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The new UCLA football coaching staff has been in touch with one of their top recruits arriving in 2027.

Weston Port, the former San Juan Hills High standout linebacker, is finishing up his second year as a Mormon missionary on assignment in Spain.

New linebacker coach Vic So’oto has been in contact with Port and once tried to recruit him to Cal.

Port exercises when he has time while visiting various cities. His mission ends in December and he’ll be ready to join UCLA for spring practice in 2027 while focusing on getting back into playing shape.

His father said in a message, “Weston remains committed to UCLA and is eager and excited to get back to football once his service is completed.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Trent Alexander-Arnold said the alleged racist abuse of team-mate Vinicius Junior during Real Madrid’s Champions League match at Benfica was a “disgrace to football”, while opposition manager Jose Mourinho was criticised for his comments on the incident.

The match was halted for 10 minutes after Vinicius reported alleged racist abuse by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni to referee Francois Letexier, and he and his team-mates temporarily left the field.

The Brazil forward, who has been the victim of numerous incidents of racist abuse during his playing career, said “racists are, above all, cowards” in a post on Instagram.

Benfica manager Mourinho claimed Vinicius did not “celebrate in a respectful way” after his stunning goal in the 1-0 win shortly before the incident at the Estadio da Luz.

The former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss said: “There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium.

“A stadium where Vinicius plays something happens, always.”

Reacting to Mourinho’s comments, former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf said on Amazon Prime: “I think he is still emotional. I think he made a big mistake today to justify racial abuse.

“He’s saying it’s OK, when Vinicius provokes you, to be racist – and I think that is very wrong.

“We should never, ever justify racial abuse. Vinicius has had enough of that unjustified behaviour from people. I know Mourinho by heart would agree with me but he expressed himself a bit unfortunately, I believe.”

England international Alexander-Arnold condemned the abuse in his post-match interview.

“I think what has happened tonight is a disgrace to football and overshadowed the performance, as well as an amazing goal,” said Alexander-Arnold.

“Vini has been subject to this a few times throughout his career. To ruin a night like this for our team is a disgrace.

“There is no place for it in football or society. It is disgusting.”

MILAN — She’s the only U.S. skater still in medal contention. Alysa Liu is the last person to care.

The unbothered 20-year-old is the only American who finished in the top six of the women’s short program Tuesday and is holding the weight of an Olympic medal drought that’s as old as she is. But after placing third in the short program, she said she hadn’t even looked at the standings. She is angling more for an invitation to the post-competition gala than a medal.

“A medal?” Liu asked with a sarcastic scoff and giggle. “I don’t need a medal. I just need to be here, and I just need to be present. And I need people to see what I do next.”

Next will be the women’s free skate Thursday, where Liu will try to be the first U.S. woman to stand on an Olympic podium for singles figure skating since Sasha Cohen in 2006.

The United States entered the Milan-Cortina Games with three strong contenders to end the drought, but will need comeback performances from the other two “Blade Angels.”

Alysa Liu is the top hope for the U.S. in women’s singles figure skating after finishing third in the short program.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Isabeau Levito skated cleanly in her Olympic debut but finished the short program in eighth with 70.84 points, almost eight points back from leader Ami Nakai’s 78.71.

Amber Glenn appeared poised to join Liu in medal contention after she started her “Like a Prayer” program with a steady triple axel. Looking inspired from a good luck message from Madonna this week, Glenn executed a strong triple-triple combination with her second jumping pass. The crowd at Milano Ice Skating arena roared.

Then Glenn popped her last planned triple jump. She earned zero points on the element. Her face fell immediately.

Glenn went through the motions of her step sequence but she looked lifeless, and after her program, she clutched the necklaces on her burgundy lace dress and knelt at center ice. She broke down in tears when she hugged her coach.

“I had it,” Glenn said through sobs.

With 67.39 points in 13th place, the three-time national champion is well outside the medal race led by Nakai and three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto, who is in second with 77.23 points. Levito, skating in her mother’s hometown and paying homage to iconic Italian actress Sophia Loren with her short program, is less than six points out of podium position behind Liu’s 76.59 points.

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, wearing bedazzled headphones in a booth at the top of the arena, were shown on the video screen after Glenn’s skate clapping for her performance. U.S. teammate Ilia Malinin cheered behind them.

Malinin could empathize as Glenn held back tears on the ice. The United States won the team figure skating competition with a dramatic one-point victory but hasn’t secured any of the individual gold medals that appeared likely. Malinin, whose free skate collapse was one of the most stunning moments of the Milan-Cortina Games, cited the intense Olympic pressure.

Isabeau Levito competes during the women’s short program Tuesday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

After a shaky performance in the team competition, Glenn tried to escape the spotlight by training with U.S. teammates at a facility in Bergamo, 50 minutes outside of Milan. She tried to commit to rest and recovery and shy away from social media. She said after training Monday that she felt physically strong and had refocused enough to make the competition feel like any other world championship.

Knowing how hard it was for Glenn to get one jump away from putting herself into medal contention made the sight of her mistake all the more painful for Liu.

“She works so freaking hard,” Liu said after seeing Glenn’s skate on TV screens in the interview area. “Genuinely, such a hard worker, and she’s overcome a lot, and I just want her to be happy.”

Liu received some of the loudest applause of the night. Before beginning her program, she skated by the boards and high-fived both of her coaches, who hugged and hopped for joy when Liu executed her tricky triple lutz-triple loop combination jump. After hitting her ending pose, Liu covered her face to hide the tears that often well up in her eyes after her program set to “Promise.”

The reigning world champion returned to her second Olympics seemingly oblivious to any sort of pressure after a two-year retirement changed her perspective on skating. In Beijing, she was a 16-year-old who skated as she was told. She executed the jumps, performed to the music and wore the costumes that she was given.

But she laid the road to Milan all by herself and on her own terms.

One strong free skate away from her first individual Olympic medal — and second overall after helping the United States to team gold last week — Liu can’t be bothered to fret about how she’ll prepare for her last Olympic competition. Instead, she said she wants fans to see her new gala program.

A new dress just arrived and the choreography is almost done. All she needs is an invitation.

HE’s got almost 2 million followers on TikTok alone, has an army of A-list celebrity fans and now US comic Corey O’Brien is preparing to invade the UK.

After blowing up on social media post lockdown with his hilarious videos impersonating everyone from Dua Lipa and Justin Timberlake to the Spice Girls– who all shared his clips online – the 34 year-old former dancer’s comedy career has gone from strength to strength.

And next week he’s performing in London for his first ever UK show, much to the delight of both Corey and his legions of British fans.

“I’m a real anglophile,” smiles Corey, as he chats to The Sun from his home in Los Angeles.

“I’m really excited because I feel like my comedy goes across really well with a UK audience.

“I’m unhinged and have no filter, and I feel like you guys really get that. I have no boundaries, I say whatever the f*** I want to say and I think that’s quite a British sense of humour.”

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He may live 6000 miles away from Blighty, but Corey admits he avidly follows UK pop culture – whether it’s binging classic early seasons of Love Island with his former NFL star boyfriend Ryan K Russell (“we stopped having sex at one point because we were so obsessed with watching Hannah Elizabeth) to keeping abreast of every development of the Beckham family feud.

“I am so invested in that drama,” he confesses. “I’m team Posh, of course. If Victoria wants to come to crash my wedding, do a full dance number and make the night all about her, I wouldn’t hate it.

“She could slap me in the face in the middle of my vows and I would probably say thank you. She’s Victoria Beckham. She was my gay awakening.”

Indeed, when Corey impersonated all five Spice Girls for his own take on the iconic Say You’ll Be There video three years ago, he never expected it to get more than three million views and be shared by the legendary pop group’s official social media channels.

