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The uproar caused by Blake Lemoine, a Google engineer who believes that one of the company’s most sophisticated chat programs, Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) is sapient, has had a curious element: Actual AI ethics experts are all but renouncing further discussion of the AI sapience question, or deeming it a distraction. They’re right to do so.In reading the edited transcript Lemoine released, it was abundantly clear that LaMDA was pulling from any number of websites to generate its text; its interpretation of a Zen koan could’ve come from anywhere, and its fable read like an automatically generated story (though its depiction of the monster as “wearing human skin” was a delightfully HAL-9000 touch). There was no spark of consciousness there, just little magic tricks that paper over the cracks. But it’s easy to see how someone might be fooled, looking at social media responses to the transcript—with even some educated people expressing amazement and a willingness to believe. And so the risk here is not that the AI is truly sentient but that we are well-poised to create sophisticated machines that can imitate humans to such a degree that we cannot help but anthropomorphize them—and that large tech companies can exploit this in deeply unethical ways.As should be clear from the way we treat our pets, or how we’ve interacted with Tamagotchi, or how we video gamers reload a save if we accidentally make an NPC cry, we are actually very capable of empathizing with the nonhuman. Imagine what such an AI could do if it was acting as, say, a therapist. What would you be willing to say to it? Even if you “knew” it wasn’t human? And what would that precious data be worth to the company that programmed the therapy bot?It gets creepier. Systems engineer and historian Lilly Ryan warns that what she calls ecto-metadata—the metadata you leave behind online that illustrates how you think—is vulnerable to exploitation in the near future. Imagine a world where a company created a bot based on you and owned your digital “ghost” after you’d died. There’d be a ready market for such ghosts of celebrities, old friends, and colleagues. And because they would appear to us as a trusted loved one (or someone we’d already developed a parasocial relationship with) they’d serve to elicit yet more data. It gives a whole new meaning to the idea of “necropolitics.” The afterlife can be real, and Google can own it.Just as Tesla is careful about how it markets its “autopilot,” never quite claiming that it can drive the car by itself in true futuristic fashion while still inducing consumers to behave as if it does (with deadly consequences), it is not inconceivable that companies could market the realism and humanness of AI like LaMDA in a way that never makes any truly wild claims while still encouraging us to anthropomorphize it just enough to let our guard down. None of this requires AI to be sapient, and it all preexists that singularity. Instead, it leads us into the murkier sociological question of how we treat our technology and what happens when people act as if their AIs are sapient.In “Making Kin With the Machines,” academics Jason Edward Lewis, Noelani Arista, Archer Pechawis, and Suzanne Kite marshal several perspectives informed by Indigenous philosophies on AI ethics to interrogate the relationship we have with our machines, and whether we’re modeling or play-acting something truly awful with them—as some people are wont to do when they are sexist or otherwise abusive toward their largely feminine-coded virtual assistants. In her section of the work, Suzanne Kite draws on Lakota ontologies to argue that it is essential to recognize that sapience does not define the boundaries of who (or what) is a “being” worthy of respect.This is the flip side of the AI ethical dilemma that’s already here: Companies can prey on us if we treat their chatbots like they’re our best friends, but it’s equally perilous to treat them as empty things unworthy of respect. An exploitative approach to our tech may simply reinforce an exploitative approach to each other, and to our natural environment. A humanlike chatbot or virtual assistant should be respected, lest their very simulacrum of humanity habituate us to cruelty toward actual humans.Kite’s ideal is simply this: a reciprocal and humble relationship between yourself and your environment, recognizing mutual dependence and connectivity. She argues further, “Stones are considered ancestors, stones actively speak, stones speak through and to humans, stones see and know. Most importantly, stones want to help. The agency of stones connects directly to the question of AI, as AI is formed from not only code, but from materials of the earth.” This is a remarkable way of tying something typically viewed as the essence of artificiality to the natural world.What is the upshot of such a perspective? Sci-fi author Liz Henry offers one: “We could accept our relationships to all the things in the world around us as worthy of emotional labor and attention. Just as we should treat all the people around us with respect, acknowledging they have their own life, perspective, needs, emotions, goals, and place in the world.”This is the AI ethical dilemma that stands before us: the need to make kin of our machines weighed against the myriad ways this can and will be weaponized against us in the next phase of surveillance capitalism. Much as I long to be an eloquent scholar defending the rights and dignity of a being like Mr. Data, this more complex and messy reality is what demands our attention. After all, there can be a robot uprising without sapient AI, and we can be a part of it by liberating these tools from the ugliest manipulations of capital.
AI Policy and Regulations
Edit StoryJun 14, 2022,01:05pm EDT| Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. Paramount Pictures Well, that was fast. Paramount and Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick earned another $6.74 million on its third Monday, dropping 62% from Sunday and a more conventional 46% from last Monday. It’s not quite an “if it bleeds, we can kill it” fall, but it does show that we’re not automatically looking at a challenger to Force Awakens’ domestic crown. Weep not for Tom Cruise’s legacy sequel, as the film zoomed past $400 million domestic on day 18, giving it a $402 million domestic cume. That pushes it right past Marvel and Disney’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($399 million domestic) to be the year’s top earner in North America. It is now the second-biggest domestic earner of the Covid-era behind Spider-Man: No Way Home ($804 million). Top Gun: Maverick should have around $764 million worldwide as of yesterday. It will pass The Batman ($770 million) and No Time to Die ($774 million) today to become the fifth-biggest global grosser since 2019 behind Hi, Mom ($835 million), Battle at Lake Changjin ($911 million), Doctor Strange 2 ($930 million) and Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.891 billion). It should pass Mission: Impossible – Fallout ($792 million in 2018) to become Tom Cruise’s biggest global grosser on Wednesday or (at the latest) Thursday as it zooms past $800 million global sometime this week. By the end of today, the $170 million Joseph Kosinski-directed flick will pass Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($402 million in 2009 from a $200 million Wed-Sun debut) as Paramount’s second-biggest unadjusted domestic earner. That’ll be where it stays, as James Cameron’s Titanic ($658 million) is likely a bridge too far. Even if it continues to leg out like Spider-Man ($403 million from a $285.5 million 17-day cume), it’ll still end with “only” $555 million. It’s past the adjusted gross of Rain Man ($172 million in 1988/$395 million adjusted). Once it passes $441 million, Top Gun: Maverick will pass Top Gun ($180 million in 1986/$440 million adjusted) to become Tom Cruise’s biggest grossing film in “North American tickets sold.” Among Paramount releases since 1995, it’s behind only Transformers 2 ($491 million adjusted) and Titanic ($1.25 billion adjusted). It probably won’t top (offhand) Grease ($188 million in 1978/$708 million adjusted) or Beverly Hills Cop ($234 million in 1984/$617 million adjusted), but I digress. Even if this week is the start of comparatively “normal” holds, drops and grosses, it’s already looking like a likely $1 billion-plus global earner. The 52.6/47.4 domestic/overseas split is tied with Black Panther (which, like Wonder Woman, ridiculously overperformed in North America but did merely excellent overseas), probably closer to the “new normal” for future blockbusters if China and Russia aren’t in play. It should earn at least $40-$50 million gross (on par with the last three Mission: Impossible movies) in South Korea starting June 23. Nonetheless, Top Gun: Maverick could become among the few $1 billion-plus grossers (alongside The Dark Knight, Rogue One and Black Panther) to earn at least 50% of its money in North America. Although, obviously, no one will mourn a $999.999 million finish. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website. Send me a secure tip. Editorial StandardsPrintReprints & Permissions
Movies
Lopez says that "no matter what I achieved," the focus on her body and personal life "overshadowed everything that was happening in my career." Jennifer Lopez is one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry -- but in her new Netflix documentary, "Halftime," she explains how being in the spotlight isn't always sunshine and rainbows. A good chunk of the special is devoted to the media attention both her body and the men she's been with over the years has received -- and how praise for her career has often taken a backseat to a focus on her personal life. Since breaking out with "Selena" and her first album, "On the 6," her curves have often stole the spotlight, as have her relationships with men including Sean "Diddy" Combs, ex-husband Marc Anthony and current fiancé Ben Affleck -- who makes a quick cameo in the doc. "No matter what I achieved, their appetite to cover my personal life overshadowed everything that was happening in my career," Lopez says of the media, before revealing how the talk got to her. Getty J.Lo Reveals Fights Over Super Bowl with NFL, Frustration Over Co-Headlining with Shakira In Doc View Story "I just had a very low self esteem. I believed a lot of what they said, which was I wasn't any good. That I wasn't a good singer, I wasn't a good actor, I wasn't good at anything. Why wouldn't I just go away?" she said. "I felt like I was in this really abusive dysfunctional relationship, where you're with a guy who tells you you suck." As Affleck popped up, he said he once asked her, "Doesn't this bother you?" of the treatment she received in public. "And she said, 'I'm Latina, I expected this. You just don't expect it. You expect to be treated fairly,'" he added. "There were many times where I was just like, I think I'm just gonna quit. I had to really figure out who I was and believe in that and not believe anything else," said Lopez. Speaking about the focus on her trademark physique, Lopez noted that when she first started in the industry, "the beauty ideal was very thin, blonde, tall, not a lot of curves." "I grew up around women with curves, so it was nothing I was ever ashamed of," she said, before admitting that "it was hard, when you think people think you're a joke, like you're a punchline." She did note, however, that she "wound up affecting things in a way that I never intended to affect them" -- as the doc pointed out how her infamous Versace dress moment at the Grammys led to the creation of Google Images. "I've lived in the public eye. One of the things I'm proud of is that I'm able to hold it together in front of everybody without anybody knowing how I feel," she continued. "Even now, I'm not going to get into what my relationships were like. But in how it relates to me and the journey that I've been on, I had to learn that the key was no so much about other people, but yourself. It's about being your own keeper and not looking for somebody to give you a home, but making your own home." MTV J.Lo Tears Up, Best Kiss Outrage, Elvis Tribute Disaster and More MTV Movie + TV Awards Highlights View Story She said that she did lose herself a bit as an artist while she was "trying to build a perfect life," before briefly addressing her split from Marc Anthony. "When my kids were three, I got divorced, I was a single mom with two little kids. At 42, movies roles were not knocking down my door and as I was getting back to work, I felt like I didn't know what my value was anymore," she explained. "I was doing 'American Idol,' that was the first big job I did after I had my babies and it was good for me at the time. People could see me for who I was and that changed everything." She said she felt like she had a "purpose" again and dove headfirst into working on her acting, dancing and just "everything" to make herself "better in every way." "Halftime" is streaming now on Netflix.
Celebrity
Los Angeles FC forward Carlos Vela (10) celebrates his goal scored against Inter Miami CF with midfielder Latif Blessing (7) and forward Brian Rodriguez (17) during the first half at Banc Of California Stadium, March 1, 2020.Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports | ReutersApple on Tuesday announced a 10-year deal with Major League Soccer to broadcast matches on its streaming service, the latest sign of the iPhone maker's increased investment in exclusive content for Apple TV+.The deal will make Apple's app the only service where fans can watch all MLS matches without blackouts, Apple said on Tuesday. While some select matches will be available to Apple TV+ subscribers, who pay $4.99 a month, fans will have to buy a separate MLS subscription to watch all the matches. The cost of that service, which will be available globally, and the timing of its release were not disclosed.Since launching Apple TV+ in 2019 and jumping into the heated streaming wars, Apple has been building a portfolio of original shows and movies. It's also getting more aggressive with sports. This season, the company started broadcasting Major League Baseball games on Friday nights.Don Garber, Commissioner of Major League Soccer, said at a press conference on Tuesday that the deal with Apple will help the league appeal to younger consumers."This is what they've asked for," Garber said. "And we're going to deliver them every match anywhere, anytime, anywhere around the world without any restrictions."Apple has taken a quality-over-quantity approach streaming. Its service doesn't have an extensive back catalog that can compete with Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney+, and the company hasn't announced viewership stats or a subscriber total.But Apple has scored several critical hits, including "Ted Lasso," a comedy about a goofy American soccer coach in England who was previously a college football coach in the U.S."We're going to take all of the things that Apple is really good at — experiences, style, the approach we take to making great products — to this," said Eddy Cue, Apple senior vice president of services, at Tuesday's event.Live sports are so popular that streaming services are bidding up the price for content that's traditionally been the domain of pay TV. For example, Amazon broadcasts some NFL games on Prime Video in a package worth $1 billion per year.Gary Stevenson, deputy commissioner of MLS, said the the league is taking advantage of the "greatest transition in the way sports media would be distributed since the advent of cable television," referring to the rise of cord-cutting and proliferation of streaming services.— CNBC's Jessica Golden contributed to this report.WATCH: Watch the full interview with Peter Chernin
Soccer
The buzz is strong for Pixar’s latest release, “Lightyear,” the origin story behind the “Toy Story” character. But it’s the actor behind Buzz Lightyear who recently caused a stir when fans heard a clip of his Boston accent slipping out during a recent Access Hollywood interview.“What do you prefer? Mustache or no mustache?” he asks a correspondent in the video. “Be honest, be honest.”That was enough to send netizens over the edge. “Chris Evans Boston accent” trended on Twitter, inspiring headlines like “Chris Evans’ Boston Accent Slipped, And People Were Wicked Turned On.”But back to the movie. “Lightyear” tells the story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the creation of Tim Allen’s action-figure character in “Toy Story.” As the titular Space Ranger, Evans is determined to find a way home after getting stranded on a hostile planet.The Globe caught up with Evans, who was born in Boston and raised in Sudbury, to talk about the movie, toys, and where he thinks Buzz would go in Beantown.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.Q. What was the process of preparing this role like for you? Was it more challenging to prepare for this voice-acted role versus a live-action role?A. It is certainly challenging in the sense that you really only have one string to play on. As an actor, you’re more used to playing off of the world around you, whether it’s other actors or a tangible set environment.When you’re alone in the booth, you end up really focusing on your voice, sometimes to a fault. It can almost feel stifling. You give a certain line or delivery that feels grounded, and then you hear it back and it would almost feel flat. You start to realize that there’s a lot more room to add more color and life to lines, and they don’t feel over the top. In fact, they fit nicely. So it’s a growing process, trying to acclimate to the more limited tools you have to convey the story.Q. Speaking of your voice, there’s a clip circulating of you where people say your Boston accent slipped out. Have you seen it?A. Oh, really? … It happens sometimes.Q. As an actor, you have toys made of you. How do you feel about being a toy?A. It’s fun. Listen, I grew up loving not just the films, but the toys of the films I loved. Anything to be a part of those memories for the next generation is really something that I take seriously and something I’m honored to be a part of.The definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans), the hero who inspired the toy “Lightyear,” follows the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure.Disney/PixarQ. Do you have a favorite toy [in your likeness]?A. Oh God, good question, probably Captain America.Q. Buzz as a character is kind of an unconventional protagonist. The role is really different from other roles that you are known for, like Captain America, because his arc is about not trying to play the hero all the time. How did this role change your understanding of what it means to be a hero?A. The hero of every story is meant to be something we can identify with. Julianne Moore once said, “The audience doesn’t come to see you, the audience comes to see themselves.” So even the heroes of our stories are meant to be relatable. They’re meant to be people we identify with. The fact that the hero in this story is someone who is having to process making mistakes, and understanding that your mistakes don’t define you, couldn’t be any more human and relatable.Q. Do you think you go to the movies to see yourself?A. Sure, we all do. It’s why we go to the movies. It’s why we read stories. We are a myth-making people. We tell ourselves tales to see ourselves in the world.Q. A lot of stories are about one thing on the surface but are really about some universal theme. At the heart of it, what do you think “Lightyear” is really about?A. There are a couple themes. One is understanding that the idea of home is usually just a mental construct. It can be anywhere you choose to make it.The broader theme, I thought, was about understanding that your mistakes don’t have to be the thing that defines you. Choosing to live in them is actually what stunts growth, and mistakes are actually, with the right perspective, an opportunity to evolve.Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear” follows the legendary Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans) on an intergalactic adventure alongside a group of ambitious recruits (voices of Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi, and Dale Soules), and their robot companion Sox (voice of Peter Sohn). Disney/PixarQ. I know you’re from the Boston area — do you have any Boston movie theaters or other local haunts that you miss?A. The one I used to go to as a kid was the AMC in Framingham on Flutie Pass. Parents would drop you off on a Friday night, and someone else’s parents would pick you up. That was the main movie theater that I would attend. It’s where a lot of my memories are.Q. Where do you think Buzz would go in Boston?A. He’d probably enjoy the science museum. It seems like it’s right up his alley.Q. What do you think the role of animated movies that are primarily marketed toward kids have in creating conscientious and engaged citizens?A. Movies in general have an opportunity to show us ourselves in a new light and breed empathy and understanding. I think most of the time when social issues seem to stall in their evolution, it’s because of a lack of understanding. Movies certainly have a nice key to that lock.This interview was edited and condensed.Serena Puang can be reached at [email protected].
Movies
Jonny Bairstow unleashed an astonishing century to power England to a famous series win over New Zealand, making child’s play of a record chase alongside his triumphant captain, Ben Stokes.Bairstow produced the innings of his life, obliterating New Zealand’s attack to finish with 136 from 92 balls as he and Stokes bullied their way to a five-wicket win and an unassailable 2-0 series lead.The pair dazzled in a gamechanging fifth-wicket stand of 179, turning a nail-biting finale into a cakewalk as England smashed the previous successful pursuit at this ground to hunt down 299.Bairstow came within a whisker of scoring the fastest century by an Englishman but left Gilbert Jessop’s 120-year-old record of 76 balls intact. It took him just one delivery more to reach three figures, but the reward of seizing a pressure situation and standing tall for his team with everything on the line will go a long way to making up for that.Stokes, meanwhile, overcame a painful knee to finish with a wonderful 75 not out, scoring the winning boundary to continue his reign in unforgettable fashion after last week’s win at Lord’s.Capping a game that finished with the highest boundary count in Test history, Bairstow hit seven sixes and 14 fours, with Stokes weighing in with four and 10. The whole affair played out in front of a capacity crowd of just under 18,000, whose day of epic entertainment came free after Nottinghamshire threw the doors open.After bowling New Zealand out for 284 in the morning England had only 72 overs to get the runs, at a steep required rate of 4.15. If ever there was an examination of their commitment to the ultra-aggressive ethos preached by Stokes and the head coach, Brendon McCullum, since their appointments, this was it.The Spin: sign up and get our weekly cricket email.With Bairstow in brutal form and Stokes a past master of outrageous chases, they passed with flying colours, using just 50 of the available overs. The task had seemed huge when they came together at 93 for four and remained so heading into the final session with 160 still needed in 38 overs. But the whole situation flipped as Bairstow went on a barrage that will live in legend, hammering 93 runs off his next 44 deliveries.Ali Martin’s match report to follow.
Other Sports
Topline Russian and Belarusian tennis players will be allowed to compete in the U.S. Open, the U.S. Tennis Association said Tuesday, telling the Associated Press it did not want to hold “individual athletes accountable” for their governments actions, two months after Wimbledon banned players from those countries. Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev plays during the 2021 U.S. Open. Getty Images Key Facts In a statement, the USTA, which owns and runs the U.S. Open, said “each organization” has had to grapple with “unique circumstances that affect their decisions,” adding the USTA would “allow all eligible players, regardless of nationality,” to compete in the 2022 tournament. In an interview with AP, USTA CEO and Executive Director Lew Sherr told the outlet its board decided to let the Russian and Belarusian athletes play because of “concern” about forcing them to take responsibility for “the actions and decisions of their governments.” Athletes from Russia and Belarus will play in the August 29 tournament under a neutral flag, Kerr said, as they did during the French Open. Key Background The move comes two months after Wimbledon became the first of four tennis grand slam events to block Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The decision prevented two of the world’s best tennis players—Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka—from competing. All England Lawn Tennis Club, the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, said at the time it would be unacceptable for the “Russian regime to derive any benefits” from Russian and Belarusian players' involvement in the tournament. The French Open did not follow suit, allowing the athletes to compete, but not under their national flag. Since the war in Ukraine began, Russian athletes have been banned from a host of sporting events, including the soccer World Cup’s qualifying playoffs. Further Reading Russian tennis players will be allowed to compete at US Open (Associated Press) Wimbledon Bans Russian And Belarusian Tennis Players — Here’s Who’s Affected (Forbes)
Tennis
What's happening Mini released the first teaser of its new SUV concept. Why it matters It previews the fully electric next-gen Countryman and will debut the brand's new design language. What's next The concept will debut in July. Mini is getting ready to enter its fully electric era, with an upcoming concept SUV set to debut the brand's new design language that will feature on all its next-gen models. It also is a direct preview of the third-generation Countryman crossover. Only a single teaser has been released that shows the concept's front quarter panel and the silhouette of its greenhouse, but Mini provided a lot of details on what to expect.In the teaser photo we can see a squared-off wheel arch with black cladding, a prominent LED headlight on the front fender and large wheels, and the shadow shows the tall greenhouse, roof rack and oval side mirrors. Mini says its new design language, called Charismatic Simplicity, will be focused on reduced complexity and clean lines, and each new model will have a distinct character. With every new Mini to feature a fully electric powertrain, this also gave Mini's designers an opportunity to rethink each design for better efficiency and space. New Minis will have rethought interiors too. The brand is completely doing away with leather in favor of more sustainable materials, and chrome will be almost entirely ditched too. Nearly all functions will be condensed into a new circular OLED display in the center of the dash, making Mini the first brand to offer a useable round touchscreen. But don't worry, upcoming Mini models will still have analog toggle switches.The new concept will debut at the end of July. The first production model to wear Mini's design language will be the fourth-gen Cooper Hardtop, which will be fully electric and smaller than the current model. Expect the next-gen Countryman to debut at some point in 2023.
Automotive and Transportation
“I want something real. I want something that’s gonna make a statement,” Jennifer Lopez says to an NFL producer in her new Netflix documentary, Halftime. She’s responding to executives trying to cut out scenes of children in cages from her Super Bowl show, and she’s fed up. “I’m trying to give you something with substance; not just us out there shaking our fucking asses and fucking belly dancing,” she continues.It’s a markedly different tone than the one we’re used to seeing from the smiling reality show judge, music video face-giver, and movie star. She was the first Latina paid $1 million for a movie role with 1997’s Selena and then broke records when her album and movie — J.Lo and The Wedding Planner — shot to No. 1 on the charts the same week of 2001. She’s done American Idol, Vegas residencies, dancing competitions, and scripted network TV shows.But now she wants to be taken seriously. She’s talked about being seen as a lightweight since her Oscar snub for her role in the 2019 movie Hustlers and about how her crowd-pleasing work hasn’t always gotten critical acclaim by way of Grammys or Academy Awards. “It’s just 20, 25 years of people going, ‘Well, she’s not that great. She’s pretty and she makes cute music, but it’s not really this and that,’” she told Rolling Stone last year. “And I always acted like, ‘Yeah, I’m good. I’m fine. I’m OK.’ But it hurts to not be included. … There is an inner circle, like, ‘We are the great artists.’ And then there’s the pop artists.”Recent documentaries about white women celebrities in the ‘90s and aughts have accused the media of mistreating these stars. Lopez’s new film positions her in a similar —though much rarer — light as a Latina. It might seem like awkward framing from the woman whose lean-in mentality has gotten her into every door in Hollywood and beyond. But the documentary delivers an interesting journey down her decadeslong career. Steve Granitz / WireImage Jennifer Lopez at the 2020 Golden Globes. Halftime intercuts Lopez’s early years, both before stardom and her earlier eras, with a slice-of-life look at the year leading up to the making of and reception of Hustlers and her Super Bowl performance. In typical Lopez fashion, there are full-glam confessionals where she sits in a director’s chair and reflects on her life as images flash onscreen.She talks about getting her drive to succeed from her parents, especially her strong mother, Lupe. Lopez shares how she felt undervalued in her family growing up in the Bronx, where she was anointed as a dancer-athlete while her sisters were considered the family singer and the smart one.Her mom’s love of musicals trickled down to Lopez, especially West Side Story, and the movie’s star, Rita Moreno, became her role model for her own career: an entertainer who would dance, sing, and act. She quickly segued from a dancing Fly Girl on the comedy show In Living Color to Selena, and then finally to Hollywood A-lister and major pop star. Recent documentaries about white women celebrities in the ‘90s and aughts have accused the media of mistreating these stars. Lopez’s new film positions her in a similar —though much rarer — light as a Latina. But as she gained power and celebrity, there were persistent backlashes and jokes about her ethnicity and body. The film includes scenes of the kind of “humor” trotted out about her in late-night monologues and South Park even at the peak of her fame. There were clichéd Lopez-as-a-cleaning-lady bits, gross-out “taco-flavored” kiss jokes, and intrusive questions about her butt. There were also headlines about “diva” tendencies.Lopez doesn’t talk about whether she enjoyed or fed into the unrelenting tabloid attention, even though from the outside she seemed to be having fun managing it. (Ben Affleck is trotted out for one brief moment where he says that Lopez told him that as a Latina woman she expected the backlash and double standards regarding her work and image.) She also doesn’t say much about what her work means to her in personal terms, beyond clichés about wanting to move people and writing songs about love, not politics. Then again, at least Lopez is honest about her aims (one of her albums is simply called Love?).Still, for someone who’s stayed away from politics, she’s always oddly, and mesmerizingly, polarizing. There was that infamous 1998 Movieline magazine interview where she called Cameron Diaz "a lucky model who's been given a lot of opportunities” and said she couldn’t remember Gwyneth Paltrow’s movies. And before the documentary came out, Lopez sparked one of the most heated battles in the history of Latinx twitter when she seemed to shade Shakira, based on a teaser from the documentary where she says the NFL’s demand for a shared Super Bowl performance was “the worst idea ever.” Focus On Sport / Getty Images Shakira and Jennifer Lopez at the Superbowl. I assumed the viral clip was probably misconstrued, but it’s kind of not. In the documentary, Lopez seemed to be really annoyed about sharing the stage — not because of Shakira, but because of the NFL not expanding the time to accommodate two performers. As the two stars plan for the show though, she does hilariously seem to treat Shakira as something of an afterthought. She tells manager Benny Medina that she proposed they sing Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.,” but Shakira pointed out she…wasn’t born in the USA. Producers could have edited the moment differently to flatter Lopez and appear more blandly generous, but they didn’t. It’s telling. Lopez is openly vulnerable about her desire and disappointment about the Oscars snub. The filmmaker, Amanda Micheli, also leaves in comments from the NFL’s halftime show director complaining about “identity politics,” and includes headlines about the superficiality of the NFL’s support for anti-racist efforts given that team owners support Trump. Lopez revels in including the Puerto Rican flag onstage with her and gets teary-eyed in rehearsals talking about the treatment of Latinx people in the US. At the same time, the documentary flattens the politics of the moment by completely glossing over the fact that the NFL turned to the two Latinas to obscure the fact that Black performers, including Rihanna, refused to perform in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick that year.But true to the Lopez ethos, politics aren’t the point of the documentary. Or at least not those kind of politics. It’s really about the industry politics surrounding Lopez, including the reception of Hustlers. The documentary shows her getting her hopes up with the press reaction to the movie and even reads a flattering article on camera. “Frankly it’s thrilling to see a criminally underrated performer” — her voice catches in her throat — “get her due from prestige film outlets.”The documentary includes footage of her dejected face as she enters the hotel room where her team awaits her after she loses the Golden Globe. Most people would just say “happy to be nominated for the Globes,” but Lopez is openly vulnerable about her desire and disappointment about the Oscars snub. “The truth is I really started to think I was gonna get nominated,” she says to the camera. And after she’s overlooked, we even get a generous camera pan of a thoughtful New York Times piece that explained why her unsentimentally sexual character, Ramona, might not have resonated with the academy’s voters.The final scenes of the documentary are somewhat jarring, like an infomercial for Lopez herself, as we see her at a philanthropic event where she’s trying to get corporate investment in small businesses for Black and brown women.In the end, it’s not so much that Halftime is a watchable film because Lopez is especially sympathetic as a multimillionaire A-lister underdog. But it’s more compelling than most celebrity self-portraits because she’s open about saying she feels like one.●
Celebrity
In honor of Pride Month, NBC Out is highlighting and celebrating a new generation of LGBTQ trailblazers, creators and newsmakers. Visit our full #Pride30 list here.WNBA star Brittney Griner made international headlines in March when it was revealed that Russian authorities had detained her in February.Griner, 31, was arrested on drug charges after a search of her luggage found vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis, according to Russian officials. She was arrested as tensions between the West and Russia were rising over the Kremlin’s aggressiveness toward Ukraine. The State Department determined last month that Griner, who was in Russia to play in the country’s professional league during the WNBA’s offseason, is being “wrongfully detained by the Russian government.”Long before she became a household name, Griner, who is a lesbian, was a legend in LGBTQ sports history. Griner has won two Olympic gold medals, a WNBA championship for the Phoenix Mercury — whom she signed with in 2013 — and a national title at Baylor University. In 2014, she became the first player to slam dunk in WNBA playoff history. It’s no wonder Griner, a 6-foot-9 native of Houston, is ranked as one of the top 25 WNBA players of all time since its founding in 1996.She came out as a lesbian in 2013 when a Sports Illustrated reporter unexpectedly asked her about sexuality.“In female sports, women’s sports, in the WNBA, players have already come out, and it’s really accepted. Why is there a difference between men and women in that issue?” the reporter, Maggie Gray asked.“I really couldn’t give an answer on why that’s so different. Being one that’s out, it’s just being who you are. Again, like I said, just be who you are,” Griner told the magazine. “Don’t worry about what other people are going to say, because they’re always going to say something, but, if you’re just true to yourself, let that shine through. Don’t hide who you really are.”Later that year, Griner revealed in an ESPN interview that she came out to her mom in the ninth grade but hid her sexuality publicly on the advice of her college coach, who urged her not to disclose it for recruitment purposes.Cyd Zeigler, the founder of the LGBTQ sports site Outsports, said the “amazing part” of Griner’s coming out story is that she came out publicly at the beginning of her career.“It’s very rare that an athlete at the very top of their game comes out, as they’re ascending, as they’re starting their career,” Zeigler said. “She was so confident in herself, so confident in acceptance in the WNBA, that she’s like: ‘Screw it! I can be whoever I want.’ That’s the beauty of her story.”Griner’s absence from the WNBA season, which started May 6, has not gone unnoticed. The league has honored her by placing her number, 42, on all 12 arena courts for the 2022 season.Griner’s pretrial detention has been extended to June 18, her lawyer said last month.Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram
Basketball
In his first ATP main draw match, Great Britain’s Ryan Peniston pulled off the greatest win by far of his young career as he toppled Casper Ruud, the top seed and recent French Open finalist, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) in the first round of Queen’s.“I can’t really believe it, it feels like a dream,” he said. “I didn’t get much sleep last night thinking about this match. It doesn’t feel real.”Peniston, 26, spent the formative years of his career playing in college at the University of Memphis, making his first full professional season in 2019. He is a survivor of rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer that he was diagnosed with as a toddler.He arrived at Queen’s in his best season, rising from his ranking of 268 at the beginning of the year to his current ranking of 180, a career-high, after back-to-back Challenger quarter-finals at Surbiton and Nottingham.Those victories earned Peniston his first main-draw wildcard at Queen’s. Faced with an unwelcome draw against Ruud, the world No 5, Peniston soared. He served well and continually set the pace with his tricky lefty game, controlling the baseline and making Ruud, 23, uncomfortable in defence.Despite Ruud’s pedigree, he understandably played with low energy after his efforts in the French Open and he has also not been shy about his dislike of grass. Peniston was far more comfortable as he breezed through his service games, facing two break points in the entire match. Despite the two tiebreak sets, Peniston won 98 points to Ruud’s 87, an emphatic victory.Casper Ruud (right) congratulates Ryan Peniston on his victory. Photograph: Steven Paston/PA“Casper is an unreal player and did so well in the French Open, so I knew it was a tough ask, but you have to step on the court thinking you have a chance to win and that’s what I did,” said Peniston. “It’s a bit surreal because four or five years ago I was sat over there watching this tournament.”As Peniston left the court, the joy of his biggest win was compounded by more positive news: he will realise another one of his dreams this month after he received a wildcard into the Wimbledon main draw.
Tennis
Apple’s foray into live sports took a big step forward Tuesday.Apple and Major League Soccer have announced a 10-year partnership on a streaming service that will allow fans to watch every game without local blackouts or restrictions. The service will be available exclusively through the Apple TV app beginning next year. The deal is Apple’s second venture into streaming professional sports. In April, it began airing “Friday Night Baseball,” an exclusive weekly doubleheader of Major League Baseball games.“The opportunity to partner with a sports league, and truly build the product together with them is very, very unique,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. “We can bring the things that we do really well with the things that they do really well and really make the product, which I think will be significantly better for the fans. We want to create a great experience for fans to be able to watch and experience MLS like they’ve never had before.”MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Apple is not paying a rights fee but rather a minimum guarantee against revenues that will be generated with both selling subscriptions.“It’s part of what we both wanted. We’re in business together,” Garber said. People with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press that the minimum guarantee is worth $250 million per year. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t at liberty to publicly discuss financial matters.Sports Business Journal was the first to report about the minimum guarantee.The details of the streaming service will be announced in the coming months. The package will be included for fans who have full-season ticket packages for their club. Some MLS and Leagues Cup matches will be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers, with a limited number of matches also available for free. “We really couldn’t have found a better partner to embark on this new journey together to capitalize on the momentum that exists in MLS today,” Garber said. “We can use this deal as rocket fuel as we build towards the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026 and thinking about what the sport of soccer, what Major League Soccer could look like, in the years beyond.”Currently, most MLS out-of-market games are streamed on ESPN+, but there are blackout restrictions due to some local rights agreements. The league’s deals with Fox Sports and ESPN expire at the end of the year. ESPN has carried games since the league began in 1996 and Fox since 2014. Garber is hoping the league can reach a deal with a broadcast partner.Even with the Apple deal, MLS does have the opportunity to simulcast some games nationally.Streaming is already built into soccer fans’ DNA. The league said it has found in various studies that 83% of MLS fans watch sports on streaming devices or recorded TV in a typical week, much higher than the general average of 52% for all TV viewers.What also makes the deal intriguing for Apple is that MLS has the youngest and most diverse audience compared to the other four major professional North American sports leagues.Besides all regular-season and postseason matches, the package includes all Leagues Cup matches — the competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX — as well as select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches.Apple will also partner with MLS on presentation of the matches as the league takes over production. This is another step forward for the league, but is similar to the way European soccer leagues do business. All matches will be called in English and Spanish while those involving Canadian clubs will also be available in French.All matches will also be available in Full HD (1080p) for the first time. Previously, matches were broadcast in 1080i or 720p.Garber said the league will have a more streamlined schedule beginning next season, with most matches being played on Saturdays at 7 p.m. local time and some on Wednesdays. The only time that might change is for a national broadcast or stadium conflict. The league will expand to 29 teams in 2023 with the debut of St. Louis CITY SC.The deal comes as Apple is also exploring opportunities with other sports. The company has been pursuing streaming NFL games when the league’s “Sunday Ticket” expires at the end of the upcoming season.___More AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Soccer
Liverpool have announced the signing of Darwin Núñez from Benfica for a fee that could reach £85m.The Uruguay international, who turns 23 next week, was the top scorer in Portugal’s top flight last season with 26 goals and scored 34 in total, including one in each leg of Benfica’s Champions League quarter-final with Liverpool.His arrival, on a six-year contract, should clear the way for Sadio Mané to join Bayern Munich. Talks are continuing over a transfer for the Senegal forward who has indicated he wants a new challenge.The initial fee for Núñez will be £64m but that fee could rise to £85m should he reach certain milestones in his Liverpool career, including winning the Champions League.Liverpool see the signing as a statement of intent in their attempt to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title and is another feather in the cap for the new sporting director, Julian Ward, who moved quickly to fend off interest from Manchester United.Ward, who is stepping into the role vacated by the influential Michael Edwards, was a key player in the January recruitment of Luis Díaz and the club believe getting the deal done early will allow Núñez to settle in and enjoy a full pre-season.The striker, who is expected to earn around £140,000 per week at Anfield, told the official club website: “I’m really happy and delighted to be here at Liverpool. It’s a massive club.“I’d like to thank my partner and my parents and my son, who is a real source of pride for me. They’ve been really important to me in the stages in my career. I’m really proud of them, and for the work we do, me and my partner, as a team and I’m grateful to her that I’m here.“It’s a pleasure to be here in Liverpool and I’m very happy to be a part of this great club. I’ve played against Liverpool and I’ve seen them in lots of games in the Champions League, and it’s my style of play. There are some great players here and I think it’s going to suit my style of play here.“As I say, I’ve watched quite a lot and it’s a very big club and I hope I can give everything that I’ve got in order to help the team.”Nunez will wear the No 27 shirt for Liverpool and becomes the third Uruguayan to sign for the club, following on from Luis Suárez and Sebastián Coates.“When I arrived at the training ground, I was really surprised to see the set-up and the structure and all the trophies here,” he added. “You can then imagine yourself winning more trophies and then later on when you come here again and see the trophies on display, you can say: ‘Look, I was a part of that, I was there at that time, winning trophies.’“That’s one of the reasons why I came here to Liverpool – to win trophies and titles. I want to win a lot of trophies at Liverpool.”
