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ScienceThe celestial show, best viewed between June 17 and June 27, will be the last time the five brightest planets cluster in the sky until 2040.A grand celestial reunion is due in Earth’s skies throughout June. Sky-watchers will get a rare chance to see all the major planets in our solar system bunched together—with the moon joining the festivities, too, from June 17 to June 27.This rare alignment includes the five planets easily spotted with the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Each is bright enough to be seen even in light-polluted city skies, with brilliant Venus being the brightest and Mercury the faintest. Our closest planets will appear to be arranged across the sky in the same order as their distance from the sun.Astronomers call these planetary close encounters conjunctions. Having two or three planets huddled together is not all that rare, but the last time we saw a conjunction the five brightest planets was in December 2004.The more distant Uranus and Neptune will also cluster in the same area, though the two ice giants will be more challenging to spot, requiring the use of binoculars. Scan between Venus and Mars to find green-tinged Uranus, and blue Neptune can be found between Jupiter and Saturn in the sky.This planetary alignment can be glimpsed by the vast majority of the world’s population, but some will be better positioned than others. For those in the northern latitudes, above cities like New York and London, the planet closest to the sun, Mercury, will be near the horizon and may be washed out by the glare of dawn. In these regions, the other planets will also hug the eastern horizon, making it a bit of a challenge to easily see all the planets.As the month progresses, however, Mercury will appear higher in the sky, making it easier to spot. For observers even farther north, like those across Scandinavia and in northern Alaska where the sun never sets at this time of the year, the planets won’t be visible at all.The best views will be centered around the tropics and in the Southern Hemisphere, where the planets will rise higher in the predawn sky. But no matter where you are, the best recommendation is to seek out an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon about one hour to 30 minutes before local sunrise.The panorama will be particularly impressive because the planets will appear huddled close together. And if you miss this spectacle, you’ll have to wait until 2040 to get another chance.The moon lights the wayTo find the planets, viewers need only look to the bright crescent moon. Starting on June 17, when it will appear near Saturn, our natural satellite will serve as a guidepost, posing with each planet from one day to the next.Stand-out dates include June 18, when the moon will be closest to Saturn, and June 20, when the moon pairs with Neptune. June 21 sees the moon joining Jupiter, and June 22 has the moon meeting with Mars. The moon pairs with Uranus on June 24, and keen-eyed sky-watchers will also notice that it will appear exactly halfway between Venus and Mars. On June 26 the moon will have an eye-catching close encounter with the brightest planet in the sky, Venus, and then finally round out its visits with Mercury, on June 27.A celestial traffic jamWhile this parade of planets will appear to be huddled together in one small part of the sky, the distant worlds are of course spread out across a vast expanse of space, separated from each other by millions of miles. It’s our vantage point on Earth that makes them seem so closely positioned.This grand sky show is easy to see with the unaided eyes, but a pair of steadily held binoculars will grant you better views. Train your glass on cream-colored Jupiter and it will reveal its four largest moons. Small telescopes reveal all the worlds as disks, bringing into focus details like the cloud bands on Jupiter and Saturn’s famous rings.Uranus and Neptune are both significantly fainter than the rest of the planets, so you’ll likely need binoculars just to glimpse them as greenish –blue, fuzzy points of light. But a small telescope will begin to reveal more details of these ice giants at the edge of the solar system—an incredible sight considering Uranus is more than 1.8 billion miles from Earth, while Neptune is nearly 2.8 billion miles away.Get your views in now, as the planetary party won’t last long. Over the next few months, the planets will wander away from each other, spreading out across the sky. By the end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, both Venus and Saturn will have bowed out of the morning sky altogether.Clear skies!	Space Exploration
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Brooklyn music venue announced that they are canceling a scheduled performance by John Hinkley Jr., claiming that having the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan perform was not worth the potential risk to the community posed by those offended by the event.In a lengthy social media post, the Market Hotel explained that they scheduled the concert because they felt it would be an "interesting" and "memorable" show. The New York City establishment made clear that they disagree with the idea that they should not be able to hold such an event, and made the decision after weighing the pros and cons."Hosting provocative happenings for its own sake is valid, and should be part of any venue’s reason to exist," the Market Hotel said in a statement posted to Instagram, adding that Hinckley’s performance "sends a message that mental health issues and a criminal past can be recovered from and atoned for[.]"Hinckley, 67, is a free man, getting his full release on Wednesday, 41 years after shooting Reagan, then-White House press secretary James Brady, a Secret Service officer, and a police officer. ATTEMPTED REAGAN ASSASSIN JOHN HINCKLEY SELLS OUT NYC CONCERT VENUE: REPORTHinckley was inspired by the Martin Scorsese film "Taxi Driver" when he shot the newly elected Reagan in an attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity, but spent more than 30 years in a mental hospital.A judge had granted Hinckley a conditional release to his mother’s home in 2016, and those conditions were dropped this week.Hoping for a music career, Hinckley had booked the performance at the Market Hotel for July 8, which sold out."A big thank you to everyone who helped me get my unconditional release. What a long strange trip it has been. Now it’s time to rock and roll," Hinckley, who sings and plays guitar, tweeted June 1.ATTEMPTED REAGAN ASSASSIN JOHN HINCKLEY FULLY RELEASED AFTER 41 YEARS John Hinckley, Jr. mugshot in on March 30, 1981. (Photo courtesy Bureau of Prisons/Getty Images) (Photo courtesy Bureau of Prisons/Getty Images)In announcing the cancelation of the July 8 show, Market Hotel indicated that they made the decision begrudgingly."There was a time when a place could host a thing like this, maybe a little offensive, and the reaction would be ‘it’s just a guy playing a show, who does it hurt – it’s a free country,'" they said. "We aren’t living in that kind of free country anymore, for better or for worse." In their statement, the venue said they opted to cancel "after being presented with and reflecting on some very real and worsening threats and hate facing our vulnerable communities … and after seeing the nature of who this booking has antagonized, and who and what else those same folks are upset about."They insisted that the show itself would have been harmless. "This is a sexagenarian with an acoustic guitar," they said. ""Make no mistake: cancelling this concert will not deter future assassins and will have no effect on mass shootings, and it certainly won’t reverse the awfulness of what Hinckley did 40 years ago."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPUltimately, the Market Hotel acknowledged that scheduling Hinckley to perform was "stunt booking" based on Hinckley's past violence, and given that they do not believe his music transcends his reputation, it was not worth going forward with the show as a matter of principle."It is not worth a gamble on the safety of our vulnerable communities to give a guy a microphone and a paycheck from his art who hasn’t had to earn it, who we don’t care about on an artistic level, and who upsets people in a dangerously radicalized, reactionary climate," the said.Fox News' Stephen Sorace and Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.	Music
Rep. Chip Roy slammed PGA Tour defectors who have decided to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, arguing the players are “basically whores and has-beens.” And they're willing to take millions in “blood money,” said Roy (R-TX). A number of high-profile PGA stars have been lured by tournament purses in the $25 million range, with the golfers being paid millions more to join the league. That includes Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Phil Mickelson, Kevin Na, Ian Poulter, Patrick Reed, and Lee Westwood. But critics, including Roy, say that Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses should deter players from participating in the league. Roy said he doesn’t support President Joe Biden’s expected trip to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid record-high gas prices either. PHIL MICKELSON AMONG 17 GOLFERS SUSPENDED FROM PGA TOUR OVER SAUDI COMPETITION “I'm fine with competition, but it has to be an economic model that's legit and not being bankrolled by a bunch of Saudis," Roy told the Washington Examiner in an interview. "We’ve got the president of the United States going over and kissing the Saudis' a** trying to get oil because we've got completely screwed up oil and gas, energy policy in this country.” Biden is set to visit Saudi Arabia next month. The trip represents a foreign policy trade-off that's a reversal of his 2020 campaign pledge to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah." The trip, set for mid-July, will also include a visit by Biden to Israel, and he will also meet Palestinian leaders in the West Bank. Roy singled out for criticism one of the highest-profile players to join LIV Golf. “And now you got frickin Phil Mickelson going, ‘Oh fine, give me $200 million in guaranteed cash after I spent 32 years on the PGA Tour making $125 million in earnings, making gazillions of dollars in endorsements and sponsorships,’" Roy said. "And then you got DJ [Dustin Johnson] doing the same thing — 'I'll take $120 million of blood money.' We know what the Saudi money's for.” Roy, who walked onto his college golf team, said he doesn’t agree with the sentiment that oil negotiations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia equate to professional golfers opting to sign on to LIV Golf, arguing it is easier for athletes to rebuff the offer. “People say, ‘Chip, you don't understand — you've got all the oil and gas companies that are buying oil from Saudis, and the president is there.’ I know! The president shouldn't be if our policies weren't so garbage,” he said. “But don't equivocate and say that because we need a barrel of oil or some oil and gas company needs a barrel of oil, that's the same — you're playing golf, dude, you have a choice. You have free will," Roy said. "You got guys who either haven't won majors, they're in their 40s, or they're basically whoring themselves out for lots of money.” The players’ decisions to join the Saudi production that’s backed by the country's government has been met with scrutiny by many, with LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman coming under fire after shrugging off the Saudi-led assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, telling reporters: “Look, we've all made mistakes, and you just want to learn by those mistakes.” Mickelson (who has opted not to resign from his PGA Tour membership like some of his former colleagues on the tour and is set to play in the U.S. Open), Reed, Na, Johnson, and DeChambeau received a letter from Terry Strada, the national chairwoman of 9/11 Families United, who called the move a “betrayal not only of us, but of all your countrymen.” Roy said while legislative action is unlikely, he hasn’t ruled out looking into the legality of perks they are receiving. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER “As a conservative, I tend not to want to interfere, let these guys go to the thing," the Texas congressman said. "But look, I'm not going to rule out looking at what benefits they are getting. But the bigger thing here is making a point about the culture of our society — you’ve got these guys who've been given the greatest blessing in the world, and you know, they get to play a freaking game and make a gazillion dollars doing it.” Roy also applauded Tiger Woods for turning down a reported nearly $1 billion offer to join LIV Golf, arguing that despite having controversies in the past, he feels the record-breaking golfer is doing the right thing. “At the end of the day, the guy's, like, loyal to the game while these guys are selling themselves out for their 30 shekels," Roy said. "I think it’s pathetic."	Golf
Tribeca: David Frankel's new movie dares to ask the question "what if Bryan Cranston played a suburban dad who found a dubious way to make money?" If AARP launched a streaming service and produced its own “Breaking Bad” remake, it might look a lot like “Jerry and Marge Go Large” with Bryan Cranston as a folksy old man who gets some very bad news, then dips his toe into a risky new revenue stream without telling his wife. That’s where the two projects diverge, and viewers of David Frankel’s latest get to watch a generic piece of fluff that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy without the burden of having to laugh or think. The film seems destined to live on as in-flight entertainment on nursing home-sponsored trips to Vegas, but a good cast and some well-placed sentimentality elevate it into something almost watchable. Jerry Selbee (Cranston) thought he was the embodiment of the American Dream. A lifelong cereal-plant worker, he started working the night shift in high school and eventually found himself running the place. He and his wife Marge (Annette Bening) raised a couple of kids in the suburbs and they’re both grateful for everything they have. She wishes they could have spent more time together during the decades he spent working long hours, but beyond that they have few complaints. Then life throws Jerry and Marge a curveball when Kellogg’s eliminates his job, forcing him into a retirement that he never wanted. He doesn’t need the money, per se, he’s just really bored. Jerry thrived at the factory because it gave him a chance to use his seriously impressive math skills. Everyone has a passion, and his just happens to be things like updating the labeling sequences on cereal barcodes. To Jerry, a life without complicated math problems is hardly worth living. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to wait long for a new equation to present itself. He overhears a cashier explaining a Michigan lottery game called Cash Winfall, in which the prizes for picking even a fraction of the correct lottery numbers go up when the jackpot gets too big. To the average observer, it seems like a marketing gimmick; Jerry, math savant that he is, realizes that it’s something bigger. If you know what you’re doing, there’s a foolproof loophole in the game that can deliver limitless winnings. The film’s explanation of Jerry’s math is rather rushed, but the gist is every three weeks, the odds of winning get much higher. Buy enough tickets and you basically can’t lose. The plan is so airtight that even Jerry, who is so risk averse that he won’t let his accountant-slash-travel-agent (Larry Wilmore) put his money in the stock market, starts dropping thousands on lottery tickets. And he starts winning. Jerry is ashamed of playing the lottery, a hobby that he always dismissed as a vice for the imprudent. He doesn’t tell anyone what he’s up to, which only makes his wife feel more isolated. She eventually learns about Jerry’s scheme and rather than be upset, she wants in. She doesn’t even care about making money;she just wants the chance to do something exciting during her “golden years.” She’s ready to start living, and if that means spending eight consecutive hours watching a machine print lottery tickets, so be it. There’s only one problem: Michigan is about to drop its Cash Winfall game, and the only other state with a similar one is Massachusetts. So Jerry and Marge begin a monthly routine of driving 10 hours to The Baked Bean State, where a liquor store owner (Rainn Wilson) keeps his store open late for them in exchange for a piece of the action. They keep winning and their ambitions grow. Jerry realizes that more capital can exponentially increase their winnings, and they set their sights on revitalizing their hometown of Evart, Michigan. After collecting investments from most of their friends and neighbors, they start running their lottery operation as a legitimate business, winning millions and spending it on everything from reopening the local ice cream shop to relaunching the summer jazz festival. But of course, they never had a chance of keeping a secret like this to themselves. A bunch of mustache-twirling rich kids figure out the same loophole from their Harvard dorm room (which has a “Matrix” poster on the wall, so you know that they’re good with computers). These pathetically one-dimensional villains start their own version of Jerry’s operation, which cuts into everyone’s share of the pie. The greedy kids soon want even more money, and their leader Tyler (Uly Schlesinger) tries to bully and threaten Jerry into getting out of the game. If you think you know what happens next… you probably do. The film becomes an infomercial for “real America” and how its values can triumph over those damn coastal elites. During a tense diner-set conversation, Jerry’s cup of good old American coffee and Tyler’s Red Bull serve as convenient stand-ins for white and black hats. Nobody was swinging for the fences on this one. Still, as low as this movie’s aspirations are, its competently executed 96 minutes tend to fly by. It may be painfully unfunny at times and largely conflict-free, but Brad Copeland’s script skillfully enters at the latest possible moment and ends before it can overstay its welcome. Frankel keeps the movie moving along at a bouncy pace, and everything looks so pretty that it’s easy to forget the town was struggling in the first place. With a couple notable exceptions (the only thing lazier than Wilmore’s performance is the slew of travel agent jokes Copeland wrote for him), the acting is also solid. As strange as it is to see Cranston transitioning into bona fide “old man” roles, he carries the film with a perfect balance of Midwestern sweetness and geriatric confusion. Bening’s light, breezy performance also gets the job done, and the two are relatively convincing as a married couple. The highlight of the film is Wilson, who fully commits to his supporting role as a wacky liquor store owner and spins some straw into comedy gold in the process. A handful of charming performances and a mercifully tight running time can’t hide what “Jerry & Marge Go Large” really is: content-with-a-capital-C. It’s the kind of movie you throw on after your “Emily in Paris” binge left you mentally drained. It’s the cinematic equivalent of sitting on the lawn at an Eddie Money concert, half buzzed on vodka and lemonade, chatting with friends while you forget that something resembling art is happening in the background. Much like “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” prompted the MPAA to create the PG-13 rating, it’s easy to imagine a new rule being implemented that prevents anyone under the age of 70 from watching “Jerry & Marge Go Large.” That’s not an insult; just an acknowledgement that every frame and line of dialogue seems designed to appeal exclusively to retirees. The great irony is, for a film that places so much emphasis on making the most of one’s “golden years,” it asks its viewers to waste 96 minutes of theirs without offering much in return. Grade: C+ “Jerry & Marge Go Large” premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, followed by a streaming release on Paramount+ on Friday, June 17. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.	Movies
That’s not to say Fred Waterman, a retired sportswriter who is the club’s de facto historian, doesn’t have stories to tell. He does. His favorite involves Francis Ouimet, the 20-year-old former caddie and self-taught player who lived next door to The Country Club and only had to carry his clubs across the street to win the 1913 US Open. (Ouimet’s stunning triumph over two of Britain’s best golfers is the subject of a not-half-bad Hollywood movie, “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” starring Shia LaBeouf as the improbable victor.)American golfer Francis D. Ouimet, center, shook hands with Harry Vardon, left, and Ted Ray, both of Britain, at the 1913 U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club in Brookline.But one thing Waterman, a club member for more than 30 years, won’t talk about — in fact, no one associated with the club will — is TCC’s membership. A perk of belonging to the place is anonymity, so the names of its 1,300 or so members are kept strictly confidential, as if their disclosure could compromise national security. The club is so fiercely private that pretty much everyone contacted for this story either didn’t respond or flatly refused to be interviewed, at least on the record.“My smarter friends have suggested I decline,” one member replied in an e-mail. “I love TCC. Let’s leave it at that.”On a recent weekday morning, the grounds of the club were buzzing. As sprinklers sputtered to life here and there, a temporary grandstand was going up adjacent to the handsome, yellow-clapboard structure that is the main clubhouse. It was still early, so the parking area wasn’t yet crowded with Mercedes sedans and Land Rovers.The Country Club’s reputation for being exclusive — or exclusionary, depending on your point of view — is well-earned. Founded in 1882 by a handful of wealthy, well-connected men, TCC was the first “country club” in the United States, taking its name from a social club created by English-speaking traders in China in the mid 19th century. And like other archaic institutions in the US, it was all-male and all-white for many, many years.A pair of golfers tee off on the 10th hole at The Country Club in Brookline, MA on May 26, 2022. The club will host the 2022 US Open on June 13-19.Craig F. Walker/Globe StaffJewish people weren’t admitted at The Country Club until the 1970s; women (as full members) until 1989; and people of color until 1994. Even with those changes, admission remained highly selective. In his 2011 memoir, “A Reason to Believe,’’ former governor Deval Patrick revealed that he and his wife, Diane, were rejected — “blackballed,” he wrote — by TCC.It’s not just TCC’s membership that was monochromatic. Historically, the tribalism of Boston and its suburbs has kept many clubs segregated. The memberships of Pine Brook Country Club in Weston and Belmont Country Club have long been predominantly Jewish, and the Charles River Country Club in Newton is an Irish enclave.“[TCC] used to be high-WASP paradise,” says one of its members, like many reached by the Globe, unwilling to be named for fear of breaching club decorum. “But that’s changing. It’s every color of the rainbow now.”Proudly old-fashioned, TCC looks askance at celebrity. It doesn’t need or want the attention the super famous often attract. Thus when then-Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, were considered for membership in 2015, the club balked. Older members worried that the couple, whose Chestnut Hill estate was just a 3-wood away from the club, might be a spectacle. (Brady was a four-time Super Bowl champ at the time, was and is a superb amateur golfer, and still an object of immense interest to the paparazzi.)Bundchen was admitted to The Country Club a few years later, which meant that Brady, as her spouse, was as well. Thereafter, until he parted ways with the Pats, Brady was an occasional presence on the course, one TCC member recalls, with playing partners who included Larry Fitzgerald, the former Arizona Cardinals receiver.“I don’t know Gisele, but from all reports, she’s a terrific person,” says a prominent Boston businessman who’s belonged to TCC for decades. “She’s really quite well-liked.”A 1988 US Open plate is displayed at The Country Club in Brookline. The club will host the 2022 US Open June 13-19. Craig F. Walker/Globe StaffWaterman wouldn’t discuss the club’s admissions process — “We don’t talk about that,” he says with a faint smile — but a few members would — anonymously, of course. Applicants must be sponsored by two current TCC members and provide the selection committee with references from eight people with whom they have a social — not business — relationship. Applicants also have to hobnob with the committee at a cocktail reception. The names of nominees are shared with the whole membership, but the committee has the final say. And the initiation fee? It’s a lot — tens of thousands of dollars — but less than some other places, including the country clubs in Wellesley and Weston.Predictably, some high-status figures in the fields of law, medicine, finance, and business belong to TCC, according to a longtime member, yet the conversations on the course can be remarkably mundane.“It’s really the same stuff you get at a municipal course — nothing substantive, maybe an occasional stock tip,” he says. “It’s people talking about sports, about what club to use, about how lousy they’re playing.”That may be true, but public courses don’t prioritize propriety as emphatically as The Country Club does. A former employee who’s worked at other private clubs around Boston says TCC maintains uncommonly stringent rules about etiquette and appearance: Wearing wrinkled pants or an untucked shirt, use of cellphones, visible tattoos, and gum chewing are just a few no-no’s for staff and members.“It’s a very tight ship,” says the former employee.But the club is modernizing, albeit gradually. It recently hired its first female general manager, Kristen LaCount, and built a locker room for women that’s comparable to the men’s. Previously, the club relegated women to a changing area a fraction the size of the men’s.“It’s evolving, slow and steady,” says the ex-employee. “And as the older generation phases out, I think you’re going to see more change.”“The club has to keep evolving,” says Waterman. “Otherwise, you just become an anachronism.”The excellence of the course is undisputed. Serious golfers agree that TCC, which has hosted three previous US Opens as well as the 1999 Ryder Cup, is among the finest golf courses anywhere. (It ranks No. 17 on Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 greatest courses.) And the club’s 230-acre property has other amenities, including indoor and outdoor tennis courts, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a skeet range, curling rink, and skating pond.The pond, located behind the third green, has an impressive pedigree of its own. In the early 1950s, Newton teenager Tenley Albright, a talented figure skater, used to practice her spins there. Normally, Albright skated indoors, but major competitions then, including the Olympics, were held outdoors.“I needed to figure out how to train for ice I wasn’t used to, weather conditions I wasn’t used to,” says Albright, a TCC member now in her 80s. “So I went to [The Country Club] and explored, and the pond was fantastic.”As a teen in the 1950s, Tenley Albright practiced her spins on The Country Club's pond. She went on to become the first American female skater to win an Olympic gold medal.handoutBecause Albright was busy with school during the day, the club’s caddie master would leave a key to the warming hut in the gutter, allowing Albright to practice her figure eights at night, illuminated only by the moon.“Being able to do that made all the difference,” she says.Albright went on to win the silver medal at the 1952 Olympics in Oslo, and, four years later, in Italy, she became the first American female skater to win an Olympic gold medal. (When she was done with skating, Albright attended Harvard Medical School and, like her father, became a surgeon.)While The Country Club may not enjoy the attention an event like the US Open attracts, the staff seems unfazed. Sean McSwiney, TCC’s dining operations manager, started at the club 34 years ago as a dishwasher. Now he explains the menu options to members and guests — “our chef from Kathmandu does a curry like no one else!” — and makes sure the bar is stocked with plenty of Pappy Van Winkle, the impossible-to-find bourbon that retails for up to $2,000 a bottle.The Country Club insignia graces the chairbacks in the Grill Room at the club in Brookline.Craig F. Walker/Globe StaffMcSwiney says he’s looking forward to hosting the best golfers in the world and the enormous crowds that will roam the course watching them. But, like everyone else at The Country Club, he’ll be relieved when the tournament is over.“One of these every 25 years is enough,” he says.Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the location of the Charles River Country Club. The club is located in Newton.Mark Shanahan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MarkAShanahan.	Golf
Love Island SPOILER: 'I don't want to feel married off': Gemma's romance with Luca hits the rocks... after her flirty chat with ex-boyfriend Jacques Published: 09:54 EDT, 16 June 2022 \| Updated: 09:58 EDT, 16 June 2022 Gemma Owen has admitted she wants to slow things down with Luca Bish, a day after enjoying a flirty chat with her ex-boyfriend Jacques O'Neill. In scenes due to air on Thursday's episode, the international dressage rider, 19, pulls Luca, 23, aside for a chat as she claims to have 'seen a different side' to the fishmonger since they coupled up last week. The pair had already hit a rough patch just a day in when Gemma's ex Jacques entered the villa, and again this week when Gemma accidentally mixed up the pairs' names. 'I don't want to feel married off': Gemma Owen admits in Thursday's Love Island she wants to slow things down with Luca Bish, a day after enjoying a flirty chat with her ex-boyfriendAfter pulling Luca for a chat, Gemma said: 'You’ve probably noticed I am being a little bit off the last day. 'What initially attracted me to you is that you didn’t give a s**t but I’ve seen a different side to you, which I do like but I don’t want to feel that’s us two married off now and that’s it.'A baffled Luca responded: 'Why are we married off?' later adding: 'Listen we both like each other and we will see how it goes.' Tense: The international dressage rider, 19, pulls Luca, 23, aside for a chat as she claims to have 'seen a different side' to the fishmonger since they coupled up last weekThe chat comes after Gemma enjoyed a flirty chat with Jacques that she admitted would leave Luca 'fuming.'On Wednesday's episode the exes sat down for a chat about her relationship with Luca after the arrival of two new boys promised to stir some drama.But whilst Gemma wasn't chosen for any dates with newcomers, Jay Younger and Remi Lambert, it appeared that Luca still had his fair share of concerns. Drama: Luca was left fuming as Gemma enjoyed a flirty chat with her ex-boyfriend Jacques O'Neill on Wednesday's episode As Gemma sat down for a conversation with Jaques outside, she exclaimed: 'Oh, Luca will be fuming,' as she caught a glimpse of the fishmonger walking past.Jaques reasoned: 'When I talk to you to say how much of a good lad he is and how well you two get on, there's nothing wrong with it at all.'But the daughter of footballer Micheal Owen, added: 'Why are you doing that face then?' Smooch: It comes as Monday night's episode showed Luca and Gemma share an awkward kiss after Gemma playfully rejected Luca for pretending to snore while she was talkingSpeaking later in the beach hut Luca added: 'It's so weird, honestly, I get on with him as well so I don't even want him to go home. But, I want him to go home.'Back in the garden Tasha explained to Luca: 'You just need to think that there might be times like that but you and Gemma have something special.''I just don't want to get hurt,' he replied.Elsewhere Gemma mentioned that it has been a longtime since the end of her relationship with Jaques, with him adding: 'But it has gone quick.'My head was a mess mate, I've never got back on. I was seeing a girl for a bit but...' Awkward! Tuesday's show later showed the couple at loggerheads, after Gemma accidentally called Luca by her ex-boyfriend Jacques' nameIn the beach hut Jaques continued: 'We were together for a year we're going to have things to speak about, I know her family very good she knowns mine very good, we just have a general chitchat about life.'Tuesday's show later showed the couple at loggerheads, after Gemma accidentally called Luca by her ex-boyfriend Jacques' name.She suffered a slip of the tongue while hugging the fishmonger, while her former flame was sat right beside them.After Luca walked off to the garden, Gemma reflected on her wrong name blunder, as she asked her fellow islanders 'that was bad wasn't it?' LOVE ISLAND 2022: MEET THE CONTESTANTS Name: Paige ThorneAge: 24Location: SwanseaOccupation: ParamedicWho is their type on paper? 'In Swansea there is just no-one I can find. 'I haven't got to swipe. So, hopefully they can just come to me now!'I came out of a relationship and I was just so done with guys. Then I was like, 'Ok, I'm bored now' Name: Indiyah PolackAge: 23Location: LondonOccupation: Hotel waitressWho is their type on paper? 'It's quite hard to date without being influenced by social media and stuff like that.'Love Island is a great place to get to know someone one-on-one. 'I don't think I have ever been out with two guys who are quite the same.'Name: Tasha GhouriAge: 23Location: ThirskOccupation: Model and dancerWho is their type on paper? 'My dating life has been a shambles.'This is an opportunity for me to find 'the one' and have a great summer at the same time. 'I'm definitely ready for a relationship. I'm 23 now so I'm ready to get to know someone and travel with them.'Name: Gemma OwenAge: 19Location: ChesterOccupation: International Dressage Rider and Business OwnerWho is their type on paper? 'I am open to finding love, I'm wanting to have a really fun summer. 'I would say I'm fun, flirty and fiery. I think I'm good at giving advice, I'm a good person to talk to, I'm very honest. 'If I want the same guy, I'd do it but in a nice respectful way.Name: Andrew Le PageAge: 27Location: GuernseyOccupation: Real Estate AgentWho is their type on paper? 'When I'm with someone I'm very loyal.'I'm a good boyfriend as when I'm with someone I'm all for them.'I'm actually single for once, so I thought why not?This is the best time to give it a go.' Name: Ekin-Su CülcüloğluAge: 27Location: EssexOccupation: ActressWho is their type on paper? 'I'm quite picky and I'm not just looking for looks, I'm looking for brains! 'I'm looking for someone with intelligence, someone who can have good chats. Nothing like cockiness!'Name: Jay YoungerAge: 28Location: EdinburghOccupation: Investment analystWho is their type on paper? 'I am a slow burner for sure, yeah. I don’t fall easily.'I quite like self sufficiency in girls' Name: Dami HopeAge: 26Location: DublinOccupation: Senior MicrobiologistWho is their type on paper? 'I will be talking to different girls, it might not go well with some.'When I'm actually in a relationship, I think it's a star sign thing.'I'm an Aries but I'm very passionate - I always used to put that person first. I'm really good at being in a team'. Name: Davide SanclimentiAge: 27Location: Rome (lives in Manchester)Occupation: Business ownerWho is their type on paper? 'A lot of English girls actually love me.'They love to be around me and I love to be around them. I want to find my soulmate.'Find my person so I can actually build something in the future, grow with them, be a family. 'Name: Ikenna EkwonnaAge: 23Location: NottinghamOccupation: Pharmaceutical SalesWho is their type on paper? 'I've only been in one past relationship but now I think I'm at the age where I could find someone.'Hopefully, I'm going to bring spontaneity and excitement.'I'm not really shy to speak to people I don't really care too much about what people think.'Name: Amber BeckfordAge: 24Location: London Occupation: NannyWho is their type on paper? 'I don't like guys that show off.'I don't like flashy guys - just have a personality and make me laugh.'There was this one guy and he was trying to purposefully show off his car keys and we were literally in the middle of a restaurant!' Name: Luca BishAge: 23Location: Brighton Occupation: FishmongerWho is their type on paper? 'I prefer to meet girls out and about. I think when you go looking for it, it's not as easy though, it's like you're too desperate for it.'If I think you're the one or I like you, I'll take you out on a date but other than that, if we talk and I don't like where it's going - then I won't be throwing out dates.'Name: Jacques O'NeillAge: 23Location: CumbriaOccupation: Rugby League PlayerWho is their type on paper? 'I think it needs to be the right person, at the right time. 'I was saying to my mum the other day that I want a girl. And I’m now ready to settle down.'Name: Remi LambertAge: 22Location: ManchesterOccupation: ModelWho is their type on paper? 'Now it’s time to find something more serious. I usually meet girls out and about on a night out. 'If I see a girl I like, I’ll just go over without hesitation and sometimes I meet girls through Instagram.' Advertisement	Celebrity
Men, I think it's time we had a talk. Even if you prefer to keep things a little shaggy, you still need to invest in some proper grooming and trimming tools. It'll help you look better, feel better and, right now at Amazon, you can grab all the tools you need at a discount. Today only, you can save 20% on a variety of different Manscaped razors that will keep you feeling fresh from your head to your toes. These deals are only available until 11:55 p.m. PT (2:55 a.m. ET) tonight, so be sure to get your order in before then. There are three different razors on sale right now, so you can get the right tool for the right job. If you don't already have an electric razor for general body grooming, you absolutely should -- and right now you can save $20 on the Manscaped Nuts and Bolts 4.0 grooming kit. It includes the Lawnmower 4.0, an electric razor designed specifically for below-the-waist trimming with soft ceramic blades, as well as the Crop Preserver deodorant and moisturizer to prevent chafing and a unique shaving mat to help clean up the trimmings. The whole kit is on sale right now for $80. And for even more precise trimming, you can pick up the Weed Whacker ear and nose hair trimmer on sale for $28, $7 off the usual price. It's equipped with a powerful 9,000 RPM motor and boasts an IPX7 rating so it's totally waterproof. And for a smooth, comfortable face shave, you could grab the Plow 2.0 on sale for $28 as well. It's a double-edged single blade safety razor with gunmetal finish and an old-school feel, and comes with three replacement blades. The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.	Men's Health
Kevin Spacey "strenuously denies" allegations that he sexually assaulted three men, a court has heard.The actor, 62, arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Thursday morning to face four counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. He was accompanied by members of his legal team and two police officers.The actor was mobbed by hordes of photographers as he got out of a silver Mercedes outside Westminster Magistrates' Court.He made no comment as he was rushed past a queue of other court attendees and through the entrance before passing security. The alleged offences took place in London and Gloucestershire between 2005 and 2013. The accusations relate to three men, now in their 30s and 40s. More on Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey says he will 'voluntarily' appear in the UK to defend himself against sex assault charges Kevin Spacey: Oscar-winning actor charged with four counts of sexual assault against three men in the UK Kevin Spacey demands 'absolutely false' sex abuse case is dropped The charges are:• Two counts of sexual assault on a man, now in his 40s, in March 2005 in London• Sexual assault on a man, now in his 30s, and causing him to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent, in August 2008 in London• Sexual assault on a man, now in his 30s, in April 2013 in GloucestershirePatrick Gibbs QC, defending, told the court: "Mr Spacey strenuously denies any and all criminality in this case."The actor entered no pleas to the charges during the hearing.The case was adjourned and Spacey was granted unconditional bail until his next appearance at Southwark Crown Court on 14 July. Spacey has said he is "confident I will prove my innocence".After prosecutors authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge him last month, he told Good Morning America: "While I am disappointed with their decision to move forward, I will voluntarily appear in the UK as soon as can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am confident will prove my innocence."Spacey is known for starring roles in American Beauty, The Usual Suspects and House Of Cards.	Celebrity
