SHOW BIZ

VENICE, Italy — When Skyler Gisondo turns up in “Primetime” as “Decoy Dan” Plum, an aspiring 23-year-old actor cast to play teenage bait for an unsuspecting pedophile, the camera can’t take its eyes off him.

The second trap set in director Lance Oppenheim’s lurid sweeps-ploitation drama about “To Catch a Predator” follows Gisondo’s face, most often in extreme close-up, as Dan processes what he’s gotten himself into, attempts to make small talk with the predator and finally flees off set, where he sits down, steadies himself and sheds a shaken tear. The suspect, meanwhile, is an afterthought, or more accurately a punchline: He only truly captures the camera’s attention when he drops trou, rips the top off a canister of whipped cream and sprays.

It’s an arresting formal choice, repeated from the opening sequence — that of the viral “You see how this looks, right?” moment from the trailer — to the climatic suicide of Rockwall County, Texas, Assistant Dist. Atty. Bill Conradt Jr., whose case is explored in the Esquire magazine article on which Ajon Singh’s screenplay is based. With rare exception, “Primetime” doesn’t have the guts to look its predators in the eye.

And perhaps it doesn’t need to. The film directs its most gleeful energies instead to taking “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) down a peg. The former “Dateline NBC” correspondent, who turned a newsmagazine segment about men soliciting teens for sex online into a hidden-camera sensation in the mid-aughts, comes off here as a self-serious showboat who’s mistaken tabloid trash for accountability journalism. (As one audio technician complains, “Guy thinks he’s f— Mike Wallace.”) It’s not just that stentorian voice, either. Envy of “Dateline” co-anchor Stone Phillips provides as much motivation as ratings pressure from TV executive Jeff Zucker (playing himself), with Hansen micromanaging his crew, insulting his producer, Andie (Merritt Wever), and neglecting his wife and kids in the process.

At least in the film’s early going, this yearning for adulation is played for cringeworthy comedy, and effectively so; my hardest laugh came when Hansen screens the rough cut of a new episode for his young sons and brags to them about “To Catch a Predator” being moved to a better time slot. As the tone moves toward horror, though, the decision to make the host the story quickly stops paying dividends. Indeed, though the real-life broadcaster may not find all the ego-deflation very funny, even Hansen — who told my colleague Stephen Battaglio that he objects to the film using his name and likeness under the label “inspired by true events” — would have to admit that “Primetime” avoids the thorniest questions about the true-crime empire he built.

Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen in “Primetime.”

(A24)

Compared with David Osit’s superb 2025 documentary “Predators,” a kaleidoscopic examination of the phenomenon from the perspective of Hansen, the decoys, the suspects, law enforcement, journalistic ethics and the filmmaker’s own experience as a survivor of child sexual abuse, “Primetime” seems remarkably incurious about “To Catch a Predator” and its consequences. It would probably be too much to ask a scripted feature to explore the challenge of achieving convictions against defendants ensnared on an episode of “Dateline,” or to delve into the legal niceties of surreptitious recording. But the suspects here are so anonymized — seen in profile or steep angles through a hidden camera lens, spied at a distance on a monitor in video village, heard as a disembodied voice on a phone or read via text in an instant message — that there’s not much to argue over anyway. The predators are reduced from people to “perverts,” of scarcely more interest to “Primetime” than to the bloodthirsty viewer Hansen meets on a plane.

When an entrapped rabbi attacks Hansen during a sting, screaming in his own tight close-up, “You don’t have the right to do this. Who do you think you are?” the film briefly, mercifully breaks this pattern, and generates an electric moment of moral uncertainty. But it doesn’t last. Instead, in its depiction of the Conradt case — ostensibly meant to underscore “To Catch a Predator’s” worst extremes — “Primetime” stumbles into some of the very same gutter sleaze tactics as the original series, transforming what was in reality a grim mid-afternoon standoff into a tense, pitch-dark operation punctuated by lightning strikes, power outages and night-vision cameras.

Such poetic license offers little new insight into a topic that has already been picked over for two decades, but it might be forgiven were Hansen as easily dramatized as he is made fun of. Alas. “Primetime” itself seems to know this — why else hire Gisondo to play Jimmy Olsen to Pattinson’s unlikable Man of Zeal — yet proceeds to construct its second half around Hansen’s unraveling: an extramarital affair, about to be exposed in the National Enquirer; ratings losses to ABC competitor “Lost”; desperation to reel in a “whale” and willingness to cut corners to do it. By the time the film again confronts the specter of something wicked under “To Catch a Predator’s” glossy surface, it comes in the form of Hansen’s own phantoms, introduced in a grueling flashback to India in the 1990s and carried through to the film’s conclusion. Why we’re to care about this apparent flash of horror, if not of conscience, remains unexplained. What about the faintly ludicrous figure of the foregoing 100-plus minutes was supposed to make me care about his moral compass?

In the final estimation, then, “Primetime” isn’t a Chris Hansen hit piece. In fact, it’s so in love with its flawed protagonist that it can’t see he’s the least compelling character in the movie, an ambitious, arrogant, grasping, unscrupulous man we’ve met countless times before. Which may explain the film’s final bit of poetic license. The last we last see of Hansen, muttering lines from his script as the police process the Conradt crime scene, suggests a man disturbed, perhaps even chastened, by what he has witnessed. But of course the real-life Hansen continues his sting operations to this day under the banner of “Takedown,” a series on his streaming service TruBlu, and both there and in “Predators” he appears utterly unshaken, unhaunted, unbowed. So for all the tension between the film and its subject to come through in the press of late, the gulf between them is not so wide as one might suspect.

Maybe they deserve each other.

Graeme Souness is one of ten celebrity contestants on Gary Lineker’s new ITV game show The Box

Graeme Souness is appearing in new ITV show The Box on Saturday night.

The Scottish former professional football player, manager and television pundit, 73, is one of ten celebrity contestants on Gary Lineker’s new game show. Also joining the line-up are Danny Aarons, Ellie Taylor, Joey Essex, JB Gill, Jenny Ryan, John Bercow, Ranvir Singh, Sara Davies and Shakira Khan on the new ITV show.

It comes as The Box crew were forced to fly a drone to find a ‘missing’ star during filming and The Chase’s Jenny, 44, admitted she felt ‘guilty’ over brutal decisions in the new ITV show.

Away from the ITV show, Graeme has spoken candidly about his health over the years after he was diagnosed with a heart condition aged just 38, which left him asking ‘how can this happen to me’.

Graeme shared his experience with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), revealing what life was like following his diagnosis and treatment for heart disease as a young, physically fit man.

While managing Liverpool in 1991, the Scot was struggling to sleep and experiencing chest pains in bed. With a family history of heart disease, alarm bells were ringing. He underwent an electrocardiogram (ECG) – a straightforward test used to assess the heart’s rhythm and electrical activity.

Following the results, he was referred for an angiogram, a specialised X-ray procedure used to examine blood vessels. Despite displaying no obvious symptoms, Graeme was diagnosed with three blocked arteries and coronary heart disease. Just five days later, he was facing open heart surgery.

Speaking on the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) podcast, the Ticker Tapes in 2021, he said at the time: “At the time I was training like the professional football players and was only 38-years-old. I kept thinking ‘how can this happen to me?’

“I looked after myself in terms what I ate and drank and had trained from the age of 15 – I trained as vigorously as a professional athlete. I didn’t carry any weight, I never had done. How had this happened to me?

“I didn’t have the obvious symptoms that there was something badly wrong with my heart so I’m so glad I got checked when I did. It’s because of this that I’m here 30 years later.

“If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. At that time I was a very fit, young man. If you’re concerned about your family history, go and get checked. You must get yourself checked.”

In 2015, Graeme suffered a heart attack and has since become a British Heart Foundation (BHF) ambassador, throwing himself into numerous campaigns and events, as well as making visits to BHF research laboratories.

Graeme said of the terrifying health scare: “My heart attack was very scary but I’m still here, able to talk about it thank goodness. Fortunately, it hasn’t caused me any lasting problem.

“It’s so important to go to your doctor and get yourself diagnosed if you’re at all concerned. You owe it to yourself and those close to you – your wife, your children and your grandchildren. They want you around as long as possible.”

The Box launches on Saturday 5th September, with Episode 2 airing on Sunday 6th September, on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player.

NICOLA Roberts has shared a sweet throwback snap online to honour the fifth anniversary of Girls Aloud bandmate Sarah Harding passing away.

The singer, 39, died in 2021 following a 13-month battle with advanced breast cancer.

The photo shows all five members of Girls Aloud from many years ago holding one another by the arm.

In utter disbelief about how half a decade has ticked by since Sarah passed, Nicola penned a touching tribute in the post’s caption.

She began: “It’s hard to believe it’s been five years already since Sarah’s passing.

‘MY HERO’

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“So much has happened that she should have been a part of. My heart is particularly with Marie [Sarah’s mum] today.

“Sitting with myself, hormones and sleep deprivation are probably not helping but as I type I’m feeling very sad and transported to this day 5 years ago.

