James

SHAMED TOWIE star James Argent left his model girlfriend with cuts and bruises to her neck, arms, and leg during the horror beachfront attack – and a year on he’s reunited with his best pal Mark Wright.

The list of appalling injuries he inflicted on former Miss Sweden Nicoline Arturrson, 33, were contained in a shocking court file after he threw her down the steps of their Spanish villa.

Prosecutors were reportedly so appalled by her injuries they wanted to charge Argent with wounding and were pushing for a nine-month jail sentence.

But as part of a plea deal he agreed to admit the lesser offence of ‘mistreatment’.

James’ jail let-off saw him handed a six month suspended sentence and a two-year restraining order banning him from contacting Nicoline.

He has largely stayed out of the spotlight since the scandal, but now, he has reunited with his reality TV pals in a local boozer.

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The group were seen laughing and joking as they sat down for a meal.

James’ best pal, Mark Wright, 39, was spotted nicking his sandwich and a few chips from his plate.

The TV personality burst into laughter as he told fans, “some things never change.”

Their meet up looked very casual as James was seen wearing a black long sleeve top and Mark was in a pair of black joggers and a white t-shirt.

It seemed the pals reconnected at a big drink up as they were spotted in a large group of four others.

In a group snap James shared on Instagram, the lads were seen sitting around a big table as they smiled for the camera.

James captioned the post: “It’s good to be home and catch up with the boys,” followed by a smiley face emoji.

Mark and James have been close pals for over 10 years, finding fame on The Only Way Is Essex together back in 2010.

They were both central cast members, often appearing in scenes together.

The singer is thought to have moved to Spain following the attack on his ex-girlfriend.

The court report of the incident reads: “During the argument, and with the intention of harming her physical integrity, he grabbed hold of her tightly by her arm and pushed her causing her to fall down the stairs.

“The injured woman suffered several bruises to her neck, a bruise to her right forearm, several abrasions to her right arm, and abrasions to her right hand and on her right leg.

“The injuries she suffered healed in seven days on skin and soft tissue.”

At the time pals close to the couple slammed James – saying: “The plea deal was the easy way out.”

DALLAS — The Lakers will be without their starting backcourt for the rest of the regular season — five more games — after Austin Reaves was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique strain on Saturday.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Reaves underwent an MRI exam on his left olbique/rib area Saturday.

The team learned earlier this week that Luka Doncic has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be out for the remainder of the regular season — and perhaps beyond.

The Lakers are also dealing with an injury to guard Marcus Smart, who has missed the last six games because of a right ankle contusion and is questionable for the game.

“It’s it’s lingering soreness in the ankle,” Redick said.

Even with all of this, Redick said the Lakers’ “mission hasn’t changed.”

“We want to get the third seed and we want to win a first-round series,” Redick said.

The Lakers are the third in the Western Conference, but Denver, Houston and Minnesota are within striking distance. The Lakers hold the tiebreaker over all three.

They’ll try to hold on to the No. 3 seed over the final five games of the regular season without Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring (33.5 points per game) and is fourth in assists (8.3).

“I know Luka’s gonna do everything he can to get back on the court,” Redick said. “We don’t know what this recovery timetable looks like.”

The Lakers likely will have to lean more on LeBron James, a role the 41-year-old is more than willing to take on. James has been designated the third option behind Doncic and Reaves yet has still averaged 20.6 points per game, 6.9 assists and 6.0 rebounds in his 23rd season.

“It probably is going to look a little bit differently with Luka being out,” James said after practice. “I’ll figure that out and then, obviously, the coaches will figure it out as well.”

The Lakers are making the mental adjustment of playing without Doncic. After the Mavericks, they’ll have tough games against Oklahoma City, Golden State and Phoenix before finishing against lowly Utah.

“I mean, it’s a challenge for us,” James said. “It’s always got to be a next-man-up [mentality]. But there’s no way you can replace that type of impact. So, it’s going to be a collective group. We all have to figure out a way to do a little bit more. But even now, you got to be even more tightened up on the things that we do. When you lose a special player like that, you can’t have as many mistakes. So, we got to figure that out.”

For Redick, speaking for the first time since news of Doncic’s injury, he had to check on the temperature of his team to make sure his group was in the right space.

The practice Saturday on the campus of Southern Methodist helped.

“I think making sure that everybody’s in the right frame of mind, first of all, and then you know we worked on just offensive stuff, just cleaning up some stuff and being really explicit with what we want to run,” Redick said. “Did some offensive breakdown. It was definitely more of an offensive day.

“We did work on defense to start the practice, but that’s again that’s the primary sort of focus. How do we score, how do we score efficiently, and our defense again is, it’s we’re interchangeable. We’ve been interchangeable now for two-and-a half-months.”

James controversy

James created a bit of controversy when he said on “Bob Does Sports” YouTube video that Memphis should relocate to Nashville.

“I’m not like the first guy to even talk about it in the NBA. We all like, ‘You guys have to move. Just go over to Nashville,” James said.

James, when asked if he wanted to clarify his remarks, then mentioned Milwaukee also as one of his least favorite cities.

“I said Milwaukee as well,” James said. “I’m 41 years old (and) there’s two cities I do not like playing in right now — and that’s Milwaukee and that’s Memphis. What is your problem with it? I don’t like going home [to Cleveland] either. … And I’m from there. People are ridiculous. They also get mad at my son [Bronny James] being on the [Lakers] team, too.

“So, what are we talking about? People need to figure out other ways to put their energy to other things that’s important. Like, seriously? I’m not talking about the city, like the people in Memphis. I don’t like staying at the Hyatt Centric [hotel]. What’s wrong with that? Nothing. What are we talking about? What are we talking about? People need to chill the hell out.”

CHLOE Madeley and her rugby star ex-husband have proven there’s no bad blood between them these days.

Chloe and James Haskell – who divorced in 2023 after a five-year marriage – took to Instagram to show off some impressive moves, as Chloe used a shirtless James as a human teeterboard.

The former couple – who share daughter Bodhi, three – filmed themselves in a living room, trying to master some one-on-one acrobatics.

Both heavily into fitness, the pair were replicating another social media video of a different couple doing the same routine.

Chloe, 38, was transparent about the potentially eyebrow-raising video, captioning it: “Yea ok it’s a tad unconventional but it’s also top tier content so here we are.”

In the clip, Chloe was seen balancing on James, 41, who showed off his shirtless muscular frame in the process.

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Dressed in comfy sweatpants and a hoodie, Chloe sat on the floor in front of her former spouse, facing away from him, as James held onto her arms.

Chloe then attempted to roll backwards several times without much luck, trying to contain their giggles in the process.

The pair eventually managed to pull off the trick, as Chloe rolled into James, placing her feet onto his bare stomach and launching herself upwards.

James clung onto his ex-wife before she toppled forward in fits of laughter.

The pair shocked fans when they split three years ago, after they welcomed their daughter in 2022.

Chloe – who is the daughter of TV duo Richard and Judy – has opened up about the split, branding it “really unbelievably stressful”.

Their divorce was recently finalised, with Chloe saying: “It’s fine now, but the process has been incredibly emotional and volatile.

“We have weeks where everything’s fine and we get on really well. And then we have weeks where we don’t agree on something or someone gets frustrated or angry, and then we don’t speak.”

James is set to appear on the new series of Celebs Go Dating, and insists he discussed it with Chloe ahead of signing up.

Of the decision, he said in a podcast interview earlier this month: “I loved the experience… I went on Celebs Go Dating not necessarily to find love but to showcase myself in a different light.

“I think Celebs Go Dating was a way of going on there, having fun, meeting someone, and I think being very aware that my daughter will be watching one day so being very respectful of my ex.

