milestone

Four decades after his Karate Kid debut, star Ralph Macchio has left fans in awe of his appearance.

The Karate Kid Part III aired in tribute to Ralph Macchio as he celebrated a special birthday.

Karate Kid’s “seemingly ageless” star celebrated his 65th birthday this week, and fans were surprised to discover his real age after he returned to screens. The actor, born on November 4, 1961, received a fitting tribute as The Karate Kid Part III aired on Great TV on his big day.

The week marked another milestone for baby-faced Hollywood star Ralph Macchio who became a household name playing bullied teenager Daniel LaRusso in the 1984 blockbuster, which followed the New Jersey youngster as he moved with his mother to California, where he found an unlikely mentor in his apartment block’s handyman, Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita).

The film became an instant 80s classic, spawning two sequels, a spin-off and, decades later, the hugely successful series Cobra Kai. The Karate Kid Part II arrived in 1986, and the second box-office hit took Daniel and Mr Miyagi to Okinawa, Japan, where the karate master confronted his troubled past.

The Karate Kid Part III followed in 1989 and saw Daniel face a new foe in ruthless millionaire Terry Silver, who joined forces with Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese to seek revenge on both the teenager and his mentor – both characters went on to star in Netflix’s Cobra Kai series.

More than three decades later, the film, which proved to be a flop at the time, has found a new generation of fans who could not get over Macchio’s age. He was 27 when he played the 17-year-old Daniel, prompting one fan to call him “easily the most convincing teenager played by an adult ever”.

Great TV’s marketing director Kate Gartland said when the film aired this week: “Our Great viewers love a classic, and this is an excellent way to celebrate the seemingly ageless Ralph Macchio turning 65 – happy birthday Ralph.”

On Facebook, one fan said on a birthday tribute post: “He never ages”, while another said on Instagram: “Ralph Macchio is 65. I need to sit down for a moment.”

Another fan commented: “My heart just skipped several beats,” while another replied to the news of his real age: “This can’t be true”. A final fan said the star “still looks 12”. Macchio is famous for his age-defying, youthful appearance, which has sparked surprise in interviews over a decades-long career.

He previously appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to talk about turning 60, and the host’s first question was: “Do people lose their minds when they find out your age?” To which the star responded: “Lose their minds? No, maybe a little surprised.”

“Because you look almost exactly the same as you did… do you mind saying how old you are?” The actor reluctantly announced he was 60, and his response was met with cheers and applause from the audience.

Host Jimmy pointed out the “audible gasp” from some audience members, as Macchio jokingly referred to himself as “the man-child freak”. A clip was posted on YouTube and one fan took to the comments to say: “If a 60 year old Ralph Macchio told me he was 40 years old, I’d believe him.”

Another agreed: “He finally reached the age of 30,” while another added: “He was a teenager for about 20 years so it’s no wonder he looks like he is just entering middle age at 60.

“This guy is blessed with as close as a person can get to the fountain of youth. No doubt he won the genetic lottery when it comes to the ageing process. His body is in great shape physically too because he can still pull off high action fighting scenes.”

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DRAKE is throwing himself a $1 million 40th birthday party in New York City, and he’s sparing no expensive, The U.S. Sun has learned.

The rapper – whose OVO record label and clothing line are a nod to his birthday month – has pulled out all the stops for his big day on Friday.

“Drake is having a massive birthday weekend in the city for his 40th,” a source told The U.S. Sun.

“He has rented out Cipriani 42nd St., which in itself is a fortune.”

It sounds like Drake is going all-out for the guests inside the iconic venuel, too.

“He has a massive, concert-level stage set up in there for special guest performances throughout the night,” the insider claimed.

And it’s not just a one-night event either.

Another insider claimed the party will continue at not-yet-open Chelsea hot spot, Lady Delilah.

Pricing for a full house at Cipriani’s 42nd St, with its capacity of 1,800 people and a cocktail-style buy-out runs approximately $1.1 million for the night.

The U.S. Sun reached out to a rep for Drake for comment.

The Canadian rapper is known for going all out for his parties.

As The U.S. Sun exclusively reported last year, a source said, “He hired out Mr Porter in Mayfair and was seen arriving around midnight,” for a monster bash after a set of London shows.

“There were loads of celebs there like Casey Affleck and Sacha Baron Cohen. Weirdly, Lily Phillips — the X-rated adult performer — was also on the guest list.

“The party went on all through the early hours of Sunday morning, with Drake finally heading home not long before 6am.

“It was a great bash and everyone who came out looked like they’d had a really good time,” the source said of the party after his set of July shows.

When he’s not throwing a rager, he’s putting out albums and digging up his ongoing beef with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar.

