James

FORMER Strictly dancer Ola Jordan had a massive telephone row with her estranged husband James after he went on TV to deny cheating on her.

Furious Ola spent the day in tears following James’ appearance on Jeremy Vine’s Channel 5 show on Friday.

During a chat with the host, James insisted his new relationship with Russian ballroom beauty Polina Mayer began after his 22-year ­marriage to Ola had ended.

It comes after The Sun on Sunday revealed Polina’s hubby, Jamie Cutler, had called Ola claiming that his wife was sleeping with James — and to say he was filing for divorce.

Now, in another agonising twist, we can reveal Ola was particularly upset because she had welcomed Polina to stay in the spare room at their family home last year while she and James worked together.

A source said: “Ola feels betrayed and hurt by James’ actions. She can’t believe he is being so blunt and ­disregarding her feelings.

“She is shocked and devastated. It’s as if their decades of marriage and years as a couple meant nothing.

“She spent Friday in floods of tears after arguing with him on the phone.”

Ola and James — who also used to be a Strictly professional — announced their break-up in August.

He said he “needed to focus on getting myself into a healthier place”.

On Friday, James and fellow former pro Brendan Cole appeared on Jeremy’s show to promote their upcoming stage tour, Dance Rebels: Strictly Unleashed.

Asked about his marriage breakdown, James — who has performed on stage with Polina since 2024 — said: “I moved out . . . which was in the Press.

“I haven’t really spoken about it because I always said I wouldn’t speak about it, because I don’t think it’s fair unless Ola was to be here as well.”

Jeremy told him: “There was a story that you were having an affair with somebody and her ­husband rang Ola.”

James responded: “Apparently so, I don’t know if that is true or not.”

And Brendan interjected: “It’s hard to have an affair if you’ve moved out.”

As he was probed further, James insisted: “There was no affair. I have grown closer to someone since I moved out back in June . . . The problem is, if I say nothing it makes me look guilty.

“If I say something, it looks like I’m being defensive.

“So, for me, it’s a lose-lose. I will put out a statement at some point on social media to try to clarify what’s been going on.”

James’ suggestion he might set out his version of events online caused the exes to lock horns.

A source said: “Ola was left incensed and didn’t think it was fair that James was trying to ­control the narrative.

“She is devastated that he is now dating Polina after she welcomed her into their house and supported them dancing together.

“Ola feels she couldn’t have done more to be an encouraging spouse, and now he is rubbing her nose in his new romance by parading around with Polina. She has been really struggling.”

James and Polish Ola met in 1999 and married four years later.

They signed up as pros on BBC One’s Strictly in 2006, becoming two of its most popular dancers.

James stayed on until 2013 while Ola, who lifted the Glitterball in 2009 with sports presenter Chris Hollins, departed in 2015.

After having their daughter Ella in 2020, following years of IVF, the couple opened up about their weight gain and told The Sun their “bellies” were getting in the way of their sex life.

But they later revealed they had shed six-and-a-half-stone between them.

Meanwhile, in 2021, Polina, who also danced on Strictly, got engaged to Jamie and the pair tied the knot two years later.

In 2024, James started working with Polina on Legends Of The Dance Floor, along with other former Strictly pros. Jamie helped choreograph the routines they ­performed on stage.

After the Jordans confirmed their split to The Sun in August, James issued a statement saying: “I’ve been struggling more than I’ve let people see and I’m taking the time I need to focus on getting myself into a healthier place, both for myself and for Ella.

“Neither of us is in a good place right now. We’re both doing our best to navigate one of the hardest chapters of our lives.”

James threw himself into his new podcast, entitled Manopause, with his pal and ex-Strictly co-star Brendan and said he was going through a “midlife crisis”.

He also appeared on ITV’s This Morning, saying: “I’m now sitting in a one-bedroom apartment on my own at night, watching TV, going, ‘What is going on?’. But I just feel I need that time to find myself again.” James and Polina’s latest tour, The Legends In Vegas: After Hours, ended last weekend.

Last week, Ola told Hello! magazine how the breakdown of her marriage to James had left her devastated.

She said: “I’ve not just lost my husband, I’ve lost my best friend and business partner all in one go.

“It’s difficult for me to describe what happened between us because this wasn’t my decision. It came as a shock to me.”

She added: “At the end of last year, things came to a head when he told me that he was thinking of moving out, which obviously broke my heart. I tried to stop him and save the marriage, as you do when you love someone. Because I knew that if he went, we might never get back what we once had.”

The Sun on Sunday approached James and Ola for comment.

Was the Boston season of “Love Is Blind” one of the worst seasons of the show — or the most entertaining? Why not both.

Like many viewers, I tuned into Sunday’s reunion to hear everyone’s explanations about why their relationships failed and to learn who was still together. At the end of the season, only two couples made it to the altar, but with different results: Aneha Singh and Cam Halloran chose not to get married in the end, while John Shannon and Sarah Williams said “I do.” However, their marriage was short-lived, with the couple filing for divorce in June, a fact uncovered by sleuths on the internet before the reunion was streamed.

A lot of hay was made about the incompatibility among the couples this season, and viewers at home were critical of this season’s cast of men, especially Rob Feeley, who was engaged to Michaella Giorgio (she’d break off the engagement after a particularly awful meeting with his friends at a bar), and Shannon. Can’t say I disagree with the assessment, but I will say I thought some viewers were overly harsh to Singh on social media — I would even go so far as to call it online bullying. Some might argue that comes with the territory of going on a highly publicized reality TV dating show, but at the end of the day, they are real people and they don’t have the luxury of tons of media training. And if they were truly there “for the right reasons,” as everyone likes to say, perhaps some of them (not all!) deserve a little more grace, especially considering this particular season was taped more than a year ago. If you want more context and answers from the people who were on the show, I’d recommend giving this week’s episode of “The Viall Files” a listen, which features an interview with Giorgio and Williams, who were among the cast favorites this season.

This leads me to this week’s Guest Spot interview, which features Janelle James, who has a new stand-up special called “How Romantic.” It covers lots of things, including politics, childbirth, dealing with newfound fame and dating and relationships. The 47-year-old comic actor has plenty of life experience and experience in the limelight, something that perhaps the “Love Is Blind” cast could learn from — it’s just a suggestion! Read more about her special below.

Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our writers recommend a pair of spooky thrillers and improvised comedy shorts about near-death experiences. Fear and death might be easier for some people to take in than, gulp, the prospect of long-term commitment. — Maira Garcia

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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

Hudson Williams in “Yaga.”

(Christopher Lawrence / Crave)

“Yaga” (AMC+), “The Body” (Netflix)

Baba Yaga is a figure from Slavic folklore who (allegedly) eats the bones of children and lives in a cabin on chicken legs. Some people might call her a witch. She wouldn’t claim that label. “Yaga” — based on a 2019 play of the same name by creator and writer Kat Sandler — reframes Baba Yaga as a mouthpiece for female rage, punishing the men (“bad dogs”) who overlook, undervalue, harass and assault women. “Television was obsessed with male anti-heroes, like ‘Dexter’ or ‘Hannibal,’ so I liked the idea of creating a female anti-hero who could be just as entertaining,” Sandler told Toronto Life. “A woman who is technically doing evil things but has her own moral code.” If “Yaga” is a thrilling mash of fairy tales, detective procedurals and millennial rom-coms, then “The Body” is an equally feminine, satanic blend of “The Crucible,” the Salem witch trials, “Carrie,” “Jennifer’s Body” and somehow “Mean Girls.” (A delicious Y2K kick.) This Catholic schoolgirl psychological drama, ostensibly about demonic possession, is also — you guessed it — gay. Creator Quinn Shephard started writing the show the year she came out. This is girlhood as a religious experience, and a campy yet candid dissection of identity and beliefs, dressed in Juicy velour sweatpants. — Laura Zornosa

“Near Death” (YouTube)

Matt Walsh, known to many as press secretary Mike McLintock on “Veep” and a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade, takes on the job of Death in this excellent improvised (very) short-form comedy. People in the midst of a near-death experience appear in his office to answer questions about their life and last moments, after which Death will direct them back to Earth or to the Great Beyond. To set the bare-bones scene, a nameplate lists his pronouns as It/That; a coffee mug bears the legend, “Life Is Tough but So Are You”; there is an unseen, unheard assistant named Kevin; and cans of Liquid Death-branded water are offered. Clients, I suppose you could call them, include a billionaire who died while intravenously ingesting the drug cocktail he expected to keep him alive until the age of 235 (“What’s your best trait?” “Not compassion.” “What is it?” “Not having compassion.”) and a Mexican soccer fan who perished in a bleacher accident (Death’s grasp of Spanish is limited). But the real attraction is in the snaky “yes and” interplay, and improvisers who know their art. — Robert Lloyd

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

Janelle James tackles her newfound fame, motherhood, dating and the state of the world in her special, “How Romantic.”

