“Greece, I am falling in love with you already.”

That’s what student Izabella McPhee tweeted about her study-abroad experience this summer. She was one of at least 292 Cal State Fullerton students who participated in programs in other countries, ranging from cultural exploration to research projects.

Students attended a film camp in South Korea, studied communication design in Denmark, learned math in Thailand and took part in multimedia journalism in Spain. On an island off Puerto Rico’s mainland, students farmed, manned a radio station and contemplated their career goals by the ocean.

“We’re excited about the many diverse programs abroad and away that CSUF is offering in just one summer,” said Jack Hobson, director of the Office of Study Abroad. “Representing over a dozen countries, these programs encompass a variety of disciplines and include faculty-led department programs, research groups, experiential and service learning trips, internships and also independent program options.”

Eight students nominated by faculty traveled to Baja California Sur to develop their leadership skills while they supported community development projects.

“Not too many science majors study abroad, but it’s so important to our education,” said Maddie Ybarra, a senior biological science major who was excited to see the plant life of the Sonoran Desert.

“I remember being a freshman and not really knowing what I wanted to study,” said Andrew Vo, who is now eyeing a career in public relations. “Putting myself out there, and studying abroad, really did help define what I wanted to do in the future.”

Faculty pull all the strings they can to help students afford such trips. The Baja trip was sponsored partly by University Extended Education, for example, with travel provided by Southwest Airlines. To finance other trips, students held food sales and set up GoFundMe pages.

The students come home changed, said John Gleaves, associate professor of kinesiology, who led a group of students to Athens, Greece, to explore the history of the Olympic Games in the olive groves where they began. The idea, he said, was that students see that their professional ambitions – whether for physical therapy, physical education or medicine – connect to a tradition that goes back to the ancient Greeks.

“They are able to take a longer and larger view of the world,” Gleaves said. While they learn how big the world is, they also learn how interconnected we all are.

The students were able to run in the ancient stadium in Nemea where athletes ran for glory before the birth of Christ. Student Talia Jankowski posted on Instagram that tears filled her eyes as she stood on the same hill on which the Apostle Paul preached to the Athenians.

“As a professor, it is incredible to watch young minds come alive,” Gleaves said. “I think studying on sites that are 2,500 years old awakens the curiosity and awe that is essential for learning. Students begin asking more and more questions and don’t even realize that class ended an hour ago because the conversation and questions are so fascinating.”

After taking three groups to Greece, Gleaves has noticed the study abroad students more often graduate with honors and go on to do great things.

“I think there is a direct connection between such an intense learning experience and the fire that motivates the students to be successful in their studies and careers after they return,” he said. “You see that study abroad has an impact not just on school, but also for life.”

The summer trips aren’t all fun and Olympic games. Six students lugged 21 donated suitcases of school and art supplies, CDs, balls, diapers, sheets and medical items to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, for an orphanage school.

In sweltering open-air classrooms, the students taught reading, writing, art and music and played games with the children. In the evenings at their hotel, the students crafted lesson plans.

“This experience completely opened my eyes and changed my perspective about teaching,” said Lindsey Hass, a preschool teacher who completed the early childhood special education credential program in May and is beginning her master’s in education-special education this summer. After just an hour in the school’s preschool classroom, Hass admitted she wasn’t as prepared to teach kids struggling with learning as she thought.

“The experience reminded us to continue to be open-minded and self-reflective. The kids at this orphanage are so bright and kind; they have so much potential, and all they need is someone who is on their side to support and guide them,” said Hass, who is now sponsoring a 4-year-old boy from the orphanage.

Want to go?

Studying abroad isn’t just a summer thing; the university boasts a dozen programs available during Winter Session, for example.

The Study Abroad office can answer questions about how to participate in programs overseas and how to finance it. Information sessions are held regularly on campus.

A Fall Study Abroad Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 7 on the Central Quad.

Info: international.fullerton.edu/study-abroad

Over posole, ceviche and handfuls of tortilla chips, parents of Cal State Fullerton students chatted in Spanish with one another, too anxious to quite enjoy the moment.

The potluck dinner in May brought them together so Julián Jefferies, assistant professor of literacy and reading education, could allay their fears. Their children were about to embark on a 3,300-mile trip – for some the first time they had been out of California or on an airplane.

