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Gogglebox returned once again on Friday night on Channel 4
Gogglebox stars Dave and Shirley Griffiths shared some huge news just minutes into Friday’s episode(Image: Channel 4)
Gogglebox stars Dave and Shirley Griffiths shared some huge news just minutes into Friday’s episode.
As the episode started, Dave was seen surprising Shirley by letting off a loud confetti cannon, leaving his wife shocked.
Shirley said: “What have you got there?” before adding after the confetti cannon went off: “You stupid cow! You d**k!”
This prompted a beaming Dave to declare: “Happy anniversary!” before kissing his wife. He continued: “We’ve got to celebrate, haven’t we, 50 years!”
To which a giggling Shirley pointed out: “I was going to say, you’ve covered the b****y dogs!” as their pet dogs were seen covered in the confetti.
It comes as the duo also celebrated the milestone on Instagram as they shared a throwback snap on their joint account, writing: “50years on November 15th I wed the lovely Shirley, Happy anniversary darling here’s to making more happy memories.”
Gogglebox also celebrated the anniversary as they posted on their own Instagram: “How it started… how it’s going” with yellow heart emojis.
The couple’s fans and Gogglebox viewers were quick to react to the lovely news and incredible milestone.
“Happy golden wedding anniversary you lovely pair,” commented Ellie Warner, whilst her sister Izzi contributed: “Congratulations both! Wishing you many more years of wedded bliss.”
Simon Minty wrote: “Hid your names and asked Jane to guess. Took a couple of clues and then she cried, ‘Jeepers!’ She guessed you first Shirl and I guessed you first Dave. A very happy anniversary to you both.”
Ex-Gogglebox star Mica Ven added: “Happy anniversary you beauties,” whilst Jenny Newby and Lee Riley joked: “Awhhhhhh Happy Anniversary to you lovely pair but who gets the medal.”
Meanwhile, one fan commented: “Happy anniversary to you both, may you share many more in the years to come,” whilst another viewer added: “Gorgeous!! Happy Anniversary to a beautiful couple.”
The Welsh couple, who first appeared on the Channel 4 programme back in 2015, have quickly secured themselves as fan favourites.
Gogglebox airs on Friday nights at 9pm on Channel 4.
A CELEB stylist who dressed Princess Di and Liz Hurley is suing Harvey Nichols for age discrimination — claiming he was barred from serving Prem footballers.
Furious Dean Aslett, 55, says England stars Bukayo Saka and Ivan Toney were top clients at the luxury department store and would blow up to £35,000 during lavish spending sprees.
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Celeb stylist Dean Aslett, 55, who dressed Princess Di and Liz Hurley, is suing London store Harvey Nichols for age discriminationCredit: SuppliedDean was dubbed ‘Mr Safety Pin’ for picking out actress Hurley’s famous Versace side-fastened dress in the 1990sCredit: Alpha Photo Press AgencyDean once worked with Princess DianaCredit: Getty
But the personal shopper says Arsenal winger Saka, 24, former Brentfordstriker Toney, 29, and other footie aces were routinely handed to younger colleagues.
Dean said: “I’ve been working as a stylist for 35 years and I thought I would have something to bring to the table but, if anything, my experience worked against me.
“The management would give me all the difficult, much older clients no one wanted to service, while all the lucrative appointments with affluent young people were given to others, so I was effectively being penalised.
“Premier League footballers were coming in and they were amongst the biggest spenders.
“They could drop between £10,000 and £35,000 a time.
“I remember Saka spent over £10,000 on clothes for a Halloween party in October 2024.
“He was also buying clothes for his girlfriend and he was handed straight to a young personal shopper.
“Ivan Toney came in with about ten of the Brentford team — again it was a five-figure sum they spent. But they refused to give any of the high-net-worth footballers to me.”
In 1994, he was asked to pick a film premiere frock for Hurley. The black number he chose became known as “that dress” — held together by giant safety pins and making her a huge star.
But he claims he faced discrimination from his first day at Harvey Nichols in London in January 2024. He was let go in December the same year.
His employment tribunal case against the company is due in April. Harvey Nichols said it was unable to comment ahead of it.
The personal shopper says Arsenal winger Saka Bukayo, 24, and other footie aces were routinely handed to younger colleaguesCredit: GettyFormer Brentford striker Ivan Toney was also taken away from Dean, according to the claimCredit: GettyThe posh London storeCredit: Getty
At the Walk of Fame ceremony honoring her late husband on Thursday in Hollywood, Chadwick Boseman’s widow shared the underpinnings of the actor’s creative success.
Simone Ledward Boseman, who married him privately before his death on Aug. 28, 2020, first described the “42” and “Avengers” star in video from the event as “a spiritual teacher fortified by a family and close friends that kept him grounded in faith.”
She said she still sees synchronicities far too often to call them random — his star, for example, is No. 2828 on the Walk of Fame — and is at those times reminded that her husband is “still teaching.”
“You lived with honor and you walked in truth,” Ledward Boseman said. “You are as brilliant as you were beautiful and as courageous as you were kind. We love you, we miss you, we thank you.”
She followed that by reading her husband’s own words in the form of his “Instructions for Creative Work.”
Simone Ledward Boseman, center, poses Thursday with “Black Panther” actors Letitia Wright and Michael B. Jordan after the dedication of her late husband’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
(Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP)
“Write the vision and make it plain,” she recited. “Keep that word fastened in your journal and shut it in your bolted drawer until the appointed time.
“Let the ideas, the visions that God gives you, fester inside of you. Let the word that he has put inside of you bubble over. Do not speak it to another until the time appointed by God.
“The secrecy of the vision is the second stone laid in the building process. It is the project’s fortress, for a word spoken too early on the ears of men is a bulldozer and a stumbling block.
“Forget the self that entered the process and be made into a new creature through the work.”
For the unveiling of the star, she called the actor’s brothers Kevin Boseman and Derrick Boseman with her to the red carpet, where they were met by Davis and director Ryan Coogler.
The star — in the movies category, of course — is at 6904 Hollywood Blvd., in front of the Hollywoodland Experience store.
Kelly Brook’s stepdad described the bullying accusations by Kelly Osbourne as ‘a load of rubbish’ following the model’s spat with Jack Osbourne on I’m A Celebrity
The model, 45, said she felt Jack Osbourne, 40, pushed his way into taking over preparing the campmate’s dinner of eel. On the ITV show, Ozzy Osbourne’s son was seen asking Kelly if she wanted him to help her prepare the meal as he noticed that she was gagging and retching over the smell.
However, after agreeing, Kelly told the camera that she felt Jack “elbowed” his way into taking over the cooking for camp. But Jack’s sister, 41, took the comments personally and criticised her brother’s campmate on her Instagram Stories.
“Kelly Brook… I don’t think I like you,” Jack’s elder sister said. “Elbowing out of the way to get to the fish… you’re so performative, with all the gagging and the over‑dramatics. You bring out my big‑sister vibes where I want to attack you because I feel like you’re a bit of a bully.”
But Kelly’s stepdad leapt to her defence and, while talking to the Daily Mail, he described the bullying accusations as “a load of rubbish”. The awkward conversation between Kelly and Jack happened on Wednesday when he stepped in to help her, asking: “Would you like me to cut up the fish?”
Kelly accepted the offer but then said in the Bush Telegraph: “I saw Jack’s eyes light up, it was like Christmas to Jack, and he came running over and elbowed me out of the way to get to this fish like a caveman, and I was like, no, I’m going to do it.”
The spat was the second time Kelly and Jack clashed on the show, after he previously criticised her potato slicing skills while preparing another meal. Jack had previously taken on the role of unofficial chef at camp, but locked horns with Kelly over how to prepare potatoes correctly.
Confessing that she felt “displaced” by Jack, Kelly said, “I’m not gonna lie, last night I just felt, I just felt a bit lost.” She added, “I just want to be so useful, I’m just still trying to find my place in the camp in terms of what to do.”
