Frank

Moses Itauma’s promoter Frank Warren says his heavyweight is happy to fight Kubrat Pulev next after the match-up was ordered by the WBA.

Pulev, the WBA’s ‘Regular’ champion, was ordered to defend his belt against the 20-year-old rising star.

Team Itauma has been considering a fight for the Englishman in December, with Derek Chisora suggesting he would share a card with Itauma on 13 December in Manchester.

“We’ve had several top heavyweights already turn down a fight with Moses but if Pulev fancies the job now that it’s been ordered we will absolutely be pursuing it. It’s a brilliant fight,” Warren told BBC Sport.

Itauma last fought in August when he blew former world title challenger Dillian Whyte away in one round.

The result improved Itauma’s undefeated record to 13 fights and eleven knockouts.

Itauma has since been linked with a slew of potential opponents including Filip Hrgovic, Michael Hunter and domestic rival David Adeleye.

Warren is keen to give Itauma more rounds as the youngster only has 26 rounds under his belt so far.

Pulev is a veteran of the sport at the age of 44, with 35 fights on his record.

The Bulgarian has twice challenged for world titles, losing to Anthony Joshua in 2020 and Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.

Queensberry boss Warren has cooled talk of an imminent fight with the likes of Oleksandr Usyk, but says Itauma “is already one of the best heavyweights in world boxing”.

“Our job is to make the right fights for him at the right time,” Warren said.

“I’ve been in boxing 47 years and at his age, 20 years of age, he is the best young talent at that age that I’ve ever been involved with, and I’ve been involved with 99% of the top British fighters and other fighters from around the world.”

FRANK LAMPARD has told England’s players that silence is golden if they want to earn a World Cup spot.

The former Three Lions great is advising Thomas Tuchel’s latest squad that mum’s the word when it comes to the German’s team selection.

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The Three Lions’ chief has an array of attacking talent at his disposal and Lampard, who spent the majority of his 106-cap international career being shoehorned into a midfield with Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes, knows all about compromise.

And he suggested that keeping schtum worked for him — as he went on to score 29 international goals and played in three World Cups and one European Championship as part of the ‘golden generation’.

He said: “I just got on with it. You’re a professional, you get on with it — you are playing different ways, you respect the manager and you crack on. You can have your own opinions — but I tended to keep mine to myself and think about what could I do best if I was asked to play.

“The truth is, I never really played for England much like I played for Chelsea.

“There were times, like in 2004, when Sven-Goran Eriksson was there when I played at the top of a diamond — that wasn’t my ideal, either — but if you are representing your country and the manager’s got an idea, you just go with it.

“That was my story and it’s been documented and people talk about it many years later with a different view to how it felt at the time,

“They just sort of say, ‘It did work or it didn’t work’. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn’t. But I’m not interested in that conversation.

“Personally, I got on with it, as did Stevie and Scholesy.”

BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

Lampard is in a unique position to comment now he has crossed over to frontline management.

His Coventry side are sitting top of the Championship this season, having scored an impressive 27 goals this season as he attempts to orchestrate a return to the Premier League.

He believes that times may have changed and that Tuchel might  operate a more relaxed policy.

The German has plenty of options up front — all of whom will make a claim to start alongside skipper Harry Kane.

Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins were all in the squad for the double header against Wales and Latvia.

But the likes of Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish will all be wanting to board the plane to North America for the World Cup next summer.

There are only so many places in Tuchel’s starting XI — and Lampard added: “Now I’m a manager, I understand selection difficulties.

“I’ve had big squads at Chelsea. When I was first there, I went back and they had the 29 players — of which some were disgruntled — that’s another story.

“But in terms of trying to fit players in, you have to make tough decisions as a manager — you have  ideas, you have to work with the squad you’ve got and think, ‘What is the best?’ So that’s why I never really comment on what decisions other managers take because I don’t know the context, what they’re thinking and who and how they want to play.

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“However, I do think it’s more common in the modern day for a conversation to be more open between player and manager.

“It goes manager by manager – some don’t want to talk and say, “This is the team, I’m the boss, you get on with it.’

“There are those who will have individual conversations, and then other people will open up to the group. That all depends on who’s in charge. And players react differently.

“I think there’s a balance to it. I think the players have to feel your authority and believe in what you’re doing.

“It’s not always an open conversation. Our job is to get that bit right. And our job is to be like that.

“But as a manager also, you want to have constant communication in that players feel that they can speak to you because you might find something that you didn’t know.

‘A DIFFERENT ANIMAL’

“England’s a bit of a different animal because you only turn up every now and again.

“At Chelsea, sometimes you’re playing at the weekend and through the week, and you’re training every day and the conversations are there throughout the year much more.” One chat with a great former Chelsea manager sticks in Lampard’s mind.

He added: “I remember once having a conversation with  Carlo Ancelotti about my position at Chelsea when he played a diamond formation.

“It didn’t feel really fluid, not just for me, but for the team.

“That was one of the beauties of Carlo, he would be very open with that chat and I’m not saying he changed his mind, but he was taking on information and then adapting around it.

“That’s why he’s one of the greatest managers, that’s his style — I think those things should be authentic.

“If you want to do your thing and you stick to your guns, you may  succeed or you may fail, that’s what you do. That’s one person’s approach.

“I am more open with my players to try to speak to them, because I want to get better. So every conversation I have with a player may help me, whether I agree with it or not.”

“In the end, the decision is mine — and then hopefully it works.”

After Tottenham dug in to earn a 1-0 win against Villarreal on their return to the Champions League in midweek, Lucas Bergvall praised their “clean-sheet mentality’ with that shutout their fourth in their first five games this season.

