Spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz took the crucial wicket of Steve Smith as Bangladesh moved closer to a historic first Test victory in Australia on day three in Darwin.
Smith, so often Australia’s talisman, chipped a leading edge straight back to the off-spinner to depart for 44 and leave his side 122-4 in their second innings.
Australia safely batted out the rest of the session but they face a tough task to save the match after closing on 161-4, still 67 runs behind Bangladesh’s first innings total.
Their hopes of saving the first Test rest in the hands of Cameron Green, who remained unbeaten on 43 and Alex Carey, on 19.
Earlier Bangladesh added 75 to their overnight score of 351-6, with Miraz scoring 65 and Josh Hazlewood claiming 6-89 to claim his 300th Test wicket.
Miraz guided the tail superbly for his 65 from 154 balls as the Bangladesh lower order frustrated Australia’s tiring bowling attack.
“The way we showed character and played the last two, three days I think is outstanding. So, really happy to see them play like this,” Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said.
After being dismissed for 426 shortly after lunch, Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud stunned the hosts when he claimed both openers cheaply.
The 26-year-old, who took a career-best 6-55 in the first innings, bowled Jake Weatherald for 0 and Travis Head for 17 as both players chopped on to their stumps.
Marnus Labuschagne and Smith steadied the ship, before the former was bowled by Taijul Islam for 31.
Smith batted sensibly for his 44 off 88 balls but his wicket left Bangladesh confident of victory as they roared in triumph on the Marrara Oval pitch.
All-rounder Green’s place in the side had been questioned prior to the series, but he defended well alongside wicketkeeper Carey as the pair reached the end of the day to give the hosts a slither of hope going into day four.
Australia have never lost a home Test to Bangladesh, only losing once to the Tigers in six previous Tests – at Mirpur in 2017.
SACRAMENTO — Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is pressuring his Democratic rival, Xavier Becerra, to participate in a series of debates in the weeks leading up the Nov. 3 election to determine California’s next governor.
In a video shared by his campaign Friday, Hilton listed six debate invitations he has received from cable broadcaster CNN and television news stations around the state, beginning in late September.
“I have accepted every single one of these debates,” said Hilton, standing behind a debate-style podium and gesturing at an empty one beside him with Becerra’s name on it . “This guy, Xavier Becerra, has not accepted any of them. That is completely outrageous. We have to have a debate in this governor’s race. So come on, Xavier.”
The video shows Hilton walk out of frame and return with a cardboard cutout of Becerra, which he plunks behind the second podium while urging the candidate to “man up and show up.”
Becerra’s campaign said he will debate Hilton and blasted the Republican for “chasing” publicity.
“Snowflake Steve is melting faster than he can plan another press conference. While he’s there chasing media and doing Donald Trump’s bidding, Xavier Becerra is building a coalition of Californians ready to elect a governor who won’t bring Trump’s chaos to their front door,” Becerra spokesman Jonathan Underland said in a statement to The Times.
Hilton, a British immigrant who once advised a U.K. prime minister, is endorsed by President Donald Trump and finished second in the June open-party primary election with 24.6% of the vote.
Years of hosting a weekly show on Fox News has made Hilton comfortable on camera and the debate stage; he appeared at-ease during a series of debates earlier this year while lobbing attacks at his Democratic opponents and blaming the party for the state’s long list of problems.
Becerra served as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services during the Biden administration. Before that, he spent four years battling the first Trump administration as California attorney general and more than two decades representing a Los Angeles congressional district.
The longtime Democratic politician became the come-from-behind winner of the primary, finishing with 28.1% of the vote after polling near the middle or bottom of a crowded field for months. His meteoric rise came after another front-runner, former Rep. Eric Swalwell, dropped out after a former staffer and other women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct.
Becerra has kept a relatively low profile since the election with few public appearances.
Hilton has held several campaign events in recent weeks to court independent and Latino voters. As a Trump-endorsed Republican, he faces a steep climb in California, where the president is deeply unpopular and a GOP candidate has not won a statewide election since 2006.
