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The Fortune viewers were left scratching their heads over the latest episode of the Channel 5 drama
The Fortune is airing on Channel 5(Image: CHANNEL 5)
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.”
Emily Atack has shared a loved up snap with her fiance Alistair GarnerCredit: InstagramThe Rivals star recently opened up about being a victim of sexual abuse on multiple occasionsCredit: Getty
But now it appears she’s moving forward as she took to Instagram to share a sweet picture of the pair.
In the photo, Emily is seen resting her head on Alistair’s shoulder as she smiles while holding a beverage.
She’s wearing a denim jacket while her husband-to-be is sporting a blue jumper, with a pair of sunglasses tucked into the top.
Her followers flocked to the comments section as one gushed: “Gorgeous angels xxxx.”
Another social media user enthused: “Love seeing you happy,” while a third added: “Goddamn beauties!”
The Rivals star revealed she was sexually abused at the age of ten andgot pregnant at 16.
In her most personal interview to date, Emily shared harrowing details of her tough childhood as a “troubled” teenager, which left her “scarred” and “traumatised”.
The TV beauty, who became a household name as Charlotte Hinchcliffe in Channel 4 comedy The Inbetweeners at 17, was in an abusive relationship when she found out she was pregnant.
“I’ve never actually told anybody this, but I was pregnant,” she said. “I was very young and I was in this awful, abusive, horrible relationship and I fell pregnant.
“And it was just in the middle of all this kind of stuff going on with my mum and dad.
She revealed she got pregnant at 16Credit: InstagramEmily and Alistair are looking forward to their wedding in SeptemberCredit: Instagram
“I’ve never spoken openly about how or what happened.
“And I don’t know if I’m ready to yet. But obviously, that pregnancy didn’t continue.”
And she explained how being the subject of unwanted attention by creepy older men had a knock-on effect with her relationships.
“I was keeping so much from my parents when I was young,” Emily said. “It’s going a little bit dark, but I was sexually assaulted first of all when I was ten.
“That was when I was first ever sexually assaulted. And from that moment, I was treated badly, appallingly, by older men from that age throughout my life. I think the loneliness came a lot from that.
“Lots of things happened that my parents to this day still don’t know the detail of, how men have treated me and touched me and whispered things to me in my ear when people aren’t in earshot.
“From that, I then developed a really unhealthy relationship with sex and with boys, because I leaned into that behaviour a little bit.”
Despite her horrendous experiences, Emily has found her happily ever after in fiance Alistair.
The couple got engaged in July last year, a year after welcoming their son Barney.
The pair will be officially tying the knot in September as they count down the days until their man and wife.
Maura Higgins has sparked a surprising Dancing With The Stars feud before the show has even begunCredit: GettyBrooks Nader and Gleb, 42, dated for seven months before a very messy break up ensuedCredit: ABC
Maura was snapped up for the job, which is the US equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing, as she continues to crack the showbiz scene out there.
In a recent interview, the reality star confessed the pro dancer she really doesn’t want to be paired with.
While she would love have Mark Ballas or Val Chmerkovskiy as her partner there’s one man that it seems would really hit a nerve.
Maura said: “To be honest, I’m okay to have anyone else – I just don’t want [Gleb Savchenko]. That’s the main thing for me, you know?”
CONVICTED murderer Mackenzie Shirilla showed tell-tale signs she was trying to force emotion during her arrest and in her bombshell Netflix interview, a body language expert has claimed.
Shirilla, 21, has been languishing behind bars in Ohio after being found guilty of murdering her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend, Davion Flanagan.
Her case has sent true crime fans into a tailspin after the success of the Netflix documentary, The Crash, in which she broke her silence and maintained her innocence.
Shirilla’s TikToks and Instagram posts have resurfaced, showing her regularly posing in the mirror, showing off designer clothing, and even smoking weed in her car.
Text messages revealed by police showed her toxic relationship with Dominic, her boyfriend of four years, whose family claims had tried more than once to break up with her.
She reportedly threatened to harm him during arguments before purposefully plowing into a brick wall while driving her Toyota Camry on July 31, 2022.
Renowned body language expert Logan Portenier, host and creator of the popular YouTube channel Observe, spent hours breaking down her movements in dozens of social media clips and footage.
Here he gives The U.S. Sun his biggest takeaways from the case.
TikTok star
Shirilla was a social media-obsessed teen before the crash and shared daily posts on TikTok of her and Dom, both at home and out and about, as she was often the center of attention.
Reviewing one clip of them in the car together, Logan said, “He doesn’t seem to be as stoked for this video that she’s filming as she does.
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“It didn’t seem as though they were quite on the same page emotionally.
“She’s doing her different poses and expressions for the sake of the video and for his side of things, he seems much more reserved and subdued.
“Because he’s not performing as much for the camera as she is, we’re seeing a fair bit of synchronization across the upper half of his face and the lower half of his face, which lets us know that anything that we’re kind of seeing on that is probably going to be forced. It’s performative.
“And he does, a little lackluster kind of asymmetrical smile on the bottom half of his face.”
Mackenzie Shirilla pouts in a TikTok video with her boyfriend, Dominic RussoCredit: TikTok/kenzshirillaThe then-teenage Shirilla is seen posing in a mirror as her boyfriend Dominic stands awkwardly in the backgroundCredit: TikTok/kenzshirilla
Uncomfortable posing
In another clip from Shirilla’s TikTok, the couple is at home, and she is trying to get him to pose in a full-length mirror as he is seen hiding behind her.
“Mackenzie is doing a lot of the posing,” Logan said. “She’s hitting her different looks that she wants to do during this.
“In the background, you could see initially Dom’s nonverbal communication.
“He’s doing a self hug. You can see him holding both of his arms there.
“That is misconstrued in a lot of areas as exclusively defensive,” but Logan feels this is more about comfort.
“What I do find more interesting is that he does shift later on to holding both hands in front.
“So both of those clusters there, he has one in front and then he has his hands clasped in front like that. Both of those signal a level of discomfort.”
Logan added, “We’re seeing again this dichotomy between the two of them.
“He’s kind of there and he’s being present, albeit uncomfortable, reserved, and needing to do a little bit of self-soothing to be able to make it through.”
Distracted driving
Shirilla, who made no secret of being image-conscious before her arrest, frequently posed for TikTok videos — even when she should have been concentrating on the road.
In hindsight, clips showing her filming herself while driving are especially unsettling, given that two young men would later lose their lives in a crash while riding in a car with her behind the wheel.
“It’s very focused on the phone and what she appears like on it, hitting her specific facial expressions as well,” Logan said.
Mackenzie Shirilla is seen in shades posing while driving her car in one disturbing clipCredit: TikTok/kenzshirillaMackenzie Shirilla looks distressed as she is cuffed in the back of a police carCredit: Strongsville Police Department
“And on those facial expressions, this helps us understand how she will behave and appear when she’s performing.
“There might be some of that lip pursing that we kind of see in there.
“There are some head tilts in there as well as she’s trying to be perceived in a very specific way, so that performative non-verbal communication comes in handy in future situations, because then you can keep an eye out for some of those patterns that may or may not show up in the future.”
Cuffed and anxious
Shirilla survived the crash and police launched an investigation, as evidence slowly proved it was not an accident and she recovered from multiple surgeries.
Fast-forward to November 2022, and Shirilla’s life blows up in smoke as she’s finally arrested and later charged with murder.
“I don’t know that she’s aware that there’s a camera pointed at her, that she’s going to be perceived in this area, and so what we’re going to be able to see is more of her unfiltered nonverbal communication,” Logan pointed out.