When the clean sheet opportunity was swiftly wiped out by Brighton on Saturday, the Spurs players showed a different mentality.

This time they never gave up and appeared to have the belief that they could get something from the game, despite their statistically poor ability to recover from two-goal deficits.

“The mentality that we showed, I was so impressed with,” added Frank.

“[We showed] the mentality to stay in the game, to keep going, to keep pushing and come back and get a well deserved 2-2.”

Tottenham midfielder Joao Palhinha told Sky Sports: “At least what we can take is the mentality that we had fighting for the result.”

He added: “This mentality needs to be there always regardless of the result.”

Against Brighton, Tottenham had 45 touches of the ball inside the opposition box, compared to just 17 for Brighton.

They also had 11 shots on goal but just three of those were on target.

While Tottenham appear to have improved defensively and mentality wise from last season, making the opposition goalkeeper work appears to be an area they have, for now, regressed in.

“There are a lot of things for this team to keep improving,” Palhinha added.

“But these improvements have come week by week.”

Outscoring the opposition was the mentality at Tottenham last season but now the focus is on keeping out goals at the other end of the pitch.

Tuesday’s 1-0 win against Villarreal in Spurs’ Champions League opener was the fourth clean sheet they had kept in five games so far this season under Thomas Frank.

In contrast, they had kept just one at the same stage of last season, when the more attack-minded Ange Postecoglou was in charge.

“We talked a lot about ‘clean sheet mentality’ this year because we conceded a lot last year,” Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall told Amazon Prime.

“They [Villarreal] did not have a shot on target, so we did a really good job.”

Defender Micky van de Ven added: “I think we are a difficult team to play against, for sure. Structure-wise we are standing really good and we all know what to do, so we’re a difficult team to beat.”

The style of Frank’s Tottenham side against Villarreal was in stark contrast to the swashbuckling football played under Postecoglou.

They were much more cautious, even after being gifted a fourth-minute opener thanks to a calamitous mistake by Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior.

But their defence was excellent, with Van de Ven in particularly halting most of Villarreal’s attacks.

Even though the visitors had 10 shots, Guglielmo Vicario didn’t have a save to make throughout.

The price for that level of pragmatism was that Tottenham themselves only had one shot on target – very little for the home fans to get excited about.

“We defended really well and gave little away throughout the game against a really good Villarreal side,” Frank said.

“I think offensively we didn’t hit the highest level. There was definitely a spell second half where we decided let’s give it to the Villarreal guys and then we’ll sprint back, that’s a very good fun thing.

“It was a very even game that we just edged.”

Aug. 21 (UPI) — Frank Caprio judge for the Providence Municipal Court in Rhode Island has died, his son, David Caprio announced. He was 88 years old.

Frank Caprio shared the news on his father’s social media accounts, stating Frank Caprio passed away “peacefully” and “surrounded by family.

Frank Caprio was known for his show Caught in Providence, which received multiple Daytime Emmy award nominations, and he often went viral on TikTok for his compassion as he gained the title of “Nicest Judge in the World.”

“Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond. His warmth, humor, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him,” a post on his social media account stated.

In 2023, Caprio was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He shared his diagnosis in a social media post. His last radiation treatment was in the following May.

Caprio grew up in Rhode Island and earned a bachelor’s degree from Providence College. In his post-graduate time, he stayed in the capital city to teach American Government at Hope High School.

During his time teaching, he studied law at night at the Suffolk University School of Law in Boston, where he founded the Antonio “Tup” Caprio Scholarship Fund.

Arrangements for his funeral have not yet been announced.

As Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank conducted his Zoom with the media Saturday from the team’s practice facility, he looked to his right and mentioned how James Harden was in the gym working out and how Harden played a pivotal role in the team signing free-agent guard Bradley Beal.

But Frank is not done building a roster to compete in the rugged Western Conference, indicating that signing former Clippers guard Chris Paul is high on their list.

There have been so many rumors about Paul wanting to play for the Clippers in the upcoming season, about how he wanted to be close to his family in the Los Angeles area, and how the Clippers had interest in him returning to the franchise.

Frank didn’t shy away from how the Clippers view having Paul on the roster.

“He obviously possesses some of the qualities we just referenced about and of course we’re strongly, strongly considering him,” Frank said.

Paul, 40, played in all 82 games last season with the San Antonio Spurs. He averaged 28.0 minutes per game, 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and shot 42.7% from the field.

He spent six years with the Clippers, from 2011-12 until the 2016-17 season, and ushered in the “Lob City” era with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

“What I’d say about Chris is he’s a great player,” Frank said. “He’s a great Clipper.”

Paul was traded in June of 2017 to the Houston Rockets, where he became a teammate of Harden.

Over the course of his 20-year career, Paul averaged 17.0 points, 9.2 assists and shot 47% from the field and 37% from three-point range.

If the Clippers do sign him, they will have three point guards — Harden, Kris Dunn and Paul.

Frank said the Clippers want to “lean into the ballhandling and playmaking” as they look to complete the roster.

“What we’ve seen is sometimes the problem of having too many guys and how that can impact the team,” Frank said. “So, we’ve learned from those lessons and I think the conversations that we have with anyone who’s going to join the Clippers next, they understand it’s a reserve role. They understand that kind of going into camp exactly what it looks like. So there’s no preconceived misconceptions yet.”

Adding Paul would give the Clippers five veteran guards — Harden, Beal, Paul, Dunn and Bogdan Bogdanonic — on a team that typically rotates 10 players during a game under coach Tyronn Lue’s system.

Harden played in 79 games last season and he averaged 35.3 minutes per game, ranking him 16th in the NBA. He averaged 22.8 points, 8.7 assists, 5.8 rebounds and shot 41% from the field and 35.3% from three-point range.