Later apologising for what some fans online have said is her trying to start a “feud”, she added, “I’m so sorry Jack if I’m coming at you and if I’m cutting potatoes wrong, but honestly it’s only coming from a place where I just want to help.” Jack seemed unimpressed, as he hit back: “That’s just because in my world at home I’ve got four kids and I’m always just doing, doing, doing.”
Their altercation had clearly left its mark, as Jack, who lost his legendary father Ozzy in July, then decided to hand over cooking duties to Alex Scott and Shona McGarty. But when Alex later asked Kelly if she would like to lend a hand, she refused. Claiming the cooking wasn’t his to delegate in the first place, Kelly told her fellow campmates: “So he’s not in charge but then he’s in charge of everything, choosing who’s gonna be in charge!”
FROM Three Lions to Vindaloo, England have their fair share of rousing football anthems.
But now that Scotland have qualified for their first World Cup since 1998, proud Tartan Army faithfuls Biffy Clyro are planning their own tune to cheer on their lads next summer.
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From left: Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro, Ben Johnston and James Johnston at the Rolling Stone UK AwardsCredit: GettyLewis Capaldi poses in the winners room with The Artist AwardCredit: GettyAshley Roberts on the red carpet at the eventCredit: GettyJessie J has a new album on the wayCredit: Splash
The trio scooped the Live Act gong at the Rolling Stone UK Awards at London’s Roundhouse on Thursday night and told me they are already putting plans in motion.
Asked whether anyone from the Scottish team had been in touch, frontman Simon Neil said: “Well, we’ve been in touch with them.
“We want to do Scottish Band Aid or Live Aid. This is a historic moment for Scotland.”
But on the team’s chances in the tournament, he said with a laugh: “Ninety minutes after the first game, with all of our heads in our hands, it won’t matter. But see, this next six months is truly magical.
“In this day and age, we all find so many reasons to fall out and disagree that it’s surprising it’s football that’s bringing people together. Lionesses last year, all of England would celebrate.
“I’ve got the lyric for the chorus: ‘The party’s starting because the tartan’s marching’. There you go. That’ll be in your head for now. I want that to stimulate the song.”
Sounds like a belter to me.
Meanwhile, the third annual ceremony was packed with celebs and saw FKA Twigs win the Album award for Eusexua, and Lewis Capaldi the Artist award.
Comedian Mo Gilligan was brought in to present Lewis with the prize, this time pronouncing his name correctly — after accidentally calling him Sam Capaldi on stage at the Brit Awards in 2023.
Jessie J was on top form as she gears up to drop her first album in seven years, Don’t Tease Me With A Good Time, this Friday.
She said: “It has been a long time. I finished writing it in 2022.
“I have a lot of music in my phone. So if someone wants to steal my phone, and put it out for me, it would save me a lot of agg. No, but I’m excited for people to hear it, you know?
“I just want to make people feel something.”
And now that Jessie’s back in the spotlight, she has found that her two-year-old son Sky has a taste for fame.
She added: “Oh, my God, he’s so funny. He’s like, ‘Can I come to work? I love when the people say, yay’.
“It’s so cute. I can’t tell him I’m going to work because he wants to come with me.”
It was typically chaotic, with Danny at one point vaping on stage and later dropping his cigarettes on the floor as he made his way home, despite the fact the whole thing was sponsored by nicotine pouch company Zyn.
He is in the middle of shooting series two of Eighties TV comedy drama Rivals, but promised to get “off his nut” and later celebrated at the after-party until 1am.
IN his opening monologue on the night, Danny said: “It’s been an amazing 12 months because I won a f***ing Bafta.
“There was only one thing that could top that, and that’s the fact that my first-born child married the captain of West Ham United.”
Danny Dyer did a cracking job on hosting duties at the awardsCredit: Splash
Welcoming Mo Gilligan on stage: “It’s the 11th funniest comedian in the country. He’s funnier than Joel Dommett, I can tell you that.”
Before handing out the Film award: “Here’s a fact for you, I’ve been in 50 films, 47 of them are s**t.”
Introducing the Television award: “They didn’t nominate me for this one, can you f***ing believe it? I’ll come down there and put a nut on ya.”
And while presenting the Festival award: “Deep down, we are all dreaming of being in a field somewhere, warm lager in our hand and off our t**s on mushrooms.”
Musicals Greatest Hits was released yesterday and it features a cover of Wicked’s For Good, just as the second film’s soundtrack, also featuring that song, came out.
Ben Forster is going head to head with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo with his new albumCredit: Supplied
Ben whose roles include playing the Phantom in The Phantom Of The Opera, told Bizarre: “I’m so excited that everyone can finally hear my album. Creating it has truly been a dream come true.”
Ben embarks on a huge tour next year.
He will play theatres up and down the UK from September.
NEIL YOUNG AND THE CHROME HEARTS are performing in the star-studded line-up for the new Blenheim Palace Festival on July 3.
They are joining acts including Katy Perry and Teddy Swims at the series of gigs in Oxfordshire.
ALBUM PERFECT FOR DOJA TAT
DOJA CAT was so impressed with tattoo artist Claudio Traina’s work that she decided to use his design on her latest album Vie.
Claudio, of Sixty Ink in London, told me: “I met her in a house in LA.
Doja Cat was so impressed with tattoo artist Claudio Traina’s work that she decided to use his design on her latest album VieCredit: Supplied
“We were doing tattoos for everyone there, and she got so excited, she decided to get her first tattoo. Two days later she called me for more.”
Claudio, whose clients also include Yungblud and Demi Lovato, added: “Now, every time she’s in London, she comes to the studio for fresh ink.
“She liked the word Vie, meaning ‘life’ in French, and decided to get it tattooed. A few months after, I got a message saying they had used that tattoo I designed for the album cover.”
CHRISTMAS will be arriving early for fans of Jade.
I can reveal that the former Little Mix singer is to announce a bumper deluxe edition of her debut album, That’s Showbiz Baby, which came out in September.
The new album, with fresh songs added, is expected to be available on December 5.
FOREIGN LINGO KEY FOR ALICIA
ALICIA KEYS has teamed up with Italian music great Eros Ramazzotti for his latest album.
But rather than sing in English, the 17-time Grammy-winning Empire State Of Mind singer learned the track in both Italian and Spanish.
Alicia Keys has teamed up with Italian music great Eros Ramazzotti for his latest albumCredit: Getty
Alicia told Bizarre: “We had such a fun time. We’re doing this beautiful song, L’aurora, and I was learning it in Spanish as well as Italian.
“And so, it’s really exciting to be able to sing in a whole different language and poetry and the beauty of how it goes and how it feels coming out is incredible.”
She added: “It felt very easy. It felt natural, it felt fun.”
Proving you may grow older but don’t have to grow up, she added of the 62-year-old Italian singer : “He’s a prankster, a jokester.
“He’s trying to scare me the whole time, but I’m tough. So, you can’t scare me. But it was beautiful. I love it and I’m so excited about this project.”
The record, Una Storia Importante, also features opera singer Andrea Bocelli, and Eros will kick off a tour in Paris on Valentine’s Day.
Six years ago, when San Jose author Katie Keridan joined Disney+, the cost was just $6.99 a month, giving her family access to hundreds of movies like “The Lion King” and thousands of TV episodes, including Star Wars series “The Mandalorian” with no commercials.
But since then, the price of an ad-free streaming plan has ballooned to $18.99 a month. That was the last straw for 42-year-old Keridan, whose husband canceled Disney+ last month.
“It was getting to where every year, it was going up, and in this economy, every dollar matters, and so we really had to sit down and take a hard look at how many streaming services are we paying for,” Keridan said. “What’s the return on enjoyment that we’re getting as a family from the streaming services? And how do we factor that into a budget to make sure that all of our bills are paid at the end of a month?”
It’s a conversation more people who subscribe to streaming services are having amid an uncertain economy.