(Elizabeth Sisson / Netflix)

Janelle James is no stranger to comedy. She’s been a stand-up comic for 15 years and was regularly on stage, even opening for Chris Rock, before landing her role as Principal Ava Coleman in ABC’s hit sitcom “Abbott Elementary.” Since then, she’s received five consecutive Emmy nominations for supporting actress and her character has become a fan favorite on the series, which began its sixth season last month.

“Our 100th episode is coming up on ‘Abbott.’ That’s a big deal,” she tells me in an interview over video call earlier this week. The episode will serve as the midseason finale, airing Dec. 9 and was filmed at Disneyland. “People who are interested in the Janine-Gregory relationship should definitely tune in.”

But “Abbott” isn’t the only reason we’re speaking. Earlier this week, James released her first hour-long stand-up special, “How Romantic,” on Netflix, something she says was more than three years in the making. “I only do stand-up when we’re in hiatus [from ‘Abbott’]. So I was building it during each hiatus,” she recalls. “And last year, I did have an hour, and I was like, ‘OK, I have an hour. Next hiatus, I’m gonna shoot it,’ and then I did 30 shows, which resulted in another hour. I kind of trashed everything I had the year before. Built a whole new hour, and … then shot the special in Chicago.”

The special was shot at the Vic Theatre, and she’s proud of the work she put into it. However, she warns it’s not quite as family-friendly as “Abbott”: “Watch my special with adults.”

In a conversation edited for length and clarity, James talks about not saying a certain person’s name in her special, becoming famous and what might happen on “Abbott” next. — M.G.

It’s the eve of your first hour-long comedy special. How are you feeling about its arrival?

I feel excited. It’s a big deal. It’s on Netflix, who basically has cornered the market on comedy specials at this point. It’s been a long time coming. I feel good about all aspects of it, which isn’t the usual case for other things I put out. Either I’m like, “I could have done this, or I could have looked like this, or … I would have changed this.”

You looked great, by the way. Your outfit was on point [James wears a black floral mesh top, wide-leg leather pants and stilettos in the special]. The hair, I was like, you look like no other stand-up comic.

This is the first time I’ve had the time to even think about all those things. You know, my other [specials], I have a 15 and a half-hour, those I did my own glam. I think my half-hour was in the middle of the pandemic, so we weren’t even allowed to have makeup artists because we couldn’t be close to each other. And so this one was the first time I was able to have glam and have a vision of what I wanted to look like all the way down to set design. I feel like it really represents me in the in the truest way that I’ve had so far.

Something that I thought was notable right at the start, is you just kind of acknowledge the state of the world. You allude to Trump and his administration, but you never say his name. Why is that?

Why would I? Everyone knows what I’m talking about. Don’t have to. … His name is like a flash point. I don’t want then my whole special to become about him. So it’s like, I would love to cover this topic in a way that it doesn’t overshadow everything else that I talk about. That was just a smart way to do it, and just also poignant in that, like I said, you know who I’m talking about. [Laughs.]

Given the blue wave that just happened with the midterms, how are you feeling about the state of the country now?

Great, you know, it feels good. I’m glad that gives us some hope. I think once the stats came out about how people voted, it could still be better. That’s always disappointing. It’s like OK, we quote unquote won, but it’s still too close for my comfort in a lot of demographics, but hope is never bad. I always think about how ignorant people are about the political process and about our government. There’s a lot of people who think, “OK, all these people win, so now things are changing immediately,” and that’s not how it works. So I have hope and cautious optimism.

You also discuss the evolution in your life … the changes. You talk about going from checking your credit card statements to being rich — you don’t have to worry about those things so much anymore, though you’re not wealthy either. And also the trauma of fame, like not being able to go to Target anymore. Was this special a way of processing those big changes in your life?

I was trying to do a lot of things in this special, and I hope I accomplished it. But it’s again such an introduction to a lot of people to me. Basically, I’m a real private person. I’ve seen people online guessing things about me or making things up or whatever, so I’m just trying to give people a little bit so that they get my sensibilities … and also give me a little separation from this character that I play [on “Abbott”]. My character is very money-focused in a way, and I think she would be more receptive to fame. And I think it would be surprising to people how I’ve taken it. Also, I think it’s a unique perspective to have someone that is pursuing … a public profession, and but also being like, “Oh, but, not too famous,” you know what I mean? I just knew I liked what I was doing, but fame wasn’t the goal. And just trying to get all those ideas out in a funny way, in a short way, fit it into an hour, have it flow. That’s what I was trying to accomplish, and that’s also what I enjoy about stand-up: the puzzle pieces, putting it together, and then doing an hour is amazing because then you … have a throughline.

Your special also discusses motherhood and dating. I found your story about the 24-hour labor so relatable because my first child took more than 24 hours and I was just like, “Oh my God, that was the experience I had in the hospital.”

That makes me so happy because a lot of people have seen it and I’ve been getting feedback but nobody has really talked about that section. I knew going into it that I’m not the only person that experienced that, and I don’t know what your birth story is, but I feel like a thing that happens in pop culture in how pregnancy is portrayed, especially nowadays, it’s a cakewalk. Just how people speak about having kids, like just have a kid, and it’s not easy and especially if you’re not wealthy. Even when you have money, it’s hard, and then it gets worse as you go further down the income scales. Again, super briefly wanted to touch on that and figure out how I can tell that story and have it be funny, but also get the point across that like, hey, having a baby is not a cakewalk, and it’s also traumatic. The cliche of like women are warriors — we are! And so can we have some more grace and respect from others … and that somebody like me, who now looks so famous and glamorous, had an awful birth experience. I almost died.

It’s terrifying because you read the statistics, particularly about Black women and the healthcare that they receive, which is, you know, has not been as good as other people would receive.

And you know, I was saying it in a humorous way. I didn’t have a main doctor. So many people were just in and out. But beyond the joke, again, very traumatized, exposed to all these strangers, nobody really cared. They were just like, “Hey, let’s can we get this lady out of here?” But I like to do jokes like that. Yeah, it’s funny, but when you think about it, behind the joke is a very serious topic.

I want to talk a little bit about “Abbott.” This season, Ava’s still dating O’Shon (Matthew Law). And things seem to be going well, and then we see Janine and Gregory. They look like they’re about to get engaged. Where do you see these relationships heading, or what can you tell us about where things are going?

I’m guessing that Janine and Gregory will get married at some point. I don’t know if it’s this season or not, but they seem to be chugging along, and Ava and O’Shon seem to be chilling. Something is always going to come up because it’s a TV show, and Quinta always does the opposite of what you think it’s going to be. But as always, I know nothing. I see maybe two shows ahead of what you’ve seen on television, and so far, all seems to be well for both couples.

The latest episode of “Abbott” centers on the the step team’s competition. The one about tryouts earlier this season had me rolling, especially when Ava’s trying to protect the kids in case they don’t advance. Your delivery of that line was perfect. [Ava: “I know what it’s like to have your dreams crushed. When I was little, I tried out for ‘Annie.’ They told me I was Black. Shoulda waited a couple of years.”]

That joke is based on real life in that Annie is a traditionally white character, and then like I think maybe 10 years later they had a Black Annie. She was like, “Oh, I should have just waited a couple years.” Obviously, she’s been disappointed in her life as a young kid, and she’s trying to now protect these kids … It seems that her experiences have left her cut down and not able to have, or at least as a kid, much aspirations and in her wrong way and hurt way that she does everything, she’s trying to protect the students from the same thing. It was just a really smart way to convey another part of her, another layer of her and her personality. A lot of things in “Abbott” and in comedy is about delivery and timing. I think I’m good at that.

Is there anything you’re watching right now that you’re recommending to everyone, or is there something that you like to watch over and over again?

I have been rewatching “The Americans” [Hulu, Disney+]. I watched it when it first came out, and I love it so much, and I love Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell. I recently was telling my friends, “You haven’t watched ‘The Americans?’” … I’ve restarted watching it, so I can talk to them [about it]. I restarted watching “Downton Abbey” [PBS, Peacock, Prime Video] with my mom. I was in a show called “Strip Law.” It’s an animated show … on Netflix. I totally didn’t have even time to watch my own show … it’s only one season, and I recently watched it, and it’s so funny. So I’m recommending that to people.

