Mort Sahl Remembered by Richard Lewis, Laraine Newman and More: ‘Most Influential Standup Comic in History’

EXCLUSIVE: Copenhagen-based REinvent International Sales has closed two significant deals on Omerta 6/12, a Finnish action thriller.

A man has been charged after a four-car smash on a Scots road that left a motorcyclist seriously injured in hospital.

A fundraising drive has been launched to install a life-saving defibrillator at an East Kilbride community centre.

James Penrice’s most vivid Scottish Cup memory was sitting in the stands at Hampden as a Hibs youngster watching Hearts smash five past the Easter Road side and stroll their way to a memorable cup final triumph.

Adele has opened up about her decision to cancel her Las Vegas residency performances at the last minute.The Make You Feel My Love star, 33, admitted she has regrets over pulling the plug on the performances, which were due to take place at Caesars Palace, at the eleventh hour. Brit Award winning star Adele, who recently surprised fans as she pole danced at a nightclub, said she "wasn't ready" as she opened up on the Graham Norton Show.

Olivia Bowen has revealed that she is already planning a second pregnancy as she and husband Alex would like to have two children close together in age. On New Year’s Day, Olivia, 28, and Alex, 30, shared the exciting news that they’re expecting the first child and have since been documenting their pregnancy journey on social media. The Love Island duo met on the hit ITV2 show and went on to say their ‘I dos’ in September 2018.

Manchester City will be looking to extend their winning run in all competitions to three matches when they face relegation-threatened Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday teatime.

A boy aged 16 has been charged with sexual assault after a woman was attacked in Fallowfield, police said today (February 12).

Manchester United are back in Premier League action on Saturday when they host Southampton in the Premier League.

Manchester United players arrived at The Lowry Hotel before their Premier League game vs Southampton on Friday night.

Mary J. Blige has shared her thoughts on not being paid to perform at this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.The Queen of hip-hop soul is set to perform alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar during this Sunday’s (February 13) NFL showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and L.A.

drill videos from social media, likening the music to Donald Trump tweets.In a press conference yesterday (February 11), Adams said he was sent a number of drill videos by his son, which he called “alarming,” adding: “We pulled Trump off Twitter because of what he was spewing. Yet we are allowing music, displaying of guns, violence, we’re allowing it to stay on these sites.”Adams said: “We are going to pull together the social media companies, and state that you have a civic and corporate responsibility.”The Mayor then specifically attached blame to drill music for a rise in violent crime in New York, saying: “We are alarmed by the use of social media to really overproliferate the use of violence in our communities… this is contributing to the violence we are seeing all over this country.

Elton John has congratulated an Olympic figure skater whose gold-winning routine was backed by a medley of the legendary singer’s greatest hits.During the men’s singles figure skating competition in Beijing on Thursday (February 10), US skater Nathan Chen danced across the ice to the songs ‘Rocket Man’ and ‘Bennie And The Jets’.After impressing judges with five jet-fueled quadruple jumps and a series of gyroscope-like spins, the 22-year-old, three-time world champion wound up taking home the gold that eluded him at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, validating his status as the world’s best male figure skater.“I never thought I would actually be able to make this happen,” Chen said of his win (via The New York Times). “It’s hard.

Alexander 23 has shared a brand new single, ‘Hate Me If It Helps’, co-written by Olivia Rodrigo.The sprawling indie-pop cut marks the return of the Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer (real name Alexander Glantz) following the release of his 2021 EP, ‘Oh No, Not Again!’.Happy to be labelled a “bad guy” post-breakup in order for an ex to get closure, the song’s chorus hears Alexander sing: “You can hate me if it helps/ Make me out to be the villain/ Say you’re better by yourself/ So it feels like your decision/ You can tell ’em I’m the bad guy if it helps you sleep okay/ Because all you want is closure, but there’s nothing left to say/ So you can hate me if it helps/ You can hate me if it helps.”Co-written with Rodrigo – who Alexander worked with on her chart-topping hit ‘Good 4 U’ – it arrives with a beautifully shot, self-directed video. You can watch it below.This year looks set to be a big one for Alexander, whose yet-to-be-titled debut album is scheduled to arrive sometime in 2022, produced by Dan Nigro.He’s also about to head out on tour with John Mayer as support on the singer-songwriter’s ‘Sob Rock’ tour, which kicks off on February 17 in Albany, New York, and ends in Chicago, Illinois, on April 29. Yebba will also offer support.Meanwhile, John Mayer‘s first solo gig in two years was briefly interrupted this week when he was alerted to an audience member in need of medical attention.On Wednesday night (February 9), the ‘New Light’ hitmaker took to the stage at the Hollywood Palladium as part of SiriusXM and Pandora’s ‘Small Stages’ series.

Police patrols were stepped up in Falkirk town centre, including officers on horseback, as they dealt with "a number of incidents" on Friday night.

Dr. Jennifer Ashton shared an emotional post on Friday as she marked the fifth anniversary of the death of her late ex-husband, Robert Ashton. The popular TV doctor left fans saddened as she updated them with a throwback photo of her family, including the two children, Alex and Chloe, she shared with Robert. MORE: Dr.

Steven Kotler Editor’s Note: On Nov. 14, 2005, Variety published the following interview with Mort Sahl.

Mort Sahl was a stand-up comedian who pioneered a conversational style of comedy that influenced generations of comics.When Sahl began doing stand-up in the early 1950s, comedy was still evolving from its vaudeville roots, and nobody was doing quite what he’d do when he first stepped on a stage. Carrying a newspaper under one arm, Sahl offered a rapid-fire, conversational patter that sounded utterly natural and unscripted (and it often was – Sahl frequently improvised).

has died. He was 94.Sahl died at his home in Mill Valley, California, on Tuesday, the reports.Sahl is widely regarded as one of the originators of modern stand-up comedy, and influenced many generations of comedy icons with his politically charged social commentary that took aim at government and authority figures.Numerous comedy titans — including George Carlin, Lenny Bruce and many others -- were inspired by Sahl to get behind a mic, and credit him with motivating and shaping their own styles of comedy.Sahl also broke ground when it came to live events and recordings.

New York Times that he passed away on Tuesday at his home in Mill Valley, California.The comic was known for his biting and cutting edge humor well into the 1950s and ’60s.Sahl’s trademark look involved V-neck sweaters and rolled-up newspapers. He was also known for hosting nationally televised ceremonies such as the Grammys and the Academy Awards.

New York Times.The inaugural host of awards shows including the Grammys and the Academy Awards, Sahl is credited for creating the first comedy album in 1955 with his album “Mort Sahl at Sunset.” He won raves for his one-man shows and standup performances well into his later years.More to come…

Rick Schultz Mort Sahl, a trailblazing political satirist whose biting wit and uncompromising intellect broadened the world of conventional standup comedy, died Tuesday in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 94.The New York Times confirmed his death with his friend, Lucy Mercer.In 1953, when Sahl first appeared at the Hungry i, a San Francisco folk singer’s hangout, he was an unknown with little stage experience.

Mort Sahl, the acerbic 1950s comic whose pioneering style paved the way for such boundary-breaking comedians such as Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce and George Carlin has died. He was 94.