Once sold at discounted rates, many platforms have raised prices at a clip consumers say frustrates them. The entertainment companies, under pressure from investors to bolster profits, have justified upping the cost of their plans to help pay for the premium content they provide. But some viewers aren’t buying it.
Customers are paying $22 more for subscription video streaming services than they were a year ago, according to consulting firm Deloitte. As of October, U.S. households on average shelled out $70 a month, compared to $48 a year ago, Deloitte said.
About 70% of consumers surveyed last month said they were frustrated the entertainment services that they subscribe to are raising prices and about a third said they have cut back on subscriptions in the last three months due to financial concerns, according to Deloitte.
“There’s a frustration, just in terms of both apathy, but also from a perspective that they just don’t think it’s worth the monthly subscription cost because of just fatigue,” said Rohith Nandagiri, managing director at Deloitte Consulting LLP.
Disney+ has raised prices on its streaming service nearly every year since it launched in 2019 at $6.99 a month. The company bumped prices on ad-free plans by $1 in 2021, followed by $3 increases in 2022 and 2023, a $2 price raise in 2024 and, most recently, a $3 increase this year to $18.99 a month.
Disney isn’t the only streamer to raise prices. Other companies, including Netflix, HBO Max and Apple TV also hiked prices on many of their subscription plans this year.
Some analysts say streamers are charging more because many services are adding live sports, the rights to which can cost millions of dollars. Streaming services for years have also given consumers access to big budget TV shows and original movies, and as production costs rise, they expect viewers to pay more, too.
But some consumers like Keridan have a different perspective. As much as some streaming platforms are adding new content like live sports, they are also choosing not to renew some big budget shows like “Star Wars: The Acolyte.” Keridan, a Marvel and Star Wars fan, said she mainly watched Disney+ for movies such as “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and shows like “The Mandalorian.” Now she’s going back to watching some programs ad-free on Blu-Ray discs.
While Keridan cut Disney+, her family still subscribes to YouTube Premium and Paramount+. She said she uses YouTube Premium for workout videos instead of paying for a gym membership. Her family enjoys watching Star Trek programs on Paramount+, like the third season of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” Keridan said.
Other consumers are choosing to keep their streaming subscriptions but look for cost savings through cheaper plans with ads, or by bundling services.
“Consumers are more willing today than ever to withstand advertising and for the sake of being able to get content for a lower subscription rate,” said Brent Magid, CEO and president of Minneapolis-based media consulting firm Magid. “We’ve seen that number increase just as people’s budgets have gotten tighter.”
Keridan said she’s already cutting other types of spending in her household in addition to quitting Disney+. The amount of money her family spends on groceries has gone up, and in order to save cash, they’ve cut back on traveling for the year. Typically, Keridan says, they would go on two or three vacations annually, but this year, they will only go to Disneyland in Anaheim.
But even the Happiest Place on Earth hasn’t escaped price hikes.
“Just as the streaming fees have risen, park fees have risen,” Keridan said. “And so it just seems every price of anything is rising these days, and they’re now directly in competition with each other. We can’t keep them all, so we have to make hard cuts.”
During a podcast interview, Alex Jones has opened up about the sexting scandal, which saw her former The One Show co-presenter Jermaine Jenas sacked by the BBC last year
17:08, 21 Nov 2025Updated 17:10, 21 Nov 2025
Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas presented The One Show together(Image: BBC)
The One Show star Alex Jones has said she was “the last to know” about Jermaine Jenas’ sexting scandal, which saw him sacked by the BBC. The TV presenter and football pundit, 42, was axed in August last year over claims he had sent inappropriate texts to female colleagues. He was removed from his role as a presenter of The One Show and a pundit for BBC Sport after an internal investigation was launched.
Jenas’ BBC contract was terminated and he also parted ways with his long-term agents MC Saatchi in addition to being let go from his role presenting Formula E. Now Alex, 48, has spoken about the scandal while appearing on Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast.
The TV star, who worked alongside Jenas until his departure from the show last year, said: “JJ and I had become good friends. I was the last to know. The BBC dealt with it, and I think if people feel uncomfortable, they have to deal with it.
“If it was my daughter, and she was at work in whatever industry and she felt uncomfortable, I would hope to God that I’d given her the tools to be able to speak up.” She added: “If she was brave enough to speak up, because it is a brave thing to do, I would hope that the company, corporation, whoever, would deal with it.
“Lots of journalists are asked, ‘Have you ever had experiences that are uncomfortable?’ I mean, if you go back to the 90s, early 2000s, there was stuff and there were ways that things were said that weren’t great. But, nothing has stuck with me, nothing makes me shudder. And I know the type of girl I was then, and I wouldn’t have handled it.”
Alex said she has “a lot of respect” for the women who spoke out, which she described as “an incredibly brave thing to do.” In addition to the professional repercussions, the scandal also led to the breakdown of Jenas’ marriage. In March, Jenas’ Ellie Penfold announced her split from him. Ellie, who shares four children with the presenter, took so social media to confirm the end of their 16-year relationship.
“I never imagined I would have to share something so personal with the public, but given the situation, I feel it’s necessary,” she said. “After 16 years together and 4 wonderful children, Jermaine and I have decided to part ways.
“We will remain friends and continue to co-parent. We kindly ask that you respect our children’s privacy during this challenging time. Thank you, Ellie.” After the allegations emerged, Jenas said that he was “ashamed of himself” after the allegations came to light, and that his wife was livid and not speaking to him.
The axed host has stressed he has done nothing illegal and said he was sorry if he made any of the women he had messaged feel uncomfortable. Jenas spoke of his shame after his world collapsed following the corporation’s confirmation and an “excruciating” meeting with HR and execs. The former One Show star denied sending any explicit pictures or videos.
Liam Payne’s sister has paid an emotional tribute on the anniversary of the late star’s funeralCredit: Roo0900/InstagramLiam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy who had travelled with him to Buenos AiresCredit: Dan CharityLiam found fame with the pop band One DirectionCredit: Getty
Ruth posted an emotional tribute to her brother, one year on from his funeral – with an early image of the siblings together.
Alongside the post, Ruth wrote: “A year ago today, the hardest goodbye I’ll ever have, a funeral I should never have had to plan and every day since, I should have never had to live without him.
“Missing him now is part of breathing, it doesn’t get easier, that’s just a lie to make it feel better: Infinite love, infinite loss.”
Ruth’s post comes after she shared another tribute on the one year anniversary of Liam’s death.
In an open letter to him, a devastated Ruth wrote: “I underestimated grief, woah, did I underestimate it. I am paralysed by it daily.
“I thought I had felt it before but I know the losses before you were just intense sadness, you are the loss of my life, the one person who l will miss at every single occasion in my life.
“I’d taken for granted that my little brother would be there through life.
“You shouldn’t have died.”
Ruth also revealed she’s been having a recurring nightmare that places her in Liam’s hotel room moments before his death on that fateful night.
She said, in it, Liam “can’t hear me screaming for you, my brain is locked on your last minutes on this earth, the unaccounted minutes, the minutes I will never have the answers to, the minutes that changed everything.”
Such is the loss, Ruth said that the life of the Payne family has been “extinguished” and is “impossible to mend”.
She continued: “You died which is something that happened, but your absence is something that happens to me everyday before I even open my eyes.”
In gut-wrenching paragraphs she details how she’d love to spend just five more minutes with him and the things she would tell him, from catching up on plans, to listening to the birds and swapping jokes.
Liam’s Last Days
By Scarlet Howes
SEPTEMBER 20: Liam and his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, arrive in Argentina for a five-day holiday.
OCTOBER 2: The star goes to see ex-bandmate Niall Horan while he is on tour, telling fans on Snapchat: “It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
OCTOBER 12: Kate flies back home to Florida after two weeks away, leaving Liam in Argentina.
She tells her followers on TikTok: “Love South America, but I hate staying in one place for too long and we were supposed to be there for five days, turned into two weeks and I was just like, ‘I need to go home’.”
