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The Chargers’ backup quarterback competition is over — for now.

Despite DJ Uiagalelei outperforming Trey Lance in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Rams, the incumbent was named QB2 once again, as the Chargers announced their initial 53-man roster Sunday evening.

“My mindset has just been stacking days,” Lance said. “As many days as I can have; good days that I could feel good about. Good reps [or] bad reps, I learn from them all.”

Choosing Lance, who is familiar with the role and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s system from their shared time with the San Francisco 49ers, was one of several interesting roster moves the Chargers made on cut-down day.

Most notably, punter and nine-year veteran JK Scott was released alongside running back Jaret Patterson.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Chargers brought Scott back this week. However, he had a rough preseason, in which he showed abysmal tackling effort and shanked a punt.

“As competitors, yeah, I don’t like seeing that on tape,” special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken said.

Patterson, meanwhile, couldn’t crack a crowded running back room led by Omarion Hampton. Greg Desrosiers Jr. and Amar Johnson also didn’t make the roster despite promising showings during the preseason.

“I feel like I did everything I needed to do to kind of put all the teams on notice [and] put the front office here on notice,” Desrosiers said after rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown against the Rams.

Other intriguing players, such as wideout Dalevon Campbell, outside linebacker Kyle Kennard and linebacker Junior Colson, a third-round pick in 2024, were waived.

Some “bubble” players, though, did make the cut; cornerback Rodney Shelley is one of them.

The undrafted rookie put a bow on a strong camp by earning five tackles and a pretty pass breakup against the Rams. Plus, the Chargers made room for him by trading cornerback Avery Smith to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 sixth-round pick. The Chargers also traded defensive lineman TeRah Ewards to the Carolina Panthers for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick.

Jacob Spomer is another undrafted rookie who will remain in Los Angeles.

The offensive lineman impressed during training camp and adds depth after the Chargers assigned offensive lineman Branson Taylor to injury reserve alongside two-way trenches trooper Scott Matlock.

Of course, some waived players could see extended opportunities with the Chargers through the practice squad.

“I can’t really think of anybody that I’m going to tell their football lives are over to,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said Thursday. “I can’t think of one guy I’d say that to. I just don’t believe that.

“I’m probably going to put myself in their shoes and hopefully give them some great advice [on] what to do next. It’s going to be said with encouragement and love, because I truly believe in them.”

I lay on my back and stared at a bright blue painted sky, dappled with puffy clouds. As my mind drifted, the sound of a breeze, created by handheld fans, filled the room. Then came a symphony of chimes, crystal bowls, wave drums and rain sticks. To my right, a black bear cub eyed me curiously.

Soon a thunderous crescendo of gongs arose. I looked to my left, where two endangered polar bears stood on a sheet of ice, ocean looming behind them.

The noises softened and went still. With a resounding clap from participants around the room, I came back to reality.

I wasn’t in a forest, nor the Arctic. And no, I had not recently taken any psychedelic substances. I was at a sound bath in the North American Mammal Hall at L.A.’s Natural History Museum, surrounded by dioramas of taxidermy, meditative instruments and sound healers from the Oso Sound Healing Studio.

Avery Whitmore leads participants in a sound bath.

Hosted earlier this month, the sound bath was the first of two events in the museum’s new Mindfulness Mornings at the Museum series, where guests can experience a meditative practice in the iconic gallery before opening hours. A nearly sold-out yoga session led by SoulPlay Yoga will take place on Sept. 13, and museum organizers hope to host more events after that, said Joel Quizon, the manager of public programs.

The Natural History Museum always looks for ways to “activate the museum space,” Quizon said. Ahead of the sound bath, Oso Sound Healing Studio founder Avery Whitmore said the unconventional space would invite a childlike energy, a deeper connection to animals and introspection.

“Just seeing these older animals, it takes you into another place,” Whitmore said. “It could invite you into a deeper meditation about where we are, where we come from. In that mind state, you might be a little bit more receptive to exploring the same questions about yourself.”

The museum introduced Mindfulness Mornings following the success of its past wellness events — including sound baths that were part of its First Fridays after-hours series. With those events, the lines went “down to the basement,” Quizon said.

The Natural History Museum is an apt venue for mindfulness events as people already see it as an “oasis [in] the city,” said Joel Quizon, the museum’s manager of public programs.

Participants Kenny Mayo of Culver City, left, and Verseilla McCloskey of Long Beach are immersed in sound.

Whitmore, who previously collaborated with the museum during First Fridays in 2025, founded Oso Sound Healing Studio in 2023. He played piano and percussion as a child and later guitar as an adult, but “put all of that away for many years,” he said.

About a decade ago, personal struggle led him to seek out spiritual practices, and that healing guided him toward being of service to others. That led him to attend massage school — not to start a career as a massage therapist, he said, but to learn how to give back to others.

The experience inspired him to learn other healing modalities, including breath work and sound meditation: the latter of which reignited his musical appreciation. “ It helped to revisit that, or reawaken it from another perspective,” Whitmore said.

When I attended the sound bath, about 100 people filled the hall and Whitmore opened the meditation by asking how many new sound bathers were here. More than half of the attendees, including me, raised their hands.

During the practice, participants can peek and see the varied habitats of North America beside them.

Avery Whitmore created a sound bath experience inspired by the unique museum space.

With the overhead lights dimmed and soft light spilling from the dioramas, the displays looked like windows to other worlds. I took a mat next to the American black bears and American badgers, only slightly jealous that the mats next to the large-scale walrus diorama were taken.

The meditation lasted about an hour. In addition to the variety of instruments evoking the sounds of nature, it incorporated breathwork, vocal exercises and a small amount of physical sensation: a refreshing spritz of rose water. Sets of instruments were stationed along every wall of the room, fully encompassing us in sound. Peeking at the animals around me, I couldn’t help but think of them as characters whenever new instruments joined the symphony.

“Definitely the coolest sound healing experience I’ve been to,” said Kenny Mayo, 35, after the sound bath.

“The different stations felt like an orchestra. It was put together in such a beautiful, methodical way, and all of the instruments were harmonizing perfectly.  It felt like no matter where you were, there was something close to you,” Mayo said.

Toward the end of the meditation, Whitmore asked participants to envision an animal and invited them to receive its message. Mayo said she thought of a hawk, and found meaning in connecting with the spirits of animals that “don’t exist anymore.”

“It’s a magical thing, to be able to see the history of all the animals, our ancestors,” she said. “We can still connect to the essence.”

I looked at the taxidermy black bear cub, standing energetically on its hind legs, and imagined the future ahead of it; then across the room to the adult polar bears, traversing an icy surface that, beyond the diorama, continues to melt away.

As part of the meditation, participants were invited to think about where they were, and where they’ve come from.

When David Lynch moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles in the summer of 1970, he was stunned by the sunshine that radiated onto the city — the “most beautiful light I’d ever seen in my life,” he wrote with Kristine McKenna in his 2018 memoir “Room to Dream.” In that book, he described his first morning walking out of an apartment on San Vicente Boulevard.

David Lynch in 2016.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

“I kept kind of moving around with my arms outstretched and I almost got hit by a car wandering into the street,” he wrote.

That light — and Los Angeles itself — continued to inspire and energize the filmmaker and artist throughout his five-plus decades of calling L.A. home, until his death last year at the age of 78. In “Room to Dream,” he wrote about the “magical street” of Mulholland Drive and all its twists and turns: “It’s really got a history, and if you’re in Los Angeles long enough you start hearing stories about things that have happened on it that get your mind going.” In an interview with the Filmographers, he told the story of how his character in “Twin Peaks” was a name plucked from Billy Wilder’s
“Sunset Boulevard,” which very well may have been inspired by Wilder’s
commute to Paramount that passed the Hollywood streets Gordon and
Cole. And the dissolve from Naomi Watts’ face in “Mulholland Drive” to rows of palm trees has become a classic shot for representing his work and his love for the city, hopeful and drenched in his beloved sunlight.

Much like L.A., the artistic legacy of Lynch is difficult to encapsulate — trying to describe his work is like attempting to explain a dream. His films so strongly defied categorization that they necessitated an eponymous term: Lynchian.

The Hollywood Sign, as seen from Beachwood Drive. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Palm trees, which Lynch often used as a symbol in his films, tower above the city. (David McNew / Getty Images)

Unsettling to many, beloved by more, he refused to explain his work, allowing and challenging his audience to parse through it and imbue their own meanings and discoveries. The reward, for him, was in the doing, in taking a daydream and forming it into an idea that he could shape into something real in the world, blending the mundane and the macabre.

Here are some places around L.A. that offer a glimpse into Lynch’s world.

Note: the Lynch compound and all other residential locations mentioned are all private residences, and not to be disturbed.

Classic diners, especially Bob’s Big Boy Burbank

Lynch would often to go to Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank to meet with creative collaborators, or simply sit and think

(Jill Connelly / For The Times)

Lynch was fond of the straightforwardness of a diner, and he considered them to be ideal for creative thinking and work meetings. In his book “Catching the Big Fish,” he said: “I’d have a milkshake and sit and think. There’s a safety in thinking in a diner. You can have your coffee or your milkshake, and you can go off into strange dark areas, and always come back to the safety of the diner.”

One of the most viscerally terrifying scenes of “Mulholland Drive” takes place behind the dumpster at the abandoned Caesar’s diner in Gardena. And he liked having meals with his family at what is now the Denny’s in Gower Gulch, a place where aspiring cowboy actors once congregated. But the most significant diner in Lynch’s legacy is Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank. He spoke of going to Bob’s almost every day from the mid-’70s until the early ’80s. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Lynch claimed he saw a man at the counter who inspired the Frank Booth character in “Blue Velvet.”

Signs of Lynch at Bob’s Big Boy: His headshot displayed alongside actors Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern; a milkshake at the counter. (Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

Lynch’s order included a chocolate milkshake and coffee, the cold sugar and caffeine fueling his ideas. He believed 2:30 p.m. was the perfect time to order the milkshake, specifically ”after the lunch rush when the machine had enough time to chill, the silver goblet would be frosted when it arrives at the table, and the ice cream is almost like butter, like cold butter, it’s almost solid, and it has specks of chocolate in it, and it almost gets a frost on it when it arrives,” he said in a conversation with the Filmosophers.