U.S. June 16, 2022 / 9:31 AM / CBS/AP Documentary series explores Cosby's impact Documentary series explores Bill Cosby's career and allegations of misconduct 07:47 A lawyer for Bill Cosby told jurors they need to look past years of public accusations against the actor and comedian and consider only the evidence presented by a woman who says he sexually abused her at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16 years old.During closing arguments at a California civil trial Tuesday that would devolve into bizarre bickering over the video game Donkey Kong, Cosby attorney Jennifer Bonjean said plaintiff Judy Huth and her lawyers didn't come close to proving "her 50-year-old, he-said-she-said case.""Can you imagine how hard it is to defend a case when you start with the label of sexual predator?" Bonjean told the jurors, reminding them they were chosen because they promised they would be able to consider only the facts presented in court. "If we were just going to try people based on labels, then why have trials at all?" Huth's attorney Nathan Goldberg told the jury that "my client deserves to have Mr. Cosby held accountable for what he did." Bill Cosby arrives for his sexual assault trial in Norristown, Pa. on April 20, 2018, left, and Judy Huth appears at a press conference outside the Los Angeles Police Department's Wilshire Division station in Los Angeles on Dec. 5, 2014. AP "Each of you knows in your heart that Mr. Cosby sexually assaulted Miss Huff," Goldberg said. Cosby, who was freed from prison when his Pennsylvania criminal conviction was thrown out nearly a year ago, is not attending the trial. He denied that any sexual activity took place between himself and Huth in a 2015 video deposition shown to jurors. The denial has been repeated throughout the trial by his spokesman and his attorney.Bonjean began the defense's closing argument by thanking jurors and then telling them, "All I have to say is, it's on like Donkey Kong," a callback to what both sides during the trial called " The Donkey Kong defense." Huth testified that Cosby exposed himself and forced her to perform a sex act in a bedroom adjacent to a game room at the mansion, where Cosby had brought Huth and her then-17-year-old friend Donna Samuelson, a key witness at trial.In previous depositions and police interviews, the women discussed Samuelson in 1975 playing Donkey Kong, a game Nintendo didn't release into arcades until 1981. Goldberg told jurors in his closing that Samuelson had said "games like Donkey Kong" in her first reference to it during the deposition. She gave a similar explanation during trial testimony.But Bonjean said it was clear evidence of a pattern of Samuelson and Huth coordinating their stories despite testifying that they had barely talked in the decades since."They both get things wrong in the exact same way," Bonjean said.At the end of her closing argument, Bonjean said, "This was in some ways the Donkey Kong defense, and it's going to end as it should. Game over."Goldberg reacted angrily during his rebuttal."This is about justice!" he shouted, pounding on the podium. "We don't need game over! We need justice!"Soon after, he snapped at Bonjean when she raised one of many objections, saying she doesn't think the rules apply to her. "This is about me now?" She said. "Are you going to put my picture up there?""I would put your picture up and put 'game over' on it," Goldberg said.Similar bickering occurred between the two throughout the trial, and had boiled over earlier Wednesday when Goldberg said a defense expert was "a nice lady, with a nice smile," implying she had little else to offer in the case.In an earlier, calmer, moment, Goldberg told jurors that Cosby had every reason to believe the two girls were under 18 when he met them at a Southern California park and invited them to meet up with him a few days later. Huth testified that they had told him. Samuelson said she did not remember specifically giving their ages, but said they would have told him if it came up.Bonjean said jurors could not reasonably believe Cosby knew as much, and put pictures on the screen of the girls from around the same time."These were young women who did not present as children or even young teenagers," Bonjean said.She added that the women's testimony that no one at the mansion asked their ages after Cosby left them alone there showed as much. "They looked like a lot of the other young women at the Playboy Mansion."After a judge reads them their instructions on Thursday morning, jurors will have to decide on the truth of Huth's allegations, and whether Cosby's actions caused her emotional distress that reemerged in 2014 and lasted until 2018 when he went to prison, as Huth's lawsuit says he did.Huth's case represents one of the last remaining legal claims against the 85-year-old comedian and actor once regarded as "America's dad" after the removal of his Pennsylvania conviction and the settlement of many other lawsuits, negotiated by his insurer against his will.The Associated Press does not normally name people who say they have been sexually abused, unless they come forward publicly, as Huth has. In: Bill Cosby 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
If we are to colonize Mars in the future, it will be no small feat to return astronauts to Earth. Unfortunately, it is not feasible to simply take more rocket fuel with us for the return home. Any viable return option would therefore be reliant on fuel produced locally on Mars. Scientists have developed a concept for local rocket fuel production with the cunning use of algae and E.coli to solve this issue. They published their concept in the peer-reviewed journal: nature communications. Taking rocket fuel with us to MarsCurrent plans for rocket fuel on Mars are based on LOX (liquified oxygen) and methane. Unfortunately, none of these resources are available on the red planet. Hauling the resources with us to Mars would cost billions of dollars. According to the science team, their proposed concept for biofuel production would significantly reduce costs. Handily, most of the resources needed for locally produced biofuel (dubbed 2,3-butanediol or 2,3-BDO for short) are already available on Mars, namely: frozen water, light from the sun, and CO2. However, colonists would still need to take the required microorganisms with them from Earth in addition to some plastic components needed to construct reactors. The microorganisms that astronauts must take with them are bio-engineered E.coli bacteria and so-called cyanobacteria (more commonly known as blue-green algae). First author of the paper, Dr. Nick Kruyer, explains that CO2 is one of the rare resources readily available on the red planet. Because biology is particularly great at transforming CO2 into helpful components, it is an excellent fit for the production of rocket fuel on location. How to produce biofuel on MarsIn short, the algae will use sunlight to transform CO2 into sugars that are then enhanced by bio-engineered E.coli into 2,3-butanediol. Interestingly, 2,3-BDO is not entirely conceptual as it currently exists and is mainly used to produce rubber components. It has just never been thought of as fuel before.Production begins by assembling plastic components sent from Earth into photobioreactors. Algae would then grow in these photobioreactors with the help of photosynthesis, requiring CO2 in the process. In the meantime, enzymes would be used in separate photobioreactors to break down the algae into sugars. These sugars can be fed to E.coli bacteria, which would then produce the rocket fuel. The fuel would need to be isolated from the bacteria with the use of high-tech separation techniques. A nice additional benefit of the production process mentioned above is that it creates large amounts of surplus clean oxygen that could be used elsewhere in the colony. Further researchAccording to Matthew Realff, part of the research team, it is also necessary to conduct experiments to show that cyanobacteria can be grown in the conditions encountered on Mars. For example, there exists a difference in the spectrum of sunlight that reaches the Martian surface due to the remoteness and lack of an atmosphere that needs to be accounted for. The researchers are currently also working on optimizations for the production process to reduce the amount of resources needed for the reactors, effectively reducing the weight of the required payload that needs to be taken to Mars. Let us hope that the hurdles can be passed and future Mars colonists will have their own rocket propellant production facilities! Sources and further reading:Designing the bioproduction of Martian rocket propellant via a biotechnology-enabled in situ resource utilization strategy (Nature Communications)How far away is Mars? (Universal-Sci)	Space Exploration
Images of Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie in character for “Barbie.” (Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros.) (CNN) — More than a year before the expected release of the live-action “Barbie” film, the first official image has been released of Ryan Gosling as Barbie’s tanned, toned and plastic boyfriend, Ken. Based on the photo, Gosling, 41, is transformed into the quintessential Ken: His skin is tinted orange, and he’s showing off an eight-pack of abs and white-blond hair. The waistband of his underpants is inexplicably emblazoned with his own name, and he’s rocking a sleeveless denim vest without a shirt in front of a Pepto-Bismol pink backdrop. Another photo showed Margot Robbie, 31, posing in character as Barbie in her pink convertible. The movie will be directed by Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird,” “Little Women”) and was written by her and partner Noah Baumbach. The sizable cast adds to the mystery of what the film could possibly be about — it includes comedians like Issa Rae and Will Ferrell as well as rising stars Hari Nef and Ncuti Gatwa. It’s rumored that some of the many cast members will be playing alternate versions of Barbie and Ken. The scheduled release date is July 21, 2023. The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. (CNN and Warner Bros. Pictures share parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.)	Movies
This story first appeared in the Boston Herald. BOSTON — Ricky Falcucci is a bar manager at Game On — the popular sports bar located outside Fenway Park — but the Eastie native is also responsible for another duty not explicitly written in his job description. Falcucci is in control of the sandwich chalkboard that sits on the sidewalk that pedestrians walk by on Brookline Avenue. Falcucci is the one who’s in charge of coming up with funny messages — usually sports-themed. “Everyone knows I have the wit around here,” Falcucci said. “He has a very, very creative mind,” said Rufus Arraheffege, a promotions manager at Game On. “The stuff he comes up with is quite hilarious.” Some of the messages have created attention, like when he wrote “Gerrit Cole hates kids” on the board last October when the Red Sox played the Yankees in the Wild Card game. But nothing like this. As the Celtics play the Warriors in the NBA Finals, another battle is taking place: Game On vs. Steph Curry. Last week, as the championship series continued, Ayesha Curry — the wife of the Golden State star — became the subject of Falcucci’s latest ribbing. Ayesha is a television cooking personality, a host of a show and the author of a cookbook. The newest chalkboard message was born. Game On, the Boston bar outside Fenway Park, responded to Steph Curry’s “Ayesha Curry CAN cook” shirt he wore last night with this sign today, which includes two packets of Ramen. The feud continues. pic.twitter.com/FhwENLssdh — Steve Hewitt (@steve_hewitt) June 14, 2022 “Ayesha Curry can’t cook,” the board said. “We know his wife has a cooking book, a cooking show, so we just chose that,” Falcucci said. “We had a bunch of different ideas. That’s one that ended up sticking.” It went viral on Twitter, and got more attention than any of Falcucci’s messages have ever had. But he and his co-workers at the bar certainly weren’t prepared for what came next: On Monday night, after the Warriors took a 3-2 series lead, Steph Curry came to his press conference wearing a white T-shirt with a message in black letters defending his wife. “Ayesha Curry CAN cook,” the shirt said. Curry was asked about the shirt, but answered it vaguely. “You have to ask around the room or ask Twitter,” Curry said. It was a clear response to Falcucci’s chalkboard. Back in Boston, he woke up Tuesday morning and couldn’t believe that the Warriors star had acknowledged it. “I had about every person that I’ve ever known send it to me,” Falcucci said. “Crazy. Steph Curry is seeing my chalkboard? A little crazy.” Arraheffege had a similar reaction. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, he responded,’ ” he said. Falcucci wasn’t working on Tuesday, but he wanted to make sure that the bar had seen Curry’s response. He asked a co-worker to update the board to say, “Ayesha Curry STILL can’t cook.” As a touch, two packages of Top Ramen Curry Noodles were attached to the board. Over the last 48 hours, the bar has gotten even more attention. “It’s been a little crazy,” Falcucci said. “I just had my phone blowing up obviously all day long. It’s been fun. It’s been cool.” The bar wasn’t done, either. On Tuesday, after learning of Curry’s shirt, Arraheffege made an order for their own shirts. The green shirts say “Ayesha Curry can’t cook” in white lettering and are being sold at the bar for $20 apiece. Falcucci had a new message written on the chalkboard Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s Game 6 at TD Garden: “Steph saying his wife can cook is like your mother telling you you’re handsome.” Arraheffege made clear that the chalkboard message is not intended to be personal, just some playful trash talk. “It’s awesome,” Arraheffege said. “I actually like that he responded and I actually appreciate it. It’s good pub. It’s all fun and games. I hope he sees it that way. I hope they see it that way. We don’t want it to get personal, especially as a restaurant. … It’s about sports.” It appears Curry isn’t taking it personally. The Warriors star and NBA 3-point king is actually a lifelong Red Sox fan — his brother Seth was a Yankees fan, and he wanted to go against him — and he had his bachelor party at Fenway Park in 2011. He understands the territory. “I’m the petty king so I know all about everything,” Curry said Wednesday. “I use it as entertainment and just have fun with it. The more you’re on the stage, the more you realize the attention that is on you, how much it means to each fan base, how much it means to the cities. So you can’t really be surprised by anything. There’s a lot at stake when it comes to winning championships. … Steph Curry: “I’m the petty king. So I know all about everything and I use it as entertainment and have fun with it.” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/cEDqxBi5r9 — 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) June 15, 2022 “I think the more you get into these environments, the more you use it as entertainment, fun, embrace it. Honestly, you wouldn’t want to have it any other way, knowing that you’re on this stage and you’re playing for something that really matters to a lot of people.” Now, Game On — and the rest of Boston — just hope Curry doesn’t cook up another legendary performance to end the Celtics’ season. BOSTON, MA – June 15: A sign in front of Game On! mentions that Golden State Warriors Steph Curry’s wife, Ayesha can’t cook on June 15, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald) BOSTON, MA – June 15: Rufos of Game On! wears a T-shirt that says Golden State Warriors Steph Curry’s wife, Ayesha can’t cook on June 15, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald) BOSTON, MA – June 15: A sign in front of Game On! mentions that Golden State Warriors Steph Curry’s wife, Ayesha can’t cook on June 15, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)	Basketball
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 were not disclosed on Wednesday, when they jointly filed in a Los Angeles federal court for the case’s dismissal.Netflix did not 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 standup’s Queens of Comedy and starred in the UPN series The Parkers. She won an Oscar for best supporting actress for the 2009 film Precious.	Celebrity
Tom Hanks has sparked skepticism and debate over his comments about why he couldn’t play his Oscar-winning role in “Philadelphia,” a gay man dying of AIDS, if the film were made to today. In an interview with the New York Times magazine to promote the new Elvis Presley biopic, Hanks called both “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump,” for which he won back-to-back Academy Awards in 1993 and 1994, “timely movies, at the time, that you might not be able to make now.” “Let’s address ‘Could a straight man do what I did in ‘Philadelphia’ now?’” said Hanks. “No, and rightly so. The whole point of ‘Philadelphia’ was don’t be afraid. One of the reasons people weren’t afraid of that movie is that I was playing a gay man. We’re beyond that now, and I don’t think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy.” Hanks continued: “It’s not a crime, it’s not boohoo, that someone would say we are going to demand more of a movie in the modern realm of authenticity. Do I sound like I’m preaching? I don’t mean to.” While people praised Hanks for expressing concerns about authenticity and representation in film and TV roles, his statement was picked apart for several reasons. People correctly pointed out that straight actors have played gay people in recent major films. Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Power of the Dog.’ Benedict Cumberbatch was in the running for a best actor Oscar earlier this year, playing a repressed gay ranch owner in “The Power of the Dog.” Bradley Cooper is currently shooting a biopic of Leonard Bernstein, which has already attracted Oscar buzz, and Ewan McGregor recently won an Emmy for playing Halston, the Guardian added. In addition, one of the most popular gay love stories in recent years was “Call Me By Your Name,” which starred Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer. Chalamet also received an Academy Award nomination for playing a 17-year-old boy experiencing first love, while Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan also received acclaim for their roles in the period period romance “Ammonite.” Timothée Chalamet, left, and Armie Hammer in “Call Me By Your Name.” (SonyPictures Classics) Sony Pictures Classics Others commenting online said that limiting actors to roles that align with their sexual orientation, for the sake of authenticity or representation, would mean that gay actors couldn’t play straight characters. “I respect Tom Hanks & want representation in film, but I also enjoy watching actors play characters outside of their own reality,” one person wrote in response to a Variety tweet about Hanks’ comments. “Neil Patrick Harris is excellent at playing a hetero bro. I wish the correction was to have more gay actors play straight characters.” Another person added: “Why?? Should we tell: Kristen Stewart, Sarah Paulson, Zach Quinto, Matt Bomer, NPH (Neil Patrick Harris), Jodie Foster that they can’t play a role of a straight character?? It’s narrow-minded, and is socially not creatively motivated.” Yet, another person said, “It’s called ‘acting’ for a reason. God, I hate this (expletive). Destroys everything.” Still, another person who has weighed in on this issue is British screenwriter and producer Russell T. Davies, who created the show “Queer as Folk” and the 2021 HBO series, “It’s a Sin,” which followed a group of gay male friends in London grappling with the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s. For “It’s a Sin,” Davies said in a 2021 interview that he only cast gay actors in the role of gay male characters, explaining that “authenticity is leading us to joyous places.” “I’m not being woke about this, but I feel strongly that if I cast someone in a story, I am casting them to act as a lover, or an enemy, or someone on drugs or a criminal or a saint… they are not there to ‘act gay’ because ‘acting gay’ is a bunch of codes for a performance,” Davies said, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “It’s about authenticity, the taste of 2020.” “You wouldn’t cast someone able-bodied and put them in a wheelchair, you wouldn’t black someone up,” Davies added. “Authenticity is leading us to joyous places.” Jared Leto as Rayon in a scene from “Dallas Buyers Club.” Amid the ongoing discussions over who should play LGBTQ characters in films and TV, it appears that consensus has grown in recent years that cisgender actors should not play transgender characters. Everyone but diehard Jared Leto fans decry the fact that he was cast as a trans woman in the 2013 film, “Dallas Buyers Club,” and that he won a best supporting actor Oscar. Last year, Eddie Redmayne also expressed regret about accepting the role of a trans woman in Tom Hooper’s 2015 film “A Danish Girl,” describing his participation as “a mistake.” “No, I wouldn’t take it on now,” Redmayne told the Sunday Times. “I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake. … The bigger discussion about the frustrations around casting is because many people don’t have a chair at the table. There must be a leveling, otherwise we are going to carry on having these debates.”	Movies
It will be Beyoncé Knowles’ first drop of new music since 2016’s “Lemonade,” which was itself a surprise release and her sixth solo album. Beyoncé performs onstage during 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. on Apr. 14, 2018.Larry Busacca / Getty Images for Coachella fileJune 16, 2022, 2:29 PM UTCThe long wait for a new Beyoncé project will soon come to an end, with the singer officially posting a July 29 date (with pre-save and pre-buy options) for a project titled “Renaissance.”It will be Beyoncé Knowles’ first drop of new music since 2016’s “Lemonade,” which was itself a surprise release and her sixth solo album. “Renaissance” will mark her seventh, though the secondary title, “act i,” suggests it’s part of a larger, or multi-part, project.The “will she or won’t she” guessing had started less than two weeks prior when Knowles wiped clean her social media channels, signaling that an announcement of some kind was coming. Then on June 15, the singer’s BeyGOOd Foundation tweeted a message in honor of Black Music Month, posting an image of iconic albums and captioning the collage: “Celebrating the brilliance and creativity of Black Musicians who have influenced the world through their art.”It appeared one of the albums pictured, on the bottom right, referenced Brandy’s “B7” album, released in 2020, but it took no time for members of the Beyhive to connect the dots and conclude that Bey’s seventh was coming.Since 2011’s “4,” she has been releasing music through her own Parkwood label, in partnership with Columbia Records, the singer’s longtime home since the Destiny’s Child years. And being one of the biggest multi-hyphenate superstars on earth — with 28 Grammy Awards and 79 nominations to her name — she’s not exactly bound to a music company’s timeline.According to data from Luminate, Beyoncé's album sales as a solo artist in the U.S. top 18 million; she’s sold more than 60 million digital tracks and boasts an airplay audience of more than 60 billion. “Lemonade” sold the equivalent of 3.6 million track- and song-equivalent albums in the U.S., per Luminate.	Music
Image source, Joe Giddens/PAImage caption, Sir Elton John belted out 23 of his hits during the farewell gig at the home of Norwich City Football ClubSir Elton John kicked off the UK leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour to an enthusiastic crowd in a packed football stadium.He treated fans at Carrow Road in Norwich to 23 of his hits, starting the show with Benny and the Jets.Sir Elton, 75, announced the Farewell Yellow Brick Road world tour would be his last, back in 2018, but it was halted during the pandemic.The singer has said he wants to spend more time with his two children."Believe or not, this tour has been going for a long time and this is the first English date we've done, due to you know what," he told the crowd."So it's lovely to be here in Norwich and playing to you guys."Image source, Joe Giddens/PAImage caption, He changed outfits three times - to the delight of his fansThe star took to the stage in Norwich wearing a black tuxedo with pearl trimming, a white ruffle shirt and yellow sparkly glasses for the first of his three extravagant outfits of the night.He treated fans - many of whom had dressed in outfits in homage to their hero - to hits including Tiny Dancer, Rocket Man, Your Song and his recent number one single, Cold Heart.Image source, Joe Giddens/PAImage caption, Sir Elton told fans the concert would be his last in the cityAfter the interval Sir Elton returned, wearing his second outfit of the evening - a pink blazer with bejewelled teal lapels paired with baby blue diamante sunglasses.His piano glided across the stage while he was sat behind it.His 1983 hit I'm Still Standing was performed with a montage of his career highlights including clips from his performance at Live Aid, a cameo in the Simpsons TV show, winning his first Oscar and performing at the Queen's Jubilee concert.Image source, Joe Giddens/PAImage caption, Crowds were photographed making their way to the Carrow Road venue in NorwichImage source, Joe Giddens/PAImage caption, A number of fans dressed in homage to the singer's memorable looks from throughout his careerFor his encore, Sir Elton appeared in his third outfit - a long black dinner jacket with pink patterned lapel, completed with a pair of pink and black heart-shaped glasses.He closed the show with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, saying: "Tonight is the 229th show on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, we have about 103 shows to do."It's been quite a journey and it all ends next July."But I want to thank you because I won't be playing here again. I want to thank you for all the memories, all the love you've sent me, all the loyalty, the kindness, the letters, the dressing up, the costumes, the multiple shows you've been to."He added: "It means the world to me and I will never forget you guys. "I will take you with me in my heart, in my soul and I can tell my boys all about you when I get old and decrepit. I love you."Image source, Joe Giddens/PAImage caption, Sir Elton played to a packed Carrow Road stadium in NorwichFollowing his Norwich show, he will play eight concerts in the UK, with two special homecoming shows at Vicarage Road - the Watford FC stadium - with the tour running until summer 2023.Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]	Music
NEW YORK (AP) — Beyoncé has revealed the title and release date for her next studio album, with the 16-track “Renaissance” set to drop July 29.The superstar began listing the music and products on her website Thursday and several streaming services, including Tidal and Spotify, also announced the Beyoncé release.Beyoncé tipped off fans that something important was coming when she removed her profile photos across all her social media platforms last week.“Renaissance” would be the follow-up to 2016’s “Lemonade,” but the artist has been hard at work of late, featured on rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s remix of “Savage” and opening the 2022 Academy Awards with a performance of her song “Be Alive,” from the film "King Richard."In 2019, she curated and produced the soundtrack album “The Lion King: The Gift,” for the remake of “The Lion King.” The song “Black Parade” from the soundtrack won a Grammy in 2021 for best R&B performance, Beyoncé's 28th Grammy.	Music
US cities and states have lined up with tax breaks and millions of dollars in both public and private investments for a chance at hosting 2026 Fifa World Cup games, set to be announced Thursday.The prize is a share of what Fifa expects to be more than $5bn in short-term economic activity generated from the tournament throughout North America.In hopes of scoring a deal, state lawmakers and city leaders are cutting sales taxes on tickets and pumping millions of dollars into stadium renovations.Missouri is among a handful of states that preemptively passed a bill to exempt Fifa tickets from sales taxes. Kansas City-area Democratic state Sen. John Rizzo said he expects revenue generated from Kansas City hosting the event to “more than offset” any losses on sales taxes for tickets.“There are a lot of excited soccer fans that are hoping that we can get this done,” Rizzo said. “I’m hopeful, too.”Seventeen stadiums in 16 areas remain in contention to be among 10 to 12 selected from the US for the tournament, which will be co-hosted with Mexico and Canada. The US will host 60 of the 80 games under Fifa’s plan, including all from the quarter-finals on, and there was little doubt over the venues for 10 games each in the other nations.Fifa’s calls for tax breaks and other funding assistance led cities including Minneapolis, Chicago and Glendale, Arizona, to drop out of the running in 2018.Lawmakers and city officials elsewhere appear more willing to make concessions.The Republican governors of Georgia and Florida in May signed legislation eliminating sales taxes on tickets for World Cup soccer matches.Missouri lawmakers sent similar legislation to Republican governor Mike Parson last month. He has not indicated whether he’ll sign it.“I know there’s probably some people out there that are like, why are we doing that?” Rizzo said. “The reason for that is in the past, there have been other places that have hiked the sales tax on the tickets just before they went on sale.”Tickets to sporting events aren’t subject to sales tax in Ohio, although Cincinnati, which is vying to be named a host city, is among municipalities that subjects them to a local admissions tax.Alan Rothenberg, head of World Cup USA 1994, anticipates many of the US states and cities will refuse to comply with Fifa’s demands for ticket tax breaks.“I think that’s a fair assumption in most of the jurisdictions,” he said. “Some of them, they may just build it into the stadium price and other things, but getting an actual waiver may be difficult. Ultimately, it just means another cost that the host committee, host city, is going to be responsible for.”Other states and cities have either cobbled together private funding or are pulling from designated public funding set aside specifically to attract large events.Georgia also appropriated $250,000 in the budget beginning 1 July for security if Atlanta wins a bid. Money from hotel taxes collected by the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau also could be used to support the bid.In April, Maryland governor Larry Hogan signed a bill to increase bond authorization for M&T Bank Stadium, home to the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens and a proposed World Cup site. The bill allows borrowing of up to $600m, up from a current cap of $235m.In Cincinnati, Ohio, officials have pledged $10m for soccer-specific upgrades to Paul Brown Stadium, and another $40m to $50m in improvements to the 22-year-old facility have been folded into Hamilton County’s negotiations of a new contract with the NFL’s Bengals.Private business leaders in the region also have said they are working to raise an additional $35m to $50m to enhance the experience for spectators.Ohio created a special fund for luring this type of sporting event in 2019, and the most recent state budget calls for two infusions of up to $5m into it over the next two years.Texas also has a tax-funded program designed to help cities host major sports events, and Fifa and World Cup matches already qualify to apply for millions.The Major Events Reimbursement Program allows hosting cities and local organizers to apply for money to cover costs related to the event, including any rights fees they have to pay. For the World Cup, organizers in Dallas and Houston could apply to the program to draw millions in tax money that would help cover any rights fees demanded by Fifa.Other states are leaning on private funding.In an April letter to Fifa officials, Pennsylvania Democratic governor Tom Wolf said Philadelphia Soccer 2026 has so far raised $50m in private funding to cover the city’s hosting responsibilities, an amount he said the state would supplement.The Denver Sports Commission’s executive director, Matthew Payne, said the city estimates it would cost $40m to $45m in private funds to host Cup games and that “we are about at the halfway point in that budget”.Payne insisted no taxpayer dollars were involved in the bid – though taxpayer-funded city projects, such as renovations to Denver International Airport and ongoing road and light rail construction, did feature as selling points.The cost estimate includes creating fan venues outside the stadium, hiring or paying for extra security and training fields for visiting teams, Payne said.Private fundraising is heavy on corporate involvement; he declined to reveal prospective donors ahead of Thursday’s announcement.“We feel really, really strongly that we’ll generate the dollars needed privately to provide for all elements of staging World Cup games,” Payne said. “It is doable.”Colorado’s Legislature has appropriated no funds or acted on any legislation regarding the 2026 Cup.The remaining US areas and stadiums:Arlington, Texas, AT&T Stadium; Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Baltimore, M&T Bank Stadium; Cincinnati, Paul Brown Stadium; Denver, Empower Field at Mile High; East Rutherford, New Jersey, MetLife Stadium; Foxborough, Massachusetts, Gillette Stadium; Houston, NRG Stadium; Inglewood, California, SoFi Stadium; Kansas City, Missouri, Arrowhead Stadium; Miami Gardens, Florida, Hard Rock Stadium; Nashville, Tennessee, Nissan Stadium; Orlando, Florida, Camping World Stadium; Pasadena, California, Rose Bowl; Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field; Santa Clara, California, Levi’s Stadium; Seattle, Lumen Field.	Soccer
The first trailer has launched for Blonde, Netflix’s controversial biopic of Marilyn Monroe.Directed by Andrew Dominik, best known for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, the film stars Ana de Armas as the tragic star and is based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer prize.“There’s something in it to offend everyone,” Dominik has said about the movie which has achieved a rare NC-17 rating, afforded to films with highly graphic content, with previous examples including Showgirls and A Serbian Film. “If the audience doesn’t like it, that’s the fucking audience’s problem. It’s not running for public office.”New Zealand-born Dominik, whose films also include Chopper and the recent Nick Cave documentary This Much I Know to Be True, has expressed surprise over the rating. “It’s not like depictions of happy sexuality,” he said in May. “It’s depictions of situations that are ambiguous. And Americans are really strange when it comes to sexual behavior, don’t you think? I don’t know why. They make more porn than anyone else in the world.”Dominik has called it the story of “how a childhood trauma shapes an adult who’s split between a public and a private self”.When sharing her thoughts on a rough cut of the film, which is said to include a rape scene, Oates tweeted that it was “startling, brilliant, very disturbing and perhaps most surprisingly an utterly ‘feminist’ interpretation”.Dominik has stressed that like Oates’s novel, the film is a work of fiction but “questions why she killed herself, so naturally it’s going to be disturbing” while also comparing it to Citizen Kane and Raging Bull.The role was originally set to be played by Naomi Watts when the project started development in 2010 before Jessica Chastain took over and then de Armas was finally cast. De Armas, whose other films include Knives Out and No Time to Die, has called it “the most intense work” she has ever done. The Cuban actor has spoken about the difficulty of perfecting the accent with over nine months of dialect coaching. “I’m not going to let anybody or anything tell me I cannot dream of playing Marilyn Monroe,” she said.The film also stars Adrien Brody as Arthur Miller, Bobby Cannavale as Joe DiMaggio and Julianne Nicholson as Gladys Pearl Baker.Blonde is rumoured to be part of this August’s Venice film festival lineup, a tried-and-tested launchpad for many great Oscar hopes. It will be released on Netflix on 23 September.	Movies
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (WABC) -- Nearly two dozen cities are vying to host World Cup games when the world's marquee sporting event takes over North America in the summer of 2026, and MetLife Stadium is considered to be one of the favorites.The big announcement is coming Thursday afternoon, and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and New York City Mayor Eric Adams were out ahead of the event promoting our area as the obvious choice to host the World Cup final."We're a team," Adams said on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "Those who are soccer fans, the governor is the striker. I'm the goalie. We are going to win the game for us. This is a perfect combination. And when you look at all of the locations that FIFA is looking at, we really represent the global approach to this. We are the most diversified region on the entire globe. Many of the fan base in other cities are located here, they're expatriates. So this is a perfect combination for us."MetLife Stadium opened in 2010 as a replacement for Giants Stadium, and both the New York Jets and New York Giants play home games at the venue, which has a seating capacity of about 87,000. Met Life Stadium also hosted the 2014 Super Bowl."It's very much New York City and New Jersey," Murphy said. "We believe we've got the most passion for the game, the biggest stars, the biggest economies. The combination of New York City and New Jersey is an unbeatable combo. We think we've got it all. A great stadium in MetLife. All that goes with the glamor and the pizzazz of New York City alongside the character and grit of New Jersey. We think, the mayor and I, that we're an unbeatable duo."The previous stadium hosted several matches at the 1994 World Cup and the 1999 Women's World Cup.It is the first time the tournament will be hosted by three nations, with the U.S. set to host 60 matches, including the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and the final. Canada and Mexico will each host 10 matches.The tournament will be the first to include 48 teams, expanded from 32.There are 23 venues bidding to host soccer matches at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, including 17 in 16 U.S. cities.A World Cup final would eclipse even the Super Bowl in world attention and prestige, and flood the region with soccer fans from around the globeWhile it would be an economic boon for the area, there would also be added strain on local police, roadways and mass transit.Here's a look at the 23 venues bidding to host soccer matches at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada:ARLINGTON, TEXASAT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, is the largest venue in the NFL. The stadium, which opened in 2009, has a retractable roof and an artificial surface. Its capacity is about 93,000, but the stadium set an attendance record of more than 105,000 for an NFL game the year it opened. It also hosted the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. The nearby city of Dallas hosted games at the 1994 World Cup at the Cotton Bowl.ATLANTAMercedes-Benz Stadium is one of three NFL-MLS venues. The Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United both play home matches at the stadium, which opened in 2017 and seats about 75,000. The stadium has a retractable roof and an artificial surface. It was set to host college basketball's Final Four in 2020, which was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.BALTIMOREM&T Bank Stadium is another NFL stadium, hosting games for the Baltimore Ravens. The stadium opened in 1998, seats about 71,000 and has a grass surface. Baltimore is about 40 miles from Washington, which hosted matches at the 1994 World Cup at RFK Stadium.CINCINNATIOne of only three NFL stadiums not named after a sponsor, Paul Brown Stadium is the home of the Cincinnati Bengals. The stadium is named after Bengals founder Paul Brown, who had previously founded the Cleveland Browns. Brown died in 1991. The stadium opened in 2000 and has a seating capacity of about 67,000 with an artificial surface.DENVERFrom football to soccer to rugby league, Empower Field at Mile High has hosted it all. The venue, which replaced the old Mile high Stadium, opened in 2001 and has a capacity of about 77,000 with a grass surface. It is the home stadium of the Denver Broncos but also has hosted Gold Cup and Nations League matches in the CONCACAF region. In 2018, England beat New Zealand 36-18 in a rugby league match.EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEYJust across the Hudson River from New York, MetLife Stadium opened in 2010 as a replacement for Giants Stadium. Both the New York Jets and New York Giants play NFL games at the venue, which has a seating capacity of about 87,000 and has an artificial surface. The previous stadium hosted several matches at the 1994 World Cup and the 1999 Women's World Cup.EDMONTON, ALBERTACommonwealth Stadium opened in 1978, only a few weeks before Edmonton hosted the Commonwealth Games. The stadium has a seating capacity of about 56,000. It is the home stadium of the CFL's Edmonton Elks. It has an artificial surface. The stadium hosted matches at the 2015 Women's World Cup and also served as the venue for the 2001 track and field world championships.FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTSThe Boston suburb of Foxborough hosted games at the 1994 World Cup, but Gillette Stadium is a different venue, built near the old Foxboro Stadium. The new venue opened in 2002 and has a seating capacity of about 70,000. The stadium, which has an artificial surface, hosts home games in football for the New England Patriots and in soccer for the New England Revolution. The town is about 30 miles south of Boston and 21 miles north of Providence, Rhode Island.GUADALAJARA, MEXICOUsed mostly for soccer, the Estadio Akron opened in 2010 and hosted the Copa Libertadores finals that year and the opening ceremony of the Pan American Games in 2011. Mexican soccer club Chivas plays its home matches at the venue, which has a capacity of about 48,000 and a grass surface. The city hosted matches at both the 1970 and 1986 World Cups, but at a different stadium.HOUSTONNRG Stadium hosts football, soccer and even some rodeo. The stadium, which opened in 2002, is the home of the Houston Texans and has staged World Cup qualifying matches for the United States. But it also serves as a home venue for some Mexican national team friendlies. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo also is held annually at the stadium, which has a seating capacity of about 72,000 and an artificial surface. Its retractable roof and air conditioning will be important given the area's summer heat and humidity.INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIAThe city of Los Angeles has two candidates for the World Cup and one of them is the newest on the list, SoFi Stadium. Built on the site of the Hollywood Park RaceTrack and opened in 2020, the stadium hosts both the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers of the NFL. It has a seating capacity of about 70,000, an artificial surface and a fixed roof.KANSAS CITY, MISSOURIArrowhead Stadium is the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. The stadium opened in 1972 and has been renovated several times, last in 2010. The seating capacity is about 76,000, making it the sixth-largest NFL stadium. The stadium is famous for its noise records, with opposing teams sometimes struggling to communicate because of the racket. It has a grass surface.MEXICO CITYEstadio Azteca became the first stadium to host two World Cup finals when Argentina beat West Germany 3-2 in the 1986 title match. It previously hosted the final for the 1970 tournament, when Brazil defeated Italy 4-1 - with Pelé scoring the first goal. Perhaps even more famous was the 1986 quarterfinal match at the stadium between Argentina and England, when Diego Maradona scored a goal by punching the ball into the net. The stadium opened in 1966 and has a capacity of about 87,000 with a grass surface. The venue's record attendance for soccer, however, is said to be 119,853.MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDALocated in suburban Miami, Hard Rock Stadium hosts both NFL and college football games. The Miami Dolphins and the University of Miami both play at the venue, which has a seating capacity of about 67,000, a grass surface and a roof that covers spectators but is open over the field. The stadium opened in 1987 and also hosts tennis tournaments.MONTERREY, MEXICOOne of the newer stadiums in contention, Estadio BBVA opened in 2015 and has a grass surface. Mexican club Monterrey plays it home matches at the stadium. Seating capacity is about 53,000. Three matches at the 1986 World Cup were held in Monterrey, but at Estadio Tecnológico.NASHVILLE, TENNESSEENissan Stadium has some experience with soccer. The stadium hosted group matches during the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup and has also been the venue for World Cup qualifiers. The stadium opened in 1999 and has a capacity of about 70,000. It has a grass surface and also serves as the home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans, who have started planning for a new stadium.ORLANDO, FLORIDAThe proposed venue in Orlando has World Cup experience. Then known as the Citrus Bowl, the 65,000-seat stadium hosted matches at the 1994 World Cup. Olympic soccer matches were also played at the stadium two years later, when nearby Atlanta hosted the 1996 Games. The stadium opened in 1936 and has been expanded several times. It has an artificial surface.PASADENA, CALIFORNIAThe second candidate in Los Angeles is among the most famous stadiums in the world. The Rose Bowl hosted the 1994 World Cup final when Brazil beat Italy on penalties. Perhaps even more famous was the final of the 1999 Women's World Cup, when Brandi Chastain scored the winning penalty kick for the United States against China and then took off her shirt in celebration. The stadium, which has a capacity of about 88,000 and a grass surface, has hosted many other events since opening in 1922, including cycling at the 1932 Olympics.PHILADELPHIALincoln Financial Field opened in 2003, and its first event was a soccer match between Manchester United and Barcelona. The stadium serves as the home venue for the Philadelphia Eagles and Temple University. The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup final was played at the stadium, with Mexico beating Jamaica 3-1. The stadium seats nearly 70,000 spectators and has an artificial surface.SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIALocated about 40 miles south of San Francisco, Levi's Stadium opened in 2014 and has hosted several major football games since, including the Super Bowl in 2016. It serves as the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers. The stadium has a capacity of about 71,000 and a grass surface.SEATTLELumen Field is the home stadium of two professional soccer teams and the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. The stadium, which opened in 2002 and has a capacity of about 69,000, hosts the Seattle Sounders of MLS and the OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League. The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network records shaking in the stadium caused by the crowd. The stadium has an artificial surface.TORONTOBMO Field is the home of the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL and Toronto FC of MLS. Originally constructed as a soccer venue, it has hosted several international events since opening in 2007, including under-20 World Cup games for both men and women and rugby matches. In 2010, it became the first venue outside the United States to host the MLS Cup. The stadium also hosted matches for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. It has a capacity of about 28,000 and a hybrid surface, and the bid envisions an expansion to about 45,000.VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIAOpened in 1983, BC Place has served as the home of the BC Lions of the CFL since its inauguration. The stadium also hosts home games for the Vancouver Whitecaps of the MLS. The stadium has a capacity of about 54,000 and was last renovated in 2011. It has an artificial surface.(The Associated Press contributed to this report)----------* Get Eyewitness News Delivered * Follow us on YouTube * More local news* Send us a news tip* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alertsSubmit 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.	Soccer