A few weeks later, those students were sitting, blindfolded, around a bonfire at 4:30 a.m. on a small island in Puerto Rico as the sun rose and a handful of wild horses walked toward them along the beach.

Their parents could hardly have imagined.

“I warned the parents and the students they were going to come back and they were going to change,” said Miguel Martinez, college career specialist for the College of Education, who accompanied the students, all the first in their families to attend college.

The 15 students returned home with new inspiration, motivation and career goals. Some want to change their career focus; others had a new interest in applying to graduate school. And with the exception of one visit to the hospital, all went smoothly.

The two-week trip by the Literacy Education for Social Change class has become an annual tradition for Jefferies, a strong believer in the power of experiential learning – getting out of the classroom to learn by doing. He took the class to Vieques, an impoverished, rural island where the U.S. Navy conducted bombing and other military exercises for 60 years.

The class members helped establish a community farm, cleaned archives, worked at a radio station and conducted surveys of island residents. Their experience also included professional and personal development, highlighted by a short lecture by Martinez calling the students fakes.

“That was one of the highlights of the trip, when Miguel called them fakes,” said Jefferies.

But that’s putting the cart before the wild horses.

Before the class set foot in Puerto Rico, the students had to learn to budget and to raise money – selling tacos at churches, setting up GoFundMe accounts – to supplement funding from the university’s Center for Internships and Community Engagement and the College of Education.

But an equally tough task was winning over the parents, who worry about a child, especially a daughter, traveling alone. In some cases, the student is a caregiver for siblings or works to help pay the rent or phone bill, making a two-week absence a hardship. Parents often have trouble understanding why their child needs to leave campus to learn. That’s why Jefferies and Martinez hold the potluck.

“For our culture, food is family,” Martinez said.

Geography major Kevin Goxcon brought his mother and sister to the potluck.

“I study the world but yet I haven’t actually explored,” he said. “I’m eager to actually feel the place.”

His mother, Ereida, said she was glad Kevin would acquire more knowledge so he can get ahead and had faith that everything would be all right.

Gerardo Marquez said he was glad his daughter, Otilia, was getting “out of her cubicle” to get to know the world, as it shrinks and integrates culturally.

“So I’m sort of pushing her,” he said.

For their part, the students were so busy on the trip they barely had time to miss their families, Jefferies said. Some worked on an organic farm – weeding, sowing and harvesting – as part of a nonprofit’s efforts to grow more produce on the island. The decades that the Navy used the island for military exercises left it with little indigenous agriculture; produce must be imported from China via Florida, taking so long that much of it ends up decaying, and expensive, by the time it reaches Vieques.

“A lot of our students are from low-income communities in Santa Ana, Anaheim or Fullerton,” Jefferies said. Issues of access to healthy food are not just found in Puerto Rico. Many minority communities in Orange County have fewer options to buy fresh fruit and must pay more for it than other communities, he pointed out.

Students especially responded to a panel of local women activists who protested against the Navy, and the contamination it left behind, or in favor of more health care on the island. Studies have shown rates of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease on Vieques sharply higher than elsewhere in Puerto Rico.

When one student experienced an allergic reaction and needed medical care, the only option on the 9,300-population island was a run-down clinic with one doctor and three nurses.

“I left the hospital worried for Viequenses,” said Estefania Gutierrez-Guerrero, a senior majoring in human services.

The class landed in Puerto Rico after two months of student protests at the University of Puerto Rico over proposed budget cuts. Three leaders of the student strike stayed with the CSUF group for two days.

“They were very impressed by the fact that students had basically closed the university for two months in protest,” Jefferies said.

Another timely event was the June 11 referendum on Puerto Rico’s statehood, which passed overwhelmingly.  The students collaborated with a UPR professor to conduct exit interviews with about 300 people early that morning.

The activities and speakers opened the students’ eyes to social justice work, Jefferies said.

“When I think about the work we do there, I don’t know that we’re changing that much,” he said. “The big change is the change in the students. I don’t pretend to go there and improve the vast inequalities that there are there. We can learn from what their struggle is and get motivated to work for social justice.”

Last year, one student realized that Vieques, with few jobs or opportunities and little to do but cruise up and down a one-block stretch, is similar to his hometown of Santa Ana, Martinez said. Surrounded by affluence, Santa Ana’s just a different kind of island.