“I think I cried when that happened,” he confessed. “It was one of the most amazing things to ever happen. My boyfriend was upstairs at the time and I screeched as if someone was killing me. He was quite concerned.”

It’s not just iconic British girlbands that Corey is obsessed with though – during our chat he happily recounts his favourite moments from various UK Celebrity Big Brother series.

“Oh my god, I’ve watched all of Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa‘s romance, I can’t get enough of Farrah Abraham‘s fight with Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace and of course Tiffany Pollard’s ‘David’s dead’ moment is my all time favourite,” he laughs.

“I’d love to do Celebrity Big Brother. If any casting people are reading it, get me on there! I’ll get nude if they want me too!”

Anyone who follows Corey on social media will know he’s more than happy to flash his naked buff body – either in the name of comedy or simply for a bit of a thirst trap.

“I’ve not said this publicly before, but I microdose Ozempic,” he confesses when asked about his increasingly toned physique, before admitting to making a big mistake when he started on the fat jabs.

“I ordered some off some random website for like $400 and, believe it or not, I’m not a doctor so I didn’t really understand the dosages,” he deadpans.

“The first time I took it, I shot up a whole month’s worth of it in one go and I didn’t realise. I lost like 12 pounds in a week and it was all muscle that I lost. So yeah, now I just do little microdoses here and there.”

And he’s more than willing to show off some skin when he hits Britain next week.

“I’ll show my nudes on stage, hell, I’ll show them in person for like 20 bucks,” he laughs.

“I need to make some money – the exchange rate is crazy right now!”

Corey O’Brien: Live In London is at the Top Secret Comedy Club in London on Monday February 23. Doors open from 5.30pm.

For tickets, book here

The final had been delayed by more than an hour after a heavy blizzard set in at Livigno Snow Park, while Mathilde Gremaud, a heavy favourite for a medal, was one of two Swiss skiers to withdraw last-minute through injury.

That looked to have opened up the field for Muir, who had qualified in fourth for the final.

But in an astonishing first round, four skiers posted scores of 90.00 points or more, with Muir languishing in seventh and knowing she needed to go big.

She did just that, posting 93.00 with a 1620 trick, featuring four and a half rotations, the highest score of the second run and one that catapulted her up the standings into silver medal position.

At that point Gu, already a silver medallist in the slopestyle at these Games, was way off the pace having struggled with her second attempt, but she made amends on her final jump to bump Muir down into third.

The Chinese skier celebrated like her medal was confirmed at that point, despite plenty of skiers waiting in the wings to nudge her off the podium.

As it proved, they couldn’t do that, though Tabanelli’s final jump of 94.25 points – the biggest score of the night – came just 0.75 points shy of silver medal position.

That piled the pressure on Muir’s third and final jump.

She took her time at the top of the big air structure, talking through her options with her coach and decided to go for another 1620 trick with a different grab, but ultimately could not land her effort, leaving her lost in her thoughts of what might have been as she sat on the snow.

“When the scores came in for the other girls, I knew I had to give it something really, really good to try and get on that podium, so I’m stoked that I did try that,” she said.

Several Big Tech companies have reported earnings in recent weeks and provided estimates for their spending in 2026, along with leading analysts’ projections.

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The data point that seems to have caught Wall Street’s attention the most is the estimated capital expenditure (CapEx) for this year, which collectively represents an investment of over $700bn (€590bn) in AI infrastructure.

That is more than the entire nominal GDP of Sweden for 2025, one of Europe’s largest economies, as per IMF estimates.

Global chip sales are also projected to reach $1tn (€842bn) for the first time this year, according to the US Semiconductor Industry Association.

In addition, major banks and consulting firms, such as JPMorgan Chase and McKinsey, project that total AI CapEx will surpass $5tn (€4.2tn) by 2030, driven by “astronomical demand” for compute.

CapEx refers to funds a company spends to build, improve or maintain long-term assets like property, equipment and technology. These investments are meant to boost the firm’s capacity and efficiency over several years.

The expenditure is also not fully deducted in the same year. CapEx costs are capitalised on the balance sheet and gradually expensed through depreciation, representing a key indicator of how a company is investing in its future growth and operational strength.

The leap this year confirms a definitive pivot that began in 2025, when Big Tech is estimated to have spent around $400bn (€337bn) on AI CapEx.

As Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang has repeatedly stated, including at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, we are witnessing “the largest infrastructure build-out in human history”.

Hyperscalers bet the house

At the top of the spending hierarchy for 2026 sits Amazon, which alone is guiding to invest a mammoth $200bn (€170bn).

To put the number into perspective, the company’s individual AI CapEx guidance for this year surpasses the combined nominal GDP of the three Baltic countries in 2025, according to IMF projections.

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, follows with $185bn (€155bn), while Microsoft and Meta are set to deploy $145bn (€122bn) and $135bn (€113bn) respectively.

Oracle also raised its 2026 CapEx to $50bn (€42.1bn), nearly $15bn (€12.6bn) above earlier estimates.

Additionally, Tesla projects double the spending with almost $20bn (€16.8bn), primarily to scale its robotaxi fleet and advance the development of the Optimus humanoid robot.

Another of Elon Musk’s companies, xAI, will also spend at least $30bn (€25.2bn) in 2026.

A new $20bn (€16.8bn) data centre named MACROHARDRR will be built in Mississippi, which Governor Tate Reeves stated is “the largest private sector investment in the state’s history”.

xAI will also expand the so-called Colossus, a cluster of data centres in Tennessee that has been described by Musk as the world’s largest AI supercomputer.

Furthermore, the company was acquired by SpaceX in an all-stock transaction at the start of this month.

The merger valued SpaceX at $1tn (€842bn) and xAI at $250bn (€210bn), creating an entity worth $1.25tn (€1.05tn), reputedly the largest private company by valuation in history.

There are also reports that SpaceX intends to IPO sometime this year, with Morgan Stanley allegedly in talks to manage the offering that now includes exposure to xAI.

Elon Musk stated that the goal is to build an “integrated innovation engine” combining AI, rockets and satellite internet, with long-term plans that include space-based data centres powered by solar energy.

Conversely, Apple continues to lag in spending with “only” a projected $13bn (€10.9bn).

However, the company announced a multi-year partnership with Google last month to integrate Gemini AI models into the next generation of Apple Intelligence.

Specifically, the collaboration will focus on overhauling Siri and enhancing on-device AI features. Therefore, one could say that Apple is outsourcing a lot of the investment it needs to be competitive on AI development.

As for Nvidia, it will report earnings and release projections on 25 February.

The company is primarily in the business of selling AI chips, and is expected to get the lion’s share of the Big Tech’s spending. Particularly, for the build-out of data centres.

In last August’s earnings call, CEO Jensen Huang estimated a cost per gigawatt of data centre capacity between $50bn (€42.1bn) and $60bn (€50.5bn), with about $35bn (€29.5bn) of each investment going towards Nvidia hardware.

The great capital rotation

Wall Street has had mixed feelings about the enormous spending Big Tech companies have planned for 2026.

On the one hand, investors understand the necessity and urgency of developing a competitive edge in the artificial intelligence age.

On the other, the sheer scale of the spending has also spooked some shareholders. The market’s tolerance hinges on demonstrable ROI from this year onwards, as the investments are also increasingly financed with massive debt raises.

Morgan Stanley estimates that hyperscalers will borrow around $400bn (€337bn) in 2026, more than double the $165bn (€139bn) that was loaned out in 2025.

This surge could push the total issuance of high-grade US corporate bonds to a record $2.25tn (€1.9tn) this year.

