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Grammys 2024: Can anyone top Taylor Swift? Yes, we definitely think so

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SZA leads the pack with nine nominations at the 2024 Grammy Awards, which certainly speaks to all that this amazing R&B vocalist has accomplished over the last year or so.

And she certainly could end up winning enough awards to fill a cabinet or two during “Music’s Biggest Night.”

Or, as shocking as it might sound, she could come up empty-handed when the trophies are handed out.

Yes, the level of competition at this year’s Grammy Awards is remarkably impressive. That’s especially true in the three of the evening’s biggest categories — album, song and record of the year — where SZA will go up against such heavyweights as Lana Del Rey, Olivia Rodrigo, Jon Batiste, Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus and, as you can probably guess, Taylor Swift.

So many great artists. So many compelling storylines.

And we won’t know how it all turns out until the last award is handed out on Feb. 4 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Yet, that won’t stop us from trying to predict who will win the biggie “general field” categories, where artists from all different genres compete for top honors. Besides the three mentioned above, there is also the hotly contested best new artist category, where hip-hop star Ice Spice will square off against country/rap talent Jelly Roll, R&B/pop singer Victoria Monét and others.

Here are predictions for who will take home Grammy gold. Beyond the awards, the show will also feature performances by Dua Lipa, Eilish, Rodrigo, Luke Combs, Travis Scott and others. Follow all the action beginning at 5 p.m. on CBS and Paramount +.

Album of the Year

The nominees: “World Music Radio,” Jon Batiste; “the record,” boygenius; “Endless Summer Vacation,” Miley Cyrus; “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” Lana Del Rey; “The Age of Pleasure,” Janelle Monáe; “GUTS,” Olivia Rodrigo; “Midnights,” Taylor Swift; “SOS,” SZA

The skinny: The music industry has finally realized something that fans have long known — Lana Del Rey is one of popular music’s greatest artists of the last 10-plus years. So, a victory for “Tunnel” would serve as further confirmation of that status.

There’s also a case to be made for Olivia Rodrigo, who followed up the blockbuster debut “Sour” — and the resulting best new artist triumph at the 2022 Grammys — by releasing a sophomore effort that some consider to be the best album of 2023.

Of course, the indie supergroup boygenius — featuring Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus — is a massive critical favorite and can’t be counted out. Same for Jon Batiste, who just won this category in ’22 with “We Are.”

Yet, none of those artists seem to have much a chance against Taylor Swift, who set record after record with her 10th studio album. Crowning Swift in this category — for a landmark fourth time — would serve as a fitting punctuation mark on what was most certainly the Year of Taylor.

So, why does it seem like the wrong choice?

The answer is “SOS.”

“Midnights” is a terrific effort, yet it doesn’t really stand out from Swift’s many other equally enjoyable albums. It’s just a piece of the puzzle in what is arguably the single best discography that any artist has put together in the 21st Century.

On the other hand, “SOS” feels like nothing short of a stone-cold classic, which people will long be referencing among the most soulful platters of the 2020s. It also was the album that really took its author to a whole new level of superstardom.

It’s wild to think that a win for such a wonderfully artistic and commercially successful album could be seen as an upset. Yet, in world that seems to view pop music as Taylor Swift and everyone else, that’s exactly what a “SOS” victory would be.

We’d be fine with “Midnights” winning. But that’s not where our vote would go. So, we’re calling the upset.

The winner: “SOS”

Singer SZA performs in concert at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, March. 14, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Singer SZA performs in concert at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, March. 14, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Record of the Year

The nominees: “Worship,” Jon Batiste; “Not Strong Enough,” boygenius; “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus; “What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish; “On My Mama,” Victoria Monét; “Vampire,” Olivia Rodrigo; “Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift; “Kill Bill, SZA

The skinny: Award shows love Billie Eilish, who has already won seven Grammys (as well as an Oscar) in her still-quite-young career. Yet, she seemingly has a much better chance of winning her second Academy Award in March with her “Barbie” number than she does record of the year on Sunday.

