Grace

The first shot of director Lynne Ramsay’s stubborn and exasperating postpartum nightmare “Die My Love” would be a great opener for a horror movie. The camera lurks in the kitchen of an isolated ranch house, as still and foreboding as a ghost, while a couple named Grace and Jackson (Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson) poke around the front porch of their newly inherited property. The two take several beats to go inside, long enough that we suspect these crazy kids are making a dangerous mistake. Just look at the wallpaper. Those florals would make anyone crack.

“It’s not New York but it’s ours,” Jackson says of the rural home, left to him by his uncle who died violently upstairs in a way that Grace finds hilarious. He grew up in the area and his parents, Pam and Harry (Sissy Spacek and Nick Nolte), still live nearby. Neither Jackson nor Grace say anything about their past lives back in the city, but he yearns to play drums and she once claimed to write. There’s a sense that their dreams have stalled out, either due to finances, passion or talent. So they move in, have a baby and pivot to domestic chaos.

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Lawrence and Pattinson are such a natural, overdue pairing that it’s a surprise to realize this is the first time they’ve teamed up to make the kind of polarizing, go-for-broke prestige film they both enjoy. The two stars launched into the public consciousness roughly around the same time, then followed the same trajectory from teen franchise idols to creatively ambitious A-listers and now, more recently, newish parents making a movie about miserable parents whose hopes have run aground. Lawrence has two tots under 3; Pattinson, a toddler. Their kids shouldn’t watch this movie until college.

In a dynamic montage, Ramsay sets up their boyfriend-girlfriend pair as lusty but strange. Jackson and Grace flirt by fighting like wild beasts. Nuzzling, sniffing, biting, wrestling — that’s foreplay (and she’s more into it than he is). But they can’t communicate with words. “If you’re not feeling good, maybe we should, like … talk?” Jackson says tentatively to his increasingly restless and unstable partner. Grace isn’t interested in talking, though occasionally she’s game to scream. When they fight for real, their bodies twist into spasms of outrage. And when the other one isn’t looking, each seems to power down — Lawrence’s Grace physically collapsing like an unplugged air dancer — a clue of how much energy they must privately expend to make it work.

“Die My Love,” adapted by Ramsay, Enda Walsh and Alice Birch from the 2012 novel by Argentine author Ariana Harwicz, makes parenthood feel like being handcuffed to an anchor that’s sinking into a swamp. Lawrence’s Grace needs help and the more she flails, the worse she makes things. The book is an inner monologue of poison: “How could a weak, perverse woman like me, someone who dreams of a knife in her hand, be the mother and wife of those two individuals?” the first paragraph seethes. But Ramsay rejects putting its angst into words. As with Joaquin Phoenix in “You Were Never Really Here,” she prefers characters who silently roil under their skin.

The tension in this home starts quiet — too quiet — with Grace cranking up kiddie albums by Alvin and the Chipmunks and Raffi to drown out whatever noise is happening in her head. After Jackson brings home a stray dog, the racket becomes unbearable, with sound designers Tim Burns and Paul Davies skillfully and cruelly making sure that no matter how far Grace roams, she can still hear the darned thing bark.

Lacking much perspective into Grace, we mostly see a mentally unwell woman incensed that her sexual playtime is over. She howls with the urge to mate, prowling the house in matching fancy bras and thong sets that clash with this disheveled house and its stockpile of cheap beer. Occasionally, a mysterious leather-clad biker (LaKeith Stanfield) speeds by, considering a quickie with this bored beauty.

Grace’s erotic agony is reductive and a bit ridiculous, although I think the script is also trying to imply that Grace herself is focused on the wrong problems. The film represents her depression by coating the night scenes in so much blue tint that even Picasso might suggest dialing it back. Despite cinematographer Seamus McGarvey’s efforts to put us in her headspace with lenses that make the world blur and swirl around her, you’re more afraid of Grace than for Grace, especially when the shock editing has her smashing through doors like Michael Myers.

Hurling herself into every scene, Lawrence puts her full faith in Ramsay. It’s not a trust fall so much as a trust cannonball. As good and committed as Lawrence is, there were times I wanted to rescue her from her own movie, to protect her from the fate of Faye Dunaway when “Mommie Dearest” turned another blond Oscar winner into a joke.

