Topline:
Stephen Colbert is co-writing a new Lord of the Rings movie, Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema announced.
The backstory: Colbert is a Tolkien fan — he even had a cameo appearance in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in 2013. He will co-write a new movie with his son, screenwriter Peter McGee, and LOTR veteran screenwriter Philippa Boyens. Its working title is Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.
Stephen Colbert is co-writing a new Lord of the Rings movie, Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema announced.
"We've got a very special partner that we're working with," said filmmaker Peter Jackson in a video shared across social media at midnight on Wednesday before introducing the comedian and Late Show host via video call.
Colbert is a Tolkien fan — he even had a cameo appearance in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in 2013. He will co-write a new movie with his son, screenwriter Peter McGee, and LOTR veteran screenwriter Philippa Boyens. Its working title is Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.
Colbert said in the video with Jackson that the film will adapt six early chapters — "Three is company" through "Fog on the Barrow-downs" — from The Fellowship of the Ring, the first book of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. These chapters were not part of the first film.
"I thought, 'Oh wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story,'" Colbert said. "'Could we make something that was completely faithful to the books while also being completely faithful to the movies that you guys had already made?'"
Colbert said he and his son, McGee, worked out what they thought might be a framing device for the story.
"It took me a few years for me to scrape my courage into a pile to give you a call," joked Colbert to Jackson.
Warner Bros. sent the film's synopsis in a release: "Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo — Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam's daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began."
Shadow of the Past is one of two upcoming films in the Lord of the Rings franchise. Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum in the films, is directing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which takes place in between the fictional timelines of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Warner Bros. has not announced a release date for Shadow of the Past, but it will come after The Hunt for Gollum, which is expected in Dec. 2027.
"I did not think I'd have the time," Colbert laughed in the video about finding the hours to work on the new movie. But, he said, "It turns out I'm gonna be free starting this summer."
Last year, CBS announced that it was canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, days after Colbert publicly criticized Paramount — CBS's parent company — for paying $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Trump over claims that CBS interfered in the 2024 election by airing edited segments of an interview with Kamala Harris. The Late Show will air its final episode on May 21, more than 30 years after David Letterman first hosted in 1993.
Paramount is also set to buy Warner Bros. Discovery in a massive, nearly $111 billion merger deal.
"If you'll excuse me, I've gotta finish a television show and I've gotta write a movie script, but I will see you all in the shire," Colbert said in the video.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Topline:
We already knew that Democrat Tom Steyer, a billionaire running for California governor, is rich. But how rich?
The backstory: A 2019 state law, designed to better inform California voters, requires candidates for governor to release their federal tax returns to qualify for the June primary ballot.
Why now: Among major candidates, only Chad Bianco, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter and Tony Thurmond have already filed their 2025 tax returns.
Read on for highlights...
We already knew that Democrat Tom Steyer, a billionaire running for California governor, is rich. But how rich?
In 2024, Steyer and his wife, Kat Taylor, reported a total income of $39 million, thanks to the duo’s massive investments in the global stock market. That’s more than all nine of his major opponents in the governor’s race and their partners made that year combined, according to their federal tax returns released this week.
A 2019 state law, designed to better inform California voters, requires candidates for governor to release their federal tax returns to qualify for the June primary ballot. Among major candidates, only Chad Bianco, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter and Tony Thurmond have already filed their 2025 tax returns.
Here are some highlights:
Income: $39 million in 2024, primarily from massive investments in the global stock market. They also made $6 million in passive income in Luxembourg, Netherlands, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands in 2024. They collected $38,000 in royalties from other properties and earned $23,000 from TomKat Ranch, their 1,800-acre cattle ranch in Pescadero.
Federal taxes paid: $5.4 million in 2024 — 54 times the average annual California household income.
Their earnings swing with the market: In 2021, they reported $160 million in income from investments and paid $39 million in taxes. But in 2022, they made a paltry $8 million and paid $1 million.
The couple regularly file tax returns in dozens of states each year (19 in 2024) and pay taxes abroad, too. Steyer also has a United Kingdom bank account, which at one point had a balance of $61 million in 2024.
The pair are big on philanthropy, donating $18 million in 2024, including $3 million in stock to Yale University and $1.5 million in stock to TomKat Foundation, the couple’s philanthropic nonprofit.
Income: $7.5 million in 2024, including $250,000 from Fox News and $6.7 million his wife, Rachel Whetstone, made as chief communications officer at Netflix. The couple also earned $360,000 from global investments but reported a net $3,000 loss in capital gains.
The couple received another $25,000 that year in rent from three properties in London, including two flats in the trendy Camden area. Hilton, a Republican, reported losing more than $226,000 on his media company CR Productions.
Federal taxes paid: $2.8 million in 2024.
