The Best Me Deal

En su fichaje tuvieron mucho que ver dos leyendas bilbaínas. La primera, IñakiSáez, técnico en aquella época del Bilbao Athletic, el filial del primerequipo. “Quién iba a decirme que cuando me llamó el ojeador y fui a Navarra averte iba a fichar al único futbolista-artista que he conocido en todos misaños en el fútbol”, escribió Sáez en una carta dedicada a Purroy y que elescultor incluyó and su libro Del cuero al hierro , una biografía en la querepasa sus dos trayectorias: la deportiva y la escultórica. El segundo fueAgustin Piru Gaínza, el séptimo jugador que más partidos ha vestido lacamiseta rojiblanca y que entonces era el director deportivo del club. Purroyse incorporó a las filas del segundo equipo del Athletic. Este sería un pasotrascendental en su carrera artistica.

Gaínza reforzó la doble faceta del joven Purroy. “Me dijo: ‘Oye, navarro,recuerda que siempre existe una vida más allá del fútbol’. Aquello se me quedograbado”, rememora. Y le hizo caso. Al tiempo que se iba forjando como unaguerrido defensa, de los que no rehúsan el cuerpo a cuerpo con los delanterosrivales, Purroy estudió Artes Aplicadas y Diseño en la escuela IADE. “El clubme ayudó muchísimo. En aquella época no éramos muchos los que estudiábamos,pero a los que sí lo hacíamos nos apoyaban en lo económico y en lo moral”,afirma el escultor. “Al Athletic siempre les ha interesado los jugadores quehacian alguna carrera”.

En 1982, Purroy volvió a Pamplona para firmar cuatro años por Osasuna. Cumplióal completo su contrato. La experiencia dejó una profunda impronta en supersonalidad. “Es una de las mejores aficiones que he visto. Había veces queparecía que no te cansabas de correr de la manera en que animaban”. Comomuestra de agradecimiento, en 2020, tres décadas después de abandonar ladisciplina rojilla, propuso a la directiva hacer una estatua en conmemoraciónde su centenario. “Esa gran afición se merecía que se hiciera un homenaje atodas las personas que han estado apoyando al club. Para que un club dure 100años hay que trabajar mucho”, afirma. La obra, bautizada como Sentimiento,representa al escudo del equipo sobre un brazo humano que representa a loshinchas, con el fin de elevar el estandarte “a lo más alto posible”.

Purroy llegó al Athletic Club en 1980, a un vestuario plagado de jugadoreshistóricos. Goikoetxea, Sarabia, Villar o Luis de la Fuente fueron algunos desus compañeros. En la imagen, en un partido contra el Real Madrid en elestadio Santiago Bernabéu en su primera temporada.

Tras dos años en Bilbao, llegó al CA Osasuna. Aquí, el navarro llegó aenfrentarse a leyendas como Diego Armando Maradona. En la imagen, en elpartido en el Spotify Camp Nou, uno de esos estadios “en los que te sentíascomo una hormiguita”.

Formó parte de un CA Osasuna histórico. En la temporada 1984/85, el clubconsiguió su primera clasificación para un torneo europeo. Era la segundacampaña de Purroy en el conjunto rojillo y ya se había hecho con un puesto detitular.

Purroy recuerda una anécdota que define el fútbol de aquella época. “Tuve unenfrentamiento muy bonito contra un delantero del que no recuerdo el nombrepero que era muy fuerte. Le hice un marcaje ‘de la pera’ pero no tuvimosningún insulto. Al final del partido se me acercó y me vino a felicitar”.

Jeremy Renner is making major strides following a frightening New Year’s Daysnowplow accident on his property in Reno, Nevada.

“We are so thrilled with his progress,” the actor’s sister, Kym Renner, saysin the new issue of PEOPLE. “If anyone knows Jeremy, he is a fighter anddoesn’t mess around. He is crushing all the progress goals. We couldn’t feelmore positive about the road ahead.”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe actor, 52, has been hospitalized since Jan. 1,when he was airlifted to a local medical center. He suffered “blunt chesttrauma and orthopedic injuries,” according to a statement from his rep, andunderwent emergency surgery the next day.

Renner gave his first update to fans on Jan. 3, posting a hospital bed selfieto Instagram and thanking well-wishers for their support. “Thank you all foryour kind words. 🙏. Im too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all.”

TAORMINA, ITALY – JUNE 18: Jeremy Renner attends Baume & Mercier – 62 TaorminaFilm Fest Gala Dinner on June 18, 2016 in Taormina, Italy. (Photo byVenturelli/Getty Images)

Venturelli/Getty

RELATED: Marvel Stars Wish Superhero Cohort Jeremy Renner Happy Birthdayamid His Hospital Recovery

Two days later, he shared a video to his Instagram Story where his sistercould be seen massaging his head and making her brother laugh as their motherlooked on during what the actor wrote was a “spa moment to lift my spirits.”

Jeremy Renner Shares Video of Mom and Sister Helping ‘Lift My Spirits’ in ICU

Jeremy Renner/Instagram

On Jan. 6, he posted an image on his Instagram Story surrounded by hospitalstaff alongside a message of gratitude. “Thank you renowned medical ICU teamfor beginning this journey,” he wrote alongside the image with a series ofprayer emojis beneath the photo.

Renner, who celebrated his 52nd birthday in the hospital Jan. 7, was “movingsnow from his driveway so that his family members could depart his home afterringing in the new year together,” his rep previously told PEOPLE. “He wasalso helping clear out the snow of his neighbor’s home as everyone up therehad been without power for 24 hours, and there had been a large snowfall.”

