interior

“The Brady Bunch” superfans better hold onto their bell bottoms: The TV family’s retro home in Studio City will finally be accessible to the public for the first time.

The double doors to the midcentury Studio City home — made famous with its appearance in the beloved 1970s sitcom — will open to fans for three days in November thanks to a limited event by pop culture historian Alison Martino and her Vintage Los Angeles. Martino, an on-air host and producer for Spectrum news and the daughter of singer-actor Al Martino, unveiled the “Brady Experience” on Monday on Facebook.

“It’s like stepping back into our childhood! IT IS ASTONISHING and you will see every single room,” she announced. “I will personally be taking each and every one of you throughout the house.”

From Nov. 7 to 9, Martino will guide fans who have shelled out $275 each through the iconic Dilling Street property. The event is now sold out. Though the home’s facade appeared throughout the run of the family sitcom, its interior at the time bore no resemblance to the colorful rooms shown on screen. The interiors of the Brady residence were constructed on sets at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.

The famous abode, originally built in 1959 with late modernist architecture, was renovated decades after “The Brady Bunch” ended in 1974.

HGTV purchased the home in 2018 for $3.5 million (more than twice the asking price) and renovated the interior to match what “Brady Bunch” audiences saw onscreen. The home renovation network documented that process in “A Very Brady Renovation,” which featured the stars who portrayed the Brady children.

As part of the renovations, HGTV reproduced the groovy spaces from the set in the home, adding a second floor to accommodate the additional rooms. The network sold the home in 2023 for $3.2 million to Tina Trahan, a historic-home enthusiast and wife to former HBO executive Chris Albrecht.

The home, in all its “Brady Bunch” glory, has become “even more groovy with more remarkable vintage decor added,” Martino added in her announcement. She said nothing in the home would be off limits, allowing fans to “see every detail up close.”

Proceeds for the three-day event will benefit animal rescue Wags and Walks, a cause that Martino said Brady family dog “Tiger would definitely approve!”

ONE of the busiest train stations in the world is set to receive a huge £5billion facelift – with the glow-up finally coming after decades of delays.

Construction for the long-awaited overhaul will begin in two years – transforming the iconic station into a more passenger-friendly hub with an eye-catching interior.

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America’s busiest railway station maekover will get rid of the maze-like design that has confused commuters for years – replacing it with a much simpler layout.

Penn Station will be fitted with a 250,000 square-foot single-level facility – which will boast brighter concourses, actual amenities, new retailers and even built-in housing above.

The iconic New York transport hub which welcomes over 650,000 riders daily will be given a dazzling new design – scrapping its outdated and confusing interior.

Penn Station Mark II has already kicked off – a £1.2billion renovation restored the Farley Building which sits opposite the station.

It came with a central atrium featuring a glass roof, as well as shopper-friendly retail space and a huge 320-seat waiting area.

The Penn Station revamp is also set to tear up the old low ceilings and labyrinth-like corridors.

The station’s current design seriously lacks enough coffee stands, retail space or commuter-friendly walkways.

Amtrak is leading the charge for the ambitious megaproject – with a £32million federal grant to kick-start permitting, design and the hunt for a developer.

Penn Station is in an ‘unacceptable’ state

US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said: “Crumbling infrastructure, bleak and dirty architecture, unnavigable hallways, and no inviting spaces for families with kids – the current state of Penn Station is unacceptable.

“Under President Trump’s direction, we will transform Penn Station into a world-class transit hub that is beautiful, safe, and clean.

“The aggressive schedule we’ve outlined will ensure we are back on track to deliver a gleaming monument worthy of New York City.”

Meanwhile, an Amtrak spokesperson said: “The transformation of New York Penn Station is underway, and USDOT and Amtrak are strongly committed to beginning construction by the end of 2027.”

The firm’s spokesperson thanked Trump for “bringing urgency and clarity” to the station’s renovation which has long been plagued by delays and cancellations.

Disruption expected…

The project is being billed as a long-overdue transformation of one of New York’s busiest transport hubs – but the construction will not come without disruption.

Travellers should expect re-routed journeys, temporary closures and fresh signage across the station.

While officials insist the impact will be “minimal,” many commuters remain sceptical.

Delays, cancellations and sudden changes to train schedules are likely during the works.

The overhaul is expected to take two years to complete, with major construction beginning in 2027.

For now, passengers will still have to contend with the crowded, outdated station until the long-awaited facelift finally arrives.

Penn Station revamp timeline

THE US Department of Transportation (USDOT) and Amtrak have revealed next steps for the long-awaited transformation of New York’s iconic Penn Station.

Here is the scheduled timeline the project is aiming to deliver by the end of 2027:

August 2025: Master developer solicitation advance notice

Fall 2025: Contracting industry stakeholder engagement

Late 2025: Master developer solicitation release

May 2026: Master developer selection

Summer 2026 to End of 2027: Preliminary design and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) activities

End of 2027: Construction initiation

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LAS VEGAS — While the rest of the college football world spent the summer whipped into a frenzy, swept up by the specter of revenue sharing or congressional intervention or one of the many other landscape-altering changes looming over the sport, Lincoln Riley was able to actually step away and take a breath.

In four years as USC’s coach, Riley hasn’t had many chances to really unplug. There was the sprint ahead of his first season, and the heavy portal push ahead of his second. The third came with a new conference, new defense, new expectations, new pressure.

The fourth, by comparison, is starting on a more relaxed note than Riley is used to. There were no phone calls taking up half a day of his family vacation. His fly fishing went mostly unbothered. He even golfed at Pebble Beach in May.

