After appearing together in the box office success Mr. & Mrs. Smith, it was obvious for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to capitalize on their real-life romance. However, Jolie being a visionary star, revealed that she didn’t want to share the screen with her then-partner Pitt, in another romance drama. Perhaps, hoping to share the […]
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American actress and talk show host, Jada Pinkett Smith, has made an impact in every role she has taken on. She started her career in 1990 with an appearance in the TV show True Colors and later guest-starred on Doogie Howser, M.D., and 21 Jump Street. Smith made her film debut in 1993 with Menace […]
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Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man is credited with being one of the most iconic versions of the character, being influential in popularizing superhero cinema, and proving that the genre had the potential to make the kind of money that it is making right now. Maguire’s Spider-suit remains one of the most iconic superhero suits to come out […]
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ parties were once legends and now seem to be the center of all his alleged criminal activities. The disgraced rapper, who has been charged with s*x trafficking and racketeering reportedly possessed many video tapes involving celebrities in compromising positions in parties, which have been called ‘Freak Offs’. While many prominent Hollywood stars […]
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Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is one of the jewels of the manhwa world, which was first released as a webtoon series. Written by Sing-Shong and illustrated by Sleepy-C, this masterpiece reached millions of followers worldwide across many cultures. The story follows Dok-Ja, a bookworm who gets transported into his favorite novel, “Omniscient Reader”, and starts a […]
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What many don’t realize is that twenty one years ago, in 2003, we got a hidden gem that unofficially is the best Uncharted movie so far and it is called, The Rundown! Video game adaptations often get a skeptical eye, and unfortunately, the official Uncharted film didn’t do much to change that perception. This left […]
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Ryan Reynolds sure has changed the superhero genre with Deadpool but his run as Green Lantern will always remain a bit…um, questionable. While there are some DC fans who actually found the movie quite enjoyable, many simply want to cash in a favor over at HYDRA to erase the film from their memories. Which end […]
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A POPULAR women’s clothing store will be closing its doors, marking the end of an era after 27 years at the same location.
The Talbots store has been a fixture at The Summit shopping center in Birmingham, Alabama, since its opening in 1997.
A sign posted in-store confirmed the closure at the end of October, stating, “This location is closing, but this isn’t goodbye.”
It directs loyal customers to another location in Montgomery and encourages them to shop online.
The news was first shared on the Friends of HWY 280 Facebook page, where many long-time customers expressed their disappointment.
One person commented: “So terribly disappointed. This store served a huge community for such a long time… Sad day for women of the community.”
Another said, “I’m heartbroken. That location is a beautiful store. I often visit.”
Several customers voiced frustration, speculating that the closure is linked to the upcoming arrival of a Lululemon store at The Summit.
“So disappointed in The Summit for pushing this move for Lululemon. I guess money talks,” one post read.
The closure doesn’t mean the end for dedicated fans, as the store’s Montgomery location remains open, and shoppers can continue to buy online.
The Summit, meanwhile, has been busy with other new openings, including stores like American Eagle, Mizzen + Main, and Gorjana Jewelry.
Luxury brand BOSS is also set to open by the end of 2024.
With a raft of brick-and-mortar stores shuttering across the nation, retail experts say many chains are in financial strife due to increased borrowing costs and consumers tightening their wallets.
According to analysis by retail data provider CoreSight, there has been a 24% increase in store closures in 2024 alone.
Several retailers across the United States have undergone mass closures after bankruptcy filings this year.
Big Lots recently confirmed its Chapter 11 filing after weeks of speculation and detailed plans for around 545 store shutdowns.
LL Flooring will also close half of its over 400 locations after a quiet bankruptcy filing and revert to an old name under its new ownership.
Some clothing retailers also took similar actions.
Express filed for bankruptcy in April and confirmed nearly 100 locations would shutter for good.
Rue21 also submitted another bankruptcy filing after one in the early 2000s and confirmed it would shut down all of its remaining stores.
DUECE Jones-Drew is better than his NFL icon dad was at the age of 16 – and has high hopes of making it all the way.
The high school running back grew up idolizing his father Maurice Jones-Drew as he became one of the best players in Jacksonville Jaguars history.
Duece plays for the same De La Salle high school where his dad attended – and made an immediate impact on debut.
He missed his entire freshman year with a shoulder injury, but exploded for a 64-yard touchdown run to begin his sophomore season in August.
Earlier this month he played on the international stage as De Le Salle took on the UK-based NFL Academy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
The 16-year-old has blistering speed having ran the 100 meters in 10.8 seconds and is already attracting attention from colleges such as UCLA and Utah.
And the high school sophomore is on a trajectory to be even better than former NFL rushing leader dad Maurice was.
Speaking to The Sun about following in his dad’s footsteps, Duece said, “I would’ve played football anyway.
“I used to get football cards when I was young and spread them out and play with them.
“It’s always just been football, football, football.
“We have a long season ahead but definitely the NFL is the goal and so far it’s been pretty good.”
Duece has already dealt with the agony of injury after being forced into shoulder surgery.
“It definitely sucks being on the side lines just watching,” he admitted.
“I had surgery last year and was out the whole year the I came back and dislocated it again.
“But I got to see the game from a different perspective and that helped a lot.
“I was doing track in the off-season to help with my speed and feel like I’m doing good right now.”
