What to watch: David Fincher shines light on fussy hitman in ‘The Killer’

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:21:14 GMT

What to watch: David Fincher shines light on fussy hitman in ‘The Killer’ This week’s releases are a quirky bunch with an abundance of offbeat characters and situations, including a hitman who grooves on The Smiths and a “romance” in which yanking fingernails can reveal if you’ve met your soulmate.We also state our case for why the second season of “Invincible” rivals most of what Marvel and DC Comics has been slinging at us.Here is our roundup.“The Killer”: David Fincher’s violent, deadpan take on the hitman genre tips its snazzy fedora to “Le Samourai” and other assassin classics, but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s all familiar ground. From the start you know you’re entering Fincher country. There’s that moody look, that air of inherent coolness and, of course, that dim look at the human condition. All of his calling cards get placed on the betting table.Where “Killer” diverts from other genre offerings comes in how Fincher and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker’s adaptation of the same-titled French graphic novel series so assuredly deposits us into ...

Britney Spears fans slam ‘sham’ apology from Timberlake’s pal Timbaland for ‘muzzle’ comment

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:21:14 GMT

Britney Spears fans slam ‘sham’ apology from Timberlake’s pal Timbaland for ‘muzzle’ comment Music producer Timbaland has apologized for the misogynistic way he came to the defense of Justin Timberlake, when he said late last month that his longtime collaborator should “muzzle” his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears after she revealed damaging details about him and their relationship in her new memoir.But Spears’ fans say Timbaland has a lot more to atone for, suggesting that the producer was complicit in the “victim” narrative Timberlake built around himself after he and Spears split in 2002. Notably, Timbaland produced Timberlake’s hit 2002 ballad “Cry Me a River” and appears in the song’s accompanying music video.In Spears’ memoir, “The Woman in Me,” she wrote that the acclaimed video for “Cry Me a River” painted her as a villain after the end of her and Timberlake’s extremely public relationship. The video features a devastated-looking Timberlake invading the home of his unfaithful ex-girlfriend, who bears a  r...

new custom caption syndication story

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:21:14 GMT

new custom caption syndication story

SF Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford considering playing again in 2024

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:21:14 GMT

SF Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford considering playing again in 2024 Brandon Crawford might not be done yet.The longtime San Francisco Giants shortstop received multiple standing ovations in an emotional sendoff from Oracle Park on the last day of the season in October, when Giants fans said goodbye to their shortstop for the last 13 years.But Crawford said after that game that he would take his time to make a decision on his future and discuss it with his family.And on Tuesday, his agent, Joel Wolfe, told the San Francisco Chronicle that Crawford has been getting interest from clubs and is listening to offers as he weighs his future.“He’s been with the Giants his whole life, literally, so it’s hard for him to imagine life anywhere else, but he’s listening,” Wolfe said at the general manager’s meetings. “Several teams have called and asked if he’d consider going somewhere.”It might not be easy for Crawford to find a guaranteed major league contract, however. He’ll turn 37 in January and is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he hit just .194...

Man dies after being hit by BART train in Berkeley

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:21:14 GMT

Man dies after being hit by BART train in Berkeley BERKELEY — A 21-year-old man died Tuesday night after he was struck by a train at the North Berkeley BART station, authorities said.Authorities have not yet released the man’s name or place of residence, pending notification of his family.The collision happened about 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Pedestrian hit and killed by driver in South San Jose Crashes and Disasters | Passenger killed, driver critically injured in solo crash Sunday morning in Hayward Crashes and Disasters | Pedestrian hit and killed by Amtrak train in Oakland Crashes and Disasters | Right turn on red? With pedestrian deaths rising, US cities are considering bans Crashes and Disasters | Authorities ID teens killed in Bay Point shooting, fatal crash on Cummings Skyway after pursuit BART officials said in a statement that the man  “entered the trackway at (the station) as a train was appro...

