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A EUROPEAN airport has been forced to close for the third day in a row as a volcano eruption continues to disrupt thousands of passengers.

Flights at Catania Airport in Sicily, Italy, will now be suspended until at least early Saturday due to ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing volcanic eruption.

Over the course of this week hundreds of flights have been cancelled with further flights diverted to neighbouring airport Palermo.

The airport has been closed for three days now, with flights disrupted over the past seven days.

In the latest update on its website, the airport states: “Due to Mount Etna’s eruptive activity, the closure of Sector C1 and B3 has been extended, resulting in the suspension of departures and arrivals until 2:00 AM on August 15.

“Passengers are kindly advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before heading to the airport.

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“Further updates will follow in the coming hours.”

Flights cancelled today include:

• 10:50am easyJet service to Bristol Airport
• 11:45am easyJet service to Edinburgh Airport
• 12:15pm easyJet service to London Gatwick
• 12:30pm BA Euroflyer service to London Gatwick

In total, nine flights to the UK are cancelled today as well as nine flights from the UK due to arrive at Catania.

Over the past days, more than 700 flights have been cancelled.

Families have also been left stranded at the airport, with videos on social media showing how some passengers have resorted to sleeping on luggage belts at the airport.

The impact has spread further than the Sicilian airport as well, with Malta International Airport forced to cancel 19 flights earlier this week too.

Disney California Adventure is on the verge of a transformation. The 25-year-old next-door neighbor to the Disneyland Resort will be doubling the size of its Avengers Campus in the coming months.

Farther down the road will be the arrival of an “Avatar”-inspired area in the current Hollywood Land corner of the park. Walt Disney Imagineering, the arm of the company dedicated to theme park experiences, revealed a detailed model an “Avatar” water ride destined for the park at its all-things-Disney convention D23.

The miniature shows the ride snaking around the Disneyland Monorail, and reveals a landscape that will fully transform the look and tone of California Adventure. It’s green, it’s lush, it’s a little rustic and it looks as if a mini rainforest will be slotted into the park.

A model of the forthcoming “Avatar”-inspired area includes a monorail in a lush forest.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times )

The “Avatar” model is just one part of expansive booth dedicated to what’s currently in development at Disney’s global parks. The centerpiece of the D23 area is no doubt a model of Piston Peak, a “Cars”-inspired land coming to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, which, in contrast to Anaheim’s Cars Land, takes on the feel of a woody town nestled next to a national park.

Elsewhere, Imagineering has revealed a look at the soon-to-be remodeled Avengers Campus, which is deep in development on two new attractions that will effectively double the size of the area. The two attractions will different drastically in style.

One is a previously announced ride featuring the Avengers in battle across the multiverse with King Thanos. At a media preview on Thursday, Disney didn’t show off much of the attraction, Avengers Infinity Defense, but expect a dark ride that will emphasize 3D screens in a battle across quickly changing locales.

A look at the expanded Avengers Campus Disney California Adventure shown at D23. Two additional rides are currently under construction.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times )

The other, Stark Flight Lab, is pitched as a testing of new Avengers technology. It’s an amusement-park-like thrill ride, in which guests will sit in two-person pods and then attach to a mechanical arm that will lift them into the air and attempt to simulate sensations of flight.

“It’s going to be definitely thrilling,” said Emily “Emo” O’Brien, an Imagineer who helps lead creative direction of the Disneyland Resort.

Timetables for the completed Avengers Campus and the “Avatar” expansion were not yet detailed, although the Marvel additions are widely seen as not far off. Disney is expected to reveal more info on both projects, as well as a “Coco”-inspired boat ride coming to the park, at a Saturday evening presentation.

Concept art of an “Avatar”-inspired attraction coming to Disney California Adventure.

(20th Century / Disneyland Resort)

The addition of “Avatar” is especially notable as it veers the park, one that began with a mission to reflect our Golden State, into further realms of fantasy. Cars Land, for instance, could be read, in part, as an exploration of Southern California car culture and an ode to Route 66.

An especially noteworthy aspect of the “Avatar” model was the appearance of the ride to be visible outside of its grand show building, as guests walking through the park will be able to glimpse its boats gliding past them. A model of the ride vehicles appears to show six rows that can accommodate five or six guests per row.

The boats are flanked by cascading waterfalls, and mountains that appear to curve in on themselves. An assortment of mystical critters dot the landscape. Speculation is the attraction will be utilize an updated version of the ride system found in Shanghai Disneyland’s rousing Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

“Over its 25 years it has significantly changed, especially at the time we brought in Cars Land and reimagined Buena Vista Street,” O’Brien said of California Adventure. “I think it’s a park that stands on its own now. It’s grown up.”

Tell us your stories. Ask us your questions.

Have a theme park tale to share? Whether it was a good day or less-than-perfect day, I would love to hear about it. Have a question? A tip? A fun photo from the parks to share? Email me at todd.martens@latimes.com. I may feature your note in an upcoming newsletter.

Ride on,

Todd Martens

P.S.

Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride comes out every Tuesday, but we occasionally publish special editions (like this one!) when we have breaking theme park news. Make sure you’ve signed up to be the first to know.

Since records began, only four days have been hotter than today in the UK.

The highest temperature ever recorded was on 19 July 2022 when temperatures at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, reached 40.3C. That marked the first and only day that readings above 40C have been seen in the UK.

Before that, the record was 38.7C at Cambridge Botanic Gardens on 25 July 2019.

Faversham in Kent reached 38.5C on 10 August 2003, while on 18 July 2022 a temperature of 38.2C occurred at Pitsford, Northamptonshire.

Amber warnings for “extreme heat” are in place for a swathe of England from London to Sheffield, parts of Cheshire and Greater Manchester, into Gloucestershire and Wiltshire in the South West and Shropshire and Herefordshire in the west.

Temperatures were also forecast reach 35C in Wales, where a drought has been declared across the whole country.

Meanwhile, a yellow thunderstorm warning is in place for Northern Ireland until 06:00 on Friday, while rain is forecast for much of Scotland.

In England, the extreme heat in this heatwave is now believed to have peaked, with cooler temperatures of 30-34C expected for the Midlands, East Anglia and much of southern England by Friday, ceding to 26C by Sunday.

More than 27 million people are facing water use restrictions, including hosepipe bans.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is moving to equip officers with body cameras in the next two months, but the agency’s policy gives it broad control over what footage will be made public by specifying any releases must be in its “best interests.”

After years of delays, ICE said its field officers nationwide will have body-worn cameras by the end of September. The rollout comes after recent fatal shootings by officers enforcing President Trump’s immigration crackdown have intensified pressure for accountability that the cameras could provide.

But the agency’s policy could mean taxpayers who are pitching in tens of millions of dollars to pay for the cameras may be kept in the dark about some high-profile confrontations — at least in their immediate aftermath.

