Joel Berry's pit-bull mentality propels UNC men's basketball to ACC Tournament quarterfinal win

It didn’t take long for Theo Pinson to realize what type of player Joel Berry would be.

“Joel Berry is a pit bull. I’ve known that since I came here with him,” Pinson said. The dude just plays hard every second he’s in there, and that’s what Coach loves about him, that’s what I love about him.

“He gets everybody else going.”

And in Thursday’s ACC Tournament quarterfinals, Berry provided a critical spark for the top-seeded Tar Heels, scoring a game-best 20 points in an 88-71 win over eighth-seeded Pittsburgh at the Verizon Center.

The Panthers (21-11) jumped out to an 8-0 lead, as UNC started the game 1-for-7 from the field and struggled to contain Pittsburgh’s Jamel Artis.

While the Tar Heels (26-6) overcame the early deficit, they couldn’t build any momentum, settling for jump shots and consistently allowing the Panthers to penetrate on defense.

For Berry, UNC's early struggles fueled him.

“I don’t like when someone thinks they can just do whatever they want against me,” Berry said. “That gets me going. I’m self-motivated, but when someone is scoring on you or something, that gives you a little bit of a fire under you.”

And late in the first period, Berry’s pit-bull mentality emerged.

After UNC surrendered the lead with 8:28 left before halftime, the sophomore scored seven straight points to keep his team from falling behind any further.

Berry’s 3-pointer with 4:06 left sparked a 13-2 run, concluding with a steal and layup by the sophomore. He entered the locker room with 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting and having willed his team to a 39-35 edge.

“When everything is going your way - you know, you’re knocking down shots and getting steals - that’s what you want,” Berry said. “It felt good, but I was just trying to do that because we needed a spark from somewhere, and it had to start from someone."

“So I just tried to pipe up my intensity.”

Berry’s aggressiveness carried into the second half, as he locked down defensively on Pittsburgh’s James Robinson and disrupted the Panthers’ post offense.

The sophomore guard tied his career high with four steals and complemented his defense with the same shooting touch he displayed in the first half, finishing the game 7-of-8 from the field.

But no shots were more important than those he made in the first half, as the Tar Heels never surrendered the halftime lead Berry helped provide.

“In the first half, Joel Berry was our offense,” Coach Roy Williams said. “There’s no question about that.” Over the past four games, Berry is averaging 16.5 points per game and shooting 51.1 percent from the floor. And with an ACC Tournament semifinal game looming against Notre Dame on Friday night, Berry’s intensity could be needed once again.

“He really gets after it, he really does,” said junior forward Kennedy Meeks. “His dreams and aspirations for this team are just like Coach’s, and that’s what you need in a point guard - someone to lead the way for us to get to a championship.”

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Captain America: Civil War - what to expect

Anticipation is building for today's "world trailer premiere" of Captain America: Civil War, with just eight weeks to go until the film is released.

Marvel fans are facing the painful choice between two of their favourite superheroes: Captain America or Iron Man…

What's the film about?

A year after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, an international incident involving the team leads politicians to introduce new rules about when the superheroes should be called in to help. The new regime sparks a bitter rift between former allies Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) – an unprecedented scenario on the big screen but one that has been touched upon in the comic book Civil War.

Who else is in it?

As well as the leads, the film boasts a treasure chest of supporting talent, including Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier) and Anthony Mackie (Falcon). There is also speculation that Tom Holland's Spider-Man could make an appearance. Behind the scenes are directors Anthony and Joe Russo and scriptwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

What are people saying about it?

Forbes predicts Captain America: Civil War will be another "feather in Marvel's cap" and Downey Jr has even described it as "the Godfather of superhero movies".

Expectation of an epic affair has only been swollen by co-director Joe Russo's talk of a "sprawling film with a lot of characters that tells very intricate stories".