It's been six years since Queen Bey broke the Internet with her "Lemonade" album, and she's shutting it down again after a huge announcement she dropped Thursday morning.Beyoncé is back, ladies and gentlemen.Streaming service Tidal simply tweeted, "Beyoncé, RENAISSANCE, July 29," announcing the Houston native's first full length solo album in six years.The star's Instagram reads, "act i," giving the impression the upcoming record could be the first of a compilation.The Beyhive began buzzing when she removed her profile picture from her social media accounts. Her mother also shared a video of the singer with the caption, "I miss your singing."Beyoncé's last single was the surprise release of "Everything is love" with husband and rapper Jay-Z, who was spotted at Monday night's NBA Finals game with their daughter Blue Ivy.The 28-time Grammy winner spent quarantine working on new music, telling Harper's Bazaar, "There's nothing like the amount of love, passion and healing I feel in the recording studio. After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was 9 years old. Yes, the music is coming."She also foreshadowed the future album telling the publication that after a tough year of all that's going happened in the world, "I feel a Renaissance emerging." Copyright © 2022 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.	Music
ALASKA -- Grab the tissues! Love was certainly in the air for this couple.Veronica Rojas, a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines, surprised her girlfriend with an unforgettable wedding proposal on a flight to Los Angeles.Rojas met her girlfriend, Alejandra Moncayo, on a flight in 2020.On Wednesday, she told Moncayo - a newly-hired Alaska Airlines pilot - she was taking her on a quick trip from San Francisco to L.A.During the flight, Rojas got down on one knee and in true flight attendant-fashion, used the PA system to propose to Moncayo.The aircraft was decked out in special décor as a "Pride in the Sky" plane in honor of Pride Month, according to Alaska Airlines.But that's not how the story ends.While Rojas was planning her proposal, Moncayo was also planning to propose that same day!She popped the question when the plane arrived at the gate.It's safe to say the couple is feeling double the love! Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.	Celebrity
The NBA is putting one of its best-known officials in charge of calling NBA Finals Game 6 as the Warriors look to clinch the title in Boston Thursday night. Zach Zarba will be the crew chief, the same role he covered in the Warriors’ Game 2 win at Chase Center a week and a half ago. Alongside him will be David Guthrie and John Goble. Goble worked Game 1, a Celtics win, while Guthrie worked Game 3, also won by Boston. Josh Tiven, who’s already worked two games in these Finals, will be in the replay center. In that Game 2, Zarba’s crew made the pivotal decision not to call a technical foul on Draymond Green during his scuffle with Jaylen Brown near the end of the first half in a two-point game. Green already had one technical in the game and had been toeing the line before getting tangled up with Brown, meaning another technical would have seen him ejected. The Warriors went on to win that game 107-88 and even the series at one game apiece. Golden State is 12-10 overall in postseason games officiated by Zarba. Boston is 11-10 in his games. In Goble’s playoff games, the Warriors are 11-7 while the Celtics are 9-9. The Warriors are an even 7-7 in Guthrie’s playoff games while Boston is 6-5.	Basketball
British Gymnastics enabled a culture where young gymnasts were physically and mentally abused, shamed and humiliated in a system that repeatedly put the pursuit of medals over the care of children, a devastating report has found.The review by Anne Whyte QC also makes for deeply uncomfortable reading for UK Sport, the funding body for British Olympic sports, which has admitted to Whyte that the welfare of athletes was not “front seat” until 2017.Since then there have been many abuse scandals in sports such as cycling, rowing, bobsleigh and swimming. However, Whyte’s long awaited report into British Gymnastics, is far more damning than anything previously published.“One wonders how many sporting scandals it will take before the government of the day appreciates it needs to take more action to protect children who participate in sport,” writes Whyte.Her report, which is based on submissions from more than 400 people, describes a system where gymnasts were overstretched by coaches to the point of tears and injury, deprived of food and water and regularly humiliated in front of their peers.“I heard extreme accounts of gymnasts hiding food, for example in ceiling tiles or under the bed in their rooms,” adds Whyte. “I received accounts of coaches checking hotel rooms ‘army style’ and travel bags for food.”But it only hints at the abuse that Whyte says was initially caused by “long standing cultural problems” caused by the arrival of coaches from the former Soviet Union. Incredibly Whyte found that British Gymnastics kept no records of complaints from 2008 and 2016 while a “culture of fear” meant that many gymnasts were too scared to come forward.Whyte also found that: One gymnast reported that her coach had sat on her when she was seven years old. Another gymnast said they didn’t know how their legs didn’t ‘snap’ when being stretched. A former elite gymnast described being made to stand on a beam for two hours because she was frightened to attempt a particular skill. Others talked about being strapped to the bars for extended periods of time, “sometimes when in great distress”. Whyte also said that “coaches went to damaging lengths to control what gymnasts ate and weighed, to the extent of searching luggage and rooms for food”. What Whyte describes as the “tyranny of the scales” led to gymnasts suffering from eating disorders and associated mental health issues. “In one case, I was told that even when the coach was aware that the gymnast had an eating disorder, they continued to name and shame her in public,” she says. There were also 30 submissions that related to sexual abuse but Whyte noted that this was not systemic and was taken more seriously by the organisation.Before 2008, no British gymnast had ever won an Olympic medal. Since then Team GB has won 16 medals in the last four Games. But Whyte repeatedly stressed in her report, which cost £3m, that it had come at a terrible cost. However she did accept that the sport was undergoing changes under its new chief executive, Sarah Powell.Following the publication of the report, Powell offered a full apology and promised she would change the sport for the better. “I had to speak to gymnasts this morning. And it was hard. Because you could see how it affected them. I looked them in the eye and said sorry. “I am sorry, to them for what they have experienced and their parents and those around them because they will also have been affected by this.”“It is not acceptable. It’s emotional for me, I’m a mum and sport is not supposed to do this. This is a genuine apology, from the sport, from myself, from the leadership. We have to set a new path, a new roadmap. Gymnastics will be different because of the bravery of the young people who spoke up.”Quick GuideHow do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?ShowDownload the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for 'The Guardian'.If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.Turn on sport notifications.Powell accepted that the culture across the sport had to change. But she insisted that there are many clubs across the UK doing things the right way. “This is not everywhere,” she added. “There are great coaches, hundreds of thousands of young people enjoying the sport day in, day out.”However, she was unable to say if anyone had taken the can - or whether the coaches responsible for the worst forms of abuse were still in the British system.Whyte also raised concerns that UK Sport’s mission process had failed to identify any adverse or worrying cultural issues in a sport in the run up to the last three Olympic Games.“The ungenerous interpretation, is that the Mission Process was window dressing for those sports, like gymnastics, where medals were realistically anticipated and that the medals mattered more than amber ratings and more than athlete welfare,” she added.However, UK Sport chief executive Sally Munday denied that a cash for medals culture existed at the organisation.“We reject the notion that there has ever existed cash for medals. Did I ever feel pressure to win medals at any cost, no. And frankly, if I did, I would not have applied for money in the first place.”“There is no question that what we read in this report is upsetting and harrowing,” she added. “And no athlete, no gymnast, or person should have to experience abuse like that. But what Anne Whyte also acknowledges there are thousands of gymnasts who are having positive experiences. But this does not take away the fact that one case of abuse is too many.”Whyte makes 17 recommendations for the sport - and identifies four key areas to “shift the focus of the sport to gymnast welfare and wellbeing”. They are: safeguarding and welfare; complaints handling; standards and education; governance and oversight.	Other Sports
What's happening Hoonigan and Subaru Motorsports USA, with the help of Vermont SportsCar, built an 862-horsepower rally car based on a 1983 Subaru GL wagon. Why it matters Called The Family Huckster, this GL will race at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and will be featured in Hoonigan's Gymkhana video series. What's next The Goodwood Festival of Speed runs from June 23 to 26, at Goodwood House in West Sussex, England. My favorite thing about the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the sheer breadth of cars that go runnin' up that hill. Old cars, new cars, road cars, race cars -- you name it, Goodwood's got it. And then there's the occasional entrant that no one ever expects.This year, that "WTF?" car is a 1983 Subaru GL wagon created by Hoonigan and Subaru Motorsports USA. Making its debut Thursday, this rally-spec blast from the past packs a turbocharged flat-four engine, all-wheel drive, a World Rally Championship-spec suspension and carbon-fiber bodywork. Did I mention it also makes 862 horsepower?Called The Family Huckster, this rad GL was built by Vermont SportsCar, Subaru's US motorsport partner. It has a huge active rear wing, along with aero flaps on the front fender flares that can be controlled automatically or manually. The lightweight KMC wheels are painted gold because that's the correct choice, and their monoblock design is extremely good. Stem to stern, this GL is hella cool.I love the '80s-tastic digital gauge cluster. Hoonigan Inside, the replica dashboard is made of carbon fiber, dyed blue to match the original GL. There's also a 12-inch digital gauge cluster with an intentionally '80s look, and Subaru even went so far as to install a radio from an actual 1983 GL wagon. It's that attention to detail that really seals the deal.The Huckster will be driven by well-known racer and stunt driver Travis Pastrana, who will also show off the car in the next installment of Hoonigan's Gymkhana video series. Pastrana calls this 862-hp GL his "all-time favorite vehicle to drive," saying it "flies about as well as you would imagine ... kind of like a brick."The 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place from June 23 to 26. The 1983 Subaru GL Family Huckster Is Hoonigan's Latest Creation See all photos	Other Sports
HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES -- Darth Vader has always been one of the big screen's most terrifying villains of all time. But the character gave actor Hayden Christensen the role of a lifetime.He's back in that galaxy far, far away in the new Disney+ series "Obi-Wan Kenobi."As has been a tradition for decades, "mum's the word" when it comes to revealing just about anything related to "Star Wars." Still, Christensen can say he's thrilled to return to the fold as the villain Darth Vader in the Disney+ series, "Obi-Wan Kenobi.""I still got it in me!" said Christensen. "The suit represents its own sort of challenges. But such an honor to get to wear, and I enjoyed every second of it."Christensen also enjoyed taking the stage at last month's "Star Wars Celebration" in Anaheim."The reception that we've gotten from the fans recently has been just really meaningful to me and very, very heartwarming," said Christensen. "You could just feel the passion and the enthusiasm. It was all very palpable. And I got a little choked up at times. It was an emotional experience for me."And an emotional experience is what we can expect as "Obi-Wan Kenobi" wraps up."I'm excited for people to get to see these next two episodes," Christensen said. "I think the payoff is definitely there. But, no, I can't give anything away.""Obi-Wan Kenobi" is streaming now on Disney+.Disney is the parent company of this station. Copyright © 2022 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All Rights Reserved.	Movies
Young gymnasts were starved and made to hang from the rings in punishment as part of an abusive culture in British Gymnastics, according to a damning new report.The Whyte Review, which examined over 400 complaints, uncovered an "unacceptable culture" that has left countless young people humiliated, shamed and permanently psychologically or physically damaged by their time in the sport. The report found that coaches had publicly shamed young girls over their weight - in some instances, gymnasts were forced to hang on the rings in the gym for a prolonged period of time for being late.Another young athlete was forced to balance on the beam for two hours as a punishment.Youngsters were also prevented from going to the toilet and banned from drinking water during long training sessions. One gymnast reported being sworn at regularly from the age of nine. Another said: "The coach would shout and scream in our faces so close that I could smell (their) breath and feel (their) spit landing on my face."Gymnasts were also forced to wear a "dunce's cap" if they could not complete a particular move.The obsession within the sport over an athlete's weight and appearance was also highlighted as a central problem."Weight-taking was, at times, accompanied by an uneducated attitude to diet and a humiliating choice of language," the review said."The tyranny of the scales was coach-led and quite unnecessary."Gymnasts took what can only be described as unhealthy steps, such as purging or dehydrating themselves, to keep their weight down in order to satisfy the demands of their coach."The review was prompted after the Netflix documentary "Athlete A" revealed allegations of sexual abuse within US gymnastics.Read more: 17 former gymnasts take legal action against British Gymnastics over 'physical and psychological abuse'While 30 sexual abuse allegations were made as part of the UK investigation, the vast majority of complaints focused on physical and emotional abuse.A culture of silence and a gymnast's reliance on their coaches meant that complaints were hard to make - if problems were raised the processes to deal with them often failed.The sport's governing body, British Gymnastics, was described as an "insular organisation" that was disconnected from the sport, the gymnasts and people involved in the sport.The review said they "failed to ensure that clubs and coaches, including national coaches, were acting responsibly".Sarah Powell, who took the job of chief executive of British Gymnastics in 2021, has offered a full apology.She said: "The practices of the past are not going to be the practices of the future."I think this is a watershed moment for safeguarding not just in gymnastics but in all sports."This is a genuine apology…we have to set a new path, gymnastics will be different because of the bravery of those who have spoken up."She vowed to try and rid the sport of abusive coaches but conceded some are still working within the sport.'No one in sport should ever be subjected to such abuse'Anne Whyte QC included pointed criticism at politicians over the lack of independent oversight in sport.She said: "One wonders how many sporting scandals it will take before the government of the day appreciates it needs to take more action to protect children who participate in sport, a sector where coaches do not have a central regulator and where most complaints lack independent resolution."An ombudsman is an obvious step in the right direction."In a joint statement UK Sport and Sport England said: "The gymnasts' experiences shared in this Review are harrowing and distressing to read. No one in sport should ever be subjected to such abuse."The assurance systems in place clearly did not identify, until relatively recently, long standing cultural problems in gymnastics, and for this we are sorry."British Gymnastics clearly fell short….we believe that withdrawing funding would not only prevent them from implementing the vital changes outlined in the report but also negatively impact on the support to and wellbeing of gymnasts now."For anyone that has been affected by the findings detailed by the Review, a free, confidential NSPCC hotline has now been set up by on 0800 587 6696.	Other Sports
St Paul’s and Winchester are facing a new rivalry at fives – the handball game that for hundreds of years has largely been the preserve of the most rarefied public schools.Children at Stoke Newington school in Hackney, east London, are leading a new wave of state school Rugby fives players who have started training to take on their privileged counterparts in matches that will reach across one of the UK’s most entrenched social divides.Other schools that play the 200-year-old version of fives include Marlborough College in Wiltshire, alma mater of the Duchess of Cambridge, and Fettes College in Edinburgh, attended by Tony Blair. The Stoke Newington players could soon be joined by many more players from state schools under an initiative by a leading fives coach, Howard Wiseman, to raise £6m to build courts in 10 more inner city schools.It is turning into a bold experiment in using sport to boost social mobility while finding ways to bring organised games to urban state schools that lack room for football or tennis courts.This week, teenagers at Stoke Newington school, where 30% of pupils are eligible for free school meals for families on benefits, donned thick gloves and practised slapping a small leather ball around six recently fixed-up four-sided courts.Similar to squash, fives players take it in turns to strike the ball against the front wall and must keep it above a line positioned at knee height. The ball can be bounced off all the walls, but if a player allows it to bounce on the floor twice, they may lose the point.The straightforward game that requires barely any equipment and no great tutoring of technique for beginners, is proving a hit.“I want to see how the poshos play,” said Ameddzhan Ismet, 14, when asked about the prospect of playing against St Paul’s school, which charges annual fees of £41,400 and counts the former chancellor George Osborne among its alumni. “Some of them don’t like the state schools. It could be revenge.”He is joking, if only partly, adding: “It will be good to meet them. It will be fun.”It comes amid concern at how some sports continue to entrench social divides. About 35% of Team GB’s medallists at last year’s Tokyo Olympics spent at least some time at private schools, compared with the 7% of the population that attends fee-paying schools, according to an analysis by Schools Week magazine.When it comes to professional sport, 43% of cricketers in the UK attended independent schools and 37% of rugby players, the “Elitist Britain” study by the Sutton Trust found.Stoke Newington is becoming only the second state school in the country to have Rugby fives courts. Eton fives, a different version of the game with no back wall and a protruding buttress reflecting the quirks of the 15th-century chapel where it was first played, is played in a handful of state schools but mostly former grammars.Ameddzhan is being coached by an alumni of Derby Moor, until now the only state school to play Rugby fives.“This showed me I don’t have to be rich to be successful,” said Raheem Yusef, 19. “Me coming from a deprived background made me more determined. It was nerve-racking being around people out of my comfort zone. I had to adapt over the years and that’s helped me 100%.”Sign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BSTThe push to widen participation in fives comes in parallel with a campaign by Daniel Grant, an NHS doctor and keen player, to erect wallball courts – a one-wall version of the game popular in the US, particularly in public parks and shopping centres, in part to boost public health.Wiseman said some of his state school players had applied to fives-playing universities such as Oxford and Cambridge because the sport widened their horizons.One aspect of the game is that the players act as their own referees, and that can prove a learning curve.Wiseman said that when he took state school pupils to play a different version of the game at Eton, “my lot were in tears because they felt they had been cheated but they hadn’t. They were playing children who had greater confidence. If their opponent felt the ball was down, they were better at arguing their case.”After a year or two of playing, the state school children became comfortable arguing their corner.“Doing this across the classes is an amazing opportunity,” he said.	Other Sports
Cooper Raiff, the 25-year-old writer, director, and star of Cha Cha Real Smooth, a warm hug of a new movie premiering on Apple TV+ this Friday, originally sold the project with only a vague idea in mind. For his first 10 or so pitch meetings, he told Vanity Fair’s Little Gold Men podcast this week, “I was just like, ‘I think moms are cool,’ and people were like, ‘That’s not a movie idea.’” (Someone born in the humbling year of 1997 had all these high-profile meetings to begin with because his 2020 film Shithouse, made on a micro-budget at Occidental College before he dropped out to finish production, had won the Best Narrative Feature award at South by Southwest.) “And then at some point, I had this other character that I was thinking about,” Raiff continued, “which was just the person that I know best, which is a 22-year-old dumbass. And so I kind of put them together.”The result — after partnering with costar Dakota Johnson’s new production company, TeaTime Pictures, founded with former Netflixer Ro Donnelly — is a loving, tender-hearted, and very funny portrait of Andrew (Raiff), a college grad who’s just moved home with his mom (Leslie Mann) and stepdad, Greg (Brad Garrett). He works at a hot dog stand in the mall until, at a dud of a bar mitzvah for a friend of his little brother David (Evan Assante), Andrew successfully gets the party going, and suddenly all the parents in the neighborhood want to hire him as their own party motivator. The film’s title cleverly borrows from DJ Casper’s “Cha Cha Slide,” a song and dance that’s plagued us all since its release in 2000.At one of these parties, Andrew meets Domino (Johnson), a beautiful, mysterious young mom, and her autistic tween daughter Lola, played by newcomer Vanessa Burghardt, who is autistic herself. Andrew bets Domino $300 that he can get introverted Lola out onto the dance floor, and Domino is so impressed when he succeeds that she asks him to babysit for them. Andrew is supportive and defensive of his new young friend, who’s sometimes bullied by her peers, without being patronizing or condescending; their relationship feels warm and natural.The relationship between Andrew and Domino, meanwhile, unfolds with a quiet but crackling intensity. Domino is engaged to Joseph (the devastatingly handsome Raúl Castillo, of Looking fame), a serious-seeming lawyer who’s often away on business. Domino clearly adores her daughter — when Andrew asks her if being a mother is hard, she acknowledges that it can be, sometimes, though “not because of her” — but because she’d given birth so young, Domino is also mourning a youth she was never really able to have. The promise of childlike freedom and momentary escape presents itself in 22-year-old Andrew: charmingly goofy, prone to drinking too much, sweet and open, and vulnerable and kind. More than it is a romance, or even a romantic comedy, Cha Cha Real Smooth is a coming-of-age story, one whose influences clearly shine through: Raiff’s heroes include Lena Dunham and Greta Gerwig, millennial masters of capturing both the cringey disasters and rare joys of young womanhood. He was also inspired by his own mother, a psychologist who cares for his sister, Andrea, who has holoprosencephaly, a condition that results in abnormal development of the brain; Andrea can’t walk or talk. “My mom was the inspiration for Domino,” Raiff recently told the Financial Times. “She’s just meeting her exactly where she is, every single day.”Andrew admires Domino for how well she cares for her child, especially since she was practically a child herself when she had her. He also has an adorable relationship with his younger brother, David, who sees none of Andrew’s faults — his lack of momentum, his alcohol abuse, the fact that he’s sleeping on a cot in David’s bedroom — and looks to him for guidance about life and love. Andrew is a big kid himself; it’s why he’s so good at hyping up the 12-year-olds at their bar and bat mitzvahs. (There’s a dance-off scene between kids and adults that charmed my socks off.) But that’s also why he’s not ultimately good for Domino, who’s on stable ground for what might be the first time in her life. “You don’t even know who you are yet,” she tells Andrew, one of the many times she tries unsuccessfully to keep him at bay. Both times I watched this film, I was moved by its great generosity of spirit. Raiff clearly cares deeply for all of his characters, including the “22-year-old dumbass” he plays, a version of his just-slightly-younger self. It isn’t often we see a straight romance unfold from the guy’s perspective, and I found myself comparing Andrew to Tom Hansen of 2009’s 500 Days of Summer, the Joseph Gordon-Levitt character who falls in love with a projection of Zooey Deschanel’s Summer, more attached to a product of his own wants and desires than to the real-life woman standing before him (and who eventually leaves him for precisely that reason). Andrew suffers from similar postadolescent delusions, taking stolen moments with Domino — helping her through a mini medical emergency, eating ice pops at the kitchen counter late at night — and constructing for himself an idea of who she really is and what she needs. You might even accuse him of turning Domino into the manic pixie dream girl trope of the aughts, if Raiff hadn’t imbued Andrew with some of those same characteristics — he’s a bit of a manic pixie dream boy himself, offering youthful and spritely spiritual salvation to a woman stuck in adult domesticity. Both characters have to learn to see each other as more than mere extensions of themselves.The moment Andrew realizes that the real-life Domino is someone else entirely from who he’s dreamed up precedes a beautiful interaction with her fiancé, Joseph, who delivers a line that twice now brought me to tears. These characters give me hope for the future of American masculinity, both onscreen and (dare we dream?) off of it.Apple TV+ bought Cha Cha for $15 million just a couple of months before its previous Sundance acquisition, CODA, won the Oscar for Best Picture. Raiff, who was not too long ago a college dropout from Dallas delivering Uber Eats to make ends meet, has now found himself one of the biggest new names in the industry. In true Gen Z fashion, he first got his big break when he’d tweeted a short film shot in his college dorm room and tagged filmmaker Jay Duplass, writing, “Bet you won’t click on this link.” Duplass messaged him later to tell him he’d won the bet, and the indie heavy-hitter is now Raiff’s mentor. It’s an auspicious start for this young talent; I can’t wait to see what he does next. ●	Movies
The decision between keeping Josh Smith or Ezequiel Durán on the Major League roster is looming for the Rangers. Smith was sent down to Triple-A Round Rock on an injury rehabilitation assignment. When he’s ready to go, the Rangers will have a decision to make.But here’s an idea: why not keep both Smith and Durán when the time comes?One way to do so presented itself before and during Wednesday’s 9-2 loss to the Houston Astros. Durán caught some flyballs in left field and did some outfield work in pregame before he grabbed his infielder mitt and played second base for the second time this year. In the top of the first, he made an impressive over the shoulder catch while sprinting to short right field, signaling not only comfort in the position, but an ability to do it well.How to keep both Josh Smith and Ezequiel Durán on the Rangers’ MLB roster? Here’s Durán working in LF before today’s game. Durán is also playing 2B today. pic.twitter.com/Zeof6ERNjL— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) June 15, 2022 Durán, 23, has showed that ability in pretty much every way since he was called up. He’s hitting .326 with two home runs and five RBIs since he was called up. He hit his third double of the season in the big leagues and his 27th of the year overall.Rangers manager Chris Woodward said Durán’s stay in the big leagues would likely be short, unless he “lit the world on fire” with his play. There’s an easy case to be made that he’s accomplished that.Smith was doing the same when he was called up, too. In four starts, Smith had a batting average of .417 and an on-base-percentage of .588. He then suffered a shoulder injury that opened the door for a Durán call-up.Recently, between Smith’s injury and Durán’s hot streak, Rangers President of Baseball Operations Jon Daniels said that third base and left field were the only two positions on the roster that hadn’t been locked down.With Durán starting outfield work, and Smith doing so in the past, maybe they both could fill those needs.---Related:‘It sucks’: Texas Rangers on wrong side of Astros immaculate historyFind 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. [email protected] /JosephHoytDMN @joejhoyt	Baseball
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Beyoncé officially announced the launch of her next album, "Renaissance", set to drop on July 29. She had previously teased the album on her social media when fans began to notice she was wiping her channels clean. Beyoncé began posting to her social media pages Thursday, including the release date and album title. Spotify and Tindal also announced the album release.The 16-track album will be the follow-up album to the singer's 2016 record, "Lemonade." This will also be her seventh solo album, after having produced several other works with fellow artists. BEYONCÉ, BILLIE EILISH TO SING NOMINATED SONGS AT OSCAR Beyonce appears at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. Beyoncé has revealed the title and release date for her next album, with the 16-track "Renaissance" set to drop on July 29 (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) ((AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File))Most recently, Beyoncé was featured on Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage" remix, as well as opening the 2020 Academy Awards. BEYONCÉ MAKES GRAMMYS HISTORY, BECOMES MOST DECORATED FEMALE ARTIST LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Beyonce Knowles-Carter attends "The Lion King" European Premiere at Leicester Square on July 14, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images) ((Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images))Beyoncé helped produce "The Lion King: The Gift" soundtrack for "The Lion King" remake, released in 2019. The singer also won her 28th Grammy Award in 2021 for one of the featured songs, "Black Parade."BEYONCÉ AND MEGAN THEE STALLION CHOREOGRAPHER LAUNCHES COMPANY TO COPYRIGHT DANCE MOVES FILE - Beyonce, right, and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter arrive at the world premiere of "The Lion King" in Los Angeles on July 9, 2019. Blue Ivy's name was added to the nominee list for best music video for her mother's "Brown Skin Girl." (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File) ((Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File))Beyoncé's album sales have topped $18 million in the US, with more than 60 million digital tracks, according to Luminate. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe Associated Press contributed to this report. Haley Chi-Sing is a Fox News Digital production assistant. You can reach her at @haleychising on Twitter.	Music
"There’s always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before," the film's star says. "But those people die off like dinosaurs." Chris Evans isn't sweating all those people lashing out about his "Toy Story" inspired film "Lightyear" featuring a same-sex kissing scene between two female characters, because "those people are idiots." The star made the comments during an interview with Reuters to promote the upcoming Disney-Pixar film. "The real truth is those people are idiots," he said. "There’s always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before. But those people die off like dinosaurs." YouTube Disney Restores LGBTQ Kiss in Lightyear View Story He went on to add, "I think the goal is to pay them no mind, march forward and embrace the growth that makes us human." The scene that has some conservatives in a snit features Uzo Aduba's character, who is Buzz Lightyear's best friend and commander, and an as-yet-unrevealed female character. According to Reuters, the two women marry. For detractors, it's the same old argument: the inclusion of a same-sex kiss is perpetrating an agenda to influence young children. Supporters argue it is just showing the full range of people as they are. Same-sex marriage is, after all, legal and present in the United States. Nevertheless, the film has come upon issues in international markets, with Variety reporting that the scene would be stripped from the film in some Asian countries including Saudia Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Getty Patricia Heaton Says Pixar Castrated Buzz By Not Casting Tim Allen For Lightyear View Story "Every time there’s been social advancement as we wake up, the American story, the human story is one of constant social awakening and growth and that’s what makes us good," Evans argued. The film's producer also spoke with Reuters about the scene, wondering why viewers don't get upset about movies "showing failed relationships" more than successful ones like the one depicted in the film. "We have a relationship here which lasts an entire lifetime," she said. "It's loving, it's supportive and it shows Buzz exactly what he doesn't have and that's the whole point. We should all be so lucky to have that kind of relationship in our life." It was Susman who, speaking with Mercury News, revealed that Disney had been hesitant about the "quick lesbian kiss," though they were supportive of the long-term relationship. At one point, it was reported the scene had been cut altogether from the final cut of the film, but after receiving backlash over its delayed response to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, the scene was reinstated, per The Hollywood Reporter. Getty Maisie Williams Was Shocked to Find Out Arya Stark Wasn't Gay on Game of Thrones View Story In talking to Variety after the kiss was reinstated into the final cut of the film, Evans shared that he was happy the kiss was back in, but frustrated it was even an issue or "news" at all. "It’s tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion," he told the outlet. "The goal is that we can get to a point where it is the norm, and that this doesn’t have to be some uncharted waters, that eventually this is just the way it is, that representation across the board is how we make films." "Look, it’s an honor to be a part of something that is taking those steps, but the goal is to look back on this time and just be shocked that it took us this long to get there," he noted. Evans voices Buzz Lightyear in the film, which is supposed to be the movie that originally inspired the popular Buzz Lightyear Galactic Ranger toy voiced by Tim Allen in the "Toy Story" franchise. It arrives on theaters on Friday.	Movies