“I’d say I’m feeling as refreshed and recharged as I’ve been in a long time,” Riley said Thursday during Big Ten media days.

Never mind that the pressure for Riley to win at USC has perhaps never been so high, coming off a 7-6 campaign in which the Trojans needed a comeback bowl win to scrape past .500. The path to winning has arguably never been so uncertain, either, with the advent of revenue sharing completely upending how championship rosters are constructed.

In spite of that backdrop, this past summer still felt less daunting to Riley than the rest. He says he didn’t feel the offseason chaos that some of colleagues have described in the wake of the House settlement. Some of that added calm he credits to Chad Bowden, USC’s new general manager, and his handpicked front office, who have taken personnel matters largely off Riley’s plate. Immediately laying claim to the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for 2026 hasn’t hurt in building that trust, either.

But it’s more than that, according to Riley.

“There are less big fixes going on right now, you know?” he said. “It’s like you’ve got the house built, and it’s kind of all about the finishes now. You’re not trying to put up a wall or anything like that.”

Whether USC is actually that close to being a finished product is up for debate. The Trojans’ win total has declined in each of Riley’s first three seasons, during which his record is worse than that of his predecessor, Clay Helton. Now the Trojans enter his fourth with a raw, unproven commodity at quarterback, a threadbare linebacker room, and an inexperienced offensive line that could already be down a projected starter.

There’s also the matter of their fourth-quarter issues last season, which saw the Trojans inexplicably cough up leads in five of their six losses.

But Riley looks at it differently.

“It’s the first time where we had an opportunity at the end of the game to win every single game that we played,” he said.

“The really good teams separate in a lot of their games, and they win the close games they end up in. That’s typically how it happens, and that’s what we’ve got to become. And so the way to do it, every part of your program has to be pretty strong.

“We’ve graduated from being way behind in this area, and being pretty decent in this area to, like, every right now is either good or pretty darn good. Now it’s just about taking those small steps in all those areas to, I guess, hypothetically push you over the hump.”

USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn walks on the sideline during a game against Nebraska at the Coliseum in November.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The biggest leap in that regard could once again be on defense, where USC went from one of the worst units in the nation in 2023 (121st in scoring defense) to respectable (56th) under defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn.

That was no small feat, considering where they came from. And the Trojans have added considerable talent to its defense since. The front seven should benefit greatly from the return of linebacker Eric Gentry and defensive end Anthony Lucas from injury. And on the interior, USC brought in two massive transfers on the interior, as well as a five-star freshman.

“I think the depth, the talent level, and the size of the defensive line, I mean, there’s honestly really no comparison to this time 12 months ago,” Riley said.

But the Trojans’ path will inevitably, at some point, come down to their quarterback. Riley reiterated his confidence in Jayden Maiava as the Trojans’ starter, even as he once again heaped praise on five-star freshman Husan Longstreet.

Left tackle Elijah Paige said Thursday that he has seen a major change in Maiava since he entered the offseason as the presumptive starter.

“He’s taken a complete 180,” Paige said of USC’s quarterback. “[In the spring,] he commanded the offense, and that’s what this team needs.”

Of course, everyone is feeling optimistic this time of year, with more than a month still remaining before USC kicks off against Missouri State.

But Riley isn’t the only one who feels those finishing touches underway.

“We’ve gone and gotten some of the very best people in the business,” Riley said. “They’re not going to attach themselves to something where they don’t see the progress.

“And you do not get a recruiting class like this unless there’s a crazy amount of momentum within the program. Like, I don’t care what else you have. If you don’t have momentum, you do not get a class like we have.”

July 8 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of the Interior on Tuesday took steps to make it easier for oil and gas companies to “commingle” multiple U.S. onshore drilling lease applications.

The proposed updates to oil and gas regulations in DOI’s Bureau of Land Management would allow gas and oil company operators to combine, or commingle, multiple federal leases as a means to boost productivity and, the department added, to “better reflect modern industry practices.”

“This is about common sense and catching up with today’s technology,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

The move is a facet to U.S. President Donald Trump‘s recently passed tax and spending law to permit production via different leases, often under different ownership, and using the same well pad, which is the the cleared site where production facilities operate.

“Commingling” is an industry term to define the intentional or unintentional blending of fuels either to mix similar products together for transport and storage, or to create a newer product with specific characteristics.

Currently, the bureau restricts commingling to leases only with identical mineral ownership, royalty rates and revenue distribution.

The proposed policy switch has a July 15 effective date, barring no unforeseen issues, and overwhelmingly favors corporate interests.

Burgum says the current rules were written “for a different era.”

The administration said the proposed commingling of applications would reduce environmental effects, lower operating costs and increase corporate efficiency.

“These updates will help us manage public resources more efficiently, support responsible energy production, and make sure taxpayers and tribes get every dollar they’re owed,” Burgum continued in a statement.

The department argues it will unlock “energy potential that is currently tied up in regulatory red tape,” and further claimed it could result in nearly $2 billion in annual savings for the oil and gad industry.

Federal regulators for decades treated separate reservoirs with slightly drilling pressures as different reservoirs. The redundancy cost companies about $1.8 billion in avoidable annual costs, which was the same figure cited by DOI as corporate savings.

DOI officials went on to state how those savings could give corporate entities the ability to reinvest in new energy production which, officials added, would help “drive domestic energy development while reducing the need” for a company to invest in extra equipment.

The changes in federal rules could result in a 10% spike in production and over 100,000 extra barrels per day added to American output, Energy Department officials said.

On Tuesday, the administration said the Bureau of Land Management plans to “move quickly” to update the proposed federal regulations after a period of public comment and before the July 15 start date of the new policy.