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Leave it to Leslie Jones and menopause to turn “The View” into a more entertaining program.

The “Saturday Night Live” veteran was halfway through a chat Tuesday with Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar and the rest of the “View” crew when she suddenly began to sweat — visibly. She coped by dabbing at her face with a small navy blue towel that magically appeared from under the table.

“You’re — you’re hot,” Behar stammered, breaking up a conversation in which she had opined that comics are truth-tellers who undermine propaganda.

“I’m always hot, babe,” Jones replied, continuing her blotting adventure before explaining — perhaps unnecessarily — “I’m having that menopause. That pause, that pause.”

The performer continued. “I am in it,” she said. “I am ‘pause.’ The heat that comes off of me can light a small city in Guadalajara.”

Forget that Guadalajara itself is a city, and not a small one. Jones’ deadpan demeanor at that moment prompted Sunny Hostin to begin fanning her with a large notecard. Behar joined in with her own card.

“Let’s talk about your latest comedy show because it is funny and it’s called ‘Leslie Jones: Life Part 2,’” Hostin said, attempting to get the segment back on track.

She did not completely succeed.

“I’m spritzing!” Jones said as she once again dabbed her moist face with the magical towel.

The show played a clip from her special where she talked about everyone needing to go to therapy, after which Hostin steered “The View” conversation toward dating.

Then Goldberg stole the spotlight, having left her seat to take over dabbing duties from their guest. “I could die now,” Jones said, holding her hands out, palms up, and looking to the heavens with a peaceful smile as she basked in Whoopi’s careful attention. “This is a little — this is a dream. This is a dream come true.”

At that point, Hostin seemed to give up on talking about guys with Jones and started once again fanning her with the notecard.

“Whoopi Goldberg wiping my sweat,” Jones declared, relaxing into the experience.

“Yes, it’s a beautiful moment,” Behar snarked.

Oh, but wait. Hostin was not to be denied. Or perhaps whatever producer was hollering into her earpiece wouldn’t be denied.

“You talk a lot about the men you’ve encountered … so tell us, how’s the pool out there?” she asked, not clocking that the audience was far more interested in Whoopi now fanning Jones by waving the magical towel. “Have you found any men,” Hostin wondered, “who would do that for you?” Fan you? Wipe your sweat?

“Unfortunately, no,” Jones replied. “Listen, I’m 58 now, so I’m past the BS.”

“You’re also post-menopausal at 58,” Dr. Behar interjected, revealing herself to be an armchair expert in female endocrinology. “It should be over by now.”

Jones turned from her reverie and looked at Behar as if the latter were a bag of dog poop burning on her doorstep. But she did not stomp on the bag to put it out. “It’s different for everyone,” Alyssa Farah Griffin chimed in cheerfully.

“Have we got a beef?” Jones asked Behar, looking at her with that stone-faced gaze only Leslie Jones can deliver.

“Not that I know of?” Behar said. “You know what, we respectfully disagree.”

Good to know that Behar thinks Jones isn’t capable of experiencing menopausal symptoms despite Jones experiencing menopausal symptoms right in front of her face.

Meanwhile, Whoopi stepped up the blotting, offering comforting words to Jones while Behar babbled on in her own defense.

“You comin’ at me,” Jones told Behar.

“Let me get your face,” Whoopi said.

“Thank you, baby,” Jones told her personal sweat-swabber.

And the conversation turned back to the dating scene, which Jones correctly told Hostin “is not bleak. It’s diabolical.” As she spoke, Whoopi folded the magical towel, laid it down in a magical resting place and backed away, blowing on Jones as she took slow steps toward her abandoned chair.

“Just blow yourself all over me, babe,” Jones said, and Whoopi stepped back and obliged. Behar, looking uncomfortable, asked someone to grab a hand towel.

“It’s so sad,” Jones said, “that my whole spot is going to be about me sweating.”

After a commercial break, Behar had in hand a small electric fan, which she promptly aimed at Jones. “This one will take care of all your issues.”

“Thank you, darling. I’m good,” Jones said. “Now I’m freezing.”

Nah girl. When it came to Joy Behar in that moment, you were just cold.

Married At First Sight UK contestants Leigh and Davide have discussed behind-the-scenes secrets about phone use and restrictions

A star from Married At First Sight UK has opened up on a little-known secret about the show that might leave fans gobsmacked.

The tenth series of the popular E4 dating programme was full of drama and chaos, with a fresh batch of singletons hoping to meet their soulmate at the altar. For some, it was smooth sailing with immediate sparks flying, but for others, there were numerous hurdles to overcome.

This series had everything from shocking revelations to accusations of cheating. Despite several couples making it to the final vows and continuing their relationships outside the show, only one pair – Abi and John – are still together weeks after the series ended.

Post-show, a string of breakups were announced, including Rebecca and Bailey and Davide and Keye, as cast members continue to share their experiences from the show.

Now, one participant has unveiled a behind-the-scenes secret that could astonish some viewers, reports OK!

During an appearance on the Private Parts Podcast, a snippet of which was posted on Instagram, members Leigh and Davide were asked if they were allowed to use their personal mobile phones during filming. The answer, unsurprisingly, is no – they were given production phones.

But what fans might not know is that the production teams allegedly monitor their phones and don’t permit them to form groups of four outside of filming.

On the podcast, Leigh – who was paired with Leah on the programme, confessed it was “f***** chaos” behind the scenes when the cast went out for drinks, with Davide comparing it to “like being at uni again”.

Davide, who was coupled with Keye on the series before they announced their separation, revealed: “We’re not supposed to be in more than groups of four, because they track your phones, the production phones they gave us, they track them.”

After confirming they weren’t permitted to use their personal mobiles, presenter Olivia questioned how participant Steven managed to access dating platform Hinge – following revelations he’d been active on the app.

