Supercars: Ford’s Scott McLaughlin leads from start to finish in Perth SCOTT McLaughlin’s road to redemption continued on Saturday with the DJR Team Penske pilot blitzing the field to claim a Perth victory. In the year’s most dominate performance, McLaughlin flogged the field by more than five seconds at Barbagallo Raceway to make it three race wins in a row. Leading from start to finish in his Ford, the heartbreak of losing last year’s title in a nightmare Newcastle finale continued to fade with McLaughlin extending his championship lead to 119 points. “That is three in a row now,’’ McLaughlin said. “That was a good win and very nice for our championship. It was nice to know we had the tyre pace to gap them and I will take it because they don’t come along too often.’’ McLaughlin set up the win by blasting a 54.63 to steal pole position from Ford’s Cameron Waters with last-ditch flyer. Forced to strap on a fresh rubber and go out for a second run after Waters surprised the big guns by going quickest, McLaughlin made it three qualifying wins in a row by knocking off the fellow Ford with his second attempt. Fabian Coulthard gave DJR Team Penske a double chance by qualifying in third. McLaughlin was hard on himself after having to use a second set of tyres. “I absolutely made a meal of it,” McLaughlin said. “I didn’t give myself a big enough kick up the backside after practice, I need to go back and look at it. “I’m a bit annoyed with myself. I feel like I could have done that one the first set, but anyway, it’s good for the team, we’re third and first.” There were no mistakes on the start line for McLaughlin with the man of the moment flawless as he powered his way to turn one. “I was a bit worried a bit for a while,’’ McLaughlin said. “When I came out of the pitstop there were cars everywhere. They were battling away and it got a bit hairy for a while. We got a good start and I trucked on. At the start we wanted to gap them a little bit and we found we had a very good car. They attacked and tried to undercut us but we stayed out and I knew I would get there in the end.’’ Mark Winterbottom followed McLaughlin home to make it a Ford one-two and break a podium drought for Tickford Racing. “That is the first podium for the team this year,’’ Winterbottom said. “And it is a nice feeling to get it. We had a really good car then and it is great considering where we have been. I wasn’t driving any different today and it is down to the hard work the team has done. I really appreciate all the effort and to get back on the podium is fantastic.’’ Reigning champion Whincup was forced to fight from the back after failing to qualify in the top-ten in a rare miss for Red Bull. The record breaker worked his way back into the battle with an early stop strategic play sending him to third. But Whincup was slapped down by a penalty for turning Chaz Mostert and finished 11th to continue his poor run. Fellow Red Bull Holden Racing driver Shane van Gisbergen fought his way to third after following Whincup with his own qualifying fail. “We missed it in qualifying,’’ van Gisbergen said. “But that is OK. It was awesome to come through in the end.’’

Whincup does not believe Dave Reynolds has shown enough to be a title threat DAVE Reynolds’ giant-killing start to the season is not enough to make him a crown-contending Supercars heavyweight, V8 immortal Jamie Whincup believes. Whincup said competition leader Scott McLaughlin was still his biggest rival despite trailing Reynolds by 82 points in the drivers’ championship. Holden’s man of the moment and fan favourite is in great form after bagging a Phillip Island double podium and looking to build on his shock season start heading into Saturday’s Perth SuperSprint. “It is very difficult to be a contender,’’ Whincup said. “I don’t think (Reynolds) is there yet. “It is a real tough one, too, because he is a real good guy so I hope he is there at the end. “But I can’t see anything at the moment to guarantee he will be.’’ Reynolds has emerged as this year’s dark horse, with the driver best known for throwing flowerpots and drinking out of his shoe scoring three podium finishes to trail only DJT Team Penske driver McLaughlin on the championship ladder. Self described as an “odd ball’’, Reynolds has been known to fall asleep on the grid while waiting for race starts. And Whincup refused to say whether his opinion had anything to do with Reynolds’ perceived lack of mental strength. “I am not sure (if he has the mental strength to win the championship),’’ Whincup said. “I can’t answer that one. That is up to Dave. “But certainly they have shown good consistent pace to this point.’’ Whincup is vying to win an unprecedented eighth title after he continued his record championship streak by beating McLaughlin to the crown last year in an epic finale in Newcastle. The Red Bull Holden Racing driver lost the championship lead last round when he went from first to fifth in a Phillip Island disappointment. “We have had two poor rounds and two good rounds,’’ Whincup said. “And we are currently fifth in the championship. “It hasn’t been the greatest start but then again neither was last year. The big positive is that we have had some pace in the car and that is what it is all about.’’ Whincup said McLaughlin was winning this year’s war after his Ford dominated the field to record a Phillip Island clean sweep. “The championship is about consistency and being there,’’ Whincup said. “And car No. 17 has been the most consistent. Scott can claim the win so far and I can’t make any statements being back in fifth. “We are confident we will be there at the end of the year. We just have to keep on improving the car.’’ Fighting with the all-new ZB Commodore, Whincup is confident of resuming a top-of-the-table war with Ford. “It is such a long year and that can change,’’ Whincup said. “There is so much water to run under the bridge. It is about being in contention when it counts. “We are still in contention and we will just go through the rollercoaster of what is the championship.’’

Lachlan King follows in his father’s footsteps with Flemington winner LIKE Jordan Childs, Lachlan King understands what it is to exist in the shadows of a high achiever. Childs, son of Greg, already has a Group 1 scalp. King, whose Melbourne Cup-winning father Steven was also a highly accomplished rider, is yet to scale those giddy heights. But his journey has started, accelerating significantly on Saturday with his first Flemington winner aboard Sherlock Holmes. The ownership connection is irresistible. Lloyd Williams raced Zone, who provided Steven King with his first winner at Sandown in 1988. The leviathan owner also has an interest in Sherlock Holmes, whose victory in the $120,000 Living Legend Efficient Handicap — a race named after Williams’ 2007 Melbourne Cup winner — was more than a milestone. “Mr Williams actually said to me prior to the race that Dad got his first winner in these colours,” King, 19, said. “I’ve only been riding in town a short period, so to get a chance like this and obviously be able to repay the faith in these colours is an excellent way to kick it off. “I really appreciate the ride. The whole Williams family, Liam (Howley, trainer) and the whole team up at Macedon Lodge and Dad’s really helped. We talked through the form pretty intensely last night.” King cajoled Sherlock Holmes to an overdue victory, the import having tasted defeat at his previous two starts as favourite. The 2800m race was disrupted early when Sin To Win unseated rider Cory Parish — who was hospitalised with lower back pain — and raced on towards the head of the field. Undaunted, King maintained impressive composure to pilot Sherlock Holmes ($4.80) home ahead of Charlevoix ($9) and Sly Romance ($31). “I was very confident coming to the bend,” King said. “Liam actually rang me during the week and said, ‘Just make sure that last furlong is your best’ and he was just travelling too well.” Part-owner, Williams’ son Nick Williams, praised King’s handling. “He couldn’t have ridden it any better,” he said. “It was a very messy race with the loose horse there. It was great to see a King riding a winner at Flemington.” Chief steward Terry Bailey said officials were ready to direct the remaining runners around Parish if he could not be moved from the track, near the 300m mark. “I had my finger on the button ready to call it off,” Bailey said. * SYNDICATOR Darren Dance is becoming something of a fixture at the Werribee quarantine centre while running the rule over various imports. Having chanced desperately close to Melbourne Cup glory with ill-fated Heartbreak City, Dance notched a significant milestone when Crack The Code claimed the $100,000 Graham Salisbury Plate (1100m). Crack The Code is the first horse to sport Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock’s vivid yellow colours for Mick Price. SUNDAY FIX IN A NUTSHELL THE Darren Weir juggernaut rolled on at Flemington with the premier trainer taking honours with Lipstick Lover, Land Of Plenty and Iconoclasm. The treble followed another dominant Warrnambool carnival and, most poignantly, Group 1 success with Harry Coffey and Sopressa in the Australasian Oaks at Morphettville. Weir undoubtedly will be a factor again in Adelaide next Saturday for the SA Derby. James Cummings also chimed in at Flemington with a double through Barbeque and Tarquin. ■ THE Living Legends race day might not have had Headquarters heaving at the seams, but it was a reminder of what makes racing irresistible. Rising talent, enduring professionals and emotional owners helped pay homage to a raft of racing’s great contributors. The Victoria Racing Club’s admirable initiative recognised the champion equine athletes and also a cluster of revered industry participants. Chief among them was ailing Graham Salisbury, whose community service with Subzero has helped project the sport out of its traditional heartland. Others to be acknowledged were John ‘Patto’ Patterson, Mick Mallyon, Midge Didham, Tommy Hughes and Akke van Den Dolder. DID YOU SEE/HEAR? VICTORIAN Civil and Administrative Tribunal president Greg Garde has ordered Racing Victoria and trainers Danny O’Brien and Mark Kavanagh to bear their own costs in the latest chapter of the long-running cobalt saga. Justice Garde ruled “there was nothing done by RVL in the conduct of the proceedings that would merit an award of costs against it”. He also noted: “Nothing I say is intended to affect any civil claims that the applicants (O’Brien and Kavanagh) may have against (vet) Dr (Tom) Brennan or the Flemington Equine Clinic.” O’Brien on Saturday won the Living Legend John ”Patto“ Patterson Handicap with promising mare Another Bullseye. ■ WARRNAMBOOL’S hugely successful carnival is regularly associated with tales of betting coups. This year was no different, with claims a notorious racing figure, now based in Queensland, capitalised on the “strong mail” provided by an associate. BACK ME ARISTIA: Charged from the tail of the field to finish fourth behind Crack The Code, clocking 22.51sec over the last 400m. Will be even better over more ground. GALAXY RAIDER: Headed Another Bullseye and shaped to win before losing by the narrowest margin. Clocked the quickest sectionals in seven different categories from the 1400m. SOVEREIGN NATION: Steamed late. Not far off another win. BOOM TIME: Lumped 60kg, sat three wide and was only just nailed by a brilliant Dan Stackhouse ride on Tarquin. SACK ME ALOFT: Fred Kersley reported the import was travelling beautifully and then threw in the towel, prompting owner Nick Williams to declare: “He has a mind of his own.”

