What began as a chance encounter on a flight to Las Vegas could soon be heading to the big screen, as a group of grandmothers and a pro-wrestler discuss a film based on their story.
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Lynn Crawford, 71, Susie Matthews, 73, Rose Sulley, 74, and Christine Goodwin, 80, met DeReiss Gordon - known in the ring as Man Like DeReiss - on the flight in April.
They were travelling to the city to scatter the ashes of Rose's late husband, Pete. Upon boarding the flight, there was confusion - with Gordon in one of the seats they mistakenly believed they had booked - before a friendship was formed, and the nans took Gordon up on his offer to watch him at WrestleMania.
Film producer Nick Barton said he believes this "extraordinary story could make a really brilliant and successful movie".
The story captured hearts as well as headlines, including producer of Calendar Girls and the Full Monty Nick Barton, who has "approached the group of friends" about the remarkable story that "wasn't meant to happen" being turned into a film.
"When I first heard about this story in May, it reminded me of Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots, which Harbour Pictures and I produced for Disney and Buena Vista.
"I immediately contacted DeReiss and the Welsh nanas.
"I believe this extraordinary story could make a really brilliant and successful movie and am now working on the next steps towards its production."
Discussing the possibility of their unlikely friendship being turned into a film, Crawford said: "When we'd first met, we'd laughed that this should be a movie.
"Four nanas and a wrestler! It'd be brilliant."
"I couldn't believe it at first," said Gordon. "Then I checked it out and was like, 'WOW! A movie'. This could happen. There's a way to go but we believe this would be a great movie."
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Sulley described the experience as being "like a dream" which the four nans never want to "wake up from".
On Sunday, the group reunited to take part in a wrestling showcase in Cardiff, where they were trained by professional wrestlers before entering the ring themselves.
People were holding banners with their photos chanting "Nanas! Nanas!".
This unlikely friendship has created something of a fan base in the wrestling world.
"It was absolutely hilarious", Sulley said.
The four women admitted they knew "nothing" about wrestling before meeting Gordon earlier this year. %!s()
An “eclipse season” begins on Monday, July 27, marking the start of a period when the Earth, moon and sun align closely enough for eclipses to occur. Running from July 27 through Aug. 31, this 35-day window will bring two of the year’s biggest celestial events — the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 and an exceptionally deep partial lunar eclipse on Aug. 27-28. Although eclipses can seem random, they always occur during these predictable eclipse seasons, which repeat roughly every six months. Here’s everything you need to know about this summer’s eclipse season.
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An “eclipse season” begins on Monday, July 27, marking the start of a period when the Earth, moon and sun align closely enough for eclipses to occur. Here, the "Great American Solar Eclipse" reaches the "diamond ring" stage just before totality on August 21, 2017 in Clinton, South Carolina. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Key Facts
Eclipses can occur because the sun is roughly 400 times larger than the moon, but 400 times farther away.
Outside an eclipse season, eclipses cannot occur because the moon passes either above or below the precise alignment needed with Earth and the sun.
The moon’s orbital path around Earth is slightly tilted with respect to the ecliptic — the path of the sun through our sky. That means the moon must cross the ecliptic twice each orbit. If the sun is at one of those crossing points, an eclipse occurs.
From July 27 through Aug. 31, the sun lies close enough to one of the points where the sun and moon’s path through the sky cross. This is an eclipse season, which occurs approximately every 173 days and typically lasts between 34 and 38 days.
The season’s headline event is the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, when a new moon will move precisely across the sun along a narrow path crossing eastern Greenland, western Iceland and country-about-to-have-3-solar-eclipses-in-3-years/. A partial solar eclipse will also be visible across much of Europe, North Africa, the North Atlantic and parts of North America.
Just over two weeks later, on Aug. 27–28, the same eclipse season will produce a deep partial lunar eclipse, with 96% of the full moon entering Earth’s dark central shadow. Although the moon will not be totally eclipsed, about 96% of its surface will glow shades of copper and red, giving it the appearance of a near-“blood moon.”
When a full moon occurs during an eclipse season, the Moon travels through Earth's shadow, creating a lunar eclipse.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
What Is An Eclipse Season?