OCTOBER 13: Liam checks into the CasaSur Palermo Hotel alone three days before he died. He was reportedly asked to leave his previous hotel.
OCTOBER 15: Hours before his death, he spends some time with Aldana Serrano, 31, and Lucila Goitea, 27, who arrived at the hotel at about 11.30am local time and left at 4pm, just one hour before he died.
At about 5pm, Liam is said to have been arguing over money with a mystery woman in the lobby, before falling 45ft and landing in the inner courtyard of the hotel.
Ending her letter to Liam, she asks people to remember that there is a family at the heart of the story who have lost someone very dear to them.
She says: “Whilst I am still on my knees struggling to regain balance since my world burned down and every time I try to take a step, something comes and sets fire to all the progress I thought I had made in my mind, in trying to understand where or why Liam isn’t here helping me through this.
“Everyone only seems interested in the public side of this, some sadly seem more interested in the fame they can gain off this, but on the human side people need to remember when they speak, there is a son without his Dad, parents without their child and I am lost without my brother.
“Love always Liam, in every lifetime.”
Liam died shortly after 5pm on October 16, 2024 when he fell from his hotel balcony.
Pereyra, 22 — locked up in Marcos Paz jail two hours from the capital — claims hotel bosses turned a blind eye to all of Liam’s drug use in October 2024.
He said: “They had him in an isolated bunker and let him do anything he wanted including drugs in the room, and in public areas of the hotel.
“Bosses said he was making them too much money — triple the money.
“But I think the biggest mistake was not calling an ambulance when Payne passed out in the lobby.
“If the hotel had acted differently Liam could have been saved.
“They lifted him by his arms and legs and carried him to the room via the elevator. He should have been kept where he was and an ambulance called.
“But because that day they had many foreign guests checking in they decided to take him to the room in the condition he was in.
“After that they called police instead of an ambulance. They made the call only after leaving him in the room alone. By the time they were making the call it was already too late.
“What happened was very sad.Liam’s deathwas truly tragic and could have been prevented.”
Ruth shared a gorgeous snap of her brotherCredit: Roo0900/InstagramA drone view shows the hotel where Liam was found dead after he fell from a third-floor hotel room balcony, in Buenos Aires, ArgentinaCredit: ReutersOver 2000 mourners attended Hyde Park for a memorial vigil at the Peter Pan statue for LiamCredit: AlamyA horse-drawn carriage carried the coffin of Liam at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, BuckinghamshireCredit: PALiam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy with Damien Hurley at Liam’s funeralCredit: Dan CharityOne of Liam’s final social media postsCredit: reuters
How you answer may be the key in how much you enjoy the sequel, “Wicked: For Good,” which opens today and is on track to sell more tickets in its first weekend than its predecessor.
Will the new movie once again cast a spell at the Oscars? The answer, for the moment, is confusifying.
I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, host of The Envelope newsletter and someone hoping to see a movie at the Village before the Olympics land in L.A. in 2028. Which film should they book to kick off its revival?
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Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande perform at the 97th Academy Awards in March.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Who wasn’t charmed by the first “Wicked” movie last year? Film critics gave it more than a pass, with reviews scoring a respectable 73 grade on aggregator site Metacritic. Audiences loved it, powering the film to a $758 million worldwide box office haul. And Oscar voters fell in line, rewarding “Wicked” with 10 nominations and wins for production design and costumes. Gratitution abounded.
Repeating success is a taller order, our beloved Dodgers notwithstanding. As noted, multiplexes should be full this first weekend and, you’d expect, the lucrative Thanksgiving weekend as well. But the reviews haven’t been as kind this time around. “Wicked: For Good” sits at a 60 on Metacritic. Empire magazine’s review sums up the sentiment: “‘Wicked: For Good,’ sure — but not quite Wicked: For Great.”
Sequels rarely land as well as the original film, so the drop-off isn’t surprising. And, if you’ve seen the Broadway musical, you already knew this was coming. All the best songs are packed into the show’s first act, culminating in the soaring, sustaining final notes of “Defying Gravity.” But you can only beat that gravitational force for so long before you fall flat on the ground.
Which brings me back to the question I first asked you: What are you looking for in a “Wicked” movie? I enjoyed all the spirited dancing and singing and, yes, the bright, candy colors of the first movie. You want a slog? The sequel takes almost an hour to bring together the two characters you truly care about — Elphaba and Glinda.
To get to that moment, you have endure a lot of filler, as if the musical doesn’t have enough material to sustain two movies totaling nearly five hours. (It doesn’t.)
The so-so critical reaction shouldn’t keep “Wicked: For Good” from picking up a best picture nomination, provided the movie’s fans keep showing up at theaters through the end of the year. With so many high-profile festival films — “The Smashing Machine,” “After the Hunt,” “Die My Love” among them — failing to connect with audiences and critics, there’s room at the inn. Academy voters will likely keep the light on.
Equaling the first film’s 10 nominations will be difficult. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande opened the Oscars ceremony last year in spectacular fashion, but a reunion might not be in the cards. The pair were arguably co-leads in the first movie. “For Good” belongs more to Glinda than Elphaba, charting the Good Witch’s journey from complacency and compliance to … less complacency and compliance. Maybe Glinda’s going to learn from all this and take principled stands moving forward, though the movie doesn’t do enough to convince me. Grande’s dimple has more depth.
Still, Grande figures to score another supporting actress nomination and, who knows, she may well win. Voters love big theater-kid energy in this category, giving Oscars to Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”), Anne Hathaway (“Les Misérables”), Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) and Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez”) in recent years.
Erivo, placed in the more competitive lead class, might not be as fortunate, as she no longer centers the movie. She still masterfully conveys Elphaba’s vulnerability and sadness, but she’s also saddled with a chemistry-free love story with Capt. Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). I won’t count her out. But Erivo could well lead the “snubs” and surprises list come nominations morning.
Repeat nominations in production design and costume design, the two Oscars the first movie won, seem safe bets. Hair and makeup does too, as does sound since voters love movies heavy on music. “Wicked: For Good” might pick up another nomination in the newly created casting category, as it won’t be a spot where voters feel like they’re repeating themselves. And while the first movie didn’t have any new songs, “For Good” sports two. Look for “The Girl in the Bubble,” sung by Grande, to pop.
Eight nominations? That’d be a win. The loss would be if “Wicked: For Good” followed the path of the two “Black Panther” movies. The first, a critical, commercial and cultural sensation, earned seven nominations, including best picture, and won three Oscars. The less-regarded sequel picked up five nods, winning one. It was not nominated for best picture.
Emmerdale’s Bradley Riches – who stars as Lewis Barton in the ITV soap – revealed that acting classes had on big impact on him
Bradley Riches appeared on Loose Women
Emmerdale star Bradley Riches revealed that acting “saved” him as he opened up about being on the autistic spectrum.
The actor – who plays Lewis Barton in the ITV soap – was diagnosed at nine and did not use words to communicate until he was 10.
However, during an appearance on ITV’s Loose Women on Friday (November 21) he told how drama classes had helped him.
Discussing his experience, the Heartstopper star told the panel: “So, with me, for example, especially with my childhood, I didn’t use words for formal communication until I was 10.”
Asked how he communicated, Bradley explained: “Through, like, sound, movement, communication cards. For example, if my shoes weren’t feeling right, I would have a card and slap it to communicate with my parents.”
Asked if drama classes had helped, he said: “Yeah, I feel like acting definitely saved me in a lot of ways. It’s like, obviously, growing up, not speaking, and then my nan being like, ‘Oh, let’s just throw him into a drama class for confidence.’
“I was like, OK, that’s bonkers. But I went in there and then I would start listening to you know, like you’re watching TV, like these American accents, and slowly over time, I was putting these accents on, and through characters, I kind of learn via myself.
“So through a character, I’ve kind of embedded, OK, how would Bradley say this? How would I do this?