Davide explained: “He got his phone back when he went home.”

Leigh chimed in: “This is the thing about this story right, I don’t think that this has ever been explained. So Nelly and Steven had got to a point where I think they both knew it wasn’t going to work.”

Taking to Instagram to respond, Steven posted: “We both had the conversation the day we came back together after partner swap about it being done. We were asked to leave it open so we could do the Dinner Party & Commitment ceremony & between partner swap and the last CC it was about 10 days wait… so we both knew it was done.”

Married At First Sight UK can be viewed on Channel 4

The Chase star Jenny Ryan has been inundated with support as she shared an exciting update

Jenny Ryan, star of The Chase, has received an outpouring of support as she shared some thrilling news unrelated to her ITV role.

The 43 year old quiz aficionado took to Instagram to post a photo of herself dressed as the Wicked Fairy Carabosse, announcing that the first performances of Sleeping Beauty had commenced at Wyvern Theatre in Swindon.

Jenny has been cast as the Wicked Fairy Carabosse in the pantomime Sleeping Beauty, sharing the stage with David Ashley and Ben Goffe.

The plot teases: “When the wicked fairy Carabosse’s evil curse causes the Princess to prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall into an enchanted sleep, can anyone rescue her from the magical slumber before it is too late?

“Make your dreams come true this Christmas and visit the Wyvern Theatre to see Sleeping Beauty.”, reports Bristol Live.

Sharing a snapshot of herself in character as the Wicked Fairy Carabosse, Jenny excitedly wrote: “We are OPEN!”.

“See me and a spectacular cast in Sleeping Beauty at @wyverntheatre in Swindon from now until 4th January #panto #swindonpanto.”

Jenny’s 92.2K followers were quick to show their support. One fan commented: “Awww you look beautiful Jenny good luck xxxx”.

Another follower said: “Good luck for tonight and for the rest of the panto season”, while another added: “We saw you on Saturday. Such a great show and you are an amazing singer xx”. Another fan chimed in with: “You were BRILLIANT.”

Meanwhile, another supporter wrote: “Good luck and have a brilliant season xxx”, and yet another wished her: “Have a wonderful run xxx”.

Another commented: “You look lovely Jenny have a wonderful time” whilst a different person gushed: “Hi sweetheart you look fabulous xx.”

Jenny is widely recognised as The Vixen on The Chase, but beyond the ITV quiz show, the star boasts remarkable singing, musical and theatrical abilities.

The ITV personality first demonstrated her vocal prowess when she took part in The X Factor: Celebrity back in 2019.

Since then, Jenny has graced numerous pantomime stages, portraying the Wicked Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Darlington Hippodrome in 2023 and The Enchantress in Beauty and the Beast at the Crewe Lyceum Theatre in 2024.

When I first started playing “Dungeons & Dragons” as a tween, my friends christened me with a new good-natured nickname: gamer geek. While we could spend hours in front of a screen with the latest “Zelda” title, the dice-focused tabletop role-playing game was viewed with suspicion, a ’70s-era invention that belonged to a certain subset of nerd.

Times have changed.

Today, “Dungeons & Dragons” enjoys mainstream recognition, and live game sessions from the likes of Critical Role and Dimension 20, the latter of which last summer enjoyed a date at the Hollywood Bowl, have only further cemented its wide appeal. Now a heavily improvised theatrical production, “Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern” has come to the Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood.

The show, which ran off-Broadway in 2024 after years of development, is celebratory, a victory lap for a game that has endured more than half a century. It invites participation, with actors performing the action inspired by the dice rolls and allowing the audience to influence the direction of the show by making choices via a smartphone.

Alex Stompoly, left, and Anjali Bhimani in “Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern,” a production that invites audience participation.

(Andromeda Rodriguez)

“Twenty-Sided Tavern” brought me back to days and nights crowded around my family’s living room table. My father was an executive with TSR, Inc., the company that created “Dungeons & Dragons” — there were glass dragons on our fireplace mantle, pewter dragons on our bookshelves, painted dragons on our walls and even a metal dragon that hung from a necklace I wore too often (and that probably didn’t help me with getting dates). As a junior high kid, the game was a refuge, a creative tool where I could envision characters, worlds and fantastical scenarios.

There was a lot of math, too, and quite a bit of rules, not to mention addendums to rules and fine print to those rules, but I discovered early on a key to its personal appeal, one that likely makes many hardcore followers of the game cringe: Story comes first, the rules a distant second. In fact, I discarded any directive that got in the way of a more fanciful tale.

It pleased me that “Twenty-Sided Tavern” does as well. When my showing the other week began not with beholders and battles but instead a yarn about trying to flirt with and seduce a dragon, I couldn’t help but smile. For the best “D&D” games, no matter how serious, tense or dramatic they may get, are always a bit silly, or at least they are to me.

“I know we hear about toxicity in gaming all the time, but when I picked up my first ‘D&D’ set that my brother gave to me when I was 8 years old, what was open to me was not just a world of storytelling,” says Anjali Bhimani, a co-producer of the production as well as a regular performer in it. “It was a world where a halfling could kill a red dragon, where it didn’t matter where you came from. There was always a seat for you at the table.

Anjali Bhimani in a production of “Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern.” The actor views the game as a storytelling tool.

(Andromeda Rodriguez)

“I think the sense of belonging that tabletop RPGs and ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ can provide is so, so, so powerful, and I think it really is a means to just bring people together in a way that a lot of other media can’t,” she adds.