Robbie Fradd heads to Mauritius in winning form BEAUTIFULLY-BRED mare Anatola gave replacement rider Robbie Fradd the perfect farewell gift in staging a brilliant frontrunning performance to win Saturday’s Silk Stocking. Fradd announced on Saturday he has taken up a contract to ride in Mauritius, effective immediately. He leaves on Monday night and expects to ride on Saturday for his contracted trainer Gilbert Rousset. Offers for Fradd to return to Mauritius started after he had success at the international meeting last December. Initially the offers didn’t meet Fradd’s requirements, but they upped the ante in a bid to secure the South African. “Before the international meeting, it was 24 years ago that I was there,” he said. “That’s a bit scary isn’t it?” Fradd won a premiership during his previous stint in Mauritius. The contract will see him in Mauritius almost to the end of this year. Fradd was offered the Anatola ride after Josh Parr was injured at a midweek meeting in Sydney. Earlier, he was out of luck on Hollindale favourite Comin’ Through, but he still rated the Doncaster runner-up disappointing. HARRISON MAKES A DREAMS RETURN POPULAR jockey Tegan Harrison announced her comeback in style with an all-the-way win on Dreams Aplenty in the newly named Gold Coast Cup. Previously known as the Prime Minister’s Cup, the $100,000 feature was Harrison’s first stakes success since taking the Silk Stocking on Eloping on the same card two years ago. She broke her collarbone last December and spent longer on the sidelines than initially was planned, only returning to riding on April 11. “I broke my collarbone in four or five different places and had to have surgery on it to put it all back together,” she said. “The surgeon told me I would be out for three months and up to that point everyone else had said six weeks, so I just made the most of it. “The good thing is I gave it the time it needed. Since I came back it has not given me one issue. A common mistake is that we come back too early but I kept stressing to my surgeon I’m not in a rush to get back. I wanted to have no pain when I came back. “The first three weeks I couldn’t take any more than five rides. I had to ease back into it and I found that a bit difficult to get my fitness back. “I needed to have a few hit-outs in a row and I felt it was only this week I started to regain the fitness. I had a heap of trials on Tuesday and pulled up good after them.” Dreams Aplenty has won seven of his 20 starts and almost $400,000 in prizemoney for owner Evan Hartley. Trainer John Zielke is keen to get Dreams Aplenty back up over a mile and that’s why he hasn’t targeted any of the big winter sprints. BATTLE FOR THE BIKE KRIS Lees might have trouble extricating his prize for winning the Bat Out Of Hell from caretaker trainer Mel Eggleston. Lees’ Guard Of Honour proved too classy in the 900m scamper to beat Snoopy and Tiyatrolani, earning the trainer a new $30,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycle. On Friday Lees joked he might leave the bike with Eggleston should he win it and the Gold Coast trainer thought that was a good idea, even though Less had issued different instructions prior to Saturday’s race. “Kris said to just put the bike in the spare spot on the float next to the horse and send it home,” Eggleston said. “I’ve got an old Honda 90 at home with a puncture and a flat battery. So I might put that on the float and tell him that’s all they gave me and keep this one!” Perhaps Damian Browne could put his hand up for the bike. It was a masterly ride. He eased out of the speed battle from the gates, pinched ground on the inside, secured the run when he needed it and bided his time before pushing the ‘go’ button. INQUIRY DATE SET THE fate of trainer Mark Currie and two stablehands from the stable of his son Ben will be determined at a QRIC stewards’ inquiry on Friday. The three have been called to appear at the inquiry following an investigation that began on Weetwood day, April 7. Mark Currie has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges issued by stewards alleging race day treatment of horses on April 7 and also March 24. Integrity Commissioner Ross Barnett said analysis of CCTV footage seized from the Toowoomba stables is “now complete.” However, the inquiry into Ben Currie is ongoing. “As previously stated I expected this investigation to be a protracted one and almost a month out it is still ongoing. I anticipate it will continue on for several more weeks,” Barnett said. “The investigation is examining the involvement of any and all persons involved in race day treatment at those stables contrary to the rules of racing. “Trainer Ben Currie has appeared before an inquiry which has been adjourned and will resume once the results of ongoing investigations are known.” Meanwhile, Currie was hit with a $3000 fine by stewards last week for working horses at Clifford Park on Good Friday, when the track was closed. Currie pleaded not guilty before being found guilty. HOUTZEN SIZZLES LAST year’s Magic Millions winner Houtzen attracted glowing praise from Jeff Lloyd after a blistering exhibition gallop in between races at the Gold Coast. Official times from the gallop included a 31.65 last 600m and home her last 400m in 20.63 seconds ahead of the filly’s tilt on Saturday’s Group 1 Doomben 10,000. “It was the best she’s ever worked,” Lloyd said. “The blinkers were always a risk, but she switched off in them and concentrated. She was always going to run fast time with the wind behind her and only running a half mile (800m), so it’s just a matter of her doing it over 1200m. But she’s come back from Sydney in great order.” Lloyd is booked for the ride on Care To Think in the Doomben 10,000, with XXXX to ride Houtzen. WIGGINS ON A ROLL RYAN Wiggins had quite the 24 hours to kick-off the long weekend, maintaining a faultless record at three different venues. He landed a double at the Sunshine Coast on Friday from his two rides before making his way to the Gold Coast to team with Denbern in the opening event. He then hit the road again, this time to Ipswich, where he guided Wanna Blue home a winner for Peter and Will Hulbert. CHEAP THRILLS BOOMSARA gave her new ‘owners for a day’ a big thrill with his second in the Ken Russell Classic. Trainer Chris Munce has teamed with radio station Nova and UBET to bring the raceday experience to a new group of people. Nova has run a competition for people to get all the privileges of an owner — and the prizemoney sponsored by UBET — over the horse’s winter campaign, which will continue next in the BRC Sires and then the Group 1 JJ Atkins. “I was happy to be involved because it’s a great way to bring new people into the game and show them just exciting racing a horse can be,” Munce said. ON THE MONEY MARKET movers proved lethal early in the day at the Gold Coast, with Denbern and Tyzone monster market movers through Saturday morning and right up to their respective races. In the case of Tyzone, the move for him coincided with the alarming drift of Mr Marbellouz. The Kevin Kemp-trained runner was as short as $1.40 in some places on Saturday morning, but official prices opened him at $1.85 and the drift kept going all the way out to $2.35. Kemp told stewards Mr Marbellouz would now be spelled.