He’ll be 36 in August and having more playmaking guards like Paul will relieve some of the pressure off Harden.

“The reality is for any NBA team, the amount of times you have your top 10 all available, it’s usually 21 to 25 times throughout the course of a year,” Frank said. “So, you literally need everyone on your roster to be able to contribute. But to your point, because we do have a lot of versatility. …

“So, Brad Beal could give us more playmaking with the ball. … Kris Dunn can be the backup point guard. Bogdan can handle along with James. You just want to put everything on the table and then find the best person who can have total role acceptance and awareness and still if needed to play can play.”

Beal, 32, signed a two-year, $11-million deal with the Clippers, with a player option after next season. He averaged 17.0 points last season with the Phoenix Suns and shot 49.7% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range.

Beal probably will be the starting two guard next to Harden.

“As you guys know, Brad is a gifted two-way player who’s a three-level scorer who can create offense for himself and others,” Frank said. “He brings additional ball-handling, play-making and shooting to the group areas we wanted to upgrade.”

When Danny DeVito arrives — camera off — on our video call with Charlie Day late last month to discuss the 17th season of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” he apologizes for sounding like he has “just come out of the salt mines.” His voice is hoarse, and Day is worried he’s sick.

“I did a lot of yelling this week,” DeVito explains.

You would think he would be practiced at that.

For 20 years now, DeVito has been exercising his vocal cords as the mischievous, disgusting Frank Reynolds, layabout father of Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Dennis (Glenn Howerton), colleague of Mac (Rob McElhenney or Rob Mac, as he announced recently), and roommate of Day’s Charlie. In the upcoming season premiering Wednesday on FXX and streaming next day on Hulu, the gang that runs Paddy’s Pub gets into more absurd scrapes. They visit “Abbott Elementary” in the second of two planned crossover episodes with that ABC sitcom; they head to a dog track; Charlie opens up a ghost kitchen in his apartment to make Frank a smashburger; and, as is teased in the trailer, Frank goes on “The Golden Bachelor.”

During our interview, Day and DeVito offer up a dose of the chemistry that has long made Frank and Charlie a madcap pair as they discuss their history with each other, their brushes with Bachelor Nation and, naturally, turds. DeVito remains off camera most of the time, but he pops on occasionally for dramatic effect.

Charlie (Charlie Day) and Frank (Danny DeVito) over the seasons in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” (Patrick McElhenney / FX)

Danny, what do you remember about that first meeting you had with the three guys?

Danny DeVito: I knew lots about the show already. I was going in because I was friends with [then-president and now current FX Networks chairman John] Landgraf. Landgraf sent me the first eight shows, and I watched it with my family. He was saying he was talking about these really talented guys that he was working with, and John was building the network over there. I can’t remember exactly where we met. But where we met was a weird — that was the first thing that threw me a little bit. Do you remember where it was?

Charlie Day: We had a lunch — you, me, Rob and Glenn — [on] Beverly Boulevard. We didn’t have an office. We were writing the second season. You’d agreed to the show, and you came in like your character from “Get Shorty.” You started ordering for all of us, and you told us some crazy story about your father having a box full of teeth and watches, and we were just taking notes, man. I think we pitched you a couple different character names. I think you shot down a few of them, but you liked Frank. Frank was my step-grandfather’s name.

DeVito: I had an Uncle Frank.

Day: You came in like a tornado. It was great.

DeVito: Well, I usually do that. Way before “Get Shorty,” I would just come in and everybody would be looking at their menus, and I would just look at the menu right away and just say a half a dozen things and everybody would look at me like, “You’re ordering everything on the menu!”

Day: Danny, know that I went and spent maybe almost a whole week rewatching almost everything you’d ever done before we met with you. I watched every episode of “Taxi.” I watched almost every single movie I could find. Just studying a fighter you’re going up against. And it was “Get Shorty” that really kind of locked in for me. A lot of people would have you do that Louie De Palma thing over and over again, and you’re so great at that. But there was something so idiosyncratic about the “Get Shorty” character and unpredictable that we’re like, “Oh, if we can tap into that …” I think it took us a couple seasons to do it, and then it felt like kismet that you sort of came into that meeting like that guy.

On “It’s Always Sunny,” Charlie Day, left, and Danny DeVito are friends, roommates and schemers: “Whenever Charlie does something, it titillates Frank.”

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

How do you feel like the dynamic between Frank and Charlie has shifted over the years? Or even if it hasn’t, what do you discover coming back season after season?

DeVito: I think Charlie offers a lot of avenues for Frank to follow for some reason. I like the idea of the scheming and everything that everybody else does, and they do it in a normal way. They want to make money, they want to get ahead, they want to be famous, they want the bar to succeed, they want this, that. But whenever Charlie does something, it titillates Frank. They know when I am really happy with the material. When I see I’m going to eat a turd, I go like, “Wow, man. We’re pushing the envelope.”

Day: I’m always loving writing and working on the scenes in our apartment and then getting to the set and filming those. I’m always excited for it. There’s something about filming in that intimate space that feels like there’s a magic there. Same with the little back office in the bar. Any time we’re there, there’s something funny to these cramped spaces.

DeVito: We’re playing sardines all the time.

This season opens with the “Abbott” crossover and ends with Frank on “The Golden Bachelor.” How did that come about?