“Twenty-Sided Tavern” does have some constraints. It is, after all, staged in a theater. But it also throws the traditional rules of theater by the wayside. Expect, for instance, to be on your phone most of the show. We’ll lightly direct the production, voting, for instance, to explore a castle’s catacombs or the mysterious woods. Many will cheer a good dice roll, and it wasn’t out of the norm at my matinee for the audience to shout suggestions or requests. When, for instance, said storyline about romancing a dragon became a bit risqué, a woman kindly reminded the cast that there were children present. It was toned down, but not before an actor made a joke about the show being educational.

“This doesn’t have to be a stuffy, fourth-wall drama,” says Michael Fell, the show’s creative director. “We can create a sense of community. As much as there is a script — there kind of is — we aim to have engagement with the audience every two pages. That means they’re calling out a name, asked to come on stage or it’s just an election on your phone where you make a choice or play a small mini-game. No engagement on the phone ever lasts more than nine seconds.”

In “Twenty-Sided Tavern,” there are three core actors playing and acting out the game, one dungeon master and a sort of tavern keeper helping to keep score and track of the story. There’s a setup at a bar and a quest involving a threat to the town, but each show is unique. The cast may swap roles, the audience may concoct a monster — my group envisioned a giant, destructive slice of pumpkin pie — and settings will shift based on audience vote, done via smartphone.

It’s a little bit like theater as sport.

“This is gamification of live entertainment. Part of what I’m doing is mirroring what happens in sports entertainment, but in a live theatrical setting,” says David Carpenter, the founder of Gamiotics, which co-developed the show and powers the smartphone tech behind it. “This show has surprised me for years, but one of the early surprises was the entire audience losing their mind when someone rolls a 20. It’s like someone scoring a touchdown. The audience goes nuts because they didn’t see it coming.”

Anjali Bhimani, left, Will Champion and Jasmin Malave appear ready for battle in a production of “Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern.”

(Andromeda Rodriguez)

Like the game, “Twenty-Sided Tavern” theorizes that stories can be at their most powerful when they are not passive, when we as audience members have a role to play and invitation to interact.

Carpenter is curious how far the audience choice can be pushed to shift a narrative. He talks in the future of experimenting more with moral or ethical decisions. There are none in “Twenty-Sided Tavern,” where occasionally the audience may influence an action in a way similar to a dice roll. We’ll tap, for instance, to fill up a meter on a screen, and where it lands may indicate a success or a failure. Here, the smartphone gamification is used to prod a narrative rather than define it, a reminder to me that “D&D” is in some ways a story creation tool.

“There are stories that we have told in tabletop games that I have played that I never would have imagined coming up with in the writers’ room because the dice told the story that they did,” says Bhimani.

The large-scale audience participation of “Twenty-Sided Tavern” naturally invites a jovial, party-like atmosphere. It succeeds in extending a hand to the audience, welcoming us into what can be a complex, daunting fantasy world. It argues that “Dungeons & Dragons” is for all, much as I did as a junior high kid who made it something of a mission to convert my name-calling friends with the hopes of showing them the joys of gathering with little more than paper, pencils, dice and an imagination.

“It’s still somewhat intimidating to a lot of people because they think, ‘I have to know all these rules and learn all these spells and read all these books,’” Bhimani says. “Coming to the ‘Twenty-Sided Tavern,’ it’s about telling a great story. Yes, we roll dice. Yes, there are spells. But ultimately, that’s just scaffolding to tell a beautiful, improvised story.”

I remember when I played weekly games in high school, my friends used to joke that I, as dungeon master, would “lose” because I did everything in my power to keep everyone’s character alive and playing, wanting to see a narrative to a conclusion that didn’t end in anyone’s death. They wondered if I was running the game incorrectly because they always succeeded. Yet I saw “Dungeons & Dragons” as a wholly collaborative endeavor, and I felt that way again watching “Twenty-Sided Tavern,” an ode to the idea that “Dungeons & Dragons” is best when shared.

And a reminder, too, that there is no wrong way to play it.

Simon Cowell’s new Netflix documentary, the Next Act, follows the music mogul – and his wife, Lauren – as the Britain’s Got Talent star looks for the next big boyband

Simon Cowell has admitted he wanted to pull the plug on his new Netflix documentary, The Next Act, which drops on the streaming platform today.

Seven years after The X Factor last aired, the music mogul, 66, is back with fans offering a behind-the-scenes look as he puts together a new band. The show features an in-depth look at how the music industry has changed – as well as fly-on-the wall scenes with Simon’s wife Lauren.

In a sneak peak of the show, Lauren, who is mum to Simon’s son, Eric, 10, warns the star he ‘worries too much’ as well as telling her partner of 11 years: “As long as I’m part of the journey” as Simon excitedly announces The Next Act’s ambitious format.

READ MORE: GMB’s Richard Madeley interrupts live broadcast to mark co-star’s milestoneREAD MORE: Strictly Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas lays feelings bare after Lewis Cope’s shock axe

Admitting he almost abandoned the project, which sees the star travelling around the country trying to find the singers he needs, he told Good Morning Britain today: “I almost pulled the plug.” Explaining his fears for the format of the show, he continued: “Things have changed so much. These boys are used to making music in their bedroom and now they’re in a live audition.”

GMB host, Susana Reid, praised Lauren for taking part in the show and “opening the doors” to the notoriously private couple’s relationship.

In one scene from the show, the mum-of-two accuses Simon of “moaning” before dramatically exiting in a heated moment. In the middle of auditioning potential band members, Simon takes a breather in episode two – resorting to an IV vitamin drip to rejuvenate his energy levels.

His partner, Lauren, expresses her concerns about his risk of “burnout” to the camera crew while also discussing her son Adam, who lives overseas.

Begging Lauren not to make him go to the whole of Adam’s graduation, Simon says: “Tell me about the weekend. I don’t have to be there for the whole graduation, do I?”

Lauren retorts: “Babe, you’re doing one thing for me which is going to my son’s high school graduation. Yes, you have to be there, OK? I mean, it’s not going to be long.

