Michael

MICHAEL Douglas stepped out with his daughter in New York City – and she proved the spitting image of his wife Catherine Zeta Zones.

Glam nepo baby Carys Zeta Douglas, who recently turned 22, oozed the elegance of her movie star mother as she donned a classic LBD for the night out with her father.

She styled her brunette locks into natural waves over her shoulders and accessorised her classy look with black point-toe heels and drop earrings.

Carys currently enjoys a career as a social media influencer as well as having stepped into the modelling world.

She stood with a proud arm around 81-year-old father Michael’s back, with the Hollywood actor posing in a black suit paired with white shirt and purple tie.

The pair attended the PAC NYC ICONS OF CULTURE Gala held at the Perelman Performing Arts Centre.

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Catherine Zeta Jones has barely aged a day as she steps out with Michael Douglas

Carys’ look-a-like mum Catherine, 56, married Basic Instinct star Michael at the Plaza Hotel in New York on November 18, 2000, in a high-profile ceremony that cost an estimated £1.5million.

The couple share two children, a son Dylan Michael (born August 2000) as well as daughter Carys Zeta (born April 2003).

NEPO BABY STATUS

Carys studied at Brown University in Rhode Island and studied International and Public Affairs, spending many months overseas in Europe as part of a placement.

Carys had a first brush with fame when she was chosen by fashion brand, Fendi, to appear in a 2019 campaign alongside her mother.

Yet having showed off her acting skills in the short film,  F**k That Guy, Catherine admitted both Carys and Dylan were keen to be pro actors.

Speaking in 2021, Catherine said on The Drew Barrymore Show: “Their love of the craft of acting is so strong that even when their brains are doing politics and history in school, their passion is acting.

“And they’ve never done anything professional, but they would like to go into acting.”

FAMILY LIFE

Previously, we reported how the Hollywood pair have been determined to keep their kids grounded and leading an ordinary life away from the spotlight – even making sure they spend at least two weeks a year with their grandparents in Wales.

This year, Wednesday actress Catherine revealed the very normal destinations she and hubby Michael enjoy their downtime.

Welsh screen star Catherine, who shot to fame in 1991 when she starred in The Darling Buds Of May alongside David Jason, recently told of their family summer holidays.

She said of her brood: “They’ve been to Butlin’s, Legoland, seen the sights in London, up to Scotland, over to Ireland.”

She added to Radio Times: “They’ve even been to the Isle of Man, I think.”

Catherine told the publication her kids also spend two weeks a year in her home country, Wales, with her parents David James Jones and Patricia Fair.

Previously, the Mask of Zorro actress spoke about their Swansea trips after being given the Freedom of the City.

MUM TAKE

Catherine candidly spoke out about her parenting role ahead of the new Wednesday series, aired and available on Netflix.

She said: “Wednesday Addams and Morticia Addams’ relationship is beautiful, it’s encouraging, it’s contentious, it’s fraught.

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“It’s all those things a mother-daughter relationship goes through, which is a wonderful experience as a mother and not so much as a daughter. I speak from experience.”

The star, who plays Morticia Addams, added: “To be able to play those in Wednesday is something that’s very important and something that’s very real.”

Six months later, Vaughan replaced Hussain as Test captain. His mission was to reshape an England team scarred by years of Ashes beatings. Only four of the XI from Sydney made it to the first Ashes Test at Lord’s in 2005.

“It wasn’t two years of waking up and thinking, ‘we’ve got to beat Australia’, because the only way to beat Australia is to win the games before,” says Vaughan. “You can’t suddenly arrive in an Ashes to beat that side having not beaten the other teams.

“It became obvious we were going to have a fresher team, a younger team, a team that had very little baggage. What was very clear in 2002-03, understandably, once we’d lost the first Test it was ‘here we go again’, because a lot of those players had been around the England side in the 1990s.”

Those unforgettable eight weeks of summer in 2005 etched the names of Vaughan and his players into English cricketing folklore. Steve Harmison drawing blood from Ponting, and Andrew Strauss’ catch. Kevin Pietersen’s hair and Gary Pratt’s direct hit. Andrew Flintoff’s batting. Andrew Flintoff’s bowling. Andrew Flintoff’s drinking.

Because of injuries that occurred even before the series ended, the class of 2005 never played together again.

“That moment when you win is the best moment, but also quite deflating because it’s all over,” says Vaughan. “All the stress and pressure were hard to deal with, but you get adrenaline from being in a series like that. When it’s over you wonder what’s next.”

Vaughan did not know it at the time, but lifting the urn was to be his last act as an Ashes cricketer. His troublesome knees meant he played only two more Tests in the 18 months that followed, including missing the defence in Australia in 2006-07. Under the captaincy of Flintoff, and a shadow of the team that won in 2005, England were dismantled 5-0 by an Australia side determined for revenge.

“We got absolutely hammered, and would have got hammered with me playing,” says Vaughan. “We poked the bear.

“It was hard to watch, because a lot of my mates were playing. Once we beat that Australia team once, they weren’t going to allow us to beat them twice, especially in their own backyard.”