Income: $461,000 in 2024, including his $184,000 congressional salary and $247,000 from his wife Brittany’s consulting work. The couple had a $41,000 home mortgage interest deduction in 2024. Rivals have challenged the Democrat’s California residency, though he lists a Bay Area rental as his primary residence.
Federal taxes paid: $83,000 in 2024.
Income: $300,000 in 2025, nearly all from her salary as a law professor at the University of California-Irvine. Porter, a Democrat, also collects royalties from book sales: She made $140,000 in 2023 from books she authored, including two textbooks and her memoir ‘I Swear: Politics Is Messier Than My Minivan’ published that year. She earned $18,000 in 2024 and $3,500 last year in royalties.
Federal taxes paid: $58,000 in 2025.
Income: $590,000 in 2025, jointly with his wife Denise Bianco. Bianco’s return don’t break down the Republican’s wages, but his base salary as sheriff was $348,000 in 2024, after the Riverside County Board of Supervisors gave him a 27% pay raise that May.
He was already the highest paid sheriff in the state in 2023, earning more than $593,000 in total compensation, which includes benefits such as a pension and health care coverage.
Federal taxes paid: $127,000 in 2025.
Income: $490,000 in 2024, jointly with his UC Davis physician wife Carolyn Reyes. That includes Becerra’s nearly $250,000 salary at the time as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration. The couple leased out four single-family homes that made them a net profit of $110,000.
Federal taxes paid: $116,000 in 2024.
Income: $309,000 in 2025 — $203,000 as superintendent of public instruction and $18,000 from Integrated Community Services, a San Rafael-based disability supportive service where he worked as a supportive living aide, one of several side jobs the Democrat has held. Wife Vanessa Wiarco earned $87,000 as community engagement manager with KVCR Public Media at San Bernardino Community College.
Federal taxes paid: $52,000 in 2025.
Income: $1.4 million in 2024, most of which came from Actum, a business consulting firm with offices worldwide, including Los Angeles and Sacramento, and his own firm, Antonio Villaraigosa LLC. He also collected a $125,000 pension as the former Democratic mayor of Los Angeles. He and his wife Patricia filed their taxes separately.
Federal taxes paid: $462,000 in 2024.
Income: $211,000 in 2024, almost all of which came from pensions and Social Security benefits. Yee, a Democrat, reported $1,300 in consulting and teaching income and her husband, Steven Jacobs, a rabbi with no reported income. The couple received $54,000 from selling a timeshare in October 2024. In 2021, the couple also reported $3,400 in gambling income in 2021.
Yee, who was California controller until January 2023, received an annual salary of roughly $157,000 in 2022 and $13,000 in 2023, when the job ended in January.
Federal taxes paid: $24,000 in 2024.
Income: $507,000 in 2025, including his San Jose mayoral salary of $226,000 and his wife Silvia Scandar Mahan’s salary of $267,000 as president of Cristo Rey San Jose High School. In 2024, the couple claimed $14,000 in clean energy credits for using solar-powered electricity.
Federal taxes paid: $99,000 in 2025.
CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang and Juliet Williams contributed reporting.
Topline:
The Palisadian-Post, the nearly century-old community paper covering the Pacific Palisades, has found new buyers. The first issue is planned for May.
Why it matters: The newspaper closed its doors at the end of last year after an exodus of subscribers and advertisers following the Palisades Fire.
Why now: Palisadians and married couple Tim and Laura Schneider have always loved the paper and decided to purchase it.
At the end of last year, community newspaper the Palisadian-Post shuttered its doors after 97 years in operation.
Subscriptions evaporated after January’s fires, as did advertisers, according to a departing message from former owner Alan Smolinisky.
In the months since, a pair of longtime Palisades residents have stepped up to acquire the beloved community paper.
“The Palisadian-Post was a part of the reason we moved to Pacific Palisades, because the paper's role in providing a part of the character of the community was that strong,” said Tim Schneider, co-owner of the new Palisadian-Post.
Schneider had tried to buy the paper before — 24 years ago, when he and his family first moved to the Pacific Palisades.
“We've chronicled our children growing up in the pages of the Palisadian-Post, like a lot of Palisadians,” said Laura Schneider, also co-owner of the newspaper.
The married couple comes from long careers in the publishing industry. When they heard about the paper shutting down last December, they sprang into action and began negotiating a purchase.
Tim says that despite the struggles the community faces, it’s a dream come true to have the chance to continue a nearly century-old tradition with the Pali-Post.
The paper’s relaunch is set for May 4, the paper's 98th anniversary.
“The first step in the relaunch process is going to be gathering community feedback,” said Laura.
The two have been making calls to former employees and residents of the Palisades, looking for input on what they want out of this new iteration. One thing they say they’d like to see is a sustained focus on the recovery.
