Monthly Archives: November 2025

SJSU volleyball team fails to make conference tournament in first season after trans athlete scandal

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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! It was always going to be a tough act to follow. San Jose State University’s volleyball team was eliminated from making the Mountain West Tournament with a loss Saturday to University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and finished the season under . 500 with a 13-16 overall record and 8-10 in conference play. SJSU outperformed expectations, finishing seventh in the Mountain West after being expected to finish 11th in the conference’s preseason coaches poll after a controversy involving trans athlete Blaire Fleming in 2024. SJSU previously made the conference final with Fleming in 2022, the trans athlete’s first year with the Spartans under former head coach Trent Kersten. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS. COM The controversy involving Fleming resulted in two lawsuits during the 2024 season, a federal investigation by the U. S. Department of Education and a mass exodus of players. At least seven of the team’s returning players from 2024 entered the transfer portal in December after the season ended. The controversial 2024 season included eight forfeited matches, regular police protection, national scrutiny and internal turmoil between players and coaches. Kress previously said the 2024 season was one of the “most difficult” of his life. Kress is 21st in NCAA women’s volleyball history in wins as a head coach. “This has been one of the most difficult seasons I’ve ever experienced, and I know this is true as well for many of our players and the staff who have been supporting us all along. Maintaining our focus on the court and ensuring the overall safety and well-being of my players amid the external noise have been my priorities,” Kress said. EX-SJSU STAR BROOKE SLUSSER MAKES NEW ALLEGATIONS ABOUT PROBE INTO TRANS TEAMMATE’S ALLEGED PLOT TO HARM HER Kersten was the coach who recruited Fleming to SJSU as a transfer out of Coastal Carolina. Kersten then stepped down after the 2022 season and was replaced by Kress. Former SJSU co-captain Brooke Slusser transferred to SJSU from Alabama in 2023 Then, in September 2024, Slusser joined a lawsuit against the NCAA alleging SJSU officials withheld knowledge about Fleming’s birth gender from her and other players on the team. Slusser alleged she was made to share changing and sleeping spaces with Fleming without knowing that Fleming was a biological male. Slusser, along with several other players in the Mountain West, filed a separate lawsuit against the conference and San Jose State in November 2024 over Fleming’s presence. That lawsuit included testimony from former San Jose State volleyball players Alyssa Sugai and Elle Patterson alleging they were passed over for scholarships in favor of Fleming. Assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose was suspended by the program in early November after she filed a Title IX complaint against the university for showing favoritism toward Fleming over the other players, especially Slusser. Batie-Smoose’s complaint also included allegations of Fleming’s plot to have Slusser spiked in the face. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/sjsu-volleyball-team-fails-make-tournament-first-season-since-trans-athlete-scandal-rocked-program

No. 9 Villanova Finishes Regular Season With 34-10 Victory Over Sacred Heart

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On Saturday, Nov. 22, sophomore running back Ja’briel Mace’s three-touchdown day fueled Villanova football’s 34-10 victory over Sacred Heart at Villanova Stadium. In the final game of the regular season, No. 9 Villanova (9-2, 7-1 Coastal Athletic Association) took on non-conference opponent Sacred Heart (8-4). The victory marked Villanova’s longest win streak since its 2009 national championship season, with eight consecutive victories. It was also its 22nd consecutive home win. Mace rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, and also hauled in a receiving touchdown. The Wildcat defense held Sacred Heart to one touchdown and forced two turnovers. “The seniors are always going to remember their last home game of the regular season on their field,” Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante said. “So, the guys took care of business, and we got the victory. That was the most important thing. So, really excited for whatever tomorrow brings, but right now we’re going to enjoy this one and we’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.” Villanova totaled 455 yards of total offense, averaging 9. 6 yards per rush and 12 yards per pass. Graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide passed for 216 yards and two touchdowns. It was the seventh time this season McQuaide threw for 200 or more yards. He is currently averaging 195. 5 yards per game. Sophomore receiver Chris Colby was McQuaide’s main target, totaling a team-high 112 receiving yards off five catches. “We’re able to spread the ball around to different people, and it was Chris’ turn today,” Ferrante said. “He had that big catch down the sideline for the long gainer, and then he had a couple others. Pat [McQuiade] does a good job distributing the ball to different receivers and different people.” On the opening drive of the game, Mace fumbled at Villanova’s 28-yard line and Sacred Heart recovered. Despite the short field advantage, the Pioneers were forced to settle for a field goal and their only lead, 3-0. Two drives later, Mace got a handoff for the first time since his fumble. He took the ball 80 yards downfield for a touchdown, handing Villanova the 7-3 lead. “We practice ball security, but there’s no reason why I should be fumbling the ball,” Mace said. “But my teammates, like, Temi [Ajirotutu], Pat [McQuaide], and they picked me up and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to come right back to you.’ And then the next play, I scored.” Mace is now averaging 174. 7 rushing yards over the last three games. Villanova was able to hold Sacred Heart freshman running back Mitchell Summers to 29 yards on 13 carries. Mitchell entered the game ranked 11th in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) with 1, 042 rushing yards this season, averaging 5. 6 per carry. “I mean, every week going into the game, the plan is to tackle and stop the run,” graduate linebacker Shane Hartzell said. “And I think when you stop the run, which I think we do well, it makes them one-dimensional, which makes the game plan a whole lot easier.” Hartzell finished the game with six total tackles (four solo), one sack and two quarterback hits. In the second quarter, Mace found the end zone twice. The first time was on a 19-yard rush that capped off a four-play, 80-yard drive. Then, with 27 seconds left in the half, Mace caught a short pass from McQuaide and took it 10 yards downfield for a touchdown. At halftime, Mace had 106 rushing yards. At the half, Villanova had a comfortable 21-3 lead over Sacred Heart. In the third quarter, the Wildcats were forced to settle for two field goals. Graduate kicker Jack Barnum nailed them both from 27 and 29 yards, stretching Villanova’s lead to 27-3. Villanova was able to force two Sacred Heart turnovers in the second half, with one off a fumble recovery by junior linebacker Turner Inge at the beginning of the third quarter. Senior defensive back Kaleb Moody intercepted Sacred Heart quarterback Jack Snyder at the end of the fourth quarter. Villanova now awaits Selection Sunday on Nov. 23 at Noon. The Wildcats will find out their seeding and opponent for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs.
https://villanovan.com/32172/sports/no-9-villanova-finishes-regular-season-with-34-10-victory-over-sacred-heart/