And we don’t feel like “Anti-Hero” is anywhere close to first-tier Swift material, a statement that we realize probably will result in 418,467 angry emails from Swifties.

The category probably breaks down as a three-way race between “Kill Bill,” “Vampires” and “Flowers,” the last of which would seemingly be the favorite.

Although we prefer the SZA and Rodrigo offerings, “Flowers” is indeed exactly the type of empowering self-love anthem that Grammy voters tend to embrace.

The winner: “Flowers”

NAPA, CA - SEPT. 4: Miley Cyrus performs with Jamie Arentzen on the Verizon Stage during the BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)
NAPA, CA – SEPT. 4: Miley Cyrus performs with Jamie Arentzen on the Verizon Stage during the BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald) 

Song of the Year

(Award given to songwriters)

The nominees: “A&W,” Jack Antonoff, Lana Del Rey and Sam Dew, songwriters (Lana Del Rey); “Anti-Hero,” Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift); “Butterfly,” Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste); “Dance the Night,” Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Dua Lipa); “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Gregory Aldae Hein and Michael Pollack, songwriters (Miley Cyrus); “Kill Bill,” Rob Bisel, Carter Lang and Solána Rowe, songwriters (SZA); “Vampire,” Daniel Nigro and Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo); “What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

The skinny: “Dance the Night” and “What Was I Made For?” both hail from the same film so it’s easy to see those two numbers splitting the “Barbie” vote.” “Flowers” makes sense, but let’s assume that it won’t win both song and record of the year trophies. After all, there are just too many great artists deserving to be recognized on Grammy night, so we don’t see any one act dominating these biggie awards.

Along that same line of reasoning, we’d love to see “Kill Bill” get the “w,” but we’ve already placed our bet on “SOS” triumphing in the album category. “Vampire” could sneak out a victory here, though, for sure.

Yet, the safe money is that Jack Antonoff will end up with this award in his hand – for one of the two nominees that he co-wrote.

You already know our feeling on the Antonoff-Swift offering. Well, we feel the exact opposite way about the brilliant avant-garde work that he did with Del Rey.

But, come on. Is there any conceivable way that the mighty Swift ends up losing in all three of these general field categories?

Well, let us finish off our root beer floats and think about it for a minute.

The winner: “A&W”

Lana Del Rey performs at the 2014 Coachella Music and Arts Festival on Sunday, April 13, 2014, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Lana Del Rey performs at the 2014 Coachella Music and Arts Festival on Sunday, April 13, 2014, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) 

Best New Artist

The nominees: Gracie Abrams, Fred Again, Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan, Victoria Monét, The War and Treaty

The skinny: There are some fascinating choices here. Start with the country-folk-soul duo The War and Treaty, whose major label debut, “Lover’s Game,” is nothing short of astounding. Then there’s Jelly Roll, the Tennessee country/rap/rock artist who had millions singing along to “Son of a Sinner.”

And you can’t count out Noah Kahan, whose legions of fans don’t seem to realize that he’s really not all that good, or the talented Gracie “daughter of J.J.” Abrams.

The award could well go go to Victoria Monét, whose seven overall nods ties her with Phoebe Bridgers for second-most nominations this year. (In case you missed it up top, SZA leads all comers with nine nominations).

Still, the favorite in the race appears to be Ice Spice, who seemed to go from relative unknown to household name in the blink of the eye as she collaborated with Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj, charted several top 10 songs and had us all singing along to “Barbie’s World.”

It’s hard to call for an upset here — but “Lover’s Game” is such a great album and its authors could be making terrific music for decades to come. So, well, let’s go for it and hope voters agree.

The winner: The War and Treaty

Tanya Trotter, left, and Michael Trotter Jr. — aka The War and Treaty — are deserving of the best new artist award at the Grammys, in what is a packed category. (Ashley Landis/Associated Press) 

Other races

Best Pop Vocal Album — Swifties need not worry that their favorite music star will go home empty-handed, since “Midnights” will likely triumph over Miley Cyrus’ “Endless Summer Vacation” and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts” as the top pop platter.

