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Meghan Markle’s lack of talent explains Spotify failure, says CEO of top Hollywood agency

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:59 GMT

It looks like the public autopsy continues over the death of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s dreams to earn $20 million hosting podcasts for Spotify.It certainly didn’t help that Harry reportedly made the outlandish suggestion to interview Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump for a podcast about childhood trauma. Now the CEO of one of the world’s top talent agencies has suggested another reason that the renegade royal couple couldn’t make it in the industry.“Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent,” Jerry Zimmer, the CEO of United Talent Agency, said in an interview with the global news site Semafor.  “And, you know, just because you’re famous doesn’t make you great at something.”Zimmer should know something about talent. His agency is considered one of Hollywood’s most powerful talent agencies and is a rival to WME, which recently signed Meghan, an American former cable TV actor-turned Duche...

Five arrested in Rodeo home invasion robbery

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:59 GMT

RODEO — Five people, including two kids, have been arrested in connection with an armed home invasion robbery that occurred here last month, court records show.The robbery on the 200 block of Garretson Avenue was reported around 5 p.m. on May 27. Police say a 9-1-1 caller reported seeing several masked gunmen enter a home on that block after pulling up in a BMW.A responding Contra Costa Sheriff’s deputy located the BMW at a liquor store on Parker Avenue after the robbery, but two passengers ran out when he attempted to pull it over, including one who dropped a revolver as he escaped. The deputy completed the traffic stop and arrested four people who remained in the BMW.Police say they were able to identify one of the two people who ran from the car. Prosecutors filed burglary and robbery charges against the three adults. Charging information against the two teens who were arrested was not available, due to confidentiality laws in juvenile court.One of the suspects has no...

‘Hurricane Diane’ review: New Berkeley stage comedy is a Dionysian delight.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:59 GMT

In “The Bacchae,” the ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides, the god Dionysus avenges an insult by driving the women of Thebes (including the king’s mother) into a frenzy in which they tear the king apart.In “Hurricane Diane,” Madeleine George’s Obie Award-winning comedy now onstage at Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre Company, Dionysus comes to suburban New Jersey in the guise of a lesbian gardener, Diane, to seduce four women of a well-to-do cul-de-sac into moneyed Maenads and transform their manicured lawns into primeval forest permaculture to save the planet.It’s just the sort of ingenious interweaving of comically fanciful premises and urgently weighty topics theatergoers have come to expect from George, whose delightful comedy “Precious Little” involves dying languages and an unexpected bond with a gorilla, and whose dizzying “The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence” is a time-twisting medley of artificial intelligence, Alexander Graham Bell and Sherlock Holmes. Both plays have bee...

Sunnyvale: Man dies after crashing car into Walgreens

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:59 GMT

SUNNYVALE — A man died in a fiery car crash into a drug store that seriously injured his two passengers early Sunday, and investigators believe alcohol played a part in the deadly outcome, authorities said.Officers and firefighters with the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety were called at 2:25 a.m. to a Walgreens at South Sunnyvale Avenue and Old San Francisco Road, just off El Camino Real, after being told a vehicle had collided with a building.They arrived to find a sedan engulfed in flames, and an unconscious driver still inside. The department said in a news release that the emergency crews were unable to rescue the driver “due to untenable fire conditions.” He was later pronounced dead at the scene.The driver’s name has not been publicly released by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office pending his formal identification and notification of his next of kin.A man and woman who were passengers in the car were able to get out of ...

Here’s how much each state will get in the $42.5 billion broadband infrastructure plan

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:59 GMT

By Brian Fung | CNNWashington  — The Biden administration on Monday outlined how states across the country will be receiving billions of dollars in federal funding for high-speed internet access, highlighting the US government’s push to bring connectivity to more Americans and to close the digital divide.More than $42 billion from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law will be distributed to US states and territories for building internet access, the White House said — with Texas eligible for the largest award of more than $3.3 billion, followed by California, which could receive more than $1.8 billion.“We’re talking today about a major investment that we’re making in affordable, high-speed internet, all across the country,” Biden said in a speech Monday, describing internet access as a critical economic resource allowing children to do their homework, for workers to find jobs and for patients to access health care.“I’ve gotten letters and emails from across the country from people ...

