Latest news with #Cusack
Irish Daily Mirror
29 minutes ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Dublin v Limerick decision questioned as 'unusual' tactic highlighted
Dónal Óg Cusack believes Dublin were lucky not to have a black card on top of the red Chris Crummey was shown after his elbow connected with Gearóid Hegarty. Niall Ó Ceallacháin's men recorded a shock win over John Kiely's side, with the victory all the more remarkable given Dublin played most of the game with 14 men. On RTE's post-match analysis, Joanne Cantwell asked if Limerick should have had a penalty and a black card given to Dublin over a deliberate drag down and denying a clear goalscoring opportunity after Cathal O'Neill was brought down by John Bellew. In response, Cusack said: "What's the black card about? Why was it brought in? "Dublin on one of the few occasions lost their men... there was no question here. Cathal O'Neill just loses his man and Dublin get drawn in. One of the few mistakes that (Conor) Burke made during the day. He wasn't conscious of him behind him, got lost, (Cian) Lynch done what Lynch does so well, picks him out and Dublin are scrambling to make the cover. "No question. It should have been a black card. It's the second time I've said it and we said it a few weeks ago as well, why was the rule brought in at all?" But Cusack was full of praise for Dublin, stating that the result was 'good for hurling'. 'How many times have we seen Dublin followers drifting in to see a Dublin hurling team get their last rites?," he asked. 'It's a great day. It's a great day for Dublin hurling, but it's also good for hurling. 'We've spoken about it for years. It would be brilliant to see a strong Dublin team, a full Hill 16 all there on time supporting Dublin in an All-Ireland final, will only do the game well.' Cusack also paid tribute to Limerick, saying: "There's a team there now after losing that have done as much as anyone for the game of hurling. Isn't it amazing when you get knocked off your stride, when you lose your balance, that it's hard to get back on the horse again." Meanwhile, Joe Canning questioned Limerick's decision to keep to their zonal defense after Dublin went down to 14 men. "We can't overestimate, or maybe underestimate, I'm not sure which is the right word, how Limerick kept to their zonal defense and didn't go man-to-man, and allow them to push on a little bit more," said the former Galway star. "It actually looked like Dublin had the spare man in that second half. "It's very unusual for a Limerick team to sit off a little bit, especially in their forwards. I don't think they got many turnovers on the Dublin fullback line or half back line."
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
The 2001 album hailed as a 'dizzy, magical voyage of self-discovery'
THERE'S a nice scene in the 2000 film High Fidelity, in which John Cusack's engaging character, the owner of a Chicago record store, murmurs confidently to a colleague: 'I will now sell five copies of The Three EPs, by The Beta Band'. He then slides a disc into the CD player: the opening track, Dry the Rain, fills the store. Customer: 'Who is that?'. Cusack: 'The Beta Band'. Customer (nodding approvingly): 'It's good'. Cusack (sagely): 'I know'. Back then, The Beta Band — Steve Mason (vocals/guitars), John Maclean (samplers/percussion), Robin Jones (drums) and Richard Greentree (bass) — were in vogue, having been championed by the music press and finding favour with a large and enthusiastic fanbase and with such influential musicians as Noel Gallagher. In 2001 they were invited to support Radiohead on a US and Canada tour. They had three top 20 albums between 1999 and 2004 before going their separate ways, but recently announced a reunion tour. It gets underway in September. The band, who first came together in Fife and Edinburgh and fully blossomed in London, released a debut EP, Champion Versions, in July 1997, on a small indie label, Regal Recordings, a Parlophone imprint. It opened with Dry the Rain, which as of today has chalked up some 42 million hits on Spotify. As Mojo magazine's Jim Irvin would say of it, the EP 'made a refreshing change from standard indie fare, displaying an acute awareness of feel and dynamics lacking in most nascent bands'. Two other EPs followed in 1998: The Patty Patty Sound, in March, and Los Amigos Del Beta Bandidos, four months later. In October all three materialised on a CD, The Three EPs – the one referenced by Cusack in High Fidelity. 'What makes The Beta Band such a powerful proposition is their ability to pervert the traditional campfire ballad in myriad ways, without appearing contrived … or losing its kernel of warmth', Keith Cameron wrote approvingly in the NME. 'Collectively, these 12 songs leave you gasping, not only at the frenzied sense of enterprise but also the combustible emotional depths therein'. One New Zealand critic noted: 'When Beck made pop fizzy again, The Beta Band inhaled big time. In this collection … folk, hip-hop and the hazy psychedelic dub aesthetic of Primal Scream joyously elope in the whacked-out world of the avant-garde. Unconsciously addictive, this is an album whose halcyon overtones super-glue the listener to the speakers …' Interviewing the band at the time of its release, Mojo's Irvin brought up the common use of the descriptions ''stoned' and 'lo-fi', which had studded more than a few reviews of the original EPs. 