Best Música Mexicana Album — Peso Pluma will win for the amazing “Génesis,” yet that won’t quite make up for the ridiculous snub of being left out of the best new artist category.

Best Rock Album — We’re partial to Metallica’s excellent “72 Seasons,” but our hunch is that the gold will go to the Foo Fighters, who dealt with the loss of Taylor Hawkins and still delivered a fine “But Here We Are.”

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song — So many great offerings here, including Cody Carnes’ “Firm Foundation (He Won’t)” and the For King & Country/Jordin Sparks collaboration “Love Me Like I Am,” yet Lauren Daigle’s “Thank God I Do” is the clear favorite.

Lauren Daigle performs on stage during the first day of the Outside Lands Music Festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Lauren Daigle performs on stage during the first day of the Outside Lands Music Festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

Best R&B Performance — Sorry Robert Glasper, Coco Jones, Victoria Monét and Chris Brown, but nobody is beating SZA’s “Kill Bill” here.

Best Rap Album — We’re calling for Killer Mike to top the bigger names (like Drake, Travis Scott and Nas) and walk away with the trophy for “Michael.”

Best Musical Theater Album — “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” with Annaleigh Ashford and Josh Groban as the principal vocalists, will surely win. Yet, we much prefer “Kimberly Akimbo.”

Best Country Solo Performance — Anything other than Luke Combs’ cover of “Fast Car” is fine with us.


THE 66TH GRAMMY AWARDS

When: 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4

Where: CBS (KPIX-TV Channel 5); Paramount+; live.grammy.com

Host: Trevor Noah

 

 


Potential pets put on their game faces for Puppy Bowl

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Puppy Bowl adoptions

Puppy Bowl fans looking for a four-legged friend to watch the big game with can take advantage of $49 adoption fees at Humane Society Silicon Valley through game day on Feb. 11. To find eligible animals, visit https://www.hssv.org/adopt and look for a football sticker on their profile, then schedule a visit with a potential pet at the Peter Detkin and Michelle Oates Detkin Animal Community Center, 901 Ames Ave.

Dog park grant

The City of Milpitas has been awarded a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant to complete the dog park at Delano Manongs Park. This matching grant of $301,516 will fund construction of the new section for large dogs, including asphalt and decomposed granite, concrete paving, fencing, signage, site furnishings, landscaping and irrigation throughout the park, and staff resources to manage the project. The work will not begin until other related projects in the park are completed.

The grant will allow city staff to use park fund monies that would have otherwise been allocated to this project for other park infrastructure needs in the Milpitas metro area.

SMART marketing

The City of Milpitas took  home an Adwheel Award from the American Public Transportation Association for its marketing campaign to increase ridership on Milpitas SMART. The city will be recognized at the AdWheel Awards Luncheon in New Orleans in February.

Milpitas SMART is an app-based local transit service that will provide convenient, safe and affordable connections from home or work to the Great Mall, Milpitas Town Center and city hall, Milpitas Transit Center and BART, or any VTA light rail station.

Saratoga High named 2024 ‘caring high school’

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Saratoga High School was named Project Cornerstone’s 2024 Caring High School last month, a recognition given to campuses where students feel welcomed, valued and respected.

The award recognizes the work of the school’s wellness center, which offers students mental health support and opportunities to destress. The center has seen a 13 percent increase in students who utilize its services during the last academic year, according to a release from the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District .

“Our wellness center staff are among the best in their field,” Superintendent Bill Sanderson said in the release. “Since its inception just three short years ago, they continue to destigmatize the focus and need for mental health services.”

The YMCA’s Project Cornerstone recognizes an elementary, middle and high school every year for “transforming their campuses into caring communities.”  The school will be honored at Project Cornerstone’s 25th anniversary celebration on March 15 at the Santa Clara Convention Center..

 

Campbell, San Francisco restaurants make Yelp’s Most Romantic 100 list

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Three Northern California restaurants have scored spots on Yelp’s list of Top 100 Romantic Restaurants — in the country — for Valentine’s Day (or anniversary dinners or date nights).