Day: Well, the funny thing about this show is, there’s so many different ways that we do it. I think there’s a push-pull where I really was wanting to do the EMT episode and the dog track one. And Rob has these really big ideas, like buying a soccer team. He wanted to do this “Abbott” crossover, and he wanted to do this “Golden Bachelor” episode. To be perfectly frank, I didn’t really want to do both. I think you can do one or the other. The “Golden Bachelor” thing I thought was funny, but I was like, maybe we could just do the “Sunny” characters’ version of it. But to his credit, those are the things that people latch onto and are talking about. I tend to like when we’re not doing the pop culture references as much, but then we have a big back and forth and we argue. And then when we land on it, the second we agree to do it, then I’m always all in, as is Rob. So then we’re both writing together and saying, well, what’s the best version of how to do this?

The gang is back at “Abbott”: Danny DeVito, left, Charlie Day and Rob McElhenney in this season’s opening episode of “It’s Always Sunny.” (Patrick McElhenney / FX)

The “Abbott” crew — Chris Perfetti, from left, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Quinta Brunson — in a scene from the crossover episode. (Patrick McElhenney / FX)

Danny, what was it like filming Frank’s “Golden Bachelor” moment?

DeVito: I had no idea what they had in mind at first because I must admit, I’m not a “Golden Bachelor” watcher. Once I got there and figured out what they had up their sleeve, I just went with it big time. Being Frank is really wonderful, I must say. It gives you the opportunity to do a lot of things that you wouldn’t. And they push the envelope and come up with all these crazy things, and I go along with it, and from the time my feet hit the ground, when I get there, I’m smiling.

Day: Rob and Glenn and I spend weeks and months really digging in and arguing and pushing each other out of our comfort zones in all sorts of directions. And then towards the end, we’re all invested in the same thing. And what really makes it work is that Danny comes in and gives it a hundred percent. Really, if Danny wasn’t so supportive, it would be really challenging. But pretty much everything we bring to you, Danny, you say, “OK, I’m going to make this work.” “Golden Bachelor” was a perfect example. We had a lot of arguments about how to do that, whether to do it. And then once we committed to it and tried to write what we thought was the best version of it we could, Dan, you come in and just sell it in a way that it needs to be sold.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but there’s also a very sweet “Taxi” reunion in there.

DeVito: That was big for all of us. We were blessed to have that in our show.

“Frank gives me just the wonderful opportunity to be naughty. I can go where other characters can’t go,” Danny DeVito says.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Danny, you said you love being Frank. Why do you love it?

DeVito: I felt operatic as the Penguin [in “Batman Returns”]. There’s a freedom to that. Even in “Taxi,” there was a freedom. I am not like that. I don’t boss people around. I mean, I do a little bit, but I don’t do over the top stuff. Frank gives me just the wonderful opportunity to be naughty. I can go where other characters can’t go. And it’s kind of like we’re bringing people along with Frank. Maybe it’s something that you would say, “Oh god, I would never do that.” But it’s so much fun to imagine the taste of that turd in that soup.

Charlie, Lynne Marie Stewart, who plays your mother, died before the release of this season. How did you think to honor her?

Day: It was pretty tragic and unexpected. She was on the show, and then about a month later we got an email that she was close to the end, and then I think a day later we got an email that she had passed. Mary Elizabeth [Ellis, who plays the Waitress and is married to Day,] and I got to go to her memorial service, and it was luau-themed. It was packed, and there was so much love for her. She always elevated the material that we wrote for her, and she was just as lovely a person as a performer, and I’m going to miss her a lot. We were still in the editing room when she passed away, and so we felt as though it was right to build a little tribute to her because she’s been there since Season 1 and we’ve worked together for over 20 years. Other than it just being a tragedy, I don’t know how we’ll deal with it next season.

DeVito: She was always a favorite of Frank’s.

Day: And we would always have great stuff for the two of you guys.

DeVito: And maybe one day Charlie and I will sit down and have the talk.

For how long do you want to keep coming back to these characters?

DeVito: Well, why does time exist?

Day: Look, we have a contract with FX up to 18 seasons, and all of us feel as though we can do that. So that’s at least one more. Beyond that, I’m not sure they’ll ask for more seasons, so next year could be it.

DeVito: Yeah, they might have some kind of mental defective thing happen to them between next year and not ask for another bunch. That’s always the case. Then also, maybe, they might want to pay us more.

“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” was renewed up to Season 18. “Beyond that, I’m not sure they’ll ask for more seasons, so next year could be it,” Charlie Day says.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Day: Who knows? But this far in the run, I think Rob and Glenn and I, at least in terms of having to sit and write them, really sort of just say each year: Do we have it in us? Do we think we can do a good job? That has to do more with the people that we’re working with. If we can get the band together and have all the musicians that we want, then we’ll try to make some music, to use a bad sort of analogy.

DeVito: It’s a lot of fun. And we have good times. You guys always deliver. Everybody comes with their game, and you can’t ask for anything more. I just feel like I don’t want to let these guys go. I want to be with them all the time. I nag everybody. I call Charlie all the time, even if it’s to call up and say, how’s Mary Elizabeth and Russell? I just feel like I need that connection. I miss these guys. I miss Kaitlin and Rob and Glenn. Every time I see Glenn [I] go, “Is that Glenn?” He does radical things. He, like, shaves his hair.

Speaking of shaving, Charlie, you shaved your beard off for a gag this season. What was that like?

Day: It was horrible, just to see how old the man is under the beard. Once you take off the eyebrows, that’s when it really starts to look freaky. We had that idea, and we knew we had to shoot it last because if I was going to shave, that had to be the last thing we were going to shoot. Right after we wrapped, I went on a little vacation with my wife and son, and I rarely got recognized, which is funny. Every now and then, people who were fans of the movie “Pacific Rim,” because I didn’t have a beard in those movies — they’d be like, “Hey, man, where have you been? Why you not been working?” The funny thing was I couldn’t unlock my cell phone with that look because I looked so different.