RELATED: Jeremy Renner Thanks ‘Renowned’ Medical Staff in AnotherRecovery Update from the Hospital

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Meanwhile, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said in a press conference thesame day that Renner was helping a family member get a “stuck” vehicle out ofthe estimated 3 feet of snowfall from the night before when the incidentoccurred.

“Mr. Renner went to retrieve his PistenBully, or snowcat — an extremely largepiece of snow-removal equipment weighing at least 14,330 pounds — in an effortto get his vehicle moving. After successfully towing his personal vehicle fromits stuck location, Mr. Renner Renner got out of his PistenBully to speak tohis family member,” Balaam said.

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“At this point, it is observed that the PistenBully started to roll. In aneffort to stop the rolling PistenBully, Mr. Renner attempts to get back intothe driver’s seat of the PistenBully. Based on our investigation, it’s at thispoint that Mr .Renner is run over by the PistenBully.”

Several of Renner’s friends and costars including Evangeline Lilly, HaileeSteinfeld and Chris Hemsworth have all wished the actor well in his recovery,with Lilly, 43, writing on Instagram that Renner has “always been one of themost grounded and real people I ever met inHollywood.”

A Renner source says the messages from famous friends and fans alike have kepthis spirits up as he continues to heal: “Jeremy is making positive progressand while he has a long road to recovery, he is overwhelmed by the showing oflove and support. “

For more on Jeremy Renner, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE.

Jason Trawick, the Hollywood agent who was engaged to Britney Spears andbriefly became her co-curator, is making rare comments about theirrelationship.

Trawick — whose clients also included Taylor Swift, Paris Hilton and HilaryDuff — discussed his career on Kevin Connelly’s podcast. The conversationturned to him managing Britney, whom he met through her brother, Bryan Spears,in 2006. He repped her through some of her most turbulent years, as she wasput into the conservatorship in 2008. The following year they started dating,became engaged in 2011 and then split in 2012. He talked about theconservatorship, insisting the “Toxic” singer needed it at the time, andclaimed her dad, Jamie Spears, had good intentions — as far as what hewitnessed. He denied his romance with Britney was fake, addressing the rumorthat Jamie paid him to be a “spy,” among other revelations.

“Listen, did she need a conservatorship when I was there? Yes. I’ll be thefirst to say it,” Trawick said. “I think she needed some guidance.” He saidsomeone needed to oversee the pop star’s finances, as she her ex-husband KevinFederline “spent a lot of money” in the two years they were married. Plus,”She’d be the worst person on The Price Is Right. She doesn’t understandwhat things cost,” he added. However, he said she needed the conservatorshipfor other reasons, including “therapy [and] stopping her from seeing certainindividuals that were not great [influences].”

In his opinion, Jamie “100 percent” meant well by putting the conservatorshipin place, Trawick said, “unless they can prove he somehow stole money fromher.” He said Jamie gave up a lot for the job. As for whether theconservatorship should have ended before it did, in 2021 after 13 years, hesaid he wasn’t sure, but said when he was present in Britney’s life, sheneeded someone looking after her so people didn’t take advantage.

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Now that the conservatorship is over, he’s happy she gets “the opportunity toshow the world” that she can do it on her own. “If she fails, then she fails,”he said, “[But] I want her to prove [naysayers] wrong.” He said the pop star”has a big heart.”

Trawick started repping Britney, newly divorced with two young sons, amid “allthe craziness” prior to the conservatorship. During that period, he didn’thave much contact with her “because there was a person in her life that Idon’t even want to give the credit to name his name,” referring to Sam Lufti,”who took over.. My calls didn’t get returned because they never got toher.Eventually when she came out of it … and the family got involved … Ibecame [her] real agent.”

They developed a close friendship (“We were best friends basically. Shetrusted me. She felt close with me”), and revealed “when they crossed theline” from professional to romantic. He said they were in Las Vegas and she”hated being alone” in her hotel rooms, so it wasn’t uncommon that he’d staywith her on a couch. One night, she invited him into her bed. He recalled themorning after when the nanny arrived to watch her sons, Preston and Jayden. Hesaid they should keep what happened quiet from the nanny and he thought theywere set on their story. But when the nanny walked in, Britney “just walks bybutt naked into the kitchen,” blowing up any cover story. “From that point on,we were an item.”

Jason Trawick and Britney Spears backstage at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards.(Photo: Getty Images)

He said that time was surreal as he “became a reality star” of sorts. “Peoplewere talking about me,” which wasn’t “a great look” for his career, by whichhe was supposed to be a background fixture. He ultimately put his career onthe back-burner for her because “I definitely was in love,” and joined her ontwo world tours.

The attention on Spears was relentless even in the post-conservatorship era.He recalled them visiting Mel Gibson’s vacation home in Costa Rica so thesuperstar singer could have some peace and privacy amid the glare of thespotlight. Gibson said it was paparazzi-proof because they’d have to drivethrough eight hours of jungle to get to the home, which they flew directly to.They woke up the next morning and the paparazzi were outside.

He talked about not being traditional tabloid cover star material. He oncestayed in the water, with a float around him, so that paparazzi couldn’t get ashots of his body, which fluctuated up and down the scale and mean blogs ofthat era seized upon.

A few years later, he was in super shape and she cast him as her love interestin her “Criminal” video. He recalled filming the scene in a tight leathermotorcycle suit, saying “she made me audition.”

Trawick talked about being followed to work by paparazzi, who boxed him in,> four cars deep, trying to see if his famous girlfriend was in his car,> nearly leading to accidents. “It was terrible,” he said. When they’d shop at> Target together, there would be “three behind her, three in front of her” up> and down every aisle of the store. “Everywhere we went there was somebody> following us.” He said paps would try to provoke him for footage, saying to> him, “‘You’re Britney’s bitch going shopping.’ …Just waiting for me to> react.” He said he only did once or twice, including a spat with a paparazzo> outside a Red Robin in Calabasas which led to a “violent Jason Trawick> snaps” headline.