Single family residence sells in Alameda for $1.8 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:59 GMT

53 Moss pt. – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the first block of Moss pt. in Alameda was sold on May 23, 2023 for $1,750,000, or $790 per square foot. The house, built in 1986, has an interior space of 2,215 square feet. The property features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a garage. It sits on a 5,926-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently been purchased:On Kevington Place, Alameda, in March 2023, a 1,770-square-foot home was sold for $1,510,000, a price per square foot of $853. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In March 2023, a 1,757-square-foot home on Clipper Drive in Alameda sold for $1,608,000, a price per square foot of $915. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 2,256-square-foot home on the 200 block of Stanbridge Court in Alameda sold in February 2023, for $1,745,000, a price per square foot of $773. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Pac-12 media rights: Six extreme scenarios worthy of consideration as the saga hurtles toward a conclusion (maybe)

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:59 GMT

Pac-12 fans and Hotline readers were caught by surprise 361 days ago when news broke that the Los Angeles schools were leaving for the Big Ten in the summer of 2024, sparking an existential crisis for the century-old conference.We don’t want you to be surprised by the endgame.For that reason, the Hotline has spent the past year addressing such varied topics as the role of the Pac-12 Networks, the value of Saturday night kickoffs, possible partnerships with the Big 12 and ACC, the benefits of going all-in with Amazon, the impact of economic conditions, the San Diego State imperative, the SMU calculation and the risk of delay.Nor have we ignored the ongoing possibility of an extinction event: Commissioner George Kliavkoff presents a suboptimal media deal to his presidents and an exodus begins.But there are other potential outcomes to this highly fluid situation — scenarios that we have not covered in depth on the Hotline. Six are addressed below. They might seem unlikely or even...

Home sale prices from Santa Clara and The Peninsula, June 25, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:59 GMT

Residential transactions in Santa Clara and The Peninsula. Click here to browse previous weeks’ transactions.Occasional incorrectly reported, atypical home sales and special circumstances may be listed or alter the average cost per square foot. If the cost looks erroneous, please email [email protected] for more information.Belmont 94002104 Farallon Drive $1,680,00005/15/23 Built 19901650 SF, 3 BR, 2.5 BTH1506 Williams Avenue $2,400,00005/16/23 Built 19472060 SF, 3 BR, 1.5 BTH1580 Molitor Road $1,950,00005/15/23 Built 19511280 SF, 3 BR, 1 BTH2417 Read Avenue $3,025,00005/18/23 Built 19562660 SF, 4 BR, 2.5 BTH3206 Upper Lock Avenue $2,158,00005/16/23 Built 19602065 SF, 3 BR, 2.5 BTH508 Roxbury Way $1,465,00005/18/23 Built 19531470 SF, 4 BR, 2 BTH840 South Road $2,380,00005/17/23 Built 19642510 SF, 4 BR, 2.5 BTH950 Broadway $3,100,00005/15/23 Built 19402561 SF, 4 BR, 3 BTHBrisbane 94005269 Kings Road $1,800,00005/15/23 Built 19742230 SF, 3 BR, 2 BTH280 San Benito Road $1,60...

15-year-old shot in Santa Rosa Saturday night has died, police say gang-related

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:59 GMT

(BCN) -- A 15-year-old boy shot in an altercation in Santa Rosa Saturday night has died, according to Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan. The boy was in critical condition Sunday night after being shot Saturday night. He had no pulse when paramedics arrived and died around 11:43 p.m. Sunday night. Police believe the incident was gang related. No arrests have been made so far. Man dies in Hayward ATV crash, high-speed suspected Police received several calls at 8:04 p.m. Saturday about gunshots and a person lying in the roadway in the 2000 block of Blacksmith Way.Police said the suspects fled before they arrived. Officers found a handgun under the victim, several shell casings, and other evidence.Breaking news -Santa Rosa police chief says 15 year old boy who was shot on Sat. night, no pulse when paramedics arrived, revived, rushed to hospital has died. 1143 pm last night. Police believe it was gang activity. Last weekend another 15 yo killed. No arrests so far pic.twitter.com/...

Wiener, other leaders to announce transit funding bill

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:59 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, will hold a press conference Monday along with other Bay Area legislators to announce legislation to create "self-help funding for Bay Area public transportation," according to a press release. The proposed funding would fill the region's remaining need for transit operations funds and complement recently appropriated funds from the state budget. Fox News overhauls primetime lineup Bay Area transit agencies like BART and SF Muni have struggled in the wake of the pandemic. Ridership has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels and agencies have warned of potentially drastic service cuts with increased funding.A recent poll of Bay Area residents cited safety and cleanliness as two of the key factors discouraging riders from returning to BART. Sen. Wiener's proposed bill would include funds to address safety, cleanliness and reliability.In addition to Wiener, State Sen. Josh Becker and BART Board Director Rebecca Saltzman ...