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Ben Affleck’s Slamdunk Directing Helps Air Fly

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:51:19 GMT

With Air, Ben Affleck’s latest directorial effort, he accomplishes the near-impossible: he makes a pending business deal as compelling as a hostage crisis (Argo) or a bank heist (The Town). It’s safe to say that this Affleck kid knows how to please a crowd (and not just in memes).His latest is the true story of how a few rumpled executives at Nike gambled everything on a rookie named Michael Jordan by creating a sneaker around his persona (the Air Jordan) and by doing so, changed the way businesses worked with athletes forever. But that’s just the skeleton. At its core, this is a classic underdog tale about the American dream, believing in your instincts, and the risk it takes to jump off a cliff to see where you land.It’s 1984, and the movie opens with a montage of capitalist-driven, pop culture references from that era like Ghostbusters, Run-DMC, and the famous “Where’s the beef?” Wendy’s commercial. It’s a loud, fluorescent smack in the face, which quickly turns drab when w...

Bay Area’s first-ever Portugal Restaurant Week runs April 17-24

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:51:19 GMT

Garlic shrimp. Linguica. Bacalhau.The Consulate of Portugal in San Francisco and the Portuguese Trade and Investment Agency (AICEP) have teamed up to introduce diners to the delights of Portuguese cuisine. They are sponsoring the inaugural Portugal Restaurant Week, which will run from Monday, April 17, through April 24.The event will feature specials at five Bay Area restaurants: Sister restaurants Adega and Petiscos in San Jose; Uma Casa in San Francisco; and sister restaurants LaSalette and Tasca Tasca in Sonoma.Petiscos: Carlos and Fernanda Carreira’s Petiscos restaurant will offer a three-course menu for $45, with multiple choices for each course. For example, you can start with Caldo Verde, the classic soup (or one of 12 other choices), then move on to Oven-Roasted Octopus (again, a dozen other selections) and finish up with an Orange Tort (or one of five other desserts).Adega: For a Michelin-caliber dinner, head to the couple’s Adega — San Jose’s only s...

‘It just didn’t enter my mind to initiate sex;’ Low sex drive in men linked to chemical imbalance

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:51:19 GMT

By Sandee LaMotte | CNNWhile hanging out with his college roommates, Peter (not his real name) realized he felt differently about sex than other heterosexual men.“I’ve never been somebody who was interested in pornography, but I’d laugh along with their jokes,” said Peter, now 44, who is British. “Of course I never mentioned that … as a man, you’d be kicked out of the herd.”As he developed “proper, serious relationships” with women, Peter discovered he didn’t have the sexual drive many of his partners did.“I would make excuses around getting tired or feeling stressed, that kind of thing,” he said. “It wasn’t an issue with attraction to my partner. It just didn’t enter my mind to initiate sex.”In 2021, Peter saw an ad recruiting male volunteers for a new study on hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD. Researchers planned to inject the study’s participants with kisspeptin —...

Opera San Jose’s ‘Tosca’ star feels she was destined for iconic role

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:51:19 GMT

Maria Natale is deep in rehearsals for Opera San Jose’s production of “Tosca.” It’s her first time singing the opera’s passionate and artistic title character, Floria Tosca, but she says it’s a role that fits her like a glove.“I’m more than thrilled to be singing this role,” the soprano said in a recent interview. “It’s going very well; it’s a beautiful production and the cast is stellar.  I’m just so excited.”Directed by Tara Branham and conducted by Opera San Jose music director Joseph Marcheso, Natale tops a cast that also includes tenor Adrian Kramer as Cavaradossi and baritone Kidon Choi as Scarpia. The production runs April 15-30 at the California Theatre.Natale, originally from Southern California and now based in New York, has wanted to sing the role of Tosca “since I was a kid,” she said. Her grandfather was an opera prodigy at Pittsburgh Opera, and when she was 10, he told her she would one day sing Tosca.“Ever since then, opera’s just been part of my life,” she said.Natal...

