SHOW BIZ

Several years ago, DreamWorks Animation veterans Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado pitched the studio an original story centered on friendship and steeped in Filipino culture.

That draft became the animated film “Forgotten Island,” which opened in late September and counts singer H.E.R., Liza Soberano and Dave Franco among its voice cast. The movie focuses on best friends Raissa and Jo, who will soon be separated when Raissa goes to college in the U.S., and the final adventure they take to the fantastical island of Nakali.

The movie opened to a softer $13 million in the U.S. and Canada and has so far made $23.6 million at the domestic box office over two weekends. Globally, “Forgotten Island” has brought in $38.5 million on an $80-million production budget.

That opening haul is lower than the average for original animated films from a major studio, which is about $14.6 million, according to the FranchiseRe movie industry newsletter. But the studio is hoping the movie — which has garnered a strong 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes — will pick up steam and benefit from the relative lack of animated competition at the box office until the early November debut of “The Cat in the Hat,” developed by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation.

“Forgotten Island” is a big bet for Glendale-based DreamWorks Animation, which like many studios, has largely depended on sequels to drive box office success.

Original animated stories — or original movies at all — have become rarer gambles in Hollywood these days, when sequels and reboots feel like safer options. But Crawford and Mercado knew they wanted to develop a new story together.

The pair, who wrote and directed the film, have been friends for nearly two decades after they met at DreamWorks Animation as storyboard artists. Together, they’ve worked on 2011’s “Kung Fu Panda 2,” 2013’s “The Croods” and 2022’s “Puss in Boots: The Final Wish.” The two bonded over their similar sense of humor and their love for movies, and their longtime friendship was apparent in their easy banter during a joint interview shortly after the “Forgotten Island” premiere last month.

Early on, Crawford and Mercado knew they wanted to tell a story set in the Philippines that celebrated Filipino culture. Mercado is Filipino American and Crawford’s wife is Filipino, so a movie that authentically represented Filipino culture was important to them. In the film, the island of Nakali has many creatures inspired by Filipino folklore, and the characters casually use Tagalog words alongside English.

“There’s a sophistication in terms of respecting that the audience is smart, and doing our part as filmmakers to make sure that the visual storytelling and the context gives everything the audience needs to know,” Mercado told me.

Audiences, too, are more comfortable with content in other languages these days, as I wrote last week about Neon’s Korean-language thriller “Hope.” After all, kids will sing Korean lyrics in K-pop songs, and even “Puss in Boots: The Final Wish” interspersed Spanglish into the story.

“It feels timely to update the way we tell stories, to not treat the audience like, ‘They won’t understand this,’ but really treat them with respect,” Crawford said. “It just felt right to chase authenticity and let go of expectations, especially of what an animated movie should be and has been, and really do something fresh because it’s just coming from who we are.”

In the last few years, animation has been a powerhouse at the box office. Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” and Universal Pictures, Nintendo and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” have each crossed $1 billion at the global box office, two of only five movies to do so this year. In 2024, Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” was the highest grossing movie in the U.S. and Canadian markets.

Original stories have been tougher. Pixar has recently struggled to match the theatrical success of its prior original films and the slower start for “Forgotten Island” may be a sign of similar hurdles for new stories. But culturally accurate storytelling has paid recent dividends — just look at the success of Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters,” which won two Oscars, broke streaming records and sold out theatrical singalongs.

“We believe that there is a platform and space for everyone’s story, for people to feel seen and to know they matter,” Mercado said. “Even when they see a story that is specifically Filipino, if we’ve done our job right, we’ve shown you that you could connect to the story, whether or not you have this experience with the Filipino community or the culture.”

With “Forgotten Island,” Mercado and Crawford also want to push the boundaries of animation beyond its perception as films just for kids. Later this year, films such as Laika’s PG-13 rated “Wildwood” and Brad Bird’s noir film “Ray Gunn” will test the audience appetite for more adult animated and original fare.

“We’re in a time of massive sequels,” Crawford said of stories today. “When you expand where you’re telling them and who is telling them, you naturally get originality. This year has been really exciting for original stories in both animation and live action. You are taking a chance on originality, but it pays off.”

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

The Tom Cruise-led “Digger” tanked at the box office last weekend with a domestic debut of $8 million, good enough for fifth place.

The Warner Bros. film was plagued by very mixed reviews from critics, as well as a challenging marketing campaign. The film stars Cruise as an aging oil tycoon whose drilling operations trigger a catastrophic climate change disaster. Worldwide, the film brought in $20 million on a production budget of $125 million.

It’s been a tough theatrical year for Warner Bros., which has seen a string of disappointments before “Digger.” Beyond the cinema, the company is now in the process of being absorbed by Paramount Skydance, with the merger set to finalize Tuesday.

What I’m watching

It’s been yet another busy week, so about the only thing I was able to watch was a few WNBA playoff games. Since the Sparks were left out of the playoff picture again, I’ve sort of adopted the Golden State Valkyries as the next best California team to root for, and what a wild game that was over the weekend against the Las Vegas Aces.

On the set of CBS’ legacy soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful” at the Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Hollywood, two actors were caught in a fiery exchange.

“Do you want to know where Jack was last night?” actor Skyla Lynne asked with a sly grin. “He was with me.”

From behind a monitor displaying a vertically oriented feed, the director interjected: “Could you pause a bit more in between those lines? We might want to do an episode break there.”

The scene wasn’t for an episode of the famous soap opera. It was part of the 40-episode second season of “Hollywood Starlet,” a new microdrama series from “The Bold and the Beautiful” head writer Bradley Bell and his son Oliver.

“I’ve been doing soap operas my whole life, and it felt like there’s been a buzz about microdramas, and it really felt like a natural extension to the stories that we do,” Bradley Bell said. “[On soap operas] we build two cliffhangers usually on Fridays to keep the viewers over the weekend. Here, you do it every couple of minutes. It’s like speeding up the dance routine, but it’s really right in our lane of soap operas.”

Microdramas are the scrollable, cliffhanger-heavy stories built for phone screens. They are giving audiences a new way into the kind of stories that once belonged to traditional soap operas and telenovelas. The so-called vertical format originated in China a few years ago and has drawn a growing global audience thanks to its short, addictive nature. Hollywood names, including Issa Rae and Kevin Hart, are joining in.

Now, Bell is moving into the space. The 16-time Emmy winner and his son Oliver recently launched a production company called Red Flair Entertainment to capitalize on the format.

“Hollywood Starlet,” their first production, premiered Sept. 3 on aTwist, a new vertical series app founded by industry veterans Jana Winograde, former president of Showtime; Susan Rovner, former president of Warner Bros. Television; and Lloyd Braun, former chairman of WME.

Oliver Bell, founder of Red Flair Entertainment, is producing the micro series, “Hollywood Starlet,” being filmed at Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Los Angeles.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Bradley Bell says it was Oliver who hatched the idea.

“I saw this unique format and was fascinated by it,” Oliver Bell said. “I noticed some areas that we could quite easily improve on.”

Microdramas first came across Oliver’s social media feed around a year and a half ago when he was still in college. The 24-year-old said he quickly “fell down a rabbit hole” and became so obsessed with the format that he wrote his dissertation at the University of St Andrews in Scotland on soap operas and microdramas.

After he graduated in December, he and his father founded Red Flair Entertainment and started to develop “Hollywood Starlet,” with Oliver serving as an executive producer and his father as a producer.

The series — which costs about $175,000 to $220,000 a season to produce — is being financed by aTwist. Red Flair has a backend deal, allowing it to share in subscription revenue the show generates for the platform.

After filming two seasons of “Hollywood Starlet,” Red Flair plans several more vertical series across many different genres, like horror and romance, the Bells said.

Oliver grew up visiting sets and eavesdropping on writing meetings from under his father’s desk. The family’s storytelling line runs back to his grandparents, William Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, who created “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Oliver says he’s carrying on that legacy in a very Gen Z way.

“In a way, microdramas are just the natural evolution of the soap opera,” Oliver Bell said. “You could kind of trace the legacy through that and the modernization of serialized TV.”