“Through acting, it was kind of an escapism, and it was kind of changing.”
Bradley, 23, joined ITV’s Emmerdale this year as Lewis Barton and revealed that he jumped at the opportunity.
He told the panel: “When I found out Lewis was an autistic character, it was, everything I do, every job I take, I’ve always wanted to kind of fly the flag for the community I’m a part of, like, be it the queer community or the autistic community.
“So, when I found out, you know, Lewis was a double, gay and autistic, I was like, get in there!”
“I mean, I have always wanted to tell stories, autistic stories, especially positive ones,” the actor added.
Loose Women airs at 12.30pm on ITV on weekdays and Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm and available to stream from 7am on ITVX
ADAM Peaty’s troubled brother James has made a bizarre move as he joins social media amid a family feud.
Adam, 30, recently took to social media and accusedhis familyof “encouraging” false claims about him and his fiancée Holly Ramsay, 25.
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James Peaty brother of Adam joins social media and his profile pic has images of Adam in the backgroundCredit: InstagramGuests at the wedding in Bath are expected to include Holly’s chef dad Gordon, as well as David and Victoria BeckhamCredit: Shutterstock EditorialThe couple recently posted a statement regarding the family fall-outCredit: instagram
Now, his brother James has joined Instagram and posed topless for his profile picture with Adam’s photo in the background.
“They’ve always been close but like any normal family, brothers fight, argue, fall out, make-up and start all over again. But it’s got out of hand.
“There’s been very little empathy towards Jamie’s genuine mental health difficulties.”
However, Adam recently assured fans there were two sides to the story and insisted he only has good intentions.
It follows claims that he has changed since meeting Holly and becoming part of the Ramsay clan, distancing himself from his working class roots.
He continued: “Bethany, Holly and myself cannot go into detail given an ongoing policeinvestigation into serious matters that arose long before recent events.
“For those who know me personally, you know that I work so hard on trying to improve myself as a person who wants to contribute to making the world a better place.
“I am continuing to learn about myself and how I can be the man I want to be; a worthy partner, father, businessman, friend and athlete; even through these challenging times.
“Bethany, Holly and I will get through this – we do not ask for sympathy. We just need people to be aware that there are always two sides to every story.
“To those of you who have reached out and shown kindness and understanding – thank you. It is deeply appreciated.”
Adam’s aunt Louise branded his fiancé Holly “divisive and hurtful” after his mother Caroline wasn’t invited to her hen do at Soho FarmhouseCredit: instagramA source close to Adam and Holly said: “This feud is heart-breaking from both sides”Credit: instagramCaroline Peaty has been banned from attending her son Adam’s weddingCredit: ShutterstockHolly called the police while her husband-to-be was on his stag do in Budapest over concerns he could be assaulted by his brother when he got back to the UKCredit: InstagramAdam has uninvited his whole family, bar his sister, from the couple’s imminent winter wedding over their family riftCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
The final film of the late Glenda Jackson and, if he remains true to his word, of Michael Caine, “The Great Escaper” has made its way to America two years after its U.K. release. Premiering Sunday under the umbrella of the PBS series “Masterpiece Theatre,” the film tells the true-life story of Bernie Jordan, who, at 89, set off unaccompanied and unannounced from an English retirement home to attend celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France. (This event also inspired a Pierce Brosnan film, “The Last Rifleman,” which came out about the same time.) Love and time and duty are its themes. Written by William Ivory and directed by Oliver Parker, it’s a simple story, simply told — sweet, but not saccharine, and moving even when you know what’s coming.
Bernie (Caine) lives with his wife, Rene (Jackson), in a care home by the sea in the town of Hove. She needs more medical attention than he, but both have their wits about them. Having missed securing a spot among the groups traveling to Normandy, Bernie, a Royal Navy veteran, with Rene’s encouragement, decides to go it alone. Though he uses a walker and can seem tired or abstracted at times — he has much on his mind, and a specific mission to fulfill — the trip itself is not especially hard on him. It becomes all the easier once he meets, on the ferry across the English Channel, Arthur Howard-Johnson (John Standing, very fine), an RAF veteran who offers him a place with his group and a bed in his hotel room. As the film goes on, he becomes more and more focused, growing alert and lively and taking charge of Arthur, who had earlier taken charge of him. Each, it will transpire, carries a burden of guilt dating from the invasion.
Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson in “The Great Escaper.”
(Rob Youngson / Masterpiece, Pathé, BBC Films)
Back in Hove, the staff, represented by aide Adele (Danielle Vitalis) and manager Judith (Jackie Clune), is not immediately aware of Bernie’s absence — he’s allowed to come and go — and Rene, who has a tendency to fence with them anyway, is keeping quiet in order to give him time to get away. When they learn he’s missing, a search begins; eventually, Rene lets the truth slip, the exploit hits the press and Bernie, unaware of any of this, is given the nickname “The Great Escaper.” He’ll return home an annoyed celebrity.
Flashbacks, with Will Fletcher as young Bernie and Laura Marcus as young Rene, recall the couple’s wartime meeting and Bernie’s interactions with a young soldier on D-Day. Integrated as memories, they enrich the present action without overexplaining it.
Jackson and Caine, you may know or should learn, were icons of British thespian glamour in the 1960s and ’70s, she in “Marat/Sade,” “Women in Love” and “Elizabeth R,” he in “Alfie” and the Harry Palmer films (“The Ipcress File,” et al.); in 1975, they starred together in Joseph Losey’s “The Romantic Englishwoman,” co-written by Tom Stoppard. Always politically active, Jackson took off 23 years from acting, from 1992 to 2015, to serve as a member of Parliament, and returned to play “King Lear” in London and on Broadway and win a Tony for a revival of Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women.” Caine, notwithstanding some slow times, made movies all along, all sorts of them, playing Scrooge in “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” Mike Myers’ father in “Austin Powers in Goldmember” and Alfred in the Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” trilogy and parts in five other Nolan films. Watching “The Great Escaper,” you’re seeing history.
Neither has lost a step. (I find it pleasant to remember that, however frail or confused an older character may be, the person playing them is doing a job that requires strength and thought.) Given both the eminence of the actors and their age — Caine was 90 when “The Great Escaper” premiered, while Jackson, 87, died shortly before — it’s hard not to watch with a double consciousness of the players and the parts. But rather than a distraction, it redoubles the impact. Jackson and Caine wear their years proudly; there’s no vanity in their performance or their appearance. The couple’s eventual reunion is deep and real and, like their whole relationship, gorgeously ordinary.
Emmerdale fans think the game will soon be up for villain Celia Daniels in a revenge takedown, amid hints from actress Jaye Griffiths that she will leave the ITV soap
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT has never been an artist to repeat himself.
With a diverse back catalogue, the Canadian singer’s latest project sees him dive into the world of Kurt Weill with the Pacific Jazz Orchestra, releasing an album following a string of concerts.
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I’m A Stranger Here Myself: Wainwright Does Weill is a richly dramatic and stylish collection that breathes new life into the German composer’s timeless songs from the 1920s-40s.
Rufus tells Jacqui Swift about finding new meaning in the music and why now felt like the right moment to record it . . .
WHEN did you first hear Kurt Weill songs, and which means the most? I first heard his songs after buying an album I saw in a record store when I was about 13 that looked super cool.
It was a funky lady, smoking a cigarette with a big smile. That was Kurt Weill’s wife Lotte Lenya [the album was called Lotte Lenya Sings American Theatre Songs Of Kurt Weill].
So it was really Lotte’s picture that got me going first.
Surabaya Johnny is my favourite Kurt Weill song. It’s a song I wish I’d written.
How did his songs influence your own writing and performance? He was a fan of drama and atmosphere – two elements which I definitely incorporate in my own work.
And I love how he’s willing to tackle the troubling subjects of the day, something I’ve never shied away from.