ICYMI

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Were McNabney to be called upon, it would cap a remarkable ascent for the 23-year-old, who has started just one game for Ulster this season after recovering from the anterior cruciate ligament injury that forced him to miss the entire 2025-26 campaign.

McNabney is one of four Ulster players on the bench alongside hooker Tom Stewart, prop Tom O’Toole and centre McCloskey, who drops out of the starting line-up for the first time in 2026.

With back-to-back world champions South Africa bringing their much-vaunted scrum power to Dublin next week, Farrell has opted to stick with first-choice props Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong.

Behind an experienced second row of Ryan and Beirne, Ryan Baird is retained after impressing on his return against Argentina while Timoney is entrusted with a first Test start at number eight after an eye-catching showing at open-side last week.

Back-up lock Darragh Murray is in line to win his fourth cap off the bench.

With Keenan not included, Hansen returns to the full-back jersey. The 28-year-old scored a hat-trick of tries on his first start at 15 against Australia last year.

Tommy O’Brien returns to left wing while Aki – a late withdrawal from the Argentina game because of illness – and Osborne represent a new centre partnership.

Gibson-Park returns at scrum-half after Craig Casey was preferred last week, while Prendergast is retained at fly-half with Ciaran Frawley kept in reserve.

Winger Dan James says Wales proved a point when they beat Norway – but is wary Erling Haaland and his team-mates are now intent on turning the tables.

The Leeds United attacker said that Craig Bellamy’s side were being written off before the eye-catching win in Cardiff last month.

James was on the scoresheet as Wales came from behind to see off the World Cup quarter-finalists, reigniting hopes of staying in the top tier of the Nations League.

It represented the biggest scalp of Bellamy’s reign, ending a winless run of six and quietening some of the rumblings of discontent around the manager.

Repeating the trick in Oslo on Saturday (17:00 GMT) would inch Wales to within a whisker of securing third spot and the boost to Euro 2028 qualifying seedings that comes with it.

In contrast, Norway are on their worst run of form in a decade and in danger of dropping out of the European elite they seemed on course to challenge.

“They’re a great nation and, at home especially, they’ve been brilliant,” said James as Wales prepared for the encounter at Ullevaal Stadion.

“They’re a very hard team to beat and I think after having that win in Cardiff it’s something that they’ve had to take – and they’ll be even more up for this game.”

Longtime “Days of Our Lives” actor James Reynolds revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Reynolds, who has portrayed Abe Carver on the long-running daytime soap for 45 years, discussed his experiences with the disease and the decision to incorporate his diagnosis into Abe’s storyline in an interview Tuesday with Entertainment Tonight.

“Well, it kind of goes back to when I thought I was hiding it,” Reynolds said in his sitdown with the outlet’s Nischelle Turner. “The writers also wanted to incorporate it because it was obvious. It was obvious. We play life here [on ‘Days’], and there are many other characters who have gone through real-life issues that then are mirrored on the show.”

The interview includes clips of Abe navigating his Parkinson’s diagnosis. While Reynolds admits the storyline is one born a bit out of necessity, he believes his character is well-suited for it.

“I feel like the the value of Abe [is] as a character who overcomes a lot, has tremendous amount of strength, deals with a lot of things with with humor as well as understanding,” the actor said.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. Symptoms can include problems with balance, uncontrollable shaking of one’s hands and stiffness.

The actor had kept his diagnosis private for “more than a few years,” telling only a few people including his wife and son. So Reynolds previously found himself apologizing as he tried “all these different ways” to unsuccessfully hide his symptoms.

“You could see my hand shaking. You could see different things,” Reynolds said. “You’re playing that game with yourself.”

Reynolds said that his “Days” colleagues have been “super, super just extraordinarily helpful and supportive” since he’s opened up about his diagnosis.

“It couldn’t be a better atmosphere. People are just so wonderful and that makes it a lot easier,” he said. “I do have more energy when I’m at work than in any other place.”

James Gunn and Peter Safran are out as the heads of DC Studios after a four-year run, Skydance said Monday.

They’ll be replaced by Marvel veteran Jeremy Latcham, who will serve as president and chief creative officer of the Skydance-owned DC Studios starting Dec. 1.

“James and Peter launched a new era for DC Studios and led it through a period of real transformation, resetting the foundation and building a slate we’re incredibly proud of,” Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison and Co-Chief Executive Ynon Kreiz said in a statement. “We’re grateful for their passion, contributions and commitment to this legendary brand.”

Gunn and Safran will now “return full time to their creative work,” the statement said. Under their leadership, the studio released 2025’s “Superman,” which hauled in more than $618 million in worldwide box office revenue. The recent body horror film “Clayface” has made about $109 million worldwide since its release in late October.

LeBron James says that his loved ones are not in danger after multiple media outlets reported that a man was arrested outside the former Lakers star’s Brentwood home late last week.

According to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson, officers responded to a reported burglary in progress in a Brentwood neighborhood on Friday at around 9:40 p.m. A 22-year-old male identified as Jaliere McWhite was taken into custody without incident and booked for felony stalking.

As of Monday morning, McWhite was being held on $150,000 bond at the Van Nuys Regional Jail, according to online inmate records.

James, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, was asked about the incident following his team’s 127-121 victory over the Bulls in Chicago on Sunday.

“My family is safe, and that’s the most important,” James said. “We’re still looking into everything.”

A 24-year NBA veteran, James spent the previous eight seasons with the Lakers before signing with the 76ers as a free agent this summer. His wife, Savannah James, and 12-year-old daughter Zhuri still live in Los Angeles.

James told reporters last year that his oldest son Bronny James, a third-year Lakers guard who was assigned to G League Coachella Valley last week, had moved out of the family home. Middle child Bryce James is a redshirt freshman guard at Arizona.

After this week’s major wins by the Democratic Party in the midterm elections, it’s no surprise that the cold open on “Saturday Night Live” was political in nature.

But there was one surprise guest: The new senator-elect of Texas, James Talarico.

The cold open began with a conversation between Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (Kenan Thompson) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (Sarah Sherman), the minority leaders of the House and Senate (and possible future majority leaders), respectively, as they celebrated their party’s victory, including flipping Texas blue — for which they took credit. (Schumer: “That was all me. I found the candidates, I recruited them. And as a show of respect, they begged me not to appear at their campaign events.”)

Jeffries pledged that their first order of business would be to march up to President Trump and tell him, “Hey, knock it off, Buster.”

But Trump (James Austin Johnson), not one to be left out, interrupted to take the credit for the Democratic victories instead — thanks to the “horrible economy and terrible war.” “So in the words of Moana’s big fat friend, ‘You’re Welcome,’” he said.

After an appearance from J.D. Vance (Jeremy Culhane) and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost), plus Trump’s complaints about having to work with millennials and the return of their optimism, he began listing some of the newly elected senators who would be arriving in Washington: “Jon Ossoff, or as I call him Thinky Herman. Abdul El-Sayed, or as I call him, Mamdani for men. And of course, down in Texas, Talafreako.” Talarico then stepped into frame to a roar of applause and cheers from the audience, leading to this exchange:

Talarico: “Hi America, I am James Talarico, the guy who has been texting you everyday asking for $5.”

Trump: “In this economy, who can blame you.”

Talarico: “But I think Mr. President, if we can work together, we can make life better for everyday Americans. It’s clear people want something new. They want something different. I’m talking of course about ‘SNL’s’ cold opens. How many of these Trump freezes are they going to do?”

Trump: “Infinity.”

Talarico: “Well in that case, there is only one thing to say: Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night Live.”

James Trafford says not playing for Manchester City last season was “horrendous” before he moved to Leeds United in the summer in search of first-team football.

City re-signed academy graduate Trafford in July 2025, two years after he had left the club to join Championship side Burnley.

But less than six weeks after his arrival, Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma arrived from Paris St-Germain.

The 27-year-old, who helped the French club win the Champions League just weeks earlier, immediately became City’s first-choice goalkeeper, leaving Trafford short of playing time.

After starting the first three matches of the campaign, 24-year-old Trafford made just one further Premier League start in the 35 games that followed Donnarumma’s arrival.

Speaking on Football Daily’s The Football Interview, Trafford reflected on the difficulties he encountered during a season on the fringes of Pep Guardiola’s squad.

“What a horrendous, horrendous feeling. Not playing,” said Trafford.

