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A MAJOR music legend just opened up about a life-changing health battle that left him unable to speak.
He couldn’t believe at one point he had to accept there was a chance of losing his voice forever, so he would never be able to sing again.
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Junior has been performing for decadesCredit: GettyHe recalled “taking his voice for granted” in the pastCredit: GettyHe’s eternally grateful to the hospital who helped him, as well as to his speech therapistCredit: Getty
The 68-year-old from Essex found fame in 1983, after the huge success of his single ‘Mama Used To Say’.
From then on his career only continued to thrive on a global scale, making him into a household name.
Junior Giscombe was rushed over to St George’s Hospital in Tooting after he began struggling with speech in 2023.
He noticed his voice had changed after a performance, realising that by the end of his set he had no voice.
Upon being examined at the hospital, Junior learned that his left vocal cord had suddenly collapsed.
Without speech therapy and vocal rest, there wouldn’t have been a chance for the singer to take to the stage again.
Speaking about his recovery, Junior expressed unending thanks to the staff at St George’s who he fully credits for being the reason he’s still able to do what he loves.
“I’m extremely grateful to the team at George’s – without them, I would have no voice and would have to give up the job I’ve loved for almost 50 years.
“They have been amazing, and all the care I’ve had every step of the way has been second to none.
“I can’t stop singing their praises.”
Junior continued to urge fans – singers and non-singers out there – to make sure they look after their voices and to never take them for granted like he did in the past.
“Not being able to use my voice was incredibly frightening.
“Over the years, I would do shows and didn’t warm up my voice beforehand.
“As I never had any issues with my voice, I took for granted that it would always be there.
“Please don’t take your voice for granted like I did.
“Look after it.”
There are many factors aside from the strain of frequent singing that can lead to vocal cord damage, such as ageing or certain health conditions.
If you notice a change to your speech or a consistent soreness when speaking, it’s recommended to see a doctor.
Junior felt so scared when his voice gave out, fearing he couldn’t sing ever againCredit: GettyHe’s well-known for his chart-topping hit, Mama Used To SayCredit: Getty
For officials in Singapore, one Australian man’s actions at the “Wicked: For Good” premiere earlier this month wrought enough chaos to keep him out of the country — for good.
Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority has deported and barred 26-year-old Johnson Wen from reentering the country after he crashed the yellow carpet and accosted star Ariana Grande, according to severalreports. A representative for the authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Singapore’s the Straits Times reported that Australian national Wen arrived in the country earlier this month on a 90-day social-visit pass to attend the movie musical’s premiere and for a vacation. The self-proclaimed “Troll Most Hated” was seen in video jumping over the fan barricade onto the other side of the carpet. He ran toward Grammy winner Grande with his arms and legs flailing before grabbing her roughly around the neck and shoulders. He turned and smiled for the cameras before Grande’s co-star Cynthia Erivo interfered and separated Wen from Grande. He was arrested, charged and later released.
Wen, who has a history of crashing other celebrity events including concerts down under by Katy Perry and the Weeknd, was charged with being a public nuisance days after the incident. Shortly after that, he was convicted and sentenced to nine days in jail.
During his trial in Singapore, Wen said he was “going to stop,” according to the Straits Times. His courtroom statement, however, doesn’t seem to match up with his tone on social media.
Wen re-shared video of the incident Sunday on Instagram. “Dear Ariana Grande thanks for letting me join the Red Carpet 💛,” he captioned the video.
“Wicked: For Good” premiered Friday, a year after after the first “Wicked” film. The sequel also stars Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Marissa Bode and Jonathan Bailey. Jon M. Chu directs both films.
Times assistant editor Christie D’Zurilla contributed to this report.
Kelly Brook is one of this year’s contestants on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and the ITV series, complete with the campsite banter, has already left viewers in hysterics
Kelly Brook is in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Fans of the programme suggested there hasn’t been a fair distribution of airtime and some think ITV are playing up to their favourites. Kelly, 46, is striving to win the show but faces tough competition from the likes of Tom Read Wilson, Shona McGarty, Vogue Williams and Martin Kemp.
One person asked on Reddit: “But why are the editors so obsessed with her?… Catching up on Saturday’s show, and oh my GOD it’s like nobody else is there. Kelly is in almost every shot it feels like. Compared to Shona, who was actually in the trial and didn’t get the breakfast, Kelly seems to be on-screen constantly.” Another posted: “I couldn’t believe how little Shona was shown last night. I said to my husband about it.”
Viewers referred to 34-year-old Shona, who played Whitney Dean in EastEnders between 2008 and 2024. One fan described her as “funny and entertaining” and expressed disappointment the actress had “little screen time” despite taking part in a recent Bushtucker Trial.
Shona, originally from Barnet, north London, has taken part in three trials, more than Kelly’s two. However, recent episodes have explored Kelly’s “feud” with Jack, media personality and son of tragic Ozzy Osbourne.
Jack and Kelly clashed over preparing fish for dinner, which followed on from when Jack criticised her potato slicing while preparing a previous meal in the jungle.
But other social media users also stressed, despte the row, they’d like to see the air time split evenly. One wrote: “Let’s hear more from others, like Alex [Alex Scott].” Another viewer posted: “I wish they would give others, rather than Kelly, more screen time. It’s annoying.”
However, Kelly, who was in The Italian Job and Ripper among other films, faced scathing criticism before going into the jungle. Trolls made vicious comments about her figure, which led to husband Jeremy Parisi to defend his spouse. The actor, who wed Kelly in 2022, said: “I’m so happy to see Kelly being so confident and happy in her own skin, it’s hard for women in the public eye to be put under such scrutiny but she is a positive role model for so many women which is something she should be proud of.”
LIBERTY X star Jessica Pietersen beat a speeding charge after hiring lawyer Nick Freeman, known as “Mr Loophole”.
The 45-year-old, married to ex-England cricketer Kevin, was accused of doing 28mph in a 20mph zone in West London last November.
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Jessica Pietersen beat a speeding charge after hiring lawyer Nick Freeman, known as ‘Mr Loophole’Credit: Getty
The mum of two, from Sunningdale, Berks, did not appear at Lavender Hill magistrates’ court, where the case was dropped yesterday.
Prosecutor John Shepherd said: “We will be offering no evidence for various technical reasons.
“I have spoken to a Crown Prosecution Service manager and my instructions are to offer no evidence in relation to Mrs Pietersen and for the matter to be dismissed and that is all I have to say.
“She has been paying privately for representation so there is an application for a defence costs order”.
A 22-year-old influencer and Latin musician was killed in an ambush-style shooting in Northridge in the early hours of Saturday morning, authorities said.
Maria de la Rosa was fatally shot when multiple rounds were fired at several people sitting in a car parked on Bryant Street near Tampa Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Witnesses described seeing two men approach the vehicle around 1:25 a.m. Saturday, police said. De la Rosa was transported to a hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
No further information was available on the suspects or whether the others inside the car were wounded.
De la Rosa released her first song, “No me llames” (“Don’t Call Me”) in August under the name DELAROSA. The most recent post on her Instagram account, which has more than 40,000 followers, shows her with an electric guitar in a recording studio and is captioned “Ocupada cocinando en el Stu,” meaning “Busy cooking in the Stu[dio],” alluding to the upcoming release of more music.
