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Before FKA Twigs could discuss her upcoming album, “Afterglow,” she needed a matcha.

The British singer-songwriter had first answered a Zoom call from the backseat of a dimly lit car in New York, where she confessed to running on “2% personality.” She explained that she had flown in that morning from London and had spent the day promoting her upcoming movie, “The Carpenter’s Son,” a biblical horror co-starring Nicolas Cage.

Luckily, only a few minutes into the interview, the singer born Tahliah Debrett Barnett spotted a familiar matcha spot coming up on her route. In a split-second decision, she runs into the cafe, eager for a caffeine boost, and orders everything matcha she could get her hands on — a hot lavender matcha latte, a matcha soft serve and matcha-flavored pudding.

“Oh, we’re gonna be buzzing,” said Twigs, who laughs a bit about how she hasn’t eaten much that day and decided to exclusively consume matcha desserts. After making it back to the car and indulging in a few sips, she declares, “It feels like I have my personality back. That was quite an authentic experience.”

With a revived glint in her eyes, she was ready to debrief “Afterglow,” the unexpected continuation of her third studio album, “Eusexua.” The 37-year-old singer released “Eusexua” in January as both the namesake of her record and a term she coined to describe a transcendent state of being.

Now, less than a year later and set to be released the same day as “The Carpenter’s Son,” her latest album is meant to “beautifully unravel” the questions of humanity she presents on “Eusexua.”

From the start, she says, she knew that “Eusexua” was something bigger than a singular album — equating it to an era. Inspired by Prague’s underground rave culture, the record itself is centered around life’s purest experiences. Over tattered drum and bass patterns, retro-futuristic crescendos and ephemeral melodies, Twigs attempts to bottle the way dance music makes her feel. Lyrically, she embraces a childlike wonder, shares her vulnerabilities and indulges in sweet nothings — all with the intention of capturing what it means to be a person.

Where “Eusexua” is “the bird’s eye view of the human experience,” Twigs says, “Afterglow” is meant to capture humanity through a more direct lens, where feelings are unfiltered and instantaneous. Changing this viewpoint was something that came to her with ease.

“Sometimes when you’re creating something, it feels like you’re rubbing against something or you’re pushing something uphill. But with this project, it didn’t feel like that. It was flowing naturally,” said Twigs.

Most of “Afterglow” was made post-“Eusexua” from the comfort of her home studio in Hackney, London. Despite “Eusexua’s” successful release, she couldn’t shake the feeling of still having more to give.

“I can’t explain it. Sometimes you put out an album, and then it feels like you need to stop for a while,” said Twigs. “But with ‘Eusexua,’ it felt like it was still growing. The message was still spreading, and people still wanted a deeper understanding of what it was.”

For over a decade, Twigs has been known to cushion her albums with a few years between each release. Her debut, “LP1,” released in 2014, was followed by “Magdalene” in 2019 and “Eusexua” in 2025. She also released a mixtape, called “Caprisongs,” in 2022. On each project, she bears a new side to herself, often diving headfirst into the depths of her identity, love life and womanhood. Uncovering raw emotions, like loss, lust and jealousy, she’s able to capture their complexities through erratic rhythms, unorthodox mechanics and a trance-like ambiance.

FKA Twigs performs at Camp Flog Gnaw in November 2019.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Before becoming a musician, she found success at an early age as a professional dancer. In her late teens and early 20s, she appeared as a dancer in music videos for artists like Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Kylie Minogue. To this day, she relies on dancing and bodily movement as an essential part of how she understands music.

“When you dance, it’s really good to know the rules and the fundamentals, like with ballet. But once you know ballet, then you can mess it up and let go. You can dance with more freedom,” said Twigs, in between bites of her matcha pudding. “That’s kind of what ‘Afterglow’ is. It’s ‘Eusexua,’ but it’s wild, sensual and irresistible. It’s meant to quench a thirst.”

Since she’d laid out the groundwork with her previous release, she approached its follow-up with a carefree sense of freedom. The 11-track album is meant to be a concept album of sorts, detailing the aftermath of a night out. From the feeling of fresh air after leaving a sweaty dance floor to the drunken temptations of texting an ex-lover and the inevitable rush of not wanting the night to end, Twigs proves she has the “afters” down to a formula.

Leaning into a slightly less alien soundscape than the one heard on “Eusexua,” the singer indulges in a masterful form of electronic edging — never going the predictable route. On songs like “Slushy” and “Predictable Girl,” she intertwines a menagerie of robotic, spacey sirens with tinges of Jersey club beats and ’90s-influenced R&B chords. While on equally hypnotic tracks like “Cheap Hotel” and “Sushi,” she commands the heavily-layered soundscape with an intoxicating sense of recklessness.

“Sometimes I go out to reset my brain a little bit. Obviously, I love what I do so much. I love being an artist. But sometimes, it just gets unnecessarily stressful,” explains Twigs, who touches on the complications of fame with the track “Wild and Alone,” alongside fellow British pop music innovator PinkPantheress.

“So when I go out, it makes me put everything into perspective and realize what’s really important in my life, who I want to be and who I want to be around.”

Powered by these realizations, she’ll continue to lose herself in foggy nightclub dance floors, masses of sweaty bodies and blinding strobe lights. But she says, when it comes to making art, there’s one thing she’ll never lose sight of.

The only thing that can affect her creative output, she says, is “whether you’re telling the truth or not, and how honest you’re being.”

Billie Eilish has hit out at Elon Musk for hoarding his multi-billion-dollar wealth.

As reports circulate that the mogul, the world’s richest person since 2021, could become the first trillionaire in history, the Grammy winner jumped on Instagram Stories to suggest some better uses for his fortune.

Eilish reposted various infographics from the activist movement My Voice, which claim that Musk could end world hunger within five years by investing $40 billion annually through 2030, provide universal access to safe, clean water by allocating $140 billion over seven years, and help save 10,000 endangered species with an additional $1–2 billion per year.

Additionally, the infographics state that Musk could rebuild Gaza and other areas of the West Bank for $53.2 billion.

Aware of the slim likelihood of Musk ever doing any of this, Eilish wrote on her Story: “fucking pathetic pussy bitch coward.”

Eilish’s posts come two weeks after she appeared at the WSJ Innovator Awards, which recognise “leaders across industries who are changing the game,” including fashion, music, beauty, art, film and philanthropy.

In her speech for the Music Innovator Award, the ‘Birds of a Feather’ singer noted that “we’re in a time right now where the world is really, really bad and really dark, and people need empathy and help more than ever… especially in our country.”

“And I’d say if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things and maybe give it to some people that need it,” she added, addressing a room that included billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, who was honoured for her work in science philanthropy.

Eilish continued: “Love you all, but there are a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties.”

According to one of the event’s attendees, Zuckerberg refused to clap for Eilish.

Ahead of her speech, host Stephen Colbert revealed that Eilish would be donating $11.5 million of her proceeds from the Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour to “support organisations, projects, and voices dedicated to food equity, climate justice, reducing carbon pollution, and combating the climate crisis.”

“That donation, ladies and gentlemen, will be $11.5 million,” he added. “That’s wonderful. Billie, on behalf of humans everywhere, thank you.”

Strictly Come Dancing will see another celebrity and their professional partner leave the competition this weekend

Strictly Come Dancing will witness another departure this weekend – and the prospects aren’t promising for one pairing.

Last weekend, Balvinder Sopal and her dance partner Julian Caillon managed to avoid finding themselves in the bottom two despite being the bookmakers’ top picks to depart the show.

Nevertheless, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and La Voix found themselves in the bottom two and were forced to perform once more in an attempt to remain in the contest.

Unfortunately, it signalled the end for the Gladiator star, as all the judges chose to rescue La Voix.

Yet this week, Balvinder and Julian’s journey could be over, according to exclusive odds from Betway, reports Wales Online.

The duo has been handed odds of 150/1 of departing on Sunday.

La Voix, who received salvation last weekend, is also in danger of exiting, with odds of 100/1.

Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the spectrum, George Clarke remains the favourite to claim victory in the competition, with odds of 10/11.