Yelp’s survey specialists have sifted through the thousands of restaurant reviews, identifying those with both high rankings and the highest number of diner comments like “romantic,” “date night” and “valentine” for its 2024  holiday suggestions.

Milestone, a rustic romantic spot with a large lighted patio in El Dorado Hills northeast of Sacramento, ranked No. 34. The menu focuses on New American cuisine.

At No. 43 is a previous honoree, L’Ardoise Bistro, a French restaurant in San Francisco’s Noe Valley known for classics such as coq au vin and rack of lamb.

Also being honored again is Campbell’s Trattoria 360 (No. 84), which wins praise from Yelpers for everything from the “amazing” bruschetta and the “luxurious” Gnocchi Formaggi to the “creative and complex” Scaloppine Alla Speck and the “delightful” panna cotta desserts. The Yelp reviews feature dozens of photos of the restaurant’s seafood pasta dishes.

Find the full list of 100 at www.yelp.com/article/top-100-most-romantic-restaurants.

Details: 360 E, Campbell Ave., Campbell, https://trattoria360campbell.com, and 151 Noe St., San Francisco, www.ardoisesf.com

Monta Vista High music teacher wins achievement award

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Music teacher honored

John Gilchrist, director of instrumental music at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, was recognized this month by a state organization for achievement in music education.

Gilchrist, 28, won the 2024 Gilbert T. Freitas Annual Memorial Award from the California Music Educators Association, a professional organization representing the state’s 7,200 credentialed music educators. The award was presented Feb. 1 at the California All-State Music Education Conference in Sacramento.

Gilchrist, who earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from San Jose State University, is also the principal percussionist for the San Jose Wind Symphony and conductor of San Jose Youth Symphony percussion ensemble.

Council appointments

Cupertino City Council last month made appointments to several city committees and commissions.

Angela Chen was reappointed to the Audit Committee, and Eno Schmidt and Louise Fishler were named new members. Hanyan Wu and Luis Buhler were appointed as alternates. Carol Stanek was reappointed to the Parks and Recreation Commission, and Claudio Bono was named a new member. Sashikala Begur and Santosh Rao were appointed as alternates.

New housing commissioners include business representative Ryan Golze, community member Yuyi He and alternates Tessa Parish and Yvonne Thorstenson. Balaram Donthi and Sudeep Kumar were named to the Technology, Information and Communications Commission, with Ravi Kiran Singh Sapaharam and Venkatesan Ranganathan as alternates.

Three new members were named to the Sustainability Commission: business representative Alexander Fung, educational representative Susan Hansen and community member Conny Yang. Alternates are Sam Jew, Andrew Goldenkranz and Joseph Dan Marshall. There are also three new members of the Public Safety Commission: Sidharth Rajaram, Neal Evans and Nirmalendu Das. Alexander Fung was named the alternate.

Jean Bedord was appointed to the Sourcewise Advisory Council.

Other applicants’ information will be kept on file for a year in case a vacancy becomes available. Visit cupertino.org/commissions for more information.

BAFTAs: ‘Oppenheimer’ is the big hit at British film awards

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LONDON (AP) — Atom bomb epic “Oppenheimer” won seven prizes, including best picture, director and actor, at the 77th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, cementing its front-runner status for the Oscars next month.

Gothic fantasia “Poor Things” took five prizes, and Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest” won three.

Chart: How the BAFTAs stacked up against this year’s other major film awards

Christopher Nolan won his first best director BAFTA for “Oppenheimer,” and Cillian Murphy won the best actor prize for playing physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. Murphy said he was grateful to play such a “colossally knotty, complex character.”

Emma Stone was named best actress for playing the wild and spirited Bella Baxter in “Poor Things,” a steampunk-style visual extravaganza that won prizes for visual effects, production design, costume design, and makeup and hair.