Yet, this is a character who hates pity and I can’t help but admire that Ramsay faces down today’s phonily upbeat and relatable motherhood discourse with this boogey-mom who keeps herself aloof. Grace treats the older women in her family like a wall of advice to be tuned out even when they’re right. “Everybody goes a little loopy the first year,” Spacek’s Pam says, offering empathy that falls on deaf ears. (Spacek delivers a lovely, endearingly layered turn.) And while Grace is so lonely she literally claws the walls, she rejects any overture of friendship, either from a perky fellow parent (Sarah Lind) or a peppy cashier (Saylor McPherson) whose attempts to start a conversation go so badly that when the poor dear asks Grace if she’s found everything she’s looking for, Grace huffs, “In life?”

Pattinson has the more recessive role but his performance is so subtle and clever that it’s worth watching closely. His Jackson is pathetic, passive and skittish around his baby’s mother, who he both longs to heal and tries to avoid. He has a few moments that play so close to comedy — say, whining to be let into the bathroom — that you wish the movie would do more to encourage our pained, guttural laughs. The punchlines are there, such as a beat after one meltdown where Jackson admits he’s getting really stressed out and Grace coolly replies, “About what?”

There’s one scene in which Grace reveals a snippet of backstory that might explain her psychology, and I think that specificity is a narrative misstep. What’s powerful about Grace is that she’s howling for all parents, even the mostly happy ones. Harwicz’s book deliberately never gave her character a name.

Even inside this movie, Grace’s anguish is universal. Yes, she wanders into the wilderness at night, but so do her in-laws Harry and Pam, for reasons of their own.There are dark vibrations emanating from almost every character, even the minor ones, although Grace is too caught up in herself to take any comfort from that. But Ramsay is comfortable suggesting that everyone feels crazy and miserable. I suspect she thinks it’s the most normal way to live.

The couple were notably absent from a crucial episode

The final stretch is nearly here for this year’s Married at First Sight UK couples, who tied the knot with complete strangers just weeks ago.

Recent episodes on E4 have shown some pairs flourishing as they’ve built connections, whilst others have endured emotional breakdowns, startling revelations and fierce rows.

With final vows looming, the remaining participants faced a crucial decision at Tuesday evening’s (November 4) final commitment ceremony about whether to remain in the experiment.

But in an unexpected twist, one couple failed to show up, prompting expert Mel Schilling to address the assembled group.

She said: “It’s been incredible to see all your journeys unfold with your time with us. This is the last time that you get to bring your marriage to the couch and share with us where you’re at at this pivotal stage in the experiment and make that final decision on whether to stay or leave”, reports OK!

“Before we begin, obviously you’ll all notice that Grace and Ashley are not with us today, they’ve had a rocky couple of weeks and as a result, felt they needed more time to reflect and they won’t be joining us today.”

The pair – who spent homestays week apart – had both been contemplating their future together, with Ashley removing his wedding band when audiences last saw him.

He admitted that he and Grace might be “too different”, whilst she became tearful and claimed she’d witnessed a side of Ashley that nobody else had seen. She also accused him of making her feel like she was the “problem” and that their marriage was “doomed”.

Grace referred back to earlier rows they’d had over Ashley wanting her to wear a dress for a particular dinner and offering to get her nails done, disputing the way she recalled those conversations.

“I would sit on that couch, hear him twisting things to be more positive and favourable to him, sometimes I take issue with him about something, and he’d be like, no I didn’t, and I’d be like, well how do I argue with you now?” she said.

“I felt really isolated,” she continued, becoming emotional as she spoke about her self-doubt and questioned whether she’d misunderstood their relationship.

“Why am I the only person that sees him this way? No, he is doing this, he wants me to feel apologetic, contrived, he wants to be begged for forgiveness so he can feel in control. It’s the self-doubt that’s getting me down,” she cried. “I’ve had enough.”

Meanwhile, Ashley confessed that he and Grace weren’t “in the best place”, adding: “We’ve both put so much into this, I don’t know what to do, every relationship takes compromise, but we’ve both compromised and now we’re at a stage where she’s now what I need and I’m not what she needs.

“I do have feelings for her, and I do care for her, but I need Grace to be a different person, and I feel like she needs me to be a different person.”

Taking off his wedding ring and expressing his feeling of being “out of options”, Ashley added: “I can’t physically do any more to prove to her who I am as a person.”

Married At First Sight UK airs at 9pm on E4.

“It feels amazing,” said the Liverpool-born midfielder afterwards. “It takes the pressure off a little bit. Now I can get flowing into the season.

“The main thing for me was getting on to the pitch, making those connections with the girls and getting stuck in.

“I really enjoyed it out there and I am really happy with my debut.”

When Clinton switched Manchester clubs just hours before the transfer window closed, she stated on Instagram, external that she and United “weren’t on the same page”.

“She looked happy when she came on and looked like she enjoyed the game,” said Chelsea goalkeeper Becky Spencer, who played with Clinton at Spurs during her loan spell during the 2023-24 campaign.