“Oh it is Lauren. They go on for hours”, Simon interjects as Lauren counters: “Babe, it’s one grade. It’s not like it’s a whole school. You’re his stepfather and he’s so proud of you. He wants to like, you know, show you off. He’s really excited for you to be there.”

Clearly emotional, Lauren concludes: “You make me feel bad about the graduation. You’ve known about this for f*****g five years. Now you’re making me feel like you don’t want to go. Then don’t go.

“You’re moaning about everything. Do whatever you want.”

* The Next Act is available on Netflix from December 10

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Simon Cowell’s new Netflix show sees the music mogul go on the hunt for his next big boyband.

Simon Cowell’s latest Netflix series is almost ready to launch, unveiling the genuine story behind one of One Direction’s most memorable tracks.

The legendary music mogul and Britain’s Got Talent supremo returns to television tomorrow, Wednesday, December 10, on the streaming giant.

This fresh venture allows viewers to witness the entire process from its inception, as Simon conducts auditions and brings hopeful band members to America to compete for their spot in the group.

To assist in assembling the new boyband, the 66-year-old recruited some of his most reliable collaborators, including former Pop Idol panellist Peter Waterman and singer-songwriter Kamille.

However, it’s the involvement of songwriter and producer Savan Koetcha that truly captures audiences’ interest, having amassed over 102 billion streams throughout his career.

“Simon gave me my first big break as a songwriter”, Savan revealed.

“And so, since then, we’ve worked very closely on a lot of stuff.”

Simon remarked: “And also you gave us the first hit for One Direction, What Makes You Beautiful.”

Revealing the track’s origins, Savan then disclosed: “It was written about my wife. So there you go. True story.”

Savan has been wed to Anna Gustavsson since 2009, with whom he has two sons, and has previously spoken openly about her serving as the muse for the beloved One Direction anthem.

Two years ago, Savan took to Instagram to share his joy, stating: “I figured I would write a little something in celebration of What makes you beautiful hitting a billion streams on Spotify.”

He expressed his gratitude, saying: “In the past, I may have taken something like this for granted, but I (thankfully) don’t anymore. This song means so much to me for several reasons.”

Savan continued: “My two boys know this song is about their mother. It makes me so emotional to know that they can see/feel/hear millions (now billions) of people listen to a song about how beautiful and wonderful their mom is. I think she’s starting to like it now too.”

Simon Cowell : The Next Act will premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, December 10.

STRICTLY’s Tyler West and Love Island star Chloe Burrows are set to be the new hosts of the KISS FM Breakfast Show in a surprising shake up.

The show has been hosted by Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely since 2020, but the duo sensationally quit just last week.

And now, their surprising reality star replacements have been confirmed.

Tyler, who currently presents afternoons on Kiss, is moving to the early bird slot with Chloe from the end of January.

He said of the new opportunity: “‘KISS FAM! The mornings are gonna be unreal! Taking over from my boys Jordan and Perri is huge… but trust me I’m ready to bring it!

“It’s time for big laughs and bigger tunes. KISS is where home is – this is your new breakfast show where the door is always open. It’s gonna be carnage!”

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While Chloe, who hasn’t previously hosted radio before but has her own podcast, described the opportunity as her “dream job”,

She said: “I can’t believe I’m saying this – I’m joining KISS! While I know I’ve got big shoes to fill, stepping into the station that I’ve been a HUGE fan of growing up will feel like being launched into my dream job at 100 miles an hour.

“Being the newbie, I know that working alongside Tyler and a world-class team of producers will give me the perfect introduction.

She rounded off: “I’m more than ready to bring the laughs and every ounce of energy I’ve got for the KISS Breakfast listeners. I’m buzzing!”

Chloe rose to fame after appearing on Love Island back in 2021, while Tyler is a presenter and starred on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, during which he met fiancée Molly Rainford.

The show rivals the likes of Capital Breakfast Show with Jordan North, Sian Welby and Chris Stark, Radio 1’s Breakfast with Greg James, and Hits Radio Breakfast with Fleur East, James & Matt.

It is not yet confirmed who will take over Tyler’s afternoon show, with the news set to be revealed early next year.

Jordan and Perri revealed they have stepped down from the show last week during an on-air announcement.

The duo, who joined the station in 2020, said: “We have some very big news… there’s no easy way to say this, we are moving on from KISS Breakfast.

“It’s been quite the journey for the last five and a half years and we’ve spent every single morning with you guys.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure, a privilege to wake up with you guys and have a laugh.

They continued: “It’s been the most special years of our lives, genuinely, and we’ve enjoyed every single moment.

“We’re going to get some lie ins back which is going to be a little bit weird to adjust too, but we do get to focus on all the other things that we get to do.”

All that talk about the left hand of Justin Herbert, and it’s the right foot of Cameron Dicker that made the difference.

Dicker kicked five field goals Monday night to lift the Chargers to a 22-19 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in a wild, turnover-filled game at SoFi Stadium.

On a night when the teams combined for eight turnovers — including a career-high four interceptions by Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts — the game fittingly ended with an interception. Tony Jefferson latched onto a pass that was tipped by fellow Chargers defensive back Cam Hart, snuffing out the Eagles’ last chance.

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Sam Farmer breaks down what went right for the Chargers in their 22-19 overtime win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night at SoFi Stadium.

So Dicker’s 54-yard field goal with 6:24 remaining in the extra period provided the margin of victory, just as it was Dicker who forced overtime with a 46-yarder in the waning moments of regulation.

“What a team we have,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said, practically shouting at the postgame podium. “That’s my reaction — what a team we have. They refuse to lose.”