Emmerdale star Lewis Cope sits in second position with odds of 11/4, whilst Vicky Pattison occupies third spot with odds of 6/1.

Whoever ultimately departs this week will also forfeit the chance to perform at the iconic Blackpool Tower during Strictly’s Blackpool Week.

Following their bottom two placement, Balvinder and Julian featured on It Takes Two, where they discussed landing in the dance off once again.

Balvinder told It Takes Two host Fleur East, “The rumba, it was the hardest thing to learn. Literally, on Tuesday, I’d thrown the towel in and went, ‘I can’t do it,’ I sat in a corner and cried.

“Jules was standing there and went, ‘When you’re ready, bro… we’ve got to get this done’.”

Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One.

DAVE Burgess, who was the leader of the band that recorded the popular track Tequila, has died at 90.

Burgess was part of The Champs, which soared to fame in 1958 with the track.

He died on October 19 in Tennessee.

His cause of death hasn’t been revealed.

Tequila spent five weeks as the top-selling chart, beginning in March 1958.

More than one million copies of the instrumental, which won a Grammy for the Best R&B performance in 1959, were sold.

The song defeated tracks such as Harry Belafonte’s Belafonte Sings the Blues, Nat King Cole’s Looking Back, and Perez Prado’s song Patricia.

It even received a gold disc from officials at the Record Industry Association of America.

Burgess, from Los Angeles, worked with Challenge Records during the 1950s, which was founded by the rodeo crooner Gene Autry.

When Chuck Rio, the saxophonist, wrote Tequila, it was initially viewed as a throwaway song.

But, it ended up rising to fame.

Saxophonist Eddie Platt produced a cover in 1958 and it rose to number 20 in the US charts.

The song featured in a scene of the 1985 movie Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.

The character played by Paul Reubens irritated a group of bikers by knocking over their motorcycles.

He then tried to appease them by picking the song on the jukebox.

Reubens’ character then started to dance to it.

Tequila was used as the theme song for Banana Split between 2009 and 2011.

And, it has been adopted into chants for sports stars.

The Tequila tune is sung by Arsenal fans when they chant about the team’s defender, William Saliba.

During his music career, Burgess wrote more than 700 songs.

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Look around lately and 20th century science fiction has become 21st century fact. Real life in the year 2025 — the date in which Stephen King set his 1982 novel “The Running Man” — involves technological surveillance, corporate feudalism, infotainment propaganda and extreme inequality, all things that his story about a grisly game show predicted. King, like the great sci-fi authors Philip K. Dick and George Orwell before him, was writing a cautionary tale. But the decades since have seen people take their bleak ideas as a blueprint, like when Elon Musk bragged on X that the Tesla Cybertruck is “what Bladerunner would have driven,” missing the point that we don’t want to live in a dystopia (and that Bladerunner isn’t even Harrison Ford’s name in “Blade Runner”).

The timing couldn’t be better — and worse — for Edgar Wright to remake “The Running Man,” only to put no fire into it. He and his co-writer Michael Bacall have adapted a fairly faithful version of the book, unlike the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger meathead extravaganza. (The only way to suffer through that one is if you imagine it’s a parody of pun-driven testosterone flicks.) Tellingly, they’ve left off the year 2025 and only lightly innovated the production design with spherical drones. But there’s little urgency or outrage. Instead of a funhouse mirror of what could be, it’s merely a smudged reflection of what is.

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Glen Powell stars as Ben Richards, a cash-strapped, employer-blacklisted father who begrudgingly agrees to be a contestant on a television hit that no one has survived. There’s only one network, FreeVee, and its goals overlap enough with those of the government that the distinction between them isn’t worth parsing. Every day Ben dodges a death squad, he’ll earn money for his wife, Sheila (Jayme Lawson), and sick baby, up to a billion “new” dollars if he can last a month. (The updated bills have the Governator’s face printed on them.)

But as ever, the game is rigged. The network’s boss, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), and smarmy host Bobby T (Colman Domingo) rally viewers to turn Ben in for a cash prize, fibbing that he’s a freeloader who refuses to get a job, the typical tax-leeching scapegoat trotted out to turn the middle class against the poor and the poor against themselves. One enraged FreeVee-addicted granny (Sandra Dickinson) genuinely believes Ben eats puppies. “She used to be a kind, clever woman,” her son says with resignation.

Clearly, Wright wants to make a political satire that echoes the drivel of our own actual news. The politics are there in the armored vehicles rolling down city streets and the masked militias out to nab Ben for the bounty money. Yet we don’t feel the paranoia of eyeballs over the streets, even though it turns out that there’s no way to disguise Powell’s foxlike features under a silly stick-on mustache. A hustler named Molie (William H. Macy) warns that the TVs themselves are watching people. It doesn’t really feel like they are. I’ve felt more uneasy in a house with an Alexa.

As for the satire, this faintly cruder version of right now doesn’t have much bite. Little we see is surprising, stimulating or even that futuristic. Screens blare commercials for a drink called Liquid Death (real) and a Kardashian-esque reality show called “The Americanos” (essentially real). The film’s sole representative of upper-middle-class normality — a hostage named Amelia (Emilia Jones) — could trade places with any Pilates instructor.

When an underground rebel, Bradley (Daniel Ezra), breaks down how the network chases ratings by flattening people into archetypes, he’s not telling today’s audience anything it doesn’t already know. King wrote the character as an environmental activist; here, he’s more of a TV critic. Likewise, Bradley’s crony Elton (Michael Cera) has mutated from a pathetic idealist to a Monster-chugging chaos agent — as if “Home Alone’s” Kevin McCallister grew up to join Antifa. Elton’s motivations don’t make sense, but at least Cera barges into the movie with so much energy that his sequence is a hoot. Chuckling that he likes his “bacon extra crispy” as he takes aim at a police squad, he also breaks the seal on this remake’s use of bad puns. From his scenes on, the script crams in as many groaners as it can.

Wright has talent for casting actors that pop. Domingo’s fatuous celebrity host is fantastic, even doing the retro running man dance with Kid ‘n Play aplomb. We see just enough of Ben’s fellow competitors, played by Katy O’Brian and Martin Herlihy, to wish we had more time with them. One of the hunters, Karl Glusman, has so much intensity that I’ll be looking out for what he does next. Pity that the charismatic Lee Pace’s main villain has to spend most of the film covered by a shroud.

Meanwhile, Powell is being put through his own test of Hollywood survival. Everyone seems to agree that he’s the next movie star, but he hasn’t yet landed the right star-making vehicle. Here, as ever, he’s being treated like a Swiss Army knife on a construction site: Handy at a lot of things from humor to action to drama to romance, but his character lacks the oomph to truly showcase his skills. We’re told over and over that Ben is the angriest man in the world, but Powell’s innate likability, that cocky-charming heroic twinkle in his eye, makes him come across peevish at worst. His best moments are all comedy, like when Ben slaps on a thick brogue to hide out as an Irish priest, or his snappy back-and-forth with a psychologist who puts him through a word-association test. (Anarchy? “Win.” Justice? “Hilarious.”)

Still, I missed the truly misanthropic lead of King’s novella, a sour bigot radicalized to see himself not just as a cog in a machine but as a spoke in a revolution. There’s lip service to that idea here, but the film doesn’t take itself seriously enough to give us the chills. It’s not fair to judge “The Running Man” by how closely it hews to the book — and if you remember King’s ending, then you know there’s no way Wright could have pulled that off, although his fix is pretty clever. But tonally, there’s just not enough rage, gore or fun.

Maybe Wright feels the same way too. He’s been wanting to make this movie since 2017 and had the lousy luck to do it for Paramount in the year that the studio embraced the government and sacrificed its employees for its own billion-dollar reward. There’s no bleaker satire than making it through “The Running Man’s” end credits, past images of a raised fist that reads “Together Against the Network,” to see the last words on screen: A Skydance Corporation. Or maybe there is, if someone makes a documentary about what Edgar Wright may have had to cut.

THE wife of food influencer Michael Duarte has broken her silence following his death.

