SHOW BIZ

FIGHTING fit model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley puts others in the shades as she arrives for a gym workout — in sunglasses.

The toned British actress, 39, looked like a real-life Lara Croft posing in a pink lycra two-piece and weight-lifting gloves.

Mad Max: Fury Road star Rosie has two children with her fiancé, Hollywood hardman Jason Statham, 58.

We exclusively revealed last month how the couple bought a £20million beachfront “forever home” — and are spending another £5million renovating it.

They bought the six-bedroom mansion in the South of England, Land Registry records reveal.

The contemporary new-build is set on 20 acres and has its own private beach, ­enormous tree house, boating lake and wild swimming pond.

HARDMANSION

Jason Statham buys stunning £20m seaside home with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

WHITE A SITE

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley drips with glamour as she poses under shower

Building work has been going on for some time, with experts estimating a further £5million is being spent.

Public records show Jason, 58, who starred in the Fast and Furious franchise, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, paid £20million for the site in 2024.

Several high-profile celebrities also own homes in the area. Jason also has extensive properties in Hollywood and Cornwall.

The couple, who have a home in London, met at a party in 2009 and got engaged in 2016.

Rosie, 39, has fashions collaborations with M&S and ­Burberry and acting roles in Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Mad Max: Fury Road.

She recently revealed she was moving to the countryside, saying: “I’ve been dreaming of this since I left home.”

Los Angeles police are investigating the fatal stabbing of actor James Handy, who officials said was killed by his girlfriend’s son Wednesday at a home in Tarzana. The suspect was apprehended after he made a bizarre 911 call.

On Thursday, authorities identified the 81-year-old stabbing victim as the actor, who appeared in the films “Logan,” “Jumanji,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Arachnophobia.”

Representatives for the actor confirmed the news to The Times.

On Wednesday morning around 9:30 a.m., West Valley area patrol officers responded to an emergency call in a residential neighborhood of Tarzana. The 911 caller stated, “I am the son of man. I just killed the man of sin.”

When police arrived, they found Handy in the front yard of the Erwin Street home, unconscious and suffering from a stab wound to his chest. According to law enforcement, Handy was taken to a local hospital by paramedics, where he was pronounced dead.

A news release said that Michael Gledhill, the man suspected of stabbing Handy, flagged down officers who were responding to the incident and told them he was the one they were looking for.

Gledhill, 44, lives at the Erwin Street home with his mother, who police said was in a relationship with Handy.

Detectives said they believed this was an isolated incident and there appeared to be no danger to the public at this time.

Gledhill was arrested and transported to Van Nuys Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of murder. His bail was set at $2 million.

Handy has more than 150 acting credits to his name and had acted across television and film since the 1970s. Most recently, he played a bartender alongside Jennifer Connelly in the 2022 sequel “Top Gun: Maverick.” In 2017, he played opposite Hugh Jackman in “Logan” as a doctor who pleads with Wolverine to heal up.

In 2021, he portrayed Father MacGuffin in the comedy “Senior Entourage.” The film’s director, Brian Connors, posted on Facebook last year that Handy was one of the “finest character actors I know.”

Handy also acted in numerous television crime dramas, including “Alias,” “Criminal Minds,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” “CSI: NY,” “Cold Case” and more.

The police are asking anyone with additional information about this incident to contact the Robbery-Homicide Division, Valley Section, Dets. Simonyan or Lopez, at (818) 374-9550.

Love Island bosses had yet another twist up their sleeve with the latest bombshell and fans have been left stunned

Love Island viewers were treated to another huge twist in the latest bombshell action. Following hot on the heels of a double eviction – sort of – the villa was getting ready to welcome two new islanders.

And it turns out one already knows a fellow love hopeful very well. In fact, he is his brother! Aidan’s sibling, Kavan, has made a big impression – both with Ellie and online.

Electrician Kavan, 21, is the younger brother of 23-year-old property broker Aidan. One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “Bringing in a brother Love Island are you mad?!” Another added: “Love Island are seriously running out of ideas LOOOOL tf you mean Aidan’s BROTHER? #LoveIsland.”

A third wasn’t keen on the idea, either, saying: “Eww imagine being on Love Island with a sibling. Could not be me. #loveisland.”

A fourth enjoyed the twist, though, writing: “Two brothers in one villa is brazy. Fairs, Love Island, fairs #loveisland.”

And a fourth agreed: “imagine going onto love island and fumbling the hottest girl in there and then ur brother comes in and dates her. sunday dinners gonna be awkward when they get back #loveislanduk

Ellie having a date with Kavan left her stunned and she gasped “f*** off” when he revealed Aidan is his brother.

It comes after Yasmin and Aidan caught up in the Snug to discuss Yasmin’s decision to dump Ellie. She told him: ““I’m sorry it’s put you in a sh*t situation.”

Comforting her, Aidan said: “I’m just shocked, that’s all. I didn’t expect it.” He pulled her in for a hug as the pair got closer.

The pair continued to share a closer bond the next day. On the terrace, Aidan told her: “My attention is of course with you. I think I made a bold statement yesterday and I stick by it… But I feel like you also made a bold decision which was nice.”

Yasmin questioned if her choice was bad and Aidan flirted by saying: “Nah, it was sexy…” As Yasmin joked she did it “all for you” the pair leant in for a kiss, with Ellie appearing to be the last thing on his mind.

But despite their early exit, Ellie and Samraj were in for a twist. Following a shock text informing them that their Love Island journey isn’t over, they were snuck off to somewhere much closer to home than the airport. The duo headed to The Hideaway.

Samraj joked to Ellie: “I didn’t think I’d be spending my first night in the Hideaway with you Ellie, as much as I love you!”

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Los Angeles police are investigating the fatal stabbing of actor James Handy, who officials said was killed by his girlfriend’s son Wednesday at a home in Tarzana. The suspect was apprehended after he made a bizarre 911 call.

On Thursday, authorities identified the 81-year-old stabbing victim as the actor, who appeared in films “Logan,” “Jumanji,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Arachnophobia.”

Representatives for the actor confirmed the news to The Times.

On Wednesday morning around 9:30 a.m., West Valley area patrol officers responded to an emergency call in a residential neighborhood of Tarzana. The 911 caller stated, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.”

When police arrived, they found Handy in the front yard of the Erwin Street home, unconscious and suffering from a stab wound to his chest. According to law enforcement, Handy was taken to a local hospital by paramedics, where he was pronounced dead.

A news release said that Michael Gledhill, the man suspected of stabbing Handy, flagged down officers who were responding to the incident and told them he was the the one they were looking for.

Gledhill, 44, lives at the Erwin Street home with his mother, who police said was in a relationship with Handy.

Detectives said they believed this was an isolated incident and there appeared to be no danger to the public at this time.

Gledhill was arrested and transported to Van Nuys Jail, where he was booked on murder charges. His bail was set at $2 million.

The police are asking anyone with additional information about this incident to contact the Robbery-Homicide Division, Valley Section, Dets. Simonyan or Lopez, at (818) 374-9550.

KYLIE Jenner has shown off her stunning figure as she enjoyed a night out during a luxury holiday to Turks and Caicos.

The TV star posed up a storm for a slew of snaps from the trip, which saw her donning a skintight cream dress – ditching her underwear for the ensemble.

Kylie’s dress had a large cut-out down the side, with the brunette pulling her locks into a slicked back braid and adding statement silver earrings.

Posing on the beach, she looked sensational in a carousel of Instagram snaps.

Kylie even got into the sea in her dress for some pictures, seemingly unfazed about getting her ensemble wet.

