NASHVILLE — The Chargers won the battle but lost the warrior.
They held off the Tennessee Titans 27-20, but saw their outstanding left tackle Joe Alt go down with the same injured ankle that sidelined him earlier this season.
It was a troubling and ominous blow Sunday to a franchise that’s in a constant state of reshuffling its offensive line and unable to sufficiently protect quarterback Justin Herbert. Before losing Alt, the Chargers lost right tackle Bobby Hart to what they called a groin injury (but looked to be a hurt leg).
On a cool and overcast day, the Chargers had enough to get past the one-win Titans — the Chargers (6-3) were favored by 9½ points — but will face far stiffer competition in the second half of the season. The Titans haven’t won at home since last Nov. 4.
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh helps offensive tackle Bobby Hart off the field in the first half.
(John Amis / Associated Press)
Herbert, who ran for 62 yards in the Week 8 win over Minnesota, again provided the bulk of the Chargers’ running game. He led all rushers with 57 yards in nine carries, including a one-yard touchdown.
The Titans fired coach Brian Callahan last month after the team got off to a 1-5 start, putting in place interim coach Mike McCoy, who was head coach of the San Diego Chargers from 2013 to 2016.
The Chargers absorbed a huge blow in the second quarter when Alt went down with an ankle injury, the same ankle that caused him to miss three games earlier this season. Alt, the best player on the offensive line, had returned for the Week 8 game against Minnesota and his presence was noticeable in both run blocking and protection of Herbert’s blind side.
Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston catches a touchdown pass next to Tennessee Titans cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis during the first half Sunday.
(John Amis / Associated Press)
But Sunday, he was felled by 285-pound Titans edge rusher Jihad Ward, who was blocked into the back of Alt’s legs. Alt sat on the turf for a few minutes, surrounded by Chargers medical staff, before a cart rolled onto the field to take him off.
It was the latest setback for an offensive line besieged by them this season, and an indication that Herbert will remain the most hit and harassed quarterback in the league this season.
Even though the Titans were without defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, their best player, Herbert was still under near-constant pressure.
Herbert threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half, although his first throw was abysmal. It was straight into the arms of Tennessee linebacker Cody Barton, who turned the visitors’ second play from scrimmage into a 24-yard pick-six.
As he does virtually every week, Herbert picked up some big gains with his feet. He had a 39-yard scramble in the second quarter, and rolled out in the fourth and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season, sliding in from a yard out. That capped a 15-play, nine-minute, 99-yard drive in response to a goal-line stand.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is sacked by Tennessee Titans linebacker Jihad Ward during the second half Sunday.
(George Walker IV / Associated Press)
The Titans (1-8), who have had troubles moving the ball in the red zone, scored their second touchdown of the half on a 67-yard punt return by rookie Chimere Dike, who leads the NFL in all-purpose yards.
Those issues in the red zone were on display in the third quarter, when the Titans had four plays inside the 10 and couldn’t score, including third and fourth downs from the one.
Anchoring the middle of the Chargers’ defense was Daiyan Henley, playing two days after his older brother was shot and killed. After a sack in the first half, the third-year linebacker dropped to his knees and turned his palms to the sky and held out his hands in prayer.
Edge rusher Odafe Oweh had a pair of sacks, bringing his total to four in four games since being traded to the Chargers by Baltimore last month.
Brian Setzer was on tour with the Stray Cats last year when he noticed the earliest signs of what was eventually diagnosed as an autoimmune disorder.
Now, it seems that disorder may be keeping Setzer off the road.
The Stray Cats said Tuesday they would be canceling their fall U.S. tour as Setzer, 66, battled a “serious illness.” The announcement comes months after Setzer’s diagnosis, although it’s not yet clear if this is a separate health issue.
“I know this affects so many people and I am devastated to have to deliver this news,” Setzer wrote Tuesday on X. “I’ve been trying everything I can to go on and do these shows, but it is just not possible.
“I’ve been looking forward so much to being on stage with my band mates again,” he said, “and playing for all of our amazing fans, and I’m gutted.”
The Stray Cats initially canceled the first two stops on their fall run, in Mount Pleasant, Mich., and Rockford, Ill., before scrapping the whole tour Tuesday. The band said refunds would be available at the point of purchase and did not announce any future tour dates.
Setzer first shared details about his unspecified autoimmune disease in February, writing on social media that, although the illness was not painful, it rendered him unable to play guitar.
“It feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play,” he wrote, adding that the disease had for a time hindered his ability to accomplish everyday tasks like tying his shoes.
The artist said that he had been improving as he received care at “the best hospital in the world down the block from me,” the Mayo Clinic.
“I know I will beat this, it will just take some time,” he said. “I love you all.”
The Stray Cats, formed by Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom in 1979, have dissolved and re-formed several times over the decades. In 2019, the founding trio reunited to release a 40th anniversary album, aptly dubbed “40,” their first album in a quarter of a century.
On Friday, the band rolled out its first release since then. The pair of singles, consisting of original song “Stampede” and a cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Teenage Heaven,” were described on the band’s website as “loud, upbeat, and unmistakably The Stray Cats.”
“Jim and I cut both songs in Minneapolis at Terrarium Studios,” Setzer said in a statement posted to the site. “‘Stampede’ was an instrumental that I wrote lyrics for. I basically copied the guitar part, which was pretty ahead of its time to begin with, and ‘Teenage Heaven’ is one of the few Eddie Cochran songs that has not been covered to death.”
Rocker said “‘Stampede’ has the drive and intensity that brings me back to our first album,” and “‘Teenage Heaven’ is a classic Eddie Cochran song that we put our [Stray] Cats magic on.”
“The Cats are back and better than ever,” the bassist said.
Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. military carried out three strikes Monday in the waters of the Eastern Pacific against boats suspected of carrying drugs, killing 14 and leaving one survivor.
The announcement made on social media Tuesday, marks a continued escalation in the pace of the strikes, which began in early September spaced weeks apart. This was the first time multiple strikes were announced in a single day.
Hegseth said Mexican search and rescue authorities “assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue” of the sole survivor but didn’t say if that person would stay in their custody or be handed over to the U.S.
In a strike earlier in October which had two survivors, the U.S. military rescued the pair and later repatriated them to Colombia and Ecuador.
Hegseth posted footage of the strikes to social media in which two boats can be seen moving at speed through the water. One is visibly laden with a large amount of parcels or bundles. Both then suddenly explode and are seen aflame.
The third strike appears to have been conducted on a pair of boats that were stationary in the water alongside each other. They appear to be largely empty with at least two people seen moving before an explosion engulfs both boats.
Hegseth said “the four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics.”
The death toll from the 13 disclosed strikes since early September is now at least 57 people.
For the first time in seven years, Lily Allen is back with a new album. It’s intimate, raw and autofictional.
Last week, the “Smile” singer shared a 14-track breakup record, “West End Girl.” Amid her split with “Stranger Things” actor David Harbour, Allen provides an in-depth look into a broken relationship where the line between being open and being unfaithful is thin, where dating apps are on the table and where heartbreak seems inevitable.
The album, which was written in 10 days last December, begins with Allen’s move to New York. The singer relocated to the East Coast in 2020 with her two daughters and then-husband, following the couple’s whirlwind wedding in Las Vegas. When Allen started dating Harbour in 2019, she had just finalized her divorce from Sam Cooper, with whom she shares her children.
On “West End Girl’s” opening track, she sings about receiving an offer to be in a West End production in London. In 2021, Allen made her debut in the supernatural play “2:22 — A Ghost Story.” From that moment on, tensions and distance only continued to build between the pair. Toward the end of the title track, Allen includes her end of a call where her partner is seemingly asking to open up the marriage.
As the pop melodies continue to ebb and flow, Allen reveals accusations of infidelity, the complications of being in an open marriage and mentions a pseudonym for a mistress on a track named “Madeline.” She doesn’t stray away from details, especially when it comes to finding boxes of sex toys, love letters from other women and calling her partner a “sex addict” on “P— Palace.”
By the end of the record, she makes it clear that the relationship is irreparable. The pair announced their separation last February after four years of marriage. Since the project’s release last Friday, critics have been quick to fawn over Allen’s return to music and Allen has been sure to let the press know the album is not fully based in fact.
In an interview with The Times, the U.K.’s oldest national daily newspaper, she says, “I don’t think I could say it’s all true — I have artistic license. … But yes, there are definitely things I experienced within my relationship that have ended up on this album.”