Clinton undoubtedly adds further depth to a stacked squad of players at new City manager Andree Jeglertz’s disposal.

“I’m so happy for her because she has been working very good since she’s been with the team and deserved to get minutes,” said the Swede.

“Grace is a great player with the ball, she is working on finding the ball in different spaces and engaging the backline.

“But she is also working very hard to fit into the group and the team, and how we play – that will take some time for her.

“She wanted to be on the ball, she’s playing with a lot of confidence so I’m happy for her.”

London City are the first team with no affiliation with a men’s club to earn a place in the WSL, and point to a possible new direction for women’s football.

With Kang at the helm, the club is run very differently – operating in female sports markets and attracting independent sponsorships.

The Lionesses have been able to build a structure from scratch, with a board full of women’s football expertise, and facilities specifically catered towards women.

Kang has used this as a negotiating tool and backed the team by investing in player salaries and transfer fees.

They broke the second-tier transfer record last year when they signed young forward Izzy Goodwin from Sheffield United for a six-figure fee, and moving for Geyoro is a remarkable statement of intent.

She is a top-class midfielder, who not only elevates the team, but will make others sit up and take notice of London City’s pull in the market.

There is the added element of it weakening PSG – a big rival to Lyon, who are one of the other clubs owned by Kang.

With so much talent coming into the side, expectation and pressure is likely to increase on London City manager Jocelyn Precheur, who worked with Geyoro at PSG.

He has dealt with a high turnover of players since arriving in 2024 and will be aware of the club’s clear ambitions of becoming a Champions League team.

For the neutrals, London City are an explosive addition to the WSL – a side who are threatening to disrupt the usual order.

London City Lionesses agreed a £1.4m world record deal to sign Paris St-Germain midfielder Grace Geyoro on deadline day in the Women’s Super League.

The WSL newcomers also activated teenage Spain international Lucia Corrales’ release clause and paid around £430,000 to bring her in from Barcelona.

The addition of Geyoro, once confirmed by the clubs, would mean London City have made 16 permanent signings during a busy summer in which wealthy American owner Michele Kang showed she was willing to invest in her side.

Geyoro’s anticipated arrival comes after London City made a late move for the France international in the window, adding further stardust to an impressive squad.

The agreed fee beats the £1.1m ($1.5m) paid by Orlando Pride to Tigres UANL for Mexico winger Lizbeth Ovalle last month, which at the time was the highest fee paid for a player in the women’s game.

The 28-year-old Geyoro, who has 103 caps for France, was a key player for PSG and has until now spent her entire senior career there, picking up valuable experience in the Champions League.

She is widely considered one of the most exciting midfielders in Europe and started three of France’s four matches at Euro 2025, scoring twice as they reached the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Corrales, 19, who made her full Spain debut in March but was not called up for Euro 2025, joins London City on a four-year deal.

Corrales was one of the first female graduates of Barcelona’s renowned La Masia academy, making her Liga F and Champions League debuts in the 2022-23 campaign, before spending last season on loan at Sevilla.

Since securing promotion, London City have signed several high-profile players including Jana Fernandez from Barcelona, Danielle van de Donk from Lyon, former Manchester United captain Katie Zelem and 74-cap England forward Nikita Parris.

Manchester United and England midfielder Grace Clinton is closing in on a move to Manchester City before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

The 22-year-old has attracted interest from several clubs this summer with just a year remaining on her contract and no renewal agreed.

Local rivals City are in talks to reach a deal with United before 23:00 BST on Thursday, while England midfielder Jess Park is set to move the other way.

Park, 23, who was also part of England’s Euro 2025-winning squad, was set for a medical at Carrington on Wednesday evening.

United see Park as a high-quality addition and while the deals are separate, she is considered a strong replacement for Clinton.

United were keen to keep Clinton, but they would rather cash in on the England international and avoid losing her for free next year.

In previous seasons United lost striker Alessia Russo and goalkeeper Mary Earps after the expiry of their contracts following failed contract renewal negotiations.

Chloë Grace Moretz tied the knot with her longtime girlfriend over Labor Day weekend.

The “Kick-Ass” actor married model and photographer Kate Harrison during a private ceremony, reports Vogue, which was on site when the brides were doing the final fitting in Paris for their custom Louis Vuitton wedding dresses.

Moretz posted photos of herself on Instagram rocking a baby blue gown along with images of Harrison wearing a white dress with a sweetheart neckline and a birdcage veil. Both gowns were designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, longtime artistic director for Louis Vuitton’s women’s collections.

