Jamie Lee Curtis Says Mom Janet Leigh Didn't Let Her Audition For This Iconic Horror Film

Jamie Lee Curtis Says Mom Janet Leigh Didn't Let Her Audition For This Iconic Horror Film Carly SilvaDecember 28, 2025 at 3:10 AM 0 Denny Keeler/Getty Images Jamie Lee Curtis might have played the role of Regan MacNeil, if it weren't for her mother, Janet Leigh. During a recent conversation on The Drew Barrymore Show, Curtis, 67, recalled being asked to audition for the iconic 1973 horror filmThe Exorcist, but the offer was ultimately turned down by her mom.

- - Jamie Lee Curtis Says Mom Janet Leigh Didn't Let Her Audition For This Iconic Horror Film

Carly SilvaDecember 28, 2025 at 3:10 AM

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Jamie Lee Curtis might have played the role of Regan MacNeil, if it weren't for her mother, Janet Leigh.

During a recent conversation on The Drew Barrymore Show, Curtis, 67, recalled being asked to audition for the iconic 1973 horror filmThe Exorcist, but the offer was ultimately turned down by her mom.

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While recounting the memory to Barrymore, Curtis said that her mom, also a famous actress known for the hit Alfred Hitchcockthriller Psycho, received a phone call from a producer on The Exorcist, Ray Stark, to ask if her then 12-year-old daughter would audition for the part.

"He called my mom and said, 'Hey, I'm producing the movie of the book The Exorcist. Will you let Jamie audition for it?' And at the time I was probably 12 and, like, cute and kind of sassy and I had some personality and I'm sure he saw me at a party and was like, 'Oh, she'd be funny," Curtis stated. "And my mother said, 'No.'"

"My mom really wanted me to have — thank God — a childhood, which I understand you didn't get," she said to Barrymore, who was only 7 years old at the time of her breakout role in 1982's E.T.

"You didn't get that option," Curtis added. "And people didn't step in and say, 'No, [Drew] will have a childhood, she will have protection.'"

Curtis, also the daughter of actor Tony Curtis, would still end up following in her mom's Scream Queen footsteps with the cult-classic Halloween films. Starting with the original film in 1978, Curtis would star as Laurie Strode in seven Halloweenmovies spanning six different decades.

As for The Exorcist role, Regan MacNeil was played by Linda Blair, who was 14 at the time. She would go on to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 1974.

Related: Jamie Lee Curtis Rocks a Completely Different Hairstyle in First Look at New TV Series

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Published: December 28, 2025 at 07:36AM on Source: RON MAG

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December 27, 2025

Jamie Lee Curtis Says Mom Janet Leigh Didn't Let Her Audition For This Iconic Horror Film

Jamie Lee Curtis Says Mom Janet Leigh Didn't Let Her Audition For This Iconic Horror Film Carly SilvaDecember 2...

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The MTV You Remember Is Now Officially Gone After 44 Years

The MTV You Remember Is Now Officially Gone After 44 Years Jeff LuceDecember 28, 2025 at 3:09 AM 0 Photo by Jan Butchofsky on Getty Images As MTV, Music Television, told the world in the opening minutes of its first broadcast, video killed the radio star. And 44 years later, YouTube, TikTok, and shifting tastes have finally killed the iconic video starmaker. While the MTV brand isn't disappearing entirely, a defining piece of it is.

- - The MTV You Remember Is Now Officially Gone After 44 Years

Jeff LuceDecember 28, 2025 at 3:09 AM

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Photo by Jan Butchofsky on Getty Images

As MTV, Music Television, told the world in the opening minutes of its first broadcast, video killed the radio star. And 44 years later, YouTube, TikTok, and shifting tastes have finally killed the iconic video star-maker.

While the MTV brand isn't disappearing entirely, a defining piece of it is. By the end of the year, MTV's remaining 24-hour music channels will shut down globally across multiple regions, closing a chapter that's been open since the early days of cable television.

The shutdown affects MTV's dedicated music channels, although the main MTV network will continue airing reality and pop culture programming. In the U.K. and parts of Europe, channels like MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live are being removed from Sky and Virgin Media lineups. In the U.S., remaining music-only MTV feeds carried by regional cable providers are also slated to go dark as contracts expire. It's a broad pullback, not a single switch flip, but the result is the same.

There's a lot of history wrapped up in this industry move. For decades, these channels were the closest thing music fans had to a shared living room. People waited for new video drops from their favorite artists. In its heyday, a video on MTV could make or break a band.