The more Harry Styles pivots to movies, the more his roles get hyped. And after months of paparazzi photos of him and his costar, Emma Corrin, having a ball on set, we finally have a good idea what the deal is with his next film. And from the sound of it, My Policeman, an adaptation of Bethan Roberts’s heartbreaking 2012 novel of the same title, may feature Styles’s best performance yet. Ahead of its October 21 premiere in theaters and November 4 release on Amazon Prime, here’s everything we know about what Styles, Corrin, and the Tony Award-winning director Michael Grandage have in store.Is there a trailer for My Policeman? Amazon Prime has finally released a trailer for the upcoming romantic drama, a one-minute long teaser that introduces us to the three main characters and their heart wrenching story. In the first trailer, we meet David Dawson’s Patrick and Styles’ Tom, who are admiring a work of art at a museum together, a piece that seems to depict the ocean during a storm. Patrick asks Tom how the work makes him feel and as he answers, we get a bit of a montage of the threesome’s love story. “You can sense the waves, you know how strong they are,” Tom says as we see shots of him and Marion (Corrin) meeting and getting married, as well as the beginnings of Patrick and Tom’s love affair. “You feel they could crush you or take you under. You just have to let it take hold of you.” From there, the music hits an intense peak and a stream of images, first joyous and then more menacing play on the screen before it goes black with the movie’s title. Check it out below.How did Styles get involved with My Policeman? At first Grandage had his doubts about the 28-year-old pop star and budding actor; it was his team who reached out about the role, claiming that Styles had immense interest in My Policeman. He did indeed: By the time he showed up to his first meeting with Grandage, he’d memorized all of the lines in the film. “He had read the script so many times that he knew every single beat of it at that meeting,” the director told Vanity Fair in the first official look at the film on June 9. “I found that incredibly impressive.” Meanwhile, Corrin was also familiarizing themselves with the script: Styles sent it to them, seeking their opinion on the project long before they signed on as his costar. The marks their first major role since they broke out with their portrayal of Princess Diana in The Crown season 4, which earned them the 2021 Best Actress Golden Globe Award.Is My Policeman a love story?Most definitely, though Styles and Corrin don’t portray the true romance. Partially set in 1950s England, Styles plays Tom, the titular policeman who’s married to a somewhat mousy schoolteacher named Marion (Corrin), even though he’s gay. In fact, he’s already in a relationship, with an art curator named Patrick (David Dawson). Unsurprisingly, their marriage is rocky—and especially so when the plot jumps to the the 1990s, when the trio unexpectedly reunites. David Dawson, Emma Corrin, and Harry Styles in My Policeman (2022).Courtesy of @primevideoMuch on the internet has been made of rumors that Dawson and Styles get particularly intimate, and Styles himself has confirmed that the film contains some “saucy scenes.” “I don’t know if you can watch either with your parents,” he told Capital FM of both My Policeman and Don’t Worry Darling. (Directed by his girlfriend, Olivia Wilde, the latter upcoming film stars Styles as the husband of a suburban housewife played by Florence Pugh.) Grandage told Vanity Fair that the crew took care to avoid prurience—“to quite literally show something that was about ‘lovemaking’ in the broadest sense of the word, something that was choreographically interesting and not just some kind of thrusting sense of sex going on.”What’s the deal with David Dawson and his character, Patrick? Patrick is older than Tom—in real life, Dawson is 12 years Styles’s senior— adding another layer to their relationship. We know from set photos that the characters aren’t completely secretive: They were photographed together on the street in broad daylight. Dawson himself is something of a mystery, too: He has yet to post much since creating an Instagram this past March. And while he has a he theater actor only made an Instagram this past March, and has yet to post much at all. His background is in both theater and TV; you may recognize him from British productions like Luther, Peaky Blinders, and The Road to Coronation Street. David Dawson and Harry Styles on the set of My Policeman in Brighton, England, May 2021.Photo by Neil Mockford GC via Getty ImagesWhy are there two Toms, Patricks, and Marions?Styles, Dawson, and Corrin’s scenes are all flashbacks. The film begins in 1957, which is why Tom didn’t publicly disclose his sexuality: Homosexuality was then illegal in England. The trio then crosses paths again in the 1990s, with all the characters played by older actors. Linus Roache (of Homeland) will play Styles’s older counterpart, and Gina McKee (of Atonement) will play Corrin’s. Fans are particularly excited about Rupert Everett, who will portray Patrick as an aging invalid. The actor has been a trailblazer from the start, beginning with his role as a gay former public school student in 1930s England, in 1984’s Another Country. He himself came out in a novel five years later, and has repeatedly opined whether coming out so early in his career may have hurt it. “Honestly, I would not advise any actor necessarily, if he was really thinking of his career, to come out,” he said in 2009. “The fact is that you could not be, and still cannot be, a 25-year-old homosexual trying to make it in the British film business or the American film business or even the Italian film business. It just doesn't work and you're going to hit a brick wall at some point.” To put Tom’s reluctance to come out of the closet into context, Everett said as much more than four decades after My Policeman kicks off, which was at least a decade before the Sexual Offences Act was repealed, legalizing homosexuality in England and Wales in 1967.Will Harry Styles’s casting overshadow the film’s intent?If the novel is any indication, it’s possible that My Policeman will be a nuanced success. Though with Everett the only openly gay actor amongst the core cast, there’s certainly been some discussion about its commitment to representation. Styles’s own relationship to sexuality has certainly been a cause for discussion over the years, though his public relationships have all been with women such as Taylor Swift and Olivia Wilde. None of that binary thinking, though, has made him state anything definitively.“Am I sprinkling in nuggets of sexual ambiguity to try and be more interesting? No,” Styles told the Guardian in 2019. “I want things to look a certain way. Not because it makes me look gay, or it makes me look straight, or it makes me look bisexual, but because I think it looks cool. And more than that, I dunno, I just think sexuality’s something that’s fun. Honestly? I can’t say I’ve given it any more thought than that.” Corrin, who is queer and nonbinary, seems to have similar thoughts about identity. “I think we are so used to defining ourselves,” they said last year. “That’s the way society works within these binaries and it’s taken me a long time to realize that I exist somewhere in between and I’m still not sure where that is yet.”Emma Corrin on the set of My Policeman in Brighton, England, May 2021.Photo by Neil Mockford/GC via Getty ImagesWith Ron Nyswaner on board, the film seems to be in good hands. The screenwriter, who is openly gay, regularly chooses projects dealing with homosexuality, AIDS, and homophobia. He most notably wrote the screenplay for Jonathan Demme’s 1993 film Philadelphia, which earned him nominations for an Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA.When does My Policeman premiere? The film hits U.S. and U.K. theaters on October 21, and streams worldwide on Amazon Prime on November 4. This article was originally published on 05.06.21	Movies
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Wednesday that returning Brittney Griner home from a Russian prison was among his top priorities.Griner has been held in Russia since February. The WNBA star was arrested for allegedly bringing vape cartridges containing oils derived from cannabis oil through a Moscow airport. Her detention has been extended three times, with the latest being July 2.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks, Wednesday, June 1, 2022, during a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)Blinken addressed Griner’s detention in a meeting with LGBTQ reporters at the State Department, according to the Huffington Post. Griner is a part of that community."It’s something that I’m personally focused on. There’s a limit to what I can say publicly. But we are very focused on this. We are determined to bring her home," Blinken said.He was asked why it took months for the State Department to classify her as being "wrongfully detained" and said he was following the formal process to classify her with that status.BRITTNEY GRINER PRISONER SWAP FOR 'MERCHANT OF DEATH' NOT BEING CONSIDERED RIGHT NOW, RUSSIAN OFFICIAL SAYS WNBA star Brittney Griner leaves a courtroom after a hearing in Khimki, just outside Moscow, Russia, May 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)"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."After Griner’s detention was extended again Tuesday, the Phoenix Mercury center’s agent spoke out.Lindsay Kagawa Colas wrote on Twitter that the decision was just further proof the player was "being used as a political pawn." She called on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to act with urgency in bringing the basketball player home from Moscow."Today's extension is just further reinforcement that Brittney Griner - an Olympian and an American citizen - is being used as a political pawn," Kagawa-Colas tweeted. "Her detention is inhumane and unacceptable. She has not had a single phone call in her 117 days of wrongful detention, and we call on @POTUS and @VP to act with urgency and do whatever it takes to bring Brittney home immediately." Brittney Griner of the Mercury during the WNBA Finals game against the Chicago Sky on Oct. 13, 2021, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPGriner could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].	Other Sports
Golf Star Paige Spiranac Dubbed World's Sexiest Woman ... In New Maxim Issue 6/16/2022 8:26 AM PT Already holding the title of most-followed golfer on social media, Paige Spiranac just added another impressive item to her resume -- Maxim's Sexiest Woman Alive. The mag just announced the honor ... officially crowning the golf star and influencer hottest on the planet in its latest "Hot 100" edition on Thursday. And, Paige was fired up to hold the title ... saying in a post on her Instagram, "I am so honored by being named the sexiest woman alive by @maximmag this year!" Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. "When I got the call," she added, "I kept asking them, 'are you sure?' because I was truly in disbelief." Paige gained fame several years ago after winning a golf tournament, when fans noticed her swing -- and her looks. Soon after, Paige became a social media star ... and now has more followers on IG than Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson!! Paige is no longer competing as a pro golfer -- she spends most of her time working on business adventures and her podcast -- but, don't it get it twisted, she's still got plenty of game on the course. 10/5/21 You'll recall, she made a hole-in-one last year in front of Gary Player!!! Yeah, talk about a great eight months!	Celebrity
Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde” has already been attached to a few bombshells — and that’s not even counting its biopic subject, Marilyn Monroe. Ana de Armas is set to play the “Some Like It Hot” star in the adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 book. The film stirred controversy surrounding de Armas’ casting as the iconic actress, as well as the material of Oates’ fictionalized telling of Monroe’s journey through a series of abusive relationships. De Armas was announced to play Norma Jeane (Monroe’s real first name purposefully misspelled by Oates with an extra “e” at the end of Jean) in 2019, with the film originally set for a 2021 release. The Netflix film has since been pushed to a 2022 date. Director Dominik selected de Armas after almost a decade of trying to cast the lead role. Jessica Chastain and Naomi Watts had reportedly been attached to the film, which was in development since 2010. De Armas snagged the role in 2019. Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, and Julianne Nicholson also co-star as real-life figures in Monroe’s life. “Blonde” has made waves with rumors of NC-17 rated sex scenes and the physical transformation of “No Time to Die” Bond girl de Armas into silver screen legend Monroe. The NC-17 rumors are true, as Netflix has confirmed the film’s rating due to “for some sexual content.” Keep reading to see everything we know so far about “Blonde.” The Film Is Based on Joyce Carol Oates’ Novel “The Seven Year Itch”©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection Joyce Carol Oates’ “Blonde” is a fictionalized narrative of Monroe’s life, starting with her relationship with her father and ending in her alleged assassination. Per Vogue, Oates first conceived of the novel after seeing a photograph of a 15-year-old Norma Jean Baker winning a beauty contest in California in 1941. As in Oates’ 700-page book, the players in Monroe’s life are all identified only by nicknames. Dominik’s film adaptation is similarly steering clear of actual names, with Bobby Cannavale playing “The Ex-Athlete” Joe DiMaggio, Adrien Brody is “The Playwright” Arthur Miller, and Caspar Phillipson stars as “The President” John F. Kennedy. Brad Pitt Reunites with Andrew Dominik to Produce Andrew Dominik©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection After collaborating on “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” and “Killing Them Softly,” Brad Pitt teams up once more with director Dominik for “Blonde,” albeit their time behind the camera. Pitt’s Plan B production company officially is producing the movie. Ana de Armas Is a “Groundbreaking” Marilyn Monroe Ana de ArmasDennis Van Tine/Geisler-Fotopress/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images Director Dominik knew that Cuban actress de Armas was “the one” to play Monroe after just a single audition. De Armas gushed to Vanity Fair that the opportunity to take on the legendary star is a career-making task. “I knew I could do it. Playing Marilyn was groundbreaking, a Cuban playing Marilyn Monroe,” de Armas said in 2020. “I wanted it so badly. You see that famous photo of her and she is smiling in the moment, but that’s just a slice of what she was really going through at the time.” De Armas’ “Knives Out” co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, whose father Tony Curtis starred opposite Monroe in “Some Like It Hot,” praised de Armas’ portrayal, saying, “I dropped to the floor. I couldn’t believe it. Ana was completely gone. She was Marilyn.” The Transformation into Marilyn Was “Exhausting” Ana de ArmasSipa USA via AP De Armas revealed to Byrdie that she wore a bald cap to conceal her natural brunette shade while starring as the titular blonde bombshell. “[Marilyn] went through different shades of blonde from golden to really platinum, so for these wigs that are beautifully made, you can’t have anything dark underneath, so we had to make a bald cap every single day from my forehead to [around] my whole head,” de Armas said. The hairstyle was only part of the three-and-a-half hours of makeup every day. The “Disturbing” Film Gets Joyce Carol Oates’ Stamp of Approval Ana de ArmasRebecca Cabage/Invision/AP Author Oates shared her reaction to the film after watching a rough cut in August 2020. “It is startling, brilliant, very disturbing and perhaps most surprisingly an utterly ‘feminist’ interpretation,” Oates tweeted. “Not sure that any male director has ever achieved anything [like] this.” By September 2021, Oates tweeted that the presumably final film is “an exquisite portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Ana de Armas & director Andrew Dominic; one without the other could perhaps not have worked this magic. The tone of the film is hard to classify, not surreal but not totally realistic, not ‘horror’ but suffused with the dread of horror.” Andrew Dominik Shut Down Rumors of Graphic Sex Scenes, but Confirmed NC-17 Content “The Asphalt Jungle”Courtesy Everett Collection While Dominik has described “Blonde” as an “emotional nightmare fairy-tale type movie,” he did clarify that some rumors around assault scenes are inaccurate. The writer-director previously said the NC-17 rating rumor was “horseshit,” but during an interview with Screen Daily in February 2022, Dominik confirmed the mature content. “It’s an NC-17 movie about Marilyn Monroe, it’s kind of what you want, right? I want to go and see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story,” Dominik said. However, the “Mindhunter” director clarified that the rumor of a scene featuring menstrual cunnilingus is just “hilarious.” Meanwhile, a rape scene involving a studio executive, played by David Warshofsky, is confirmed, and comes from Oates’ book. “It’s a demanding movie,” Dominik said. “If the audience doesn’t like it, that’s the fucking audience’s problem. It’s not running for public office.” The Release of “Blonde” Depends on Netflix “How to Marry a Millionaire”©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection In 2021, Netflix reportedly declined to screen “Blonde” at the Cannes Film Festival, along with Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” due to the strict theatrical release laws in France. “[Netflix] said, ‘We’ll put the movie in theaters for eight months before we bring it out on the platform,’” Dominik told Screen Daily. The streaming platform has to adhere to a 15-month window between a film’s release on its French arm of Netflix and a theatrical release. Cannes also requires all films screening in Competition to commit to a full theatrical release in France. Per Dominik, Cannes festival director Thierry Frémaux “loves” the Joyce Carol Oates adaptation. Frémaux previously told Deadline that “Blonde” could have been part of 2021 Cannes. “It’s beautiful, I saw it, and I invited those films Out of Competition,” Frémaux said in June 2021. “Netflix doesn’t want to come to Cannes, but I invited them anyway and alas…It’s important, it’s not us refusing Netflix movies, it’s Netflix who doesn’t want or can’t…They want to come in Competition but films that are part of the Competition must be released [theatrically] in France.” This year, “Blonde” also will not premiere at 2022 Cannes. Additionally, Dominik noted that streaming giant Netflix “insisted” on hiring “Tenet” editor Jennifer Lame “to curb the excesses of the movie,” which has delayed its release. Regardless, Dominik noted that he has “nothing but gratitude for Netflix” overall. 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Tom Hanks Fuming After Fan Trips Wife ... 'Back the F* Off!!!' 6/16/2022 6:40 AM PT SplashNews.com Tom Hanks was seeing red when his wife Rita Wilson was almost knocked to the ground by a pack of his fans ... and the guy who's normally Mr. Cool let 'em know he was pissed off! Tom and Rita were heading to their car Wednesday night in NYC when the swarm of fans scrambled around for autographs and selfies -- the crowd got so big, one fan bumped into Rita and made her trip. TH was having none of it -- he rushed to her rescue, then put his hand on one guy and yelled to the rest, "This is my wife, back the f* off!!" He gave them quite the death stare for a few seconds before storming off to their car. In the wake of Tom losing it, the finger-pointing started among the fans ... with one guy claiming someone else pushed him into Rita. Hey, they didn't get pics or an autograph, but the "Elvis" star definitely gave them a night they won't soon forget.	Celebrity
Uplift June 16, 2022 / 9:06 AM / CBS News Harry Styles paused a concert in Manchester, UK on Thursday night, asking fans to be momentarily quiet. "I'm going to ask a favor from you because I'd like to try and find someone in the audience," he said.It was his "first ever school teacher," named Ann Vernon. Styles said he believed she was in the crowd and asked the audience to help him out. He was performing at Emirates Old Trafford stadium – which holds 26,000 people – but within seconds, he spotted her. "There she is. Mrs. Vernon!" Styles said, falling to his knees as fans cheered. "How are you? I heard you're retiring. I'd just like to thank you for everything in those formative years. And yeah, thank you so much, it means a lot to me that you're here tonight." "Can you imagine dealing with me when I was 4?" Styles said. He said he was dedicating his next song to Vernon, then played his song "Canyon Moon," Manchester Evening News reports. "There she is. Mrs. Vernon!" Styles said, falling to his knees as fans cheered. TikTok/@goodiesbyjenny Styles grew up in nearby Cheshire, U.K. A fan in the crowd filmed the sweet moment and posted part of the exchange on TikTok, where it went viral. "I taught him when he was four and five and he was adorable. He was a little bit of a monkey, cheeky, and he had lots of friends so a lot of his personality that you see now was quite evident from an early age," Vernon told the "The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show" on BBC Radio 2 after the concert.She said Styles was in a lot of performances growing up and he was very talented. "But yeah, in everything he was amazing, all the teachers here are just so proud of him and so excited about this and everything that he's achieved," she said. "Thank you Harry for that lovely message, I was very touched by it."This was just the second stop on Styles' 2022 tour. The singer has partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety for the North American portion of his tour. Following one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history in Uvalde, Texas, Styles pledged to donate to the nonprofit organization and share "their suggested action items." 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	Music
Real Madrid’s Florentino Pérez claims the French president, Emmanuel Macron, intervened to persuade Kylian Mbappé to sign a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain.Madrid had targeted the forward last summer but after failing with a £170m bid were confident they could lure him to the Bernabéu once his deal had expired. However, the France international signed a new, highly lucrative three-year contract.“His dream was to play at Real Madrid,” the club’s president told the Spanish television programme El Chiringuito. “We wanted to do it last August and they didn’t let him leave. He kept saying he wanted to play at Madrid and 15 days before changed the situation.“Macron called Mbappé, it makes no sense. PSG offered him to be the leader of the project, it changed everything. It was not easy for Mbappé to receive calls from the president of France ... to tell you not to leave the club.“Then [you] go to Qatar [PSG are bankrolled by Qatari Sports Investment, a subsidiary of the country’s sovereign wealth fund] and they offer things that drive you crazy, probably things out of proportion. This is why Kylian has changed.“I didn’t see the same Kylian Mbappé that we wanted. He changes, he is offered other things, he is pressured and he is already another footballer. This is not the Mbappé I wanted to bring; he is another one, who must have changed his dream. Here, no one is bigger than Real Madrid. It won’t change.”	Soccer
Toledo Basketball Player Helps Save Ref's Life With CPR ... After Man Collapsed Mid-Game 6/16/2022 8:48 AM PT Colleen Cali A Toledo basketball player turned into a hero during a game last weekend -- performing successful CPR on a referee who had collapsed in the middle of the contest. The scary incident was caught on video ... when during the Toledo Glass City's game against the Jamestown Jackals on June 11 -- a ref wobbled, and then crumpled to the floor. You can see in the footage, referee John Sculli lay motionless for several moments ... before Glass City's Myles Copeland raced over to help out. Copeland -- who's also a firefighter -- told ESPN he didn't feel Sculli's pulse or see him breathing when he got to the man ... so, he started CPR with the help of another ref until paramedics arrived. And, thanks to his efforts, Sculli -- who's been officiating for almost 40 years -- survived -- and is now expected to have surgery this week to fix his health issues. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. "It was kind of instinctual," 25-year-old Copeland said of it all. "It surprised me how quick I was able to switch into that mode, especially being in a basketball game." "But with being a firefighter, when you're off the job, you're really not off the job. You still got to keep an eye out for the community and what's going on around you." Myles Copeland plays in The Basketball League, a pro startup.His day job: firefighter in Toledo.After a 24-hr shift, he drove to New York for a playoff game.When a ref collapsed, Copeland performed CPR on him for 10 minutes — saving his life.Then, he helped his team win. pic.twitter.com/HQhDD6ZH5i— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 14, 2022 @FOS He continued, "I didn't feel like I went out of my way to do anything special. It's just what I was put here to do. God was able to work through me. I feel like other people see me differently as a hero, but I don't see myself any different." FYI, Copeland drove to NY for the playoff game after working a 24-hour shift as a firefighter -- and his team ultimately won the game, 96-93. Heroes don't always wear capes.	Basketball
Young gymnasts were starved and made to hang from the rings in punishment as part of an abusive culture in British Gymnastics, according to a damning new report.The Whyte Review, which examined over 400 complaints, uncovered an "unacceptable culture" that has left countless young people humiliated, shamed and permanently psychologically or physically damaged by their time in the sport. The report found that coaches had publicly shamed young girls over their weight - in some instances, gymnasts were forced to hang on the rings in the gym for a prolonged period of time for being late.Another young athlete was forced to balance on the beam for two hours as a punishment.Youngsters were also prevented from going to the toilet and banned from drinking water during long training sessions. One gymnast reported being sworn at regularly from the age of nine. Another said: "The coach would shout and scream in our faces so close that I could smell (their) breath and feel (their) spit landing on my face."Gymnasts were also forced to wear a "dunce's cap" if they could not complete a particular move.The obsession within the sport over an athlete's weight and appearance was also highlighted as a central problem."Weight-taking was, at times, accompanied by an uneducated attitude to diet and a humiliating choice of language," the review said."The tyranny of the scales was coach-led and quite unnecessary."Gymnasts took what can only be described as unhealthy steps, such as purging or dehydrating themselves, to keep their weight down in order to satisfy the demands of their coach."The review was prompted after the Netflix documentary "Athlete A" revealed allegations of sexual abuse within US gymnastics.Read more: 17 former gymnasts take legal action against British Gymnastics over 'physical and psychological abuse'While 30 sexual abuse allegations were made as part of the UK investigation, the vast majority of complaints focused on physical and emotional abuse.A culture of silence and a gymnast's reliance on their coaches meant that complaints were hard to make - if problems were raised the processes to deal with them often failed.The sport's governing body, British Gymnastics, was described as an "insular organisation" that was disconnected from the sport, the gymnasts and people involved in the sport.The review said they "failed to ensure that clubs and coaches, including national coaches, were acting responsibly".Sarah Powell, who took the job of chief executive of British Gymnastics in 2021, has offered a full apology.She said: "The practices of the past are not going to be the practices of the future."I think this is a watershed moment for safeguarding not just in gymnastics but in all sports."This is a genuine apology…we have to set a new path, gymnastics will be different because of the bravery of those who have spoken up."She vowed to try and rid the sport of abusive coaches but conceded some are still working within the sport.'No one in sport should ever be subjected to such abuse'Anne Whyte QC included pointed criticism at politicians over the lack of independent oversight in sport.She said: "One wonders how many sporting scandals it will take before the government of the day appreciates it needs to take more action to protect children who participate in sport, a sector where coaches do not have a central regulator and where most complaints lack independent resolution."An ombudsman is an obvious step in the right direction."In a joint statement UK Sport and Sport England said: "The gymnasts' experiences shared in this Review are harrowing and distressing to read. No one in sport should ever be subjected to such abuse."The assurance systems in place clearly did not identify, until relatively recently, long standing cultural problems in gymnastics, and for this we are sorry."British Gymnastics clearly fell short….we believe that withdrawing funding would not only prevent them from implementing the vital changes outlined in the report but also negatively impact on the support to and wellbeing of gymnasts now."For anyone who has been affected by the findings detailed by the review, a free, confidential NSPCC hotline has now been set up on 0800 587 6696.	Other Sports
By Mark SavageBBC Music CorrespondentImage caption, The star's last album was released in 2016Beyoncé has announced what appears to be her first solo album in six years, Renaissance, due out on 29 July.It will be the follow-up to 2016's Lemonade, a meditation on black identity and marital infidelity that topped multiple end-of-year lists.Fans had been waiting for the news ever since Beyoncé deleted her social media profile pictures last week. She put them out of their misery on Thursday morning, by sharing the words "act i … RENAISSANCE" on her accounts.Streaming sites including Spotify and Apple Music swiftly posted artwork for the record, offering fans the chance to pre-save the release.Tidal, the company owned by Beyoncé's husband Jay-Z, also shared the information but, crucially, it will not carry the album as an exclusive.Lemonade, by contrast, was a Tidal exclusive for three years. Beyoncé's joint album with Jay-Z, Everything Is Love, was an exclusive for just two days in 2018. Now the relationship has been severed, a recognition that the streaming service - which has about a 2% market share - cannot deliver the numbers Beyoncé needs to dominate the charts. A listing on Apple Music suggests that Renaissance will contain 16 songs. It is not clear whether the title "Act i" means this will be the first of a multiple-album project, or whether the 16 tracks will be released in multiple parts.Beyoncé's charitable foundation BeyGOOD, tipped fans off that something was coming earlier this week, when it shared a montage of album covers to celebrate Black History Month in the US.Hidden amongst the records was an image of a gloved hand pointing to the Brandy album B7 - the codename Beyoncé's latest record had been given by her followers.Last year, the 40-year-old confirmed to Harper's Bazaar that she had begun working on new music. "With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again," she said. "I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible. I've been in the studio for a year and a half."She also discussed her habit of collaborating with dozens of people to construct songs; refining and shaping the music in her own image. "Sometimes it takes a year for me to personally search through thousands of sounds to find just the right kick or snare. One chorus can have up to 200 stacked harmonies," she said."Still, there's nothing like the amount of love, passion, and healing that I feel in the recording studio. After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was nine years old. Yes, the music is coming!"Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Beyoncé's last major project was the 2018 "Homecoming" concert at CoachellaThe star launched her career as part of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child in 1997, before going solo in 2003. With hits like Crazy In Love, Single Ladies and Hold Up, she is one of the most successful and influential recording artists of her generation.Over the course of her career she has won 28 Grammy awards and 79 nominations, more than any other female musician.In the six years since her last album, she has curated a soundtrack for Disney's Lion King remake and staged an historic performance at the 2018 Coachella Music Festival, which celebrated the culture of historically black colleges and universities in the US.The concert was immortalised in a Netflix special, Homecoming, which itself won a Grammy for best music film.Her most recent musical release was the surprise single, Black Parade, which came out in 2020 as Black Lives Matter demonstrations spread across the world.The track included powerful lyrics about black history, police brutality and the George Floyd protests, with the star singing: "Put your fists up in the air, show black love / Need peace and reparation for my people."The song was released on Juneteenth, a holiday marking the official end of slavery in the US.Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].	Music
Entertainment June 16, 2022 / 11:35 AM / CBS News Beyoncé's first solo album in six years will mark a "Renaissance." The music streaming platform Tidal, which is owned by the star's husband, Jay-Z, announced the singer's upcoming album would be released on July 29. Tidal shared a simple image reading "act i RENAISSANCE" on Twitter, leading fans to believe this would be part one of a multi-part album. Beyoncé RENAISSANCE July 29 pic.twitter.com/ZenmtPQM9W— TIDAL (@TIDAL) June 16, 2022 Beyoncé, who has not tweeted since 2020, changed her Twitter bio to read the same thing. She did the same thing on Instagram. The singer has not shared any other information about the album on social media, but she did share several shots from a recent photoshoot for British Vogue's July issue.While both Jay-Z and Beyoncé have both released music exclusively to one platform in the past, before making it available on other platforms, "Renaissance" will also be available on Apple Music and Spotify on its release date, according to Beyoncé's website. The album will have 16 tracks, according to Apple Music's pre-order option. Box sets are already available to buy on her website, although there is very little detail about what each box set will include. This will be the Grammy winner's seventh solo album. In 2018, she and Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, released a joint album as The Carters. In 2019 she produced the soundtrack album for the "Lion King" film remake, called "The Lion King: The Gift," and in 2020 she produced "Black is King," a companion album to the soundtrack and a musical film. She won multiple Grammys for both. With 29 Grammys, she is the most decorated woman in Grammys history. This year, she earned her first Oscar nomination for her original song "Be Alive," for the film "King Richard." She also opened the Oscars ceremony with a performance of the song, but did not take home the award. Her most recent solo album, "Lemonade," was released in 2016, and while she has featured on several other songs, fans have been anxiously awaiting more music. Beyoncé began trending on Twitter once the "Renaissance" news dropped. 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	Music
A widowed schoolteacher hires a young sex worker (the excellent Daryl McCormack) in a sweet chamber piece about modern intimacy. Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Searchlight Pictures releases the film on Hulu on Friday, June 17. Former schoolteacher Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson) is about as comfortable with her sexuality as she is with the aging body that has been forced to suppress it her entire life. So when this recent widow splurges a chunk of her savings on a night in a hotel with London’s finest male escort — hoping that he might introduce her to the elusive orgasm that her late husband never bothered to look for, and that she’s always been too ashamed to find on her own — a part of her is naturally repulsed by how well things turn out. Not only is the young man who comes to her room “aesthetically perfect,” Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack) is also clever, charming, and convincingly attracted to the post-menopausal prude who’s hired him for the evening. But what really gets under Nancy’s skin is that Leo seems to love his job. He isn’t dirty or desperate, nor is he doing sex work to put himself through school; on the contrary, he’s one of the most beautiful people who Nancy has ever seen in the flesh, he embraces his profession with the same ardor that he does his clients, and he articulates the virtues of giving pleasure with all the self-actualized calm of a wellness podcast. Nancy expected a human dildo who could give her an orgasm off the assembly line in exchange for her pity — someone repugnant enough to justify a lifetime of bad sex (with the same man) and a career spent chiding her students about the length of their skirts. What she gets is a warm and well-adjusted stranger who is more responsive to her needs than even she has ever allowed herself to be. And Nancy can’t help but resent Leo for that. While his flawless skin and Abercrombie model physique are agonizing enough on their own, it’s his confidence and compassion that send her over the edge; every flicker of pleasure that Leo gives her leaves Nancy more upset that so much of her life has been surrendered to shame. Possibly the sweetest fairy tale about a sex worker this side of “Pretty Woman” — if much less retrograde, never quite as broad, and ultimately far more interested in interrogating the strictures of its fantasy — “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” is a touching little two-hander that does right by its title character even if the lion’s share of the conflict in this audience-friendly charmer hinges on Nancy’s seesawing relationship with herself. Closed off one minute and yearning to be held the next, the film likewise teeters between the staccato iciness of Harold Pinter and the momcore joy of Nancy Meyers without fully surrendering to either one of them, a back-and-forth which produces its own kind of uneasy fun. Of course, it’s all a bit hard to swallow at first. Not only is Leo enough of a people-pleasing dreamboat to make Jude Law’s Gigolo Joe seem like some Windows 95-era vaporware by comparison, but even Nancy is a shade too perfect in her self-deprecating nervousness. Unobtrusively directed by Sophie Hyde from a slim yet peppery script by Katy Brand (whose single-location piece was neither adapted from a play nor written with COVID restrictions in mind), “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” never feigns neo-realism, but its banter tiptoes along the fine line between breaking the ice and breaking the spell. “A very fine vintage,” Leo smirks after watching Nancy pour a glass of wine. “It’s just from the minibar,” she responds, before realizing that her new friend isn’t talking about the drink. Leo is pure fantasy, Nancy is a splash of cold water to the face, and they balance each other out so well that even the most natural moments between them can’t help but feel schematic. As they get to know each other across four rendezvous in the same hotel room, their respective masks will slip off, their roles will start to blur, and the film around them will become more affecting as a result. If the getting-to-know-you phase is less nuanced than the later parts when Nancy and Leo effectively start cosplaying a gender-reversed “Closer,” the film’s two lead actors (in a cast of four) game out a lifetime of mystery in every shot. Thompson is unsurprisingly excellent as a woman whose sexual disappointments betray a deeper self-denial. Her Nancy is funny even when she has one foot halfway out the door, and as compelled by Leo’s body as she is confused by the wisdom he brings to it; both the film and Thompson’s performance are at their best whenever Nancy, a retired educator who’s awed by all that this young man is able to teach her, still insists that she knows better than him (“Sometimes I wonder if what you young men need is a war,” she offers in response to Leo’s overdeveloped self-understanding). For his part, Leo turns out to be more than just the mellow pectoral dream guy he plays on the job, but the loveliness of McCormack’s potentially star-making performance is that he never lets his character feel like he’s lying, even when he’s eliding the truth. Leo isn’t shy about indulging his client’s dreams, but that doesn’t mean their time together is somehow illegitimate. While his name might be fake (and the backstory it covers up a bit threadbare), the intimacy he’s there to provide is real as can be, and the movie around him is able to withstand its more fantastical impulses because it strives to make those fantasies real as well. The average sex worker may never be as beautiful as McCormack — the average movie star may never be as beautiful as McCormack — but a world that allows for pleasure and encourages people to share it with each other doesn’t feel so far out of reach. The only thing standing in the way is our shame, and while that isn’t as neatly conquerable in real life as it is on screen, it’s still encouraging when a nice morsel of a movie like “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” proves totally unafraid of looking at itself in the mirror. Grade: B “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.	Movies
Published June 16, 2022 5:32AM Updated 10:35AM article PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 25: Christian Wood # 35 of the Houston Rockets reacts during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on March 25, 2022 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, b A person with direct knowledge of the agreement said the Houston Rockets are trading center Christian Wood, their leading scorer and rebounder this season, to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for four players and a draft pick. Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, Sterling Brown and Marquese Chriss are going to the Rockets, who will also receive the No. 26 pick in this year, according to the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade is not finalized. It will not be finalized until the June 23 draft, the person said. MORE: Dallas Mavericks Coverage It is a major move for the Mavericks, after Wood averaged 17.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He was one of nine players to average at least 17 points and 10 rebounds, joining Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, two-time MVP Nikola Jokic of Denver, Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis, New Orleans’ Jonas Valanciunas, Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic and Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton. Wood is entering the final season of a three-year, $41 million contract. He revealed to reporters in Houston last week that he had preliminary talks with the Rockets on an extension, though it isn’t known if one side balked or if it simply became clear that he wasn’t going to be in the team’s long-term plans. Houston also has the No. 3 pick in the draft, with the most likely selection in that spot being Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren or Duke’s Paolo Banchero. Orlando picks No. 1, followed by Oklahoma City at No. 2, and there has been much speculation that Banchero would fall to the Rockets. Wood averaged 50% shooting this season, including 39% from 3-point range. Dallas will be the 26-year-old’s seventh team in seven NBA seasons, after stints in Philadelphia, Charlotte, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Detroit and Houston. His breakout started in an eight-game stint with the Pelicans in 2018-19, averaging 16.9 points. He averaged 21.0 points with the Rockets last season, his first as a full-time starter, and appeared in a career-most 68 games with Houston this season.	Basketball
The British Olympic system and its “cash for medals” approach is facing calls for a big overhaul after a damning report into the widespread abuse of children as young as seven in British gymnastics.The 306-page report by Anne Whyte, QC, details a “culture of fear” and the barbaric practices employed by some coaches — and the shocking failure by British Gymnastics to even maintain records of complaints between 2008 and 2016 — in the drive for sporting excellence. Within the report there were 30 submissions that related to cases of sexual abuse, although Whyte concluded it was not systemic and was taken more seriously than the broader physical and emotional mistreatment.The £3 million report also highlights abuse at a recreational and local club	Other Sports
Paul Pogba says he wants to prove Manchester United wrong after claiming their reported £300,000-a-week offer to keep him was “nothing”.The 29-year-old France midfielder is expected to return to Juventus when his United contract expires at the end of this month.In an Amazon Prime documentary entitled The Pogumentary, to be released on Friday, Pogba discusses his future with his former agent Mino Raiola, who died in April after living with a serious illness since January.Pogba says: “My thought process is to show Manchester that they made a mistake in waiting to give me a contract. And to show other clubs that Manchester had made a mistake in not offering me a contract.”As revealed in the documentary, United made two offers to extend Pogba’s stay, and Raiola said he had also been in talks with Barcelona and Paris St Germain. Pogba is filmed asking Raiola whether United had made a second offer in July 2021.Raiola replies: “Yes. They absolutely want you to stay. For me, the offer doesn’t reflect that. I told them: ‘If you want him to stay, don’t make that offer.’ I will make them understand that if they really want you to stay and they want to build a project around you, this time they have to act differently and put the money on the table.”Pogba says: “They’re bluffing. How can you tell a player you absolutely want him and offer him nothing? Never seen that.”Pogba, who first arrived at Old Trafford from Le Havre as a 16-year-old in 2009, was allowed to leave United on a free transfer and join Juventus in 2012. He won four Serie A titles with Juve before returning to United for a then world record £89m in August 2016 and reached his peak when helping France lift the World Cup at Russia 2018.The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email.Pogba was rarely at his best for United and in one clip from the documentary Raiola tells him: “We must try to make you feel as good as when you are with the French national team. You’re different with them. You understand? You’re another Pogba with the Manchester United team. It’s not normal.“With the France team, you’re the real Pogba, the Pogba of Juventus, the Pogba that everyone loves. With Manchester, there’s something blocking you.”	Soccer
