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On n’est peut-être jamais mieux desservi que par les siens. Alors qu’elle tente de ramener la bataille au sujet de l’héritage de Johnny aux Etats-Unis, Laeticia Hallyday se retrouve bien embarrassée par son père André Boudou, qui vient d’effectuer 24 heures de garde à vue dans le cadre d’une enquête pour fraude fiscale. En août 2018, l’homme d’affaires mettait déjà sa fille dans la panade, en assurant qu’il n’était pas au courant des dispositions prises par Johnny pour sa succession…

Ce 5 juin, alors que sa garde à vue venait d’être levée, le téléphone d’André Boudou n’a certainement pas reçu d’appel longue distance. Depuis un an et demi, sa fille Laeticia Hallyday a pris ses distances. Elle n’aurait même pas pris de ses nouvelles, après l’infarctusdont le sexagénaire a été victime en avril 2018. L’interview donnée par André Boudou au Parisien au mois d’août suivant a définitivement rompu la communication. Alors que la veuve de Johnny avait exhorté son clan à la discrétion, son père, en croyant défendre l’honneur des Boudou, n’a fait qu’enfoncer sa fille, il est vrai.

Interrogé sur sa brouille avec l’icône Hallyday à partir de 2014, André Boudou, fatigué d’être présenté comme un parasite et un mauvais génie, rectifie : “Ils disent qu’on m’a mis dehors, alors que c’est moi qui ai pris du recul. Pour trois raisons. D’abord parce qu’il est parti en Suisse contre mon avis, sur les conseils de Daniel Hechter. Une mauvaise idée. Il s’est pris un contrôle fiscal et un redressement de 9 millions d’euros. Il a voulu acheter un bateau qu’il a payé 7,4 millions et revendu 2,5 millions. Ensuite, parce qu’il a signé avec Warner dans mon dos. Mais là, il a fait un bon coup. On avait une relation passionnelle.” A contrario des conseils de sa fille, justifiant le testament californien de Johnny par l’attachement du rockeur aux Etats-Unis, André Boudou est le premier à parler ouvertement d’évasion fiscale.

“Je peux comprendre la frustration de David et Laura”

Le père de Laeticia n’a jamais eu l’occasion de se réconcilier avec son gendre et il le regrette: “Quand j’ai arrêté de lui parler, il était comme un fou. Il était tellement en colère. Je suis un peu con, excessif, trop entier.” Mais c’est un autre passage de son interview au Parisien qui met Laeticia en défaut. Ce qu’André Boudou pense de la bataille autour de l’héritage de Johnny? Je peux comprendre la frustration de Laura et David, mais de là à attaquer tout le monde comme cela, c’est violent. J’espère qu’ils arriveront à se parler. Mais je ne m’en mêle pas. Le trust s’est fait dans les quatre dernières années et je n’étais plus là. Johnny aurait pu être plus courageux, il aurait pu faire une vidéo pour expliquer sa décision à ses enfants.” Alors que Laeticia se défend à l’époque d’avoir manipulé le rockeur,le fait qu’André Boudou ignorait la création d’un “coffre-fort” au seul profit de sa fille est tout aussi désastreux que l’empathie qu’il exprime pour les aînés des enfants Hallyday.

Le soupçon de main mise n’a pas jamais été totalement dissipé. Les avocats de Laura Smet ont récemment annoncé qu’ils envisageaient de lancer uneprocédure pour abus de faiblesse. Laeticia Hallyday, elle, a décidé de faire appel au verdict de Nanterre qui la désavouait en tant qu’unique bénéficiaire du testament de Johnny, le 28 mai dernier. Elle espère que la justice californienne autorisera le transfert d’actifs dans le JPS Trust qu’elle demande depuis des mois, le 26 juin prochain. Pas si sûr. Entre la garde à vue de son père, la révélation qu’elle avait elle aussi été interrogée par la police en décembre 2018 et sa demande de nationalité américaine à des fins stratégiques, cela fait pas mal à démêler…

André Boudou, aux côtés de Laeticia et Johnny Hallyday, lors de leur mariage à Neuilly-sur-Seine, le 25 mars 1996. – Bestimage

Crédits photos : Bestimage

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A l’image des deux artistes amoureux de “La La Land”, focus sur ces comédiens qui poussent réellement la chansonnette dans leurs films, pour notre plus grand plaisir !