“I obviously talked to her about it and yeah, I’ve had five dates, they’ve all been lovely people but one I might date again.”

Following their secret split, a source said: “Chloe and James have been fighting for a long time to make a go of their marriage. 

“Having a young baby, and James being away so often would take a toll on anyone. But some of James’ behaviour was upsetting, and he knows that.

“Things are completely civil between them, and they shall remain friends. Bodhi is their number one priority.”

James Gadson, a prolific drummer who worked closely with Bill Withers and as a member of the widely sampled Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band — and whose playing motored hits like Diana Ross’ “Love Hangover,” Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” and Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” — died Thursday, according to Rolling Stone. He was 86.

Rolling Stone didn’t say where Gadson died or specify a cause but said the drummer’s wife, Barbara, had confirmed the news; she told the magazine that Gadson had experienced a fall recently and undergone surgery.

Described by the Roots’ Questlove as “breakbeats defined,” Gadson was known for a funky, laid-back style best exemplified perhaps by his playing in Withers’ 1972 “Use Me,” in which he seems somehow to keep finding space for an extra beat. Forty years later, Kendrick Lamar borrowed Gadson’s intricate rhythm pattern for “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst,” from the rapper’s 2012 breakthrough album, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.”

In “Love Hangover,” which topped Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1976, Gadson’s drumming anchors a production that moves from lush soul balladry to a frisky disco groove; Gaye and his producer Leon Ware got a similar thump out of the drummer for “I Want You,” which reached No. 1 on the R&B chart in 1976 and was later interpolated by Lamar for his Grammy-winning “The Heart Part 5.”

Among the many other songs from the ‘70s featuring Gadson’s playing are the Jackson 5’s “Dancing Machine,” Cheryl Lynn’s “Got to Be Real,” Smokey Robinson’s “Cruisin,’” Yvonne Elliman’s “If I Can’t Have You,” Tavares’ “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel,” Peaches & Herb’s “Shake Your Groove Thing” and Thelma Houston’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” In later years he worked with the likes of Beck, D’Angelo, Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Harry Styles and Sturgill Simpson.

Gadson was born June 17, 1939, and grew up in Kansas City. His father was a drummer, and when Gadson and his brother were teenagers they played in a doo-wop group called the Carpets. Gadson moved to Los Angeles in the mid-’60s following a stint in the Air Force and joined the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, led by the singer and guitarist Charles Wright; the group scored hits such as “Do Your Thing” and “Express Yourself,” the latter of which N.W.A would eventually sample for its song of the same name from 1989’s “Straight Outta Compton.”

In the early ’70s, Gadson and several other Watts band members left the group and took up with Withers (who’d already broken out with “Ain’t No Sunshine”) to make his album “Still Bill.” In addition to “Use Me,” the LP spun off the hit single “Lean on Me,” which went to No. 1 and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Gadson backed Withers in 1972 for a concert at Carnegie Hall that was recorded for a classic live album; the record opens with a version of “Use Me” that stretches past the eight-minute mark.

Though Gadson’s crack at a solo career around the same time didn’t pan out, he quickly became an in-demand session drummer, particularly for acts signed to the Motown label, which had just moved to L.A. from its original home of Detroit. He played on Motown records by the Temptations, the Miracles, the 5th Dimension and the Supremes’ Mary Wilson; over the decades that followed, he also worked with Philip Bailey, Anita Baker, Ray Charles, Leonard Cohen, Norah Jones and Lana Del Rey.

On Friday, the jazz guitarist Jeff Parker wrote on Instagram about his experiences playing with Gadson.

“The last time we convened, he noticed me glaring at his drum kit in wonder — I knew that there had to be a LOT of history there,” Parker recalled. “He looked at me and said, ‘Jeff, that’s my disco kit.’ I said, ‘Are those the drums on “Love Hangover”?’ He nodded and said, ‘They’re the drums on a whooooole lot of records.’”

REGGIE Watts has shared a touching tribute in memory of his late partner, Katherine Early McCollough.

The comedian and TV star, who is best known for appearing on the Late Late Show with James Corden, was with girlfriend Katherine for two years before her sad death at age 36.

Sharing the news to Instagram, Reggie wrote: “Katherine, I will miss you so much. I know you were in pain, and while I tried everything I could to reflect the light you brought into this world, the sorrow became too much to overcome.

“You changed my life. You opened up my vulnerability and taught me how to receive love from someone so close.

“We built a life together, went on adventures, and we took chances together.

“You had a natural radiance that people could feel from so far away – a light you carried despite the difficult path you walked from childhood.”

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Continuing to his 407K followers, Reggie heartbreakingly shared how he “understood” his girlfriend’s “need for peace”.

He wrote: “I’ve been processing so much. I know you can hear me, and I honour the intentionality of your journey. You planned your time in Lima beautifully – the coast, the art, the meals shared with a friend.

“While it is so difficult for those of us left behind, I understand your need for peace.”

“There is so much of you still around me in the house we shared. You were a vital part of my transformation.

“I’m so grateful for everything we shared, and I will hold the light you gave me forever.”

Signing off the post, Reggie asked Katherine to say hello to his late mother, penning: “You never got to meet her, but I know she would have been so happy to see how kind you were to me.

“You took care of me in a way I know she always wanted for me.

“I love you, Katherine. I always will. You are a part of me, as you always have been.”

Reggie added two beautiful pictures of Katherine to his tribute.

Following her death, Katherine’s friends have been raising money via a GoFundMe, to cover the costs of shipping her body from Maine to her home state of South Carolina.

At the time of publishing, the fund has raised $30.6K of its $40K target.

WASHINGTON — Pam Bondi is out of her job after failing to deliver criminal cases against President Trump’s political enemies.

But there’s no guarantee her successor will have any better success at placating the president.

Over the last year, Bondi’s Justice Department has encountered resistance from judges, grand jurors and its own workforce in trying to establish criminal conduct by one Trump foe after another. A new attorney general will confront not only Trump’s demand for political prosecutions — a constant dating back to his first term in the White House — but also the same skeptical court system, and factual and legal hurdles, that have impeded efforts to deliver the sought-after results.

“At the end of the day, it’s not like there were some magic steps that Pam Bondi could have taken to make bad cases look good to grand juries or judges,” Peter Keisler, a former acting attorney general in President George W. Bush’s administration, said in an email. “The problem is that the president is demanding that prosecutions be brought when there’s no evidence and no valid legal theory. A new Attorney General won’t change that.”

Bondi was just the latest Trump attorney general pressed to meet the president’s demands of loyalty and desire for retribution. Trump in his first term called for Jeff Sessions to investigate Democrat Hillary Clinton and ultimately pushed him out over his recusal from the Russia election interference investigation. He berated another attorney general, William Barr, over Barr’s refusal to back his false claims of election fraud in the 2020 contest. Barr resigned soon after.

Bondi arrived at the Justice Department 14 months ago seemingly determined to remain in Trump’s good graces unlike her predecessors had, heaping praise on him, offering unflinching support and embarking on investigations into Democrats and the president’s adversaries — even amid concerns from career prosecutors about the sufficiency of evidence.

Days after Trump implored Bondi via social media last September to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James, the Justice Department did just that, securing indictments in Virginia.

But the win was short-lived: a judge weeks later dismissed the cases after finding that the prosecutor who filed them, Lindsey Halligan, was illegally appointed. Grand juries have since refused to bring new mortgage fraud charges against James and the Comey case is mired in a thorny evidentiary dispute and statute of limitations concerns. Both Comey and James have vigorously denied any wrongdoing and called the cases against them politically motivated.