Currently, projected AI revenue for 2026 is nowhere near matching the spending, and there are valid concerns. For instance, the possibility of hardware rapidly depreciating due to innovation, and other high operational costs such as energy usage.

It can be confidently stated that the numbers have a heavy reliance on future success.

As Google CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledged this month, there are “elements of irrationality in the current spending pace”.

Back in November, Alex Haissl, an analyst at Rothschild & Co, became a dissenting voice as he downgraded ratings for Amazon and Microsoft.

In a note to clients, the analyst wrote “investors are valuing Amazon and Microsoft’s CapEx plans as if cloud-1.0 economics still applied”, referring to the low-cost structure of cloud-based services that allowed Big Tech firms to scale in the last two decades.

However, the analyst added “there are a few problems that suggest the AI boom likely won’t play out in the same way, and it is probably far more costly than investors realise”.

This view is also shared by Michael Burry, who is best known for being among the first investors to predict and profit from the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008. Burry has argued that the current AI boom is a potential bubble pointing to unsustainable CapEx.

Big Tech’s AI race is funded by a tremendous amount of leverage. Whether this strategy will pay off, and which companies will be the winners and the losers, only time will tell.

At the moment, Nvidia certainly seems to be a great beneficiary. Moreover, Apple has a distinct approach by increasing third party reliance, through a partnership with Google, instead of massively scaling their spending. It is a different trade-off.

Europe’s industrial deficit

Amid all this spending, urgent questions have also been raised about Europe’s ability to compete in a race that has become a battle of balance sheets.

For the European Union, the transatlantic contrast is sobering. While American firms are mobilising nearly €600bn in a single year, the EU’s coordinated efforts do not even match the financial firepower of the lowest spender among the US tech titans.

Brussels has attempted to rally with the AI Factories initiative, and the AI Continent Action Plan launched last April, which aim to mobilise public-private investments.

However, the numbers tell a stark story. Total European spending on sovereign cloud data infrastructure is forecast to reach just €10.6bn in 2026.

While this is a respectable 83% increase year-on-year, it remains a rounding error compared to the US AI build-out.

Last year, at the time when the initiatives mentioned were being discussed, the CEO of the French unicorn Mistral AI, Arthur Mensch, stated that “US companies are building the equivalent of a new Apollo program every year”.

Mensch also added that “Europe is building excellent regulation with the AI Act, but you cannot regulate your way to computing supremacy”.

Mistral represents one of the only flickers of European resistance in the AI race. The French company is employing the same strategy as most of Big Tech and aggressively expanding its physical footprint.

In September 2025, Mistral AI raised a €1.7bn Series C at a valuation of almost €12bn, with the Dutch semiconductor giant ASML leading the round by singly investing €1.3bn.

During the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, Mistral’s CEO confirmed a €1bn CapEx plan for 2026.

Just last week, the company also announced a major €1.2bn investment to build a data centre in Borlänge, Sweden.

In a partnership with the Swedish operator, EcoDataCenter, the facility will be designed to offer “sovereign compute” compliant with the EU’s strict data standards, and leveraging Sweden’s abundant green energy.

Set to open in 2027, this data centre will provide the high-performance computing required to train and deploy Mistral’s next-generation AI models.

This is an important move for the company, as it is the first infrastructure project outside France, and it is also a core venture for European data sovereignty.

Meanwhile, US tech titans are attempting to placate European regulators by offering “sovereign-light” solutions. Several Big Tech projects have been rolled out for “localised cloud zones”, for example in Germany and Portugal, promising data residency.

However, critics argue these remain technically dependent on US parent companies, leaving the European industry vulnerable to the whims of the American economy and foreign policy.

As 2026 unfolds, the stakes are clear. The US is betting the house, and its credit rating, on AI dominance.

Europe, cautious and capital-constrained, is hoping that targeted investments and regulation will be enough to carve out a sovereign niche in a world increasingly run on American technology.

We’ve seen animated animals belt out tunes in the “Sing” movies. We’ve learned about “The Secret Life of Pets” (twice). And we’ve visited them in “Zootopia” (also on two occasions). Now we get to see them play basketball. “Goat,” produced by Golden State Warriors prodigy Stephen Curry, is yet another underdog story about following your dreams wrapped in a by-the-numbers sports movie. It feels utterly unoriginal on multiple fronts.

Taking the popular acronym GOAT (Greatest of All Time) to its most literal form, the first feature by TV animation veteran Tyree Dillihay — from a screenplay by Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley — follows an anthropomorphic young goat who aspires to become the GOAT.

A lifelong fan of roarball (this film’s version of basketball), Will, who is voiced by Caleb McLaughlin, dreams of playing for his hometown team, Vineland. His admiration for the sport is embodied by Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union), Vineland’s most accomplished player, who carries the entire team on her back — she wants all the glory of victory for herself.

The world of “Goat” is divided between “smalls” and “bigs” (unlike “Zootopia” where the separation is between predators and prey). Will considers himself a “medium” but in the eyes of professional roarball players, he’s tiny. Still, after going viral for bravely challenging Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), one of the sport’s major stars who is double his size, Will lands a chance to play in the big leagues.

To the credit of the writers, roarball is a rather inclusive sport. There are no gendered teams, nor any discrimination based on species. Will might be the first “small” to make it big, but that stems from the public’s prejudice, not from rules that ban animals like him from playing.

Desperate for instant relevancy (like plenty of animated features these days), “Goat” is steeped in vapid internet references, from crypto to online memes. Sports fans, however, will find specific allusions, like contentious press conferences and even the kiss cam. Rowdy and kinetic from start to finish, “Goat” does in fact reflect the fast-paced dynamism of basketball, but it soon reveals itself a sugar rush without much substance.

Once Will joins the team, a “never meet your heroes” lesson ensues, since Jett feels like he’s usurping her position. Animosity on her part creates tension until Will opens up about his personal reason for playing. The emotions are not complex here, but they are heartfelt, thanks to how McLaughlin and Union conjure up larger-than-life personalities via their voice performances.

Meanwhile, Will’s other teammates — a rhinoceros, a giraffe (played by Curry himself), an ostrich and a Komodo dragon — don’t feel distinct enough from the ensemble casts of other animated projects like “Sing.” Each member of the assortment has their quirks, some of which occasionally yield a chuckle: Archie (David Harbour), the rhino, has two comically violent kid daughters.

There’s no denying “Goat” has a vibrant aesthetic, but that alone can’t overwrite its defects. Back in 2018, Sony Pictures Animation dazzled the industry when “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” introduced an approach that mixed 3D CGI with traditional hand-drawn animation. This combination of techniques doesn’t make “Goat” particularly unique anymore.

What’s most impressive, visually, about “Goat” is the way the natural world blends with the urban settings. Vineland, Will’s neighborhood, is indeed covered in vines and yet the vegetation appears organically integrated into the infrastructure. Each game takes place in a different ecosystem. The finale, for example, unfolds amid cracked volcanic rocks and lava. There’s visible handcraft and care in creating these backdrops for the action.

A mixed bag of eye-catching imagery and formulaic writing, “Goat” disappoints because it follows every expected path toward a triumphant conclusion. Its premise could have offered up a kid-friendly reading on failure that doesn’t simplify a way out of adversity. If talking animals will continue to be used as surrogates for human experiences — especially for young viewers — some nuance would be appreciated.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been training with Arsenal in recent months and thanked the Premier League leaders for helping him to hit the ground running in Glasgow.

“It means a lot,” he said after his dramatic return to competitive action.

“I have to say a big thank you to everyone at Arsenal, giving me the chance to keep my fitness up, and an even bigger thanks to the manager here for giving me the chance to put on this kit and play for this amazing club.

“When you get those opportunities, you want to be able to pay back with moments of quality like that.