His father, who was working on episode 9,911 of “The Bold and the Beautiful” while speaking with The Times, said the short-form stories can reach younger viewers who might be daunted by the soap’s decades of history.

“It’s like cracking open a book, and it’s hard for people to get into it to learn the history,” he said. “So having smaller, bite-sized pieces is appealing to us.”

“The Bold and the Beautiful” has aired continuously for 39 years, but it’s now one of American TV’s last soap operas. Until the 1980s, 10 to 12 soaps typically aired at once, said Elana Levine, a media professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who studies the genre. Today, five remain: four on broadcast TV and one, “Days of Our Lives,” is on streaming only.

“It makes sense to take this storytelling form that has been super popular and enduring in the U.S. and find a way to translate that into the mobile devices that we carry around us all of the time,” Levine said.

While soap operas historically targeted a mostly female audience, microdramas reach a much broader audience, said Michael Berry, director of UCLA’s Center for Chinese Studies, who has studied the rise of vertical series.

“It gives us essentially the main beats that we would get from a soap opera format, but it’s happening in a much more compact and addictive way,” he added.

Cameramen prepare for a scene on the set of the micro series, “Hollywood Starlet,” being filmed at Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Los Angeles.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Lou Trabbie, the soap’s production designer, had never heard of a microdrama before working on “Hollywood Starlet.”

“It’s all going in a different direction. You just adapt and move forward, and that’s what we see here,” Trabbie, who’s worked in the industry for 38 years, explained. “It’s really great to see how these are done with smaller crews. I feel like this is where the business is going.”

“Hollywood Starlet” shoots on the same Sunset Las Palmas soundstage as “The Bold and the Beautiful,” filming during the soap’s monthly dark week.

The first season, 45 short episodes, was shot in six days at the start of summer with a non-union cast and crew of 45. Less than a week after its release, much of the same crew was back to start working on season two.

Oliver Bell said the series used non-union crew due to “budgetary restrictions.”

At a time when major film and TV shoots are leaving the state, microdramas are one of the few areas of production that are growing locally.

Excluding China, vertical video is expected to generate $150 billion globally in revenue this year, according to consulting firm Owl & Co. Most of that comes from TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.

Sunset Las Palmas Studios, where “La La Land” and the first two seasons of “I Love Lucy” were filmed, dedicated an entire sound stage in June to standing sets for vertical series. The sets include a courtroom, a bar/restaurant, an apartment, an office and a hospital.

Paxton Fuller, left, executive producer of “Hollywood Starlet,” walks with Sean Griffin, Vice President of Sales and Business Development, for Las Palmas Studios, through a courtroom set on the stage meant specifically for microdramas.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Still, the Bells don’t think microdramas will replace soap operas. The two formats, they argue, can “coexist.”

“Coming into someone’s living room or bedroom, soap operas were almost like an extension of their family that they can count on for years and decades with the same actors. The same families that have watched since day one,” Bradley Bell said. “It’s a different type of viewer for microdramas.”

Oliver Bell added: “We’re trying to grab the scroller’s attention, not necessarily ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ viewer … Microdramas are unavoidable through social media. [It’s] conditioning our brains and how we process media.”

David Ellison emerged with his prized Hollywood juggernaut Tuesday as the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery officially closed.

The $111-billion transaction culminated a year-long battle by the 43-year-old tech scion to add Warner Bros. Discovery to his family’s growing portfolio.

The Ellison family now controls one of the largest traditional media companies ever formed, with HBO, CNN, CBS, Comedy Central, TBS, Food Network, two traditional Hollywood studios and two major streaming services.

Shares of the new company began trading under the ticker SKYD, a switch from last week when the company went by PSKY for Paramount Skydance. Ellison has called the merged company, Skydance, the name he selected two decades ago when he began building his Hollywood studio.

This is a developing story.

Four in a Bed viewers jumped to the defence of one team after comments made by another contestant.

Four in a Bed viewers have been left furious over one contestant’s feedback.

A new series of the Channel 4 competition recently took place in Northern Ireland, concluding with a payment day episode airing on Friday, October 2.

It saw Belfast city-centre luxury apartments owner Melissa criticise Enniskillen hotel owners Shaun and Aoife over their taste in decor. Having walked into her home for the night, she had commented: “It’s nice and bright,” before inspecting the panelling and wallpaper above the bed.

She said: “We’ve got panelling here, an LED light and this pattern here, there’s far too much going on, it’s a bit tacky.” She also rated them a low score of six for facilities, for a lack of fridge and coffee machine in her room.

“That’s disappointing,” the hosts had remarked at the time, before bringing up the issue around the payment day table. “I really hope there is some justification for these comments,” Shaun added.

During Friday’s episode, Aiofe asked Melissa about her “harsh” criticism of the decor, with Melissa replying: “It might have been your personal taste, but you need to keep it as neutral as possible.”

Shaun hit back: “I think the language, dated and tacky… there’s so many words available to us.” Melissa argued: “What I say is what I think.” Another contestant jumped in to say that Melissa didn’t need to use the word tacky, though she stood by her comment, saying she didn’t know what else to use to “describe three different patterns”.

“Busy,” Shaun quickly replied. Melissa said: “Tacky to me, I don’t think it’s that bad of a word.” “It’s too subjective,” Shaun added, saying: “It really undermined the value of the rest of the feedback.”

He went on: “An overall six is a hard score,” saying it was a “strategic” move of Melissa to underpay her competitors. He added to the cameras: “Feeding back in that way, it was low in quality, high in ego and that isn’t a set of characteristics that command respect.”

Melissa meanwhile said: “I never knew tacky was such an upsetting word.” Viewers jumped in to Shaun and Aiofe’s defence, with one writing: “Calling someone’s decor tacky is rude and untrue.”

Another called Melissa “awful” after her comments, while someone else said: “Oh shut up Mel! The decor might not be to your taste but it is not tacky, and a standard white bathroom is not dated. She really rates her own abilities.”

Another said that Mel “showed her true colours”, while someone else said Mel was “desperate to mark every B&B down just so she wins the competition”.

Four in A Bed is available to watch on Channel 4

MACKLEMORE’S replacement on Ed Sheeran’s under-fire tour has been revealed and the stand-in singer has spoken out on Gaza live on-stage.

Brit singer Ed‘s Loop series of US gigs descended into chaos when his support act and pal Macklemore was dropped by promoters over his pro-Palestine stance.

Billionaire businessman Robert Kraft banned the American musician, real name Benjamin Haggerty, from his stadium after he made a speech on stage in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict with Israel.

At the time, Robert deemed his words “hate speech” and the move sparked a mass exodus of support acts who all quit 35-year-old Ed’s tour in solidarity with the Thrift Shop hitmaker.

Ed continued to perform alone, but he has now been joined by surprise guest, The Fray’s Isaac Slade.

The rock band’s former frontman, 45, opened proceedings at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, with his band’s hits, which included How to Save a Life and You Found Me.

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Despite politics taking precedence over performances during the Loop tour, Isaac had his say.

He told fans: “What’s happening over there [in Gaza] is wrong, but if we’re going to get through it, we’re going to need people to step into that middle place, that common ground.

“That bonfire in the middle of the field that sees both sides, that understands that peace is not a lack of conflict. Peace is not a blank canvas that we need to guard and be polite.”

“[Peace] holds enough beauty, enough tragedy, enough sorrow, enough joy and life if we learn how to integrate it and hold each other in balance.

“We will find a way through this together”.

It isn’t the first time that Isaac, who quit The Fray in 2022, has appeared on the tour.

He also took to the stage in Toronto in August.

Following the Macklemore controversy, which saw Billie Eilish‘s brother Finneas, Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, and Danish pop star Lukas Graham withdraw in solidarity, Ed spoke out.

Ed insisted in a statement that he would not be drawn on voicing his own views on the Israel/Gaza conflict publicly but is committed to ensuring his gigs are a place of “safety and sanctuary” for people from all ethnicities, faiths and backgrounds.

He also made it clear that he was not personally responsible for Macklemore’s departure and had been trying to find a solution with promoters and billionaire Robert, who owns Massachusetts‘ Gillette Stadium.