Today there is a framed photo of Lynch over the door of the Burbank location, indicating that his love for the restaurant was mutual. After his death, Bob’s became the de facto location for fans needing to pay homage to the beloved director, piled high with tributes of cigarettes, cans of Coke, donuts, slices of pie and tear-stained letters of gratitude.

Franklin Canyon Park

Leaves illuminated by sunlight under a canopy of trees in Franklin Canyon.

(Blake Fagan / For The Times)

Franklin Canyon Park was once a summer retreat for the Doheny family, who built a Spanish-style home at the base of the canyon in the 1930s. The 605 acres were purchased by the National Park Service in 1981.

A frame overlooks the water in Franklin Canyon, which stood in for many interstitial woodsy scenes in “Twin Peaks.”

(Blake Fagan / For The Times)

The mysterious woods are an essential element in Lynch’s world of “Twin Peaks.” While the pilot for the TV drama and the film prequel “Fire Walk With Me” were filmed in Washington (and there’s lots of scenic footage from the Pacific Northwest throughout the series), much of the show was filmed on Southern California soundstages. And for the many interstitial scenes in the woods, Franklin Canyon and its lush forest stood in. Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost opened an esoteric window to prime-time viewers with the concept of the Black Lodge. The filming location of its entrance, known as Glastonbury Grove in the show, is in Franklin Canyon Park.

Doheny landmarks

In an interview with Charlie Rose, Lynch stated that “everybody is a detective and the unknown is a magnet.” He invited his audiences to look at a door and investigate what lurks behind it. This philosophy ties to his connections with an L.A. legacy, one that contains its own mysteries and contrasts: the Doheny family and its historic properties:

The Doheny Mansion

Glimpses of the Doheny Mansion, clockwise from left: the music room; a stained glass sky light; a sculpture adorns a table in the Pompeian Room. (Blake Fagan / For The Times)

The sprawling and opulent Doheny Mansion, now part of the Mt. St. Mary’s campus, was built in 1899 by architects Theodore Eisen and Sumner Hunt. Patriarch and oil baron Ed Doheny and wife Estelle acquired the home in 1901 and the Doheny family made it their home for nearly 60 years. Lynch used the mansion as the home for Laura Dern’s character in his 2006 film “Inland Empire,” and also filmed an Armani commercial there in the 1990s.

Greystone Mansion

The central courtyard at the Greystone Mansion.

(Blake Fagan / For The Times)

In the 1970s, Lynch was a fellow at the newly founded American Film Institute, based at Greystone Mansion at the time. He eventually took over the mansion’s stables, converting them into a production studio and occasionally (and illegally) living there while he filmed his debut feature, “Eraserhead.” He slept in the room that became the bedroom for the character Henry. “I’d lock myself in there in such a way that from the outside it looked as if no one could possibly be inside,” Lynch said in Mark Altman’s 1990 book “Twin Peaks: Behind The Scenes.” “We’d put these special blankets up on the walls to deaden the sound for shooting and it was quiet.”

Scenes from the Greystone Mansion. (Blake Fagan / For The Times)

Greystone Mansion carried an air of secrecy in itself. Built in 1928 by Gordon Kaufmann, and a gift from Edward Doheny to his son Ned and his family, the stately Tudor Revival was home to a horrific tragedy. Months after moving in, Ned and his lifelong friend and personal secretary, Hugh Plunkett, were found in a guest bedroom, victims of a murder-suicide. While their motives were never defined for certain, the accepted belief was the tragedy was tied to their involvement in the Teapot Dome political corruption scandal and Plunkett’s looming testimony that could’ve implicated the Dohenys.

The city of Beverly Hills purchased the grand manor in 1965 and installed an underground reservoir, and leased the property to the newly formed American Film Institute in 1969 for $1 a year, with the agreement that the school would maintain the property. Greystone was dedicated as a public park in 1971 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

L.A.’s Transcendental Meditation centers

After moving to Los Angeles, Lynch started visiting the Spiritual Regeneration Movement Center in Santa Monica and it altered his life. Here he learned the methods of Transcendental Meditation, developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, with the focus of seeking enlightenment. His first meditation session was July 1, 1973, and from there, he practiced twice a day, every single day.

“Before I started meditating I worried that doing it would make me lose my edge, and I didn’t want to lose the fire to make stuff,” Lynch wrote in “Room to Dream.” “I found out it gives you more fire to make stuff and more happiness in the doing and way more of an edge. People think anger is an edge, but anger is a weakness that poisons you and the environment around you.”

Lynch became a staunch devotee of Transcendental Meditation and spoke about the positive effects he believed it could have for everyone, particularly veterans, those suffering from PTSD and women who have survived violence. He started the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace in 2005 to offer children throughout the world the opportunity to learn to meditate. The foundation recommends several Transcendental Meditation centers in Los Angeles, including the center on Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz.

The Pink House, David Lynch’s compound in Hollywood Hills and his final resting place at Hollywood Forever

The historic Tower Theater, built in 1927, was converted into the Apple Tower Theatre.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

On screen, Lynch loved the old glamour of Los Angeles — the majestic Tower Theater in downtown Los Angeles was used in “Mulholland Drive,” “Inland Empire” and “Twin Peaks: The Return.” His characters lived in equally memorable spaces, with the women of “Mulholland Drive” going from the grandeur of the Il Borghese apartments (architect Charles Gault, 1929) to meet tragic endings in the fairy-tale-esque “Snow White” apartments (architect Ben Sherwood, 1931) that are believed to have also inspired Walt Disney. (It’s worth noting that this theater has been refurbished into an Apple store. A beautiful achievement of preservation work, but it’s hard not to see the consumer-driven sleekness and think about a theme in Lynch’s work: the terrors lurking inside a changing America.)

Personally, Lynch loved modern architecture, and experienced love at first sight with the home he purchased in the mid-’80s in the Hollywood Hills. The Pink House, as Lynch referred to it, was designed by Lloyd Wright Jr. for writer Beverly Johnson in 1963. Lynch commissioned Eric Wright (Lloyd’s son and Frank Lloyd Wright’s grandson) to add a pool and pool house in 1991. He told the Wall Street Journal that he preferred Lloyd Wright’s work over his father’s, explaining, “Lloyd Wright is more minimal. More pure. But just as beautiful.”

The house is semi-secluded against a lush hill, beneath the actual Mulholland Drive, and has a subtle chevron pattern detail that runs throughout the house, similar to the floor of the “Twin Peaks” red room. Lynch loved this house and spent much of his time in Los Angeles here, particularly in his later years. He gradually added two neighboring properties to form what would become the Lynch compound.

A “Twin Peaks” coffee cup that was gifted to David Lynch by a fan.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)

When filming began on “Lost Highway,” he struggled to find the right location for the home of the lead characters, Fred and Renee Madison. This set piece would be crucial to building their sense of dread. Lynch then had an idea: He would use the Brutalist structure in his compound. He transformed the interior and altered the exterior windows, making it difficult for the characters to see the dangers circling outside. “Some people open windows of houses, but I like interiors and don’t care about windows,” Lynch wrote in “Room to Dream.” “I like to go deeper into a house and find things underneath things.”

For the next two decades, the compound was Lynch’s dream space where he could create anything he imagined, including his 2000s-era daily weather reports for local radio stations and his website, a hobby he revived during 2020. Homebound the last few years because of emphysema, he was forced to relocate during the Sunset fire in January 2025, and died shortly after. David Lynch’s final resting place is at Hollywood Forever, across from the Fairbanks Lawn where movies are shown, under the stars.

Turning up at the hotel check-in desk straight away might be harming your chances of getting a more premium holiday experience

Checking into your holiday at the earliest possible opportunity might seem like the savvy move at first, but it could be ruining your chances of getting a luxury hotel room free-of-charge. According to industry analysis from travel experts, checking-in during a specific 90-minute window could be the ultimate strategy.

Graziano Gagliardi at Private Italy Tour claims that turning up at the front desk between 4.30pm and 6pm gives reception staff a much clearer picture of the premium suites that remain available. Arriving too early, say 2pm for instance, means housekeeping is likely still preparing and cleaning rooms, which leaves workers unable to confirm what higher-tier options are unoccupied for the night.

Gagliardi said: “If standard check-in begins at 2pm or 3pm, arriving immediately may not give you the best chance of an upgrade. Housekeeping may still be preparing rooms, while reception staff may not yet know which guests are arriving, cancelling or requesting changes.

“By around 4.30pm, the hotel usually has a much clearer picture of its room availability. If a larger room, a better view or a higher category is likely to remain empty, staff may have more flexibility to offer it.”

Turning up extremely late can also backfire, he claims, particularly at smaller boutique properties that operate limited front desk hours. He said: “Turning up at 10pm without warning is not a clever upgrade trick. If you expect to arrive late, always notify the hotel in advance.”

Holidaymakers booking shorter stays of one or two nights stand a significantly higher chance of being bumped up to a better class of room. Terms outlined by major hotel chains like Hilton confirm that complimentary upgrades strictly depend on space being continuously available for the entire duration of a guest’s stay.

A similar policy is enforced by Marriott, which explicitly states that room improvements are determined upon physical arrival at the front desk. Experts warn that travellers should remain realistic, as an upgrade often means securing a quieter location, higher floor, or better balcony view rather than the top luxury suite.

To maximise your chances, Private Italy Tour recommends using a specific phrase to politely ask front desk staff without sounding overly demanding or entitled. The travel guru suggests asking: “I understand it depends entirely on availability, but if there are any complimentary upgrades available this evening, I would be very grateful to be considered.”

Joining a hotel’s free membership scheme prior to travel can also boost your odds, as many major operators prioritize enrolled guests for empty premium spaces. However, guidelines published by Hilton Honors clarify that simply signing up does not guarantee a better room without holding eligible membership status or rates.

Guests celebrating genuine milestones such as birthdays, anniversaries, or honeymoons are advised to notify the hotel a few days before their arrival date. Mentioning a real special occasion often encourages reception teams to offer a complimentary perk or a room improvement.

Finally, the experts strongly warn holidaymakers against manufacturing fake complaints or inventing faults with their original room just to pressure staff into moving them. Dishonesty is far more likely to harm your chances than help them, meaning a polite, well-timed request during that crucial 90-minute window remains your absolute best bet.

For five decades, Top Of The Pops defined the music industry.

Before streaming, YouTube, and TikTok, the hit BBC show was the go-to place for both fledgling singers looking for a big break and superstars alike.