She similarly told Perfect Magazine that the work can be considered “autofiction” and that an “alter ego” is singing. When sitting down with British Vogue, she clarified that the album is inspired by what went on in the relationship between, but “that’s not to say that it’s all gospel,”
Harbour has yet to directly speak out about their relationship and has strayed away from the public eye, disabling comments on his Instagram page.
In an interview with GQ in April, he said, “There’s no use in that form of engaging [with tabloid news] because it’s all based on hysterical hyperbole.”
The highly anticipated final season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” where Harbour plays the role of police chief Jim Hopper, will be released Nov. 27.
From the hot tub in the Dodger Stadium clubhouse, Yoshinobu Yamamoto saw his interpreter on his way to take a shower.
Yamamoto called out to him.
“What are those colors?” Yamamoto asked him.
Yoshihiro Sonoda, 48, wore only a pair of boxers that depicted a rabbit with rainbow-colored lasers shooting out of its eyes.
Sonoda explained bashfully, “These are my shobu pantsu.”
For more than a year, Sonoda had worn shobu pantsu — or game underwear — for each one of Yamamoto’s starts.
Sonoda chuckled as he recalled the incident. Several weeks have passed since then, and the superstitious interpreter still wears his lucky boxers on days Yamamoto pitches.
When Yamamoto takes the mound for the Dodgers against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday in Game 2 of the World Series, beneath Sonoda’s team-issued sweatpants will be the rabbit and rainbow-colored lasers.
The kid is a little different.
Sonoda recalled thinking that last year on the first day of spring training. On a grass field near the players’ parking lot, he watched Yamamoto throw javelins as part of his workout routine.
When the Japanese right-hander was finished, Sonoda started collecting the projectiles.
Yamamoto stopped him.
“Please, you’re my interpreter,” he said. “You’re not my servant.”
Yamamoto picked up his javelins and carried them back to the clubhouse.
In the months that followed, Sonoda noticed how Yamamoto treated others. He wasn’t kind only to other players. He was also conscientious of the organization’s rank-and-file employees.
“He pretends he’s not watching, but he’s watching,” Sonoda said. “He seems like he’s not listening, but he’s listening.”
Every day the Dodgers are on the road, Yamamoto has Starbucks coffee delivered to the team hotel. He always orders something for Sonoda.
“I think Yamamoto is quite the gentleman, quite the high character,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He treats everyone from Hiro to myself to all the support staff with the highest of respect.”
Two days into the job as Yamamoto’s interpreter, Sonoda wanted to resign.
A former collegiate judo standout in Japan, Sonoda spent the previous two decades working in the entertainment industry as a lighting engineer, his credits including “Men in Black,” “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Succession” and “Nurse Jackie.”
He had no previous experience as an interpreter and was by no means a baseball expert. He was apart from his wife, who remained in her native Texas.
“I don’t want to quit, but I can’t do this,” Sonoda told traveling secretary Scott Akasaki.
Akasaki, who was once an interpreter for Hideo Nomo, asked Sonoda to reconsider.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, left, speaks to reporters with his interpreter, Yoshihiro Sonoda, in a press conference before Game 1 of the 2024 NLDS against the San Diego Padres.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
“You can learn about baseball if you study it,” Sonoda recalled being told by Akasaki. “But Yoshinobu chose you for a reason, and that’s something no other person has.”
Sonoda never shared his insecurities with Yamamoto, instead throwing himself head first into his work. He was taught how to interpret ball-tracking data by assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness and performance science manager Tyler Duncan. He consulted with veteran interpreters, including Shingo Horie of the San Diego Padres and Hiro Fujiwara of the New York Mets.
Last year at World Series media day, Yamamoto was asked about Sonoda.
“We were both rookies this year,” Yamamoto said. “Sonoda-san especially, he came from a different industry and I would think he endured a lot of hardship. But he didn’t let on about that being the case.”
Standing by Yamamoto’s side, Sonoda fought back tears.
Sonoda has a small notebook in which he tracks every pitch thrown by Yamamoto. In a night game in Baltimore last month, Sonoda took notes as usual, jotting down pitches types and their locations.
Yamamoto carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning.
When there were two outs, Sonoda had Shohei Ohtani on one side of him and trainer Yosuke Nakajima on the other.
Sonoda stopped taking notes.
“I thought I should prepare to celebrate,” he said.
Jackson Holliday homered, and the no-hitter was gone.
Sonoda blamed himself.
“If only I had taken notes on that at-bat …” he said.
Sonoda was a significantly better interpreter this season than he was last season. On his commutes to Dodger Stadium, he listens to audio of Horie interpreting for Yu Darvish or Fujiwara for Kodai Senga.
Yamamoto noticed.
“His efforts in the shadows have been to where I can feel them,” Yamamoto said. “He’s a very pure and straightforward person. I think he’s really wonderful.”
Last year, Sonoda received a set of national-park-themed underwear from his wife, who knew of his affinity for the outdoors. The Yellowstone Park pair featured a roaring bear, which reminded Sonoda of Yamamoto screaming on the mound. Sonoda started wearing the boxers on days Yamamoto pitched, switching to a different pair for the next start if he lost or didn’t pitch well.
A new season called for a new set of underwear, but a stretch of inadequate run support prompted Sonoda to unretire a pair he wore on the Dodgers’ World Series run last year, the ones with the rainbow-emitting rabbit.
“I’m very superstitious,” Sonoda said.
Sonoda is also grateful.
“I think there are 14 or 15 Japanese interpreters in the majors leagues,” he said. “I feel like I’m the most blessed.”
Blessed because Akasaki talked him out of resigning. Blessed because of the baseball education he received from McGuiness and Duncan. Blessed because he has mentors such as Horie and Fujiwara. And above all, blessed because he was paired with a player whom he considers as good a person as he is a pitcher, the kind of high-character individual for whom he would wear radiant underwear in the off chance it could improve his fortune.
Several Hollyoaks actor have fallen in love with their Channel 4 soap co-stars from Rory Douglas-Speed and Nadine Mulkerrin to Ruby O’Donnell and Nathaniel Dass
Dan Laurie Deputy Editor of Screen Time
12:00, 17 Oct 2025
Nathaniel Dass and Ruby O’Donnell play Dillon Ray and Peri Lomax in Hollyoaks(Image: Instagram)
Numerous romances and real-life weddings have blossomed on the set of the Channel 4 drama since its debut in 1995.
The continuing series is renowned for its passionate plotlines which have featured countless love triangles and explosive affairs across the last 30 years.
It’s hardly shocking that many stars from the acclaimed continuing drama have carried their romance beyond the cameras throughout the years.
Whilst certain relationships amongst cast members fizzled out, others clearly remain rock solid.
As the soap marks its 30th anniversary, let’s take a look at some of the couples still together.
Ruby O’Donnell and Nathaniel Dass
The latest romance to blossom from the fictional village is Ruby O’Donnell and Nathaniel Dass.
Ruby, best known for her role as Peri Lomax, and her beau Nathaniel, who debuted as Dillon Ray in 2023, might not cross paths on screen often but off-screen their romance is blossoming since going Instagram official in 2024.
The actress marked their first anniversary on Instagram by sharing a series of loved-up snaps. She delighted fans by posting a quartet of adorable pictures, alongside the caption: “1 year with u” capped off with a pink heart pierced by a blue arrow.
Gregory Finnegan and Ariana Fraval
Hollyoaks heartthrob Gregory Finnegan previously shared scenes with his real-life wife Ariana Fraval.
The actress portrayed DS Cohen in the programme with her husband Greg playing scheming solicitor James Nightingale.
The duo exchanged vows in 2011 and Ariana has posted some personal photographs from their wedding day on Instagram.
DS Cohen was brought in to examine the demise of Gregory’s on-screen love interest, Harry Thompson.
The duo shot multiple scenes together during that period, and viewers were thrilled to discover that the two performers are actually wed in real life.
Anna Passey and Kyle Pryor
Kyle and Anna, famous for portraying Hollyoaks adversaries Laurie Shelby and Sienna Blake, disclosed their romantic involvement in 2019, the identical year his character Laurie met his end.
Following their decision to cohabit and unveil their secret behind-the-scenes romance, Anna revealed to New magazine: “We just don’t feel the need to put it out there.
“It’s nice to keep something for yourselves. But we’re not trying to keep it private to build the mystery. We became really good friends first and it went from there.”
Sienna remains a Hollyoaks mainstay and Kyle made his way back to the Hollyoaks studios in 2021 to kiss Anna on-screen due to coronavirus filming restrictions.