New England Patriots owner Robert had accused Macklemore of having a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community”.

It was Macklemore declaring “Free Palestine” ahead of his protest song Free Hind’s Hall, written about pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University, which sparked the controversy.

In his own statement, Macklemore insisted his stance was a “criticism of apartheid and genocide” and not of the Jewish people.

Ed wrote on social media: “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.

“I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”

He added that fans at his shows did not want a “political forum” and that despite his apolitical stance he is “not complicit”.

Ed and Macklemore’s friendship goes back 13 years and the latter said he hoped it would continue despite them having had “difficult conversations”.

The other acts also highlighted their friendships with Ed and their gratitude for being given the opportunity to perform on such a high-profile tour, but said they could not continue with clear conscience knowing a fellow artist had been “silenced”.

The documentary is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer, but there is a strong viewer warning

BBC viewers have struggled to watch a heartbreaking documentary that they say “cuts deep” as a strong warning has been issued.

Just last night (Monday, October 5), BBC Two took viewers back to 2000 in a cast that shocked the UK. Damilola Taylor was just 10 years old when he was stabbed and killed in what became one of the country’s most high profile killings.

He was stabbed in the leg just metres from his home whilst leaving an after school club. For the first time for some, Damilola’s friends and family speak out about that tragic event, sharing previously unheard testimony, including that from Star Wars actor John Boyega.

Damilola: The Untold Story revisits the young boy’s killing, 26 years on as it premiered on BBC Two last night (October 5). However, for those that missed it, it can be streamed on BBC iPlayer, but viewers have warned it is a hard watch.

Taking to X, one person wrote: “I watched the documentary on bbc (yes bbc) on the senseless murder of Damilola Taylor, Rip poor little lad, heart breaking, although the documentary was focal on Damilola and the those immediately impacted, it also drew the lens back to show the amount of kids murdered.”

Another said: “I’m not sure I have it in me emotionally to watch this Damilola Taylor documentary”, as a third admitted: “That Damilola Taylor documentary is so heart wrenching.”

A fourth added: “This Damilola Taylor documentary cut deep. Imagine stabbing a 10 year old innocent boy and leaving him to bleed to death. Those two brothers are evil with so much hate in their hearts.”

A fifth replied: “It was a very hard watch. I had to pause a few times. RIP Damilola, Mr Richard and Mrs Grace Taylor.” Another penned: “The ending of the Damilola Taylor documentary, I can count my family members and school friends in that montage of lost souls. I started watching the doc as a mother, ended it as a child, if that doesn’t speak to the cycle… and its longevity then idk what does.”

Taking to TikTok to share the recommendation, one true crime fan admitted it was a “heartbreaking watch”, adding: “Be warned because it’s quite shocking.”

One person replied: “Just watched this last night… so sad.” Another commented: “Absolutely heartbreaking you’re right, so incredibly sad.” A third wrote: “This will be a hard watch.”

Taking viewers back to the final 24 hours of his life, the documentary also explores the years it took to bring a conviction. Two brothers, who were themselves aged 12 and 13 at the time, were convicted of manslaughter.

An official synopsis reads: “Made 26 years after the murder of 10-year-old Damilola Taylor shocked Britain, this documentary returns to his story with new testimony that sheds fresh light on what happened to him.

“Actor John Boyega, who was eight when Damilola died and was one of the last people to see him alive, joins Damilola’s childhood friends to return to his final months and the years of youth violence that followed his death.”

Damilola: The Untold Story can be streamed on BBC iPlayer

Nicole Brown Simpson wore a long-sleeved cover-up by the beach, despite the warm weather. “We kept telling her, ‘C’mon, get in the water.’ She wouldn’t,” Denise Brown recalls of a Hawaiian vacation with her sister, Nicole, and the rest of her family, including her brother-in-law, O.J. Simpson. “We didn’t know it then, but he’d beaten the [hell] out of her the night before in the hotel room. We found out later, after she was killed, when we were reading her diaries.”

The incident is one of many chronicled in Brown’s new memoir, “For My Sister Nicole: Love Shouldn’t Hurt.” The book chronicles who Nicole was — from her happy SoCal childhood to meeting beloved celebrity and football star Simpson at the age of 18 (he was 30) to the physical and mental abuse she suffered over seven years of marriage. Brown also reveals the troubling incidents she witnessed behind the scenes, and pairs them with the knowledge she has now of what could have been done to help her sister.

(Blackstone Publishing, Inc.)

Nicole and her friend Ronald L. Goldman were murdered outside her Los Angeles home in Brentwood in June 1994. The brutal homicides set off a media frenzy, and overnight, Brown became the voice for her slain sister.

Images of an angry and sobbing Brown became the media’s hallmark of grief during the criminal trial, particularly when Simpson was acquitted in 1995. He was found guilty in a subsequent civil trial, yet still awarded custody of the divorced couple’s two children.

Now, 69, with sleek silver hair and a voice raspy from the many speaking engagements tied to her advocacy work, Brown has devoted her life to raising awareness about domestic violence. “It’s too late for Nicole,” says the former model who moved from her native Southern California to Florida decades ago. “I want this book to help others avoid what happened to her.”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

We’re meeting today in downtown L.A., very close to the courtroom where the trial happened, and to the former LAPD headquarters Parker Center where Simpson was booked after Nicole’s death. Is it difficult being here? Should we have done this somewhere else?

No. This is where it all happened, so it’s OK for me to be here to talk about [the book]. It should start here. And I’m glad it’s with the L.A. Times because Nicole was here in Los Angeles, as was all the chaos. Everything started here.

Denise Brown.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

It’s been 32 years since your sister’s murder, yet this is the first book you’ve written about what happened.

I had a [previous] book deal, but I wasn’t ready.

It was really hard going back because you think about all the things that should have been, that could have been, that she missed out on, especially with her kids. And everything was so public. It was so out in the open, with everybody looking at you. If you were too happy and laughing, it was, “Oh God, she doesn’t even know how to grieve.” If you’re crying, it’s, “My God, can’t she just get over it?”

I understand why people make these kinds of comments now, because if you’ve never been through something so horrific, you don’t know how to act. You don’t know how you’d respond.

Aside from raising awareness about domestic abuse issues, you haven’t spoken much about your sister’s life or murder until the 2024 Lifetime docuseries, “The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson.” It was the first production that included interviews and involvement from you and your sisters, which is stunning because there have been so many docs and dramas about the case.

I know. And without asking Nicole’s family, can you really make a good documentary?

A girlfriend of mine who is a producer wanted to [make a documentary] at the 10-year mark, and I just wasn’t ready. Then she asked me at the 20-year mark. I said, “No, this doesn’t feel right yet.” Then on the 30th, I asked my sisters [Tanya, Dominique and Wendy], “Do you guys want to do this?” And it was “Yes, let’s humanize Nicole. Let’s bring her back because she was lost in all of this.” Ron and Nicole were both lost. The trial has been done and saturated. Let’s humanize her, get videos of when we were kids. Stuff like that. So that’s what we did.

In the book you write that the docuseries provided new revelations about Simpson.

What I found out all these decades later shocked me. I learned after Simpson moved down to Florida with the kids, there were 17 calls to 911. There was an FBI raid. I don’t know what it was for, but the police came to the house 17 times?! I was friggin’ livid when I heard that. Where were the advocates? Where were the people protecting those children out there? They would have been protected by my mother and father, by all of us. Coming off that, I thought that it’s time to write a book.

We know so much more about recognizing the signs of domestic violence now than we did in the 1990s. The progress is of course welcome, but it also has to be hard applying that knowledge in hindsight to your sister’s case.

Back then I saw. I was privy to. I was there. I was involved. But I didn’t know it was domestic violence, and that’s what I want people to understand. Don’t read this book like it’s something that I knew about all along because I didn’t. I thought [the fights] were isolated incidents because they didn’t happen every single time I saw Nicole. They were years apart. I learned about domestic violence patterns after the murder.

Can you talk about what was in the diary you found in her home after she was gone?

