Shrine Bowl director views Patriots rookie Eli Raridon as early TE1

New England Patriotsrookie tight end Eli Raridon earned some serious praise from Eric Galko, the director of football operations and player personnel for the Shrine Bowl.

Galko believes Raridon can make an immediate impact on the football field.

"You mentioned the pass-catching, which is what I think is really impressive about him," Balko said on CLNS'PatriotsDaily Podcast. "He can be a receiver. He's a good athlete in space. I think he's really good after the catch in staying balanced and working upfield for a tight end. But for me, it's the blocking ability and the upside that he possesses and can get better at that's going to make him a true TE1, Y-tight end early on in his NFL career...I think Raridon has a chance to be not only a starting tight end in the NFL, but as complete as a guy you'll find coming out of college."

Raridon was one of Notre Dame's best offensive weapons last season after hauling in 32 catches for 482 yards. The Patriots are hoping he can bring those same playmaking abilities to New England, which prompted them to select him with the 95th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

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It's a great opportunity that will give him a chance to learn from Hunter Henry before eventually taking up the mantle at the position. Henry is 31 years old and playing in the final year of his contract.

The Patriots needed a clear direction for the future at tight end, and they might have found it with one of the Fighting Irish's finest.

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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire:Shrine Bowl director views Patriots rookie Eli Raridon as early TE1

byAndy Corry

in

May 12, 2026

Shrine Bowl director views Patriots rookie Eli Raridon as early TE1

New England Patriotsrookie tight end Eli Raridon earned some serious praise from Eric Galko, the director of football operations and pl...

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Jilly Cooper signed off on Rivals filming right up to her death

Dame Jilly Cooper was signing off filming for thenew series of Rivalsright up to her death, the show’s writer has said.

Dominic Treadwell-Collins said the late writer’s “voice is all the way through” the second series of the award-winning drama based on her “bonkbuster” novel.

“She signed off every single script and she was watching rushes up until the week before she died,” he told the Radio Times, referring to unedited footage. “So we’ve got her sign-off and her voice is all the way through it all.”

The Disney+ series is based on Dame Jilly’s best-selling novel of the same name, released in 1988, which is part ofher Rutshire Chronicles series.

Set in the 1980s, with the backdrop of the Cotswolds countryside, Rivals dramatises the world of British television.

Dame Jilly was an active part of its production and served as an executive producer. Shedied aged 88 last Octoberafter suffering afatal head injuryduring a fall at her Gloucestershire home.

Shortly after her death, the Queen, aclose friend of Dame Jilly, visited the set of Rivals in Bristol to pay tribute to her and meet members of the cast and crew.

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In the latest series of the Hulu Original series, David Tennant returns as television boss Lord Baddingham, who is on a mission to destroy a rival television company founded by Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and Declan O’Hara (Aiden Turner).

A trailer released last month also shows Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook and Bella Maclean as Taggie O’Hara, who were embroiled in a love triangle with Campbell-Black in the first series.

The affair between Katherine Parkinson and Danny Dyer’s characters – Freddie Jones and Lizzie Vereker – appears set to continue, with the trailer showing the pair looking close.

Mr Treadwell-Collins, the show’s lead writer and executive producer, said the show’s sex scenes are handled with strict guardrails to ensure they serve the story and tone.

He told the Radio Times: “Every sex scene must move the story on, not be gratuitous, can titillate at times but must never make the audience feel uncomfortable or grubby.”

Speaking about intimacy coordinators, Parkinson added: “I definitely had moments back in the day when I could have benefited from somebody to have those chats with, where you’d be too embarrassed to say anything in front of a big crew.”

The second series sees the addition of guest stars Hayley Atwell, as Helen Gordon, Campbell-Black’s ex-wife and mother of his two children, and Rupert Everett as her husband Malise Gordon, Campbell-Black’s former showjumping coach and mentor.

The first three episodes of Rivals series 2 are on Disney+ on Friday.

byAndy Corry

in

May 12, 2026

Jilly Cooper signed off on Rivals filming right up to her death

Dame Jilly Cooper was signing off filming for thenew series of Rivalsright up to her death, the show’s writer has said. Dominic T...

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The View co-hosts roast ‘tone deaf’ Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for filming new reality road trip series as travel costs soar

The Viewco-hosts have condemned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s new road trip reality TV venture amid ongoing travel chaos for Americans.

Duffy and his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, announced Friday onFox Newsthat they arelaunching a YouTube series with their nine children calledThe Great American Road Tripto promote tourism in honor of the country’s 250th birthday — marking a reunion for Duffy and the producers who helped make theReal Worldseries that made him famous.

While discussing the new show onThe View, co-host Whoopi Goldberg pointed out thatTSA agents have been working without payduring the Department of Homeland Security shutdown,Spirit Airlines shuttered suddenlyandgas prices are risingdue to the war in Iran.