He said the long-held rumor — propelled by Britney’s first husband, JasonAlexander — that Jamie hired him as “a spy” and “forced me to like” Britney isuntrue. “Her dad actually fired me” as her agent after they started dating.”He told me one or the other,” agent or boyfriend, he said. “I got fired.”

Trawick briefly became the co-conservator of Britney’s person, not finances,once they became engaged, which allowed them to travel more without needingpermission. He revealed that at the time they were contemplating a move toLouisiana for a quieter life and to raise her boys there. He said thatBritney, not Jamie, was behind him taking a conservatorship role.

“She asked me to be conservator,” he said, explaining they approached Jamie,who said OK and did the work to get the approval. However, Jamie was stillalways going to be there. “It was going to be me and [Jamie].” He said thatrole “took a toll” on his relationship with Britney and was the beginning ofthe end.

As for their breakup, he said, “It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t one of thosebreakups where … you still saw each other. It was a final. It was a breakup.The hardest part was the kids. I’ d known them since Preston was born andJayden was basically a newborn. That was really hard on me — not seeing them …They were 7 and 8 when I left.”

Britney Spears and Jason Trawick with her sons Preston and Jayden in Sydney in2009. (Photo: Jim Trifyllis/Newspix/Getty Images)

He said he recently FaceTimed with the boys, who are now 17 and 16. “To heartheir [deep] voices,” he said. “I’m at the age where I decided I’m not havingkids, but in a way I looked at [it like I] did have kids … Everyone said:’Well, they’re not your own,’ but I treated them as they were my own.Obviously they are Kevin’s. Kevin is a great dad. We had them 50 percent ofthe time. I feel like I did raise them in a certain way. They were like mykids. That was the hardest part. [But she] and I, at the end, it was just … alot of fighting. it wasn’t fair in front of the kids.”

Trawick, who now lives in Las Vegas and isn’t married, said he wishes his exwell on her third marriage to Sam Asghari.

“I don’t know much about her new husband,” he said. “I’m happy for them [thatthey got] married. I hope that he’s a good support group and also provides andgives her what she needs.”

The day has finally arrived. The publishing world’s most highly-anticipatedHarry-themed tome since JK Rowling dropped “Deathly Hallows” in 2007 hasfinally hit bookshelves. Many of the revelations within Prince Harry’s memoir“Spare” – sibling jousts, frozen penises and a lot of drug use – havealready been highly publicized after bookstores in Spain broke the strictembargo last Thursday and Harry did a round of television interviews.

But read on for 11 jaw-dropping anecdotes you may have missed…

1. Prince Harry did magic mushrooms at Courteney Cox’s house while(maybe) Will Arnett watched…

Harry describes how, in Jan. 2016, he was hanging out with some chums in LAwho knew “Friends” alum Courteney Cox and suggested they take the party overto her house. “As a ‘Friends’ fanatic, the idea of ​​crashing at Monica’shouse was highly appealing,” he writes. He then recalls how Cox invited morepeople over including someone readers are led to believe is Will Arnett(Arnett isn’t specifically namechecked but instead referred to as the actorfrom the “Batman Lego movie”). After asking Arnett to say something as Batman(“in perfectly gravelly Batmanese [he] said: Hello Harry ,” Harry writes)the actor reportedly led Harry and his friend to Cox’s fridge to get a softdrink where the trio spotted “black diamond mushroom chocolates” in thefridge.

“Someone behind me said they were for everybody,” Harry recalls. “ Helpyourself guys. ” Arnett declined but Harry ate some and then proceeded to goon a dug-induced trip in Cox’s bathroom, where he hallucinated that her silvertrash can was talking to him.

2. He borrowed Tom Hardy’s actual “Mad Max: Fury Road” costume for hisfirst Halloween with Meghan…

In Oct. 2016, just a few months into their courtship, Meghan invited Harry tospend Halloween with her at Soho House in Toronto, where she was still workingon “Suits.” The couple also invited Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie andEugenie’s husband Jack Brooksbank (who works for George Clooney’s Casamigotequila company). Before flying from London to Toronto for the party, Harryhit up his pal Tom Hardy for a costume. “I’d phoned him to borrow his costumefrom ‘Mad Max,’” Harry writes.

“The whole thing?” Hardy apparently replied.

“Yes, please mate!” said Harry. “The whole kit.”

Hardy duty. “He’d given it all to me before I left Britain, and now I tried iton in Meg’s little bathroom. When I came out, she roared with laughter. It wasfunny. And a little scary. But the main thing was: I was unrecognizable.”

Prince Harry gives an interview to ITV’s Tom Bradby ahead of the publicationof his memoir, ‘Spare.’ Courtesy of ITV

3. He talks a lot about his penis…

The book features frequent references to the royal penis and readers are toldthat not only is it circumcised but also it was suffering from frostbiteduring his brother William’s 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton. Harry, who flewto the wedding directly from the North Pole where he had been on a charitytrek, recalls: “Pa [Prince Charles] was very interested and sympathetic aboutthe discomfort of my frostnipped ears and cheeks, and it was an effort not toovershare and tell him also about my equally tender penis.”

Later in the book, Harry says a friend advises him to put a fancy skincarecream on it to help it heal (“My mum used that on her lips. You want me to putthat on my todger?” he apparently replied) before visiting a doctor on HarleyStreet for advice after Googling “partial penectomies.” A few years later,when he went on an expedition to the South Pole, Harry’s friend “hired aseamstress to make me a bespoke cock cushion” to ensure his royal appendagedidn’t suffer again. According to Harry, it was a superb garment. “Square,supportive, it was sewn from pieces of the softest fleece and… Enough said.”

