• Robert Redford says that after such a large response to his announced retirement from acting, now he can't say he was just kidding. The 82-year-old star acknowledged in an interview that he is indeed hanging it up to spend more time with his wife and family. But he hopes to still direct again, and he didn't totally close the door on acting again. Redford says: "Never say never." Redford's final film is to be the upcoming The Old Man and the Gun, in which he stars as an aged bank robber. Redford says he feels it is a good capstone to his six decades in American movies. He's long gravitated to playing outlaws, Redford says, because he's one, too. He says, "I was just born with it." Many have compared the ongoing investigations involving the White House to Watergate, which Redford chronicled in All the President's Men. Redford still loves talking about the film, but as to any relation to today, he demurs. "I try not to think about today's politics," says Redford. "Otherwise you get too depressed." "We're living in such dark times right now," adds Redford. "The hope is that The Old Man and the Gun will put a smile on an audience's face. That's something I think we could sure use right now."
• Russian President Vladimir Putin typically seeks out exciting, rugged, sometimes shirtless activities on his summer vacations. This year he was more laid back. One summer Putin took a dive in the Black Sea only to allegedly discover an ancient amphora. Another time he galloped on a horse bare-chested across a mountain creek. This year, Russia's 65-year-old leader returned to one of his favorite holiday spots: the far-flung wilderness of Siberia's remote Tyva region. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday that Putin spent last weekend hiking in the mountains and taking in the views with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the head of Russia's main intelligence agency, FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov. Photos released by the Kremlin showed Putin hiking, examining plants with Shoigu and riding in a boat on the Yenisey River.
• Country star Garth Brooks has set a late October date for his University of Notre Dame show that will be the first-ever music concert at the school's football stadium. Brooks' publicist announced Monday that the concert would be held Oct. 20 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. Brooks joined former Notre Dame football Coach Lou Holtz at a Nashville, Tenn., news conference in July to announce the planned concert. Brooks said the concert date would be scheduled once the Irish finalized their season schedule, and said that he can't wait to introduce his fans to Notre Dame.
A Section on 08/28/2018