“Such a milestone would have most likely had this impact anyway. Most definitely for all her friends and family.”

Nicola then took a moment to gush about her friend, sharing how proud she still is of her.

She continued: “I’m also feeling proud that Sarah left such a legacy with her charity and that everyone that vowed to help her on that quest is still powering through for that silver lining she was so passionate about.

“She’s saving lives. Wish to everything she didn’t have to lose her own xx”

The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal was founded in Sarah’s honour to fund research for women experiencing cancer in their 30s.

Thanks to the charity, women aged 30 can access breast cancer checks through a trial on the NHS.

It has gone on to raise over £1million to date from various events including performances by her bandmates Cheryl Tweedy, Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle, and Nicola, as well as donations.

Michael Lomonaco can account for every minute of the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 — including the small decision that saved his life.

Lomonaco, the executive chef who ran Windows on the World on the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, was on his way up to his office when he stopped at an optometrist shop on the ground level to have his eyeglass frames adjusted.

He was still inside when American Airlines Flight 11 hit the tower above him at 8:46 a.m.

“I felt the buidling shake,” he recalled in the new CNN Films documentary “Top of the World.” “And I thought that can’t be the subway. That’s impossible.”

Lomonaco was evacuated. From the street, he watched employees of his own restaurant wave a white tablecloth from a window more than 100 floors up. Seventy-nine Windows on the World employees and 91 guests died that morning in the gastronomic soul of the Twin Towers — the one part of the complex that belonged to New Yorkers who didn’t work there, and to visitors from everywhere else.

“Top of the World” premieres Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CNN and begins streaming the following day on the network’s subscription streaming platforms. The documentary short arrives on a double anniversary: 25 years since the attacks, and 50 years since Windows on the World opened on April 19, 1976.

It is the work of producer-director team Betsy West and Julie Cohen, who made “RBG,” the Oscar-nominated portrait of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The film is a production of CNN Films, TIME Studios and Tribeca Studios, in association with Montalto Pictures and Storyville Films, and was inspired by Tom Roston’s book “The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World.” Actor Denis Leary voices the restaurant’s creator, Joe Baum, drawn from decades of archival recordings.

West and Cohen were reluctant to take it on. Both were working in network television news in 2001.

“There’s like a part of you that doesn’t want to go back there,” Cohen said in a recent interview. “But when we read this book and met some of the amazing people who had worked at Windows over its 25-year history, we realized this was actually a really good way into remembering there was a lot of beautiful stuff in the Twin Towers and like we shouldn’t let that disappear just because it ended so painfully.”

What emerges is a history of how a restaurant transformed the reputation of the monolithic Twin Towers, which received little respect from architecture critics and bafflement from a public that wondered why it was built in the 1970s by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as the city was fighting off financial collapse.

“This film tells a story of a restaurant that was very special to New York a time when New York was getting kicked in the teeth,” the Brooklyn-born Lomonaco said in a recent interview.

The World Trade Center operators turned to restaurant impresario Joe Baum to create a dining experience that would draw people to the Manhattan neighborhood largely known for its blocks of stores that sold radios and electronic parts. Baum was known for such New York dining landmarks as the Four Seasons and Tavern on the Green, and his new creation became an immediate hit after it opened in 1976, becoming a magnet for tourists and celebrities alike who came for the eye-popping views through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

At the time of the 9/11 attack, the World was the highest-revenue-generating privately owned restaurant in the U.S.

West noted another draw to the story was the stories of the many immigrants who worked at Windows, which proudly called itself “the U.N. of restaurants.” The film’s focus on the contribution of the foreign-born population to the restaurant industry stands in stark contrast to the image of immigrants conveyed by the Trump White House to justify its deportation efforts.

“Immigrants continue to make a contribution to our country and to the economy,” West said. “This was an opportunity to tell that positive story as opposed to what’s going on in our country now.”

Cohen and West scoured the Windows on the World Facebook page to find surviving former employees to help tell the story. Nathalie Tolentino was a hostess whose family came to the U.S. to escape political upheaval in Peru. Sekou Siby was a line cook from the Ivory Coast, who swapped shifts with one of the workers who died during a morning breakfast held in the restaurant on 9/11. Both talk about how the restaurant changed their lives.

Lomonaco is a central character in the “Top of the World,” as his arrival as the executive chef of Windows in 1997 boosted the restaurant’s culinary reputation. A hot chef who oversaw a turnaround at the 21 Club, another legendary New York dining spot, Lomonaco turned Windows into a destination for American cuisine along with the breathtaking views.

Lomonaco arrived after the restaurant was closed for three years following the first terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 that killed six people and injured more than 1,000 but left the towers intact.

Once Windows on the World was gone, Lomonaco was offered high-profile restaurant jobs in other parts of the country. But he had unfinished business in New York.

“I didn’t want to abandon my city,” he said.

In the first days after the attacks, Lomonaco said, he read nothing about Windows on the World; coverage centered on the massive loss of life among the first responders and at the financial firms inside the World Trade Center. But over time, he got attention and support for the families of the employees who lost their lives that day.

Lomonaco and the restaurant’s owners formed Windows of Hope, a charitable foundation that raised more than $22 million to pay for healthcare and tuition costs for the children of the victims. “We were giving checks to people to pay their rent before federal funds came through,” he said.

Lomonaco said he still meets patrons who give him a matchbook or coaster from their visit to Windows. “They feel like they have to give me or send me these little artifacts,” he said. “That’s what has touched me the most.”

EastEnders star Kitty Castledine is about to take center stage as her character, Penny, hides a baby bombshell

EastEnders star Kitty Castledine is the sister of a famous footballer and they also have well-known parents.

The 24-year-old actress arrived on the BBC soap as Penny Branning in January 2024, taking over the role from Mia McKenna-Bruce, who appeared between January and April 2008.

Penny, the daughter of local copper Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), has since been caught up in a drugs smuggling plot, has caused a dangerous club crush, and enjoyed a brief romance with Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway).

Most recently, she found love with local businessman Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota), but before the romance could blossom, she found out she was pregnant, and confirmed that Vinny was the father.

In an unexpected twist, a midwife appointment soon revealed her dates didn’t match up, and her unborn baby is biologically Harry’s after they shared one night of passion, casting doubt over her relationship with Vinny.

Penny is yet to reveal the truth about the baby’s paternity as she moves in with Vinny and they set up a loving family home. Will the truth come out as Penny’s due date edges closer?

Away from Albert Square, Penny actress Kitty Castledine leads a much simpler life with her family in London.

She is the daughter of television star Lucy Alexander, who is famed for hosting popular daytime shows such as Homes Under the Hammer and A Place in the Sun.

Kitty’s father is ex-Premier League footballer Stewart Castledine, who played for Wimbledon for over 9 years. He also featured for Wycombe in the second tier.

Stewart has also appeared on television screens, hosting BBC One’s Big Strong Boys and Houses Behaving Badly.

Stewart and Lucy are said to have wed in 2000, during a ceremony in Richmond, London, after meeting through a mutual acquaintance.

They have two children, including Kitty and a son, Leo Castledine, 21, who is also a footballer and currently plays for Middlesbrough.

Who is Leo Castledine?

Leo is a midfielder for the Championship team Middlesbrough after joining the club in January 2026.

Prior to his current move, Leo was on loan at Huddersfield Town from Premier League side Chelsea, where he impressed, scoring 12 goals in 27 games for the Terriers.

“I’m absolutely over the moon to join what is a massive, massive club,” Leo explained about joining his new club. “It’s a really big step for me in my career, and I’m very excited to be here.

“There’s always been trust in young players at this club if they can perform, and I want to perform at my highest level”, reported BBC News.

Leo joined Chelsea as an Under-15 from AFC Wimbledon and worked his way up to make one substitute appearance for the first team, a Carabao Cup semi-final against Boro in January 2024. He has also worn the England shirt for the U19s five times.

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer

SHE is one of the most recognisable women in music – but what does it take for some people to be convinced Avril Lavigne is not who she says she is?

The punk-pop icon rose to international stardom in the Noughties – but as her popularity peaked, a strange and startling rumour was also gaining traction in the shadows.

The theory is as puzzling as it is disturbing – a dead Avril, a body double named Melissa and a supposed Hollywood cover-up – and like the catchiest pop song, it refuses to leave.

Born in 1984 in Canada and raised in a strict Christian household in sleepy Napanee, Ontario, Avril grew up in a small town of roughly 5,000 where her parents closely monitored her music choices.

But the precocious teenager was already plotting her escape, writing poems, learning guitar and gravitating towards the town’s grunge scene before her singing talent caught the eye of her first manager at a 1999 bookstore performance, aged just 14

With her parents’ blessing, she quit school and headed to New York with her brother, where she worked with a professional producer before landing a two-album deal worth around $1.25million at just 16.

Avril’s 2002 album debut saw her rise to fame go stratospheric. However it also contained the germ of the conspiracy theory that would go on to haunt her for years.

The album, titled Let Go, would later be believed by theorists to be a symbolic reference to her being replaced by another lookalike young woman.