It was practically do or die for a banged-up team that needed to win at least two of its final five games for a realistic chance at the playoffs. Now, the Chargers (9-4) need to win at least one of a brutal four-game stretch — at Kansas City and Dallas, at home against Houston, and a finale at AFC West-leading Denver, which has won 10 in a row.

Opportunity awaits, but it’s among the NFL’s toughest stretch runs.

That said, the Chargers are a tough team. They proved that throughout the near-constant reshuffling of their offensive line, the loss of their top two running backs — one of whom returned Monday night — and the injury to Herbert, who underwent surgery last Monday to repair a fracture in his non-throwing hand.

Harbaugh deemed the performance, “Great with a capital G.”

Despite a week of outside speculation about his availability, Herbert conceded after Monday’s game that he knew even before surgery that he wasn’t going to miss a game. He played with a small cast on his left hand and was even using that bandaged appendage to stiff-arm defenders. He was his team’s leading rusher with 10 carries for 66 yards.

“It felt like we were in a movie where the quarterback is doing these things and you get to the point where you go, ‘OK, this is getting a little unrealistic,’” Harbaugh said. “That’s what it felt like to me.”

Nonetheless, Herbert absorbed a beating. He was sacked a career-high seven times and hit 11 more, and didn’t have a healthy left arm to break his fall, so more than once he was violently slammed to the turf.

“He definitely sets the standard,” Chargers guard Mekhi Becton said of the quarterback. “For him to get surgery a week ago and be back on the field today, it’s contagious, for sure. It makes you want to go hard for him.”

Philadelphia was in prime position to forge another tie in overtime. The Eagles (8-5) answered Dicker’s fifth field goal by driving to the Chargers’ 41, the outer edge of kicker Jake Elliott’s range. They wanted to get a little closer, however, so the offense stayed on the field for a fourth and four.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert tries to get rid of the ball while being sacked during the first half Monday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

That’s when Chargers defensive lineman Odafe Oweh was flagged for a neutral-zone infraction, giving the visitors a first down. A couple of completed passes and the Eagles had a first down on the 17 — and that’s when Hurts was intercepted for a fourth and final time.

Hurts had just two interceptions in his first 12 games this season. At one point in the second quarter, he had both an interception and a fumble on the same play. His pass over the middle was picked off by Da’Shawn Hand, who subsequently fumbled. Hurts got the ball back but he too fumbled, and the Chargers wound up with it.

“This was a Super Bowl QB, so we have a lot of respect for what he’s done,” Jefferson said of Hurts, who was Most Valuable Player in the victory over Kansas City last February. “But we wanted to come out and showcase our brand of football.”

All the Chargers defenders were awarded a game ball, as was defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

Herbert got one as well.

“I just think about the guys in that locker room,” he said. “They do it for us. So many guys fight through things worse than what I’m going through. It’s the least I can do to show up and give my best.

“I draw a lot of inspiration from those guys, and hopefully I can have an impact on them too.”

The quarterback showed his grit — decidedly not a left-handed compliment.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert grimaces in pain after being tackled by Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the second half Monday night.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Less than five years ago, the Golden Globes were hanging by a thread.

In the wake of a Times investigation that exposed the group’s self-dealing and ethical lapses and a complete lack of Black representation among its membership, NBC pulled the ceremony off the air as Netflix and Amazon Studios and more than 100 publicity agencies cut ties with the embattled Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.

It got so bad that Tom Cruise sent back his three Golden Globes to the HFPA in protest, an act not quite on the level of Sean Penn’s 2022 threat to smelt his Oscars, though it grabbed headlines all the same.

But the Golden Globes have returned from the brink. The awards show, now run by Penske Media Eldridge, owned by Jay Penske and Todd Boehly, announced its latest slate of film and television nominations Monday. And the coverage, led by trade publications owned by Penske, has contained little to no mention of the show’s troubled past — or the controversies that continue to swirl around the ceremony, which will again air in January on CBS as part of a five-year broadcast deal signed in 2024.

So, yes, for all intents and purposes, the Golden Globes are back. But regarding ethical practices, today’s for-profit Globes may well be worse than ever, crossing the line in ways that are more egregious than the shady maneuverings that put the awards on life support not so long ago.

As part of the show’s rehabilitation, the Globes have expanded their voting pool to 300 people, including Black voters. Fifty of the original HFPA members were grandfathered into the group and offered an annual salary of $75,000. The Globes terminated that policy earlier this year, calling the move “an acknowledgment that continuing to pay members could add to a perception of bias in voting.”

It’s hard not to be skeptical of such principled reasoning in light of more recent events. In May, the Globes announced a new category for podcasts. A shortlist of 25 followed in October, selected by audio analytics company Luminate, which, surprise, is also owned by Penske Media.

The eligible titles ranged from Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” and Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” to political programs like “Pod Save America.” Conservative commentators Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, Megyn Kelly, Ben Shapiro, Theo Von and Candace Owens all made the shortlist. (Surprisingly, “New Heights,” the popular podcast hosted by Jason Kelce and his brother Travis, the all-pro Kansas City Chiefs tight end engaged to singer Taylor Swift, was omitted. If the goal in creating the new award was to find a way to coax Swift into attending the ceremony, somebody forgot to save her a seat.)

But the real motivation behind the podcast category became apparent soon afterward: money. Per the Ankler, Penske-owned trade publication Variety had its sales team pitch nominated podcasts an array of paid marketing partnerships, including a $25,000 buy to become a Podcasting FYC Fest supporting partner and a $75,000 deal for the podcaster to be given the Variety Creative Impact Award in Podcasting.

With those prices, no wonder Luminate seems to have made popularity — and thus financial resources — a core criterion for eligibility. Plus, there was the hope that some of the 25 shortlisted shows would buy FYC ads in Variety and Penske’s other trade publications, the Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, all of which rely on FYC dollars to keep the lights on.

