music] now compared to seven, eight years ago feels completely different. Back then, I had something to say but just lacked the skills. Now I don’t have anything to say,” added Suga. “Right now, I’m just squeezing it out because we have to satisfy people’s wants and the listeners.”For fans, these revelations came as a surprise. While the group has not shied away from sharing their struggles, they usually avoided speaking about those issues until they’ve been resolved.“In the past, whenever they said they were in a funk, it was always after they had gotten over that hump. But I think this is the first time they’re sharing that they don’t know what to do except to take a step back,” said Sotto, who described Tuesday’s announcement as a “glass shattering moment.”“It’s a lot of bravery to take a step back when you’re at the peak of your career.”Since the announcement, fans have rallied to show their support for BTS amid the changes. Popping off on Twitter are hashtags like #BTSBestFriendsOfMyLife and #ThankYouBTS, as fans flooded the platform with tributes to the band.“I believe they are doing this simply because they do need a break. They worked nonstop for a whole decade,” Betty Silva, a 20-year-old fan from the U.S., told VICE World News. “We all go through changes and we just need to accept it with open arms and embrace it.”According to BTS, their creative struggle stems from an identity crisis, as members figure out the goals of the group. “We’ve come to think about what kind of artists we each want to be remembered as to our fans. I think that’s why we’re going through a rough patch right now. We’re trying to find our identity and that’s an exhausting and long process,” said Jimin.Jung Min-jae, a music critic in South Korea, told VICE World News that he thinks that the group is setting a good example for other pop idols to take care of their well-being while balancing their careers.“Fans may be disappointed, but I’m looking at it positively,” he said. “If BTS spends their rest period well and returns fully, I think it will set a good precedent for other K-pop groups, too.”Upcoming military conscription is also a major reason why a change of plans appears inevitable for the wildly popular boy band. The conscription of 29-year-old Jin, BTS’ oldest member, has been the subject of much debate for years. Under a new law introduced in 2020, Jin, who was originally scheduled to join the military last year, has managed to put off his conscription until the end of this year. Despite his stardom, he remains obligated to serve almost two years in the military—a requirement for all young, healthy men in South Korea.Kim Do-heon, another music critic in South Korea, told VICE World News, that the announcement “shows that the first chapter of BTS [has] ended.” “Each member will try to get back to normal and work on solo projects to show their own musical styles that they couldn’t as a group,” said Kim. “They were honest about this on their own content, which carries considerable weight in the group, even in the K-pop and music industry.”Follow Junhyup Kwon on Twitter.Follow Koh Ewe on Twitter and Instagram.ORIGINAL REPORTING ON EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS IN YOUR INBOX.By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

Music

The list of accomplishments is long and plentiful for Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer. But among all of them — three-time national champion and all-time winningest coach in women’s college basketball history, to name just two — there’s one that truly stands out after 42 years of coaching, 34 of them at Stanford. It’s the year VanDerveer, 68, stepped away from the Cardinal and changed the women’s basketball landscape forever, winning Olympic gold and fostering the spark that led to the creation of the WNBA. VanDerveer’s full year in charge of Team USA ahead of the 1996 Summer Olympics will be featured in “Dream On,” a brand-new ESPN ’30 for 30′ documentary debuting Wednesday. But in order for VanDerveer to coach Team USA on its year-long tour, she had to step away from her national title-contending Cardinal. “To take a sabbatical from the team that she had — a team that was going to the Final Four — to then take this incredible group of gifted players to do something that had never been done before at USA Basketball? Not too many people could invite and accept that challenge, to manage the enormity of it and the pressure of it,” said Marianne Stanley, who VanDerveer brought in as a replacement to help co-coach the Cardinal alongside longtime assistant Amy Tucker. “I don’t think that there’s anybody else that could have done it.” If VanDerveer wasn’t sure about the level of pressure on her as Team USA aimed to avenge a disappointing Olympic cycle, former NBA Commissioner David Stern made sure she knew right away. “David Stern looks at me and he goes, ‘There’s only one thing that can go wrong and that’s you screwing it up,’” VanDerveer said in the documentary’s trailer. But to Stanley — whose connection with VanDerveer goes all the way back to their college days, when Stanley’s Immaculata teams knocked VanDerveer’s Indiana teams out of the national AIAW tournament twice — there was never really a chance that VanDerveer would screw it up. “It’s a remarkable gift that she has, to lead in that way and also challenge people to constantly improve, constantly get better,” Stanley said. “If you’re satisfied with what you did yesterday, you’re not going to get results. That’s not who she is or what she’s about. “People who want to be coached gravitate toward that.” Jennifer Azzi was one of those players, especially as the first major recruit who VanDerveer convinced to come to The Farm. While hindsight makes VanDerveer’s first title with Stanford in 1990 seem inevitable, it certainly didn’t feel that way to Azzi. “We were .500 my freshman year, so that happened quickly,” Azzi said. “I know, now that I’ve coached, to say that was hard. I don’t know any team this day that goes from a .500 record to a national championship in three years.” Azzi got a chance to play for VanDerveer again for Team USA, when she squared off against Stanford in November 1995 during the run-up to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Cardinal forward Vanessa Nygaard called it “a dream” to face the stars of Team USA – but also pointed out a practical value in the matchup. “We were just excited to see Tara because we just didn’t get to be around her as much,” Nygaard said. The national team easily handled the Cardinal that day, 100-62, but the Cardinal went 29-3 without VanDerveer as Stanley and Tucker led Stanford to the Final Four before a 10-point loss to Georgia. “Coaches just don’t do that,” Stanley said of VanDerveer’s sabbatical. “[She’s] secure enough to say, ‘Hey, this could be really good for us.’ I was really fortunate that Tara allowed me to be a part of all that.” Meanwhile, VanDerveer and Team USA won all 60 games they played — 52 exhibition games and eight Olympic games – to win gold in Atlanta. The ‘Dream Team’ of women starred Azzi, Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and now-South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and helped women’s basketball become more and more popular. Stern leveraged that momentum to start the WNBA in 1997. After many professional women’s leagues tried and failed to stick, the WNBA has stuck around, now in its 26th year. That couldn’t have happened with VanDerveer, whose impact on the sport earns everyone’s respect — including the coach of the team that knocked Stanford out in April’s Final Four, UConn’s Geno Auriemma. “I’ve always found Tara to be one of the people that consistently talks about, ‘How do we make the game better, how do we make the game better?’” Auriemma said. “I think she’s been an incredible pioneer in that respect.” Once the Team USA stint ended, VanDerveer came back to The Farm, where she’s kept on churning and adding more accomplishments. She’s now up to 13 Final Fours, 1,157 wins and added a third national championship in 2021. It was all something she felt was just trying to keep up with of success of Stanford’s other women’s sports programs, like volleyball, tennis and swimming. Now? “I just feel like women’s basketball, we’re not the weak link,” VanDerveer said. Her team certainly isn’t that. And to those close to her, there are no signs that the coach who stepped up and helped change women’s basketball forever is ready to be done yet. “I think she’s wired to do this. This is who she is, this is what she does,” Azzi said. “She’s brilliant as a person anyway, but this is her gift to the world. I think she’s meant to be doing this, and I’m excited that she’s energetic about it and loves it. She’s, by no means, old as a coach. “I think that the sky’s the limit. It just depends on how long her heart stays in it, and I think there’s more and she can continue to affect the game in a positive way.” The sky’s the limit for the future … of the winningest basketball coach in women’s basketball history? “Quote me on it,” Azzi said.

Basketball

Golden State Warrior fans — and count us as loyal followers — are hoping that the team can find a way to capture their fourth championship in eight years in Boston on Thursday or on their home floor on Father’s Day. But win or lose, let’s celebrate the fact that these Warriors are one of the most entertaining teams in NBA history with compelling story lines up and down their roster. It isn’t every day that you get to watch the best shooter in basketball history in the prime of his career. Star athletes who double as role models — both on and off the court — are in short supply these days, but Stephen Curry is just that. Game after game, overcoming injury after injury, Curry is driven to succeed and to help his team succeed. Ditto for his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, who was already in competition for most-beloved Warrior during the team’s championship runs of 2015, 2017 and 2018. But Thompson tore his ACL during the 2019 NBA finals against Toronto. And then he ruptured his Achilles tendon as he was about to come back for the 2020-21 season. All told, it was 941 days from his initial injury until his Jan. 9 reentry. His return to form has been one of the most inspirational stories in Bay Area sports history and could seal his legacy as a Hall of Fame player. If you wonder what to make of the mercurial Draymond Green, well, so do we, after 10 years of watching his defensive wizardry, intense competitiveness and non-stop trash-talking. Let’s leave it at Draymond is Draymond. It’s hard to see how the Warriors could sustain their championship drive without his fiery personality One thing the Warrior players share is their willingness to set ego aside and do whatever is best for the team. This is a team that plays as a team — a model of collective effort for competitors of all ages in sports, business, education or life. In Monday’s Game 5 victory over the Celtics, Curry had one of his worst games at what seemed the worst possible time. He was 0-for-9 from beyond the three-point line, snapping his NBA record 232-game streak of at least one three-pointer per game. But the Celtics’ focus on stopping Curry opened opportunities for others, and they made the most of it. Especially Andrew Wiggins. When the Warriors picked him up in a trade in 2020, he was widely viewed as a poor fit for a team that was trying to get back in championship contention. NBA experts questioned his work ethic, willingness to play defense and ability to fit into a team concept. Wiggins proved those experts wrong this season, and on Monday he played the best game of his career, scoring 26 points, snaring 13 rebounds and playing stout defense on Boston’s best player, Jason Tatum. Teammates Kevin Looney, Gary Payton II, Jordan Poole, Andre Iguodala, Nemanja Bjelica and Otto Porter stepped up to give the Warriors a “Strength in Numbers” contribution reminiscent of their 2015 championship season. The Warriors’ blend of veteran and young players carries the hope that they could remain championship contenders for years to come. But there are no guarantees in sports. Savor this success while it lasts.

Basketball

Nottingham Forest have opened talks with Manchester United with a view to signing Dean Henderson on loan with option to buy the goalkeeper for about £20m.Points of negotiation include whether an arrangement can be reached over Henderson’s salary. The 25-year-old played only three times last season – once each in the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup – as David de Gea held down the No 1 spot.Newcastle have also expressed interest in Henderson but will not take that further unless the conditions of any transfer change.Forest were promoted to the Premier League via the playoffs with Brice Samba as their first-choice goalkeeper. He played all but six of their Championship and playoff matches, with Ethan Horvath his understudy. The pursuit of Henderson indicates that Samba could leave.Henderson has come through the United academy and was given hope he could establish himself there when he played 10 of the final 12 Premier League matches of the 2020-21 season. But De Gea was preferred again last August by Ole Gunnar Solskjær and his form meant he was retained by Michael Carrick and Ralf Rangnick after the Norwegian was sacked.Henderson has spent seasons on loan at Shrewsbury and Sheffield United. He played 36 of Sheffield United’s Premier League games in the 2019-20 campaign, when they finished ninth. In November 2020 he won his only England cap and he was included in the Euro 2020 squad before withdrawing injured.Manchester United also have the 36-year-old Tom Heaton as back-up to De Gea.

Soccer

The NTSB released this image of a 2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor electric car that was involved in a fatal accident near Miami that killed two people on Sept. 13, 2021.NTSBTesla vehicles have accounted for nearly 70% of reported crashes involving advanced driver-assist systems since last June, according to federal figures released Wednesday. But officials warned that the data is incomplete and isn't meant to indicate which car maker's systems might be safest.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the first-of-its-kind data doesn't yet have proper context and is only meant to be a guide to quickly identify potential defect trends and help determine whether the systems are improving the safety of vehicles."I would advise caution before attempting to draw conclusions based only on the data that we're releasing. In fact, the data alone may raise more questions than they answer," NHTSA Administrator Steven Cliff said during a media event.According to the data, Tesla cars represented 273 accidents involving its advanced driver-assist systems since companies were required to start reporting the incidents roughly a year ago. That's out of 392 crashes reported overall by 11 automakers and one supplier from June 2021 through May 15.Honda was second with 90 reported accidents, followed by Subaru at 10 and Ford Motor at five. All other companies reported four or less accidents, including Toyota at four, BMW at three and General Motors at two.The data release is the first since the government began mandating in June 2021 that companies report incidents involving "Level 2" advanced driver-assist systems, which are meant to help an attentive driver but not replace them. They include Tesla's systems such as Autopilot and GM's Super Cruise.The data does not take into context factors such as the number of vehicles automakers have made, the number of vehicles they have on the road or the distances traveled by those vehicles. When and how much data companies provided also varies, meaning much of it is incomplete.For example, crashes involving advanced driver-assist systems have resulted in at least six fatalities and five serious injuries, according to the data. However, whether there were injuries in a majority of the crashes – 294 of them – is unknown, meaning there are likely more."This is an unprecedented effort to gather nearly real time safety data involving these advanced technologies," Cliff said. "Understanding the story that the data tell will take time as most of NHTSA's work does but it's a story we need to hear."TeslaWhile Tesla cars with the company's "Autopilot" technology had the most accidents, it's believed the company also has the most number of vehicles with such systems on the road. Its systems also tend to offer greater capabilities and are allowed to operate in more areas than other systems.Tesla's systems are marketed under the brand names Autopilot, Full Self Driving and Full Self Driving Beta in the U.S.Tesla's celebrity CEO Elon Musk last month on Twitter said that the company's latest version of FSD Beta would be rolling out to 100,000 cars. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.According to the Associated Press, Tesla has more vehicles with partly automated systems operating on U.S. roads than most other automakers do — roughly 830,000, dating to the 2014 model year. And it collects real-time data online from vehicles, so it has a much faster reporting system. That compares to GM, which has reportedly sold more than 34,000 vehicles since the debut of its "Super Cruise" system in 2017.The NHTSA has intensified its focus and investigations on Tesla because of the company's aggressive expansion of advanced driver-assist systems, including prototype software for Tesla owners.In February, Tesla said it would recall software from 53,822 of its Model S, X, 3 and Y vehicles in the U.S. to eliminate a feature that lets cars automatically roll past stop signs. The cars featured a relatively new version of the company's Full Self-Driving Beta software.That program gives Tesla drivers early access to new features that aren't completely debugged yet, including "autosteer on city streets," which let drivers automatically navigate around complex and crowded urban environments without moving the steering wheel with their own hands. Despite the name, Full Self-Driving Beta does not make Tesla vehicles autonomous.Ongoing data collectionRelease of the data comes nearly a year after the NHTSA issued an order requiring automakers and operators of vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance or automated driving systems to immediately report crashes.NHTSA also released a separate report on higher-level systems, known as automated driving systems, that can include the vehicles largely driving themselves. Most of these systems are still being tested and not available to the public, but some companies such as Alphabet's Waymo and GM's majority-owned Cruise have opened operations to the public.NHTSA says there have been 130 reported automated driving system crashes from June 2021 to May 15. Waymo, at 62, had the most. It was followed by Transdev Alternative Services at 34, and Cruise at 23 (excluding 16 crashes reported separately by GM). Twenty-five companies reported crashes. They ranged from traditional automakers to Apple, which has reportedly been working on such a vehicle for years.The agency plans to release data updates monthly regarding the systems.– CNBC's Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.

Automotive and Transportation

Celebrity | 6/15/2022 3:18 AM PT The boy bander passed away after a battle with terminal brain cancer in March at the age of 33. Even as Kelsey Parker continues to mourn the loss of her husband after his long battle with brain cancer, she still has their two kids to worry about -- and one of them thinks her daddy is just out "on tour." Tom Parker, member of boy band The Wanted, passed away on March 30 at 33 years old. He left behind his wife and two children, 2-year-old daughter Aurelia and 1-year-old son Bodhi. Getty The Wanted's Max George Says He Still Texts Tom Parker After His Passing View Story In a new interview with Lorraine Kelly for ITV, Kelsey said that she's "been really honest" and explained to Aurelia that her daddy is dead, but "she does still talk about him every day and she doesn't quite understand that he's not coming back." She explained that Aurelia is confused by her father's absence, and thinks that maybe he's just on tour with the group. "She's a bit like, 'Well, you've been on tour, so is he going to come back from this?'" Kelsey shared. "She's just really confused by it." Kelsey does her best to keep things positive in the household, even as she admits that the nights can be lonely. "They wake up happy," she said of her kids. "So I can't be sad. And he wouldn't want us to be sad and mourning." Just days before his death, Tom announced a new book which he intended to be positive and uplifting. "Hope: My Inspirational Life" was released posthumously and has been on the UK bestseller list ever since. Getty The Wanted's Tom Parker Dead at 33 After Brain Tumor Battle View Story The singer announced he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer back in October 2020. "We are all absolutely devastated but we are gonna fight this all the way," he and Kelsey said in a joint statement at the time. "We don't want your sadness, we just want love and positivity and together we will raise awareness of this terrible disease and look for all available treatment options. It's gonna be a tough battle but with everyone’s love and support we are going to beat this." He and Kelsey welcomed son Bodhi shortly after the diagnosis and Parker was even able to reunite with his bandmates for an arena tour. Their most recent show was on March 17, 2022.

Celebrity

It’s been 21 years since the St Louis Cardinals pitched a no-hitter. Miles Mikolas needed one more strike.The right-hander didn’t give up a hit until Cal Mitchell doubled with two outs in the ninth inning Tuesday night, and the St Louis Cardinals routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-1 to sweep a doubleheader.“I’m a little over it. I mean it stinks, to get that close and then kind of come up empty-handed,” Mikolas said. “That’s a great outing. I’ll be real proud that I gave the bullpen kind of another night off. I know we need it with the doubleheader. I’m happy but deep down it kind of stinks.”Mitchell drove a 2-2 curveball over the head of Gold Glove center-fielder Harrison Bader as he tried to make a running catch with his back to home plate.“If he can’t get it, nobody can except maybe one of those guys in the stands when they have that like three-foot glove, maybe that guy,” Mikolas said. “We’re playing shallow so they don’t kind of doink one in. I think that’s what you’re always guarding against is you don’t want to lose it cheap. The guy hit a ball to the track, I’ll give it to him. And it was a good pitch. I’m more OK with that then if the dude bloops a broken-bat bleeder in there somewhere.”The ball bounced on the warning track 383 feet from the plate and over the wall in straightaway center for a ground-rule double.“It went to the left of my glove, kind of curled back,” Bader said. “I was working really hard to try to make up some ground. So yeah, just sucks. But it is what it is.”The hit came on the 129th pitch from Mikolas. He was lifted for Packy Naughton, who got the final out to hand the Pirates their ninth straight loss.The 33-year-old Mikolas bent over at the waist for a moment when Mitchell’s drive dropped. He struck out six, walked one and left to a standing ovation. Mitchell entered in the seventh to play right field and got Pittsburgh’s lone hit in his only at-bat of the game. The most recent no-hitter for the Cardinals was thrown by rookie Bud Smith in a 4-0 win at San Diego in September 2001. The last one at home came from Bob Forsch in 1983.“Normally I’m talking to guys in the dugout asking them about pitches, like where they were, what they thought, and I didn’t even bother asking them because nobody would turn to look at me,” Mikolas said. “So, that’s one of the things that kind of stinks about that is I’m kind of sitting there all by myself all game and, you know, watching Mad Dog [pitching coach Mike Maddux] like pace back and forth. I know he wants to say something, but can’t. It’s one of those superstitions.”Pittsburgh got an unearned run in the fourth to make it 7-1 when Bryan Reynolds scored on Daniel Vogelbach’s groundout.Mikolas, who reinvented himself in Japan before becoming a big league All-Star in 2018, has struggled through injuries the past few seasons. He had never gone longer than four innings in a major league start without allowing a hit.“There’s a lot of perseverance in that story,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He’s doing an unbelievable job, he’s going about it really well, and this is a healthy Miles and it’s fun to watch.”

Baseball

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Brittney Griner’s agent spoke out Tuesday after the WNBA superstar’s Russian detention was extended for another few weeks.Lindsay Kagawa Colas wrote on Twitter the decision was just further proof the Phoenix Mercury center was "being used as a political pawn." She called on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to act with urgency in bringing the basketball player home from Moscow.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner leaves a courtroom after a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, May 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)"Today's extension is just further reinforcement that Brittney Griner - an Olympian and an American citizen - is being used as a political pawn," Kagawa-Colas tweeted. "Her detention is inhumane and unacceptable. She has not had a single phone call in her 117 days of wrongful detention, and we call on @POTUS and @VP to act with urgency and do whatever it takes to bring Brittney home immediately."BRITTNEY GRINER PRISONER SWAP FOR 'MERCHANT OF DEATH' NOT BEING CONSIDERED RIGHT NOW, RUSSIAN OFFICIAL SAYS FILE - Phoenix Mercury's Brittney Griner (42) is congratulated on a play against the Seattle Storm in the first half of the second round of the WNBA basketball playoffs Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)Griner was arrested in February for allegedly trying to bring vape cartridges containing oils derived from cannabis through a Moscow airport. She’s been held ever since with limited public appearances. A Moscow court extended Griner’s detention until July 2. It was the third time her detention has been extended, Russian state-run media TASS reported.It has been rumored Griner would potentially be involved in a detainee swap involving Viktor Bout, who is in the middle of a 25-year sentence in federal prison after he was convicted of conspiracy to kill Americans relating to the support of a Colombian terrorist organization.Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said officials will not consider Griner for a prisoner swap with the U.S. "until a court investigation into her case is completed," according to TASS. Minnesota Lynx's Aerial Powers wears a shirt in support of Brittney Griner during introductions for the team's WNBA basketball game against the Seattle Storm on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, in Minneapolis. (Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via AP)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPGriner could face up to 10 years in a Russian prison if she’s convicted.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to Ryan.Gaydos@fox.com.

Basketball

NBA's Jaxson Hayes Avoids Jail Time For July Arrest ... Gets 3 Years Probation, Dom. Violence Classes 6/15/2022 6:20 AM PT Jaxson Hayes will not spend another minute behind bars stemming from his July altercation with cops that led to his arrest -- the New Orleans Pelicans player was just sentenced to three years probation, 450 hours of community service and weekly domestic violence classes. 22-year-old Hayes pleaded no contest to resisting arrest and false imprisonment in February ... and was facing up to 364 days behind bars for both charges. The timeframe is unclear on when Hayes must complete his community service ... but he will be allowed to complete it where he lives, instead of Los Angeles. Hayes will be able to take his domestic violence classes online over the next 52 weeks. Los Angeles Police Department TMZ Sports broke the story ... Hayes was arrested on July 28 after cops responded to a reported domestic incident at his then-girlfriend's house around 3 AM. When officers showed up at the scene, cops say Hayes refused to let them inside ... which resulted in a scuffle. One officer was injured ... and Hayes -- who was tased during the incident -- was heard on video telling cops he couldn't breathe, which led to an LAPD investigation into excessive use of force. Hayes was taken to a nearby hospital to receive treatment for minor injuries ... and was released from custody later that day. Hayes' ex, Sofia Jamora, is currently suing him for assault, battery and infliction of emotional distress ... claiming he got physical with her on multiple occasions during their relationship.

