Latest news with #TomWard
ABC News
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Please Like Me's Tom Ward on writing Étoile with Gilmore Girls creators
Australian TV comedy writer and producer Tom Ward was living in rural Aotearoa/New Zealand with his young family when he got the call. Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, executive producers of Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, had read one of his scripts. Not only that: they were interested in hiring him to write on their upcoming ballet dramedy series, Étoile. A few days after the Please Like Me Star talked with the couple in late 2022, he got another call — this time from his agent. Photo shows A man in a blue room looking into a mirror. Josh Thomas on how he stumbled into being an audience surrogate for millennials around Australia. "He was like, 'Hey, remember how you promised that if you went for this job, that you'd move to New York with your family?'" Ward tells ABC Entertainment. "I was like, 'Yeah, I remember saying that thing that I was obviously going to say just to get this meeting.' " He was like, 'Well, now you do have to move to New York … because you're going to be working on this show.' " While Ward says he "wouldn't recommend" trying to secure US visas for an entire family over the Christmas period, they pulled it off. Within two months, they'd swapped summer in rural Aotearoa/New Zealand for Brooklyn in the depths of winter. Why Tom Ward wanted to explore the weird world of dance Ward, who has "absolutely watched some Gilmore Girls", says he "felt a definite kind of spiritual connection" to Sherman-Palladino and Palladino before he even met the Emmy-Award-winning couple. He says they share a "similar gaze" to that of Josh Thomas, creator and star of Please Like Me. "When they look at the world, [they see] the theatrics of life that can exist around everyday drama," Ward muses. Much of Ward's career has revolved around this idea, from his writing on He immediately saw Étoile's potential as an extension of that work. Loading YouTube content The show sees two flailing rival ballet companies in New York and Paris trade their top talent for a year, and launch tandem seasons and a transatlantic marketing campaign to publicise the move. The desperate plot to boost dwindling ticket sales and improve reviews just so happens to be funded by a weapons manufacturer's blood money. At first, NY ballet company exec Jack McMillan (played by Luke Kirby, pictured) is in denial about the fact the future of the dance is in question. ( Supplied: Prime Video ) The series primarily follows Jack McMillan (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel star Luke Kirby), the nepo baby/executive director of the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre in New York, and Geneviève Lavigne (Charlotte Gainsbourg), the cutthroat head of Le Ballet National in Paris; the competing execs once enjoyed a romantic entanglement and still have the tension to show for it. Then there's Cheyenne Antonius (Lou de Laâge), the equally despised, feared and revered titular "danseuse étoile", (lead dancer) who is so good at what she does that her volatility has been permitted in Paris. But will she get away with that behaviour in New York? Tobias Bell (played by Gideon Glick, pictured) is one of the dancers and choreographers caught up in the swap who really wish they hadn't been. ( Supplied: Prime Video ) Among others, Cheyenne swaps places with Tobias Bell (Gideon Glick, another Mrs Maisel alum), the brilliant but exceedingly particular choreographer who struggles with all the change that comes with a move to France. There is drama, and a lot of it, but the mesmerising ballet performances interspersed throughout offer a reprieve, as well as a reminder of what every character in Étoile is fighting for: a world in which such artistry survives, and might one day thrive again. We're not in Stars Hollow anymore — Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino's latest show is the definition of grand. ( Supplied: Prime Video ) From Please Like Me to table reads in Paris Ward is still reeling from the experience of bringing Étoile's first season to the screen from the writers' room. Everything about it felt novel, from heading into work at a real film lot in Brooklyn ("it looks like the set of 30 Rock"), to Sherman-Palladino's office. Loading Instagram content "It's a sight to behold in itself — that's all I'll say. It's gorgeous," Ward teases. When pushed a little more, he adds: "OK, all I'll say is: multiple chandeliers." The scale of the production was so much larger than anything Ward had worked on in Australia, and so was his role. "For my episode, I had the responsibility of making sure the script made it to screen, and that was another real showbiz moment," he says. "The reading of my script happened in Paris because that's where we were shooting [at the time]. "It was quite surreal to be sitting in what was the set for this unbelievable Paris ballet studio, watching all these incredible actors read my episode." And working with veteran TV creators Sherman-Palladino and Palladino, he says, was "an amazing and huge learning experience". "I'd never worked with people with that