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'Bottoms' reinvents the teen sex comedy with a fight club and a lesbian twist – NBC News

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After winning audiences over with her first feature, 2020’s “Shiva Baby,” director Emma Seligman returns with another film about young queer women in crisis. Co-written with “Shiva Baby” lead Rachel Sennott, who also stars in the new film, “Bottoms” follows two awkward best friends who form a fight club for the girls at their high school — with the prime objective of winning over their cheerleader crushes and losing their virginity. As PJ (Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) dig themselves deeper into the scheme, the bloody, gender-swapped take on teen films from the late 1990s doesn’t pull any punches, forcing its characters to grapple with both the ethics of lying to get laid — and one another.
“We wanted to portray horny, flawed, selfish, hormonal teenagers, who happen to be queer and female, and the idea of them manipulating feminism to get what they wanted felt like the worst, juiciest version of that,” Seligman, 28, told NBC News. 
Six years ago, when Seligman and Sennott began writing their film about morally questionable teens, their aim was to write a high school sex comedy featuring queer characters. But, under Seligman’s influence, the project took a turn into the action realm, drawing on inspirations like “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Kick-Ass” and “Attack the Block.” As a result, the finished product is a violent, sapphic update on the “nerd gets the girl” flick, a genre that birthed 1999’s “10 Things I Hate About You” and “Drive Me Crazy” — and many more films, before and after. 
“That’s where it started: wanting to see a version of myself, or myself in high school, in that [genre],” Seligman said of paying homage to the teen sex comedy. “So that meant switching the identities and letting it be as horny as possible.”
“Bottoms,” which opens in U.S. theaters Friday, starts with Edebiri’s Josie and Sennott’s PJ entering their senior year at Rockbridge Falls High — an Anytown, USA, type of place — as self-described “gay, untalented and ugly” virgins. Despite Josie’s more apathetic attitude toward their social lives, PJ is set on the pair improving their prospects before graduation, which includes wooing their longtime crushes Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber). But, in order to do that, Josie has to get Isabel’s focus off of her nauseating football-star boyfriend, played by “Red, White & Royal Blue” star Nicholas Galitzine, and PJ has to get Brittany to register her existence at all. 
As luck would have it, an opportunity to turn heads arises when an offhand joke about spending the summer in a juvenile detention center — and the looming threat of a football game against the school’s longtime rivals — lands the best friends at the head of an after-school self-defense class that quickly devolves into a fight club. Under the guidance of their checked-out club sponsor, played by a hilarious Marshawn Lynch, members of Rockbridge’s female student body learn how to hold their own in bare-knuckle matches reminiscent of the ones in David Fincher’s 1999 classic, “Fight Club.” And the instantly popular scheme catches the eyes of Isabel and Brittany, prompting Josie and PJ to further bend the truth in order to prop up their bad girl image and have sex, despite espousing a feminist agenda.
While this is all written for laughs — and the punchlines land one after the other — the satiric teen world of “Bottoms” perhaps inadvertently highlights just how brutal the teenage experience can be. And while it’s not just the unrivaled degree of girl-on-girl violence on screen, the bloody noses and knockouts are a surprisingly effective part of it.
“A lot of people outside the movie didn’t think we were actually going to — even though it was about a fight club — have it be that bloody or gory. We didn’t get any pushback in the making of it. But I think people were certainly shocked when watching it,” Seligman said, adding that there was also plenty of surprise on set when they got to filming the fight scenes.
Executing the combat sequences, or what Seligman describes as the “superhero element” of the film, demanded a lot from the young director and from the cast, who did a stunt bootcamp before shooting to hone their fighting skills. But the effort certainly paid off. Even the scenes featuring the most brutality — like an epic battle royal at the end and a midway face-off between enthusiastic club member Hazel (Ruby Cruz) and a monstrous high school wrestler — deliver a fresh, even empowered, take on the teen film. 
Similarly, the film’s queer antiheroes bring something unique to the genre, elevating the ‘90s cinematic nerd with deadpan humor, amoral attitudes and sapphic sensibilities. Sennott, whose most recent role was in Sam Levinson’s “The Idol,” and Edebiri, who has been booking films left and right since her breakout role in “The Bear,” began collaborating while they were students at New York University. That fruitful relationship is evident in their ability to expertly play off of each other and bring their exaggerated and socially inept characters to life.
“They already had this inherent, baked-in chemistry,” Seligman said of Sennott and Edebiri’s long working relationship. “They both have elements of their characters: Ayo’s so good at physical comedy, and she’s so, at least in her stand-up, awkward and adorable — and very nerdy — and Rachel is eccentric and over-the-top and quite blunt in her comedic persona.”
Comedy, “the most important part,” according to Seligman, was definitely top of mind as the director and her expertly timed stars brought the film to life. In fact, when asked about the larger message behind “Bottoms,” Seligman is quick to say that her and Sennott’s vision was fairly straightforward: to make a funny, entertaining and sometimes uncomfortable film about horny teens. But, she admits, some deeper meaning may have inadvertently worked its way in.
“Rachel and I joke about how frustrated we get when female friendships, particularly young female friendships, are always portrayed as so overly positive and so overly supportive, in a way that feels unrealistic, and I think, maybe, that seeped its way in,” Seligman said.
Of unconsciously interrogating notions about female friendships and the best friends at the heart of her film, she added, “Putting them in a raunchy, teen sex comedy felt appropriate — to, sort of, challenge those ideas of how horny women and queer people are allowed to be on screen.”
Elaina Patton is a freelance entertainment and culture writer.
© 2023 NBC UNIVERSAL

