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The Oscars, March Madness & more make for great TV week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:02:57 GMT

Get comfortable – this week has a plethora of prime choices for great TV.Sunday“The 95th Academy Awards” (ABC, 8 p.m.): The mind-bending 2022 multiverse fable “Everything Everywhere All at Once” leads the field with 11 nominations at this year’s ceremony. Jimmy Kimmel hosts.“The Last of Us” (HBO, 9 p.m.): You haven’t seen the last of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as this post-apocalyptic drama ends its first season already renewed for a second.“A Spy Among Friends” (MGM+, 10 p.m.): Guy Pearce portrays MI6 officer/Soviet double agent Kim Philby and Damian Lewis plays his bereft BFF in this new fact-based drama.Monday“Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax” (Fox Nation): This new special explores the case of the former “Empire” star who falsely claimed to have been the victim of a hate crime in 2019.“Great Performances” (PBS, 9 p.m.): David Strathairn portrays Jan Karski, a Polish resistance fighter who bore witness to the horrors of the Holocaust, in the fact-based solo drama “Reme...

‘A Spy Among Friends’ brings Cold War to new generation

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:02:57 GMT

“A Spy Among Friends,” streaming Sunday on MGM+, reflects on a key chapter in post-WWII espionage history when the Cambridge Five,  a quintet of Cambridge University graduates, were exposed as Russian spies.The most notorious and most damaging, guilty of a thousand deaths, was British MI6 officer Kim Philby, a double agent for the Soviets.  He served in postwar Washington, DC and cleverly escaped exposure in the early 1950s when two of his fellow Cambridge spies defected to Moscow.Stationed in Beirut in the ‘60s, he was confronted by his friend Nicholas Elliott and confessed.  But before he would sign a confession he escaped to follow his fellow traitors to Red Square.“Spy” stars Guy Pearce (“Mare of Easttown”) as Philby and Damian Lewis (“Billions”), also served an executive producer, is Elliott.A saga that spans 30 years, “Spy” offers a new perspective by examining the rupture between these two heterosexual best buddies.“It was certainly a big challenge for the makeup girls and bo...

Kim: FCC Media Bureau kills diverse media ownership

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:02:57 GMT

I believe in the power of local news. Strengthening American democracy depends on more engaged and informed citizens at the local level. But in today’s fractured media environment, there are fewer credible options for consumers to turn to for their news. Local broadcast news can help fill this void.My company, Standard General, is acquiring local broadcaster TEGNA because I want to build a new company that will be a leader in preserving and enhancing community news, investing in newsrooms and programming targeted to local audiences and adapting in a rapidly changing technical and competitive environment.We’re ready to invest, but regulators in Washington, D.C. continue to hold us back.The Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau recently announced it would refer the proposed transaction between Standard General and TEGNA for review by an administrative law judge.This seemingly mundane regulatory action is an unprecedented overreach of authority that, if allowed to stand unch...

Winning ex’s trust – and time with son – once sober

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:02:57 GMT

Q. I messed up a year ago and passed out drunk while my wife was out and I was taking care of our 2-year-old.  He was fine but she lost all trust in me.  I spent the last year getting sober.  I’ve held a job, stayed sober and went by to spend time with her and our son whenever she allowed.  Despite my efforts she told me last week that she is not interested in taking me back.I understand but I don’t want to lose our son in this process.  She has refused to let me spend any time alone with him since that night.  She works for the court and keeps telling me that no judge is going to let me spend time with our son until he is 12 unless she is present so I shouldn’t even bother fighting her on this.  Is she right?  Is there anything I can do now that I’m not already doing to win back some trust?A. First of all, she is not right.  The fact that you are now sober and doing the hard work to improve your life and your health is important and won’t go unnoticed.  That being said, it is hard ...

Dear Abby: Silence replaces a 40-year friendship

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:02:57 GMT

Dear Abby: I have been friends with a woman I’ll call “Blanche” for 40 years. We used to work together, and we supported each other during our divorces and other life problems. We lost touch for a time, then reconnected. I kept in touch with her for years through email at her work. We both are on Facebook, and she knows how to contact me.Since she retired six months ago, I haven’t heard from her. She comments online and “likes” things I post, but that’s it. I have now blocked her and moved on, which may seem harsh, but the story is too long to explain. I was depressed early on, but I’m over it now. I had to accept that she no longer wanted to continue our friendship. And yes, we have discussed this before. Am I wrong to let it go and move on? — Over It in North CarolinaDear Over It: Sometimes in life we must make a conscious decision to do what’s right for ourselves. In a case like the one you have described, it is not only...

