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‘Reacher’ review Season 2: The big guy is back, guns blazing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:31:46 GMT

Nina Metz | Chicago TribuneIs Jack Reacher, mountain of a man that he is, the kind of guy who can stroll into any old thrift store and find a pair of jeans that fit, let alone a jacket big enough for those arms? Probably not. But that’s the sly joke of “Reacher,” which is back for a second season on Amazon.Adapted from the book series by Lee Child (he’s written 28 in all), Reacher is an exaggerated cliche of masculinity, letting his muscles do most of the talking (that square jaw is best used for taking punches) and resisting anything so “soft” as putting down roots or (shudders) domestication.If there’s a reason to suspend your disbelief and just go with it, that would be Alan Ritchson’s performance, which allows for flickers of humor and a subtle grin occasionally playing around his lips. Ritchson takes the role seriously, but he’s in on the joke, and it’s a great tonal balance.Which is why he can deliver ridiculous lines without losing the audience. “A hundred thousand years ago,...

Oprah Winfrey reflects on ‘full circle’ journey with ‘The Color Purple’ and turning 70

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:31:46 GMT

Vivian Kwarm | New York Daily NewsFor Oprah Winfrey, bringing a new adaptation of “The Color Purple” to theaters has been a “completely full circle” moment.Winfrey, who played the role of Sophia in the 1985 film debut, served as executive producer of the new musical version, coming to theaters on Christmas. “What I felt the moment I got the role in ‘The Color Purple’ was, ‘Wow, God can dream a bigger dream for me than I can dream for myself’ because I never thought I was going to be playing a role,” she told The Daily News.The media mogul went on to earn an Oscar nomination for the breakout role. Almost four decades later, she has passed the baton to Danielle Brooks, Fantasia and Taraji P. Henson, who star in the upcoming musical adaptation.Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones also serve as  producers alongside the Winfrey, which is another full-circle experience for the trio, since Spielberg directed the 1985 film with Jones serving as producer.And Winfrey says “The Color Purple” is s...

A slow cooker is the help you need for this year’s holiday dinner

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:31:46 GMT

Meredith Deeds | Star Tribune (TNS)Some of the best and most comforting dishes take a long time to cook. With time more precious than ever during the holiday season, meals can add an extra level of pressure. But smart hosts know that a make-ahead plan, with a slow-cooker assist, can be the key to a memorable, relaxing meal.Slow cookers don’t get the respect they deserve. You just put the food in, and the slow cooker does the heavy lifting while you go about your day. Well, almost. To get the best results from a slow cooker, you often need to add a step or two before you hit the power button.In the case of a braise, like this Slow Cooker Spiced Pomegranate Beef Brisket, simply throwing everything into the pot can leave you with a piece of tender but flavorless meat swimming in a watery sauce. This happens because the cooking environment is sealed, and the liquid doesn’t evaporate during the cooking process. So as the beef cooks, and exudes liquids of its own, the flavors ...

Chelmsford native Dan Curran named head football coach at Holy Cross

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:31:46 GMT

Holy Cross Associate Vice President for Athletics Kit Hughes announced on Friday that Dan Curran has been hired as the Crusaders’ head football coach.Curran replaced Bob Chesney, who took the head coaching position at James Madison after guiding the Crusaders to unprecedented success over six seasons. Chesney was 44-21 overall and 28-4 in the Patriot League, including six straight conference titles.“Holy Cross is truly a special place, one where student-athletes can have an elite academic experience and compete for championships,” said Curran.Curran was an All-Scholastic from Chelmsford who played collegiately at New Hampshire. He spent the last 11 seasons at Merrimack, guiding the program’s transition from Division II to FCS in the Northeast Conference.Curran is the all-time winningest coach in program history with 53 wins while leading the Warriors to the NE title game the past two seasons.RICH THOMPSON

Boston’s ‘electeds of color’ party table posted by mayor

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:31:46 GMT

Here’s the official photo of the no-whites-need-apply Christmas party at the Parkman House Wednesday night.Related ArticlesPolitics | Boston City Hall roiled by email party invitation for ‘electeds of color’ sent to all By my count, the table includes one jailbird ex-con, at least three hacks who’ve been fined by the State Ethics Commission and one who’s been jammed up with OCPF.From left, clockwise: Rep. Samantha Montano; Rep. Russell Holmes (the organizer); Mrs. Holmes; fiance of lame duck City Councilor Ricky Ricardo Arroyo; Ricky Ricardo himself; Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden, who Arroyo tried to fix the 2022 election against with disgraced ex-US atty Rachael Rollins; Mrs. Hayden (woman in blue who covered her face going into Parkman House); City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune; Ayanna Pressley’s ex-con husband Conan Harris, strangely sitting at the head of the table instead of the mayor; Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins; retiring C...