A couple of months after her murder, my dad was reading her diaries, and I saw him lying on the bed, just broken. He said take a look at these, and it was Nicole’s writing and about the things that were happening. And I sat there like, “Oh my God. We were there.” We were there when this happened, like on a vacation in Hawaii. But we were not in the room with them.

Nicole wrote in her journal of that trip that once they were in their hotel room alone, he beat her and threatened to hang her off the balcony. But the diary wasn’t admissible in court. And maybe it wouldn’t have even made a difference given the lack of awareness about domestic abuse patterns.

Domestic violence, the jurors didn’t really understand it. They thought if you’re not dead after he’s finished strangling you, it’s not domestic violence. Jurors even said, “This is not a domestic violence trial. This is a murder trial.” Well, lo and behold, the ultimate form of domestic violence is murder.

Your passionate statement to a reporter during pretrial hearings marked the first time a member of your family publicly expressed doubt regarding Simpson’s innocence. From then on the press made a point of painting you as the furious, avenging sister.

Why wouldn’t I be angry? My sister was slaughtered, for God’s sake. I became the spokesperson for our family after I went upstairs to the press room [during the hearing] and said to a reporter: “If O.J. so innocent, why is he trying to suppress all the evidence?!” I couldn’t sit there and watch the so-called Dream Team [Simpson’s defense] constantly berating Nicole and belittling her and turning her into something that she wasn’t.

Before testifying in criminal court, you testified before Congress in 1994, urging lawmakers to fully fund programs and shelters supported by the Violence Against Women Act.

It was a bipartisan act from Orrin Hatch and Joe Biden, who were both senators at the time. Bill Clinton signed it into law after Nicole’s murder. I went to Washington and spoke before Congress because the funding was all [tied up ] in state appropriations. I was the first one to speak. I thought I was going to die. But it all worked out [laughs].

How did you deal with such an immense loss in private?

I ran every day for like an hour and a half until I collapsed because there was so much anger in me. My mom said, “Denise, I’m really worried about you because you’re just so angry,” and I said, “Why wouldn’t I be?!” She said, “I know, but you need to be able to deal with it.” So she invited our pastor over to the house who was a friend of the family. He said to me, “Denise, this is not God’s doing. This is the evil of man.” And as soon as he said that, there was something that just came off my shoulders. I could breathe again. You’re right. This is the evil of man. So I was the one who kept saying from the very beginning that I knew who did it: Simpson.

Nicole emerges as a whole person in this book, which after all these years feels long overdue.

Nicole was a wonderful person. Even when he gave her a Ferrari for her birthday, she didn’t give a s— if there was French fries in the gear shelf. Her kids, her friends, her people meant everything to her, and that was taken away from her by a f—ing monster. She was the best wife. All she wanted was her two kids, a white picket fence. The American family. So for her to put up with everything that she went through, it just breaks my heart because she was such a good person. Stubborn as all hell, but that’s OK. You don’t get murdered because you’re stubborn.

And people ask, “Why didn’t you just grab her by the hair and take her out [of that marriage]?” Well, because she was an 18-year-old girl who knew what she wanted, and she wanted him. She was totally in love with him, and she was not going to listen to her sister.

Your sister did eventually leave. She had been divorced for two years before she was killed. During that time, she wrote in her diaries that Simpson stalked her at the gas station, the supermarket, when she ate out, and your family witnessed it.

She did get away — for two years, and he couldn’t handle it. His ego could not handle it. His narcissistic behavior couldn’t handle it.

He was there for every move she made. She’s with a boyfriend having dinner, and he’s there, plopping his ass down at the table and having dinner with them. And at the supermarket?! C’mon, he doesn’t shop.

People [like him], they’re just so obsessed with control. And they’re narcissists. I don’t believe she could have ever gotten out of her situation because [of all the support he had]. He was so loved.

Why do you think she kept the abuse from you?

I asked [a family friend] why they think she hid the abuse. They said she was trying to protect her family and her friends, and to me that made all the sense in the world because that’s exactly what a victim does. The abuser will threaten the family. That’s their MO. I’m going to kill you. Your family. The dog. Our kids. Something you love will get hurt, and you’re the only one that knows about it. You’re the only one who knows how bad and how mean he can actually be.

Simpson died in 2024. What has that meant to you?

I don’t have to look over my shoulder. Actually, the funny thing is, I was never afraid. There was never a fear of running into him. But is there a relief that he’s gone? I didn’t even know he was sick, and I hope he suffered the way Nicole did. I wish it would have been longer. You can quote me on that.

Is there ever any closure for you?

You try to move on. You never forget. It’s always there. So to go back, it just ripped my heart out. In 32 years I’ve not told my sister I love her, like we did every single phone call, every single time we left each other. It was always, “I love you. I’ll see you later.” But it was never goodbye. We never said goodbye to each other because that’s so final. It was always, “I’ll see you later.”

What impact do you hope this book has on readers?

I just really want your readers to know, if it can happen to Nicole, it can happen to you. It can happen to anybody: rich, poor, Black, white, gay, Democrat or Republican.

At the end of the book, I say that I think Nicole was put on this earth to be the person that shines the light on domestic violence. The 24-hour national domestic violence hotline didn’t exist before Nicole. The Violence Against Women Act didn’t exist before Nicole. There weren’t a lot of shelters. There wasn’t a lot of education. There weren’t PSAs. She changed that.

PRINCESS Andre has broken her silence on romance rumours after being spotted out with a Love Island bad boy.

The 19-year-old was spotted out with Harrison Solomon, 23, on Friday night at the VIP launch night of Shocktober Fest at Tulleys Farm.

Princess and Harrison, who shot to fame on the ITV2 show in 2025, were also seen at a Thorpe Park event the night before.

This has raised a few eyebrows and many have been left wondering if the pair are an item.

Princess, who is the daughter of Katie Price and Peter Andre, took to TikTok to clear some things up.

She took to the social media platform and wrote: “Rumours are really funny.

out & about

Princess Andre, 19, spotted with Love Island bad boy for 2nd night in a row

PRINCESS PAL

Princess Andre, 19, spotted enjoying night out with Love Island bad boy, 23

“Firstly we are part of the same management hence being at the same events.

“Also, just because a boy and a girl are laughing doesn’t mean anything romantic, me and Harrison.”

On Friday, the duo were seen spending most of the night with each other and their wider group of pals for the fun-filled evening.

Harrison brought his little sister along for the evening and made sure to keep a watchful eye over her whilst Princess enjoyed spending time with two of her best pals.

They also enjoyed an event at the popular theme park with their pals.

Despite appearing very chummy, however, a source close to Princess insists the pair are just pals.

“They share the same management company as Harrison recently signed to the same reps as Princess. There is nothing romantic going on,” they insisted.

Harrison took part in the 12th series of Love Island in 2025 and entered the villa as a bombshell.

During his stint in the villa he was slammed by Women’s Aid for ‘misogyny and sexism’ in a statement because of his treatment towards Lauren Wood while in a love triangle with Toni Laithes.

“Despite these positive steps, we still see unhealthy patterns of behaviour on these shows, showing just how steeped in misogyny and sexism our society still is.

“Women are often lied to, slut-shamed and manipulated, as well as laughed at behind their backs.

“Misogyny and sexism lay the foundation for the tolerance of abuse and violence – it reinforces a culture that excuses and trivialises violence against women and girls.

“More must be done to educate contestants on sexism and misogyny, and it is a great credit to viewers who take to social media, continuing to call out these behaviours as soon as they see them.”

In response to the statement, Harrison told Daily Mail: “I have seen the backlash and it’s hard to digest.

“I would disagree with a lot of it in terms of my respect for women, I do respect women.

“The worst has been from Women’s Aid. I know myself and the girls on the show too, Toni said she knows I’m not a bad person, just went about situations in the wrong way, but the Women’s Aid statement wasn’t nice… it’s not nice coming out of the villa to my mum upset by that so I would say that’s been the hardest.” 

The acclaimed actor stars as the sweet-natured Adam Trask in Netflix’s East of Eden

East of Eden viewers are wondering where they’ve seen one of the show’s stars before.

