battle

The offbeat thriller has won six BAFTAs, including best film and best director for Paul Thomas Anderson.

The dark comedy One Battle After Another has swept the United Kingdom’s top film honours, picking up six BAFTA awards, including best film and best director for Paul Thomas Anderson.

The film beat the Shakespearean family tragedy Hamnet, and the vampire thriller Sinners, to take the top prizes at Sunday evening’s ceremony.

The UK prizes, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards, often provide hints about who will win at Hollywood’s Academy Awards, held this year on March 15.

One Battle After Another, an explosive film about a group of revolutionaries in chaotic conflict with the state, won awards for directing, adapted screenplay, cinematography, and editing, as well as for Sean Penn’s supporting performance as an obsessed military officer.

“This is very overwhelming and wonderful,” Anderson said as he accepted the directing prize. “We have a line from Nina Simone that we used in our film: ‘I know what freedom is: It’s no fear’,” the director said. “Let’s keep making things without fear. It’s a good idea.”

Sinners, which has a record 16 Oscar nods, won best original screenplay for writer and director Ryan Coogler, best supporting actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and best original score.

The gothic horror story Frankenstein won three awards each, while Hamnet won two, including best British film.

The documentary about Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, The Voice of Hind Rajab, was among the top contenders for BAFTA’s best director and non-English language film categories. But the film Sentimental Value won in the non-English language category.

The biggest surprise of the night was Robert Aramayo winning the best actor category for his performance in I Swear, a fact-based British indie drama about a campaigner for people with Tourette syndrome.

The 33-year-old British actor beat Timothee Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B Jordan, Ethan Hawke and Jesse Plemons for the honour.

“I absolutely can’t believe this,” he said. “Everyone in this category blows me away.”

Jessie Buckley won best actress for playing Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, in Hamnet, based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell and directed by previous Oscar winner Chloe Zhao.

The best documentary prize went to Mr Nobody Against Putin, about a Russian teacher who documented the propaganda imposed on Russian schools after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The film’s American director, David Borenstein, said that teacher Pavel Talankin had shown that “whether it’s in Russia or the streets of Minneapolis, we always face a moral choice”, referring to the protests against US immigration enforcement in Minnesota.

“We need more Mr Nobodies,” he said.

It beat documentaries including Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing Ukraine war portrait, 2000 Meters to Andriivka, co-produced by The Associated Press and Frontline PBS.

The guests of honour at the awards were Prince William and Princess Kate. The event, hosted by Alan Cumming, was the first joint engagement for the pair since William’s uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on Thursday.

William, the president of the film academy, presented the BAFTA Fellowship to Donna Langley, studio head at NBC Universal.

ERIC Dane’s girlfriend Janell Shirtcliff has broken her silence after his death.

The Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria actor, 53, passed away after a courageous battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Janell, 42, took to her Instagram story to share a sweet tribute to the late actor, posting several of their fond memories together.

The first photo she posted was one of Eric sitting under the shade of a palm tree, smiling down at her.

The next was a selfie of the couple outside posing by a set of stairs. In the snap, Eric dropped a kiss on Janell’s head.

Others showed Eric generally happy and enjoying spending time with Janell as well as friends and family.

Then the final memory is a reel showing Eric with Janell’s daughter, whose name has not been publicly revealed.

She’s attempting to direct the actor while taking photos of him.

She says: “I want you to look over there at Mom,” to which he happily agreed.

When Eric noticed Janell pointing her phone at them both he said: “Are you taking videos?”

“It’s cute,” Janell replied back, and then they both laughed.

Eric revealed he had been diagnosed with ALS in April of last year.

It’s a rare condition that causes progressive muscle weakness over time, and it has no cure.

In the final months before his death he was confined to a wheelchair and he missed some media appearances.

When Eric passed, he was reportedly surrounded by loved ones including his daughters Billie and Georgia and his wife Rebecca Gayheart.

Eric and Rebecca were set to get divorced but Rebecca withdrew her divorce filing upon discovering Eric’s ALS diagnosis, and he continued dating Janell.

Eric and Rebecca tied the know in 2004 and stayed married until 2018 when Rebecca filed for divorce.

After years had passed the divorce proceedings hadn’t moved forward, and seven years later upon hearing Eric’s diagnosis Rebecca dismissed the paperwork.

Eric played the role of Cal Jacobs in the popular program Euphoria.

Cal is the father of Nate Jacobs, played by actor Jacob Elordi.

He played Dr. Mark Sloan during his time on Grey’s Anatomy.

Tandy’s response to heavy opening defeats against England and France, in which Wales conceded 15 tries and 102 points, was to make four changes.

Uncapped Leicester wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Scarlets fly-half Sam Costelow , Dragons second-row Ben Carter and Scarlets flanker Taine Plumtree coming in for Ellis Mee, Dan Edwards, Adam Beard and Olly Cracknell.

Wales made shocking starts in the opening two games but ensured that was not the case on this occasion.

Plumtree and Hamer-Webb both picked up injuries in the opening two minutes. Hamer-Webb was forced off briefly with a bloody nose before Plumtree was permanently replaced by James Botham because of a shoulder problem.

Wales’ discipline was again poor in the opening exchanges with two soft penalties, before Joe Hawkins was sent to the bunker for a high tackle on Scotland flanker Gregor Brown, who had moved from lock to the back row from the victory over England to replace the injured Jamie Ritchie.

Wing Josh Adams made a couple of important early interventions with a crucial tackle on Scotland centre Huw Jones followed by a vital interception.

Wales rallied with 14 men and after a searing break from scrum-half Tomos Williams, the home side produced an identical successful tap penalty move to last week when Carre dived over after the initial drive from Lake.

Hawkins’ card remained yellow as it was deemed a passive tackle but it was still an 11th sin-binning in Tandy’s seven games in charge.

Scotland took advantage of the extra back with a sweeping move that was finished by Steyn.

Hawkins returned and his fellow Scarlets centre Eddie James, along with Lake, Carre and flanker Alex Mann, laid the foundations for Adams to cross for his 24th Wales try.

Costelow, who was starting his first game since July 2025 with Edwards having played the past seven games, converted from the touchline.

Botham was outstanding after his early introduction and a turnover laid the foundations for a Costelow penalty.

Scotland made a couple of early tactical substitutions as prop Pierre Schoeman and back rower Josh Bayliss came on for Nathan McBeth and Max Williamson, with Brown reverting to lock.

After another storming Steyn break, a vital Mann turnover forced a penalty as Wales led 17-5 at half-time, the first time the home side had led under Tandy at the interval.

IT was the long, hot summer of 1995, John Major was in No10 and Blackburn Rovers were Premier League champions.

The music charts had been dominated by acting duo Robson and Jerome, until one crazy week in August when Britpop’s heavyweights began slugging it out.

Oasis and Blur released their new singles Roll With It and Country House on the same day in a race for the No1 spot — and the nation was absolutely mad for it.

It was an era-defining, pop culture moment, billed as North v South, working-class v posh boys and sing-along anthems v lyrical sophistication.

Yet even their most ardent fans would have struggled to imagine that 30 years down the line the rivalry in all its boozy, sweary glory would be transformed into a theatrical production.

The Battle — which opened at the Birmingham Rep theatre this week — is a comedic caper that tries to recreate the 90s vibe.

Girlband star says group were ‘banned from eating carbs and called ‘fat w****s’

‘LESS INSECURE’

Stepping back was key to finding our confidence says Mumford & Sons’ Marcus

So Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher — played by George Usher — is seen snorting lines of coke, swigging champagne and threatening to knock Blur singer Damon Albarn’s block off.

And the production includes more uses of the C word than have been uttered in much of the rest of British stage history put together.

The play’s writer, best-selling novelist John Niven, tells me he had to explain the context of the expletive-laden script to the actors.

He said: “The young cast found some of the language challenging at first.

“I had to say that that was just the way people spoke back then. It was more full-on and a much more unfiltered time.

“There’s five or six c***s in it but I guess that’s a lot for the theatre.

“But there’s no way you could accurately reflect those musicians over a five-month period without a few C-bombs dropping. It wouldn’t be authentic.”

John, 60, said he took inspiration for the narrative from a comment by Oasis manager Alan McGee about the rise of his band from a tough Manchester suburb.

He recalled: “Alan said, ‘The thing is, Blur think this is all good media fun but you’ve got five lunatics off a council estate in Burnage who actually want to f*****g kill them’.

“Blur moved the release date of their record to coincide with the Oasis single, so Liam thought, ‘Right, they’ve offered us out’.”

With actor George, 21, successfully aping Liam’s loping gait, he also gets to deliver the most one-liners.

John, who spoke to Blur’s bassist Alex James while writing the play, added: “Someone like Liam is so seductive to write for.

“Noel and Liam are both very funny in completely different ways.

“Noel is really dry and has got great timing, like a stand-up comedian, while Liam is much more surreal, random and unfiltered. He’s a delight to write dialogue for.

“Sometimes you think, ‘F***, have I gone too far there?’

“And then you could go online and find an interview with Liam where he said something ten times crazier.”

John — who began writing the play in 2023, long before the triumphant Oasis reunion last year — also had to explain to the young cast how the Britpop battle came to dominate the national conversation.

He said: “It was such a big cultural phenomenon. The whole country, from six-year-olds to 60-year-olds, knew about it.

“It went from the music papers to the broadsheets to the tabloids to News At Ten. Back then, things spread via radio, TV and the Press, whereas now the culture is so atomised.

“I’ve got teenage kids and you can have acts with a billion TikTok followers who play Wembley Stadium and I’ve never heard of them.”

After a blast of Blur’s Girls & Boys, the play begins at the February 1995 Brits, where Blur won four awards to Oasis’s one.

Collecting the prize for best British group, Damon insisted: “I think this should have been shared with Oasis.”

Interviewed later, Noel Gallagher said: “As far I’m concerned, it’s us and Blur against the world now.”

But the love-in didn’t last. Later that year Noel said of Blur: “The bassist and the singer, I hope the pair of them catch Aids and die because I f***ing hate them two.”

(The guitarist would later appologise, insisting he was “f***ed” on drugs when he made the remark).

When John began writing the play, he recalled the resentment that had built up between the bands in a few short months.

The former music company executive who was at the Brits that year, added: “I thought. Now there’s a dramatic arc.

“Back in February they had all been mates with Noel giving an interview saying, ‘It’s us and Blur against the world now’.

“Now he was saying he hoped they died.”

Then, in August Oasis’s record company Creation announced their new single Roll With It would be released a week before Blur’s Country House.

John added: “Blur’s manager Andy Ross was worried that Oasis would have a massive No1.

