Royal historian Andrew Lownie has predicted that Prince Andrew could face legal repercussions following the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s allegations against him
The bleak reality of Ibiza has been meticulously documented by local academics from Business Fights Poverty, who’ve just published the 100-page Reimagining Housing in Ibiza Report
“Add in to the mix the emotional and mental stress related to my nationality switch and there is only so much I can deal with and take as an individual woman.
“If this makes me weak, then so be it, I’m weak.
“However, I know I am strong and will get stronger by being away and recharging.
“It’s time I listened to myself for a change.”
Former top-five players Elina Svitolina and Paula Badosa ended their seasons early in recent weeks.
Ukraine’s Svitolina said she had “not been feeling like myself”, while Badosa has spoken about the mental toll of an ongoing back problem.
Other players have also spoken about the impact of the tennis calendar.
Five players retired injured in two tournaments in China last week, with six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek saying the season is too long and intense.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has made it mandatory for top players to participate in each Grand Slam, 10 WTA 1000 events and six 500-level tournaments.
The majority of 1000 events on the WTA and men’s ATP Tour last two weeks, as do all four Grand Slams.
Players can skip mandatory events if they injured or have personal reasons, but they will receive no rankings points or prize money if they do not play.
Former world number one Novak Djokovic, who has slimmed down his schedule in recent years to protect his body, has called on players to be more united, external in forcing change.
Tony Shalhoub is loath to compare his upcoming CNN series, “Breaking Bread,” to the travel food shows hosted by his frequent collaborator Stanley Tucci, who directed him in the gourmand classic “Big Night.”
“I don’t consider myself a foodie,” Shalhoub says in a video interview. “He is the ultimate foodie, amazing chef. He really knows what he’s talking about and I don’t know anything.”
But Shalhoub, best known these days as one of the stars of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” makes up for his lack of knowledge with utter enthusiasm. As host and executive producer of “Breaking Bread,” premiering Sunday at 9 p.m. Pacific, he traipses the globe trying different breads and bread-related products while uncovering stories of how these staples relate to migration, labor and his own family history. In fact, the legacy of Shalhoub’s father, who settled in Wisconsin after leaving Lebanon, is present in multiple episodes. The elder Shalhoub’s love of the stuff served as one of the inspirations for the whole enterprise.
“We were eating most often bakery bread rather than just commercial store-bought packaged bread, and he really had a great appreciation for it and wanted to model that for us,” Shalhoub says.
Still, Shalhoub’s goals go beyond food porn. Days before the premiere, Shalhoub spoke about why he sees “Breaking Bread” as being about something bigger. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
How did doing a food show even come to you?
Well, I was so enamored of Stanley [Tucci’s] show.
I was going to ask if Stanley had something to do with it.
We never really talked about it a lot, but I’ve been inspired by Stanley for so many things. But even prior to his travel food show [“Searching for Italy”], a nephew of mine [Michael Matzdorff], when I lived in Los Angeles, came to me and he was making bread at the time. This was way before the pandemic, when that became the thing to do. We got into talking about bread, and I was so impressed by what he was doing in his own kitchen, and he just casually mentioned, “Wouldn’t it be cool to explore bread making all over the globe?” We got a pitch together. It didn’t really get a lot of traction then, and this was a couple decades ago, but the idea stayed with me. I mentioned it to another friend who’s a producer on the show, Tamara Weiss, and she just kind of had this great idea to reformat it, and I guess the timing was right.
Was this your nephew that appears in the Tokyo episode or a different nephew?
This is an older nephew than that. I have many nephews and many nieces and they’re all geniuses. But there’s another leg to this too, aside from my fascination with bread and bread around the world. I’ve been acting for so many years and felt very fortunate with all of the breaks that I’ve gotten. But I’ve been starting to feel a little bit like I wanted to reconnect to the world again, in some way. When you are working and your experiences are mostly coming through scripted, mostly fictional stuff, after a while, there’s that possibility that you start to feel a little disconnected from actual life and the world. That also was one of the main drivers here. I wanted to meet new people, travel to new places or even familiar places, but with a different point of view. In a lot of ways, it’s been eye-opening. The food component aside, I’ve found it’s been really good for me. You get out of your own head and out of your own sphere, and you’re reminded that there’s so much else going on out there.
How did you choose where you were going to go? So many of the places have a personal connection for you: You said you wanted to start in Lebanon, where your father is from, but the political situation didn’t allow for it so you went to Brazil, where there is a large Lebanese population. You spend time in New York, where you live, and Wisconsin, where you are from.
We initially had a list of about 12 different locations, and some of those were locations that I just thought, “Boy, it would really be fun to travel there.” When we got into it with CNN, you know, especially for the first season, they wanted for me to have a personal connection to each of these locations. We gave them a list of about 10 places, and they chose six. So obviously New York, because this is now my second time living here in the city, and I love it. I consider it my home and where so much of my career has taken place. I think Marseille, because even though I traveled to France several times, is a place where my father, when he was immigrating from Lebanon over a hundred years ago, as many immigrants did, had to stop in Marseille in the process. We’ve always been curious about that part of his journey because we knew about his departure from Beirut, and we knew about his arrival in Ellis Island, but we didn’t know about the middle part of his journey. So we were able to explore that and get some more new information about that.
Members of your family also show up, including your daughter Josie Adams and another nephew. Why did you want to involve them?