Duarte, known as Food With Bear Hands, was shot dead by cops after allegedly waving a knife erratically.

Duarte’s wife, Jess, has spoken out for the first time and told TMZ she’s “struggled” what to do.

She paid a glowing tribute to him on social media.

“I plan to keep his legacy going not only for him, but his family,” she wrote on Instagram.

“He gave everyone every bit of him so it’s my turn to give it back.

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“I’m not quite sure what that looks like yet but hopefully he will lead me on that path.”

Jess claimed she could feel her late husband “moving mountains” as she acknowledged his legion of fans.

“A big thank you to my tribe & Mike’s BBQ community for making me feel like I have an army behind me,” she wrote.

“I’m still struggling with the fact that he is no longer with us but l’m starting to see his purpose was SO much bigger.

“I’m starting to see God work in mysterious ways that l’ve never experienced before and hoping that will bring our family some peace.”

She revealed she’s proud to be Duarte’s wife.

“I will carry that title with honor for the rest of my life. See you on the other side, Daddy,” Jess said as she rounded off the post.

Duarte died just days after the couple celebrated their nine year wedding anniversary.

Texas cops encountered him waving a knife before ordering him to drop it.

Medina County sheriffs claimed the influencer was making threats.

“Duarte charged toward the Deputy while yelling, ‘I’m going to kill you,” they claimed.

Duarte. a dad of one, was treated at the scene then rushed to San Antonio hospital where he tragically died.

A GoFundMe was created following his death and more than $80,000 has been raised.

PEATY FEUD TWIST

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More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.

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It’s election night in Robert Icke’s “Oedipus,” a modern retelling of Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” that must be the buzziest, if not the chicest, Broadway offering of the fall season.

The production, a prestigious London import that opened at Studio 54 on Thursday under Icke’s smart and sleek direction, stars a charismatic Mark Strong in the title role. His elegant and urbane Oedipus, a politician on the cusp of a momentous victory, prides himself on not playing by the old rules. A straight talker who has made transparency his calling card, he frequently veers off script in paroxysms of candor, to the chagrin of Creon (John Carroll Lynch), his brother-in-law who has been steering the campaign to what looks like a landslide victory.

But “count no mortal happy till / he has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain,” as the chorus intones at the end of Sophocles’ tragedy. There is no chorus in Icke’s version, but the sentiment holds, as Oedipus unravels the puzzle of his identity with the same relentlessness that has brought him to the brink of electoral triumph.

Anne Reid, left, and Olivia Reis in “Oedipus.”

(Julieta Cervantes)

A birther conspiracy has been raised by his political opponent, and Oedipus, speaking impromptu to reporters on-screen at the start of the play, promises to release his birth certificate and put an end to the controversy. What’s more, he vows to reopen an investigation into the death of Laius, the former leader who died 34 years ago under circumstances that have allowed rumor and innuendo to fester.

Oedipus calls himself Laius’ “successor, the inheritor of his legacy,” and in true Sophoclean fashion he speaks more than he knows. Jocasta (Lesley Manville in top form), Oedipus’ wife, was married to Laius, and so Oedipus is occupying his predecessor’s place in more ways than one.

In Sophocles’ play, Oedipus confronts a plague that has been laying waste to Thebes. In Icke’s drama, which had its premiere in Amsterdam in 2018, the pathogen is political. The civic body has fallen ill. Oedipus sees himself as an answer to the demagogic manipulation that has wrought havoc. The water is poisoned, economic inequality is out of control and immigrants have become an easy target. Sound familiar?

Icke’s Oedipus has an Obama-level of confidence in reason and reasonableness. His direct, pragmatic approach has seduced voters, but has it deluded him into thinking that he has all the answers? Oedipus is an ingenious problem solver. Puzzles entice his keen intellect, but he will have to learn the difference between a paradox and a riddle.

Mark Strong, left, and Samuel Brewer in “Oedipus.”

(Julieta Cervantes)

His daughter, Antigone (Olivia Reis), a scholar who has returned for her father’s big night, ventures to make the distinction: “One’s got a solution — one’s just something you have to live with?” But Oedipus is in no mood for academic hairsplitting.

A countdown clock marks the time until the election results will be announced. That hour, as audiences familiar with the original tragedy already know, is when Oedipus will discover his true identity.

Merope (Anne Reid), Oedipus’ mother, has unexpectedly turned up at campaign headquarters needing to speak to her son. Oedipus fears it has something to do with his dying father, but she tells him she just needs a few minutes alone with him. Thinking he has everything under control, he keeps putting her off, not knowing that she has come to warn him about revealing his birth certificate to the public.

The handling of this plot device, with the canny veteran Reid wandering in and out of the drama like an informational time bomb, is a little clumsy. There’s a prattling aspect to Icke’s delaying tactics. His “Oedipus” is more prose than poetry. The family dynamics are well drawn, though a tad overdone.

Mark Strong and the cast of “Oedipus.”

(Julieta Cervantes)

Reid’s Merope and Reis’ Antigone, ferocious in their different ways, refuse to play second fiddle to Manville’s Jocasta when it comes to Oedipus’ affections. Manville, who won an Olivier Award for her performance in “Oedipus,” delivers a performance as sublimely seething as her Oscar-nominated turn in “Phantom Thread.” Endowed with a formidable hauteur, her Jocasta acts graciously, but with an unmistakable note of condescension. As Oedipus’ wife, she assumes sexual pride of place, which only exacerbates tensions with Merope and Antigone.

Oedipus’ sons, Polyneices (James Wilbraham) and Eteocles (Jordan Scowen) are given personal backstories, but there is only so much domestic conflict that can be encompassed in a production that runs just under two hours without interruption. And Polyneices being gay and Eteocles being something of a philander would be of more interest in an “Oedipus” limited series.

When Sophocles’ tragedy is done right, it should resemble a mass more than a morality tale. Oedipus’ story has a ceremonial quality. The limits of human understanding are probed as a sacrificial figure challenges the inscrutable order of the universe. Icke, who views classics through a modern lens (“Hamlet,” “1984”), is perhaps more alert to the sociology than the metaphysics of the tragedy.

Oedipus’ flaws are writ large in his rash, heated dealings with anyone who stands in his way. Icke transforms Creon into a middle-of-the-road political strategist (embodied by Lynch with a combination of arrogance and long-suffering patience) and blind Teiresias (a stark Samuel Brewer) into a mendicant psychic too pathetic to be a pariah.

Mark Strong and Lesley Manville in “Oedipus.”

(Julieta Cervantes)

But Oedipus’ strengths — the keenness of his mind, his heroic commitment to truth and transparency — mustn’t be overlooked. Strong, who won an Olivier Award for his performance in Ivo van Hove’s revival of Arthur Miller’s “A View From the Bridge,” exposes the boyish vulnerability within the sophisticated politician in his sympathetically beguiling portrayal.

Wojciech Dziedzic’s costumes remake the protagonist into a modern European man. Yet true to his Ancient Greek lineage, this Oedipus is nothing if not paradoxical, suavely enjoying his privilege while brandishing his egalitarian views.

The production takes place on a fishbowl office set, designed by Hildegard Bechtler with a clinical and wholly contemporary austerity. The furnishings are removed as the election night draws to its conclusion, leaving no place for the characters to hide from the unwelcome knowledge that will upend their lives.

What do they discover? That everything they thought they understood about themselves was built on a lie. For all his brilliance, Oedipus was unable to outrun his fate, which in Icke’s version has less to do with the gods and more to do with animal instincts and social forces.

When Oedipus and Jocasta learn who they are to each other, passion rushes in before shame calls them to account. Freud wouldn’t be shocked. But it’s not the psychosexual dimension of Icke’s drama that is most memorable.

The ending, impeded by a retrospective coda, diminishes the full cathartic impact. But what we’re left with is the astute understanding of a special kind of hubris that afflicts the more talented politicians — those who believe they have the answers to society’s problems without recognizing the ignorance that is our common lot.