“ He needs to hire a news reporter who's focused on the rebuilding of the Palisades. That's a huge theme, obviously, all the aspects of the rebuilding,” said Bill Bruns, editor emeritus with the Palisadian-Post. Bruns was a longtime editor who's been advising the Schneiders on the relaunch.
After January, Tim says people went to various sources to get information to track the Palisade Fire's chaotic aftermath. He thinks a newspaper like the Pali-Post is a better place to provide readers with authoritative and reliable information.
He says he wants the paper to be a central information hub for the thousands of Palisadians who have been displaced.
“ We have 5,000 Palisadians living in Santa Monica, more than 3,000 Palisadians living in Brentwood," he estimated. "So our approach with the Palisadian-Post is to use it as the connective thread that ties together Palisadians."
In its new iteration, the paper will be strictly digital, with a new website, daily newsletter and community calendar to give readers a full range of events in the neighborhood — recovery-related or otherwise.
In time, the couple hopes to bring back a physical edition of the paper.
Several former advertisers the Schneiders have talked to are committed to coming back.
“ I'm happy to say, not only have all of them committed to supporting the new Palisadian-Post, but we've heard from dozens of businesses that have indicated an interest in getting involved for the first time,” said Tim.
Beloved favorite columns of the paper are returning too, like the local Two-Cents section written by residents.
The first event planned is going to be the "Pali Bee" — the local Spelling Bee that the newspaper sponsored in previous years.
Laura says that despite the last 15 months of difficulties, the sense of community in the Palisades remains strong. The two hope that strength will get the newspaper and the community back on its feet.
“ That's something very special about this town, and that's something that we hope that we can tap into as we bring the Palisadian-Post back," Laura said. "This town has tremendous heart. And that's a big part of the story that we wanna tell."
Topline:
The Single-A Ontario Tower Buzzers begins their inaugural season on April 2. This new Dodgers’ minor league team is already making history as the Dodgers try to make their own (can you say three-peat?!).
Why it matters: The Ontario Tower Buzzers are a new team in a new stadium, expected to energize youth baseball in the Ontario area and insert energy into the region’s business.
Why now: The team has been in development for years and hopes to succeed by engaging various groups in the Ontario community, such as youth baseball, and businesses.
See a future hall of famer?: Most of Tower Buzzers’ players are between 19 and 22 years old, out of high school and college, along with players from other countries. All have major league dreams.
What's next: The Tower Buzzers’ Opening Day is April 2. The cheapest tickets for that day cost just over $37. I know, you can buy four of them for what the cheapest Dodgers’ Opening Day ticket is going for on MLB.com.
Go deeper: The fair-weather fan guide to the 2026 Dodgers season.
You may not be familiar with the Ontario Tower Buzzers. But if all goes to plan, you soon will.
The Dodgers’ new minor league team begins its inaugural season Thursday playing in a new stadium, ONT Field. (ONT is the code for Ontario International Airport).
The Single-A team will throw its first pitch as the Dodgers begin what could be a historic season in Major League Baseball (can you say three-peat?!). History will already be made when the first fans go through the turnstile at the Ontario stadium on Opening Day.
“This has been a dream for a lot of people, for a better part of two decades, to bring a minor league baseball team here,” said Tower Buzzers General Manager Allan Benavides.
It’s hard enough to explain what a dodger is, but what’s a tower buzzer?
“Obviously a straight nod to the movie Top Gun,” Benavides said. In that 1986 film, Tom Cruise plays a reckless fighter pilot, nicknamed Maverick, who flies closer than allowed to the runway control tower.
The aviation theme is built into the stadium’s design along with signage of Ontario Airport, the team’s title sponsor. The mascot, appropriately, is Maverick, an aviation glasses-wearing giant bee (as in “buzzers”), and uniforms hue to the Dodgers’ style, with “Buzzers” proclaimed on jerseys.
Most of Tower Buzzers’ players are between 19 and 22 years old, out of high school and college, along with players from other countries. Keep an eye on the team’s web site as it announces the list of players who made it on the team roster.
Remember when Dodgers tickets felt affordable? Currently the cheapest tickets are selling for about $178 on MLB.com. Tickets for the Tower Buzzers’ Opening Day start at just over $37.
The Ontario Tower Buzzers are a Single-A team, the lowest rung in a minor league system with Triple-A teams at the top.
The Oklahoma City Comets is the Dodgers’ triple-A minor league team, where the Dodgers’ players closest to entering the major leagues play.
And that means it's possible to see a future hall of famer at a single-A game.
“My little brother and I went to a Quakes game when Mike Trout was playing with the [Rancho Cucamonga] Quakes and we were there when he hit a grand slam to win a playoff game for them,” said Jonathan Campos, president of the Ontario Mountain View Little League.
