
UFL Best Defensive Plays of Week 10 United Football League
Lesley Garrett will play Heidi Schiller in Follies (Yui Mok/PA) This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald. Classical singer Lesley Garrett has joined the Northern Ireland Opera's revival of Follies, after her cancer surgery. Garrett will play Heidi Schiller in Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's musical about a group of former showgirls, at the Grand Opera House in Belfast in the autumn, The British soprano said on ITV's This Morning earlier this month that she had cancer surgery after being diagnosed with thymoma, a rare cancer of the thymus gland, which could have affected her singing. Lesley Garrett had cancer surgery (Ian West/PA) Since the surgery to remove the tumour, she has made a successful recovery and will now be joining the Follies cast. Garrett said: 'I'm so excited to be coming back to Belfast and especially to be making my debut with Northern Ireland Opera at the age of 70. 'Sondheim's Follies is a masterpiece and I'm delighted to have been given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform the iconic role of Heidi Schiller.' The production marks the singer's 45th anniversary in the industry and her debut with the Northern Ireland Opera, where she will play the 'opera diva' of the Weismann's Follies. Set in 1971, the musical follows the group as they return to their former Broadway stage at Weisman Theatre, for a final reunion show before its scheduled demolition. Lesley Garrett performs during a ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, at the National Memorial Arboretum (Danny Lawson/PA) Jazz singer Jacqueline Dankworth, who was in the original cast of the West End debut for Sondheim's Into The Woods in 1990, will join the cast as Carlotta Campion. West End stars Anna-Jane Casey and Annette McLaughlin will play former room mates Sally Plummer and Phyllis Stone. The production is directed by Cameron Menzies, with Greg Arrowsmith as the musical director. The musical scored seven Tony awards at the 1972 ceremony and is best known for its songs Broadway Baby, I'm Still Here and Losing My Mind. Follies will run from September 13-20.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sacramento-area students win trips to national landmarks in semiquincentennial contest
What does America mean to you? Two Sacramento-area students won a national competition for their answers to that question as part of the build-up to next year's celebrations of the nation's 250th anniversary. Mélanie Golé, who just finished fourth grade in Rancho Cordova, and Evelyn Bravo, who completed tenth grade in Sacramento, were among the 75 first-place winners of the 'America's Field Trip' contest, the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, known as America250, announced on Wednesday. Each of the contest participants — who numbered in the thousands, according to the commission — submitted art or writing in the spring. Now, each winner will travel to one place on a menu of national landmarks, ranging from Mount Rushmore to the Angel Island Immigration Station in Marin County. Golé, who attends Riverview STEM Academy, painted the Statue of Liberty standing atop two layers — a foundation of Americans in different professions and historical figures including Ruth Bader Ginsburg and George Washington. 'I chose the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of our country and its freedom because it was a gift from France to the United States,' Mélanie said. 'So it also shows friendship and our strength working with other countries.' Her father is from France, and her mother, Sabrina Abbott, explained that the family maintains dual American and French citizenship. Mélanie said she used paint, oil pastel, marker and colored pencil for the composition. 'She worked on it for a long time,' Abbott said. 'She would have to walk away, come back another day, work on it.' Evelyn Bravo, who attends Las Flores High School's virtual study, submitted an essay for the contest after her older sister, Aiyana, was one of last year's winners. The contest will also be held next year before July 4, 2026, 250 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Evelyn said she wrote about her multiracial identity — her mother being Black and white, her father Mexican — to illustrate that 'you can be from a different place and still be part of America.' She also wrote about her passion for crocheting, which she is trying to turn into a business. 'Since America thrives off of business owners, I want to be a business owner myself,' she said. This year, California has the most first-place winners of any state, with 11 — four more than the next state, New Jersey. More information about the celebration and contest can be found at


San Francisco Chronicle
41 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
David Attenborough's 'Ocean' is a brutal, beautiful wakeup call from the sea
NICE, France (AP) — An ominous chain unspools through the water. Then comes chaos. A churning cloud of mud erupts as a net plows the seafloor, wrenching rays, fish and a squid from their home in a violent swirl of destruction. This is industrial bottom trawling. It's not CGI. It's real. And it's legal. 'Ocean With David Attenborough' is a brutal reminder of how little we see and how much is at stake. The film is both a sweeping celebration of marine life and a stark exposé of the forces pushing the ocean toward collapse. The British naturalist and broadcaster, now 99, anchors the film with a deeply personal reflection: 'After living for nearly a hundred years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.' The film traces Attenborough's lifetime — an era of unprecedented ocean discovery — through the lush beauty of coral reefs, kelp forests and deep-sea wanderers, captured in breathtaking, revelatory ways. But this is not the Attenborough film we grew up with. As the environment unravels, so too has the tone of his storytelling. 