“Back then a single could top the charts for a month so Andy was worried the Blur would be stuck at No2.”

Andy, played by Gavin and Stacey star Mathew Horne, decides to move Country House’s release date forward to coincide with Oasis and all hell was unleashed.

The then influential music magazine NME produced a front cover with the headline, British Heavyweight Championship, Blur v Oasis.

A then 29-year-old Clive Myrie reported breathlessly for the BBC News At Ten on the brewing rivalry.

Like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the 1960s, the two bands divided friends and families into rival camps.

An exclusive in the The Sun revealed that Oasis-mad Mandy Vivian-Thomas had kicked out her husband Richard for being a massive Blur fan.

Richard said: “Mandy’s been a nightmare. She’s spent a fortune on trash about Oasis and the last starw was using my card to buy their record.

“I’m out on my ear but I’m hoping things will calm down.”

Headlined, You Blurty Rat, the Sun article takes centre stage in The Battle.

It’s cited by Blur guitarist Graham Coxon as a symptom of how the chart battle has seen his band drift away from their indie ideals and into the mainstream.

John explained: “It became apparent how different the two bands were because I think Noel and Liam loved being in the tabloids and wanted to be that big.

“They had no problems with having loads of reporters outside their door. They thought, ‘We want to be the biggest band in the world and this is part of it’.

“But I reckon Blur found it all much more uncomfortable, especially Graham. That when you get that big you’ve got the tabloids banging on your door.

“I think he thought, ‘This is getting crazy now.’”

In the end, it was Blur who would win the Battle of Britpop with Country House topping the charts but Oasis would go on to have a more stellar career.

John added: “Damon and Noel are pals now.

“When men are in their 20s and 30s and they’re really ambitious, they’re all claws and teeth, sharp edges and hustling.

“You hurt people trying to get where you want to be but I think as men get older in their 40s and 50s they get a lot nicer and they calm the f*** down a bit.”

John hopes the play will transfer to the West End after runs in Birmingham and Manchester.

“I don’t think we’ll see a time when two bands dominate the national consciousness in a way like that again,” he said.

“It’s almost impossible to imagine.”

TOUCH OF TARANTINO

EFFING and jeffing as he struts around the stage like a rampant chimp, George Usher has Liam Gallagher down to a tee.

I’m supping a lager in the stalls at the Birmingham Rep, where if you suck your gut in and comb your hair forwards, it could be 1995 all over again.

With blasts of their hits, and aided by newsreel and radio clips, the great Battle of Britpop is fought once again.

The dialogue is pacy, comedic and very sweary. Yet with two bands, assorted managers and girlfriends to cover, there is little time for character development.

However, just as the play seems to be running out of narrative, it plunges into a Quentin Tarantino-esque sequence.

It’s a fittingly surreal end to this parable of a drug-addled decade.

★★★☆☆

News of Eric Dane’s death Thursday was met with an outpouring of grief by celebrities, who expressed their admiration for the TV star’s mischievous on-screen charisma and his advocacy efforts during his battle against ALS.

Dane is best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan, or “McSteamy,” on “Grey’s Anatomy” and recently portrayed the dark and secretive father Cal Jacobs in HBO’s “Euphoria.” He died at age 53, less than a year after publicly announcing his diagnosis with the neurodegenerative disease.

Alyssa Milano, who was Dane’s romantic co-star on “Charmed,” shared a heartfelt message on Instagram praising his cheeky, yet tender spirit and deep love for his daughters.

“I can’t stop seeing that spark in Eric’s eye right before he’d say something that would either make you spit out your drink or rethink your entire perspective,” said Milano. “He had a razor-sharp sense of humor. He loved the absurdity of things.”

HBO Max shared a statement on Instagram, lauding Dane’s talent and saying the network was “fortunate to have worked with him on three seasons of Euphoria.” The show’s creator, Sam Levinson, shared a statement with Variety saying he’s heartbroken by the loss of a dear friend.

“Working with him was an honor,” Levinson said. “Being his friend was a gift. Eric’s family is in our prayers. May his memory be for a blessing.”

Former “Grey’s Anatomy” showrunner Krista Vernoff shared an Instagram post fondly reminiscing about when Dane returned to the set in 2021 to film a dream sequence featuring his character, who died in Season 9. Although it was shot during the pandemic, he “broke the rules” and gave her a huge hug.

“The thing I will remember most about Eric Dane are his hugs,” Vernoff wrote. “The best hugs. Oh my friend. I wish you peace.”

Dane was preparing to publish his memoir, “Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments,” later this year with Maria Shriver’s publishing imprint, the Open Field.

Shriver said Dane was heroic in the way he handled his disease and used his platform to raise awareness about ALS.

“He told me he wanted his family to know how much he loved them, and he wanted to leave them a story they could be proud of,” she said in a statement on X. “My love goes out to his family, and to all those battling this cruel disease, as well as all those caring for someone battling it.”

In 2025, Dane drew on his personal experiences with the condition to portray a firefighter living with ALS on “Brilliant Minds” and advocated for legislation to provide funding for ALS research and give patients early access to treatments.

He worked closely with the nonprofit organization I Am ALS to raise money to research new treatments for the disease, which currently has no cure.

“Eric brought humility, humor, and visibility to ALS and reminded the world that progress is possible when we refuse to remain silent,” the organization said in a statement. “Eric was more than a supporter of our mission — he was part of our family.”

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive disease that damages nerve cells controlling voluntary muscles, typically causing death two to five years after diagnosis.

Nina Dobrev, Dane’s co-star in the western romance movie “Redeeming Love,” wrote on her Instagram story that she was heartbroken by his death.

“He was warm, generous, prepared, and so passionate about what he did,” she said. “He led with kindness and made everyone on our set feel seen.”

Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report

ERIC Dane has died aged 53 after a brave battle with ALS.

The Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria actor passed away with his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and daughters Billie and Georgia by his side, his rep said in a statement on Thursday, February 19.

“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” the statement began.

“He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world. 

“Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight.

“He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. 

health battle

Eric Dane’s Grey’s co-star reveals ‘heartbreaking’ update on ALS battle

“The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time.”

SCARY DIAGNOSIS

Eric had been battling ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease, since early 2024, when he first began experiencing symptoms.

The star announced his diagnosis in April 2025, which quickly progressed to near full paralysis in the months before his death.

Eric had to bow out of multiple public appearances due to his worsening condition.

In January 2026, he withdrew from the ALS Network’s Champions for Cures and Cares gala just hours before the event began.

The TV star also missed his scheduled appearance at the Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2025 because of complications from the disease.

In December 2025, Eric shared an update on his health during a virtual panel for IAMALS.org.

At this point, the father of two had lost mobility in his arms, had noticeable changes in his speech, and was confined to a wheelchair.

“I have no reason to be in a good spirit at any time, on any given day,” an emotional Eric shared.

“I don’t think anybody would blame me if I went upstairs in my bedroom, crawled under the sheets, and spent the next two weeks crying.”

Despite his drastic health decline, Eric vowed to continue acting and that he wouldn’t give up fighting.

“I’m not about to concede my purpose for some disease. I just am not capable of doing that.

“I’m fairly limited in what I can do physically as an actor, but I still have my brain, and I still have my speech, so I’m willing to do just about anything.”

BRAVE FIGHT

In November 2025, Eric starred in an episode of the NBC medical drama Brilliant Minds, playing a firefighter living with ALS.

“The hardest thing for me to do was separate myself from the character because it was something that was so fresh and it was something that was so real to me,” Eric told the Daily Mail about the role.

“I’ve never played a character who’s going through something, and something that I’m dealing with in real time, in real life as well,” he continued.

“So, it was hard, and there were moments where it was very difficult for me to get the lines out. 

“But overall, I was really grateful for the experience. I found it to be a bit cathartic.”

Eric is also reprising his role as Cal Jacobs in the third season of Euphoria, which will premiere on HBO in April, after a four-year hiatus.

In late January, Eric received praise from his Grey’s Anatomy co-star, Patrick Dempsey, for his bravery since his brutal diagnosis.

“I do try to stay in touch and see how he’s doing. I think he’s been incredibly courageous in the face of this horrible disease,” Patrick told Parade in an interview.

He also said that he tried to get Eric on his new crime thriller series, Memory of a Killer, but his condition made it “virtually impossible.”

Eric is survived by his two children, Billie Beatrice, 16, and Georgia Geraldine 14, whom he shares with Rebecca.

The couple separated in 2018, but called off their long divorce once Eric received his diagnosis.

The TV star is sharing her own experiences as part of a new NHS campaign that aims to raise awareness

Shona McGarty, a former star from EastEnders, has shared her mental health experiences with something she describes as a ‘little devil on her shoulder’ and encourages others to get help. The actress and singer, famous for her role as Whitney Dean on the BBC soap and for participating in I’m A Celebrity last year, has opened up about dealing with social anxiety since she was a teenager.

She said: “I was always a chatty child, but as I got older, everything changed. Around 15, I suddenly became painfully self-aware. I started overthinking and struggling to hold conversations, even though talking was literally part of my job.

“My social anxiety would happen when meeting new people, with colleagues or even at family gatherings. My heart would race, my hands would sweat, and sometimes I thought I might faint. I sometimes pretend to receive a phone call just to leave a social situation. People would say, ‘Shona’s so shy,’ or ‘she’s so quiet,’ and it really hurt.”

Sharing how she copes with social anxiety now, she said: “I’m worlds away from that level of panic now, because I’ve learned how to deal with it when it shows up. One thing that helps is imagining a little devil on my shoulder. I acknowledge it, and then I answer back: Thank you, but you’re wrong. I’m in control. I’m safe. People aren’t judging me; they’re listening because they want to hear me speak.”

Shona said the biggest help of all has been talking about it. “Acknowledging social anxiety instead of fighting it,” she said. “You’d be amazed at how many people feel the same way. A problem shared really is a problem halved.”

The TV star has shared her personal experience of social anxiety disorder to help raise awareness and support the launch of a new NHS campaign. The campaign urges people with six common anxiety conditions – including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) – to come forward for help by self-referring online at nhs.uk/talk.

The NHS England campaign is backed not only by Shona McGarty but also by The Only Way Is Essex’s Charlie King and former professional footballer and Professional Footballers’ Association chair Clarke Carlisle. Each is candidly sharing their own experiences to encourage others to come forward.

Dr Adrian James, NHS England’s National Medical Director for Mental Health and Neurodiversity said: “While it’s encouraging that thousands more people facing mental health conditions are accessing NHS support than before the pandemic, we know that millions more could benefit from vital NHS talking therapies. This landmark new campaign is a critical step to ensuring that everyone struggling with challenging but very common conditions like anxiety and PTSD knows that there is support available to help them get on with their lives again.