Warning: This article discusses spoilers for the twisty new horror film “Barbarian.” If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our nonspoilery review here and more with the cast and director here.

That one-word title looms large over “Barbarian,” one of the most delightfully twisted horror films of 2022, in which a woman named Tess (Georgina Campbell) stumbles into a nightmare when she finds her rental house already occupied by a stranger.

It’s a roller-coaster horror ride filled with suspense, scares, surprising laughs and some of the most delicious cinematic twists since last year’s “Malignant.”

What Tess discovers in the basement leads her into a labyrinth of unimaginable horrors — some closer than you might think. But who’s the real monster in filmmaker Zach Cregger’s Airbnb-of-horrors solo feature debut?

Bill Skarsgard stars in “Barbarian.”

(20th Century Studios)

The nice guy and the meet-cute from hell

At first, signs point to said handsome stranger, Keith (“It” star Bill Skarsgard, also an executive producer, cannily playing off his Pennywise persona), who turns up the charm to get Tess to lower her guard and spend the night, else brave the storm outside. After a few nice gestures and good conversation, she ignores her instincts and says yes — even as Cregger’s script and Skarsgard’s delivery create a sizzling ambiguity around Keith’s motivations.

“My only note to Bill [Skarsgard] was, ‘Don’t lean into creepy. Lean into nice,’” Cregger said. “The nicer you are and the more disarming and friendly and appealing and nonthreatening that you behave, the more the audience is going to be convinced that you’re bad.”

Inspired in part by security expert Gavin de Becker’s book “The Gift of Fear,” “Barbarian” conjures a minefield of misogynist red flags for its heroine to navigate even before she crosses paths with shouting local Andre (Jaymes Butler), sitcom actor AJ (Justin Long) and a violent tunnel dweller known as the Mother (played expressively by Matthew Patrick Davis).

“[Keith] insists on bringing her luggage in, he makes her tea that she said she didn’t want, he says, ‘Pretty name,’” said Cregger. “These are not appropriate things to be doing in this situation. But he’s not aware of it, because he thinks he’s being nice.”

Is there something more sinister about Keith that Tess can’t see? Does it have anything to do with the doors that open and close in the middle of the night? The question hangs in the air as Tess makes a series of chilling discoveries in the basement, where a hidden door leads to a shadowy hallway and a secret room where very bad things have clearly occurred.

Beyond lies yet another door leading to the subterranean lair of the film’s apparent titular monster — the volatile Mother.

A creepy basement, or bonus square footage? Hidden rooms lead to unexpected terrors in “Barbarian.”

(20th Century Studios)

The mother under the stairs

“She was described as being 7 feet tall, naked, her face looking like it was the product of inbreeding, and having an impossible strength,” said Davis, the 6-foot-8-inch actor and musician behind the most surprising character in “Barbarian.” He was cast after a Zoom audition in which he stripped to his underwear and mimicked biting the head off a rat with a pickle he found in his fridge.

“I was very aware that this could be funny in the right way or the wrong way,” Davis said of his “Barbarian” performance. “When you’re in it, you have no idea how it’s going to be perceived. You’re aware that it’s a big swing and that it is bonkers and that, you know, you’re sitting there naked in Bulgaria with boobs taped to your chest. Are people going to buy this?”

Before filming began last summer, he received advice from legendary creature performer Doug Jones, including the fine line between physical expression and nonverbal overacting and another handy pro tip: Get prescription creature contacts made, else risk biting it while chasing your co-stars through those dark tunnels.

But Mother’s backstory is also the film’s most tragic. To inform her emotional state, Davis studied profiles of feral children and adults, diving deep into “a dark, disturbing YouTube rabbit hole” of research. As he sat in a chair for three hours getting into prosthetics and makeup each day, he watched the videos to prepare.

“It opened me up to the reality of the lives of people that have been deeply abused, raised in cages, raised like animals, kept in the dark and never spoken to in their formative years,” he said. “It allowed me to have empathy for this character. This is not just a scary character for scariness’ sake. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that she’s a victim.”

“I think that she’s the most empathetic character in the movie. She has never had a chance,” echoes Cregger, who also credits Davis with inspiring him to write certain gestures into Mother’s well-worn maternity VHS tape, which come full circle in the film’s bittersweet final scene. “And Matthew plays it with such tenderness.”

The sins of the father

After introducing Mother, the textbook horror movie monster we expect, Cregger challenges us throughout the film to reconsider who the actual barbarian of the story is. First seen in a Reagan-era flashback, Frank (Richard Brake, who starred recently in Amazon’s “Bingo Hell” and killed Bruce Wayne’s parents in “Batman Begins”) is her inverse — an average suburban family man on the outside and a true monster within.

Borrowing from serial killer films “Angst” (1983) and “Elephant” (both Gus Van Sant’s 2003 feature and the 1983 Alan Clark short of the same name), Cregger builds unease as the camera follows Frank to the store, where he stocks up on a suspicious grocery list, and as he stalks a young woman to her home.

It is revealed that he has kidnapped, raped and impregnated several women in the secret chambers beneath his house without repercussions for decades, and that Mother is the daughter of another of his victims, born into miserable captivity.

But it’s telling that it’s not Tess who learns Frank’s horrible truth in the film. Instead, it’s AJ (Long, playing deftly against type) whoruns from Mother to a section of the tunnels where even she dares not follow.

Justin Long stars as AJ, the owner of the rental house, in “Barbarian.”

(20th Century Studios)

Enter the Hollywood actor

Introduced cruising carefree down Pacific Coast Highway singing along to Donovan’s “Riki Tiki Tavi,” the narcissistic Hollywood star has recently stepped into his own version of a nightmare: an accusation of sexual assault that threatens to unravel his successful career.