“Breaking Barriers: The Art of Iran” arrives in Sausalito

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:51:19 GMT

As the fight for women’s rights rages on in Iran, a group of artists have come together for an exhibition showcasing a broad range of Persian art that transcends geopolitical and cultural borders.Curated by Shiva Pakdel, “Breaking Down Barriers: The Art of Iran” runs through April 23 at the Sausalito Center for the Arts and features more than 240 works in mediums ranging from antique art and artifacts to textiles, ceramics and photographs. The exhibition features works by contemporary Iranian artists living in the United States and Iran.Farnaz Zabetian’s oil on canvas, “Woman, Life, Freedom,” is one of 240 works on display during “Breaking Barriers: The Art of Iran” in Sausalito. (Courtesy of Shiva Pakdel) In addition to Bay Area painter Farnaz Zabetian’s “Woman, Life, Freedom,” an oil-on-canvas version of her mural in San Francisco’s Clarion Alley, you can catch a ticketed screening of Iranian filmmaker Ba...

Earthquake strikes near Morgan Hill

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:51:19 GMT

(KRON) -- A preliminary magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck on Tuesday morning about 12 miles from Morgan Hill. The quake hit around 9:40 a.m. There were no initial reports of damages or injuries.The quake's epicenter was about 8 miles from San Martin, a census-designated place in Santa Clara County.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

San Jose police union hides web pages after scandal

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:51:19 GMT

The San Jose Police Officers' Association has blocked significant portions of its website from public access after its executive director was charged in connection with an international drug smuggling scheme. The association, which is the union that represents about 1,100 San Jose Police Department officers, previously had its website largely open to the public, including pages for its board of directors and its office staff. Now, those pages are behind a password-protected wall. Judge rules Elizabeth Holmes’ cannot remain free while appealing fraud conviction Shortly after the association's top administrator, Joanne Segovia, was charged with attempting to illegally import fentanyl in late March, she was placed on paid leave and the association removed her biography and photo from its website. Segovia, who is not a police officer, has since been fired by the association. Other staff members' images and biographies were still visible online, however. But more recently, the a...

Vehicle loses control, crashes through fence in San Rafael: photos

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:51:19 GMT

(KRON) -- A car briefly lost control and crashed through a fence, nearly avoiding a building, according to the San Rafael Police Department on Twitter. The crash occurred on the 100 block of Belvedere Street on Tuesday morning. Video shows ex-SF fire commissioner assaulted with pipe in Marina District Officers responded to the scene and reported that the driver likely mistook the gas pedal for the brake while parking. A photo from the scene showed the car, a four-door compact sedan, had mounted the curb and crashed through the wooden fence. No one was injured in the collision, police said.

Kings vs. Warriors: This is what you need to know about the Northern California playoff series

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:51:19 GMT

(KTXL) — There will be an Interstate 80 battle in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Sacramento Kings are playing the Golden State Warriors in their first playoff appearance in 16 seasons. Games 1 and 2 will be played at the Golden 1 Center with the first game of the best-of-seven series taking place Saturday night.  Want to go watch the Warriors in Sacramento? This is how much it will cost you The Kings are the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference while the Warriors are the No. 6 squad in the West. Heading into the season, the Kings playoff drought was the longest in NBA history, along with having the longest active in U.S. major professional sports leagues.  Want to go watch the Kings in the playoffs? This is how much it will cost you Sacramento clinched its playoff berth on March 29 with a 120-80 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on the road. Along with a playoff berth, the Kings clinched their first Pacific Division title this season for...

Domestic unrest interrupts Macron’s European future speech

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:51:19 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron laid out his vision of a bold, assertive European future on Tuesday, but not before simmering anger at his domestic pension reforms boiled over once more as he began his speech in the Netherlands.Some members of the audience at a theater in The Hague shouted at Macron, accusing him of undemocratically forcing through his plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.Macron’s pension reforms have prompted massive protests and strikes in France. Critics were additionally infuriated when he used a special constitutional power last month to push the bill through parliament without a vote.Some protesters in The Hague theater Tuesday brandished a banner calling Macron the “president of violence and hypocrisy.”“I can answer these questions if you give me some time,” Macron responded, speaking in English. The protesters were quickly removed from the hall.It’s “very important to have this type of discussion,” an unfl...