“They see the Disneyland fireworks, but it’s another world.”

While working on the farm in Vieques, some students learned there is a community garden in Santa Ana, inspiring them to volunteer in their own communities.

Along with such discoveries came more personal ones, Jefferies said. He brings Martinez along on his trips to continue professional development lessons he incorporates into his CSUF classes.

“We’re working on them as professionals, but a lot of it is personal,” Jefferies said. “They don’t believe in themselves, don’t think they can do it or have some kind of limitation.” He says a lot of the young women aren’t used to speaking up in class, even though their writing shows they have a lot to say. Some students hide their knowledge at the dinner table because they don’t want to be accused of being a know-it-all among less-educated family members.

To address that, Martinez woke up the students at 4:30 a.m. one day and took them to the beach, where Jefferies had started a bonfire. Martinez asked them to write down on a cloth strip three obstacles holding them back. They put the cloth around their shoulders to feel the burden of that limitation, then blindfolded themselves with it to symbolize how it blinds them. Then they threw the cloths into the fire.

Then, as the sun came up, a family of horses came walking up the beach.

“They asked, ‘Did you do this?’” said Martinez. “I so wanted to say yes. It was just magic.”

While that morning was cathartic for many of the students, it was another session with Martinez that provided the jolt many needed to commit to real change. After the UPR students spoke about their protest, showing how much they are invested in their college, Martinez challenged the CSUF students to really commit to being a college student, saying they were just pretending.

“It’s almost like it’s become college is their hobby. It’s not who they are,” Martinez said. They wear a Cal State Fullerton T-shirt, but it’s like a costume. As CSUF has grown as a commuter school, a lot of students don’t stick around after class, apply for jobs on campus or go to baseball games, he said. Instead they have a part-time job and do their classwork at home.

“They’ll go to parties and say, ‘Look, I’m at Fullerton. I’m at university.’ It gives them a ranking in their communities, in their barrios, with their friends,” he said. “What are you really doing with this experience? A lot of them hadn’t been doing what they should.”

Some put off getting involved, saying, “Let me get my degree first and then I’ll be active and contribute.”

He called them fakes.

“I hope I didn’t go overboard,” said Martinez, who added that he wants them to see they are leaders in their community.

“I like Miguel because he’s not as polite as I am,” Jefferies said. “He told them what they needed to hear.” The reflections the students wrote after they returned (see accompanying story) bear out Jefferies’ hunch. He said many included statements along the lines of: “I was called a fake. Miguel was right.”

As the students were called out for their level of commitment, they also received a dose of ethnic pride as they spent most of the trip conversing only in Spanish and living and working among the Puerto Rican people.

“Our students have one foot in two worlds,” Jefferies said. “They grew up in the United States, but they are also Latin American, Mexican. Salvadoran. Going to Puerto Rico helps them to be proud of being Latin Americans. They don’t get that many messages that speaking Spanish and being Mexican is a good thing – from media or school,” something Martinez calls “immigrant stress.”

“I think that’s what I’m most proud of,” Jefferies added. “We need more bilingual, bicultural, global-minded people.”

In the students’ own words

Excerpts from reflections the students wrote upon return and from interviews:

Kevin Goxcon: This place was magical. The part of the fort we used as a classroom had the most amazing view. The air that reached the top of this hill was unique to anything I have ever felt. Unlike the winds back home that quickly caress and leave, these winds were strong and lingered as they embraced me in their strong arms. They welcomed me to their island. They brought with them the smell of salts from the sea, the moisture from the land, the sounds of faraway dogs and roosters. …

I have this newfound motivation to better myself in order to help others that are facing the same challenges as me. There might be a high school student right now who thinks they cannot afford to go to college or they don’t have what it takes. Perhaps there is a community college student somewhere right now wondering if transferring to a four-year institution is something they can achieve. There might be several students receiving their bachelor’s degree who are not pursuing graduate school due to lack of information or support. I was once in all of those situations. I need to be ready for when I meet these students in the future.

Otilia Marquez: One thing I quickly learned about Vieques, Puerto Rico, is that they are a collectivistic culture! Unselfish and willing to help the community, unite as one, and stand up for what they believe in! They don’t have much to offer to anyone, neither to themselves, materialistic-wise, however, they have it all if they stick together! The island has suffered enough, both individually and as a whole, yet they love freely, speak freely, and always find a way to make a difference.