“Because I’m an actor, and I know the world of actors very well, I was writing from an amalgam of people in my life,” Cregger said of conceiving the character of AJ. “I was trying to think of, ‘What’s this guy’s horror movie?’ Before he gets into the real horror movie — what’s the horror movie that he thinks he’s in? The collapse of your career and reputation due to your own bad behavior. This guy thinks his world is ending.”

AJ, who at first appears to be a ridiculous comedic figure, is revealed to be arguably the scariest character in the film. In Detroit to liquidate his rental home to cover his impending legal fees, he is the embodiment of male privilege and casual misogyny, his puffed-up bravado masking an inherent cowardice and refusal to take accountability for his actions. (Although not explicitly addressed in the film, Cregger says he deliberately wrote the men of “Barbarian” to be white males.)

When AJ discovers the ailing Frank and judges him by his brutal crimes, the audience is invited to wonder: Just how different is he from the monster staring back at him?

Frank, at least, seems to know he can’t escape what he’s done. AJ’s brief moment of clarity reverts to gaslighting self-preservation as he commits one final heinous act, attempting to hide his true nature behind a well-practiced nice guy veneer — a quality Long borrowed from watching men deliver empty apologies on “The Bachelorette.”

“There’s a glimmer of accountability,” said Long, “and I just love that Zach refuses to take the conventional way out.”

As for Tess, it’s her innate sense of empathy — the one that repeatedly sends her toward danger to help others, at her own peril — that helps her understand Mother before she sets them both free. “She’s someone that is used to traumatic situations and is able to understand how to survive in this situation,” said Campbell. “By the end of the film, I feel like she gets her own agency and is able to get out of the pattern she found herself in again and again and again.”

Sami Mokbel, Senior football correspondent

Prior to Postecoglou’s exit, Tottenham were focussed on adding greater experience to their young squad.

Among the attractions to Frank for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was the Dane’s long-standing relationship with technical director Johan Lange.

The pair, according to sources, hold a similar view as to the profile of player required to take this team forward.

“There’s a synergy there,” said one well-placed insider.

That bodes well ahead of what will be a pivotal summer for the club.

Among the positions the club are looking to add experience is in central midfield and at centre-back given the interest from Spain in Cristian Romero, though as of yet no rival clubs have shown an indication that they are willing to match his £70million asking price.

Spurs tried and failed to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi in the summer but remain interested, though the England centre-back has options elsewhere.

Likewise, with captain Heung-min Son a target for Saudi clubs – Tottenham are closely monitoring the forward market. Intriguingly, Spurs are linked with Manchester United target Bryan Mbeumo – a key player for Frank at Brentford.

They have been interested in Crystal Palace and England attacker Eberechi Eze, who has a £68million release clause.

Tottenham are understood to be exploring whether to keep loanee Mathys Tel at the club in some capacity next season.

The club’s qualification for the Champions League should ensure a more substantial budget for Spurs to utilise in the summer market.

But there is a growing sense that owners, the ENIC Group, are taking a greater interest over the club’s operations; with that in mind it will be interesting to see how that focus impacts expenditure.

Like at most clubs, the structuring of transfers will be a key element of how freely Spurs can operate this summer given instalments for previous deals are due this summer.

There will certainly be moves to sell players, too. In addition to the uncertainty surrounding Romero and Son, midfielder Yves Bissouma’s future needs to be resolved this summer with his contract due to expire next year.

Rodrigo Bentancur is in the same boat regarding his contract, though the Uruguayan is in talks over an extension.

Postecoglou’s style of play at Spurs proved divisive, with a notoriously high line featuring prominently before being ditched for the crucial Europa League run-in.

Frank is known for his use of data in the game, previously stating he is not a lover of shots from outside the box.

Last season, 23% of Brentford’s efforts came from outside the area – the lowest in the league – compared to 28% for Spurs.

Last season Brentford attempted 675 crosses, while Spurs delivered 752. Frank may bring with him the need to be more picky in wide areas.

A statistic that stands out is his side’s willingness to compete in the air, with last season’s 1,210 aerial duels the highest figure in the league and dwarfing Tottenham’s 872.

Expect Tottenham to contest things that bit more but, as with shots from range or crosses, Frank seems to want to be smart when it comes to competing.

Brentford fouled far less than Spurs across the past two seasons – indeed, only Manchester City committed fewer fouls than Brentford last season.

Frank took charge at Brentford in 2018, after his initial spell as assistant boss, and guided them into the Premier League, winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley in 2021 and establishing them as a top-flight club on a small budget.

Brentford finished 10th in the 2024-25 Premier League season, seven places and 18 points above Tottenham, who ended in 17th spot and won just 11 of their 38 games in the competition.

Australian Postecoglou was sacked 16 days after leading Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, their first major trophy for 17 years.

One of the first issues facing Frank, if appointed in north London, would be the future of captain Son Heung-min.

“I still have one more year left on the contract,” Son said on Tuesday to Korean agency Yonhap.

“Rather than saying anything at this moment, I think we should all wait and see what happens.”

Brentford finished 2024-25 with more points than Tottenham (56 compared with 38), more goals (66-64) and fewer goals conceded (57-65).

In addition, Mbeumo (20), Wissa (19) and Kevin Schade (11) scored 50 goals between them after Frank was forced to adapt following the departure of Toney – 36 goals in 83 top-flight appearances for the Bees – to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli.

There have been many different versions of Brentford though since Frank first took charge. High-possession football, more counter-attacks, more percentage football – Frank has played them all, leading to many seeing him as one of the game’s more adaptive coaches.

From attacking flair and bravery, to at times being more pragmatic, what will Spurs look like under Frank?

“It’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer because he’s a really flexible manager,” said football tactics writer Alex Keble.

