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Common, the Academy Award, Emmy and Grammy-winning artist and actor, has joined Dana Nachman’s documentary short “The Second Life of Freddie Nole” as an executive producer, Variety can reveal exclusively. According to an official logline, “‘The Second Life of Freddie Nole’ follows an extraordinary man on what initially appears to be an ordinary day. Freddie […]

EXCLUSIVE: New York Times Op-Docs, the Oscar-winning series of short documentaries, has acquired Listen, the new film directed by Taliesin Black-Brown. The short produced by Black-Brown, executive produced and produced by Greg M. Moga III and Bray’s Run Productions and produced by Academy Award winner Sam A. Davis (The Singers) “takes audiences into the world […]

It can be tempting to ratchet up training intensity for kids in youth sports, but focusing on fun and letting them lead the way may ultimately be more rewarding.

The actor’s triumphant breakthrough has clear ancestors in grimy tales of working-class struggle, but finds a fresh, rousing idealism Peter Farrelly’s new film I Play Rocky is about the underdog-with-heart story of how a great boxing movie got made against the odds with its plucky young untried screenwriter allowed to star. So here is a reissue of that 1976 film for its 50th anniversary. It’s a forthright, rousingly idealistic film, wholesome in its essential patriotism, and which unselfconsciously shrugs off the boxing-movie’s gloomy generic inheritance, throwing away its grim traditional baggage of tragedy, cynicism and loss. It also doubles as a love letter to Philadelphia, the cradle of American democracy. Its writer and insurgent star Sylvester Stallone created the role of Rocky Balboa, a punchy heavyweight fighter just turned 30, making peanuts slugging it out with bums and reduced to collecting debts for the Philly mob; this is an indignity which infuriates his grizzled old trainer and former mentor Mickey (Burgess Meredith) who once saw greatness in Rocky and is disgusted to see him selling out. Rocky is moreover entirely oblivious to national preparations to celebrate the 1976 bicentennial. (Boxing is for this anniversary what country music was in Robert Altman’s Nashville, only without the disorientation and pessimism.) Continue reading...

Three suitcases’ worth of the spiders were on their way to Germany, where they could fetch an estimated €1.5m More than 3,000 tarantulas were seized at an airport in Lima on their way to Germany, Peruvian authorities said. The spiders were hidden inside dirty socks contained in three suitcases carried by two Germans and a Polish citizen, the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) told Agence France-Presse on Thursday. Continue reading...

Four days after clinching their first WNBA title in only their second season, the Golden State Valkyries celebrated their historic triumph with a parade through San Francisco and Oakland Williams lifts Valks in Game 7 to historic title How Natalie Nakase led the Valkyries to glory Continue reading...

Full-back believes comeback also shows players do care United were booed off by supporters at half-time Diogo Dalot believes Manchester United’s comeback win against Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday can transform their troubled season and, as importantly, showed unhappy supporters that the players care. The Glazer family, who have owned United since 2005 and loaded £1.2bn of debt onto the club, continue to be the focus for fan anger and there was yet another protest against them before kick-off at Old Trafford, with thousands of green and gold balloons released from the Stretford End. The home crowd sang anti-Glazer songs and threw tennis balls onto the pitch when the clock showed 20 minutes and five seconds, to symbolise the year 2005. The team have seven points from their opening nine games of the Premier League season; their worst start since 1987-88. Continue reading...

Chris Pratt will continue his journey as former Navy SEAL James Reece. Variety has learned that Pratt will again play Reece in “Savage Son,” which is based on Jack Carr’s third novel in the “The Terminal List” book series on which the main show is based. At this time, it is unclear if this would […]

“Nobody Wants This” has been renewed for Season 4 at Netflix, Variety has learned. The news comes just over two weeks after the launch of the comedy series’ third season, which debuted on Netflix on Oct. 22. “We are so happy and thrilled to do another season of our favorite show on television, which coincidentally […]

Netflix’s loss is the Walt Disney Company’s great gain and that’s Emily Feingold, the streamer’s former VP of Comms who has been hired by the Mouse House as their new EVP of Communications. Feingold succeeds EVP of Comms David Jefferson, who has accepted the company’s voluntary early retirement offer (VERO) after 15 years with the […]

Fernando Forestieri, whose career has seen him play against Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, is looking to inspire non-league Oxford City to a memorable FA Cup win over Leicester City.

After police recovered the vehicle at a suburban convenience store, the owner discovered it filled with trash bags containing drugs, bodily fluids and heavy interior damage

Thomas Tuchel believes Ben White’s previous decision to withdraw from England’s squad should be a ‘closed book’ (Shutterstock) Thomas Tuchel has urged England supporters to stop booing Ben White and insists he has been a ‘standout’ player for Arsenal. White made himself unavailable for England selection during Gareth Southgate’s reign after he left the squad during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It is understood that White was involved in a bust-up with Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland during England’s World Cup campaign shortly before leaving the squad. In March this year, White made his first appearance for England in four years as he came off the bench to score the opening goal in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley. Get personalised updates on your favourite club Sign up to our daily football newsletter, pick your team and get the latest news sent directly to your inbox every morning. However, White was booed by a section of England supporters at Wembley for his decision to make himself unavailable for the Three Lions. ‘We were not happy about this,’ Tuchel said after announcing his latest England squad on Friday. Ben White was booed by some England fans after making his first Three Lions appearance in four years (Getty) ‘We could understand the disappointment of the fans with what happened before but I think this is expressed now and this should be a closed book because I think everyone could also see the investment of Ben, the quality of Ben and how he presented himself in the March camp before the World Cup. ‘He did excellent, scored for us and then I think he committed a foul and we conceded. It was very eventful, not so easy to come back. When I speak to him, I always feel the hunger to come back, the excitement. He missed the last camp. England squad for Croatia and Spain matches Jobe Bellingham has made England’s senior squad for the first time (Getty) Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James…

A man was arrested in Charleston, South Carolina, on Friday after leaving his 6-year-old daughter asleep outside a Target to hold his place in line for the release of a new Pokémon trading card set, police said.