Last week he accused Democratic leaders of “abandoning” residents in Boyle Heights, where flies, rats and the stench of rotting food have lingered weeks after a frozen food warehouse was damaged by fire.
Hilton also recently took out full-page ads in The Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle to make the case to voters who dislike Trump but are dissatisfied with the status quo in California.
Spoiler alert: This post contains details from the new film “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
Apparently Tom Holland isn’t the only “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” creative with a bad habit of accidentally spoiling movies.
Grammy winner Steve Lacy joined the festivities during the film’s Hollywood premiere on Monday, detailing more than just his original song for the latest “Spider-Man” flick. The “Oh Yeah” and “Bad Habit” singer also allegedly spilled the beans on “Stranger Things” alumna Sadie Sink‘s “Spider-Man” character, which Marvel has kept tightly under wraps. Lacy delivered the accidental reveal while speaking with Twitch star Valkyrae, who hosted the film’s official red carpet stream. During Monday’s carpet, Valkyrae asked Lacy to name his favorite character from the movie “without spoiling anything,” according to video shared on social media.
“Jean. I like Jean,” he responds, “she’s the villain but, like, there’s a reason to her madness.” After Valkyrae asks whether his answer was a spoiler, Lacy seemingly tones down his enthusiasm for the character. “I like her character. I don’t know why.”
Lacy didn’t quite link Sink with this mystery Jean. Still, it’s worth noting that Sink’s role has been the subject of much speculation, with fans suspecting she would play Marvel-verse X-Men telekinetic and telepath Jean Grey. Sink would be the third actress to play the role, after Famke Janssen and “Game of Thrones” alumna Sophie Turner. (Another Marvel universe Jean is Jean De Wolff, a Spider-Man ally who was a police detective and captain.)
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” will also see Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon reprise their roles and also features Mark Ruffalo and Jon Bernthal among others. Holland recently starred alongside Zendaya and Bernthal in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”
The trailer, released in March, shows Peter/Spider-Man (Holland) reeling as he struggles to reconnect with his friends. To his dismay, MJ (Zendaya) has a new man in her life. As in the previous films, Peter attempts to balance his personal woes with superhero struggles — but he’ll have another Avenger in his corner. The clip shows Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner (a.k.a. the Hulk) guiding Peter through an “enormously dangerous” physical evolution and teases several baddies, including Bernthal’s antihero Punisher.
Sink has been all-in on the “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” press tour, managing to keep tight-lipped about her role. Earlier this month, Marvel shared playful videos of Sink somewhat discussing her role to help stave off eager fans’ curiosity. In one clip, she provides “Spider-Man” fans with three incredibly helpful clues: She does not play Spider-Man, she does not play Aunt May (who perished in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”) and she is definitely in the latest movie.
When it comes to spoiling “Spider-Man” and other Marvel films, it often seems like the call is coming from inside. Over the years, Holland has gained a reputation for his loose lips, spoiling plot details from “Spider-Man” and “Avengers” films.
Maybe accidental spoilers are just par for the course?
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” hits theaters, with showings on Thursday leading into Friday’s release.
Trump-endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton formally launched his general election campaign Wednesday by pitching himself to California’s abundance of anti-Trump voters.
In a speech, Hilton said Democrats had “abandoned” working-class and Latino communities and crushed small businesses. He criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom for leading the state into decline, pointing to low literacy rates and slow responses to crises such as the Boyle Heights warehouse fire.
Hilton, a British-born conservative political commentator and former Fox News host, faces an uphill battle in California, a Democratic stronghold. In June, Hilton clinched second place in California’s gubernatorial primary behind veteran Democratic politician Xavier Becerra.
In an effort to persuade voters who are dissatisfied with the status quo, Hilton bought a full-page ad in the Wednesday editions of the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle.
The ad read, “Can you be anti-Trump and still vote for me?,” followed by a checklist readers could use to “test” if they shared common ground with Hilton.
“I can’t stand Trump, but I’m not happy with the way things have been run in California lately,” reads one line in the ad.
“I want to fight climate change, but $6.00 gas is crazy!” reads another.
At a news conference Wednesday, Hilton said the ad is aimed at voters who “know that we need change in California.”
