Clint Eastwood’s longtime partner, Christina Sandera, dies aged 61

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Christina Sandera, the longtime associate of Oscar-winning actor and director Clint Eastwood, has died. She was 61.

Eastwood, 94, introduced her dying, saying in an announcement to The Hollywood Reporter: “Christina was a stunning, caring lady, and I’ll miss her very a lot.”

No different details about her dying was launched.

Sandera and Eastwood had been relationship for a decade up till her dying. They reportedly met whereas she was working as a hostess on the actor’s Mission Ranch Resort and Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The Million Greenback Child star is the previous mayor of the Northern California metropolis.

She was a longtime Carmel resident, whom Eastwood started relationship in 2014 following the divorce from his second spouse, TV information anchor Dina Eastwood. He was beforehand married to mannequin Maggie Johnson from 1953 to 1984.

Eastwood had different long-term relationships in between. He dated stuntwoman Roxanne Tunis, the late actor Sondra Locke (they have been home companions for 14 years and starred in 4 films collectively), flight attendant Jacelyn Reeves and actor Frances Fisher (they have been collectively for 5 years and co-starred in 4 movies).

Sandera and Eastwood remained quiet about their relationship. She did, nevertheless, attend the Oscars with Eastwood in 2015, when his conflict film American Sniper was in competition for six Oscars together with Greatest Image.

Christina Sandera and Clint Eastwood had been relationship since 2014 (Getty Pictures)

She additionally joined the Gran Torino actor on a number of purple carpets: Sully (2016), The Mule (2018), The 15:17 to Paris (2018) and Richard Jewell (2019).

Eastwood lately accomplished directing his fortieth film, Juror No 2. He first introduced the mission in April 2023.

Starring Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Zoey Deutsch and JK Simmons, Juror No 2 tells the story of a household man (Hoult), who, whereas serving as a juror in a high-profile homicide trial, discovers he could have performed a job within the sufferer’s dying.

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Juror No 2 marks Eastwood’s return to the director’s chair, following a three-year hiatus after his 2021 western thriller, Cry Macho, during which he additionally starred alongside Fernanda Urrejola, Natalia Traven and Dwight Yoakam.

Talking in a 2014 interview with The Related Press about his profession longevity, Eastwood mentioned: “There are such a lot of completely different tales to inform on the market.

“You may be 21 or 81. … In the event you inform your self, ‘I’m too outdated to try this’ – bulls***. You’re not too outdated to do something.”

Clint Eastwood mourns death of longtime partner Christina Sandera  – NBC New York

Initially appeared on E! On-line

Clint Eastwood is honoring his love.

The “Million Greenback Child” star confirmed the demise of Christina Sandera and paid tribute to his girlfriend of 10 years. She was 61.

“Christina was a stunning, caring lady,” Clint mentioned in an announcement July 17, per The Hollywood Reporter. “I’ll miss her very a lot.”

The pair met when she was working as a hostess at Clint’s Mission Ranch Resort and Restaurant in California, in line with the outlet. They started relationship in 2014, a yr after the 94-year-old filed for divorce from ex Dina Eastwood — with whom he shares daughter Morgan Eastwood, 27, — after 17 years of marriage.

Whereas Eastwood and Sandera saved their private lives personal, the couple did make appearances at occasions collectively through the years, together with the 2015 “Oscars” and the crimson carpets for “Sully” in 2016, his movies “The Mule” and The “15:17 to Paris” in 2018, in addition to “Richard Jewell” in 2019.

Previous to his relationships with Sandera and Dina Eastwood, the actor was married to Maggie Johnson and in long-term relationships with Roxanne Tunis, Sondra Locke, Jacelyn Reeves and Frances Fisher.

And though Eastwood — who can be father to children Laurie Murray, 70, Kimber Lynn Eastwood, 60, Kyle Eastwood, 56, Alison Eastwood, 52, Scott Eastwood, 38, Kathryn Eastwood, 36, and Francesca Eastwood, 30 — has been a prolific determine on Hollywood for greater than six a long time, he’s remained quiet on the interior workings of his life.

“There are different folks which are concerned there and so they’re weak folks,” he beforehand shared on CBS Information. “I can defend myself, however they can not.”

However up to now, Dina Eastwood had spoken about their household and mirrored on the form of associate the Oscar winner was.

“He is most likely the sweetest man I’ve ever met,” she mentioned on “Bethenny” after submitting for divorce. “He’s the sweetest, he’s a loving, variety, low-key individual so my instinct was nonetheless nice on marrying an excellent individual.”

Jason Aldean, wife Brittany sit next to Trump at RNC. Here’s why

Discover a well-known face sitting subsequent to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump? Here is a touch, he has a bar on Broadway in Nashville.

Nation musician Jason Aldean and his spouse Brittany Kerr have been seated subsequent to Trump within the MAGA family and friends field on the ultimate evening of the RNC on Thursday. The seating association got here as a number of audio system talked in regards to the former president’s love of music and at all times being the “DJ” wherever he went.