Vicky Pattison has confessed hilariously in her podcast with Angela Scanlon that there’s one element of their relationship that husband Ercan Ramadan finds a total turn off…

Strictly Come Dancing star Vicky Pattison has admitted there’s one part of her that husband Ercan Ramadan finds a major turn-off: her nostril hair. Speaking on an episode of Get a Grip, her podcast with former Strictly star Angela Scanlon, Vicky, 37, said, “Do you know what really p**ses off Erc? My nostril hair.”

Despite saying Ercan, 32, was “a hairy man” with “strong Cypriot roots,” Vicky said he was adamant that she took action from the moment they began dating more than six years ago. “He’s really anal about hair – when we first got started going out he was like, ‘I need to do your nostril hair,’ and I was like, ‘No, because they’re fair babe, so just leave it.’”

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Undeterred, Vicky revealed that Ercan took an electric trimmer to her nose, saying he “got up there with his weed-whacker thing” to remove the offending hairs. However, his solution failed to solve the problem. “Now they have grown back thicker and more determined,” she confessed.

Vicky, who’s dancing with pro Kai Widdrington on the hit BBC series, also told of her joy at coming top of the Leaderboard for the first time last weekend. She and Kai bagged the highest score with 39 points for their Tango to Taylor Swift’s The Fate of Ophelia, overtaking Amber Davies’ and Nikita Kuzmin’s Samba. “It just felt like it all came together,” Vicky told Angela, 41. “Even if that is the first and only time I get to be top of the Leaderboard I’m just so happy I got to do it once.”

She added, “It’s such a nice feeling – and it’s one I never thought I’d experience. I was in absolute shock, and I still am. I am dead proud of myself. I’m dead happy, I’m a bit emotional about it all, because I didn’t expect it.”

But Vicky also used this week’s podcast to again deny persistent rumours that she has slapped Ercan with a so-called ‘sex ban’ at home. “I’m not doing a sex ban,” she insisted, “but after doing the Samba all day, I’ve not got energy for the mattress mambo at home. I’m absolutely done in.”

Although the outspoken former Geordie Shore star loved being top of the Strictly pile last weekend, she still finds the elimination process nerve-shredding. “I have been unlucky enough to be in that final four and honestly it’s just the most awful feeling,” she said. “I know at some point I’ll have to be in the dance off, and it’ll be terrifying. It will just be awful.

“As we all know, I don’t deal with nerves very well or pressure, so I’m not looking forward to it. The relief when the light goes off you, and you’re squeezing hands – it’s very intense.”

She also told how she and Kai, 30, have been speaking about their plan to stay in touch after the show – although Vicky warned him, “Don’t think I’m going to be ringing you for a dance. When I’m f***ing done, I’m done. Everything’s going in the bin.”

But when their number is finally up, she’s looking forward to putting her feet up for a well-earned rest. “It’s obviously the most incredible experience ever, but it’s exhausting,” she told Angela. “I’m looking forward to having a nice Christmas.”

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MILLIE Bobby Brown looked incredible at the Stranger Things premiere in London in a showstopping black corset dress.

The actress, 21, who plays character Eleven on the hit series, attended the event alongside her fellow cast members including Sadie Sink and Natalie Dyer.

With its fifth and final season set to air on Netflix in just two weeks time, the cast reunited once again to celebrate ahead of the release.

Millie looked sensational in a dramatic lingerie-esque ensemble, consisting of a sheer corset and a black mini skirt with a flowing train of tuelle.

She paired the perfectly over-the-top piece with simple stockings and a pair of dark shiny stilletos.

As Millie strutted across the carpet in front of the Stranger Things promo poster, she eyed up the camera and adjusted her free-flowing brunette hair.

Her diamond droplet earrings tied the whole look together, as her only other accessory.

Meanwhile Sadie donned a gorgeous cream satin number, falling all the way to the floor.

Her waved auburn locks cascaded over her chest to where silver bead detailing framed the bust of the dress, as well as a sexy midriff cut-out.

Natalie also didn’t fail to look absolutely fabulous, oozing Hollywood glamour despite being all the way across the world in Britain.

She rocked a breathtaking pale lilac gown with a feathered trim, as her golden blonde hair flowed like honey down each shoulder.

But David Harbour was nowhere to be seen.

David has been a core member of the Stranger Things cast since it first aired in 2016.

Starring in the role of Jim Hopper, often referred to as Sheriff Hopper, he’s one of the series’ most beloved personalities, loved for his complex character arc.

It comes after Lily has been spotted out and about in London.

Just yesterday, the Smile hitmaker looked incredible in a see-through dress at the Hunger Games premiere.

STRANGE REUNION

Just last week Millie and David put on an overly affectionate display at the Stranger Things season five premiere in Los Angeles after it emerged he had been accused of bullying her.

Millie was bizarrely seen hugging her co-star, putting her hands on his shoulders and seemingly sharing a private joke.

The pair, who play father and daughter on the hit Netflix show, seemed to be at pain to show there was no animosity between them at the star-studded event at Los Angeles’ TCL Chinese Theatre.

It comes amid reports that Millie previously complained about her long-time castmate.

According to the Daily Mail, Millie is said to have reported David to Stranger Things show bosses, complaining about his behaviour while filming the fifth and final season.

The 21-year-old’s complaint included allegations of “harassment and bullying”.

While Netflix chose not to respond to the Daily Mail’s claims, at the premiere, the show’s co-creator Ross Duffer addressed these reports.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: “Obviously, you understand I can’t get into personal on-set matters, but I will say we’ve been doing this for 10 years with this cast, and at this point they’re family and we deeply care about them. 

” So, you know, nothing matters more than just having a set where everyone feels safe and happy.”

The unnamed source alleged that David’s ex Lily Allen “supported” him “throughout it all” and “it was a brutal time.”

LILY’S HEARTBREAK

Stranger Things star David got married to singer Lily, 40 in Las Vegas in 2020 before moving from London to the US.

However, in December friends confirmed they had split after living “separate lives” for months.

The Smile singer allegedly found his “secret profile” on a dating app.

David has found himself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, after Lily dropped ‘revenge’ album West End Girl last month.

On the album, Lily appeared to accuse her ex of having an affair with a woman named Madeline, as mentioned in songs Tennis and Madeline.

On the track Tennis, Lily sings: “So I read your text, and now I regret it.

“I can’t get my head round how you’ve been playing tennis. If it was just sex I wouldn’t be jealous

“You won’t play with me and who the f*** is Madeline?”

Writing on social media, one fan said: “Madeline – the Becky with the Good Hair of West End Girl – doesn’t escape unscathed.”

Another said: “Lily Allen dropping a whole song confronting the other woman named Madeline.”

And, referencing Dolly Parton’s iconic hit, a third added: “We got Jolene, Becky with the Good Hair and now Madeline.”

David is still yet to address the claims made on the album but has previously mentioned “slip-ups” he’s made in recent years.

The Netflix star said in an interview: “I would change either everything or nothing.

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“You either accept your path completely and realise that even the pain and the slip-ups and the mistakes are all part of the journey, and that there’s truth and growth, wisdom and deeper empathy and connection in all that.

“It’s kind of like a house of cards, the minute you try to change one thing you kind of have to change it all.”

Warner Bros. Discovery has modified Chief Executive David Zaslav’s contract for a second time this year to prepare for the company’s proposed breakup.

This month’s alterations were outlined in an SEC filing on Thursday — a week before initial bids are due in the Warner Bros. Discovery auction. Industry sources expect Paramount, Comcast and Netflix to make offers for the embattled entertainment company that owns HBO, CNN, Food Network and the storied Warner Bros. movie and television studios.

Warner Bros. Discovery declined to comment.

The sale kicked off in September when David Ellison-led Paramount made an unsolicited offer for Warner Bros. Discovery — a month after Ellison and RedBird Capital Partners had acquired Paramount from the Redstone family in an $8-billion deal. The company since has made at least three bids — but all were unanimously rejected by the Warner Bros. Discovery board, which viewed them as too low.

Paramount’s most recent solicitation for Warner Bros. Discovery was for $23.50 per share, which would value the company at about $58 billion.