Emma Stone et Ryan Gosling dans “La La Land”

Ils jouent, ils dansent et ils chantent à merveille. Dans La La Land, Ryan Gosling et Emma Stone s’investissent corps et âme dans le rôle de deux artistes plein de beaux rêves et de grands sentiments. Ainsi l’acteur a tenu à fredonner et à jouer lui-même tous les morceaux au piano (sur une BO signée Justin Hurwitz), sans n’être jamais doublé, suivant pour cela un entraînement intensif de deux à quatre heures par jour, six jours sur sept, pendant trois mois.

Emma Stone de son côté, a interprété deux chansons (sur les textes de Benj Pasek et Justin Paul) en direct sur le plateau de tournage : “C’était un vrai pari mais j’y tenais beaucoup”, a-t-elle confié. “Je venais de me produire dans Cabaret et j’ai vu à quel point les conditions du direct apportent une dimension supplémentaire, même si on a la voix qui s’éraille ou si on chante un peu faux, car c’est irremplaçable”.” 

Murmures, rires non contenus, voix suave et cassée : leur duo sur City of Stars est parfait :

 

A noter que Ryan Gosling nous a déjà révélé ses talents de chanteur dans Blue Valentine de Derek Cianfrance, romance dramatique dans laquelle il séduisait Michelle Williams en lui fredonnant You Always Hurt the One You Love des Mills Brothers. L’acteur n’est en outre pas un novice en musique puisque son groupe Dead Man’s Bones, a sorti un premier album éponyme en 2009. 

Ryan Gosling chanteur-séducteur, c’est ici :

Blue Valentine Bande-annonce VO

 

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Philippe Zdar est décédé tragiquement dans le nuit de ce mercredi 19 au jeudi 20 juin. Très émue, Laeticia Hallyday – qui l’a rencontré à plusieurs reprises – a tenu à lui rendre un bel hommage.

Le monde de la musique est en deuil. Philippe Cerboneschi alias Zdar est décédé tragiquement à l’âge de 50 ans ce mercredi 19 juin. « Il a fait une chute accidentelle, par la fenêtre d’un étage élevé d’un immeuble parisien », a annoncé son manager Sébastien Farran dans la nuit. « L’accident est survenu aux alentours de 17h40, dans le 18e arrondissement de Paris. Selon le témoignage d’une voisine, l’artiste se trouvait sur un balcon dont le garde-corps, retrouvé à côté de la dépouille, a cédé», détaille le quotidien Le Monde.

Un drame terrible pour ses proches. A commencer par Aure Atika, la mère de sa fille. Ou encore Sinclair, dont le frère composait l’autre moitié du duo Cassius. Mais c’est également le cas de… Laeticia Hallyday, qui a fait part de son « immense tristesse ». La veuve de Johnny Hallyday et ce dernier ont eu la chance de rencontrer Philippe Zdar à de multiples reprises. Il faut dire que les deux hommes de musique avait un point commun : leur manager, Sébastien Farran.

La mère de Jade et Joy a donc tenu à lui rendre hommage, au cours d’un poignant message, accompagné d’une photographie de Johnny Hallyday posant aux côtés de Zdar et publié sur son compte Twitter. « Nous avons eu le privilège de te rencontrer à plusieurs reprise pour parler musique », se remémore-t-elle avec tendresse, avant de préciser : « Ta grande gentillesse et ton humilité nous ont marqué à jamais ». Des mots qui devraient toucher en plein cœur la famille de l’artiste. « Tu avais encore tant à partager. Merci d’avoir porté comme un génie la musique électronique », conclut-elle.

Crédits photos : Bestimage

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Shia LaBeouf sera au casting de “The Peanut Butter Falcon”, nouveau long métrage dans lequel il jouera un professeur de catch.

