A new era is dawning for San Francisco’s beloved Castro Theatre. The famed movie palace, which opened 100 years ago with a screening of the 1922 silent film “Across the Continent,” is being transformed into a multi-purpose venue that will host much more than just flicks. It will also host a variety of live events, under the management of Berkeley-based concert promoter Another Planet Entertainment. “The Castro Theatre is a wonderful building that we will upgrade for more use in the future,” says Gregg Perloff, Another Planet CEO and co-founder. “We want to activate and re-energize the building, making improvements to the customer and artist experience, including dressing room upgrades, restoring the marquee and blade and expanding food and beverage service. “We want to present all sorts o...
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By Geir Moulson | Associated Press BERLIN — A long-awaited report on sexual abuse in Germany’s Munich diocese on Thursday faulted retired Pope Benedict XVI’s handling of four cases when he was archbishop in the 1970s and 1980s. The law firm that drew up the report said Benedict strongly denies any wrongdoing. The findings were sure to reignite criticism of Benedict’s record more than a decade after the first, and until Thursday only, known case involving him was made public. The archdiocese commissioned the report from law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl nearly two years ago, with a mandate to look into abuse between 1945 and 2019 and whether church officials handled allegations correctly. The law firm examined church files and spoke to witnesses. Church officials weren’t informed of the resu
Read MoreTe’a Cooper’s tenure will continue in L.A. with the Sparks, the team said in a statement Thursday. The third-year guard accepted a qualifying offer following a 2021 season in which she played in 31 games and averaged 9.1 points and 1.4 assists in 22 minutes per contest for a Sparks team that was hit hard by injuries and finished the season 12–20 and out of the playoffs. “Te’a took on a bigger role for us last season and showed significant growth on both ends of the floor,” said Derek Fisher, the Sparks’ general manager and head coach. “Her ability to disrupt the game defensively as well as attack the basket on the offensive end will be important for us moving forward. We’re confident she’ll continue to elevate her game and be an impact player in this league.” A capable defender, Cooper al...
Read MoreUtah State Aggies players step on the field during an NCAA football game against New Mexico Lobos at Maverik Stadium in Logan on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. | Yukai Peng, Deseret NewsWith the addition of the transfer portal, college football recruiting is nonstop. Utah State, fresh off a Mountain West Conference championship, picked up a commitment from junior college wide receiver Terrell Vaughn. ⚪️COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/6y6Vdnzix1— Terrell Vaughn (@Terrell_Vaughn6) January 20, 2022 “I’m very thankful for all the college coaches that recruited me and believed in my talents to be able to cross off one of my child hood dreams is playing Division I football,” Vaughn wrote in a Twitter post. Vaughn played two seasons at Ventura College in Ventura, California. In his sophomore season, Va...
Read MoreSupport our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now. The Notre Dame boys basketball team is in first place at 4-0 in the Mission League ahead of Friday night’s game at St. Francis (16-4), which will provide the Knights (17-3) with its biggest challenge before their last league game at Chaminade Wednesday. The Eagles are winless in league play this season. A win Friday will clinch Notre Dame at least a share of the Mission League championship. A win over Chaminade will make Notre Dame outright champions. Either way, the Knights have a chance to be league champions for the first time since 2001 in La Canada on Friday at 7 p.m. The accomplishment is likely to put Notre Dame in the CIF Southern Section Open Division, marking the first time in program histor
Read MoreMGMPeter Billingsley, star of the 1983 film, is in talks to play the role again. Receiving a gift even better than a Red Ryder carbine-action, 200-shot range-model air rifle, fans of “A Christmas Story” learned Thursday that a sequel to the beloved holiday film is on the way. Deadline reports that Peter Billingsley, who played young Ralphie in the 1983 original, is working on a deal to reprise the role as an adult in “A Christmas Story Christmas” for HBO Max. Billingsley, who has become an accomplished producer and director with credits including “Iron Man” and “Couples Retreat,” also would produce. The story picks up in the 1970s, when Ralphie decides to re-create his childhood Christmas for his own kids. That brings him back to the old family home in Hohman, Indiana (the fictional town ...
Read MoreDiogo Jota was the star of the show as Liverpool beat Arsenal (Picture: Getty Images)Jurgen Klopp says Diogo Jota has ‘turned into a world class striker’ since his arrival at Liverpool, which he says has been ‘pretty helpful’ to their cause. The 25-year-old scored both goals as the Reds beat Arsenal 2-0 in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, securing a spot in the Wembley final against Chelsea next month. It was a fine performance from the Portuguese, and especially pleasing for the manager who is having to do without star forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane who are at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Divock Origi is also out injured. Jota was something of a surprise signing when he arrived from Wolves for just over £40m in September 2020, but he has been a massive...
