Latest news with #Hughes'
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Savage love story will have you wrestling with all the feels
Geoffrey Owen Hughes has more than 30 years of experience dressing up as wrestling superstar Macho Man Randy Savage, attending his first event as the 'Macho Manitoban' at a screening of Wrestlemania 8 at a restaurant in 1992. A wrestling ring had been set up in the parking lot; while in the ring with a group of other kids, Hughes attempted Macho's trademark vault exit over the top rope to the ground. 'But I had never done it before,' the Macho Manitoban says prior to the start of his fringe show Randy and Elizabeth: A Savage Love Story. Geoff Hughes plays Macho Man Randy Savage in Randy and Elizabeth: A Savage Love Story. Hughes' foot caught on the top rope, but 'the wrestling gods were merciful on that day and I stuck the landing — oh yeah, dig it!,' he says in his pitch-perfect Savage impression. The 52-year-old Winnipeg-born 'theatre kid' has been a wrestling fan since the 1970s, when his mom left him in front of a cluster of televisions showing a wrestling match while she was shopping at a department store. 'I had glue in my shoes. I was transfixed by my first-ever look at wrestling on TV,' he says. Hughes' imagination was captured by the archetypes present at the core of professional wrestling — specifically, the way good will always overcome evil. 'We don't get to see good guys prevail in real life. We seek that in culture, and wrestling offered that,' he says. One would not expect a lot of emotional vulnerability from professional wrestlers, specifically the Macho Man Randy Savage. So can macho men cry? Hughes thinks so, attributing the emotional vulnerability of his generation of men to the 1974 Marlo Thomas record Free to Be You and Me, which featured the song It's All Right to Cry. 'Macho Man was once asked by Arsenio Hall if macho men can cry and his answer will bring you to tears,' Hughes says, referring to a 1992 appearance on Hall's late-night talk show. 'On the show, Savage, in his trademark gravelly voice, said, 'It's all right for macho men to show every emotion. I've cried a thousand times, I'm going to cry some more. There's one guarantee in life and that is there are no guarantees. So if you get knocked down, get back up and fight again.'' MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Geoff Hughes plays Macho Man Randy Savage in Randy and Elizabeth: A Savage Love Story. Tears abounded during the five-year-long World Wrestling Federation storyline involving Randy Savage and his onscreen manager and real-life wife Miss Elizabeth, the focus of Hughes' show. The WWF saga concluded with a wedding at Summerslam 1991 that saw Miss Elizabeth in a Princess Diana-esque dress and a wedding gift of a cobra from the evil Jake (the Snake) Roberts that ended the night. But the true heart of Hughes' show is Randy Savage's loss at Wrestlemania 7 in 1991, where, in true Rocky fashion, our hero loses the match but gains the love of his life. 'I love that moment more than any comic book, any song. It was just so romantic and life-affirming. I hope I can make (my audience) feel even a fraction of what I felt when I watched it,' Hughes says. Randy and Elizabeth: A Savage Love Story runs to July 27 at One88 (Venue 23). Sonya Ballantyne is a Cree writer-director whose credits include the Chris Jericho-produced wrestling documentary The Death Tour and writing the Acting Good episode Battle in the Bush.
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Mackenzie Hughes odds to win the 2025 Open Championship
The Open Championship details and info Watch golf on Fubo! Hughes odds to win The Open Championship PGA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Tuesday at 8:59 PM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Hughes odds to finish in the top 5 at The Open Championship Hughes odds to finish in the top 10 at The Open Championship Other betting markets for Hughes at The Open Championship Hughes recent performances Hughes has taken part in 20 tournaments this season, and while he hasn't won any of them, he has earned two finishes in the top-five and three finishes in the top-10. In his past four events, Hughes has an average finish of 47th. Over Hughes' last three trips to this tournament, he's finished among the top 10 once and the top 20 two times. His average finish at the event is 11th.
North Wales Live
13-07-2025
- North Wales Live
Gwynedd tourist who died in Malta hotel fall named by police
Police in Malta have named a man from North Wales who tragically died after falling from a hotel balcony on the holiday island. Local media reported that a British tourist died in St Julian's, a popular holiday spot on the Mediterranean island, in the early hours of Friday, July 11. He has been named as 25-year-old Kieran Thomas Hughes, who was born in Bangor. Messages of support for Mr Hughes' family and friends were issued after it was reported that the man who died was from Gwynedd. S4C reports he was originally from the Caernarfon area. Medics were called to the scene in the town's Triq Spinola area at around 4.15am. It is understood Mr Hughes was pronounced dead at the scene. A spokesman for the Foreign Office confirmed they were in contact with local authorities regarding the death, reports WalesOnline. Police inquiries are reported to be ongoing. On hearing of the incident, Liz Saville Roberts, MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said: 'Heartbreaking news. My heart goes out to the young man's family at this extremely difficult time.' Senedd member Sian Gwenllian added: 'News of the death of a 25-year-old from Gwynedd in Malta is truly devastating. The pain his family must be experiencing is unimaginable. 'My thoughts, and those of the people of Gwynedd, are with the family in their grief.' A Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office spokesman said: 'We are in contact with the local authorities regarding the death of a British man in Malta.'