“It’s been difficult. Sometimes the way things go in football, especially when you cross that 30-years-of-age barrier, you’re not as valuable as you once were in a business sense.

“I knew I still had a lot to give and training every day for the last three months where I was training gave me the confidence that I can still offer a lot to the game.

“I’m delighted to be here and have the opportunity to do that and help these boys.”

The 32-year-old’s last-gasp goal takes Celtic within a point of Rangers – who drew 1-1 at Motherwell – in second and closer to Hearts, while O’Neill’s side carry that game in hand over both.

“Tonight is a great start for me, but more importantly keeps our goals alive and keeps us going in the right direction,” Oxlade-Chamberlain added.

He says he leapt at the chance to move to Parkhead, with a wee push from his dad.

“It’s an amazing opportunity. When it came up, I didn’t doubt it for one second,” he said.

“My dad’s from an era where this club means a lot. He was straight away telling me ‘I’ll get you in the car and drive you up there myself’.

“It’s a great start, but I know there’s a lot more to it than 13 minutes.”

GAUDY arcades, faded bucket and spade shops and donkey rides on the beach. You may call Blackpool stuck in the past, but I think it’s timeless.

Recently named as one of the best big towns in the UK, Blackpool may be about to see a resurgence.

As Britain’s original seaside holiday resort, this sometimes sunny stretch on the Lancashire coast embodies everything us Brits want from a holiday.

Blackpool, with its seven-mile sandy beach, three pleasure piers, seafront theme park and iconic tower landmark has everything you need for a family holiday – and unlike other coastal towns in the UK – can be enjoyed at an affordable cost.

As a travel writer and content creator, I travel almost every month for work and I’m lucky enough to have been to many of the world’s best holiday destinations, such as New York City, Thailand, Australia and Florida.

In fact, as a Disney travel expert, I’ve been to Disney World more than 50 times, but but I’ve had just as much fun on a weekend in Blackpool as I have at the Florida theme park.

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I live in London now and I also lived in Los Angeles in my 20s, but Blackpool has always held a special place in my heart. I know I will always go back.

Being from a working-class family, overseas family holidays were not something we did very often when I was growing up.

Instead, we would get the train to destinations like Weymouth, Margate and Blackpool from London.

No passport required, but holidays were still the most exciting thing we did every year.

Blackpool was always my favourite.

The seafront was so exciting. We would always walk from the station, passing B&Bs with neon Vacancy signs glowing in the window, that always smelled like egg and chips.

The Blackpool illuminations were dazzling for a little kid like me. Designed in 1879 as an ‘artificial sunlight’ attraction, this appeal has never faded.

Modern light trails and events are popping up from Land’s End to the Scottish Highlands these days – and often charge guests to enter. Even in 2026, Blackpool’s illuminations are still completely free to enjoy.

Who needs Vegas? The Blackpool arcades would be flashing and whirring, luring you inside to win big on the 2p machines. With the great British weather, this was often a necessary past time.

I became a master at winning naff pastel-coloured teddy bears in the grabber machine.

As a theme park nerd, something I inherited from my dad, Blackpool Pleasure Beach was my Disneyland.

The Big Dipper, a wooden rollercoaster built in 1923 and still going strong, was my first thrill ride. Being tall enough to ride this was like graduating tweenhood. My dad was thrilled as he finally had a rollercoaster buddy.

When The Big One opened in 1994, it was the highlight of the holiday. I was 12. From the top of the 235ft drop, you can see the whole of Blackpool Seafront laid out in front of you. It’s spectacular.

As you tip over the edge and race to the ground at 85mph with the wind in your hair, it’s exhilarating. For 12-year-old me, I was on the top of world.

Family holidays these days feel far more complicated. Even with short breaks in the UK, costs can add up.

I often want to create the wholesome British beach breaks of my childhood, but many destinations feel very different.

Some UK hotspots cost more than flying abroad. But, nabbing a great deal overseas can sometimes be stressful, confusing and time consuming.

Then you have to factor in long travel days, airports and finding somewhere with something for everyone that comes in under budget.

Like most parents, if I can take advantage of a kid’s club or send my two children on the rides together, while I wave from the side-line, I will. Life is busy these days and even 10 mins of peace can feel like a mini break.

But Blackpool hasn’t changed much since my memories of the early 90s.

Everything can be enjoyed together. Paddling on the beach, sharing a bag of chips, screaming in the lift to the top of the Blackpool Tower and enjoying the famous Blackpool Tower Circus.

The foundation for family fun is at the heart of this seaside town and I think it always will be.

Unlike many places which jump between personalities, Blackpool has always known its place – and better still, been proud of it.

I have gone back many times. I’ve also sold my friends on to Blackpool’s charms and we try to get a girls’ weekend in every couple of years too.

It’s an ideal weekend break for all ages.

Bursting onto the scene as a leisure destination for industrial workers and working-class families, in over 150 years, nothing has changed.

While other seaside towns have been infiltrated with artisan coffee shops, art galleries and trendy crowds migrating from the big cities, sending house prices and rents through the roof, Blackpool is still an affordable place to live and visit.

It’s not the spot for a delicate macaron or an eye-wateringly expensive afternoon tea.

But if you’re happy with a £2 doughnut and a hot cocoa in a paper cup, you can enjoy a great snack with sea views for under a fiver.

Budget-conscious visitors can get a decent hotel room for only £17 per night. Haven Morten Mare Holiday Park, just 15-minutes down the road has deals for £112 for a weekend for the whole family.

Attractions like the Blackpool Illuminations, Stanley Park, the promenade and piers are all free to experience. There are sometimes deals to enter Blackpool Pleasure Beach theme park for only £10 too.

As a mum, knowing I won’t be racking up a huge debt makes holidays less stressful from the start.

My kids are far more travelled than I was at their age, but I have noticed that spending big doesn’t always make them happiest on holiday.

Kids, like me and like my parents 30 years ago, just want to let off steam, have a bit of fun and have a bit of a break from life.

You don’t have to spend a lot to get that, especially in Blackpool.

I do sometimes splash out though. Mr Whippy with two flakes? Oh go on then.

WATFORD may not be top of your staycation bucket list, especially after it was named one of the UK’s worst big towns.

Ranked poorly by The Telegraph, it was slated for its its ‘concrete centres and bad vibes’.

They might not like it, but as a local – I’m 30 mins down the M1 from there – I feel the need to jump to its defence.

I look at the town with an air of nostalgia because – believe it or not – some of the highlights of my childhood were spent in Watford.

In my teens, it was the closest thing to an action-packed city we had, unless we wanted to trek into London, which quite frankly was a cost my pals and I didn’t want to incur, plus our parents all worried about our safety in the big smoke. 

Days were spent at the Harlequin shopping centre, which had all the top high street shops but without the London crowds. Mum would take me here in early school years to buy new shoes from Clark’s.

PICTURE PERFECT

Pretty English town with one of the most beautiful streets in the UK

BY THE RIVERSIDE

English town called the ‘Gateway to Cornwall’ with one of UK’s best pubs

I’d watch the Disney movies in shoe heaven while mum and the shop assistants liaised over styles and measured how much my tootsies had grown.

I spent weekends as a season ticket holder watching Watfords now distinctly average football team play on its home turf, stopping for chippies to celebrate (or commiserate) post game.

When I turned 17, my pals and I graduated from the shops to the clubs and bars.

In the 2000s party glory days, we’d grab our glad rags and the tallest platform heels we could find, starting at Vodka Revolutions where shots were cheap as chips, then heading on to one of the mega clubs like Oceana or Area (both now gone).

We wouldn’t walk between venues, instead we’d hop on a bicycle tuktuk, just like the fairy-light clad ones you find in London, only cheaper. 

