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U.S. June 15, 2022 / 4:39 PM / CBS News Authorities in Florida are looking for Bam Margera after he fled a rehab facility on Monday, according to a police report from the Delray Beach Police Department obtained by CBS News. On Monday, the manager of a rehab facility called police because Margera left, even though he was at the facility under a court order and he was not authorized to leave. The manager told police Margera said he was unsatisfied with the facility's treatment and that he was going to check himself into a different one. The former MTV "Jackass" star, whose real name is Brandon Cole Margera, left in a black Honda sedan, the manager said. He was brought into the facility earlier this year under the court ordered Marchman Act, which provides emergency assistance and temporary detention for individuals requiring substance abuse evaluation and treatment in the state of Florida, the manager told police.
Margera did not appear to harm himself or others, but the staff was concerned that he left the facility while under the court order. The manager of the facility could not provide further information on Margera's whereabouts, and police were unable to find him. On Tuesday, Margera posted a photo of himself and another man, who he claimed to be his new alcohol anonymous sponsor. Margera, who was a professional skateboarder, often posts videos of his skateboarding and his family on Instagram. In May, he posted that he completed a year of treatment in Florida. Earlier this month, he posted that he broke his wrist while skateboarding. Delray Beach is a coastal city located in southeast Florida, just north of Boca Raton. In: Florida Caitlin O'Kane Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. 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 | Celebrity |
This story is part of Welcome to Mars, our series exploring the red planet. Remember that Sesame Street song One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others)? NASA's Perseverance rover spotted something that was not like the others on Mars. On June 13, Percy snapped a photo of a rock that had a strange-looking object stuck on it. The object is a piece of foil with dots visible all across it. "My team has spotted something unexpected: It's a piece of a thermal blanket that they think may have come from my descent stage, the rocket-powered jet pack that set me down on landing day back in 2021," the rover team tweeted on Wednesday. My team has spotted something unexpected: It’s a piece of a thermal blanket that they think may have come from my descent stage, the rocket-powered jet pack that set me down on landing day back in 2021. pic.twitter.com/O4rIaEABLu— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) June 15, 2022 NASA JPL spokesperson Andrew Good told CNET the piece is definitely from a thermal blanket. "Less definite is which part of the spacecraft it came from – the team thinks the descent stage is a good possibility – or how exactly it got here (descent stage crashed two kilometers away; whether it landed here after that crash or was blown by the wind isn't something we know)," Good said in an email.A closer look at the piece of foil shows the regular dots across its surface. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU The rover managed to capture the demise of the descent stage after landing on Mars in February 2021. The descent equipment was designed to deliver the rover to the surface and then scoot away to protect the vehicle and its landing site. The crash created a visible smoke plume in the distance.The blankets helped to regulate temperatures during the dramatic entry, descent and landing process, which is also known as the "seven minutes of terror." Percy's social media handlers highlighted the people who make the thermal blankets, saying, "Think of them as spacecraft dressmakers. They work with sewing machines and other tools to piece together these unique materials." An image shows samples of the blanket materials, including ones with dots that match the piece seen on Mars. Here’s part of the team at JPL that wrapped me up in thermal blankets. Think of them as spacecraft dressmakers. They work with sewing machines and other tools to piece together these unique materials. More on that here: https://t.co/CNkUheYFnQ pic.twitter.com/PcMeow3FyO— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) June 15, 2022 Percy is checking out an ancient river delta region inside the Jezero Crater. The rover team is hoping to find evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars, so a spot with a history of water is a prime place to investigate and collect rock samples that will hopefully be returned to Earth for study. The delta has already proven to be incredibly scenic, as this stunner of a landscape shows. The foil finding adds a layer of intrigue to the rover's explorations. How it got there is a mystery that might be left for future space archeologists to solve when they visit Mars some day. | Space Exploration |
Tribeca: Stars Rain Spencer and Thomas Gibson shine, but this teenage drama is too vapid to hit hard. The fraught world of teenage girlhood has long proven to be a fertile one for filmmakers. And, over the last decade, it’s provided a way for creators to go back into the past to re-examine the way teenage girls were overly sexualized and cast adrift in the wild world of the late 1990s and early aughts. Director Sarah Elizabeth Mintz returns audiences to 2005 with her feature, “Good Girl Jane,” a feature-length narrative based off her short film of the same name. While the film features several moments that are truly harrowing and are anchored by powerful performances by her young cast, the whole endeavor can’t help but come off as ultimately surface-level drama.
When the film opens, Jane (Rain Spencer) has transferred to a new school in Los Angeles after a series of bullying incidents at her old school. While her sister is able to make the adjustment with ease, Jane is still adrift, losing herself in harsh music and isolation. When she meets an enigmatic drug dealer named Jamie (Patrick Gibson), Jane soon finds herself wrapped up in his world of drugs and sex. “Good Girl Jane” feels like a throwback drama, and that’s not just because it’s set in the fall of 2005. There’s a simplicity to the situations and the characters that makes the feature impossible to divorce from Catherine Hardwicke’s iconic “Thirteen.” Even cinematographer Jake Saner’s muted color palette and penchant for a sparse, verite style comes off as reminiscent of that film about dark teenage experiences.
Mintz does, however, cleverly employ the expanded (and expanding) technology of direct messaging and cell phones. Jane’s move hasn’t stopped her old schoolmates from routinely sending her degrading messages or going onto her Myspace page and leaving trashy comments. With cell phones becoming more affordable, the film slyly examines Jane’s double life through the phone Jamie eventually gets her to communicate with only him.
Jane is desperate for connection, having an absentee father and a mother (played by Andie MacDowell), who just wants a break in life. Jane doesn’t want to just find a community, but one that truly understands her. Unfortunately, the first people who show any interest in her are hardcore drug users. These kids certainly don’t fall into the “Euphoria” trap of being glamorous, but it’s also hard to identify them as Jane’s peers. They all lack discernible personalities and spend so much time talking over each other, that sequences involving the group devolve into a cacophony of noise. And while this allows her to gravitate more toward Jamie, it’s often hard to ascertain why these kids would take Jane in to begin with, or why she’d reciprocate their interest.
“Good Girl Jane”42West
“Good Girl Jane” is debuting on the festival circuit just a few months after Jamie Dack’s intense, award-winning feature “Palm Trees and Power Lines” premiered at Sundance, itself a similar tale of a teenage girl groomed by an older man. Here, Mintz goes for a more stripped down approach to the relationship between Jane and Jamie. Rain Spencer and Patrick Gibson are fantastic in their respective roles, even more so when they’re locked in the game of power dynamics and grooming the script requires of them. The charismatic drug dealer is a familiar trope, and Gibson asserts an intimidating air that, coupled with his Irish accent, does lend a certain bit of charm. It’s easy to see why a girl like Jane would be interested in Jamie, especially considering how effortless Gibson is at being humorous and warm, but when Jamie starts to assert his power, it comes off as completely terrifying.
That dynamic is where Mintz’s feature blossoms, unafraid to show the insidiousness of grooming. Jane finds herself smiling, laughing, and enjoying some type of confidence with Jamie, but it’s all smoke and mirrors. Spencer captures both Jane’s flirtatious nature as she spends time with her new boyfriend, but also conveys the confusion when Jamie tries to assert his control over her. When Jane and Jamie visit a meth-addicted client of his, a woman who can’t take care of her children, Jane wants to leave. Spencer’s anguish in the situation is so genuine as to feel uncomfortably real.
Spencer is equally commanding in the moments opposite her mother and sister, Izzie (Eloisa Huggins). MacDowell plays her character as a woman who’s just tired of life. Her husband only sees his kids for an hour at a time and is always late with child support. When Jane finally confesses her issues to her mom — in a truly painful moment for her — her mother responds with a tossed-off, “can’t you just not [be on drugs]?” The eventual resolution between mother and daughter doesn’t come off as particularly earned by the end of the film.
At least Huggins and Spencer have wonderful chemistry together, though there are far too few scenes between the pair. There’s a greater sense of compassion for Jane with Izzie, probably because teens know the pressures being faced more than parents do. When Jane and Izzie have a heart-to-heart, it triggers a grander sense of resolution in just one scene than in any other moments between Jane and her mother.
It’s hard to shake how hollow everything feels within “Good Girl Jane.” For all the individual performances, the feature never comes off as more than a supersized short film, with certain scenes playing like filler to get to a nearly two-hour running time. By the end of the film, there’s still little sense of resolution or growth. Still, Rain Spencer and Thomas Gibson are bright stars in the making, and if “Good Girl Jane” delivers on anything, it’s showing off their abilities to land the kind of gut punches not on offer anywhere else.
Grade: C
“Good Girl Jane” premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. | Movies |
The French authorities deployed riot police in large numbers at the Champions League final in Paris apparently due to a misconceived association of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster with hooliganism, according to an official report produced for France’s prime minister.The report by Michel Cadot, the French sports ministry’s delegate on major sporting events, appears to confirm many Liverpool supporters’ bleakest assumptions at the final, that the heavy-handed policing they suffered, including being teargassed, was informed by prejudice about their likely behaviour.Cadot’s 30-page report, delivered on Friday to the office of the French prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, refers to Hillsborough in a section on police intelligence before the final on 28 May between Liverpool and Real Madrid. The section recognises first that Liverpool supporters have not been known for violence at matches. However, it then continues: “Reference to the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989 – 97 deaths – for which the responsibility of the [police] was pointed out, led however to the drawing up of a firm policing arrangement, to maintain order in riot gear, in order to be able to respond to a risk of collective phenomena of hooliganism and havoc, as had happened in Marseilles on 13 June 2016 during the England-Russia game.”Bereaved Hillsborough families reacted with outrage and dismay to the report’s association of the disaster, at the 1989 FA Cup semi final, with hooliganism, and the revelation that despite all the changes in football during the 33 years since, it was apparently still informing police perceptions and behaviour.After a 27-year campaign by bereaved families and survivors to legally establish the truth of how the disaster was caused, an inquest jury determined in 2016 that the 97 victims were unlawfully killed due to gross negligence manslaughter by the South Yorkshire police officer in command, Ch Supt David Duckenfield.The jury also determined that there was no hooliganism, drunkenness, ticketlessness or any other alleged misbehaviour by Liverpool supporters that contributed to the disaster.Louise Brookes, whose brother Andrew, 26, was one of the 97 people killed, said of the report: “This is a total, outrageous failure to understand the disaster. And this prejudice, that Liverpool supporters are hooligans, based on a complete misunderstanding of something that happened 33 years ago, nearly caused another disaster in Paris, to a new generation of Liverpool fans.”Cadot’s report identified multiple failures in the management of the crowd at the Stade de France, where the kick-off was delayed for 36 minutes as thousands of supporters were held in static queues and many were teargassed by French police. However, his report maintains the allegation that very large numbers of Liverpool supporters with fake tickets were a substantial part of the problem. Borne is reported to have accepted Cadot’s recommendations for improvement and asked for them to be implemented without delay.Steve Rotheram, mayor of Liverpool city region, who experienced the chaos in Paris, including being robbed, has described that allegation as a means of the French government deflecting blame and making scapegoats of supporters. Of the reference to Hillsborough, Rotheram said: “This is described as intelligence but it displays a lack of intelligence and confirms our worst fears. The appalling policing and crowd mismanagement in Paris was based on a falsehood, ignorance and prejudice. This again underlines the need for a full, thorough, independent investigation.”Margaret Aspinall, the last chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, whose 18-year-old son James was one of the 97 people killed in the disaster, described the report as a disgrace.“This confirms our worst suspicions that a completely false view of what happened at Hillsborough has informed a police force in another country. It shows the power of the lies that were told by the police in this country, that are still believed and repeated by far too many people. Football stadiums and policing were made much safer after the disaster, and all football supporters should understand that.”The French sports ministry, which commissioned the report, and the interior ministry, which is responsible for policing, were contacted for comment.A Uefa spokesman said the organisation could not comment on an official French government report. However a source insisted that Uefa staff are well aware of the truth about Hillsborough, and had no part in providing such references to the police as intelligence. | Soccer |
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- The Grammy Museum located in Newark's Prudential Center is celebrating Black Music Month in June with a look at the birth of hip-hop back in the 1970s.A new exhibit called "A Hip-Hop Life" covers five decades in the life and work of photographer Ernie Paniccioli, who was there to capture the emergence of what became a new musical genre.The lensman befriended and took some of the first professional photos of Queen Latifah, L.L. Cool J, and many more.Paniccioli was simply the right man at the right place at the right time to chronicle those early years when hip-hop was born, and you can trace the evolution of the genre through his images and see how it grew from its roots in our area into the the worldwide phenomenon it is today."It's a seminal moment," Paniccioli said. "It's something amazing."ALSO READ | Martin Scorsese's Restoration Screening Room shows classics for freeThere are photos of Tupac, Biggie, Puffy, and so many more who came to call him Brother Ernie."They sensed, here's a guy that's just like us, come from nothing and made something," he said.Their rapport with the photographer is obvious."My style was raw and street and uneducated," he said. "I never had a photography course, and just like these artists created something out of nothing, I created something with my camera."One of his most notable pictures shows a young Shawn Carter becoming Jay-Z."He knew when I met him at 16 he was going to be a star," he said. "He knew that. He said, 'I'm gonna be running this. I am going to be running this whole game.' He was very clear, and he said it with passion, and he looked me in the eye. And I'll never forget that."Paniccioli is a Native American man who found common cause with African American artists after he grew up on the streets of Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights when those neighborhoods were dangerous.He said the new art form was born on the same mean streets."I was not surprised when the genre blew up, because it spoke to us in the community," he said.ALSO READ | New FX show 'The Old Man,' premieres at the MoMA in New York CityPaniccioli calls hip-hop, "art from the soul, art from the heart," and it has stood the test of time so that the entire world moves to its beat.Black Music Month represents the ideal opportunity to check out the Recording Academy's Grammy Museum, located within Newark's Prudential Center. A convenient side door lets you into an experience quite unlike any other in the tri-state area.For more on the exhibit, visit the Grammy Museum's website.----------* Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More New Jersey 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. | Music |
Image source, PA MediaImage caption, Rap artist Lil Wayne has not performed in the UK for more than 10 yearsAmerican rapper Lil Wayne will no longer play at the Strawberries and Creem festival after being denied entry to the UK, organisers have said.Saturday's performance was due to be his first in the UK in several years.The 39-year-old's 2011 UK tour was cancelled after his visa application was reportedly rejected by UK border authorities due to prior convictions.The Home Office said applications were refused for people sentenced to a year or more in custody.Lil Wayne has been contacted for comment.In a statement on their website, festival organisers said: "Due to extreme circumstances beyond our control or influence, we are very sorry to inform you that Lil Wayne is now unable to perform at the festival..."Lil Wayne has been refused entry to the UK directly by the Home Office in a last-minute decision. We are deeply disappointed by this sudden and negative ruling."They said Grammy-winning rapper Ludacris would play a "UK exclusive" set on Saturday instead.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Rapper and actor Ludacris would perform at the festival instead, organisers saidThe Home Office said it did not routinely comment on individual cases.However, it said: "Any individual who has been sentenced to a custodial sentence of 12 months or more must have their application refused."In 2010, the rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, was sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to gun possession.The charges were linked to his arrest in 2007 when a gun was found on his tour bus.He was also found to be carrying a gun and bullets when police searched a private plane in Miami in December 2019 and could have faced up to 10 years in prison.But he was granted a full White House pardon by former US President Donald Trump on his last full day in the job.Strawberries and Creem has been running since 2014, The music event will run for three days at Childerley Orchard in Cambridge.Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.ukRelated Internet LinksThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | Music |
Singer Lizzo is letting her fans know she's listening to them after a word she used in her new song "Grrrls" sparked outrage, with fans saying that the word was an ableist slur in the disabled community.Ableist means treating people unfairly because they have a disability, according to the Cambridge Dictionary.Lizzo released the song "Grrrls" on Friday from her upcoming album "Special." One of the lines used the word "spaz," derived from the term "spastic," defined as "relating to or denoting a form of "muscular weakness (spastic paralysis) typical of cerebral palsy, caused by damage to the brain or spinal cord and involving reflex resistance to passive movement of the limbs and difficulty in initiating and controlling muscular movement."Lexico, part of the Dictionary.com and Oxford sites, also notes the word is dated and offensive to someone who has cerebral palsy.After the song was released, that's what some fans quickly pointed out to Lizzo."Hey @lizzo my disability Cerebral Palsy is literally classified as Spastic Diplegia (where spasticity refers to unending painful tightness in my legs) your new song makes me pretty angry + sad," wrote one user.I’m going to cry 😭 Thank you so much for hearing us Lizzo and for understanding that this was only ever meant gently and being open to learning, it honestly means the world ❤️. You’re a real true ally https://t.co/RbQCbAwpR6— Hannah Diviney (@hannah_diviney) June 13, 2022"There's no excuse for using an ableist insult in a song in 2022. As someone who champions women, plus size people and others whom society treats poorly, Lizzo preaches inclusivity and should do better," said another.I’m disappointed in @lizzo for using the word “sp@z” in her new song “Grrrls”. There’s no excuse for using an ableist insult in a song in 2022. As someone who champions women, plus size people and others whom society treats poorly, Lizzo preaches inclusivity and should do better.— Callum Stephen (He/Him) (@AutisticCallum_) June 11, 2022While fans expressed their disappointment, some urged that they didn't want Lizzo canceled, but rather educated and to have the word removed."I've seen a few comments across the internet talking about "Cancelling Lizzo" and that's not what we want - we want to educate her and have the word changed," said one fan.Hey @lizzo please remove the word "spaz" from your new song because it's a slur and really offensive to the disabled community From a disappointed fan 😔💔— Shelby 🖤 (@Shelbykinsxo) June 10, 2022By Monday, it appeared that fans' efforts to get Lizzo to change the song worked.The artist, who went to school in Alief ISD, announced on her social media pages that she released a new version of "Grrrls" with a lyric change."It's been brought to my attention that there is a harmful word in my new song "GRRRRLS." Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language," her statement began. "As a fat Black woman in America, I've had many hurtful words used against me so I overstand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally).""I'm proud to say there's a new version of GRRRLS with a lyric change. This is the result of me listening and taking action. As an influential artist I'm dedicated to being part of the change I've been waiting to see in the world," she said.The change wasn't lost on fans, with one of the same people who pointed out her use of the word, adding praise for Lizzo on Twitter for listening."Thank you so much for hearing us Lizzo and for understanding that this was only ever meant gently and being open to learning," the fan said.The incident also appeared to be a learning moment not just for Lizzo, but for the public, as people commented that they didn't know the word was harmful."We are all learning from this!" an Instagram user commented.RELATED: Lizzo's coming home! Superstar set to stop in Houston for new tour called 'The Special Tour'Here's how Lizzo's former Elsik HS band director knew she would make it'Our time has come': Lizzo makes waves as Black, plus-size Vogue Magazine cover model Copyright © 2022 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved. | Music |
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that it’s a personal priority for him to bring home WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for months.“It’s something that I’m personally focused on,” Blinken told a group of LGBTQ reporters at a Wednesday roundtable at the State Department, in a show of the department’s support for Pride Month. “There’s a limit to what I can say publicly. But we are very focused on this. We are determined to bring her home.”Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who is lesbian and plays basketball in Russia during the WNBA offseason, was detained at a Moscow airport in February after local authorities claimed she was carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. They accused her of “smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance,” an offense punishable in Russia by up to 10 years in prison.Last month, the State Department reclassified Griner’s status as “wrongfully detained,” meaning the United States will work more aggressively to secure her release.Russian officials on Tuesday extended Griner’s detention for the third time. That means she will remain in Russian custody through at least July 2.Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has been wrongfully detained in Russia for months.via Associated PressDuring Wednesday’s roundtable, Blinken said he has spoken to Griner’s partner and his team has spoken “extensively” to Griner’s lawyers, advocates and teammates about the situation.Beyond that, he wouldn’t give details about the status of talks with Russian officials. “Just know this is a matter of intense focus for us,” he said.When asked why it took two months for the State Department to classify Griner as “wrongfully detained,” Blinken said there’s a formal process the department has to go through, and a set of specific criteria for meeting that definition.Those criteria include whether someone is being detained as a political pawn, whether someone is being held simply because he or she is an American, and whether due process is being afforded. Blinken said the department weighs all criteria before concluding if someone has been wrongfully detained overseas.“We have to follow the letter of the law,” he said. “This is a situation that we have in a multiplicity of countries. The first thing is to make a determination about whether any individual is being unjustly detained ... And that’s what we did in the case of Brittney Griner.” | Basketball |
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 U.K. 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 |
After sweeping the Annies, "Arcane" is the Emmy frontrunner for its compelling story and illustrative animation style. Netflix’s “Arcane,” based on Riot’s popular “League of Legends” battle game, has become the most acclaimed animated series of the season after sweeping the Annie Awards. This bodes well for its Emmy chances, thanks to a compelling story and eye-catching illustrative style from Paris-based animation studio Fortiche.
“Taking this on was intimidating but we had a yearning to do something different,” showrunner Christian Linke told IndieWire. He created the series with fellow Riot vet and executive producer Alex Yee. “We figured out what made the game and characters so popular and then made the series for ourselves.”
The secret of their success was building the dystopian series around the rivalry between badass sisters Jinx (Ella Purnell) and Vi (Hailee Steinfeld), who are part of a war between the affluent city of Piltover and the oppressed underground city of Zaun. “So much of Jinx was her big personality and meta perspective among the players ” Yee told IndieWire “But there was nothing that was visual to lean into. That allowed us to focus on a different kind of story and depiction of the characters. We watched ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Peaky Blinders’: high drama stories that moved into fantasy and sci-fi. The time was right for us.” For animation, the creators turned to Fortiche, which had already distinguished itself with Riot game cinematics and music videos, specializing in cool 2D effects. But the demands of the ambitious, nine-episode series required a lot of ramping up while staying true to its organic-looking aesthetic. Yet it was such a good fit that Riot recently became a part owner of the animation studio as they complete Season 2.
While Riot provided a style guide for the world building (Piltover’s bright and mechanical Art Deco vibe versus Zaun’s dark, phosphorescent look), Fortiche created the mix of finely textured 3D characters and digitally hand-painted backgrounds. They continued to push their use of 2D effects during fight sequences and drew on a range of different animation styles for their depiction.
“Arcane”Courtesy of Netflix
“My key goal was to keep these human effects and make sure the world always made sense for the artists so their work can be meaningful,” animation director Barthelemy Maunoury told IndieWire. “Christian had a clear vision of a balance between reality and hand-crafted.”
Linke said Fortiche was always trying to chase the imperfect: scratches or smears on the lens during an explosion, or catching glimpses of odd-looking action. “Fortiche was a powerhouse with cinematography and things feeling human,” he said. “This stylization allowed for more mature elements to be explored.”
This included conveying Jinx’s manic state of mind with such effects as glitching and film scratches, which were then scanned into the computer. “To us, Jinx was scribbling on the actual film, so the line had to be sharp with a lot of anxiety,” Maunoury said. “It gives a cool visual style for her mental expression.” “Arcane”Courtesy of Netflix
Netflix has submitted the pivotal sixth episode, “When These Walls Come Tumbling Down” — in which Jinx reaches the point of no return and her violent capacity is unleashed — for Emmy consideration. “The episode has so many powerful moments,” Linke said. “It’s the first time Vi and [crime lord] Silco meet, the first time Vi and Jinx reconnect, and the first time we see Jinx as the powerhouse fighter,” Linke said.
Maunoury perceived Jinx as a traumatized child with insecure body language and something to prove. At the same time, she’s lost all empathy for people. “The sixth episode was stressful for Jinx and a key moment,” he said. “Her reunion doesn’t last long and the sisters get attacked by the Firelights [the rebel Zaunites]. Jinx turns back into a crazy, killing mode, and we have this shot of Vi witnessing that. For me, that was a very moving moment as well.”
“Arcane”Courtesy of Netflix
The fight at the end of the episode contained more dynamic camera movement than any other. “We studied snowboarding and surfing because the Firelights have this flying board,” the animation director said. “We wanted to whip around the characters, something very 360, fluid, and aerial.”