'Ocean' is more urgent, more unflinching. Never-before-seen footage of mass coral bleaching, dwindling fish stocks and industrial-scale exploitation reveals just how vulnerable the sea has become. The film's power lies not only in what it shows, but in how rarely such destruction is witnessed. 'I think we've got to the point where we've changed so much of the natural world that it's almost remiss if you don't show it,' co-director Colin Butfield said. 'Nobody's ever professionally filmed bottom trawling before. And yet it's happening practically everywhere.' The practice is not only legal, he adds, but often subsidized. 'For too long, everything in the ocean has been invisible,' Butfield said. 'Most people picture fishing as small boats heading out from a local harbor. They're not picturing factories at sea scraping the seabed.' In one harrowing scene, mounds of unwanted catch are dumped back into the sea already dead. About 10 million tons (9 million metrics tonnes) of marine life are caught and discarded each year as bycatch. In some bottom trawl fisheries, discards make up more than half the haul. Still, 'Ocean' is no eulogy. Its final act offers a stirring glimpse of what recovery can look like: kelp forests rebounding under protection, vast marine reserves teeming with life and the world's largest albatross colony thriving in Hawaii's Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. These aren't fantasies; they're evidence of what the ocean can become again, if given the chance. Timed to World Oceans Day and the U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice, the film arrives amid a growing global push to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 — a goal endorsed by more than 190 countries. But today, just 2.7% of the ocean is effectively protected from harmful industrial activity. The film's message is clear: The laws of today are failing the seas. So-called 'protected' areas often aren't. And banning destructive practices like bottom trawling is not just feasible — it's imperative. As always, Attenborough is a voice of moral clarity. 'This could be the moment of change,' he says. 'Ocean' gives us the reason to believe — and the evidence to demand — that it must be. ___


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Miley Cyrus celebrates 'intense energy' of 'Something Beautiful' film premiere
NEW YORK – Miley Cyrus swanned onto the red carpet in a sheer beaded dress accentuated by a cream-colored acre of luxurious strands. She gathered the crew who supported her in making her 'Something Beautiful' visual album, as all, including mom Tish, turned toward the cameras. 'Everybody say 'dysfunctional!'' Cyrus yelled, beaming. The quip was indicative of Cyrus' playful mood as she arrived at the Beacon Theatre June 6 to premiere the stylish, near-hourlong film companion to the 'Something Beautiful' album that bowed May 30. The debut at the Tribeca Film Festival prefaces the June 12, one-day-only appearance the film will make in theaters nationwide. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Cyrus is the biggest contemporary pop star unveiling a film at this year's festival, which runs through June 15, and the sold-out theater full of devotees who loudly sang along with her new material emphasized the prestige moment. 'There is a very intense amount of energy we're sharing in this room,' she said during a post-screening chat with the audience, which included a Cyrus-led singalong of her 2009 hit, 'The Climb.' Intensity reigned throughout the 13 clips, with Cyrus donning fashion both sophisticated and sleek, dancing in fishnets and dispatching an industrial wind machine for added visual zip. She's the Pied Piper of feral emotions, slightly dangerous but a lot of fun, her penetrating gaze daring you to see what awaits. 'There's nothing more beautiful on the planet than deep emotion,' Cyrus said during her talkback. The 'Something Beautiful' record is inspired by Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' – a concept album connected to special memories with one of her brothers, she tells USA TODAY on the red carpet – and Cyrus' videos unfold with a loose connection that is all about feeling, much like the most memorable selections in the concept album annals. There isn't any filler in Cyrus' album or visual companion, which she said took about two weeks to shoot, and from the pink clouds and sunsets of "Golden Burning Sun" to the blue-gray shading of the Madonna-esque "Reborn," creativity dominates. These are the standouts. 'More to Lose' As the sparkly pop bounce of 'End of the World' fades into a screen of white light, a close-up image of Cyrus comes into view. The beaded headwear is the focal point until the camera pushes in even closer to Cyrus' perfectly shaded cheekbones, a most intimate angle for a most intimate song. 'Walk of Fame' The most compelling track on an album full of soaring choruses now has an equally absorbing video. In a world of neon, glitter and stiletto boots, Cyrus writhes against walls and struts down sidewalks, notably the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The song is an irresistible club banger with a throbbing chorus and Cyrus adeptly matches the mood of seedy and glam. She is visually arresting as she rolls around the ground, her eyes never losing the camera. Cuts to song guest Brittany Howard as she vocalizes add a flourish of drama, but nothing extra is needed with Cyrus as the subject. The clip was filmed at 2 a.m. on a street that hadn't seen much cleanup – 'We had everything we needed … besides a broom,' she joked at the screening – and consequently led to Cyrus contracting an infection. 'Every Girl You've Ever Loved' Cyrus strides through empty rooms followed by the galloping beat of the song. She cuts a powerful image singing in the shadows of her favorite toy, the industrial fan, while showcasing staccato movements. But her steely gaze betrays a mischievous flicker. Then model Naomi Campbell arrives for her feature on the song and she and Cyrus engage in a sexy-tough duet. The 'pose' coda of the song is set to the pair romping in black bodices and fishnets, exchanging piercing stares and strutting off together in mutual laughter ‒ girl power exemplified.