Adding fuel to the conspiracy was the star’s grief following her grandfather’s death in 2003 – which believers would later say was the final chapter in the “original Avril” story. They claim that grief was so overwhelming, tragic Avril took her own life.

The bizarre theory appears to have first appeared nine years later when in 2011, a Brazilian fan page called Avril Está Morta – meaning Avril is Dead – launched the morbid rumour into the world.

It claimed the eyeliner-clad star was no longer alive – and had been replaced by an eerily similar young woman.

For years, internet sleuths have remained convinced that the Sk8er Boi singer died by suicide shortly after achieving mainstream fame, allegedly overwhelmed by her grief and the pressures that came with becoming a global pop star.

But the story doesn’t end with her supposed death.

Her record label at the time, desperate to protect its lucrative investment, allegedly concealed the tragedy and brought in an actress named Melissa Vandella to replace Avril.

The theory claims Avril’s then-label, Arista Records, buried her death and installed Melissa in her place to keep the lucrative hitmaker churning out music. The Sun has contacted Arista Records for comment.

Melissa, believers say, looked sufficiently like the singer to fool the world – allowing the machinery of Avril’s career to keep moving while the real star was supposedly gone.

While deeply distressing, at that time the macabre theory was at least only circulating on the fringes of the internet.

That was until American journalists at BuzzFeed tweeted about the Brazilian blog and the obscure rumour was thrust into mainstream music folklore.

In 2017, a viral thread racked up hundreds of thousands of retweets, exposing millions of social media users to the supposed Avril “clone” theory.

The chilling truth behind this morbid phenomenon says more about those spreading it than its star subject.

Experts say these theories can often come from people who are seeking a purpose in life.

They will find and obsess over even the most minor changes in the life of another person – often a high-profile celeb – to feel as though they have achieved something.

Daniel Joll, an assistant Professor in Social Psychology at the University of Nottingham, tells The Sun: “Conspiracy theories are a fertile ground for people feeling uncertainty in life.

“When they find something they can be a part of and investigate, it makes them feel like they’re almost becoming a journalist and that makes them feel important.

“This is also about people wanting to be unique by saying something or being a part of something that is out of the ordinary.”

Conspiracy theorists began comparing photographs from the beginning of Avril’s career with images taken after the rumours started, searching for proof that the woman in front of the cameras was not the same person.

Online truth-seekers even saw that she once wrote “Melissa” on her hand in a photoshoot.

To believers, it was practically a confession hiding in plain sight.

But that is where the theory’s elaborate house of cards begins to wobble.

The “Melissa” photograph was later explained as part of a promotional photoshoot in which Lavigne wrote supporters’ names on her skin and on paper.

Theorists still argue this was either an intentional leak by the body double signalling her true identity, or an insidiously dropped clue by her record label.

It is catnip for the internet: just outrageous enough to be dismissed, yet just plausible enough to make you wonder whether there might be something hiding beneath the surface.

Avril is far from the first celebrity to become the subject of a completely unverified cloning conspiracy theory.

One of the most famous examples dates back to 1969, when fans became convinced Beatles legend Paul McCartney had died in a car crash and been secretly replaced by a lookalike.

The theory exploded after The Beatles released Abbey Road, with fans scouring songs and album artwork for supposed clues.

Some even believed John Lennon could be heard saying “I buried Paul” in Strawberry Fields Forever.

John later said the line was actually “cranberry sauce”, while McCartney himself dismissed the rumours in a November 1969 interview with Life magazine.

Fans have also claimed Tupac Shakur faked his death, while a 2020 music video featuring a deepfake of the rapper reignited speculation.

What is key to giving these theories life is that they are outrageous enough to grip people while remaining vaguely believable.

Prof Jolley adds: “The reason why people are so stuck on Avril is because the theory is plausible.

“When there is the slightest chance of plausibility, people will cling onto it and keep going and keep digging.

“This one feels plausible because it could be true. The possibility of truth can tickle people’s fancy.”

Every perceived alteration became another piece of their puzzle.

Early Avril had become synonymous with the scruffy skater-punk image that helped make her famous, often appearing in baggy trousers and neckties.

Suddenly snaps of the eyeliner smeared rock queen appeared to have had been wiped off the internet.

Her trademark middle finger was tucked away, while the loose tie slung over a shirt – once part of her pop-punk armour – had been consigned to fashion history.

The woman who emerged afterwards looked markedly more polished, with skirts and dresses replacing the tomboyish uniform and pink make-up softening the rebellious image.

Some went as far as being convinced that the shady puppet masters of the Illuminati had cloned Avril and replaced her with an actual laboratory-grown clone rather than a hired lookalike. Bizarre, right?

The Illuminati, believers claim, is an elite society that frequently targets the world’s biggest pop stars and turns them into puppets of their secret cabal.

The new bubble-gum pink pop girl was allegedly spotted glitching during red-carpet interviews where she paused, blinked rapidly, and answered questions flatly.

Believers refer to these as “clone glitches” or memory-wipe side effects.

Theorists started using photo overlay tools to track subtle shifts in Avril’s facial symmetry, jawline angle, and earlobe detachment.

The theory claimed bones do not radically change shape after adolescence; therefore, differences in the bridge of her nose and her jaw structure prove a physical imposter.

Professor Jolley adds: “These theories are made up to captivate our attention.

“I believe clones are just an intriguing application.”

And then came the clue conspiracy theorists found hardest to scribble away: Avril’s handwriting.

To believers, the change was more than a few wonky letters.

They began placing samples of Lavigne’s handwriting from different periods side by and poring over the shapes, slants and flourishes as though they were forensic investigators examining a ransom note.

Every loop, every letter and every flick of the wrist became potential evidence.

Conspiracy theorists claiming that the handwriting before and after the alleged switch looked fundamentally different.

Then, Under My Skin, Avril’s second album released in 2004, became another supposed treasure trove for believers hunting for hidden messages.

Slipped Away is also repeatedly cited as evidence, with its lyrics about someone disappearing and life changing forever interpreted as a veiled admission of Avril’s supposed death.

My Happy Ending has also been dragged into the theory, with fans searching its lyrics for signs of guilt, grief or a woman struggling beneath an identity that was never hers.

Appearing on Call Her Daddy podcast with host, Alex Cooper, Avril directly addressed the long-running internet theory and laughed it off calling it “dumb”.

The host, half joking and half serious, asked her: “So, is your name Avril Lavigne or Melissa Vandella?” The singer wasn’t too bothered and replied: “Obviously I’m Avril Lavigne.” Obviously…

The 39-year-old went on: “On one end, everyone’s like, ‘You look the exact same. You haven’t aged a day.’ But then other people are like, there’s a conspiracy theory that I’m not me.

“Honestly, it’s not that bad. It could be worse, right?” Lavigne laughingly admitted. “I feel like I got a good one. I don’t feel like it’s negative. It’s nothing creepy.”

Cooper told the star: “What’s crazy is you haven’t aged. I’m staring at you. And, like, I’m picturing you with your auburn hair. And I’m like, oh my God. You literally look the same from when you were younger.”

It’s all fun and games turning freckles into “evidence” – counting spots on an arm as though a decade of sun exposure somehow comes with a cloning certificate.

But behind the bizarre conspiracy theories was a very real battle. Lavigne, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2013, later described that period as the “worst time of my life”.

The Sun has reached out to Avril Lavigne’s management and past and current record labels for comment.

George Rainsford is returning to Casualty tonight as fan favourite Dr Ethan Hardy for the BBC medical drama’s 40th anniversary three years after his last apperance

A former Casualty actor has admitted he was “ready to have a break” after nine years working on the medical drama.

George Rainsford is putting his scrubs back on and resuming his role as Dr Ethan Hardy for the BBC show’s huge 40th anniversary, which airs tonight (Saturday, September 5).

The actor played the popular doctor for almost a decade before leaving the BBC medical drama in 2023. Fans will know George’s charatcer Ethan was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease and left the E.D. three years ago to spend more time with his son, Bodhi.

Speaking exclusively to Betway about his exit, George explained: “At the time, I definitely wanted that time away. I was ready to have a break. It’s a fantastic place to work.

“I loved how generous they were with all the storylines I had over the years, and I loved everybody there but it’s filmed in Cardiff, and I’m not based there, so I needed to spend a bit more time at home. When you’re an actor, sometimes you want to challenge yourself and see what else is out there.

“After nine years, that feeling had gotten a bit stronger. I was keen to go back and do theatre for a bit and see what other screen work was out there.

“I’m glad we were able to have the conversation with the producers that it wasn’t final because I really enjoyed going back and I do think there would be a storyline there but at the same time, I was ready for a little break”

Since leaving Casualty, Jimmy has appeared in seven episodes of popular BBC period drama Call the Midwife as Jimmy Wilson and more recently played the role of Miles is movie Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger.

Ethan isn’t the only familar face returning to Casualty this week with Derek Thompson also reprising his iconic role as nurse Charlie Fairhead. Fans last saw him during his final appearance in March 2024, where he retired after 38 years in the NHS.