Trump’s unpopularity in the state “doesn’t matter because we’re not talking about national policies here,” he said. “This is about what we can do in our state to make life better for Californians.”
Hilton then framed himself as a “pragmatic, problem-solving change-maker” focused on affordability, promising to lower gas prices, electricity costs and taxes and the cost of homes.
“We may not agree about national politics, but I think we can agree that we need change in California, and I’m going to bring that change,” he said.
The news conference, which marked the formal launch of Hilton’s general election campaign, took place at a Boyle Heights auto body shop across the street from the Lineage cold storage facility that was destroyed by a fire last month.
The location was chosen because it is a “symbol of Democrat failure,” Hilton said. The nauseating stench of rotting food filled the surrounding neighborhood. Swarms of flies buzzed about, occasionally landing on top of Hilton’s head.
Hilton said he’s not expecting Trump to campaign on his behalf in California. But, he added, “I’m proud to be endorsed by the president and I think it’s a very good thing to have a governor who has a good relationship with the federal administration.”
No Republican has been elected to a statewide office since 2006. A poll by the Public Policy Institute of California published earlier this month showed Becerra with support from 61% of likely voters, compared with 36% for Hilton.
Hilton insists his campaign is different from previous Republican bids.
“We’ve got to the point in California where people are looking for a positive alternative,” Hilton told The Times. “We’re going to be fighting very hard … already in the last year and a half I’ve fought a campaign like no one’s seen in California for 20 years. I’ve been to nearly every single county in our state.”
The first proper “Avengers: Doomsday” trailer is finally here — though it remains a bit light on the movie’s plot.
After releasing multiple short teasers to promote its upcoming superhero crossover, Marvel Studios on Monday unveiled its official trailer for “Doomsday.” The new clip shows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) taking on the mysterious Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), reuniting with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and trying to persuade various superhero teams — including the Avengers, the New Avengers (a.k.a. the Thunderbolts) and the Fantastic Four — to join forces.
“Something’s coming,” says a mysterious voiceover. “Something we may not be able to deter. Before this day is done, we shall be faced with an unthinkable decision.”
The speaker is presumably Doom, who makes an appearance as the voiceover ends. In the comics, Victor von Doom hails from the fictional southeastern European country of Latveria. The name of the country was briefly shown in last year’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which featured the character’s Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in its post-credits scene.
The trailer then shifts its focus to Thor, who speaks of an unnamed powerful foe as he asks the members of various teams to “put aside [their] petty squabbles” in order to try to thwart this frightening threat together. The new clip concludes by showing Thor’s reunion with Rogers.
“We’re going to need a miracle,” the Asgardian says before he is shown coming face to face with his old friend. Thor then makes the former Captain America take hold of his hammer, Mjölnir, to prove his identity. The hammer can only be lifted by someone it deems worthy, which Rogers did during the events of “Avengers: Endgame” (2019).
The trailer also includes glimpses of Gambit (Channing Tatum) battling Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) facing off against Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), Loki (Tom Hiddleston) handling his Time Variance Authority ID card, M’Baku (Winston Duke) and Shuri (Letitia Wright) greeting Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) sharing a moment with Magneto (Ian McKellan) and Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) embracing Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton).
“With much love … here is the trailer you’ve been waiting for,” directors Anthony and Joe Russo wrote Monday in an Instagram post sharing the new footage.
According to Marvel’s logline, “Doomsday” will involve “beloved heroes from three distinct universes … set on a deadly collision course and fac[ing] an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.”
The cast also includes Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards), Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson), Wyatt Russell (John Walker), James Marsden (Scott Summers), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian), Lewis Pullman (Bob Reynolds), Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy/Beast), Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres), Alan Cumming (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler), Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr), Mabel Cadena (Namora) and Tenoch Huerta Mejia (Namor).
The “Avengers: Doomsday” trailer arrives in advance of this weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con. After sitting out last year’s event, Marvel Studios will return to Hall H on Saturday to showcase its upcoming slate. (It was during its Hall H presentation in 2024 that Marvel revealed its next big villain will be Doctor Doom, played by Downey).