“And with this, she is feeling what would be considered in that vein of the universal emotion of sadness.
“There’s grief, there’s panic, and stress, everything that can go into that.
“What really gives it away is the action in her forehead area.
“What we’re seeing predominantly is unit one activation, which is the middle portion of your eyebrows when they go upward during genuine sadness and grief.
“You can see that happening symmetrically, but if it’s more performed, a lot of people will end up having light asymmetrical activation because it’s not genuine.”
Frozen with fear
In further footage of Shirilla in the back of a police car after her arrest, Logan said she appears frozen with fear despite not shedding a tear as she heads to the station.
“She has fairly relaxed eye positioning in general when she’s not panicked,” he said.
“And so this widening of her eyes, it indicates, genuinely, that she’s feeling anxious. This would be considered fear.”
Logan added that while Shirilla “might not be terrified, it would at least trigger as fear to the anxiety levels” as she rides in the police car.
“So we’re seeing both the combination of the grief across the upper half of her forehead and her eyes are showing the fear as well,” Logan said.
She relaxed before suddenly looking distressed again, but Logan feels it may not have been genuineCredit: Strongsville Police DepartmentMackenzie Shirilla is seen in a mugshot after her arrest in November 2022Credit: ohio.gov
“Then when we get down to the rest of her face, some things that show more physiology rather than just physical movements, is a lot of the inflammation around her nose and upper lip,” which Logan claims “[lets] us know that this is coming from an authentic place.”
Putting on an act
Logan explained that emotional states have a profile, and things can usually shift after around four and a half seconds.
During the journey, Shirilla seems to relax, despite the situation that she’s in, and is seen rolling her head back and looking bored.
But as they approach the station, Logan feels she starts to perform as she realizes she should be more upset than she is if she’s not guilty of murder.
“When you’re watching somebody who’s performing, you’ll see a lot of crashes in between,” he told The U.S. Sun.
“So they’ll be emoting a specific way and then it’s almost like they remember like, ‘Oh, I should be sad right now.’ And then they’ll crash into sadness, something like that.
“You can see it start to kind of creep through the cracks of her rather reserved expression beforehand.”
This is where Logan returns to Shirilla’s “eyebrow activation.”
He claims Shirilla’s outer and inner eyebrows are working together at this point to show sadness, stress and anxiety.
Again, the corners of her nose are also activated, not in disgust, but trying to show she is upset, something he says he doesn’t often see.
Oscar-worthy performance
She is later seen sobbing during her trial before being locked up for 15 years to life on murder charges.
Shirilla starts to mix with people from different walks of life, and it’s years later when we see her sit down with film producers for her bombshell interview.
She is seen walking into the frame and sitting down at a table wearing her prison scrubs, her hair tied up in a large bun.
“The fact that she’s sitting down, crossing her arms, immediately lets us know that she’s probably feeling uncomfortable about what’s about to happen there and needs to block off and self-soothing a little bit,” Logan said.
Shirilla then activated her glabella – the smooth area of skin on her forehead located directly between the eyebrows and just above the bridge of her nose, Logan said.
He claims this was to give the impression she is empathetic, but instead of it being symmetrical, she delivered asymmetrical activation.
“Her right eyebrow does not have the same activation as her left eyebrow.
“Her left eyebrow is doing the exact same expression that we saw in the cruiser. Her right eyebrow is not.
“It’s an asymmetrical expression which lets us know this isn’t authentic empathy.
“This isn’t authentic pain or fear or grief that she’s feeling here. It’s forced.”
Logan said this was also visible further down the vein on the bottom half of her face.
She also began pursing her lips – something she would do in her performative TikTok videos, where she wanted to control how she was being perceived.
He said she is trying to convince the audience she is upset about the situation she is in, and victims’ deaths, but “her body is betraying her.”
“And then when we get to this specific interview she’s talking at a lower register, she has a little bit more husky to her voice,” he said.
“Some of the verbal tics that she uses as well have shifted. And my immediate thought was, this has to be something about the performance that she’s obviously performing.
“She wants people to feel a certain way. And so she shifted her tone, her speaking differently as well to perhaps support that.”
He feels not only her voice will have changed in prison, but her body language as she mixes with other inmates.
“I have no doubt in my mind that she’ll be adjusting her overall nonverbal behavior as well to better fit in and get to where she wants to be in that social circle as well,” he said.
To see the full interview with Logan, and other exclusive videos on Mackenzie Shirilla, visit our YouTube channel.
TOMMY Fury raced to be by Molly-Mae’s side for the birth of their second child as he chartered a private jet from boxing training camp to make it in time.
Molly-Mae has given birth to her and Tommy’s second bundle of joyCredit: InstagramTommy Fury chartered a private jet from Manchester to London to get there in time for the birth of baby number twoCredit: Instagram
But, the Netflix star has certainly put those rumours to bed as he stopped at nothing to put Molly at ease.
The 27-year-old flew on a private jet from his training camp in Manchester down to London earlier this week.
“Mollie went into labour yesterday, she had been in London for the past week while Tommy continued his training camp in Manchester ahead of his Eddie Hall fight.”
“Tommy flew straight down last night to be by her side as soon as she told him labour had started. They went to hospital this afternoon and the baby was born a few hours later,” the source continued.
Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury already share a daughter – Bambi, threeCredit: InstagramBusinesswoman Molly and Tommy announced the news they were expecting back in JanuaryCredit: Instagram
“The baby is absolutely perfect. Molly is exhausted but doing well. She’s so glad Tommy made it down for the birth as she was so worried he might not get there in time.”
But despite it all being a race against the clock, Molly’s boxer beau still managed to get there in time bearing gifts.
The source added: “Tommy rushed down with flowers, her favourite chocolates Ferrero Rocher and the blanket she wanted to wrap the baby in for the first pictures, as she’d forgotten it at home.”
In the first snap of their new babe, Tommy, Molly and Bambi all gathered around the hospital bed as they lay sleeping.
The picture appeared to be taken soon after the birth as stunning Molly was still in her hospital gown.
She looked utterly overjoyed as she beamed down at their new arrival.
The smitten couple captioned the announcement post: “…and then there were 4.”
There celebrity pals and fans went wild over the news and flooded their comments with congratulations.
In her latest video, Molly confessed she could announce the name by putting it on Tommy’s fight shorts as she normally take the lead on designing them.
Los Angeles County prosecutors are reviewing two sex assault cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs that stem from allegations made by a Florida music producer last year, law enforcement officials and the alleged victim said Wednesday.
Investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department presented the cases to prosecutors in January 2026, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office.
A spokesman for the district attorney’s office declined to say when the alleged incidents occurred or explain why it has taken nearly nine months to make a charging decision.
Combs — who rose to fame as a hip-hop mogul in the 1990s as the face of Bad Boy Records — has gone through a years-long public downfall following myriad allegations of domestic violence and sex abuse. In July, a New York jury convicted him of transporting prostitutes across state lines for drug-fueled bacchanals referred to as “freak offs.”
He was sentenced to four years in federal prison and remains incarcerated at a minimum-security prison in New Jersey.
Combs’ reputation and business began to publicly unravel in 2023 after federal authorities raided his homes, and a leaked video showed him beating his ex-girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel.
TMZ first reported on the D.A.’s office’s decision to review the L.A. allegations. A spokesman for Combs declined to comment.
In November, The Times reported that the Sheriff’s Department was investigating Combs on suspicion of a sex assault that happened in East L.A.
