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The best Star Wars movies and characters ranked

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

The force is still strong – with the old Star Wars movies.An unscientific Facebook survey of more than 600 Star Wars fans on May the Fourth found the original Star Wars trilogy is still the favorite.Fans were asked to weigh in on the 11 major theatrical releases. “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” landed at number one, edging out “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi” by just three votes. “Episode IV: A New Hope,” the first film in the franchise, ranked third.The prequels and sequels didn’t fare well, and only 18 people voted for 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which landed at the bottom of the list (and bombed at the box office).An unofficial Facebook survey of more than 600 Star Wars fans on May the 4th found the original Star Wars trilogy is still the favorite. (KTLA)Fans were also asked to vote for their favorite Star Wars live-action series and favorite characters.Of the Disney+ live-action series, “The Mandalorian” was a runaway #1, leaving “Andor,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” a...

Interview with Renowned Baker and Bread Ahead Founder, Matthew Jones, on Expanding Business to Los Angeles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

Renowned British baker and founder of Bread Ahead, Matthew Jones, is expanding his business empire to Los Angeles. Jones has been a pastry chef for nearly three decades and has worked in some of London’s most prestigious hotels and restaurants. He founded Bread Ahead in 2013, which has since become an iconic bakery in England known for its handcrafted bread, pastries, and desserts. Bread Ahead has multiple locations across London, including a baking school where visitors can learn from Jones himself.What sets Bread Ahead apart is their commitment to quality and tradition. Jones uses simple, natural ingredients and avoids shortcuts or artificial flavors. All baked goods are made by hand with a focus on technique and attention to detail. Jones has been recognized for his innovation and creativity in the industry, incorporating intelligent flavors into his products and creating his signature blend of coffee, served alongside his pastries at Bread Ahead.Bread Ahead’s doughnu...

Breaking Stereotypes: The Journey of Cinematographer Jonathan Zhao

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

Jonathan Zhao sees the world through a unique lens, one that is shaped by his upbringing and love for his craft. As a cinematographer, Zhao’s passion for storytelling is evident in his work, which has earned him recognition and praise amongst his peers. Growing up in a traditional Chinese immigrant household with no connections to anyone in the film industry, Zhao never imagined a future career in the arts. However, his love for filmmaking was so strong that he was able to break through barriers, using his skills to bring stories to life and immerse audiences in new worlds.In middle school and high school, Zhao discovered his love for shooting and creating short films. Although he had no prior knowledge of filmmaking, he participated in local British Columbia Film Festivals, such as Zoom Festival and British Columbia Student Film Festival. Surprisingly, he and his team were nominated and won top awards in Cinematography and Overall Film every year until he entered university. ...

Lori Vallow Daybell found guilty of murdering her children

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

By Ashley R. Williams, Konstantin Toropin and Steve Almasy | CNNA jury has found Lori Vallow Daybell guilty on all counts of killing her two children and conspiring in the murder of her husband’s ex-wife.Vallow Daybell, who pleaded not guilty, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of conspiracy in the 2019 deaths of her children 17-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, as well as Tammy Daybell, the former wife of her husband Chad Daybell.She is facing life in prison when sentenced.A jury of seven men and five women began deliberating Thursday afternoon and reached a unanimous guilty verdict Friday afternoon.Vallow Daybell showed no visible reaction as the verdicts were read.She will be transferred from Ada County to Fremont County for further proceedings and sentencing. Judge Steven Boyce said sentencing will occur in about three months.As the jurors were excused, a cross-armed Vallow Daybell stood, briefly spoke to he...

Jamie Foxx played pickleball yesterday, has been out of ‘the hospital for weeks,’ daughter says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

Jamie Foxx’s daughter is “sad” that the media has “run wild” with stories suggesting that her 55-year-old movie star father suffered a debilitating medical crisis that is still keeping him in the hospital.So, Corinne Foxx took to Instagram Story Friday to claim that he’s been “out of the hospital for weeks, recuperating” and is even doing so well in his recovery that he “was playing pickle ball yesterday!” Corinne Foxx’s post was a clapback to a recent report that said the Foxx family was “preparing for the worst.”Corinne Foxx again said nothing about the nature of her father’s condition or the medical complication that led to his hospitalization on April 11. She announced on Instagram on April 12 that her Oscar-winning father had “experienced a medical complication” the day before while he was in Atlanta filming the Netflix movie, “Back in Action,” which also stars Cameron Di...