Aldean is anticipated to shut out the conference for attendees with a non-public present on the Potawatomi On line casino Lodge.

The bar proprietor and polarizing musician made headlines along with his controversial track ” Attempt That in a Small City,” which he devoted to Trump throughout a latest live performance following an assassination try on him at a Saturday rally in Pennsylvania.

“President Trump’s a pal of mine so I wish to ship this subsequent track out to him,” Aldean stated, in line with footage of the efficiency shared on social media. “Everyone knows what’s going to occur come November, so it’s all good. Simply goes to point out you there’s lots of (expletive) on this planet, and that’s type of what this track proper right here was about, so this one goes out to the pres.”

And Aldean has been on the Trump prepare for some time.

Will Jason Aldean be taking part in on the RNC?

Reince Priebus, chair of the RNC host committee, instructed the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Thursday that the singer could be acting at a celebration the committee is throwing after the RNC ends Thursday evening. It won’t be televised.

How does Jason Aldean know Trump?

Aldean has defended and supported Trump on social media a number of occasions over the previous yr, together with after the previous president was convicted on 34 felony counts. And the couple has ties to Trump that return years; the couple attended his Mar-a-Lago New 12 months’s Eve occasion in 2022. 

After the taking pictures in Pennsylvania that left one man lifeless and three wounded together with Trump, Aldean referred to as Trump a “warrior.”

“That is what a warrior appears like! That is MY man,” Aldean wrote on Instagram. “@realdonaldtrump we’re eager about (you) and praying for you and your loved ones. God has an even bigger plan for you my pal, and I believe everyone knows what that’s by now.”

What’s the controversy behind ‘Attempt That in a Small City’?

Launched in Might 2023, the track ignited a cultural firestorm with its lyrics and accompanying music video. CMT pulled the music video as a result of it confirmed graphic clips from latest protests. Aldean defended the “Attempt it in a Small City” video, even after some claimed the visible was a “canine whistle” and others labeled it “pro-lynching,” in accordance earlier Tennessean reporting

Video controversy:Six seconds faraway from Jason Aldean’s ‘Attempt That In A Small City’ video as controversy, assist escalates

“There may be not a single lyric within the track that references race or factors to it — and there is not a single video clip that is not actual information footage — and whereas I can attempt to respect others to have their very own interpretation of a track with music, this one goes too far,” Aldean wrote in a July 2023 X post.

Armie Hammer Denies Robert Downey Jr. Paid for Rehab, but Gave Advice

Armie Hammer continued his latest press tour with an look on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on Friday, the place he mentioned the aftermath of the sexual abuse allegations introduced towards him in 2021.

On account of the allegations — which included rape, participating in cannibalism fantasies and coercing companions into BDSM situations — the “Social Community” and “Name Me by Your Identify” actor exited a number of tasks, was dropped by his publicist and agent and have become the topic of an LAPD investigation. In the end, no legal fees had been introduced towards Hammer, who has denied the allegations and maintained that every one relationships had been consensual.

Regardless of the fallout, Hammer shared with Morgan that a few of his former Hollywood colleagues did attain out, together with Robert Downey Jr. However when requested about studies that the “Iron Man” star paid for his rehab, Hammer stated, “No, he didn’t. He didn’t pay for me to go to rehab.”

When prodded as as to if Downey has been “supportive,” Hammer was hesitant to reply.

“I might say that sure, he has,” Hammer stated, to which Morgan replied, “You don’t appear satisfied, as a result of that was effectively reported. Is that actually not the case?”

Hammer stated, “I don’t wish to convey anybody else into my scenario. There are a variety of people that have been extraordinarily useful, and I’m extremely grateful.”

Pushed additional, Hammer stated that Downey was useful to him “in the best way the place [when] anybody in Hollywood who suffers from any form of dependancy points — whether or not it’s alcohol or course of dependancy or medication — decides to get sober, that man will discover you, and he’ll show you how to. It’s superb.”

Requested for the most effective recommendation Downey gave him, Hammer stated: “‘Sit down, shut up, the whole lot goes to be OK.’”

Representatives for Downey didn’t instantly reply to Selection‘s request for remark.

Morgan additionally requested whether or not Hammer’s previous co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio (“J. Edgar”) or Julia Roberts (“Mirror Mirror”) had reached out in assist, to which Hammer stated no.

“I strive not to consider the individuals who didn’t contact me. I attempt to give attention to the individuals who did, who confirmed their assist,” Hammer stated, including that “a couple of” notable individuals contacted him throughout his tribulations.

“Luca Guadagnino has additionally been vocally supportive, which is one thing that I couldn’t recognize extra,” Hammer stated. (Requested by Selection in 2022 if he would come with Hammer’s character in a hopeful “Name Me by Your Identify” sequel, Guadagnino stated, “Yeah, in fact.”)