Estefania Gutierrez-Guerrero: One of the most memorable experiences of the trip was hearing the women of Vieques speak about their contributions to their island. … I had always been too scared to stand up and fight for what I think was right. … After hearing the panelists speak about their battles, I realized that activism is what I want to devote my life to. …

A woman who helped me understand the importance of women empowerment was Nilda. … She was part of the protests to remove the Navy, and she continues to fight for Vieques. Something she said that made an impact on me was that protesting can be done through different ways. For example, every morning she would put on a shirt of a certain color and then walk around the plaza. This act of protest is still powerful and meaningful even if it is not with a big group of people. What I understood by that is that you must stand up by yourself, and the right people will join you.

Jason Miramontes: To call myself a student after meeting the students of Vieques would be a lie. … Seeing to what lengths the students were willing to go to just be heard was awe inspiring. Also all the difficulty they had to overcome, the fear that they have during protesting for themselves and their families was impactful. They would tell us how there were government types standing around with cameras ready to take pictures of people to keep an eye on them and make a folder on them. … Seeing what a formidable force people my age in similar circumstances can be was really motivational. I see them and I think to myself “I can do that.” …

My culture isn’t bad! I always thought it was lesser than American, always scared to accept it as part of me but now I can say I am a PROUD CHICANO. I have a better picture of who I am and how I operate and can use that to push myself more. My identity is starting to cement and I can say I am proud of who I am now, knowing I can help make a difference in other people’s lives. I love my culture now and I am actively studying it, I want to know everything, especially the history and dancing … still don’t like a lot of the music though.

Cesar Lopez: Those feelings, those emotions that I had were pretty much based on my rough past. From age 13 until 16, I used to be gang-affiliated. It’s true what classmates, professors told me. You can’t let your past define you now because you are a completely different person. …  From now on I’m going to try to identify myself as who I am right now and on the hard work and what I’ve accomplished. …

Originally I wanted to be a social worker and pursue my master’s in education. But then Miguel said, “I picture you teaching junior high in Santa Ana.” Everyone else said they could picture that: “You’re a big dude, sometimes intimidating. But inside you’re like a teddy bear.” There are not that many male, of color, teachers. Maybe I should start teaching.

Mayra Mendoza: There’s a solidarity that the Vieques people have. It doesn’t matter if you are from Vieques. As long as you want to help the community, they’re willing to help you help them.

Anthony Flores: I learned so much from everyone out there. I would share something on Facebook. I wanted things to be known. Now, I don’t just want to sit back and share it on the internet. Now I want to know what can I do to help.

Vanessa Beltran: I would like to bring my experiences and what I learned over there and be able to teach them to my family and friends and my community here, to stand up for what we want.

Maricela Gonzalez: I was interested to see a body of students actually take action, go to this assembly, voice their opinions and their rhetoric. I haven’t dealt with situations of that magnitude. It’s their way of voicing out their way of what they want for their university. It was really good to see.

What’s next?

To tap the desire for change that the trip often elicits, CSUF career specialist Miguel Martinez conducts career exploration workshops with the students. He has them write a statement of purpose  to start reflecting not just on what they’re doing but on what they’re not doing, and administers a RIASEC test, which matches six personality types (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional) to occupations, then helps them interpret the results.

Some students were disappointed, said Julián Jefferies, assistant professor of literacy and reading education. They had trouble imagining themselves in the careers the test guided them toward. But it turns out they didn’t know much about many of those careers, he said.

For example, one student who is good with money was annoyed when she was matched with financial jobs. She said she didn’t want to work in a bank; she wanted to help people. But when she was told she could conduct financial literacy workshops for people who get into debt and don’t know why, something clicked. Since she returned home, she got her resume together to apply for those kind of jobs.

“Her parents aren’t professionals,” Jefferies said. “Where is she going to hear: ‘You could be a loan officer’”?

Many students on the trip typically start thinking about graduate school for the first time, something they then have to explain to parents who thought it was enough to put their child through college.

“It changes you,” Martinez said. “For some of them, you have to start all over. There’s a certain amount of confidence when you think you know what you want vs. when you really know but have to start over.”

Jefferies expects many students will seek out the Career Center now that they’ve made that connection with Martinez. They came back hungry, wanting to develop an action plan for grad school, Martinez said.