“Loves a sunset day,” captioned Kylie underneath the pictures.

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FAN THEORY

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The star is enjoying the fun-filled trip with a group of her pals, with the holiday to promote her brand, Kylie Cosmetics.

She has been keeping fans up to date via Instagram as they enjoy lavish beach dinners and stunning scenery.

Travelling in style, Kylie shared pictures of the group travelling to Turks and Caicos in a luxury private jet.

Her kids Stormi, eight, son Aire, four, and their friends have also joined her on the lavish holiday.

Kylie shares her two little ones with ex Travis Scott.

The trip comes after fans were left Kylie Jenner fans convinced she’s engaged to Timothee Chalamet after spotting massive diamond ring in new video

In a recent TikTok video, she was spotted sporting a diamond ring on her little finger, which several fans were convinced was actually an engagement ring.

One user wrote: “It HAS to be an engagement ring because it’s too big to be fitted for her pinky.”

“Mrs. Chalamet has never looked this beautiful. A touch of happiness made her glow,” noted a second.

The couple have been dating since 2023 and she’s showed up as the proud girlfriend as she accompanied him to the various award shows during award season.

Strictly Come Dancing is reportedly going to be unrecognisable by the time it returns to screens later this year, after bosses have decided to give the show a makeover

Strictly Come Dancing is undergoing a major makeover. The BBC dancing programme is set to return to screens later this year with three new hosts following the departure of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

And Tess and Claudia aren’t the only people who’ve left; a string of professional stars have also departed, making way for new names to take to the dancefloor. But that’s not the only shake-up: sources say the show will look completely unrecognisable by the time it returns in autumn.

The dance floor is likely to undergo a makeover, with bosses currently deciding whether to change the iconic backdrop, which has become extremely familiar to viewers. The current studio, the George Lucas studio at Elstree, is made up of bright coloured panels, lights and some screens.

But sources claim this could switch to larger screens that display visuals during routines. “It was natural that bosses look at giving the show a whole new look as it enters a new era, but they aren’t ditching the traditional presentation of the show, just the way it is delivered,” a source told The Sun.

The source went on to add: “It’s going to get a more sleek, impressive set, but it will still be all about fun, glitz and sparkles. They aren’t trying to turn it into the set of Star Wars. But it would have been strange not to have made some change to the look of the show, given that the programme is starting a new chapter with so many other new elements.”

The publication claims that the new set has been compared to the shake-up The X Factor underwent in 2009, which saw the show’s backdrop made up entirely of large screens.

The rumoured new set-up has recently been seen across the UK tour of Strictly: The Professionals, and bosses have decided to keep the staircase and band, but the rest of the display was on giant green screens. The Clauditorium is said to remain the same.

With three hosts rather than two, there will also be a new backstage element of the programme. Emma Willis, comic Josh Widdicombe and professional dancer Johannes Radebe are the new faces of Strictly and will make their presenting debut in the autumn.

Another change this year is that Janette Manrara won’t be returning to the front spin-off show, It Takes Two. Manrara was also widely rumoured to be facing the axe, and has now confirmed she has left the series.

In a video posted on her YouTube account, she said: “Strictly Come Dancing has changed hugely, and I am no longer a part of It Takes Two or the main show. I’ll still be involved in other ways. But that just means that I’m free to pursue and do many other projects that I’ve always wanted to do and never really thought about doing.

“Strictly is all I’ve known for the last 14 years so it is a bit like, ‘Oh, we’re going into a different world, a different space, how are we going to navigate that?'”

The Mirror approached Strictly Come Dancing for comment.

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Reality programme The Vardys has wrapped up and fans of the show have one big question

Reality show The Vardys has ended, leaving fans with one question.

The programme followed footballer Jamie as he left Leicester City and moved to Italy alongside wife Rebekah and their family.

As it ended on Thursday (June 4), many fans were left wondering if it would be back for a second series, reports Leicestershire Live.

Spanning three episodes on ITV, The Vardys documented the famous family’s relocation to a luxurious Lake Garda residence, where they adjusted to a new life and were faced with a break-in.

“After a difficult and dramatic five years in the UK, Rebekah is ready for the next chapter – but uprooting and moving to Italy with four kids (plus a superstar footballer husband) is not exactly what she had in mind,” a synopsis stated.

“As she manages the emotional and physical upheaval of the new move, she reflects on her recent challenges in the UK, intent on putting the ‘Wagatha’ drama behind her and focusing on an exciting new chapter.”

Following the finale, numerous viewers expressed their desire for another instalment.

“Watched all three episodes last night, loved it… will there be a second series,” one person asked on Instagram.

Rebekah hosted a Q&A on her Instagram Story, and when questioned about a potential second season, she responded: “We only ever agreed to do three episodes, but we will see. It’s a busy time right now.”

Another viewer mentioned watching the programme on catch-up and thoroughly enjoying it, asking if there would be further episodes. “Ah, thank you, we will see,” the star replied.

One viewer asked whether Rebekah and Jamie might venture onto YouTube, and she teased: “Just wait and see.”

Numerous viewers have suggested the series has revealed a different side of the star, and when one commented that Rebekah was a “great mum and wife”, she responded: “A villain makes a better story than the real person, I guess. Sometimes it’s easier to believe a headline than think for yourself.

“A lot of people built careers on getting me wrong,” she continued. “I’m really not as scary as they want you to believe.”

The Vardys is available on ITVX.

Kathy Hilton will no longer be the grand marshal of West Hollywood’s pride parade.

The city and WeHo Pride on Wednesday released a joint statement, announcing that “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star would no longer serve as the Grand Marshal Icon for the 2026 WeHo Pride Parade. The event is scheduled for Sunday.

“After thoughtful discussions, the City of West Hollywood, the WeHo Pride production team, and Kathy Hilton have determined that the 2026 WeHo Pride Parade will not designate a Grand Marshal Icon honoree,” read the statement.

The decision comes less than a week after Hilton was announced. That May 28 announcement was met with swift backlash from the LGBTQ+ community and allies, who called out Hilton’s ties to President Trump and alleged MAGA-leaning politics. Critics also cited accusations that the socialite had used a homophobic slur while on a trip with other cast members of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” an action she has previously denied.

In their joint statement, West Hollywood and the WeHo Pride team expressed their appreciation for “the respectful and sincere dialogue” around both the event and the “role and significance” of Pride honorees.

“The City of West Hollywood has always believed that Pride belongs to the community,” the joint statement said. “Since its earliest days, Pride has served as both a celebration and a platform for activism, visibility, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of equality, dignity, and justice for LGBTQ+ people. … These conversations reflect the passion people have for WeHo Pride and underscore the importance of ensuring that WeHo Pride continues to honor the history, values, and diverse voices of the LGBTQ+ community.”

In a statement, Hilton expressed gratitude for being considered for grand marshal and reaffirmed her commitment to the LGBTQ+ community and causes.

“My reason for wanting to be involved in this year’s WeHo Pride weekend was simple: to celebrate, support, and share in the joy of a community that means a great deal to so many people,” Hilton said. “Pride is, and always will be, about celebrating and uplifting LGBTQ+ voices, experiences, and achievements. … My support for the community and WeHo Pride is unwavering.”

She also mentioned several queer advocacy organizations and events she has supported over the years, including GLAAD, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Dr. Mathilde Krim, God’s Love We Deliver and Project Angel Food.

The latest Pride-related dust-up follows the abrupt cancellation of the Long Beach Pride Festival in May. The city’s Pride Parade took place as planned.