Some of the more complex storylines are expected to surround Johansson's Black Widow, with Russo telling IGN that he took inspiration from a televisual juggernaut to pen her particularly emotional journey. "I always said what I loved about Breaking Bad is that Vince Gilligan always wrote himself into the hardest corner," he said. "I would watch an episode and go 'I have no f******* idea how he's going to solve this next week,' and he would solve it."

Captain America: Civil War is scheduled to be released on 6 May 2016.

Civil War trailer: why is Iron Man fighting Captain America?

25 November

The new trailer for Captain America: Civil War has revealed a new hostility rising up between the superhero and his Avengers companion Iron Man.

The film is officially part of the Captain America series, but has been dubbed "Avengers 2.5" as it is also seen as a bridge to the next Avengers movie, Infinity War.

In the new trailer, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, played by Chris Evans, is heard telling Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr: "I'm sorry, Tony, you know I wouldn't do this if I had any other choice. But he's my friend."

"So was I," responds Tony, before the trailer cuts to footage of the two men fighting.

It appears the pair have fallen out over Captain America's best friend Bucky Barns (Sebastian Stan), who was brainwashed into becoming villainous assassin The Winter Soldier in the last Captain America film.

But their dispute boils down to the "age old question of security versus liberty", says Entertainment Weekly. The governments of the world want all would-be heroes to work under strict oversight. Iron Man is on board with the idea, but Captain America has no faith left in bureaucracy and government, and wants to protect his friend Bucky, causing a fracture in the Avengers just as they try to protect the world from another new villain.

Evans has previously said the "flip-flop" in perspective of the two characters is why the film will be so effective.

Tony has always been the one to buck authority, while the Captain comes from a world of order, hierarchy and structure. However, after the last Captain America film, The Winter Solder, he realises that one cannot always trust the system. "I think he now is starting to follow his own heart, and do his own thing, and as a result there becomes this kind of flip-flop in perspective," said Evans.

His rebellion means veteran characters such as Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) are forced to choose sides. Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther will also make a debut appearance in the film.

Directed by The Winter Soldier filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo, the movie is due out in May 2016.

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'Underground' is a suspenseful drama that demands your attention

Violence, drama, romance and history blend together in the thrilling new series Underground from WGN America, which premieres Wednesday night. 

The heart-wrenching show, created by Misha Green and Joe Pokaski and co-executive produced by John Legend, focuses on the complicated lives of slaves determined to escape to freedom.

But the story goes beyond the Underground Railroad; it weaves in the intricate complexities of life in that era. It's not just about the slaves who want to be free - it's about the slaves who refuse to leave, the slaves grappling with the life-or-death stakes, surrounded by the parallel world inhabited by white people in this tense period of American history. 

All of that is packaged into a thrilling drama, mapped with plot twists at every turn and absolutely dripping with suspense. This isn't the type of show you can put on in the background. You'll need to stay tuned for every second, because anything can happen.

Underground centers around the resilient Noah (Aldis Hodge), the central slave determined to be free. He gathers a team around him, immediately plotting ways to escape using the Underground Railroad. 

Hodge is fantastically charming in this role, a winning and fearless protagonist who's truly unafraid to risk it all. The show is bolstered by great acting all around, but it's his performance in particular that anchors everything.  

From there, the show spreads its narrative to other characters, including Rosalee (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), a weary house slave who catches Noah's eye; her mother Ernestine (Amirah Vann), a loyal house slave who's all about the rules; Cato (Alano Miller), a frustrating head slave who sucks up to the slaveowners; John and Elizabeth Hawkes (Marc Blucas and Jessica De Gouw), a white couple who want to help slaves escape; August Pullman (Chris Meloni), a mysterious, yet righteous seeming man.

All these stories weave together to create a dense series with constantly evolving plots. It heightens the drama of the whole affair, always fighting to raise the stakes of an already high-stakes situation. 

At the same time, the show grounds itself in historical accuracy, but also wants to be the furthest thing from a stuffy educational drama.