“You are ringing a lot of people and just venting. Like most people, you have a [bad] day at work and you ring someone up.

“I ring my dad, I ring my mum, I ring my missus, I ring my mates. I like ringing my mates and we can just have a good talk about it all. It’s quite funny.

“I had to play regularly this season for my own mental wellbeing. You just lose yourself not playing.

“Maybe I’m different, I don’t know, but the feeling of not playing every week, it felt horrendous.

“I just had to play every week this season for that mental feel-good and to keep progressing with my career and edging me closer to achieving the dreams I want to achieve.”

Despite his limited playing time, Trafford believes he still gained plenty from his final season at City, having helped the club win the League Cup and FA Cup after starting both finals at Wembley.

“Going into any season, I always have the highest of hopes and always the belief that it will go the best way it could,” he added.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t win all four trophies. It didn’t go how I expected it to go, but it happens.

“In the moment, I just tried to make the best of it as I could. Looking back, I don’t think it was a disappointing season in the end because I learned so much, I improved so much and I won two trophies in one year.

“There were moments when I was very down, regretting things and feeling disappointed, but looking back, I’m very thankful for the experience. What an incredible year.”

AFTER donating his kidney to his pop star brother, Chris Bourne has opened up about the healing process – revealing he used music as therapy.

Busted rocker James and Chris are both now recovering from their operations, which took place on October 3.

On his song Selfless, which Chris produced with his best friend James Ennis and released to raise money for mental-health charity Mind, he told me: “Songwriting is like therapy.

“You’re thinking about a situation and you’re conceptualising it and you’re going through all these things, how you feel about it, and you’re filtering out all of it.

“At the end of it, kind of whatever’s on the paper [ends up] in the song.”

Chris stepped in for James during Busted’s joint tour with McFly in 2025 after the guitarist became too unwell.

BROTHERLY LOVE

Busted’s James Bourne got Rolls Royce kidney from bro

REBOURNE

James Bourne’s brother gives health update after donating kidney to Busted star

Selfless, which was originally a poem by Chris about coming to terms with being a donor, is already a hit with James.

Laughing, Chris said: “For the first time he asked me to play him a song again. He was like, ‘Wow, you actually wrote a good song’.

“I totally trust and respect everything he says about music. And it was weird with this stuff because I’d never written such a personal song.”

Chris said he is looking foward to when he and his brother are fully recovered, and hopes to one day join James on stage.

He revealed: “If Busted felt like they would need an extra guitar player, I would definitely be there. It would be a dream experience.”

LILY’S GOTH HER SPARK BACK

LILY JAMES is black in business after stepping out of the acting world because of burnout.

After starring in a string of blockbusters including Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Cinderella and Pride And Prejudice she was left her feeling flat.

Lily said: I’ve worked consistently since I was 21, and I was beginning to feel so burned out. I was scared I was losing the joy.

“You have to recharge. Going from one job to the next, not only was I feeling like I wasn’t recharging or finding new sources of inspiration, but also blink, and you’ve missed a year.”

Lily is back at it now, though, and attended meetings in New York in this gothic-inspired outfit.

Her next project is Cliffhanger – a remake of the 1993 action film starring Sylvester Stallone – slated for release next year. Welcome back, Lily.

BIG CITY JITTERS FOR FAYE

FAYE WINTER says life in the big smoke after the Love Island villa triggered panic attacks and left her too scared to use the Tube.

The Devon-born reality star and then boyfriend Teddy Soares lived on the outskirts of London after meeting on the dating show in 2021.

She said: “I came out and I was very lost. I really struggled with the London lifestyle. It used to keep me up at night. If I was going to London, I would be awake until, like, one, two in the morning.”

She added: “I was so terrified, it would give me anxiety, like I would have panic attacks. If somebody said I had to get the Tube, I wouldn’t.”

Now back in the countryside, Faye is backing calls for couples to sign “pre-pups” – a pet version of the pre-nup – after her split from Teddy in 2023 turned the spotlight on how she got custody of their beloved golden retriever Bonnie.

It comes after research by Compare The Market found nearly one in three couples clash over who keeps their pet after a break-up.

She said: “Nobody thinks about what will happen if your relationship does come to an end and who’s going to take full responsibility of the dog.

“As a nation of animal lovers, I honestly don’t believe that the law is there to protect them enough.

“People have children, they take priority over their pets, but that shouldn’t be the case.”

DJ JOEL CORRY has opened up about the perils of touring and strict self-care regime.

In an exclusive chat as he promotes Movember’s Why Did We Stop Hugging Our Friends? campaign, the Head & Heart producer said: “I’ve had to really adapt to the lifestyle of long-haul flights, late nights, jet lag.

“I’ve tackled it by keeping my routine on lock. So whenever I land in a different country, I get a workout in.

“It’s more of a mental-health benefit than physical. It keeps my mind clear and positive.”

LADY GAGA and Shakira lead the nominees for the 2027 Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The panel have until December 14 to cast their votes before the winners will be announced at next year’s Induction & Awards Gala in New York City.

I adore both Gaga and Shakira so I’d be over the moon if either comes out on top.

JESS LOCKS A PICTURE

AND the Oscar for the biggest transformation goes to . . . Jessica Chastain.

The Hollywood actress has lopped off her statement long, red hair and dyed it blonde.

It was a surefire way to get noticed on the red carpet as she promoted new Netflix film, Heartland, in New York on Thursday.

Jessica plays Misty Jones, a country music star searching in the underbelly in Nashville for her rising star niece, who has mysteriously vanished.

A lot like Jessica’s hair then. . . 

EM BEARS SOUL ON NEW TUNE

EMILY BEAR will perform new single God Forbid A Girl Gets Used To This on Later With Jools Holland tomorrow night.

In an exclusive chat before the BBC Two show, alongside Jamie T and Violet Grohl, Emily told me what inspired the track.

She said: “I’ve fallen in love recently. I usually need really sad things to happen to me to be able to write.

“We hear all these stories about how love makes you fearless, love conquers all.

“No one really talks about what happens when you finally experience that fateful feeling. Suddenly, there’s something you’re terrified to lose.

“This song lives somewhere in that fear, and in the vulnerability of letting yourself start to believe a good thing can just be a good thing.”

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor says Lauren James will be out for at least the next few weeks, casting doubt on her availability for England’s World Cup qualifying play-off matches.

The 25-year-old will miss at least the next five matches for the Blues, including Everton’s visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday and a crucial match against champions Manchester City next weekend.

It also casts doubt on her chances of being available for England’s World Cup qualifying play-off matches against Ukraine in December.

After James came off in distress in the 35th minute of the 6-0 win over Charlton Athletic, Bompastor confirmed the injury: “The only one who will be missing is LJ.

“She had a scan and she has an injury in her hamstring, so we won’t see her until the end of this block.”

There was more positive news for Chelsea, with midfielder Lexi Potter, who made her England debut last month, back after missing the trip to Charlton.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are top of the WSL table having won matches both with and without James this season.

Bompastor added: “Of course we know how good Lauren is for us and for the team.

“Also, my job is to make sure I find solutions when some players are not available and not playing for the team. I think the good thing is that when I looked at some of the statistics from last week, we are a team who are able to score through different players.

“The last game we had against Charlton, a lot of players were involved in scoring again. Also, I think every player on the pitch had a shot on goal.

“Even if it was not always a great one, at least all of the players who were on the pitch had a shot on goal. I think that’s a good thing and, again, my job now is to make sure I find the solutions without LJ on the pitch.”

Third-year guard Bronny James and rookie guard Cameron Carr have been assigned to G League Coachella Valley, the Lakers announced Thursday.

James, who is the third year of a four-year contract worth $7.9 million ($4.4 million guaranteed), played only 12 minutes this season across five games, scoring four points on two-of-three shooting while missing his only three-pointer.

Carr, who was the 24th overall draft pick this summer, has played only four minutes in three games, missing the only shot he took.

James has played in 74 games during his young career, including 42 last season when he averaged 2.9 points and 1.2 assists in 8.9 minutes.

The Lakers moved their G League affiliate to Coachella Valley, where they will open the season Friday at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert against Salt Lake City.

IT’S just over a month since James Bourne’s brother Chris gave him the gift of life – with his kidney.

And in his only interview, musician Chris has revealed the Busted rocker felt the positive effects of the surgery immediately after waking up.

“We were in adjoining rooms that were identical and we both had a clock on the wall at the end of our beds which was driving us both insane as we waited to go into ­surgery,” Chris says.

“When James went in, he said he had trouble reading the clock.