Vaughan tearfully stepped down as England skipper in 2008, although still with thoughts of playing in the home Ashes of 2009 under the captaincy of Strauss. Form and knees didn’t allow it. In the four years between Ashes series played in this country, Vaughan went from winning captain to former cricketer. He retired at the age of 34.

“Straussy rang me and said he wanted me to get runs in county cricket and we’d have a look, but my body was knackered,” says Vaughan. “I couldn’t do the training or the work.

“There was the odd morning I woke up and thought, ‘come on, let’s have a go at getting that batting slot’. I was thinking there was a chance.

“I probably retired a little bit too young, but I would have royally embarrassed myself in 2009.”

Considering his lofty standing in recent English cricketing history, Vaughan played relatively few Ashes Tests – 10 of them, five away and five at home.

He will forever be remembered for what he achieved in 2005. It would not have been possible without what happened in 2002-03.

Fans of Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel watched on as a lollipop lady took home one of the biggest jackpots in the show’s history after a dramatic final question

Michael McIntyre made dreams come true after an elated contestant on The Wheel bagged one of the biggest ever jackpots on the show. Lollipop lady Sally from Gateshead went all in in the final showdown, surprisingly choosing the game’s lowest-ranked celebrity to help her with the final question.

It saw her have the chance to scoop a £110,000 jackpot, doubling what she had banked in the cash builder throughout the show. After picking former rugby star Joe Marler as her famous face to help her, he joked: “I’m not doing it. I feel sick,” as he looked stunned she had gone for broke.

But together the pair somehow managed to unearth the right answer, correctly revealing that Jade Jones had medalled in the Olympics in Taekwondo. Sally, who had earlier this year recovered from lung cancer, had doubted herself after locking in the answer.

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Both she and Joe looked far from convinced they were onto a winner. But thankfully for the north-east based contestant, the ticker turned gold, giving her the huge six-figure sum.

The gobsmacked contestant couldn’t believe it as she gasped: “Oh my God,” before removing her glasses to wipe away the tears. She was in so much shock that she kept asking the celebs around the wheel, including Jill Scott and Roman Kemp, if this was really happening.

Revealing to comedian Michael how she would be spending the prize, she sobbed how she would treat her husband and friends who had helped her through her tough cancer treatment: “We can get the van and we can go off on our adventures,” she revealed.

“I can treat my friends to thank them,” she said before breaking down in tears again to a round of applause from the celebs and the audience. “What a year,” she continued.

“What a year, of course,” Michael replied. “You got the all clear this year.” “Oh my God,” she again exclaimed before revealing: “I’m not going to hang my lollipop up, mind! I love it… Oh my God. Did that just happen?”

“And well done Joe as well,” Michael added in between applause. He had helped whittle down the question to two answers, with Sally picking the correct one for a dramatic end to the popular gameshow.

Sally’s tears weren’t the only shed on the show on Saturday. Michael McIntyre said, “I wasn’t expecting this,” as the first contestant also down in tears.

Hannah, a data analyst from Macclesfield, revealed a special connection she had with rugby star Joe. “I struggled with mental health for quite a while,” she said.

“I never really had a hobby,” she went on before pausing as she began to tear up. “I was always kind of a lost kind of person growing up; I didn’t know if I was coming or going. This said person brought out a podcast about mental health and rugby”.

As she welled up again, she then told Michael: “I now play rugby; it is a massive passion of mine and if it wasn’t for Joe, then I wouldn’t be doing it.”

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COMIC Michael McIntyre has admitted turning to fat jabs after his doctor told him he was obese.

The 5ft 5ins star said wife Kitty ordered him to start after the medic ticked him off for being 100kg (15st 10lbs).

McIntyre, 49, said he first used Ozempic before switching to ­Mounjaro and the weight dropped off in only three weeks of injections.

The dad of two, who has long struggled with his weight, made the admission to an audience in London.

He joked: “Have you noticed how tiny I am? I have lost weight.

“Don’t applaud it because there is a little bit of cheating that has gone on.”

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McIntyre who once lost 7kg (14lbs) at a £2,000-a-week clinic, confessed that he did not want to use appetite suppressants but Kitty insisted.

He also blamed his problem on eating his kids’ leftovers.

On his trip to the GP, he told fans: “The ­doctor told me I weighed 100kg.

“He told me I was ‘obese’. How rude. He said, ‘It’s a medical term’.”

McIntyre, whose new series of The Wheel started last night on BBC One, also declared that his weight-loss success will “fall apart” if he ever eats something sweet again.

Other stars who have admitted taking fat jabs include Jeremy Clarkson, 65, James Corden, 47, and US model Chrissy Teigen, 39.

MICHAEL McIntyre is a familiar face on TV and the comedy circuit, often using his family life as a source for his hilarious material.

Here we get to know his beloved wife Kitty Ward, who was no stranger to the spotlight even before she got together with the famous funnyman.

Who is Michael McIntyre’s wife Kitty?

Kitty Ward is the wife of world-famous comedian Michael McIntyre.

She is the daughter of the late film star Simon Ward and sister of Young Sherlock Holmes actress Sophie Ward.

But unlike her celebrity relatives, Kitty keeps her private life under wraps.

She reportedly works as an aromatherapist in London.

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Kitty has provided plenty of comedic material for her husband over the years – the most famous being his hilarious sketch about Kitty trying to put her tights on.