“Oppenheimer” had a field-leading 13 nominations, but missed out on the record of nine trophies, set in 1971 by “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” It won the best film race against “Poor Things,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Holdovers.” “Oppenheimer” also won trophies for editing, cinematography and musical score, as well as the best supporting actor prize for Robert Downey Jr.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph was named best supporting actress for playing a boarding school cook in “The Holdovers” and said she felt a “responsibility I don’t take lightly” to tell the stories of underrepresented people like her character Mary.

“Oppenheimer” faced stiff competition in what was widely considered a vintage year for cinema and an awards season energized by the end of actors’ and writers’ strikes that shut down Hollywood for months.

The Zone of Interest” — a British-produced film shot in Poland with a largely German cast — was named both best British film and best film not in English — a first — and also took the prize for its sound, which has been described as the real star of the film.

Jonathan Glazer’s unsettling drama takes place in a family home just outside the walls of the Auschwitz death camp, whose horrors are heard and hinted at, rather than seen.

“Walls aren’t new from before or since the Holocaust, and it seems stark right now that we should care about innocent people being killed in Gaza or Yemen or Mariupol or Israel,” producer James Wilson said. “Thank you for recognizing a film that asks us to think in those spaces.”

Ukraine war documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” produced by The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline,” won the prize for best documentary.

The awards ceremony, hosted by “Doctor Who” star David Tennant — who entered wearing a kilt and sequined top while carrying a dog named Bark Ruffalo — was a glitzy, British-accented appetizer for Hollywood’s Academy Awards, closely watched for hints about who might win at the Oscars on March 10.

The prize for original screenplay, went to French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall.” The film about a woman on trial over the death of her husband was written by director Justine Triet and her partner, Arthur Harari.

“It’s a fiction, and we are reasonably fine,” Triet joked.

Cord Jefferson won the adapted screenplay prize for the satirical “American Fiction,” about the struggles of an African-American novelist. Jefferson said he hoped the success of the movie “maybe changes the minds of the people who are in charge of greenlighting films and TV shows, allows them to be less risk-averse.”

Historical epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” had nine nominations for the awards, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards, but went home empty-handed.

There also was disappointment for Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro,” which had seven nominations but won no awards. Neither did grief-flecked love story “All of Us Strangers” with six nominations, and barbed class-war dramedy “Saltburn,” with five.

“Barbie,” one half of 2023’s “Barbenheimer” box office juggernaut and the year’s top-grossing film, also went home empty-handed from five nominations. “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig failed to get a directing nomination for either the BAFTAs or the Oscars, in what was seen by many as a major snub.

Britain’s film academy introduced changes to increase the awards’ diversity in 2020, when no women were nominated as best director for the seventh year running and all 20 nominees in the lead and supporting performer categories were white.

However, Triet was the only woman among this year’s six best-director nominees.

The Rising Star award, the only category decided by public vote, went to Mia McKenna-Bruce, star of “How to Have Sex.”

Guest of honor was Prince William, in his role as president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He arrived without his wife, Kate, who is recovering from abdominal surgery last month.

The ceremony included musical performances by “Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham, singing “Time After Time,” and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, singing her 2001 hit “Murder on the Dancefloor,” which shot back up the charts after featuring in “Saltburn.”

 

Robert Downey Jr. shows Mel Gibson some love in his SAG speech

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More than a decade after Robert Downey Jr. asked Hollywood to forgive Mel Gibson for his controversies, this year’s frontrunner for Oscar’s supporting actor award again showed his loyalty to his famously embattled friend in his SAG Awards speech.

While accepting the award for his performance in “Oppenheimer,” Downey took a moment to shout out the names of actors who positively impacted his career, ranging from the 1980s to his “Oppenheimer” co-stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh and Alden Ehrenreich.

Tucked in between mentions of his early co-stars Anthony Michael Hall and Whoopi Goldberg, Downey name-checked Mel Gibson, sparking social media backlash and debate because of Gibson’s history of antisemitic comments, racist rants and domestic violence.