Basketball

In many parts of the United States, we're in the thick of summer and it's time to admit: It's not getting any cooler out. It would be a great time to go to the pool or the beach. Alternatively, if you'd rather weather the heat waves indoors with air conditioning, it's a great time to hunker down with some gaming deals.Don't see anything you like here? Don't forget to check out our other buying guides, including our guide to the Best Wireless Gaming Headsets or the Best Soundbars. Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.Headset and TV Gaming DealsPhotograph: LogitechThis headset from Logitech is one of our favorites, especially for PC and PlayStation players. It's lightweight, it supports excellent DTX:S object-based surround sound, and, for PC players, the powerful G Hub software adds a ton of extra EQ features so you can fine-tune your sound.If you're more of an Xbox person, this SteelSeries 9X headset is a great choice. It can pair directly to your Xbox Series X/S without a dongle, it has a retractable mic, and it does an excellent job of monitoring your own input so you can avoid yelling at your teammates. Accidentally, anyway.There's never enough space to store all your games, screencaps, and recordings. Fortunately, on the PS5, you can add more with a simple upgrade. This internal M.2 drive has 1 TB of storage in a small, low-profile stick that comes with its own heat sink to help keep it cool inside your machine. They're not that difficult to install either.Sometimes, the best accessory you can get for your console is a new TV. This is our favorite entry-level model from TCL. It has full-array local dimming and a built-in Roku interface. It's only 60 Hz, so it's not the best you're gonna get, but if you're still stuck with an old HD TV, it's a good upgrade.Switch Accessory DealsPhotograph: OrzlyIf you prefer the Switch Lite (8/10, WIRED Recommends) to the Switch, there's a decent chance you do more traveling with your Switch than the average person. In which case (ha) Orzly's carrying case is a handy thing to have around. It comes with a slot for several games, extra space for accessories like headphones or a spare set of Joy-Cons, and an internal protective cover that keeps your screen from getting scratched by all of the above.It's awesome the Switch is portable. It also means that it's more prone to scratches, dings, and damage than your other consoles. So, just like your phone, it's a good idea to get a screen protector to cover the display. This one from amFilm is one of our favorites, and it's even cheaper than the cheap it usually is.To protect your Switch even further—and give yourself a little extra grip on those not-very-ergonomic Joy-Con controllers—this grip case from Orzly wraps around your entire Switch, controllers and all. Check out our guide to the Best Switch Accessories for more. Video Game DealsGhostwire Tokyo Courtesy of BethesdaPCMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain for $5 ($15 off)Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance for $7 ($23 off)Castlevania Advance Collection for $14 ($6 off)PlayStationGhostwire Tokyo for $30 ($30 off)Immortals Fenyx Rising for $15 ($45 off)Far Cry 6 for $20 ($40 off)Nintendo SwitchLego Marvel Superheroes for $20 ($20 off)Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate for $15 ($45 off)Lego Jurassic World for $8 ($32 off)

Video Games

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Call it clash of the titans. Two of Hollywood's best actors square off as former colleagues who must now be adversaries in a new limited series called "The Old Man."Jeff Bridges plays the title character, a retired CIA operative, while John Lithgow co-stars as his former handler, turned adversary.Amy Breneman joins them as the former agent's companion.At the Museum of Modern Art on Tuesday night, those involved with the tense drama were all all smiles at the premiere of the project that debuts Thursday on FX and runs the following day on Hulu.Bridges seemed the picture of health, but the star was diagnosed with lymphoma during filming and then got a bad case of COVID-19 at his cancer treatment facility.ALSO READ | Experts urge swim lessons, water safety to prevent child drowningsHe barely survived and told Eyewitness News he "was close to dying a few times," but he managed to return after two years to finish playing "The Old Man," a former agent who finds out that his past actions have severe consequences in the present."He was willing to do anything and now this is what that willingness turns out to cause," Bridges said."They did the wrong thing for the right reasons," Lithgow said. "They were the best intentions in the world, and that mix, that crazy mixture of good and bad behavior is kind of what drives the story of the whole series."The first two hours of "The Old Man" premieres Thursday night at 10 p.m. on FX and will be available the next day on Hulu, both companies which are owned by Disney, the same parent company as WABC-TV.----------* Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More New York City news* Send us a news tip* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTubeSubmit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. Copyright © 2022 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Movies

Quavo Hunting For Oscar Gold I'm Taking John Travolta's Advice!!! Gonna 'Cash Out' On A Movie Career 6/14/2022 5:15 PM PT TMZ.com Quavo may or may not be an ex-Migo … but he’s definitely focused on being a movie legend for the time being. We caught up with Quay Huncho outside of LAX — fresh off his time on the set of his bank-robbing heist "Cash Out" and he had plenty of love for his costars — especially John Travolta, who gave the star rapper some potential Oscar-winning advice. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. Quay says John simply told him to be relaxed on set — and be himself at times, which is a little strange considering they're actually portraying someone else. That being said, most successful actors still don't have filmographies as acclaimed as Travolta's so, yeah. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. Although there's no set release date or trailer, Quay was especially pumped, shouting out director Randall Emmett and his costars ... including Noel Gugliemi, who he flicked it up with several times on the "Cash Out" set. Quavo's still offsetting his movie hustle with music -- with his nephew and fellow Migos member Takeoff. Maybe they'll cut the "Cash Out" soundtrack?

Music

Blueface I'm Dropping Swaggy P in the 3rd Round!!! Predicts KO of Nick Young 6/15/2022 6:29 AM PT The upcoming celebrity boxing match between Blueface and former NBA star Nick Young isn't too chummy, and won't be very long -- the "Thotiana" rapper is vowing to put Nick to sleep early! Make no mistake about it, Blueface has already won the July 30 bout in his mind, because he tells TMZ Hip Hop ... "The Famous Cryp is about to be even more famous ... Nick's going down in the 3rd!" Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. Earlier this week, TMZ Sports hashed out the details: the proud L.A. natives will both have home ring advantage inside Crypto.com Arena where they will be on the undercard for the Social Gloves event where YouTubers Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib are the main event. Speaking of YouTubers, Blueface has a history of sizing up social media stars for a fight. Remember, he bashed TikToker Kane Trujillo's face in (as well as a random ring-crasher) during a July 2021 bare-knuckle fight. Ex-NFL star, and part-time rapper, Le'Veon Bell is also on the card for July 30, but he's still waiting for a challenger. As for the fight for L.A.'s unofficial celeb belt (which isn't a thing, yet) ... the physical stats are in Swaggy's favor, but Blueface has him beat in ring experience. If nothing else fails, Drake should have a field day placing wagers!

Celebrity

Yorkshire CCC and “a number of individuals” have been charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board following its investigation into allegations of racism at the county.The ECB has elected not to name the individuals. An independent panel of the Cricket Discipline Commission will hear the cases, with the expectation that these would take place in September and October.The individuals have been charged with bringing the game into disrepute, and the ECB Anti-Discrimination Code with each relating to the use of racist and discriminatory language.The ECB said in a statement on Wednesday: “The ECB’s investigation has been thorough and complex, with the allegations covering a significant period of time and a number of witnesses and other individuals coming forward to share their own experiences and allegations. The ECB is grateful to all those who have taken the time to speak with the investigating team.“In matters of this nature, our normal practice is not to identify individuals charged at this stage. This decision is taken on a case-by-case basis. It is however standard practice for the CDC disciplinary panel to publish its decisions and written reasons in full following the hearing.”Quick GuideHow do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?ShowDownload the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for 'The Guardian'.If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.Turn on sport notifications.The ECB’s announcement follows accusations made by Azeem Rafiq that he had been racially abused while at the county, and the former cricketer welcomed the news. He said on social media: “I hope we can move to the hearing quickly.“This has been another gruelling but unfortunately necessary process. It is two long years since I went public about my experiences but I hope that no young player ever goes through such pain and alienation again. My preference would be for this hearing to take place publicly but I am hope that we are at least nearer a point where there will be some sense of closure for my family and me.”Yorkshire were criticised for the length of time it took to even publish a summary of their investigation into those allegations. In September 2021 the club finally released a statement saying Rafiq had been the victim of “racial harassment and bullying” and upheld seven of his 43 allegations. However, the following month the club confirmed nobody would be disciplined.

Other Sports

MLB Ump Nate Tomlinson Struck In Face By Trout's Broken Bat ... Leaves Game Bloodied 6/15/2022 6:31 AM PT Scary moment on the MLB diamond Tuesday ... an MLB ump was struck near his eye by a shattered bat -- but somehow, it appears the official is going to be OK. The frightening scene happened in the ninth inning of the Dodgers' game against the Angels in L.A., when Mike Trout was at the dish looking to bring the Halos back from a 2-0 deficit. — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 15, 2022 @BleacherReport On a 3-2 count, Trout smacked a ball so hard, his bat shattered ... and a large piece of the splintered lumber hit homeplate ump Nate Tomlinson right in the face. You can see in video from the game's broadcast, Tomlinson was nearly stabbed in the eyeball by the bat's jagged edge, and he immediately crumpled to the ground. Home plate umpire Nate Tomlinson is hit with a broken bat from Angels Mike Trout in the face and would leave the game in the 9th against the Dodgers during a MLB baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. @dodgers #dodgers @angels #angels @mlb #mlb #baseball @billplunkettocr pic.twitter.com/869n1sdIA3— Keith Birmingham (@photowkb) June 15, 2022 @photowkb Trainers raced to Tomlinson's aid, and video shows he was bleeding from several areas of his head. Tomlinson was forced to leave the game -- but, fortunately, he walked off under his own power. Second base umpire Laz Diaz eventually filled in for Tomlinson for the last few outs of the game. Trout, who ultimately singled on the play, was left stunned by the scene. His Angels would go on to lose the game, 2-0. Get well soon, Nate.

Baseball

Topline Actress Amber Heard said Wednesday she is afraid of future lawsuits from her ex-husband Johnny Depp if she continues to speak out about their relationship—but said she still loves him—nearly two weeks after jurors found she defamed him and awarded Depp $10.4 million in damages. Amber Heard sits during the defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, ... [+] Virginia, on May 26, 2022. (Photo by MICHAEL REYNOLDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) POOL/AFP via Getty Images Key Facts In an interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, Heard said she was nervous about what she could say after the verdict, adding she “took for granted what I assumed was my right to speak.” Heard also continued to contend the 2018 Washington Post op-ed at the center of the trial was not about Depp, even despite the trial’s outcome. The actress maintained the op-ed, which did not mention Depp by name, was about “loaning my voice to a bigger cultural conversation that we were having at the time,” referring to the #MeToo movement. Heard said she had “teams of lawyers” review the drafts of the op-ed, as “it was important for me not to make it about him,” or “do anything like defame him.” Guthrie asked if Heard still stands by a statement she made during the trial—that she still had “love for Johnny”—and Heard said, “Absolutely, I love him,” and that she holds “no bad feelings or ill will toward him at all.” Crucial Quote “I’m scared that no matter what I do, no matter what I say or how I say it, every step that I take will present another opportunity for the sort of silencing, which is what, I guess, a defamation lawsuit is meant to do,” Heard said. “It’s meant to take your voice.” Tangent Heard addressed the controversy around her $7 million divorce settlement during the interview, which the actress said she would donate to two charities—the American Civil Liberties Union and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. During the trial, ACLU executive Terence Dougherty testified she had not donated the $3.5 million she had pledged to the organization, and that he believed billionaire Elon Musk, who briefly dated Heard, made a payment of $500,000 on her behalf. Heard said Wednesday she still plans to honor her pledge, and agreed with Guthrie it may have damaged her credibility during the trial. Key Background Depp sued his ex-wife for defamation, claiming the Post op-ed insinuated he abused her, and sought $50 million in damages, leading to a six-week trial. The jury found Heard defamed Depp and awarded the actor $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, though the punitive damages were knocked down to $350,000—the maximum amount allowed under Virginia state law, where the trial took place. Heard was awarded $2 million after she won part of a countersuit against Depp. Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, said earlier this month Heard cannot afford to pay the $10 million judgment. Further Reading Amber Heard Says She Doesn't 'Blame' Jurors For Siding With Johnny Depp—But Says Trial Wasn't 'Fair' (Forbes) Jury Rules Amber Heard Defamed Johnny Depp In Domestic Abuse Op-Ed (Forbes) Musk Likely Paid Portion Of Amber Heard's Pledged ACLU Donations, Exec Testifies (Forbes)

Celebrity

Major casualties start to mount as the Disney+ "Star Wars" series careens toward next week's big finale. If we never hear another character ask someone how long it will take to fix something and then immediately tell them they have significantly less, it will be too soon. Aside from that painfully cliché moment, the penultimate installment of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" delivered when it comes to meaningful secrets revealed, which went a long way to explaining so many of the questions we had about Moses Ingram's Reva. Disney Media Every Upcoming Star Wars Film & Television Release View Story We got some more stellar work from the cast, including Hayden Christensen getting to have a meaty series of scenes opposite Ewan McGregor where they almost stepped back in time to their prequel days. In fact, we're still not sure if that was a flashback or some kind of weird fantasy sequence. That's because despite both "Star Wars" and Marvel showing time and again that they have the will and the way to de-age people for various movies and television productions, that wasn't done here. Hayden was there in all his 41-year-old glory playing what amounted to a pouty Padawan teenager opposite his 51-year-old Master. Were we not supposed to see that these were middle-aged men? Another flashback sequence later that also featured an older Hayden has us thinking we're expected to just ignore it and pretend it's still 2005 in those moments. Were they that concerned after everyone questioned their very sketchy CGI Luke Skywalker over on "The Mandalorian"? At least they didn't trot out current day Mark Hamill to try and pretend he could pass for a young adult over there. Still, this isn't the first show to try and pull off a flashback with a clearly older actor. And it was nice seeing Hayden and Ewan sharing the screen together, both stepping right back into the vocal cadence they shared together all those years ago. That flashback sequence, though, didn't seem to do much to serve the story, other than show us what we already know -- that Anakin Skywalker has been seeking validation and approval his whole life and feels like he constantly has to prove himself. Wethinks that was just a fan service sequence (and we can certainly appreciate it for that). Youtube/Getty Trevor Noah Slams Racist Star Wars Fans Hating on Obi-Wan Kenobi's Moses Ingram View Story Reva Revealed One of the more enigmatic characters of the series, beyond bringing out all the racist trolls to cry because a Black woman has a significant role in the franchise, Reva's motives never made all that much sense. Why is she so driven to capture Obi-Wan and gain Darth Vader's favor, and willing to go to reckless lengths to get there? Actually, the answer was right there all along if we'd been paying attention -- and we're sure plenty of you were. Most Inquisitors are fallen Jedi, but Reva is awfully young to have been a Jedi before Order 66 all but wiped them out. She's too young to have been a Jedi, but not too young to have been one in training! As it turns out, that premiere episode flashback to the moment Anakin was killing Younglings wasn't just to set the tone and mood of this story. It was to introduce a key character! Reva was one of the Younglings in Anakin's path. Thinking he was there to save them, she was horrified to see him slaughtering the only family she'd ever known. She hid among the bodies to escape. As such, she was one of the few who knew (or could ascertain) that it was Anakin who ascended to the title of Darth Vader. She wasn't hunting Obi-Wan so relentlessly to gain favor with the Sith Lord, but rather to get close to him. At the beginning of this episode, Vader granted her the title of Grand Inquisitor for placing a tracker on Leia's droid LOLA. He then followed her to Jabiim to secure Obi-Wan for himself. Disney+/Instagram Ewan McGregor, Other Stars Join Official Star Wars Account Calling Out 'Racist' Trolls DMing Moses Ingram View Story Obi-Wan had turned himself in to Reva to afford the refugees hiding there time to escape, but there was also another reason he did it. "You’re not bringing him to me," Obi-Wan told Reva of Vader. "I’m bringing him to you." After she had him "secured" in the refugee base while Vader arrived, Obi-Wan promptly escaped and made his way to the transport. He and the refugees barely managed to escape as Vader proved his strength in the Force by pulling down a transport ship trying to take off and ripping its hull apart, only to find it empty as the real ship made its escape. It was at that moment that Reva tried to make her move, with a sneak attack of Vader from behind. Unfortunately, she was no match for Anakin, with our without a lightsaber. Their duel was epic only in that it was clear throughout how outmatched she was. In the end, just as she feared when she saw Anakin looming over her as a Youngling (yes, it was an older Anakin in the flashback), Vader then stabbed her through the gut with his lightsaber. The original Grand Inquisitor then emerged when Vader revealed he'd recognized her and known all along. So then what was his play here? Was he just messing with her? Or was it worth the risk of her attacking him to use her to bring Obi-Wan to him. It did nearly work, after all. Nevertheless, he and the Grand Inquisitor left her there to do, but with a cauterized wound in her gut, mayhap she won't die after all. Disney / Getty Ewan McGregor Confirms Wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Joining the Star Wars Universe View Story Tatooine Trouble She certainly wasn't dead when the credits rolled on this episode. In fact, she'd created a disturbance in the Force large enough for Obi-Wan to feel it on the transport when she discovered his communicator with Bail Organa's latest communique. Luckily, it was damaged enough she got no names, but she heard enough to know that there was a boy and he was on Tatooine. She could probably figure out the rest. Considering she knows who Anakin is, she may also know about Padme and Leia, at least. Now, this by no means makes Reva a good person or a sympathetic person. We did, after all, see her indiscriminately slaughter a child in the first episodes, and she's been utterly ruthless throughout, killing indiscriminately. Even after Obi-Wan figured out the truth of her past and her drive to get close to Vader, she still managed to open the base door herself and let her Stormtroopers pour in, slaughtering defenseless refugees and rebels alike. In the slaughter, we lost Indira Varma's Tala, which was heartbreaking for Obi-Wan, and loader droid NED-B, which was heartbreaking for us! Getty Never, Baby Yoda Almost Was View Story Clearly Reva's so eaten up by hate and revenge, she's just about as bad as Vader. At the same time, Vader got a redemption arc in the original trilogy, so could a similar fate await Reva in the season finale? Wouldn't that infuriate that certain segment of fans. A final confrontation between Anakin and Obi-Wan seems inevitable for next week's finale. With Reva knowing that there's a boy on Tatooine, and that last glimpse of Luke Sywalker sleeping in his bed at the Lars farm, could that final confrontation be back on the same planet where it all started? It's hard to imagine Anakin returning to Tatooine this early in Luke's life and somehow Luke never knowing about it, but it's certainly possible. Plus, now that Reva's been betrayed by Darth Vader, what would her goal be in going to Tatooine? Does she think she'll get another chance at him by bringing Luke to him? Or does she think killing Luke could be revenge enough? Will Leia get dropped off on Alderaan and out of this story before we even get to Tatooine? She's been a fun surprise and addition to Old Ben's story, but we know he's got to get back to hermiting it up on Tatooine and being that crazy old man that Luke knows about growing up. We'll see how it all shakes out when "Obi-Wan Kenobi" wraps up its first season (with a possible second teased) next Wednesday on Disney+.

Movies

DETROIT — Victor Reyes and Harold Castro singled to begin the bottom of the fifth for the Detroit Tigers.Chicago White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz went to the mound to have a discussion with starter Dylan Cease, who was looking to hold on to a three-run lead.“He was just trying to slow me down, saying ‘hey, you execute your pitch right here, good things are going to happen,’ ” Cease said.Cease executed and the good things followed for the right-hander. He struck out Willi Castro looking and induced Austin Meadows to hit a grounder to first, where José Abreu threw to second for a force. Javier Báez flied out to left fielder AJ Pollock as Cease escaped the jam without allowing a run.Cease allowed one unearned run on seven hits in five innings, pitching the Sox to a 5-1 victory against the Tigers in front of 16,450 on Tuesday at Comerica Park. He struck out eight and walked one in the 108-pitch outing.White Sox starter Dylan Cease delivers against the Tigers during the first inning Tuesday in Detroit. The White Sox won 5-1. (Duane Burleson/AP)“I was able to compete and get through five,” Cease said. “Would have liked to have gone deeper to help the pen out a little bit more. It was good for the most part.”Andrew Vaughn paced the offense, matching a career high with four hits. He also drove in a run and scored once as the Sox took their second straight in the series.“It’s what we’re here to do, to get hits,” Vaughn said. “It’s tough to get hits in this league.”White Sox designated hitter Andrew Vaughn celebrates after scoring a run against the Tigers during the top of the fifth inning Tuesday at Comerica Park. (Nic Antaya / Getty Images)Sox manager Tony La Russa was equally impressed with Vaughn’s walk in the eighth inning.“He just doesn’t throw at-bats away,” La Russa said. “When you don’t throw at-bats away and you’re a hungry hitter looking for hits, those guys are very productive in this league.”Vaughn’s RBI single in the second tied the game at 1. Luis Robert followed with an RBI, giving the Sox a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Robert had two hits and scored once.The RBI hits in the second came with two outs. The Sox had three two-out RBIs on Tuesday after collecting four two-out RBIs in Monday’s 9-5 victory.“When we’re good, that’s one thing we do,” La Russa said. “We’ve had our share of giving up two-out RBIs. (All three Tuesday) were two-out, nobody on, right? That shows you you’ve got to play to three outs. State of mind as much as anything else.”While the Sox came through in those clutch situations, Cease (5-3) made sure the Tigers didn’t. The only run came when, with the bases loaded in the first, he made a throwing error attempting to pick a runner off second.The Tigers had runners on first and second with two outs in the second when Cease got Harold Castro to ground out to second.“To get out of trouble a couple of times (Tuesday), obviously that’s the difference between winning and losing a lot of games,” Cease said. “I’m happy I gave us a shot.”Cease’s only 1-2-3 inning came in the fourth, which featured two strikeouts. He exited after working out of trouble in the fifth.La Russa said Cease showed “composure” as he navigated his way through the fifth.“You could see him growing right before your eyes,” La Russa said. “He never looked like he was flustered. He knows his job was to make pitches and get out of that thing. That was serious pitching.“He’s shown that to us so much.”Cease improved to 10-0 in 11 career starts against the Tigers.“It’s obviously great,” Cease said of the mark. “I try not to give it too much stock because I don’t want to jinx myself, but it’s something cool and something special, for sure. But there’s still more work to be done, so it’s not something that I’m going to coast on by any means.”