Now the show’s assistant floor manager Gareth Davies, 51, has lifted the lid on what really went on behind the scenes — branding Jennifer Lopez and Shania Twain the biggest divas.

He also recalls how Madonna was left twiddling her thumbs after her clothes went missing.

Gareth, who worked on the show from the mid-to-late Nineties through to the early Noughties, said: “My job was to get artists from backstage and guide them to the stage for their performance.

“Jennifer Lopez had the most demands, for sure.

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“The dressing rooms were all along this narrow corridor — so nothing special, really, quite old-fashioned. But for that small stretch of space, she made it completely her own.

“The best way to describe it is that she turned her dressing room entirely white.

“I’m not sure where the fascination with white came from, but she wanted everything transformed.

“The whole room was covered from top to bottom, which was quite unusual.

“She didn’t paint it. She had plastic sheeting put up everywhere instead, so it created this striking, all-white environment.”

It’s a far cry from the image of the Bronx girl done good portrayed in the lyrics of her 2002 hit Jenny From The Block.

But J.Lo’s antics pale into insignificance compared to country legend Shania Twain.

Recalling how the superstar was flanked by her team at all times, Gareth said: “Shania Twain had a really large entourage with her, and my lasting memory was watching her walk from the dressing rooms to the studio.

“There was this long line of people moving ahead of her, like a relay.

“Apparently she didn’t open doors, so someone would always be one step ahead holding it open for her. It was this perfectly choreographed system so she could just keep walking.”

Shania appeared on the show four times during Gareth’s time on the series, making her debut in June 1999 with That Don’t Impress Me Much before returning in December that same year. She also performed in 2000 and 2002.

But for every diva, there was also an unlikely down-to-earth performer.

Perhaps the most surprising was Janet Jackson, sister of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Gareth said: “I remember everyone on the studio floor waiting quite a long time for Janet to arrive.

“We were all being very casual about it, thinking, well, she’s a major A-lister, of course she’s going to be late. So we just waited around.

“But it turned out Janet and all her dancers had been there the whole time, quietly waiting on stage themselves while we were all waiting for her.

“She was just there in her tracksuit bottoms and hoodie, completely relaxed in that effortlessly cool way.

“What really stayed with me was how kind, gentle, and soft she was. Everyone was genuinely taken aback.

“She felt like one of the dancers, really, just keen to be part of the group rather than setting herself apart as the star.”

Kylie Minogue was also reportedly a total sweetheart.

Speaking about the I Should Be So Lucky singer, Gareth said: “I was quite obsessed with Kylie.

“I remember knocking on her dressing room door with my little script in hand.

“I’d already managed to get Gina G’s autograph — it was around the time she was doing the Eurovision Song Contest (in 1996) — so I thought, right, I’m going to get Kylie Minogue’s on here too.

“I knocked on the door, told her I was a big fan, and she was so lovely.

“She invited me in and chatted with me for a bit, just as a person rather than as a BBC employee. That really stayed with me.”

As well as performing on the show, Kylie went on to make a number of presenting cameos.

Music legend Madonna made her Top Of The Pops debut in January 1984, belting out her single Holiday. She went on to perform a further 13 times, all of which were lapped up by fans. But Gareth recalls how one performance almost didn’t happen after she lost her costume.

He told online gambling platform Zingo Bingo: “I do remember that one time when Madonna came over, everything felt much tighter and more rushed than usual.

“Sometimes an artist would record several songs from an album in one go, so they wouldn’t have to keep coming back again and again.

“From the moment she arrived, it was straight into the studio, rehearsing, back to get ready, then out on stage.

“But she and her team had all rushed in from a hotel in central London, and somehow her stylist had left all the outfits behind.

“We actually had to delay because Madonna had nothing to wear.

“It really felt like she had someone responsible for every tiny detail, so you can imagine whoever was in charge of the wardrobe that day was probably in serious trouble.”

First broadcast on the BBC on New Year’s Day in 1964, Top Of The Pops ran for over four decades.

But despite the huge names and viewing figures, the show was actually as humble as it gets, with greasy-spoon breakfasts being served metres away from where LA-based megastars were doing their pre-show yoga.

Gareth said: “It was filmed at Elstree Studios, where EastEnders was shot, and Grange Hill was filmed there too.

“It was a very traditional, slightly old-fashioned BBC studio that hadn’t really been updated for years. You had this classic canteen staffed by people who’d been there forever, serving no-frills British fry-ups, along with old-school dressing rooms.

“Elstree felt quite remote, almost in the middle of nowhere. So when artists came over, especially from America, they were expecting to appear on the BBC’s biggest music show.

“They probably imagined being right in the heart of London where everything’s happening.

“Instead, they were on the quiet outskirts with very little going on.

“It did make for some surreal moments. You’d spot a big star sitting near a soap star legend, tucking into a breakfast.”

The show was so big that from 2001 to 2005, the BBC hosted the Top Of The Pops Awards at the Manchester Arena.

Explaining how the show felt more like a family at times, Gareth said: “What was so nice was that there really wasn’t much for anyone to do.

“An artist might rehearse at ten in the morning, and then we wouldn’t record until seven in the evening, so they’d just be hanging around.

“It created a real sense of community. You got to see people as much backstage and offstage as you did onstage, which was quite unique.

“Normally, artists come in, rehearse, and then disappear until they’re needed.

“But there, everyone stayed, mingled, and just spent time together, which gave it a very different, much more relaxed atmosphere.

“I remember the first time the Spice Girls got on stage for their rehearsals, they were all jumping around and hugging each other. That was a moment where they felt they had made it.

“The five of them just had this amazing chemistry together. Their personalities worked so well and it wasn’t faked for cameras.

“You’d go into the dressing room and the energy was electric. They were so fun.”

After five decades of being “still number one”, the final Top Of The Pops aired on July 30, 2006.

The BBC said in a statement: “The decision to bring the show to an end after 42 years has not been taken lightly and over the past few years every effort has been made to maintain the quality and distinctiveness of the show.

“However, the BBC’s Creative Future Music Strategy has concluded that in a rapidly changing musical landscape, Top Of The Pops no longer occupies the central role it once did.”

Scottish rock band Snow Patrol were the final ever act to play on the show — belting out their single Chasing Cars.

When Tim Tanner Jr. talks, people listen. When he says he’s going to do something, believe him.

As a junior last season, the 6-foot-1 Sylmar High quarterback in his rookie passed for 2,343 yards and 31 touchdowns and ran for 661 yards and nine touchdowns. If you like quarterbacks who improvise, Tanner is your guy. Then, in basketball, after breaking his collarbone, he returned to play in 16 games (Sylmar went 15-1 with him in the lineup) to average 20 points and help the Spartans reach the Division V state championship game.

This season, he intends to be busier than ever with football, basketball and he hopes a return to baseball, the sport he played since he was 4 until high school. He’s a pitcher and plans to join the team but baseball coach Ray Rivera has never seen him pitch.

“He told me get through football, get through basketball, then we’ll talk,” Tanner said.

The maturity Tanner has achieved in recent years through dealing with adversity has enabled him to be selected a captain for the football team, so he knows he has to keep his composure and show others how to respond in a time of need. He’s growing up after once being academically ineligible.

He has so much sports equipment in his room at home that he could hold his own backyard games. “Footballs everywhere, cleats everywhere, basketballs, jerseys,” he said.

He’s going to need lots of skills in trying to balance his sports commitments with academics. But the coaches know they have someone passionate about succeeding.

UNSEEN pictures from inside the hotel where Liam Payne died have revealed more details on the singer’s tragic final hours.

Haunting images show the One Direction star, 31, speaking to two call girls in the hotel lobby before leading them to his room as well as staff bringing him up chilled buckets of booze.

The troubled singer died after falling 46ft from his third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16, 2024.

Cops launched a probe into the tragedy – and collected CCTV footage and witness statements from call girls Aldana Serrano and Lucila Goitea.

The police dossier of more than 3,000 documents and photographs, obtained by the Mail on Sunday, gave a chilling glimpse into the One Direction star’s final hours.

Pictures show Liam swinging around a pole during an alleged booze-and-drugs fuelled bender the night before he fell from the balcony.

LIAM’S AGONY

Call girls reveal Liam Payne’s final chaotic hours in hotel & fateful trigger

WHAT NOW?

The chilling questions plaguing the coroner over Liam Payne’s final hours

Other photos from the day of his death show hotel workers delivering booze – believed to be champagne and whisky – to his room in buckets.

Further pics show two sex workers in reception before they are greeted by Liam and ushered towards his room.

Call girls Aldana Serrano and Lucila Goitea – who had consensual sex with Payne on the day of his death – told police the boy band star serenaded them with his own songs – before asking them for cocaine.

They also claimed the singer, who was worth £21m, argued with them over paying the agreed $5,000 (£3,700) fee for them to turn up at the hotel because he had no cash.

The star had been left alone in Buenos Aires after his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and friend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores both left the country.

The pair claimed he had been completely sober for the two weeks he spent with them – but in their absence the star quickly spiralled.

Receipts reveal the One Direction star ordered $600,000 worth of whisky to his room on the day of his death.

Family members seemed to know the singer’s fragile state of mind – and gave devastating accounts to police following his death.

Heartbroken father Geoff Payne told prosecutors his son was “not in control with what he did”, adding: “He was not Liam”.

Group chat messages in the police dossier show hotel staff were concerned about Liam’s “aggressive” behaviour.

In a “Reception” WhatsApp chat, hotel manager Gilda Martin wrote: “This person is going to be very intense throughout his stay.

“It’s important that we tell him ‘no’, always kindly and with excuses.”

A person replied: “Will do whatever we can.”

And when a waitress called Adri was summoned to deliver five bottles of whisky to Room 301, she was warned: “Take security with you.”

A receipt dated the day of his death reveal the One Direction star spent more than $600,000 on bottles of Johnnie Walker whisky.

Payne, who had a history of addiction, allegedly begged reception staff for drugs.

A toxicology report taken after his death revealed that the star had cocaine, alcohol and the powerful sedative Klonopin in his system at the time of the fatal fall.

Hotel worker Ezequiel Pereyra, 22, and waiter Braian Paiz, 26, have since been charged with supplying drugs to the singer.

They spent months in jail but were later released on bail. They deny the charges.

A tempting life as a full-time family man nearly pulled Khalil Mack away from football.