Related: How an MTV Exec Ended Up Naked in a Sauna With Two Rock Icons

Back in the '80s and '90s, MTV's VJs were just as recognizable as the artists they introduced. Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood, J.J. Jackson, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn became familiar faces, speaking directly to viewers. Later came Kurt Loder with his steady delivery of music news, Tabitha Soren's reports, and Carson Daly anchoring the frenzy of Total Request Live. Shows like 120 Minutes, Yo! MTV Raps, Headbangers Ball, and TRL helped shape music culture, pulling alternative rock, hip-hop and metal into the mainstream in real time.

VJ Neil Coleweighed in on the shutdown. 'The 38 months I worked full-time as an MTV presenter,' he wrote, 'was the best possible way to learn and develop live broadcast skills which I still utilize over twenty years later. And throughout - the main focus was always MUSIC.'

The business reasoning is straightforward. Younger audiences watch music through YouTube, TikTok and streaming platforms, where videos are on demand and endlessly shareable. Paramount Global's focus has shifted there, making linear music channels harder to justify.

Even if the screens go dark, MTV's music era shaped how artists broke through and how fans connected. I vividly remember recording videos off of MTV on (get this) VHS tapes, just so I could see every last detail. That influence doesn't vanish. It just stops playing automatically at 2 a.m., when you needed it most.

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December 27, 2025

The MTV You Remember Is Now Officially Gone After 44 Years

The MTV You Remember Is Now Officially Gone After 44 Years Jeff LuceDecember 28, 2025 at 3:09 AM 0 Photo by Jan Butchofsk...

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'The past gives comfort': Finding refuge on analog islands amid deepening digital seas

'The past gives comfort': Finding refuge on analog islands amid deepening digital seas MICHAEL LIEDTKE December 28, 2025 at 6:18 AM 0 This photo provided by Mel D. Cole shows Carson Bispels, left, posing for a photo with his father, Martin Bispels, who recently started Retroactv, a company that sells rock merchandise dating back to the 1960s and 1970s, on Aug. 1, 2025, in Asbury Park, N.J. (Mel D. Cole via AP) As technology distracts, polarizes and automates, people are still finding refuge on analog islands in the digital sea.

- - 'The past gives comfort': Finding refuge on analog islands amid deepening digital seas

MICHAEL LIEDTKE December 28, 2025 at 6:18 AM

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This photo provided by Mel D. Cole shows Carson Bispels, left, posing for a photo with his father, Martin Bispels, who recently started Retroactv, a company that sells rock merchandise dating back to the 1960s and 1970s, on Aug. 1, 2025, in Asbury Park, N.J. (Mel D. Cole via AP)

As technology distracts, polarizes and automates, people are still finding refuge on analog islands in the digital sea.

The holdouts span the generation gaps, uniting elderly and middle-aged enclaves born in the pre-internet times with the digital natives raised in the era of online ubiquity.

They are setting down their devices to paint, color, knit and play board games. Others carve out time to mail birthday cards and salutations written in their own hand. Some drive cars with manual transmissions while surrounded by automobiles increasingly able to drive themselves. And a widening audience is turning to vinyl albums, resuscitating an analog format that was on its deathbed 20 years ago.

The analog havens provide a nostalgic escape from tumultuous times for generations born from 1946 through 1980, says Martin Bispels, 57, a former QVC executive who recently started Retroactv, a company that sells rock music merchandise dating to the 1960s and 1970s.

"The past gives comfort. The past is knowable," Bispels says. "And you can define it because you can remember it the way you want."

But analog escapes also beckon to the members of the millennials and Generation Z, those born from 1981 through 2012 — younger people immersed in a digital culture that has put instant information and entertainment at their fingertips.

Despite that convenience and instant gratification, even younger people growing up on technology's cutting edge are yearning for more tactile, deliberate and personal activities that don't evaporate in the digital ephemera, says Pamela Paul, author of "100 Things We've Lost To The Internet."

"Younger generations have an almost longing wistfulness because because so little of their life feels tangible," Paul says. "They are starting to recognize how the internet has changed their lives, and they are trying to revive these in-person, low-tech environments that older generations took for granted."

Here are some glimpses into how the old ways are new again.

Keeping those cards coming

People have been exchanging cards for centuries. It's a ritual in danger of being obliterated by the tsunami of texting and social media posts. Besides being quicker and more convenient, digital communication has become more economical as the cost of a first-class U.S. postage stamp has soared from 33 to 78 cents during the past 25 years.

But tradition is hanging on thanks to people like Megan Evans, who started the Facebook group called "Random Acts of Cardness" a decade ago when she was just 21 in hopes of fostering and maintaining more human connections in an increasingly impersonal world.