Although bosses haven’t shared too many details of Ethan and Charlie’s involvement in the 40th anniversary, they have said: “The gripping, anniversary event centres on a high-stakes major incident that throws Holby into chaos.

“Lives hang in the balance and the ED team are pushed to their limits in a tense and emotionally charged story that brings together some of the show’s most beloved characters.

“As the fallout continues, a major rescue operation unfolds, forcing impossible life-or-death decisions and testing the courage, resilience and leadership of those at the heart of the hospital.

“As Dylan Keogh (William Beck) battles personal tragedy while leading his team through their darkest hour, Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless) and Flynn Byron (Olly Rix) find themselves fighting for survival in a race against time.”

Casualty’s 40th anniversary specials will air on Saturday, September 5 from 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer

Actor and playwright Ellen McLaughlin, who originated the role of the Angel in Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America,” has put her own modern spin on ancient Greek dramas. Her “Helen,” a satirical reworking of Euripides’ tragicomedy and the eternal beauty myth, ought to be better known.

McLaughlin’s modern verse “translation” of Shakespeare’s “Pericles” is now receiving its West Coast premiere at Boston Court Pasadena. I’m traditionally more resistant to playwrights fiddling around with Shakespeare than I am with them updating Greek tragedy. Making Shakespeare’s plays accessible is a noble goal, but there are other ways to go about this beyond modernizing the text and diluting its lyrical beauty and nuance.

When actors understand what they’re saying, audiences tend to catch their characters’ drift while absorbing poetry that’s still at the root of the English language. But “Pericles” isn’t a play that should raise purist hackles. There is an authorship question. The first two acts and the final three may have been written by different writers. There’s an assumption that the second half is Shakespeare’s, but scholars continue to quarrel over attribution.

Julanne Chidi Hill, Desiree Mee Jung, Adam J. Smith, Joel Swetow (center), Rio Rasch, Nicole Javier and Alexander Matos in “Pericles” at Boston Court Pasadena.

(Brian Hashimoto)

Whatever the scholarly truth, it’s safe to say that “Pericles, Prince of Tyre,” to give this late romance its full title, is a patchwork. A strange epic yarn ignited by incest and attempted murder, the play is crammed with shipwrecks and miraculous rescues, devastating suffering and last-minute recoveries. I don’t think I’ve ever read the final act without shedding tears. That said, the play requires an extra-strength dose of willing suspension of disbelief.

McLaughlin’s most notable change concerns the frame of the play, which now unfolds in a disaster relief center. The conceit is that the worried and impatient evacuees amuse themselves with an impromptu performance of “Pericles,” of all unlikely theatrical works.

Outside, a monstrous storm rages. Inside, under flickering lights, a group of reluctant strangers is coaxed into acting out, in a converted gymnasium, a wild tale promising redemption from agonizing tragedy.

Randolph Thompson, Nicole Javier, Joel Swetow Adam J. Smith, Desiree Mee Jung and Rio Rasch in “Pericles” at Boston Court Pasadena.

(Brian Hashimoto)

The production, directed by Margaret Shigeko Starbuck, runs with the makeshift energy and comical freedom that this contextual shift allows. The characters aren’t professional actors, so it’s fine for them to wear their masks loosely. Flashlights illuminate darkened spaces. And props are improvised so that pool noodles are used for jousting and an earbud case serves as an engagement ring.

Joel Swetow, in the role of Gower, smoothly marshals the narrative, advancing the story from one delightful implausibility to the next, recapping what’s happened in the meantime and, when necessary, urging some of the more reluctant characters to stay with the performance. He also takes on the role of malevolent and benevolent kings, whom Pericles (an excellent Randolph Thompson) encounters on his tumultuous odyssey.

Most of the lead players lock into their roles once the performance of “Pericles,” the play within the adaptation, is underway. Thompson is particularly skilled at emotionally investing in his character’s plight even as the spontaneous production refuses to take itself too seriously.

Randolph Thompson, Joel Swetow and Nicole Javier in “Pericles” at Boston Court Pasadena.

(Brian Hashimoto)

A little meta-theatrical hamminess goes a long way, and actors in general have a tendency to overdo the joke. I appreciated the restraint that the cast imposes on itself without spoiling the fun. Nicole Javier who plays Thaisa, Pericles’ seemingly doomed wife, and Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, who plays Marina, Pericles’ transcendentally good daughter born into sorrow, ensure that we care about the fate of a man who trails disaster behind him.

Julanne Chidi Hill, Desiree Mee Jung, Adam J. Smith and Alexander Matos adroitly flesh out the world of a play that sets virtue and vice in neon opposition. Their sporting way of differentiating their roles keep the staging brisk and lighthearted, qualities that are cleverly maintained by a design team that conjures ocean swells with a metallic-looking sheet, royal garb out of contemporary casual wear and a deadly threat from a pocket umbrella.

I missed the rhythms of Shakespeare’s music, though the most compelling poetic imagery in the adaptation is from the original. But the biggest sacrifice, one that is never fully restored unlike Pericles’ grievous losses, is the emotional weight of the play’s climax. It’s hard to allow yourself to fully believe in the incredible turn of events when the prevailing attitude is so emphatically tongue-in-cheek.

Adam J. Smith, Joel Swetow, Nicole Javier, Julanne Chidi Hill, Jamie Gallo, Randolph Thompson and Rio Rasch in “Pericles” at Boston Court Pasadena.

(Brian Hashimoto)

Johnson’s Marina performs with lovely gravitas, as do Javier’s Thaisa and Thompson’s Pericles. But the rollicking jollity that accompanies the final two acts, which includes the entrance of pirates and the abduction of Marina to a brothel, robs the ending of some of its pathos. A touch more solemnity would not have been amiss.

My eyes for once failed to moisten. But I was nonetheless relieved that Pericles’ happy ending is intact — a reassuring sight in our age of successive disasters.

MIS-TEEQ will reunite for a one-off 25th anniversary concert next Saturday – and have hand-picked a special line-up of UK garage artists to warm up the crowd.

Insiders told The Sun Alesha Dixon, Sabrina Washington and Su-Elise Nash want the show to bring a party atmosphere to London’s OVO Arena Wembley.

We understand the supporting acts are Damage, Egypt, Kele Le Roc, Malika, Gracious Kay and Monsta Boy and Rampage Sound – who are presenting the acts on stage.

A source said: “This concert is all about celebration for Mis-Teeq and they knew they wanted to have multiple acts to really whip the audience up.

“They’ve secured Damage, Egypt, Kele Le Roc, Malika, Gracious Kay, Monsta Boy and Rampage Sound.

“It’s going to be off the charts.”

Tickets have already sold out, as excitement builds for their reunion following their huge performance at Capital’s Summertime Ball in June.

Alesha and Su-Elise, both 47, and Sabrina, 45, confirmed they were reuniting for a one-off show in May, after The Sun exclusively revealed their plans earlier this year.

Speaking about their return, Alesha said: “We’ve been offered reunion stuff over the years, but it’s never felt right. 

“This time, everything just lined up. “It feels like it is just slotting back into place.”

The band’s reunion is to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut album, Lickin’ On Both Sides.

The record, which came out in October 2001, peaked at No3 in the Official Album Charts and bagged them five Top Ten singles including All I Want, One Night Stand and B With Me.

The Sun were first to reveal in January that the band would be getting back together.

ITV are screening this war film based on one of the most significant battles of all time, with a huge historic figure at the centre of it all

History was turned into a legendary piece of storytelling when this film made its way to the big screen in 1970, retelling the real life events of war and now its set to appear on TV’s tonight.

Regarded as one of the great original epic war films, this movie helps to maintain the legacy of the decisive battle of the Napoleonic Wars, in the 1800s.

Waterloo is a sweeping historical movie which remains one of the most powerful entries in the genre, with acclaimed director Peter Jackson even crediting it as a key influence on his work on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

It is a film that depicts the real-life Battle of Waterloo, focusing not solely on the conflict itself but also on the pivotal days leading up to the campaign, widely known as the Hundred Days.

It charts Napoleon Bonaparte’s downfall and his return from exile ahead of his crushing defeat at the 1815 battle. Following his comeback, the French military swiftly rallies to his cause, prompting alarmed European powers to forge a new coalition, and war inevitably follows.

Many have praised the film for its historical accuracy, with one viewer writing on Rotten Tomatoes that it is “the most accurate historical film ever”, which is enough to make history buffs want to watch it.

The grand-scale production was a joint venture between Italy and the Soviet Union, helmed by director Sergei Bondarchuk and featuring Rod Steiger in the role of the legendary Emperor Napoleon I.

Following a viewing of the film, one audience member posted a review on Rotten Tomatoes, saying: “This is a classic, and Rod Steiger is immense, making the new Napoleon movie look like an amateur nightmare.”

Another wrote: “remarkable film. One for the ages. A film like it will never be made again.”

It features a number of historical figures played by actors such as Jack Hawkins as General Sir Thomas Picton, Virginia McKenna as the Duchess of Richmond and Orson Welles as the famed Louis XVIII of France.