A California startup has devised a "revolutionary" idea for getting satellites into space. SpinLaunch is a startup that has pitched a new way to get satellites into space. The startup is developing a launch platform that would use centrifugal force to "spin" projectiles up in an attempt to send satellites into space. The platform would use the force to get a small rocket into orbit. The launch platform's concept "shares a lot more in common with maybe, like, an amusement park ride than it does with a rocket," SpinLaunch CEO Jonathan Yaney told CNN. OUT OF THIS WORLD: CHINA REPORTS POSSIBLE ALIEN SIGNALS — THEN DELETES IT Do you think this will work? 🤔SpinLaunch is a spaceflight technology development company working on mass accelerator tech to move payloads to space. pic.twitter.com/cHkhUb377b— MrCien (@ShivamNamdeo_) June 12, 2022 The project arose from a desire to find a new, affordable way to send rockets into space. "SpinLaunch was just an exercise in taking a fresh look at how can we use renewable energy and ground-based energy to really just do this in a different way," Yaney said. "I ran about maybe 20 or 30 different scenarios from rail guns to electromagnetic accelerators, to, you know, space cannons, to light gas guns." The company concluded that a giant centrifuge was the best option. Each launch would only cost $2,000 of electricity to launch, according to Yaney. If accurate, it would be significantly cheaper than the $900,000 in fuel it would cost to launch a SpaceX ship into space. The startup has existed for seven years and has received funding from tech investors such as GV and Airbus Ventures. The company has completed nine high-altitude test flights with a smaller version of what it envisions and expects that the centrifuge would need to spin at 17,000 miles per hour to generate enough force to send it careening into the sky. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The project is still in early development and faces scrutiny over whether it would be safe for the machines in question. It would also be limited to satellite launches because any human attempting to be launched by the centrifuge would be crushed by the resulting G-force. The company announced in April that it was partnering with NASA to test its launch system. Other space startups have attempted to create alternatives to rocket launches, including Virgin Orbit and Rocket Lab. While NASA and other space agencies have sought alternatives to the fuel-focused rocket launches, none have stood out to date.	Emerging Technologies
Beyoncé has announced her first album in six years, 16-track Renaissance, will be released on July 29. The chart-topping singer wrote 'act i RENAISSANCE 7.29' on her Instagram account to let her 293million followers know about the upcoming release date. Streaming sites Spotify and Apple also posted artwork for the record.Beyoncé's fans were expecting news after she deleted her profile picture from social media platforms last week.Although she has not released an album since 2016, the world-class singer has collaborated with other artists and curated the soundtrack album for the 2019 remake of 'The Lion King'. The 40-year-old will be British Vogue's July issue cover star. Editor Edward Enninful said: "The creation has been a long process, she explains, with the pandemic giving her far longer to spend thinking and rethinking every decision."Just the way she likes it."British Vogue tweeted: "Beyoncé is poised for her next evolution, one that promises vision, grace - and something a little bit extra...In the July 2022 issue of British Vogue, Edward Enninful meets a superstar, as Rafael Pavarotti captures the moment."	Music
Paul Pogba says he wants to prove Manchester United wrong after claiming their reported £300,000-a-week offer to keep him was “nothing”.The 29-year-old France midfielder is expected to return to Juventus when his United contract expires at the end of this month.In an Amazon Prime documentary entitled The Pogumentary, to be released on Friday, Pogba discusses his future with his former agent Mino Raiola, who died in April after living with a serious illness since January.Pogba says: “My thought process is to show Manchester that they made a mistake in waiting to give me a contract. And to show other clubs that Manchester had made a mistake in not offering me a contract.”As revealed in the documentary, United made two offers to extend Pogba’s stay, and Raiola said he had also been in talks with Barcelona and Paris St Germain. Pogba is filmed asking Raiola whether United had made a second offer in July 2021.Raiola replies: “Yes. They absolutely want you to stay. For me, the offer doesn’t reflect that. I told them: ‘If you want him to stay, don’t make that offer.’ I will make them understand that if they really want you to stay and they want to build a project around you, this time they have to act differently and put the money on the table.”Pogba says: “They’re bluffing. How can you tell a player you absolutely want him and offer him nothing? Never seen that.”Pogba, who first arrived at Old Trafford from Le Havre as a 16-year-old in 2009, was allowed to leave United on a free transfer and join Juventus in 2012. He won four Serie A titles with Juve before returning to United for a then world record £89m in August 2016 and reached his peak when helping France lift the World Cup at Russia 2018.Pogba was rarely at his best for United and in one clip from the documentary Raiola tells him: “We must try to make you feel as good as when you are with the French national team. You’re different with them. You understand? You’re another Pogba with the Manchester United team. It’s not normal.The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email.“With the France team, you’re the real Pogba, the Pogba of Juventus, the Pogba that everyone loves. With Manchester, there’s something blocking you.”	Soccer
Image source, Getty ImagesOver one million music streaming subscriptions have been cancelled in the UK, with the cost of living crisis forcing households to make savings.A report from market researchers Kantar found 37% of customers cited saving money as the reason for cutting services, up 4% from the year before.Under 35s with a subscription has seen the fastest drop, from 57% to 53.5%.It comes as people face soaring price rises in areas such as food, fuel and energy bills.According to the Office for National Statistics, regular pay is falling at the fastest rate in more than a decade when rising prices are taken into account.'Prioritising spending'The new report found a drop in the total individuals with access to at least one music subscription, now at 39.5% - down from 43.6% at the start of 2020.That includes 600,000 fewer under 35s who have access to a music subscription compared to the previous year, with students who have access dropping from 67% to 59%.For Amazon Music Unlimited, 37% of people who cancelled said saving money was one of their key reasons, with that number rising to 41% for Spotify."The rising cancellation rates of music subscriptions is evidence that British households are starting to prioritise the spending of their disposable income," Kantar said.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Other reasons why under 35s are planning to cancel services is not a wide enough selection of music, too many advertisements or having technical difficultiesWeston is an aspiring artist who releases his music onto Spotify, and says it's "not great to hear" that numbers are falling, but he can see why people are cancelling "with the cost of living crisis"."It gives millions of people accessibility, and plays the role of a record label from years ago," he tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.A standard subscription to Spotify and Apple Music costs £9.99 each per month, making the yearly price just under £120. For Debbie, those types of premium streaming services are unattractive options at the moment, with £120 being "way too much"."Listening to music should be free. I use Soundcloud because it's easier," she tells Newsbeat.She says YouTube would be another option she would choose ahead of streaming.It's not the first report of subscription services being cut to cope with the rising cost of living, with Kantar reporting in April that 1.51 million TV and film services were canned in the first three months of 2022.Netflix revealed it had lost 200,000 subscribers in that period, and warned another two million were expected to quit in the coming months.Analysis by Sam Gruet, Newsbeat's cost of living reporterRising prices means we're spending less - and it's not only music companies having fewer customers now.We've heard from clothing company ASOS who say we're spending less because of rising prices, and it's the same for Missguided.Your weekly shop is costing more, because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Both are big producers of grain which has been disrupted because of the war, and lots of the food we buy and eat relies on it.A shortage means prices go up.Money saving around the worldThe new survey also found value for money was the main driver for new subscriptions in the UK, US and Australia, with only Germany having a different reason.In the US, Kantar found a sharper decline of almost 5 million people under the age of 35 no longer having access to a music subscription service, dropping from 69% to 63%. Kantar suggests with three of the top five reasons in all surveyed locations linking back to money saving, it shows "consumers around the world are looking to cut down on their expenses".Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.	Music
Welcome to The Spin, the Guardian’s weekly (and free) cricket newsletter. Here’s an extract from this week’s edition. To receive the full version every Wednesday, just pop your email in below:Alec Stewart’s memories of England’s tour of the Netherlands in the summer of 1989 are a little hazy. He was only 26, full of anticipation for his cricket career ahead and yet to make his full England debut.“It definitely didn’t feel like playing for England, it didn’t even have the feel of playing for a Lions or an A team,” he says. “We were only there for a few days and played on matting wickets and I’d never played a game on matting in my life. We were captained by Peter Roebuck, and I have to say he didn’t leave a mark on me. I remember him saying “it doesn’t matter” after we lost a game and I found that very strange – it always matters whether you win or lose.”It definitely mattered to the newspapers back home. England’s defeat in that first game did not go down well in a summer when the Test team were losing the Ashes 4-0 in chaotic style, plucking 29 players out of a constantly whirling cement mixer as Australia doggedly stuck to 12 men. “And so yesterday it finally happened: the worst really did come to the worst,” thundered Matthew Engel in the Guardian. “The England cricket team lost by three runs to Holland. I repeat, Holland.”“These were the golden boys. This team … comprised precisely those youngsters whom everyone is imploring Ted Dexter to pick in place of the whipped and sour cream of English cricket.”Rebooted Team England™ won’t make that mistake again, in a trip delayed from 2021 because of Covid. Although shorn of its multi-format players, currently making whoopee in the Test series against New Zealand, this is a strong white-ball squad who will play three ODIs, hoping to collect crucial ICC Super League points needed for 2023 World Cup qualification. It is also the first full England men’s senior side to ever tour the Netherlands.The 14-man squad is packed full of Eoin Morgan’s favourite cocktail tipple – left-arm seamers. There are five in all, including the uncapped David Payne from Gloucestershire and Lancashire’s magnificently moustached Luke Wood – who is called up for England duties for the first time – alongside Reece Topley, David Willey and Sam Curran.The last of these returns to the international circuit after spending the early season with Surrey recovering from a stress fracture of the lower back, while Dawid Malan pulls on the England shirt for the first time since being dropped from the Test team after the Ashes debacle of the winter.Sam Curran is back in the international fold after recovering from injury. Photograph: Dave Vokes/ShutterstockThe tour also marks a debut for Matthew Mott, England’s new white-ball coach. Mott helped build the most successful team in women’s cricket history with Australia – a bright yellow canary that pecked relentlessly at England in the recent World Cup final in Christchurch and intimidates even as it goes through pre-match stretches. Australia were 10 leagues better than any other side on show in New Zealand – in athleticism, in dynamism and gung-ho attitude.Mott and the Australia captain, Meg Lanning, worked well together, both similarly non-demonstrative personalities, and the England and Wales Cricket Board hierarchy hope Mott and Morgan, and white-ball heir Jos Buttler – fresh from his exploits as the highest run scorer in the IPL – will rub along in a similarly easy manner.Mott is joined by Mark Alleyne (recently announced as the assistant coach of the Hundred side Welsh Fire) as batting coach and the Durham bowling coach Neil Killeen, alongside Richard Dawson and Carl Hopkinson.The 2022 Netherlands team are no walkover, and as capable of pulling a rabbit out of a hat as they ever were (see the 2009 and 2014 World Cups). They put in a creditable performance with a young side in the recent 3-0 defeat by West Indies and during the spring tour of New Zealand.Although missing Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe and Timm van der Gugten, remaining with their English counties, the squad includes Fred Klassen, who has made a name for himself in white-ball cricket with Kent, Essex’s Shane Snater, and Tim Pringle, the 19-year-old left-arm spinning son of the former New Zealand seamer Chris – who also played for the Netherlands.It will be difficult for England’s white-ball team to compete with Jonny Bairstow’s remarkable performance. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianBut even as England supporters cross the channel for a rare chance to watch cricket in mainland Europe, and as the heatwave settles just in time for the first game on Friday, for once, England’s white-ball team will struggle to compete with the exploits of the Test team and the out-of-this-world Jonny Bairstow.England squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, David Payne, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, David Willey, Luke WoodNetherlands squad: Pieter Seelaar (captain), Scott Edwards (wicketkeeper), Musa Ahmad, Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek, Philippe Boissevain, Tom Cooper, Aryan Dutt, Clayton Floyd, Vivian Kingma, Fred Klaassen, Ryan Klein, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Max O’Dowd, Tim Pringle, Vikramjit Singh, Shane Snater	Other Sports
Topline An unnamed juror from Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial gave insight on the deliberations Thursday to Good Morning America, saying the actress “didn’t come across as believable” and that “there wasn’t enough or any evidence that really supported what she was saying.” Amber Heard (L) and Johnny Depp watch as the jury leaves the courtroom at the end of the day at the ... [+] Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, May 16, 2022. POOL/AFP via Getty Images Key Facts The juror, whose jury number was not disclosed, said the jury found Heard’s emotional outbursts during testimony to be suspicious, wondering how she could go from crying and “two seconds later she would turn ice cold,” going so far as to describe her expression as “crocodile tears." Depp, on the other hand, "just seemed a little more real in terms of how he responded to questions,” the juror said. The juror said it was clear the couple was “abusive to each other” and had “husband-wife arguments,” but it didn’t “rise to the level of what she was claiming,” and that the jury found Heard to be the aggressor in the relationship, as Depp claimed in his testimony. The juror said it was questionable that Heard said she gifted Depp a knife, despite the physical abuse she said she experienced from him. The jury discussed the type of drugs Depp allegedly used, and was said to frequently become abusive while on, “at length,” because “most of them were downers, and you usually don’t get violent on downers,” the juror said. The juror denied claims made by Heard that the group’s decision was influenced by social media, which seemed to heavily support Depp over her, saying they “only looked at the evidence.” Key Background Depp sued Heard, his ex-wife, for $50 million over claims she made in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she did not name him, but described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard countersued Depp for $100 million over claims made by his lawyer that her accusations of abuse against Depp were a hoax. The trial lasted over six weeks and captured the attention of millions. The jury ruled in favor of Depp, agreeing that Heard defamed him on all counts, and awarded him $10.3 million. Heard won part of her case against him and was awarded $2 million. Heard has said she intends to appeal the decision. In an interview this week, Heard said she believes the jury was influenced by social media and that she understands why the jury ruled for him, after being told for weeks “not to believe a word that came out of my mouth.” Further Reading Amber Heard Says She Doesn’t ‘Blame’ Jurors For Siding With Johnny Depp—But Says Trial Wasn’t ‘Fair’ (Forbes) Jury Rules Amber Heard Defamed Johnny Depp In Domestic Abuse Op-Ed (Forbes) Amber Heard Says She’ll Stand By ‘Every Word’ Of Her Testimony Until Her ‘Dying Day’ (Forbes)	Celebrity
A mountain biker riding what is touted as an “epic” Colorado trail died after running out of water on a day the temperatures reached 102. The 52-year-old Colorado Springs man was found suffering from heat-related illness around 6:45 p.m. Saturday by three other cyclists on the Palisade Plunge trail, which drops 6,000 feet from Grand Mesa to the Colorado River. He had been riding alone and was near mile marker 28 of the 32-mile trail, the Mesa County sheriff’s office said. The cyclists who found him called 911. He was evacuated by helicopter but did not survive The three other cyclists had also run out of water and were treated for dehydration. “They started with a gallon of water each and ran out about 10 miles before the end of the trail,” the sheriff’s release said. The Palisade Plunge trail has very little shade and no drinking water; riders are advised they “must bring plenty of water.” The sheriff’s office elaborated that in the summer each person should carry at least 2½ gallons of water, and electrolyte replenishments are also recommended. The singletrack trail, meant for experienced mountain bikers, opened in July 2021 after years in the works. The project partners describe it as “one of the nation’s premier mountain biking trails, rivaling Moab’s Whole Enchilada.”	Extreme Sports
Courtesy of NetflixAfter months of mysterious, our first look at the controversial Marilyn Monroe-biopic Blonde is finally here. Based on the historical fiction novel by Joyce Carol Oates, the Netflix project stars Ana de Armas as the late icon in the years before her death at just 36 in 1962. As director Andrew Dominik promised, the film explores the divide between the confident sex symbol she was in public and the lonely, tortured woman she actually was behind the scenes. And according to Oates, the director nailed it: “[Blonde is startling, brilliant, very disturbing and perhaps most surprisingly an utterly 'feminist' interpretation,” she tweeted after seeing the rough cut in 2020. “Not sure that any male director has ever achieved anything [like] this.”The teaser begins with de Armas as Monroe crying as she begs a makeup artist not to abandon her. She looks nearly as distressed when the clip cuts to a cop pushing her through a horde of clamoring fans and photographers. We next see her in her familiar cheery, confident mode as de Armas recreates two iconic Marilyn moments: the Seven Year Itch (1954) scene that finds her dress billowing above a subway grate, and her performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. (In case there was any doubt, de Armas recently assured W that she’s most definitely dripping in diamonds in Blonde.) Out of sight from the public, though, Monroe is going through enough personal turmoil to have to practice her laugh and grin.We have yet to get a look at Adrien Brody as Arthur Miller, the playwright who was Monroe’s third and final husband, nor any of the reasons why, in a first for Netflix, the film was rated NC-17. More sneak peeks are guaranteed to be in store (and hot tip: There’ll be no better place to find them than the ultra-tuned-in stan account Ana de Armas Updates). But for now, the minute-long teaser will have to do. Ahead of Blonde’s September 23 release, take your first look at de Armas as Monroe below.	Movies
Arsenal have had an offer of €35m (£30m) plus add-ons accepted for Porto’s attacking midfielder Fábio Vieira, who is due to have a medical in London on Friday before signing a five-year contract.Vieira had a €50m release clause but Arsenal negotiated for the Portugal Under-21 international, whose ambition has been to play in the Premier League. He scored six goals and provided 14 assists in Portugal’s top division last season across 15 starts and 12 substitute appearances.Vieira is used predominantly as an attacking midfielder or second striker. In eight Under-21 European Championship qualifiers between September and April he scored seven times and set up two goals.Quick GuideHow do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?ShowDownload the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for 'The Guardian'.If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.Turn on sport notifications.At 22, Vieira fits the age profile preferred by Arsenal, who have also signed the 19-year-old Brazilian forward Marquinhos – described by the club’s technical director, Edu, as a “player for the future” – and the more experienced backup goalkeeper Matt Turner from New England Revolution.	Soccer
Real Madrid’s Florentino Pérez claims the French president, Emmanuel Macron, intervened to persuade Kylian Mbappé to sign a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain.Madrid had targeted the forward last summer but after failing with a £170m bid were confident they could lure him to the Bernabéu once his deal had expired. However, the France international signed a new, highly lucrative three-year contract with PSG, who are bankrolled by Qatari Sports Investment, a subsidiary of the country’s sovereign wealth fund.“His dream was to play at Real Madrid,” the club’s president told the Spanish television programme El Chiringuito. “We wanted to do it last August and they didn’t let him leave. He kept saying he wanted to play at Madrid and 15 days before changed the situation.“Macron called Mbappé, it makes no sense. PSG offered him to be the leader of the project, it changed everything. It was not easy for Mbappé to receive calls from the president of France ... to tell you not to leave the club.“Then [you] go to Qatar and they offer things that drive you crazy, probably things out of proportion. This is why Kylian has changed.“I didn’t see the same Kylian Mbappé that we wanted. He changes, he is offered other things, he is pressured and he is already another footballer. This is not the Mbappé I wanted to bring; he is another one, who must have changed his dream. Here, no one is bigger than Real Madrid. It won’t change.”	Soccer
Jackson also said that his "Pulp Fiction" Oscar snub taught him that awards are just "bullshit" popularity contests. Samuel L. Jackson may have been awarded an honorary Oscar at the 2022 Governors Awards, but the iconic actor isn’t holding his breath for an acting Academy Awards win. Jackson revealed that he views the Oscars as a “popularity contest” not rooted in the true meaning of moviemaking: to entertain. The “Pulp Fiction” star famously was snubbed, losing to Martin Landau for Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood” in 1995. “I heard way back when when Martin Landau got the award and I didn’t, ‘C’mon, Sam. Martin’s been nominated so many times. Don’t worry. Your time is coming.’ Excuse me? I didn’t know that’s how it worked,” Jackson told theLos Angeles Times. “I thought it was the acting performance that made the most impact.” Jackson added, “That’s what we’re celebrating, the big shit that happened in Hollywood. Best actor, best actress…that’s some bullshit. That’s a popularity contest.” Out of Jackson’s illustrious career, his only nomination to date is for longtime collaborator Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” nearly 30 years ago. “Everything I’ve done for Quentin has a moment that’s given me an opportunity, from ‘Jackie Brown’ to ‘The Hateful Eight’ to ‘Django [Unchained],'” Jackson said, before citing that “Django Unchained” may have been his closest chance at another Oscars nom. “‘Django’ was probably my best shot because it’s the most evil character I’ve ever played and they generally reward Black people for playing horrendous s—-,” he said, laughing. “This is the night Hollywood celebrates fucking Hollywood,” Jackson continued to the LA Times. “That thing that we used to have when I was young, watching it and wondering, ‘What am I going to say when I get mine’ was the glamor of it all, the extravagance, the mystique that is Hollywood. Some of that’s gone. You’ve got movie stars who are influencers or people who live out loud, so you know way more about them than you used to know. But it should still be a celebration that you did something that’s great. Like I still say, there should be an award for the movie that made the most money.” The “Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” star said in his Governors Award acceptance speech that the honor was “unexpected” but will be “cherished” nonetheless. “I tried to entertain audiences the way Hollywood entertained me,” Jackson said. “Make them forget their lives for a few hours, be thrilled, awed or excited. When I got this call last year, it was unexpected, but I guarantee you, this thing is going to be cherished.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.	Movies
Musk's plan to buy Twitter has worried policymakers around the world.Joe Skipper \| ReutersCNBC is providing live updates from Elon Musk's address to Twitter employees ahead of his $44 billion acquisition of the company.The Tesla and SpaceX CEO agreed to buy the company earlier this year, but has since expressed what seems to be hesitation about the deal, alleging that Twitter has not accurately disclosed the number of fake or spam accounts on the service.Musk on how he can build trust with Twitter employees"If someone is getting useful things done, that's great. If they're not then I'm like why are they at the company."-- Lauren FeinerElon Musk on free speechElon on free speech (paraphrased): People should be allowed to say racist things but that doesn't mean Twitter should promote it.-- Lauren FeinerMusk asked why he loves TwitterElon when asked why Twitter: "I love Twitter", "I learn a lot from what I learn on Twitter." It's a "great way to get a message out", "some people use their hair to express themselves, I use Twitter"-- Lauren FeinerEmployees are asking questionsEmployees submitted questions s they are most interested in - no promise they will answer but highest ranked in categories of workplace policies (i.e. remote work), free speech, Elon's suggested product improvements and relationship with employees -- Lauren Feiner	AI Policy and Regulations
"Chappelle, do you know what comes up when you Google your name, bro?" Jerrod Carmichael is down with the younger generation, but he does not get some of the older generations at all. In a new GQ profile, he said that the only person who reached out to him after he came out was his 15-year-old niece. The 35-year-old comedian came out as gay in his HBO special "Rothaniel" that was released back in April, and says he got exactly one text after that. "I see you. I hear you," his niece wrote him. "I love this generation. I actually f--- with them, and f--- all those comedians that are going so hard against them," Carmichael said. Getty Caitlyn Jenner Defends Dave Chappelle Amid Netflix Special Controversy View Story He then turned his target one older comedian in general, one who served as an inspiration for many young Black comedians -- hell, almost all comedians at one time -- Dave Chappelle. "Chappelle, do you know what comes up when you Google your name, bro?" Carmichael asked of the 48-year-old groundbreaking comedian who's become more known now for his continuous anti-trans jokes. "That's the legacy?" Your legacy is a bunch of opinions on trans shit?" Carmichael continued his rhetorical questioning. "It's an odd hill to die on. And it's like, hey, bro. Who the f--- are you? Who do you f---? What do you like to do? Childish jokes aside, who the f-- are you? It's just kind of played. But he's choosing to die on the hill. So, alright, let him." Getty Elliot Page Says Comedians Targeting Trans Community 'Really Breaks My Heart' View Story Chappelle has openly identified himself as "Team TERF," as noted by ET, and said in his recent "Closer" Netflix special that "gender is a fact." He also self-identifies as among the "canceled," a common refrain from conservative circles. But Carmichael takes issue with that, too, saying, "Who’s getting canceled for what they’ve said? What does that mean, that people are mad on Twitter? Everybody’s fine," Carmichael said. "These grown men are fine." "I think, a lot of times, people who offer nothing truthful or meaningful about themselves then complain about society at large and create this boogeyman," he continued. "It’s like, listen, that’s the most urgent thing in your life? God bless you." Getty Jonathan Van Ness Calls Out JK Rowling's 'Transphobic Cherry Picked Vitriol' After Latest Viral Tweet View Story Considering how influential and titanic a figure Chappelle has been for years, him coming out as a TERF is akin to J.K. Rowling effectively doing the same. In both cases, their huge fanbases have had to reconcile how to move forward with this new information. During Carmichael's special, he opened up about a "secret" he'd been keeping, "one that I kept from my father, my mother, my family, my friends, and you. Professionally, personally. And the secret is that I'm gay." Carmichael was invited for the first time to host an episode of "Saturday Night Live" that also hit in April, basically alongside the HBO special where he came out. Getty	Celebrity
A juror in actor Johnny Depp’s libel trial against his former wife Amber Heard said in an interview published Thursday that his fellow jurors had a hard time believing Heard as she delivered her testimony. “It didn’t come across as believable,” the juror, who asked to have his name withheld, said in an interview that aired on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “It seemed like she was able to flip the switch on her emotions. She would answer one question and she would be crying and two seconds later she would turn ice cold. It didn’t seem natural.” The unidentified juror told “GMA” that some on the seven-member jury saw “crocodile tears” when Heard wept, while adding that Depp “just seemed a little more real in terms of how he responded to questions.” The juror said the panel did not believe photos that Heard’s lawyers presented that allegedly showed her face bruised. The juror also questioned why she had bought a knife for Depp as a gift after alleging aggressive behavior, among other concerns. “They had their husband-wife arguments. They were both yelling at each other. I don’t think that makes either of them right or wrong. That’s what you do when you get into an argument, I guess. But to rise to the level of what she was claiming, there wasn’t enough or any evidence that really supported what she was saying,” the juror told “GMA.” He noted that jurors believed, though, that “they were both abusive to each other.” The juror’s comments come more than two weeks after Depp won his defamation trial. He sued Heard over a 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post in which she referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Though she never mentioned Depp’s name in the piece, he claimed that his reputation had been damaged by the piece. The trial, however, focused less on the piece itself and more on the abuse allegations. Tags Amber Heard Depp-Heard lawsuit Johnny Depp	Celebrity
Seattle Storm star and five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird announced Thursday the 2022 season will be her last playing in the WNBA.The announcement by Bird, 41, ended any speculation about her future; she had acknowledged in February when she re-signed with Seattle that this would likely be her final season. She strongly considered retirement after last season before choosing to return for a 19th season as a player.Bird’s announcement came a day before Seattle’s game at Connecticut. The Storm will close out their road trip on Sunday in New York, about 30 miles from where Bird grew up in Syosset, New York.“As the season has gone, like I said, I pretty much knew, and then once I saw the schedule, and then once I started packing for this trip a little bit, I was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be my last time playing in New York. My last time playing in front of my family and friends.’ And so that’s why the timing of this is what it is,” Bird said in a video posted by the Storm on social media.“I just really felt strongly about announcing my retirement, saying it was my last year so I can share that with my family and my friends, all the people in New York who have watched me growing up so they can come and see me play for the last time in my home state. So I’m excited about that. It’s also bittersweet.”Bird is a four-time WNBA champion, 12-time All-Star and the oldest player in the league. She has spent her entire WNBA career with Seattle since becoming the No. 1 draft pick in 2002 following her storied college career at UConn. This season is her 21st associated with the franchise although just her 19th playing after missing two seasons due to injuries. She is the league’s all-time leader in assists and the standard by which other point guards are judged.Bird turns 42 in October and was on the cusp of stepping away a year ago, and when the Storm were eliminated by the Phoenix Mercury in the playoffs, fans chanted “One more year! One more year!” as she did an on-court televised interview.Those cheers were egged on by Phoenix’s longtime star Diana Taurasi, Bird’s former college teammate at UConn and part of all five of those Olympic gold-medal runs.In the end, the fans — and Taurasi — got what they wanted. Bird came back, for exactly one more year.“Sue Bird is Storm basketball,” her WNBA team tweeted moments after Bird made her decision known. “Every moment, every memory has one constant. No. 10. It’s time for the final chapter.”___More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports	Basketball
Musk's plan to buy Twitter has worried policymakers around the world.Joe Skipper \| ReutersCNBC is providing live updates from Elon Musk's address to Twitter employees ahead of his $44 billion acquisition of the company.The Tesla and SpaceX CEO agreed to buy the company earlier this year, but has since expressed what seems to be hesitation about the deal, alleging that Twitter has not accurately disclosed the number of fake or spam accounts on the service.Users should be allowed to say what they want on Twitter, Musk saysWhen it comes to legal but potentially harmful speech, Musk told Twitter employees, that people should be allowed to say what they want.But that's different from Twitter promoting that speech, Musk said, according to the source.Users have the right to filter out content they don't want to see, he added. Musk said the standard is much more than not offending people, it's that they are entertained and informed.Musk reiterated a sentiment he made online earlier that if 10% of the far left and far right are upset, Twitter is doing the right thing.Addressing the topic of inclusion and diversity, Musk said the most inclusive thing to do would be to get all humans on Twitter.He said he believes in strict meritocracy.—Lauren FeinerMusk addresses question of possible layoffs at Twitter: The company needs to get healthyMusk said layoffs at Twitter will depend on its financial situation."It depends. The company does need to get healthy," Musk said, according to the source. "Right now the costs exceed the revenue"Musk said there has to be some rationalization of headcount or else Twitter won't be able to grow."Anyone who is a signification contributor has nothing to worry about," he said.—Lauren FeinerMusk has a strong bias toward in-person workMusk, who recently told his employees at Tesla to come back to work in their offices 40 hours a week or resign, seemed to draw a distinction between working remotely at the car company and at Twitter."Tesla makes cars, and you can't make cars remotely," Musk said, according to a source familiar with the matter.Musk did not detail what his policy on remote would look like for Twitter employees and said if someone is exceptional at their job, remote work is fine, according to the source.But, Musk said his "bias is strongly towards working in person."—Lauren FeinerMusk on how he can build trust with Twitter employees"If someone is getting useful things done, that's great. If they're not then I'm like why are they at the company."-- Lauren FeinerElon Musk on free speechElon on free speech (paraphrased): People should be allowed to say racist things but that doesn't mean Twitter should promote it.-- Lauren FeinerMusk asked why he loves TwitterElon when asked why Twitter: "I love Twitter", "I learn a lot from what I learn on Twitter." It's a "great way to get a message out", "some people use their hair to express themselves, I use Twitter"-- Lauren FeinerEmployees are asking questionsEmployees submitted questions s they are most interested in - no promise they will answer but highest ranked in categories of workplace policies (i.e. remote work), free speech, Elon's suggested product improvements and relationship with employees -- Lauren Feiner	AI Policy and Regulations
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka addressed some of the concerns he had about his team as they face elimination from the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.Udoka received a technical foul in Game 5’s loss to the Warriors and could have received another one as he and Tony Brothers got into an argument when the cameras were turned off. The first-year head coach said the team has gone a bit overboard with the complaints.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM San Francisco - June 13: Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams, #12 and guard Marcus Smart, #36, hold back referee Tony Brothers, #25, from head coach Ime Udoka against the Golden State Warriors during fourth quarter action. (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)"I think we’re complaining at times too much throughout the game," he said, via The Athletic. "Late game may not be any different than first, second or third quarter. Something we need to block out and be better at overall."This was something the Celtics coach talked about immediately after the Game 5 loss. Udoka said he was told he received the technical because of the way he "pointed" at Brothers. Head coach Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics reacts to a foul call on Grant Williams, #12, during the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center on June 13, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)'FAKE KLAY THOMPSON' BANNED FROM WARRIORS GAMES AFTER SHOOTING HOOPS PREGAMECeltics forward Al Horford admitted after the loss the team let the officiating get to them."As you guys know, I feel like we’ve been able to fend those things off, especially throughout the playoffs. For whatever reason tonight I feel like it got to us," Horford said, via Boston.com. Al Horford, #42 of the Boston Celtics, flexes and celebrates against the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the 2022 NBA Finals on June 2, 2022 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mercedes Oliver/NBAE via Getty Images)"It’s one of those things that we kind of brought it back. We were able to focus back in, but we can never let that get to us. We can’t let that affect our game, the way that things are being played. We feel like we can control a lot of those things. It’s something that we have to move on from and be better on Thursday."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe Celtics and Warriors will meet in Game 6 in Boston on Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].	Basketball
WNBA Star Sue Bird I'm Retiring ... 'This Will Be My Final Year' 6/16/2022 9:52 AM PT Sue Bird -- a 4-time WNBA champion and star guard for the Seattle Storm -- says she's retiring ... announcing Thursday she's hanging up her sneakers for good at the end of this season. "I’ve decided this will be my final year," said Bird, who shared a photo of her hoopin' as a youngster. "I have loved every single minute, and still do, so gonna play my last year, just like this little girl played her first." I’ve decided this will be my final year. I have loved every single minute, and still do, so gonna play my last year, just like this little girl played her first ☺️ #TheFinalYear @seattlestorm pic.twitter.com/Uo2YqCCKUD— Sue Bird (@S10Bird) June 16, 2022 @S10Bird The 41-year-old, who was a 2-time NCAA champion at UConn, was picked #1 overall back in 2002 ... and has played every year since for the Storm. In her 19 years in Seattle, she piled up 12 All-Star selections ... and became the WNBA's all-time assists leader as well as the league's all-time leader in starts. The retirement will mark truly the end of one of the greatest basketball careers ever -- as Bird is one of only six players ever to win an NCAA championship, a WNBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal. WNBA season is slated to end in September ... congrats on an amazing run, Sue!	Basketball
LONDON (AP) — Kevin Spacey “strenuously denies” allegations of sexual assault, his lawyer said Thursday, as the Oscar-winning actor appeared in a London court to face five charges of offenses against three men.Photographers and television camera crews thronged Spacey, 62, as he arrived at London’s Westminster Magistrates Court for the preliminary hearing, walking into court accompanied by members of his legal team and two police officers.Spacey sat in the glass-fronted dock during the half-hour hearing, standing to give his full name — Kevin Spacey Fowler — as well as his birthdate and a London address.He was not asked to enter a formal plea, but his lawyer, Patrick Gibbs, said: “Mr. Spacey strenuously denies any and all criminality in this case.”“He has returned to the U.K. in order to establish his innocence,” Gibbs said. “He needs to answer these charges if he is to proceed with his life.”Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram granted Spacey unconditional bail until his next appearance, a plea hearing scheduled for July 14 at London’s Southwark Crown Court. He is free to return to the U.S. in the meantime.The former “House of Cards” star is accused of four counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.The alleged incidents took place in London between March 2005 and August 2008, and one in western England in April 2013. The victims are now in their 30s and 40s.In a statement issued last month, Spacey said he would travel to Britain to face the charges and was confident he would “prove my innocence.”Spacey was questioned by British police in 2019 about claims by several men that he had assaulted them. The two-time Academy Award winner ran London’s Old Vic theater between 2004 and 2015.Spacey won a best supporting actor Academy Award for the 1995 film “The Usual Suspects” and a lead actor Oscar for the 1999 movie “American Beauty.”But his celebrated career came to an abrupt halt in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp accused the star of assaulting him at a party in the 1980s, when Rapp was a teenager. Spacey denies the allegations.	Celebrity