Since then, a federal grand jury in Washington refused to return an indictment against Democratic lawmakers in connection with a video in which they urged U.S. military members to resist “illegal orders.” And a federal judge has quashed Justice Department subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve as part of an investigation into testimony last June by Chair Jerome Powell about a $2.5 billion building renovation.

The judge, James Boasberg, said that the government has “produced essentially zero evidence to suspect Chair Powell of a crime” and called its justifications for the subpoenas a “thin and unsubstantiated” pretext to force Powell to cut interest rates. A prosecutor on the case subsequently conceded in court that the investigation had not found evidence of a crime.

An additional investigation into a Trump enemy remains underway with prosecutors in Florida scrutinizing former CIA Director John Brennan over testimony to Congress related to Russian interference in the 2016 election. That investigation has been open for months, but has not produced charges and it’s not clear that it will. Brennan’s lawyers have similarly called the investigation baseless.

One high-profile Trump critic who could face trial in the years ahead is his former national security adviser, John Bolton, though the investigation that produced that indictment and examined Bolton’s handling of classified documents began before Trump took office.

For now, the Justice Department will be led by Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche, who has a longstanding relationship with Trump after having served as one of his personal lawyers. Several people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Thursday that Lee Zeldin, a Trump loyalist and head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has been privately mentioned by Trump as a possible pick.

Whoever holds the job in the long term will almost certainly be expected to carry out Trump’s retribution campaign with more success, said Jimmy Gurule, a former Justice Department official and law professor at Notre Dame. Blanche appeared to acknowledge as much in a Thursday evening interview with Fox News, saying “I think the president is frustrated, everybody is frustrated ” and that “what we saw happen for the past four years is unforgivable and can never happen again.”

“If she was fired because Trump did not think that she was moving quickly enough in bringing criminal cases against his political enemies, then you would expect that the person that would replace her would probably agree to escalate those efforts,” Gurule said.

Tucker writes for the Associated Press.

Led by James’s 125th regular-season triple-double, the LA Lakers destroyed the Washington Wizards for their 49th regular season victory.

LeBron James had 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, Austin Reaves added 19 points and nine assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 120-101 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.

It was James’s 1,228th career victory, including the playoffs, to tie Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most in NBA history.

With star guard Luka Doncic serving a one-game suspension after getting called for his 16th technical foul of the season against Brooklyn on Friday, an energised James led the Lakers to their 12th win in the past 13 games, attacking the rim from the start, including throwing down two emphatic two-handed dunks set up by Reaves in the first quarter.

Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes each had 19 points off the bench, Deandre Ayton chipped in with 12, and the Lakers improved to 7-6 without Doncic in the lineup this season.

Los Angeles would have clinched a playoff berth and the Pacific Division title with the win and a Phoenix loss, but the Suns’ 131-105 victory over Memphis delayed the formality of securing a fourth straight trip to the postseason.

Will Riley led the Wizards with 20 points, and Justin Champagnie had 18 as they lost for the 19th time in 20 games.

Washington was actually ahead by one point after the first quarter, but Hayes had the final five in an 11-0 flurry early that gave Los Angeles a lead they would not relinquish again. The Lakers closed the half on a 38-13 run and took a 21-point lead back to the locker room.

James helped quiet the Wizards for good after they cut the deficit to 10 late in the third, finishing with his third triple-double of the season and 125th in the regular season of his 23-year career.

Actor James Tolkan, known for his role as the Hill Valley High principal in “Back to the Future” and the no-nonsense commanding officer in “Top Gun” has died. He was 94.

Tolkan died Thursday in Lake Placid, N.Y., where he lived, his booking agent, John Alcantar, told the Associated Press on Saturday.

In “Back to the Future,” Tolkan portrayed Vice Principal Gerald Strickland, who surveyed the school’s halls with a whistle around his neck and a tardy slip burning a hole in his pocket.

“You got a real attitude problem, McFly,” Tolkan’s character snaps at Michael J. Fox’s character, Marty McFly, in the cult classic 1985 film. “You’re a slacker. You remind me of your father when he went here. He was a slacker, too.”

The line became one of Tolkan’s most famous, and mega-fans would flock to Comic-Cons around the country to ask the star to call them a slacker, requests he typically obliged.

The actor had a number of film and television gigs through the 1960s and ’70s, but he was doing David Mement’s Broadway play “Glengarry Glen Ross” when he got the offer to play Strickland in “Back to the Future.”

“I always said, ‘I’m never going to Hollywood until they send for me,’ ” he told T.C. Restani during a 2015 interview. “And I said, OK, this is my chance. And of course, nobody realized that it was going to be such an important picture. But it was. It was one of those marvelous events where all the planets were aligned and ‘Back to the Future’ became this shooting star of a movie.”

Tolkan was also well known for drilling Maverick and Goose with swift reprimands and tough love between puffs of his cigar as their commanding officer, Tom “Stinger” Jardian, in the 1986 blockbuster “Top Gun.”

“That was very special, because when you make a movie you never know, but in ‘Top Gun,’ everybody felt like it was going to be a success,” Tolkan told Bob McCarthy during a 2016 Comic-Con interview. “ They just felt it, knew it right from the first day.”

Born June 20, 1931, in Calumet, Mich., Tolkan was the son of a cattle dealer — Ralph M. Tolkan. He moved around in his adolescence, spending time in Chicago and landing in Arizona after his parents’ divorce. It was there that his athletic skills got him noticed by the Eastern Arizona College football coach. Tolkan landed a scholarship to the college, but his academic career was short-lived, and he left to enlist in the U.S. Navy.

After a year of service during the Korean War, he was discharged due to a heart ailment, and with $75 to his name he set out for the Big Apple to try his hand at acting. In New York, Tolkan studied under Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg at the famed Actors Studio and started landing stage roles before working his way to the big screen.

Although his experience in the military informed the types of roles Tolkan would play — Army office, Air Force commander, police lieutenant, attorney — his work as an actor was his passion. “If you choose to be an actor, you have to choose to be an actor, and you have to stick with it through thick and thin,” he told a FanX audience member during a 2023 panel at the Salt Lake City pop-culture convention. “When things get tough, you can’t think about doing something else. You’ve got to say to yourself, ‘I’m gonna do this.’ ”

Other notable acting projects of Tolkan’s include the 1973 film “Serpico,” starring Al Pacino; the 1981 movie “Prince of the City”; the role of Napolean in Woody Allen’s 1975 film, “Love and Death”; and the 1983 film “WarGames,” in which he acted alongside Matthew Broderick.

Tolkan is survived by his wife of 54 years, Parmelee Welles.

JACK Whitehall partied the night away as he enjoyed a star-studded stag do.

He was joined by plenty of famous faces for a very boozy night out.

The comedian and actor is preparing to tie the knot to model Roxy Horner but made sure to make the most of life pre-marriage on his big night out – which included visiting an X-rated nightclub.

Among his fellow celebs with Jamie Redknapp and James Corden as well as ex-rugby star, Lawrence Dagglio.

Jack and his pals partied for more than six hours on the London pub crawl.

Things got underway around 3pm when Jack and the lads sank pints at The Devonshire pub.

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Spirits seemed merry within moments of things kicking off for Jack and his friends.

By 5pm, they had moved onto racy London nightclub, The Box.

The ominous venue, a favourite amongst celebrities, is traditionally only open late into the night and the early hours.

It is believed the venue put on a private show for Jack as part of his stag-do.

The Box has a reputation for its outrageous, raucous, and highly sexualized late-night performances.

By 8:30pm, Jack and his pals had moved onto mini-golf hotspot, Swingers.

The group then ended the night with drinks at the Soho Hotel bar – with speculation that Jack could have been staying at the high-end hotel overnight.

James Corden went missing for a few hours during the evening before eventually making his way back to the group for the final moments.