The policy says ICE will promptly release video of shootings and other encounters in which its agents cause death or serious injury only after determining “it is in the best interests of the agency” to do so. That gives its director discretion to release recordings that reflect well on the agency’s image while working to keep others secret, experts on body camera policies said.

Such selective releases are routine in some law enforcement agencies but usually not stated so clearly in policy, according to Christopher Schneider, a professor at Brandon University in Canada and a co-author of the book “Police Body-Worn Cameras: Media and the New Discourse of Police Reform.”

“In some ways, ICE is saying the quiet part out loud,” he said. “Body-worn cameras are being used as contemporary image-work tools to present the police to the public in the most favorable way possible.”

The policy requires officers to activate cameras during routine enforcement activities, including while making arrests, executing search warrants and responding to emergencies.

After shootings or other serious confrontations, a committee that includes top ICE officials and lawyers will review footage and recommend whether to release it promptly, according to the body camera policy issued in February 2025.

If the answer is yes, the recording could be released within 72 hours. But if the ICE director finds that “specific and compelling circumstances” justify withholding the video, they have the authority to block or indefinitely delay the release, the policy says.

The policy does not elaborate on such circumstances, and ICE did not respond to a question about how it would make such decisions.

Practices vary widely in the U.S. In Chicago, a police watchdog agency routinely releases body camera video of shootings and other serious use-of-force incidents within 60 days. In Philadelphia, the police department very rarely uses its discretion to release video of specific incidents and has no policy for when to do so.

Even when footage is released, ICE’s policy will require the redaction of all officers’ identifying features such as their faces, names and badge numbers to preserve their privacy.

Schneider, who has studied body cameras since their use began spreading a decade ago, said he does not expect ICE to release footage of fatal shootings like those last month in Houston and Maine.

He noted ICE’s sister agency, Customs and Border Protection, has not released footage of the January shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis even though it was captured on agents’ cameras. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott told lawmakers in February that the video and other materials were under investigation and would be made public “when it’s appropriate.”

ICE spent $30.9 million in July to purchase body camera equipment from Axon, the Arizona-based company that also manufactures Tasers, according to federal spending records.

The spending began one day after the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old motorist in Maine by an ICE officer with a history of violent behavior. Days earlier, another ICE officer shot and killed a home-builder in Houston who was driving to work.

Neither shooting was recorded with body cameras. That news angered members of Congress, who had given ICE $20 million to purchase body cameras in a bill passed to end a partial government shutdown April 30.

ICE said body cameras have been sent to more than half its field officers and the rest will receive them by the end of September. That timeline pushes back estimates from earlier public statements. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who backed funding for cameras, said last month that the agency informed her they would be deployed by the end of August. ICE had said earlier that they would be issued by mid-September.

ICE officers working in the Houston area, where the agency sent more than 800 cameras, are among those who have started training, according to Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat and member of the House Appropriations Committee.

At least one member of every arrest team will be required to have a camera, the agency said.

“I think the American people need to see what that officer sees and hears,” said White House border czar Tom Homan on July 19 on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “And if you look at the data, body cameras actually exonerate agents more than they, you know, provide evidence of wrongdoing.”

ICE began testing body cameras in 2021 during the Biden administration and distributed 1,400 devices three years later, saying use would expand as funding became available.

After returning to office in 2025, President Trump rescinded a Biden order that required federal law enforcement agencies to use body cameras.

ICE did not buy body cameras even after it received a historic $75-billion infusion in Trump’s signature policy bill in 2025 and began hiring thousands of new officers. The two July purchases from Axon were made through an existing government contract that began in 2023, records show.

“This is not hard to deploy, but they’ve slow-rolled it,” said Jason Houser, who was ICE chief of staff under President Biden and helped implement the agency’s pilot program.

Houser said the Trump administration should have equipped officers with body cameras when it expanded mass arrests and traffic stops. Doing so only after several shootings and pressure from Congress “is clearly a political response” that will not make officers or the public safer, he said.

“This doesn’t fix the problem of putting officers in a place where they’re not trained or equipped to carry out the style of operations that the administration is asking them to do,” he said.

Foley writes for the Associated Press. AP reporter Valerie Gonzalez contributed to this report.

Everyone knows the stars of Southern California’s driving landscape: Pacific Coast Highway, the cinematic connector of beach cities; Angeles Crest Highway, a stunning and winding mountain route; and “The Snake,” Mulholland Highway’s infamous roadway that reopened late last year.

A sign along California 33 near Ojai.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

But there’s a less-traveled route that feels just as quintessentially SoCal: California 33 to Hudson Ranch Road, passing through Ojai, Maricopa, New Cuyama and Frazier Park.

Parts of this road curl in on themselves into tight, technical twisties — catnip to car enthusiasts and motorcyclists. But this two-lane motorway also showcases the splendor and diversity of the rugged region, from the forested mountains and canyons in Ventura to the jagged rocks and chaparral of the desert vistas, making it appealing to thrill seekers and sightseers alike. While roadways like the 5 serve to get you from one point to another quickly and efficiently, this one begs you to relish the journey.

“A road like this forces your mind to focus on the immediate needs of car control, while rewarding it with the beauty of the natural world,” says Dave Coleman, a Mazda R&D engineer from Long Beach who incorporates Hudson Ranch Road into his drives to and from the Bay Area. “While driving, there just isn’t enough mental bandwidth left to worry about the stressful things in life.”

This route brings people together, including me and my car enthusiast friends, who regularly go on these driving excursions — gas prices be damned. “We drive these roads for the excitement and euphoria, just like people go to Disneyland,” says Matt Kometer, a SkyLink supervisor from San Pedro who drives a 2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata. And, unlike Disneyland or the traditional getaways that involve a hotel stay or a flight, these outings can be put together in a manner of hours.

I was a passenger on a recent Sunday pleasure cruise with a caravan of nine cars, which started in Ojai and ended at the base of Mount Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest. That’s 28 miles as the crow flies, but our route, with a detour for lunch in Cuyama, swelled the journey to more than 100 miles.

An 2026 Audi RS 3 heading to the lunch stop in Cuyama.

(Caroline Pardilla)

If you’re planning a trip of your own, a few things to note before you hit the road: Always check the road conditions, top up the tank because there’s only one gas station in Cuyama, download maps because cell service is spotty, and, if you’re caravanning with friends, it’s nice to bring walkie-talkies to stay in contact. The tunnel section of 33 in Wheeler Springs will be closed Aug. 28-31. Check the Caltrans website for updates.

Here’s a play-by-play of our day on the road.