“Through proven treatment and support available for free on the NHS, these conditions can be overcome to help people return to work, regain confidence or feel back to their old selves in social situations. Our message is clear, if you’re struggling with your mental health, NHS talking therapies are here for you, and you can either self-refer or speak with your local GP practice.” You can find out more and refer yourself for NHS Talking Therapies at nhs.uk/talk.

What is social anxiety?

The NHS defines social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, as a long-term and overwhelming fear of social situations. “It’s a common problem that usually starts during the teenage years. It can be very distressing and have a big impact on your life,” it says.

Dr Ravi Gill, a health psychologist and founder of Smart Mind Health, explains: “People that experience social anxiety know that the fear that they have around these certain situations is not OK, so their nervous system reacts in a way that sends them into a slight bit of panic.

“So, it’s not just nerves or a lack of confidence or not knowing how to navigate something, social anxiety is a lot more than that. There’s a genuine fear that something is going to happen and a fear of being seen and getting it wrong. It’s also linked quite closely with imposter syndrome, and the two often come up together.”

Social anxiety often occurs in performance and group situations in the workplace, he says. “Performance situations in the workplace, such as speaking up in meetings, doing a presentation or making a phone call can all add pressure and really heighten someone’s social anxiety.”

The health expert also says it affects social situations. He said: “Within a group of friends, the one that suffers with social anxiety will often just sit there and observe the conversation and won’t speak up and contribute. They may feel like they will say something wrong or feel that their opinion on something might be misconstrued or misinterpreted in some way.”

Caracas, February 17, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela’s Navegantes del Magallanes claimed the 2026 Serie de las Américas baseball tournament after defeating Colombia’s Caimanes de Barranquilla 10–9 on Friday, February 13, at the Estadio Monumental Simón Bolívar in Caracas.

The Colombian squad stunned fans with a commanding 5–0 lead in the opening inning and maintained a five-run advantage for much of the game. However, Magallanes engineered a dramatic comeback that will become one of Venezuela’s most celebrated baseball victories, scoring seven unanswered runs in the eighth inning to overturn the deficit.

The Venezuelan team, representing the host nation for the tournament held from February 5 to 13 in Caracas and La Guaira, stumbled in its opening match against Panama before rallying and stringing together consecutive wins. This included a decisive 9–1 semifinal victory over Cuba to book a place in the final.

The 2026 Serie de las Américas—the second edition of this regional international baseball competition organized by continental baseball league associations—brought together national teams from Cuba and Curaçao, and the winter league champions from Venezuela, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Argentina. The tournament featured a round-robin phase followed by semifinals and a championship game.

Navegantes del Magallanes secured its place in the tournament after winning the Venezuelan league in early February. 

Venezuela’s participation in the Serie de las Américas became possible after the country opted out of the February 1–7 Serie del Caribe, following decisions by that event’s organizers to relocate the tournament amid claims of “political conflicts” linked to the January 3 US military strikes and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Venezuelan professional league initially suspended its Round Robin phase following the attacks, though play resumed on January 7 and continued through the Serie de las Américas.

On Saturday, the champion Magallanes were welcomed at Miraflores Palace by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who praised the team’s achievement. 

“When they achieved victory, I felt the joy of seeing a country rise up and demonstrate its winning spirit. The most important jersey we Venezuelans wear is that of Venezuela; you wore it and showed that there is no adversity we cannot overcome,” Rodríguez said.

The Venezuelan leader also formally expressed Venezuela’s desire to once again host the regional tournament in 2027.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — In Waco, Tex., Richard A. Gephardt kicked off his Super Tuesday campaign by deriding Michael S. Dukakis as the Democratic presidential candidate with the most money and “the least message.”

The next day, in Deerfield Beach, Fla., Dukakis castigated Gephardt as “the prince of darkness” for appealing to the angry side of America with his complaints about unfair foreign economic competition.

In part, the two candidates generally deemed the front-runners in the Democratic race, who came here last week for a debate before the cream of the Southern Democratic Party, are flinging rhetorical brickbats at each other because of the 20-state treasure-trove of delegates up for grabs in Super Tuesday’s primaries and caucuses.

Another Struggle

But Massachusetts Gov. Dukakis, the winner of the New Hampshire primary, and Missouri Rep. Gephardt, the winner of the Iowa caucuses, are locked in another struggle as well, one that transcends even as rich a prize as Super Tuesday. At stake is nothing less than the heart, mind and future of the Democratic Party.

And that deeper struggle has injected a bitter, biting element into the campaign because the cleavages between the two leaders are sharply drawn along class, cultural and regional lines.

To put the matter in starkly simple terms, Dukakis, with his core support in the suburbs and among upscale city dwellers, reflects the beliefs and values of the party’s Eastern liberal Establishment, and the interests of the nation’s thriving bicoastal economy.

Gephardt, hailing from America’s economically hard-hit hinterland with his Missouri legacy of Harry S. Truman populism, is striving to speak to and for working-class voters. Such voters have been the foundation of classic Democratic majorities of the sort the party has seldom managed to assemble in recent years.

“Nothing is ever 100% black and white in politics,” says Southern pollster Claibourne H. Darden Jr. As he suggests, the realities of the immediate battle for votes are so complex that the underlying struggle may not be precisely reflected in the election returns across Dixie or the rest of the nation.

“But there’s a real socioeconomic division here,” Darden says. “Gephardt is after the ‘Bubba’ vote–the good old boys, the middle-middle section of the Democratic Party. And Dukakis is the darling of the educated liberals and the suburbanites.”

In a sense, their battle is a sequel to the 1984 contest between Walter F. Mondale and Gary Hart, in which those two argued essentially over whether the Democratic Party needed to change. Although Mondale won the nomination, he lost the election and thus the argument: Virtually everyone entered the 1988 campaign agreeing that the Democratic Party needed to change.

The battle between Dukakis and Gephardt will help to settle the remaining question: In what new direction will the party now move?

Of course, Dukakis and Gephardt have to reckon with two other major rivals in the Southern contests–the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Tennessee Sen. Albert Gore Jr.

Jackson is expected to run very well here Tuesday, perhaps capturing more states than any of his rivals. But most analysts doubt that he can sustain that success outside the South on the scale needed to make him a serious threat for the nomination.

As for Gore, few believe the only white Southerner in the race can do well enough in his home region to make up for his lack of achievement in the early contests elsewhere.

Meanwhile, what seems to be happening in the competition between Gephardt and Dukakis is that their debate is redefining the governing grammar of the Democratic Party, creating a new syntax in which the definitive phrases are not “liberal” and “conservative” but rather “change” and “pain.”

To a considerable extent the dividing line between Dukakis’ supporters and Gephardt’s backers is based on the degree to which any group of voters feels hurt by current economic conditions and prospects and the urgency with which they want to alter those conditions.

By using his argument against unfair trade practices as an expression of the case for broader change, “Gephardt has found a clean way to tap into the anger of voters who feel the circumstances of the economy are working against them,” said Paul Tully, former political director of Dukakis’ campaign.

Last January, just before the Iowa caucuses, Gephardt defined his populism in the rhetoric of Franklin D. Roosevelt, whom he described as “the greatest populist of the century.” Recalling F.D.R.’s celebrated vow to crush “the forces of greed and privilege,” Gephardt called that dictum “the legacy and the life force” of the Democratic Party.

Listen to Gephardt 10 days ago at the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner in Atlanta, where he warned 3,500 Democrats that America was in decline and demanded change to reverse the tide.

“I want to put a Democrat in the White House in 1988 so we can make America move and soar again,” he declared. “But to move in that direction we must change America in fundamental ways. That’s what the election in 1988 is all about.

Must Stand for Change

“A lot of people don’t want change,” Gephardt warned. “Strong forces resist change for a whole lot of different reasons. You must understand that if you want to change America the only way it will happen is if you stand for change in the Tuesday, March 8, primary.”

This message, says Tully, has visceral appeal to “those Democrats who live in places where the economy is threatening or not encouraging.” Moreover, Gephardt’s insistence on tougher trade policies, denounced as “protectionist’ by the well-educated middle-class supporters of Dukakis, appears to strike a responsive chord among the blue-collar workers Gephardt is trying to reach.

For many of them, political professionals point out, the idea that it is time for the United States to get back at foreign competitors has not only economic significance but also patriotic resonance.

Because of this, many Democratic politicians believe this issue could help win back former Democrats who have turned away from the party and supported Ronald Reagan in recent years because they believed that Democratic national leaders were namby-pambies in dealing with foreign nations.

“The trade issue is a metaphor for the sense that people have that they have lost control of their economic destiny, for the sense that many people feel that ‘my standard of living is slipping, we’re drifting and we’re slipping,’ ” says Rep. Sander M. Levin (D-Mich.), a Gephardt supporter.

Dukakis is for change too, Tully asserts. But the Massachusetts governor is a self-decribed optimist. And the kind of change for which he argues is more businesslike and less impassioned, more methodical and less fundamental than what Gephardt preaches.

“It is more of a roll up your sleeves and get on with the work approach,” Tully says. “And it appeals to people who want change but who have a lower level of anxiety than Gephardt’s constituents.”

Central to Dukakis’ optimistic view and to his message of moderate change is the economic recovery in Massachusetts, for which he claims a large share of credit and which he seems to argue has almost unlimited relevance elsewhere in the nation.

“Over the last dozen years I’ve seen the Massachusetts economy turn around and come back strong,” Dukakis declared in a speech last fall on economic policy. “And over the past few months, campaigning around this country, I’ve seen example after example of the kind of strength and determination and spirit it will take to get our fiscal house in order and restore our competitiveness abroad.”

If Gephardt seems to respond to anger and frustration among the voters, Dukakis appears to try to smooth over grievances.

When the Democrats hold their nominating convention in July, Dukakis told the Atlanta dinner audience that Gephardt also addressed, “I hope we as a party will have learned the lessons of division. Let’s make 1988 a year for the promise of opportunity and not the politics of resentment.”

Ultimately, the argument between these two points of view will be settled at the ballot box.

And ironically, the circumstances of these two candidates and the special nature of those who normally vote in Democratic primaries suggests that–as in 1984–the apostle of fundamental change could be hard-pressed to win the nomination, while the moderate could lose in November.

More Electable

A good many Democrats who have reservations about Gephardt’s policies, particularly his views on trade, are nonetheless interested in the congressman’s candidacy because they think he would be more electable than Dukakis in November.