Recapping the Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine leads comeback win against the Houston Rockets, moving Bulls into final play-in spot

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:02:57 GMT

Three days after blowing out the best team in the Western Conference, the Chicago Bulls gritted out a win over the worst team in the West, erasing a double-digit deficit for a 119-111 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.Neither the Rockets nor Bulls are prolific 3-point shooting teams — but for the second time this season, that didn’t matter when they faced off. The Rockets average only 32.5 attempts — and 10.6 makes — from 3-point range. But in their December meeting, they went 17-44 from behind the arc to blow out the Bulls 133-118.The Rockets repeated the high-volume shooting performance on their home court Saturday, going 9-for-16 from 3-point range in the opening half while the Bulls kept pace at 8-for-18. Both teams were on track to finish well above their averages after the third quarter — the Rockets went 15-for-23 and the Bulls 13-for-26.But the game was ultimately decided from inside the arc. The teams took only 15 combined shots fr...

The Weeknd wins big at pre-telecast Junos, Arkells take sixth group of the year award

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:02:57 GMT

TORONTO — The Weeknd has another armful of Juno Awards for his shelf this year, but the Canadian superstar didn’t show up in Edmonton to accept them. Despite cleaning up in all four categories where he was nominated — including artist of the year — the Toronto pop singer was nowhere to be found at a Junos pre-telecast event where most awards are handed out.The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, also pocketed single of the year for “Sacrifice,” pop album for “Dawn FM” and songwriter of the year for many hits he co-wrote for the album.Other musicians vaulted obstacles to make the Junos, including members of Arkells who battled flight cancellations in Newfoundland. Three of them made flights in time to win their sixth group of the year honour.“I think it’s important to show support,” explained a sleep-deprived Max Kerman.“We have a really good life as musicians and I think showing up is part of being part of the community.R...

Oscars look to snap back a year after The Slap

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:02:57 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s almost time to give the Academy Awards a big hand. OK, maybe we should rephrase that. A year after Will Smith strode on stage at the Dolby Theatre and slapped Chris Rock in the face, the Oscars will reconvene Sunday for a ceremony that will try to move past one of the most infamous moments in Academy Awards history. The telecast from the Dolby in Los Angeles begins at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. The broadcast can be streamed with a subscription to Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and Fubo TV. You can also stream the show on ABC.com and on the ABC app by authenticating your provider.Jimmy Kimmel, the show’s first solo emcee in five years, is hosting for the third time. The late-night comedian has promised to make some jokes about The Slap; it would be “ridiculous” not to, he said. Bill Kramer, chief executive of the film academy, has said that it was important, given what happened last year, to have “a host in place who can really pivot and manage those moments.”“N...

New York coach slams Allianz Field’s snow removal in Loons’ opener

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:02:57 GMT

Major League Soccer’s new Apple TV streaming service includes visiting coaches holding postgame news conferences in front of local media members.And, boy, was the first session at Allianz Field contentious on Saturday.New York Red Bulls coach Gerhard Struber commended his players for how they responded to the snowy pitch in a 1-1 draw with Minnesota United, but he called the amount of snow cover on the field “unprofessional.”“I have absolutely no understanding,” Struber said. “It’s under-18, a youth team moment when I was so surprised when I got outside and I cannot see green (grass). Whatever the reason (is) for that. But this is very, very unprofessional. I have a completely different expectation how this should play in this league, on this level.”RELATED: In snow, Loons slip up and settle for 1-1 draw with Red BullsWhen it was Adrian Heath’s turn at the dais, the Loons manager added: “I was disappointed there was so much snow on the field.”The potential problems were apparent 90 ...

3 suspects arrested for breaking into 48 cars in Millbrae: sheriff

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:02:57 GMT

SAN MATEO COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) -- Three suspects were arrested Saturday morning in connection to 48 car burglaries across Millbrae, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office (SMCSO) said in a press release. Throughout that morning, authorities received reports of about 48 cars being burglarized in the city. Driver, passenger arrested after chase leads CHP from Contra Costa County into Oakland Around 10:27 a.m., SMCSO deputies were notified of a stolen Hyundai near the Millbrae Avenue and US-101 intersection. As they were driving through the Westin Hotel on Old Bayshore Highway, the deputies heard a car alarm go off and learned a car's window was smashed.Shortly after, a witness reported the stolen Hyundai crashed into a house on Helen Drive and Tioga Drive -- approximately two miles away from the Westin Hotel. Three males were then seen running away from the car, jumping fences and entering the nearby Green Hills Country Club, according to the release. SMCSO deputies were eventually...