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Karolina Muchova reaches US Open quarterfinals with 3-set victory

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Karolina Muchova reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open on Sunday with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Wang Xinyu.For the 10th-seeded Czech, a 2021 Australian Open semifinalist who has reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon twice, it marked her deepest run ever at Flushing Meadows.She did it after losing control of the second set to her Chinese opponent and taking over in the third, with a strong all-court attack that included 32 winners.“I came back to my game, to slice it more and to change the rhythm — that was the key,” Muchova told the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd in her post-match interview.Muchova’s next opponent is the winner of the match later Sunday between 15th-seeded Belinda Bencic and No. 30 Sorana Cirstea.In the opening match in Arthur Ashe Stadium, 14th-seeded Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton were playing in a rematch of this year’s Australian Open quarterfinals in which Paul prevailed in four sets. They are among four Americans in the fourth round, with T...

Sargent carries USA to Sunday rally and Walker Cup win at St. Andrews

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Gordon Sargent lived up to his billing as the No. 1 amateur in the world by winning all four of his matches at St. Andrews as the United States rallied to win the Walker Cup on Sunday for the fourth straight time.Great Britain & Ireland had a three-point lead going into the final two sessions on the Old Course. The Americans won three of the four morning foursomes, and they poured it on during the 10 singles matches.The Americans won six of the 10 matches and halved two others to complete a Sunday rally in which they outscored GB&I 10-4 over two sessions.They won by a final score of 14 1/2 to 11 1/2.“They played hard to the bitter end,” U.S. captain Mike McCoy said. “This one is going to be a great ride home.”Caleb Surratt never trailed in the lead match, a 3-and-2 victory over Calum Scott, and then U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap picked up a key half-point at the time. Dunlap was 3 down with four to play against Barclay Brown when he won the n...

Steven Tyler: Come back to Maui

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — He’s most often associated with Boston, the hometown of his legendary rock band, but Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler has a soft spot in his heart for the Hawaiian island of Maui.The singer, who has a home on the island, wants vacationers to return to Maui to help the island’s economy — devastated by wildfires last month — recover.Near the end of the opening night of the band’s farewell tour in Philadelphia Saturday, Tyler urged audience members not to be afraid to travel to the island again.“When you think about Lahaina, think about south Maui,” Tyler told the audience at the Wells Fargo Center shortly before performing the band’s biggest hit, “Dream On.”“Paia and Hana: it’s still there,” he said, of two other Maui resort towns unscathed by the fires. “It’s a place to go and do, you know, the love thing. It’s still open, it’s still happening.“Everything’s beautiful, exc...

Union calls for against video game companies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

LOS ANGELES — SAG-AFTRA members will vote starting next week on whether to authorize union leaders to call a strike against video game companies, in the latest sign of spreading labor unrest in the broader entertainment sector.The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said it’s been nearly a year since its contract with video game companies was extended from its expiration date.The guild leadership’s call for a strike authorization vote comes after the union’s film and TV actors went on strike in mid-July, joining Writers Guild of America-represented screenwriters who have been on the picket line since early May.For video game performers, SAG-AFTRA is seeking wage increases and protections against the use of artificial intelligence.The union said its last contract with the video game companies, negotiated in 2017, did not address key issues including AI — a major issue brought up during the current dual Hollywood strikes, where fil...

‘Equalizer 3’ cleans up at the box office

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

The third installment in the Denzel Washington-led “Equalizer” franchise topped the domestic box office this weekend with $34.5 million according to studio estimates Sunday. By the end of the Monday holiday, Sony expects that total will rise to $42 million.Labor Day signals the end of Hollywood’s summer movie season, which will surpass $4 billion in ticket sales for the first time since the pandemic thanks in no small part to “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” which are still netting records even after seven weeks in theaters. This weekend,Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” officially became the biggest movie of 2023 with over $1.36 billion globally, surpassing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” while Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” sailed past $850 million globally to become the No. 3 movie of the year and Nolan’s third highest grossing.“The Equalizer 3” arrived at a fraught time for Hollywood, ...