Whenever there’s a discussion about bread or about food in general, it mostly stems from or grows out of my childhood, growing up, my parents, my other older relatives, and I guess that’s the closest connection for me. It has been such a part of what connects us all.
Tony Shalhoub with his daughter Josie Adams and pastry chef Pierre Ragot in the Marseille episode of “Breaking Bread.”
(CNN Original Series)
How did your relationship to bread, clearly something you love, change over the course of making the show?
The main takeaway was that the show, for me, really became more about the people that I met than the product itself. There were familiar things, some of them done in a kind of innovative and new way and other things that I had not experienced before or tasted before, but [it was] really more about the people and their devotion to that work and the reasons that they become so obsessed and so devoted to that kind of work. For me, the show really becomes about those stories and those histories, whether it’s a family history or a story about immigration or a story of a war-torn country. To be really frank about it, bread is really more the vehicle that brings us into these other discussions.
I want to say this in a very tactful way, but the risk of doing this kind of show is that there is a point, I believe, of diminishing returns when we talk about food. This is my fear. It was like, will someone stand up and say, “Stop it.” There’s so many important things that are going on that deserve our focus and our attention, but because we’re talking about food, it’s inevitable because we have to have it every day. It sustains us, and that’s all fine and good, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I want bread to be that thing that sparks other conversations.
In the Marseille episode, you uncover part of your father’s story, discovering details of his trip to America in the municipal archives. What was that experience like?
It was quite moving and also doing it with my daughter and having those discussions with my daughter. She didn’t know my father because he passed away before she was born. But I don’t think I would’ve had the opportunity or the access to uncover these things had I not been doing this show at this time in that city. It would’ve just gone undiscovered and unknown.
Obviously, you’ve eaten on screen before, that’s part of an actor’s job, but did you think about how you were going to react to what you try?
I didn’t really think about it or plan it. I wanted to figure out ways to avoid or sidestep stock reactions. “God, that’s delicious.” Of course, that’s what everyone says when they’re eating something exciting and new. But I was really trying to stay open and rather than using words, a lot of times I just felt I let it go into my body and my body kind of did the work.
There’s a moment when you almost do a little dance.
Because some of this stuff just transcends words.
Was there something you tried that truly surprised you?
Certainly, I think given the amount of pastry I consume and have consumed in my lifetime, I thought that Mary O’s Irish Soda Bread scones were kind of a revelation. I’ve made scones. I’ve had scones. I love them, but this was revelatory. In Brazil they couldn’t grow wheat for a time, and before they were importing it, they were relying on cassava flour everywhere. They make a cheese bread. They were making it out of cassava flour, which is delicious, not heavy, and no gluten and all of that, and with cheese. Somehow miraculously, you’re eating these things and you’re never feeling full or bloated.
Benidorm star Crissy Rock, who played hotel manager Janey York on the beloved ITV show, has announced that she has separated from her husband after marrying him in 2018
Actor Raymond Cruz was held in custody for five hours on Monday after a sudsy spat with three women in his Los Angeles neighborhood.
Cruz — who portrayed the drug lord Tuco Salamanca on “Breaking Bad” — was washing his car on the street in front of his Silver Lake-area home when another car with three female occupants parked inches away from him, said Raphael Berko, his agent with Media Artists Group.
Cruz asked the women, who appeared to be in their 30s, to move their car at least a foot away so it wouldn’t get wet, according to Berko.
“The women were very rude to him and said no,” Berko said, adding that ample parking was available elsewhere on the street.
Instead, the women took out their phones and started to record Cruz, Berko said.
The actor, who also played detective Julio Sanchez in “The Closer” and its spin-off series “Major Crimes,” became uncomfortable and turned around, hose in hand, to tell them to “stop recording,” Berko said.
In doing so, Berko says some water may have inadvertently splashed on the women. But the women — one of whom was the daughter of a housekeeper on the block — said Cruz intentionally sprayed them, and they called the police to report an alleged assault.
Cruz was handcuffed by the Los Angeles Police Department and taken into custody for five hours, but Berko said he and his client expect the case will be dropped.
Berko characterized the incident as a misunderstanding, and said Cruz doesn’t have a criminal record.
The actor has a court hearing scheduled for Oct. 1, but online records do not show any charges as of Tuesday afternoon.
YOUNG people being overdiagnosed with mental health conditions has left the state at breaking point, a report warns.
Policy Exchange’s study is backed by Jeremy Hunt, who as Health Secretary in 2012 pushed to give mental health the same importance as physical health.
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Jeremy Hunt has admitted a surge in mental health diagnoses in kids had ‘unintended consequences’Credit: Getty
He now admits a surge in diagnoses — as parents chased support for kids — had “unintended consequences” by overwhelming the special educational needs (SEND) system.
The report says costs are “unsustainable” and seeks a radical overhaul.
Mr Hunt said: “We seem to have lost sight of the reality that child development is a messy and uneven process.”
He added that in trying to support young people there are “excessive impulses to medicalise and diagnose the routine, which can undercut grit and resilience”.
The Great British Sewing Bee contestant was in tears after his design was praised, as it shared a link to his late mother
Patrick Grant praised the “stunning” final piece(Image: BBC)
A Great British Sewing Bee contestant broke down in tears after judges hailed his “beautiful” creation, which carried a poignant connection to his late mum.
Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young set the sewers a challenge this week to craft garments using reused and recycled materials, with many contestants bringing along old family clothing.
Durham-based stitcher Dan, who started sewing aged just 10, gathered a collection of matching Christmas t-shirts his family had worn in 2022.
His plan was to transform them into a single halter-neck dress, complete with a faux-fur muff.
Discussing the accessory, he revealed: “This was a shawl that I made for my mum that she only wore once, unfortunately she passed away,” reports Wales Online.
Dan wiped away tears as his “personal” design was praised(Image: BBC)
“So I thought it’d be really nice to have her touch.”
When his finished creation was unveiled, Dan’s garment was described as “beautiful” and he even claimed Garment of the Week honours.
“I’m glad I did this, because I wanted my mum to be represented,” he wept.
He later reflected: “This week has been insane, I can’t believe all the good comments they said.
Dan transformed some family pyjamas into a halter-neck dress(Image: BBC)
“It was really nice they got my vision and knew where I was going with it, especially this one in particular, it was really personal to me.”
Patrick also lauded Dan’s finished piece, declaring: “It’s absolutely stunning and such a beautiful story behind it.
“The perfect way to go from an unwanted pile of old pyjamas into this beautiful, beautiful outfit.”
Following his victory, Dan said: “I’ve just got to trust my instincts and go with it. I’m glad that I did it on this week, where it was something so personal.”
Dan paid tribute to his late mum with the design(Image: BBC)
Viewers were moved by the story behind his design, with one commenting: “Dan that dress was absolutely amazing mate. Thoroughly deserved garment of the week.”
Another viewer expressed: “Really pleased for Dan,” while another added: “Definitely want to give Dan a huge cuddle.”
“Dan smashed it this week!” a fourth fan praised, while another admirer commented: “Well done Dan, that looked really good.”
The Great British Sewing Bee airs Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
ATLANTA — Jen Pawol breezed through Sunday’s Marlins-Braves game as if breaking a gender barrier was just another day on the job.
Considering Pawol became the first female umpire to work behind the plate in the majors, making unprecedented history appear to be routine was especially impressive.
“I think Jen did a really nice job,” Miami manager Clayton McCullough said after Atlanta’s 7-1 win over the Marlins.
“I think she’s very composed back there. She handled and managed the game very well. And big day for her. Big day for Major League Baseball. I congratulated her again on that because it’s quite the accomplishment.”
It was an impressive cap to a memorable weekend for Pawol. She made history in Saturday’s doubleheader as the first female umpire to work a regular-season game in the majors. She called the bases in the doubleheader before moving behind the plate on Sunday, placing her in the brightest spotlight for an umpire.
Pawol never showed any indication of being affected by the attention, even while knowing every call would be closely watched.
“Congrats to Jen, obviously,” said Braves left-hander Joey Wentz, who earned the win by allowing only one run in 5 1/3 innings.
Asked about Pawol’s calls, Wentz said, “I try not to focus on the zone, to be honest with you. … I thought it was good though.”
Umpire Jen Pawol stands at third base during a game between the Marlins and Braves on Saturday.
(Brett Davis / Getty Images)
There were few opportunities for disputes as Wentz and Miami starting pitcher Cal Quantrill combined for only three strikeouts. The first called third strike came in the fifth inning, when Pawol used a fist pump when calling out Miami’s Kyle Stowers on a pitch that was close to the edge of the plate.
McCullough was seen in the Marlins dugout with his palms held up as if asking about the pitch call. He said after the game it’s not unusual to question a close called strike.
“Over the course of the game, there are a number of times that you just are going to be asking for clarity on one, if you aren’t sure,” McCullough said. “So it could have been that.”
The 48-year-old Pawol was called up as a rover umpire, so her next assignment in the majors has not been announced.
“I wish her the best moving forward as she continues to, I’m sure, hopefully one day be up full time, you know, a permanent big league umpire,” McCullough said.
Pawol also received positive reviews from Braves manager Brian Snitker, who on Saturday said, “You can tell she knows what she does.”
Pawol’s work in the minor leagues began in 2016 when she was assigned to the Gulf Coast League. She worked in the Triple-A championship game in 2023 and in spring training games in 2024 and again this year.
“We certainly didn’t call her up from A ball, right?” Quantrll said. “So yeah, I’m sure she was well prepared. And like I said I think, you know, part of the game moving forward is that if this is normal then we’re going to treat it normal, too. So, you know, I thought it was fine. I think she did she did a quality job. … And yeah, I think she’d be very proud of herself. And, you know, it’s kind of a cool little thing to be part of.”
Pawol spoke to reporters on Saturday when she said, “The dream actually came true today. I’m still living in it. I’m so grateful to my family and Major League Baseball for creating such an incredible work environment. … I’m just so thankful.”
Pawol received cheers from fans on both days. On Sunday, some held up “Way to go Jen!” signs.
Good Morning Britain was pulled off air for a breaking news update just minutes into the ITV show as Kate Garraway threw the show over to news correspondent Louisa James
BBC Breakfast was briefly interrupted on Wednesday as Jon Kay made an important announcement
BBC Breakfast star Jon Kay left his co-star concerned as he announced breaking news on Wednesday (July 16).
During today’s edition of the hit morning show, Jon and his co-host Sally Nugent kept audiences informed with the latest happenings from the UK and globally.
Weather forecasts were provided by Carol Kirkwood, while Hugh Ferris covered the sports news.