much experience under their belt, [or who] understand the value of personality in a writers' room. " Their instincts for what works and what doesn't makes the whole process feel like a well-oiled machine. " Indeed, Étoile is the result of years of exploration by Sherman-Palladino and Palladino into not only dramedy, but the weirdness of the dance world. ( Photo shows Emily, left, wears a white wedding dress and veil as she cuts a pink and red cake with Tom, right, both smiling. This is the story of how Emily Barclay and Tom Ward's relationship started between takes. First, there was the iconic dance teacher Miss Patty, who ran a chaotic studio in their enduring cult hit Gilmore Girls; then there was their far less successful 2012 dramedy, Étoile feels like a natural evolution from those two series; it's as fast-paced and zingy as you'd expect of any Sherman-Palladino, Palladino offering, with the compelling side characters their shows produce so well. Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel fans will delight in many familiar faces. It also tends towards The Marvelous Mrs Maisel in its massive scale, level of darkness, maturity and Jewish representation. Étoile was When asked what we can expect from him in the future, he coyly says: "You can say, 'Totally exciting things.'" Étoile is streaming now on Prime Video.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Private equity firms are Mach Natural Resources LP's (NYSE:MNR) biggest owners and were hit after market cap dropped US$54m
Significant control over Mach Natural Resources by private equity firms implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions The largest shareholder of the company is Bayou City Energy Management, LLC with a 63% stake 12% of Mach Natural Resources is held by insiders AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. To get a sense of who is truly in control of Mach Natural Resources LP (NYSE:MNR), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 63% to be precise, is private equity firms. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company. And last week, private equity firms endured the biggest losses as the stock fell by 3.4%. In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Mach Natural Resources. Check out our latest analysis for Mach Natural Resources Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. Mach Natural Resources already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Mach Natural Resources, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Mach Natural Resources. The company's largest shareholder is Bayou City Energy Management, LLC, with ownership of 63%. With such a huge stake in the ownership, we infer that they have significant control of the future of the company. With 11% and 1.9% of the shares outstanding respectively, Tom Ward and American Century Investment Management Inc are the second and third largest shareholders. Tom Ward, who is the second-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Chief Executive Officer. While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too. The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions. Our information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in Mach Natural Resources LP. It is very interesting to see that insiders have a meaningful US$181m stake in this US$1.6b business. It is good to see this level of investment. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently. With a 17% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Mach Natural Resources. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run. Private equity firms hold a 63% stake in Mach Natural Resources. This suggests they can be influential in key policy decisions. Some might like this, because private equity are sometimes activists who hold management accountable. But other times, private equity is selling out, having taking the company public. While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Mach Natural Resources (2 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future . NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
Telegraph
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Cheltenham Festival: Nigel Farage arrives by helicopter on Gold Cup day
Latest updates at Cheltenham. Tom Ward live updates 14 March 2025 • 11:46am 12:32PM Galopin can join the greats "He looks like a very similar horse to Best Mate" Galopin Des Champs can join a list of horse racing greats today. But has he got enough credit for his career so far? 💭 #ITVRacing | #CheltenhamFestival | @olibellracing | @AP_McCoy — ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 14, 2025 12:25PM Wiuth an hour to go... ...until the first race on Gold Cup day, let's take a look at the market for the JCB Triumph Hurdle (1.20). East India Dock 6/4F Lulamba 5/2 Hello Neighbour 5/1 Blue Lemons 14/1 Lady Vega Allen 14/1 Mondo Man 22/1 Gibbs Island 25/1 Larzac 40/1 50/1 Bar 12:15PM I'm just going to... ...leave this here and let you all make your own judgement. Ex-Arsenal & England star David Bentley is having a fantastic time at the Cheltenham Festival 🤣 🐎 — Mail Sport (@MailSport) March 13, 2025 Never a bad time to remember this though... 12:14PM A famous(ish) faces... 