10 a.m.: Breakfast at Pinyon on Ojai Avenue

Arriving from all corners of the L.A. Basin, the drivers meet up and fuel up at Pinyon Ojai, a pizza restaurant on Ojai Avenue. The shop serves single-origin coffee from Ventura’s Beacon Coffee and breakfast sandwiches featuring house-made bagels. Street-side seating affords prime car spotting, which today includes a right-hand-drive Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUV and an immaculate brown-on-tan Mercedes-Benz SL Pagoda two-seater. Those who time their trip for the second Sunday morning of every month can check out the cars and coffee event a few blocks away at Westridge Midtown Market.

In the restaurant, the friends catch up, chatting about the cars they drove here, the progress of their current car projects and the route for the day. There is an air of anticipation. For many in the group, it’s their first time driving this route. Miatas feature heavily in this crowd, but there are also high-performance rides, like a Porsche 911, a first-generation Audi R8 and an Audi RS 3.

Traveling the canyon on the two-lane highway through Wheeler Springs and Wheeler Gorge is beautiful but slow going, past houses and campgrounds as well as high rock walls that threaten to rain down scree. Three narrow, dark tunnels along the way throttle speeds because of the sudden contrasts from broad daylight. Highway 33, at a modest 3.5% grade, meanders over and along creeks that are invisible from the road but marked by riparian vegetation.

Drivers gather around their cars while stopping along State Route 33.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

After the road opens up, the drivers make short work of the curves while maintaining a respectful distance from one another. Occasionally, a leisure driver bunches up the group until they pull over at the next turnout to let the faster drivers pass. The series of switchbacks with hairpin turns offer a satisfying run up to Pine Mountain Summit. “That’s some world-class sports car fun there,” says Alex Vendler, a cinematographer from Glendale who drove up in a 2003 Miata. The 5,160-foot-high summit allows us to catch our breath and take in the views of the San Rafael Mountains in the west.

Chris Floren of Torrance poses in front of his “Viccup,” a 1960s truck draped over a Ford Crown Victoria.

(Caroline Pardilla)

1 p.m.: A break and more car talk at roadside motel Cuyama Buckhorn

The Buckhorn Restaurant at Cuyama Buckhorn, a midcentury roadside hotel refurbished in 2018, serves as the perfect respite. It’s about 10 miles off our route but is an air-conditioned oasis of burgers, pie a la mode and endless ice water.

If there’s a downside to stopping in the “hidden valley of enchantment,” it’s the distinct lack of shaded parking. But at least there are plenty of spots in front of the hotel. Through the diner’s large front-facing windows, we watched a cowboy mosey past on his horse, checking out the variety of vehicles.

A group of friends has lunch at the Buckhorn Restaurant at Cuyama Buckhorn.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Even though there are 12 of us walk-ins, the hostess immediately pushes several tables together to accommodate the group. The dynamics of this long table invite several different conversations to break out — all about cars. “I have a Miata, and I want a Miata,” says Vendler. Apparently, his tablemate William Benedict, a software engineer from West Hollywood who drove the R8, was skeptical about all the love for the Mazda roadster. Elsewhere, motorsports manager Chris Floren of Torrance is getting props for the surprising prowess of his sleeper “Viccup” — a Ford Crown Victoria police car with a ’60s-era pickup body draped over it. Another group discusses how “One Battle After Another” features the most Nissan Sentra SE-R content of any movie.

After last-minute gulps of water, everyone filters back into the heat of the desert and hurries to air out the cars’ ovenlike cabins. There is a mini photo shoot with Floren’s truck in front of the vintage hotel sign, and then we jump in the cars and backtrack up the 33/166 toward Hudson Ranch Road.

The Hudson Ranch Road is more fun in a Mitsubishi Evo IX.

(Caroline Pardilla)

3:30 p.m.: A ‘roller coaster’ of a road and a reunion in Pine Mountain Club

Unlike Maricopa Highway 33, Hudson Ranch Road features coarser asphalt, no guardrails and more passing zones than turnouts. Kometer said it should be a tarmac rally stage while professional stunt driver and Long Beach local Sarah Fairfield, who piloted the second ’26 MX-5 on this trip, equated it to a roller coaster. The road was originally built in the ’30s to accommodate traffic heading to the ski resort, which closed in the ’70s. Now, the group deems it the highlight of the day. “It let me enjoy the act of driving without having to go too fast,” says Karl Buchka, an aerospace engineer from El Segundo who drove up in the 911.

Although the friends were separated on this leg, having each taken the route at their own pace, they reunite at Pine Mountain General Store in Pine Mountain Club. The Village Center convenience store beckons with shaded parking and a freezer full of frozen treats. Between bites of a chocolate ice cream bar, Coleman proposes continuing on toward Santa Clarita, via the twisties on Bouquet Canyon and Spunky Canyon roads. With competing commitments, however, most of the drivers reluctantly bow out.

A look back at the caravan on the 166/33, heading toward Hudson Ranch Road.

(Caroline Pardilla)

In any case, the daylong cruise served its purpose of resetting the week and reconnecting the friends. “A lot of what this hobby or lifestyle or whatever is about is ultimately an excuse to spend time with friends, and to make new ones,” says Jason Kavanagh, a turbopump engineer from Mid-City who brought a Mitsubishi Evo IX to the outing. “So, yeah, the road is a means to that end.”

The drivers at Pine Mountain Club Village. From left, Matt Kometer, William Benedict, Alex Vendler, Dave Coleman, Sarah Fairfield, Jason Kavanagh, Chris Floren and Derek Dicker.

(Caroline Pardilla)

PASSENGERS face further disruption in Europe as an Italian airport remains closed following a volcanic eruption for yet ANOTHER day.

Catania Airport in Sicily has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights since the weekend due to Mount Etna erupting and will remain closed until at least tomorrow.

Over the past few days, 700 flights have been cancelled with others diverted to neighbouring airports including Palermo.

As a result of the disruption, families who have had their flights cancelled have been left stranded, with videos on social media showing travellers sleeping on the airport floor and even luggage belts.

In its latest statement, the airport said: “Due to Mount Etna’s eruptive activity, the closure of Sector B3 has been extended, resulting in the suspension of arrivals and departures until 2:00 AM on August 14.

“Passengers are kindly advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before heading to the airport.

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“Further updates will follow in the coming hours.”

Evgenia Filimianova, 39, was caught up in the chaos after flew to Sicily last week from London to attend a friend’s wedding.

However, when she was due to fly to Athens from Catania earlier this week, her flight was cancelled just 30 minutes before it was due to depart.

Evgenia said: “We were having a very nice day in Taormina, at the wedding, enjoying our time there, but we could see the eruption and the volcano spewing lava.

“The locals seemed very chill and we didn’t get any emergency texts or direction from the people at the hotel, so we weren’t too worried.

“But then I started reading about travel. As soon as there is ash, the airports start closing.”