“Dukakis’ message is competence in domestic policy and the rule of law in foreign policy,” says Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City), one of the House members who–along with many leading Southern politicians–gathered here at Williamsburg for a meeting of the Democratic Leadership Council, a group of moderate-to-conservative office holders. “And, frankly, I’m not convinced it’s a winning message.

“The Gephardt message is very good for blue-collar workers,” continues Berman, who will not decide who to back until after Super Tuesday. “It could help us get back people we have been having trouble holding in general elections, people who were attracted to Reagan.”

Other Democrats are blunter in their assessment: “Dukakis looks like another 49-state blowout to me,” says a high-level Southern labor leader who declined to be identified. He thinks that Dukakis could not draw any significant amount of votes beyond what Mondale received in 1984, when he carried only Minnesota and the District of Columbia.

By contrast, this official believes that Gephardt would “bring the white middle-class and blue-collar vote in the South back to the Democrats. We have to be a party that’s not just interested in redistributing wealth, that’s also interested in helping the middle class.”

But for all Gephardt’s potential assets in the fall, some think he may never have the chance to cash in on them because of the practical realities governing Democratic primary politics, particularly in the South.

“(Dukakis’) is an elitist campaign,” Martin Linsky, a public policy specialist at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, says. “But the primary in the South is a setup for him. He gets the suburban, liberal upper-middle-class vote.” And, as Linsky points out, these are the voters most likely to go to the polls on Tuesday.

Gephardt Might Struggle

Moreover, while Gephardt’s message of change gives him much broader potential appeal than Dukakis, many professionals believe that without the financial and organizational resources Dukakis has amassed, Gephardt will have to struggle to get his potential supporters to the ballot box.

And Gephardt’s ability to win votes by emphasizing basic differences from Dukakis is complicated somewhat by the fact that neither man’s origins quite match his current billing.

As Gephardt’s rivals never tire of pointing out, while serving as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus he was widely considered to be a fixture of the congressional hierarchy. And the legislative connections he fashioned with lobbyists for business and labor have helped finance his presidential campaign–to the tune of more than $350,000, or about 6% of his total contributions.

“Dick, don’t give us that Establishment stuff when you’re out there taking their money,” Dukakis snapped at Gephardt during the debate here last week. And the Dukakis campaign released a negative commercial later in the week attacking Gephardt on just the same grounds.

For his part, Dukakis entered politics sounding more like a neoliberal than a traditional liberal. And even today his views embody his natural frugality and his abounding faith in the efficacy of high technology and rational management.

Dukakis campaign chairman Paul Brountas, who has known the governor all his political life, says: “Certainly Michael Dukakis is a progressive”–a term Brountas prefers to “liberal.” But he adds: “He’s very conservative fiscally. And he’s run the state in a tight-fisted way.”

In the end, many believe the outcome of the Gephardt-Dukakis battle in Dixie may depend on whether Gephardt can reach the voters whose anger is fueling his candidacy.

Chris Scott, president of the North Carolina AFL-CIO, contends that Gephardt’s argument for retaliation against unfair trade practices has great appeal in his state, where the textile industry has been hard hit by foreign imports.

“Gephardt’s trade message can romp and stomp in this state,” Scott says. “But I don’t know if Gephardt can get the message out.”

In this episode of The Envelope video podcast, Teyana Taylor describes the “slingshot” of success that’s come with “One Battle After Another” and shares her insights as to why fictional revolutionary Perfidia Beverly Hills does what she does in the film.

Kelvin Washington: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to The Envelope. Kelvin Washington, Yvonne Villarreal, we have Mark Olsen as well. Hopefully you all have been great since the last time I saw you. Everybody been good?

Mark Olsen: Of course.

Washington: Well, I tell you what, there’s a list of folks who’ve been very good because they’ve been nominated for an Oscar. And obviously, you kind of get the usual suspects, if you will. And then you get some surprises out there. Some folks you go, “Whoa!” So I want to start with you. Either of you can jump in on this. Is there someone that maybe surprised you, a film or something that you were just excited about or maybe someone said, “Them again?” or “That film again?”

Olsen: I think it was very exciting that “Sinners” got the most nominations of any film ever with 16 nominations. It was nominated in every category that it was eligible for. To see a movie that has had commercial success and felt like a cultural moment now being recognized somewhere like the Academy Awards, it’s just exciting to see that all coming together and rolling along for that film, regardless of how it turns out at the show.

Villarreal: I was very excited to see Rose Byrne get acknowledged for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” Because I was worried about that movie losing steam after all the raves it got at Sundance [in 2025] and it’s a smaller movie. I wasn’t sure, “Are people going to remember it?” But I just think she’s so great in that film.

I was sort of surprised that Chase Infiniti didn’t get nominated.

Olsen: Because of the nature of the movie, the whole lead/supporting business was tough, and also it being her first movie, it’s a little harder to get that nomination — especially in lead actress, faced with, say, Kate Hudson, someone who’s been in the business for a long time, is much beloved in the industry, has obviously family historical ties to Hollywood. It’s interesting to see even in the nominations this sort of alchemy of like, “a little of this, a little bit of that” as far as who the academy was choosing to recognize.

Washington: You know, I go back to something you said, Mark, when you go to “Sinners.” You mentioned the blockbuster feel of it, getting people’s butts to the theaters, spending money. And also kind of original. We’ve had vampire movies before, but, you know, you get the “Transformer 12’s” and “Expendable 32’s.” I think a lot of folks were excited to see something original that also had commercial success as well.

Another film that had a bunch of success is “One Battle After Another.” You had a chance to speak with a star from that film, who’s been a star in her own right musically, but now into the film world, with Teyana Taylor.

Olsen: That’s right. It’s so exciting. She’s nominated for best supporting actress. This is a long movie, it’s over two and a half hours long. She more or less exits the picture about 30 minutes in. So I think it says something about the strength of her performance that her character kind of hovers over the rest of that movie. You feel her in the movie, even though she’s actually not onscreen. So at the Oscar nominees luncheon recently, we had a chance to sit down with Teyana and she was just so vibrant, so full of energy, really has a great attitude about this moment for herself. I mean, she just recently won a Golden Globe, she hosted “Saturday Night Live.” So much is like happening for her, seemingly right now and she’s just got this real like, taking it all in, very open to it [attitude]. It was really an exciting conversation.

Washington: A culmination of all her hard work. Here is Mark’s conversation with Teyana Taylor.

Teyana Taylor.

(Ian Spanier / For The Times)

Mark Olsen: You were just at the Super Bowl. About a week before that, you were a nominee at the Grammys. About a week before that you hosted “Saturday Night Live.” About a week before that you won a Golden Globe. And you’re here today as an Academy Award nominee. I’m sure I’m leaving some things out. I would say what’s the last year been like for you, but I feel like, what’s the last month or two been like for you? It feels like the rocket ship has really taken off.

Teyana Taylor: Yeah, it’s really taken off. I’m so blessed and I’m so honored and I’m filled with so much gratitude to just see so many prayers get answered all at once, where I’m also OK with one at a time. But it’s all happening, you know? And I’m just beyond blessed. And like we were talking about earlier, just how much fun I’m having with it. I’m really having a good time and I’m taking it all in because life is short and life is so fragile. So I just try and take time to enjoy life and enjoy my blessings and enjoy just being alive and well.

Olsen: Has there been a moment that felt the most surreal, like a “What is happening to me right now” moment?

Taylor: Honestly, all of it, because it reminds me of a slingshot, you know what I’m saying? It’s just like, here’s the way, here’s the way, here’s the way, here’s the way, here’s the work, here’s the prayers, here’s the tears, just here, here, here, here, here. And then whoosh — whatever the ball hit, it knocked down everything at once. And that’s what this feels like. It feels really good because literally everything is happening at the same time. So it’s not like only one moment or only two moments that’s making me feel this way. It’s everything. The small wins, the big wins, the medium wins. Every single win and every single blessing is a big deal to me. You know what I’m saying? Even my Ls. I’m not gonna win everything and I’m not gonna get everything, and some things are not even meant for me. But even those are blessings. It’s preparation for something that is in store for me and something that is meant for me, because all of this is already written. What’s for you is for you and will be for you, because that’s just what’s written. So I have that mindset.

Olsen: You’ve been doing this since you were a teenager, at first as a choreographer and a dancer, a singer, an actor, you’re going to direct your first feature soon. What keeps you moving through all of this, through these different disciplines and pursuits?

Taylor: My babies. My support system. My village. My community. I love to make my people proud. I love to make my peers proud, my family. I just love to make everybody proud and that’s what keeps me going. Even right now, I’m also in culinary school. So it’s just juggling that, but taking out the little moments to just be quiet and cook and feed my people. So it’s a push. It’s understanding it’s a marathon and that it’s not a sprint. It’s a part of the faith walk. And I think that’s what keeps me going, to wake up and feel so blessed, how could I ever complain? How could I ever be like, “Oh, this is too much”? It is everything I’ve ever asked for. I’m never going to complain about answered prayers. What pushes me is just the reassurance from my support system, the reassurance from Father God himself, the reassurance for my babies. They keep me going. That’s who I do it for. I want to create generational wealth. So them babies are my reason. They are my why.

Olsen: To start asking you about “One Battle After Another,” your character, Perfidia Beverly Hills, she’s inspired a lot of conversation and some controversy. For you, was there something about that character that you felt you hadn’t seen on screen before?

Taylor: Yes. Perfidia is complex and she is also misunderstood. This is a woman who has been in survival mode, who has been fetishized, who has been ignored, not seen. We’re seeing this woman deal with that, where in movies we’re used to seeing us women have to be in capes all day and you see this woman rip this cape away and it’s just unapologetically herself — even in her weakness. And even like you said, with the controversy of her sexuality, I think her sexuality is her armor. It is also her power. She’ll give somebody what they want to get what she wants. And literally in the movie, she’s made selfish decisions. But if you think about her spirit and mentally and emotionally as a woman, it felt good to see a woman actually be selfish and put her[self] first, which we never really get to do because we have to be super this, super this, super this. Super mom, super wife, super woman, super chef; everything is always with a super in front of it. And you see this woman not really caring about what people think. Nobody can quiet her. And in this space of, “OK, you’re too loud, quiet down; you stand too tall, have a seat,” Perfidia is all of the things that they can’t make her do. She’s like, “I’m gonna stand tall, I’m gonna use my voice, I’m gonna use whatever I need to use to get what I want.” And she makes decisions that we don’t agree with, but I think one thing we all can agree on is that she’s a badass. And I can always respect anybody that’s unapologetically themselves.

