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Can a cover song be better than the original version? Absolutely! Here are 6 of the all-time best

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:02 GMT

George Varga | The San Diego Union-TribuneWhat’s the difference between a great cover song and a banal cover song that brings little or nothing to the table?One is like tasting a delicious, unexpectedly creative version of your favorite dish — a new take on a tried-and-true treat that thrills with its skill, vision and ingenuity. The other is like being force-fed a bowl of pudding made out of lard and skim milk.Sometimes, the most memorable cover songs remain reverent to the original version, at least in terms of their musical arrangements. What elevates them is a transcendent performance that brings new depth, drama or nuance to the work at hand.For some young artists, a great cover song can ignite their careers and become their signature number — be it Sinead O’Connor’s version of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” or Joan Jett’s version of The Arrows’ “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.”In other instances, an imaginatively d...

Groton native Malcolm Fry to make the jump to MLS with Revolution

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:02 GMT

The New England Revolution’s Homegrown Player program has developed another teenage MLS-ready athlete.The Revolution on Wednesday signed Revolution II forward Malcolm Fry as a Homegrown Player with the first team starting next season through the 2026 with a club option for 2027. Fry, 18, is an attacking forward from Groton, Mass., who became the 13th Homegrown Player overall and eighth to ascend from Revolution II to the parent team roster.Fry made 37 appearances with Revolution II in MLS Next Pro and recorded six goals with three assists since signing his first contract on Oct. 28, 2022. If Fry can transition onto the Revolution’s 2024 roster, he will join Revolution II alumni Noel Buck, Esmir Bajraktarevic, Jack Panayotou, Justin Rennicks and Damian Rivera.“Malcolm has excelled at every level of our pro player pathway and his consistently strong performance with our second team put him in the position to make the next step in his career,” said Revolution Technical Director Curt On...

Hulu’s new LGBTQ+ ghost-hunting show investigates haunted US landmarks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:02 GMT

Abigail Gruskin | Baltimore Sun (TNS)When Baltimore native Juju Bae finally submitted an application to star in a new ghost-hunting docuseries on Hulu, after weeks of mulling over the casting call, she took an extra step: She consulted her dead relatives.“I was like, ‘Ancestors’ — because I talk to my ancestors all the time, I talk to dead people all the time — I was like, ‘Ancestors, if this is for me, make it easy,’” said Bae, a 31-year-old spiritualist born in Beechfield, who now lives near Patterson Park and works as a psychic.A few minutes after her plea to those who have crossed over into a different realm, someone from the show’s casting team called Bae to express interest in having her audition, she said.“Living for the Dead,” Hulu’s new series narrated by actor Kristen Stewart, who also served as an executive producer of the show, puts an LGBTQ+ spin on the supernatural and follows five queer ghost hunters as they investigate haunted landmarks across the country. Bae joined...

Investigation into deadly South Bay shooting continues

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:02 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- One person is dead and another person was wounded Tuesday in a shooting in Chula Vista, authorities said. Around 6:33 p.m., SkyFOX was over Palomar Street and Broadway where a large police presence could be seen shutting down multiple roads.Witnesses told FOX 5 the shooting occurred at a mobile home park nearby, prompting the two shooting victims to drive off in a white Jeep. San Diego takes top spot in ranking of most expensive places to live in U.S. The two victims, both males, were traveling along Palomar Street and Broadway, when they flagged down a cop that was driving in the area, the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) watch commander told FOX 5. That's where authorities found the Jeep driver and passenger with gunshot wound injuries.Both were taken to the hospital, where the passenger died, per CVPD. The driver did survive their injuries. The victims are in their late teens or early 20s, according to police.Homicide detectives are investigating the ...

“They burned her:” At the end of an awful wait for news comes word that a feared hostage is dead

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:02 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Because of the fracture in her right leg, Karin Journo had talked herself out of going to the Tribe of Nova music festival and sold her ticket. But a week before Hamas militants turned the party into a killing ground, she bought another.The 24-year-old French-Israeli airport worker who loved to travel had learned that a bunch of her friends were going to celebrate the departure of one of them to the United States. She didn’t want to miss out.Before heading out to dance the night away, she snapped a photo of herself in her party gear — black shorts and black halter top for a joyous night of electronic music in a dusty field. She’d left her long dark hair untied and painted her nails bright red. She was clearly excited, giving a V-sign in her selfie. And dance she did: Video shot that night showed her waving her arms to the thumping beats, though she was rooted to the spot by the gray protective boot that encased her right foot and calf all the way up to her k...