4. Despite being a prince, Harry used to do his own laundry whilewatching “Friends”…

Harry often references how unglamorous royal life is, from worn bedsheets atQueen Elizabeth II’s Scottish palace Balmoral to his dark and cramped livingquarters at Kensington Palace to shopping for cut-price clothes at his localTK Maxx (the British version of TJ Maxx.) He writes: “Besides my own laundry(often laid out to dry on my radiators) I did my own chores, my own cooking,my own food shopping.”

“People often speculated that I was clinging to my bachelor life because itwas so glamorous,” he explains. “Many evenings I’d think: if only they couldsee me now. Then I’d go back to folding my underwear and watching ‘The Onewith Monica and Chandler’s Wedding.’”

5. Harry says the Royal Family made the showrunners on “Suits” changetheir scripts…

After Meghan and Harry’s relationship became public, the actor continued towork on her show “Suits” but Harry says her dual commitments becameincreasingly difficult thanks to interfering royal courtiers. “The showwriters were frustrated, because they were often advised by the Palace comms[communications] team to change lines of dialogue, what her character woulddo, how she would act.”

Harry also reveals his brother William and sister-in-law Kate were massive“Suits” fans and describes their reactions when he first told them who he wassecretly dating: “Their mouths fell open. They turned to each other. ThenWilly turned to me and said ‘Fuck off!’ […] I was baffled until Willy and Kateexplained that they were regular – nay, religious – viewers of ‘Suits.’ Great,I thought, laughing. I’ve been worrying about the wrong thing. All this timeI’d though Willy and Kate might not welcome Meg into the family, but now Ihave to worry about them hounding her for an autograph.”

6. Harry huffed laughing gas while Meghan was in labor with Archie…

Meghan was given gas and air while in labor at London’s fancy PortlandHospital in 2019. But Harry admits he huffed it before she did. “A canister oflaughing gas beside Meg’s bed. I took several slow, penetrating hits,” hewrites, while Meghan was bouncing on a ball. “I took several more hits and nowI was bouncing too.” When Meghan’s contractions began to quicken a nurse camein to give her some gas before realizing the tank was empty. “I could see thethought slowly dawning. Gracious, the husband’s had it all,” he recalls.“’Sorry,’ I said meekly.’

Harry and Meghan (courtesy of Netflix) Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

7. He compares his life to ‘The Truman Show’…

Harry explains the bizarre existence of the British royal family, who areraised not to work (he says his father had “always been discouraged from hardwork, he told me.”). Earlier in the book, Harry says after he left school hehoped to become a ski instructor or safari guide, but his father told him bothprofessions were unsuitable. Which is why he is so frustrated when, after heand Meghan move to LA, his family cut him off financially.

“I’d never asked to be financially dependent on Pa,” he writes. “I’d beenforced into this surreal state, this un-ending ‘Truman Show’ in which I almostnever carried money, never owned a car, never carried a house key, never onceordered anything online, never received a single box from Amazon, _almost_never traveled on the [London] Underground.”

8. He peed his underpants before his first date with Meghan…

Hours before Harry and Meghan’s first date, the prince was taking part in afive-hour sailing race. He says the weather conditions were so bad other boatsdropped out but his team of eleven kept going. “I’d never feared death before,and now I found myself thinking: Please don’t let me drown before my bigdate,” he remembers. “Then another fear took hold. The fear of no onboard[toilet]. I held it in for as long as I possibly could, until I had nochoice.”

Harry says he tried to pee into the sea but with the whole crew looking at himhe got “stage fright.” It was only when he went back to his post he wasfinally able to let go. “Finally I went back to my post, sheepishly hung fromthe ropes, and peed my pants. Wow, I thought, if Ms Markle could see me now.”After the race he jumped into the river to wash the pee off then got in a carwith his bodyguards to meet Meghan at a private member’s club in centralLondon “where the bigger race, the ultimate race, was about to begin.”

9. He and Meghan were on vacation with Elton John and David Furnish whenthey decided to sue four British tabloids…

Tormented by negative press coverage in the summer of 2019, Harry, Meghan andbaby Archie fled to Elton John’s pad in the South of France. “We’re sort oflosing it here, guys,” the royal couple told John and Furnish, who invitedthem to stay. “To be out of the fishbowl [of royal life] for even an afternoonfelt like day release from prison,” Harry writes. He explains that during thetrip John and Furnish introduced Harry to a friend who suggested he and Meghanhire their own lawyer to sue the British tabloids.

Harry also says that during the vacation, he often caught John looking at babyArchie “and I knew what he was thinking,” the prince says. “[He resembled]mummy.” John famously played “Candle in the Wind” at Diana’s funeral.

Prince Harry, Megan DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images

10. Harry loses his virginity to a mysterious older woman in a field…

In a scene that has shocked readers, Harry reveals how he lost his virginity.“Inglorious episode, with an older woman,” he recalls. “She liked horses,quite a lot, and treated me not unlike a young stallion. Quick ride, afterwhich she’d smacked my rump and sent me off to graze. Among the many thingsabout it that were wrong: it happened in a grassy field behind a busy pub.”

British tabloids have, unsurprisingly, been trying to track down the mysterywoman. One model mooted as the potential virginity-taker denied herinvolvement, posting a photograph of a packet of Ginger Nuts biscuits on herInstagram Stories alongside the caption: “The only ones I’ve EVER touched.”

11. Harry thanks a number of his celebrity friends in the book’s finalpages…

As well as thanking Meghan, his children Archie and Lili, and his publishers,Harry also thanks a number of celebrity friends in the book’s acknowledgments,including Oprah, Tyler Perry, Coldplay singer Chris Martin, polo player NachoFigueras and his wife Delphi, and “The Late Late Show” host James Corden.