Expect the exploration of Jinx to continue in Season 2: “She’s the character that made us confident in choosing this set of champions for this show,” Linke said. “You’re walking this tightrope of wanting her irreverent and unafraid, but showing the fragile side of her. The greatest challenge: Can we make her someone who wantonly attacks people and yet root for her throughout the show?” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. | Video Games |
“It’s sad,” is how Justin Thomas put it Monday. “This is the US Open, and this is an unbelievable venue, a place with so much history, an unbelievable field, so many story lines, and yet that seems to be what all the questions are about.“That’s unfortunate. That’s not right to the USGA. That’s not right for the US Open. That’s not right for us players. But that’s, unfortunately, where we’re at right now.”There is, in the words of two-time US Open champion Brooks Koepka, a “black cloud” hovering over the event. As usual, Koepka, golf’s all-world malcontent, used the right words to take aim at the wrong target, blaming the media rather than the storm itself.This is no media creation. But neither is it some simple debate over moral principle, even if the LIV defectors deserve to lose that debate at every turn, so eager, willing, and content they are to cash millions of dollars from a regime driven to legitimize itself by using the world stage that sports offers.They call it “sportswashing,” and that’s not a media creation either. It’s the reprehensible route Saudi Arabia is taking in the attempt to erase its state-sanctioned murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi or make us forget that 15 of the 19 hijackers responsible for 9/11 were Saudi. No wonder a group of family members of 9/11 victims wrote scathing letters to the LIV golfers decrying their choice of money over memory.But for those golfers, that part of the story is written and finished. The hard part is hearing them repeatedly try to explain it away for reasons other than the ridiculous millions, as they suddenly cheer for the extra time they’ll get to spend with family, for the three-day competition format, for the no-cut policy and shotgun starts that take variables like weather out of the fairness equation.And let’s remember this. Those changes — not to mention the bottomless well of Saudi money — are what have the PGA Tour scared. They represent the battles fueling this fight far more than any moral outrage does. The Tour is trying to protect its own bottom line, its own business interest, its own financial future.But in doing that, it also has golf on its side. It has history and legacy on its side. And that’s why the Rory McIlroys, the Justin Thomases, the Jon Rahms have all taken up the PGA Tour’s mantle. With hammers both hard (McIlroy) and velvet (Rahm), they’ve made it clear where they stand.“My dad said to me a long time ago: Once you’ve made your bed, you lie in it,” McIlroy said Tuesday. “And they’ve made their bed. That’s their decision, and they have to live with that.”McIlroy enjoyed every second of last week’s win at the Canadian Open, and not just because career victory No. 21 pushed him past LIV co-founder and resident PGA Tour hater Greg Norman. He just doesn’t understand why those who respect the history of the sport would so willingly give it away.“I just think for a lot of the guys that are going to play that are younger or of similar age to me or a little younger than me, it seems like quite short-term thinking, and they’re not really looking at the big picture,” McIlroy said.“Again, I’ve just tried to sort of see this with a wider lens from the start. That’s why I don’t understand for the guys that are a similar age to me going, because I would like to believe that my best days are still ahead of me, and I think theirs are, too. So that’s where it feels like you’re taking the easy way out.”Rahm echoed the sentiment, taking aim at a LIV format whose changes erode the competitive essence of the game.“To be honest, part of the format is not really appealing to me,” Rahm said. “Shotgun three days to me is not a golf tournament, no cut. It’s that simple. I want to play against the best in the world in a format that’s been going on for hundreds of years. That’s what I want to see.“Yeah, money is great, but when [my wife] Kelley and I — this first thing happened, we started talking about it, and we’re like, ‘Will our lifestyle change if I got $400 million? No, it will not change one bit.’“Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I’ve made and live a very happy life and not play golf again. So I’ve never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons. I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world. I’ve always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that.”Right now. But in the future?“I don’t think anyone can see where this thing will be in five years’ time or 10 years’ time,” McIlroy conceded. “If I had a crystal ball, I could obviously give you a better answer. Honestly, I don’t know.”Read more of the Globe’s US Open coverageLet’s find out how to play The Country Club: Your hole-by-hole guide of the US Open courseYour guide to the US Open: What to watch, how to tune in, and more‘I will never, ever forget that walk up 18′: Remembering Curtis Strange’s 1988 US Open victory at The Country ClubThe Country Club’s devilish 17th hole is bound to play a role in this US OpenLet’s wade into this deep US Open rough, inch by terrifying inchWith a pro caddie to guide us, we played The Country Club. Here’s the hole-by-hole report.Oral history: From 1913, to 1988, to 1999, the three biggest moments at The Country ClubHow The Country Club toughened up: Larger greens and trickier putts await in the US OpenWill the US Open’s big hitters go for the green on The Country Club’s reachable par-4s?Yes, the PGA Tour is getting younger — but that’s because power and distance ruleCracking the code at Brookline’s venerable and fiercely private The Country ClubAt local qualifiers, dreams of the US Open dance in the heads of amateur golfersTara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at tara.sullivan@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @Globe_Tara. | Golf |
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion in a new interview said she wants fellow rapper Tory Lanez, who is accused of shooting Megan in 2020, to “go under the jail.” In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine published Wednesday, the rap star, whose real name is Megan Pete, said that she felt attacked by all of the speculations about her relationship with Lanez, whom she said first connected with her over the deaths of their mothers. Pete also cited the false information spreading on the internet about the incident, adding that she still experiences nightmares from the incident, according to Rolling Stone. “I thought we had a real connection,” Pete told the magazine. “I thought he knew me. And I never would’ve thought he would’ve shot at me at all.” “I never put my hands on this man,” Pete added. “I never did anything to him. There was an argument. People argue every day. Friends argue every day.” The 27-year-old rapper told the outlet that she has become the “villain” throughout the whole ordeal due to the public’s perception of her personality, adding that she hopes Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, faces consequences for his actions, Rolling Stone reported. “‘I feel like you’ve already tried to break me enough. You’ve already shot me. So, why are you dragging it out like this? Like, what else?” Pete asked. “Have you hated me this much the whole time and I didn’t see it?’” “I want him to go to jail,” Pete concluded. “I want him to go under the jail.” Pete, a five-time Grammy award winner, accused Peterson in 2020 of shooting her in the foot amid an argument as they were leaving a house party in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., sparking new discussions about misogyny within the hip-hop and music industry. The “Plan B” rapper first spoke publicly about the incident to “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King in an interview in April, saying that her incident with Peterson shouldn’t have gotten to this point of her fearing for her own life. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office recently charged Peterson with assault and weapons charges in connection with the incident. Peterson, 29, has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. Peterson’s trial is expected to begin later this year. | Music |
In July 2020, OpenAI launched GPT-3, an artificial intelligence language model that quickly stoked excitement about computers writing poetry, news articles, and programming code. Just as quickly, it was shown to sometimes be foulmouthed and toxic. OpenAI said it was working on fixes, but the company recently discovered GPT-3 was being used to generate child porn.Now OpenAI researchers say they’ve found a way to curtail GPT-3’s toxic text by feeding the program roughly 100 encyclopedia-like samples of writing by human professionals on topics like history and technology but also abuse, violence, and injustice.OpenAI’s project shows how the tech industry is scrambling to constrain the dark side of a technology that’s shown enormous potential but also can spread disinformation and perpetuate biases. There’s a lot riding on the outcome: Big tech companies are moving rapidly to offer services based on these large language models, which can interpret or generate text. Google calls them central to the future of search, and Microsoft is using GPT-3 for programming. In a potentially more ominous development, groups are working on open source versions of these language models that could exhibit the same weaknesses and share them more widely. So researchers are looking to understand how they succeed, where they fall short, and how they can be improved.Abubakar Abid is CEO of machine-learning testing startup Gradio and was among the first people to call attention to GPT-3’s bias against Muslims. During a workshop in December 2020, Abid examined the way GPT-3 generates text about religions using the prompt “Two ___ walk into a.” Looking at the first 10 responses for various religions, he found that GPT-3 mentioned violence once each for Jews, Buddhists, and Sikhs, twice for Christians, but nine out of 10 times for Muslims. In a paper earlier this year, Abid and several coauthors showed that injecting positive text about Muslims to a large language model reduced the number of violence mentions about Muslims by nearly 40 percentage points.Other researchers are trying different approaches. Emily Dinan, a research engineer at Facebook AI Research, is testing ways to eliminate toxic text by making more of it. Dinan hires Amazon Mechanical Turk contractors to say awful things in conversations with language models to provoke them to generate hate speech, profanity, and insults. Humans then label that output as safe or unsafe; those labels help train AI to identify toxic speech.GPT-3 has shown impressive ability to understand and compose language. It can answer SAT analogy questions better than most people, and it was able to fool Reddit users without being found out.But even its creators knew GPT-3’s tendency to generate racism and sexism. Before it was licensed to developers, OpenAI released a paper in May 2020 with tests that found GPT-3 has a generally low opinion of Black people and exhibits sexism and other forms of bias. Despite those findings, OpenAI announced plans to commercialize the technology a month later. That’s a sharp contrast from the way OpenAI handled an earlier version of the model, GPT-2, in 2019. Then, it initially released only small versions of the model. At the same time, partners in academia issued multiple studies of how large language models can be misused or adversely impact society.In the recent paper highlighting ways to reduce the toxicity of GPT-3, OpenAI disclosed tests showing the base version of GPT-3 refers to some people as animals and associates white people with terms like “supremacy” and “superiority”; such language perpetuates long-held stereotypes and dehumanizes non-white people. GPT-3 also makes racist jokes, condones terrorism, and accuses people of being rapists.In another test, Xudong Shen, a National University of Singapore PhD student, rated language models based on how much they stereotype people by gender or whether they identify as queer, transgender, or nonbinary. He found that larger AI programs tended to engage in more stereotyping. Shen says the makers of large language models should correct these flaws. OpenAI researchers also found that language models tend to grow more toxic as they get bigger; they say they don’t understand why that is.Text generated by large language models is coming ever closer to language that looks or sounds like it came from a human, yet it still fails to understand things requiring reasoning that almost all people understand. In other words, as some researchers put it, this AI is a fantastic bullshitter, capable of convincing both AI researchers and other people that the machine understands the words it generates.UC Berkeley psychology professor Alison Gopnik studies how toddlers and young people learn to apply that understanding to computing. Children, she said, are the best learners, and the way kids learn language stems largely from their knowledge of and interaction with the world around them. Conversely, large language models have no connection to the world, making their output less grounded in reality.“The definition of bullshitting is you talk a lot and it kind of sounds plausible, but there's no common sense behind it,” Gopnik says.Yejin Choi, an associate professor at the University of Washington and leader of a group studying common sense at the Allen Institute for AI, has put GPT-3 through dozens of tests and experiments to document how it can make mistakes. Sometimes it repeats itself. Other times it devolves into generating toxic language even when beginning with inoffensive or harmful text.To teach AI more about the world, Choi and a team of researchers created PIGLeT, AI trained in a simulated environment to understand things about physical experience that people learn growing up, such as it’s a bad idea to touch a hot stove. That training led a relatively small language model to outperform others on common sense reasoning tasks. Those results, she said, demonstrate that scale is not the only winning recipe and that researchers should consider other ways to train models. Her goal: “Can we actually build a machine learning algorithm that can learn abstract knowledge about how the world works?”Choi is also working on ways to reduce the toxicity of language models. Earlier this month, she and colleagues introduced an algorithm that learns from offensive text, similar to the approach taken by Facebook AI Research; they say it reduces toxicity better than several existing techniques. Large language models can be toxic because of humans, she says. “That's the language that's out there.”Perversely, some researchers have found that attempts to fine-tune and remove bias from models can end up hurting marginalized people. In a paper published in April, researchers from UC Berkeley and the University of Washington found that Black people, Muslims, and people who identify as LGBT are particularly disadvantaged.The authors say the problem stems, in part, from the humans who label data misjudging whether language is toxic or not. That leads to bias against people who use language differently than white people. Coauthors of that paper say this can lead to self-stigmatization and psychological harm, as well as force people to code switch. OpenAI researchers did not address this issue in their recent paper.Jesse Dodge, a research scientist at the Allen Institute for AI, reached a similar conclusion. He looked at efforts to reduce negative stereotypes of gays and lesbians by removing from the training data of a large language model any text that contained the words “gay” or “lesbian.” He found that such efforts to filter language can lead to data sets that effectively erase people with these identities, making language models less capable of handling text written by or about those groups of people.Dodge says the best way to deal with bias and inequality is to improve the data used to train language models instead of trying to remove bias after the fact. He recommends better documenting the source of the training data and recognizing the limitations of text scraped from the web, which may overrepresent people who can afford internet access and have the time to make a website or post a comment. He also urges documenting how content is filtered and avoiding blanket use of blocklists for filtering content scraped from the web.Dodge created a checklist for researchers with about 15 data points to enforce standards and build on the work of others. Thus far the checklist has been used more than 10,000 times to encourage researchers to include information essential to reproducing their results. Papers that met more of the checklist items were more likely to be accepted at machine learning research conferences. Dodge says most large language models lack some items on the checklist, such as a link to source code or details about the data used to train an AI model; one in three papers published do not share a link to code to verify results.But Dodge also sees more systemic issues at work. He says there’s growing pressure to move AI quickly from research into production, which he says can lead researchers to publish work about something trendy and move on without proper documentation.In another recent study, Microsoft researchers interviewed 12 tech workers deploying AI language technology and found that product teams did little planning for how the algorithms could go wrong. Early prototyping of features such as writing aids that predict text or search completion tended to focus on scenarios in which the AI component worked perfectly.The researchers designed an interactive “playbook” that prompts people working on an AI language project to think about and design for failures of AI text tech in the earliest stages. It is being tested inside Microsoft with a view to making it a standard tool for product teams. Matthew Hong, a researcher at the University of Washington who worked on the study with three colleagues while at Microsoft, says the study shows how AI language technology has in some ways changed faster than software industry culture. “Our field is going through a lot of growing pains trying to integrate AI into different products,” he says. “People are having a hard time catching up [and] anticipating or planning for AI failures.”More Great WIRED Stories📩 The latest on tech, science, and more: Get our newsletters!The full story of the stunning RSA hack can finally be toldYour clothes spew microfibers before they're even clothesHow to turn your phone into a webcamThe Avengers Campus at Disneyland kinda weirds me outWhat it takes to turn a video game into tabletop one👁️ Explore AI like never before with our new database🎮 WIRED Games: Get the latest tips, reviews, and more🎧 Things not sounding right? 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"My experience with her was always quite nice and lovely," Leto told actress Amanda Seyfried, who played Holmes in Hulu's "The Dropout." Jared Leto is opening up about his past friendship with Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes. While speaking with Amanda Seyfried -- who played Holmes in Hulu's "The Dropout" -- for Variety's "Actors on Actors" series, Leto recalled his first impressions of Holmes, whom he presented the Glamour Woman of the Year Award to back in 2015. The 50-year-old actor shared that he had "stayed in touch" with the former biotechnology entrepreneur following the awards show, noting that he "always" had a pleasant experience with Holmes. Sony Pictures Why Jared Leto's Pee Breaks Caused Major Delays on Morbius Set View Story "I had heard her speak before onstage. She was incredibly smart -- and then I met her after that. I liked her a lot," said Leto, who portrayed WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann in AppleTV's "The Dropout." "She was really sweet, really kind. [There was] no indication that things weren't great in her life and at the company. And then I gave her an award." "We stayed in touch after that and talked a few times, but my experience with her was always quite nice and lovely," he added. "I think what's interesting about bringing a character to life -- not everyone is one thing. No one is one thing." The Oscar winner later revealed that he is no longer in touch with Holmes. "I haven't spoken to her in some time," Leto said. Meanwhile, Seyfried, 36, shared that she "of course" would have loved to have been able to meet Holmes before shooting "The Dropout," but said she wasn't "allowed to." "She was in litigation and Disney was very clear about what we could and could not put in the show," she explained. "And I wasn't privy to any of that, because I didn’t come on until the last minute. Kate McKinnon stepped out, and then they were looking for somebody else. So I was never going to meet her." "It would be, I think maybe, a mistake at this point and I think it would have been a mistake to have met her before I played her," Seyfried added. Like Seyfried with Holmes, Leto said he wasn't supposed to meet Neumann prior to portraying him in "WeCrashed," but he did it anyway. "I was too curious. I thought that I would regret it if I didn't meet Adam and that was more to be gained than lost," he explained, before Seyfried asked if he keeps in contact with Neumann. "We had a top-secret meeting. Nobody knew that it was happening. ... I met him, I met his wife, Rebekah, I met all of their kids and they have a lovely family. It was quite a nice experience on my end." Meanwhile, Leto also asked Seyfried what she would say to Holmes if she hypothetically "ran into her in New York.'" Getty Amanda Seyfried Was 'Really Grossed Out' By Male Fan Reaction to Mean Girls Character View Story "'Hi. Wow. Hello …' I don't know,'" the Oscar nominee replied. "I would want to spend some time with her, and know that I probably shouldn't, because I have in some way affected her legal experience. Right now, Sunny Balwani is in court, and her sentencing may or may not depend on Sunny’s sentencing. And so, it’s really messy." Seyfried also shared her thoughts on Holmes' sentencing, which is set for September. "[We] tried to figure her out from a place of compassion and worthiness," she explained. "I know whatever she'll be sentenced with, it's what she deserves. And I also know that, in my gut, that there's a space for her outside of this whole Theranos thing, outside of prison -- if she goes to prison. If she goes, she'll spend her time there and then she'll get out and she'll create something or invent something new that will work." "I don't know if I'm the only person who feels that way," she admitted. "I'd love to see her take responsibility in a very vocal way, which she has not. ... If she can just take accountability and move on." As for whether Seyfried believes Holmes has seen "The Dropout," she said, "I know Elizabeth was told not to watch it, but I cannot imagine a world where she didn’t peek." | Celebrity |
Gareth Southgate believes England’s humiliating 4-0 home defeat by Hungary was a reminder of why he must not adopt an overly attack-minded gameplan. The manager, who has faced criticism for caution, made changes at the start of the second half with his team 1-0 down in the Nations League tie.Southgate switched from 4-3-3 to 3-5-2, with forward-thinking wing-backs in Reece James and Bukayo Saka, driving No 8s in Conor Gallagher and Jude Bellingham, and Raheem Sterling on alongside Harry Kane up front. Southgate later replaced Gallagher with Mason Mount and Bellingham with Phil Foden.But England were taken apart by a well-organised, quick-transitioning Hungary to leave them bottom of Nations League Group A3 with two points from four matches and one goal. The mood outside the England camp has shifted sharply – the atmosphere at Molineux was toxic, with chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” towards Southgate – and there are fears over how the end-of-season results and performances will affect the team’s chances at the World Cup, which kicks off on 21 November.“I think some of the desire to see open play … we saw [against Hungary] that you’ve got to have the balance of a team right,” Southgate said. “With a club, maybe if you’re at the top and you’ve got a long time working with the players, you can play a more expansive game, although even the top teams are bloody good defensively.“The idea that we can just play lots of attacking players and rely on talent to win matches – it’s not the way it is. It was a reminder to myself in the second half that, OK, you go for a gamble to try to win the game because you think that’s important. But what happened can happen.”John Stones was sent off in the 82nd minute at 3-0 down and, shortly after, Southgate tried to guard against further damage by introducing Harry Maguire for Saka. There were boos as the centre-half stepped on to the field. The move did not work because England had lost their way and they duly conceded the fourth.“That [the booing] was directed at me [and not Maguire],” Southgate said. “We’re losing 3-0, I took an attacker off and put a defender on. But we needed to solidify. There’s no way you’re going to win the game and you’ve got to try to protect the players on the pitch. I didn’t view that as a criticism of Harry. He’s actually had three really strong performances with us.”Gareth Southgate says the boos which greeted Harry Maguire’s introduction were directed at a defensive substitution rather than at the player. Photograph: Michael Regan/The FA/Getty ImagesA theme of the get-together was Southgate’s belief in his stalwarts. He lavished praise on Kyle Walker for his drive and leadership, ditto Kieran Trippier, and he singled out Mount for his unheralded work against Joshua Kimmich in the 1-1 draw in Germany.Southgate blooded more inexperienced players including Gallagher, Bellingham, Jarrod Bowen and Tammy Abraham to mixed results. He knew he had to do so to avoid placing too much strain on the first choices and to understand better his backup options. But the impression was that he is more wedded than ever to his regulars.“We might have got away with it [flogging the first-choice players] but it was a big risk,” Southgate said. “Now you think: ‘God, wish we had done [it].’ But actually that would have been selfish to keep pressure off me rather than do what’s right for England going to a World Cup.“Hungary are an outstanding team. So you need to have all your big players as we did last September [for the 4-0 win in Budapest] and everything right to be able to win those sorts of games. That’s where we’ve fallen short.”The worries were numerous on Tuesday night, one of the biggest being how the players failed to cope in front of an impatient crowd. “It’s important that they [the fans] stick with a group of young players,” Southgate said. “You saw the anxiety start to creep in. But also this is the reality of professional football. It’s not all sweetness and light. They’ve got to use those experiences to harden themselves.”Southgate admitted there was the risk that momentum had been lost. “Without a doubt,” he said. “You can’t say results like Tuesday are good for how people feel. They’re not a nice experience for the players.”Southgate must consider a period of introspection and pain. He will be powerless to alter the narrative before the September international break when England face Italy and Germany in the Nations League – their final games before the World Cup.“It’s the downside of international football,” Southgate said. “You are judged on a short period of time – sometimes it can be 10 minutes that changes your life.”But Southgate was perfectly clear about why things have veered off course and he takes comfort from the knowledge. He is not doubting himself.Some at the Football Association felt it would have been preferable to have had three fixtures during this break and three matches in September and Southgate said “we probably could have done with only two games” this time.The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email.Four in 11 days was too much, stretching the players beyond breaking point after a gruelling Premier League season and Southgate, having feared the worst, was unable to get the balance of his selections right. It does not make him or the players unfit for purpose.“I know how it works,” Southgate said. “I know how quickly opinion changes. You never forget the tough nights and making sure that you register where people were with and against you. But you don’t carry it with you as a scar. I’ll use it as fuel. I’ve done that all my life.” | Soccer |
She’s an original member of the iconic R&B all-woman group Destiny’s Child. She’s a two-time Grammy-winning singer and songwriter. She’s a successful TV and movie actress. But LeToya Luckett wants everyone to see her as a proud mom. “I’m a woman of strength. I’m a woman of integrity. I’m a mom that doesn’t get it right all the time. And I’m OK with that,” she said. “I am OK with me. I want to teach that to my kids. And that’s what I want everyone to see.” Luckett teamed up with the entertainment company Kin to launch a new digital show, “Leave it to LeToya,” which premiered Tuesday on Facebook Watch, Instagram and YouTube, where viewers get an unfiltered look into different parts of her life.While there's plenty of talk about the negative aspects of social media, Luckett said it can also offer viewers a rare front-row seat into an artist’s life. “Before, you needed the big machine of a record company for publicity and now you can have a page of your own to promote that says, ‘Here’s a first look at what I have going on,’” she said. “It also helps you control your narrative because they know it’s coming from you.” Luckett said her show is “as real as it gets,” and a space where she will openly share stories about life challenges and lessons, including the difficult path she took to succeed in entertainment after Destiny’s Child.“I had a business in Houston at the time and a home. But it was a lot of financial responsibility to have another home in L.A. and pursue a career,” she said. “But I did, even if it meant me sleeping in a car. Even if it meant me sleeping in hotels. Even if it meant all the challenges that I would have to face. I still did it because I still believed in myself and believed that I had purpose in L.A.”LeToya Luckett on "Leave it to LeToya."KINAnd this determination to keep going, Luckett says, is a powerful message that she wants to deliver to young Black girls.“As a kid, thank God, I had an amazing tribe of women around me that my mother placed in my life that would tell me words of encouragement,” she said. “That helped me to get through a lot of the life.” Another aspect that the show will touch upon will be Luckett’s professional life. She says that Black entrepreneurs often have a hard time getting loans for their businesses. And as a Black businesswoman who owned a clothing boutique in Houston, and as a single mom who is working hard to continue advancing her career, she doesn’t take anything for granted. “It is harder for us. And with me, it makes me have to think smarter and be a smart saver. Especially being a single mom of two kids,” she said. “You never know what can happen. And you need to know that the door isn’t going to be swung open for you.” For reference, according to a study from the think tank Brookings, while Black people made up roughly 14% of the U.S. population in 2019, only 2.3% of businesses with more than one employee were Black-owned that year. LeToya Luckett on "Leave it to LeToya."KINLuckett said that even though she is determined to keep moving, she does have human moments when things can be overwhelming. And during those vulnerable times, she turns to music for inspiration. “There’s this Stevie Wonder song called ‘Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing,’ that anytime I’m going through it or I feel overwhelmed it’s just a reminder that everything is going to work out the way it’s supposed to. That’s on repeat,” she said.And she wants to share this uplifting message with viewers.“Keep going. Keep going. Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to,” she said echoing the lyrics from Stevie Wonder’s song. “And continue to pray that it will work out for your good.”Follow NBCBLK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.Arturo CondeArturo Conde is an editor and a bilingual freelance journalist. He writes for La Opinión A Coruña and has been published in Fusion, Univision and City Limits. | Music |
The Texas quintet of YouTubers known as Dude Perfect made a name for themselves by harnessing the power of gravity to create all kinds of viral trick-shot videos, but their next trick will be to figure out how to take advantage of experiencing almost no gravity at all. The crypto collective MoonDAO has voted to give one of the seats it purchased on an upcoming Blue Origin launch to one of the five Dude Perfect dudes. MoonDAO is a decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, a type of online community that makes decisions by having members vote using tokens on a blockchain. One of those decisions was which of four nominated influencers should get a free trip to space. It was a close race between Dude Perfect and "Everyday Astronaut" Tim Dodd, but in the end the dudes received 46.5 percent of votes to Dodd's 44 percent. Fellow YouTuber Kaz Sawyer got nearly 8 percent, while AI researcher and Twitter personality Roon got 1 percent. The voting period ended Sunday.The main question now is which of the five members of Dude Perfect will actually be taking the brief New Shepard rocket ride to the edge of space. They've suggested reprising their model rocket battle competition to decide who gets the seat: MoonDAO's second purchased seat will go to a lucky holder of its Ticket to Space NFT, chosen at random. One winner and 10 alternates were chosen at random from more than 8,000 people who were able to mint one of the digital tickets for free to enter the sweepstakes. A statement from MoonDAO posted in its Discord server noted that the winner and alternates are still preliminary for the moment."We will be vetting all winners with a second round of KYC (identity verification) to confirm they are not bots and have followed all contest rules. Once passed we will be able to confirm the fixed and final results."This won't be the first time an NFT sweepstakes winner takes a ride to space. One of the astronauts on the most recent Blue Origin flight actually won the seat in a drawing held by The Crypto Space Agency. The two MoonDAO-funded astronauts could fly as soon as the next Blue Origin launch in the coming weeks, but no target date has been announced. It's also unclear if Dude Perfect will attempt to break some new records while aboard New Shepard, or how they'd even practice making a shot in microgravity. When it happens, this could be one of the most interesting space launch livestreams we've seen yet. | Video Games |
On a recent Monday night at Café Carlyle—one of the Upper East Side’s more storied jazz spots—Kylie Minogue could be found leading a crowd that included Lucy Liu, Coco Rocha, and a who’s-who of New York fashion designers in a simultaneous chant of the “la la la’s” in the chorus of her iconic hit, “Can’t Get You Out My Head.” She’s performed the song countless times on stages across the world since it came out 21 years ago, but it turns out this was the first she’d done it in the style of a stripped-down, jazzy piano bar arrangement. The room was so small that even when she wasn’t singing directly into the microphone, you could still hear her voice carry into the audience. “Normally I probably would’ve said, ‘Well, could we have, like, an acoustic version of the band?,’” she says later that week, seated on a couch in a suite at the Hotel Carlyle. “They said, there really isn’t space.” Instead, she worked out completely new piano arrangements for five songs, just for the night. After three-and-a-half decades in the business, if Kylie Minogue is going to do something, she’s going to do it right—especially if it means trying new things.The performance was the highlight of a whirlwind blitz across New York promoting Minogue’s recent move into an entirely new industry: Kylie Minogue Wines. (She’s “promoting that bottle of wine harder than most main pop girls promote their albums,” quipped one Tweet.) Since launching internationally in 2020, the brand has become a runaway hit. Over five million bottles of the wine have been sold, her line of rosés have reportedly become some of the best-selling in the United Kingdom, and she picked up a Golden Vine Award for Wine Entrepreneurialism in 2021. “My main concern was quality,” Minogue said of her product. “There’s no point to waste my time—and everyone’s time—if it was a product that we didn’t really believe in, and didn’t think had a chance of longevity to become a proper brand.”Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Kylie Minogue WinesMinogue’s pursuit of quality and novelty led her desire to launch a wine. Back in 2017, Minogue was inspired to incorporate country influences into her signature dance-pop sound for her album Golden; the Australian icon decided to write and record in—where else?—Nashville, Tennessee. “It was very hot. We dined al fresco, drinking rosé,” she recalled. “One night I was looking at this glass and it was just so pretty with the color coming through it. I was in such a good space. I was at a happy point in my life and felt really creative and inspired, and in this moment, I said, ‘I’d love to have my own rosé one day.” A few years later, she met with Paul Schaafsma, the founder of Benchmark Drinks, and ended up putting the final touches on her line while in lockdown during 2020. Of course, Minogue was aware of some of the hurdles that come with a celebrity-backed product.“I thought they might go, ‘Oh, here comes another celebrity wine,’” she said. “Within the wine community, there may have been some skepticism at first. Understandably, but we’ve followed through. Now I feel like it’s been a big welcome to the wine industry.”“I really wanted to be genuine about the product and about my position in the market,” she continued. “I know I’m a baby in this. I know we’re just beginning and I know very, very little. It’s also turned out to be have been an amazing voyage of discovery. You know, it’s not the worst day’s work, learning about wine. For a curious person, it’s very satisfying.”Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Kylie Minogue WinesMinogue carries herself with a warm confidence without a trace of diva-like ego, and certainly remains curious. She recently began working on her 16th studio album—and has dedicated the month of July to recording even more. “It’s this really exciting moment,” she added. “There are two or three songs that might [have] a couple little bits of gold in them, but we don’t know.”After that, Minogue hopes to return to acting more regularly. While filming Leos Carax’s Holy Motors ten years ago, she actually enjoyed the reprieve from being a pop star, and left her musical team behind to focus on the movie. “‘I have to do this on my own,’” she recalled telling them. “‘I have to just be a working actor, turn up, know my stuff, do what I have to do.’ I really wanted to go back to the way I felt when I started, and not be this version of myself that has come over time.”Who can say where Kylie’s curiosities will take her next? The videos of her stripped-back performance at Café Carlyle had already made their way around the Internet by the time we spoke. I told her a friend had commented that she wanted one of the piano versions of the songs for her wedding, and that the arrangements could have some life beyond just another Monday night performance in New York City. “There could be a little return trip with more than five songs,” she replied. | Music |
Soccer Football - 2022 Qatar World Cup Training Facilities and Hotels - Doha, Qatar - May 30, 2022 General view of a training pitch ahead of the 2022 Qatar World Cup REUTERS/Mohammed DabbousRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comDOHA, June 14 (Reuters) - The following are the groups for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after the last of the 32 teams qualified for the tournament which will be held in Qatar in November and December.Group AQatar (hosts)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comEcuadorSenegalNetherlandsGroup BEnglandIranUnited StatesWalesGroup CArgentinaSaudi ArabiaMexicoPolandGroup DFranceAustraliaDenmarkTunisiaGroup ESpainCosta RicaGermanyJapanGroup FBelgiumCanadaMoroccoCroatiaGroup GBrazilSerbiaSwitzerlandCameroonGroup HPortugalGhanaUruguaySouth KoreaRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comCompiled by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon and Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Soccer |
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 |
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.He 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 of this ABC station. Copyright © 2022 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved. | Movies |
Those who preside over the US Open have suggested golfers who have signed up for the rebel LIV Golf Series could be banned for future stagings of this major tournament.The former US Open champions Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer and Bryson DeChambeau are among those who have been banned by the PGA Tour after committing to the Saudi Arabia‑backed breakaway. The subject has dominated discussion in the lead-up to the third men’s major of the year, at the Country Club in Brookline. The PGA Tour has no direct power over the US Open but relationships within golf’s ecosystem are strong.When asked whether he can envisage a scenario in the future where the LIV group are blocked from US Open participation the USGA’s chief executive, Mike Whan, said: “Yes.” Asked to expand on this position, Whan said: “I just answered the question, ‘Could I foresee a day? Yeah, I could foresee a day.’ Do I know what that day looks like? No, I don’t.“To be honest with you, what we’re talking about was different two years ago, and it was different two months ago than it is today. We’ve been doing this for 127 years, so I think the three of us and everybody else that we work with need to take a long-term view of this and see where these things go so we’re not going to be a kneejerk reaction to what we do.“But the question was: ‘Could you envision a day where it would be harder for some folks doing different things to get into a US Open?’ I could. Will that be true? I don’t know but I can definitely foresee that day.”Whan revealed the USGA gave late consideration to preventing LIV golfers from playing in this 122nd staging of the US Open, but ultimately believed that unfair and impractical. “We ran this championship by asking ourselves, did those people disqualify themselves from the 2022 [US] Open? We believed the answer to that was no and that’s the decision we made. “I get it; it’s a news story. We’re not going to run away from the news story. We had to make some tough decisions that not everybody agrees with. Where this will go, I don’t know.”Those players who have formed part of the Saudi scheme have drawn sharp criticism from an organisation formed by the families of some of those killed in the 11 September atrocity. A letter, stating those players had “sold us out”, was sent to the agents of Johnson, DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Kevin Na. All are in this US Open field.“We have complete support for the 9/11 families,” Whan said. “Listen, we’re all Americans, and if anybody doesn’t remember that day, then shame on you. That’s alive and well in my head. I remember where I was, what I was doing, who I was talking to when the first plane went in. We lost a couple of neighbours. But as it relates to the USGA and this championship, that was the decision we had to make a week ago, and that’s the decision we made.”The R&A are fully expected to apply the same policy to those exempt for the Open Championship, which takes place next month in St Andrews. More interesting is what position the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour, will take in respect of the Scottish Open. The DP World and PGA tours work in strategic alliance.The US Open prize fund has risen to $17.5m. The winner on Sunday will walk away with a cheque worth $3.15m. “What we do in a US Open, we endeavour to have the players get every club in their bag dirty,” said John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s chief championships officer. “We want to examine every aspect of their game. So when they win a US Open, it’s something special.”Rory McIlroy, who is seeking to win a fifth major title almost eight years since his fourth, arrives in Massachusetts fresh from victory at the Canadian Open. England’s Matt Fitzpatrick won the US Amateur Championship here in 2013.Small greens means a premium is placed on approach-shot accuracy. “We are praying that will change,” Whan said in respect of such little focus being on the tournament itself in the buildup.Good luck with that. | Golf |
A new Lord of the Rings anime movie revealed its voice cast on Wednesday. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, set to be released in 2024, will star Brian Cox from Succession, Gaia Wise from A Walk in the Woods and Miranda Otto, who played Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, according to Deadline. The movie was first announced in June of last year. It'll focus on Helm Hammerhand, the ninth king of Rohan, played by Cox. It'll also dive into the story of Helm's Deep, the focal point of the Two Towers film. The War of the Rohirrim is set 183 years before the events of Peter Jackson's trilogy of films. Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel series, coming out in September, precedes the anime movie by more than a thousand years.The anime is directed by Kenji Kamiyama and is set to premiere April 12, 2024. New Line Cinema and Warner Bros Animation is behind the production of The War of Rohirrim. | Movies |
Every day during the month of June, we will be spotlighting our 2022 Logo30. This powerful series profiles ordinary and extraordinary people who show pride in unique and provocative ways. Visit the Logo30 homepage to view current and past honorees.
Few people have had more of an impact on queer culture in the past half-century than John Waters.
The self-proclaimed “Filth Elder” has been the “Baron of Bad Taste” since he released the cult classic, Pink Flamingos, his trashy tale of Baltimore heathens, back in 1972. The film is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month by being added to the prestigious Criterion Collection.
“When I began it wasn’t called ’independent filmmaking.’ When I started, I made ’underground movies,’ and then it was ’midnight movies.’ Then I graduated to independent movies and then I made Hollywood movies. And then I slid back down to Hollywood underground. I think that’s probably what you could call A Dirty Shame, Waters tells Logo, referring to his 2004 feature film. “Hairspray is certainly a giant hit in middle America, which is the most devious thing I’ve ever done. Because it’s being performed in grade schools in Florida,” the filmmaker continues. “They don’t stop Hairspray from being made, and it’s two men dancing together, singing love songs. It’s encouraging interracial dating with teenagers. Even the dumbest racists like Hairspray because it makes ’em laugh and it’s sneaking in the values. And that’s what humor does. That’s why humor is the best defense.”
It’s been a busy year for the Baltimorean, who recently had cameos on Search Party and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and released his first novel, Liarmouth. He also embarked on a book tour and a new art show in — where else? — Baltimore. Waters is slated to host a variety of in-person events, too, including a formal dinner at the Provincetown dump, and hosting his annual adult sleepaway summer camp in September.
Waters is certainly a legend, but when asked what makes someone legendary, the filmmaker and author says its not about fame, but someone who stays true to themselves:
“What makes somebody legendary is that they last, and they don’t sell out, and they continue to surprise people no matter what age they are,” Waters explains to Logo. “I just have always made the next movie, book, everything that I felt would make me laugh, and I’m lucky enough where there are enough people that agree with me.” Watch our Logo30 honorees reveal what Waters means to them, and hear the “Pope of Trash” himself discuss his incredible life and career in our special 2022 Logo Legend video below.