The broadcast was abruptly paused when Jon revealed a significant development concerning the UK economy.
“We’ve just had the latest update on how quickly prices are rising in the UK,” he disclosed, before passing over to Peter Ruddick for more details, reports the Express.
BBC Breakfast was halted for breaking news on Wednesday (July 16)(Image: BBC)
“Yeah, another reminder of the continuing price pressure on households this morning, John,” Peter remarked.
“In the past few moments, we found out that inflation, the way we measure the rising cost of living, was 3.6% in June. We have been expecting these figures to be 3.4%, the same rate as in May, so these figures this morning are quite concerning.”
He elaborated: “What this means is that on average, prices were 3.6% higher last month than they were in June last year.
“But remember that these figures are just an average. Some things will be going up in price by more than that sum and by less.”
Highlighting specific impacts, Peter mentioned that food prices saw a 4.5% increase, marking the steepest rise since February of the previous year, with staples like bread, meat, milk, and cheese driving the surge.
UK inflation rose to 3.6% in June(Image: BBC)
He summed up: “These figures this morning are a headache, mainly, of course, for households still struggling with the rising cost of living. But also for the Bank of England, which tries to keep inflation nearer 2%.
“And a headache for the government, yet more pressure on the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Jon, as we look ahead to a very big budget speech in the autumn.”
The Chancellor, responding to the latest economic data, acknowledged that she understands “working people are still struggling with the cost of living”.
She further stated: “That is why we have already taken action by increasing the national minimum wage for three million workers, rolling out free breakfast clubs in every primary school and extending the £3 bus fare cap.”
Reeves conceded that “there is more to do” but affirmed her commitment to “deliver on our Plan for Change to put more money into people’s pockets”.
Wizz Air has announced that it will suspend operations from its Abu Dhabi hub. The budget airline currently operates more than 30 routes from the Middle Eastern base.
Wizz Air said “hot and harsh” weather was causing plane difficulties (Image: aeduard via Getty Images)
Wizz Air has scrapped a number of routes as “hot and harsh” weather is damaging its planes.
On Monday, the Hungarian airline announced that it would discontinue its Abu Dhabi operations starting in August.
Ticket sales have been halted from the Middle Eastern capital to Varna from July 14, followed by Belgrade on July 19, Tirana on July 20, Kutaisi on July 29, and Sarajevo on August 31.
Six additional routes will be temporarily suspended, including Krakow (July 29–September 19), Budapest (paused until September 1), Vienna (paused until September 21), Katowice (paused until October 26), and both Astana and Samarkand (paused until November 1). Services to Sofia and Cluj have already been discontinued, Aviation Weekly reports.
The publication also notes that Pratt & Whitney GTF engine issues have led to 20% of Wizz Air’s Airbus A320neo-family fleet being grounded over the past financial year.
The budget airline currently operates more than 30 routes from its Abu Dhabi base.
Last month, Wizz Air CEO József Váradi said the carrier was strategically reducing operations in “hot and harsh” environments. He explained that capacity would be reallocated to lower-risk areas to help reduce operating costs and prolong engine life.
“Hot and harsh is a significant issue which we are going to address,” the CEO said. “That will not only lower operating costs and extend engine lifetime, but it will also increase productivity on sectors.”
In a statement issued this morning, the airline said three main “operational challenges over the past year” led to the decision to “suspend all locally based flight operations effective 1 September 2025”. They are:
• Engine reliability constraints, particularly in hot and harsh environments, which have impacted aircraft availability and operational efficiency.
• Geopolitical volatility, which has led to repeated airspace closures and operational disruptions across the region, as well as weakened consumer demand.
• Regulatory barriers, which have limited the company’s ability to access and scale in key markets.
Mr. Váradi added: “We have had a tremendous journey in the Middle East and are proud of what we have built. I thank our highly dedicated employees for their relentless efforts and commitment to developing the WIZZ brand in new and dynamic markets. However, the operating environment has changed significantly.
“Supply chain constraints, geopolitical instability, and limited market access have made it increasingly difficult to sustain our original ambitions. While this was a difficult decision, it is the right one given the circumstances. We continue to focus on our core markets and on initiatives that enhance Wizz Air’s customer proposition and build shareholder value.”
Passengers with existing bookings beyond 31 August will be contacted directly via email with options for refunds or alternative travel arrangements. Customers who booked through third-party providers are advised to contact their respective agents. The suspensions do not affect other flights of the Wizz Air group.
The announcements come as Wizz extends its operations in other markets, including by adding several new routes from its UK base at Luton Airport.
From last month, Wizz Air started whisking passengers away four times weekly from Gatwick to the quaint Polish city of Wroclaw. Come the start of August, Londoners will also have the chance to jet off from the same bustling hub to the Polish capital, Warsaw, and even Medina in Saudi Arabia.
Birmingham hasn’t been left behind; the heart of the West Midlands gained thrice-weekly connections to Rome as of June, with future plans to link up with Sibiu and Suceava in Romania.
Last week Mirror Travel sat down with Yvonne Moynihan, the new managing director of the UK wing of the airline.
Warning: This article discusses spoilers for the twisty new horror film “Barbarian.” If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our nonspoilery review here and more with the cast and director here.
That one-word title looms large over “Barbarian,” one of the most delightfully twisted horror films of 2022, in which a woman named Tess (Georgina Campbell) stumbles into a nightmare when she finds her rental house already occupied by a stranger.