Duece grew up in a football family and learned some valuable lessons from his dad.
MAURICE Jones-Drew shed tears of joy when his son scored a touchdown on debut for the same high school he went to.
“I definitely cried in the car,” Jones-Drew told The Sun.
“It was tears of joy more than anything.”
“I saw him get hurt, have surgery and go through the ups and downs.
“To see him go out there in the first game in high school and score a 60-yarder was pretty amazing.”
“I know how far hard work takes you,” the 16-year-old said.
“He’s not on me a lot about it but I saw what he did in the NFL and I know I need to translate it to my game.
“I have a different personality on the field than off the field.
“Off the field I’m a quiet person, but on the field I can let out a bit more.
“It’s always good to have a resource to get everything out.”
BILLIONAIRE investor Mark Cuban has warned that American communities will “die” if policymakers and business owners don’t act to prevent further closures of brick-and-mortar stores.
It comes amid growing concern over the nation’s so-called retail apocalypse, which has seen hundreds of store closures in recent years.
In an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, the Shark Tank judge and minority Dallas Mavericks owner said vulnerable people in communities across the country are being impacted by the closure of brick-and-mortar stores.
Calling it “a big problem to solve,” the entrepreneur said all levels of government should work with entrepreneurs to prevent a growing number of food and pharmaceutical deserts.
“If you just say, just let the market take care of it, we see what happens, communities die,” Cuban warned.
“And so we have to be open-minded. The way I look at it personally, there’s a problem to solve.
“The big question is, when it’s the only outlet for produce or food or pharmacy, or medical services, it becomes a question of, are you willing to let that community die? And who’s responsible for making those decisions?”
Cuban warned against a “laissez-faire” approach, arguing that an economic mindset is much more expensive in the long run.
“How do we get a hospital…how do we get a doctor there? I’m not opposed to bringing the government in and saying, you know what? It’s going to be a lot cheaper to bring in a service than to have people who aren’t getting healthcare, who get sicker and then have to be sent to a hospital 40 miles away,” he added.
The calls come amid ongoing public concern for the closure of brick-and-mortar stores across the country.
A number of major retailers are suffering as the sector grapples with changing consumer behavior, the rise of e-commerce, and inflationary pressures sparked by the pandemic.
With a raft of chains, including Walmart, winding back their retail footprint, experts say retailers are in financial strife due to increased borrowing costs and consumers tightening their wallets amid ongoing cost of living pressures.
According to analysis by retail data provider CoreSight, there has been a 24% increase in store closures in 2024 alone.
Amid growing concern over pharmacy deserts, CVS announced it had replaced CEO Karen Lync with company veteran David Joyner and withdrew its 2024 profit forecast amid growing investor pressure.
Earlier in the week the pharmacy giant said it was laying off nearly 3,000 employees, with the company struggling to drive higher profits and better stock performance.
A pharmacy tech in Ohio told USA Today she now had to drive 22 miles to Fort Wayne, Indiana in order to get her monthly prescriptions after the one pharmacy in town closed in Antwerp.
Customers are increasingly frustrated at the state of US pharmacies, with empty shelves, locked up products and long queues.
Satisfaction with brick and mortar pharmacies dropped 10 points in 2024 alone, according to a study by J.D. Power.
Department stores, including Macy’s, are closing about 150 underperforming stores, blaming competition from big box retailers and a shift to online shopping.
Discount retailer Big Lots has also announced the closure of more than 340 of its 1400 shops across the country after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September.
Shopping mall space has begun to shrink in two stages, first from 2009 to 2016, and then again during the pandemic.
Cuban branded the closure of retailers as “creative destruction” and said he believed consumers would always want access to both online and in-store shopping.
In economic theory, creative destruction is the process of innovations replacing existing ones, which can destroy industries, jobs, and companies.
Cuban said shoppers should not worry too much about their favorite stores closing, but seeing communities go without their favorite locations was “a problem.”
“People want to go shopping, they want that tactile experience, and that’s changed. Now people want a combination of both, so you may not get as many physical brick-and-mortar locations, but that doesn’t mean those large companies have to go out of business,” Cuban said.
“You see Walmart, their online business is growing, and maybe their brick and mortar business isn’t growing as quickly, but what matters is how things are happening together.”
But Cuban forecasted new businesses will crop up from the dust of empty retail stores, especially as the Federal Reserve continues to cut interest rates after they were high during the pandemic.
“Now with interest rates so high, landlords are trying to protect themselves even more,” Cuban said.
“I think once we get through high interest rates, you’ll see a lot more creativity in how those spaces are being used, and new types of businesses will pop up.”
Passionate about solving problems like pharmaceutical deserts, Cuban is investing his time and money into a new venture called Cost Plus Drugs.
Built on the idea that all Americans should have access to safe, affordable medicines even without insurance, the company aims to disrupt the drug industry and reduce the price of everyday medications.
The company works directly with drug manufacturers to bypass middlemen and lower prices.
It also transparently displays what it pays for medicine.
Through his pharmaceutical venture, Cuban said he has seen many small independent pharmacies go out of business, leaving “pharmacy deserts.”
While acknowledging it is a difficult problem to solve, Cuban said business people and local communities could collaborate to solve it.
“I don’t know that there is a quick fix, but it’s something we all have to pay attention to and I think working with entrepreneurs in communities hopefully can lead to a solution.”