Join the audience for a live webinar 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. EDT on 15 June 2022 exploring the relationship between the efficient management of corrosion protection and clean-energy strategies Want to take part in this webinar? In this webinar, Dr Reza Javaherdashti will discuss the relationship between the efficient management of corrosion protection and clean-energy strategies. After a quick introduction to the basics of corrosion and cataloguing corrosion countermeasures, he will outline the dilemma of corrosion-management strategies, as well as the challenges of clean-energy susceptibility requirements (as related to environmental friendliness). A significant focus of research and application related to clean energies is to reduce the negative effects of fossil fuels that are contaminating our planet (via their by- products) and rapidly consuming our natural resources. Any factor that can assist “clean-energy-based strategies” has to be seriously considered. One of the most interesting of these factors is corrosion management. Embodied Energy (EmE) is defined as the energy consumed by all the processes associated with the production of a structure from the acquisition of natural resources to product delivery. The importance of EmE is its relationship with the release of one of the most important greenhouse gases, i.e., carbon dioxide (CO2). Every Giga Joule (Gj) of energy produced results in the release of approximately 0.098 tonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere; this relationship makes EmE a useful measure to assess the environmental impact of materials and processes. When a metallic part is made, it accumulates energies from the energy consumed in mining it to the energy that is consumed to fabricate and shape it. Various shapes of metallic components and different ways by which they have been fabricated are all subject to corrosion. When a metal corrodes, it is doing a natural process, due to its thermodynamic background, and it also produces a lower EmE figure. A lower EmE, in terms of being environmentally friendly, is certainly a positive point. However, if corrosion is so environmentally friendly, should we not let metals corrode? Should we not try to prevent any measures that would make an obstacle towards having a smaller EmE through corrosion? Want to take part in this webinar? Dr Reza Javaherdashti (CEO at MICCOR) holds a double degree in materials science and metallurgical engineering. He has more than 20 years of industrial and academic experience. Reza is an approved instructor of ASME and SPE, and has spent more than 5000 hours training industries around the globe on topics in corrosion and microbial corrosion. He has also devised systems of corrosion knowledge management and has taught it globally across industries. He has several published papers in internationally recognized journals, and has published books with publishers like Elsevier, Springer, CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, and Wiley. His LinkedIn profile can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-reza-javaherdashti-9a2a2415/.	Chemistry and Material Sciences
Logan Paul Gets Cozy With Model Nina Agdal ... At Restaurant In London 6/16/2022 10:00 AM PT It appears Logan Paul has a new lady in his life -- the YouTuber/boxer was spotted out with Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Nina Agdal in London this week ... and we're told they were packin' on the PDA. Sources tell TMZ Sports the 27-year-old social media star and 30-year-old beauty were getting cozy at Novikov on Wednesday night ... and at one point, they even shared a kiss as they sat at a table with friends. We're told Logan and Nina tried to keep it lowkey as they left the restaurant ... exiting several minutes apart from each other as they headed out to go clubbing. It sure seems the two are hitting it off -- Agdal recently followed Logan's mom and his closest friends, George Janko and Mike Majlak, on Instagram. Paul previously had long-term relationships with model Josie Canseco and actress Chloe Bennet ... and Agdal famously dated Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Brinkley-Cook. Paul's been killing it lately -- he fought Floyd Mayweather, crushed it at WrestleMania and launched his Prime Hydration drink line ... just to name a few highlights. Now he's getting close with one of the most attractive women on the planet?? Not bad for a silly kid from YouTube.	Celebrity
James Argent looks slimmer than ever after 14st weight loss as he poses with pals ahead of their wedding in Mykonos Published: 12:51 EDT, 16 June 2022 \| Updated: 12:51 EDT, 16 June 2022 James Argent looked slimmer than ever as he posed with his pals after jetting to Greece for their wedding this week.Former The Only Way Is Essex star James, 34, shed a total of 14 stone after having gastric sleeve surgery and he showed off his slim physique as he posed in a patterned shirt and linen trousers, sharing some pictures on his Instagram Stories on Thursday.The wedding singer was in good spirits, laughing and smiling as he stood alongside his friends in a bar on the island of Mykonos. Svelte: James Argent, 34, looked slimmer than ever after his 14 stone weight loss as he posed with his pals after jetting to Greece for their wedding this weekHe later shared a video of himself basking in the warm sunshine as he was driven across the island with the roof of the car down, panning the camera around to show the beautiful views.James has been open and honest regarding his battle with binge eating, having once tipped the scales at 27 stone before having a gastric sleeve fitted last year.The reality star's trip to Greece comes after he recently returned to the United Kingdom after enjoying a sun-filled getaway to Spain with his pals. Good spirits: The wedding singer was in good spirits, laughing and smiling as he stood alongside his friends in a bar on the island of MykonosJames showcased his slimmed-down frame and looked happier and healthier than ever on the holiday.He was earlier seen dancing with his ex-girlfriend Lydia Bright's lookalike sister Romana at Olivia's La Cala restaurant in Málaga.The star, who split from Lydia, 31, in 2016 after a seven year romance, joined her younger sister at Fern Hawkins' hen do ahead of her wedding to Premier League footballer Harry Maguire. Trip: He recently seen dancing with his ex-girlfriend Lydia Bright's lookalike sister Romana at Olivia's La Cala restaurant in Málaga while on holiday shortly before his trip to MykonosThe pair took the floor by storm, with Arg spinning Romana, 18, around the venue after his performance with The Arg Band, at the bash.Speaking to MailOnline, he previously said his career will now be focused on his true passion and gigging with The Arg Band in Marbella is where he feels happiest.In an exclusive interview James, who last appeared on ITVBe show TOWIE in 2018, said: 'As much as I love doing all the stuff on TV, I'm really passionate about and my bread and butter is my band and all my singing gigs.' Bond: The star, who split from Lydia, 31, in 2016 after a seven year romance, has remained close to Lydia's family (Arg and Lydia pictured together in July 2021) Advertisement	Celebrity
Story at a glance Despite hesitations expressed by those who tested the system, The Boring Company received approval to further expand its underground tunnel network in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Convention Center hopes to have its portion of the system up and running by 2023. Previous efforts to install similar networks in Chicago and Los Angeles were unsuccessful. As part of its effort to construct a transportation system hitting the most popular stops in Las Vegas, Elon Musk’s The Boring Company received approval this week to expand its underground tunnels downtown. Musk’s vision for the “Vegas Loop” includes plans to connect the city’s Strip, Harry Reid International Airport, Allegiant Stadium, downtown Las Vegas and eventually Los Angeles. First approved in October 2021 by the Clark County commissioners, the latest unanimous vote on the non-exclusive agreement permits tunnels to be constructed from the Stratosphere to Fremont Street. “To solve the problem of soul-destroying traffic, roads must go 3D, which means either flying cars or tunnels are needed. Unlike flying cars, tunnels are weatherproof, out of sight, and won’t fall on your head,” the company’s website reads. “Tunnels minimize usage of valuable surface land and do not conflict with existing transportation systems. A large network of tunnels can alleviate congestion in any city; no matter how large a city grows, more levels of tunnels can be added.” When completed, the project is anticipated to have 51 stops and cover 29 miles, transporting up to 57,000 passengers each hour. Currently, only 1.7 miles underneath the Las Vegas Convention Center are operational. What is normally a 25 minute walk across the campus now only takes 2 minutes via a human-controlled Tesla Model X and Y. The city hopes tunnels will free up road space for traffic capacity and avoid expensive roadway widenings to accommodate more vehicles. America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news. In the future, the company plans to use self-driving Teslas to make the trek. Costs are expected to be similar to those of public transit or ride-hailing services During January’s International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas, attendees were able to test out the system which can hold 70 cars at once. Despite reports of less congestion than walking through the conference, traffic backups were reported and some passengers were left underwhelmed. The Convention Center hopes to begin providing rides to guests beginning in 2023 and anticipates routes connecting the Center to Resorts World will be operational by the end of 2022. In response to the latest approval, The Boring Company tweeted “TBC is excited to build a safe, convenient, and awesome transportation system in the City.” The tunnels will be equipped with real-time gas and smoke detection features and emergency communications. Practice drills with police and fire departments will also be carried out on a regular schedule. As part of the new approval, city officials required The Boring Company to provide any unique equipment and bear any costs for first responders to access the tunnels, stressing taxpayers will not be responsible for unexpected costs. In the company’s initial pitch, it promised not to spend any taxpayer money for construction but planned to ask hotel casinos that want individual stations to foot these bills. “All of the funding is from The Boring Company,” said Mike Janssen, Executive Director of Infrastructure for the City of Las Vegas, during the June 15 Las Vegas City Council meeting. “The Boring Company will pay all standard plan check, permit and inspection fees,” which depending on the scale of expansion, could range from one to two million dollars. The expansion will also have to go through a series of steps including acquiring permits before construction begins. An operational testing phase will take place next prior to an opening to the general public. The Boring Company’s previous efforts to expand tunnel systems in Chicago, Los Angeles, and the Northeast corridor have all stalled. Published on Jun. 16, 2022	Automotive and Transportation
HEREFilm fest celebrates people of colorWatch narrative and documentary features, shorts, and animated and youth films during RoxFilm, New England’s largest film festival celebrating people of color. The in-person event takes place June 23 through June 29 and includes screenings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston Public Library’s Roxbury Branch, and other local venues, plus panel discussions, networking opportunities, and Q&A sessions with filmmakers. The virtual event runs June 27 to July 2 and gives viewers access to all online films. Don’t miss “Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story, a biopic on the life of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, her bond with Dr. Martin Luther King, and her impact on the civil rights movement, and the New England premiere of “Triggered Life,” an award-winning film directed by Boston local John Adekoje and starring Keith Mascoll. Tickets start at $15 for the in-person pass and $50 for the virtual pass. www.roxfilmfest.com.Get The Big To-DoYour guide to staying entertained, from live shows and outdoor fun to the newest in museums, movies, TV, books, dining, and more.Explore new gardens and a sunflower mazeSunflowers signify happiness, optimism, and peace — all qualities we should embrace these days. On July 30, the Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock, Vt., opens its Sunflower House, a floral labyrinth with more than 100 varieties of sunflowers. Stroll through thousands of blooms ranging from 18 inches to 14 feet tall in a maze-like structure (peak season mid-August with flowers blooming through September). In the meantime, visit the property’s new Billings Farmstead Gardens, opening June 24, which features five distinct gardens — the heirloom, permaculture, chef’s, pollinator, and herb gardens — that form one cohesive space with pathways, arches, trellises, and tunnels. During July and August, the farm hosts Mindful Mondays for guests interested in meditative experiences and Foodie Fridays, with culinary demonstrations and interactive programs with farm-fresh seasonal ingredients. Entrance fee: free for ages 3 and younger to $17 for ages 16 and older. https://billingsfarm.org.THEREBike the Olympic PeninsulaPedal by temperate rain forests, rugged coastline, the world’s longest natural sand spit, and the snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountain Range on a new cycling tour with Escape Adventures. The six-day road biking trip on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula takes riders from Discovery Bay at the southern end of Puget Sound 323 miles to the dense and mossy Hoh Rain Forest on the peninsula’s western end. Along the way, bikers can summit Hurricane Hill in Olympic National Park (designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve), look for orcas and gray whales off the coast, take a dip in the crystal-blue waters of Lake Crescent, and visit a community that’s home to the local Quileute tribe. Trips run from July through September. Prices start at $3,499 per person based on double occupancy. https://escapeadventures.com.Stay at a new Scandinavian-inspired boutique hotel in the heart of the Adirondacks. Eastwind Lake Placid opens July 11.A new Lake Placid hotelStay at a new Scandinavian-inspired boutique hotel in the heart of the Adirondacks. Eastwind Lake Placid opens July 11, offering easy access to downtown Lake Placid and Adirondack Park, the country’s largest National Historic Landmark (covering more area than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, and Glacier national parks combined). The property sits on 2.8 acres along the Chubb River and offers 26 accommodations, including luxury cabins, a vintage library, a sauna, a communal fire pit, bike and skate rentals, and (coming late summer) a pool. Enjoy live music on the weekends, yoga and Pilates classes, and seasonal outdoor meals made on an open-flame Argentine grill. The reception bar offers breakfast baskets, bar bites, and sandwiches. Room rates start at $279. www.eastwindny.com.Whether you’re heading to the beach, taking a bike trip, or road tripping, consider bringing a pair of Tifosi’s new Fototec sunglasses. EVERYWHEREEver-changing sunglassesWhether you’re heading to the beach, taking a bike trip, or road tripping, consider bringing a pair of Tifosi’s new Fototec sunglasses. The company offers about 20 different styles of sunglasses with the Fototec technology, meaning the lens changes from clear to tinted based on the lighting conditions — perfect for shifting weather or glary drives when regular sunglasses would be overkill. Choose from the sporty Aethon glasses with the new Clarion red Fototec lenses — ideal for biking, golfing, and other outdoor activities — or the Swank or larger-fitting Swank XL “lifestyle” sunglasses. Both offer UV protection and come with lightweight frames and scratch-resistant, shatterproof Fototec lenses. The Aethon also has a removable brow bar, adjustable nose and ear pads, and interchangeable lenses. The Swank comes with regular lenses or choose ones with +1.5-2.5 progressive reader lenses (all still with Fototec). $69.95 (Swank), $79.95 (Aethon). www.tifosioptics.com.The 11th generation Kindle has a 6.8-inch, glare-free touchscreen that’s visible from any angle and in all lighting conditions.Take thousands of books travelingAs a passionate reader and lover of real paper books, I shunned e-books until I recently tried Amazon’s new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition. I’ll never go back. I can easily cradle the 6.9-inch-by-4.9-inch device in one hand and quickly adjust font size and screen brightness, and switch to night mode (dark background with white text) so I don’t keep my husband awake. I can take thousands of books with me wherever I go — only limited by my reading budget. Amazon customers can get deals on e-books or sign up for Kindle Unlimited ($9.99 per month) to access more than 2 million books. The 11th generation Kindle has a 6.8-inch, glare-free touchscreen that’s visible from any angle and in all lighting conditions. It comes with Wi-Fi compatibility and 32GB of internal memory; it’s also waterproof (great for the beach or pool) and rechargeable by USB-C cable or wireless charger. Attach a Kindle cover (sold separately) in case you drift off to sleep and accidentally drop your Kindle. $189.99 Kindle; $39.99 leather cover. www.amazon.com.KARI BODNARCHUKKari Bodnarchuk can be reached at [email protected].	Festivals
Steve Granitz/WireImage. Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images. James Devaney/GC Images. Earl Gibson III/WireImage What makes a queer anthem? That’s the question MTV News recently posed to four musicians: rapper and activist Mykki Blanco; Mxmtoon, the ukulele-playing bedroom-pop artist; Southern-born singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt; and gospel-influenced pop star Vincint. The quartet met on a recent Zoom call to talk about what they believed to be the 10 greatest LGBTQ+ anthems of the 21st century so far, and prior to the conversation, the artists were asked to prepare their picks for what they considered the most club-immaculate or culturally impactful songs of the last two decades. These tracks could be by any artist, from anywhere, and only needed to be released after the year 2000. The intention was to use these suggestions to craft a comprehensive playlist showcasing the music that defines the community and soundtracks its spaces today. Inevitably, the prompt’s open-ended nature gave way to more questions: What exactly is a “queer anthem”? Should the track be made by a person who identifies as such to qualify, and how has that definition changed as more people openly make music about their own experiences and identities? The ensuing conversation lasted nearly two hours. It was extensive but, like the catalog it yielded, by no means comprehensive. Any attempt to compile an exhaustive list of this kind is fraught, subject to personal opinions and unique experiences — and so, rather than a ranked arrangement, we ordered it according to the natural flow of the discussion. As the musicians candidly shared their own associations with each song, often a track’s significance was inextricably entangled with the context of its release, such as the shockwave sent when Frank Ocean came out in 2012, or the rabidly homophobic controversy that emerged in response to Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” And other times, rather than identifying a song’s particular meaning through its lyrics or visuals, it was selected firstly for its sound, how it had the singular ability to momentarily suspend time and reality, to guide friends and chosen family to each other in the seething darkness of a club. Kicking off MTV News’s Queer Music Week, a Pride celebration of the LGBTQ+ artists and allies making the music that matters, the list below demonstrates how elusive and broad the concept of a queer anthem is, in part because the community itself is so vibrant and diverse. No, this list is not definitive, but it is a gesture towards definition, by and for ourselves. In that sense, certain themes did emerge in the course of our conversation: a desire to create spaces that liberate and connect, a need to tell one’s own story through art, and perhaps most of all, an honest appreciation for the power of a good bop. Music has transformed and evolved even within the relatively small scope of the last two decades, just like queerness itself. Frank Ocean: “Chanel” When Frank Ocean dropped “Chanel” in early 2017, fans immediately hailed it as a bisexual anthem. The song arrived shortly after Blonde, the R&B futurist’s most outwardly queer project yet, and five years after he first came out via a Tumblr note. Yet “Chanel”’s opening felt especially bold. “My guy pretty like a girl,” Ocean sings over a muddy piano sample, “and he got fight stories to tell.” He describes a romantic partner who exists in both feminine and masculine realms as well as his attraction to both, a duality he epitomizes on the song’s repeated hook: “I see both sides like Chanel.” As he recounts his own cash-filled pockets and thousands in Delta credit, Ocean toasts to having it all — a banner moment for bisexual visibility wrapped in a massive flex. Mxmtoon: “I grew up with a lot of toxic representations of bisexuality in media and a lot of fetishization around what I eventually identified to be my sexual orientation. … For him and his expression of his identity to be accepted by the people around me made me feel less weird and less strange in my skin as I was trying to navigate what I wanted to identify as. That’s also part of queer anthems: helping people understand the queer experience and bringing that to the forefront of what people pay attention to.” Mykki Blanco: “To have lived through the entire world just wrapping their arms around him and coming together to say, ‘You’re one of the baddest bitches out; we got you no matter what,’ and then to see that flowering of him publicly expressing queer love, it was an awesome moment.” Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” Stan Twitter gave Lil Nas X a platform. “Old Town Road” made him a star. But only “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” let him give Satan a lap dance. The pop provocateur’s fiery vision of queer desire quickly became the most talked-about music video of 2021, amplified by a hot, heavy, crotch-grabby performance on Saturday Night Live. At one point, a backup dancer licks his neck before he admits, “I wanna fuck the ones I envy.” Spectacle is the point — gay sexuality is rarely centered this prominently on network television — and the artist’s lyrics provide the foundation. On the song he named after himself, Montero pines for someone with masculine pronouns. He admitted that he would not have been brave enough to do that as a teenager. But now? “This will open doors for other queer people to simply exist,” he tweeted. Vincint: “Never before have you seen a Black gay man as celebrated as Lil Nas X has been just for being so openly gay. What a beautiful story. The gay storyline always ends with one us dying or one of us getting sick or one of us going off to war. It’s like, no, bitch. We’re happy! And we have really great lives.” Troye Sivan: “Bloom” Before Troye Sivan became a stadium-filling international pop star, his candid vlogs about life as a teen gained him a fan base. Sivan represents a new generation of LGBTQ+ youth whose experiences and understanding are being shaped in part by its representation online: He came out publicly in a video posted to YouTube in 2013 (though he had told his family in private three years prior), an act that has inspired many young fans to do the same. The music and acting careers he’s developed since have always championed queer identity. His music videos often depict gay relationships while his lyrics employ masculine pronouns and bravely speaking to same-gender love, but perhaps none more explicitly or to as much fanfare than those in the flowery track “Bloom.” The song was praised as a “bottoming anthem” for its lyrics that alluded to a fantasy played out between two men (“Put gas into the motor / And, boy, I'll meet you right there / We'll ride the rollercoaster”). The song’s subject matter was seemingly confirmed by Sivan himself with a since-deleted tweet that read #BopsAboutBottoming, which is a big deal, given that the sex act is still stigmatized even within the gay community. Mxmtoon: “I watched his coming-out video. That was one of the first experiences that I vividly remember seeing somebody talking about coming out. I was like, ‘Oh, wow, this person that I really look up to is also gay. Maybe I’m gay?’” Vincint: “I didn’t know what ‘blooming’ meant at the time, and then someone told me, and it all came full circle. I loved the music video because it was just a bunch of flowers opening up, which was very, very cute and it made sense as a metaphor.” Lady Gaga: “Born This Way” “My momma told me when I was young, we are all born superstars.” So begins the title track of Lady Gaga’s 2011 album Born This Way, her dance-pop devotional to the LGBTQ+ community. Riding the high of her newfound stardom after two hit pop records, Mother Monster channeled the nickname bestowed upon her by fans and crafted a dance album that would comfort marginalized Little Monsters around the world. Today, it’s easy to scoff at the track’s direct call-outs to its target audience (“No matter gay, straight, or bi / Lesbian, transgender life / I’m on the right track, baby, I was born to survive”). But in 2011, the song was a resonant rally cry — and the exact sort of soundtrack LGBTQ+ Americans needed on the precipice of the repeal of the homophobic law Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the legalization of marriage equality nationwide. It also proved that pop music can sound good and inspire social good. Gaga herself took her activism to the next level by establishing the Born This Way Foundation, which supports the mental health of young people around the world. The ways in which we talk about queer identities have evolved since “Born This Way,” but no matter what, Gaga reassures us we’re “on the right track.” Mykki Blanco: “It just feels so good. It’s so inclusive, it’s so warm, it’s so fuzzy. You hear that track, and it doesn’t matter where you’re at. The parade is going, the flags are flying, and you’re just like, ‘Yes, I’m on the right track! Yes, Gaga!’ Katie Pruitt: “Any big mainstream song about sexual identity moves the needle. This song did that in a big way, because people would argue the fact that sexual identity is a choice — it’s not a choice. I was born this way.” Mxmtoon: “The speaking up is definitely something that as a young queer person I appreciated from the people I looked up to because I didn’t grow up around a lot of people in my immediate community that were talking about their sexual identity or their gender identity.” Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa, P!nk: “Lady Marmalade” All-star diva team-ups don’t always become queer anthems, but the 2001 “Lady Marmalade” update seemed preordained for success. It was anchored to the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack; it featured four divas performing at the top of their respective games; and crucially, its video found them glammed up in their burlesque best and chewing scenery. The past 20 years have made the tune, originally made famous by Labelle in 1974, a karaoke essential, a drag-show staple, and a career highlight for Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa, and P!nk (as well as co-producer Missy Elliott). The combined vocal electricity could light a cabaret, and the song’s playful approach to sexuality remains its second-best hook — only topped by that iconic, immortal French refrain. (It means, of course, “Do you want to sleep with me?”) Katie Pruitt: “I recently saw a drag show where this drag queen performed ‘Lady Marmalade,’ and it was the most joyous experience. You see these drag queens completely embracing femininity, and it’s so beautiful to watch.” Vincint: “If anyone is with their friends and hears this song, my favorite part about that is everyone picks a person. Either you’re P!nk, or you’re Christina, and you all find your spots and you get in your places, and you go for it.” Mykki Blanco: “I think to be a true diva, you also have to have transformed the culture a bit in your time.” Big Freedia: “Y’all Get Back Now” The queen diva, you best-uh believe-uh — Big Freedia is inarguably a legend within the New Orleans bounce scene. Bounce is quintessentially NOLA, in part for its call-and-response vocals influenced by Mardi Gras chants, but also for its welcoming attitude towards visibly queer performers in its culture, of which the Louisiana city has a rich history. Since beginning her career in the ’90s, Freedia has helped bring the genre from the club underground into the mainstream. She came to slay when she lent her spoken-word stylings to Beyoncé’s song “Formation” and has also contributed vocals to tracks by Drake, Kesha, and even Rebecca Black. But this transition from marginal art form to music’s everyday largely began with the release of “Y’all Get Back Now,” the slamming breakout single off her 2010 debut album Big Freedia Hitz Vol. 1. The lead track encapsulated her musicality with its repetitive shout-sung vocals and music video that featured Godzilla-sized dancers dominating a cityscape with their wiggly, gyrating butts. The word “twerk” itself was popularized thanks to Freedia’s ambassadorship, and she holds the Guinness World Record for the most people twerking simultaneously — 406 in total. Vincint: “If we’re talking about icons, Big Freedia should be at the top of the list.” Mykki Blanco: “Freedia’s star has really been on the rise the last few years, and she definitely paved the way for a lot of us. She’s always really inspirational.” Katie Pruitt: “I’m not a very feminine-presenting lesbian, but if anybody could make me twerk, it’d be Big Freedia.” King Princess: “1950” “Anthemic” probably isn’t the first descriptor that comes to mind when you think of King Princess’s “1950,” but it is apt. Backed by swaying instrumentals and lilting layered vocals, the singer-songwriter’s debut single announced her as an indie-pop artist to watch after it scored Harry Styles’s coveted seal of approval. King Princess, née Mikaela Straus, was 19 years old when “1950” dropped, but the song artfully alludes to a time when being queer meant covert affairs and coded language (“I like it when we play 1950 / So bold, make ‘em know that you're with me”). It also laid a solid foundation for more overtly sexually empowered tracks to come, often incorporating feminine pronouns. Whether she’s worshipping at the altar of pussy or making grown men cry while fucking with gender, King Princess typifies the unapologetically unsubtle references to queer sex and culture we’ve come to expect from younger LGBTQ+ artists like Clairo, Girl in Red, and Troye Sivan. What sets her apart is how refined her entire discography sounds, from her kinkiest cuts to the lush lesbian psalm that put her on the map. Mxmtoom: “I would play her songs in the car with my friends who are totally straight, and we’d listen to it and be like, ‘This is really gay, and that’s really awesome.’ King Princess has really brought women-loving-women relationships to this whole other sense of people realizing, ‘This is something that’s gonna happen, and I’m not gonna hide that anymore.’ Katie Pruitt: “We’re seeing this new, future generation of Gen Zers come up and just change shit. I love this song so much because to me, it feels like a gay girl guiding another girl, possibly in the closet, into acceptance. That’s something that all of us queer people can identify with.” Muna: “I Know a Place” Electronic pop band Muna wrote the resilient, relentlessly positive “I Know a Place” specifically to be a queer anthem — and it actually became one. The Los Angeles trio began work on the vaporous tune, built around the power of gay clubs as sanctums, in celebration after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in 2015. But the following year, the horrific Pulse nightclub massacre, at the time the deadliest mass shooting in American history, turned the song’s symbolic pleas to “lay down your weapon” into frightening realities. Reeling LGBTQ+ listeners sought shelter in its vivid and welcoming embrace. “Don't you be afraid of love and affection,” vocalist Katie Gavin sings; she sounds like she’s floating just under the disco ball, above a patchwork of outstretched arms. Vincint: “I found that song at a time in my life where I really needed to hear, ‘This isn’t it. This isn’t where it all ends. This isn’t life, and this is not how it has to be.’ These songs find the people they need to, and I was that person at the time.” Myyki Blanco: “Protest music really begins to help people begin to break down through song the different intersections of our society. A song is simple; a song can be complex. But it’s that transgressive nature of what’s being said or communicated that can really help us in a simple way understand complex ideas.” Kacey Musgraves: “Follow Your Arrow” What makes “Follow Your Arrow” so monumental is how casually it treats queerness. “Kiss lots of boys,” country-pop troubadour Kacey Musgraves instructs, “or kiss lots of girls, if that's something you're into.” Then she simply moves on to the next line, ultimately arriving at the title message of self-acceptance. They were reassuring words to hear from a country star in 2013, well before the yeehaw agenda recontextualized what the genre could be, and for whom. They also cost her some country-radio airplay, detraction Musgraves shrugged off. “It's gonna have its own life regardless, so I don't really want to ask their permission,” she said then. She was right. Musgraves has since become a gay icon, leaning into disco and full-on perseverance anthems. It all started with “Follow Your Arrow,” her evergreen invitation to live how you live and love who you love. Katie Pruitt: “It’s broad enough that anyone can understand it: ‘Follow your arrow wherever it points.’ But there’s one moment in the song — that was the first moment in a mainstream country song that I had heard that topic being addressed at all. I was struggling to come out to my parents at the time. Hearing a song be such a big country hit mention that you should celebrate who you love — it was just a nod from a straight ally that I really appreciated.” Mxmtoon: “I actually didn’t like country music for a really long time, honestly, because it didn’t feel like a space where a woman of color who identified as queer could actually fit in. When I heard that line, I was caught off guard. It was the first time that I heard some sort of queer allyship inside of a song that was in the country genre. That changed my perspective on what it means to be a songwriter.” Robyn: “Dancing On My Own” Robyn is a dance-floor phoenix. The Swedish singer began her career in the ’90s, releasing her debut album Robyn Is Here in 1995 at the age of 16. After dropping her Grammy-nominated fourth LP, the eponymous Robyn, she left the scene for five years, only to shake the world of pop to its core when she returned. Body Talk, a trilogy of mini-albums out in 2010, featured what would become some of Robyn’s most iconic stateside singles: “Hang With Me,” “Indestructible,” and of course, her lonesome opus “Dancing On My Own.” The space between the song’s trembling bassline and sparse melody echoes its lyrics about utter isolation. Loneliness is a universal experience, but for many queer people, that trauma is collective: Some are shunned by friends and family simply for being who they are, forced to seek connection elsewhere. Nightlife has long been a gathering place for LGBTQ+ people — before we could be open in our daily lives, we found each other in the musty, anonymous haze of the bar. “Dancing On My Own” captures this perfectly and has since been ingrained in the memories of a generation of LGBTQ+ people. Vincint: “Robyn is everything. She’s the beginning and the end. She’s the middle. She’s everything. ‘Dancing On My Own’ will wreck you, pull you back together. It will get you through a heartbreak. It will get you through your taxes, bitch. It will get you through the moment. Robyn is everything.” Mykki Blanco: “How many of us have just been walking down the street and someone gawks at us for what we have on or questions why? ‘Why are you wearing those jeans?’ or ‘Why are you wearing that shirt?’ or ‘Why are you wearing that top?’ In a club, you’re able to fully express yourself in a way where you can present how you want to present with like-minded people. The community is there and the music is going. I think there’s something spiritual that happens in the club.” This year, express your self-care and celebrate Pride mindfully. Visit www.MentalHealthIsHealth.us/PRIDE. Pride Month Music Mxmtoon	Music
The Queen suffered narrow defeats in two races on a dramatic Gold Cup day at Royal Ascot. The sovereign was looking for her 25th winner at the royal meeting but she was unable to attend owing to her well publicised mobility problems and was probably happy she stayed away as the odds-on shot Reach For The Moon suffered a shock defeat in the Hampton Court Stakes and Saga finished fast before losing out in the Britannia Handicap.For Frankie Dettori, the jockey on both, the day could not have gone worse. He suffered an awful run on Stradivarius in the Gold Cup when he finished third having again allowed his horse to get into a poor position before the home turn as he did last year. That was quickly followed by an agonisingly narrow defeat on Saga before Reach For The Moon finished second to Claymore. Earlier, Kyprios scuppered Stradivarius’ bid for a fourth victory in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.The Aidan O’Brien-trained winner enjoyed a perfect trip in the Group One highlight, poised to challenge in the hands of Ryan Moore when turning in, while Frankie Dettori struggled to find a route through on Stradivarius.Kyprios, having his first try at the two-and-a-half-mile trip, kept finding all the way to the line as the 13-8 favourite, fending off Mojo Star and the desperate late flourish of Stradivarius to take the prize.Winning rider Ryan Moore said: “It was not a nice race to ride. I had to move him to the outside – he’s got there and Mojo Star has come to us and then he put his head down. It was not a true test today and we haven’t seen the best of him. My horse is brave and I think [he will prove] much the best.”More to follow …	Other Sports
Britney Spears See ya, Instagram ... Account Disappears Again 6/16/2022 10:24 AM PT Oops, she did it again ... Britney Spears' Instagram account has disappeared for a 2nd time. Fans of the newlywed aren't going to find any dancing or twirling videos when heading to her page ... instead, they'll be met with the classic "Sorry, this page isn't available" message. The singer's been really active on the platform lately -- expressing her opinions about her family, her recent marriage, and the conservatorship -- but that's all coming to a screeching halt. It's still unclear if she pulled the plug, or if the platform shut her page down. As you'll recall, the same thing happened back in March, again, without warning ... in the heat of her brutally honest posts about her time in the conservatorship. While fans speculated Instagram was the one that pulled her from the platform, our IG sources said it was all Britney's decision. She eventually returned to the app, getting back into her old habits of posting pics, eyes locked on the camera -- she never explained her reason for departing last time, but still got tons of fans welcoming her back. Who knows how long we'll be missing Britney's posts -- only time will tell if this leave is permanent.	Celebrity
Not quite little green men quite yet but Chinese state media claimed they picked up some mysterious signals on their massive Spy Eye telescope but the report was swiftly deletedFive-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) in Pingtang, in southwestern China's Guizhou province, has been on the hunt for extra-terrestrial lifeChinese state media announced it may have detected signs of alien life via one of its state-of-the-art radio telescopes - before mysteriously deleting any trace of the report. The now deleted announcement by the state-backed Science and Technology Daily claimed the world’s largest radio telescope, called Sky Eye, had picked up electomagnetic signals that differed from anything they had seen before. The report cited Zhang Tonjie, chief scientist of an extraterrestrial civilization search team co-founded by Beijing Normal University, the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of California, Berkeley. Although the article was swiftly deleted it had already started trending on social network Weibo and had been picked up by other media outlets, reports Bloomberg. An artists rendition of what aliens could look like if they did exist, which they might, we just don't know yet ( Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto) The report suggested they had found "several cases of possible technological traces and extraterrestrial civilizations from outside the earth". It is unclear why the piece was deleted but social media sites are abuzz with speculation. The massive Sky Eye is located in China's Guizhou province and has a diameter of 500 meters. In September 2020 it launched a search for extraterrestrial life. The team picked up two sets of interesting signals in 2020 while processing data collected in 2019, and found another suspicious signal in 2022 while examining exoplanets, Zhang said in the report. Sky Eye focuses on n the low-frequency radio band and plays a critical role in the search for alien civilizations, according to Zhang Before the star gazers get too excited he did suggest the signals could be some kind of radio interference and further investigation will be needed. In the history of humans, no evidence of extraterrestrial life has ever been discovered. Despite this, our ever expanding understanding of the universe and its immense scale has increasingly led many scientists to believe there is a possibility of life. Although no evidence exists, reports of aliens have frequently appeared over the years. Spy Eye or Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) is the largest radio telescope in the world ( Image: VCG via Getty Images) A former US Homeland Security officer recently revealed the strange things he saw while working at the Mexican-American border - including what he's certain were UFOs. Newly released video and testimony from a former Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agent revealed multiple encounters with "aerial objects" appearing to manoeuvre "well beyond the capabilities of a conventional aircraft", the Debrief reports. The footage has left some veteran pilots scratching their heads and questioning nature of these objects. Other long running mysteries still perplex rational thinkers about what actually happened. Three decades ago 62 pupils claimed they saw a disc-shaped craft land from the sky and stop in a field outside their school in Zimbabwe. The case has fascinated UFO enthusiasts because of the large number of witnesses who all claim to have seen the same thing. Most UFO sightings tend to occur in the West and this one in Africa also helped garner more of the world’s attention when it happened. Even 28 years after the incident happened many of the children maintain that they did see a UFO on September 16, 1994. Read More Read More	Space Exploration