It’s a roller-coaster horror ride filled with suspense, scares, surprising laughs and some of the most delicious cinematic twists since last year’s “Malignant.”
What Tess discovers in the basement leads her into a labyrinth of unimaginable horrors — some closer than you might think. But who’s the real monster in filmmaker Zach Cregger’s Airbnb-of-horrors solo feature debut?
Bill Skarsgard stars in “Barbarian.”
(20th Century Studios)
The nice guy and the meet-cute from hell
At first, signs point to said handsome stranger, Keith (“It” star Bill Skarsgard, also an executive producer, cannily playing off his Pennywise persona), who turns up the charm to get Tess to lower her guard and spend the night, else brave the storm outside. After a few nice gestures and good conversation, she ignores her instincts and says yes — even as Cregger’s script and Skarsgard’s delivery create a sizzling ambiguity around Keith’s motivations.
“My only note to Bill [Skarsgard] was, ‘Don’t lean into creepy. Lean into nice,’” Cregger said. “The nicer you are and the more disarming and friendly and appealing and nonthreatening that you behave, the more the audience is going to be convinced that you’re bad.”
Inspired in part by security expert Gavin de Becker’s book “The Gift of Fear,” “Barbarian” conjures a minefield of misogynist red flags for its heroine to navigate even before she crosses paths with shouting local Andre (Jaymes Butler), sitcom actor AJ (Justin Long) and a violent tunnel dweller known as the Mother (played expressively by Matthew Patrick Davis).
“[Keith] insists on bringing her luggage in, he makes her tea that she said she didn’t want, he says, ‘Pretty name,’” said Cregger. “These are not appropriate things to be doing in this situation. But he’s not aware of it, because he thinks he’s being nice.”
Is there something more sinister about Keith that Tess can’t see? Does it have anything to do with the doors that open and close in the middle of the night? The question hangs in the air as Tess makes a series of chilling discoveries in the basement, where a hidden door leads to a shadowy hallway and a secret room where very bad things have clearly occurred.
Beyond lies yet another door leading to the subterranean lair of the film’s apparent titular monster — the volatile Mother.
A creepy basement, or bonus square footage? Hidden rooms lead to unexpected terrors in “Barbarian.”
(20th Century Studios)
The mother under the stairs
“She was described as being 7 feet tall, naked, her face looking like it was the product of inbreeding, and having an impossible strength,” said Davis, the 6-foot-8-inch actor and musician behind the most surprising character in “Barbarian.” He was cast after a Zoom audition in which he stripped to his underwear and mimicked biting the head off a rat with a pickle he found in his fridge.
“I was very aware that this could be funny in the right way or the wrong way,” Davis said of his “Barbarian” performance. “When you’re in it, you have no idea how it’s going to be perceived. You’re aware that it’s a big swing and that it is bonkers and that, you know, you’re sitting there naked in Bulgaria with boobs taped to your chest. Are people going to buy this?”
Before filming began last summer, he received advice from legendary creature performer Doug Jones, including the fine line between physical expression and nonverbal overacting and another handy pro tip: Get prescription creature contacts made, else risk biting it while chasing your co-stars through those dark tunnels.
You’re sitting there naked in Bulgaria with boobs taped to your chest. Are people going to buy this?
— “Barbarian” star Matthew Patrick Davis
But Mother’s backstory is also the film’s most tragic. To inform her emotional state, Davis studied profiles of feral children and adults, diving deep into “a dark, disturbing YouTube rabbit hole” of research. As he sat in a chair for three hours getting into prosthetics and makeup each day, he watched the videos to prepare.
“It opened me up to the reality of the lives of people that have been deeply abused, raised in cages, raised like animals, kept in the dark and never spoken to in their formative years,” he said. “It allowed me to have empathy for this character. This is not just a scary character for scariness’ sake. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that she’s a victim.”
“I think that she’s the most empathetic character in the movie. She has never had a chance,” echoes Cregger, who also credits Davis with inspiring him to write certain gestures into Mother’s well-worn maternity VHS tape, which come full circle in the film’s bittersweet final scene. “And Matthew plays it with such tenderness.”
The sins of the father
After introducing Mother, the textbook horror movie monster we expect, Cregger challenges us throughout the film to reconsider who the actual barbarian of the story is. First seen in a Reagan-era flashback, Frank (Richard Brake, who starred recently in Amazon’s “Bingo Hell” and killed Bruce Wayne’s parents in “Batman Begins”) is her inverse — an average suburban family man on the outside and a true monster within.
Borrowing from serial killer films “Angst” (1983) and “Elephant” (both Gus Van Sant’s 2003 feature and the 1983 Alan Clark short of the same name), Cregger builds unease as the camera follows Frank to the store, where he stocks up on a suspicious grocery list, and as he stalks a young woman to her home.
It is revealed that he has kidnapped, raped and impregnated several women in the secret chambers beneath his house without repercussions for decades, and that Mother is the daughter of another of his victims, born into miserable captivity.
But it’s telling that it’s not Tess who learns Frank’s horrible truth in the film. Instead, it’s AJ (Long, playing deftly against type) whoruns from Mother to a section of the tunnels where even she dares not follow.
Justin Long stars as AJ, the owner of the rental house, in “Barbarian.”