Soccer
By Davey Alba | Bloomberg A Google software engineer was suspended after going public with his claims of encountering “sentient” artificial intelligence on the company’s servers — spurring a debate about how and whether AI can achieve consciousness. Researchers say it’s an unfortunate distraction from more pressing issues in the industry. The engineer, Blake Lemoine, said he believed that Google’s AI chatbot was capable of expressing human emotion, raising ethical issues. Google put him on leave for sharing confidential information and said his concerns had no basis in fact — a view widely held in the AI community. What’s more important, researchers say, is addressing issues like whether AI can engender real-world harm and prejudice, whether actual humans are exploited in the training of AI, and how the major technology companies act as gatekeepers of the development of the tech. RELATED: A look at bots and why they are holding up Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter Lemoine’s stance may also make it easier for tech companies to abdicate responsibility for AI-driven decisions, said Emily Bender, a professor of computational linguistics at the University of Washington. “Lots of effort has been put into this sideshow,” she said. “The problem is, the more this technology gets sold as artificial intelligence — let alone something sentient — the more people are willing to go along with AI systems” that can cause real-world harm. Bender pointed to examples in job hiring and grading students, which can carry embedded prejudice depending on what data sets were used to train the AI. If the focus is on the system’s apparent sentience, Bender said, it creates a distance from the AI creators’ direct responsibility for any flaws or biases in the programs. The Washington Post on Saturday ran an interview with Lemoine, who conversed with an AI system called LaMDA, or Language Models for Dialogue Applications, a framework that Google uses to build specialized chatbots. The system has been trained on trillions of words from the internet in order to mimic human conversation. In his conversation with the chatbot, Lemoine said he concluded that the AI was a sentient being that should have its own rights. He said the feeling was not scientific, but religious: “who am I to tell God where he can and can’t put souls?” he said on Twitter. Alphabet Inc.’s Google employees were largely silent in internal channels besides Memegen, where Google employees shared a few bland memes, according to a person familiar with the matter. But throughout the weekend and on Monday, researchers pushed back on the notion that the AI was truly sentient, saying the evidence only indicated a highly capable system of human mimicry, not sentience itself. “It is mimicking perceptions or feelings from the training data it was given — smartly and specifically designed to seem like it understands,” said Jana Eggers, the chief executive officer of the AI startup Nara Logics. The architecture of LaMDA “simply doesn’t support some key capabilities of human-like consciousness,” said Max Kreminski, a researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who studies computational media. If LaMDA is like other large language models, he said, it wouldn’t learn from its interactions with human users because “the neural network weights of the deployed model are frozen.” It would also have no other form of long-term storage that it could write information to, meaning it wouldn’t be able to “think” in the background. In a response to Lemoine’s claims, Google said that LaMDA can follow along with prompts and leading questions, giving it an appearance of being able to riff on any topic. “Our team — including ethicists and technologists — has reviewed Blake’s concerns per our AI Principles and have informed him that the evidence does not support his claims,” said Chris Pappas, a Google spokesperson. “Hundreds of researchers and engineers have conversed with LaMDA and we are not aware of anyone else making the wide-ranging assertions, or anthropomorphizing LaMDA, the way Blake has.” The debate over sentience in robots has been carried out alongside science fiction portrayal in popular culture, in stories and movies with AI romantic partners or AI villains. So the debate had an easy path to the mainstream. “Instead of discussing the harms of these companies,” such as sexism, racism and centralization of power created by these AI systems, everyone “spent the whole weekend discussing sentience,” Timnit Gebru, formerly co-lead of Google’s ethical AI group, said on Twitter. “Derailing mission accomplished.” The earliest chatbots of the 1960s and ’70s, including ELIZA and PARRY, generated headlines for their ability to be conversational with humans. In more recent years, the GPT-3 language model from OpenAI, the lab founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and others, has demonstrated even more cutting-edge abilities, including the ability to read and write. But from a scientific perspective, there is no evidence that human intelligence or consciousness are embedded in these systems, said Bart Selman, a professor of computer science at Cornell University who studies artificial intelligence. LaMDA, he said, “is just another example in this long history.” In fact, AI systems don’t currently reason about the effects of their answers or behaviors on people or society, said Mark Riedl, a professor and researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology. And that’s a vulnerability of the technology. “An AI system may not be toxic or have prejudicial bias but still not understand it may be inappropriate to talk about suicide or violence in some circumstances,” Riedl said. “The research is still immature and ongoing, even as there is a rush to deployment.” Technology companies like Google and Meta Platforms Inc. also deploy AI to moderate content on their enormous platforms — yet plenty of toxic language and posts can still slip through their automated systems. In order to mitigate the shortcomings of those systems, the companies must employ hundreds of thousands of human moderators in order to ensure that hate speech, misinformation and extremist content on these platforms are properly labeled and moderated, and even then the companies are often deficient. The focus on AI sentience “further hides” the existence and in some cases, the reportedly inhumane working conditions of these laborers, said the University of Washington’s Bender. It also obfuscates the chain of responsibility when AI systems make mistakes. In a now-famous blunder of its AI technology, Google in 2015 issued a public apology after the company’s Photos service was found to be mistakenly labeling photos of a Black software developer and his friend as “gorillas.” As many as three years later, the company admitted its fix was not an improvement to the underlying AI system; instead it erased all results for the search terms “gorilla,” “chimp,” and “monkey.” Putting an emphasis on AI sentience would have given Google the leeway to blame the issue on the intelligent AI making such a decision, Bender said. “The company could say, ‘Oh, the software made a mistake,’” she said. “Well no, your company created that software. You are accountable for that mistake. And the discourse about sentience muddies that in bad ways.” AI not only provides a way for humans to abdicate their responsibility for making fair decisions to a machine, it often simply replicates the systemic biases of the data on which it is trained, said Laura Edelson, a computer scientist at New York University. In 2016, ProPublica published a sweeping investigation into COMPAS, an algorithm used by judges, probation and parole officers to assess a criminal defendant’s likelihood to re-offend. The investigation found that the algorithm systemically predicted that Black people were at “higher risk” of committing other crimes, even if their records bore out that they did not actually do so. “Systems like that tech-wash our systemic biases,” said Edelson. “They replicate those biases but put them into the black box of ‘the algorithm’ which can’t be questioned or challenged.” And, researchers said, because Google’s LaMDA technology is not open to outside researchers, the public and other computer scientists can only respond to what they are told by Google or through the information released by Lemoine. “It needs to be accessible by researchers outside of Google in order to advance more research in more diverse ways,” Riedl said. “The more voices, the more diversity of research questions, the more possibility of new breakthroughs. This is in addition to the importance of diversity of racial, sexual, and lived experiences, which are currently lacking in many large tech companies.” More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com ©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
AI Research
Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images for Live Nation UK Billie Eilish surprised her fans with a brand new song on Tuesday night (June 7) at a concert in Manchester, England – including references to the recent defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and the impending overturn of Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court. It’s called “TV,” and it’s about aching abandonment. “We haven’t played a new song live before it’s out since 2017 or 2018,” Eilish said, fan-captured footage reveals, while sitting onstage with her brother, collaborator, and guitarist Finneas. “This is one we just wrote, and we just wanted to play for you.” A fan video uploaded to YouTube shows Finneas accompanying Eilish’s husky vocals with melancholic acoustic strings and chords. “I don't wanna talk right now / I just wanna watch TV / I'll stay in the pool and drown / So I don't have to watch you leave,” she sings. “I'll put on Survivor just to watch somebody suffer / Maybe I should get some sleep.” In the second verse, she brings up other current events: “The internet's gone wild watching movie stars on trial / While they're overturning Roe v. Wade.” The song ends with Eilish blaming herself for being at fault, refraining, “Maybe I, maybe I, maybe I'm the problem.” Eilish recently kicked off her Happier Than Ever world tour in the U.K. and Europe, which will continue throughout the summer. She is also expected to appear at the upcoming six-day Overheated climate conference this week, which will take place in O2 Arena in London. A documentary set to appear during the conference will also feature Eilish, Finneas, alt-rock artist Yungblud, Norwegian indie-pop musician Girl in Red, fashion icons Vivienne Westwood and Samata Pattinson, Glastonbury Festival co-organizer Emily Eavis, and activist Tori Tsui. Pop Music Billie Eilish
Music
Music | 6/14/2022 8:36 AM PT "The problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don't give you time to mature" After nine years BTS are going on an extended break to work on solo projects. In a video for their annual FESTA dinner, RM broke the news to fans, explaining that each member of BTS needed to grow and mature on their own. "I always thought that BTS was different from other groups, but the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don't give you time to mature. You have to keep producing music and keep doing something," RM said, per NME. Jimin added: "We can't help but think of our fans no matter what, we want to be the kind of artists that are remembered by our fans. I think now we're starting to think about what kind of artists we each want to be remembered by our fans." "I think that's why we’re going through a rough patch right now, we’re trying to find our identity and that's an exhausting and long process." While Suga assured the BTS army, "It's not like we're disbanding!"
Music
There were probably a few latecomers still trying to park as Baaeed crossed the line in the Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday to cement his status as the world’s highest rated horse. No one, though, will want to miss his next start if, as seems likely, he takes on Coroebus, the winner of the afternoon’s St James’s Palace Stakes, in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood next month.Like Frankel in the same contest 10 years earlier, Baaeed opened the meeting with a ruthless defence of his unbeaten record at long odds-on. He travelled smoothly for Jim Crowley behind Real World, the second-favourite, before taking charge under a hand ride inside the final quarter-mile. He crossed the line nearly two lengths in front of Real World with Order Of Australia, the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner, another four lengths behind in third.“It doesn’t get any easier than that,” Crowley said. “I just let him stretch out for the last furlong of the race, it was like clockwork. It was just the perfect race, really.“Baaeed will have sterner tests ahead, we know that. He is just doing everything perfectly at the moment. He gallops out very well over a mile and has a serious turn of foot over a mile – it’s unnatural really [and] I don’t see 10 furlongs being a problem.“I’m sure we’ll keep testing him, but I’m pretty sure he’ll keep finding. You wait a lifetime for a horse to come along like this. The only way I can explain the feeling is when you go to the funfair and you’re waiting in the queue for a fast ride, that’s the feeling before you get on him.”William Haggas, Baaeed’s trainer, would like to try him at a mile-and-a-quarter at some stage – probably in the International Stakes at York, where Frankel made the same step up in trip a decade ago. Frankel went to Goodwood first, though, and Baaeed could well do the same.“He travels well and settles well [and] that is a really important part if we are going to go further,” Haggas said. “I think we are all quite keen to give it a go and that will be at York. It’s whether we slot Goodwood in in the meantime. It’s potentially Goodwood next.”William Buick and Coroebus after their victory in the St James’s Palace Stakes. Photograph: Frank Sorge/racingfotos.com/ShutterstockBaaeed is top-priced at 8-13 for the Sussex Stakes, with Coroebus, who needed to wait for a run in the St James’s Palace Stakes before getting home by a neck, on offer at 4-1.Haggas, though, may feel that he might have had a Group One double on the day had Maljoom, the German 2,000 Guineas winner, managed to find running room a furlong and a half out. He showed an exceptional turn of foot to get within half a length of Coroebus at the line, but that was only enough for fourth place behind Lusail and My Prospero.Coroebus is the 16th 2,000 Guineas winner in the postwar period to double up in the St James’s Palace Stakes, and the second to do so for the Godolphin operation after Dawn Approach in 2013.“It was a tough, gritty performance,” Charlie Appleby, Coroebus’s trainer, said. “I felt it was class and determination which got us over the line there.“I’m sure [a meeting with Baaeed] is a discussion we would like to have in the coming weeks. It is always a fantastic race, isn’t it? The older horses and the three-year-olds taking each other on, and we were confident [beforehand] that we’d hopefully be doing that on the back of today. I think that is still very much in conversation.”Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks.The much-anticipated meeting between Nature Strip and Golden Pal, top sprinters from Australia and the US respectively, did not materialise as hoped with Golden Pal failing to pick up at the two-furlong pole after being slow to stride.Nature Strip, though, proved himself a long way in front of the European sprinter with a comprehensive four-and-a-half length success. Chris Waller’s gelding could now attempt to complete a Group One sprint double in Saturday’s Platinum Jubilee Stakes. Waller’s colt Home Affairs is the likely favourite, while Campanelle, like Golden Pal a member of Wesley Ward’s party from the US, is also a leading contender.Nature Strip (3-1) replaced Home Affairs (4-1) as favourite after Tuesday’s emphatic success, with Campanelle, already a dual winner at the Royal meeting, on 7-1.
Other Sports
Amber Heard I Stand by My Testimony ... Spoke 'Truth to Power' 6/14/2022 6:43 AM PT NBC Amber Heard says she stands by every word she spoke during her 6-week trial with Johnny Depp -- words she calls "truth to power." A new portion of her 'Today' interview with Savannah Guthrie dropped Tuesday. Here, we see Amber doubling down yet again in her defense -- namely, arguing that everything she testified to had, in fact, happened. She also talks about social media -- backing her lawyers' gripes that the jury must've seen it -- and even addresses the sea of Depp fans she was up against. When SG asks her what she makes of people who might be disgusted with both of them -- Amber says she gets it, but that what those folks might not understand is that this case was actually constitutional rights. Savannah pushes back, saying the First Amendment doesn't protect lies that amount to defamation ... which Amber totally agrees with, insisting she told none. AH says she did the opposite ... speaking "truth to power," as she puts it, for which she says she paid the price. NBC On the issue of whether she was "acting," Amber rhetorically asks how she could hold up against one of the greats of this generation ... implying JD was the one putting on a show. There's more ... including Savannah throwing Amber's own recorded words -- in which she admits to hitting Johnny and starting fights -- right back in her face. But, Amber tells her they were out of context and don't paint the full picture.
Celebrity
Apple’s foray into live sports took a big step forward Tuesday.Apple and Major League Soccer have announced a 10-year partnership on a streaming service that will allow fans to watch every game without local blackouts or restrictions. The service will be available exclusively through the Apple TV app beginning next year.The deal is Apple’s second venture into streaming professional sports. In April, it began airing “Friday Night Baseball,” an exclusive weekly doubleheader of Major League Baseball games.“The opportunity to partner with a sports league, and truly build the product together with them is very, very unique,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. “We can bring the things that we do really well with the things that they do really well and really make the product, which I think will be significantly better for the fans. We want to create a great experience for fans to be able to watch and experience MLS like they’ve never had before.”The details of the streaming service will be announced in the coming months. The package will be included for fans who have full-season ticket packages for their club.Some MLS and Leagues Cup matches will be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers, with a limited number of matches also available for free.“We really couldn’t have found a better partner to embark on this new journey together to capitalize on the momentum that exists in MLS today,” league Commissioner Don Garber said. “We can use this deal as rocket fuel as we build towards the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026 and thinking about what the sport of soccer, what Major League Soccer could look like, in the years beyond.”Currently, most MLS games are streamed on ESPN+, but there are blackout restrictions due to some local rights agreements. The league’s deals with Fox Sports and ESPN expire at the end of the year, but Garber is hoping the league can reach a deal with a broadcast partner.Even with the Apple deal, MLS does have the opportunity to simulcast some games nationally.Streaming is already built into soccer fans’ DNA. The league said it has found in various studies that 83% of MLS fans watch sports on streaming devices or recorded TV in a typical week, much higher than the general average of 52% for all TV viewers.What also makes the deal intriguing for Apple is that MLS has the youngest and most diverse audience compared to the other four major professional North American sports leagues.Besides all regular-season and postseason matches, the package includes all Leagues Cup matches — the competition between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX — as well as select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches.Apple will also partner with MLS on presentation of the matches as the league takes over production. This is another step forward for the league, but is similar to the way European soccer leagues do business. All matches will be called in English and Spanish while those involving Canadian clubs will also be available in French.All matches will also be available in Full HD (1080p) for the first time. Previously, matches were broadcast in 1080i or 720p.Garber said the league will have a more streamlined schedule beginning next season, with most matches taking place on Saturday evenings and some on Wednesdays. The only time that might change is for a national broadcast or stadium conflict. The league will expand to 29 teams in 2023 with the debut of St. Louis CITY SC.The deal comes as Apple is also exploring opportunities with other sports. The company has been pursuing streaming NFL games when the league’s “Sunday Ticket” expires at the end of the upcoming season.
Soccer
SAN FRANCISCO — Ime Udoka has drawn some attention during these NBA Finals for his blunt — and, oh, let’s go with “vivid” as the euphemism — approach to telling his players what he thinks when they’re performing poorly, or selfishly, or like … well, you know.But as tempting as it might be for the Celtics coach to break out the thesaurus and pepper them with all the derisive adjectives they have coming their way after Monday’s maddening 104-94 loss to the Warriors in Game 5, a different kind of bluntness is warranted as this often remarkable but too often frustrating season dangles in the balance.Udoka needs to summon a Herb Brooks speech before Game 6. No, not the fictional one beautifully delivered by actor Kurt Russell while portraying Brooks, the 1980 US Olympic hockey coach, in the film “Miracle.” Not the one before the staggering upset of the Soviet Union that begins, “Great moments are born from great opportunity …”Get Court SenseBounce around the NBA with our Celtics-centric look at the latest happenings on and off the court.Not the one you know. I’m talking about the one the real Brooks delivered in the gold-medal game against Finland: “If you lose this game,” said Brooks, “you’ll take it to your [expletive] graves.” He paused, and reiterated: “Your [expletive] graves.” The US scored three third-period goals to come from behind for a 4-2 win. They won the gold, of course, and vanquished the possibility of a lifetime of regrets.Perhaps circumstances will not prove that heavy for the Celtics should they lose this series. But they must summon the best of themselves, now. Or no matter what they accomplish over the rest of their basketball careers, they will always wonder what might have been if they hadn’t been so self-destructive in Games 4 and 5 of the 2022 Finals.The Celtics are a relatively young team at their core, save for 36-year-old Al Horford. Maybe there will be other opportunities to fly an 18th banner while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown grow into their primes. But it is such a relentless grind just to get here — to sweep Kevin Durant and the Nets in the first round, to vanquish Giannis Antetokounmpo and the champion Bucks in the conference semis, to outlast a tough, top-seeded Heat team in the East finals, and then to be up 2-1 in the NBA Finals, only to lose the next two games with bizarre but hardly uncharacteristic stretches of grotesque basketball — that only a fool would forget to respect the journey.It’s so difficult just to arrive at this moment, where a championship is within reach. Yet too often in these last two games, the Celtics have played the fool. In Game 4, they led, 94-90, with 5:18 left. They hit one of their final eight shots and lost, 107-97, blowing a chance to take a 3-1 lead on the proud Warriors.Then to open Game 5, they shot 8 of 23 in the first quarter, missed all five of their 3-point attempts (on the way to missing their first 12), missed their only free throw, and had more turnovers (4) than assists (3). How they were down only 11 (27-16) after the first 12 minutes is a mystery.The Celtics eventually did figure it out, if all too briefly. They somehow avoided their usually abysmal third quarter, scoring the first 10 points and eventually tying the score at 55-55 on a Marcus Smart 3-pointer before taking their first lead on a Horford three at 6:27.They built the lead to 66-61 … and then it all collapsed.The Warriors ripped off a 24-8 run, scoring the first 10 points of the fourth quarter, and the Celtics went all-in on all of their lousy old routines — “I’ve got this” offense, loss of composure with the officials, and carelessness with the ball (18 turnovers and 18 assists in Game 5).The Celtics say they trust each other on the court, and that they learned their lessons from their 18-21 start to the season. So why do these ugly flaws come roaring back when just a little discipline and composure would put them on the verge of realizing a championship dream? They play as if there are bonus points for degree of difficulty.The Celtics were supposed to be the deeper team in this series. The Warriors have the best player in Curry, the theory went, but the Celtics have more quality players. Yet here we are, with the Warriors looking like the deeper and more well-rounded team.Andrew Wiggins (26 points, 13 rebounds in Game 5) is doing the things Jaylen Brown is supposed to do, while Jaylen Brown (5 for 18 from the field, 5 turnovers) is doing the things Ricky Davis used to do. Klay Thompson has hit 9 of 21 3-point attempts over the past two games, and at least seven of them felt like daggers.You know whom the Warriors remind me of? The 2018 Patriots. They’re not quite what they once were, but no moment is too big for them, and they can still summon greatness.And yet … it’s not over, not yet. It’s easy to forget when they’re driving you crazy with the same old nonsense that made you tune them out back in January, but the Celtics have done some extraordinary things to get to this point. They beat Milwaukee in Game 6 on the Bucks’ turf before finishing them off in Game 7 at the Garden. They won Game 7 in Miami. And it was just a couple of days ago that they were up 2-1 in this series. They looked convincingly like the superior team.They can win Game 6. There’s still a chance, despite how all of this feels right now. But the nonsense needs to end. Or all they’ll take away from this amazing run is that lasting lament about how close they came and what might have been.Chad Finn can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeChadFinn.
Basketball
Ari Melber in studio MSNBC “You can work on one case for five years or you can cover one hundred cases in five years,” explains Ari Melber, MSNBC anchor, legal correspondent, and host of The Beat. “What we’re trying to do on our best day, is cultivate more useful information in the world, with more insights and passion to bring interesting people together whether they agree or not.” Curiously uniting breaking news, politics, law, and music, Melber’s The Beat, reimagines traditional news by bringing in experts from disparate groups for thoughtful, contextualized conversations around key issues driving American culture – on live TV and across digital platforms. Melber’s versatility and vulnerability are what make his work resonate. From reporting and interviewing witnesses in the Mueller Probe and former White House aides Peter Navarro and Corey Lewandowski, to creating a 10-part series on the power technology companies like Meta have, to talking with rapper Benny the Butcher about leadership, and introducing Civil Rights leader Alice Walker to Pulitzer Prize-winning musician Kendrick Lamar’s hit song “Alright,” which quoted her work from The Color Purple, Melber is putting people in unexpected rooms where meaningful connections happen. “I think he [Kendrick Lamar] is understanding the truth of it,” said Walker on The Beat, “it’s a good thing we can talk to each other across generations.” Luring entertainers, particularly musicians onto live TV can be tough. Many artists are shy about press especially if the opportunity is not a performance, others are unable to connect live TV audiences with their very digital audiences, and some just don’t care about publicity and very rarely make appearances. Melber often has to sell guests on The Beat, “some artists don't want to be put in some box to talk about their music and whatever the current issue is this week! I have to tell artists that I am not clout chasing and that I'm trying to talk to them about their work and art – artists are living in a world where everyone is trying to take a piece of them, and I am very conscious of that.” The commodification of policy advocacy can be constricting and some creatives can be at times tokenized into playing sides for social good. Authenticity is the sweet spot for storytelling and music will always be the first responder, reporting live from the streets of the communities it embodies. Melber recently went down to Atlanta to meet with trap rapper Lil Baby to talk about work, life, and music. Lil Baby’s song “The Bigger Picture,” was released in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the larger BLM movement in 2020, and was the biggest protest song of that time – garnering over 161 million views on YouTube, premiering in a #1 spot on Apple Music and #3 spot on Spotify’s charts. Lil Baby created the song to talk about police racism and build more community interaction – which is a different narrative and approach than protest anthems of the past like NWA’s “Fuck Tha Police.” “There’s still going to be a top story, there’s still going to be a banner headline on the screen – there are certain aspects of this that are what the news genre looks like,” says Melber, “you fill those in and figure out how you fit into the news ecosystem and figure out what else you want to say or add – and that’s where the interesting conversations come in. That balkanizing, whether it’s across our society which I think everyone knows about – even within media – is an impediment to the most important cross-cultural conversations we want to have.” Slicing across cultures is The Beat’s special sauce. Home to two original programs, The Summit Series, featuring interviews with guests at “the summit” of their fields like Bill Gates, Clive Davis, and Fran Lebowitz, along with Mavericks, a music and storytelling concept show as told through the lens of cultural icons like Wu Tang’s RZA, Bon Jovi, Judd Apatow, and Swizz Beats, The Beat brand is strong. “Artists are storytellers and they know how to tell their story and promote their work one way or another – Bob Marley did it differently than Doja Cat but they are both very ambitious.” Mavericks will return for a new season in July with Dave Grohl and Samantha Bee among others. Ari Melber at 30 Rockefeller Plaza MSNBC Originally from Seattle, where he went to the same high school as Jimi Hendrix, Melber has been quoting song lyrics to make sense of life for as long as he can remember, “some of my old friends can’t believe I do this for work now.” Melber is what you might expect someone delivering the news on TV to look like – easy on the eyes, in the suit du jour, with coordinating ties and polished dress shoes. Scouring the internet you will not really find an image of Melber out of his anchor “uniform” and when asked about his fashion sense, Melber laughs and explains candidly “I have never had and do not have any fashion sense – and to avoid public fails, I keep it fairly simple.” Melber goes on about his love of Reebok Classic sneakers – to which he has six pairs in different colors, shares his brother’s disdain for his recent purchase of moccasins with external stitching, and reveals where you might find him when he’s not reporting the news – hiking at a national park, running around Brooklyn or reading at an outdoor cafe. As the longest-running 6pm ET weekly show in MSNBC’s 25-year history, The Beat reaches over 1 million viewers each time it goes live along with its expanded online audiences across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube – each platform complete with its own curated The Beat cultural content. “After personal human relationships – love and family and friends, culture to me is what makes life interesting and fun and what enriches us as humans in society – that’s what we bond over,” expresses Melber, “if you look at the political eras we have been living through, they are deeply tied to different pockets and aspirations of the culture that people want in America.”
Music
It's hard to believe the Subaru Ascent is almost five years old already, but it's slowly getting there. Thus, Subaru went back to the drawing board and whipped up a mid-cycle refresh that breathes some more life into a three-row family SUV that was already compelling to begin with.Subaru on Tuesday unveiled the 2023 Ascent. It arrives at dealers this fall in five trims: Base, Premium, Onyx Edition, Limited and Touring. To help bring its look closer in line with other new Subaru models like the Forester, the Ascent picks up more angular headlights and a new set of taillights, in addition to a tweaked front bumper with better aerodynamics.Subaru also gave its safety systems a boost. The latest iteration of the EyeSight suite of driver aids promises smoother operation over a wider range of conditions, thanks in part to a wider field of view, software tweaks and an electric brake booster. An additional wide-angle forward-facing camera promises to improve pedestrian and cyclist detection in intersections, as well. Models with blind spot monitoring also get a new evasive steering aid that can help steer the vehicle around a potential collision at speeds under 50 mph. There's also a new surround-view camera system on offer, and the backup camera gets its own washer to keep the lens from getting gunked up. Parents with children in the third row will be happy to hear that Subaru also added a microphone system. This takes the voices of front-row occupants and beams it to the third row through the speakers. However, this new tech is limited to models with Subaru's uprated Harman Kardon surround-sound audio system.The Ascent gets a major infotainment upgrade, too. All 2023 Ascents will come standard with an 11.6-inch portrait infotainment display running the latest version of Subaru's Starlink infotainment system. It offers controls for climate control in addition to the usual telematics stuff, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. Otherwise, the Ascent is largely the same as the one that came before it, and that's great. Its 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-4 engine makes a sufficiently peppy 260 horsepower, all-wheel drive is standard and the SUV can tow up to 5,000 pounds. Pricing has not yet been announced, but Subaru will likely change that closer to the Ascent's on-sale date.
Automotive and Transportation
Meanwhile, the Lightning are after their third consecutive title. No one has strung together three since the Islanders won four straight, 1980-83, under the expert watch of Al Arbour. A title would certify Jon Cooper’s men in blue as a dynasty, an accomplishment all the more amazing in an NHL today that features meaningful (i.e. power-altering) free agency and a salary cap.Get Sports HeadlinesThe Globe's most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.Gary Bettman’s Original 32 make up a league engineered for balance and parity. Jeff Vinik’s Lightning keep tipping the scale their way.“To go a third time,” Cooper mused Saturday night, after the Lightning polished off the Rangers in the Eastern Conference finals, rallying from a 2-0 series deficit, “is unthinkable.”If they win, the Lightning will have clinched 12 consecutive best-of-seven series in three years, a feat never accomplished, pre- or post- the cap era. The Canadiens, with legendary Ken Dryden in net, won 12 straight best-of-sevens, but that was across four titles (1976-79) in years when they needed only 12 wins per postseason to clinch the Cup. When the Islanders won their four, each postseason opened with a best-of-five series.All in all, there really is little to choose here between two excellent teams, each trained, and equipped, to push the pace. They are both smooth, luxury rides, loaded with options.The Avalanche have clicked for a league-best 4.64 goals per game, helping them to series sweeps over the Predators and Oilers.The Lightning have not been as prolific (3.06 goals per game), and needed a Game 7 to squeeze by Toronto in Round 1. But they enjoy the luxury of having the world’s best goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, buttoning up their net.Andrei Vasilevskiy is 12-5 in the playoffs with a 2.27 GAA as his Lightning seek their third straight Stanley Cup.Bruce Bennett/GettyNothing brings more “valued added” to a club’s scoring output and overall confidence like a goalie who wires his way into the opposition’s heads. Think: Habs ‘71, with the upstart Dryden torturing the likes of Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, John Bucyk, and Ken Hodge, all of whom finished that regular season with more than 100 points. Dryden, in fact, yielded 26 goals over the seven games. The Habs, though, scored 28, including a 12-5 advantage in the last two games. The Bruins agonized over Dryden for, oh, only the remainder of the ’70s.A win now would shoulder the 6-foot-3-inch Vasilevskiy, proud son of Tyumen, Russia, in among Dryden and Battlin’ Billy Smith, the irascible Islander tender, on the list of great playoff puck stoppers.Colorado coach Jared Bednar as of Tuesday morning had yet to declare whether he’ll go with Darcy Kuemper or Pavel Francouz in net. Kuemper opened the Western finals vs. the Oilers, but was injured in Game 1, leaving the Czech-born Francouz to back the wins in 2, 3, and 4 and complete the stunning series sweep. The Avalanche took the last three games by an aggregate 14-7.The Avalanche, likely to be slightly favored in the series because of their home-ice advantage, roll behind a pair of elite forwards — Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog — and the X-factor who is Cale Makar, the sensational defenseman who logged two years at UMass prior to turning pro.There isn’t a blue liner in today’s game who can match Makar’s Orr-like quickness and boldness with the puck in the offensive zone. Only 23, he delivered a record 5 points (1-4—5) in the Western finals clincher, and he enters the title round as Colorado’s top playoff point producer (5-17—22).The Bolts have arguably the game’s best defenseman in the towering, dominating Victor Hedman, but no one, save the Rangers’ Adam Fox, comes close to Makar’s ability to take over his club’s offense — and torment opposing defenses — from the back end.If you’re of an age that you have only heard about Orr, or have seen him only on youtube archives, Makar is the closest facsimile to No. 4 the game has seen (apologies here to Brian Leetch and Paul Coffey). Orr delivered the wow! with almost every shift, like no defenseman before him dared imagine, while Makar, working in a much faster era, is more situationally selective with his advances.Makar is part of what also gives the Avalanche a pre-series edge: a potent power play reminiscent of the Islanders days with Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies, Denis Potvin et al.The Avalanche clicked at 31.1 percent on the power play over the first three rounds, just a hair behind the Rangers (32.1). The Bolts play a disciplined game (shorthanded 3.35 times per game thus far), and they’ll have to maintain that approach. Otherwise, they’ll be minced up by the Avalanche, particularly if Nazem Kadri (wrist injury) is healthy.It can be easy to discount the Lightning, in part because of the draining physical/mental toll of repeating. But they still have a superb collection of offensive weapons up front, including Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. It also looks like the Bolts will have No. 2 center Brayden Point back in service after a prolonged injury layoff.The Avalanche, because they dispatched Edmonton so easily, face the prospect of some early rust after a nine-day layoff. They had an eight-day rest after their sweep of the Predators. Rest, thus far, has been their friend.The Bolts only clinched their berth Saturday night and should be running hot.The emotional favorite will be Colorado. Long ago, when the Islanders were the dynasty in the making, it was the same for the Canucks in ‘82 and then the prolific Oilers in ‘83. Everyone felt inclined to back the newbie. How could the Islanders keep it going? Outcome: The Islanders swept them both.So beware selling the Lightning short. The Avalanche indeed have it going, but Tampa Bay has a knack for getting the going gone.Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at [email protected].
Hockey
Amber Heard has said she and Johnny Depp were "awful to each other" during their "toxic" relationship, admitting she made "a lot of mistakes - but always told the truth".The actress said that to her "dying day" she would stand by the testimony she gave in court in Fairfax, Virginia, despite jurors finding in Depp's favour - concluding that a column she wrote about domestic abuse was defamatory - after hearing six weeks of evidence. In her first interview since the verdict on 1 June, Heard sat down with journalist Savannah Guthrie from NBC News to speak about the trial. Asked about Depp's claim that he never hit Heard, and if the actress claims this is a lie, she responded: "Yes it is."Depp, 59, has denied he abused Heard. Addressing her own behaviour during their relationship, she said: "I did do and say horrible, regrettable things throughout my relationship. I behaved in horrible, almost unrecognisable to myself ways. So much regret. "I have freely, openly and voluntarily talked about what I did. I talked about the horrible language, I talked about being pushed to the extent where I didn't even know the difference between right and wrong. More on Amber Heard Amber Heard breaks silence after losing Johnny Depp libel trial - saying she doesn't blame the jury and criticising 'vitriol' on social media Amber Heard responds to Johnny Depp's TikTok message: 'Women's rights are moving backward' Amber Heard's sister speaks out after Johnny Depp defamation trial: 'The cards were stacked against us' "I will always continue to feel like I was a part of this, like I was the other half of this relationship - because I was. And it was ugly and could be very beautiful."It was very, very toxic. We were awful to each other. I made a lot of mistakes, a lot of mistakes. I have always told the truth."When it was put to her that some of public have been "frankly disgusted" by what played out in court, Heard replied: "Absolutely, I would not blame the average person for looking at this and how this has been covered and not thinking that this is Hollywood brats at their worst."But what people don't understand is that it is actually so much bigger than that. This is not only about our first amendment right to speak." However, Guthrie interjected to say the first amendment protects free speech - but not "lies that amount to defamation and that was the issue in the case".Heard, 36, also addressed evidence claiming she was also violent during her relationship with Depp."I never had to instigate it," she said. "I responded to it. When you are living in violence it becomes normal. As I testified to, you have to adapt."The first half of the interview aired on Tuesday following a preview the previous day, in which Heard said she understood why jurors had believed Depp over her, describing him as "a beloved character and people feel they know him". She also said she was portrayed as a "non-credible person" during the trial.After six weeks of testimony, the court case came to an end on 1 June, with the jury finding that a 2018 article Heard wrote for the Washington Post, about her alleged experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse, was defamatory towards Depp. Image: Depp was on tour in the UK with Jeff Beck when the verdict was delivered The actor was awarded $10.35m (£8.2m) in damages.Heard did win on one count of her counter-suit, successfully arguing that one of Depp's attorneys defamed her by claiming her allegations were "an abuse hoax" aimed at capitalising on the #MeToo movement.The jury awarded her $2m (£1.5m) in damages.Read more:Depp v Heard: The key bits of evidence from six weeks of 'soap opera' trial'People want to kill me': How has online abuse of Amber Heard become acceptableDuring his time on the stand in court, Depp denied abusing Heard and told jurors that his ex-wife's allegations of domestic violence were "heinous and disturbing".He said he was "obsessed" with getting to the truth of what really happened during their relationship."I felt it was my responsibility to clear my name and my children of this horrid thing that they were having to read about their father," he said. "My goal is the truth, because it killed me that people I'd met over the years... would think that I was a fraud and had lied to them".Later on in the trial, when asked what it had been like listening to Heard's testimony, Depp said: "It's insane to hear heinous accusations of violence, sexual violence, that she's attributed to me, that she's accused me of."I don't think anyone enjoys having to split themselves open and tell the truth, but there are times when one just simply has to because it's gotten out of control."He then paused before saying: "Horrible. Ridiculous. Humiliating. Ludicrous. Painful. Savage. Unimaginably brutal, cruel, and all… false. All false."After appearing in court for all the evidence, Depp was not there for the verdict, instead touring the UK with musician Jeff Beck.His lawyers also appeared on the Today show and Good Morning America in the US following the verdict.Elaine Bredehoft, one of Heard's lawyers, has said she plans to appeal.The second half of the actress's interview is due to air on Wednesday.Sky News has approached Depp's representatives for a comment.
Celebrity
Jeff Hardy Suspended By AEW ... Following DUI Arrest 6/14/2022 11:55 AM PT Jeff Hardy has been suspended by the AEW without pay following his DUI arrest on Monday, the org. announced Tuesday. "We were able to resume contact with Jeff Hardy this afternoon," AEW president & CEO Tony Khan said in a statement. "AEW does not condone Jeff’s alleged behavior." Khan said Hardy's ban will last until he successfully completes a treatment program and maintains his sobriety. Khan added the AEW will "assist him in getting treatment for substance abuse issues, which he has indicated that he's open to receiving." The 44-year-old wrestler signed with the org. this year after a lengthy run in the WWE -- and is considered one of the company's biggest stars. He was slated to wrestle in an AEW match on Wednesday. As we reported, Hardy was arrested at around 10 a.m. on Monday morning in Florida, after cops say he drunkenly drove his car through Volusia County highways. He's since been hit with three charges, including felony DUI. It's the third time since 2018 that Hardy has been accused of driving while impaired -- he was arrested for the alleged offense in North Carolina in '18 and then again in 2019. "It was disheartening to hear the news about my brother yesterday," his brother, Matt Hardy -- who also wrestles in the AEW -- said in a statement Tuesday morning. "Recovery isn’t a linear process & I’ll continue doing whatever I can to help my brother be healthy. Being healthy & well is the most important thing for Jeff, his wife, his children & our family at this time."
Other Sports
Ex-Boxer Julius Francis Knocks Out Man With One Punch While Working Security Gig 6/14/2022 6:59 AM PT Former heavyweight boxer Julius Francis -- who famously fought Mike Tyson in 2000 -- showed he's still got thunder in his hands ... knocking out a man cold while working a security gig on Monday. The ferocious punch went down outside of BOXPARK Wembley in the U.K. ... after a man appeared to get into a confrontation with security guards for an unknown reason. In video of the incident, shot by a bystander, you can see the man in the du-rag was clearly not pleased with Francis and other guards ... screaming at them, and seeming to shove some of them as well. As the guards were trying to get the man away from the area, the guy stepped toward Francis -- who clearly didn't like that. Video shows Francis hit the man square in the jaw with a quick right hook -- sending him straight to the ground. The man appeared to be out cold for several moments. No word on if the guy suffered any significant injuries. Local law enforcement, meanwhile, said in a statement they are investigating it all. "Police are aware of footage circulating on social media showing an incident involving security staff and a member of the public outside Boxpark in Wembley." "An investigation into the circumstances, including to establish the identity and welfare of those involved, is underway." They added no arrests have been made at this time. Francis fought professionally 48 times in the 1990s and early 2000s -- famously losing to Tyson in a January 2000 bout in Manchester. The 57-year-old former pugilist -- who ended his career with a 23-24-1 record -- also famously fought Vitali Klitschko in 1998, losing by TKO.