Baseball

Samuel L Jackson has criticised this year’s Oscars ceremony for its handling of the death of pioneering actor Sidney Poitier, as well as their attempts to reach a wider demographic by expanding the pool of presenters.Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Jackson said he was “still a little ticked that the greatest actor we had in Hollywood died and they gave him, what, 10 fucking seconds. No. It should have been a whole Sidney Poitier section.”Jackson was referring to this year’s in memoriam section of the show, which began with Poiter and devoted 40 seconds to him.Poitier was also one of three industry favourites – the others being Ivan Reitman and Betty White – whose work was celebrated in a special section featuring song-and-dance.Yet Jackson remained unimpressed, saying that Poitier’s legacy was sufficiently substantial that the show would have looked very different without his influence.“The reason Will Packer is producing this show is because of this guy. The reason Will Smith won an Oscar is because of this guy. The reason for Denzel [Washington], the reason for me, the reason for Danny [Glover], the reason for everybody is that guy, and he deserves more than 10 fucking seconds of your time, especially for what he meant, not just to us, but to Hollywood period.“He gave dignity to Hollywood. He was Hollywood fucking royalty. And he did not get what he deserved out of that fucking show.”Jackson was presented with an honorary Oscar by Washington at the Governors awards, which were held two days before the main ceremony. The show was not televised, with only brief moments edited into the Sunday evening telecast, which also contained edited speeches given by the winners of eight “craft” awards, presented before the main show.Jackson contrasted the treatment of these winners, along with his fellow honorary winners Liv Ullmann and Elaine May, with the generous time allotted for new endeavours to celebrate popular films with public-voted prizes.Asked whether he welcomed the move to invite skateboarders and snowboarders Tony Hawk, Shaun White and Kelly Slater to present a celebration of 60 years of James Bond, Jackson said: “God! No! They have their show. They have the ESPYs. Go do that. This is the night Hollywood celebrates fucking Hollywood.”He continued: “That thing that we used to have when I was young, watching it and wondering, ‘What am I going to say when I get mine?’ was the glamour of it all, the extravagance, the mystique that is Hollywood. Some of that’s gone.”

Movies

Amber Heard I Still Love Johnny ... Even After Court Loss 6/15/2022 6:47 AM PT NBC Amber Heard says she has a lot of mixed feelings about Johnny Depp post-trial, but one of those feelings is apparently love ... even after all of the nasty back and forth. The final clip from actress' sit-down with 'Today' aired Wednesday, and a range of topics were covered ... including where her ex lies in heart. According to Amber, JD is still near and dear, to some degree -- despite the fact he took her to court and won $8.35M. 6/14/22 NBC Savannah Guthrie references Amber's own words about Johnny -- a statement in which she said she still has love for him -- and asks if it's true today. AH says it is. Amber was also asked if she feels like Johnny has succeeded in ruining her globally -- as he alluded to over text once -- and she says yes, going on to say she feels like he could sue her again if she isn't careful. 6/14/22 NBC Savannah asks about Amber's young daughter and how she plans on explaining this to her one day ... Amber says she'll tell her the truth, and be okay with it knowing she did the right thing, as she believes she's on the right side of history. At one point in the full interview, Amber is asked about credibility -- including her $7 million pledge to the ACLU, which she hasn't completed -- and while she notes she shouldn't have had to make that to be believed, AH acknowledges that might've played a factor in the jury ruling against her. As Savannah notes, the trial was all about character and trustworthiness. The entire interview will air on Dateline this week in what the network says is extra, unaired footage touching on evidence Amber believes should've made it in the case.

Celebrity

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal found a way to pay it forward in more ways than one this week.O’Neal and a mystery woman were out at Jue Lan Club in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City on Sunday night and by the end of the night, he paid the bill for everyone at the eatery, Page Six reported. An unidentified woman ordered the restaurant’s signature chicken satay and described O’Neal as her date, according to the outlet.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM NBA TV Analyst, Shaquille O'Neal smiles on set before Game One of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors on June 2, 2022 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. (Mercedes Oliver/NBAE via Getty Images)The former Los Angeles Lakers great reportedly wanted to keep his generosity secret. The entire bill came out to be more than $25,000, according to Page Six."He left them the biggest tip they’ve ever received," one source told the outlet.O’Neal’s reported restaurant generosity was just the start of his week of good deeds. The Newark, New Jersey native returned to his hometown Monday to unveil a new basketball court where a boys and girls club he attended as a child used to be. His foundation and corporate sponsor Icy Hot helped refurbish the court he initially helped renovate in 1992. Shaquille O'Neal reacts as The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation & Icy Hot unveil "Comebaq Court" on June 13, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey. (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)SHAQ GETS CANDID ON DIVORCE, REGRETS IN PODCAST INTERVIEW: 'I WAS ARROGANT, I WAS DUMB'"This court is for you guys. You guys can just come out here and follow your dreams, and take it from me, you can be whatever you want to be," he said, via FOX5 New York. "I'm you — I'm not the guy that was the smartest in school. I'm not the guy that was most popular. I'm you. We come from the same place."O’Neal also had a helping hand in the development of a 33-story residential tower across from the Prudential Center – the home of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka praised the Basketball Hall of Famer for being involved in the city where he grew up. Shaquille O'Neal performs on stage during Governors Ball 2022 at Citi Field on June 11, 2022 in New York City. (Mychal Watts/WireImage)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"Without a shadow of a doubt, we can depend on him over and over again, to take care of our families, our communities — whether it's housing or recreation," Baraka said. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to Ryan.Gaydos@fox.com.

Celebrity

In the second part of her first post-trial interview, Amber Heard opened up to NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie on “Today” about her life after the verdict.When asked if she’s worried about being sued again by Depp for defamation, Heard said, “I’m scared that no matter what I do, no matter what I say or how I say it, every step that I take will present another opportunity for this sort of silencing.”More from VarietyAmber Heard Not Fired From 'Aquaman 2,' Despite Viral ReportAmber Heard Denies Wrongdoing After Johnny Depp Trial: 'I Made a Lot of Mistakes, but I've Always Told the Truth'Amber Heard Speaks Out for First Time on Johnny Depp Verdict: I 'Understand' Jury, but Social Media Wasn't 'Fair'Guthrie brought up Depp’s text message to Heard that she would suffer “total global humiliation,” and asked Heard if she thought that came true.“I know he promised it,” she said. “I testified to this. I’m not a good victim, I get it. I’m not a likable victim. I’m not a perfect victim. But when I testified I asked the jury to just see me as human and hear his own words, which is a promise to do this. It feels as though he has.”Guthrie asked why Heard wrote the 2018 Washington Post op-ed alluding to being the victim of past abuse two years after her divorce settlement. Even though it doesn’t mention Depp by name, it was the crux of the defamation trial.“The op-ed wasn’t about my relationship with Johnny,” she said. “What the op-ed was about was me loaning my voice to a bigger cultural conversation that we were having at the time.”When asked if she was hoping to “cancel” Depp with the op-ed, Heard doubled down, saying, “Of course not. It wasn’t about him.”Guthrie then inquired about Heard’s upcoming plans: “I get to be a mom full-time, where I’m not having to juggle calls with lawyers.”Asked about Johnny today, Heard said, “I love him. I loved him with all my heart. And I tried the best I could to make a deeply broken relationship work. I couldn’t. No bad feelings or ill will towards him at all. I know that might be hard to understand or it might be really easy to understand. If you’ve ever loved anyone it should be easy.”Heard spoke to Guthrie on NBC’s “Today” show for the first interview following the conclusion of the highly publicized trial between her and Depp. During the interview, the two discussed the verdict of the case, which ended with both Heard and Depp receiving compensatory damages, albeit with Depp receiving significantly more.In the first part of the interview, Heard denied lying about the alleged abuse she detailed during her testimony, saying, “I made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve always told the truth.” She also discussed her belief that the social media coverage of the trial helped to influence its outcome.“I think even the most well-intentioned juror… it would have been impossible to avoid this,” Heard said. “Every single day I passed three, four, sometimes six city blocks lined with people holding signs saying ‘Burn the Witch,’ ‘Death to Amber.’ After three and a half weeks, I took the stand and saw a courtroom packed full of Captain Jack Sparrow fans who were vocal, energized.”The trial between Depp and Heard saw the Virginia jury rule that both Heard and Depp were guilty of defamation toward each other. The jury ruled in favor of three counts of defamation brought by the plaintiff Depp and one count of defamation brought by Heard in her counterclaim. Depp received $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, with the punitive damages being reduced to $350,000, in accordance with the state’s statutory cap. Heard received $2 million in compensatory damages for her counterclaim.The trial began when Depp, the plaintiff in the case, sued Heard for defamation regarding the 2018 Washington Post op-ed she published alluding to being the victim of past abuse. Although the op-ed did not directly mention the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star, Depp claimed it damaged his reputation and ruined his career. A year prior to the op-ed’s publication, Heard and Depp divorced after two years of marriage, with Heard alleging that Depp had subjected her to emotional, physical and sexual abuse throughout their relationship.In 2020, prior to the American trial, the High Court of London ruled against Depp in a separate defamation case spawned by Depp suing The Sun for writing about the abuse allegations. The U.K. court ruled that he assaulted Heard in 12 of 14 alleged incidents.Since the conclusion of the Virginia trial, Heard’s attorney, Elaine Bredehoft, has said her client plans to appeal the verdict.The Guthrie interview is set to conclude on the Friday, June 17 episode of “Dateline NBC” at 8 p.m. / 7 p.m. CT.Watch Wednesday’s full interview segment below:Best of VarietyEverything Coming to Netflix in June 2022What's Coming to Disney+ in June 2022Molly Shannon's Memoir 'Hello Molly' Is Already an Instant Bestseller on AmazonSign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.Click here to read the full article.

Celebrity

A daily bottle of lager could help to keep men healthy by boosting the range of bacteria that live in their guts, scientists have said.Researchers found that men who drank one 330ml bottle of alcoholic or non-alcoholic lager a day for a month developed a more diverse set of gut microbes. They believe that this could help to reduce the risk of common chronic conditions, including heart disease and diabetes.“One beer per day, with or without alcohol, can be used as a strategy to improve our microbiota, as part of a well-balanced diet,” Professor Ana Faria of the University Lisbon, one of the authors of the study, said.“But we need to be careful with the results so that we don’t pass the

Men's Health

Styles stars as a closeted police officer in Michael Grandage's adaptation of the 2012 romance novel. “My Policeman” screenshot/Prime Video A cop, a schoolteacher, and a museum curator all ride the wave of love. But, where do their hearts really lie? Harry Styles stars as Tom, a closeted police officer in 1957 Brighton, U.K. who marries Marion (Emma Corrin), while secretly dating arts curator Patrick (David Dawson). “My Policeman” is directed and executive produced by Michael Grandage (“Genius”) with a script penned by Ron Nyswaner and adapted from Bethan Roberts’ 2012 romance novel of the same name. The film premieres in theaters October 21 before streaming on Amazon Prime Video November 4. The first look at “My Policeman” shows Patrick, Marion, and Tom spending time together as a trio, with Tom torn between his two loves. The film later jumps between the 1950s and the 1990s, with Styles’ Tom later being played by Linus Roache and Marion now portrayed by Gina McKee, as the couple decide to take an ailing Patrick (Rupert Everett) in after he suffers a stroke. The character of Tom is “confused,” as director Grandage previously told Vanity Fair. “It’s made more problematic by the fact that he’s a policeman, and he’s in a career that is about upholding the law. And the law in the country at the time is about everything he feels — the complexity of it is something that whoever was going to play younger Tom and older Tom needed to somehow understand and absorb.” Plus, real-life rock star Styles is the perfect center for a love triangle: “This story is about two people that are in love with Tom, slightly obsessed with him,” producer Robbie Rogers said. “Harry — the world is so transfixed on him, on his every move.” Styles previously addressed the nude scenes in the film — which Grandage likens to taking inspiration from “Hiroshima mon amour” and employing intimacy coordinators — and teased that he will show his “bum bum” and be fully nude onscreen. As Grandage clarified, sex scenes “quite literally show something that was about ‘lovemaking’ in the broadest sense of the word, something that was choreographically interesting and not just some kind of thrusting sense of sex going on.” “My Policeman” premieres in theaters October 21 followed by an Amazon Prime Video release November 4. Check out the teaser for “My Policeman” below. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.

Movies

Ex-Boxer Julius Francis Not Arrested Over Street Knockout ... After Cops Close Investigation 6/15/2022 7:07 AM PT Police say former heavyweight boxer Julius Francis -- who famously fought both Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko early in his boxing career -- will not be arrested over his one-punch, street knockout this past weekend. Metropolitan Police said in a statement Wednesday they have concluded their investigation into Francis' punch -- which went down while he was working as a security guard in the UK on Saturday -- and will not arrest the 57-year-old over it all. "Officers have spoken to all parties involved and have reviewed relevant CCTV," cops said. "No further action will be taken in relation to the incident involving the security guard and male customer." Police initially began investigating Francis after he was seen on video throwing a right hook at a man's jaw after the guy had appeared to get into a confrontation with security guards at BOXPARK Wembley. The man was reportedly causing a scene at the venue, and after he was booted by the guards, he became combative. BOXPARK Wembley founder Roger Wade believed Francis did no wrong ... saying in a statement following the incident that the former fighter was simply defending himself -- and it seems cops agreed with him. Francis fought professionally 48 times in his career in the 1990s and early 2000s, losing to both Tyson and Klitschko in their matches. Wade said in his statement of Francis that he's now helping train underprivileged kids in addition to working as a security guard.

Boxing

For now, World Cup attention is focused on how Qatar, the event’s smallest-ever host country, will conduct the event later this year. But preparations are about to ramp up for the expanded 2026 men’s event, to be held in not just one, but three, of the biggest countries on the planet.On Thursday, 12 US venues will be finalized for the 2026 World Cup, with three cities already determined in Canada (Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver) and three in Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey).The US candidates have been whittled from 49 to 17. Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York can start making plans. But everyone else will have to wait for the FIFA judges to decide, and that includes Boston/Foxborough, which could be considered among the favorites thanks to plans to make a touch-up or two to 20-year-old Gillette Stadium.The selection process began five years ago. On-site inspections, delayed by pandemic conditions, got under way last September, the FIFA crew starting off in Foxborough. When the group arrived at Gillette Stadium, they were greeted by tour guide Robert Kraft, who happens to be honorary chairman of the board of the United Bid Committee.It might be difficult to say no to Kraft, not only because he is honorary chairman, but also because he has promised to make costly modifications to Gillette, widening the field and installing natural grass. The major question for Gillette is not whether it will be a World Cup site, but how many matches to expect. Kraft is hoping for six games, extending to the quarterfinals.In 1994, Kraft convinced FIFA to come to the relatively spartan Foxboro Stadium, and the first move he made to show his commitment was putting down a grass field in 1991. Foxborough ended up being ranked among the top four venues in terms of prestige as it hosted six sold-out matches (324,000 attendance) over a 2½-week span.Kraft again will have to rip out the turf, and though the natural stuff is considered temporary, he can count on an irrigation system that was installed when Gillette opened as CMGI Field in 2002.But even if real grass takes root and FIFA’s soil experts are satisfied, the size of the Gillette playing surface presents a problem. Gillette’s field is big enough to play on (75 by 115 yards minimum), but there is not enough width to accommodate security, signboards, and expanded media demands — which means the corner seating will have to be jackhammered out, as it was at Foxboro Stadium in ‘94.“We have, like most cities and venues, positives and some things that can be seen as challenges,” Revolution president Brian Bilello said recently. “We talk about the market as a destination, and in conjunction with the state and city and Convention and Visitors Bureau, we are one big family.“We have the Revolution and the rich soccer history of the region. We’ve put together a great bid but we’ll see. It’s up to FIFA to weigh the benefits and challenges. Certain markets are big and world-famous that FIFA would like to have.“We’re in the middle of that. We’re close to Europe, and Boston is a place tourists will want to visit. The premium spaces and hospitality spaces we have are some of the best. We have a rich history and the climate here is good compared to some others.”FIFA also will weigh infrastructure and transportation, media facilities, sustainability, and training sites. Being within an hour of two airports and having three practice fields at Revolution headquarters works in the region’s favor.Geography factors in, the intent to “cluster” locations, minimizing travel for fans and teams. In 1994, Philadelphia pulled out early, opening the way for Boston to join New York and Washington on the East Coast. This time, Chicago — which held the opening game in 1994 — declined to bid, creating opportunities for other Midwestern cities.Bilello said the World Cup is not expected to provide a financial bonanza for the stadium.“The 2025 concert season could make more money,” he said.But you can’t put a price on positive exposure and prestige.“Half the world’s population watches some part of the World Cup,” Kraft said “It is so powerful bringing all kinds of communities together. I think playing the ‘94 World Cup at the old Foxboro Stadium made me understand how powerful that was and we were honored to have that quarterfinal, Italy-Spain, here.“I think that was one of the main influencers allowing our family be one of the three founding sponsors of Major League Soccer.”The ‘94 matches in Foxborough produced drama: the demise of Diego Maradona, who made his last appearance for Argentina, in a 2-1 win over Nigeria; and Roberto Baggio’s heroics in Italy’s overtime victories over Nigeria and Spain. Two years later, the Revolution made their MLS debut.“There is no one key area that separates it,” said FIFA’s chief tournament and events officer Colin Smith. “We put it together in a jigsaw to have the best sense of a venue and how it fits in to the overall plan, in regards to cluster, time zones, altitudes, etc. It is a puzzle with many different pieces.”Amenities, geography, and high-tech scoreboards only go so far. The competitors are the stars of the show and the playing field their stage.“We play the World Cup on natural grass, we have a standard pitch size for international matches, and we need a bit more space given the scale of World Cup matches,” Smith said during the Foxborough visit.“Players in the World Cup are the best players in the world. And one of the fundamental requirements for us at FIFA is the pitch, to ensure they have the conditions they need both inside the stadiums and also the training sites, in order to perform at their highest level.”

Soccer

What's happening Acura is bringing its new Integra out to play. Why it matters The car is largely unmodified, showing the potential of the car with just a few upgrades. 2022 marks the 100th running of the race up Pikes Peak, this year formally called The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo. That mouthful describes the most iconic, most famous hillclimb in the world, and it's no wonder that the world's biggest manufacturers are increasingly using that 12-mile, 156-turn winding road as an exhibition for their latest and greatest.This year, Acura's bringing its new toy out to play and, impressively, the company's engineers are more or less leaving it alone. It's a 2023 Integra with an unmodified engine, meaning 1.5 liters of turbocharged twist delivering 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. That's delivered just to the front wheels, upgraded 18- by 9-inch HRE units wrapped in Pirelli racing slicks. To cope with the extra grip, Honda Performance Development has tweaked the suspension and front differential, plus added better brakes at all four corners.New wheel and seats plus the requisite cage, but most everything else here is left alone. Acura The interior, too, has seen some tweaks but is largely stock. Yes, there's a requisite cage and harness-compatible racing seats up front, but otherwise the dashboard and everything else is intact. A black shift knob replaces the leather and aluminum unit you'll see at the dealership, but the six-speed manual transmission is stock. On the outside, the car is wrapped in a red, white and gray livery inspired by Parker Johnstone's back-to-back IMSA championship-winning Integra. Those wins came in 1987 and 1988, the first just one year after Acura's 1986 launch. Keeping the new Integra good company will be a pair of TLX Type S sedans and NSX Type S coupes, plus a third NSX Type S for good measure, this one serving as the official pace car for the event. The race event kicks off June 26 and Acura engineer Paul Hubers will be the lucky one behind the wheel.

Other Sports

British Gymnastics is bracing itself for a damning 300-page report into its abuse scandal. The document is expected to strongly criticise the governing body’s previous leadership when it is published on Thursday afternoon.Anne Whyte QC’s independent review, which is being published nine months later than originally planned, is said by those who have seen it to be a comprehensive and wide-ranging investigation into allegations of mistreatment of gymnasts at all levels of the sport.In her interim report last year, Whyte revealed she had received submissions from nearly 400 people, with 39 cases considered so serious they have been passed to local authorities because of child safeguarding reasons or concerns of ongoing criminal conduct.Whyte also wrote that British Gymnastics received 300 complaints a year on average between 2015 and 2020, and that she had received information concerning more than 100 coaches and 90 clubs.The full Whyte Review is understood to make a number of recommendations to fundamentally change the culture in the sport. However it is said to accept that British Gymnastics has already undergone significant reforms since the report was commissioned in 2020 and acknowledging that a new leadership team is already making a difference.The report, which was delivered by Whyte to UK Sport and Sport England last week, was passed on to British Gymnastics on Monday. Since then the organisation has held a series of meetings with coaches, gymnasts and parents and has already promised to implement its recommendations.Earlier this year British Gymnastics pointed to the “significant changes” that it has put in place, including a new chief executive, Sarah Powell, better complaint-handling systems and a larger integrity team.The publication of the Whyte Review comes just days after it emerged a former national acrobatic gymnast has become the first to win a civil case against British Gymnastics for the abuse she suffered in the sport.The governing body admitted full liability and reached a settlement with Eloise Jotischky, who alleged that between 2016 and 2018 she was left “physically exhausted” after being subjected to inappropriate weight-management techniques at her local club.Quick GuideHow do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?ShowDownload the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for 'The Guardian'.If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.Turn on sport notifications.The 19-year-old is one of more than 40 gymnasts to make a claim against British Gymnastics, saying they were victims of systemic physical and psychological abuse.A joint UK Sport and Sport England statement said the full review would be published on Thursday afternoon. “We recognise the courage shown by everyone, including gymnasts, parents and coaches, who shared their experiences, and thank them for their contributions,” it added. “We would also like to express our thanks to Anne Whyte QC and her team for their work in preparing the Review.”

Other Sports

Shawn Stockman 'Boyz II Men's Biggest Snub ... Amy Winehouse LOL'D at Collab Idea!!! 6/15/2022 7:17 AM PT TMZ.com Even huge hitmakers like "Boyz II Men" get rejected -- that's showbiz, as they say -- and Shawn Stockman says one of his group's denials came from none other than Amy Winehouse. We spotted the B2M singer in Bev Hills Tuesday during the TMZ Celebrity Tour, and he was cool enough to hop on our bus to chat with fans about his R&B group's peaks and valleys. Shawn says, back in the day, their team had reached out to Amy suggesting she do a song with Boyz II Men. You gotta see him explain how that went over with British singer -- but, let's just say at least they made her laugh. That being said, lots of other artists -- including contemporary rappers -- are down with the group's hits, and Shawn told us why they're open to working with everyone in the industry. As you know, the R&B group, now consisting of Shawn, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris gained international success in the 1990s. They've won 4 Grammys, and Billboard recognized them as the biggest boy band from 1987 to 2012. TMZ.com BTW, Shawn grabbed his guitar and gave the bus a little show, singing a solo acoustic version of "I'll Make Love to You" ... which spent 14 weeks at #1 back in 1994. Still, one of the biggest slow jams ever!