How Auburn avoided overlooking Mercer with the Iron Bowl looming

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It would have been easy for Auburn to look past Mercer this week. The Tigers were 10 games into the season, had their head coach fired less than a month ago and have a showdown with their hated in-state rivals coming up next week. All of those things make it easy to not be excited for a late-season game against Mercer, an FCS opponent. Auburn, however, shook off a slow defensive start on Saturday to beat Mercer 62-17, improving its record to 5-6 ahead of the Iron Bowl next weekend. “It was really a task and a struggle to say, ‘OK, we’re going to focus on this game,’” Auburn interim head coach DJ Durkin said after the game. “I thought they did a great job of that. Now obviously, this game is over, and our full focus goes to [the Iron Bowl].” Auburn will have plenty to play for next week when it welcomes Alabama to Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers will go into the game a win away from clinching bowl eligibility and a win certainly wouldn’t hurt Durkin’s chances for the full-time head coaching job. On top of that, a win would all but destroy Alabama’s chance at a College Football Playoff berth. That’s all without mentioning how there’s never a shortage of motivation to beat your archrival, regardless of the records. But Auburn avoided focusing on those things this week. Maybe that creeped in early on when Auburn’s defense started slow, but some “rough conversations,” as Durkin described it, fixed those issues. “It was more of like, ‘This ain’t how we play and it’s unacceptable,’” Durkin said. “We have good leadership, and they know how to respond to that, and that’s what they did.” After trailing 14-7 in the first quarter, Auburn outscored Mercer 55-3 the rest of the way. For the final three quarters, it looked like a team whose sole focus was on Mercer, which resulted in a dominant performance. Alabama will present a much tougher challenge, but the win over Mercer gives Auburn more to play for in that game.
https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2025/11/how-auburn-avoided-overlooking-mercer-with-the-iron-bowl-looming.html