The external jockeying for Warner Bros. Discovery set the stage for Zaslav and the Warner board to amend his employment agreement. The contract was revised Nov. 7 to clarify that various spin-off configurations would result in the same incentives for Zaslav.

Previously, his contract was amended to outline his compensation and incentives should the Warner Bros. studios and HBO Max spin off from the parent company, as envisioned when Warner announced its breakup plans in June. At the time, Zaslav planned to stay on to run the studios and streaming company, which would be called Warner Bros. in a nod to its historic roots and the pioneering days of the movie industry.

The plan was for the company’s two dozen cable networks, including CNN, TNT, Animal Planet and TLC, to remain behind and the company renamed Discovery Global.

The company is forging ahead with its breakup plans. However, it now plans to spin off the cable channels (Discovery Global) and keep the studios, HBO and the HBO Max streaming service as the surviving corporate entity (Warner Bros.).

“The amendment clarifies that if the separation is achieved by retaining Warner Bros. and spinning off Discovery Global (a ‘Reverse Spinoff’) rather than spinning off Warner Bros. … the Reverse Spinoff will be treated in the same manner … for all purposes of the Zaslav arrangements,” the filing said.

Previously, the company had envisioned that the split would be complete by Dec. 31, 2026. But a full-blown auction could upset those plans — and the transaction could close at a later date.

Zaslav’s contract was modified to extend his employment through December 2030. Previously, his contract was set to expire in December 2027.

“This extension is intended to secure Mr. Zaslav’s leadership of WBD for the same period that we had contracted to have him serve as the chief executive officer of Warner Bros. following a separation,” the filing said.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that nonbinding preliminary bids for the company are due Nov. 20.

Married at First Sight UK couple Leisha and Reiss have confirmed they are no longer together after the groom decided to end their marriage following the final vows

A Married at First Sight UK couple have called it quits after their final vows.

The E4 reality show, which has become one of the most talked-about dating experiments on telly, has kept viewers hooked for ten weeks.

One couple who’ve had a rollercoaster journey throughout the series are Leisha and Reiss.

The bride even found herself in hot water with co-stars Leah and Leigh after she shared a smooch with the latter during a day out with the cast.

Despite their turbulent time on the TV show, the couple made it to the final vows where they had to decide whether to stay together or part ways.

During their final vows, the couple voiced their worries about whether their relationship was robust enough to last, reports OK!.

To add to the drama, Leisha had already confessed her love for Reiss, but he was moving at a slower pace and chose not to reciprocate.

No one expected Reiss to commit to Leisha at the final ceremony, but he shocked everyone by agreeing that their marriage was far from over.

After a moment of uncertainty, they both confirmed that they wanted to continue their marriage beyond the experiment.

However, it seems the couple couldn’t make things work in the real world. During the first part of the eagerly awaited reunion on Thursday (November 13) night, Leisha broke down as she confessed she still loves Reiss.

Just before reuniting with her fellow castmates, Leisha confessed: “When we left the experiment, I was worried that I was more into the marriage than he was but we both worked hard to make it work.”

Reiss explained to the camera: “Since leaving the experiment, Leisha came down to see me and then I went up to Scotland.

“We had some cracking times and she is a beautiful girl inside and out but sadly we couldn’t make things work. I’ve not seen Leisha since it ended.”

An emotional Leisha couldn’t hold back her tears as she admitted: “I am devastated that my married with Reiss hasn’t worked out because I still love Reiss and I think about him everyday.”

She added: “So right now I’m feeling really sad because I really wanted it to work and I put my heart and soul into it and it just wasn’t reciprocated.”

Married at First Sight UK is available to stream on Channel 4

WAG Taylor Ward has shared a first photo of her newborn baby boy, after giving birth to her second child with footballer Riyad Mahrez. 

This summer Taylor, 27, gathered friends and family for a lavish celebration, where she and husband Riyad, 34, opened a giant box to discover they’re expecting a baby boy.

And now the star has announced his arrival, by posting a sweet black and white snap of them together in the hospital. 

Taylor, daughter of RHOC star Dawn Ward, revealed their son’s name, as she penned to fans: “Khayri Mahrez 🤍 Everything we dreamed of and more.” 

The blonde beauty looked content as she cradled her bundle of joy, with Riyad by her side in the hospital. 

In a second black and white snap, Taylor posted a photo of their daughter Mila, who was born in July 2022, holding her brother.

It’s A…

WAG Taylor Ward shares gender of second child with footballer Riyad Mahrez

HAPPY NEWS

WAG Taylor Ward reveals she’s expecting second child with Riyad Mahrez

Fans and friends flooded the comments with messages of congratulations.

Footballer Jack Grealish penned: “congratulations guys,” followed by blue heart emojis.

And Molly-Mae Hague wrote: “Congratulations special mumma !!!!”

Loose Women star Denise Welch wrote: “Taylor!!! The first boy!!! So wonderful.”

And Taylor’s mum Dawn commented a string of heart eye emojis.

Right winger Riyad – who plays for the Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli – has two other children from a previous marriage with internet personality, Rita Johal.

She initially tied the knot with the footballer in an intimate and low-key religious ceremony in January 2022.

The duo then officially wed in a legal ceremony in September 2023 at The Londoner Hotel.

This was before they celebrated with their family and friends at a lavish ceremony at Lake Como in Italy.

Imprisoned rapper Tory Lanez has failed in his efforts to overturn his guilty verdict for shooting Megan Thee Stallion five years ago.

A three-judge panel from the California 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled against 33-year-old Lanez (legal name Daystar Peterson) on Wednesday, reinforcing his convictions on three felony counts stemming from the violent incident in 2020. Neither representatives for Peterson or Megan Thee Stallion (legal name Megan Pete) immediately responded to requests for comment on Thursday.

Peterson’s legal team can petition to have the California Supreme Court hear the appeal, despite Wednesday’s decision.

Canadian musician Peterson, who rose to popularity in the late 2000s, was convicted in December 2022 of assault and weapons offenses. He was convicted of assault with a firearm, illegal possession of a firearm and negligent discharge of a gun, following a two-week trial that featured tearful testimony from Pete.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August 2023. Peterson is currently carrying out his sentence at the California Men’s Colony near San Luis Obispo. He was relocated there after he was stabbed by a fellow inmate at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi earlier this year.

“Savage” rapper Pete, on the other hand, is currently at the center of two legal disputes. One is a harassment suit filed against her in 2024, from a cameraman who alleges that she forced him to watch her have sex in a car while on tour in Europe. The other is a 2024 defamation lawsuit against blogger Milagro Gramz.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Two Big Brother housemates were forced to leave the ITV show immediately

Two Big Brother housemates were forced to leave the ITV show immediately in the latest episode.

In scenes which were aired tonight (Thursday, November 13) Marcus and Teja were booted out just one day before the grand final. It means they just miss out on a chance to bag the £100,000 prize.

Farmer Cameron from Somerset had already been handed a ticket to the final following a round of challenges and a decision made by his fellow contestants.

The rest were subjected to a public vote, with no nominations taking place in the final week, reports OK! Viewers were able to choose which they wanted to save.

Two with the fewest votes would be kicked out. It comes after the house was transformed into the Emerald City, in celebration of the upcoming film release Wicked For Good.

Big Brother housemates were told they were now citizens of Oz. Not only were they tasked with rebuilding the yellow brick road but they also faced challenges to win a party.

However, the party soon turned unlucky for a couple of housemates. After The Emerald City Party, they returned to the Yellow Brick Road to receive a gift from The Wizard.

Big Brother told them: ” Ozians, you stand before The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He has decided to reward each of you with a very special gift.”

Each Housemate is instructed to open the gift in front of them. Some of them received special items to commemorate their time in the house.

For example, Richard was given a golden keyboard and Elsa a Princess wedding dress. However, two housemates were given their marching orders, marking the end of their time in the Big Brother House and they had to leave immediately.

The remaining six housemates are now officially Big Brother Finalists. Those left in the house will now battle it out for the title of this year’s winner. Among the confirmed finalists are Cameron, Elsa, Richard, Tate, Jenny and Emily.