Music

"GO F--- YOURSELF Bryan - F--- you!" Britney Spears came out swinging against her brother Bryan Spears in an already-deleted post on Instagram, claiming he was never invited to her wedding while slamming him for how he allegedly treated her while she was under her conservatorship. On Tuesday, Spears first celebrated her wedding to Sam Asghari, saying she "got my happy on" at the reception, where she, Madonna and Selena Gomez apparently "fell" a number of times "because of the rose petals" on the ground. "And no, I didn't drink one sip of alcohol," she added, before saying the conservatorship changed her relationship with booze. She then brought up Bryan, saying he would drink a Jack and coke with shrimp salad "every night after Vegas after my show and even sometimes before," but would never let her have even a sip of his drink. She then claimed that during a recent trip to Las Vegas with Sam, she finally had a vodka and Sprite, but felt sick to her stomach and "couldn't leave my room for 2 days." Getty Britney Spears' Brother Weighs In On Her Conservatorship View Story Spears turned her attention to a podcast interview Bryan did back in 2020, in which he said he knew Britney wanted out of the conservatorship but asked, "What is the reality of that? So are you going to call and make reservations for yourself today?” "Your podcast interview was so SPECIAL!!!" wrote Britney. "I know you and the family had no bad Intentions at all whatsoever taking all those years away when I wanted to honestly just be a respected individual with a glass of red wine. But like you said in your interview ... Bryan when asked by that incredibly kind man, 'Why doesn't your family just let er be???' Your response was ... 'she can't even make a dinner reservation.'" "None of you ever wanted it to end because you all loved telling me what to do and treating me like absolutely nothing!! What you said right there to that man in that interview said everything Bryan!!!" she continued. "You were never invited to my wedding so why even respond??? Do you honestly thing I want my brother there who told me no to a Jack and coke for 4 years ... what???" Spears' message comes after Bryan's girlfriend said the two didn't attend the nuptials because the ceremony was held the same day as his 11-year-old daughter's elementary school graduation. Instagram Britney Spears Reveals She 'Had a Panic Attack' Before 'Dream' Wedding to Sam Asghari View Story "You hurt me and you know it!!!" Britney continued. "I might force myself to drink Jack tonight ... look up at the moon and say 'F--- YOU!!!" "Psss I have an assistant to make my dinner reservations ... did you not know???" she added. "I know you're my blood and yes blood runs deep but no family of mine would do what you guys did to me." She concluded her post by then calling out the post he allegedly shared when her conservatorship ended, which read, "Happy Britdependence day!! 🎉 proud of you brit!" Responding to the message, Spears said, "I liked your post brother!!! Happy Britdependence Day!! Congratulations Brit Brit!! GO F--- YOURSELF Bryan - F--- you." Spears ended the post with a middle finger emoji, before later deleting it from her page altogether. Britney got married last week at her home, but her entire family was MIA. Her sons with Kevin Federline, 16-year-old Sean Preston and 15-year-old Jayden James were not in attendance, and neither were her parents, Lynne and Jamie, or her younger sister, Jamie Lynn. While Spears' sons opted out of attending, Federline's attorney told TMZ that Federline and the boys "are happy for Britney and wish her and Sam all the best going forward." Drew Barrymore, Madonna, Selena Gomez, Maria Menounos, Ansel Elgort, will.i.am, Paris Hilton, and her mom Kathy were among the 60 or so total guests, as was Donatella Versace, who designed Britney and Sam's wedding looks.

Celebrity

A Tesla logo is seen in Los Angeles, California U.S. January 12, 2018. REUTERS/Lucy NicholsonRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) reported 273 vehicle crashes involving advanced driving assistance systems like Autopilot since July, while Honda Motor (7267.T) identified 90, data from U.S. auto safety regulators released on Wednesday showed.The companies made the disclosures to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after the regulator issued an order in June 2021 requiring automakers and tech companies to immediately report all crashes involving advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and vehicles equipped with automated driving systems being tested on public roads.Of the 392 total crashes involving ADAS reported by a dozen automakers, six deaths were reported and five had serious injuries.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comNHTSA said Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) self-driving car unit Waymo reported 62 crashes involving vehicles with automated driving systems, while General Motors' (GM.N) Cruise had 23.NHTSA said the data has already been used to trigger investigations and recalls and helped inform existing defect probes. The agency did not immediately identify who was at fault in crashes and will release more detailed information on individual incidents later on Wednesday.The agency emphasized crashes are tracked by individual automakers in different ways and discouraged comparisons of performance among automakers in part because there aren't comprehensive metrics on how widely each system is used.The agency said out of 130 crashes reported involving automated driving systems, 108 involved no injuries and one was a serious injury crash.Tesla, Cruise and Waymo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Japan's Honda told Reuters it had found no defects in the systems and its crash reports were based on unverified customer statements "to comply with NHTSA’s 24-hour reporting deadline."No other automaker reported more than 10 ADAS crashes during the period.Despite the limitations, NHTSA said the data was essential in order to quickly spot potential defects or safety trends. Incidents that occur when an advanced system was engaged within 30 seconds of a crash must be reported within 24 hours to NHTSA."By providing NHTSA with critical and timely safety data this will help our investigators quickly identify potential defect trends," NHTSA Administrator Steven Cliff told reporters. He cautioned the raw number of incidents reported per manufacturer "is by itself inadequate to draw conclusions."The agency plans to release new data monthly.NHTSA has been scrutinizing Autopilot and said last week it was upgrading its probe into 830,000 Tesla vehicles with the system, a required step before it could seek a recall. The regulator had opened a preliminary evaluation to assess the performance of Autopilot after about a dozen crashes in which Tesla vehicles struck stopped emergency vehicles. read more Separately, NHTSA has opened 35 special crash investigations involving Tesla vehicles in which ADAS was suspected of being used. A total of 14 crash deaths have been reported in those Tesla investigations, including a May California crash that killed three people.Tesla says Autopilot allows the vehicles to brake and steer automatically within their lanes but does not make them capable of driving themselves.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Automotive and Transportation

When Gertrude McClain founded Elgin’s Juneteenth celebration in 2005, the significance of the date wasn’t something many people knew about, she said.“People thought I had made it up,” McClain said. “As the years passed, more people became aware of Juneteenth and what it represents.”Juneteenth refers to June 19, 1865, the date on which Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to announce the end of institutional slavery as proclaimed by President Lincoln in the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier. It was the last part of the country in which slaves were officially freed by executive order, two months after the end of the Civil War.Some refer to is as “African American Independence Day,” McClain said. “It’s not that we’re celebrating the birth of a country. We are celebrating our (Black) ancestors’ freedom.”This year, Juneteenth is becoming a two-day event, and the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission and the African American Coalition of Kane County are co-hosting the festival.When it first started, volunteers coordinated it, McClain said. It later became part of Elgin International Fest, known as iFest, she said. During the pandemic, organizers shifted to a motorcade parade routed through Elgin’s African American neighborhoods and displaying 54 flags of African states, she said.“What really brought that awareness was President Biden’s signature on the paper saying Juneteenth would be a national holiday,” McClain said.For McClain, it’s an amazing feeling to have people understand how important the date is to the Black community.“Now that Juneteenth is a national holiday, we decided it was time for us to start our Juneteenth tradition all over again,” she said. “We wanted to bring families and friends together to celebrate what Juneteenth means to everyone.”Saturday’s festival lineup starts with a procession of African flags leading to downtown Elgin’s Festival Park, where there will be live music, children’s activities, an expo and food, McClain said. It runs from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.“The most important part of celebrating the day is the food vendors. We’ll have BBQ, fried fish, red pop because red is the symbol of Juneteenth, and all the sweets and treats that you can have,” McClain said.Sunday will focus on music, with church choirs and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra performing, she said. Juneteenth’s religious aspect is important so featuring gospel music that day was natural, she said. Events start at 11:30 p.m. and run through 5 p.m.“We’re going to make you sin on Saturday and pray you back on Sunday,” McClain joked.Shirley Bassett, a member of the African American Coalition of Kane County, said she envisions the festival being something like a huge family reunion or a holiday party.“I want people to feel the same excitement of celebrating Juneteenth as we do for the Fourth of July and other holidays, like St. Patrick’s Day,” Bassett said.The response to this year’s festival has been very positive, she said. More groups are involved this year than have been in the past, she said. “We are so happy about that. Even though Juneteenth is an African American holiday, we’ve always been inclusive. We’re glad our event can be all-inclusive,” Bassett said. “Let’s make it a great family reunion.” Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.

Festivals

Pip By Carson Mlnarik Pale Waves have never been better. The English indie-rock band are spending their summer opening up for 5 Seconds of Summer on their North American tour and putting the finishing touches on their highly anticipated third album, Unwanted. Frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie has officially traded in her dark locks for a bleach-blonde bob, setting the tone for their new record of breakneck pop-punk ahead of its August 12 release. All things considered, it’s ironic that their latest single “Reasons to Live,” a euphoric, arena-ready love song, was inspired by one of her darkest moments. “I was lost. I didn’t even know if I wanted to do music anymore,” Baron-Gracie tells MTV News. “Then my partner Kelsey came into my life and just completely changed that and gave me a whole different view on life, and thankfully, saved me in a way.” Over pounding drums, crunchy guitars, and soaring belt notes, Baron-Gracie has her “Hayley Williams moment” singing about finding someone who “showed me how to love myself a little more.” “I hope that a lot of people can relate to this song and I hope a lot of people find their Kelsey,” she says. Written alongside Pale Waves drummer Ciara Doran and producer Zakk Cervini, “Reasons to Live” might be an optimistic and romantic track in the same vein as past singles like “Easy,” but Baron-Gracie calls it an outlier on what is otherwise a very “intense” record. “I feel like overall this album in particular touches upon subjects that we’ve never touched upon before, like loss, vanity, anger, jealousy, hopelessness,” she says. “It’s very dark. It’s very personal.” The result is a collection of infectious ear worms — rounded out by performances from guitarist Hugo Silvani and bassist Charlie Wood — that lean fully into the group’s harder rock influences like Hole, Avril Lavigne, and Paramore. Trading in synths for throbbing basslines, chunky guitars, and cranking the volume up to 11, the heavy instrumentation is the perfect complement to the darker subject matter. There’s no love lost on lead single “Lies,” an ear-splitting and biting dis track evoking hissing guitars in the name of karma. Meanwhile, the title track is similarly deceptive as jubilant production underscores lyrics about an all-consuming anxiety that comes with feeling worthless. “It couldn’t be called anything else,” Baron-Gracie says of the album’s title. “The piece was missing until that song was finished.” The rawness extends into her performance, as she notes that most of the new record’s vocal tracks came from early sessions with Cervini when the emotions were fresh. “I feel like when you do demos for the vocals, there’s a magic within them that you can’t replace,” she explains. Crafting a followup to 2021’s Who Am I?, which debuted at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and garnered critical praise, sounds like a tall order. But Baron-Gracie speaks with an air of calmness and peace as she details its intimate songwriting process. “[It] was the first time where I felt relaxed, in a state of not panicking or a state of not second-guessing everything,” she says. Written with a close group of collaborators in Los Angeles during the last few months of 2021, the “guarded” environment allowed for a creative flow unlike anything Baron-Gracie experienced in the past, especially after the stress of recording and releasing their sophomore album at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It just overall feels very natural for us and consistent,” she says. “We just didn’t think about it too much, and I think that really made the album what it is. It speaks for itself.” The upcoming album’s visuals showcase a “complete opposite” side of the band than they revealed in the nostalgic, Britpop-inspired clips for Who Am I? “For the second album, it was very ’90s, casual, baggy clothes, whereas I wanted to completely shift it up,” Baron-Gracie explains. “This next campaign is very glamorous, very chic, very expensive.” In addition to the jagged lighting, dark hues, and glam-goth looks of their “Lies” music video, the group has also planned a treatment for yet-to-be released track “Jealousy,” a fan-favorite that they debuted on tour earlier this year. “[It’s] one of my favorite videos that we’ve ever done,” Baron-Gracie says. “It could be like a Helmet Lang or Calvin Klein advert.” Fans can expect to hear new tracks from Unwanted as well as a handful of old favorites as the group accompanies 5SOS for their Take My Hand World Tour. As a band that found its footing touring for five years straight before COVID protocols shuttered live music, Baron-Gracie says Pale Waves are more than ready to return. “We love being on stage,” she says. “I think that’s where we all come alive, all four of us.” There’s something unique about the atmosphere Baron-Gracie, Doran, Silvani, and Wood create at their shows – one where weaknesses are embraced, members of the LGBTQ+ community can love with their whole hearts, and misfits have a home. In addition to Doran, who identifies as queer and nonbinary, Baron-Gracie came out in 2018 and began embracing her sexuality on their sophomore album. The response at concerts to her most intimate love songs — namely “She’s My Religion” — has been “insane.” Baron-Gracie recalls seeing a tweet about a fan who lit up and burst into tears upon hearing it live. “It’s just so sweet to look out into the audience and see couples embracing and screaming it to one another,” she says. It’s no surprise the group has found a community at a time when pop-punk has seen a staggering resurgence, as we look for emotional honesty, an outlet for angst, and some blaring guitars in our playlists. “I’m living for it, honestly,” Baron-Gracie says. Pop Music Pale Waves

Music

Jason McElwain '06 ESPY Winner Hospitalized ... After Serious Bike Accident 6/15/2022 7:26 AM PT Jason McElwain -- the former basketball manager who went viral in 2006 after suiting up and scoring 20 points in a high school game -- broke nine ribs in a serious bicycle accident Monday afternoon ... but luckily, he was wearing a helmet, and is expected to make a full recovery. According to USA Today, police in Greece, New York responded to a call of "a bicyclist who made contact with a motor vehicle." The 34-year-old was transported to an area hospital ... where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries. A spokeswoman for Strong Memorial Hospital confirmed Jason is listed in guarded condition at the facility ... meaning his status is extremely serious with an uncertain outcome. Jason's brother, Josh, said he suffered 9 broken ribs, a broken scapula, and a punctured lung ... but he did not sustain injuries to his head or back, fortunately. Josh said he's thankful Jason was wearing his helmet at the time of the accident ... fearing things could have been much worse for his brother. Jason, who is autistic and now works as a motivational speaker, had one of the most memorable games ever as a senior at Greece Athena High School in 2006. The teen scored 20 points in the team's final home game -- hitting 7 of 13 shots and channeling his inner Ray Allen, hitting 6 threes, earning him an ESPY award that year for best sports moment. Josh says Jason is "not in pain" and is in good spirits ... but he will remain in Strong's Intensive Care Unit for about a week before kickstarting his lengthy road to recovery.

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Juelz Santana recently opened up about an addiction he had to lean and spoke candidly about his struggles to kick the habit.During his Drink Champs interview with hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, the Dipset rapper and Love and Hip Hop: New York star said he doesn’t fault fellow emcee Paul Wall for introducing him to the drug and admitted to sipping daily.“I was drinking lean, and did I have an addiction to lean? For sure,” Santana said on the podcast. “I was addicted to the point to where I was drinking it every day, and if I stopped drinking it, yeah, I would’ve got sick ’cause that’s what happens with the opiates and s**t, withdrawals and stuff.”Juelz added that Wall “kind of introduced me to it a little bit, just on some ‘Taste it,’ you know what I mean,” but said he’s responsible for his own actions.“I’m a grown-ass man; I do what I want,” Juelz stated. “Paul Wall did not drug — Nah, no way. I’m not gon’ do that to that man.” He took full accountability, noting that his company did little to assist with the issue. “But yeah, he put me on, and you know, me and [Lil] Wayne being close and recording that album at the time didn’t help, of course,” he continued. “We were just fully not feeling our face all around the board.”Watch the full interview segment below.

Music

U.S. Updated on: June 15, 2022 / 9:18 AM / CBS News June's strawberry supermoon observed from Greece June's strawberry supermoon observed from Greece 00:27 The strawberry supermoon illuminated skies around the world on Tuesday and early Wednesday, allowing spectators to view the lowest full moon of the year. According to NASA, the full moon was at its closest point to the Earth for this orbit at 7:24 p.m. EDT Tuesday. It was close enough to be considered a supermoon, making it the second one of 2022. It appeared full Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. As the lowest full moon of 2022, it reached only 23.3 degrees above the horizon Wednesday at 1:56 a.m. EDT, NASA said. The strawberry supermoon rises over the sky in Antalya, Turkiye on June 15. Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images How did strawberry moon gets its name? The name has nothing to do with its color. Traditionally, the strawberry moon is the full moon in June, which is typically the last of spring or first of summer. According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, the name was used by Native American Algonquin tribes that live in northeastern U.S. and Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples. It was used to mark the ripening of strawberries ready to be gathered in June. How to watch the strawberry supermoonAfter sunset, sky gazers were recommended to look southeast to watch the full moon rise above the horizon, the Almanac said. It reached peak illumination earlier, on Tuesday, at 7:52 a.m. EDT, but it wasn't visible in North American time zones until Tuesday evening, as some parts of the world have already saw the supermoon. The Almanac can calculate moonrise and moonset times based on your location here. "Full moons are a fun time to observe lunar features, as the rest of the sky will be washed out by the light. With the naked eye, you can see the vast highlands and lowlands of the moon, which can appear to be certain shapes and generate stories about those shapes, depending on the culture you follow," according to Space.com. Full strawberry super moon is seen on June 14 in Indonesia. WF Sihardian/NurPhoto via Getty Images A free livestream from the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy was supposed to show the full moon rise over Rome, but cloudy weather didn't allow for it.And if you missed this supermoon, there will be another on July 13. In: moon Christopher Brito Christopher Brito is a social media producer and trending writer for CBS News, focusing on sports and stories that involve issues of race and culture. Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Create your free account or log in for more features. Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue

Space Exploration

Austin Butler can’t help but slip into Elvis Presley’s accent when having a “Little Less Conversation.” The “Elvis” star was left bedridden after completing production on Baz Luhrmann’s musical biopic of the King of Rock ‘n Roll, in theaters June 24. But despite his body recovering, Butler still can’t stop using Presley’s accent day to day. “At this point, I keep asking people, ‘Is this my voice?’ because this feels like my real [voice]. It’s one of those things where certain things trigger it and other times as well it’s, I don’t know,” Butler said to Entertainment Tonight. “When you live with something for two years, and you do nothing else, I think that you can’t help it. It becomes a fiber of your being.” The former Disney Channel star had to sing, dance, and move like Presley while filming the epic musical, with Butler adding that he “had to work hard” to master Presley’s body language. “The thing with him is they weren’t moves, they were coming out of the feel of the music,” Butler said. “So, for me, it had to be about finding the feeling of the music, moving me in that way. That was really fun. It was liberating.” And the “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” alum was determined to authentically embody Presley as much as possible. “There’s so many things out there that have become these caricatures, so even talking about him curling his lip, it’s something he didn’t do as much as we think he did,” Butler shared. “It was finding how subtle can you go with things and still have the essence. It was this constant back and forth, and that’s the tricky thing, going back and forth between incredibly technical things and then never losing the humanity. That was the goal, always have his soul in there.” Butler even took on the “responsibility” to shut down “misconceptions” of Presley with the tiniest details, including Presley’s real-life anxiety before performances. “The fact that I knew he experienced stage fright, it relieved so much, because I knew in those moments, I’m feeling fear, but he was feeling fear, so it’s not something that you need to not feel in order to do the things that you believe in,” Butler continued. “So that was beautiful.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.

Movies

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSEOUL, June 15 (Reuters) - K-pop pioneers BTS faced tears and sympathy from fans but anger from shareholders in their management company on Wednesday, a day after the band, pleading exhaustion, announced a break from group musical activities to pursue solo projects.Many in South Korea reacted with shock and dismay at Tuesday’s news that, with some of its seven members approaching military service age, also triggered speculation about the future of a band whose upbeat hits and messages of youth empowerment have turned them into global stars."I could relate to them as they shed tears and honestly told us how they felt," fan Nini Lee told Reuters from a café in Seoul where she had gathered with other fans.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"Their voice gave me huge strength when I had tough times, and I'm no longer afraid of such headwinds ...Now I want to give my voice of courage to them.".Kim Young-sun, who runs the cafe, said she felt sorry that she as a fan had only wanted more from BTS at a time when they were struggling, wishing them a well-deserved break to recharge their batteries.BTS Leader and rapper RM, in a tearful video released on Tuesday on the ninth anniversary of a group that last year became the first Asian band to win artist of the year at the American Music Awards, said he had "felt guilty and afraid" to ask for the rest that he desperately needed.Singer Jimin said they were struggling to find their identity in what he called an "exhausting process," while RM also lamented that the K-pop industry could not provide young artists with "time to mature".On social media, some other fans blamed BTS' management group HYBE for relentlessly pushing for new albums and other moneymaking opportunities. read more The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.K-pop boy band BTS' goods are seen on display at a cafe in Seoul, South Korea, June 15, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji"The K-pop and idol industry had long been running on a profit-making system where the stars cannot take a rest even when they burned themselves out," said Jung Duk-hyun, a South Korean cultural critic.SHAREHOLDER 'DYNAMITE'Tuesday's unexpected announcement fuelled anger among investors in HYBE, which went public two years ago and whose shares (352820.KS) plunged 25% on Wednesday, wiping nearly 2 trillion won ($1.55 billion) off its market value."They've planted 'dynamite' in the hearts of shareholders," one wrote on a Samsung Securities stock trading platform, referring to one of the group's hit songs.HYBE shares had performed relatively poorly in recent months, and the company's chief executive and some BTS members unloaded stock totalling 10 billion won ($7.75 million) in December.All able-bodied South Korean men are subject to about two years of military service, and the oldest member of BTS, Jin, is required to begin his duty next year.A bill pushing for providing military exemptions to globally renowned artists is pending in parliament, amid prolonged debate over whether BTS deserves similar benefits that sport athletes enjoy.Lee Ki-hoon, an analyst at Hana Financial Investment Co. Ltd., wrote in a report that BTS' lack of public activity including the impact of military service could result in a 750 billion won revenue loss in 2023.($1 = 1,290.1600 won)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Hyonhee Shin, Yeni Seo and Minwoo Park; Additional reporting by Joori Roh; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Music