Hammer added, “However on the similar time, I’m additionally well-aware that it’s a precarious scenario proper now, and anybody who vocalizes assist comes underneath fireplace. I perceive that my scenario was inflammatory, and anybody who will get too shut may additionally gentle on fireplace.”

Morgan requested Hammer if his “Lone Ranger” co-star Johnny Depp had been in contact, “given what he went via.”

“We’ve communicated a couple of instances… cellphone, FaceTime,” Hammer stated. “I didn’t convey [my situation] to him, he didn’t convey his to me. It was extra of a social name — ‘How are you, good to see you, glad you’re nonetheless alive.’ That form of factor.”

Through the hour-and-20-minute interview, Morgan additionally addressed the allegations that Hammer engaged in cannibalism fantasies, straight up asking him: “Are you a cannibal?”

“No,” Hammer replied. “You recognize what you must do to be a cannibal? You must have truly eaten somebody. So, no.”

Increasing on the subject, Hammer stated: “I don’t assume that’s any completely different than when somebody appears at a child and goes, ‘Oh my God, take a look at these cute little fats legs, I simply wish to eat you up.’”

Hammer additionally touched on an allegation that he branded a former accomplice. Although he “wouldn’t say model,” Hammer admitted to utilizing “the tip of a small knife” to “hint the letter A.”

“There wasn’t even blood within the scenario, it was extra like a scrape,” he added.

Hammer additionally not too long ago appeared on Invoice Maher’s “Membership Random” podcast, the place he stated that being “canceled” was “liberating.”

“Had none of this gone on … my life would have stored going precisely because it was,” Hammer advised Maher. “And I do know that that may finally solely lead in a single place, and that’s loss of life.”

Although Hammer as soon as once more denied all allegations on Maher’s podcast, he did admit to some “dangerous habits.”

“I cheated on my spouse. I used individuals to make me really feel higher. I used to be callous and thoughtless with individuals and their feelings and their well-being. … And that’s shitty habits,” Hammer stated. “There are issues in my habits that I’ve to take accountability for, proper? As a result of that’s pivotal for me, studying and rising from it.”

Addressing the LAPD investigation, Hammer stated, “I used to be underneath the Sword of Damocles, legally talking, for 2 and a half years. They went via telephones, emails, eyewitness studies… they investigated me for 2 and a half years in a time the place if they might have nailed somebody like me, it will have been such a boon for the LAPD.”

Armie Hammer confronted about cannibalism and rape claims by Piers Morgan

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Armie Hammer is about to handle allegations he’s a cannibal in a brand new interview with Piers Morgan. 

The Name Me by Your Title star, 37, first turned the centre of a social media scandal in 2021 after messages allegedly despatched from him detailed graphic sexual needs and cannibalistic fetishes.

Hammer was subsequently accused of rape and abuse by varied girls, however has constantly denied any prison wrongdoing and was not charged sexual assault after an investigation. His lawyer has repeatedly acknowledged that each one of his relationships with girls had been consensual.

In a brand new interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Hammer is requested bluntly by Morgan whether or not he has ever eaten human flesh and quizzed in regards to the messages that got here to mild in 2021.

Teaser footage for the episode sees Morgan ask the Rebecca actor, “are you a cannibal?” to which the Hammer asks the presenter: “You realize what you need to do to be a cannibal?”

Morgan then asks Hammer whether or not he’s ever eaten any human flesh, with the actor declaring it’s “not a query I believed I’d must reply”.

One message allegedly despatched by Hammer to a former girlfriend reads: “You simply reside to obey and be my slave. I’ll personal you. That’s my soul. My mind. My spirit. My physique. Would you come and be my property until you die? If I wished to chop off considered one of your toes and hold it with me in my pocket so I all the time had a chunk of you in my possession?”

Addressing the message, Hammer tells Morgan: “This was a really intense [affair]… very sexually-charged, between two individuals … Completely different individuals have totally different sexual fantasies.”

He added: “However I don’t suppose that’s any totally different than when somebody appears at a child and goes, ‘Oh my God, take a look at these cute little fats legs, I simply wish to eat you up.’”

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Morgan additionally asks Hammer about one other message he allegedly despatched the place he instructed his associate he felt like a god standing over her with a knife.

Requested if the quotes are true, Hammer replied: “I don’t bear in mind saying these issues.”

Of the broader allegations of abuse, he claimed: “None of these individuals had been harm or upset as a result of I pushed any sexual boundaries.”

Armie Hammer is about to handle allegations he’s a cannibal in a brand new interview with Piers Morgan (Getty Photographs)

Final month, Hammer lastly addressed allegations of a cannibalism fetish he’s confronted over the previous three years, saying he’s in the end “grateful” for the expertise – regardless of the very fact it derailing his Hollywood profession.

