Marella Cruises, TUI UK’s ocean cruise line, has announced the return of its hugely popular music-themed cruise, setting sail in April 2027. The adults-only sailing promises the ultimate retro music showdown at sea and is on sale now
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The new Marella sailings have been announced(Image: PR HANDOUT)
It’s time to leave the kids behind and relive two iconic decades in music aboard the ‘Electric Sunsets 80s vs 90s’ themed voyage.
Marella Cruises, TUI UK’s ocean cruise line, has announced the return of its hugely popular music-themed cruise, setting sail in April 2027. The adults-only sailing promises the ultimate retro music showdown at sea and is on sale now.
Now in its sixth year, the Electric Sunsets concept celebrates two of the most influential decades in pop culture, bringing guests an immersive experience packed with nostalgia, entertainment, and star-studded performances. The headline acts for the 2027 voyage will be announced early next year, with organisers promising a line-up of top artists from both eras.
While this year’s acts will be different, last year the star-studded lineup featured Irish pop group B*Witched, UK R&B pop group The Honeyz, the iconic DJ SASH! and Ibiza in Symphony – a 10-piece orchestra.
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The three-night sailing aboard Marella Discovery will depart Palma on Wednesday, 28 April 2027, calling at Valencia and Ibiza before returning to Palma on Saturday, 1 May 2027. Guests can expect themed parties, live performances, and 80s vs 90s-inspired events across the ship.
Chris Hackney, CEO of Marella Cruises, said: “We’re thrilled to announce the return of our 2027 themed cruise. The battle of 80s vs 90s music remains one of our most anticipated experiences, appealing to both loyal guests and newcomers. Customer feedback shows these eras bring back real nostalgia — and the chance to see top stars perform onboard makes it even more special.”
For those looking to extend their getaway, a limited number of cruise-and-stay packages will be available, featuring hotels in Majorca such as Alua Soul Mallorca Resort, Astoria Playa Hotel, and Hotel Son Matias Beach.
As with all Marella Cruises sailings, the trip is all-inclusive, covering flights, transfers, tips, and service charges. Prices for Electric Sunsets 80s vs 90s start from £799 per person, available to book from Thursday, 30 October 2025.
If you’re a cruise fanatic, then it’s not just the cruise ship and destinations that will likely peak your interest. The real cruise nerds enjoy ticking off different ports across the world.
Recent research from the travel experts at AllClear Travel Insurance has highlighted the world’s top 10 most beautiful cruise ports, examining factors such as how quickly they capture passengers’ attention with their incredible views.
After taking his normal round of infield grounders during the Dodgers’ off-day workout Sunday, Kiké Hernández jogged to center field and spent a noticeable amount of time fielding fly balls there.
After using the same nine players in their starting lineup in six straight games since the start of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers have been considering a change for Monday — one that could drop struggling second-year slugger Andy Pages to the bench.
While the Dodgers’ overall offense has been inconsistent this postseason, Pages has endured the most glaring slump. He has collected just four hits in 43 at-bats, registering a .093 average. He has 11 strikeouts, no walks, and only one extra-base knock, providing little pop or spark from the No. 9 spot.
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged before Game 2 that he was mulling whether to keep Pages in the lineup. And though the 24-year-old outfielder, who had 27 home runs and 86 RBIs in the regular season, had a hit and run scored on Saturday, Roberts reiterated Sunday that making a move with Pages was “still on the table” and “front of mind.”
“Just trying to figure out where he’s at mentally, physically,” Roberts said. “The performance hasn’t been there. So thinking of other options, yeah.”
One reason the Dodgers have stuck with Pages is because of their limited defensive alternatives — including, first and foremost, utilityman Tommy Edman being restricted to only second base this October because of a lingering ankle injury.
Edman, who split time last postseason between center field and shortstop, did say this weekend that his ankle was feeling better (even though he didn’t close the door on potentially needing surgery this offseason). But Roberts noted that Edman “hasn’t taken a fly ball out there in a month,” casting continued doubt over his ability to play anywhere else.
Without Edman, Hernández is the only other true center-field option for the Dodgers to use in their starting lineup, having also played there during the team’s World Series run last year. This postseason, Hernández has been a fixture in left (while also mixing in at third base). But if he were to slide to center field for Game 3, it could open left field for someone like Alex Call.
Call, a trade deadline acquisition who was a part-time player down the stretch in the regular season, does not represent as much of a power threat as Pages, but is a better contact hitter with more on-base ability.
Of course, the Dodgers’ offensive inconsistencies have gone beyond Pages.
They have not topped five runs in a game since the wild-card round. They have hit just .216 as a team since the start of the division series. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are still batting under .225 in the playoffs. Mookie Betts is batting .136 since the start of the NLCS.
During their Game 2 win, Roberts felt the club missed a lot of hittable pitches against Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, before Will Smith and Max Muncy finally broke through with home runs in the seventh.
That, Roberts felt, was a sign his lineup was “a little bit in between” in its approach, squandering opportunities to do damage against fastballs over the plate while also trying to protect against breaking stuff out of the zone.
“They have made good pitches, but we have missed pitches as well,” Roberts said. “I do think that coming home, I feel that we’re back into a little bit of a rhythm offensively.”
Big Brother has officially returned for another season with 12 housemates ready to wreak havoc on ITV’s most famous house, but this year, the line-up appears more fresh-faced than ever.
In fact, only two of the housemates are not in their twenties, with the rest of the group ranging from 18 to 27; Pizza Shop Manager Gani, 39, and PR company owner Caroline, 56, are the exception. The latter decided to go on the show after struggling to know which direction to take her career in, and says she’d like a pair of new patio doors if she won the show’s prize pot, which is often £100,000.
While Gani is hoping for both fame and fortune, as he says: “I’d like to be known by millions. I see this as an opportunity not only for my personal growth, but also to help build the future of my personal brand.” He might get some tips from his fellow housemates, as one is already known online as an influencer and content creator.
21-year-old Elsa Rae is known for being an influencer and has already amassed over 120,000 followers on TikTok and is known for her relationship with social media personality Ed Matthews.
And with hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best recently admitting they get invested in the show’s relationships, this series could be one to rival Love Island with it’s young and beautiful cast.
Alongside Essex girl Elsa, 18-year-old Teja was another one to enter the Big Brother house during the live launch show, and is this year’s youngest contestant this year. With a goal of winning the show and buying her own house, Teja says she might have some crossed words in the house.
“I think I’m alright to live with, but I can be a bit loud. I do also say what’s on my mind. If I have a problem I will say. Sopeople might take that the wrong way and see it as me being rude. But I do like to just get things off my chest; people might not like the directness of it,” says Teja, who describes herself as “loud”.
Farmer Cameron and Mechanical Engineer Marcus are both 22, but couldn’t be more different. The former is hoping his genuine charm will win the house over and says he’s looking forward to “a new experience”, while Marcus has been advised to “play the game”.
27-year-old Zumba Instructor Sam is hoping to bring energy to the house with plenty of early morning workout classes, and says: “I’m looking forward to making new friends, hopefully learning some new life skills and seeing what things come out of this experience.”
Political Events Manager Emily, 25, is hoping her unassuming exterior will help her play the game in the house, and perhaps fool her counterparts. “I haven’t really thought about a strategy, although I do think people look at me and think I’m very ditzy because I’ve got blonde hair and fake nails.
“So,I think that could definitely play to my advantage, because they better watch out! I’m actually a lot cleverer,” she says. Emily shot to fame when she was falsely accused of flinging a milkshake at Nigel Farage.
Jenny, 20, from Derry says she wants to provide the house with “plenty of craic”, something she’ll no doubt bond with 22-year-old Glasweigen Nancy over. Tate, 27, is this year’s second Scottish housemate, and says his experience as a “buff butler” means he will be entertaining, with plenty of other skills up his sleeve.
Personal Trainer Tate, 27, is just looking to make “one good friend” in the house, and says he doesn’t mind about anything else. “I can be quite opinionated but I’d like to think that wouldn’t necessarily be a reason to nominate me.
“My strategy for those situations is to talk it out. I think also maybe food (or lack of) might beanother reason for me being nominated. I can get very hangry. That might get to people,” said the South London native.
Big Brother continues nightly on ITV2 and ITVX at 9pm.
BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing returns tomorrow night – and BBC One has shared a sneak peek at the 2025 celebrity line-up as they make their dancefloor debuts
But Judge Anton insisted it was not a problem as viewers always grow to love the line ups of long running BBC series
20:56, 16 Sep 2025Updated 20:56, 16 Sep 2025
Anton with Strictly hosts Tess and Claudia that he knows very well – unlike some of the celebs this year(Image: Joe Maher/Getty Images for the NTA’s)
TV judge Anton Du Beke has admitted that he does not recognise many of the stars picked for Strictly Come Dancing these days. Echoing public criticism that the BBC dance show’s line-up can sometimes lack a little lustre or the big names of previous years, he admitted the first time he would see some of them could be on the ballroom.
Anton said: “When I first started, we sort of knew them, but now as you get older… there are a number of people on the show that I am not familiar with.” Speaking of last year’s model contestant Tasha Ghouri, he added: “I mean last year, Tasha? I did not know Tasha. No, I don’t know a number of people on the show.”
But he has got used to being a bit baffled, as more online personalities are introduced onto the show, explaining: “You don’t know who they are, but that is normal.”
Anton admits he had no idea who Tasha Ghouri was (Image: PA)
He said of the 25-year-old YouTuber taking to the dancefloor for 2025: “There is that lovely boy George Clarke doing it this year. I thought it was the buildings fella, George Clarke the architect.”
And although he has now watched performances by the contestants who will be strutting their stuff on telly from this Saturday, he hasn’t seen enough to pick a winner.
Anton, 59, recalled how he was asked for an early opinion at the recording of the launch show and said: “They made it down the stairs unaided. I don’t know what you want me to say. Ask me next week when they have danced a bit.”
This year’s 15 celebrities include four reality TV stars: Vicky Pattison, 37, Thomas Skinner, 34, Dani Dyer, 29, and La Voix, 45. There are four sports stars too: sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, 37, footballers Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 53, and Karen Carney, 38, and rugby union’s Chris Robshaw, 39.
A new crowd of celebrity faces will take to the dancefloor in a matter of weeks(Image: PA)
It is actors who make up the biggest group, with five: Stefan Dennis, 66, Alex Kingston, 62, Balvinder Sopal, 46, Ellie Goldstein, 23, and Lewis Cope, 30. There is also presenter Ross King, 63, and YouTuber George.
Speaking at an event to launch his new novel, Monte Carlo by Moonlight, Anton said he will soon be reading the celebrities’ body language. He said of judging: “As I sit ther,e I know exactly what has been going on. I can see by this routine what sort of a week you have had and I laugh.
“If they start at the top of the stairs and walk down, they have had a very difficult week, like they are wasting as much time as they can until they get on the floor and have to take hold. The waltz is always lovely to judge. You can always see how good and bad their week has been by how long they stay ‘in hold’.”
After years of grumbles that contestants with dance experience – such as Lewis Cope – have a head start, Anton conceded it is tru,e but that the advantage is only slight. “It will help them a bit. I have not seen many of those who have actually won.”
And he had some tips for the professionals, too. “Learn that it is not about you. I was always aware of that. It is not my name they say first. It is the celebrity’s name.” Anton, who has eight-year-old twins with wife Hannah, also urged BBC bosses to tweak the rules on voting.
This year voting via premium phone lines has been axed and instead viewers have a brief opportunity on Saturday nights to vote online. But Anton thinks voting should go on all week, as many Strictly Come Dancing fans catch up on iPlayer.
He said: “I remember when we started the show, you could vote all week. Now you have a little window, and that is a shame because some people can’t watch it on a Saturday night.
“They might be working or may go out. I would like people to be able to vote during the week as everyone is invested even if they watch it on catch-up, so give them the opportunity to vote.”
And as for the show’s enduring popularity as it enters its 23rd series, he said: “The show works because we re-cast it every year and now we have a couple of new pros. There is an extraordinary amount of enthusiasm for it. The room is always enthused and I think that transfers to people watching it.
“You can like it for different reasons. You can like it for the frocks, the group dances, the couples or want to see how people are getting on. You can like the judges – or not like the judges!”
* The launch show of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing is on at 6.40pm on Saturday on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
Surprise! The 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival lineup is out and it’s topped by pop stars.
Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G will headline the twin weekends of the festival, which return to the Empire Polo Club in Indio April 10-12 and 17-19, 2026.
Other notable acts include elder statesmen such as Iggy Pop, David Byrne and Devo, rock acts including the Strokes and Turnstile, pop star Addison Rae, Laufey, EDM superstar Kaskade, rapper Young Thug and dozens of others.
The bottom of the festival poster also announces something called “The Bunker Debut of Radiohead Kid A Mnesia.” The British rock band Radiohead recently announced European tour dates.
Also at the bottom of the poster, which has become a place for the festival to announce special engagements, is the world premiere of Anyma’s “Æden.” Anyma, the project of producer and artist Matteo Miller, was the first electronic act to headline Sphere in Las Vegas.
At the top of the poster for Friday, listed between the XX and Disclosure is an act called Nine Inch Noize. German producer Boys Noize joined Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails’ on the band’s recent tour and also labeled a live collaboration as Nine Inch Noize System on Instagram.
Since its inception in 1999, Coachella has included a diverse range of musical styles, but also less-than-expected acts, such as the colorful monsters of the show Yo Gabba Gabba! and the L.A. Phil earlier this year. For 2026, another beloved L.A. institution is on the bill: Bob Baker Marionettes, of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, are listed on the poster for Friday.
Coachella has given a spotlight to some of the world’s biggest K-pop and J-pop acts in recent years and in 2026 acts including Bigbang, Fujii Kaze, and Taemin.
The 2026 edition is also a makeup show of sorts for FKA Twigs, who had to cancel her 2025 North American tour, including stops at Coachella, due to visa issues. Promoter Goldenvoice has traditionally released the festival’s lineup in January, three months or so before the event.
Tickets start at $649 for a three-day pass for Weekend 1 and $549 for Weekend 2. (If you buy a 4-pack of tickets you can save $10 per pass.) VIP passes for Weekend 1 start at $1,299 and are $1,199 for Weekend 2.
New for 2026 is a group camping option, which allows people who want to camp together to arrive at different times. There’s a 10-spot minimum and a 20-spot maximum. Each camping spot is $160.
Passes go on sale to the general public at 11 a.m. Pacific on Friday, Sept. 19 at www.coachella.com.
Sept. 9 (UPI) — Apple debuted its new iPhone 17 during its annual Apple Event on Tuesday, with four new models including the thin iPhone Air, a base model and the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models.
The phones go on sale Sept. 19, with preorders starting Friday.
The Apple Watch 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3 are the company’s latest smartwatches, with Apple launching a new standard smartwatch, and other entry-level and premium wearables. Apple also unveiled new AirPod Pro 3 earbuds.
The base model phone, which has upgraded storage, still starts at $799. The iPhone 17 Pro now costs $1,099, which is a $100 price raise from the iPhone 16 Pro. But the new phone comes with 256GB of storage.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199, the same as last year’s model.
The new iPhone Air debuts at $999. It’s $100 more than the iPhone 16 Plus it replaces in the lineup.
Apple says it made changes to the iPhone 17 Pro to manage the temperature of the device. There’s a new vapor chamber to help dissipate heat and deliver thermal performance.
Apple also launched iOS 26 with a new design, Apple Intelligence capabilities and improvements to apps. The new design is called Liquid Glass, which “makes apps and system experiences more expressive and delightful, bringing greater focus to content while keeping iOS instantly familiar,” Apple said. It will be released Monday.
Apple Intelligence now translates text and audio with Live Translation, helping users communicate across languages in Messages, FaceTime and phone, the company said.
Apple also introduced N1, a new Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. N1 improves the overall performance and reliability of features such as Personal Hotspot and AirDrop, the company said.
The new Apple Watch 11 offers longer battery life, more durable cover glass and 5G cellular capabilities in the thinnest design yet, Apple said. The new watch can notify users of chronic high blood pressure and better sleep insights. The watch has up to 24 hours of battery life and new glass that’s more scratch-resistant.
The new watch OS 26 has Workout Buddy, powered by Apple Intelligence, a wrist flick gesture and new watch faces. The Watch 11 is available for pre-order now and is available Sept. 19.
The new AirPods Pro 3 claims the world’s best in-ear active noise cancellation, removing up to two times more noise than the previous-generation AirPods Pro. The updated design helps AirPods Pro 3 fit better and offers better in-ear stability during activities. The AirPods Pro 3 can now measure heart rate and track over 50 workout types in the Fitness app on the iPhone. They also offer Live Translation. Pre-orders are available and the AirPods will come out Sept. 19.