Top Golf was another cherished activity at the weekends.

The experience is still there today, home to a lively bar and several putting stations.

You don’t have to be good at golf to play, the aim of the game is to whack the balls into targets laid out on the vast green ahead.

Admittedly, I don’t visit Watford as frequently nowadays as most of my time is spent either close to my office in London Bridge, or my hometown, when I’m not off travelling the world.

But it still holds a charm nonetheless. And well worth a visit.

For starters, the is where the UKs leading Harry Potter attraction is, Warner Bros Studio Tour.

Potter fans will be blown over by what’s on offer here and you can pick up some wizarding treats seen on screen and read in the books, like butterbeer, before getting a first hand look behind the magical scenes seen on screen.

Don’t forget to pull a squealing mandrake out of the dirt and explore the Dursley’s house in Privet Drive.

There’s a decent restaurant scene now, too.

Humo is a great option for meat lovers with grubs scorched over an open flame.

The shopping is still decent – and less busy than those in London!

And little kids can take advantage of a Vue cinema and pottery painting while older ones test their nerve at indoor go karting or ninja warrior adventure.

So even if Watford is a little rough around the edges and not the prettiest place to look at, it’s still got it perks. 

One things for sure, you’ll never get bored. But I do wish they’d bring back those booming clubs

Clare Balding met wife Alice Arnold when they both worked at the BBC in the 1990s, admitting she had one major question she wanted to ask in the early days of their relationship

Clare Balding had a “big question” for her wife Alice Arnold when the pair first started dating. Clare, 55, met 64-year-old Alice when they were both working on the BBC in 1999.

Their relationship blossomed and in 2006 they entered into a civil partnership together, later marrying in 2015, when same-sex marriage was legalised. And while the pair have now been together for over 26 years, Clare says there was one thing that could have been a deal-breaker.

The BBC Sport presenter says she is a lover of animals, having grown up surrounded by “hundreds” of horses and dogs. It meant Clare always wanted to have a dog in her life as an adult.

Speaking on the Bookshelfie podcast, she said: “When Alice and I first got together my big question, ahead of everything, was, ‘Can we get a dog?’ It’s really important. Twenty four years later I’m glad she said, ‘Yes, we can get a dog’.”

Podcast host Yomi Adegoke, added: “You need to lay that groundwork because if the answers are not aligned, this is not going to work.”

Alice has previously admitted that allowing her wife to have a dog was one of the “original commitments” she made during the early stage of their relationship. In Clare’s book, Isle of Dogs, former Radio 4 announcer Alice said she would “never go back” on the pledge.

Clare admits she was left with a “dog-shaped hole” in her heart in 2020 after her much-loved Tibetan terrier Archie had to be put to sleep. While she says it was the “best decision” for the dog, she admits she “thinks about him everyday”.

After Archie’s death, Clare felt compelled to continue walking his favourite routes around Chiswick, London, to honour his memory.

Speaking to The Times, Clare said: “After Archie died in 2020 I wanted to walk his favourite route repeatedly to remember him, which seems a rather masochistic thing to do, and it was so painful because we kept seeing dogs we knew, and I’d stop to say hello before bursting into tears. We cried a heck of a lot, but slowly it became easier.”

Clare hopes that she and Alice will swap London for the countryside eventually so they can welcome a new dog into their lives. Clare explained: “We’re looking to move out of London, and one of the main reasons for that is to have a bit more space and protection from the road so it’s a good environment for a dog.

“As soon as we’re settled, it’s our plan – probably next spring. I smile at the thought of having a dog back in our lives.”

Clare previously revealed to MailOnline that she yearns for “everything a dog brings” to her life, from the icy winter strolls to the “enthusiastic greeting” Archie would offer her upon returning home from work.

She describes Archie as the “perfect dog” because he didn’t moult, which mattered greatly to Alice, who suffers from dog allergies. Clare, who hosts Crufts on Channel 4, explained: “Tibetan terriers are small enough to pick up but strong enough to go on long walks.

“They are intelligent, loyal and full of character. They are good guard dogs but don’t yap without cause.”

Clare will be presenting the coverage of the Winter Olympics on BBC Two between 6pm and 10pm tonight (February 7). It will feature the final run of the men’s singles luge, the ski jumping medal ceremony, and the big air run of the men’s snowboarding among others.

Avoid paying a massive fee at the airport gates by checking your cabin bag size before you fly. With half term on the way, here’s the latest sizing regulations for some of the most popular airlines

One thing that often catches passengers out when flying on budget airlines is cabin baggage allowances. On busy flights, it’s common to see the dreaded bag sizer coming out, and being over just a centimetre can mean you end up paying a massive fee to check your bag at the gate.

To make things even more confusing, cabin bag size allowances change all the time, so even if you’re a frequent flyer, you can get caught out. It’s always best to check the size of the cabin bag that’s included with your ticket just before you go, so you can avoid hassle at the gates.

It’s also much cheaper to pay for extra bags when you book your flight, not once you’re at the airport, so always make sure you’ve booked the amount you need in advance.

Cabin bag allowances by airline

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Ryanair

Ryanair is notorious for strictly enforcing cabin baggage sizes, and if you’re taking a bag on board, you should make sure you get the tape measure out and check the dimensions before you head to the airport.

However, there’s good news for Ryanair passengers: the free underseat bag included in its basic fare can now be slightly larger. Previously, this small bag had to fit in a sizer with the dimensions of 40 x 25 x 20 cm, but since summer 2025 it can now be up to 40 x 30 x 20 cm. These free bags need to fit under the seat in front of you, and usually people bring a handbag, laptop bag, or small rucksack.

Technically, there’s no weight limit on these small bags, as long as they fit under the seat, but passengers will need to be able to carry and handle them, and an excessively heavy bag could be noticed by flight attendants.

Passengers can also pay to bring a second cabin bag of up to 55 x 40 x 20cm onboard with them, and this bag has a weight limit of 10KG. Passengers will need to lift this bag into the overhead locker above them, so bear this in mind when packing. If you prefer to check a bag, you can add a 10KG, 20KG, or 23KG bag to the hold. Prices vary depending on route and availability.

EasyJet

Budget airline easyJet is also known for strictly monitoring bag sizes, and you’ll see lots of orange sizers around the airport so you can check whether your luggage will fit. However, it’s best to measure bags at home when they’re packed so you can adjust accordingly.

Everyone who flies with easyJet gets one small underseat cabin bag included in the price. This can be up to 45 x 36 x 20 cm in size, and easyJet states it can’t exceed 15KG in weight.

Customers also have the option to book a second cabin bag of 56 x 45 x 25 cm maximum, including handles and wheels. As a bonus, if you book a second bag, you get speedy boarding included. When booking your flight, you also have the option to pay for up to three checked bags of 15KG, 23KG, or a whopping 32KG. Some airports offer a twilight bag drop for passengers on early flights, meaning you can check your luggage the night before heading off and head straight for security in the morning.

Jet2

Whether you’ve booked a package holiday with Jet2, or just a flight, cabin baggage allowances are the same. You get a small bag of 40 x 30 x 20cm, which must fit under the seat, and the price also includes a 10KG piece of hand luggage of up to 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. Again, you must ensure measurements include handles, wheels, and other fixtures.

Package holidays include 22KG of checked baggage, but if you’ve only booked a flight, you can still add a checked bag for a fee. Passengers can buy up to three bags of 22KG in weight, perfect for those who don’t like to travel light.

Families travelling with young kids can also bring a collapsible pushchair, car seat, and/or travel cot free of charge.