Steve Cherundolo, who took LAFC to two MLS Cup finals in four years as manager, was named Thursday as head coach of the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team that will compete at the 2028 L.A. Olympics.
A three-time World Cup veteran and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Cherundolo, 47, had 30 caps with three U.S. junior teams before making his senior debut in 1999. He went on to play 87 times for the senior national team and played 15 seasons at Bundesliga club Hannover 96, making 415 appearances.
Cherundolo, who grew up in San Diego, transitioned into coaching in Germany at the youth level, then returned to the U.S. in 2021 to lead the Las Vegas Lights, then LAFC’s affiliate in the USL Championship. A season later he replaced Bob Bradley as the head coach at LAFC.
In his first season in MLS, he guided the club to an MLS Cup victory and won the Supporters’ Shield, breaking the record for most victories by a first-year manager with 21. He also had the most wins (29), most points (96) and best winning percentage through 50 games of any coach in league history, won a U.S. Open Cup and took LAFC to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final before leaving the club last November, saying he was returning to Germany with his family.
“Throughout his career, Steve Cherundolo has been a proven winner, an elite talent developer, and a great ambassador for American soccer,” Dan Helfrich, U.S. Soccer’s chief operating officer and the man who led the coaching search, said in a statement. “The 2028 Olympics present a critical platform to develop our next generation of players.”
Cherundolo’s main responsibility as the new head coach for the U.S. U-23 Men’s National Team will be to build a roster for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“Representing the United States at the Olympic Games is one of the greatest honors in sports, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead this team,” Cherundolo said in a statement. “I believe we have an exciting group of players with tremendous potential, and I’m looking forward to building an environment where they can challenge themselves, grow together, and represent our country with pride.
“Our responsibility is to compete with courage, humility, and a clear identity, one that reflects the values of U.S. Soccer and gives our supporters a team they can be proud of.”
Scotland, who have played at each of the past two European Championships, booked their spot at a World Cup for the first time since 1998 in dramatic fashion with an unforgettable victory against Denmark at Hampden Park in November.
Backed by tens of thousands of fans who had travelled to the United States, John McGinn’s deflected strike against Haiti earned the country’s first win at a World Cup for 36 years.
That would be Scotland’s only goal of the tournament.
They lost to a second-minute strike by 2022 semi-finalists Morocco in their second match, so they entered their final group game against Brazil knowing a draw would probably be enough to send them through as one of the best third-placed teams.
However, first-half defensive errors would prove their undoing.
They once again conceded early when defender Scott McKenna was robbed of possession inside his own penalty area, gifting an opener to Vinicius Jr.
The Real Madrid forward was denied a second when the video assistant referee (VAR) deemed he had fouled Jack Hendry before rolling the ball past Angus Gunn, but just before half-time Scotland again gave the ball away near their own goal and Vinicius Jr nodded in at the back post to make it 2-0.
Matheus Cunha extended Brazil’s advantage after half-time and a late rally failed to yield a reply that would have improved Scotland’s goal difference.
“Over the three games you’re definitely looking at below-par performances,” said Willie Miller, who played at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups for Scotland.
“I keep looking back on the Denmark game [November’s 4-2 win to seal qualification] with those outstanding goals, but they didn’t get anywhere near those levels.”
The former defender described the lack of a top-class striker as “a major issue” and said he was “uncertain about the logic of a few selections”.
However, he did back Clarke by adding: “He got us there and that’s what the Scotland manager’s job is.
“He has introduced a real togetherness in the squad as well, which wasn’t always the case.”
With 81 matches under his belt, Clarke is Scotland’s longest-serving manager.
Support from the Scottish FA has been emphatic, with their coffers significantly enhanced by participation at three of the past four major finals.
“I’m sure he can go again over the next few years if he wants to,” Miller added of Clarke.
“The new contract was a positive step. I think it was the right thing to do.”
Scotland conceded soft, early goals in defeats by Morocco and Brazil, with former striker James McFadden saying: “The defending was certainly below the standard we’re used to and the errors were costly.
“I just feel the players could have shown more. We could have done better against Morocco in terms of having a go.