This week’s new moon is significant because it belongs to the same lunar cycle that will produce August’s total solar eclipse. Most new moons do not generate eclipses because the moon’s orbit is tilted by about five degrees relative to Earth’s orbit around the sun. Usually, a new moon appears slightly above or below the sun in our sky. Only during an eclipse season does the sun move close enough to one of the moon’s two orbital crossing points — known as the lunar nodes — for the Earth, moon and sun to line up closely enough to create eclipses. A new moon occurring near one node can produce a solar eclipse. Roughly two weeks later, a full moon passing the opposite node can produce a lunar eclipse.
Why Solar And Lunar Eclipses Come In Pairs
Once an eclipse season begins, two eclipses almost always follow — and sometimes three. The first arrives on Aug. 12, when a total solar eclipse will briefly plunge parts of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain into daytime darkness. Along the path of totality, observers will see the sun’s corona shining around the silhouetted moon — an experience widely regarded as one of nature’s greatest spectacles. On Aug. 12, totality will last for up to 2 minutes 18 seconds. It’s the first total solar eclipse since April 8, 2024, when one occurred across North America. The same orbital alignment then produces a lunar eclipse about two weeks later, when Earth passes directly between the sun and the full moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface. Occasionally, eclipse seasons can produce three eclipses, but most feature one solar and one lunar eclipse. In Early January 2028, a partial lunar eclipse will be followed by an annular solar eclipse and then another partial lunar eclipse, according to TimeAndDate.com.
A partial lunar eclipse near Coit Tower in San Francisco, California before dawn on January 31, 2018. (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
August’s Overlooked Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse
Most of the attention so far has been around Aug. 12’s total solar eclipse, but in its wake comes a landmark lunar eclipse. During the night of Aug. 27-28, just over 96% of the full Sturgeon Moon will pass into Earth’s umbral shadow, leaving only a thin crescent in direct sunlight. The remainder of the moon will glow shades of orange, copper and deep red as sunlight is filtered through Earth’s atmosphere. Although technically not a total lunar eclipse, it will closely resemble a classic “blood moon” and is expected to be the most impressive lunar eclipse visible worldwide until the total lunar eclipse of Dec. 31, 2028. It will be visible across North America, South America, Europe and Africa, with the Americas enjoying the best conditions as the entire event unfolds during the night when the moon is high in the night sky. The partial phase will take about 3 hours and 27 minutes.
Further Reading
ForbesYour Ultimate Travel Guide To The 2026 Total Solar EclipseBy Jamie Carter
Forbes50 Days To A Total Solar Eclipse — Where And When To Experience ItBy Jamie CarterForbesWhy Americans Cannot Ignore August’s Total Solar EclipseBy Jamie CarterForbesTuesday’s New Moon Sets Up A Total Solar Eclipse In 29 DaysBy Jamie CarterForbesMeet The World Cup Country About To Have 3 Spectacular Solar Eclipses In 3 YearsBy Jamie CarterForbesNASA Drops Map Of Next Total Solar Eclipse — And It Visits The U.S.By Jamie Carter %!s()
"We all wanna do it. It's just a question of scheduling."
Eli Roth reveals why Thanksgiving 2 still hasn't happened
Image: Sony Pictures
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Eli Roth's Thanksgiving was never supposed to be an actual movie. Released as a fake trailer as part of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's 2007 anthology Grindhouse, Thanksgiving was one more schlocky homage right alongside Machete and Hobo With a Shotgun. But in 2023 (after those other two fake trailers had already become feature-length films of their own), Roth adapted the concept into a modern teen slasher about a killer disguised as an American pilgrim.
Thanksgiving was a hit, and a sequel was announced soon afterward. Three years later, we're still waiting, and in the meantime, Roth is releasing another original movie, Ice Cream Man, under his own production studio, The Horror Section.
So what's the latest on Thanksgiving 2? Is it still happening? And if so, when? Polygon had a chance to talk to Roth about Ice Cream Man (more from that conversation in another article soon) and he opened up about the difficulties of filming the sequel, along with his plan to make it happen.
"It's just really a question of trying to figure out how we can shoot this movie and scheduling everybody, because everybody's just so busy," Roth tells Polygon.
He's not exaggerating. Thanksgiving's young cast has only become more successful in the three years since its release.