Michael and Kitty live together in Hampstead, London, 

When did they get married?

Michael and his wife Kitty tied the knot in 2003.

He wrote in his 2010 book Life and Laughing: “She was the girl I had been looking for. In the romantic comedy that was my life, this would have made a good ending.

“We would fall happily ever after. Within moments of seeing her and chatting to her I was totally up for that ending. ­Unfortunately, she wasn’t.”

But the comedian managed to woo Kitty, and the pair began dating.

He revealed on Desert Island Discs that his family found it difficult to accept he had a girlfriend.

McIntyre said: “Unfortunately my grandma didn’t really like it when I got a girlfriend. She was trying to break us up which was funny for a while but then it became quite vicious, an untenable ­situation.”

However, Michael developed a strong relationship with Kitty’s own parents – Alexandra and Simon Ward, an actor who starred in Young Winston.

After he passed away in 2012, Michael revealed: “He was one of my closest friends. He would come to my gigs in the early days.”

Do they have any children?

The pair have two sons together named Lucas and Oscar.

Both of Michael’s sons have been the subject of his comedy sketches.

In a sketch about the nightly struggle of putting his sons to bed, the comedian joked: “You never love your children more than when they’re unconscious, but still breathing.”

In another gag about his kids, he said: “My son’s got two words: car and map, that’s all he can say. ‘Car, car, map, car!’

“I’m fairly worried he’s trying to escape. So if the next word is passport, we’re in serious trouble.”

When is the Wheel back on TV?

The Wheel is spinning its way back onto BBC One and iPlayer.

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Hosted by Michael, three contestants and seven celebrity experts will once again be answering questions for cash prizes as the show enters its sixth season.

The new series kicks off on Saturday, October 25, 2025 at 8.20pm.

Michael Jordan was nervous.

All he had to do was sink a free throw, but a lot was riding on that one shot.

It had nothing to do with a championship or a scoring title or the outcome of any meaningful game.

It had everything to do with being Michael Jordan, the man considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time.

In his new role as a special contributor to NBC’s coverage of the NBA — which returned to the network Tuesday night after a 23-year absence — Jordan was interviewed by Mike Tirico in a segment called “MJ: Insights to Excellence.”

In it, the six-time NBA champion who is still the league’s all-time leader in points per game made a somewhat startling admission.

“I haven’t picked up a ball in years,” Jordan said.

Pressed on the matter by a stunned Tirico, Jordan said he was last persuaded to shoot a ball when he was renting a house during the Ryder Cup (he did not specify that it was the most recent edition of biennial event that took place last month in Farmingdale, N.Y.).

The house had a basketball court, and the home owner wanted his grandchildren to see the legendary player in action. Jordan agreed to attempt one free throw.

“When I stepped up to shoot your free throw, it’s the most nervous I’ve been in years,” Jordan said. “The reason being is those kids heard the stories of the parents about what I did 30 years ago. So the expectation is 30 years prior, and I haven’t touched the basketball.”

But this is Air Jordan we’re talking about.

He swished it, right?

Right???

“Absolutely,” Jordan said. “The most gratifying event that made my whole week is that is that I was able to please that kid, not knowing if I could.”

Jordan retired as a player for the third and final time in 2003. Since then, he has become a highly successful businessman — he was the controlling owner of the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets from 2010-2023 (he still retains a minority ownership in the team) and is the controlling owner of the NASCAR Cup Series team 23XI Racing — with a net worth of close to $4 billion.

In addition to his business pursuits, Jordan told Tirico, he strives to spend as much time as possible with his family.

“You never really know when you in the prime of your career how much time you really do not have for family,” Jordan said. “That’s what I have time to do now. I mean, the most valuable asset I have is time. So that’s probably why you don’t see enough of me, because that time I’m trying to spend with family members and things that I’ve been missing out on for such a long time.”

All that said, however, Jordan admits he still loves basketball and does wish he could be out there on the court playing at his peak.

“In all honesty, I wish I could take a magic pill, put on shorts and go out and play the game of basketball today,” Jordan said. “Because that’s who I am. That type of competition, that type of competitiveness is what I live for, and I miss it. I miss that aspect of playing the game of basketball, being able to challenge myself against what people see as great basketball.

“But it’s better for me to be sitting here talking to you, as opposed to popping my Achilles and I’m in a wheelchair for a while, but it’s nice to be able to share the things that can still make the game great going forward.”

Manager Michael O’Neill felt had Northern Ireland beaten Germany at Windsor Park in World Cup qualifying on Monday night that they would have been in a “strong position to achieve something amazing”.

It was not to be with Nick Woltemade’s somewhat fortuitous goal the difference between the two sides in Belfast.

When the dust settles on a window during which his young side also beat Slovakia 2-0 on Friday, O’Neill will surely feel encouraged that such a possibility remains on the table as he seeks to take the side to the game’s biggest stage for the first time in four decades.

For the second time in five weeks, Northern Ireland’s players left the field against the four-time World Cup winners believing they could and perhaps should have taken something from the game.

In Cologne last month, it took until after the 70th minute before the visitors tired and quick-fire goals from Nadiem Amiri and Florian Wirtz secured an unconvincing 3-1 win.