The film’s most striking element is undoubtedly the combat sequences, which deployed an astonishing 17,000 authentically costumed extras. The battle scenes were meticulously recreated to achieve maximum realism, using genuine numbers and eschewing special effects, establishing a record that remains unbroken for the largest number of costumed extras in any film.

This commitment helped secure multiple accolades, including two BAFTAs for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. It’s the director’s unwavering dedication to crafting these teeming, lifelike scenes that continues to strike a chord with audiences.

One viewer wrote: “Easily one of the best movies ever made. Actual soldiers given a Napoleonic battle training playing the extras, one of the most historically accurate film ever made.

“It allows one to immerse oneself in the battle and provides excellent viewing. With brilliant casting this film remains one of my favourites of all time.”

Yet despite the film’s critical acclaim, it struggled to recoup the costs of these monumental scenes at the North American box office. Consequently, its disappointing financial performance triggered a significant industry-wide decline in backing for large-scale practical effects, driven by commercial anxieties.

You can catch the historical drama on ITV4 tonight at 7.40pm. Alternatively, the film is available to stream on ITVX at your convenience.

The truth about the last words uttered by Australia’s famed ‘Crocodile Hunter’ have now been laid bare, two decades after the Wildlife Warrior’s untimely death

A close confidant of legendary eco-warrior Steve Irwin has detailed the Aussie icon’s final moments, just as he realised death was moments away.

September 4 marks the anniversarry of Irwin’s untimely death. The passionate animal lover was known around the world for his infectious approach to conservation, capturing hearts with his zoo, TV show, and adoration for all creatures great, small, and even scaly.

It’s been two decades since Irwin’s shock death, and family and friends have paid tribute to a man considered an icon and animal-loving legend Down Under.

ICYMI: Irwin died while doing what he loved; he was out on Australia’s famed Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, filming a nature documentary about stingrays when he copped a barb to the heart from the very creature he was there to film.

Cameraman Justin had been filming the crocodile hunter at sea when disaster struck. Speaking on 60 Minutes’ Steve Irwin: A Wild Life, Justin revealed the devastating moment Steve realised he was dying, and his final moments.

Justin told the programme: “We zipped around for 10-15 minutes before we found the stingray. And then, it was like, okay, game on. I mean, we’d only filmed with stingrays a hundred times before. They were awesome to film with. So we both slipped over the side of the rubber ducky and, yeah, started filming this amazing massive — it was massive — bull ray.

“Anyway, we chatted about the final shot, which would be the opening shot, because by now, the stingray was calm. It had buried itself in the sand. I said, ‘We’ll start this thing. I’ll just be close in front of this stingray. I’ll be a couple of metres from it. You go round behind it and swim up behind it.'”

Justin went on: “He swims up, swims over the top of it. It doesn’t move. But as he’s directly over the top of it, of course, it thought he was a tiger shark and started stabbing madly towards him with its tail. The water just boiled. I couldn’t see anything that was going on. Bubbles and thrashing.

“And then, all of a sudden, it stopped. The stingray swam away, the water calmed, so I just panned with the stingray. And as I let it go out of shot, as I panned back to Steve, he came jumping up out of the water, screaming, and the water around him is now full of blood.

“And he screamed out, ‘It’s punctured my lung!’ I threw the camera into one of the rubber duckies, dragged Steve into the boat. His khaki shirt is open, and he’s just got blood pouring out of a gash like that in his chest, right over his heart. But he’s conscious, and he says to me, looks me right in the eye, and he says, ‘I’m dying’.”

Bindi was just eight years old when her father died, and she shared a video of him as he recounted “the most incredible wildlife encounter of my life” – the birth of his daughter. Bindi said: “Twenty years ago, today, the world lost the most passionate and dedicated wildlife conservationist. Our family lost our superhero. My mum lost the love of her life; my brother and I lost the greatest dad.

“Grief never truly leaves us; we walk alongside it every day. Where there is enormous grief, there is even greater love.I always thought that my dad’s legacy is wildlife conservation; it turns out, his legacy is love. For our planet and for each other.”

Bindi added that her five-year-old daughter watches her grandfather’s documentaries every morning and feels “utterly loved by her ‘grandpa crocodile’, despite never meeting him. She went on “My dad left a lasting impact so poignant that it will ripple out for generations to come. I believe with my whole heart that his love will live on forever.

“Dad, I love you with my whole heart. Thank you for being our guardian angel. And most of all, thank you for watching over my daughter now, too. She loves you so much. We all do.”

Robert also shared a snap of him and his father with the caption: “Your legacy is forever.” Terri, also remembered her final few weeks with her husband, saying “grief still walks with me like my shadow”. She said: “With the passing of time I have gained more perspective and understanding. We were together as a family, on our crocodile research expedition, for what was to be our final six weeks together.

“Ours was to be a long and sweet goodbye. Steve spent time with Bindi and Robert building swings and climbing trees. We all slowed down. Time slowed down. I believe that all of us, every one of us, gets to say goodbye.

“We just may not know that we’re saying it. Hold every moment dear with the ones you love. Until we meet again.”

One could say that I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment.

It’s a musical event some might have thought unlikely or impossible — but to me, it wasn’t a matter of if Beyoncé would ever release a collaboration with Selena but when. And on Thursday night, with the release of the special anniversary edition of Beyoncé’s sophomore album, “B’Day,” it finally happened.

Alongside an expanded track list that includes remastered versions of the 2006 album’s original songs, plus new remixes and collaborations, there’s “Irreemplazable (Como La Flor),” a mashup of Beyoncé’s first Spanish-language release and one of Selena’s most beloved hits.

In her tragic absence, Selena’s estate gave a rare blessing to Beyoncé for the collaboration. A press release for the album noted that this “resounding approval” from the Quintanilla family “made it possible for this timely and meaningful duet.”

“Two women from Texas. Two unmistakable and irreplaceable voices that broke down and continue to break down barriers,” read the statement.

But not everyone was happy about the remix. Some fans viewed the collaboration cynically, criticizing it as a way for Beyoncé to capitalize on Selena’s legacy, or to court more Latino fans. Some voiced their dissatisfaction under a post from Selena’s husband, Chris Pérez, on Instagram — but he was quick to shut them down.

“Shout out to Beyoncé for showing respect to an ICON,” wrote Perez on Instagram. “In my opinion, nobody will ever, CAN ever, top Selena’s performance. But, dammit … can’t you just appreciate that another iconic/amazing artist chose to highlight Selena in this way?”

For those who need reminding: This isn’t Beyoncé’s first foray into Spanish-language music — and it’s not even her first tribute to Selena.

Long before Beyoncé reached superstardom, she was a girl from Houston who grew up listening to Selena on the radio. In 2007, she credited the “Queen of Tejano” with inspiring her to release “Irreemplazable,” a Spanish-language companion album to “B’Day.”

Working alongside Cuban American composer Rudy Pérez, the songs on that record were workshopped to retain the spirit of their English lyrics without being word-for-word translations: the catchy “To the left, to the left” refrain in “Irreplaceable” became “Ya lo ves, ya lo ves / Te olvidé, te olvidé” (“Now you see, now you see/I forgot you).”

Like Selena, Beyoncé learned to sing in Spanish phonetically, and in a 2007 MTV Tr3s documentary on the making of the album, you can see her angling toward perfection as Pérez and a friend corrected her pronunciation. Some of the lyrics she was tasked with delivering were tongue-twisters, even for native Spanish speakers. Try saying “Tú creías que eras imprescindible” five times fast and in key.

“I spent a lot of time on it making sure it was perfect because I didn’t want to disrespect the language, because it’s so beautiful,” Beyoncé told People en Español that year.

At the time, Beyoncé wasn’t the only major American artist making waves in Latin music. The pop landscape was undergoing a massive shift, thanks to the work of such crossover sensations as Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, and Shakira — and artists in the States were eager to tap into the burgeoning Latino market.

And while that was certainly a part of Beyoncé’s calculus when plotting “Irreemplazable,” she has a personal attachment to Spanish music. “A lot of my family, a lot of my friends who I grew up with speak Spanish, I grew up in Texas,” she said in the MTV doc. “I just have so much respect for the culture, and I really relate to it.”

“The heart and rhythm of the music and the drums and the spiciness,” she added, in her People interview, “it all reminds me of Creole, which is my heritage, and where I come from.”

While Beyoncé’s early solo releases were built on R&B, she demonstrated a curiosity for global sounds like reggae, Latin and Arabic music. Selena’s background was in Tejano, yet she was heavily influenced by heavy-hitters in pop, disco and R&B — namely Jody Watley, Janet Jackson and Donna Summer.

The two share a similar cultural background, one forged by migration, changing borders and centuries of history. And, as second- and third-generation Texans, Beyoncé and Selena were both able to take their heritage and interpret it, while also melding it with the melting pot of influences they were surrounded by.

Twenty years after the release of “B’Day,” Beyoncé has had the luxury of growing and maturing as an artist. She’s delivered masterful musical dissertations that challenge rigid ideas of “genre” and reemphasized the Black origins of traditions like country, rock and Americana.