Jefferies also hopes students will stay connected with the CSUF faculty and staff on the trip – who shared their stories of the struggles that brought them to where they are today – and seek out office hours and group events. Some have become his research assistants.

“They know they can get a letter of recommendation from me,” he said. “I told them: ‘I was there with you for two weeks, so I know you’re not crazy. I know you very well. When mosquitoes are biting you when it’s hot, you do hard work. I can give a good recommendation.’”

OCVarsity’s list of the top committed Orange County football recruits for the Class of 2018:

Updated July 29, 2017

O.C. COMMITTED FOOTBALL RECRUITS
Name, School, Position, Ht., Wt., College
(Listed alphabetically)
• Chigozie Anusiem, Sonora, DB, 6-2, 170, Cal
• Tommy Brown, Mater Dei, OL, 6-7, 321, Alabama
• Ryan Cragun, St. Margaret’s, WR, 6-1, 185, Penn
• Olaijah Griffin, Mission Viejo, WR/DB, 6-0, 170, UCLA
• Issaiah Johnson, Los Alamitos, LB, 6-3, 215, Arizona
• Christian LaValle, Mission Viejo, LB, 6-1, 225, Arizona St.
• Malone Mataele, Santa Margarita, ATH, 6-0, 180, Utah
• John McCartan, Santa Margarita, TE, 6-5, 215, Fresno St.
• Clyde Moore, Corona del Mar, LB, 6-2, 225, Colorado
• Griffin O’Connor, Edison, QB, 6-3, 200, UNLV
• Austin Osborne, Mission Viejo, WR, 6-3, 185, Washington
• CJ Parks, Mater Dei, WR, 5-11, 185, UCLA
• Nikko Remigio, Mater Dei, WR, 5-11, 170, Cal
• Matt Robinson, JSerra, QB, 6-1, 180, Montana
• Brandon Won, Sunny Hills, LB, 6-2, 210, Harvard

Position Breakdown
LB: 4
WR: 4
QB: 2
DB: 2
TE: 1
OL: 1
ATH: 1

Conference Breakdown
Pac-12: 3
SEC: 1
Ivy: 2
Mountain West: 2
Big Sky: 1

Please send recruiting updates to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or on Twitter at dalbano@scng.com

Did you see this?
OCVarsity Football 2017: Team pages, schedules, rosters and stats

SEE NOW, PRIME LATER: Amazon Fashion Europe has teamed with Nicopanda on a unisex streetwear capsule range that launches on Sept. 16, and will be available to purchase immediately after the spring 2018 show, WWD has learned.
Nicola Formichetti, the Italian-Japanese creative director known for his work with Diesel and Uniqlo, will stage the label’s runway show at the e-commerce giant’s European Fashion Photography Studio in Hoxton during London Fashion Week.
RELATED STORY: Amazon Opens Its Biggest Fashion Photography Studio in London >>
Formichetti touted the company’s “fast delivery and selection” and said he’s excited to join with it. “True to Nicopanda’s DNA, the collection is unisex with an international street-culture aesthetic,” said designer Nicola Formichetti. “Each piece includes signature Nicopanda graphic motifs and a bold color palette.”
The six-piece streetwear collection is comprised of a bomber, a hoodie, leggings, a long-sleeve T-shirt, a scarf and a clutch bag done in a palette of navy, red and pink. Prices range from 50 pounds for leggings to 200 pounds for a bomber jacket. It can be purchased from Amazon’s five fashion stores in Europe and on the Amazon Prime Now app in London as well as on amazon.co.uk.
“Nicopanda’s designs immediately turn heads, so we can see

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More…

Kobi Halperin will launch an exclusive limited-edition capsule collection, Erté x Kobi Halperin, for Neiman Marcus this fall.
The collection is the result of a licensing agreement between Sevenarts Ltd., owners of the Erteé trademark and intellectual property rights and brand consultancy arm Airlift Ideas, headed by Shelley Rosen.
Halperin, who launched his line in 2015, traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia in summer 2016 and visited The Hermitage Museum, which at the time was hosting an exhibition about Erté. The city and the exhibition struck a chord in Halperin, who himself is of Eastern European descent.
“I have always been inspired by Erté and particularly by his drawings. Although they are two-dimensional, they have a lot of depth and movement in them. There is an effortlessness and femininity in his work that I feel matches my own,” said Halperin.
The late Roman Tyrtov, the artist who was known simply as Erté, is considered the father of Art Deco. He worked as a fashion designer for Paul Poiret before signing a contract with Harper’s Bazaar, where he designed covers for 20 years. He also worked for Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Ladies’ Home Journal, The Sketch and other magazines in the U.S., the U.K. and France. In addition,