Back in Belfast on Monday night, it was Northern Ireland who finished the stronger of the sides, but they could not find an equaliser during a final 25 minutes played largely in Germany’s third of the pitch.

The result ends any realistic chance of O’Neill’s side topping Group A, but the performance, allied with wins in their other two matches to date, means they can have real belief that they can both make and then succeed in the play-offs.

A draw in next month’s seemingly crunch fixture in Slovakia followed by a win over Luxembourg, provided as O’Neill put it “Germany take care of business at home when they play Slovakia” in the final matchday, would be enough for second place.

Even should that not come to pass, there remains a likely backdoor into the play-offs as an otherwise unqualified group winner from last year’s Nations League, although that would potentially mean a considerably stronger opponent in an away semi-final.

“We’ve gained some momentum and picked up some good results,” said defender Paddy McNair, one of two players in O’Neill’s current squad who played for Northern Ireland in their last major tournament at Euro 2016.

“If I was the opposition, I would not like to face us in the play-offs.

“It’s pretty hard to finish first now, but I think we have to get to Slovakia and get three points and you just never know what could happen going into the last game.”

A MAN has been charged with manslaughter following the death of a 43-year-old man last month.

Michael John Edwards died in hospital after he was taken by an ambulance from the scene in a life-threatening condition.

Met Police and ambulance were called to reports of an altercation in Southwark just before 3am on Saturday, September 13.

He was believed to have been in the area for the Crystal Palace v Sunderland match.

Edwards from Nuneaton, Warwickshire was taken from the scene to a central London hospital.

He died from injuries four days later on Wednesday, September 17.

Lewis Macleod, 36, appeared at Inner London Crown Court on Monday where he was charged with manslaughter in connection with Michael’s death.

He had previously been charged with one count of causing grievous bodily harm.

A trial will begin at Inner London Crown Court on April 13, 2026.

1

Now, the side face the prospect of taking on the group favourites without their best player.

Bradley, who has also been booked three times in five Premier League appearances this term, was shown his second yellow card of the qualifying campaign in the 76th minute for a tackle on Lukas Haraslin.

O’Neill described the decision as “extremely disappointing” and felt his player had tried to pull out of the challenge.

“There were worse tackles in the game and one just before that was particularly poor on Isaac Price that the referee let go,” he said. “To produce a yellow card for that was disappointing.”

Speaking on BBC Sport NI, former Northern Ireland and Leeds United defender Stuart Dallas said Bradley had given “the referee a decision to make” but agreed with his old international boss that the decision ultimately was harsh.

If not for the resulting suspension, it would have been a mere footnote in an otherwise excellent performance.

Bradley was one of four players in the starting XI who went into the game knowing a booking would rule them out of Monday’s game, but Hume said they do not wish to curb his aggressive edge.

“We spoke before the game about the boys who were on yellows trying not to get one, but it’s one of those things,” he explained.

“You can’t go into a game trying not to get booked. You’ve got to play to your strengths.

“He’s full throttle. He’s 100% all the time.”

Since making his full Premier League debut in January 2024, Bradley has started 15 of his country’s 17 games, missing only the friendlies against Sweden and Switzerland in March.

Quite how to compensate for his loss gives O’Neill yet another thing to consider as he plots how to pull off what would be the biggest result of his second spell in charge.

While there is no like-for-like replacement in the squad, Oxford United’s Brodie Spencer figures to fill the void at right wing-back against the four-time World Cup winners.

“You’ve seen Brodie play left wing-back, right wing-back, he’s even played in a back three. We know how strong and athletic he is,” added Hume.

“Obviously Conor is going to be a big miss, but we’re a big group, we’re a strong team and we’re all together.

“It’s something we have to deal with and we’ll be ready.”

O’Neill admired the performance of his young side, who have made a superb start to qualifying.

A win in Luxembourg was followed by an hour of matching European heavyweights Germany, who eventually prevailed to win 3-1.

Friday’s win was superb from first minute to last. A Patrik Hrosovsky own goal broke the deadlock before Hume’s superb effort with just under 10 minutes left made sure – but was it the best under O’Neill?

“I don’t really look at games like that because teams evolve,” O’Neill said when asked if it was the most complete performance since his return in 2023 for a second spell in charge.

The Germany fixture will be his 100th game as Northern Ireland boss.

“The team when I came back in is very different to the team now,” O’Neill said. “They have given other good performances, like at home here to Bulgaria [a 5-0 win in October 2024] when we were excellent.

“I think tonight was a team of a higher calibre as well, so you can say it is one of the best performances we’ve had, but I still think there is more in the tank, and I think the players believe that as well.”

O’Neill was also full of praise for Hume, who has moved up the leagues with Sunderland and is now a Premier League regular.

The defender’s goal had come after the in-form David Strelec poked an effort wide for Slovakia. In the past, when there felt like an inevitability that the opposition would hit back, Hume’s effort changed that narrative.

“We deserved to be more than one goal ahead with how the game had gone, but we needed that second goal,” said O’Neill.

“Slovakia are a good team and are very experienced at international level, and it only takes a moment.