Both snafus have occurred as conservative politicians and advocates continue to attack LGBTQ+ rights and visibility nationwide. Some Republican governors have even pushed for conservative alternatives to Pride month festivities. A recent Gallup poll has found that after years of steady gains, support for marriage equality and same-sex relationships has slipped, particularly among Republicans.

Cape Fear,” premiering Friday on Apple TV, is a 10-episode limited series remake of a 1991 Martin Scorsese remake of a 1962 film adapted from John D. MacDonald’s 1957 novel “The Executioners,” and as in a game of telephone each subsequent version adds new material and moves a little farther from the original. (The credits to the series, created by Nick Antosca, note all previous sources and screenwriters.) Thirty-four years having passed since the last go-round, we are treated to such modern advances as catfishing, drones, deep fakes, social media and pushy true-crime podcasters.

In each iteration, a family is menaced by a recently released ex-con who blames one or more of them for his incarceration. Antosca fills his extra-long take on the material with complications and inventions; though the series is also chock full of borrowings from and allusions to its predecessors — you can hardly call them Easter eggs, lying there as they do in plain sight. (And sound: Bernard Herrmann and Elmer Bernstein‘s earlier scores share space with Jeff Russo’s new one.)

In every version, the antagonist is a now-charming, now-menacing psychopath named Max Cady (Javier Bardem), memorably played by Robert Mitchum in 1962 and Robert De Niro in 1991. In the novel and movies, Cady was serving time for rape; here it’s for the murder of his wife and unborn child, when new evidence suddenly springs him from prison after 17 years. We are invited to suspect this evidence from the very beginning, though this suspicion will itself become suspect. “Or is it?” is a question you’ll be prompted to ask through the series.

The objects of Cady’s slow-boiling vengeance — seemingly — are married lawyers Tom (Patrick Wilson) and Anna Bowden (Amy Adams), sharing the position previously represented solely by Gregory Peck and Nick Nolte in turn. Anna, who had unsuccessfully represented Cady, ironically works for an Innocence Project-type nonprofit, whose chief, Noa Toussaint (CCH Pounder), is only too delighted to fundraise on the back of Cady’s celebrity. Cady, claiming no hard feelings, insinuates himself into their world, apparently friendly, apparently helpful, so that it’s not always clear what’s sincere and what’s strategy. Is he a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or just a creepy, sometimes violent sheep? (“Killed his wife, didn’t kill his wife,” a minor character will volunteer, “he’s an arrogant bastard either way.”)

There are now two Bowden children in the picture, doubling earlier versions. Natalie (Lily Collias), Anna’s daughter from a previous relationship, is a good girl looking to go just a little bad, who feels unseen by her busy parents. Sad, sullen younger half-brother Zach (Joe Anders), unrecovered from a social media misstep, is acting more strangely than teenage boys usually do.

This is a cat and mouse — or cats and mice — melodrama, with customized stock characters given dark secrets and backstory traumas less as explanation than complication. (Good, bad, whatever, everyone’s got issues.) Cady, who has a prison-acquired brain injury — cue flashback, in black and white, naturally — suffers from headaches and hallucinations, reacting painfully to flashbulbs (a Chekov gun, I wondered?), seeing visions of his dead wife and son, whom he pictures grown. (He is sad about it, whether or not it’s his fault.) And is that masked woman in green he keeps seeing real or imagined?

On a nuts and bolts level, it’s all screwed together tight, even the pieces that stick out at weird angles. (Is there a reason to make Cady an apparently talented chef, other than to demonstrate his knife skills?) The actors fill their parts with feeling. Bardem gets the most, and most extreme attitudes, to play, whether cozying up individually to the Bowdens, threatening a groupie, undergoing a religious conversion, acting normal or being weird. Adams is low-key forceful as his primary opponent. (Tom’s comparatively weak character is underscored by his secret habit of microdosing LSD and a nothingburger flirtation with a colleague.) Collias is impressively real. The dialogue is well-crafted, the Southern atmosphere (Atlanta doubling Savannah, with Savannah here and there standing for itself) suitably oppressive.

Nevertheless, it’s fair to ask whether this story, even with its yards of extra material, could be told in under nine hours? The answer, most assuredly, is yes. And might it be better shorter? It might.

Not that I’ve ever been a fly on the walls of the executive conference or dining or washrooms where such deals are made, but I suspect the length has less to do with artistic necessity than A) the obscure economics of streaming and B) the not unrelated habits of viewers, who, to judge by questions I get asked, abhor a vacuum. A 10-episode series will put off the moment when they have “nothing to watch,” while the streamer gets to keep them in the ecosystem longer. “Cape Fear” is hardly the only series to which this applies. As I imagine the series will do well — mystery with a smattering of horror seems very much what the people want — more may be just the ticket for some people. Still, there’s a sense that the story has expanded to fill the space, with plotlines for all and crazy side trips (snakes! drugs!) in escalating levels of nuttiness.

That might be more feature than bug, but I can’t say I felt much of anything for the characters, or was concerned whether the Bowdens would emerge from their ordeals a stronger family. (Whatever the outcome, I’d say they have work to do.) Having been given only eight of 10 episodes to review, I’m interested, in a disinterested way, how this all will shake out, when the story finally moves to the Cape Fear River, and whatever final twists — that there will be twists, I am certain — an inevitably Action Packed Finale has in store.

TINA O’Brien has shown off her stunning bikini body while enjoying a sunny solo holiday.

It comes following the 42-year-old Coronation Street actress’ split from millionaire Adam Fadle in November.

Taking to Instagram, Tina shared a slew of pictures from her solo trip to Italy this week as she soaked up the sun.

She donned a patterned pink bikini in one with a matching cover-up, showing off her slim physique while posing in the mirror.

Other snaps showed Tina sipping cocktails by the pool, enjoying lavish meals and exploring the area.

She captioned the post: “I had the most incredible solo travel experience exploring Ischia and Capri 🇮🇹 🛵 ❤️ Can’t wait to plan the next one 💫

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Tina’s co-stars such as Lucy Fallon, Samia Longchambon and Sally Carman all took to the comment section of the post to send their love to Tina.

The solo trip comes months after Tina split from her boyfriend Adam in November after four months together.

The Coronation Street star, 42, went official with the millionaire businessman in the summer last year and they both made their first public outing at her co-star Jack P. Shepherd’s wedding in July.

Insiders said that the Sarah Platt actress called time on the relationship after she felt it “wasn’t going anywhere” and she didn’t think it was “going to last”.

Tina’s outcome is said to have shocked Adam, 38, who believed they had a real future.

The relationship came just four months after the end of her marriage to personal trainer Adam Crofts.

They were married for six years and share son Beau together.

Tina also has a 16-year-old daughter from her relationship with her former Corrie co-star Ryan Thomas.

A Love Island star has made a surprise exit from the competition just days into the latest series and after a shock double eviction

Love Island fans are set to be stunned as one islander has left the show just days into their time on the villa. After a double bombshell eviction, a third member of the villa has now cut their time short.

George Knight has sensationally quit the villa shortly after sending Samraj and Ellie home. The footballer had only arrived as a bombshell, but is now said to have left due to “private reasons”.

He is still set to feature on Thursday evening’s show, but is thought to already have said his goodbyes. His exit is reportedly not going to be aired.

A Love Island spokesperson said: “For private reasons, George has left the Love Island villa. Duty of care for the Islanders is paramount so at this stage any further comment will come from George. Bosses and viewers alike had been loving his contribution.”

The contestant had made a big entrance and was getting to know Robyn and Mica. Robyn, who quickly friend zoned Sam appeared keen to forge a pairing with George, so it remains to be seen how she will take the news. The pair had already shared a kiss on the terrace.