Jonathan Hay — a Florida-based music producer who was working with Combs on a project to remix songs written by deceased rap legend Notorious B.I.G., also known as Christopher Wallace — said Wednesday that he is the alleged victim in the cases under review by the district attorney.
Hay told several media outlets in 2025 that he was the “John Doe” from a civil lawsuit filed last July that accused Combs of sex assault in 2020 and 2021. Hay first reported the assaults to police in Largo, Fla., he has said.
According to the suit, Hay, Combs and others were at a Los Angeles warehouse that stored some of Wallace’s possessions in 2020 when Combs “provided drugs to everyone present” and subsequently began masturbating in front of Hay.
Combs “started watching porn on his cell phone, grabbed one of Biggie’s shirts off a rack, and began to masturbate with it in front of the plaintiff,” the suit alleges. In a separate incident in March 2021, Hay alleged Combs forced him to perform oral sex, according to the suit.
“I have an overwhelming feeling of hope as we are knocking on the door of criminal justice,” Hay wrote in an email to The Times on Wednesday. “I am beyond grateful that both the LASD and LAPD investigated this case thoroughly for many months and submitted it to the District Attorney.”
Combs’ civil attorney Jonathan Davis has previously denied Hay’s allegations.
“Let me make it absolutely clear, Mr. Combs categorically denies as false and defamatory all claims that he sexually abused anyone,” Davis said in a statement last year. “He looks forward to vindicating himself in court, where such matters are decided — and not in the media — based on admissible, material evidence, not rank speculation and unsubstantiated allegations.”
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
She sizzled in a new video from the photoshootCredit: InstagramMaya showed off her incredible body in the swimwearCredit: Instagram
The television personality lays in a pool in a blue two-piece before being seen in a black nightie with lace detailing.
The brand shared the video on Instagram as they penned: “On set in Ibiza.”
Maya became the face of the sexy yet sophisticated lingerie brand last month, adding to her already impressive career milestones.
She signed to replace Kate Moss as the face of Rimmel London in March 2023, which Maya said was “such an honour, and I feel so lucky to be even in the same kind of pathway”.
As well as this, he is said to have banked a six figure sum as the face of hair-extension brand Beauty Works, plus thousands more for lending her name to campaigns by designer fashion label Self Portrait, Maybelline, Adidas and Gordon’s Gin.
It doesn’t appear to be slowing down for the ITV star as she landed the cover of British Vogue in July 2024.
She’s the new face of Agent ProvocateurCredit: InstagramShe returned to our screens on Monday night with a new series of Love IslandCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
And she was also the face of Dolce & Gabbana’s A/W ’23/24 collection.
Maya returned to our television screens on Monday as she ushered a new batch of contestants into the Love Island villa.
The 12 new faces watched in awe as Maya strutted her stuff into the villa in an eye-catching white bra top and ruffled skirt.
For the first time in the show’s history, she hosted the first episode at night time.
After watching the islanders couple up with one another, it wasn’t the only Maya action fans got in the first episode.
She returned at the end to tell new bombshells George and Yasmin that they had to pick two islanders to dump 24 hours later.
Three weeks on from when Lee went ‘missing’ after failing to arrive in the UK for a joint interview with Katie, here is what we know.
Last night Katie shared a video filmed inside a car where she discussed the effects of CBD oil. The view from the car appeared to show that the star was warmer climes in a foreign country, which would line up with the recent snaps taken of Katie at Gatwick Airport with a huge suitcase and her engagement ring firmly on her finger.
She revealed on Facebook that she is set to travel to Dubai to try and visit him in prison, but added: “I don’t know if I’m going to see Lee or I’m not when I get there and it’s a really weird feeling.”
Lee told Katie he was in Al Awir prison, also known as “Dubai Alcatraz” in a brief phone call last week, as he claims he was detained after being mistaken for a spy. It has not been confirmed by Dubai authorities that he is in prison, or was in fact charged with espionage.
While he has allegedly been in prison, he has unfollowed and followed Katie – the only person he follows on Instagram. His account also followed a woman dubbed “biker babe” who used to be on a millionaire matchmaker site, but she appears to have ultimately blocked his account.
The phone call about Lee’s whereabouts came after he’d been “missing” for almost two weeks, with Katie telling fans that her husband had been “kidnapped” and she had to get Interpol involved after as he was being taken to a “black site”.
Since this ordeal began in May, Katie has faced criticism for using Lee’s alleged arrest as a PR stunt to promote her CBD oil collaboration and her music. She has also been met with sympathy from fans who believe she had no involvement and is being “conned” by her husband.
Love Island fans were left seething with the decision by bombshells George and Yasmin as two islanders were forced to leave the show already
George had a decision to make(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Love Island is now into day three of the new series, and with the sun heating up, so is the drama. Viewers were left less than impressed as the bombshells made their eviction decision on Wednesday, calling it a ‘sinister’ move.
Yasmin was in tears as the time for the bombshells to make their decision approached. And their call stunned the viewers as Ellie and Samraj were sent home. But while tears ran down the villa, with gutted Samraj and Ellie needing to exit, they were told that all may not be as it seemed.
And the decision – and announcement – left fans stunned. On X, formerly known as Twitter, after Yasmin and George’s decision, one user wrote: “That was sinister #loveisland.”
Another said: “ELLIE & SAMRAJ ????? WOTTTTTTT #LoveIsland.” And a third agreed, calling the decision to dump Samraj “crazy”. With twists and bombshells already flowing, bosses would have expected the drama to unfold. And it appears that is exactly what is happening. Viewers questioned the cliffhanger as the show came to a close.
One user wrote: “I knew something was gonna happen, it was just strange how they left like seeing them get in the car to leave, are they trying to pull a Nic & Olandria #LoveIsland.”
And another said: “I knew there was a twist at the end! It was too obvious. Thank God because Ellie needs to confront this babe.” Earlier in the show, as time had ticked in their secret mission, the duo had to get their flirt on and spent the day scoping out their options.
George continued getting to know Robyn, who had already friend-zoned her current partner, Sam. Who also took aim at Mica, while Yasmin was keen to pick up where she left off with Aidan.
Chatting to him on the Day Beds, Yasmin flirtily asked him: “Do you think I’m gonna get you in trouble? We’ll have to wait and see…”
But she didn’t immediately make her decision and also pulled Ope for a chat. She told the dancer: “I feel really smiley around you, I feel myself around you.”
And she boldly said: “So you’re still interested in me? I’m definitely interested in you…” Later that night, after Robyn received a text telling all Islanders to gather around the Fire Pit, a nervous Yasmin and George had to spill their secret. But instead of the duo being able to say what was happening, Jasmine received a text.
It read: “Islanders, Yasmin and George entered the Villa yesterday, they have been keeping a secret…”
The next text revealed what was happening, stunning their fellow islanders. With their minds made up, it was time for the duo to send home two islanders in a double eviction.
What will today’s kids think of He-Man, the muscle-bound ’80s relic with the most iconic bob after Anna Wintour? Launched in an era where machismo meant a goofy wrestler or metal singer with an eight-octave falsetto, the steroidal beskirted barbarian has always been a bit ridiculous. C’mon, his name is He-Man. What in the testosterone is that?
And so, director Travis Knight (“Bumblebee”) has made his reboot of “Masters of the Universe” a dopey, friendly comedy about modern masculinity in crisis with a He-Man who openly wonders what kind of a man to be. Hurtled out of the kingdom of Eternia as a boy, this Prince Adam (a terrifically game Nicholas Galitzine) came of age in Oklahoma City as a sweet guy who happens to be obsessed with swords. Instead of transforming into the strongest man in the galaxy to protect his throne from the evil duo of Skeletor (voiced by Jared Leto) and Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), earthbound Adam parries HR complaints while sitting behind a desk plate that labels his gender identity not as He-Man but He/Him.