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More…

Seeking a little peace and quiet on a long-haul flight or simply at your favorite coffee shop? The active noise-cancelling (ANC) BeoPlay E4 is the latest pair of earspeakers from Bang & Olufsen’s portable audio sub-brand. Though not Beoplay’s first noise-cancelling earbuds (that distinction belongs to the H3 ANC released in 2015), the E4s represent […]

IRVINE A couple at an apartment complex in Irvine was forcibly robbed at gunpoint by a man, who fired shots at them before running into the night, police said Sunday.

The suspect approached the couple at the Northwood Place apartments in the 500 block of Hayes Street and forcibly removed jewelry from the couple. He then fired at the victims and fled on foot. No one was injured, said Kim Mohr of the Irvine Police Department.Police

Police were sent to the scene just before 11 p.m. Saturday, in response to reports of shots being fired, Mohr said. The pair escaped with no injuries.

The suspect was described as thin and wearing a black button-down shirt.

Irvine police asked anyone with any information regarding the robbery to call them at (949) 724-7000.

“The Emoji Movie” survived negative reviews but couldn’t conquer “Dunkirk,” which had enough fight left to top the box office for a second weekend in a row.

Down only 44 percent from its first weekend, director Christopher Nolan’s World War II film earned $28.1 million to take first place, according to studio estimates on Sunday. “Dunkirk” has grossed $102.8 million domestically to date.

Sony Pictures Animation’s “The Emoji Movie” finished second with $25.7 million. The film featuring the voices of T.J. Miller and Anna Faris as anthropomorphized emojis got pummeled by critics. It’s currently resting at a dismal 8 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences still turned out.

“It’s great when the critics and audiences are in sync but in the end it comes down to: Has the film reached the intended audience?” said Adrian Smith, Sony’s president of domestic distribution. “Seeing these results, it clearly has.”

Sony is expecting the film, which cost an estimated $50 million to produce, to play well for the rest of the summer.

The divide between reviews and a film’s success has been a continuing topic this summer, as some films, such as “Baywatch,” capsized under poor reviews, and others like “The Emoji Movie” seemed immune.

“Kids don’t care about reviews and there is a severe lack of family films in the marketplace,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for comScore.

But “The Emoji Movie” also fell at the box office throughout the weekend after a strong Friday when it placed No. 1, which Dergarabedian thinks could be due to negative word of mouth on social media. By contrast, the extremely well-reviewed “Dunkirk” rose throughout the weekend.

Also holding on quite well is Universal Pictures R-rated comedy “Girls Trip,” which fell a miniscule 36 percent from its debut weekend to take third place with $20.1 million.

Even in weekend two, “Girls Trip” beat out the splashy new Charlize Theron actioner “Atomic Blonde,” distributed by Universal’s boutique label Focus Features. “Atomic Blonde” opened in fourth with $18.6 million.

“We think it’s a really solid opening for the movie and think that the film is going to have a nice long life at the box office for the summer,” said Lisa Bunnell, president of distribution for Focus Features.

Theron produced and stars in the film about a British spy on a mission in Berlin near the end of the Cold War. It cost an estimated $30 million to produce. While reviews were generally positive, audiences gave the film a middling B CinemaScore, which could impact its word-of-mouth potential.

In fifth place was “Spider-Man: Homecoming” now in its fourth weekend in theater. The new web-slinger added $13.5 million which bumped its domestic total to $278.4 million.

“Homecoming” has now officially passed both “Amazing Spider-Man” movies at the North American box office, although it is still lagging significantly behind the Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” films.

While the summer box office remains down from last year, audiences are still turning out for some of the buzzier specialty releases. Annapurna Pictures rolled out the Kathryn Bigelow film “Detroit,” about an incident during the 1967 riots, a week before its nationwide launch in 20 theaters in 10 markets including Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore and Atlanta.