“It just feels like me,” Moretz told Vogue. “I never really envisioned a wedding dress in my mind growing up, so when we started talking about what that would look like, I knew I would do something non-traditional, and not wear white, and kind of have it feel different, and I think it really does.”

Chloë Grace Moretz, left, and her now-wife, Kate Harrison, right, with Huma Abedin, center at the 2024 Democracy Heroes at Rockefeller Foundation in New York last year.

(Craig Barritt / Getty Images)

In the Instagram post, the star of “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” also showed off her after-party look, a custom jacket with cut-outs and trousers, which was inspired by a 2019 Louis Vuitton runway look. She accessorized her outfit with a white cowboy hat. Meanwhile, Harrison, who has modeled in campaigns for J. Crew and Topshop, wore a bodice and trousers with a sheer overlay on top.

“A big part of the wedding [is about] sharing things that Kate and I love with everyone that’s going to be there,” Moretz told the magazine. “So there’s fishing, horseback riding, and poker. Kate made a custom poker mat herself, so we’re going to kind of be leaning into it. Our second day is going to be line dancing and everything.”

Moretz came out publicly as a gay woman in November of last year via Instagram, but she and Harrison have been dating since 2018. The couple gave curious fans a peek into their mostly private relationship when Moretz announced their engagement in a New Year’s Day post this year on Instagram.

“We’ve been together for almost seven years and making this promise to each other in a new way, and exchanging these vows,” Moretz told Vogue. “I think it’s important to just stay every day choosing each other.”

Grace Harris once again led London Spirit to victory by steering them home in a tense chase of 123 against Manchester Originals at Old Trafford.

The defending champions, who won a final-ball thriller on Saturday and now have three wins from three this year, stuttered to 56-3 after 59 balls but Australia international Harris hit 50 not out as the Spirit edged over the line again, winning by three wickets and with two balls to spare.

Having swung the match in her side’s favour with a flurry of boundaries, Harris lost the strike at the finish and Kathryn Bryce dismissed Issy Wong and Charlie Dean in consecutive deliveries.

That left nine needed from six balls but Sarah Glenn, who earlier took a tidy 1-18, edged the hat-trick ball for four and drove the winning runs to end 10 not out.

Earlier, Spirit took regular wickets throughout to limit Originals to a below-par total.

The hosts were 10-2 when New Zealand international Melie Kerr was run out for one and Spirit captain Dean halted a counter-attack of 26 from 20 balls by Originals skipper Beth Mooney.

West Indies international Deandra Dottin dragged the score up with 36 from 30 balls but she was caught hitting the final ball of the innings to deep mid-wicket.

The Originals stay fifth with one win and two defeats from their first three matches – already eight points behind Spirit who lead the way.

Grace Harris’ brilliant 89 unbeaten off 42 balls, including six maximums, helps London Spirit begin their title defence with a 17-run win over Oval Invincibles in The Women’s Hundred.

MATCH REPORT: Harris blasts Spirit to win in Hundred opener

Available to UK users only.

England’s Lottie Woad is turning her thoughts to winning the AIG Women’s Open after narrowly missing out on becoming the first amateur to win a major in 58 years at the Evian Championship.

Woad, who won last week’s Irish Open, raced a 10-foot birdie putt past the 18th hole as she posted a sensational seven-under 64 to finish on 13 under par and set the clubhouse target.

She went to the driving range to hit some balls and keep herself loose but when Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul birdied the 17th to get to 14 under, with just the par-five 18th to play, Woad smiled as she said to her caddie: “Is there even any point, she’s not making six.”

And 22-year-old Thitikul, the world number two who prefers to be known as Jeeno because “I think it’s unique and easier than Atthaya”, parred the last to finish one clear of Woad.

However, Thitikul’s friend and playing partner Grace Kim then knocked in a two-foot eagle putt to also reach 14 under and force a play-off.

The players both had birdies when they first replayed the 18th, Kim knocking in a 30-yard chip, before the Australian holed a 12-foot eagle putt to take the title when they played it again.

But for 21-year-old Woad, who had been bidding to become the first amateur to win a major since France’s Catherine Lacoste claimed the US Women’s Open title in 1967, a big decision looms on when she turns professional.

She picked up two points for finishing in the top 25 in a major and that takes her to 20 overall. That is the magic number on the LPGA’s Elite Amateur Pathway which earns her a spot on the LPGA Tour should she want it though she can also defer.

“I’m going to discuss it with my family and coaches,” she said on Sky Sports.

“It has always been in my dreams to play on the LPGA Tour and I’m grateful for the opportunities of the programme.”

Woad, who is a member of the England Golf women’s squad, will head to the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in South Wales at the end of this month.