Why Every Southern Home Needs A Signature Scent

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Southerners have long been obsessed with personalizing our homes, from monograms on everything to custom home logos (my personal favorite!). Now there’s a new way to make your mark: the signature home fragrance. Tailor-made scents are becoming the ultimate expression of home identity, with homeowners working alongside scent experts to create custom formulations that reflect their personality and space. The idea of signature scenting isn’t entirely new. Hotels have long understood the power of scent to create memorable experiences. Walk into Hotel Richemont in downtown Charleston, and you’ll immediately notice “Smoky Suede,” a complex blend featuring bright eucalyptus and soft violet that settles into warm sandalwood and musk. Just across the harbor in Mt. Pleasant’s Old Village, Post House Inn has crafted its own olfactory identity with magnolia, violet leaf, and lavender, a scent so beloved that guests can purchase candles from local maker The Contents Co. to literally bottle their stay. What was once reserved for vacation is now making its way into Southern homes, where the same principles apply: to evoke a sense of place and create a lasting impression. Defining Your Identity For Jen Rotondo, the founder of home and body fragrance company Urthy, creating a signature aroma starts with emotion, not ingredients. “What do you want people to feel [when they enter]? What do you want to feel personally when you come home every single day?” asks Rotondo. Those answers guide sniffers to their corresponding scent categories, which Rotondo calls families. “Do you want your home to feel beachy, woody, happy, bright, clean, or grounded? Your scent is something that defines who you are,” she says. Woodsy notes might evoke warmth, while citrus blends lean bright and fresh. Both should recall the feeling and personality you hope to create. Much like interior design or wardrobe style, scents are deeply personal. Rotondo says to think about the things that reflect you as a person and weave those qualities in. “Are you sultry? Do you love the warm vanilla vibes? Do you like amber and wood? Are you just a plain old floral girl? What is it that speaks to you? Because everything in your house speaks to you, and that’s who you are. Your scent will do the same exact thing. It’s there to support, not to be the main character.” Iconic Southern Smells Even though Urthy ships all over the country and into Canada, Rotondo says that she definitely notices certain fragrance trends in the South. “Of course, the South is all about Southern hospitality, so we find that Southerners tend to gravitate toward warm, welcoming scents that are familiar and inviting,” she says. It’s as though they want someone to walk into their home and feel like they’ve received a hug. Cozy scents like amberwood and vanilla, and comforting florals such as magnolia, jasmine, iris, and Dahlia are among the top contenders. Seasonality plays a role, too. As the seasons shift and change, scents can as well, but Rotondo says to keep some nose notes consistent. “If you’re a warm person and you like ambers, we’ll recommend more of a citrusy amber during the spring and summer, and more of a vanilla amber in the fall and winter.” Balancing And Layering If you’ve ever experienced a strong candle, diffuser, or perfume, you know how overpowering-and dare I say unpleasant-it can be. Rotondo says finding a balance is the key to avoiding that situation. At Urthy, there aren’t any single-note fragrances, which creates nasal equity. Each blend has a top, middle, and base note. The result is pleasant cohesion. To give your home even more smell-good personality, Rotondo says to intentionally scent by strength. “You want the scent to be a bit stronger when you walk in, so people can understand and create that memory of who you are and what your home is. The kitchen and living room areas can be a little more on the brighter side. When you get into bedrooms, that’s where you want scents to be the lightest.” The reason? Bedrooms should encourage serenity and most of all, sleep. Think about developing a scent across the home in the same way you would decorate-each room might be slightly different, but overall cohesive. Scenting Beyond Candles While candles are a great start, the scent journey can be much more robust. Rotondo says to think about scenting in two ways: passive and active. Passive scenting comes from tools like reed diffusers and plugins; those things that are consistently in the background. Active scenting is a punchy, quick room spray. The trick is to keep each fragrant item in the same family. “You want to keep everything cohesive, but it can be individualistic, much like cousins or siblings. You have to make sure you have that common thread that weaves through all of your fragrances,” she says. Getting Started Urthy’s number one seller is Eternal Zen, a scent that uses white tea, ginger, lavender, citrus, and honey. “It’s a fantastic starter scent because it’s light, clean, and citrusy, and it has a very fresh and inviting vibe,” Rotondo says. Truly, though, there is not a “wrong” way to create a custom scent. “When you scent your space with intention, you’re curating how you want to feel, not just reacting to how it smells,” says Rotondo, who finds scent to be a part of self-care. “I can always tell when my diffuser is out as soon as I walk in my house because I don’t have that happy, vibrant feeling. Scent impacts your memory, your state of mind, and your happiness.”.
https://www.southernliving.com/how-to-create-a-signature-scent-for-your-home-11851823

Coinbase to Migrate BTC and ETH Wallets for Security Upgrades

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In Brief Coinbase upgrades internal wallets to improve security for BTC and ETH. No downtime expected as Coinbase migrates funds between wallets. User deposits remain unaffected during Coinbase’s wallet migration process. Coinbase has initiated the migration of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) from legacy internal wallets to new systems. The company explained that this is a routine update designed to enhance the security of its platform and infrastructure. This wallet migration is a standard security practice, carried out periodically to reduce the long-term exposure of funds. Coinbase confirmed that this upgrade is not in response to any external threats or market changes, and it will not impact user balances or trading activities. No Service Disruption Expected During Migration Coinbase assured users that there will be no downtime during the migration process, and trading, sending, and receiving digital assets will continue as usual. The large transfers observed on the blockchain are part of Coinbase’s internal reorganisation and do not represent withdrawals or sales of assets. Additionally, the company emphasized that user deposit addresses will remain unchanged throughout the migration. Coinbase also cautioned users to remain vigilant against potential phishing attempts, as scammers may try to exploit the migration process. The exchange’s decision to migrate funds is part of its ongoing effort to upgrade its internal security measures. These improvements are essential as Coinbase continues to expand and serve a growing global user base. By moving to newer wallets with more advanced security features, Coinbase is reinforcing its commitment to maintaining a secure platform. The company also highlighted that these upgrades are part of its long-term strategy to optimize asset management and comply with evolving security standards. Coinbase’s internal wallet migration process demonstrates its proactive approach to safeguarding digital assets. Users can expect uninterrupted service during the transition, with all funds remaining secure and accessible throughout the upgrade.
https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/bitcoin/coinbase-to-migrate-btc-and-eth-wallets-for-security-upgrades/