“But when he came out of the ­operation and was taken to his room, he could see the clock.

“The whole process of receiving a new kidney isn’t as instant as that.

“But for some things, it’s pretty instantaneous. It’s incredible.”

Updating Busted fans on James’s ­condition, Chris — who is in a six-week recovery period — adds: “James is doing really well.

“The surgeon was so happy. He said to me, ‘You’ve given your brother a Bentley/Rolls-Royce kidney’.

“Hopefully I’ve got a Bentley left and not a banger.”

It was just over a year ago that James’s life was turned upside down and he was told by doctors he needed to go into hospital for urgent tests.

The news landed just as Busted were one day away from starting their tour with McFly, and James asked Chris to step into the fold.

Chris says: “We didn’t know anything was wrong with James.

“He called and said: ‘Hey mate, you’re up.’

“He said he’d been advised not to tour and to have some tests. It was a shock to everyone.

“I drove to Southend, where James was, and he said: ‘Just learn as many Busted songs as you can.

“When I saw him I could tell that he wasn’t OK.

“I obviously knew a lot but it was trying to learn which riffs and which chords he played on what songs.

“They’d been in full production rehearsals for three weeks when this happened.

“It felt like a Freaky Friday nightmare.”

Chris joined James’ Busted bandmates Matt Willis, Charlie Simpson and tour drummer Eddy Thrower in Leeds the following day, just 24 hours before the first night of the tour in Birmingham.

“Everyone was in disbelief,” Chris says.

The first two shows went without a hitch, with Chris doing James proud.

It was on the third show, at London’s Wembley Arena, that Chris received the devastating news of the extent of James’s ill health.

He says: “Our sister Melissa is a make-up artist and we’d met up at Wembley. She got a phone call and she burst into tears. James was in a really bad way.”

Chris and his siblings, Melissa and Nick, all put themselves forward to be kidney donors — with Chris overhauling his lifestyle on the road to ready himself.

“We all got tested and the results came back and I was the leading contender,” Chris says.

“In the family group chat I put the Lord Of The Rings meme, the one where it’s King Theoden and he says ‘Rohan will answer.’”

During this time, Chris was on tour with Busted and he admits he struggled with taking his brother’s place.

“I was sleeping in suites with his name on, the wardrobes had his clothes in them,” Chris explains.

“There was a part of me that didn’t want to be in the limelight. Like I was basking in my brother’s illness.

“It was a really difficult time.

“I felt so overwhelmed I said I couldn’t sing James’s part. I had to work hard to keep it together.

“During one show, Busted fans had arranged to wear masks of James’s face. It came from a place of love but it overwhelmed me. I had to turn around and try to keep it together.”

The brothers then faced an agonising wait until October 3, when they were cleared for surgery.

“I didn’t sleep the whole night,” Chris recalls.

“In the morning, I didn’t really want to wake my brother up because there’s no point in him being awake while I’m going down.

“As I was leaving, he came out and it was funny.

“We didn’t say anything. We looked at each other and just fist-bumped.”

After Chris’s five-hour surgery, James was taken down to receive his kidney.

Chris adds: “When James came out and I found out that it had all gone well, it was the biggest relief. It was a weight I’d been carrying for a year.”

Chris says the family are now looking forward to spending Christmas together, with the kidney transplant giving them all a sense of hope for the future.

“I’m looking forward to doing normal stuff with James, playing music, hanging out,” Chris explains.

“It’s done.

“It’s gone as well as it could and now we can try and move on.”

Robbie is Oz to the races

ROBBIE WILLIAMS had the world at his feet as he performed in the middle of the crowd at the Melbourne Cup.

The Brit was the headline performer at the annual Australian horse race.

And he delighted the audience with a set featuring Feel, Rock DJ, Angels and Let Me Entertain You.

Robbie was dressed in a striking all-red outfit for the performance, which was watched by almost 100,000 fans at Flemington Racecourse.

Robbie is currently on tour Down Under, ahead of a well-earned break for the first half of 2027.

But then he will kick-off a summer of performances, beginning with a headline set at the Isle Of Wight Festival next June.

By the looks of this, the punters there will have a blast.

A perfecth days for Queens

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE are preparing to pop the champagne as their new record, Perfecth, is on course to become their second No1 tomorrow.

And in an exclusive chat, frontman Josh Homme has opened up about the final track on the album, Run Away From The Mob, which features Dave Grohl on drums.

Dave recorded his part way back in 2013, but Josh admitted he didn’t feel ready to finish the song until they started making Perfecth.

“It comes from [sixth album] Like Clockwork,” Josh revealed.

“It didn’t make sense for that record, and I didn’t understand this song. You know, some flowers take a long time to bloom.

“You can’t force open the petals of a flower, and you hope that’s what you have. I also think this is a really good example of everyone in Queens at their best.

“And Dave is so good at doing exactly what needs to be done as a drummer.”

Looking Lively

HER last high-profile public appearance was at the World Cup final in July after her dispute with Justin Baldoni.

But there was no wiping the smile off Blake Lively’s face as she returned to the party scene in this navy sequinned dress.

The Gossip Girl star was snapped in New York on Tuesday as she arrived for a jewellery brand launch.

She certainly added some sparkle . . .

Jade debut sets record

JADE THIRLWALL has made history as the first member of a British girl group to have a solo track with no featured artist chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

Her breakthrough single, Angel Of My Dreams, has become a US hit – two years after its release. But that’s not been a surprise for the former Little Mix star, who said she kept being told it was going to have a resurgence.

Jade, whose track was given a boost when Kylie Jenner walked to it at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show last month, said: “I actually do think that enough people thought that enough to speak it into existence. I’d seen a psychic who said the same thing, and an astrologer.”

Jade was in Little Mix for over a decade until they went on hiatus in 2022, but reckons there’s more love for them now than ever – and she hopes they could one day headline Glastonbury.

She told The Pop Pod: “I could see that happening for sure. When the Little Mix medley comes on, people go crazy for it.

“All these places that we didn’t get to go to properly and they’re craving it. There’s a nostalgia people want.”

ANTHONY JOSHUA has given his fans an insight on Snapchat into the music he uses to inspire him before a fight, as he prepares to take on Tyson Fury at ­Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11.

And I have to admit, our AJ is a nostalgic man.

From So Solid Crew’s Dilemma 2 to Dizzee Rascal’s Creeper Freestyle, AJ is loving the old-school, with some added R&B classics in there, including Jaheim’s Just In Case.

Looking at the sheer size of Tyson though, I’d be much more inclined to have added Iron Maiden’s Run To The Hills.

NOEL GALLAGHER, Lily Allen and Brian Eno were among the stars in the room as U2 returned to the stage in an exclusive concert for the BBC at London’s Tate Modern on Tuesday.

The gig, which airs on BBC Two later this month, saw them ­perform several of their hits, plus songs from 16th studio album Carnaval De Luz, out November 13.

JOHN LEGEND has confirmed he is performing on the Sunday night of Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball with Barclaycard on December 6.

The Barclaycard pre-sale starts today, where card holders can get ten per cent off tickets, with the general sale starting Friday.

See you there.

RAYE vowed she would not release another studio album until she found her true love, after spending her last release singing about ­wanting to land a partner.

But fans of the star won’t have to wait for her to ­complete Tinder before they get some new songs.

The Where Is My Husband! singer has joined the voice cast of Benny Safdie’s film Lizard Music – and will write songs for it.

Comic James Acaster is said to feel ‘destabilised’ after he revealed to his co-stars that he was in fact a Traitor, as he narrowly missed out on a place in the Celebrity Traitors final

Celebrity Traitors star James Acaster is said to be feeling “destabilised” after he revealed his bombshell. The comedian started the BBC programme as a Faithful but was eventually recruited as a Traitor, despite making it clear that he was unhappy about it.

Throughout his time on the show, Acaster, 41, said he didn’t want to lie and that he played the game “as honestly as he possibly could.” But during last Thursday’s roundtable, James dramatically revealed to his co-stars that he was, in fact, a Traitor – leaving everybody stunned by the bombshell.

But while James had cleared his conscience, his decision didn’t go down too well with viewers at home. Following his revelation, he was subsequently banished from the castle by his co-stars.

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The Rest Is Entertainment podcast hosts Richard Osman and Marina Hyde have also discussed the backlash James faced after sharing his news on the show. Discussing any regrets that the cast may feel now, Richard said: “If you’re in it, like if you’re James [Acaster] at the moment, I bet you think, ‘Oh, I wish I hadn’t done that because everyone can have one opinion about this today.’