Selena didn’t have the benefit of time; but in the years since her death, her music has been kept alive, replayed, reinterpreted, and remixed, so that new generations continue to celebrate her Tejano roots. With “Irremplazable (Como La Flor),” Selena and Beyoncé’s artistry gets to coexist.

It’s a blending of their worlds and voices — the merging of two songs empowering women to move on from their heartbreak, as well as a union of two artists who are so different, but so very much alike.

A former ABC News employee is asking a court to drop CBS News chief correspondent Matt Gutman from her wrongful termination lawsuit, which claimed she was sexually harassed by him when they were colleagues.

Samira Said, a field producer for ABC News for four years, included the claims related to Gutman in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed Aug. 14 in Los Angeles County Superior Court against her former employer and its parent The Walt Disney Co.

Said’s lawyers filed a request with the court Friday to drop Gutman, who was named as a defendant. Lawyers for Said did not respond to an email asking why the request was made. ABC and Disney remain defendants in the suit.

The suit cited two incidents where Said claimed Gutman created a hostile work environment by making inappropriate sexual comments while on the job.

Gutman declined comment on the matter through a CBS News representative.

Said alleges she was wrongfully terminated from ABC News in 2025 after dealing with mental health issues. The suit accuses the company of violating California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act by not making accommodations for her. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages along with her attorneys’ fees.

Gutman, 48, was the first high-profile talent hire by CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, who took charge of the division in October. He recently filled in as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” and scored higher ratings than Tony Dokoupil, the program’s regular anchor.

Gutman spent 17 years at ABC News, where he mostly reported from Los Angeles.

Sept. 4, 2026 7:12 PM PT

BUENOS AIRES — A long-lost Italian portrait looted from a prominent Jewish art dealer during World War II was set to be returned to his heir after an Argentine court on Friday approved a deal under which the daughter of a fugitive Nazi official agreed to give up her claim rather than face trial.

The agreement paves the way for the long-sought return of “ Portrait of a Lady ” to Marei von Saher, the sole surviving heir of Dutch-Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, whose celebrated collection was sold under duress to Nazi officials after Adolf Hitler’s Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940.

Patricia Kadgien, the daughter of the late high-ranking Nazi official Friedrich Kadgien, and her husband, Juan Carlos Cortegoso, were charged with aggravated cover-up last year after authorities said they hid the 18th-century painting despite knowing it was being sought by Argentine and international investigators.

Under the agreement, a copy of which was obtained by the Associated Press, the couple agreed to give up any claim to the work and consent to its return to Von Saher in exchange for avoiding a criminal trial and spending two years under court supervision. During that time, they must make payments to a hospital in Argentina’s coastal city of Mar del Plata, where they live, and keep authorities informed of their whereabouts.

The deal ends a generations-long search for the missing portrait and a yearlong legal saga that began in August 2025. Dutch reporters investigating Friedrich Kadgien, a fugitive Nazi financial official who fled to Argentina after World War II, spotted “Portrait of a Lady” hanging above a green velvet couch in an online real estate listing for his daughter’s rustic home in Mar del Plata.

The listing disappeared within hours of the Rotterdam-based newspaper Algemeen Dagblad publishing its findings. Police raided the home several times but failed to find the painting. More than a week later, Kadgien’s lawyer turned it over to authorities.

For decades, the portrait had been identified as a work by the Italian Baroque painter Giuseppe Vittore Ghislandi. It appeared under that attribution in Goudstikker’s collection records and was exhibited as a Ghislandi in Amsterdam before the war. But a court-ordered examination by Argentina’s National Academy of Fine Arts reached a different conclusion, attributing the work to the Italian artist Giacomo Antonio Melchiorre Ceruti.

Experts authenticated the painting as part of Goudstikker’s collection and estimated its value at about $290,000.

Goudstikker was one of Europe’s leading art dealers before World War II, known for a collection that included works by Rembrandt and Vermeer. He died in a shipwreck while fleeing Amsterdam with his family as German forces swept into the Netherlands in May 1940.

An estimated 1,100 works from his collection were illegally sold to Hermann Göring, known as Hitler’s right-hand man, who amassed a vast art collection during the war. It remains unclear exactly how “Portrait of a Lady” came into the possession of Kadgien, Göring’s financial advisor, who handled foreign currency, precious metals and the sale of confiscated property for the Nazi regime.

Kadgien fled Europe after Germany’s defeat, first for Switzerland and later Argentina. He died in the South American country in 1978 without having been arrested or charged with war crimes.

Lawyers for Von Saher, who now lives in Greenwich, Conn., and spent decades trying to recover her family’s looted art, said she has agreed to let the painting be exhibited in Argentina before being returned to her.

During last year’s raids on homes owned by Kadgien and her sister in Mar del Plata, Argentine police also seized two 19th-century paintings, along with other prints and engravings. Authorities are still investigating whether any of them may also have been looted during World War II.

Farella and Calatrava write for the Associated Press. AP writer Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires contributed to this report.

Netflix bosses have raised UK prices for the second time this year – with the cheapest plan going up by a third

There is bad news for Netflix users after bosses raised the prices of UK subscriptions for the second time this year.

The streaming platform, which houses Stranger Things, Love Is Blind, Bridgerton, Selling Sunset and many other beloved programmes, has updated its pricing – with the cheapest rising by a third.

Customers will be given 30 days’ notice by email before the changes. Those with the standard plan with ads will now pay £7.99 a month, up from £5.99, while the advert-free option has moved from £12.99 to £13.99.

Users who have a premium plan, which allows them to add extra members and stream on more devices, will pay £20.99 from their next billing cycle, a change of £2.

For viewers who want to add an extra member for their subscription, they will have to pay £5.99 under new guidelines, up from £4.99.

This is the second time that the prices have increased this year, with previous changes being introduced in February.

A spokesperson said, via Deadline, that the changes “reflect improvements to our wide range of entertainment and the quality of our service.”

“Our approach remains the same: we continue offering a range of prices and plans to meet a variety of needs, and as we deliver more value to our members, we reinvest in quality entertainment and improve their experience by updating our prices,” the statement added.

“We know members have never had more choices in entertainment, and we’re committed to delivering an experience that meets and exceeds their expectations.”

The news was confirmed just after the second series of Guy Ritchie’s acclaimed drama, The Gentlemen, landed on the platform, with many high-profile releases still to come.

Keira Knightley will be returning in season two of Black Doves in November, while a documentary on late Friends actor Matthew Perry will hit screens at the end of October.

In recent years, original shows including Adolescence, Baby Reindeer, The Crown and Ozark have collected a string of awards. Fans have also raved about Netflix’s film slate, including Voicemails for Isabelle, Nonnas, Carry-On and Rebel Ridge.

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Loose Women star Coleen Nolan revealed she was ‘devastated’ after Nadia Sawalha and Denise Welch both left the ITV daytime show

Coleen Nolan has described her ‘devastation’ after it was revealed that both Nadia Sawalha and Denise Welch had left Loose Women.

The 61-year-old has been a staple of the ITV daytime show for decades, and has appeared beside both women countless times over the years.

Amid reports that bosses have lined up two new stars to replace them, the Celebrity Big Brother star revealed her heartache at returning without her pals.

“It’s back to school for me on Monday. Loose Women is back on air and I’ve really missed it and can’t wait to see everyone,” she penned in her recent newsletter for the Mirror. “We’ll be missing two of our longest-serving Loose Women – Nadia and Denise – which I’m a bit devastated about.

“I love Nadia and she’ll be a big loss to the team. I’m so pleased for Denise, who left to focus on acting, which is her first love and she’s brilliant at it. At 66 she’s had a whole new lease of life and has never looked better.

“But it’ll be exciting to welcome new people in. One of the things I love most about the show is that it incorporates every age group, from women in their 20s to Gloria Hunniford, who’s 86. I think a show that offers that when women still have to battle ageism and having an opinion is something to be celebrated and cherished.”

Hitting back at scrutiny of a feud behind the scenes, she insisted: “I’m always reading stories about us not getting on, but it’s just not true – unless I’m missing something! I’ve never seen it and never felt it.

“So, thanks to those of you who’ve stuck by us through thick and thin for all these years, and hopefully we’ll be sticking around for years to come.”

There has been a shake-up on the panel in recent months, with Denise, 68, confirming her departure in a video in August, explaining that she would be focusing her attention on her acting career.

Nadia had been away from the show for a while before speaking out over her absence, telling the Mirror that she threatened legal action, claiming that ITV bullied her out of her job.

Discussing her exit, the 61-year-old previously said that she feared she was being targeted over speaking out for Palestinian rights.

It was recently claimed that singer Anastacia and entrepreneur Emma Grede – who recently stole the show on Dragons’ Den – were being lined up to join the panel, following the high-profile departures.

According to the Sun, they have been offered short two-month contracts with those behind the scenes hoping they will ‘bring in new perspectives’.

“If we are honest, Loose Women has become a bit of a train wreck. The past 12 months have seen scandal after scandal. Mix that with the cuts and it’s been a perfect storm,” a source told the Sun.