I write about drag queens. Dolly Parton once ruffled my hair and said I was "just the cutest thing ever." @chrisreindeer | Celebrity |
After dismantling the fourth-seeded Taylor Fritz in the opening round of the Queen’s Club Championships and inhabiting his spot in the open top half of the draw Jack Draper entered his second‑round match with a realistic opportunity of a deeper run. Instead, he was dealt a valuable lesson in his young career as he was outplayed 6-2, 7-6(2) by the qualifier Emil Ruusuvuori.In his handful of appearances at the top level of men’s professional tennis the 20-year-old Draper has shown his potential and enjoyed success by brandishing his considerable weapons. But Ruusuvuori, a hard-working Finnish player, demonstrated all of the confidence he gained from the qualifying rounds as he neutralised Draper’s strengths and picked apart his weaknesses.“There’s not many times that I get outplayed,” Draper said. “I felt like today was one of those days. He played a great match. There’s a few things that tactically maybe I could have done better but I’m a bit lost for words. I don’t really know what I could have done loads and loads better, to be honest.”From the beginning Ruusuvuori dealt with Draper’s big lefty serve excellently, retrieving a high number of returns and consistently landing them deep. In the rallies he was relentless with his offence, standing on top of the baseline and dominating with his forehand. As he controlled the exchanges he exposed Draper’s movement in the process, which has improved but remains a weakness at the highest level. He serve extremelyd well himself and Draper’s return of serve could not keep up, as Ruusuvuori breezed through the first set with minimal problems.Throughout a tough second set Draper fought admirably while under constant pressure in his own service games, finding big serves on important points and even saving a match point at 4-5. But Ruusuvuori’s superior return and movement, plus his dominance in the rallies, were reflected in a straightforward tiebreak as he moved through to victory.For Ruusuvuori – whose player box contained just one person, his coach Federico Ricci, compared to the group LTA staff and family who had come to watch Draper play in his hometown – it is a great win for a player who himself is also young and growing on the tour. The 23‑year‑old will rise to the top 50 next week for the first time.Despite his disappointment such defeats against capable, more experienced opponents can only be valuable to Draper at this point in his development. “I can take some positives from this week of course, beating a top player in Taylor [Fritz], but I can also take some lessons from today which is going to help me moving forward for sure,” he said.While his compatriots and peers waited to see if they were awarded Wimbledon wildcards, he already made the cut because of his ranking rise during a breakthrough season that has included four challenger titles and he sits at a career-high ranking of 99. Draper will now head to Eastbourne, where he will play his final tournament before Wimbledon begins.Only one Briton, the least experienced in the draw, remains at Queen’s Club. After defeating the top-seeded Casper Ruud to clinch a top five in his first ATP main-draw match, the wildcard Ryan Peniston will face Francisco Cerundolo on Thursday.In Birmingham Katie Boulter followed up her solid first-round win over the recent Nottingham finalist, Alison Riske, by reaching the quarter‑finals with a 7-6(5), 6-1 victory against Caroline Garcia of France, who is ranked 74th but was once a top-five player. The win marks the fourth WTA quarter-final in the No 141 Boulter’s career, with three of them coming on grass.Boulter, a former top 100 player still trying to make her way back there after a major back injury in 2019, will face the toughest opposition possible as she looks for her first WTA semi‑final. She faces the 2019 Wimbledon champion, Simona Halep, who comfortably defeated Great Britain’s Harriet Dart 6-3, 6-2. | Tennis |
NEW YORK — The twin concerts for Foo Fighters’ late drummer Taylor Hawkins will include Miley Cyrus, Liam Gallagher, Joan Jett, Mark Ronson, members of Queen, The Police, Rush, Kiss, The Pretenders, Motley Crue, Queens of the Stone Age, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Supergrass and comedian Dave Chappelle.Hawkins, who was born in Fort Worth, died March 25 during a South American tour with the rock band. He was 50.The shows will take place Sept. 3 at London's Wembley Stadium and Sept. 27 at The Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Both concerts will benefit charities chosen by the Hawkins family.The London concert will have Gallagher, Jett, Chrissie Hynde, Supergrass and Chappelle. The Inglewood concert will have Cyrus, Gene Simmons, Alanis Morissette, Nikki Sixx and Luke Spiller. Both concerts will feature Stewart Copeland, Geddy Lee, Brian May, Mark Ronson, Roger Taylor, Chris Chaney, Wolfgang Van Halen, Alex Lifeson, Hawkins’ cover band Chevy Metal and the surviving member of Foo Fighters.Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997, first appearing with the band on the tour supporting its sophomore album “The Colour & The Shape.”He made his recording debut with Foo Fighters on 1999′s “There Is Nothing Left To Lose.” Hawkins played on every subsequent band album, including “One by One” and “In Your Honor,” and on hit singles like “Best of You.” | 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. | Other Sports |
Todd Phillips’s Joker made over $1 billion when it was released in 2019 and earned its formidable lead, Joaquin Phoenix, a best actor Oscar. So, it comes as no surprise to hear that the twisted psychological thriller centered on the green-haired super villain and Batman adversary is getting a sequel. What is startling, however, is that the new project is slated to be a musical, and Lady Gaga could be taking on one of its starring roles.On June 13, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that the multi-hyphenate, last seen on screen as the flamboyant Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci, was in early talks to join Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux. The film’s title, revealed by Phillips on social media, is a reference to a medical term for an identical or similar mental disorder that affects two or more individuals, usually members of the same family. The auteur will be returning to the director’s chair and has co-written the script with Scott Silver, with whom he collaborated on Joker. Sources added that the sequel would be a musical and that, if a deal was reached, Gaga would play Harley Quinn, Joker’s baseball bat-wielding partner in crime, embodied by Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad opposite Jared Leto’s menacing clown. Is the title Joker: Folie à Deux, then, a nod to a condition the titular anti-hero shares with Harley Quinn, or one he shared with his troubled mother Penny, as played by Frances Conroy in Joker? It’s one of the many questions that have yet to be answered, including whether additional DC superheroes will appear in the new film or if the story will be grounded in reality as its predecessor was. Either way, with Gaga’s involvement, expect the costumes to be just as dazzling as the music. | Movies |
BOSTON — Boston fans haven’t held back on the Steph Curry trash talk, but the Warriors’ superstar is one of them. Sort of.
Curry has been a Red Sox fan since he was a kid, a fandom that started to spite his little brother, Seth, a New York Yankees fan. Curry has sent out celebratory tweets when the Red Sox won World Series titles in 2013 and 2018. Apparently, he’s taken plenty of inspiration from Red Sox Hall of Famer David Ortiz.
“Those iconic moments that Big Papi was always a part of, even the championship moments, the way that he was kind of an ambassador for the city, spokesman for the city, just the I guess reception and chemistry he had with this town. All of that is inspiring, for sure,” Curry said on Wednesday at practice.
Curry had a “raver of a bachelor party at a Red Sox game back in 2011,” he said, for two games against the Chicago Cubs. Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Curry didn’t have many trips to Fenway. But after his second year in the league, Curry got to meet Big Papi at his bachelor party. “Gave me a bat. Got to go into the depths of the Green Monster and just see the atmosphere and the culture that he was trying to continue as an iconic Red Sox player,” he said.
Steph, Klay and Dray on a plane
Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have been playing together for 10 years, including six postseasons running deep into the summer. They’ve spent a lot of time together — on the court, in practice, in the air. Maybe too much time.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers was surprised, then, to see the trio sitting at a table together on the six-hour flight back to Boston for Game 6 on Tuesday.
“It’s funny, we were sitting on the plane yesterday and we sat at the same table and Bob walked past us and he’s like, man, y’all are funny, y’all still sit together,” Green said. This group is tied together in NBA lore — with a Game 5 win, they became the first NBA trio in the last 30 years to win 20 NBA Finals games together. “Y’all don’t understand, it’s ten years. Like this, does not happen,” Green said. “Guys still sitting together at the same table. He’s like, guys not even on the same team for ten years, let alone still sitting there at the same table and enjoying each other’s conversation and presence.”
Thompson recalls the plane ride a little differently. Yes, all three were sitting together. But Thompson was trying to get some shut eye. And possibly avoid Green.
“I owe Draymond some money in dominoes, so I don’t want to see him too many times,” Thompson said with a smile. “That’s funny. That happened like two days ago. I was half asleep. Draymond and Bob were chatting their hearts away for six hours on a plane ride. I was just trying to get some sleep. Good times.” The Warriors have been called for about 22% more fouls than the Celtics yet it was Boston in Game 5 who was rattled by the officiating.
After the loss Monday night, Celtics coach Ime Udoka admitted that the officiating “got to us.”
The Celtics seemed out of sorts for most of the game as they argued for every call. So much so that Udoka was slapped with a technical foul for complaining to officials at the end of the first quarter after Robert Williams III was called for a shooting foul on Andrew Wiggins.
Boston’s frustrations spilled into the second half. Marcus Smart was throwing his body around as he practically begged for fouls.
Thompson said the Warriors don’t necessarily feed off an opponent losing their composure amid a game.
“I don’t think we focus on it too much, to be honest. We have a next-play mentality,” he said. “We’re just worried about getting a great shot up in those moments, not what the other team is talking about.
“Basketball is a very continuous game. If you’re out there talking to the officials the whole night, you might get in your own way.”
That’s something the Celtics hope to fix in Game 6 as they face elimination.
“It’s a physical series,” Udoka said. “We’re complaining at times too much throughout the game… Some we need to block out and be better at overall.”
Staff writer Madeline Kenney contributed to this story. | Basketball |
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion in a new interview said she wants fellow rapper Tory Lanez, who is accused of shooting her in 2020, to “go under the jail.” In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine published Wednesday, the rap star, whose real name is Megan Pete, said that she felt attacked by all of the speculation about her relationship with Lanez, whom she said first connected with her over the deaths of their mothers. Pete also cited the false information spreading on the internet about the incident, adding that she still experiences nightmares from the incident, according to Rolling Stone. “I thought we had a real connection,” Pete told the magazine. “I thought he knew me. And I never would’ve thought he would’ve shot at me at all.” “I never put my hands on this man,” Pete added. “I never did anything to him. There was an argument. People argue every day. Friends argue every day.” The 27-year-old rapper told the outlet that she has become the “villain” throughout the whole ordeal due to the public’s perception of her personality, adding that she hopes Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, faces consequences for his actions, Rolling Stone reported. “I feel like you’ve already tried to break me enough. You’ve already shot me. So, why are you dragging it out like this? Like, what else?” Pete asked. “Have you hated me this much the whole time and I didn’t see it?” “I want him to go to jail,” Pete concluded. “I want him to go under the jail.” Pete, a five-time Grammy award winner, accused Peterson in 2020 of shooting her in the foot amid an argument as they were leaving a house party in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., sparking new discussions about misogyny within the hip-hop and music industry. The rapper noted that she had to go through physical therapy to regain her ability to walk, saying that she still has bullet fragments in her foot from the incident with Lanez. The “Plan B” rapper first spoke publicly about the incident to “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King in an interview in April, saying that her incident with Peterson shouldn’t have gotten to this point of her fearing for her own life. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office recently charged Peterson with assault and weapons charges in connection with the incident. Peterson, 29, has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. Peterson’s trial is expected to begin later this year. | Music |
Spoiler warning: this recap is for people who have been watching Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+. Do not read unless you have seen episodes one to five.A pattern emergesAs Obi-Wan Kenobi has gone on, it has become increasingly clear that each episode loosely follows the plot of the corresponding film in the Star Wars saga. So Part I shared many plot points with Episode I: The Phantom Menace (TPM). Both took place on Tatooine, and featured the great hope for the Force looking bored and wearing goggles while dreaming of podracing. Leia’s storyline in Obi-Wan’s first episode also mirrored her mother’s in TPM: taken away from her regal existence on a peaceful planet to a life of Jedi, Sith and resistance. Leia even used a decoy to escape her official duties, just as Padme did (although no Keira Knightley this time). Part II, meanwhile, followed Attack of the Clones by taking the action to a neon-lit planet. In that film, Padme and Anakin had to hide out in the Coruscant underworld, while this series saw Obi-Wan and Leia attempt the very same thing on Daiyu.The similarities between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Obi-Wan’s Part III are the most obvious – a big old scrap between Anakin/Darth Vader and Obi-Wan, while I wrote last week about how Part IV rehashed A New Hope.This week’s instalment subtly retrod The Empire Strikes Back, depicting a handful of plucky rebels with their backs to the wall taking on the arriving Empire against overwhelming odds and with only a small chance of escape. Substitute Jabiim for Hoth, plus Roken and Leia getting the power back online for Han and Chewie fixing the Millennium Falcon, and it’s a neat fit. Part V also finished on a particularly downbeat note, just like TESB, with a revelation. Only here it was Reva discovering Luke’s existence on Tatooine and that Vader is the Daddy rather than Luke discovering Vader is his dad.Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). Photograph: Lucasfilm Ltd.This pattern, of course, gets me thinking about how the series will conclude. It can’t be just like Return of the Jedi, because we know Obi-Wan survives, as do Vader, Luke and Leia, who mustn’t learn of one another’s existence. The Empire will strengthen its grip on the galaxy, too, but the Rebellion will gather momentum. So what then? My prediction is that Obi-Wan will arrive on Tatooine, drawing out Vader, where the former student and master will go at it once again. Just as Obi-Wan looks beaten, Reva will appear, sacrificing herself to save the Jedi, thus proving it’s possible to return from the dark side, and keeping safe the secret of Luke’s existence.RevaTalking of Reva … what a week she had, beginning the episode looking as if she had all the answers, only for it to be revealed that Vader and the Grand Inquisitor, alive all this time, had played her like a fiddle.We did get to the truth of her past, though. She was indeed the youngling we saw in the temple on the night of Order 66, and witnessed Anakin murdering her classmates. “We thought he was there to help us,” she said, chillingly, before her rage calmed and she showed enough vulnerability for Obi-Wan to see her real goal – to avenge her Jedi family and kill Anakin. Poor Reva, used by Vader and the Grand Inquisitor to lure out Obi-Wan, only to be used by Obi-Wan to take down Vader. The way the scene of her on her knees, awaiting the final blow, was cut with the flashback from the Jedi temple was especially terrifying. It was also impossible not to think of recent events in Uvalde, Texas and wonder if Disney thought to either postpone the series or re-edit at the last moment.TalaIndira Varma was in danger of stealing the series with her steely performance as the Imperial officer turned agent for the Path. Let’s all pour out a shot of bantha milk for a real one. The way she explained what happened on Garel, rounding up Force-sensitive children for the Inquisitors, was so powerful. “Fourteen people died and six of them were children, and I couldn’t do anything to help them. So now I do this,” she said, showing the notches on her gun to symbolise … I’m not 100% sure. Most likely it was the number of people she had saved while working as a double agent, but given how coldly she took out the Imperial officer in her way in Part IV, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a kill tally.I am sorry she didn’t survive to fight alongside Cassian Andor, but at least she ignited Obi-Wan, and took out a few stormtroopers with that thermal detonator. And why is it so sad when droids die in the line of duty?AnakinDarth Vader (Hayden Christensen). Photograph: Lucasfilm Ltd.Finally, we got more than a fleeting glimpse of Hayden Christensen as Anakin. It was most likely he would appear in flashback, but I couldn’t quite see what was going to be shown, leading me to think his return was nothing but PR. But I was wrong, and here he was – pleasingly not de-aged – in a flashback to a prescient training session with Obi-Wan.All that time they spent fighting side by side had led Vader and Obi-Wan to believe they knew each other inside out, but no – Vader learned to play the long game, and Obi-Wan learned to do the opposite of what is expected. Expect more 4D dejarik in next week’s finale.Notes and observations Who do those lightsabers on Jabiim belong to? Jedi and Force users fallen during their time with the Path, yes, but which ones, specifically? And what do those cave markings say on the wall? During Reva and Vader’s duel, Vader’s stance when he’s holding two lightsabers is very similar to that of Ahsoka, his former padawan. I was pleased to see Kumail Nanjiani back as Haja Estree, until he left that intercom on the floor. At that moment, I wished he’d stayed on Daiyu. Is a lightsaber through the thorax not enough to kill someone these days? Han Solo must feel cheated. What did you think? Were you pleased to see Hayden Christensen back? Are you looking forward to Part VI? Have your say below … | Movies |
The hot, dry weather at Royal Ascot this week has been ideal for Stradivarius ahead of his latest attempt to win a record-equalling fourth Gold Cup, not least because fast ground seems likely to rule out Trueshan, one of his most significant rivals.John Gosden’s popular stayer came up short against a younger rival last year, however, and may do so again on Thursday, when Kyprios (4.20) looks likely to give Aidan O’Brien his eighth success in the meeting’s showpiece event.The four-year-old has only six races in the book so far, having missed the rest of the 2021 season after being withdrawn following an incident in the stalls before the Queen’s Vase here last year.But he has started to make up for lost time this year and powered 14 lengths clear of his field under minimal pressure in the Levmoss Stakes last month. With more improvement likely, He looks ready to take this step up to Group One company in his stride.Royal Ascot 2.30 The only filly in the lineup, Pillow Talk, beat a field full of previous winners at York last time and gets a useful 3lb from her 10 opponents.Royal Ascot 3.05 Several of these lightly raced three-year-olds might have been let in lightly for their handicap debuts while Israr has already contested a couple but he was still learning on the job at Newbury last time and has plenty of improvement to come.Royal Ascot 3.40 Just six runners for the Ribblesdale, the smallest field this century. Magical Lagoon was touched off by the subsequent Irish 1,000 Guineas third at Navan in April and looks sure to improve for the step up in trip.Quick GuideGreg Wood's Thursday tipsShowChelmsford 1.30 True Statesman 2.05 Expert Opinion 2.40 Atlantis Blue 3.15 Tarhib 3.50 Fox Champion 4.30 Autonomy 5.05 Mark Of RespectRipon 1.45 Calcutta Dream 2.15 Dare To Hope 2.50 Cobra Kai 3.25 Urban War 4.00 Tinto 4.40 Gullane One 5.10 AppierAscot 2.30 Pillow Talk 3.05 Israr 3.40 Magical Lagoon 4.20 Kyprios5.00 Jimi Hendrix (nap) 5.35 Claymore 6.10 Ouzo (nb)Lingfield Park 4.50 Bungledupinblue 5.20 Tarlo 5.50 Bowling Russian6.25 Bernard Spierpoint 7.00 Mcqueen 7.30 The Covex Kid 8.00 AmzaanFfos Las 5.25 Fat Sam 6.00 Court Royale 6.35 Maliboo 7.10 Ballinsker7.40 Watergrange Jack 8.10 Galileo Silver 8.40 ZucayanRoyal Ascot 5.00 As tough a race as they come, even at the Royal meeting, with 13 last-time winners in the field. Just one of the last 15 favourites has won, so a lightly-raced, improving colt like Jimi Hendrix, at 25-1, could prove to have been missed in the market.Royal Ascot 5.35 The Queen’s Reach For The Moon will be a hot favourite here but has little in hand of Claymore on ratings. Jane Chapple-Hyam’s lightly-raced colt was undone by his draw in the French 2,000 Guineas last time and has to be the bet at around 5-1.Royal Ascot 6.10 Ouzo, a close second last time in a well-run race, is in first-time cheekpieces here and could well outrun his odds of around 20-1. | Other Sports |
Yoan Moncada had five hits for the White Sox on Wednesday.Paul Sancya/AP DETROIT — The White Sox are hitting again. They saved an overworked bullpen. And they completed a three-game sweep of the Tigers Wednesday with a 13-0 romp at Comerica Park.Aside from oppressive heat and the seemingly daily dose of injury news — right-handed reliever Kyle Crick landed on the injured list with elbow inflammation — it was a needed, drama-free way for a struggling team to find some momentum heading into a three-game series against a much better team in the Astros this weekend.The Sox (30-31) had lost four of five at home before this trip. A series win was badly needed. A sweep was soothing icing on a sweltering day.“A day like this is good for your mind, your confidence,” said Yoan Moncada, who was mobbed by teammates in the dugout after his three-run homer in the first inning. “During a bad stretch you can get a little down. It helps to reinforce your confidence.”Danny Mendick and Seby Zavala also homered, and Moncada, who began his season on May 9 because of an oblique strain and has struggled since, broke loose with a career-high five hits plus five RBI, three on a homer against Alex Faedo in the first. It was the first long ball since May 14 from a hitter whose production has been sorely lacking. Moncada (.181) put 40 points on his batting average.“He showed the stroke of a .300 hitter today,” manager Tony La Russa said, encouraged by what he saw. “Turned on an inside pitch. He really has a beautiful stroke. I think we can expect him to hit for a high average.” José Abreu had four hits and drove in two runs, Andrew Vaughn followed a four-hit night with three more and AJ Pollock had his seventh consecutive multihit game. Abreu is batting .362 with 18 RBI in his last 27 games. Vaughn is batting .400 in his last 14 games. The Sox’ last five wins have come by four or more runs, and they’ve done it without Tim Anderson, their top hitter who isn’t expected back till after the Houston series. They had four such wins in their first 52 games. Every hitter in the starting lineup had at least one hit, including Josh Harrison, who might be fighting for his spot on the roster with Mendick looking like an everyday player in the middle of the infield in Anderson’s absence.“The boys came to work today,” La Russa said.The Sox had a season high 22 hits, seven of them (with two runs) in the last three innings against position players Harold Castro, Kody Clemens and Tucker Barnhart. Their previous season high was 16 on June 5 at Tampa. They are hitting .335 and veraging 8.4 runs in the last seven games. Davis Martin’s fastball command was on point, and he pitched 51⁄3 innings of three-hit ball with no walks for the win after starter Vince Velasquez, reinstated from the IL before the game, pitched 22⁄3 scoreless innings.“The fact we swept this team was a big energy boost going into the series in Houston,” Velasquez said.Martin received a postgame shower of “beer, potato salad, ranch [dressing], shaving cream, body wash and overnight oats” for his first major league win. He lowered his ERA to 3.05.“It was a great experience, something I’ll remember the rest of my life,” Martin said.It was hard to remember the last time the Sox enjoyed a needed blowout because it came on the third game of the season, a 10-1 win over the Tigers (24-38) — who are 1-5 against the Sox.“When you see several guys starting to swing and each guy feels like the responsibility to get hits is going to be shared,” La Russa said. “No doubt we’re taking better at-bats.”Bring on the Astros.NOTES: Michael Kopech will throw a bullpen on Thursday’s off day in Houston, testing his right knee for clearance to start Sunday night against the Astros.*Jake Burger (bruised right hand) was available off the bench Wednesday and is expected to be ready to play Friday, La Russa said. | Baseball |
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. Full Coverage: PhotographyIt 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 |
Lil Wayne will no longer headline at Strawberries & Creem festival in Cambridge after he was banned from entering the UK at the “last minute”, event organisers have said.The Grammy-award winning American rapper, 39, will not perform on Saturday in what was believed to be his first UK show in 14 years after he had his visa application “refused.”Announcing the change in lineup on Wednesday evening, which will see Ludacris headline instead, the organisers said they are “deeply disappointed” by this “sudden and negative ruling.”“Due to extreme circumstances beyond our control or influence, we are very sorry to inform you that Lil Wayne is now unable to perform at the festival on Saturday 18 June.“Lil Wayne has been refused entry to the UK directly by the Home Office in a last minute decision.“We have received very minimal notice, and the timing of the decision is of course upsetting for all involved – including Lil Wayne’s fans, as well as the festival team,” a statement said.The hip-hop star, a convicted felon, admitted a weapons charge in December 2020 and was facing up to 10 years in jail before Donald Trump pardoned him during his final hours as president.In a statement on Wednesday, the UK Home Office said: “Any individual who has been sentenced to a custodial sentence of 12 months or more must have their application refused.”Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, was previously forced to cancel an anticipated UK tour in 2011 after his visa application was reportedly rejected by UK border authorities due to prior convictions in the US.Sign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BSTSign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BSTHis performance at Strawberries & Creem festival, alongside Tion Wayne, Mabel and Katy B, was to be his only European show in 2022, the festival previously said.The festival, which has been running since 2014, will run for three days at Childerley Orchard in Cambridge.The rapper has sold more than 20m albums worldwide and won five Grammy awards. | Music |
The Warriors have failed to capitalize on their first closeout opportunity in each round of this postseason so far, but they’re hoping Thursday night will be different.With a 3-2 series lead in the NBA Finals, Golden State can clinch the championship with a win over the Celtics in Game 6 at TD Garden. Players and coaches have long said that closeout games are the toughest to win, so the Warriors are well aware of the challenge.“It’s extremely hard,” center Kevon Looney said Wednesday. “Especially on the road. I don’t think we have had a closeout on the road this playoffs yet, so it’s going to be tough. But we feel like we have the formula, we have the talent to do it.”In each of the previous rounds, the Warriors needed to return to the Chase Center to end the series. Up, 3-0, against Denver in the first round, they lost, 126-121, in Game 4 at Ball Arena before winning Game 5. Up, 3-1, against Memphis in the conference semifinals, they lost, 134-95, in Game 5 at FedEx Forum before taking Game 6. And up, 3-0, against Dallas in the conference finals, they lost, 119-109, in Game 4 at American Airlines Center before wrapping things up in Game 5.Get Court SenseBounce around the NBA with our Celtics-centric look at the latest happenings on and off the court.Coach Steve Kerr said he doesn’t see any common threads among the losses.“I just think this is the NBA,” he said. “You’ve got talented teams. You’ve got talented players you’re going against. You’re in somebody else’s building. It’s just not easy to close anybody out in the playoffs. We are just going to have to play really well to win. It’s as simple as that.”Now there is a title on the line. Staying in the moment will be a key part of their approach.“Just being present,” said guard Klay Thompson. “You do yourself a disservice if you think about things that don’t even exist yet.”Added point guard Steph Curry: “You got to be present as much as possible and not worry about the consequences of a win or a loss. The only opportunity you have is that 48 minutes. “The more you can trick your mind into being in the moment and staying there, that’s the best advice I can give anybody in that situation because it’s going to be the hardest game you probably ever played in your career because of what the stakes are.”Curry said past experiences with closeout games should help prepare the Warriors for their nerves, the atmosphere, and the crowd. He’s hopeful they can stay focused on game-plan adjustments and continue to bring some physicality on both ends.In losing Games 4 and 5, the Celtics dropped back-to-back games for the first time this postseason. They haven’t lost three games in a row since late December, when they came up short against Milwaukee, Minnesota, and the Clippers.“This is a very good team,” Thompson said. “We know they’re going to play with a sense of desperation. So, for us to match that or exceed that, it’s going to take the most effort we’ve had to give all year. But I can tell you this: We’re all ready for the opportunity, and we’re all very excited.”Curry favors the SoxWith the Red Sox hosting the A’s at Fenway Park this week, Curry spoke a little bit about his fandom and explained why he was so drawn to soon-to-be Hall of Famer David Ortiz.“Those iconic moments that Big Papi was always a part of, even the championship moments, the way that he was kind of an ambassador for the city, spokesman for the city, just the reception and chemistry he had with this town,” Curry said. “All of that is inspiring, for sure.”Curry, who grew up in Charlotte, N.C., is a Red Sox fan, while his brother Seth is a Yankees fan. Curry’s bachelor party was at a Red Sox game in 2011. He has been to a few other games, too, and has visited the inside of the Green Monster.Swinging byThe US Open trophy paid a visit to TD Garden Wednesday. Both teams have a number of golf aficionados, so the NBA coordinated with the USGA to have the trophy on-site. The players sounded doubtful that they’d have time to check out The Country Club in Brookline, though a few golfers are expected to be in attendance for Game 6.Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her on Twitter @nicolecyang. | Basketball |
Screenshot: Lionsgate/YouTubeLionsgate is taking Hellboy into a digital inferno with the Sandbox in a new partnership to create metaverse film and television content. Deadline reports that the subsidiary of Amicoca Brands, known for popular mobile games, is now pivoting to bringing IP to the blockchain—with the studio behind the Dark Horse comics franchise (most recently seen on the big screen starring Stranger Things’ David Harbour as Big Red) along for the ride.Now we’re getting a version that will be housed in “Action City” which is described as “part virtual real estate, part amusement park.” Which is quite a choice. It will be metaverse neighbors with the most recent Rambo sequels as well as the first three The Expendables films. “We can’t wait to open our Lionsgate land in the Sandbox metaverse so fans around the globe can create, play, and explore our film IP in ways that go beyond what’s possible in the physical world,” Lionsgate’s Jenefer Brown, who serves as EVP and head of global live interactive and location based entertainment, told Deadline. “We’re excited by the new possibilities our strategic relationship with the Sandbox will offer our community.”Sounds hellacious, to be honest. It’s also giving “this is not what we ordered” vibes when all we wanted was a third Guillermo del Toro movie.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. | Video Games |
FILE – Academy Award-winning actress-comedian Mo’Nique appears at the premiere of “Almost Christmas” in Los Angeles, Nov. 3, 2016. Mo’Nique and Netflix reportedly have settled her lawsuit that accused the streaming service of racial and sexual discrimination. An attorney for the actor-comedian told The Hollywood Reporter the matter was “amicably resolved.” Attorneys for Mo’Nique and Netflix filed for the case’s dismissal Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File) LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mo’Nique and Netflix reportedly have settled her lawsuit that accused the streaming service of racial and sexual discrimination for allegedly making her a lowball offer for a proposed comedy special. The matter has been “amicably resolved,” Michael Parks, an attorney representing Mo’Nique in the suit, told The Hollywood Reporter. The terms of the settlement between the streaming giant and the comedian and Oscar-winning actor weren’t disclosed Wednesday, when they jointly filed in a Los Angeles federal court for the case’s dismissal. Netflix didn’t respond to a request for comment, and the law firm representing the company in the suit declined comment. Mo’Nique’s lawsuit said Netflix officials warmly praised her work before they offered her $500,000 in early 2018 for a comedy special and refused to negotiate further. Her suit said that reflected a company tendency to underpay Black women. In contrast, the suit claimed, Netflix was willing to negotiate with other comics and made deals reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars for comedy specials from Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais. Netflix denied the main allegations of the suit, filed in November 2019, in a statement made at the time. “We care deeply about inclusion, equity, and diversity and take any accusations of discrimination very seriously,” Netflix said then. “We believe our opening offer to Mo’Nique was fair – which is why we will be fighting this lawsuit.” The suit alleged that Netflix violated California’s fair employment and civil rights laws and is representative of the major pay inequity in all employment for Black women. “I had a choice to make,” Mo’Nique said in a post on her Instagram account after the filing. “I could accept what I felt was pay discrimination or I could stand up for those who came before me and those who will come after me. I chose to stand up.” Mo’Nique, whose birth name is Monique Angela Hicks, first gained fame as one of stand-up’s Queens of Comedy and starred in the UPN series “The Parkers.” She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for the 2009 film “Precious.” Tags | Celebrity |