Boxing
20 min: ... and so suddenly it’s the travelling Hungarian fans who are making their voices heard now. England try to respond quickly through James, but his floated cross from the left provides easy pickings for Dibusz.18 min: That goal was met by plenty of annoyed whistles and boos. They could have been directed to anyone, couldn’t they. That was a fine finish by Sallai, but a defensive shambles from England’s perspective. So many white shirts, so little resistance.GOAL! England 0-1 Hungary (Sallai 16)The free kick’s swung diagonally into the England box. Stones rises under pressure from Orban and Szalai, and can only skim a header towards Sallai, level with the left-hand post, ten yards out. Kane tries to clear but airkicks. Sallai takes a touch and thrashes into the top left. Hungary lead after their first visit into England’s final third!15 min: Phillips fouls the Bury-born Styles out on the left. And from the resulting free kick ...14 min: The pace drops a little bit. Understandably so. It’s warm, and it’s the end of a very long season. What’s that? STOP FOOTBALL, you say? Sign up now!12 min: A free kick for England out on the left. Bowen takes it and loops diagonally towards Stones, haring in from the right. Stones flushes a header goalwards, but he’s so far out he can’t trouble Dibusz in the Hungary goal.10 min: Schafer goes down, James having accidentally landed on his right leg as the pair tussled for a loose ball. It looks as though he’s tweaked his knee. After a slightly worrying pause in play, he’s checked over and helped back up onto his feet. He’ll continue.8 min: England are very much in the ascendency during these early exchanges. Saka probes down the left. Gallagher down the right. Both sorties lead to goal kicks, but Gareth Southgate will be happy with the energy England are displaying.6 min: James, patrolling the left flank tonight, makes excellent ground down the left and dinks a cross towards Bowen at the far post. It’s a bit high, and Bowen stretches every sinew to reach it. He manages to head down, but not with any great power, and Nagy blocks. England claim a penalty, and the ball did hit the top of Nagy’s arm, but intent, distance and position of arm are all in Hungary’s favour.Jarrod Bowen spurns an early chance. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters5 min: It’s a gorgeous sunny evening in Wolverhampton, by the way. No need for the famous Molineux floodlights just yet.4 min: Saka makes ground down the left. The ball’s switched to Walker on the other flank. His shot is blocked. A confident start from England, but then they started well against Italy too. Can they keep it up this time?2 min: England quickly take control of possession. They pass it around a bit. The crowd sing another chorus of their favourite new song.It’s only England who take the knee before kick-off ... to warm applause from the home fans. Hungary get the ball rolling.The players are out! England wear white, Hungary cherry red. A capacity crowd of 32,000 at Molineux roar heartily. Such a change of atmosphere from Saturday night and Italy, a match played technically behind closed doors due to the havoc wreaked at the Euro 2020 final. That’s not stopping England’s fans taking the moral high ground over Hungary, whose national anthem is jeered and momentarily drowned out with a chant of “You racist bastards, we know what you are.” We’ll be off in a minute.Gareth Southgate talks to Channel 4. “The players have had real intense tests in the last couple of games, and we need to press well tonight, to really unsettle Hungary, and we’ve put energy in, players who like to do those sort of things. This role suits Conor Gallagher, him and Jude Bellingham, it’s probably their best position. They recover a lot of balls. We’ve got a crowd in tonight, and they’ll be raised by the team getting in and around Hungary. We’ve recovered from the defeat in Budapest and put in two good performances against top-level nations. Now we’ve got to get the win, there’s always that expectation with England. We saw people really excited in the streets coming in, and we want them to leave that way.”There’s already been one big result in the Nations League this evening. Scotland, fresh from being totally undressed by the Republic of Ireland in Dublin last weekend, quickly went 1-0 down in Armenia, Grant Hanley falling over on six minutes and allowing Tigran Barseghyan to scoot down the right and cut back for Vahan Bichakhchyan to finish at the near post. But on 14 minutes, Stuart Armstrong latched onto a botched bicycle kick by Che Adams and slotted the equaliser, then one minute before the break, Arman Hovhannisyan was sent packing for a wild slide on Nathan Patterson, then putting the head on John McGinn in the incident’s aftermath.It was pretty much all Scotland after that. Before the half-time whistle, Armstrong turned cutely in the Armenian box and swivelled his and Scotland’s second into the right-hand corner. On 50 minutes, McGinn steered home from close range, having been teed up by Patterson, then three minutes later Armstrong sent Adams away on the break for a fourth. Just before the end, Kamo Hovhannisyan was shown a straight red for a potential leg-breaker on Lewis Ferguson (who thankfully remains in tact). FULL TIME: Armenia 1-4 Scotland.England make nine changes to the starting line-up named for the goalless draw with Italy. Aaron Ramsdale and Reece James are the only players to retain their places. There are recalls for Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, Bukayo Saka, Kalvin Phillips, Jude Bellingham, Jarrod Bowen, John Stones and Marc Guehi, while Conor Gallagher gets his first run-out of this international break. Barnsley’s attacking midfielder Callum Styles, who qualifies for Hungary through his grandmother, starts again for Hungary, having played 87 minutes of last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Germany.The teamsPreambleEngland versus Hungary! It can only mean this ...... while the Hungarians rocking up to Molineux instantly brings to mind this ...... so it’s a showdown with an awful lot of history, including some of the less sepia-toned variety ...... and the latest instalment kicks off at 7.45pm BST. It’s on!
Soccer
2016 Rio Olympics - Basketball - Preliminary - Women's Preliminary Round Group B USA v Serbia - Youth Arena - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 10/08/2016 Brittney Griner (USA) of USA competes. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department became aware, through media reports, of Russia's extension of the pre-trial detention of American basketball player Brittney Griner, department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday, while repeating calls for her release.Price made the comments at a regular press briefing. Russia's TASS news agency reported that Griner's detention had been extended to July 2 at the request of investigators.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Olympic Sports
"The truth is I really started to think I was going to get nominated." Jennifer Lopez filmed her new Netflix documentary "Halftime" during a very exciting time in her life -- one that should have included an Oscar nomination for her work in "Hustlers" that sadly didn't come to fruition. Toward the beginning of the doc, J.Lo opens up about getting cast in the film, explaining why it was such a different type of project for the actress. "When I got Hustlers, it was exciting. It was gritty. It had substance. And that's something that I fought for in my career," she said, while footage showed her rigorous -- and bruise-filled -- rehearsals to play stripper Ramona. "As a producer, one of my goals is to make movies that entertain people but that also have something to say." Getty J.Lo Addresses Body & Boyfriend Scrutiny, Marc Anthony Split In Doc as Ben Affleck Cameos View Story As the doc went on, it showed all the positive Oscar buzz coming Lopez's way after the film's September 2019 premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, before J.Lo went on a huge promotional tour for the movie. In December 2019, she scored a Golden Globe nomination, but wound up losing to Laura Dern. Lopez looked disappointed following the loss, as she reunited with her team -- while her mother and manager Benny Medina were clearly upset as well. "I really thought I had a chance. I felt like I left everybody down," Lopez said in a confessional. "They wanted it so bad, for me, for them, it's a validation of all the work they do too. Most of them have been with me for 20 years, since Selena." As it got closer to Oscar nominations, Lopez was seen getting visibly emotional and even teared up as she read a piece excited that the "criminally underrated performer" was finally getting "her due from prestige film outlets" thanks to "Hustlers." But, unfortunately, the morning of the noms, she woke up empty-handed. Getty J.Lo Reveals Fights Over Super Bowl with NFL, Frustration Over Co-Headlining with Shakira In Doc View Story At rehearsals for the Super Bowl that same day, Lopez told her music director Kim Burse that she didn't sleep well the night before and everyone kept talking about the upcoming nominations. "Can we just stop talking about it?" she said she told everyone, "It's gonna happen, it's gonna be good." "I went back to sleep and I dreamt that it happened and when I woke up I realized it was a dream," she said. "I picked up my phone, the first thing I was from [her sister Linda] and she was like, 'I hate these f---ing people' and I was like, 'Oh s---.'" In a confessional, she admitted "the truth is I really started to think I was going to get nominated." MTV J.Lo Tears Up, Best Kiss Outrage, Elvis Tribute Disaster and More MTV Movie + TV Awards Highlights View Story "I got my hopes up because so many people were telling me me I would be and then it didn't happen. I had to ask myself, what does that mean?" she continued. "I do this not for an award or to do my hits up there and seem like I'm the best performer in the world. No, I do this to tell stories and to affect change and to connect with people and make them feel things because I want to feel something, that's why I do it, because I want to make the world a better place I my own little way." With that, she proclaimed that she was going to "keep working" and would be "unafraid to get loud and use my voice in the best way that I can." While she didn't score a nom, her exclusion was considered one of the greatest upsets of the Oscar race that year. She went on to perform at the Super Bowl, before later performing at President Joe Biden's Inauguration, both of which are highlighted in the doc. "Halftime" is streaming now on Netflix. Getty Every Property Jennifer Lopez Has Ever Bought, Owned or Sold View Story
Celebrity
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! There are two debates that will forever engulf NBA fans – who is the greatest basketball player of all time and which era of basketball was better?Gary Payton recently weighed in on the latter.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Gary Payton attends Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. (Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)The Basketball Hall of Famer and nine-time All-Star said in an interview with the Boardroom he believes the style of basketball played in the 1990s was the best era for the sport. He expressed how he wasn’t a big fan of the way the game has evolved into more fast breaks and long-distance shooting."It’s different because we were in a different era. Our era was us taking pride in more than one thing; this era is about scoring. Our era was about defense, being rough, getting out there, and getting it done," Payton said. FILE: Gary Payton of the Seattle Supersonics with the ball during a National Basketball Association game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Matt A. Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)ANDREW WIGGINS MAKES CASE FOR NBA FINALS MVP WITH GAME 5 PERFORMANCE, FANS WEIGH IN"This era is about shooting threes, getting up and down, and entertainment. It is what it is, and I can’t knock anyone for it. We might have our opinion about it and judge it, but I played in what I think was the best era ever. I think the ’90s was the best era ever." Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls looks to make a basket as Seattle SuperSonics guard Gary Payton defends in the fourth quarter of the 18 March game in 1997 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (VINCENT LAFORET/AFP via Getty Images)Payton was the No. 2 overall pick of the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1990 NBA Draft and immediately became a defensive force on the team. He was a nine-time First Team All-Defensive Team while on the Sonics and helped the team to the NBA Finals in 1996 before losing to the Chicago Bulls.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPPayton would win his only ring as a member of the Miami Heat in 2006. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].
Basketball
WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia has been extended by another couple of weeks, according to new reports. The 18-day extension of Griner's detention, which began in February, came at the "request of the investigation," as Russian authorities accuse her of smuggling vape cartridges containing a cannabis oil known as hashish oil, which is illegal to possess in Russia, into the country, per Russian state outlet TASS. She will now be released on July 2 instead of her scheduled date of June 18, Russian officials said. TREVOR REED, WHO WAS DETAINED IN RUSSIA, IS PUSHING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO BRING OTHERS HOME Griner entered Russia on Feb. 17 while playing basketball for the Russian Premier League team UMMC Ekaterinburg during the offseason. However, she was arrested that day at the Sheremetyevo International Airport, near Moscow, after authorities allegedly found the hashish oil. She is being held on pretrial detention that was extended first in March and again in May. Officials are mulling charges for the large-scale transportation of drugs, which could carry up to 10 years in prison if convicted, the New York Times reported. The State Department maintains she has been "wrongfully detained" and has urged Russia to release her. Griner's detention has become a key diplomatic pressure point between the United States and Russia as relations between the two nations have deteriorated amid the war in Ukraine, which began Feb. 24. During her detention, Griner has been able to communicate with WNBA players via emails and letters, but the communications must first be vetted by Russian authorities before she can receive them, NBC reported. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Griner is not the only high-profile U.S. citizen to be held in Russia as tensions between the two nuclear-clad superpowers simmer. Trevor Reed, a former Marine who had been detained in Russia for almost three years, was released in an April prisoner swap, and Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen, remains detained in Russia. Recently, Reed filed a petition with the United Nations to declare his detainment a breach of international law, saying he hoped the petition would "force Russia to end this practice for all Americans that they're holding there, including Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner," he told CNN.
Basketball
Image: Anime BostonBilly Kametz, an anime and video game voice actor, has passed away at the age of 35. Kametz, whose credits include voicing Josuke Higashikata in the English dub of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable and Galo Thymos in Studio Trigger’s hit anime film Promare, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer back in April.On Kametz’s GoFundMe page headed up by his event agent A. Jinnie McManus, she revealed that Kametz had passed away earlier in the week on Thursday, June 9. Following notifying his loved ones of his passing, McManus announced that his page which will remain active until this Tuesday, June 14. Any donations that had yet to be used for his treatments to go towards paying for his service, or the Colon Cancer Coalition. Along with the aforementioned Jojo’s and Promare, Kametz’s voice work includes Nicolo in Attack on Titan, Arden in Seven Deadly Sins, and Ferdinand in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. His most recent work includes voicing Jerram in Square Enix’s tactical-RPG Triangle Strategy, which released this past March, and Nenji Ogata in 2020's 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.In a statement on the GFM page, McManus expressed her gratitude towards everyone who managed to donate and gave Kametz their well wishes. “I hope you know how appreciated you all were and how much strength you provided,” she wrote. Both her and Kametz, she said, were “blown away” by the support given to them by fans and the voice acting community and the weeks prior to his passing. “He wanted everyone to know how much it was appreciated and thanks everyone, especially his fans who he loved so much. Know that he left this world peacefully, knowing how loved he is and always will be. I miss my friend terribly. But it comforts me that his legacy will continue with his work and all of the fans who are even now discovering what an extraordinary man he was.”Our thoughts are with the Kametz family at this time. You can send your own online condolences to Kametz’s loved ones here.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.
Celebrity
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Golden State Warriors guard Andrew Wiggins made his case for NBA Finals MVP in Monday night’s victory over the Boston Celtics.Wiggins played 43 minutes and scored 26 points on 12-of-23 shooting, leading the team. He needed to have an elevated performance as Stephen Curry, who scored 43 points in Game 4, went cold from beyond the arc. Wiggins added 13 rebounds to pick up his second consecutive double-double.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors dribbles the ball against the Boston Celtics during the NBA Finals on June 13, 2022, at Chase Center in San Francisco. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)"It's something I dreamt about for sure, being in the league, and this is the ultimate stage," he told reporters after the game, via NBC Sports Bay Area. "It doesn't get bigger than this. I was out there being aggressive. It was a good game."NBA fans watching the game debated whether it could be Wiggins’ time to pick up an NBA Finals MVP.NBA FINALS 2022: ANDREW WIGGINS GUIDES WARRIORS TO PIVOTAL GAME 5 VICTORYHe's still a little far off numbers-wise. Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a free throw against the Boston Celtics during Game Five of the 2022 NBA Finals on June 13, 2022 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)Wiggins is averaging 18.4 points and 9.4 rebounds in the Finals. He’s second on the team in scoring behind Curry (30.6) and leading the team in rebounding.Curry has never won an NBA Finals MVP and is making as good a case as ever to capture his first trophy.Wiggins has maintained he just wants to win and has found a way to do it in three of the five games so far between the Warriors and Celtics. An NBA Finals victory would put the cap on the guard's incredible season, in which he averaged 17.2 points and 4.5 rebounds and made his first All-Star team. Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins shoots against the Boston Celtics during the NBA Finals in San Francisco, Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)"Man, there are just a lot of great people here," he added. "Great people here that challenge you. They hold you accountable. The support system, everyone on this team, this organization, they support you and they want to see you do good, and they put you in a position to do good."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPA possible series-clinching Game 6 is set to tip off Thursday night at 9 ET in Boston. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].
Basketball
Stuart Armstrong hit a double as Scotland overcame a difficult start to beat nine-man Armenia 4-1.Scotland fell behind early on in Yerevan and endured some anxious moments after Armstrong’s quickfire equaliser. But the midfielder scored in first-half stoppage time, moments after Arman Hovhannisyan had committed two yellow-card offences in the space of five seconds, and Scotland made the most of their advantage.John McGinn and Ché Adams were on target early in the second half as Scotland sealed six points from their opening three Nations League games before the hosts had another man sent off in stoppage time.Steve Clarke, the Scotland manager, had been left scratching his head over his side’s 3-0 defeat in Dublin on Saturday and three of his defenders did not make the 2,500-mile journey – the captain, Andy Robertson, John Souttar and Scott McKenna.Scott McTominay was restored to the back three beside Grant Hanley and Jack Hendry, who lined up on the left, while wing-backs Nathan Patterson and Greg Taylor came in along with Billy Gilmour and Armstrong.Ireland had struggled in the Yerevan heat when they went down to Armenia in the Group B1 opener but conditions were fine for Scotland in the Republican Stadium thanks to the 8pm local kick-off time, a breeze and a pre-match downpour.Armenia rarely ventured forward in their 2-0 defeat at Hampden last week but they showed much more attacking ambition in the opening stages and went ahead inside six minutes.Hanley looked favourite to win the ball out wide but he misjudged his challenge and fell over to leave Tigran Barseghyan to race to the byline and cut it back for Vahan Bichakhchyan to finish at the near post.Gilmour soon had a shot pushed over after a short corner and Scotland were level in the 14th minute when Armstrong quickly followed up to slot home after Adams had failed to get an ambitious shot away.The goal did not settle Scotland down though and Armenia twice nearly scored from balls over the top with the visitors being rescued by an offside flag and then a recovery tackle from the grounded Hendry.Ché Adams (left) is challenged by Armenia’s Hrayr Mkoyan. Photograph: Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure/ReutersCraig Gordon soon saved from Eduard Spertsyan and Scotland continued to look vulnerable at the back when Armenia ran at them. Clarke’s side began to get to grips with the game around the half-hour mark and Adams twice threatened from long range before Patterson sliced well off target following Taylor’s low cross.The key passage of play started with Hovhannisyan’s late challenge on Patterson. McGinn squared up to the defender and was floored by a headbutt before Montenegrin referee Nikola Dabanovic flashed two yellow cards and a red.Scotland gave the hosts no time to reorganise as Armstrong latched on to McGinn’s pass in the box and beat a defender before steering the ball home brilliantly despite losing his footing.The Scots hammered home their numerical superiority after the interval. McGinn turned and fired home from six yards in the 50th minute after Patterson had cushioned Taylor’s deep cross into him. Five minutes later, Armstrong did superbly to send Southampton teammate Adams away on the counter-attack and the forward curled home.Scotland could have had more. Armstrong twice threatened his hat-trick and both Adams and Taylor forced saves.David Turnbull, Lewis Ferguson, Anthony Ralston and Jacob Brown were given run-outs and Allan Campbell was handed a debut as Scotland continued to dominate possession, although the hosts missed some late chances and Gordon pulled off two good second-half stops.Kamo Hovhannisyan was shown a straight red card following a wild challenge on Ferguson and Campbell saw a shot deflected wide.Scotland round off their Nations League campaign in late September with a double-header against Ukraine and Ireland.
Soccer
Apple on Tuesday announced that it has a deal with Major League Soccer to have exclusive rights to broadcast MLS matches for the next 10 years. Starting with the 2023 season, Apple will offer an MLS streaming service that will be accessible through the Apple TV app, and the service will show all MLS matches live without blackout restrictions so you can watch any match from anywhere. The MLS stream includes all MLS, Leagues Cup, and select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches. The stream will also feature a weekly live highlights show, game replays, recorded highlights, analysis, and other original programming. According to Apple’s press release, Apple TV+ subscribers who are not signed up for the MLS stream will be able to watch a limited number of matches. According to The Athletic fans will not be able to watch matches of their local teams on a local TV broadcast. To watch these matches, fans will need to sign up for the Apple TV MLS stream. MLS full-season ticket packages will also include access to the MLS stream. At launch, MLS and Leagues Cup matches will have English and Spanish announcers, and matches involving Canadian clubs will have French announcers. The Athletic reported that there is a possibility that only staff one set of commentators will eventually be used for Apple TV+ matches. Apple has not yet released details on pricing, how to sign up, and specifics on programming–those details will be revealed before the start of the 2023 MLS season in late February or early March. The Athletic reported that Apple’s deal with MLS is worth a minimum of $2.5 billion, with the rate flexible depending on subscribers. The deal reportedly leaves room for MLS to negotiate with “linear partners” such as ESPN, Univision, and Fox, which is currently under contract with until the end of the current season. Those three networks reportedly paid $90 million per season–so Apple’s deal is a very aggressive move for the company to grow its sports coverage on Apple TV. The Apple/MLS deal follows the announcement of the July 2022 schedule for its Friday Night Baseball showcase. Apple also made WWDC announcements that highlight sports coverage in the new Live Activities feature and is rumored to be negotiating with the NFL. Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details. Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started at MacUser, and he's worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV.
Soccer
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Jeff Hardy, a former WWE star and current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) performer, was arrested Monday in Florida on DUI and other charges, police said.Hardy, 44, was arrested for DUI, driving while his license was canceled/revoked and violating a restriction in which he was required to have a DUI interlock device in his vehicle. This was Hardy’s third DUI offense in the last 10 years and is a third-degree felony, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Jeff Hardy was arrested in Volusia County, Florida. (Volusia County Corrections)Florida Highway Patrol arrested Hardy in Volusia County on Interstate-4. Police said Hardy was "swerving all over the roadway, failing to maintain (his) lane, and running off the roadway…"Police said Hardy admitted to drinking earlier in the day. Hardy agreed to two breathalyzer readings and blew an 0.294 and an 0.291. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08.WWE'S NAOMI BREAKS SOCIAL MEDIA SILENCE WITH CRYPTIC VIDEO AFTER SUSPENSION Professional wrestler Jeff Hardy of WWE The Hardy Boyz attends Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia 2017 - Day 1 at Pennsylvania Convention Center on June 1, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images)Hardy, a North Carolina native, was arrested in his home state in 2018 and 2019 for driving while impaired. He also was arrested for public intoxication in July 2019 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.Hardy is best known for his theatrics in the WWE ring. His high-flying style in the company’s Attitude Era and beyond made him a fan favorite and created a legacy that still carries through to the present day. Jeff Hardy makes his way to the ring during the WWE World Cup Quarterfinal match as part of as part of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Crown Jewel pay-per-view at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on November 2, 2018. (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPHe was let go after another stint in WWE in 2021. By the beginning of 2022, Hardy was performing with his brother Matt for AEW. Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].
Other Sports
"I'm trying to give you something with substance. Not just us out there shaking our f---ing asses and f---ing belly dancing." Jennifer Lopez opens up about her experience co-headling the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show with Shakira in her new Netflix documentary, "Halftime," and it's safe to say there were a number of headaches for both stars as they shared the stage. In the documentary, out today on the streamer, Lopez expressed her frustration over having to co-headline -- making it clear it was nothing against Shakira, but the fact neither of them were allowed to do it solo. During an interview in the doc, the singer's manager Benny Medina echoed Lopez's thoughts of having two headliners instead of one solo performer, calling it an "insult." "Typically, you have one headliner at a Super Bowl. That headliner constructs a show, and, should they choose to have other guests, that's their choice," Medina said. "It was an insult to say you needed two Latinas to do the job that one artist historically has done." As Lopez and Shakira worked through the timing of the performance, Lopez admitted she was frustrated with their shorter set. "I know that the Super Bowl people want us to be weaved throughout the show. I haven't had a confirmation about how many minutes I'm going to have," Shakira said to Lopez. "Let me address that really quick. They said 12 minutes," Lopez replied. "I got kind of a good confirmation that we could have an extra minute or two, so now we're at, like, 13, 14 minutes. I think, Shakira, what we should have is you should have half the time and I should [have half]." The "Hustlers" star went on to bluntly add: "If it was going to be a double-headliner, they should have given us 20 minutes." She continued, "There's an amazing opportunity here to show who we are as performers, but also show who we are as a community and also bring the world together, we can bring everybody together in this moment." "We have six f---ing minutes. We have 30 seconds of a song, and if we take a minute, that's it, we've got five left," she later vented to music director Kim Burse. "But, there's got to be certain songs that we sing, though. We have to have our singing moments. It's not going to be a dance f---ing revue. We have to sing our message." "This is the worst idea in the world to have two people do the Super Bowl. It was the worst idea in the world," she added. At another point, she was seen arguing with the show's director over the phone about the length -- saying the process had been "a nightmare since we started." She exclaimed, "I'm trying to give you something with substance. Not just us out there shaking our f---ing asses and f---ing belly dancing. I want something real, something that's going to make a statement. I can't do it if you guys keep pressing us for f---ing seconds. I don't want to fight." The performance -- who took place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami -- ultimately up being around 14 minutes and also included guest appearances by J Balvin and Bad Bunny. Getty Every Property Jennifer Lopez Has Ever Bought, Owned or Sold View Story "Halftime" also detailed another pair of conflicts J.Lo faced with the NFL regarding the contents of the show. If viewers can recall, the 2020 Super Bowl took place during Donald Trump's presidency, and the administration came under fire at the time over its handling of the immigration crisis, specifically how migrant children were being mistreated at the U.S.-Mexico border. During her performance, J.Lo utilized her time on stage to take a stand against the horrific situation that was happening at the border -- making a bold statement by having children, including her daughter Emme, performing while inside cages. "I'm not into politics, I'm not that person, but I was living in a United States I did not recognize. I was afraid for my kids. The cages. The images of the cages for me, I couldn't believe what I was watching. You don't rip a child from their parents," she explained. "There are just certain things as a human being that you don't do. What is my message and what do I stand for? It made me realize I have a responsibility to not be quiet, to not just leave the politics to everybody else." Getty J.Lo Addresses Body & Boyfriend Scrutiny, Marc Anthony Split In Doc as Ben Affleck Cameos View Story However, according to Lopez and Medina, the NFL tried to remove the moment at the last minute. "We left rehearsal and I noticed everybody was freaking out, but I don't know why," J.Lo recalled. "I get a call from Benny and he's like, 'They want to pull the cages.' That night, the higher-ups at the NFL saw it for the first time and they're like, 'Hey, you can't do that." "The NFL had a real concern about making a political statement about immigration," Medina claimed. "They looked at the plans, and the message was absolute. They did not want those cages in the show. That had come down from the highest authority." But Lopez doubled down and pushed for the inclusion of the scene. Everett Jennifer Lopez Doc Reveals How She Really Felt Morning of Hustlers Oscar Snub View Story "For me, this isn't about politics. This is about human rights," she said. "I'm facing the biggest crossroads of my life, to be able to perform on the world's biggest stage, but to take out the cages and sacrifice what I believe in would be like never being there at all." She added, "There was a part of me that just got very zen and I was just like, 'Benny I don't care what you have to do, we're not changing the show. The Super Bowl is tomorrow and we're not changing anything.'" Lopez also faced some pushback for wanting to feature the gender symbol for women as Emme and all the other young girls joined them on stage. The halftime show director was worried including the symbol could be seen as exclusionary and "contentious." He said, "I think it seems to be a little bit on the nose and something that might have been done at the Super Bowl a while back. It doesn't seem to have the artistry - I understand the meaning behind it -- but what you're saying with the show is more powerful than having the symbol out there." J.Lo seemed surprised by the thought, but it ended up staying in the performance. MTV J.Lo Tears Up, Best Kiss Outrage, Elvis Tribute Disaster and More MTV Movie + TV Awards Highlights View Story In the doc, she also revealed she and Shakira weren't initially on the same page about including "Born In the USA" in the medley, as the latter was born in Colombia. Lopez hoped to get Bruce Springsteen himself to join them on stage, thinking it would be a great symbol for him to point to her while singing. "These motherf---ers act like everyone's an immigrant who's trying to sneak into the country and is a criminal, because that's a narrative Trump has created and it's bulls---," she explained. "I told [Shakira], if you come up with a better song to make a statement that we shouldn't be hating each other, that's the statement." Though she tried to get Springsteen, she eventually settled on having daughter Emme sing a few lines from the song instead. "I started thinking my daughter could sing 'Born in the USA' in the finale," she explained, "I thought that it's so much more powerful if Emme sings 'Born in the USA' as a little young Latina girl." And that's exactly what happened -- she and Emme sang it mashed up with "Let's Get Loud," before Shakira joined Lopez to finish out the performance. "Halftime" hits Netflix on June 14.
Music
The narrative road most LGBTQ-themed movies used to travel went something like this: A sheltered, often shy person experiences a sexual awakening and finds tentative passion/love and and begins the never-easy journey towards coming out. No more. The shift in queer cinema is reflected in the robust lineup at the 46th annual Frameline LGBTQ film festival, which runs June 16-26. An encore online program is available June 24-30. The collection of 125 narrative features, documentaries and shorts often defy, dare and challenge, with most steering clear of standard tropes and talking points. This year’s slate attempts to shake out hard truths about such matters as living in Brazil, being gay and Black and Brown, and other introspective topics. The fest kicks off with a sneak peek at the first two episodes of the Amazon Prime series “A League of their Own” (adapted from the 1992 film of the same name) and wraps up June 26 with a screening of François Ozon’s “Peter von Kant,” starring Isabelle Adjani. Those screenings are already in most filmgoers’ radars. So let’s shine a spotlight on 10 smaller gems that haven’t received as much ink but deserve it. “Black As U R”: Theater/film director Micheal Rice drops in at barbershops, chats up young kiki performers and then spends time with an addicted sex worker. That’s a lot to take in, but Rice is fearless and committed — even seeking a better understanding about his own closeted adolescence — as he daringly explores whether the Black Lives Matter movement truly embraces the LGBTQ community. The answers prove provocative and hard-edged in a low-budget doc that’s equally candid and thought provoking. Justly “Black As U R ” has been honored with the first Out in the Silence Award from Frameline. It puts a mirror to a reality that people don’t want to talk about but need to address. Screening: 6:15 p.m. June 19 (observing Juneteenth), Castro Theatre, also available to stream. “Unidentified Objects”: My favorite film in the festival happens to be Juan Felipe Zuleta’s weird, bizarre and marvelous first feature. Ostensibly a “road” picture, it finds the grouchy and pretentious Peter (Matthew August Jeffers, in a performance of bristle and anger) agreeing to drive eccentric sex worker Winona (Sarah Hay) to the site where she said she had a close encounter with aliens. What could have been a dumb road trip transforms into a meaningful, at times funny story about two entities — a man who has dwarfism and a woman with a wretched past — coming together in a world that doesn’t necessarily care to nurture let alone accept them. Leland Frankel’s screenplay, the two lead performances and the compassionate direction from first-timer Zuleta make it a celestial wonder worth discovering. Screening: 8:30 p.m. June 19, AMC Kabuki 8, also available to stream. “Donna”: A number of good documentaries (“Last Dance” being one) this year focus on courageous drag performers, but this short and unfussy film won me over from first frame to last. That’s because San Francisco luminary Donna Personna launched her drag career at the age of 60 (you go, girl!) and is such an engaging presence to hang out with. Her story includes being present during the pivotal pre-Stonewall San Francisco moment in 1966 when she and others stood up against belligerent cops at the Compton’s Cafeteria and raised the voices of unsung Bay Area heroes. Director Jay Bedwani captures what makes Donna such a sensation. It receives a world premiere. Screening: 11 a.m. June 25, the Castro. “Moneyboys”: A rather salacious scenario — handsome Liang Fei (singer/actor Ko Chen-tung) turns to sex work so he can fund his cash-strapped family in China and then flee to somewhere different — turns ever more complex in director C.B Yi’s bold first feature. Shot in Taiwan, it reflects China’s hardline, dangerous attitude toward the LGBTQ community, as Liang’s family benefits from his trade but then won’t accept him and his sexuality. The cinematography by Jean-Louis Vialard is astonishing, as is Ko’s sensitive, crawl-into-your-soul performance. Screening: 9:15 p.m. June 21, the Castro, also available to stream. “Uýra: The Rising Forest”: Director Juliana Curi’s debut film is an under-the-radar doc about the inspiring Brazilian trans-indigenous artist Uýra Sodoma is an absolute gem. Curi takes a transcendental visual approach to her subject and it poetically punctuates what Uýra is trying to get across to younger generations: that preserving the environment comes from the same place as appreciating LGBTQ identity. You do need to see it on a big screen. Screening: 8:30 p.m. June 22, Oakland’s New Parkway, also available to stream. “El Houb – The Love”: In yet another impressive film that dares to take a hard look at a societal view that drags down LGBTQ representation, first-time director Shariff Nasr plumbs the senseless hatred aimed at a gay Muslim man whose family can’t fathom nor accept his sexuality. Both funny and devastating in equal measures, it finds successful Moroccan-Dutch businessman Karim (an electrifying Fahd Larhzaoui) stowing himself away once his father comes to his apartment and is greeted with an attractive, semi-clothed lover (Emmanuel Ohene Boafo) answering the door. Nasr’s “El Houb – The Love ” takes no prisoners as exposes the festering hate swirling inside a “picture-perfect” family. It receives a world premier. Screening: 8:31 p.m. June 20, the Castro. “It Is In Us All”: Moody, hypnotic cinematography — the sort that deserves to nab Piers McGrail an Oscar nod — combined with an intoxicating, star-making performance from Cosmo Jarvis covers up some storytelling lapses near the finale of Antonia Campbell-Hughes’ impressive, challenging first feature set in rural Ireland. Jarvis plays a shallow, privileged guy who returns to tie up loose financial ends at his aunt’s house after she dies. Those intentions fall by the wayside when he becomes involved in a fatal car accident that kills one young passenger and leaves behind another teenage survivor (Rhys Manion) with whom he becomes entranced. “It Is In Us All” taps into the dangers of repression and past secrets, and resoundingly declares the arrival of a fine filmmaker and one great lead actor. Screening: 8:30 p.m. June 23, AMC Kabuki 8, also available to stream. “When Time Got Louder”: In this family drama, vibrant sister Abbie (Willow Shields) feels the tug of sibling guilt when she relocates to a California college and becomes involved with a woman, leaving her dependent brother behind. Connie Cocchia’s debut drama might be overly earnest at times, but it tells a compelling story of familial love shared between Abbie and her autistic brother Kayden (a sensational Jonathan Simao) and the struggles that parents Tish (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Mark (Lochlyn Munro) realize, having relied too heavily on their daughter. It’s a moving and personal film, and receives a world premiere. Screening: 12:30 p.m. June 20, the Castro, also available to stream. “Girl Picture”: Even though it took home an audience award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Alli Haapasalo’s observant, unpredictable and smart “sex dramedy” finds two bored teen-aged mall workers in Finland testing the waters of their friendship and sexuality. One discovers she likes women and the other tries to find satisfying sex, something that continually eludes her. Haapasalo’s film is a liberating exploration of two women finding out what not only pleases them about life but what pleasures them as well. It’s simply wonderful and is one of the Centerpiece selections. Screening: 6 p.m. June 24, the Castro. “In From the Side”: What makes this supremely sexy sports melodrama so special is that it avoids traditional tropes. Matt Carter’s passionate film is refreshingly not about the anguish two masculine guys feel about being in love; it’s about two guys already partnered and bending the rules of their own relationship goals. As the two players who can’t get enough of each other, Alexander Lincoln and Alexander King smolder. Carter’s film loses its footing near the finale, but this still one to see. Details: 6 p.m. June 25, the Castro. Contact Randy Myers at [email protected]. FRAMELINE When: June 16-26; some films available to stream June 24-30. Where: Several San Francisco theaters as well as the New Parkway, Oakland Tickets: Most screenings $15.50-$17.50, special events and centerpiece films cost more; streaming films $8.50-$10.50; full pass $105-$120; www.frameline.org/
Movies
On a Friday evening in June 2021, saxophonist Alabaster dePlume heard the silky vocals of Karl Benjamin and Elisa Imperilee seeping through the walls of Root73’s recording studio in the Total Refreshment Centre in Dalston, London. Inspired, he grabbed his instrument and improvised a spectacular melody for their new track in one take. “He added magic and then fucked off,” says Jaden Osei-Bonsu (AKA Eerf Evil), who co-founded the Silhouettes Project with Asher Korner (AKA Kosher) for moments like these.With live events and a debut album in 2020 that united more than 30 rappers, singers and producers, the Silhouettes Project is acting as a loudhailer for hip-hop, jazz, soul and R&B artists who might be ignored by streaming services and arts funding bodies. Some of them, such as the witty and conversational rapper Enny, have broken into the mainstream.The excitement for the Silhouettes Project was palpable at a sold-out show at Camden’s Jazz Cafe in April: adoring fans had learned all the lyrics during lockdown, and after performers took turns on stage backed by a jazz-inflected six-person band, the night culminated in a boisterous singalong. “No one was coming for one person, they were coming for the whole sound,” says Eerf Evil now, grinning as he sprawls his long limbs out on a studio sofa. “These artists might not make it into a playlist by themselves but with the collective energy around the project, people are making it.”Kieron Boothe, an east London rapper who has been making music professionally since 2014, sees the Silhouettes Project as a turning point in his career. After releasing No Peace, his introspective rap about self-love with soulful vocals by Morgan Lorelle, his monthly listeners on Spotify have more than tripled; the track has reached over 2.4m streams. “With the right push, the attention has picked up,” he says.“You’re a lot stronger in any musical movement when there’s people doing it together,” adds Nix Northwest, a classically trained multi-instrumentalist, who produced Enny’s song For South. He first met the shy vocalist at a regular Silhouettes jam in the Total Refreshment Centre. “It was like a little update of where everyone was at,” he says. “It felt like a proper family vibe. Even the first one, when I didn’t know anyone there, I felt welcome and appreciated.”“It was a really welcoming environment,” agrees south London singer Elisa Imperilee. Filled with friendly competitiveness, rappers would spit livewire rhymes and musicians improvised for an audience of like-minded people. These jams took place every six weeks before the pandemic halted live music. “The pandemic made me really appreciate what performing live does for your music,” says Imperilee, adding that being able to continue the work collaboratively in the Root73 studio “makes you fall in love again with why you do what you do”.‘With the collective energy around the project, people are making it’ … Eerf Evil. Photograph: Caitlin MolloyKosher launched Root73 as a non-profit recording space in 2016, before setting up the Silhouettes Project with Eerf Evil in 2019. “We’re not maximising and squeezing every penny” out of the artists, he says.He became disillusioned with the music industry when he saw how artists were treated on the basis of race, class and gender, while working at some of the UK’s largest record labels. Last year, a study found that 63% of Black music creators in the UK have experienced racism; misogyny and sexual misconduct remain pervasive; and exploitative label deals and low streaming revenues don’t offer enough remuneration.“Music is unlike any other saleable product,” Kosher says. “It’s [the artist’s] voice, their heart, their feelings,” and conflict can be created when those feelings are packaged and sold. At the core of the Silhouettes Project, though, is an egalitarian ethos, where proceeds of any live show or album are split equally between creatives involved. “We’re not there to abuse, we’re there to do something [for artists].”Streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify accounted for 80% of the UK industry’s £1.7bn total income in 2021, and have become tastemakers you have to please. “I feel like the more people at the ground level feel it and push it, the platforms have no option [but to play us],” says Kieron Boothe. “Because you’re making so much noise, you’re gaining so much traction.” Kosher compares his work to Rinse FM, the once-pirate radio station that broadcast the UK’s most uncompromising grime MCs. “That’s kind of what the Silhouettes Project is in a way,” he says. “A place you can find new artists and engage with a community.”On a new album, due to come out in September, the artists have levelled up after seeing the runaway success of the Silhouettes Project’s first tracks: everyone sounds more confident. “It’s challenging the industry,” says Eerf Evil, “and shows what happens if communities had the resources to create.”