Nadine Mulkerrin and Rory-Douglas Speed
Rory and Nadine met on the set of the Channel 4 soap and got engaged in December 2018 after dating for just over a year.
The actor proposed just weeks after they filmed their characters’ Cleo McQueen and Joel Dexter’s wedding.
Nadine previously told OK! that they aren’t in a rush to tie the knot after welcoming two sons.
“We’ve been too busy to make plans,” the actress said at the time.
“We got pregnant, we moved out, then the world went crazy with COVID, then we got pregnant again. I’d love to have a wedding when the boys are older, so they’ll remember it.”
Danny Mac and Carley Stenson
Danny and Carley both appeared in Hollyoaks but the pair didn’t meet on the set of the Channel 4 soap.
The talented duo never appeared on the programme at the same time and actually met in a pub back in 2011.
Speaking on Loose Women previously, Danny explained: “We met in a pub in London when she was doing Legally Blonde on the West End. I went to see a mate who was in it at the time and we met in the pub after and that was it.”
Former Strictly Come Dancing runner-up Danny portrayed Dodger Savage in Hollyoaks from 2011 until 2015 and recently reprised his role.
Carley took on the role of Steph Cunningham in the programme from 2000 until 2011. The pair revealed their engagement in March 2016 and subsequently tied the knot in September 2017.
Danny and Carley are parents to two children.
Daisy Wood-Davis and Luke Jerdy
Former Hollyoaks stars Luke and Daisy revealed their engagement whilst on holiday in Greece in August 2019.
The actor dropped to one knee and proposed on the beach in front of Daisy’s family.
Daisy was eager to share the delightful news on Instagram, with photographs displaying her “dream” engagement ring that Luke had crafted.
“She said yes,” Luke captioned the same photo in Greek on his profile, before translating the phrase into English and adding: “Daisy is going to be my wife. I’ll take that.”
Luke portrayed Jesse Donovan on Hollyoaks from 2016 until 2020, whilst Daisy departed her role as Kim Butterfield in late 2018.
The couple first met back in 2011 through a mutual friend and are now married and parents to two children.
Emmett Scanlan and Claire Cooper
Claire, who played Jacqui McQueen in Hollyoaks from 2006 to 2013, met her now-husband Emmett in 2010 and they got hitched in New York on New Year’s Eve in 2015.
Emmett previously reminisced about their wedding day with The Sun, saying: “It’s something I’ll never forget. Everyone got behind the wedding with such love that it was overwhelming at times.”
Emmett and Claire have two chidlren and the actor also has a daughter from a previous relationship.
Hollyoaks airs Monday to Wednesday on E4 at 7pm and first look episodes can be streamed Channel 4 from 7am
British vloggers Dan Howell and Phil Lester — known for their gaming and comedic slice-of-life style videos — are taking ownership of their long-rumored romance after more than a decade of incessant fan “shipping” online.
The longtime collaborators revealed Monday that they have been dating for more than a decade, pretty much since they gained popularity in the late aughts. The YouTubers confirmed they have been an item in a 46-minute video titled “Are Dan and Phil in a Relationship?”
“We fell into it hard and fast in 2009,” Howell, 34, said. “And here we are almost 16 years later.”
Before Howell and Lester, 38, spoke about the origins of their couple-dom, the YouTubers— who both came outas gay in 2019 — talked extensively about why they waited go public with their relationship. First, they tackled some fans’ obsessive behavior.
Howell and Lester began appearing in each other’s YouTube videos in the late aughts and eventually, in 2014, launched their shared gaming channel — that page currently boasts 2.95 million subscribers. The pair documented their lives together, opening the door for fans to speculate on their relationship and foster a parasocial connection, Howell explained in the video. Among the most prominent internet personalities at the time, Howell and Lester often became the subject of fan fiction and fan edits on Tumblr.
“Some think that shipping real-life people is problematic. I think that humans cannot stop this natural tendency,” Howell said, later adding that “a line gets crossed” when fan speculation turns into investigation.
The pair recalled fans combing through their old social media posts, reaching out to their loved ones and filming them out in the real world. “If all this digging, investigating was small it could’ve been ignored,” Lester said.
“The problem is this became so big we could not ignore it,” Howell continued.
Howell and Lester also recalled fans dissecting their on-camera interactions and spreading the romance rumors during live events. Ultimately, the rumors became “too loud to ignore,” Lester said.
Howell said he was wary about how going public with Lester would impact their professional dynamic and spoke candidly about how his struggles with his sexuality affected their relationship.
“I had an extremely homophobic childhood,” Howell said, adding that the constant fan pressure to address the rumors took a toll on his mental health. He said that when he and Lester gained popularity he felt he “had to hide the relationship because I was still hiding who I was to my friends, family, myself.”
Online chatter didn’t help and “hit a nerve,” he said. Howell said Lester was “like a literal ray of light in my life back then” and committed to protecting their relationship.
“So when other people tried to grab it and drag it into the light, I felt completely violated,” Howell continued. “Having all of these people trying to out us and being so hostile to me when I tried to hide it was so triggering. Honestly, it could’ve killed me.”
Lester added: “It’s sad because those should’ve been the happiest times of our life. It was so amazing and we were having so much fun personally.”
Invasive fan behavior hung over their success “like a curse” and that led to anxiety and panic attacks, Howell said. Lester also recalled a “breaking point” in their relationship where a personal video leaked on YouTube and spread online, with re-posters refusing to take it down.
As they acknowledged the negative impact of some fans’ invasive behavior, the YouTubers said they don’t hold a grudge. Howell said the skeptics “were just young people that had absolutely no idea what the effects of their actions were.”
“In the same way that we all want people in our lives to give us patience and grace and benefit of the doubt if we ever make a mistake, I have to extend that to the world in regards to this story,” he added. “So I understand and I forgive.”
Howell and Lester, whose work also includes BBC Radio programming and several live tours, ended their video announcing the launch of a new podcast.
The boxers would make the perfect Christmas gift for men, or as a treat to yourself.
Read more Amazon Prime Day
Amazon’s Big Deal Days sale is running until tomorrow, but as one of the bestsellers so far, it’s likely that all sizes will be gone before the deal expires.
For more of the best discounts, read our roundup of the best Prime Day deals, which we’re constantly updating with more deals.
Amazon Prime Day: the 10 best deals
The Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale kicks off today and runs until midnight tomorrow (Wednesday 8th October) – here’s our pick of the best deals.
*If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue
Amazon Fire TV Stick HD, £19.99 (was £39.99) – buy here
Poounur Fitness Smartwatch, £23.99 (was £129.99) – buy here
Ninja 7.6L Foodi Dual Zone Digital Air Fryer, £119 (was £218.99) – buy here
BaByliss Air Style 1000 £29.99 (was £75) – buy here
LKOUY Portable Charger, £12.99 (was £59.99) – buy here
The classic designer boxers have received brilliant ratings from shoppers, with over 5,700 five-star reviews on the Amazon website.
One wrote: “I recently purchased these Calvin Klein underwear for my partner, and he’s extremely pleased with the quality, comfort, and fit.
From the moment they arrived, I could tell they were made from high-quality materials, and they definitely live up to the reputation Calvin Klein has for premium undergarments.
The fit is absolutely spot-on, and my partner says they are some of the most comfortable underwear he has ever worn.”
Another added: “The fit is so precise it feels like Calvin Klein himself took my measurements.
Five stars is an insult, these deserve their own constellation.”
In an overstuffed workshop in East L.A., Chris Francis reached out a heavily tattooed arm and pulled a single shoe box from one of the floor-to-ceiling shelves lining the walls.
“Anjelica Huston,” the shoemaker and artist said. “Let’s see what’s in here.”
Removing the top of the box, he revealed two carved wooden forms known as shoe lasts that cobblers use to make their wares. Beneath those were strips of yellowing shoe patterns and a tracing of the actor’s foot with a note written in loopy cursive:
To Pasquale My happy feet shall thank you — Anjelica Huston
The Di Fabrizio collection includes shoe measurements for stars like Nancy Sinatra, Kim Novak, Joe Pesci and Madeline Kahn, all adorned with green, white and red striped ribbon.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“Cool, huh?” Francis said, gazing reverently at the box’s contents. “Every time I open one it’s amazing. It’s like Christmas all the time.”
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For the last three years, Francis has been surrounded by a sprawling archive of famous feet originally amassed by Pasquale Di Fabrizio, the late shoemaker to the stars. From the early ‘60s to the early 2000s, Di Fabrizio created custom footwear for the rich, famous and notorious out of his humble shoe shop on 3rd Street.