Times have changed. Even He-Man’s talking pet tiger (Tom Wilton) asks for consent before giving him a lick.
Galitzine’s He-Man is more Clark Kent than Superman, a gentle, funny, under-estimated dweeb. On a blind date, his descriptions of magical griffins and burning deserts sound humiliatingly immature. Dumped before dessert, he sulks home where his bro-y roommate (Christian Vunipola) secretly watches the weepie “The Notebook” when no one is looking as the soundtrack spins an acoustic cover of the Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry.” Every man in this movie has a public persona and a private one. Even Adam’s irritable female boss, Suzie (Sasheer Zamata), hides under a people-pleasing mask. “This is my mega-serious face,” she says with an unnerving grin.
The performances are good; the plot, postcard-sized: Adam returns to Eternia, unleashes his alter-identity He-Man and wrestles with the pressure to live up to his new biceps. Although Adam must rescue his royal parents (James Purefoy and Charlotte Riley) from Skeletor, he reaches for empathy before a blade. Could Skeletor really be that bad, he asks his childhood friend Teela (Camila Mendes). “He has a skull for a face,” Teela insists. In this world, everyone’s measured against their looks.
Here’s another question: Could Skeletor really be Jared Leto? Physically, of course not. Skeletor is all pixels with a clattering jaw perfect for chewing the scenery. (The bully is especially hilarious when the story transplants him to an ordinary weight-lifting gym — call him Skele-Chad.) Leto’s grumbling Brit-inflected baritone is an unrecognizable concoction of trilled r’s and plummy vowels — and the best performance he’s done in years. With apologies to Bette Midler, you should hear the gravitas Leto brings to calling his minions “the buttworms beneath my feet.”
Yes, that’s the humor level of the dialogue. Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee and Dave Callaham have written a heavy-handed script in which, when Castle Grayskull comes under attack, Idris Elba’s soldier is forced to yell, “We’re under attack!” You know, in case the exploding laser beams weren’t obvious.
Obviousness is this film’s handicap — and the main joke. In this movie’s lore, juvenile Adam, played by an adorable Artie Wilkinson-Hunt, is the guilty child who invented his meathead He-Man moniker, as well the nicknames of his allies Ram-Man, Mekaneck and Fisto, who all look exactly as they sound to their chagrin. “I don’t fist anyone,” Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) protests. The grown-ups in the audience snicker.
Knight was a kid himself when the cartoon version of “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” debuted on television. As with his “Transformers” spin-off “Bumblebee,” he makes movies like a child who loves taking his action figures out of the box and giving them a silly soul.
He’s no hack: Knight’s debut film, “Kubo and the Two Strings,” was nominated for an Academy Award for animation. Raised with an affection for brands (his father, Phil Knight, is the co-founder of Nike), he also feels obliged to include so much fan service for his generation that kids will have to swashbuckle through confusing callbacks to discover He-Man for themselves. One battle scene is scored to 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” simply as a nod to a He-Man mash-up video that went viral back in 2005, a clash as wonky as it sounds. Yet Daniel Pemberton’s opening theme music is a rousing crescendo of stadium rock synthesizers. You can hear Queen guitarist Brian May in the score — not merely as an influence. It’s actually him.
Culturally, hyper-machismo has oscillated from cool to lame to ironically cool and back again for decades. Even Queen itself was deemed lame until “Wayne’s World” resurrected “Bohemian Rhapsody” as headbanging slapstick. If you spot a guy swaggering like a brute from Eternia on the sidewalk, masked or not, he probably thinks he’s more awesome than everyone else does. Likewise, when He-Man smashes skulls to a wailing metal soundtrack, I no longer know if I’m meant to be snickering with the electric guitars or at them. Neither does the movie, which seems to decide each scene’s individual tone on a coin flip.
Frankly, the dorky version of Adam is more fun than the heroic He-Man, even with Knight hammering us every minute to laugh that he’s a total weakling. Galitzine embraces the indignity. Zooming through the air in a flying Sky-Sled, he wedges his face into a triple chin. Dazed and enthusiastic, Galitzine’s human charm counterbalances Eternia’s synthetic feel, a blandscape of bright forests and cliffside dungeons that looks dated — not to 1983 but to last decade’s greenscreen-heavy would-be fantasy franchises like “Clash of the Titans” and “John Carter.”
Please don’t make Galitzine do five of these movies, even though he’s very good. An unusually pretty leading man who is quirkier and funnier than he looks, Galitzine is the kind of rising talent Hollywood rarely knows how to handle. In his previous roles, he gave off the impression of being flummoxed by his own attractiveness, whether as a queer prince (“Red, White & Royal Blue”), a Harry Styles-esque pop star (“The Idea of You”) or a popular football jock whose high school classmates are oblivious that he has the IQ of a second-grader (“Bottoms”). Here, Galitzine multiplies that self-conscious gag times a thousand, visibly dazzled by his own six-pack when he transforms from himbo to gym-bro. Even Skeletor is agog over the “big long sword dangling between his thighs.”
Smartly cast, Galitzine could prove to have the potential of Brad Pitt, another blond hunk who longed to get weird, chafing against roles that made him take off his shirt until he hit 55 and realized it was a flex. But shouldering a wobbly, expensive summer tentpole is a risk — just ask Sam Worthington or Taylor Kitsch. If “Masters of the Universe” tanks, here’s hoping Galitzine summons the strength to dig himself out of the rubble.
‘Masters of the Universe’
Rated: PG-13, for sequences of violence/action, some suggestive material, and language
An Emmerdale star is set to say goodbye to the long-running ITV soap after a number of controversial storylines for their character
An Emmerdale star is leaving
An Emmerdale star is leaving the ITV soap after a controversial storyline. Caroline Harker is stepping away from her role as the evil Dr Caitlin Todd after a year on the show.
The actress, 59, has enjoyed playing the character, with viewers intensely watching her character become embroiled in bullying scenes. Dr Todd has been seen tormenting Jacob Gallagher at work, while she has also blackmailed Charity Dingle.
But the lines kept getting closer to the edge and the doctor is set to be involved in a sexual assault storyline. The tough-to-watch scenes will see her assault Charity, but will prove to be some of her last on the Dales.
A source told The Sun: “Caroline has loved her time at Emmerdale but it’s time to move on. She always knew playing such an evil character came with a shelf life but she’s leaving with many fond memories.”
They added: “Caroline only came in on a short term contract, and knew she would never stay long-term.”
Her exit date and storyline is not yet clear, but she is far from the only star to be leaving. Olivia Bromley, Nick Miles and Bradley Johnson will all also be heading for the exit later this year.
It’s claimed Vinny’s traumatic past, including the abuse he suffered at the hands of his violent father Paul, will be revisited. It’s said this will apparently be triggered by the arrival of his partner Lewis Barton’s father Kev Townsend.
Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, Laura explained that Vinny is set to struggle to form a bond with Kev. She said: “What we need to remember is the relationship that Vinny had with his own father, Paul, who was quite abusive.
“It brings a lot back for Vinny because Kev is slightly wild, edgy and can be unpredictable. Vinny’s quite nervous about Lewis having a relationship with Kev, because he reminds him of Paul.”
Meanwhile, another report stated Nick’s character Jimmy would be killed off in devastating scenes. The news left fans outraged.
It was claimed the cuts have come as there are now less episodes. As for Bradley, it was claimed that his co-stars were left shocked by the news he was being “axed” from the show, with him being a very popular cast member.