“But a lot of people think we should have had two penalties and a red card in that game, which is nothing to do with the manager and players.
First, Scott McKenna was caught on the ball by Bournemouth forward Rayan and Vinicius Jr skipped past Angus Gunn to score.
Gunn and full-back Nathan Patterson were then caught under a Bruno Guimaraes cross as Vinicius Jr nodded in his and Brazil’s second before half-time.
And Manchester United’s Mateus Cunha made it three after the break on a night where Scotland huffed and puffed, but were ultimately outclassed.
“We lose poor goals at poor times against a team that can punish you with quality,” McGinn told BBC Sport. “We had a few chances but we’ve got to wait now.
“The lads are gutted, we fell short on quality but we gave it absolutely everything. The lads are empty now. It’s unlikely [that we qualify] but we’ll wait and see.
“It’s a bit raw at the minute but we appreciate the support of the fans, we know it’s difficult to be there. Hopefully the journey is not over and if we have to go again, we will go again.”
Wales are preparing for head coach Craig Bellamy’s possible move to Burnley with a shortlist of potential successors which includes former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper.
Football Association of Wales (FAW) bosses held informal talks with Cooper before news emerged of Burnley’s renewed interest in Bellamy, while ex-Wolves manager Rob Edwards is also under consideration.
Burnley have not yet reached an agreement with the FAW, which wants at least £1m in compensation.
If Bellamy rejoins the club where he worked as an assistant coach under now Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany, the FAW already has a list of possible replacements.
Former Forest and Swansea City boss Cooper is a leading candidate and would not require a compensation fee as he has been out of work since leaving Danish side Brondby earlier this year.
Like Cooper, Edwards would have been in a strong position to get the Wales job when Bellamy was appointed in 2024, had he not been at a Premier League club – Luton in Edwards’ case.
The FAW has also kept tabs on Eric Ramsay, the former Wales and Manchester United assistant coach who was briefly in charge of West Bromwich Albion during the 2025-26 season.
Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator, clinched one of the top spots in California’s gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, earning him the right to challenge veteran Democratic politician Xavier Becerra in the November election to determine the state’s next governor.
The contest offers voters two starkly different politicians. Hilton was endorsed by President Trump and has wooed his MAGA supporters, blaming Democratic policies for California’s homelessness crisis, high cost of living and other entrenched ills. Becerra campaigned as a battle-tested warrior against the Republican president and a champion of affordable healthcare. He could make history as the state’s first elected Latino governor.
Hilton’s victory was declared by the Associated Press on Tuesday, days after Becerra secured one of the top spots and a week after the June 2 election. Under California’s primary system, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary advance to the November general election, regardless of their party affiliation. According to the latest vote count, which is ongoing, Becerra has a slight edge over Hilton.
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, center, flanked by lieutenant governor candidate Gloria Romero, left, and California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin, right, hold a press conference to discuss election and voting reforms at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk headquarters on Tuesday in Norwalk.
(Gary Coronado / For The Times)
Democrat Tom Steyer finished in third place. The hedge fund founder and environmental activist spent $216 million of his own money on his campaign, and now joins the legion of other high-profile, self-funding candidates rejected by California voters.
Becerra heads into the Nov. 3 election with a distinct advantage — Democratic voters in California outnumber Republicans by an almost 2-to-1 margin, a telltale reason why no GOP candidate has won a statewide race since 2006.
The contrast between Becerra and Hilton, both on policy and political personas, couldn’t be more pronounced.
A British immigrant and former political advisor to U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, Hilton, 56, embraces traditional conservative ideals that have echoed across the country since the days of President Reagan — cutting taxes, weeding out government fraud and waste and promising to unbridle entrepreneurs and homebuilders from stifling state regulation.
But he’s also ventured into MAGA territory, declining to acknowledge that Trump lost the 2020 presidential election and promising to extradite California doctors who provide abortion pills to other states for prosecution.
Becerra, 68, came up in Los Angeles politics in the 1980s and has long supported policies to expand protections and resources for immigrants with or without legal status. Married to Harvard-educated OB-GYN Carolina Reyes, Becerra has also staunchly opposed abortion restrictions throughout his career.