Starting in 2006, Mel Gibson’s reputation as one of Hollywood’s most popular and bankable stars and directors began taking hits after he was was arrested for a DUI and was recorded yelling at a police officer, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world!”

It was subsequently alleged that Gibson once asked Winona Ryder if she was a Jewish “oven dodger,” though Gibson denied ever saying such a thing. In 2011, he pleaded no contest to domestic violence involving his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva. In a 2020 essay for The Atlantic, actor Joshua Marina asked why Gibson continued to get hired to act or direct movies in Hollywood. “Gibson is a well-known Jew-hater (anti-Semite is too mild),” Malina wrote. “His prejudices are well documented.”

Following Downey’s SAG acceptance speech, social media lit up with reactions to his mention of Gibson, the Daily Beast reported. Gibson also was in the news last week when famed Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz revealed that the “Lethal Weapon” star was considered for the lead role in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.”

“We’re really gonna thank/acknowledge Mel Gibson in an acceptance speech in the year 2024? Yikes,” journalist Bonnie Stiernberg wrote on X.

“robert downey jr shouting mel gibson out in his speech is definitely a choice,” film writer Sabrina Ramirez also said.

“You know i feel like none of the other supporting actor nominees would have mentioned mel gibson idk,” another X user shared.

But others jumped on social media to praise Downey for showing loyalty to Gibson and to even defend Gibson himself for being an “amazing actor and director.” 

“If you know the story about RDJ career before Iron Man, you would understand why,” said one user, while another said: “The underlying reason Robert Downey Jr. acknowledges Mel Gibson (is) because Mel Gibson helped Robert Downey Jr. get out of his addictions, and therefore set him up for success.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - OCTOBER 18: (L-R) Actor Robert Downey Jr. and producer Mel Gibson pose backstage at The Hollywood Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel October 18, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – OCTOBER 18: (L-R) Actor Robert Downey Jr. and producer Mel Gibson pose backstage at The Hollywood Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel October 18, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images) 

That X user is referring to when Downey fell into a downward spiral of drug addiction in the late 1990s. He was fired from his role on the TV show “Ally McBeal,” arrested multiple times for drug offenses and cycled in and out of jail, rehab and state prison.

His career didn’t pick up again until he finally quit drugs for good in 2003 and Gibson hired him to star in the film “The Singing Detective.” Gibson also personally underwrote Downey’s liability insurance.

When the “Iron Man” star received the 2011 award from American Cinematheque for “extraordinary artist in the entertainment industry,” he asked Gibson to present the honor, which allowed Downey to elaborate on his appreciate for the “Braveheart” actor.

“When I couldn’t get sober, (Gibson) told me to me not to give up hope, he urged me to find my faith … as long as it was rooted in forgiveness,” Downey said.  Gibson also told Downey that he should accept “responsibility for my wrongdoings and embrace that part of my soul that was ugly — hugging the cactus, he called it.”

“He said if I hugged the cactus long enough, I’d become a man of some humility and that my life would take on new meaning,” Downey said. “I did and it worked.”

After crediting Gibson for helping him to “keep a roof over my head … and … food on the table,” Downey asked the film industry audience to join him in “forgiving my friend his trespasses, offering him the same clean slate you have given me and allowing him to continue his great and ongoing contribution to our collective art without shame.”

Whether Gibson took his own advice and accepted “responsibility” for his own wrongdoings is a topic that’s still up for debate. Certainly, his many critics in Hollywood don’t think he has accepted that responsibility.

In a 2016 interview with Variety’s Playback podcast, Gibson talked about his DUI arrest and denied being antisemitic.

“It was an unfortunate incident,” Gibson said when asked about the fact that there are many who feel they can no longer support him or his work. “I was loaded and angry and arrested. I was recorded illegally by an unscrupulous police officer who was never prosecuted for that crime. And then it was made public by him for profit, and by members of — we’ll call it the press. So, not fair. I guess as who I am, I’m not allowed to have a nervous breakdown, ever.”

Gibson continued: “I’ve never discriminated against anyone or done anything that sort of supports that reputation.”