On Wednesday’s show, Yasmin was in tears as the time for the bombshells to make their decision approached. And their decision wasn’t well received by viewers at home. One labelled it a “sinister” move, while others were shocked.

But while tears ran down the villa and gutted Samraj and Ellie heading for the exit, they were told that all may not be as it seemed. It left fans confused as to what might come next in a series that has already thrown up a number of twists in the first week.

Straight off the bat, islanders had to choose their own couples. This moved away from the public who normally picked who they thought was best matched.

Love Island All Stars winner Gabby Allen told us of the bold move at the time: “The producers are doing a great job at changing things up. This has never been done before.

“A recoupling done by themselves is crazy! I would panic in this situation and hope somebody whisked me off my feet so I didn’t have the decision.”

After the first episode, Gabby also predicted high energy between some of the cast – and Gabby knows vibes when she sees them! “OMG!!! The vibes between Lola & Ope already,” she said.

“These two coming in I feel like is already spicing things up. BOTH of them have very good energy. You heard it here first, Ope is going to do well. Player of not. People are going to like him.”

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Clarkson’s Farm star Lisa Hogan returns to screens for season five, but what do we know about her previous relationships?

The fifth season of Clarkson’s Farm has finally arrived, with four brand-new episodes landing on Wednesday, 3rd June.

After Jeremy Clarkson’s emergency hospital dash back in October 2024, the former Top Gear and The Grand Tour co-presenter lost no time in returning to work at Diddly Squat.

The latest series chronicles Jeremy as he teams up once more with Kaleb Cooper and his other half, Lisa Hogan, on fresh farming ventures, including so-called ‘Easycare’ sheep which prove to be amongst the most challenging animals on the farm, a touching Christmas celebration and even AI-powered tractors.

Now the show has been running for half a decade, with a sixth series scheduled for next year, audiences have become more familiar than ever with television couple Jeremy and Lisa.

However, did you know Lisa was previously wed before encountering Jeremy at a gathering in 2017? Let’s explore what we know about her former spouse, reports Wales Online.

Who is Lisa Hogan’s ex-husband?

Lisa was formerly married to Baron Steven Bentinck, an art collector and Dutch aristocrat residing in Madrid.

He belongs to the House of Bentinck family of Dutch, German and British nobility and is the nephew of steel magnate and art collector Baron Heinrich von Thyssen.

Baron Steven and Lisa first crossed paths in 1996 and tied the knot in 1998. They stayed together for 30 years, until 2011, and share three children, Wolfe, Alice, and Lizzy.

Lisa’s former husband was also previously wed to Nora de Picciotto. He is 69, 17 years Lisa’s senior, with her being 52. His precise net worth remains undisclosed but is thought to run into the multi-millions owing to his links with billionaire industrialist von Thyssen and his remarkable collection of luxury assets, which previously included the 147-foot yacht, alongside several high-value properties such as the Duntreath Castle estate in Scotland.

The Bentinck family wealth is understood to reach into the hundreds of millions, with their Welbeck Estates Company holdings alone estimated at over £230 million.

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Prior to her relationship with Jeremy, Lisa was also involved with Canadian businessman Craig Cohan for a period after meeting at a birthday celebration in Moscow. The pair were seen together at a Battersea Power Station event in April 2014, although the exact timeline of their romance and separation remains unclear.

Jeremy, for his part, has been married twice before. His first wife is Alex Hall, whom he wed in 1989 for six months, while his second is manager Frances Cain, marrying in 1993. They share three children together and separated in 2014.

Clarkson’s Farm season 5 continues Wednesdays on Prime Video.

KATIE Price has revealed what husband Lee Andrews told her on the phone from prison as she admitted “time is running out”.

The Sun revealed yesterday that self-proclaimed businessman Lee must pay a fine of more than £100,000 to be released from jail.

The ex-glamour model, 48, is thought to have believed her hubby could walk free in Dubai this week if he could stump up a four-figure fine.

But after she spoke to him, it emerged he “needs a six-figure sum” instead.

And now Katie has shared her fears for Lee, saying she was worried he would not be released anytime soon.

Revealing details of her last phone conversation with Lee, Katie said: “I’m absolutely knackered, it’s the second morning because I spoke to Lee yesterday and he wants me to go to the Al Awir prison because he’s given me permission to get all his phones, his belongings.

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“So I’m going there now.

“I still need to hear back from his lawyer if I can get a visit to see him.

“It’s Wednesday and I go on Friday… time is running out.”

Katie admitted she was now able to reach her husband because she had a Dubai number for him in prison.

“I’m feeling knackered today, I’m excited, but excited for what? Because I don’t know if I’m seeing Lee but at least I now know he can ring me, I’ve got the Dubai number so at least I know he can ring me,” she added.

“So let’s go to the prison again.”

The previous day, Katie posted a clip while at a hair salon in Dubai as she told fans she was “all glam, just to go to bed and chill”.

She said: “The time is half five, I’m going to go back to the hotel, get in bed and watch telly all night until tomorrow morning.

“That’s so bad, coming to Dubai and I’m going to bed at half six in the evening, that’s shocking.

“I could go and party, have a drink, but I’m happy to go back to the hotel for a cup of tea in bed.”

Former I’m A Celebrity star Katie flew out on Monday and has visited the notorious Al Awir Central Prison several times, though her only contact with her hubby is via phone.

A source told The Sun yesterday: “Katie is desperately trying to get Lee out of prison.

“Despite everything that’s gone on, Lee is her husband and Katie wants to get him out and get the answers she so badly needs.

“She has been to the prison a number of times now, including going there today, to try to get the paperwork sorted to secure his release.

“To be released, Lee will have to pay over £100,000.

“He is confident he can get the cash and has assured Katie she won’t need to pay anything.”

Lee, who mysteriously disappeared last month, is said to be in jail over a civil matter.

Mum of five Katie last night confirmed she was trying to get him out, and admitted it was exhausting.

She said in a social media video: “I have got to go to courts, prison and the police ­station.

“Not visiting him in prison but ‘the’ prison.

“Who knows what today will bring.

“I am so tired.”

Katie married Nottingham-born Andrews, 42, in Dubai in January, just days after meeting him.

Prior to his disappearance, he told her he was flying to the UK to go on Good Morning Britain for their first joint interview.

However, the UAE government had banned him from leaving the country for allegedly forging a signature on a six-figure loan.

Katie then feared he had been kidnapped after he disappeared.

Subsequently, she said Andrews called her to say he was in jail, apparently for spying.

Officials later confirmed to The Sun his incarceration was linked to a “private civil matter”.

Any potential release may not be straightforward, according to a source last night.

PARIS — Acclaimed Iranian-French cartoonist and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi, a prominent advocate for women’s rights, has died at 56, the French presidency said Thursday.

“Her passing marks the loss of a leading figure of French culture and an artist devoted to freedom, whose work carried a universal message and earned her immense international acclaim,” the French presidency said in a statement.

President Emmanuel Macron and his wife “pay tribute to a remarkable artist who transformed an Iranian childhood into a universal fable,” the statement said.

News broadcaster BFM TV and other French media reported Satrapi has “died of sadness” a little over a year after the death of her husband, Swedish film producer and actor Mattias Ripa, according to a statement from people close to the artist.

The French Academy of Fine Arts, of which she was a member, expressed its deep sadness in a social media statement, paying tribute to “a passionate advocate for cinema and film education” who earlier this year created a foundation to help international students come to Paris to study film.

Satrapi is best-known for her monochrome autobiographical comic book and film “Persepolis,” a coming-of-age tale set against the Islamic Revolution in her native Iran.