Earlier this year, Drake dropped three albums, and fans believe some of the tracks were taking aim at his longtime enemy Kendrick.

On the song Make Them Pay from his album Iceman, he delivered lines that listeners quickly connected to his rival.

“Damn, who is this guy for real/ I guess a magician/ 100 million streams vanished; no one got questions,” Drake rapped.

There has been a significant update to a UK airport that closed its doors four years ago, with plans to reopen for passengers from 2028 following a £160 million project

A UK airport that has been abandoned for the past four years has reached a ‘major milestone’ with plans to be under public ownership. There is hope that holidaymakers will be able to fly from the airport, which had provided routes to some of the most popular holiday hotspots across Europe, within the next few years.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport was forced to close in 2022 after its former owner, Peel Group, said it was no longer financially viable to continue operating. It came as a blow to travellers, particularly locals, who could conveniently fly from the airport to destinations such as Alicante, Palma, Amsterdam, Budapest, Dublin and Paphos, through Wizz Air, TUI or Ryanair.

Now, at a significant turning point for the airport’s future, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) plans to purchase Doncaster Airport, thereby becoming the freehold owner and landlord under the City of Doncaster Council’s lease. The exact details of the planned proposal and its approval are set to be discussed next week, but the update, which would see the airport come under public ownership, has been hailed as a “major win”.

Doncaster mayor Ros Jones said: “This partnership proposal to bring the airport into public ownership is a major win for Doncaster and South Yorkshire. I pressed this proposal back in 2022 and the landowner declined. We are now in a different place and a different time. This proposal will end our lease with the current landowner. As a council, we need to enter into a contractual arrangement with SYMCA to agree how this progresses in a phased approach. The meeting of cabinet next week will take the decisions the council needs for this to take place.”

Previous reports estimate that the airport could reopen with flights available for passengers during the winter 2027-28 season, following a £160 million project. Currently, the airport stands eerily abandoned until a final decision is made about its future, but the latest update has sparked excitement.

South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard said the deal was a “major milestone”. He further commented: “I’m delighted to say that subject to formal approval of the MCA board next week and then Peel, we’ve agreed a deal that means we’re taking Doncaster Sheffield Airport and adjacent Innovation Quarter employment land into public ownership.

“This is a deal that puts the future of DSA back in our hands and finally gives one of the biggest and best growth opportunities in South Yorkshire the platform for long-term success that it needs and deserves. Four years ago, we were told that our airport would be closing. But alongside Ros Jones, I said I would do anything I could to save DSA, and I meant it.

“Which is why after months of negotiations and the growing flexibility afforded to us by the government’s devolution agenda, today we can announce that we have come to an agreement for SYMCA to buy the airport and Innovation Quarter employment land from Peel. Subject to the agreement of the MCA board next week, the airport and surrounding Innovation Quarter employment land will be owned and controlled by us, for us; the people of South Yorkshire. This deal means our future will be in our own hands again.

“When the airport closed, almost everything was against us; the owners did not want to sell, we had no legal powers to intervene or stop the airport from closing, and no backing from the government at the time. Today, the future for DSA is bright, with the airport back in our hands, the sky’s the limit.”

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ONE UK airport which closed in 2022 is taking another step closer to welcoming passengers back.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport closed after becoming “commercially unviable” and has been left empty since, but it has now announced it’s set to come under public ownership.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard called the deal a “major milestone” towards reopening the airport.

According to reports, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) will buy the airport becoming the freehold owner and landlord to the City of Doncaster Council lease.

Oliver Coppard said that the airport being bought by SYMCA would also “provide long-term control, certainty and flexibility” and attract private investment too.

The proposals are subject to approval next week.

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Doncaster Sheffield Airport is preparing to reopen to passengers in 2028 as part of a £193million project.

Before it closed, the regional airport acted as a gateway to Europe for those living in the north of England.

It had airlines like TUI and Wizz Air and flew to the likes of Spain and Portugal.

When it reopens, it’s possible certain routes could be reinstated, as well as longer ones too.

The airport is home to one of the longest runways in Europe, measuring 2,893 metres, which means it could host big jets for long-haul journeys.

As of yet, no airlines have been confirmed for when the airport reopens.

Christian Foster, Director of FlyDoncaster – the company set up to manage the airport – told Sun Travel: “It does feel like the world has changed post-Covid, whereas people were focused on two weeks in Spain or Greece, nowadays we’re seeing a lot of people keen to take city breaks.”

“We’d love to fly to places like Croatia, and other destinations that are a bit more quirky like Azerbaijan.

“We’re keen to look at emerging places to visit as well, like India.“

Another plan for the airport is that when it opens, it will have local businesses rather than chains like Costa or Starbucks.

There would be a mixture of restaurants, bars and shops as well as seating.