Latest news with #Hal
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
This Tale of Boyhood Is Brutal. It's Also Unforgettable.
DOGS, by C. Mallon C. Mallon's aorta-smashing debut novel, 'Dogs,' tells the story of Hal, a teenager who does a good job describing himself, and his friends, when he says, 'I mostly wanted to get different all of the time.' This motley crew is a mess of wrestlers who hoover up alcohol and an increasingly potent slew of drugs over the course of an evening while driving around in the tragic beater of a car that belongs to the group's leader, Dylan. (The tale of how Dylan came to own the car, which opens the novel, is worth the price of admission alone.) As the events unfold, we are drawn into Hal's tumultuous, darkening world. Mallon's prose is masterly — equal parts muscular and brutal, while also tender and mournful. Deep hurt and intensity stand poetically alongside magnificent descriptions of mall parking lots and cigarette-consuming small-town life. Take this account of a young child dressed up for Halloween, who has Hal meditating on his and his ruffian buddies' own loss of innocence: 'The skeleton kid was so little. He didn't know anything. Most of us there in the car had been that way one time. The skeleton kid would get longer, and tough, and weird, sad, dark and angry.' Hal laments that eventually the kid will become just like the older boys. What a harrowing, yet enviably lean, description of what a debacle it is to turn from a child into a teenager. Every page of this tight-fist-of-a-novel is filled with similar, sneaky, staccato brilliance. We are stuck in Hal's head as his brain flits between tactile observations of, and burning emotion about, the chaos that surrounds him. A memory of Hal pulverizing a classmate in eighth grade is told with the same flamboyant confidence and style as his bottomless love for his giant dog, Tough Guy (an adoration so endearing it made me get up and hug both of my dogs with all of my might). Every thought Hal has flows seamlessly into the next, and Mallon's writing follows suit — there are no chapter or even paragraph breaks in the novel, nor quotation marks, only the occasional pause marked by three diamonds, as if Mallon wants to give readers a moment to catch some small bit of breath. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Metro
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Hal Cruttenden: 'When my wife left me I realised men are just spoilt babies'
Hal Cruttenden started stand-up comedy in his late 20s, which was also the last time he was single… That was until his wife left him for another man in 2021. He's now 55, alone – occasionally dating – but most of all, thriving. The Live At The Apollo and Royal Variety show comic wrote his last Edinburgh Fringe show about his divorce. Four years later, he's written another one, Can Dish It Out But Can't Take It… also about his divorce. 'Men are crap at dealing with divorce,' Hal tells Metro over Zoom ahead of his Fringe run, in his bubbly yet frank disposition. 'It's taken me four years to still be processing things.' Hal talks fondly of his daughters, now 21 and 23, who assure him it's the same story throughout generations: even at university, they report friends mourning relationships immediately, while the bloke seems like he's okay – and then has 'some sort of breakdown six months later'. 'I still think women are so much better at analysing the reality of a breakup,' Hal says. 'In my age group, women are much more likely to leave, like in 70% of cases. But it's not like they're the cause of the divorce. They are usually the ones that go: 'This has got to end now.' 'Men tend to go, 'But it's okay, isn't it..? It's okay that we've not really got a very good marriage. I'll just muddle through.'' In short? 'I think men, they're just emotionally very lazy, and I have been as well,' Hal admits. Hal also reckons the average middle-class man who's had a happy childhood is much less equipped than their female contemporaries for things going wrong. 'Men are just spoilt babies,' Hal chuckles. 'Women deal with so much from youth.' Genuinely exasperated, Hal continues: 'They are now dealing with the most powerful man in the world Donald Trump getting elected while being a known sex predator – that's still a world they have to live in. 'Men don't live with that sort of unfairness. I've watched my own daughters navigate the same world of being shouted at in their school uniform that my sisters had in the 80s. 'Women seem to be much more prepared for the unfairness of life, for the shocks of life. Whereas men like I am, in truth, are just little boys that never had that much bad stuff happen to them, and thought life was going to be wonderful.' Imitating a phrase presumably absorbed from his daughters, Hal adds: 'God, I'm so right on it's disgusting.' He's on to something there. But back to divorce. If, like grief, divorce requires wading through stages of recovery, Hal is proud to say he's in the acceptance phase. But he's not fully recovered. 'It's taken me a long time to realise that I was very affected by my divorce,' he says, explaining how the anger phase was useful in his comedy. (His ex-wife asked if he would talk about the divorce on stage. His answer? Obviously…') 'There's a real power to the jokes that are based in pain,' Hal says, adding: 'British people particularly like hearing about those worse off than them.' But while Hal's last Edinburgh show – It's Best You Hear It From Me – was a knee-jerk reaction to the split, this one is more honest. 