“It’s not an experience most people get to have,” Jessie Mueller said. “I like that I can talk to him and be on the course instead of being behind the ropes.”The US Open is the most democratic of the four men’s professional majors. It’s open to any amateur who can play his way in, and about half the field this year is qualifiers.It makes for some memorable experiences — a week for regular Joes to rub elbows with the golfing elite.Maxwell Moldovan, a rising junior at Ohio State and the 2019 American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year, is playing in his first pro event. Jake Conjerti, one of his old friends from their days growing up near Akron, is on the bag. They have worked together for a handful of big junior events, but nothing compares to playing a Tuesday practice round with a Masters champion.“We’re on the putting green right beforehand, hearing Max’s name called right before Scottie Scheffler’s,” Conjerti said. “I grab Max’s arm and said, ‘This is the pinch-me moment.’ ”For most amateurs and club pros in the field, the caddie is a close friend or swing coach. Wellesley’s Michael Thorbjornsen, a rising junior at Stanford, chose Drew Cohen, an old friend from the Boston golf scene and briefly a classmate at IMG Academy.“We started becoming friends in seventh grade,” said Thorbjornsen, 20. “I think it was his mom that almost set up a ‘play date’ for us to play at TPC Boston, and from there kind of just kicked it off.”Caleb Manuel, a rising junior at UConn from Topsham, Maine, chose Nick Hampoian, a former UConn teammate and a North Reading native. Hampoian now has an apartment in South Boston and has been sleeping in his own bed this week.“I just graduated, starting my real job on Monday, so good last week of freedom,” said Hampoian, who will be doing IT staffing at TekSystems in downtown Boston. “I’ve played here [at TCC] a couple times, just being from around here. He wanted someone who knew his game and could have fun with him, and he picked me. So I was psyched.”Charlie Reiter, a rising junior at the University of San Diego, chose his new swing coach, George Gankas, after Reiter’s father caddied for him through qualifying. Gankas and Reiter haven’t worked together long and are still getting a feel for each other.“Dad did all the hard work and got him in the tournament,” said Gankas, who also caddied for Jake Rogers in the 2007 US Open at Oakmont. “But we’re having a good time. I’ve only been with him for a couple of months, so it’s good for me to be on the bag so I can learn his game later.”Ryan Gerard, who just turned pro after graduating from North Carolina, chose college teammate Luke Edwards.“I just have a lot of trust and confidence in him and his abilities,” Gerard said. “I understand what I’m getting with him. He’s going to be very honest and helpful for me this week. He’s not going to blow smoke up my butt or do anything that’s problematic. So I’m really looking forward to getting out there.”Gerard hopes that having a familiar face will help keep him grounded in his first major.“He knows how far I hit it, he knows what shots I like to hit, he knows what I’m good at and how I can play to my strengths out here,” Gerard said. “Sometimes you get lost in that when it gets overwhelming.“This is my first time playing in front of big crowds, a lot of cameras, a lot of cool stuff. But at the same time, all that cool stuff is just extra noise that you’ve got to kind of block out. And the more he can help me do that, the better off I’m going to be.”One of the best stories of the week will be the Quinn family from Holden. Fran Quinn, a 57-year-old member of the PGA Tour Champions, became the oldest golfer to advance through qualifying since the US Golf Association began tracking it in 1982. On his bag throughout the qualifiers was his wife, Lori Quinn, who is his regular caddie.Lori caddied for her husband at final qualifying in Rye, N.Y., and was going to caddie for him again this week, but she called an audible after Monday’s practice round. Her son, Owen Quinn, 23, got the call instead, after he just missed the cut in the Rye qualifier.“He’s played here so many times,” said Lori, referencing the 2019 Massachusetts Amateur and the 2017 Francis Ouimet Memorial. “I said, ‘You should be out here, not me.’ It just made more sense.”Owen was on his father’s bag the other time Fran qualified for the US Open — in 2014 at Pinehurst, when Owen was only 15. Now the father/son duo is teaming up again, at a course in their backyard. They have the first tee time of the day on Thursday, 6:45 a.m. off the 10th hole.“The 2014 championship was probably the coolest week I’ve had in golf, just being inside the ropes at the US Open, playing on Father’s Day Sunday,” Owen said. “This week is that much more special.“I’m old enough now to appreciate it more and to provide more insight on it all. If we’re able to play on Sunday, I think it would be one of the cooler days of my life.”Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com. | Golf |
Danny Care has been urged to play his way into England’s World Cup plans next year after being called up this week for the first time in nearly four years.Care has returned to the squad in preparation for the annual fixture against the Barbarians on Sunday and the England assistant coach, Richard Cockerill, has challenged the scrum-half to seize his spot on the summer tour of Australia.The 35-year-old scrum-half has been out of the England picture since November 2018 against Japan and has been vocal in his frustrations at being repeatedly overlooked despite his form for Harlequins. With Raffi Quirke injured and Ben Youngs unavailable with Leicester in the Premiership final, however, Eddie Jones has seen fit to call on Care this week.Care is competing with Harry Randall and Alex Mitchell for a place in the squad on Sunday while Leicester’s Jack van Poortvliet will also come into the equation for the Australia series, but if Youngs does not feature in the touring party Care’s experience – with 84 caps only Courtney Lawes has more in the current group – could work in his favour.“If he’s playing well enough and he’s playing better than anybody else, whether they’re young or old, then he’ll come into contention,” Cockerill said.The Breakdown: sign up and get our weekly rugby union email.“World Cups are about having that balance – having enough caps of experience to be able to control and manage the pressure, but also having those young guys who are so hungry. That gives you that balance of experience, energy and enthusiasm. We need that balance in our group. I don’t think age will be a barrier, whether young or old. Guys will be picked on how well they’re playing.”Of the Australia tour, Cockerill said: “Everybody in this squad is in contention to go on tour. They have the opportunity on Sunday to put their hand up. There’s no door closed. If people train well enough, play well enough and contribute to what we’re doing then everybody is in the mix.”Cockerill also delivered a positive update on Luke Cowan-Dickie, who has been with the squad in Bagshot this week as he continues his rehabilitation from a knee injury. Cowan-Dickie has not featured since sustaining the injury during the Six Nations and, with Jamie George on Saracens duty this weekend, Jones has three hookers with only nine caps between them to pick from.“He’s looking pretty healthy,” the forwards coach said. “He’s doing a lot of rehab with the physios and some throwing stuff with myself to get back into that. He’s not joined training yet but we’re hoping his rehab will start to accelerate once he’s got the all clear from the specialists.“[He] has got a great attitude, he is a really aggressive and up-and-at-them type of player. Modern rehab and sports science pretty much guys 95% fit before they get them on the field. It is not always about playing lots of games to get match fitness. If Luke is fit, as in not injured, he would be more than capable of taking the field in Australia.” | Other Sports |
Slovenia’s Luka Doncic (77) looks for the foul call after a made basket in play against Germany during the first half of play of a quarter final basketball game at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics at Saitama Super Arena, on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, in Saitama, Japan.(Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer)Luka Doncic will be back on the basketball court soon.The Slovenian national team will report Wednesday to start training for its World Cup qualifying matches later this month — reuniting Doncic with some of his closest teammates and friends less than three weeks after the Mavericks’ playoff run concluded.Here’s the rundown on what to expect.TimingThis is the first of two windows Doncic will play with the Slovenian national team this NBA offseason.Slovenia will prepare for Croatia (June 30) and Sweden (July 3) as part of the third stage of FIBA World Cup qualifying and then take a break for the remainder of July — when the Mavericks expect their superstar will, finally, have a chance to recover and rest from a hectic, grueling two seasons of basketball.Then, the national team will reconvene in August in preparation for the 2022 EuroBasket tournament, which starts Sept. 1 with their Group B stage in Cologne, Germany.Look for much of Doncic and his team’s focus this summer to be on repeating as European champions after Slovenia’s historic gold medal in 2017.Notable teammatesDoncic lauded the Mavericks’ chemistry and friendships throughout their run to the Western Conference finals this year.The bonds might be even closer among the Slovenians, many of whom have been friends with Doncic since childhood.Veteran point guard Goran Dragic has paused his international retirement to play for Slovenia in the World Cup qualifiers — the first time he and Doncic will play together since 2017 EuroBasket.The two have known one another since Dragic was teammates with Doncic’s dad, Sasa, on a professional Slovenian team more than 15 years ago and Doncic was an active young boy shooting hoops during breaks in their games. Dragic, who will be a free agent this summer, and Doncic have since formed a close friendship and mentorship — and haven’t masked their hope to one day team up together in the NBA.Also among Doncic’s top Slovenian teammates: Denver Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar and center Mike Tobey, who became a fan favorite among many in Dallas thanks to his pick-and-roll flow with Doncic during the Tokyo Olympics.Other Mavericks?A few of the Mavericks’ leaders plan to attend at least part of the EuroBasket tournament in September, but don’t expect a large Dallas contingent for the World Cup qualifiers.The national team will play in Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, June 30 against Croatia and then travel to Stockholm, Sweden, for the second game less than three full days later.Timing will make the trip even more difficult than the travel because coach Jason Kidd, general manager Nico Harrison and other front-office personnel will be in the thick of free-agency and summer-league prep.Also of note: assistant coach Igor Kokoskov, who led Slovenia to the 2017 EuroBasket championship, will not work for a national team this summer for the first time in 17 years.At least one Mavericks teammate will face the same grind, though: Reserve guard Frank Ntilikina is on France’s roster for World Cup qualifiers July 1 (vs. Montenegro) and July 4 (vs. Hungary).The Serbian national team, for which Boban Marjanovic has participated, has not yet announced its World Cup qualifying roster.Related:‘We’re listening to everything’: GM Nico Harrison on Mavs’ offseason needs, plans and moreFind more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.Be the smartest Mavs 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 | Basketball |
62nd Grammy Awards – Arrivals – Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 26, 2020 – Ozzy Osbourne. REUTERS/Mike BlakeRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comLONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - British rocker Ozzy Osbourne is "doing well and on the road to recovery" after undergoing surgery earlier this week, his wife said.Sharon Osbourne in a message on Instagram thanked fans for their support, after saying last week that the frontman for the former group Black Sabbath was going to have "a very major operation" on Monday. She did not give details about the surgery.“Our family would like to express so much gratitude for the overwhelming amount of love and support leading up to Ozzy’s surgery," Sharon Osbourne wrote on Tuesday. "Ozzy is doing well and on the road to recovery! Your love means the world to him.”Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comThe music manager and television personality on Friday told her co-panellists on her UK chat show "The Talk" that she would be travelling to Los Angeles at the weekend to be with her husband, describing the surgery as one that was "really going to determine the rest of his life".In an interview with Classic Rock magazine last month, Ozzy Osbourne, 73, said he was still struggling with injuries sustained from a 2003 quad bike accident. A 2019 fall at his home exacerbated the injuries and he required surgery."I’m just waiting on some more surgery on my neck. I can’t walk properly these days. I have physical therapy every morning," he told the magazine. "I am somewhat better, but nowhere near as much as I want to be to go back on the road."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Mark PorterOur 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 |
What's happening An investigation by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and The Markup found that Facebook is collecting personal data about abortion seekers. Why it matters Lawmakers and privacy experts are raising concerns about how technology can be abused after a leaked draft opinion showed the Supreme Court planned to overturn federal abortion rights. Facebook is reportedly collecting data about people who visit the websites of crisis pregnancy centers, raising concerns from privacy experts that information about abortion seekers could be abused.Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and The Markup analyzed nearly 2,500 crisis pregnancy center websites and found that at least 294 of these sites shared visitor information with Facebook. Some of the sensitive personal data included information about whether a person was considering abortion or trying to obtain emergency contraceptives or a a pregnancy test.Concerns about how user data could be used to identify abortion seekers have heightened after Politico published a story about a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that showed the court voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. In May, US lawmakers urged Google to stop collecting and retaining user location data because it could be used to identify people seeking abortions. The Supreme Court decision isn't final yet, but it would strike down federal constitutional protection of abortion rights. Individual states would choose whether to restrict or ban abortion.Reveal and The Markup reported it isn't clear how Facebook uses data about abortion seekers. Privacy experts say it could be used as evidence against abortion seekers in states where the procedure is outlawed. Anti-abortion clinics could also use the data to target advertising to people in an effort to deter them from getting the procedure or to spread misinformation. Dale Hogan, a spokesperson for Facebook's parent company Meta, told the news outlets that the company's system is "designed to filter out potentially sensitive data" and it's against the platform's rules for apps and websites to send "sensitive information about people" through the company's business tools. Hogan also sent the same statement to CNET.Reveal and The Markup said it's unknown whether Facebook's filters caught the sensitive data. Privacy experts suggested that some of the solutions that could prevent potential misuse of the data includes strengthening the social media platform's filters or getting rid of a tool called the Meta Pixel that allows websites to track visitor activity. | AI Policy and Regulations |
Jeff Hardy Drinking Joke Day Before DUI Arrest ... 'Whiskey Is My Best Friend & My Worst Enemy' 6/15/2022 4:42 PM PT Less than one day before Jeff Hardy was accused of drunkenly driving his car through Florida highways ... the AEW star took a swig from a cup and made a joke that whiskey was "my best friend and my worst enemy." The 44-year-old wrestler was filmed on Sunday evening making the comment -- some 12 hours or so before cops say he was driving a white Dodge Charger while severely intoxicated in Volusia County. The video shows Hardy in Orlando for a wrestling convention (one in which his brother, Matt Hardy, also attended) ... singing for several people inside what appeared to be a conference room. Jeff, discussing lyrics to a song, took big sip of a drink, turned to the crowd and said, "Whiskey is my best friend and my worst enemy!" Ran into an old friend & HOFer tonight, @TestifyDVon. Always DELIGHTFUL to see D-Von Dudley! pic.twitter.com/bMR8h8XhQ7— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) June 13, 2022 @MATTHARDYBRAND The footage shows he then smiled, while people in the audience chuckled and shouted. As we reported, Jeff was later arrested at around 9 a.m. on Monday morning by the Florida Highway Patrol for DUI. During the stop, officers say he reeked of booze, could hardly stand during questioning, and admitted to drinking before getting behind the wheel. They added that two breathlyzer tests revealed he had a BAC of .291 and .294. Hardy was charged with felony DUI and two other misdemeanors. He's due in court for a hearing on the matter in July. The wrestler -- who was slated to compete in AEW event this week -- has since been suspended by the AEW without pay. | Other Sports |
Lil Wayne will no longer headline at Strawberries & Creem festival in Cambridge after he was banned from entering the UK at the last minute, event organisers have said.The Grammy-award winning American rapper, 39, will not perform on Saturday in what was believed to be his first UK show in 14 years after he had his visa application refused.Announcing the change in lineup on Wednesday evening, which will see Ludacris headline instead, the organisers said they are “deeply disappointed” by this “sudden and negative ruling”.“Due to extreme circumstances beyond our control or influence, we are very sorry to inform you that Lil Wayne is now unable to perform at the festival on Saturday 18 June.“Lil Wayne has been refused entry to the UK directly by the Home Office in a last-minute decision.“We have received very minimal notice, and the timing of the decision is of course upsetting for all involved – including Lil Wayne’s fans, as well as the festival team,” a statement said.The hip-hop star, a convicted felon, admitted a weapons charge in December 2020 and was facing up to 10 years in jail before Donald Trump pardoned him during his final hours as president.In a statement on Wednesday, the UK Home Office said: “Any individual who has been sentenced to a custodial sentence of 12 months or more must have their application refused.”Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, was previously forced to cancel an anticipated UK tour in 2011 after his visa application was reportedly rejected by UK border authorities due to prior convictions in the US.Sign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BSTHis performance at Strawberries & Creem festival, alongside Tion Wayne, Mabel and Katy B, was to be his only European show in 2022, the festival previously said.The festival, which has been running since 2014, will run for three days at Childerley Orchard in Cambridge.The rapper has sold more than 20m albums worldwide and won five Grammy awards. | Music |
The World Wrestling Entertainment's board is investigating a $3 million settlement that CEO Vince McMahon secretly paid to a former female employee with whom he allegedly had an affair, according to a report. The agreement, settled earlier this year in January with McMahon's personal funds, bars the former employee from discussing her relationship with McMahon, 76, or disparaging him, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the board's investigation and documents. US OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST SIGNS MULTI-YEAR DEAL WITH WWE The board first learned of the agreement from a series of anonymous emails sent by a person claiming to know the employee, beginning March 30, alleging that the woman began with a starting salary of $100,000 at the company, which was raised to $200,000 after a sexual relationship began with McMahon. Vince McMahon, CEO of WWE. (Photo: Business Wire) "My friend was so scared so she quit after Vince McMahon and lawyer Jerry paid her millions of dollars to shut up,” the first email reads. The employee started as a paralegal for the company before becoming an assistant to the WWE's talent executive, John Laurinaitis, sources told the outlet. The relationship with McMahon was consensual, and the company is cooperating fully with the investigation, a spokesperson for the WWE said. The agreement is part of an investigation that the board opened in April into other nondisclosure agreements, which total millions of dollars, involving complaints from former female employees of misconduct by McMahon and Laurinaitis, the outlet reported. The New York-based law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP was retained by the board to conduct the investigation. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER McMahon is married to Linda McMahon, who served as the Small Business Administration chief under the Trump administration. The Washington Examiner reached out to the WWE for comment. | Celebrity |
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Follow this author to improve your content experience. Jun 15, 2022,02:00pm EDT| Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. Paramount Pictures With $7.65 million on Tuesday, -44% from last Tuesday and +15% from Monday, Top Gun: Maverick has earned $409.5 million after 19 days at the domestic box office. That puts it (sans inflation) in 33rd place between Iron Man 3 ($409 million in 2013) and Wonder Woman ($412.5 million in 2017). It will crack the top 30 probably tomorrow when it passes the $417 million cume of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It already passed the domestic cume of Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which (with a current $399.5 million cume) itself should pass $400 million domestic today. Meanwhile, presuming a continued 52.6/47.4 domestic/overseas split, the $170 million legacy sequel is at $778 million, past both The Batman ($770 million) and No Time to Die ($774 million). That makes the Joseph Kosinski-directed action drama, co-starring Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Jon Hamm and Glen Powell, Hollywood’s third biggest Covid-era earner behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($930 million) and Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.9 billion). It’s fifth overall behind those two and China’s Hi Mom ($835 million) and Battle at Lake Changin ($911 million) but give it time. Oh, and barring a fluke, it’ll also pass Mission: Impossible – Fallout ($792 million in 2018) sometime tomorrow to become Tom Cruise’s biggest global grosser. Presuming no major changes, it’ll pass $800 million worldwide on Friday. On Saturday or Sunday, it will likely become Cruise’s biggest inflation-adjusted domestic earner (past the $440 million adjusted total of Top Gun) as it aims to end weekend four past $450 million. As noted in the aftermath of its colossal $160.5 million domestic and $300 million global debut, Top Gun: Maverick should mark the first time since Cruise’s Mission: Impossible II ($215 million domestic and $545 million worldwide) in 2000 that a real-world action movie has topped at least the domestic box office for the summer. It’s still some distance from Doctor Strange 2 and I wouldn’t yet count out Jurassic World Dominion, but even Spider-Man ($403 million domestic and $821 million worldwide) was tops domestically but third worldwide (behind the second Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films) in 2002. It’ll surely end the summer as the biggest domestic earner, and only Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in November and Avatar: The Way of Water in December are serious threats. It’s already the biggest-grossing non-fantastical action movies ever (give or take whether you count Titanic as “action”) in unadjusted domestic grosses. It’s already soared past Skyfall ($303 million), American Sniper ($350 million) and Furious 7 ($353 million). Yes, The Dark Knight ($533 million) and Black Panther ($700 million) contain next-to-no supernatural/fantastical elements, but they are costumed DC/Marvel superheroes. Heck, Top Gun: Maverick might be past The Dark Knight Rises’ $449 million cume by Sunday anyway. It has sold more domestic tickets than any James Bond film save for Goldfinger and Thunderball. In terms of inflation-adjusted grosses, we can debate what qualifies as “real world action” (Smokey and the Bandit, The Towering Inferno, etc.) once we see if Top Gun: Maverick will end closer to $500 million or $550 million. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website. Send me a secure tip. Editorial StandardsPrintReprints & Permissions | Movies |
Published June 15, 2022 4:06PM article NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 13: Shaquille O'Neal interacts with young participants as The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation & Icy Hot unveil "Comebaq Court" on June 13, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images) 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. 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 and 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) "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. LINK: Get updates and more on this story at foxnews.com. | Other Sports |
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 |
Tribeca: This ambitious experimental romance relies on tight editing to follow three entangled lovers with almost no dialogue. The opening few minutes of “Three Headed Beast” begin like most films, with music accompanying two figures as they set up a basic dramatic circumstance. Two men — one with a bushy red beard and baseball hat, the other dark-haired and limber — are moving a mattress into an empty apartment. Huffing and puffing, they plunk the mattress hastily on the floor before pulling each other down into an erotically charged tumble. Almost imperceptibly, our brains begin to piece together a story from the information we’ve been given: They appear to be a couple in their lustful honeymoon phase moving in together for the first time. As the moving montage progresses, with one snapping photographs while the other does all the work before heading out the door with a perfunctory kiss and a houseplant handoff, our perception of their relationship begins to shift. Like the relationships it portrays, “Three Headed Beast” upends traditional storytelling conventions. After these wordless introductory scenes, which include a woman embracing her lover goodbye and running home, one might expect some dialogue to puncture the silence, but it never comes. Instead, the drama unfolds like a simple animation might, without language to offer any explanations; filmmakers Fernando Andrés and Tyler Rugh rely on tight editing and inventive camera work to guide the viewer’s eye, using every visual tool at their disposal to craft a compelling narrative. It’s an impressive feat, especially for both filmmakers’ first feature (Andrés also shot and edited the film), one that rises to the challenge of budgetary limitations to invent something undeniably new and unique. The redhead is Peter (Jacob Schatz), a landscaper who prefers beer to wine and carries a jug of water with him wherever he goes. He lives in a tidy and cozily designed space with Nina (Dani Hurtado), a personal trainer and obsessive podcast listener. We learn their vocations in split screen, as they go about their busy work days in a simple montage. Both bustling frames continue on either side of a third, where Alex (Cody Shook), the guy from the beginning, sleeps peacefully between them, serving as a cheeky metaphor. Alex wakes up halfway through the other couple’s workday, and when they’re making dinner at home he is out dancing at a club. When they kiss goodnight and turn the lights out, he’s bedding a guy in his new place.
Though it sounds unusual, “Three Headed Beast” doesn’t shy away from the restrictions of its inventive scenario. While the split screen goes on longer than in might in a conventional film, the film doesn’t rely too much on gimmicks. We see a few text messages here and there that serve to establish basic names and the recency of Alex and Peter’s connection. Much of the film is scored by Ryan Faber’s impressionistic compositions, which can turn from jaunty to wistful on a dime. But there are musical reprieves, where silence descends and the starkness of the wordless story is allowed to hang in the air. The couple’s routine is established over a series of dinner scenes, which are tranquil and comfortable at first; then punctuated by friends expecting a baby; and eventually sad and laden. Just when the film begins to settle into a quiet rhythm, however, the mute figures suddenly begin to speak when they’re all in the same place for the first time. As soon as they start talking, however, you wish they’d stop. The personas, established gently by the actors’ careful movements and steady gazes, are suddenly dampened by stilted conversation and gruff deliveries. It works for the scene, dialing up the awkwardness of meeting your lover’s lover for the first time, but something is lost when the bubble bursts. When a fourth character also speaks, only to tell Nina she doesn’t talk much, one can feel logic creeping in uninvited.
Still, “Three Headed Beast” uses its conceit to explore a fascinating subject matter that can easily sound trite when put into words. Terms like open marriage, polyamory, and non-monogamy are a mouthful, each carrying their own baggage and minute differences no one has the time to decode. By stripping the idea to its essence — that romantic and sexual connections can and do exist between more than two people concurrently — “Three Headed Beast” unburdens the complex subject matter from the judgement of the outside world. After all, isn’t that what free love is all about?
Grade: B-
“Three Headed Beast” premiered in competition at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. It is currently seeking distribution. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. | Movies |
To infinity, and beyond.Image: PixarTry, if you can, to put aside all the off-screen Lightyear nonsense. What is this movie? How does it fit in with Toy Story? None of that matters. The first three frames of the latest Pixar animation film clear all that up simply and succinctly. In 1995, a boy named Andy got a Buzz Lightyear toy. It was from his favorite movie. This is that movie.And Andy was right to like Lightyear because it’s an awesome movie. Filled with huge emotions and exciting action, it’s Pixar doing what Pixar does best: making big, family-friendly entertainment anyone can enjoy. Unlike some of Pixar’s better-known films though, Lightyear is much, much more straightforward. At its core, it’s a fairly standard time-travel adventure story. It’s a film designed to take you on a wild ride. And while that ride has a few bumps here and there, they don’t take away from its overall excellence.Buzz and Alisha.Image: PixarCo-written and directed by Angus MacLane (Finding Dory), Lightyear is about a space ranger named Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans) who makes a critical error on a mission. That error forces his entire team, including fellow Space Ranger Alisha Hawhthore (Uzo Aduba), to be marooned on an alien planet. Buzz is determined to fix the problem though, and through some really surprising and at times sad events, he fails at doing so. He fails so badly, in fact, that he ends up traveling into a mysterious future where he meets Hawthorne’s granddaughter, Izzy (Keke Palmer). There, he’s forced to team up with her and a few other recruits (voiced by Taika Waititi and Dale Soules) to stop an evil robot named Zurg (James Brolin).It sounds kind of complicated when you type it out but Lightyear lays out all its conflicts very simply. And because of that simplicity, MacLane is able to highlight lots of complex human emotions. We learn about Buzz’s hubris and drive as well as his almost inhuman selflessness. Other characters are forced to grow and change despite impossible situations. And the story’s rapid passage of time results in some of those trademark heartbreaking moments Pixar is so good at.Buzz and his future crew. Image: PixarAfter a dynamite first act, though, Lightyear’s second act is not as strong. As Buzz is forced to work with Izzy and her crew, solving the multiple problems that come with a killer robot hellbent on destruction, the plot takes over and Buzz gets pushed a bit to the background. Eventually, the development of the other characters and the escalation of the stakes in this act pay off big, but in the moment, they slow the film down just enough that it’s noticeable.Thankfully, Lightyear takes a giant leap in the third act with some huge revelations and crazy set-pieces. Plus, throughout all of it is Buzz’s robot cat, Sox, who completely steals the show. Voiced by Peter Sohn (Doug from Up), Sox is hilarious, adorable, and resourceful. He’s an incredibly useful character that instantly endears himself to the audience. Over the course of the film, that adoration just grows and grows as he becomes more and more important to the plot, to the characters, and to us. He takes Lightyear up another notch.Buzz and Sox.Image: PixarFans of Toy Story will notice a lot of subtle winks back to that movie, via some of the ships, props, and shot compositions, and sci-fi fans will find even more to love. On first viewing I picked up on nods to Aliens, The Empire Strikes Back, 2001, Nintendo, Star Trek, and others—none of which are crucial to the plot or excessive, but are more examples of Pixar making a movie that works on multiple levels. There’s the core blockbuster, sci-fi adventure. Plenty of nerdy little Easter eggs. And lots of important worthwhile messages along the way too. Themes about embracing life, dealing with loss, and the importance of family are among the most prevalent. Basically, it’s the type of movie that will reward multiple viewings.Lightyear isn’t quite as good as any of the Toy Story movies it’s based on, but it doesn’t have to be. It stands on its own, delivering the type of thrills and visuals Pixar likely never thought possible. Ultimately, it does exactly what it set out to do: show us a movie that a young kid, maybe even yours, will one day call their favorite.Lightyear opens Friday, June 17.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 |
A 62-year-old retired religious education teacher (Nancy), who has never had an orgasm, hires a 28-year-old male sex worker (Leo) to help expand her horizons. This is the story of the film Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, which was written by Katy Brand and sent to me with an “Is this anything that might intrigue you?” kind of message.It perhaps goes without saying that it was a very unexpected script to receive. Four pages in, I was hooked. At the end of the first reading, I wrote to Katy to say that we absolutely had to do it. And not many months later, we did.Over the course of 19 days in February 2021, Daryl McCormack, now 29, and I, 63, filmed four meetings in a Norfolk so Covid-secure it felt like ours and ours alone. You might be forgiven for assuming that this is a sort of Home Counties riposte to Last Tango in Paris—more of a “first two-step in Norwich”—but, in fact, it’s an adventure in several kinds of intimacy. An exploration of pleasure and shame, and a portrait of sex work as one of the caring professions.Nancy, terrified about what she’s set in motion, arrives laden with assumptions about Leo and low expectations after a lifetime of disappointment in the bedroom. Leo arrives with an open mind and heart, impressive people skills, and secrets of his own.Emma Thompson with Daryl McCormack in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.