'Avengers: Infinity War' Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide in Record Time Disney and Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War continues its record pace, topping $450 million domestically in just nine days and the $1 billion mark worldwide in a record 11 days. Among the weekend's new wide releases, MGM and Lionsgate's Overboard remake delivered a solid debut in the runner-up position while Focus's Tully and Electric Entertainment's Bad Samaritan delivered disappointing debuts in the low single digits. With an estimated $112.4 million, Disney and Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War is once again the king of the weekend box office, topping its nearest competitor by nearly $100 million, and delivering the second largest second weekend ever. The film's domestic gross now stands at $450.8 million after just ten days in release, pacing behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens which reached that mark in just nine days. Internationally, Infinity War remained the #1 western release in every territory in which it has been released, posting an estimated $162.6 million from 54 overseas markets this weekend for a global weekend totaling $275.1 million, bringing the film's worldwide cume to a massive $1.16 billion. The lone new major market for Infinity War this weekend was the Thursday release in Russia where it set a new opening weekend record topping the previous best posted by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, delivering an estimated $17.6 million, already exceeding the lifetime cume of Captain America: Civil War in the market. South Korea continues to lead the way internationally where the film has brought in $69.1 million followed by the UK ($67.2m), Mexico ($48.7m), Brazil ($44.3m) and India ($35.7m). The film releases in China next weekend on May 11 where, using current exchange rates, Civil War debuted with $98 million, Avengers: Age of Ultron debuted with $84 million and Black Panther debuted with $66 million. Overall, Infinity War's 11 day run to $1 billion worldwide is the fastest of any film in history and the sixth Marvel title to reach that mark and 17th for Walt Disney Studios. A total of 34 films have crossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office, see the full list here. In second is MGM and Lionsgate's Pantelion Films's release of Overboard, a contemporary remake of the 1987 film starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. This time the roles were reversed with Anna Faris starring opposite Latin star Eugenio Derbez and the film brought in an estimated $14.75 million from just 1,623 locations. The performance is a bit behind Mojo's weekend forecast, but ahead of the studio's opening weekend expectations. The film received an "A-" CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences which were 61% female and 83% were over the age of 25. Paramount's A Quiet Place finished in third position as the hit horror continues its impressive run with an estimated $7.6 million this weekend for a domestic cume just shy of $160 million. Additionally, the film brought in an estimated $4.1 million internationally this weekend, bringing its worldwide cume to $255.3 million. Amy Schumer's I Feel Pretty finished in fourth with an estimated $4.9 million for a domestic cume that now totals $37.8 million. Rounding out the top five is Warner Bros. and New Line's Rampage with an estimated $4.6 million for a domestic cume that is now just shy of $85 million. Additionally, Rampage added $13.7 million internationally, bringing its global cume to $377.9 million with releases in Germany (May 10) and Japan (May 18) in the near future. Just outside the top five, Focus Features's release of Jason Reitman's Tully brought in an estimated $3.18 million from 1,353 theaters. The performance is right in the middle of industry expectations, but still something of a disappointment as the studio went with a wide opening weekend rather than use the film's positive reviews and go with a platform release, attempting to bank on word of mouth. The film played to audiences that were 60% female vs. 40% male with 67% of the audience coming in at 30 years of age or older. Behind Tully in seventh position is Disney and Marvel's Black Panther, which delivered a strong $3.1 million, pushing the film's domestic cume over $693 million, just $7 million shy of becoming only the third film to ever reach $700 million domestically. And rounding out the top ten is Electric Entertainment's release of Bad Samaritan, pulling in an estimated $1.76 million from 2,007 theaters for a disappointing $876 per theater average. While far from the worst opening average of all-time, it is the tenth worst for a film opening in 2,000 theaters or more as well as one of the ten worst openings ever for a film debuting in 2,000+ locations. Opening day audiences gave the film a "B-" CinemaScore. In limited release, Magnolia's RGB, a documentary on Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg from directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West, delivered an estimated $560,000 from 34 theaters ($16,471 PTA) and will expand to 150 locations this coming Friday and expand even further the following weekend, targeting 300 screens on May 18. Additionally, Sony's release of 102 Not Out opened with an estimated $480,000 ($4,706 PTA); Music Box's release of The Guardians debuted with an estimated $7,199 from one theater; and Super's Racer & the Jailbird opened in two theaters with an estimated $2,222. Next weekend is Mother's Day weekend and a pair of offerings should see solid business beginning with the release of Universal's Breaking In starring Gabrielle Union in ~2,500 locations and Melissa McCarthy's latest comedy Life of the Party, which Warner Bros. and New Line will debut in ~3,500 theaters.

Weekend Box Office: 'Avengers: Infinity War' Earns Heroic $112.5M in Second Outing 'Overboard' fares the best among a trio of new films with $14.8 million, while Charlize Theron's 'Tully' opens in 7th place; Ruth Bader Ginbsburg delivers justice at the specialty box office. Disney and Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War continued to dominate the early summer box office, earning $112.5 million domestically from 4,474 theaters to score the second-biggest sophomore outing in history as it jumped the $1 billion mark faster than any film in history globally. Overseas, the mega-superhero mashup grossed another $162.6 million for a foreign total of $713.3 million and $1.164 billion worldwide. Infinity War joined the billion-dollar club on Saturday, its 11th day in release. That bests the 12 days it took Force Awakens. Infinity War becomes the 34th movie to cross $1 billion at the global box office, not accounting for inflation. The Disney empire lays claim to 17 of those titles — or half. Force Awakens is the record holder for biggest second weekend ($149.2 million) in North America, while Infinity War nudged aside Black Panther ($111.7 million). Jurassic World ($106.6 million) and The Avengers ($103.1 million) follow. Infinity War fell 56 percent domestically, a respectable decline for a superhero tentpole. Marvel's Black Panther was an exception in falling just 45 percent. The first Avengers fell 50 percent, while Avengers: Age of Ultron fell 59 percent and Captain America: Civil War, declined 60 percent. The other major Hollywood studios continued to sit on the sidelines because of Infinity War. Instead, a trio of smaller films debuted, led by MGM's and Lionsgate's remake of Overboard. The romantic comedy, starring popular Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez and Anna Faris, grossed $14.8 million from 1,623 theaters to come in No. 2. It's the biggest opening to date for Lionsgate's Pantelion Films. The marketing campaign for Overboard, which earned an A- Cinemascore from audiences, included two distinctly trailers, inncluding one that was Spanish language. Last year, Derbez's How to Be a Latin Lover opened to $12.3 million on its way to a domestic total of $32.1 million. His credits also include Instructions Not Included (2013), the top-grossing Spanish-language film of all time in the U.S. ($44.5 million). Focus Features' new dramedy Tully, reuniting Charlize Theron with her Young Adult director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody, came in No. 7 with $3.2 million from 1,353 cinemas. Tully stars Theron as a mother of three, including a newborn, who forms a unique bond with a night nanny (Mackenzie Davis) gifted by her rich brother (Mark Duplass). The R-rated pic has sparked controversy in some quarters for its depiction of postpartum depression. The weekend's third new nationwide offering is Bad Samaritan, directed by Dean Devlin and marking the first wide release from Devlin's distribution venture, Electric Entertainment. The film, starring David Tennant as a low-level hustler caught up in a nefarious kidnapping plot, is pacing to open to $1 million to $2 million from 2,007 locations. New offerings at the specialty box office include Magnolia and Participant Media's documentary RBG, about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The doc placed No. 16 with $560,000 from 34 theaters for a per screen average of $16,471.

