Flipping out

Olympics' biggest stars join Simone Biles for thrilling DFW gymnastics 'spectacular'

Jordan Chiles, MyKayla Skinner, Jade Carey, and Grace McCallum dazzled Dallas-Fort Worth at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships before they won a trove of Olympic medals in Tokyo — and now they're coming back to entertain fans in a thrilling gymnastics "spectacular." Nearly every member of the Team USA gymnastics squad (minus one, sadly, Sunisa Lee, who is a freshman at Auburn University) will join headliner Simone Biles on the Gold Over America Tour stopping at Dickies Arena on October 9.

According to an August 19 news release, also performing will be 2016 Olympic gold and silver medalist and Dancing With The Stars champion Laurie Hernandez; All-American, NCAA National Champion and viral video sensation Katelyn Ohashi; winner of three gold medals in 2019 and 2020 at the Tokyo World Cup Morgan Hurd; elite gymnast Shilese Jones; former USA Gymnastics Women's Athlete of the Year Chellsie Memmel (who mounted a comeback at Nationals in Fort Worth); 2021 French Olympian Melanie De Jesus dos Santos; and 2018 NCAA National Champion from UCLA where she achieved 10 perfect 10’s, Peng-Peng Lee.

“The Athleta Presents Gold Over America Tour will match athleticism and entertainment,” Biles says in the release. “The show embodies the themes of empowerment and togetherness, which was on display in Tokyo. Together, all the gymnasts on this tour want to inspire the next generation of women and athletes.”

Beyond being a demonstration of eye-popping twists and flips, the show promises to promote values of empowerment, friendship, positive body image, mental health awareness, and self-confidence, organizers say.

But let's be real. We're there for the eye-popping twists and flips, too — and we know this dream lineup can raise the roof with them.

For those who need an Olympics refresher:

(Deep breath)

Houston's Biles — the most-decorated gymnast of all time — experienced a medical issue called "the twisties" after qualifying rounds, which made her death-defying stunts too dangerous to compete safely. When she suddenly dropped out of the team final, her Texas training mate Chiles and calm-and-collected teammate McCallum delivered some unscheduled clutch performances that helped win the team silver medal.

And then ... when Biles couldn't compete in the vault final, Skinner — who hadn't qualified, announced her retirement, and packed her bags to leave Tokyo — got the call to compete in Biles' spot and won herself a silver medal.

And then ... Carey, who'd flubbed her vault in the same final where Skinner won the silver medal, came charging back the next day with a stunning floor exercise and won herself a gold medal.

And then ... Biles returned triumphantly on the very last day of competition with a "twist-less" balance beam routine she could compete safely, and won herself a bronze medal.

(Exhale)

These shining stars of the Games will each perform some of their most famous routines mixed with career highlights, personal videos, and social media interactions; "the show is a high-energy, gymnastics-meets-pop-concert spectacular," the release says. A crew of gymnastic dancers under bright LED video screens and lights will heighten the adrenaline, and some ticketholders will get to join them onstage at the end.

It could be fans' last time to see Skinner perform, as she still plans to retire. Biles has not yet announced her future plans, but there was much pre-Olympics speculation that she'd hang up her leotard after this year, too. Both women are a "grandmotherly" 24 in a sport dominated by teenagers.

Local fans of Hernandez will be happy to see her back on the mats, too, as an injury in warmups at the National Championships took her out of the Fort Worth competition; she served as an NBC commentator at the Olympics. (Follow her comeback journey, as well as those of Hurd and other elite gymnasts, in the excellent docu-series Golden, streaming on NBC's Peacock app — one episode goes inside Dickies Arena for Nationals.)

The 35-city tour, which starts September 21 in Tucson, Arizona will also make Texas stops in San Antonio on October 6 and Houston on October 8.

Tickets for the Fort Worth show start at $46.50, available through Ticketmaster.

To sign up for more information about VIP packages and a chance to dance in the show finale, visit www.GoldOverAmericaTour.com. Follow on Instagram & Facebook @GoldOverAmericaTour, Twitter @GoldOverAmerica and YouTube. #GoldInAllOfUs

Jordan Chiles delivered a clutch performance at the Olympics.

Jordan Chiles, Tokyo Olympics Gymnastics

Getty Images

Jordan Chiles delivered a clutch performance at the Olympics.

tours sports

Movie Review

Wake Up Dead Man gives Knives Out series a more serious feel

Photo by John Wilson/Netflix

Josh O'Connor and Josh Brolin in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Since 2019, writer/director Rian Johnson has essentially turned over his career to murder mysteries, including 2019’s Knives Out, 2022’s sequel Glass Onion, and the just-canceled Peacock series Poker Face. He’s back for another bite of the apple with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

While private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns to help investigate a seemingly impossible murder, the majority of the focus of this film is on the employees and parishioners at a small Catholic church in upstate New York. Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) has been assigned to the parish to work under Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Wicks is a fiery orator who relies on intimidation, as well as the help of church aide Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), to maintain control over his flock.

That group includes lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), her politically ambitious brother Cy (Daryl McCormack), Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), writer Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny), and groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church). The tenets of Catholicism, and religion in general, are put to the test as Father Jud challenges Monsignor Jefferson for leadership, and a death changes things even further.

The free-wheeling and fun nature of the first two Knives Out films gives way to a more methodical and introspective approach in Wake Up Dead Man. While Johnson is interested in presenting a murder mystery, it’s the lives of the various characters that take precedence, especially that of Father Jud. He is shown from the start as someone who wrestles with his faith, which is tested on multiple occasions as he encounters people who challenge him more than expected.

The arrival of Blanc on the scene turns the film into a type of buddy movie, with Father Jud serving as both investigator and suspect. Neither man embodies the type of behavior one might expect out of their respective professions, and what limited comedy the film has comes from their interactions. They’re reined in by Police Chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis), although her desire to get to the bottom of the murder is somewhat stymied by Blanc and Father Jud’s diversions.

The lessons learned from two very different types of sources - mystery novels and Catholicism - collide over the course of the film. A book club that very coincidentally includes multiple mystery novels, including John Dickson Carr’s The Hollow Man, plays a key role, as does the devoutness of the various people at the church. Ultimately, as was the case in the first two films, the nature of the whodunit comes in second place to how the characters react to the multiple reveals along the way.

Craig seems to tone down the over-the-top way he usually plays Blanc in this film, and his performance fits in well with the story being told. O’Connor, a star on the rise after Challengers and more, is asked to carry the film and he does so ably. The strong actors in the supporting cast are not used as well as they could have been, with only Close and Brolin truly making an impact. Geoffrey Wright shows up in a couple of small scenes and makes his presence known quickly.

Wake Up Dead Man is the least entertaining Knives Out film so far, but that’s not to say that it’s uninteresting. Johnson explores topics that result in more talking than action, but those conversations - especially between Blanc and Father Jud - are consistently engaging and revelatory about the characters and the crime they are investigating.

---

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is now playing in select theaters; it debuts on Netflix on December 12.

movies film