Throughout an look on podcast Painful Classes, Hammer mentioned: “I’m really now at a spot the place I’m actually grateful for it as a result of, the place I used to be in my life earlier than all of that stuff occurred to me, I didn’t really feel good.

“I by no means felt happy. I by no means had sufficient. I by no means was in a spot the place I used to be pleased with myself, the place I had vanity.”

He described the scandal as “nearly like a neutron bomb [that] went off in my life.

“It killed me, it killed my ego, it killed all of the individuals round me that I believed had been my associates that weren’t – all of these individuals, in a flash, went away.

“However the buildings had been nonetheless standing. I’m nonetheless right here, I nonetheless have my well being, and I’m actually grateful for that.”

Hammer’s Piers Morgan Uncensored episode will go reside on YouTube at 6pm on Friday (19 July).

Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu will not compete WNBA 3-point contest

Within the last tune-up earlier than WNBA All-Star Weekend, Caitlin Clark made league historical past.

The Indiana Fever rookie notched a single sport WNBA-record with 19 assists in a 101-93 loss to the Dallas Wings on Wednesday night time.

And but, that is not even the most important information surrounding the 2024 No. 1 general choose.

Following the ultimate two video games previous to All-Star Weekend, the WNBA introduced the individuals for this yr’s 3-point contest and abilities problem.

In a stunning flip of occasions, Clark and New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu had been notably not on the checklist to take part in tonight’s occasion from the Footprint Middle in Phoenix.

In response to a number of experiences, each Clark and Ionescu declined to showcase their skills within the three-point competitors. For Ionescu, the reigning three-point contest champion, this is because of preparing for the Olympic camp forward of the 2024 Paris Olympics beginning subsequent week.

Extra:Caitlin Clark’s All-Star Recreation debut: Find out how to watch 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend, plus rosters

Nonetheless, this comes as considerably of a shock contemplating not solely are these two of the most well-liked stars within the sport, however the former No. 1 general picks are additionally two of the WNBA’s finest and well-known shooters from past the arc and are tied for the second-shortest consensus odds on sportsbooks in New Jersey at 75/1 (Aces’ ahead A’ja Wilson is runaway favourite at -3231) to win the WNBA MVP this yr.

Nonetheless, if a participant on the Olympic group will get damage and can’t proceed to play, Clark might be the primary identify known as as she’s one of many high alternates to hitch the USWNT in Paris on this state of affairs, making sense why the WNBA’s greatest star determined in opposition to collaborating within the three-point competitors.

By 26 video games in her rookie marketing campaign, Clark’s averaging a team-high 17.1 factors per sport (PPG), good for twelfth finest within the WNBA this season. What’s much more spectacular is how rather more she’s getting her teammates concerned, as she’s dished out double digits assists in seven of her final 9 video games main as much as All-Star Weekend and leads the league at 8.2 assists per sport (APG). Clark is the huge odds-on-favorite to win WNBA Rookie of the Yr, at the moment with -1800 (Guess $1,800 to win $100) consensus odds on sportsbooks in New Jersey over Chicago Sky’s double-double machine Angel Reese, who’s at +750 (Guess $100 to win $750).

Clark’s not the one one making historical past. Following a 82-74 victory over the Connecticut Solar, Ionescu set the franchise record for most 30-point games (13) in Liberty history on Tuesday night time on the Barclays Middle. The 2020 No. 1 general choice is averaging a career-best 19.4 PPG and is meting out 6.2 APG (fifth most in WNBA), all whereas main the franchise to finest the report within the WNBA at 21-4.

Who’s competing in WNBA 3-point contest?

New York Liberty ahead Jonquel Jones

Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Grey

Connecticut Solar guard Marina Mabrey

Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride

Washington Mystics middle Stefanie Dolson

Who’s competing within the WNBA abilities problem?

Not solely with Clark or Ionescu not be concerned in both occasion, however Grey and Mabrey shall be collaborating in each competitions on Friday night time.

This is the checklist of gamers participating within the abilities problem:

Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Grey

Connecticut Solar guard Marina Mabrey

Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham and middle Brittney Griner

Indiana Fever guard Erica Wheeler

Melania ‘repeatedly turned down’ requests to speak at RNC – in break of tradition for potential first lady

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Melania Trump reportedly declined a number of requests to talk on the 2024 Republican Nationwide Conference breaking with the fashionable custom of a candidate’s partner addressing a crowd of delegates and potential voters.

This yr, the ever-elusive former first woman selected not to discuss her husband’s persona, his report or his hopes for the nation, as a substitute providing her silent presence on Thursday night when Trump accepted his social gathering’s official nomination.

Sporting a MAGA-red gown, Melania joined her husband and the remainder of the household on stage on the RNC, on the final day of the conference, a notable deviation from the 2016 and 2020 conventions when she delivered a speech about her husband’s life, hopes and persona.

Two folks conversant in the primary woman’s RNC plans advised CNN that Melania was requested a number of occasions to offer a speech – every of which she declined.

