Latest news with #MacLeod
Newsweek
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Russell Crowe Cast in 'Highlander' Reboot
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors He was Henry Cavill's father in "Man of Steel", and now he'll be rejoining Cavill in a different kind of adventure. Collider reports that Crowe has been cast in the Chad Stahelski-directed "Highlander" reboot, in "a key role opposite Henry Cavill" who is leading the film. There is no word yet on exactly who Crowe is playing, but our money's on Ramirez: the part originated by Sean Connery in the 1986 original. Ramirez is a mentor to the hero in the original "Highlander", who teaches Christopher Lambert's Connor MacLeod the ways of the Immortals. Read More: Dave Bautista Being Targeted for Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Road House 2' Russell Crowe attends the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on June 30, 2023 in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is the largest film festival in the Czech Republic. Russell Crowe attends the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on June 30, 2023 in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is the largest film festival in the Czech "Highlander" reboot has been crawling along in development for years, but the last few months have seen more activity than ever. According to Collider, "Highlander" will begin production in the fall with the hope of releasing the film some time between 2027 and 2028. Along with rebooting the property, Stahelski hopes to evolve the mythology. He told Collider, "We're bringing it forward from the early 1500s in the Highlands to the beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong. There's big opportunity for action... and it's a bit of a love story — but not how you think." The director also told Collider how he sold the part to Cavill, saying, "My selling point to [Henry] was, look, you've got a guy that's been alive for over 500 years. He's the last person in the world that wanted to be in this situation." "So you get to cover quite a broad spread of a character arc... and you get to experience someone that's trained over 500 years and sort of played [with many types of] martial arts." In the original "Highlander" Lambert's MacLeod is a 16th century Scottish clansman who is accused of witchcraft when he inexplicably survives being run through during a battle. Cast out of his village, MacLeod eventually learns the truth with the arrival of Ramirez. MacLeod is an immortal who can die only if he loses his head. Other immortals exist, and one day the survivors will be drawn to a great city where they will need to fight over the Prize: something that could save humanity or could plunge the world into darkness, depending on who wins. MacLeod inevitably winds up facing off against the Kurgan (Clancy Brown), a sadistic and otherwise nameless warrior who has been hunting other immortals for centuries. "Highlander" was followed by a number of sequels, spinoff films, and spinoff TV series. More Movies: 'Toxic Avenger' Reboot Trailer Shows Best Look at Peter Dinklage's Toxie Jeremy Allen White Transforms Into Bruce Springsteen in Biopic First Look
Straits Times
14-06-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Tweed's youthful makeover resurrects symbol of Scottish heritage
Harris Tweed stoles displayed at the Isle of Harris Tweed shop in Tarbert, Isle of Harris, in the Outer Hebrides, northern Scotland in April. PHOTO: AFP Isle of Scalpay, United Kingdom – 'When you see tweed on the runway, you don't expect it to come from here,' jokes former banker Alexander MacLeod as he sets up his loom in a converted barn on the shores of a Scottish loch. Mr MacLeod, 38, became a weaver two years ago, joining residents on the islands of Lewis and Harris, off Scotland's north-west coast, in helping to rejuvenate the tweed industry after a significant period of decline. 'It's a good thing to keep the tradition going,' he says. Tweed is a symbol of Scottish heritage and has 'always been part of the culture' on the Outer Hebrides, adds Mr MacLeod, who hails from the island of Scalpay, which is connected to Harris by a bridge. It is now 'an attractive sector to be in', he says. Tweed weaver Alexander MacLeod on his loom in his atelier at his home on the Isle of Scalpay in the Outer Hebrides, northern Scotland. PHOTO: AFP He left the Hebrides for seven years to work in banking, but the pull of his roots proved too strong. Now, during the day, Mr MacLeod works for a small local cosmetics company. In the evening, he puts on a podcast, usually about espionage, and patiently begins to weave. Only the steady hum of his machine disturbs the calm of the old stone barn. Harris tweed, traditionally made from 100 per cent wool, is the only fabric protected by a 1993 Act of Parliament. It must be 'handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides'. Blackface sheep and lambs, whose wool is used in Harris Tweed production, at the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. Harris Tweed, traditionally made from 100 per cent wool, is the only fabric protected by a 1993 Act of Parliament. PHOTO: AFP The weaver speaks of his 'satisfaction' once the tweed is finished. The fabric, once associated with the British aristocracy, then goes to the spinning mill for a quality control check, where the slightest flaw is flagged. Finally, it receives the precious 'Harris Tweed' stamp – a globe topped with a cross – certifying the fabric's provenance and authenticity, issued by the Harris Tweed Authority (HTA). The tweed then leaves the island to be purchased by discerning companies abroad, including