Ron Howard: ‘No Concrete Plans’ For Solo: A Star Wars Story Sequels Ron Howard says there aren’t any concrete plans for a Solo: A Star Wars Story sequels just yet. After a tumultuous shift in production from former co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller to Oscar-winning director Howard, fans are gearing up to weigh in on whether Solo flies high or misses the mark when it makes its long awaited debut in theaters later this month. While early word about the film has yet to surface, fans are no doubt excited for the prospects of the film; so much so that its advance ticket sales on Fandango are already outpacing Black Panther and it’s projected for a record-breaking $170 million opening. That’s definitely good news for Disney and Lucasfilm, considering that their last Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, while still a major hit, finished more than $300 million behind the domestic mark of The Force Awakens. Better yet, it seems to ensure that the quality of the film won’t seem to matter as much moviegoers, at least not for its opening day/weekend. However, the movie’s theatrical run will ultimately be determined by its quality and substantial word of mouth. One definite positive for the film came a couple weeks back when Alden Ehrenreich confirmed a three-picture deal to play Han Solo. It was a surprising development considering that the Star Wars anthology films were originally designed to be one-off films, a la Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, rather than film series of their own. Responding to the news about Ehrenreich’s deal, Howard implied in an interview with Fandango that no other pictures were set in stone, and Disney and Lucasfilm were taking a wait and see approach once the film finally hits theaters. He says: “I think the fans are going to define all of that. I mean I think that Lucasfilm and Disney in casting actors, and particularly younger actors, want to see what happens and build upon that. Certainly, they want the commitment from the young actors, but there are no concrete plans. I think there’s been a lot of creative energy and now marketing energy going behind this movie.” As for Solo: A Star Wars Story becoming more than a one-off adventure, Howard says: “I think these are exactly what they’re meant to be, or what they’re designed to be. They’re single movies exploring the galaxy; but of course, as a company, I think they’re going to be very interested to see how people respond to it and take it from there. This whole thing is kind of a cool, ambitious exploration of what the galaxy and the Star Wars sensibility can continue to mean to fans.” Even though multi-picture deals are standard in the business for franchise films (Felicity Jones even had a sequel option even though her character perishes in Rogue One), word of the deal on the surface seems to imply the studio’s confidence in Ehrenreich and his performance as the young scoundrel, an implication that bodes well for fans. But, truth be told, the deal in all likelihood was cut around the time Ehrenreich was cast, rather than in reaction to his performance after filming was completed. In reality, it all comes down to economics. For the sake of argument, if Ehrenreich only signed on for Solo and the film becomes a monster hit, that would give him the upper-hand when negotiating his fee for sequels. That’s not to say fees for additional films can’t be renegotiated, but by getting the actor to sign to a three-picture deal, it’s a way for studios to keep their costs in check. In other words, fans shouldn’t be reading too much into the deal as nothing more than a matter of sound business practices, rather than a guarantee of more Solo films. KEY RELEASE DATES Solo: A Star Wars Story release date: May 25, 2018 Star Wars 9 / Star Wars: Episode IX release date: Dec 20, 2019

Infinity War Directors ‘Briefly’ Considered Marvel TV Characters Avengers: Infinity War‘s directors share that they thought about using Marvel TV characters in the film, and explain why they eventually decided against it. Their third time helming a Marvel film and collaborating with Captain America trilogy scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, Joe and Anthony Russo were tasked to oversee the MCU’s most ambitious movie yet. The team pulled off the pressure-packed task, with the movie getting generally positive reviews, not to mention the enormous box office turn out. But even the Russos couldn’t be the ones to finally introduce the MCU’s small screen heroes onto the big screen. Speaking with Variety on the heels of the release of Infinity War, the Russo brothers talked about the rigorous process of crafting the story for the film and then executing what they came up with. One of the most interesting takeaways from the interview was Joe actually admitting that they contemplated using the Marvel TV players for a time, but ultimately abandoned the idea: “We made the briefest consideration of [including TV characters in ‘Infinity War’]. When we’re alone in a room with [screenwriters Christopher] Markus and [Stephen] McFeely, we consider every idea. We like thinking of everything. But it seemed like the story that had been told within the movies was so specific and elaborate already that once we started working through the story, we knew we had our hands full just with this set of characters and narratives.” While it’s a bit frustrating that up until now, Marvel’s memorable TV characters have failed to pop up in any of Marvel Studios’ films – despite taking place in the same universe – it’s at least nice knowing that the MCU’s creatives have been considering adding the small screen heroes to their big screen projects. Still, considering that Infinity War and its still-untitled sequel are being billed as the culmination of everything that has transpired in the franchise for the last 10 years, there really wouldn’t have been a better opportunity to finally introduce the Netflix and/or Agents of SHIELD players into the mix. With so many things that the twin Avengers sequels have to accomplish though, the Russos’ decision against it was probably for the best. That said, as MCU’s movie branch continues to neglect its small screen counterparts, the Marvel TV world will have to deal with the situation that Thanos’ arrival resulted in. ABC’s Agents of SHIELD is already tackling the premise of Avengers: Infinity War. As for the other street-level heroes over at Netflix, what they’ll do remains to be seen. Next on the streaming service’s docket is Luke Cage‘s second season which doesn’t seem like it’s going to address the situation. Daredevil season 3 doesn’t seem poised to either, given that it’ll adapt the Born Again storyline from the comics. While it’s possible to view these with the assumption that they all take place prior to Thanos’ arrival, at some point they’ll have to show how the Defenders operate after the snap – assuming they survived it. KEY RELEASE DATES Ant-Man & The Wasp release date: Jul 6, 2018 Captain Marvel release date: Mar 8, 2019 The Avengers 4 / Untitled Avengers Movie release date: May 3, 2019 Untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming Sequel release date: Jul 5, 2019

1 . like this post 2 . Reply this post for apply 3 . Give me +1 Positive Feedback after you received the invite

hi apply for waffles invite thank you

welcome

Jay-Z Receives Investigative Subpoena From SEC Jay-Z has been ordered by a federal judge to explain why he shouldn't be forced to testify in an ongoing investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The hip-hop mogul born Shawn Carter, who just announced plans for a six-part documentary series examining Meek Mill and flaws in the criminal justice system, has been issued an investigative subpoena. Jay-Z has wide-ranging business affairs, stretching from streaming service Tidal to sports management to brand endeavors, but the SEC is interested in his relationship with Iconix Brand Group, a public apparel company. According to a press release from the SEC (issued shortly after the original version of this story was published), the agency is investigating potential violations of federal securities laws related to the financial reporting of Iconix, which paid Jay-Z more than $200 million to acquire intangible assets associated with the Rocawear apparel brand. "We are aware that the SEC is seeking information on Iconix's financial reporting," says a representative for Jay-Z. "Mr. Carter had no role in that reporting or Iconix's other actions as a public company. Mr. Carter is a private citizen who should not be involved in this matter." Court documents list Jay-Z's attorney as Alexander Spiro, who is currently representing the artist in a legal dispute with Iconix over the $200 million deal. According to the SEC, a subpoena for the artist's testimony was originally issued on November 16. He was later sent a second subpoena but failed to appear and declined to provide dates for investigative testimony. "The application does not reflect a determination by the SEC or its staff that Carter has violated provisions of the federal securities laws at issue in the investigation," states a SEC press release. A U.S. District Court judge in New York has instructed Jay-Z to appear on May 8 at 3 p.m. to show cause why an order shouldn't be issued for his testimony. Pretty troubling for Hova... interesting...