The shoes went to his customers, but his voluminous collection includes shoe lasts, patterns, drawings, correspondences, leather samples and handwritten notes from thousands of clients, all stored in cardboard shoe boxes that the Italian immigrant trimmed with green, white and red striped ribbon.
The names, written in bold Magic Marker on the front of each box are a who’s who of entertainers from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and beyond: Liza Minnelli, Tom Jones, Richard Pryor, Robert De Niro, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bea Arthur, Arsenio Hall, Nancy Sinatra, Ace Frehley. The list goes on and on.
Francis found foot measurements, wooden shoe lasts and a shoe in progress that Pasquale Di Fabrizio made for Ginger Rogers in a box marked with her name.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“Shoe Machine” is one of Chris Francis’ art pieces that he has shown at museums.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“So many great people stood on these pieces of paper,” Francis said, looking at the stacks of boxes around him. “Roy Orbison. Eva Gabor. Stella Stevens. Lauren Bacall. I could pull these down all day.”
Francis never met Di Fabrizio, who died in 2008, but in 2022 he traded two pairs of his sculptural shoe-art pieces to Di Fabrizio’s friend and fellow shoemaker Gary Kazanchyan for the entirety of the Italian shoemaker’s archive. Three years later, Francis is still making his way through it all.
The amount of material is overwhelming, but he is committed to preserving Di Fabrizio’s legacy. Ultimately, he wants to find a space where he can share it with others.
“I never want to be without it, but I’m realistic that it deserves to be appreciated by more than just myself,” he said. “If my life’s work ended up in somebody’s hands, I don’t think I’d want them to just keep it for themselves forever.”
A shoemaker’s journey
Francis isn’t just cataloging L.A.’s shoemaking history, he’s helping to keep it alive.
Over the last decade and a half he’s made a name for himself as a custom shoemaker, creating handmade bespoke footwear for rockers like former Runaways guitarist Lita Ford and Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, as well as sculptural art shoes that are displayed in museums like the Craft Contemporary, the Palm Springs Art Museum and SCAD FASH in Atlanta.
Wooden shoe lasts hang from the ceiling as Chris Francis works on a shoe for the singer Lita Ford in his garage.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
In his East L.A. workshop, he eschews modern technology, focusing instead on traditional methods of shoemaking, often with hand tools.
“The handmade shoe is alive and well in this shop,” he said, dressed in pressed black slacks and tinted sunglasses, chunky gold rings gleaming on his fingers. “There’s no computer here, and even the records half the time are vinyls or 78s.”
Making shoes by hand is time-consuming and expensive work — Francis doesn’t sell a pair of shoes for less than $1,800 — but for his mostly musician clientele, a sturdy, custom-made, comfortable shoe that also boasts over-the-top style is well worth the price.
“At my price point, my customers are buying something that’s really a tool,” he said. “It’s part of their look, but it also has to hit 27 guitar pedals, keep all of its crystal, be beautiful, last multiple tours and they have to be able to stand in it all night.”
Francis, who has a certain aging-rocker swagger himself, never expected to become a shoemaker.
After going to art school and hopping freight trains for several years, he moved to Los Angeles in 2002 originally to join the Merchant Marines. Instead he found work hanging multi-story graphics and billboards on the side of hotels and high-rises on the Sunset Strip and at casinos in Las Vegas. “That gave me the same thrill of riding a freight train,” he said. “Being on a high-rise building and rappelling down.”
Francis found fabric samples and designs for shoes that Pasquale Di Fabrizio made for a Broadway production of the musical “Marilyn: An American Fable.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Shoemaker and artist Chris Francis makes shoes the traditional way in his workshop in East Los Angeles.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
He discovered he had a knack for pattern making in 2008 when he began creating hand-stitched leather jackets to wear to the Hollywood parties he had started attending with his now-fiancee. One day a stranger approached him and said she knew someone who would appreciate a jacket like the ones he was making. She was a stylist for Arnel Pineda, the lead singer of Journey. Commissions from Mötley Crüe and other rock bands followed.
A few years later he became interested in making shoes, but although he knocked on the door of several shoe shops in town, he couldn’t find a mentor.
“They didn’t have time, or they’d say, ‘You belong in a rock and roll band, you’re not one of us,’” he said. “But I would say, ‘Just teach me one thing, one trick.’ And everyone had time to teach one trick.”
It was an education in much more than shoemaking.
“Almost every shoemaker I met had immigrated to the country,” he said. “So I learned how to make shoes from the Italians, from guys from Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Russia, Syria, from everybody. And while doing so, I learned about all these different cultures.”
‘He was the king’
As Francis dove deeper into the history of shoemaking in Los Angeles, one name kept coming up again and again: Pasquale Di Fabrizio.
The late Pasquale Di Fabrizio, a cobbler to the Hollywood elite, photographed in front of his collection of shoe lasts, circa 1982.
(Bret Lundberg / Images Press / Getty Images)
“I started asking other makers about him, and they were like, ‘Oh yeah, we remember him,’” Francis said. “He was the king.”
For more than 50 years Di Fabrizio was the most sought after shoemaker in Los Angeles. He made Liberace’s rhinestone-encrusted footwear and shod Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck for touring productions of Disney on Parade. He was the go-to shoemaker for country western stars, Vegas showgirls, Hollywood movie stars, gospel singers and casino owners. The Rat Pack helped put him on the map.
“My best customer is Dean Martin,” Di Fabrizio told The Times in 1972. “He buys 40 pairs a year.”
Sporting a thick, bristled mustache and oversize glasses, Di Fabrizio had a tough reputation. He once kicked a movie star out of his shop because the star brought back a pair of patent leather shoes that he claimed were defective. Di Fabrizio accused him of missing the urinal and peeing on them at the Oscars.
“Never come back here again,” he said in his thick Italian accent.
The shoemaker occasionally made house calls, but his customers mostly came to him. In his workshop on 3rd Street near Crescent Heights, he would trace their bare feet on a piece of paper and measure the circumference of each of their feet at the ball, around the arch, the heel and the ankle. Then he would customize a pre-carved wooden last from Italy, adding thin pieces of leather 1 millimeter at a time to more perfectly mimic the unique shape of the client’s foot.
The size and shapes of the lasts varied wildly. He once told a reporter that it took “half a cow” to make shoes for Wilt Chamberlain, who wore a size 15. In his archives, Francis found a petite high heel shoe last roughly the length of his hand.
Francis holds a foot tracing and shoe lasts made for Robert De Niro by Pasquale Di Fabrizio.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“Di Fabrizio did lots of shoes for little people,” Francis said. “He really offered an important service for that community. They could have formal footwear rather than having only the option of wearing kids shoes.”
The same lasts could be used over and over again to make several pairs of shoes, as long as the heel height was the same. Each last went in its own box decorated with a ribbon in the colors of the Italian flag.
“It’s so simple, but he claims his territory with that ribbon,” Francis said. “He cared enough to take one extra step. It’s what really made that collection iconic.”
A legacy preserved
Francis first encountered Di Fabrizio’s archives in 2010 when Kazanchyan offered him a job at Andre #1 Custom Made Shoes on Sunset Boulevard. Kazanchyan inherited the shop from his uncle, Andre Kazanchyan, who once worked with Di Fabrizio and became his good friend.
Gary Kazanchyan and Di Fabrizio were close as well. When Di Fabrizio retired in the early 2000s, Kazanchyan hired all of the guys who worked at his shop. Di Fabrizio was at Kazanchyan’s wedding and when the older shoemaker was in a nursing home at the end of his life, Kazanchyan visited him every day.
For years Kazanchyan stored as many of the ribbon-trimmed boxes as he could fit in his Hollywood shop, but just before COVID he moved his shop to his garage in Burbank and transferred Di Fabrizio’s archives to his backyard. “At one point, my whole backyard was this mountain of shoe lasts,” he said.
Chris Francis, left, and Gary Kazanchyan at Palermo’s Italian Restaurant in Los Feliz.
(Deborah Netburn / Los Angeles Times)
Kazanchyan started a renovation on his house in 2022 and could no longer store Di Fabrizio’s archive in his backyard. He’d sold some of the most famous shoe lasts at auction — a bundle of Di Fabrizio’s shoe lasts for Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. went for $4,375 in 2013 — but he still had several tons of material stacked on pallets and covered in tarps. He remembered that Francis loved the collection, so he called him and asked if he wanted it. Francis did.