Apple’s latest product announcements apparently didn’t excite investors. Apple shares were down about 1.5% when the event was over.
During an earnings call in July, Apple chief executive Tim Cookmentioned the company was working on a more personalized Siri, and it is expected to be released next year.
Max Muncy was activated Monday following his second stint on the injured list, and the struggling Dodgers wasted no time getting him back in the lineup against the Colorado Rockies, with Muncy starting at third base and batting cleanup.
“I wanted to be back sooner, but obviously that’s just not a realistic option sometimes,” said Muncy, who was hitting .258 with an .880 OPS, 17 homers and 64 RBIs before he sustained an oblique injury that caused him to miss 23 games.
Muncy went 0 for 3 with an intentional walk at the plate. In the field, he snagged Hunter Goodman’s line shot for the final out of the Dodgers’ 3-1 win.
“It’s a big boost. We’ve been waiting for this one for a long time,” said manager Dave Roberts, whose team had a losing record in Muncy’s absence. “Just kind of having his presence in the lineup, that obviously adds length to our lineup.”
Muncy missed 25 games with a bone bruise in his left knee earlier in the summer and returns with the Dodgers stumbling through an offensive slump that saw them lose five of six games to the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles.
Muncy said he’ll need to fight the urge to do too much too soon.
“What they need is for me to be myself and not try to do anything outside of what I usually do in a baseball game. And so it’s trying to understand that and just letting everyone else get back to being themselves,” said Muncy, who went two for seven with two walks in three games with triple-A Oklahoma City.
“Obviously, it was a rough road trip for the guys,” Muncy said. “We have to keep our focus just one day at a time. Prepare for today. How are we going to beat the pitcher today? And you know, if we get an entire group of guys buying into that, then I’m going to feel pretty good about.”
Muncy is just the first member of a big cavalry riding to the Dodgers’ rescue in time for their playoff stretch drive. Left-hander Alex Vesia could return from an oblique strain on Tuesday, Roberts said, while utility player Tommy Edman, out since Aug. 4 with a sprained ankle, is expected to be activated for the final game of the brief three-game homestand Wednesday.
Right-hander Brock Stewart, who has missed 25 games with shoulder inflammation, threw a bullpen session last Saturday in Arizona and is expected to throw another Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. If that goes well, Stewart said, he‘s expected to throw to live hitters Friday before making a brief rehab assignment with Oklahoma City.
“I’m just trying to take it one day at a time. The odds are good,” he said. “I want to help the team, but I have to focus on myself because I’m not out of the woods yet.”
For Married At First Sight fans the wait is nearly over for the new series of the Channel 4 show and nine new couples are hoping they can find their perfect match
In recent years, film festivals haven’t felt all that festive. Audiences have dwindled, streaming has upended viewing habits and the pandemic and Hollywood strikes have rattled the industry, leaving even the most glamorous events to fight for their place on the cultural calendar.
Then there’s Telluride. For more than a half-century, the tiny mountain gathering has thrived as a kind of anti-festival: no red carpets, no prizes, no tuxedos, just movies. Perched 8,750 feet up in a box canyon in the Colorado Rockies, it’s reachable only by twisting roads or a white-knuckle drop into one of the nation’s highest airports. Festival passes are pricey and limited in number, which makes Telluride feel at once intimate and exclusive. With its mix of industry insiders and devoted film lovers, that isolation and tight-knit atmosphere have become part of Telluride’s mystique, and the promise of early Oscar buzz keeps filmmakers, stars and cinephiles making the pilgrimage. Since 2009, only five best picture winners have skipped Telluride on their way to the top prize.
“It’s so hard to get to Telluride — you don’t end up here by accident,” festival director Julie Huntsinger says by phone. “We’ve always felt it’s incumbent on us to show either brand-new things or extraordinary things that make your time worth it. You know how cats will bring you a mouse? I always feel like I’m bringing you a mouse or a bird, and I just hope you’ll like it.”
Rolling out over Labor Day weekend, the 52nd Telluride Film Festival will supply a slate of fresh offerings, including a handful of world premieres. Scott Cooper’s “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” drops Jeremy Allen White into the boots of the Boss, tracing the creation of his stark 1982 album, “Nebraska.” Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” unites Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in a haunting portrait of grief. Edward Berger’s “Ballad of a Small Player” finds Colin Farrell wandering Macau as a gambler chasing luck and redemption. And Daniel Roher’s “Tuner” gives Dustin Hoffman a rare return to the screen in a crime thriller about a piano tuner who discovers his ear is just as effective on safes as on Steinways.
Also in the mix are a number of films coming from Cannes and Venice: Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia,” Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly,” Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind” and Richard Linklater with a double bill, “Blue Moon” and “Nouvelle Vague,” proof that Telluride remains a haven for auteurs.
At last year’s Telluride, politics dominated the conversation on- and off-screen. Hot-button issues, from abortion access to climate change to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ran through the program, while guests such as Hillary Clinton, James Carville and special prosecutor Jack Smith joined the usual roster of actors and filmmakers. Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” a searing portrait of Donald Trump’s early years, was one of the buzziest titles.
This year the lineup is broader, though politics still runs through it. Ivy Meeropol’s “Ask E. Jean” follows writer E. Jean Carroll through her legal battles with Trump, while Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent” uses a 1970s-set thriller to revisit Brazil’s military dictatorship, with Wagner Moura (“Narcos”) as a professor on the run. “This year is pretty political too,” Huntsinger insists. “There are a couple of films that, if you’re paying attention, have important things to say. I just hope everybody feels a little braver after a lot of the things we show.”
German-born director Edward Berger, who brought his papal thriller “Conclave” to last year’s edition, returns with a strikingly different film in “Ballad of a Small Player.”
“I would defy anyone to stack up his films and say they’re by the same filmmaker,” Huntsinger says. “This is a beautiful, very dreamlike, nonlinear exercise in spirituality and introspection. ‘Conclave’ felt disciplined — not that this film is undisciplined but it exists on a totally different plane.”
Zhao, who won the directing Oscar for 2020’s “Nomadland,” has adapted “Hamnet” from Maggie O’Farrell’s acclaimed novel about the death of Shakespeare’s only son in what Huntsinger describes as one of the festival’s most emotionally powerful selections.
“Chloé is a person of immense depth,” Huntsinger says. “She has such a deep feel for human beings. This is a sad, mournful but beautiful meditation on loss. People should be prepared to cathartically cry. There isn’t a false note in it.”
Another festival favorite, Lanthimos makes his third trip to Telluride with “Bugonia,” a darkly comic sci-fi satire that reunites him with Emma Stone following their earlier collaborations on “The Favourite” and “Poor Things.” A remake of the 2003 Korean cult film “Save the Green Planet!,” it follows a conspiracy-minded beekeeper (Jesse Plemons) who kidnaps a powerful pharma executive (Stone) he believes is an alien bent on destroying Earth.
“Be prepared to get your a— kicked,” Huntsinger says. “Emma is outstanding, and we should never take her for granted, but Jesse Plemons steals the show. He next-levels it in this one.”
Baumbach also marks his return to Telluride with the dramedy “Jay Kelly,” which centers on an actor (George Clooney) and his longtime manager (Adam Sandler) as they journey across Europe, looking back on the choices and relationships that have shaped their lives. Huntsinger likens the film to a cinematic negroni: “It’s substantial but also fun, with an almost summery feel. It’s about where you’re headed after a certain stage in life, told without heavy-handedness.”
The filmmaker and screenwriter, who previously brought “Margot at the Wedding,” “Frances Ha” and “Marriage Story” to the festival, will be honored this year with a Silver Medallion. He shares the award with Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whose drama “It Was Just an Accident” won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and Ethan Hawke, represented in the lineup with Linklater’s “Blue Moon” and his own documentary about country singer Merle Haggard, “Highway 99: A Double Album.”
Few films in the lineup will be more closely watched than Cooper’s Springsteen biopic, with Emmy-winning “The Bear” star White channeling the Boss during the making of one of his most uncompromising albums. “Jeremy delivers in the same way that Timothée Chalamet did in [the Bob Dylan biopic] ‘A Complete Unknown,’ where you just think, Jesus, what can’t this kid do?” Huntsinger says. “Scott’s a great filmmaker, and the movie delivers on its promise.”