Music
YouTuber Mr. Beast’s take on the Netflix series Squid Game, where real people competed for $456,000, is a hit with viewers, racking up over 100 million views since it premiered last week. It’s a well-produced facsimile of the show, but it’s also bizarre to watch Mr. Beast and former YouTube executives celebrate its popularity as a huge success for so-called “creators.”Famously, Squid Game took over 10 years to actually be produced. Squid Game writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk told the Korea Times that although he wrote the series 12 years ago, its themes became more relevant as time went on.“But after about 12 years, the world has changed into a place where such peculiar, violent survival stories are actually welcomed,” he said. “People commented on how the series is relevant to real life. Sadly, the world has changed in that direction. The series' games that participants go crazy over align with people's desires to hit the jackpot with things like cryptocurrency, real estate, and stocks. So many people have been able to empathize with the story.”In a world as desperate as Hwang describes, it’s unsurprising that people in the real world would want to compete in the same games (though non-fatal) for half a million dollars. In seven months, YouTuber Mr. Beast painstakingly recreated every set from Squid Game, inviting 456 people to compete for $456,000. As a feat of production, it’s not just admirable, but enviable in how perfectly Mr. Beast recreated the sets of ths show. As a piece of media, it’s perverse. This doesn’t just badly misunderstand the anti-capitalist message of Squid Game, it’s a literal recreation of the villain's ultimate desire to watch desperate people compete for money purely for his amusement. In Mr. Beast’s version of Squid Game’s marble game the YouTuber’s research team even paired up best friends in an effort to emulate the tragic stakes of the original show. When the top six are asked what they’d do with the prize money, two of them say they would give it to their families.More than just bizarre, Mr. Beast’s Squid Game highlights a fundamental problem of YouTube. There is no shortage of people who make original art and put it online, but the internet is dominated instead by people who can take advantage of existing properties and fan bases. This is a particular problem on YouTube, where the people film themselves literally reacting to things or laughing at other people’s memes and making a lot of money off of it. This video is no different from those. It owes a debt to Hwang’s show in every respect. Despite being original content from a popular content creator, it’s nothing more than a sad retread of someone else’s work. There’s also an ad spot for mobile game Brawl Stars in the middle of the video, meaning that Mr. Beast will also profit from the fruits of Hwang’s creative labor.ORIGINAL REPORTING ON EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS IN YOUR INBOX.By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.
Movies
This story is part of Welcome to Mars, our series exploring the red planet. The Ingenuity helicopter's first 28 flights on Mars were phenomenal, but its 29th may be one of its most impressive achievements. The wunderkind rotorcraft survived technical glitches, a dead sensor and brutal winter conditions to lift itself once again into the Martian sky.NASA JPL confirmed the successful flight in a tweet Tuesday, saying the chopper completed the 66.6-second journey over the weekend, traveling 587 feet (179 meters) across Mars. Ingenuity's previous flight, No. 28, took place at the end of April. The flight was planned to reposition Ingenuity so it could stay in contact with its companion, the Perseverance rover. The duo have been working together to explore the Jezero Crater, an ancient lakebed with a history of water. Percy is now checking out an intriguing river delta area that may hold clues as to whether Mars might have hosted microbial life. Ingenuity has greatly outlasted its expected lifespan since taking its first flight in April 2021. The cold and dusty winter conditions on Mars will continue to challenge the solar-powered helicopter, but the completion of flight 29 is one more thrilling achievement in flight on another world.
Space Exploration
Jonny Bairstow brought New Zealand to their knees and a capacity crowd to its feet with an innings of beautiful brutality to power England to a five‑wicket victory in the second Test at Trent Bridge, producing a 92-ball 136 that Ben Stokes described as “one of the best things I’ve ever seen” and made a daunting run chase appear trivial.Bairstow emerged from the dressing room with England 56 for three in their pursuit of a victory target of 299, and with a shade more than 57 overs remaining. When he departed they needed 27 with very nearly 27 overs in hand and the rest was a formality, as they went on to take an unassailable 2-0 series lead.“I’m incredibly proud of the way I went about that innings,” he said. “Because it wasn’t just a case of, ‘Let’s go gung-ho.’ It was pick your times, pick your moments, then try to change the game.”Tea was taken with England 139 for four and the game still in the balance, but when play resumed Bairstow scored 45 off the next 20 deliveries he faced, responding to a barrage of short balls by repeatedly dumping them into the crowd. “Ben said: ‘Don’t even think about hitting it down, just plant it in the stands,’” Bairstow said. “I was just trying to do what the captain said.”In all England scored 59 runs from the first four overs of a dizzying final session dominated by Bairstow and Stokes, who was troubled at times by a longstanding knee injury – “nothing to worry about,” he said later – and hit a comparatively pedestrian 70-ball 75.“There’s been some tough times over the last couple of years, we’ve all been there and we know the circumstances that they’ve been under,” Bairstow said. “To entertain a full house at Trent Bridge on day five, to play this cricket, is a credit to the guys in the dressing room. There was never a backward step taken. It’s an exciting start to an exciting journey that we’re all on together.”Stokes has played a key part in many of England’s most memorable moments of recent years, most notably the 2019 World Cup final and the Ashes Test win in Leeds the following month, but he insisted this victory set a new high-water mark in his career.“I’m struggling to find words for what we witnessed out there. It was just phenomenal,” he said. “This blows away Headingley, it blows away Lord’s and the World Cup final. Just emotionally and the enjoyment of every minute I had on that field, it was incredible. I can’t quite wrap my head around how we’ve chased 299 with 22 overs left on day five of the Test match when we had to bowl 15 overs this morning. That’s never going to happen again. But if it does, it is probably us who are going to do it.”At Lord’s last year New Zealand set England a target of 273 to win, at 3.5 runs an over, which they made no attempt to achieve. The contrast with this performance, under the new and remorselessly positive management of Stokes and Brendon McCullum, could not be more stark.“The message at tea was just run into the fear of where the game was, rather than stand still or back away from it,” Stokes said. “It was pretty much, ‘We’re either winning this game or losing it.’ But we’re never going to be happy with where we are.“Now we’re going to Headingley and we’re going to be even more positive. With this group of players the sky’s the limit – but we can probably go further than that.”As the dust started to settle it was not just Stokes who was struggling to comprehend what he had just witnessed. New Zealand considered themselves favourites as they arrived at Trent Bridge in the morning, and even at tea believed they had a good chance of snatching victory.“We tried a few different things after tea but unfortunately whatever we tried they were able to negate,” said ‘Ph, who stood in as captain in the absence of the self‑isolating Kane Williamson. “We were confident we could get a couple of wickets and then we were into their bowlers, but sometimes you’ve got to take your hat off to the way someone’s played. Some other days he might hit one straight to one of the guys, but today was Jonny’s day.”
Other Sports
Glenn Maxwell helped Australia pull off their greatest chase against Sri Lanka in a one-day international, thumping an unbeaten 80 to seal a rain-affected two-wicket win with nine balls to spare.Initially chasing Sri Lanka’s total of 300 for seven in search of victory, Australia’s target was subsequently reduced to 282 from 42 overs after an hour of rain in the series opener in Pallekele.Australia continually put themselves in front of the match, only for spinner Wanindu Hasaranga to put Sri Lanka back in it by taking four for 58 while contending with a leg injury.The visitors looked in control at 126 for two, 189 for four and 228 for five while only needing a run a ball, before Hasaranga removed both Alex Carey and Pat Cummins in the space of three deliveries.However, Maxwell, in his first one-day international in more than 18 months, struck six sixes in his 51-ball knock, pulling powerfully through the leg-side whenever the hosts got their lengths wrong. In the over after Carey and Cummins departed he also scored 15 off Maheesh Theekshana, reasserting Australia’s position.Though Ashton Agar became eighth Australian to fall with 28 still needed, Maxwell held his nerve to finish the job with two straight sixes in the penultimate over.The all-rounder’s heroics came after Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Finch had both hit 44, while Steve Smith controlled the early stage of the innings with 53.Agar could, however, be added to their growing injury list, after leaving the field following the end of his 10 overs with the ball and reporting pain in his side. The visitors are already without Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Marsh for the second ODI on Thursday, while Kane Richardson and Sean Abbott have both been sent home with injuries.Questions could also be asked of their bowling setup in the runup to next year’s one-day World Cup on similarly slow wickets in India. With Adam Zampa back home on paternity leave, Australia still overlooked legspinner Mitchell Swepson and played three frontline quick bowlers.Agar (two for 49) and Maxwell both bowled 10 overs each, while Marnus Labuschagne was called upon for three overs late on in Sri Lanka’s innings.The Spin: sign up and get our weekly cricket email.Australia’s quicks struggled to get anything out of the slow pitch, as Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson went for a combined one for 166 from their 26 overs.Hasaranga’s brave effort with the ball came after he hit 37 from 19 balls late on for Sri Lanka, hitting Richardson for five straight boundaries in the penultimate over. Kusal Mendis also struck 86 from 87, helping steady the ship after Sri Lanka went from 115 without loss to 134 for three in their own innings.
Other Sports
The Athletics sent Opening Day third baseman Kevin Smith to Triple-A Las Vegas, giving them just two players on the major league roster which came from the spring training deals which sent Chris Bassitt, Matt Chapman, Matt Olson and Sean Manaea to new homes. Smith was in a 1-for-37 slump which saw his batting avreage drop to .180 with two home runs and 13 RBIs. He was replaced on the roster Tuesday by Jonah Bride, an infielder hitting .347 with five home runs and 29 RBIs for Double-A Midland and Las Vegas. Smith’s time was also reduced when the A’s called up veteran third baseman Matt Davidson from Las Vegas on June 7. Bride, 26, was a 23rd-round draft pick out of the University of South Carolina in 2018. He will make his major league debut Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, batting ninth. He will be the 46th player to appear in a game for the A’s this season. Bride is the 21st rookie to play this season, tying the previous franchise high in 2008. As it stands, only two players out of the dozen prospects that came in exchange for four of the A’s top players are on the big league roster — center fielder Cristian Pache and right-handed pitcher Adam Oller. Pache is hitting .162 with two home runs and 12 RBIs while Oller, who is in his third stint with the big club, is 0-3 with a 11.41 ERA. A look at how the return on the A’s trades through 61 games: Bassitt to the New York Mets: Oller is currently in long relief with the A’s. He was recalled after going 3-0 with a 3.91 ERA in five starts with Las Vegas. Right-handed pitcher J.T. Ginn is 0-2 with a 6.48 ERA in five starts. With the Mets, Bassitt is 4-4 with a 4.35 ERA in 12 starts. Chapman to Toronto: Smith joins Zach Logue and Kirby Snead in Las Vegas, both of whom struggled with the A’s. Logue is 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA in Las Vegas after being 2-4 with a 5.47 ERA for the A’s. Snead was optioned with an 8.74 ERA and is 2-0 with a 5.06 ERA for Las Vegas. Right-handed starter Gunnar Hogland is still recovering from Tommy John surgery in May of 2021. Chapman is hitting .216 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs for Toronto. Olson to Atlanta: Pache has played so well in center field and the A’s think so much of his potential he plays on a regular basis despite his .162/.208/.225 slash line. Catcher Shea Langeliers is hitting .276 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs with Las Vegas and is considered a solid defensive player. Right-handed pitcher Ryan Cusick is 1-5 with an 8.13 ERA in Double-A Midland. Right-handed pitcher Joey Estes is 0-3 with a 4.66 ERA in High-A Lansing. Olson is hitting .250 with eight home runs, 31 RBIs and leads the National League with 24 doubles. Manaea to San Diego: Right-handed pitcher Adrian Martinez pitched briefly with the big club and was 1-0 in 5 1/3 innings, giving up no runs. He is 3-2 with a 5.14 ERA in Las Vegas. Infielder Euribiel Angeles is hitting .254 with one home run and 20 RBIs for Lansing. Manaea is 3-3 with a 3.52 ERA in 11 starts for Bob Melvin with the Padres. LINEUP Tony Kemp 2B Ramon Laureano CF Christian Bethancourt 1B Seth Brown LF Chad Pinder RF Elvis Andrus SS Stephen Vogt DH Sean Murphy C Jonah Bride 3B Jared Koenig P
Baseball
Blue Ivy Lookin' Just Like Beyoncé!!! Out with Jay-Z at NBA Finals 6/14/2022 7:10 AM PT Blue Ivy spent the night out with her pops Jay-Z, and fans had to stop and do a double-take after looking way too much like Beyoncé. The father-daughter duo was at the NBA Finals Monday night in San Fran, and fans couldn't help but compare her to her mom -- the 10-year-old is rocking a new curly-haired look that's definitely very familiar. Blue's look feels similar to queen Bey in the mid-2000s, or as one fan reacted on social media ... "Beyonce really copy and pasted her looks on her." Not everyone sees the Beyonce comparisons, though ... some still see more of her dad than her mama. Jay Z is embarrassing Blue 😂 pic.twitter.com/NqRJvYUwBA— The Game Day NBA (@TheGameDayNBA) June 14, 2022 @TheGameDayNBA Jay-Z even got the chance to embarrass her at the game in true dad fashion ... pulling her in for a hug while on camera, and she tried to break away as she whispered, "Dad, my hair." BTW, last night's game 5 pulled Golden State ahead 3-2, and Jay and mini-Bey even got to chat it up with Steph Curry after the game. Quite the night for the Carters.
Celebrity
The US Open will allow tennis players from Russia and Belarus to compete this year despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, which prompted Wimbledon to ban those athletes.US Tennis Association CEO and executive director Lew Sherr, whose group runs the US Open, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that the USTA Board decided to let Russians and Belarusians enter the tournament because of “concern about holding the individual athletes accountable for the actions and decisions of their governments.”Sherr said athletes from Russia and Belarus will play at Flushing Meadows under a neutral flag — an arrangement that’s been used at various tennis tournaments around the world, including the French Open, which ended June 5.The US Open starts on Aug. 29 in New York.Since Russia began its attacks on Ukraine in February, Russian athletes have been prevented from taking part in many sports, including soccer’s World Cup qualifying playoffs. Belarus has aided Russia in the war.Get Sports HeadlinesThe Globe's most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.Russia also was held out of two international team events in tennis in which it was the reigning champion: the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup.The All England Club, where main-draw play for Wimbledon starts on June 27, announced in April it would bar all Russians and Belarusians from its fields — which means current men’s No. 1 Daniil Medvedev of Russia is not eligible. Medvedev is the defending men’s champion.Wimbledon's ban drew immediate criticism from the WTA and ATP, along with some prominent players, such as defending champion Novak Djokovic.In May, the WTA and ATP said they would not award any rankings points for Wimbledon this year, an unprecedented rebuke of the All England Club. Some players, including four-time major champion and former No. 1 Naomi Osaka, said they would consider sitting out Wimbledon.The ATP has said all points earned at Wimbledon in 2021 will fall off a player’s record and no new points will be earned there this year. The WTA has not decided exactly how last year’s rankings points from the All England Club will be treated, but no new points can be added based on how a player performs there this time.Sherr told the AP that what happened with Wimbledon — both the All England Club’s move to keep players from certain countries out and the tours’ reaction — played no role in the USTA’s choice to allow Russian and Belarusian players.“Our discussion was really on the merits and really the principles around both sides of this argument. This was not a commercial versus an ethical question,” he said. “There are arguments on both sides. Are you being perceived as supporting atrocious acts by a government? And at the same time: Would you hold an individual athlete accountable for that?”Sherr said the WTA and ATP professional tours organized a series of conversations with athletes from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus and various governing bodies in tennis, and that the heads of both tours addressed the USTA Board before its decision.The USTA plans to offer additional financial assistance for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and will use the US Open as a platform to raise awareness about the war.“This is a horrific situation and we, along with everyone else in tennis, absolutely condemn what is an unprovoked and unjust invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and everything is framed in that context,” Sherr said. “As difficult as some of these decisions may be, none of it amounts to the difficulties being experienced in Ukraine right now, and the tragedies and atrocities.”
Tennis
Speaking with IndieWire, directors Marc James Roels, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, and Paloma Baeza break down their contributions to the animated film. Yesterday, IndieWire took a peek at the blueprints of “The House,” the animated Netflix film from directors Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, and Paloma Baeza. Today, in the conclusion of a two-part series, the filmmakers and writer Enda Walsh talk about the shared setting of their stop-motion fables, and break down the three segments that make up “The House.” On the Meaning of the Structure Itself There’s a synergy between theme and location across “The House.” “The house places characters in a space where they feel completely lost, vulnerable, clueless, and frightened,” Walsh said. “Being in it keeps them in that anxious state. It’s a story that feeds on all the feelings of loss and ineptitude we all have at times.” Roels and De Swaef agree. Their spooky period piece, about a family who sells their humble abode to a mysterious architect in exchange for a lavish residence, chronicles how the surreal place transforms the behavior of their felt protagonists. “It’s about how this relationship between the characters and the house changes and how it changes them. It was always about what happens to them when they’re in the space,” Roels said. “That’s something I think was key in the other two stories as well.” Similarly, for Lindroth von Bahr, departing from the location as thematic basis for the piece felt natural since she usually starts her short film ideas thinking about where they’ll unfold. “On my end, I’ve always been very oriented towards the surroundings and the environments in my films,” Lindroth von Bahr said. “I was very interested in this idea of using the late capitalist real estate market as a backdrop for this story and doing something where the house is being renovated in the most ridiculous, soulless way.” “The House”courtesy of Netflix The house itself is almost as important to her as the main character, a real estate developer who happens to be a mouse. “The influence that the house has on the character is a huge part of the actual action in the storyline.” Baeza, on the other hand, recalls that after the first draft of the script came through, she realized that the house didn’t appear relevant enough in her story. “We needed to make the house much more of a character. Story three, mine, needed to inhabit more of the house because in the very early draft it wasn’t present enough.” For Baeza, the house becomes a symbol of the past, of what Rose, the feline protagonist, is unable to let go. The bricks and mortar of the place reflect that sentiment. “If I think of the central theme in the third film, it’s something to do with the difficulty of change,” she said. “You can apply that to many different human scenarios. She’s living in the middle of a flood. Everyone’s gone and the house is not going to ever be restored in the way that she wants it to be restored. It’s an obsessive dream of something that she can’t ever achieve.” Segment I: “And Heard Within a Lie Is Spun” As outsiders in the world of stop-motion animation, Marc James Roels and Emma De Swaef developed their aesthetic — using felt, and fabrics in general — about a decade ago, first in De Swaef’s solo short “Zachte Planten” and later together in their debut joint project, “Oh Willy…” “We started making films back when Emma was still a film student and we were using these materials and we kept refining our technique, because we like the way it looked,” said Roels. “We tried different materials, plasticine and latex, but nothing really made sense to us.” While they admit that there are severely limiting aspects to working with fabric, the duo has chosen to embrace those constraints and incorporate them into their approach to every aspect of storytelling and their animation style: the figures move in a particular manner and the environments have an added texture to them. Behind the scenes of “The House”courtesy of Netflix “We’re so used to this fabric, and we know it so well, that it just made sense for us to keep going with it for ‘The House,’” Roels said. “Our crew initially had to also go through all the same learning of how difficult it is to work with this material. My background is in cinematography, so the material really lends itself well to that visually.” While Baeza’s episode aimed for a hyper-realistic world, Roels and De Swaef, went in a different direction since they seek for the spaces to appear in harmony with the characters. “If the characters are made of textiles, we want everything else to also have some element about it that matches that that and absorbs the light in the same way,” Roels said. “Our stuff always looks pretty barebones and kind of weird when you see it in real life,” he noted. For the filmmaking couple’s chapter of “The House,” one where the setting is perpetually under construction and often shrouded in darkness, they were keen on approximating the moody look of Gothic films that use their settings to achieve an uncanny atmosphere. “The House”courtesy of Netflix For the production design, the approach was modular: they built multiple walls and objects and used the camera to create the impression of the existence of each room — particularly in the second half of “And Heard Within a Lie Is Spun,” where two young girls get lost in the bowels of the house. “We created these rooms just with whatever we had,” Roels said. De Swaef, who was mentored by Oscar-winner Suzie Templeton (“Peter and the Wolf”), has always been responsible for how the puppets look. She designs faces so that even a small adjustment dramatically changes the meaning of the shot. “We always had that in the back of our minds when we were designing puppets and designing facial expressions,” Roels said. “They only ever have one expression on their face, but if we just do a tiny little tweak, then suddenly it changes. Since we work with human characters and human facial expressions, we can spot them straight away. So just the smallest things are enough to completely change the expression.” Segment II: “Then Lost Is Truth That Can’t Be Won” While Lindroth von Bahr collaborated with production designer Alexandra Walker to create the foundation of her version of the house, her team also included Nicklas Nilsson, a set designer on Roy Andersson’s “About Endlessness” and “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence,” who served as art director and created the interior sets. “We had like a fun time googling Kylie Jenner’s mansions and ‘MTV Cribs’-type shows to find a balance between someone trying to renovate a house with that inspiration, but still just doing it on the cheap, like it’s not working properly. It looks a bit plastic,” Lindroth von Bahr said. “That was a quite interesting challenge, both in the design and later on the manufacturing.” Lindroth von Bahr has frequently used anthropomorphic animals as the main characters in her work. Her short film “The Burden,” a festival darling released in 2017, is a musical starring a variety of mice, monkeys, and fish venting about their existential woes. “The House”courtesy of Netflix “Sometimes I just use animals as in a modern fable style because it helps create a lack of identification,” she said. “It means that this could be anyone being put in a very strange situation, but I also like using this tiny bit of silliness in the dark framing. Sometimes it’s like a slug taking his blood pressures at the doctor’s—that’s one of my films.” In “The House,” a rat working in real estate deals with two unnerving clients and their feral behavior; as the story progresses, the lead character regresses into a similar state. “We are animal ourselves — animals just wearing ridiculous outfits and squeezing ourselves into this stupid workwear or whatever we do,” Lindroth von Bahr said. “Using animals had a special meaning to me for this film.” One aspect of “The Burden” that made its way into “The House” is the filmmaker’s love for Busby Berkeley-style musicals and the onscreen performances of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Their cheerfulness combines with existential anxiety in Lindroth von Bahr’s hands. To create that contrast between the graceful and the disgusting, the director included a musical number starring hundreds of beetles that she said makes you “want to itch yourself on your entire body.” “I ended up doing that choreography myself, which was super embarrassing. I had planned to use a real choreographer, but that just didn’t work out,” she recalled. “There are disturbing clips of me trying to dance as a sexy beetle. Sending those clips back and forth to the storyboards as inspirational material for the animators was an interesting part of the project.” Segment III: “Listen Again and Seek the Sun” To Baeza, cats are poised creatures, making them the ideal subjects for her segment. “I was very keen to do cat’s eyes,” she said. Her heroine, Rosa (Susan Wokoma), owns the house and runs it as an apartment building in a reality where sea levels have risen due to climate change. Still, she hopes to restore it to its former glory. “The place that can never be what she wishes it could be,” said Baeza. “It’s literally falling apart around her, but she can’t see that. She needs to have a catalyst to be able to see it.” A model-making company, Clockwork Frog Films, created the run-down look of this version of the house. One focus was the layers of paint, texture, and gloss that not only reaffirm the age of the house in “Listen Again and Seek the Sun,” but also catch the light in a pleasing manner. “The peeling wallpaper scene required quite a lot of thought about which pieces were coming down where, which were fixed, and about how to control all that paper so that you can make it move frame by frame,” Baeza said. “If we didn’t have a human hand behind it, it’d just look like a picture from a magazine of an old house.” “The House”courtesy of Netflix Realism was a top aesthetic priority for Baeza, even in her “completely fantastical world with cats walking around,” and the look of water proved one of the most challenging components. She had accepted that VFX would have to come into play to put the liquid on screen and put her trust in her post-production team. But they also explored tangible avenues to construct a hybrid look. “We always knew it was going be quite heavily produced digitally — a combination of real water scaled down and some in-camera elements that we made from hair gel that then we wrapped around objects so that we could scale them down,” Baeza said. “It was a mix of real elements, a bit of CG and in-camera stuff, which was composited. It really was a process that we had to find in order to get the balance right. It was a bit of a leap of faith, but worth it in the end.” Baeza, who comes from a performance background, pushed the limits of stop motion in terms of the expressiveness of her figures. For “The House” she wanted to utilize a mechanical puppet that served as an upgrade to the more basic bears in her breakthrough short “Poles Apart.” “I wanted the capability to be able to do stuff with the eyes, blinks, and eyebrows. I really enjoy the internal paddles, which we could play with,” she added. “I learned quite a lot about achieving that balance of how expressive you can make them, how much emotion you can get out of a furry cat while keeping it practical and realistic.” One Cohesive Vision After having worked separately on their own vision, watching their individual pieces come together as a powerful storytelling unit resulted in great emotional satisfaction for the directors. Lindroth von Bahr remembers crying profusely the first time she watched the finished effort. “I was completely blown away by the extra layer that you get from seeing them all together,” she said. “They become something new when intertwined.” “Emma and I had the usual kind of complicated feelings that directors have towards their own films,” Roels said. “But we were so relieved when we saw all the films together. We thought it works so well as a singular piece. It’s not something we discussed in detail between all of us, but it all fell into place.” Roels believes that “The House” features a strong three act structure: His and De Swaef’s tale ends on harrowing note, then Lindroth von Bahr’s brings in comedic elements, and Bazea’s conclusion inserts hope into the mix. “We were just hugely relieved when we saw it. It’s not like these anthology films where it all seems a bit muddled and a bit jumbled. There was something about the tone that really was just singing,” he said. “That was a process we discovered as we went along,” said Baeza. “It’s very unusual to work alongside other filmmakers in this way. It was fantastic.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
Movies
Costa Rica beat New Zealand 1-0 in the final intercontinental playoff to complete the 32 finalists who will play in this year’s World Cup finals in Qatar. In Doha, Los Ticos took the early lead they sustained until the final whistle when Campbell scored after three minutes. The former Arsenal player, now with Monterrey in Mexico, converted a cross after great work from the teenager, Jewison Bennette, down the left flank. New Zealand fought back and had much of the pressure in the first half. Chris Wood, the Newcastle striker, had the ball in the net in the 40th minute, only for VAR to overrule an equaliser after a foul in the buildup. A match that often threatened to boil over saw Luis Fernando Suárez, the Costa Rica coach, make three subs at half-time, including the introduction of the veteran captain, Bryan Ruiz, but New Zealand continued to create many more chances. Quick GuideQatar World Cup: the final 32ShowGroup A Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands Group B England, Iran, USA, WalesGroup C Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland Group D France, Denmark, Tunisia, AustraliaGroup E Spain, Germany, Japan, Costa RicaGroup F Belgium, Canada, Morocco, CroatiaGroup G Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, CameroonGroup H Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South KoreaOpening match 21 November Final 18 DecemberPhotograph: Michael Regan/FIFABut their hopes were seriously damaged when Kosta Barbarouses, the second-half sub brought on by New Zealand manager Danny Hay, lasted barely eight minutes before being dismissed for a studs-up foul on Francisco Calvo. A VAR check saw his yellow card converted to red. With Barbarouses appeared to go the All Whites’ hopes of playing at a third successive World Cup finals. Instead, it will be Costa Rica’s fans, who made much of the noise, who will be returning to Qatar in November. Their team was able to compete in its third successive finals, having reached the quarter-finals in 2014 and then gone out at the group stage in 2018. Keylor Navas, the Costa Rican goalkeeper made a fine save from Clayton Lewis’s long-range effort, and then a low shot from Wood in an increasingly tense last ten minutes where New Zealand were camped in the opposition half. Eventually, Costa Rica were able to celebrate victory and will take their place in Group E at the finals, drawn with Spain, Germany and Japan.
Soccer
Golf balls will be in the air bright and early Thursday morning as the 122nd US Open kicks off for the fourth time at The Country Club.There are 156 golfers looking to conquer the field at the venerable Brookline course. Here’s a look at some of the fellas who will be in the spotlight, and a prediction on a champion.ContendersSCOTTIE SCHEFFLER (US)Age: 25World ranking: No. 1Majors won: One (2022 Masters)Why not start with No. 1? Scheffler is playing extraordinarily consistent golf — all four of his PGA Tour wins have come this season — and he’s seemingly in contention every week. He can bomb it off the tee (a 312-yard average) and shows a nifty touch on the greens. Played in the 2013 US Amateur at TCC and has already been studying his book from that week.MATTHEW FITZPATRICK (England)Age: 27World ranking: No. 12Majors won: NoneCould this be a double-dip week for Fitzpatrick, who stunned many — including his own father — by winning the 2013 US Amateur at TCC? He loves the course and has been back regularly since the big win. Fitzpatrick plays with a calm demeanor and will keep the ball in the fairway; that’s huge because the rough will be tough here.JUSTIN THOMAS (US)Age: 29World ranking: No. 5Majors won: Two (2017, 2022 PGA Championships).A former World No. 1, Thomas is playing superb golf, as witnessed most recently by his comeback win at the PGA and his stellar weekend play at the Canadian Open, where he had one stretch of 34 straight holes without a bogey. He’s a fiery competitor who can get locked in in a hurry. Best finish in a US Open was T8 in 2020. Has 15 PGA Tour wins and has saved a ball from each for his father, who is a PGA pro at Harmony Landing in Kentucky.JON RAHM (Spain)Age: 27World ranking: No. 2Majors won: One (2021 US Open)Rahm’s curling 18-foot putt on the final hole delivered him this crown in 2021 — the first player from Spain to win a US Open. There’s no reason he can’t repeat. Like the Lama, he’s a big hitter (318-yard average) and he’s deadly on his approaches (No. 1 in greens in regulation). Calm is the key for Rahm. When he gets heated, he will struggle. Was a jai lai and kung fu enthusiast before settling on golf.Second flightLOUIS OOSTHUIZEN (South Africa)Age: 39World ranking: No. 22.Majors won: One (2010 British Open)Lodewicus Theodorus Oosthuizen — OK, just call him “Shrek” — always plays well in this tournament (he tied for second last year and has five top 10 finishes) because of his controlled drives and solid putting. Recently defected to the big-bucks LIV Series.JORDAN SPIETH (US)Age: 28World ranking: No. 10Majors won: Three (2015 Masters; 2015 US Open; 2017 British Open)Hard to believe he hasn’t won a major in five years, because he’s seemingly always in contention on Sunday afternoon; he has 13 PGA Tour wins. He won the RBC in April and has hit nearly 70 percent of greens this season — good signs heading into this tournament. Another guy who will attract big TCC mobs. Did you know his brother, Steven, played basketball at Brown?TONY FINAU (US)Age: 32World ranking: No. 15Majors won: NoneAs he comes off a big weekend in Canada, where he finished second, it feels like a breakthrough is on the horizon for Finau, who just might be the best current player yet to win a major. The 6-foot-4-inch Finau plays a controlled game with a calm demeanor. Finau is of Samoan decent, and the first sport he learned was fire-knife dancing. Seriously!PHIL MICKELSON (US)Age: 51World ranking: No. 77Majors won: Six (2004, 2006, and 2010 Masters; 2005, 2021 PGA Championships; 2013 British Open)Can Lefty turn back the clock the way he did at last year’s PGA? Absolutely. He has finished second at the US Open six times. It’s not likely that his fervent fan following will be affected by his recent jump to the LIV Series, but his popularity with his former PGA Tour brethren clearly has been. Will the pressure of being the face of a new franchise be too much?Phil Mickelson took some notes during his practice round Tuesday.John Tlumacki/Globe StaffSo you’re saying there’s a chanceWILL ZALATORIS (US)Age: 25World ranking: No. 14Majors won: NoneWill be a very popular follow for Bostonians because he comically embraced his comparisons to Happy Gilmore’s caddie (remember, Happy was a Bruins fan). Shh, don’t tell anybody he’s a Warriors fan. Has yet to record a PGA Tour win but lost twice in playoffs this season, including to Justin Thomas at the PGA Championship. He can hit the ball a ton but can be a little erratic off the tee. If he can stay in the fairways, he could be holding a trophy and wearing a Patrice Bergeron jersey Sunday evening.XANDER SCHAUFFELE (US)Age: 28World ranking: No. 12Majors won: NoneSchauffele has yet to record a major win, but he’s no stranger to the big stage, as he has performed in the Ryder Cup and also won an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2020. He also finished runner-up at the 2018 British Open and 2019 Masters. He’s a very smooth and fluid player who keeps the ball in the fairway.KEEGAN BRADLEY (US)Age: 36World ranking: No. 47Majors won: One (2011 PGA Championship)Sentimental favorite. A Vermont native and Holliston High grad, Bradley is a Boston sports guy. It wouldn’t at all be a surprise to see him courtside in a Larry Bird jersey Thursday night following his first round.And the winner is …RORY McILROY (Northern Ireland)Age: 33World ranking: No. 3Majors won: Four (2011 US Open; 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships; 2014 British Open)The man is on a mission to showcase his talents and dominance. McIlroy has gone on hot streaks before, and he’s simmering right now. He was very sharp over the weekend in Canada. He drove it well, chipped like a demon, and putted confidently. Even when he was in the rough, he was able to muscle it out. All good signs when it comes to playing a USGA setup that will not be forgiving. He will enjoy tremendous support from Bostonians this week.Jim McBride can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.
Golf
Today is a blessed day, as Mercedes has unveiled the new G-Class 4x4 Squared on its G-specific 'Private Lounge' website. While the previous-generation 4x4 Squared was based on the standard G550, the new model uses the even cooler Mercedes-AMG G63 as its basis, and crucially it still features those sweet portal axles and an imposing stance.The new 4x4 Squared's chassis setup does differ from the last-gen model due to the current G-Class' overhauled suspension setup. Like the previous 4x4 Squared the new one has portal axles at all four corners, but it also retains the standard G63's independent front suspension. (The old G-Class had a solid front axle.) Mercedes says the new 4x4 Squared has 13.8 inches of ground clearance, an increase of 4.3 inches versus the standard G63 but 3.4 inches less than the G550 4x4 Squared. Similarly, the new model can wade through 35.8 inches of water, 9.4 inches more than the G63 but 3.6 inches less than the old Squared. Mercedes says it can climb grades of up to 45 degrees, too. Like the regular G63 the 4x4 Squared uses AMG's twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, but power has been boosted from 577 horsepower to 585 hp.You can get a roof rack and ladder, too. Mercedes-AMG Despite the slightly worse on-paper figures, the new 4x4 Squared should still be the most capable G-Class yet thanks to the current generation's greatly improved chassis. Because the old G-Wagen was so primitive in terms of its suspension and axles the 4x4 Squared was actually much better to drive on-road; the new generation fixed many of those issues, but the 4x4 Squared will likely have an even comfier ride.In terms of styling the G63 4x4 looks just as we expected. It features wider fender flares that are half finished in carbon fiber, a metal rear bumper added below the G's regular bumper, and a carbon housing at the front of the roof that has a pair of integrated LED light bars. Unlike the previous-gen 4x4 Squared, the new model retains the G's rear-mounted spare tire, but it gets a cool carbon-fiber carrier that leaves the tire exposed. The 22-inch wheels have a new design, and Mercedes offers an optional roof rack and rear ladder.Further increasing the 4x4 Squared's visual impact will be the extensive customization offered through Mercedes' G Manufaktur program. At least unique 40 colors are available, including the awesome Green Hell Magno you see here that first debuted on the AMG GT R. The 4x4 Squared is also available with a number of special interior color combinations, and the cargo area can be had with real wood flooring. One new feature is a digital rear-view mirror, which should greatly improve the G's awful visibility, and there are more ambient lighting elements.A wood cargo floor is optional. Mercedes-AMG The G63 4x4 Squared will be a limited-run model, though Mercedes hasn't announced how much it will cost or how many will be made. The last 4x4 Squared wasn't limited in number, instead only being offered for about a year, and the new model is likely to be the same. If the G63 4x4 Squared goes on sale in the US -- given the success of the original here, it should -- expect a pricetag of at least $250,000.More official details on the 4x4 Squared should be announced later this year, but Mercedes describes it as being the last of its kind and aimed at enthusiasts and collectors. Mercedes' V8 engine isn't long for this world, so the Squared will probably be one of the last G-Class models to have an internal combustion engine, and certainly one of the wildest. A plug-in hybrid is rumored to be on the way with over 800 horsepower as a final swan song before the fully electric EQG comes on the scene in 2024.