The Tower Buzzers’ inaugural season is a big deal for youth baseball in the region, Campos said, and his Little League in particular. His league’s four fields are across the street from the Tower Buzzers’ new stadium and that’s generated a lot of interest among his players to have a night for his league at a Tower Buzzers’ game this season.
Topline:
A group of about a dozen fire survivors said they were excited to get back to something they’d been doing together for eight years: a weekly informal pickup soccer game at Loma Alta Park. But what they found was a ballfield battle they weren’t expecting, with L.A. County saying they can't play soccer on the field.
The backstory: The group said they were eager to get back to their weekly tradition last summer, months after the Eaton Fire was extinguished. But last December, they say an L.A. County Sheriff’s deputy told them they couldn’t play soccer on the field anymore. They were shocked.
County responds: In a statement, L.A. County Parks said designated baseball fields are for the “exclusive use of baseball, softball, and youth sports. They are not soccer fields.”
It’s been more than a year now since the Eaton Fire devastated Altadena, destroying more than 9,000 structures and killing 19 people.
A group of about a dozen fire survivors said they were excited to get back to something they’d been doing together for years: a weekly informal pickup soccer game at Loma Alta Park.
But what they found was a ballfield battle they weren’t expecting.
On a recent sweltering Sunday at Loma Alta, the park was abuzz with life: kids playing on a large jungle gym and parents sitting and talking on the grass.
That afternoon, the park was just a bubble of normalcy. All around were the stark reminders of the fire that tore through Altadena — rows and rows of flattened and dusty lots, melted gates and charred trees.
About half of the dozen or so Altadenans who say they’ve been meeting here for the past eight years appeared from different corners of a large grass field at the park, empty save for a few signs that read: "This field is designated for baseball and softball only."
But this group of friends, including several dads, said since 2018, they’ve bonded playing soccer here.
“Finding these guys and this game is really what brought me into the Altadena community in a lot of ways,” said Graham Fortier.
“This is kind of my backyard. I came here with my son... They grew up here,” Patrick Connor recalled.
“It got me through a couple of hard times already, before the fire,” Mike Lazzareschi said.
All three and their families lost homes in the Eaton Fire.
Bryce Nicholson’s family’s home was spared. One of his children was just 2 months old when the family had to evacuate.
“There’s something kind of symbolic and hopeful about coming to your only park left and talking about where people are at with their rebuilds or what’s going on at the local school district,” he said. “Or just to make fart jokes.”
The group said they were excited to get back to their weekly tradition last summer, months after the fire was extinguished. But in December, they said an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy told them they couldn’t play soccer on the field anymore.
They were shocked.
Fortier said they feel like the goal posts have been moving on them as far as justification from L.A. County staffers goes. They said officials cited reasons including grass mutilation, needing a permit and that the use is ultimately up to the park director’s discretion.
“To tell us that we can’t play a game that we’ve been playing in eight years at our park — our only park that didn’t burn down — I think it’s ridiculous. And I’m gonna keep playing until they kick me off,” Fortier told LAist.
In a statement, L.A. County Parks said designated baseball fields are for the “exclusive use of baseball, softball, and youth sports. They are not soccer fields.”
In “the near future” the county said it will be able to offer a multi-use field at the nearby Charles White Park, where a variety of sports, including soccer, will be allowed.
“Our goal is not exclusion — it is stewardship and safety. We remain committed to working with all park users to ensure safe, fair, and sustainable access for everyone in our communities,” the statement added.
Joshua McGuffie, a longtime member of the soccer crew who grew up in Altadena and saw his parents’ home destroyed in the fire, said the county’s previous requests to obtain a permit and to stop playing with cleats were inappropriate.
“It feels like the county parks coming in and saying, like, ‘Look, A, You need to pay and, B, you need to play unsafely.’ It’s just mystifying to me,” McGuffie said.
He and other players feel the insurance and other costs associated with getting a permit are prohibitive and their informal group of far fewer than 25 players shouldn’t be required to do so.
The group said they have a meeting with Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office next week to discuss their situation.
In the meantime, they’ve circulated an online petition that has over 1,100 signatures.
Patrick Connor said it’s painful to be turned away. And he said he feels like it’s intervening in his healing, his recovery from the fire.
“People ask me: ‘How are you doing?’ I’m not doing that great,” Connor said. “I had, like, serious insomnia after the fire... And the thing that was really good for me was exercise and being with fire victims.”
Later that afternoon at Loma Alta, Bryce Nicholson said he and several others in the group were cited by the sheriff’s department for playing soccer on the field.
Nicholson said he’s digging his heels in because he wants a better explanation from the county.
“Because this is a good space for people that don’t often have many spaces, and a community that has been through so much,” Nicholson said. “Why can’t they just meet up at a park and play a game like they have for a long time?”