She added that there were loads of people “sleeping on the floor” when they arrived at the airport, with most other flights and buses already booked up.

Catania Airport isn’t the only spot impacted by the eruption either – Malta International Airport cancelled 19 flights earlier this week as well, with more delayed today.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman tracked Royals hitter Isaac Collins’ fly ball through foul territory to just outside the visiting dugout at Dodger Stadium.

He had a plan. With one out in the top of the eighth inning, Freeman was going to lean over the rail to make the catch.

He shuffled, shifted his weight, and the ground disappeared out from under him.

“Obviously there was no rail,” a sore but apparently not seriously injured Freeman said after the Dodgers’ 4-2 win against the Royals.

He pitched sideways, practically clearing the first set of steps and landing on the second flight. Freeman braced himself on his right side, which took the brunt of the impact. But thanks to the angle of the steps, he never hit his head, he said.

“Kneecaps are sore, shoulder is sore, hand is sore, wrist is sore,” Freeman said. “I mean, I fell. But I’m in good spirits. I’ve already cold tubbed. I’ve done everything I needed to do to put myself in a position to be able to hopefully play [Thursday].”

Manager Dave Roberts described Freeman’s status as “day to day” and noted that he’d already planned to give him a day off Friday, the second game of a four-game series against the Brewers. The Dodgers will monitor how Freeman is feeling Thursday morning.

“I think that we really dodged the bullet,” Roberts said. Freeman did not undergo any imaging on his various aches and pains, although he said head athletic trainer Thomas Albert asked if he felt like he needed any.

“I said, ‘Do you want to do a whole-body X-ray?’” Freeman recounted. “And he was like, ‘We can.’ But no, I’m OK.”

Freeman was sore immediately after the fall but finished that half inning in the field. He said after the adrenaline wore off, he motioned to the dugout that he might need a pinch-hitter in the bottom half of the eighth. He was due up first.

Utility player Tommy Edman took the at-bat for him, and Kiké Hernández replaced him at first in the top of the ninth.

It wasn’t the first time Freeman has taken a tumble chasing after a foul ball, but he estimated the last time was about a decade ago, with the Braves in Arizona before they extended the netting.

“Actually went down probably like 10 feet,” Freeman said. “I hit seats and everything. So not my first time.

“I didn’t catch that one either.”

In 2021, when HBO Max’s “Hacks” first introduced us to fading Vegas comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), we briefly met Vance’s hyper-devoted young talent manager Jimmy LuSaque Jr. (Paul W. Downs) and Kayla Schaeffer (Megan Stalter), the braying, inept assistant foisted upon him. Over the years this turbulent pairing found its groove, opening their own agency while Kayla discovered boundaries (sort of). By “Hacks’” fifth and final season, which concluded this spring, a growing Jimmy-Kayla fan base was clamoring for a spinoff. “We’re not doing it, but I wish,” says Stalter as she sits beside Downs during a video call from Hudson Yards in Midtown Manhattan. “I think it would work.”

These days, Stalter, who is nominated for supporting actress in a comedy, is making her Broadway debut as the campily reimagined Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola’s “Oh, Mary!” Meanwhile, Downs, who is also co-creator, co-showrunner, writer and director on “Hacks,” is nominated for supporting actor, writing and comedy series (as executive producer). Is there a dream of a future project in which he wears just one hat? “I love doing all the jobs,” says Downs, who started out as a writer-performer. “But I’d love to do a superhero so that I could just work on my nutrition, my fitness and my lines.”

Paul, one early Megan sighting was her stand-up act at Echo Park’s Little Joy. What about her made you think you’d found your Kayla?

Downs: She’s so singular and funny. It’s like stream of consciousness and yet also material. We’d written the part before we’d seen Meg, but [after seeing] her in person, I came back to my co-creator, Jen Statsky, and I said, “It’s hers to lose.” There’s something about her that’s fearless, uninhibited.

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Meg, correct me if I’m wrong, but your first “Hacks” audition involved a dark, blurry self-tape.

Stalter: It wasn’t that well shot. My brother was filming, and he does a good job, but his apartment in New York was really slanted and there’s lots of dogs running around. I was in a weird outfit. And that’s where I did my self-tape.

Was submitting a bad self-tape part of a strategy to land the role?

Stalter: I didn’t know [the tape] was bad until years later when I watched it. [Laughs] I was a really experienced performer — I’d done stand-up and improv for nine, eight years. But I wasn’t experienced with auditioning. This part was the first thing I ever read where I was like, “I can see myself in this.” I really, really wanted it. I really tried hard to prepare for the audition.

When did it become clear that a Kayla/Jimmy scene has its own oscillating frequency?

Downs: Even before we started, there was just inherent chemistry. I think we just really tickled each other. But, not, I mean, physically.

Stalter and Downs with Earl Brown, right, in “Hacks.”

When Jimmy is passionately advocating for something and Kayla is in the same frame, she’s often gesticulating, scrunching up her face or emitting noises like “pffffft.” But it never comes off as scene-stealing. How? Why?

Stalter: I can’t help but do it. Kayla’s so expressive. Even if I’m not talking, my face is doing a lot. Kayla can’t hide her feelings.

Downs: To know when not to derail something is a very hard thing to do. But Meg is a true comedian in that she understands not only how to improvise within the lane of the scene, but also the give and take.

Stalter: You’re going to make me cry.

Downs: She gets the comedy, the music of it. It’s like Mozart.

Stalter: [sob-choked voice] Stop. I’m not Mozart. You’re Mozart. And if I’m Mozart, then you’re Beethoven. And I don’t know why I’m crying.

Megan Stalter. (David Urbanke / For The Times)

In comedies, personal reps are always outrageous hustlers. Why take on the challenge of finding laughs in a manager who instead is sensitive, kindhearted?

Downs: We wanted to subvert what you’ve seen on TV before in terms of a manager. There’s also so many big personalities on the show. You need a counterbalance to that. One of the reasons we started to lean more and more into Jimmy working hard, being earnest, doing the right thing, is because he was in some moments the voice of the audience, the person that was grounded [amid] the chaos around him.

Was there a specific moment when it dawned on the “Hacks” team that Jimmy and Kayla deserved more airtime?

Downs: It was certainly something we felt. There was so much feedback. At a certain point, we were seeing people online saying, “Where are Jimmy and Kayla in this episode?” “Hacks” is about duos, but it was this particular duo that people really responded to. And then executives started to come and visit on days we were shooting. There were those kinds of little signals that happened.

True or false? When Meg graduated to series regular in Season 3, Paul insisted she be paid the same amount of money as him.

Stalter: [Surprised] Who told you that? Who told you that? [leans over and puts her head on Downs’ shoulder] That’s so nice. Thank you!