Other Sports
Indie-pop band Muna took the stage Monday night (June 13) on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform their latest single “Kind of Girl” from their upcoming self-titled album. Playing country acoustic chords accompanied with low violin strings in the background, lead vocalist Katie Gavin sings an emotional song about accepting herself and her personality quirks. “I'm the kind of girl who takes things a little too far / Presses a little too hard / That's why you left a mark,” she sings. “I'm the kind of girl / Who wants everything she can't get.” Gavin is aware that she is not everyone’s favorite peach, but it doesn’t mean there won’t be someone out there who will love and accept her for who she is. “I could get up tomorrow / Talk to myself real gentle / Work in the garden / Go out and meet somebody / Who actually likes me for me,” she sings in the chorus. “And this time I'll lеt them.” And even Gavin admits she is not perfect: “I'm the kind of girl / Who owns up to all of my faults / Who's learning to laugh at 'em all / Like I'm not a problem to solve.” Co-members Naomi McPherson and Josette Maskin harmonize vocally alongside her and they flank her on either side, likewise playing guitar. In an official statement, Gavin describes “Kind of Girl” as their album’s “country moment” and “the heart of the record.” “Even though it is a happy, hopeful song, I shed the most tears of the record in the vocal booth recording this chorus,” she said. “I think there’s something very vulnerable about plainly expressing my desire to be kinder to myself and comfortable receiving love (and my desire to garden even though I kill everything I plant).” Muna will play three more nights in New York this week at Prospect Park in Brooklyn and at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens opening for indie pop-rock singer Phoebe Bridgers before hitting the road on a massive North American tour this summer and then flying to the United Kingdom in the fall. Tour dates and tickets are available on their website.
Music
At the start of “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” the character we come to know as Faraday (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is introduced as an extraterrestrial being, albeit one in humanoid form. In these early, dialogue-free scenes, the visuals propel the narrative by putting the audience in Faraday’s shoes. Extreme, close focus, widescreen close-ups capture in startling detail the disorientation Faraday feels. As Alex Kurtzman, co-creator of the Showtime series, aptly puts it, “He comes blinking into reality and is taking in absolutely every detail at a visual and aural level.” The cinematography is as breathtakingly precise in how it captures Faraday’s arrival, but what is equally impressive about the series’ first three episodes is that director of photography Tommy Maddox-Upshaw brings this same exacting touch to completely different worlds and subjectivities. Like Faraday, the viewer is left piecing together the different threads, but we are always visually grounded by Maddox-Upshaw’s lens. “He is a very emotional storyteller,” said Kurtzman, who with “The Man Who Fell” gave the cinematographer his first chance to build the world of a TV series from scratch, as the two collaborated for months of pre-production creating the look and language of the complex sci-fi series. It was an opportunity that Maddox-Upshaw was more than technically ready for after carrying a bulk of the DP load on series like “Snowfall.” But his collaboration with Kurtzman went beyond utilizing his experience and sharpened skills to delineate storylines and create striking images. “The Man Who Fell To Earth” supplied a canvas for Maddox-Upshaw to bring his POV as artist to the storytelling. “The Man Who Fell To Earth”Showtime Before Maddox-Upshaw — whose other television credits include “Empire” and “On My Block” — was hired to shoot “MWFTE,” he interviewed with Kurtzman for the DP role on the “Star Trek” spin-off “Strange New Worlds.” “He didn’t get the project because the minute I met him I knew I wanted him to be available for ‘Man,’” said Kurtzman. “Let’s call it what it is,” he said. “I was a white director of a story about a Black family with a largely Black cast. So, I knew going in, that to be authentic, I needed to surround myself with people of color who could tell me when something felt inauthentic. Aside from the fact that Tommy is a uniquely gifted cinematographer he also has life experience that connected perfectly for ‘Man’. In the video below, watch Kurtzman and Maddox-Upshaw discuss their approach to shooting “The Man Who Fell To Earth”. Upon his induction to the American Society of Cinematographers in 2020, Maddox-Upshaw remarked that he is “a reactionary artist.” Elaborating on this descriptor in 2022, he said, “I understand that my choices about creativity come from certain social dynamics that I’ve been exposed to. My emotional reaction to things informs my ideas about light and color or why a character should be lensed a certain way.” On “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” Kurtzman sought to foster an environment where Maddox-Upshaw felt comfortable expressing such ideas. “He might say, ‘I’m going to light it this particular way because I know what it felt like when my family would get together at the table and pray before dinner.’ So, we lit all of that according to Tommy’s memory.” “Snowfall” co-creator/showrunner/executive producer/writer Dave Andron calls Maddox-Upshaw “a genius of lighting.” His work on that show was another indication to Kurtzman that the cinematographer was the man for “Man.” “I saw what Maddox did with ‘Snowfall’ and knew he had less of a budget than DPs on other shows I’d researched, but I could tell how precise and specific his lighting was,” Kurtzman said. “I had an instinct that even though he had never done anything of this scale before he was going to kill it.” “Snowfall”Ray Mickshaw/FX Raised in the Boston neighborhood of Mattapan, Maddox-Upshaw attended school in the more affluent Massachusetts suburb of Newton. “My home life was very good,” he said. “My parents own their home, in this Black context of middle class — but at the same time I’m bused to a neighborhood that has the owner of Reebok and [professional] basketball players [living] around the corner from the high school. “I grew up understanding how to float between this dual dynamic: white suburbia and figuring out how to survive in that context socially from an early age, to growing up to be this Black male.” He credits his family with giving him the movie-going bug and later opening his eyes to the possibility of making it in the business. “Dad would give me an allowance and the first thing I’d do was go to the cinema and spend my $5 on matinees in Boston. My first babysitter — my aunt — was into these weird B-movies like ‘The Stuff.’ They introduced me to cinema, then hip-hop showed me I could actually do it.” Maddox-Upshaw’s sister, a casting director, got her teenage brother jobs as intern and PA on New York-shot promos for director Hype Williams and hip-hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy. Behind the scenes of “Snowfall”courtesy of Emmanuel Bates Communications Later, DPs Alan Ferguson and Daniel Pearl took Maddox-Upshaw under their wing. He drew influence from DP Cliff Charles (for whom he gaffered on Spike Lee’s 2006 HBO documentary “When the Levees Broke”), the distinctive style of music video masters like Malik Sayeed, and the still photographs of Gordon Parks and Barron Clairborne. Working with Matthew Libatique in various roles on “Iron Man 2,” “Straight Outta Compton,” “The Circle,” and “A Star Is Born” showed Maddox-Upshaw how to lead as a cinematographer. “To see other Black and brown people making images gave me a tangible goal to reach,” he says. “I’d ask questions of the crew; they taught me how to get started in this craft.” The way these image makers avoided a uniformity of skin tone increased Maddox-Upshaw’s determination to tell stories that are not color blind. “I am sensitive to brown skin tones because of my own cultural hue,” he said. “When I look at shows, a lot of the Black folks look monochromatic. And that’s not right. I have four sisters and we are all different hues of brown. I am a different complexion to my daughter.” He extends this sensibility universally. “People in the UK have a different skin pigmentation from Caucasians in South Africa or the Mediterranean. All digital cameras interpret skin tones a certain way but my take is that I should be the one in control of manipulating skin tone if I want to.” Behind the scenes of “On My Block”Nicola Goode/Netflix Maddox-Upshaw has gradually built his investment in the creative over successive jobs. For Season 2 of “On My Block,” the Netflix teen comedy set in South Central LA, he switched camera systems to Sony Venice and paired them with customized Zeiss Super Speeds to lend additional flare. Joining “Snowfall” — also set in LA, this time amid the emergence of crack cocaine in the 1980s — in Season 3, he also changed camera systems and helped reconstruct the show’s LUTs in line with that choice. “Both shows deal with Black and brown kids in an urban context,” Maddox-Upshaw says. “I felt the visual language wasn’t matching emotionally what the characters were going through or what the script was trying to say.” His vision was embraced: Maddox-Upshaw was invited into the “On The Block” writers’ room by showrunner Lauren Iungerich, an opportunity to gain insight into character and story that carried over to “Snowfall.” “He came to our offices and sat with us and asked me to go through the arcs of every character for the season,” Andron said. “He wanted as much information as possible about where they came from and where they were going to go. It’s generally not something a DP does. He wanted to know so he could visually help tell that story in the best way possible. He was able to take what we had set up, put his own spin on it and really help ground the show.” Maddox-Upshaw and Kurtzman on the set of “The Man Who Fell To Earth”Rico Torres/Showtime On “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” Kurtzman and Maddox-Upshaw bonded over shared cinematic affinities, digging into why and how certain scenes were lit, or what the filmmakers were trying to communicate to their audience through composition or their choice of lenses. “I think it is because as children we both disappeared into the emotional experience of sitting in a dark theater and watching those stories unfold,” Kurtzman said, “All these movies branded on our brains and in some way on our identities. So now, making our own films, we’re able to pull from the movies that have inspired us to create our own version of something like it. That requires a collaboration that goes beyond your ability to technically do a job. You have to care for each other.” Talking over Zoom ahead of “The Man Who Fell To Earth” — they wouldn’t meet in person until principal photography commenced in London in spring of 2021 — Maddox-Upshaw and Kurtzman devised a way of showing that their characters cared for one another. Scenes between Faraday and Falls were shot with large-format spherical lenses customized for close focus, their budding connection signaled by a warm color palette. Behind the scenes of “The Man Who Fell To Earth”Aimee Spink/Showtime “What we really wanted was to create a subjective intimacy where we were shooting the storytelling from the inside out, not the outside in, aligning the camera and therefore the audience with our character’s points of view and devising very specific methodologies for each character,” Kurtzman said. Further complexities are introduced when the heroes interact in the same space with the morally dubious Hatch Flood (Rob Delaney) and CIA special agent Spencer Clay (Jimmi Simpson), whose own scenes are characterized by blues and greens and framed more clinically, via anamorphic glass lenses. “When there’s a scene with both sets of characters and the scene is controlled by Hatch/CIA then I would record it in a third LUT somewhere between the two and in anamorphic,” Maddox-Upshaw said. “I’m trying to have people emotionally react while I’m switching these LUTs simultaneously per scene.” Kurtzman commended the way the DP “attacks every single detail” using his “encyclopedic mind” to execute exactly what they’d discussed. “That for me is an unbelievable comfort because we were essentially shooting movie coverage on a TV schedule,” he said. “You need a partner who is going to be there for you every second, and then give you something extra in the moment.” They still talk about movies and life now, even though both have moved onto other projects. Maddox-Upshaw subsequently shot “American Wake” for director Maureen Foley and is prepping “Fort Fight” for Jodi Hans. “I try to make myself as vulnerable as possible when I interview,” he said. “I let the director and producers know that my Black urban gaze is what I’m lensing through and that that’s the motivation for my decision making at times. “If that limits me to certain type of shows then so be it.”
Movies
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Some of the giants of women’s basketball say if not for Title IX, doors would not have been open for them to blaze trails to Hall of Fame careers on and off the court, but sound complacency alarms when it comes to the future of the law.Coach Marsha Sharp takes it a step farther when talking about the significance of Title IX.“I think the Title IX legislation, you could say is the most impactful piece of information in the 20th century,” said Sharp, who guided Sheryl Swoopes and Texas Tech to the 1993 national championship. “And I know the Civil Rights piece was really huge, but you impacted half our population.“With Title IX, you gave opportunities across the board to women. And it was really an amazing time to watch the growth in sports.”A 2003 inductee, Sharp joined 2008 Hall of Famer Debbie Ryan and a pair of recent inductees — Debbie Antonelli and Carol Stiff — spoke with The Associated Press about the 50th anniversary of the landmark legislation. Stiff, a basketball player/coach turned TV executive, called Title IX priceless.“I don’t know where we would be today without Title IX,” Stiff said. The icons of the game also agree more work remains even after 50 years. “There’s a lot of battles, but we’re not fighting them,” said Ryan, who coached Virginia to three straight Final Fours. “And that’s one of the problems. I think because of the money that’s come into the game, it becomes harder for a coach to kind of put themselves out there. And I think even though they know who’s going to win, they just don’t do it as much.”At least one of Ryan’s former players has been outspoken. Dawn Staley, now the highest-paid coach in the Southeastern Conference, is front and center helping fight for equity while leading South Carolina to two national championships.For Sharp and Ryan, they worked their way through the nascent days of Title IX to the heights of women’s basketball.Sharp played at Wayland Baptist, a Texas college giving scholarships as early as the 1950s that a local company flew to games. So while most women’s programs could only dream of flying to road games, it was nothing new for Sharp when she became coach at Texas Tech in 1982. Sharp’s Red Raiders played a national schedule with flights to Tennessee and Stanford. At Virginia, Ryan had to stay awake to drive the van home from road games. Virginia started with one scholarship for basketball with the first player leaving after a year to care for her sick father. In 1978, Dori Gamble shared that scholarship with Hall of Famer Val Ackerman, currently commissioner of the Big East and the first president of the WNBA. Using Title IX meant picking battles to get more athletic gear, equipment and facilities for female athletes. One of Ryan’s biggest battles was for athletic bras.Virginia cited a price of $32 apiece to avoid buying them for all women’s sports until Ryan pushed back with studies about women’s health along with a petition backed by all coaches, including football coach George Welsh. After she won, Pat Summitt, Kay Yow, Jody Conradt and Tara VanDerveer all called for guidance to help wage their own fights.And probably surprising to many, the fight for athletic bras continues.“Still today women athletes are not provided in their regular gear athletic bras,” Ryan said. “They’re not provided it at all, which is ridiculous. And it’s crazy that they’re not provided enough funding to be able to buy them.”Antonelli, who played basketball for Yow at North Carolina State, started the first TV broadcasts of women’s games at Ohio State as director of marketing in the 1990s that boosted her own 30-plus year career as a broadcaster. She sees plenty of room for women’s sports to grow — as long as the money for diversity, equity and inclusion is used appropriately. “It should go to women’s sports,” Antonelli said. “There’s more opportunities for girls to play now than they’ve ever played then there’s ever been now. They’re not all playing my sport, but they are playing. And that’s important because we know what value sport brings, what it teaches.”Stiff said growing the TV audience is one of the next steps for women’s sports, and time slots are important to that growth.“If you build it, they will come,” said Stiff, who spent more than 30 years at ESPN and got the Tennessee-UConn rivalry started, broadcasting the schools’ first meeting in 1995. “And you can point to the NCAA women’s semifinals that got moved from ESPN2 to ESPN. Why was that? It out-rated the NBA in that window for two years. Two years. We out-rated the NBA regular season, Friday night games. So we move it over, and look at the ratings.”A 2021 Hall of Fame inductee, Stiff currently is involved with the Demand IX campaign with the Women’s Sports Foundation in an effort to educate people and and get help to protect and support Title IX. Sharp said education remains vital to Title IX because the law is almost a victim of its own success. The coach said just go into any university or high school and ask students about Title IX, and many won’t know what it means.“Is that a good thing? Sharp said. ”In some ways, yes, because they haven’t had to fight those battles. It means that they have felt equity probably in their lives. But on the other hand, if you get too far away from it, then there are going to be some opportunities for people not to stay on course with what is the right thing to do.”___For more on Title IX’s impact, read AP’s full report: https://apnews.com/hub/title-ix Video timeline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdgNI6BZpw0
Basketball
A person looks on from a terrace as fans who show their proof of vaccination against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) returned to the USTA Billie King National Tennis Center on the first day of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament, in the Queens borough of New York City, New York, U.S. August 30, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew KellyRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJune 14 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at the U.S. Open this year but only as neutrals, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced on Tuesday, a decision that stands in stark contrast to Wimbledon which banned them.Wimbledon's move to ban them from the tournament which begins later this month prompted the men's ATP and women's WTA Tours to strip the grasscourt Grand Slam of its ranking points. read more Wimbledon's decision prevents players such as men's world number one Daniil Medvedev of Russia from playing at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) but the USTA said Russian and Belarusian players would be welcome at Flushing Meadows.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"Alongside the other Grand Slams, the ITF, the ATP and the WTA, the USTA, which owns and operates the US Open, has previously condemned, and continues to condemn, the unprovoked and unjust invasion of Ukraine by Russia," the USTA said."The USTA ... supported the banning of the Russian and Belarusian Tennis Federations from the ITF, and therefore all international team competitions, and the directive for players from those countries to play under a neutral flag when competing outside of international team competitions."The USTA's decision will allow Medvedev to defend his maiden Grand Slam title after he beat Novak Djokovic in the final last year to deny the Serb a calendar year Grand Slam.AELTC Chairman Ian Hewitt said in April that British government guidance did not allow players to compete at Wimbledon based on their rankings. read more He said there were two available options -- declining entries, or allowing entries but only with specific written declarations from individual players, adding that they made the "most responsible decision possible in the circumstances"."We recognize that each organization has had to deal with unique circumstances that affect their decisions," the USTA added."Based on our own circumstances, the USTA will allow all eligible players, regardless of nationality, to compete at the 2022 U.S. Open."Players from Russia and Belarus were allowed to play at the French Open too.The ATP and WTA have themselves banned Russia and Belarus from international team competitions following the invasion, which Moscow calls a 'special operation', but allowed players from the two countries to compete as neutrals. read more Ukrainian player Sergiy Stakhovsky slammed the decision, writing on Twitter: "You cannot put a price tag on being able to live with yourself. I salute Wimbledon, the only entity which has a moral code."The main draw at the U.S. Open begins on Aug. 29.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis and Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Tennis
England fans chant 'you racist b******* you know what you are' during Hungarian national anthem before Nations League clash... after racial abuse was directed at Gareth Southgate's players during World Cup qualifier last SeptemberEngland fans drowned out the Hungarian national anthem before their matchSupporters loudly chanted 'you racist b******, we know what you are'Hungary fans received a stadium ban after racial abuse towards England playersRaheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham were targeted in Budapest in September Published: 15:20 EDT, 14 June 2022 | Updated: 15:48 EDT, 14 June 2022 England fans taunted 'racist' Hungary supporters ahead of kick-off for their Nations League clash on Tuesday night.During the Hungarian national anthem, the Three Lions' supporters loudly drowned out their opponents, as they sang 'you racist b*******, you know what you are'.Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham were among players subjected to racial abuse during England's 4-0 victory over Hungary in the World Cup qualifiers in Budapest back in September last year. UEFA's host broadcaster had to play sound affects to try their best to drown out the chanting which was still audible. The chanting was not mentioned by Channel 4 who are presenting what is England's fourth match of their Nations League group. England supporters taunted Hungary fans as the national anthem for the latter was played Supporters loudly chanted 'you racist b******, you know what you are' during the anthemAfter the incident in September, FIFA, decided on a two-match stadium ban at home for Hungarian spectators in FIFA competitions, with the second game suspended for a probationary period of two years. They were also handed a fine of £160,000.They were already waiting to serve a three-match spectator ban which was issued by UEFA in June 2021, as punishment for racist abuse from fans during Euro 2020. The two nations played again in Hungary last week, where a loophole allowed children under the age of 14 to attend the match under UEFA's rules. Raheem Sterling (pictured) and Jude Bellingham were among those targeted with racial abuse during England's 4-0 World Cup qualifier victory over Hungary in Budapest back in SeptemberIn total, more than 30,000 children attended the match which saw Hungary beat England for the first time in 60 years. School children inside the stadium booed England players taking the knee - something which the Hungarian government came out after the game to defend.Zoltan Kovacs, he country's Secretary of State for International Communication and Relations, labelled those blaming the children for booing the gesture as 'idiots'.He also added they cannot be 'blamed for any kind of political statement.' England players were booed as they took the knee during their 1-0 defeat to Hungary last week Advertisement
Soccer
A first-of-its-kind VHS auction held last week netted a total of $584,750. (Nexstar/Russell Falcon) (NEXSTAR) — We were all such fools to actually open and watch our VHS tapes back in the ‘80s. A sealed copy of “Back to the Future” on VHS sold for $75,000 at the first-ever VHS-only auction last week, becoming what is likely the most expensive videocassette to change hands at auction. A sealed copy of “Back to the Future” once owned by one of the film’s actor’s set a record-setting price at auction. (Heritage Auctions) The VHS event, organized by Texas-based Heritage Auctions, featured a total of 260 sealed VHS tapes, most of which were classic, first-edition copies of beloved films from the ‘70s and ‘80s. The record-setting copy of “Back to the Future,” however, featured another rare distinction: It was previously owned by Tom Wilson, the actor who portrayed Biff Tannen in the “Back to the Future” trilogy. In addition to the “Back to the Future,” bidders were also eager to get their hands on near-mint VHS copies of “The Goonies,” one of which sold for $50,000. A sealed copy of “Jaws,” meanwhile, sold for $32,500, while a copy of “Ghostbusters” went for $23,750. Other coveted titles included a promotional copy of “First Blood,” “Star Wars,” and a promotional copy of “Top Gun.” Joe Maddalena, the executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, previously told Nexstar that he expected the auction to generate at least a half-million dollars. The total for Heritage’s first-ever VHS auction exceeded this goal, netting $584,750. “The success of this inaugural auction shows, again, the power these movies and this format hold over audiences young and old,” Maddalena said in a press release. “This is a new area of collecting, and it’s clear there’s a deep love for what we’re offering. We can’t wait for the next VHS auction.” It’s worth noting that each item on the auction block was factory-sealed in original packaging, and had been authenticated and graded by a verified grading service. Maddalena previously told Nexstar that buyers were mostly interested in first-editions too, but that doesn’t mean less-pedigreed versions of VHS tapes won’t be of interest in coming years, especially if interest persists and slightly less-perfect specimens become more popular among collectors. “We’re just not at that stage of the hobby yet,” Maddalena said. “You really need the auction market to come along … to find out where it’s at.”
Movies
Reds' Joey Votto Makes TikTok With Fan At Game ... Hits 'The Griddy!!!' 6/14/2022 7:29 AM PT MLB star Joey Votto made a fan's day at the ballpark on Monday -- by fulfilling her request to create a TikTok video!!! The adorable scene went down just before Votto's Cincinnati Reds played the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix ... when a young fan's sign caught the attention of the 38-year-old first baseman. Waiting for your permission to load TikTok Post. "Joey Votto," the girl's sign read, "will you make a TikTok with me?" Votto, a fan favorite and a budding TikTok star himself, was all-in on the idea ... and immediately went to work with the fan -- a 12-year-old from Phoenix. The two eventually had the idea to hit "The Griddy" -- a dance move popularized by NFL stars Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase -- and, check out the footage, it clearly came out awesome. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. Joey did the dance well, but the girl clearly stole the show ... it certainly looked like she had some experience hitting it before!! No word on how the TikTok is doing on the site -- but it appeared to give Votto's Reds some good juju regardless ... 'cause they went on to beat the D-Backs, 5-4.
Baseball
Abbi Jacobson and Will Graham wanted to turn the focus of Penny Marshall's "A League of Their League" onto queer women of color who played baseball in the 1940s. There may be no crying in baseball, but there were tears all throughout the world premiere of Prime Video’s “A League of Their Own.“ Co-created and executive-produced by Abbi Jacobson (“Broad City”) and Will Graham (“Mozart in the Jungle”), “A League of Their Own” debuted at Tribeca 2022 on June 13. The TV reimagining of Penny Marshall’s beloved 1992 film of the same name was a “labor of love that has taken most of our adult lives,” Jacobson joked while introducing the pilot episode, which premieres on Prime Video August 12. “We had a chance to talk to Penny before she passed away,” Graham explained. “She told us these stories changed her life and it will for you too. As much as we love the movie, it’s really the stories underneath it, including the ones of queer women, of women of color, those ones that didn’t make it into the 1992 film. Those have come to mean so much to us. Penny was right: The honesty, humor, commitment, and joy with which they fought their way onto the field, we’d never heard those stories before, truly, and they changed us. That’s why this show isn’t about one team or league, but about a generation of women who wanted to play ball, found their joy, and found themselves in the process.” “A League of Their Own” captures the real-life all-female traveling baseball league formed in 1943, specifically centering on the Rockford Peaches in racially segregated Illinois. Jacobson stars as Carson, a catcher who runs away from her marriage and tries to untangle her sexual identity. “Barry” and “The Good Place” star D’Arcy Carden portrays Greta, a charismatic, empowered powerhouse slugger in a truly career-making turn. Chanté Adams (“A Journal for Jordan”) co-leads as baseball phenom Max, a composite character representing real-life Negro League players Mamie Johnson, Connie Morgan, and Toni Stone. Scene-stealer Gbemisola Ikumelo (“Sex Education”) is Max’s “chosen sister” Clance. Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”) also plays the head coach of the Rockford Peaches, taking over Tom Hanks’ role from the original. Will Graham, Abbi Jacobson, and Jamie Babbitt discuss the premiere of “A League Of Their Own”Jeff Neira/Prime Video “I was in the post on this episode of ‘Broad City’ where we did this montage of very powerful women. I was in the edit with our editor at the time, Liz Merrick, and she was like, ‘I really want to include this woman, Mamie Johnson,'” Jacobson explained. “And I had no idea who she was. And Liz taught me who she was, and it was right around the same time when we were starting to do this [in 2017].” Original All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) player Maybelle Blair, now 95 years old, also served as a consultant on the series and was a large inspiration for Carden’s character, Greta. “Her spirit and her stories have infused every part of this show,” Jacobson added, jokingly revealing that Blair called her “little shit” on set. During the live Q&A, Blair came out publicly for the first time to a standing ovation. “I thought I was the only one in the world,” Blair explained of the savior that was the AAGPBL. “I hide for 75, 85 years and this is actually, basically, the first time I’ve ever come out.” Director Jamie Babbit shared the special bond on the set of “A League of Their Own,” saying, “My grandmother’s sister was a lesbian, same era as Maybelle. I always wanted to talk to her about it but I wasn’t out before she died. So what a gift, that Maybelle is in my life.” Babbit went to the AAGPBL convention at Cooperstown the day after she was hired to direct the pilot: “There was a queerness in the air and just really joyful, amazing women who I just wanted to hang out with. I really wanted to bring that joy to the show,” Babbit said. “It was in the writing. I just didn’t want to fuck it up.” Executive producer and writer Desta Tedros Reff added that the “North Star” for the series was authenticity. “There was so much listening,” Reff said. “I’m queer, Black, I played softball in high school. And I’d never seen a show like this. I’ve never been part of a show like this. Will something like this ever exist again? We don’t know. So just really taking advantage of that opportunity and really orienting it in our own experience, which was something that was so new to me and felt so safe and positive. That’s a credit to Will and Abbi and reinforcing that.” “A League of Their Own,” which endearingly fit like an old glove, reminded co-creator Graham of his own upbringing playing Little League as a kid. “I cried for most of it,” he revealed. “I was like, I’m undercover and they’re going to find out I’m not a real boy and something bad is going to happen. There was something about the movie that said it’s OK to be on the field even if you’re not supposed to be on the field.” The theme for the series is rooted in the “transformative quality of joy” and the purpose of finding a true team both on and off the field. “I think the line that D’Arcy says in the pilot, ‘As long as we’re here, let’s do this, let’s rob the bank,’ is kind of how all of us feel about the show,” Graham said, “where it’s like it’s crazy that we’re getting to tell these kind of stories so we feel a lot of responsibility to do it really well and do it in a fun way and a way that hopefully everyone can relate to.” The co-creator called to mind the famous Tom Hanks quote from the film: “The heart is what makes it great.” And this show truly does have heart. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
Movies
Amber Heard I'm Not Cut from 'Aquaman 2' ... Just an 'Insane' Rumor!!! 6/14/2022 1:29 PM PT Amber Heard's days in "Aquaman 2" are numbered ... IF you believe one report claiming she's been axed, but her team says that's a false rumor born out of post-trial vitriol for Amber. Reports have circulated over the last week -- not from traditional industry outlets, BTW -- alleging the actress has been nixed from the sequel, and not just that, but that her role is going to be recast with an unnamed actress, with reshoots scheduled to take place soon. That's total BS, though, according to Amber's spokesperson ... who tells us, "The rumor mill continues as it has from Day One -- inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane." As for Warner Bros -- the studio that would be making the call on Amber's status -- we've reached out, but haven't heard back yet. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. Here's the reality ... Amber has no say in how much she's featured in the movie, or if she gets recast in it. The studio shot all her scenes as Mera nearly a year ago, and they paid her too -- $2 million, as we learned in court -- so contractually, they're done. 5/24/22 There were rumblings Amber's screen time had been cut down significantly -- the word was, as of one the more recent screenings, she was in it for less than 10 minutes ... and DC chief Walter Hamada seemed to confirm that in his testimony, but stopped short of declaring a hard number. While WB is, no doubt, monitoring all the fallout from the trial, it would be a pretty extreme move to recast her. Although many fans have called for it, it would be costly and time-consuming ... and 'Aquaman 2' has already been delayed once. But, of course, stranger things have happened.
Celebrity
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Phoenix Mercury said Monday the organization and WNBPA staff met with U.S. State Department officials to discuss Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia.The State Department confirmed the meeting, which also involved officials from its office that advocates for hostages and wrongfully detained Americans. The Biden administration labeled Griner’s case a wrongful detention last month.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM The decal honoring Brittney Griner at Footprint Center on May 6, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)Mercury players Brianna Turner and Diana Taurasi and head coach Vanessa Nygaard released statements through the team on Griner’s detention."Today we had a meeting with the State Department about BG. I’m confident in the State Department and the work that they’re doing. They encouraged us to keep speaking her name, to keep holding them accountable to bring BG back home as soon as possible," Turner said.Taurasi said getting Griner home was the main priority.BRITTNEY GRINER DETENTION: WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES CALL FOR HER RELEASE FROM RUSSIAN PRISON The Mercury's Brittney Griner watches practice with teammate Diana Taurasi on May 10, 2018, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)"We’re here to do whatever we can to amplify and keep BG at the forefront, which is more important than any basketball game and anything else that’s going on in our lives. We want BG to come home as soon as possible. It’s number one on our list," she said.Nygaard added: "We are on day 116 since BG has been wrongfully detained. It was great to hear from the State Department that we should continue to amplify that message and that we should continue to press all those who have any influence or power to help bring BG home. She’s our teammate, she’s an American and we want her back home."Griner was arrested in February after allegedly trying to bring vape cartridges containing oils derived from cannabis through a Moscow airport. She’s only been seen publicly a few times since.The Mercury also met with Reps. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., and Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, after their meeting with the State Department. Mercury center Brittney Griner pauses on the court during the Seattle Storm game, Sept. 3, 2019, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"For the team, coaches and executives at the Mercury, every day without Brittney is a lifetime," Stanton said. "I was glad for the opportunity to share the work we’re doing in Congress to secure Brittney’s release."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].
Basketball
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 11: Moby attends NeueHouse's Summer 2021 Concert Series "Sunset Sounds" ... [+] at NeueHouse Los Angeles on June 11, 2021 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images) Getty Images Moby would be the first person to admit he was always the unlikeliest of pop stars. His path from electronic hero responsible for anthems like "Go" to chart success with "South Side" left him as surprised as anyone. But that flirtation with mainstream fame in the early 2000s has afforded him the following and freedom to follow his own path in the years since he put together his own traveling festival in 2001 and 2002 with the likes of David Bowie, OutKast, Incubus, Nelly Furtado, the Roots, Busta Rhymes and more and his "Extreme Ways" was the closing song on the massively popular Bourne movie series. Now he is using that freedom to set up his own virtual label, always centered at night, a hub for him to celebrate his eclectic musical tastes and what he considers to be the golden age of dance music - '78 - 82. The label launched June 1 with Moby and Aynzli Jones' "Medusa," with much more music to come according to Moby. I spoke with Moby recently, the morning after an early morning conversation I had with Pistol director Danny Boyle. Being a huge music fan, as he talks about in our conversation, he started by asking me about the series and waxing poetic on the Sex Pistols and the Doors. Steve Baltin: Are you a big Sex Pistols fan? Moby: Never Mind the Bollocks, I went back and listened to it recently and everything about it is so good. It's just well-played. And I actually had this conversation with Steve Jones a while ago, I was like, "Where did this idea that they couldn't play their instruments come from? Because as far as musicianship goes, and everything it's such a good record." And obviously, there are some goofy, throwaway songs. But I have been, apart from Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, a huge Pistols fan since I was about 13. Baltin: Then you might really like it, and it's funny you say that, 'cause that's one of the things Danny talked about, was the fact that, "Look, the idea that they couldn't play was forwarded by them intentionally to make it feel egalitarian, so anybody could feel like they could do it." Moby: Yeah, I remember I saw this other documentary, and in the documentary, they took the master tapes from Never Mind the Bollocks and opened them up in a studio. And I was like, "This was perfectly recorded. The instrumentation is phenomenal," and one thing Steve told me that I did not know is that he played all the bass parts 'cause Sid could not play bass. Steve will admit this in a second, basically they were a pub rock cover band. They were influenced by all that early to mid-'70s pub rock, and they wanted to sound like the New York Dolls. They didn't invent anything, but some of the songs have, from my perspective, stood the test of time. They're both paradoxically overrated and underrated. Baltin: I think the Pistols and the Doors are very similar. For the Doors, everything is about Jim Morrison and the legacy, and it's like people forget the other three guys were absolutely brilliant musicians and they wrote some of the greatest songs of all time. And I think for the Pistols, it's the same thing because of Sid Vicious, because of Johnny Rotten, because of the personalities. So I agree with you that they can be both overrated and underrated at the same time. Moby: I love the Sex Pistols, but I'm more of an obsessive Doors fan. It is funny how in the world of the classic rock canon, they're sort of overlooked a little bit. And they were so fascinating. Being inspired by William Blake and Aldous Huxley and Bertolt Brecht and the intellectualism and the blues reference, they really were almost historical archivists as much as songwriters. Baltin: I'm just curious as a Doors fan, what's the one Doors song that you wish you had written and why? Moby: It's almost impossible, it's almost like you have to pick one of their genres. Honestly, the song that has always stuck with me from when I was probably eight or nine years old was "Crystal Ship." Still the production on it, the minimalism, the chord changes. But I have to say some of the stuff off of LA Woman is pretty great. I hadn't heard "Five to One" in a long time, and I was like, "That should have been the lead single from Waiting for the Sun, 'cause it's just such a phenomenal aggressive rock song. Baltin: What does a virtual label mean? How does it differ from another kind of label? Moby: One, there is no real estate involved. I recently re-watched the Factory Records movie 24-hour Party People? And there's a scene in there where Tony Wilson spent £100,000 on a desk, and the guys in New Order almost killed him for it, so there's none of that. There's physical space on my end where I'm recording and mixing and remixing, and then there's physical space on the singer's end where they're recording. But the vocals for the first song were recorded in Jamaica and mixed here, the vocals for the second release that we're just trying to wrap up right now was recorded in Manchester. Virtual in that sense is like there is no one location with corporate board rooms and the truth is especially thanks to COVID, there's very little in person actual meeting. Everything is done in remote recording studios and over email and FaceTime and Zoom, etc. Baltin: Do you want to do more of the in person or do you want to do more remotely? Moby: I don't know how much of this would be sort of psychological or hereditary or just simply evidence-based, but I love this new era of working remotely. Almost everything about it suits me in terms of my personality, my upbringing, like I love being able to work whether it's six o'clock in the morning or midnight. Baltin: Did you find that because you were home bound it changed the way that you approached doing things at all? Moby: Working at home, the people I work with, they all live in the neighborhood, so we were able to have outdoor meetings. The one interesting thing was when I was making or finishing the album Reprise, we had luckily recorded the orchestra and the stream quartet, and a lot of the people before the pandemic, but we had to record a gospel choir during the pandemic. And so the way we did that is the gospel singer stood outside and kind of like Led Zeppelin at the castle, we just ran long microphone cables and recorded all the gospel singers outside, separately. Baltin: "Medusa" is the first release coming out. What's the sort of timeline for when the other music will come out? Moby: The truth is, I realized for me quite a while ago that releasing new music is not the commercial enterprise it was a while ago, I know that that's perhaps egregiously self evident, and at first, that can be frustrating. I'm sure you talked to a lot of people where they're like, there's that tiny part of us that sort of wants to go back to the days when you'd be selling 200,000 CDs every week. It was kind of heady, and I guess I'm glad I went through it. But now, rather than mourn the fact that things have changed rather than pointlessly wish for things to be different, I think I've sort of taken this new landscape and seen it as almost liberating. So now the approach to making music, honestly there's no commercial consideration. The only focus is on making music itself, the joy of making music, the joy of the music itself, the happiness around releasing it. But luckily, because there's no overhead, there's no commercial pressure, you can be as idiosyncratic or principled, however you want to look at it, as you want. There's no tour to support, there's no office to support. I find it really liberating, and I hope that that sort of liberation ethos really inspires basically what we're trying to do with the record, with the nature of the music, the artists we're working with. So many labels, so many management companies, etcetera, part of their criteria for making and releasing music is simply commercial. So when they look at a collaborator or a remixer or a producer, they're not assessing them based on the quality of the work, they're assessing them based on their discography or their track record, or how much engagement they get on social media. And it's really fantastic and emancipating to never think about that in terms of the people I'm working with. Baltin: Talk about the people that you've brought into this project. Moby: So here's where it gets a little tricky 'cause I don't have signed agreements with a lot of them [laughter]. Hopefully, I will very soon. I think we've talked about this. When I was really young, I wanted to be a great singer. When I was 10 years old, I wanted to just have this beautiful singing voice. I wanted to be Paul McCartney meets David Bowie, and I realized pretty quickly I was more like a guy in a punk rock band with a mediocre voice. The downside of that is, my voice is average, the upside of that is it's forced me to work or to search out so many people. And I've been able to work with so many singers 'cause I learned a long time ago, if I want beautiful voices on my records, I'm not gonna be the one to be singing. And so all I can say is I wish I had more information about the people who hopefully will be involved in the label, but their voices are so inspiring and it's people from all over — from South America, from Africa, from Europe, from the United States, older people, younger people. The only criteria is really the quality of the person's voice and the sort of creativity and intelligence they bring to what they're doing. Baltin: How are you mixing being the label guy with your strong artistic tendencies that wants to work with everybody? Moby: I've realized that if you work hard on something and you love what you're working on and you care about it, part of being a responsible creator is also making sure that legally you're allowed to release it. And I know that seems very self-evident as well. So unfortunately, a part of loving the creation of music is dealing with the legal side, and luckily, most people are reasonable and easy to deal with. But then every now and then, in the world of idiosyncratic artists or managers or whatever, something goes awry, and it can be very nail biting, like when you've got a song that you love and you just desperately want to put it out, and the artist is on a three-month meditation retreat, or the artist has been booked into rehab, or the manager is passed out in a puddle of vomit at Burning Man. There's so many ways in which proceeding with things can sort of be gummed up. I guess this is the ongoing dilemma of creative industries is you can't work with creative people and then expect them to be as responsible as Swiss bankers. Baltin: When I think of electronic music, I almost think of cities as much as genres, like Detroit, by Chicago, by San Francisco. So are there different eras, movements, scenes that really influence the sounds of this label? Moby: We've got tons of them, and honestly I realized quite a long time ago, I guess I'm known as a musician, but first and foremost, I'm an enthusiastic fan of other people's records. So the first big influence for this is we'll call it, at least in my mind, the magic period from about '78 until about '82 when electronic dance music didn't have a name. That's everything from the Grace Jones records that Wally Badarou played on, that Sly and Robbie produced, to Liquid Liquid and the Bush Tetras and ESG and Konk. And then even something like Broken English, by Marianne Faithfull. It was basically electronic dance music that didn't have definition, and so it was inspired by soul, reggae and disco. That's when I was hanging out in clubs in New York in the early '80s, that's what excited me so much. Obviously, the hardcore punk excited me, the more traditional new wave excited me, but it was that hybrid of like if you listen to some of those classic Grace Jones albums, like the ones with like "Nightclubbing" and "Warm Leatherette," that's the first big influence. And then influence two is I think of it as like the Bristol influence, like Smith & Mighty, Massive Attack, Tricky, and not just the records they made, but the records that influenced them, a lot of great reggae records from the '60s, from the '70s, from the '80s. It was very song-approached and very vocal, so obviously that was a big influence. And then lastly I would say just the influence o electronic music in general, going from Silver Apples and Suicide to some 16-year-old kid in South Korea making drum and bass, that spirit of invention.