Francis didn’t have the money to purchase the collection in cash, but he offered Kazanchyan two art pieces that he’d exhibited and Kazanchyan accepted. The first carload of boxes Francis took to his studio included lasts for Wayne Newton, Paula Abdul, Ginger Rogers, Burt Reynolds and Sylvester Stallone.
“My excitement was on fire,” he said.
Francis spent a few weeks sorting through the archive and discarding lasts and shoe boxes that were too covered in mold or deteriorated to be worth keeping. Just before a rainstorm threatened the rest of the collection, he brought thousands of shoe lasts to his studio but even now regrets that he was unable to save it all.
“I tried to grab the big names, but there was so much I couldn’t keep,” he said. “It was heartbreaking.”
The boxes hold stories — and life lessons
Living and working among the Di Fabrizio collection has taught Francis a lot more than just the art of making shoes.
“I’m constantly seeing the obituary of a celebrity who has passed and I go to the workshop and there’s their box,” he said. “It really lets you know that life is for the living. It’s up to you to be responsible and live your life when you’re alive. Be yourself, teach others, leave something behind.”
Hanging onto the collection has not been easy — but Francis believes he was chosen from beyond to care for Di Fabrizio’s archive and to share it with others responsibly.
He’s still not sure what that will look like, but he’s determined to try.
And in the meantime, he is also determined to keep the traditional art of shoemaking alive in Los Angeles.
If you look around his workshop, you’ll spot several boxes adorned with red, white and blue striped ribbon.
Francis is making those boxes his own.
Working with hand tools, Chris Francis makes a custom pair of shoes for musician Lita Ford.
What a piquant moment for Nine Inch Nails to be back on the road playing their version of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans.”
At the Forum on Thursday, for the first show of a final two-night stand of the electronic-rock band’s Peel It Back arena tour, singer Trent Reznor didn’t elaborate on the freshly resonant subtext in Bowie’s song (one that Reznor remixed for the late Brit and, in its music video, played a Travis Bickle-esque creep).
But you could feel the sold-out Forum roil with new unease at that squelching industrial song, as Reznor muttered Bowie’s scabrous lyrics about “No one needs anyone … Johnny wants p— and cars … God is an American.”
At this point, who isn’t a little afraid of Americans? Nine Inch Nails thrive in the murk of base human instinct and tech-driven dread. Who better to help us limn out these feelings of disgust, rage and desolation right now?
Now in their fourth decade as a group, Nine Inch Nails — the duo of Reznor and producer/keyboardist Atticus Ross along with a closely held touring band — does two difficult things extraordinarily well.
For 15 years, Reznor and Ross have served as Hollywood’s eminent techno-intellectuals, with a pair of Oscar wins for their film scores including the brooding lashes of David Fincher’s “The Social Network” and the yearning ambiance of Pixar’s “Soul.” They have an upcoming film-music festival, Future Ruins, that will be the first of its kind and caliber in Los Angeles.
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1.Robin Finck of Nine Inch Nails.2.Trent Reznor.3.Fans react as Nine Inch Nails perform at Kia Forum.(Hon Wing Chiu / For The Times)
But Thursday’s Forum show was a decadent reminder of just how nasty and violent this band can be as well.
Opening on the smaller, in-the-round B-stage, Reznor took a solo-piano run through “Right Where It Belongs,” gradually adding Ross, bassist-keyboardist Alessandro Cortini and guitarist Robin Finck into a squalling “Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now),” before finally introducing drummer Josh Freese on the calisthenic drum workout of “Wish.”
Freese was a last-minute addition to the touring band, after the group unexpectedly swapped percussionists with Foo Fighters days before Peel It Back kicked off. But Freese — an NIN veteran of the mid-2000s — has become a fan-favorite returning hero, bolstering this lineup with pure rocker muscle.
Back on the main stage, they redlined through “March of the Pigs” and seethed with fuzzbox rot on “Reptile.” They veiled the stage in gauze on “Copy of A,” casting dozens of Reznor shadows while he strutted and howled about a despondent, depersonalized modernity.
A second pass through the rave-ready B-stage gave a hint at what the band’s cryptically billed upcoming Coachella set might look like. “Nine Inch Noize” — implying an ongoing collaboration with their opener and collaborator, the German club music producer Boys Noize — took form here under a monolithic, blood-colored lightbox. Reznor, Ross and Boys Noize revved up a new single, “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” from the film “Tron: Ares,” but also revamped the eternal hit “Closer” and “Came Back Haunted” with an after-hours sizzle.
It’s impossible to imagine a single as desperately sexual, as sacrilegiously sacred as “Closer” ever making it to the Hot 100 today. For the Gen Z fans fascinated by Nails’ gothic-erotic aesthetic, it felt more transgressive than ever.
After slashed-up takes on “The Perfect Drug” and “The Hand That Feeds,” the band closed out the set with an opposing pair of songs that covered the full range of what its audience is likely going through today. How viscerally satisfying to scream “Head like a hole, black as your soul / I’d rather die than give you control” as American life seems to unravel with each passing hour.
But of course, the band closed on “Hurt.” Johnny Cash recorded his canonical version at 70, a cover now synonymous with a lion in winter starting down the grave. Just 10 years younger at 60, Reznor performed it Thursday with all the tightly coiled emotion and intimate grandeur of the kid who wrote it. American life is pain; Nine Inch Nails endures.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Dodgers have gotten back to the basics this week, preaching the importance of the little things in daily hitters’ meetings, in-game dugout conversations and even simulated drills in early batting practice sessions.
After a 2 ½ month slump over the second half of the season, they were searching for a more dependable style of offense. Like simplifying their approach at the plate. Shortening up swings and using the big part of the field with two strikes. Capitalizing on situational opportunities with runners on base. And making sure that, amid a resurgence from their rotation, they were finding ways to more consistently manufacture runs.
This weekend in San Francisco, they finally enjoyed the fruits of those labors, blowing out the Giants 10-2 on Sunday to win a three-game series and remain 2 ½ games up in the National League West standings.
“Quality of at-bat, winning pitches, using the whole field, not punching [out] — I think all those things, you know it’s in there,” manager Dave Roberts said, after the Dodgers racked up 18 hits, worked six walks and scored in six of their nine trips to the plate.
“We’ve seen it. Maybe not with the consistency we would’ve liked. But when you’re facing really good arms, to see us do what we did… it’s certainly encouraging.”
Indeed, coming off a 13-run outburst Saturday night, the Dodgers picked up right where they left off at Oracle Park on Sunday afternoon, slowly sucking the life out of a recently resurgent Giants team trying to sneak into the playoffs.
Teoscar Hernández continued a recent surge with a team-high four hits, making him 11 for his last 24. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Michael Conforto each had three knocks, with Conforto’s day getting his batting average back to .200. As a team, the Dodgers combined for a whopping 16 singles while forcing 207 pitches from the Giants’ staff of arms. And most amazing, they did it with Shohei Ohtani reaching base only once, and that didn’t even happen until his sixth at-bat in the top of the ninth.
“It’s quality at-bats, quality outs, moving guys over, getting sac flies, bringing defenses in if you move them over,” Freeman said. “It creates more traffic, more things that are able to happen on the baseball field. Just think the quality of at-bats have been really good over the last week.”
The onslaught started in the second inning, when two walks and a Freeman single loaded the bases, setting up Kiké Hernández for a sacrifice fly. It continued in the third, when a pair of productive outs (plus a bobbled ground ball from San Francisco third baseman Matt Chapman) turned singles from Betts and Teoscar Hernández into another hard-earned run.
Then, in the fifth, it all culminated in a four-run rally, one that knocked Giants starter Robbie Ray out of the game, and turned a low-scoring affair into a series rubber-match rout.
Freeman lined a double to right field, after Betts walked and Teoscar Hernández again singled. Conforto came off the bench for a two-run, pinch-hit, bases-loaded single that he managed to slap past a drawn-in infield. A run-scoring balk from reliever Joel Peguero added to the deluge, which included a pair of walks from Tommy Edman and Ben Rortvedt.
In the sixth, what was already a 6-1 lead was stretched a little further, with Miguel Rojas’ two-run single — with the bases loaded once more — putting the Dodgers’ sixth win in seven on ice. The Dodgers nonetheless added more runs in both the eighth and ninth, giving them their first back-to-back double-digit run totals since all the way back at the end of April.
The Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow pitched into the seventh inning on Sunday to pick up his second win in as many starts.