Royce Da 5'9'' and Eminem Release Fiery New Single 'Caterpillar' Royce Da 5'9'' and Eminem Release Fiery New Single 'Caterpillar' Bad Meets Evil -- AKA Eminem and Royce Da 5’9’’ -- returned today (May 3) with “Caterpillar,” the latest single off of Royce’s upcoming seventh album Book of Ryan, which drops tomorrow (May 4). In the accompanying video, which is shrouded in a black and white hue, Royce and Em attack the boom-bap beat with furious intensity. “See there’s a difference between us, what I spit I hit arenas/You a drip from my penis, I eat lions and sip hyenas,” Royce spits in the opening verse as he bounces around a stoic Eminem. When Em’s time does come, he shines as bright as ever. “Don’t tell me when I’m supposed to rap until/Especially when your favorite rapper ain’t even half as ill, a savage still, the track’s a banana peel,” Shady spits in his scattered flow. A bonus track version of the song will also be included with the album, and will feature fellow lyricist Logic. “I just want the fans to hear my evolution as an artist as well as me as a man and learn from my mistakes,” Royce said in a statement. “I think they got a little bit of that with Layers, but Book of Ryan is me letting it all out.” Check out the full video below: Absolutely loving this. I've been waiting for the return of Bad Meets Evil (the duo of Royce da 5'9" & Eminem) for years ever since their debut album, "Hell: The Sequel". Also, Royce's new album "Book of Ryan" just leaked today!!

Desiigner Announces Debut Album 'LOD' on His 21st Birthday: 'Dropping at Midnight' Desiigner Announces Debut Album 'LOD' on His 21st Birthday: 'Dropping at Midnight' Desiigner -- born Sidney Royel Selby III -- turned the big 21 on Thursday (May 3), and he’s capping that off with the release of his debut studio release L.O.D. The "Panda" rapper took to Instagram to share the album’s artwork, which features a collage of family photos and a pic of a young Desiigner showing off his signature smile front and center. He captioned the photo by announcing that the project would drop at midnight on Friday (May 4), accompanied by fire and goat emojis. Back in November, the G.O.O.D Music signee tweeted that he had two albums in the works -- and it looks like first one is almost here. L.O.D follows the release of Desiigner's 2016 mixtape New English, as well as his recent collaboration with Diplo on the confessional track "Suicidal." Image: instagr.am/p/BiUjJT0Ba76/

Florence + the Machine Debuts 'Hunger,' Announces 'High As Hope' Album Florence + the Machine Debuts 'Hunger,' Announces 'High As Hope' Album Florence + the Machine will unveil their next album 'High As Hope' this summer. Florence + the Machine has dropped a new song “Hunger” today (May 4), along with the news that the band’s fourth studio album High As Hope will be released on June 29 (Republic Records). "This song is about the ways we look for love in things that are perhaps not love, and how attempts to feel less alone can sometimes isolate us more,” Florence Welch says of the new track. “I guess I made myself more vulnerable in this song to encourage connection, because perhaps a lot more of us feel this way than we are able to admit. Sometimes when you can’t say it, you can sing it.” Welch wrote, co-produced and recorded most of the new record in solitude, and the songs were finished in Los Angeles with co-producer Emile Haynie, according to a release. Kamasi Washington, Sampha, Tobias Jesso Jr, Kelsey Lu and Jamie xx are also featured collaborators. Florence + the Machine previously released the single “Sky Full of Song” on April 12. The band also announced they’ll play six intimate tour dates in the US and UK later this month, and will be opening for The Rolling Stones in London on May 25. Watch the video for “Hunger:”

J. Cole Makes Record Vault to No. 1 on Billboard Artist 100 Chart J. Cole Makes Record Vault to No. 1 on Billboard Artist 100 Chart The rapper roars 96-1, fueled by his new album, "KOD." Plus, Avicii re-enters at No. 4. J. Cole skyrockets from No. 96 to No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated May 5) to become the top musical act in the U.S. for a second total week. The surge is powered by his new album KOD, which launches atop the Billboard 200 with the biggest week of 2018 in overall units. KOD starts with 397,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music, marking the biggest week for an album since Taylor Swift's reputation bowed 1.238 million on the chart dated Dec. 2, 2017. The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay, streaming and social media fan interaction to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity. J. Cole's 96-1 flight is the biggest to the top in the four-year history of the Artist 100. Mumford & Sons previously held the record, having jumped 83-1 in May 2015. Further, J. Cole ties the mark for the largest overall upward movement on the Artist 100. The 1975 also soared 95 positions (100-5) in March 2016. J. Cole previously hit No. 1 on the Artist 100 in December 2016, when his last set, 4 Your Eyez Only, opened atop the Billboard 200. Late Swedish EDM pioneer Avicii re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 4, his highest placement on the tally (surpassing his prior No. 38 best). Following the first full tracking week after his death on April 20, the DJ's biggest Billboard chart hit, 2013's “Wake Me Up,” re-enters the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 34, while his debut studio album True re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 22. Also in the Artist 100's top five, Drake rises 3-2, Cardi B dips 2-3 and Imagine Dragons holds at No. 5. Among other Artist 100 moves, Ariana Grande re-enters at No. 6, her highest rank since January 2017, as her new single “No Tears Left to Cry” launches at No. 3 on the Hot 100. Grande spent two weeks atop the Artist 100 in 2014.