“We were doing early word of mouth screenings and they were very strong. People were hanging in the lobby of theaters after talking and talking. We decided to kick-start the conversation early,” said Annapurna distribution president Erik Lomis. “We’re really excited to launch this picture.”

“Detroit” earned a strong $365,455 from the limited launch.

Also playing well in limited release is the Al Gore-led climate change documentary “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” which took in $130,000 from four locations.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Dunkirk,” $28.1 million.

2. “The Emoji Movie,” $25.7 million.

3. “Girls Trip,” $20.1 million.

4. “Atomic Blonde,” $18.6 million.

5. “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” $13.5 million.

6. “War for the Planet of the Apes,” $10.4 million.

7. “Despicable Me 3,” $7.7 million.

8. “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” $6.8 million.

9. “Baby Driver,” $4.1 million.

10. “Wonder Woman,” $3.5 million.

Cris Cyborg finally completed a remarkable career metamorphosis.
Tyron Woodley continued to hold on to his title amid the displeasure of some.
Yet UFC 214 was all about Jon Jones on Saturday night at Honda Center.
Here are our next-day thoughts after an epic night led by the greatest fighter in UFC history:
Jon Jones is back

The light heavyweight phenom, with all the talent in the world along with a seemingly equal amount of poor life decisions, ascended to new heights.
The former champion, twice stripped of titles by the UFC and most recently suspended a year for testing positive for two banned substances, found himself wearing gold around his waist again, kneeling in the Octagon and overcome with emotion after knocking out Daniel Cormier in the third round.
Jones already was the only man to defeat Cormier when he defended his title via unanimous decision at UFC 182 in early 2015.
After nearly 15 months away from the Octagon, Jones on Saturday became the only man to finish Cormier — a head kick sending Cormier reeling, leading to a vicious ground-and-pound attack from Jones that referee John McCarthy finally halted at 3:01 of the third round.
Everyone loves a good comeback story, and Jones’ has plenty to like.
Last week, Jones said all the right things, expressing his gratitude to be back.
That grew tenfold after Jones shocked the world Saturday night — and even more after the fight.
The weeklong rumor of a superfight against WWE superstar and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar took on a whole new life.
Jones wrapped up the post-fight interviews in the cage by looking into the camera and delivering a figurative and literal mic drop: “Brock Lesnar! You want to know what it’s like to get your (butt) kicked by a who weighs guy 40 pounds less than you? Meet me in the Octagon!”
Lesnar sent his reply via the Associated Press: “Be careful what you wish for, young man.”
Jones said he and his coaches have discussed the possibility of fighting Lesnar. Jones says if he weighs 225 to 230 pounds, the matchup is feasible, not to mention incredibly lucrative.
And if you think a Jones-Lesnar fight can’t happen, go tell that to Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather.
Woodley defends title and more
The Honda Center crowd was not enchanted with Woodley.
Neither was UFC President Dana White.
The crowd let the counter-striker have it after he cautiously worked his way to a unanimous-decision five-round victory over top-ranked Demian Maia.
When the boos weren’t enough, the fans chanted, “Boring!” Then they did the wave. Then they began waving the lights on their phones.
Woodley, frankly, didn’t care.
“I’ve never seen a boo come into the Octagon and help my opponent,” Woodley said.
Woodley pointed out it was a tactical fight against the greatest Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner in the UFC who was riding a seven-fight winning streak.
Maia tried to take Woodley down 24 times. All 24 times, Woodley impressively denied him.
He stuck to his game plan, still has the belt and can hold his head high, Woodley said.
White disagreed, saying he thought Woodley could have finished the fight in the first and second rounds when he rocked Maia with right hands.
“Ask the fans if they want to see Tyron Woodley fight again. They’d say no,” White said. “Take no risks. Get no rewards.”
By that, White meant Woodley will not be defending his title against former champion Georges St-Pierre. Instead, White confirmed GSP will make his much-awaited comeback against middleweight champion Michael Bisping, reportedly in November in New York.
One possible opponent for Woodley, White said, could be former champion Robbie Lawler. One year ago Sunday, Woodley won the belt from Lawler with a first-round knockout.
Lawler, who Saturday night defeated Donald Cerrone by unanimous decision in his first fight since losing the title, says he needs to get better and get in better shape before thinking of taking a five-round championship fight.