"Anybody can send a text message that says 'Happy Birthday!' But sending a card is a much more intentional way of telling somebody that you care," says Evans, who lives in Wickliff, Ohio. "It's something that the sender has touched with their own hand, and that you are going to hold in your own hand."

More than 15,000 people are now part of Evans' Facebook group, including Billy-Jo Dieter, who sends at least 100 cards per month commemorating birthdays, holidays and other milestones. "A dying art," she calls it.

"My goal has been to try to make at least one person smile each day," says Dieter, 48, who lives in Ellsworth, Maine. "When you sit down and you put the pen to the paper, it becomes something that's even more just for that person."

The singularity of a stick shift

Before technology futurist Ray Kurzweil came up with a concept that he dubbed the "Singularity" to describe his vision of computers melding with humanity, the roads were crammed with stick-shift cars working in concert with people.

But automobiles with manual transmission appear to be on a road to oblivion as technology transforms cars into computers on wheels. Fewer than 1% of the new vehicles sold in the U.S. have manual transmission, down from 35% in 1980, according to an analysis by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

But there remain stick-shift diehards like Prabh and Divjeev Sohi, brothers who drive cars with manual transmissions to their classes at San Jose State University along Silicon Valley roads clogged with Teslas. They became enamored with stick shifts while virtually driving cars in video games as kids and riding in manual transmission vehicles operated by their father and grandfather.

So when they were old enough to drive, Prabh, 22, and Divjeev, 19, were determined to learn a skill few people their age even bother to attempt: mastering the nuances of a clutch that controls a manual transmission, a process that resulted in their 1994 Jeep Wrangler coming to a complete stop while frustrated drivers got stuck behind them.

"He stalled like five times his first time on the road," Prabh recalls.

Even though the experience still causes Divjeev to shudder, he feels it led him to a better place.

"You are more in the moment when you are driving a car with a stick. Basically you are just there to drive and you aren't doing anything else," Divjeev says. "You understand the car, and if you don't handle it correctly, that car isn't going to move."

Rediscovering vinyl's virtues

Vinyl's obsolescence seemed inevitable in the 1980s when compact discs emerged. That introduction triggered an evisceration of analog recordings that hit bottom in 2006 when 900,000 vinyl albums were sold, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. That was a death rattle for a format that peaked in 1977, when 344 million vinyl albums were sold.

But the slump unexpectedly reversed, and vinyl albums are now a growth niche. In each of the past two years, about 43 million vinyl albums have been sold, despite the widespread popularity of music streaming services that make it possible to play virtually any song by any artist at any time.

Baby boomers expanding upon their decades-old album collections aren't the only catalyst. Younger generations are embracing the lusher sound of vinyl, too.

"I really love listening to an album on vinyl from start to finish. It feels like I am sitting with the artist," says 24-year-old Carson Bispels. "Vinyl just adds this permanence that makes the music feel more genuine. It's just you and the music, the way it should be."

Carson is the son of Martin Bispels, the former QVC executive. A few years ago, Martin gave a few of his vinyl records to Carson, including Bob Marley's "Taklin' Blues," an album already played so much that it sometimes cracks and pops with the scratches in it.

"I still listen to it because every time I do, I think of my dad," says Carson, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

After starting off with about 10 vinyl albums from his dad, Carson now has about 100 and plans to keep expanding.

"The current digital age of music is fantastic, too, but there's nothing like the personal aspect of going into the record store and thumbing through a bunch of albums while making small talk with some of the other patrons to find out what they're listening to," Carson says.

Paul, the author of the book about analog activities that have been devoured by the internet, says the vinyl music's comeback story has her mulling a potential sequel. "A return to humanity," she says, "could turn out to be another book."

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Published: December 28, 2025 at 07:36AM on Source: RON MAG

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December 27, 2025

'The past gives comfort': Finding refuge on analog islands amid deepening digital seas

'The past gives comfort': Finding refuge on analog islands amid deepening digital seas MICHAEL LIEDTKE Decem...

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No. 12 BYU outduels No. 24 Georgia Tech to win Pop-Tarts Bowl

No. 12 BYU outduels No. 24 Georgia Tech to win PopTarts Bowl The December 28, 2025 at 5:34 AM 0 BYU tight end Carsen Ryan (20) is tackled by a Georgia Tech defensive player during the first half of the PopTarts Bowl NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Kevin Kolczynski) ORLANDO (AP) — Jovesa Damuni scored on a 4yard run with two minutes remaining and No. 12 BYU rallied from an 11point deficit in the second half for a 2521 win over No. 24 Georgia Tech on Saturday in the PopTarts Bowl.