The music thread continues with Morgan Neville’s documentary “Man on the Run,” drawn from never-before-seen home movies Paul McCartney shot in the early 1970s, not long after the Beatles’ split. The footage shows McCartney retreating to Scotland with his family and offers what Huntsinger describes as a revelatory glimpse at a less-mythologized moment. “You also understand there wasn’t a villain in the Beatles breakup,” Huntsinger says. “It’s an expansion on history that’s really needed.”
Elsewhere in the documentary lineup, Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras returns with “Cover-Up” (co-directed by Mark Obenhaus), an exploration of investigative journalist Seymour Hersh’s career that builds on her politically charged films like “Citizenfour” and “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.”
For all its flannel-and-jeans ethos, Telluride isn’t immune to the economics of 2025. Lodging and travel costs have soared, amplifying concerns that the showcase has become a festival largely for the well-off. Huntsinger concedes the expense but points out pass prices haven’t budged in more than 15 years as she works to keep it accessible.
“I was concerned for a while because our audience was aging, but we’ve really worked on making sure that younger people and people on fixed incomes can come,” she says. “I can see the difference — it’s not just people of means. And I promise you, I’ll keep fighting for that. I hope the lodging people will realize they got a little out of hand and start lowering prices too.”
For all the turbulence and doomsaying that has rattled Hollywood in recent years, Telluride has managed to hold fast to its identity.
“The devotion people have to this weekend makes me think there’s hope,” Huntsinger says. “They’re not coming here for anything but film-loving. To hear people say, ‘I would not miss this for the world’ makes me really proud and hopeful. After everything we’ve all been through, I think we still have reason to keep doing this crazy little picnic.”
Tyler, the Creator had his fans searching for words after he announced the lineup for his annual music festival Camp Flog Gnaw in a puzzling manner.
The “Igor” artist posted an actual word search on his Instagram containing the name of the musicians joining him for the 11th edition of the two-day event. His signature carnival will be on the grounds of Dodger Stadium on Nov. 15 and 16.
This year’s edition will feature A$AP Rocky, Childish Gambino, Doechii, Earl Sweatshirt, Thundercat and 2 Chainz.
An eclectic mixture of artists — from the raw hip-hop of sounds from Clipse to the indie-pop tracks of Clairo and the melodic vocals of T-Pain — rounds out the lineup.
Fans can join a wait-list for tickets, which sold out right after release in May.
The festival was founded by Tyler, the Creator in 2012 and incorporates music and carnival attractions such as rides and games. Previous iterations of the fest have staged artists like SZA, Solange, Kaytranada, André 3000 and Fuerza Regida.
Tyler, the Creator is coming off the release of his ninth studio album, “Don’t Tap the Glass,” and a world tour for his previous EP, “Chromakopia.”
DENVER — With the Dodgers in the midst of a stretch that will see them play a season-HIGH 19 games without a day off, manager Dave Roberts rested shortstop Mookie Betts on Wednesday and started Miguel Rojas in his place.
Shohei Ohtani, who was in Wednesday’s lineup as the starting pitching and designated hitter, is expected to sit out Thursday’s series finale, and outfielder Teoscar Hernández and catcher Will Smith probably will as well.
Relievers Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott both threw hitless innings in rehab appearances with triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Yates struck out one and gave up a walk, while Scott walked a batter and struck out two. Both could rejoin the Dodgers this weekend in San Diego, Roberts said.
Utility player Kiké Hernández, on the injured list since July 7 with left elbow inflammation, was expected to make his first rehab start Wednesday.
Before Wednesday’s game, the Dodgers also recalled right-hander Paul Gervase from Oklahoma City and optioned right-handed Alexis Diaz. Gervase, 25, acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, appeared in five games with the Rays this season, striking out six batters in 6.1 innings.
Díaz, 28, was 1-0 with a 5.00 ERA in nine games for the Dodgers. A former National League all-star, he was acquired on May 29 from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for minor league pitcher Mike Villani.
DENVER — Mookie Betts was back at shortstop and Teoscar Hernández remained in right field for the Dodgers on Tuesday, a day after two questionable fielding plays in the outfield led to two runs in a 4-3 walk-off loss to the last-place Colorado Rockies.
Hernández’s defense has increasingly become a matter of concern for manager Dave Roberts and Monday’s loss was followed by a meeting involving Roberts; Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers president of baseball operations; and Betts, who has expressed a willingness to move back to right field where he was a six-time Gold Glove winner.
Hernández is ranked 64th among National League right fielders with a defensive WAR of -0.4 and his two errors are tied for fourth-most in the league.
“He’s got to get better out there. There’s just no way to put it,” Roberts said after Monday’s game of Hernández. “It’s not a lack of effort. But, you know, we’ve just got to kind of get better. We do.”
Betts, meanwhile, twice led the American League in fielding average and putouts as the Boston Red Sox’s right fielder. But he’s played shortstop full-time this season.
“Defense is a big part of postseason baseball and winning baseball,” Roberts said.
Betts’ move to the infield has arguably weakened the Dodgers in two ways: Hernández’s defense and Betts’ offense. Playing the infield, especially shortstop, is far more taxing mentally than playing in the outfield and Betts is slashing a career-low .242/.312/.370 this season.
Moving Betts back to right field would likely mean using Alex Freeland or Miguel Rojas at shortstop, at least in the short term. Freeland played nearly 300 games at shortstop in the minors while Rojas has played more than 940 games there in the majors.
Hernández, second on the team with 74 RBIs and tied for second with 20 home runs, would then move to left field — a less-demanding position defensively than right field — in place of Michael Conforto, whose .190 batting average is the worst in the majors among players with at least 300 at-bats.
Moving Betts back to the outfield could be easier for Roberts when utility players Tommy Edman, Hyeseong Kim and Kiké Hernández return from the injured list, giving the manager more depth and flexibility. Kim, who will begin a rehab assignment this week, is the furthest along and could be back by early next week.
In the box score, all was not well. As you already have guessed, the bullpen: Five relievers were needed to cover the final three innings, in which the San Diego Padres put potential tying and/or go-ahead runs on base in each of those innings.
And, on Day 1 of Life Without Muncy 2.0, the Dodgers managed four hits.
With 40 games to play, the Dodgers and Padres are tied atop the National League West. If Max Muncy can play in even a handful of those games, the Dodgers will be grateful.
The Dodgers put their third baseman on the injured list Friday afternoon because of a strained oblique muscle. When Muncy went on the injured list last month because of a knee injury, the Dodgers led the majors in runs. He missed 25 games, in which the Dodgers ranked last in runs.
“Max just has that balance in the lineup, as far as another left-handed (hitter),” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “but also handles left-handed pitching and has the ability to get on base.
“He’s a threat. Now, without him, other guys have got to step up.”
The Dodgers’ left-handed bats, as of Friday: Ohtani, Freeman, outfielder Michael Conforto (.189) and backup catcher Dalton Rushing (.202).
It should go without saying that Ohtani and Freeman remain imposing. It should also go without saying that opponents might well line up right-handers against the Dodgers, including the Padres throwing Dylan Cease against them Saturday and Yu Darvish on Sunday.
Teoscar Hernández hits a solo home run in the seventh inning during the Dodgers’ 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“We’re going to see a slew of right-handed pitching,” Roberts said. “There are going to be right-handers coming out of the pen.
“Our right-handers have got to be better.”
On that score, the most encouraging development for the Dodgers on Friday was Hernández hitting what turned out to be the decisive home run.
“Teo came to life with a big homer,” Roberts said.
Hernández hit 33 home runs last season, when his OPS was at least .762 in each month of the season. His OPS has been below .762 in each month this season except the first one.
In the Dodgers’ first 29 games, he hit nine home runs. In the 93 games since then, he has hit 10.
“Some days, it’s good. Some days, it’s bad,” Hernández said. “Some days, it’s in between. Hitting is not easy. But I’m going to continue to keep working and try to be consistent for the month and a half, and hopefully in the playoffs.”
The pennant stretch comes first, and Roberts has faith in Hernández.
Said Roberts: “It’s an easy bet that, when the stakes get higher, Teo is going to really show up for us.”
Muncy does that, in getting on base and in circling the bases. In October, when the pitching can rise to the occasion, so can Muncy.
His OPS is higher in the playoffs than in the regular season. He walks way more often. He can elevate the Dodgers’ lineup in October, if the rest of the lineup can step up and help get him there.