Downs: I’ve never said this before, but it was important to me that Meg and I had parity. So I said, “I don’t want to be paid more than her.” You can’t have Jimmy without Kayla. Or you can. But it won’t be as funny.

Stalter: Well, the first season I was paying to be on the show. [Laughs]

Downs: Yeah, we charged. So I felt bad.

Paul W. Downs. (David Urbanke / For The Times)

Who came up with the idea of using your red carpet appearances to send up celebrity culture? The costumes alone!

Downs: I’ll speak for myself, but [near the end of our final season] I started to get scared about not performing with Meg. And it was thrilling and exciting. It’s like doing improv and sketch when you first started. It’s so fun.

A highlight: Striking poses in orange leather ensembles identical to the matching attire worn by Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner at the “Marty Supreme” premiere.

Stalter: It’s my favorite idea, but it wasn’t mine.

Downs: [“Hacks” producer] Genevieve Aniello said, “You guys should do something ‘Marty Supreme.’ Look at these outfits.’” And Meg was bold enough to be like, “We should do it at the Critics Choice Awards.” And I was like, “That’s in six days. That’s insane.” And Meg was like, “We’re going to get it done.”

Was there any blowback?

Stalter: We were at the SAG Awards and we walked past Timothée and I said, [singsongy voice] “Hey, it’s us…” And he goes, “Oh, should we get a picture?” He was so nice. But I then realized that he thought we came up for a picture.

Downs: But we weren’t, we were just walking to our seats. [Laughs] That night his publicist came over and showed us her phone. She’d sent him a photograph of us and he’d written back “incredible.”

Stalter: It was in lowercase.

Downs: It wasn’t screaming “INCREDIBLE,” just “incredible.” I said, “Oh good, he’s not upset.” And she was like, “No, he loves it.”

Stalter: I think he probably never does all caps.

Downs: That’s real star power.

(David Urbanke / For The Times)

Popular star Kerry Katona has been appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain this week

Former Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona made an announcement on air.

The popular TV personality has been appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain this week, alongside various stars. Kerry arrived in the studio to discuss various topical news stories with hosts Kate Garraway, Richard Madeley and Ranvir Singh.

Kerry returned to screens on Wednesday (August 12), where she was joined by Richard, Ranvir and Nigel Havers. The group reflected on several of the day’s biggest stories, including the solar eclipse, Taron Egerton’s estrangement from his dad, and Coleen Nolan’s new boyfriend.

At the end of the segment, Richard said: “Nice chatting with you, but we’ve got to move on. Thank you very much indeed.”

Kerry enthusiastically replied: “Thank you!” Richard then asked if they’d be back tomorrow, before Kerry confirmed: “No. This is my last day today,” as she hugged Nigel.

Fans will likely be devastated to learn that Kerry won’t be returning to the sofa, after many expressed their delight at seeing her on the programme.

A viewer previously wrote on Instagram: “Loved you both on GMB you [have] been a daily tonic.”

Another added: “Love watching you on GMB,” while a third said: “Oh I love you, you crack me up x your cheeky love and your love of life x b***** amazing.”

A fourth viewer echoed the sentiment, saying: “You were absolutely fantastic sweetheart. Just real and saying it like it is…… and, you looked beautiful, too!” Someone else commented: “Great to see you on this morning Kerry. Lovely outfit. You brighten the show up, you’re so funny and great personality. Love all your work babe keep shining.”

Ahead of her final GMB appearance, Kerry took to her Instagram Stories to thank the team for making her feel so welcome.

“Good morning everybody. It’s eclipse day and it’s also my last day this week on Good Morning Britain,” she began.

“I just want to say I’ve had a fabulous time. Half the time I don’t know what I’m talking about and I’m winging it, but it’s been great. And I hope that I’ve made lots of people smile and I’ve brought a little bit of joy and silliness to people’s lives via the TV.

“So, today’s my last day, it’s been amazing, I’ve really enjoyed it. A big shout out to everyone at Good Morning Britain. The make-up artists, hair stylists, the runners, the producers, everyone! You’ve all been great, I’ve really enjoyed it.

“And today, I’m on with our Nigel, and I can’t bloomin wait! It’s because I’ve missed him, he makes me chuckle. So, make sure you’re all tuning in to Good Morning Britain today, around about 9ish. And it’s an eclipse day, it’s going to be a very full on, full day. Have a wonderful and blessed day!”

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am

Disneyland’s yearlong, nostalgia-filled 70th anniversary celebration has come to an end. Attention now turns to preserving the resort’s legacy for the next 70 years.

We’re two years removed from the passage of DisneylandForward by the Anaheim City Council, the ambitious multibillion-dollar plan to reimagine and expand the world’s most famous theme park, and questions are now swirling on what’s to come.

Hints can likely be found by looking at what’s already been built, at least at Disney’s international parks. Documentarian Leslie Iwerks did just that with her new film “Disney Worldbuilders,” which will have its premiere this weekend at the all-things-Disney convention D23 at the Anaheim Convention Center and then stream on Disney+ starting Aug. 20.

Iwerks, the director of the recent, and terrific, “Disneyland Handcrafted,” comes from Disney royalty. Her grandfather, Ub Iwerks, was a legendary animator instrumental in the development of Mickey Mouse. Her father, Don, was a cinematic and special effects wizard who worked on numerous Disney attractions, including the Michael Jackson-starring film “Captain EO.” As a documentarian, Iwerks has explored Disney before as the director of “The Imagineering Story” and has a long career of films that touch on not just Hollywood but also politics and environmental issues.

Leslie Iwerks has dedicated a significant portion of her career to analyzing the Disney theme parks.

(Iwerks & Co. / Disney+)

If I had any concerns about the future of Disneyland, watching ‘Worldbuilders” helped ease them. That’s in part because the film makes it clear that the Disneyland template was pretty firmly set in place 70 years ago by park patriarch Walt Disney.

While it’s entirely possible for theme park spaces to jump the shark, so to speak, especially when they focus too much on marketing or re-creating familiar film and television moments (see, say, San Fransokyo Square at Disney California Adventure), “Worldbuilders” zeroes in on the parks’ enduring mission of being places of play. The film features interviews with the likes of Pixar chief Pete Docter, “Frozen” mastermind Jennifer Lee, Marvel maestro Kevin Feige and “Avatar” creator James Cameron, who collaborated with Walt Disney Imagineering to turn their cinematic universes into physical spaces for fans to interact with.

“I’m always blown away at the audacity of Walt saying, ‘I’m going to create the happiest place on Earth,’ and thinking that could actually be a business model,” Iwerks tells me.

“And what I learned about these filmmakers is that they were all inspired by the Disney parks,” she continues. “Unbeknownst to me, they had a spark going to a Disney theme park. It excited their imagination.”