'Avengers: Infinity War' Poised for Second Weekend Domination as 'Overboard',' Tully' Disney and Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War will dominate yet again this weekend, and while it's unlikely it will have much of a shot at the largest second weekend ever, a shot at the second largest is well within reach as it pushes toward $450 million domestic and over $1 billion worldwide. In terms of new releases, there isn't anything hitting theaters that should cause the superhero film to lose audience, though look for Pantelion's Overboard remake to score a solid debut while Tully and Bad Samaritan should deliver openings in the low-to-mid single digits. Following Infinity War's $257.7 million debut, looking at the five previous $200+ million openers, the second weekend drops range from 39.8% for Star Wars: The Force Awakens to 67.5% for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In between, Black Panther dipped 44.7%, Jurassic World dropped 49% and The Avengers fell 50.3% in their sophomore sessions. To compare all six films side-by-side is difficult given the two Star Wars films played during the holiday season and Black Panther played over President's Day weekend. As such, Avengers and Jurassic World probably best mirror Infinity War's release path, which could be interpreted to say a second weekend drop around 50% should be expected this weekend. However, the sheer size of Infinity War's debut along with the lack of any real competition has to be taken into account, supporting both positives and negatives on either side of that 50% drop figure. To look at IMDb page view data following release, Infinity War trails only Force Awakens. This is the same scenario we saw prior to release and Infinity War smashed Force Awakens's previous opening weekend record. Currently, Black Panther holds the second largest sophomore frame with an impressive $111.7 million, ahead of Jurassic World's $106.5 million second weekend. All things considered, right now we're anticipating a drop right around 55% or so, and a $116 million three-day performance, enough to be the second largest second weekend ever and would put the film's domestic total over $450 million after just ten days in release. Internationally, Infinity War has brought in $534.7 million so far for a global cume over $850 million after just eight days of release. The film opens in Russia today and come the end of the weekend Infinity War should be looking at a worldwide cume over $1 billion with a release in China set for next Friday, May 11. In second place this weekend look for Lionsgate's release of Pantelion's Overboard remake starring Anna Faris and Latin star Eugenio Derbez whose films such as How to be a Latin Lover and Instructions Not Included have performed very well in North America. This weekend Overboard will debut in 1,623 locations and Lionsgate is anticipating an opening in the $10-13 million range, which is an estimate on the lower end of our expectations. Looking at IMDb page view comparisons, Overboard is vastly outperforming films such as Bridget Jones's Baby ($8.57m opening), The Big Wedding ($7.59m opening), Baggage Claim ($9m opening) as well as Latin Lover, which opened with $12.25 million last April from just 1,118 locations. Overall, we're currently expecting a debut anywhere from $15-16 million this weekend with upside potential, the only thing that might hurt the film's chances would be the smaller theater count. Paramount's A Quiet Place should land a third place finish as we're looking for the film to drop right around 39% this weekend for a $6.75 million three-day, pushing the film's domestic cume just shy of $160 million. Amy Schumer's I Feel Pretty is looking at a fourth place finish, dropping around 47% for a $4.3 million three-day and a domestic cume right around $37 million. Rounding out the top five we find Jason Reitman's latest film Tully. From a script by Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) and starring Charlize Theron, the film is opening in 1,353 locations with industry expectations right around $2-4 million for the weekend, which is within the vicinity of what we've been seeing with our comps. Though, if the film was getting a wider release and a larger marketing push, we may have actually been expecting double that figure as it is performing just behind the likes of last September's release of Home Again when looking at IMDb page view data over the 90 days leading up to release, which opened with $8.5 million. However, with just 1,353 theaters a debut closer to $4 million or perhaps just a bit higher seems a safe bet at this point. Outside the top five and looking at a seventh place finish we have Disney and Marvel's Black Panther, anticipating a 31% drop after a strong hold last weekend and a $3.3 million twelfth weekend. Should that forecast hold, the film will be looking to end the weekend with a domestic cume nearing a massive $694 million. Finally we come to Electric Entertainment's release of Bad Samaritan starring David Tennant and debuting in 2,007 locations. This is the first wide release for Electric Entertainment, who fully financed the pic and covered the majority of the P&A with Vertical Entertainment serving as it's booking agent. This has been an interesting title to track given the green nature of Electric Entertainment as a distributor of wide releases, but the film's performance on IMDb mirrors releases such as BH Tilt's Incarnate ($2.5m opening) and The Darkness ($4.95m opening) over the two weeks leading up to release, as well as EuropaCorp's Shut In ($3.6m opening). Bad Samaritan finds itself hovering a little ahead of Incarnate in terms of pacing while behind both Darkness and Shut In, which suggests a performance right around $2-3 million and given the rather wide release it just might be able to hit those numbers. In limited release this weekend, Sony will debut 102 Not Out in (naturally) 102 locations and Music Box is releasing The Guardians. Lastly, Magnolia will debut the Ruth Bader Ginsberg documentary RBG in 34 theaters and will be holding preview screenings this evening, which will be rolled into the weekend's opening gross, including buyouts from earlier in the week. Magnolia reports they are seeing sellouts and above-average pre-sales all over the country and will be adding 100+ runs next weekend and will be on 300 screens by May 18. This weekend's forecast is directly below. This post will be updated on Friday morning with Thursday night preview results followed by Friday estimates on Saturday morning, and a complete weekend recap on Sunday morning. Avengers: Infinity War (4,474 theaters) - $116.0 M Overboard (1,623 theaters) - $15.2 M A Quiet Place (3,413 theaters) - $6.8 M I Feel Pretty (3,232 theaters) - $4.3 M Tully (1,353 theaters) - $4.1 M Rampage (3,151 theaters) - $4.0 M Black Panther (1,641 theaters) - $3.3 M Bad Samaritan (2,007 theaters) - $2.0 M Super Troopers 2 (2,118 theaters) - $1.8 M

Chiwetel Ejiofor Reportedly In Talks For Maleficent 2 Chiwetel Ejiofor is reportedly circling a key role in Disney’s live-action fairy tale movie sequel, Maleficent 2. The Maleficent sequel first entered development back in 2015, but didn’t really pick up speed until Angelina Jolie confirmed her return as the eponymous character late last summer. Things appear to be rolling along at a steady pace now, with Maleficent 2 having added Ed Skrein (Deadpool), Harris Dickinson (Trust), and Michelle Pfeiffer to its cast over the last month alone. The original Maleficent hit theaters in 2014 and goes further in re-imagining its animated predecessor (Disney’s animated Sleeping Beauty movie) than other Disney live-action retellings have so far. Maleficent takes a leaf out of Wicked‘s playbook and explores the fairy tale that inspired it from the perspective of its villain, revealing their backstory and painting them in a more sympathetic light in the process. Critics were mixed on how successful the film is in its efforts, but the movie clearly struck a chord with audiences – as evidenced by its $759 million worldwide gross at the box office. Disney is thus moving forward with Maleficent 2 and has Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) attached to direct the sequel, based on a script by Jez Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow) and Maleficent writer Linda Woolverton. THS is reporting that Ejiofor is in talks to join the film and play a romantic foil to Jolie as Maleficent. Chiwetel’s character is believed to be one of several new players in the sequel, along with the presumed-to-be human queen that Pfeiffer is playing and Skrein as the film’s as-yet unknown villain. Although nothing is confirmed yet, it’s not difficult to believe that Ejiofor is in talks to join the Maleficent sequel cast. He already plays Baron Mordo in Disney and Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange movies, and he’s voicing Scar in director Jon Favreau’s upcoming CGI retelling of the Mouse House classic, The Lion King. Ejiofor is clearly comfortable working on Disney films, in other words, and the prospect of getting to reunite with Jolie (whom Ejifor previously starred opposite in the thriller Salt) probably makes Maleficent 2 all the more enticing to him. It also makes sense for Maleficent 2 to give the eponymous character a new love interest. The original film portrays Maleficent as a victim of literal physical assault (and metaphorical sexual assault) who thereafter struggles to connect emotionally with anyone. Although Maleficent had begun to heal her spirit by forming a maternal bond with the young Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning, also back for the sequel) by the movie’s end, romantic love is almost certainly going to be a challenge for her still by the time the sequel picks up. The romantic dynamic between Ejiofor’s character and Jolie as Maleficent should be all the more complicated (and thus, interesting) for it.