Florida Democrat Mucarsel-Powell gets clearer path to challenge US Sen. Rick Scott in 2024

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:02 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s path to the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida became clearer Wednesday when her main primary opponent dropped out of the race to seek a U.S. House seat. Phil Ehr, a retired Navy commander who left the Republican Party in 2017, appeared with Mucarsel-Powell in Miami to announce he will drop out of the Senate primary and instead challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a move embraced by the state Democratic Party.Mucarsel-Powell served one term in Congress before losing to Gimenez in 2020.So far, the Senate race has been overshadowed by the attention focused on Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign for president, similar to 2022, when Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings failed bid to unseat Republican Sen. Marco Rubio took a backseat to DeSantis’ reelection.Ehr has twice tried to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz in one of the state’s most co...

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario votes in favour of strike action

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:02 GMT

An overwhelming majority of public elementary teachers in Ontario have voted in favor of strike action.The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) members voted 95 cent in favour of a strike if necessary.“This strong strike mandate sends a very clear message to the government,” ETFO President Karen Brown said in a release.“Our members have been working for over a year without a contract, and their patience has run out. We need the government to stop stalling and start negotiating seriously on our members’ key priorities, like providing more supports for students with special needs, acknowledging the staffing crisis in education, putting a fair compensation offer on the table, and addressing violence in schools.” Related: ‘Frustratingly slow:’ teachers’ union without a contract weighs in on negotiations ‘Patience has run out’: Ontario elementary teachers to hold strike votes ...

SEC coaches are more accepting of youthful mistakes amid roster engagement in the portal era

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:02 GMT

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Billy Napier didn’t want to risk keeping receiver Eugene Wilson on the bench.A four-star recruit from nearby Tampa and the shiftiest player on the Gators’ roster, Napier had seen enough of Wilson during fall camp to realize the true freshman could help right away.So Napier and his staff summoned Wilson to the field for an early punt return in Florida’s opener at then-No. 7 Utah. What happened next was a strange and costly error: Wilson forgot to switch jerseys and was penalized for wearing the same number as defensive teammate Jason Marshall. Utah retained possession and scored a few plays later, a significant swing in a 24-11 victory.It’s the kind of youthful mistake Southeastern Conference coaches are enduring on a regular basis in hopes of keeping newcomers involved and out of the transfer portal.“The more players that you can keep engaged the better,” Napier said.The SEC agreed and increased travel rosters from 70 to 74 players for league g...

As Canada evacuates citizens in Israel, some Israeli-Canadians don’t want to leave

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:02 GMT

MONTREAL — As Shawna Goodman-Sone spoke to a reporter from a suburb of Tel-Aviv Wednesday, she had to end the call abruptly and seek refuge in her home’s safe room as an air raid warning went off.Before fleeing into the reinforced room, she spoke about moving to Israel from Montreal nine years ago — and why she has decided to stay in the country despite the war with Hamas.“We’re taking a leap of faith that this is where we belong,” Goodman-Sone said. “This is where we chose to live, this is where our home is, our community, our friends, and all of our friends’ kids are serving in the army. I’m so grateful we made this decision.”Global Affairs Canada estimates that roughly 35,000 Canadian citizens live in Israel, which allows people with at least one Jewish grandparent, and their spouses, to quickly obtain citizenship. Since Israel declared war on Hamas on Sunday, more than 1,300 Canadians have left the country on military flights organ...

Hundreds mourn as Israeli family of 5 that was slain together is laid to rest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:07:02 GMT

GAN YAVNE, Israel (AP) — An Israeli family of five whose bodies were discovered in each other’s arms after being killed by Hamas militants were buried together in a funeral attended by hundreds of mourners.Family and friends bid farewell Tuesday to the Kotz family — a couple and their three children who were gunned down in their home at kibbutz Kfar Azza during the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion of southern Israel. They were buried side by side in a graveyard 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Jerusalem.Aviv and Livnat Kotz, their daughter, Rotem, and sons, Yonatan and Yiftach, were found dead on a bed embracing each other, a family member said.The family had moved to Israel from Boston and built the home four years ago at the kibbutz where Aviv had grown up, his wife’s sister, Adi Levy Salma, told the Israeli news outlet Ynet.“We told her it’s dangerous, but she did not want to move away, as it was her home for life,” Levy Salma said.With Israel simultaneously in a state of war and mour...