Chasing Chimeras

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At Go Get ‘Em, Tiger, the coffee shop in my Los Angeles neighborhood, everyone looks a little stooped, as if the air itself were heavy. The name alone vibrates with ambition: Go get ’em, tiger. The command is baked right into the signage. Every time you step inside, you are already being told to strive, to push, to chase. Inside, people stand in line gazing into pastry cases while their shoulders slump beneath invisible weight. They clutch cortados like communion, jittery and devout, each haloed by the glow of a laptop. There is a familiar hum rising from the tables: the script, the pitch, the pilot, the memoir, the dream. You can almost feel the gravity of private pressure settling over the room like steam. That morning, watching the tremor of caffeinated hands, I wondered what invisible creature each person might be carrying. Some hybrid of hope and worry, ambition and fear. A beast on the shoulder, whispering: Keep going, work harder, you are almost there. A few days later, on my podcast Fifty Words for Snow, where my co-host Emily and I search out unusual words, I learned there is a name for such a creature: Chimera. A Myth That Slipped Into Psychology The word chimera began in Greek mythology as a fire-breathing hybrid of lion, goat, and serpent. But in French, chimère has evolved into something far more human. It means the compelling, shimmering illusion. The desire you chase that may not exist in the form you imagine. To explore this idea, in our illusion episode, Emily and I invited Ralph Levinson, a retired ophthalmologist and host of the podcast Our Planet, Our Health, along with his co-host Luc Lewatowski, a French and English educator. Ralph told us a story about the nineteenth-century mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace. Laplace, one of the great scientific minds of his age, was praised constantly for his brilliance. As he lay dying, a colleague tried to comfort him by saying how gratifying it must be to look back on such towering achievements. Laplace replied, “But we do chase phantoms, do we not?” In French, he used the word chimères. Ralph, whose life work has been devoted to vision, paused and said, “Even in ophthalmology, you learn early that the eye does not see reality. It constructs it. There is no pure perception. So much of what we think we see is our own projection. Chimera is not just metaphor; it is how the mind actually operates.” Baudelaire’s Burdened City Luc then introduced a poem from Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal: “Le Joujou du Pauvre.” In it, the poet describes walking through nineteenth-century Paris and noticing that every person seems to carry an enormous chimera on their back. Not a ghost. A weight. Luc explained it this way: “Baudelaire says each person carries a chimera as heavy as a bag of flour or coal. It wraps around the body like armor. And when the poet asks where they are going, no one can answer. They feel compelled to walk, but they feel no clear sense of direction.” Then Luc added a statement I loved: “It is burdensome ambition pretending to be purpose.” Yes!, I said. Ambition can be exhausting, but ambition disguised as purpose is even trickier. Purpose is a flattering costume. Once you call something your purpose, you no longer have to question it. You can run yourself ragged while telling yourself you are fulfilling your calling, when in fact you may be chasing a chimera that keeps shifting shape as you approach. Purpose is ambition with better PR. Harder to critique. Easier to hide behind. Los Angeles, City of Glimmering Beasts I kept thinking about Baudelaire’s Parisians as I walked around Larchmont the next morning. The posture was the same. Heads bent forward. The subtle tug of an inner rope. If I imagine the chimera sitting on people’s shoulders here, it looks surprisingly familiar. In Hollywood, the chimera might be a show, a role, a book deal, a career that will finally provide that inner click of legitimacy. My own chimera is embarrassingly easy to picture. It is the show I have been trying to sell for a decade. When I sketch it in my mind, it has the lion’s head of ambition, the cow’s heart of longing, and a tail made of fear that time is running out. A handmade hybrid. And like the people in Baudelaire’s city, I often forget it is there. I simply keep walking. The Goalposts That Slide Out of Sight The trouble with chimeras is not that the dreams themselves are too big. Big dreams can be nourishing. The trouble is that chimeras are fundamentally unreachable because the picture in your mind keeps shifting: The closer you get, the more the shape dissolves. It is not the project that becomes burdensome. It is the fantasy attached to the project. The fantasy that once “it” happens, everything inside will finally settle. You will be safe. Recognized. Complete. But fantasies are slippery. And ambition, once it puts on the cloak of purpose, becomes almost invisible to you. You do not recognize the weight you are hauling. You only feel the pressure to move. Ralph put it perfectly: “Illusion is not the exception in perception. It is the default.” Seeing the Creature Clearly A word like chimera is powerful because it reveals the invisible. Once you name the shimmering burden on your shoulders, you gain choices you did not have before. You do not have to abandon ambition. You do not have to pretend you are suddenly serene. You can simply pause, the way Baudelaire does in his poem, and look directly at what you are carrying. When you call a chimera by its name, it loses some of its glamour. Its claws retract a little. You do not need to slay it. You simply need to see it. Then you can decide whether it still deserves to ride with you. Sometimes the heaviest things in our lives are the ones that never existed at all.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/bodhisattva-wannabe/202511/chasing-chimeras