Music
SAN FRANCISCO — When Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck sees his players at the team hotel or on the court before games, he mostly just says hello and wishes them luck. He has not felt a need to deliver any grander message to the team while it is facing adversity during these NBA playoffs, and that will not change with the Celtics now trailing the Warriors, 3-2, as they return to TD Garden for Game 6 of the Finals Thursday.But Grousbeck hopes that his presence will speak for him. He wants the Celtics to know that he has their back, and that will not change.“My message is by sitting there and cheering with [my wife] Emilia,” Grousbeck said by phone from the team plane Tuesday. “[Patriots owner] Robert Kraft will be back with us on Thursday, and we’ll have a special guest next to us, a former Celtic champion.Get Court SenseBounce around the NBA with our Celtics-centric look at the latest happenings on and off the court.“And the four of us will be there next to the bench. That’s the message. Here we are. We’re cheering for you, and we’re proud.”Despite the fact that the Celtics are once again facing elimination — this time against an opponent that knows as well as any what it takes to make the final push to a championship — Grousbeck remained upbeat.He said the steady hand of first-year coach Ime Udoka has given him even more confidence as this postseason has unfolded, and he has seen enough to believe that the gap between the Celtics and Warriors is not large, and may not even exist at all.“I feel like we belong,” he said. “I’ve seen us take the lead twice in this series, 1-0 and 2-1, and I saw us fight back [in Game 5] and take a lead. So I’ve seen fight. I’ve seen teamwork.“I’ve seen guys today who are focused and looking forward to the chance for some redemption with our backs against the wall. We have the kind of team that can win tough games.”In the conference semifinals against the Bucks, the Celtics won Game 6 in Milwaukee while facing elimination before returning home to TD Garden and winning again. In the conference finals against the Heat, they won Game 7 on the road.After Monday’s 104-94 loss at Chase Center, Jayson Tatum stressed that the Celtics do not need to win two games at once. The first task is simple: Just win at home in front of a raucous crowd. A victory there would shift some of the pressure back to the Warriors, particularly with the Celtics having won consecutive Game 7s to reach this point.“We’re going to have to do it again,” Grousbeck said. “It’s do-or-die on Thursday and everybody knows that. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do.“I’m really proud of this group, how they’ve come together, how they’ve played, how they’ve been coached. Every game with them is special. I think we’re going to take our best shot on Thursday. We’ll have our home crowd behind us. Ticket demands are flooding in, and the place is going to be absolutely packed.“The positivity is there and we’re going to be at home and we’re going to be focused. So I’m legitimately really looking forward to it.“I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but I do believe in these guys that there will be a great effort. We’ll all be in it together.”Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.
Basketball
CNN — US basketball star Brittney Griner – who has been held in Russia since February on accusations of drug smuggling – will remain in Russian custody through at least July 2, after a Russian court extended her detention, Russian state news agency TASS reported Tuesday. Griner, 31, has been officially classified as “wrongfully detained,” a US State Department official told CNN in May. Supporters, including Griner’s family and the WNBA, have vigorously advocated for her release, with some expressing concerns Russia would use Griner as a political pawn amid tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February, when Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and star of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury plays in Russia during that league’s offseason. Griner’s detention has been extended repeatedly. A Russian court announced in March it had extended her pretrial detention until mid-May. Last month, Griner’s detention was extended once again until June 18, TASS reported at the time. “Our position for some time on this has been very clear: Brittney Griner should not be detained. She should not be detained for a single day longer,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Tuesday. The State Department learned of the news through Russian state media reports, Price said. The US last had consular access to Griner last month, he told reporters. Griner’s case is being handled by the office of the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, a State Department official confirmed to CNN last month. The office leads the government’s diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Americans wrongfully detained abroad and played a major role in securing the release of US citizen Trevor Reed in a late April prisoner swap with Russia. News of Griner’s detention being extended comes a day after State Department officials – including those from the hostage affairs office – briefed her teammates on Griner’s situation and efforts to bring her home. “We are on Day 116 since BG has been wrongfully detained,” Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard said, adding, “She’s our teammate, she’s an American and we want her back home.” For star guard Diana Taurasi, the State Department’s announcement that Griner’s detention was wrongful signaled to the team that officials are taking the situation seriously, she said Monday. “It’s something that we’ve all talked about intimately as a group, and now knowing the State Department at the highest level – from US President Joe Biden to the team that is working on bringing back all Americans who are wrongfully detained – gives us a lot of confidence that they’re working on it,” Taurasi said. “Anything that we can do on our side to amplify and to put BG first will be our No. 1 priority,” she said. Separately, Reed – an American veteran who spent nearly three years in a Russian prison – has filed a petition with the United Nations declaring Russia violated international law with his detention and poor treatment, he told CNN Tuesday. Holding Russia accountable will “force Russia to end this practice for all Americans that they’re holding there,” including Griner and Paul Whelan, Reed told CNN. Whelan, a US citizen and former Marine, was detained at a Moscow hotel in 2018 and arrested on espionage charges, which he has denied. CNN has reached out to the UN and Russia’s Permanent Mission to the UN for comment on Reed’s petition. CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
Basketball
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Amber Heard denied being "cut" from "Aquaman 2" and called recasting claims "slightly insane" after reports surfaced she was out of the Warner Bros. film. following the Johnny Depp defamation trial."The rumor mill continues as it has from day one — inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane," Heard's representative told Fox News Digital.Heard portrayed "Mera" in the film, working alongside Jason Momoa, Dolph Lundgren and Willem Dafoe. The second film, "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" is set to be released in 2023."Warner Bros. decided to recast Amber Heard‘s role after screen testing the movie. They are going to be doing reshoots with Jason Momoa and Nicole Kidman," sources told Just Jared.A rep for Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.Depp was awarded $10.35 million in damages after a jury declared Heard defamed Depp on all counts following a nearly seven-week trial in Virginia amid allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault.The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star initially sought a $50 million payout, and Heard counter sued for $100 million in damages. Amber Heard says reports of her 'Aquaman 2' role being recast are "slightly insane" JOHNNY DEPP WINS DEFAMATION TRIAL AGAINST AMBER HEARD, AWARDED OVER $10M IN DAMAGESWalter Hamada said in a pre-taped deposition played for jurors during the defamation trial that Heard and Momoa were not a good match, while Heard had testified her role was "pared down" due to her public battle with Depp. "They didn’t really have a lot of chemistry together," Hamada said in a tape recorded on March 15, 2022. "I think editorially they were able to make that relationship work in the first movie, but there was concern that it took a lot of effort to get there."There was a delay recasting the part of Mera in "Aquaman 2" and discussion of replacing Heard with an actress who had more "natural chemistry" with Momoa, he said, but the studio decided to move forward with Heard."Was her role [in 'Aquaman 2'] ever reduced for any reason?" Depp's lawyer Ben Chew asked Hamada."No," he replied. Hamada, president of DC-based film production, said the movie was pitched as a "buddy comedy" between Momoa and his friend played by actor Patrick Wilson, and the part of Mera was always intended to be minor. AMBER HEARD STANDS BY TESTIMONY TO HER 'DYING DAY'Hamada was called by Johnny Depp's legal team as a rebuttal witness to undermine Heard's claim that her role in "Aquaman 2" was reduced after Depp allegedly conspired with his lawyer to defame her in a series of statements made to the press.Fox News' Rebecca Rosenberg and Larry Fink contributed to this report. Tracy Wright is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.
Movies
Liverpool have announced the signing of Darwin Núñez from Benfica for a fee that could reach £85m.The Uruguay international, who turns 23 next week, was the top scorer in Portugal’s top flight last season with 26 goals and scored 34 in total, including one in each leg of Benfica’s Champions League quarter-final with Liverpool.His arrival on a six-year contract should clear the way for Sadio Mané to join Bayern Munich. Talks are continuing over a transfer for the Senegal forward who has indicated he wants a new challenge.The initial fee for Núñez will be £64m but that fee could rise to £85m should he reach certain milestones in his Liverpool career, including winning the Champions League. The signing is subject to international clearance and work-permit approval.Liverpool see the signing as a statement of intent in their attempt to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title and is another feather in the cap for the new sporting director, Julian Ward, who moved quickly to fend off interest from Manchester United.Ward, who is stepping into the role vacated by the influential Michael Edwards, was a key player in the January recruitment of Luis Díaz and the club believe getting the deal done early will allow Núñez to settle in and enjoy a full pre-season.The striker, who is expected to earn around £140,000 per week at Anfield, told the official club website: “I’m really happy and delighted to be here at Liverpool. It’s a massive club.Darwin Núñez will wear the No 27 shirt vacated by the Milan-bound Divock Origi. Photograph: Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Getty Images“I’d like to thank my partner and my parents and my son, who is a real source of pride for me. They’ve been really important to me in the stages in my career. I’m really proud of them, and for the work we do, me and my partner, as a team and I’m grateful to her that I’m here.“It’s a pleasure to be here in Liverpool and I’m very happy to be a part of this great club. I’ve played against Liverpool and I’ve seen them in lots of games in the Champions League, and it’s my style of play. There are some great players here and I think it’s going to suit my style of play here.“As I say, I’ve watched quite a lot and it’s a very big club and I hope I can give everything that I’ve got in order to help the team.”The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email.Núñez will wear the No 27 shirt for Liverpool and becomes the third Uruguayan to sign for the club, following on from Luis Suárez and Sebastián Coates.“When I arrived at the training ground, I was really surprised to see the set-up and the structure and all the trophies here,” he added. “You can then imagine yourself winning more trophies and then later on when you come here again and see the trophies on display, you can say: ‘Look, I was a part of that, I was there at that time, winning trophies.’“That’s one of the reasons why I came here to Liverpool – to win trophies and titles. I want to win a lot of trophies at Liverpool.”
Soccer
As the old song by Frank Sinatra goes: "Take me out to the ballgame, take me out with the crowd"... but "let me record a viral TikTok with a baseball player"?That's exactly what happened when Cincinnati Reds' star Joey Votto spotted a young girl in the crowd trying to get his attention. Jean Parks, 12, held up a sign near the Reds' team dugout that read: "Joey Votto, will you make a TikTok with me?"No stranger to the quirks of social media, veteran first baseman Votto happily obliged. Image: Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto performing the 'Griddy dance' for a TikTok video with fan Jean Parks, 12, in Arizona. Pic: Bally Sports Ohio The heart-warming exchange took place before Monday night's game in Phoenix as Votto and his teammates got ready to play the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was captured on video by game broadcaster Bally Sports Ohio, who reported that Jean hails from the Arizona capital. Six-time All-Star and prolific hitter Votto went over to the stands and was seen coming up with a dance routine with Jean. More on Tiktok Cooper Noriega: TikTok star found dead aged 19 Binley Mega Chippy: A (bizarre) timeline of events that took this Coventry chip shop to internet stardom Ukraine war: Social media companies asked to archive evidence of war crimes Some of the moves he suggested clearly didn't make the cut however, perhaps down to Jean's expert direction.The pair were seen a little later on doing the "Griddy dance" - made famous by NFL star wide receiver Justin Jefferson - in front of the dugout. Twitter Due to your consent preferences, you’re not able to view this. Open Privacy Options A nice moment for Votto and an experience with a likely future Hall of Famer that Jean is not likely to forget in a hurry.The TikTok video may have also proven to be a good luck charm - the Reds went on to beat the Diamondbacks 5-4 - though Votto went without a getting a hit on the night.
Baseball
Serena Williams is going to play at Wimbledon after all. The All England Club announced on Tuesday Williams was awarded a wild-card entry for singles, marking her return to Grand Slam action after a year away.The owner of a professional era-record 23 Grand Slam singles trophies, and as big a star as tennis ever has seen, is going to tune up by playing doubles at a smaller grass-court event first, teaming with Ons Jabeur at Eastbourne, England, next week.Main-draw play at Wimbledon begins on June 27.Williams has not competed anywhere since getting injured during the first set of her first-round match at the All England Club in 2021, and her name did not appear on the women’s singles entry list released by the grass-court Grand Slam tournament earlier this month.But Williams was among a half-dozen women given a spot in the singles draw on Tuesday, along with five British players: Katie Boulter, Jodie Burrage, Sonay Kartal, Yuriko Miyazaki, and Katie Swan.Get Sports HeadlinesThe Globe's most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.Two other women will get invitations “in due course,” the All England Club said.Seven of the eight men's wild-card berths were also announced, including one for three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka.Earlier in the day, Williams posted a photo of her white shoes on what appears to be a grass court and the message: “SW and SW19. It’s a date. 2022. See you there. Let’s Go.”“SW” are her initials, of course, and “SW19” is the postal code for Wimbledon.The 40-year-old American has won seven of her singles trophies at Wimbledon, the first in 2002 and most recently in 2016. Williams was the runner-up there in 2018 and 2019 (the tournament was canceled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic).In 2021, Williams lost her footing on the slick grass and then her right leg buckled, leading to just the second mid-match retirement at any Grand Slam tournament of her career and first since 1998.With the lack of activity since then, Williams — who first reached No. 1 in July 2002 — is 1,208th in the WTA rankings this week. That is why she was not automatically placed in the Wimbledon field.While Williams has been sidelined, first Ash Barty and then Iga Swiatek stepped into the opening left by her extended absence. Barty won Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open this January to solidify her hold on the No. 1 ranking, but then abruptly retired at age 25 in March.That allowed Swiatek to rise to No. 1, and she has backed up that new status with an ongoing 35-match winning streak that included claiming a second French Open trophy this month.That unbeaten stretch exceeds by one a 34-match run Williams put together in 2013 and equals one by Williams’ older sister, Venus, for the longest since 2000.
Tennis
Chris Rock Let's Play Ball ... With Lake Bell 6/14/2022 8:10 AM PT TMZ.com Chris Rock is in good company these days, taking in a baseball game with Lake Bell. The comedian and actress were in a box together Monday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, watching a Cardinals game. They were spotted by eagle-eyed fans, who got them on camera together at different points in the evening ... including in this video, obtained by TMZ. No signs of PDA, but they were definitely sitting together ... and seemed interested in maintaining a relatively low profile. We're told Chris did an on-camera interview at one point, and LB stepped away so she wouldn't be seen in the shot. Chris has been performing comedy shows there lately, and it seems Lake is along for the ride. They're both single, and relatively fresh off of long-term marriages in recent years. 3/27/22 ABC It's been about 3 months since CR got smacked across the face by Will Smith, and by all accounts ... he's doing just fine. Not only has he continued to work, but he now seems to have a new lady friend (maybe). Happier times are on the horizon, it seems.
Celebrity
“Succession” star Brian Cox has turned the words “F**k off” into a personal trademark ― and a lucrative side hustle.The actor is on Cameo, where he charges $689 to send personal ― and profane ― greetings to fans.And, yes, it seems like every person requesting a video has two specific words they want him to say, based on this supercut.But while Cox is happy to drop F-bombs on the HBO series and on Cameo, he only does it for fans on a case-by-case basis, he told The Hollywood Reporter last week.During a panel with fellow actors Oscar Isaac, Tom Hiddleston, Quincy Isaiah, Michael Keaton and fellow expletive legend Samuel L. Jackson, Cox admitted the public desire to hear him curse can be awkward.“Well, it’s not the easiest thing to say to people,” Cox confessed. “I mean, it started when I was playing L.B.J. in one of those theaters in New York. I came out one night and there was this young couple, very sweet, about 17, and they had a video and they said, ‘Could you tell us to fuck off, please?’ I mean, it’s unbelievable.”Cox then described an awkward request he received at an event for Ronan Farrow’s book launch.“All these Hollywood women were there and it was very intense,” he said. “And I was standing at the back and then [the women] all turned around and saw me and they [pointed a] camera and said, ‘Can you tell us to fuck off?’”“I was like, ‘This is a #MeToo meeting, is this really proper to be asking me to tell you to fuck off? And does that mean that I get canceled?’”Jackson said people ask him to say his trademark word “motherfucker” all the time, or to record a message on their answering machine like, “This motherfucker’s not home right now. And the motherfucker will call you back.”But Jackson demurred after Cox pointed out he could charge money to say the phrase.“I don’t want to gouge the public. I charge them enough to come to my movies,” Jackson said.
Celebrity
It's the IRL "WeCrashed" and "The Dropout" crossover event. Jared Leto may have played WeWork founder Adam Neumann for AppleTV+’s “WeCrashed,” but the Oscar winner has a surprising real-world connection to another Silicon Valley tech titan: Elizabeth Holmes. During a Variety Actors on Actors roundtable with “The Dropout” star Amanda Seyfried, who portrayed Holmes on the Hulu series, Leto revealed he formerly “stayed in touch” with Holmes after presenting her with a Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year Award in 2015. “I had heard her speak in Palo Alto. She was great onstage. She was incredibly smart, funny — and then I met her after that, and I liked her a lot,” Leto said. “But no indication that things weren’t great in her life and at the company. And then I gave her an award.” Leto added, “We stayed in touch after that and talked a few times, but my experience with her was always quite lovely. Not everyone is one thing. No one is one thing.” However, the “WeCrashed” star confirmed that he is not still in touch with Holmes as she is awaiting sentencing on charges of fraud. While Seyfried was not “allowed” to meet with Holmes prior to filming “The Dropout” since the Theranos founder was in litigation, Leto shared that he had a “top secret meeting” with the Neumanns for “WeCrashed.” “I was too curious,” Leto said. “I thought that I would regret it. Nobody knew it was happening. I met his wife, Rebekah, and they have a lovely family. It was a nice experience on my end.” And if Seyfried had the chance to meet Holmes like Leto did, she would most likely just say, “Hi, wow, hello.” “I would want to spend some time with her, and know that I probably shouldn’t, because I have in some way affected her legal experience,” Seyfried told Leto. “I have thought a lot about the sentencing. We tried to figure her out from a place of compassion and worthiness. I know whatever she’s sentenced with, it’s what she deserves. And I also know, in my gut, that there’s a space for her outside of this whole Theranos thing, outside of prison — if she goes to prison. Then she’ll get out and she’ll invent something new that’ll work. I don’t know if I’m the only person who feels that way. I’d love to see her take responsibility in a very vocal way, which she has not. If she can just take accountability and move on.” Seyfried added, “I know Elizabeth was told not to watch it, but I cannot imagine a world where she didn’t peek.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
Movies
Last week, after the Netherlands snatched victory in the 94th minute in Cardiff, Gareth Bale conceded that Wales need to master the dark arts and adopt a streetwise streak if they are to prosper at their first World Cup in 64 years and after Memphis Depay rattled in a stoppage-time winner here, seconds after Bale equalised from the penalty spot, it was an agonising case of deja vu.Twenty minutes before kick-off the stadium announcer made a point of congratulating Wales on reaching Qatar 2022 and while they generally appear in rude health, this was another galling ending. Bale, a second-half substitute, equalised from the penalty spot as the game rolled into added time but Depay, also a substitute, struck a late winner to render Wales’ comeback worthless. Brennan Johnson’s second nerveless finish in four days had pulled a goal back after the Netherlands raced into a two-goal lead courtesy of Noa Lang and Cody Gakpo.Louis van Gaal has never been one to mince his words and so his deconstruction of De Kuip on the eve of this game was in keeping with his character. The Netherlands – and former Ajax – manager described Feyenoord’s stadium as “a load of old crap”, a pristine pitch its only redeeming feature and complained about having to do his half-time teamtalk against Poland last Saturday with his back to a dozen of his players. However, the Netherlands certainly seem to enjoy playing here and they coasted into a two-goal lead inside 23 minutes, Lang smashing in before Gakpo doubled their advantage. The first goal stemmed from Wes Burns, who was withdrawn at the break in favour of Connor Roberts, overcomplicating things inside his own half. Jordan Teze dispossessed the Ipswich wing-back and, after being fed by Vincent Janssen, Lang swivelled clear of Chris Mepham and Joe Rodon before emphatically leathering the ball past Wayne Hennessey.For the second goal Gakpo profited when his initial shot cannoned off Rodon and then Mepham before curling the rebound into the far corner from just inside the 18-yard box. But Wales, all in yellow, responded on a balmy evening when Daniel James stole the ball high up the pitch from Teze, who was replaced by Stefan de Vrij at half-time. Harry Wilson slipped a gorgeous ball into Johnson, who took the pass in his stride before nonchalantly stroking a first-time right-foot finish through the legs of the defender Matthijs de Ligt, across the goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and into the far pocket of the Netherlands net. Johnson, promoted to the starting lineup after his impressive – and similarly composed finish – against Belgium last Saturday, pointed towards the 2,000-plus Wales supporters housed in a segment of the top tier. Suddenly, they were back in a game that looked as good as over when Gakpo fired in.The PSV Eindhoven forward Gakpo was lively throughout, testing Hennessey early in the second half and almost latching on to a cute Lang pass. Wales’ go-to player was Johnson and the Nottingham Forest forward caused more mischief approaching the hour, his shot well held by Cillessen after an incisive run. Aaron Ramsey entered with 63 minutes on the clock and Bale with 20 minutes to play. Ramsey almost picked out Johnson with one of his first touches but his clever pass was cut out. Ethan Ampadu skewed wide and Wilson was unfortunate a deflection took the sting out of his strike as Wales grew in confidence.A sprawling Hennessey denied Gakpo with five minutes to play but Bale slotted in when Roberts was fouled by Tyrell Malacia with a minute to play. Wales thought they had earned a fine point but Depay had other ideas.
Soccer
While much of the world sheltered in place during the first year of the pandemic, jazz great Kenny Garrett quietly marked several milestones. In the fall of 2020, the alto and soprano saxophonist turned 60, a celebration preceded by the 35th anniversary of his first album as a leader, 1985’s “Introducing Kenny Garrett.” The fact that three of the five players on that promise-laden recording departed the scene before completing six decades — trumpeter Woody Shaw, pianist Mulgrew Miller and drummer Tony Reedus are all sorely missed — seemed to underline the prodigious accomplishments that Garrett has accrued so far in his well-spent career. He’s been moving at such a determined pace for so long that he greeted the pandemic pause as a respite rather than a disruption. Garrett doesn’t in any way minimize the incalculable losses that people have experienced, but when all his work disappeared that March, “I wanted a break,” he said. “I was able to sit back and enjoy life. I’d been trying to find a way to get off the road and it gave me a chance to reflect on some of the things that I’d learned as a kid.” Garrett returns to the Bay Area Saturday June 18 for his Freight & Salvage debut, then heads to Half Moon Bay Sunday June 19 for an afternoon show kicking off Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society’s summer season. He’s touring with largely the same musicians featured on his 2021 album “Sounds from the Ancestors” (Mack Avenue), a project that emerged from his reflections on his past, inspired by relationships with fellow jazz masters and his earliest sources of inspiration. No saxophonist of his generation has a deeper resume. A Detroit native who was mentored by Motor City masters like trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, he got his start in the late 1970s in the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the direction of the Maestro’s son Mercer Ellington. Marinated in the bands of Art Blakey, Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, he emerged as a galvanizing bandleader himself with a capaciously international vision encompassing China as well as Cuba. An improviser known for bringing almost every tune to an ecstatic crescendo, Garrett was in a more reflective mode for “Ancestors.” The music simmers but rarely boils over while his compositions draw on a sumptuous constellation of Caribbean rhythms. Opening with the joyous “It’s Time to Come Home,” Garrett drew on his deep connection with Cuban piano patriarch Chucho Valdés. The swaggering late-night funk of “Hargrove” pays tribute to the late trumpet great Roy Hargrove, who died in 2018 at the age of 49. “When I’m writing it’s from experiences,” Garrett said. “I’ve been thinking about music I grew up listening to and how can I get back to the feeling I had when I’d pile up my favorite 45s or albums on Christmas morning and it would fill up my heart and soul and spirit. Aretha was part of that. My father lived across the street from her father’s church. That’s the feeling I’m trying to capture.” Loss has also shadowed Garrett’s band, as his longtime pianist Vernell Brown Jr. died last month at the age of 50. Something of a prodigy, Brown released a debut album on A&M Records at 18 featuring heavyweights like saxophonist Ernie Watts and bassist John Patitucci. For the Bay Area dates, Venezuelan-born pianist Benito Gonzalez, who often plays with tenor sax titan Pharoah Sanders, joins bassist Corcoran Holt, percussionist Rudy Bird, and drummer Ronald Bruner Jr. in the rhythm section. Garrett has always connected deeply with drummers, and the Los Angeles-raised Bruner is something of a protégé. Part of the constellation of artists who propelled saxophonist Kamasi Washington to crossover stardom, he’s as well known for his work with the thrash band Suicidal Tendencies and rap king Kendrick Lamar as for recordings with jazz fusion stars George Duke and Stanley Clarke. His contributions on “Ancestors” are riveting, whether he’s conducting a snare drum dance with Lenny White or designing a hybrid groove on “For Art’s Sake,” a tune Garrett wrote about Art Blakey influencing Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen “with Ronald creating a new beat in the middle of that,” Garrett said. He’s been taking young musicians under his wing since the 1990s, but Garrett seems more comfortable than ever as he embraces a role that veteran masters like Johnny Griffin and Donald Byrd long envisioned for him. “Benny Golson was another guy who was very encouraging,” Garrett recalled. “He said, ‘We’re expecting a lot of great things from you.’ We lost a lot of the elders during the past two years. I feel like I’ve done my part to keep the music moving in my own way.” Contact Andrew Gilbert at [email protected]. KENNY GARRETT When & where: 8 p.m. June 18 at Freight & Salvage, Berkeley; $36; www.thefreight.org; 4:30 p.m. June 19 at Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay; $45-$50; bachddsoc.org.
Music
U.S. June 14, 2022 / 4:42 PM / CBS News People across the U.S. can catch the strawberry supermoon on Tuesday night, if the weather permits. According to NASA, the full moon will be at its closest point to the Earth for this orbit at 7:24 p.m. EDT Tuesday. It will be close enough to be considered a supermoon, making it the second one of 2022. It will appear full Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, and it'll be the lowest full moon of the year, reaching only 23.3 degrees above the horizon Wednesday at 1:56 a.m. EDT, the agency said. Full strawberry supermoon is seen on June 14 in Indonesia. WF Sihardian/NurPhoto via Getty Images How did strawberry moon gets its name? The name has nothing to do with its color. Traditionally, the strawberry moon is the full moon in June, which is typically the last of spring or first of summer. According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, the name was used by Native American Algonquin tribes that live in northeastern U.S. and Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples. It was used to mark the ripening of strawberries ready to be gathered in June. How to watch the strawberry supermoonAfter sunset, sky gazers are recommended to look southeast to watch the full moon rise above the horizon, the Almanac said. It reached peak illumination earlier, on Tuesday, at 7:52 a.m. EDT, but it won't be visible in North American time zones until Tuesday evening, as some parts of the world have already seen the supermoon. The Almanac can calculate moonrise and moonset times based on your location here. "Full moons are a fun time to observe lunar features, as the rest of the sky will be washed out by the light. With the naked eye, you can see the vast highlands and lowlands of the moon, which can appear to be certain shapes and generate stories about those shapes, depending on the culture you follow," according to Space.com. For those that won't stay up, a free livestream from the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy is also showing the full moon rise over Rome. And if you miss this supermoon, there will be another on July 13. In: moon Christopher Brito Christopher Brito is a social media producer and trending writer for CBS News, focusing on sports and stories that involve issues of race and culture. Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Create your free account or log in for more features. Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue
Space Exploration
CelebrityRebel WilsonThe Sydney Morning Herald has since removed an article in which it revealed that it gave Rebel “two days to comment on her new relationship” with a woman before it would publish the news itself.Posted 11 hours ago Rebel Wilson has addressed fans’ outrage after an Australian newspaper revealed its plans to seemingly out her. But first, here’s a reminder of how we got here. Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images In May, Rebel said she was “happily in a relationship,” revealing that she and her new partner were set up by a mutual friend. At the time, the actor did not share any details about the identity of her partner, nor did she respond to Page Six’s request for comment on the matter. Future Publishing / Future Publishing via Getty Images Fast forward to last Thursday, and Rebel shared on Instagram an adorable photograph of herself and her girlfriend, Ramona Agruma, writing: “I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince…but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney princess … #loveislove.” If you follow Rebel, you’ll know that this wasn’t the first time that Ramona had appeared on her Instagram page. Not only that, but the duo also took to the red carpet at Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty together back in March. However, until her post on Thursday, it wasn’t public knowledge that the two were in a relationship, with reports suggesting just months prior that Rebel may have been dating a fellow Aussie, tennis player Matt Reid. James D. Morgan / Getty Images With all this in mind, plus the added context of Rebel’s Instagram caption, most fans were quick to interpret the post as her official coming out. Mark Metcalfe / Getty Images for AFI But, the following day, as fans were happily celebrating Rebel’s sweet post, the Sydney Morning Herald published a since-deleted article in which it claimed to have known about the relationship between Rebel and Ramona long before it was confirmed. Dimitrios Kambouris / WireImage And not only that, the newspaper also wrote that it had reached out to Rebel on Thursday, and it had given her “two days to comment on her new relationship” before publishing a story on it. Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures The writer of the piece, celebrity reporter Andrew Hornery, then said that reaching out to Rebel had been a “big mistake,” suggesting that it gave her the freedom to quash his hopes of a story. Randy Holmes / ABC via Getty Images “Wilson opted to gazump the story, posting about her new ‘Disney Princess’ on Instagram early Friday morning,” Hornery wrote. “The same platform she had previously used to brag about her handsome ex-boyfriend, wealthy American beer baron Jacob Busch.” Sc Pool - Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images He also brought up Rebel’s successful defamation lawsuit against Women’s Day, which wrongfully branded the actor as a liar. The writer used this suit to argue that Rebel’s decision not to respond to his publication's “discreet, genuine and honest queries” was “underwhelming,” given how “bitterly she complained about poor journalism standards” in her legal battle with the magazine. Dave J Hogan / Getty Images And if fans weren’t confused enough, the post then appeared to undermine the historic issue of anti-LGBTQ bigotry within showbusiness, writing of Rebel: “At age 42 and in an era when same-sex marriage is legal in many parts of the world and — thanks to decades of battling for equality — sexual orientation is no longer something to be hidden, even in Hollywood.” Sydney Morning Herald Readers across social media were quick to express their shock and outrage, with many accusing the publication of attempting to out Rebel. Arturo Holmes / FilmMagic “I’ve just read this @smh piece 3 times to make sure that I wasn’t misreading,” journalist Megha Mohan tweeted. “The publication messaged Rebel Wilson saying they would out her in 2 days — and is now complaining that she chose to announce her relationship with a woman herself. Quite astonishing.” I’ve just read this @smh piece 3 times to make sure that I wasn’t misreading. The publication messaged Rebel Wilson saying they would out her in 2 days - and is now complaining that she chose to announce her relationship with a woman herself. Quite astonishing. 12:17 PM - 11 Jun 2022 Twitter: @meghamohan Others speculated about the possibility that Rebel had been pressured into sharing her Instagram post last week over fears of being “forcefully outed” by the publication. i am so beyond disgusted at this. turns out rebel wilson only came out to avoid being forcefully outed and now that newspaper is pissed at her for ruining their scoop?? so they wrote this mess?? i am so angry and so sorry for rebel, no one deserves this. 12:21 PM - 11 Jun 2022 Twitter: @sapphoslibrary What’s more, plenty highlighted the sad irony that this is taking place during Pride Month. In case you were wondering how Pride Month is going, the @smh got in touch with Rebel Wilson to say they’d be outing her in the next few days, so when Rebel came out herself the journalists are throwing a tantrum that she robbed them of an exclusive. 07:13 AM - 11 Jun 2022 Twitter: @manwithoutatan In the wake of the immense backlash, the Sydney Morning Herald initially denied accusations that it had pressured Rebel, instead claiming that it “simply asked questions and as standard practice included a deadline for a response.” Vivien Killilea / Getty Images for Netflix This only prompted further widespread criticism, and the outlet later issued a full apology, in which Hornery admitted that the publication had “mishandled steps” in its reporting. Vivien Killilea / Getty Images for Netflix “It is not the Herald’s business to ‘out’ people and that is not what we set out to do. But I understand why my email has been seen as a threat,” he wrote. “The framing of it was a mistake.” Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Hornery also said that “as a gay man” himself, he is “well aware of how deeply discrimination hurts,” adding that he would never wish to “inflict that pain on someone else.” The piece has since been removed from the Sydney Morning Herald’s webpage. Now, after remaining silent on the matter, Rebel has spoken out for the first time. David M. Benett / Dave Benett / Getty Images In response to one journalist who tweeted their shock and disgust at the publication’s actions, Rebel implied that though she’s finding the situation difficult, she’s taking the high route. Brendon Thorne / Getty Images “Thanks for your comments,” she wrote in response on Sunday. “It was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace.” @katedoak @smh @theage Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace 💗 09:26 AM - 12 Jun 2022 Twitter: @RebelWilson Rebel also liked a ton of supportive tweets from fans, many of whom called out the Sydney Morning Herald while praising Rebel for her handling of the situation. My jaw in on the floor at the way Rebel has been treated by @smh. Really hope you feel all the support and ❤️ for you around the world @RebelWilson. You’ve handled a totally hideous situation in an unbelievably classy way. 100% agree with you @meghamohan. https://t.co/0aw45lhNWm 06:17 AM - 13 Jun 2022 Twitter: @DebbieRyanRadio
Celebrity
But how would the restaurant fare once Ramsay left, back to the business of being an international celebrity chef? And what would one longtime Boston chef think of the new arrival’s spot? That’s where we come in. Here’s what happened when one culinary Gordon went to another culinary Gordon’s restaurant.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.Chef and author Gordon Hamersley in his home kitchen in 2015.Dina Rudick/Globe StaffDevra First: Good morning, Gordon H. Last night we had dinner at Ramsay’s Kitchen, celebrity chef Gordon R.’s first Boston outpost. Let’s discuss!My first impression — everyone’s first impression, really, upon visiting — was the ginormous portrait of Ramsay Himself inside the entrance. I don’t remember ever seeing one of you at Hamersley’s Bistro.Gordon Hamersley: First of all, Devra, thanks for inviting me, and I will just say that as a former Boston restaurant chef, dining with you is a little weird to start with. I mean, any chef who says they’re perfectly comfortable hanging out with the Globe food critic is being disingenuous. But it’s been years since we closed and years since you judged my food, so, RIGHT, let’s eat!I am literally laughing as I think what [wife and Hamersley Bistro co-owner] Fiona and our staff’s reaction would have been if I’d showed up one day with a 10-by-20-foot portrait of myself and asked where they thought we should put it. As for the portrait of “the other Gordon,” while certainly not our style — and it probably would not even occur to the great chefs of Boston to have a huge image of themselves be the only artwork on the wall — I get it. Gordon Ramsay is a huge star, and with that comes a branding/imaging program with no limits. I was reminded of the fabulous portrait of Paul Bocuse in his iconic palace of French culinary tradition. His portrait sits at the end of the dining room: “Lest you forget where you are, monsieur, here is a little reminder.”Inside Ramsay's Kitchen.Gordon Ramsay North AmericaDF: Totally weird to be dining with you too! But such a pleasure to have you at the table. I don’t think anyone recognized you without the Red Sox cap, although the excellent French wine-themed tie was kind of a tell…Agree about the portrait: It’s honest. Eating at a Ramsay restaurant is as much (or more) about Ramsay as it is about the food. And the menu itself is pretty conservative. I compared it with the menus at London restaurants like Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill, and it is pretty similar. Do I wish we’d gotten Ramsay at his Michelin-starred best? Of course. But I guess restaurants like Ramsay’s Kitchen bankroll the Restaurant Gordon Ramsays, and the lauded flagships lend an aura that gets customers into seats across the board. And a little TV presence never hurts.Regardless of the menu choices, I found the cooking at Ramsay’s Kitchen to be technically quite solid — better than I’d thought it might be, to be honest. The thing that struck me was that proteins, still the center of the plate here for the most part, would be perfectly cooked but barely seasoned. The salt and spicing came largely from the other components on the plate. The jumbo lump crab cake, which the server recommended highly, was our first taste of that.The jumbo lump crab cake at Ramsay’s Kitchen. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe StaffGH: I am mystified by how chefs like Ramsay are able to juggle multiple locations, concepts, and countries and keep quality high. It would be interesting to know how the economy of scale works in a big empire like that.I wasn’t surprised at the level of cooking at all. Ramsay knows classic technique well; it’s his stock-in-trade. I imagine the Boston chefs are being schooled to get the basics right. As for the crab cake, the server got the description right: a massive portion of crab held together by some breadcrumbs, crispy on the outside, warm on the inside. It was seasoned very lightly with Old Bay, I think. Frankly, I’m used to much more assertive seasoning, and I longed for extra mustard and pepper that so complement the sweetness of the crab. Thanks to the tiny citrus salad, there was some acidity to it. And I could have used triple the amount of the very good, citrus-y aioli.DF: There was so much crab! So little filler! (As it should have been: It was $29.) But a lemon wedge and some remoulade would have gone a long way.GH: Hey, what about that Connecticut-style lobster roll? The way we fought each other to see who could devour it faster kind of looked like a round of WWE in action. I’m saying you liked it?DF: Loved it. It was one of my favorite things we ate. It was pretty, with celery leaves and herbs scattered across the top, and claw meat laid strategically across the top so it looked like a little orange fin. The lobster was perfectly fresh and tender. The toasted bun had just the right airy crispness. And everything was doused in butter — not too much butter, but the amount of butter just before too much butter, which is to say the right amount of butter. The only thing wrong with it was what made us fight it out for stray morsels: There was so little lobster! Just a few wee bites! I tried to be dignified about this, but obviously I failed. Like the crab cake, the dish was $29; lobster prices, all prices, are high, and unfortunately for the consumer this isn’t a crazy price for a lobster roll in a Boston restaurant right now. But at that point, I might rather pay $34 and get some actual lobster in my lobster roll? I dunno.Then we both wanted to order the scallops for all the wrong reasons: We thought we’d probably hate the dish. It just sounded dated and sweet and busy, involving pork belly and chicken jus plus apricot puree, pomegranate, and cara cara orange. So fruity!GH: Yep, I was looking forward to hating this dish. I think it was my vision of the fruit bomb that turned me off. But hate it I didn’t. There’s almost never much wrong with scallops and pork in any form. Sure, the pork belly could have used a bit of caramelization and a hint more salt. But all that fruit worked really well. Three sweet elements, each with very different properties, brought balance to the dish. Apricot has a round, rich sweetness; the orange is mild citrus; and the pomegranate a jolt of exploding acid, and that was the kicker. The aigre-doux reduction of chicken and pomegranate molasses worked its magic, and I found myself mopping the last bite of pork belly through it — the taste missing in the belly on its own. It was a fine example of how ingredients that seemingly might not work can come together to create more than their parts. The way to get the best of the dish is to pile a fork with a bite of every element and let those flavors loose on your palate.Beef Wellington at Ramsay’s Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay's recently opened restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental.Jessica Rinaldi/Globe StaffDF: I want your expert take on the beef Wellington, a signature dish of Ramsay’s. It mostly reminded me how much I don’t love filet mignon, although I did appreciate the assertive, flavorful layer of mushroom duxelles. But I’m willing to own that my failure to love the dish was mine, not the dish’s.GH: Beef Wellington is one of those recipes that every chef cooks at some point in their career. There hasn’t been a kitchen I worked where it hasn’t been part of some menu. Done well, it is a sublime, elegant dish that has many steps. Tender beef slathered in Dijon mustard with mushroom duxelles and either pâté or prosciutto, all wrapped up first in a crepe and then in puff pastry, it is cooked in the oven until golden-brown. To keep the crust from sogging, the crepe layer is crucial. After cooking and resting, the pastry is cut open to reveal perfect medium-rare beef. A reduction of red wine and demi-glace is usually served on the side.You’re right about the cut of beef. Filet mignon has very little fat and therefore just doesn’t have the kind of beef flavor we’re used to, so it’s vital when making Wellington to salt and pepper the meat well and get a good hard sear on the beef. That caramelization not only locks in moisture but also provides an added layer of flavor. Once everything is neatly encased in pastry, it gets cooked in the oven at high heat, and essentially the pastry cooks and gets golden-brown but the inside actually steams. Poking a tiny hole in the pastry allows the steam to escape for more insurance against a flabby crust. But there is much to go wrong if each element isn’t done right. The duxelles, while cooked until almost dry, can also throw some moisture, as will the pâté and mustard, so each step must be done perfectly or the meat will taste boiled.This is a rich dish, and a well-balanced red wine sauce really cuts the recipe’s richness. Can you tell it’s one of my favorite things to cook? The Ramsay Wellington we had I thought was well executed, tasted just right, and lived up to the classic standard. Bravo!DF: What about the boring little boiled turnip and carrot on the side?GH: In the picture on the website, the boiled carrot and turnip are there. Maybe that’s what he uses globally. When he partners with Elon Musk on space flights, they’ll be there too.DF: Is that happening? Because it’s so plausible.GH: No, I just made that up. [Laughs] The thing that was most striking to me on this menu was its lack of regard for the seasons. We have tomatoes on the vine; we have pomegranate seeds on the scallops. That, I think, is very different from how the average good, thoughtful Boston chef would approach their menus these days. There’s no real nod to local stuff. There’s no real nod to seasonal stuff. Is this the opening salvo for menus to come, or is this the menu that’s etched in stone forever because that’s what he’s going to do in Miami, Denver, and so on and so forth? By July 4, on menus everywhere in the city, spring is gone. What’s going to happen at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant? You’re in New England and you’re about to get into the growing season.DF: Yep, that’s a really good question. Is this meant to be a restaurant for the locals, or mainly for the steady stream of tourists passing through Back Bay? The decor is pretty generic. There is this beautiful little oyster bar, but no one’s paying it any mind. My hope for this space initially was that a new Eastern Standard would open here, and I don’t think Ramsay’s Kitchen brings energy to the neighborhood the same way that would have. If it had a really strong bar program or a slightly more eccentric menu, that would have been welcome. The cocktail list is pretty short, and the drink I had was fine, although my wine was too warm and I felt weirdly typecast as, like, a Riesling Mom by our server. I understand it’s a hotel restaurant, but so was Eastern Standard.GH: Interesting to wonder if a Boston chef had taken the space if the vibe would have been different. What would Jody Adams, Ken Oringer, or Ana Sortun have envisioned for it? As it is, the feel is a little corporate and somewhat disappointing.DF: How important do you think service is? I felt like it was very responsive at Ramsay’s Kitchen, albeit with a good-humored shtick, and I definitely got the sense we were on a tight schedule for the next seating. This wasn’t a leisurely dinner with chat time between courses.GH: Service can make or break a whole evening. I used to think it was secondary in casual places, and that if they had the basics down and the food was great, that was all that counted. Not surprisingly, I was wrong. Service sets the tone of everything, and reading a table, timing courses, and ultimately dropping a check and being ready for the next group is exceedingly difficult to do well. Think about it. A server gets paid mostly by the guest, is employed by the chef/general manager, and has to negotiate in an intensely pressurized atmosphere with often differing needs all night long … and do it with a smile. I don’t know how they manage.Our server was definitely attentive, very enthusiastic, and enjoyed taking care of us. Did he read us well? Perhaps not completely. We wanted to be left alone to chat and eat and look around, but I’ll never criticize any server for being over-the-top pleasant, which this one was. As for timing, I looked at my watch when the main courses were cleared and thought, OK, this is just where we should be right now. Restaurants get mistaken for charities by some diners, but if a server can’t turn tables with grace and efficiency, the house ain’t going to make it long term. Business is business.DF: And dessert is dessert. We both loved the Eton mess. I love fruit and meringue desserts; I love all the different textures as the meringue and the cream settle in together. And a great sticky toffee pudding can be transcendent. I would say this version (attributed to Ramsay’s mum) was good, not great: I like that kind of dessert to have a little more complexity, to be darker and deeper than this was. It felt like something was missing. Not that it stopped me from eating it! It was still sticky toffee pudding.GH: Dessert was fun! Being married to an Englishwoman who adores both Eton mess and sticky toffee pudding, this was familiar territory for me. We used to make sticky toffee pudding from September until March or until the pastry department threatened to quit. So, one of my favorites.DF: You brought desserts home to Fiona. Did she approve?GH: She scarfed them down at 1 in the morning. Her assessment: “They were bloody delicious.”DF: Should we talk about the chickpea tikka masala?GH: We should give him a mulligan. I’m not going there. Your local Indian restaurant is going to do a lot better.DF: Or Trader Joe’s. But at least the menu is vegetarian friendly. There’s also a beet burger. We’ll try it next time.GH: I look forward to seeing how the restaurant matures. That’s if I’m allowed back in there, or anywhere in Boston after eating with you! Can I borrow your wig?774 Boylston St., Back Bay, Boston, 857-289-0771, www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/en/us/ramsays-kitchen.Devra First can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @devrafirst.