'Drugs are just ridiculous', Mason responded. 'We're interested in making music so good that drugs become irrelevant. And all this 'lo-fi' nonsense is just a farce. When we're recording we're trying to get the best sound possible'. Read more Beta Band: 'You know, I find it offensive, the music business and most of the records being made in this country', he added. 'It makes me angry. Especially because people are taken in by it and led to believe that anything different is strange and weird and should be avoided. There's a horrible normality being fed to everyone'. Live, the quartet were an engrossing and unpredictable act. In September 1998, the Independent's Ben Thompson witnessed them at a gig in the capital and pronounced them – with not a little justification – as the most exciting new British band to emerge in the last year-and-a-half by a country mile. 'You know that magical feeling when the music sounds so strange it feels like a secret', he enthused, 'and you look onstage to the people who are making it and then offstage into the faces of the audience, and you realise that hundreds of people are getting the secret at the exact same time? That's what the atmosphere tends to be like when The Beta Band play live'. The 'strange, surging, pagan, deceptively simple music' was a shot in the arm of the 'prone form of the four-piece pop group', he added; the band filled entire evenings with a 'warped and wonderful hybrid of great music, terrible poetry, and alarming videos of strange rituals on Scottish hillsides'. Expectations surrounding the 1999 debut album, The Beta Band, were therefore high, but it turned out to be more unfocused, and perhaps unfinished, than anyone had foreseen. In an episode that came to be much-quoted, the band even dismissed the album out of hand. Mason informed NME: 'It's definitely the worst record we've ever made and it's probably one of the worst records that'll come out this year…But we can always do better. Next time. … It's got some terrible songs on it, our album. None of them are fully realised or fully even written. Half-written songs with jams in the middle'. The Radiohead tour in 2001 allowed The Beta Band to showcase material from their second album, Hot Shots II. 'We never liked the idea of supporting people', Mason told Rolling Stone, 'but I think playing with Radiohead is a really good opportunity for us. All these bands from Britain have been touted as this amazing new thing that was going to save rock & roll. But I think our band and Radiohead can justify, not the hype, but the excitement that's around us in America.' Hot Shots II is a consistently fine album, full of beguiling moments, from the opening tracks, Squares, and Al Sharp, onwards. Human Being samples Carole King's classic, It's Too Late. Gone is one of their enduringly poignant songs. There are layered vocals, and delicate sonic flourishes. It remains the high point of their career. The band were happy with it – certainly, much more so than with the debut album – and it showed. The album narrowly missed out on a top 10 placing in the UK charts. The New York Daily News summed it up thus: 'While the Scottish foursome's music has the dreamy quality of ambient music and the sexy dub bass of trip-hop, it's far more song-oriented, graced as it is by conventional tunes, hooks and choruses'. The Guardian's Alexis Petridis was another admirer, writing after an admittedly uncomfortable interview with the band (the quartet had a reputation, back then, as occasionally 'difficult' interviewees): 'By contrast to their debut, this year's follow-up, Hot Shots II, is fantastic. It boasts incisive songwriting, crisp production from R&B veteran C-Swing [Colin Emmanuel], and a thrilling attitude to sonic experimentation … They have finally produced an album they are proud of. They may well be among the best groups in the world. Yet despite all this, in Britain, Hot Shots II has sold no better than their debut'. Then there was this, from Rolling Stone magazine (which had found the debut album chaotic and unwieldy): "Hot Shots II does its best to return to the epic soundscapes of The Three E.P.'s; the long grooves and easy melodies are back, and the band's tendency toward the diffuse has been reined in. "The group's new self-control is evident on the gorgeous 'Gone', a minimalist ballad featuring only cooing vocals, lilting piano, and a quiet guitar and bass. 