“James then has to listen to 56 million opinions, you know, and like nobody needs that. And the thing with him, he’s so brilliant and so talented that whatever he does next will, you know, supersede this in a heartbeat.”

He added: “But you know, it’s just annoying to have to spend a couple of weeks sort of in a position where you feel slightly destabilised. James, if you’re listening, or people who know and love James are listening, James, we love you. I’m very excited for what he does next.”

Meanwhile, James’ co-star, singer James Blunt, has claimed that a lot of the roundtable discussion was edited out of the final version of the episode. Speaking to the BBC, Blunt said: “He didn’t fall on his sword. That’s what you saw, that’s what you feel, but he didn’t. You didn’t see the full extent of the interrogation. It was heavy in there, and it was clear-cut. He was pinned to a post. We got him. We really, really got him.

“I think how that played out hasn’t really been revealed to you, but he didn’t just say, ‘Oh, guys, you got me’.” He went on to say of the editing of the show: “There are elements [of the show] where I was screaming at the screen for a different reason than you.

“No matter what really went on in that castle, you’re a victim to the edit.” James also revealed that he only went on the show to promote his new material and wasn’t too bothered about going along with the game.

He disclosed: “We all get paid the same, whether you’re there for day one or day 23. So for most of the time, I was trying to… Get the hell out of dodge. But no one was killing me, and no one was banishing me.”

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A BRITISH DC show star has been reportedly ‘ruled out’ as James Bond – with bosses said to be ‘looking for a certain body type.’

A total of four actors are understood to be in the running for the part with Callum Turner, Josh O’Connor and Jack Lowden, all 36, understood to have attended the final screen tests.

The identity of the fourth star has been kept under wraps – leading to fan speculation as to who it is.

One such name is London-born Aaron Pierre, who plays John Stewart/Green Lantern in DC Comics-inspired Lanterns.

However, a Hollywood Insider podcast has seemingly ruled out the 32-year-old for 007.

Pop culture critic and author Joanna Robinson featured as a guest on The Big Picture podcast.

MY SPY

Rumoured James Bond star backed for 007 role by his VERY famous Hollywood co-star

LICENCE TO THRILL

Unexpected new Brit star ‘lined up to be James Bond’, say bookies

She, along with hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins discussed Aaron Pierre earlier in the episode.

Sean then wondered out loud whether Aaron Pierre was the unidentified James Bond auditionee.

Joanna revealed she knew the mystery actor’s identity, but couldn’t disclose it while on air.

Sean said: “We also heard some rumours. I don’t believe [Aaron Pierre] is in the mix.”

As the others remarked Aaron should be, Sean continued: “That’s what I’m saying. It’s like, obvious.

“The one thing I would say would be a strike against that is that [Daniel] Craig was also kind of a bruiser Bond.

“I think Pierre because of his physique and strength as a performer, he would also be kind of a bruiser bond.

“The sense I’m getting is that they’re going to go back to kind of a lithe boy.

“That’s the energy they want instead of a “I will choke you out” Bond.”

One of the frontrunners, Jack Lowden, has received backing from one of his Hollywood co-stars.

Jack, who plays River Cartwright in Apple TV’s Slow Horses, stars alongside Kristin Scott Thomas.

The actress confessed he would be “very, very good” if he was to land the role.

Speaking to The Times, the 66-year-old star said: “Oh god, I wish I knew.

“He’s got that twinkle, he’s cheeky and he’s a very, very good actor.”

LeBron James scored 20 points, including a late tip-in, to help seal the Philadelphia 76ers’ 98-93 victory over the NBA champions New York Knicks on Friday.

The 76ers notched their second win of the young season over the Knicks after spoiling their championship banner-raising with a victory at Madison Square Garden on opening night.

The win had a double edge as Friday’s games marked the start of the fourth edition of the NBA Cup, the NBA in-season tournament won by the Knicks before they went on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals for their first championship since 1973.

Group-stage Cup games will be played throughout November, all counting in the regular-season standings. Quarterfinals will be played December 4-5 and semifinals December 8-9 before the final on December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points to lead the Sixers, who took control early against the sloppy Knicks.

They led by 14 in the third quarter and weathered a late Knicks surge.

Jalen Brunson’s step-back three-pointer put New York up 90-89 with 1:32 remaining.

James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, answered with a basket that put Philadelphia back in front and pushed the lead to 96-91 with a tip-in off a Maxey miss with 11.9 seconds left.

LeBron’s ‘best game’

James, 41, added nine rebounds, eight assists, one steal and a vintage chase-down block in what 76ers coach Nick Nurse called his best game since joining as a free agent in July.

“I thought he was really good all the way through,” Nurse said. “When we got some downhill stuff, he used his size and knocked them around a little bit for some layups … kind of pushed and organised it.

“He’s been good, but that was his best game, for sure.”

Brunson led New York with 24 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who fell to 2-4.

The Dallas Mavericks, fuelled by 35 points from Kyrie Irving and 33 from Cooper Flagg, rallied to hand the Houston Rockets their first defeat of the season, 116-111.

The Rockets had emerged from a back-and-forth first half with a 51-44 lead, pushing the advantage to as many as 11 before taking an eight-point lead into the final frame.

Irving’s three-pointer with 7:01 remaining put Dallas back in front, and they wouldn’t trail again, the Mavs finding an answer when Houston twice pulled level in the final stretch.

“It felt good,” Irving said. “We came in at halftime, we weren’t proud of our effort. We looked each other in the eye, and we were just like, we’ve got to do better.

“We didn’t bring it in the first half, but the second half we definitely brought it.”

Curry climbs scoring list

Golden State star Stephen Curry scored 31 points to lead the Warriors to a 112-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in a rollercoaster contest in San Francisco.

The Lakers outscored the Warriors 38-15 in the first quarter, the Warriors erasing the 23-point deficit by outscoring Los Angeles 38-15 in the second to knot it 53-53 at halftime.

Luka Doncic scored 37 points for the Lakers. The night’s abiding image was of him crashing to the floor as he was wrong-footed by Curry – who fired over him for a three-pointer.

Curry took his career points tally to 26,674, surpassing Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 18th on the all-time scoring list.

In Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a triple-double of 31 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists to propel the Heat to a 145-125 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

In Boston, the Celtics romped to a 125-111 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Payton Pritchard scored 30 points off the bench, and Jayson Tatum scored 26 for the Celtics, who led by as many as 32 points.

Orlando’s Desmond Bane scored 28 points, Franz Wagner added 26 and Wendell Carter chipped in 20 as the Magic fended off a late challenge to beat the Raptors 121-114 in Toronto.

The Magic drained 18 three-pointers and withstood a career-high 41-point performance from Toronto’s Scottie Barnes.

Detroit shook off a slow start to hand the winless Nets a fifth straight defeat in Brooklyn, where Cade Cunningham scored 20 points, and Ron Holland added 18 off the bench in a 110-94 Pistons victory.

The DC Universe’s Batman hasn’t been cast yet, but James Gunn says “it won’t be too long” until it happens.

The filmmaker and DC Studios co-chief recently debunked a couple of rumors regarding the status of the superhero franchise’s new Caped Crusader, whose existence in the shared cinematic universe was confirmed in an episode of the animated “Creature Commandos” last year.

“Batman … isn’t cast yet, by the way, [to] all the people thinking he’s going to appear in this or that,” Gunn said in a one-off “official podcast” episode released Thursday about the status of his 2021 film, “The Suicide Squad,” in the DCU canon. “It’s all b—. But when we do cast the DCU Batman, which isn’t very far away … I want to get everybody into account.”

The DC Studios boss added that an actor having appeared in a small role on “The Suicide Squad” would not automatically disqualify them from being in the running.

“One of the things that excites me about casting Batman is being able to pick a Batman who’s actually the best actor for that role,” he said. “Supermans have always been chosen based on who the best actor for that role is. And for some reason, Batmans are always chosen [from] movie stars.”

Robert Pattinson currently portrays the Dark Knight in director Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” universe, but these films exist outside of the DCU continuity shared by the likes of “Superman” (2025,) “Supergirl” (2026) and “Lanterns.”

For those searching for any clues about the DCU’s iteration of the character, Gunn teased that Batman will be about the same age as his “future best pal” Superman, who is portrayed by 33-year-old actor David Corenswet.

Later, on social media, Gunn responded to a fan’s query regarding those rumored to be front-runners for the Batman role.