It is not uncommon, if not anticipated, that the majority candidates’ spouses ship remarks about their husbands or wives through the main social gathering conventions. JD Vance’s spouse, Usha Vance, spoke about her husband on Wednesday.

Former First Woman Melania Trump kisses US former president and 2024 Republican candidate Donald Trump as she joins him onstage on the final day of the 2024 Republican Nationwide Conference (AFP through Getty Pictures)

However Melania has by no means been a typical first woman and has notably withdrawn from her husband’s political endeavors since leaving the White Home in 2021.

She doesn’t attend Trump’s rallies or occasion speeches. She didn’t attend any day of her husband’s legal trial in New York. She hardly ever makes a public assertion about Trump – though she did after the current assassination try.

Melania’s resolution to forego an RNC speech isn’t a surprise, however it’s unclear what her actual reasoning was behind this.

In 2016, Melania confronted intense scrutiny when reporters realized her speech was closely impressed, if indirectly taken, from Michelle Obama’s 2016 Democratic Nationwide Conference speech. It was an embarrassing second for Melania given the speech was her first main step into the political highlight alongside her husband.

However in 2020, Melania delivered an extended speech straight addressing the affect of the Covid-19 pandemic, in contrast to Trump.

It’s unclear if the previous first woman can be making extra appearances on the marketing campaign path now that her husband is the official Republican nominee.

Melania and Ivanka Trump make rare appearance on last night of Republican National Convention | US News

Melania and Ivanka Trump made a uncommon look on the Republican Nationwide Conference, exhibiting assist for Donald Trump’s presidental bid.

Coming into the occasion in Milwaukee on Thursday evening to a heat spherical of applause, the previous president’s spouse waved to the group earlier than taking a seat within the household field.

Not like earlier Republican conventions in 2016 and 2020, she didn’t give a speech.

Trump v Biden newest: Trump addresses adoring Republicans

She was joined by Mr Trump‘s eldest daughter, Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner, who’ve additionally been noticeably absent from the marketing campaign path, regardless of having held senior roles on Trump’s White Home workers.

Bringing the conference to a detailed, Mr Trump’s prolonged household – together with his youngsters, grandchildren and spouse – joined him on stage as balloons fell from the ceiling and youthful family members batted them with their fingers and toes.

Picture:
Mr Trump and his spouse Melania on stage on the conference. Pic: Reuters

Picture:
Ivanka Trump sits subsequent to her husband Jared Kushner. Pic: Reuters

Exhibiting slight indicators of affection, the previous first girl was seen often touching her husband’s arm and chatting with Mr Trump’s newly appointed decide for vice chairman, JD Vance.

The presence of the presidential nominee’s household comes because the Republican Occasion sought to painting him as a caring household man and selfless public servant who has been unfairly represented by Democratic opponents.

Picture:
The Trump household make a show of unity on stage on the RNC. Pic: Reuters

This picture makeover – launched after the assassination try on Mr Trump’s final Saturday – was additionally carried over to the previous president’s conference handle, which partially centered on “unity” within the US and wanting to steer “for all of America, not half”.

Kicking-off his mammoth 90-minute lengthy speech to the conference, Mr Trump thanked his assist community, together with his “superb spouse Melania”.

Picture:
The Trump household showered by balloons as they have fun the tip of the Republican Nationwide Conference. Pic: Reuters

“Thanks, Melania, and thanks additionally on your stunning letter to America calling for nationwide unity,” he stated, referring to the assertion the previous first girl issued after the try on her husband’s life.

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‘It may solely be a bullet’: Trump remembers assassination try

“I additionally need to thank my whole household – Don and Kimberly, Ivanka and Jared, Eric and Lara, Tiffany and Michael, Barron, and naturally, my 10 fantastic grandchildren,” Mr Trump added.

Within the absence of Melania and Ivanka, Mr Trump’s teenage granddaughter, Kai Trump, 17, spoke about her “regular grandpa” on the conference on Wednesday evening, and a grandchild sat on his knee as he listened to a parade of audio system praising him on Thursday.

Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu Decline WNBA 3-Point Contest

Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu, two of the WNBA’s best-known gamers, declined to take part in Friday’s 3-point contest in Phoenix.

Ionescu is making ready for the Paris Olympics—group play begins July 29 in opposition to Japan—and, in accordance with the Related Press, is specializing in the Olympic camp. Clark, who was left off Crew USA’s roster, is ending the primary few months of what’s been a record-setting first half of her rookie marketing campaign.

On Wednesday, WNBA gamers’ affiliation head Terri Carmichael Jackson objected to studies that the league would obtain almost $200 million yearly as a part of the NBA’s $75 billion, 11-year media rights take care of Disney, NBC and Amazon.

“We stay up for studying how the NBA arrived at a $200 million valuation—if preliminary studies are correct and even shut,” Carmichael Jackson mentioned in a press release. The quantity represents a six-fold enhance within the rights pay for the WNBA, which was occasion to the negotiations.

