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9k slot Thanks to meme culture, a whole new generation is enjoying the beloved 2003 holiday movie, "Elf." Video above: Giant Buddy the Elf cutout looms over Vermont children's museum We are now learning the behind-the-scenes story about one particular scene that has gone viral. According to Mark Acheson, who played "Mailroom Guy" in the film, not only was much of his scene improvised, it almost didn't make it into the movie. "I called my agent and he said, 'Listen, they would like you to come and do one line with Will Ferrell. Would you like to do it?,'" Acheson told People magazine. "And I said, yeah, I'd be happy to do that. I was only supposed to say 'work release' and that was the end of it." Ferrell plays Buddy the Elf, sent to the mailroom at his father's office to stay occupied. "Elf" director Jon Favreau got Acheson to improvise with Ferrell. During the scene, Acheson's character tells Ferrell's character he's 26 years old but has "nothing to show for it." "You're young, you're so young," Ferrell's Buddy tells the "Mailroom Guy." But not everyone loved the banter, and Acheson said the improvised dialogue initially landed on the chopping block. "The producers wanted to axe the whole scene because of that. I think, 'Who is gonna believe this guy is 26?' I mean, seriously," Acheson said. "I believe I was 46 at the time and an older, 46 even at that. Because I never looked young in my life." Favreau fought to keep it in the movie. "He said that the joke, that's the funny part, right?" Acheson recalled. "He kept me in. They didn't want me, but he did and thank God for me because it changed my career quite a bit." The scene is now being shared all over social media.Hyderabad: On December 25 every year, many parts of India come alive with festive spirit of Christmas with Carol singing, dazzling Christmas lights, decked up Christmas trees, youngsters greeting each other, gift- giving and feasts. It is a blend of cultural festivities and religious observance which symbolises the return of light and hope. Along with that, it is also a day when some great leaders were born in India that is Bharat. This day is remembered for various reasons. It happens to be the birth anniversary of Madan Mohan Malaviya, Ganganath Jha, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Atal Behari Vajpayee will be remembered for ever for shaping post-Independence domestic and foreign policy. A veteran Parliamentarian whose career stretches over four decades, Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha nine times and to the Rajya Sabha twice, a record by itself. Atal Ji made the first serious attempt to make technology accessible to the common man. He was a poet and a compassionate leader. A great statesman and served three terms as the prime minister of India - first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for 13 months from 1998 to 1999 and after that a full term from 1999 to 2004. "Satta ka khel chalega" (the game of power will go on). Governments will come and go. Parties will be made and unmade. This country should survive, its democracy should survive,” he said in Lok Sabha in 1996 when his government faced trust vote which is recalled by many leaders even today in many debates in parliament. The former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday gained importance as it is celebrated as “Good Governance Day.” His first brush with nationalist politics was in his student days when he joined the Quit India Movement of 1942 which hastened the end of British colonial rule. As a student of political science and law, he developed keen interest in foreign affairs - an interest he has nourished over the years and put to skillful use while representing India at various multilateral and bilateral fora. He had tremendous sense of humour. An orator par excellence and was also a composer and writer, a voracious reader. Similarly, we had other great leaders like Madan Mohan Malavia (25 December 1861 – 12 November 1946), who was not only a great freedom fighter, politician, and educationist, but also a great social reformer. Ganganath Jha (25 December 1872 – 9 November 1941), was a great scholar of the Sanskrit language. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari (25 December 1880 – 10 May 1936) a renowned physician, and a nationalist Muslim leader, who participated in the Indian National Movement and lived in Varanasi and contributed to establish the Nationalist University Kashi Vidyapeeth and Jamia Millia in Delhi. Another great son of soil was Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972). Rajaji was an advocate, writer, politician, and philosopher. He was the second Governor-General of independent India and the first Indian Governor-General.Ange Postecoglou may be forced into starting some of his big-hitters in attack when Tottenham Hotspur face Roma in the Europa League on Thursday. The Spurs manager has used the cup competitions to hand opportunities to the likes of Wilson Odobert , Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear in attack, but all three will be absent when the Giallorossi travel to North London. Odobert remains out with a hamstring injury; a nasty virus will leave Moore out of contention, and Lankshear is serving a one-match suspension following his red card in the 3-2 loss to Galatasaray earlier this month. Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min both started in Istanbul, and may be forced to do so again, with Richarlison also sidelined until the new year. Dominic Solanke scored off the bench against Gala, and would ideally be allowed a rest in midweek, and the return of Timo Werner could give Postecoglou that option, but Son may also be the one given the night off. While Spurs' backup options in attack are absent, it is their first-choice players who are missing at the back heading into this one, following the news that Guglielmo Vicario will be out for the foreseeable future after undergoing surgery on a broken ankle. That means Fraser Forster should start in Europe again, but will also be required to face Fulham at the weekend, behind Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies , who have replaced Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero . Romero is in contention to return from a toe injury at the weekend, but remains doubtful, while Van de Ven is not expected to be available until mid-December at the earliest. Rodrigo Bentancur should start as this is a rare opportunity for him to get some game time while he serves a seven-game domestic ban, and the two midfield positions either side of him are up for grabs. Lucas Bergvall should also get another run out in the team, while any one of Yves Bissouma , Pape Matar Sarr , Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison could also feature. Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup: Forster; Spence, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Sarr, Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Solanke, Werner Click here to see how Roma could line up for this Europa League clash.

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The Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, was killed on Wednesday afternoon in a suicide bombing at the ministry's offices in the Afghan capital. Thousands of men, many of them armed, gathered for Haqqani's funeral in his home village of Sarana, in a mountainous area of Paktia province, south of Kabul. The funeral included heavy security, with armoured vehicles, snipers and personnel manning the area and the road from Kabul, which was jammed with hundreds of cars as mourners travelled from surrounding provinces. Senior Taliban officials, including the Chief of Army Staff Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, and Maulawi Abdul Kabir, political deputy of the prime minister's office, attended the funeral, according to an AFP team on site. The deceased's nephew, the powerful interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, also attended, along with foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. In a speech there, Muttaqi said the latest IS attacks had been planned "abroad", denouncing, without naming them, "countries harbouring" the organisation. "We call on all nations to work together to stop the common enemy, which does not recognise any kind of morality." In September, the Taliban authorities said IS had training camps in Balochistan province of Pakistan, which also regularly faces jihadist attacks. Haqqani, the highest ranked member of the Taliban government to be killed in an attack since their return to power, "was a big loss for us, the system and the nation", said Paktia resident Hedayatullah, 22. "May God protect our other leaders and keep them victorious." "Our leader... who had his life brutally taken away, achieved martyrdom," said Bostan, 53, haranguing the "cowardly attack" that killed Haqqani. The United Nations mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack on Thursday, offering condolences to the victims' families. "There can be no place for terrorism in the quest for stability," the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on X. The European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also condemned the attack, along with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran. Haqqani -- who is on US and UN sanctions lists and never appeared without an automatic weapon in his hand -- was the brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the feared Haqqani network responsible for some of the most violent attacks during the Taliban's two-decade insurgency. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a bomber detonated an explosive vest inside the ministry, according to a statement on its Amaq news agency, as translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. Taliban authorities had already blamed IS for the "cowardly attack" -- the first targeting a minister since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Violence has waned in Afghanistan since the Taliban forces took over the country that year, ending their war against US-led NATO coalition forces. However, the regional chapter of IS, known as Islamic State Khorasan, is active in Afghanistan and has regularly targeted civilians, foreigners and Taliban officials with gun and bomb attacks. bur-qb-sw/nroNational AnthemNothing's guaranteed, but Bucs need to win out to give themselves best shot to make the playoffs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pick your adjective to describe the Kansas City Chiefs this season — charmed, serendipitous, fortunate or just plain lucky — and it probably fits, and not just because they keep winning games that come down to the wire. Every time they need help at a position, they've found someone sitting on the couch, seemingly waiting for their call. First it was wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who returned to the Chiefs just before the season after Marquise Brown was lost to shoulder surgery. Then it was running back Kareem Hunt, who likewise returned to his former team when Isiah Pacheco broke his fibula. Left tackle D.J. Humphries came next when other options at the position were struggling, and this week it was Steven Nelson, who came out of retirement to help a secondary that has struggled for weeks. "Just got an opportunity, got a call. Was very excited about it," said Nelson, who spent his first four seasons in Kansas City before stints in Pittsburgh and Houston, and ultimately calling it quits in June so he could spend more time with his family. "I've got two daughters and been spending a lot of time with him," Nelson said, "but still trying to work out. It was kind of the perfect scenario, getting the call, especially where this team has been and this point in the season. Great opportunity." It's been a perfect opportunity for all of them. Perfect fits for the Chiefs, too. Each could have signed just about anywhere else and been able to contribute, yet they were still sitting around when Chiefs general manager Brett Veach reached out. In the case of Smith-Schuster, Hunt and Humphries, there were some concerns about injuries that had kept some teams away, but the Chiefs were willing to take a risk on them. Smith-Schuster, who has dealt with knee trouble for years, missed some time with a hamstring injury this season. But he still has 202 yards and a touchdown receiving, and has provided some veteran leadership in the locker room. Hunt was coming off a sports hernia surgery, a big reason why the Browns — whom the Chiefs visit Sunday — declined to bring him back after five years spent in a one-two punch with Nick Chubb. But when Pacheco went down, Hunt stepped in and their offense barely missed a beat; he has run for a team-leading 608 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games. Humphries was still rehabbing a torn ACL at the start of the season, but the former Pro Bowl tackle was cleared just before the Chiefs called him. Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris had struggled to protect Patrick Mahomes' blind side, so they brought in Humphries to help out. And while he hurt his hamstring late in his debut last week against the Chargers, the Chiefs still hope he'll be recovered and fully up to speed in time for the stretch run and the playoffs. "I'm in Kansas City, bro. I'm pretty ecstatic. It don't get much better than this," Humphries said. "Everybody is excited for me to be here and that's a really good feeling. You're getting All-Pro guys' arms outstretched, like, 'We're so glad you're here.'" The providential signings don't stop at those four players, either. When the Chiefs lost kicker Harrison Butker to knee surgery, they signed Spencer Shrader off the Jets practice squad, and he promptly kicked a game-winner against Carolina. But then Shrader hurt his hamstring and landed on injured reserve. The 49ers had just waived Matthew Wright, and the Chiefs signed him up. He's gone 8 for 9 on field-goal tries, has been perfect on PATs, and banged the game-winner off the upright and through last week against Los Angeles. Just like Smith-Schuster, Hunt and Nelson, Wright had been with Kansas City a couple of years ago. "It definitely helps, him knowing how we do things, how we practice and what we expect," Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub said. "That all helped, for sure. And he's a veteran. He's been a lot of places. It wasn't like he was a rookie off the street." Or off the couch, for that matter. NOTES: Butker planned to kick again Thursday and could come off IR to face the Browns on Sunday. "He looked good," Toub said. "We have to see how he responds." ... Humphries (hamstring) did not practice Thursday. RT Jawaan Taylor (knee) was limited. ... SS Justin Reid will likely handle kickoffs against Cleveland. He has a stronger leg than Wright and also puts another athletic and adept tackler on the field on special teams. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Y'all Mad at Blue Ivy Again, But This Time You've Gone Too Far. Here's Why

An improvised line in 'Elf' almost got cut, and now it's gone viral

Left-hander Patrick Sandoval and the Boston Red Sox reached agreement on a two-year, $18.25 million contract, ESPN reported on Friday. Sandoval, 28, is coming off Tommy John surgery in June and could return for the second half of the 2025 season or be ready at the onset of the 2026 campaign. He was non-tendered by the Los Angeles Angels last month after posting a 2-8 record and 5.08 ERA in 16 starts in 2024. Sandoval compiled a 19-45 record with a 4.01 ERA in 107 career games (100 starts) with the Angels from 2019-24. His breakout season came in 2022, when he had a 2.91 ERA and struck out 151 batters in 148 2/3 innings. --Field Level MediaCaterpillar Inc. stock rises Friday, still underperforms marketNone

Thousands attend funeral of Afghan minister