Everything about its production reaches for modern flourishes, particularly the music choices. The opening scene is set to Kanye West's "Black Skinhead" and other current artists like the Weekend and X Ambassadors pop up here and there. 

It doesn't always work, but does speak to the ambitious desire to marry an important historical period to modern TV storytelling. Underground constantly makes the kind of dramatic leaps and twists worthy of a Shondaland series, from its coterie of surprise villains to gratuitous sex scenes.

It also is extremely conscious of humanizing every slave onscreen. Though it does show the violence and emotional trauma they went through, it doesn't rest on gratuitous torture porn. Everyone has a name, a personality and distinct traits that make them a person, rather than one of dozens of slaves forced to live on this plantation. They sing, they laugh, they tell stories, they grapple with the burdens of life. 

If its first four episodes are a good measure, Underground is a tactful piece of work that both highlights deeply important stories and keeps its audience thoroughly entertained, informed and invested.

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Chipotle store closed for second day on norovirus fears

A Chipotle in Billerica, Mass., closed its doors for a second day Wednesday after one of its employees tested positive for the highly contagious norovirus. As many as four employees are suspected to be sick with the stomach bug.

The Chipotle, located just northwest of Boston, first shut its doors Tuesday after word emerged that at least one employee had tested positive for the norovirus, which causes pain, nausea and vomiting. The store is expected to reopen Thursday on the condition that employees who come to work test negative for the virus, Richard Berube, director of the Billerica Board of Health.

Chipotle will test the employees for the virus via stool sample and symptom questionnaire, Berube said.

The Mexican fast-food chain has been plagued by health issues in recent months, which has weighed on its reputation and stock price. The stock is down 20% during the last 12 months amid reports of norovirus and E.coli outbreaks.

The stock fell more than 5% early Wednesday but recovered somewhat to close at $506.63, which represents a loss of 3.4%.

"We closed the restaurant on Tuesday after four of our employees - none of whom worked while sick - called to say they were at home and not feeling well," Arnold said in an email. "We look forward to opening tomorrow," he said.

But Berube says the store initially opened its doors on Tuesday and only closed them after he sent an inspector to the store because his office was alerted to the potential outbreak by Boston's local television news station WHDH.

Restaurants are not required to notify the Board of Health when workers have contagious illnesses, Berube told USA TODAY. "It probably would have been in their best interest to notify us, considering they had a confirmed case of norovirus," he added.

In January, the company said it was served with a federal grand jury subpoena over its handling of an August norovirus outbreak in California, which sickened more than 200 people, including 18 workers. In February, the chain closed all of its stores for several hours in order to talk to employees about food safety.

Chipotle executives have pledged to improve their food-safety standards in an effort to reduce future outbreaks and instill confidence.

After learning of the health risk from the television news station, the Billerica Board of Health sent an inspector to the Chipotle store, which had already opened for business, Berube said. The inspector discussed closing the store with management, which then voluntarily agreed to close the store and take other precautionary measures, Berube said.

For example, they discarded all the food in the store and cleaned it "from top to bottom," Berube said.

On Wednesday, health inspectors visited the store again. They found the store to be "nice, clean and in great shape,"  Arnold said, a sentiment that was confirmed by Berube. "There are no confirmed customer illnesses connected to this incident," Arnold said.

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Jeremy Meeks Released From Prison

Jeremy Meeks is a free man.

The convicted felon was released from prison on Tuesday, his agent confirmed to ABC News. Meeks became an Internet sensation in 2014 when his mug shot went viral after the Stockton Police Department in California posted it on its Facebook page. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison last year on weapon charges, but had hoped for an early release for good behavior.

Now, Meeks is looking forward to a career in modeling and acting.

"We have a lot in store regarding Jeremy’s new career," Meek's agent, Jim Jordan, said in a statement today. "There are a multitude of offers on the table. Jeremy is humbled and grateful and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers for him and his family.

Meeks will be spending the next few weeks in transitional housing "before he is completely free to start his new journey," Jordan said.