luxury brands such as Christian Dior, Chanel and Gucci. Several sneaker brands such as Nike, New Balance and Converse have also used it for limited-edition products. A weaving loom at work at the atelier of weaver Alexander MacLeod. PHOTO: AFP The traditional staples are jackets, caps and bags, but the fabric can also be used for furniture. There are 140 weavers, according to the HTA, which launched a recruitment campaign in 2023 and offered workshops to learn the trade following a wave of retirements. This know-how, often passed down from generation to generation, is now being nurtured by a different profile of weaver. Harris Tweed Authority's operations director Kelly MacDonald behind a weaving loom at her office in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, northern Scotland. PHOTO: AFP 'It's nice to see younger people coming in,' says Ms Kelly MacDonald, director of operations at the HTA. 'When I joined the industry 22 years ago, there was a severe period of decline. I was wondering, 'Is there going to be an industry any more?'' But the industry is now enjoying a resurgence and significant growth, with more than 580,000m of tweed produced in 2024. 'We are always looking at new markets,' she says, and tweed is now exported to South Korea, Japan, Germany and France, among other countries. It is no longer dependent on the American market, as it once was, and should be largely shielded from the tariffs imposed by United States President Donald Trump. A staff member at Carloway Mill processing and preparing the wool for the weaving of Harris Tweed in Carloway on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, northern Scotland. PHOTO: AFP Tweed has 'modernised', says Mr Cameron MacArthur, who works at Carloway Mill, one of the three spinning mills in the west of the Isle of Lewis. He is only 29, but has already worked there for 12 years. The mill, with its large machines, looks as if it has not changed for decades. But Mr MacArthur has seen it evolve to embrace a younger workforce and newer fabrics, meaning it is no longer just the ultra-classic Prince of Wales chequered pattern or dark colours that are on offer. Harris Tweed stoles displayed at the Isle of Harris Tweed shop in Tarbert, Isle of Harris, in the Outer Hebrides, northern Scotland. The fabric has modernised, and no longer features just the ultra-classic Prince of Wales chequered pattern or dark colours. PHOTO: AFP Coloured wool used for Harris Tweed at Carloway Mill. PHOTO: AFP 'Nowadays, we're allowed to make up our own colours... and we're just doing different things with it, modernising it, making it brighter,' he says, showing off rolls of turquoise blue and fuchsia pink. 'We're so busy... it never used to be like that,' he says, adding that he is 'proud' to be working with the local product. The 'Harris Tweed' stamp – a globe topped with a cross – that certifies the fabric's provenance and authenticity, issued by the Harris Tweed Authority. PHOTO: AFP Ms MacDonald says tweed is an antidote to environment-unfriendly 'fast fashion'. 'How nice to own a product where you can actually look on a map to a tiny island and say, 'That's where my jacket was made.' That's so rare now, and I think people really engaged with that. 'Every stage of the production has to happen here, but from start to finish, it is a really long process. We are the epitome of slow fashion.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Press and Journal
14-06-2025
- Health
- Press and Journal
Caithness mountain rescue hero helping save lives despite terminal illness says 'MBE is something to leave behind to my wife'
At 4,400 metres up, Charlie MacLeod was stranded atop the summit of the Matterhorn with his climbing partner dead just below him and no rope to help him down. It was his darkest moment, stuck in the heart of the Swiss Alps in the dead of winter, with no choice but to wait for a mountain rescue helicopter to bring him to safety. But, it was also the day on which he decided on a life of helping others – often those experiencing their darkest day, as Charlie once did. It's four decades since he made that decision and Charlie has since dedicated more than 15 years to Scottish Mountain Rescue (SMR) and the Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA). His work has seen him navigate 'countless' rescues, from quick extractions to exhausting nine-day operations. Mr MacLeod, of Ulbster in Caithness, continues to help save lives to this day as a staff trainer at SMR and a dog trainer at SARDA – even while battling a terminal prostate cancer diagnosis. He was given the news two years ago and is currently receiving radium treatment at Raigmore Hospital. Mobility issues and bouts of severe pain mean he is not scaling mountains any more – but he still provides a crucial service to as a staff trainer. His ongoing service has seen him included on the King's Birthday Honours list – in which he has been made an MBE. 'It was a massive surprise, I wasn't expecting it at all,' he told us. 'I'm more proud than anything – the fact that the folk in the team thought I was worthy and nominated me. 'They do all the hard work and I'm more proud for them more than anything else. 'It is nice, but we don't do what we do for awards. We just want to help people.' Mr MacLeod joined the Assynt Mountain Rescue Team in October 2009, having met the team while he raised funds for Alzheimer's charities and Aberdeen Mountain Rescue at a sponsored walk that year. Before that he had spent more than 20 years working as a physiotherapist in Stirling. Spurred on by his own rescue experience back in the 80s, he joined up with the team to 'repay the favour'. He said it had been a 'privilege' to give back to those who saved his life all those years ago. Charlie said: 'I was rescued myself a long time ago. 