Roth rattles off their accomplishments: "Jalen Thomas Brooks is on Off Campus. Nell Verlaque has her MGM Plus show, and she's on Overcompensating with Tomaso. Addison's on a world tour. Milo's filming a movie. Everybody's working. The cast is incredible. I'm so, so, so, so happy for them. Getting them all in a room is tough."
However, Roth has a plan, which starts with Jeff Rendell, who wrote 2023's Thanksgiving. The two have already pretty much finalized the script for Thanksgiving 2, so that part shouldn't take too long.
"I'm gonna sit down with Jeff Rendell after the release of Ice Cream Man," he says. "We're just gonna go through one last pass of the script. And then I'm gonna basically have the movie locked and loaded and figure out how we do this. We can't get everyone together again for four weeks the way we could last time, but how can I get everyone in the room for this scene and then split them up for that scene?"
In a perfect world, Roth would prefer to actually have the entire cast together for a month to shoot Thanksgiving 2, but that seems impossible, so he'll have to make do.
"I love them," he says. "They're my friends and we had a great time making it. We all wanna do it. It's just a question of scheduling."
Thanksgiving is streaming on Hulu and Disney Plus. Ice Cream Man releases in theaters on Aug. 7.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 16: LeBron James speaks onstage during the mind the game panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 16, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fanatics)
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Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fanatics
After accepting a significant paycut and family distance, LeBron James outlined clearly why he joined the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship,” James tweeted. “I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team.”
Of course, James believes he can. He already has won four NBA championships with three different franchises, including the Miami Heat (2012, 2013), Cleveland Cavaliers (2016) and Los Angeles Lakers (2020). He has climbed to No. 1 on the NBA’s all-time leading scoring list and No. 4 on the league’s all-time assist list. James unquestionably boosts the Sixers’ championship odds. But does he guarantee it?
Below are a few factors that will determine whether James can collect his fifth NBA title and become the first player in NBA history to win a league championship with four different teams.
How will James handle ball-handling duties with Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown?
All three players work best when they have the ball in their hands. So how can all three be at their best with only one ball?
No doubt, all three players will need to have reps to bring out the best in everyone. But all three players have already had experience playing secondary roles. Before he became an All-Star last season, Maxey deferred more to center Joel Embiid. Throughout his 10-year career with the Boston Celtics, Brown had to learn how to temper his isolation-heavy style of play so he could co-exist with Jayson Tatum. Last season, James excelled as the Lakers’ third option behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves as a screensetter, floor spacer and occasional facilitator.
All three might seem more inclined to make the other feel comfortable for a few reasons. Maxey has less tenure than James and Brown. After the Celtics surprisingly dealt Brown to the Sixers, he may want to prove that he cares more about team success than individual glory. By accepting a veteran’s minimum deal, James implicitly also accepts he will likely inherit a reduced role.
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These issues could become challenging to navigate amid external adversities, including overlapping injuries and losses, But it appears all three will bring out the best in each other, given their strong level of basketball intelligence, versatility and respect for each other.
USA's #11 Joel Embiid (L) and USA's #06 LeBron James react from the bench in the men's semifinal basketball match between USA and Serbia during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris on August 8, 2024. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Can James and Joel Embiid stay healthy?
It seems unlikely that James or Embiid will win the NBA’s Iron Man Award. In his 24th season, the 41-year-old James inevitably will experience Father Time’s unforgiving touch after playing a combined 60 games last season with issues involving sciatica and his left foot. Entering his 11th NBA season, Embiid has played in only a combined 96 regular-season games in the previous three seasons because of various knee and foot ailments. But with both taking their training seriously, James and Embiid can at least improve their odds with becoming more available consistently.
If that happens, Embiid and James could become unstoppable in various ways. Both players thrive with attacking the basket with their brute strength and methodical patience. Both have extended their range well enough to keep defenses honest and to operate out of the post. Both have excelled as great passers, which could help space the floor for the Sixers’ guards.
Can the Sixers shield James defensively?
Aside from James’ iconic chasedown block in the 2016 NBA Finals, his eventually Hall-of-Fame reel won’t include many defensive stops. That’s because he has mostly avoided that responsibility to conserve his workload during the second half of his career. The Lakers needed James to raise his defensive activity after dealing Anthony Davis for Dončić leading into the 2024 NBA trade deadline. But now? James should not need to worry as much.