“I was leaning towards coming back the whole time,” Mack said of mulling retirement before signing a one-year, $18-million contract in March to remain with the Chargers. “But it’s just considering the stage of life my kids are at, that balance of being a dad and a husband but still trying to follow the dream. I feel like I’m still in a position to do both.”

The future Hall of Famer decided the show must go on.

And now, with championship aspirations entering his 13th season, and fifth in Los Angeles, Mack is basking in his role as the Chargers’ elder statesman.

“Priceless,” defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary said of the 35-year-old outside linebacker’s presence. “He’s the flag bearer of our culture on defense. He leads the way with his actions. … When it’s time for him to say something, he’s going to say something.

“You’ve got a group of young edges in that room that all they’re doing is watching everything he does [and] listening to everything he says. It’s more valuable than anything I can say or do.”

IChargers linebacker Khalil Mack embraces one of his son on the sideline before a game against the Raiders at SoFi Stadium last season.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

He’s the 2016 defensive player of the year. He has nine Pro Bowl selections and three All-Pro nods under his belt. And 113 sacks to his name.

Mack, despite coming off an injury-riddled down year, has never needed an introduction.

“He’s one of the best players of our generation,” offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel said.

Yet, perhaps even more invaluable than Mack’s on-the-field impact is his leadership.

“Oh, man, I try,” Mack said. “I try to motivate.”

He’s pretty good at it.

Whether by sharing pointers with rookies or helping rising stars such as teammate Tuli Tuipulotu navigate fuzzy contract negotiations, Mack makes himself available to help those in the Chargers organization become their best selves.

“It is unique,” Mack said of being a resource. “When you’re in that room, you want to be the guy you wanted to see early on … have those conversations that you wanted to have early on in your career, whether it was financial [or] different conversations you wanted to have and guys pouring into you.”

Mack learned the importance of passing down knowledge as a youngster in Oakland under the tutelage of seasoned veterans Charles Woodson and Justin Tuck.

“I feel like it [was] the catalyst for my career. I had them to lean on and those examples to lean on,” Mack said.

Nowadays, the Buffalo product stands on the other side of the street, paving the way for the next generation as one of the league’s older stars.

“I got friends that don’t play anymore,” Mack jested. “They’re like, ‘Aye, Mack, it’s lonely on this side.’ They’re always talking about the locker room and camaraderie. It’s just knowing how special being in the locker room is and being around your guys and enjoying it while you can.”

On that note, Mack has made it a point to savor every moment of training camp.

ISteelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers fumbles the ball as he’s sacked by Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack in the end zone during a game last season at SoFi Stadium.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Beyond looking the part, he has already spent time helping teammates better their technique, jumping at the opportunity to teach.

“He walked up and asked me three things that he can work on,” Mack said of helping rookie offensive tackle Travis Burke after practice. “I talked him through that stuff … kind of reminds me of Joe [Alt] his first year. Whatever I can share, I’m going to share, because I want them to be the best version of themselves.”

No one has anything bad to say about the man who wears No. 52.

Instead, everyone in the Chargers organization knows how integral Mack is to the day-to-day operations.

“Right now, [the rookies] don’t know any other way to do it than the way Derwin [James] does it, the way Justin [Herbert] does it, the way K-Mack does it,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “They don’t know any other way to do it than the way those best players go about their business. …”

Mack is the epitome of a pro’s pro.

Since being the No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 draft, he has been one of the most dominant pass rushers of his generation, one of the richest players off it, and in between, the ultimate captain.

“I had a lot of coaches that were in my ear about being a professional early,” Mack said. “I feel like that’s helped prolong my career. … You can take what you want and take what works for you … that’s kind of the advice I give.”

Mack returned to the Chargers to compete for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. But playing big brother to his teammates, has been a joyous subplot.

“What’s Coach Harbaugh say?” Mack asked rhetorically. “Enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”

LIAM Payne allegedly flew into a drink and drug-fuelled fit of rage in his tragic final hours, according to sex workers who spent the day with the One Direction star.

The troubled singer died after falling 46ft from his third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16, 2024.

Sworn statements from call girls Aldana Serrano and Lucila Goitea were taken hours after the tragic fall.

Now the documents, obtained by the Mail on Sunday, detail harrowing accounts suggesting the singer was on a path to destruction that day.

The pair say they were called to the CasaSur Palermo Hotel by Liam, 31, on the morning before he died and had consensual sex with him.

But they claim that the singer, who was worth £21m, became frustrated when it became difficult to pay for an agreed $5,000 (£3,700) fee as he had no cash.

Read more about Liam Payne

TAKE TWO

Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy reveals she’s REMOVING tattoo tribute to him

WHAT NOW?

The chilling questions plaguing the coroner over Liam Payne’s final hours

He allegedly smashed his £30,000 gold Rolex telling them he could “get ten of those,” before punching the hotel room TV three times.

After calming down, he is said to have fallen to his knees and asked the women to stay, claiming that “money didn’t make him happy”.

They say that Liam drunkenly serenaded them with his own songs before asking them for cocaine.

A toxicology report taken after his death revealed that the star had cocaine, alcohol and the powerful sedative Klonopin in his system at the time of the fatal fall.

Hotel worker Ezequiel Pereyra, 22, and waiter Braian Paiz, 26, have been charged with supplying the drugs and are awaiting trial.

They spent months in jail but were later released on bail. They deny the charges.

The singer, who had a history of addiction, arrived in the Argentine capital 16 days earlier to wait for his US visa renewal.

He spent the first two weeks of the trip with girlfriend Kate Cassidy and Argentinian businessman Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores, 38, and was said to be sober for the entire fortnight.

After Kate returned to Miami on October 14 and Roger also left, Liam is believed to have fallen off the wagon.

He was told to leave the plush five-star Park Hyatt after trashing his room and launching into an alleged drink-fuelled tirade at the staff.

Liam then checked into the more modest, four-star CasaSur Palermo, where he reportedly called the two sex workers.

The women, who investigators treated as key witnesses, alleged Liam contacted one of them via WhatsApp after finding her profile online.

According to their statements, he sent photos of himself in bed at the hotel and a video to prove his identity after one of the women struggled to believe she was speaking to the One Direction star.

They say they arrived at the hotel around 11.30am where they showed their IDs to the front desk before being sent up to Liam’s room.

They said there was a communication barrier as the star only spoke English and they only spoke Spanish, so they relied on a translation app.

They claimed he initially tried to pay by international bank transfer, but they were unable to receive the money.

One woman said: “During our time there, we had sex with him, which was consensual sex, only once, and he wore protection.”

After spending around two hours in the room, the pair said they again asked to be paid the agreed $5,000 (£3,700).

Liam instead offered them his £30,000 gold Rolex, according to the statements.

One woman said: “We told him we only wanted money so he took it and smashed it. He told us he didn’t care about the money.

“And then he broke the TV, he punched it. He made us understand that he could smash everything because he knew he could pay for it.”

The women claimed they decided to leave, but Liam followed them downstairs into the hotel lobby, where they told staff he had smashed the television and refused to pay them.

While waiting in the lobby, they claimed Liam repeatedly paced around the hotel before returning to his room and then coming back downstairs.

The pair later returned briefly to collect belongings they had accidentally left behind.

One recalled: “He apologised for giving us a bad time.”

The women claimed they left shortly before 4pm and where Liam continued to act erratically.

Liam fell to his death at 5.07pm.

Aldana and Lucila only learned of Liam’s death after returning home and scrolling on social media, before police arrived later that evening to take their sworn statements.

It is unclear if they ever received the money.

Jared Leto faces allegations of criminal sexual conduct by several women who allege the sexual incidents with the musician and Oscar-winning actor occurred when he was in his 30s and 40s and they were teenagers.

In a BBC documentary titled “Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret,” multiple women spoke about their experiences with the “House of Gucci” star and Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman, detailing allegations of inappropriate text messages, sexual assault and statutory rape from 2002 to 2016. Among the allegations, one woman said she was 17 years old when Leto sexually assaulted her in a motel bathroom. Another woman alleges Leto continued to sexually pursue her in Los Angeles despite knowing she was 17 years old, younger than the age of consent in California.

Leto, in a statement shared with The Times on Wednesday, denied the allegations raised by the BBC documentary: “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life,” he said. “These claims are absolutely and categorically false.”

Journalist and documentarian Jessica Sartenaer said in the segment published Wednesday that the BBC began its investigation into allegations against Leto after noting an Instagram story from a prominent DJ based in Los Angeles. In a since-expired Instagram story, DJ Allie Teilz, resurfaced a 2012 Facebook post in which she accused Leto of trying to “force himself” onto her backstage at a concert. Teilz captioned her repost: “Jared Leto was a creep then..still a creep now, going on 15+ years of being Hollywood’s most persistent predator,” according to the BBC documentary.

Numerous social media users reportedly responded to Teilz’s posts with their own claims about Leto’s alleged predatory behavior, many noting they were subject to Leto’s misconduct when they were teens. A woman identified as “Etta” told the BBC she was 14 when Leto approached her outside of a modeling agency and invited her to an Oscars party. Etta provided email correspondences to the outlet and said the “Morbius” actor encouraged her to stay in contact via text after the invite. Text messages turned into phone calls and conversations about her modeling career quickly turned sexual, according to the documentary. Leto allegedly asked Etta about her virginity, her kinks and sexual capabilities.

Etta said in the documentary that Leto’s legal team allegedly contacted her and urged her to sign a nondisclosure agreement about her relationship with the actor, though she never did.

The documentary portrays Leto as a celebrity who leveraged his fame to connect with young fans and control them. The woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by Leto at age 17 in a motel bathroom told the BBC she met Leto in 2002 at a mall in Las Vegas. Leto would have been in his early 30s at the time. He invited her to meet him at a nearby motel. She waited in the room while he stepped into the shower, but he eventually called her over and began kissing her, according to the BBC. The woman, identified as “Isabelle,” accused Leto of forcing her hand to his genitals and using her hand to masturbate. Isabelle pulled away and moved to leave the room, but Leto allegedly looked outside the motel room for any potential bystanders before letting her out, she recalled to the BBC.