How many bit? Shapiro is one prominent name, buying ads on Deadline and partnering with awards prediction website Gold Derby (yes, another Penske property) in a paid video interview with his podcast team. (The stumping failed to pay off in the end: The final six nominees in the category were “Armchair Expert,” “Call Her Daddy,” “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” “SmartLess” and “Up First.”)

“It’s just a money grab,” says a veteran awards consultant, who asked not be identified in order to protect industry relationships. “Everybody used to knock the Globes, but they were just goofy. … This is next level.”

You want next level? How about Penske offering three pairs of Golden Globes tickets for $70,000 each via a “concierge gift guide” in its luxury lifestyle magazine Robb Report? After the New York Post reported these shenanigans, the offer disappeared on the publication’s website.

Privately, there has been pushback. Publicly, not so much. We live in a culture at large where we’ve come to accept flagrant corruption as the norm, and Penske’s Globes are just another example, skating through our collective numbness.

The Golden Globes have long been excused for their scandals and idiosyncratic membership and, of course, mocked for their irrelevance. Ricky Gervais dismissed them as “worthless,” calling the award “a bit of metal that some nice old confused journalists wanted to give you in person so they could meet you and have a selfie with you.”

The membership has turned over, but the trophy’s value is still inconsequential.

Yet the ceremony keeps on chugging along, remaining, in the view of filmmakers behind the sort of grown-up movie fare that’s becoming an increasingly endangered species, an essential marketing platform. The January ceremony brought in 9.3 million viewers — not “Sunday Night Football” numbers, but not shabby in this fragmented media landscape.

For one night, the thinking goes, movies like “Marty Supreme,” “Hamnet” and “Sentimental Value” (among this year’s most-rewarded contenders) are celebrated and, perhaps, discovered. Studios still platform their films’ expansion into more theaters on the weekend after the Globes ceremony. If you award it, the thinking goes, people will come.

We all want these movies to continue to be made. No doubt a fair number of moviegoers bought a ticket to see the Brazilian political drama “I’m Still Here” after its lead Fernanda Torres won a Globe earlier this year.

But adding categories for podcast and, two years ago, “cinematic and box office achievement” only squeezes the amount of time that the show can spotlight the nominated films and their actors.

There’s a saying, first coined by Maya Angelou, that’s been repopularized in recent years: “If someone shows you who they are, believe them.” The same could be said of awards shows.

The Golden Globes may be here to stay. But let’s stop pretending they’re any better than they were before the last scandal.

After an unusual year in his late-night tenure, Jimmy Kimmel is officially sticking around for a little while longer.

The host signed a one-year contract extension with ABC so “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will continue through May 2027. Kimmel’s previous contract was set to expire in May 2026, at the end of the 2025-2026 television season.

The extension, first reported by Bloomberg, comes a few months after the network and its parent company, Walt Disney Co., temporarily benched Kimmel following sharp backlash over comments he made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death. Hours before the indefinite suspension was announced, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, owners of ABC affiliates, said they would not air the series after Kimmel’s comments.

Kimmel returned to the air after a nearly weeklong absence, delivering an emotional monologue in which he ardently defended free speech. He did not explicitly apologize for his comments, which Sinclair said was a condition that had to be met before it would broadcast the show again, but both Nexstar and Sinclair resumed airing the program shortly after Kimmel returned.

During his brief time off the air, Kimmel found himself at the center of a fiery culture war. Talk show hosts, actors, comedians, writers and even the former head of Disney condemned ABC’s decision to pause production, but a wave of critics celebrated Kimmel’s suspension, including President Trump and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who had publicly urged ABC to act on Kimmel’s comments.

The late-night landscape has been the subject of much discourse about free speech since CBS announced in July that it would not be renewing the storied network franchise “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” The decision, the company said, was due to financial reasons and not — as many have speculated — because of Colbert’s criticism of a settlement between the Trump administration and Paramount, the parent company of CBS, over a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.

Kimmel’s previous contract extension in 2022 was good for three years. It came at a time of speculation over whether he’d continue with the show.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs weeknights at 11:35/10:35 Central.

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Sunday hosted the Kennedy Center Honors and praised Sylvester Stallone, Kiss, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford and George Strait, the slate of honorees he helped choose, as being “legendary in so many ways.”

“Billions and billions of people have watched them over the years,” Trump, the first president to command the stage, said to open the show.

The Republican president said the artists, recognized with tribute performances during the show, are “among the greatest artists and actors, performers, musicians, singers, songwriters ever to walk the face of the Earth.”

Since returning to office in January, Trump has made the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which is named after a Democratic predecessor, a touchstone in a broader attack against what he has lambasted as “woke” anti-American culture.

Trump said Saturday that he was hosting “at the request of a certain television network.” He predicted the broadcast scheduled for Dec. 23 on CBS and Paramount+ would have its best ratings ever.

Before Trump, presidents watched the show alongside the honorees. Trump skipped the honors altogether during his first term.

Asked how he got ready for the gig, Trump said as he moved along the red carpet with his wife, first lady Melania Trump, that he “didn’t really prepare very much.”

“I have a good memory, so I can remember things, which is very fortunate,” the president said. “But just, I wanted to just be myself. You have to be yourself.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, one of several Cabinet secretaries attending the ceremony, said his boss “is so relaxed in front of these cameras, as you know, and so funny, I can’t wait for tonight.” Lutnick arrived with his wife, a member of the Kennedy Center’s board.

Trump appeared on stage three times to open and close the show, and after intermission. He also talked up each artist in prerecorded videos that played before their tributes.

Trump was both gracious and critical in the comments he delivered from the stage, lavishing the honorees with effusive praise but at times showing a mean streak. After returning from intermission, he said he’d toured some of the construction projects he has launched to renovate the performing arts center. And he said it was a “fantastic” night.