Disney Spent More On ‘Andor’ Than Any Of Its ‘Star Wars’ Movies

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Disney has revealed today that it spent $60. 5 million (£47. 9 million) on the second season of Star Wars streaming series Andor in 2024 ahead of its debut in April this year giving the show a total cost of $705. 5 million (£552. 7 million) which was within the budget but still far higher than the spending on any of the movies in the sci-fi saga. Disney has had a mixed bag of results from its Star Wars shows and movies since it bought the creator of the series, Lucasfilm, for $4 billion in 2012. All the stars aligned for The Force Awakens, the first in Disney’s trilogy of sequels to the original films which kicked off in 1977. The Force Awakens grossed $2. 1 billion and earned an impressive audience score of 84% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. However, its 2017 follow up, The Last Jedi, was only rated 41% and although the audience score shot back up to 86% for The Rise of Skywalker, the final film in the trilogy, it only grossed $1. 1 billion at the box office. Star Wars hasn’t been seen on the silver screen since then and instead the Mouse has concentrated on streaming shows for its Disney+ platform but they too experienced a disturbance in the force. The first in the series was 2019’s The Mandalorian which followed the eponymous armor-clad bounty hunter tasked with protecting a pointy-eared green alien called Grogu. The cute critter took the world by storm and the first season scored a whopping 93% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A sequel was inevitable and that maintained the original’s high standards with a 91% audience score. However, it crashed to just 51% for the third season in 2023 and the malaise didn’t stop there. The following year Disney released The Acolyte which was famously attacked for its emphasis on diversity and ended up with an audience score of just 19% on Rotten Tomatoes. The only one of Disney’s Star Wars franchises that has managed to maintain audience appeal across several seasons is Andor which stars Mexican actor Diego Luna as the eponymous spy working for the heroic Rebels as they take on the might of the Empire, led by legendary villain Darth Vader. Set five years before the tremendously-successful original Star Wars trilogy, Andor feels equally grounded thanks to its heavy use of practical effects and physical sets rather that the digital backdrops which are common on other Star Wars productions as this report explained. It was a winner with audiences earning an 88% Rotten Tomatoes rating for its first season which debuted in 2022. It took three years for its successor to drop as filming of season two was heavily delayed by the writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023. It was worth the wait as season two opened in April this year to an audience score of 89%. It didn’t come cheap. The cost of making streaming shows is usually a closely-guarded secret as studios combine all of them in their expenses and don’t itemize how much they spent on each one. Shows made in the United Kingdom are exceptions and Andor was one of them. Studios filming in the U. K. get a cash reimbursement of up to 25. 5% of the money they spend in the country. Until last year it came in the form of a tax credit but the cash is now counted as revenue. The key condition of receiving it is that at least 10% of the core costs of the production have to be incurred in the U. K. and in order to demonstrate this to the authorities, studios set up separate companies to produce each show they make there. They shine a spotlight on the spending because the companies are obliged to file legally-binding financial statements which reveal everything from the production’s overall cost and level of reimbursement to the headcount, salaries and even the social security payments to staff. It takes some detective work to get to the bottom of this. The companies have code names so that they don’t raise attention with fans when filing for permits to film on location. Andor was made by Disney’s subsidiary E&E Industries (UK) which was originally founded in October 2018 to work on a feature film about iconic Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi. Disney had a rethink following the failure of its movie based on Star Wars stalwart Han Solo which was released earlier that year. It lost $103. 3 million at the box office as this report revealed and as a result of this, Obi-Wan Kenobi became a Disney+ show. Filming was due to begin in summer 2020 but it was not to be. Production was put on hold in mid-January 2020 after Disney reportedly became concerned that the storyline was too similar to The Mandalorian as it involved Kenobi protecting a young Luke Skywalker, famously played by Mark Hamill in the original Star Wars movies. The delay proved to be a blessing in disguise as the pandemic soon sent the world into lockdown giving time for the Obi-Wan Kenobi script to be reworked. By May 2021 the crew had gathered in Los Angeles and filming finally began. The filings for E&E Industries reveal that a total of $7. 2 million (£5. 6 million) had been spent by October 31, 2019, not long before pre-production on Obi-Wan Kenobi was halted. It is likely that more was spent on the show in the intervening time but the bulk of the cost should show on the 2019 filings. E&E Industries wasn’t mothballed when Obi-Wan Kenobi was put on hold. Instead, it became the production company for Andor and both seasons of the show were shot at the historic Pinewood Studios outside London. It was also filmed on location across the U. K. with a futuristic metro station in London doubling for the Imperial Security Bureau on the alien planet of Coruscant while the resort planet Niamos was actually a seaside town in the north of England. In an interview on ComicBookMovie, Andor’s special effects supervisor Neal Scanlan revealed that around six weeks of pre-production had been done on Andor by the time that the U. K. went into lockdown at the end of March 2020. Filming was delayed repeatedly due to the pandemic and E&E Industries was handed a $1. 6 million (£1. 2 million) grant by the U. K. government along with $2 million (£1. 5 million) from an insurance claim. As with all U. K. companies, E&E Industries releases its filings in stages long after the period they relate to. The process starts during pre-production and continues long after the premiere in order to give the production team time to ensure that all the bills are paid. It explains why the company today released its financial statements to November 22, 2024 which show that by then a total of $705. 5 million had been spent on both seasons of the show. The second season debuted precisely five months after the date of the financial statements so the cost is likely to rise in the subsequent set of filings next year. Excluding the $7. 2 million of expenses for Obi-Wan Kenobi puts the total spending on the two seasons of Andor at around $698. 3 million and the financial statements reveal that they were both “within the production budget.” It doesn’t stop there. E&E Industries also received a total reimbursement and tax credit of $142. 3 million (£111. 5 million) which brought Disney’s net spending on Andor down to $552. 4 million after deducting the insurance payout and the payment from the pandemic grant. One of the biggest single expenses shown in the financial statements was the $85. 5 million (£66. 9 million) paid to staff which is the highest wage bill for any of the shows and movies made by Disney in the U. K. over the past 15 years. Staff numbers on Andor peaked in 2023 at a monthly average of 501 people which doesn’t include freelancers, contractors and temporary workers as they aren’t listed as employees on the books of U. K. companies even though they often represent the majority of the crew on a film shoot. Last year Disney announced that since 2019 it has spent $4. 8 billion (£3. 5 billion) on production in the U. K. across 41 shows and 29 feature films supporting more than 32, 000 jobs. It is a good portion of the total. The latest data from the British Film Institute (BFI) shows that in 2019 alone, film making generated a total of 37, 685 jobs in London and 7, 775 throughout the rest of the U. K. The BFI’s triennial Screen Business report added that when the wider impacts of the film content value chain are taken into consideration, 49, 845 jobs were created in London in 2019 and 19, 085 throughout the rest of the U. K. In February the BFI released its latest annual data which showed that foreign studios contributed a massive 87% of the $2. 6 billion (£2. 1 billion) spent on making films in the U. K. in 2024. This doesn’t just keep people in jobs but also drives spending on services such as security, equipment hire, transport and catering. It remains to be seen how long this glow will last. In May President Trump rocked Hollywood with the announcement that a 100% tariff will be applied to movies entering the United States that are produced in “foreign lands”. It was an attempt to bring film making back to the U. S. and although it has yet to be implemented, it hasn’t been forgotten. In late September Trump wrote on social media that “in order to solve this long time, never ending problem, I will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States.” If he doesn’t follow through with this threat, he may have to roll out the red carpet by offering Hollywood studios even more lucrative incentives than they get in the U. K. in order to tempt them back home.
https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/finance/disney-spent-more-on-andor-than-any-of-its-star-wars-movies/