In Congress and other positions, Becerra earned a reputation as a cerebral, analytical politician who would fully commit to his positions after taking time to mull them through.
A straight-laced family man with a Catholic upbringing, Becerra was more reserved during the debates — a quiet confidence that drew some voters to support him. He also faced criticism from his rivals for failing to offer detailed housing and healthcare policies.
Hilton, who cuts an unmistakable image with his bald crown and clipped English accent, proved himself as a polished communicator during the debates, skills honed by his years as a Fox News analyst.
Television hosts must translate complex issues into easily digestible sound bites, said Republican strategist Matt Klink. “Most voters want a CliffsNotes version of the issues,” Klink said.
Republican strategist Kevin Spillane credits Hilton’s TV show, “The Next Revolution,” which ran for six years, with boosting his profile, calling Fox News the most important media vehicle within the conservative and Republican framework.
Hilton “understands how politics and how communications work,” Spillane said.
He often appeared relaxed during the gubernatorial debates, at points even complimenting or joking with his rivals as they parried on stage.
At a CBS debate earlier this year, Becerra referred to President Trump, who endorsed Hilton, as the Republican candidate’s “daddy.” Hilton responded with a quip that quickly deflated the attack.
“It would be rather amazing,” said Hilton, at the possibility of being Trump’s son. “My daddy was the goalie for the Hungarian national ice hockey team.”
In an interview last week, before the election, Hilton said he enjoyed the debates. “In a weird way, I was sad when we had the last one,” he said. “I’m looking forward to debating whoever it is.”
As a former political advisor to Britain’s Conservative Party, Hilton helped usher in a green, socially liberal strain of conservatism.
He also infuriated colleagues in the coalition government, the British press reported, proposing a stream of unconventional ideas: scrapping maternity leave, abolishing job centers, even buying cloud-bursting technology so Britain would have more sunshine. In 2012, he moved full time to the Bay Area.
Hilton, who founded a nonprofit on California policies, was known for his frequent visits in the last couple of years to the state Capitol for discussions with legislators.
By contrast, Hilton presented himself as the “more cosmopolitan” candidate who “can talk to the hedge fund manager or the small-business owner or the Sacramento lobbyist,” said Klink said.
“Hilton was more energized at the end, when it mattered,” said Spillane, contrasting the two Republicans.
Past Republican candidates, including businessman John Cox in 2018 and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman in 2010, have self-financed their campaigns with their vast fortunes.
By contrast, Hilton spent just a few million dollars on media advertising, he said in an interview last week.
He said he ignored advice from consultants who told him to do a launch announcement and then unleash a wave of ads in the last month of the campaign.
“I just said, ‘I want to do it the old-fashioned way,’ and that’s what we’ve been doing,” said Hilton in the interview before the election. “We’ve been to nearly every single county…. stepped it up with our town halls.”
Nina Royal, 83, who lives in Los Angeles and is a community advocate for her Tujunga neighborhood, voted for Hilton, saying that he understands California’s problems.
“He’s a realist,” said Royal. “He has a clear view of what needs to be done.”
Times staff writer Jenny Jarvie contributed to this report.
Martin Mull was best known to audiences for playing comedic characters like Col. Mustard in “Clue” and Gene Parmesan in “Arrested Development,” but a new exhibit opening next year at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art seeks to elevate the role Mull was most proud to inhabit: a respected painter.
“Martin Mull: The Joys of Indoor/Outdoor Living,” co-curated by comedian Steve Martin and Hammer Museum Director Emerita Ann Philbin, comes to SBMA next June and runs through October. It will be the first major museum exhibition of Mull’s artwork in 20 years.
The paintings featured include scenes of unassuming houses visited by otherworldly guests, dead-eyed office workers, gravity-defying displays and lambs being led to the slaughter. They play with perspective, color, space and time to illuminate postwar American tensions, be they racial, political or existential.
“Martin Mull’s work as an artist will certainly be his primary legacy,” Martin said in a statement. “After a full-time career in painting, in the last 20 years of his life with his technical gifts fully developed, Martin’s art coalesced into tight, narrative paintings of a peculiar nature. Combining surreal elements with family idioms, he formed his own worried portrayal of American life.”
