MarketWatch - Financial Face-off
Leslie Albrecht, author of MarketWatch's Financial Face-off column, talks to personal finance reporter Andrew Keshner about the most interesting questions from the column, from whether it's better to shop at Walmart or Kroger, to whether it's better to invest in an ETF or own individual stocks.
With the 2023 Major League Soccer season kicking off this weekend, we surveyed USA TODAY Network's team of soccer experts for their predictions on how the new season will shake out.
Can Los Angeles FC become the first repeat MLS Cup winner since the Los Angeles Galaxy did it more than a decade ago in 2011-12? Which teams are the top contenders for the league championship? Who will win league MVP honors? Which player will score the most goals and claim the Golden Boot?
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It feels like forever ago, but Katy Perry and Russell Brand used to be in love. The two famously met on the set of "Get Him to the Greek" in 2008, and while their initial meeting wasn't made from the stuff of your dreams (Perry reportedly threw a bottle at Brand's head), the comedian and "Firework" singer were immediately smitten with each other once they were formally introduced.
Their relationship soon escalated into a full-blown romance, with the former couple announcing they were tying the knot a few short months after they began dating. In October 2010, they flew to India to have a traditional Hindu wedding, but 14 months later, they announced they were calling it quits. The kicker? Brand apparently ended things over a text message. "He's a very smart man, and I was in love with him when I married him," Perry shared in an interview with Vogue (via the Los Angeles Times). "Let's just say I haven't heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011."
At the time of their divorce, Perry was well on her way to being one of the biggest — not to mention richest — artists on the planet. She earned an impressive $44 million from 2010 to 2011, but when she parted ways from Brand, the actor apparently didn't want any of her pop star money.
Russell Brand Refused To Take Any Of Katy Perry's Money
Katy Perry and Russell Brand didn't bother putting together a prenuptial agreement when they skirted off to India to get hitched. And so, during the time they were together, they were, by default, entitled to each other's money and assets. However, when they finalized their divorce, Brand apparently didn't want to take advantage of his ex-wife and refused to take so much as a single cent from her.
Pink seems to be going on an anti-Christina Aguilera rant these days ... but we're told despite the noise, Christina's got no beef with her fellow singer.
For those unaware, Pink was complaining to BuzzFeed UK about the "Lady Marmalade" music video she shot with Christina back in 2001 -- citing certain "personalities" as the reason for it being no fun, while adding the 2 other performers, Lil Kim and Mya, were nice.
She also went on Howard Stern's show to recall the time when she lost out on the 2002 song, "Beautiful," to Christina ... albeit admitting it was the right call.
A source close to Christina tells TMZ ... she's got no issues with Pink, however -- and has enjoyed their professional time together.
We're told Pink hasn't reached out to Xtina about any recent problem, but she's knee-deep in focusing on touring, so the absence of calls hasn't gotten her nose out of joint.
Sources say Christina just finished a big performance at the 62nd Vina del Mar International Song Festival in Chile, so she hasn't had time to see any of the comments about her.For the record, Pink's come out and denied she's throwing shade at Christina ... telling fans they're nuts for thinking her "Lady Marmalade" remarks were about her -- even if she did shout out the other 2 singers and notably leave her out.
As you know, this supposed beef between them goes back decades, around the time of the infamous music video ... although both sides have claimed they've put the past behind them.
4:41 PM PT -- L.A. County Deputy District Attorney, Michele Hanisee, tells TMZ McBride was MORE than aware the pups were stolen when she returned them in hopes of obtaining the reward, and had known the men involved in the shooting for years.
What's more, Hanisee says she believes McBride and co. thought they could get her involved undetected because she was a white woman. She also points out McBride is still on probation, and if Gaga suffered any sort of financial loss, the people could seek financial restitution from McBride.
In a truly stunning lawsuit, the woman charged in connection with the theft of Lady Gaga's French Bulldogs, says the singer never delivered on her promised $500,000 reward ... and now she wants a court to force the singer to cough it up.
Jennifer McBride says Gaga made it very clear, she'd pay the $500k "no questions asked" when she announced the reward back in February 2021 after her dogs Koji and Gustav were stolen from her dog walker at gunpoint.
McBride says she returned the dogs to Gaga at the LAPD Olympic Community station on February 26 ... 2 days after they were taken.
Here's the thing ... McBride was charged in connection to the theft with receiving stolen property and being an accessory to the crime after the fact.
As for her relation to the criminals, she was allegedly dating the father of one of the men responsible for assaulting Gaga's dog walker.
She later pled no contest to one count of receiving stolen property and got 2 years probation.
BRITNEY SPEARSWarned By Animal ControlAFTER DOG GETS OUT & BITES ELDERLY MAN
2/24/2023 4:22 PM PT
Britney Spears, Sam Asghari and their security team will need to keep a closer watch on her beloved pooches, after at least one of the dogs got out and bit an elderly man.