Gibson also decried the way he has continued to be demonized for his DUI tirade. He said, “For one episode in the back of a police car on eight double tequilas to sort of dictate all the work, life’s work and beliefs and everything else that I have and maintain for my life is really unfair.”

Saratoga High students winners in national arts competition

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YoungArts winners

Two Saratoga High School students were winners in the 2024 YoungArts competition, an annual contest for visual, performance and literary artists ages 15-18.

Senior Chloe Lee and junior Rylee Stanton were recognized in the classical music and film disciplines, respectively, according to a press release from the district. The winners were selected by a panel of “highly accomplished artists” in each field.

Lee has played the violin for  years, while Stanton submitted “In Blackwater Woods,” a film she made for Saratoga High’s Media Arts Program, to the competition.

Lee and Stanton will receive access to a private portal to connect with other YoungArts winners from across the country and share opportunities for grants, fellowships and residencies.

“Our school programs and electives are providing an incredible foundation for our talented students,” Superintendent Bill Sanderson said in the release. “I wish a heartfelt congratulations to both Chloe and Rylee on their national success. I know this is just the beginning of their remarkable endeavors.”

Montalvo hosts author talk

As part of its Open Access series, Montalvo Arts Center will be hosting a book reading and signing with poet Sally Ashton for her new book, “Listening to Mars” at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 9.

Ashton, a former Santa Clara County Poet Laureate, writes about the COVID-19 pandemic and various philosophical themes in her latest collection of poems. Register for the “pay what you wish” event at https://my.montalvoarts.org


MetroED’s employee wellness newsletter wins excellence award

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The Metropolitan Education District (MetroED) was honored March 1 for its digital employee wellness newsletter by the California Schools Public Relations Association (CalSPRA), which presented MetroEd with an Excellence in Communications Award.

CalSPRA’s awards program recognizes superior achievement in meeting strategic goals through high-quality communications and public relations programs. MetroEd’s newsletter was among 386 submissions and one of 109 to receive an excellence award. Each entry is evaluated by communication professionals.

MetroED launched its newsletter, “Happy and Healthy Wellness Wednesday,” in November 2020 to serve its employees and provide mental and emotional wellness resources for total health: mind, body, and spirit. The newsletter was created to share and integrate self-care practice into the workday and serve as an employee well-being resource on and off the job.

Content includes articles and activities to foster support at work, things to help in the classroom, ways to build community and topics that benefit employees’ loved ones. The newsletter is designed to help employees make small changes to improve their sleep, mood, relationships and more.

“This award reaffirms our commitment to providing meaningful resources that support the health and well-being of our employees, and we are honored it’s being acknowledged on a broader scale,” said Lisa Ketchum, MetroED director of human relations and communications in a statement.

MetroED is a regional provider of career technical and adult education. It is governed by a joint powers agreement that includes the Campbell Union High School District.

San Jose police seek tips on suspects wanted in shooting that injured a dog

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After an “extensive investigation with minimal leads,” San Jose police are now asking the public to help find two suspects involved in a shooting that wounded a young German Shepherd dog named Marley, according to a department press release issued Monday.

The shooting happened on Jan. 11 in the area of Ann Darling Drive and McKee Road. During the investigation, police determined that two suspects were involved in the shooting but detectives have not identified them.

Authorities have described one of the suspects as a Hispanic male adult in his 20s, with a thin build and wearing a yellow weather jacket and blue jeans. Police have not released a clear description of the second suspect.

After the shooting, the 10-month-old homeless German Shepherd was brought to the San Jose Animal Care and Services center, where staff named her Marley.

The gunshot wound entered her snout, shattering her jaw and requiring surgery. Marley also suffered an injury to her right paw. She was treated at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and is now in foster care.

The Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers program is offering $1,000 to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals involved in the shooting.

San Jose police also directed people to contact Detective Lindenberg via email at 4673@sanjoseca.gov, or Detective Martinez at 4533@sanjoseca.gov. Tipsters can also call 408-277-4161.





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