(20th Century Studios)
Enter the Hollywood actor
Introduced cruising carefree down Pacific Coast Highway singing along to Donovan’s “Riki Tiki Tavi,” the narcissistic Hollywood star has recently stepped into his own version of a nightmare: an accusation of sexual assault that threatens to unravel his successful career.
“Because I’m an actor, and I know the world of actors very well, I was writing from an amalgam of people in my life,” Cregger said of conceiving the character of AJ. “I was trying to think of, ‘What’s this guy’s horror movie?’ Before he gets into the real horror movie — what’s the horror movie that he thinks he’s in? The collapse of your career and reputation due to your own bad behavior. This guy thinks his world is ending.”
AJ, who at first appears to be a ridiculous comedic figure, is revealed to be arguably the scariest character in the film. In Detroit to liquidate his rental home to cover his impending legal fees, he is the embodiment of male privilege and casual misogyny, his puffed-up bravado masking an inherent cowardice and refusal to take accountability for his actions. (Although not explicitly addressed in the film, Cregger says he deliberately wrote the men of “Barbarian” to be white males.)
When AJ discovers the ailing Frank and judges him by his brutal crimes, the audience is invited to wonder: Just how different is he from the monster staring back at him?
Frank, at least, seems to know he can’t escape what he’s done. AJ’s brief moment of clarity reverts to gaslighting self-preservation as he commits one final heinous act, attempting to hide his true nature behind a well-practiced nice guy veneer — a quality Long borrowed from watching men deliver empty apologies on “The Bachelorette.”
“There’s a glimmer of accountability,” said Long, “and I just love that Zach refuses to take the conventional way out.”
As for Tess, it’s her innate sense of empathy — the one that repeatedly sends her toward danger to help others, at her own peril — that helps her understand Mother before she sets them both free. “She’s someone that is used to traumatic situations and is able to understand how to survive in this situation,” said Campbell. “By the end of the film, I feel like she gets her own agency and is able to get out of the pattern she found herself in again and again and again.”
For the 20th time, there will be a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.
Indiana will play at Oklahoma City on Sunday night in the final game of the season, with the winner getting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Home teams are 15-4 in Game 7 of the finals, but a road team — Cleveland, over Golden State — won the most recent of those games in 2016.
A look inside some numbers surrounding this matchup:
Odds are, nobody’s scoring 40
There have been only two 40-point scoring performances in Game 7 of the NBA Finals — and both came in losing efforts.
Jerry West scored 42 points in Game 7 of the 1969 series, but the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in Bill Russell’s final game. And Elgin Baylor scored 41 points in Game 7 in 1962 — another Lakers-Celtics matchup — but Boston prevailed in that one as well.
Bob Pettit had the third-highest scoring total in a Game 7. He had 39 for the St. Louis Hawks against the Celtics in 1957 … and Boston won that game as well.
The highest-scoring Game 7s in a winning effort? Those would be by Boston’s Tom Heinsohn in that 1957 game against St. Louis and Miami’s LeBron James in the 2013 series against San Antonio. Both had 37; Heinsohn’s was a double-overtime game, James got his in regulation.
And no team might break 100, either
Yes, these are high-scoring teams. Oklahoma City was No. 4 in points per game in the regular season (120.5 per game) and Indiana was No. 7 (117.4). The Thunder are second in that category in the playoffs (115.2), just ahead of No. 3 Indiana (115.1).
In Game 7, that might not matter much.
No team has reached 100 points in Game 7 of the NBA Finals since 1988. Or even topped 95 points, for that matter.
Coach Pat Riley, left, gets a hug from Wes Matthews after the Lakers defeated the Pistons in Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals.
(Bob Galbraith / Associated Press)
The last five Game 7s:
— 2016, Cleveland 93, Golden State 89
— 2013, Miami 95, San Antonio 88
— 2010, Los Angeles Lakers 83, Boston 79
— 2005, San Antonio 81, Detroit 74
— 1994, Houston 90, New York 84
The last finals Game 7 to see someone hit the century mark was when the Lakers beat the Pistons 108-105 in 1988.
Expect a close one
The average margin of victory in Game 7 of an NBA Finals: 6.9 points.
Each of the last eight such games have been decided by single digits. Only four have been double-digit wins: Boston over St. Louis by 19 in 1960, Minneapolis over New York by 17 in 1952, Boston over Milwaukee by 15 in 1974 and New York over the Lakers by 14 in 1970.
The closest Game 7 in the finals was Syracuse beating Fort Wayne 92-91 in 1955. That was one of six Game 7s decided by three points or less.
By seed
The Thunder are the 22nd No. 1 seed to play in Game 7 of an NBA Finals. Their 21 predecessors on that list are 12-9 in the ultimate game; seven of those games have been ones where both teams entered the playoffs as No. 1 seeds.
The Pacers are the fourth No. 4 seed to make Game 7 of the title round. Their three predecessors went 1-2 (Boston beat the Lakers in 1969, Seattle lost to Washington in 1978 and the Celtics lost to the Lakers in 2010).
Game 7 experience
It’ll be the fourth Game 7 for Indiana forwards Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner. Siakam’s teams have gone 2-1 in Game 7s, Turner’s have gone 1-2.
Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith is 2-0 in the pair of Game 7s in which he has played, with Indiana winning at New York last year and Boston beating Milwaukee in 2022. Both of those wins were in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith, driving agianst Thunder forward Chet Holmgren in a Game 6 win, has twice been on teams that won Game 7s.