Clark, for her half, set the WNBA’s single-game help report with 19 later that night because the Indiana Fever closed the primary half of the season with a loss to the Dallas Wings. She and Chicago’s Angel Reese had been the one two rookies named as all-stars.

In accordance with the WNBA’s most up-to-date collective bargaining settlement, gamers earn $1,030 for collaborating within the 3-point contest, with the winner receiving $2,575.

After conversations concerning the bonus payout quantities circulated on social media, Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBPA and ahead for the Seattle Storm, posted on X that insurance coverage firm Aflac is “supplementing the league’s pay” and including $55,000 to the winners’ payouts for the talents problem and 3-point contest.

“This initiative is a testomony to our dedication to selling girls in sports activities and celebrating the dedication and expertise of those unbelievable gamers,” Garth Knutson, Aflac’s chief advertising officer, mentioned in a press release.

The WNBA didn’t instantly say whether or not this was allowed underneath the CBA.

The contributors on this yr’s 3-point contest embody Ionescu’s New York Liberty teammate Jonquel Jones, Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics), Allisha Grey (Atlanta Dream), Marina Mabrey (Connecticut Solar) and Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx).

Through the NBA’s All-Star weekend in February, Ionescu participated in a 3-point contest with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry that noticed Curry beat Ionescu by three factors. Ionescu was the W’s 3-point contest champion final yr after placing up a report 37 factors within the last spherical, hitting 25 of 27 pictures.

Each Clark and Ionescu will take part within the WNBA All-Star Recreation on Saturday evening.

(This story has been up to date with particulars of the NBA/WNBA media rights deal and rookie all-star picks, and with data on the Aflac bonus payouts.)

Are genuine movie stars being born again?

Common

(Credit score: Common)

For some time, there’s been discuss of ‘the demise of stardom’, with younger actors not capable of match the clout of Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Will Smith et al. However that is perhaps altering.

There was no lack of conjecture about what, exactly, makes a Film Star. Most individuals would simply title examples for you, however may wrestle to outline why or how these examples had been particular. Movie scholar Richard Dyer calls the star each “extraordinary and extraordinary” in his seminal 1979 textual content, Stars, whereas tutorial and author Jeanine Basinger, in her 2007 e book The Star Machine, writes of Hollywood’s manufacturing line: “Generally a manufactured product turned out completely. Generally it blew up within the procuring cart”. And as Lauren Bacall as soon as put it: “Stardom is not a career. It is an accident.”

For the powers that be, it definitely appears that everytime you attempt to bottle it or reproduce stardom, it vanishes. Many square-jawed hunks who look the half – say, Sam Worthington in Avatar, as an example – have been tried out by main Hollywood studios and fallen completely flat with audiences. In the meantime others – like skinny teenager Timothée Chalamet in homosexual romance Name Me By Your Title – have climbed an odd and stellar path to the A-list. He’s starring in mega-sci-fi franchise Dune, whereas in one other decade he’d be doomed to enjoying foppish child brothers in perpetuity. The truth that stardom has a type of sketchy refusal to observe any actual science is perhaps what makes it so endlessly fascinating to debate.

Common

Glenn Powell alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones in his newest movie Twisters – which utilises his swaggering Texan allure nicely (Credit score: Common)

In a altering Hollywood post-Covid, with cinemas underneath risk and once-all-powerful streamers in disarray, it has been mentioned continuously that there are not any new film stars. Maybe motion pictures had develop into too CGI-driven, too high-concept, an excessive amount of about explosions and superheroes to essentially care concerning the human aspect, or faces in close-up that had been central to drawing crowds prior to now. As Charles Bramesco, a movie critic for The Guardian with a particular curiosity in movie stardom, says: “The dearth of film stars is downstream from a grander and extra elaborate drawback, which is the studio system’s flip away from the mid-budget automobiles that turned likeable abilities into family names”. Lately, there have been many much less grownup dramas, in addition to comedies, particularly of the romantic selection, which as Bramesco factors out, “had been as soon as the bread and butter of Large Hollywood – however the (false) trade knowledge that they can not be banked on as reliably as special-effects bonanzas has resulted in big-time mind drain”.

The ‘new A-Record’

Which may account for why certainly one of our greatest present contenders for the position of Film Star – Glen Powell – first acquired mainstream viewers members’ consideration with the box-office success of a romantic comedy. Final yr’s rom-com Anybody However You, reverse fellow burgeoning star Sydney Sweeney, is the type of late 90s/early 00’s throwback whereby two very enticing folks hate one another however by means of a sequence of zany plot machinations are compelled to confess they really love one another. Powell, good-looking within the old-school sense, with wavy blond hair and a pointy jawline, is a Texan to high all of it off (even his title makes him sound like he needs to be in Forties footage with the likes of Tyrone Energy). Powell first performed supporting roles in movies like High Gun: Maverick because the jock you liked to hate but in addition type of beloved. (Tim Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Footage, lately informed Selection that “Glen is the traditional instance of expertise assembly alternative.”) Anybody However You went on to gross $220 million in cinemas internationally, beginning off sluggish however changing into a sleeper hit, by means of word-of-mouth and an extended theatrical window.