In an Instagram post today, Meeks thanked his family and fans for their support while he was in prison, adding that he's "ready" for what lies ahead.

I want to thank my family and everybody for all your love, support and prayers. I'm overwhelmed and grateful for what lies ahead. I'm ready @jimjordanphotography and @whitecrossmanagement  #jeremymeeks #jimjordan #whitecrossmanagement

A photo posted by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Mar 9, 2016 at 4:43pm PST

Last year, Meeks told ABC News in an interview from prison that he was working on getting ripped in preparation for his modeling career.

"I eat healthy. I do a lot of push-ups, pull-ups, dips, burpees, and I stay very active," he said.

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Brian Orakpo sends Twitter threat to Chris Cooley for bashing RG3

If Chris Cooley plans on going out in public anytime soon, he should probably do his best to make sure he doesn't run in to Titans linebacker Brian Orakpo, because if that happens, things could get ugly for Cooley.

The feud between Orakpo and Cooley started this week when the former Redskins tight end did a radio interview where he bashed Robert Griffin III.

During the interview with ESPN 980 in Washington, D.C., Cooley basically said that RG3 was a horrible teammate and that, for the most part, no one liked him.

Orakpo took issue with several of Cooley's comments and let him know on Twitter. Orakpo made sure to let Cooley know that that he's going "smack the shit" out of Cooley if he sees him out in public.

Get this BUM Chris Cooley off the radio and tv please... don't worry still got property in VA when I see him Ima smack the shit out of him

— Brian Orakpo (@rak98) March 9, 2016

Cooley, RG3 and Orakpo were all teammates in Washington in 2012.

At that point, another teammate from 2012 also chimed in. Redskins tight end Niles Paul sent out a tweet that was basically telling Cooley to close his mouth.

"Can't keep shittin on people you worked with and called your teammates," Paul wrote on twitter.

Can't keep shittin on people you worked with & called your teammates.

— Niles Paul (@Niles_Paul84) March 9, 2016

Former NFL defensive back Ryan Clark, who played for the Redskins in 2014, also said Cooley's comments were ridiculous.

"First of all ... Anything he says I don't necessarily pay attention to," Clark said on ESPN's First Take. "A lot of people get out of football and forget who they were when they played football. He's just a dude who gets his rocks off bashing people in Washington."

Clark seems to have a point with that "bashing people" thing, because Cooley didn't seem to have a problem with RG3 when he was playing with him. Back in 2012, the Redskins tight end told our Jason La Canfora that RG3 was a great leader.

"He's the leader of this football team," Cooley said at the time. "I can honestly say that. He's so real. There's no B.S. This is who he is. I sit next to him in the team meetings, and there isn't a guy on the team he doesn't have a relationship with. Not one."

Maybe Cooley's just mad because he only caught one pass in 2012, which ended up being his final year in the NFL.

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Eagles Sign S Rodney McLeod

The Philadelphia Eagles have signed former St. Louis Rams safety Rodney McLeod to a five-year deal.

#Eagles and S Rodney McLeod agree to terms on a five-year contract. Welcome to Philadelphia!#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/SqmWyADpLQ

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 10, 2016

The deal is reportedly worth $37 million over five-years, but more importantly, $17 million guaranteed.

The #Eagles agreement with safety Rodney McLeod, 5 years, $37M, includes $17M guaranteed. Huge move for Philly.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2016

In four seasons with the Rams, the undrafted safety has never missed a game. McLeod, 25, had 82 tackles, three forced fumbles, and one interception last season. He has eight career forced fumbles and five career interceptions.

New #Eagles FS Rodney McLeod has forced 12 turnovers last 3 years. Was PFF's No. 10 safety out of 88 in '15. Turns 26 in June.

— Evan Silva (@evansilva) March 9, 2016

The Eagles will likely move on from safety Walter Thurmond, who is an unrestricted free-agent.

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