Many people left messages expressing grief for the loss of the young performer in the comments, including several figures in the Latin music community such as music producer Jimmy Humilde and Juan Moises, the lead singer of Los Gemelos de Sinaloa.
In a message in Spanish, music producer and engineer Times J Martinez wrote that she was a young and talented musician.
“Me duele que alla sido con violencia,” he wrote, or “It hurts that it happened with violence.”
The motive for De la Rosa’s shooting is unknown, and so far no arrests have been made, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Valley Bureau homicide detectives at (818) 374-9550. Anonymous tips can be left at (800) 222-8477 or at the Crime Stoppers website.
Emmerdale’s Celia Daniels star Jaye Griffiths may have just confirmed she will feature in the soap’s big crossover with Coronation Street next year, dubbed Corriedale
00:00, 25 Nov 2025Updated 00:06, 25 Nov 2025
Another Emmerdale character may have been confirmed for the looming soap crossover with Coronation Street(Image: ITV)
Another Emmerdale character may have been confirmed for the looming soap crossover with Coronation Street.
Weeks on from Danny Miller being confirmed to take part as his character Aaron Dingle, alongside Corrie’s Lisa Swain played by Vicky Myers, another star has declared “watch this space”. With no details yet confirmed about the big episode, it’s yet to be announced who exactly is involved and why.
But teasing what was ahead for villain Celia Daniels, actress Jaye Griffiths, who plays the character, hinted she would be involved. After recently confirming an exit would be on the way for her sinister character, she’s now teased she will pop up in Corriedale.
Asked about whether we may see her popping up in Weatherfield, Jaye dropped a massive hint that this could well happen. She shared: “Watch this space. She has fingers in many, many pies.”
She also addressed whether a comeuppance was on the cards for Celia, who is currently running a drugs operation in the village with the help of her ‘son’ Ray Walters. Only recently we learned the pair were also exploiting people including Bear Wolf in a sickening modern slavery plot.
But Jaye hopes that Celia can get away before she gets caught out, as she hinted she could end up doing the same thing somewhere else, like she did before her move to the village. Wanting her to “escape and flee”, Jaye shared: “Her comeuppance is she’s lonely.
“She has a penthouse you never see because she’s never in it, she’s too busy. What is her life? What does she enjoy? She has all this money in the bank and yet she does nothing.
“She doesn’t have any friends and she manipulates everyone she meets and it’s quite a lonely existence.” Explaining how Celia gets away with what she’s done every time, she added: “She just moves on, sets up somewhere else.”
Jaye also confessed Celia would never throw Ray under the bus, while she doesn’t completely trust him. She explained: “He’d have to be so disloyal to her that she simply cannot envisage it. So it might theoretically happen, but no.”
Spoilers for next week confirm that Celia finally finds out Bear is related to Paddy Kirk. Jaye said: “It is mildly infuriating that yet again, Ray has mucked up. Locals have families, locals are known, locals are missed so we don’t touch them with a 10 foot disinfected bargepole.”
When April Windsor ends up telling her dad Marlon Dingle about her ordeal too, Celia is forced to take action. Jaye teased: “What that means is she will have to explain to them in no uncertain terms what their new reality is.
“April would have brought this on her own family, it’s April’s doing. Celia warned her what would happen and now it will happen. Celia doesn’t do threats, empty or otherwise. She just states realities and consequences, and the consequence of this is now I own your family. They should be very scared.”
A HOTEL has unveiled the ultimate getaway for Jeremy Clarkson fans – a suite with the presenter’s face staring down at your bed.
The £90-a-night Clarkson Suite has been unveiled at Mexborough’s Empress Building – and is just one of a number of rooms devoted to local celebrities, including the Doncaster-born Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Clarkson’s Farm and Top Gear host.
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A hotel has unveiled the ultimate getaway for Jeremy Clarkson fans – a suite with the presenter’s face staring down at your bedThe £90-a-night Clarkson Suite has been unveiled at Mexborough’s Empress BuildingCredit: InstagramA spokesperson said: ‘The Clarkson Suite captures his bold spirit and unapologetic style’Credit: Amazon
The black and white image also features cheeky quotes, entitled Clarkson’s Rules of Life, which read: “Always go faster than strictly necessary, never apologise for having fun and laugh loudly, drive hard and live even harder.”
A spokesperson for the hotel said: “The suite is in honour of Jeremy Clarkson, the outspoken motoring journalist, television presenter, and writer who redefined automotive entertainment with wit, irreverence, and undeniable charisma.
“Best known for his tenure on Top Gear and later The Grand Tour, Clarkson has taken audiences on wild, globe-trotting adventures, combining horsepower with humour.
“Beyond cars, he’s made a mark in British broadcasting through his sharp commentary and, more recently, his unexpectedly heartfelt take on rural life in Clarkson’s Farm, earning him admiration from a new generation of viewers.
“The Clarkson Suite captures his bold spirit and unapologetic style in a spacious, characterful suite perfect for those who appreciate horsepower, hearty laughs, and a touch of countryside grit with their luxury.
“Relax in a luxurious super king-size bed, or opt for two comfortable single beds and rejuvenate in your private en-suite, featuring a spacious double rainfall shower with premium fittings.”
The room also includes a 60 inch digital TV, Wi-Fi, full-length mirror, wardrobe, office desk and dressing table, a mini bar and fridge, safe, iron and ironing board and a tea maker and coffee machine.
The room spec adds: “With modern comforts and solar-powered energy, The Clarkson Suite is an accelerated choice for a stylish stay.”
Housed within the town’s Empress Building, the apartments are designed to preserve the architectural beauty of a bygone era while incorporating modern comforts that discerning travellers expect, a spokesperson added.
“Each suite has been thoughtfully named after notable local figures, from actors to athletes, creating a meaningful connection to the town’s storied past.”
“We’re severely underrepresented in TV and film and it’s getting worse,” said Longoria. “Five years ago we [made up], like, 7% of TV and film and now we’re 4%. It’s actually going in the wrong direction.”
According to UCLA’s 2025 Hollywood Diversity Report, 1% of Latino performers were leading roles in top theatrical films, while 4.3% of Latino directors and 2.1% of Latino writers were involved in last year’s top films.
The report, released in February, found that the proportion of people of color working in entertainment roles dropped in every area from 2023 to 2024 when compared with their white counterparts. Actors of color made up 25.2% of lead roles in the top theatrical films in 2024, which is down from 29.2% in 2023. Also, directors of color accounted for 20.2% of 2024 movies, compared with 22.9% of films from the prior year.
This downward trend has popped up as President Trump has consistently targeted and called to end all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. As a result, much of Hollywood has followed his lead. Paramount Global changed its staffing goals related to gender, race, ethnicity and sex; Warner Bros. Discovery restated its DEI activities as “inclusion”; and Walt Disney Co. got rid of its “diversity and inclusion” performance standard used to calculate executive compensation.
