Latest news with #Spears
Kyodo News
a day ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Rugby: Brave Lupus aim to retain League One title in trademark style
KYODO NEWS - 9 hours ago - 20:51 | Sports, Rugby, All Defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo are unlikely to part from their tried-and-tested game plan when they battle the Kubota Spears in the Japan Rugby League One final, lock Warner Dearns indicated Friday. Speaking ahead of Sunday's championship decider at Tokyo's National Stadium, Japan international Dearns said they would continue emphasizing the expansive, attacking rugby that yielded a league-best 741 points on their way to first place in the regular season. "We're a team that moves the ball," Dearns said. "If we can attack with the style that we have honed, we can win." The Todd Blackadder-coached team will also be confident of their defensive resilience after stopping the Kobe Steelers from scoring a try in a 31-3 semifinal rout last weekend. Their attacking movement has been underpinned by the playmaking of former All Black flyhalf Richie Mo'unga, the reigning League One MVP, who heads into the final on the back of a man-of-the-match performance against Kobe. Captain and No. 8 Michael Leitch and fullback Takuro Matsunaga are among the other linchpins in a Brave Lupus starting XV who will enter as favorites after winning as underdogs last year against the Saitama Wild Knights in front of some 56,000 at the Tokyo Olympic venue. "The cheering was so loud, it felt like the ground was shaking," Matsunaga said. "It won't come as a surprise this time around, so I will be able to enjoy it." After finishing the season third, the Frans Ludeke-coached Spears have had to contend with an extra round of playoff rugby, followed by a grueling semifinal win against Saitama. The 2022-2023 champions will aim to continue their strong defensive play, exemplified by hard-tackling South African hooker Malcolm Marx, who was at the forefront of both playoff wins. Scrumhalf Shinobu Fujiwara will also look for another big performance after scoring a brace of tries last weekend against a Saitama side that was expected to advance to their fourth straight League One final. "I want to read the situation quickly and perform at my best without rushing things," Fujiwara said. Related coverage: Rugby: Spears hold off Sungoliath to reach League One semis Japan Rugby League One to give domestic players more time on pitch Rugby: Sam Cane leads playoff-chasing Sungoliath to vital win over Toyota
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
Britney Spears Reaches A Major Milestone For The First Time In Her Career
Britney Spears hasn't released new music in years, and fans aren't expecting anything to drop anytime soon, but she still managed to have an exciting week on the charts in the United Kingdom. As one of her earliest albums returns, the singer also reaches a lofty landmark figure for the very first time, proving that her catalog remains hugely popular, even if her career is essentially inactive. Spears keeps The Singles Collection, a compilation of many of her most famous tunes, on two charts across the Atlantic. At the moment, it rises on both the Official Albums Streaming and Official Albums rankings, pushing to Nos. 53 and 64, respectively. The Singles Collection reaches 200 weeks on the Official Albums chart, the ranking of the most consumed full-lengths and EPs in the U.K. The tally is compiled by the Official Charts Company, using a methodology that blends both sales and streaming activity to reflect what the nation is listening to. The compilation is the first from Spears to spend 200 frames on the competitive roster. Only one other project by Spears has managed to rack up triple-digit stays on the Official Albums chart, and it' One More Time. Her debut full-length peaked at No. 2, and it's just one frame away from hitting two full years — or 104 weeks — on the tally. Her follow-up, Oops!... I Did It Again, which also stalled in the runner-up spot, has managed 53 turns, or just over one year, on the same list. Speaking of Oops!... I Did It Again, that project can also be found on two tallies — but not the same two as The Singles Collection. The sophomore studio effort from Spears reenters the Official Albums Sales chart at No. 83, and it also manages to debut on the Official Albums Downloads list at No. 41, reaching that tally a quarter century after it was first released. Oops!... I Did It Again was recently reissued to celebrate its milestone twenty-fifth birthday. The project, which was offered digitally and on physical formats, includes special goodies like remixes and other recordings, as well as photos and special colored vinyl for those who wanted to own the set on wax.
