Rick

For a historian who writes about war, Rick Atkinson is surprisingly optimistic. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former journalist — who recently released the second volume in a trilogy of books about the American Revolution — believes that the bedrock of American democracy is solid enough to withstand any assaults on its founding principles.

As the guest of honor at a Sunday night dinner sponsored by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles as part of its biennial Literary Feasts fundraiser, Atkinson was the most upbeat person at the event, which took place just before Election Day. Speaking to about 18 guests gathered around two circular tables carefully laid out on the back patio at the home of fellow writers and hosts Meenakshi and Liaquat Ahamed, Atkinson buoyed the flagging spirits of those certain that the country was currently dangling on the precipice of disaster at the hands of the Trump administration.

Book lovers attend a Literary Feast dinner featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson at the home of writers Meenakshi and Liaquat Ahamed.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

“We’re the beneficiaries of an enlightened political heritage handed down to us from that founding generation, and it includes strictures on how to divide power and keep it from concentrating in the hands of authoritarians who think primarily of themselves,” Atkinson said with the cheery aplomb of a man who has spent the bulk of his time burrowing deep inside archives filled with harrowing stories of the darkest days the world has ever seen. “We can’t let that slip away. We can’t allow it to be taken away, and we can’t allow ourselves to forget the hundreds of thousands who’ve given their lives to affirm and sustain it over the past 250 years.”

The questions and conversation that followed Atkinson’s rousing speech about the history of the Revolution — including riveting details about key players like George Washington who Atkinson noted had “remarkably dead eyes” in order to not give away a scintilla of his inner life to curious onlookers — was what the evening’s book-loving guests had come for.

“We’re the beneficiaries of an enlightened political heritage handed down to us from that founding generation,” said Rick Atkinson.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

A total of 40 authors are hosted at salon-style events at 40 houses with more than 750 guests over the course of a single evening, raising more than $2 million for the Library Foundation, which is a separate entity from the public library. Founded in 1992 in the wake of the devastating 1986 fire at downtown’s Central Library, which destroyed more than 400,000 books, the foundation seeks to continue the community-driven mission of the library when funding runs short, including supporting adult education, early literacy programs for children, and services for immigrants and the unhoused.

“I often describe it as the dream-fueling work, the life-changing work,” said Stacy Lieberman, the Library Foundation’s president and chief executive. “Because it’s a lot of the one-on-one support that people will get.”

The Foundation typically raises about $7 million to $8 million a year, with an operating budget of nearly $11 million, so money raised through the Literary Feasts is a significant slice of the funding pie. The feasts began in 1997 and have continued apace every other year since then, featuring a who’s who of literary accomplishment across every genre. Writers past and present include Sue Grafton, Jane Fonda, Ann Patchett, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Abraham Verghese, Scott Turow and Michael Connelly.

Dinner hosts fund the events themselves — no small outlay considering the lavish offerings.

Guests were served steak with roasted carrots, turnips and potatoes.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

The Ahameds delighted guests with a tangy grapefruit and greens salad, followed by tender steak with roasted carrots, turnips and potatoes; a dessert of hot apple tart à la mode drizzled with caramel sauce; and plenty of crisp red and white wine. Both hosts are literary luminaries in their own right: Liaquat, a former investment manager, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for history for his book “Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World” and Meenakshi recently published “Indian Genius: The Meteoric Rise of Indians in America.”

The couple travels in bookish circles and enjoys hosting salons at their home, including one earlier this year in support of New Yorker political columnist Susan Glasser and her husband, New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker. As friends of Atkinson, the Ahameds did their part to introduce him, and later tried their best to entice him to stop taking questions and eat his dinner.

The guest of honor could not be persuaded. There was too much to say. “The Fate of the Day,” which explores the bloody middle years of the Revolution from 1777 to 1780, was released in April, and Atkinson has spent the past eight months touring and speaking on panels with documentarian Ken Burns to promote Burns’ six-part documentary series “The American Revolution,” which premieres Nov. 16 on PBS.

Atkinson is a featured speaker in the series and has been involved with it for about four years.

The dinner featuring Rick Atkinson was one of 40 taking place across town that evening. The events raised $2 million for the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

The week before the Literary Feast, Atkinson and Burns spoke to members of Congress in Washington, D.C., and also screened a 40-minute clip at Mount Vernon where Atkinson discussed Washington’s unique talents as a general.