“No one is in the running,” Gunn wrote Friday on Threads. “We haven’t started casting yet.”

While fans can expect to see a new actor donning the cape and cowl, the future for Batman rogues gallery favorite Harley Quinn is a bit less clear. In his conversation with “Peacemaker” stars Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee for “The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon?” podcast, Gunn also addressed the character’s status in the DCU.

“I think Harley is actually one of the more difficult things in this to justify as being canon in the DCU,” Gunn said, alluding to the established lore of the popular character portrayed by Margot Robbie. Harley’s journey to becoming a villain is tied to her romantic relationship with the Joker, who has not yet been introduced.

“We don’t know if Joker exists [in the DCU] yet,” Gunn said. “And obviously, Joker is a part of Harley’s past. [But] Margot Robbie is one of my favorite actors to work with. She is so good in [‘The Suicide Squad’] … I love her as Harley.”

The “Man of Tomorrow” filmmaker said the bigger question is whether Robbie, whose star has continued to rise since she first took on the role, would even be interested in portraying the character again.

“Harley is a character I’m almost certainly going to use in the DCU,” Gunn added. “If Margot wants to play her, then I’ll bend over backwards to explain that in the world. But if she doesn’t then I might go with somebody else where I don’t have to be attached to what happens to Harley in [‘The Suicide Squad’].”

Lakers show they are better without LeBron

From Bill Plaschke: They fly around the court, Luka Magic to AR to that new guy who dunks.

These joyous new Lakers have wings.

LeBron James would have grounded them.

They gesture to the crowd, point to each other, fill the postgame interviews with jokes and laughter and connection.

LeBron James would have silenced them.

Barely a week into the Lakers’ season, ignoring the records, forgetting the statistics, only one thing is abundantly clear.

The Lakers are better off without LeBron.

The Lakers are thriving without LeBron.

Continue reading here

‘A true professional’: Jarred Vanderbilt leads Lakers’ bench against Clippers

Rams discuss CTE and football

From Gary Klein: Rams players are increasingly aware of the risks of playing their sport, especially as it relates to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a neurodegenerative brain disease.

But they try not to think about it.

This week, a Boston University study was published that analyzed the medical records of more than 2,000 deceased former NFL players. The study estimated that 74.5% of them likely had CTE.

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald, 35, played 10 seasons before retiring after the 2023 season. He rejoined the Rams this season. When asked about the study and CTE, Donald said, “That’s a real thing.”

But he said, “You don’t think about it. You just play. When you sign up to play football, you know what you’re signing up for.

“You obviously don’t want nothing like that to occur.”

Continue reading here

Staggering 74.5% of NFL players who died from 2008 to 2023 likely had CTE, study finds

NFL Week 8 picks: Lions beat 6-0 Vikings; Steelers prevail over Browns

UCLA kicker happy to be part of team’s success

From Jordan Puente: UCLA football coach Bob Chesney trusted Mateen Bhaghani enough to trot him out for a 58-yard field goal attempt before halftime during the Bruins’ 28-10 win over Michigan State.

Bhaghani drilled a 54-yard field goal during last season’s 42-37 upset against Penn State.

His attempt to surpass his career long of 57 yards against the Spartans last week fell short, but Bhaghani doesn’t linger long on errant kicks. He knows he will only be successful when his team needs him most if he focuses on the fine details of every kick.

“I love the feeling of making field goals and helping the team win,” Bhaghani said. “It’s a different type of adrenaline; going out there, with all that pressure — is so fulfilling and relaxing for me.”

The daily attention to detail has helped Bhaghani hit all 102 of the extra points he has attempted during his college career.

The following interview with Bhaghani ahead of the Bruins’ game against Nevada Saturday has been edited for length and clarity.

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Kings win in overtime

Ottawa Senators forward Hayden Hodgson received a game misconduct and major penalty for boarding defenseman Brandt Clarke in the Kings’ 6-5 overtime victory Thursday night.

Hodgson took a run at Clarke, charging in at 21 mph according to the game broadcast. Clarke was just below the goal line when he was driven into the boards. The hit caused a brief scrum, and the Kings’ Erik Haula received a two-minute penalty for roughing Hodgson.

Clarke was ruled out for the rest of the game for what the Kings called an upper-body injury.

The play with 8:45 left in the second period came shortly after the Kings scored three goals in 4:03 to take a 4-1 lead and chase goalie Jonas Johansson.

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Kings summary

NHL standings

Struggling Ducks lose again

Tage Thompson had three goals and two assists, Zach Benson added a goal and two assists, and the Buffalo Sabres scored six consecutive goals during a 7-6 victory over the struggling Ducks on Thursday night.

Thompson’s 10th career hat trick tied him with Alexander Mogilny and Danny Gare for the third-most in Sabres history. One night before his 29th birthday, Thompson scored twice in 15 seconds in the second period, skating around the Ducks’ inert defense for a breakaway third goal that sent a dozen hats flying onto the Honda Center ice.

Tyson Kozak, Noah Ostlund and Jack Quinn also scored and Colten Ellis made 28 saves for the Sabres, who roared back from an early two-goal deficit and then hung on to improve to 2-0-1 on their four-game trip.

Captain Mikael Granlund scored and Leo Carlsson had three assists in the Ducks’ seventh loss in eight games.

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Ducks summary

NHL standings

This day in sports history

1943 — Gus Bodnar of Toronto scores a goal 15 seconds into his first NHL game as the Maple Leafs beat the New York Rangers 5-2.

1945 — Branch Rickey signs Jackie Robinson to the Montreal Royals.

1955 — Jim Patton of New York returns a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown as the Giants beat the Washington Redskins 35-7.

1966 — Jim Nance of the Boston Patriots rushes for 208 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

1971 — Eric Allen of Michigan State rushes for 350 yards in 43-10 rout of Purdue.

1974 — Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in the eighth round in Kinshasa, Zaire, to regain the world heavyweight title in the “Rumble in the Jungle.”

1975 — John Bucyk of the Boston Bruins scores his 500th goal in a 3-2 victory over St. Louis.

1977 — Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears rushes for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-0 triumph over the Green Bay Packers.

1993 — Erin Whitten becomes the first woman goalie in pro hockey to be credited with a victory as Toledo beats Dayton 6-5 in the East Coast Hockey League.

1996 — The WNBA announces the eight cities that will compete in the WNBAs inaugural season. Charlotte, Cleveland, Houston and New York will play in the Eastern Conference and Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sacramento and Utah will compete the Western Conference.

1997 — Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona announces his retirement from football on his 37th birthday.

1997 — Violet Palmer makes pro sports history by becoming the first woman to officiate an NBA game. There is little reaction by the crowd when her name is announced just before tip-off of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and Vancouver Grizzlies.

1999 — Marques Tuiasosopo becomes the first college player to pass for 300 yards and run for 200, racking up a school-record 509 yards as Washington rallied to beat Stanford 35-30. Tuiasosopo completes 19-of-32 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown and rushes 22 times for 207 yards and two TDs.

2001 — Michael Jordan misses his biggest shot of the night and commits two crucial late turnovers in the Washington Wizards’ 93-91 loss to the New York Knicks, Jordan’s first regular-season game after a 3 1/2-year retirement.

2003 — In the first regular-season game of his NBA career, 18-year-old LeBron James has 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals, but the Cleveland Cavaliers lose 106-92 to the Sacramento Kings.

2004 — Trainer Bobby Frankel finally breaks through in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, with Ghostzapper blazing to victory in America’s richest race held at Lone Star Park. Frankel, who had just two wins with 62 Breeders’ Cup starters before the $4 million Classic, had saddled the beaten favorite the past three years.

2004 — Dana College’s Tom Lensch sets an all-division college record by attempting 101 passes in a 60-35 loss to Hastings College. Lensch completes 56 passes for a school-record 507 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

2011 — The Baltimore Ravens erase a 24-3 deficit to defeat Arizona 30-27. It marks the fifth time this season a team trailed by at least 20 points and came back to win. That is the most in a single season in NFL history.

2016 — Derek Carr throws a 41-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts with 1:45 remaining in overtime, capping a record-breaking day for the Oakland Raiders in a 30-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Carr throws for a franchise-record 513 yards — completing 40 of 59 passes without an interception — and the Raiders overcome an NFL-record 23 penalties for 200 yards.

2019 — World Series: Washington Nationals beat Houston Astros, 6-2 in Game 7 at Minute Maid Park, Houston to win first title in franchise history; MVP: Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg.