Des terrains de tennis aux rings de catch ! Après avoir récemment pris les traits du champion de tennis John McEnroe, Shia Labeouf reste dans le domaine sportif en rejoignant le casting du film The Peanut Butter Falcon. Selon Variety, il interprètera une petite frappe en cavale qui va devenir le coach de catch et allié de Zak, un jeune homme trisomique. Zak est lui aussi en fuite, il a quitté son foyer en vue d’essayer de réaliser son rêve : celui de devenir une catcheur professionnel et rejoindre l’école de catch de Saltwater Redneck. Ce film qui sera représenté au Marché du film de Cannes est présenté comme un conte dans la veine de Mark Twain. La date d’entrée en tournage n’est pas encore connue.

Shia LaBeouf dans la peau du tennisman John McEnroe :

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WASHINGTON — 

On its fourth try, the Senate has approved a resolution that recognizes the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as genocide.

The resolution had been blocked three times at the request of the White House, but won unanimous approval Thursday.

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Co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the nonbinding resolution affirms that the genocide occurred and that Turkey is responsible.

“I say to my friends and colleagues that genocide is genocide,” Menendez said on the Senate floor. “Senators in this body should have the simple courage to say it plainly, say it clearly, and say it without reservation.”

Menendez and Cruz had tried three times to bring up the resolution using a procedural maneuver that would allow approval on a voice vote, a way to avoid lengthy floor debate. Each time, a Republican senator objected, citing disapproval of the motion by the White House.

North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer, who objected to the measure last week, said he agreed to the White House request because the vote would have occurred around the time of a NATO summit where President Trump and other leaders gathered in London. Turkey is a NATO member.

The House passed an identical resolution overwhelmingly in October in what was widely seen as a rebuke to Turkey in the wake of its invasion of northern Syria. Turkey has lobbied for years against U.S. recognition of the killings of Ottoman Armenians as genocide, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will not recognize the congressional resolution.

Activist groups cheered the vote as long overdue. “The president ran out of people he could turn to to enforce Erdogan’s veto,” said Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America.

Turkey’s decades-long opposition to the resolution was “the longest-lasting veto over U.S. foreign policy” by a foreign power in American history, Hamparian said.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed around World War I, and many scholars see it as the 20th century’s first genocide. Turkey disputes the description, saying the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of a civil war.

Instead of a resolution affirming the genocide, Turkey has called for a joint committee of historians to investigate the slayings.


NEW YORK  — 

Michael R. Bloomberg’s doctor says the Democratic presidential candidate is in “outstanding health,” but notes in a letter released Thursday that the 77-year-old is receiving treatment for several medical conditions, including an irregular heartbeat.

Bloomberg takes a beta blocker and medication to control his cholesterol, Dr. Stephen D. Sisson wrote, adding that he had “small skin cancers” removed and receives treatment for arthritis and heartburn, “both of which are well controlled.” The report also notes that Bloomberg had a stent put in his heart to clear an artery in 2000 and “has had normal cardiac stress testing annually since then.”

“Mr. Bloomberg is a 77-year-old man in outstanding health. There are no medical concerns, present or looming, that would prevent him from serving as President of the United States,” wrote Sisson, a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, where the billionaire has been treated for years.

Last year, Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, developed an “atrial fibrillation,” a type of irregular heartbeat that can increase the risk of stroke or a blood clot, for which he takes a blood thinner, Sisson said.

Presidential candidates’ health has taken on more significance in 2020 given the unusually high age of several White House hopefuls. President Trump is 73 years old, and three of the four top-tier Democrats are in their 70s: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is the oldest at 78, former Vice President Joe Biden is 77, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is 70.

Warren last week became the first Democratic White House hopeful to share a letter from her doctor, revealing that her “only medical condition” is an underactive thyroid gland, which is easily treated by medication. Sanders, who was briefly forced off the campaign trail after suffering a heart attack in early October, said he would release his medical records by the end of the month; Biden last week reaffirmed his pledge to release his medical records before the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses.

Sisson wrote that Bloomberg is in “great physical shape,” noting that he exercises several times a week, plays golf “avidly” and maintains a pilot’s license. At 5 feet, 7 inches tall, he weighed 165 pounds with blood pressure at 120 over 70 during a July examination.

Sisson noted that Bloomberg is a nonsmoker without a history of substance use disorder or unhealthful alcohol use. “His diet and health habits are excellent,” he wrote.