How do you approach a song like Mack The Knife and make it your own? My strategy was to combine the German version and the Bobby Darin version to have a kind of mid-Atlantic version.
I don’t usually have trouble with that, because my voice is so bizarre that everything I sing always ends up sounding like a Rufus Wainwright song.
Did any song surprise you once you started working on its arrangement? It Never Was You was a song I always overlooked and felt it just didn’t touch me.
But certainly, after my mother passed away I looked at it in a whole new light.
How are you balancing staying true to Weill while bringing your own personality and style? The thing about this whole project is that it’s great, but it’s also incredibly tragic.
Kurt Weill died at 50. I started doing these songs and performing them professionally when I was 50.
In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m transferring a lot of his spirit into his latter days, an age that he wasn’t able to really experience.
So I feel responsible for giving him a little bit more time on the earth.
When did you realise your live performance of these songs should be an album? Really, when we got there, after we heard the recordings.
None of this was ever intended to be a record.
We all just did it off the cuff and decided to record it last minute.
But once we listened to the tracks, we realised that there was something really special there, especially considering that the songs were written during a very troubling time politically.
This is a good moment to put that type of material out, since we are also in deep water at the moment.
How did the Pacific Jazz Orchestra come on board? They made the initial offer. I had sung some Kurt Weill songs at the Carlyle Hotel in New York for a small residency.
Then they came to me and said, ‘You know, we’d love to do something with you. Anything’.
And I put two and two together.
I’m A Stranger Here Myself: Wainwright Does Weill is a richly dramatic and stylish collection that breathes new life into the German composer’s timeless songsCredit: Miranda Penn Turin
Your back catalogue is diverse and varied. Where does this work fit in? I consider my catalogue, my career and my life, in many ways, to be a tree that has many, many branches.
I would say this is connected to it.
Let’s say this is a sprouting flower from a twig.
Was this one of your most challenging projects? It was, but mainly because I was doing so much around it.
I was producing a musical in the West End called Opening Night and also putting the finishing touches on my Dream Requiem, which was to be premiered in Paris after this concert.
So yeah, I was spread super, super thin, and it was incredibly challenging, but that adds a manic energy to the performance, which works well with his material.
You can’t be too rested when you sing Kurt Weill.
What’s next? I’m shutting down the shop. I’m 100 per cent working on a new pop record.
I need to go back to my bread and butter and see what the kids are up to and take one more swipe at it.
You played Want One and Want Two for BBC Proms, was that night as special for you as it was for the audience? Yeah, it’s always special doing those records.
They represent such a pivotal moment in my life and they really made me who I am today.
Any more special performances of these albums in the future? I’ll do one periodically, here and there, for sure.
There was a time when KevOnStage was a very literal description of comedian Kevin Fredericks as a hungry comedian looking for stage time. These days, he might as well be called KevOnEverything. You can find him cracking jokes on live comedy tours, TV sketch shows, books, podcasts and just about every social media platform you care about. From books like his 2025 New York Times bestseller “Successful Failure” to his latest podcast, “Not My Best Moment,” the idea has always been about forward momentum to breed a funny brand that, just like his name, continues to stick with a sense of humor that ultimately succeeds at being relatable.
Moving from Washington state to L.A. with his wife and kids to fulfill his comedy dreams, he focused his comedy on the Black church and family life in a way that hadn’t been done before. The result was his breakout success with the show “Churchy” that started as a self-funded series that was picked up by BET and recently ran through its second season. It created a lane for him to expand his content universe with sketch shows like “The Hospital” and “Safe Space” on Tubi that allows him to retain creative control and put on more comedians working with veteran stand-ups like Tahir Moore and Tony Baker. The latter is his podcasting partner in crime whom he’s been touring with on the Bald Brothers comedy tour which wraps up in L.A. at the Wiltern on Sunday. Recently we spoke to KevOnStage about the secret to building his comedy brand — by being everywhere.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
I love that this is a year where so much is happening for you from so many angles.
When did you decide to go from being Kevin Fredericks — working a regular job and doing comedy on the side — to becoming “KevOnStage”?
I was working at the Spanaway [Washington] branch of Key Bank and I was on Twitter. This must have been 2009 — very early on Twitter. And people were just making jokes and people were getting fired [from their jobs over their jokes on Twitter]. People would not like a joke you said, search your name, Google you, find out where you worked and email like your boss, and people were getting fired. And I was like, “I can’t afford to lose my job over some ports take.” So I’m gonna take my full actual government name out of my handle, which was just Kevin Fredericks at the time. And I was like, “I’m Kev and I be on stage.” And that was literally as much thought as I put into it. I was just not trying to be easily found and fired. So I switched my handle to KevOnStage because I was doing stand-up all the time at that time and it stuck. Hindsight being 20/20, I would have just kept Kevin Fredericks, which was my Facebook name, but I think KevOnStage is cool as a moniker. I’m trying to be like Beyoncé, Bono, Sting, Oprah, KevOnStage — one name. People think my actual name is Kevon because of that. If they think that, then I know they found me because of the internet. Which is also fine. As long as people know me, it doesn’t bother me.
KevOnStage with Tony Baker on the Bald Brothers comedy tour.
(Joshua Gonzales )
When did you really find your tribe of comedians in Washington state that you still hang out with today?
In Washington state there was only really like Nate Jackson, he was the only working comedian who was working nationally. In Washington it was me, Nate, Big Irish Jay, a comedian named Terrence — those are the only people that were kind of doing comedy consistently. And then we had the Bay Area Black Comedy Competition, I don’t remember what year it was, and I met Lance Woods, who I’m still cool with. But then when I moved [to L.A.], that’s when I met Tony Baker and Tahir Moore through All Def Comedy. Because I didn’t really do stand-up on stage that much when I first moved to L.A. My wife was like, “we’re not gonna move to L.A. and then you’re on stage four or five nights a week.” And it was hard to get on stage … you have to go and hang out, go to Denny’s and like hang out all night. And [my wife] was not going for it and I had small children who had to go to school. So the majority of the people that I know I met through All Def.
You brought up an interesting point about the lifestyle of comics because it is a lifestyle that doesn’t really agree with everything else for most of the 9-to-5 working world — especially being married and having kids. So how did you then decide to focus more on content creation as a means to perform?
Well, interestingly enough, it started before I moved to L.A. There’s hardly any entertainment opportunities in Washington. There’s very rarely a TV show, even shooting there, much less a show you can actually audition and be on. So what happened was we were doing plays. We’re trying to be like Tyler Perry, David E. Talbert or Je’Caryous Johnson. And we were on our way, but there weren’t enough people in Washington to mount a successful black play — or “urban plays” as people called them. So we did our best, but even if we got 3,000 people, that was only for one night. And we weren’t doing that, by the way. We’re getting like 68 people. So I was watching a lot of YouTube at the time and I was realizing these people have fans everywhere. So I was like, we can do internet comedy and make people laugh on the internet and hopefully we get fans all across the United States. And from the first two videos we did, I was like, forget the play thing, I think the internet is the thing. Just like focus on that. I think we do that, we will build our own audience, and everything will be easier for us.
As far as the ability to own your content and guide however you want, how has that been important for your comedy career?
For me it’s been like, “He who pays says.” Like if you pay for it, you get the final say. So for a long time, it was by default because nobody’s getting paid. I’m just making it and posting it. The first big thing we did that was like really expensive was “Churchy” [on BET]. And there was a lot of [money from previous brand deals] that I saved, a lot of [money from doing] Spectrum commercials that I saved. I made eight episodes of “Churchy.” And shout-out to Jamal Henderson, he helped us meet executives at BET and they bought it. And they couldn’t have any creative control because it was already done.
So that’s kind of a process that we’ve repeated with [my sketch shows] “The Hospital” and “Safe Space.” We pay for it and then license it or partner with a company and make it now. And with Tubi, they’re a little bit different. They let you have creative control, even if they pay for it. They’re like “hey, we trust that you built your audience, you know your audience.” They’re the only platform that I’ve worked with that’s completely like, “we don’t have any say-so, no notes, you don’t have to send us a script, you don’t have to send an edit for approval, we trust you.” And that’s fantastic for me because you get to make it as close to [the original vision] without any impurities as possible.