e-mail sent. thank you

welcome

apply for invite. thanks

(CNN)In Washington, as the old saw goes, personnel is policy. And 15 months into the Trump presidency, big changes are underway in the foreign policy team. Perhaps the biggest are the ascent of Trump favorite and newly confirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the sharp-elbowed new National Security Adviser John Bolton. Invariably these strong players are bound to crowd out others who have benefited from the first year's chaos and policy vacuum. In other words: Move over, Nikki Haley and Jared Kushner. It's still too early to know precisely what the new pecking order will be. After all in Trumpland bright and shiny objects have a way of losing their luster. But here are the critically important storylines to watch. Can Pompeo take center stage? In Trump's circle, there's only one star and one decider, and there are real risks to anyone who -- like Icarus in Greek mythology -- flies too close to the sun. Pompeo could crash and burn, but he seems well positioned to provide the administration with what it needs and has sorely lacked -- a secretary of state who is the most important repository of foreign policy authority below the President. Pompeo reportedly has Trump's confidence and knows how to handle him (until he doesn't). And unlike Rex Tillerson, Pompeo has a chance to rebuild the State Department and deploy it in the service of the President's goals. In the end, however, the greatest challenge to Pompeo's success or failure won't be the leaders of North Korea, Russia, China, Iran and Syria but the mercurial Trump. To survive and thrive, Pompeo will have to both stand up and suck up to the President. Whether he can pull off this delicate high-wire act is an open question. Will Haley and Kushner exit stage left? Donald Trump may have just had a breakthrough UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and presidential senior adviser Jared Kushner no longer appear to be the bright stars in the national security firmament they were only a short time ago. Haley successfully outmaneuvered a weak and publicity shy secretary of state and a dysfunctional State Department to hog the foreign policy limelight. And no doubt she will remain popular as a rising star in the Republican Party. But Pompeo is no Tillerson. Unlike the hapless former secretary of state, he has a close relationship with Trump and more Washington experience, seems determined to put the State Department back in the foreign policy driver's seat, is strong willed and assertive, and knows how to play to foreign policy constituencies. Pompeo's star will eclipse that of Haley -- who recently angered Trump, and not for the first time, with a statement about new sanctions against Russia -- and she will likely assume a lower public profile in deference to Pompeo, whose confirmation hearings she attended as a show of support. Kushner's wings have been clipped by the Mueller investigation; he's keeping his head down and out of the line of fire. He can claim no foreign policy successes; Middle East peace diplomacy, which he owned lock, stock and barrel, is going nowhere. Pompeo knows it and seems determined to wrestle back foreign policy authority from the White House. The odds are in his favor. Can Bolton and Mattis get along? Much has already been made of the emerging tension between the hawkish Bolton, Trump's truculent new adviser, and the more prudent and pragmatic secretary of defense. Not surprisingly, James Mattis has downplayed any rivalry. But there are reports that he opposed Bolton's appointment. And it's clear that on Iran and Syria there are differences. Bolton apparently pushed for more expansive strikes against Syria in response to Assad's use of chemical weapons earlier this month, posing a risk of escalatory responses from Russia and Iran. But Mattis' recommendation for a proportionate and limited response won out, which says something about who Trump trusts when it comes to decisions about war and peace. What do Trump and Macron want from each other? Mattis -- a proponent of staying in the Iran nuclear deal -- will likely lose that round to Bolton. Moreover, the addition of the hardliner Pompeo to the mix could tilt the bureaucratic balance of power against the secretary of defense on other foreign policy issues. But don't bet the farm on it. Bolton will make an effort to control the decision-making process as any good national security adviser would. But policy is another matter. On North Korea, where Bolton has called for regime change, Trump wants a deal, not war; and unlike Bolton, Trump doesn't want to confront Iran or Russia in Syria. Mattis is more or less indispensable to Trump, Bolton isn't. After all, Ronald Reagan had six national security advisers, Trump has already had three. Who will win Trump's mind? Aside from the bureaucratic turf wars, there's the struggle to win Trump's mind. The issue is not so much hawks versus doves or the clash of competing foreign policies. Rather, it is between those who can make Trump look good and more popular and notch foreign policy successes he can tout as the likes of which the American people have never seen, and those who cannot. Follow CNN Opinion Join us on Twitter and Facebook Trump is desperate to ride his summit with Kim Jong Un into the history books. Pompeo is a bona fide hawk. But having met personally with Kim, he is now invested in a successful summit. And he's smart enough to understand that peace on the Korean Peninsula is more likely to earn the President a Nobel Peace Prize and make him Time's Person of the Year, while war will tar him as a loser. A historic breakthrough with North Korea also offers Trump an opportunity to gloat over former President Barack Obama, to preen on the world stage, and to earn the respect he craves. The last thing Trump wants is a chorus of squawking hawks -- Pompeo, Bolton and Haley -- stealing his glory. Whoever sits beside him at the Cabinet table, the mercurial and often impetuous Trump will remain at the center of America's foreign policy. Whether his new foreign policy team will have any better luck than the old one in managing the President or the nation's foreign policy remains to be seen.

MADRID: Barcelona is celebrating yet another Spanish league title to cap a nearly perfect season. Unbeaten Barcelona added to its domestic dominance by winning La Liga for the third time in the last four seasons on Sunday, remaining unbeaten after 34 rounds. Lionel Messi scored a hat trick and Philippe Coutinho added a goal to give Barcelona a 4-2 win at Deportivo La Coruna and an insurmountable 11-point lead over Atletico Madrid. “We know how difficult it is to win this league,” Messi said. “We were better than our rivals. There is a lot of merit to winning this title without any losses.” Barcelona has won 26 league games and drawn eight, with four matches left. It was Barcelona’s seventh league title in 10 seasons and 25th overall. Real Madrid, last year’s champion, leads with 33 La Liga trophies. Barcelona has also thrived in the Copa del Rey, the country’s second-most important club competition, winning it for the last four seasons. “The hardest thing is to keep winning,” said coach Ernesto Valverde, who is celebrating his first league title in his debut season with Barcelona. “You have to find a way to keep coming back.” Barcelona’s next goal is to try to finish the league unbeaten, something which has never happened in the competition’s current format. “It’s been an almost perfect season for us in the league,” midfielder Sergio Busquets said. Barcelona’s biggest setback this season came in the Champions League, when it was eliminated by Roma in the quarterfinals after squandering a three-goal advantage from the first leg. Andres Iniesta, who last week announced he won’t return for a 17th season with the club, started from the bench but entered the match close to the end to applause from most of the crowd at Riazor Stadium. Iniesta and Messi each have won nine Spanish league titles. Sunday’s result relegated Clarence Seedorf’s Deportivo. The hosts paid tribute to Barcelona even before the match started with its squad lining up outside the tunnel and applauding their rivals as they entered the field. Most of the opposing fans at Riazor also applauded Barcelona’s players. Coutinho opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a well-placed shot into the top corner after a pass by Ousmane Dembele, and Messi added to the lead in the 38th with a strike from near the far post after a perfect cross by Luiz Suarez. Deportivo pulled one closer with a goal by Lucas Perez in the 40th and equalized with Emre Colak’s shot from inside the area in the 64th. Messi put Barcelona ahead in the 82nd from close range after exchanging passes with Suarez inside the area, then sealed the victory in a breakaway in the 85th. Messi has 32 league goals, leaving him with eight more than Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for top scorer. It has been yet another disappointing coaching stint for Seedorf, the former Dutch midfielder who earned only two victories in 13 matches since arriving to try to save Deportivo from relegation. The team has lost six times and drawn five under his command, returning to the second division for the first time since 2013-14. “We didn’t reach our goal,” Seedorf said. “Now the future is open. We’ll see what happens.” Seedorf had achieved lackluster results in his previous coaching stints, including at AC Milan in 2014. Atletico stays second Atletico’s depleted team defeated Alaves 1-0 to strengthen its grip on second place. Kevin Gameiro converted a second-half penalty kick to secure the away victory for Atletico, which rested most of its regular starters ahead of Thursday’s return leg against Arsenal in the Europa League semifinals. The result gave Atletico a four-point gap to third-place Real Madrid, which has a game in hand. Gameiro scored the 78th-minute winner from the spot less than 10 minutes after Fernando Torres had his penalty kick saved by Alaves goalkeeper Axel Werner. Atletico forward Angel Correa was sent off with a second yellow card in second-half injury time. Valencia draws Fourth-place Valencia still has to secure its Champions League spot after a 0-0 home draw against Eibar. Valencia, winless in four matches, has an 11-point lead over fifth-place Real Betis, which has four games left and hosts last-place Malaga on Monday. Getafe moves up Getafe moved to the final qualification spot for the Europa League with a 1-1 home draw against Girona. The result left Getafe in seventh place, one point in front of Sevilla. Girona, also in the fight for a spot in Europe’s second-tier club competition, stayed ninth. It has 48 points, the same as Sevilla which has a game in hand.