The BBC also published allegations by “Clara,” the woman who said Leto knowingly had sex with her when she was 17 — he was 34 at the time — at his house in California. Clara said she connected with Leto after his associate requested her phone number. She and her friend were invited to spend time with the band at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, where the age of consent of California became a topic of conversation. Leto, who allegedly shrugged off the conversation, invited Clara and her friend back to his home and told the friend to wait in another room while he had sex with Clara. Clara visited Leto’s home a total of three or four times, according to the BBC. She also alleged that Leto often requested that she call him “daddy” and that she pretend to be a little girl.

Leto in 2013 allegedly invited another woman, named Alex, to his band’s concert at London’s O2 and to an after-party. She was 19 at the time but told Leto she was younger out of a need to protect herself, the BBC reported. Leto allegedly replied: “Age is just a number, and anyway, we’re in Europe.” Alex alleges Leto threatened to sexually assault her in a hotel room later that evening.

The BBC also spoke to men who who worked closely with Leto’s band, Thirty Seconds to Mars. One man said Leto was often texting girls to invite them to spend time with the band. Leto also allegedly asserted control by ignoring the girls he invited and speaking to them rudely. The man also recalled that Leto took one fan, who was dropped off by her parents, “off to the bedroom.” Afterward, she called her parents to pick her up.

Leto has long faced quiet scrutiny for his alleged behavior with women and girls. In 2005 the New York Post published a story accusing the actor of “aggressively pursuing many” teen models. Last year Air Mail published accusations against Leto of impropriety by nine women, though he denied those claims at the time.

Still, the actor-musician has moved on from those allegations seemingly unscathed. Leto, who won his Oscar in 2014 for “Dallas Buyers Club,” most recently appeared in “Masters of the Universe” and is set to tour with his band next year.

Welcome to UCLA football season.

Yes, it’s July, but the Bruins are kicking off a preseason gauntlet leading up to coach Bob Chesney’s debut campaign.

First up, Times columnist Bill Plaschke offered his thoughts on Chesney’s ability to lead a UCLA renaissance.

We’ve heard Chesney’s emphasis on service and winning at life before applying the same relentless effort to football-related activities consistently since he was hired.

But Plaschke reported his philosophy has quickly forged deep roots in Westwood, where Chesney’s optimism fits in seamlessly at the school built on John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. There’s also some very strong Ted Lasso energy brewing, which makes sense since the character is partially inspired by Wooden values.

Chesney has visited and cheered on every UCLA team, but he seems to have formed an especially strong bond with national champion women’s basketball coach Cori Close. Plaschke reported Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has also honored his promise to support the program, meeting with Chesney and bringing along Dodgers legend Sandy Koufax along for the visit.

The column is fascinating and worth your time.

We’ve heard from some UCLA fans were irritated about a potential Plaschke curse after he announced Chesney will make the Bruins winners, but its seems the Bruin faithful are just going to have get used to a growing bandwagon.

The UCLA hype should go national Wednesday, when quarterback Nico Iamaleava, defensive back Cole Martin and linebacker Samuel Omosigho join Chesney during Big Ten football media days.

It’s Chesney’s first chance to meet the national and regional media covering the Big Ten. He is naturally an exceptional public speaker and inevitably will be compared to his predecessor, who went viral for his difficulty the first time he stepped into the Big Ten spotlight.

It’s not a fair comparison, but Chesney is sure to score high marks despite a healthy amount of cynicism among Big Ten blue bloods and whispers throughout the league that UCLA’s high 2027 recruiting ranking is a bit inflated. Perhaps that’s the biggest compliment for UCLA, going from being ignored or laughed at to taking a few jabs over your glowing reviews.

Shortly after UCLA returns from media days, the team will kick off preseason camp. We’ll start to get a closer look at the Bruins’ offseason weight room progress and the team will work to prepare for a deceptively difficult opener at California, another long overlooked team with considerable hype entering the 2026 season.

Betts shines in Canada

Sienna Betts showed she’s ready to step into her older sister Lauren’s formidable shoes during a women’s basketball exhibition game against Canada.

The Bruins lost 69-55 to the Canadian national team Wednesday, but Sienna Betts looked like a formidable focal point of the UCLA attack.

She finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.

Betts got valuable but limited minutes last season as Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic dominated the paint for the national champions.

Canada and UCLA did not have their full rosters available for the tune-up, with Bruins Timea Gardiner, K.K. Bransford, Somto Okafor and Lina Jerkovic missing the game.

The excursion gave a heavily overhauled UCLA roster a chance to face different and formidable competition before setting off on sight-seeing adventures, a team bonding opportunity that likely will mean more to the coaching staff than the final score.

UCLA alums win AUSL title

Bruins alum Jadelyn Allchin won Athletes Unlimited Softball League championship MVP honors after helping lead her team to its second consecutive AUSL title.

UCLA softball great Lisa Fernandez is the Talons’ general manager. Her roster and the entire league is packed with former Bruins who are helping AUSL grow at a rapid rate.

Connor Dullinger offered a great look at the role the Bruins have played in the growth of pro softball and explains why Fernandez is thinking bigger, pushing for global gains so that softball can be a permanent fixture at the Olympics.

In case you missed it

UCLA softball has deep impact on Athletes Unlimited Softball League

Plaschke: Bob Chesney is going to do the impossible at UCLA — win

UCLA women embrace new players, tougher standards in bid to repeat as champs

UCLA Unlocked: Gabriela Jaquez makes smoothest transition to WNBA

Have something Bruin?

Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

“More is more and less is a bore.” ― Iris Apfel

After spending decades collecting clean-lined Midcentury Modern furniture and accessories, stylist Wendi Weger felt it was time to give her Silver Lake apartment a playful update.

“Everything was brown,” Weger says as she sits on a plush sofa covered in pink and chartreuse striped Christian Lacroix fabric. “It looked like a UPS truck in here. I mean, look at me,” she adds, fluffing the ruffles of her Accidente Con Flores dress, her intricately manicured fingers decorated with colorful Zuni Toons rings. “That is not me.”

In this series, we spotlight L.A. rentals with style. From perfect gallery walls to temporary decor hacks, these renters get creative, even in small spaces. And Angelenos need the inspiration: Most are renters.

Indeed.

Weger, who grew up in Madison, Wis., studied cinema during graduate school at NYU and later moved to Los Angeles to work in Hollywood as a producer and stylist, is no minimalist. Always expressive, she describes her style as more akin to a “Victorian parlor meets hunting lodge.”

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So it’s no surprise that her one-bedroom apartment, in a Storybook-style fourplex built in 1922, is just as dramatic as she is.

Wendi Weger views her Silver Lake apartment as her creative studio. “I don’t mind a lot of frenetic activity,” she says.

A wall covered in hollyhock wallpaper from House of Hackney stands out in Weger’s bedroom, along with a handmade quilt signed by Grace Verburg that includes crochet, beadwork and hundreds of ribbon rosettes.

Weger thrives on “kinetic energy,” be it color, texture or a pair of bedazzled Italian loafers. In her bedroom, she mixes floral textiles and modern art with a quirky stepstool shaped like an ear of corn. In the dining room, vintage Doyle Lane ceramic beads dangle from a Mission-style wooden clock while designer handbags are draped over chairs and hat racks.

On her fireplace, an ornate gilded mirror from the 1940s she found at Sunbeam Vintage is flanked by porcelain figurines. A porcelain Capodimonte lamp nestled under vintage Japanese prints is described as “Rococo on acid.” Nearby, a handmade chandelier by artist Helen Stickler, decorated with vintage Swarovski crystals and beads, adds to what Weger describes as her “Candyland vibe.”

Weger twirls in a pink taffeta Batsheva dress. “My apartment is basically how I dress — like an Edwardian ghost in a prairie dress who wandered into a circus and decided to keep everything,” she says.

“That’s where I am right now,” she says about the apartment she has called home for 17 years. “I feel like I can finally play. I’m trying to bring in a candy theme without making it too grandma. At this point in my life, I don’t care what anyone thinks about me.”

Her friend, creative director Dana Sidell, says self-expression is central to how Weger lives her life. “Wendi has the unique ability to bring nostalgia, whimsy and individuality all together into maximalist style,” she says in an email.

In 2020, as the film industry slowed down because of COVID-19, Weger took a chance and opened the Curatorial Dept., a vintage and designer resale shop in Atwater Village. Popular with celebrities including Lake Bell, Nick Thune and politicians Nithya Raman and Laura Friedman, the store is known for Weger’s signature “clothing sculptures,” where she layers mannequins with dozens of pieces of clothing and accessories.

“Styling is my art,” she says. “To me, clothing is sculpture.”

A silk Gucci skirt hangs alongside artworks in Weger’s bedroom. “Whether it’s producing a film, building a boutique, styling a room or a mannequin, it’s about assemblage and synergy,” she says.

To demonstrate, Weger starts layering a mannequin in her bedroom, picking from racks of clothes, handbags, color-coordinated shoes and jewelry nearby. She layers an “I’m With Stupid” T-shirt over a dress shirt and Yohji Yamamoto linen pants, then keeps adding more. “It needs a ruffle,” she says, caught up in the process, before adding a frilly collar and glittering vintage brooch.

A bright blue first-place ribbon materializes and becomes the perfect accessory. “It’s not maximalist enough,” she says with a sigh.

Weger says her apartment reflects the way she dresses, with layers of art, vintage clothes and accessories, each with its own story. She jokes that it looks like one of her clothing sculptures has “exploded across a room.”

When asked if there’s such a thing as too much, she shakes her head with conviction.

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1. Weger holds a pair of sparkling JVB X Nomasei ‘Nono’ loafers. 2. The hollyhock pattern from House of Hackney appears throughout Weger’s apartment, even on this fabric lampshade.

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1. A Gucci cashmere bunny cape hangs like an artwork in the bedroom. 2. Doyle Lane ceramic beads hang on a wooden clock above a collection of $2 bills.

“I’ll wear a baby cup as jewelry,” she says, picking up a small silver cup from a cabinet to show her point. What’s one more charm on one of several necklaces already heavy with lockets and hearts?

Weger’s home decor follows the same idea. Some pieces, like a pink silk pleated Gucci skirt by Alessandro Michele, hang on her bedroom wall next to vintage artworks, including a framed cross stitch by a friend that reads “Live. Laugh. Toaster Bath.” Others are neatly arranged in her butler’s pantry. Clothing racks fill the hallway, living room and even her bedroom. “Clothing and handbags are art to me,” she says.

Then there’s the cashmere embroidered rabbit cape by Gucci, which she purchased secondhand.

“People chase me down on the street whenever I wear it and ask me where I got it,” she says. “To me, it’s art.”