- - No. 12 BYU outduels No. 24 Georgia Tech to win Pop-Tarts Bowl

The December 28, 2025 at 5:34 AM

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BYU tight end Carsen Ryan (20) is tackled by a Georgia Tech defensive player during the first half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Kevin Kolczynski)

ORLANDO (AP) — Jovesa Damuni scored on a 4-yard run with two minutes remaining and No. 12 BYU rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second half for a 25-21 win over No. 24 Georgia Tech on Saturday in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Damuni's scoring run capped a nine-play, 70 drive by the Cougars (12-2), who were led by freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier. Bachmeier passed for 57 yards in the drive.

Bachmeier was 27 for 38 passing for 325 yards with a touchdown and an interception as the Cougars piled up 426 total yards. It was the freshman's third 300-yard passing game of the season.

Georgia Tech (9-4) had a chance to tie the game when senior quarterback Haynes King found Eric Rivers down the sideline with a 66-yard pass on fourth-and-15 to the BYU 18-yard line with 35 seconds to play. Facing fourth down, King threw to the end zone for Jamal Haynes, but BYU's Evan Johnson intercepted the pass in the end zone to secure the victory.

King was 23 for 41 passing for 254 yards, two touchdowns and the game-ending interception.

NO. 20 VIRGINIA 13, NO. 25 MISOURI 7

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Harrison Waylee ran for a touchdown, Chandler Morris threw for 198 yards and No. 20 Virginia edged 25th-ranked Missouri.

The Cavaliers bounced back from a crushing loss to Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game — an overtime stunner that cost them a spot in the College Football Playoff — and reached 11 wins for the first time in the program's 122 years.

Virginia (11-3) was a four-point underdog, according to BetMGM, and was short-handed on both sides of the ball. Coach Tony Elliott's team played without star running back J'Mari Taylor, leading receiver Trell Harris and linebackers Kam Robinson and Maddox Marcellus.

Waylee and Xay Davis picked up the slack, combining for 109 yards on 32 carries.

Virginia's defense was equally impressive, holding the Tigers (8-5) to 260 total yards. The Cavaliers forced four punts, intercepted a pass and stopped UVA three times on fourth down.

NO. 23 NORTH TEXAS 49, SAN DIEGO STATE 47

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Caleb Hawkins ran for two touchdowns and caught a scoring pass, Ashton Gray added a pair of rushing touchdowns and Cameron Dormer had two scoring catches as No. 23 North Texas beat San Diego State.

Hawkins carried 30 times and gained 197 yards, scoring on runs of 9 and and 3 yards, along with a 23-yard TD reception. Gray ran for 152 yards on 16 rushes. Dormer had six receptions for 66 yards, including TD catches of 1 and 31 yards.

North Texas (12-2) quarterback Drew Mestemaker was 27 of 47 passing for 250 yards and three TDs.

San Diego State (9-4) stayed close thanks to the rushing of backup quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr., who ran for 170 yards and two scores, including a 72-yarder, before injuring his wrist and leaving the game with 6:07 remaining in the second quarter.

Although his backup, Kyle Crum, did complete his first pass for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 28-20, he was not the same rushing threat as Emanuel and he had trouble moving the Aztecs through the air.

ARMY 41, UCONN 16

BOSTON (AP) — Cade Hellums accounted for three touchdowns, and Godspower Nwawuihe rushed for two in an Army win over UConn.

Hellums tied the game 7-7 after an opening UConn score by finding Noah Short for a 40-yard strike. Short was the only Army player with a reception, finishing with seven for 108 yards.

Nwawuihe gave the Black Knights (7-6) their first lead of the day with 3:04 left in the second quarter, scampering for a 43-yard touchdown run. He broke free for a 70-yard score less than a minute into the second half, putting Army up by 10. He had 171 yards on 12 attempts.

Hellums added two touchdown runs of 1 and 6 yards in the second half. He was 7-of-8 passing for 108 yards with 45 on the ground. Jake Rendina had 14 carries for 87 yards, and Carson Smith had 49 yards and a touchdown in a 368-yard rushing day for the Black Knights.

Cam Edwards had the opening score of the game on a 12-yard rush for the Huskies (9-4). He had 108 yards on 11 carries. Ksaan Farrar also scored on a quarterback keeper in the fourth quarter. He was 11-of-17 passing for 84 yards.