Packers’ Late Roster Move Could Mean Bad News for Josh Jacobs

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One of the big question marks for the Packers heading into Week 12, when they will square off against the Vikings for just their second divisional game this season is whether running back Josh Jacobs will be cleared to play. Jacobs injured his knee in Week 11 against the Giants, and has battled through practice this week-though in limited participation-in hopes of being able to play on Sunday. Jacobs injured the knee in a hard fall on the stiff MetLife turf in the first quarter at the Meadowlands, but attempted to play through the pain. He left early in the second quarter, though. He carried seven times for 40 yards in the game. The Packers have vowed to be cautious with Jacobs even as he has vowed to play even if there is swelling on the knee. It looks as though the team might win the argument though: On Saturday, the Packers brought up veteran practice-squadder Pierre Strong and activated him for Sunday’s game. Packers Will See a Lot of Emanuel Wilson That’s likely an indication that the Packers are not planning to play Jacobs on Sunday. The Packers also elevated linebacker Jamon Johnson, according to the team website, an indication that Quay Walker is not going to play, either. Walker has been dealing with a neck injury. Though Strong and Johnson will be on the 53-man, they’re not expected to contribute much. Strong has 99 carries over three years with the Browns and Patriots, totaling 499 yards. He has yet to play this season-the Packers only added him to the practice squad in September. In place of Jacobs, the Packers are expected to go with backup Emanuel Wilson, who had 11 carries for 40 yards in place of Jacobs last week, as the top running back, with RB3 Chris Brooks moving up a spot. Expect Isaiah McDuffie to get a boost in playing time with Walker out. Packers Said It Was Day-to-Day Throughout the week, Packers coach Matt LaFleur has said it was truly even odds as to whether Jacobs would go on Sunday. But with the Packers slated to play again on Thanksgiving, the chances were likely always less than that-though, again, he has not been ruled out completely. “The plan is to try to get him healthy enough to go,” LaFleur said. “It’s just going to be a day-by-day thing. He is truly day to day, and we’ll see how he progresses as the week unfolds.” Josh Jacobs Certain for Thanksgiving Jacobs made clear that if he sat out on Sunday, it would not go beyond that, and would be playing when the Packers and Lions face off on Thursday. “Worst case if I don’t play this week, Thursday I’m definitely playing. It’s not like something that’ll linger over past that. That’s really the worst-case scenario, yeah,” Jacobs said Jacobs also made clear he is no fan of the field at MetLife, which has been a source of Packers complaints for years. “Definitely the worst, it’s always been the worst,” Jacobs said of the field. “I know if I ever play there again I will never talk about it because I talked about it all week, how bad it was, and it bit me in the ass.”.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/green-bay-packers/late-roster-move-could-mean-bad-news-for-josh-jacobs/