Kyodo News
a day ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Rugby: Brave Lupus aim to retain League One title in trademark style
KYODO NEWS - 7 minutes ago - 20:51 | Sports, Rugby, All Defending champions Brave Lupus Tokyo are unlikely to part from their tried-and-tested game plan when they battle the Kubota Spears in the Japan Rugby League One final, lock Warner Dearns indicated Friday. Speaking ahead of Sunday's championship decider at Tokyo's National Stadium, Japan international Dearns said they would continue emphasizing the expansive, attacking rugby that yielded a league-best 741 points on their way to first place in the regular season. "We're a team that moves the ball," Dearns said. "If we can attack with the style that we have honed, we can win." The Todd Blackadder-coached team will also be confident of their defensive resilience after stopping the Kobe Steelers from scoring a try in a 31-3 semifinal rout last weekend. Their attacking movement has been underpinned by the playmaking of former All Black flyhalf Richie Mo'unga, the reigning League One MVP, who heads into the final on the back of a man-of-the-match performance against Kobe. Captain and No. 8 Michael Leitch and fullback Takuro Matsunaga are among the other linchpins in a Brave Lupus starting XV who will enter as favorites after winning as underdogs last year against the Saitama Wild Knights in front of some 56,000 at the Tokyo Olympic venue. "The cheering was so loud, it felt like the ground was shaking," Matsunaga said. "It won't come as a surprise this time around, so I will be able to enjoy it." After finishing the season third, the Frans Ludeke-coached Spears have had to contend with an extra round of playoff rugby, followed by a grueling semifinal win against Saitama. The 2022-2023 champions will aim to continue their strong defensive play, exemplified by hard-tackling South African hooker Malcolm Marx, who was at the forefront of both playoff wins. Scrumhalf Shinobu Fujiwara will also look for another big performance after scoring a brace of tries last weekend against a Saitama side that was expected to advance to their fourth straight League One final. "I want to read the situation quickly and perform at my best without rushing things," Fujiwara said. Related coverage: Rugby: Spears hold off Sungoliath to reach League One semis Japan Rugby League One to give domestic players more time on pitch Rugby: Sam Cane leads playoff-chasing Sungoliath to vital win over Toyota
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
2025 NBA Draft: Could the Nets pull off a trade with the Spurs?
The Brooklyn Nets came away from Monday's 2025 NBA Draft Lottery with some disappointment as they were awarded with the eighth overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. With Brooklyn reportedly regarded as one of the teams that could be looking to trade up, there could be a team that may be looking to trade back in the Draft prior to June. The San Antonio Spurs, who ended up with the second overall pick, are reportedly going to be "open-minded" with what they decide to do with the pick, according to ESPN's Marc J. Spears during his appearance on "NBA Today" on Tuesday. NBA insider Jake Fischer recently reported that the Nets are considered one of the teams that could be looking to trade up in the Draft, meaning that there could be a path for both teams to come to a deal. Advertisement "I'm hearing that the Spurs are gonna be open-minded, they like what's at two," Spears said while noting that the opportunity for a trade may not be intended for the Nets. "They're willing to keep at two, but if I'm the Spurs, I might be calling Boston to see what I could potentially do." While Spears explained that the Spurs are expected to be open-minded with what they do with the second overall pick, it does sound like they could be looking for veteran players to place around Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox moving forward. For a team like Brooklyn, the teams that could be good candidates for a trade back in the Draft seem to be dwindling with teams like the Dallas Mavericks (first overall pick) and Philadelphia 76ers (third overall) reportedly preferring to stay with their picks. Plenty of situations can change between now and when the Draft begins on June 25 so the Nets have a significant amount of time to survey the landscape for a potential trade, if that is their intention. Based on the recent reporting, however, it seems that Brooklyn may not be able to trade into the top-3 of the Draft and that could be an issue if there is a player they like that won't be around by the time they get to pick at eight. This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: 2025 NBA Draft: Could the Nets pull off a trade with the Spurs?
The Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Oops, Britney Spears thought she's on a plane where smoking is allowed
On May 22, Britney Spears made headlines for allegedly being seen drinking alcohol and smoking a cigarette while on a private plane to Los Angeles from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Photo: Britney Spears/Instagram Britney Spears admitted that she smoked a cigarette and drank alcohol while on an airplane as she apologised to those who were 'offended' by her actions. Her explanation: She thought it was allowed. Spears addressed the reports of her behaviour that 'violated federal aviation regulations' through a recent statement posted on her Instagram account. The American singer explained that it was her friend who lit her cigarette that made her think she was on a plane where 'smoking is permitted.' 'Some planes I've been on you can't smoke mostly but this one was different because the drink holders were on the outside seat,' she captioned the video of herself holding a bottle of alcohol while on the said flight. Spears noted that it was her first time drinking vodka which made her want to smoke, writing, '[I said], I want a cigarette so bad. My friend put it in my mouth and lit it up for me so I was like, 'Oh so this is a plane where you can smoke. I do so apologise to anyone I offended but the flight attendants always make sure I'm way at the back of the plane anyways.' The Oops! I Did It Again singer remarked that it was 'too much' to alert the authorities about her conduct, saying, 'The flight attendant called officials because I smoked a cigarette. And embarrass me which jeez I thought was kinda much but she didn't like me the moment I got on the plane.' On May 22, Spears made headlines for allegedly being seen drinking alcohol and smoking a cigarette while on a private plane to Los Angeles from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. International outlets reported that flight attendants allegedly asked the Toxic singer to put out the cigarette, which she did but when the plane landed, Spears was greeted by authorities, who issued her a warning about her conduct. In November 2021, Spears was released from conservatorship after 13 years during which her father, Jaime, 'controlled her life and financial decisions.' Nearly two years after she was freed from conservatorship, Spears published her best-selling memoir, The Woman In Me . Over the years, the pop singer faced controversies due to 'mental health'. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