'I did the North Face of the Matterhorn in winter and my mate was killed just below the summit. 'We had no rope to descend either because we lost it. 'I had to get helicoptered off the top of the mountain, so I know what it's like to be rescued. 'I wanted to be able to repay that. And to be able to do that throughout my career has been a privilege really. 'Bad things can happen to anybody and so it's nice to be able to help people who are having a really bad day. 'I think most people in the mountain rescue are the exact same.' Charlie said the 'extreme' situation he found himself in gives him a unique perspective on rescuing, and serves as motivation for the job. He continued: 'I want to help people who have had a bad day. That's my motivation. 'We just want to do our best for these people. 'At it's core, it's just being there for people when they are in need.' Charlie has been the team's training officer since 2013, passing on his skills, particularly in the area of avalanche risks. His roles have seen him respond to many call outs, as a team member or dog handler, undertaking numerous multi-day searches and going 'above and beyond' to bring loved ones home all across Scotland. Even with the immense challenges presented by his terminal cancer diagnosis, he is still made to feel 'part of the team' at SMR and SARDA. He added that being part of that team has helped him get this far, through the gruelling cancer treatments. Charlie tells me: 'My situation is a bit unique. 'I currently have terminal prostate cancer, but the mountain rescue teams and SARDA have just been so fantastic with me. 'They have been so good in supporting me, because my mobility is now severely limited. 'I am so proud to be a part of an organisation like that.' He added: 'Even through my end of life care, they have allowed me to still feel needed and important and still feel I have lot to offer in terms of the training. 'It has been tough. I'm in a lot of pain and more recently my treatments are failing.' Charlie concedes that his time 'is now limited,' but hopes that this MBE will give his wife Liz something to cherish after he is gone. 'It is going to be something really special that I can share with my wife Liz, to give her something to remember and hang on to. 'That means the world to me'.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lea heirs seek judge's ruling that new road to Cheekwood, Percy Warner would violate deed
The descendants of Luke Lea — the man who deeded the land that became Percy Warner Park to Nashville in 1927 — are asking a judge to rule that building a new access road through the park would violate a restrictive covenant of the deed. Lea served as a U.S. senator and founded The Tennessean. On June 9, his heirs announced that they're asking a Davidson County Chancery Court judge to rule on their 'petition for declaratory relief.' A declaratory judgment states the rights of the parties in a case without ordering any specific action, in an effort to avoid damages and further lawsuits. In this case, the family is aiming to halt any potential that an access road from Highway 100 to nearby Cheekwood Estate and Gardens could run through the park. The ask stems from the Belle Meade Highlands Design and Mobility Study, produced by the city's Planning Department and adopted by the Planning Commission in January, which includes several access road options intended to reduce traffic in the neighborhood around Cheekwood and the park. 'We know that no final decision has been made about the proposed access road,' David Bridgers, an attorney who filed the petition on behalf of the Lea family, said in a news release. 'However, we are asking for a ruling that such a road through the park to Cheekwood would be for 'any other use' than for a park. The covenant in the deed states that the land would be used for a public park, and specifically prohibits 'any other use.'' Here's what to know about what prompted the petition. That no final decision has been made about the proposed access road is indeed true. In fact, the Nashville Department of Transportation has yet to make any recommendation on the location for a new access road. Cortnye Stone, NDOT's director of strategic communications and policy, previously told The Tennessean that NDOT will make a recommendation to the Metro Nashville Council, the Metro Parks Board and Mayor Freddie O'Connell's office by August. Cheekwood's president and CEO, Jane MacLeod said she supports the effort to improve access to both Cheekwood and the park. 'Cheekwood supports Metro Planning's work to explore improved access for Warner Parks and Cheekwood to better accommodate our neighborhood and visitors to these two Nashville treasures,' MacLeod said in a statement to The Tennessean. 'This is an NDOT and Metro project, and we are confident that Metro decision makers will determine the best path forward for our city.' MacLeod added that Cheekwood isn't a party in the Lea family's legal action — any exploration of improved traffic access in Belle Meade is "solely a Metro matter over which Cheekwood has no authority." However, some Nashvillians have been sounding the alarm about one option in the plan — an access road running along the northern edge of park property — since February, including a group that says it could cut through the park's mountain biking trails. The family's petition states that this road option would violate the deed, and the title of the 868 acres Lea gifted to the city would revert to the heirs — an outcome that family members say they don't want. 