The harmless film Larry Crowne opens with the harmless Larry getting fired from his job at a Wal-Mart-like big-box store in the San Fernando Valley. Although the story quickly proceeds through familiar hallmarks of recent years — the fruitless job search, the necessary yard sales and looming foreclosure — this is not a recession story. Hanks, who also directed and co-wrote the screenplay with his friend Nia Vardalos , isn't trying to bring anyone down. Larry ...

Felipe Massa has been forced to backtrack on comments he made claiming that new Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso was aware of Renault's plans to deliberately crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Alonso won that race after the safety car was brought out when Renault's No. 2 driver Nelson Piquet Jr spun out on lap 14, and Massa subsequently claimed it cost him that year's world title as he finished one point behind champion Lewis Hamilton. Motorsport's ruling body the ...

Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been ruled out of his side's La Liga clash with Sevilla on Sunday with an ankle injury. The 24-year-old Portugal international picked up the injury in Real's 3-0 victory over Marseille in the Champions League during the week having scored twice in the game. Ronaldo was keen to be involved in the clash at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, but Pellegrini revealed the club's medical staff have taken ...

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has signed for Ferrari on a three-year deal, the Formula One giants announced on Wednesday. Alonso will replace 2007 world champion Kim Raikkonen in Ferrari's line-up for next season. Raikkonen is reported to be headed for McLaren to replace fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen, with BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica moving to Renault to fill the gap left by the long-anticipated departure of Alonso. "We are very proud to welcome to our team another winning driver, who ...

Manchester United went to the top of the English Premier League as Chelsea lost 3-1 at Wigan to see their perfect start to the season ruined. A seventh straight victory for the champions, 2-0 at Stoke, saw them move ahead of Chelsea on goal difference with both having 18 points after seven matches. Liverpool and Tottenham are third and fourth on 15 points after both secured thumping home victories on Saturday. Liverpool routed Hull City 6-1 at Anfield, with ...

World champion Lewis Hamilton claimed pole for the Singapore Grand Prix as current title leader Jenson Button suffered a "disastrous" qualifying session to be back in 12th on the grid. Hamilton's McLaren is well-suited to the tight Marina Bay street circuit and he took top spot with a time of one minute 47.891 seconds. "The car over the weekend got better and better," Hamilton said. "We will see what happens with the strategy but we are in the best ...

The pilot rescued after the crash of two French fighter jets is recovering aboard an aircraft carrier, the French Defense Ministry said Friday, while the search continued for the pilot of the other plane. ING, the Dutch bank and Renault Formula One's title sponsor, said it was "deeply disappointed" at the sequence of events that resulted in the team's two-year suspended ban for ordering one of its drivers to crash deliberately in last year's Singapore grand prix. The ...

Renault's former chief engineer Pat Symonds has spoken of his "eternal regret" at his involvement in the race-fixing conspiracy in last year's Singapore Grand Prix. But Symonds. who has been banned from Formula One for five years, claims driver Nelson Piquet Jr. first hatched the plan to deliberately crash to help teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. Symonds' admission comes in documents released by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) after the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) special hearing in ...

It was the Brawn team's fourth one-two finish of the 2009 season. Lewis Hamilton led the race early on but a two-stop strategy saw him fall behind the two Brawns -- who were on a one-stop strategy -- in the second half of the race. With laps running out Hamilton gamely tried to chase down second-placed Button, but the 2008 world champion pushed too hard on the final lap and spun off at the Lesmo turn to hand ...

Kim Clijsters has advanced to the women's singles final of the U.S. Open after defending champion Serena Williams received a point penalty for a second code violation on match point. Former winner Clijsters beat Williams 6-4 7-5, the Press Association reported. Clijsters had been a set and 6-5 up when the line judge foot-faulted Williams on a second serve to give the Belgian match point. Williams moved towards the linesperson launching a verbal tirade and then waving her ...