Read MoreBy Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — A new study adds to growing evidence that there is no connection between Covid-19 vaccinations and a reduced chance of conceiving a baby. Rather, couples in the study had slightly lower chances of conception if the male partner had been infected with the coronavirus within 60 days — which offers even more reason to get vaccinated against Covid-19, since the illness could affect male fertility in the short term, according to the study, published Thursday in the American Journal of Epidemiology. “These findings indicate that male SARS-CoV-2 infection may be associated with a short-term decline in fertility and that COVID-19 vaccination does not impair fertility in either partner,” the researchers — from Boston University School of Public Health and other ins
Read MoreBy Kathleen Ronayne | Associated Press SACRAMENTO — Last month’s wet winter storms led California officials on Thursday to announce they’ll release more water than initially planned from state storage to local agencies that provide water for 27 million people and vast swaths of farmland. The Department of Water Resources now plans to give water districts 15% of what they’ve requested for 2022. That’s up from last month, when the state said it would supply 0% of requested water beyond what was needed for necessities such as drinking and bathing. It was the first time ever the state issued an initial water allocation of nothing. State officials stressed California’s drought is far from over and urged people to keep conserving water. But December storms that dumped heavy snow in the mounta...
Read MoreThe Crown season 5: Elizabeth Debicki films Princess Diana being hounded by press as paparazzi swarm royal
The scenes depict the intense media scrutiny Diana faced (Picture: Splash News and Pictures)The Crown star Elizabeth Debicki was photographed filming new scenes for the Netflix series’ upcoming episodes, as her version of Princess Diana is surrounded by relentless paparazzi. In season 5 of the historical drama, The Great Gatsby star is taking over the role of the late Princess of Wales from Emma Corrin, who played the royal in the fourth instalment. In new set photos, Elizabeth, 31, is the spitting image of Diana, wearing a camel coat, a cream polo neck top and a checkered jacket as she deals with extreme media attention in the streets of London. In the pictures, the actress can be seen in character walking away from the front door of a property, looking down as members of the med
Read MoreThe Port of Los Angeles had a “landmark” 2021 that included moving more container units in a calendar year than any Western Hemisphere port had ever done, but also myriad challenges, such as ships parked for miles outside the harbor and a workforce pressed to its limits, Executive Director Gene Seroka said Thursday, Jan. 20. Seroka made those remarks during his annual state of the port address, during which he announced that more than 10.7 million container units moved through Port of LA docks in 2021 amid the second year of a global pandemic that would not let up. “We learned how much cargo we could move through our port under extraordinary circumstances,” Seroka said during the virtual address. It was 13% more cargo volume than was seen in 2018, the previous record-breaking year, he said
Read MoreThis week, Tiffany Franco announced that she is reconciling with Ronald Smith. The estranged spouses split late last summer, but have a long history of reconciling despite messy breakups. 90 Day Fiance fans were in for a surprise, however, in the aftermath of Tiffany's big news. Ronald says that this "reconciliation" is news to him, denying that they are back together. As we reported, Tiffany Franco broke the apparent news this week. She shared that she and Ronald Smith, her husband, had gotten back together. "Yes, we have," Tiffany claimed in a short statement. Tiffany then alleged: "We are working on our family at this time." That was not hearsay, a report based upon inside sources, or speculation. The 90 Day Fiance alum herself reported on the state ...
Read MoreA Duval County grand jury on Thursday handed down first-degree murder indictments for two men, including a man arrested in the February killings of a Jacksonville couple. Gene Thomas was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder. According to the Fourth District State Attorney’s Office, he faces additional charges of armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. RELATED: Arrest made after double murder caught on home surveillance cameras According to a court motion, Thomas and his uncle, Scott Suits, went to meet with Ronald Dean over money owed and an argument ensued. Suits had a gun, and when he started picking up items in the house, he handed Thomas the gun and told him to shoot Dean and Purvis if they moved, according to the motion. The motion states Thomas shot ...
Read MoreBERKELEY — Cal football coach Justin Wilcox, who last month turned down a job offer from his alma mater, Oregon, has signed an extension that will keep him with the Golden Bears through the 2027 season. Wilcox was rewarded with the extension Thursday after leading the Golden Bears to two bowls in five seasons as coach. The contract also increases the salary pool for assistant coaches. “Justin Wilcox is a football coach who shares our values and vision, and we want to ensure that he is the leader of our program for the long term,” athletic director Jim Knowlton said in a statement. “He is a great fit for Cal Athletics and our university, with a philosophy that places an emphasis on developing young men on the field, in the classroom and as people.” Talk of a contract extension for Wilcox s...
Read More‘Licorice Pizza’: Cutting Paul Thomas Anderson’s ’70s Nostalgia Trip in the Valley with Joyous Unpredictability
The first discussion editor Andy Jurgensen remembers having with Paul Thomas Anderson about “Licorice Pizza” was the running motif between odd couple Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) and Alana Kane (Alana Haim). That was the anchor point for holding together their tenuous bond, which keeps breaking with each unpredictable obstacle in the coming-of-age comedy. It was also a way of sustaining momentum in Anderson’s joyous, offbeat nostalgia trip through L.A.’s San Fernando Valley in 1973. This was a time when optimism still reigned over disillusionment amid the growing popularity of rock music, the demise of Old Hollywood, rising inflation, the energy crisis, and long gas lines. “What I liked about the script was the unpredictability and not knowing what was going to happen next,” said Jurgen
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