British Airways

British Airways (BA)’s economy basic fare includes a handbag and a cabin bag. The former can be up to 40 x 30 x 15cm in size and needs to easily fit under the seat in front, while cabin bags can be up to 56 x 45 x 25cm in size. However, BA can only guarantee that the smaller item will be allowed on board. If there’s not enough space in the overhead locker, your cabin bag may need to go in the hold.

BA also offers a range of options for checked bags, depending on the flight route you take and which classes are available. Economy with checked bag includes a 23KG bag in the hold, and unlike most airlines, BA put a size restriction on these checked bags of 90 x 75 x 43cm. Those lucky enough to fly business or first class get much bigger allowances.

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TUI

If you’ve booked a flight only on TUI Airways, you’ll get a piece of hand luggage of up to 10KG in weight for free, and this can measure up to 55 x 40 x 20 cm. You can also bring a small personal item like a handbag or laptop bag of up to 40 x 30 x 20cm that’s placed under the seat in front of you. TUI emphasises that passengers must be able to lift their hand luggage into overhead storage compartments themselves.

Customers can also add a checked bag when booking their flight, with prices depending on the route and availability. However, if you book a package holiday through TUI and are flying with its airline, then 20KG of checked luggage is included. Some holiday types, such as TUI BLUE or cruises, have a 25KG allowance, so it’s worth checking your booking confirmation before you go.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

Boasting a bigger population than some UK towns and even cities, one village still remains without official town status, despite its Gothic Chapel and train station

A picturesque village that has been deemed the ‘largest in the UK’ is so big that people think it’s a town.

Nestled along the Sussex coast is the large village of Lancing, home to around 19,000 residents. Situated between Worthing and Shoreham-by-Sea, it’s renowned for its shingle beaches and panoramic sea views.

The village offers a charming, peaceful life alongside the Sussex coast, with a close-knit community feel. It’s also perfect for a seaside day out, with coastal paths and along the seafront is its award-winning café, The Perch, which offers brunch, burgers, an ultimate sharing roast, and homemade desserts

It has its own train station, hotels near the beach, a Mermaid School, and impressively, the largest school chapel in the world at the Lancing College Chapel. Lancing also boasts the rare Widewater Lagoon, the tranquil Sensory Garden, and even its Premier League training grounds.

READ MORE: Beautiful British walking trail has ‘incredible’ views of mountains and abandoned railwayREAD MORE: Village with hidden ‘stunning’ pub visitors can’t stop raving about

With a population of around 19,000, Lancing is known as the ‘largest village in the UK’, with claims that it could be the biggest in Europe. Yet, it fails to gain recognition as a town, even though it’s larger than established towns across England, and even some cities!

The town of Winchcombe in Gloucestershire has a population of around 5,000, while the city of Wells in Somerset has an estimated 12,000 residents, give or take. However, it’s believed that the residents of Lancing are quite proud to have their status as the ‘UK’s largest village’.

James Brown, director at Robert Luff and Co estate agents, previously told Sussex Live: “I think a lot of people are surprised it isn’t a town. Although we are quite glad it maintains its village status, as it helps us, and people living here like having that title. But it is likely that it will become a town with new developments taking place, and if or when this happens, it could attract more businesses to the area.

“Lancing is especially popular with people moving out of Brighton & Hove who are looking to move somewhere a bit cheaper than Shoreham, so it becomes an obvious choice.”

Yet, the boundary between a village and a town is not as clear as you may think. While we might assume the UK would have established a firm definition by now, neither the National Planning Policy Framework nor the national planning practice guidance offers one.

“Instead, we’re left with a delightful mix of historical interpretations, local authority classifications, and the occasional dictionary reference,” noted planning organisation Land Tech.

The House of Commons Library’s research briefing City and Town Classification of Constituencies and Local Authorities (2018), sought to clarify the various classifications with the following population guides:

• Villages and small communities: Under 7,500 residents
• Small towns: 7,500 to 24,999 residents
• Medium towns: 25,000 to 59,999 residents
• Large towns: 60,000 to 174,999 residents
• Cities: 175,000+ residents

However, this isn’t a rigid system, as numerous cities have minuscule populations, including the famously compact St Davids in Wales. The progression from town to city is equally uncontroversial.

Despite its village status, Lancing still attracts visitors for a day out at its famed beach. One shared on TripAdvisor: “Great beach, very clean and tidy. Great for families and winter walks. Great views and very clean. Lovely beach huts to see as well.”

Another added: “A really good beach with plenty of facilities around for eating, exercising and for kids too. Great for dog walking. Good sea views.”

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

From Ryan Kartje: At the bitter end of a brutal January, Kennedy Smith put her head down, determined to will her way to the hoop. All month long, USC faded in the most unfortunate moments, letting games get away from them. There was the 16-point lead lost in Ann Arbor. The frustrating final five minutes against Oregon. The seven fourth-quarter turnovers at Minnesota. And so on.

The Trojans had lost six of their last seven entering Thursday, not far from the worst stretch of Lindsay Gottlieb’s tenure as coach. But as No. 8 Iowa climbed back in the third quarter, threatening to add another defeat to that list, Smith, the Trojans’ emotional leader, took matters into her hands.

She drove once, then again, then again. Four times in a matter of two minutes, the relentless Smith attacked the hoop, carrying the weight of USC’s weeks-long slump on her shoulders as she did. When she finally let up, the Trojans were well out in front again, rolling from there to an 81-69 victory.

The Hawkeyes (18-3 overall, 9-1 Big Ten) had not lost in Big Ten play coming into Thursday, while Gottlieb’s Trojans had struggled to find a foothold in the conference. But it all finally came together at Galen Center in what was arguably USC’s best game to date, an upset that could turn the tide of the Trojans’ season.

Gottlieb said after the game that she felt a single win like Thursday’s could spark a turnaround.

Nevertheless, she said, “right now, this was really, really needed.”

Continue reading here

USC box score

Big Ten standings

Reaves still out, Doncic questionable

From Broderick Turner: The Lakers have upgraded guard Austin Reaves (left calf strain) to questionable from out and listed guard Luka Doncic (left ankle soreness) as questionable for Friday night’s game against the Washington Wizards.

Reaves has been out since getting injured on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets, a span of 17 games.

In 23 games this season, Reaves is averaging career highs in points (26.6), assists (6.3) and rebounds (5.2). Reaves is shooting 50.7% from the field and 36.5% from three-point range.

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‘We want Bronny’: Guard Bronny James shines during Lakers’ ugly loss to Cleveland

Kings’ winning streak ends

Alex Tuch had his fourth career hat trick to push his season goals total to 22, leading the surging Buffalo Sabres to a 4-1 victory over the Kings on Thursday night.

Alex Lyon made a season-high 37 saves for his 10th consecutive victory to break the franchise record set by Gerry Desjardins in December 1976.

Tuch reached the 20-goal mark for the fourth straight season and fifth overall. Mattias Samuelsson also scored to help the Sabres win for the 20 time in 24 games.

Adrian Kempe scored for the Kings, and Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves. The Kings had won three straight games and earned points in six in a row.

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Kings summary

NHL standings

Canucks pluck Ducks

Nikita Tolopilo made 32 saves, Drew O’Connor opened the scoring with 9:42 left and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Ducks 2-0 on Thursday night.

Tolopilo was denied his first NHL shutout after missing the first 2:11 of the second period because of concussion protocol after he was run over by Ryan Poehling late in the first period.

Lukas Dostal made 24 saves for the Ducks (28-23-3).

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Ducks summary

NHL standings

Jordan Chiles might get her medal back

From Chuck Schilken: Jordan Chiles might be able to keep the bronze medal she won, then was stripped of, at the 2024 Paris Olympics after all.

