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‘The Burial’ review: Courtroom theatrics courtesy of Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:33 GMT

“Objection, your honor, on the simple fact that she’s just angry!” That’s one of the funnier lines teed up by Jamie Foxx in the courtroom drama “The Burial,” which is based on a real case from the 1990s.Jerry O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) owns a chain of funeral homes in Mississippi and the 75-year-old patriarch — decent and soft-spoken, but with a spine of steel — has one goal: To leave the family business to his 13 children. No mention of whether any of them want to run the business after he’s gone, but no matter.O’Keefe also sells funeral insurance — that’s the real moneymaker — which means he’s supposed to have a certain amount of cash on hand. He doesn’t. And state regulators are looking to shut him down without it. To raise the money, he’s agreed to sell three of his eight funeral homes to the Loewen Group, a large corporation looking to monopolize the industry. Loewen’s yacht-owning CEO (a wonderfully self-satisfied Bill Camp) talks openly about how much he’ll make from the impen...

The real star of the 2006 sci-fi thriller 'The Black Hole' is St. Louis

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:33 GMT

ST. LOUIS – The Black Hole is a movie set in St. Louis that tells the story of a scientific project gone awry, and the havoc wreaked by a mysterious creature. You may have missed this feature starring Kristy Swanson of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Judd Nelson from The Breakfast Club, but you can now watch it on YouTube.The real stars of this campy film may be St. Louis landmarks, including the McDonnell Planetarium, which stands in for the fictional Midwestern Quantum Research Laboratory. It opens with a discussion among a panel of nuclear physicists about the possibility of creating a black hole.In the movie:The movie's opening scenes prominently feature St. Louis landmarks such as the Martin Luther King Bridge, Eads Bridge, and the Congressman William L. Clay Sr. Bridge. As the opening sequence continues, viewers catch glimpses of the Gateway Arch and the old state capital building. The camera then soars over Busch Stadium, newly constructed in 2006.The story unfolds at the Quant...

Rockies Journal: Who’ll return to the playoffs first, Broncos or Rox?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:33 GMT

It no doubt infuriates Broncos fans to be lumped in the same category as the Rockies, but here we are.The 1-5 Broncos are well on their way to missing the playoffs for their eighth consecutive season. During that span, their winning percentage is a paltry .375. This season will mark the second-longest playoff drought in franchise history, trailing only the Broncos teams from 1960-76.The Rockies have missed the playoffs for five straight years, during which time they’ve had a .421 winning percentage. The 103 losses this season set a low-water mark for the franchise.Both teams have marquee players who have been massive disappointments.Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, as my colleague, Mark Kiszla pointed out, is not the answer. And it can’t be forgotten that the Broncos sent two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick and three players to Seattle for Wilson and a fourth-round pick in March 2022. Six months later, they inked him to a massive five-yea...

Deion Sanders defends CU Buffs star Travis Hunter after uneven return in stunning loss to Stanford: “The plays he made kept us in the game”

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:33 GMT

BOULDER — Even the Buffs’ do-everything Superman proved mortal on a frightful Friday the 13th at Folsom Field.In wideout/cornerback Travis Hunter’s return following a three-game absence due to a lacerated liver, the sophomore was a catalyst on offense but stumbled on defense in the Buffs’ stunning 46-43 double-overtime loss to Stanford.On the one hand: Hunter racked up a team-leading and career-high 13 catches for 140 yards, with two TDs. Hunter’s first score put CU ahead early as the home team took a 29-0 halftime lead, and his second TD grab in the second half stopped a string of four unanswered Stanford TDs.On the other: Hunter, along with the rest of the CU secondary, played a central role in the Buffs’ second-half meltdown. He was burned by Stanford wideout Elic Ayomanor twice for TDs in the Cardinal comeback, and Hunter was also flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty early in the fourth quarter that turned a would-be field goal attempt into an eve...

Keeler: CU Buffs’ Deion Sanders looked out of ideas. Travis Hunter looked gassed. After collapse vs. Stanford, has clock struck midnight on Boulder’s Cinderella?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:33 GMT

BOULDER — When Deion Sanders demanded his theme music, the Buffs played “Yakety Sax.” If Travis Hunter ran for 140 yards, Charles Kelly rambled for at least 220, arms waving furiously, as if trying to hail the last taxi in Times Square.“If you’re gonna point the fingers, point it at me, because if I’m allowing it, it should be on me, not (Kelly),” Coach Prime said of his veteran defensive coordinator after CU squandered a 29-0 halftime lead against Stanford in a 46-43 double overtime loss.“Put it on me. We go over this stuff. And there are times where you know what group is in … what group you’re on, but you have a lapse of understanding in those crucial moments. Right now, we’re not built for the moment. We’re not built for the moment.”For 30 minutes, the Buffs almost looked built for the College Football Playoff, a fireball of speed and swagger. For the next 30, they looked as if Karl Dorrell had never l...