“They did have that chance and they missed it. As a young team you can lose confidence and momentum in that situation, but when the second goal went in – and it was a great finish – it was great for him as he’s such an important player for us.”

Six-time champion Michael van Gerwen was beaten by a fellow Dutchman in the first round of the World Grand Prix, but Luke Littler came through a high-quality opener.

Van Gerwen won a top-level tournament for the first time in two years by beating Littler in the World Series Finals in September, but on Tuesday he produced an error-strewn performance to lose 2-0 against Dirk van Duijvenbode.

Although world number three Van Gerwen threw a stunning 171 in the first leg, he otherwise struggled and suffered first-round elimination for the second year running.

Littler, however, stormed into the second round in Leicester with an 11-minute straight-set win against another Dutchman, Gian van Veen.

Both players averaged over 100 in a superb first set as Littler came from behind to take it 3-2.

Despite Van Veen finishing with a 106.47 average – the highest average in tournament history – and Littler 105.58, it was the Briton who won through to continue his quest for a first World Grand Prix title.

“I am very happy. I don’t think I could have done a lot better there. I certainly played better than last year,” Littler told Sky Sports.

“I said I would be fiery in my pre-match interview and I showed a bit of that. Hopefully this is my next major.”

Gerwyn Price defeated Ryan Searle 2-1, before Peter Wright lost to defending champion Mike de Decker by the same scoreline.

Tuesday’s World Grand Prix results:

Dirk van Duijvenbode 2-0 Michael van Gerwen

Luke Woodhouse 2-1 Damon Heta

Daryl Gurney 2-0 Ross Smith

Jonny Clayton 2-0 Andrew Gilding

Gerwyn Price 2-1 Ryan Searle

Luke Littler 2-0 Gian van Veen

Mike de Decker 2-1 Peter Wright

Josh Rock 2-1 Ryan Joyce

Wednesday’s matches:

Cameron Menzies v Rob Cross

Stephen Bunting v Danny Noppert

Luke Humphries v Krzysztof Ratajski

Joe Cullen v Gary Anderson

Daryl Gurney beats Ross Smith 2-0

On the eve of the release of her 12th album, Taylor Swift received a thank-you note from George Michael’s estate for including his work in her version of “Father Figure.”

“When we heard the track we had no hesitation in agreeing to this association between two great artists and we know George would have felt the same,” the “Freedom!” singer’s estate posted Thursday on X.

Taylor’s take on “Father Figure” incorporates an interpolation of Michael’s 1987 song from his album “Faith.”

Both songs share a common thread of telling the tale of a specific relationship. In a 1987 interview with ET, the former Wham! singer turned solo star — who died over the Christmas holiday in 2016 — vaguely discussed the meaning behind his track.

“‘Father Figure’ is just a very, without going into too much detail, it’s just a very specific experience that I wrote about a specific relationship with one person,” Michael said.

“I think there’s a definite pattern in people’s lives where they move away from their parents, then they spend time on their own and then they look for that replacement,” he added.

Similarly, the fourth song on Swift’s album “The Life of a Showgirl,” which was released on Thursday, tells the experience of a specific relationship between a mentor and his protégé.

Hmmm. Who could it be? Are the lyrics imaginative or are the details too specific to brush off as fiction? Let’s dissect.

Swift opens her track with: “When I found you, you were young, wayward, lost in the cold / Pulled up to you in the Jag’, turned your rags to gold.”

There is one person who turned her into the gold standard of pop — music executive Scott Borchetta, who signed her to his Big Machine Records label back in the day.

Swift worked with Borchetta on her first six albums until she wanted to buy her master recordings from the label, which led to the end of their partnership.

The song initially takes the perspective of the mentor who sees potential, profit and the opportunity to be a father figure for the protégé. In the tail end of the track, the point of view changes to the other side.

“You want a fight, you found it / I got the place surrounded / You’ll be sleeping with the fishes before you know you’re drowning.”

Again, the details seem too specific to write it off as pure fiction, but Swifties may have to stick to speculation unless Swift goes on the “New Heights” podcast to discuss the meaning behind her lyrics with her future husband, Travis Kelce, and soon-to-be brother-in-law, Jason Kelce.

Don’t hold your breath — there’s probably a better chance she releases a new version of “Life of a Showgirl” first.

Goalkeepers: Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Conor Hazard, Luke Southwood

Defenders: Paddy McNair, Ryan Johnson, Daniel Ballard, Ciaron Brown, Conor Bradley, Trai Hume, Brodie Spencer, Eoin Toal, Terry Devlin, Ruairi McConville

Midfielders: George Saville, Ali McCann, Shea Charles, Jamie McDonnell, Paul Smyth, Isaac Price, Ross McCausland, Ethan Gailbraith, Justin Devenny, Jamie Donely

Attackers: Josh Magennis, Dion Charles, Callum Marshall, Jamie Reid

More than 100 members of the Writers Guild of America East and their supporters jammed the sidewalk in front of Walt Disney Co.’s Lower Manhattan headquarters Friday to protest ABC’s decision to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

The late-night program has been dark since Wednesday, when the Disney-owned network announced in a terse statement that it will be “preempted indefinitely.” The move followed decisions by two major owners of ABC affiliates to drop the show because of Kimmel’s remarks about the suspect in the shooting death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Members of the union, which represents TV and film writers, marched with signs calling the move an attack on free speech and accusing Walt Disney Co. executives of lacking backbone.