“But Sean was doing another reality show,” Goldberg quipped. “Tax payers pay his salary. Is this really what he should be doing?”

Panelist Ana Navarro said: “This entire government is a reality show.”

“The conflict of interest here is glaring,” she said. “I don’t know how many Americans, how many average Americans, will be able to go on a road trip when I’m paying $5.99 for a gallon of gas. It just seems that the tone deafness has no limits.”

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Duffy said on social media that all production costs for the show are covered by a nonprofit group called The Great American Road Trip Inc. instead of taxpayers. He said he and his family did not receive salaries or production royalties from the show.

The show was sponsored by Boeing, Toyota, Shell, Royal Caribbean and United Airlines, which has sparked criticism fromThe Viewpanelists and others due to the fact that some of those companies are groups that Duffy’s department oversees.

Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, similarly blasted the Duffys for being “out-of-touch”while many Americans are struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.

“The same Duffys who threw endless fits on national television when Pete was working from our son's ICU bedside are now bragging about their multi-month, taxpayer-funded family road trip while gas and grocery prices soar for American families because of Trump's war of choice,” Chasten wrote on X.

“How much more unfocused, unserious, and out of touch can you be?”

Campos-Duffy wrote in response on X: “All production costs were paid for by the non-profit, The Great American Road Trip, Inc. No one in my family - including my husband - were paid to do this. We did it for FREE to celebrate America 250 & encourage other Americans to get off couches & screens and spend time together seeing our country. It was filmed in small one and two day stops over the course of seven months.”

Duffy’s office did not immediately returnThe Independent’s request for comment.

byAndy Corry

in

May 12, 2026

The View co-hosts roast ‘tone deaf’ Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for filming new reality road trip series as travel costs soar

The Viewco-hosts have condemned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s new road trip reality TV venture amid ongoing travel chaos for Am...

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From 0 for 12 to a 427-foot blast: Travis Bazzana’s first MLB homer sparks Guardians

CLEVELAND (AP) — Travis Bazzana wasn't concerned when he began his major league career by going hitless in 12 at-bats. The Cleveland Guardians rookie felt that if he maintained his consistent approach, the hits would start coming.

Twins Guardians Baseball

That has certainly been the case over the past week.

Bazzana, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 amateur draft, hit his first big league home run and stole two bases inCleveland's 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twinson Friday night.

“I was just hoping. Today, there was no wind so it carried out. I got it good. I just hustled and tried to yell it out,” Bazzana said.

With José Ramírez on first and two outs in the first inning, Bazzana connected on a 1-1 slider from Minnesota's Connor Prielipp to make it 4-0.The 427-foot drivewent into the Guardians’ bullpen in center field. It was the second-longest homer by a Guardians player this season.

Bazzana was the first Australian-born player to be the top overall pick in the draft and became the 10th Aussie to homer in the majors. According to Baseball Reference, Joe Quinn was the first in 1886 for the St. Louis Maroons. Dave Nilsson, who played eight seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers, has the most with 105 from 1992 through '99.

Bazzana is one of two Aussies currently in the big leagues. Curtis Mead is in his fourth major league season and has gone deep four times this year for the Washington Nationals.

Bazzana wasn't satisfied with just the homer. He got aboard in the eighth inning by beating out what would have been an inning-ending double-play ball. He then stole second and third base before scoring on a base hit by Austin Hedges to put the Guardians up 6-3.

“He’s been pushing the pace since he’s gotten here. He looks comfortable. Looks like he belongs and he crushed that ball tonight,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said.

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Bazzana is 6 for 18 with four RBIs since going hitless in his first 12 big league at-bats. He also leads MLB with six stolen bases since May 2.

The six steals are the most by a Cleveland player in his first nine games since Alex Cole had 10 in 1990.

Guardians' left-hander Parker Messick, who allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings, described Bazzana as an animal because he is not afraid to show his emotion.

“I love that he would describe me that way,” Bazzana said about Messick's comment. “So yeah, when I’m in a controlled aggression, that’s like when I'm at my best and showed a little bit of that tonight.”

Even though Bazzana is showing signs of production the past week, he said he has been comfortable since being called up from Triple-A Columbus on April 28.

“Honestly, it’s kind of felt the same from the get-go. I felt really good. I was squaring the ball up. I was taking my walks. If I’m swinging at good pitches and squaring the ball up, over time, good things are going to happen,” he said. “I felt like I was in control of my at-bats early on, so everything’s kind of felt the same.

“I finally got a ball kind of in the air where I wanted it today, but I’m in a good place offensively and just sometimes balls go at guys and just got to stick with it, stay healthy and keep finding my ball flight and I’ll be good.”

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byAndy Corry

in

May 11, 2026

From 0 for 12 to a 427-foot blast: Travis Bazzana’s first MLB homer sparks Guardians

CLEVELAND (AP) — Travis Bazzana wasn't concerned when he began his major league career by going hitless in 12 at-bats. The Clevelan...

Read More