“There is definitely a lot of work to be done. I’m trying to do my part,” Longoria told the Times. “That’s one of the main reasons I got behind the camera, to create opportunities for women and for people from my community.”
The “Desperate Housewives” actor made her directorial debut in 2023 with “Flamin’ Hot,” a biographical comedy about Richard Montañez, who says he invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
She’s also currently working on “The Fifth Wheel,” a Netflix comedy starring Kim Kardashian, which she will direct. As for acting, her latest gig is in “Christmas Karma,” a movie musical released earlier this month, where she plays the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Aitch and Angry Ginge got an unexpected reaction from their I’m A Celebrity 2025 cast mates on Monday, as a change in camp sparked a divide and risked a row on the ITV series
21:18, 24 Nov 2025Updated 21:19, 24 Nov 2025
Aitch and Angry Ginge got an unexpected reaction from their I’m A Celebrity 2025 cast mates(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
The cracks were starting to show in camp on I’m a Celebrity on Monday, as two stars were called out.
In a bizarre moment, Aitch and Angry Ginge managed to get on the wrong side of three of their jungle co-stars, with one of them left “scared”. Despite Aitch and Ginge often being at the centre of humour in camp, in the latest episode it was a different tale.
Ruby Wax was quick to call the stars out over something she had noticed, and she wasted no time in sharing her thoughts. She wasn’t alone though, as both Eddie Kadi and Jack Osbourne also had something on their minds after the pair became Camp Leaders.
The duo took over from previous leaders and new arrivals Vogue Williams and Tom Read Wilson. Following the change, campmates began to notice a “big difference” in leadership styles, but also in Aitch and Ginge’s behaviour.
Enjoying their new camp status, the pair, who now got the comfy beds, decided to sleep in. It didn’t go down well with their co-stars, as Eddie joked about Ginge still being asleep when the leader, Aitch, was awake. He said: “He’s still asleep and then he comes out in a sleeping bag and starts roaming around like The Little Mermaid, I don’t understand.”
As the duo sat down for the community meeting with their co-stars, Ruby shared her “confusion” over their new roles, saying she was “thrown”. She explained: “We were all on an even plane. [It] has thrown me a little bit.”
Suggesting the pair had changed and made her feel inferior, she asked: “Are we playing king and deputy, and we’re the low people?” She even suggested she felt “frightened” of the pair, something she did not feel when it was Vogue and Tom in charge of the camp.
When they asked if she was “scared” of the previous leaders, she said no “because they never took it seriously,” leaving the boys confused. Ruby added in the Bush Telegraph: “I think we’re divided.” As Aitch tried to reassure Ruby there was nothing changing at all asides him not having a chore to do, she replied: “No but there’s a vibe. A little.”
Aitch was baffled by how the stars had taken his “performance” which he called a joke, seeming deflated by the drama. Jack then took a moment to share his own concern, implying he didn’t know whether he could trust Ginge after he lied about how many stars he’d won in the previous trial.
Jack said: “I know this isn’t intentional Ginge but it got in my head about how well you played saying you only got five stars. I was like, can I trust Ginge? It played with me.” Martin Kemp then said it played with Ruby too, with Ginge not wanting a division in camp, trying to clear the air with his co-stars.
Fans watching backed the duo though, with one writing: “I think Ruby is taking it way too seriously it’s not that deep.” Another agreed: “Are the celebs so hungry that they can’t even take a joke?” as a third said: “Is humour banned in camp today?”
It comes as one I’m a Celebrity star was caught flouting the show’s rules in camp. Alex Scott smuggled in contraband, which violates the strict code enforced by I’m a Celeb bosses.
She was spotted with salt, which is on the banned list of items, and was seen putting it onto the crocodile feet on Sunday night’s show. Ant and Dec later confirmed it was “contraband” and said viewers would have to wait to see what the punishment was.
It is not known if the other campmates were aware of Alex’s rule-breaking at the time, or if she was going rogue. On the spin-off show, Unpacked, guest Jill Scott said: “I am surprised by Alex doing it as I thought she would follow the rules actually.” Seann Walsh added: “I was surprised by how indiscreet Alex was with putting the salt on.”
POP star Lizzo has claimed plus-size women are being “erased” as society grapples with the impact of the “Ozempic boom.”
The Truth Hurts singer, 37, has lost a lot of weight in recent years but said she is “still a proud big girl” after years of championing the body positivity movement.
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Lizzo has claimed plus-size women are being ‘erased’ as society grapples with the impact of the ‘Ozempic boom’Credit: GettyLizzo has lost a lot of weight in recent years but said she is ‘still a proud big girl’Credit: Getty
In an essay shared on Substack, she wrote: “So here we are halfway through the decade, where extended sizes are being magically erased from websites.
“Plus sized models are no longer getting booked for modeling gigs. And all of our big girls are not-so big anymore.”
But Lizzo, who said she still weighs more than 14 stone, hit out at people who have criticised her for losing weight.
She said: “We’re in an era where the bigger girls are getting smaller because they’re tired of being judged.
“And now those bigger girls are being judged for getting smaller by the very community they used to empower.
“There’s nothing wrong with living in a bigger body.
“There’s nothing wrong with being fat.
“But if a woman wants to change, she should be allowed to change.”
She said she started exercising in 2023 following a lawsuit in which she was alleged to have sexually harassed former dancers, which she denies, and which she said left her suicidal.
For decades, the Stahl House in the Hollywood Hills has been a rarity — a globally known icon of Midcentury Modernism and Los Angeles glamour, still in the hands of the family who commissioned it in 1960. But now it’s for sale.
The asking price is $25 million, which might seem a startling figure for a two-bedroom, 2,300-square-foot home on a snug lot. But that figure might not surprise lovers of modernist architecture who know it as Case Study House #22.
It was designed for the Stahl family by architect Pierre Koenig, captured on black-and-white film by photographer Julius Shulman and has been admired worldwide ever since.
The Architect’s Newspaper called it “one of the world’s most famous buildings.” Los Angeles magazine called Shulman’s image “perhaps the most famous picture ever taken of Los Angeles.”
“There are no comps for the Stahl house. It’s incomparable,” said William Baker, architecture director for the real estate firm the Agency Beverly Hills. The home was included in the company’s fall catalog Nov. 12.
By Friday afternoon, Baker said, he had received hundreds of inquiring calls. In considering offers, Baker said, the family is open to individuals or institutions — “someone who’s going to understand it, honor the house and the story about it.”
The Stahls purchased the lot in 1954 for $13,500 and enlisted Koenig to design the house after other architects were daunted by the slope of the lot. Koenig’s solution was a cantilevered L-shaped structure with walls of steel and glass, a pool and a free-standing stone-faced fireplace between the living and dining areas.
The second bedroom can only be accessed through the primary bedroom — “an efficient use of space” for a family of five, Baker said. The Stahl family has said the home cost $37,500 to build.
Shortly after the home’s completion, photographer Julius Shulman made a black-and-white photograph that became emblematic of the era. It shows the home at night, with two young women sitting inside in a cantilevered corner, its floor-to-ceiling windows revealing the lights of the L.A. Basin glittering in the background.