“ITV have offered both Emma and Anastacia contracts that will see them appear on the show as panellists. Both have been on as guests so they know the set up.”

The insider added: “Emma was a huge hit on Dragons’ Den and it’s hoped she would bring in a younger demographic to the show. Anastacia is a household name and brings in a new perspective and isn’t shy when it comes to speaking her mind.”

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Patsy Kensit, who first appeared on Emmerdale in 2004 before leaving two years later, is back in the village and has recalled how she made one demand when she returned to Emmerdale as Sadie King for a six month stint

Patsy Kensit made one demand when she returned to Emmerdale – that Sadie King wouldn’t be killed off.

Iconic character Sadie is back in the Dales, arriving this week by helicopter in a nod to her previous arrival in the village a number of decades ago. Patsy, 58, first appeared in 2004 before leaving two years later, but is back in the village once more after two decades for a six months stint.

She’s quickly at the heart of the action when it was revealed that Sadie had been having an affair with Jimmy King (Nick Miles), who died in a devastating marquee car crash and left Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) struggling with the financial burden of raising their kids and trying to fund university education for their eldest.

It was a joy for Patsy to return, but she had one demand for bosses. “It came out of absolutely nowhere, which is sometimes the nicest way things can happen,” she says.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to kill the character off, though, because I would love to think that she may return again.’ So the team of writers are phenomenal… and people will be shocked.”

Such was her return a secret that she booked into a hotel up North with a fake name to keep things under the radar. “The hotel, I had to put under a fake name there. And my agent and I came up and sat and chatted and just was like, ‘Yeah, you know, why not? Let’s do it,'” she says. Of how it’s changed since her first stint 20 years ago, she added: “I think one episode I’m in 60 scenes or something… It used to be six days a week when I did it first time around.”

Her return doesn’t just impact grieving Nicola’s life, but Sadie soon crashes into a number of her character’s conquests.

Her tryst with Robert Sugden (then played by Karl Davies and now played by Ryan Hawley) was a big part of her original appearance, as was her romantic connection with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley).

“Ryan and I have had a lot of stuff to do together… He’s very funny, and that’s been great,” she says, “It was quite a daunting day with Jeff Hordley scenes. It was all about putting that relationship to bed. There was a lot she revealed that happened to her after he left her on the runway.

“Jeff’s such a brilliant actor, as is everyone on the show. I’m learning so much every day again… but we decided to sort of play against that and just make it a real conversation between two people that had shared some time together.”

Her return marks the reunion of two of the soaps ‘super b***ches’ as Claire King’s Kim Tate goes head to head with Patsy’s Sadie. On working with the soap legend, she says: “Claire King is the queen, and I’m so happy to be working with her.

“I’ve got so much respect for Claire… I’ve always been a super fan. Our paths cross a couple of times and then some barbed comments, which is very Dynasty.”

Despite her glittering acting career, it didn’t stem the nerves when she returned to Emmerdale this time around. “I was so nervous my first week. Mark [Charnock] called me up just to say, look, you know, ‘We’re so thrilled that you’re coming back,'” she says.

“And I said, ‘Mark, I’m just I’m absolutely s***ing myself.’ And he said, ‘You know what? It would be weird if you weren’t.'”

“There’s nothing like a warm Yorkshire welcome… It’s the nicest place to work. Everyone genuinely cares about the show. It’s hard work, I’m not going to say it isn’t, but it’s rewarding,” she says.

Patsy feels very “protective” over Sadie and she is thoroughly enjoying living vicariously through her character.

“For me, it’s a role that I’ve really cherished, and I’m very protective about her. It changed my life when I did it, you know, 20-odd years ago, and it’s just wonderful to be back for a little while and just get to say all those horrible things to people with delight,” she says.

“It’s wonderful to live vicariously through this woman who seems to have no shame in her game. But does she really have what she had before when she left? They’re really taking apart who the woman is.”

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“Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton’s longtime tenure on the popular game show is officially over.

A spokesperson for Sony Pictures Television, which produces “Wheel of Fortune,” confirmed in a statement shared with The Times on Friday that Thornton’s “employment with ‘Wheel of Fortune’ has been terminated, effective immediately,” following an investigation. Sony suspended Thornton on Tuesday amid an ongoing probe into then-unspecified allegations.

A legal representative for Thornton, 61, did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on Friday.

A day before TMZ first reported on the announcer‘s firing, the outlet published numerous photos that show Thornton on his laptop aboard a flight visiting a website that describes itself as a support chat for “people who are attracted to children.” In photos taken by a neighboring passenger, Thornton’s computer screen appears to show messages of one user saying they “saw a couple of cute boys and a hot little girl” at a restaurant they referred to as an “All-you-can-eat Boyfett” and a second user referring to “CP,” commonly shorthand for child pornography. The photos published by TMZ also show Thornton, who is wearing a black jacket embroidered with the “Wheel of Fortune” logo on his sleeve, appearing to type into the chat room.

Thornton’s attorney Allison Hart told TMZ that he became a suicide-prevention advocate after a loved one took their life two years ago and he has since spent time visiting crisis chat rooms to offer “support to individuals suffering from suicidal ideation.” According to TMZ, Thornton claimed an acquaintance from a suicide prevention group sent him a link to an unrelated, non-crisis chat room — the one seen in the photos. Thornton also reportedly said he quickly left the disturbing chat room “once he found out what it was.” Time stamps seen in the photos show Thornton remained in the chat room for nearly an hour.

The passenger complained about Thornton to a flight attendant and shared the photos with the crew, according to TMZ. American Airlines informed the outlet that a passenger was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport on May 14, although the airline did not identify the individual.

Thornton’s attorney also told TMZ earlier this week that he “did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested and has not been charged with any crime.”

“When questioned about the complaint made by a fellow passenger on the flight, law enforcement spoke to him for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no wrongdoing had occurred and told my client he was free to go,” his attorney said.

Thornton’s “Wheel of Fortune” tenure traces back to 2011 following the death of his predecessor, Charlie O’Donnell. His game show credits include “The Price Is Right,” “The Soup,” “Jeopardy!” and “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.” He has performed voice work for the movie “Monsters, Inc.,” and video games including “Wall-E” and “Mafia II.”

Times staff writer Andrea Flores contributed to this report.

Gogglebox fans have shared their verdict after two new families made their debut on the Channel 4 favourite

Gogglebox has introduced some new faces.

The Channel 4 hit show returned to our TV screens on Friday (4 September) night, as the sofa watchers shared their hilarious reaction on the best and worst of this week’s TV. Long-running favourites Jenny and Lee, Pete and Sophie, Ellie and Izzi and the Malone family were all back as they welcomed viewers into living rooms yet again.

This time, they weren’t alone as fans of the BAFTA-winning series welcomed the show’s first cast member with Down’s syndrome as two new families joined the hit programme.

The newest additions include Newcastle brothers Steve and Mark, as well as Sandy and her TV fanatic son Max, who is the first person with Down’s syndrome to feature on the show. Opening up about joining the show, Max joked: “I’m much funnier than my mum, so that’s good.”

“I’m all about spreading the love and showing other learning-disabled people what we can achieve. And my mum is my greatest supporter,” he added.

Sandy called joining Gogglebox “total magic”, sharing: “To have people see the superstar, who is my son, and realise that a person with a learning disability can be smart, opinionated and hilarious is very important for me. My greatest joy is being his mum.”

Speaking about signing-up for the series Max further shared: “Friday nights with Gogglebox and wine has been a tradition in our house for years. It’s one of my favourite shows ever.

“So, it’s surreal that we’re going to be part of it, and it’ll be such a laugh doing this with my brother. He’s super funny and it’s a great excuse to hang out.”

Viewers watching at home have wasted no time sharing their reaction on social media to the newcomers and it’s clear they can’t get enough of mother and son duo, Max and Sandy.

One viewer wrote: “Go Max and Sandy! Lovely friends of mine, knocking it out of the #Gogglebox park.”

Another commented: “Really like Max #gogglebox.” A third said: “This was the first time I’ve ever instantly loved a new family on #gogglebox smiled from ear to ear with Max. How lovely. Not sure on the other new additions yet.”

Another said: “#gogglebox Loving Max and his mum! Brilliant!” Another fan commented: “Love Max and his mum. The new brothers are ok too. #gogglebox.”

One wrote: “Absolutely L-O-V-E Sandy and Max #Gogglebox.” Meanwhile another fan added: “Max and his mum are a good addition. They make me laugh in a good way.”

You can stream Gogglebox on Channel 4

Ten years ago, I went with my older daughter and a group of her classmates to see Gloria Steinem speak. Though they were part of a feminist group recently formed at their all-girls Catholic high school, some were not quite sure who Gloria was, exactly. My daughter knew her mostly as my former “boss”; my first job out of college had been as an editorial assistant at Ms. magazine. That was back in the ‘80s — ancient history.

I was a tiny bit nervous about how the evening would go. Gloria herself was in her 80’s by then; how would she connect with a group of teenagers who had come of age post-post-everything in a social media world of makeup tutorials, fit checks, and so much rage bait?