Jack became engaged to model Roxy at the end of 2024 and is due to marry in a matter of weeks.

The couple met while Jack was on a trip to Australia in 2020 and they ended up isolating together in London during the coronavirus pandemic.

They welcomed their first child Elsie in September last year.

At the time, Jack announced the news online and said: “In awe of my partner who has been amazing throughout this journey and is going to be the greatest mum ever.”

At the time of The Sun revealing Jack and Roxy’s engagement, a pal said: “Jack and Roxy are going into Christmas as an engaged couple.

“He asked Roxy to marry him earlier this month and she said yes straight away.

“They could not be happier together and are looking forward to planning their wedding.”

Roxy, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2021, has previously praised Jack for his support.

You used to root for Bronny James to come into games ironically. Or because you just wanted to see history.

But now I bet you want to see Bronny come into the game to hoop.

That’s a pretty cool plot twist.

Especially because LeBron James’ son has had to develop his game with the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders, the only expectation being that he would fail to amount to anything resembling an NBA player.

But over the past couple seasons, Bronny has developed into an NBA reserve who is worth rostering, whether or not his dad is part of the program.

Shocker, right?

Lakers guard Bronny James blocks a shot by Spurs forward Kelly Olynyk at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 10.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

For the second consecutive game Friday, Lakers coach JJ Redick called the second-year guard’s number for important minutes.

Not to complete garbage time chores. Not as a gimmick to please the King. But because he needed a ball-handler he could trust after the regular rotation got wonky in the second quarter of the Lakers’ 116-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena.

For the second consecutive game, Bronny helped buoy the Lakers. In four minutes, he had a deflection and drained a three-pointer that not only keyed a much-needed 9-0 Lakers run but also was the first father-to-son assisted basket in NBA history, coming on a pass from LeBron.

Trailblazers, like at Sierra Canyon High. That’s where Bronny and the Nets’ Ziaire Williams were teammates before Bronny and his dad, “Big Bron,” were Williams’ opponents Friday.

His former teammate sees in Bronny what his current teammates do: A hard worker who needs only to nurture his confidence to be able to contribute in the NBA.

“He’ll be great,” Williams said. “Especially starting off on the defensive end. He can guard one through four, pick up full [court,] have good ball pressure. On the offensive end, he’s a gamer. He can make shots, he can drive the ball. He can get his teammates open. The biggest thing with him is just keeping that confidence.

“When he’s confident and he’s in flow state, in rhythm, he’s a great, great player. … He’s just gotta keep working.”

Bronny’s been working in the G League the last two seasons, bouncing between the big leagues and the developmental circuit, where last season his averages were solid — including 21.9 points, per game — but nowhere near as efficient as they’ve been this season. In 13 games, he’s averaging 14.8 points on 54.7% shooting, including 41.7% from three-point range.

Lakers forward LeBron James greets his son, guard Bronny James, on the court during a game against the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena on Nov. 25.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“It’s just getting back to where it was before the incident,” LeBron said Friday, referencing Bronny’s cardiac arrest caused by a congenital heart defect on July 24, 2023.

“He’s always been able to shoot the ball. He shot the ball at a high level pretty much throughout his years of playing ball. So I just think there’s the confidence in the rhythm and just getting the strength back and his wind and everything. Everything is just coming back.”

That’s carried over to the big club; Bronny is shooting 41.9% from three-point range in those instances when Redick has called on him — as he also did in a 137-130 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

In that victory, Bronny had four points, two steals and a block in 13 minutes. Redick credited the 21-year-old with settling the team with a pull-up jumper with 3:55 to go in the game, which was the second this season LeBron and Bronny played together.

The first time it happened, in the season opener in 2024, the prevailing thought was that it wouldn’t happen again for a long time — and if it did, something had probably gone very wrong for the Lakers that game.

But that’s not the case. No, because Bronny has made a convincing case as an NBA player.

“I’ve been wanting to play basketball my whole life,” Bronny said. “It’s a dream come true. I’m so privileged to be able to play basketball for a job and I love every single second of it. My teammates embrace it. I’m best friends with all my teammates and my coaches. I’m just happy to be here.”

He’s become an effective plug-and-play piece — and not on a tanking Nets team that regularly runs out G League-caliber players, but on a playoff-bound Lakers team that has won 14 of its last 16 games.

The No. 55 draft pick in 2024, Bronny has surpassed Dalton Knecht, the 17th pick in that same draft, in the Lakers’ pecking order.

He’s become a player who can be counted on, and he’s especially valuable to a team that happens to badly need youth and athleticism, as the Lakers do.

You want to talk twists? How about whatever happens with LeBron — when, or if, he retires — the Lakers should seriously consider keeping Bronny in the fold. Seriously.

Riz Ahmed has created and stars in a marvelous new series, “Bait,” premiering Wednesday on Prime Video. There are no worms in it, though viral video plays a part, and fame — the pursuit of which is a subject — is a lure.

But what’s in a name? A comedy by any other name would be as funny — if it was funny, and this one very much is, in a way that’s crazy and serious and human, built around a character in crisis who refuses to believe his life is out of control and is so invested in putting up a front that he’s begun to believe his own lies. Almost. It’s a series in which hallucinations, dreams, magical realism and memories, which punctuate and interfere with the “normal” business of the story, all amount the same thing, and in which the style of the filming shifts with the action.

Ahmad plays Shah Latif, a British Pakistani actor, who, owing to the exertions of his faithful, often frustrated agent, Felicia (Weruche Opia), is improbably auditioning to be the next James Bond. But he repeatedly forgets his line when his scene partner, a girl with a gun, asks, “Tell me, when it’s just you all alone, how do you live with yourself? Do you even know who you are?” establishing a theme. (The line he can’t recall: “I don’t live with myself, I live with whoever you need me to be.” Spies and actors!)

Leaving the audition, he contrives to be photographed by one of the paparazzi lurking outside, sniffing for a Bond scoop; his picture is published, which creates a stir and some racist blowback, culminating in a package thrown through the front window of his parents’ home. (It is not a window that opens.) What’s inside the package I’ll leave for you to discover, but it will play a part through the rest of the show.

The recurring question of who will be the next James Bond generates a lot of pop cultural heat in our world; just type “next James Bond” into your search engine of choice. At one point, you may recall, Idris Elba was regularly bruited as a potential 007, which occasioned enough anti-Black reaction that he officially took himself out of the unofficial running. It may have been on Ahmed’s mind here — Shah claims high purpose for his Bondean aspirations, that he wants “to show them that this too is what British looks like.”

On the one hand, Shah has had enough of a career to have been made into a “limited edition collectible action figure,” starred in a well-regarded but underseen small film, played “the translator in ‘Homeland’ series seven” and earned a rising star award from some French festival; on the other, he is, professionally speaking, no Idris Elba — not a nobody, but not too many rungs above it. (He’s not Dev Patel, either, with whom he’s repeatedly confused.)

At the top of the second episode, Shah is seemingly being interviewed on a podcast, “Sir Chatwick Stewart, with me, Sir Patrick Stewart” — played by the man himself, whom we hear but never see — about his ambitions, though it’s soon clear that Stewart is a mental projection, an inner critic and inquisitor. He’ll stick around through the series, offering barbed commentary and something like support: “If I humiliate you, it’s to save you from the bigger humiliation of remaining as you are.”

As a protagonist continually getting in his own way, Shah is a classic sort of comic character. He creates opportunities only to squander them; finds himself voiceless after forcing himself onstage at a black-tie gala or in an underground club (he was once a politically provocative MC). After a newsworthy mishap, his agent advises him to lie low, which is impossible for him to do; there is no itch he won’t scratch, and no good advice he’ll actually follow. Apart from a rival actor (Himesh Patel) he’s a protagonist without antagonists, excepting himself. He’s insufficiently grateful to the people he owes, and insufficiently apologetic to those he’s wronged.