To bring up the lights, Shulman later told Los Angeles magazine, he used a seven-minute exposure. The resulting image, along with others Shulman made of the house, is now owned by the Getty Research Institute.
In years since, the home has served as a filming location for many TV and film productions, including the 1968 pilot episode of “Columbo” and the movies “Galaxy Quest” (1999) and “Nurse Betty” (2000).
“This home has been the center of our lives for decades, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to care for it with the attention and energy it so richly deserves,” the Stahl family announced on its website. Bruce and Shari Stahl, the surviving children of original owners Buck and Carlotta Stahl, added, “[O]ur tour program will continue unchanged for the time being, and we will provide ample notice before any adjustments are made.”
For the last 17 years, the house has been open for tours, most recently on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, starting at $60 per adult during the day, $90 in the evening, with advance booking required and tight limits on photography. However, the Stahl website indicates all tours are sold out through the end of February.
The real estate listing notes that the home is “a protected landmark and the only Case Study House with original family ownership.”
In nominating it for the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, Amanda Stewart of the Los Angeles Conservancy called it “perhaps the most iconic house constructed in the Case Study House Program.” That program, sponsored by John Entenza’s Arts & Architecture magazine from 1945 to 1966, yielded 25 completed homes, today considered top exemplars of Midcentury home design.
“There’s not a lot of these Case Study houses left. I think there are 19 now,” Baker said. (Baker also said he had recently handled the sale of Case Study House #10 in Pasadena to a buyer who lost a home in January’s Pacific Palisades fire.)
The Stahl home stands on Woods Drive just north of West Hollywood’s city limit, about a quarter of a mile from Chateau Marmont.
Many architecturally important Southern California Modern homes have landed in the hands of institutions, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House (1921), owned by the city of Los Angeles; the Schindler House (1922), owned by the Friends of the Schindler House and operated by the MAK Center for Art and Architecture; and the Eames House (1949), owned by the nonprofit Eames Foundation. The Sheats-Goldstein Residence, designed by John Lautner in 1961-63 and renovated by Lautner in the 1990s, has been promised by owner James Goldstein to the L.A. County Museum of Art.
Back in 1984, Michael Fairley was a sex predator and burglar who earned the nickname “The Fox” as he lurked inside his victims’ homes, creating makeshift “dens” from blankets and furniture.
He would consume their food, watch their telly and rummage through their belongings while Fairley patiently awaited his victims’ return, often armed with a shotgun.
Six months passed with The Fox still at large and, by the time he was apprehended for crimes including rape and indecent assault in September 1984, he had racked up 81 offences.
Where is Malcolm Fairley now?
Malcolm Fairley was handed six life sentences at St Albans Crown Court in February 1985 for sexual offences, burglaries and possession of a firearm during his crime wave across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.
Forty-two years post his conviction, Fairley passed away in May 2024, aged 71, at HMP Hull, where he was discovered alone on his prison cell floor.
An inquest concluded that he had died of natural causes, specifically a heart attack.
Fairley had a history of heart issues and was diagnosed with angina in 2019 and was on regular medication.
Fairley was actually up for parole consideration in October 2023 but his application was turned down by the parole board.
As reported by the St Albans and Harpenden Review, during Fairley’s conviction, judge Justice Caulfield told him: “There are degrees of wickedness beyond condemnatory description.
“Your crimes fall within this category. You desecrated and defiled men and women in their own homes… You are a decadent advertisement for evil pornographers.”
Manhunt: Chasing The Fox can be streamed on Netflix.
NICOLE SCHERZINGER has revealed an audience member fell ASLEEP during one of her Disney gigs.
The ex-Pussycat Dolls star, 47, had a hilarious response to the seemingly knackered attendee, whose mid-show nap has gone viral after a clip was shared on social media.
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Nicole Scherzinger showcased her showstopping vocals at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, but one fan stole the showCredit: GettyThe snoozing audience member has become a social media star after he turned the performance into a snooze festCredit: tiktok/@nicolescherzinger
Nicole made light of the seemingly heavy sleeper during her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut inLos Angeles on Thursday last week, where he was filmed wide mouthed as she performed.
The footage, which shows the audience member enjoying a snooze as Nicole’s belting vocals echoed around the venue, was widely shared on Tiktok.
She then jokingly re-posted the footage on her Instagram account, where she captioned it: “Lullaby album pending”.
Her post has already received over 18,000 likes on the platform.
British singer Natasha Bedingfield chimed in on the action in the comments section, as she wrote: “I would definitely play that every night”.
While other pals and followers also left equally hilarious responses.
One wrote: “The performance of his dreams”.
While another added: “Bless him. He looks so relaxed bet he woke up for Don’t Cha”.
It comes as the star took the Royal Albert Hall by storm with a one woman show last month.
The performance, on October 6, received a stellar review from The Sun Bizarre’s Jack Hardwick, though she reportedly faced ‘diva’ allegations backstage, according to MailOnline.
She kicked off the evening by making a rude joke about hooking up with her fiancé, former rugby aceThom Evans.
Dressed in a stunning tight black dress covered in a silver spiderweb pattern, Nicole told the crowd: “I want you to know that this little girl, this little Hawaiian, Filipina, Spanish, Chinese, Polish and Irish — that’s right, two per cent Irish, that counts — has come a long, long way.”
Smirking, she added: “I also have English in me. His name is Thom. That’s him over there.”
Lusting after her fiance may have left Nicole slightly confused, though. He’s actually Scottish.
The singer met Thom as she worked on The X Factor: Celebrity back in 2019.
The couple then went public with their relationship in 2020, as they made their red carpet debut.
Legendary graffiti artist Daniel “Chaka” Ramos once claimed he had tagged more than 40,000 locations around Los Angeles.
He can now add seven more. And unlike decades ago — when Ramos had to sneak around in darkness to spray-paint his nickname in large, block letters all over the city and surrounding areas — this time it was fully permissible.
Ramos, an L.A. native and Dodgers fan, was more than happy to participate, adding his name and slogans crafted by Nike to each piece. He told The Times in an email that it was his “first major project with a corporate giant like Nike.”
A mural of Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a temporary addition to the downtown Los Angeles skyline.
(Natasha Campos / Nike)
“They’re one of the most prolific creative forces in the world, and collaborating with them was a milestone for me,” the 53-year-old artist said. “The rush of graffiti can’t really be compared to commissioned or gallery work, but this experience came close.”
The Nike murals, which are scheduled to remain up through Nov. 30, are among the pieces included in a new and quickly expanding online map detailing the locations of Dodgers murals in and around L.A. The map was created by and is curated by Mike Asner, the mastermind behind a similar website that documents the locations of hundreds of Kobe and Gianna Bryant murals around the world.
Asner already has a full-time job as a marketing director in sports and entertainment, as well as maintaining the Bryant mural site. Still, the morning after the Dodgers clinched their second straight championship, Asner knew it was time to get to start tracking more murals.
“I think the reception from the fans and the artists I got to know from the Kobe mural project was very positive,” Asner, who also has an Instagram page highlighting Dodgers murals, said. “And the main thing I realized was it was helping people and providing a service to them and making things easier. … After the Dodgers won back-to-back championships, we started to see murals going up immediately, so I felt it would be the right thing to do again.”