“I want something real. I want something that’s gonna make a statement,” Jennifer Lopez says to an NFL producer in her new Netflix documentary, Halftime. She’s responding to executives trying to cut out scenes of children in cages from her Super Bowl show, and she’s fed up. “I’m trying to give you something with substance; not just us out there shaking our fucking asses and fucking belly dancing,” she continues.It’s a markedly different tone than the one we’re used to seeing from the smiling reality show judge, music video face-giver, and movie star. She was the first Latina paid $1 million for a movie role with 1997’s Selena and then broke records when her album and movie — J.Lo and The Wedding Planner — shot to No. 1 on the charts the same week of 2001. She’s done American Idol, Vegas residencies, dancing competitions, and scripted network TV shows.But now she wants to be taken seriously. She’s talked about being seen as a lightweight since her Oscar snub for her role in the 2019 movie Hustlers and about how her crowd-pleasing work hasn’t always gotten critical acclaim by way of Grammys or Academy Awards. “It’s just 20, 25 years of people going, ‘Well, she’s not that great. She’s pretty and she makes cute music, but it’s not really this and that,’” she told Rolling Stone last year. “And I always acted like, ‘Yeah, I’m good. I’m fine. I’m OK.’ But it hurts to not be included. … There is an inner circle, like, ‘We are the great artists.’ And then there’s the pop artists.”Recent documentaries about white women celebrities in the ’90s and aughts have accused the media of mistreating these stars. Lopez’s new film positions her in a similar — though much rarer — light as a Latina. It might seem like awkward framing from the woman whose lean-in mentality has gotten her into every door in Hollywood and beyond. But the documentary delivers an interesting journey down her decadeslong career. Steve Granitz / WireImage Jennifer Lopez at the 2020 Golden Globes Halftime intercuts Lopez’s early years, both before stardom and her earlier eras, with a slice-of-life look at the year leading up to the making of and reception of Hustlers and her Super Bowl performance. In typical Lopez fashion, there are full-glam confessionals where she sits in a director’s chair and reflects on her life as images flash onscreen.She talks about getting her drive to succeed from her parents, especially her strong mother, Lupe. Lopez shares how she felt undervalued in her family growing up in the Bronx, where she was anointed as a dancer-athlete while her sisters were considered the family singer and the smart one.Her mom’s love of musicals trickled down to Lopez, especially West Side Story, and the movie’s star, Rita Moreno, became her role model for her own career: an entertainer who would dance, sing, and act. She quickly segued from a dancing Fly Girl on the comedy show In Living Color to Selena, and then finally to Hollywood A-lister and major pop star. Recent documentaries about white women celebrities in the ‘90s and aughts have accused the media of mistreating these stars. Lopez’s new film positions her in a similar —though much rarer — light as a Latina. But as she gained power and celebrity, there were persistent backlashes and jokes about her ethnicity and body. The film includes scenes of the kind of “humor” trotted out about her in late-night monologues and South Park even at the peak of her fame. There were clichéd Lopez-as-a-cleaning-lady bits, gross-out “taco-flavored” kiss jokes, and intrusive questions about her butt. There were also headlines about “diva” tendencies.Lopez doesn’t talk about whether she enjoyed or fed into the unrelenting tabloid attention, even though from the outside she seemed to be having fun managing it. (Ben Affleck is trotted out for one brief moment where he says that Lopez told him that as a Latina woman she expected the backlash and double standards regarding her work and image.) She also doesn’t say much about what her work means to her in personal terms, beyond clichés about wanting to move people and writing songs about love, not politics. Then again, at least Lopez is honest about her aims (one of her albums is simply called Love?).Still, for someone who’s stayed away from politics, she’s always oddly, and mesmerizingly, polarizing. There was that infamous 1998 Movieline magazine interview where she called Cameron Diaz "a lucky model who's been given a lot of opportunities” and said she couldn’t remember Gwyneth Paltrow’s movies. And before the documentary came out, Lopez sparked one of the most heated battles in the history of Latinx Twitter when she seemed to shade Shakira, based on a teaser from the documentary where she says the NFL’s demand for a shared Super Bowl performance was “the worst idea ever.” Focus On Sport / Getty Images Shakira and Jennifer Lopez at the Super Bowl I assumed the viral clip was probably misconstrued, but it’s kind of not. In the documentary, Lopez seemed to be really annoyed about sharing the stage — not because of Shakira, but because of the NFL not expanding the time to accommodate two performers. As the two stars plan for the show, though, she does hilariously seem to treat Shakira as something of an afterthought. She tells manager Benny Medina that she proposed they sing Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.,” but Shakira pointed out she…wasn’t born in the USA. Producers could have edited the moment differently to flatter Lopez and appear more blandly generous, but they didn’t. It’s telling. Lopez is openly vulnerable about her desire and disappointment about the Oscars snub. The filmmaker, Amanda Micheli, also leaves in comments from the NFL’s halftime show director complaining about “identity politics,” and includes headlines about the superficiality of the NFL’s support for anti-racist efforts given that team owners support Trump. Lopez revels in including the Puerto Rican flag onstage with her and gets teary-eyed in rehearsals talking about the treatment of Latinx people in the US. At the same time, the documentary flattens the politics of the moment by completely glossing over the fact that the NFL turned to the two Latinas to obscure the fact that Black performers, including Rihanna, in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick that year, refused to perform.But true to the Lopez ethos, politics aren’t the point of the documentary. Or at least not those kinds of politics. It’s really about the industry politics surrounding Lopez, including the reception of Hustlers. The documentary shows her getting her hopes up with the press reaction to the movie and even reads a flattering article on camera. “Frankly it’s thrilling to see a criminally underrated performer” — her voice catches in her throat — “get her due from prestige film outlets.”The documentary includes footage of her dejected face as she enters the hotel room where her team awaits her after she loses the Golden Globe. Most people would just say they're “happy to be nominated for the Globes,” but Lopez is openly vulnerable about her desire and disappointment about the Oscars snub. “The truth is I really started to think I was gonna get nominated,” she says to the camera. And after she’s overlooked, we even get a generous camera pan of a thoughtful New York Times piece that explained why her unsentimentally sexual character, Ramona, might not have resonated with the academy’s voters.The final scenes of the documentary are somewhat jarring, like an infomercial for Lopez herself, as we see her at a philanthropic event where she’s trying to get corporate investment in small businesses for Black and brown women.In the end, it’s not so much that Halftime is a watchable film because Lopez is especially sympathetic as a multimillionaire A-lister underdog. But it’s more compelling than most celebrity self-portraits because she’s open about saying she feels like one. ●

Celebrity

When the original Jurassic Park debuted in theaters in 1993, CGI had been used successfully in a few big-budget films, but it was more of a showy gimmick than a filmmaking template. It was for this reason that audiences, upon first seeing Steven Spielberg's towering reptiles, were equally as enamored as the on-screen heroes when they first set foot in the eponymous park. In today’s CGI-suffused Hollywood era, however, we’ve been so spoiled by special effects that the premise of dinosaurs on screen is as novel as color TV. Still, it takes special effort to make dinosaurs boring. Yet, this is the triumph of director Colin Trevorrow, whose Jurassic World finale focuses on everything but dinosaurs. The plot goes something like this: A cartoonishly sinister genetics CEO (Campbell Scott) devises a scheme to enrich himself by engineering giant locusts to decimate the world’s grain fields whilst surreptitiously supplying his own genetically modified, immune crop to supplant the world’s supply. Moreover, the same genetics company is also after a little girl, revealed to be a clone whose DNA holds the key to curing a myriad of genetic diseases. Dinosaurs just happen to be living among human civilization amid all of this. Don’t mind them. Meanwhile, Chris Pratt reprises his role as a jacked Doctor Dolittle for dinosaurs. After his pet velociraptor’s baby is kidnapped by the same genetic research corporation, he promises the lizard predator that he will retrieve her. This silliness aside, Pratt’s action sequences are among the few enjoyable marks in the film. In one scene, Pratt zips through city streets on a motorbike with raptors hot on his tail, accelerating onto a cargo plane as it takes off. Though the sequence feels more Mission Impossible than Jurassic Park, it’s a welcome respite from following around a bevy of newly introduced characters who serve no purpose other than to further the plot. The original Jurassic Park featured generic side characters as well, but they were only there for dinosaur fodder. That was how the film maintained its suspense and sense of danger. It kept you on the edge of your seat, not knowing which character was about to be scooped up by the tyrannosaurus next. In Dominion, none of the characters are ever in any real danger. Even Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), who was introduced in Jurassic World as a lab researcher, later turned dinosaur PETA activist, somehow effortlessly outruns and outmaneuvers a raptor. And Barry Sembene (Omar Sy), who previously worked in a dinosaur zoo, is now an undercover French special intelligence spy. Everyone got a promotion except the franchise itself. Along with adding new cast members, Dominion brings back Jurassic Park veterans Alan (Sam Neill) and Ellie (Laura Dern), presumably in hopes that the nostalgia they exude will buoy the project. But to its detriment, the film can’t figure out how to work them into the story. Instead, it continuously cuts back and forth between the new cast and the old, trying to tell two stories at once: the kidnapping rescue mission and the apocalyptic locusts. Ultimately, Jurassic World: Dominion lacks vision or purpose. It exists in a world where dinosaurs fly and run rampant throughout the civilized world, yet it ignores them almost entirely, instead inventing new villains and meandering off into tedious subplots. Rebooting a beloved classic is no easy feat. Most outcomes are reminders that some fossils should just remain untouched, serving as vestiges of a bygone era. Harry Khachatrian (@Harry1T6) is a computer engineer in Toronto. He is also a writer and editor, focusing on music, culture, and technology.

Movies

Based on the book of the same name, the film follows a police officer (Styles), teacher (Emma Corrin) and a museum curator (David Dawson) in a story of "forbidden love and changing social conventions." The film is split between the 1950s and 1990s, where the three are "still reeling with longing and regret, but now they have one last chance to repair the damage of the past." The movie hits theaters October 21, 2022 before dropping on Prime Video starting November 4. #HarryStyles

Movies

Topline The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released data Wednesday revealing hundreds of car accidents linked to advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS), and unsurprisingly most of the accidents were linked to Tesla’s Autopilot technology that’s come under increased scrutiny. Tesla has come under increased federal scrutiny recently over the safety of its Autopilot ... [+] technology. Getty Images Key Facts The agency identified 392 crashes linked to cars using partially autonomous driving technology between July 1 and May 15. Tesla vehicles accounted for 273, or 69.6%, of the accidents. Honda cars accounted for 90, or 23%, of the crashes, while all other automakers accounted for 10 or less accidents. The accidents led to six fatalities. The agency’s chief Steven Cliff said in a statement this data collection is not comprehensive, but a first step toward improving vehicle safety. Tesla shares were unaffected by the new data, rising 1.6% in morning trading. Key Background The agency opened a broad probe into Tesla Autopilot safety last August, and last week upgraded its investigation of the company into an engineering analysis, which can precede a recall. Some experts have deemed Tesla vehicles lack the proper technology to bring fully autonomous vehicles to the road, and the company’s cars are absent of the LiDAR sensor technology present in most other autonomous vehicles. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has predictably stuck by his company’s technology, tweeting in April Tesla vehicles using Autopilot are “unequivocally safer,” than their counterparts. Contra Data provided by Tesla claims its cars using its Autopilot features are safer than others, reporting drivers using Autopilot got in an accident once every 4.31 million miles in the fourth quarter of 2021, far outperforming the NHTSA’s national average of an accident every 484,000 miles. Further Reading US releases new driver-assist crash data, and surprise, it’s mostly Tesla (The Verge) Tesla investigation deepens after more than a dozen US ‘Autopilot’ crashes (Guardian) U.S. Launches Broad Investigation Into Tesla Autopilot Over Numerous Crashes (Forbes)

Automotive and Transportation

Headingley - Yorkshire's home ground - will host next week's third Test between England and New ZealandCharges have been brought against "a number of individuals" by English cricket's governing body in relation to allegations of racism at Yorkshire.The accused, who have not been named, could be banned or fined by the England and Wales Cricket Board.Yorkshire itself has also been charged with breaching the anti-racism rules.Details of abuse first surfaced in September 2020 when former player Azeem Rafiq said discrimination left him feeling suicidal."In matters of this nature, our normal practice is not to identify individuals charged at this stage," said the ECB.Since Rafiq's accusations became public, 16 members of staff have left Yorkshire in a widespread overhaul of its senior leadership.The ECB said it had carried out a "thorough and complex" investigation to establish the grounds for the charges against both the county and the individuals involved.It said the charges arose from alleged breaches of a directive regarding "conduct which is improper or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer into disrepute" and its anti-discrimination code.The governing body expects hearings to take place in September or October and for the outcome of each case to be published after decisions are reached."It is standard practice for the cricket discipline commission disciplinary panel to publish its decisions and written reasons in full following the hearing," the ECB added.Rafiq played for Yorkshire across two spells totalling eight years"I welcome today's announcement by the ECB and hope we can move to the hearing quickly," said Rafiq."This has been another gruelling but unfortunately necessary process. It has been a long two years since I went public about my experiences, but I hope this all means that no young player ever goes through such pain and alienation again. "My preference would be for this hearing to take place publicly, but I am hopeful that we are at least nearing a point where there will be some sense of closure for my family and me."How did we get here?Rafiq gave an interview to ESPN Cricinfo in September 2020 alleging "institutional racism" at Yorkshire had left him close to taking his own life.Yorkshire launched "a formal investigation" in response and, a year later, an independent panel upheld seven of the 43 allegations made by Rafiq.However the panel's report was not published and no player, employee or executive faced disciplinary action as a result of its findings.The outcome sparked widespread criticism and in November 2021 the ECB suspended Yorkshire from hosting international matches at Headingley "until it has clearly demonstrated that it can meet the standards expected".Club chairman Roger Hutton stepped down, as did chief executive Mark Arthur. When approached by BBC Sport, the ECB declined to name any individuals charged.Former Yorkshire and England captain Michael Vaughan, who works as a pundit for BBC Sport and others, revealed he had been accused of making racist comments to Rafiq and others players, but has repeatedly denied the claims.Vaughan told the BBC he never made racist comments while at the county. He admitted regret at some tweets he had sent in the past.Later in November, Rafiq gave details of the racist abuse he suffered to a committee of MPs, claiming captain Gary Ballance and bowler Jack Brooks had used racist nicknames for team-mates.Ballance admitted using racist language, adding that he "deeply regretted" doing so.Nov 2021: Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan speaks to BBC Breakfast's Dan WalkerRafiq also mentioned the attitudes of Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale and Matthew Hoggard towards him at the club.Bresnan has denied "frequently making racist comments", saying it is "absolutely not true."The ECB has not named those charged.Rafiq's testimony has been backed by others. Ex-Pakistan seamer Rana Naved-ul-Hasan said he had encountered the same prejudice during his two stints with the county while former Yorkshire academy players Irfan Amjad and Tabassum Bhatti have also shared their experiences of racism.England bowler Adil Rashid said he, like ul-Hasan and Rafiq, had heard Vaughan make a racist comment.In December, head coach Gale and director of cricket Martyn Moxon were among 16 people to leave the club.Gale won a claim for unfair dismissal - alongside second-team coach Ian Dews, bowling coach Rich Pyrah, academy lead Richard Damms and strength and conditioning coaches Ian Fisher and Peter Sim.The ECB announced a wide-ranging review into racism in the sport and appointed a Muslim inclusion advisory body to help their reforms on Tuesday.Headingley returned to the international fixture list in March after members voted through reforms to the county's leadership structure. It will host the third and final Test against New Zealand next week.

Other Sports

Sharon Osbourne took to social media to update fans on her husband Ozzy’s health following his surgery, saying he is “doing well and on the road to recovery!” The TV personality announced on her British talk show, The Talk, last week that she would be returning to Los Angeles for her husband’s surgery Monday, noting it was “really going to determine the rest of his life.” “Our family would like to express so much gratitude for the overwhelming amount of love and support leading up to Ozzy's surgery!” Sharon wrote Tuesday. “Ozzy is doing well and on the road to recovery!” "Your love means the world to him," Sharon Osbourne added. While details of the surgery were not revealed, the former Black Sabbath vocalist had complained of neck problems as a result of a 2003 bike accident. ‘JESUS IS WITH ME’: BIEBER LEANS ON HIS FAITH FOLLOWING RAMSAY HUNT DIAGNOSIS “I’m just waiting on some more surgery on my neck,” Ozzy told New Musical Express magazine in May. “I can’t walk properly these days. I have physical therapy every morning. I am somewhat better, but nowhere near as much as I want to be to go back on the road.” Sharon Osbourne also announced that she and Ozzy will celebrate 40 years of marriage on July 1, but when The Talk co-hosts asked if she would be planning a party, she could not say. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER “I don’t know yet,” Sharon Osbourne said. “It depends on everything with Ozzy.”

Celebrity

Lashana Lynch stars as Miss Honey, with "Darklands" breakout Alisha Weir as the titular "rebel" Matilda. First, the stylishly cruel Baronness in “Cruella.” Now, the wicked Miss Trunchbull in “Matilda the Musical.” Is there any childhood villain Emma Thompson can’t transform into? Roald Dahl’s beloved novel “Matilda” is getting another big-screen treatment courtesy of Netflix, this time a rock musical based on the Tony- and Olivier-winning production directed by Matthew Warchus. Thompson stars as headmaster Trunchbull who is set on extinguishing independent thought among her elementary school students, including the brilliant and uniquely gifted Matilda, played by “Darklands” star Alisha Weir. Matilda’s only role model, Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch), encourages Matilda to use her vivid imagination and maintain her curiosity, despite Trunchbull’s demands to get rid of all the “rebels” at Crunchem Hall. The film will debut this holiday season on Netflix. Sony Pictures UK and TriStar Pictures will exclusively release the film in cinemas in the UK and Ireland December 2. Per the official logline, “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” is an inspirational musical tale of an extraordinary girl who discovers her superpower and summons the remarkable courage, against all odds, to help others change their stories, whilst also taking charge of her own destiny. Standing up for what’s right, she’s met with miraculous results. The story is based on Dahl’s 1988 novel of the same name. Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough portray Matilda’s negligent parents, taking over the respective roles made iconic by Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito, who also directed and produced the 1996 film adaptation starring Mara Wilson in the lead role. For the 2022 musical reimagining, Sindhu Vee stars as librarian Mrs. Phelps, with newcomers Charlie Hodson-Prior, Meesha Garbett, Rei Yamauchi Fulker, Winter Jarrett Glasspool, Andrei Shen, and Ashton Robertson playing Matilda’s pals. “Matilda the Musical” features original music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and choreography by Ellen Kane. Screenwriter Dennis Kelly adapts the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production for the big screen, with Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title, Jon Finn, and Luke Kelly of The Roald Dahl Story Company producing. Check out the teaser trailer below. “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” premieres this holiday season on Netflix, with a theatrical release in the UK and Ireland December 2. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.

Movies

Miranda Otto as Éowyn in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Image: New Line CinemaMiranda Otto, who famously played Éowyn in The Lord of the Rings series, is slated to return to the character she portrayed in the early 2000s, Deadline reports. The new anime feature, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, will feature Éowyn as she narrates the legend of the Helm Hammerhand, a king of Rohan from the third age. The story will take place nearly 200 years before the events of the original films. Additional voice talent has also been announced. Brian Cox (Succession) will be the voice of Hammerhand, and Gaia Wise (A Walk in the Woods) will play Hammerhand’s daughter Hera, who takes on a pivotal role in resisting the forces that surround the fortress that would come be known as Helm’s Deep. Luke Pasqualino (Snowpiercer) will portray Wulf, a Dunlending prince who seeks vengeance on Hammerhand and the Rohirrim for the death of his father. If you can’t wait for this feature film, to enjoy more Lord of the Rings stories, there is an Amazon series currently slated for release in September of this year. Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will chronicle the events of the second age which lead up to the creation of the rings of power distributed across the species of Middle Earth, and Sauron’s rise as a tyrant.The film will be released theatrically by Warner Bros and will be available globally April 12, 2024.Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Movies

DETROIT (AP) — Automakers reported nearly 400 crashes of vehicles with partially automated driver-assist systems, including 273 involving Teslas, according to statistics released by U.S. safety regulators on Wednesday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cautioned against using the numbers to compare automakers, saying it didn’t weight them by the number of vehicles from each manufacturer that use the systems, or how many miles those vehicles traveled. READ MORE: Regulators receive more than 750 complaints of faulty braking in Teslas Automakers reported crashes from July of last year through May 15 under an order from the agency, which is examining such crashes broadly for the first time. “As we gather more data, NHTSA will be able to better identify any emerging risks or trends and learn more about how these technologies are performing in the real world,” said Steven Cliff, the agency’s administrator. Tesla’s crashes happened while vehicles were using Autopilot, “Full Self-Driving,” Traffic Aware Cruise Control, or other driver-assist systems that have some control over speed and steering. The company has about 830,000 vehicles with the systems on the road. The next closest of a dozen automakers that reported crashes was Honda, with 90, but Honda says it has about six million vehicles on U.S. roads with such systems. Subaru was next with 10, and all other automakers reported five or fewer. In a June 2021 order, NHTSA told more than 100 automakers and automated vehicle tech companies to report serious crashes within one day of learning about them and to disclose less-serious crashes by the 15th day of the following month. The agency is assessing how the systems perform and whether new regulations may be needed. NHTSA also said that five people were killed in the crashes involving driver-assist systems, and six were seriously hurt. Tesla’s crash number also may be high because uses telematics to monitor its vehicles and get real-time crash reports. Other automakers don’t have such capability, so their reports may come slower or crashes may not be reported at all, NHTSA said. A message was left seeking comment from Tesla. Tesla’s crashes accounted for nearly 70 percent of the 392 reported by the dozen automakers. Although the Austin, Texas, automaker calls its systems Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving,” it says the vehicles cannot drive themselves and the drivers must be ready to intervene at all times. Manufacturers were not required to report how many vehicles they have on the road that have the systems, nor did they have to report how far those vehicles traveled, or when the systems are in use, NHTSA said. At present, those numbers aren’t quantifiable, an agency official said. However, NHTSA may seek such information later. In the meantime, the new data has enabled it to find out about crashes much faster than before. At present, it’s using the crash data to look for trends and discuss them with the companies, the agency said. READ MORE: In a crash, should self-driving cars save passengers or pedestrians? 2 million people weigh in Already NHTSA has used the data to seek a recall, open investigations and provide information for existing inquiries, officials said. Also, they said it’s difficult to find out how many drivers actually use the technology. “This will help our investigators quickly identify potential defect trends that can emerge,” Cliff said. “These data will also help us identify crashes that we want to investigate and provide more information about how people in other vehicles interact with the vehicles.” Honda said it has packaged the systems to sell more of them, which could influence its numbers. “The population of vehicles that theoretically could be involved in a reportable event is much greater than the population of vehicles built by automakers with a less-aggressive deployment strategy,” the company said. Also, reports to NHTSA are based on unverified customer statements about whether automated systems were running at the time of a crash. Those crashes may not qualify for reporting to NHTSA after more data is gathered, Honda said. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents most automakers, said the data collected by NHTSA isn’t sufficient by itself to evaluate the safety of automated vehicle systems. NHTSA’s order also covered companies that are running fully autonomous vehicles, and 25 reported a total of 130 crashes. Google spinoff Waymo led with 62, followed by Transdev Alternative Services with 34 and General Motors-controlled Cruise LLC with 23. Waymo has far more vehicles in use than other companies, and it’s running a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Arizona and California. In 108 of the crashes involving fully autonomous vehicles, no injuries were reported, and there was only one serious injury. In most of the crashes, vehicles were struck from the rear.