Cyborg front and center
It wasn’t long ago when Cris “Cyborg” Justino was taking shots at the UFC for not signing her and creating a women’s featherweight division.
Before that, Cyborg was dealing with the ramifications of a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug, confirming for some the rumors and suspicions concerning the ripped Brazilian powerhouse.
All of that now seems a lifetime ago.
Cyborg won the vacant featherweight championship with a third-round TKO of a game Tonya Evinger on Saturday, basking in the adulation of the fans and the accomplishment.
“I feel great. I am very happy,” Cyborg sad. “This is the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. I feel blessed.”
Cyborg believes the 145-pound division will grow, much like the 135-pound division once blossomed with the rise of Ronda Rousey.
However, just two other fighters are currently listed on the UFC’s women’s featherweight page: Megan Anderson, the Invicta FC featherweight champ who pulled out of Saturday’s fight just eight days after agreeing to it, and Tonya Evinger, the Invicta FC bantamweight champ who salvaged Saturday’s fight by agreeing to move up 10 pounds and fight a woman few will.
Evinger, who received a loud ovation after the fight, said her next fight will be at 135 pounds, and it will be intriguing to see how she fits in the UFC.
Anderson could be next for Cyborg, with Cyborg saying if the Aussie can’t fight in the U.S., she’s willing to go Down Under.
More likely is former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm, who lost a tough decision to Germaine de Randamie in February for the inaugural featherweight title.
Least likely is de Randamie, who was stripped of the title for failing to fight Cyborg and who has since indicated she’d drop back down to 135. In fact, de Randamie is currently listed on the UFC’s women’s bantamweight page.
All right for Ortega
Somehow, some way, the Brian Ortega train keeps chugging along.
Nearly 14 months after his last fight, nine months removed from shoulder surgery and one day after nearly missing weight, eighth-ranked Ortega won an entertaining battle between top 10 unbeatens with a third-round submission of No. 9 Renato Moicano.
For two rounds, they traded blows, Ortega bloodying and appearing to break Moicano’s nose.
In the third round, Moicano shot in for a takedown and Ortega, a Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, deftly enveloped him in a guillotine choke while falling to his back. It didn’t take long for Moicano to tap at 2:59.
Ortega, 26, extended his UFC record with his fourth consecutive third-round finish.
“Stand-up is good. Ridiculous chin,” UFC President Dana White said of the Lomita resident. “And his jiu-jitsu is amazing off his back.”
Ortega seemed fresh the entire fight despite waiting until the last minute to weigh in at 146 pounds Friday morning, nearly cutting his long locks if needed.
He also came through it mostly unmarked even though he suffered a cut near his left eye during sparring 10 days earlier.
By the numbers
Ortega and Moicano walked away $50,000 richer after being award Fight of the Night honors
Jones and fellow light heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir, who knocked out third-ranked Jimi Manuwa in 42 seconds, each earned $50,000 for Performance of the Night.
The UFC also pulled off its best event out of its seven visits to Honda Center.
The fight promotion said UFC 214 drew an announced sold-out attendance of 16,610 with a live gate of $2,448,870.
Those figures eclipse the company’s previous best from UFC 121, which featured Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title and drew 14,856 fans with a $2,237,070 live gate.

TORONTO — A comfortable victory for the Angels vanished amid a ninth-inning nightmare on Sunday afternoon.

Leading by six runs going to the ninth, the Angels lost 11-10 to the Toronto Blue Jays, when Bud Norris gave up his second walk-off grand slam of the week.

Steve Pearce hit the latest slam against Norris, who had given up one to Edwin Encarnacion to lose in Cleveland on Tuesday.

The Angels took a 10-4 lead into the ninth, and reliever Brooks Pounders could not get an out. He issued a walk, then gave up a two-run homer to Kevin Pillar.

Rob Refsnyder then doubled, knocking Pounders out of the game.

Norris entered and gave up a single to Ezequiel Carrera and an infield hit to Russell Martin. After a groundout, he walked Kendrys Morales.

Pearce then crushed the homer to left, with Norris putting his hands on his head as he saw the ball go over the fence.

It was a crushing finish to a day in which the Angels also Kole Calhoun to a sore right hamstring.

He’ll be evaluated further, including an MRI exam, on Monday.

The good news was that Albert Pujols hit two homers, snapping an 0-for-24 slump.