“He will automatically adapt his tactics to whoever the opposition is, a bit like Unai Emery at Aston Villa.

“In many ways he’s the opposite of Ange Postecoglou, who is famously wedded to one idea.

“There’s a statistic – what Opta call 10+ – referring to the number of passes and sequences [in one move]. In 2023-24 Brentford registered 245. In 2024-25 that figure was 325.

“That tells you as time has gone on, Frank has wanted to play a more possession-based game. There’s certainly plenty of counter-attacks, fast transitions and plenty of highly choreographed long balls forward – direct football.”

Who are the Tottenham players who could benefit from the arrival of Frank, a manager who pays great attention to stats?

“You can certainly imagine Dominic Solanke linking with Wilson Odobert in a way Wissa and Mbeumo interact,” added Keble.

“Defensively, Tottenham are least like Brentford. Would Frank look at the Spurs squad and think ‘I can’t play Brentford football here?'”

Spurs fans struggled to buy into the brand of football under recent managers Jose Mourinho and Conte. Will they take to the Frank style?

“I think the way he played at Brentford was quite balanced – they had different ways of playing, depending on the opposition,” added Sutton.

“His Brentford team played good football at a high intensity, but ultimately fans take to managers when they win games, and that is it.

“I do think he has got different strings to his bow, but it will be interesting to see what Tottenham do recruitment-wise this summer.”

Former Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy is another to praise Frank’s flexible approach.

“They had a great intensity and physicality about them,” Murphy told BBC Sport about Brentford last season. “They vary their game as well as any other team in the Premier League.”

Meanwhile, Tottenham are expected to confirm the departure of chief football officer Scott Munn this week.

The Australian administrator, who joined Spurs in 2023, is understood to have left the north London club amid an internal reshuffle.

Munn was a key figure in the appointment of fellow Australian Postecoglou in June 2023.

Vinai Venkatesham started in his role as new chief executive last Monday, while executive director Donna Cullen left the club.

Munn’s exit is another significant change in what is gearing up to be a crucial summer for Tottenham ahead of next season.

In addition to their search for new men’s and women’s head coaches, Fabio Paratici, the club’s former managing director of football, is in talks over a return to the club once his Fifa ban for alleged financial irregularities linked to his time at Juventus expires in July.

The Italian has been working with Spurs on a consultancy basis during his suspension, with the process towards his permanent reappointment ongoing.

There has been interest from the Middle East in Paratici, but it is understood he is keen to rejoin Tottenham.

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles threw a glitzy bash at the institution’s Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo Saturday, raising $3.1 million and honoring architect Frank Gehry, artist Theaster Gates and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi — a surprise guest — showed up to pay tribute to Gehry, while Ava DuVernay celebrated Gates and Jane Fonda honored Schmidt.

The special program honoring “visionaries” who helped shaped the museum’s trajectory is part of a new gala tradition called MOCA Legends, which will continue with new honorees next year.

The night began with cocktails in the plaza and private access to the Olafur Eliasson exhibition, “OPEN.” The Japanese American drumming group TAIKOPROJECT played while guests found their seats for dinner.

MOCA director Johanna Burton welcomed attendees with a speech about the power of art and its ability to bring communities together.

“As we celebrate our annual gala, we are not just honoring individual achievements, but reaffirming our collective belief in the power of art to connect and challenge; uplift and endure,” Burton said, according to a news release about the event.

After Pelosi’s introduction of Gehry, which included mention of his 1983 renovation of the Geffen Contemporary, the 96-year-old legend noted how much the museum has meant to him over the years.

“Artists brought me into their club — it’s where I wanted to be, and they opened my eyes to another world,” Gehry said.

I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, and I’m here for all the celebrations of art and artists — the more the better. Here’s your weekend rundown of arts news.

Best bets: On our radar this week

Noah Davis at work in Los Angeles in 2009.

(Patrick O’Brien-Smith)

Noah Davis
A collection of more than 50 figurative paintings made by the late Los Angeles artist, who died at 32 in 2015, just as Davis’ career was beginning to attract wide attention, arrives after stops in Potsdam, Germany, and London. Davis’ paintings, often built around found photographs, regularly balance on a knife-edge between daily life and dream. The exhibition represents the first institutional survey of Davis’ work.
Sunday-Aug. 31. UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. hammer.ucla.edu

Hong Yoo, on the daegeum, performs at the L.A. Phil’s “Seoul Festival” on June 3.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Seoul Festival
The L.A. Phil turns to the South Korean capital this week for a follow-up to its revelatory Reykjavik and Mexico City festivals. Unsuk Chin, today’s best-known Korean composer, is the curator. Despite a seeming wealth of renowned performers, Korea remains a musically mysterious land. The mostly youngish composers and performers in the first festival event, an exceptional concert of new music on Tuesday night, were all discoveries. The festival continues with weekend orchestra concerts featuring different mixes of four more new Korean scores commissioned by the L.A. Phil, Chin’s 2014 Clarinet Concerto and a pair of Brahms concertos. A chamber music concert with works by Schumann and Brahms played by Korean musicians is the closing event Tuesday.
Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com

Emily Yetter and Jack Stehlin in “Lear Redux” at the Odyssey Theatre.