Thirty years ago, the coming-of-age romantic comedy “Clueless” opened in movie theaters and went on to become an enduring American pop culture touchstone.
“I’m thrilled that people love it and continue to love it,” the movie’s star, Alicia Silverstone, said in a recent conversation in New York. “Young people. Old people. It’s really gone on and on, and obviously that’s lovely.”
AMC Networks is counting on Silverstone’s multigenerational appeal to help boost the New York-based media company’s streaming service Acorn TV, which specializes in British dramas and other programs from overseas.
Silverstone is the lead in the new Acorn original series “Irish Blood,” which premiered Monday. She plays hard-bitten Los Angeles divorce lawyer Fiona Sharpe, who heads to Ireland to resolve a mystery involving the father who abandoned her as a child.
AMC has also signed the imperishable Brooke Shields to star in another Acorn project titled “You’re Killing Me.” She portrays a mystery novelist who teams with a young wannabe writer and influencer to investigate murders in a small New England town. The series starts shooting this summer and is set to premiere in 2026.
Why put two iconic American actors on a streaming platform with a well-defined niche of providing viewers with international locations and accents that at times require closed-captioning even when the language is English?
Even the small players in streaming have to get bigger.
AMC does not have the deep pockets to compete with the likes of Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+. The company has blazed its own digital path by serving dedicated audiences who will pay for an additional streaming service that caters to their passions, such as Shudder for horror fans and HIDIVE for anime lovers.
The company’s suite of streaming services has around 10.4 million customers. Even with that modest figure, AMC Networks’ streaming revenue has steadily grown to the point where it will soon surpass what the company earns from its traditional TV channels such as AMC, BBC America, Sundance TV and WE, which continue to see subscriber declines because of cord-cutting.
AMC has found that the strong fan bases for its niche services are willing to absorb price increases and are less likely to cancel. The company has managed to keep its streaming platforms priced at less than $10 a month.
Brooke Shields is set to star next year in “You’re Killing Me,” a new small-town mystery from Acorn TV.
(Evelyn Freja / For The Times)
Now AMC Networks is looking to accelerate its subscriber growth and Acorn — the most popular and profitable of its standalone offerings — is seen as the platform best suited to the task.
“It’s a service we really believe in,” Courtney Thomasma, executive vice president for streaming and content strategy at AMC Networks, told The Times in a recent interview. “Over the last year, we’ve been really focused on looking for ways to continue to raise awareness of the brand and invite new viewers in who we know would also love it. We’re doing that with a focus on investing in the brand and inviting bigger talent that’s more familiar to North American audiences.”
Many fans of Acorn — which started out as a direct marketer of British TV series on home video and was acquired by AMC in 2018 — are what Thomasma calls “armchair travelers” who want to take in a French vineyard or the cobblestone streets of Chelsea. But AMC believes aligning Acorn more closely to the mystery genre will widen its appeal.
A monthlong promotional campaign under the banner of Murder Mystery May — which featured a number of season premieres — drove Acorn TV subscription sign-ups to a four-year high. The 20 million hours watched during the month was the best ever for the service, according to AMC.
The emphasis on mystery provides Acorn the latitude to cast Silverstone and Shields. One way AMC attracts star talent is the opportunity to put their own creative stamp on their programs. “They become as invested in the success of the projects as we are,” Thomasma said.
Silverstone came on to “Irish Blood” as executive producer and became involved in the development of the series. She was involved in the hiring of key positions in the production and worked with the writers. She’s happy with the result.
“I thought it was quirky and also an emotionally deep drama,” Silverstone said. “There’s a lot for me to do.”
Shields and writer Robin Bernheim pitched the generation gap tandem at the center of “You’re Killing Me” to AMC, and the actor remains deeply involved in the process as shooting begins. “This is the first time I’ve ever had this much creative control as an executive producer,” Shields said in an interview. “I feel lucky that they entrusted me to do what we’re doing.”
Silverstone, left, with Ruth Codd in “Irish Blood.”
(Szymon Lazewski / Acorn TV)
Acorn teams with production partners around the world and generates revenue from selling some of its series for second runs on international broadcasters and PBS. AMC spends in the range of $1 million per episode for its cost-efficient series, which are heavy on dialogue and largely car-chase free. The audience is older — they are avid readers who are likely to subscribe to newspapers, watch cable news and PBS, and enjoy solving puzzles.
And though Acorn is hoping to attract more younger subscribers, the service won’t be losing its British accent.
Acorn recently launched “Art Detectives” with Stephen Moyer, who also is an executive producer. The series, about a Heritage Crime Unit that solves murders connected to art and antiques, had the strongest premiere in the streamer’s history.
Later this year, it will offer a new six-episode series starring Matthew Lewis, known for his Neville Longbottom role in the Harry Potter films. Based on the series of Canon Clements mystery novels by the Rev. Richard Coles, “Murder Before Evensong” is a co-production with British broadcaster Channel 5.
“We pride ourselves on being a boutique neighborhood store, the kind that you walk in, you know the owner [and] the owner knows you,” Thomasma said. “We have deep connection to our audience.”
It might be a cliché this time of year, how injured players who return after the trade deadline can serve as de facto deadline acquisitions themselves.
Immediately after Muncy went down with a knee injury in early July, the club’s lineup entered a deep midseason slump. Its actual deadline acquisitions, which included only one hitter in outfielder Alex Call, had underwhelmed the fan base.
Thus, when Muncy returned to action Monday night, the Dodgers were desperately hoping the veteran slugger could provide a spark.
Twenty-four hours later, he did it with two thunderous swings.
In the Dodgers’ 12-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, Muncy officially christened his comeback with a four-for-five, four-RBI performance that included a pair of no-doubt home runs off Miles Mikolas — picking up almost exactly where he left off before suffering a July 2 knee injury that he feared would end his season.
“As I was laying there on the ground that night, I thought for sure this is it,” Muncy recalled this week, after not only recovering from what proved to be just a bone bruise, but doing it two weeks faster than the initial six-week timeline the team had expected.
“It’s hard to stay positive in a moment like that,” Muncy added, while reliving Michael A. Taylor’s slide into his left knee a month earlier. “But extremely thankful and blessed to be back on a baseball field this year.”
Muncy did have some rust to knock off, going hitless in three at-bats with a walk and strikeout in his first game back Monday night against crafty Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray.
On Tuesday, however, Mikolas gave him the chance to do some long-awaited damage.
In the first inning, after Shohei Ohtani doubled and scored on a Freddie Freeman sacrifice fly, Muncy clobbered a center-cut, first-pitch sinker 416 feet into the right-field pavilion, giving the Dodgers a quick 2-0 lead.
In the third, after the Cardinals leveled the score on Nolan Gorman’s two-run homer off Emmet Sheehan an inning earlier, Muncy went deep again, whacking an elevated fastball 404 feet for a two-run blast.
The Dodgers (66-48) wouldn’t relinquish the lead again, going on to their first double-digit scoring effort since June 22 thanks to a five-run rally in the seventh, when Muncy also added an RBI single, and two more runs in the eighth, when Muncy tacked on his fourth hit.
There were other positive signs for the Dodgers’ recently scuffling lineup on Tuesday.
Mookie Betts, who was mired in a career-long five-game, 22 at-bat hitless streak, recorded three knocks: A double right before Muncy’s second homer in the third, a line-drive single in the fifth, and a seeing-eye grounder in the eighth.
Andy Pages, who was batting just .211 since the All-Star break, made hard contact on doubles in the sixth and the seventh.
And Teoscar Hernández, who was hitting just .213 since returning from a groin strain in May, came roaring to life with a two-homer game, going back-to-back with Muncy on a solo home run in the third before smashing a game-sealing three-run drive after Muncy’s RBI single in the seventh.
Leading up to the deadline, manager Dave Roberts cited that subset of slumping hitters as potential quasi-deadline additions in their own right. Part of the reason for the team’s relative inaction at the deadline was its trust that the healthy, but scuffling, members of its lineup would get back on track down the stretch.
Still, Muncy’s eventual return had long been seen as the Dodgers’ biggest potential boon, especially after they went from leading the majors in scoring before he got hurt to ranking last in runs over the 25 games he missed.
“We’ve certainly missed him,” Roberts said ahead of Muncy’s return Monday. “The night he came off the field, you’re starting to think of it potentially being season-ending. So to get him back in a month, we’re all excited. He’s put in a lot of work to get back with this timeline. And yeah, we’ve needed him.”