“I was trying to be in contention and winning this, so it will be the same there,” she said.

Woad, who won last week’s Irish Open by six shots, started the final round joint 19th and five shots off the overnight lead of compatriot Cara Gainer. But she made a fast start with three birdies in her opening four holes to set the platform for her charge through the field.

Gainer, who won her first Ladies European Tour event in February, had a closing birdie in a three-over 74 as she fell away.

Food critic Grace Dent, 51, is said to be replacing Gregg Wallace, 60, on MasterChef UK after the TV host was sacked from the BBC show by its production company Banijay

I’m a Celebrity star Grace Dent is said to be replacing Gregg Wallace on MasterChef UK.

A source has claimed the food critic, 51, will appear on the show alongside John Torode, 59, with filming set to begin at the end of summer. The claims emerged days after Gregg, 60, shared a statement warning he would “not go quietly” after he was sacked from the BBC show by its production company Banijay as 50 more people came forward to make allegations of misconduct, which he strongly denies.

According to the insider, Grace, who replaced Gregg on Celebrity MasterChef earlier this year, is “a natural fit” for the show. The source added that Grace “loves to support up-and-coming talent in the industry and loves the format of the show.”

READ MORE: John Torode breaks social media silence after Gregg Wallace sacking and BBC ban

They told The Sun: “Filming is expected to start at the end of the summer through December. They are also filming at new studios in Birmingham, so it will be a fresh start all round.” When it was confirmed in December last year that Grace, who starred on I’m a Celebrity in 2023 but left on medical grounds after nine days, was stepping in for Celebrity MasterChef, she said: “I’ve been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa.

“My whole family watches it. It’s all about uncovering and championing talent, and to have ended up in this position is more than a dream to me. I’m so excited that I can’t eat, which is severely detrimental to a restaurant critic.

“I feel very lucky to be stepping in for the next Celebrity MasterChef. I can’t wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025.” Jon added of her colleague: “I have loved working with Grace on MasterChef over the years. She has been an excellent guest, an inspiring critic and also set some incredible challenges.”

The news emerged just days after Gregg issued a furious statement on social media, claiming that the Silkin’s Report into his alleged misconduct “exonerates him of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year.” In a lengthy post shared on social media, he wrote: “I’ve taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkins report – a decision I do not take lightly. But after 21 years of loyal service to the BBC, I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others.

“I have now been cleared by the Silkins report of the most serious and sensational accusations made against me. The most damaging claims (including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld) were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”

He added: “My decision to go public now is also driven by the fact the BBC News division are intending to platform legally unsafe accusations, including claims which have already been investigated and not upheld by the BBC and found not credible by Silkins. The BBC is no longer providing balanced and impartial public service journalism.

“It is peddling baseless and sensationalised gossip masquerading as properly corroborated stories. The BBC is choosing to allow BBC News to run with this uncorroborated tittle tattle in an attempt to ‘get ahead’ of the Silkin’s summary report and derail what has been an extremely thorough process.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.”

The Mirror has reached out to MasterChef and Grace Dent’s representatives for comment.

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The two-dimensional version of President Obama wearing a red and green Santa hat in California Rep. Grace Napolitano’s office draws a crowd.

Random visitors, and occasionally members of Congress, filtered past the door wrapped like a present, to snap a selfie with the commander-in-cardboard.

Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Norwalk) shows off Christmas decorations in her office. She said staff and visitors stop in to have their photo taken with the cutout of President Obama in a Santa hat.

(Sarah D. Wire)

Rep. Grace Napolitano shows off Christmas decorations in her office. (Sarah D. Wire/Los Angeles Times)

“They just decide they want to come in and stand next to him and get a picture taken,” Napolitano said, laughing.

At the White House Christmas party one year, the nine-term Democrat from Norwalk just had to let the president know how much action his doppelganger was getting in her office.

Napolitano said she showed Obama a photo of her staff posing with the cutout. The president pulled it out of her hands and showed it off to other attendees.

Her office on the sixth floor of the Longworth House Office Building is bustling around the holidays, a little cheer that helped as Congress bickered in the final days of the year on spending and world problems.

Decorations appear around the Capitol and House and Senate office buildings in December — Capitol police have a small tree, some office doors hold wreaths or feature entryway stockings — but Napolitano’s is one of the more elaborate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc7PtrltNeY

“It makes it nice to walk into an office and see the cheerfulness,” Napolitano said.

Each door to her office suite is covered in shiny red or green colored wrapping paper and in the hallway, lit candy cane lawn ornaments lead visitors to the office. Lights shaped like chili peppers frame a mirror in the entryway and tinsel or garland line nearly every available surface. Chinese lanterns hang from the ceiling while Santa, reindeer and angel figurines peek out from shelves.