Another thing that I feel like the controversy is proof of is how much of a nonfactor postpartum depression is. Half of the mistakes we see Perfidia make is her dealing with postpartum depression. You see the moment where they say, “Perfida, she’s a runner. She comes from a long line of revolutionaries.” That in itself is a pressure on her to feel like she gotta keep that going. The revolution is instilled in her. It’s a part of her identity. So imagine getting pregnant and you’re feeling like, “Oh, my God, does this slow down the revolution? Am I gonna play house with a person that’s ignoring me?” Nobody is really taking the time to think about what’s happening in her mind. We can’t control how a person handles postpartum depression. We hear her, through the door, cry, and then we see Bob put his ear to the door — and instead of him walking in, he walked away. And then what was the result of that? Her walking away. Even if it had to be walking away from Baby Willa, it’s something that she felt like she needed to do, and that’s what postpartum make you do sometime. And every mother handles postpartrum depression differently. But I think that’s what I love about her character, because you get to see a harsh reality that I know is hard to take in. But when you watch it a few times you understand exactly what’s happening. … I think that’s what makes the letter at the end so important. Because you hear the pain, you hear the hurt, you hear the regret, you hear the accountability, “Do you have love? Are you happy? Will you try and change the world like we did? We failed, but maybe you will not.”

And that’s another thing. This is a story that Paul Thomas Anderson wanted to tell. It was Perfidia’s job to go and anchor this boat and stay there and create the path for Willa to take on these battles, because her past haunted Willa and Bob. That’s a part of Perfidia being supporting — supporting the next steps of what is for Willa. It’s for Willa to go on and to rise. So you see Perfidia in the beginning of the movie, you see her drive this boat, you see her get to the middle of the sea and you see her anchor herself. And from there, we have to continue the story. So I’m happy that the controversy around her can create dialogue like this, can create healthy dialogue or even uncomfortable dialogue. As long as it’s dialogue and we’re conversing and we are speaking and people are speaking from their point of views, I can absolutely respect that.

Olsen: Is that a conversation you expected to have? When you were making the film, were you and Paul, or you and your co-stars talking about the depiction of Black women in the movie? Or have you been surprised that’s been such a talking point now that the movie’s out in the world?

Taylor: Honestly, I’m not surprised of any of the talking. I think one thing that I said before the movie even dropped and we were doing our press junkets, I was always very boisterous about the fact that this movie, period, not just the character, would definitely shake the table, and it would definitely spark, whether it was great debates or — I love conversation and I like when we can converse. Get it off your chest, tell me how you feel. And I’m open to receive that. So I knew that it would shake the table. I also knew that it needed to be done. Postpartum depression is a big thing for me that I feel like it needs more light. It needs light around it. We need more solutions for it. And like I said, you see this person, this woman in survival mode. You see this woman be ignored. You see this woman be fetishized. And is that not the truth? Is that not what happens, especially in this place of a Black woman feeling the least protected? So I’m really happy that Paul put wings on that to be able to spread and fly with that. And like I said, I know it’s probably tough to take in, but that’s what we got to see because everybody is not wearing capes. Everybody is not handling things the way you may handle things, I may handle the things, the way that person or this person may handle things. So we all just got to give grace and take in the film. It’s a story that’s being told.

Olsen: To me, one of the biggest surprises about the movie is considering how cohesive and complete it feels, to learn how improvisatory and collaborative the process of making the movie was. Were you surprised by that? What was it like for you entering into the process of making this movie with Paul?

Taylor: I was shocked at how collaborative it was. And I loved every bit of it because one thing about it is, again, when you are telling a story that someone wrote — he’s been working on this project for 20 years. This is something that I consider to be his baby. And when you’re trusting me to take on a job like this, I don’t ever wanna walk into any set and feel like I’m doing what I want to do. I just want to be of good support. If you tell me, “Hey, let’s find this together,” I’m gonna find it together. If you say, “This is my vision of what that is and this is how I want it to be,” it’s my job to give you that vision of what you want it be, and then add my little sauce on top of it. But to be fully collaborative, I thought it was really dope. We found Perfidia’s layers and we color-coordinated those layers. And I’m really happy that he let me be a part of that.

Olsen: What do you feel you brought to Perfidia or you were able to add to the character?

Taylor: I was able to add a lot. Paul was very, very collaborative. And again, we found her layers, which was the most important, especially with such a complex character. And you know, I just came from “A Thousand and One.” So I came from being another complex character, but this one was complex to a whole other level, where we almost didn’t understand why we never see Perfidia cry. But you see these little moments, like little details, in her face that’s just like, it’s this strength, but the strength — because I also don’t really love the term “strong Black woman” — it’s this strength that you feel like she has to have because the strength is really survival mode. And again, like I said, you hear her crack down and you hear her vulnerable, and nobody stepped through that door. So when you see a strong Black woman, there is no grace, it’s, “Oh, she’s OK, she fine, she got it all figured out.” And then you hear her vulnerable and you still feel like even at her most vulnerable, she got this, she’s strong. And it’s just like, “Step through the door. Step in early. Step in the first time. Hear me the first time, see me [this] time, wipe the first tear away. Would she have walked out that door on Baby Willa and Bob, had he walked through that door when he heard her cry?

Olsen: I’ve heard you a number of times when you’re talking about Paul, you always call him Paul “Let Him Cook” Thomas Anderson. What does that mean?

Taylor: Let him cook! Listen, because he to me is a master chef. And honestly, I’m very, very big on leadership. I respect the person that is a leader. What makes it so dope is because, with being in culinary school, I originally signed up for culinary school, of course, to learn the art of culinary, but to just cook, I love to cook and I wanted to learn the art of that. With being enrolled in culinary school, it’s a lot of writing work and a lot of discussion forums and a lot of quizzes and stuff like that. So you’re not only learning to cook, but you’re learning how to run a business. You’re learning how to navigate your staff, front of house, back of house, in the kitchen. You have to understand it’s a whole system in how you handle people in general. In the kitchen they call it like a “servant leader,” where your leader is in the kitchen with you, they’re cooking with you. They’re your mentor, they are your guidance, but they’re cooking with you. They’re not just pointing, “Do this, do that, boom, boom, boom.” And it’s just, like, his gentle servant leadership is something that I respect so much and something that inspires me as an upcoming movie director on how to handle and navigate my staff.

So it’s like the best of both worlds because I have PTA and then I have culinary school who’s teaching me how to be the best leader. Even in how we handle people, it’s bigger than just the people that work for us or with us. It’s also the people that come into this restaurant. It’s your customers. It’s just the hospitality of it all and the hospitality that he gives, it’s really amazing to see. I’m also a big sports girl. So even in regards to him being our quarterback, you know, he’s not on the side, pointing at what to do. He’s on the field with you. But he has an even bigger job because now he’s trusting that he’s going to throw this ball to you and you’re going to receive that ball. So we’re his receivers, we’re his wide receivers to take it to the touchdown. It’s all about being present. And that’s what I learned in culinary, it’s what I learned in sports, it’s just everything about being a leader as I prepare to lead my village and lead my community. That’s just so important to me. So I always respect people that are in the field with you. I become a warrior for you. You see Paul, you’re running in the battlefield, you look to your left, he’s with you. He’s not on a horse, he’s not on his high horse. He’s in the field with you. Let’s go, we got this! And it just makes you want to you want to go so hard for him. And that’s how I look at it. So I am a student. I am a teammate. I am a soldier. I am a warrior. That’s what I am with people that are great leaders.

Olsen: When you won the Golden Globe, your speech was so moving and you specifically spoke to your “brown sisters and little brown girls” and said that their light does not need permission to shine. Can you talk more about that? What was it that made you want to say that in that moment, specifically talking about this movie?

Taylor: I thought it was a very important moment on a very important stage. I wanted to use my voice and I wanted to use my platform. And in that moment, I had the voice and the platform to say just that. It’s nothing less than that. There’s nothing beyond that. Exactly what I said. We deserve space. What that night showed was that here’s the space. And I appreciated that. I was filled with so much gratitude. That moment hit hard for me because I was that little girl that sat on the floor on a TV watching the other queens onstage accept their awards. Like, “You can do it too, you can do it too.” And I knew that one day when it was my turn, I would tell my little queens, “You can do it too — all the little queens that look like me, you can do it too, you deserve space.” To know that also my daughters were watching as well, it’s everything to me. It’s everything for me to know that they embrace that as well. It’s so important. I’ve gotten so many women come up to me like, “Wow, that speech was just everything.” And that’s what it’s all about. That’s what is all about: to inspire, uplift and remind us that there is space.

Olsen: Before I let you go, you just bring it on red carpets time and time again. And the one thing I like is that you wear these really bold outfits, and it never looks like the clothes are wearing you. Do you have tips for people? What do you do for confident personal style?

Taylor: Honestly, follow your heart. Follow your heart. If you see it and you like it, put it together. You might put it together and be like, “That didn’t work the way I [intended].” Practice. Play in clothes. I love to play in clothes — but also will walk in the store and redress a whole mannequin. I’ll also be like, “I like that tie, I think it should be a little bit tighter.” I dream about certain outfits. I dream of certain moments where I’m like, “Oooh. I already know what I feel like I want my Oscar dress to look like. I already know what I want my Golden Globes dress to look like.” It’s always a vision. Or sometimes you might have a base. You might see something and be like, “I like this, but I feel it could use this.” Add it. If you feel like something can use something, add it. Because before you know it, now you done created your own thing. So don’t hesitate. When I was younger, I used to hesitate and be like, “This looked pretty cool, but now I’m not gonna do it.” And then later on, I see somebody try it, and I’m like, “Oh, I should have just…” Always follow your gut and always follow you heart.

Feb. 13 (UPI) — The Department of Homeland Security will shut down indefinitely at 12:01 a.m. EST Saturday after Senate Democrats opposed a bipartisan fiscal year 2026 budget .

Congress is taking a weeklong break next week, so no action is likely until at least Feb. 23.

While Congress is on break, some congressional lawmakers are planning to attend a security conference in Munich, Germany, while most others are returning to their home districts for the week.

“We are not even going to pretend that we are trying to figure it out,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told The New York Times.

She is among the federal lawmakers who are expected to make the trip to Munich next week.

“It doesn’t look great,” Murkowski said of the apparent ease with which the Senate allowed the pending shutdown to occur without doing more to overcome their differences.

The Senate voted 52-47 in favor of the department’s House-approved funding on Thursday, but the measure required 60 votes to overcome the Senate filibuster rule. Instead of returning for another go on Friday, lawmakers left the Capital.