The One Show has welcomed back one of its hosts after she was absent due to illness
A presenter has returned to The One Show after being off ill(Image: BBC screengrab)
One of the presenters on The One Show has returned to the sofa after taking time off ill.
Alex Jones is usually a staple on the BBC programme but was absent on Monday and Tuesday this week, with JB Gill stepping in and hosting alongside her regular co-presenter, Roman Kemp.
However, the TV star was back on Wednesday (June 3), fronting the show alongside Angellica Bell.
Alex’s return was confirmed on Instagram ahead of the show, with Angellica exclaiming: “Good news, everyone. Alex is back!”
“Are you feeling better?” she asked the presenter.
“I am,” replied Alex. “I am slightly croaky, but we’ll get through it,” she added.
As the show started, she told Angellica that she had “nearly recovered” after being unwell, adding: “Glad to be here.”
The pair then turned to announcing the guests who would be on the show – Dara Ó Briain and Shania Twain.
Alex has been hosting the BBC programme for several years, and is one of the show’s best known presenters. The star, who has three children with her husband Charlie, has been a presenter on the programme since 2010, hosting with stars such as Matt Baker, Ronan Keating and Roman.
Speaking last year, she told the BBC: “I feel incredibly proud to have been on the iconic sofa for all these years. It certainly doesn’t feel like 15 years, and it still feels fresh, as the show keeps evolving. I feel like we keep coming back better and better.
“I started as a young girl and I feel like I’ve grown up with our viewers. They have seen me through all my big life moments like getting engaged and married, to having children. Our viewers are like extended family by now!”
She went on: “I think the reason is it really strikes a chord with people because we sit right at the heart of the nation. Our job, essentially, is to reflect what’s going on. All the small daily bits and pieces, but also the big events that affect the country.”
A former Love Island star who is suspected of sexual assault and stalking has been re-arrested by London’s Metropolitan Police on suspicion of perverting the course of justice
Daniel Bird Assistant Celebrity and Entertainment Editor
18:26, 03 Jun 2026Updated 18:26, 03 Jun 2026
A Love Island star has been re-arrested by police(Image: ITV)
A Love Island star has been re-arrested. The man was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. The man, in his 20s, was previously arrested in November last year at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of multiple offences, including sexual assault.
He is also suspected of criminal damage, assault by beating, coercive and controlling behaviour, and threats to share photographs or films of a person in an intimate state. But he has since been re-arrested by officers from the force who attended his home. It is claimed that he attempted to contact an alleged victim.
A spokesperson for The Metropolitan Police said: “A man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. The arrest relates to an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual assault, stalking, criminal damage and assault. He was arrested at an address on Monday, April 27 and bailed pending further enquiries.”
The man is not linked to the current series of the ITV2 dating programme. Speaking to The Sun, a source said: “This second arrest is a real shock – and potentially very bad news for the ex-contestant.
“There was an investigation going on into very serious offences that he was arrested over last year.” Last year, the man was bailed pending further enquiries after his arrest upon arrival at Gatwick in the United Kingdom on November 27.
The force had launched an investigation into the claims just 12 days before the arrest and at the time, a spokesperson told the Mirror: “A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of multiple offences, including sexual assault, stalking, criminal damage and assault as part of an ongoing investigation by Met Police officers.
“Met Police launched an investigation on Saturday, 15 November and arrested a man at Gatwick Airport on Thursday, 27 November. He has since been bailed pending further enquiries. A woman has been offered specialist support by officers.”
The show, which launched earlier this week again, has faced several problems in recent years. Earlier this year, former winner Jack Fincham revealed he lost millions of pounds and was unable to afford rehab after a drug addiction.
In 2018, Sophie Gradon, who featured as a contestant in 2016, took her own life at the age of 32. The following year, Mike Thalassitis also took his own life at the age of 26, having been a contestant in 2017.
And in February 2020, former show host Caroline Flack died by suicide at the age of 40 after hosting the series from 2015 until 2019. The deaths of former contestants and Flack have sparked concerns about the well-being support offered by ITV after propelling contestants into the spotlight.
Following the incidents, ITV introduced duty of care measures to support those taking part on the show before, during and after their time in the villa and on screens. The improvement in support was welcomed by former contestants, who applauded ITV for doing more to help those who experienced life in the villa.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
Since launching at the start of 2025, “The Pitt” has emerged as more than just a hyperrealistic depiction of an embattled American emergency department. Using its hospital setting as a social microcosm, HBO Max’s Emmy-winning juggernaut has explored various systemic issues — including the misogyny that women of color face in the workplace.
“Some of the stories from real physicians and nurses that I’ve spoken to are so crazy. The system feels like it’s 15, 20 years behind other industries,” says Sepideh Moafi, who portrays attending Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi. “There is still this older culture of a boundaryless style of work where [there’s] a lack of understanding and compassion,” with respect to pregnancy and childcare, for working women.
“The Pitt’s” depiction of such subjects includes unflinching attention to microaggressions and unconscious biases. Isa Briones, who plays second-year resident Dr. Trinity Santos, recalls hearing from qualified on-set doctors that “a lot of female physicians will wear their lab coats, because it makes them look like more of an authority.”
“We have a female, half-Asian doctor on our set who consistently says that people talk to the nurse in the room if they’re a white man instead of her,” adds Supriya Ganesh, whose character, fourth-year resident Dr. Samira Mohan, is mistaken for a nurse in Season 2, despite having “DOCTOR” emblazoned on her name tag.
Supriya Ganesh.
(Justin Jun Lee / For The Times)
Nor is the series reluctant to show the other side of the dynamic, as doctors Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) and Langdon (Patrick Ball) lash out against their colleagues in lieu of acknowledging their own flaws. Although the women of “The Pitt” would never compare acting to saving lives, Briones believes that the experiences of women — especially from marginalized communities — share commonalities across many male-dominated industries.
“The entertainment business constantly feels like a boys’ club that you cannot penetrate no matter what you do, because it’s still always going to be these older white men who are making all the decisions,” she says. “That’s why seeing the storyline with Langdon and Robby informed my performance so much, because I know this feeling of being like, ‘Why the f— are these men fist-bumping each other? I’m also here! I’m doing my job too!’”
“As a woman in any field, if you express emotion, if you make your opinion or your voice heard, then it’s like, ‘You’re talking too much. You’re being hysterical,’” Moafi says.
Sepideh Moafi.
(Justin Jun Lee / For The Times)
In holding up a mirror to the healthcare system, showrunner R. Scott Gemmill also wanted to explore the linguistic diversity of its practitioners, allowing his actors of color to reconnect with their mother tongues.
“Language shapes who you are, how you see the world,” Moafi says. Al-Hashimi became a polyglot — speaking English, Farsi and Armenian — in part to curb the effects of a seizure disorder on her temporal lobe, which is crucial for language comprehension. “[Language] connects you to different registers in the body. The rhythms are different, and the emotional access is more immediate.”
During Season 1, Santos — who, like Briones, is half-Filipino — surprised nurses Princess (Kristin Villanueva) and Perlah (Amielynn Abellera) by chiming in on their gossip session in Tagalog. But wanting to show “a more vulnerable side of Santos” this season, Briones worked with her own actor father, Jon Jon, to find a Filipino lullaby that she could sing to baby Jane Doe.
To reflect the 100-plus languages spoken in the Philippines, they selected a Hiligaynon lullaby called “Ili Ili Tulog Anay.” Briones advocated for the scene not to have subtitles: “It should be just this quiet moment that you don’t have to understand [the language] to understand, but also it’s a great moment for people who do speak it to feel that little secret joy.”