Editorial: Irrational Oakland teachers strike continues harming kids

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

As the Oakland school teachers’ strike enters its second week, the walkout has reached a point of irrationality, and the damage to the children continues to mount.This is what happens when union activists sit on both sides of the bargaining table and serve as the state arbiters of the legality of public-employee strikes.With the deck stacked, parents who care about the fiscal solvency of the financially beleaguered district and ensuring a solid education for their children don’t stand a chance.The teachers walked out on May 4, just three weeks before the end of classroom instruction for the school year. The strike, the teachers’ third in five years, has left students, already emotionally and academically scarred by the pandemic, waiting at home while the grown-ups battle in the media and at the bargaining table.In calling the strike, the Oakland Education Association bypassed the legally required procedures for first declaring an impasse and bringing in a mediator to try to resolve ...

Oregon GOP walkout threatens myriad bills and lawmakers’ careers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

By Andrew Selsky | Associated PressSALEM, Ore. — A boycott by Republican state senators in Oregon threatens to derail hundreds of bills, including on gun control, gender-affirming care and abortion rights, as a deadline looms that could also upend the protesters’ political futures.Democrats control the Statehouse in Oregon. But the GOP is leveraging rules that require two-thirds of lawmakers be present to pass legislation, which means Democrats need a certain number of Republicans to be there too.Republican and Democratic legislative leaders met behind closed doors for a second day Thursday to try to bridge the divide, as the boycott entered its ninth straight day. Lawmakers with 10 unexcused absences are barred from reelection under a constitutional amendment passed overwhelmingly last November by voters weary of repeated walkouts.To give time for negotiations — and keep boycotters with nine unexcused absences from hitting that 10-day tripwire — Senate President Rob Wagner ag...

Review: ‘Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’ charts new ground in sprawling sequel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

The trouble with making a sequel is that it has to be different from the previous game, otherwise it feels more like an expansion than a full-blown new game. That’s the conundrum that faced Respawn Entertainment when creating “.”How could the sequel cover new ground while feeling close to the original? It’s a balancing act, one that the developer performed admirably in creating the follow-up to the impressive original. With “Survivor,” players once again take control of Cal Kestis, the padawan who survived Order 66 and is one of the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy.THE STORY SO FARThis entry follows the protagonist five years after the events of “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.” He’s a full-blown Jedi Knight, but he has separated from old crew of Greez Dritus, Cere Junda and Merrin as he continues his dangerous fight against the Empire. He has picked up new allies along the way, but they’re in the story about as long as a &#...

Warriors hopeful Andrew Wiggins will play in Game 6

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

LOS ANGELES — The Warriors remain hopeful that Andrew Wiggins will be available for Game 6 Friday night after suffering a rib cartilage fracture in the previous game.Several players said Wigigns was in good spirits at the team’s shootaround Friday morning.“Wiggs is a big boy. I think he can handle it,” Gary Payton II said. “I’m sure this is not the worst he’s been through, so I’m sure he’ll find someway, deep down and come out and go with us.”Payton said the Warriors didn’t go over a scenario of who would be tasked with the assignment of defending LeBron James.“Hopefully that means Wiggs is ready to go,” Payton said. “Hopefully we don’t gotta worry about that.”If there’s any player who can relate to what Wiggins is going through, it’s Kevon Looney.Looney suffered a similar injury to the cartilage supporting his rib cage during the 2019 NBA Finals when then-Raptors star Kawhi L...

Hotline mailbag: Renewing with ESPN and Fox(?), the Four Corners factor, selection windows and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:13 GMT

The Hotline mailbag is published every week. Send questions to [email protected] and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line or hit me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline.Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.What are the chances of the Pac-12 simply re-upping its media rights contracts with ESPN and Fox? — @nikgazcs2The Pac-12 could end up partnering with ESPN and Fox — more on that momentarily — but it probably would not be a simple renewal of the existing agreement. It would be a new deal with a new component: The game inventory that has, to this point, been located on the Pac-12 Networks.The contract signed in 2011 gave ESPN and Fox the right to share 44 regular-season football games, plus the conference championship. The Pac-12 Networks broadcasts another 35 (approximately).Those 35 likely will be included in whatever deal the conference signs this spring with its new broadcast partners. The Pac-12 Networks are going away, at least as a self-s...