The public will continue to cast their votes for their favourite ahead of Friday’s (November 14) live final. Presenters AJ Odudu and Will Best will be back to announce the final standings of each housemate.

Viewers at home were quick to react to the latest twist as the series nears its conclusion. Sharing their reactions on social media, one viewer posted: “Oh wow, my face was the same as Jenny’s when I saw that ticket.”

Another chimed in: “How you gonna give Elsa a wedding dress and Marcus a ticket home omg. LMAO.”

While another commented: “Wow Big Brother, that was brutal.” Another shocked viewer said: “Teja was evicted?” I’m so shocked! I thought she was gonna be in the top three at least. “.

Big Brother concludes tomorrow at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.

HE’S a happily married dad of two but Olly Murs is still a lad at heart and he wanted his new album to reflect that fun part of his personality. 

And by laddish, the upbeat singer means a good old-fashioned knees up — the title of his eighth record. 

“There’s always a moment to be a lad, right?” he laughs. “And that’s what this album is about — I’m going back to my roots. 

“This was probably the kind of album that I wanted to launch my career with, but I didn’t.

“For a long time, I was making records for other people, my fans and what I thought they wanted to hear.

“This time I wanted to make an album for me.” 

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I meet the singer at his record label where he’s about to head into an afternoon of rehearsals.  

And, surprisingly, unlike most dads with newborn babies, he’s managed a full night’s sleep.  

“Albert — Alby — is a dream,” he says of his son, born in September. “I’ve had a really good time with him, it’s been lovely.

“I’ve been getting loads of time with him.”

“Cuddles, seeing him grow, that little smile. 

“He’s such a good baby and he sleeps, which is important because I need sleep.

“If sleeping was an Olympic sport, I’d be there. 

“Maybe he takes after me. 

“We’ve been blessed so far after ten weeks. 

“He’s giggling, he doesn’t really cry.  

“He had his vaccines this week which were horrible.

“I had to cancel work yesterday because [his wife] Amelia did it with [daughter] Madi and I never did, so I wanted to be there.  

“Bless him, he wasn’t in a good place, he was proper aggy.

“So, I cancelled a bit of work, which is unlike me, but family comes first.” 

For years, Murs put his career first and everything — and everyone — else came a distant second. 

“Now life is very different,” he tells me.

“Now Amelia and the kids are everything and my career is still there, but I have a different way of looking at life — and I love it.” 

He has no expectations for the new album, which makes the prospect of putting it out even more exciting. 

He says: “I’m out here doing my thing, and if people like it, great. If you don’t, it is what it is.  

“I’m just happy doing my thing. 

“I’ve got to a point where I want to try different things and musically this isn’t too far away from what I’ve done before – it feels authentic to me, and I’m enjoying it.  

“I’ve got to tell myself that more, because there is the other side of me that’s the ego.

“I want a number one, I want that trophy.

“I want that plaque on the wall. And I’ve got to keep that desire, otherwise, what’s the point?

“I want things to matter. Of course, I do. 

“My thing is that I don’t sit in one place.

“My unique selling point is that I can jump on radio or TV and present a show, and at the same time, I can release music and have success and also tour the country.  

Caroline was a good friend and she took her own life. The documentary has come out this week so it’s been difficult. It has brought things back.

Olly on Caroline Flack

“There is a uniqueness with me that I am proud of.” 

Knees Up draws heavily on the ska and pop influences of Madness and The Specials, the bands Murs adored as a kid. 

He says: “When I first started, I was asked to list all the songs I liked if I was to make the best album ever.  

“It was The Specials, Madness, a bit of Stevie Wonder, The Kooks who were my favourite band at the time, Robbie Williams and Paolo Nutini. 

“Save Me, the first song on the album is very Madness and that spearheaded which direction the music went in.

“I feel like it’s Madness meets The Streets, with a bit of Rizzle Kicks.

“This could be an album Heart Skips A Beat fits on.” 

There’s plenty of fun moments on the album.

Still Getting Used To The Ring is a mischievous song about settling into marriage.  

“That song is definitely the cheeky side of me,” laughs Murs.

“It came from a lyric I wrote on my phone.

“Sometimes when I’m writing songs, I will say to co-writers Ed Drewett and James New, ‘If I sing that the Mrs won’t be happy’, but then we’ll write it in a sense that I’m still getting used to being a husband, I’m still getting used to being dad.  

“So, I forget to do the little things and I might not be perfect, but I’m still getting used to the ring.” 

When it comes to choosing a favourite from Knees Up, Murs says Honest is the one he keeps coming back to. 

“Honest for me is every bloke’s nightmare,” he explains.

“It’s about when they walk in from a day at work and they just know that there’s a cloud upon the house. 

“There’s been times when I’ve got home and I just know that Amelia is annoyed about something I’ve done — but I don’t know what that is.  

“The song is about not knowing what you have done wrong.

“That song was fun to write.” 

Cut To The Chase, which Murs jokingly calls “my sexy song”, sees him tapping into a flirtier, more confident vibe. 

He says: “It is about how sometimes in life we are busy and with kids we don’t get any intimacy or moments together.  

“It’s about the cut to the chase which really resonated with me as we are always crossing paths.  

“It is also a fun song to sing and when I played it to Amelia she loved it.  

“She also thinks my fans will love that one, because it’s ‘big bandy’. 

“It’s got the brass and is very old school London with ukulele and banjo in it.  

“Like music from an old gentlemen’s club, or a cool bar with fancy tables. 

“It’s got a very classic feel to it.

“Classic AND classy — you’d never know it was about sex.” 

I’ve done a lot of tours in the last three years and I’ve got married. I’m now on Heart radio station every Saturday with Wrighty [Mark Wright], I’ve written an album and I just think I need a bit of time for me.

Olly on why he might not be doing many gigs for a while

Chin Up, the song that closes the album, carries a more serious tone.  

Murs says: “That’s about mental health and to do with what I went through with some friends in the last year.  

“It’s been a tough year for a lot of my friends who have reached out to me to chat and that song came from that. 

‘Her feelgood vibe’ 

“That song is about encouraging men to speak out and talk. And when we were writing it, we felt it was important to keep your chin up and everything is going to be fine. 

“I went to a charity dads’ club recently for a TV show — it was a Sunday club at a school where all the dads can turn up with their kids once a month and they play games and have a couple of hours together.  

“It’s important, because a lot of dads go to work in the week as of course woman do too, but it’s important for dads to come along and meet other dads and feel like they’ve got a group.  

“One guy was telling me about the positives but also that they’d lost one guy to suicide.

“A dad had taken his own life. And it really hit me.  

“So I’m glad I’ve written that song and hopefully it can help someone.” 

The subject is clearly a personal one for Murs, and it leads him to think about a loss closer to home, that of TV presenter Caroline Flack, who died in 2020.

The documentary Search For The Truth by her mum Christine premiered on Disney+ this week. 

“Caroline was a good friend and she took her own life. The documentary has come out this week so it’s been difficult,” he says, the emotion clear.  

“It has brought things back.

“I try and always remember the positive things with Caz.  

“I don’t try and think too much about the negative stuff, because if I do, I go down a rabbit hole of emotions, and unfortunately, it’s not going to bring her back.

“I just remember her laugh, her jokes and her feelgood vibe.

“I wish she was still here, of course, and it hurts to watch her old shows.” 

A different loss felt by Murs is that of his estranged twin brother Ben, who cut himself off from Murs and his parents when the singer missed Ben’s wedding in 2009 to perform in the live semi-finals of The X Factor. 

‘Always on the go’ 

Murs says: “I’m proud of Ben.

“I don’t see him, but I’m proud of him.  

“There isn’t any bitterness or anger there. 

“I’m just really proud of where my career is, and from what I hear, Ben’s doing great too, and that’s all I care about.  

“We’re older men now, we’re in our 40s, so I’m sure at some point we’ll figure it out.” 

Next month Murs plays a London show to celebrate the new album and he is excited about what might be his only gig in a while. 

He says: “The truth is I don’t even know what I’m doing next year.