“I’ve seen the whole thing several times and it’s fantastic,” Atkinson said of the 12-hour film. “It’s as you would expect: beautifully filmed, wonderfully told, great narrative.”

The country is now more than four months into its semiquincentennial, which Atkinson joked “sounds like a medical procedure,” but is actually the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. It’s well known that Trump is planning a splashy party, with festivities and commemorations intensifying over the next eight months, culminating in a grand celebration in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2026.

Rick Atkinson’s book “The Fate of the Day,” which explores the bloody middle years of the Revolution from 1777 to 1780, was released in April.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

“My hope is that as a country, we use the opportunity to reflect on those basic questions of who we are, where we came from, what our forebears believed and what they were willing to die for,” said Atkinson. “I’m optimistic because I’m a historian, because I know our history. No matter how grim things seem in 2025, we have faced grimmer times in the past, existential threats of the first order, starting with the Revolution.”

The politically deflated might also consider World War II — the subject of Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy — the second volume of which won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for history. The writer knows his stuff. Guests — and readers — take heart.

Ronan Keating had to rush to help Rick after he suffered a coughing fit during an appearance on The One Show

Rick Astley has opened up about his coughing episode on The One Show, confessing he feared he might have to “walk off” during the live broadcast.

The 80s icon left viewers concerned when he began choking and spluttering whilst being interviewed on the BBC programme on Friday (September 5), with fellow musician Ronan Keating rushing to his aid by patting his back.

The incident was discussed during Rick’s appearance on BBC Breakfast on Monday (September 8), reports the Express. Presenter Jon Kay joked, “Rick joins us, and you’ve got some water, because you had a bit of a cough, didn’t you, on The One Show?”

“Yeah, I did indeed,” Rick replied. “So exciting to be about to cough your head off on live TV, sat next to Ronan Keating!”

“We do it all the time, so for people who didn’t see it, what happened?” presenter Sally Nugent asked.

The performer revealed: “The show had started and they had done a shot where the two of us are on the couch, so Ronan’s being interviewed and chatting, and I know Ronan a bit, he’s lovely, he’s great.

“And then I just started to feel I had a tickle, and then, so I’m trying to suppress it, you know, having some water and stuff, and I’m clutching my knees, and I’m thinking, I’m about to walk off live television, even though they’ve just introduced me as being on the couch! But we’re all good this morning. I hope so!”

“I don’t know what it was; it was just a tickle,” he continued.

The star went on: “I’ve only cancelled one gig in the whole of my life, and that was because of food poisoning, nothing to do with singing.”

“So, yeah, so hopefully we’re good.”

Jon suggested that even if the singer ever encountered a problem with his voice, the “show must go on”.

“Yeah, but also I think adrenaline kicks in,” Rick responded. “The amount of times that I’ve not been fully match fit, let’s say, a bit of a cold or something, but I think your adrenaline just takes over. The excitement of doing it still feels like the most exciting thing in the world to me.”

“Well, we’ve got Ronan on standby, just in case you need it,” Jon joked, causing Rick to chuckle.

Rick, 59, also opened up about how taking a hiatus from his career had made him appreciate it more.

“I’ve kind of got away from how kind of ridiculous it is and how full of nonsense it is to just view it as a purely beautiful, lovely thing to do,” he shared. “I don’t really ever get wrapped up in the fame side of it, all the this, that, and the other.”

The star admitted that he was “not really famous” most of the time, as he could visit places like the supermarket without being recognised.

“And that’s amazing because I can go and play an arena and then literally be going on the way home or on the way to the hotel and be completely ignored by people,” he added. “Even sometimes the same people who are in the arena.”

BBC Breakfast is broadcast daily at 6am on BBC One.

A recently fired California Legislature staff member filed a lawsuit this week against Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas claiming that the lawmaker and his brother, Rick, retaliated against her for reporting sexual harassment and alleged ethics violations.

Former press secretary Cynthia Moreno alleged in the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Sacramento County Superior Court, that the speaker targeted her after she filed a sexual harassment complaint against a colleague in May 2024 and stripped her of “significant job responsibilities.”

Early this year, Moreno filed another complaint to the Workplace Conduct Unit, which investigates allegations of inappropriate conduct by legislative employees, alleging Rick Rivas, a nonprofit organization and a political action committee had “funneled money” to exert influence on the speaker, according to the lawsuit.