UConn was without star quarterback Joe Fagnano, who, after throwing for 3,448 yards, 28 touchdowns and one interception, opted out of the game to prepare for the NFL Draft. UConn was led by interim head coach Gordon Sammis. Head coach Jim Mora will take over at Colorado State next season.

PENN STATE 22, CLEMSON 10

NEW YORK (AP) — Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for a career-high 262 yards and two TDs, including a 73-yard strike to Trebor Pena early in the fourth quarter, and Penn State beat Clemson.

In his seventh start since Penn State lost Drew Allar to an injury, Grunkemeyer completed 23 of 34 passes, setting career bests for completions and attempts.

Grunkemeyer also made a 35-yard throw to Devonte Ross to get the Nittany Lions deep into Clemson territory that set up an 11-yard TD toss to Andrew Rappleyea with 4:56 left for a 22-10 lead.

Pena finished with five catches and 100 yards.

Penn State (7-6) won its final four games under interim coach Terry Smith, who took over for James Franklin following a 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Oct. 11 and will be succeeded by Matt Campbell.

Clemson's Cade Klubnik completed 22 of 39 passes for 110 yards in his final collegiate game while getting sacked four times. He also had eight passes broken up by Penn State defenders.

EAST CAROLINA 23, PITTSBURGH 17

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Chaston Ditta threw two second-half touchdown passes, and East Carolina overcame an inadvertent whistle that negated a long touchdown in a victory over Pittsburgh.

ECU faced fourth-and-1 from its own 32 in the third quarter when Marlon Gunn Jr. shed a couple of tacklers and went all the way to the end zone. That would have put the Pirates up 17-7, but the play was called back because of a whistle, and Gunn was credited with a 14-yard gain instead.

Two plays later, Ditta fumbled on a sack by Pitt's Rasheem Biles, who recovered the ball and returned it 23 yards to the end zone to give the Panthers a 14-10 lead.

The Pirates rebounded quickly when Ditta threw a 72-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Smith, and ECU led the rest of the way.

FRESNO STATE 18, MIAMI (OH) 3

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — E.J. Warner threw for 214 yards and a touchdown, Dylan Lynch kicked four field goals and Fresno State defeated Miami of Ohio.

On defense, Fresno State kept Miami out of the red zone the whole game, except for the RedHawks' opening possession when they reached the 15-yard line before Dom Dzioban kicked a 33-yard field goal for their only points of the game.

The Bulldogs, one of 15 teams in FBS to keep their opponents under an average of 300 yards per game (293.5), allowed 192 yards.

After Miami's early field goal, Lynch made three of his 3-pointers in the second quarter, leading to a 9-3 halftime lead. That advantage held into the fourth quarter when Warner hit Richie Anderson III with a 2-yard touchdown pass. Looking for a 14-point lead, the Bulldogs went for two on the conversion, but Warner's pass failed, leaving the score at 15-3.

Lynch added his fourth field goal, in five attempts, with 2:56 remaining. The 37-yarder was his long for the game as the other three were all from less than 30 yards.

Fresno State, playing in its fifth consecutive bowl game, got the win for first-year coach Matt Entz. Miami, which also played in its fifth-straight bowl game, lost in its repeat appearance in the Arizona Bowl. The RedHawks defeated Colorado State 43-17 last year.

Warner completed 16 of 23 passes and was not intercepted. Josiah Freeman had 143 yards receiving on seven catches for Fresno State (9-4).

Freshman Thomas Gotkowski was 6-of-22 passing for 72 yards for Miami (7-7). He threw one interception.

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December 27, 2025

No. 12 BYU outduels No. 24 Georgia Tech to win Pop-Tarts Bowl

No. 12 BYU outduels No. 24 Georgia Tech to win PopTarts Bowl The December 28, 2025 at 5:34 AM 0 BYU tight end Carsen Ryan ...

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No. 19 Virginia throttles Missouri to capture Gator Bowl

No. 19 Virginia throttles Missouri to capture Gator Bowl Field Level MediaDecember 28, 2025 at 5:20 AM 0 Dec 27, 2025; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Jahmal Edrine (7) is tackled after a catch against the Missouri Tigers during the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis RegisterImagn Images (Travis RegisterImagn Images) No. 19 Virginia held off Missouri and reached 11 wins for the first time in school history with a 137 victory in the Gator Bowl on Saturday night in Jacksonville, Fla.