(John Dlugolecki Photography)

‘Lear Redux’
While Center Theatre Group reworks Shakepeare’s “Hamlet” at the Mark Taper Forum (see item below), across town, Odyssey Theatre renews its collaboration with theater artist John Farmanesh-Bocca for a madcap adaptation of the Bard’s “King Lear,” another entry in the director-playwright’s Redux series. Veteran stage actor Jack Stehlin stars as the titular monarch in the production, which Stage Raw’s Deborah Klugman described as “wildly idiosyncratic.” In 2016, Times’ contributor Philip Brandes made Farmanesh-Bocca’s “Tempest Redux” at the Odyssey (also starring Stehlin) a Critic’s Choice, writing that the work “boldly transposes Shakespeare’s play to a darker, more unsettling key, but the inventive staging and solid command of source text make for a memorable re-imagining.”
Wednesday-Sunday, through July 13. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com

Dispatch: ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’

George Clooney in “Good Night and Good Luck” on Broadway.

(Emilio Madrid)

When CNN broadcasts a live performance of “Good Night, and Good Luck” from the Winter Garden in New York City on Saturday (4 p.m. PDT), it’s apparently the first time a Broadway play will be shown live on television, and the timing could not be better.

An adaptation of George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s 2005 film, which chronicled CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow’s heroic crusade against Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s communist witch hunts, the broodingly elegant production, sharply directed by David Cromer and starring a quietly committed Clooney in the role of Murrow (played in the film by David Strathairn), was not only one of the most stirring offerings of the Broadway season but also one of the most necessary.

As media companies face a campaign of intimidation from the Trump administration, the figure of Murrow, standing tall in the face of demagogic adversity, is the courageous example we need right now.

I don’t know how different the experience will be watching at home, but “Good Night, and Good Luck” made me reflect on what theatergoing might have been like in ancient Greece. Athenian citizens would gather at an open-air theater as a democratic privilege and responsibility. Playwrights addressed the polis not by dramatizing current events but by recasting tales from the mythological and historic past to sharpen critical thinking on contemporary concerns.

Clooney and Heslov aren’t writing dramatic poetry. Their more straightforward approach is closer to documentary drama, but the effect is not so disparate. We are affirmed in the knowledge that we are the body politic.

— Charles McNulty

Culture news and the SoCal scene

Gina Torres from “Suits” and Patrick Ball from “The Pitt” pose for a portrait as they rehearse for “Hamlet” at the Mark Taper Forum.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Director and playwright Robert O’Hara’s world premiere adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” opened Wednesday at the Mark Taper Forum starring Patrick Ball from “The Pitt” and Gina Torres from “Suits.” The Times sat down with the trio of creatives for an interview about how the show came together — as well as the many novel ways it diverges from the traditional script. O’Hara presents a modern-day vision that questions whether Hamlet is a tragic hero or a murderous psychopath. The mystery is solved “CSI“-style and the tone is very L.A. noir. For his part, Ball can’t believe any of this is really happening, having been a relative unknown before “The Pitt” premiered in January.

Domingo Hindoyan was named the new music director of L.A. Opera.

(Chris Christoloudou)

L.A. Opera announced Domingo Hindoyan as its new music director. Hindoyan — chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic — will replace outgoing music director James Conlon when he steps down at the end of the 2026 season. When Hindoyan, a native of Venezuela, made his L.A. Opera debut last November with “Roméo et Juliette,” Times classical music critic Mark Swed speculated he might be in the running for the coveted position. Turns out he was right.

“Los Angeles Before the Freeways: Images of an Era 1850-1950” by Arnold Hylen with Nathan Marsak.

(Angel City Press at the Los Angeles Public Library)

Times contributor Nick Owchar talks with architectural historian Nathan Marsak about the Angel City Press reissue of photographer Arnold Hylen’s book of mid-20th century photos, “Los Angeles Before the Freeways: Images of an Era 1850-1950.” Marsak curated and expanded the new edition, which details a fascinating world of lost streets, civic buildings, shops and restaurants.

Heidi Zuckerman at the construction site of the Orange County Museum of Art in 2021.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Orange County Museum of Art executive director Heidi Zuckerman — who announced she will step down in December — has launched a new online platform called “About Art.” It’s home to her “Why Art Matters” newsletter and “About Art” podcast, as well as a number of lifestyle offerings including an entry on Zuckerman’s love of matcha and how to prepare the perfect cup. In a news release about the venture, Zuckerman notes that her work has gathered a community of 40,000 art enthusiasts.

The summer Hollywood Bowl season is upon us, and with it comes the complimentary Market Tasting Series with wine picks by chef Caroline Styne. The fun begins with the Roots Picnic this Sunday in the Plaza Marketplace near the box office. Tastings start an hour before doors open, and you can meet with vintners and reps from Habit Wines, Skurnik Wines, Grapevine Wine Company, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Elevage Wines and more. The final tasting will take place before the John Legend concert on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Guests enjoy wine and friendship at the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation’s weekly wine tasting.

(Photo by Janna Ireland; courtesy of Barnsdall Art Park Foundation)

Speaking of wine, Barnsdall Art Park Foundation is back — beginning tonight at 5:30 p.m. — with its 16th annual Barnsdall Fridays wine tasting fundraiser (the first two Fridays are already sold out). Proceeds from the events, scheduled to run through Sept. 26, support cultural programming at the park. The popular summer series comes as proposed city budget cuts imperil the park’s finances. Guests are invited to relax on Olive Hill, as well as the west lawn of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House — the only existing UNESCO World Heritage site in the city of Los Angeles. Wines come courtesy of Silverlake Wine, and there are always a variety of local food trucks onsite, as well as a DJ. While there, visitors can check out exhibitions and artist-led presentations at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and Barnsdall Junior Arts Center Gallery.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

I’m happy to report that I’ve been to 14 of the 17 eateries on The Times Food section’s list of L.A.’s oldest restaurants. Some, like Musso & Frank Grill, I’ve ambled into many times (that martini!), and others, like Mijares Mexican Restaurant, I’ve stumbled upon while walking around town. I’ll spend this weekend visiting the remaining three.