The Netflix series is an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name and stars a glittering cast including Florence Pugh as literary legend Cathy Ames, while Mike Faist and Christopher Abbott portray the brothers who fall for her, Charles and Adam Trask.

Netflix’s synopsis reads: “This fresh interpretation of Steinbeck’s masterpiece will explore the multigenerational saga of the Trask family, focusing new attention on its indelible antihero, Cathy Ames.”

The seven-part series arrived on the streaming platform just last week and it is currently at the top of Netflix’s most-watched TV series in the UK list. As fans dive in to the episodes, many have wondered about one particular cast member.

Christopher Abbott plays the sweet-natured Adam Trask who shows kindness to Cathy Ames when she appears bloodied and beaten at the door of his home, shared with his brother, who at first is much more sceptical of their new arrival. Adam nurses her back to health and they go on to marry.

Even before he whisks her away to California however, cracks have started to show. While it is a place he has always dreamed of, Cathy does not share that dream and she makes no secret of it.

Google searches for Christopher Abbott’s past movies and TV shows have soared since East of Eden’s debut, so where might viewers know the star from?

What films and TV shows has Christopher Abbott been in?

His breakout role was as Charlie Dattolo in the HBO series Girls. He was a recurring cast member, portraying the kind boyfriend of Marnie Michaels (Allison Williams). More recently he has had leading roles in Poor Things alongside Emma Stone, 2025 horror film Wolf Man and 2022 comedy-thriller, Sanctuary.

He is no stranger to literary adaptations and previously took the lead role of Yossarian in Catch-22, a TV series based on the Joseph Heller novel of the same name.

Discussing his role as Adam, Christopher told Netflix’s Tudum: “He’s a character that has lived a lot of different lives, and he’s sort of changed his personality throughout it.

“He starts off, like, hopping trains and living like a vagabond and stealing stuff and then becomes a different human when he has son. It’s a big epic arc to track.”

East of Eden is now streaming on Netflix.

The unpredictable crime drama follows the puzzling deaths of four guests at a dinner party

MobLand star Emmett J. Scanlan is starring in a new murder mystery alongside Celebrity Traitors’ Sharon Rooney.

Channel 5 has released a first look at their upcoming thriller, An Impossible Way to Die, which follows two detectives who are tasked with uncovering the mysterious deaths of four guests at a dinner party.

The six-part series has been described as “gripping” by the broadcaster, and follows Sharon Rooney’s character, DS Katie Salter, whose quiet local policing life is upended when she is thrust into a high-pressure murder investigation with DI Niall Conway, played by Emmett J Scanlon.

Described as a character-driven, unpredictable drama exploring identity, protection, power, and corruption, the story will see DS Katie Salter “happily solving everyday crimes until fate drags her into an impossible murder mystery”.

The synopsis continues: “Four people sat around a table seemingly set for a dinner party – except they are all dead. The only clue is a scorpion crawling out of one of the victim’s mouths.”

It continues: “Salter is not your stereotypical damaged and tormented TV detective. Smart, diligent, and committed to her family, tensions quickly surface when Salter is partnered with DI Niall Conway, lead investigator on the case. Salter’s measured, grounded approach clashes with Conway’s all-consuming dedication to the job.

“At first, the two detectives appear fundamentally incompatible. Yet, as the investigation deepens and the pressure intensifies, Conway begins to recognise the value of Salter’s empathy, optimism, and instinctive understanding of people.”

The synopsis adds: “As the case grows increasingly impossible, secrets are unearthed and conspiracies emerge, lives are put at risk as the detectives race against time to connect seemingly disparate cases and unmask a killer before it’s too late.”

DS Katie Salter actress Sharon Rooney is best known for playing Rae Earl in My Mad Fat Diary and was recently seen competing in the latest series of The Celebrity Traitors. While Emmett J. Scanlan is famed for portraying Paul O’Donnell in Paramount+ crime series MobLand, his other recent roles include A Working Man, Gangs of London, and How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.

Coldwater and Vigil star Lois Chimimba will star alongside Rooney and Scanlan, and will be joined by Black Mirror’s Jonny Lavelle and This Country’s Ashley McGuire.

The crime series is scheduled to air in 2027 and has been penned by Death is Paradise’s Jillian Mannion, alongside Ciara Conway, David Persiva, Robin Ganderton, and Rowena Johnson.

Adam Wimpenny serves as director for the thriller, which is executive produced by Clapperboard’s Mike Benson and Myf Hopkins. Amber Howorth also serves as producer

An Impossible Way to Die will air on Channel 5 in 2027

EastEnders spoilers for next week confirm Craig’s behaviour escalates, as does his grip on Amy Mitchell, while Ned Hawkins makes a discovery that leads to blackmail

There’s big twists and drama on EastEnders next week.

Ned Hawkins rallies the community together to celebrate him becoming the co-owner of Harry‘s Barn, amid drama with Nicola. Nicola senses tension between Ned and his son Ryder, and offers Ryder some support.

Nicola also learns about the struggles faced by one of Ryder’s former football teammates, after he came out, and so she understands Ned’s reluctance. Nicola encourages Ryder to be honest with those close to him.

He decides to have a conversation with his mum. Meanwhile, Ned makes a discovery after Lauren and Mark meet in secret and get caught red-handed.

In exchange for his silence, Ned demands a favour from Mark. Later, Ned blackmails Mark with a shocking request, and a fearful Lauren tells him to do whatever Ned says.

As the Hawkins celebrate the successful event at Harry‘s Barn, Ned continues to pressure Ryder to conform while he also reminds Mark of the consequences should his affair be exposed. Elsewhere, Amy Mitchell visits Denise in hospital where she’s encouraged to focus on her studies, rather than her new boyfriend.

Amy soon finds it hard to ignore her feelings for Craig and he continues to demand attention. As Amy becomes distant with her friends, it causes drama.

Amy invites Lily to Craig’s flat but she’s shocked when Ricky and others attend too. When Jack Branning finds out daughter Amy‘s skipping classes, he decides to speak with her about it.

After a heartfelt conversation, Jack thinks it’s Denise’ illness that has sparked Amy‘s recent behaviour. Amy is soon caught out by Craig though when he realises people have been in his flat.

With Penny and Jack wanting answers from Amy about recent events and her mystery boyfriend, she remains tightlipped. Craig continues bombarding her with messages though and even more so when he finds Denzel‘s ID at the flat.

As demands to check Amy’s phone he finds a shirtless photo of Denzel that was recently sent. Amy explains herself and Craig accepts this but his resentment towards Denzel deepens.

Elsewhere, Nancy Carter frustrated with mum Linda, before she runs into Zack. Following their reconciliation, Nancy and Zack agree to meet for a drink.

Finally, Kat continues to struggle in the aftermath of Zoe’s death. Jean attempts to lift her spirits but it does not work. As Kat is consumed by grief, she pushes her loved ones away and hits the booze. After suffering a breakdown, Kat’s relationship with Alfie hangs in the balance.

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

More than a year after the death of his wife, Jenisa Garland, “Grey’s Anatomy” star Isaiah Washington announced the news of her passing.

The actor posted the news on Instagram over the weekend, writing, “Yes … the rumors are true. My dear wife of 29 years collapsed suddenly on May 31, 2025 and passed away on June 9, 2025.”

Washington said his wife’s death “came as a huge shock to me and our entire family.”

“She succumbed to a massive hemorrhagic stroke and never recovered,” he continued, before adding some cautionary advice to his fans. “Listen, y’all … some headaches are not just headaches or migraines, they can be much worse and a warning sign. Get a brain scan if you can and take those headaches seriously.”

A hemorrhagic stroke is less common than an ischemic stroke, but it is more fatal and occurs when a blood vessel leaks or ruptures in the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic. Causes may include uncontrolled high blood pressure, trauma from a fall or accident, or overtreatment of blood thinners. Signs of a stroke include a sudden intense headache, confusion, trouble speaking, loss of balance, face drooping, sudden blurred vision and more.

“She has been gone 16 months now, but she left 3 incredibly amazing children behind to continue her legacy. I don’t know if this is an appropriate post, because Jenisa Washington was extremely private, but I guess I just have to be reprimanded from her on the other side.”

