Hugh Grant ‘s career has entered what the actor himself coined the “freak show stage” of his career. From the oh-so-tiny Oompa Loompa in Wonka to the short-lived Edward Keplinger in The Regime , the seasoned British actor has departed from his romantic lead typecast. For his most recent leading role as Mr. Reed in Heretic , Grant traps two young Mormon missionaries in his basement game of faith and horror. Green-haired, dancing orange man aside, Mr. Reed is his most extreme role to date. Playing a man who traps women in cages is as large a departure as he can take, especially when his origins are largely rooted as charming leads in romantic comedies. And not just any romantic leads. Grant has starred in some of the most iconic romantic comedies: Edward Farris in Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility , William Thacker in Richard Curtis ‘ Notting Hill , Charles in Four Weddings and a Funeral (the first of his three films with the famed romance director), David the Prime Minister in Curtis’ Love Actually . Essential to each of these roles, Grant’s charming smile and self-effacing mumble made him a heartthrob of the ’90s and ’00s. But a heartthrob is not exempt from their red flags. Like a wolf in a beloved Englishman’s clothing, Grant’s characters have always been more villainous than they appear. The actor’s breakthrough role as Charles in Four Weddings and a Funeral marked him as good-looking and disarmingly likable. Charles flipped a leading man’s role on his head, appearing as non-threatening and passive, his true motives often taking a backseat to politeness. However, for the friend who forgets rings, arrives late, pursues a woman in a relationship, and abandons his fiancée at the altar, suave and shy are not necessarily the first words that come to mind. Perhaps his most cardinal sin of all was committed in Notting Hill . How did he allow Julia Roberts walk out the door to be ambushed by the paparazzi?! Without her pants?! On multiple occasions, when given the opportunity to profess his feelings to his own heartthrob Anna (played by the real-life movie star Roberts), William chose silence and inaction. He even rejected Anna’s own proposal to pursue the relationship legitimately after he had spent an entire year forlorn about what could have been. Never establishing a backbone to communicate properly with the women he truly loves has perhaps been a throughline of Grant’s romantic career. Even his casting as Edward Farris in the 1995 Sense and Sensibility fits the bill, the price of his inactions and omissions being paid by the woman who loved him most. His most meaningful encounter in the film, in my opinion, came far too late. In the final act, Elinor Dashwood ( Emma Thompson ) realized that Farris had been engaged to and then married a woman of higher society. This was the engagement that Farris had failed to mention during the entirety of their courtship. The man was shelling out his monogrammed kerchiefs left and right. Unforgivable! Lastly, Curtis’ 2003 holiday rom-com Love Actually follows the love stories of 10 different individuals and those in their lives. “Love” is used liberally as Grant is one of the many male characters engaging in inappropriate romantic relationships with his own employees. Grant plays David, the Prime Minister, who initially resists the urge to act on his attraction to a junior member of staff, Natalie ( Martine McCutcheon ). While he presents himself as a moral politician, looking down on the U.S. President ( Billy Bob Thornton ) for making his own advances on Natalie, David acts on his attraction in the end nonetheless. While the pair ends up in a public, seemingly unproblematic relationship (for now) by the end of the film, we can’t overlook their checkered origins. Looking back, Grant has actually always played the villain. We just weren’t looking hard enough. More Headlines:Who doesn’t love the idea of earning steady, high income from their stock investments? Whether the stock market is rallying or pulling back, high-yield tend to continue rewarding investors with consistent cash flow. This is because dividend-paying companies are usually established players with a strong track record of returning value to shareholders. In this article, I’ll introduce you to two high-yield Canadian dividend stocks paying over 6% right now and explain why they could be excellent additions to your income-focused portfolio. Gibson Energy stock The first high-yield dividend stock in my list is ( ). This Calgary-headquartered energy company mainly focuses on midstream oil and gas operations, which include storing, transporting, and marketing crude oil and refined products. After rallying by over 19% so far in 2024, GEI stock currently trades at $34.03 per share with a of $3.9 billion. At this market price, it offers a 6.8% annualized dividend yield. This impressive dividend yield of over 6% is backed by Gibson’s strong financial and operational performance as it continues to ensure stability even in a challenging economic environment. For example, the company’s infrastructure segment, which now makes up over 85% of its business, registered a 7% year-over-year increase in its adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) in the latest quarter ended in September 2024. As a result, Gibson’s adjusted EBITDA margin also expanded to 5.2% last quarter compared to 4.6% a year ago. This growth was mainly fueled by record crude volumes at its Edmonton Terminal, supported by connections to key pipelines like the Trans Mountain Expansion. Another key factor that makes Gibson an attractive, high-yield dividend stock to buy now is its solid cash flow and disciplined approach to shareholder returns. Despite a slight dip in distributable cash flow in the most recent quarter, the company maintained a conservative dividend payout ratio of 65%. Moreover, Gibson’s strong portfolio of strategic assets across Canada and the United States could help it post strong financial growth in the coming years, which should also help its share prices appreciate in value. Veren stock Besides Gibson Energy, ( ), which was earlier known as Crescent Point Energy, could be a high-yield dividend stock Canadian investors may want to consider on the dip right now. After witnessing 22% value erosion year to date, VRN stock currently trades at $7.15 per share with a market cap of $4.4 billion. These declines, however, have made the company’s dividend yield even more attractive, currently at 6.2%. Despite some production hiccups due to unplanned downtime and facility constraints this year, Veren has maintained a disciplined approach to capital allocation. In the third quarter, the company generated $114 million in excess cash flow and expects to achieve $625 million for the full year. Interestingly, it has managed to reduce its net debt by $1.3 billion so far in 2024, reflecting its focus on strengthening its balance sheet. Moreover, Veren’s top assets, like Alberta Montney and Kaybob Duvernay, are continuing to pay off, with a strong performance from top-tier wells and efficiency gains in its drilling techniques, brightening its long-term growth outlook.