- - No. 19 Virginia throttles Missouri to capture Gator Bowl

Field Level MediaDecember 28, 2025 at 5:20 AM

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Dec 27, 2025; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Jahmal Edrine (7) is tackled after a catch against the Missouri Tigers during the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images (Travis Register-Imagn Images)

No. 19 Virginia held off Missouri and reached 11 wins for the first time in school history with a 13-7 victory in the Gator Bowl on Saturday night in Jacksonville, Fla.

Chandler Morris completed 25 of 38 passes for 198 yards, Harrison Waylee rushed for the go-ahead touchdown and the Cavaliers (11-3) controlled the clock to secure their first bowl win since 2018.

"Unbelievable leadership from the top down. Complete buy-in. They believed when everybody said they couldn't. They were picked to be 14th out of 17 in the ACC," Virginia coach Tony Elliott said. "... They wanted to be the best team ever in school history, the first team to win 11 games, and really, they've revived me as a coach. They brought the fun back."

The Tigers (8-5) scored a touchdown on the game's opening drive but were blanked the rest of the way to fall to 0-5 this season against ranked opponents.

Missouri All-American Ahmad Hardy ran for 89 yards on 15 carries. With 1,649 yards, he broke the Missouri single-season record of 1,627 set by Cody Schrader in 2023.

True freshman Matt Zollers started with senior quarterback Beau Pribula entering the transfer portal and managed 101 yards on 12-of-22 passing with an interception.

Virginia opened the second half with a 19-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take its first lead at 10-7. The Cavaliers converted two fourth downs and took 10:07 off the clock, capped by Waylee's 2-yard run.

Virginia got the ball back on an interception by Emmanuel Karnley, and Will Bettridge's 39-yard field goal extended the lead to 13-7 late in the third quarter.

Missouri began its final drive with 1:33 left at its own 18 with no timeouts. Zollers completed passes of 11, 14, 7 and 24 yards to reach the Virginia 21. On fourth-and-10 with 8 seconds left, Zollers had to come off the field after hitting his head on the ground. Walk-on Brett Brown's pass into the end zone was broken up by Devin Neal.

The Cavaliers converted 13 of 23 third downs and 2 of 4 on fourth down and dominated time of possession, 38:34 to 21:26.

The Tigers only converted 3 of 12 third-down attempts and failed on all three fourth-down efforts.

Hardy broke off a 43-yard run on the game's opening drive. Two plays later, Jamal Roberts scored on a 5-yard rush for a quick 7-0 lead that turned out to be the Tigers' only points of the game.

Bettridge had a 42-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

--Field Level Media

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Published: December 28, 2025 at 06:27AM on Source: RON MAG

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December 27, 2025

No. 19 Virginia throttles Missouri to capture Gator Bowl

No. 19 Virginia throttles Missouri to capture Gator Bowl Field Level MediaDecember 28, 2025 at 5:20 AM 0 Dec 27, 2025; J...

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Westbrook passes Magic Johnson for 7th place in career assists as Kings beat Mavericks 113-107

Westbrook passes Magic Johnson for 7th place in career assists as Kings beat Mavericks 113107 The December 28, 2025 at 4:11 AM 0 Dallas Mavericks forward Daniel Gafford dunks the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Russell Westbrook scored 21 points and moved past Magic Johnson for seventh place on the NBA's career assists list while leading the Sacramento Kings to a 113107 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.

- - Westbrook passes Magic Johnson for 7th place in career assists as Kings beat Mavericks 113-107

The December 28, 2025 at 4:11 AM

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Dallas Mavericks forward Daniel Gafford dunks the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Russell Westbrook scored 21 points and moved past Magic Johnson for seventh place on the NBA's career assists list while leading the Sacramento Kings to a 113-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.

Westbrook grabbed five rebounds, and his nine assists gave him 10,149 — eight more than Johnson.

The 37-year-old Westbroook also moved within nine points of tying Dominique Wilkins for 19th on the NBA's scoring chart while propelling Sacramento to its third victory in 13 games.

Dallas got within 111-107 with nine seconds remaining before DeMar DeRozan made two free throws to seal it.

Keon Ellis hit five 3-pointers and had 21 points, Maxime Raynaud added 19 points and Dennis Schroder scored 10. Rookie guard Nique Clifford had eight points and nine rebounds off the bench to help the Kings (8-23) to their fourth consecutive win over the Mavericks.

Cooper Flagg had 23 points, six rebounds and five assists but also committed five turnovers for Dallas (12-21). P.J. Washington had 17 points and four blocks, and Klay Thompson scored 14 points.

MAGIC 127, NUGGETS 126

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Black scored a career-high 38 points, Desmond Bane made two free throws with 6.9 seconds left and Orlando overcame another huge triple-double by Nikola Jokic to beat Denver.