On Jan. 23, Swiss Federal Supreme Court sent the U.S. gymnast’s case back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to re-examine the matter “on the basis of an audio-visual recording” that could provide evidence in Chiles’ favor, the court said Thursday in a news release.

“The Federal Supreme Court acknowledged that this new evidence may justify a modification of the contested award,” Switzerland’s highest court stated. “It referred the case back to the CAS for it to re-examine the situation, taking this new evidence into account.”

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Rams hire special teams coordinator

From Gary Klein: Sean McVay did not waste any time attempting to address the Rams’ problematic special teams going into next season.

The Rams hired Raymond “Bubba” Ventrone as their special teams coordinator, a person with knowledge of the situation said Thursday. The person requested anonymity because the hiring has not been announced.

Ventrone, a former NFL player, was the Cleveland Browns special teams coordinator the last three seasons. He also has been a coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts, and coached for the New England Patriots.

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Super Bowl Sunday

Sunday, Feb. 8
at Santa Clara
Seattle vs. New England
3:30 p.m. PT, NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, KLAC AM 570
Halftime show: Bad Bunny
National anthem: Charlie Puth
Odds: Seahawks favored by 4.5 points
Over/Under: 45.5 points

This day in sports history

1926 — The major league rules committee mandates that pitchers must have access to a rosin bag.

1971 — UCLA starts its 88-game winning streak with a 74-61 win over UC Santa Barbara.

1983 — John Riggins rushes for a Super Bowl-record 166 yards in 38 carries to spark the Washington Redskins to a comeback 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins. For Riggins, the game’s MVP, it’s his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game during the playoffs, also a record.

1992 — Jockey Mike Smith wins six races in one day at Aqueduct for the second time in the month. His first six-winner day at Aqueduct was on Jan. 13.

1993 — Monica Seles beats Steffi Graf 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to capture her third straight Australian Open.

1994 — The Dallas Cowboys, behind MVP Emmitt Smith and safety James Washington, beat Buffalo 30-13 for their second straight NFL title while giving the Bills four straight Super Bowl losses.

1996 — Magic Johnson finishes with 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in the Lakers’ 128-118 victory over Golden State. It is Johnson’s first regular-season game back from a 4 1/2-season retirement.

1999 — Martina Hingis wins her fifth Grand Slam title and third straight Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over France’s Amelie Mauresmo.

2001 — Daron Rahlves wins the super giant slalom, the first American to capture the event at the world championships.

2002 — Utah’s Karl Malone becomes second player in NBA history to register 34,000 points by scoring 18 in a 90-78 win over Chicago at the Delta Center; trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points).

2006 — Teemu Selanne scores two goals for his 1,000th point in the Ducks’ 4-3 overtime victory over the Kings.

2010 — Serena Williams ends Justine Henin’s hopes of a Grand Slam title in her return from retirement with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory in the Australian Open final.

2011 — MVP DeAngelo Hall has one of his team’s five interceptions and returns a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown to help the NFC match a Pro Bowl scoring record in a 55-41 victory over the AFC. AFC quarterbacks Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning and Matt Cassel each throw first-half interceptions to help the NFC open a 42-0 lead.

2011 — Loui Eriksson’s second goal, an empty-netter at 18:49 of the third period, helps seal an 11-10 victory for Team Lidstrom against Team Staal in the NHL All-Star Game.

2015 — The Phoenix Open continues without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The biggest shock is Woods, who bogeys on his last hole for an 82, the worst score in his two decades as a pro. Mickelson shoots 76 and misses the cut by two shots.

2016 — Angelique Kerber upsets Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win the Australian Open title, ending the six-time champion’s unbeaten streak in finals at Melbourne Park.

2018 — Houston guard James Harden puts up highest scoring triple-double in NBA history (60 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists) as the Rockets beat Orlando Magic, 114-107 in Houston.

2022 — Australian Open Men’s Tennis: Rafael Nadal wins record 21st Grand Slam singles title with an epic 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 win over Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Entering a particularly consequential season for coach Lincoln Riley at USC, a brutal Big Ten slate won’t cut the Trojans or their coach any slack in 2026.

That much was clear long before the Big Ten officially released its schedule for next season Tuesday. USC already knew it would face the conference’s top three teams from a season ago (Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon). But the official unveiling of the slate would further solidify just how grueling the climb could be for USC next season.

Oregon will face Portland State, an FCS team, a week before coming to USC on Sept. 26. Ohio State will have a bye week before its Halloween meeting with USC at the Coliseum, and so will the defending champ, Indiana, which USC will face in Bloomington on Nov. 14.

The Trojans will assuredly have to win at least one of those games to maintain their hopes of making the College Football Playoff in Riley’s fifth season. The rest of the schedule is hardly a cakewalk too, with trips to Rutgers (Sept. 19), Penn State (Oct. 10) and Wisconsin (Oct. 24).

The nonconference schedule is still being finalized, after talks broke down between USC and Notre Dame over the future of their rivalry series. But with two byes already baked into the Trojans’ schedule, a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told The Times that USC plans to schedule its season opener during Week Zero, with a home game on Aug. 29.

That timing drastically cuts down USC’s options for finding a fill-in opponent to open the season against at the Coliseum.

In order to play in Week Zero in its home stadium and not internationally or at a neutral site, USC must secure an exemption from the NCAA. That probably limits the Trojans to a team that faces Hawaii in 2026 — and thus gets an exemption from the NCAA to play an additional game — or means playing a Football Championship Series team, which USC has notably never done.

Starting the season early will allow for USC to add an extra bye week, while most Big Ten schools are working with just one during their 2026 slates. It’ll need that break considering what the latter half of the season holds.

After kicking off in late August, USC opens the season with home games in five of its first six weeks. But after that, the Trojans return home just twice the rest of the season, for matchups against Ohio State on Oct. 31 and Maryland on Nov. 21.

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Luka Doncic skipped, shimmied and shot. The Lakers dunked, hollered and won.

Doncic dazzled yet again with 46 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in the Lakers’ 129-118 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday. The Lakers (28-17) notched their fourth win in five games. It was his third game in the last four with at least 10 assists — all wins.

The Lakers are less than two weeks removed from losing five of six games, a skid that prompted coach JJ Redick to challenge Doncic and LeBron James during a team meeting to look for their teammates more. The Lakers weren’t “trusting the pass” Redick said last week after the team’s loss to the Clippers.

Doncic has responded with 11 assists in back-to-back games since the loss to the Clippers and the Lakers have had 26 assists in each of their previous two wins. James, in addition to 24 points, had three assists Monday.

“They took it in a good way and that’s what they’ve been doing,” forward Rui Hachimura said of James’ and Doncic’s response to Redick’s message. “And then, we’re winning. And then everybody gets touches and everybody shares a ball. It’s fun. That’s how basketball should be.”

Continue reading here

Lakers box score

NBA standings

Rams’ loss in on McVay’s shoulders

From Bill Plaschke: Late in the mess that was the Rams’ final game of the season, Sean McVay was seen frustratingly burying his face in his play card.

That couldn’t hide the truth.

The Rams’ 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in the NFC championship game must be draped on the deflated shoulders of the Rams’ resident genius.

As blasphemous as it sounds when referencing one of the greatest coaches in Los Angeles sports history, this one was on McVay.

A day after his 40th birthday, McVay coached like he was no longer the child prodigy, but instead an aging leader who leaves himself open to second-guessing.

McVay has rarely deserved criticism in his nine successful seasons here. But in the wake of an afternoon at Seattle’s deafening Lumen Field that should have propelled the Rams to the Super Bowl, this is one of those times.

Continue reading here

Cooper Kupp delivers poetic justice against Rams team that dumped him

Takeaways from the Rams’ loss to Seattle in NFC championship

Tart, Chargers have a deal

Defensive lineman Teair Tart is returning to the Chargers with a three-year contract extension.