Beyoncé photographed by Patrick Demarchelier for W.No more surprise drops for Beyoncé. She’s giving us six weeks notice before she releases her first solo album in six years. Early Thursday morning, her record label, Columbia Records, posted a photo on their Instagram, a black box featuring the words “act i” and “Renaissance,” with a caption featuring the date, July 29th. Since then, more information has come out, and it seems that Beyonce’s seventh studio album, Renaissance, will be released next month. Speculation about a new Beyoncé project began a few days ago, when the singer deleted all of her social media profile pictures, something she did back in 2016 ahead of the release of “Formation,” the lead single off Lemonade. Beyoncé’s profile pictures are still missing, but her social media bios have been changed to include information about the album, as well as a link where fans can pre-order Renaissance boxsets, which each come with a t-shirt featuring Beyoncé in various poses. The boxsets will ship on July 29th, upon release of the new album. As far as what exactly this era will bring, it’s unclear. Fan account Beyoncé Legion is suggesting the album will include 16 new tracks, and considering it’s called act i, there could be more acts to follow. As for the sound, we’re still not sure what Beyoncé will deliver this time around. Right now, we only have the word of British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, who listened to some of the album for Beyoncé’s cover story for the magazine. “Instantly, a wall of sound hits me,” he wrote. “Soaring vocals and fierce beats combine and in a split second I’m transported back to the clubs of my youth.” Enninful continues, describing the songs as “music I love to my core. Music that makes you rise, that turns your mind to cultures and subcultures, to our people past and present, music that will unite so many on the dance floor, music that touches your soul.” The magazine’s cover shoot could also serve as a hint to the album’s sound. The photos are distinctly retro, with a disco feel. It’s possible Beyoncé will be touching on the ‘70s and the vibe of Studio 54 for this new album, which would be a bit of a departure from her usually modern sound.As you wait patiently over the next month for more information, keep checking back here as we stay up to date on what to expect from Renaissance.	Music
"Without even skipping a beat Tom goes, 'Yeah, I was born with it, kid,'" Teller said. "So that was a very Tom moment for me." Tom Cruise and Miles TellerAP Some people are born to be pilots. Miles Teller, though, was allergic to it. The “Top Gun: Maverick” star, who portrays the son of late Navy aviator Goose in the sequel, revealed on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” that he suffered a reaction with “head to toe” hives after filming a pilot sequence. “We landed, and I thought, ‘Man, I’m not feeling too good,'” Teller said. “I was really hot and I just started itching like crazy. So I got out of the jet. I’m just covered in hives. Head to toe. I go to a doctor. I do a blood analysis. I’m in an oatmeal bath that night. I have sensitive skin anyway, truth be told, Irish-Scottish skin. No dyes, no nothing.” Turns out Teller’s blood test results showed he had “flame-retardant, pesticide, and jet fuel” in his bloodstream. “I go to set the next day and Tom‘s like, ‘How did it go Miles? What did they find?'” Teller continued. “I was like, ‘Well, Tom, it turns out I have jet fuel in my blood.’ And without even skipping a beat Tom goes ‘Yeah, I was born with it, kid. So that was a very Tom moment for me.” Cruise reprised his role as naval aviator Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell over 30 years after the original 1986 iconic film and was dead set on making the “Maverick” flying sequences as real as possible, which included filming actors actually piloting F-18 fighter jets. The cast had to sign waivers stating they were not afraid of flying. “I was very clear in the beginning: ‘This is what it’s going to be like. It’s not for everyone,'” Cruise previously shared with People. “I want people to enjoy the experience. ‘If you don’t want be involved, totally, I understand.'” Production included 14-hour workdays resulting in only 30 seconds of “good footage” usable for the final cut, with months of specifically aerial shooting culminating in an estimated 800 hours of footage. Teller shared that he almost threw up after filming, and director Joseph Kosinski called the months-long training process a “boot-camp mentality,” adding, “Nothing brings people together like group suffering.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.	Movies
Styles stars as Pugh's husband with a secret in the Olivia Wilde-helmed takedown of suburbia as a utopian prison. Ah, the golden cage of marriage. Florence Pugh and Harry Styles’ steamy suburban perfection is utterly shattered in the first trailer for “Don’t Worry Darling.” The psychological thriller, directed by Olivia Wilde who also stars, will be released in theaters on September 23. Pugh plays Alice, the wife of Jack (Styles), who starts to question her 1950s utopia. Per an official synopsis, the couple is lucky to be living in Victory, the experimental company town housing the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project and their families. “Life is perfect, with every resident’s needs met by the company,” the description states. “All they ask in return is unquestioning commitment to the Victory cause. But when cracks in their idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something much more sinister lurking beneath the attractive façade, Alice can’t help questioning what they’re doing in Victory, and why. Just how much is Alice willing to lose to expose what’s really going on in paradise?” Director Wilde stars as Bunny, Nick Kroll plays Dean, and Chris Pine stars as Frank, who may or may not be in a love triangle with Pugh’s Alice, in the New Line Cinema-Warner Bros. Pictures release. During CinemaCon, Wilde revealed that 18 studios were trying to land “Don’t Worry Darling” but she opted for Warner Bros and New Line because the studios “made one thing very clear: This would be a movie for movie theaters.” After making her directorial debut with critically-acclaimed “Booksmart” in 2019, Wilde collaborated again with screenwriter Katie Silberman for “Don’t Worry,” based on an original story by Silberman and Carey Van Dyke and Shane Van Dyke. Darren Aronofsky’s longtime director of photography Matthew Libatique serves as cinematographer for the film that already is making waves for its stunning visual elements (cue: Pugh’s character Saran-wrapping herself à la “The Batman” Riddler.) “It was engineered specifically for the theatrical experience, from the cinematography to the sound design to every tiny detail in between,” Wilde told the CinemaCon audience before exclusive footage was showcased at CinemaCon. Director Wilde previously told Vogue that the psychological thriller is inspired by Adrian Lyne’s erotic classics “Fatal Attraction” and “Indecent Proposal.” “[Those movies are] really sexy, in a grown-up way…I kept saying, ‘Why isn’t there any good sex in film anymore?’” Wilde said. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.	Movies
PROSPECT PARK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Celebrate Brooklyn returns to Prospect Park for the summer of 2022, with live music and performances.Here is more from the event, from the organizers.--There's only one free summer-long outdoor concert and performance series in New York City that has been presenting talent from around the world and around the block for more than 40 years: BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!Unlike the multi-stage destination festival scene, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! is a free, summer-long experience allowing New Yorkers to come back again and again with their friends and family to appreciate or discover a new genre, acclaimed artist, or world culture each night of the Festival. During its over 40-year run, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! has presented celebrated global music icons, legendary jazz artists, chart-topping indie bands, gravity-defying dance troupes, large-scale film projects and even a virtual reality performance, becoming one of the city's foremost cultural attractions and a beloved summer tradition.From its very first performance in summer of 1979, the mission of BCB! has been to bring Brooklyn together. These free experiences at the Lena Horne Bandshell enhance our quality of life and understanding of the world by illuminating the vibrant cultures that make our borough so unique. We believe it is especially important to use artistic platforms to reaffirm the very basis of what Brooklyn and America is -- a welcoming, supercollider of ideas and cultures, informing and enriching each other.All BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! performances are free! The festival attracts upwards of 250,000 attendees from across New York CityPeople are welcome to bring their own chairs and blankets to lay out in front of the Lena Horne Bandshell.Click here to learn more about Celebrate Brooklyn and see the calendar of performers.ALSO READ: Tips to beat the heat as summer-like weather arrives---------- More Brooklyn 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
Getty Images Be ready, Beyhive: A revival is coming. Beyoncé will be experiencing a Renaissance with her seventh studio album — and Act I will be dropping extremely soon. It’s been six years since Queen B released the universally acclaimed Lemonade, and four since Everything Is Love, her joint album released with her husband Jay-Z as The Carters. On Thursday (June 16), the Tidal streaming service and Columbia Records announced that she is finally returning for her new solo studio album, called Renaissance, this summer. Her social media bios have also changed to coincide with the announcement and list the date of the first release as July 29. What Act I actually means has yet to be revealed, but fan accounts have begun parsing the metadata available across the web. For example, the Apple Music listing has unveiled the album to have a total of 16 tracks. On Beyonce’s website, four unique box sets with a physical CD, a T-shirt, a 28-page photo booklet, and a mini poster are available to pre-order. The announcement of Renaissance arrives almost a week after Beyoncé erased all her social media profile pictures on Friday, June 10. Earlier this week, fans also spotted another hint of an upcoming album when the singer’s BeyGOOD Foundation Twitter account shared a collage of album covers to celebrate Black History Month, with an unknown image of a gloved hand pointing to Brandy’s album B7. As Renaissance would be Beyoncé’s seventh studio album, it would make sense to put two and two together. Last year, Beyoncé did confirm in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar that she had been working on a new album for quite a while during the COVID-19 pandemic, even indirectly name-dropping the title. “I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible,” she said to the magazine. “I’ve been in the studio for a year and a half. Sometimes it takes a year for me to personally search through thousands of sounds to find just the right kick or snare.” In preparation for Renaissance, Queen Bey emanated magnificence and elegance for the July 2022 cover issue of British Vogue. The story also delved into some broad strokes of what we might be able to expect from the sound of Renaissance. Since the tea-spilling of Lemonade in 2016, Beyoncé has worked on numerous projects. She starred as Nala in the 2019 musical remake of The Lion King and curated its soundtrack album called The Lion King: The Gift. On Juneteenth 2020, she released the surprise charity single “Black Parade,” and an online directory called "Black Parade Route" was launched alongside the song’s release to promote Black-owned small businesses. Recently, Beyonce produced an original song “Be Alive” for the 2021 film King Richard, which in 2022 won a Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Original Song and received several award nominations, including Best Original Song at the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. R&B Music Beyoncé	Music
One of the jurors on the defamation trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp has revealed that she made them "uncomfortable" while she was on the stand and that many on the jury found her emotional responses to be full of "crocodile tears."The claim came from one of the five male members of the seven-person jury who spoke anonymously to ABC's Good Morning America on Thursday.“The crying, the facial expressions that she had, the staring at the jury. All of us were very uncomfortable,” the juror told GMA. “She would answer one question and she would be crying, and two seconds later she would turn ice cold. Some of us used the expression ‘crocodile tears.'”In comparison, the juror said, Depp appeared more calm and believable.“He just seemed a little more real in terms of how he was responding to questions," the juror said. "His emotional state was very stable throughout.”Heard said this week that she did not believe she was a "likable victim" but had hoped the jury would consider Depp's 2016 text message to his former agent in which he pledged he would bring "total global humiliation" upon Heard after she filed a restraining order against him and divorced him."I’m not a 'good victim,' I get it. I’m not a likable victim. I’m not a perfect victim," Heard told NBC's Today show. "But when I testified, I asked the jury to just see me as human and to hear his own words, which is a promise to do this. It feels as though he has."However, the juror told GMA that he believed the couple were abusive to each other but that Heard did not have enough evidence to support her claims of physical abuse."A lot of Amber's story didn't add up and the majority of the jury felt she was more the aggressor," the juror said. The juror also said that he believed Heard's credibility was hurt by one major "fiasco": the revelation that she had not yet donated all of her $7 million divorce settlement to charity as she said she would.Heard has insisted she has "pledged" the settlement to charity, and that she used the words "pledged" and "donated" interchangeably.But the juror pointed to a talk show interview Heard had done in which she said the money "was donated."“The terms she used in that video clip were ‘I gave it away. I donated it. It’s gone,’" the juror said. "But the fact is she didn’t give much of it away at all.”Heard told Today she still intended to donate the money, but that she found the arguments about the money to be designed to attack her credibility."This is another one of those examples, if you pull back and you think about it, I shouldn’t have had to have donated it in an attempt to be believed," Heard said.Heard's lawyers have said they believe the jury could not have escaped news and social media coverage of the high-profile trial and that it must have influenced them in some way — a claim Depp's team has denied.The juror said that neither he nor several other jurors use Facebook or Twitter and that others who were online had made a point to avoid talking about the trial."We followed the evidence," the juror said.	Celebrity
In the past few weeks, Jennifer Aniston has garnered headlines that have raised questions about her allegiance to some of the female empowerment messages of the #MeToo movement. Aniston faced social media backlash this week after she made some rather salty comments in Variety about Monica Lewinsky and Paris Hilton becoming famous “for doing nothing.” Aniston’s comments were seen as insensitive, tone-deaf and demeaning, in light of the fact that both women have spoken out in recent years about being the targets of public scorn and humiliation. Television personality Monica Lewinsky attends the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 28, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) One twitter user said it was “hypocritical” for a #MeToo advocate like Aniston to “preach empowerment to demean another woman’s past (and] drag her out for the sake of it.” Aniston’s dismissal of Lewinsky comes after the “Friends” star surprised many by appearing to endorse Johnny Depp’s legal victory over his former wife, Amber Heard, by “liking” Johnny Depp’s Instagram post two weeks ago that celebrated the defamation verdict. Both the Daily Beast and BuzzFeed News reported that Aniston was among more than 50 celebrities who liked the post, thereby showing their support for a Virginia jury ruling that Depp’s ex-wife had libeled him when she published an op-ed about being a victim of domestic violence. Aniston’s “like” was never explained, but it left some fans and feminists scratching their heads. Was it left by an employee errantly running her social media account, or was Aniston trying to send a message? But even if Aniston knew Depp personally, or had serious questions about Heard’s testimony during the ex-spouses’ blockbuster defamation trial, people wondered: Was it necessary for the world to know what Aniston thinks on this particular issue? Among other things, Aniston became one of the leading Hollywood supporters of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, which were a response to 2017 revelations about widespread sexual abuse in Hollywood and other industries. With her “like,” Aniston seemed to show that she was OK with a powerful male star such as Depp asserting that, at least in his case, a woman can lie about being physically or sexually abused. Now comes Aniston’s dismissal of Lewinsky and Hilton. Her comments were made during her recorded conversation with “Pam & Tommy” star Sebastian Stan for a Variety Actors on Actors interview. The pair were discussing Stan’s role as rocker Tommy Lee and the infamous 1995 leak of the sex tape Lee made with his then-wife, Pamela Anderson. Paris Hilton. Aniston reflected on how the leak took place during a period when the internet had yet to have a huge impact on culture or on the types of people who could become famous. In the interview, Aniston is quoted as saying, “And it was right at the time when the internet really shaped a new culture about people becoming famous. This thing of people becoming famous for basically doing nothing. I mean — Paris Hilton, Monica Lewinsky, all those.” Aniston went on to lament how anyone can become famous these days, without having to prove themselves as actors. “I always say I feel lucky that we got a little taste of the industry before it became what it is today, which is just different — more streaming services, more people,” she said. “You’re famous from TikTok. You’re famous from YouTube. You’re famous from Instagram. It’s sort of almost like it’s diluting our actor’s job.” “I feel so lucky that we got a little taste of the industry before it became what it is today. More streaming services… you’re famous from TikTok… you're famous from YouTube… you're famous from Instagram… it’s almost like it’s diluting the actor’s job.” — Jennifer Aniston pic.twitter.com/gUf5RJH8cK — Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 13, 2022 Aniston’s dismissal of people who become famous from YouTube and TikTok also sparked complaints about how she was “elitist,” “out of touch” with the current media culture or trying to gatekeep fame. Many others called her a “nepotism baby” and noted that her career was probably helped by the fact that both her parents were actors. Her disparagement of Lewinsky and Hilton was seen as especially problematic. In a column titled, “Jennifer Aniston’s Dismissal of Publicly Humiliated Women as Famous For ‘Doing Nothing’ Hurts Most of All,” SheKnows.com writer Sara Levine said that Aniston’s comments about Lewinsky felt “like an especially low blow.” Lewinsky was a former White House intern — and a private person — when she was thrust into the spotlight of a national political scandal because of her affair with Bill Clinton, then president of the United States. “The so-called ‘fame’ she achieved came at the expense of her privacy and well-being; she was publicly derided, not exactly celebrated, as the word famous connotes,” Levine said. In an essay for Vanity Fair in 2014, Lewiskiny wrote about how, when news of the affair broke, she was “arguably the most humiliated person in the world.” Now an anti-bullying advocate and writer, Lewinsky also wrote about how she struggled to build a career in the years after becoming the target of late-night jokes and other forms of public abuse. She said prospective employers always expressed concern about her “history.” Others on Twitter agreed that Aniston should have kept Lewinsky’s name out of the discussion. “Wait, Jennifer Aniston really said MONICA LEWINSKY was famous for doing nothing????” one person said. “Lewinsky was preyed upon by her boss who was literally the President. She has spoken about how the press coverage harmed her and her family. She did not want to be famous.” “Is Jennifer Aniston (expletive) serious?” another person tweeted. “@MonicaLewinsky wasn’t ‘famous for nothing.’ She was NOTORIOUS in the eyes of the media who (slut) shamed her … How (expletive) tone deaf can a person be?” Levine also objected to Aniston’s dismissal of Hilton, or the way “The Morning Show” star also seemed to lump Pamela Anderson into her argument about people becoming famous for no reason. Levine said that Anderson already was a famous actress on “Baywatch” when her sex tape was leaked. Meanwhile, Hilton was a socialite and member of a well-known family before she became a reality TV star. Aniston’s comments also ignore the fact that Anderson and Hilton didn’t give consent for the sex tapes to be released, Levine pointed out. Anderson’s sex tape was stolen from her garage, while Hilton’s was released by her ex-boyfriend, poker player Rick Salomon. Hilton said in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2021 that the tape’s release in 2004 left her with PTSD. “That will always be something that will hurt me for the rest of my life,” she said. Because Lewinsky, Hilton and Anderson “were publicly violated,” Levine said it felt “like victim-blaming” for anyone to write them off, as Aniston seemed to do. In some ways, it may not be Aniston’s fault, Levin said. She’s just repeating the gossip she’s heard about these women over the years, but Levine said Aniston herself has been on the receiving end of harsh gossip. The stories include speculation about her breakup with Brad Pitt and include the “poor Jennifer” narrative because she’s a twice divorced woman in her 50s with no children. So “it’s disappointing that she took this dismissive tone,’ Levine concluded.	Celebrity
Celebrity \| 6/13/2022 7:13 AM PT "I am definitely feeling the love." UPDATE: 7:30AM PT June 16 2022 Ozzy shared an update on his condition on Wednesday, following surgery earlier this week. "I am now home from the hospital recuperating comfortably," he tweeted. "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." I am now home from the hospital recuperating comfortably. 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 (@OzzyOsbourne) June 15, 2022 @OzzyOsbourne update: 6:30AM pt june 15 2022 Sharon Osbourne has given an update on her husband Ozzy's condition after undergoing surgery on Monday. Taking to her Instagram Story, Sharon wrote: "Our family would like to express so much gratitude for the overwhelming amount of love and support leading up to Ozzy's surgery!" "Ozzy is doing well and on the road to recovery," she continued. "Your love means the world to him." original story below: 7:13am pt june 13 2022 Ozzy Osbourne is heading into a "major operation" on Monday, which will "determine the rest of his life," his wife Sharon Osbourne has revealed. During her UK show Talk TV, she told viewers the Black Sabbath icon would be addressing neck issues he's been dealing with for almost 20 years after an accident. Getty Ozzy Osbourne in 'Unbelievable Pain 24/7,' Has Known About Parkinson's Diagnosis Since 2003 View Story "He has a major operation on Monday, and I have to be there," Sharon said. "It's really going to determine the rest of his life." Sharon then told her fellow panelists she would have to fly back to Los Angeles to support her husband of nearly 40 years. Ozzy himself told Classic Rock magazine last month, "I'm just waiting on some more surgery on my neck." "I can't walk properly these days. I have physical therapy every morning. I am somewhat better, but nowhere near as much as I want to be to go back on the road." "At f—ing 73, I’ve done pretty well," he went on to add. "I don’t plan on going anywhere, but my time's going to come." Crisnet	Celebrity
Mille Miglia 2022 Race Edition 250-piece stainless steel and ethical 18k rose gold. Ref. 168571-6004 Chopard The 2022 Mille Miglia has begun and Chopard is once again the sponsor, official timekeeper and participant in this historic antique car rally in Italy. This year the four-day rally will run till June 18. A total of 404 cars by 63 car manufacturers are participating in the 1,000-mile route that begins and ends in the historic city of Brescia in Lombardy. Chopard Co-President, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, will participate behind the wheel of the Scheufele family’s 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL, well-known to the 1000 Miglia due to its strawberry-red paintwork. It’s the same car that Scheufele was in for his first Mille Miglia in 1989, accompanied by the motorsport legend and Chopard ambassador, Jacky Ickx. This year, Ickx will be on the start ramp in Brescia to wave Scheufele away as he sets off beside his daughter Caroline-Marie, who will be undertaking her second Mille Miglia. Mille Miglia 2022 Race Edition 1,000-piece stainless steel. Ref. 168571-3010 Chopard Chopard has been the sponsor of the Mille Miglia for 35 of the 40 years since the historic car race was re-established in 1977 as a time and reliability trial for cars built between 1927 and 1957. Each year the Swiss luxury brand produces two timepieces to mark the occasion. The first is an all-steel iteration in a run of 1,000 timepieces; while the second features ethical 18k rose gold adorning the crown, pushers and bezel that will be produced in a 250-piece limited edition. Both timepieces have COSC certified automatic movements, meaning they have passed intense precision tests by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, earning the title of chronometer, an extremely accurate and superior timepiece. Both timepieces offer a central hours and minutes display and a small seconds counter at 9 o’clock. For the chronograph functions, there’s a 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock, a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock and a blued, red-tipped central seconds chronograph hand. They also have a date aperture at 3 o’clock, a tachymeter scale and a stop-seconds function. The caseback of the Mille Miglia 2022 Race Edition with the 1000 Miglia motif Chopard Both have a silver-toned dial with a circular satin-brushed finish. The iconic red and white 1000 Miglia logo is next to the date window at 3 o’clock. All subdials have a snailed design and the baton-styled CVD-treated hands and applied hour markers are painted with Super-LumiNova. The dial and movement for both timepieces are housed in a 44mm stainless steel case. The caseback bears the 1000 Miglia motif. The watches and completed with a brown perforated calfskin strap.	Other Sports
The actor, who won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for the 2009 film “Precious,” accused the streaming service of racial and sexual discrimination.Mo'Nique attends the premiere of Universal's "Almost Christmas" on Nov. 3, 2016, in Westwood, Calif.Tommaso Boddi / WireImage fileJune 16, 2022, 2:32 PM UTC / Source: Associated PressLOS ANGELES — 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.”	Movies
With subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, game streaming streaming services have certainly been gaining steam in the past few years. And even popular TV and movie streaming services like Amazon Prime have been getting in on the action. Amazon has been giving Prime members access to a rotating selection of free games and in-game content and items since 2016. And as an early Prime Day deal, Amazon is sweetening the pot by adding more than 30 new games.Amazon's massive Prime Day sale will officially kick off on July 12 this year, but Prime members will have access to these games as early as June 21. The games will be available to claim for free until the end of the sale on July 13, and includes plenty of hit classics. There's lots of great games to get excited about, but one of the best values you'll find at this offer is the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. It collects all three original Mass Effect games, as well as tons of DLC content, and typically retails for around $40. Or, if the ongoing Kenobi show has got you craving more Star Wars content, you can grab fan-favorite titles like Star Wars: Jedi Knight and Republic Commando. There's also a selection of more than 25 hit indie titles like Metal Slug 2 and Serial Cleaner that will be available as well. You can see the full list of games in Amazon's announcement here, and be sure to stay tuned to CNET Deals for all the latest Prime Day news as it is made available.	Video Games
Hopes of greater equality and representation for gay players in football have been raised after the creation of an organisation of LGBTQ+ professionals in the game.Twenty founding members have established the LGBTQ+ collective, a group that aims to speak up on issues relevant to the community and create a “safe space” for those wanting to be open about their sexuality or experiencing prejudice in the sport. Individuals involved include Leatherhead’s manager, Luke Tuffs, the Crystal Palace goalkeeper Chloe Morgan and the Women’s Super League referee Stacey Pearson.The development comes after two active male professionals – Josh Cavallo of Adelaide United and Blackpool’s Jake Daniels – broke generations of silence by coming out over the past eight months.“This group will offer representation and support not just for people in football but across sport and to anybody old or young who wants someone to talk to,” said Matt Morton, a member of the collective and player-manager of Thetford. “Perhaps it’s someone they’ve seen go through the same experience who they can lean on and ask questions in a safe environment.”The collective says it hopes to “harness the skills and experiences” of its members not only to provide a place where individuals can find support but “use the power of our collective voice”. Morgan believes its creation adds to a sense of momentum over greater equality for LGBTQ+ people in the game.“It could have happened before now, it could have happened at any time over the past five years,” he said, “but it would not have been as effective or as poignant. Today there is a feeling of momentum and that we are on a trajectory towards greater inclusion and representation.“We are moving in a direction where more players will feel confident to come out, but I don’t think we should chase it. Certainly we don’t want the situation where it’s sensationalised. But the game has been more ready for it than some people have suggested and the reaction to Jake coming out has shown that. Most people are supportive when someone makes the choice to embrace their sexuality.”	Other Sports
An isolated man builds a massive, child-like robot to be his best friend in this very British comedy about loneliness and letting go. A sweetly eccentric beardo who lives by himself in a stone cottage on a Snowdonia farm track some 20 miles west of Cardiff, Brian (David Earl) has all but given up on having any sort of human connection. “I was very low,” he confesses to the “Office”-like documentary crew who follow his every move (they’re presumably shooting a project about the weirdest people in Wales, which would at least make a little more sense than a 200-hour film about a Scranton paper company), but the unseen man behind the camera never asks Brian to elaborate on his sadness. Neither does the director of the actual movie that Brian is in, an oddball comedy that’s charmingly slight in some places, slightly charming in others, and seldom interested in digging more than a few millimeters below the surface. Be that as it may, Brian still had to do something to lift himself up! So he resorted to the same thing that a lot of folks did when the pandemic isolated them from the rest of the world: He began making stuff. Of course, Brian isn’t really a sourdough starter kind of guy, even if his vibe suggests “Doc Brown as a contestant on ‘The Great British Bake Off.’” The stuff he makes is more along the lines of, say, a messenger bag armored with pinecones, an egg belt (that’s obviously a leather belt with little pockets that hold Brian’s eggs), and a seven-foot-tall robot with a washing machine for a body and a decapitated mannequin for a head. Does it work? Alas, no, true companionship might be as hard to build as it is to find. “You can’t have everything,” Brian surmises. “That’s just greedy.” But then — faster than you can say “it’s alive!” — Brian hears something rustling around the back one dark and stormy night. The massive friend that he’s Frankensteined together has come online, he calls himself Charles Petrescu, and he really, really loves cabbage (not for its nutrients so much as its companionship). Maybe that documentary crew isn’t wasting its time after all. Maybe Brian won’t have to be as lonely as he imagined. Based on his short of the same name, Jim Archer’s broadly winning “Brian and Charles” springs to life in tandem with the second of its title characters, as Charles (Chris Hayward inside a cardboard box covered by a giant brown cardigan) is so delightful it almost doesn’t matter that Earl and Hayward’s script doesn’t come up with anything particularly clever to do with him. He looks like a cross between Jim Broadbent and something the evil kid from “Toy Story” might have designed in his spare time — his blood-red hand and cold blue camera eye can be a bit unnerving — but Charles’ bowtie and the way he kind of dances in place when he talks does enough to dilute any suspicions of malevolence. The real source of the robot’s magic, however, is his voice, which I can only describe as Imperfect Paul (essentially the voice created for Stephen Hawking if it were underscored with a clumsy hint of sweetness). <span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span> Brian isn’t particularly shocked to discover that he’s built a sentient android in his garage — “It took me 72 hours,” he boasts to the camera, as if it’s the longest he’s ever spent on anything in his life — but he’s still afraid of what other people might think. No matter, this movie is at its best when Brian and Charles are just enjoying the pleasure of each other’s company around the cottage, as Earl and Hayward earn all sorts of light chuckles from these characters they’ve honed together over the years. It’s fun just hearing Charles say his name, or declare himself “prince of the dartboard” while Brian smiles proudly at the robot’s latest bulls-eye. The idea of a tank-shaped grandpa would be strong enough to carry this movie on its own, but Charles’ child-like curiosity only makes him all the more endearing. The dynamic between he and his maker is hard to pin down (one minute Brian and Charles are like a father and his overgrown toddler, the next like a son and his senile old man), but the socially awkward inventor and his new best friend remain perfect foils for one another no matter how their connection might crinkle. While Brian has retreated into his own world, Charles is absolutely itching to discover what exists beyond the farm — upon learning about Honolulu, he makes a hula skirt out of sheet metal and starts walking to Hawaii. It isn’t long before the tension between those conflicting desires threatens to split Brian and Charles apart and suck the joy out of the adventure that bears their names. A classic example of a film that successfully captures the essence of the short that inspired it, but never quite figures out how to expand that kernel of an idea into a feature, “Brian and Charles” loses steam whenever it leaves the farm. Nice as it is that Charles gives Brian the confidence required to flirt with the (too) similarly introverted girl next door, his romance with Hazel (Louise Brealey) is never afforded the same texture as his bond with his robot bestie. The script’s animatronic plotting is even harder to swallow when it comes to the story’s antagonist, a bullying neighbor (Jamie Michie) who kidnaps Charles because, well, something has to happen. Watching the movie root around for the scraps of real conflict reminded me of an off-handed anecdote Brian shares about searching for metal in a local junkyard only to dig up a rusty old metal detector. It’s a shame that “Brian and Charles” plays things safe, as Archer’s naturally irreverent debut only becomes easier to invest in during its more outlandish moments. I struggled to believe that Brian was the subject of a documentary (Archer’s half-baked approach to the handheld mockumentary of it all doesn’t help, even if allows his film to be prettier and more wistful than its premise might suggest), but I had no trouble believing that Charles was alive, or that Brian might have a few tricks up his sleeve to help him stay that way. As Brian himself would say: “If you don’t try things, you don’t succeed, do you? You just have to keep trying.” Grade: B- Focus Features will release “Brian and Charles” in theaters on Friday, June 17. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.	Movies
The first Honda Civic Type R to come to the US was so obscenely delightful that it quickly became a favorite among critics and car geeks alike. Honda has teased its successor for some time now, following the debut of the 11th-generation Civic on which it's based, and the automaker's latest video offers some proof as to the hot hatch's performance chops.Honda on Thursday published a new video of the upcoming 2023 Civic Type R tackling the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It's not a full 'Ring run, but rather a stylized smattering of clips where the hot hatch is absolutely caning it around the notoriously long and arduous racetrack. Its signature triple tailpipes return for another generation, and the song spitting forth sounds pretty easy on the ears.We've seen the Civic Type R in action before, most recently at Suzuka by way of a video released at the Tokyo Auto Salon trade show in January. Details are still extremely light, and we have no idea what's under the hood, or how much power it's putting out. But we don't have much longer to wait, and details will likely start pouring forth once the camouflage comes off. For context, the outgoing Type R uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 to send 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.2022 is shaping up to be quite the busy year for Honda. In addition to the Type R's debut, we have new versions of the Accord, CR-V and Pilot to look forward to. We've also taken a spin in the brand spankin' new 2023 HR-V, and we can't wait to tell you all about that little guy in the very near future.	Other Sports
On the final day of the Tokyo 2020 swim meet last year, after the most successful Australian Olympic swimming campaign in history, head coach Rohan Taylor was asked about the secret to the Dolphins’ golden performances. “When you get on a roll, momentum gets going and people start believing,” he said.At the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, individual talent, meticulous preparation and that elusive intangible – momentum – carried the Australian team to nine gold, three silver and eight bronze medals in the pool. It was an emphatic return to the pool after disappointment at London 2012 and Rio 2016.Eleven months later, the momentum has largely dissipated. Following a tumultuous and Covid-interrupted five-year journey to Tokyo, the majority of the Dolphins squad took lengthy breaks from the pool. Training sessions were replaced with sponsor appearances, early morning starts with sleep-ins.Now the Australians must go again. On Saturday, the world championships begin in Budapest. The meet marks the start of a frenetic quarter for Australian swimming, with the world titles followed in quick succession by next month’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and in August the much-anticipated Duel in the Pool, a two-nation meet involving the USA to be held in Sydney. The next three months will provide an early indication of whether Tokyo was a high point for Australian swimming or the start of a new golden era. There are plenty of promising signs that the momentum will continue. Swimming Australia has sent 39 athletes to Budapest, including 11 debutants. Surprise Tokyo gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook was in flying form during the recent Australian trials, breaking the 200m breaststroke world record. His remarkable backend speed will make him the man to beat in that event. Backstroke sensation Kaylee McKeown will also be highly-favoured to back up her Olympic form with multiple world titles, and demonstrate her potential in the 200m individual medley (an event the young star unexpectedly skipped in Tokyo). The individual medley has long been dominated by Katinka Hosszu; if McKeown can beat the Hungarian in her home pool, it would mark a significant changing of the guard.Following her return from a controversial doping ban, Shayna Jack – who denied culpability and was partially vindicated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport – will be eager to make up for lost time. She faces tough international competition in the short-distance freestyle disciplines, but was on form at the trials. Teenager Mollie O’Callaghan is another Australian to watch; a break-out relay star in Tokyo, the 18-year-old appears destined for big things.Kyle Chalmers will hope to put a turbulent month behind him in Budapest. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/ReutersOne of the few Australians to endure a disappointing Tokyo campaign, Elijah Winnington, will be hoping to avenge those demons in Budapest. Winnington was favourite in the men’s 400m freestyle, but failed to secure a spot on the podium. And after a turbulent past month – during which he found himself in the middle of a media storm – Kyle Chalmers will be hoping to let his swimming do the talking.Potential medals therefore abound for Australia in Budapest, including in the relay, after the nation finished on the podium in six of the seven races in Tokyo. But there are also several notable absences from the Dolphins squad.Ariarne Titmus elected to skip the world titles and focus on the Commonwealth Games – and stuck to her plan even after breaking the 400m freestyle world record in Adelaide last month. Titmus’s non-attendance only adds to the hype surrounding her rivalry with American Katie Ledecky: the 15-time world champion is expected to take back her 400m crown, after a teenaged Titmus shocked Ledecky at the last world titles in South Korea in 2019. With the US not part of the Commonwealth Games, and Ledecky signalling recently that she will not travel to Australia in August, a rematch of the Tokyo thriller could be another year off.Emma McKeon is another opting to miss Budapest and instead will join the squad in Birmingham. The 28-year-old made history in Tokyo, her seven-medal haul constituting the best ever performance at a single Olympics by an Australian. McKeon’s absence will be felt by team Australia at the worlds, on the medal chart and in the relays, albeit this lighter schedule might aid her longevity in the years ahead.The coming months carry extra significance given the truncated Olympic cycle, following the Covid-induced postponement of Tokyo 2020. The 2024 Olympics are already just two years away. Athletes and squads do not have the benefit of a full cycle to recover, reset and prepare, making these interim meets all the more consequential.Of course much can change in the 24 months between now and the Paris Olympics. But the forthcoming events provide the Dolphins with the opportunity to begin this cycle in the best way possible – by continuing the momentum of their unstoppable performance at the last Olympics. As head coach Taylor added on that last day in Tokyo: “It comes down to competitive IQ. You need to have athletes who want to win, know how to win and are determined to push through that pressure to win. We have quite a few – but we just need to keep developing them.” That task continues this weekend.	Swimming