The WTA has apologised after failing to tell star players that microphones on practice courts were being live-streamed on YouTube but, as Flo Clifford writes, at some point there has to be an acceptance that players are not a walking, talking, content-producing machine

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the American Film Market, international buyers from 12 territories have teamed up to form a new distribution network called Lokia. The 12 distribution partners comprise Wild Bunch Germany GmbH / Wild Bunch Austria (Germany and Austria); Praesens-Film (Switzerland); PRIS Audiovisuals SA (Portugal); Feelgood Entertainment (Greece); Kazoo Films (UK/Ireland); Noori Pictures (South Korea/ […]

Todrick Hall’s off-Broadway show is about a doomed interracial love affair during US slavery in the 1860s During the intermission of Midnight, an off-Broadway musical about a doomed interracial love affair during US slavery in the 1860s, a woman sitting behind me lauded the show and compared it to Hamilton. On the surface, she was correct. Midnight also has a diverse cast with stunning vocals and a story that reimagines a time within American history. The difference, however, is that Hamilton’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, used source material – a 2004 biography on Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow – to develop his original work, something the Midnight creator and star, Todrick Hall, eschewed entirely. Therein lies the issue. Midnight aims to focus on the intimate lives of enslaved people and deviates so far from the mark that it seemed the bull’s eye was somewhere outside the theatre. Midnight’s premise is that an enslaved man named Rail, played by Hall, who wrote and directed the musical, falls in love with Richard, a member of the wealthy planter class. They grow close after Richard “rents” Rail from Rail’s owner, Charlotte. Rail is in a relationship with Lily Rose, an enslaved woman, and Richard is engaged to Scarlet, a southern belle who needs to secure her family’s financial future through marriage. It’s a formulaic and recognizable story about star-crossed lovers – updated to explore a queer relationship during the time of enslavement. For years, Hall, a singer, choreographer and theatre actor, has repurposed classics like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast through a queer lens. He deftly remixes the originals with modern cultural references, such as Beyoncé’s music or the tensions within current-day gay communities. But in Midnight, Hall reworks the past and creates his own fantasy that neglects the social realities of its characters. Continue reading...

Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan’s largest telecom operator, announced 10 new investments at its “Chunghwa Telecom Content Slate and Partnership Showcase,” spanning film, TV and music projects as well as stakes in two production companies. The company pitched the slate as a way to back Taiwanese original IP and link local creators with partners abroad. The event […]

Theo Walcott says Noni Madueke is playing with ‘freedom’ at Arsenal (Getty) Theo Walcott has praised Noni Madueke after Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Hull City and believes the winger has now earned the trust of his Gunners teammates. Arsenal endured a frustrating afternoon at the Emirates Stadium and needed a quick reaction from Martin Odegaard, who pounced on a rebound to score the winning goal in the 72nd minute. Madueke had caused Hull City problems on Arsenal’s right flank and it was his shot, which was saved by Konstantinos Tzolakis before Odegaard reacted quickest to score. The 24-year-old has faced criticism from Arsenal supporters following his £52 million move from Chelsea last year but Walcott insists the winger has now found his feet in Mikel Arteta’s side. Get personalised updates on your favourite club Sign up to our daily football newsletter, pick your team and get the latest news sent directly to your inbox every morning. ‘I think he’s just playing with that freedom and confidence,’ Walcott told Premier League Productions. ‘I think the players around him understand if he loses the ball they’ll get it back for him, and they trust him and they’re giving him the ball more and more often because he does things that other players won’t be able to do. Martin Odegaard pounced from close range to score Arsenal’s winner against Hull (Getty) ‘He can be frustrating, and you get that inconsistency with wingers, I was one of those at times who you’d get frustrated with. However, they’d always go and go again. ‘I feel like it’s always a full-back, go back to your strengths as wingers, don’t overthink things, play with that freedom. ‘His decision-making, he gets shots away, he has the freedom to get into the area and to be dangerous and to get your rewards. I think if you’re relentless at the defenders, you keep them guessing all the time and that’s what he does, he keeps defenders guessing. He’s difficult isn’t he. ‘He’s a different player to Bukayo Saka as…

Harriers storm to victory at Aggborough Blackpool survive fright against Hornchurch Non-league Kidderminster breezed into the second round of the FA Cup with a convincing 3-0 victory over League One Doncaster. The National League outfit opened the scoring after 22 minutes when Maz Kouhyar pulled the ball back to Lewis Walker and he fired home at the second attempt after his initial shot had hit the upright. Continue reading...

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