‘NCIS: Origins’ Needs To Double Down on Gibbs and Lala’s Romance

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One year into its run, NCIS: Origins has already radically changed the way viewers see Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The future team leader, played in the prequel by Austin Stowell, is still finding his footing as a field agent while coping with the loss of his family. That last element is a key part of Gibbs’ character, one that extends even into the original NCIS. It’s why it was a little surprising when, in its very first episode, Origins appeared to suggest that, shortly after losing his wife, Gibbs became very involved with his NIS partner Lala Dominguez (Mariel Molino). Though Mark Harmon’s narration kept the nature of that bond ambiguous, the rest of Season 1 set up a romance between the two agents. Longtime NCIS fans balked at the concept of Gibbs moving on from Shannon so quickly, but Lala soon proved more than capable of going toe-to-toe with him, and their relationship became one of the strongest parts of NCIS: Origins Season 1. The two nearly kissed in the finale, and older Gibbs confirmed that he was in love with her back then and still in love with her now. However, since then, NCIS: Origins Season 2 has kept Gibbs and Lala’s romance simmering on the backburner while introducing other love interests for them both. Still, it has to go all in on their relationship eventually. ‘NCIS: Origins’ Is Built On Gibbs & Lala’s Romance NCIS: Origins Season 2 picks up months after the finale, but it’s immediately clear that the time jump hasn’t killed their feelings. When Lala first comes back to work after her near-fatal car accident, Gibbs is just as protective of her perhaps even more so now and several people within the NIS Pendleton office comment on the state of their relationship. However, Gibbs has started seeing Diane (Kathleen Kenny) who, according to NCIS lore, will someday become his second wife and Lala is grappling with how the accident changed her. On top of that, the most recent episode of NCIS: Origins Season 2 saw Lala drawn closer to Manny (Miguel Gomez), Flaco’s (Scotty Tovar) driver and subordinate. Though this primarily indicates that Lala won’t avoid Flaco’s demand that she investigate a rival gang leader forever, it also could be setting up a deeper relationship between her and Manny. They were last seen sharing some loaded confessions together in a church, perhaps suggesting that, at least right now, Lala finds it easier to open up to him than she does with any of her co-workers. Looking at the increasing number of obstacles stacked against Gibbs and Lala, it might be easy to assume NCIS: Origins will simply let their romance fall to the wayside. However, this love story is baked into the very foundation of the series, and thus needs greater development. In the very first episode of the show, older Gibbs stated, “This is the story I don’t tell. This is the story of her.” That sentiment was reiterated in the Season 1 finale, highlighting how, in the end, it all has to come back to Lala. Whatever ultimately happened between them was so painful, so life-changing, that Gibbs has kept it locked inside him for years, and is only now letting out while he’s alone in Alaska. Had Lala died in the Season 1 finale, viewers would’ve had their answer about why Gibbs chose not to speak of her. Instead, she survived, and her relationship with Gibbs has continued to unfurl. If nothing more comes of their romantic feelings for each other, then the significance of Gibbs’ story could be diminished. While a person can be horribly affected by the loss of a close friend, NCIS: Origins has already confirmed that Gibbs still loves Lala all the way into his Alaskan retirement. Something truly game-changing has to be coming for these characters, and it won’t be a quiet end to their relationship. Lala Can Inspire Gibbs’ Rule #12 The recent crossover between NCIS and NCIS: Origins offered updates on two characters from the latter series in the present day Gibbs and Vera Strickland (Roma Maffia) but kept mum on Lala’s whereabouts. This was to be expected, since it’s clearly part of the larger mystery, but it further emphasizes one of the most compelling elements of her romance with Gibbs. There’s still so much to uncover, and so many places where Lala can fit into Gibbs’ story. NCIS: Origins has had a lot of fun exploring different aspects of the Gibbs lore. For example, the third episode of Season 2 revealed it was Ducky (played as a younger man by Adam Campbell) who ultimately gave Gibbs the inspiration to start building a boat. Then, the crossover episode saw Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid) impart the famous Rule #11: “When the job’s done, walk away.” NCIS: Origins is making good on its title by weaving in the starting points of several of Gibbs’ most well-known traits. NCIS fans know all too well that Rule #12 is “Never date a co-worker.” It’s a sentiment that could arguably come from common sense and, as seen with Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), it’s applicable in many situations. Still, the origin of Rule #11 begs the question: Did Gibbs get Rule #12 from a specific situation in his life? If he did, Lala must be the co-worker in question. It would seem out of character for Gibbs to have strong feelings for one co-worker during a formative period, only to instead go on later and fall for another co-worker so strongly that she inspires the life-defining mantra. Beyond that key bit of lore, it would just be disappointing if nothing further happened between Gibbs and Lala. Over the course of the show thus far, they’ve gone from wary, distrustful partners to two people willing to risk everything for each other, as seen with how quickly they were to sacrifice themselves during the Pedro Hernandez investigation. They’ve been through a lot together, to the point where it’s easy to root for them even despite some initial misgivings. Though their story isn’t likely to end happily at least not on Origins it still deserves to be told.
https://collider.com/ncis-origins-gibbs-lala-romance-season-2/

