57 m. ago ‘It feels empty’: is Hollywood film and TV production in a death spiral?

Filming in Los Angeles is at a historic low, with some suggesting the city might go the way of DetroitWhen screenwriter David Scarpa visits the great Hollywood studios these days, he is struck by what is missing. “It used to be you’d walk around those back lots and you’d see many people and they were very busy,” Scarpa muses. “They were like small cities. Now often you’ll walk around and have nobody else there. It feels empty. You definitely feel the absence of life on those lots.”Like the once proud industrial factories of the midwest, the dream factories of southern California are in decline. Last year was the worst for on-location filming in Los Angeles since tracking began 30 years ago apart from pandemic-hit 2020. Of all the TV shows and feature films that North American audiences watch, only one-fifth are now made in California. Continue reading...

Culture

1 hour ago Row intensifies over cycle lane safety plan at dangerous roundabout in west London

TfL says changes to Holland Park gyratory will encourage more people to walk and cycle

Politics

18 h. ago North Lanarkshire Council urging people to mark May's National Walking Month

Walking is a great way to become more active as it is free, low impact, requires no special equipment and pace and distance can easily be increased.

Politics

65 h. ago Rory McIlroy shares details of private homecoming after Masters victory and 'cool' chats with two Presidents

New Masters champion touched by 'people reaching out from all walks of life'

Politics

68 h. ago Locals across Stirling invited to take part in parkrun's biggest walking weekend

The organisers have urged people to 'get out, get walking, and get talking' at Plean Country Park this Saturday.

Politics

3 d. ago The incredible house hidden in plain sight that thousands of people walk past each day but have 'no idea it's there'

In the centre of the city of Porto in Portugal is a fascinating house - but thousands walk past it every day without noticing. 

Politics

4 d. ago Peaceful and pretty Welsh valleys walk tucked away in the mountain with waterside views and hidden ancient ruins

This beautiful river and reservoirs walk takes you past recent and ancient history and some more modern additions which all add to its charm

Politics

4 d. ago AP PHOTOS: Global tributes pour in to honor Pope Francis after his death

Tributes to Pope Francis poured in from around the world, from presidents to people of all walks of life, after the Vatican announced the pontiff’s death at age 88 on Monday.

Culture

5 d. ago Global tributes pour in to honor Pope Francis after his death

Tributes to Pope Francis instantly poured in from around the world from presidents to people of all walks of like

Events

1 week ago Secret to living longer could be hidden inside very easy brisk walking exercises

Scientists believe promoting efforts for people to walk faster “may be a safe and effective way” to cut deaths from stroke and cardiac arrest, they claimed in a landmark new study

Events

1 week ago The Balcony Movie review – funny/sad film that offers a view into strangers’ lives

Pawel Lozinski’s documentary collects conversations with passers-by he talks to from the window of his Warsaw flatPolish film-maker Pawel Lozinski has curated this amusing, cumulatively melancholy documentary which he has shot from the first-floor balcony in his flat in the Saska Kępa district of Warsaw. Over a number of years, and with a microphone discreetly attached to the chainlink fence at street level, he simply calls down to people going past and asks them to stop and talk about something, anything.There are a lot of dog-walkers and people with babies; most people smile or grimace politely and say they are not special enough to be featured in a film. A priest says he can’t talk because he is carrying the Holy Sacrament. Others obligingly talk: one woman sings a rather beautiful song, a man talks about being homeless, having just got out of prison. People confide their sadness at the loss of a loved one, though one woman sheepishly confesses her profound happiness that her abu...

Culture

1 week ago At least 32 dead as Russian missile strike hits Ukrainian city of Sumy on Palm Sunday

Two Russian missiles struck the northeastern city of Sumy in Ukraine as people walked to church to celebrate Palm Sunday (April 13).

Events

1 week ago Go to town! The surprise feelgood effects of walking in the city

A stroll around historic buildings, cemeteries and winding back streets can lift your spirits just as effectively as communing with nature, according to author Annabel Streets. Let’s put that to the test When I arrange to meet Annabel Streets, the appropriately named author of a new book, The Walking Cure, I’m presented with a challenge. She wants me to choose a London location I am unfamiliar with, so I can experience her ideas about the upsides of urban landscapes. In the book, Streets contemplates the powerful impact walking can have on our mood, thoughts and emotions, and how this can differ according to where and how we walk. While most people are aware of the benefits of walking in nature, Streets makes the case for urban environments, known as “brown spaces” by developers. Surprisingly, churches, convents and cemeteries, all of which are found in cities, often offer a superabundance of wildlife. A study in one Berlin cemetery found 604 species, 10 of which were rare or endang...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Cities trigger our imagination’: why a walk in town can be just as good for you as a stroll in the countryside

Wandering among historic buildings, cemeteries and winding back streets can lift your spirits as effectively as communing with nature, according to author Annabel Streets. Let’s put that to the test When I arrange to meet Annabel Streets, the appropriately named author of a new book, The Walking Cure, I’m presented with a challenge. She wants me to choose a London location I am unfamiliar with, so I can experience her ideas about the upsides of urban landscapes. In the book, Streets contemplates the powerful impact walking can have on our mood, thoughts and emotions, and how this can differ according to where and how we walk. While most people are aware of the benefits of walking in nature, Streets makes the case for urban environments, known as “brown spaces” by developers. Surprisingly, churches, convents and cemeteries, all of which are found in cities, often offer a superabundance of wildlife. A study in one Berlin cemetery found 604 species, 10 of which were rare or endangered....

Politics

2 w. ago Charlotte Church 'set' to join BBC's Celebrity Traitors alongside Good Morning Britain star

Charlotte Church is set to swap the Welsh valleys for the Scottish Highlands as she's reportedly signed up for the BBC's upcoming star-studded celeb version of The Traitors.

Politics

2 w. ago BBC Celebrity Traitors signs Charlotte Church and Bob Mortimer among big names for celeb spin

The former child star now runs a healing retreat in the Welsh valleys but is struggling to turn her back on the showbiz world

Politics

2 w. ago Tourist gets jail time for wandering a little too close to famed Yellowstone attraction

The tourist pleaded guilty to violating a law requiring people to walk on the designated trails

Events

2 w. ago Kirkcudbright businessman offers use of land for parking during bridge closure

Jack Finlay of KBT Storage says he is happy to provide land where people can park their cars and walk across the bridge.

Politics

3 w. ago Dan Walker shares friend Gary Speed's tragic final words to him that 'changed' him forever

Walker was one of the last people to speak to Welsh footballer Speed before he died aged 42 in November 2011

Events

3 w. ago Family is accidentally photobombed by one of the world's most famous men

One of the world's most famous people was caught accidentally walking into a family's photo in Washington DC on Monday in what the clan now sees as a serendipitous moment.

Events