Other starry names who appear in the book alongside Courteney Cox, Tom Hardyand Elton John are the Spice Girls, whom Harry first met on a trip to SouthAfrica in 1997 (he writes that Geri Haliwell, also known as Ginger Spice, was“the only Spice with whom I felt any connection – a fellow ginger”), IdrisElba, whom Harry invited to the launch of his Invictus Games competition forwounded vets, and British TV host Caroline Flack, with whom Harry admits hehad a brief fling before she died by suicide in 2020.

The film The Bellingas: House on Stilts is a hit on Netflix. The film bythe Zwolle family vloggers, who moved to Raalte in 2021, has been at the topof the Dutch film list of the Netflix Top 10 for days. The film is not lovedby everyone. “Really do not watch this,” reports Cinemagazine.

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The film appeared on Netflix on January 4 and immediately took the lead in thelist of best viewed films of the streaming service in the Netherlands. Thefamily film is currently in 4th place.

Best vloggers of the year

In the film, the family vloggers are voted best vloggers of the year. Whilethe parents celebrate with a weekend getaway, crooks manage to steal thewinner’s cup from the family’s home. The kids put a stop to that.

Varying reviews

While the movie is a hit on Netflix, reviews are mixed. The film received arelatively good score from the Dutch children’s newspaper Kidsweek, with 3.5out of 5 stars. “While watching The Bellinga ‘s: House on stilts youspontaneously get a smile on your face anyway,” writes the newspaper, whichthen lists examples of jokes. “These jokes hide the fact that the Bellinga’sdon’t always act very well and that the scenes with the crooks aren’t veryexciting. But if you want an hour full of cheerfulness, the Bellinga’s aredefinitely the place to be.”

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‘Home alone-like movie’

The film gets less praise on other film sites. On IMDB the film scores 2.2 outof 10 stars and on Moviemeter 1.3 out of 5 stars. The film can also count onfew positive words on Gids.tv and the spectacle receives 1 star. Gids.tv callsit ‘a Home Alone-like film with nasty songs’. “If we want to see somethingnew, we will be disappointed with the Bellinga family, because everything hasbeen stolen from other films and the acting is sometimes cringeworthy,” thesite reports.

‘Don’t watch this’

Cinemagazine is also critical and gives the film a rating of 0.5. “If youdon’t have to review it, don’t watch it. And also try to stop your childrenfrom watching this rubbish.” The crew can count on nice words. “The setdressers, the lighting technicians, the make-up artists, the location scout,the drone operator, the costume designers and all those others: they tried tomake the best of it and they deserve a compliment for that.”

Zap Awards

Despite the mixed reviews, the film is loved by many people. That’s how itshould be The Bellingas: House on Stilts among the ten nominees for’Favorite youth film’ at the Zapp Awards 2023 and the film was awarded aGolden Film Award in September, after 100,000 visitors saw the film in thecinema. On January 28, the family will hear whether they will go home with a

Gwen Stefani’s had many style iterations throughout her decades-long career,but the Harajuku era spurred backlash as critics accused her of culturalappropriation. During an interview with Allure , The Voice coach calledherself a “super fan” of Japanese culture and said her relationship with thecountry in East Asia is innocent.

Stefani’s father, who is Italian American, worked in marketing for Yamahamotorcycles. He traveled back and forth between California and Japan for 18years.

“That was my Japanese influence and that was a culture that was so rich withtradition, yet so futuristic [with] so much attention to art and detail anddiscipline and it was fascinating to me,” Stefani shared, while promoting hernew vegan line, GXVE Beauty. As an adult, she traveled to Harajuku and was inawe of Japanese culture. “I said, ‘My God, I’m Japanese and I didn’t knowit.'”

Allure ‘s senior editor Jesa Marie Calaor, who’s first-generation FilipinaAmerican, conducted the interview and noted Stefani’s “words seemed to hang inthe air between us.”

“I am, you know,” Stefani added.

In 2004, Stefani released her album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. which featuredthe song “Harajuku Girls.” The entertainer hired Japanese and JapaneseAmerican backup dancers named Love, Angel, Music and Baby as part of thealbum’s promotion. The Harajuku Lovers Tour kicked off the following year, theNo Doubt singer’s first solo concert tour. The Harajuku Lovers fragrance linelaunched in 2008 and has been part of her brand for years. Looking back at theera through a 2023 lens, it doesn’t sound like Stefani finds it problematic asshe was asked what she may have learned from Harajuku Lovers.

“If [people are] going to criticize me for being a fan of something beautifuland sharing that, then I just think that doesn’t feel right,” Stefaniexplained. “I think it was a beautiful time of creativity… a time of the ping-pong match between Harajuku culture and American culture.”

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The singer added: “[It] should be OK to be inspired by other cultures becauseif we’re not allowed then that’s dividing people, right?”

Calaor claims Stefani asserted twice she was Japanese and once that she was “alittle bit of an Orange County girl, a little bit of a Japanese girl, a littlebit of an English girl.” Allure ‘s social media associate, who is Asian andLatina, was present for the 30-minute interview as well.

A representative for Stefani purportedly reached out to the magazine the nextday indicating they misunderstood what the singer was trying to convey;however, the spokesperson declined to provide an on-the-record statement, per_Allure_. Yahoo Entertainment reached out to Stefani’s representative as well,but did not immediately receive a response.

Stefani has previously spoken about where she’s drawn inspiration from for herbeauty lines, like her upbringing in Southern California.

“I’d see these girls in Anaheim with this makeup on. It was literally likethey airbrushed their face,” she said in October on Dax Shepard’s podcast_Armchair Expert_. “They would sit in class and they would have a mirror andthey would just be picking their eyelashes apart because they never took theirmascara off and I was just fascinated by their beauty, you know? I wanted tobe like that, so I became my version of it. I plucked my eyebrows out, and itwas a combination of those girls and a combination of watching old movies.”