The Chargers announced the deal Monday night for Tart, who joined the team in August 2024 after he was released by the Miami Dolphins. Tart quickly became a contributor to Los Angeles’ defense, and he started all 18 games this season in the middle of the Bolts’ line.

Tart has 61 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one sack and an interception in his two seasons with the Chargers. He has been particularly effective in run defense, stepping up to fill a need created when Poona Ford left last year to sign with the Rams.

Continue reading here

Chargers hire ex-Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator

Super Bowl Sunday

Sunday, Feb. 8
at Santa Clara
Seattle vs. New England
3:30 p.m. PT, NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, KLAC AM 570
Halftime show: Bad Bunny
National anthem: Charlie Puth
Odds: Seahawks favored by 4.5 points
Over/Under: 45.5 points

Dodgers TV deal explained

From Bill Shaikin: The Dodgers’ $240-million signing of Kyle Tucker revived anguished cries that the team is ruining baseball. It also revived a strange chapter in team history, with frenzied online commentary that the signing of Tucker was made possible in large part because Major League Baseball long ago rewarded the Dodgers’ owners with preferential financial treatment that continues to this day. Is that true? Here’s a Q&A that explains all:

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Ducks’ win streak ends

Mattias Ekholm scored a hat trick and the Edmonton Oilers rode a dominant second period to a 7-4 victory over the Ducks on Monday.

Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid each added a goal and an assist for the Oilers, Spencer Stastney scored his first in an Edmonton jersey and Darnell Nurse also scored.

Three of the Ducks’ four goals came from Mikael Granlund on the power play, starting with his 10th tally of the season 3:24 into the game.

The result broke a seven-game win streak for the Ducks,

Continue reading here

Ducks summary

NHL standings

Kings game is postponed

The NHL postponed the Columbus Blue Jackets’ home game against the Kings on Monday night because of a major winter storm that created dangerous travel conditions across much of the United States.

Almost a foot of snow fell in Columbus, Ohio, and windchill factors were forecast to be around minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday night. The game is rescheduled for March 9 in Columbus.

This day in sports history

1937 — Tris Speaker and Cy Young are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1973 — UCLA, led by Bill Walton, sets an NCAA record for consecutive victories with its 61st win, an 82-63 victory over Notre Dame. UCLA breaks the record of 60 set by San Francisco in 1956. Walton scores 16 points, grabs 15 rebounds and blocks 10 shots.

1982 — Geoff Houston of the Cleveland Cavaliers hands out 27 assists, two short of the NBA record and scores 24 points in a 110-106 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

1991 — The New York Giants survive the closest Super Bowl ever when Scott Norwood’s 47-yard field goal attempt with 8 seconds left in the game goes wide. The Giants win their second Super Bowl in five years, 20-19 over the Buffalo Bills.

1993 — American Chad Rowan is awarded the highest rank in sumo wrestling, the ancient Japanese sport, making him the first foreign “yokozuna.” The 6-foot-8, 455-pounder from Honolulu, becomes the 64th person to hold the top rank in the sport’s history.

1996 — The U.S. Golf Assn. elects Judy Bell as the first female president in its 101-year history.

2001 — Jennifer Capriati upsets three-time winner Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-3 to win the Australian Open and her first Grand Slam tournament title.

2003 — Hermann Maier wins a World Cup super giant slalom in Kitzbuehel, Austria, a victory he ranks among his finest triumphs. The win comes 18 months after he almost loses his leg in a motorcycle crash.

2007 — Serena Williams wins her third Australian Open singles title, routing Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2. Unseeded and ranked 81st, Williams wins her eighth and most improbable Grand Slam. She is the second unseeded woman to win the Australian title in the Open era.

2008 — Novak Djokovic fends off unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the Australian Open final, earning his first Grand Slam title.

2008 — Eric Staal wins the most valuable player award in the NHL All-Star game, registering two goals and an assist in the East’s 8-7 win over the Western Conference. Staal helps set up Marc Savard’s winning goal with 20.9 seconds left.

2010 — Washington’s Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton are suspended without pay for the remainder of the season by NBA commissioner David Stern. Both players admit to bringing a gun or guns into the Wizards’ locker room — a violation of the collective bargaining agreement — after a dispute stemming from a card game on a team flight.

2011 — Roger Federer, the 16-time Grand Slam winner, is knocked out of the Australian Open by Novak Djokovic in a semifinal match, 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-4. Federer’s loss marks the first time since 2003 that he wouldn’t hold any of the four major titles.

2013 — Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2 to become the first man in the Open era to win three consecutive Australian Open titles.

2013 — Little-known Max Aaron wins his first title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and helps knock down three-time men’s champion Jeremy Abbott to third place.

2013 — Speedskater Heather Richardson edges Canada’s Christine Nesbitt in the final women’s race to become the first American woman to win the World Sprint Championships since 2005.

2013 — The NFC blew past the AFC 62-35 in the Pro Bowl. Minnesota tight end Kyle Rudolph is voted the game’s MVP with five catches for 122 yards and a touchdown.

2018 — Australian Open Women’s Tennis: Caroline Wozniacki beats Simona Halep 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 to win her first Grand Slam title.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Netflix has announced a new drama series that’s shaping up to be a must-watch for fans of Killing Eve and Big Little Lies

Netflix has unveiled a gripping new drama series that promises to captivate fans of Killing Eve and Big Little Lies.

Focusing on two former best friends, the eight-episode drama from creator Lauren Iungerich (On My Block, Awkward) delves into toxic female friendships in unprecedented depth.

Billed as a “sexy, emotional thriller”, Poser will feature Geek Girl’s Daisy Jelley and Schitt’s Creek star Annie Murphy.

They’ll be joined by Sadie Stanley, recognised from Karate Kids: Legends, who was confirmed as part of the cast last week.

The storyline reveals that one friend will finally experience the life she’s always yearned for, before becoming embroiled in a psychological game beyond her wildest nightmares, reports the Express.

A synopsis for the series states: “Poser centres around two estranged former best friends.

“When one of them is given a chance to live the life she’s long coveted, and maybe get answers as to why they fell out years ago, she finds herself in a psychological game of revenge, betrayal, and heartbreak- ultimately altering their lives, and those around them, forever.”

The series comes after creator Iungerich secured a multi-year agreement with Netflix back in 2020.

She will take on roles as showrunner, writer, and executive producer, with Jamie Dooner also signed on as executive producer for Crazy Cat Lady Entertainment.

Get Netflix free with Sky for Bridgerton Season 4

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‘Dearest gentle reader’, as the fourth season of Bridgerton follows second son Benedict love story, there’s a way to watch this fairytale-like season for less.

Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan. This lets customers watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes the new season of Bridgerton.

Details about Poser remain scarce beyond the initial premise at this stage, including its anticipated Netflix release date. However, it’s been confirmed that the series will comprise eight hour-long episodes, perfect for a weekend binge-watch.

Taking a closer look at the cast, newcomer Stanley is an actress and singer who first graced our screens in the title role of Disney Channel’s Kim Possible film in 2019.

She has also featured in the popular sitcom The Goldbergs, as well as films such as The Sleepover and Let Us In.

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**

Meanwhile, her co-star Jelley is recognised for her main cast role as Poppy Hepple-Cartwright in Geek Girl and also shared the screen with Netflix’s Seven Dials star Mia McKenna-Bruce in the independent coming-of-age film How to Have Sex.

Lastly, Murphy is globally known for her starring role as Alexis Rose in the hit sitcom Schitt’s Creek.

She has also garnered praise for her performances in Black Mirror, Russian Doll and Kevin Can F*** Himself.

Poser does not yet have a release date.