Napolitano began decorating the space when she took office in 1999, but it gained steam in 2011 when she received some of the 3,000 ornaments made by California children that had adorned the 63-foot-tall Capitol Christmas tree from Stanislaus National Forest.

Many of those ornaments still hang from the branches of an artificial pine reaching 6-feet high, not far from framed citations and awards for her public service. Napolitano said that next year, she plans to ask schools in her district to send new ornaments for the tree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAimBoSGeIY

The wood-paneled office is traditionally more sedate, decorated with pictures from events in California or of her family and maps of the district. Brochures for tourist activities in Washington line a shelf.

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Staff have to wait all month to find out what’s inside the wrapped boxes at the foot of the tree next to the picture of a fireplace decorated with lights. Eventually she’ll buy a faux fireplace with fake crackling flames to replace the photo, said Napolitano, who pays for the decorations herself.

Feels like family

Staff members do the decorating the week of Thanksgiving, she said, as a way to make Washington seem more like home during the hectic final weeks Congress is in session.

“It’s part of the family feeling” in the office, Napolitano said.

She tries to maintain the sentiment year-round.

Staff cook in the office weekly, practicing Napolitano’s recipes for dishes like enchiladas or migas — a mixture of scrambled eggs, vegetables and strips of corn tortillas.

Male staffers sport holiday ties she buys them and joke about the amount of food they eat at work. A staff member opened a cabinet to show off the seven bags of avocados ripening in preparation for “thank you” guacamole that Napolitano will make for staff who worked on the federal highway funding bill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ust3nhq32PE

In recent years, Napolitano’s office has hosted a “hall party” for other members and staff.

Her Longworth neighbor, Rep. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego), said he loves having the decorations next door. He tries to spread his own holiday joy.

“I walk in there now every time I go by … and I sing a little Christmas song with them and they all laugh, but I love it,” Vargas said. Then he belted out the lyrics for “Holly, Jolly Christmas.”

The decorations inspired him.

“They put us in the Christmas spirit, so much so that I went out and got a tree myself, carried it down the street and put it in my office,” he said. “If you go into my office you’ll see a real tree with the real smells. It’s terrific.”

What’s it like to have Christmas cheer the next office over?

“Honestly, I don’t know if she is going to like this, but it’s like having my mom down the hall,” Vargas said. “If I really need anything I can go to her. She’s as helpful as anybody I’ve ever met, she’s as kind and nice and sweet as anyone I’ve ever met, and she always wants to help, but I’ve gained a few pounds because of her.”

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Between delicately assembling a pair of open-faced sandwiches in her comfortably stocked kitchen and carefully picking her wardrobe for an incoming visitor, Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant), an elegant older woman with intelligent eyes and a wry smile, looks like someone who enjoys hosting. Flirting too, if the hand she gently places on her lunch companion’s knee is any indication.

But there are signs that Ruth, an accomplished cookbook author, exists apart from the reality of the moment. Polite, patient, nervous Steve (H. Jon Benjamin) is not a date — he’s actually Ruth’s son, there to take her to a well-appointed retirement community where she’ll live under the observation of caregivers who specialize in memory care. But also, thanks to the power of “Familiar Touch,” it’s a place where she’ll be affectionately dimensionalized through the encouraging eyes of the filmmaker who created her, Sarah Friedland.

Friedland’s acute debut feature, drawn from her experience in the memory-care field, is a small miracle of realigned empathy, turning away from the condescension and easy sentiment of so many narratives about late-in-life adaptation. Instead it finds something infinitely more layered and meaningful, especially where Chalfant’s utterly commanding characterization is concerned.

Friedland doesn’t waste time letting us know she has more on her mind than rote family drama or a spotlight on medical suffering. The quiet car ride to the senior living home is marked by a closeup of Ruth’s hand turning on her lap as it’s warmed by the sun — a moment meant to prioritize Ruth’s sensorial experience. In the facility’s lobby, where we meet kindly caregiver Vanessa (Carolyn Michelle) and Ruth realizes she’s not at a hotel for a rendezvous but rather to be admitted to a new group home by a grown child she doesn’t recognize, the moment is as tension-filled as it needs to be.

Yet even that is offset by the composed normality of Friedland’s unhurried, attentive direction, seeding an understanding that what is new for Ruth (or new once more, since we learn that she herself had chosen the place in less-confused times) is, in practically every other way, a common occurrence. This is a rite of passage happening all the time everywhere and deserving of compassion.