Jokic had 34 points, 21 rebounds and 12 assists, his 180th triple-double and 16th of the season. Two nights after finishing with 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists in a Christmas overtime victory over Minnesota, he pulled within one of Oscar Robertson for second on the NBA's career triple-doubles list.

Jamal Murray scored 24 points for Denver, but missed a long jump shot at the horn after Bane's free throws completed Orlando's comeback from a 17-point deficit.

Bane scored 15 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter for the Magic, who shot 67.4% in the second half.

SUNS 123, PELICANS 114

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Devin Booker scored 20 points, including two clutch jumpers down the stretch, and Phoenix beat New Orleans for a two-game sweep of their back-to-back set.

Booker led seven Suns in double figures. Dillon Brooks had 18 points, Collin Gillespie scored 17, Jordan Goodwin added 16 and Royce O'Neale finished with 15.

Trey Muphy III had 24 points for the Pelicans, and Zion Williamson scored 22 off the bench on 8-of-11 shooting. Rookie center Derik Queen had 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Jeremiah Fears scored 18 and Saddiq Bey finished with 17.

The game got chippy in the third quarter after New Orleans went on a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to 73-71. Following a whistle, Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and Phoenix center Mark Williams exchanged punches. Both were ejected.

ROCKETS 117, CAVALIERS 100

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 30 points in three quarters to lead Houston to an easy 1win over Cleveland.

The Rockets won their second straight after they lost four of their previous five games.

Durant, who also had seven assists and four rebounds, didn't play in the fourth quarter with Houston up by 27 points after three.

The Cavaliers cut the lead to 12 on a basket by Darius Garland with about seven minutes left in the third quarter before Houston used a 15-0 run to make it 85-58 about two minutes later. After a dunk by Durant in that stretch, Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson received a technical for yelling at the officials and Durant made the free throw.

Jabari Smith Jr. capped the run with a 3-pointer before Dean Wade made a 3 to give the Cavaliers their first points in more than four minutes.

Reserve Jaylon Tyson had 23 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell added 16 points on 7-for-17 shooting for the Cavaliers, who dropped a second straight game and their fifth in the last seven games.

HEAT 142, PACERS 116

MIAMI (AP) — Andrew Wiggins and Jaime Jaquez Jr. each scored 28 points, and Miami ran away in the fourth quarter to Indiana.

Norman Powell scored 23 for the Heat, who won for the second consecutive night. Miami outscored Indiana 44-22 in the final quarter, after leading 98-94 going into the last 12 minutes.

Miami had 83 points in the second half, and had a 60-23 edge in bench scoring.

Nikola Jovic scored 19 for Miami, with the Heat outscoring Indiana by 35 points in his 25 minutes. The Heat scored at least 140 points for the sixth time this season and seventh time in 2025, after reaching 140 points seven times — combined — from 1988 through 2024.

Indiana's Aaron Nesmith returned after missing 19 games with a shoulder injury. He scored nine points in 19 minutes.

BUCKS 112, BULLS 103

CHICAGO (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points in his return from an eight-game absence, and Milwaukee snapped Chicago's five-game winning streak.

The two-time MVP, who had been sidelined by a right calf strain, added eight rebounds in his first game since Dec. 3. He played 25 minutes, which coach Doc Rivers saying before the game that the forward would have his minutes restricted.

Ryan Rollins scored 20 points and Bobby Portis added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee, which had dropped six of eight.

Up 95-94 with about five minutes to play, Milwaukee got 3-pointers from Rollins and AJ Green during an 8-0 run that gave it some breathing room. The Bulls never got closer than three the rest of the night.

Nikola Vucevic and Coby White each scored 16 points and Josh Giddey added 13 for Chicago.

NETS 123, TIMBERWOLVES 107

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Cam Thomas scored 30 points in his return after missing 20 games with a left hamstring strain, and Brooklyn beat Minnesota.

Michael Porter Jr. added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who had six players score in double figures. Brooklyn (10-19) has won four of five and five of seven.

The Nets, who improved to 7-3 in December, are allowing an NBA-low 103.1 points per game this month.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota (20-12) with 28 points, but the Timberwolves dropped back-to-back games for the third time this season. Minnesota lost 142-138 in overtime Thursday at Denver.

JAZZ 127, SPURS 114

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Lauri Markkanen had 29 points, Keyonte George added 28 points and Utah held on to beat San Antonio, snapping the Spurs' league-high eight-game winning streak.