Embiid has excelled as a rim protector. Brown and VJ Edgecombe have mostly been effective with limiting the opposing team’s top wing scorer. James will still need to stay organized defensively and call out coverage. But the Sixers have enough to allow James to worry more about his offensive role than his defensive limitations.
Can their talent overcome other team’s continuity?
Because of the Sixers’ elite talent, they are already considered a championship contender. But will that enough to unseat the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder?
All three present tough challenges because they all boast star talent, continuity and depth. The Thunder made cost-cutting moves this summer by dealing Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins in separate deals. But the Thunder still have their two main stars (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren) along with two-way wing depth (Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams). Spurs center Victor Wembanyama is considered the NBA”s next generational star because of he has become the NBA’s best defensive players and one of the league’s most versatile scorers. Although De’Aron Fox disappeared in the playoffs, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle will likely grow enough to supplant Fox’s role.
As for the Knicks? They lost a key center (Mitchell Robinson) to avoid second-apron penalties. But the Knicks mostly have their same championship roster with their star point guard (Jalen Brunson), star center (Karl-Anthony Towns) and valuable supporting cast (Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Jordan Clarkson).
Because of the Sixers’ durability issues, Oklahoma City, San Antonio or New York would likely beat them in a seven-game playoff series. But should the Sixers somehow stay healthy at the most pivotal moment, their talent and smarts could overcome the relative inexperience together. %!s()
Mayo's emotional All-Ireland triumph on Sunday brought a collective release to everyone associated with the county, but victory on Gaelic football's biggest day also provided Ryan O'Donoghue a measure of redemption.
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In the 2021 final, O'Donoghue missed a penalty that would have given Mayo the lead over Tyrone in the second half.
While O'Donoghue top-scored on the day with 0-8, Tyrone won the game, leaving the spot-kick failure - which came 12 months after the 2020 final loss to Dublin - to eat away at him for five years before he got another crack at the final.
And against Kerry on Sunday, the 27-year-old set the tone for a furious Mayo performance as he pressed and hassled the Kingdom defence from the first minute in a man of the match performance.
"The two main emotions are pride and relief," he told The GAA Social.
"After 2020 and 2021, if I'm being honest, I was never over 2021 until about a half-hour ago [at full-time on Sunday].
"Now I'm an All-Ireland champion, we're All-Ireland champions and I'm over it. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.
"There are a lot of things that have happened in the past couple of years on the pitch - 2020, 2021 and the Roscommon game [a 10-point loss in this year's Connacht semi-final]. I don't think today would have happened if we didn't go through those things."
O'Donoghue, who made his senior inter-county debut in 2020, had enjoyed a superb season for Andy Moran's side prior to Sunday's final.
But his indefatigable display - in which he scored 0-5 and launched the move that ended with Darragh Beirne's 40th-minute goal - has installed him as the frontrunner for the Footballer of the Year award (he would be the first Mayo winner since Moran in 2017).
It would be a remarkable achievement for a multi-talented sportsman, who fought in two All-Ireland boxing finals in his youth and played for the Republic of Ireland soccer team at underage level.
And like so many of his team-mates, Belmullet club-man O'Donoghue was able to savour the epic celebrations at Croke Park with his family, including his father Michael and County Down-born mother Brenda.
"What my mother and father have done for me since I was 11 years of age. Boxing, my dad used to leave at 4 o'clock in the morning to take me to Dublin to the National Stadium for Ireland training," explained O'Donoghue.
"Up and down the road to Castlebar when I was playing Kennedy Cup with Mayo, up and down the road, under-14, Minor. It's a long journey from Castlebar to Belmullet.
"My father worked two jobs. I was playing with Sligo Rovers 2014 to 2016. I didn't get paid, we had to pay our own diesel. There were bills to be paid and my father worked to get me up and down the road to Sligo.
"They've given me every opportunity, whether it's boxing, soccer or Gaelic. This is for them. That's the pride and the emotions in mum and dad. I'm so happy to have repaid them. There's been so many sacrifices. I'm so glad we've done it." %!s()
Image: Sony Pictures