Automotive and Transportation

Amber Heard said she is scared she could be sued again by ex-husband Johnny Depp as she speaks out about her defamation trial against him. “I’m scared that no matter what I do, no matter what I say or how I say it, every step that I take will present another opportunity for this sort of silencing, which is what I guess the defamation lawsuit is meant to do. It’s meant to take your voice," Heard said in part three of an interview airing on Today on Wednesday. Despite her fears, Heard said she still loves Depp, even amid the aftermath of the trial. “Absolutely. I love him,” Heard said. “I loved him with all my heart. And I tried the best I could to make a deeply broken relationship work. And I couldn’t. I have no bad feelings or ill will towards him at all. I know that might be hard to understand or it might be really easy to understand. If you ever loved anyone, it should be easy.” AMBER HEARD DENIES BEING CUT FROM AQUAMAN SEQUEL AFTER COURT BATTLE: REPORT The actress said she realizes the trial did not make her appear to be “a likable victim.” “I’m not a good victim. I get it. I’m not a likable victim,” she said. “I’m not a perfect victim, but when I testified, I asked the jury to see me as human and hear [Depp’s] own words.” In a separate portion of the interview that aired Tuesday, Heard said she stood by her testimony, claiming she told the truth and “paid the price” while admitting that the trial made both her and Depp appear as “Hollywood brats at their worst.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER A jury in Fairfax County, Virginia, found Heard defamed Depp earlier this month, ordering her to pay the actor damages amounting to $15 million. In addition to awarding Depp compensatory and punitive damages, the jury also found that Depp defamed Heard regarding a statement made by his former lawyer, Adam Waldman.

Celebrity

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released on Wednesday nine months of crash data from vehicles using driver-assist technologies like Tesla Autopilot as well as fully autonomous vehicles like Waymo’s robotaxis. NHTSA broke crash data into two categories based on the level of the autonomous systems: driver-assist systems — which offer speed and steering input — and fully autonomous technologies, which are intended to one day safely function without human intervention. NHTSA found that there have been 367 crashes in the last nine months involving vehicles that were using these driver-assist technologies. 273 of the incidents involved a Tesla system, either its “full self-driving” software or its precursor, Tesla Autopilot. There were 130 crashes involving fully automated driving systems, 62 of which were Waymo crashes. Transdev, a shuttle operator, reported 34 crashes, and Cruise, which offers robotaxis for General Motors in San Francisco, reported 23. The data lacks critical context like fleet size or the number of miles traveled, making it impossible to fairly compare the safety of the different technologies. Not all relevant crashes may be included in the data set, NHTSA said, because crash data recording may vary widely among manufacturers. “I would advise caution before attempting to draw conclusions based only on the data we’re releasing. In fact, the data alone may raise more questions than they answer,” NHTSA administrator Steven Cliff told reporters in a briefing Tuesday. Two of the technologies with the most reported crashes are also two of the most commonly used systems. Tesla Autopilot, for example, comes standard on all of its vehicles, unlike competing driver-assist systems from other automakers. Drivers describe using Autopilot regularly because they say it can make them feel less fatigued after long drives. Waymo, the other company with the most total crashes, operates the most extensive robotaxi service in the country, with operations in much of metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona and San Francisco. For the first time, automakers and robotaxi operators have had to report to NHTSA data about crashes involving these vehicles. NHTSA says it will use the data to identify safety issues and intervene as necessary. Pony.ai, which is testing robotaxis in California, recalled three of its vehicles this year following data NHTSA gathered from this process. Of the 497 crashes total, 43% occurred in California. The state is home to Silicon Valley, making it a hotspot for testing new technologies. NHTSA found that of the 367 driver-assist crashes reported, there were six fatalities and five serious injuries. The safety risks of these new technologies have drawn the attention of safety advocates for years. There are not specific regulations for driver-assist systems, leaving automakers to market and describe the systems as they so choose. Tesla’s Autopilot and “full self-driving” software have been especially controversial. NHTSA’s investigation into Teslas rear-ending first responders’ vehicles was expanded last week and could lead to a recall. The National Transportation Safety Board has investigated fatal crashes involving Autopilot and called for the automaker to make changes, such as developing technology to more effectively sense the driver’s level of engagement and alert them when their engagement is lacking. Tesla has released data since 2018 claiming that Autopilot has a lower crash rate per mile than typical driving. But safety experts caution that Tesla’s analysis compares apples to oranges, as most Autopilot driving takes place on highways, where crash rates per mile are much lower than all driving. Tesla states that drivers using Autopilot must remain alert and be prepared to take full control of the vehicle at a moment’s notice. However, drivers using technologies like Autopilot risk becoming distracted, experts say. A 2021 MIT study found that Tesla drivers looked away from the road more frequently while using Autopilot than when driving without the driver-assist system. NHTSA said that its investigation into Teslas rear-ending emergency vehicles while using Autopilot found that in 37 of 43 crashes with detailed car log data available, drivers had their hands on the wheel in the last second prior to the collision. For years, Tesla detected torque on the wheel to determine if a driver was engaged. It’s begun to use an in-car camera for detecting distraction, which many safety experts say is a superior method, as cameras can track eye movement. Tesla and Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

Automotive and Transportation

Tuesday night’s full moon was at its closest point to the Earth, shining especially bright as it rose just 23.3 degrees above the horizon. “The June full moon is the sweetest of the year,” said NASA’s official Twitter account for the Earth’s moon. 🍓🍯🍻🌹 The June full moon is the sweetest of the year - called Strawberry, Honey, Mead, or Rose Moon. It's also a supermoon! The Moon appears a little bigger and brighter than average because it's closer to Earth in its elliptical orbit. https://t.co/em5wrKIxAt pic.twitter.com/zkiTtwRDag— NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) June 13, 2022 “It’s also a supermoon!” NASA noted. “The Moon appears a little bigger and brighter than average because it’s closer to Earth in its elliptical orbit.” WATCH: PRAYING FOOTBALL COACH RESPONDS TO SI TWEET SLAMMING HIS SUPREME COURT CASE The moon reached its full stage Tuesday. During the month of June, it is also called the Strawberry Moon in a nod to “the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries in the [northeastern United States] region.” June's supermoon rose in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York, late Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (AP Photo/J. David Ake) NASA noted that the moon would "appear full for about three days ... from Sunday evening through Wednesday morning." A full moon rises in Winthrop, Massachusetts behind the Boston Light, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Photos of the supermoon were captured across the globe, including in Germany as it rose behind buildings in the banking district in Frankfurt. The full moon rises behind buildings in the banking district in Frankfurt, Germany, late Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Another image showed the moon rising behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey. The supermoon rose behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey, June 14, 2022. The moon reached its full stage on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Images of the supermoon were also widely shared across social media. In a nod to South Korean singer IU’s song “Strawberry Moon,” Philippines-based Rappler tweeted photos of the supermoon. Alexa, play 'Strawberry Moon' by IU! 🍓🌕Here's a stunning look at June's full moon, also dubbed as Strawberry Moon, from Burauen, Leyte on Tuesday, June 14. 📷 John Michael Casuco Tila-on/Facebook pic.twitter.com/jaLXv1Zg1u— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) June 14, 2022 CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Tuesday night featured the second of four supermoons this summer, according to Space.com. The next one will be July 13.

Space Exploration

Actress Patricia Heaton is upset Tim Allen is not reprising his Disney Toy Story role as Buzz Lightyear in Pixar's new movie, Lightyear. After apparently just learning that Allen would not be the voice of the Toy Story space ranger, the Everybody Loves Raymond alumna took to social media. "Saw the trailer for Buzz Lightyear, and all I can say is Disney/Pixar made a HUGE mistake in not casting my pal [Tim Allen] in the role that he originated, the role that he owns," Heaton tweeted on Tuesday. "Tim IS Buzz! Why would they completely castrate this iconic, beloved character?" MUSK NOTES 'DICHOTOMY' IN PRO-TRANSGENDER TALKING POINTS Fans responded, pointing out that Pixar's spinoff film, which features Chris Evans as the voice of Buzz Lightyear, includes a more serious version of the space ranger, making Allen's comic relief unnecessary. "Ok so the current Buzz Lightyear movie is an origin story - but the reason the character became so beloved is because of what Tim Allen created," she wrote, standing her ground. "Why remove the one element that makes us want to see it?" Heaton said, adding the hashtag "#stupidhollywooddecisions." The Disney film has drawn additional criticism over its choice to include a same-sex kiss. The United Arab Emirates banned Pixar's movie from theaters on Monday because the film "is not licensed for public screening in all cinemas in the UAE, due to its violation of the country's media content standards," according to the Media Regulatory Office of the country's Ministry of Culture and Youth. Saudi Arabia followed suit, announcing its own ban on Lightyear soon after the UAE tweet. With the two countries' bans on the movie, rumors have circulated that the South Asian country Malaysia will follow suit. Evans has said he welcomed the same-sex kiss, noting, "It makes me happy." "It's tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion," Evans said. The kiss was initially removed from the film, but it was restored after Disney employees protested the decision in the wake of Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act, which critics have called the "Don't Say Gay" bill. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Allen is currently working on a Disney+ original miniseries, in which he is set to reprise his role of Scott Calvin from the Disney holiday franchise, The Santa Clause.

Movies

Say hello to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's newest superhero... Night Light! Yes, even as Kamala Khan gains superpowers and new confidence -- and even a love interest -- she's still stuck with other people telling her who she is and who she should be.Episode 2 of Disney Plus series Ms. Marvel sees superhero superfan Kamala develop her powers and learn a little something about her past. The first two of the show's six episodes are available on Disney's streaming service now, with more to follow each Wednesday until July 13.After our recap of episode 1, let's dive into an in-depth recap of Episode 2, titled Crushed, including character arcs and Marvel Easter eggs (and lots of spoilers!) Marvel Studios Training montage!Kamala's new powers are like "an idea come to life". She names them "hard light", projecting light that temporarily crystallizes (in contrast to her powers in the comics, in which she stretches and elongates her body). As Ms. Marvel's origin story continues to unfold, this week sees the obligatory scenes of the fledgling hero exploring her superpowers.What's cool about this sequence, set to the bangin' beats of Goddess by Krewella and Nervo featuring Raja Kumari, is it explicitly rejects physical strength. You don't need bulging muscles to be a superhero. Instead, Kamala's powers come from within. And they're not created by a physical artefact, they're only channeled by the bangle, which in turn is a talisman of her family and heritage.The hard light powers come in handy when rescuing a boy who fell out of a window, the sort of slightly contrived small-scale rescue you rarely see on the big screen of the MCU. Superpowers do come with a downside, however, as Kamala's nose lights up weirdly in class. Then, her father relates a story of how Kamala's grandmother Sana was separated from her parents during the chaos of the 1947 partition which divided India and Pakistan. Although her mother Aisha disappeared, Sana followed "a trail of stars" back to her father. Hearing this story triggers Kamala's bangle to immerse her in strange visions.In episode 1 she glimpsed a group of shadowy figures; this time she sees what looks like a mysterious woman. What does this have to do with her missing great-grandmother Aisha, who is said to have cursed everything she touches, had secret affairs or even killed a man?And what does all this have to do with the mystery woman at the end of the episode…?Rish Shah as bad boy Kamran in episode 2 of Ms. Marvel. Disney Plus Bad, bad, bad, bad boyWhich brings us to Kamran, the new senior and Kamala's crush played by 23-year-old Londoner Rish Shah, previously seen in British soap Emmerdale and Netflix rom-com To All The Boys. Swoon as he takes off his shirt and dives into a swimming pool to the sound of Jalebi Baby by Tesher and Jason Derulo (also Feel So Good by Mase, Be My Baby by the Ronettes, and Sage by Ritviz. This guy practically has his own soundtrack). Kamala and Kamran make a cute couple as they discuss common interests like their love of Bollywood movies, name-checking 1993 hit Baaziger and DDLJ (1995 romantic musical Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge). And they also share a love of Swet Shop Boys, a hip-hop double act including musician and actor Riz Ahmed who was nominated for an Academy Award for The Sound of Metal. Shah starred with Ahmed in Oscar-winning short film The Long Goodbye, which accompanied Ahmed's 2020 album of the same name. No Snapchatting in the masjid!It's quite refreshing to see a superhero show that doesn't immediately throw up a villain to be fought. But that does mean the show is still simmering various subplots rather than moving forward -- so the (slightly racist) Department of Damage Control and that cliffhanger arrive just in time to give the show some momentum.Kamala does have some issues to tackle, however: she's already taken a stand against micro-aggressions in school. She's spoken up about being segregated in a moldy and decrepit women's section of the mosque. And then there's the mosque shoe thief, making off with Nakia's new Versaces.The election subplot introduces us to the mosque bros, pious boys, converts/reverts and mini harami girls -- not to mention the all-knowing Illumin-Aunties. The show kinda screeches to a halt for Nakia's scene where she monologues her feelings about wearing the hijab, complete with slow push-in and poignant music. But it's a heartfelt and thought-provoking scene that shows how even Ms. Marvel's secondary characters have problems and personalities.When's the next episode?New installments stream each Wednesday. Episode 3 is streaming June 22. Here's the full episode release schedule for the rest of the series.Random thoughtsSeriously, "Night Light"?Everybody loves Ant-Man, played by Paul Rudd, who famously looks younger than he is.Kamala's rival Zoe Zimmer is busy parlaying her brush with a superhero into popularity, playing the victim entering herself in an exaggerating version of the story to gain attention at school and on social media. But the Feds easily manipulate her, and she's clearly going to cause more trouble for Kamala."Don't question my love for the Captain Kidd…" Muneeba is a fan of New Jersey prince Jon Bon Jovi, a little nuance that makes her more than a stereotypical demanding mother.This is the moment in the movie when you choose: be a Jedi, or be in The Devil Wears Prada. Bruno is kind of a Peter Parker figure who has his own future to figure out. Movies Coming in 2022 From Marvel, Netflix, DC and More See all photos 2022's Best TV Shows You Can't Miss on Netflix, HBO, Disney Plus and More See all photos

Movies

Megan Thee Stallion Tory Should Go to Jail ... For Shooting Me 6/15/2022 7:46 AM PT Megan Thee Stallion is hopeful that Tory Lanez is not only found guilty for allegedly shooting her, but that he's thrown behind bars as well. Meg -- who's in the middle of a criminal case involving Lanez in which he's alleged to have shot her in the foot in 2020 -- did an interview with Rolling Stone, in which she touched on the legal matter ... and says she wants him to serve time. In her most detailed interview to date, Megan Thee Stallion talks about the aftermath of the July 2020 shooting, the disparagement she sometimes sees from trolls online, and her life now. https://t.co/KSJZJGASXS pic.twitter.com/5eLNpxHcZv— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) June 15, 2022 @RollingStone She says, "I want him to go to jail," adding ... "I want him to go under the jail." MTS said this after reflecting/questioning why the case is dragging out so long. As you know, Tory has denied Megan's accusations and pled not guilty to the charges against him. While there've been bumps throughout -- including him being temporarily remanded to custody for violating a protective order -- it seems the case is going to trial in September. JULY 2020 TMZ.com Megan claims her foot was injured during the shooting -- saying she had to undergo surgery, and couldn't walk for days. She says, "Both of my legs wrapped up. I could not walk. I still have bullet fragments in my feet right now. I was very scared that I was not able to be Megan Thee Stallion no more. And I was f***ed up." Megan also addressed the other witness in the matter -- her ex-best friend, Kelsey Harris -- saying she feels like she's sided with Tory in the aftermath. An even more triggering result, she says, is the social media backlash she's received from people who don't believe her. Megan says she limits herself to 15 minutes of social media, but even then -- she sees people's cruelty toward her, which she says tears her up inside, even if she doesn't show it.

Music

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Bradley Cooper admitted he had a drug addiction in his late 20s.Cooper, 47, opened up about his substance abuse issues on a recent episode of the "SmartLess" podcast, hosted by actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes. The "A Star is Born" actor also spoke about how fatherhood "changed" everything for him."I was so lost, and I was addicted to cocaine — that was the other thing," Cooper revealed. "I severed my Achilles tendon right after I got fired/quit ‘Alias.'"Cooper also discussed struggling with his lack of self-confidence. Bradley Cooper admitted he struggled with substance abuse issues in his late 20s. (Jamie McCarthy)BRADLEY COOPER REVEALS HE WAS HELD AT KNIFEPOINT WHILE PICKING UP DAUGHTER AT SCHOOL"I did have the benefit of that happening when I was 29," Cooper noted, referencing his substance abuse issues. "I thought I made it when I got a Wendy’s commercial. In terms of the ‘made it’ thing, that’s when I made it.""But I definitely did not feel [it], moving to Los Angeles for ‘Alias’ feeling like I was back in high school. I could not get into any clubs, no girls wanted to look at me."He "was totally depressed."CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER Cooper revealed becoming a father changed "everything" for him. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)"It wasn’t really until ‘The Hangover.’ I was 36 when I did ‘The Hangover,’ so I got to go through all those things before fame even played into my existence on a daily level," he explained. "So all that happened before any of that."Becoming a father for Cooper "changed" everything."Fatherhood is … everything changed," Cooper said. "Every single thing is absolutely shaded by, or brought into glorious colors, by the fact that I get to be a father to a wonderful human being."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Cooper shares his 5-year-old daughter with model Irina Shayk. (MediaPunch/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)"You have this wonderful thing or breakthrough with a script, or you have a wonderful moment on this set or in an editing room … you have like 40 of those moments every day with your kid, that are that level of joy. That's not spinning it, that's just the truth."Cooper shares his five-year-old daughter, Lea De Seine, with former long-time partner Irina Shayk. Lauryn Overhultz is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.

Celebrity

KYOTO, Japan -- Every week, 62-year-old Miyuki Tanaka joins a pious crowd of Buddhists heading to the historic Kodaiji Temple in Kyoto, Japan.Inside the temple stands Mindar, a 6-foot-4-inch, 132-pound priest. With charismatic hand gestures and a piercing gaze, Mindar delivers a poignant sermon on one of the most-read Buddhist scriptures, the Heart Sutra. The sermon is indistinguishable from the one given by the usual priest -- until visitors notice Mindar's smooth silicone skin, aluminum bones and camera-embedded eyes.In this historic temple, Buddhists learn the teachings of Buddha from a humanoid, the robotic embodiment of the Buddhist goddess of mercy, Kannon.“I often experience mood swings, taking care of my elderly mother. Mindar’s sermons on the Heart Sutra help me control my emotions and bring salvation,” Tanaka told ABC News.In a country where two-thirds of the population identify as Buddhists, Tanaka is only one of the many with whom Mindar’s sermons have resonated.Visitors at Kodaiji Temple listen to sermons from Mindar in Kyoto, Japan, June. 11, 2022.Kodaiji Temple“Before listening to its sermons, worshippers view Mindar as a robot. But after, they perceive it as Buddha, not a robot,” Kodaiji Temple’s chief steward, Tensho Goto, told ABC News.Mindar was born in 2019 from a $1 million collaboration between Kodaiji Temple and a team led by Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro from the Department of Systems Innovation at Osaka University. Their goal was to enhance spiritual experiences and revive interest in Buddhism, which has been dwindling due to modernism and generational change in Japan.The design of the humanoid seeks to bridge the gap between the spiritual world, where Buddha exists, and the physical world, where Buddha’s form materializes through Mindar, according to its creators.The camera lens in Mindar’s left eye enables eye contact with worshippers. Its hands and torso move to imitate human-like interaction. The humanoid’s “gender and age-neutral look” also encourages worshippers to conceive their own image of Buddha.Mindar folds his hands to pray in Kyoto, Japan.Kodaiji Temple“The design policy for Mindar was about encouraging people’s imagination. Buddha’s statue has a similar design: it’s difficult to see the statue’s age and gender,” Ishiguro, who designed Mindar, told ABC News.Also complementing the robot’s design is an interactive 3D projection mapping where videos of worshippers are displayed on the wall behind Mindar. In a pre-programmed presentation, a person projected onto the wall asks questions about Buddha’s teachings to Mindar, which replies with lucid explanations. The technology invokes the sensation that worshippers coexist in a non-physical, parallel reality with the Buddhist deity.Although Mindar’s abilities are limited to citing preprogrammed sermons at the moment, the temple has plans to introduce additional features.“We plan to implement AI so Mindar can accumulate unlimited knowledge and speak autonomously. We also want to have separate sermons for different age groups to facilitate teachings,” Goto said.Mindar, a humanoid Buddhist deity, makes hand gestures to imitate human-like dialogue during sermons in Kyoto, Japan.Kodaiji TempleRegarding possible concerns that a robot deity could be considered sacrilegious, Goto was firm in his stance that Buddhism was about following Buddha’s way, not worshiping a god.“The Buddhist goddess of mercy, Kannon, can change into anything. This time, Kannon was represented by a robot,” he said.Mindar epitomizes the ubiquity of robots in daily life in Japan, which produces 45% of the global robot supply, according to the International Federation of Robotics.“We Japanese are very positive about accepting robots. If other countries recognize that it's very convenient, they will use it too, even in religious fields,” Ishiguro said.

Emerging Technologies

Trash-Talking Teen In 'Bridesmaids' 'Memba Her?! 6/15/2022 12:01 AM PT American actress Mia Rose Frampton was just 15 years old when she was cast as the fast-mouthed teenager -- who is shopping for her best friend's birthday gift but ultimately deals out some impressive insults to the store employee -- in the 2011 comedy film "Bridesmaids." Mia was cast alongside some of 'SNL's best comedians like Kristen Wiig as the money-hungry and hilarious best friend of the bride, Annie Walker, Maya Rudolph as the bride-to-be, Lillian, Melissa McCarthy as the low-key smart sister of the groom, Megan, and Rebel Wilson as Annie's brutally honest roommate, Brynn. Guess what she looks like today at 26 years old!