Two games in, the importance of his return is already being felt.
The Dodgers are leading the majors in on-base-plus-slugging percentage as an offense this year. They are second in the National League in scoring, and third in team batting average.
They have the league’s top players in hitting (Will Smith batting .324 and Freddie Freeman batting .306) and OPS (Shohei Ohtani at .982 and Smith at .963).
They figure to have several players who will get MVP votes at the end of the season, including the odds-on favorite for the award in Ohtani.
And yet, as the club enters the stretch run of the season, their lineup might be the biggest question mark in their bid to defend last year’s World Series championship. Since the start of July, they have scored the third-fewest runs in the majors, have the second-lowest team batting average and the fourth-lowest OPS.
They stayed relatively quiet at the trade deadline, hopeful a number of struggling superstars would get things going over the campaign’s final two months. But to this point, only Freeman (who endured a two-month slump before heating up again on their recent nine-game trip) has shown tangible signs of a late-season revival.
“If you look at it from the offensive side, as far as our guys, they’ll be the first to tell you they’ve got to perform better and more consistently,” manager Dave Roberts said this past weekend, after utility outfielder Alex Call became the team’s only deadline addition to the lineup. “That’s something that we’re all counting on … Now it’s up to all of us to go out there and do our jobs.”
While that’s true of most hitters in the lineup, all the way down to Andy Pages and (even before his most recent ankle injury flare-up) Tommy Edman, there are three star-level players in particular the Dodgers have been waiting to round back into form.
Here’s a look at the problems plaguing each of them:
Mookie Betts
First 15 games: .304 average, .554 slugging percentage, .954 OPS
Last 87 games: .222 average, .327 slugging percentage, .616 OPS
When asked on Sunday for the umpteenth time this season if he knew what was wrong with Mookie Betts’ swing, Roberts failed to come up with an answer.
“Honestly, no,” Roberts said. “I know that he and the hitting coaches have been working diligently, consistently, intentionally. I think that the first thing, the easiest thing, to say is it’s a mechanical thing. So I guess kind of that’s where he’s at. But also, I do believe that there’s a mental part of it, too, which is sort of beating him down a little bit.”
When Betts was presented with the same question later Sunday afternoon, after running a season-long hitless streak to 17 at-bats and watching his batting average dip to .233, he was left searching for divine intervention.
“I’ve done everything I can possibly do,” he said. “It’s up to God at this point.”
Betts’ struggles are not for a lack of effort. He spends hours in the batting cage before (and sometimes after) almost every game. He has tried mechanical tweaks and mental cues and fundamental drills that in the past would get him back on track.
His approach has largely remained sound, as he ranks in the top 20% of big-leaguers in chase rate, whiff rate and strikeouts percentage, per Baseball Savant’s Statcast data.
And while his bat speed is in the 11th percentile of MLB hitters (and down almost two mph from his 39-homer season in 2023), it’s also about the same as he had last year, when he was still a .289 hitter with 19 home runs (in just 116 games) and a .863 OPS (which only trailed Shohei Ohtani for the best on the team).
“I really don’t know what else to do,” he said. “I don’t have any answers.”
Perhaps the most confounding metric: Betts is in the 99th percentile in “squared-up” rate, a metric that effectively determines when a ball is hit off the sweet spot of the bat.
But, even when Betts does make solid contact, he simply isn’t generating as much power as he usually does — ranking among the bottom third of big-league hitters in average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage; and watching fly balls that used to leave the yard die at the warning track, if they even make it that far.
While he has been a victim of some bad luck (his expected .252 batting average is almost 20 points higher than his actual mark), he has had no choice but to “go back to the drawing board” time and time again this year — gradually grating on his confidence as answers continually fail to appear.
“I don’t know anybody in the world that would have confidence in the stretch that’s going on [for me],” he said. “It sucks when you don’t get stuff done.”
Betts can be a streaky hitter. And the Dodgers’ hope is that, at some point over these final two months, he’ll find something that unlocks more pop in his bat, and go on the kind of heater that can make him an effective producer at the top of the lineup again.
Until that happens, however, questions will persist. About whether his shortstop play is to blame for his offensive decline (a theory multiple rival evaluators have increasingly pointed to of late as a reason for his struggles). About whether age is simply catching up to the soon-to-be 33-year-old veteran. And about whether he will ever be the same hitter he was once, amid a season-long slump almost no one saw coming.
Shohei Ohtani
First 70 games (before resuming pitching): .297 average, 1.034 OPS, 24% strikeout rate
Last 40 games (since resuming pitching): .230 average, .886 OPS, 31% strikeout rate
The easy demarcation line for Ohtani this year has been before and after he returned to pitching in mid-June, with offensive production dropping even as his stuff has ticked up on the mound.
Ohtani has still been a relatively productive hitter since then, continuing to hit home runs at a league-leading pace (he is tied with Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead with 38 on the year).
But he has become a much easier out the last couple months, as well, epitomized first and foremost by his climbing strikeout rate.
An over-aggressive approach would figure to be the easy explanation here. And there have been times, Roberts noted, the slugger appears to get into a “swing mode” that prevents him from laying off bad pitches.
But on the whole this season, Ohtani is actually swinging less often than he did last year, chasing pitches at an almost identical rate and continuing to draw more walks than almost anyone in the majors (his 71 free passes are seventh-most this season).
Ohtani’s problem has been an increase in swing-and-miss, with the reigning MVP coming up empty on more than one-third of his hacks.
It might simply be a byproduct of the added physical workload he has taken on since resuming two-way duties. But he has insisted such problems remain fixable, citing a lack of balance and consistency in his swing mechanics.
Like Betts, Ohtani can also be prone to more extreme highs and lows over the course of a year. Last season, for example, he hit just .235 with an .886 OPS in August, before turning around in September and batting .393 with a 1.225 OPS.
The Dodgers could use another late-season tear like that again this term. Whether he can do it while also ramping up as a pitcher looms as one of the biggest questions facing the Dodgers down the stretch this year.
Teoscar Hernández
First 33 games (pre-groin strain): .315 average, nine home runs, .933 OPS, 18% strikeout rate
Last 57 games (post-groin strain): .211 average, seven home runs, .619 OPS, 28% strikeout rate
Hernández’s midseason drop-off is perhaps the easiest to explain of any recently scuffling Dodgers hitter.
Before suffering a groin/adductor strain in early May, he was on an All-Star (and potentially even MVP-caliber) pace after re-signing with the Dodgers in the offseason.
Since then, however, the 32-year-old simply hasn’t looked the same — both at the plate, where he hasn’t been able to drive the ball as he usually does, and in the field, where his range has been clearly limited.
To that end, a foul ball he took off his foot last month hasn’t helped matters either.
There have been some recent signs that Hernández is getting healthy again. His slugging percentage has started to tick back up since getting a week off for the All-Star break. He has had more hard contact, especially to center and the opposite field.
“At the beginning [after my injury] it was a little hard,” Hernández said after hitting home runs in consecutive games at Fenway Park last week. “First I got my groin, then I got the foul off my foot. Couldn’t put a lot of weight [on it] for like two weeks. Thank God there was the break in there. I got those four days off, going through that and getting some treatment, getting some rest. And finally feel like myself again.”
But, it still hasn’t resulted in a total reversal of fortunes, with Hernández finishing the road trip going just five-for-25 with nine strikeouts and only one extra-base hit.
Last year, Hernández’s ability to be a run-producer behind the Dodgers’ star trio of hitters was crucial to both their regular-season and postseason offensive success. Lately, though, he has been more strikeout-prone and less opportunistic at the plate, contributing to a string of frustrating recent defeats marked by squandered chances in leverage opportunities.
“He’s bearing down, and he’s not trying to give at-bats away,” Roberts said. “He’s grinding.”
Much like the Dodgers’ other scuffling stars, the team will need him to fully snap out of it, and live up once again to the expectations the club had for him and the lineup at large.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is back and bosses have now confirmed the full line-up, including a member of the Peru Two drugs smuggling group and Rebecca Loos
The Celeb SAS 14 include stars from music, entertainment and sport(Image: Pete Dadds / Channel 4)
Celebrities from the world of music, entertainment and sport have lined up to take part in the most gruelling phase of Special Forces selection whilst being filmed so millions of people can watch from the comfort of their sofas.