“Well, we’re really having a good time tonight,” Trump said. “So many people I know in this audience. Some good. Some bad. Some I truly love and respect. Some I just hate.”

Since 1978, the honors have recognized stars for their influence on American culture and the arts. Members of this year’s class are pop-culture standouts, including Stallone for his “Rocky” and “Rambo” movies, Gaynor for her “I Will Survive” feminist anthem and Kiss for its flashy, cartoonish makeup and onstage displays of smoke and pyrotechnics.

Strait is a leader in the world of country music and Crawford, a Tony Award-winning actor, is best known for starring in “Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running show in Broadway history.

Trump said persistence is a trait shared by the honorees, several of whom had humble beginnings.

“Some of them have had legendary setbacks, setbacks that you have to read in the papers because of their level of fame,” he said from the stage. “But in the words of Rocky Balboa, they showed us that you keep moving forward, just keep moving forward.”

He said many of the politicians, celebrities and others in the audience shared the trait, too.

“I know so many of you are persistent,” Trump said in his opening. “Many of you are miserable, horrible people. You are persistent. You never give up. Sometimes I wish you’d give up, but you don’t.”

The ceremony was expected to be emotional for the members of Kiss. The band’s original lead guitarist, Ace Frehley, died in October after he was injured during a fall. During the tribute to Kiss, a lone red guitar that emitted smoke was placed on stage in remembrance of Frehley, who was known for having a smoke bomb in his instrument.

The program closed with a rousing performance by Cheap Trick of Kiss’ “Rock and Roll All Nite” that brought the audience to its feet.

Stallone said receiving the honor was like being in the “eye of a hurricane.”

“This is an amazing event,” he said on the red carpet. “But you’re caught up in the middle of it. It’s hard to take it in until the next day. … but I’m incredibly humbled by it.”

Crawford also said it was “humbling, especially at the end of a career.”

Gaynor said it “feels like a dream” to be honored. “To be recognized in this way is the pinnacle,” she said after arriving.

Mike Farris, an award-winning gospel singer who performed for Gaynor, called her a dear friend. “She truly did survive,” Farris said. “What an iconic song.”

Trump has taken over the Kennedy Center

Trump upended decades of bipartisan support for the center by ousting its leadership and stacking the board of trustees with Republican supporters, who elected him chair. He has criticized the center’s programming and the building’s appearance — and has said, perhaps jokingly, that he would rename it as the “Trump Kennedy Center.” He secured more than $250 million from Congress for renovations of the building.

Asked Sunday night about a possible renaming, Trump said it would be up to the board. Still, he joked at one point about the “Trump Kennedy Center.”

Presidents of each political party have at times found themselves face to face with artists of opposing political views. Republican Ronald Reagan was there for honoree Arthur Miller, a playwright who championed liberal causes. Democrat Bill Clinton, who had signed an assault weapons ban into law, marked the honors for Charlton Heston, an actor and gun rights advocate.

During Trump’s first term, multiple honorees were openly critical of the president. In 2017, Trump’s first year in office, honors recipient and film producer Norman Lear threatened to boycott his own ceremony if Trump attended. Trump stayed away during that entire term.

Trump has said he was deeply involved in choosing the 2025 honorees and turned down some recommendations because they were “too woke.” He said Sunday that about 50 names were whittled down to five. While Stallone is one of Trump’s Hollywood ”special ambassadors” and has likened Trump to George Washington, the political views of Sunday’s other guests are less clear.

Honorees’ views about Trump

Strait and Gaynor have said little about their politics, although Federal Election Commission records show that Gaynor has given money to Republican organizations in recent years.

Simmons spoke favorably of Trump when Trump ran for president in 2016. But in 2022, Simmons told Spin magazine that Trump was “out for himself” and criticized Trump for encouraging conspiracy theories and public expressions of racism.

Fellow Kiss member Paul Stanley denounced Trump’s effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden, and said Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were “terrorists.” But after Trump won in 2024, Stanley urged unity.

“If your candidate lost, it’s time to learn from it, accept it and try to understand why,” Stanley wrote on X. “If your candidate won, it’s time to understand that those who don’t share your views also believe they are right and love this country as much as you do.”

Superville and Italie write for the Associated Press. Italie reported from New York.

THE Kardashians have been accused of ‘using AI’ on their reality show after a telltale sign.

When fans saw Khloe’s face ‘abruptly change’ in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, they went wild and were quick to accuse her and her family of using artificial intelligence.

In the clip, Khloe can be seen on The Kardashians FaceTiming her sister Kim.

Chatting to Kim, Khloe was sitting with Kourtney as they filmed and recorded the Khloe In Wonderland podcast.

At one point, Khloe’s face blurred and her necklace seemingly warped.

Someone shared the video of the moment where Khloe’s face changed and her necklace seemingly shapeshifted.

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“Omg you can see her pendant changing shape in real time,” commented one person.

A second wrote, “They’ve always used filters but THIS is different.. definitely AI.”

“Necklace literally morphed from a cross to an oval to a candy cane,” said a third.

“Face AND necklace changed,” added a fourth.

A fifth person then wrote, “Filter made her look like Hailee steinfeld there omg.”

And a sixth echoed, “I thought she was morphing into Hailee Steinfeld.”

Meanwhile, on Reddit, one fan shared the video from TikTok and penned, “The Kardashians used AI to add extra onto a scene with Khloe and it is terrifying.”

Someone then replied, “That wild…

“I wouldn’t have noticed it right away if it wasn’t for the necklace morphing.”

“Is it AI or did the filter just come off? LOL JK,” said a second.

A third penned, “This is f**king WILD omg it’s so badly done eta I’d give anything to see the prompt.”

“I just don’t understand how this gets approved. So many questions,” said a fourth.