Sources with direct knowledge tell us Britney's Doberman named Porsha got out from her Thousand Oaks property Thursday and was roaming the neighborhood. We're told at some point, Porsha came in contact with a man in his 70s who was riding his bike.
Our sources say the man got off his bike, and Porsha bit him in the leg before a member from Britney's security team came along to wrangle the pooch. We're told the man went to get his bite checked out at a local urgent care.
A source close to Britney tells us her team was later contacted by animal control and advised to make sure the dog stays on the property and doesn't get out again. The Britney source tells us the incident was described as more of a "nip" than a bite.
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PETA TO RIHANNAWe Noticed You Like Fur ...SWAP FOR FAUX FUR COAT, ON US!!!
2/25/2023 1:00 AM PT
Rihanna is getting a new addition to her wardrobe ... PETA is sending her a faux fur coat after the pregnant singer appeared to wear real fur to dinner.
Here's the deal ... Rihanna was photographed this week in a full-length fur coat, which PETA tells us is almost certainly made of the real deal ... and now the animal rights org wants RiRi to make some fashion changes.
PETA fired off a letter, obtained by TMZ, to Rihanna's team ... saying they noticed her fur coat, then pled their case for switching to faux fur and offered up a faux fur coat.
In the letter, PETA's senior vice president Lisa Lange cites Rihanna's growing family, writing ... "As a mother, you know what it's like to feel protective and to want to make sure no harm comes to your family. Please understand that this desire -- this instinct even -- is shared by the minks, foxes, and rabbits who are torn away from their families and killed for their fur."
PETA then asks Rihanna, "Won't you please help create a kinder world for your children to grow up in by deciding today that you'll no longer wear fur?"
The org offers to take any of Rihanna's fur clothes off her hands and donate them to survivors of the recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey ... PETA says those folks truly have an excuse to wear real fur because they lost everything and now have to survive winter.
PETA also tells Rihanna they're sending her a faux fur coat from Unreal Fur, which they say will help her "stay warm and fashionable while making the cruelty-free switch."
Rihanna's been wearing real fur for years, though she won a PETA award for some faux leather Fenty products, and it will be interesting to see if she makes the switch this time.
Prince William's blunt comment made during a royal visit has the audience in fits of giggles.
- Prince William didn't hold back when he refused to take part in a charity arts and craft session.
- The Prince of Wales gave an honest response, telling organisers, "definitely not!"
- This royal news comes after Carole Middleton gives nod to lesser-known grandchild with sweet new Instagram photo
Prince William point blank refused to take part in an arts and craft session, leaving charity workers in fits of giggles.
The Prince of Wales followed in his mother Princess Diana's footsteps when he visited homelessness charity The Passage - a cause close to his heart and one which he is a patron of.
But when charity workers tried to involve William in some of the activities on the day, unlike Kate, who has previously made cards with children with adorable interactions, Prince William turned down the offer.
The attendees were tasked with drawing what home means to them.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A powerful winter storm lashing California threatened floods, blizzards and avalanches Saturday while adding frigid temperatures to the misery mix.
Overnight lows could drop below freezing in some areas while downtown San Francisco could see record-breaking cold temperatures Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Projected temperatures of 38 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) would see the city at its coldest since 2009, the weather service said.
Flash flood warnings were issued from Friday through 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. Saturday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, a region with some 6 million people. The weather service said flash flooding was occurring late Friday in Ventura County, where up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) inches of rain had fallen and up to 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) were possible before the storm turned showery on Saturday afternoon.
In Los Angeles County, forecasters said life-threatening flash flooding was possible near creeks, streams, urban areas, highways and areas that were burned by wildfires. The threat zone included downtown L.A., Hollywood, Beverly Hills and many suburbs.
“Shallow landslides and mudslides are expected,” the weather service said.
Despite the heavy downpour, no serious problems were immediately reported.
Rain falling at up to an inch an hour raised the fear of flooding or mudslides. Evacuation warnings were issued in some burn-scarred areas and for a mile-long stretch of Oceano, which lies on the central coast near a levee that overflowed during storms last month. Residents were urged to be ready to flee at short notice.
The "Lord of the Rings" film franchise goes ever on, apparently.
Even though filmmaker Peter Jackson's movie trilogies "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit," were acclaimed and exhaustive, there appear to be more stories to tell based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Multiple new "Lord of the Rings" movies are in the works, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said Thursday, during the company's fourth quarter earnings call.
The film studio's co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy signed a deal to expand "upon the much-loved world and characters of Middle-earth," they said in an announcement from Embracer, a Swedish media group including Freemode, which acquired the rights from Middle-Earth Enterprises in August 2022.
"Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic storytelling franchises of all time, and we're so excited," Zaslav said. "Stay tuned for more to come on this front."
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When will we see new "Lord of the Rings" films?
“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” an anime film, is due in theaters April 12, 2024. It is set 183 years before the events in Tolkien's “The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and tells the story of the Helm Hammerhand, the king of Rohan.
Beyond that, there are no more films or dates announced. But the multi-year agreement involves films based on "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," De Luca and Abdy said in a statement.
"But for all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien remains largely unexplored on film," they said.
Warner Bros. and Freemode will produce the movies with New Line Cinema, the Warner Bros.-owned production company behind the original "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Is Peter Jackson involved in these new "Lord of the Rings" films?
Jackson told CNN in a statement that Warner Bros. and Embracer have kept he and collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens “in the loop” and that they “look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.”
The Oscar-winning director has also helmed “The Beatles: Get Back” and World War I documentary "They Shall Not Grow Old" since completing the two trilogies,
When were "The Lord of the Rings" films released?
"The Fellowship of the Ring" arrived in theaters in December 2001, with "The Two Towers" out a year later and "The Return of the King" in December 2003. The final film won 11 Academy Awards (the trilogy won 17 overall).
Next came the trilogy of films based on the book "The Hobbit" including "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, released in December 2012, "The Desolation of Smaug" the following December, and "The Battle of the Five Armies" in December 2014. Collectively, the six films have earned nearly $6 billion at the box office globally.
What other Lord of the Rings-related projects are in the works?
Production has begun on Season 2 of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," Amazon Prime Video's prequel series to the "Lord of the Rings."
In December 2022, Amazon Studios' head of global television Vernon Sanders told entertainment news site Collider the series started production a couple of months earlier, but a release date isn't set yet.
"It would be amazing if we could get Season 2 out within a year of Season 1’s release," Sanders told Collider. "It may take a smidge longer than that, but we're doing everything we can, and we're going to get better and faster as we go.
'Rings of Power': Everything you need to know about Amazon's 'Lord of the Rings' prequel series
Season 1, which premiered in September 2022 and had its finale in October 2022, earned Amazon Prime Video its biggest premiere, drawing more than 25 million viewers worldwide. Overall, the series has been viewed by more than 100 million, the studio said.
Also in development:
- "The Lord of the Rings: Gollum," a video game for consoles and PCs, from Daedalic Entertainment/Nacon, due by September 2023.
- A mobile video game "The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth" from Electronic Arts, due later this year.
- Take-Two Interactive is working with Weta Workshop on an as-yet-untitled game "set in Middle-Earth universe of J.R.R. Tolkien," the companies said in August 2022. The game is due by March 2024.
SMART BOMBS: MILITARY, DEFENSE AND NATIONAL SECURITY
WATCH: Javelin Missiles Strike Again – Britain’s FGM-148 Javelin, a portable surface-to-air missile system that can easily be used by a single soldier, has...
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Will the Columbia-Class Submarine Be Ready On Time? The U.S. Navy’s goal to receive its incoming Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines in record time may not...
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Watch Javelin Take Out Russian T-64BV Tank – Video footage shared online this week shows how Ukrainian forces continue to use Britain’s Javelin surface-to-air...
SMART BOMBS: MILITARY, DEFENSE AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Russia’s dwindling fleet of Su-34 Fullback Strike Fighters has made headlines for all the wrong reasons since the onset of the Ukraine conflict. The widely...
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Gen Xers Be Warned – Social Security Running Out of Funds Sooner Than Expected – Generation X will likely always be remembered for its...
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Nero is said to have fiddled while Rome burned. Today, it seems that Washington’s politicians prefer to play games with the debt ceiling. They...
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Inflation Is Still Around, Despite the Headlines, You Saw: Read the headlines this week, and it would seem that some economists have rose-colored glasses...
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"The situation is so bad for Russia's defense and aerospace industries that they scrounge for semiconductors from fridges and dishwashers."
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The first year of the Russia-Ukraine War is now just about behind us. Although few expected the conflict to last more than a few...
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The Islamic Republic of Iran is about to hand over control of Afghanistan’s Embassy in Tehran to the Taliban. The move shows that whatever...
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At the 1-year mark of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, expectations about the final outcome run the gamut from the belief that a definitive Ukrainian...
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Putin Doubles Down On Nuclear Threat…or Not? – Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated tensions with the U.S. on Tuesday in an angry state-of-the-nation address,...
MLS SEASON PREVIEW: What should fans expect from MLS in 2023? How about some chaos?
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Here's how we see the 2023 MLS season unfolding (important note: an asterisk denotes which team is predicted to win the wild-card playoff games between eighth and ninth seeds):
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