Ruth’s awareness is fluid as she becomes accustomed to a life of assistance, tests, activities, neighbors and the unique connection between resident and caregiver. As the process unfolds, “Familiar Touch” reveals itself as a social procedural about a demanding healthcare profession, often staffed by people who can’t afford to place their own loved ones in such facilities. The movie demystifies what’s hard and rewarding about caregiving, thanks largely to Michelle’s incredible, nuanced turn as Vanessa. That thread is exquisitely interlocked with a sensitive, sharp portrait of the interiority of someone searching for agency while in the throes of dementia.

Friedland never ignores what’s upsetting about Ruth’s condition, especially the loneliness that might replace sleep in an unfamiliar bed, or the despair that triggers a nighttime escape. But by sticking to Ruth’s perspective, the camera attuned to every emergence of childlike glee, adult pleasure or sharp-witted flash of authority, we come to see a person, not a patient. Ruth’s swings of emotion and identity are multitudes to be uncovered and respected.

The mystery of Ruth’s mindfulness — which ebbs and flows — is at the core of Chalfant’s brilliant, award-worthy performance. Hers is a virtuosity that doesn’t ask for pity or applause or even link arms with the stricken-but-defiant disease-playing headliners who have gone before her. Chalfant’s Ruth is merely, momentously human: an older woman in need, but no less expressive of life’s fullness because of it. It’s a portrayal to remember, for as long as any of us can.

REALITY TV star Lateysha Grace rushed her sick six-month-old baby to hospital after she started struggling to breathe.

The 32-year-old’s daughter “took a turn for the worse” before she was diagnosed with bronchitis and croup.

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Posting a snap from hospital, the terrified mum of Navy Storm Grace told fans: “Sorry I’ve been so MIA guys.

“Navy took a turn for the worse on Friday night and we ended up in hospital until Saturday.

“It was so scary. She got diagnosed with bronchitis and croup bless her.

“I’m going to add a video in of her breathing to warn other parents to go straight to A&E if their child has similar symptoms.

“She’s on the mend now. Her breathing is so much better.

“She’s drinking her milk and her temperature has gone.”

Lateysh added: “Apparently she had it for a couple of days prior and day four or five is the worst, which were the days we were in hospital.

“So even if your baby has the tiniest of coughs/colds get it checked out.

“I honestly thought it was nothing at first as she had no temperature and was eating, drink and sleeping normally.”

Croup is a common condition that mainly affects babies’ and young children’s airways.

Symptoms usually include a barking cough and high pitched, rasping sound when breathing in.

Cardi B, entering the newest phase of her rap career, has just one question in mind: “Am I the Drama?”

That’s the title for the Grammy winner’s long-anticipated sophomore album, which she unveiled Monday on social media. The “Bodak Yellow” artist, 32, announced “Am I the Drama?” will drop Sept. 19, seven years after she made her splashy debut with 2018’s “Invasion of Privacy.”

The aptly dramatic “Am I the Drama?” cover art features Cardi B in an abstract red body suit and matching fishnet tights grabbing the heel of one of her sky-high platform pumps. The image also features a raven resting on her shoe and even more of them swarming around her.

Cardi B hinted at her album and its raven motif Sunday in a theatrical teaser as she reflected on “seven years of love, life and loss” and trading in grace for hell.

“I learned power’s not given. It’s taken,” the Bronx native says. “I’m shedding feathers and no more tears. I’m not back. I’m beyond.”

Cardi B broke out with “Bodak Yellow” almost a year before she released “Invasion of Privacy” in April 2018. Times critic Mikael Wood in his review commended the rapper for her relatability — “through her words and delivery … the songs make you feel like she’s speaking directly to you.”

At the 2019 Grammy Awards, Cardi B won a top honor and made history while doing so: She became the first woman to win the rap album category as a solo artist.

Cardi B continued to gain popularity over the following years for hits including “I Like It” with J Balvin and Bad Bunny, and “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion. The latter, and Cardi B’s recent singles “Up” and “Outside,” will be among the 23 songs on the new album, according to the tracklist preview on Spotify.

“Am I the Drama?” will arrive as Cardi B also marks new milestones in her personal life.

Earlier this year, the “Hustlers” actor made her romance with NFL star Stefon Diggs official after parting ways with Migos rapper Offset. She also became a mother for a third time in September when she welcomed her daughter Blossom Belles, with Offset. They also share 6-year-old daughter Kulture and 3-year-old son Wave.