For Briones, speaking Tagalog at work has opened up difficult conversations with her immigrant father, who feels shame about not passing down enough cultural knowledge to his children. “I’ve been starting with Rosetta Stone, so I can start conversing with my dad and then he can help me, because I want to be able to talk to my lola and she doesn’t have to work through English,” she says. “This show has reminded me of how important that is to me.”
Isa Briones.
(Justin Jun Lee / For The Times)
Ganesh, who grew up in New Delhi, felt strongly that Mohan should not be fluent in Hindi because of its similarities to Nepali, the language that doctors struggled to identify when treating a patient in the first season. Instead, the actor chose to infuse her own heritage into the character, who uses Tamil as a way to feel connected to her late father.
“She chooses to speak it with her mom, because maybe that’s the only other person she has in her life who she can speak it to,” explains Ganesh, who recalls consulting multiple generations of her own family — and even her on-set coach’s family — for the Tamil dialogue. “She wants to preserve that as much as she can, even though it’s already filtered through her being American and being born in this country.”
That part of Indian American culture will be lost next season, with Ganesh officially departing at the end of Season 2. The actor reiterates that the “creative decision” to write Mohan off was made by executive producers Gemmill, Wyle and John Wells: “They work with such intention on the show and make all the choices that they make for that reason, so I think it’s better to ask them for answers.”
“I’m going to treasure all the memories I had working with these two and everyone else,” Ganesh adds. “It’s been so great just getting all the love from the fans. I feel sad for them, too, that they won’t get to see this character.”
“The representation that you brought to the show is so beautiful,” Briones chimes in. “Seeing the fans ride for you so hard and be like, ‘This was the first time I felt represented on camera,’ it’s really gorgeous to see everyone coming out and celebrating that and celebrating you.”
For her part, Moafi believes that Dr. Mohan will be remembered for the way “she won’t compromise humanity in how she delivers care.” “The power of strength comes from vulnerability, and in order to go fast, you have to slow down,” she adds. “That’s something that is so ingrained in us, as women.”
So asked a Times colleague on our morning editorial call earlier this week, sharing her impression that the Oscars — which were handed out March 15 — just concluded. And though it may feel like Hollywood was awarding gold statuettes just yesterday, the Emmys wait for no man, least of all this one.
I’m Matt Brennan, editor in chief of the Envelope and I’ll be back in your inboxes for the next three weeks to share highlights from our four pre-nominations issues, starting with the June 4 edition. Whether you’re a voter prioritizing what to catch up with or an observer trying to get a handle on what’s in this year’s race, read on.
The Emmy Comedy Roundtable
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Leave it to comedy legend Steve Carell to deliver a sage piece of advice on The Envelope’s 2026 Emmy Comedy Roundtable — without even participating in the conversation.
“Steve says this beautiful thing that characters don’t know whether they’re in a comedy or a drama,” Carell’s “Rooster” co-star Danielle Deadwyler relayed to nods of agreement and appreciation from the panel. “And that’s about as true as it gets. You bring full rigor and development and discipline to the making of a role, regardless of what genre.”
Of course, with Deadwyler, Donald Faison (“Scrubs”), Sabrina Impacciatore (“The Paper”), Justine Lupe (“Nobody Wants This”), Lamorne Morris (“Spider-Noir”) and Chris Perfetti (“Abbott Elementary”) around the table, the conversation, moderated by The Times’ Lorraine Ali, came with plenty of laughs too — about surviving bad reviews, being mistaken for other performers, breaking one’s castmates and much more. You can also watch it on YouTube here.
Meet ‘SNL’s’ resident ‘quiet little freak’
(Sela Shiloni / For The Times)
As someone who counts ex-Trump voters among my own family, “Saturday Night Live” cast member Ashley Padilla’s character in “Mom Confession” — about a stubborn MAGA parent who finally admits to her kids that she may have been wrong about the president — struck a chord with me when it aired in January. So I was delighted to see contributor Tim Grierson’s profile of the actor (and former Diane Keaton assistant) dig into what makes the sketch, like so much of her work on NBC’s variety series, tick.
“Padilla, who sports an ebullient manner and warm smile, has become a fan favorite by exploring how much humor (and tension) you can derive from stillness,” he writes. “Her best sketches … sparkle because of how expertly she builds suspense regarding where the setup is going.”
‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’
Sex work is work. And in the right hands, it’s highly creative work. Case in point: HungryGhost, the alien alter ego Margot Millet (Elle Fanning) assumes when she launches an OnlyFans to make ends meet in “Margo’s Got Money Troubles.”
As contributor Tomris Laffly reports, the DIY artistry that brings HungryGhost to life in “Margo” reflects the layers of craftsmanship required to bring her to the screen, from hand-bedazzled cowboy boots to bulk-bought containers of turquoise eye shadow. “She’s a director,” executive producer and director Dearbhla Walsh says of Margo, an aspiring writer. “You could always see the creation [process], how Margo brought theater into her OnlyFans.”
One Emmerdale theory suggested a shock death could be looming for Laurel Thomas as her secret fling faces being exposed on the ITV soap, but not all fans are convinced
14:16, 03 Jun 2026Updated 14:19, 03 Jun 2026
One Emmerdale theory suggested a shock death could be looming for Laurel Thomas(Image: ITV)
One new Emmerdale theory has teased a shock death for a long-serving character.
Laurel Thomas is currently at the centre of a new romance plot with Ross Barton, with a secret fling underway. Laurel’s stepdaughter Gabby Thomas was rejected by Ross who instead wants to be with Laurel.
Amid this storyline ongoing, it’s been teased Laurel is just having a bit of fun. But with recent reports suggesting that three different characters have been axed from the show, some fans wondered what the future might hold for other village residents.
There’s rumours Jimmy King will be killed off later this year, and now a new theory suggests Laurel could meet a grim fate. While the fan who started off the theory claimed they were initially joking, they admitted they could not help but wonder if there was truth to it given the soap’s history.
They wondered how the storyline with Ross and Laurel may end, even predicting a twist involving Gabby. They predicted that Laurel would become hated by villagers, and might end up being killed off.
Hilariously, fans shared their thoughts on the theory, admitting that with it being soap land, anything was possible. The original post read: “I thought of this as a joke at first, but knowing the writers, maybe it will end up being true.
“Who wants to bet that Ross will end up dating Gabby and then secretly have an affair with Laurel. Bonus points if they get engaged/married and the affair is found out at the wedding and/or Gabby has a child to him during the relationship (or she goes Eva from Corrie style and fakes a pregnancy).
“And since it’s Emmerdale, let’s also predict that Jai will start seeing Laurel behind Kerry’s back and both affair reveals will happen in the same week. Leading to Laurel becoming the most hated person in the village and then mysteriously dying, prompting a months-long whodunnit.”
The idea wasn’t completely shut down by fans, as some joked along with it while others questioned how likely it was given recent storylines. A fan replied: “You are HIRED!!!!! That storyline I would watch!”
Another said: “You’ve given the scriptwriters much food for thought if they read your post but you and I know that anything is possible in soap land. And I mean anything.”
A final comment read: “I mean if there’s already rumours around about other long-term characters being killed off then Laurel could be just as at risk surely. As people have said it’s soap after all.”
As it stands there has been nothing to suggest Laurel is leaving the show, let alone that she will be killed off. It’s not currently the way the plot is going, but fans are not wrong by saying anything can happen.