“Persepolis” won the Film Critics Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival in 2007 and the César Award for adapted screenplay in 2008, in addition to being nominated for animated feature at the 2008 Oscars.

The film, which details her life in Tehran as the willful daughter of intellectual Marxists, is a reminder that Iranians are just like everyone else, Satrapi told The Associated Press in a 2007 interview in Cannes.

“What we wanted to say is, if these people scare you, look closer: They have parents, they have lovers, they have hope, they have stories,” she said.

Iranian authorities at the time protested the movie’s inclusion at Cannes, sending a letter to the French Embassy in Tehran.

Satrapi was born on Nov. 22, 1969, in Rasht, Iran, but her parents sent her to Vienna, Austria, in 1983 to finish her studies because of the extremism in their country following the 1979 Revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power.

But Satrapi, who found Austria hostile and who desperately missed her parents, returned to Iran in 1989 to attend Tehran University, where she earned a degree in visual communications.

By the time she graduated, Satrapi decided she finally was ready to leave Iran and accept the opportunities her parents had been so desperate to give her a decade before. In 1994 she moved to France. She studied in Strasbourg and later moved to Paris.

Her graphic novels also include “Broderies” (“Embroideries”) and “Poulet aux prunes” (“Chicken with plums”), which also was adapted into a film. As a filmmaker, she has directed several works including “La Bande des Jotas” (“The Gang of Jotas”) and “Radioactive” (“Madame Curie”), a biography about the Polish physicist Marie Curie.

Satrapi in 2023 coordinated the book “Femme, vie, liberté” (“Woman, Life, Freedom”) together with a group of artists and academics to illustrate the revolts that occurred in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 at the hands of the so-called “morality police.” The work denounces the repression and lack of human rights that Iranian society, especially women, suffers at the hands of the Iranian regime, the foundation said.

Satrapi was elected member of the French Academy of Fine Arts in 2024. She also was offered France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor, that same year but declined it, arguing France was not doing enough to support Iranian people fighting for democracy.

“Supporting the women’s revolution in Iran cannot be reduced to photos or speeches,” she wrote in a January 2025 letter to French authorities. “When people are fighting for democracy, we should support them.”

In 2024, Satrapi won the Princess of Asturias Foundation award in Spain for communication and humanities. The organization said she was “an essential voice in the defense of human rights and freedom.” The judges described her as “a symbol of civic engagement led by women.”

Satrapi’s husband, Ripa, died in April 2025 at 53. On her Instagram page, only one message was left in a series of posts: “Because I have lost the love of my life.”

Loose Women has been hit with a sudden schedule change

Loose Women is set for a schedule shake-up.

Kaye Adams confirmed that the ITV hit show will be missing from the regular 12.30pm timeslot on Friday, June 5.

During Thursday’s (June 4) episode the TV presenter returned to our TV screens alongside fellow panellists Jane Moore, Oti Mabuse and EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy as they shared their opinions on the day’s trending topics.

Speaking at the end of the episode, Kaye revealed that the show won’t air tomorrow, however, she was quick to assure fans that they’ll be back in business on Monday (June 8) as normal.

She explained: “That’s it for today. No Loose Women tomorrow as ITV heads to the races but we will be back on Monday at 12:30. We will see you then.”

Loose Women will instead be replaced with the races. Viewers will see Francesca Cumani and Ed Chamberlin present live coverage of The Oaks from Epsom, plus the support races.

There will also be analysis from Jason Weaver and Adele Mulrennan, reports by Matt Chapman, Rishi Persad, Oli Bell and Mick Fitzgerald, and commentary from Richard Hoiles.

It comes after ITV’s shake-up that came into force at the start of 2026 when Loose Women was cut to a 30-week seasonal schedule.

Speaking about the cuts, Coleen Nolan previously told the Mirror: “The crew have become family. I’ve watched them grow. Some of our runners from back in the day are producers, married with kids. I’ve shared my life with them. They’re in limbo, not knowing what they’re going to do.”

She continued: “Loose Women isn’t ending, which I’m so thankful for, but it’s changing. It’s going to be very different in the respect of the size of the crew, but it’s still running. Which it should be – there isn’t another show that celebrates and supports all women of every size, age, whatever.

“But it’s heartbreaking to see some of my colleagues not knowing what they’re going to do. Many of them have young families and mortgages.”

Nadia Sawalha previously spoke out on the YouTube channel she shares with her husband Mark Adderley, saying: “Do you know what, at the moment, all of us on screen are in work and are proud of what we do.”

“But behind the scenes there are people that are really suffering, and what you don’t realise is when you attack the show you attack them, because you never see all the army of people behind the scenes and how hard they work.

“So to all my friends and colleagues behind the scenes who have just got a huge shock out of the blue, I’m so sorry. Mark knows how upset I’ve been at home about it. I just can’t bear it. So just be f****** kind to people. What people don’t realise at Loose Women is that we’re self-employed. Every contract is a new contract. I could be let go tomorrow.”

Loose Women airs weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

BUSTED star James Bourne has become centre to quite the mystery as it’s been revealed his Instagram account has disappeared.

This comes just six months after he pulled out of the band’s huge tour with a serious illness.

When fans click through to scroll his profile, it’s completely gone.

It shows a blank white page with the words, “Sorry this page isn’t available.

“The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.”

This message usually pops up when Instagram has removed the account or the account holder has deleted their page.

WHO NOSE?

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LEADER OF THE PECK

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James pulled out of the group’s tour alongside their pals McFly last September, just hours before they were due on stage.

The 42-year-old confessed he would not be tearing up the stage with the rest of his band –  Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis.

He cited the reason for pulling out as “health” problems and said he “hoped to come back further down the line”.

James said in his statement: “The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as I’ve been all year for this tour to begin, I’m really sorry to say that over the last 8 days it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows.

“There’s a lot of information I still don’t have about my condition but my bandmates, management and I are unanimous in deciding that I should focus on medical stuff for now.”

None of the boys wanted to let fans down and so they decided to push ahead with a replacement on guitar.

Bassist Matt told the Birmingham crowd: “You may have noticed our best friend is not here tonight. James Bourne is really f***ing sick and we love him and we miss him.

“This is the first show we’ve ever played without him and it’s really weird but we’re going to do the best we can.

“This happened really fast, y’know, health is wealth.”

The remaining Busted stars explained to their fans that they’d asked James if they should continue and he agreed saying, “you totally should.”

Back in April James opened up to Busted fans, sharing he was having a major surgery in the hopes it would extend his life expectancy.

“Hopefully [the surgery will] make me well enough to come back to what I love the most which is touring and making music. It really sucks to be out of the game,” admitted James on his Instagram story.

The singer, who shot to fame when Busted arrived on the pop scene in 2002 with What I Go To School For, is yet to reveal what illness he is battling.

Busted confirmed their split in an emotional press conference on January 13, 2005.

However they thrilled fans when they got back together ten years later, and have been going strong ever since.

The group have continued to rack up hit after hit.

A waterfront amphitheater roughly twice the size of the Greek Theatre and two-thirds the size of the Hollywood Bowl is set to open this week in Long Beach — and there’s a lot riding on its success.

City leaders hope F&M Bank Amphitheater of Long Beach, located next to the famed Queen Mary, will supplant declining revenues from oil extraction and lead to an uptick in tourism. Concert promoters, meanwhile, see it as filling an important gap in Southern California’s music venue market.

The temporary amphitheater, which has a maximum capacity of 11,000, is meant to be a precursor to a permanent “Long Beach Bowl,” which is being pitched as the largest waterfront venue on the West Coast. The site opens June 6 with a performance by native son Snoop Dogg, and is expected to last for up to 10 years.