“Frozen” co-director Jennifer Lee poses with a robotic Olaf at Disneyland Paris in a scene from Leslie Iwerks’ new film “Worldbuilders.”

(Roger Do Minh / Disney+ / Iwerks & Co.)

You see it in Shanghai’s “Zootopia”-inspired land, with its oversize benches that hide parking spaces for critter vehicles beneath. It’s an area full of movement, with puppets and animatronics gracing nearly every structure, aiming to capture wonder and silliness as much as it is the world of the film, which Iwerks notes was unexpectedly inspired by the original Disneyland. It’s present, too, in the “Frozen” area of Disneyland Paris, which seeks to reference and modernize the Disney fairy tale, using imagery of castles and magic not to symbolize happily ever after but familial and friendship bonds.

“All these lands allow you to explore, and allow yourself to be free, to play, to be whimsical,” Iwerks says. “They allow yourself to get out of your own ‘daily frets,’ as Walt called them. There are a lot of technologies vying for attention today, such as cellphones and gaming and lots of things, but there is something tangible about walking through a Disney park that is irreplaceable. That is that tangible sense of play that you can see, you can touch and you can smell. These are visceral memories that stay with us as human beings throughout our entire lifetime.”

Could either “Zootopia” or “Frozen” make its way to Disneyland? Neither, I believe, would be out of place, but there’s a special delicacy when adding to Walt’s original park. Even with the passage of DisneylandForward, land isn’t limitless. Expansion should be thought about not just for the next decade, but the next 50, leaving space for new stories yet untold. To place “Avatar” in Disney California Adventure is a definitive statement that the audiences of 2060 will want to hang with the Na’vi as much as those of 2030.

Thus, a wide-angle approach is best. When Pandora — the World of Avatar was built in Animal Kingdom at Florida’s Walt Disney World, it was done so with a thesis on themes of conservation and environmentalism more so than a focus on any of the film’s characters. Disney California Adventure’s own Cars Land is a love letter to Route 66 and roadside Americana as it much as it is an ode to the Disney/Pixar films.

At D23 in 2024, Disney released concept art of an “Avatar”-inspired attraction said to be coming to Disney California Adventure.

(20th Century / Disneyland Resort)

“Worldbuilders” makes it clear that as much as Disney’s parks have stayed the same, how we build themed lands has changed. Gone, for instance, are the big tent ideas of Frontierland, Adventureland and Fantasyland. Theme park designers today take a more targeted approach, bringing to life fully realized cinematic worlds such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or the aforementioned Cars Land. That’s not necessarily a negative. Galaxy’s Edge, for instance, succeeds because it’s a not a point-by-point re-creation of any locale seen in the films. Instead, it’s a place we can visit, and create our own tales.

It’s a reminder, for instance, that Disneyland, despite the prices, the crowds, the marketing or whatever hang-up one may find, endures because it allows us to, well, play. To be a little silly. And that was the lesson of Iwerks’ “Worldbuilders.”

“It’s about original thinking,” Iwerks says, when asked whether she believes it’s important to continually document the Disney theme parks. “So much of Imagineering is focused on original thinking. People can be really smart, but it doesn’t mean they’re an original thinker. One of the greatest things in the world is to create something out of nothing.”

We may arrive at a “Frozen” land wanting to see Anna, Elsa or, especially, the robotic Olaf, but we remember it because it gave us permission to imagine an alternate, more fanciful reality. Thus, it’s a treatise that it is not the intellectual property that makes Disneyland unique; it’s the belief in a more communal, playful world.

Speaking of D23 …

Theme park fans should get ready for some news this weekend.

Expect updates and details on previously announced — and well into development projects — such as Disney California Adventure’s “Coco” boat ride and two Marvel attractions, which will effectively double that park’s Avengers Campus. The centerpiece of the latter is a ride featuring many of the Avengers in battle across the multiverse with King Thanos.

The attraction, first announced in 2019, was given a name at 2024’s D23, Avengers Infinity Defense, and it will feature locations such as the Black Panther nation of Wakanda, Asgard and New York City. Early looks have it leaning heavily on visual effects interspersed with physical sets, but expect a deeper unveiling this weekend.

A recent photo of construction at Disney California Adventure’s Avengers Campus, where two attractions are under development.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Longer-term, fans are eager for word on what’s planned with the “Avatar” franchise, previously announced to take over part of the Hollywood-themed section of the park currently home to a “Monsters, Inc.” family dark ride. That attraction, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!, is slated to close in 2027 to make way for the Cameron-created franchise. There’s been some chatter, most of it online-driven and unsubstantiated, that Disney would pivot from “Avatar” to instead center “Zootopia,” but I’m not convinced. Clarity will arrive in the coming days.

I’ll refrain from diving too heavily into rumors, but expect at least one longer-term hint at a bigger swing, hopefully, for instance, the reimagined plans for what is currently the Toy Story Lot, as well as nearer-term updates on Disneyland’s post-70th entertainment. Fans, of course, will forever be hoping for Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of the company responsible for theme park experiences, to unveil that it is remaking Tomorrowland, which, while home to many a popular attraction, is also stuck with a number of underutilized buildings. While I encourage optimism and dreaming as much as any Disney parks fan, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Disneyland fans, however, may have to come to grips with the fact that some of the most exciting updates will be centered on Florida’s Walt Disney World. Imagineering is expected to at long last detail the attractions coming to the Magic Kingdom’s hotly-anticipated Villain’s Land. Also of note, a reveal of the “Encanto” attraction plotted soon for Animal Kingdom.

This week in SoCal theme parks

Key issues remain in union contract talks between the Walt Disney Co. and its parade, show and costumed characters.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