Amtrak train collides with SUV at Jack London Square

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:21:14 GMT

Amtrak train collides with SUV at Jack London Square (KRON) -- An Amtrak train collided with a vehicle on the tracks near Jack London Square Wednesday morning, Amtrak officials said. The train, Amtrak train 524, was traveling from Oakland to Sacramento at the time of the incident, which occurred at 7:25 a.m. Samurai sword beheading: Landaeta refuses to attend own murder trial Video from the scene showed the vehicle, a red SUV, at the head of the train with its door open. It is not currently clear how the vehicle wound up on the train tracks.There were 19 passengers and crew on board the train at the time. No injuries were reported aboard the train. Amtrak said it is working with law enforcement to investigate the incident.Capitol Corridor Train 527 has also been stopped near Jack London Square as a result of the incident. It is not clear whether the driver of the vehicle that was hit by the train was injured.As of around 9:30 a.m., the train had been removed from the scene, however the heavily damaged SUV remained on the side of t...

San Jose engineer arraigned for allegedly bombing energy facilities

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:21:14 GMT

San Jose engineer arraigned for allegedly bombing energy facilities (BCN) -- A San Jose engineer was arraigned Tuesday on an indictment for allegedly destroying energy facilities in the city with fire or explosives, federal prosecutors said. Peter Karasev, 36, was indicted on Oct. 19 on two counts of destruction of an energy facility and one count of use of fire or an explosive to commit a federal felony.He allegedly damaged the property of two PG&E transformers in San Jose on two occasions, Dec. 8, 2022 and Jan. 5, 2023, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California said in a statement.Peter Karasev (Photo: San Jose PD) FBI releases more details on bizarre San Jose bombing case Prosecutors said he caused significant interruption and impairment of the energy facilities in both attacks, which took place during the early morning hours in commercial areas. Both attacks cut power to over 1,500 households and businesses in the San Jose community, according to investigators."Damaging our region's critical infrastructure endanger...

Ivanka Trump takes the stand in New York fraud trial targeting family business: Live updates

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:21:14 GMT

Ivanka Trump takes the stand in New York fraud trial targeting family business: Live updates Former President Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump has taken the witness stand in Manhattan on Wednesday as the state's final witness in the New York civil fraud trial targeting the family's famed business.Her testimony comes after a chaotic Monday where the former president's own defense of his financial dealings as head of the Trump Organization devolved into a makeshift stump speech from the stand in which he decried the case as politically motivated. Follow for updates below from The Hill's Ella Lee live from the courtroom.

Abortion Rights and Weed Are Super Popular. Who Knew?

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:21:14 GMT

Abortion Rights and Weed Are Super Popular. Who Knew? This article was originally published as a newsletter from Ryan Grim. Sign up to get the next one in your inbox.Voters yesterday enshrined abortion rights and legal marijuana into the Ohio Constitution, flipped the Virginia legislature to Democrats, expanded majorities in New Jersey, flipped the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and held the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. A Bernie-inspired candidate, Sara Innamorato, won the powerful Allegheny County executive seat in western Pennsylvania. Broadly speaking, this is one of those moments where I think the conventional wisdom from the press was correct: Their take is that abortion as an electoral issue continues to power Democrats and drag down Republicans. It drove voters to the polls in Ohio, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and in New Jersey, the GOP’s unpopular position on abortion rights undercuts everything else they do on the culture front. The effort by Republicans in New Jersey to ride culture war anger at trans-related school policies als...

National Zoo’s pandas begin long journey back to China

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:21:14 GMT

National Zoo’s pandas begin long journey back to China (new Image()).src = "https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384&cid=c2ffed0c-3624-46c0-b10f-97c976d290a3";cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "47e4863b-15c7-465f-9e72-3f8243cec59b"}).render("69a18e8c39524fac9804ecb6d65fd693"); });It is the day many have been dreading around the D.C. area. The pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoo are departing Wednesday for their long trip back to China.Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji were loaded into specialized crates with hundreds of pounds of bamboo and some of their favorite toys hours before the zoo was set to open. The crates were loaded onto FedEx trucks emblazoned with panda photos — affectionately called the “Panda Express” — and headed to Dulles International Airport just before 9:30 a.m.Their flight takes off at 1 p.m. and will make a 19-hour journey to the Wolong Panda Reserve in Chengdu, China. For Ron Zampini, the 777 chief pilot at FedEx, “It’s the highlight ...