Entertainment
Criminally Overlooked 90s Comedy Is The Ultimate Life Reset For An Iconic Sitcom Star
By Robert Scucci
| Updated
Faking your own death in order to start a new life is complicated by the fact that there aren’t any real resources out there to educate yourself on the process. Think about it. If somebody disappeared without a trace successfully, they’re not going to host an AMA on Reddit explaining how they did it because that would leave a digital footprint and defeat the entire purpose. George Wendt’s (or, Norm from Cheers) Warren Kooey in 1994’s Hostage for a Day finds himself in such a predicament, but instead comes up with an insane plan to kidnap himself so he can escape his unfulfilling marriage, move to Alaska, and finally live life on his own terms.
Complications arise along the way in this Canadian made-for-TV movie, which also happens to be John Candy’s first and only directorial effort, released posthumously one month after his death. As a low-budget TV feature, Hostage for a Day leaves a lot to be desired, but its premise and acting talent carry it further than its 15 percent audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes would lead you to believe. It won’t change your life by any stretch of the imagination, but if you want to see one of the dumbest life escape plans imaginable pushed into increasingly absurd territory, it’s a solid, low-stakes watch with a healthy amount of genuine laugh-out-loud moments.
Don’t Let The Promo Material Fool You
John Candy is given top billing in the promotional material for Hostage for a Day, but he’s only seen in a couple of scenes since most of his work here was done behind the camera instead of in front of it. The real star of the show is Warren Kooey, our hapless, hopeless, middle-aged protagonist who feels completely trapped in an unfulfilling life. Warren works as a clerk at his father-in-law V.D.’s (John Vernon) copy shop, and as a result has to bend to his will at the drop of a hat.
Warren experiences similar treatment from his wholly unsatisfied stay-at-home wife, Elizabeth (Robin Duke), who uses her father’s influence to get whatever she wants on the home front, including exorbitant home renovations from world-renowned handyman Hondo (Currie Graham). It’s clear that Elizabeth is having an affair with Hondo, as he’s always gutting Warren’s property under the guise of a professional working relationship. Warren, being the pushover that he is, just lets it happen.
After confronting his existential dread by talking to his own reflection on various flat, shiny surfaces, Warren finally hits his breaking point when he learns that Elizabeth has stolen $40,000 from his credit union account in order to fund her illicit affair with Hondo. Around this same time, Warren has a welcome run-in with his old flame, Diane St. Clair (Christopher Anne Templeton), with whom he once made elaborate plans to move to Alaska and live off the fat of the land.
With no money to his name and desperate to start fresh, Warren decides to act on his midlife crisis in the most extreme way possible. He straps road flares and an alarm clock to his chest, tells Elizabeth that he’s been kidnapped by Russians, calls the SWAT team, and demands a ransom for the exact amount of money that was stolen from him.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Hostage for a Day earns its namesake when the criminally underfunded SWAT team shows up, woefully unprepared to handle the situation. To make matters worse, Russian terrorist Yuri Petrovich (John Candy) conveniently breaks into the Kooey residence and actually holds Warren hostage for real. As you’d expect, Warren, who was only trying to orchestrate an elaborate ruse in order to start a new life, suddenly has to deal with genuine danger as his house gets pumped full of lead and he digs himself deeper into his self-kidnapping plot than he ever intended.
While you do have to settle for mid-90s made-for-TV production values, Hostage for a Day still has its moments, even if it ultimately plays like a middle-of-the-road comedy of errors. The main issue I had with the movie, and the thing that took me out of it the most, was how conveniently unlikable every single person in the film is. You can’t blame Warren Kooey for wanting out when his wife is a cold-hearted scorpion woman who robs him of his solitude while offering zero companionship. She’s also clearly testing out the new bedroom with Hondo faster than you can say, “Can I pour you a beer, Mr. Peterson?”
In other words, Warren is too likable, everybody else sucks, and it’s a little too convenient as a setup. I personally would have found it funnier if Warren’s life was simply average and he took these extreme measures because he was blowing everything else out of proportion. What we get instead is still funny, but you can only escalate a ridiculous setup so much before it starts to lose its luster.
Hostage for a Day is streaming for free on Tubi.
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 19, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you have a sweet tooth.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Lippy
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Green: Gowns
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Blue: Played in Vegas
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Purple: Sweet treats
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Cheeky
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Green: Dress measurements
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Blue: Cards in Texas Hold ‘Em
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Purple: Last words of candy brands in the singular
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections #1043 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Cheeky: ARCH, FRESH, SASSY, WISE
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Dress measurements: BUST, HIPS, LENGTH, WAIST
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Cards in Texas Hold ‘Em: FLOP, HOLE, RIVER, TURN
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Last words of candy brands in the singular: CAP, DUD, KID, MINT
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for April 19, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re constantly changing.
Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Small change
The words are related to changes.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe fine-tuning.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is There I Fixed It.
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NYT Strands word list for April 19
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There I Fixed It
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Adjust
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Modify
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Alter
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Improve
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Tweak
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Refine
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 19, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you can never sit down.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
To rise.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
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Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
STAND
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
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