The new amphitheater represents a years-long dream of Mayor Rex Richardson, who began championing an outdoor performance venue on the waterfront in 2023. Soon after the closure of Irvine’s FivePoint Amphitheatre in October of that year, he accelerated those plans by proposing this facility. The general feeling was that Irvine’s loss could be Long Beach’s gain.

“This will be a place where memories are made, where music brings people together and where our city shows up on the big stage,” he said during a January groundbreaking. “The amphitheater represents direction to invest in our city’s future, to embrace our creative economy [and] to shape how people experience Long Beach for generations to come.”

Good vibes by the water is the driving energy behind the temporary venue.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

While Los Angeles and Orange County have no shortage of cavernous indoor arenas, the region has recently lacked a proper “summer shed” capable of hosting many national amphitheater tours, said Nick Storch, head of global artist development for booking agency Independent Artist Group. Those tours typically play venues larger than the Greek, Irvine’s Great Park Live or Costa Mesa’s fairgrounds-adjacent Pacific Amphitheatre, but smaller than the Hollywood Bowl.

Such tours, Storch said, are of “massive” importance to the concert industry. “With amphitheaters, it’s not just the music — it’s the experience of being outside and watching a concert, getting a bite to eat with your friends and all those kinds of things,” said Storch, whose agency’s clients Motley Crue and Five Finger Death Punch will perform at the F&M Bank Amphitheater in September.

“FivePoint was a great venue to help artists that are in that in-between stage, and not fully ready for arenas,” he said. “Long Beach having an amphitheater is going to grow the market again.”

Amphitheaters are also crucial to veteran artists with established fan bases. The long-running hard rock band Tesla — who also will perform at the F&M Bank Amphitheater in September — has not played a show in Los Angeles or Orange counties since the closure of FivePoint, which hosted the group twice.

Brian Wheat, the band’s bassist and manager, said he’s excited the new venue will help change that. “Sheds are great in the summertime, and outdoor summer gigs always create a great atmosphere for both bands and fans,” he said.

Much like the F&M Bank Amphitheater, FivePoint Amphitheatre was designed to serve as a temporary venue following the closure of Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, which operated from 1981 to 2016. (From 2000 to 2014, it was known as Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.)

At 11,000 seats, the amphitheater is roughly two-thirds the size of the Hollywood Bowl. Its permanent replacement will be “architecturally iconic,” said Mayor Rex Richardson, while this temporary version is likened to a “summer shed.”

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

From its opening in October 2017 until its closure, FivePoint hosted nearly 500 concerts, including artists such as KISS, Dave Matthews Band, Charlie Puth, Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs.

Venue operator Live Nation — which manages more than 300 facilities across the country — initially hoped to build a permanent amphitheater nearby, but scrapped those plans in 2023 after the Irvine City Council ended negotiations. Soon after, Live Nation announced the venue would shutter.

After learning of Live Nation’s fallout with Irvine, Richardson and members of his economic development team attended the final FivePoint concert, a performance by the Zac Brown Band, to “explore the feasibility if we were to do the same thing.”

Three months later, Richardson announced plans to build a temporary amphitheater in Long Beach to bridge the gap until a permanent facility — which he envisions as an “architecturally iconic and significant” waterfront venue akin to San Diego’s Rady Shell at Jacobs Park — can be permitted, financed and constructed.

The site’s location is central to its appeal, said Dan Hoffend, executive vice president of North American venues for Legends Global, the operator for F&M Bank Amphitheater. “If you sit in the very top row — what you would consider the worst seat in the house — it’s a spectacular view,” he said. “The Queen Mary is sitting there in all its glory. You’re looking across the harbor. What would be perceived as the worst seat is actually the best seat because you see it all.”

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, left, and amphitheater general manager Tra Jones sit in the stands. Even from the nosebleeds, you still have a view of the waterfront at the F&M Bank Amphitheater.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Tra Jones, general manager of the new amphitheater and a Long Beach native, said he’s striving to make it feel less stopgap and utilitarian than FivePoint.

“It doesn’t have a temporary feel at all,” he said. “We looked at all our surroundings and said, ‘What does this look like from a stylistic point of view?’ We leaned into the port/SteelCraft vibe — a very cool industrial look. When you walk in, you’re experiencing a vibe. That’s what we want to resonate with concertgoers coming here.”

The word “vibe” also pops up frequently in conversation with Richardson. Under his watch, Long Beach recently started branding itself as “Vibe City,” which he said is an attempt to encapsulate the charm of L.A. County’s second-largest city, and the state’s seventh-largest.

“Long Beach is special, but it’s hard to explain why if you haven’t been here,” he said. “Because you have to experience it for yourself, the best way to describe it is that it’s a vibe.”

Still, Richardson is aware that vibes can only go so far. During an April meeting with residents of downtown Long Beach, attendees were more interested in discussing homelessness and a recent uptick in traffic fatalities than how a new concert venue might add to the city’s cultural cachet. Some downtown residents have circulated a petition regarding noise-related concerns.

“The job of the mayor is to meet the needs of your residents today — keeping a roof over your head, making sure it’s safe to walk down the street, making sure you have access to amenities and services in your community — but also to think about the future,” he said.

That means finding a way to offset revenues from oil extraction, which currently finance many municipal services, and are projected to drop from more than $50 million annually to around $21 million by 2035. According to Richardson, the new amphitheater — managed by Legends Global, but owned by the city — will help cover that shortfall. The venue is projected to be profitable within five years and generate nearly $29 million in revenue by 2036.

Oil revenues, which pay for city services, are projected to drop by more than half. The amphitheater is being pitched as a budget gap solution.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

“We were fortunate that revenue from oil provided a lot of our services and built our beautiful waterfront, but as California moves away from oil production, we have to plan a more sustainable future by investing in what we know will be here in the long haul,” Richardson said. “In order to do that, we have to invest in arts and culture and tourism.”

Richardson is betting on music at a time when other cities — including Los Angeles — are doubling down on sports, warehousing or data centers. The amphitheater is also meant to remind the world of the city’s impact on pop culture.

From War to Warren G and Sublime to Snoop, Long Beach has a rich musical history. The city hosted the first concerts by the Beach Boys and No Doubt, while Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Elvis Presley, the Eagles and Iron Maiden all graced the stage of the Long Beach Arena.

While that venue currently holds more conventions than concerts, Long Beach has hosted notable outdoor music festivals in recent years, including Warped Tour, Day Trip and Dreamstate. Richardson believes the success of those events helped prove the city’s viability as a concert destination.

“This is the first step toward a legacy of leaving our city in a more economically resilient position,” Richardson said. “At every big turn in our city’s economy, we’ve leaned on arts as a way forward, and this is no different.”

Even the bleacher seats represent Long Beach pride at F&M Amphitheater.

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

Three years ago, Mattel Inc. struck box-office gold — or rather, pink — with the billion-dollar success of “Barbie.”

In its first return to theaters since the female-forward phenomenon, the El Segundo toymaker is turning to the brawny He-Man for another box-office lift.

Its latest film, “Masters of the Universe,” opens this weekend, as Mattel looks to build on that previous success and continue extending its signature toy brands into the entertainment arena.

“The movie is very much in tune with culture,” said Mattel Chief Executive Ynon Kreiz. “Everything is much more contemporary relative to what was created more than 40 years ago, but it’s still very true to the origin story and to the DNA of the brand.”

