1+ min ago (468+ words) George Clooney will never forget that he lost a role in "Thelma & Louise" to Brad Pitt. "I got to the final test for a role in'Thelma & Louise." And, motherf'er, Brad got it," Clooney, 64, said about his "Ocean"s Eleven" co-star, 61, in a new interview with The Times UK. Pitt memorably portrayed J.D., the handsome young drifter whom Thelma (Geena Davis) falls for as she experiences marital issues with husband Darryl (Christopher McDonald) in the beloved 1991 film. The role helped launch Pitt"s career into superstardom, while Clooney got his big break a few years later when he was cast in "ER." But Clooney still had a hard time getting over that Pitt beat him to the punch. "I didn"t watch'Thelma & Louise'for years, because I was annoyed," he admitted to The Times UK. "The part launched his career in film. He…...

8+ min ago (460+ words) A color e-reader is a delight. Your digital bookshelf on a device like the Kindle Colorsoft becomes almost as colorful as the ones you have at home, and browsing through a sea of new titles on the shop side becomes much more engaging than a sea of black-and-white. It's a great purchase if you read [] A color e-reader is a delight. Your digital bookshelf on a device like the Kindle Colorsoft becomes almost as colorful as the ones you have at home, and browsing through a sea of new titles on the shop side becomes much more engaging than a sea of black-and-white. It's a great purchase if you read any books that might have illustrations on the pages, or if you like color highlights. Amazon finally came out with color Kindles starting last year, but with the close-to-$300 price…...

10+ min ago (459+ words) Why did it look so much better on the retail store's floor than in my living room?" You're not the only person to have thought that after unboxing a new TV at home. That's because stores jack up the brightness on demonstration TVs to ludicrous levels to catch your attention and draw you over. It's an attention-getter, but it's not the best way to watch your shows, movies, and documentaries. We're not all that different from the chimpanzee mesmerized by a foil pinwheel or a cat who chases after a set of jangling keys. Humans are animals, and more specifically, the kinds of animals who like shiny, bright things. Those retailers selling TVs on their shop floors know this, and all those TVs are sitting in the presence of many other competing, bright, shiny displays under eye-meltingly vivid fluorescent lights....

11+ min ago (260+ words) As my kids have grown up, I've tried to come to terms with the slow loss of them to the world. While this is the natural order of parenting, it's still hard to accept. They've moved forward, and I've mourned the loss of our time together. Evenings once spent watching shows or talking have become rare. They spend more time with friends than with me, and I've wondered how to remain a relevant part of their lives. One of the best ways I've managed to maintain my connection with my kids as they've moved into middle school, high school, and college is by adjusting my own interests. Adopting their interests has let me discover hobbies " both new and old. When they were younger, I'd let many personal interests slip, even giving up reading for fun. There was no time or…...

16+ min ago (937+ words) The prime minister was watching a disaster movie when we found him. We are the media we cried. Run. The insiders ran around wildly looking for the exits. On the face of the deep the ghosts of civilization wailed. The shadow of a doubt dissolved, everyone just trying to understand how what happened happened. Figuring [] The prime minister was watching a disaster movie when we found him. We are the media we cried. Run. The insiders ran around wildly looking for the exits. On the face of the deep the ghosts of civilization wailed. The shadow of a doubt dissolved, everyone just trying to understand how what happened happened. Figuring out how became the choicest profession. Don't misunderstand us" we always obeyed the unwritten rules, we always respected the number of minutes allotted for the interview"always believed in the…...

19+ min ago (447+ words) When a friend offered me two spare tickets to the sold-out Oasis concert, I jumped at the chance. Then I realized I'd have to choose which of my twin sons to take. To make it fair, I sent both the same message: "Who wants to see Oasis with me? I can only take one of you." Of course, Charlie replied instantly, as they're his favorite band. We had a year until the concert, and Charlie spent it playing Oasis constantly. Most nights, I'd hear him belting out Oasis songs from the shower. I didn't anticipate the concert to be one of my most memorable experiences. Our general admission tickets meant arriving early to get a good position close to the stage. We showed up at 5:30 p.m. for the 8:45 show, both wearing the Oasis jerseys I'd bought the day before. People had…...

20+ min ago (865+ words) Folk hero, Part Deux. Somewhere, Rex Ryan is smiling. Years after Jets kicker Nick Folk was nicknamed that by Ryan when he was the Jets head coach and Folk was in his first stint with the team, Folk rammed a low, driving 56-yard game-winning field goal on the last play of the game to deliver the Jets a stirring 27-24 victory at MetLife Stadium. The Falcons had taken a 24-17 lead on a 9-yard scoring pass from Kirk Cousins to former Giants receiver David Sills V with 8:46 remaining in the game. On the play, Jets cornerback Ja'Sir Taylor was completely deked by Sills, who'd caught the ball in the right flat. For Sills, who spent 2021-22 with the Giants, he scored his first NFL touchdown last week and Sunday was his second. The Jets tied the game at 24-24 with 1:53 remaining in the fourth…...

20+ min ago (865+ words) Folk hero, Part Deux. Somewhere, Rex Ryan is smiling. Years after Jets kicker Nick Folk was nicknamed that by Ryan when he was the Jets head coach and Folk was in his first stint with the team, Folk rammed a low, driving 56-yard game-winning field goal on the last play of the game to deliver the Jets a stirring 27-24 victory at MetLife Stadium. The Falcons had taken a 24-17 lead on a 9-yard scoring pass from Kirk Cousins to former Giants receiver David Sills V with 8:46 remaining in the game. On the play, Jets cornerback Ja'Sir Taylor was completely deked by Sills, who'd caught the ball in the right flat. For Sills, who spent 2021-22 with the Giants, he scored his first NFL touchdown last week and Sunday was his second. The Jets tied the game at 24-24 with 1:53 remaining in the fourth…...

25+ min ago (939+ words) Baya Bouzar, an actress and singer known as Biyouna whose guttural voice, sharp tongue and fierce independence " onscreen and off " incarnated, for generations of Algerians, their struggles in a country torn by civil war and repression, died on Tuesday at a hospital in Algiers. She was 73. Her death from lung cancer was announced by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune of Algeria, who said she "left behind a legacy of sincerity and spontaneity in acting and successful cinematic works, earning her widespread appreciation." Official recognition came to her from the seat of Algeria's autocratic power, but there were also hundreds of fans at her funeral. Ms. Bouzar, with her instantly recognizable physiognomy " prominent nose, black eyes and jet-black hair " was a hero in the working-class Algiers neighborhoods from which she had sprung. Biyouna stayed. But from 1994 to 1996, she ceased singing and acting, under…...

26+ min ago (566+ words) Rahmanullah Lakanwal's behavior deteriorated so sharply that a community advocate reached out to a refugee organization for help, fearing he was becoming suicidal. The emails reveal mounting warnings about the asylum seeker whose erratic conduct raised alarms long before the attack that jolted Washington on Wednesday, the eve of Thanksgiving. The previously unreported concerns offer the clearest picture yet of how he was struggling in his new life in the United States. West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed in the shooting, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded. Lakanwal, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder. In Afghanistan, Lakanwal worked in a special Afghan army unit known as a Zero Unit. The units were backed by the CIA. He entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands…...