Prosecutors announced on Tuesday that they will pursue a second trial againstDanny Masterson, after a jury deadlocked on three rape charges at the actor’sfirst trial in November.

Masterson, 46, is accused of forcibly raping three women at his home in theHollywood Hills from 2001 to 2003. He was a star of the Fox sitcom “That ’70sShow” at the time.

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“Our office has decided to retry this case,” Deputy District Attorney ReinholdMueller told the court.

Though they could not reach a verdict, the jurors leaned toward acquittal,with votes of 10-2, 8-4 and 7-5 on the three counts.

Mueller argued that the jury ignored supporting testimony in the case.

“Not giving these victims another chance with a jury who can sit there andconsider all of the evidence — win, lose or draw — that would be aninjustice,” Mueller said.

Judge Charlaine Olmedo denied a defense request to dismiss the case. She setdate of March 29 for jury selection.

Defense attorney Philip Cohen argued that it was unlikely that any jury wouldvote unanimously to convict. He said the first jury had thoroughly examinedthe evidence, and that no new evidence would be likely to change the outcome.

“It’s not that things were ignored that Mr. Mueller thinks were important orsignificant,” Cohen said. “It’s that things were discussed and not believed tobe important to decision-making for some of the jurors.”

Olmedo held that Cohen’s arguments about what a future jury might do were“speculative and unsupported by the facts.”

“It appears there are many other witnesses the People could choose to call ordifferent arguments the People could choose to make,” Olmedo said. “Adifferent outcome at a retrial is at least a possibility.”

Story continues

The trial put an unwelcome spotlight on the Church of Scientology, which wasaccused of trying to cover up the allegations against a high-profile member.Prosecutors alleged that Masterson’s success as an actor gave him a highstatus within the church, and that he felt “entitled” to have sex with thewomen regardless of their wishes.

The women each took the stand over the course of the month-long trial, oftengiving emotional testimony about the assaults and the harsh consequences theyfaced for coming forward. Two of them broke down on the stand, and oneappeared to have a panic attack at one point, saying she couldn’t breathe.

The women, who have all since left Scientology, said they feared beingexcommunicated from the church for going to the police.

The DA’s office initially declined to file a case against the actor in 2004,after the first accuser gave a report to the LAPD.

In late 2016, the three accusers found each other and collectively reportedhim. They initially expressed frustration with what they saw as the slow paceof the LAPD investigation. Prosecutors eventually filed the charges threeyears later under California’s “one strike” sex crime law, which carries amaximum sentence of 15 years to life for each charge.

All three women testified that the church’s teachings made it hard for them toconceptualize the assaults as “rape.” Two of them said they reported theallegation to church authorities, and were discouraged from going to thepolice.

Cohen argued that Scientology was irrelevant to the case, and he sought tominimize any mention of it. Nevertheless, he said in his closing argument thatScientology was brought up more than 700 times. Cohen focused his case ondiscrepancies in the various accounts the women had given to investigators,and argued that the allegations were riddled with “fabrications.”

At the conclusion of the first trial, Cohen argued that the women’scredibility was a key factor in the vote count in favor of acquittal.

In court on Tuesday, Cohen said that the testimony had given rise to “a wholeslew of new questions,” and said that further discovery will be needed. Thecourt set dates of Feb. 16 and March 6 for a status update and pre-trialmotions.

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series reviewSony’s most cinematic game now has its own TV series, whichfollows the original game story extremely faithfully. Game adaptations usuallyturn out very badly, but The last of us is an exception to the rule.

The last of us

• • Star rating★ * Star rating★ * Star rating★ * Star rating★ * Star rating★

Drama Series (HBO Max)

The last of us follows 56-year-old Joel (Pedro Pascal), who must travel tothe western United States with young Ellie (Bella Ramsey). The world as weknow it has been devastated for decades after a fungal plague turned much ofhumanity into zombies in 2003. If Ellie is found to be immune to that fungus,that would seem to be the key to a potential vaccine.

The stakes are high, but the story soon fades into the background to focus onEllie and Joel. The latter lost his daughter at the beginning of the zombieoutbreak and is still struggling years later, and Ellie is about the same ageas she was then. He is reserved and defensive, but as the series progresses,their bond grows closer.

“They’re not actually zombies”

The last of us is essentially a zombie story, although the series does itsstinking best to convince you that the zombies are not zombies. The firstscene, in which a fictional professor explains the difference between a virusand fungal outbreak, puts an end to the “zombie fatigue” that came aftereleven seasons of the successful series The walking dead.

Fortunately, the viewer is treated to an army of monsters that slowly wanderthrough the world and bite around them. Those who are bitten slowly turn intosuch a wanderer. The exception to the rule are the blind, dangerous’clickers’, who search for targets with a kind of radar. The terrifyingcreatures look crazy, with brightly colored fungi that have grown throughtheir skulls and almost replaced their entire head.

Good chemistry

Clever writing and good chemistry between the actors make the growingrelationship between Joel and Ellie a joy to watch. Pascal frowns a lot andtalks little, but still manages to portray a vulnerable character. Ramseyartfully balances on the border of a foul-mouthed adolescent and an insecuregirl. Both actors portray their characters in a more nuanced way than in thegame on which everything is based. That seems obvious, but is neverthelessclever. Also in the game version of The last of us is, with motion-capturesuits and professional actors, an emotionally layered story.

Follows the game doggedly, with a few exceptions

The game’s story is followed doggedly, to the point where dialogues are oftentaken one-on-one. Striking for gamers, but it won’t easily ruin the experiencefor newcomers: the game was already written as if it were a movie or TVseries, so the script fits well here.