Martin Mull’s “Band on the Run,” 2014. Oil on panel.
(Estate of Martin Mull)
The exhibit, which will take over the museum’s 6,000 square feet of main galleries, will feature more than 50 paintings and drawings by Mull, most of which come from the artist’s estate and the private collections of Mull’s entertainment industry colleagues, including Steve Martin, Jennifer Tilly, and Ted and Nicole Sarandos .
“Steve talked about how Mull’s painting practice was his deepest passion, despite the fact that his fame was as an actor and comedian. It prompted me to do a little research, and I became very intrigued by his body of work. I wrote to Steve, ‘Martin Mull. There’s something there.’ That’s how the project began,” she said.
Along with Martin and Philbin, the upcoming exhibition is led by SBMA Chief Curator James Glisson and Amada Cruz, the museum’s director and CEO. In a news release, a museum spokesperson said Mull’s work “upsets any storybook picture of perfection” and resists nostalgia while acknowledging its allure.
Martin Mull’s “Envy,” 2008, from the series “Seven Deadly Sins.” Oil on linen.
(Estate of Martin Mull)
“It’s so deeply strange — dark and funny, hopeful and menacing all at once,” Philbin said. “The paintings are about the smoldering tensions that underlie the American dream, so I think it’s a particularly apt moment to bring them back into the public eye.”
Mull, who died in 2024, received his master of fine arts degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1967. Though he went on to craft a career in the public eye as a musician, comedian and actor, painting remained his “true vocation.”
Martin, a longtime friend of the multidisciplinary artist, echoed this sentiment in an email to The Times.
“If a comedian says he is also a painter, run. Except this once.”
To think that four-goal first-half performance didn’t even involve John McGinn.
A traditional 4-4-2 brought the best out of Scott McTominay, if that’s even more possible. Although we all know the Napoli star’s position was never in any doubt.
Bologna’s Lewis Ferguson, who captain Robertson said “turned into a man” , externalduring the qualification campaign, again showed his maturity and ability to dictate play in the middle of the park. Cultured, some might say.
But, in truth, the first half was dominated by the work done down the wings by Bournemouth pair Ben Gannon-Doak and Ryan Christie.
Long before he was even in the squad, Gannon-Doak excited supporters. He was the Billy Gilmour of the Euro 2024 team, picking up an injury before the squad jetted off to Germany.
Since then, he’s reminded everyone what they missed with his absence. The epitome of a Duracell Bunny, the 20-year-old dazzled on Saturday.
At times, his end-product has been his downfall, but it wasn’t of concern stateside.
“Ben did himself the power of good today,” Clarke acknowledged. “We know what he can give us.”
Clarke also knows what Christie can provide. In many positions. He was lively down the left, with an instinct to cut in and create.
Many were crying out for Findlay Curtis to start, given his first international goal last weekend, but its hard to make a case for Christie not starting somewhere on Sunday.
It’s perhaps the biggest head-scratcher of them all for Clarke, but what a problem to have.
Steve Baik, who coached Chino Hills to an unbeaten basketball season in 2016 led by brothers Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball, is returning to high school basketball. Calabasas announced on Wednesday he will be its new basketball coach.
Baik, who left Chino Hills and then guided Fairfax to a City Section Open Division championship in 2019, has long been considered an outstanding coach. He recently has been living and helping develop high school and youth players in Tennessee. He will replace veteran coach Jon Palarz, who retired from coaching.
“He reached out to me,” Calabasas athletic director Thomas Cassidy said. “He’s in the process of moving back. In talking to him, he had a lot of respect for coach Palarz and felt it was a good place to come back and build a program and have success. He blew us away. I was hoping we could work it out. We were able to put it together.”
Now the question is whether LaVar Ball, the father of the Ball brothers who Baik worked with at Chino Hills in sometimes much-publicized ways, will make an appearance in the Calabasas gym.
The sentencing of Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg to 14 years in federal prison on Monday brings the NBA a step closer to concluding its nine-month investigation into the Clippers allegedly circumventing the salary cap.