The only Senate Democrat to support the department’s funding was Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Senate Republican leader John Thune of South Dakota changed his vote to “no” to make it possible for the measure to be reconsidered quickly when the Senate resumes session.

Congressional Democrats have called for defunding the department after the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Minneapolis that resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January.

They are demanding that all immigration enforcement officers end broad sweeps, wear body cameras, remove their masks and use more judicial warrants instead of administrative warrants when undertaking targeted arrests, among other demands.

Border czar Tom Homan on Thursday said the surge has ended and most of the federal officers are leaving Minneapolis.

ICE and Customs and Border Protection will remain on duty amid the pending shutdown due to receiving three years of full funding in the recently One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, but Homeland Security’s remaining funding ends Friday.

The Department of Homeland Security shutdown affects the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Science and Technology Directorate, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which processes visa applications.

It also affects the Coast Guard, Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

GAUNT and thin after a long cancer battle, the trademark smile still shone through.

Actor James Van Der Beek was supposed to be there as the cast of Dawson’s Creek reunited for the first time in 22 years.

But his illness meant he could only appear in a short video for the assembled fans.

Yet for those there, and around the world, it meant everything.

The 48-year-old actor, who died yesterday after being diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer in 2023, said the emotional reunion, which his wife Kimberly and their six children attended in his place, had been something he had been looking forward to during his gruelling treatment.

He told the audience at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York: “I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together.

LAST WORDS

James Van Der Beek left heartbreaking final message to fans before shock death

‘COURAGE AND GRACE’

James Van Der Beek statement in full after Dawson’s Creek star dies

“I can’t believe I’m not there. I can’t believe I don’t get to see my cast mates, my beautiful cast in person.

“I wanted to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theatre for being here tonight.

“From the cast to the crew to everybody who’s doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you – you are the best fans in the world.”

Van Der Beek was the all American teenager long before he became the object of teenage desire in adolescent drama Dawson’s Creek.

The son of mobile phone executive James Van Der Beek and former dancer Melinda, he was a promising American footballer in Cheshire, Connecticut.

But a concussion at the age of 13 kept him off the playing field so he took up acting.

He landed the lead role in his school’s production of Grease playing Danny Zuko.

He never looked back.

By the time he was 15 he was begging his mother to get him an agent and they travelled to New York to secure a deal.

While studying at private boarding school The Cheshire Academy he started appearing in Broadway productions.

A brief stint at university in New Jersey quickly fell by the wayside as he started landing major roles and then, at the age of 20, the lead in the teen drama.

As Dawson Leery, a budding filmmaker with an on-off relationship with Joey played by Katie Holmes, he became a teen heart-throb and the spawn of countless memes.

In 122 episodes of the show he grew from a confused 15-year-old to a confused adult.

The show’s theme tune I Don’t Want To Wait followed him throughout his life and triggered memories of the teen frenzy that surrounded him.

He said: “If I was at karaoke and it started playing there’s a part of me – and I’m a f*****g grown-ass man with four kids – that still wants to go hide under the table.

“I was at a pharmacy in Philadelphia and it came on and I immediately went into a weird panic.

“I think it’s tied to the pandemonium that accompanied that, for which there was no off button.

“Walking around at that time was very tricky because one autograph could turn into a mob scene. So I walked around in fear of teenage girls.

“When I was first very famous and people were passing out and all that, I remember watching a Beatles documentary and George saying how people were looking for any excuse to go mad.”

Dawson, like James, grew up on the show and when it came to an end he struggled to find work.

His big TV comeback show, NBC medical drama Mercy, was cancelled.

Sitcom Friends With Better Lives, made by the people behind Friends and Frazier, was pulled off air after eight episodes.

“I was 33, I had my first kid, and I thought: OK, what doors are open right now?” he said. “And I was thinking, I’m having more fun doing comedy than I would crying every day!

“I look back and I’m grateful. But it was an exhausting six-year marathon.

“I was shooting movies or doing photo shoots when the show was on hiatus.

“I felt burnt out when it ended. I needed time to duck away and disappear, figure things out and grow up a bit.

“When I was 24 the character I played on TV was a teenager losing his virginity.”

James met the love of his life Kimberly in 2009 and married the following year.

Together they had six children: Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel Leah, 11, Emilia, nine, Gwendolyn, seven, and four-year-old Jeremiah, known as Remi.

He said: “When I was younger, I used to define myself as an actor, which was never all that fulfilling, and then I became a husband… it was much better and then I became a father… that was the ultimate.

“It just happened. We had one planned child – one out of six.

“One was 100% on purpose. The one thing we really sucked at was not getting pregnant. But thank God, honestly, because it’s such a struggle for people, and we really don’t take it for granted.

“I joke, and I laugh, but like, yeah, we really just kind of got lucky that way.”

He was always devoted to the show that made him a poster boy to girls around the world.

But, closer to home, he was reluctant at showing it to his own children for one very good reason.

He said: “It’s a great show, I love the show, I think other kids can watch it.

“I don’t think my kids need to watch their dad pretend to go through puberty. That’s my stance on it.

“It was a very well-intentioned show, people really trying to do the right thing and speaking incredibly eloquently about how they were trying to do the right thing.

“I think that seed of good intentions comes through.”

In November 2024, he revealed he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.

Last March he spoke about his fight with the disease on his 48th birthday, saying it had been the hardest year of his life.

He said: “I had to come nose to nose with death and all those definitions that I cared so deeply about were stripped from me.

“I was away for treatment, so I could no longer be a husband who was helpful to my wife. I could no longer be a father who could pick up his kids and put them to bed and be there for them.

“I could not be a provider because I wasn’t working.”

The reunion with his fellow cast members, in a charity gig for cancer research, was a beacon of hope in his darkest days.

Illness forced him to stay home but his message to fans was clear.

He said: “Everyone please enjoy all the love in that room. Shine some on my family.

“I will be beaming and receiving from afar in a bed in Austin.”

Coronation Street legend shared how her on-screen storyline prompted her to get checked for cancer

Coronation Street’s Sally Dynevor has candidly discussed her harrowing battle with cancer, confessing it “changed my life completely”.

The soap icon, who recently marked four decades on the famous cobbles, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. Following a lumpectomy and six months of chemotherapy, she thankfully made a full recovery.

At the time of her diagnosis, Sally’s on-screen persona, Sally Metcalfe, was also grappling with a breast cancer diagnosis, mirroring her real-life ordeal.

During Wednesday’s (February 11) episode of Loose Women, Sally joined panellists Christine Lampard, Janet Street Porter and Coleen Nolan. Conversation inevitably turned to her health struggle after Corrie co-star Beverley Callard recently disclosed her own breast cancer diagnosis.

Sally confessed that her diagnosis “completely changed her life.”, reports the Daily Star.

She reminisced: “My character had breast cancer and I had to tell Carla Connor (played by Alison King) that Sally had breast cancer. That was a very, very difficult scene because I knew I was leaving at that point.”

The actress revealed: “I wanted to carry on working. I didn’t want to stop, but the moment that I was told I needed chemo that’s the moment that I realised that actually this is serious.

“But hopefully for Bev, she’s caught this early so she will be hopefully back at work and carrying on doing what she’s doing.

“It’s very hard for women because if you’re a working mum and the breadwinner, then you want to carry on. You need to be working.”

In an emotional revelation, Sally confessed that her character’s storyline proved instrumental in prompting her to seek medical examination.

She said: “I’ve still not come to terms that it happened and maybe if I hadn’t had the storyline, maybe I wouldn’t have checked because I was only 46.”

She went on: “I thought it was, you know, much older women but it’s not. I mean thank goodness there’s much more information out there now than there was 15 years ago when I got it. But now we’re talking about it, which is very important.”

She recalled: “I remember my first day back on the street after having eight months off or six months off and walking down the cobbles and going.

“I am so grateful for this because once you have something taken away from you. You think that’s it, and then to get it back is just, wow, I mean, you don’t take it for granted.”

Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX and Loose Women airs weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**

In a widely anticipated outcome that felt like a long-overdue coronation, Paul Thomas Anderson won the top honor at Saturday’s Directors Guild of America Awards for his Thomas Pynchon-inspired political thriller “One Battle After Another.” The ceremony was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

It was the director’s first DGA win after two prior nominations, in 2008 for “There Will Be Blood” and in 2022 for his San Fernando Valley reminiscence “Licorice Pizza.”

Speaking at the podium after receiving the award from last year’s winner, “Anora” director Sean Baker, a humbled Anderson thanked the guild, mentioning recent EGOT winner Steven Spielberg, sitting in the audience right in front of him. “It reminds me, being in this room, of ‘Close Encounters,’ ” Anderson said. “We’re all brought here for a reason — some cosmic thing brought us to this room. It was that call to the mountain. It’s that feeling that we all love making s— and we need to do it.”

Anderson also devoted much of his speech to remembering his first-assistant director Adam Somner, who died from thyroid cancer in November 2024. “May you be blessed with the relationship I had with him,” the director said, “and if you have one already, hold them close and remind them that you love them.”

True to tradition, the evening was both a celebration of achievements in directing and an occasion for much pro-guild testifying — from nominees, winners and Christopher Nolan, presiding over his first ceremony as DGA president. “We are the best at what we do,” Nolan said, touching on last year’s 40% dip in DGA member employment with a note of solidarity and urgency. “We are the storytellers. We are the people who have to innovate.”

All five nominees for theatrical feature film are invited to give a speech during these annual awards, with the eventual winner speaking twice. Guillermo del Toro, up for his personal take on “Frankenstein,” saluted Nolan: “I love saying ‘President Nolan’ because it’s so good to say ‘President’ with a good word after it,” he cracked to hearty applause. (The joke was echoed by several podium speakers.)

Ryan Coogler, a DGA nominee for “Sinners,” thanked the guild for his health insurance and mentioned his longtime dream — not of filmmaking but of joining a union, like some of the adults in his life growing up.

“Lately I’ve been learning about alchemy, “ said Chloé Zhao, representing “Hamnet,” her domestic drama about the grief-stricken family life of William Shakespeare. “You need fire and you need a chalice. To me, that fire is my creativity. It’s my birthright to create. And that chalice is the community that holds me.”

Indicating the respect the DGA commands among actors, several A-listers attended the ceremony to introduce their directors: Leonardo DiCaprio for Anderson, Jacob Elordi for Del Toro and Timothée Chalamet, the latter celebrating his “Marty Supreme” director Josh Safdie with sincerity and gentle deprecation. “I don’t think Josh will ever be ‘institutional,’ ” Chalamet said. “I think Josh will forever be an insurgent filmmaker and I don’t think the world would be right otherwise.”