The new film arrives at a pivotal time for Mattel, which is facing pressure from investors to grow its business. The maker of Hot Wheels, American Girl and Uno has recently confronted a challenging market for toys, beset by tariffs on goods produced overseas and weaker-than-expected demand for Barbie dolls and Fisher-Price preschool products.

Amid uncertainty in the toy market and the fallout from tariffs, Mattel’s net income dropped 25% to $398 million in 2025. And since the company announced disappointing holiday sales totals in February, its stock has dropped more than 30%, closing at $14.34 on Wednesday.

“Masters of the Universe” toys at Mattel headquarters in El Segundo.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The share price slide prompted investor Southeastern Asset Management to send a letter last month to Mattel leadership suggesting the toy maker should sell itself and go private. Southeastern manages about 4% of the company’s stock on behalf of its clients.

“The frustration among investors has been the fact that if you look at the business from 2021 through 2025 and even this year … the business really hasn’t grown,” said Eric Handler, a Roth Capital senior media and entertainment analyst, referring to Mattel. “This is a company that needed something fresh in the portfolio, and there’s a wide range of investments being made, of which ‘Masters of the Universe’ is one part.”

Kreiz pushed back on the idea that the company is not growing. In the fourth quarter of 2025, net sales were up 7% to $1.8 billion, though the result was not as strong as the company expected.

Mattel has spent $1.2 billion in the last three years to buy back shares, with an additional $1.5-billion share repurchase planned for the next three years.

“We’re investing in our own stock because we believe it is undervalued,” he told The Times in an interview at his office, which has floor-to-ceiling windows that give an expansive view of El Segundo. “We absolutely agree that the share price doesn’t reflect the progress that we’ve achieved over the last few years financially, operationally, our place in culture, the strength of our brands, and the continued expansion of the business. And more importantly, the potential that we have down the road.”

“Masters of the Universe” is a key variable in that equation.

Ynon Kreiz, chief executive of Mattel.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The movie, which had a budget of roughly $170 million, is expected to bring in $25 million to $35 million in the U.S. and Canada during its debut weekend. That’s a far cry from the $162-million opening haul of “Barbie,” but box-office analysts say that film captured the cultural zeitgeist in a way that’s hard to replicate.

The ‘80s-era “Masters of the Universe” is “a property that was famous with a certain group of fans, but it hasn’t had much of a pop culture presence,” said Shawn Robbins, who directs movie analytics at Fandango and founded the forecasting site Box Office Theory. The movie has notched a respectable 74% approval rating from critics on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

“There’s been so many callbacks to nostalgic franchises,” he said. “Some people are always on board for them, and maybe the positive reviews bring people in who were on the fence. But people are also ready for something fresh and new and exciting.”

Kreiz said he’s often asked how the company will match the success of “Barbie.”

“The answer is, we don’t need to match ‘Barbie’s’ success for movies to have a meaningful economic impact on the company,” he said. “Not every movie will be ‘Barbie.’ If we create quality content that people want to watch and create quality experiences that people are engaged with, good things happen, and these brands will resonate and will be here for years to come.”

While theatrical revenue is important, the measure of success for “Masters of the Universe” could also include its eventual reception on streaming platforms and, of course, toy sales, analysts said.

There are hundreds of products tied to the movie, from collectible action figures of Nicholas Galitzine’s He-Man and Camila Mendes’ Teela, to branded Uno decks, Legos, clothing and skateboards.

Skeletor from “Masters of the Universe.”

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

“For us, it’s a huge win already,” said Robbie Brenner, president of Mattel Studios and chief content officer, who also served as a producer on the film. “We have reinvigorated and relaunched this brand that has been around for decades … and done it in a way with just the best-in-class toys. Obviously that’s our bread and butter. And then to have made an epic, incredible movie … is a huge win.”

While Mattel does not yet have sales totals for its “Masters of the Universe” toys, executives said during an earnings call in late April that product sales were “growing double digits” amid strong customer demand, particularly from adults.

When Kreiz was named CEO in 2018, he saw the potential for Mattel to expand beyond toys. In an entertainment landscape dominated by known franchises and intellectual property, the former TV and media executive wanted to leverage the company’s IP in new ways to attract consumers.

Hence, Mattel has expanded into real-world experiences such as a Barbie pop-up at Coachella or a traveling Hot Wheels monster truck show. In February, the company fully acquired Mattel163 mobile game studio after buying out a stake held by Chinese tech firm NetEase. The studio has released games based on Uno, Skip-Bo and other Mattel intellectual property.

And on the film and television front, the Mattel Studios division now has 51 people — most of whom are based in El Segundo — focused on projects across platforms.

After “Masters of the Universe,” Mattel Studios plans to release a “Matchbox” streaming movie in October. The division has more than a dozen films in development that have been announced, including an American Girl movie with Paramount, Polly Pocket with Amazon MGM Studios, as well as a live-action Magic 8 Ball series from M. Night Shyamalan.

“The journey for the company was to evolve from being a toy manufacturer that was making items to become an IP company that is managing franchises,” Kreiz said. “It’s not that we’re not creating toys — it’s obviously a big part of our business — but the opportunity is to expand so much more than the physical product.”

“Masters of the Universe” was in development for years at several different studios before it was picked up by Amazon MGM.

That partnership stemmed from Mattel’s work on the “Barbie” movie with Courtenay Valenti, then president of production and development at Warner Bros. Pictures who is now head of film at Amazon MGM.

“Masters of the Universe” felt like a good property for Mattel to bet on because of its nostalgia factor and deep bench of colorful characters, from the green tiger Battle Cat to the heavily armored Ram Man and ever meme-able Skeletor, which the company hopes will attract new audiences, Brenner said.

The movie is directed by Travis Knight — chief executive of stop-motion studio Laika who also led the 2018 “Transformers” spin-off “Bumblebee” — who Brenner said “nailed” the narrative’s tone. (It didn’t hurt that Knight was already a fan of the franchise and had sported the He-Man haircut as a child.)

“It’s a property that’s kind of out there,” said Brenner, who grew up watching He-Man and his twin sister She-Ra. “It’s got all these crazy characters. But just riding that line between what is funny and kind of irreverent and then kind of heartfelt, that is a very hard thing to put in a blender and to get right.”

Acclaimed German director Wim Wenders announced he was withdrawing his 1975 film, “Wrong Move,” from distribution due to a scene featuring then-13-year-old actor Nastassja Kinski topless.

Kinski played Mignon, a mute acrobat and street performer, in the film. In the controversial scene, she is featured lying on the bed topless as she tries to seduce her 30-something co-star Rüdiger Vogler, who plays Wilhelm.

Wilhelm enters the room, removes most of his clothing and gets into bed with her, slaps her, pushes her away and then caresses her face and cradles her.

Kinski, who also starred in Roman Polanski’s “Tess” and Wenders’ “Paris, Texas,” has voiced her discomfort with the scene for decades and recently told a German news outlet that, although she “didn’t know much at the age of 13,” she could tell that it wasn’t right.

In a 1997 USA TV interview, she was candid about wishing some of her work could be scrubbed from the screen permanently, saying, “I’ve done quite a lot of movies, a lot of movies that I want to just go and burn someplace. You always calculate ‘how much would that cost? How would I do that?’ and just know it’ll exist forever. It won’t be showing all that much, but just the fact that it’s there and it’ll exist.”

She told W Magazine the same year, “If I had had somebody to protect me or if I had felt more secure about myself, I would not have accepted certain things. Nudity things,” Kinski said. “And inside it was just tearing me apart.”

Per the Hollywood Reporter, Wenders received a lifetime achievement award at the German Film Awards last week and addressed the “Wrong Move” issue in his speech, saying that he would not shoot the scene today. He also said that he knew that keeping it in the film had continued to cause Kinski pain.