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

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(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Humor is important to her too. In the living room, a blue resin coffee table shaped like a candy wrapper adds to the playful feel, along with vintage candy dishes.

“There’s a lot of absurdity and comedy here,” she says, pointing out the Spanish angels with guns, a series of artworks from the 1600s.

“There’s something about these Spanish archangels with weapons,” she says. “They look tough and unisex to me, with mild expressions, beautiful clothes, tights, ruffles and sleeves, plus a firearm. It’s a great symbol for being a warrior, especially as a small business owner.”

Nearly everything in her apartment is secondhand, from the vintage Audubon prints arranged salon-style in the living room to the Navajo rugs and David Shrigley print she found at a garage sale. Mixing old and new is important, she says, referring to the House of Hackney hollyhock pattern she recently added to the walls of the living room and bedrooms, as well as the dining room lampshade.

Handbags are draped over dining chairs.

Her place settings are also layered, including Weger’s grandmother’s Wedgwood china.

Her apartment is essentially her atelier, or as she calls it, “the creative engine behind” the Curatorial Dept. She often does intake for her store at her kitchen table, surrounded by needlepoint pillows made by her Great-Uncle Elliott, who was also an entrepreneur. “This is not cluttered to me,” she says. “This is just where everything gets sorted.”

“Wendi’s style has a touch of the harlequin to it — playful, theatrical and always ready for an occasion,” writer and former NYU classmate Josh Rothenberger says in an email. “Her world is a warm pastiche of vintage and bespoke, histories inherited and histories invented on the fly. Her furniture invites the kind of existential frolic that pairs best with Cuvée — only to remind us, hours later, that true beauty should never be too precious to dance on.”

Although Weger says she isn’t a “woo-woo person,” she believes her apartment and store came from asking the universe for what she wanted. “Tell people what you want,” she says. “Especially in L.A. People support you and help you reach your dreams. I said I wanted this apartment, and because of that, my friend thought of me when she was moving. The same thing happened with my shop. I was in a different industry when I told a shop owner friend I’d always wanted a shop, that I intended to have a shop, and she thought of me when hers became available.”

She’s already thinking about what she wants next: “I’ll be sure to tell everyone I know.”

After the South Africa game, Rassie Erasmus said Scotland were a top-three nation in the world, presumably behind his own side and France.

With Rassie you never know what sort of agenda might lie behind his public comments – there’s usually something – but it was an eyebrow-raiser nonetheless.

In the wake of Fiji, Schoeman – two tries this summer – went down a similar road when asked if he felt Scotland were closing the gap on the world’s best sides.

“No, I don’t feel we’re closing the gap,” he added. “I feel we are a top-three, top-five team in the world. We’ve proven that – Argentina away, France, England, we play [and beat] the top dogs.

“South Africa, Ireland, All Blacks, we haven’t had too much love there. That’s maybe the games we want to target, to go against the best. Just to go full toe-to-toe with them for a full 80-minute performance.”

Top three is a big stretch, but there are moments in games when you think Scotland have it within them to lay the ghosts of Ireland and New Zealand to rest.

They’ll get a crack at the Kiwis in the autumn and will play Ireland in the spring, both at Murrayfield.

As much as the Nations Championship has been a try-laden fun-fest, the real battle and barometer of progress remains the Six Nations.

Scotland are trending in the right direction but summer and autumn have always been an unreliable guide to their true worth.

Enjoy the quality of some of their rugby over the last three weeks, but put it in context, too. The Six Nations and World Cup remain where it’s at.

It can be hard to get comfy on a flight, particularly if you’re stuck in the middle seat, but now an airline has introduced an innovative hack where passengers can bag more space

An airline is embracing a nifty way to provide economy passengers with extra elbow room on flights, without having to pay for a Business Class or First Class ticket.

We’ve all been there, self-consciously taking it in turns with the traveller next to us on the plane on who rests their elbow on the armrest, while the other awkwardly tries to get comfy. Not to mention the nuisance of being sat in the middle seat, which can feel somewhat cramped, particularly on those long-haul flights.

In a bid to make plane journeys more comfortable for customers, United Airlines is launching new economy plus seats with extra elbow room. Not only will passengers benefit from extra armroom, but they can also enjoy a shared table that is fixed across an open middle seat in this innovative design.

The airline confirmed that all 50 of its new Airbus A321XLR aircraft will include the ‘special row in Economy Plus’ where open middle seats are “repurposed as shared spaces with large custom tables”. The new seats will be available to book later this year, with flights departing shortly after.

United outlined that on each of its XLRs, one row will have a large, permanently fixed table that spans both armrests in the middle seats. It will have a “soft leather-like covering” and two cup holders, allowing passengers to fully enjoy the extra space from either a window or aisle seat, in addition to the extra three-inch legroom provided in Economy Plus on the XLR.

United is thought to be the only US airline that will offer these alternative seating arrangements, allowing passengers to benefit from the space without forking out for Business or First Class tickets. As a first for the airline, there’s hope that they could introduce these types of seats on more of its aircraft in the future.

The new seats come shortly after United announced plans to launch a dedicated row of three economy seats that transform into a “lie-flat mattress-like space”. They confirmed in March this year that the ‘United Relax Row’ would be individually adjustable, with leg rests that fold up to a 90-degree angle, so travellers can either stretch out or use them as a bed to catch a restful night’s sleep.

Passengers will be treated to a “custom-fitted mattress pad, specially sized blankets, extra pillows” as the seats adjust into a flat bed after takeoff. Meanwhile, children in the dedicated row will also receive a plush toy and a family travel kit as additional amenities.

Following the airline updates, United’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Nocella, commented: “We’re investing nose-to-tail across our fleet and giving customers choice and value in every cabin.

“The XLR is our newest aircraft and not only offers all-aisle access lie-flat seats in United Polaris but now also includes seats in Economy Plus with extra leg and elbow room. Our customers are going to love all these new options.”

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

Tom Segura and Christina Pazsitzky have reportedly split.

The comedy power couple are calling it quits after 18 years of marriage, according to TMZ. A source told the outlet that the pair separated a couple of months ago but remain amicable and plan to continue co-hosting their podcast, “Your Mom’s House.”

Reps for Segura and Pazsitzky did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

Segura, 47, and Pazsitzky, 50, tied the knot in November 2008. Segura told “TigerBelly” podcast in 2018 that he met Pazsitzky while they were both doing open mic nights around Los Angeles. She was in a relationship with someone else (whom she lived with), so Segura and Pazsitzky were just friends. According to Segura, there was no flirtation in the early days, and he treated her with the respect he did any other fellow comic.

“I always thought she was attractive, but she was taken,” he said. “And then I got the call from one of my spies. … They broke up. And I was like, ‘I’m gonna swing in there, see what’s up.’”

According to Segura, he tried to ask Pazsitzky on what he thought was an L.A.-appropriate date — a hike — and she said no. He thought that meant she wasn’t interested in him, when, really, she just wasn’t interested in hiking.

“I called her the next time, and she’s like, ‘Hey, I know this bar you can still smoke at. Do you want to go there?’ And I was like, ‘OK. This is why she doesn’t want to go on a hike.’ So then, yeah, we went on dates and it just continued.”

Both comedians have used their marriage as source material for their comedy routines over the years and discuss their relationship on various podcast appearances, but especially on their own podcast, “Your Mom’s House,” which debuted in 2012.

In 2024, Pazsitzky told The Times that when they launched the podcast “we lived in a crummy two-bedroom apartment, we were newlyweds and we had no money. We got a mixing board, two mics and a computer, and at that point, we slept in one room and used the other room as an office. It bordered this other house where this lady would cook the smelliest food and have aggressive sex.”

“Oh, yeah, she was newly divorced and very performative with orgasms too,” Segura added.

The couple, who have two children, also spoke about their relocation from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, in search of a slower pace and easier travel while touring. “Our lives are very normal, and we’re grounded family people. At the end of the day, we come home, our kids fart on Tom’s head, and I make dinner.”

World Cup: Not the best hosts ever

From Mirjam Swanson: How it started: A dream. A French machine-gun officer in the trenches during the First World War. A man named Jules Rimet, who believed an international soccer tournament would bring the nations together with the goal of peace.

How it’s going: The world’s biggest party. A 48-nation celebration of the world’s most beloved sport. Expected to generate about $8.9 billion, it’s become such a big deal that it’s being hosted by three countries — one of which, yes, launched a war on a competing nation in the months before the tournament.

The United States’ war with Iran, costly in all the profound ways that war is, also laid the groundwork for an uneven — and possibly precedent-setting — playing field.

At this World Cup, Team Melli has been subjected to shifting travel restrictions and uncertainty unlike the other 47 teams, spending the tournament commuting between Southern California and its base in Tijuana.

And still, after Sunday’s 0-0 draw against Belgium, the world’s No. 10-ranked team, Team Melli is in position to not only get out of its group at the World Cup for the first time, but to win Group G.

Iran’s treatment only makes its performance more impressive — while bringing into question the future of a tournament that purports to be apolitical. And conjuring up concerns about how the Olympics will operate when L.A. is supposed to open its arms to the world two years from now.

