Latest news with #TheLetter
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Breaking down biggest reasons why Rangers are in current mess
Second in a three-part series. It wasn't a traditional rebuild, not in the least when the foundation was largely constructed on Artemi Panarin's free agent signing, the trade acquisition of Jacob Trouba and the gift horse landing in their lap called Adam Fox. But the Rangers' unique approach to their reset presaged by The Letter of February 2018 was kind of succeeding, and certainly when compared to traditional tear-it-down rebuilds that have been undertaken in Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, San Jose and Philadelphia the past decade. Just two seasons later, the Blueshirts made it into the expanded 24-team COVID tournament, two seasons after that they were in the conference finals and two years after that they returned to the NHL's final four.
San Francisco Chronicle
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
8 films that feed the soul
Dear Mick LaSalle: Are there any recent films that feed the soul? Alan Takeda, San Francisco Dear Alan Takeda: By 'feed the soul,' I'll assume you mean movies that leave you feeling expanded, enlightened and maybe changed for the better. Even most great movies don't do that, so these are films in a special category. Such films are always rare, but they never quite disappear no matter what's going on, because they tend to be personal works that exist outside of trends and tap into something timeless in the human experience. Here are eight from the last decade: 'Julieta,' 'Truman,' 'Goodbye Christopher Robin,' 'The Quiet Girl,' 'Petite Maman,' 'Nyad,' 'My Old Ass' and 'Daddio.' This is an eclectic list representing Spain, Britain, Ireland, France and the United States. On the flipside, there are movies that devour the soul. In our time, these are sci-fi movies, post-apocalyptic movies and superhero movies that routinely depict American cities being trashed. They leave you feeling discombobulated and agitated, states that might pass for excitement but it's not real excitement. It's more like giddy, unfeeling dread. Hi Mick: What movie wasn't nominated for the recent Oscars that should have been nominated? Anne Spencer, San Francisco Hi Anne: Nicolas Cage should have been nominated for ' Dream Scenario ' (2023), a funny social satire in which Cage, playing an under-appreciated scholar, starts showing up in people's dreams. It's a skillful comic-dramatic performance of a kind that invariably gets ignored, probably because Cage's Academy colleagues can't categorize it. Perhaps they need to undervalue it, because they know they can't do it themselves. Dear Mick LaSalle: Thrilled that you mentioned "The Letter' with Bette Davis. Lots of people might see this film now, since you cite it. Yay! Davis is marvelous, of course. Lucy Johns, San Francisco Hi Lucy Johns: Uh-oh. You're so enthusiastic that I hesitate to break the news, but I wasn't referring to the Bette Davis 'The Letter' from 1940. I was referring to the Jeanne Eagels 'The Letter' from 1929. That's the talkie from the 1920s that I've watched the most often. But don't be disappointed; think of this as a blessing in disguise: There's another version of this story that's even better than the one you know, which I agree is very good. Eagels gives one of the most fascinating performances I've ever seen in this film — she looks like she's having a nervous breakdown live, on camera. And maybe she was. She was a heroin addict and died seven months after the movie's release. Dear Mick: When I was a medical resident at UCSF, I would attend musical performances with Chronicle music critic, Heuwell Tircuit. I suspect you must have known Turk, as he was called by his friends. I miss him and his wit. Robert L. Owen, San Francisco Dear Robert: I'm sure there was a good side to Heuwell Tircuit (1931-2010), and I'm glad you got to see it. I knew him only as the rather snooty colleague that embarrassed our department in 1987 by panning a performance by the San Francisco Ballet that he hadn't even seen! The one good part of the story is that after he was fired, the Chronicle made one of its best hires — Joshua Kosman — to replace him. A real case of the Italian proverb, 'When God closes the door, he opens up a window.' It's reassuring to have your testimony that at least Heuwell attended some of the performances he reviewed. But even more, I appreciate the chance to tell you how critics feel about this sort of behavior. We don't think of it as a guy getting away with something. We look at it as a breach of faith with the public and a betrayal of the artform.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mama Justice wins Golden Gavel award for 'emotional' commercial
TUPELO – You've probably seen the commercials, from kids encouraging people to 'call their mama and then call Mama Justice,' to attorney Melissa "Missy" Wigginton – Mama Justice herself – talking about her real-life experiences before becoming an attorney. Wigginton At the recent Trial Lawyers Summit in Miami, the MW Law Firm won the coveted Golden Gavel Award for its 60-second version of "The Letter." "The commercial competed against all the law firms in the nation at the summit, and I didn't even know the commercial had been nominated," Wigginton said. "One of our lawyers had sent it in. Three law firms were picked, and we were competing with firms like Morgan and Morgan, a huge law firm, that won it last year." Wigginton said she and her team that traveled to the summit were both shocked and thrilled to hear their name called. The Golden Gavel Awards, presented by the National Trial Lawyers' A-List, celebrates "the pinnacle of legal marketing and advertising," and recognizes law firms that "excel in delivering outstanding legal services while maintaining an exceptional advertising presence." The A-List features the Top 100 law firms excelling in national advertising. It recognizes their influence and success in legal marketing. The MW Law Firm won its award for Film, Video and Sound – Best Regional/National TV Ad 60 Seconds. The ad was produced in-house. "My husband is in charge of all of our marketing, and he worked with a producer out of Texas, and they wrote the script. We used our own client in the testimonials," Wigginton said, noting that this commercial was different that the rest of the others made for Mama Justice. "It focused on emotions and the injury and pain many of our clients face, rather than 'Pay me big money.'" Her husband, Jerry Wigginton, is the idea generator, she said. In fact, he was the one who came up with the idea of the "Mama Justice" name when the law firm opened six years ago. A Union County native, Wigginton was the first in her family to attend college and the first to go to law school. But she didn't immediately pursue a law degree. "After I graduated, I was working for a large bank in town, and I was writing some large documents, and one of the lawyers for the bank said I should be a lawyer," she said. "I was older – I was 32 at the time – when I went to law school, and 35 when I got out." She went back to the bank for 10 years following law school, but left to begin practicing law. However, she didn't have her own firm until she met and then married her husband. "He said, 'You need your own business,' but I didn't want to do taxes or payroll," she said with a laugh. 'But he said, 'We'll take care of all that.' And so, when my kids were little and their friends came over to play, they called me Mama Missy because our house was the house they'd always hang out at. That's how Mama Justice evolved." The brand, and the dedication of its employees, has driven the firm, Wigginton said. "I can't take all he credit because we have a staff who embody our core values that we live by. We know if we take care of our clients, everything else will fall I place. That's what mamas do." MW Law has 45 employees and nine attorneys in offices in Tupelo, Jackson, Southaven and Columbus.