'There are things I reveal that I don't in the first show, like that I was left for someone else,' he says. 'I have a joke that it's better to be left for someone than for no one, because if you're left for no one, that means you're literally worse than nothing.' While self-depreciation is his shtick, Hal can't help but voice wisdom and a bit of sop after every prod at his own ego. 'You have all these divorced men who become real misogynists about women being unfair,' he says. 'Well, one woman knocked me over, but loads of women lifted me up. I've got two daughters and two older sisters, and there's been a lot of support.' After Hal's wife left, he thought it was going to be terrible. But he also perhaps naively assumed he'd find someone else quickly. But while 20-year-olds are willing and pliant to mould to another's life and build one together, in his 50s, Hal admits he's a tricky customer: his life is more lived, so there are more things to align that generally don't. 'I think everything has to be absolutely right for me for it to work,' he says. After four years of dating, talking and falling head over heels for the wrong people – though it was 'astonishing' to find that women actually do still want to have sex with him – Hal has decided enough is enough. 'I have got quite a bit stronger just by being by myself,' he says. 'I was looking to be saved. It's quite nice to have that revelation that no one's going to save me. I've got to grow up about this.' More Trending This frightening but liberating new chapter will be Hal's next show. While he warns the contents will be 'more misery about being alone', Hal is grateful of his situation. 'I almost wouldn't have missed it for the world,' he says, with his eyes as much as his words. 'It's been so extraordinary to experience my 50s like this, and it put a rocket under my life. Life is now more interesting – even if more painful and uncertain.' Hal Cruttenden: Can Dish It Out But Can't Take It is on at 9.30 until August 24 at the Pleasance Courtyard Cabaret Bar. Tickets here . Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Netflix's Cat Cohen had a stroke age 30 and it's a surprisingly hilarious story MORE: Alan Davies 'moved' by audience during his harrowing show detailing childhood abuse MORE: Record-breaking TV series hailed 'funniest in ages' launches on free UK streamer
Style Blueprint
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Style Blueprint
Lockeland Table's Cult-Favorite Peach Pizza Returns — But Not for Long
Share with your friends! Pinterest LinkedIn Email Flipboard Reddit When Chef Hal Holden-Bache opened Lockeland Table in 2012, it quickly became a darling of the East Nashville dining scene. Now, more than a decade later, it's still one of those rare spots that combines neighborhood charm with culinary excellence — and perhaps nothing captures that spirit better than the restaurant's near-cult-favorite Southern Hawaiian pizza, which is only available for a few weeks each year. 'Many years ago, I think with the help of some current employees at the restaurant, we were just talking one day, and somehow the Southern Hawaiian was born,' Hal recalls. A playful riff on the traditional ham-and-pineapple pizza, this version swaps tropical fruit for something much closer to home — sweet, juicy Tennessee peaches. Thin-sliced, prosciutto-style ham from Bob Woods' The Hammery, in Murfreesboro, adds a salty depth that pairs perfectly with the peaches. 'We use Bob Woods' Tennshootoe-style ham from Murfreesboro, TN,' Hal explains. 'I've always been a big fan of Bob's products and have always used his Tennshootoe in my kitchen. The peach and the ham, with the jalapeño, aged provolone, raw red onion, and then the hot honey afterward — it's just a real solid pizza. It's always been one of my favorite pizzas.' It's not just a fan favorite; it's a bit of a summer ritual. 'It's always a big deal at Lockeland Table when peaches come back in season,' Hal says. The pizza is typically offered for just three to five weeks, and with only a couple of weeks left before local peach season wraps, now's the time to make a reservation. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lockeland Table (@lockelandtable) And if you're going all in on peaches, order the peach cobbler with homemade granola for dessert. Of course, no one would fault you for choosing the skillet cookie made with local Olive & Sinclair chocolate, topped with Bravo Gelato. Or the decadent banana foster bread pudding. In true Lockeland Table fashion, every option is a winner. As for the perfect pairing? A crisp glass of prosecco or any light, bubbly cocktail balances the richness of the pizza beautifully. Consider this your official peach-season PSA: Get to Lockeland Table while the Southern Hawaiian is still on the menu. It's not just pizza — it's a celebration of summer, Nashville-style. Book your reservation at Lockeland Table here. ********** Love sandwiches? Check out our 17 favorite local Nashville sandwiches HERE. About the Author Liza Graves As CEO of StyleBlueprint, Liza also regularly writes for SB. Most of her writing is now found in the recipe archives as cooking is her stress relief!