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Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar Duarte fight results, highlights: 'King Ryan' bounces back for late TKO win – CBS Sports

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December 7, 2023

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Although it was far from perfect, Ryan Garcia reminded boxing fans of his explosiveness on Saturday as the junior welterweight star successfully rebounded from the first defeat of his career. 
Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs), despite a fight week soaked in drama amid a war of words with his own promoters, showed no mercy to Mexican slugger Oscar Duarte (26-2-1, 21 KOs) in an eighth-round TKO inside the Toyota Center in Houston. 
Not only did the victory mark the 25-year-old Garcia’s return to the win column just eight months removed from his knockout loss to Gervonta Davis in their pay-per-view blockbuster, it also marked a successful debut of his new partnership with 2022 trainer of the year Derrick James, who became Garcia’s third head coach in as many years. 
“It was a great performance but I just want to give honor to God and give him the glory,” Garcia said. “I fought hard to find myself again. I did a lot of soul searching and I just wanted to thank him.
“[Duarte] was a strong fighter. He took a good punch. He’s a Mexican fighter like me and he’s tough. I hit him with some hard shots but he just kept coming. I started using my legs, just as Derrick told me to between rounds, and it opened up the shots.”
Garcia’s ability to focus was impressive considering the potential distraction of his nasty feud with Golden Boy Promotions, which geared up to an all-new level at Thursday’s final press conference when Garcia, Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins took turns airing out their private laundry. 
“It just comes with the territory,” Garcia said. “I am a person about moving forward and having a kind heart and showing forgiveness so I just keep it at that. I want to show positivity in this world. I said what I said but I hold no hard feelings.”
Despite the highlight-reel finish to the fight, which began when Garcia stung Duarte with a beautiful check left hook in Round 8, the total sum of Garcia’s comeback performance was a mixed bag. 
While it’s certainly a result that could be excused for the first fight of a new relationship between trainer and fighter, Garcia continued to show puzzling (and potentially dangerous) reactions to Duarte’s pressure and spent most of the middle rounds avoiding exchanging of any kind as the crowd booed Garcia’s constant movement.
Yet, the very thing that makes Garcia so dynamic — the lethal combination of his speed and power — exploded virtually out of nowhere in Round 8 to instantly combust a close fight. After hurting Duarte badly with his counter left hook, Garcia exploded with combinations to eventually drop Duarte. 
Even though Duarte was able to beat the count, referee James Green didn’t like the look in his eyes and waved off the fight at 2:51 of the round. 
“I have a killer instinct,” Garcia said. “Sometimes, when I am hurting somebody that bad, I am just cracking them. But I caught him with a perfect left hook. 
“I just had to slow his momentum down. He was building momentum, momentum and I knew I had to cut this off somehow.”
The fact that Garcia outlanded Duarte by a single punch, according to CompuBox, explains how close this fight felt until it was over. Garcia praised James for his effort after the fight and called for a title shot at 140 pounds against WBA champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero.
“It’s our first fight. [James and I] worked hard,” Garcia said. “We are going to build off this and are committed to get better. I’m committing to becoming a world champion so, if Rolly wants it, let’s do this.”
CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday with the live results and highlights below. 
R8: Duarte beats the count but the referee doesn’t like what he saw. The fight is stopped! It’s a dramatic finish for Ryan Garcia. Result: Ryan Garcia def. Oscar Duarte via eighth-round TKO