In response, Moreno alleges in the lawsuit, Rick Rivas used his influence to deny her a tenure-based pay raise and terminate her employment.

Rick Rivas is the American Beverage Assn.’s vice president for California and has acted as a political advisor to his brother. Rick Rivas did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Elizabeth Ashford, a spokesperson for Robert Rivas, said the speaker’s brother had no role in Moreno’s employment and the lawmaker “recused himself from all matters related to Moreno’s termination,” which was handled by the Workplace Conduct Unit.

“The vast conspiracy theories included in this filing are absolutely false,” Ashford said in a statement, adding that “any court will see this for what it is: an attempt by a former employee to force a payout.”

The Assembly Rules Committee terminated Moreno in August after an investigation substantiated allegations of sexual harassment that had been lodged against her, according to Chief Administrative Officer Lia Lopez. Moreno has denied those allegations.

Moreno is seeking damages for lost wages and benefits, lost business opportunities and harm to her professional reputation. She’s also seeking a public apology for the “made-up sexual-harassment allegations launched against [her] for reporting Robert Rivas’ and Rick Rivas’ illegal and unethical actions,” the lawsuit states.

Fans are already looing forward to binge watching the enture series

One of the writers from hit show Rick and Morty is bringing ‘chaos energy’ to Netflix in a new animated series fans already can’t wait to fall in love with.

Haunted Hotel is set to be streaming from September 19. Audiences are already anticipating spooky season beginning early as a result.

According to the synopsis released by the streaming giant, the series will follow a single mother of two who struggles to run a haunted hotel. All she has to help her is estranged brother, who is now one of the ghosts haunting the establishment and thinks the other ghosts have some pretty good ideas.

As seen in the trailer, not only does she juggle a son, daughter and a host of ghosts, there’s also a demon trapped inside the body of a boy from the 1700s.

There are also various types of spirits, ghosts and devil like creatures. One even sounds just like the voice of Seth Rogen.

Meanwhile, the main voice cast for Haunted Hotel includes Saturday Night Live alum and The Four Seasons star Will Forte. He’s joined by Scrubs’ Eliza Coupe, one of the stars of new Superman movie Skyler Gisondo, comedian Natalie Palamides, and Jimmi Simpson who many will recognise from Westworld and as one of the McPoyle brothers in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelpihia.

Haunted Hotel is created by Matt Roller, who has previously written for shows including Rick and Morty, Community and Archer. He has also worked on sitcoms Mr. Mayor and The Goldbergs.

Celebrating the series order at Netflix, he said: “I’m thrilled to be working with Netflix and an amazingly talented cast and crew to bring to life the stories of the dead, the evil, and the struggling hospitality workers at the Undervale Hotel,”

Fans are already looking forward to the new show. While it is not yet confirmed how many episodes will consist of its debut season, it’s already looking like a must binge title.

One person, replying to the trailer on social media, commented: “Rick and Morty’s chaotic energy but make it haunted? Yeah… I’m checking in!”

Another added: “t’s giving me Scooby doo vibe!” Sharing a similar sentiment one person posted: “Rick and Morty meets Scooby-Doo energy, but way more unhinged.”

While one person, seemingly excited for Halloween already said: “Spooky comedy just what we need to ease into fall. Will Forte + Rick and Morty creators = yes please”

There were some who spoke with a word of caution. It comes after a year of even more cancellations confirmed at the streamer during 2025. That included many that were only given one season despite reaching millions of views.

Shows such as The Residence, Pulse and Territory all came to a premature end. Fans are already fearful Haunted Hotel will be added to the list.

One person posted: “I can’t wait to fall in love with this show, only to be heartbroken when Netflix inevitably cancels it.”

Another agreed: “Can’t wait to love this show then feel depressed when it’s cancelled on a depressing cliffhanger.”

Haunted Hotel is streaming on Netflix from September 19.

Rick and Morty season eight is set to come to an end soon, but fans have a couple more adventures to look forward to before the series finale.

The eagerly awaited Rick and Morty season eight episode nine is on the horizon, but fans are buzzing to find out what time will Morty Daddy premiere.

Adult Swim and E4‘s cult favourite animated series Rick and Morty bounced back onto screens in June for its eighth outing, delivering a fresh dose of mind-bending and side-splitting escapades every Sunday.

With the anticipation building, here’s when you can tune in to see what chaos the most notorious duo on television will unleash next.