Dr. Umesh Gidwani, chief of cardiac critical care at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, reviewed the letter and agreed with the assessment of Bloomberg’s physician.

Heart problems are extremely common in older adults, but the artery that Bloomberg had treated 19 years ago apparently hasn’t re-clogged, thanks to exercise and a statin that keeps his cholesterol under control, Gidwani said.

“It’s a testament to his taking care of himself,” he said. “This man seems to be very disciplined. All the things within his control, he’s controlling.”

About 1 in 10 people 65 or older in the U.S. have atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that is treatable but can potentially be serious. Gidwani said that because tests show Bloomberg’s heart function is normal, the atrial fibrillation can be successfully treated with use of a blood thinner to prevent the most worrisome risk, blood clots and stroke.

Gidwani noted that President George H.W. Bush developed atrial fibrillation while in office.


WASHINGTON — 

Republican leaders appear determined to conduct a relatively brief impeachment trial of President Trump in the Senate next month, possibly without calling witnesses, overruling the president’s push for a weeks-long spectacle to seek political retribution against Democrats.

The internal tussle pits Trump’s delight in a bare-knuckle public fight versus the backroom style of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has utilized intricate Senate procedures for decades to advance Republican goals.

“At this moment, almost nobody thinks there is advantage to a long, drawn-out process — except the president,” said one Senate Republican who was granted anonymity to speak candidly.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally, said he has told “the whole world” — including the White House — that he doesn’t believe a lengthy Senate trial is a good idea.

“The whole thing is a sham,” he said. “I’m ready to end it as quickly as possible.”

White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and legislative affairs director Eric Ueland held closed-door meetings Thursday with senior Republicans on Capitol Hill to discuss the trial and other issues as the House Judiciary Committee held a contentious daylong hearing to consider two articles of impeachment against the president.

The Democratic-led House is expected to impeach the president, possibly on Wednesday, on a nearly party-line vote. The Republican-led Senate will then hold a trial. Democrats are not expected to muster the two-thirds support needed to remove the president from office.

Once the trial starts, current Senate Republican strategy would allow both House Democrats and the president’s lawyers to present their cases before any witnesses are called to testify about the president’s actions toward Ukraine and his alleged efforts to obstruct Congress.

At that point, the Senate would determine whether they want to continue the trial by calling witnesses.

But Republicans are skeptical of the benefit of calling fact witnesses. If they do, they say, they will allow Democrats to call their own witnesses.

Trump has suggested he would like to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and other Democrats, the targets of his pressure campaign with Ukraine.

McConnell and other Republicans caution that Democrats may call witnesses including current and former senior administration officials who have defied House subpoenas, such as Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security advisor John Bolton.

The Republicans have warned Trump that such witnesses could provide damaging testimony on the president that would upend the Senate proceedings and risk the winning hand Republicans now appear to hold in the Senate.

“With only two articles of impeachment, it’s pretty clear what we’re looking at. There’s not like there’s a lot of additional information that’s out there,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla).

People close to the White House say Trump, who has been eager to call witnesses, has yet to make a final decision on whether to challenge McConnell’s strategy, but is likely to give in.

“Let’s face it: Mitch is not a guy to be bossed around and it’s ultimately up to him,” said one political advisor close to the White House who requested anonymity to discuss the deliberations. McConnell would “certainly give it a polite listen” but will make the final call, the advisor added.

McConnell said Thursday night on Fox News that he would defer to Trump’s attorneys but made clear that he would prefer a shorter process.

“I’m going to take my cues from the president’s lawyers,” McConnell told opinion host Sean Hannity, who frequently confers with the president and also said he is inclined to support a shorter trial. “If you know you have the votes and you’ve listened to the arguments on both sides and believe the case is so slim, so weak, that you have the votes to end it, that might be what the president’s lawyers would prefer.”

While Trump’s GOP support remains solid, Senate Republicans have been willing at times to stand up to his decisions and try to talk him out of what they consider bad strategy.

Earlier this year, when the president demanded a new attempt to repeal Obamacare, McConnell refused. Democrats retook the House in 2018 in part because they campaigned on protecting the Affordable Care Act.