• A dispute in contract talks. Disneyland employees behind its parade, show and costumed characters have been negotiating their first union contract with the Walt Disney Co. since October 2024. The two sides remain apart on a number of key issues. Disney’s proposal to the roughly 1,700 workers represented by Actors’ Equity omits paid parental leave and cuts paid holidays from 12 to 11, according to an April 6 email reviewed by The Times. Disney says no benefits are being cut because the unit organized in 2024 and the talks are setting first-contract terms rather than modifying an existing agreement. Times Business writers Wendy Lee and Samantha Masunaga have more on the negotiations.
• New sound barriers coming to Hollywood Drift, says councilmember. Universal Studios Hollywood appears to be taking steps to address noise complaints regarding its new high-speed, outdoor roller coaster. The office of L.A. City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian stated the theme park will install two additional sound barriers to mitigate the sound of rider screams on its new ride Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, which have been described by nearby residents as “disturbing” and “untenable.” Nazarian’s office made the announcement Monday evening on social media. A Universal Studios Hollywood spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment.
• Montezooma’s is now open! Knott’s Berry Farm’s four-year overhaul of Montezooma’s Revenge into Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress has reached its conclusion. The historic ride began welcoming guests late last week. Look for a report on the remodeled attraction here soon.
• Attendance at Disney parks is up. The Walt Disney Co. noted in its recent earnings call that attendance at its domestic parks for the three-month period that ended June 27 is up 3% over the comparable period last year. International visits remain a challenge, but the company noted that summer promotions helped fuel the increase, especially at Florida’s Walt Disney World.
• Cheap! A full year of Knott’s! At a time when it seems like everything is getting more expensive, Knott’s Berry Farm is currently running a heavy sale on 2027 season passes. Through Sept. 7, a base level pass is just $99, down from its non-sale price of $215. A “gold pass,” which also includes admission to Six Flags Magic Mountain, is currently $129, down from $240. while a “prestige pass,” which includes parking and a number of other perks, is $329, down from $399.
• Slash is back at Halloween Horror Nights. Guns ‘N Roses guitar slinger Slash is a staple at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights, and is returning to create a soundtrack for a haunted house this year. Slash is providing music for a house titled ‘“Killceañera: Music by Slash,” an original maze that flips the script on a teenage rite of passage. Here, a 15-year-old girl seeks revenge on those who have wronged her. Halloween Horror Nights begins Sept. 3.

The best thing I ate at the parks this week

The fish and chips from Gordon Ramsay at the Carnaby at Downtown Disney.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

I admit, Downtown Disney’s Gordon Ramsay at the Carnaby is growing on me, especially if one can get seated on the outdoor bar patio, which is far more welcoming than the pub’s indoor bar. I found the latter a little cold and unwelcoming, but the back patio is more lively, especially with pennant race baseball on its big screen TV. I finished a recent Disneyland day with the Carnaby’s fish and chips, which is essentially one giant piece of cod with fries and “mushy peas.” It’s pricey, at $33, but it’s also incredibly hefty and filling. It’s certainly the strongest fish and chips on Disneyland property, and sea salt-infused batter was so crisp and rich that it almost felt wrong to slather the fish in tartar sauce. I couldn’t quite place my finger on the flavor — I’ve read that Ramsay’s fish and chips recipe includes custard powder — but there was a burnt buttery tone that was far from dry. I’ll be back.

Tell us your stories. Ask us your questions.

Have a theme park tale to share? Whether it was a good day or less-than-perfect day, I would love to hear about it. Have a question? A tip? A fun photo from the parks to share? Email me at todd.martens@latimes.com. I may feature your note in an upcoming newsletter.

Ride on,

Todd Martens

P.S.

Stay tuned to Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride this week for all the big Disney parks news from D23. Saturday evening Disney will be hosting a panel at the Honda Center to reveal new details on attractions coming to its theme parks around the world, and I’ll be there delivering breaking coverage straight to your inbox.

Also, say hi if you see me wandering the Anaheim Convention Center. I’ll have Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride stickers to share.

First in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Chris Fields III, Carson quarterback.

If you want to motivate quarterback Chris Fields III, doubt his skills. He’ll respond like an underdog boxer delivering a knockout punch. Just when you least expect him to step forward, he’ll find a way to produce.

Last season for Carson High, he was one of the best multidimensional quarterbacks in the Southland, passing for 2,031 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 958 yards and 13 touchdowns in leading the Colts to the City Section Open Division championship.

He’s 6 feet 1, which some consider a roadblock to playing at the highest level, but it’s Fields’ intangibles that separate him.

He has spent most of the summer in the weight room, making himself a 205-pound, Marvel-like character capable of super strength.

“Goals don’t get accomplished skipping days,” he said of his training routine.

Every morning, he engages in deep stretching exercises. At night, there are ice baths. Taking care of his body for a season that could reach 14 games is one of his most important priorities.

He trusts his faith and his mother, who has raised him as a single parent. She’s so heavily involved in his football activities that she watches and breaks down film with him and comes to practices to support him.

“She could put on shoulder pads and a helmet and tear up a defense any day,” Fields said. “I’ve been through everything with mom.”

He remembers the days when the family struggled to pay for food and a place to stay.

“We came from the bottom,” Fields said. “We were heavily impoverished. If my mom has nowhere to sleep and she’s having to work multiple jobs while going to school to provide for me and my sister, I should be able to pay her back by doing well.”

So whatever anyone thinks, Fields’ drive is to make his mom proud, whether it’s in the classroom, on the field or by being respectful to strangers.

“If you’re at our games, you’re going to hear her in the crowd,” Fields said.

One of Fields’ strengths is to improvise. He understands how to make split-second decisions, and many involve whether to stay in the pocket or take off and run with his speed.

“When I determine that I’m going to run, it usually comes from pre-snap read knowing where my guys are,” he said. “If I feel the rush, I try to hang in there, try to extend the play but will do whatever is needed. I feel my legs are just as valuable as my arm.”

And his arm is pretty good — like, throwing a spiral 67 yards good.

He’s tough with the kind of leadership skills that inspire teammates to rally around him.

It’s another season of quality quarterbacks with the class of 2029 particularly strong after terrific freshman seasons by such players as Thaddeus Breaux of L.A. Hamilton, Ford Green of Westlake, Marcus Washington of Cajon, Jonah Tuaniga of Long Beach Millikan and Steven Moore of La Sierra. Add Evan McCalister of Valencia, Ezrah Brown of Orange Lutheran and Jeremy Mellalieu of Chaminade and you have the makings of a stellar sophomore class.

Fields said he understands the college recruiting grind. Everyone has their own idea of what kind of quarterback fits their offense.

“With schools who don’t typically have mobile quarterbacks, I always encounter, ‘I have to see the person,’” he said. “But I’ve never heard, ‘You’re too small.’ It’s all a perception. It comes down to whether they like you or not. I really want to play at the highest level of college football. If God has other plans, I’m willing to be humble and walk that path.”

During the summer, Fields committed to Georgetown, where academics and athletics can lead to a great future.

Wednesday: Gardena Serra running back AJ McBean.

Quarterbacks to watch

Thaddeus Breaux, L.A. Hamilton, 6-5, 225, So.: Has physical skills to be national prospect

Brady Edmunds, Huntington Beach, 6-5, 225, Sr.: Ohio State commit has been three-year starter

Chris Fields III, Carson, 6-1, 200, Sr.: City player of the year committed to Georgetown

Jack Hurst, Laguna Beach, 6-4, 190, Sr.: Passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 45 touchdowns as a junior

Jaden Jefferson, Corona Centennial, 5-10, 170, Sr.: Hawaii commit is dangerous passing or running

Koa Malau’ulu, St. John Bosco, 6-2, 180, Jr.: Will have blockers needed to have MVP season

Ryan Rakowski, Palos Verdes, 6-0, 180, Sr.: Nevada commit is one of the most accurate passers

Russell Sekona, Mater Dei, 6-3, 230, Jr.: Big adjustment moving to Trinity League

Taylor Lee, Oxnard Pacifica, 6-2, 185, Sr.: Record-setting junior season for Portland State commit

Dane Weber, Chaparral, 6-1, 210, Sr.: California commit passed for 3,645 yards and 41 touchdowns and ran for 14 touchdowns

DISRUPTION is continuing to cause problems for Brits heading to a major UK airport today.