A sprawling mural by Royyal Dog in South Los Angeles features images of Dodgers greats past and present, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto (second from right) and Freddie Freeman (far right).
The Nike-Chaka collaborations represent some of the newer artwork documented on Asner’s map. A Nike spokesperson said the idea was to give Ramos approved spaces in local neighborhoods to express the pride that Dodgers fans are feeling after back-to-back championships.
Two of the murals were painted directly on the walls by L.A.-based artists, with Ramos adding the slogans and his tag afterward. Artist Swank One painted the one at 2844 1st St. in Boyle Heights. It features relief pitcher Roki Sasaki and Smith embracing after the Dodgers clinched the National League pennant, with the slogan “On the Double.”
Graffiti artist Daniel ‘Chaka’ Ramos was commissioned by Nike to apply his tag to several temporary murals around Los Angeles celebrating the Dodgers’ back-to-back World Series championships.
(Natasha Campos / Nike)
Artists Enkone and Keorock painted at 4560 Whittier Blvd. in East L.A. The mural features pitcher Blake Snell, whose postseason included a one-hit, eighth-inning gem in Game 1 of the NLCS, with the slogan “Twice as Nice.” That mural has since been removed.
For four of the others, Nike licensed game photos from Getty Images, overlaid tag designs from Ramos and then had the images blown up and printed as murals.
Those include “Twice in a Blue Moon” in Silverlake (at Hollywood Boulevard and Hillhurst Avenue), featuring Max Muncy and Hyesong Kim; “Repeat Heroes” in Echo Park (at West Temple Street and North Boylston Street), featuring Smith and Sasaki; “Turn Two, Earn Two” in Echo Park (atSunset Boulevard and Marion Avenue), featuring Muncy; and “Dodgers Rule” — a play on Ramos’ longtime slogan “Chaka Rules” — in Westlake/Echo Park (at Beverly Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue), featuring Sasaki.
The last mural features a photo of Yamamoto letting out a roar. The photo was blown up several stories high and installed several stories higher in downtown L.A. at 213 S. Broadway. Ramos then boarded a suspended scaffold and was lifted high above his hometown, where he spent four to five hours adding his tag and the slogan “Back 2 Back.”
It may not have been as daring as some of the stunts he pulled in the past, but Ramos definitely felt the rush.
“I’ve done graffiti at daredevil heights without a harness before, but nothing at this scale. This time I actually had to gear up with a harness — haha,” he wrote. “It was intense, but a lot of fun.”
The Nike-Chaka murals will be coming down soon, but Asner says he’s excited to see what other new creations might fill out the map in the aftermath of the latest championship run.
“We’re gonna see really amazing artwork going up, and we’re gonna see artwork of Dodgers that haven’t necessarily been on murals. like Will Smith and Yoshinobu Yamamoto,” Asner said. “There’s a lot of really big stars from this series that deserve to get credit for their amazing job. …
“You know, Ohtani was incredible, obviously, Friedman was incredible. But there were a lot of big players that stepped up — Miggy Rojas, right? Huge, huge reason they won. So it’s gonna be great to see what these artists do, and I’m looking forward to seeing it myself.”
Netflix’s The Widower starring Reece Shearsmith tells the true story of Malcolm Webster, the nurse who murdered his wife and attempted to kill his second
The series of Netflix, which is home to a number of true crime shows, chronicles the life and heinous acts of Malcolm Webster (portrayed by Reese Shearsmith), a Surrey nurse who murdered his first wife and tried to kill his second.
Webster, now 66, was known for pursuing relationships with women to boost his income.
In 1993, he wed Claire Morris from Aberdeenshire, and during their marriage, he drugged her.
In May 1994, he drugged Claire before orchestrating a car crash with her in the passenger seat and setting the vehicle ablaze, making it appear as an accident.
In 1997, he married oncology nurse Felicity Drumm in New Zealand, with whom he had a son.
He staged a second car crash in 1999 and was accused of trying to murder her to fraudulently claim £750,000 from nine insurance policies.
Webster also planned to marry Simone Banarjee, having deceived her into believing he had terminal leukaemia.
She altered her will, leaving her entire estate to Webster, but police alerted her about her fiancé’s past and revealed he already had a wife and son.
In July 2011, he was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison, where he remains today.
The former nurse was convicted of murdering Claire Morris and attempting to murder Felicity Drumm.
These crimes were part of a scheme to claim nearly £1m in life assurance money.
In 2016, he tried to get his case referred back to the High Court, but the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission denied his application.
Previously in 2013, his appeal was dismissed when judges rejected his claim of being a victim of a miscarriage of justice.
A POP superstar left fans doing a double take after an unrecognizable throwback snap resurfaced online.
The songstress, now 26, cut a completely different look as she posed with singer pal Zara Larsson, 27, at a swanky event in Italy.
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A pop superstar left fans doing a double take after a seven-year-old snap resurfaced onlineCredit: GettyIt saw the chart star posing alongside singer Zara Larsson at Milan Fashion WeekCredit: GettyFans were quick to comment on Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘wild rebrand’Credit: GettyShe has ditched the suits for sexy stage outfits and platinum blonde hairCredit: Getty
Gone were her signature sexy stage outfits and platform heels in favour of a more demure black suit and point-toe heels.
And Sabrina Carpenter fans simply couldn’t believe the Espresso songstress’ appearance in the seven-year-old image.
The American’s blonde locks were much longer and in a darker shade, tied up in a high ponytail.
She added a flick of black eyeliner and struck a perfect pose for her snaps at Milan Fashion Week in 2018.
One fan on Reddit was quick remark on her “wild” rebranding, which has seen her switch up her look with mid-length platinum blonde hair and sexy outfits.
She’s become more daring with her fashion choices, stripping off for magazine shoots and was even forced to defend herself against backlash on her latest album cover which saw her on all fours.
A pop fan has now posted on the forum afte the old image resurfaced: “Sabrina’s rebranding is wild! And it’s not a critique, before someone comes for me. She found her aesthetic.”
Another posted: “Pre-Short N Sweet (aka pre-bangs + glam) Sabrina is wild to look back on.”
A third wrote: “She looks way different but I think this is one of the rare cases where it’s really just aging (not aging as in “old” but as in “aging into adulthood”) and the bangs.”
Another said of the pair: “Yes styling is EVERYTHING! Went from cute high school girls to SUPERSTARS.”
One surmised: “Sabrina looks so pretty this way, I love her stage persona too, but this fits her so well.”
Sabrina first found fame in the acting world, on the Disney TV show Boy Meets Worldreboot, Girl Meets World.
She played Maya Hart on the series for three years, from 2014 to 2017.
Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan relationship timeline
Barry and Sabrina first sparked dating rumors in December 2023
She is also co-producing the film alongsideOscar-nominated producerMarc Platt, who has worked on music-driven projects such asWickedand La La Land.
Sabrina will star in the titular role for an upcoming Alice in Wonderland movie that has been greenly by Universal Pictures, the studio confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
While the project remains untitled, it will be based on the literary classic, Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll.