Hollywood strikes hitting California economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma sent letters to studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, urging them to negotiate “fair deals” to end the dual strikes led by film and TV writers and actors.Ma, in her role as treasurer and as a board member of state pension funds serving public workers and teachers, wrote letters late last week to seven companies: Netflix, Walt Disney Co., Comcast, Warner Bros. Discovery, Apple, Paramount Global and Amazon. Her message emphasized the damage the prolonged labor dispute is having on the state’s economy.“The impact of these two strikes paralyzes Hollywood and reverberates across the state, affecting countless businesses, thousands of pension fund beneficiaries, and millions of Californians,” Ma wrote in a letter to Brian Roberts, chief executive of NBCUniversal owner Comcast. “Your failure to come to an agreement is threatening the industry’s ability to ensure that writ...

Ticker: Taylor Swift Eras tour coming to theaters; Quick exit for Walgreens CEO

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is coming to movie theaters.Swift announced that the concert film “Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour” will open in North American theaters Oct. 13. The theater chain AMC, anticipating high demand from Swift fans, said the film will play at least four times a day Thursday, Fridays, Saturday and Sundays at all of its U.S. locations.“The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon,” Swift said on social media channels late last week.Prices will be higher than usual movie tickets. An adult ticket will cost $19.89 ( “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” is coming soon) and a child ticket is priced at $13.13 (seemingly a nod to her favorite number ). Advance sales began Thursday.In an usual move, AMC is also acting as distributor for the film. (“The Eras Tour” will additionally play in other chains...

Rainbows and sludge: Burning Man festivalgoer from Pacific Beach shares photos

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

BLACK ROCK DESERT, Nev. -- The dusty desert that hosts counterculture festival Burning Man was doused by a rain storm over the weekend, turning the once hard ground to sludge.Black Rock Desert, located about 110 miles north of Reno in Nevada, is home to the annual festival. The area received more than one-half inch of rain Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Protesters block road into Burning Man festival; rangers ram blockade Festivalgoers were temporarily urged to shelter in place Saturday with the the U.S. Bureau of Land Management confirming the entrance to the event was flooded following the rain storm.Attendees, including a group from Pacific Beach, could be seen wearing plastic bags on their feet in photos shared on social media Saturday. Others appeared to give up their shoes to the mud and, instead, trek the grounds barefoot.Rain or shine, dust or mud -- these local festivalgoers appeared to be all smiles after the storm.Rich Richards, a "Burner" from Paci...

First Nation, regional district in central B.C. Interior orders wildfire evacuations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

VICTORIA — Weekend winds in British Columbia’s central Interior resulted in increased wildfire activity and saw evacuation orders in remote areas north of Burns Lake.The Cheslatta Carrier Nation and the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako both issued evacuation orders Saturday night due to the Wells Creek wildfire.The wildfire is listed as out of control and has covered 79 square kilometres.The evacuation orders cover properties along Ootsa Lake Road and several Cheslatta Carrier Nation reserve sites.A BC Wildfire Service information officer said Sunday the weather in the area is improving, with reduced winds and a return to more seasonal temperatures.“We had a big cold front come in through the northern areas on Friday and Saturday, and that brought a bunch of wind with it, so we saw a lot of fire growth,” said Nic Kokolski. “Now, the winds have subsided in the north, so that’s looking helpful there.”But B.C.’s north and central regions an...

Toronto residents express concern over air show noise for those with PTSD, pets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:25 GMT

The sounds of jets roaring through the skies of Toronto often elicit gasps and cheers from fans of an annual air show that takes place each Labour Day weekend, but they’re also prompting an outcry from those who fear the noise from the event does more harm than good.Detractors of the Canadian International Air Show say the event, a staple of the Canadian National Exhibition featuring military pilots demonstrating their most elaborate loops, rolls and turns, causes undue stress for those living with PTSD and needless disruptions for people and pets alike.The event showcases professional pilots from the United States Blue Angels, Canadian Forces Snowbirds and others. bc_video video_id=”6336251470112″ account_id=”593482582001″ player_id=”rkYQW9JeZ”]The roar of the aircraft engines could be heard starting on Thursday when practice days for the show began, prompting several people to describe the noise as deafening and terrifying on social media ...