In the debut episode of “The De Los Podcast,” hosts Fidel Martinez and Suzy Exposito spoke with the Latin Grammy-nominated singer and actor Leslie Grace about her long-awaited new music — plus some of the highlights and pain points throughout her film career.
Released in May, Grace’s bilingual record “Amor, ¿Quién Eres?” is the first album she’s released in over a decade. Suffused with what Exposito described as “tropical eleganza,” the album is a far cry from the Christian music Grace recorded in her teen years — and a marked shift from the Latin Grammy-nominated self-titled project she released in 2013. She touched on some of the personal developments required to reach the more sensual sonic landscape she explored in her latest release.
“The biggest learning has been how to protect my creative space, while I grow it and discover at the same time,” she told De Los.
The 31-year-old also discussed her work in the 2021 movie musical “In the Heights” — and the online backlash the film received due to the lack of other Afro-Latinos in the cast.
“The lack of representation within film [and] diversity within the Latin community is a conversation we haven’t touched on as much,” she said. “Only so many films [are] given a shot. There [are] certain ways that Latinos are portrayed that are very narrowed down in film. I think it’s a worthwhile conversation at any time. I’m glad that people started to talk about that, so [we] can get more stories.”
Reflecting further on her filmography, Grace talked about the canceled release of “Batgirl,” in which she played the titular role. The film, which was originally for a late 2022 debut on the HBO Max streaming service, was axed by its studio Warner Bros. for financial reasons.
“It was disappointing because we knew the film that we were making,” Grace said of the movie, which was in postproduction when it was scrapped. “I knew that it wasn’t a reflection of our work, because this is something that happens. But I think because of the context of the conversation around representation, and the way that films can be discarded, after a lot of work and time and money has gone into something … the creative community really felt for me.”
During that period, Grace said the support from other creatives helped her move forward. She has since starred in more independent films in recent years — including “In the Summers,” which won a grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024 — and the 2026 features “Stages” and “Campeón Gabacho,” which premiered at this year’s edition of South By Southwest.
“I really am grateful for every person that reached out to me and was like: ‘Hey, I’ve got you, whatever you need,’ or ‘This is wrong,’” Grace said. “When something happens to me, I focus on my experience and what I gained from it, that no one could really take away.”
Brooke McCree, a 22-year-old recent UCLA graduate, is the first to admit she’s been going to the movies a lot less.
Back when Regency operated the local Village and Bruin theaters in Westwood Village, she would often take advantage of the student discount and see as many movies as possible. But in the two years since the theaters closed, she said moviegoing for many UCLA students has become inaccessible.
“At UCLA, it’s been rough because I’ll have to walk really far or take the bus [to the movies]. There’s nothing really nearby,” said McCree, who recalled fond memories of seeing movies like “Madame Web” and a “Hunger Games” prequel in a dense crowd of excited college students. “I was pretty devastated when it initially closed.”
There is still hope for the Village Theatre, which recently received a breath of new life thanks to some of Hollywood’s biggest names.
The event was reportedly the first of a limited number of premieres and screenings planned for this summer to support a 12-month renovation set to begin this fall.
A representative for Reitman declined to comment on the plans.
Nissan GT-R NISMO sports cars are seen outside the Fox Westwood Village Theatre, promoting the “Gran Turismo” movie in 2023.
(AaronP / Bauer-Griffin / GC Images )
The $25-million restoration, which organizers previously told The Times would be completed next year, includes plans for a restaurant, bar, gallery and a multipurpose space in the lobby for filmmakers and hosting premiere-related events.
Last year, the coalition of directors announced that American Cinematheque would operate the theater, hosting special screenings of new releases and repertory titles and conversations with filmmakers. The film non-profit already runs Santa Monica’s Aero Theatre and co-programs both the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the Los Feliz 3.
Historically, the neighborhood has been a tricky market for businesses, said Jonathan Kuntz, a former lecturer at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. He worked in the area for nearly 40 years and saw much turnover among local businesses due to high rents and inadequate parking.
“We’ve had some great things, like bookstores and eateries that have flourished sometimes for a decade or two, but it faded out,” Kuntz said. “[The theater] will certainly help Westwood if it is a success.”
For that to happen, Kuntz said, 1400-seat theater will need to screen a regular supply of films to a diverse customer base, including nearby students that have long been among its most frequent customers.
Many current UCLA students are already eagerly anticipating the theater’s reopening, said Ingrid Fan, a senior at the university majoring in public affairs.
“It’s been a bummer to have it closed for so long,” said Fan. “My friends and I always talk about how we just wish it opened sooner.”
While the theater’s renovation timeline won’t be complete before she graduates, she’s certain that other students will make good use of it when it reopens.
“Westwood is a college town, and we are always looking for a new source of community. It’s a space a lot of students would definitely flock to,” Fan said.
Broxton Avenue in Westwood Village during one of UCLA’s First Thursdays community events.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
A historic movie hub
The university and its surrounding village, including the theater, were developed simultaneously throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Designed by Percy P. Lewis, the Westwood Village Theatre originally opened as a part of the Fox Theatres chain in 1931.
Despite launching during the Great Depression, the Westwood Village Theatre had a prime location working in its favor.
Westwood was imagined as a satellite town in West L.A. that would eventually support the growing UCLA campus. The neighborhood became known as the third major movie theater hub, behind downtown and Hollywood. In the 1920s, when the Chinese and the Egyptian theaters opened on Hollywood Boulevard, Westwood was next in line as a booming premiere destination.
“It was much more convenient to those folks than going to downtown Los Angeles, or even to Hollywood,” Kuntz said.
This was an era of moviegoing when premieres were essential to a movie’s box office success, drawing substantial marketing opportunities. The volume of films being produced at the time made it necessary to have multiple premiere-ready theaters around L.A., Kuntz said.
A “Terminator” poster is unveiled at the world premiere of “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” in 2003.
(Robert Mora / Getty Images)
Over its 95-year history, the venue has been remodeled a handful of times, including in the 1950s when television became a mainstream medium. Soon, multiplexes emerged, which put the Westwood Village location at a disadvantage. To this day, the theater can only show one film at a time.
In the 1970s, the venue joined the Mann Theatres chain, and in 1988, it was designated a historic cultural monument.
The ticket booth at the Regency Bruin theater in Westwood Village all boarded up, as seen on the afternoon of Nov. 3, 2020.
(Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)
Regency continued to operate the two locations until its lease ended in 2024. Although the group of Hollywood directors was quick to bid on the Village (the Bruin was not included in the deal), the theater has remained closed since then, with the exception of the recent Billie Eilish premiere.
“A lot of people in Hollywood want to preserve at least some of what made classic Hollywood successful, like the big screen experience,” Kuntz said. “These folks are the ones who could afford to buy a movie house or two, program it and keep that tradition alive.”
L.A. Times staff writers Josh Rottenberg and Meg James contributed to this report.
Nonfiction films and series are among some of the most-watched (and most-discussed) programming on TV. As Emmy season heats up, the directors of six notable contenders share thoughts about their projects.
‘The Yogurt Shop Murders’ (HBO)
“It’s just a famous, famous story in Texas, but particularly Austin,” director Margaret Brown says of the bewilderingly complex case of four teenage girls slain at a yogurt shop in the state’s capital in 1991. “You heard about it all the time at parties. My best friend was like, ‘That story is rabbit hole upon rabbit hole upon rabbit hole — no one knows what really happened. It’s impossible to figure out.’ I liked the idea of something that was impossible to figure out. But when I started doing the interviews, I was like, ‘This is dark, this is deep trauma.’ I’d never watched or done true crime before. I didn’t realize what it would be like to sit with people who hadn’t known what happened to their siblings and children for over 30 years. I remember [thinking], ‘I’ve got to get this right. I can’t mess this up. There’s just too much pain here.’”