Lorene Scafaria, who wrote and directed the critically acclaimed film Hustlers, will also direct and write this feature.
The beloved story of Alice in Wonderland follows the main character, Alice, who falls down a rabbit hole and finds herself in a world of nonsense and mischief.
The adventures that follow lead her to meet characters who have become pop culture icons, such as the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts.
Fans gushed how her ‘styling was everything’ in transforming her lookCredit: GettySabrina rocketed to fame with hit EspressoCredit: GettyShe will soon focus on her acting career with a role in Alice In Wonderland the musical movieCredit: Getty
On a sunny Saturday afternoon last month in Los Angeles, excited fans opted for a dark studio at CBS Television City where a reunion with the beloved Barone family of “Everybody Loves Raymond” would take place. Devotees of the Emmy-winning sitcom gathered for a live taping of a 90-minute 30th anniversary special, airing Monday on CBS.
“This is a bucket list-type thing,” said longtime fan Kim Brazier, who flew in from Gulfport, Miss. “I only watch ‘Everybody Loves Raymond.’ I have it on repeat. I watch it when I’m getting ready in the morning, and it’s kind of my lullaby when I go to bed.”
The popular sitcom, which ran for nine seasons from 1996 to 2005, was known for its hilarious depiction of family dynamics. Ray Romano starred as sportswriter Ray Barone, married to Debra (Patricia Heaton). The couple raised three young children while navigating marital squabbles, awkward parenting moments and constant meddling from Ray’s parents, Marie and Frank (Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle), who lived across the street with Ray’s jealous, downtrodden police officer brother Robert (Brad Garrett).
Inside the reunion, the atmosphere brimmed with nostalgia as Romano and the show’s creator, Phil Rosenthal, hosted the live taping from the living room they once brought into millions of households each week. The set was meticulously recreated for the occasion, including the Barone couch, which Romano now owns and had transported from his home for the occasion.
Cast members were brought out one by one throughout the afternoon, each remaining on stage as the panel grew, including Rosenthal’s wife, Monica Horan, who played Robert’s longtime love interest, Amy.
Ray Romano and Phil Rosenthal walking to the stage for the 30th anniversary reunion, which was taped before a live studio audience, just like the series.
(Matthew Taplinger / CBS)
The group reminisced about working with one another and shared their favorite episodes, accompanied by clips on surrounding screens that included a reel of outtakes of funny lines improvised by Romano and Garrett cracking up their fellow castmates. As each segment played, Rosenthal and the cast watched, fully absorbed with smiles across their faces, while the audience sat rapt, revisiting these cherished moments.
A week and a half later, in a Zoom interview with Rosenthal and Romano, the latter reflected on returning to the set. “It was emotional and surreal. At first it felt so strange to be back, like we went back in time,” Romano says. “And then after we were joking and comfortable for a while, it felt like we never left.”
Just like the reunion, the original series was filmed in front of a live studio audience, a conscious choice to capture the energy in the room. “We had me, a comedian, and comedy writers, and we wanted to hear the laughs,” Romano says.
And the laughs were plentiful. Rosenthal told the crowd at the taping that the cast often had to pause after punchlines to let laughter die down. Occasionally, he said, the laughter went on so long it had to be edited out of episodes. The only time the audience wasn’t in stitches was when Romano literally needed them. He once sliced open his hand during a scene where he was cutting cheese; Romano went to the hospital to be sewn up and then returned to finish the episode.
From the stage, Romano recounted the show’s origin story, which dates back to his 1995 stand-up comedy debut on the “Late Show With David Letterman.” His five-minute routine focused on parenting his toddlers and losing his perspective on adult-oriented humor. He noted that the last joke he’d written dated back to when his twin sons were babies — a bit about jingling his car keys to make them laugh — which he physically demonstrated during the appearance. After the “Late Show” crowd laughed, he pushed the bit one step further. “I’m glad you laughed at that,” he said. “If you didn’t, I would’ve had to come down there and rub my nose in your bellies.”
The cast of “Everybody Loves Raymond” during the taping of the finale episode of the series, which aired in May 2005.
(Richard Cartright / CBS / AP)
Meanwhile, Rosenthal, then a writer on ABC’s sitcom “Coach,” was at home with Horan watching Romano’s set. It immediately resonated with the couple. “It made me laugh so hard,” he says. “We had just had a kid, and the material was eminently relatable.”
Two weeks later, when Letterman’s production company offered Romano a development deal, he met with Rosenthal, and the two began shaping the sitcom, blending their sensibilities. Rosenthal says the resulting show became a hybrid of his sitcom experience with Romano’s sensibility that everything must be rooted in truth. “It had to feel real and honest,” Rosenthal says. “And you don’t do anything just to get a laugh. We had a rule in the writers room: ‘Could this happen?’ Are we stretching credibility so far that we break the bond of relatability with the audience?”
They developed the show around their own lives, modeling the Barone children after Romano’s, and incorporating material from his Letterman routine. The character of Robert was based on Romano’s real-life brother, a New York City police officer whose bitter quip when Romano won an award — “Everybody loves Raymond” — became both the show’s title and a line of dialogue his fictional counterpart delivered in the pilot.
Rosenthal contributed his own family inspiration too, basing Ray’s TV mom largely on his mother, with aspects of Romano’s. At the anniversary special, he told the audience with a wink that his mother had always insisted the character was “an exaggeration.”
Phil Rosenthal, left, and Ray Romano on the recreated set of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” (Sonja Flemming / CBS)
Brad Garrett, left, played Ray’s brother and Patricia Heaton, played Debra, Ray’s wife in the series. (Sonja Flemming / CBS)
When it came time for casting, approximately 20 women auditioned to play Ray’s wife, but Heaton nailed it, with a bold choice setting her apart. She was the only actor who actually kissed Romano during the audition, while the rest just mimed it. It wasn’t until the reunion, however, that Heaton learned onstage that she was the only one who’d done so.
The reunion also revealed that Garrett’s casting as Robert was a surprise to Romano. His real brother is shorter than he is, while Garrett is 6 feet 8, prompting Romano to joke that two brothers had been cast at once.
Rosenthal noted that to avoid the appearance of nepotism, he never suggested his wife for the role of Amy. Rather, it was a writer on the show who had put her name forward.
The reunion also honored Boyle and Roberts, who died in 2006 and 2016, respectively. The taping coincided with what would have been Boyle’s 90th birthday, and his wife, Lorraine, was in the audience. Romano shared that Boyle was nothing like his grumpy character Frank. During the first rehearsal, Boyle gave the nervous Romano advice: “It’s just like water. Just let it flow.”
Roberts, meanwhile, was the show’s matriarch on- and off-screen, known for making pots of soup in her dressing room and looking out for the cast. Horan recalled Roberts as professional and protective, pointing out whenever anyone was unwittingly blocking Horan’s light in a shot.
Frank and Marie, played by Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts, were remembered during the reunion special. The taping coincided with what would have been Boyle’s 90th birthday.