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Day care measles exposure forces Iowa family to take weeks off work for baby: 'It only takes one'
Martha Martin has to use up all of her remaining vacation days for the year to stay home with her infant son, and it still won't be enough. Nine-month-old Hal was recently exposed to measles at day care and can't go back for almost a full month. He's not had the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, which isn't recommended until age 1. When Martin has to return to work, her husband will need to take several unpaid days off to stay home with the boy. 'It just makes me so mad that this is happening,' said Martin, 26, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 'It's scary because my son is not protected, and I'm having to worry about child care and my job and my husband's job.' In these situations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends quarantine for 28 days. Because he's too young for the measles vaccine, Hal needed emergency shots of immunoglobulin, or IG, an antibody that helps the immune system fight off infections. At this point, Martin said, 'it's just a waiting game.' Her family's worry and frustration are playing out in households nationwide as the number of measles cases has surpassed a level not seen since the highly contagious virus was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. On Wednesday, the CDC reported 1,309 cases of measles in 39 states. The vast majority of patients are children. Each of those cases has had the opportunity to expose hundreds or even thousands of other people, especially kids, either too young to be vaccinated, like Hal, or children with weak immune systems, experts said. Dr. Ana Montanez, a pediatrician at Texas Tech Physicians in Lubbock, Texas, cared for many families during the recent measles outbreak in West Texas. "A lot of our families, hard-working families, typically don't have a month's savings of salary to stay home, yet they have to," Montanez said. "Oftentimes it's not just one job, but two, maybe three." Cedar Rapids isn't experiencing an outbreak of measles. Just seven cases have been confirmed across Iowa in 2025, according to the latest data in the state. They are the first reported measles cases in Iowa since 2019. Still, the Martin family's situation illustrates the ripple effects of a single exposure. 'What's happening in our town is a perfect example of why vaccination is important,' said Dr. Dustin Arnold, chief medical officer at UnityPoint Health-Cedar Rapids. 'It just takes one' measles case, he said, to set off waves of impact. On Saturday, Arnold ran a command center giving out immunoglobulin, or IG shots for eight babies who were exposed to measles at the same day care as Hal. Three others were sent to a nearby medical facility for the same treatment. IG injections can be given up to six days after exposure to measles. A 2021 study found that the therapy is highly effective in protecting exposed newborns from getting sick. IG treatments aren't a permanent fix, said Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Children 'develop much higher levels of immunity from vaccination than from immunoglobulin,' she said. The Cedar Rapids IG clinics, led by Arnold, were pulled together at the very last minute. The babies who got the injections had been exposed six days earlier, on Monday, July 7. Families were notified late Friday, July 11, and the treatments started the next morning. 'There are infants out there who have no protection, and we don't want them to get sick,' Arnold said. 'Measles can be mild, but it can also be life-threatening.' The majority of measles patients have fared well despite their illness. Still, 13%, or 164 patients, needed to be hospitalized because of the infection. Three people — including two young girls in Texas — have died of measles this year. This past week, a child in England died of the virus. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
The Age
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
What to stream this week: Mark Ruffalo's sad dad, plus five more to add to your list
This week's picks include a gentle dramedy with Mark Ruffalo as a hopeless dad, Law and Order star Mariska Hargitay's documentary about her famous mum, and Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney's new thriller. Hal and Harper ★★★★ (Stan*) The gap between the casual and a crisis is worryingly small and always unclear in this quicksilver US dramedy. 'I feel like a fragile sculpture,' says Harper (Lili Reinhart), one of the show's titular twenty-something siblings. She's drily referring to her new haircut, an experiment with a fringe that speaks to mishandling unease, but a different, altogether more painful, definition is close at hand: crack, crumble, collapse. Hal and Harper is a show that is deeply attuned to emotional upheaval overwhelming the everyday. It's an intriguing, idiosyncratic vision from creator Cooper Raiff, the independent filmmaker (Cha Cha Real Smooth) who transitions to television by writing and directing all eight episodes. Cooper, who also plays younger brother Hal, wants to dig into the unspoken. His Californian characters are poised on the precipice of change they can no longer avoid. Hal is about to finish university, but is still emotionally dependent on Harper, who has a dead-end first job and a relationship, with Jesse (Alyah Chanelle Scott), that's imploding. The two are, in so many ways, the children of Michael (Mark Ruffalo), the