Shah’s self-involvement will be challenged by ex-girlfriend Yasmin (Ritu Arya), encountered first by accident, then sought out — a writer, she has published an op-ed headlined, “No, Shah Latif, We Don’t Need a Brown Bond” — in which she accuses him of “exchanging his political art for vanilla distraction.” His family, whom he neglects to visit for months, includes warm-hearted cousin Zulfi (Guz Khan), who has started a Muslim ride share company; a no-nonsense sister (Aasiya Shah) — the name of her character is rendered as “Q” on IMDb and elsewhere, but in the series itself she’s called Ainy — doting mother Tahira (Sheeba Chaddha); and his skeptical father, Parvez (Sajid Hasan), who has not been keeping his doctor appointments and asks Shah, “What do you even do? I watch TV all day — you’re never on it.”

Appropriate to a character who lives for being onscreen, “Bait” plays with the language of film — gritty procedural, a burst of Bollywood, romantic comedy — though not necessarily to the usual ends. Frame-filling titles identify the London neighborhoods where the action takes place — Wembley, Kentish Town, Brick Lane, Ladbroke Grove — as Paris, Moscow and Mexico City might appear in an international thriller. The series is at once satirical and celebratory; “Bait” feels abundant, both in its presentation of a culture, which has the ring of documentary truth, and as a beautifully realized work of art.

Bond can wait.

ORLANDO — Appearing in his 1,612th NBA regular-season game Saturday, LeBron James claimed the league’s all-time record for games played, passing Hall of Famer Robert Parish.

The 41-year-old James started for the Lakers against the Orlando Magic on Thursday with the Lakers currently on a season-best eight-game winning streak. James is averaging 21.3 points and 6.9 assists per game this season.

With the Lakers (45-25) surging up the Western Conference standings to third place during this winning streak, James has averaged 20.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists on 64.6% shooting from the field during the last five games.

Already playing his record 23rd NBA season, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has also moved up to first in all-time field goals made, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar this month.

“He’s got to be insane,” Lakers guard Austin Reaves said when James tied Parish’s record Thursday against the Miami Heat. “Can’t be normal. Things going on in his brain to do it so well at such a high level, there’s nothing left to prove, but he finds something to continue to motivate him.

“It’s a beautiful thing, and it’s a beautiful thing to have him as one of the leaders of this team, because if there’s anybody in the world that could take games off, mentally not be there in a film session, practice, whatever it might be, it couldn’t be him, and that’s not how he’s wired.”

James Martin has been vocal about his three stone weight loss and has even shared his favourite two-ingredient breakfast that he enjoys as part of his new diet

Celebrity chef James Martin has shared his go-to two-ingredient breakfast following his impressive 3st weight loss, describing the meal as “simple and very tasty”.

The presenter of James Martin’s Saturday Morning on ITV recently travelled to Spain, gathering his favourite regional recipes for a new cookbook called ‘James Martin’s Spanish Adventure’.

The 53-year-old’s remarkable three-stone transformation has reportedly seen fish makeup 80 per cent of his diet nowadays, though he hasn’t given up his beloved butter.

He explained that the recipes featured in his books have been “specifically created” using ingredients they found during their travels. However, his absolute favourite dish can be whipped up at home using just two simple ingredients.

James revealed to Hello!: “Grilled tomatoes on toast. It’s very simple and very tasty. And the barbecued leeks with lardons and hazelnuts.”.

During an appearance on the Spooning with Mark Wogan podcast, James disclosed that his passion for motor racing motivated his significant weight loss, as he would “struggle to get out of them”.

He explained: “It comes down to the fact that I race cars, or I still try and race a few cars and I actually struggle to get out of them now. Getting in them, you kind of fall in them, but then you’ve got to get out of them and it just doesn’t look very good.” Nevertheless, it appears that another of his passions, butter, continues to feature prominently in his diet. The chef’s devotion to the dairy staple is legendary, having written an extensive 517-page tome on the subject.

Named ‘Butter: Comforting, Delicious, Versatile – Over 130 Recipes Celebrating Butter’, James joked that whilst others were releasing books on nutritious eating approximately five years ago, he’d “brought out a book on butter”.

The Home Comforts presenter’s weight loss wasn’t achieved through gym sessions, though, instead attributing it to his “farmer’s kid” upbringing, explaining that he enjoys “simple food” and “great ingredients”.

Indeed, he was candid about avoiding the gym, stating, “I don’t go”, and revealing that his weight loss simply comes down to being able to “get my a**e in and out of a car.”

He explained: “I’m a farmer’s kid, I like pure food, I like simple food and just love great ingredients. I like simple cooking, but also bringing out the flavour of the ingredients is more important than anything else.”

James is back on our screens today for Saturday Morning on ITV1 at 9.25am.

BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James completed his epic 1,000km tandem bike challenge for Comic Relief.

Following eight days of gruelling effort, BBC presenter Greg James completed his enormous cycling challenge for Comic Relief on Friday afternoon, having covered 1,000km on a tandem bicycle.

Setting off from Weymouth on Friday 13th, the 40-year-old journeyed across England, Wales and Scotland, concluding his expedition in Edinburgh.

Whilst celebrity companions including Jamie Laing and Prince William joined him en route, he tackled the final leg of his ride solo.

During Friday night’s live Comic Relief broadcast (March 20th), Greg appeared alongside Davina McCall on stage to discover his fundraising total. Davina announced he’d amassed an incredible £4,225,939 as the audience broke into thunderous applause.

He responded: “Wow! Thank you to everyone who donated, wow.” Standing momentarily lost for words, spectators began chanting his name in solidarity, reports Wales Online.

Though the BBC broadcaster protested: “I’m uncomfortable with this, please stop. I’m uncomfortable with this. I said, when I finished today, I said please I’ve had too much praise for this now.

“It was a daft idea to raise money and awareness of this amazing charity that Comic Relief supports.

“Can I say one thing? Treat people like you’re treating a minor celebrity that’s riding a tandem past you. There’s too much coming my way, put it somewhere else!”

Discussing his progress thus far, Greg revealed he’d begun cycling in the early hours of this morning. He said: “I’m overjoyed with how much money we’ve raised with this thing and how joyful we’ve managed to make the tandem adventure!”

Meanwhile during the BBC programme, Davina was reduced to tears upon hearing the devastating account of one mother who lost her infant to malaria.

Having chosen to work on the frontline and gain medical knowledge to assist women in the community, preventing the same anguish she’d experienced, Davina became visibly emotional.

As the pre-recorded clip concluded, she said: “Mothers, helping mothers. I love that.

“Community health workers are needed now more than ever. Comic Relief, with your donations, is supporting projects like LWALA and people like Susan, who are helping to save lives.

“She went through something so terrible, and she decided to help others save the lives of their children.

“All of us watching tonight, we’ve all got something in common. We all made it past our fifth birthday, but isn’t that something that every child deserves? Please pick up your phones right now.”

Comic Relief: Funny For Money is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

March 19 (UPI) — A 20-year-old student from University of Alabama reported missing in Barcelona, Spain, after an evening at a nightclub was found dead Thursday, authorities announced.

Barcelona police said the body of James “Jimmy” Gracey of Elmhurst, Ill., was found on Somorrostro beach near the Shoko Barcelona nightclub where he was last seen, a representative from the Barcelona police said in a statement to CNN.

“Everything points to it being an accident, not a criminal act,” the statement said.