On Monday, Washington posted a tribute to comedian Reggie McFadden, crediting the “In Living Color” actor with introducing him to his wife more than 30 years ago. “RIP Reggie McFadden,” he wrote on Instagram. “Say hello to Jenisa Washington, because it was you who introduced me to her in 1995.”

Washington played Dr. Preston Burke on “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2005 but was nixed from the medical drama in 2007 after an on-set spat with co-star Patrick Dempsey, a.k.a. Dr. McDreamy, during which Washington reportedly referred to (then-closeted) castmate T.R. Knight, who played George O’Malley, using a homophobic slur. After reports of the behind-the-scenes beef, Knight came out as gay publicly.

Later that year, at the Golden Globes, Washington denied the incident but repeated the word in the process. He ultimately apologized and returned to “Grey’s” in 2014 for a guest spot.

PUSSYCAT Dolls star Kimberley Wyatt has revealed she had a hip replacement as she shared tearful videos from her hospital bed.

The singer, 44, shared a photo of herself on crutches with compression socks on after the operation.

Kimberley said prior to the procedure she was left limping around and could barely sleep because of the pain.

She wrote alongside a series of photos from her time hospital: “I had a moment tonight. I’m in Dublin, settling into another hotel room, and I’d taken in too much. Too much news. Too much of what’s happening to women. Too much casual cruelty online.

“Too much of the stuff people seem to get away with and a bit too much from my own little world too.”

She then shared a clip of her in hospital before undergoing an operation.

READ MORE ON PUSSYCAT DOLLS

SHOW MUST GO ON

Nicole Scherzinger opens up about horror burn which ‘scarred her for life’

mi-ouch

Nicole Scherzinger suffers excruciating accident an hour before Pussycat Dolls gig

The pop star went on: “So I got in the bath and somewhere in there I realised I needed to give my brain something else to hold onto.

“Something good, Something I’m proud of. Which, weirdly took me straight to my hip. A few years ago I could barely walk. For nearly two years, I limped through every day and barely slept because of the pain.

“I remember watching my children playing on holiday and being in too much pain to walk over to them.

“I just stood there and I was scared.”

The star then posted a clip of her in tears while attached to drips from her hospital bed.

Kimberley was told that she would need a hip replacement and ended up ended up having to learn to walk again after the opertation.

She spoke about the photo of her on crutches with her son, who was then four, and said: “I look at that picture now and I don’t really see the surgery. I see the strength.”

Kimberley admitted she barely spoke about her hip at the time but said it felt “frightening”.

Looking at how far she’s come, the American star said: “And tonight I thought about where those legs are now.

“On a Pussycat Dolls tour, after four major surgeries, three caesareans, one hip replacement and somehow this body is still dancing.”

She captioned the post: “I haven’t spoken much about this part of my story.

“Tonight, I realised why I needed to.

“STILL DANCING. Beautiful Movements,” with a broken heart emoji.

Her Pussycat Dolls bandmate Nicole Scherzinger commented: “Thankyou for this.”

It comes after Nicole suffered a horrifying mishap just an hour before she was due to take to the stage with The Pussycat Dolls.

The band’s lead singer took to Instagram to showcase images of painful burns on her leg, leading one fan to claim: “God heal Nicole of any pain”.

Nicole, 48, is in the midst of the band’s jam-packed tour and shared how boiling water had spilled over her lower leg shortly before taking to the stage in Germany.

The Don’t Cha hitmaker uploaded an image showing her limb looking sore with red raw marks across her inner thigh from the knee down to her ankle.

In her caption she wrote: “Nothing like boiling water falling on your leg an hour before your set.

“But the show must go on.

“Thanks Dusseldorf for keeping me going. See you soon Amsterdam!”

Actor Robert Kelker-Kelly, who was a familiar face in daytime dramas in the 1990s with turns in “Days of Our Lives” and “General Hospital,” has died.

Kelker-Kelly died Saturday evening at his home in St. Peters, Mo., the city’s Police Department confirmed Monday to The Times. Law enforcement officials responded Saturday evening to a report of an unconscious man who was not breathing. Police arrived at the actor’s home along with paramedics and “life-saving measures were administered but were unsuccessful,” police said.

Police said officers found nothing suspicious at the scene. A cause of death was not revealed, but police noted that Kelker-Kelly was said to have complained of chest pain before he became unresponsive. A spokesperson for the St. Charles County Ambulance District confirmed paramedics responded Saturday to a report of a man in cardiac arrest. Kelker-Kelly was 62.

Kelker-Kelly primarily acted in TV and was best known for his work in long-running daytime dramas, which also included “Another World.” Notably, he portrayed the rebellious heartthrob Beauregard “Bo” Brady in “Days Of Our Lives” from 1992 to 1995. He began his turn as Bo, which lasted for more than 586 episodes, following the departure of original actor Peter Reckell, who would return to the show off and on in the following decades.

During his tenure, Kelker-Kelly portrayed the spouse of Hope Brady and love interest of Lisa Rinna’s Billie Reed. She spoke negatively of that experience and called her co-star a bully in her memoir, released earlier this year. He did not respond to People’s request for a response at the time.

Kelker-Kelly made his official debut in “Another World” in 1987 and appeared in more than 400 episodes in a handful of roles until 1998, according to the actor’s IMDb page. He was also known for his work as Stavros Cassadine in “General Hospital” and its spinoff series “Port Charles.” John Martinuzzi originated the role. Kelker-Kelly’s “General Hospital” tenure lasted from 2001 to 2014 and was his final TV role. His television credits also include “Jack’s Place,” “Touched by and Angel” and “Rescue 77.”

The actor was born April 18, 1964, in Wichita, Kan. His mother was a nurse and his father a pathologist. Kelker-Kelly’s parents divorced when he was 7 years old, and he later moved in with his father. The actor was in and out of colleges but studied acting and grew fond of Shakespeare, according to People.

After his acting career, Kelker-Kelly became a professional pilot. He married production assistant Linda Ratner in 1988; they divorced four years later. Kelker-Kelly then married “Days of Our Lives” actor Miriam Parrish in 1997. That marriage ended in 2013. He is reportedly survived by a daughter, Amelia Rose Kelly.

Amol Rajan told The One Show his Celebrity Traitors exit was ‘absolutely horrible’ and said he would give Richard E. Grant less of a hard time if he could play again.

Broadcaster Amol Rajan has described it as “absolutely horrible” to become the first faithful booted off the new series of Celebrity Traitors, after giving “lord of chaos” actor Richard E Grant a tough ride.

The 43 year old journalist was eliminated by the traitors — Grant and TV presenter Maya Jama — during Friday’s episode of the popular BBC spin-off reality game show.

It followed his impassioned plea alongside fellow contestant and comedian James Acaster, who had secretly been recruited as the series’ third traitor.

Appearing on The One Show to discuss his departure from the Scottish castle, he said: “It’s absolutely horrible. It was horrible at the time. Just so people know when you are on The Traitors, it is your world. It’s not like a game, you are hundreds of miles from your family, you don’t have your phone, it’s so intense, it’s a little bubble.

“So as you walk into that chapel you are absolutely terrified.”

During the opening episode, which aired on Thursday, Grant sensationally revealed to his fellow contestants that he was a traitor just minutes into the competition.

The bombshell declaration left many faithfuls, Rajan included, deeply suspicious of the actor and debating whether he was bluffing or had genuinely exposed himself.

Rajan branded it a “moment of utter madness”, admitting that if he had his time again he would “definitely” handle things differently — including going easier on the “lord of chaos” himself. He said: “The one thing I would say is lots of people were giving him a hard time and I did get quite close to being recruited as a traitor.”

He also revealed that, as a journalist, he believes he was targeted due to expectations that he would ask probing questions. Rajan added: “The thing about the celebrity version, and it’s amazing TV, it’s just fantastic television, but on the celeb version people’s reputation walk in before they do.

“So I should have known I was going to be a target but I didn’t realise Richard would go quite that mad that quickly.”

Thursday’s episode made history as the most watched debut of any series of the programme in the UK, drawing an average audience of 8.9 million viewers and peaking at 9.1 million at one point.