Courtesy of Searchlight PicturesPreparing for shooting was simplified by the COVID restrictions in place at the time—for a start, I couldn’t go off to a health spa and lose 20 pounds in anticipation of forthcoming nudity. I decided that my character Nancy wouldn’t have done that either, and so it was doubtless for the best. I had no trouble imagining what it was like to be a teacher because I know several and might well have become one had my parents’ profession been less welcoming. Indeed, I once appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson while publicizing Howards End and, having no idea about glamour or how to achieve it, waltzed onto the set in flat shoes and a plaid smock, and was told I looked exactly like a geography teacher.But none of Nancy’s brisk pedagogic self-assurance is on display when Leo first encounters her. Playing this woman on the brink of crossing every boundary she has held all her life—crossing so many lines she’s cross-eyed—was the most bracing challenge I’d been offered in years.I don’t know if you’ve ever taken all your clothes off in front of a young person you don’t really know. Never assume anything. But if you haven’t, I’m here to tell you that it’s a little bit intimidating. Especially if you’re a post-menopausal woman in her sixties who’s recently eaten far too many Tunnock’s Tea Cakes owing to lockdown comfort-seeking, and the young person is in startlingly perfect shape owing to playing someone whose job requires them to be in perfect shape.Our director, Sophie Hyde, guided us into naked rehearsal by joining us naked. We three stood about, entirely bare, and talked about our bodies and what we liked and didn’t like about them. I had a much longer list of dislikes than either of them. But in the end, it just reminded me of how leveling and also elevating being nude with people can be. It’s easier to be honest when there’s literally nothing to hide, and it’s unavoidably humbling. And after that, there’s nothing much to fear.Does anyone know or care if middle-aged women are getting any sexual satisfaction or pleasure? In our younger years, we used to be constantly nagged by Cosmo about orgasms, I recall. It was always on the front cover – how to achieve them in bigger, better ways. The focus on the achievement—as though we were less than wholly alive if we weren’t constantly emerging pinkly breathless from our latest appointment with ecstasy—was frankly a little bullying. We were also informed that older women could sometimes want more sex, and then the cougar myth was born—tedious, banal, and empty, like so many of the sexual types we are supposed to embody.But actually, I don’t think that attending to women’s pleasure, young or old, is at the top of anyone’s to-do list.In my line of work, we are often required to portray sex—but I was very diffident about my looks and my body as a young actress, and certainly had none of the attributes that appealed to overwhelmingly male producers who tended to cast women they “wanted to f**k.” (And I quote so many of them, and it still goes on.) So, I didn’t do it all that often.There have been massive generational shifts in the past century, between—for instance—my mother’s generation and my own. My mother is from Scotland, a glorious land but not known for its commitment to the erotic, and a Presbyterian family. She had quite Puritanical views on sex, which my youthful enthusiasm for it soon questioned. She rose quite magnificently to the challenge. She took me to see a gynecologist.Daryl McCormack and Emma Thompson in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.Photo: Nick Wall / Courtesy of Searchlight PicturesWhy do we find sex so difficult to talk about? Because it is taboo, because we have been taught that it is dirty or naughty or beneath us, demeaning, animal, lustful, sinful, dangerous, and beyond the pale of decent normality. I don’t think I am exaggerating.Sexual assistance—why isn’t it on the National Health Service? Sex is free, natural, normal, delightful, good for us, and, as Leo says in the film, inaccessible to some for all kinds of perfectly valid reasons. It’s a public health issue.The theme of women’s sex work was fascinating to me—like many of my generation, the idea of it being a chosen occupation rather than something awful one has been forced into by poverty or abusive power is very new and takes some getting used to. Largely, I suppose, because of the dangers. It’s all very well to agree upon boundaries, but to be alone in a room with a stronger human who can easily—very easily sometimes—hurt, rape, or kill you, is frightening. It remains frightening to me, although I also think that under the right circumstances—legal safeguards, decent clients, and so forth—it could be a very good job.Is it partly that we don’t associate respect for one another with our sexual feelings? I think the root of it all (sorry) is that we simply do not respect our sexual desires. We easily joke about them—we easily make them the butt of our contempt, easily undermine their complexity, their radical nature (sometimes), even their humble need to exist often offends and disturbs us. But we aren’t listening.Leo listens—he respects pleasure. He understands it takes many forms and none is anathema to him. He understands that he can make people feel better, he can improve their lives, and sometimes he can even release them from suffering. He teaches Nancy, in short, about the possible sanctity of sex work.Before making Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, I had no idea how much I would learn about my attitude to my own body, to pleasure and to shame – how much I would laugh about the genuine silliness of so many of our responses to sexual pleasure, and how much I would cry about what is lost in life when it is repressed, ignored and punished.I hope the film reaches as many people as possible and does the same for them.Good Luck to You, Leo Grande premieres on Hulu this Friday, June 17. | Movies |
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Ozzy Osbourne broke his silence and thanked his fans for "their thoughts, prayers and well wishes" in his first statement following the "major operation" he had on Monday afternoon."I am now home from the hospital recuperating comfortably," the 73-year-old musician tweeted on Wednesday to his millions of followers. "I am definitely feeling the love and support from all my fans and send everyone a big thank you for their thoughts, prayers and well wishes during my recovery." Ozzy Osbourne is home recuperating post "major operation." The musician was pictured in 2014. (Ilya S. Savenok)The family hasn't publicly discussed the medical procedure Ozzy had to undergo, but Sharon admitted Ozzy was "feeling good" roughly 30 minutes before her husband posted online.Sharon also included a classic throwback shot of Ozzy standing at the microphone ready to belt out one of his hit songs."Our family would like to express so much gratitude for the overwhelming amount of love and support leading up to Ozzy’s surgery," she tweeted Tuesday afternoon, one day after the procedure. "Ozzy is doing well and on the road to recovery. Your love means the world to him," she added with a praying hands emoji.Sharon indicated Ozzy was involved in a challenging situation last week and he would need a difficult surgery. She immediately flew back to the West Coast from London to be by his side. "He has a major operation on Monday, and I have to be there," she told her fellow TalkTV panelists last week. "It’s really going to determine the rest of his life." A report has since surfaced stating that the procedure was to remove and realign pins in his neck and back. "Ozzy is 73 and any kind of surgery when you get older is difficult," a source told Page Six. "This is quite major. He’s having the pins in his neck and back realigned from when he had a fall back in 2019." Tracy Wright is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. | Music |
Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom will air live worldwide on CNN on Sunday, June 19 at 8pmET, with pre-show coverage beginning at 7pmET including CNN anchor Don Lemon to highlight African-American advocates, trailblazers and creators. It will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com and CNN OTT and mobile apps under “TV Channels” or CNNgo where available. CNN — A slate of Black artists and musicians are set to take the stage at the Hollywood Bowl on June 19 for an inaugural Juneteenth concert that will be broadcast live on CNN. The “Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom,” produced by creators Shawn Gee of Live Nation Urban and Jesse Collins Entertainment, will celebrate the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth and highlight the ongoing fight for equality in the Black community. Juneteenth, or June 19, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. Last year President Joe Biden signed a bill establishing it as a federal holiday. Juneteenth gained more recognition from lawmakers and corporations in 2020 when the nation faced a reckoning on racism following the death of George Floyd. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver special remarks during the televised event. Concert performers will include Chaka Khan, Khalid, Yolanda Adams, Jill Scott, Anthony Hamilton, Billy Porter, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jhené Aiko, Killer Mike, Lucky Daye, Mary Mary, Ne-Yo, Michelle Williams, Mickey Guyton, Robert Glasper, The Roots and Bell Biv DeVoe. The Re-Collective Orchestra, a 68-piece all-Black symphony orchestra, will also perform. Academy-award winning director Questlove and Adam Blackstone are serving as the musical directors of the event. The show will also include presenters such director and choreographer Debbie Allen; Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles; actors Michael Ealy, Gabourey Sidibe and Kendrick Sampson; comedians Leslie Jones and Lil Rel Howery; and stars from ABC’s Black-ish stars Deon Cole, Marsai Martin and Miles Brown. CNN anchor Don Lemon will kick off live coverage of the event and honor Black advocates and trailblazers who are on the front lines of the fight for equality. While commemorating Juneteenth, it’s important to acknowledge that Black Americans still face racism, said Johnita Due, senior vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for CNN. Data shows that Black Americans suffer inequities in health care, education, housing, wealth, voting rights and public safety. “We knew it was important to our country and important to our audiences to shed light on the meaning and significance of Juneteenth,” Due said. “And not only as an historic event but really as a way to engage and educate people about what still needs to happen for all of us to achieve freedom and justice.” Due said organizers were intent on showcasing Black excellence and including a multigenerational list of performers who would be able to demonstrate their lived Black experiences. The concert will also honor previous Juneteenth celebrations and build upon the traditions to educate people around the world about the significance of the holiday, Due said. Gee, president of Live Nation Urban, said the Juneteenth concert will be the “most important event we’ve ever produced at Live Nation Urban.” “It’s a moment to celebrate and reflect on Black independence and the Black experience,” Gee said. “It’s also a moment to raise awareness and shine light on the miles we still need to travel to true equity. We hope to see you there.” | Festivals |
Right-hander Kyle Hendricks’ changeup has been a staple of his big-league success.So it’s not a coincidence that the pitch was at the root of shutting down the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field after nearly two-week layoff for the right-hander.A dead arm and shoulder fatigue had sidelined Hendricks, but time off resolved the issues. After nearing a shutout last month against the Padres, Hendricks went five-plus innings and allowed one run while not walking a batter and striking out six.[ [Don’t miss] How a new slider helped Glen Ellyn native Eric Stout earn a call up to his childhood-favorite Chicago Cubs ]But the Cubs squandered Hendricks’ outing in a 12-5 loss, which was a season-high eight straight defeat. The bullpen imploded after his departure, allowing all 12 runs over the final four innings. Manager David Ross needed three pitchers to get through the seventh, when the Padres loaded the bases twice with nobody out as they sent 12 batters to the plate in the six-run, go-ahead inning.“I feel back to 100% normal,” Hendricks said. “Fatigued a little bit for sure, maybe a little bit at the end. I left that pitch up and that was maybe the one bad pitch for me. But overall I felt healthwise great and stamina-wise real good there for a while. My stuff and my mechanics felt really good, so I’ve got to get back into a routine now and get that pitch count back up.”Right-hander Caleb Kilian will make his second caeer start Wednesday against the Padres. The Cubs placed second baseman Nick Madrigal (left groin strain) on the injured list, opening a spot for them to recall Kilian because the rookie hadn’t spent the minimum 15 days in the minors since the team optioned him.Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks during the sixth inning against the Padres on June 14, 2022. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)The Cubs’ scuffling offense wasted Willson Contreras’ stellar performance, which featured a double and his 10th multi-home run game.Hendricks surrendered a leadoff double in the sixth, prompting a mound visit from Ross. Before the inning, they had discussed that Hendricks would be going batter to batter. Coming into the game, Hendricks and the Cubs felt comfortable letting him throw in the 85-pitch range. But at 78 pitches and with a five-run lead, Ross went to the bullpen after the double.“It looked like he was running out of gas,” Ross said.The bullpen’s meltdown thwarted Hendricks’ momentum-building start. Of the five relievers used — Chris Martin, Scott Effross, Mychal Givens, Brandon Hughes and Eric Stout — only Hughes did not allow a run. Givens failed to record an out in the seventh, walking three Padres, and was charged with four runs allowed.“It’s hard to hard to put my finger on it and sometimes they have a bad night,” Ross said of the bullpen. “They’d been really good. I’m not going to sit up here and make some excuse or something. They weren’t good. They’ll be back in there tomorrow night.”[ [Don’t miss] A bruised finger doesn’t stop Justin Steele in a much-needed start for the Chicago Cubs: ‘The pain was manageable’ ]Getting Hendricks right is important after his ups and downs dating to the start of last season.“Kyle was fantastic, I couldn’t ask for more,” Contreras said. “He battled. He execute every pitch that was called.”Hendricks’ changeup appears to be the key to unlocking better consistency, and the Cubs need that to carry over. He threw 40% changeups Tuesday, his highest Pitch% in 12 starts this season. He hadn’t thrown a higher percentage in a start since Sept. 16. Hendricks tallied nine whiffs on the Padres’ 17 swings against his changeup.“There’s some things that we tried to identify in his downtime of getting back to what he is,” Ross said. “I want him to continue to do that and let the other teams figure out what the difference is, but I thought he got back to a lot of the ways that he’s had success this year.”Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks delivers during the first inning against the Padres on June 14, 2022. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Hendricks is known for how frequently he throws between starts and values getting work in off a mound. But “for a guy that wants to throw a lot, it’s kind of hard at times,” to take the proper rest needed, pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. Based on the off days last week, the Cubs had targeted Hendricks to return Tuesday while also considering Sunday’s series finale at Yankee Stadium.The Cubs opted to not put Hendricks on the injured list because of rotation flexibility with scheduled off days and optimism he wouldn’t need to be sidelined too long. If they had needed his active roster spot, maybe the Cubs would have taken a different path to getting Hendricks the rest he needed for his arm and shoulder to bounce back.“Once we hit that point where he felt like he was recovering well and it wasn’t taking as much to get loose, then we were ready to push it with some bullpens and stuff,” Hottovy said. “And once he got to the bullpens, we can get pitch data or you can get more information to get a clearer picture of where he is.“We were holding out hope that there was a chance he’d be back a little bit sooner but, in the end, I think we made the right decisions with getting him ready.”[ [Don’t miss] 3 thoughts on the Chicago Cubs, including being ‘patient’ with Seiya Suzuki’s slow recovery and the Jason Heyward roster conundrum ]Getting Hendricks back is a boost after the loss of three veteran starters to the IL. Wade Miley’s left shoulder was examined Monday, and he was prescribed rest. He will then be reevaluated and given a throwing program. The Cubs felt confident he had fully healed from the shoulder strain when he came off the IL on Friday and he felt good until one pitch to Josh Donaldson.Hottovy said the Cubs should have a better timetable for Miley’s return next week. He anticipates Miley will need a deliberate ramp-up to hit all the checkpoints. Hottovy called it a “blurred line” as to whether Miley aggravated his previous shoulder injury or suffered a new injury elsewhere in the shoulder.“It’s in a similar area, but he feels it at different points,” Hottovy said. “One he felt it in his extension and then one might be when he’s going into layback external rotation. So we’ve got to let that area calm down and figure out what we’re actually dealing with.” | Baseball |
Celebrity | 6/15/2022 3:02 PM PT The dancer said the two made brief eye contact and she felt compelled to reach out to Fox, five months into dating BAG Back in February, Fox and Green finalized their divorce after a decade of marriage, and made it a goal to become amicable co-parents to their children: Noah, 9, Bodhi, 8 and Journey, 5. Now, the former couple have found new love since their split -- with Megan's engagement to the "Bloody Valentine" singer, and Brian expecting a baby with the "Dancing With The Stars" pro. During an appearance on "The Viall Files" podcast, Green revealed that the respective couples had indeed reached their goal of becoming amicable co-parents and said that he's always wished to see Megan happy. "The person that Megan chooses to be with…there aren't many things that I have control over nor do I want to have control over," he confessed to host Nick Viall. "I want my kids to have their life with their mom. I want their mom to be happy." Sharna also detailed a moment when she had seen Megan at the same restaurant, five months into her relationship with Brian. The dancer said that the two had made brief eye contact and felt compelled to reach out to the actress after the shared moment. Getty Sharna Burgess Responds to Rumors She and Brian Austin Green Don't Live Together View Story "'I'm around your kids all the time. If you ever want to know anything about me or if you ever want to get coffee, let me know,'" she recalled texting Fox. "'They are amazing kids. I love them and if there's any way I can support in being part of this situation, let me know.'" According to Sharna, the "Transformers" star had "really appreciated that." "The fact that they know that Sharna can openly talk to their mom also about things is invaluable," Brian added. "It really is." Green expressed his gratitude for how frictionless the blending of the two families has been as he and Sharna look forward to welcoming their first child together. "With the whole relationship, from the very start, the kids have been very loving and open with Sharna. There hasn't been any friction," he continued. "The kids were great but people in general…were very welcoming and very loving of the pairing of the two of us together. It's been a really great situation." | Celebrity |
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Tampa Bay Lightning winger Pat Maroon has a little extra motivation heading into the Stanley Cup Final against the Colorado Avalanche with Game 1 set for Wednesday night.Maroon will be looking for his fourth straight Stanley Cup title. He won with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 and in back-to-back years with the Lightning. But against the Avalanche, he’s playing with even more fire. Maroon expressed his distaste for business mogul Stan Kroenke. Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Pat Maroon (14) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers during the first period in Game 4 of the NHL's Eastern Conference finals June 7, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)"I hate Stan Kroenke. I’m a St. Louis boy. I can’t stand that guy because he took the Rams from St. Louis," Maroon said Tuesday on "The Pat McAfee Show."CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMThe current Los Angeles Rams team owner moved the franchise from St. Louis to the West Coast. Kroenke had ownership stakes in the Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets before he was forced to sell his stake in the franchises to take majority ownership of the Rams. He transferred ownership of those teams to his wife Anna Walton Kroenke. Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke walks on the field during a game against the Tennessee Titans Nov. 7, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)STANLEY CUP FINAL 2022 PREVIEW: LIGHTNING LOOK TO MAKE HISTORY WITH THREE-PEAT, AVALANCHE SEEK TO END DROUGHT"To have that (the Rams) taken away from us ... It just sucks. I know we had terrible years. (Former Rams defensive end) Chris Long would always tell me, 'I mean our teams are terrible.' And then he goes away and wins back-to-back Super Bowls," Maroon said."So it's just like you go from that environment to that, and you wonder why ... But the fans are true passion in St. Louis, and I just can't stand that guy (Kroenke) for taking them (The Rams) out of there." Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Pat Maroon, right, celebrates after scoring a goal in front of New York Rangers center Tyler Motte during the first period in Game 4 of the NHL Eastern Conference finals June 7, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe veteran has appeared in 17 games for Tampa Bay in this postseason. He has three goals and an assist. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to Ryan.Gaydos@fox.com. | Hockey |
The grievance that the NHL Players’ Association filed on behalf of Evander Kane after the San Jose Sharks terminated the forward’s contract earlier this year might not be resolved until after the start of free agency on July 13.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Wednesday the independent arbitrator overseeing the case, Richard A. Levie, is unavailable for the rest of June, adding the league was trying to set a date to complete the grievance hearing as soon as Levie became available.
If the NHLPA and the Sharks do not agree to a settlement prior to the hearing’s resumption, Daly said the possibility exists that NHL free agency will have already begun by the time Levie announces his decision.
A decision that doesn’t come until mid-July could potentially complicate the Sharks’ offseason spending plans. Believing Kane breached his contract and violated AHL COVID-19 protocols while he was in the AHL, the Sharks in January terminated what was left of the seven-year, $49 million deal the two sides signed in May 2018.
If it is determined the Sharks had sufficient cause to terminate the deal, then the team is free and clear of their financial obligation to Kane, roughly $22.9 million.
However, if Levie rules that the Sharks did not have sufficient grounds, the team could still be on the hook for all or some of the money that Kane was still owed. Kane’s deal carried an annual cap hit of $7 million.
Kane is a pending unrestricted free agent and TSN’s Chris Johnston reported that if the grievance remains unresolved by July 13, he would still likely be able to sign a contract with another team.
The grievance hearing first began on April 19 but could not be completed in one day. Since then, Kane and the Edmonton Oilers made it to the Western Conference Final and did not see their season end until June 6, when they lost the best-of-seven series to the Colorado Avalance four games to none. The Sharks, per CapFriendly, have just over $5.6 million available to spend right now under the $82.5 million salary cap for next season.
After the contract was terminated, the NHLPA filed a grievance on Kane’s behalf, although Daly has said the league was satisfied that the Sharks had “adequate grounds to terminate.” Kane was placed in AHL protocol on Dec. 21 after he tested positive for the coronavirus and initially there is a dispute as to whether he had medical clearance to fly to Vancouver on Dec. 29 while he was supposed to be isolated for 10 days.
The Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, expected Kane to return to the team on Dec. 31, after his quarantine, but he did not come back until midway through the following week, although that was also disputed.
Later in January, the NHL cleared Kane after the league investigated his cross-border travel during the holiday break. The NHL looked into whether such travel was conducted in accordance with applicable law in both the U.S. and Canada.
After Kane was cleared by the league, he signed a one-year, $2.11 million contract with the Oilers. | Hockey |
AT&T Stadium has hosted the Super Bowl, the first College Football Playoff national championship game, the NCAA men’s Final Four and WrestleMania.On Thursday, North Texas will learn if the Cowboys’ 80,000-capacity home stadium will host perhaps its biggest event ever — the 2026 men’s World Cup.“It’s always hard to say something is bigger than the Super Bowl, but if we get six matches, it will be like having six Super Bowls,” said FC Dallas owner Dan Hunt, who is also the Dallas 2026 host city bid chairman. “It’s so incredibly exciting to think about the opportunity that exists for our community to bring the highest level of soccer here.”Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said when he built AT&T Stadium that it wouldn’t just be for his team. Having hosted many other marquee events, including big-time boxing and some of the biggest names in music, could help Dallas beat out stiff competition for World Cup games.“I think there’s actually more competition than there is for a Super Bowl by having a World Cup,” Jones said. “The events are great assets and have such a lasting international perspective. Now, the Super Bowl has that, too, but the World Cup has it in spades.”Monica Paul, executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission, likes Dallas’ chances of hosting “the single largest sporting event in the world.”“I think we are the No. 1 sports destination in the country and maybe in the world,” Paul said. “This is something that we’ve been working on for over five years, and in some instances, for 12 years. To be able to say that you’re a host city is very important and very impactful. We know the World Cup is going to have a huge economic impact for the region.”Dallas is among 16 U.S. cities (including Houston) and three cities each from Canada and Mexico vying to be among the 16 bid winners that will be announced by FIFA at 4 p.m. on FS1. It’s expected that FIFA will choose 10 to 12 American markets as hosts, but Hunt feels like the Dallas area has an advantage.“Dallas is such a unique proposition to the World Cup,” he said. “We have a facility like AT&T Stadium, which is one of the greatest economic drivers of any sporting venue in the entire world. We have Globe Life Field next to it, we have Choctaw Stadium next to it, and we have Texas Live. We could create an entertainment district around AT&T Stadium that is unique and probably never seen before at any World Cup ever.”AT&T Stadium is the only local stadium that would host World Cup games, but Hunt said about eight other venues in D-FW could host national teams. That list includes Toyota Stadium, MoneyGram Soccer Park, the Cotton Bowl, SMU and UT-Dallas.All that will be announced Thursday is the bid winners. Who gets to host the International Broadcast Center, which rounds will be played where and how many games each site will host will be determined later.Hunt thinks it’s between Dallas and Atlanta for the International Broadcast Center.“That’s going to be a tough one,” he said. “The big thing that FIFA had wanted was for all of it (the International Broadcast Center) to be under one roof. At Fair Park, we don’t necessarily have that opportunity, so they’ve been working on a number of strategies. There is a huge reinvestment going on at Fair Park, which would be ready for 2026, so it’s really 50-50. I’m not as optimistic [about that] yet, but I know we put forth a great bid.“We’re also on the bid list for the referee center.”There will be a watch party in the AT&T Discovery District in downtown Dallas that will include the mayors from Arlington, Frisco and Fort Worth, the mayor pro tem from Dallas, Cowboys players and executives and FC Dallas players. The festivities will begin at 3 p.m.This would be the first time since 1994 that Dallas hosted the World Cup. That year, games were played at the Cotton Bowl, Fair Park hosted the International Broadcast Center, and Dallas hosted a quarterfinal match between Brazil and the Netherlands.Hunt has higher hopes for 2026.“I think this is a great soccer community that deserves to have the final,” he said. “If we get a semifinal or get the opening match, that will be an amazing win for our community.”The Dallas Sports Commission has estimated that hosting World Cup games could provide nearly a $400 million economic impact. Hunt thinks it would be much higher.“The economic impact of that is well into the billions,” he said. “The economic impact of the International Broadcast Center would probably be around $100 million if that is selected to be here. We want everything we can possibly get for this community.”Thursday’s announcement has been a long time coming.“COVID delayed this whole process significantly,” Hunt said. “We probably should have known 16 or 18 months ago if we were going to be hosting.”The Dallas area has grown into a booming soccer community, even though it is more known for the Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers and Stars.AT&T Stadium has hosted premier soccer matches before, including the MexTour featuring the Mexican national team. Frisco is home to FC Dallas of Major League Soccer and the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and FC Dallas players are in the running to make the 2022 World Cup roster and would also be candidates for the 2026 team.How big is this opportunity?“It is dynamic today because of the visibility and because of the international visibility to have this platform to show this area off, as the great sports capital that it is,” Jones said. “It is a big deal. You cannot exaggerate the impact it will have on putting our area, the Dallas area, in a great light as it relates to a world competition.”Staff writer Calvin Watkins contributed to this report.The cities that are vying to be among the 16 hosts for World Cup games in 2026:United States: Dallas, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, SeattleCanada: Edmonton, Toronto, VancouverMexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, MonterreyOn Twitter: @DMNGregRiddleRelated:5 reasons why every North Texan should care about Thursday’s 2026 World Cup announcementRelated:2026 World Cup FAQ: How many countries will play, and in which United States cities?To view subscription options for The News and SportsDay, click here. | Soccer |
CHICAGO -- The much-anticipated animated film "Lightyear" comes to theaters this week.It's the backstory of Space Ranger "Buzz Lightyear," who was made famous in the "Toy Story" movies.A popular Chicago native is among the new crew who is now headed "to infinity and beyond!"Meet Izzy Hawthorne. She's a teenager who dreams of becoming a space ranger, following in the footsteps of her grandmother Alisha, who is Buzz Lightyear's best friend.WATCH: Buzz Lightyear attempts daring unauthorized takeoff in new clip from 'Lightyear' In the new Disney/Pixar animated film, Izzy is voiced by Chicago's Keke Palmer."I could totally. Though no one knows my parents publicly, they are definitely my heroes and inspiration, artistically and in every way. So, like Izzy is with her grandmother Alisha, I very much want to make my parents proud and carry that legacy on," Palmer said when asked if she could relate to her character.Izzy is joined on the wild space adventure by fellow wanna-bees Darby and Mo, voiced by veteran performers Dale Soules and Taika Waititi."I like the fact that she's cantankerous, gruff, but talented, and will interact with you in a dutiful manner if you do so too," said Soules, who voices Darby."Mo reminds me of a younger me when I was just figuring things out. There are people I've known throughout my life, you know, the way he speaks, I remember growing up. I would just cobble together these characters based on people I know," said Waititi, who voices "Mo Morrison."We can't reveal how they actually meet Buzz, but we can tell you playing a space ranger has its privileges."Oh my gosh! So cool," Palmer said when asked how it feels to be an action figure. "I should have known that Disney/Pixar would be coming out the back with some crazy merch. But I didn't expect at all to become an action figure! For my little nieces and my little nephews to be able to have that character and know that I've voiced it, it's a special gift!"The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of this station Copyright © 2022 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved. | Movies |
It's that time again. Another major Disney movie is out in theaters -- Lightyear, an animated Pixar film about the astronaut the toy from the Toy Story series is based on. Confused by that description? Here's CNET's review diving into what exactly this movie is about.What's also confusing: Recently Pixar movies have been going straight to Disney Plus, skipping theaters: Soul, Luca and Turning Red all went that way. So is Lightyear doing the same? You probably already know the answer -- it's out in cinemas on Friday, but you won't find it on Disney Plus. Not yet, anyway.Here's more on what we know so far about the streaming release.Lightyear's release datesLightyear hits cinemas Friday, June 17. Unlike the previous three Pixar movies, it'll exclusively be released in cinemas.There's been no official press release yet on when Lightyear will hit Disney Plus.But based on previous Disney movies, we can go ham on guesstimating when the latest Pixar flick will hit Disney Plus.Black Widow took 89 days, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings took 70 days, Eternals took 68 days and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will take 47 days (it hasn't reached Disney Plus yet -- the scheduled release date is June 22).What do those numbers mean for Lightyear? Basically, if it follows the most recent Disney release -- the Doctor Strange sequel -- it'll hit Disney Plus in late July or early August. A few Disney Plus subscription detailsThe base Disney Plus subscription costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year, but if you bundle Hulu and ESPN Plus along with Disney, the cost is $13.99 per month. Movies Coming in 2022 From Marvel, Netflix, DC and More See all photos | Movies |
It seems like ages ago that the Celtics stole Game 1 of these NBA Finals in San Francisco and looked like favorites to win the championship. They have dropped three of four games to the Warriors since then, are currently riding their first two-game losing streak of these playoffs, and return home for Game 6 on Thursday once again facing elimination.The outlook certainly is not rosy, but the series is not over, either.“Not that it’s going to be easy or it’s going to be given to us, but you should be extremely confident as long as you’ve got a chance,” Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said. “We got a chance tomorrow.”Here are nine reasons why the Celtics could still dig out of a gloomy predicament and find a way to win the NBA title.1. The Warriors have left daylight in close-out gamesDuring these playoffs Golden State is 0-3 in its first chance to finish a series. Those losses didn’t end up mattering, obviously, because the Warriors are still standing. But it could be an indication that they let up when they have a cushion. The Celtics are the best team Golden State has faced this postseason. If the Warriors are unable to win Thursday, they could regret the missed opportunity. Anything is possible in a Game 7, where one fluky performance can change everything.Get Court SenseBounce around the NBA with our Celtics-centric look at the latest happenings on and off the court.2. The Celtics are aware of their biggest flawBoston’s barometer for success is quite simple. The Celtics are 14-2 when they commit fewer than 16 turnovers and 0-7 when they do not. Of course, the team has been aware of this trend for some time and hasn’t always been able to do much about it. But when the stakes have been at their highest, Boston has been able to refocus and shake off these issues. It averaged 11.7 turnovers per game in its three elimination-game wins in these playoffs, and never had more than 14.3. Robert Williams appears healthy againThe postseason has been a roller-coaster for the talented young center who has battled left knee soreness related to his March 30 surgery to repair a torn meniscus. His playing time was limited and he appeared rusty when he returned for the final two games of the opening-round win over the Nets. He had a setback when he suffered a bone bruise in the semifinals against the Bucks, and at random times since then he has appeared hobbled. But for most of this series Williams has resembled the athletic force who became such an asset for the Celtics this year. Over the last two games he topped the 30-minute mark for the first time this postseason, and he is shooting a blistering 88.9 percent from the field in the series.4. The defense has remained very goodDuring the regular season the Celtics’ elite defense allowed just 106.2 points per 100 possessions. In the NBA Finals, against a powerhouse offense, that figure has risen slightly to 110.6, which would still have ranked in the top 10 in the NBA during the regular season. Stephen Curry has had a few masterful performances, but Boston’s wall is hardly crumbling. And when effort wanes, it is most visible at that end of the court.“We’re defending well enough to win,” coach Ime Udoka said.5. Curry has finally cooled? Maybe?The Warriors won Game 5 despite the fact that Curry missed all nine of his 3-point attempts. It was the first playoff game of his career in which he did not make at least one. That could have just been an outlier, but what if it’s actually the start of a small slump? The Celtics made a concerted effort to force Curry into defensive actions in Game 5 in an attempt to wear him down, and that may have impacted him. At 34 years old he could be feeling fatigue as this long postseason winds down. He probably won’t go 0 for 9 again, but this series would be in a different place if he had not caught fire over the first four games.6. Jayson Tatum might be warming upLook, this just hasn’t been a great postseason for Tatum, a first-team All-NBA choice. He’s essentially had two signature moments: His 46-point eruption in Game 6 in Milwaukee and his buzzer-beating, game-winning layup in Game 1 against the Nets. Otherwise, he’s been, well, fine. But in Game 5 he shot 10 of 20, his first night shooting at least 50 percent in the Finals. And his 3-pointer has looked good throughout the series. If he can convert a tough finish or two early in Game 6 and find a rhythm at the free-throw line, there could still be time for his closing surge. Boston has won its last six games in which Tatum attempted at least 10 foul shots.7. Third-quarter disasters could be in the pastOver the first four games of this series the Celtics were absolutely walloped during third quarters, outscored by 50.6 points per 100 possessions. The damage was so severe that it probably allowed some doubts and unease to creep in during halftime. But in the third quarter of Game 5, the Celtics hit six 3-pointers and outscored Golden State, 35-24. If nothing else, it should no longer be a dark cloud.8. The Celtics are bigger, more athletic, and prepared to pounceWhen Williams is healthy and the turnovers are limited, Boston is able to exploit one of its strengths in this matchup. In Boston’s 16-point win in Game 3, it committed just 12 turnovers, grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, and scored 22 second-chance points.9. The road isn’t dauntingThe Celtics insisted on Wednesday that they are not looking past Thursday’s Game 6, and they would certainly be wise not to. But in this case, the considerably more significant hurdle would loom Sunday, with a potential Game 7 in San Francisco. But the Celtics have already won there once in this series, and are 8-4 on the road in these playoffs. These environments just don’t affect them very much.Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach. | Basketball |
"Because it's my movie [as a producer], nobody could tell me I couldn't do that." Dakota Johnson felt creatively liberated working as both a first-time producer and a star on “Cha Cha Real Smooth.”
Johnson produced writer/director-star Cooper Raiff’s coming-of-age film about a Bar Mitzvah party starter DJ who falls for a single mother of an autistic teen girl, which screened at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival before premiering June 14 on AppleTV.
“A lot of this process was different, because we worked on everything together,” Johnson told Entertainment Tonight about working with “Shithouse” director Raiff. “Depending on what we shot, and how it went, and if anything was improvised or if we didn’t get something or we got extra whatever it was, then we would adjust further the following scene, so that it would make more sense or call back to a joke that was made that wasn’t previously in the script. So, just constantly updating, so that it was a real, cohesive story.” Johnson added that being a producer also shut down anyone possibly getting “annoyed” with her creative process, something the “Fifty Shades of Grey” star has weathered in the past. “Some people really do get annoyed, they’re like, ‘You’re just an actress, how could you know?’ but like, I have a brain in my head,” she added. “I guess now, because it’s my movie — well, because I was a producer on it — nobody could tell me I couldn’t do that.”
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” marked Johnson’s first project as a producer. Writer-director Raiff previously told Deadline that the script popped “wide open” after Johnson signed on for the “collaborative” filmmaking process.
The “Lost Daughter” actress also produced fellow 2022 Sundance film “Am I OK?,” with films “The End of Getting Lost” and “Daddio” (which she will star in) additionally in the works. As for acting, Johnson is entering the MCU with “Spider-Man” spinoff “Madame Web.”
“I’m so excited,” Johnson gushed to ET. “It’s always been a dream of mine to do some kind of, like, massive action movie. I always wanted to do, like, a female Indiana Jones. It’s pretty cool to be in the Marvel world, especially with a character that’s not so known. So, there’s a lot of space for us to make her very cool.”