“I don’t even know if I’m ever going to tour this album properly.  

“I’m doing this show at Kentish Town Forum and it might even be the only one I do for this album.  

“I’ve done a lot of tours in the last three years and I’ve got married.

“I’m now on Heart radio station every Saturday with Wrighty [Mark Wright], I’ve written an album and I just think I need a bit of time for me.”

“But then I’m always on the go and I like that.

“I don’t know what I’m doing next — I’ve got plans and ideas but I’m just going to see what happens. 

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“I’m going to roll with it.” 

• Knees Up is out on November 21. Olly Murs headlines Kentish Town Forum on December 8. 

KNEES UP  

Olly Murs 

★★★★☆

“South Park” is known for pushing the envelope, but the latest episode has been described by fans online as “nightmare fuel.”

In what is arguably one of the most disturbing episodes of the year, “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone explore just how easy it is to create artificial intelligence-generated videos — and how easy it is for some people to fall for them, or to be convinced that real videos are fake.

The conversation about Wednesday’s episode has largely revolved around President Trump and Vice President JD Vance being depicted having sex. They tell reporters the leaked video of their affair was a fake, created with Sora 2, the latest version of OpenAI’s video generator.

In the same episode, titled “Sora Not Sorry,” the children of South Park generate revenge-porn videos using Sora as a means of getting back at each other. Butters creates an explicit video of Red with Santa Claus, and then she creates a similarly explicit video featuring Butters and Totoro, of the Studio Ghibli classic “My Neighbor Totoro.”

Chaos then ensues as the children make a frenzy of AI-generated videos featuring well-known (and copyright-protected) animated characters. The South Park police force is dumbfounded by the videos, believing they are real.

Droopy Dog, Rocky, Bullwinkle, Popeye and even the beloved preschool character Bluey are mentioned or make appearances in the episode. Representatives for Studio Ghibli also appear, offering a voice of reason in the madness, saying, “You cannot just do whatever you want with someone else’s IP.”

It echoes the real response Studio Ghibli had when Sora 2 emerged, arguing that OpenAI likely used its content and other Japanese art as machine learning data. The Content Overseas Distribution Assn., an anti-piracy organization representing Japanese IP holders, released a letter in late October saying the organization believes OpenAI’s actions “may constitute copyright infringement.” CODA demanded that OpenAI stop using Japanese content for machine learning and requested that the company respond to claims of copyright infringement “sincerely.”

The latest update to Sora, released at the end of September, is “more physically accurate, realistic, and more controllable than prior systems,” according to OpenAI, and it also features synchronized dialogue and sound effects.

The company sparked swift backlash as it rolled out the new version because it was operating under a system where intellectual property owners had to opt out of the app, which meant users could create videos featuring popular actors, characters, voices and likenesses until the rights holders made the opt-out request.

Unauthorized deepfakes of celebrities, dead figures and copyrighted characters began circulating quickly, including videos of Robin Williams, Michael Jackson and Martin Luther King Jr. in what the company called “disrespectful depictions of Dr. King’s image.” OpenAI and King’s estate released a joint statement in October saying the app would block the ability to create generations featuring King as the company “strengthens guardrails for historical figures.”

After a slew of Hollywood studios and agencies expressed their frustration with this policy, OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman wrote in a blog post that the AI company will be giving rights holders “more granular control over generation of characters, similar to the opt-in model for likeness but with additional controls.”

Some studios have expressed interest in the user-generated content space, with Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger saying on a recent earnings call that the company was having “productive conversations” with unnamed AI companies in an effort to reach an agreement that would also “reflect our need to protect the IP.”

Back at South Park Elementary, as the battle of disturbing AI-generated videos heats up, Kyle questions how creating that kind of content, especially with copyrighted characters, is legal. “Nothing is sacred, Kyle,” Butters tells him. “All you can do is fight fire with fire.”

The episode seems to address Parker and Stone’s own frustrations with their work being replicated, as evidenced by a line from billionaire Peter Thiel, who also appears in the episode: “With Sora 2, I can make the South Park kid do just about anything.”

One EastEnders star departed Walford tonight in sad scenes – with more exits set to come on the BBC soap

An EastEnders star has bid farewell to the Square. Micah Balfour departed the BBC soap this evening, just eighteen months after joining as George Knight’s estranged son Junior.

In sad scenes this evening, Junior said goodbye to his ex Cindy and his sisters Anna and Gina. He shared his prized car with his uncle Kojo and warned his dad to stay away from Nicola Mitchell.

As he bid farewell to the Square, he headed off to start a new life in Dubai. A BBC spokesperson previously confirmed the departure to The Mirror, explaining: “We can confirm Micah will be leaving EastEnders later this year, we wish him all the best for the future.”

When Junior arrived on the Square less than two years ago, bosses teased “there is more to Junior than meets the eye”.

Upon his casting on EastEnders, then-executive producer Chris Clenshaw said in a statement: “I’m delighted to welcome Micah Balfour to the cast of EastEnders as he takes on the role of Junior Knight.

“Although Junior has been referenced since the Knights arrived in the Square, the audience knows very little about George’s son and the circumstances behind their estrangement.

“Junior arrives in Walford following an unlikely meeting with his dad, and is quickly thrust into the heart of the drama. However, it will soon become apparent to viewers that there is more to Junior than meets the eye.”

Micah’s exit from the BBC soap comes just before the departure of Anna Knight, played by Molly Rainford.

“New boss Ben Wadey is making sweeping changes on the show and his decision coincided with Molly deciding she wanted to pursue other challenges,” a source added, “She’s hugely talented and wants to spread her wings and see what else is out there for her.”

“Molly came into the show two years ago, and in that time has been trusted with some great storylines. It’s just so happened that when Molly was considering other options in her career, a meeting was held to discuss the future of the character, and both parties were in mutual agreement that it was the right time for Anna Knight to wave goodbye to Walford.”

Of Micah’s departure, a source said: “Bosses decided not to renew Micah’s contract and he filmed his final scenes last month. Obviously Micah was gutted but he understands how it all works. His final scenes will air before Chris­t­mas. The door is being left open.”

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I USED to fancy the pants off of Charlie Hunnam.

But after seeing him turn into creepy serial killer Ed Gein in the latest instalment of Ryan Murphy’s Monster series on Netflix, I have cooled a little.

Luckily for Charlie, his girlfriend Morgana McNelis was spotted with a huge diamond on her ring finger, so it looks like she said yes top being his wife.

She was seen wearing the enormous rock during a day out this week.

A photographer friend of mine in the US said: “Charlie and Morgana have been together for almost 20 years so it’s about time he popped the question.

“She had this huge diamond on her ring finger, so it seems like Charlie has asked her to be his wife.

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“This is the first time she’s ever been seen wearing it too, so maybe that Netflix pay cheque came in handy.”

Charlie previously admitted Morgana had been pushing him towards the aisle, despite the actor feeling “indifferent” about getting married.

He said: “She does not feel the same. She’s very eager.

“I’ll do it because it’s important to her but I don’t have any great romantic feelings towards it.”

After feeling the heat from social media, Charlie later clarified his comments and said: “That really hurt my girlfriend’s feelings and I really regretted saying that.

“I actually didn’t mean it at all, it was, frankly, just stupid s**t I said in the heat of the moment.

“I’m, like, so romantic, and the reality is I sort of consider myself married. I’ve been with my girlfriend for 14 years.

“I suppose what I was trying to articulate is the official government sanction of it doesn’t mean anything to me, but the romance of it means an enormous amount.”

After that hoohaa, I wouldn’t be surprised if Charlie went all out with his proposal.

Ellie’s beau strips for vid

ELLIE GOULDING has roped in a favour close to home for her new video – by enlisting her real-life boyfriend to play the love interest.

She will drop the visuals to Destiny at 3pm today and my exclusive first look shows her with muscly actor Beau Minniear, who I told you she was dating in July.

It features a series of steamy scenes, including Ellie hugging the topless hunk, straddling him with a camera in hand, and, in one of the quirkiest parts, snogging with veils over their faces.

Now I’m excited for the next album.