House of Commons rises after tumultuous fall sitting, begins six-week winter break

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:31:46 GMT

OTTAWA — The House of Commons has wrapped up its work for 2023 after an intense fall sitting, with MPs returning to their ridings for a six-week holiday break.A gun-control bill that enshrines a handgun freeze and a bill that lifts GST charges off rental developments and amends the country’s competition law both crossed the finish line in Parliament this week. The minority Liberal government also passed a suite of bail reforms, launched a dental-care program demanded by the NDP and concluded its standoff with Google, which agreed to pay Canadian news publishers $100 million a year in compliance with the Online News Act.Conservatives, enjoying a major boost in the polls, made their presence known in the Commons with a series of procedural tactics that culminated in a marathon 30-hour voting session last week to show their opposition to federal carbon pricing.In September, Anthony Rota stepped down as Speaker after he lauded a man who had served in a unit created by the Nazis to...

Column: Time for Belichick to leave on his terms (sort of), before he’s shoved out the door

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:31:46 GMT

This is starting to feel like Tom Landry’s final days as an NFL coach, just before he was ingloriously put out to pasture. Or maybe it will be more akin to Don Shula, who trudged into a retirement that seemed forced on him.Athletes rarely know when it’s time to go, and that unwillingness to face reality certainly applies to coaches, too.Which brings us to Bill Belichick.He’s stubborn and ornery and downright defiant about his future, insisting that he’s looking no farther than New England’s upcoming game against the Chiefs.“I’m getting ready for Kansas City,” Belichick droned over and over and over again when the subject of his future came up this week.But the Patriots coach needs to start thinking about his legacy. Secure as it is, Belichick’s obstinance is starting to look more like delusion as the game clearly passes him by.Time for the 71-year-old grumpy lobster boat captain to call it a career, with some degree of dignity, before the Pa...

Mother charged with 1st-degree murder in deaths of 2 children at Scarborough apartment

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:31:46 GMT

A woman recovering in hospital with serious injuries is facing two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her two boys, who were found unconscious at a Scarborough apartment last weekend.Emergency crews were called to the building on Glamorgan Avenue near Kennedy and Ellesmere Roads just after 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10, after getting reports a woman had fallen from a balcony.When police arrived, they found a woman on the ground outside the building in critical condition. Two young boys were found inside an apartment unit several floors up with no vital signs.The children, aged four and five, were rushed to separate hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.The boys had no visible signs of trauma when they were found, and investigators are still trying to determine the cause, calling the deaths “suspicious.”On Thursday, police charged 25-year-old Vanessa Collias with two counts of first-degree murder. Police said she appeared in court via telephone and was rem...

US returns to Greece 30 ancient artifacts worth $3.7 million, including marble statues

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:31:46 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The United States on Friday returned to Greece 30 ancient artifacts, including marble statues, armor helmets and breastplates, found to have been illicitly removed from the country, authorities said. The pieces handed over to Greek officials in New York date back from as long as 4,700 years ago to the Middle Ages. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the “exquisite” works were collectively valued at $3.7 million (3.39 million euros).Nineteen of the artifacts were voluntarily surrendered from New York gallery owner Michael Ward, the DA’s office said in a statement.Three others were seized from British art dealer Robin Symes, the statement said, while one was seized from a storage unit belonging to an unspecified New York-based private collector.“This is an exquisite set of 30 antiquities that represents the extraordinary depth and beauty of Greece’s cultural heritage,” Bragg said.The works include a Roman-era headless marble statue of Aphrodite, th...

‘Militia enthusiast’ gets over 4 years in prison for attacking police with baton during Jan. 6 riot

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:31:46 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Michigan man described by prosecutors as a self-professed militia leader was sentenced on Friday to more than four years in prison for attacking law enforcement officers with a stolen police baton during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.Matthew Thomas Krol, 65, of Linden, Michigan, assaulted at least three officers, injuring one of them, with the baton that he took from police. A prosecutor said Krol was one of the worst instigators of violence that ultimately forced officers to retreat from the mob of rioters who stormed the Capitol’s West Plaza.Videos captured Krol’s attacks on officers, including Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell. Krol swung the stolen police baton at Gonell and struck his outstretched right hand, leaving it bloody and swollen.Krol apologized to Gonell, who was in the courtroom, before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras sentenced him to four years and three months in prison. He’ll get credit for the time he has spent in ja...