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PENDLETON – The start was sluggish, but the finish was exactly what the Pendleton Heights Arabians needed against rival Mount Vernon on Saturday afternoon. The Class 4A Arabians opened their Hoosier Heritage Conference matchup shooting 0-for-7 on Joe Buck Court before finding their rhythm on defense to build a double-digit advantage by halftime and win big, 59-37. “We came out a little bit slow. We just had to get some energy into it, and once we did, we really started getting into it as a team,” PH sophomore center Adah Hupfer said. “Once we got there, it was up from there.” Hupfer finished with a double-double, adding 10 rebounds to her team-high 16 points, three blocks and two steals. Hupfer shot 12-of-12 from the free-throw line, pouring in 12 points in the first half to help the Arabians pull in front 30-19 by the break. “Obviously, they’re one of our rival teams -- conference, sectional and everything -- and we just have to go out there and compete,” Hupfer said. “I think this is big for us going into (Class 4A No. 2) HSE on Tuesday and going into some harder games, competing against a team that’s beat some teams that we’ve lost to this season. I think it’s a good win against a rival team, so it means a lot.” Any time the Arabians (5-4, 2-1 HHC) and Marauders (7-3, 0-1) clash, records typically aren’t a factor, as both rivals’ competitiveness elevates. Saturday was no exception, as the young, inexperienced Marauders tied the game twice in the first quarter at 9-9 and 11-11 before a 9-0 Arabians’ run in the second quarter created a 26-14 cushion. “You know when Pendleton and Mount Vernon get together, it’s going to be a tough, hard-fought game. We knew that, and we didn’t come out with the intensity we looked for. We talked about our struggles on Saturday afternoons, and I got into them a little bit,” PH coach Nick Rogers said. “After that, I thought we were much better defensively.” The Arabians’ pressure defense forced 12 first-half turnovers and nearly a dozen more in the second half, which provided PH with easy transition baskets and key stops. “If we can control pace and can do what we do instead of falling into what everyone else wants us to do, then we can be pretty good,” Mount Vernon coach Julie Shelton said. “When four out of your seven players are freshmen, that’s a learning curve. We can’t give them 10 points on turnovers at the top of the key. It just can’t happen. The offense sputtered, and we gave them easy baskets.” PH senior Kaycie Warfel matched Hupfer with a team-high 16 points while adding four steals, three assists and two rebounds. Warfel injured her left leg during a collision late in the third quarter, but she returned to the court in the fourth and ended PH’s decisive 11-2 run with a layup that put the Arabians ahead 52-32. “Hupfer and Warfel played really well. They had a good game, and they’re a good team,” Shelton said. “They have a lot of pieces back that have played a lot of years. I just feel like the experience is what happened. Once they got the lead, their experience just carried them, and ours was panic, and then we turned the ball over more.” Mount Vernon freshman Zoey Wood posted a game-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. The shifty 5-foot-5 guard recorded five steals and went 4-for-4 from the foul line. Fellow frosh Delani Williams added nine points and four rebounds for the Marauders. The Arabians countered Mount Vernon’s youthful surge with depth, as junior Olivia Jones provided 10 points, four rebounds and three assists on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor. She buried a pair of PH’s four 3-pointers. Junior Mamie Trout had five points, four rebounds and two steals on 5-of-6 shooting, while senior Emma Roberts had three steals and two points. Sophomore Aubree Warfel chipped in four points and four rebounds. Senior Aubriana Gray and junior Avry Miller each had three points. The Arabians converted 20-of-22 free throws compared to Mount Vernon’s 8-of-10. PH outrebounded MV 28-16, with 14 offensive boards offering the Arabians’ second-chance opportunities. “Boy, was it ugly on the offensive end. Not a lot of execution, and we definitely need to get better in that regard, but it was a good win,” Rogers said. “(Free throws) went much better. That’s why we lost to Jennings County (last Saturday). We were 20-of-22 from the line today. You’re not going to win a lot of games being 4-of-17 like we were in Jennings County, so that was a point of emphasis, and we executed it.” The Arabians head to Hamilton Southeastern on Tuesday before resuming HHC play on Thursday at home against Delta.Hugh Grant Has Always Played the Villain