There are a few moments where the game does deviate from the original. Joel,for example, is looking for his brother as extra motivation, which urges himto take Ellie to her destination so that he can get a car there as a reward.It makes the story a little less game-like. In the original game, Joel was alittle more guided, simply because he was a controllable character withoutmuch urgency of his own.

There is also one major change later in the story, which is difficult toexplain without spoilering the series. Fortunately, that change also does notaffect the red line, which remains largely the same as the game. There aretimes when that becomes clear The last of us based on a game. Joel andEllie, for example, are always very goal-oriented, just like how a game playeralways goes from point A to point B. There are few times of aimless wandering,while such moments of rest can help to further explore characters.

Here and there, the two even have to solve simple environmental puzzles, forexample by moving crates or finding keys for the right doors. During shootingsyou can also hear the villains screaming simple one-liners. This is useful inthe game, because players always have an idea of ​​​​where the enemy is. Inthe series, it’s a bit weird. A strong story about parenting in a time ofimmense sadness remains intact, a theme that is addressed in differentcreative ways every episode. It is well written and often looks beautifuldespite the sad situation – the world has been overgrown by nature over theyears.

Just a good series

The last of us is ultimately ‘just’ a good series, which we enjoyed watchingfor nine episodes. Given that most films and series based on games come outpoorly, that is good news. It may be another zombie story, but this time onethat looks a lot nicer due to its high production values. And the fact that asmall, intimate story between two characters is central makes the end producteven stronger.

For non-gamers it is an excellent way to get the story from a previouslyacclaimed game in a different form. Have you already played the game? Then itis especially nice to look at the differences. Don’t expect to get anythingfundamentally different here than in the game.

“My departure from VTM was a #MeToo story,” said Marlène de Wouters Viva lafeta , the Play4 program in which Otto-Jan Ham and Jani Kazaltzis receivewell-known guests for a short vacation in Greece. The fragment lasted no morethan three minutes, but was a bomb in the media world. I haven’t read allthose comments. I don’t have to convince anyone of the truth, I just want tohelp other victims.’

Evelyn RoelsJanuary 10, 20233:00 PM

She had an exclusivity contract, was allowed to present success programs andgot her own talk show. And yet Marlène de Wouters suddenly left VTM. ‘Becausewe were no longer on the same wavelength’, it always sounded a bit vague,until that conversation last spring Viva la feta.

Marlène De Wouters: “I never intended to talk about it on television. But I’veknown Jani for a long time, he sort of knew what happened at the time andconvinced me to tell. I could help other victims with it, he said. Thatconvinced me.”

You told how for years you refused advances from a man in a position of power.In revenge, he started to put sticks in your wheels.

De Wouters: “I thought that abuse of power was the worst. There is nothingwrong with someone making advances. But using your power to get your way, orworse, to retaliate when you don’t get your way, is sickening.

“The advances have lasted for years. That man, an executive, called me, cameinto my box, was waiting for me after work, asked me out to dinner. At first Iresponded politely – “No, thank you” – but he kept insisting. Not a hair on myhead thought about accepting his advances, so I became firmer. As a result, hestarted boycotting me. To give an example: a program that I had submittedmyself, that had already been approved and that I had been working on formonths, would suddenly be presented by someone else. I looked at it for awhile, but crawling is not my style, so I left. I received an offer from thethen channels VT4 and VIJFtv, and I started working for them.”

That all happened long before #MeToo.

De Wouters: “I keep getting the question: why have you been silent for solong? But we’re talking about twenty years ago, it was a different time. Therewas no #MeToo yet, there was no hotline where you could tell your story as avictim.

“At the time I confided in a few people from VTM. They wanted to help me, butcouldn’t do anything. Other executives were also informed, but they remainedsilent. In order not to jeopardize their own career, perhaps. That man hadpower, hey, that’s what it always comes down to.”

After your testimony, you were inundated with responses. Some thought you werebrave, others questioned your story because you had been silent for so long.

De Wouters: “I have not read the bitter reactions. What does it bring me? Bythe way, I don’t have to convince anyone, I just told my story to help othersin the same situation.

“I thought it was bad that a journalist tried to undermine my credibility. Hestarted calling around, looking for someone to contradict my story. I knowthat from, among others, Paul Jambers, with whom I was going to make a programtogether and who responded very correctly to it. The only one who let anythingslip was Rick Tubbax, who had negotiated a contract for me once during my VTMperiod. He said it wasn’t right. That he had been there during thosenegotiations, that he had heard himself that VTM wanted to take a differentdirection and that my contract had therefore not been extended. VTM confirmedthose statements, they appeared widely in the press. I almost fell off mychair. Rick had not been there at all during that meeting, he was on the otherside of the world at the time!”

How did you react?

De Wouters: “I was shocked. I talked about it with Pascale Naessens, with whomI had good contact. She advised me to just call Rick. He fell from the sky.They had called him while he was working in the garden, he said. The questionhad taken him by surprise, he had been completely mistaken and had spoken of anegotiation that had taken place years before. He apologized and sent ane-mail to the editors concerned, in which he literally said that he was in noway involved in the negotiations and that he therefore had nothing meaningfulto say about it. But the damage was done: all the media had taken over themessage, everywhere it was stated that a manager contradicted my story.Conclusion: ‘Marlène’s departure was not a #MeToo story.’ I asked thenewspaper to publish Rick’s emails as a rectification. They didn’t. “Then wewill lose face,” was their response.

“I still wonder why the then VTM management was so quick to confirm Rick’sstory, while he himself said a day later that it was not correct.”

Do you know whether more women at VTM were victims of transgressive behaviorat the time?