America's top diplomat calls for protecting civilians as Israel readies an expected assault on Gaza

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:33 GMT

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Saturday for protecting civilians in the Gaza Strip and Israel as he intensified his diplomatic outreach across the Middle East and beyond to rally an international response to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from expanding.Blinken met with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh before stopping in the United Arab Emirates as he sought ways to help civilians trapped in between the fighting and to address the growing humanitarian crisis. He also called his Chinese counterpart as Palestinians struggled to flee from areas of Gaza targeted by the Israeli military before an expected land offensive.His efforts reflect the international concern about the number of civilians at risk and the potential ramifications of a prolonged war as Israel told Gaza residents to move south and Hamas urged people to remain in their homes. The Biden administration — from President Joe Biden to his Pentagon chie...

'Ring of fire' solar eclipse cuts across the Americas, stretching from Oregon to Brazil

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:33 GMT

A rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun cuts across the Americas on Saturday, stretching from Oregon to Brazil, and huge crowds were on the move before dawn in cities, rural areas and national parks to try to catch a glimpse of it.For the small towns and cities along its narrow path, there was a mix of excitement, worries about the weather and concerns they'd be overwhelmed by visitors flocking to see the celestial event, also called an annular solar eclipse. Clouds and fog threatened to obscure the view of the eclipse in some western states, including California and Oregon.The partial eclipse will begin in Southern California at 8:08 a.m., reach a maximum at 9:25 a.m., and end at 10:51 a.m., according to the University of California, Irvine Department of Physics and Astronomy.Unlike a total solar eclipse, the moon doesn’t completely cover the sun during a ring of fire eclipse. When the moon lines up between Earth and the sun, it leaves a bright, blazing border.Saturday’s path: Ore...

Man fatally shot in Oakland’s 100th homicide of the year

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:33 GMT

OAKLAND — The city reached 100 confirmed homicides Friday night with an East Oakland shooting that left a 30-year-old man dead and two other men wounded, one of whom was in grave condition, authorities said.The name of the man killed has not yet been released.  Police said he was an Oakland resident who lived in the area of the shooting.Police are trying to confirm the name of the man in grave condition at a hospital.  The other victim, a 32-year-old man, was treated and released at a hospital.The shooting happened about 10:36 p.m. Friday outside in the 2500 block of 34th Avenue.Police said the three men knew each other and were hanging out when they were confronted by at least one other man who began shooting at them.The 30-year-old man died at the scene and the others were taken to hospitals.Investigators are trying to confirm a motive for the shooting and determine if all the men were the intended targets.  No suspect information was released and no arrests have been made.T...

Alameda County ‘Teacher of the Year,’ a PE coach at juvenile hall, placed on leave in sexual misconduct investigation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:33 GMT

OAKLAND — A PE teacher at Alameda County’s juvenile hall has been placed on leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct started by incarcerated girls, this news organization has learned.Matthew Keith Campbell, 60, was placed on leave late last month after two girls reported that they recognized him as a “john” from when the minors were being trafficked on International Boulevard in Oakland, according to multiple sources. The girls’ statements have triggered concurrent administrative and criminal investigations, run by the county and Oakland police respectively.Campbell teaches physical education at the Butler Academic Center at Alameda County’s Juvenile Hall. He was honored last year as one of the Alameda County Office of Education’s “Teachers of the Year,” which lauded his 30-year teaching career and described him as a dedicated educator who goes out of his way to help failing chil...

Bay Area high school football roundup 2023: Best of Week 8 action

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:33 GMT

Welcome back to the Bay Area News Group’s high school football roundup.Here, you’ll find all the details from the weekend’s action in this news organization’s coverage area, which encompasses teams that play in leagues based primarily in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.Check back every Saturday during the season for scores, highlights and top performers, updated throughout the day.If you have not already, please subscribe here for complete digital access all season long. Your contributions keep us going.On to the roundup … Ranked teamsNo. 2 De La Salle 33, No. 3 San Ramon Valley 27, OTThe showdown between the best teams in the North Coast Section lived up to the pregame hype, and then exceeded it, as the schools went into overtime after San Ramon Valley’s rally from down 15 points in the final four minutes of regulation. SRV quarterback Luke Baker rushed for 181 yards and threw for 204, and Derrick Blanche scored the winning touchdown in an unforgetta...