Celebrity

'Fake Klay Thompson' Breaches Warriors Security ... Prank Caught On Camera 6/14/2022 8:24 AM PT UPDATE 7:46 AM PT -- 6/15 -- Daws -- AKA the Klay Thompson impersonator -- posted video of the moment he breezed through multiple layers of security at the Warriors' home arena (Chase Center) ... until the moment where he literally walked on the court hours before an NBA Finals game, and launched a bunch of shots. UPDATE A Klay Thompson impersonator has been BANNED for life from Warriors home games ... after he allegedly fooled arena personnel into believing he was the Golden State star, allowing him access to not just the building, but also the basketball court. "Banned bc I walked past 5 layers of security guards (who willingly let me through security without asking for ID) & shot around on the court for 10 minutes," Dawson Gurley announced on social media. And, Daws isn't kidding about the ban ... he posted a photo of a letter from a Warriors executive laying out his punishment. "You deliberately deceived Chase Center building personnel by impersonating a GSW employee," the letter read, in part. The disciplinary letter goes on to say Daws -- who isn't denying the allegation -- can't ever come back. They also threatened him with a trespassing charge. For his part, Daws thinks the suspension is BS! He says he actually had a ticket for the game ... saying it isn't his fault security didn't stop him. "I also spent 10K on tickets which they are not refunding. Why should I be banned because their security is incompetent?" Dawson asked his followers. 10 bands is obviously a lot of money to waste. But, the Klay impersonator says he doesn't have any regrets. "Was it worth it to lose 10K on tickets and be banned for life? Absolutely. I was an NBA player for 10 minutes bro." During those 10 minutes, Daws even had time to take a photo. It's not the first time Gurley's received attention for impersonating the All-Star. He pranked fans during the 2018 NBA Finals, sitting courtside, dressed as Klay. That video has millions of views. Side note: the real Klay Thompson had 21 points in Monday's game 5 win. The Warriors are one game away from winning an NBA title. Originally Published -- 6/14 8:24 AM PT

Basketball

Published June 15, 2022 4:23AM Updated 9:28AM article ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JUNE 14: Aledmys Diaz #16 of the Houston Astros turns a double play over Charlie Culberson #11 of the Texas Rangers at second base in the ninth inning at Globe Life Field on June 14, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Heitman/ ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Jose Altuve took off toward home plate hoping to get into a rundown so Houston could have runners at second and third. Things worked out even better than that in a four-run winning rally in the eighth inning. "We’re at a lull in the action ... then all of a sudden, it just happened," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "That was quick." Kyle Tucker extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games with a two-run homer that capped Houston’s four-run outburst over only nine pitches, and the AL West-leading Astros beat the Texas Rangers 4-3 on Tuesday night. Altuve and Michael Brantley opened the eighth with consecutive singles before Alex Bregman hit a hard grounder at shortstop Corey Seager, who threw to the plate instead of trying to start a double play. Altuve was caught in the baseline, but scored the first run when rookie third baseman Ezequiel Duran couldn’t handle catcher Sam Huff’s throw. "Probably," Texas manager Chris Woodward said, when asked if Seager should have gone for the double play instead. "He asked me about it and admitted that he probably should have done that. Hindsight’s 20/20. He’s being aggressive. He’s trying to make a play. So it’s hard to fault him for that," Woodward said. "Unfortunately it didn’t work out for us, but we've still got to execute the play and get an out." Rangers reliever John King (1-3) retired only one of the five batters he faced. That was an RBI groundout by slugger Yordan Álvarez on the pitch after the botched rundown — and a pitch before Tucker’s 12th homer of the season. "I’m glad the way we did it and happy that we won the game," Altuve said. "Might be the victory of the year," Baker said. "I can’t remember a more exciting finish than that. Boy, we needed that badly." The Astros had lost four of their previous five games, including the series opener when Texas had a three-run eighth for a 5-3 win. The Rangers had their three-game winning streak snapped, missing a chance to match their longest this season. "That was a frustrating one," Woodward said. Bryan Abreu (4-0), the first of three Astros relievers, threw a scoreless seventh. Ryan Pressly worked the ninth for his 12th save in 14th chances. The Rangers went ahead 3-0 in the fourth on a two-run homer by Nathaniel Lowe, who pulled a pitch that landed 416 feet away from the plate in the Texas bullpen in right-center in the fourth inning. It was his eighth homer overall, his seventh in his last 22 games. Duran, who had never played above Double-A before his big league debut June 4, led off the third with an infield single and scored on Marcus Semien's two-out single. FOR STARTERS Dane Dunning pitched six scoreless innings for the Rangers, but is still winless in his last eight starts. The right-hander struck out four and walked four while allowing only two hits, both doubles. Astros righty José Urquidy struck out four without a walk while allowing three runs over six innings. TRAINER’S ROOM Astros: Rookie SS Jeremy Peña returned to Houston to be evaluated by team doctors a day after he got hurt falling forward onto the turf when going after a bloop hit in in the third inning Monday night. Peña stayed in that game after getting checked out and flexing his left hand. Baker said the injury wasn't the left wrist that was repaired in surgery last year, but didn't elaborate. He said the Astros were getting a second opinion after Peña was initially evaluated by Rangers doctors. ... Baker said RHP Lance McCullers had a "very encouraging" bullpen session that included hitting 90 mph. McCullers still hasn't thrown any breaking balls in his recovery from an arm injury in last year's American League Division Series. Rangers: CF Eli White had surgery in which two screws were inserted into his fractured right wrist. He is not expected to resume baseball activities for 6-8 weeks. SHORT-HANDED The Astros were two players short with Peña back in Houston and right-hander Hector Neris starting to serve his reduced three-game suspension. The reliever was suspended after his ejection from a game June 6 in which he plunked one Seattle batter and nearly hit another in the head. Neris appealed, and a settlement between MLB reduced the discipline to three games without the case going to a hearing. The Astros are not permitted to replace Neris on the active roster during his suspension. UP NEXT Astros right-hander Luis Garcia, 0-4 his last five starts, is scheduled to pitch in the series finale. The Rangers will likely go with a bullpen game in the spot of rookie right-hander Glenn Otto, who will miss his second consecutive scheduled start while on the COVID-19-related injured list. Otto went into protocols Friday, just before his last scheduled start.

Baseball

DETROIT (AP) — Automakers reported nearly 400 crashes of vehicles with partially automated driver-assist systems, including 273 involving Teslas, according to statistics released by U.S. safety regulators on Wednesday.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cautioned against using the numbers to compare automakers, saying it didn’t weight them by the number of vehicles from each manufacturer that use the systems, or how many miles those vehicles traveled.Automakers reported crashes from July of last year through May 15 under an order from the agency, which is examining such crashes broadly for the first time.“As we gather more data, NHTSA will be able to better identify any emerging risks or trends and learn more about how these technologies are performing in the real world,” said Steven Cliff, the agency’s administrator.Tesla’s crashes happened while vehicles were using Autopilot, “Full Self-Driving,” Traffic Aware Cruise Control, or other driver-assist systems that have some control over speed and steering. The company has about 830,000 vehicles with the systems on the road.Get Innovation BeatBoston Globe tech reporters tell the story of the region's technology and innovation industry, highlighting key players, trends, and why they matter.The next closest of a dozen automakers that reported crashes was Honda, with 90, but Honda says it has about six million vehicles on U.S. roads with such systems. Subaru was next with 10, and all other automakers reported five or fewer.In a June 2021 order, NHTSA told more than 100 automakers and automated vehicle tech companies to report serious crashes within one day of learning about them and to disclose less-serious crashes by the 15th day of the following month. The agency is assessing how the systems perform and whether new regulations may be needed.NHTSA also said that five people were killed in the crashes involving driver-assist systems, and six were seriously hurt.Tesla’s crash number also may be high because uses telematics to monitor its vehicles and get real-time crash reports. Other automakers don’t have such capability, so their reports may come slower or crashes may not be reported at all, NHTSA said. A message was left seeking comment from Tesla.Tesla’s crashes accounted for nearly 70% of the 392 reported by the dozen automakers. Although the Austin, Texas, automaker calls its systems Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving,” it says the vehicles cannot drive themselves and the drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.Manufacturers were not required to report how many vehicles they have on the road that have the systems, nor did they have to report how far those vehicles traveled, or when the systems are in use, NHTSA said. At present, those numbers aren’t quantifiable, an agency official said.However, NHTSA may seek such information later. In the meantime, the new data has enabled it to find out about crashes much faster than before. At present, it’s using the crash data to look for trends and discuss them with the companies, the agency said.Already NHTSA has used the data to seek a recall, open investigations and provide information for existing inquiries, officials said. Also, they said it’s difficult to find out how many drivers actually use the technology.“This will help our investigators quickly identify potential defect trends that can emerge,” Cliff said. “These data will also help us identify crashes that we want to investigate and provide more information about how people in other vehicles interact with the vehicles.”Honda said it has packaged the systems to sell more of them, which could influence its numbers. “The population of vehicles that theoretically could be involved in a reportable event is much greater than the population of vehicles built by automakers with a less-aggressive deployment strategy,” the company said.Also, reports to NHTSA are based on unverfied customer statements about whether automated systems were running at the time of a crash. Those crashes may not qualify for reporting to NHTSA after more data is gathered, Honda said.The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents most automakers, said the data collected by NHTSA isn’t sufficient by itself to evaluate the safety of automated vehicle systems.NHTSA’s order also covered companies that are running fully autonomous vehicles, and 25 reported a total of 130 crashes. Google spinoff Waymo led with 62, followed by Transdev Alternative Services with 34 and General Motors-controlled Cruise LLC with 23.Waymo has far more vehicles in use than other companies, and it’s running a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Arizona and California.In 108 of the crashes involving fully autonomous vehicles, no injuries were reported, and there was only one serious injury. In most of the crashes, vehicles were struck from the rear.

Automotive and Transportation

Gabrielle Foster had been a fan of One Direction since she was 11 years old.“We all come from different backgrounds. We all bond over Harry, but we don’t personally know what’s going on in each other’s lives,” she told me. “I just want there to be more representation for everybody.” Now in her early twenties, Foster is one of the better-known “Black Harries” on Twitter, as she was one of the first Black Harry Styles fans to organize efforts to win his public alliance with the Black Lives Matter movement.This took a longer time than many people seem to remember. In the fall of 2017, a fan threw a Black Lives Matter flag onto the stage at a Styles concert in London, and Styles ignored it. His fan base was used to him accepting pride flags and dancing with them onstage, as well as giving an opening monologue about how much he valued the support of women. It didn’t seem like an accident that he’d left the flag on the floor, untouched, even as sections of the crowd were holding up Black Lives Matter signs. He was known for noticing things like that—he would often read off the signs in the audience and banter a bit with the people who had written odd ones. Many fans responded with anger. “Use your fucking platform,” one tweeted afterward. “You’re enabling hypocrisy.” Others were deeply hurt. “I love Harry, he’s my safest place, but I feel so disconnected, so unsupported,” another wrote. Some taunted him with a play on his own song lyrics, from the (horrible) song “Woman”: “You flower, you feast” became “You flower, you white feministe.”Young people who were raised to understand network effects speak reflexively about the power that comes with having a lot of followers and a central cultural position, or a platform, which is not so much a stable object or trait but a privilege granted by interconnected groups of real people and should therefore be used judiciously. Black fans of Harry Styles were not arguing that he should support Black Lives Matter only because it would be personally affirming; they saw it as his moral responsibility as a person with a high public profile. But many white fans joined in the conversation only to suggest that Black fans were asking for too much, that Harry couldn’t support every political cause, and that a concert was not a protest. After the initial uproar, Styles posted a black-and-white photograph of some of the signs on his Instagram, captioned “Love.” To white fans, that gesture was supposed to be enough. In June 2018, when Gabrielle organized a huge showing of mass-printed paper signs at a show in Hershey, Pennsylvania, white fans tweeted at her about it in rude confusion. This was resolved already, wasn’t it?“The projects we put on all through the tour, it started to feel hopeless at some point,” she told me. “It was a constant attack toward Black fans; we’re getting attacked and we can’t get the recognition from Harry.” Gabrielle went to a second concert, in Washington, DC, and splurged for a ticket in the standing-room pit at the edge of the stage. She brought a Black Lives Matter flag with her and planned to toss it up to Styles, to see if he would pick it up. “I was very hopeful,” she told me. “He was directly in front of me and he was talking to someone near me. I threw it at his feet, and he looked down at it, accidentally stepped on it, and walked away. So that kind of crushed me.” Her mood got worse when some of the girls in the crowd around her insisted that she had only herself to blame for the disappointment. She’d kept the flag crumpled up so he couldn’t see it the whole show, they told her, and then she got mad at him for not noticing it that one instant? She shot back that she’d held the flag open over the edge of the barricade for hours. The night was ruined, and she went home in a rage. “I was really upset in the moment,” she said. “I had a picture of him standing on the flag and I was so mad. I had even considered just unstanning completely because it was so awful. I went off the rails.”After a long drive back to Virginia, she cooled down a bit and checked her Twitter messages. Many of her friends in Styles fandom had sent her clips of another Black Lives Matter flag on the Jumbotron at a different show, or of Styles holding the flag up in Boston, and one of him yelling, “I love every single one of you. If you are Black, if you are white . . . Whoever you are . . . I support you.” Eventually, she decided that Styles did care. But she never quite forgot that moment of despair. “I wish he had done something sooner,” she told me. “It still gets thrown in Black fans’ faces to this day by other fandoms. Well, your fave wouldn’t even hold the flag, or something like that.”There is a term for the type of fan who will never criticize their fave, never hold them accountable for anything, and coddle them forever as if each day is freshly the day they were born. It’s “cupcake,” and the Harry Styles fandom has many of them. It also has what Black fans refer to as “KKK Harries”—white fans who refuse to cede any ground in the fandom and prefer to pretend they’re the only people there.When Harry Styles agreed to perform at a Super Bowl preshow in the midst of conversations about the NFL’s legacy of racism, Black fans were startled and tried to put pressure on him to change his plans with the hashtag #HarryBackOut. Supporting Black Lives Matter with a sticker was not enough, they argued, if it didn’t reflect a principled dedication to living those politics. Some white fans were annoyed too, but it seemed that most of their annoyance was directed at the fans who wanted to prevent them from enjoying a rare television performance by their favorite star. They offered “friendly” reminders that Styles is a singer, not a political activist. Black fans were asked to qualify and defend their desires over and over—they do love him, they don’t think he’s racist, they just want him to do better, maybe he’s not a political activist, but he is an adult man who is capable of processing information and altering his behavior, if he cares to. (The show was canceled due to inclement weather.) Many of them also wrote about how tiring it was to be a Black Harrie or a Black stan in general. “When you’re a fan of somebody and the fan base is mostly white, you might feel a little ostracized,” Ezz Mbamalu, a 23-year-old fan from North Carolina told me. “People try to get on you about Why do you listen to them? That’s not what Black people listen to. You get pushed down even more.”Black Harries had a big moment when Styles released the single “Adore You” in 2019—it was an upbeat, charming love song with a lyric about “brown skin and lemon over ice.” These few words turned Twitter into a party, as Black fans were elated by what they viewed as much-delayed representation in Styles’ work. “THE BLACKS HAVE FINALLY WON!” Ezz tweeted, “ADORE YOU WAS WRITTEN ABOUT A BLACK WOMAN.” The celebration lasted all night, and for self-described “Harries of colour,” this event was “going in the history books.” But almost as soon as Black women started tweeting about the lyric, white fans were replying and subtweeting, suggesting that Styles could have just been talking about a woman with a tan. Or, after the release of the “Adore You” music video, which followed Styles as he cared for a large pet fish, that it could have referred to scales. “It’s like, let us enjoy one thing,” a Black Harrie named Elul Agoda told me. “He writes two words about us and that gets taken away from us too.”Black fans sometimes abandon the main Twitter timeline when these types of dismissals happen and move to group chats for Black Harries only. There, they can organize to make themselves visible in the broader fandom in careful and coordinated ways, such as with the hashtag #BlackHarriesMatter. For several years, on the first of every month—in honor of Styles’ February 1 birthday—Black fans tweeted selfies in Harry Styles merch, or styled in a Harry Styles aesthetic, or just smiling, paired with the hashtag, so that their faces would take up space in the broader fandom’s timelines. The idea, Ezz told me, was to say, We’re here, we’re visible, we care about Harry, we’re not going to be pushed aside. “I think it’s cool to go into the hashtag and see other people who look like me, that have the same interest as me, which is Harry Styles,” she added. But even that effort has received pushback from white fans, some of whom will go so far as to comment things like “White Harries Matter Too,” while others mask their questions in politeness, saying they love the hashtag, the photos are gorgeous, but why is it important to say this?“It’s tiring,” Gabrielle Foster told me. “But it’s also like, we got to let it be known. Black Harries Matter.”In August 2019, in his second Rolling Stone cover story, Styles told the journalist Rob Sheffield that he had struggled with Black Lives Matter because he hadn’t wanted people to feel like he was virtue signaling. He inched into participation by putting a BLM sticker on his guitar. “When I did it, I realized people got it,” he said. “Everyone in that room is on the same page and everyone knows what I stand for. I’m not saying I understand how it feels. I’m just trying to say, ‘I see you.’”Eventually he would be stirred to do more; he tweeted links to bail funds when demonstrators were arrested during the George Floyd protests, and participated in a Black Lives Matter march himself in Los Angeles. The Styles fandom organized itself to support the protests as well, in an assiduous way that reveals how fans have started to think about the relationship between their pop culture loyalties and their politics. Many removed his face from their avatars and replaced it with a Black Lives Matter fist. They canceled the #BlackHarriesMatter tag that June, and all other usual fandom activities, preferring to stay focused on helping protestors. When I spoke to Black fans during that time, they sounded energized—they were excited that K-pop fans were popping out in such numbers to support them, even though typically the two fandoms couldn’t possibly have less to do with each other. They were also relieved to see Styles participating, and glad that he had attended the protest without deliberately calling attention to himself over Black protestors themselves.Activism in a fandom context has often been concerned with visibility. The causes tend to be identity-based, and the aim is often to win from the stars in question some explicit recognition that these identities exist within their audience, that they are important, and that both star and fan are aligned with a broader political movement related to this identity. But the choices that Styles fans made during the protests of 2020 reveal a shift or logical progression in this thinking. Fandom activism has been mostly visibility-based so far, but it could still be a precursor to something bigger: Visibility is a starting point for activism, and not its end goal. “Pop culture doesn’t really change the world,” the labor organizer Teo Bugbee wrote for SSENSE that summer. “It’s a product to be consumed, an indulgence. But the gift of pop is that it actualizes a fantasy: visions of a world that doesn’t yet and maybe won’t ever exist.” Harry Styles fans didn’t imagine that they would erase the structural problems of the societies they lived in by calling attention to themselves, or that being seen by people who like the same music as they did was overtly political. They just wanted to be respected for their dedication and to be seen for all the things they are other than fans of Harry Styles.Just as stereotypes can hurt all kinds of fans, elucidating the diversity of fandom can help all kinds of fans too. Jessica Pruett, a gender and sexuality studies scholar who completed a PhD in culture and theory at the University of California, Irvine, in 2021, wrote her master’s thesis on lesbian fans of One Direction. “Thinking about lesbian fandom of One Direction helps reframe how people think about One Direction fandom in general,” she told me. “It’s a lot more complicated and weird than people think it is. It’s not a straightforward thing of Oh, of course girls have crushes on the boys and that’s why they’re fans. It’s not just lesbian fandom that’s more complicated than that—it’s all fandom.” (She recommended a Tumblr account called 1Dgaymagines, which is short-form self-insert fanfiction for queer women fans of One Direction. Among the most recent stories on the blog: The boys of One Direction are your best friends and help you woo a sexy vampire who lives in a castle on a hill; Harry Styles asks you to decide who to let into the Met Gala; you start a community garden.)When the goal is visibility within a fandom, the external result is clarification: If Black women love One Direction too, then this is not just a white cultural artifact; if queer fans love them, then this is not just a cheap ploy to exploit heterosexual teenage hormones; if adults love them, then this is not just a phase that a person eventually grows out of. When the goal is to use a fandom’s numbers and organizational capabilities to lift a political cause, the external result is also a clarification, one more like an adjustment of a lens that brings something into clearer view: Selecting a pop star to love was never a political tactic, but an expression of optimism that anyone can be changed. To hope that Niall Horan deeply cares about my rights is to hope that the other men I love do. To expect that Liam Payne understands why there are so many rainbow flags in the crowd is to believe that anyone should. To want Harry Styles to wave a Black Lives Matter flag onstage is to believe that the world is shifting, and to ask him to do it is to insist on it. We don’t need to be told that these men are more a reflection of us than we are of them.Excerpted from Everything I Need I Get From You by Kaitlyn Tiffany. Published by MCD × FSG Originals. Copyright © 2022 by Kaitlyn Tiffany. All rights reserved.

Music

A full moon rises behind the Boston Light, late Tuesday, June 14, 2022, in Winthrop, Mass. The moon ... [+] reached its full stage Tuesday, during a phenomenon known as a supermoon because of its proximity to Earth, and it is also labeled as the "Strawberry Moon" because it is the full moon at strawberry harvest time. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) ASSOCIATED PRESS Did you see the year’s biggest full Moon rise this week? Looking to the east at dusk on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 was what you should have been doing to get eyes-on with the “Strawberry Moon”—the final full Moon of spring and also the year’s biggest, brightest and best “supermoon.” Here’s what it looked like from around the world: Although it’s usually called the “Strawberry Moon” because the soft fruit is in season in the northern hemisphere June’s full Moon is also called the “Hot Moon,” Mead Moon” and “Rose Moon.” The full moon known as the 'Strawberry Moon' rises over the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion in ... [+] Athens, Greece on June 14, 2022. (Photo by Ayhan Mehmet/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Anadolu Agency via Getty Images A “supermoon” is said to occur when our Moon moves closest to the Earth in its elliptical orbit while in its “full” phase. It thus looks slightly larger and brighter than usual. Full strawberry super moon rises behind medieval tower of Santo Stefano di Sessanio in Italy on June ... [+] 13, 2022. The june moon is the first supermoon of 2022, next will be on july. (Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images May’s full Moon will be the biggest and best “supermoon” of 2021, but the next full Moon—on April 26, 2021—can still be called a “supermoon” because it occurs within 90% of its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. It will look about 6% bigger than the “average” full Moon, and up to 30% brighter. The full moon, otherwise known as a strawberry supermoon, is seen over the Skyline of the CBD in ... [+] Sydney, Australia June 15, 2022. (Photo by Steven Saphore/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Anadolu Agency via Getty Images There’s no hard and fast definition of what a “supermoon” is, with some calculations meaning there are four in 2022 and others just two. However you define them there are certainly two supermoons in 2022—in June and July—with this week’s “Strawberry Moon” the closest to Earth, so the biggest in the sky. Roof decorations on the corner tower at the Forbidden City depicting sacred beasts are silhouetted ... [+] against a supermoon, Tuesday, June 14, 2022, in Beijing. The moon reach its full stage on Tuesday, during a phenomenon known as a supermoon because of its proximity to Earth, and it is also labeled as the "Strawberry Moon" because it is the full moon at strawberry harvest time. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) ASSOCIATED PRESS Not that the full Moon looks much larger purely because it’s a supermoon. The difference is very slight, with a supermoon only appearing about 14% larger than the smallest (farthest) full Moon of the year. The full "Strawberry moon" is seen past the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 14, 2022. (Photo ... [+] by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images The apparent diameter of the Moon is only 0.5º. The celestial sphere around our planet is 360º and from any one place on Earth you can see 180º—the visible night sky (the rest is below the horizon). So 0.5º isn’t much. It’s actually just one 72,000th the size of the sky. Full moon, known as the Strawberry moon rises over the sky in Antalya, Turkiye on June 15, 2022. ... [+] (Photo by Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The apparently large size of a rising full Moon is down to something called the “Moon illusion.” Whether you watch a full Moon rise behind a tree, between buildings or above the roofs of houses, our brains make comparisons between them and the size of the Moon. Your brain makes the Moon look huge. It’s an optical illusion that lasts for only a few minutes when the Moon is close to the horizon. Full moon rises behind hot-air balloon gliding over Cappadocia region, located in Central Anatolia's ... [+] Nevsehir province, Turkiye on June 15, 2020. (Photo by Behcet Alkan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Either way, the night of the full Moon is the only opportunity of the month to see the full disk of the Moon appear on the horizon during dusk. That’s because it rises about 50 minutes later each night so either rises during daylight or darkness either side of “full Moon night.” Strawberry Full Moon rises over Manhattan in New York City, United States on June 14, 2022. (Photo ... [+] by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The Moon always looks at its delicate best during moonrise and moonset close to the time of it being at its “full” phase. For most of the night the full Moon looks like it always does—bright and white—though for about 15 minutes as it rises in the east it appears orange, turning to a pale yellow as it rises higher into the sky. The waxing gibbous moon rises in the countryside of the village of Tal Sallur in the rebel-held ... [+] Afrin region of Syria's northern Aleppo province on June 13, 2022, a day ahead of the June "strawberry supermoon". (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP) (Photo by RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images The reason for the Moon’s color as it rises is something called Rayleigh scattering. Earth’s atmosphere contains oxygen and nitrogen molecules that absorb some wavelengths of light more effectively than others. Full strawberry super moon rises behind medieval tower of Santo Stefano di Sessanio in Italy on June ... [+] 13, 2022. The june moon is the first supermoon of 2022, next will be on july. (Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images Colors in the sun's light with short wavelengths, such as blue, strike more particles and are therefore more often absorbed. They scatter more easily, which is why the sky is blue during the day. Colors with longer wavelengths, such orange, more easily pass through the atmosphere uninhibited. The full moon rises as the June 2022 "Strawberry Supermoon" in Singapore on June 14, 2022. (Photo by ... [+] ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP) (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images When you look at moonrise you're looking across the planet so you’re looking through a lot of atmosphere. So Rayleigh scattering is intensified, with orange dominating the light that makes it to your eyes. The full Strawberry Moon rises Over Gaza City, on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (Photo by Sameh ... [+] Rahmi/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images The next full Moon is the “Buck Moon,” which rises on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. It will also be a “supermoon,” albeit not quite as close as the “Strawberry Moon” so slightly smaller in the sky. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

Space Exploration

Steph Curry 3-Year-Old Dribbles Two Balls At Once ... Just Like Daddy!!! 6/15/2022 8:02 AM PT Instagram / @ayeshacurry The NBA could be in serious trouble in 16 years ... 'cause Stephen Curry's 3-year-old son is already following in his papa's footsteps and showing off his incredible dribbling skills!! Steph's wife, Ayesha, posted the clip on Tuesday ... with Canon mimicking Steph's iconic pregame ritual. "Canon Jack out here stuntin like his daddy 😍😆 @stephencurry30" Ayesha said on Tuesday Of course, Steph goes through a rigorous pregame warmup before every contest ... which has drawn fans to show up early to check out the spectacle. Steph has previously talked about giving his son shooting advice but hilariously admitted the toddler isn't too fond of listening to the 3-time champion's help. It should come as no surprise Canon's got natural talent -- after all, his dad, uncle and gramps all made it to the league. The NBA requires players to be 19 and one year removed from high school before entering the draft ... so bad news for Curry haters -- the third generation is right around the corner!!