By being precisely herself, as it turned out. Calm and witty, impassioned and informed, clear-eyed yet hopeful, Gloria enthralled them — and the entire audience — for almost two hours. By the time we left, the girls were ready to follow her anywhere.

“She’s a rock star,” my daughter breathed.

That she was. Gloria Steinem did not invent feminism, not even its second wave, but for many years she was its most recognizable frontwoman. Tall, slender, with (for many years) aviator glasses framed by her signature long, straight hair, she was the Jackie Kennedy of the women’s movement: a physical dismissal of all those childish critics who deride feminists as an army of unlovely and unloved women, devoid of humor and, most likely, surrounded by far too many cats.

Even so, how she looked was beside the point. No feminist I know ever wanted to look like Gloria; we all wanted to be like her. Smart, funny, incisive, generous and, perhaps above all, unflappable.

For an activist organizer, she had a low center of gravity. Her speech was measured, her tone was mellow — even when calling out the most outrageous hypocrisies, the most sinister forms of oppression, she rarely if ever raised it. Though by her own admission she was often furious about many things, her sharpest weapon was always a deadly talent for stating the obvious. “If women could sleep their way to the top, there‘d be a lot more women at the top.” “I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career. ” “A pedestal is as much a prison as any small, confined space.” “This is what 40 [or 50] looks like.”

She believed in shaping the future by being fearlessly frank about the present and the past. For more than seven decades, she helped millions strip away the veils of hierarchy, patriarchy and all the stories spun about gendered expectations to confront the actual experience of women’s lives. “If the shoe doesn’t fit, must we change the foot?”

She never incited anger; she simply pointed out the facts as she saw them and let human nature take its course. “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”

Gloria listened as much as she spoke, and with great attention and democracy. When I worked at Ms., she was always running late, invariably having been pulled into some conversation or other. Her assistant groaned over her calendar; Gloria would say “yes” when asked for help, even if it meant being two places at once.

She often came in for staff meetings to which everyone was invited and, when discussing ideas for future issues, would ask for, and attentively listen to, the opinions of even a lowly editorial assistant like myself. Her interest was sincere, astonishing and made for very long meetings. Wherever she went, it was the same. She needed to know what all manner of women thought about a wide variety of topics. More important, she wanted them to learn the habit of speaking up. In a private meeting or a public forum, to colleagues, politicians, friends, the boss or even a feminist icon, she wanted women to be unafraid of saying what they thought.

When I worked at Ms., and for many years after, people would invariably ask me: “What’s Gloria Steinem like?” and it was, and remains, impossible to describe. She was kind when she didn’t need to be, generous with her attention when no one expected it. She didn’t want laws and social constructs to be fairer, less dangerous, more fulfilling for women as a concept; she wanted it for you, for me, for the lady in the back row.

She gave aura but also advice about where to find discount shoes. She instantly claimed any room she entered and then made sure there were snacks. She believed that the world could change, that with work, we could change it. But she also believed in having fun; otherwise why bother?

On the day Gloria Steinem died at 92, I awoke to a text from one of the friends I made all those years ago at Ms.; soon there were four of us on the thread. I had just arrived in New York to take my youngest daughter back to college, and we had planned to meet one of those friends in Union Square at noon. Instead, we met at Gloria’s brownstone and laid flowers along the fence outside her door. It seemed the least we could do.

My youngest never got to hear Gloria speak and, at 19, she is too young to know who Gloria was, exactly. Which was always the point of all that Gloria did. She didn’t want the future to feel beholden to the past; she just wanted it to be better. And despite the recent setbacks, particularly in reproductive rights, and all the work that still has to be done, it is.

There stood my daughter. Like her sister, she never doubts for one minute that she is a first-class citizen, entitled to equal rights, bodily autonomy, basic respect and a life of her choosing. God help the poor souls who try to tell them different.

“She’s a big part of why you are here,” I tell her. “Of why your life at 19 is so better than mine was, and why mine, at 19, was so much better than hers.”

That’s not just a rock star; that’s a revolutionary.

ITV bosses have wiped “uncomfortable” footage of Miriam Margolyes from the edition of This Morning that appears on its ITVX service.

Miriam Margolyes has been met with a wave of fury after using a highly offensive term to describe Andi Peters’ skin colour during an ‘uncomfortable’ appearance on This Morning.

Viewers have branded the 85-year-old ‘disgraceful’ following her interview on the ITV show and bosses have scrubbed the remarks from the ITVX footage.

In the interview to promote her book, which aired on Thursday’s episode, she began dissecting Christine Lampard’s Northern Irish accent before turning her attention to her co-host.

“What accent would be normal for you? What are you?,” she asked the 56-year-old, leaving him baffled. The presenter responded: ”This is normal. What am I? I’m me!”

“You’re a mix, aren’t you? You’ve got a Black daddy and a white mummy,” she said. He explained that both of his parents are Black, jokingly questioning whether his make-up artist had used a “lighter shade than normal”.

“I think you’re high yella. That’s what they call it in America when someone isn’t deeply black,” she continued, with Andi quipping that he “didn’t even know there were shades”.

The presenter then pointed to his earpiece and revealed that bosses were intervening, explaining that they were “getting nervous”.

“There are shades and this is what we have to incorporate,” the Harry Potter actress added. “Don’t be nervous, we welcome everybody. That’s what I want to write about in my book, it’s about inclusion.”

The Merriam-Webster US dictionary defines the term – sometimes spelt high yaller – as a dated and often offensive piece of slang used to describe a black person with a light complexion.

ITV bosses have yet to issue a statement over the segment but the offensive footage has been removed from the episode on ITVX. However, the rest of her interview still remains.

Viewers were left reeling over the segment and quickly rushed to social media with one saying the term was “super racist” and many calling for further action to be taken.

One person wrote on social media: “That Miriam Margoyles clip is just about the cringiest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s like a scene out of The Office.” Another agreed: “I do not accept that it’s just her age or character. She uses words and phrases that are totally unacceptable. I hope #thismorning never brings her back on the show.”

One posted: “That Miriam Margolyes interview is the most uncomfortable thing to sit through what the hell was she thinking.”

Another said: “Just watched @thismorning interview from this morning Miriam Margolyes is disgrace what she said about Andi Peters is way out of line she should be banned from @ITV @SkyNews @BBCTheOneShow she was way out of order.” They added: “@andipeters i am standing with you [sic].”

The Mirror has approached ITV, This Morning, Andi and Miriam for a comment.

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An Escape to the Country buyer was left torn between two dream Nottinghamshire homes but there was a huge issue

An Escape to the Country guest was left facing a difficult decision.

The buyer fell in love with two very different properties in Nottinghamshire but was left unable to put an offer in for any of them. During Friday’s (September 4) episode of the popular BBC show, presenter Denise Nurse was tasked with helping Shane with swapping his busy life in Greenwich, south-east London, for a quieter life in the Nottinghamshire countryside.

The former investment banker, who was born in Canada, was joined by his friend Chris, who was on hand to offer a second opinion during the property hunt.

Shane had a hefty budget of £1.1 million and a clear idea of what he was looking for. He wanted a spacious property with a modern interior and at least three bedrooms, as well as a garden big enough for his two dogs.

As he travels a lot, good transport connections to London were also important, while he wanted to live somewhere where he could become part of a community.

Denise arranged a number of properties for Shane to view, but it was the first two homes that really stole the show. Property number one was not what Shane initially thought he wanted. Having specifically asked for a modern home, he was surprised to discover just how much he liked the traditional property.

The 18th-century property was on the market for offers over £1 million and featured six bedrooms, four bathrooms and almost half an acre of land. Inside, the property had a huge kitchen and plenty of space, while the substantial grounds offered the kind of outdoor space Shane was looking for.

Despite initially believing a modern property was essential, Shane found himself seriously considering the traditional home. Then came property number two, which appeared to tick almost every box Shane had originally given Denise. The striking contemporary home was also on the market for offers over £1 million and offered spacious, modern living.

It featured a large open-plan kitchen and an impressive main bedroom with a split-level en-suite. The property was also energy efficient and had a high EPC rating, while outside there was a secure landscaped garden which was ideal for Shane’s two dogs.

When it came to making a decision, Shane admitted that Denise had made his choice considerably more difficult.

He said: “Country living is different for me, especially property number one. When I said I wanted something modern in a country setting, I was pretty sure that I wanted modern but property number one surprised me, how much I really liked it.

“You’ve given me a lot to think about that I wouldn’t have previously thought about, which for me has been the biggest takeaway. You’ve made it harder in a lot of ways, so thank you very much for that.” Denise quickly replied: “That was not the plan.”

Shane said his next step would be to explore the villages surrounding both properties before making a final decision. It was later revealed that Shane went back to view both property one and property two. Although the traditional first property had made a huge impression on him, property number two was the front runner.

However, there was one major problem standing in his way. Despite finding the home he appeared to favour, Shane was unable to put an offer forward because he had yet to sell his current property in London. His dream move to Nottinghamshire was therefore left hanging in the balance.

You can stream Escape to the Country on BBC iPlayer.