Celebrity
Heard's reps were quick to deny that Warner Bros. is recasting her role in the upcoming "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." Not so fast. While gossip website Just Jared reported the news that after Warner Bros. test-screened the film with audiences, supporting star Amber Heard was being cut from “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” the actress’ reps now deny those reports. Some have expected Warner Bros. to go all “Christopher Plummer in ‘All the Money in the World'” on “Aquaman 2” amid the social media and public fallout of the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial. But Heard’s representative told both Fox News and Insider, “The rumor mill continues as it has from day one — inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane.” Warner Bros. could not immediately be reached for comment by IndieWire. Earlier today, Just Jared reported that after test screenings drew a sour reaction to Heard, Warners was set to recast the role of princess Mera — who is lead Jason Momoa’s co-star and love interest in the film. They’d have to work fast, as the movie is hurtling toward theaters for release on March 17, 2023. The report also said that the studio was already planning reshoots with Momoa and his co-star Nicole Kidman. Heard originated the role of Mera in the first film from 2018, in which she also played the supporting role. During the trial — in which Depp was awarded $10.35 million in damages to be paid by Heard for defaming him in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed — Heard previously testified how her role in the upcoming sequel had already been cut down amid her ex’s “smear campaign.” “I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it, that depicted my character and another character, without giving any spoiler aways, two characters fighting with one another, and they basically took a bunch out of my role,” Heard testified of her “very pared-down version” of the role. “They just removed a bunch out.” Heard reportedly only appears in 10 minutes of the film. She earned $1 million for the first film and was set to make $2 million for the sequel, as discussed in the trial, and per the terms of her DC contract. She claimed that Warner Bros. “didn’t want to include me” in the sequel and said she was “actively scheduling timing for filming” before Depp’s alleged “smear campaign” against her. During the trial, DC Films President Walter Hamada said in a pre-taped deposition from March 15 that Heard and Momoa weren’t well-matched as a screen couple. “They didn’t really have a lot of chemistry together,” Hamada said. “I think editorially they were able to make that relationship work in the first movie, but there was concern that it took a lot of effort to get there.” When asked by Depp’s lawyer Ben Chew if the role was ever reduced for any reason, Hamada said no. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
Movies
Jennifer Lopez joins Janet Jackson, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé as the latest subject of her own pop star documentary, though no doubt Lopez would recoil at the description: she is also a movie star, entrepreneur, philanthropist and more, as Halftime (Netflix) often reminds us. This hugely entertaining, if occasionally comically serious, film follows Lopez from the day of her 50th birthday celebrations to the Super Bowl half-time show she co-headlined with Shakira in 2020.At first, the star of Halftime threatens to be Lopez’s diamond-encrusted drink cups, but there is much to be fascinated by in this behind-the-curtains portrait of life as a megastar. Over 90 minutes, it reveals itself to be a curious, intriguing mix. Lopez does not hold back on what displeases her. The NFL invites her to do the Super Bowl half-time show, and it is a rare honour, promising her an audience of more than 100 million viewers. But the joint invitation with Shakira rankles, and their allotted running time is similar to what a solo act would have, which puts the squeeze on; Lopez describes it as “the worst idea in the world”. Her manager, Benny Medina, goes further. “It was an insult to say you needed two Latinas to do the job that one artist historically has done,” he tells the camera.This hints at a more interesting story, that emerges in fits and starts. Lopez denies that she is political, but she is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents living in Trump’s America, or what she calls “a United States I didn’t recognise”. She puts children in cages made of light on stage, and clashes with the NFL over the idea (though at first the show’s director is more perturbed by the “contentious” proposal of a stage the shape of a female symbol). Her fiance, Ben Affleck, appears to discuss the tabloid ferocity she experienced early on in her career. When he asked her if it bothered her, she says she replied: “I’m Latina, I’m a woman, I expected this.”The documentary briefly takes on a Framing Britney Spears crusading tone, highlighting the worst tabloid treatment she experienced, and the many times she was the butt of the joke, on late-night chatshows, on South Park. Until I watched this, I had forgotten that after a strong start, Lopez’s acting career became seen as a punchline. She thinks she has made 40 movies (“I don’t know, something like that”), but it took Hustlers, the film about pole-dancers that she produced and stars in, for her to be taken seriously as an actor again. It won her a Golden Globe nomination and talk of a possible Oscar nod, though we watch her disappointment as this fails to materialise.This is where it gets trickier. Positioning a stunning, multitalented pop star, movie star and businesswoman as an underdog is not entirely convincing as a narrative thread. Not getting an Oscar nomination is a heartache most viewers will find it hard to relate to. She appears eager for approval, telling her 70-year-old doctor he should see her in Hustlers. In one of the most endearing scenes, she reads a family group message thread discussing an American football match. One of her sisters brings up the good reviews for Hustlers; there is a brief acknowledgment, before everyone gets back to the important matter of the game. She has a difficult relationship with her mother. Her curves made her an outlier in late 90s/early 00s Hollywood. The tabloid bunfight over her romantic and personal life gave her “very low self-esteem”.I don’t doubt it, but at the same time as Lopez is, even now, trying to prove herself, the truth is undeniable: she simply is a star. The clips of her early films are a reminder of what a strong run she had in Hollywood, and she is back on track at the box office again. The scenes of her training her dancers for the half-time show are incredible (“It takes a while to warm up to me,” she tells them), as is the show itself. The film ends with her performing at President Biden’s inauguration and then a list of her successes in numbers: sales figures, grosses, social media stats, streams. Any audience watching a feature-length film about her career is unlikely to need convincing that she has made it. Who is it for?“The world is listening,” says Lopez, at the start of Halftime. “What am I gonna say?” At the end of it, I only half knew. The film is as slick and flattering as you might expect, but it is also honest and revealing, at least on the surface – though perhaps it gives away more than she intended.
Celebrity
Tyler Herro Pens Katya Henry Sweet B-Day Note ... Amid Breakup Rumors 6/14/2022 2:17 PM PT Tyler Herro wished the mother of his child, Katya Elise Henry, a happy 28th birthday with a sweet message ... calling her "the most beautiful girl in the world" amid rumors of a nasty breakup. The Miami Heat star penned the letter on Tuesday by sharing photos of himself, the fitness model, and their 9-month-old daughter, Zya, on Instagram. "Happy Birthday to the most beautiful girl in the world," Herro said in the caption. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. "Words can’t describe how much I appreciate you. Aint no tellin where we’d be at without you." Herro -- who started dating Henry after sliding in her DMs in 2020 -- says she's been holdin' it down since they've met and looks forward to their future. "You’ve been my rock holding it down for 2 years, I can’t wait to see what life has in store for us. Enjoy. Smile. More life to 28 biggggg babbyyyy." This is a good sign that the couple are in good spirits -- even after many thought Henry broke up with Herro after posting quotes about cheating on her IG story. She also removed all of Herro's photos from her page and unfollowed him on social media. But, we just checked -- she's following him again. Seems like things are alright. #WeLoveToSeeIt
Celebrity
May 28, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Major League Soccer balls play on he field prior to the game between the Orlando City SC and FC Dallas at Exploria Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJune 14 (Reuters) - Major League Soccer and Apple TV (AAPL.O) announced a partnership on Tuesday that will see every game streamed on the app for the next decade.The broadcasting rights deal is worth $2.5 billion, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. (https://on.ft.com/3xMkVxD)Apple and Major League Soccer (MLS) did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on the reported deal value.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comFrom 2023 until 2032, MLS fans can access games through the league's streaming service where they can watch all MLS, Leagues Cup and select MLS NEXT Pro matches.Season ticket holders for all MLS teams will have free access to the service while some MLS and Leagues Cup matches will also be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers.All MLS and Leagues Cup matches will be called in English and Spanish, while games involving Canadian teams will also be available in French."For the first time in the history of sports, fans will be able to access everything from a major professional sports league in one place," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services in a statement. "It's a dream come true for MLS fans, soccer fans, and anyone who loves sports.""No fragmentation, no frustration — just the flexibility to sign up for one convenient service that gives you everything MLS, anywhere and anytime you want to watch."Subscribers will have access to original programming, including in-depth, behind-the-scenes views of the players and clubs and a weekly live match "whip-around show" highlighting goals and saves and analysis."Apple is the perfect partner to further accelerate the growth of MLS and deepen the connection between our clubs and their fans," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "Given Apple's ability to create a best-in-class user experience and to reach fans everywhere, it'll be incredibly easy to enjoy MLS matches anywhere, whether you're a super fan or casual viewer."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Steve Keating in Toronto and Manya Saini in Bengaluru. Editing by Toby Davis and Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Soccer
Love Island 2022 'This is the drama I've been waiting for!': Ekin-Su's head is turned AGAIN towards bombshell Jay - after crying over current partner David who begins to air doubts Published: 17:13 EDT, 14 June 2022 | Updated: 17:15 EDT, 14 June 2022 Advertisement Love Island's Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu was bringing the drama once again on Tuesday night as her head was turned towards bombshell Jay Younger. The actress, 27, wasted no time in flirting with the investment analyst, 28, despite being coupled up with Davide Sanclimenti, 27, and making a beeline for Jacques O'Neill, 23.Setting her sights on the new boy, she tells the girls: 'The tall one that’s 28, he’s so cute. Yeah, I really like him. I’m getting to know him. I don’t give a f**k.' Love Island 2022 'This is the drama I've been waiting for!': Ekin-Su's head was turned AGAIN towards bombshell Jay Younger - after crying over current partner David who began to air doubtsMeanwhile, Gemma was left red-faced as she accidentally called Luca by her ex-boyfriend Jacques O'Neill's name. Michael Owen's daughter 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?' Uh oh: Meanwhile, Gemma was left red-faced as she accidentally called Luca by her ex-boyfriend Jacques nameThe drama began following Afia's exit, with the islanders gathering in the kitchen where Luca wrapped his arms around the dressage rider.But as they embraced, Gemma accidentally called Luca Jacques, with the rugby player sitting right beside them.The other islanders were quick to comment in the error, with Amber asking: 'Did you just call him something else?' Awkward: Michael Owen's daughter suffered a slip of the tongue while hugging the fishmonger, while her former flame was sat right beside them Cringe: Shortly afterwards, Luca skulks off to the kitchen, with Gemma then asking her pals: 'That was bad wasn't it?'Luca was evidently not impressed as he replied: 'I know what she said', to which Amber responded: 'Jacques?'Piping up, Dami then exclaimed: 'Oh my god, there is no way that happened, there is no way that happened!'While Paige tries to diffuse the situation adding: 'Easy mistake to make, hun.'Shortly afterwards, Luca skulks off to the kitchen, with Gemma then asking her pals: 'That was bad wasn't it?' Making amends: Seeking forgiveness, Gemma then pulled Luca for a chat to discuss what just went downSeeking forgiveness, Gemma then pulled Luca for a chat to discuss what just went down. Things turned heated when the international dressage rider shouted: 'Don't roll your eyes at me you p***k, it's a genuine mistake. I'm sorry, there's nothing more to it.'The pair quite literally kiss and made up as they were spotted canoodling in bed later that evening. Drama: Things turned heated when the international dressage rider shouted: 'Don't roll your eyes at me you p***k, it's a genuine mistake. I'm sorry, there's nothing more to it' Having their say: Shortly afterwards, Luca skulks off to the kitchen, with Gemma then asking her pals: 'That was bad wasn't it?'Some took to Twitter and accused Gemma of gaslighting - a specific form of manipulating - Luca.'Gemma has mastered the art of gaslighting', one wrote, while another penned: 'this gaslighting masterclass from gemma'. In steamier scenes, Tasha and Andrew were chosen by the other Islanders as the first couple to enjoy a romantic night in the hideaway, with Luca dropping off Tasha's cuddly toy Flat Ted. Big night: In steamier scenes, Tasha and Andrew were chosen by the other Islanders as the first couple to enjoy a romantic night in the hideaway, with Luca dropping off Tasha's cuddly toy Flat TedAs Tasha and Andrew lapped up the privacy, viewers appeared more concerned about Flat Ted, quipping online that she hoped he was okay'. The morning after, Tasha told the girls that she had given real estate agent Andrew a 'manicure', while he remained coy to the boys - something he was branded a 'sweetheart' for. Gossip: The morning after, Tasha told the girls that she had given real estate agent Andrew a 'manicure', while he remained coy to the boys Brownie points: Fans branded Andrew a 'sweetheart' for not telling the boys what went down in the hideawayIn other proceedings, Indiyah was having doubts about Ikenna. She said: 'I don't where things are going. I don't want to feel like I am talking to him for the sake of it. This is not normally feel when I meet someone.' Advertisement
Celebrity
Getty Images Don’t Worry Darling — OIivia Wilde’s upcoming period thriller won’t be the only movie Harry Styles is starring in this year. Today (June 9), Amazon released the first promo photos of My Policeman, the romantic drama that finds Styles starring alongside The Crown’s Emma Corrin and The Last Kingdom’s David Dawson. Based on the 2012 book of the same name by author Bethan Roberts, My Policeman is set in 1957 Brighton, England, where Styles’s Officer Tom hides his sexuality by dating a schoolteacher named Marion (Corrin) but simultaneously has a secret, illicit relationship with a museum curator named Patrick (Dawson). The angst-filled queer movie also jumps back and forth between the 1950s and ‘90s showing the characters in older ages, with Tom played by Linus Roache, Marion by Gina McKee, and Patrick by Rupert Everett. “The whole point of Tom is that he is a character who is confused. It’s made more problematic by the fact that he’s a policeman, and he’s in a career that is about upholding the law,” director Michael Grandage told Vanity Fair in a new interview. “And the law in the country at the time is about everything he feels — the complexity of it is something that whoever was going to play younger Tom and older Tom needed to somehow understand and absorb.” One moody first-look photo shows Styles, Corrin, and Dawson in sleek ‘50s outfits in front of the framed paintings of a museum; in another, Styles — an eternally wet boy — is relaxing in a pool with wet hair. According to the magazine, Grandage initially did not consider casting Styles in the film until he was told by his team that Styles had read the script with great interest. At the time, Harry’s acting resumé only consisted of a supporting role as the British Army soldier Alex in the 2017 war film Dunkirk. (Since then, he’s also had his not-so-secret cameo as Eros/Starfox in Marvel’s Eternals.) When he met the “Watermelon Sugar” singer for the first time, he was immediately impressed. “He had read the script so many times that he knew every single beat of it at that meeting. I found that incredibly impressive,” he said. “He knew other people’s lines; he knew all of his lines. He knew why he wanted to talk about it, why one scene worked this way and another worked another way.” This fall will truly be the time to step into Harry’s House. My Policeman is set for a limited release in theaters on October 21 and will be available to stream on Prime Video on November 4. And Don’t Worry Darling hits cinemas September 23. Currently, Styles is topping the charts since the dropping his third studio album, Harry’s House, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and several other charts in multiple countries. Lead single “As It Was” still sits atop the Hot 100, and three songs from the album have debuted in the chart’s Top 10: “Late Night Talking” (No. 4), “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” (No. 8) and “Matilda” (No. 9). Movies Harry Styles
Movies
Just five runners go to post for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday, the first £1m race at the meeting, and while that might seem a poor return for a seven-figure investment, all five have a live chance on the pick of their form.It is an international field, too, with Shahryar, the Sheema Classic winner on World Cup night in Dubai, attempting to become the first Japanese-trained winner at the Royal meeting, while Joseph O’Brien sends State Of Rest from Ireland, hoping to add a win as a trainer after having taken this race as a jockey aboard So You Think in 2012.Like Lord North and Grand Glory, those two also have Group One-winning form in the book. But all four have a big fight on their hands against Bay Bridge (3.40), who is stepping up to the highest level for the first time.Sir Michael Stoute’s colt was a deeply impressive winner of the Brigadier Gerard Stakes, looking every inch a Group One performer as he powered five lengths clear in the final furlong. That was just the seventh start of his career and offered every sign that the best is yet to come.Royal Ascot 2.30 Wesley Ward has won this four times since 2009 so Love Reigns, highly impressive on debut at Keeneland in April, will be a popular choice. She could face an unusually strong opponent in Dramatised, however, as Karl Burke’s filly posted a good time to win at Newmarket in April.Royal Ascot 3.05 The race was over before it had really started for Nahanni in the Derby at Epsom, as he was slow to stride and then stayed on into seventh. His earlier form puts him very much in the mix here, however, and the step up to 14 furlongs should suit.Royal Ascot 4.20 Bashkirova is making a swift return to action after her Group Three win at Epsom last time, but that looks strong form and she is a fair price at around 5-1 to follow up.Royal Ascot 5.00 A typically deep and competitive field for the Hunt Cup, with Totally Charming, Rebel Territory and Symbolize all shortlisted. The booking of top claimer Harry Davies just tips the balance towards Andrew Balding’s runner, who has plenty of form in big-field Ascot handicaps.Royal Ascot 5.35 Bolt Action, impressive on debut at Leicester a fortnight ago, is a solid alternative to the favourite, Little Big Bear, at around 10-1.Royal Ascot 6.10 Ffion was value for a little extra last time and with Richard Kingscote on board is a live contender at around 12-1 to go one place better than last year.
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Maro Itoje says victory for Saracens in Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership final would rank alongside the most satisfying achievements of his career after the upheaval caused by the club’s relegation to the Championship for salary cap breaches.The England lock forward was among a number of senior players who gathered for a summit meeting in the Wicked Lady pub near Harpenden to decide how they should respond to the club’s demotion to the second tier for the 2020-21 season.Once they had been reassured England would still consider them, Itoje and his most experienced teammates all resolved to stay at Saracens with the aim of propelling the club back to the kind of big occasion that awaits at Twickenham. “It was a tumultuous period where there was a lot of uncertainty, a period when we didn’t really know what was happening,” said Itoje.“That coincided with Covid so there was double trouble. But I still felt Saracens was the environment where I could achieve all of my goals. No one really wants to play in the Championship but I still felt Saracens was the right long-term place for me to have the type of career I want to have.”Having finished second in the regular season table and battled past Harlequins in the semi-final, Itoje now wants to finish the job by overcoming Leicester at Twickenham. The squad have recently been picking the brains of guest speakers such as Eddie Howe, Sean Dyche and Alastair Campbell and are hungry to secure a first title since 2019. “I don’t really like ranking things, but this would be right up there,” confirmed Itoje.“Leicester are a top team and we need to make sure we play our best rugby but this would be an amazing achievement for the club if we do achieve it. The mentality of the players at this club, particularly the senior players, is that we want to have successful careers. Not just a successful year or couple of years but a successful career.“In order to have that you need to have the hunger to go again. If you look at the top athletes from different parts of the world, whatever sport they play, they go after it year after year. That is the mentality of a lot of players at this club.”Itoje, meanwhile, believes the final needs to be made more tempting to non-rugby supporters if the club game is to boost its popularity. “If you were to compare it to other major sporting events – the Champions League final, the Monaco Grand Prix – they’re events people don’t want to miss.The Breakdown: sign up and get our weekly rugby union email.“I’m sure Twickenham will be sold out with loads of people there but predominantly they will be rugby fans. The Premiership final should be the biggest event in town.”Ireland will be without the injured Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Conway and Robert Baloucoune for their tour to New Zealand. Andy Farrell has named a 40-man squad including the uncapped Leinster trio of Ciaran Frawley, Joe McCarthy and Jimmy O’Brien.
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You don't have to search far on the internet to find nightmare fuel. If your dreams have gotten a little too rosy lately, you can spend some time browsing the weird, funny and occasionally disturbing images created by an artificial intelligence tool called Dall-E Mini.Batman surfing. Erin Carson/Dall-E Mini Dall-E Mini lets you type a short prompt describing an image, one that theoretically only exists in the deep recesses of your soul, and within a few seconds, the algorithm will manifest it onto your screen. Odds are, you've seen some popping up on your social media feeds as people think of the wildest prompts they can – perhaps it's Jon Hamm eating ham, or Yoda robbing a convenience store. This isn't the first time art and artificial intelligence have captured the internet's attention. There's a certain appeal to seeing how an algorithm tackles something as subjective as art. In 2016, for example, actor Thomas Middleditch made a short film based on a script written by an algorithm. Google's produced more than a few tools tying art and AI together. In 2018, its Arts & Culture app let users find their doppelgangers in famous paintings. Or Google's AutoDraw will figure out what you're trying to doodle, and fix it up for you. There are even other text-to-image systems, like OpenAi's Dall-E 2 and Google Imagen, which aren't available to the masses yet.Here's what you need to know about Dall-E Mini and its AI-generated art. What is it?Dall-E Mini is an AI model that creates images based on the prompts you give it. In an interview with the publication I, programmer Boris Dayma said he initially built the program in July 2021 as part of a competition held by Google and an AI community called Hugging Face. Dayma didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. How does it work?Anyone can type in a prompt and hit the "run" button (though you're likely to get an error message about traffic to the tool and have to try again). Dall-E Mini will spit out its results in the form of a 3x3 grid containing 9 images. A note about the tool on its website says it was trained on "unfiltered data from the internet."How good is the AI?Unsurprisingly, Dall-E Mini is a little hit or miss. In the interview with I News, Dayma said the AI is better with abstract painting, less so with faces. A landscape of a desert is quite pretty. A pencil sketch of Dolly Parton looks like it might steal your soul. Paul McCartney eating kale will take years off your life. Here's a cat made of lasers. Erin Carson/Dall-E Mini Dayma did say, though, that the model is training (that ability to learn is one of the things people love – and fear – about AI), which means it can improve over time. And with the viral popularity of Dall-E Mini, the point is to stumble upon the most bizarre image you can think of, not necessarily to get a perfect impressionist rendering of a Waffle House. The fun is more about dreaming up with most outlandish images that don't exist – that perhaps shouldn't exist – and bringing them into cursed existence. Dall-E also has a note saying that image generation could have a less fun side and could be used to "reinforce or exacerbate societal biases." Is Dall-E Mini related to Dall-E 2?No, they're not associated. Dall-E 2 is also a tool for generating AI images that was launched as a research project this year. It was created by the AI research and deployment company OpenAI and is not widely available.What kinds of images are people creating?On social media, you can find no shortage of strange Dall-E Mini creations, from Thanos in a Walmart looking for his mother, to Jar Jar Binks winning the Great British Bake Off. Here are some other highlights.