Trump’s repeated threats to impose new tariffs on Mexico, among other targets, were talked down over lunches at the White House. Congress also passed a resolution condemning Saudi Arabia, which Trump has embraced, for the slaying of a U.S.-based Saudi journalist.

Trump’s hope for a drawn-out trial appears likely to end the same way. While no decision has been made, Senate Republicans are looking at one to two weeks, compared with the five-week trial of President Clinton in 1999 that ended in his acquittal.

Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, said in a text message that Trump had yet to settle on a final position, echoing others around the president. Giuliani’s controversial work in Ukraine has been at the center of the impeachment probe.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley suggested Trump would be flexible.

“The president has done nothing wrong, and the House should stop this ridiculous illegitimate impeachment sham, but he is absolutely ready for anything in the Senate,” Gidley said Thursday.

Senate Republicans note that Trump already has shown indecision, suggesting he is not committed to a particular strategy.

Several weeks ago, Trump suggested the Senate should hold a quick vote to acquit him before opening arguments were even delivered. Senate Republicans convinced him they could not dismiss an impeachment case so lightly.

More recently, he has mused publicly about calling witnesses who could turn the table on Democrats. In tweets, he urged the House to impeach him quickly “so we can have a fair trial” in the Senate.

“We will have Schiff, the Bidens, Pelosi and many more testify, and will reveal, for the first time, how corrupt our system really is,” he tweeted.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) spearheaded the initial impeachment hearings in the House Intelligence Committee. Biden and his son Hunter were the focus of Trump’s demands in Ukraine. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco has been the Democrats’ strategic leader.

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Allies say Trump sees a long public show as the best way to turn the impeachment in his favor as he campaigns for reelection. Some conservative media figures have urged him to fight back in public.

“If they don’t fight back hard on this one and make it hurt these deep state operatives, they’re just going to do it again,” said Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union.

Schiff hopes Senate Republicans will force the White House to turn over more evidence than his committee was able to obtain from the administration, which blocked his demands for documents.

“Senators have the power to vote to require production of all the documents that the administration has been withholding. And I think it will be very hard for them to take the position that they don’t want to see the evidence,” Schiff said in an interview.

In one sign that McConnell is likely to win out, he has drawn support from a longtime adversary.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), one of Trump’s strongest defenders and closest advisors in Congress, who is often at odds with Senate Republicans, said he would back McConnell’s trial strategy.

“I know the president wants to call witnesses. I know that there are some [House Republicans] who want to call witnesses so the rest of the story can get out. Yet Leader McConnell understands his members and his senators better,” said Meadows. “If he wants a short process, I’ll support him in that.”

Times staff writer Sarah D. Wire contributed to this report.


LAS VEGAS — 

Colby Covington likes President Trump.

That doesn’t make him unique. Nearly 63 million Americans voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

Covington, however, wasn’t one of them. He didn’t vote.

“In 2016 I didn’t vote because the media made it seem like it was over,” Covington said. “All the polls said it was over and he had no chance so I didn’t vote.”

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That hasn’t stopped him from becoming one of the most polarizing figures as arguably the president’s biggest champion in the sports world. Covington showed up to a media event for Saturday’s UFC 245 in Las Vegas holding a Trump 2020 hat in one hand and Donald Trump Jr.’s book, “Triggered,” in the other. During the event, Covington opened the book so everyone could see the cover but never actually turned the page during the 30-minute interview session.

When someone asked him to explain how “Trump derangement syndrome” relates to his life, Covington looked up and smirked like a child who had been caught fibbing.

“The thing about this great book,” Covington, 31, said as he searched for the words to describe it. “…It’s about triggering snowflakes and I… usually I’m spoiling movies on Twitter but I’m not going to spoil this. You guys have to go out there and get this book and find out for yourself.”

He wasn’t very convincing.

The way Covington, who was born in Clovis, Calif., sees it, his transition from mild-mannered collegiate wrestler to over-the-top professional wrestling heel happened out of necessity. After he defeated Dong Hyun Kim on June 17, 2017 in Singapore, UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby told Dan Lambert, Covington’s agent, that the company would not be re-signing Covington after his next fight.

Colby Covington discusses what motivates him.