(Michael Conroy / Associated Press)
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s reigning MVP, has averaged 27 points in two previous Game 7s. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton scored 26 points in his lone Game 7 to this point.
No player on either side has previously been part of a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.
New for some refs, too
The NBA doesn’t announce referee assignments until game day, so it won’t be known until Sunday morning who the three-person crew is for Game 7.
This much is certain: for at least two of the referees, it’ll be the first time on the NBA Finals Game 7 stage.
Scott Foster — who would seem a likely pick this year — worked Game 7 in 2013 alongside Dan Crawford and Monty McCutchen, and Game 7 of the title series in 2010 with Dan Crawford and Joe Crawford.
The most recent Game 7 was in 2016 and the crew for that game was Dan Crawford, McCutchen and Mike Callahan.
Outside of Foster, no referee in this year’s pool has been on the court for a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.
Great Little Escapes, based in Berkshire, used to specialise in a variety of different holidays, but now it has ceased trading as an ATOL holder, meaning its holiday bookings are in doubt
The BBC has announced that EastEnders and The One Show will be moved in a last minute schedule change, with BBC One airing coverage of the Air India crash instead
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell.
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The Dodgers head to San Diego for a three-game series with the Padres starting tonight. Whichever team wins the season series will have an advantage when it comes to winning the division, plus it also will give them the tiebreaker advantage should the teams tie.
Neither one of these guys can hit, but are solid defensively. Maldonado won a Gold Glove way back in 2017 with the Angels. However, it’s players such as these two, guys who have trouble hitting, who seem to come up big against the Dodgers, dating all the way back to Brian Doyle and the 1978 World Series.
Bonus facts: Díaz was named minor league catcher of the year by Baseball America in 2015. On April 18, 2014 against Pittsburgh, Maldonado hit a grounder to third. Pirates third baseman Pedro Álvarez fielded the grounder, but the cover had partially come off the baseball and was hanging off its side; Álvarez threw the ball to first but it fell apart in midair. So, Maldonado is one guy who can say he literally knocked the cover off the ball.
First base Luis Arráez (.276/.310/.397, 97 OPS+)
Arráez has won three straight batting titles (2022 with Minnesota, 2023 with Miami, 2024 with the Marlins and Padres). You’ll notice that despite this, he has played for three different teams. The reason is he draws no walks, has little power, and it is believed his glove is made out of cast iron. Winning three straight batting titles is nothing to sneeze at, but that’s all he brings to the table.
Bonus fact: In June 2023, Arráez had three five-hit games, tying the record for most five-hit games in a month held by Ty Cobb, George Sisler and Dave Winfield.
Second base Jake Cronenworth (.242/.373/.403, 119 OPS+)
Cronenworth is having a rebound season at the plate after a couple of off seasons, and he has always been solid with the glove. Guys such as Cronenworth usually don’t get the headlines, but help you win ballgames in ways that don’t always show up in the box score.
Bonus fact: He hit his first career home run in 2020 off of Dustin May.
Third base Manny Machado (.318/.382/.515, 150 OPS+)
While, as Yogi Berra once said, “Nobody likes Manny Machado,” the fact remains that he is a great player. Outstanding hitter, outstanding on defense.
Bonus facts: Machado has a dog named Kobe, named in honor of Kobe Bryant. Baltimore Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer once said of Machado: “He reminds me of how I think Cal Ripken Jr. would have been if he had played third base his entire career.”
All the power in Bogaerts’ bat disappeared two years ago and hasn’t come back. He has a career .447 slugging percentage, but he hasn’t cracked .400 in a season since 2023.
Bonus fact: Bogaerts is one of only six players in major league history to be born in Aruba. The elementary school he went to there is now named after him.
Left field Tyler Wade (.235/.326/.272, 71 OPS+) Brandon Lockridge (.224/.272/.276, 55 OPS+)
Left field has been a black hole offensively for the Padres, much as it has been for the Dodgers. Jason Heyward has the most starts in left, but he’s on the IL. And he wasn’t hitting either. This is a prime example for when we discuss the fact that the Dodgers aren’t the only good team with holes in the lineup,
Bonus facts: Wade played 67 games for the Angels in 2021. Lockridge made his major league debut on my birthday, which is probably a bonus fact only interesting to me.
Center field Jackson Merrill (.299/.352/.461, 123 OPS+)
Last season, Merrill finished second in rookie of the year voting, ninth in MVP voting, was an All-Star and won the Silver Slugger award. Pretty decent first year, I’d say. He’s back for more of the same this season, hitting better than he did last year. He’s also good with the glove.
Bonus fact: Merrill is the first rookie in Padres history to make the All-Star team.
Right field Fernando Tatis Jr. (.259/.332/.461, 120 OPS+)
Still one of the top players in the game, however, his numbers at the plate have declined since his return from an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs in 2022. His OPS+ in the three seasons before: 154, 156, 166. Three seasons after: 110, 130, 120. Won a Gold Glove in 2023.
Bonus fact: In 2021, Tatis became the youngest player to appear on the cover of the “MLB: The Show” video game.
Pivetta signed a four-year, $55-million deal in the offseason and has earned every penny so far, striking out 76 in 68 1/3 innings while giving up 51 hits and 19 walks. He spent the previous five seasons with the Red Sox.