(Robert Voets / CBS)
Later in the afternoon came another poignant moment when Madylin Sweeten and younger brother Sullivan Sweeten, who played Ray and Debra’s children, Ally and Michael Barone, joined the panel. Madylin was 5 when the show began, while Sullivan was 16 months old. His twin brother, Sawyer, who also appeared on the show as Michael’s twin, Geoffrey, died by suicide in 2015, just before his 20th birthday.
Speaking about his late brother, Sullivan said that he tries to stay positive by reflecting on his best moments with Sawyer, sharing that most of them happened on the set of the show. Madylin said that she and Sullivan work with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, noting that most who seek help do survive.
Now 34 and a mom herself, Madylin reflected on growing up on a hit series. At the time, she was too young to fully grasp its importance, revealing that she remembers being upset one year when she couldn’t participate in a school play because she had to be on set. As scenes of the Barone children played above the stage, she wiped away tears at the sight of Sawyer as a child.
It was easy to see what made the cast feel like a real family. Their chemistry filled the studio once again, and their connection endures.
“Imagine spending nine years with people and then staying in touch,” Rosenthal says. “Phil and I see each other all the time,” Romano adds, before Rosenthal chimes in: “Our families vacation together.” They shared that they’d had lunch with the show’s writers earlier that day.
The affection among the cast is matched only by the devotion of the fans who filled the studio. Throughout the taping, the audience erupted in laughter, cheers and applause, a testament to how deeply the show remains embedded in people’s lives. Even 20 years after its finale, everybody still loves Raymond.
“It was the ultimate honor,” Rosenthal says of the enthusiastic fans who showed up for the reunion. “We can die happy that we made something of lasting value.”
Asked why they’ve never considered a reboot, Romano is clear. “This was our legacy, this was our baby, and we wanted to treat it right,” he says. “We wanted to leave on a high note and go out on top, and that’s what we did.”
The Harry Potter star shared an outrageous story about Arnold Schwarzenegger on Lorraine, which left many fans flocking to social media to share their horror
(Image: ITV/Lorraine )
Miriam Margolyes left fans of Lorraine horrified after she told a story about Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Harry Potter star shared that she was working on a film with the Hollywood actor when he chose to “punish” her – by directing a fart at her face.
“Is it true he farted in your face?” Lorraine asked whilst talking about the stories Miriam shares in her new book, The Little Book of Miriam. The star said it was true but added that it was in retribution for her farting first.
“I farted first but we were in rehearsal. He farted when we were actually in performance. And it was not a nice fart. Some farts are sweeter than others, but his was not.”
She added that she felt her purposefully aimed it at her as a form of punishment. She said: “He punished me. He directed it at me. I really didn’t like it.”
Fans of Lorraine were horrified that Miriam would tell such a story, taking to X to share their feelings. One simply wrote: “Miriam Margolyes. [three vomit emojis]”. Another added: “OMG that AWFUL woman.”
A third suggested this topic was a common occurrence for the actress: “Yay, we managed three minutes without ‘National Treasure’ Miriam Margolyes doing her usual farting bit. See ya.”
Others found it funny, with one saying they enjoyed how un-Christmassy she was being: “Miriam is not on message with ITV daytime Christmas grift and I’m here for it.”
Someone else added that they had been reading some of her books and like how shocking she was: “I’ve been reading Miriam Margolyes books, she is such a shocker but a good laugh.”
Miriam worked with Arnold on the film End Of Days in 1999. The film follows Arnold’s Detective Jericho Crane becomes part of the security detail for a banker who has been possessed by the Devil. Miriam played Mabel, a disciple of the Devil who was raising a young woman, played by Robin Tunney, to be a wife for him.
She told The i Paper that she did not have positive feelings about Arnold after the incident, but forgave him earlier this year when he spoke out against Donald Trump.
In September, she said: ““I forgave Arnie only last week, because I heard him speaking out against Trump. I thought, ‘Well, good for you. You’ve come to your senses!’”
ICONIC “He-Man” of Bollywood, Dharmendra, has died aged 89 as India’s Prime Minister leads tributes for the much-loved star.
Better known as Veeru, the star appeared in over 300 films, including playing a petty criminal in the 1975 blockbuster Sholay.
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Star actor Dharmendra, has died aged 89Credit: Shutterstock EditorialHe became a Bollywood sensation around the worldCredit: AP
Dharmendra was one of Indian cinemas most popular stars whose fame skyrocketed in the 1970s and 1980s making him one of the defining figures in Bollywood.
The star, who would have turned 90 in December, had been in and out of a hospital in the financial capital, Mumbai, over the past few weeks.
A senior police official who had spoken to Dharmendra’s doctor confirmed the death on condition of anonymity.
Tributes have since poured in for the “original” it-man of Bollywood, with India‘s PM leading the charge.
In a heartbreaking statement, Narendra Modi said today “marks the end of an era in Indian cinema.”
And filmmaker Karan Johar, who worked with the star in his last film before his death, described him as the “most enigmatic person on screen.”
He was “incredibly handsome” and was “so loved by everyone in our industry,” he said.
Johar added: “It is an end of an era….. a massive mega star… the embodiment of a HERO in mainstream cinema… incredibly handsome and the most enigmatic screen presence.
“He is and will always be a bonafide Legend of Indian Cinema… defining and richly present in the pages of cinema history … but mostly he was the best human being… he was so loved by everyone in our industry.”
Meanwhile, filmmaker Madhu Bhandarkar remembered the start for being “vibrant” and “always full of humour.”
In an emotional post, he said: “Meanwhile, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar took to X and wrote, “I’m deeply saddened to hear about the passing of the legendary Dharmendra ji, the real He-Man of Indian cinema.
“I had the privilege of meeting him many times, he was always vibrant & full of humor. His remarkable contributions mark the end of an era in Indian cinema and will be eternally remembered. Om Shanti.”
The iconic film personality was known for bringing charm to people’s screen and “depth” to every role he played.
He shot to fame following his performance in Sholay (1975) Bollywoods take on the Spaghetti Western and regarded as one of Indias greatest films.
And his roles in other Hindi-language hits, from the romantic comedy Chupke Chupke (1975) to the action drama Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), made him one of the most recognizable film faces from that era.
But it was his performance in Bollywood classic Sholay that truly cemented his stardom.
In 1980, he married actress Hema Malini after shooting more than two dozen films together and the pair quickly became one of India’s most talked about couple.
Dharmendra and Hema MaliniCredit: AlamyDharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan in the hit film SholayCredit: Alamy
But the relationship was marred with scandal as Dharmendra was still married to Prakash Kaur – who he went on to have four children with, including two who would follow in his acting footsteps Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol.
Despite his global success, he steered clear of the rat race, insisting he never wanted to peak in the industry.
He previously said: “I never asked for too much money, and fame is transient. All I ever wanted was people’s love.
“I came here just for this love. Everyone loves Dharmendra and I am grateful for that.”
In 2012, Dharmendra was awarded the Padma Bhushan, Indias third-highest civilian honor, in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema.
The technologist and professor Mindy Seu was having drinks when her friend casually referred to the phone as a sex toy. Think about it, her friend, Melanie Hoff, explained: We send nudes or watch porn, it’s vibrating and touch-sensitive — it’s practically an appendage.