If you are flying from London Heathrow Airport today you might want to check your travel route before you head off.

It comes after a tunnel at the airport has closed, leaving only one open for trains to head through.

A water leak forced the closure between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow Airport and today, Elizabeth Line services running through the tunnel are facing severe delays.

Heathrow Express services between London Paddington and the airport are impacted, with just two running per hour instead of four.

Cancellations and delays are expected until the end of the day

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Tickets are being accepted across the Piccadilly Line as well as numerous different buses.

In a statement on Heathrow Airport’s website, it says: “Due to a partial tunnel closure, the Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line are operating a reduced service to/from Heathrow.

“The Piccadilly line is operating as normal. Pre-paid Heathrow Express tickets will be accepted on the Elizabeth Line.

“Please allow extra time for your journey. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

Delays and cancellations also occurred yesterday.

There were also warnings in place for those travelling to Gatwick Airport due to local wildfires.

DISRUPTION is continuing to cause problems in Italy, after days of flight cancellations.

Flights at Catania Airport in Sicily were expected to restart yesterday, but there are further delays as ash caused by the eruption of Mount Etna continue to drift into the airspace.

Arrivals at Catania Airport were initially suspended until 5pm yesterday – but this has been extended until 7pm (6pm UK time) today.

A few departures are permitted to take-off at the airport, but only from runway 08.

On FlightRadar24, most departures remain cancelled with more scheduled to take-off after midday.

One easyJet flight to London Gatwick scheduled for 10.35am has been cancelled.

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And a flight to London Gatwick with British Airways this evening at 7.55pm has also been cancelled.

However, a Ryanair flight to London Stansted is scheduled for departure at 11.10am.

There has been disruption since Saturday at Catania Airport after an eruption on the volcano.

One Brit travelling home from Sicily over the weekend wrote on X: “Had a superb holiday in Sicily.

“Getting home was interesting.. Catania flight cancelled due to Etna → 3hr taxi to Palermo → flight cancelled → slept at airport → Rome → taxi to Naples → Gatwick → taxi to Luton. Only a day late but very happy to be back at the nest.”

Palermo Airport, Sicily’s other major airport on the northwest coast, remains unaffected, with flights operating as scheduled.

Brad Pitt has revealed that he’s back on the sauce.

During a vulnerable interview published in Esquire on Monday, Pitt said he’d started drinking again, in moderation. “I was sober for seven years,” he said. “And then I got back off the wagon.”

The be-all and end-all of movie stars, Pitt had a messy, highly publicized (and litigated) divorce from fellow crème de la crème star Angelina Jolie that stretched from 2016 to 2024. Jolie filed to end the power couple’s two-year marriage after an alleged alcohol-fueled incident on a private plane. The fallout has been consequential for both stars, and served as the catalyst for Pitt seeking help through Alcoholics Anonymous.

Now, maybe after a seven-year itch, Pitt is trying to rework his relationship with alcohol, this time “in a more restrained manner.”

“I got overconfident a couple times, went, ‘Yep, nope, not good for me. Not in big quantities,’” he told Esquire.

When it comes to wine, Pitt says, “Well  . . .  I can have a few. But I can’t have a lot. I have to be professional about it.”

The “Heart of the Beast” star has been candid about his sober-curious journey in recent years and publicly thanked actor (and sponsor to the stars) Bradley Cooper for helping him get sober. “I got sober because of this guy,” he said during a 2020 acceptance speech at the National Board of Review’s annual awards gala. “And every day has been happier since.”

And last June, the Oscar winner sat down with Dax Shepard for an episode of “Armchair Expert” and opened up about the positive experience he’d had in the 12-step program. “I am a stubborn f—, but when I’ve stepped in s—, I’m pretty good at taking responsibility for it and owning up to it,” he told Shepard. “And now it’s a quest to … make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

In the Esquire story, Pitt admitted that, during the darkest period of grappling with what he referred to as “family stuff,” he could see how suicide might feel like relief — but that his survival instinct kicked in. He discussed feeling immense grief and how that grief can leave a gaping hole. Rather than climbing out of it, Pitt said he thought of it as “going through it.”

“And trying and trying and trying and trying to the point of exhaustion and then trying again,” he told the magazine. “I don’t want to ignore the place where you run up against the wall. But I just one day woke up, and it just felt a little sunnier and the air felt a little sweeter. Just microdoses of it.”

Hope-Bell, Edwards and Wallace made first team debuts, as did batter Callum Nicholls, 22, and Australian paceman Connor O’Riordan, whose bid to develop in Wales after missing out in New South Wales echoes the example of county stalwart Timm van der Gugten.

Wicket-keeper Alex Horton, 22, was the top run scorer.

Nicholls and Hope-Bell played major roles in the dramatic closing win over Worcestershire, with Pontarddulais product Edwards marking his potential by taking three wickets after being thrust into the squad because of injuries.

“Of the younger lads, Jack Hope-Bell has been impressive throughout the tournament and showed again [against Worcestershire] he’s got a future here,” said Harrison.

“Callum Nicholls has had a couple of scores and to get 70 in a chase was really good. There’s a lot of experience for some of the younger players and it’s shown we’ve got a bright future ahead.”

Glamorgan are far from unique in blooding youngsters in the One Day Cup while some of their star names are away at the Hundred franchise tournament, but the perennial ambition to have a Welsh core to the team looks closer to fulfilment than has been the case since the noughties.

As well as those used, 18-year-old seam bowler Tom Norton – a breakout star of recent Championship games – missed the competition because of a back problem which will probably keep him out for the season, while batter Jacob Blades recently played for England under-19s at the age of 17.

“You’ve always got to plan for the future and this competition gave us that opportunity to develop a few of our players, playing against Ben Stokes for Durham is a great experience when they’ve watched him on TV playing for England.”

Captain Andy Gorvin, the oldest player at 29 for several matches, was compared to a school-teacher in charge of the youngsters by one opposition commentator.

“My family did tell me about that! I try to help in whatever way I can and when it doesn’t go right, it’s how to keep the guys going,” said Gorvin.

“The most important thing about sport is having the resilience to come back the next day. They’ve always tried to improve, it’s a three-week block with eight games so you improve on the job and I’ve tried to guide as well as I can, and I’ve got to improve as well.”