Rick and Morty season 8 episode 9 UK release time

The ninth episode of Rick and Morty season eight, titled Morty Daddy, is scheduled to air this weekend on E4.

Rick and Morty’s penultimate season eight episode is scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 9pm BST (British Summer Time).

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The sitcom’s return comes after Morty Daddy initially aired in the US last Sunday with UK fans treated to episodes a week later.

As per usual, few details are disclosed prior to a new Rick and Morty episode airing, often leaving fans with more questions than answers.

The official synopsis for Morty Daddy reads: “Summer and Rick dine OUT, broh. Fancy restaurant stuff.

“Morty reconnects with someone from his past.”

Series eight premiered on Sunday June 1 and now its 10-episode run is nearing its end, with the grand finale Hot Rick, set to be released next week on Sunday, August 3.

While it’s bittersweet to bid farewell to Rick and Morty once more, the future shines bright for Dan Harmon’s beloved creation.

Last year, Adult Swim renewed the popular animated series for several more seasons, ensuring that Rick and Morty will continue until at least season 12.

However, it’s uncertain when we can expect series nine, given the two-year gap between seasons seven and eight.

Before this, Rick and Morty had been making a yearly return, so fans are hopeful that this pattern will resume.

Rick and Morty is available to watch on E4.

Actor Rick Hurst, best known as dim-witted Deputy Cletus Hogg on the TV show “The Dukes of Hazzard,” has died unexpectedly in Los Angeles. He was 79.

“It doesn’t seem right that Rick Hurst passed away this afternoon. When something so unexpected happens, it is ‘harder to process,’ as the current expression goes,” actor and politician Ben Jones, who played Cooter Davenport on “Hazzard,” wrote Thursday evening on the Facebook page for Cooter’s Place, a business themed to the show.

“I just this moment heard about the passing of dear Rick Hurst, a.k.a. Cletus Hogg,” co-star John Schneider, who played Bo Duke on “Hazzard,” wrote Thursday night on Facebook. “You were [a] remarkable force for humanity, sanity and comedy my friend. Heaven is a safer and more organized place with you in it. We’ll keep the race going and people laughing until we meet again! Love you.”

Hurst had been scheduled for fan meet-and-greet appearances July 3-7 at the Cooter’s in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., according to the website for the store and restaurant, which has three locations. Cooter’s called off the visit in a Facebook post early Thursday, saying the visit would be rescheduled due to “unforeseen circumstances.”

Born Jan. 1, 1946, in Houston and raised there, Hurst got started in acting quite early. “When I was 5 or 6, acting kind of tapped me on the shoulder — literally,” he said on a COVID-era podcast a few years back with pop culture enthusiast Scott Romine. Hurst said he was at a Houston Public Library location with his mom when a man tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he wanted to be in a commercial for the library system. He did the spot, he said, “and my pay was a chocolate soda.”

After high school in Houston, Hurst studied theater at Tulane University in New Orleans, then got a master’s in fine arts from Temple University in Philadelphia. All of his experience was on stage until he moved to Los Angeles. His first TV credit was for “Sanford and Son” in 1972 and his final credit was for “B My Guest,” a 2016 TV short.

In addition to working on the first five seasons of “The Dukes of Hazzard,” which ran from 1979 to 1985, Hurst appeared on myriad shows including “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “MASH,” “Baretta” and “227” and the miniseries “From Here to Eternity.”

Hurst said on that podcast that he “thanked God all the time” for the success of “The Dukes of Hazzard” and its fandom.

“The stunt guys were the heroes of the show,” he said, “and all of us in the cast knew that the first star on the show was the General Lee,” the orange 1969 Dodge Charger with a Confederate battle flag emblazoned on top, driven by characters Bo and Luke Duke, the latter played by Tom Wopat.

Hurst was married twice, first to acting coach Candace Kaniecki, mother of actor Ryan Hurst, and then to Shelly Weir, mother of Collin Hurst. Ryan Hurst is best known for his roles as Opie on “Sons of Anarchy” and Beta on “The Walking Dead.”

With Prime Video’s “Fallout,” HBO’s “The Righteous Gemstones” and now Season 3 of “The White Lotus” (also HBO), Walton Goggins’ fame has exploded. With his buzzy portrayal of Rick, a man obsessed with avenging his father’s death, in “Lotus,” an Emmy might finally be in the cards for the actor, a veteran of many critically beloved shows.