Miami Herald
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Wife finds husband ‘doubled over' in store after buying winning lottery ticket
An Arkansas man was left in shock when he bought a lottery scratch-off ticket and saw his prize. The man, referred to by lottery officials as S. Hughes, was having a difficult day when one of his work vehicles broke down, according to a July 8 news release from the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery. The Atkins man bought a new part for the vehicle and with the leftover money he decided to buy two lottery tickets. That's when he won $30, lottery officials said. With that $30, he decided to buy one more ticket and was stunned when he saw the prize. 'I about fell over,' Hughes told lottery officials. 'I'm still having a hard time believing it.' Hughes won the top prize of $50,000 on a $50,000 Frenzy scratch-off ticket that cost $20, lottery officials said. After seeing the prize, he asked the cashier to bring his wife into the store because he was 'too stunned to move,' lottery officials said. Hughes' wife came inside and found him 'doubled over.' But her worry soon disappeared. 'All I did was hand her the ticket,' he said. Hughes said he plans to fix his work truck and expand his business.
Irish Daily Mirror
01-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man who caused blaze at estranged father's home appeals sentence
An arsonist who set a fire at an apartment leaving its residents, including his estranged father, "with nothing" has launched an appeal against his eight-and-a-half-year sentence, arguing part of it should have been suspended to facilitate his rehabilitation. Jason Hughes (21) of Bawnlea Green, Tallaght, Dublin 24, pleaded guilty to one count of arson at Pairc Na Greine, Tallaght, on December 9, 2022. The offence carries a sentence of up to life in prison. Jailing Hughes for eight and a half years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on October 27, 2023, Judge Martin Nolan said there could have been a "significant chance of fatalities" if one of the occupants of the apartment he attacked hadn't been awake to raise the alarm. He said Hughes' "reckless act" had endangered the apartment, the lives of its occupants and the health of other residents of the complex. The court heard that €80-90,000 in damage was caused during the attack and the victims, which included the defendant's father, were "left with nothing". A female occupant of the apartment told gardai that she was in the sitting room of her home at the Pairc Na Greine complex in the early hours of the morning when she heard a loud bang. She looked outside and saw a fire in a corner of the balcony near to the apartment complex's main door. The court heard the woman saw the glass smash inwards and she got pushed against a wall. Scared by the speed of the fire, the woman took a young child who was sleeping in the apartment outside. She then went back inside to ensure that her partner had also left and shouted and made noise to alert her neighbours. Both the apartment and its contents were severely damaged. CCTV footage from the area showed Hughes walking towards the complex, before climbing over the balcony's railings. He left shortly afterwards and two minutes later, flames became visible. Launching an appeal against his conviction at the Court of Appeal today, defence counsel Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC argued that the 12-year headline sentence was too high, that the sentencing judge failed to properly consider Hughes' personal circumstances, and that a portion of the sentence should have been suspended to incentivise rehabilitation. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week He said the offence should have been placed in the middle of the mid-range, attracting a headline sentence of between five and 10 years. A discount should have been applied thereafter, counsel said, and a further portion of the sentence should have been suspended to incentivise rehabilitation. Counsel said that whilst there was no doubt this was "a very serious case" where a custodial sentence was required, the court was bound to take into account the fact that Hughes was a very young man, aged just 19 at the time, who had lived a "chaotic life" and who had made a serious suicide attempt on the same day as this incident occurred. He noted Hughes has ADHD and other cognitive difficulties and had witnessed domestic violence. Mr Ó Lideadha said Hughes's parents had separated when he was eight and the death of another "father figure" in his life had a "devastating effect" on Hughes leading to him going "totally off the rails". "His offending and his drug activity and suicide attempts occurred in those circumstances of extreme adversity," he said. The barrister said one of the victims in the case was Hughes' estranged father and noted the appellant's brother had died in a fire before he was born. Counsel said there was evidence in the psychological report that Hughes felt "aggrieved" by his estrangement from his father and had stated he would never have committed the offence if he had been sober. Mr Ó Lideadha said the trial judge had made a specific error in stating that an accelerant was used. He said the evidence indicated that Hughes set something on the balcony on fire. He said Hughes is clearly someone who "needs residential treatment" and who has "work to do" in terms of his own life and taking responsibility for his actions. He said it was "in the public interest" that a portion of the sentence ought to have been suspended to incentivise rehabilitation. Aoife McNickle BL, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, noted the injured parties in this case were present in court for the appeal hearing. Ms McNickle contended that the circumstances of this case brought the offence into the upper band. She noted the fire was set at a residential property in the early hours of the morning and Hughes was aware the property was occupied by his father and others at the time. She said but for the fact one of the residents happened to be up at the time and noticed the blaze, the alarm would not have been raised as quickly as it was. The barrister said the fire could be seen on CCTV within two minutes of Hughes leaving the scene and burned "ferociously enough" to blow in the windows of the sitting room. She said it could be inferred from the psychological report that Hughes's motivation was due to "some animosity or anger" towards his father. In relation to the argument put forward that part of the sentence should have been suspended, Ms McNickle said there was nothing put before the court that would have obliged the sentencing judge to suspend any portion of the jail term. She said the judge had taken the relevant mitigating factors into account in discounting three and a half years from the headline sentence. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said the three-judge court would reserve judgement and deliver its decision at a later date.