Cease is the nominal ace on the team, but hasn’t pitched like one. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting last season. He has pitched into some bad luck, as his Fielding Independent Pitching ERA is 3.20.
Vásquez has a good ERA, but his FIP is 5.34, meaning he has had some good luck. Traditionally, this means you can expect his ERA to go up, and Cease’s to go down as the season wears on. FIP is heavily used by GM’s and members of a front office’s brain trust to determine how well a pitcher is really performing, so it’s a good stat to know. Click on the link above to be taken to a full explanation of it.
Bonus facts: Cease’s paternal grandmother, Betty Cease, played pro baseball in the 1940s….. Pivetta made his major league debut in 2017 against the Dodgers…. Vásquez was included in the package the Yankees sent to the Padres to acquire Juan Soto before the 2024 season.
Closer Robert Suarez (1-1, 1.84 ERA, 21 saves)
Suarez leads the majors with 21 saves, has blown only two saves and has allowed zero of five inherited runners to score.
Bonus fact: Suarez is a two-time Japan Series champion.
The Dodgers have 14 pitchers on the IL, the Padres have five. Which is one reason for this:
Rotation ERA San Diego, 3.80 Dodgers, 4.29
Bullpen ERA San Diego, 3.08 Dodgers, 3.94
The Dodgers outhit the Padres (5.54 runs per game to 4.10), but the Padres outpitch the Dodgers. Which side will win out in these three games? In the season? We’ll find out. It will be fun to watch.
Top 10 catchers
Who are your top 10 Dodgers catchers of all time (including Brooklyn)? Email your list to [email protected] and let me know.
Many of you have asked for a list of catchers to be considered. Here are the 40 strongest candidates, in alphabetical order.
Rod Barajas, Austin Barnes, Roy Campanella, Gary Carter, Con Daily, Rick Dempsey, Bruce Edwards, A.J. Ellis, Tex Erwin, Duke Farrell, Joe Ferguson, Jack Fimple, Yasmani Grandal, John Grim, Tom Haller, Todd Hundley, Charles Johnson, Chad Kreuter, Ernie Krueger, Paul Lo Duca, Al López, Russell Martin, Lew McCarty, Deacon McGuire, Jack Meyers, Johnny Oates, Mickey Owen, Babe Phelps, Mike Piazza, Joe Pignatano, Tom Prince, John Roseboro, David Ross, Mike Scioscia, Norm Sherry, Duke Sims, Will Smith, Zack Taylor, Jeff Torborg, Álex Treviño, Steve Yeager.
Not ideal
Dalton Rushing was brought up because Austin Barnes could no longer hit and was not as good as he used to be behind the plate.
Rushing went two for four in his first game and two for five in his second, and it looked like they were going to have to find a way to get his bat in the lineup more often.
Since then, he has gone three for 24 with 16 strikeouts. The league always adjusts to new batters. The question now is: Can Rushing adjust back? The Dodgers also have a
Time for Kim to play more
I’m all for giving established players a chance. It worked for Max Muncy. However, I just want to throw this out there: It’s time for Hyeseong Kim to play more, and Michael Conforto to play less. That concludes today’s lecture.
Another pitcher injured
Tony Gonsolin has been put on the IL with tenderness in his pitching elbow. The good news is an MRI scan showed no structural damage. But that just adds a new name to the list of pitchers on the IL:
Luis García Tyler Glasnow Tony Gonsolin Brusdar Graterol Michael Grove Edgardo Henriquez Kyle Hurt Evan Phillips River Ryan Roki Sasaki Emmet Sheehan Blake Snell Gavin Stone Blake Treinen
The good news is Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates have come off the IL and pitched Sunday. That should be of enormous help to the bullpen. But I believe the starting rotations right now is:
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Dustin May Clayton Kershaw One of those cardboard cutouts from the 2020 season 89-year-old Sandy Koufax
The Dodgers need to get Glasnow and Snell healthy or the staff will be in tatters by the time the postseason rolls around.
These names seem familiar
A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Sunday). Click on the player name to be taken to the Baseball Reference page with all their stats.
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Budget airline Ryanair is known for its cheap flights across Europe, but some holidaymakers may not be aware of its ban on a certain item that could be in your hand luggage
This common item is banned from Ryanair flights(Image: Getty Images)
Ever jetted off on holiday with Ryanair? As bargain-hunting globetrotters will be aware, the airline is a go-to for snagging smashing flight deals throughout Europe. Yet, there’s a lesser-known fact about the low-cost carrier that could catch you off-guard when packing your carry-on.
We’ve all experienced that worrying moment at airport security, mentally checking if every lotion and potion is snug in their transparent bag or recalling if we ditched that water bottle from our backpack. But it turns out there’s a particular item that Ryanair frowns upon, and naturally, we’re all obliged to abide by the established baggage rules, reports the Express.
Travel advise from the Government has highlighted the advisories on carrying lighters aboard. The guidance from GOV.UK states: “You should put it inside a resealable plastic bag (like the ones used for liquids), which you must keep on you throughout the flight.”
Yet, despite such counsel, placing the lighter in your carry-on post-security is a no-go. Turning to Ryanair’s own digital domain for further clarity, one finds the item clearly listed under forbidden articles.
Their directive specifies: “You must not carry any of the following items in checked-in luggage or carry-on baggage, or go through security with them on you (for example in your pockets).”