(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
“It’s definitely the kind of baseball we want to be playing down the stretch and for the rest of the season,” Conforto said. “I think we’re doing a lot of the little things right. That’s kind of been the theme as we finish up here.”
It all represented a new look from the Dodgers’ star-studded offense, with only one of their 23 runs the last two days requiring a ball to go over the fence.
For much of the year, the team has been overly reliant on home runs, scoring via the long ball at the fifth-highest percentage in the majors (45%) at the end of play Friday. During their second-half slide, that dynamic had prevented them from working around injuries and mechanical flaws from much of the lineup, or finding alternative ways to build big innings and hang crooked numbers.
Hence, their recent re-emphasis on more dependable fundamentals — allowing them to paper-cut an opposing pitching staff to death in a way that is typically for success in October.
“When you can be able to do it, and know you can do it, as we’re leading up to that point [of the playoffs], it definitely is a big confidence booster,” Freeman said. “We don’t have to rely on the two-run, three-run home run all the time. I think that was just big. The last week, [this is] what we’ve been trying to do. And we’ve been able to actually do it in the games.”
The offense wasn’t the only positive sign Sunday.
On the mound, Tyler Glasnow was able to settle down after looking frustrated with his command early, when he walked four batters (and hit another) in his first three innings. At a point he has so often spiraled in his up-and-down Dodgers tenure, the right-hander instead found a rhythm by retiring 10 in a row, managing to pitch into the seventh in a 6 ⅔ inning, one-run outing.
“It’s encouraging,” said Glasnow, who has a 3.06 ERA on the season and a 2.66 mark since returning from a shoulder injury in July “Since I got back from the IL, it’s been easier to kind of put [those kind of struggles] out of my head and go compete. If my stuff sucks, it’s kind of whatever. Just compete, try to get in the zone, get some weak contact. It’s helpful.”
It led to the kind of performance the Dodgers are banking on from their rotation in the playoffs. This is still a team that, at its core, will have to be carried by its pitching.
The only way that strength will matter, however, is if the lineup can find some long-awaited consistency. This weekend, signs of it finally arrived. Everything the Dodgers had been preaching at last came to fruition.
“As we come down to the end [of the season, we’re] just kind of recognizing what it is that really puts us in the right spot to win games,” Conforto said. “It’s go time now, and we got to do all those things if we want to get to where we want to get to.”
SASHA ATTWOOD posted a touching tribute to Jack Grealish to celebrate his birthday.
Grealish, who is on loan at Everton from Manchester City, celebrated his 30th birthday on Wednesday.
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Jack Grealish celebrated his 30th birthday on WednesdayCredit: GETTY
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Girlfriend paid a touching social media tribute to the former England star on InstagramCredit: INSTAGRAM@SASHA_REBECCA
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She also shared an amazing collage of throwback photos of their time togetherCredit: INSTAGRAM@SASHA_REBECCA
And proud girlfriend Attwood, who has been dating the former England star since they were teenagers, marked the occasion by posting a heartwarming ode to her beau on her Instagram story.
The tribute came in the form of a collage, which included photos of themselves from their teenage years all the way to a recent romantic holiday.
Attwood’s caption, which was emblazoned across the images, read: “Happy 30th birthday, babe.
“Teens, twenties and now going into our 30s together.”
Grealish and Attwood welcomed their first child, Mila, into the world last September.
And Attwood also shared a picture of her family to mark her other half’s big day with the accompanying caption: “Happy birthday, we love you.”
Grealish celebrated his birthday with a festival-themed party aptly named “Grealfields”.
The winger shared a series of photos from the do on his Instagram page with the accompanying caption: “0!! Jeeez this one feels old!
“But really, I’m feeling the best I’ve felt in ages!
“Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes.
Sasha Attwood reveals £9 secret to glowy skin in one of her last videos before giving birth to Jack Grealish’s child
“And a big thank you to all my incredible family & friends for making my 30th one to remember last week! Grealfields
Grealish joined Everton on a season-long loan last month.
Upon his arrival at the Merseyside club, he said: “It’s massive for me, honestly.
“This is a great club, with great fans. As soon as I spoke to the manager, I knew there was only one place that I wanted to go.
“On social media, I’ve been flooded with messages from Everton supporters.
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Jack Grealish has shown glimpses of his old self during his brief stint with EvertonCredit: Getty
“So there’s that side of it as well and that’s another reason why I chose Everton.
“I want to say thank you to the fans for all of the messages I’ve had already.
“Thank you for all of the love and support. I hope I can repay you now and I’m sure I will.”
Grealish has shown glimpses of the form that prompted City to spend £100million on him in the summer of 2021, racking up four assists in three appearances for David Moyes‘ side.
Grealish and his team-mates will be back in action on Saturday when Everton travel to Birmingham to take on his former club, Aston Villa.
THE US Open will come to a close today at Flushing Meadows as the two biggest stars in tennis face off yet again!
Rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will go head-to-head in their third Grand Slam final of the year with US president Donald Trump attending the showpiece match.
Sinner beat Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final earlier this summer to take the SW19 crown for the first time.
Sinner is looking to defend his US Open title and win the 2025 trilogy between the two titans of men’s singles.
In “Task,” premiering Sunday on HBO, Brad Ingelsby, creator of the 2021 miniseries “Mare of Easttown,” which introduced the wider world to Wawa and the Delco accent, returns with another tale of crime and family in the rural-suburban wilds west of Philadelphia. Where women were at the center of “Mare,” men are the subject here — a cop and a criminal, symmetrically arranged — messed-up middle-aged single fathers who care about their kids.
Both have been loaded with tragedy. Robbie (Tom Pelphrey), whose wife took off a year before, has a much-missed dead brother in whose house he’s living with his two kids and young adult niece (Emilia Jones as Maeve, a secret hero); he’s a garbage collector with a sideline in robbing drug houses, which he identifies through their trash. This routine has been successful enough that he and his partner, fellow trashman Cliff (Raúl Castillo), have drawn the attention of the authorities.
FBI agent Tom (Mark Ruffalo) has a dead wife (Mireille Enos, seen briefly in flashback), a son in jail he can’t bring himself to visit and a semi-estranged adult daughter (Phoebe Fox); on leave from field work, he’s been manning the agency table at job fairs. That changes when his boss (Martha Plimpton), much to his displeasure, calls him back as a substitute to lead a task force into the drug house robberies, already assembled by his predecessor from other branches of law enforcement. There’s Lizzie (Alison Oliver), young and distractable; Aleah (Thuso Mbedu), terse and focused; and Anthony (Fabien Frankel), loose and Italian.
It’s clear from the guns that both sides pack, and the fact that Robbie has been stealing from criminals — notably a drug-dealing motorcycle gang, the Dark Hearts, which has its own explosive internal business — that something is going to go fatally wrong sooner or later. (If that’s a spoiler, you are blessed with a special brand of naivete.) The bikers, who are not at all nice, though painted with some recognizably human qualities — represented primarily by Jamie McShane as Perry and Sam Keeley as Jayson — are the usual screen collection of exclusively good-looking men and women, though to be fair, this is true of Tom’s team too — Tom perhaps excepted. (Ruffalo put on weight for the role, and wants you to notice.)
In “Task,” Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) is a single father who steals from other criminals.
(Peter Kramer / HBO)
Indeed, the predominant experience of watching “Task” is waiting for the next terrible thing to happen, which may be called suspense or dramatic tension, but in the event makes for an often depressing watch, especially since the safety (physical, psychological) of young children is involved. (That can feel a little cheap, dramaturgically, like endangering a kitten, but it works.) One is grateful for anything relatively ordinary — Lizzie and Anthony dancing in a bar, Tom’s younger daughter, Emily (Silvia Dionicio) connecting with a co-worker at the custard ice stand. (Another item for the regional reference bucket.)
In the compare-and-contrast structure of the series, we learn that Robbie, though he is a fount of bad decisions, is the more optimistic, proactive of the two characters — he has a dream, in the form of a brochure, regarding a Canadian island, where he would like to spirit his family away. (He’s doing the crime to afford it.) He’s interested enough in finding “a life companion” to open a dating app. Tom, who had been a priest for eight years before losing the spirit and joining the FBI, still in mourning for his wife, drinks too much, is packing a paunch and can’t connect with Emily, the only family member left in the house.
Both have connections to nature. Tom, who grows vegetables, is a birdwatcher; Robbie keeps chickens. Both are essentially tenderhearted, which is perhaps not the most practical quality for their professions, but necessary for the story — we need to like them. They’re like one and a half sides of the same coin.