'Human Being' is an archetypal Beta Band number, tossing in horns, turntable scratches, harmonica, acoustic strumming and chant-like singing before devolving into a squealing guitar and organ rave-up. It's a heady, eclectic mix, and, like the best of the band's work, as satisfying as it is unique". NME also welcomed the Beta Band back into the fold: "Despite its gung-ho name, 'Hot Shots II' is a dizzy, magical voyage of self-discovery - concise where its predecessor was unfocused, immediate where the pop urge was once lacking. The album's original first single, 'Squares', is still trumped by I Monster's incandescent 'Daydream In Blue', but beyond that, this sounds practically peerless". Uncut magazine, for its part, was struck by the "monk-like close harmonies", which gave the impression of having been sculpted in three dimensions: "the way they soar, arc, cluster and braid is breathtaking". The album was sharply produced in a fully contemporary sense — ultra-glossy, big-sounding, with huge bottom end and tuff beats". The Beta Band would go on to release an equally acclaimed third (and final) studio album, Heroes to Zeros, in 2004, before breaking up. They embarked on a farewell tour that year, the last gig taking place at Edinburgh's Liquid Room on December 5. For all the critical acclaim that had come their way, actual commercial success had proved elusive. Read more On the Record: In a revealing interview with the Guardian's Dave Simpson that November, Mason revealed that the band had subsisted for years on 'McDonald's-type wages' and had their domestic phone lines cut off. 'I asked the accountant how much money was in the band account and he said 'Absolutely nothing',' Mason added. The debt to the record company stands at £1.2m. 'I always imagined we'd be as big as Radiohead,' he continued, 'but it hasn't happened. I still can't understand why'. Mason went on to enjoy a solo career; Maclean made his name as a film director (Slow West, a western starring Michael Fassbender, and 2025's acclaimed Tornado); Jones has worked on set design and costume for various films; Greentree turned his hand, successfully, to carpentry. Twenty one years after the band's demise, Beta fans — and there are many — are delighted that the quartet is re-uniting for a series of gigs in the UK, the US and Canada. 'Sold out' notices have gone up at venue after venue. The first two shows are at the Barrowland, on September 25 and 26. The Three EPs is being reissued on heavyweight double vinyl this summer, too.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Actor Who Portrayed Late Beach Boys Legend Brian Wilson Offers ‘Love and Mercy' to the ‘Maestro'
Actor Who Portrayed Late Beach Boys Legend Brian Wilson Offers 'Love and Mercy' to the 'Maestro' originally appeared on Parade. , the actor who portrayed in the acclaimed 2015 biopic Love and Mercy, took to social media to offer a tribute to the Beach Boys mastermind, who died on Wednesday, June 11, at the age of 82. At the time of his death, Wilson was battling dementia. 'The maestro has passed - the man was a open heart with two legs - with an ear that heard the angels. Quite literally. Love and Mercy for you and yours tonight . RIP Brian,' Cusack wrote, taking a short break from his usual political posts on X, formerly Twitter. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 'Brian wrote down the lyrics of love and mercy for me -,' Cusack also shared, along with a photo of the lyric sheet and two photos of the actor and the legendary musician together. In Love & Mercy, Cusack portrayed Wilson in his later years when he was guided by controversial therapist , who was played by in the film. The movie was named after the 1988 song of the same name by Wilson. also portrayed a young Wilson in the film, directed by , during the Beach Boys' rise in the 1960s. Cusack's followers on X weighed in with comments about the role and the loss of Wilson. 'So sorry for your loss, John. Thanks for sharing 💔,' wrote one. 'Thank you for sharing your thoughts and these lovely mementos of your time with this incredible man that you portrayed so beautifully who lived through so much and gave us even more. Thoughts and good vibrations to everyone touched by Brian, especially his family, friends, and loyal fans,' added another. 'Brian Wilson was a musical genius. It's sad that he didn't always get the recognition he deserved,' a third person added. 'You played him brilliantly. Hope you're okay today,' another said. Actor Who Portrayed Late Beach Boys Legend Brian Wilson Offers 'Love and Mercy' to the 'Maestro' first appeared on Parade on Jun 11, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Herald Sun
05-06-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
‘Tough' call as rents fall in 129 Melbourne suburbs