Whereas many within the new era of up-and-comers play on our nostalgia for a glamorous previous, Powell’s social-media savvy and puppydog relatability have positioned him forward of the pack – Charles Bramesco

Equally, in Richard Linklater’s comedian crime caper Hit Man, now on Netflix, Powell has bursting romantic chemistry with love curiosity Adria Arjona; together with the movie’s good calibration of Powell’s sexiness and goofiness, it is no shock he is been embraced by audiences. Mixed with crimson carpet footage of him toting his pet canine Brisket – and extra importantly, maybe, Tom Cruise’s tacit approval of Powell as a successor when he appeared to help his former co-star on the European premiere of Powell’s newest movie Twisters – this man appears to be the real article. His co-starring position (as a swaggering Texan, no much less) in Twisters, a spectacle-driven however old-school catastrophe blockbuster which is aiming for giant field workplace this July, exhibits that the actor can helm massive, action-packed mainstream releases.   

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Zendaya has confirmed her big-screen bankability this yr with tennis drama Challengers (Credit score: Amazon MGM)

And so, slowly, unexpectedly, alongside has come a brand new crop of display screen expertise that’s lastly leaving an impression once more. Margot Robbie, who had first registered as little greater than an impressively horny blip on the Hollywood radar after her flip in Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Road, has seized management of her profession, develop into a artistic producer, and brought on a sequence of roles cementing her as a Film Star. Now, she’s Barbie. After which there’s been the rise of throwback cornfed all-American boys like Austin Butler, who shot to fame for his closely Methodology efficiency in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis. The Hollywood Reporter, who lately printed a “new A-list” piece with Butler on the high, shares that the trade discuss is about Butler as a number one man for all seasons. One other massive cultural presence is Zendaya, whose earnings for co-producing and starring in horny sports activities flick Challengers totalled $10 million alone, with its success proving that she might transcend it-girl standing for a correct display screen position in an authentic, non-franchise studio movie. If THR are to be believed, there actually is a model new wave of bona-fide Film Stars primed for our screens.

How stars are made

None of those figures had been in a single day sensations, and in reality, few actual film stars are. There’s usually one main movie that’s recognized looking back as their star-making flip, however there are years of forgotten tv roles and smaller components that construct up the constellation earlier than a Film Star emerges. Butler was a baby star on Nickelodeon for a lot of his adolescence; Robbie, like a lot of her Australian cohort, first appeared on common daytime cleaning soap Neighbours; Powell appeared in small components in movies like Hidden Figures, and lots of others emerged from tv to severe appearing careers, with HBO’s teen drama Euphoria boasting a reasonably exceptional trio of alumni: Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney.  

The parasocial dimension of fandom has by no means been stronger, and media (social and in any other case) lies on the coronary heart of the assumption that stars are our associates – Charles Bramesco

As has at all times been the case, extratextual details about the lives, loves, and tribulations of stardom permits the viewers to really feel nearer to those immortal display screen gods – whether or not provided by the studio-controlled fan magazines of outdated or the way more freewheeling superstar press of right now. Tribes of Zendaya or Glen Powell followers on social media, who share interview tidbits or red-carpet moments obsessively, supply a (normally fairly profitable) addition to the general likeability and persona of their favorite actor. As Charles Bramesco factors out: “The parasocial dimension of fandom has by no means been stronger, and media (social and in any other case) lies on the coronary heart of the assumption that well-known individuals are our associates. With many of those younger stars, we will see media-circuit savvy with the gamut of stage-managed video appearances on Sizzling Ones and the like.” Sizzling Ones, the madly common Youtube interview present that includes A-listers consuming more and more spicy sizzling wings whereas answering questions, is a good instance of how we typically wish to see our film stars confronted with some real-life discomfort despite their godlike standing.

If Robbie, who appears to have a mixture of ironclad enterprise sense, down-to-earth allure, and preternatural sweetness – all whereas trying like Barbie herself – surprises viewers who, in accordance with sexist stereotypes, may anticipate her to appear aloof or vapid, all the higher for it. It provides layers to her star persona, and it is what retains folks returning to her and her movies. In the meantime, Timothée Chalamet cultivates a deeply caring picture with regards to his followers, devoting a lot of his time to taking pictures with and greeting them at occasions; the likeability issue is a vital one. 

