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What’s the big deal with Taylor Swift? Here’s why there’s no one else like her.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:44 GMT

It’s been a week now since Taylor Swift swooped into town for a pair of shows at U.S. Bank Stadium that drew about 128,000 fans and all but dominated local media for days.And yet, still, I hear people who dismiss her. She’s just for teen girls. She’s not talented. She’s a fraud. And so on.I’ve been writing professionally about music for 28 years now and I’ve covered teen pop concerts since the days of ‘N Sync. I’ve seen it all, including that time when I went to a Kidz Bop concert alone and endured icy stares the entire show. But I’ve never seen anything like the 33-year-old Taylor Swift.For those still unconvinced, hear me out.She’s a talented songwriterSwift learned to play the guitar when she was 12 and, soon after, began writing her own songs, inspired by the likes of Shania Twain and Dolly Parton. She convinced her parents to move to Nashville, where she worked with experienced songwriters to hone her craft, including Liz Rose, who once described the pair’s after-school writing...

Two Padres players heading to All-Star game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Two San Diego Padres players are heading to Seattle for this year's All-Star game.Outfielder Juan Soto and pitcher Josh Hader were selected to represent the team as reserves for this year's Midsummer Classic. The two are veterans of the annual showdown between the National and American leagues, with this year marking Hader's fifth appearance and Soto's third."Taking the awards, it feels great," Soto said to MLB.com about the honor. "Going there seeing so many All-Stars and people, everybody is a great feeling. Just to see all those All-Stars, you know, and just pick their (brains) and everything. There are a lot of guys and teams that are in a good position. I try to pick whatever they can give me so I can bring it over. That's the main thing. I just try to get to know those guys a little more."Hader echoed that sentiment, saying "It's an honor. Obviously, this game is really, really hard. So to be named an All-Star with all of these guys, it'll just be fun." San Dieg...

San Diego Legion advance to Major League Rugby Championship

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Legion defeated the Seattle Seawolves Sunday 32-10 to advance to the Major League Rugby championship game.Following their victory in front of the home crowd at Snapdragon Stadium, the Legion now look forward to their championship match against the New England Free Jacks.The Legion and the Free Jacks will face off for the MLR Championship Shield on Saturday, July 8 at SeatGeek Stadium in Chicago. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST.This will be the second appearance for the Legion in the championship game. They lost to the Seattle Seawolves 26-23 in the 2019 championship. The Free Jacks will be playing in their first championship match. Saints wide receiver Chris Olave hosts camp at Mission Hills The two teams faced off once during the 2023 regular season, with the Legion earning a 29-12 victory.The Legion's championship climb was built on a dominant 15-1 regular season, with their sole loss occurring against the Houston SaberCats.“It’s been a competitive,...

Battier among retired NBA stars moving into tech sector as investors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:44 GMT

TORONTO — When Shane Battier was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001 no one was talking about business in the NBA’s locker-rooms or clubhouses. Nine years into his retirement from playing, Battier says professional basketball’s culture has radically changed.“Now, guys like Carmelo Anthony and Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, LeBron James, guys who talk about being owners, you know about being LLPs,” said Battier, who won NBA titles with James on the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. “Using their platform to grow their brand and leverage their capital into many more millions and that’s awesome. “These young guys have awesome, have amazing role models now.”Battier has become a leader in that movement, investing in several tech companies. He was in Toronto last week as a speaker at Collision, an annual tech conference that has been at the Enercare Centre since 2019. Baron Davis, who played in the NBA from 1999 to 2012, also spoke at Collisio...

Heat warning issued for all of Toronto and GTA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:44 GMT

A heat warning has been issued for all of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as a big push of warm and humid air headed this way.Daytime high temperatures from Tuesday through Thursday are expected to be around 30 degrees Celsius each day, feeling like 37 to 40 degrees with the humidity.Temperatures overnight will still be in the low 20’s.“In these types of conditions, it is important to stay cool and stay hydrated, especially if you are doing strenuous activity outdoors,” says CityNews 680 meteorologist Carl Lam.“Hot temperatures can also lead to somewhat poor air quality with ground level ozone as the primary concern.”A reminder during this period of heat is to never leave pets or people in cars unattended, for any amount of time, as temperatures inside parked vehicles increases significantly.