The 50th anniversary of the historic passing of Title IX, which opened the doors for female athletes across the country, is June 23, 2022. Even before President Richard Nixon signed Title IX into law, Texans have been highly influential in sports, ranging from high school superstars, professional athletes and Olympic gold medalists.It would be nearly impossible to recognize every key Texan from the past 100 years or so, but here’s a look at 30 of the most influential Texans in athletics history, including notable trailblazers, pioneers and cultural icons across different generations.Touch image to see info. Scroll down to read more about each athlete. The full illustration will also be available in Sunday’s print edition of The Dallas Morning News. Illustration by staff artist Michael Hogue. Copy provided by SportsDay staffers.Sheryl SwoopesBasketball, March 25, 1971Widely regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time, Swoopes came from tiny Brownfield in West Texas to lead the Texas Tech Lady Raiders to their 1993 national championship and played on four straight WNBA championship teams (1997-2000) in Houston. A three-time Olympic gold medalist and prolific scorer (28.1 ppg her senior year at Tech), the Naismith Hall of Famer even had a shoe named after her: the Air Swoopes.Babe Didrikson ZahariasVarious, June 26, 1911-Sept. 27, 1956With 10 LPGA major championships, Didrikson Zaharias’ primary claim to fame is golf. But her accolades extended far beyond that single sport. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics and earned her nickname “Babe” after hitting five home runs in a childhood baseball game. Her athletic career started in Dallas when she moved here after dropping out of school to play basketball.Simone BilesGymnastics, March 14, 1997The undisputed “Greatest of All Time” in women’s gymnastics, Biles propelled the sport to unprecedented levels of difficulty and dominance over the last two Olympic cycles. The Spring resident has earned 25 world championships medals, including 19 gold, and seven Olympic medals, including four gold at the 2016 Rio Games — and hasn’t decided on retirement yet. Biles’ advocacy for mental health during the Tokyo Games in 2021 and for justice in the wake of the Larry Nassar abuse scandal transcended sport.Jody ConradtBasketball, May 13, 1941A pioneer in women’s basketball who won 900 career games, Conradt went from the small West Texas town of Goldtwaite to coaching gigs at Sam Houston State and UTA. She was one of the first hires of Texas women’s athletic director Donna Lopiano and built a national power. With an entertaining up-tempo playing style, Conradt took Texas to eight NCAA Elite Eights and the 1986 NCAA title. As a special assistant to the AD, Conradt is a regular at women’s basketball games.Nancy LiebermanBasketball, July 1, 1958Lieberman, born in New York, joined the U.S. national team at 17. She was a two-time Olympian, winning a silver medal in 1976. Earning the nickname “Lady Magic,” she led Old Dominion to two national championships and was twice named the nation’s best player. As the first overall pick of the now-defunct Women’s Pro Basketball League, she led the Dallas Diamonds to the 1984 title. After her playing career, she’s coached in the WNBA, NBA, NBA G League and Big3. She made the basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.Donna LopianoSports administration, Sept. 11, 1946After a 10-year star turn for the Connecticut Brakettes softball team in her native state, Lopiano came to Austin in 1975 to become the first director of women’s athletics at the University of Texas. By the time she left 17 years later, she’d reshaped the perception of college sports for women. She applied that same approach as CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation, working to make athletic departments Title IX compliant. A member of 13 halls of fame, Lopiano is president of Sports Management Resources.Mary Lou RettonGymnastics, Jan. 24, 1968Remembered for an infectious smile, Retton is one of the most popular Olympic athletes of all time. She won five medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, more than any other participant. Retton recorded perfect 10s on the floor and vault in becoming the first American to win individual all-round gold. Before her Olympic success, Retton moved to Houston to train with renowned coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi, and has lived in the area off and on for long stretches.Brittney GrinerBasketball, Oct. 18, 1990Griner, born and raised in Houston, was named the nation’s No. 1 high school player while attending Baylor, where she led the Lady Bears to the Final Four her freshman season. As a junior, she led Baylor to a 40-0 record and the 2012 national championship and became known for her dunking prowess. She was selected first overall in the 2013 WNBA draft by Phoenix and led the Mercury, her current team, to the 2014 title. She won Olympic gold medals in 2016 and 2020.Cat OstermanSoftball, April 16, 1983Osterman won three Olympic medals, was a four-time All-American at Texas and received all-star honors six times as a professional, making her one of softball’s most decorated athletes. After winning a gold medal in 2004 and a silver in 2008, Osterman retired from Olympic competition. But when softball was reintroduced as an Olympic sport in 2020, she returned and competed as a 37-year-old. She pitched 14 scoreless innings en route to a silver medal.Wayland Baptist Flying QueensBasketball, formed in 1948The Queens, based in Plainview, about 30 minutes north of Lubbock, trailblazed for women’s athletics well before Title IX passed, offering full-ride athletic scholarships in the 1950s and, at one point, winning 131 straight games between 1953-58, a college basketball record. The Queens, coached by Harley Redin, famously flew to away games and were named Naismith Hall of Famers in 2019.Kim MulkeyBasketball, May 17, 1962Mulkey is the first person in NCAA women’s basketball history to win national titles as a player (1982 at Louisiana Tech), assistant coach (1988 at Louisiana Tech) and as a head coach (2005, 20012 and 2019 at Baylor). She is a three-time AP college basketball coach of the year — twice at Baylor (2012 and 2019) and once at LSU (2022), where she took over as head coach following the 2021 season. She won an Olympic gold medal as a player in 1984.Mia HammSoccer, March 17, 1972Hamm, the face of the United States national team for nearly two decades and one of the most recognizable athletes of all time, spent her early high school years in Wichita Falls, attending Notre Dame Catholic School. She later went on to NCAA and World Cup glory, winning four straight college titles at North Carolina and helping the U.S. win the 1991 and 1999 World Cups, hugely influencing the continued rise of the women’s game domestically and abroad. Her 158 career international goals still rank third worldwide.Leta AndrewsBasketball, July 7, 1937The legendary girls basketball coach from Granbury retired in 2014 at age 76 with a career record of 1,416-355. That is the most wins by a high school coach — girls or boys — in U.S. history. She spent 52 years as a coach and teacher and coached a decade before Title IX became law in 1972, starting at a time when most high school coaches were men. She has been a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.Kathy WhitworthGolf, Sept. 27, 1939One of the greatest female golfers ever, Whitworth won more tournaments (88) than anyone on the LPGA Tour as well as six majors in a career that stretched nearly a half-century. Born in Monahans, she grew up in New Mexico. After lessons from the great Harvey Penick in occasional 800-mile round trips to Austin, she turned pro at 19. The Dallas-area resident is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, was named the LPGA Tour Player of the Year seven times and the AP Female Athlete of the year twice. She was the first woman to win $1 million in career earnings.Sandra MeadowsBasketball, Jan. 23, 1935-May 27, 1994The late Sandra Meadows transformed Duncanville girls basketball into a national powerhouse, winning four state titles there and producing a state-record 134-game winning streak (1987-91). She was diagnosed with cancer in 1989 but continued to coach and won state in 1989 and 1990, capping a run of three straight state titles. A member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Meadows was 743-120 at Duncanville, helping the girls program transition from six-player basketball (three players on each side of the court) to today’s 5-on-5 game.Tara LipinskiFigure skating, June 10, 1982From the face to the voice of international competition, Lipinski’s career included 1998 Olympic gold in ladies’ singles, 1997 world championship gold and signature execution of the triple-loop, triple-loop combination as the first woman to compete the move in competition. Already an age-group national champion when her family moved to the Houston area in 1991, she then became the youngest to win her national, world and Olympic titles. Over the last decade, Lipinski has highlighted figure skating broadcasts with commentary and style.Sarah FullerSoccer/football, June 20, 1999A Wylie native, Fuller made headlines in the fall of 2020 when she became the first woman to score in a Power Five football game. Serving as a kicker for the Vanderbilt football team, Fuller, who played soccer on Vanderbilt’s women’s team for four years, went 2 for 2 on extra point attempts in a Dec. 12 game against Tennessee. She finished her collegiate career on the UNT women’s soccer team, where she appeared in 17 games as the team’s goalkeeper.Marsha SharpBasketball, Aug. 31, 1952The driving force of West Texas basketball in the 1980s and beyond, Sharp attended high school at Tulia and college at Wayland Baptist and West Texas State (now West Texas A&M) before creating a basketball powerhouse at Texas Tech when she took over the program at age 29. Recruiting West Texas hard enough to eventually become the top team in the Southwest Conference, she won 571 games and made 16 straight NCAA tournaments from 1990-2005, winning the 1993 national championship.Nastia LiukinGymnastics, Oct. 30, 1989The most decorated Olympic gymnast in North Texas history, Liukin rose from a flexible toddler with artistic bloodlines into a five-time medalist at the 2008 Beijing Games, including the all-around title. Liukin, who trained at her parents’ World Olympic Gymnastics Academy facility in Plano, is also a nine-time world championships medalist in an elite-level tenure that spanned three Olympic quadrennium. Since retiring in 2012, Liukin has parlayed her competitive success into a multi-faceted career in gymnastics broadcasting, entertainment and fashion.Michelle CarterShot put, Oct. 12, 1985The Shot Diva’s final throw at the 2016 Rio Olympics gave the North Texan a gold medal to one-up her famous father (Michael won silver in the shot in 1984), but more importantly gave the United States its first Olympic win in the women’s shot put since the sports’ inclusion. Carter, who won four state titles at Red Oak and was a seven-time All-American at Texas, now coaches and speaks about positive body image and self confidence.Carly PattersonGymnastics, February 4, 1988Patterson, a member of the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame, became the United States’ first all-around gymnastics champion at a non-boycotted Olympics in 2004. She won a pair of silver medals during those games, too. The 2004 Olympics ended up being her final major competition after debilitating back issues forced her to retire in 2006. She trained as a gymnast in D-FW and continues to reside in the area after her retirement.Jill SterkelSwimming, May 27, 1961Even before she arrived on the Texas campus in 1979, Sterkel was already an Olympic gold medalist. She was a member of the 4x100 freestyle relay that upset East Germany in the 1976 Olympics. At Texas, Sterkel was a 28-time All-American and was twice the national swimmer of the year. She wasn’t finished with the Olympics either, picking up another relay gold medal in 1984 and two bronzes in 1988. Sterkel coached the Longhorn women’s swimming and diving team from 1993-2006 and is now an assistant athletic director at the school.Judy RankinGolf, Feb. 18, 1945Born and raised in St. Louis, Rankin made the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16 after finishing as the low amateur at the 1960 U.S. Women’s Open. Before her career was cut short at 38 because of a chronic back condition, Rankin won 26 events, tied for 21st on the LPGA list. A World Golf Hall of Fame honoree, she was a two-time LPGA Player of the Year and a golf commentator on ESPN and ABC from 1984-2018. She has lived in Midland since marrying a West Texas native.Flo HymanVolleyball, July 31, 1954At 12, Hyman, a Los Angeles native, was already 6-2 and making a name in beach volleyball. After a year of junior college, Hyman, then 6-5, became the Houston’s first female scholarship athlete and later a three-time All-American as well as AIAW National Player of the Year. Two years after leading the U.S. to a silver medal in the ‘84 Olympics, she collapsed during a game and died from a heart problem caused by Marfan syndrome, diagnosed post mortem. Sports Illustrated ranked her 69th among the greatest female athletes of the 20th century.Sha’Carri RichardsonTrack and field, March 25, 2000Flashy on and off the track, Richardson has evolved from promising sprinter in Oak Cliff to one of her sport’s most recognizable and outspoken competitors. She won five UIL state championships at Carter, the NCAA championships 100 meters in her lone season at LSU and the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials. A marijuana-positive drug test derailed her Olympic debut in Tokyo, but Richardson’s fashionable flair and national sprinting success haven’t wavered as she approaches her athletic prime.Tamika CatchingsBasketball, July 21, 1979One of the women’s game’s most decorated players, Catchings is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and was named one of the top 25 players in WNBA history. After being named 2011 WNBA MVP she led the Indiana Fever to the 2012 league title. At Tennessee, Catchings won the 1998 NCAA title and was a four-year All-American. She was named a WBCA All-American at Duncanville, leading her team to an undefeated 1997 season and state title. She made the basketball HOF in 2020.Zina GarrisonTennis, Nov. 16, 1963Garrison learned the game at MacGregor Park in Houston, turning professional in 1982 and reaching a career-high ranking of No. 4. She became the first Black woman since Althea Gibson in the 1950s to reach a Grand Slam final, losing to Martina Navratilova in the 1990 Wimbledon final. Overall, she won 14 singles titles, 20 doubles titles, plus Olympic gold in doubles and bronze in singles. Off the courts, she founded the Zina Garrison All-Court Tennis Program, which supports inner-city tennis in Houston.Sanya Richards-RossTrack, Feb. 26, 1985A four-time Olympic gold medalist, Richards-Ross was a larger-than-life presence on and off the track. The Texas NCAA champion in 400 meters, she culminated her Olympic career with a long-elusive gold medal in the event at the London Olympics in 2012. Injuries ended her career in 2016. She’s married to former NFL cornerback Aaron Ross, whom she met when both were at Texas. Richards-Ross joined the cast of the Real Housewives of Atlanta earlier this year.Shawn Andaya-PulliamSoftball, May 22, 1965Before there was Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman and Monica Abbott, Andaya-Pulliam was one of the great softball pitchers in the nation at Texas A&M. She was a three-time All-American, she led A&M to a national championship in 1987, and she finished her college career with what was then an NCAA-record 1,234 career strikeouts. She was the first softball player inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. She went on to work for the VOOM Foundation, an international medical humanitarian organization.Athing MuTrack, June 8, 2002At just 20, Mu still has plenty of time to build her legacy – and it’s already awfully impressive. The Texas A&M standout and native of Trenton, N.J., Mu got the world’s attention at the pandemic delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She became the first American women to win the Olympic 800 meters since 1968 and then anchored a dominant U.S. team in the 4x400 meter relay. She’s already talking about making an attempt at the rare 400/800 double at the next Olympics.MORE TITLE IXMeet the next generation of star female athletes from D-FW+++Find more sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.	Other Sports
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” has a premise as oddball as its title. Andrew (Cooper Raiff) recently graduated from Tulane. He’s at loose ends, sharing a bedroom with his younger brother, David (Evan Assante), in their parents’ house in the New Jersey suburbs. He has a dead-end job working the counter at a fast-food chain. No, nothing especially oddball about any of that. The odd part is that he moonlights as a social director for bar mitzvahs. Andrew emcees, he sings, he dances, he energizes, he cajoles. It’s a sight to see. He doesn’t meet cute. He works cute. The mothers all love him.In addition to streaming on Apple TV+, “Cha Cha” is playing at the Coolidge Corner, Kendall Square, and Dedham Community.Cooper Raiff, left, and Evan Assante in "Cha Cha Real Smooth."Apple TV+At a bar mitzvah before he gets the job, Andrew encounters a single mother, Domino (Dakota Johnson), and her autistic daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). David knows Lola from school. One look at Domino, and Andrew is pretty much a goner. She’s a decade or more older. She’s also engaged. Andrew doesn’t care. He’s a bit feckless, yes. He’s also single-minded, not unlike a lower-key, college-grad version of Jason Schwartzman’s character in “Rushmore” (1998), speaking of bright young men obsessed with an older woman.Things here are going to get tangled, and not just emotionally.Vanessa Burghardt, left, and Dakota Johnson in "Cha Cha Real Smooth."Apple TV+This is a situation that could be played for comedy, and some of “Cha Cha Real Smooth” is quite funny. But relationships interest Raiff far more than laughs do. This is the third feature he’s written and directed, after “Madeline & Cooper” (2018) and “S#!%house” (2020, and, no, that’s not how the actual title is spelled). Considering that he turned 25 in February, this is an impressive track record.The relationships can be romantic, but Raiff doesn’t limit “Cha Cha” to just those. The age difference between Andrew and David puts an interesting spin on their relationship. Andrew’s relationships with his mother (Leslie Mann) is deep and abiding — and a bit complicated. It’s further complicated by the fractiousness of his relationship with his stepfather (Brad Garrett). “Greg, I think your purpose on Earth is to make things weird,” Andrew says to him. The blend of confrontation and comedy in that sentence is very Andrew. The most interesting and unusual relationship is the bond he forms with Lola. Burghardt, herself autistic, makes her screen debut with casual authority.Leslie Mann, Cooper Raiff, and Brad Garrett in “Cha Cha Real Smooth."Apple TV+ via APAll the actors are very good, though Raiff, who’s in almost every scene, can get a little wearying with his combination of high energy and touch of winsomeness. “Gosh, you’re really sweet,” Domino says to Andrew. He really is. It’s both what’s best about “Cha Cha” and what’s most maddening about it.It’s Domino who’s the soul of the movie. She’s very different from the mother Johnson played in her previous movie, “The Lost Daughter” (2021). Domino’s looks are what first catch Andrew’s attention. Her emotional restraint is what holds it. She’s the still point in his turning world — the movie’s, too. He’s a bundle of buoyancy and despair. Domino is incapable of the former and beyond the latter — alert to it, but beyond it. Though we never see her cha cha, you can bet that real smooth is how she’d do it.★★½CHA CHA REAL SMOOTHWritten and directed by Cooper Raiff. Starring Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, Evan Assante, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett. At Coolidge Corner, Kendall Square, Dedham Community. 109 minutes. R (language, sexual content).Mark Feeney can be reached at [email protected].	Movies
Seattle Storm star and five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird announced Thursday the 2022 season will be her last playing in the WNBA.The announcement by Bird, 41, ended any speculation about her future; she had acknowledged in February when she re-signed with Seattle that this would likely be her final season. She strongly considered retirement after last season before choosing to return for a 19th season as a player.Bird’s announcement came a day before Seattle’s game at Connecticut. The Storm will close out their road trip on Sunday in New York, about 30 miles from where Bird grew up in Syosset, New York.“As the season has gone, like I said, I pretty much knew, and then once I saw the schedule, and then once I started packing for this trip a little bit, I was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be my last time playing in New York. My last time playing in front of my family and friends.’ And so that’s why the timing of this is what it is,” Bird said in a video posted by the Storm on social media.“I just really felt strongly about announcing my retirement, saying it was my last year so I can share that with my family and my friends, all the people in New York who have watched me growing up so they can come and see me play for the last time in my home state. So I’m excited about that. It’s also bittersweet.”Bird is a four-time WNBA champion, 12-time All-Star and the oldest player in the league. She has spent her entire WNBA career with Seattle since becoming the No. 1 draft pick in 2002 following her storied college career at UConn. This season is her 21st associated with the franchise although just her 19th playing after missing two seasons due to injuries. She is the league’s all-time leader in assists and the standard by which other point guards are judged.Bird turns 42 in October and was on the cusp of stepping away a year ago, and when the Storm were eliminated by the Phoenix Mercury in the playoffs, fans chanted “One more year! One more year!” as she did an on-court televised interview.Those cheers were egged on by Phoenix’s longtime star Diana Taurasi, Bird’s former college teammate at UConn and part of all five of those Olympic gold-medal runs.In the end, the fans — and Taurasi — got what they wanted. Bird came back, for exactly one more year.“Sue Bird is Storm basketball,” her WNBA team tweeted moments after Bird made her decision known. “Every moment, every memory has one constant. No. 10. It’s time for the final chapter.”	Basketball
Johnny Depp will be represented by Camille Vasquez for a second time. The surprise star attorney, who successfully argued Depp’s defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard, will return to the courtroom with Depp for a lawsuit brought by Gregg “Rocky” Brooks, a former colleague of the actor. Brooks filed a personal injury lawsuit in 2018, alleging that Depp punched him in the ribs while working on the film set of City of Lies in 2017. Brooks also claims that the Pirates of the Caribbean star asked him to return the punches with one to his face for a payment of $100,000, according to court documents. WATCH: AMBER HEARD IS SCARED TO SPEAK. THAT’S WHAT A ‘DEFAMATION LAWSUIT IS MEANT TO DO’ Vasquez, who will be joined by fellow Brown Rudnick partner Randall Smith in representing Depp, has reportedly argued that Brooks’s injuries were due to “self-defense/defense of others,” saying the injuries were “provoked” by Brooks himself. Johnny Depp speaks with his lawyer Camille Vasquez during his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Wednesday, May 18, 2022. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP) The trial is set to begin on July 25 in Los Angeles, with Judge Holly Fujie presiding over the case. Brooks’s representation is listed as Arbella Azizian from the Baker, Olson, LeCroy & Danielian law firm. Vasquez made a name for herself as she cross-examined Amber Heard and issued closing arguments in the Depp v. Heard defamation trial. Attorney Camille Vasquez gives closing arguments at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Friday, May 27, 2022 in the Depp v. Heard defamation trial. (AP Photo/Steve Helber/Pool) CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER On June 1, a Fairfax, Virginia, jury found that Heard defamed Depp, ordering her to pay the actor damages amounting to $15 million. In addition to awarding Depp compensatory and punitive damages, the jury also found that Depp defamed Heard regarding a statement made by his former lawyer, Adam Waldman.	Celebrity
Actor Tom Hanks was caught yelling profanities at a fan for bumping into his wife, Rita Wilson. The couple was leaving New York City's Nobu restaurant on Wednesday night when they met a crowd of fans. One, in particular, was at the ready with what looked like a pen in hand, telling the actor he had something for him. Hanks and Wilson kept walking, with Wilson in front and the fan still trying to capture Hanks's attention. When Wilson stopped briefly, the fan didn't see her and bumped into her, which sent other fans crashing into each other. "Stop it!" Wilson cried out. WHY 'CASTRATE' BUZZ?: PATRICIA HEATON SLAMS LIGHTYEAR OVER NOT CASTING TIM ALLEN "This is my wife. Back the f*** off!" Hanks yelled as he held the crowd back. "Knocking over my wife?" "What are y'all doing?" the fan said, looking behind him. "People are crazy." The rest of the fans fell silent. Wilson kept walking and entered the car. Hanks stayed back to yell at the fans. Two bodyguards eventually led him back to the car. Hanks is fresh off the release of Elvis, the biopic of the famous singer. The actor is well known for his roles in Philadelphia, in which he played a gay lawyer, and Forrest Gump, but in a recent interview, he called both films "timely" because "you might not be able to make them now." "The whole point of Philadelphia was 'don't be afraid.' One of the reasons people weren't afraid of that movie is that I was playing a gay man," Hanks explained. "We're beyond that now, and I don't think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Hanks went on to say that in the "modern realm," moviegoers demand more authenticity in storytelling. Yet Bradley Cooper is playing Leonard Bernstein in a biopic film still in the making. Ewan McGregor also recently won an Emmy for his portrayal of a gay man.	Celebrity
Murda Beatz Yep, Anitta's My GF!!! Doing Music Too With Pharrell, Quavo, J Balvin 6/16/2022 11:12 AM PT Murda Beatz and reggaeton megastar Anitta are officially a pair, TMZ Hip Hop can confirm. We’re told the hip hop super-producer and Latina trap star have been dating for a few months, hung out together during Coachella and Murda recently made the trip to her home country of Brazil to meet her family…where he made a good impression. They went IG official this past Sunday ... which was Brazilian Valentine's Day and have been packing on the PDA ever since. It's not all pleasure, though ... they're also making music together. On Thursday, MB announced his star-studded “NO MÁS” single featuring Pharrell, Quavo, J Balvin and Anitta — dropping July 8. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. Murda, having built his platinum empire making beats for Drake, Migos, Cardi B, Travis Scott and many more ... now has a girlfriend with whom he can drop hits. Sounds like a musical match if you ask us!	Music
A Johnny Depp trial juror broke the silence and ripped Amber Heard for her "crocodile tears." More than one juror believed that Heard was putting on a performance that lacked credibility, the juror, who only identified as a man, told Good Morning America. "The crying, the facial expressions that she had, the staring at the jury. All of us were very uncomfortable," the juror said. WATCH: ANTI-GUN PROTESTERS AT MARCH FOR OUR LIVES DON'T KNOW WHAT AN AR-15 IS "She would answer one question, and she would be crying, and two seconds later, she would turn ice cold. Some of us used the expression 'crocodile tears.'" While they found Heard's testimony to be fabricated, the panelists believed Depp's calm nature gave his claims greater credibility, he said. "A lot of the jury felt what he was saying, at the end of the day, was more believable. He just seemed a little more real in terms of how he was responding to questions. His emotional state was very stable throughout," the juror said. "The majority of the jury felt she was more the aggressor." The revelation that Heard had failed to carry through with her promise to donate her $7 million divorce settlement to charity was an important moment for the jury, according to the juror. "She goes on a talk show in the U.K. The video shows her sitting there telling the host she gave all that money away," he said. "And the terms she used in that video clip were 'I gave it away,' 'I donated it,' 'it's gone.' But the fact is, she didn't give much of it away at all." That moment was a "fiasco" for Heard, the juror said. In the wake of the trial, which ended with the jury finding that Heard defamed Depp and ordering her to pay damages amounting to $15 million, lawyers for Heard have alleged that jurors were entranced by Depp's fame. The juror denied the allegation. "We followed the evidence. Myself and at least two other jurors don't use Twitter or Facebook. Others who had it made a point not to talk about it," he said. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER "What I think is truthful was that they were both abusive to each other. I don’t think that makes either of them right or wrong, but to rise to the level of what she was claiming, there wasn't enough or any evidence that really supported what she was saying."	Celebrity
It looks like even “Hollywood’s nicest guy” Tom Hanks has his limits when it comes to anyone putting his wife, Rita WIlson, in harm’s way. The actor lost his trademark friendly demeanor and unleashed a f-bomb on a group of exuberant fans after they caused Wilson to stumble and almost fall in the street in New York City Wednesday night, according to video posted by TMZ and the Daily Mail. The fans had surrounded Hanks and Wilson and were trying to get a photo of the “Forrest Gump” star as the couple were walking to their car. Tom Hanks momentarily, and understandably, loses his nice guy persona as over eager fans practically knock over his wife Rita Wilson. pic.twitter.com/vS2xfCqOIO — Mike Sington (@MikeSington) June 16, 2022 Hanks rushed to Wilson’s rescue, put his hand on one fan, then yelled at the rest: “My wife?!” he yelled at the crowed. “This is my wife, back the (expletive) off!!” Hanks also gave the group the “death stare” before he and Wilson were bundled into their car, TMZ said. Some fans shouted apologies to the couple, the Daily Beast said, but other fans were blaming one another for causing Wilson to stumble, TMZ said. Hanks’ outburst comes as he’s been promoting his new film, “Elvis,” a biopic of Elvis Presley directed by Baz Luhrmann. The film is due to be released next week.	Celebrity
There have been some incredible female athletes to come out of the Dallas area. Tamika Catchings, Michelle Carter, Sha’Carri Richardson, Nastia Liukin and Carly Patterson are just a few.As the United States celebrates the 50th anniversary of Title IX, here is a look at the next generation of local phenoms who are already competing on the national or world stage, or are about to reach that level.Texas talent: Meet some more of the most influential and pioneering female athletes in historySkye Blakely, gymnasticsSkye Blakely performs on the balance beam during the USA Gymnastics Winter Cup held at the Ford Center in Frisco on Saturday, February 26, 2022. She finished third overall in the competition.(Stewart F. House / Special Contributor)The 17-year-old who trains at the famed WOGA qualified to the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials — a quadrennium before she expected to be eligible — and is a strong all-around contender for world championship and Olympic teams to come.Trinity Byars, soccer(l-r) Alexis "Lexi" Missimo (17) and Trinity Byars (17) at the Missimo home in Southlake, Texas on Monday, May 4, 2020.(Lawrence Jenkins / Special Contributor)The Shelton product spent time in 2019 training alongside World Cup players with England’s Manchester City and Spain’s Atletico Madrid. Byars was offered a pro contract by Atletico Madrid while in high school but decided to attend Texas and led UT with 12 goals as a freshman last season. Byars is one of three Texans, along with Jaedyn Shaw and UT teammate Alexis “Lexi” Missimo, who will be heading to France later this month to play for the U.S. Under-20 Women’s Youth National Team in the Sud Ladies Cup.Jayda Coleman, softballOklahoma's Jayda Coleman (24) celebrates at first base after a single against Texas during the first inning of the second game of the NCAA softball Women's College World Series finals Thursday, June 9, 2022, in Oklahoma City.(Sue Ogrocki / ASSOCIATED PRESS)The former The Colony standout is a candidate for future U.S. national teams and to play professionally. Coleman was one of the stars of the Oklahoma team that just won its second straight NCAA championship. The 2020 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year was a first-team All-American as a freshman at OU, and as a sophomore she entered the Women’s College World Series with the second-best batting average (.429, trailing only Jocelyn Alo) on arguably the greatest team in NCAA history.Natalie Cook, track and cross countryFlower Mound senior long distance runner Natalie Cook, in Flower Mound, Texas on Saturday, May 7, 2022. She will be competing in the 1600 an 3200 events at the UIL state tournament. (Michael Ainsworth / Special Contributor)The 19-year-old Flower Mound graduate was named the National Girls Cross Country Player of the Year as a senior and is already running world-class times in track. The Oklahoma State signee broke the high school national record in the 5,000 meters this year with a time of 15:25.93. That’s faster than the winning time at the 2021 NCAA Championships and last summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials, and as of Tuesday it ranked 32nd among all American women (including pros and collegians) for 2022. Cook broke the state record by running 4:36.96 in the 1,600, and her two-mile time of 9:44.44 indoors is the second-fastest time in U.S. high school history.Liv Hovde, tennisThe 16-year-old from McKinney is a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024 and is No. 6 in the ITF world junior rankings. She trains at Keller’s Dent Tennis Academy, which is run by former Australian Open runner-up Phi Dent and his son, former pro tennis player Taylor Dent. She reached the semifinals in the junior girls singles at the Australian Open and was a quarterfinalist in junior girls singles and doubles at the French Open. She won the prestigious ITF Adidas Easter Bowl as a 15-year-old in 2021, beating USC signee Madison Sieg, who was the No. 1 seed.Konnor McClain, gymnasticsKonnor McClain with WOGA Gymnastics of Plano performs her floor routine during the USA Gymnastics Winter Cup held at the Ford Center in Frisco on Saturday, February 26, 2022. She went on to finish first overall.(Stewart F. House / Special Contributor)Since moving to WOGA in 2021, the 17-year-old gymnast has already made a world championships team, won a national all-around competition and grown into her potential as the sport’s next leading star in Simone Biles’ absence.Alexis “Lexi” Missimo, soccerAlexis Missimo plays for the Solar Soccer Club's development academy and is a freshman at Southlake Carroll.(Courtesy photo from the Missimo family / Courtesy photo from the Missimo)The Southlake Carroll product is ranked as the fourth-best player in the world under the age of 20 by GOAL.com. She was the No. 1 recruit in the nation coming out of high school and was told by England’s Manchester City and Arsenal WFC that they had pro opportunities waiting for her if she decided to skip college. Missimo chose to attend Texas and was a first-team all-Big 12 Conference selection as a freshman after scoring nine goals and tying a school record with 14 assists. She might leave UT early and turn pro, possibly after one more season of college.Jasmine Moore, track and fieldUSA’s Jasmine Moore competes in the women’s triple jump qualification round during the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics at Olympic Stadium, on Friday, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Moore did not advance to the next round. (Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer)The former Mansfield Lake Ridge superstar competed in the triple jump at the Olympics last summer and then had an amazing sophomore season at Florida, winning four national titles (indoors and outdoors in both the triple jump and long jump). Moore ranks sixth in the world for 2022 in the triple jump (47-9.75) and is seventh in the long jump (22-4.5), according to Track & Field News. Only two women in U.S. history have jumped farther than Moore’s 47-9.75, and Moore set an NCAA indoor record with that mark.Jaedyn Shaw, soccerJaedyn Shaw, FC Dallas(FCD Communications / FCD Communications)The Frisco native made her first big splash at the age of 12 when she made an appearance for the FC Dallas women’s team in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. Shaw was 14 when she committed to 21-time national champion North Carolina and when she went to France to train with a professional team, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Now 17 and home schooled, Shaw is training with another pro team, the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League. She thinks she could be offered a pro contract soon.Avery Zweig, golfFourteen-year-old amateur Avery Zweig plays her second shot from the 18th fairway during the second round of the LPGA Volunteers of America Classic golf tournament in The Colony, Texas, Friday, July 2, 2021. (Ray Carlin)The Class of 2025 phenom from McKinney qualified for five USGA events before she was 14, and she was 14 when she played in her first LPGA event. She won her first American Junior Golf Association tournament in 2021 — the ANNIKA Invitational — with 10-time major champion Annika Sorenstam watching. Also in 2021, Zweig was the first alternate for the U.S. Women’s Open.+++Related:Texas talent: Meet some of the most influential and pioneering female athletes in history Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.Greg Riddle, SportsDayHS writer and editor. I have worked at The Dallas Morning News since 2000. I cover high school sports as a reporter and help coordinate our coverage. I graduated from TCU, where I ran track and cross country. I previously worked at the Weatherford Democrat, Marshall News Messenger, Amarillo Globe-News and Arlington Morning [email protected] /greg.riddle.94 @DMNGregRiddle	Olympic Sports
The superhero genre has been trying its hand at various different tones in recent years, but the upcoming Joker sequel is really swinging for the fences. Yesterday evening saw the surprising news that Joker: Folie à deux won’t just be casting Lady Gaga in a role that’s probably his most notable gal pal Harley Quinn, it’ll also reportedly be a musical! Yes, for real!Rainn Wilson’s First Fandoms: Star Trek And D&DSuperheroes and musicals don’t exactly have a winning track record, at least in the real world. Though there were a handful some decades back, the phrase “superhero musical” will more often than not conjure images of those musical episodes of The Flash and Batman: The Brave & the Bold. And if it isn’t those, it’ll be Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, and one hardly needs to go on at that point. A Joker sequel was already going to draw attention, for better or worse, but making this movie a musical? It’ll be an interesting experiment, if nothing else, and will have won some points for originality, simply because no one’s ever done a superhero flick like this before. Since musicals are doing pretty well at the box office whenever they come out, it feels like the perfect time to see what happens when one extremely melodramatic genre collides with another. Back in 2020, we gave our suggestions for comic book movie stars who should headline musicals. This time, we wanna know what comic book character you think would be great for a musical. The most obvious one, at least to me, would be the Inhumans: after all, if your main character is a guy who can’t speak, lest his voice destroy anything in its path, why not have that be the big hook before letting him deliver a mind-blowing solo at the very end? Beyond them, the Teen Titans would be a good fit, since the cartoons have already proven that repeatedly over the last several years. Maybe Jack Kirby’s Fourth World? Let us know what superheroes (or villains!) you think are musical material in the comments below.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.	Music