Nashoba Tech football team edged by Randoph in state semifinal, 20-12

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WAYLAND The Nashoba Tech football team did everything it could to avenge last year’s state semifinal loss to Randolph when the teams met again on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings held advantages in almost every statistical category: 265 total yards of offense to 165; 15 first downs to 8; Time of possession 26: 22 to 21: 38. And trick plays, Nashoba Tech 4-0 with two onside kicks and two fake punts. But all of that together still wasn’t enough as the fourth-seeded Blue Devils upset the top-seeded Vikings, 20-12, in a Division 8 state semifinal game at Wayland High School. “This is tough. They are a real good team. It’s tough to get back here twice and get to the final four, but what are you going to do? They are a great team,” said Vikings’ head coach Danny Kelly. “They were the better team today and they won the line of scrimmage.” Undefeated Randolph (11-0) took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. After a short punt moved the ball just 16 yards, it took just five running plays before Abraham Cornet scored on a 6-yard TD run, and the PAT kick by Alin Norisca was good. The score remained that way until the wild fourth quarter. After Nashoba turned the ball over on a muffed punt, the Blue Devils extended their lead to 14-0 with 11: 36 left in the game after a two-yard run by Mekhi White. The Vikings stormed right back. Behind a 36-yard gain by sophomore Zack Deschenes (22 carries, 122 yards), it took just five plays before Nashoba Tech got into the end zone with Jayden Garshong taking it in from four yards out. The conversion rush failed. Trailing 14-6 with 9: 47 to go, Nashoba elected for the onside kick, but Randolph recovered it, before scoring 2: 52 later thanks to a 29-yard run by White, coming on fourth-and-two. Trailing 20-6, Nashoba went to the air. Quarterback Nick Sloboda (7 for 15, 83 yards), who started the game off completing just 1 of 7 passes for five yards, connected on four attempts, all to Dylan Hall, of 2, 12, 38 and 9 yards with the last turning into a touchdown. The conversion pass failed. Trailing 20-12 with four minutes to go and all three timeouts left, Kelly called for the onside kick again and Randolph recovered it. “We didn’t want them to get the ball back. I know that they could kill the clock, so we didn’t want them to have the ball back. We took chances throughout the game. We had two fake punts, and we were willing to take all the risks,” said Kelly. Randolph managed a first down but eventually had to punt. Nashoba had one last shot, starting out on its own 15 with 1: 25 to go. Sloboda completed two passes for a combined 17 yards before throwing an interception into the hands of White, who is headed to UMass Lowell next year on a track scholarship. “I thought we played well. Our defense played well. We should’ve gotten the job done today, but we didn’t. They were better,” said Kelly. Nashoba (8-3) has now have been eliminated by Randolph for the second straight time in a state semifinal game. “It’s been an unbelievable season,” said Kelly, noting that the team will face Monty Tech on Thanksgiving to end the season. “To get to the final four again, these seniors are 9-0 against the league in the past two years, three out of four league titles so it’s going to be tough to replace them, honestly. We do have so much coming back next year. We return everybody but three starters on the line, so we’ll be back. These guys are hurting, and this one is going to sting more than last year because they were so close. We felt like we had our chances today, more so than last year.” Nashoba Tech played a brutually tough schedule. The Vikings moved up a couple of divisions in taking on Stoneham. They really turned heads when they moved up six divisions to take on Division 2 powerhouse Catholic Memorial. These Vikings didn’t back down against any challenge this season.
https://www.lowellsun.com/2025/11/22/nashoba-tech-football-team-edged-by-randoph-in-state-semifinal-20-12/