Sanberg pleaded guilty in October to federal charges of conspiring to bilk investors out of $248 million for portraying the now-defunct Aspiration as a “socially-conscious and sustainable banking services and investment products” firm.
The NBA has declined to comment on the status of the probe centered on $60 million invested in Aspiration by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the $28-million contract Clippers star Kawhi Leonard signed with Aspiration for endorsement and marketing work that he never delivered.
Players are allowed to have separate endorsement and other business deals, but at issue is whether the Clippers participated in arranging the side deal beyond simply introducing Aspiration executives to Leonard. Doing so would be a violation of Article 13 of the NBA collective bargaining agreement, punishable by a $4.5-million fine, the loss of a first-round draft pick and the voiding of Leonard’s contract.
The NBA draft takes place June 23-24 and the Clippers have three picks, including the fifth overall selection. The league is not expected to release its findings until after the NBA Finals, which begin Wednesday between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
Clippers officials haven’t commented on the investigation. But Leonard, who has one year left on a three-year, $149.5-million contract that will pay him $50.3 million next season, told The Athletic after the Clippers’ season-ending game April 15 that “I think we’re going to be in the clear. I’m not stressing.”
Otherwise, among the few public comments about the investigation were letters submitted to federal court judge Stephen V. Wilson ahead of Sanberg’s sentencing by Ballmer and the law firm conducting the probe on behalf of the NBA.
The letter from Dave Anders of Wachtell Lipton stated that Sanberg provided documentation and information helpful to the NBA investigation during two in-person interviews.
“In all our dealings with Mr. Sanberg, both directly and through his counsel, he provided information that was consistent with our review of contemporaneous documents and other evidence,” Anders wrote. “Mr. Sanberg’s cooperation substantially assisted our investigation, including our ability to develop a more complete understanding of key events.”
Ballmer countered by asking Wilson for a stiff sentence in a five-page Victim Impact Statement posted on social media by his lawyer, David N. Kelley.
“Sanberg continues to exploit his fraud of Mr. Ballmer for his benefit, providing information to the NBA in return for a sentencing letter that the league submitted on his behalf,” Kelley wrote. “The reliability of Sanberg’s information is suspect given that he has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges, and the government has made its own determination that he is not credible.”
Before handing down the sentence, Wilson made it clear that Sanberg’s credibility was questionable.
“He portrays himself as a do-gooder who was in business to help the world, but he did personally gain from his fraud,” Wilson said, later adding, “I would put the grade of his fraud at the zenith.”
Ballmer, a former longtime CEO of Microsoft who has owned the Clippers since 2014, accused Sanberg of targeting him for his well-known interest in environmental sustainability and exaggerating their relationship to convince others to invest in the fraudulent company. He said he met Sanberg only once.
Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration in September 2021. A month later, the Clippers announced a $300-million sponsorship deal with the company. Ballmer nearly granted Aspiration naming rights to the team’s new $2-billion venue as well, but instead chose financial services firm Intuit. Ballmer made an additional $10-million investment in Aspiration on March 9, 2023.
Ballmer was added in November as a defendant in a civil lawsuit against Sanberg and several others associated with Aspiration. Ballmer and the other defendants are accused by 11 investors in Aspiration of fraud and aiding and abetting fraud, with the plaintiffs seeking at least $50 million in damages.
Kelley contended that Ballmer was added as a defendant because of his “visibility and resources,” and portrayed the Clippers owner as a victim, saying “Mr. Ballmer’s losses are not measured solely, or even primarily, on a balance sheet. They are measured in the reputational damage that will take years to remediate, and in the chilling effect on future endeavors intended to do good.”
The lone public comment about the investigation from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver came during All-Star Weekend in February at the Intuit Dome when he described the issue as “enormously complex.”
“You have a company in bankruptcy, you have thousands of documents, multiple witnesses that needed to be interviewed,” Silver said.
The investigation was triggered by reports from podcaster Pablo Torre that Leonard’s sponsorship deal with Aspiration was to circumvent the salary cap. Torre and the staff of “Pablo Torre Finds Out” won a Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting for their efforts.