Now I gotta be honest, when I work with BET, we had amazing executives and they’ve given us a lot of great notes, but they also give you some notes that you don’t agree with that you have to take. And that’s also part of just making things. It’s not a full negative. They also made [the show] better in a lot of different ways. And the one thing that I’m very grateful for with our partners at BET is every note they gave was to make the overall project better and for more people to enjoy it. I am a comedian at heart, so sometimes I’m loyal to the joke to a fault. The executive is like, we gotta tell the best story — so it’s not all bad. A lot of times we hear people bemoan partnering with people, and it has its negatives, but also my TV exec was more experienced than I was at making good TV, so some of their notes were really helpful, and I can carry those with me when I’m making other projects.
“The Hospital” and “Safe Space” are both like sketch shows. What was important about the formats for both shows — one at a hospital, the other on a therapist’s couch — that allow you to find the funny?
Richard Washington, who is a creative exec at KevOn Stage Studios, head of T V and film, and I built the systems and then we allow the people to work within the systems to the best of their personality. So I think the great part about “Safe Space” is the talent. Like you give them a premise, you find the right people, and then they take it and make it funny. “Safe Space” was really the same with “The Hospital.” Like, you know, we hired more sketch writers for the hospital, but Safe Space was more improv than even “The Hospital.” We had some fully written sketches for “The Hospital,” but we didn’t stick to everything exactly. Some are almost all improv. Like comedian CP’s episodes, he’s just riffing. So it’s as close to a stand-up version of content as you can get. And what I mean by stand-up is the audience is sitting there not knowing what the person’s gonna say. And that’s why I think it works.
KevOnStage recording a podcast.
(Mike Folabi)
As a creator of these shows, you often hold the door open for new talent to shine. How does that help your own vision of allowing there to be space for new actors and comedians to come up?
I grew up playing sports and then I went into plays. And with both of those elements, it’s it’s a team environment. You need other people to be successful and you gotta rely on other people to do their thing. With plays, you wanna have the best show possible. And then you put it all together and it’s the best product. And I think that’s the same approach that I take to creation. A lot of comedians, I’ve been told, they won’t take the best comedians. They’ll take people who are OK, but nowhere near as good as them.
Considering you post three to five videos a day, how do you find the time to produce as much content as you do?
So the thing is like this is my job. And I work really hard. I think people compare themselves to me, but they also have a job. Like you’re thinking of “how does he do this?” because you’re thinking of your actual day job. For the most part, I get up and think of funny things to say all day. And the other thing is I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what I’m gonna do or editing it at all. If something funny happens right now, if I walk out of here and I trip and fall, I’ll probably make a video immediately and within five minutes that video’s gonna be on seven different platforms. So I’m not really precious about what I make. And I feel like people think it’s hard, but this is not hard for me. It’s something I love to do, I create freely out of joy. The guy who runs my doughnut shop who hasn’t taken a day off in 20 years, literally I was talking to him about this. He never takes a day off. Twenty years he’s at that doughnut shop, every night at 8 p.m., he makes doughnut, preparing for the day. Every day at 4 a.m., he comes and bakes them. That is hard. Not to say what I’m making is not hard. It is, but it’s not hard like that. People have hard jobs. I just be silly for two minutes and post it within five minutes. That’s not really hard for me.
“For the most part, I get up and think of funny things to say all day,” says KevOnStage.
(Joshua Gonzales )
I guess you’re not getting cellphone calluses.
Not at all [laughs] … I kind of designed my content to be able to make it easily because I feel like my approach is just inundating you with Kev. Like I want to be unavoidable. Yeah. I want to make content on so many different topics. It’s not even always comedic. I want people to just share you and or have a thought or make you have a thought. Right now I’ve been doing a lot of podcasts. So if you don’t follow me, but you follow for example “The Pivot,” which I did last week and they collab with me, now you’re seeing me on “The Pivot” or Funny Marco or I interviewed Issa Rae for the first episode of [my new podcast] called “Not My Best Moment.” And Issa Rae doesn’t do a whole whole bunch of interviews if she’s not promoting something. So if you’re interested in what Issa has to say, you got to hear me because I asked the question. So people rip my stuff, I’m like, “this is great!” They rip it and post it on threads. This is like as close to getting bootlegged as possible.
That’s what you want.
Yeah, bootleg me! Obviously I’d love to make the money, but it’s like the exposure will become capital or currency later. I just want to be out here so much that you’re eventually like, “All right, what is he talking about?” Because think about how many videos do you see in a day now. Back in the day, we used to have to be like, OK, I want to watch the videos. I’m gonna go to my computer and go to like, I remember before YouTube, I used to go to Break.com and watch videos. It was a thing I did for some time and then I went on about my day. Think about how many videos you consume on a daily basis. … So you gotta really hit ‘em over and over before they make a decision. So that’s why I just wanna flood you. I want you to be like, “Oh, my God, enough!”
Well, add one more to the pile right here.
Yeah, absolutely. Once I saw cameras here [at the L.A. Times studio], I was like, “Yeah, baby, I thought this was just an interview, we got video content, baby. Let’s go!” So yeah, it’s like that’s my approach. Just keep going — a lot.
Trans people in the UK could be banned from single-sex spaces based on their appearance, according to a leaked document.
On 19 November, The Times reported that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) drafted new guidance for ministers nearly three months ago, aimed at “preserv[ing] the dignity and safety of women.” The guidance has not yet been published by Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities.
A copy obtained by The Times revealed that “places such as hospital wards, gyms and leisure centres” may question trans women over their use of single-sex services based on “how they look, their behaviour or concerns raised by others.”
If there is uncertainty about an individual’s gender identity, they could be prohibited from accessing these services once those in charge have taken into account “relevant factors.”
In response to the leak, Trans+Solidarity Alliance founder Jude Guaitamacchi called on the government to reject the guidance.
“These leaks reveal that not only does the EHRC’s proposed code of practice seek to require trans exclusion, it instructs service providers to police this based on appearance and gender stereotypes,” Guaitamacchi said, per The Independent.
“This is a misogynist’s charter, plain and simple, and the government must reject it.”
A spokesperson for the TransActual organisation echoed similar sentiments in a separate statement.
“Astonishingly, the UK’s ‘human rights watchdog’ is attempting to mandate that staff at cinemas, hospitals, bars and cafes must try and judge whether users are trans or not based on appearance alone. This is a license to discriminate based on looks, plain and simple,” they said.
“We’ve seen this before – people trying to make our society into a place that is only safe for ‘normal’ ladies. Not just loos. But sports centres, changing rooms and more.
“We offer our solidarity to the many cis women who have been targeted and harassed for their appearance by ‘gender critical activists’ who believed they were trans, and who would be put even further at risk by these rules.”
Children’s Minister Josh MacAlister also addressed the “big implications” the new guidance can have on individuals during an interview with Times Radio.
“These are massive issues and I think that the public, now looking at the draft guidance from the EHRC, will recognise that when you drill down into examples of how this might be applied, it has big implications for individuals, it has big implications and public services,” he said.
The leaked guidance follows an April 2025 Supreme Court ruling that defined “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act as referring to biological sex, a decision that allows organisations to restrict trans women’s access to single-sex services.
As of this writing, theUK government has not announced when the new guidance will be published.
However, on 20 November, Phillipson told reporters that she was going through it “thoroughly and carefully.”
“I have responsibilities to make sure that’s done properly, and we’re taking the time to get this right,” she added, per The Guardian.
The film now streaming has been celebrated as one of the best of the year
A film has just been added to Netflix’s extensive library which has already been dubbed a ‘phenomenal’ period drama featuring an actor’s ‘performance of a lifetime’.