R8: Big left hand from Garcia hurts Duarte and down he goes!
R8: Duarte simply isn’t throwing enough to take advantage of Garcia lowering his output. 
R8: The main issue here is that Garcia is actively avoiding any punch exchanges by moving which suggests either an injury or insecurity. 
ROUND 8: Good sticking and moving from Garcia, even though the crowd isn’t wrong to boo his lack of output. 
R7: Garcia takes the round despite angering the fans late. Score: 10-9 Garcia (Overall: 68-65 Garcia)
R7: Garcia spends the last minute on his bicycle actively avoiding Duarte. The only issue is he isn’t throwing while doing this. It draws boos from the crowd. 
ROUND 7: Big attacks from Garcia with powerful right hands. Duarte was covering up and only absorbed partial impact but that statement was felt. Garcia catches Duarte big again with a right cross. 
R6: Good counter right hand from Garcia caught Duarte coming in. Score: 10-9 Garcia (Overall: 58-56 Garcia)
R6: Good defense from Garcia as Duarte came forward with punches. Duarte continues to hammer away at the guard of Garcia, hoping one slips through. 
R6: Right hand to the body from Garcia. This is almost a modified shoulder roll defense from Garcia and he doesn’t look fully comfortable with it. 
ROUND 6: Big right uppercut from Garcia and Duarte looks hurt. Back comes Duarte, however, with body shots. 
R5: Close round but Garcia landed the cleaner shots. Score: 10-9 Garcia (Overall: 48-47 Garcia)
R5: Left hook to the body from Garcia lands low and the crowd boos following the referee’s warning. 
R5: Good head movement from Garcia to avoid Duarte’s aggressive punches. They trade body shots in the clinch. Garcia is standing up strong this round. 
R5: Big uppercuts from Garcia split the guard of Duarte. 
ROUND 5: Garcia opens stronger with stinging left hooks to Duarte. Big uppercut from Garcia lands. 
R4: Another round for Duarte and he mostly did it with pressure and body shots.  Score: 10-9 Duarte (Overall: 38-38)
R4: Duarte warned for a low blow while the two fighters were tied up. Nice left hooks to the body from Duarte. 
R4: Good body work from Duarte in the corner. He’s not landing everything flush but the judges have to be taking note of this momentum movement. 
R4: The rabbit punch appeared partially to come because Garcia nearly turned his back on the action in trying to avoid Duarte’s pressure. 
ROUND 4: More pressure from Duarte backs Garcia up to the corner. Nice body work. Garcia is starting to react in somewhat troubling ways to this pressure. Duarte gets warned for a rabbit punch. 
R3: Garcia facing much more resistance here. Good round from Duarte with solid pressure. Score: 10-9 Duarte (Overall: 29-28 Garcia)

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How to Watch Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois: Fight Time, Streaming Info & Full Card – Sports Illustrated

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December 6, 2023

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How to Watch Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois: Fight Time, Streaming Info & Full Card  Sports Illustrated
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UFC schedule, fight cards, start times, odds, how to watch Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez – Yahoo Sports

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December 6, 2023

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UFC schedule, fight cards, start times, odds, how to watch Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez  Yahoo Sports
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