Rents in Melbourne have jumped $7800 a year since 2019, but wages have barely budged, and the result is a growing affordability crisis that's locking out even middle-income earners. New figures from PropTrack reveal rental affordability has plunged to its worst level since records began, with typical households now able to afford just 36 per cent of advertised rentals nationally. In Melbourne, the situation is less dire than in other capitals, but far from comfortable. RELATED: Banks aggressive tactics to retain customers revealed From $40k to 38 homes: how to build a $14m property empire Why Aussies refuse to downsize for city PropTrack senior economist Anne Flaherty said Victoria remained the most affordable state for renters, but 'renters are still doing it tough'. 'Compared to five years ago, the average renter in Greater Melbourne is now paying about $7800 more annually,' Ms Flaherty said. 'And nationally, the share of affordable rentals for typical income households has dropped to record lows.' RENTS FALLING: CHANGES IN EACH SUBURB REVEALED The squeeze is hitting younger renters hardest, with just 19 per cent of listings affordable to households aged 15-24. For low-income earners on $70,000, that figure plummets to just 2 per cent. Ms Flaherty said more young people were staying at longer. 'It's not because they want to but because they simply can't afford to leave,' she said. Even as 126 Melbourne suburbs recorded rent price falls and 227 were frozen in the three months to May, renters have yet to feel any meaningful relief. Falling suburbs include a mix of outer and middle-ring areas such as Doncaster East, Cranbourne, Hillside, and Tarneit, but rent values remain elevated due to tight supply. Jellis Craig North director Greg Cusack said inspections were still attracting queues, with renters going to increasing lengths to stand out. 'At most opens, we're seeing people line up before the agent arrives,' Mr Cusack said. 'Some are dressing up, striking up conversations, trying to make an impression. It's not just about submitting an application anymore, it's about winning the property.' Mr Cusack said many renters were being pushed out of traditional inner-city hubs like Fitzroy and Northcote and were heading further north to suburbs such as Glenroy, Oak Park and Reservoir for better value and said group applications for share houses were surging, as renters tried to reduce costs. 'We're seeing three or four friends band together for houses they wouldn't consider solo — it's becoming the norm, not the backup plan,' he said. Ms Flaherty said while investor activity was picking up and rental growth had slowed, the pressure on tenants wouldn't disappear overnight. 'I do think we've passed the peak of the rental crisis,' she said. 'But unless we dramatically boost housing construction, affordability will stay stretched.' Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox. MORE: Revealed: The property price gap Boomers don't talk about Melb family's cat helps lock in $200k Amazon win No more 'awkward conversations': wild rental crisis solution
Daily Mirror
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Maddy Cusack's ex-boss slams 'one-sided' witness list at inquest preparation
Former Sheffield United manager at centre of investigation in death of Maddy Cusack has claimed list of witnesses has been "manipulated" to side with family of ex-footballer Maddy Cusack's former manager has made an extraordinary accusation that a witness list for the coroner's investigation into the ex-Sheffield United player's death has been "manipulated" to side against him. Jonathan Morgan, speaking via video link at a pre-inquest hearing at Chesterfield coroner's court on Tuesday, claimed that the witnesses are "one sided" towards Ms Cusack's family, who allege that her relationship with the coach had affected her mental health. The footballer was found dead at her parents' home in September 2023, aged 27. "From day one, everyone that's been interviewed or spoken to has been one sided, with the family. It's only fair for me to put forward witnesses in that environment to refute and challenge the credibility of some of these witnesses," he said. Morgan, who was sacked by Sheffield United after they learnt he had a relationship with a player at a previous club, added: "There's been a manipulation of information over the past 18 months." Written evidence was also read out during the pre-inquest hearing, including from former team-mates of Ms Cusack. Goalkeeper Fran Kitching told investigators that during one game Morgan said to Ms Cusack: 'You've always been a ******* fruitcake, Maddy.' Kithcing added that 'this type of abuse was not uncommon for Jonathan Morgan.' Another player, Nat Johnson, claimed in a statement that during another game Morgan shouted at Cusack: "Still a pyscho then, Maddy." Morgan strenuously denies making those comments. An enquiry commissioned by Sheffield United and carried out by former superintendent Dennis Shotton said there was no evidence of wrongdoing. But the Football Association have also been investigating Ms Cusack's death with 45 witnesses interviewed. An update is expected later in 2025. Dean Armstrong KC, representing Ms Cusack's family, said they want the inquest to be heard by a jury and that it would focus on Morgan's "bullying behaviour." He added: "There was then and there continues to be a significant difference between the men's game and the women's game in terms of resource but also in terms of how people are dealt with. "There is that significant public interest in looking at how people conduct themselves within the women's game and what the support network is for those vulnerable females such as Maddy." A date has not yet been decided. The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@ or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.