An Oscar victory path is now clear for Anderson, previously nominated for the academy’s directing honor three times, for “There Will Be Blood,” “Phantom Thread” and “Licorice Pizza,” but never a winner. Twenty of the last 23 recipients of the DGA’s top prize have gone on to take the Oscar for directing.

Here is a complete list of the night’s nominees, with winners in bold:

Outstanding directorial achievement in theatrical feature film

Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Ryan Coogler, “Sinners” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Guillermo del Toro, “Frankenstein” (Netflix)
Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme” (A24)
Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet” (Focus Features)

Michael Apted Award for outstanding directorial achievement in first-time theatrical feature film

Charlie Polinger, “The Plague” (Independent Film Co.)
Hasan Hadi, “The President’s Cake” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Harry Lighton, “Pillion” (A24)
Alex Russell, “Lurker” (Mubi)
Eva Victor, “Sorry, Baby” (A24)

Outstanding directorial achievement in documentary

Mstyslav Chernov, “2000 Meters to Andriivka” (PBS)
Geeta Gandbhir, “The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix)
Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, “Cutting Through Rocks” (Assembly Releasing)
Elizabeth Lo, “Mistress Dispeller” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus, “Cover-Up” (Netflix)

Outstanding directorial achievement in dramatic series

Amanda Marsalis, “The Pitt,” “6:00 P.M.” (HBO Max)
Liza Johnson, “The Diplomat,” “Amagansett” (Netflix)
Janus Metz, “Andor,” “Who Are You?” (Disney+)
Ben Stiller, “Severance,” “Cold Harbor” (Apple TV+)
John Wells, “The Pitt,” “7:00 A.M.” (HBO Max)

Outstanding directorial achievement in comedy series

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, “The Studio,” “The Oner” (Apple TV+)
Lucia Aniello, “Hacks,” “A Slippery Slope” (HBO Max)
Janicza Bravo, “The Bear,” “Worms” (FX on Hulu)
Christopher Storer, “The Bear,” “Bears” (FX on Hulu)
Mike White, “The White Lotus,” “Denials” (HBO Max)

Outstanding directorial achievement in limited and anthology series

Shannon Murphy, “Dying for Sex,” “It’s Not That Serious” (FX on Hulu)
Jason Bateman, “Black Rabbit,” “The Black Rabbits” (Netflix)
Antonio Campos, “The Beast in Me,” “Sick Puppy” (Netflix)
Lesli Linka Glatter, “Zero Day,” “Episode 6” (Netflix)
Ally Pankiw, “Black Mirror,” “Common People” (Netflix)

Outstanding directorial achievement in movies for television

Stephen Chbosky, “Nonnas” (Netflix)
Jesse Armstrong, “Mountainhead” (HBO Max)
Scott Derrickson, “The Gorge” (Apple TV+)
Michael Morris, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” (Peacock)
Kyle Newacheck, “Happy Gilmore 2” (Netflix)

Outstanding directorial achievement in variety

Liz Patrick, “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” (NBC)
Yvonne De Mare, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “Julia Roberts; Sam Smith” (CBS)
Andy Fisher, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “Stephen Colbert; Kumail Nanjiani; Reneé Rapp” (ABC)
Beth McCarthy-Miller, “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” (Peacock)
Paul Pennolino, “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” “Public Media” (HBO Max)

Outstanding directorial achievement in sports

Matthew Gangl, 2025 World Series – Game 7 – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Fox Sports)
Steve Milton, 2025 Masters Tournament – Augusta National Golf Club (CBS Sports)
Rich Russo, Super Bowl LIX – Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Fox Sports)

Outstanding directorial achievement in reality / quiz & game

Mike Sweeney, “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” “Austria” (HBO Max)
Lucinda M. Margolis, “Jeopardy!,” “Ep. 9341” (Syndicated)
Adam Sandler, “The Price Is Right,” “10,000th Episode” (CBS)

Outstanding directorial achievement in documentary series / news

Rebecca Miller, “Mr. Scorsese,” “All This Filming Isn’t Healthy” (Apple TV+)
Marshall Curry, “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night,” “Written By: A Week Inside the SNL Writers Room” (Peacock)
Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” “Part Two” (HBO Max)
Alexandra Stapleton, “Sean Combs: The Reckoning,” “Official Girl” (Netflix)
Matt Wolf, “Pee-Wee as Himself,” “Part 1” (HBO Max)

Outstanding directorial achievement in commercials

Kim Gehrig (Somesuch), “You Can’t Win. So Win.” – Nike | Wieden+Kennedy
Miles Jay (Smuggler)
Spike Jonze (MJZ)
Andreas Nilsson (Biscuit Filmworks)
Steve Rogers (Biscuit Filmworks)

Forest, meanwhile, have won just two of their past nine Premier League games.

Crucially, one of those was a 2-1 victory at West Ham last month, which kept the Hammers from moving one point behind.

And, even when Nuno Espirito Santo’s side beat Sunderland two weeks ago, Forest reacted with an impressive 2-0 win at Brentford 24 hours later.

Those results were achieved, however, with a first-choice defence – and the absence of Matz Sels with a groin injury has been a huge loss too.

It was a gamble to replace last season’s joint Golden Glove winner with John Victor in December and one which ultimately backfired, with Victor himself now also sidelined for the rest of the campaign.

That prompted Forest to bring in Stefan Ortega from Manchester City during the transfer window – but his debut against Leeds meant a defence which was so consistent last season was only changed further.

Zach Abbott was another debutant at Elland Road, the 19-year-old making his first Premier League appearance in the absence of injured defender Murillo.

Abbott was targeted in the first half as Leeds seized on his inexperience – although Leeds‘ goals were ultimately down to a collective failure.

Jamie Theakston has revealed he is constantly anxious that his cancer could come back in a new health update.

The 55-year-old said he now expects the worst every time he attends a check-up, despite being cancer-free.

He explained he is “still in treatment” due to regular monitoring, with appointments every two months because of the “fear it could come back”.

Speaking on his Heart radio show on World Cancer Day, Jamie said: “So I was diagnosed back in August 2024. I was offered the choice of chemo or surgery. I opted for surgery and after three operations my cancer had gone. It was a success.

“I never rang a bell though. Most people ring the bell after chemo or radiotherapy, when treatment finishes.”

He added that he continues to attend check-ups to make sure he remains cancer-free.

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“Mine was slightly different because I had surgery. I then had monthly check-ups for a year, and I’m still in that cycle.

“So in year two I now go for check-ups every two months, because it can come back.

“Obviously there is always that fear. So I’m slightly reluctant to ring the bell technically because I’m still in treatment. But I also think, if it inspires anyone else, then we should all give it a go.”

Jamie was diagnosed with stage-one laryngeal cancer a form of cancer affecting the voice box – after a routine check-up following changes in his voice.

The diagnosis came as a huge shock after regular listeners to the show he co-hosts with Amanda Holden noticed hoarseness in his speech.

He took time off Heart Radio to undergo surgery with Jason King filling in hosting duties while Jamie recovered.

Following treatment, the former kids TV star said his prognosis was “very positive” thanks to the cancer being detected early.

Jamie has previously revealed the hardest part of his journey was telling his young sons.

Breaking the news, he said: “I had to explain that I was going to be fine, but they were too young to understand. When you tell a 14-year-old you’ve got cancer, they think you’re going to die.

“My youngest had been with me when I was told my mum had died of cancer -so he knew exactly what it meant.”

Jamie shares two sons, Sidney, 17, and Kit, 18, with his wife British actress Sophie Siegle.

The pair married in 2007 after meeting through mutual friends at an Oscars afterparty the year previously.

ANGIE Best has given her fans the latest update from her hospital bed as she fights colon cancer.

Posting from her hospital bed in Switzerland, Angie revealed she would be starting her second round of chemotherapy in the coming days.

Angie, who was the first wife of footballer George Best and is mum to TV personality Calum Best, seemed upbeat in her Instagram video despite telling her followers, “I can’t function.”

She captioned the video: “All together now, 🎼 just one cornetto…yes they want me to eat sugar ffs 🤦‍♀️ I have to start second round of chemo on Tuesday 😬.”

In the video she showed her nurse waving to the camera and then spoke directly to her fans.

“So I’m back at my favourite place with my favourite nurse, isn’t she just a darling – and she speaks English but she’s Swiss,” Angie explained.

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“I’ve got to gain weight so they’ve got me drinking these awful things [Angie held up a calorie shake]. I can’t find a jelly baby bloody anywhere and the only ice cream in Switzerland is a Cornetto for heaven’s sake.”

Angie then pleaded for help: “Advice needed: I know a lot of you have been through this, but I can’t function, I can’t lift my head up, I can’t brush my teeth, I can’t eat. It’s terrible.”

She coughed as she concluded: “Any advice there, homies?”

Angie also wrote under the clip: “Apparently feeling like this is normal. Nothing normal about it ffs. If you’re suffering right now, we’re here for each other.”

Many rushed to wish her warm wishes, including her son Calum.

“I’m so sorry you’re feeling this way and going through this, it will pass and we come out even better I love you,” he wrote.

Another person added: “You are doing just great Angie , keep up the good work.”

And a third commented: “Well I think you look beautiful as always, have the cornetto, keep fighting and stay strong, sending you lots of love.”

Angie’s EastEnders niece Sam Womack, who herself battled breast cancer in 2022, also shared words of encouragement.

“YES AUNTIE!!!!! Eat eat eat and you always look beautiful,” Sam wrote.

Earlier this month, Calum, 44, took to Instagram to plead for support from his mum who is struggling to afford her treatment, and to tell her fans that her cancer has spread to her liver.

“It doesn’t care where you’re from, how you live, or how healthy you try to be. And now, it’s here – and it’s with my mum,” he said.

Calum said he has set up a GoFundMe page for financial support.

Angie met George Best at a dinner party in LA in 1975 when he was signing to play for the Los Angeles Aztecs, and it was “love at first sight”.

They moved to London in 1976.

When she returned to Los Angeles, George followed her and persuaded her to marry him.

They wed on 24 January 1976 and went on to have son Calum in 1981.

The couple separated the following year and divorced in 1986, following George’s problems with alcohol abuse and domestic violence.

The awards momentum for “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” continues to build.

Ryan Coogler’s historical vampire horror and Paul Thomas Anderson’s comedic political thriller were among the nominees for the 78th Writers Guild Awards announced Tuesday. Both films were also nominated in their respective writing categories for the 2026 Oscars.