In among the criminal antics and police work is a lot of talk about life and death and God, guilt and forgiveness. Ingelsby thinks big. The title to one episode, “Out Beyond Ideas of Wrongdoing and Rightdoing There Is a River,” paraphrases the 13th century Persian poet Rumi, and water is a motif — diving into it, swimming in it, hanging around by it. Birds, too, which show up in random shots and, like the lakes and rivers, function as a sort of psychic relief for the viewer and metaphors for the story. When Tom, speaking to Robbie, identifies a certain bird as a “vagrant … a bird that strayed outside its normal range, strayed so far that it’s forgotten how to find its way home,” that is not really about birds. The writing can be a little on the nose, but better a violent story with ideas than one with none.
For all my reservations when it comes to this sort of drama, it’s very well made and very well acted, and, where many crime stories settle for sensational nihilism, “Task” does want to leave you feeling … pretty good. Not horrible. Hopeful. I trust that hasn’t spoiled it for you.
THE real reason for Molly-Mae Hague’s absence from Tommy Fury’s BBC show premiere has been revealed.
The social media influencer was missing from the launch of his brand new reality TV series which raised eyebrows despite the pair being back together and claiming to be at “they’re happiest”.
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The real reason for Molly-Mae’s absence from Tommy’s reality show launch has been revealedCredit: Instagram
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Tommy was without his partner at the Manchester premiere of the showCredit: Splash
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Molly appeared to be having some down time at the beach with BambiCredit: Instagram/taayblue
Molly also failed to mark the event on social media and shared no posts to support Tommy and his show.
But The Sun understands that Molly skipped the event as she was keen to not “overshadow” the launch of Tommy’s programme and let him have his own time in the spotlight following their up and down 12 months.
A source told The Sun: “Molly is keen to keep a low profile at the moment.
“She is obviously back with Tommy but it’s his night and doesn’t want to overshadow it.
“It’s been a funny time for Molly – she’s very thick skinned but she’s had a lot to deal with and isn’t used to backlash.”
A representative for Molly told The Sun that she was “away working” and very busy which caused her to miss the event.
Current social media snaps show Molly enjoying a sunny break away with her best pal, Tayla-Blue.
The best friend duo could be seen enjoying a relaxing evening by the beach with their children yesterday evening in snaps shared to Tayla’s social media feed.
One photo showed Molly and her daughter Bambi attempting to take a splash in the sea.
Whilst other snaps showed Bambi looking stylish on the beach.
Inside Tommy Fury’s huge and ‘lonely’ new mansion with swimming pool he ‘bought for Molly-Mae and Bambi’
Peter finally snapped after Katie moaned about being frozen out of her daughter Princess‘s blossoming career – and claimed that their kids live with both Pete and her.
He said: “Unfortunately, there are many more lies and baseless accusations that I have yet to address. Those will be dealt with in the coming months.”
Now Kieran and Alex are in contact via an intermediary after a tell-all documentary was announced.
A source told the Mirror: “They feel like they have been backed into a corner and have no choice. They just want her to stop trashing them, and can’t believe she is being given a platform.”
A spokesman for Kieran said: “We are keeping all our options open. I can confirm Alex Reid is on the same page.”
A spokesman for the mum of five told The Sun: “Kate is in a much better and clear headspace and is at peace with the situation.
“This was in the past and she doesn’t feel the need to bring up tit for tat comments, but more importantly she’s dealing with this the right way and it’s now in her lawyers hands.
“Kate will no longer be gaslighted and bullied as she once was…”
Katie is currentlydatingMAFS starJJ Slater, but before this she had a long-term romance withCarl Woods.
Before falling for Carl, Katie was engaged to fitness trainer Kris Boyson, 29, and before Kris she was married to Kieran.
Katie married MMA fighter Alex in Las Vegas in February 2010 and before Alex there was Pete, who she met on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2004.
The pair soon got together and married in a lavish ceremony in September 2005 in Highclere Castle.
Katie Price’s TV Shows
Katie is no stranger to TV and has starred in countless shows over the years. Here, we look back at the ones she has fronted.
2002: Katie Price launched her TV career with a documentary called Jordan: The Truth About Me.
2004: Katie’s show, directed by film maker Richard Macer, was followed up with Jordan: The Model Mum and Jordan: You Don’t Even Know Me. In the same year, she appeared in Jordan Gets Even. In this show, she underwent a dramatic transformation with special effects to try and fool her family.
2004: When Jordan Met Peter. Katie appeared in the first of many series’ with Peter Andre following their whirlwind romance in I’m A Celebrity Get Met Out Of Here.
2005: Jordan & Peter: Laid Bare, Jordan & Peter: Marriage and Mayhem.
2007: Katie & Peter: The Next Chapter, Katie & Peter: The Baby Diaries, Katie & Peter: Unleashed.
2009- 2011: What Katie Did Next .This was Katie’s own series following her break-up and divorce with Peter.
2021: Katie Price: Harvey and Me. Katie fronted the first of two BBC documentaries with her disabled son Harvey.
2022: Katie Price: What Harvey Did Next.
2022- 2023: Katie Price’s Mucky Mansion. Katie attempted to renovated her ‘Mucky Mansion’ in Sussex for Channel 4.
2025: Katie Price: Making Babies. This followed Katie and Carl Woods’ failed attempt at conceiving via IVF.
After Peter released his statement, Katie’s ex Kieran Hayler shared a cryptic post about “rising like a Phoenix” amid their public feud.
Kieran, 38, who was married to the former glamour model, 47, for five turbulent years before their divorce was finalised in March 2021, took to his Instagram to share a photo of the mythical bird.
SAINSBURY’S shoppers are going wild after spotting a “gorgeous” new autumn pyjama collection.
The supermarket’s in-house fashion label Tu is one of the best-loved brands on the high street, and is constantly wowing us with its stylish but affordable fashion.
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Shoppers are in a frenzy after discovering Sainsbury’s pyjama lineCredit: TikTok/ @life.of.pop
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A TikToker posted her finds in a now-viral videoCredit: TikTok/ @life.of.pop
TikToker Jasmine Poppy sent fashion lovers into a frenzy when she posted a clip of her latest TU Clothing purchases.
The TikToker showed off Sainsbury’s new range of cosy sets perfect for snuggling up as the nights draw in.
Among the finds was the Mini Me Women’s Halloween Pink Pumpkin Print Slinky Pyjama set, priced at £16, with the rest of the line retailing at £20.
And while Halloween PJs usually mean garish orange and purple prints, Sainsbury’s has gone for something a little different this year with pretty designs in soft pinks and cute patterns that shoppers say are “perfect for autumn”.
The collection features fun, pastel printsCredit: TU
The playful pumpkin prints, soft fabrics, and matching sets have quickly earned a spot on people’s must-buy lists.
“I LOVE TU pjs, they’re so comfy,” raved one fan in the comments.
Another wrote: “Never have I run to order something so quickly.”
A third added: “These are gorgeous, I want all of them.”
One shopper had their eyes on a particular set, gushing: “I need the cherry pumpkin ones.”
I work in Sainsbury’s – my picks from new autumn collection, 1920s trend is back
While another insisted: “Sainsbury’s pjs top all others, honestly.”
It’s clear Sainsbury’s is coming into the colder months well prepared, with styles that feel seasonal without being over-the-top spooky, perfect for anyone who wants to nod to Halloween without going full fancy dress.
So, if you’re already dreaming of hot chocolate, candles, and a fresh pair of matching PJs, you might want to make your next supermarket trip a pyjama haul.
It comes after a Sainsbury’s fashion boss sent shoppers into a frenzy after giving them a sneak peek of their new autumn arrivals.
Hannah Pountain, Director of Merchandising at Tu Clothing, revealed her top five picks from the new range in an Instagram video over the weekend.
And she rounded up her five top picks from the new range – including a staple buy which proves a classic 1920s trend is returning.
The autumn drop follows a wave of excitement over other high street nightwear launches.
Just last week, Primark had shoppers swooning with a Clueless-themed pyjama line, inspired by the iconic 90s rom-com.
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The retailer is selling Halloween pyjamasCredit: TU
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Shoppers say the sets are ‘perfect for autumn’Credit: TU
Is supermarket fashion the new high street?
DEPUTY Fashion Editor Abby McHale weighs in:
The supermarkets have really upped their game when it comes to their fashion lines. These days, as you head in to do your weekly food shop you can also pick up a selection of purse-friendly, stylish pieces for all the family.