12:04PM Crouchy gets em in – sort of Paddy Power once again struck the best PR coup at the festival, with their latest stunt seeing Peter Crouch forced to fork out for 1,000 pints in the Guinness Village. The Premier League striker announced during an ITV Racing interview on Thursday that he had 'a bet with Paddy' to effectively pay for £7,800 round if there was an Irish winner in Stayers' Hurdle. Later on, footage emerged of Crouch, who has a lucrative advertising deal with the bookmaker, handing out the pints after Bob Olinger won the race, trained in Ireland. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cheltenham Racecourse (@cheltenhamraces) 12:03PM Move in the County Hurdle market The County Hurdle (2.00) is one of the toughest betting heats of the week, with virtually a case to be made for every horse in it. With that in mind, it is worth noting a move for one at the top of the market. Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: 'We're delighted to be back sponsoring at the Festival and the William Hill County Hurdle looks a wide-open affair. The one punters seem to want to side with is Joseph O'Brien's Lark In The Mornin, who won the Fred Winter at last year's Festival and has shortened into 4/1 from 5/1. 'History is set to be made at around ten-past four this afternoon if Galopin Des Champs can land a historic third Gold Cup, but at 4/7 he's prohibitively short for most punters and we've seen each-way money for William Hill ambassador Gavin Cromwell's Inothewayurthinkin, who is 13/2 from 7/1. 'Money has also come for another William Hill ambassador's runner in the Albert Bartlett (3:20), with Lucinda Russell's Derryhassen Paddy now 8/1 from 11/1.' 11:57AM Just one arrest There has been just one arrest – for assault – at the racecourse so far this week after signs were put up in various spots urging revellers to show 'respect'. 'We responded to a report that a man had been assaulted on Wednesday (12 March) sustaining an injury to his head,' a Gloucestershire Police statement says. 'A 46-year-old man from Liverpool was arrested on suspicion of common assault in connection with the incident. He has since been released from custody after being issued with a conditional caution.' 11:50AM Connections of the big-race favourite "It's out of this world" The connections of Galopin Des Champs speak to Sally Ann ahead of their attempt at history this afternoon 🗣️ #ITVRacing | #CheltenhamFestival | @sagrassick — ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 14, 2025 11:47AM 'The most adorable day' Nigel Farage has arrived by helicopter with an entourage. 'The atmosphere, the people, I've been coming over 40 years,' he told reporters of his love for Cheltenham. 'It's just the most adorable day.' Asked what he thought of gambling, he replied: 'I love it.' 11:47AM National treasure.... ....Mary Berry arrives. Hope the caterers don't serve a dry sponge – there may well be hell to pay if they do.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Walmart expands same-day prescription delivery nationwide
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — After launching same-day prescription delivery in six states last year, Walmart says it is expanding the service to 49 states. The retail giant announced in October that the service was available to customers in Arkansas, Missouri, New York, Nevada, South Carolina and Wisconsin. The service is now available in 49 states. Walmart told CNBC when the service was first announced that it would not be available in North Dakota due to state laws. The service is free for Walmart+ members, the company's paid membership program. Customers who are not yet Walmart+ members will be charged based on delivery preference, Walmart said. The prescriptions will be filled at Walmart stores and delivered to homes in tamper-proof packaging, the retailer said. Health insurance plans will be applied to the transaction like they would in the store, the company said. Walmart CEO, Gov. Sanders lead opening celebration of New Home Office campus 'If you're sick, we can deliver the necessary medicine along with everything else you need to feel better: cough drops, a heating pad, blanket and orange juice. Walmart's size, resources and expertise set it apart from other retailers.' Tom Ward, executive vice president and chief e-commerce officer at Walmart U.S., said in October. Walmart said prescriptions will be delivered in as little as 30 minutes and should be available for over 86% of American households. 'Same-Day Pharmacy Delivery, one of Walmart's most expansive technology undertakings, is a tech-powered store-to-door service, using a combination of highly complex in-store and cloud-based technology platforms, AI capabilities and a new geospatial platform,' Walmart said on Thursday. Ward said pharmacy delivery is the No. 1 service requested by customers. CBS News reported that Walmart's original announcement came two weeks after Amazon said it would open pharmacies in 20 new cities across the country next year. Other pharmacy chains such as Walgreens and CVS already offer same-day delivery for prescriptions. For more information on Walmart's same-day pharmacy delivery, visit the company's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