Channel 4 bosses have chosen a wide selection of stars from football, reality TV and even a woman made famous as one of the ‘Peru Two’ drug smugglers for Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. Michaella McCollum will line up alongside other star names like Rebecca Loos, who had a rumoured fling with David Beckham as well as former Premier League footballer Troy Deeney.
The Seventh series will see the action play out over eight one-hour episodes as the 14 celebrities are put through their paces by an elite team of ex-Special Forces soldiers – Chief Instructor Billy Billingham and his team of Directing Staff (DS) – Foxy (Jason Fox), Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver. They take the famous faces to Wales, the home of the first phase of SAS Selection, where they will be stripped of their home comforts, families, agents and social media.
This year’s course will be physically demanding and psychologically gruelling; all but a few who take part will fail, but the question is who will make it to the end and eventually pass?
Commenting on this year’s group of celebrity recruits, Chief Instructor, Billy said: “This course is not an attendance course, the bar is set high and will not waiver. Every recruit is a volunteer who chose to step into our arena. Although many will start, very few will finish and even less will pass. This is not for the weak minded or faint hearted.”
DS Foxy said: “The world is now a complex and dangerous place with threats coming from all angles. Because of that, we as a country need to be ready. We want to show these celebrity recruits what it takes to prepare for war, but do they have what it takes, far away from their privileged lives?”
DS Rudy commented: “SAS: Who Dares Wins is brutal, revealing and a testament to human perseverance. Punishing elements, relentless pace, and standards that make war fighters proud to give these recruits a hard reset to find their true self. And in that truth, an insight into the human experience for us all.”
DS Chris added: “This isn’t just about physical strength; it’s about mental resilience too. The recruits will be pushed to their limits, both individually and as a unit. Trust in each other will be our greatest asset. When the waves are high and the wind is howling, they will need to rely on the training and instincts if they are going to succeed.”
Adebayo “The Beast” Akinfenwa
The Beast getting reading to take on the SAS challenges(Image: Channel 4)
Age: 43
Famous for: Former Wycombe footballer
What they say about challenge: “I’ve asked myself time and time again – am I built for the Special Forces? One of the reasons why I’m doing this is to find out. I would like to think that, put me in most situations, most environments, I’ll be able to put my best foot forward, get out of my comfort zone, hit my responsibilities and do what I need to do! I think that’s what I want to get out of taking part on this course.”
Troy Deeney
Footballer Troy has joined the line-up(Image: Channel 4)
What they say about challenge: “I’m at a crossroads in my life, so I’m hoping the course can highlight the good and bad in me, and hopefully we’ll see at the end that the good outweighs the bad. I’m sure the DS will get me irritated very quickly but they will also know how to nurture and to reshape and probably help me along the way.”
Conor Benn
Conor admits the show will be very different to his day job(Image: Getty Images for AELTC)
What he says about the challenge: “Although boxing is hard, I feel like this is going to be a completely different challenge, and I always want to challenge myself. I just want to see and experience the toughness and the grittiness you need to pass this course.”
Louie Spence
Louie is hoping to challenge himself
Age: 56
Famous for: Dancer, choreographer and television presenter
What they say about challenge: “This course I hope can walk away feeling I’ve actually really achieved something here, that I’ve really pushed myself to the edge of my boundaries and put myself in a position which is beyond something I could have even imagined a year ago. This is a course that is really going to challenge me. This is different to anything I’ve ever been part of before. There’s no fluff, there’s no glitter, there’s no getting myself out of a situation with a quick bit of wit. It’s really refreshing for me to do something like this…and, hopefully, come out a much better person, both physically and mentally.”
Tasha Ghouri
The Love Island star is ‘excited’(Image: PA)
Age: 26
Famous for: TV star
What Tasha says about challenge: “I’m very excited to actually take on the course and just go for it, push myself and really challenge myself. But I also want to show people that having a disability makes you no less able – we can also push ourselves, and do crazy challenges if we put our mind to it.
“I really want to be able to actually walk away from the course feeling like I’ve accomplished what I wanted to do and I want to look back and think, wow, I did that, I’m proud of myself. I’ll be doing this for the people who have doubted me. I want prove to them that they can’t bring me down. I can fight my way to the end.”
Harry Clark
Former military man Harry was inspired by the SAS(Image: Channel 4)
Age: 24
Famous for: Winner of season two of Traitors
What they say about challenge: “Growing up, I’d watch people close to me be in the SAS, which always inspired me. This show was a different experience to what I had imagined but I always love a challenge and it proves you’re always learning new things about yourself.”
Hannah Spearritt
Singer Hannah wants to gain ‘strength’ from her experience
Age: 44
Famous for: S Club 7 star
What they say about challenge: “I hope to take out of this experience, strength. I want to feel stronger again, mentally and physically, because there’s always improvement there. There are always dips that happen along the way with motherhood or whatever but I think when you just experience different stuff, it changes you. I have no idea what to expect, but I do know it will be an experience and it’s something that I will have for life.
“However the experience goes, I am going to learn about myself. Maybe I’ll find out I am a bit of a mess or I might find out that I’m stronger than I think I am…it’s finding out things about yourself that you would never, ever find out. We live in this world where it’s so easy to live in our comfort zone, so this is an opportunity to get outside of that and…for me anyway, growth and expansion is one of the most important things, and that is something that hopefully I can pass on to my kids.”
Rebecca Loos
The show represents a TV comeback for Rebecca who did reality show The Farm in 2004(Image: Channel 4)
Age: 48
Famous for: Yoga teacher who had a rumoured fling with David Beckham
What they say about challenge: “I honestly don’t know whether I am mentally strong enough but one of the reasons I want to do this course is because I want to find out whether I’m able to stick it through mentally. I think it’s going to be really, really tough. This is by far the toughest thing I’ve ever done. But I want to do this course because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to do an SAS training course. It’s going to be really interesting to see how far I can go and how strong I’m able to keep myself.”
Bimini
Bimini is hoping to prove they can do anything(Image: Channel 4)
Age:
Famous for: Drag queen and DJ
What they say about challenge: “I want to do this just to prove to myself that I’m capable of anything I put my mind to. I want to prove to myself that I can do it. No glam, no red carpets, no magazine covers. This is literally just going to be me to my core and I am excited about it but I don’t think the course is ready for Bimini.
“People in the UK love to debate gender like it’s a concept, not a lived experience. It gets reduced to headlines and toilet talk. I’m doing this to remind them that behind every opinion is a human being. The course, the SAS and the Army have got a very masculine stereotype and I’ve got both elements of masculine and feminine and that’s my superpower. Vulnerable, raw, and stronger than ever. This bleached rat tail is gonna f**k it up!”
Michaella McCollum
Michaella McCollum was one of the Peru Two(Image: Pete Dadds / Channel 4)
Age: 31
Famous for: One of the Peru Two drug mules
What they say about challenge: “The level of resilience I learned from being in prison in Peru and knowing how important that mindset is, will definitely help get me through the course, so I’m going to need to use my mental strength to help me along the way. In Peru, I was completely stripped back to the rawest version of myself…and I know in this course, it will have a similar effect. I will get to see the real me again and I want to challenge myself to see how capable I am. I don’t know if I’m physically fit enough to complete the course but I have good mental strength.”
What they say about challenge: “I hope I have the mental grit to get to the end of the course. I have been through quite a lot in my life, and I’ve done a lot of work to navigate what that left behind, and I really hope that I can apply it to the course, and make it all the way to the end.
“I’ve always wanted to do this course, and what I love about this course is the sheer pressure it puts on a human being, that you will just not get anywhere else in life. And I’ve had pressure, I’ve had so many forms of pressure, nothing like this, so I really just genuinely want to see how far my brain can go.”
Adam admits he loves a challenge(Image: Channel 4)
Age: 29
Famous for: Fitness coach and Love Islander
What they say about challenge: “Hopefully during the course, the DS will peel back a few layers because I’m stubborn as hell. And maybe I need to be broken down to then go and sort some stuff out.
“I’m doing it for the little boy who hated himself and couldn’t do anything and was the last to get picked in everything. And from an emotional point of view, I’m hoping that this spits out a better person.
“I love a challenge. And I really think this course is exactly what I want to really tap into my fitness, the mental strength, the resilience, and see if I’ve got the grit to finish and go all the way.”