6

“Lotus” is the sixth Goggins show, after “The Shield,” “Justified,” “Gemstones,” “The Unicorn” and “Fallout,” to receive an …

85%

… or better aggregate Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score. Yet Goggins has never won an Emmy and has received only …

2

… nominations: supporting drama actor (2011) for his charismatic criminal Boyd in “Justified” and drama lead (2024) for bounty hunter the Ghoul on “Fallout.” It could be …

14

… his material that’s the issue. Goggins’ gritty and/or Southern-fried shows are not the kind that inspire Emmy voters’ rapture. Despite its secure place in the TV pantheon, “The Shield” drew three fewer nominations over seven seasons than …

17

… the more awards-friendly “Fallout” — a stylish, thoughtful video game adaptation often helmed by Jonathan Nolan — did in its first season. But love for “Fallout” …

44

… is a trickle compared with the tsunami of nominations for “Lotus” over its first two seasons. The show already has won …

15

… Emmys. Although …

4

… all that attention means Goggins might share this year’s drama supporting category with co-stars Jason Isaacs, Sam Nivola and Sam Rockwell. But …

3

… that does not necessarily mean splitting “Lotus” votes. Murray Bartlett won a limited series supporting Emmy for Season 1 against fellow “Lotus” actors, and Jennifer Coolidge prevailed twice in supporting categories crowded with co-stars. Indeed …

100%

… of nominated “Lotus” performers whose characters, much like Rick, faced extreme challenges have won.

Rick Derringer, the guitarist and former McCoys rocker who gained popularity for songs including “Hang On Sloopy” and “Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo,” and produced albums for a range of artists including Cyndi Lauper and Weird Al Yankovic, has died. He was 77.

The musician, who rose to prominence in the mid-1960s, died Monday in Ormond Beach, Fla., his caretaker Tony Wilson announced on Facebook. Derringer “received his wings and passed on this Memorial Day,” Wilson said, adding that he and Derringer’s wife and collaborator Jenda Derringer were both with the artist at the time of his death. Additional details, including the cause of death, were not revealed.

Before his death, Derringer suffered “several medical issues,” according to his social media pages.

“Derringer’s legacy extends beyond his music, entertaining fans with his signature energy and talent,” Wilson wrote. “His passing leaves a void in the music world, and he will be deeply missed by fans, colleagues, and loved ones.”

Yankovic paid tribute to Derringer on Instagram, writing that Derringer “had an enormous impact on my life, and will be missed greatly.”

The musician, born Aug. 5, 1947, began his music career assembling the McCoys with brother Randy and broke out in his teens with the release of the group’s “Hang On Sloopy.” The song would become a No. 1 hit and give Derringer a taste of stardom at age 16 — let alone during the height of Beatlemania.

“What teenager could ask for more than to have the top record in the world, girls screaming and pulling your clothes off everywhere you go?” he said to The Times in 1993. “It was the perfect time to be a kid and have a hit record. It was like Christmas every day.”

Derringer, who performed with brothers Johnny and Edgar Winter after the “Hang On Sloppy” hype, in 1973 released his debut solo album “All American Boy,” which offered listeners another hit: “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.”

Through the 1970s and 1980s, Derringer turned his focus to performing as a session musician, collaborating with acts including Steely Dan, Todd Rundgren, Kiss and Barbra Streisand. During the ’80s, he also worked with Lauper and toured with Ringo Starr and the All-Starr band.

Derringer worked closely with “Weird Al” Yankovic, producing several albums including the parody singer’s Grammy-winning songs “Eat It” and “Fat,” which spoofed Michael Jackson hits “Beat It” and “Bad,” respectively. He also produced the World Wrestling Federation’s “The Wrestling Album,” which included Hulk Hogan’s theme song “Real American.”

“But people haven’t looked at that in the most positive light. They look at novelty records and put a negative connotation on it for some reason. But we made great records together — we won two Grammys,” he told The Times of his work with Yankovic, before noting “it really wasn’t helping my career.”

He added: “A couple years ago, I figured I was working so much on other people’s records that I was ignoring my own career, basically. I decided it was time to go out and do my own songs again.”

He continued to release and tour, including with Starr from 2011 to 2014, through the aughts and into the 2010s. In 2023, Derringer and his wife Jenda Derringer released their eight-track album “Rock the Yacht.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.