De Wouters: “I can’t confirm that with 100 percent certainty, but if ithappened to me, I assume there are still victims. Who may have accepted it,because that is what happens, of course.”

It’s a delicate question, but does your story show that as a woman you alsohave a voice in transgressive behaviour? That you can also say no and leave?

DeWouters: “Yes. You always have the choice. ‘ You must be the change youwish to see in the world ‘ said Gandhi. Abuse of power is sickening. But ifeveryone reacted as I did, such people would no longer be able to abuse theirpower.

“Recently there was a scandal The Voice of Holland (the program was shut downafter several complaints about sexually transgressive behavior and abuse ofpower, ed.). I read testimonials from girls and their mothers. Then I think:if my 15-year-old daughter came home with such a story, I would never acceptit, no thinking about it. I understand it’s hard when your daughter has somuch talent and wants to take her chance through such a competition, but somethings you just don’t allow. Never. Speaking up can have consequences. Look atme: I will never say that the man cracked my career – I was allowed to maketelevision for smaller channels for years – but he did give it a differenttwist. But that’s not the main thing. I can look myself in the mirror. That isworth much more to me.

“To be clear, this is not a ‘women against men’ story. I do not want to makeit seem that all men are bad, because that is obviously not the case, the vastmajority reject such behavior. And of course men are also victims.”

Have you regretted your testimony in Viva la feta?

DeWouters: “No. They portrayed it respectfully and I received a lot ofpositive reactions. On the whole episode, by the way. People who know me saidthey had seen the real Marlène. That’s a nice compliment.

“The fuss does show how much there is judging and judging nowadays. And how wedo not base ourselves on facts, but on emotions. The media encourages that.”

Finally: do you have plans for 2023?

De Wouters: “A lot! I started singing two years ago. I gave a concert twicefor a good cause, that was great, I would like to do that more. I also startedplaying drums. I don’t have my own drum kit yet – every time I have to go to afriend who does have one – but I want to buy one. I also want to learn alanguage. Spanish or Italian, maybe. I find Italian more sensual, but Spanishwill get you further, I think. I want to travel, I absolutely want to see anumber of cities in Scandinavia. And I also keep working, I often do coachingsand presentations for the European Council, the European Union and forcompanies.

“Actually, I can say that I only do the things that I like. So let me justcontinue with that in 2023.”

Ellen DeGeneres is giving people a look at just how dangerous the recent heavyrains have made the area of ​​Montecito, where she and other stars like Oprahand Prince Harry live.

In a clip posted on Twitter, the former talk show host, 64, can be seenstanding on a couch, showing off the raging water behind her. DeGeneres saidthe creek is located right by her house and “never flows,” but the heavy rainsfrom a recent storm have changed that.

“It’s probably about 9ft up, and it could go another 2ft up,” she said in thevideo, moving the camera to display just how powerful the water was. “We havehorses ready to evacuate.”

RELATED: Toddler with the ‘Most Loving Spirit’ Killed as Giant RedwoodCrushes His Family’s Home

On Monday, the area was hit with the latest round of severe storms movingthroughout the state, with the National Weather Service reporting at least 8inches of rain falling over the area over the course of 12 hours, per NBCNews.

The heavy rains and flooding prompted the Montecito fire department to issuean evacuationorder for allMontecito residents and residents of Sycamore Canyon in Santa Barbara onMonday.

In the nearby county of San Luis Obispo, residents were also told to evacuatewith numerous areas experiencing extreme flooding. At least one driver waskilled while a mother and her 5-year-old were washed away in flood waters.Bystanders were able to rescue to the woman but the search for the boy had tobe called off as conditions worsened.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom also declared a state of emergency one dayearlier, noting that 12 residents have already died from flooding and otherstorm-related impacts over the past few weeks.

The impacts from the heavy rains are reminiscent of a similar storm that hitMontecito in January, 2018 and killed 23 people – something DeGeneres touchedon in her video.

“This is the 5 year anniversary from the fire and mudslides that killed somany people and people lost their homes, their lives,” DeGeneres said. “Thisis crazy. On the five year anniversary, we’re having unprecedented rain.”

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“We need to be nicer to mother nature cause mother nature is not happy withus,” she added. “Let’s all do our part. Stay safe everybody.”

January 2, 2023, Sacramento County, California, USA: Flooded homes are seen inPoint Pleasant, California, on Monday, as an evacuation order for residents inPoint Pleasant and a shelter-in-place order for those in Wilton remained ineffect. A historic atmospheric river dumped a deluge of rain across NorthernCalifornia in the final days of 2022. The Cosumnes River swelled to itshighest level ever in history on Sunday and parts of Sacramento Countyflooded.

Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via ZUMA Press Wire

RELATED: Ellen DeGeneres Struggles to Hold Back Tears as She FaceTimesOprah Following Deadly Mudslides

Following the 2018 storm, DeGeneres got emotional on her show discussing thedeadly destruction to Montecito following mudslides caused by the heavy rainsand her and her wife Portia de Rossi’s evacuation from their home.

“It’s not just a wealthy community, it’s filled with a lot of different typesof people from all backgrounds. And there are families missing, there arepeople who are missing family members,” DeGeneres said, sharing a photo of thestreet in front of her house that was filled with mud-covered debris.

“They’re finding people and bodies and I mean, you hear the word mudslide andyou have no idea the impact that it has, but after the largest fire inCalifornia history, it’s catastrophic. It is beyond recognizable,” she added.

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Oprah, who also lives in Montecito, Facetimed the host sharing that shethought the damage was “devastating.”

“But we’re going to do what we do,” Oprah said. “We’re going to come togetherand we’re going to do what great Americans do all the time. We’re going tohelp each other. We’re going to help each other out wherever needed.”