“I told him what I was told,” Lambert said. “He wasn’t going to be re-signed and we had one fight left and I asked for that fight to be in Brazil against a bigger name I was fairly certain he was going to be able to beat. I told Colby, ‘You need to change something between now and then or you’re going to get cut. There’s only so much you can change your fighting style from one fight to the next, so it’s not going to be that. So change something else.’ ”

While Lambert didn’t tell Covington to morph into a villain, he didn’t necessarily have to. Both were already big pro wrestling fans and Lambert has over 100 pro wrestling championship belts displayed at his home. Before traveling to Brazil for what would be a make-or-break fight against Demian Maia, Lambert and Covington actually participated in a pro wrestling angle for TNA, founded by WWE hall of famer Jeff Jarrett.

“From the first time I saw him, Colby had this energy, arrogance and charisma that was off the charts,” said Jarrett, who is now a WWE executive. “He jumped in and wanted to be a part of things. He has a God-given gift that translates quickly on camera. He has a smirk and personality that you just can’t teach. Colby has more charisma in his sleep than most MMA fighters do when they’re awake.”

After Covington defeated Maia on Oct. 28, 2017, he “turned heel” as they say in professional wrestling. He got on the microphone and said, “Brazil, you’re a dump… you filthy animals suck.”

The fans in Sao Paulo booed him and showered him with debris on his way back to the locker room. Covington’s parents were mortified. Lambert just smiled, knowing Covington had probably earned a new contract.

“It was insane but it was a throwback to pro wrestling,” Lambert said. “I knew there was going to be blowback, but as a wrestling fan who likes the entertainment angle on top of the fights, I thought this could be fun.”

Covington, who will face Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 245 for the welterweight championship, dismisses the notion that he is playing a character. He said he’s just showcasing an amplified version of himself. He said he really does like Trump, plans to campaign and vote for him 2020, and simply ditched whatever filter he had before when the cameras are on.

“I’m not playing a character, “I’m just being real.” Covington said Thursday as he wore a red, white and blue suit, a Trump/Pence 2020 shirt and held a red Make America Great Again cap. “I’m not afraid to speak my mind and speak what I really think inside. Before I was keeping those thoughts in because I was worried about how people would judge me, how the media would react, how the UFC would judge me for it. Now I don’t [care]. I couldn’t care less what they think of me. At the end of the day I’m what’s good for this sport and I’m making money for this company.”

Usman, however, isn’t buying it. He thinks Covington is simply trying to find a soft landing spot in the public eye if he loses on Saturday.

“It’s a gimmick and he absolutely does not believe in the gimmick,” Usman said. “He knows what’s about to take place. He’s trying to find a way out so people don’t hate him when he loses.”

Covington doesn’t plan on losing, but either way he would like to dip his toes into the pro wrestling world next year. He said he would like to factor into the company’s plans at either WrestleMania or SummerSlam, the WWE’s two biggest pay-per-view events.

Jim Ross, who was the head of talent relations for WWE when it signed some of its biggest stars, said Covington was “smart to strike while his iron is hot by using Trump as a catalyst. He’s a lightning rod now and the media loves controversy. Any MMA fighter or pro wrestler who doesn’t master the art of self-promotion is bound to need a second job.”

If Covington defeats Usman on Saturday, he said he would refuse to let UFC president Dana White put the championship belt around his waist, as is the tradition for a new champion. After a contentious contract negotiation that delayed this fight several times, Covington may take his act elsewhere if things don’t change.

“I feel like I’m in my prime,” Covington said. “If the UFC treats me good, I’ll be here for another 5-6 years but if they keep treating me like they’ve been treating me, you’ll probably see me in WWE sooner rather than later.”


Kings snap 11-game road skid to hold off Ducks

December 13, 2019 | News | No Comments

On the floor-to-ceiling whiteboard that covers a wall in his office, Kings coach Todd McLellan tries to keep his roster organized in multicolored ink.

With 23 names to manage, the first-year coach has been erasing and rewriting a lot. With only so many shifts to go around, he says his regular redistribution of playing time, which has seen different players scratched on almost a nightly basis, is often anything but punitive.