While a fifth penned, “ok im scared.”

And a fifth said, “Would you expect anything different ? They are ….all of them filtered to oblivion.”

Two years ago, at Jason Woliner’s birthday party, there was a strange guest in attendance. Mysterious, wise, uncanny — it was an animatronic robot cowboy named Dale. In the years prior, Woliner had become transfixed by immersive theater and animatronics, prompting him to purchase Dale. Woliner’s obsession with him became akin to Frankenstein and his monster.

Dale’s presence was a triumph. Using a complex software system, Woliner made the animatronic conversational. “I set him up in my garage. People came in and asked him questions, and he gave advice on relationships,” Woliner says.

A disquieting collection of animatronics became fixtures in the director’s life. More encounters ensued. Dale hosted an event at the Dynasty Typewriter theater in place of Woliner. Later, another one of his animatronics had campfire-side chats with audiences at the Overlook Film Festival in New Orleans. Woliner’s creative partner of 15 years, Eric Notarnicola, joined the endeavor as well.

Notarnicola and Woliner, known for comedy projects like “Nathan for You,” “The Rehearsal,” “Paul T. Goldman” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” found that animatronics aligned with their body of work — absurd, amusing and occasionally devastating explorations of truth and vulnerability.

Dale — now better known as “the man” — this month will host guests at the Velaslavasay Panorama in a show called “The Man in the Tuskhut.” The Nova Tuskhut is a space within the venue designed like an Arctic trading post. For the show, attendees have a one-on-one encounter with the man in the Tuskhut. That’s after watching a documentary about frontiersman Henry James Entrikin, enjoying a drink at a saloon and grilling hot dogs.

“We started experimenting with this weird, interactive, intimate conversation with an animatronic and building it into a story that is surprising and maybe funny and maybe unsettling — something that leaves you with an unusual experience,” Woliner says.

From left to right, Ruby Carlson Bedirian, Eric Notarnicola and Jason Woliner, who collaborated on “The Man in the Tuskhut,” stand behind the saloon with animatronic skeletons.

(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

The animatronic improvises in conversation based on a story outline written by Woliner and Notarnicola. Inside the Tuskhut, the animatronic spurs surprising encounters with guests, Notarnicola says. “Some people come in and play a character. If they’re interested in role-playing, then they get to do that. Other people play it a lot more straight,” he says.

The buzzy show, not advertised on social media, has been gaining popularity through word of mouth. “We haven’t spent a penny on marketing,” says Woliner. The collaborators have sold out 200 encounters with the animatronic, hosting 20 encounters per day.

In the Ken Burns–style sepia-stained historical documentary, visitors learn that the man was killed by “Arctic cold that was both his companion and his adversary.” His travels include encounters with Inuit people, snow blindness and a stinging need for solitude that leads him to abandon his family for a life in the Arctic trading post. The documentary echoes the protagonists of Jack London novels — men up against the wild, grappling for survival — a trope Woliner enjoys.

“We’ve done a few things with those kinds of lonesome, filthy men,” Woliner says with a laugh.

Once inside the Tuskhut, visitors sit across from the man in a dimly lighted room. Hooks line the walls. Medicine cabinets collect dust on bookshelves — ones with “remedies for ailments, some imagined, some real.” Later, the man muses: “Real medicine is having something to believe in.” A radio buzzes in the background with static and news of “that Hitler fella,” as the man says. The bizarre encounter is different for each visitor who sits in his haunting gaze.

“Some people have had experiences that seem similar to going to a confessional or to a therapy session because some of the prompts and questions are open,” says Sara Velas, founder of the Velaslavasay Panorama and collaborator on the project. “People say: ‘I hadn’t heard someone talk to me in that tone of voice since my grandfather was alive.’ It’s a framework with many different outcomes, and it has been really special to observe.”

From left to right, Jason Woliner, Ruby Carlson Bedirian and Eric Notarnicola next to an animatronic skeleton.

(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)

Notarnicola says the scope of animatronic entertainment technology is far-reaching across language and culture. “We’re able to run the experience in over 30 different languages. We’ve run the experience in Spanish, Slovak, Polish and Chinese,” he says. “It removes this boundary of communication where anyone, anywhere can experience it and communicate.”

Ruby Carlson Bedirian, head of engineering and enrichment at the theater and collaborator, says many visitors try to stump the animatronic or break it. “Many of the people coming are, proportionally, insiders — they’re interested in this form,” Carlson Bedirian says. “There have been so many artists and technicians and specialized artisans who have had really amazing interactions.”

The animatronic had a storied history before joining Woliner and Notarnicola’s world. As they discovered, the robot was manufactured as part of a U.S. military operation. It was used in an immersive training facility at Camp Pendleton to prepare soldiers for the war in Afghanistan. By a bizarre twist of fate, it ended up in the filmmakers’ possession through eBay, after a man named Juju kept the animatronic in his living room in Florida.

“We found them through Reddit — there’s an animatronics-for-sale Reddit — and a guy had posted that he was trying to unload them,” Woliner says. Woliner spends time on the animatronic Reddit alongside Disneyland and Chuck E. Cheese enthusiasts.

One of the animatronics even appeared in the most recent season of “The Rehearsal.” “We’re trying to use them for good,” Woliner says.

For Woliner and Notarnicola, “The Man in the Tuskhut” is only the beginning of their venture with animatronics. “We have other shows in development, and other things we want to do that are bigger — multiple characters. This is just the beginning of where this form of interaction and entertainment is headed,” Notarnicola says. The creative duo recently launched Incident, a new experimental entertainment company dedicated to these otherworldly projects.

Woliner is enthusiastic about being part of a growing community of interactive experiences in Los Angeles. “I’m most excited about being part of the offbeat L.A. community,” he says.