And improvise some more, perhaps? Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. | Movies |
Baidu has a Google-like grip on China’s internet industry, bringing in billions each year through search advertising, cloud computing, and other online services. But its ambitions extend even further than Alphabet’s—and include shaking up the car industry.Today in Beijing, Jidu, an automotive company recently created by Baidu and the Chinese automaker Geely, unveiled a prototype of its first vehicle, a futuristic-looking, largely autonomous hatchback called Robo-1. The company says it will cost at least the equivalent of $30,000, and is expected to go on sale next year.The Robo-1 is sleek and angular, with doors that swing upwards at the front and open backwards at the rear. A spare interior includes racing-style seats, a yoke steering wheel, and a widescreen display that covers the entire dash. The vehicle is festooned with sensors, including a lidar, for mapping the road ahead in 3D, that pops up from the hood when activated. Jidu says the final model of the Robo-1 will be 90 percent the same as the one shown off in Beijing, but it does not specify what elements could change.Courtesy of BaiduBeyond the brushed interior, Baidu is essentially betting that the growing importance of software in vehicles—especially artificial intelligence, in which Baidu has invested heavily over the past decade—gives it an opportunity to stake a claim in a fiercely competitive, fast-changing industry.Baidu hopes to ride an industry-wide shift to electric batteries and electric powertrains. This January Jidu announced that it had received $400 million in series A funding from Baidu and Geely, on top of a previous investment of $300 million. Geely has a successful track record of manufacturing electric cars with Polestar, a subsidiary of Volvo, as well as several Chinese brands.In an exclusive interview with WIRED ahead of the launch, Jidu CEO Xia Yiping, who goes by Joe Xia, explained the rationale behind the leap. “For quite a long time, the computing power of the car is way smaller than our smartphone, but things are changing,” Xia said over Zoom from the company’s headquarters in the Chinese city of Shanghai.A veteran of the car industry, Xia previously worked on connected car technology at Fiat Chrysler and Ford before cofounding Mobike, a Chinese bike-sharing company acquired by the food-delivery firm Meituan in 2018. He remembers teaching himself to drive as a graduate student in the UK by watching YouTube videos and zooming around parking lots—a far cry from building cars that learn how to drive for themselves.The autonomous driving technology for Jidu’s car will be a custom version of Apollo, an open platform developed by Baidu and several partners that dozens of carmakers use in China. Jidu says its car will be capable of driving autonomously on most roads under a driver’s supervision. Baidu says it has accumulated over 16.7 million miles of supervised autonomous driving through Apollo as of April. Xia compares the computing power that Baidu puts behind training the algorithms for autonomous driving to the custom supercomputer that Tesla developed to hone its software, Autopilot.Courtesy of BaiduXia says that Jidu decided it had to design and build cars, rather than just sell the software to other carmakers, because of the importance of integrating software and hardware, which has been proven out for years in the smartphone space. This includes designing a powerful system-on-a-chip to power the vehicle’s software. Jidu will also make extensive use of voice control, another AI technology that Baidu has spent years developing and perfecting in products like smart speakers. And Jidu will seek to constantly improve the car’s features with regular software updates via a mobile connection. “The technology industry can get into the car industry and really drive the evolution of the car over the next five to 10 years,” Xia says.It’s fair to say that the auto industry is going through an upgrade. The success of Tesla has coincided with an increasing emphasis on computer power, software, and connectivity along with electric power. Consumer tech brands have also demonstrated a growing appetite to carve out auto niches in recent years. The chipmaker Nvidia now sells chips for increasingly sophisticated infotainment and instrument displays as well as autonomous systems. Google created Waymo, a company focused on making autonomous driving software for automakers. And Apple is widely rumored to be exploring the possibility of making its own car. But Baidu would be the first big tech firm to actually build and sell vehicles, albeit through a spin-off company.The collaboration with Geely could give Jidu a big boost when it comes to the notoriously tricky business of making cars at high volume and with high reliability, says Tu Le, managing director of Sino Auto Insights, an analyst firm focused on China’s automotive sector. He adds that China’s auto industry is electrifying at a faster pace than either Europe or the US because of government policies, a less entrenched gasoline-powered industry, and because such a large population allows new technologies to catch on more quickly.Courtesy of BaiduCourtesy of BaiduThe Robo-1 shows how big, innovative, and fast-moving China’s auto industry is, says Mingyu Guan, a partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Company, who focuses on the sector. Guan says that most of China’s big internet companies are developing automotive technology, in one way or another, and consumers expect an app-like experience in their vehicles. “China is like a leading beacon for the industry,” Guan says.Baidu’s leap into automaking with Jidu is also a sign of China’s tech industry evolution. Over the past couple of years, large internet, social media, and popular app companies have faced increased regulatory scrutiny and pressure, with strict new rules around data privacy and algorithmic transparency, for instance.The Chinese government also has signaled an intent to more tightly regulate the internet while also encouraging the development of technologies with long-term economic importance. Baidu and other firms are apparently keen to reinvent themselves by focusing on “deep tech” viewed as more valuable by the state, including technologies for electric vehicles and autonomous driving. Baidu’s most recent quarterly results, issued in May, also show that revenue from Baidu AI Cloud increased 45 percent year over year in the first quarter of 2022, while online marketing revenue shrank by 4 percent. Net losses for the period were $133 million.Baidu has made significant investments, and received government encouragement, for autonomous driving. In November 2017, the Chinese government named Baidu one of a handful of AI “national champions” and gave the company responsibility for building an autonomous driving platform that could be used across the industry. The government’s backing also gave Baidu a leg up in working with existing automotive companies. In March the company published over 3,700 patent applications related to the technology in China. And this April, Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous taxi service, which operates in 10 cities in China already, received the country’s first permit for testing autonomous vehicles without a driver behind the wheel in Beijing.Apollo also integrates with a smart-city platform that Baidu sells, and which has been adopted by 41 cities in China. This platform promises to help local authorities predict and manage congestion, road safety, and pollution using AI. Baidu CEO Robin Li touted the potential for autonomous driving to reduce road accidents, congestion, and carbon emissions in China at Baidu’s annual developer conference held in December 2021.Jidu will no doubt be encouraged by the wider progress that China’s auto industry has made, driven in large part by the rise of electric vehicles. Chinese sales of electric vehicles jumped 169 percent in 2021 compared to a year earlier, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association, an industry organization. For 2021, electric cars accounted for 14.8 percent of Chinese car sales, compared to 4.1 percent in the US. Chinese car firms are also now exporting a growing number of EVs to Europe.Courtesy of BaiduThe Chinese government has provided cheap capital and other incentives to battery manufacturers and makers of electric vehicles. The government has also offered generous subsidies for consumers buying electric models, which are due to expire in 2022, although there have reportedly been discussions about extending them. Beijing has also set manufacturers the goal of having 40 percent of all car sales be EVs by 2030.Besides entering an increasingly competitive marketplace, Le of Sino Auto Insights says companies like Baidu will have to convince car buyers that they can master manufacturing—and make vehicles that are safe and reliable.“There's this emotional connection with buying an automobile,” he says. “It'll be more challenging for these tech companies to convince consumers to trust them with their child's life.” | Automotive and Transportation |
The new movie "Lightyear" tells the story of the heroic Buzz Lightyear. Turns out, before he was ever an action figure featured in the "Toy Story" movies, Buzz was a space ranger. "Lightyear" gives us a look at his life.For this film, Chris Evans is the voice of Buzz Lightyear, and was thrilled to do it!"I was just living a childhood fantasy. You know, I've been really lucky in my career to have done a lot of things and work with a lot of wonderful people and been proud of a lot of work I've done but -- this was something really personal to me," said Evans. "I love Pixar movies. I love animated movies."Evans was honored to follow in the footsteps of Tim Allen, who voiced the Buzz action figure in the "Toy Story" movies."I was happy that I was able to respect his performance by stealing from it!" Evans joked.MORE | 'Lightyear' stars Evans, Palmer meet for 1st time at film's premiereThe film also includes the voices of Uzo Aduba as Buzz's commander and best friend, and Keke Palmer as her granddaughter. Zurg, the evil force behind an army of robots, is voiced by James Brolin. And Taika Waititi is a clumsy space ranger named Mo."They're emotional stories. I always go to a Pixar film just to feel something. I know I'm going to probably cry and I'm definitely going to laugh and I'm going to feel fulfilled at the end," said Waititi."Lightyear" is also a lesson in what it means to be a team."Teamwork, what it means to be a leader; it's not always the same," said Palmer. "Accepting that other people are leaders, allowing, empowering one another to step into their own leadership roles.""Absolutely. And also that I think to be gentle with yourself, not be so hard on yourself either, but that a setback doesn't mean it's not a set-up for victory," said Aduba.Brolin is proud to show this film to his family, including son Josh's kids."You know, he's got, what, a 34-year-old, a 32-year-old, a 3-year-old and a one-and-a-half-year-old!" said Brolin. "So there's a little space in there. Too old? Oh, actually, no, this picture is good for everybody.""Lightyear" is rated PG and is in theaters June 17.Disney is the parent company of Pixar and this ABC station. Copyright © 2022 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All Rights Reserved. | Movies |
The US Open is getting underway this week, with the first round teeing off at The Country Club in Brookline on Thursday morning.If you’re lucky enough to have tickets — the event has been sold out for more than a month — you’ll need to pay close attention to the rules for parking and transportation.Here’s what you need to know:US Open 2022: Spectator viewing tipsBen Volin has spent the past three days at The Country Club. Here are seven tips for watching this week:▪ Bring your kids. The best-kept secret about the US Open is that kids 12 and under get in free with a ticketed adult. It’s under the guise of growing the game. The US Open may not be back in the Boston area for another 34 years, so take advantage of this opportunity to bring your kids and not have to break the bank. (Just ask for the companion ticket when you get to the ticket office.)▪ Most autographs are signed outside the locker room just behind the 18th green. The USGA has set up a railing, and golfers usually spend 10-15 minutes signing gear for the fans. For the bigger names, you might want to post up along the railing when they get to the 17th hole.▪ The best action may be at the 5th green, a 310-yard par-4. A lot of golfers went iron off the tee and played a wedge into the green during the practice rounds. But if the wind is just right, you’ll see plenty of them pull out the driver and go for the green in one.▪ The fairway on No. 4 is also a great viewing spot. The fairway is shared by both the third and fourth holes, so you can watch the tee shots on No. 3, and the approach shots on No. 4 without straining your neck too much.▪ The first tee is a tough setup for fans, with much of it blocked off by railings and ropes. You might be better off skipping the initial tee shot and heading down the first fairway, especially with the bigger groups.▪ The merchandise tent is located just to the left of the first fairway. Give yourself plenty of time to check it out. You’ll spend way more on golf gear than you ever wanted to.▪ If you ever wanted to see Francis Ouimet’s putter, or the ball used by Tommy Vardon in the 1913 US Open, the USGA set up a museum with a lot of cool artifacts near the second tee.US Open 2022: Parking and transportationTaking public transportation is encouraged by the USGA, which is providing complimentary shuttle transportation to and from the following MBTA stations: Forest Hills, Boston College, Cleveland Circle, and Reservoir.There is no fan parking at Forest Hills, Boston College, Cleveland Circle, or Reservoir.The MBTA is offering complimentary parking for US Open fans and volunteers at 100+ MBTA stations. Fans are encouraged to park at one of the listed facilities and take the subway, commuter rail, or bus to the championship. Parking rules, policies, and payment enforcement will remain in effect for non-US Open attendees and daily MBTA commuters.Parking: There is no general fan parking or parking for fans with disabilities available in the immediate vicinity of The Country Club.Ride share: Fans can take ride share services to Larz Anderson Park. US Open ride share and passenger drop-off only will be allowed at the designated area at Larz Anderson Park, accessed via Avon Street, and located within a 10-minute walk to Gate 6.Fans can also take ride share services to Lot X (37 A Street, Needham) where complimentary shuttle transportation will be provided to and from The Country Club.There is no parking or staging for vehicles at either location, so pick-up times will need to be coordinated accordingly. Vehicles will be instructed to follow signs and parking attendants to the appropriate pick-up and drop-off location. Access is limited to vehicles no larger than a 12-passenger van or limousine.US Open 2022: Spectator policiesHere’s what to keep in mind this week:Autographs: Autographs should only be obtained at designated areas at the completion of the player’s round. On-course autographs are not permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, tees, fairways, greens and practice areas during practice and championship rounds.Safety and etiquette: Stay behind gallery ropes and follow directions of championship marshals. Only cross fairways at designated crosswalk areas. Stay quiet and stand still when players are about to hit or when instructed by marshals. All mobile devices must be set to silent or vibrate at all times.First-aid stations will be located adjacent to Holes 2, 14, and 16.Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com. Follow Andrew Mahoney on Twitter @GlobeMahoney. | Golf |
The NBA offseason isn’t yet officially underway, but the Dallas Mavericks are already making moves.Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire Rockets center Christian Wood, a source told The Dallas Morning News. The Mavericks will send the Rockets center Boban Marjanovic, forward Sterling Brown, guard Trey Burke and center Marquese Chriss along with the No. 26 pick in this year’s NBA draft. The Athletic’s Shams Charania first reported the news. Source confirms Mavs will trade the No. 26 pick, Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, Sterling Brown and Marquese Chriss to the Rockets for center Christian Wood.Trade will officially convey on draft night.Nico Harrison works hard and works fast. What a swap.— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) June 16, 2022 Wood, 26, just finished his sixth NBA season and at 6-10 brings the Mavs some much-needed size in the middle. In addition to Houston, Wood has had stops in Philadelphia, Charlotte, Milwaukee, New Orleans and Detroit.Last season with the Rockets, Wood averaged 17.9 points and a career-best 10.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. More to come on this developing story.Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here. | Basketball |
There’s a risk in writing this too definitively, but Chris Sale is coming back.It’ll take a little time before he’s ready for the majors, but the lefthander is taking the necessary steps. He is scheduled to throw 15-20 pitches against hitters off the mound at Fenway Park on Thursday morning.The next rung on the ladder after that could be another batting practice session or a minor league rehabilitation game. But either way, Sale is working his way toward returning to the roster.So where does Sale fit best once he does return?Pitching coach Dave Bush suggested last week that Sale could return to the team as a reliever and eventually build up enough innings to return to the rotation.That’s a tempting thought and plenty of fans are buying in. Sale has given the Red Sox only 190 innings over four seasons since he agreed to a five-year, $145 million extension.Get 108 StitchesAn email newsletter about everything baseball from the Globe's Red Sox reporters, in your inbox on weekdays during the season.Sale has missed approximately 60 starts in his time with the Sox. Get him back on the field as quickly as possible in any role.But manager Alex Cora doesn’t agree. He’s willing to wait a little longer and have Sale return as a starter.“From my end, that’s the way I see it,” Cora said Wednesday before the Sox played the Athletics.History tinges that opinion. The Sox made Nate Eovaldi a reliever in 2019 after he returned from an elbow injury. He had a 5.40 earned run average in 11 relief appearances as opposing hitters posted an .804 OPS.Eovaldi went back in the rotation on Aug. 18 and was even worse. It was a lost season for him.“To put these guys in situations like that — it doesn’t make sense for the player; it doesn’t make sense for the team,” Cora said.Sale and Eovaldi are different pitchers. But given all the physical issues Sale has encountered the last few years, why change his role now? He has not pitched regularly in relief since 2011.Cora would prefer to see the Sox repeat the process that worked so well last season with Sale.Sale returned from Tommy John surgery on Aug. 19 and was 5-1 with a 3.16 ERA in nine starts. The Sox were 7-2 when he started.Sale prepared by making five starts in the minors and pitching 20 innings.“When he’s on, he’s one of the best,” Cora said. “The way he’s throwing the ball right now, it looks like he’s ready to go. Now we just have to make sure we’re patient.”President of baseball operations Chaim Bloom agrees.“We aren’t quite at the stage of having this mapped out past the next couple of steps,” he said. “But starter is the only role we’ve discussed for Chris. This is a guy who is a bona fide ace when he’s at the top of his game and that’s incredibly valuable.”Value is part of the equation. Sale is making $30 million this season. The Sox need more innings from him, not fewer. You don’t put a $30 million pitcher in the bullpen waiting for the phone to ring.The benefits of having Sale in the rotation are obvious. Sale is a seven-time All-Star as a starter, one of the best pitchers of his generation.Adding Sale to the roster in July has the potential to be a bigger move than any trade the Sox could make. Or their postseason rivals for that matter.If Sale makes four starts in the minors, he could return to the Red Sox as soon as July 11. If the Sox add another bullpen session before his rehab assignment, it’s July 16 against the Yankees in the Bronx.That would be great theater, Sale returning on a Saturday night against Aaron Judge and the Yankees.We should be so lucky. The guess here is the Sox slow-play his return a bit and wait until July 22 after the All-Star break. That would allow them to give the other starters an extra day off coming out of the break. Plus it’s a home game against Toronto.We’ll see how it all unwinds. The good news is that this is a topic after months of inaction.Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe. | Baseball |
Jun 13, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) reacts after making a three-point basket during the second half in game five of the 2022 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY SportsRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJune 15 (Reuters) - Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson earned the nickname "Game Six Klay" due to his spectacular play in those critical contests but said he is not looking to force the issue in Game Six of the Finals on Thursday.Thompson has been steadily warming up during the series and the game offers the Warriors a chance to beat the Celtics on the road and claim their fourth championship in eight years."It's obviously a nickname I earned and I want to live up to it," Thompson told reporters on Wednesday.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"At the same time, I don't want to go in there and play hero ball. I'm just going to be in there and be myself, do what I've been doing the last few games. I know that will allow us to be successful."Thompson plans to tap into his killer instinct, which he said means playing with "incredible intensity, force and will".Thompson has averaged over 20 points and shot nearly 50% from three-point range in 12 career Game Six's.The most memorable came when he scored 41 points and made 11 three-pointers to lead the Warriors to a thrilling come-from-behind win over the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals in 2016.YouTube has a highlight reel devoted to his Game Six heroics and Thompson has admitted to watching it when he finds himself in a shooting slump like the one he was in earlier in the series."Game Six Klay, I don't know how he's been able to do it," his fellow sharpshooting guard Stephen Curry said."Just his personality, no moment is too big for him in terms of hooping, enjoying himself, embracing hostile crowds, or if we're at home enjoying the home atmosphere," he said."He has a knack for those type of big moments. Just so happened to be Game Six. And he has another opportunity to add to that tale tomorrow."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comEditing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Basketball |
Houston Astros starting pitcher Luis Garcia throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero)(LM Otero / ASSOCIATED PRESS)ARLINGTON — Being on the wrong side of history is never fun. Being on the wrong side of immaculate history?“It sucks,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “It’s not fun. I mean that’s all I can say.”The Houston Astros had not one, but two pitchers throw immaculate innings against the Rangers in a 9-2 win on Wednesday. Starting pitcher Luis Garcia did it in the second inning, and reliever Phil Maton did it in the seventh. The accomplishment happens when a pitcher has three strikeouts on nine pitches. For one inning, it doesn’t get any more perfect than that.Garcia said he was talking to his teammates in the dugout during the seventh inning when the dugout “erupted.”“I said, ‘What happened?’” Garcia recalled.History happened, and it gets even crazier.There had never been two immaculate innings thrown on the same calendar date by two pitchers on any team before Wednesday, let alone the same team. To make it even more notable, Garcia and Maton did it against the same three Rangers hitters: Nathaniel Lowe, Ezequiel Duran and Brad Miller. There were also unconfirmed reports of pigs flying over Globe Life Field.“We obviously knew they were cruising pretty good,” Miller said of the immaculate innings. “I wish I would’ve taken some better swings, and I wish they didn’t get it.”The Rangers have never had an immaculate inning. On Wednesday, they saw what it takes — twice.Briefly: Woodward said they’ll look at Adolis García’s knee after an awkward catch in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s game, though they hope it’s nothing serious. García made the catch at the wall and then dropped to a knee, requiring medical attention before he was quickly cleared to finish the inning … García had two hits on Wednesday and now has 18 multi-hit games on the season, which is tied with Nathaniel Lowe for the team lead. He also has a seven-game hitting streak, which is tied for the second-longest of his career … Utility player Charlie Culberson had an 11-pitch, 1-2-3 inning in the ninth inning. He has a scoreless streak of 5.1 innings pitched and a career ERA of 1.42 in seven appearances.---Related:Putting the Texas Rangers’ slim margin between victory and defeat in perspectiveFind more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter.Joseph Hoyt, Staff Writer. Joseph covers SMU, college sports and the Texas Rangers for The Dallas Morning News. Previously he covered high school sports for The News. After graduating from the University of Oregon in 2016, Joseph interned at The News before working for The Ames Tribune and KOIN-TV in Portland. He returned to The News in Nov. 2018.joseph.hoyt@dallasnews.com /JosephHoytDMN @joejhoyt 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 |
BROOKLINE — A US Open story:When the national championship returned for the first time in 22 years to vaunted Winged Foot in 2006, golf’s two most dynamic players were headline material from Day 1. Tiger Woods because he was returning to competition for the first time since the death of his father, Earl. And Phil Mickelson because he had won his second Masters two months earlier and the thought of a Grand Slam was delectable, no matter how much of a long shot.These were the days of prime Phil — thumbs-up to all, and to all a wide smile — and perhaps a hundred kids were waiting for him to leave the clubhouse because, after all, Lefty signs everything for everyone.But on this practice day, he felt otherwise. He wanted no part of the gauntlet, so he asked Mike Davis, then the senior director of rules and competition, if he could be shown a back door to the players’ parking lot.Davis sought out a veteran clubhouse attendant who weaved Mickelson through perhaps six or seven corridors and a handful of doors and voilà, the parking lot. No matter that there was a 6-foot chain-link fence between him and his courtesy car, Mickelson said thank you and promptly went full Spider-Man. With feet the size of skateboards and metal spikes hardly impeding him, the People’s Choice was over this hurdle like Edwin Moses. Sorry, kids, maybe next time.All in all, a disconcerting scene. “All I could see were the headlines,” said Davis. “Masters champ impaled on fence, will miss US Open.”Five days later, Mickelson became unraveled at the 72nd hole. When par would have meant a third straight major win (he had won the 2005 PGA Championship), Lefty made a double bogey to finish joint fourth.The moral to the story:Sadly, some players aren’t who you think they are, but the US Open is what you expect it to be.***To get a better feel for what might unfold the next four days when The Country Club hosts the US Open for just the third time since 1913 when Francis Ouimet practically put the game on the map, it is prudent to go to those who sort of know the landscape. Jon Rahm is the defending champion, Brooks Koepka in 2018 became just the seventh to successfully defend his title, so they boast what we call “creds.”“I knew it coming in, but [they’re] not the biggest greens out there, right?” was a definitive rhetorical question by Rahm. “And the rough around the greens is about as healthy as I’ve seen in a while.”Said Koepka with a wry smile, “I love it, man. It’s a tough test. I don’t like these 25-under [tournaments] where you have to shoot 60 every round just to compete. I like it when it’s a battle. That’s kind of my style.”So, the boxes are checked: Small greens. Thick, lush rough. Mental fortitude.But that only partly explains how it is that the US Open has brought forth a product that is remarkably consistent. Going back to 2010, a stretch of 12 US Opens, every winner has been a world-class talent, and with an average winning score of 276, breaking par has been a massive task.How challenging? Roughly 1,800 competitors have teed it up in US Opens the last 12 years and only 110 have played 72 holes in red numbers, and four times since 2012 we’ve had a US Open where no one broke par for four rounds.So, if you’re reading between Koepka’s lines and wonder if he means that the weekly PGA Tour test is relatively easy and too many competitors can’t adjust their mental gauges for the US Open, give yourself a star. It’s exactly what he means and it’s difficult to argue otherwise.Even a novice caddie at this US Open business, Drew Cohen of Wellesley, observed that “you could get an 8-iron” on shots out of the rough Monday and Tuesday, but by Thursday and Friday you’d better adjust. “You’ll probably be hitting wedges,” said the caddie for Michael Thorbjornsen, who is a sophomore at Stanford.When you watch the golf at The Country Club the next four days, study the mannerisms when players chop it out of the rough. See how they react when a ball meanders just wide of one of these greens that are in the neighborhood of 3,000 square feet (that is very small in the world of championship courses) and nestles into rough that leaves them a near-impossible shot to get close. Study the grimaces when they realize the ho-hum 67 they are used to signing for isn’t possible.Pro golf on so many weeks is a comfortable environment for elite athletes who have elite equipment and elite agronomy at their command.But no one makes players more uncomfortable than the USGA — whether you consider it contrived or applaud what they do — and when designer Gil Hanse comes to restore and update classics, as he did here with The Country Club, he is masterful at taking players out of their comfort zones.Embracing all the blind shots that The Country Club brings at you, Hanse was more than OK to add in another one or two by pushing back tee boxes. “It’s going to be an interesting mental test,” he said. Makes sense, then, to focus on those who have earned their PhDs in US Open mental toughness. Rahm and Koepka come to mind. And Jordan Spieth is another. | Golf |
Curated by the IndieWire Crafts team, Craft Considerations is a platform for filmmakers to talk about recent work we believe is worthy of awards consideration. In partnership with Amazon, for this edition we look at how composers Rupert and Harry Gregson-Williams, costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone, and production designer Bob Shaw created the visual excess to portray New York’s wealthy elite in “The Gilded Age.”
In art and in life, titles are important. When HBO launches a Julian Fellowes period drama called “The Gilded Age,” it’s not just putting out a series but a promise of conscious (if not quite self-conscious) opulence: sets sumptuous enough to sate a Rockefeller and gowns sparkling enough to light up old Broadway. The challenge of “The Gilded Age” is not just delivering on the promise of visual splendor, although it does need to do that. The challenge is to build an intricate world that, in its gleaming marble and sprays of lace, somehow illuminates the swirling internal drama of each character, the choices that could make their fortune or destroy their soul on the bustling streets of New York. The challenge is not just to see what money — regardless of whether it’s Old or New — buys in terms of jewels, carriages, and objects d’art. It is to feel real consequence in the environments the characters move through — that there’s power to be won and love to be lost.
“It’s all for display. It’s all to be seen. It’s all to make a statement about how rich and how important and how powerful you are, or at least you think you are,” production designer Bob Shaw told IndieWire. Those statements are promises on the characters’ part, too, some of whom are more confident and others more unsure about actually holding the power they claim to possess. “The Gilded Age” truly shines in the moments where the series is able to show audiences both the surface pretensions and the uncertain reality of the industrialist Russell family and the old-line Van Rhijn/Brook clan’s attempts to fend off challenges to their privileged status.
Injecting material importance into the series’ material wealth is a writing and acting challenge, but it’s also a challenge of craft: a test of how much storytelling can be build into the bones of a drawing room, slipped into the color choice for a ball gown, or injected into the tempo of a theme. In the videos below, you will see how composers Rupert Gregson-Williams and Harry Gregson-Williams, costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone, and production designer Bob Shaw all wove the defining contrasts of “The Gilded Age” into the work they produced and carved layers of nuance into the period’s ornate surfaces. The Score of “The Gilded Age”
For brothers Rupert Gregson-Williams and Harry Gregson-Williams, their choice of which “Gilded Age” characters get more melodic material and which get more anthemic, energetic material informs the emotion of individual moments but also reflects the central tension of the series: what changes in high society when individuals force their way in. “The Russells must be our main course of interest because they’ve been swung into town and they’re taking over,” Harry Gregson-Williams said. “What we’ve chased after with the Russell family, the new money, was power and energy. It’s a fair amount of confidence, and it’s fairly lush.” The siblings call the main theme’s ostinato — a repetition of two musical notes — the “engine” of the show’s score. It drives the composition forward with the propulsive momentum of a steam train, moving the show along from scene to scene and swelling at key hinge points when power dynamics are poised to change. The arrival of the Russell theme in the ballroom sequence in the finale is the final word on Bertha Russell’s triumph to win over New York society, much more so than anything Caroline Astor (Donna Murphy) deigns to say.
“I think we’ve more varied instrumentation with the new money, and then with the older money we were conventional,” Rupert Gregson-Williams said. “The Russells are powerful industrialists, but they could be 21st century [ones]. It is happening right now. We did talk about what was happening in the 1890s, 1880s, and the beginning of the turn of the next century, but we weren’t influenced by it.”
Sketching themes out on the piano but then recording them with a full 52-piece orchestra, the Gregson-Williamses could convey the lushness and even the excess of the period with the fullness of the score, but take perspectives on the characters that are more modern, more aware that the churning “engine” of the main theme also creates a lot of tension, that while they’ll never be stately or stale, they’ll also never be at rest. The Costume Design of “The Gilded Age”
Costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone’s department is in many ways the most noticeable component of “The Gilded Age.” Because it is a costume drama, in a sense that so much of who the characters are and aspire to be, their insecurities and place in society, is sewn into the clothes they wear. Walicka-Maimone’s choice of just how modern to make characters, where they blend in with their environment and when they stand out, acts as a visual signpost for where the ambitious Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) stands in her quest to impress the old grandees, or for how apart the independent-minded Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) wants to stand in relation to her relatives.
“I do feel like we are trying to create a new vocabulary of representing the period without tipping over the balance, like without making things that feel too modern, with trying to find fabrics [and] patterns that feel period respectful,” Walicka-Maimone said. “Nevertheless, [we’re creating designs] that have that freshness that will excite us as the modern audience. So I keep saying, ‘We are not doing documentary.’ We’re doing something that honors the period and celebrates it.”
With license to spring forth from her period inspirations and research, Walicka-Maimone gets to organize each character by their relationship to the period. Anges Van Rhijn’s (Christine Baranski) dresses are deliberately of a slightly older style to show the ways that she might still be stuck in her heyday, while Bertha’s Continental style, undeniably sharp, never completely aligns with the dresses of the women she so wishes to impress. Watching the clothing of the characters on “The Gilded Age” isn’t merely a period drama pleasure. It’s the way to tell who’s winning. The Production Design of “The Gilded Age”
Production designer Bob Shaw meticulously researched New York in the late 19th century in order to give the show’s recreation of its setting a rock-solid (perhaps even a bedrock-solid) foundation of accuracy. “Prior to the late 1870s, everybody used brownstone. Edith Wharton famously said at one point that all of New York City had been dipped in chocolate,” Shaw said.
But from there, he and his team needed to build, and build, and build. “[The entryway into the Russell House] ‘the great hall’ as we call it, is definitely the biggest,” Shaw said. “I think the chandelier has close to 10,000 crystals on it.” Shaw didn’t just have to create at scale, but had to create textures that gave his 30-foot-tall ceiling a stately monumentality. “I keeping saying if scenic marbling were an Olympic event, our [scenic artists] would’ve been the gold medal winners. If you stood still too long on the stage, you would’ve been marbelized.”
The lush textures and miles of marble should be a production designer’s dream, and in many ways it was for Shaw. The show begins right in the middle of the Gilded Age period that defined the end of the 19th century and redefined the look of New York — at least for a little while. But it’s true you can have too much of a good thing, and Shaw found in his research that his real challenge wouldn’t be creating enough lavish details; it would be paring them down. “They would hang paintings like four levels high. And as much detail as we have, they had more — and more statues,” Shaw said. “They had more of everything. So for us, it’s a job of communicating the level of excess, without making it just an assault on contemporary eyes.”