Tesco has just announced a 0.7 per cent increase in the quarter thanks to a ‘strong growth in clothing’ and M&S has earnt the title of the number one destination for womenswear on the high street.
Asda’s clothing line George has made £1.5 million for the supermarket in 2023, 80 per cent of Sainsbury’s clothes sold at full price rather than discounted and Nutmeg at Morrisons sales are also up 2 per cent in the past year.
So what is it about supermarket fashion that is becoming so successful?
Apart from the clothing actually being affordable, it’s good quality too – with many being part of schemes such as the Better Cotton Initiative.
A lot of the time they keep to classic pieces that they know will last the customer year after year.
Plus because they buy so much stock they can turn around pieces quickly and buy for cheaper because of the volumes.
JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez have gone from “Love Island” to Splitsville.
The pair of reality TV stars who kindled a romance last year on “Love Island” Season 6 have called it quits, The Times confirmed Monday. Craig broke up with Rodriguez on Sunday, a day after they were among the guests at YouTube star David Dobrik‘s birthday party.
“They will not be getting back together,” a source confirmed to People.
A representative for Craig declined to comment. The Times did not immediately hear back from Rodriguez.
Though Craig and Rodriguez fell short of winning their season last year (fellow contestants Kordell Beckham and Serena Page took the prize), the pair continued their relationship off-screen. Craig opened up about her relationship with Rodriguez to People in October 2024, telling the magazine that time away from the cameras meant “we can take our time.”
“We always forgot that there was cameras anyways so nothing’s really changed,” she said at the time.
Craig and Rodriguez’s relationship came back into the “Love Island” spotlight earlier this month for Peacock’s “Love Island: Beyond the Villa.” The series, which premiered July 13, follows the Season 6 contestants “as they navigate new careers, evolving friendships, newfound fame, and complex relationships,” according to a press release for the show.
Right before the premiere of “Love Island: Beyond the Villa,” fans bid farewell to “Love Island” Season 7 — which was notably marred by controversy. Two contestants — Yulissa Escobar and Cierra Ortega — left the series weeks apart after they came under fire for their off-air use of racial slurs.
The season ended with contestants Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales taking home the $100,000 grand prize.
A new spin-off of the Channel 5 show 22 Kids and Counting is set to air this weekend, taking on a new life as Noel Radford begins a journey to find his birth mother
Sue Radford feels differently about her husband’s new journey (Image: Channel 5)
22 Kids and Counting star Sue Radford has opened up about her feelings towards her husband Noel, who is choosing to find his birth mother in a new special TV spin-off.
Both Noel and Sue Radford were adopted as babies and met later when they were children, having their first child together when Sue was just 14 years old and Noel was 18. As of 2021, the pair have had 22 children together and have starred in numerous TV programmes focussing on their huge family and their own difficult upbringings.
Throughout the years, Noel has been candid when speaking about his childhood experiences, having been adopted in 1971 at just 10 days old. Over the years, Noel has candidly spoken about being adopted and hopes to find his biological parents.
The couple share 22 children together (Image: Channel 5)
However, despite being adopted herself, Sue has no interest in finding her own biological parents, which has caused some divided opinion between the couple. In this next series, viewers who already feel very much a part of their family’s life can follow Noel along as he embarks on an emotional journey to track down the woman who gave birth to him all those years ago.
A teaser clip of the upcoming episodes unveils more about Noel’s feelings. He shared: “It really is a massive thing going looking for your birth mum after all this time. I think I’d like to meet her; yeah, I think I would.”
The now 54-year-old confessed that he felt it was his ‘duty’ to try and find his mother, adding that “They might be desperate to see us.” Although his wife doesn’t seem to share the same sentiment, as a woman who has given birth herself, she seems to hold less empathy for the parents that decided to give them away as babies.
Sue added: “My birth mum was in the same situation as I was in. But I chose to keep my baby, and my mum put me up for adoption. My birth mum didn’t want me, and that does affect you. It has caused a few disagreements between me and Noel. My mum and dad are my mum and dad, and that’s it.”
The brand new series airs on Channel 5 this Sunday night, July 20, with the first episode following the couple as they arrange to meet with an adoption specialist.
Noel Radford was put up for adoption at just 10 days old (Image: The Radford Family YouTube)
A synopsis of the episode states: “For more than three years, Noel Radford has been attempting to make contact with his birth mother but has always drawn a blank. This leads his wife, Sue, to hire an adoption specialist in one final attempt to help her husband fulfil his dream, but it comes with unexpected consequences.”
Since 2021, the Radford’s story has captured the hearts of the nation, and viewers are keen to continue to watch their large family embark on new endeavours. After making the announcement that the couple will be returning to our screens, fans were eager to see what the family of 24 have in store.
A fan commented on the announcement: “Great, can’t wait. I love your family, and it was very moving watching Noel tracing his birth mother. Me and my twin brother and I were adopted, and I can understand how he feels wanting to know.”
The new series 22 Kids and Counting Finding Mum: 50 Years Apart will be available to watch on Channel 5 on July 20 at 8pm.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Dodgers’ first two picks in this year’s MLB draft came consecutively at Nos. 40 and 41 overall.
Turns out, their two selections came from the same school, as well, with the team taking left-handed pitcher Zach Root and contact-hitting outfielder Charles Davalan out of the University of Arkansas.
Root, a junior for the Razorbacks this year, went at No. 40. A transfer from East Carolina, he had a 3.62 earned-run average this season with 126 strikeouts in 99⅓ innings. Scouting reports lauded his versatile pitch mix, which includes a slider, curveball and changeup from a funky low arm-slot delivery.
Davalan, a sophomore who was draft-eligible, also transferred into Arkansas last year after one season at Florida Gulf Coast. He hit .346 for the Razorbacks with 14 home runs, 60 RBIs and more walks (35) than strikeouts (27).
Both players were part of an Arkansas team that won 50 games and reached the College World Series.
Both figure to be key pieces of the Dodgers’ future, as well.
Though the Dodgers once again were boxed out of a high draft pick — picking outside the top 30 for the third time in the last four years because of competitive balance tax penalties — the team did acquire an extra selection in what is known as “Competitive Balance Round A,” securing the No. 41 overall selection as part of the trade that sent Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds.
That meant, for the first time since 2019, the Dodgers made two top-50 selections.
And when their selections were on the clock, they identified the pair of Southeastern Conference teammates.
Root is a Fort Myers, Fla., native who was the No. 31-ranked recruit in the state coming out of high school, according to Perfect Game.
After starting his college career at East Carolina, where he had a 9-5 record and 4.43 ERA in two seasons, he found immediate success upon joining Arkansas, earning first-team All-SEC honors and second- and third-team All-American nods.
Though he grew up in Florida, Root said he was a childhood Dodgers fan — thanks in large part to another certain left-handed pitcher.
“Growing up, my dad always made me watch [Clayton] Kershaw and learn to pitch like him,” Root said. “So I’ve just been watching Dodger baseball ever since I can remember, because of Kershaw.”
Davalan took a decidedly more circuitous route to the Dodgers.
Arkansas batter Charles Davalan runs to first base during a game against Arkansas State on April 8.
(Michael Woods / Associated Press)
Originally a childhood hockey player from Quebec, Canada, Davalan moved to Florida when he was in high school during the COVID-19 pandemic, enrolling in a specialized high school that allowed him to spend much of his days training as a baseball player.
“With COVID, a lot got shut down in Canada,” Davalan said. “So decided to go live in Florida, where the restrictions [weren’t there] and you could play 12 months of the year.”
From there, the undersized Davalan — who is listed at 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds — got one D-I offer from FGCU, impressed enough there to transfer to Arkansas, and then blossomed into “one of the best hitters in the draft class, I think,” Root said of his teammate. “Getting him at pick 41 is just a big steal for the Dodgers.”
Davalan offered similar praise about Root, calling him “kind of an old-school pitcher” who “really filled the zones up good, but can still get his punchouts when he needs to get out of the jam.”
“Old-school” was also an adjective Davalan used to describe himself.
“I like to win. I like to play hard,” he said. “So that’s what I’m going to try to do. And I’m sure that knowing the organization, it’s filled of players like that, so I’m super excited just to get to meet new people.”
And, of course, be reacquainted with one from his recent past.
“He’s one of my best friends because of Arkansas,” Root said. “He’s a really great dude.”
“I guess I’m going to have to live with him in a couple more years,” Davalan joked. “He’s awesome.”