CBS News reported slightly different details about where Gracey’s body was found, saying authorities recovered his body after sending out boats, divers and drones to search the sea.

The El Periódico newspaper in Spain reported that sources told them Gracey’s wallet was found floating in the sea, but officials have not confirmed it.

Gracey traveled to Spain for spring break to visit friends studying abroad. His family said he visited Shoko Barcelona, a nightclub near the Villa Olimpica area, Monday and disappeared early Tuesday morning after being separated from his friends at the club.

The family said he was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, dark pants that were likely joggers and a gold chain with a rhinestone cross. He is 6 feet 1 inches tall and about 175 pounds.

Gracey’s family released a statement after news of his discovery was released.

“We are so grateful for the kindness and concern that has been shown for our family during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement read. “We have made the decision to pause media interviews at this time to focus on being together and caring for one another. Thank you for respecting our privacy and holding our family in your thoughts.

Before his body was found, Gracey’s aunt, Beth Marren O’Reilly, told NBC News that his “parents got a phone call that his phone was picked up, and that’s what drove them to be worried.”

Shoko Nightclub told CBS News Chicago that it has given the security video of that night to local police.

Cavin McLay, junior and president of the university’s Theta Chi fraternity, said he learned from a friend that Gracey was missing, NBC reported. He said he was told that a group at the club got separated, “and that was the last time they saw him.”

“My heart sank to my stomach. It’s definitely not a good text to wake up to,” he said.

The group that Gracey was out with said they didn’t have any encounters that made them worried for their safety before Gracey disappeared, McLay told NBC.

McLay said he was not staying with the same group of friends as Gracey and that there are about 10 friends visiting for spring break.

“Jimmy is a kind, responsible and devoted son and brother,” his parents, Taras and Therese Gracey, said in a statement. “It is completely out of character for him not to check in with family and friends.”

“He’s a great big brother, he’s a great son, he’s a great nephew, he’s just very beloved,” O’Reilly said. “He’s a very responsible kid, which is why we’re very worried. This is pretty out of character for him not to be in touch with friends and family.”

The U.S. Department of State is helping the family, and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said he has been in touch with the family.

“UA staff are in touch with the family and those associated with them to offer support and assistance in any way possible,” a spokesperson from the university said.

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, the author of “Dangerous Liaisons,” is often credited with “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” Given our aggrieved times, it’s not surprising how many of this year’s new mysteries explore revenge, but these four recent releases are especially notable.

Author Jose Ando

(Yuka Fujisawa)

Jackson Alone
By Jose Ando
Soho Press; 160 pages; $29

While English translations of Japanese crime novels have increased in the last 20 years, most still focus on a culturally homogeneous, straight, Japanese society. Now comes Jose Ando’s “Jackson Alone,” published in Japan in 2022 and translated into English by Kalau Almony, which centers on a mysterious African Japanese massage therapist whose life is upended after his clients and colleagues at a fictional sports conglomerate discover a violent revenge porn featuring someone who looks like him. Despite having no memory of the incident, Jackson joins three other outraged, queer men like him in switching identities to seek out and confront their abusers, who can’t seem to tell them apart.

As the quartet’s scheme plays out, this slim novel becomes less a revenge thriller and more a satiric unmasking of Japanese racism and homophobia which spurs “the four Jacksons” to claim their right to exist authentically without the judgment and stereotyping of the hetero, “pure Japanese” gaze. This bold debut earned “Jackson Alone” wide praise and Japan’s Bungei Prize, awarded to first-time novelists, and makes Ando, now in his early 30s, a writer to watch. (The author’s answers to the following questions were translated by Almony.)

Why was it important for you to tell the stories of queer African Japanese men in your novel?

The primary reason was that those characters never really showed up in Japanese literature, and even when they did, they’d be reshaped into something that was easily digestible for the majority. Before I became an author, I would get irritated whenever I encountered that sort of representation. I wrote “Jackson Alone” to submit to a competition for new writers. In my head, it felt like Jackson and the other characters were there the whole time hollering, “Hurry up and get us out there!”

While there are some frank sex scenes in the novel, what shocked me was how dehumanizing encounters with many “pure Japanese” were for Jackson and his friends. Why were those scenes important to the story?

Living as a minority, you often get questions along the lines of, “What kind of painful things have you experienced?” Right? When you’re asked something like that, don’t you always want to shoot back, “Before you ask me about my experience, why don’t you tell me what you’ve done?” Victimization doesn’t just happen because a person from a minority group is standing around, there’s almost always a perpetrator. The different kinds of dehumanization I wrote about in this book are based on the sorts of things I experience almost every day.

Your novel reminded me of classic American crime fiction like James M. Cain’s “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” or more recent, revenge-themed novels like Alison Gaylin’s “The Collective” or S.A. Cosby’s “Razorblade Tears.” What fiction do you find inspiring?

In terms of novels I’ve read, there’s “Out” by Natsuo Kirino and the works of Mieko Kawakami. My direct inspiration though comes mostly from my own life.

Author Caroline Glenn

(William Morrow)

Cruelty Free
By Caroline Glenn
William Morrow; 320 pages; $30

In Glenn’s fiction debut, Lila Devlin, once one of the most famous actresses on the planet, returns to Los Angeles 10 years after the kidnapping and death of her daughter, Josie. The kidnapping caused a media frenzy, which precipitated Devlin’s meme-worthy downward spiral and the end of her marriage to a rising young Hollywood actor. After an “Eat Pray Love” retreat from the spotlight, Devlin is back with Glob, a line of ethical skincare products with a higher purpose: “A way for Josie to live on by applying the principles of self-actualization and inner peace that she learned in India. She wanted to help people heal just as she had.”

But Hollywood has a short memory and most of the people who benefited from Devlin’s meteoric rise and the kidnapping can’t be bothered to help her now. After a meeting with one of them goes horribly wrong, Devlin and her publicist Sylvie, another a victim of Hollywood’s censure, find revenge offers a unique albeit gruesome ingredient for Glob’s products. Although the novel’s flashbacks seem to digress at times, it all clicks into place once Lila starts exacting her increasingly unhinged revenge. “Cruelty-Free” is an edgy journey with razor-sharp observations about fame and revenge. Readers will be looking forward to what comes next for this talented creator.

What inspired your novel?

I love Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd.” So much. And the core of that story, a man falsely imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit and eventually driving him insane, is unfortunately pretty evergreen. Other inspirations: the Lindbergh baby, how much I hate true crime media, NYC publicist Lizzie Grubman, cash grab celebrity beauty brands, rich white women going on “Eat Pray Love” trips to Asia, the city of Los Angeles (go Dodgers).

Lila Devlin makes a journey from being a grieving mother to being a villain. How do you keep the reader’s sympathies?

I don’t think the reader’s sympathies are supposed to necessarily stay with Lila. The core of this book, stripping away the weird digressions, is about how society makes monsters. Lila’s career, her body, her entire life was consumed by the world until she was left with nothing, and now she’s holding a mirror back up to it. You can understand where she’s coming from, but after a certain point … she’s gonna hit diminishing returns.

In your thinking, is revenge ever justified?

The point isn’t whether or not it’s justified. It’s whether or not it’ll make you feel better. And it can’t, it’s hollow. Nothing will ever undo the original sin, and devoting your life to ruining someone else’s is a loss for both of you.

Author Leodora Darlington

(YellowBelly Photo)

The Exes
By Leodora Darlington
William Morrow; 384 pages; $29

This UK fiction editor’s debut centers on Natalie, driven into therapy to get to the root of her blackouts and the murderous impulses toward former boyfriends they may be hiding. But then Natalie meets “the one” — James, her boyishly handsome boss at a London start-up — and becomes even more terrified that the monster inside her may strike again.