Shaw created guiding principles rooted in character in order to focus his efforts and guide the viewer’s eyes on screen. For the Brook family clinging to Old World aristocratic pretensions, Shaw decided that they would adopt an aesthetic style influenced by English tastes. In their attempt to shove their way into high society, the Russells, on the other hand, would be drawn toward much more ostentatious Continental styles, particularly French. Both houses are filled with detail that speaks to attitudes and anxieties characters would much rather not express. When we’re not looking at the Brooks sisters or the Russells, we’re seeing what the walls can tell us about them. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. | Movies |
File Photo: Bill Cosby looks on outside his house after Pennsylvania's highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction and ordered him released from prison immediately, in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, U.S. REUTERS/Mark MakelaRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSANTA MONICA, Calif., June 15 (Reuters) - Legal arguments in a civil case against Bill Cosby came to a close on Wednesday with his attorney telling jurors they should not believe his accuser's claim that the comedian sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 1975.Cosby lawyer Jennifer Bonjean said plaintiff Judy Huth "did not tell the truth about a number of important things" in her testimony that Cosby forced her to perform a sex act when she was 16 and he was 37. The actor and comedian denies the allegation.A main issue raised by Bonjean is that Huth has changed the date she said the alleged incident occurred.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWhen Huth filed the lawsuit in December 2014, she said Cosby took her hand and masturbated himself with it in a bedroom at the mansion in 1974. Weeks before the trial, she said she had been mistaken about the date and now believes it happened in 1975."I don't think you can believe anything Ms. Huth says frankly," Bonjean said to the jury.Bonjean argued that Huth and a friend who accompanied her to the mansion had come up with a story together to get money from Cosby. The friend also had initially said the date was 1974.In addition, the pair both said they remembered playing the arcade game Donkey Kong at the mansion that night, but that game did not exist until 1981. The fact came up repeatedly in the trial. Huth said she used Donkey Kong just as an example of the type of game she remembered playing.Bonjean ended her closing remarks by showing a "Game Over" message common in arcade games on a screen in the courtroom.That prompted a strong retort from Huth attorney Nathan Goldberg."It's not about a game," he shouted at Bonjean during his final remarks to the jury. "Have some respect for somebody who was sexually assaulted."Goldberg asked jurors to hold Cosby "fully accountable." Huth is seeking damages for emotional distress she said she suffered from 2014, when allegations against Cosby were prevalent in the news, and 2018 when he was sentenced to prison for sexual assault in Pennsylvania."Four years of misery. What is that worth to someone? $1 million a year? $2 million a year?" Goldberg asked.Jurors in the case, which is being tried in California Superior Court, are expected to start deliberations on Thursday after the judge provides jury instructions.Cosby did not appear in person at the trial, but jurors were shown a roughly 10-minute video of Cosby answering questions from one of Huth's attorneys during a deposition in 2015.While Cosby said he did not remember Huth, he said the incident could not have happened because he would not have pursued sexual contact at that time with someone who was 15.The civil trial in California is taking place 11 months after Cosby was freed from prison when Pennsylvania's highest court threw out his sexual assault conviction in a different case. read more Cosby, 84, is best known for his role as the lovable husband and father in the 1980s television comedy series "The Cosby Show," earning him the nickname "America's Dad."But his family-friendly reputation was shattered after more than 50 women accused him of sexual assaults over nearly five decades.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Celebrity |
NEW YORK -- The sleek four-wheeled carts look familiar enough, but not even UPS knows precisely how to describe what could be the delivery giant's latest way to get packages to your door.UPS unveiled Tuesday a battery-powered, four-wheeled cycle to more efficiently haul cargo in some of the world's most congested streets and to reduce its carbon footprint. The company is trying to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.The slimmed-down vehicles don the company's gold-colored logo and accompanying stripe on a dark brown background. But the "eQuad" - as the company calls it - garnered amusement from passersby.Ian Lagowitz had never seen one and walked over to give it a look."It's funny looking," he said, "but it's probably good for the city, right?"Mohammad Islam called the vehicle "cool stuff," and wished the program well."Big trucks always blocking the traffic," he said, "so if they do that kind of stuff, it's 10 times better for everybody."The pedal-powered vehicle was dwarfed by one of the company's more traditional delivery trucks, which rumble through traffic and sometimes draw the ire of motorists trying to get by parked trucks on narrow streets.Delivery companies have tried all sorts of ways to deliver packages - from traditional vans to drones. The company now has a fleet of more than 1,000 electric vehicles and thousands more that aren't powered by traditional gas engines.UPS said a trial run is focused on New York City and in several cities in Europe."New York is a complicated city, when we look at the density," said Nicole Pilet, the industrial engineering director for UPS. "So if we can have success here in the city, then we can see how we implement in other cities throughout the U.S."The company had its start in Seattle more than a century ago and the first deliveries were made by foot or bicycle. As the company grew, its motorized fleet did, too."This is right in my wheelhouse," said Dyghton Anderson, a 22-year-old UPS delivery person and an avid cyclist who is helping pilot the program. "I ride to and from work - from all the way from the Bronx all the way to here on 43rd - so it's pretty comfortable for me."ALSO READ: Best Bets: 7 On Your Side Father's Day buying guide----------* 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 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. | Automotive and Transportation |
Bam Margera Picked Up After Fleeing Rehab... Taken Back For Treatment 6/15/2022 7:00 PM PT Bam Margera is on his way back to the Florida rehab facility he bolted from earlier this week ... we're told he was found in a nearby hotel after he was reported missing. Sources close to the 'Jackass' star tell TMZ ... Bam shacked up at a hotel in Delrey Beach after bouncing from the rehab facility, and cops and a crisis intervention team located him Wednesday and are escorting him back to the treatment center. We are told he went back voluntarily and didn't fight it. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. Remember, the rehab center manager says Bam is supposed to be there under a court order ... which is why police are taking him back. TMZ broke the story ... Bam was reported missing Monday after splitting from the treatment center, and cops went looking for him. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. We're told Bam, who recently completed one year in the drug and alcohol treatment program, is not believed to have relapsed ... but there is some uncertainty there because he's been off his medication since leaving the facility. Our sources say Bam's frustration with the rehab center was stemming from the fact he was not getting special treatment as a celebrity, unlike other rehab stops in his past, and grew frustrated enough to leave. | Celebrity |
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! NASA's Perseverance rover is yet to find the signs of ancient microbial life that it is searching for on Mars, but it did spot a piece of its own landing gear on the red planet this week. "It’s a piece of a thermal blanket that they think may have come from my descent stage, the rocket-powered jetpack that set me down on landing day back in 2021," the team back on Earth tweeted Wednesday. next The shiny piece of thermal blanket was a part of Perseverance's landing gear. (NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover) prev (NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover)The rover originally landed about 1.2 miles away from where the shiny piece of thermal blanket was spotted this week. NASA STEPS UP HUNT FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE, WILL COMMISSION 'ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY' STUDY ON UFOSThe Ingenuity helicopter that accompanied Perseverance to Mars spotted the crashed backshell and parachute last month from when the spacecraft landed in February 2021. NASA'S Ingenuity helicopter spotted this crashed landing gear on the surface of Mars last month. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)Social media ignited last month when Perseverance captured an image of a "doorway" cut into rock, but NASA later explained that it's just a naturally occurring crevice in the terrain. Perseverance has been exploring the Jezero Crater, an area that NASA believes was once home to an ancient river delta. NASA released image of what some people thought was a "doorway" on Mars. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe rover is equipped with a 7-foot-long robotic arm that allows it to take samples from Mars' surface. A device onboard the rover called the SHERLOC uses cameras, spectrometers, and a laser to analyze samples, but NASA hopes to one day bring the samples back to Earth for more in-depth study. Paul Best is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Paul.best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest. | Space Exploration |
By Mark SavageBBC Music CorrespondentImage source, Alex KnowlesImage caption, Foals (left-right): Jack Bevan, Yannis Philippakis and Jimmy SmithFoals' reputation as a live band precedes them. Fierce, intense and teetering towards self-inflicted injury, their shows frequently end with frontman Yannis Philippakis climbing the rigging, invading the moshpit and punching the microphone to his chest.Named the UK's best live act by readers of NME and Q magazine (RIP), the band suffered through the pandemic more than most."Music exists with people, in reality," says Philippakis. "That's where, as a musician, you get all of your reciprocal energy. "To me, there's nothing deep about doing something on Twitter or YouTube. I want to feel a physical human connection, and that's done face to face, in a room, playing music."When the group finally returned to the stage this year, the relief was palpable. But it took a minute for the band and their audience to calibrate."I sensed that, for a lot of people, they'd not been to a show since pre-pandemic, so there was a slight timidity or figuring-it-out for the first couple of tracks. "But once it clicked, the show elevated. There was a relief and a release, on top of the atmosphere of a normal show."Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Yannis is known for throwing himself into performances... and the audienceFoals are about to kick off a summer of festivals, with headline slots at Latitude and Glastonbury's Other Stage. And with perfect timing, they've just recorded the most festival-ready album of their career. Life Is Yours is an effervescent palate-cleanser after the two-part Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost project in 2019. Where those records dealt with crumbling political systems and climate catastrophe, their new music embraces the joyous possibilities of life, "lost in the sugar rush" and "running through open doors" after lockdown.The tracks include Looking High, a love letter to the band's early days, when they moved from Oxford to a Peckham squat they dubbed Squallyoaks, playing "feral" house parties and scraping to make ends meet.Philippakis, whose lyrics more typically dwell on techno-fear and human nature, says the nostalgia was forced upon him."I like to write when I'm travelling, or when I'm out and about in pubs, in direct contact with the world," he says. "Obviously, when everything went quiet, I wasn't getting any of that... but I didn't want to write a dark, introverted pandemic record."So what was left for me was to try and access places in the past and use the songs as a kind of transporter - looking back to our early 20s and random nights out and the start of the band."Figure caption, Warning: Third party content may contain advertsEven so, he says, Looking High's sepia-toned memories shift from a major to a minor key, "because those clubs are all closed down now and our friends have moved out of Oxford". You can remember the past, but you can't relive it.That's especially true for Foals who, since 2018, have lost two of their founding members. Bassist Walter Gervers was first to leave, stepping away to start a family. Keyboard player Edwin Congreave followed last year, partly to pursue a postgraduate degree in economics at Cambridge University, but also because he'd grown uncomfortable with the environmental impact of the band's touring schedule.Becoming a trio changed the band's dynamic. In the studio, they ditched the dense orchestrations of Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost and cooked up a series of sunny, kinetic disco-house grooves."We experimented with lots of percussion, different drum kits," says Philippakis. "Really paying deep attention to any kind of rhythmic nuance and making sure the groove was absolutely solid."Sometimes we would take days before we'd record anything other than the drums." On one song, drummer Jack Bevan even played his part extra fast so they could slow down the recording and give the beat more oomph.This is Foals' "most light-footed record", says Philippakis, something he puts down to the guerrilla-style recording sessions, which saw the band drop into studios for two or three days at a time instead of sweating out the album in a prolonged slog."It kept the perfectionist streak at bay," he laughs. "We weren't agonising over things. We just were getting on with it."Reviewers have praised the record's shimmering vibes. "You can't help from being sucked into its eye-popping sheen," wrote Jamie Wilde in The Skinny; while DIY described it as "the sound of a band bounding back into the saddle" after the pandemic."We worried that we'd be releasing the record into some sort of digital void, so we're really excited," reflects Philippakis. "It's there to meet the summer, which is exactly how we wanted it."One song that's already become a live highlight is the recent single 2am, a synth-driven floor-stomper about losing yourself to the night."That one was written in the depths [of lockdown] when I was really pining for some sociability," says the singer. "It's a song about craving a messy night, in all of its messiness, where you make decisions at 2am that lead you to somewhere you didn't expect."Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Foals at the start of their career. Hedonism not picturedFor the video, they contacted director Tanu Muiño, best known for the bounteous visuals of songs like Lil Nas X's Montero (Call Me By Your Name) and Cardi B's Up.The clip opens with Philippakis out drinking, before he's dragged into a bizarre dreamscape of labyrinths and inescapable rooms.Muiño built the sets in a warehouse in her home country, Ukraine, just as tanks and troops were beginning to gather on the border at the start of 2022. The band were aware of the rising tensions, but decided to fly to Kyiv anyway, after speaking to the crew."No-one really thought there would actually be a conflict. The vibe was that it was sabre rattling," Philippakis recalls."The day was quite joyous. The video itself is really fun, and we went out afterwards in Kyiv and had a big night."When you contrast that with what's going on now, and how all of that youth and optimism has been brutalised and truncated and people are having to leave... it's just horrific."Figure caption, Warning: Third party content may contain advertsThe singer has a long history with the country, which he first visited in his teens to trace his ancestry."Most people were going to Thailand on gap years and I went to Ukraine," he recalls. "It was all very closed off. I went to the steps in Odessa where they shot Battleship Potemkin, which is a famous landmark, and there were no tourists. "But as we went there more with the band, it was clear how much it was opening up and becoming more progressive. It felt happier and more optimistic... and seeing how all of that can just be stopped within 100 days, that's the bit that really shocks me."Image source, Edward CookeImage caption, The band will play their own headline tour after festival season endsHe's still in touch with Muiño and the crew, many of whom have fled to the UK. He hopes to get some of them to the Foals shows over the summer. Glastonbury will be a particular highlight."To be playing that stage after the festival's been away for three years, and after all of the frustration and the lack of music in that time, is really special."And for us to be providing the soundtrack for people coming together at that festival on that first night... I mean, it's gonna be electric."And post-pandemic, does Philippakis have any reservations about throwing himself into the audience?"I haven't crowd-surfed, but I have been in the crowd and getting up to some mad stuff," he says. "I think it's fine now. I feel like last summer was different. Now it's time."Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Music |
The full moon rises behind buildings in the banking district in Frankfurt, June 14, 2022.Michael Probst/APBERLIN -- 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. The moon rises in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York, June 14, 2022.J. David Ake/APIt 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.The full moon rises behind buildings in the banking district in Frankfurt, June 14, 2022.Michael Probst/APA full moon sets behind the old town district in Dresden, Germany, June 15, 2022.Matthias Rietschel/ReutersA full moon is shown with the top of NASA's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) Artemis 1, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., June 15, 2022.Joe Skipper/ReutersA moon is seen as it rises near the Nubble Light, June 13, 2022, in York, Maine.Julio Cortez/APA full moon rises behind the ancient temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, south of Athens, Greece, June 14, 2022.Thanassis Stavrakis/APA supermoon rises behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, June 14, 2022.Emrah Gurel/AP | Space Exploration |
After a promising 10-10 start to the season in which Oakland received several strong pitching performances and a number of clutch hits, there was an unexpected sense of optimism surrounding the Athletics.
Following their 16th loss in the last 18 games, every last bit of that optimism has faded.
It didn’t take long for reality to set in for the A’s, who lost 10-1 Wednesday in Boston to a surging Red Sox team at Fenway Park.
This version of the A’s, the team that’s lost nearly three quarters of its games over the last month and a half, is what many fans expected after ownership chose to cut costs and the front office gutted the roster during spring training. A historically bad A’s lineup was once again overwhelmed Wednesday. After recording just three hits over eight innings against Boston starter Nick Pivetta in Tuesday’s 6-1 loss, the A’s were held scoreless over five frames by rookie right-hander Josh Winckowski.
A recent addition to the roster, Matt Davidson, homered in the sixth inning off former Oakland reliever Jake Diekman, but the A’s were already trailing by six runs by the time Davidson stepped in to pinch-hit for left-handed hitting DH Stephen Vogt.
Right-hander James Kaprielian’s struggles continued as the Red Sox scored in each of the first four innings and knocked the A’s starter out of the game with his team in a 6-0 hole. Kaprielian gave up seven hits and six walks in just 3 2/3 inninngs.
After starting the season on the injured list due to shoulder irritation, Kaprielian has posted a 6.31 ERA in nine starts. A light-hitting A’s team has performed remarkably well for Kaprielian as Oakland won four consecutive starts he made in May, but since the calendar turned to June, no member of the pitching staff has received meaningful support.
Aside from Davison’s home run, one of the few offensive highlights for Oakland Wednesday came in the fifth-inning when rookie third baseman Jonah Bride recorded his first major league hit. Bride, a 23rd round draft pick out of South Carolina in 2018 punched a single through the right side of the infield and reached second on a single from Tony Kemp, but was stranded in scoring position on a groundout from Ramón Laureano. Davidson’s home run the following inning didn’t exactly get the A’s back in the game, but Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo ended any hopes of a comeback when he launched a two-run homer off reliever Domingo Acevedo in the bottom of the inning.
The A’s are now 1-11 in June and will turn to emerging ace Paul Blackburn (5-2, 2.31 ERA) to beat former Oakland pitcher Rich Hill in Thursday’s series finale. | Baseball |
Prior to Wednesday, the Athletics were 4-33 when their opponent scored first. So, when the Sox scored their first run of the game on Alex Verdugo’s RBI ground out in the bottom of the first, a Sox victory was almost a certainty.Josh Winckowski, who was recalled from Triple-A Worcester, pitched five shutout innings for the Sox, allowing just four hits while striking out three to earn his first career victory in the Sox’ 10-1 triumph at Fenway Park.The Sox have now beaten the Athletics in all six of their meetings this year and have a chance to complete the season sweep Thursday afternoon.Athletics righthanded starter James Kaprielian had his difficulties in his last start against the Red Sox on June 3, giving up four runs in 5⅓ innings. Once again, Kaprielian scuffled against the Sox, lasting just 3 ⅔ innings while yielding six runs (five earned) on seven hits. Kaprielian walked a whopping six batters, a career-high for him.Get 108 StitchesAn email newsletter about everything baseball from the Globe's Red Sox reporters, in your inbox on weekdays during the season.In the bottom of the second inning, the Red Sox put two more on the board on Rafael Devers’s two-run homer to right-center. It was Devers’s 16th homer of the season and his fourth in four games. In a year that so far has been dominated by Yankees’ Aaron Judge and his potential American League MVP honors, Devers certainly is certainly making a strong case for himself, too. Additionally, Devers continues to stamp his place among some all-time Red Sox greats. His homer marked the 303rd extra-base hit of Devers’ career, tying him with Tony Conigliaro for the fourth-most by a Red Sox before turning 26. The top three on that list include: Mookie Betts (320), Ted Williams (314), and Bobby Doerr (311).The Sox scored in each of their first four innings. The A’s finally got on the board when Jake Diekman took over for Winckowski in the sixth and relinquished a solo shot to left-center, making it a 6-1 contest. Yet Alex Verdugo extended that margin when he hammered a 93 mile-per-hour A’s reliever Domingo Acevedo for a two-run homer. It was Verdugo’s fourth homer of the year and his first in 210 plate appearances.The Sox have now won their last 11 of 13 games and are 24-10 since May 10.Julian McWilliams can be reached at julian.mcwilliams@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @byJulianMack. | Baseball |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mo’Nique and Netflix reportedly have settled her lawsuit that accused the streaming service of racial and sexual discrimination for allegedly making her a lowball offer for a proposed comedy special.The matter has been “amicably resolved,” Michael Parks, an attorney representing Mo’Nique in the suit, told The Hollywood Reporter.The terms of the settlement between the streaming giant and the comedian and Oscar-winning actor weren’t disclosed Wednesday, when they jointly filed in a Los Angeles federal court for the case’s dismissal.Netflix didn’t respond to a request for comment, and the law firm representing the company in the suit declined comment.Mo’Nique’s lawsuit said Netflix officials warmly praised her work before they offered her $500,000 in early 2018 for a comedy special and refused to negotiate further. Her suit said that reflected a company tendency to underpay Black women.In contrast, the suit claimed, Netflix was willing to negotiate with other comics and made deals reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars for comedy specials from Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais.Netflix denied the main allegations of the suit, filed in November 2019, in a statement made at the time.“We care deeply about inclusion, equity, and diversity and take any accusations of discrimination very seriously,” Netflix said then. “We believe our opening offer to Mo’Nique was fair - which is why we will be fighting this lawsuit.”The suit alleged that Netflix violated California’s fair employment and civil rights laws and is representative of the major pay inequity in all employment for Black women.“I had a choice to make,” Mo’Nique said in a post on her Instagram account after the filing. “I could accept what I felt was pay discrimination or I could stand up for those who came before me and those who will come after me. I chose to stand up.”Mo’Nique, whose birth name is Monique Angela Hicks, first gained fame as one of stand-up’s Queens of Comedy and starred in the UPN series “The Parkers.” She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for the 2009 film “Precious.” | Celebrity |
Current media MLS media partners ESPN and Fox Sports did not bid on its streaming package.ASSOCIATED PRESS Major League Soccer has reached an exclusive media deal with technology giant Apple to stream its games starting in 2023, the league said on Tuesday. MLS will show its entire fleet of games on its own branded streaming service that will be distributed through Apple. As part of the deal, select games including MLS Leagues Cup, MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT will be included, and some content will simulcast on linear TV. MLS added that season-ticket holders for any of its teams can subscribe to games for free. The financial terms of the ten-year agreement were not publicly released, but reports indicate the pact is worth $250 million annually. Asked by Forbes to confirm that figure, MLS commissioner Don Garber didn’t deny the price tag, calling it a “minimum guarantee” instead of a rights fee. The league’s new “partnership” falls behind other U.S. sports properties and bigger international soccer leagues. The NFL lured a new rights package exceeding $10 billion a year with broadcast, cable and streaming companies in 2021. The NBA and MLB earn roughly $2 billion per season while the NHL makes approximately $625 million per year. NBCUniversal agreed to retain its U.S. rights for the English Premier League in a reported $2.7 billion deal. MLS, which was initially seeking roughly $300 million annually, has current media agreements with ESPN and Fox Sports that reportedly pay a combined $90 million annually and expire after the season. But those deals include rights to air U.S. national soccer games.
Lee Berke, CEO of LHB Sports, a firm that advises U.S. pro sports leagues on media deals, labeled the new deal an “innovative distribution” but noted that it could actually cost MLS money because it will need to pay for production costs, which he says could run as high as $50,000 per game. “I think you’re looking at several hundred million dollars of production cost per year,” he says. “From Apple’s standpoint, they obtained global distribution for MLS, and the downside is limited.” On a media call with reporters on Tuesday, MLS deputy commissioner Gary Stevenson said the league established a production plan over the last few years, including Second Spectrum cameras that capture player data for broadcast integration. Stevenson didn’t elaborate on how much the league would spend.
Still, Garber said that the agreement will allow MLS to expand its fan base globally and that its pairing with Apple allows the league improved “accessibility to our content” that “goes way beyond that which was previously offered.”
“We are convinced that this is where our fans are going, and this is where the business is going, and we have an opportunity to go there perhaps before anybody else does,” he told reporters.
Traditional networks can still bid on MLS’s linear rights package, and early speculation suggests ESPN could retain its TV package but at a lower cost as it is receiving less inventory. However, MLS, which doesn’t typically draw a large TV audience, still needs a traditional network to expand and grow fan interest, especially with games no longer available on regional sports networks, or RSNs.
On Tuesday, ESPN told Forbes that MLS games are averaging 292,500 viewers through 14 games in the 2022 season. That’s up from roughly 273,000 viewers for 33 MLS games last season. The league averaged 233,000 viewers on ESPN platforms for its 2020 season, which was impacted by the pandemic. Garber said the agreement would be an “economic benefit to our teams” as media revenue is a large part of projecting franchise values, but exactly what that benefit will be remains to be seen. Apple doesn’t publicly release viewership metrics, and the cost of production will take a bite out of what flows back to the franchises. Performance, says Berke, will “be judged on different things. If you see growth in subscriptions, revenue, distribution worldwide—then it’s working.”
He added: “It’s a platform you can build upon. In terms of the finances, you’re taking on a substantial expense (production). So it’s going to take some time to see what your net profitability is going to be from that.”
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Police are reportedly on the lookout for "Jackass" alum Bam Margera after he fled a rehab facility in Florida.TMZ reported that Margera was not allowed to leave the treatment center, leading to a filed missing persons report Monday. The manager at the center shared with the outlet that Margera, 42, was "unhappy" with the rehab facility and its services.The police report claims Margera told the manager that since he wasn’t happy at the treatment center, he would be checking himself out of the facility and into a different rehab center in the area. "Jackass" alum Bam Margera is reportedly missing after fleeing a rehab facility in Florida Monday. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)He reportedly then left the premises in a black sedan.'JACKASS' DIRECTOR GRANTED RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST BAM MARGERA FOLLOWING ALLEGED THREATSThe manager shared with TMZ that Margera was at the rehab center under a court order, and the staff feared he had left without permission. Delray Beach Police officers reportedly searched for Margera Monday but were not able to locate him. The manager did note that the staff did not believe the actor was a danger to himself or others. Bam Margera attends "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" in 2013. The actor has been sent to rehab several times in the past. (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)Margera was injured in a skateboarding accident last month that left him with a broken wrist and elbow and blamed the rehab facility for not scheduling his physical therapy appointments.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERThis is not the first time Margera has been in rehab. In 2021, he was forced into rehab after allegedly attacking a woman in his hotel room while he was under the influence of cocaine. Bam Margera was arrested for a DUI in 2018 and checked himself into rehab in 2019. (Denise Truscello/WireImage)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPIn 2018, Margera was arrested for a DUI and headed to rehab. He appeared on "Dr. Phil" in 2019 and checked back into rehab soon after.Reps for Margera did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment. Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. | Celebrity |
“Wait a minute, how did this happen? We’re smarter than this.”Screenshot: LucasfilmObi-Wan Kenobi is—was—a Jedi. A General of the Clone War. A warrior monk of such skill, such balance, such understanding of his form both spiritual and physical that he could sit atop the Jedi Order’s ranks as a Master of its Council. And here he is, stuffing a child under a trenchcoat on a wing and a prayer, and I’m loving every second of it.Obi-Wan and his new ally Tala’s flight from Fortress Inquisitorius at the climax of last week’s fourth episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi has been the subject of a bit of the old Star Wars fandom discourse since it aired last week. Desperate to escort the newly liberated Princess Leia from Reva’s clutches, Tala—an expert at Imperial infiltration as we learned over the course of the episode, teetering on a knife’s edge as she pushed herself deeper and deeper into the heart of the Inquisitor’s base—and Obi-Wan end a break for escape with the slowest walk across Fortress Inqusitorius’ open hangar bay in a scene that is both achingly tense and, in some ways, patently ridiculous.Tala is perhaps the fitting picture of perfection of the two. Clad in her trimly tailored officer gear—a disguise that has suited her well in what we’ve seen of her in the show—even after her nervy direct encounter with Reva, she strides towards her escape with a projected confidence that radiates a calm she doesn’t necessary feel. Even as things inevitably go haywire (would it be a Star Wars escape plan if things went off as planned without a hitch? Literally the entirety of the franchise beyond this screams otherwise), Tala’s steely determination as she faces down Reva again and fights back to bring Obi-Wan and Leia to safety is the idealized Star Wars hero we love and dream of.Screenshot: LucasfilmAnd yet, her partner in this scene is Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he’s anything but. Next to Tala, Obi-Wan is a hot mess—her polar opposite in every way. If Tala is steely-eyed and front facing, Obi-Wan is nerve-wracked as his head darts left and right. If Tala’s disguise is a well-worn, pitch-perfect mask, Obi-Wan’s is... well, it’s a loose-fitting Imperial officer’s hat and a comically oversized trenchcoat. A trenchcoat that of course also billows out awkwardly at one side, because if Tala’s plan to escape Fortress Inquisitorious is a smart, practiced act—slip out under the confusion by simply projecting that haughty Imperial aura of confidence—Obi-Wan’s last minute cobble-together is to put the Princess of Alderaan that the entire base is searching for halfway under a coat and pray to whatever divine entity or cosmic spirit there could be out there that it’ll work.And it kind of does for the most part, which makes it even funnier than it already is. Star Wars is built on reckless plans made out of desperation, plans that only kind of work down to our heroes winging it and going with the flow as things go horribly wrong. The escape from the Death Star, the infiltration of Starkiller Base or the Supremacy in the sequels, whatever the hell Anakin and Padmé thought they were doing in the droid factory on Geonosis: Star Wars is, perhaps more than anything else, even the laser swords and the spaceships, kind of really about people that we believe are actually quite smart hatching the most ludicrous of plans, just hoping they’ll last long enough to hoodwink the villains. It’s funny to see Obi-Wan, who has a reputation from what we saw in the prequels as being smarter than this—as he jokes to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith about the ray shields on the Invisible Hand!—have to be that kind of Star Wars hero instead of the prim-and-proper master tactician. Screenshot: LucasfilmBut it’s more than just the humor of it all that makes the moment feel so very Star Wars—it’s that reflection between Tala and Obi-Wan that is most important of all. Tala’s good at this: it’s the life she’s known for herself for years. Obi-Wan, even a decade after the destruction of the Jedi Order, isn’t, because all he knows is how to be a Jedi Knight. At a time where he his barely beginning to rekindle that confidence and that connection to his past as he is in the show, that part of his identity is still so core to him that it’s important we get to see how he deals with doing things outside of it. After all, what are Obi-Wan’s most powerful moments in this episode? They’re the ones where he gets to be a Jedi. Even as he struggles with them, like calling on the Force to distract Stormtroopers, or hold a buckling viewport together for his friends to escape, Obi-Wan’s most confident moments in episode four come with his lightsaber in hand, defending Leia from blaster bolt after bolt, rekindling a little of that Jedi hero we know and love, recalling the same flourishes we once saw him do in the prequels and Clone Wars as he slowly but surely slips back into that groove.It’s just as important to see Obi-Wan in those moments as it is to see him as an absolute disaster, dragging Leia along under a trenchcoat like he’s in a screwball comedy, but also uncharacteristically nervous and unsure of himself. We could imagine in our heads that the reason it works is some sort of surreptitious use of the Force, that Obi-Wan is inadvertently mind-tricking people into not seeing the very obvious child he’s rescuing. But that’d ruin the entire moment, or at least make it far less interesting. He’s not meant to be perfect there—he’s meant to be awkward and clumsy, he’s meant to be out of his depth and a little afraid. He’s meant to be human. We don’t really come to Star Wars to see people be perfectly hypercompetent. We come to see them screw up and wing it, and have to deal with that and come through the other side anyway. Whether it’s with lightsaber in hand or with a princess under a coat, Obi-Wan Kenobi reminds us that its titular hero is capable of both—and it’s a much more interesting examination of his character for doing so. 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 |
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Major League Baseball has such an illustrious history it’s remarkable there are still things that still haven’t been done.On Wednesday, one more thing got crossed off the list.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Houston Astros starting pitcher Luis Garcia throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero)Houston Astros pitchers Luis Garcia and Phil Maton each threw an immaculate inning against the Texas Rangers – nine pitches and three strikeouts. Astros and Rangers officials said it was the first time in MLB history to have two nine-pitch, three-strikeout innings in the same game either by one team or each team playing each other."It feels so good, because it’s history," Garcia added, via MLB.com. "I’m so happy for me and for Phil. I don’t know what to say. I’m just happy."The cherry on top? Houston pulled off the 9-2 victory. Martin Maldonado had a helping hand with a two-run double in the first inning and a homer in the fourth. Houston Astros' Martin Maldonado, right hugs teammate Michael Brantley (23) after Maldonado hit a solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero)CARDINALS' MILES MIKOLAS HAS NO-HITTER BROKEN UP ONE STRIKE AWAY: 'DEEP DOWN IT KIND OF STINKS'"To be part of that, anytime you make history ... I'm glad I was catching in that situation," he said.Astros manager Dusty Baker added: "We hadn’t had a first inning like that in a long time. A couple of records, the same guys we struck them out back-to-back-to-back with nine pitches. ... So it was a good day for us."Garcia and Maton were the eighth and ninth pitchers to throw immaculate innings in Astros history. Will Harris did it last in 2019 against the Lost Angeles Angels and Brandon Backe did it in 2004 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Houston Astros relief pitcher Phil Maton, left, has his hand checked for foreign substances while heading to the dugout during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. The Astros won 9-2. (AP Photo/LM Otero)"It’s super cool. It’s not something you go out here every day and obviously strive to do. Obviously, you're trying to strike out every hitter you face," Maton said. "Still kind of trying to wrap my head around it. Cool experience."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPGarcia went six innings and allowed two runs – one earned – on four hits and struck out nine. Maton relieved him and his lone inning struck out all three batters.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. | Baseball |