'We, the heirs of Luke Lea, do not want the park to 'revert and revest' to our family, as the covenant requires,' Leah Rubino, Lea's granddaughter, said in the release. 'We do not want to take possession of this land; we simply want the terms of the covenant to be honored.' Cheekwood, the park's next door neighbor, is in the middle of an effort of its own to mitigate on-site parking capacity issues — though it's not quite as directly tied to the study's recommendations. Cheekwood's recently announced $25 million parking project seeks to help the gardens transition off of adjacent city property used for overflow parking by the end of 2027. That partnership has been reflected in a long-standing parking agreement between the city and Cheekwood, which was most recently renewed in March. The most recent version of the agreement comes with milestones the city wants Cheekwood to achieve as it works toward parking independence, including conducting its own feasibility study of access road options to the gardens and coordinating with NDOT's analysis. "Cheekwood's large investment in a new parking facility is in complete compliance with Metro's desire that Cheekwood transition parking to Cheekwood's property, and is an express condition of the memorandum of understanding unanimously approved by the Metro Parks Board," MacLeod said. "Cheekwood's new parking pavilion simply relocates parking from Metro Parks property that had been utilized for this purpose for decades to Cheekwood property and uses the same access on Forrest Park Drive as it has for decades." Austin Hornbostel is the Metro reporter for The Tennessean. Have a question about local government you want an answer to? Reach him at ahornbostel@ Get Davidson County news delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Lea heirs seek ruling that Percy Warner Park road plan violates deed
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rite Aid releases latest list of store closings, including 6 more in NH
The list of Rite Aid Pharmacy stores closing across the country continues to grow and now includes six more here in New Hampshire. Eventually the entire chain will shutter, presenting a challenge for some in rural parts of the state who have come to rely on the chain's 46 Granite State stores for their needed medications. The latest store closings include Hillsborough, Jaffrey, Littleton, Meredith, Newport and Winchester, according to federal bankruptcy court documents. A total of 14 stores in New Hampshire are set to close soon as the case proceeds in federal bankruptcy court in New Jersey. NH Rite Aid closings announced so far Bristol, 360 Summer St. Durham, 5 Mill Road Exeter, 75 Portsmouth Ave. Hillsboro, 315 W. Main St. Jaffrey, 14 Peterborough St. Keene, 354 Winchester St. Lee, 5 Calef Highway Littleton, 136 Meadow St. Meredith, 89 NH Rote 25 Newport, 51 S. Main St. North Hampton, 72 Lafayette Road Peterborough, 19 Wilton Road Pittsfield, 41 Carroll St. Winchester, 10 Main St. SOURCE: U.S. Bankruptcy Court filings The national drugstore chain filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month. CVS Pharmacy is set to take over Rite Aid and Bartell Drug stores in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, but no such lease takeovers or sales have been announced for New Hampshire. Such sales are not unheard of here — five Rite Aid locations in New Hampshire became Walgreens in 2018 after the sale of more than 1,900 stores nationwide. Bids for Rite Aid's remaining assets, which include unexpired leases for existing Rite Aid stores, are due June 18, according to court documents. Plymouth-based Mid-State Health, a federally qualified community health center committed to making sure quality care is affordable and accessible to all, is working with patients who will need to make an upcoming switch. The closures came with short notice and hits areas of the state which already face health care challenges, said Bob MacLeod, Mid-State's CEO. Patients of Mid-State's Bristol and Lincoln health centers are worried about the Rite Aid closures in those towns because of limited options, he said. 'I think that is going to have a dramatic negative impact' in Bristol, he said. 'Folks are either going to have to go south of Bristol to maybe areas like Tilton or have to come back to the Plymouth area.' Lincoln does another pharmacy option at Price Chopper. Some communities like Plymouth will be less impacted with options including CVS, Hannaford and Walmart, MacLeod said. Mid-State's practice in Plymouth also has an in-house pharmacy operated by Genoa Pharmacy. 'Instead of five pharmacies in the Plymouth area, we will be down to four,' MacLeod said. The health center is looking to add in-house pharmacy service in both Bristol and Lincoln in the near future. Mid-State has encouraged its patients to plan ahead to avoid interruptions with steps like contacting insurance providers, choosing a new pharmacy and requesting a profile transfer. Access to prescriptions in these rural areas are "yet another challenge," he said. A full array of health care services is limited, "and quite frankly our patients and other patients don't need any other challenges." Rite Aid's bankruptcy filings come after the company emerged from a similar filing in 2023. Many of the store shelves across the chain are left bare as products diminish, but customers can still get their prescriptions filled during the process. 'A key priority for Rite Aid is to ensure that as many of our loyal customers as possible continue to receive the pharmacy services and care they require without interruption,' Rite Aid CEO Matt Schroeder said in a statement. jphelps@