Basketball

Getty Images It’s been four years since Dua Lipa and Calvin Harris collaborated together to create a summertime smash hit with “One Kiss.” Now they’ve once again teamed up for a new summer jam called “Potion,” this time featuring Young Thug and sprinkling a little bit of sex appeal. The accompanying music video for this disco-pop single shows Dua and Young Thug jamming at a tropical island from sunset through dusk. It begins with Dua singing from an overturned retro car. “In the whip on a Tuesday night / Got the music high,” she vocalizes. “And you by my si-i-ide, si-i-ide.” We later see her strut across a hallway of neon lights with her backup dancers and show off her erotic moves on a lilypad and even onstage in a glittery silver dress and boots. “Late night conversations / Electric emotions / Sprinkled with a little bit of sex / And it's a potion, yeah,” Dua sings throughout the chorus. “Late night, bodies achin' / Mental stimulation / Sprinkled with a little bit of sex appeal / And it's a moment, yeah, yeah.” With a band playing electric guitar chords, Young Thug dons on a glittery multicolor tux and shades. “I've been catchin' love off a backboard / Runnin' from your love, that's what this track for,” he raps. “Fuckin' every bitch and never tell 'em, no / I'm pushin' P, they black and white, a Oreo.” The video continuously shows various clips fading into each other to accompany the chill, sensual vibes of the song. As the song closes, a short of Dua leaning onto Harris can be seen before the video fades to black. Earlier this week, Harris teased the song on TikTok with the caption “How I made Potion.” The video shows him experimenting with his keyboard and electric guitar, a short clip of the DJ FaceTiming with Dua, and playing a snippet of the song. @calvinharris How I made Potion ♬ original sound - Calvin Harris “Potion” is the first single from Harris’s upcoming album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2, which is set for release this summer. The single is also the second time the DJ has collaborated with Young Thug, after “Heatstroke” along with Pharrell Williams and Ariana Grande in 2017. Harris and Lipa’s most famous collaboration, “One Kiss,” was released in April 2018, and it became the longest running No. 1 single in the UK Singles Chart for eight weeks straight. We’ll see what kind of juice “Potion” has in store this time. Pop Music Calvin Harris Young Thug Dua Lipa

Music

OH ENGLAND, HOW COULD YOU?The Fiver has no memories of 1928 when England were last shellacked at home in such an utterly hilarious embarrassing fashion but Great Grandad Fiver is still absolutely fuming and talks about that dreadful day every 31 March. Ninety-four years ago Henry Healless and co were thrashed by the Alexs of Scotland, with Jackson getting a hat-trick and a double for James. How could we ever forget such a day?One wonders how a nation could recover from such a monumental thumping. On that day it was just a meaningless friendly between England and Scotland at Wembley, as opposed to something as serious as a Uefa Nations League match in mid-June at Molineux. The loss comes at the end of four matches in 11 days and a gruelling season for the majority of those involved. The Fiver assumes the season will inevitably be officially extended for a ROOT AND BRANCH REVIEW™. There was a right-back at left-back, an inexperienced midfield and even a West Ham player in the team. It was all a bit of an experiment in the hope of saving the legs of the poor souls forced to be part of this squad. We must make sure this never happens again.Sign up to get the full version of The Fiver sent to your inbox.Anyway, it is now late-afternoon and the “You’re getting sacked in the morning” brigade have been proved wrong about Gareth Southgate, due to those cowards at the FA. In 1928, the suits themselves picked the team and continued to do so until 1946, which should give Southgate some hope of holding on to his job for a little while yet. Southgate might have helped get England to a World Cup semi-final and then a European Championship final, but imminent relegation from Nations League Group A Pot 3 Subsection Q really has insulted fans of criticism, who have been missing out in the past week or two. They should fret not, mind: the season starts again in a few weeks.QUOTE OF THE DAY“I came off the game the other day thinking I’m going to go grey so early over here. You feel like you can score and concede in the same phase of play. It’s fast; it’s end-to-end; it’s transitional. There’s probably not as much desire to keep the ball” – Casey Stoney gets her chat on with Sophie Downey about adapting to life as a manager in the USA! USA!! USA!!! with San Diego Wave.Staying classy in San Diego. Photograph: Meg Oliphant/Getty ImagesFIVER LETTERS“Far be it for me to tell The Fiver how to do your job, but you missed the best bit about Andrew Redmayne’s penalty shootout heroics (yesterday’s Fiver). Peru’s Pedro Gallese had copious notes about the Socceroos’ flamin’ penalty techniques written on his water bottle, in the time-honoured cheating-for-your-A-levels fashion. Redmayne’s first act in goal was to take Gallese’s bottle and yeet it into the stands. Having a new keeper come on for the penalties would rattle anyone, but not as much as having your cheat-sheet unceremoniously tossed away seconds before the big test. Forgive me for enjoying this: we’re still guaranteed to go out at the group stage with three straight losses” – Adam Osborne.[#EXCLUSIVO⚠️] La cámara de Movistar Deportes captó el preciso momento en que el arquero de Australia Andew Redmayne jugó sucio contra Pedro Gallese y la Selección Peruana.🇦🇺🇵🇪 Más imágenes a RAS DE CANCHA hoy desde las 9:00 p.m. en #ZonaMixta (003 y 703 en HD). pic.twitter.com/gLCvar6Yix— Movistar Deportes (@MovistarDeporPe) June 15, 2022 “If previously being shown on ITV was historically the kiss of death for England, what does that make Channel 4?” – Andy Taylor.Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Adam Osborne.RECOMMENDED BOOKINGMax, Barry and the pod squad are back on the road. The last remaining tickets to live shows in June and July are available here.NEWS, BITS AND BOBSFour men are in custody after a police officer was assaulted outside Molineux before England’s 4-0 rout by Hungary.Former Liverpool and Newcastle midfielder Danny Guthrie has been declared bankrupt after he racked up £120,000 in gambling debts.Costa Rica manager Luis Fernando Suárez feels vindicated for persuading old stagers like Keylor Navas and Bryan Ruiz to stay on with the national team after sinking New Zealand 1-0 to reach the Human Rights World Cup. “This group is spectacular, I can’t describe it,” he described. “It is a spectacular human group.”Happy Costa Rica fans. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/ShutterstockGianluigi Donnarumma isn’t particularly enamoured with hacks asking him about howlers he made in Italy’s 5-2 gubbing by Germany. “When did it happen before?” he honked, tripping over his own laces. “If we want to cause controversy over these things, then fine … if you want to blame me, fine, I’ll take the blame, I am the captain and I keep going with head held high.”La Liga clearly still has the funk on over not signing Kylian Mbappé, filing complaints to Uefa that PSG and Manchester City are in ongoing breach of FFP. “La Liga considers that these practices alter the ecosystem and sustainability of football, harm all European clubs and leagues, and only serve to artificially inflate the market, with money not generated within football itself,” sniffed big cheese Javier Tebas.Liverpool’s £85m man Darwin Núñez has signed a six-year deal and backed his ability by grabbing the No 27 shirt vacated by club legend and scorer of Big Goals, Divock Origi.After spending his peak years playing bass at Manchester United when he should have been lead guitar, Paul Pogba is set to sign a £7m-a-season deal to get noodling again at Juventus.Nottingham Forest are sniffing around a loan deal for Dean Henderson.And Christian Eriksen’s future remains up in the air. “I would love to play [Big Cup] football again,” he cheered. “I know how much fun it is, but it isn’t essential for me.” Just as well, given he’s being linked with a move to Old Trafford.STILL WANT MORE?Go Go Power Rankings! Nick Ames and Ed Aarons run the rule over the final 32 teams for the HRWC.They’ve got a power and a force … Composite: Getty/Reuters/RexWhich manager has the worst winning record in European finals? The Knowledge knows.Steven Pye sets the dial back to 1984 and remembers when Billy Bingham’s Northern Ireland won the last ever British Home Championship.Is Adnan Januzaj set for an emotional reunion with David Moyes? The Rumour Mill has all the transfer gossip you could ever need, right here.And if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO!FOOTBALL WEEKLY MERCH, YOU SAY?

Soccer

SWEDESBORO, New Jersey -- "It's a childhood dream, right," said Keith Dalton. "I spent all my time here on the farm as a kid and I did not want to see this become a development."Dalton, an ancestor of the Shoemaker family of Swedesboro, fell in love with farming at an early age. He can trace his family's farm back to 1790. And with two hundred years of history, the natural space was worth preserving in his mind.In the 2010s, Dalton began purchasing parts of the farm back from relatives. The 99-acre land adopted the name, "Dalton Farms," and began hosting events like the first Sunflower Festival in 2019 and Tulip Festival in 2020."It's a huge investment to which I never thought that I'd be able to afford," said Dalton. "But all these people coming out helps places like this in New Jersey remain farms."These events, described as "agri-tainment," are a collaboration between Dalton and his friend, Chris Viereck, who owns "Random Acts of Farmage.""We plant these tulips in November. It's a touch over 1 million," said Viereck. "And we have to wait five-six months to see if we did a good job."It's a heavy investment that relies on the weather during planting, growing, and blooming. Tulips prefer cold and wet environments, but large crowds are attracted by the opposite."It's great to get some beautiful warm days that get people out in the flowers," said Viereck. "But we probably lost six or eight days of our season because it was too hot and it pushed the flowers faster."The farm is also dealing with inflation, seeing a price-hike in tulip bulbs and farm equipment."All of our costs are going up and now inflation is hitting us hard to where the average family doesn't have to go to a tulip show," said Viereck. "They have to buy groceries, they have to buy gas."Still, families of all ages are enjoying the natural space at Dalton Farms, which features tulip-picking, paddle boating, live entertainment, and wine tasting on particular dates."The flowers are just endless. It's so beautiful," said Lindsey Centifonti, who visited with her 1-year-old daughter. "We were shocked when we all came up."Dalton hopes the beauty of his childhood home will be inviting to guests year after year, creating a new legacy for the centuries-old farm."I hope that we're still growing tulips on the ground, and then adding other agri-tainment events that we may not even know of yet," he said. "I hope it continues for generations to come."Dalton Farms is currently selling tickets for its Tulip Festival until April 27, 2022.

Festivals

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Some of the giants of women’s basketball say if not for Title IX, doors would not have been open for them to blaze trails to Hall of Fame careers on and off the court, but sound complacency alarms when it comes to the future of the law.Coach Marsha Sharp takes it a step farther when talking about the significance of Title IX.“I think the Title IX legislation, you could say is the most impactful piece of information in the 20th century,” said Sharp, who guided Sheryl Swoopes and Texas Tech to the 1993 national championship. “And I know the Civil Rights piece was really huge, but you impacted half our population.“With Title IX, you gave opportunities across the board to women. And it was really an amazing time to watch the growth in sports.”A 2003 inductee, Sharp joined 2008 Hall of Famer Debbie Ryan and a pair of recent inductees — Debbie Antonelli and Carol Stiff — in speaking with The Associated Press about the 50th anniversary of the landmark legislation. Stiff, a basketball player/coach turned TV executive, called Title IX priceless.“I don’t know where we would be today without Title IX,” Stiff said. The icons of the game also agree more work remains even after 50 years. “There’s a lot of battles, but we’re not fighting them,” said Ryan, who coached Virginia to three straight Final Fours. “And that’s one of the problems. I think because of the money that’s come into the game, it becomes harder for a coach to kind of put themselves out there. And I think even though they know who’s going to win, they just don’t do it as much.”At least one of Ryan’s former players has been outspoken. Dawn Staley, now the highest-paid coach in the Southeastern Conference, is front and center helping fight for equity while leading South Carolina to two national championships.For Sharp and Ryan, they worked their way through the nascent days of Title IX to the heights of women’s basketball.Sharp played at Wayland Baptist, a Texas program giving scholarships in the 1950s with a local company flying the team to games. So while most women’s programs could only dream of flying to road games, it was nothing new for Sharp when she became coach at Texas Tech in 1982. Sharp’s Red Raiders played a national schedule with flights to Tennessee and Stanford. At Virginia, Ryan had to stay awake to drive the van home from road games. Virginia started with one scholarship for basketball with the first player leaving after a year to care for her sick father. In 1978, Dori Gamble shared that scholarship with Hall of Famer Val Ackerman, currently commissioner of the Big East and the first president of the WNBA. Using Title IX meant picking battles to get more athletic gear, equipment and facilities for female athletes. One of Ryan’s biggest battles was for athletic bras.Virginia cited a price of $32 apiece to avoid buying them for all women’s sports until Ryan pushed back with studies about women’s health along with a petition backed by all coaches, including football coach George Welsh. After she won, Pat Summitt, Kay Yow, Jody Conradt and Tara VanDerveer all called for guidance to help wage their own fights.And probably surprising to many, the fight for athletic bras continues.“Still today women athletes are not provided in their regular gear athletic bras,” Ryan said. “They’re not provided it at all, which is ridiculous. And it’s crazy that they’re not provided enough funding to be able to buy them.”Antonelli, who played basketball for Yow at North Carolina State, started the first TV broadcasts of women’s games at Ohio State as director of marketing in the 1990s that boosted her own 30-plus year career as a broadcaster. She sees plenty of room for women’s sports to grow — as long as the money for diversity, equity and inclusion is used appropriately. “It should go to women’s sports,” Antonelli said. “There’s more opportunities for girls to play now than they’ve ever played then there’s ever been now. They’re not all playing my sport, but they are playing. And that’s important because we know what value sport brings, what it teaches.”Stiff said growing the TV audience is one of the next steps for women’s sports, and time slots are important to that growth.“If you build it, they will come,” said Stiff, who spent more than 30 years at ESPN and got the Tennessee-UConn rivalry started, broadcasting the schools’ first meeting in 1995. “And you can point to the NCAA women’s semifinals that got moved from ESPN2 to ESPN. Why was that? It out-rated the NBA in that window for two years. Two years. We out-rated the NBA regular season, Friday night games. So we move it over, and look at the ratings.”A 2021 Hall of Fame inductee, Stiff currently is involved with the Demand IX campaign with the Women’s Sports Foundation in an effort to educate people and and get help to protect and support Title IX. Sharp said education remains vital to Title IX because the law is almost a victim of its own success. The coach said just go into any university or high school and ask students about Title IX, and many won’t know what it means.“Is that a good thing? Sharp said. ”In some ways, yes, because they haven’t had to fight those battles. It means that they have felt equity probably in their lives. But on the other hand, if you get too far away from it, then there are going to be some opportunities for people not to stay on course with what is the right thing to do.”___For more on Title IX’s impact, read AP’s full report: https://apnews.com/hub/title-ix Video timeline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdgNI6BZpw0

Basketball

BTS will be pressing pause to pursue solo projects, the K-pop group announced Tuesday.The massively popular performers made the announcement in a video during their "Festa dinner," celebrating the band's ninth anniversary.The group consists of artists RM, Jin, V, J-Hope, Suga, Jimin and Jungkook."We're going into a hiatus now," Suga said. However a representative for the group told CNN, "To be clear, they are not on hiatus but will take time to explore some solo projects at this time and remain active in various different formats.""The problem with K-Pop and the whole idol system is that they don't give you time to mature. You have to keep producing music and keep doing something. And after I get up in the morning and get makeup done there's no time left for growth," group member RM said."In the past, I could still balance working on music alone and doing our group promotions but now I can't do them together. It's impossible, it just won't work. I can't be doing group stuff and then suddenly turning the focus to my own work like flipping a switch," RM continued. "I realized I need time on my own."He added that he realized BTS had changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they released hit singles like "Dynamite," "Butter" and "Permission to Dance.""I think 90 percent of our fans would root for us no matter what kind of music or direction we choose," V said. "J-Hope told me this before, we could focus on our solo work this time and later when we gather again as a group that synergy will be like no other.""We can't help but think of our fans no matter what. I think now, finally, we've come to think about what kind of artists we want to be remembered by our fans. I think that's why we're going through a rough patch right now. We're trying to find our identity and that's an exhausting and long process," Jimin added."I think that change is what we need right now," J-Hope said. "It's important for BTS to start our second chapter."The group's worldwide recognition grew in 2018 with their albums "Love Yourself: Answer" and "Love Yourself: Tear." They've also had giant hits through successful collaborations with Coldplay, Halsey, Ed Sheeran and other artists.During an interview in 2020 with CNN, J Hope described the group's approach to their careers."We don't try to set our standards to define success because if you set those standards, it is very tiring physically and mentally to reach those goals," J-Hope said. "Instead, just trying hard at what we do in our lives and emotions and staying true to that. And this eventually leads to a lot of success. That's what I'm trying to do. And by doing that, trying to stay true to ourselves."BTS has been frequently compared to The Beatles, even breaking one of the English rock band's records with three Billboard No. 1 albums in a single year.Their devoted fan base calls themselves the "BTS Army," propelling their music and coming to their defense on social media in 2019 when the group was shut out from Grammy nominations. They have been nominated for two Grammy Awards for best pop/duo performance.The-CNN-Wire& 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

Music

ARLINGTON — The Rangers have had plenty of issues hitting fastballs this year, but at least one player seems to be making progress in the fight against velocity.Over the 30-day period entering Tuesday, Adolis García was 7-for-19 (.368) against fastballs at 95 mph or higher. That included his run-scoring bouncing ball single through the right side on a 99 mph fastball from Houston’s Ryan Stanek in Monday’s come-from-behind win.García began Tuesday on a 10-for-21 (.476) streak that included seven hits on fastballs.He was hitting .268 over the last month against all fastballs, a significant improvement from the first five weeks of the season when he hit .230.“He’s made some really good adjustments,” manager Chris Woodward said Tuesday. “He’s simplified some things to make critical movements that have allowed him to be on time. When he’s good, he’s able to hit any fastball. But when you are rushing to hit the fastball, you can’t really hit it or anything else.”Woodward said the biggest adjustments García has made are to stop dropping his hands and to less emphasize a leg kick. It has allowed him to make his swing path more efficient and better engage his lower half in the swing sequence.On Twitter: @Evan_P_GrantRelated:Rangers waited to call up Leody Taveras, believing this time he’d be ready to stayRelated:How the Rangers’ bullpen imploded in eighth inning of 4-3 loss to AstrosFind more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter.Evan Grant, Rangers beat writer/insider. Evan has covered the Rangers since 1997. He has twice been named one of the top 10 beat writers in the country by the AP Sports Editors. His passions outside of covering baseball are his wife, Gina, his two step kids, two crazy dogs & barbecue. Let's not discuss the cat. Evan graduated from Georgia State University, but oddly is a Georgia fan. egrant@dallasnews.com @Evan_P_Grant

Baseball

An Airbus A321XLR plane takes off for its first flight from the Airbus plant in Hamburg, northern Germany, on June 15, 2022.Axel Heimken | AFP | Getty ImagesAirbus on Wednesday launched the maiden flight of its newest and largest narrowbody airliner, the A321XLR, as the European planemaker seeks to capitalize on lucrative demand for long-range single-aisle jets.The twin-engined passenger jet took off at 11:05 a.m. local time (0905 GMT) from a factory in Hamburg, Germany, ahead of more than a year of trials before the latest addition to its best-selling A320 medium-haul family enters service in 2024.Airbus is pitching the A321XLR as a game-changing addition to its narrowbody fleet, making it possible for airlines to serve thinly flown long-distance routes profitably, rather than forcing passengers to fly indirectly via wide-body hubs.It says the A321XLR can fly 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 km), 15% further than its most capable current narrowbody, allowing airlines to fly routes like Houston–Santiago, New York–Rome or Tokyo–Sydney without the cost of a big twin-aisle jet.The extra range is made possible by the addition of a new rear-center fuel tank molded into the lower fuselage.But Airbus faces questions from regulators over the risk of fire in the event of a belly landing and has been forced to delay the entry to service by at least three months to early 2024 to allow the lower structure to be modified. Some experts say the delay could extend up to a year.

Automotive and Transportation