In carefully interwoven flashbacks and letters to her exes, readers learn why: Natalie’s disastrous dating histories — and the deaths of her abusive boyfriends — are detailed as well as her early relationship with James and the family trauma she and her younger sister suffered at the hands of a father who they saw abuse, and almost kill, their mother.

But, empathy aside, does any amount of family or romantic trauma justify revenge, even murder? By the time Darlington builds her case for and against Natalie, James and the other characters in this tightly drawn circle, readers will be taken through a number of sometimes shocking reveals that suggest that the family ties that bind can also cut off opportunities for forgiveness. Darlington has crafted a dark, edgy thriller whose engaging protagonist and intriguing psychological insights linger in the mind long after the memory of that last, jaw-dropping twist fades away.

What inspired your novel?
“The Exes” began with a title that just popped into my head: “To All the Boys I Killed Before.” I adore the romance genre — I’m a huge fan of tropes, from enemies-to-lovers to fake dating. But that love for romance exists alongside a growing frustration with the rollback of women’s rights globally. That convergence of feelings made me wonder: What kind of girl would write letters to former flames, not out of love, but out of despair?

For much of the novel, readers can’t be sure whether Natalie has murdered her exes in a fit of rage or if something else is at play. How did you draw on this uncertainty to build the reader’s sympathies for the character?

What felt important in drawing readers close to Natalie was letting them see through a window into her past and why she is the way she is. Understanding her as a vulnerable child or anxious teen feels crucial to making sure we’re invested in all of the twists that slam through the second half of the novel. I really do think a great twist requires deep character empathy as much as it does clever plotting.

In your thinking, is revenge ever justified?
Yes. Ha! Well, in all seriousness, quite a few characters in this story are pursuing their own revenge plots. I do think it is possible to justify revenge to a jury, but never to oneself. Not in a soul-deep way. The pursuit of revenge takes a spiritual tax on a person that can sometimes cost more than they’ve bargained for, and we see the unraveling effects of that in “The Exes.”

Author W. M. Akers

(Gianna Smorto)

To Kill a Cook
By W.M. Akers
G.P. Putnam’s Sons; 384 pages; $30

After so much revenge, W.M. Akers has just the palate cleanser in “To Kill a Cook”, a homage to 1970s Manhattan and its fine dining temples. Bernice Black, a sharp-tongued restaurant critic for the Sentinel, a struggling newspaper, is meeting chef Laurent Tirel, her culinary mentor and friend, at his restaurant to plan her fiancé’s birthday party. But Tirel, once lauded as “King of the Butter Boys,” is struggling too. Caviar and truffle prices are skyrocketing, forcing Tirel to cut corners while clinging to his restaurant’s former glory. When Bernie finds the restaurant empty and a veal stock reduced to the consistency of “cold blood,” she thinks Tirel is making an aspic for the party. Instead, she finds Tirel’s head in the refrigerator, suspended in the aspic along with the decorative veggies.

Thus begins an intense romp through New York’s finest restaurants when Bernice — who realizes the NYPD doesn’t know their aspics from a hole in the ground — decides to get the scoop of the decade by finding Tirel’s killer herself. Akers nails 1970s New York’s glitz and grime as Bernie interviews an assortment of renowned chefs, fellow critics, criminals as well as Tirel’s business associates and son, Henri, who also happens to be an old flame. But the pièce de résistance of this delectable mystery is Bernice herself — a bold, brash feminist who’s trying to figure out her sexuality while being honest with the ones she loves. Here’s Bernice replying to an NYPD detective’s accusation that she’s not a lady: “I guess that was supposed to hurt my feelings, but I quit trying to be ladylike sometime around the first grade.” “To Kill a Cook” is a decadent treat, with enough loose ends in Bernice Black’s life and career to leave readers hungry for more.

Why did you decide to set your novel in 1970s Manhattan?

1972 was a key turning point in the history of American fine dining. It’s the moment when old-school French — think white tablecloths, heavy sauces and snooty maitre’d’s — faded into the background, allowing nouvelle cuisine and what we now call New American to take its place. It’s also a moment when exceptional, modern cooking would share a menu with “parsleyed ham in aspic” or something else that today’s diners would consider repulsive. That tension between old and new, and the question of what fine dining would become, drives a lot of the conflict in the book.

How did you research the restaurants you describe so well in the book? Did any of those chefs/restaurateurs inspire Laurent Tirel, the murder victim?

I have a big pile of old cookbooks that inspired a lot of the specific dishes in the book, but the best resource was the New York magazine archives, particularly Gael Greene’s old columns. Bernice Black’s name is a little nod to Greene. And Tirel is very much inspired by Henri Soulé, whose Le Pavillon was the definitive New York restaurant for a generation, and whom Greene wrote about beautifully.

Bernice spends a lot of time trying to perfect a Charlotte Russe for her fiancé. Why that particular dish?

The Charlotte Russe is a specialty of my mother, a former caterer who helped run New York’s Hard Rock Café in the ’70s. It’s the kind of lavish, creamy, boozy party dessert that you don’t see often anymore, and it’s involved enough to offer Bernice a challenge. Julia Child’s got a good recipe in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” but I relied on my mom’s recipe, which readers can find on my Patreon, and which my mom once cooked for Jacques Pépin!

Woods is a book critic, editor and author of several anthologies and crime novels.

HOUSTON — The combination of Luka Doncic and LeBron James was overpowering and enthralling for all to see during the Lakers’ dynamic 124-116 win over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Wednesday.

Doncic was masterful with his near triple-double of 40 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

“I thought he definitely put on a clinic down the stretch,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “Whether it was in isolation, versus fires in isolations, versus the shock with (Alperen) Segun, he just got us good offense whether for himself or for his teammates every single time down the floor….We moved the basketball, so that kind of got us going and then when Luka came back in he was just fantastic.”

James was a force with 30 points, five rebounds and two assists.

He was super efficient, missing just one of his 14 shots and making both of his three-pointers.

“Look, he was awesome tonight and I think two, part of the evolution of him on this team has been, particularly in this stretch, it’s just been his patience,” Redick said. “His patience, knowing he’s going to get the ball and he’s going to have transition opportunities and he’s going to have plays called for him and he’s going to play off-ball and get a corner three…He was great.”

The tremendous play of Doncic and James is why the Lakers extended their winning streak to seven straight games and helped them take the three-game series over the Rockets, 2-1, winning both games here, one on Monday night.

And because Doncic and James were clutch down the stretch when the Lakers leaned on them to be clutch, they are the third-place team in the rugged Western Conference, holding a 1-½ lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“You know, when you win, everything is easier,” Doncic said. “Winning is fun. So, just the way we play, I think it’s a lot of fun. And that’s what we just do, we win, have a good time.”

Doncic had 10 points and three assists in the fourth quarter.

But the beauty of the night was when Doncic threw a no-look lob pass to James for a dunk and then when Doncic drilled a three-pointer with 58.4 seconds left for a 120-111 Lakers lead.

Doncic yelled at the crowd and ran down court shaking his head. When the Rockets called a time out, the Lakers bench all ran over to Doncic, hugging him, slapping him and James nudging him for a job very well done.

Doncic was asked what the fan said to set him off.

“I don’t know, some guy. Some guy was talking crazy,” Doncic said. “Showed me his… I don’t know. Nevermind.”

Doncic speaks several languages, including English and his native Slovenian.

He was asked what language he spoke when talking to the fan.

“Off the camera, it was in English,” he said. “I made sure he understand.”

Luka Doncic celebrates after making a three-pointer against the Houston Rockets in the first half.