“What exactly is sex, and what exactly is technology?” Seu wondered. “Neither can be cleanly defined.”
Around the same time, in 2023, Seu had just published “Cyberfeminism Index,” a viral Google Sheet-turned-Brat-green-doorstopper from Inventory Press. Critics and digital subcultures embraced the niche volume like a manifesto — and a marker of Seu’s arrival as a public intellectual whose archiving was itself a form of activism. The cool design didn’t hurt. “If you’re a woman who owns a pair of Tabis or Miistas, you are going to have this tome,” joked comedian Brian Park on his culture podcast “Middlebrow.”
Still, the knot between sexuality and technology tugged at her. “Recently, my practice has evolved toward technology-driven performance and publication,” she said. “It’s not exactly traditional performance art, but I believe that spaces like lectures and readings can be made performative.” Though she wasn’t yet finished exploring this theme, she wasn’t sure how to approach it next — until an experiment by Julio Correa, a former Yale graduate student, sparked an idea. Correa had devised an Instagram Stories-based lecture format, and she immediately saw its potential. She reached out to ask if she could “manipulate” his idea into a performance piece, and would he like to collaborate?
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Thus, “A Sexual History of the Internet” was born. The work is two things at once: a participatory lecture-performance conducted through the audience’s phones, and an accompanying, palm-sized, 700-plus-page “script” examining how our devices serve as bodily extensions.
The book isn’t exhaustive but instead a curated miscellany of non-sequiturs and the kind of dinner-party lore Seu delights in. Did you know that the anatomical structure of the clitoris wasn’t fully mapped until a decade after the invention of the World Wide Web? Or that the first JPEG — introduced in 1992 at USC — cribbed a Playboy centerfold nicknamed “Lenna,” which journalist and the author of the 2018 “Brotopia” Emily Chang called “tech’s original sin.”
The metaverse, web3 and AI — none of this is new, Seu said in her loft this past Saturday, hours before her West Coast debut at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. “But understanding the arc is helpful, especially how it’s tied to militaristic origins rooted in power, and how those same people were also confronted with sexuality.”
She’s just returned from a whirlwind tour — Antwerp, New York, Oslo, Madrid — with Tokyo next month. She splits her time between L.A. and Berlin, where her boyfriend lives, but for now, she’s staying put in what she calls her “bachelor pad on the set of a ‘90s erotic thriller,” inherited from a friend, the artist Isabelle Albuquerque.
The floor-to-ceiling windows high in a historic Brutalist artists’ complex overlook MacArthur Park and the downtown skyline. She’s offset the building’s cement with a childhood baby grand piano and her grandmother’s lacquer vanity with pearl inlay. That Seu marries the feminine and the spartan in her space feels intentional — a reflection of the dualities that animate her life and work.
“A Sexual History of the Internet” by Mindy Seu
(Photography by Tim Schutsky | Art direction by Laura Coombs)
Though she moved from New York three years ago, she resists calling herself an Angeleno — partly, she admits, because she never learned to drive despite growing up in Orange County. Her parents ran a flower shop after immigrating from South Korea. The household was conservative, Presbyterian and promoted abstinence. Like with many millennials, her sexual awakening unfolded online.
“I asked Jeeves how to have an orgasm,” she writes. “I sexted with classmates on AOL Instant Messenger. Any curiosities were saved until I could sneak onto my family’s shared ice blue iMac G3 in the living room.”
At 34, the very-online academic holds a master’s from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and has taught at Rutgers and Yale before joining her alma mater, UCLA, as one of the youngest tenured professors (and perhaps the only one who has modeled for JW Anderson and Helmut Lang). Her first three years at UCLA have each had their crises — encampments, fires, ICE raids — yet her Gen Z students give her hope. “They’re so principled and motivated, even if it’s in a nihilistic way,” she said.
Online, fans declare their “brain crushes” on Seu, whose ultra-detailed spreadsheets have become unlikely catnip for TikTok. Vanity Fair dubbed her the rare cybernaut who “lands soft-focus photoshoots in niche lifestyle publications.” Her unusual power is the ability to move through different fields, Trojan-horsing her theories across academia, the art world, the lit scene, tech, fashion, et al. Seu’s notoriety continued to swell after appearing on the popular internet talk show “Subway Takes” with the standout zinger: “Gossip is socially useful, especially to women and the marginalized.”
“Mindy’s really good at bridging different audiences who might not read an academic text about the history of the internet but are interested in Mindy’s practice,” said Correa, Seu’s student-turned-collaborator. When the two workshopped their performance last year on their finsta (a.k.a. fake Instagram), they encountered one major hurdle: censorship. They had to get creative with their algospeak (like changing “sex” to “s*x”) to keep from getting banned.
Mindy Seu in her MacArthur Park loft.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)
“A Sexual History of the Internet,” designed by Laura Coombs, carries that collaborative ethos into its financial structure. Seu’s first book went through traditional publishing, where authors often receive about 10% and contributors receive fixed fees. This time, she wanted a citation model that compensated the 46 thinkers who shaped her understanding of the subject.
She approached Yancey Strickler, director of Metalabel, “an indie record label for all forms of culture,” and co-founder of Kickstarter. Seu’s original proposal waived all profits to collaborators. “Everyone got paid but her,” Strickler said. If she wanted the model to be replicated, he told her, it needed a capitalist backbone.
They landed on Citational Splits, where everyone who was cited joined a 30% profits pool, in perpetuity, across future printings (27 opted in). The remaining 60% goes to Seu and five core collaborators. Strickler likened it to music royalties or company shares: “Your presence increases the project’s value, and some of that value should flow back to you.”
Neither can name a publishing precedent. “It shows a profound, practical morality that underlies her work,” he said.
At MOCA, about 300 Angelenos braved an atmospheric river to sit in the darkened former police car warehouse bathed in red light. No projector, no spotlight. A pair of Tabis winks at her all-black-clad friend; a couple holds hands as Seu moves through the room. (“I intentionally wear very noisy shoes,” she said earlier.)
With the calm cadence of a flight attendant, Sue instructs everyone to put their phones on Do Not Disturb, sound and brightness to max and open Instagram to find @asexualhistoryoftheinternet.
The audience reads in unison when their designated color appears. What follows is a chorus of anecdotes, artworks and historical fragments tracing the pervasive — and sometimes perverted — roots of our everyday technologies. Hearing men and women say “click and clitoris” together is its own spectacle.
“From personal websites to online communities, cryptocurrencies to AI, the internet has been built on the backs of unattributed sex workers,” one slide notes. Sex work has long been an early adopter of emerging technology — from VHS to the internet — and the present is no exception. Two years ago, OnlyFans creators made more money than the total NBA salary combined; today, the company now generates more revenue per employee than Apple or Nvidia.
Seu ends with the widely known dominatrix Mistress Harley’s concept of data domination, a subset of BDSM in which her “subs” (a.k.a. submissives) grant her remote access to their machines. Seu tells the crowd that she has essentially done the same, “viewing the voyeurs” and taking photos of us throughout the performance, which are already posted to Instagram.
We walk out into the dark rain, wondering what exactly we witnessed — and realizing, perhaps, we’ve been witnessing it all along.