novelist and single father who raised them with a pronounced lack of emotional support; Harper has been mothering Hal since she was nine and he was seven. When Michael announces that his girlfriend, Kate (Betty Gilpin), is pregnant, the celebratory news lights a fuse to individual reckonings. He's terrified of failing another child, and his adult children can't avoid facing their childhood trauma. It seems our performative ease with therapy-speak doesn't actually fix anything. Raiff crafts these little earthquakes with droll exchanges, lived-in eccentricities and roiling montages that feel like they're lifting the characters out of the plot's safe space. His innovations skirt the absurd to find deeper truths, most notably in lengthy primary school flashbacks where Reinhart and Raiff play the younger Harper and Hal. She's an old soul, he's nervy and enthusiastic, and there's something solemn and bittersweet about seeing the adults these two children will become, learning about life. The little jokes and quick reassurances the grown siblings swap with each other and those close to them are a coping mechanism that can't endure. 'She broke my heart,' adult Hal laments of a fellow student, Abby (Havana Rose Liu), before Harper stumps him by asking, 'What's her last name?' The performances have a low-key desperation and deeply held churn. Solving these issues isn't the crux of Hal and Harper, it's actually just being able to acknowledge them. That's both sad and a joke, which is exactly where this first-rate show wants to be. My Mom Jayne ★★★½ (Max) Separating the public from the private is a near impossible task in this documentary from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay. The actress was just three years old when her mother, Hollywood bombshell Jayne Mansfield, died in a car accident in 1967. Hargitay, who was asleep in the vehicle's back seat, has spent her life struggling to understand a famous parent she has no memories of. This feature-length documentary is her attempt at reconciliation. With an outlook on fame that feels contemporary, the platinum blonde Mansfield was the most photographed woman in the world in the 1950s. 'She was always on display,' recalls her former publicist, the now 99-year-old 'Rusty' Strait. The film untangles the divide between Mansfield as sex kitten and loving mother, and charts her increasingly perilous career and marriages, including her second with Mickey Hargitay, a former Mr Universe. Mariska Hargitay directs the film, and is often on camera, including interviews with her siblings. There's no outside scrutiny to this story, but the trade-off is a deeply genuine sense of loss and longing; an outsider couldn't deliver the raw exchanges these family members share. Hargitay folds in her youthful rebellion and belated yearning and, in a nod to the entertainment industry she's spent her whole life adjacent to, there's an almighty twist in the third act that completes this heartfelt journey. Echo Valley ★★★ (Apple TV+) Written by Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown) and set in rural Pennsylvania, this familial thriller from British director Michael Pearce (Beast) has a familiar shape and the overqualified cast to paper over the cracks. Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney play estranged mother and daughter, reunited when the latter's latest misdeed brings her home to the former. Helping your child is just another form of debt that must be collected, but the film keeps the leads apart while fraying the plot with twists and double-crosses. The story lacks a visceral edge. Countdown ★★½ (Amazon Prime Video) Amazon's yen for 'Dad action' in shows such as Reacher and The Terminal List – all hard-nosed action sequences, stoic leading men, and a sardonic commentary while doing good – goes a step too far with this crime drama about a US task force whose murder investigation uncovers a vast conspiracy. Countdown is efficient but generic, too often echoing the procedural roots of creator Derek Haas (Chicago Fire). Supernatural star Jensen Ackles knows how to embody the protagonist, LAPD detective Mark Meachum, but he's not given a great deal to work with. Predator: Killer of Killers ★★★ (Disney+) Of the many ageing intellectual property franchises being tended and exploited by Hollywood studios, Predator may well be having the most interesting second act. The 1987 original remains an action classic, but recently there's been some smart additions to the science-fiction series about the alien warrior race that periodically hunts humans. After directing the underrated 2022 live action feature Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg returns with this animated anthology about Predator encounters with different historic eras. It's all bloody ultra-violence and comic book excess which is a good change of pace. Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem ★★½ (Netflix) Trainwreck is Netflix's modern scandal documentary franchise: occasionally tragic, mostly tawdry, with a focus on jaw-dropping testimony over historic analysis. Alongside the newly released holiday nightmare Poop Cruise, the Mayor of Mayhem is indicative of the Trainwreck process. It recounts the fireball career of Toronto mayor Rob Ford, a populist who assumed the position in 2010 and within three years was the headline subject of a video that showed him smoking crack cocaine. Was Ford an addict? Yes. Does that hold as much weight here as his propensity for saying bonkers stuff in public? No.