“I can’t blame the 29-year-old young man I was then, 50 years ago, who made a film of his time; wanting, in a way, to capture the zeitgeist,” he added before calling on the members of the German Film Academy to debate the issue and aid him in finding a resolution.

On Wednesday, the “Perfect Days” director issued a statement that was posted on social media saying that he would withdraw the film from all current forms of distribution.

“As the only person responsible at the time for Wrong Move who is still here, I recognize that Nastassja Kinski should have been better protected back then. For that, I apologize to you, Nastassja, unreservedly, no ifs and buts.”

Wender said that “the many reactions, comments, and conversations of recent days” had a played role in shifting his perception of the issue but that society must find appropriate ways of dealing with controversial film works from the 20th century.

“Only after that process has taken place — even if it takes considerable time — and once we have been able to present a mutually agreed solution, which will include Nastassja Kinski, will we make the film available again.”

Kinski commented on Wenders’ statement on Wednesday. The following has been translated from German:

“Wim, after all that, all those years, only because the public has now commented in so many newspapers, as well as colleagues, and now because thousands — even though I asked for so long — only now because of the public, do I read THESE words from you, W. Wenders: ‘Nastassja, back then 13 in the first film, Wrong Move.’ ”

LOVE Island’s Millie Court has stepped into her “hot girl summer” era with a series of sizzling new bikini snaps after her split from All Star boyfriend Zac Woodworth.

The Essex girl and the American hunk shocked fans when they called time on their romance last month, having been one of the villa’s big success stories earlier in the year.

Millie hasn’t resigned herself to the sofa eating ice cream since the split, instead she’s looking better than ever.

Just days after wowing on the catwalk in Miami, she showcased her toned body in white swimwear beside a pool.

Unsurprisingly, the comments were packed full of compliments, with pals like Sophie Piper and Chloe Burrows championing her.

Another follower said the pics gave them “goosebumps”, while another urged a man out there to “wife her up”.

DUMPED & DONE?

TWO Love Island stars dumped in shock axing – as secret twist rocks villa

All the eliminations from Love Island 2026: Find out who has left series 13 so far

Just days ago, Millie and Zac came face-to-face for the first time since ending their relationship, supposedly due to the transatlantic distance keeping them apart.

They crossed paths during a group gathering with fellow Islanders, and fans believe their body language was telling.

Love Island‘s Yamen Sanders captured the moment the former couple reunited and shared a hug, joking that they were “back together” and his girlfriend Whitney Adebayo agreed with the tease.

However, Millie looked far from impressed by the joke, appearing awkward as she briefly hugged Zac before turning to her friends and asking them to “stop”.

Her reaction caught fans’ attention, with many claiming it suggested Millie was the one who dumped Zac.

One wrote: “Millie’s like no thanks”.

A second said: “Millie said hell nah ahahahahaha.”

A third shared: “Millie looks less than impressed”.

Ted Danson is apologizing for roasting onetime paramour Whoopi Goldberg while wearing blackface.

It was the fall of 1993 at the Friars Club in Manhattan, and the occasion was a roast of the “Sister Act” star, who at the time called Danson her “best friend.” Danson, fresh off the heels of an 11-season run on “Cheers,” and Goldberg, who was at the height of her film career, had been tangled up in a not-so-secret love affair that sprang up while filming “Made in America.” Danson was freshly split from his second wife, producer Cassandra Coates, who served him divorce papers after the tabloids outed his fling with Goldberg earlier that year.

To make matters messier, Danson and Goldberg’s romance was cooling off and the two actually tried to get out of the Friars roast, but the club said the tickets had been sold and the show must go on.

According to The Times’ archives, Goldberg said she wrote the racial-slur-laden monologue that Danson delivered wearing black minstrel makeup with exaggerated lips in white. On the podcast, Danson said he’d been preparing for the skit for months, sure he was going to nail it. “Within 20 seconds I was like, I stuck my finger in a light socket,” Danson told W. Kamau Bell on the “Who’s With Me?” podcast.

At least two among the more than 2,000 guests at the roast protested. TV talk show host Montel Williams walked out, and New York City Mayor David Dinkins left the event early.

“My brain was going: Here is one of the most outrageous, funny Black women in the world, and I’m supposed to be roasting her, and I’m not a stand-up. I can’t run with the bulls. I’m an actor; if the material is funny, I can be funny,” Danson said.

“And then I thought, well, I can do performance theater. I looked at all these tapes, and it’s like, well if I were Black, I could say all these outrageous things, I’m not. Then my mind went, well, I will do it in blackface.”

Danson prefaced discussing the incident by saying that if he stammered throughout it was because it was uncomfortable talking about an affair he had when he was married, and that he’s been married to his third wife, Mary Steenburgen, for 32 years.

As for the blackface incident, “I have no problem talking about [it],” he said, adding that he wants to apologize for the rest of his life for the major flub. Although the incident happened more than three decades ago, internet fodder lasts forever, and Danson said he wanted to address it because somebody today can happen upon the incident online and think, “What the f—?”

Danson continued, “That this white guy could have something valuable to say about race and race relations was so stupid and entitled.”

He said he thought: “I know it’s bold, but I can pull this off, and that was so arrogant and stupid on my part. So off I go using all this horrendous language describing our love affair, while also in blackface. And I’d run it past Whoopi, and maybe she just didn’t want to squelch my creativity. … I worked for months, by the way, months.”

Earlier in the conversation, Bell told Danson that he wanted to give him his flowers for knowing how to apologize in public. “How to say ‘oops.’”

The Fortune viewers were left scratching their heads over the latest episode of the Channel 5 drama

The Fortune viewers were left baffled as the psychological drama progressed on Channel 5, with many questioning the storyline.

The series focuses on waitress Amanda Blakefield (portrayed by Poldark’s Eleanor Tomlinson) whose life is transformed when she discovers she’s set to inherit a substantial estate from a total stranger.

Amanda clashes with the wealthy man’s relatives, including son Anthony, portrayed by All Creatures Great and Small star Callum Woodhouse, and also experiences difficulties with her own husband Jimmy (Harry Potter star Matthew Lewis), who is receiving mysterious phone calls.

In the opening episode of the series, Amanda becomes trapped in a vehicle with a man named Boots who delivers her a menacing warning. She escapes and rushes home, but in the second episode chooses to return to the location and break into his eerie cottage during the middle of the night – alone – to investigate.

Audiences were left bewildered by the choice, with one describing it as “daft” and another observing that she was “messing with fire”, reports Wales Online.

“Who goes wandering at night and enters the house of someone who had threatened her?” one viewer questioned on X, as another stated: “He has already threatened her, so she goes to see him on her own at night.”

“She was (scared) last night in the taxi and here she is alone wandering around his house in the dark,” another posted on the platform, formerly known as Twitter.

“Now she’s being daft again,” remarked another viewer.

“Typical TV drama derangement syndrome. Do they: (a) consult a solicitor? (b) report threats and kidnapping to the police? No! It’s always (c) do it yourself and barge in uninvited to dangerous situations without telling anyone else.”

“Don’t think I’d want to be wandering around there at the dead of night,” admitted one viewer, as another posted: “Amanda’s messing with fire.”

Yet others were thoroughly gripped by the nail-biting mystery, with one declaring the episode “went with a bang” and another describing it as “interesting”. “I enjoyed it,” wrote one viewer, adding: “Good cast.”

Another gave it a firm thumbs up, while someone else commented: “Episode 2 so far is much better than the ludicrous episode 1.”

The Fortune is airing on Channel 5.