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Margot Robbie in Barbie, which made her one of many leisure trade’s strongest figures (Credit score: Warner Bros)

“There isn’t any substitute for charisma, and whereas many within the new era of up-and-comers play on our nostalgia for a glamorous previous, Powell’s social-media savvy and puppydog relatability have positioned him forward of the pack,” Bramesco notes. Against this, although, a determine like Austin Butler has managed to domesticate a mystique, not often posting to social media, and providing a barely taciturn smoulder in all his interviews. Whether or not it is old-school Hollywood thriller or Glen Powell thirst-trapping on Instagram, each stars have made their personalities work for them. 

A Film Star, traditionally, conformed to a sure “sort” – studios usually had factory-line manufacturing methods that required quick access to, say, a mysterious and dark-eyed stranger, or a matronly aunt with a comic book streak, or an harmless blonde waif. Whether or not rising from the stage, just like the fearsomely lovely screen-natural Vivien Leigh, or a village magnificence contest, or a tenement slum like Barbara Stanwyck, there is a Cinderella-story aspect to the standard film star story.  However stars are not often simply innocently “found”, as the outdated story about 40s bombshell Lana Turner being stumbled upon whereas she drank a milkshake in Schwab’s Pharmacy used to go. You’ve got solely acquired to see one of many many iterations of A Star is Born (the 1954 model with Judy Garland could also be your finest guess) to see that the method takes labour, each from the individual themselves and the crew of star-makers round them: a star is groomed to perfection, taught the right way to stroll, discuss, dance, sing and comport themselves. And whereas up to date star-making will not be like studio-era expertise colleges, which might typically practice up-and-comers over various years, there may be definitely nonetheless a way that point and media savvy are important to build up a star within the eyes of the general public. 

The qualities true Film Stars want

From Marilyn Monroe copycats of the period, like Diana Dors and Jayne Mansfield, to the trendy urge to search out Tom Cruise’s inheritor, the standard concept of stardom is basically a formulaic one. Studio execs, expertise scouts and casting brokers have sought to repeat and mimic the distinctive and {powerful} presence of stardom – to various levels of success. It’s not only a matter of straightforward charisma. However equally, cautious devising of 1’s profession shouldn’t be at all times a assure of success. 

One of the best stars have a radiance and magnetism, but in addition a sure self-awareness. It is necessary to have the flexibility to each select roles which can appear to audiences as a logical “match” for his or her sort, and which go sufficient “towards sort” – aka permit them to discover their flexibility as performers. Take Austin Butler, utilizing his Marlboro Man voice and retro cred from Elvis to delve again into mid-century Americana à la Marlon Brando and James Dean with The Bikeriders. Sydney Sweeney, an all-American lady who’s each reliant on her intercourse attraction and decided to not be pigeonholed by it, is in dialogue together with her personal picture always. The truth that her two upcoming tasks are so completely different is by design: there’s Jane Fonda’s half in an upcoming Barbarella remake; however equally, Sweeney is co-producing a undertaking concerning the decidedly much less glamorous Christy Martin, the primary skilled lady boxer. 

However the discourse grows topsy-turvy when nobody can agree on the parameters of what makes a film star. And perhaps that is the entire level: it is ineffable. You may choose it by appearing expertise and dexterity, however most of the legendary stars performed inside variations of a kind. Humphrey Bogart is sipping a brief drink and drawling laconically no matter the place you see him; trendy would-be film stars, like Austin Butler, have additionally carved out niches enjoying components of a sure stripe. Or you possibly can take a look at bankability and field workplace success, which might imply Timothée Chalamet would simply make the reduce given the monetary takings of Dune 2 and Wonka – however others may level out these are each massive franchises based mostly on common IP in their very own proper, and scoff on the truth such a nontraditional-type main man was actually a Film Star. Otherwise you may choose it by one thing far much less nameable, which is: Glen Powell’s dimpled smile as he gazes unerringly at his main girl of alternative, inflicting a frisson of recognition and need within the viewers which might solely ever come from a Film Star. 

Warner Bros

Austin Butler has traded on a distinctly old-school star charisma in movies like The Bikeriders (Credit score: Warner Bros)

Powell, despite not having led any current franchise, has finished nicely sufficient on the field workplace to date that his earnings are reportedly set to skyrocket, together with Chalamet’s; in line with Selection, Chalamet earned greater than $8 million (£6 million) for Wonka, and his wage is now set to maneuver into double-digits for future studio tasks. Whether or not movies can open solely on their names, a la Julia Roberts or Cruise or Will Smith, might now not be the precise metric for Film Stardom, nevertheless it definitely helps. After which there’s the comparatively box-office unproven Paul Mescal, who’s showing in Ridley Scott’s upcoming Gladiator 2, suggesting that a lot of our burgeoning Film Stars are progressing towards bankable, mainstream success. So whether or not it is pure charisma, mainstream attraction, or the canny mixture of each, it does appear we’re fortunate sufficient to have entered an thrilling interval for brand new faces on display screen. And the actual fact stays: it could also be practically unattainable to establish what particular X issue makes a film star, however you positive know one whenever you see one. 

Twisters is out in US and UK cinemas on 17 July