San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama marked his return to the starting lineup with 32 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and three assists in 27 minutes and 42 seconds. It was Wembanyama's first start since Nov. 14 against Golden State, when he suffered a strained left calf that led to a 12-game absence.

Utah has beaten two of the top three teams in the NBA on successive nights after knocking off Eastern Conference-leading Detroit 131-129 on Friday.

Walter Clayton Jr. scored 17 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 16 for the Jazz, who have won two straight after four consecutive losses.

Keldon Johnson added 27 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio and Stephon Castle had 20 points

KNICKS 128, HAWKS 125

ATLANTA (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns scored a season-high 36 points with 16 rebounds, Jalen Brunson had 34 points and New York survived Atlanta's late comeback attempt to beat the Hawks.

The Hawks lost their sixth straight to wrap up a crushing 0-5 homestand. Atlanta is 5-11 overall at home.

Towns made 17 of 18 free throws while helping the Knicks take a dominant 56-38 advantage in rebounds.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who scored 25 points, had a steal and basket with 48 seconds remaining to give the Hawks a 125-124 lead. OG Anunoby made two free throws as the Knicks reclaimed the lead and, after he stole the ball following Trae Young's pass, padded the lead with two more free throws.

Onyeka Okongwu led the Hawks with 31 points and 14 rebounds. Jalen Johnson recorded his 13th consecutive double-double with 20 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds before fouling out in the final minute.

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Sports"

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Source: Sports

Published: December 28, 2025 at 06:27AM on Source: RON MAG

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byKris Ronald

in

December 27, 2025

Westbrook passes Magic Johnson for 7th place in career assists as Kings beat Mavericks 113-107

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NHL-worst Blackhawks snap 6-game skid with a 4-3, shootout victory over the Stars

NHLworst Blackhawks snap 6game skid with a 43, shootout victory over the Stars December 28, 2025 at 5:10 AM 0 1 / 5Blackhawks Stars HockeyChicago Blackhawks left wing Nick Lardis (76) scores a goal against Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) during a shootout after regulation play of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) DALLAS (AP) — Rookie Nick Lardis scored in the fourth round of the shootout to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 43 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.

- - NHL-worst Blackhawks snap 6-game skid with a 4-3, shootout victory over the Stars

December 28, 2025 at 5:10 AM

0

1 / 5Blackhawks Stars HockeyChicago Blackhawks left wing Nick Lardis (76) scores a goal against Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) during a shootout after regulation play of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

DALLAS (AP) — Rookie Nick Lardis scored in the fourth round of the shootout to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.

The Blackhawks, last in the overall NHL standings, snapped a six-game losing streak. The Stars, second in the overall standings, lost a second consecutive game after regulation following a four-game winning streak.

Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice, former Star Jason Dickinson added a goal and Arvid Soderblom made 28 saves through overtime for the Blackhawks. Soderblom, getting his 12th start with Chicago beginning a back-to-back, snapped a personal five-game skid during which he allowed 29 goals.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists, and Nils Lundkvist and Justin Hrychowian also scored for the Stars. Jake Oettinger stopped 30 shots.

Chicago won for the first time since star forward Connor Bedard was sidelined by a shoulder injury on Dec. 12.

Lardis, playing his sixth NHL game, sent the puck past Oettinger in his first NHL shootout attempt. He was one of five rookies in the Blackhawks' lineup.

Bertuzzi has a team-high 18 goals and ended a seven-game pointless streak.

For Lundkvist, who missed 25 games with a lower-body injury, it was his first goal since the season-opening game.

Rantanen has 39 assists this season, second in the NHL, and has a six-game point streak (2-10-12).

Hryckowian has a five-game point streak (3-2-5).

Dallas' Wyatt Johnston had three assists.

Chicago's Alex Vlasic had two assists.

In a matchup of standout special teams, Dallas' power play went 0 for 4 against Chicago's penalty kill – ranked fourth.

The teams will meet again in Chicago on New Year's night.

Up next

Blackhawks: Host Pittsburgh on Sunday night.

Stars: Host Buffalo on New Year's Eve following a second consecutive three days off.

___

AP NHL: https://ift.tt/Mm8Wwxv

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Sports"

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Source: Sports

Published: December 28, 2025 at 06:27AM on Source: RON MAG

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

byKris Ronald

in

December 27, 2025

NHL-worst Blackhawks snap 6-game skid with a 4-3, shootout victory over the Stars

NHLworst Blackhawks snap 6game skid with a 43, shootout victory over the Stars December 28, 2025 at 5:10 AM 0 1 / 5Bla...

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