Among the messages: “Disney and ABC Capitulation and Censorship,” “Always Be Cowards,” “Absolute Bull— Cowards” and “Disney/ABC Bows to Trump Extortion.” There were chants of “Bring Jimmy back.”

The demonstration reflected anger building in the creative community over Kimmel’s removal, which Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr called for during a podcast interview that aired on Wednesday.

Carr said if action was not taken against Kimmel, there could be consequences for the TV stations that carry his show.

On Monday’s show, Kimmel seemed to suggest during his monologue that Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused in the shooting death of Kirk, might have been a pro-Trump Republican. He said MAGA supporters “are desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

The remarks prompted a widespread conservative backlash on social media, including demands for Kimmel’s firing. Kimmel, who has expressed sympathy for Kirk’s family online, has not yet commented on his removal.

President Trump has also said that late-night hosts who are critical of his administration should be banished from the airwaves. Trump cheered ABC’s decision, as he did the recent cancellation of CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”

Kimmel remains off the air and has had discussions with Disney executives about how to bring the show back on the air. But his future with the network remains uncertain.

Greg Iwinski, a late-night TV writer and council member of the WGA East, said the threat of pulling a broadcast license is a dangerous weapon that can be used on any program and ultimately chill free expression.

“You can use that for any broadcast network anywhere,” Iwinski said. “Any late-night show, daytime show, game show or sitcom — any show you don’t like. Everything is under threat that is on network TV.”

Iwinski warned that ABC’s actions will only invite the Trump administration to exert more control over the broadcast airwaves.

“What if a relationship on a drama doesn’t fit the values of Donald Trump?” he said. “What if it’s not racially representative of what he thinks — ‘Well, we’re going to pull your licenses’ — all of that is on the table.”

The WGA East members were joined by local government officials supporting their cause, including New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

Statements of protest over ABC’s moves are coming from all corners of the entertainment industry, including from Michael Eisner, the former Disney chief who preceded Bob Iger’s first run in the job.

“Where has all the leadership gone?” Eisner wrote Friday on X. “If not for university presidents, law firm managing partners, and corporate chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up for the first amendment?”

Eisner said ABC’s action is “yet another example of out of control intimidation” by the FCC.

“Maybe the Constitution should have said, ‘Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, except in one’s political or financial self-interest.’” Eisner added. “By-the-way, for the record, this ex-CEO finds Jimmy Kimmel very talented and funny.”

Disney did not immediately comment on Eisner’s post.

Damon Lindelof, the Emmy-winning co-creator of the hit ABC series “Lost,” said in an Instagram post Wednesday that he would no longer work for Disney or ABC unless Kimmel is reinstated.

A major Republican voice weighed in on Friday as well, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) saying the FCC chair’s threats are “dangerous as hell” and compared them to organized crime tactics.

Carr, who has been in lockstep with Trump on matters concerning the media, has said that stations have the right to pull the show if owners believe the content conflicts with community standards.

“Broadcast TV stations have always been required by their licenses to operate in the public interest — that includes serving the needs of their local communities,” he wrote Thursday on X. “And broadcasters have long retained the right to not air national programs that they believe are inconsistent with the public interest, including their local communities’ values. I am glad to see that many broadcasters are responding to their viewers as intended.”

NCIS: Tony & Ziva has been a hit with fans and a second season is yet to be confirmed, but star Michael Weatherly has spoken out about the possibility of a crossover

NCIS: Tony & Ziva has already got viewers completely captivated and fresh episodes are being released each week on Paramount+.

The offshoot of the enduring crime drama NCIS features Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo returning to their beloved characters Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David.

The fresh series represents their first joint appearance in 12 years following NCIS season 11, and the original reveal drove supporters absolutely wild.

Weatherly, who additionally served as executive producer on the programme, chatted exclusively to Reach publications regarding a possible collaboration with the main cast.

When questioned about whether any character from the original NCIS might feature, he responded: “I think that’s a great question for everybody, whether that’s feasible.”

READ MORE: NCIS Tony and Ziva release date, cast, trailer and what to expect from NCIS spin-offREAD MORE: NCIS: Tony and Ziva spin-off to star Bridgerton and Ted Lasso alumni

“For me the answer is of course, I would love to see that and really it’s just about making it the most quality appearance.

“You don’t want to just stunt cast, somebody with Mark Harmon’s haircut who walks by in the background and they are like ‘Oh, is that Gibbs?'”

“Or somebody with black pigtails with a spiderweb tattoo on her neck – that would have to be Abby.

“I think that would have to be heavily negotiated by all the powers that be, of which I am just a little micro contributor.”

The debut season comprises 10 episodes and is anticipated to wrap up on October 23.

Regarding the possibility of a second season, showrunner John McNamara revealed to TV Insider: “I try never to count my chickens before they’re hatched.

“I’m just focused on finishing this season and trying to make it as good as possible.

“And honestly, it is going to be entirely up to the fans and the subscribers to Paramount+ and ultimately to Paramount and CBS. It’s their property and it’s their money.”