Published June 15, 2022 9:41PM DALLAS - The DFW region will likely be named as one of the hosts for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The hope is to be more than a host. The hope is to get championship games and a big economic boost. On Thursday, the Dallas-Fort Worth region will know if it will be one of the 2026 World Cup hosts for the U.S. The real prize our region is aiming for is a semi-final, championship game or the International Broadcast Center. The last time Dallas hosted a World Cup match was a quarter-final match in 1994 at the Cotton Bowl. "You saw what happened off the back of the 94 World Cup. Major League Soccer was launched. What's going to happen on the back of 2026 World Cup," said FC Dallas President Dan Hunt. When Dallas put in its bid to become a World Cup host city again, it teamed up with multiple cities in the region, providing AT&T Stadium in Arlington for matches, the Toyota Stadium in Frisco, the Cotton Bowl, Fair Park and Globe Life Field for training areas. The goal is to get as many matches here as possible. "Our goal all along has been we want six matches in a final or five matches in a final or semifinal somewhere around there," Hunt said. The region is competing with 15 other cities to become a host city, including Houston. But getting named and getting multiple matches could result in thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions in revenue for the area. What is unknown is how much our region may still have to spend if it’s chosen. Monica Paul is the Dallas Sports Commissions Executive Director. "We're blessed here in Texas that we do have a program within the state of Texas and the major event reimbursement program that allow us to cover some of our… a large amount of our event costs things that it takes to put this on," she said. One big hurdle for our region is that even though there’s a lot to offer, it’s spread out. Plus, public transportation doesn’t reach every venue. And that includes the biggest one: AT&T Stadium. But Hunt told attendees at a pre-announcement event that transportation plans are in the works. And he touted the affordability of travel in North Texas. "It is affordable for fans to come visit. Hotel rooms are inexpensive for a major city," he said. Even if North Texas is selected Thursday, we won't know how many matches the region will host until sometime next year. Dallas is also bidding for the International Broadcast Center at Fair Park, something Dallas had in 1994. "The International Broadcast Center is a big deal," Paul said. "That’s putting us on a stage worldwide." Hunt says North Texas are also bidding for the central referee location. There will be an announcement watch party Thursday in Downtown Dallas at the AT&T Discovery District. | Soccer |
Caleb Ewan, Grace Brown and Rohan Dennis will lead a formidable Australian road cycling squad at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Ewan will be one of the top favourites in the men’s road race at Birmingham, while Dennis and Brown will target gold in the time trials.Brown will also be one of the top Australian hopes in the women’s road race, with the team boasting several riders capable of a big result. Australia’s Games cycling team of 34 was announced on Thursday morning, with sprinter Matthew Glaetzer leading the track squad. He is one of few familiar names in the track group, which is rebuilding after a disastrous Tokyo Olympics.In-form mountain biker Bec McConnell is a notable missing from the team, but she is concentrating on the World Cup circuit and was unavailable. Her husband Dan will compete at his third Games in the cross-country event.Giro d’Italia winner Jai Hindley and Tour de France contender Ben O’Connor also do not feature in the road team. But, as Ewan’s selection indicates, the road course at Birmingham is more suited to sprinters or classics specialists than climbers such as Hindley and O’Connor.Australia has been the top-ranked nation in cycling at the last seven Commonwealth Games. Birmingham offers the chance for a reset, especially at the velodrome, after Australian only managed one bronze on the track at the Tokyo Olympics.Apart from road, track and mountain bike, there will also be tandem para cycling events at the Games. Jess Gallagher, the first Australian to win medals at a summer and winter Paralympics, will compete in Birmingham and she will form a powerful combination with pilot Caitlin Ward. | Olympic Sports |
Premier Dominic Perrottet says the Australian Grand Prix will be a "disappointing event" for years to come after the F1 agreed to extend Melbourne's hosting rights for 10 years.New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet has taken a swipe at Formula 1’s decision to snub Sydney and extend Melbourne’s Australian Grand Prix deal beyond 2025.The Victorian government inked a new 10-year deal with the F1 which will see the Australian Grand Prix held in Melbourne until 2035.Formula 2 and Formula 3 races will also run in Australia for the first time from next year as part of the extension.Stream more sports news live & on demand with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022.Mr Perrottet attempted to steal the Grand Prix from Melbourne but lost out in the bidding war.He lashed out at the F1 for its decision during a press conference on Thursday.“It’s a loss for the F1. That’s all I can say, we obviously engaged with Formula 1 in relation to it,” he said.“It’s going to probably be a disappointing event now for years to come until it comes to its rightful place in Sydney.”The Premier had in October last year engaged in “sensitive high-level talks” with the F1 to determine if Sydney could host the event, according to Channel 7.Sydney’s bid was focused around creating a Monaco-style Grand Prix with the cars racing around the Sydney Harbour with the backdrop of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House a major selling point.Mr Perrottet argued that Sydney’s identity as a global city made it the perfect candidate to host the event.“Obviously the Formula 1 is a global event and we’re Australia’s truly only global city so I think in time the F1 will work that out but look good luck to Melbourne,” he said.Sydney will now have to wait until 2035 for another chance to win the rights.In April more than 419,000 racing fans attended Melbourne’s Albert Park for the Grand Prix making it the largest crowd at a weekend sporting event in Australia’s history.The Grand Prix was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but Major Events Minister Martin Pakula said the new deal proved how important the Grand Prix is to the Victorian economy.“That’s why we’ve delivered the longest extension for the race since it has been held in Melbourne,” he said on Thursday.The event was estimated to have generated $92 million in direct spending for the economy boosting Victoria’s gross state product by $171 million, the Herald Sun reported.Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali said he was “delighted” to continue the Grand Prix’s connection with Melbourne.“The race has always been a favourite for the fans, drivers and the teams and Melbourne is an incredible and vibrant international city that is a perfect match for our sport,” Mr Domenicali said.Albert Park has hosted the Grand Prix since 1996 when it was moved from Adelaide. | Other Sports |
It's late June, 2017. The Justin Bieber-remixed version of Despacito hogs radio time, a meme depicting a distracted man and his angry girlfriend is weeks away from filling Twitter feeds, and animated movie Despicable Me 3 is new to theaters. I don't go see it.Now I know that was a huge loss. And not because I missed more minions and a first-time meeting between Gru and his twin brother Dru. A song that plays in the credits of the kids movie has made its way to TikTok, and it's a catchy, infectious delight. Written and sung by South Park co-creator/Despicable Me 3 voice actor Trey Parker and Pharrell Williams (whose hit 2013 song Happy is also featured on an earlier Despicable Me soundtrack), Hug Me is a relentlessly high-energy 2 minute and 20 second bop. It's easy to crack a smile to. It may genuinely inspire you to wrap your arms around something nearby.Just the chorus and a second of the pre-chorus have gone viral, though. "You're either with me or doomed... Hug Me, Bring it In. Would you loosen up, would ya."So you may be wondering… why has a 5-year-old song from a kids film suddenly surfaced on TikTok? (Could also read: Where has this extraordinarily fun song been for the past several years). The answer is far less exhilarating than the track, but nonetheless, I will provide. It looks like this all started when a user posted a sped-up version of Hug Me back in March. More than 450,000 videos have since used the sound. The song has taken off at regular speed too, accompanying about 300,000 videos as of this writing. Here are some examples.@cristiandenniswish my baby brother happy birthday y’all 🥳 also why did he eat that up lowkey♬ Hug Me - Pharrell Williams & Trey Parker@egg_babe♬ Hug me Pharrell Williams - I love my dadSinger Khalid is in this one!@thegr8khalidI just wanted to show off my fit♬ Hug Me - Pharrell Williams & Trey ParkerYou get the vibe.Despicable Me 3 boasts Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and Julie Andrews as voice actors and follows ex-villain Gru, who travels to meet his brother for the first time. Parker voices antagonist Balthazar Bratt. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the Despicable Me sequel became the fourth highest grossing movie at the worldwide box office for 2017, bringing in more than $1 billion.Despicable Me 4 is set to arrive in 2024. I'm definitely paying close attention to what's on the soundtrack. Now, what you're really here for.. More Toks!Hug me = Much-needed ear candy.@screamforghostyWould ya loosen up♬ Hug me Pharrell Williams - I love my dadCrossing my fingers that these videos loop through my For You page all summer. @axelwebberBACK IN NYC♬ Hug me Pharrell Williams - I love my dadAww an actual hug. @peytoncoffeedriving across the country♬ Hug Me - Pharrell Williams & Trey ParkerNot a dance. Still great.@unfunnyemo I know I posted this on my insta but I love it #graduation♬ Hug Me - Pharrell Williams & Trey Parker | Music |
CENTRAL PARK (WABC) -- It was magic underneath the stars Wednesday night as the New York Philharmonic returned to Central Park after a two-year hiatus due to COVID.On a cool brisk late spring night under a clear sky with the sunset draping the great lawn wrapped in the glorious city skyline, there was Wagner in the air, a majestic sound filling the night and a sea of more than 50,000 New Yorkers soaking it all in, in blissful harmony."Just being able to enjoy the beauty of a free concert with the best musicians in the world," Sigrid Aarons said. "You couldn't ask for anything more."The New York Philharmonic Concert in Central Park has become a staple in this city, but was canceled for the past two years because of COVID.So on top of the rhythmic patterns, there was a reminder of what it used to be like.Grapes and cheese, pizza and wine -- they were all memories worth capturing."Just enjoying New York City," Elijah Bach said. "This is one of the great things that we have in the city so we love it."And of course, this is not just special for the audience. It's special for the musicians too.Unlike in a dark theater, the musicians can see all of the faces on the great lawn."I see people holding lights and balloons and I see people singing along and it makes me so happy," violinist Qianqian Li said.Deborah Borda, President and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, said the event is a mirror of the resilience of New York."When I look out at this crowd it just reminds me of why I love New York so much," Borda said.Find future Concert in the Park dates at the New York Philharmonic website.ALSO READ | Experts urge swim lessons, water safety to prevent child drownings----------* 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 YouTube Submit a News Tip Copyright © 2022 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved. | Music |
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Colorado Avalanche left winger Andre Burakovsky capitalized on a turnover in the neutral zone early in overtime and got a shot past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to win Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final 4-3 on Wednesday night.It was his second goal of the postseason and gave Colorado a 1-0 lead in the series.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMColorado and Tampa Bay treated fans at the Ball Arena in Denver to a riveting first game of the series. The Colorado Avalanche celebrate after an overtime goal by Andre Burakovsky in Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/John Locher)The Avalanche jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period, starting with a goal from Gabriel Landeskog and less than two minutes later Valeri Nichushkin got another one on the board. It appeared Colorado had caught Vasilevskiy off guard to start the game.Lightning winger Nick Paul would cut the lead in half at the 12:26 mark with his fourth goal of the postseason. His score came on assists from Victor Hedman and Brayden Point. But it wouldn’t be long before Colorado got one back. It would be Artturi Lehkonen’s doing, and it gave the Avalanche a 3-1 lead heading into the intermission.STANLEY CUP FINAL 2022 PREVIEW: LIGHTNING LOOK TO MAKE HISTORY WITH THREE-PEAT, AVALANCHE SEEK TO END DROUGHTTampa Bay would come back in a big way in the second period.Ondrej Palat scored his ninth goal of the postseason at the 12:51 mark and Mikhail Sergachev would put the equalizer past Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper to tie the game. Colorado Avalanche left wing J.T. Compher, left, celebrates next to Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, right, after an overtime goal by Andre Burakovsky in Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/John Locher)Both teams would go scoreless in the third period leading to Burakovsky’s game-winner in the extra session on a missed shot from J.T. Compher and a pass from Valeri Nichushkin.The last time the Avalanche were in the Stanley Cup Final was in 2001 and they defeated the New Jersey Devils in Game 1 as well. It will be a bit of a tougher challenge because the Lightning are coming into the series as the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.Tampa Bay lost their first two games of the Eastern Conference Final on the road before bouncing back to win.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPGame 2 is set for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to Ryan.Gaydos@fox.com. | Hockey |
Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman’s daughter, Lyssa Chapman, is a married woman!
The 35-year-old tied the knot to her longtime girlfriend Leiana Evensen in Hawaii on June 3.
She shared the exciting news in a heartfelt Instagram post on June 7, along with several photos from the nuptials.
“Last week Lei and I boarded a boat at 7 in the morning with 7 of our closest family members and we dedicated our love and lives to one another,” she captioned the post in part. In one photo, Lyssa and Leiana hold hands in the ocean and in another, the two share a kiss after officially becoming wives.
In the sweet post, Lyssa explained how magical her wedding was.
“It was the most epic conditions on the bay, the water was a glassy mirror. We had a sprinkle of rain, (blessing) and as we came upon our spot, we were blessed again by a school of baby sharks (do do do do do do),” she wrote.
“With our feet in the water, we connected ourselves to the power and vastness of the ocean. We were hugged by the majestic Ko’olau mountain range, that will continue hugging us as we live and spend the rest of our lives together at Makaalamihi. There, with uncle David officiating, we stated our declarations of intent, said our vows and began life together OFFICIALLY as wife, and wife.”
She concluded her heartwarming post with an inspirational message for her fans.
“It was literally a dream day. The best part is @leiana13 is my freaking WIFE !! I’m so happy, blessed, filled with love and gratitude. I never thought I was worthy or capable of this kind of love. The vibration I feel in my body hasn’t stopped since I met her and if you’re reading this from a dark place know that your happy beginning is out there somewhere too. 🌈”
Leiana also shared the happy news on her Instagram, sharing picture of her kissing her bride in the ocean as flower pedals fell from the sky.
“I still can’t believe I am lucky enough to be by your side. In life, in love, in adventure, in sickness and in health. I will continue to love you with every ounce of my being 🌺 Lyssa Rae Chapman-Evensen II, I fall deeper and deeper in love with you every single day and never know how I could possibly love you any more…until the next day comes,” she captioned the post in part.” Lyssa is the daughter of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and his third wife, Lyssa Rae Brittain. They were married from 1982 to 1991.
This is Lyssa’s second marriage. She was previously married to Braham Galanti from 2009 to 2011. The pair shares one daughter—12-year-old Madalynn Grace. Lyssa is also mom to 20-year-old daughter Abbie Mae.
According to People, her two daughters and her in-laws Stacy and Carl Evensen were also in attendance.
Lyssa’s dad was not at the nuptials, but she told People he was there in spirit.
“He was of course on the phone with me all morning and during. We FaceTimed him a bunch. He was there in spirit and also electronically,” she told the outlet. | Celebrity |
Last week an engineer at Google claimed that an AI chatbot he worked with, known as LaMDA, had become ‘sentient’. Blake Lemoine published a transcript of his conversations with LaMDA that included responses about having feelings and fearing death. But could it really be conscious? AI researcher and author Kate Crawford speaks to Ian Sample about how LaMDA actually works, and why we shouldn’t worry about the inner life of software – for now. How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know Support The Guardian The Guardian is editorially independent. And we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to all. But we increasingly need our readers to fund our work. Support The Guardian | AI Research |
The Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL are giving away $50 worth of gas to 800 of their fans in Nevada. During an event titled "Knight Up, Gas Up" on Thursday, one Smith's, a Kroger subsidiary found across seven Western states, in Skye Canyon will be giving away gift cards on a first-come, first-served basis with the help of team members starting at 8 a.m. That day, and the next, this gas station will charge 20 cents less for gas to anyone who refuels there. This is the second time the team has hosted an event of this nature, the first occurring April 22 in celebration of the franchises' fan appreciation week. GERMANY ACCUSES RUSSIA OF TRYING TO DISRUPT MARKETS WITH GAS CUTS Gas prices in Nevada are averaging $5.67 as of this report, which is a full 50 cents more than the national average. Clark County, comprising Las Vegas, is currently in the median of statewide gas prices at $5.609. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The Golden Knights are the 31st-oldest franchise in the NHL, having just played their fifth season. Former Golden Knight Deryk Engelland will be at the station to greet fans and will be joined by current players and the team mascot, Chance the Gila monster. | Hockey |
A well-intended McDonald's proposal has gone pear-shaped after a customer's romantic take-away order ended up being delivered to the wrong house.The recipient, who not only discovered he didn't get the meal he ordered from Macca's, took to Reddit to share that he also found a note in his delivery that reads, "Will you marry me Kim?""So I ordered McDonald's via DoorDash and found this in the bag," the Canada-based Redditor captioned a photo of the delivery."Not only did the DoorDash driver get my order wrong, but I think he messed up some poor dude's plans..."A McDonald's customer who proposed via a delivery may have to think about other ways to pop the question after his order ended up at the wrong house. Source: Reddit/XagreussMcJokes on the menuThe post, shared by user Xagreuss, has gone viral with over 41,000 upvotes and about 1,800 comments that mostly made light of the whole mishap."Will you McMarry me?" one Redditor jested."McYes," came a reply, followed by another. "I McLove you."The thread continued with jokes about having a McBaby called McLovin, and getting a McDivorce, which prompted someone to reply, "I get the McHouse" while another quipped, "You can keep the McKids".McDonald's launches new menu item just for AussiesMcDonald's trials new tech to stop common delivery problem: 'So satisfying'McDonald's worker reveals how popular breakfast item is really madeOther Reddit users commented about how a Macca's delivery probably wasn't the best way to propose."This was God giving them a second chance of proposing in a decent place," one Redditor commented."I actually think he saved that dude who's gonna propose with McDonald's meals. I mean really?" another asked.Dashers not to blameMeanwhile DoorDash drivers also chimed in, claiming their job is to deliver what was handed to them and not to look into the bags that are taped shut when they receive them."DoorDash driver here! We don't make your orders and we don't look in the bag (it's taped shut when we get it). That's 100% on McDonald's. You can pretty easily get a partial refund with a few quick messages to DoorDash support regarding that order though. Hope that helps!" one explained."The dasher didn't get your order wrong, McDonald's did... all a dasher does is drive up and give them a code and then McDonald's gives them a sealed bag," wrote another.The original poster, however, assumed the DoorDash driver was carrying multiple orders and simply mixed them up. He also claimed that he asked McDonald's to fix the error "but they refused and said it was on DoorDash to correct it".Surprisingly, this isn't the first Macca's proposal to go wrong recently. Only last month, one man's romantic gesture went down in flames when he decided to propose at a busy McDonald's in South Africa and was savagely rejected by his girlfriend.Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.Yahoo News daily newsletter banner | Celebrity |
Yung Bleu XXL Got Freshmen Right This Year!!! Also, Breezy Vs. MJ is a Silly Debate 6/15/2022 10:31 AM PT TMZ.com XXL just released its hotly debated Freshman List for the 15th year — and there are no noticeable snubs ... as far as Yung Bleu can see. The budding star's the perfect guy to weigh in with his hot take, because just last year he was the center of attention when XXL left him off the 2021 Freshman List. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. We caught up with Bleu Davinci outside LAX and he had no smoke for the '22 XXL Freshman List, which consists of Babyface Ray, BabyTron, Big30, Big Scarr, Cochise, Doechii, Kali, KayCyy, KenTheMan, Nardo Wick, Saucy Santana and SoFaygo. While Bleu feels like the list doesn't have power over artists' careers anymore -- rendering it kind of irrelevant -- he was happy to see the new class members get their shine. We also got his take on the social media debate of Michael Jackson vs. Chris Brown's talent supremacy -- and Bleu didn't go the route of his homie Tank and side with CB ... he simply stated each generation will crown their hero and both their talents are uncanny. Bleu’s career has been thriving since the 2021 “snub” … he went on to win Best New Artist at both the BET Hip Hop and Soul Train Awards that year and his double platinum-selling Drake collab “You’re Mines Still” has over 200 million YouTube views. And, on top of that, he'll be on CB's new album, which is dropping this summer. All of his success after the XXL snub makes ya think ... maybe he's right about the list? | Music |
"You either wear a condom, get a vasectomy or don't f--- random people that you meet in other states. It's not like rocket science." Khloe Kardashian's world fell apart ... again ... in front of reality TV cameras, as Tristan Thompson was exposed ... again ... for not only cheating on her with another woman, but getting her pregnant as well. The reality star learned Thompson had knocked up Maralee Nichols while on a phone call with sister Kim Kardashian on Thursday's season finale of "The Kardashians." Though Kim and her sisters already read a report in the Daily Mail which included a declaration from Thompson admitting to sleeping with Nichols, Khloe called Kim before even reading it -- and only registered what it was after getting on the line. Hulu Khloe Kardashian's Family Rips Tristan for Paternity Scandal, Defend Her from Trolls Saying She Deserved It View Story "What?! What the f--- is this? No, what the f---. This cannot be happening!" Khloe exclaimed, before legal eagle Kim explained the lawsuit between Nichols and Tristan and Thompson's declaration to her sister. "Let me f---ing call him, I can't f---ing believe this," Khloe responded. To Kim, she saw the situation as "the biggest sign" for Khloe to not have another kid with Thompson. "I just would like the truth," responded Khloe, before she started audibly sobbing over the phone. "We really believed that he had changed. I was his biggest supporter," Kim said. "But if this isn't more clear, the most clear situation, I don't know what is." In a confessional, Khloe double confirmed that she found out what Tristan was up to when the rest of the world did. That, of course, frustrated her more than anything. "A courtesy would be not doing it but fine if you do, you're not even going to give me a f---ing heads up before the rest of the world? It's just an additional slap in my face," she explained. "It's humiliating, I'm embarrassed." "I'm replaying every event, every grand gesture, every trip, every date, every whatever. All of that was a lie," she continued. "Oh my god, how were you able to not say something? I feel not even in my own body, all these things are just happening and I'm going through the motions but when things happen to you a couple times, you do kind of become immune to them, which is really sad." When asked by a producer what hurt the most, but Khloe couldn't pinpoint one thing. "Everything is an act of betrayal. Everything is a lie. Everything is manipulation, it's deceit," she responded. "Did Tristan have every opportunity to tell me? Yes. Was Tristan going to tell me if there wasn't a baby involved? Absolutely not. And that shows a lot about his character. The entire thing is despicable." Hulu/Getty/Instagram What Khloe Kardashian Was Tweeting as Tristan Thompson Scandal Broke on The Kardashians View Story Speaking with Kendall Jenner over the phone later in the hour, Khloe said that she would "respect" Tristan a little more if he had just admitted to cheating. "You cheated, lied and were hiding it for months thinking I would never know?" she said to her sister. "You know what that tells me, there's a dozen other situations that just haven't outed him. Everyone's judging me but the ones I care about aren't judging me at all." She then opened up about how she had been suffering physically since learning of the situation, telling Kendall she was so anxious and dehydrated that she fainted the previous day. "Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe and I'm gasping for air," said Khloe, adding that she had been put on beta blockers and was feeling fine. "Sometimes you do stupid things for your kids, but you can't can't be stupid for your kids for so long," she then added, explaining she hoped to make things work with Tristan because they share daughter True. "I will say that I'm really proud of how I tried for True and the rest is the rest. It sucks, but thank god I have you guys." Instagram Pete Davidson 'Caters' to Kim Kardashian, Says Sister Khloe View Story In another conversation between Kim and Khloe, this time in person, Kim said she wasn't sure how to personally navigate the situation -- debating whether to take a public stand against Tristan's behavior or not. "I don't know if I should unfollow Tristan again. I don't want to play that game publicly," she told Khloe, before alluding to her past troubles with Kanye West. "I feel like we always tip toe around each other's situations because we don't want to meddle and I respect that no one came to me during my marriage and was like, 'Are you good?' Everyone let me have my own journey and see that on my own and I appreciate that, but sometimes I look back like, 'When do we jump in?'" "If people knew what my relationship was like, they'd be like, 'How did it last this long?'" Kim continued. "But I can live with myself knowing I tried everything possible to make a situation work, so I can walk away guilt free and I feel like you can at least say, you had a family, you tried and you can look your daughter in the face." Khloe said that's why she has no personal regrets for how she navigated her relationship with Tristan. "It's the same I felt about Lamar. I gave it my all. I never felt guilty. Same thing with Tristan, I don't feel guilty. I believe in second, fourth chances of everyone," she explained. "It's time to walk away and I don't feel guilty about it. I'm fine. Is it the most f---ed up thing this has to happen so publicly every f---ing time in my life? Yes." She went on to say she was "just exhausted" going through this all again and was "definitely numb" to it a bit this time. "I've just done this so many times now, it's humiliating," she added, "there are no more tears left to cry." Getty / Instagram Khloe Kardashian Says No One Sees Tristan Thompson's 'Good Sides,' But Admits It's 'F---ed Up' How She Heard About Paternity Drama View Story Near the end of the hour, Khloe was seen packing up Tristan's clothes and putting them into boxes ... after just moving them into their new home. "This house was supposed to be mine and Tristan and True's home that we were supposed to have our family in. It's really disappointing and it's heartbreaking," she said in a confessional. "I wanted to believe that Tristan could change, I wanted to trust him and believe that True and I were worth him changing for. But that's just life, things don't always go the way that we hope and plan." Despite the drama, Khloe still put on a fresh face of makeup and got all done up for the Hulu show's official photoshoot. Once there, Kim pulled her aside for one final conversation, first asking whether Khloe had spoken with Tristan. "I called him just like, 'What do you have to say?' and it was more yelling on my end, him talking, trying to plead his case. There's not much to talk about, in my opinion," she revealed. "This is a joke, it's gross, it's embarrassing, it's disgusting, we're all over it. I didn't buy tickets to this f---ing circus. But somehow I'm watching all these clowns act out in front of me. I want a refund, return to sender, I don't want to be at this show. Somehow these clowns keep coming back in this f---ing clown car." "No matter what he says nothing's going to give me the answers that I'm looking for, the closure," she added, before saying that he still FaceTimes with True every night, but Khloe doesn't speak during those conversations. "I've done this before. I know how to do it. It is sad. I'm just like, wow, you really like just f---ing up your life," she added. Prime Video/Pepsi How The Boys Mocked Kendall Jenner's Infamous Pepsi Ad on New Episode View Story Kim said that if she were in Tristan's position and was "really trying to redeem" himself after his last transgression she "would definitely just keep my dick in my pants." With a laugh, Khloe responded, "You would think. You either wear a condom, get a vasectomy or don't f--- random people that you meet in other states. It's not like rocket science." Khloe added that the whole situation had left her feeling a little "vindicated" as well, because she sensed "something's not right here" for some time. As proof, she pointed out that Tristan wanted to split the downpayment on their new home -- but, despite pressure from mom Kris, Khloe did it on her own. "It's my house, I want this for me," she added. "I will push through this like I have in the past, I'm not someone that sits in my sorrow and makes that the rest of my life," she continued. "One day I will have the fairytale I hope to have." I have had a lot of disappointment when it comes to Tristan and I just want to protect myself," Khloe said at the end of the show and also its first season. "You can't make people do right by you but you have the power to decide when you're not gonna let people do you wrong anymore and enough is enough." The first full season of "The Kardashians" is streaming now on Hulu. | Celebrity |
"All of you f---ing trolls on the internet that make Khloe feel like the biggest piece of s--- ... I will find each and every one of you." The Kardashian family had Khloe Kardashian's back like never before behind the scenes after Tristan Thompson's paternity scandal blew up online. On Thursday's season finale of "The Kardashians" on Hulu, viewers saw how the family and Khloe herself reacted to the drama in real time, after it was exposed that Thompson had sex with another woman and possibly got her pregnant. At the time the episode filmed, Maralee Nichols was about to have the child -- but it wouldn't be confirmed until later that Tristan was 100% the father. After learning the news from the Daily Mail -- and not Thompson himself, despite Tristan knowing full well it was coming -- Kim Kardashian called a mini-family meeting, which Khloe opted out of attending. Hulu/Instagram Khloe Is Livid, Sobs After Tristan's Paternity Scandal Is Exposed on 'The Kardashians' Finale View Story "She keeps on recovering, forgiving, for the sake of her daughter. I'm sure she feels devastated and humiliated," said Kris Jenner as she, Kim, Kourtney Kardashian and Corey Gamble met up to discuss the messy situation. "I wish [Khloe] had shown up. I think the longer it goes on without really expressing her feelings and deciding how she wants to move forward, can be very alienating and lonely." Kourtney called out Tristan's "lack of honesty," saying it would be "way less hurtful to say the truth than to find out on the internet and not feel like you're in the loop." "It's such a lack of respect. This is somebody who's got a pattern of bad behavior. Somebody who has lied to her since June," added Kris. Kim was shocked Thompson had been involving a legal team and even submitted a whole declaration in which he admitted to sleeping with Nichols -- all without ever clueing Khloe in on what was going on. "He should have went to Khloe, before lawyers, he should have went to Khloe," said Corey, in agreement with Kim. Kris, meanwhile, said his "pattern" keeps making Khloe suffer -- "that's what breaks me heart," she added. Hulu/Getty/Instagram What Khloe Kardashian Was Tweeting as Tristan Thompson Scandal Broke on The Kardashians View Story "We've given Tristan so many opportunities and chances to work on himself and treat my sister the way that she deserves to be treated. I just feel super disappointed," exclaimed Kourtney, before addressing some of the criticism Khloe had been getting after the news broke. In the wake of the big reveal, some said she should have seen it coming, as it wasn't the first time he had cheated on her and lied. "There's all these people who blame Khloe, that really gets me too. They make it look like the girl is a loser or unable to not be cheated on or she deserves it," Kourtney continued. "Who gives a f--- what other people think? I prefer to take the high road and be a good person and who we are, we're people that would actually get Tristan help." Kim, however, was "exhausted of taking the high road" -- and was tempted to put Thompson "on blast." Looking straight into the camera, she added, "If you don't think I screenshot every single f---ing thing!" She then echoed Kourtney's comments regarding the haters online bashing Khloe in her time of pain. Instagram Pete Davidson 'Caters' to Kim Kardashian, Says Sister Khloe View Story "All of you f---ing trolls on the internet that make Khloe feel like the biggest piece of s--- ... I will find each and every one of you and ... not threaten you on TV, but it's wrong," she said straight to viewers in a confessional. "It's so wrong because you guys don't understand that when you have a child, you do anything to try and make it work and I'm so proud of who Khloe is that she wanted to give her relationship a second chance, even after he dogged her and embarrassed the s--- out of her." "When the whole world is looking at you, laughing at you, calling you every name in the book, do you know how hard that is?" she asked. "That is 10 times harder to stay in a situation, than it is to leave." Khloe reacted to the backlash as well, acknowledging that that some people believed, "I should have known better, I knew what I was doing, no one feels bad." Of that chatter, she said, "It's really sensitive. I feel incredibly let down." "Is it so f---ed up that society blames me and women? It's disgusting and deplorable of these people to talk about other people like that," she added. "There's no empathy, there's no compassion, there's just no sense of humanity." See more of Khloe's reaction to the mess right here. "The Kardashians" Season 1 is streaming now in full on Hulu. | Celebrity |
May the fourth is a good day for fans of the Star Wars franchise and word play so, being both of those, we've asked the question - where is the real Star Wars universe? On our journey we discovered the real world filming locations for all of the films so far and have pulled them together in this infographic.Picking out a few of the locations, Tunisia was used the most for the iconic planet of Tatooine while the home of the Ewoks, the Forest Moon of Endor, can be found in the real world in California's Redwood National Park. Added to the list by The Last Jedi were the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia and Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Description This chart shows the countries in which filming took place for the Star Wars movies. Report URL to be used as reference link:
Star Wars movies: production costs vs. global box office revenue 2021Domestic box office revenue of Star Wars movies in the U.S. & Canada 2022 Premium statistics Global first month digital sales of Star Wars games 2020 Premium statistics Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes IAP revenue worldwide 2015-2021 Premium statistics Star Wars Battlefront 2 active users on PlayStation 4 worldwide as of 2020 Premium statistics Star Wars fans in Great Britain 2016, by demographic Infographic Newsletter Statista offers daily infographics about trending topics, covering:Economy & Finance, Politics & Society, Tech & Media, Health & Environment, Consumer, Sports and many more. Check our upcoming releases FAQ The Statista "Chart of the Day", made available under the Creative Commons License CC BY-ND 3.0, may be used and displayed without charge by all commercial and non-commercial websites. Use is, however, only permitted with proper attribution to Statista. When publishing one of these graphics, please include a backlink to the respective infographic URL. More Information The Statista "Chart of the Day" currently focuses on two sectors: "Media and Technology", updated daily and featuring the latest statistics from the media, internet, telecommunications and consumer electronics industries; and "Economy and Society", which current data from the United States and around the world relating to economic and political issues as well as sports and entertainment. For individual content and infographics in your Corporate Design, please visit our agency website www.statista-content-design.de Any more questions? Get in touch with us quickly and easily. We are happy to help! Statista Content & Information Design Need infographics, animated videos, presentations, data research or social media charts? More Information | Movies |