For Norah Jones, ‘Little Broken Hearts’ gives a lesson in making the most of a bad experience

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A sign of how much “Little Broken Hearts” represented a departure for Norah Jones was that she filmed not one, but two music videos for the album depicting herself as a murderer.One victim was a lying, cheating boyfriend, the other his temptress. Both ended up at the bottom of a lake.A decade after its release, the disc stands as an island in Jones’ career. It’s a little gem where she tested herself to leave a musical comfort zone to process romantic turmoil — and ended up with a concise, consistent statement that rivals some classic heartbreak albums.“I just love it,” Jones said recently. “It’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. I also think that for people who weren’t really on board with me or my music, some of them liked it when they didn’t like the rest of my stuff, and I always thought that was kind of fun and funny.”This is Norah Jones, remember. Her sumptuous voice was everywhere in the early 2000s, songs from ...

One in hospital after slashing in Scarborough

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:44 GMT

One person is in hospital after a slashing in the Morningside and Lawrence East Avenues area of Scarborough on Monday afternoon. At approximately 12:43 pm police responded to reports of person stabbed and a man was located with slash wounds.STABBING:Morningside Ave & Lawrence Ave E12:43 pm– reports of person stabbed– police o/s – man located w/slash wounds– 2 suspects in their 20's– 1: male, black, red shirt– 2: male, black, checkered golf shirt– any info call police at 416-808-2222#GO1538265^sc— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) July 3, 2023Paramedics transported the adult male to a local hospital with minor slash wounds.Two suspects are wanted, described as in their 20’s, the first a Black male wearing a red shirt and the second a Black male wearing a checkered golf shirt.

See the Bulls latest reported move with Lonzo Ball

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:44 GMT

CHICAGO — It appears the Bulls have made a decision on their injured point guard as the new NBA league year begins. Per numerous reports, the first from Shams Charania of The Athletic & Stadium, the Bulls will apply for the designated player exception for Lonzo Ball. This comes less than two weeks after executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas said that the guard will likely miss the entire 2023-2024 season after undergoing three left knee surgeries since January 2022. What is the designated player exception? It's an option for NBA teams to replace a player on the roster if they're going to miss the season. It allows them to add a player without it counting against the salary cap, but there are restrictions. First, the league has its Fitness to Play panel review the player's situation to see if the DPE can be granted. Should this happen, the team can sign a free agent for one season at 50 percent of the salary of the player who was given the DPE. In the case of Ball, that wou...

Vietnam bans 'Barbie' movie for its map depicting South China Sea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:44 GMT

(The Hill) - Vietnam has banned the yet-to-be-released “Barbie” film from domestic distribution over a scene featuring a map that depicted China’s claimed territory in the South China Sea. State-run media outlet Tuoi Tre newspaper reported on Monday that the country’s film department had banned the movie because the map labeled as Chinese territory parts of the sea that Vietnam claims as its own, calling it “offending.” China uses a nine-dash, U-shaped, line to illustrate its claims over vast areas of the South China Sea. This includes areas where Vietnam claims its continental shelf sits, according to Reuters. Missing Houston man found 8 years after disappearing as a teen The highly-anticipated film, starring Margot Robbie, Issa Rae, and Ryan Gosling, was originally slated to premiere in Vietnam on July 21, the same date as the U.S. release, according to Tuoi Tre. “We do not grant license for the American movie ‘Barbie’ to release in Vietnam because it contains the offending...

1,500 Disneyland collectibles go up for auction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:44 GMT

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — Fans who agree Disneyland is indeed the happiest place on Earth will soon be able to take home more than a souvenir.A passionate collector has brought Disney magic to a sprawling 30,000-square-foot (2,800-square-meter) building in Burbank, California, where fans can hear birds chirping in the Enchanted Tiki Room section or giggle at the animated ghosts from the Haunted Mansion ride as they preview more than 1,500 items up for auction later this month.Joel Magee has been building his collection of more than 6,000 items — including costumes, rare posters, and life-size vehicles from rides like Dumbo and Peter Pan — for 30 years, and he’s finally ready to share some of it with the public.“I’m one of those guys — go big or go home. And if you don’t have the biggest, then it ain’t the best,” Magee told The Associated Press in a recent interview, as fans milled about the exhibit. Magee’s is the largest individually owned Disneyland/Disney Pa...