Gaga lithium breakdown

LADY GAGA had a psychotic episode after shooting A Star Is Born, which is why she cancelled much of the European leg of her 2018 Joanne tour.

She told Rolling Stone magazine: “I did A Star Is Born on lithium.”

On breaking down afterwards, she said: “There was one day that my sister said to me, ‘I don’t see my sister any more’.

“And I cancelled the tour. There was one day I went to the hospital for psychiatric care.

“I needed to take a break. I couldn’t do anything. I completely crashed, it was really scary.

“There was a time where I didn’t think I could get better . . .  I feel really lucky to be alive. I know that might sound dramatic, but we know how this can go.”

Thankfully Gaga, who said she is on “some, but not as many” antipsychotics now, is in a much better place.

And she’s got a surprise career away from music, having co-founded a skin-health research firm in the US alongside her fiancé Michael Polansky.

It’s called Outer Biosciences and 20 employees.

Meanwhile, the couple are more eager than ever to tie the knot.

Michael said: “We’re talking about it all the time. We have these breaks, and they’re tempting.

“It’s like, ‘OK, can we get married that weekend?’ We don’t want a really big wedding, but we want to enjoy it.”

Sara sis surprise

IT’S the final day of Sara Cox’s epic Radio 2 Great Northern Marathon for Children In Need – and she has absolutely smashed it.

Through tears and triumph, the teatime presenter proved that with great support, physical resilience and pure grit you can achieve so much.

She will today complete the 135 miles, heading past my old University digs in Headingley, Leeds, for the final mission of getting Pudsey Bear to the Yorkshire town of Pudsey.

Sara was yesterday given an extra boost as her sister Dot turned up to give her a cuddle, with Sara telling me: “That was a lovely surprise.”

And she got another when her mum Jackie rang her, saying: “We’re tracking you from India.”

Sara said: “It’s been amazing and painful. My shins are so sore.”

Speaking to me ahead of the final day, Sara paid tribute to the thousands of people who have turned out for her along the route.

Some have driven miles to catch a glimpse of her.

Sara told me: “The people coming out in the villages made me skip along a little bit faster. It’s been tough finishing in the dark because miles in the dark just seem to go so slowly.

“It has been brutal and tough but I’ve been given such a boost from people. It’s been amazing.”

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Sara was this morning starting to push her fundraising to over £3million. I expect donations to go through the roof as she appears live on BBC One’s Children In Need tonight.

If you can, join me in donating at donate.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/sara.

It takes a certain composure, as a teenager, to walk out onto Taylor Swift’s stage in a sold-out stadium and play an opening set to tens of thousands of fans who have never heard of you. But it takes even more conviction to use the occasion to play music almost guaranteed to leave them squirming — grimy, bloodletting noise-rock and electro about being a sexual menace and growing disillusioned with God.

The now-20-year-old singer-songwriter Sofia Isella did that last year, opening on the Australian run of Swift’s Eras tour. “Taylor was an angel for allowing me to share that stage,” L.A.-raised Isella said. “I wish I could have recorded that feeling. But the show itself is not as nerve-wracking as it is playing for 20 people. There’s something about a giant room that almost feels a little dissociative, like it’s not really happening or it’s not really there.”

“Dissociative” is a decent descriptor for Isella’s music, too — disorienting, unnerving, drawing out emotions you might not understand. But there’s so much skill in the performances and imagination in her arrangements that they may well get Isella — who plays the Fonda Theater on Nov. 16 — onto much bigger stages of her own, just as the world gets much bleaker around her.

“This next record, I’m having so much fun with s— that’s really f— dark,” Isella said. “It’s like, the only way to stop screaming about it is to have a moment laughing about it.”

Isella grew up in Los Angeles in a family with enough entertainment-biz acclaim to make being an artist feel like a viable career. Yet they still let her be feral and freewheeling in developing her craft. Her father, the Chilean American cinematographer Claudio Miranda, won an Oscar for 2012’s “Life of Pi” and shot “Top Gun: Maverick” and the recent racing hit “F1” (Her mom is the author Kelli Bean-Miranda). Looking back on her bucolic childhood in L.A., Isella recalled it filled with music and boundless encouragement, worlds away from her social media-addled peers.

“I’d been homeschooled my whole life,” Isella said. “My mom would leave little trails of poetry books for me to find, and my dad would set up GarageBand and leave me for hours with all the instruments and nothing but free time. I didn’t even have a phone until I was 16. When I first was on TikTok, I saw everyone had the same personality, because they had been watching each other for so long. Being around kids my age was so strange, because I’d grown up around adults — like, ‘Oh, these kids are so sweet and kind and adorable, but they think I’m one of them.’”

After her family temporarily moved to Australia during the pandemic and Isella began self-releasing music, it became clear that her talents set her very far apart. Drawing on her early background in classical music and a fascination with scabrous rock and electronic music, she found a sound that melded the Velvet Underground and Nico’s elegant miserablism, Chelsea Wolfe and Lingua Ignota’s doom-laden art metal and the close-miked , creepy goth-pop of Billie Eilish’s first LP.

Isella began self-releasing music during the pandemic. Since then, she’s landed opener spots on multiple high-profile tours.

(@okaynicolita)

Her early music showed a withering humor and skepticism of the culture around her (“All of Human Knowledge Made Us Dumb,” “Everybody Supports Women”), but singles came at rapid clip and translated surprisingly well on the social media platforms she loathed (she has 1.3 million followers on TikTok). It all got her onto stages with Melanie Martinez and Glass Animals and, eventually, Swift. (A Florence + The Machine arena tour opening slot is up next.)

On 2024’s writhing EP “I Can Be Your Mother,” songs like “Sex Concept” had the sensual fatalism of poets like Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath, paired with the drippy erotic menace of Nine Inch Nails. “I’ll bend him over backwards, give him something to believe in,” she sings. “We’ll play the game, both go insane and then we’ll call it even … I’m the only god that you’ll ever believe in.”

“The first EP was this whole story of giving birth to yourself, this giant stretched-out muse,” Isella said, leaning into a stemwinder about the genesis of art. “It just doesn’t feel like it’s coming from me. It feels like it’s coming from some weird thing I somewhat worship.”

A May 2025 follow-up, “I’m Camera,” dealt with the depersonalizing effects of sudden attention. On “Josephine,” she makes tour life feel like a proverbial grippy-sock vacation to the breakdown ward — “I’m sock-footed, sick and selfish holding strangers’ hands … I lost something, I sold it, I only remember the ache.”

Isella’s wariness of institutions extends to her recording career. She’s still independent for now — surprising for an artist on Swift’s radar — and uncompromising about what a label would demand of her compared to what they can provide. “I’ve met with a lot of the big dogs, and they’re very kind people, but I just love the feeling of being independent,” Isella said. “Maybe I’ll change my mind on that, but I’m trying to fully understand a label and what its functions are, what it gives the artist in a social media day. I’m trying to fully assess that before I sign any magic papers.”

Her newest material (and her subversively eerie, Francesa Woodman-evoking music videos like “Muse”) feel perfectly timed to the apocalyptic mood in L.A. and the U.S. now, where an inexorable slide to ruin feels biblical. “Out In the Garden,” from September, hits some of the Southern gothic moods of Ethel Cain, but with a sense of acidic pity that’s all her own. “That there’s a small part of me that’s envious / That you full-heartedly believe someone is always there,” she sings. “That will always love you, and there’s a plan for you out there.”

Even at her bleakest, there’s a curdled humor underneath (her current tour is subtitled “You’ll Understand More, Dick”). But if this little sliver of young fame has taught Isella anything, it’s that even when everyone wants a piece of you, no one is actually coming to save any of us.

“There’s nothing with weight, nothing that’s meaningful, to blind faith,” Isella said. “On this next record, I’m about to go really angry because religion really pisses me off, it inflames me. But it’s the most beautiful placebo to imagine that there’s a father that loves you no matter what you do. I’m a really lucky person in that I’ve always been safe and protected, but if you’ve had a rough life, that is insanely powerful to imagine that and believe that.”