Train Dreams is streaming from November 20 on the service and looks to be the latest high profile, must watch title. Like most new releases, subscribers can expect it to be available from 8am on the release day.
Like a number of big releases from the streamer that have come out this year, such as Frankenstein and Ballad of a Small Player, it has enjoyed a limited release in cinemas. Now, it is easier than ever for film fans to watch as it can be streamed from home.
The film is an adaptation of the bestselling novella of the same name written by Denis Johnson. According to the synopsis, the story follows Robert Grainier, whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th century America.
Orphaned at a young age, Robert grows into adulthood among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation’s railroad empire alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. After a tender courtship, he marries Gladys and they build a home together.
However, his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled.
The cast includes Star Wars and Black Mass star Joel Edgerton, William H Macy, Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones and Irish actress Kerry Condon.
Following its run in theatres, Train Dreams has managed to earn an impressive 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have lavished it with praise with many suggesting that it is one of the must watch titles of the year and earning it plenty of awards buzz.
One reviewer claimed: “Train Dreams is the most hauntingly beautiful film of the year.” Another added: “Train Dreams is without a doubt one of the most extraordinary films of this year, the type that will stick with you, deep in your mind and heart, long after the credits roll.”
Other reviews have suggested that the film might be considered as one of lead star’s Joel Edgerton’s finest performances of his career. One verdict claimed: “In an age of spectacle and noise, Train Dreams dares to whisper. It invites you to slow down, breathe and notice the spaces between moments. A simply stunning film from start to finish.”
Another review went so far as to declare: “This is one of the great films of the year. In time, it will become one of the best in a decade, then one of the movies that people speak of when asked what inspired them in their life. It is a masterpiece.”
Fans who have gone along to the cinema to see the film on the biggest screen possible before it streams, have shared similar views. Sharing their thoughts online, one person posted: “Phenomenal character study. Simple, yet compelling story. Gorgeously shot.”
Another added: “Beautifully melancholic tale that highlighted so many paradoxical aspects of life in a magnificent way. 10/10 would recommend.”
While a third commented: “An incredibly poignant and artful masterpiece. Joel Edgerton quietly pulls off a performance of a lifetime. Clint Bentley adds another notch in his belt for delivering a moving film that feels like an intimate journey.”
Someone else listed plenty of reasons to watch it as soon as possible. They said: “Such a beautiful film. Absolutely loved the scenery and what a soundtrack, timeless. Joel Edgerton, with his amazing performance and screen presence, really took the audience on a trip with him through each phase of this extraordinary story. Be sure and not to miss this, this is definitely one to remember!”
DENISE Van Outen was all smiles as she hit the decks and kicked off Christmas party season.
The actress and presenter was a surprise DJ at the Toca Social VIP press night at Westfield Shopping Centre.
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Denise Van Outen beams behind the decks at Westfield Shopping CentreCredit: GettyDenise brought some festive sparkle with her bomber jacketCredit: Getty
Dressed in a glittering jacket and black trousers, Denise beamed as she got the party going with the big day barely a month away.
It comes just weeks after the star opened up about hitting the studio to work on an Ibiza inspired album.
Chatting to The Sun last month, Denise said: “I’ve been writing not just this kind of music [ballads] but also dance tunes.
“I’ve started to get a real feel for what’s out there and I’ve been playing around with writing.
On whether she will release her electronic tunes, she added: “I’m working on one at the moment, so yeah, 100 per cent.”
Also at the bash was nepo-baby royalty Princess and Junior Andre.
Taking a leaf out of mum Katie Price‘s book, Princess, 18, opted for a tight black top and leggings and draped a faux fur jacket over her arms.
The budding fashionista matched the fluffy garment with a pair of maroon PVC boots.
Girl group Sweet Love looked effortlessly cool in coordinated crop tops and loose trousers, while Love Island’s Harry Cooskley cut a a stylish figure in a tight long-sleeve top and pleated trousers.
Princess and Junior Andre hung out at the star-studded eventCredit: GettyHarry Cooksley cut a cool figure in baggy trousers and a fitted topCredit: GettySweet Love oozed glam on the red carpetCredit: Getty
WASHINGTON — Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the Fugees was sentenced Thursday to 14 years in prison for a case in which he was convicted of illegally funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to then-President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.
Michel, 52, declined to address the court before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced him.
In April 2023, a federal jury convicted Michel of 10 counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The trial in Washington, D.C., included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions.
Justice Department prosecutors said federal sentencing guidelines recommended a life sentence for Michel, whom they said “betrayed his country for money” and “lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes.”
“His sentence should reflect the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country, and the magnitude of his greed,” they wrote.
Defense attorney Peter Zeidenberg said his client’s 14-year sentence is “completely disproportionate to the offense.” Michel will appeal his conviction and sentence, according to his lawyer.
Zeidenberg had recommended a three-year sentence. A life sentence would be an “absurdly high” punishment for Michel given that it is typically reserved for deadly terrorists and drug cartel leaders, Michel’s attorneys said in a court filing.
“The Government’s position is one that would cause Inspector Javert to recoil and, if anything, simply illustrates just how easily the Guidelines can be manipulated to produce absurd results, and how poorly equipped they are, at least on this occasion, to determine a fair and just sentence,” they wrote.
Michel, a Brooklyn native whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti, was a founding member of the Fugees along with childhood friends Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. Their hip-hop band won two Grammy Awards and sold tens of millions of albums.
Michel obtained more than $120 million from Malaysian billionaire Low Taek Jho — also known as Jho Low — and steered some of that money through straw donors to Obama’s campaign.
Michel also tried to end a Justice Department investigation of Low, tampered with two witnesses and perjured himself at trial, prosecutors said.
Low, who has lived in China, was one of the primary financiers of “The Wolf of Wall Street,” a movie starring DiCaprio. Low is a fugitive but has maintained his innocence.
“Low’s motivation for giving Mr. Michel money to donate was not so that he could achieve some policy objective. Instead, Low simply wanted to obtain a photograph with himself and then-President Obama,” Michel’s attorneys wrote.
In August 2024, the judge rejected Michel’s request for a new trial based in part on his defense attorney’s use of a generative AI program during his closing of the trial’s arguments. The judge said that and other trial errors didn’t amount to a serious miscarriage of justice.
Angela Rippon, a veteran broadcaster with nearly 60 years of experience, was described as the “dream signing” when she agreed to take part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2023
02:52, 21 Nov 2025Updated 03:48, 21 Nov 2025
Angela Rippon is pictured with pro partner Kai Widdrington during her time on Strictly Come Dancing(Image: BBC)
When asked about stepping into either of their shoes, Angela, who is 81, said: “If they asked me, of course. It’s a very popular programme. Claudia and Tess have done a fabulous job, but no job is for life.”
The shock move would come more than three decades after the BBC’s then-director-general, Lord (John) Birt, told Angela she’d “had her day” when she was a spring chicken aged 50. The Daily Mail says, though, the journalist — who has more than 60 years of experience in broadcasting — would excite fans of the flagship programme.
Speaking this week at the Starry Night Gala supporting the charity Action for Children at The Peninsula London, Angela said the next host must be “someone that will bring the glamour, and just what everyone loves about Strictly”. Indeed, she competed in it — becoming the oldest contestant ever to do so — at the age of 79 in 2023.
Angela, the daughter of a Royal Marine, has had a long and varied career in the media, including her post as Top Gear presenter in the 1970s and, more recently, as host of Holiday Hit Squad with Helen Skelton and Joe Crowley.
And when she was snapped up to take part in Strictly two years ago, one source said: “She is the dream signing. The audience at home will love her, and many of them will remember her from her days hosting the show in its previous incarnation.”
The broadcaster, originally from Plymouth, Devon, has remained close to her Strictly partner, Kai, 30, and the two recently teamed up to launch “Let’s Dance!”, a project designed to inspire people of all ages to experience the joy of dancing.