The programme has received glowing feedback from both audiences and critics, with IMDb describing it as “both a nostalgia trip and a compelling continuation”.

Given this reception, supporters can stay optimistic about a second series and potentially even a crossover episode.

NCIS: Tony & Ziva airs on Thursdays on Paramount+.

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for porn actress Stormy Daniels, was hit with a personal judgment of $4.85 million Monday for his failure to pay a debt to a former colleague at his longtime Newport Beach firm.

Less than an hour after his defeat in the Los Angeles lawsuit, Avenatti suffered another setback at a trial in Orange County: The Irvine Co. won a court order evicting him and his staff from their offices because the firm, Eagan Avenatti, skipped the last four months of rent.

The twin blows came as Avenatti was heading to New Hampshire for his third visit to the state that kicks off the 2020 presidential primaries. The celebrity lawyer is exploring a run for the Democratic nomination. His troubled financial history could emerge as a significant campaign issue if he joins the race.

The personal judgment against Avenatti by Judge Dennis J. Landin in Superior Court in Los Angeles was his latest in a series of courtroom losses in a protracted dispute with Jason Frank, the former colleague.

Eagan Avenatti emerged from federal bankruptcy protection in March after Avenatti promised that it would pay millions of dollars to Frank and other creditors, including the Internal Revenue Service. It has defaulted on nearly every payment that was due.

No one has pursued Avenatti more relentlessly than Frank, who has been fighting in federal court to collect on a $10-million judgment that he won against the firm in May.

“My client has had an awful lot of money owed to him for a lengthy period of time,” said Frank’s attorney, Eric George, “and it has been delayed through one tactic or another. Today, finally, the right thing happened.”

Avenatti has been the managing partner of Eagan Avenatti since its founding in 2007.

He recently told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge that his other firm, Avenatti & Associates, wholly owned by Avenatti, had acquired 100% of the equity in Eagan Avenatti, buying out his minority partner, Michael Eagan of San Francisco.

But Avenatti told the Los Angeles Times on Monday that he hadn’t owned Eagan Avenatti for months. He refused to identify the new owner.

“Any judgment issued against me will be deducted from the over $12 million that Jason Frank owes me and my law firm Avenatti & Associates as a result of his fraud,” Avenatti said by email.

No court has found Frank engaged in fraud, and Avenatti is not pursuing any court case alleging that he did. When Frank and two others left Eagan Avenatti to form their own firm, some clients went with them, angering Avenatti.

Frank alleges that Eagan Avenatti cheated him out of millions of dollars in compensation.

As part of its bankruptcy settlement, Eagan Avenatti agreed to pay Frank $4.85 million. Avenatti guaranteed that if the firm missed the deadlines for making the payment, which it did, he would personally be required to pay Frank.

To enforce the personal guarantee, Frank sued Avenatti, and on Monday he won the case.

Daniels, the adult film star whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is represented by Avenatti & Associates, which operates out of the same offices as Eagan Avenatti and uses the same attorneys. Daniels is trying to void a nondisclosure agreement that bars her from discussing her alleged sexual affair in 2006 with Donald Trump.

Last week, a judge dismissed the defamation suit that Avenatti filed on Daniels’ behalf against Trump, finding the president was exercising his right to free speech when he attacked her credibility on Twitter.

Avenatti had another reversal last month at the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. The Senate Judiciary Committee refused to interview an Avenatti client, Julie Swetnick, who alleged that Kavanaugh attended a 1982 party where where she said she was gang-raped.

In the Santa Ana trial, 520 Newport Center Drive LLC, an arm of the Irvine Co., alleged that Eagan Avenatti missed $213,254 in rent payments over the last four months for its ocean-view suite on the 14th floor of an office building at Fashion Island.

Nobody from Eagan Avenatti showed up for the trial.

Superior Court Judge Robert J. Moss ordered the firm to vacate the premises and pay the landlord the full amount of overdue rent. He also canceled the remaining three months of the lease. If the firm fails to move out, it could take a few weeks for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to enforce the eviction.

In court papers filed by Avenatti, the firm claimed it deducted the cost of needed repairs from its rent payments but did not receive proper credit.

The Irvine Co. denied that the offices needed any serious repairs. And the lease, signed by Avenatti, says the tenant “understands that it shall not make repairs at landlord’s expense or by rental offset.”

At the short morning trial, Mark A. Kompa, an Irvine Co. attorney, called just three witnesses. He asked one of them, Irvine Co. assistant manager Abigail Yocam, what happened to the last rent payments received from Eagan Avenatti in July.

She testified: “The checks bounced.”

[email protected]

Twitter: @finneganLAT

UPDATES:

3:55 p.m.: The article was updated with the testimony of Irvine Co.’s Abigail Yocam and background on Stormy Daniels and the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings.

1:45 p.m.: The article was updated with additional details on the court cases.

11:50 a.m.: The article was updated with background on Michael Avenatti exploring a run for president and the Stormy Daniels litigation against President Trump.

11:15 a.m.: The article was updated with a comment from Michael Avenatti, background on Eagan Avenatti and the eviction judgment.

The article was originally published at 10:15 a.m.

Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon have signed new contracts with ESPN that will keep them as hosts of “Pardon the Interruption” at least through the show’s 25th anniversary next fall, the network announced Tuesday.

The previous contracts for both men had expired in August. The new ones are described in an ESPN news release as “multiyear.”

The former Washington Post sports writers have hosted “PTI” since it debuted Oct. 22, 2001. The fast-paced sports debate show has won the Sports Emmy Award for daily studio show three times (2009, 2016 and 2019) and is ESPN’s most-viewed daily studio program.

“Tony and Mike have made PTI into a singular success story and every bit as relevant today as it has ever been,” Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content, said in a news release. “Their information and opinions are as smart and strong as ever, and they remain daily appointment viewing for sports fans.”

Kornheiser and Wilbon will continue their daily segment for the 3 p.m. Pacific edition of SportsCenter and Wilbon will also remain a part of ESPN’s NBA coverage.

The news came months after “Around the Horn,” another long-running sports debate show on ESPN, aired its final episode. That show ran from November 2002 until this past May and was paired with “PTI” on weekday afternoons, with “Horn” at 2 p.m. Pacific and “Interruption” at 2:30 p.m.

ESPN also announced an extension with Rydholm Projects Inc. to continue producing “PTI.” Executive producer Erik Rydholm and coordinating producer Matt Kelliher have been with the show since the beginning.

Rydholm was also the executive producer of “Around the Horn” as well as the former ESPN shows “Highly Questionable” and “The Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz.”

O’Neill was left to lament some soft defending as a defensive mix-up allowed Amiri to pounce for Germany’s second, whilst he also questioned the awarding of the free-kick which Wirtz superbly dispatched.

“For 60 or 65 minutes we were well in the game. The second goal is a bit of a freak goal, we could have defended it better. The third goal isn’t a free-kick. It’s a fantastic finish but it’s a soft free-kick,” he explained.

“I thought the referee was a bit fussy in the second half. He refereed it well in the first.

“We were well in the game and needed to get to that final 15 minutes and we might have had a final chance, but the game drifted away from us.”

Northern Ireland sit second in Group A following a win and a defeat from their opening two games.

O’Neill believes his side are where they expected to be at this stage of qualifying, with two huge home games against Slovakia and Germany to come in October.

“It’s tough to play two games away from home,” he said. “We got what we hoped for, but we’re a bit disappointed it’s not a little bit more.

“We have to be ready to play back-to-back at home and we know two good results will put us in a good position.”

MICHAEL OWEN has launched a passionate defence of his own career after being compared to Wayne Rooney on social media.

Owen, 45, has made sure everybody remembers just how good he was in his youth, replying to a question over who was better at 17 between Rooney and the former Real Madrid man.

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Fans online have been debating the topic of which breakthrough teenager was the better player, given that both Owen and Rooney burst on to the scene and impressed at such young ages.

But in reply to a post asking who was better aged 17, Owen laid out the facts as to why he thinks his early years trump Wazza’s.

He wrote on X: “At 17 I scored 18 PL goals (winning the Golden Boot), Wazza scored 6.

“At 18, I again scored 18 goals (again winning the Golden Boot and coming 4th in The Ballon d’Or), Wazza scored 9.

“In our opening 7 seasons, Wazza didn’t outscore me once (117 goals v 80). In which time I became the 2nd youngest Ballon d’Or winner ever.

“Injuries hindered me from then on while he sustained his level.

“Therefore, he’ll go down as a better player than me. But, at 17, please…”

Owen won the Ballon d’Or in 2001 – the last Brit to lift the prestigious individual award.

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While he twice won the Premier League Golden Boot as a teenager, doing it at 18 and 19 years of age to become the youngest ever recipient of the award.

Despite Owen’s claims of scoring 18 goals in the Premier League aged 17, he had actually only bagged five league goals before his 18th birthday.

He went on to score a total of 18 during the 1996/97 season, subsequently winning his first Golden Boot, but scored 13 of those goals after his 18th birthday.

His later career tailed off, with injuries meaning Owen ended his playing days with a total of 223 goals in 483 appearances.

Rooney, on the other hand, notched 313 goals in 764 appearances.

Owen recently described his “agony” at the fact people don’t remember how good he was.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents Podcast, Owen explained: “People will have only seen me or remember me in the later years when I’m getting worse and worse and worse and worse and worse.

“The agony for me is that nobody remembers. Only a few people remember what I was like when I was ten and 12 and 15 and 18 and maybe up to 22.

“I was past it and on the way down by 21 or whatever.

“That’s the agony because was there another 18-year-old that was anywhere near me at 18? I was light years clear of anything in my age group, anything in England.

“You can bring the next kid and the next kid and the next kid and the next one that scores ten goals and everybody’s like: ‘Oh, it’s the next Michael Owen’.

“But I was competing against great strikers. Now there’s like four, five good strikers in the Premier League.”

Rooney vs Owen before they turned 18

Here’s a look at how Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney’s careers looked before their 18th birthdays…

MICHAEL OWEN

• Club apps: 21
• Club goals: 9
• Club assists: 5
• International apps: 0
• International apps: 0

WAYNE ROONEY

• Club apps: 46
• Club goals: 9
• Club assists: 2
• International apps: 8
• International apps: 2