‘The American Revolution’ (PBS)
“Leading up to it, I said I just don’t want us drowning in fife-and-drum treacle,” director Ken Burns says of his expansive treatment of America’s origin story, which draws out the experiences of Native Americans and enslaved people as well as the era’s atmosphere of civic discord. “Clearly it’s not, because we’re so existentially challenged by the moment. But the revolution gives us a sense of perspective. Times were more challenging then. More division. More division in the Civil War. More division in Reconstruction. Yes, the threats are unprecedented, but they’re not totally unfamiliar. Mark Twain is supposed to have said history doesn’t repeat itself, but he’s [also] supposed to have said it rhymes. I love that. So like Odysseus, I tie myself to the mast and resist the temptation to put a little neon sign in the film saying, ‘Isn’t this so much like today?’”
‘Sean Combs: The Reckoning’ (Netflix)
“There was so much noise,” says director Alexandria Stapleton, who tracks hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs’ rise and shocking fall in this series, executive produced by 50 Cent. “I’m scared for my safety, I’m scared for my career. Then there was every journalist, every giant corporation, trying to chase the same story. Because there was a feeding frenzy, there were a lot of people that were not truthful. It was making sure that we were going after the right people to speak with, and then … making sure that they felt safe emotionally. No one knew who I was interviewing while I was making it. In making a project about a man who’s very connected in media and very good at whatever he wants his narrative to be, there was a very deliberate decision to not drop this project until we literally were a week out.”
‘Ocean With David Attenborough’ (National Geographic)
(Keith Scholey / Silverback Films and Open Planet / National Geographic)
“It’s been weird, because I’ve got older, and he sort of stayed the same, like the Dorian Gray picture,” says Keith Scholey, one of the film’s directors, of the 100-year-old broadcasting legend and naturalist. “He’s still got that huge power and presence and commitment. It comes from the heart. He’s got a huge depth to him, in terms of knowledge, experience, personality … but he’s also very self-effacing. The most boring thing in the world for David Attenborough is David Attenborough. He’s interested in every aspect of the truth, and he loves uncovering that and passing that on to the world. He knows how to present in a way that it’s a performance, but it’s not a performance.”
‘Neighbors’ (HBO)
“Neighbor disputes are a great leveler,” says Harrison Fishman, who co-directs this gonzo excursion into neighborhood feuds with Dylan Redford. “If you think about class and race and politics, all that stuff gets thrown out the window when people are dealing with such small, concrete problems. You quickly start learning why people care so much about the things that they’re fighting for. It becomes a bit like a Trojan horse into learning about aspects of America and things about people that have nothing to do with the dispute. Those tangents are so valuable to us, because it gives context to the dispute. But it also helps people understand who everybody is in our country.”
‘Mr. Scorsese’ (Apple TV)
“We would get together and have these very long conversations,” says director Rebecca Miller, who interviewed American cinema’s great poet of tortured masculinity over five years. “But then in terms of the other voices, I thought, ‘Who knows him best?’ There was this wonderful movie called ‘Crumb,’ by Terry Zwigoff. He interviewed [cartoonist R. Crumb’s] ex-girlfriend at a certain point, and I felt like I got a view into the person, not in a gossipy way, but … trying to get a rounded view. If you only get the front-facing part, you’re not going to get a full sense of who they are. It was very important to me that we hear from the daughters or his wife, that there’s a sense of a person in there.”
KYLIE Jenner stripped off for a series of sizzling holiday snaps as she enjoyed a luxury promo trip to Turks and Caicos.
The 28-year-old showed off her famous curves in a tiny pink bikini as she posed for a mirror selfie shared with her 382 million Instagram followers.
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The reality star posed for a sizzling mirror selfie as she soaked up the sun on the Kylie Cosmetics trip.Credit: Instagram Kylie JennerMum of two Kylie posed for pics in a barely there pale pink bikiniCredit: Instagram/kyliejenner
The TV star captioned the post: “Kylie summer trip!!! @kyliecosmetics. We’re literally summering.”
She later added: “Sunset dinner with Kylie Cosmetics.”
The reality star is currently enjoying a lavish getaway to promote her cosmetics line alongside pals and her young children in the exotic island location.
Kylie made sure her guests were fully immersed in the Kylie Cosmetics world during the luxury retreat, with her branding plastered absolutely everywhere.
The beauty billionaire showed off her toned figure while enjoying the tropical tripCredit: Instagram/kyliejennerThe TV beauty shared a series of sultry bikini snaps with her 382 million Instagram followersCredit: Instagram/kyliejennerKylie posed alongside influencer pals Anastasia Karanikolaou and Yris PalmerCredit: Instagram Kylie JennerThe reality star posed with her glamorous friends during a sunset dinner on the island tripCredit: Instagram/kyliejenner
The beauty billionaire had her logo stamped across mirrors, parasols, robes, towels and even cocktails.
Each guest room was kitted out with a haul of gifts laid neatly on the beds, including bikinis, towels, lighters, disposable cameras, woven beach bags, water bottles and piles of makeup.
Kylie travelled to the tropical hotspot on her private jet alongside daughter Stormi, eight, son Aire, four, and their friends.
Channel 4 abruptly cancelled plans to reboot the popular competition series
09:20, 03 Jun 2026Updated 09:21, 03 Jun 2026
The hit show has been dubbed ‘the best programme ever’(Image: Channel 4)
Channel 4 fans have pleaded with bosses to bring back a show they say is “prime British TV.”
The savage reality competition series titled Four Weddings quickly became a huge hit with fans all thanks to its chaotic moment.
The show saw four brides-to-be attend and score each other’s weddings, awarding marks for dress, venue, entertainment and food in hopes of coming out on top and winning a luxury honeymoon.
As expected there were some rather uncomfortable scenes as some contestants were rather harsh with their scores or were clearly opting for shady tactics.
The series originally broadcast on Sky Living between 2009 and 2013. With the success of smash hit shows such as Married At First Sight, it sparked the interest of Channel 4 producers decade later, who planned to reboot the show.
The team behind Come Dine With Me, were expected to run the show and it was said that they would be introducing a big change to the news – the star prize would be switched from a holiday to a £50,000 cash prize.
Despite fans’ excitement at the time, the network abruptly cancelled the reboot just days before it was supposed to start production. No official reason was given for the sudden cancellation of the series.
There are no plans of the show making a return since it vanished from our screens, however TV fans have urged Channel 4 to consider a revival again following a nostalgic post on social media.
One fan commented: “This is prime British TV.” Another said: “We need this show back.” A third wrote: “This was peak UK reality. LOVED this show, so underrated.”
Another commented: “This was the best programme ever.” One fan said: “This was so savage.” One insisted: “This is the best show ever.”
Meanwhile another fan added: “I don’t know why they stopped this show, I would watch it over Corrie.”
It comes as a former bride, who appeared on the show previously opened up about how the show left her completely blindsided.
Linsie Abshire, who was 26 when she was crowned winner, revealed that her honeymoon prize came with one major thing she was completely unprepared for.
The bride took to Reddit and explained that while they were being sent to Tuscany for five nights, with dinner, a spa day, a wine and olive oil tasting, and a $1,000 gift card all paid for, the most significant expense was not covered.
Linsie wrote: “They do not pay for the plane tickets.” Her husband was naturally “kind of upset” because they had been under the impression that the entire trip would be paid for.