2024 — World Series: Dodgers win eighth title in franchise history; overcome 5-0 deficit to beat New York Yankees 7-6 at Yankee Stadium for 4-1 series victory; MVP: Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman (4 HR, 12 RBI).

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

James on his exit

“The idea of doing that got me through the whole experience because you feel as a Traitor sometimes, when you see people have real life reactions that are bigger than the game, you feel bad, and I would have to remind myself they don’t have a game without you, literally, if no one’s doing this stuff, they can’t play, and they all want to play,” he said.
“So you are doing an important job here, so they all have something to do, and when they catch you, they’ll be really happy and they’ll like it, and it will feel good to just tell them and see that reaction.”

TWO major stars have been ruled out as the mystery fourth actor currently vying to be the next James Bond.

The coveted role has been up for grabs following the release of 007 blockbuster No Time To Die in 2021, Craig’s fifth and final outing as the Martini-swilling secret agent.

Final screen tests were held with four remaining hopefuls at London’s Bray Studios over the weekend, but an official announcement is yet to be made by new franchise owners Amazon MGM Studios.

It’s understood that three of those actors – understood to be Jack Lowden, Callum Turner and Josh O’Connor – were joined by a fourth, currently unnamed star, as decisive auditions got underway.

But two British actors, both previously linked with the role, have been ruled out as the final candidate – widely thought to be Jack Barton.

“We’ve heard, reliably so, that Harris Dickinson and Nicholas Hoult are not the 4th person. Testing is said to be occurring today and going into the weekend,” read an article shared by The Hollywood Reporter on Friday.

READ MORE ABOUT BOND HERE

STRONG CASE

A-lister touted as next James Bond drops massive hint he’s landed the role

LICENCE TO THRILL

James Bond fans ‘work out’ secret fourth actor up for 007 role

Dickinson, 30, is currently in the midst of back-to-back shooting schedules for director Sam Mendes’ ambitious four-film Beatles project, in which he will play John Lennon.

Meanwhile, Hoult, 36, has four major films in post-production – among them the eagerly anticipated DC adventure Man Of Tomorrow, which sees him reprise his role as Superman nemesis Lex Luthor.

Australian star Jacob Elordi is also out the running, while the much-fancied Idris Elba, Theo James and James Norton are believed to be out of contention.

Instead, Amazon MGM Studios are said to be keen on the lesser known Barton, 31, whose past screen credits include the popular Netflix drama Heartstopper.

Other than a handful of other minor TV roles, little else is known about the young actor, but he reportedly impressed producers enough to earn critical screen tests alongside his three Bond rivals.

Despite Barton’s emergence, fans remain convinced they have already worked out who the final star in the James Bond race is – and Taylor Swift fans will be very familiar with him.

The latest Bond theory suggests that the singer’s ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, 35, who she dated for six years until 2023, is the secret actor.

Fans believe the link to the actor and the 007 role is Bond casting director Nina Gold, 59.

Taking to Reddit to discuss, a fan wrote: “Nina Gold was one of the casting directors for Thor, too, and cast Joe in his first movie role. She knows him as far back as drama school”

Agreeing this person penned: “Nina Gold is doing the casting and knows Joe and cast him in the brutalist and Hamnet so he’s known by the department and may be on the radar of the casting team”

A third added: “Yeah, and he is supposed to be filming in NYC for a Rom com. but was in London this week for a friend’s wedding and potentially this audition.”

A fourth agreed: “Never thought about him as a contender before, but it makes sense.”

Daniel Craig’s fifth and final outing as James Bond was five years ago, and since then a whole host of high-profile actors have been linked to the famous franchise.

But Amazon MGM Studios, who paid $20million for full creative control of the franchise, is said to be picking a more “alternative” actor, rather than a mainstream Hollywood star.

Susan Saint James, the TV star who shared the screen with Rock Hudson as his on-screen wife in “McMillan & Wife” and co-led the heartfelt, blended family comedy “Kate & Allie” with Jane Curtin, has died.

The Los Angeles native died Monday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, according to People, which first reported the actor’s death. She was 80.

Saint James’ family remembered the actor for her warm personality and kindness, writing in a statement shared with the magazine, “Every person she met became the most important person in the room at that moment, from a fellow board member to the clerk at the shoe store, who usually walked away knowing her entire life story.”

Her acting career spanned almost six decades — she broke out as Peggy Maxwell in NBC series “The Name of the Game” — from the mid-1960s to the 2020s across TV and film, but audiences know the actor best for starring as Hudson’s detective wife in “McMillan & Wife.” The NBC series, which aired from 1971 to 1977, centered on San Francisco police commissioner Stuart “Mac” McMillan and wife Sally McMillan as they solve a variety of crimes. Saint James earned four Emmy nominations for her work.

She pivoted to film and TV movies after the series ended, garnering roles in “Love at First Bite,” “The Kid from Nowhere,” and “Don’t Cry, It’s Only Thunder.”

After nearly a decade away from the TV series scene, Saint James returned in CBS’ unconventional sitcom, “Kate & Allie.” She starred as Kate McArdle, one of the series’ titular divorcées who decide to raise their children under the same roof. Saint James’ Kate was the modern and no-nonsense counterpart to Curtin’s old-fashioned, sweet Allie. The series aired from 1984 to 1989 and earned Saint James two additional Emmy nominations.

When the stars and creative team of “Kate & Allie” reunited amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Saint James reflected on how the show was representative of a same-sex household and how mothers raising their own children related to the show’s material. She and her co-stars also said they knew at the time that the series was something special.

“It wasn’t like we went back and said, ‘You don’t know what you got ‘till it’s gone.’ It was just fun,” she said.

Saint James mostly stayed away from Hollywood in the decades following “Kate & Allie,” save for brief appearances in series including “Law & Order: SVU,” “Suits” and “Upload.” She notably found herself in the spotlight again in the early 2000s, but for family tragedy.

Her son Edward “Teddy” Ebersol died at age 14 in a 2004 Colorado plane crash that also claimed the lives of two other people. Teddy Ebersol, whom Saint James shared with husband and former NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol, was aboard a chartered Canadair CL-601 Challenger jet with his father and older brother, Charles, on Nov. 28, 2004, when it crashed during takeoff in light snow and freezing temperatures from the airport near Montrose, Colo. The pilot and a flight attendant were also killed in the crash. Dick and Charlie sustained injuries in the crash, and a copilot was critically injured.

“Here’s the bad part … I’ve never touched his clothes, I’ve never been able to move his things,” Saint James told Oprah in a 2006 interview. She continued to speak publicly about her grief in the following years.

“The thing that could move me on was that I could embrace Teddy finally in a way that was, ‘he’s my kid,’” she said during a 2009 panel on grief. “They can take his body, but I own that boy and I love that boy.”

Beyond her screen work and family tragedy, Saint James was also known for her longtime advocacy in the sports world. Saint James supported the mission of the Special Olympics since an early iteration of the games in California in 1972. The first Special Olympics was held in Chicago in 1968.

In a statement published Tuesday, Special Olympics said Saint James “believed deeply in the power of inclusion” and she served as a board member and a campaign co-chair for Special Olympics Connecticut. Her advocacy included founding the annual Susan Saint James poker tournament fundraiser. The organization’s Susan Saint James Leadership Award honors individuals who “embody her remarkable spirit of leadership, generosity, and dedication to our mission,” the post said.

“Thank you, Susan, for being an extraordinary champion of our athletes,” Special Olympics added in its statement. “Your legacy will live on through the lives you touched and the inclusive future you helped build.”

The actor, born Aug. 14, 1946 and raised in Rockford, Ill., received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008 and partially attributed her success in the industry to her connection with Special Olympics. Former California first lady Maria Shriver, daughter of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, attended the ceremony.

During that ceremony, Saint James said she managed to achieve her dream of becoming a Hollywood movie star “through the good works of a lot of wonderful people that created a loving and home-like environment for me all those years.”

“But the thing that really contributed to my success and happiness with my career was coupling it up with the work that I did with the Special Olympics,” she said, adding, “you can guess that being associated with them turned out to be getting to know some pretty amazing people since I’m now really cozy with the first lady of the state of California.”

Saint James was married three times, first to scriptwriter Richard Neubert from 1967 to 1968, according to People. She remarried in 1971 to makeup artist-turned manager Thomas Lucas. They share two children — daughter Sunshine and son Harmony — and divorced in 1977.

Saint James remarried to then-NBC executive Dick Ebersol after they met in 1981 when she hosted “Saturday Night Live.” They welcomed children Charles, William and Edward (Teddy.)