If only! On June 18, 2014, the airwaves and the internet lit up in collective awe at one of the greatest athletic feats in modern history. Clayton Kershaw recorded 15 strikeouts in a 107-pitch no-hitter that many consider the best single-game pitching performance of all time. The asterisk of this epic Dodgers game was the one error in the seventh inning that prevented its official recognition as a “perfect game”: When the Rockies’ Corey Dickerson tapped the ball toward the mound, Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez botched a throw to first base, and Dickerson made it to second.

If only Ramirez had made the play at first! If only coach Don Mattingly hadn’t substituted the ailing Ramirez one inning prior! Los Angeles was one bruised right finger away from celebrating perfection.

Baseball has a celebrated history of quantifying value. No professional sport embraces numbers and statistics in the way baseball does. Statisticians are as much a part of the game as the dirt, chalk and grass. Although baseball has been collecting data since the late 1800s, the empiric statistical analysis that is part of our game today dates back to 1977 with the introduction of sabermetrics.

It’s critical to the game: How else are we to determine success when the majority of what we see is failure? The best hitters in baseball are those who only fail less than 70% of the time; in other words, have a batting average over .300. These perennial all-stars will experience the dissatisfaction and humility of an out in 7 out of every 10 plate appearances. In what other profession can you fail 70% of the time and be considered one of the greats? Consider the mental strength required to accept failure as part of the game and the focus to view each at-bat as an opportunity to fail a little bit less.

We need a similar kind of thinking in life to quantify value in our failure rates.

A “perfect game” is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a team pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. It’s so rare because failure — by pitchers as well as batters — is expected as a matter of course. Francis Thomas Vincent Jr., the eighth commissioner of MLB, is quoted as saying: “Baseball teaches us, or has taught most of us, how to deal with failure. We learn at a very young age that failure is the norm in baseball and, precisely because we have failed, we hold in high regard those who fail less often — those who hit safely in one out of three chances and become star players. I also find it fascinating that baseball, alone in sport, considers errors to be part of the game, part of its rigorous truth.”

On June 19, 2014, the fans and commentators of baseball praised in dramatic fashion Kershaw’s dominant no-hitter, but with a subtle tone of confusion and denial of the ugly blemish recorded across the team’s box score: 0-0-1. Zero runs. Zero hits. One error. One base runner. An imperfect game. If only!

The collective hope for perfection is understandable. Most people are afraid to fail.

Parades aren’t held for the runner-up. Grades aren’t given just for trying. Job promotions aren’t offered for making mistakes. Placing perfection on a pedestal relieves the collective anxiety — but prohibits the opportunity — of accepting failure as an integral part of life. For an individual, failure is an opportunity to grow and become a better person. For a business, failure is an opportunity to pivot and redefine success. The opposite of perfection is not failure. It is accepting the opportunity to learn from transgressions. Winston Churchill once quipped, “The maxim, ‘Nothing prevails but perfection,’ may be spelled P-A-R-A-L-Y-S-I-S.”

Almost to the day, 75 years before Kershaw’s no-hitter, the world of sports witnessed the catastrophic reality of paralysis. In June 1939, after a week of extensive testing at the Mayo Clinic, Lou Gehrig announced to the world that he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This announcement happened to fall on his 36th birthday. This represented the end of Gehrig’s illustrious baseball career. But 75 years later, what is remembered about this man is not his career batting average of .340, seven-time All-Star appearances, six-time World Series championships, winning of the Triple Crown or two-time league MVP. Sabermetrics could not possibly explain Gehrig’s value to the sport. What endures is what no statistic can capture: his grace. His humility. His courage in the face of loss. What is remembered and honored is his response to the ultimate “failure”: a failure of upper and lower motor neurons to make necessary connections that ultimately leads to rapidly progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. In defiance to an illness that is uniformly fatal, Gehrig paid homage to his teammates, professional members of the MLB and its fans by proclaiming himself “the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”

Similarly, sabermetrics misses the true greatness of Kershaw’s no-hitter. What could never be displayed in statistics or numbers was Kershaw’s response to the error. After Ramirez’s throwing error, his hat lay at the base of Kershaw’s pitching mound. As I watched from the stands, I could not hear what Kershaw said to Ramirez as he picked it up, dusted off and handed the hat back to his humiliated teammate. But his body language appeared unbelievably humble, accepting and supportive, as if to recognize the lesson of baseball, which is that errors are a celebrated part of the game. To dwell on errors and think “if only” leads to disappointment and blame, but to accept and embrace imperfections with a positive and optimistic attitude defines the ultimate success.

If only we could all be that perfect.

Josh Diamond is a physician in private practice in Los Angeles and a lifelong Dodgers fan. Some of his earliest memories are of attending games with his father; he now shares his love of the Dodgers with his son.