“We’re keeping all the players alive,” McLellan said. “In and out. In and out. Sometimes you come out of the lineup just so someone else can go in. I think sometimes that’s viewed as punishment, you’re out of the lineup. It isn’t. We carry 23 guys. We’re going to find ways to get everybody in. Development is important.”

Still, no one wants to sit. Just ask Matt Luff.

The 22-year-old forward has been one of several players bouncing around the roster this season. He has been called up from the minor leagues, sent back down, then called up again. He has been scratched at both the NHL and AHL levels, and struggled to repeat his surprising eight-goal debut season last season. He’s trying to play his way into the Kings’ future plans.

Thus, after poking in a loose puck Thursday night for his first goal of the season, Luff wheeled away in a celebration that felt like a lot more.

Highlights from the Kings’ 2-1 victory over the Ducks on Thursday.

“It’s a nice weight off my back,” Luff said. “The big thing is getting a win, especially on the road.”

Indeed, Luff’s tally opened the scoring in the Kings’ eventual 2-1 win over the Ducks at the Honda Center, a victory that snapped the team’s 11-game road losing streak. But his goal could serve another purpose too, giving McLellan something extra to think about the next time he contemplates taking an eraser to Luff’s name.

“End of the day, I know what he expects of me,” said Luff, who started the season with the team’s affiliate, the Ontario Reign, after an underwhelming preseason performance, “and I expect a lot of myself too. I think I showed what I was missing in camp. Just keep working hard, and we’ll be good. … In or out of the lineup, it’s just being a positive attitude.”

There are other players in Luff’s shoes. His goal on Thursday was sparked by a strong behind-the-net play from 23-year-old fourth-line center Michael Amadio, twice a healthy scratch this season. Forward Tyler Toffoli, recently dropped to the fourth line and also previously scratched this season, recorded two assists. Defenseman Kurtis MacDermid, another occasional onlooker this year, provided the night’s loudest moment with a bruising center-ice fight.

Even on a night when veteran Jeff Carter scored the eventual game-winning goal and goalie Jonathan Quick turned in a stellar 36-save performance, role players such as Luff provided perhaps the most fuel to the Kings’ first away win since Oct. 22.

“If you get your foot back in the door, you better not relax or take any shifts off,” McLellan said. “Luffer held his own in practice, worked hard. And when his number was called, he had a good night tonight.”


Soccer on TV: What to watch this weekend

December 13, 2019 | News | No Comments

Manchester City might soon be left playing for little more than pride in the Premier League while the two traditional leaders once again share a seat atop the Spanish table. Although it’s still early in Italy, Inter Milan is already throwing a scare into Juventus, entering the weekend with a chance to extend its lead in Serie A, highlighting the best TV games from Europe this weekend.

EPL: It’s almost time for Manchester City (10-4-2), the two-time defending champion, to concede in the Premier League race; it enters the weekend trailing unbeaten Liverpool by 14 points. Arsenal (5-4-7) , meanwhile, finds itself far closer to the relegation zone than to the top of the table heading into Sunday’s match with City (NBCSN, Telemundo, 8:30 a.m. PST). The Gunners have lost just once in three tries since sacking manager Unai Emery and replacing him on an interim basis with Freddie Ljungberg.

La Liga: The top of the Spanish table looks much like it has for the last decade, with Barcelona and Real Madrid even at 34 points and separated by just two in goal differential. Barcelona (11-3-1), which holds that narrow lead, will try to extend it Saturday (BeIN Sport, 7 a.m. PST) when it travels to Real Sociedad (8-5-3), a team it hasn’t lost to since 2016. Barcelona has lost just one of its last 15 games in all competitions behind Lionel Messi, who leads the league in goals (12) and is second in assists (5). Another win would put the pressure on Real Madrid (10-1-4), which travels to Valencia (7-4-5) on Sunday (BeIN Sports, noon PST). Madrid has lost one of its last 16.

Serie A: Is Inter Milan simply keeping the seats warm for Juventus atop the Italian table or are we witnessing a changing of the guard in Serie A? Inter (12-1-2) leads Juventus (11-1-3), the eight-time defending league champion, by two points heading into its game on Sunday (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, 11:45 a.m. PST) at Fiorentina (4-7-4).


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