In the smash-hit series, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, 21 celebrity contestants compete with those assigned as faithfuls attempting to root out those who have been designated as traitors, who “kill off” fellow players in the dead of night.

The celebrities are battling it out at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, with a charity cash prize of up to £100,000 up for grabs.

The Celebrity Traitors returns on BBC One and iPlayer on Thursday at 8pm.

BROOKLYN Beckham let his shirt do the talking as he ramped up his family feud. 

The eldest son of Sir David Beckham and ex-Spice Girl Victoria strolled with wife Nicola Peltz shortly after his dad liked their snap online. 

But the telling ­message on Brooklyn’s top read: “It’s not clocking to you.” 

It refers to pop star Justin Bieber’s 2025 paparazzi meltdown, when he complained: “It’s not clocking to you I’m standing on business.” 

The singer meant photographers were not understanding he was busy and wanted to be left alone. 

Brooklyn’s clothing statement, in a Paris flea market on Sunday, came after his dad, 51, seemed to reach out to his estranged son. 

SHOW’S ELECTRIC

Oasis MUSICAL plotted by TV comedy legend after collaring Noel Gallagher

BALANCING ACT

Louis Tomlinson reveals reality of juggling being a superstar singer & a dad

Fans spotted ex-England footie star Becks had liked a video of the couple posted on Friday after the Messika Womenswear show in Paris.  

Brooklyn and Nicola ­previously told his parents to stop reaching out to them on social media. 

Nicola wore a simple black crop top and flashed her abs for the Messika bash.

The event was held two miles from where designer Victoria later unveiled her own collection in the French capital. 

Brooklyn, 27, and Nicola, 31, have been estranged from the Beckhams for almost two years.

He claimed his family treated him as a commodity and said: “I do not want to reconcile.” 

Lea Seydoux played the psychologist Dr. Madeleine Swann in the James Bond films Spectre and No Time to Die when Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson were in charge of 007.

Actress Léa Seydoux says the James Bond films will “never be the same” after Amazon bought the rights and gained creative control of the franchise. Lea played the psychologist Dr. Madeleine Swann in the James Bond films Spectre and No Time to Die in 2015 and 2021 when Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson were in charge of 007.

The daughter and stepson of Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, who launched Bond in 1962 have now stepped down and Amazon will now decide which actor will take over the famous character from Daniel Craig.

Speaking to Elle UK, Lea said “I really loved working with [former Bond producer] Barbara Broccoli and her brother Michael [G Wilson]. It was one of the best experiences, a pure delight. And I don’t know, it will be different.”

She added that the next film’s director Denis Villeneuve was a great choice but added: “Let’s see. I’m curious how they will reinvent it. But for me, it will never be the same because it was Barbara’s father who initiated the Bond movies. Now, I don’t know, it became American… I hope they will keep the British spirit.”

Lea also gave her thoughts on who should play the next Bond. She said: “He needs to be layered, you know? And that’s something that’s hard to find in young actors.”

James Norton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James have been among the bookmakers’ favourites to fill Craig’s shoes over the past few years.

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Lea has been at the Cannes Film Festival this summer where she launched two new films including Gentle Monster which is released at the end of the month and saw her in nude scenes which she filmed soon after the birth of her second son.

She said: “They were difficult for me, of course, but it’s the body I had at the time I made those films. I think it’s important to see bodies that you can relate to… to make it more believable in a way. It was a few months after I gave birth, and I’m proud to show my body, that is, a real body.”

She has also learned to accept her own body and how she isn’t always the most efficient person on a film set.

Lea explained: “I’m not someone who’s very efficient – but I think it’s good not to be. I don’t want to stick to one thing. I tried when I was younger to fit in more. Now I’m accepting this part of me, and I like it. There’s a great freedom in that. It’s something AI will never replicate.”

* The November issue of Elle UK is on sale from Thursday. Gentle Monster will be in select UK cinemas from October 30 and on Netflix from November 18.

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THIS is the heartbreaking last picture of Michael Flatley’s beloved wife, Niamh O’Brien, in public meeting the Pope months before her death.

The 52-year-old died earlier today following “a period of illness” leaving the Lord of the Dance star devastated.

The mum-of-one passed away peacefully at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin, a representative said.

She was last pictured in public meeting then-incoming Pope Leo XIV on April 29 with her husband.

The pair travelled to the Vatican to meet the Shepherd of the Flock with their son, Michael St James.

Flatley was inspired by the visit where he kissed the Pope’s ring and had his “cherished” rosary beads blessed by the pontiff.

And classy Niamh donned an all black outfit for the occasion where she was seen smiling alongside her husband.

Michael St James had also opted for a black monochrome look and was pictured standing beside his beloved mum.

The happy pair were both smiling as Flatley exchanged words and shook hands with the pontiff.

Flatley later said: “It was an incredible honour to meet His Holiness.

“I am so moved. I didn’t think I’d ever have that opportunity.”

He also spoke about his own Catholic faith, having grown up to a working- class Irish immigrant father on the south side of Chicago.

He said: “My parents were hard-working Irish Catholic people. And we went to Mass every Sunday and we worked every day, just the way we were brought up.

“It’s my honor and my joy to carry on their traditions and spread as much joy as I can.

“Jesus Christ gave me every opportunity to become a great dancer and to travel the world and meet the world leaders, but my greatest day was today, meeting the Holy Father and God’s representative on earth.”

The Lord of the Dance also extended an invite to Ireland to Pope Leo on behalf of the Irish people.

Flatley paid tribute to his late wife earlier tonight in a heartbreaking social media post.

He said: “My heart is broken. I have lost my beautiful wife, Niamh, and my best friend.

“My gorgeous bride of twenty years has gone to the Lord in Heaven.

“She was the most loving mother, wife and person, and our lives will never be the same without her.

“Thank you for all the love and kindness you have shown us. Please keep Niamh, Michael St James, and our family in your thoughts and prayers.”

And a representative said: “The Flatley and O’Brien families are devastated by Niamh’s sudden passing and have asked that their privacy be respected as they come to terms with this heartbreaking loss.

“They express their sincere gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff at Beacon Hospital who cared for Niamh over the past few weeks, and to everyone who has offered their kindness and support to the family.”

Niamh’s funeral details will be announced in due course, a spokesperson has said.

Sass Jordan, the Canadian rock star known for hits such as “Make You a Believer” and “Tell Somebody” who served as a judge on all six season of “Canadian Idol,” has died. She was 65.

Jordan died Friday surrounded by her family, according to an announcement posted to Instagram Saturday. No cause of death was provided, but she had reportedly canceled a number of performances in Ontario, Canada, in September “due to a serious medical condition.”

“She remains in our hearts, an inimitable force of nature,” her family wrote in the statement accompanying a photo of Jordan cuddling a cat. “An irreplaceable being of light and joy!”

Jordan made her solo debut with her 1988 album, “Tell Somebody,” which led to her winning the Juno Award — the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy — for most promising female vocalist the following year. She moved to Los Angeles in 1990 before releasing her follow-up album, “Racine,” in 1992.

“Racine” remained one of Jordan’s biggest solo albums, with tracks including “Make You a Believer,” “I Want to Believe,” “You Don’t Have to Remind Me” and “Goin’ Back Again.” She also recorded a duet with Joe Cocker, “Trust in Me,” for the 1992 film “The Bodyguard” that year.

“I always think of music as medicine and as healing for myself and for anyone else who wants to join in,” Jordan said in a 2023 interview with the CBC about audiences still responding to her earlier hits when she performed. “[S]o it’s an extremely uplifting thing. … It’s amazing and it’s incredible to see that. It’s incredible to see people responding to something that is genuinely, like you said, 20 years old.”

Born on Dec. 23, 1960, in Birmingham, England, Sarah “Sass” Jordan moved from France to Montreal with her family at age 3 when her father, a French literature professor, took a job at Concordia University, according to a statement shared by her publicist Eric Alper after her death. Seeing David Bowie in concert as a young teenager inspired Jordan to dream of a career in music. She began singing and playing guitar with friends in Westmount Park and by age 16 she was performing with bands in downtown Montreal nightclubs.