Continue reading here

Iran’s beleaguered World Cup team finds hope with draw against Belgium

Guadalajara protesters accuse Hyundai of using World Cup to hide ‘dirty supply chain’

Click here for complete TV schedule, groups and players to watch

Full World Cup coverage

Sunday’s World Cup results

Group G
Belgium 0, Iran 0
Egypt 3, New Zealand 1

Group H
Spain 4, Saudi Arabia 0
Cape Verde 2, Uruguay 2

Today’s World Cup TV schedule

All times Pacific
10 a.m., Argentina vs. Austria, Fox, Telemundo
2 p.m., France vs. Iraq, Fox, Telemundo
5 p.m., Norway vs. Senegal, Fox, Telemundo
8 p.m., Jordan vs. Algeria, FS1, Telemundo

World Cup Group standings

Group A
Country, W-D-L, Goal Differential, Points
x-Mexico, 2-0-0, +3, 6
South Korea, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Czechia, 0-1-1, -1, 1
South Africa, 0-1-1, -2, 1

Group B
Canada, 1-1-0, +6, 4
Switzerland, 1-1-0, +3, 4
Bosnia-Herzegovina, 0-1-1, -3, 1
Qatar, 0-1-1, -6, 1

Group C
Brazil, 1-1-0, +3, 4
Morocco, 1-1-0, +1, 4
Scotland, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Haiti, 0-0-2, -4, 0

Group D
x-United States, 2-0-0, +5, 6
Australia, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Paraguay, 1-0-1, -2, 3
Turkiye, 0-0-2, -3, 0

Group E
x-Germany, 2-0-0, +7, 6
Ivory Coast, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Ecuador, 0-1-1, -1, 1
Curacao, 0-1-1, -6, 1

Group F
Netherlands, 1-1-0, +4, 4
Japan, 1-1-0, +4, 4
Sweden, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Tunisia, 0-0-2, -8, 0

Group G
Egypt, 1-1-0, +2, 4
Iran, 0-2-0, 0, 2
Belgium, 0-2-0, 0, 2
New Zealand, 0-1-1, -2, 1

Group H
Spain, 1-1-0, +4, 4
Uruguay, 0-2-0, 0, 2
Cape Verde, 0-2-0, 0, 2
Saudi Arabia, 0-1-1, -4, 1

Group I
Norway, 1-0-0, +3, 3
France, 1-0-0, +2, 3
Senegal, 0-0-1, -2, 0
Iraq, 0-0-1, -3, 0

Group J
Argentina, 1-0-0, +3, 3
Austria, 1-0-0, +2, 3
Jordan, 0-0-1, -2, 0
Algeria, 0-0-1, -3, 0

Group K
Colombia, 1-0-0, +2, 3
Portugal, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Congo DR, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Uzbekistan, 0-0-1, -2, 0

Group L
England, 1-0-0, +2, 3
Ghana, 1-0-0, +1, 3
Panama, 0-0-1, -1, 0
Croatia, 0-0-1, -2, 0

x-clinched round of 32

The top two teams in each group plus the next eight best third-place teams advance to the next round.

Dodgers lose in the haze

From Liana Handler: An eye-watering, cough-inducing thick stench of burning plastic permeated Dodger Stadium on Sunday morning. The smoke from a Boyle Heights warehouse fire had spread into every crevice and corner of the facility, inescapable despite the masks handed out to staff.

“It’s a little dark out there, little Gotham City when I was driving up,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Major League Baseball approved the Father’s Day game to be played, according to Roberts. Still, the ominous atmosphere was hard to miss. When rolling up Vin Scully Avenue, a white smoke hung like a curtain behind the small hills on the other side of outfield walls, obscuring the normally scenic view of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Perhaps that should’ve been the first sign things wouldn’t go as planned for the Dodgers, who lost 12-1 to the Orioles. The loss marked the first time the Dodgers (49-29) have lost consecutive games since May 12.

“It just wasn’t a great start for our team, and offensively we weren’t very good,” Roberts said. “Feel fortunate we won a game this series.”

Continue reading here

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Angels power past the Athletics

Zach Neto hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning that gave them their first lead, Denzer Guzman tied the score with a three-run home run in the eighth, and the Angels beat the Athletics 9-7 on Sunday.

Donovan Walton also homered and had three RBIs, while Nolan Schanuel and Jose Siri each added two hits to help the Angels (32-47) split the series after losing the first two games, including blowing an 11-4 lead Friday night.

Nick Kurtz hit his 19th home run, and Zac Gelof had a single and a double to extend his hit streak to 24 games for the A’s (38-40). Kurtz has 55 career homers, tied with Bob Johnson (1933-34) for the most in franchise history through the first two seasons of a career.

Continue reading here

Angels box score

MLB standings

Lawrence Tanter was a key man in Lakers history

From Bill Plaschke: For more than four decades his voice was embraced by millions, a calming baritone in a sea of Lakers bedlam.

Yet in the most unfair of twists, on the night his career ended he was silent and alone.

Three months ago, Lawrence Tanter was walking through his bedroom when he suddenly collapsed while losing all strength in his arms and legs.

He fell and couldn’t get up. He lives alone, so he couldn’t cry out for help. He was able to secure his phone, but he says he was too stubborn to call 911.

“I wanted to get up by myself,” he said. “I knew I would eventually get up by myself.”

But this 6-foot-7 bear of a man was too weak to get up by himself. Listening to a Lakers road game on a bedside radio, he remained on the floor and eventually fell asleep until finally summoning his oldest friend the next morning.

Continue reading here

Who will the Lakers pick in the NBA draft?

From Broderick Turner: The Lakers will seek to use their 25th pick in Tuesday’s first round of the NBA draft on a player who fills a need on a roster that could have up to nine free agents this summer. Yet the Lakers also are aware that picking that late in the round could leave them selecting the best player available.

They probably will be in search of a center who can be a lob threat or an athletic wing who can play defense and knock down three-pointers, two positions the Lakers crave as they try to build a team around star Luka Doncic that fits best with his style of play.

Names that NBA executives and mock drafts attached to the Lakers are Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance, Texas forward Dailyn Swain and Duke wing Isaiah Evans.

Continue reading here

Clippers’ pick could be key to the draft

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Even during an early start to their offseason, the Clippers got one major win in May.

The Clippers were the quiet winners of the NBA draft lottery, where, with coin-flip odds, they swiped the Indiana Pacers’ first-round pick in a loaded draft class. The No. 5 pick can add an immediate rotation player for the Clippers while also being a potential fulcrum for what experts consider one of the deepest draft classes ever.

The top four prospects are locked. The only question is in what order Brigham Young forward AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson will hear their names called Tuesday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Washington, which picks first, Utah, Memphis and Chicago have the first shots at those potential franchise-defining players.

The first round then could turn with the Clippers’ pick.

“It puts the Clippers in an interesting spot at five,” ESPN draft analyst Jeremy Woo said on a conference call with reporters. “They’ve got options, including trades.”

Continue reading here

Sparks win on buzzer-beater

From Joaquin Ruiz: Nneka Ogwumike called game.

The 10-time WNBA All-Star and Sparks forward hit a buzzer-beating three-point shot to give the Sparks an electric 98-97 come-from-behind win over the New York Liberty on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

In a rematch of the WNBA’s first-ever game from June 21, 1997, the Sparks overcame a 17-point Liberty lead, all while celebrating the inaugural matchup — and iconic alumni — that changed women’s sports forever.

Ogwumike led the way with a game-high 24 points on 11 of 18 shooting while the rest of the starting lineup — Dearica Hamby, Erica Wheeler, Kelsey Plum and Ariel Atkins — all finished in double figures. Guard Rae Burrell also scored 19 off the bench.

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Sparks box score

WNBA standings

Wyndham Clark wins the U.S. Open

On the edge of the greatest collapse in U.S. Open history, Wyndham Clark held his nerve against a charge by Sam Burns and a Shinnecock Hills gallery that never gave him much love Sunday until he captured his second Open title in four years.

Six shots ahead at the start of the final round, Clark’s final act was two putts from just outside 50 feet for par that gave him a three-over 73 and a one-shot victory over Burns.

Clark, who won the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, became the first wire-to-wire winner of the U.S. Open since Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014.

This sure didn’t feel like that. His lead was down to a single shot after just five holes, and the stress followed him the rest of the way.

Continue reading here

U.S. Open leaderboard

This day in sports history

1918 — Molla Bjurstedt wins the women’s U.S. Lawn Tennis Assn. title for the fourth straight year, beating Eleanor Goss 6-4, 6-3.

1937 — Joe Louis knocks out Jim Braddock in the eighth round at Chicago’s Comiskey Park to win the world heavyweight title, which he would hold for 11 years.

1938 — In a rematch portrayed in both countries as good vs. evil, Joe Louis of the U.S. knocks out Germany’s Max Schmeling at 2:04 of the first round at Yankee Stadium to retain the world heavyweight title.

1949 — Ezzard Charles scores a 15-round unanimous decision over Jersey Joe Walcott at Comiskey Park in Chicago to win the vacant world heavyweight title.

1977 — John Ziegler is named the fourth president in NHL history, succeeding Clarence Campbell.

1979 — Larry Holmes stops Mike Weaver in the 12th round to retain the WBC heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York.

1980 — UEFA European Championship Final, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy: Horst Hrubesch scores a double as Germany beats Belgium, 2-1.

1981 — John McEnroe throws a tantrum in his 7-6 (5), 7-5, 6-3 first-round win over Tom Gullikson on the opening day at Wimbledon. McEnroe’s return of Gullikson’s serve is ruled out by chair umpire Edward James. McEnroe shouts his famous line, “You cannot be serious.” He then calls James the “the pits of the world” and an “incompetent fool.” Tournament referee Fred Hoyles is called to the court after James hits McEnroe with a point penalty. After McEnroe’s arguments with Hoyle go unsatisfied, Gullikson holds serve and McEnroe curses Hoyle on the changeover, prompting another point penalty. He is later fined $1,500.

1991 — NHL Draft: Oshawa Generals center Eric Lindros first pick by Quebec Nordiques.

1994 — The Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, win their first NBA title, beating New York 90-84 in Game 7 of the finals. Olajuwon gets 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.

1994 — FIFA World Cup: USA beats Colombia 2-1 in round match at the Rose Bowl. First WC win since 1950.

1996 — Michael Moorer beats Axel Shultz in 11 for IBF heavyweight boxing title.

1999 — In one of the greatest upsets in Wimbledon’s 113-year history, top-ranked Martina Hingis loses 6-2, 6-0 in the opening round to Jelena Dokic, a 16-year-old qualifier ranked 129th.

2001 — Karrie Webb sets two scoring records in the LPGA Championship in shooting a 7-under 64 for a three-stroke lead. Webb, at 11-under 131, breaks the 36-hole scoring record by two strokes. Webb shoots a 29 on the front nine for the lowest nine-hole score in the 47-year history of the championship.

2006 — The U.S. soccer team is eliminated from World Cup play with a 2-1 loss to Ghana.

2007 — For the first time, Americans are taken with the top two picks in the NHL draft. Chicago selects Patrick Kane with the first pick. Philadelphia then selects left wing James vanRiemsdyk with the second pick.

2012 — NHL Draft: Sarnia Sting (OHL) right wing Nail Yakupov first pick by Edmonton Oilers.

2014 — Michelle Wie wins the U.S. Women’s Open for her first major championship. She beats top-ranked Stacy Lewis by two shots.

2017 — Washington point guard Markelle Fultz is the first pick of the NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.