Lady Leshurr
Lady Leshurr hopes to feel empowered(Image: Channel 4)
Age: 37
Famous for: Rapper
What they say about challenge: “I think this course is not only going to make me become the best version of myself, but it’s going to make me the strongest I’ve ever been. It’s going to make me realise so much about myself that I’ve kept in. It’s going to push, motivate and inspire me. It’s really going to make or break me. But regardless, it’s going to teach me a lesson about myself that I can definitely work on.”
“Doing this course is going to make me regain my strength, my understanding, who I am as a person and just unpack all the trauma that is on my chest…I’m hoping to leave this course feeling empowered, feeling the strongest I’ve ever felt, a beast. I want to walk into the gym the next day, like I own this place.”
Chloe Burrows
Chloe learnt a lot about herself(Image: Channel 4)
What they say about challenge: “On SAS: Who Dares Wins , everything is completely stripped back. You have absolutely nothing. And I want the course to kind of remind me of that, because I’ve got a bit lost in myself and the industry. I want to feel a little bit grounded. I want to get a sense of it. I want to push myself, and I want to get a sense of achievement. I want to feel proud of myself for whatever I put into it.
“I think the course is going to give me a bit of confidence. If I even achieve half of the course, then I can walk out and be like, yeah, guess what? I did that on my own. No makeup, no hot shower. I’m very capable…I would love to come out and just feel really pleased with myself and really confident in myself. I want to feel like I’ve tried my absolute hardest and that I had nothing left in the tank…I don’t want to leave half-heartedly. If I leave, it’s because I physically cannot do anymore, which is fair, but I just want to know that I’ve tried my hardest.”
* Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins can be streamed or watched live every Sunday and Monday from 9pm on Channel 4, starting on 3 August.
It took just one game coming out of the All-Star break for Dave Roberts to know Mookie Betts still wasn’t right.
A week ago, Roberts was hopeful that Betts — coming off his first missed All-Star Game in a decade — would return from the break refocused and rejuvenated; ready to snap out of a career-worst start to his season and rediscover a swing that has eluded him for much of the campaign.
Instead, in the Dodgers’ second-half opener Friday night, Betts went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. His batting average dipped to .241 (more than 20 points worse than he has ever posted in a full season) while his OPS fell to .688 (the worst it has been all year). And, as has been the case for most of the summer, his signs of frustration were abundantly clear, with the 32-year-old looking lost at the plate.
Thus, when Roberts set his team’s lineup for Saturday, the manager made a surprise decision to leave Betts out of it, giving his superstar shortstop an unplanned day off after calling Betts on Saturday morning to discuss the state of his game.
“Talking to him, seeing where his head is at, seeing where he’s at mechanically, I just thought tonight was a night where I felt he needed to be down,” Roberts said hours later, ahead of the Dodgers’ game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
“He was more than willing and wanted to be out there. But for me, I wanted to take it out of his hands [so he could] have a day. I’ve talked about this before, just having players watch a baseball game. And I understand we just had four days off at the break. But still showing up at the ballpark, and not participating, watching, that’s a different mindset, psyche than being at home. So for him to come here, show up, not play, know he’s not going to play, I feel good about the work he’s going to put in today. Also, I think, for the mind it will be beneficial.”
Betts did not talk to reporters Saturday, but did go through his normal set of pregame infield drills at shortstop — further confirming that, indeed, his absence from the lineup had nothing to do with any sort of injury-related issue.
While Roberts said his “expectation” is that Betts will be back in action Sunday, he left the door open to giving Betts another day off for the series finale.
“It’s going to be a day-to-day thing,” Roberts said. “It’s going to be my decision on how I feel he is mentally to take on that night’s starter.”
There was no specific moment from Friday’s game that convinced Roberts such a break was warranted. Instead, it was the fact that so little had seemingly changed from where Betts was before the All-Star break, when he reached the midway mark in a three-for-24 slump and batting just .185 over his previous 31 games.
“He’s not used to struggling like this,” Roberts said of Betts, who also has only 11 home runs and a .377 slugging percentage. “There’s a part of it where you feel like you’re letting people down, letting the team down. That weight that is just natural for him to carry is there. That’s a little bit from last night, just seeing him.”
Betts has struggled to identify the cause of his decline — one so stark, he has a below-league-average mark of 95 in the all-encompassing OPS+ metric (effectively meaning he has been 5% less productive than a league average hitter).
In an interview before Friday’s game, he said he has cycled through various “feels” with his swing in hopes of getting his mechanics realigned. Hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc pointed to inefficiencies in the way Betts “loads” his arms and hands, which he believes have impacted the slugger’s bat path and swing sequence.
“There’s no exact [fix], where you can do this, this and this,” Van Scoyoc said, “because he has to find something for him that works organically that gets him lined up.”
To that end, Roberts’ hope is that Saturday’s day off will help.
That it comes just two days into the second half signals how urgent Betts’ struggles have become.
“He understood,” Roberts said. “He’s a guy that wants to be out there every single day. But I think he understood that it was my decision and I think it’s best for him, I think it’s best for our ball club. He’ll be ready when called upon.”
But, when doctors explained how close he came to suffering something so much worse, from when Michael A. Taylor slid into his leg at third base on July 2, even Muncy was amazed by the infinitesimal margins.
“If the timing was just a millisecond different either way,” he was told, “you’re probably looking at surgery, and done for a long time.”
Instead, barely two weeks removed from having the outside of his knee bent inward on that play, Muncy was out doing early work at Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon; running in the outfield, playing catch with coaches and performing agility drills in front of trainers without any obvious signs of pain or discomfort.
“We’re pleasantly, not surprised, but happy with the spot that I’m in right now,” Muncy said afterward, having also taken swings for the first time since his injury earlier on Friday afternoon. “It feels great. I’m moving well. Progressing quickly. We’re trying to be smart about it, and understand where we’re at, and what it’s gonna take to get back on the field. But we’re in a really good spot … We’re kind of right where we think we should be at.”
If not, it seems, already a few steps ahead.
While Muncy was initially expected to miss roughly six weeks with his left knee bone bruise, manager Dave Roberts struck a more optimistic tone as the Dodgers opened the second half of their season.
“He’s in great shape right now,” Roberts said Friday. “I don’t really know a timeline. But I do know … it’s going to be a lot sooner than anticipated, which is good for all of us.”
Since Muncy — who was one of the hottest hitters in baseball in May and June — got hurt, the Dodgers have not looked like the same offense. In their last 11 games entering Saturday, the club was 3-8, averaging less than three runs per game, and struggling to fill the gaping hole their slugging third baseman has left in the middle of the lineup.
Since the start of July, only the penny-pinching Pittsburgh Pirates have been worse than the Dodgers in batting average (.205) and OPS (.594).
“We’ve still got a lot of good players,” Roberts said. “But yeah, there’s a certain line of demarcation when Max is not in the lineup, what happens to our offense.”
The Dodgers’ problems, of course, go beyond Muncy’s absence. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have all been slumping of late (or, in Betts’ case, for much of the season). Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman have been nowhere near their typical standard since returning from injuries in May. And the depth options the Dodgers have called upon have provided few sparks of life.
Still, Muncy figures to be a linchpin in the Dodgers’ long-term potential at the plate — with his recovery growing ever-steadily in importance as the rest of the lineup flounders in his wake.
“We got to figure out how to get something going,” said outfielder Michael Conforto, chief among the Dodgers’ underachievers this season. “Every time we go out there, we expect to score, and that’s what we’ve been doing all year. It’s just one of those stretches [where it’s] a little bit tougher to get runs in. But, you know, obviously, we have faith in our guys, and some big names in here that made their careers on scoring runs and driving guys in. I think we’ll be OK.”
Muncy, of course, is one of those proven names.
And in another fortunate stroke with his recovery, he remains confident his injury won’t significantly impact his swing once he does come back.
“If [the injury] was on the inside of the knee, it’d probably be a different story,” Muncy said. “But just being on the outside, I think it’s a good spot, knowing that I don’t feel it at all when I’m pushing off on the backside.”
Muncy tested that theory for the first time Friday, taking some light swings in the cage that he said “felt fine.”
“It’s a lot of work, more work than actually playing in the game, which always sucks,” Muncy said of his rehab process. “But it’s that way for a reason … You don’t want to have any other injuries that are a side effect from it.”
So far, even that latter concern has been quelled, with Muncy noting that “there’s no lingering side effects with it.”
“All in all,” he reiterated, “we’re about as lucky as we could be.”