(CNN)Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone for more than an hour Sunday, agreeing to work closely to preserve the Iran nuclear deal, according to a statement from Elysee Palace. Macron said he wanted to see the original deal preserved but also called for further talks on areas the Trump administration has singled out for criticism, including "the control of nuclear activity beyond 2025," according to the statement. A readout of the call provided by the Iranian government included an accusation from Rouhani that the US had breached the agreement by criticizing it ahead of President Donald Trump's decision about whether to abandon the deal. Macron thinks Trump will scrap Iran deal, calls US policy U-turns 'insane' The "current conduct of the United States would be in breach of the JCPOA," Rouhani said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. He said that the Trump administration's negative comments about the deal had created "fear and ambiguity for different countries and businesses for their relations with Iran," possibly damaging the country's economy. Rouhani's comments are likely to further complicate efforts by European countries to keep the US engaged in the deal. Trump has set a May 12 deadline for the US and Europe to address the issues he has with the nuclear deal -- under US law, the President has to recertify the deal every few months. The Iran deal, orchestrated by the Obama administration and signed in 2015, lifted sanctions on the Middle Eastern nation in exchange for the dismantlement of most of its nuclear program. But conservative leaders in the United States, especially Trump, have been harshly critical of the deal, calling it "insane." Rouhani said that even if the deal remained in place despite Trump's objections, it would no longer be acceptable to Tehran if matters continue "the way it has been going in the past two years." However, he had also told Macron the deal is "not negotiable," according to the Iranian statement. "The EU, including France, supports the nuclear agreement and we will stay in the nuclear agreement 100%," Rouhani said. Complications arise Macron's conversation with Rouhani followed a flurry of diplomatic activity over the weekend, as the leaders of the United Kingdom and Germany joined their French counterpart in attempting to bolster the original 2015 accord. Following calls with Macron, both Germany's Angela Merkel and the UK's Theresa May agreed an emphasis had to be placed on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. "They [the three leaders] agreed that there were important elements that the deal does not cover, but which we need to address -- including ballistic missiles, what happens when the deal expires, and Iran's destabilizing regional activity," a statement from the UK government said. On Sunday, newly appointed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, again reasserted opposition to the deal in it current form, calling Iran "the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world." Pompeo uses meeting with Saudis as an opportunity to slam the Iran nuclear deal "We are determined to make sure it never possesses a nuclear weapon. The Iran deal in its current form does not provide that assurance," said Pompeo, during a visit to Saudi Arabia. "We will continue to work with our European allies to fix that deal. But if a deal cannot be reached, the [US] President has said that he will leave that deal," he added. Pompeo had previously said it was "unlikely" Trump would agree to keep the deal. Macron's series of high-level calls follow his trip to Washington last week, where he attempted to personally convince Trump to stay in the Iran deal. Despite the warm displays of affection between the two leaders, the French leader finished his three-day trip to the United States uncertain he had changed Trump's mind. Macron raised the possibility of negotiating an additional deal between the US and Iran, which would address Trump's concerns about Iran's ballistic missile program. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on April 23 it was "either all or nothing." "European leaders should encourage President Trump not just to stay in the nuclear deal, but more importantly to begin implementing his part of the bargain in good faith," he said on his official Twitter account.

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un plans to invite experts and journalists from the United States and South Korea when the country closes its nuclear test site in May, Seoul officials said yesterday, as US President Trump pressed for total denuclearization ahead of his own unprecedented meeting with Kim. On Friday, Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed “complete denuclearization” of the Korean peninsula in the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade, but the declaration did not include concrete steps to reach that goal. North Korea’s state media had said before the summit that Pyongyang would immediately suspend nuclear and missile tests, scrap its nuclear test site and instead pursue economic growth and peace. Kim told Moon that he would soon invite the experts and journalists to “open to the international community” the dismantling of the facilities, the Blue House said. “The United States, though inherently hostile to North Korea, will get to know once our talk begins that I am not the kind of person who will use nuclear weapons against the South or the United States across the Pacific,” Moon’s press secretary Yoon Young-chan quoted Kim as saying. “There is no reason for us to possess nuclear weapons while suffering difficulties if mutual trust with the United States is built through frequent meetings from now on, and an end to the war and non-aggression are promised.” Kim said there were two additional, larger tunnels that remain “in a very good condition” at the Punggye-ri test site beyond the existing one, which experts have said had collapsed after repeated explosions, rendering much of the site useless. Kim’s promise shows his willingness to “preemptively and actively” respond to inspection efforts to be made as part of the denuclearization process, Yoon said. To facilitate future cross-border cooperation, Kim pledged to scrap the unique time zone Pyongyang created in 2015. He said the North would move its clocks forward 30 minutes to be in sync with the South, nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Kim also reaffirmed that he would not use military force against the South and raised the need for an institutional mechanism to prevent unintended escalations, Yoon said. Next steps Late Saturday, US President Donald Trump told Moon in a phone call that he was pleased the leaders of the two Koreas reaffirmed the goal of complete denuclearization during their summit, Seoul officials said yesterday. Moon and Trump agreed on the need for an early summit between Trump and Kim, and explored two to three potential locations, one of which Moon suggested, the Blue House said. The candidates for the venue did not include North Korea, the United States or the demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas, a Blue House official told reporters, declining to elaborate. A senior US official has said Singapore is being considered as a possible venue for the Trump-Kim summit. “Trump said it was good news for not only the two Koreas but the whole world that they affirmed the goal of realizing a nuclear-free Korean peninsula through a complete denuclearization,” Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a separate briefing. “Moon told Trump that Kim said he and Trump would get along with each other, … and Trump said he was looking forward to talks with Kim and there would be a very good result.” Trump, who called the 75-minute chat “a long and very good talk” on Twitter, said his summit with Kim would take place sometime in the next three to four weeks. “It’s going be a very important meeting, the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula,” he said at a campaign rally in Washington, Michigan, on Saturday. The White House said Trump and Moon during the call “emphasized that a peaceful and prosperous future for North Korea is contingent upon its complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization.” Most of the specific commitments outlined in the official declaration signed by Kim and Moon focused on inter-Korean relations and did not clear up the question of whether Pyongyang is willing to give up its arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Abe’s office said yesterday that Trump and Abe highlighted the significance of Pyongyang’s taking concrete steps towards denuclearization in their phone call. Trump had informed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he would urge North Korea to promptly resolve its abductions of Japanese citizens, the White House said. Moon also had a phone call with Abe yesterday and said he had discussed the abduction issue with Kim during the summit “in substantial detail,” the Blue House spokesman said. Pyongyang admitted in 2002 to kidnapping 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s to train spies. Five of them returned to Japan, but Tokyo suspects that hundreds more may have been taken. “Moon relayed Abe’s wish for a normalization of bilateral ties to Kim based on the clearing of historical legacy issues, and that Kim expressed his willingness to talk to Japan at any time,” the official said. Later on, Moon informed Russian President Vladimir Putin of the summit’s outcome in a separate call, and proposed a joint study on trilateral cooperation over rail, gas and power infrastructure involving North Korea, the Blue House said. Putin stressed the need for the summit to lead to trilateral projects, and invited Moon to Russia for a summit and the World Cup in June, Moon’s office said. – Reuters