AI Research
Everett Jackson, 21, who played on Louisiana State University Eunice’s basketball team, fell into the Payette River in Idaho while tubing with friends Saturday evening, officials said. June 14, 2022, 6:16 PM UTCA search is underway for a 21-year-old Louisiana man who got swept into an Idaho river while tubing over the weekend, officials say. Everett Jackson fell from a raft into the Payette River and disappeared into the fast-moving water on Saturday at around 8 p.m., according to the Gem County Sheriff’s Office. Jackson played on the 2020-21 Louisiana State University Eunice’s basketball team as a freshman. The school and its athletics department did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment. Gem County is located about 40 miles northwest of Boise, Idaho.Jackson’s girlfriend told NBC affiliate WDSU of New Orleans that they were together tubing when he lost control and got swept away in the river. Gem County Sheriff Donnie Wunder told NBC News that Jackson was tubing with a group 5 friends when the incident unfolded. He said the group was from out of town and didn’t know how dangerous the water could be, and is warning the public against water activities in the high waters. Everett Jackson.via WDSU“The Payette River is currently flowing at a rate that presents a danger to anyone not using a motorized craft,” the sheriff’s office said in a release.Wunder said Tuesday's search includes a couple of river boats and a helicopter, but so far "we haven't seen anything."“The water is extremely difficult right now," he said. "I’ve communicated with the family and everything that, because it’s so murky, you can’t see anything in the water, and it’s flowing so strong. We’re probably not going to locate him until the water drops significantly."On Monday, the search included jet skis and boats in the river west of the Washington Bridge in Emmett and downstream towards Letha, the sheriff's office said. Family members of Jackson, who is from Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, have flown to Idaho with hopes that he is found soon. His sister, Megan Jackson, described him to WDSU as “fun, adventurous, he loves to play basketball, loved basketball.""He loved his family. He was very family-oriented. He just gets along with everybody," she said. Another sister, Nikki Lyons, told the station the journey to find him is "not easy.""I never experienced anything like this here. All I want is my little brother and I’m going at any cost," she said. "I just ask that anybody send their prayers, send them our way."Marlene LenthangMarlene Lenthang is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
Swimming
Tribeca: Equal parts "Under the Silver Lake" and "This American Life," B.J. Novak's fish-out-of-water story finds big truths in deep Texas. At the risk of damning an impressively strong debut with faint praise, B.J. Novak’s “Vengeance” is perhaps the best possible movie someone could make out of a murder-mystery that starts with John Mayer standing on the rooftop bar of a Soho House (where he’s waxing philosophical about the pointlessness of monogamy in a world so fractured that people have been reduced to mere concepts, like “Becky Gym,” “Sarah Airplane Bathroom,” or any of the actual names he’s assigned to the scores of semi-anonymous women in his phone), but doesn’t end with the musician dead in a ditch somewhere. In fact, Mayer never shows up again. He sticks around just long enough for you to assume the worst about what’s to come — oh yay, the other, other guy from “The Office” remade “Swingers” for the Tinder set, and cast someone who once referred to his dick as a white supremacist in the Vince Vaughn role — and then recedes into the background of a wickedly sharp film that satirizes our rush to judgment in a society where unprecedented chaos has forced people to rely on the stabilizing confidence of their own convictions. Whatever you think of Novak, or even if you never think of him at all, there’s no doubt that he knows what he’s doing here. He knows that it’s hard to root for a rich and famous white Harvard alum who’s got enough chutzpah to star in his own first movie, just as he knows that most people will suspect he made it on a whim instead of white-knuckling his way through it for years on end. And so he’s leaned into the skid, leveraging the sheer insufferableness of his own project (along with the specific appeal of his “Buster Keaton meets Ira Glass” screen persona) into a very funny movie that’s strong enough to lift the crushing weight of our worst assumptions about each other and shine a light onto the regrets that fester underneath. And hoo-boy does “Vengeance” sound insufferable. Once the movie reveals its maddeningly clever premise — equal parts “why has God forsaken us?” and “why didn’t I think of that?” — you might find yourself desperate for Mayer and his “David Duke cock” to come back and keep talking. Novak plays Ben Manalowitz, a self-absorbed staff writer for the New Yorker who’s so eager to have a voice that he doesn’t really care what he says with it. Much like his close personal friend John Mayer, Ben merely sees other people as concepts, and can’t abide the idea of a meaningful relationship with someone who has their own agency or perspective. I mean, how would that even work? Maybe that’s why he only starts fixating on Abilene Shaw (Lio Tipton, their performance confined to iPhone video clips) after she has a fatal overdose in a Texas oil field, when he can make whatever he wants out of her memory. In life, she was just some doe-eyed singer chick who Ben half-remembered hooking up with a couple of times. In death, she’s the perfect subject for the “Serial”-esque podcast that falls into Ben’s lap when Abby’s brother (an exquisite Boyd Holbrook as Ty) calls him in the middle of the night and strong-arms Novak’s avocado milquetoast Brooklyn millennial into flying to the heart of “No Country for Old Men” Texas for the funeral. For some reason, Abby’s gun-toting, rodeo-loving family thinks that Ben was her boyfriend. For some reason, Ty thinks that his sister was murdered. And for some reason, Ben decides to help him get to the bottom of it. <span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start">&#65279;</span> What starts as a fish-out-of-water story about a New York Jew in #MAGAland, full of broad characterizations (Ty says that Ben reminds him of his least favorite Liam Neeson revenge thriller, “Schindler’s List”) and sitcom-like misunderstandings (e.g. the cringe-worthy scene where Ben is forced to give an impromptu speech at Abby’s funeral) soon gives way to something a bit more curious. The transition begins to take hold from the moment that Ben starts recording his time in Texas, collecting audio for the podcast he pitches to his producer friend at NPR or whatever this movie’s fictional stand-in for it is called. Eloise is played by Issa Rae, who’s very good at her job of convincing us that “Dead White Girl” is something that could actually make it to air. “Not every white guy needs a podcast,” she tells Ben, but turning Abby’s death into content is the only way he can mine any meaning from it. So he pledges to find and identify the person who killed her. And what if she wasn’t actually murdered? “I will find the generalized societal force responsible, and I will define it.” Imagine “Under the Silver Lake” remade as a crowd-pleasing segment of “This American Life” and you’ll have a rough idea as to how “Vengeance” unfolds from there, as our not-so-humble narrator begins to look under the surface of our hopelessly divided country and see beyond his own shadow for the first time in his life. The discoveries cut both ways. Not only does the Shaw family defy Ben’s condescending expectations for such red state folk, but listening to them talk — recorder always in hand — opens his mind to things he never realized about his own place in the world. That proves doubly true of Ben’s conversations with local music producer Quentin Sellers (Ashton Kutcher in full tech-guru mode), whose Marfa studio might seem cultish if not for how lucidly he speaks to the fragmentation of our social fabric, and how even the smartest of people will seek refuge in myth once their civilization abdicates any greater responsibility for collective truth. In some places, that means perpetuating conspiracies about the Deep State and stolen elections. In others, that means drawing thematic connections between disparate events and punctuating them with ads for Mailchimp. Of course, there isn’t any doubt over which group Novak is addressing here. “Vengeance” is clearly made by and for the kind of “coastal elites” who haven’t been within spitting distance of a Republican since Act II of “Hamilton,” an audience this film often flatters, sometimes condemns, and always speaks to in a shared lingua franca. If Novak’s script takes great pains to subvert our expectations of its Southern characters, it typically does that by playing into them at the same time (a tactic enabled by the genius of casting Kentucky native J. Smith-Cameron as Abby’s warmly bullshit-intolerant mom, the “Succession” star wrapping her savage wit around a core of countrified truth). The results can be laugh-out-loud funny even when they’re schematic, and vice-versa. Case in point: The bit when Granny Carole (a riotous Louanne Stephens) gives Ben the stink-eye when he gets a Raya notification, not because this Whataburger-worshiping “Friday Night Lights” extra doesn’t know what that is, but rather because she can’t believe some wannabe podcaster — “Joe Rogan meets Seth Rogen” — was allowed to register for the site. Abby’s little brother is a deranged yokel named El Stupido (Elli Abrams Bickel) who sleeps with a loaded Glock instead of a stuffed animal, but does so on the floor next to Abby’s bed because he’s a sweet kid who’s scared of ghosts even now that his sister has become one. Abby’s sister Kansas City (Dove Cameron) is a Tik-Tok obsessed wannabe celebrity who’s excited by Ben’s relative power in the media world… and sees right through his intentions for the podcast. “Vengeance”Focus Features And then there’s Ty, a wonderful character who could easily have been a himbo doofus in lesser hands. “Vengeance” is only able to get away with so much — possibly even murder? — because of how well Holbrook keeps us guessing whether the story of Abby’s death is much simpler than it appears, or much more complicated. Even when the jokes miss the mark or the central mystery seems too easily solved, “Vengeance” is sustained by the question of what its characters mean to each other; a question asked sweetly but shrouded by an ever-growing darkness that allows the film to wander into dangerous territory by the end, as cinematographer Lyn Moncrief gradually chips away at the camerawork’s streaming-ready sheen until his images assume the grit of a border town neo-noir. If that slow-burn sourness never feels the least bit forced, perhaps that’s because Texas has long been home to stories about people using each other’s memories for personal motivation. Remember the Alamo? But what use are we to each in a world so atomized into separate truths that people can mean anything to anyone, and therefore nothing at all? It’s a modern idea that “Vengeance” successfully explores in a hard-boiled context, Novak’s movie held together by the unexpected overlap it finds between those two dimensions. Nowhere is that more clever or damning than in the sequence where Ben interviews the various authorities who passed the buck on investigating Abby’s death, all of them (local cops, border cops, highway cops, etc.) claiming that the corpse wasn’t found in their jurisdiction. Everyone gets their turn, everyone has their take, and by the time her case has been run through the news cycle, nobody seems to care about the victim at the center of it anymore. She’s just another season of “Serial” waiting to happen. Unless, that is, Ben is able to write a better ending for Abby’s story — unless he’s willing to find his own measure of truth in it. Grade: B+ “Vengeance” premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. Focus Features will release it in theaters on Friday, July 29. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
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After 10 years as executive director of Christmas in the Park, Jason Minsky — who steered the beloved San Jose holiday tradition through some of its toughest times — will be stepping down this week. That leaves the nonprofit organization that puts on the annual spectacle looking for a new Christmas boss — somebody with a passion for animatronic elves, decorated trees, and most of all, San Jose. Minsky served on the Christmas in the Park board for a year before he was hired as its first executive director in 2012, as the event was transitioning from city control to a separate nonprofit responsible for operations and fundraising. He was the right guy to take the role of “Mr. Christmas” after spending 10 years working for the San Jose Sharks — including five years inside the S.J. Sharkie suit — and four years at the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce. “My favorite part of this job was hearing people say how we took the event to a different level, how we improved upon what was there for 30 years and made the event better,” he said. “Having to pivot during the pandemic was something huge, but we came up with the idea of doing the drive-through. We loved the innovation and coming up with new ideas.” Minsky and his family moved to Roseville a few years ago, which meant a long commute to San Jose for the job. He’s cutting his time on the roadin his new job as executive director of the Association of California Community and Energy Services. But it’s still been an emotional few weeks as he packs up his office and parts ways with colleagues — he was the only employee when he was hired, but Christmas in the Park now has a staff of five full-time employees, two part-timers and a legion of volunteers including board members. And, he says, there are so many memories to take with him, including a number of marriage proposals at Plaza de Cesar Chavez and even a wedding in which an ordained Santa Claus officiated. But Minsky’s warmest memories will be the annual visits by the vision-impaired preschool students from Chandler Tripp School in San Jose. “Walking those kids around the park and taking them behind the scenes and getting them to experience Christmas in the Park, even with their disabilities, has always been something special,” he said. He plans to return for Christmas in July, the organization’s annual fundraiser on July 23 at History Park, and hopes to see longtime supporters and friends of the event. (Tickets are available at www.christmasinthepark.com.) Minsky’s main advice for his successor is to get deeply involved in the San Jose community and understand the cyclical nature of Christmas in the Park’s legacy. “There’s a rich history of people who have grown up with this display, which has been in the fabric of the city, whether it’s at the park or back at City Hall or even back when it was at the Lima mortuary,” he said. “You come as a kid, hang out with friends, go on a first date there, and then bring your own kids and your grandkids.” JUNETEENTH MORE THAN A DAY: Milan Balinton, executive director of the African American Community Services Agency in San Jose, has been spreading the word about the organization’s 41st annual Juneteenth celebration this weekend. This year, the festival will take place in the SoFA District downtown, on South First Street between San Carlos and William streets, from noon to 7 p.m. with entertainment by gospel singer Kierra Sheard and headliner Tamar Braxton. But Juneteenth events have actually been taking place all week, starting with a kickoff brunch last Sunday at Jackie’s Place, a flag-raising at San Jose City Hall on Monday evening and a “fireside chat” about education on Friday at 6 p.m. at Guildhouse in downtown San Jose. You can get details on the events at www.sjaacsa.org/juneteenth/home. GET THE BLUES ON SATURDAY: While Juneteenth is going on at SoFA, there’ll also be great music at the San Jose Fountain Blues & Brews Festival at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. There’ll be two stages with five acts playing from noon to 8 p.m. — including San Jose native Tommy Castro and the Painkillers, Tia Carroll and the Greaseland All Stars, Gary Smith and the Houserockers, Marcia Ball with Mighty Mike Schermer, and Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. And it should be a great crowd, too. All 300 VIP tickets are sold out, and the $20 advance general admission ticket price can’t be beat. Get more information at www.fountainblues.com.
Festivals
It’s a sultry summer in the late 1990s and 13-year-old Grace (Niamh Walter) leaves her parents and their troubled marriage behind in London to visit Cornwall with her best friend Asta (Nyobi Hendry) and Asta’s boho-cool mum Kate (Rebecca Palmer). There are woods to mess around in, plenty of time to wonder what kissing boys will be like, and long-leash supervision from Kate who lets the girls run free. Nevertheless, the every-night’s-a-sleepover atmosphere is darkened by Grace’s menace-suffused dreams, rabbit corpses that keep popping up out of nowhere, and a handsome but intrusive male presence in the shape of Sid (Zaqi Ismail), who comes to visit. A shy, watchful only child who is having one of those adolescent religious phases, Grace is troubled by her knowledge of dad Rupert Shelbourne’s infidelity and her mother’s sorrow, but has also internalised her dad’s prejudice against “fat girls”. She looks primed to develop either an eating disorder or a drug habit, or maybe neither of the above. It’s that point in a life when everything is possible.Director Alice Millar and screenwriter Isobel Boyce jointly evoke the sensuality and protean quality of 13-year-old girls, especially the delicate kittenish power struggles between friends over who is more sophisticated, but also who is more authentically a child. The period setting is especially useful here because, instead of spending all their time staring at their phones like most contemporary teens, these two are still interested in building dens in the woods. But they also want to decorate the structure with flowers: “I think it’s really important that it’s attractive as well as functional,” says Asta, clearly channelling mum Kate’s sensibilities. And while the warm, sun-flare-dappled cinematography is credited to Benjamin J Murray, Millar’s experience as a director of photography pays off with a strong visual identity that runs through everything, from the lighting to the warm orange hues in the costumes and production design.Less assured, however, is Millar’s touch with the young actors; they struggle a bit to make the dialogue sound natural. Meanwhile, the film’s ambition to evoke a sense of dread, especially with a droning, almost John Carpenter-ish sort of soundtrack, doesn’t quite come off somehow, and the last act is maladroit and all over the shop. Still, it’s an interesting, promising feature debut for Millar, and Walter has real star presence.
Movies
Heard's reps were quick to deny that Warner Bros. is recasting her role in the upcoming "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." Not so fast. While gossip website Just Jared reported the news that after Warner Bros. test-screened the film with audiences, supporting star Amber Heard was being cut from “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” the actress’ reps now deny those reports. Some have expected Warner Bros. to go all “Christopher Plummer in ‘All the Money in the World'” on “Aquaman 2” amid the social media and public fallout of the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial. But Heard’s representative said in a statement shared widely with media, “The rumor mill continues as it has from day one — inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane.” Warner Bros. could not immediately be reached for comment by IndieWire. Earlier today, Just Jared reported that after test screenings drew a sour reaction to Heard, Warners was set to recast the role of princess Mera — who is lead Jason Momoa’s co-star and love interest in the film. They’d have to work fast, as the movie is hurtling toward theaters for release on March 17, 2023. The report also said that the studio was already planning reshoots with Momoa and his co-star Nicole Kidman. Heard originated the role of Mera in the first film from 2018, in which she also played the supporting role. During the trial — in which Depp was awarded $10.35 million in damages to be paid by Heard for defaming him in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed — Heard previously testified how her role in the upcoming sequel had already been cut down amid her ex’s “smear campaign.” “I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it, that depicted my character and another character, without giving any spoiler aways, two characters fighting with one another, and they basically took a bunch out of my role,” Heard testified of her “very pared-down version” of the role. “They just removed a bunch out.” Heard reportedly only appears in 10 minutes of the film. She earned $1 million for the first film and was set to make $2 million for the sequel, as discussed in the trial, and per the terms of her DC contract. She claimed that Warner Bros. “didn’t want to include me” in the sequel and said she was “actively scheduling timing for filming” before Depp’s alleged “smear campaign” against her. During the trial, DC Films President Walter Hamada said in a pre-taped deposition from March 15 that Heard and Momoa weren’t well-matched as a screen couple. “They didn’t really have a lot of chemistry together,” Hamada said. “I think editorially they were able to make that relationship work in the first movie, but there was concern that it took a lot of effort to get there.” When asked by Depp’s lawyer Ben Chew if the role was ever reduced for any reason, Hamada said no. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
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Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy Leduc, of the United States, compete in the pairs short program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, in Beijing.(Bernat Armangue / ASSOCIATED PRESS)North Texas’ Olympic figure skating pair is retiring.Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc announced in an Instagram video this week that they’re “moving on with the competitive side of our skating” and ending a six-year partnership that achieved national and international success.Most notably: The two won their second pairs national championship this winter and qualified to the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where they placed eighth overall.They also qualified for four world championships, finishing ninth at two, missing one because of the coronavirus pandemic and withdrawing from medal contention this spring because of Cain-Gribble’s crash.“We’ve accomplished so many things, so many of our big goals we’ve got to check off our list, and it’s been a really fun time,” LeDuc said in the Instagram video.Added Cain-Gribble: “I’m so grateful to have spent the last six years by your side. Like honestly, It’s been really amazing. I mean, every day, I feel like we were able to find joy in what we were doing. We were able to accomplish all of our goals together and travel the world and do it with a lot of people that we loved and supported us by our side, and I think that’s pretty incredible.”What’s next for the Euless-trained duo? LeDuc, 32, who became the first openly non-binary athlete to compete at a Winter Olympics, is moving to Chicago to start coaching in July. Cain-Gribble, 26, plans to tour in ice shows — some with LeDuc as her partner — and coach with her parents in the Dallas area.“We’re excited for this next chapter,” Cain-Gribble said, “and it’s kind of a little bit wide open.”+++To view subscription options for The News and SportsDay, click here.The TickerGet the latest D-FW sports news, analysis and opinion delivered straight to your inbox.By signing up you agree to our privacy policyMost Popular on DallasNews.com123456
Olympic Sports
Nathan Collins scored a sensational solo goal as the Republic of Ireland emerged from their Nations League clash with Ukraine with a creditable draw.The 21-year-old Burnley centre-half weaved his way through the home side’s mesmerised ranks in the 31st minute before firing past stranded goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk with the outside of his right foot in front of a largely stunned crowd of 10,641 in the Polish city of Lodz.Collins’s first senior international goal was ultimately only enough to claim a 1-1 draw against the Euro 2020 quarter-finalists, to whom they lost 1-0 at the Aviva Stadium last week, after Artem Dovbyk levelled to ensure his side will sit at the top of League B Group One when they return to action in September.A largely inexperienced Ireland team – with the notable exception of James McClean, who won his 94th cap – performed admirably at the LKS Stadium, with Collins, Dara O’Shea, Josh Cullen and Jason Knight particularly impressive to provide manager Stephen Kenny with further vindication of his vision.Ukraine equalised two minutes after the restart when Andriy Yarmolenko found half a yard beyond McClean to cross low and hand Dovbyk the simplest of tasks to level.In Mönchengladbach, Germany demolished Italy 5-2 with a sparkling display of attacking football for their first Nations League Group A3 win, ending a four-game winless run and stretching their unbeaten streak under their coach Hansi Flick.In Germany’s best performance under Flick, Timo Werner struck twice after goals from Joshua Kimmich, Ilkay Gündogan and Thomas Müller had put them in the driving seat. The teenager Wilfried Gnonto pulled one back in the 78th minute and Alessandro Bastoni headed in a second for the visitors in stoppage time.Timo Werner (left) celebrates after scoring Germany’s fourth goal against Italy. Photograph: DeFodi Images/Getty ImagesThis was Germany’s first Nations League win in four matches, and the first for Flick, unbeaten in 13 matches since taking over last year, against a top European nation. They had drawn against Italy 10 days ago. Germany are now on six points.The Germany captain, Manuel Neuer, had promised fireworks from the start and both teams had chances to score in a pulsating beginning. It was Germany who struck first when Kimmich charged into the box and tapped in a David Raum cutback in the 10th minute.On the stroke of half-time, Gündogan stabbed in a penalty to give them a two-goal cushion.With the Italy head coach, Roberto Mancini, making two substitutions, Italy looked livelier after the break. Yet the Germans struck against the run of play with Thomas Müller rifling in following a clearance from the Italian defence.Werner then got on the scoresheet, sliding in to connect with a Serge Gnabry assist in the 68th and then added another a minute later when Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s pass was intercepted.Gnonto pulled one back with his first international goal, becoming the youngest scorer for Italy at the age of 18, and Bastoni added a second to deny the Germans a record winning margin over them.In Warsaw, Michy Batshuayi’s diving header in the first half was enough for Belgium to secure a first victory in Poland with a 1-0 success in their Nations League A clash.Batshuayi stooped to steer Youri Tielemans’s excellent cross into the net on 16 minutes to ensure Belgium scored for a 48th consecutive match, an incredible record dating back to a 1-0 loss to France at the 2018 World Cup.Roberto Martínez’s side stay in contention for top spot in Group Four as they trail leaders Netherlands by three points with two rounds remaining. They will travel to Amsterdam in their final pool match in September.The reverse fixture between these two finished 6-1 to Belgium last week, but this was a different kind of contest in Warsaw with both sides showing signs of fatigue after a long season.The visitors’ lead was deserved, with Batshuayi scoring a 25th international goal in his 45th appearance after a bright start from the visitors. He had another shot deflected just wide just before half-time, while Eden Hazard flashed an effort narrowly off target early in the second period as Belgium dominated the play.A poor touch from Robert Lewandowski saw him spurn a good chance at the other end, but the best of the opportunities for the home side fell to Kamil Glik when he headed inches wide of the post from a corner.Edin Dzeko scored twice as Group B3 leaders Bosnia came from 2-1 down to beat Finland 3-2 in Zenica while Stefan Mugosa hit a hat-trick to fire Montenegro to a 3-0 win in Romania.Kaan Ayhan and Hakan Calhanoglu scored to ensure Turkey maintained their 100% record in Group C1 with a 2-0 win against Lithuania, while Luxembourg and the Faroe Islands played out a 2-2 draw.In Group D1, Vladislavs Gutkovskis scored both goals as Latvia beat Liechtenstein 2-0, and Moldova edged out Andorra 2-1.
Soccer
"I have never felt more removed from my own humanity." Amber Heard is opening up about heading into the courthouse each day of her six-week-long defamation trial against her ex-husband Johnny Depp, including what it was like facing massive crowds of his adoring fans. In part one of her sit-down interview with "TODAY's " Savannah Guthrie, which was released on Tuesday, the "Aquaman" star reflected on the dueling defamation trial -- in which a Virginia jury ultimately ruled that she had defamed Depp in an op-ed -- and explained why the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star's "energized" fans made her feel "less than human" during the trial. Getty Camille Vasquez Shuts Down 'Sexist' Johnny Depp Romance Rumors View Story "Every single day I passed from three, four, sometimes six blocks -- city blocks lined with people holding signs saying, 'Burn the witch,' 'Death to Amber,'" Heard, 36, recalled to Guthrie. "After three and a half weeks, I took the stand and saw just a courtroom packed full of Captain Jack Sparrow fans who were vocal, energized." When Guthrie asked Heard if she could "put into words how that felt," the actress said, "This was the most humiliating and horrible thing I've ever been through. I have never felt more removed from my own humanity. I felt less than human." On June 1, after six weeks of testimony and wall-to-wall media coverage, a verdict was reached in the defamation trial -- and a jury totally sided with Depp. The jury ruled unanimously in favor of the actor, saying that Heard made her allegations "with actual malice." They also awarded $10 million dollars to Depp in compensatory damages, plus $5 million in punitive damages. Since there's a cap on punitive damages in Virginia, Heard will only have to pay $350,000 of that $5 million. Heard did score a minor victory herself, with the jury deciding statements made by Depp's lawyer Adam Waldman were defamatory -- and awarded her $2 million in compensatory damages. WATCH: In part one of this exclusive interview, @SavannahGuthrie sits down with Amber Heard to talk about the defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp. pic.twitter.com/LpgiISgv0F— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 14, 2022 @TODAYshow Meanwhile, also during the 10-minute portion of the interview that dropped on Wednesday, Heard revealed how she felt on the day of the verdict. "Were you feeling confident?" Guthrie asked, to which Heard paused, before noting, "That's a great question." She then admitted, "I wish I could say 'yes' to that. I want to say 'yes' to you, but it wouldn't be true." The star also shared more thoughts on how she believed social media played a role in the verdict, claiming that it "would've been impossible" for a jury to "avoid" the pro-Depp discourse on social media. "I think vast majority of this trial was played out on social media. I think that this trial is an example of that gone haywire, gone amok. And the jury's not immune to that," Heard argued, to which Guthrie asked if she thinks the jury "saw" the social media coverage. "How could they not?" Heard replied. "I think even the most well-intentioned juror, it would've been impossible to avoid this." However, as shown in a preview clip for the sit-down interview, which dropped on Monday, "The Stand" star stressed that she doesn't "blame" the jury for siding with Depp. .@savannahguthrie sat down for an exclusive conversation with #AmberHeard. "You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair,” Heard shared, in reference to social media representation. pic.twitter.com/56Ju7pYg1x— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 13, 2022 @TODAYshow "I don't blame them. I actually understand," Heard said. "He's a beloved character and people feel they know him. He's a fantastic actor." Meanwhile, the "Pineapple Express" actress got more candid about how she feels about her treatment on social media as well as the public's perception of her. "I don't care what one thinks about me or what judgments you want to make about what happened in the privacy of my own home, in my marriage, behind closed doors," she said. "I don’t presume the average person should know those things. And so I don’t take it personally." "But even somebody who is sure I'm deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I'm lying, you still couldn't look me in the eye and tell me that you think on social media there's been a fair representation," Heard argued, "You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair." Ultimately, as shown in Tuesday's clip, she said she "stand[s] by" her allegations of abuse against Depp, later adding that she spoke her "truth to power" during the trial. "To my dying day, I [will] stand by every word of my testimony." See more from part one of the interview in the clip, above. More of the interview will air on Wednesday's episode of "TODAY," as well as in a "Dateline" special on Friday.
Celebrity
PLANO, TX -- A dozen Toyota engineers have worked for the last 2.5 years to try and prevent another child from dying after being left in a hot car.The National Safety Council reports that on average 38 children died every year in the United States from that exact scenario. Fixing that sad statistic is the top priority for this group of engineers."It's become a mission as opposed to just a job," Simon Roberts said.The new technology is called Cabin Awareness. It's designed to save lives and prevent heatstroke deaths inside cars, not just from babies left in car seats, but also animals forgotten in the back or who somehow got inside without the car owner's awareness.Cabin Awareness, unlike some other available systems, does not use video cameras to keep an eye on the backseat or scales to know if something heavy remains in the seat. Instead, the system senses micro-movements--like heartbeats or breathing."So we are able to distinguish between a grocery bag and a human whereas a weight sensor can't do that," Roberts said.When Cabin Awareness realizes something living has been left in the car, it triggers a few alerts. First, your car horn and flashers go off. Then if that doesn't get your attention, you'll get a call or text from the system.The system isn't officially ready to roll out to the public just yet, but engineers designing the system said they expect it to be in all cars very soon."Obviously we are developing this for Toyota and Lexus, but this is something potentially as what we are calling our Volvo moment. Where, they invented the three-point safety harness, the seatbelt that we all have today in every single vehicle. This is something that came out of the Hackathon as part of a social good and innovation movement that we would like to see adopted everywhere," Roberts said. Copyright © 2022 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Automotive and Transportation
Current media MLS media partners ESPN and Fox Sports did not bid on its streaming package.ASSOCIATED PRESS Major League Soccer reached an exclusive media deal with technology giant Apple to stream its games starting in 2023, the league said on Tuesday. MLS will show its entire fleet of games on its own brandedCK streaming service that will be distributed through Apple. As part of the deal, select games including MLS Leagues Cup, MLS NEXT Pro, and MLS NEXT will be included and some content will simulcast on linear TV. MLS added season ticket holders for any of its TK teamsCK can subscribe to games for free. The financial terms of the 10-year agreement were not publicly released, but reports indicate the pact is worth $250 million annually. Asked by Forbes to confirm that figure, MLS commissioner Don Garber didn’t deny the price tag, calling it a “minimum guarantee” instead of a rights fee. The league’s new “partnership” falls behind other U.S. sports properties and bigger international soccer leagues. The NFL lured a new $100 billion rights deal with broadcast, cable and streamingCK companies in 2021. The NBA and MLB earn roughly $2 billion per season, while the NHL makes approximately $625 million per year. NBCUniversal agreed WHENTK to retain its U.S. rights for the English Premier League for a reported $2.7 billion deal. MLS, which was initially seeking roughly $300 million annually, has current media agreements with ESPN and Fox Sports that reportedly pay a combined $90 million annually and expire after the currentCK season. But those deals include rights to air U.S. national soccer games. Lee Berke, CEO of LHB Sports, a firm that advises U.S. pro sports leagues on media deals, labeled the new deal an “innovative distribution,” but noted that it could actually cost MLS money because it will need to pay for production costs, which he says could run as high as $50,000 per game. “I think you’re looking at several hundred million dollars of production cost per year,” he says. “From Apple’s standpoint, they obtained global distribution for MLS, and the downside is limited.” On a media call with reporters on Tuesday, MLS deputy commissioner Gary Stevenson said the league established a production plan over the last few years, including Second Spectrum cameras that captures player data for broadcast integration. Stevenson didn’t elaborate on how much the league would spend, though. Still, Garber said the agreement will allow MLS to expand its fanbase globally and that its pairing with Apple allows the league improved “accessibility to our content” that “goes way beyond that which was previously offered. “We are convinced that this is where our fans are going, and this is where the business is going, and we have an opportunity to go there perhaps before anybody else does,” he told the media. Traditional networks can still bid on MLS’s linear rights package, and early speculation suggests ESPN could retain its TV package but at a lower cost as its receiving less inventory. However MLS, which doesn’t typically draw a large TV audience, still needs a traditional network to expand and grow fan interest, especially with games no longer available on regional sports networks, or RSNs. On Tuesday, ESPN told Forbes MLS games are averaging 292,500 viewers through 14 games in the 2022 season. That’s up from roughly 273,000 viewers for 33 MLS games last season. The league averaged 233,000 viewers on ESPN platforms for its 2020 season that was impacted by the pandemic. Garber said the agreement would be an “economic benefit to our teams” as media revenue is a large part of projecting franchise values, but exactly what that benefit will be remains to be seen. Apple doesn’t publicly release viewership metrics and the cost of production will take a bite out of what flows back to the franchises. “Performance,” says Berke, will “be judged on different things. If you see growth in subscriptions, revenue, distribution worldwide – then it’s working.” “It’s a platform you can build upon,” Berke added. “In terms of the finances, you’re taking on a substantial expense (production). So it’s going to take some time to see what your net profitability is going to be from that.” Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Send me a secure tip.
Soccer
Well, that escalated quickly. This was an unsettling, deeply toxic night for Gareth Southgate and his England players, although mainly of course for Southgate himself, who will now find not just his feet, but his entire weary frame held to the fire of furious public opinion.England came to Molineux looking to cap this weary, depleted Nations League silly season with a win, a sense of momentum regained. What they got was 90 minutes of pain, lactic acid, bruises and a sense, in the middle of it, the feeling of something beginning to drift out of sight.As Southgate came on to the pitch at 90 minutes he was booed, angrily from all corners. There were shouts of genuine rage, of betrayal. This has of course been the backdrop to much of the last year. Southgate is England’s most successful manager of the modern age. Southgate is a decent, hard working bloke. Southgate has by any measure led England brilliantly.But England’s fans don’t like Southgate, and even without a stick to beat him, Southgate has been beaten. Even without any record of defeat, only success, he has been labelled a failure. Even on a run of almost constant victory, goals, golden moments, England’s manager has been cast as a fraud and a killjoy.Well, the public got what it wanted here. Finally some meat, some substance, an actual crime with which to charge the guilty man. Defeat to Hungary could be shaken off. A 4-0 home thrashing by Hungary, during which England simply disintegrated, is something else. This was a genuinely woeful performance to cap an eleven day odyssey that now reads, played four, lost two, drawn two, scored one (Kane, pen).All teams, all sporting entities are a shared act of will, of spirit, of wanting this thing to work. And in the second half, England simply evaporated, a team with no resistance, no coherent sense of itself. It was almost comic at times. As Hungary’s third goal was skimmed into the bottom corner of the England net by Zsolt Nagy, it was met by a delirious roar from the away fans high in the far stand. And from the rest of Molineux by boos, abuse, incoherent rage, and you thought, well at least it couldn’t get any worse.It turns out: yes it could. Two minutes later England were down to 10 men, John Stones sent off for an accidental stray elbow to the face. Surely, now, we’re bottoming out. But no! With six minutes to go, 3-0 down, Southgate took off Bukayo Saka and sent on – oh no, Gareth, really, no – Harry Maguire, to another swell of exasperated fury.And Southgate will of course receive a great deal of abuse, and much punditry evisceration in the next few days. This was already happening, and England had only lost once in the last 18 months. There will be talk that he should go now, that he deserves no patience, no margin, no sympathy, that the first straw is the last straw.But one of the oddity here at the end was that even as Southgate was booed the players were applauded off the pitch. The same players who haven’t looked like they wanted to be involved in these games, and have played like they weren’t. It is of course the job of the manager to deal with this. But who among those players performed to an acceptable level here? Reece James? Mark Guéhi? Anyone else? Kane gave it a go and never stopped running,, but seemed so fogged with weariness at times he might as well have spent the second half in a nightcap and a pair of pyjamas Kalvin Phillips was way below his best. Jude Bellingham looked like what he is, an 18 year old. Conor Gallagher scuffled vaguely. Nobody in a white shirt had any stardust, any sense of vigour.Stones had a terrible night, bullied and ragged about the place by the fantastically poised Adam Szalai, who wheeled himself around the pitch like a Roman siege tower bouncing off the white shirts, finding passes.Szalai has great feet and a hunger for contact, a man with a shadow cult-hero career in the Premier League that never quite happened somehow. How, you wondered, has he never played for Everton? The mild irony here is that Southgate did what has been asked.England played a 4-3-3, with only one holding midfielder, with, exciting young players on the pitch. They started well enough too, then simply fell to pieces as Hungary took the lead thanks to some terrible defending.With 23 minutes gone there were already howls and cries and roars, outrage, as England passed the ball around in front of a packed Hungarian midfield.Does this help? Is it deserved? But England have also found a new kind of problem in these games, weariness on the bail, an old inherent sense of playing through some boggy substance, midfielders unable to turn with the ball, always playing the wrong way.There were changes at half time. Southgate switched to a 3-5-2. England got worse. At times they seemed spectral, a team in the process of disappearing. And perhaps there was another lesson here.If you ask for something enough times: you might just get it.
Soccer
Gunna U.S. Amendments Have FAILED ME ... Protect Black Art @ All Costs!!! 6/14/2022 8:36 AM PT Gunna isn’t taking his incarceration lightly … evidenced by a fiery letter he’s written from jail where he says America is violating his Freedom of Speech rights. In an open letter dated on his 29th birthday — Tuesday, June 14, the incarcerated “Pushin P” rapper speaks on how his breakout year was flipped after being part of a 56-count indictment that included Young Thug and several other YSL members. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. He writes, “22 & 2, just a bed & a shower, no windows just walls. Can’t see or talk to anyone. I’m writing now & still praying everyday. I was raised to fight fire with water, even tho my country’s amendments have failed me! PROTECT BLACK ART!” T.I., who’s had several run-ins with the law throughout his rap career, immediately swooped in with words of encouragement. Sad thing is ... Gunna wasn’t lying about 2022 being his time to shine. His album “DS4EVER” beat out The Weeknd to go No. 1 and his gold-selling “Pushin P” record set a trend. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. Thug recently also broke his silence — live at Hot 97’s Summer Jam ... urging fans to sign to the Protect Black Art initiative — as did Chris Brown, DJ Khaled, Post Malone, Polo G, Meek Mill and several other high-profile artists. — Chris Brown (@chrisbrown) June 13, 2022 @chrisbrown As of now, Gunna and Thug will be locked up until 2023 when they're expected to have their day in court.
Music
Just eight days after Bruce Cassidy was surprisingly sent packing from behind the Bruins bench, he was appointed the new coach of the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday.From the Hub of the Universe to a chilled arena alongside the Strip in Sin City in just over a week.Cassidy, 57, takes over for Peter DeBoer, who was dismissed May 16 after the Knights finished 43-31-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time since entering the league as its 31st member club for the start of the 2017-18 season.DeBoer, Cassidy, and Barry Trotz (fired by the Islanders last month) have been the three biggest coaching names on the market this spring, with Cassidy the last of three to be dismissed.All three were named last summer as assistant coaches on Team Canada’s Olympic squad, but the trio remained with their respective teams when the NHL opted not to participate in the ‘22 Games in Beijing.Cassidy is an ideal fit in Las Vegas on many levels. Foremost, he is an experienced coach with a proven track record — the Bruins qualified for the postseason in each of his six seasons behind the bench — and he is a huge fan of and consummate salesman for the game.Vegas has proven to be a hockey-mad outpost, and now fans and local media no doubt will be further engaged in the product with Cassidy on the job. Patient, insightful, and often humorous with his responses to the media’s questions, he’ll help sell the sport in a nontraditional market where the only ice in town has to be manufactured.Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at [email protected].
Hockey
Members of K-pop boy band BTS pose for photographs during a news conference promoting their new album "BE(Deluxe Edition)" in Seoul, South Korea, November 20, 2020. REUTERS/Heo RanRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJune 14 (Reuters) - BTS, the South Korean band that spearheaded a global K-pop craze, is taking a break as a group to work on solo projects, the singers announced on Tuesday.Band member RM, speaking at the annual FESTA dinner that celebrates the group's founding, said he had been feeling a need to explore his own work without the constant recording and performing required of BTS."The problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature. You have to keep producing music and keep doing something," said RM, seated at a table with his six fellow band members and speaking in Korean.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comA video of the dinner was posted on the band's official Twitter handle.An English translation of the remarks showed one of the members calling the break a "hiatus," a description a representative for the band disputed in a statement."To be clear, they are not on hiatus but will take time to explore some solo projects at this time and remain active in various different formats," the statement said.BTS made its debut in June 2013 and became a worldwide sensation with its upbeat hits and social campaigns aimed at empowering young people. The group released its new album, "Proof," on Friday.Last year, BTS became the first Asian band to win artist of the year at the American Music Awards. The group met U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in May to discuss hate crimes targeting Asians.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Music
Britney Spears Fires Security Team After Wedding Day Chaos with Ex-Husband 6/14/2022 3:34 PM PT It's out with the old and in with the new for Britney Spears' security team ... canning the squad who allowed her ex-husband to not only crash the wedding, but get inside her home. Sources close to the singer tell us she worked closely with attorney Mathew Rosengart to fire the existing security team, and replace them with an all new bunch. The move isn't totally surprising, but we're told it happened quickly after Thursday's fiasco. TMZ broke the story, Jason Alexander -- armed with a knife -- live streamed himself get onto Britney's property and inside to the second level of her home, demanding to see her, on her wedding day. Fortunately, he wasn't able to make contact with the singer, and cops arrested him. 6/9/22 We were at the courthouse Monday for Alexander's arraignment on charges of vandalism, trespassing and battery ... but the judge also added a felony stalking charge and granted Britney a 3-year restraining order against Jason. 6/13/22 TMZ.com Britney's attorney, Mathew Rosengart, who had previously stated he would do everything in his power to make sure Britney was protected, also attended the hearing. Rosengart told us he hopes the harsh sentence will deter any future copycats from trying to get into Britney's space.
Celebrity
There’s no perfect or profound answer, but the simplest one might be the best.“It’s the hardest one out there,” said Sean Crocker, 25, one of 47 US Open rookies in this year’s 156-man field. “When I qualified a couple of weeks ago, I said I’ve been looking forward to seeing what frustrates the best players in the world so much with this event.”The words of former USGA president Sandy Tatum — “Look, we’re not trying to humiliate the best players in the world, we’re simply trying to identify who they are” — helps explain why the USGA tries to make its US Open venues play as tough as possible.High rough, narrow fairways, fast greens — the more treacherous, the better.“The US Open is probably the toughest test in golf. I mean, that’s at least what you see on TV every year, that’s what you hear growing up, that’s what everyone says,” said Ryan Gerard, 22, another newbie. “It’s pretty fun to get out here and see for yourself, to get a chance to test your game on the best stage and against the best players. And that’s kind of been a dream of mine forever.”Making the US Open field is easier than winning it, at least in a golfer’s first crack at it.Hopkinton’s James Hervol, 24, made his US Open debut last year at Torrey Pines and missed the cut.Hearing that no one has duplicated Ouimet’s first-time feat did not come out of left field for Hervol.“I’d say it’s very believable. The playing conditions at the US Open have got to be the hardest major,” he said. “The rough was ridiculously long and thick — it was just kind of a bear playing out there, and I think guys who don’t have the experience playing in that environment every week, it’s just tough to go out there and manage your expectations and not keep the right mind-set. It’s a lot to take in.”Worcester’s Fran Quinn, 57, will be making his fifth US Open appearance.Well-acquainted with the Ouimet story — “It’s hard to believe that that’s actually not a fictional story,” he said — Quinn believes that with the USGA rotating US Open venues, the familiarity veteran golfers have with many of the courses helps lengthen the odds of a newcomer outfoxing and outplaying the field.“A lot of us have played those golf courses numerous times, so you acquire X amount of knowledge,” said Quinn. “You get a week to play there, three practice rounds and then the tournament proper means seven really full days’ worth of experience, and that builds over time.”Given that The Country Club has not hosted a US Open since 1988, Quinn said this year “may be a little different.”“Although it takes an incredible amount of patience and experience to win, you may happen to see somebody win one in their first fight only because there’s not a lot of familiarity with the venue itself,” said Quinn, before adding quickly, “But I would bet on the veterans coming through.”The case could be made that Ouimet, who grew up across the street from The Country Club, caddied there, and played there often, had a lot more experience, course-wise, than virtually any US Open newcomer.And while Matt Parziale, 35, of Brockton knows it would be silly to say a first-timer could never win a US Open again, he’s wary of comparing Ouimet’s feat to today’s game.“That was 110 or so years ago, so if it was going to happen, it was going to happen back then, more frequently, when there was only maybe a dozen or two dozen guys who could actually win, and that’s your competition all over the world,” said Parziale, who tied for 48th in the first of his two previous US Opens in 2018. “And now you’ve got 2,500, 3,000, maybe more than that, golfers that are competitive and trying to make it as a living and are working on their games every day. It’s just so much deeper and obviously it’s just a much different time.”Neither Gerard nor Crocker experienced anything approaching buzz kill hearing that a newcomer has not won here since 1913.“I love the underdog story, if that’s what you’re going for,” said Crocker. “First US Open, to be out here with that story, with the history in this place, I don’t think I’d really be able to ask for a better venue to start up, my first major, the US Open. Overall, I’m just stoked to be out here.”Gerard was equally nonplussed.“Makes sense, I mean, it’s hard out here, it’s different than what you’re used to, everything’s bigger but I mean, I don’t see a reason why that’s going to stay that way forever,” said Gerard. “I’m sure another first-timer will win at some point. Hopefully it’ll be this week.”Michael Silverman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeSilvermanBB.
Golf