(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)

James had a steal in the first quarter and then threw down a dunk with Alperen Segen chasing him, leading to James to stare at Segun as he ran back down court, drawing cheers from the fans in awe at witnessing the 23-year veteran still making highlight plays at 41.

Early in the second quarter, James gave the fans even more to cheer about, catching a high lob pass from Marcus Smart and throwing down a one-handed dunk to oohs and aahs.

James wasn’t done, taking a pass from Jake LaRavia and throwing down another dunk later in the second quarter that brought the crowd out of its seats. That play gave the Lakers a 13-point lead.

James was at it again with a tip dunk off a Deandre Ayton missed shot late in the second quarter.

By the end of the first half, James had made all eight of his shots and scored 18 points in carrying the Lakers to a 12-point lead after the first 24 minutes of the game.

“Right now, I feel like….” James said after the game. ‘’Right now. But in the game I felt pretty good. Before the game I didn’t feel that great. I mean, I was yawning and tired and telling myself I was literally, just like talking to myself like, ‘Come on, here we go. Let’s figure it out. Let’s get through it.’ But I felt pretty good in the game and like I said I’m happy to make a few plays to help our team win.”

In many ways, it was easy to understand why he felt that way. He had just played in his 1,610th career NBA game, leaving him one shy of the all-time record held by Robert Parish (1,611).

So, James was asked, where did he find the energy to play 34 minutes and six seconds in such a high-level and intense game.

“I mean, if I’m in uniform I got to try to see what I can give,” James said. “And that’s where it stems from.”

METALLICA’S James Hetfield is engaged to his stunning girlfriend Adriana Gillett, four years after his divorce from his wife of 25 years.

The musician, 62, proposed to his other half underwater while swimming with sharks in an elaborate proposal.

She took to her Instagram to share the exciting news along with some pretty cool pictures.

In the snap, both can be seen wearing snorkelling gear in the water as James holds up a sign that reads: “Adriana Gillett will you marry me?”

A second picture shows a huge fish as they get up close to the sea creatures during their expedition.

Adriana captioned it: “The BEST birthday trip surprise. Swimming with whale sharks on Friday the 13th with the most unique, special and romantic proposal a Pisces could ever imagine.

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“In a sea full of fish, we caught each other. Thank you God for putting us together.”

Fans rushed to the comments section to send the couple their well-wishes as they enter this amazing new chapter.

One person gushed: “This ROCKS and makes me so happy!! Congratulations Addy & James!!”

Another enthused: “YES!!!! Fantastic!!! It’s been incredible to see the beautiful journey you both have been on and continue to travel. Much love and congratulations to you both!!!”

Somebody else commented: “Congratulations to the two of you! We are so happy for you.”

Yet another said: “Congratulations! No surprise, you two are one in a million.”

While a fifth follower added: “What a whale of a tale this is!!! Congratulations you two!!!”

The couple began dating in 2023 following his divorce from Francesca Tomasi the previous year.

The pair had been married since 1997 and have three children together – Cali, Castor and Marcella.

They filed for divorce in 2022, citing irreconcilable differences.

The guitarist has been open about his battles with addiction over the years and was forced to enter rehab in 2019.

This led to Metallica having to postpone their tour dates in Australia and New Zealand.

Sharing a statement on social media at the time, the band penned: “We are truly sorry to inform our fans and friends that we must postpone our upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand.

“As most of you probably know, our brother James has been struggling with addiction on and off for many years.

“He has no, unfortunately had to re-enter a treatment program to work on his recovery again

“We are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who travel great distances to experience our shows.”

The iconic heavy metal band was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by James and drummer Lars Ulrich.

The current lineup is comprised of the founding members along with longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo.

They’ve released 11 albums over the last four decades and are one of the most commercially successful bands’ of all time.

Chelsea defender Reece James could be out for weeks with a hamstring injury, says head coach Liam Rosenior.

The Chelsea captain will miss his side’s Champions League home match against Paris St‑Germain, following their 5-2 first‑leg defeat in France.

An exact time frame was not given, but when asked whether it could be that James misses a number weeks, Rosenior replied “it could be”.

The 26‑year‑old may miss the upcoming England internationals later this month, with Thomas Tuchel’s squad to be announced on Friday.

He sustained the injury in Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League defeat by Newcastle.

“With a hamstring injury, it is never great and for Reece we can hopefully get him scanned, find out the full extent and then we will know more because we know how important he is and what a leader he is in the group,” added Rosenior.

“He felt something in his hamstring at the end of the game against Newcastle. It’s really frustrating and a disappointing one for us. We don’t know the full extent for us but it rules him out for tomorrow.”

James has largely enjoyed an injury‑free season until now after being carefully managed by Chelsea following several disrupted campaigns in recent years. On Friday, he signed a new six‑year contract to keep him at the club until 2032.

Chelsea are also without winger Jamie Gittens, goakeeper Filip Jorgensen and defender Levi Colwill but Brazil forward Estevao Willian returned to training and is in contention having not featured since early February.

Right-back Malo Gusto missed training through illness but could still be available on Tuesday, while winger Pedro Neto is eligible to play after receiving just a warning from Uefa for pushing a ball boy in the closing moments of last week’s defeat at the Parc des Princes.

Rosenior added: “There was no real bad intention, it was just a will to get on with the game so I think Uefa made the right decision.”

BROADCASTER Greg James sobbed as he spoke about his dad’s recent stroke on day two of his 1,000km tandem bike ride for Red Nose Day.

Earlier this month the Radio 1 host, 40, had to cancel his show and rush home after his beloved father Alan Milward suffered a stroke during a planned heart operation.

Greg, who took off from stormy Weymouth in Dorset on Friday will ride solo all the way to Edinburgh by next Friday.

Undertaking the mammoth task to raise money for Red Nose Day just a week after his dad’s stroke, Greg got on emotional talking about the man he calls “Big Al.”

“I feel elated. I feel a bit overwhelmed by all these people who just turned up out of nowhere. I just burst into tears as I was going up to Blaenavon. It was all a bit much,” Greg said on BBC Radio 1 after the second day of his ride.

“Just thought about… I just thought about everything. Just thought about my dad, thought about my mum. It got way too much. It’s so silly. It must have been the altitude.”

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Greg continued: “And then someone gave me a Wales flag and I was holding that and I thought about my old nan, and she’s Welsh. And then I just thought about everything and then everything just made me cry, and I just felt really overwhelmed by it all. 

“But the day is done, and I actually can’t believe I’ve managed to get to Abergavenny.”

Before heading off on his mammoth mission, Greg opened up to The Sun about his gruelling training regimen.

“I have been training really hard on my bicycle from about Christmas, and every day has been leg day,” he said.

“It’s been a f***ing nightmare. But it’s all for a good cause and totally worth it.

“I have done thousands of miles, either out in the real world or on a bike in the spare room with a laptop propped up watching Heated Rivalry.”

Greg also confirmed he has an upbeat playlist to keep him going.

He said: “The song I just can’t stop listening to is Aperture by Harry Styles. I’ve also got a lot of Chemical Brothers because that’s just nice, upbeat, good dance music.”

Vernon Kay, Sara Cox, Jo Whiley and Scott Mills have been cheering him on, while Jamie Laing and Mollie King have been offering advice following their own challenges.

Greg, who has affectionately named his bike Tando Norris, is still hoping for a message of support from Formula One McLaren driver Lando Norris.

He said: “Zak Brown and the McLaren team, if you’re reading this, please donate generously.”

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Greg added: “The reason I’m doing this is because it will raise a lot of money for people that don’t have a safety net.

“I feel very lucky in my life. I have great friends and a really great family to support me if things go wrong.

“Imagine a tough time with no one looking after you. That’s what’s going to spur me on.”

• Donate at comicrelief.com/ride.