“I’m an expert on rebellion,” Jordan told The Times in 1992, reflecting on why she ran away from home at 14. “I didn’t want that clean, wholesome life … It felt so fake. I identified with real people, oppressed people who were outside that life. I wanted to taste real life — street life.”

Throughout her career, Jordan would tour alongside acts including Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and Van Halen. Her touring band in 1994 included Taylor Hawkins, who would go on to become the drummer for the Foo Fighters. Jordan’s most recent release is the live album from that tour, titled “Live in New York Ninety-Four.” Hawkins died in 2022 at age 50.

For six seasons, Jordan served as one of the judges on the reality competition series “Canadian Idol.” The show aired from 2003 to 2008 and mirrored the format of shows like “Pop Idol” and “American Idol.”

“Over four decades, she gave Canadian rock one of its most recognizable voices, carved out space for women in a genre long dominated by men, and opened doors for the young musicians who came through her band,” Alper said in his statement. “Sass Jordan leaves a catalogue that shaped Canadian rock through the late ’80s and ’90s, a blues renaissance in which her voice grew richer with each record, and a generation of artists, from Idol hopefuls to a future Foo Fighter, who learned from her what it means to give a song everything.”

Jordan is survived by her husband Derek Sharp, daughter Stella Jordan-Sharp, stepdaughter Brianne Sharp and brother Daniel Jordan.

Big Brother viewers were left emotional after one housemate confessed she wanted to leave the ITV2 show

A Big Brother housemate has admitted “I want to go home”.

It’s been three weeks since 16 contestants walked into the famous house, hoping to win over the British public and bag the huge cash prize. Among them was teacher Yasmin, who formed close bonds with her co-stars Omar and Rhianna.

But her relationships hit a rough patch earlier this week after she rushed to defend newcomer Twinks. It all started when Twinks admitted she identifies as a witch in a private conversation with three other housemates.

News of Twinks’ spiritual beliefs spread like wildfire across the house and Omar wasn’t impressed by her confession. He later had a heated conversation with Twinks, where he asked her if she has ever ridden a broomstick.

The 21-year-old went on to insist that the word ‘witch’ has negative connotations, but Yasmin begged him to “have some respect”. The fallout from their argument left Yasmin in tears during Monday’s episode (October 5) of the ITV show.

The emotional housemate was shown crying alone in bed as she confessed: “I want to go home.” Pauline was quick to console her and asked: “Why do you feel that way?”

Yasmin replied: “I miss my friends and family. I miss how normal everyone is.” Pauline then offered words of support, saying: “Whatever you need to get some peace in this house, take that time. You’ll be okay, my girl. You will be okay.”

It’s not just her clash with Omar that has left the ITV star heartbroken, she also found out that Rhianna has been “chatting s***” behind her back. Yasmin discovered that Rhianna believed she had a secret crush on Lynx in last night’s episode.

Reflecting on the revelation, she told Big Brother: “It’s not the comment that’s p**** me off. It’s the fact that you sat there chatting s*** about me, and it’s like, are we not friends?

“It just makes me think how much other s*** has been said? And I’m sat there going ‘Love you, sis. Hi, sis. How are you doing?’ And then all I’ve ever done in here is look out for Omar, and I just think it’s just been thrown back in my face.”

Although their friendship has lasted weeks, Yasmin told Big Brother that “there’s no coming back” from their latest argument. “The friendship is dead in the water,” she said.

Viewers at home were left heartbroken as they watched Yasmin break down. One shared online: “Watching Yasmin cry was hard, I’m so p**** with how she gets treated in there.”

Someone else said: “Feel for Yasmin so much right now #bbuk,” while a third added: “Oh bless Yasmin. I feel awful for her.”

And a final defender posted: “Yas has done nothing wrong they’re making fun of a new housemate which is rude as hell and she’s simply defending her what’s wrong with that… #bbuk.”

Big Brother is streaming on ITVX

Frankie Bridge was forced to pull out of Paris Fashion Week last-minute after a brutal anxiety spiral left her bed-bound and unable to function properly.

The Saturdays singer, 37, revealed she had a “dark day” last week that left her in floods of tears before collapsing into bed for the entire rest of the day. 

Frankie also said she has been suffering anxiety-related heart palpitations for the last six months and admitted she had not been eating or sleeping enough.

The mum-of-two had been due to travel to Paris for Fashion Week, which ends on Tuesday, but had to cancel the trip after it began triggering health issues.

Speaking in her YouTube vlog on Monday, Frankie explained: “Paris is like my favourite place, and it’s like my favourite part of fashion week, but it was just giving me anxiety.

The singer, who was due to attend one of the shows as a guest, said she spoke to her agent, who told her the trip was “just not worth it”.

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She added: “At the same time, I feel relieved, but also so disappointed and annoyed.”

Her decision came after a punishing few weeks including a trip to New York and her Faves Live runway event during London Fashion Week.

Frankie said sons Parker, 12, and Carter, 11 – her kids with her husband, ex-footballer Wayne Bridge, 46 – had returned to school, while a family member was “really really sick”.

She admitted: “I think I just didn’t realise how stressed I was and how tired and overwhelmed I was. And I just haven’t had a break or a moment to stop and think about any of it.”

The Loose Women star said: “I was really scared this week that I was heading towards burnout.

“On the way home from filming something on Wednesday, I basically cried the whole way home. I just haven’t been able to function. I think it just finished me off. That was a really dark day.”

Frankie said she had kept turning up for work but felt other parts of her life were slipping.

She revealed Carter went to school at the wrong time one day, adding: “I try and be the best mum that I can be, best friend, best wife, whatever.”

Frankie also revealed her physical health had taken a knock after falling ill. Describing the exhaustion, she said it felt like she had been “hit by a bus”.

She added: “I’ve had heart palpitations all day today, which is like a new thing for me like the last six months if I’m anxious or anything.”

Frankie also admitted stress had affected her appetite. She said: “I think I’ve just not been looking after myself.

“I think I’ve been really stressed, really busy, which I love. I thrive under pressure and stress, but it kind of came with not being hungry.

“So, I probably haven’t been eating enough. I haven’t been sleeping enough.”

Frankie has previously spoken openly about depression and anxiety and spending time in a psychiatric hospital aged 21.

She has also undergone ketamine-assisted therapy for her mental health.

She added: “This is just the reality of trying to do it all. You just can’t. And sometimes something’s got to give. And this week, that something was me.”

THE actress sister of a Hollywood star looked super stylish as she stepped out at Paris Fashion Week – but can you guess her famous relative?

This New York-born actress, 34, played the lead in HBO Max comedy-drama The Sex Lives of College Girls.

She has appeared in films including The King of Staten Island and The Devil Wears Prada 2 – but does she look familiar?

It’s Pauline Chalamet, whose younger brother is Golden Globe-winning actor Timothée Chalamet.

Pauline attended the Zimmermann Womenswear Spring/Summer 2027 show, held in the French capital.

Last year, The U.S. Sun revealed the siblings had fallen out due to Timothée relationship with Kylie Jenner.

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Pauline had seemingly taken not-so subtle social media digs at Kylie in the past, slamming billionaires, extreme wealth and private jets.

Two well-placed insiders close to the siblings told The U.S. Sun that their relationship was at an “all-time low” due to Pauline’s disapproval of Kylie.

The first source said “something is broken” between the pair, claiming Pauline believed Kylie “doesn’t share the same values and morals as he does,” and that she will “leave him when she gets fed up.”

“Pauline thinks that Kylie is with her brother because it looks cool and it’s nice to be in a relationship with one of Hollywood’s most exciting young stars,” said the first source. “She thinks she’s with him to keep the spotlight on her.”

Different sources told The U.S. Sun there were serious family concerns about the relationship, suggesting it would be “a terrible mistake” for the couple to get married.

A family member, speaking anonymously, questioned how “two complete opposites” could make a marriage work.

Meanwhile, superstars Timothée and Kylie first began their relationship back in 2023.

Kylie, 29, has two children with her ex-boyfriend, rapper and record producer Travis Scott.