2018 — NHL Draft: Frolunda HC (SHL) defenceman Rasmus Dahlin first pick by Buffalo Sabres.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1925 — The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 24-6 with Kiki Cuyler and Pie Traynor each hitting a grand slam and Max Carey getting two hits in the first and eighth innings.

1930 — Lou Gehrig hit three home runs to lead the New York Yankees to a 20-13 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics in the second game of a doubleheader. Babe Ruth, who hit three homers in the nightcap the previous day, hit two homers in the opener and one in the nightcap for the Yankees. Ruth tied major league records for five homers in two games and six homers in three games.

1944 — Jim Tobin of the Boston Braves threw a five-inning 7-0 no-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies.

1947 — Cincinnati’s Ewell Blackwell almost duplicated Johnny Vander Meer’s double no-hit record by following up his June 18 gem over Boston. Brooklyn’s Eddie Stanky singled with one out in the ninth to end Blackwell’s bid. Blackwell ended up with a 4-0 two-hitter.

1962 — Baltimore Orioles first baseman Boog Powell became the first batter to hit a home run over the center-field hedge at Memorial Stadium. The 469-foot clout came off Don Schwall of the Boston Red Sox.

1982 — Philadelphia’s Pete Rose doubled off St. Louis pitcher John Stuper in the third inning to move into second place on the career hit list. Rose moved ahead of Hank Aaron with hit No. 3,772.

1994 — Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 31st home run of the season in Seattle’s 12-3 victory at the Angels, breaking Babe Ruth’s record for most homers before the end of June. Ruth needed 63 games to reach 30 homers in 1928 and 68 games in 1930. Griffey did it in the Mariners’ 70th game.

1997 — The Atlanta Braves, behind a four-homer, nine-run third, beat the Philadelphia Phillies 12-5. Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, Michael Tucker and Jeff Blauser homered in the inning.

2002 — The Detroit Tigers ended Luis Castillo’s 35-game hitting streak. Castillo went 0-for-4 and was left on deck when the Florida Marlins finished off a four-run, ninth-inning rally to beat the Tigers 5-4.

2007 — Miguel Tejada goes on the disabled list with a wrist injury, ending a run of 1,152 consecutive games played, the fifth-longest run in major league history.

2010 — Jamie Moyer serves up the 505th home run of his major league career, to Russell Branyan, in a 2-1 win over the Indians. Moyer ties Robin Roberts for the most homers surrendered in the majors.

2013 — Francisco Rodriguez earned his 300th career save, finishing off Milwaukee’s second straight 2-0 victory over slumping Atlanta.

2015 — ESPN reveals it has obtained a copy of a notebook belonging to Pete Rose which contains evidence of regular betting on baseball games during the 1986 season. The notebook was seized during a police raid on one of Rose’s associates in 1989, after Rose was banned from baseball by Commissioner Bart Giamatti, and had been under court-ordered seal since. Its content corroborate the contents of the Dowd Report, which led to Rose’s suspension, and make it even less likely that current Commissioner Rob Manfred will reverse it, as Rose has pleaded for him to do.

2020 — MLB owners agree unanimously on a plan for a 60-game season beginning around July 24th, if everyone signs off on health and safety protocols.

2021 — The Arizona Diamondbacks snap their franchise record 17-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

2022 — One day after setting a personal best as a hitter with eight RBIs, Shohei Ohtani of the Angels sets another one on the mound as he racks up 13 strikeouts in eight scoreless innings in a 5-0 win over Kansas City.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

As Ecuador forward Enner Valencia raced through on Curacao’s goal inside the opening three minutes, the outcome seemed inevitable.

About 10 yards out and with just the keeper to beat, he looked certain to score. It would give Curacao a mountain to climb – and, as it did in the 7-1 defeat by Germany in their World Cup opener, could well set the tone for what was to come.

But goalkeeper Eloy Room anticipated where Valencia’s shot was headed, stooped low to his left and clawed the ball around the post. It was an improbable, barely believable save.

And the tone was, indeed, set.

By full-time, BBC Sport pundit and former Arsenal defender Martin Keown was joking a calculator might be needed to tot up the number of times Room had bailed his team out.

Yet it was Ecuador who were left counting the cost of their missed chances as World Cup debutants Curacao celebrated their first-ever point in the tournament.

Room, the 37-year-old Miami FC keeper, produced a remarkable and record-equalling performance, making 15 saves to keep his country level and eventually secure a goalless draw which will live long in the memory of the island nation.

Since records began in 1966, no goalkeeper has made more stops in 90 minutes of World Cup action, according to Opta.

Only Tim Howard has made as many in a single game but, unlike Room, he failed to keep a clean sheet after conceding twice in extra-time for the USA against Belgium in 2014.

Room joked after the 0-0 draw that Howard would have been “sweating at home” watching the game and his performance means he “needs a statue in Curacao”.

“Take a bow, Room,” added Keown on BBC One. “Absolutely magnificent.

“The number of saves, you were almost getting a calculator out at the end of the game to count them up.

“It just became a shopping list of saves. His reactions were first class. He seemed destined to keep a clean sheet all night.”

It was a performance that inspired Room’s country to their biggest-ever result.

Eloy Room’s incredible goalkeeping helped Curacao make history in a goalless draw in Group E match in Kansas City.

Goalkeeper Eloy Room was Curacao’s hero against Ecuador, keeping out a barrage of shots to help the tiny Caribbean nation claim their first-ever World Cup point in a goalless draw that keeps alive their hopes of reaching the knockout phase.

Ecuador, who finished second in South American qualifying, had 28 shots, including 15 on target, but Room stood firm in an astonishing display in Kansas City on Saturday.

His 15 saves are the most on record, since 1966, by any goalkeeper in a World Cup match that did not feature extra time.

World Cup debutants Curacao, the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the tournament, slumped to a 7-1 defeat against Germany in their opening match but restored pride in the American Midwest.

Ecuador fans turned the Arrowhead Stadium, the home of NFL team Kansas City Chiefs, yellow, hugely outnumbering supporters of Curacao.

But Curacao had royalty on their side in the form of Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. The island is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Out of their 26-strong squad, managed by vastly experienced Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, 25 were born in the Netherlands, and most play their football there.

The match started at a fizzing pace.

Ecuador seemed certain to open the scoring in the third minute when former West Ham forward Enner Valencia burst through the middle, but Room tipped the ball around the post.

Sherel Floranus fired over at the other end as Curacao showed their pace on the break.

Valencia failed to beat Room from close range before Jordy Alcivar had an effort as Ecuador continued to dominate possession.

The South American team ended the first half with 65 percent of possession but nothing to show for their dominance.

They went close to breaking the deadlock just before the hour mark, but Room kept out a Gonzalo Plata header, before a flurry of Curacao chances.

Ecuador, more than 50 places higher than Curacao in the FIFA rankings, looked increasingly frazzled as they pressed for a goal.

As the match neared its end, chances continued to come thick and fast, but Room stood firm.

Ecuador substitute Angelo Preciado mis-hit a cross that bounced off the top of the crossbar and went behind.

The Curacao players swarmed around Room at the end of the match, celebrating an extraordinary point.

Earlier, four-time champions Germany came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in Toronto, ensuring their qualification for the round of 32. Curacao’s draw ensures Germany will top the group.

Ecuador will play Germany on Thursday, while Curacao take on Ivory Coast.

Olivia Rodrigo has officially begun her new era, and this time she invited her fans to experience it alongside her.

To celebrate the release of her latest album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,” Rodrigo collaborated with American Express to re-create the set of her music video for “The Cure.” The pop-up event, which opened last Thursday and ran until Sunday at Mica Studios, featured props from the video, storyboards, exclusive merchandise and several photo ops for fans.

With a beating felt heart and lab beakers to pose with, the pop-up transformed an industrial studio space in the Arts District into a pastel-painted cardboard hospital. Ahead of the public opening, Rodrigo surprised a small group of AMEX cardholders and select fans.

“I have an album that’s coming out today in about one hour, which is crazy,” Rodrigo said, wearing a blue “Nurses Do It Better” baby tee. “I figured since we’re all here, maybe we should just listen to a few of them together? Would that be cool?”

A little over an hour before the album’s release, Rodrigo played four songs from the album as the room brewed with excitement. She began with “Maggots for Brains,” a song about being so infatuated you can’t focus when your partner is away. Although it was their first listen, the song’s catchy chorus already had fans dancing along.

Banner for Rodridgo’s pop-up event hands above Mica Studios

(American Express)

Rodrigo explained that her next song, “Purple,” paid homage to the aesthetics of her previous albums, “Guts” and “Sour.”

“Obviously, this is my first non-purple album, but I just had to shout out purple somehow,” Rodrigo joked. “This song started out as a love song and sort of devolved from there, so I’ll let you guys be the judge.”

Playing off the somber vibes of “Purple,” Rodrigo played “Less” next. The piano ballad follows the dissolution of a relationship as the couple grows apart.

“I’ve been going back and forth on what the saddest song on the record is, but I think this one might be it,” Rodrigo said.

In a room full of fans, the song struck an emotional chord with many of the listeners. To bring the mood back up, Rodrigo finished the night by playing her new single, “Stupid Song.”

“This next one is a happy one, and it actually has a music video that comes out tonight,” Rodrigo said. “I love this song so much. It’s basically about having such an intense crush on someone that it drives you totally f— insane. I feel like we’ve all been there at some point in our lives.”

Rodrigo was all smiles at her event celebrating her latest album steeped in heartbreak and romance.

(American Express)

After Rodrigo previewed her music, “The Cure” music video exhibition was opened up to the fans. The showcase ranged from interactive photo ops to gallery walls featuring behind-the-scenes photos from the video shoot and Rodrigo’s nurse costume on display. The video’s props, which were primarily designed using cardboard and felt, were displayed in glass cases for visitors to admire.

Dressed in fun fashion including light pink and polka-dot outfits, fans posed throughout the set, re-creating scenes from the music video as “The Cure” played overhead. Many had thrown on a piece of the Los Angeles-exclusive merchandise on sale at the pop-up, with shirts and hats reading “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl in Los Angeles.”

So while some fans teared up at her lyrics and others beamed with excitement, everyone was hyped to experience Rodrigo’s new album.

“I really hope you enjoy this little exhibition. It is so gorgeous, and I am so proud of it,” Rodrigo said. “Thank you guys for being here, and I really hope you love ‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love’ as much as I do.”