Along with “Sinners,” the original screenplay nominees include the spy thriller “Black Bag” (David Koepp), the parental psychological dramedy “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” (Mary Bronstein), the ping-pong picture “Marty Supreme” (Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie) and the multi-perspective mystery horror “Weapons” (Zach Cregger).

Joining “One Battle After Another” in the adapted screenplay category are the alien comedy “Bugonia” (Will Tracy), the gothic monster movie “Frankenstein” (Guillermo del Toro), the Shakespeare tragedy “Hamnet” (Chloe Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell) and the period piece “Train Dreams” (Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar).

The television contenders included past nominees such as “Andor,” “Severance” and “The White Lotus” on the drama side, as well as comedies “Abbott Elementary” and “Hacks.” New series being recognized include “The Pitt,” “The Studio,” “The Chair Company,” “Pluribus” and “Task.”

The winners will be announced at concurrent ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York on March 8. The L.A.-based show will be hosted by comedian Atsuko Okatsuka and streamed live on the WGA West’s YouTube channel.

Screenplay nominees

Original screenplay

“Black Bag,” David Koepp
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” Mary Bronstein
“Marty Supreme,” Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
“Sinners,” Ryan Coogler
“Weapons,” Zach Cregger

Adapted screenplay

“Bugonia,” Will Tracy (based on the film “Save the Green Planet,” written and directed by Jang Joon-hwan)
“Frankenstein,” Guillermo del Toro (based on “Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus” by Mary Shelley)
“Hamnet,” Chloe Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell (based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell)
“One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson (inspired by the novel “Vineland” by Thomas Pynchon)
“Train Dreams,” Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar (based on the novella by Denis Johnson)

Documentary screenplay

“2,000 Meters to Andriivka,” Mstyslav Chernov
“Becoming Led Zeppelin,” Bernard MacMahon & Allison McGourty
“White with Fear,” Andrew Goldberg

Television, streaming and news nominees

Drama series

“Andor” — Tom Bissell, Dan Gilroy, Tony Gilroy, Beau Willimon
“The Pitt” — Cynthia Adarkwa, Simran Baidwan, Valerie Chu, R. Scott Gemmill, Elyssa Gershman, Joe Sachs, Noah Wyle
“Pluribus” — Vera Blasi, Jenn Carroll, Vince Gilligan, Jonny Gomez, Peter Gould, Ariel Levine, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock
“Severance” — Adam Countee, Mohamad El Masri, Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman, Anna Ouyang Moench, K.C. Perry, Megan Ritchie, Erin Wagoner, Beau Willimon, Wei-Ning Yu
“The White Lotus” — Mike White

Comedy series

“Abbott Elementary” — Quinta Brunson, Ava Coleman, Lizzy Darrell, Riley Dufurrena, Justin Halpern, Joya McCrory, Chad Morton, Morgan Murphy, Brittani Nichols, Rebekka Pesqueira, Kate Peterman, Brian Rubenstein, Patrick Schumacker, Justin Tan, Jordan Temple, Garrett Werner
“The Chair Company” — Zach Kanin, Gary Richardson, Tim Robinson, Marika Sawyer, Sarah Schneider, John Solomon
“Hacks” — Genevieve Aniello, Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jess Dweck, Ariel Karlin, Andrew Law, Carolyn Lipka, Joe Mande, Aisha Muharrar, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Jen Statsky
“The Rehearsal” — Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola
“The Studio” — Evan Goldberg, Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck, Frida Perez, Seth Rogen

New series

“The Chair Company” — Zach Kanin, Gary Richardson, Tim Robinson, Marika Sawyer, Sarah Schneider, John Solomon
“The Pitt” — Cynthia Adarkwa, Simran Baidwan, Valerie Chu, R. Scott Gemmill, Elyssa Gershman, Joe Sachs, Noah Wyle
“Pluribus” — Vera Blasi, Jenn Carroll, Vince Gilligan, Jonny Gomez, Peter Gould, Ariel Levine, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock
“The Studio” — Evan Goldberg, Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck, Frida Perez, Seth Rogen
“Task” — Brad Ingelsby & David Obzud

Limited series

“The Beast in Me” — Howard Gordon, C.A. Johnson, Ali Liebegott, Daniel Pearle, Gabe Rotter, Erika Sheffer, Mike Skerrett
“Black Rabbit” — Zach Baylin, Sarah Gubbins, Kate Susman, Andrew Hinderaker, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Carlos Rios
“Death by Lightning” — Mike Makowsky
“Dying for Sex” — Sheila Callaghan, Harris Danow, Madeleine George, Elizabeth Meriwether, Kim Rosenstock, Sasha Stewart, Sabrina Wu, Keisha Zollar
“Sirens” — Bekah Brunstetter, Dan LeFranc, Colin McKenna, Molly Smith Metzler

TV & streaming motion pictures

“The Best You Can,” Michael J. Weithorn
“Deep Cover,” Derek Connolly & Colin Trevorrow
“The Life List,” Adam Brooks (based on the novel by Lori Nelson Spielman)
“Swiped,” Bill Parker & Rachel Lee Goldenberg and Kim Caramele

Animation

“Abe League of Their Moe,” Joel H. Cohen (“The Simpsons”)
“Don’t Worry, Be Hoopy,” Lindsey Stoddart (“Bob’s Burgers”)
“It’s a Beef-derful Life,” Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin & Wendy Molyneux (“The Great North”)
“Parahormonal Activity,” Loni Steele Sosthand (“The Simpsons”)
“Scared Screenless,” Bill Odenkirk (“Futurama”)
“Shira Can’t Cook,” Mehar Sethi (“Long Story Short”)

Episodic drama

“7:00 A.M.,” R. Scott Gemmill (“The Pitt”),
“A Still Small Voice,” Brad Ingelsby (“Task”)
“Charm Offensive,” (“Pluribus”)
“Execution,” Eric Tuchman (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
“Got Milk,” Ariel Levine (“Pluribus”)
“Reunion,” Mara Brock Akil (“Forever”)

Episodic comedy

“A Call from God,” Mohammed Amer & Harris Danow (“Mo”)
“Pilot’s Code,” Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola (“The Rehearsal”)
“Prelude,” John Carcieri, Jeff Fradley, Danny R. McBride (“The Righteous Gemstones”)
“The Promotion,” Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg & Peter Huyck & Alex Gregory & Frida Perez (“The Studio”)
“The Sleazy Georgian,” Megan Amram (“Poker Face”)
“Worms,” Ayo Edebiri & Lionel Boyce (“The Bear”)

Comedy/variety series – talk or sketch

“The Daily Show,” Head Writer: Dan Amira; Senior Writers: Lauren Sarver Means, Daniel Radosh; Writers: David Angelo, Nicole Conlan, Devin Delliquanti, Zach DiLanzo, Jennifer Flanz, Jason Gilbert, Dina Hashem, Scott Hercman, Josh Johnson, David Kibuuka, Matt Koff, Matt O’Brien, Joe Opio, Randall Otis, Zhubin Parang, Kat Radley, Lanee’ Sanders, Scott Sherman, Jon Stewart, Ashton Womack, Sophie Zucker

“Have I Got News for You,” Head Writer: Mason Steinberg; Writers: Jim Biederman, Daniel Chamberlain, Jodi Lennon, Michael Pielocik, Jill Twiss

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” Senior Writers: Daniel O’Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Seena Vali; Writers: Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Tim Carvell, Liz Hynes, Ryan Ken, Sofía Manfredi, John Oliver, Taylor Kay Phillips, Chrissy Shackelford

“Late Night with Seth Meyers,” Head Writer: Alex Baze; Supervising Writers: Seth Reiss, Mike Scollins; Closer Look Supervising Writer: Sal Gentile; Writers: Jermaine Affonso, Bryan Donaldson, Matt Goldich, Jenny Hagel, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Amber Ruffin, Mike Shoemaker, Ben Warheit, Jeff Wright

“Saturday Night Live,” Head Writers: Alison Gates, Erik Kenward, Streeter Seidell, Kent Sublette; Senior Writer: Bryan Tucker; Supervising Writers: Dan Bulla, Will Stephen, Auguste White, Celeste Yim; Writers: Steven Castillo, Michael Che, Mike DiCenzo, Jimmy Fowlie, Sudi Green, Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Allie Levitan, Ben Marshall, Lorne Michaels, Jake Nordwind, Ceara O’Sullivan, Moss Perricone, Carl Tart, Asha Ward; “Weekend Update” Head Writer: Pete Schultz; “Weekend Update” Writers: Rosebud Baker, Megan Callahan-Shah, Dennis McNicholas, Josh Patten, KC Shornima

“They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce,” Writers: Andy Blitz, Kevin Dorff, Jon Glaser, Tami Sagher

Comedy/variety specials

“82nd Annual Golden Globes,” Written by Barry Adelman, Nefetari Spencer, Mike Gibbons, Brian Frange, Sean O’Connor, Alex Baze, Bob Castrone, Chris Convy, Anna Drezen, Jess Dweck, Noah Garfinkel, Lauren Greenberg, Ben Hoffman, Ian Karmel, Andrew Law, Mike Lawrence, Jon Macks, Bonnie McFarlane, Chris Spencer, Matt Whitaker

“The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation,” Written by Ian Berger, Devin Delliquanti, Jen Flanz, Jordan Klepper, Zhubin Parang, Scott Sherman

“Marc Maron: Panicked,” Written by Marc Maron

“Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor,” Written by Jon Macks, Chris Convy, Lauren Greenberg, Skyler Higley, Ian Karmel, Sean O’Connor

“SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” Written by James Anderson, Dan Bulla, Megan Callahan Shah, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Mike DiCenzo, James Downey, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fowlie, Alison Gates, Sudi Green, Jack Handey, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Dennis McNicholas, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Jake Nordwind, Ceara O’Sullivan, Josh Patten, Paula Pell, Simon Rich, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, Emily Spivey, Kent Sublette, Bryan Tucker, Auguste White

Quiz and audience participation

“Celebrity Jeopardy!,” Head Writer: Robert Patton; Writers: Kyle Beakley, Michael Davies, Terence Gray, Amy Ozols, Tim Siedell, David Levinson-Wilk

“Jeopardy!,” Writers: Marcus Brown, Buzzy Cohen, Michael Davies, John Duarte, Mark Gaberman, Debbie Griffin, Jim Rhine, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Amy Ozols, Billy Wisse

Daytime drama

“Beyond the Gates,” Writers: Sara A. Bibel, Jazmen Darnell Brown, Ron Carlivati, Susan Dansby, Cheryl L. Davis, Christopher Dunn, Robert Guza Jr., Gregori J. Martin, Lynn Martin, Danielle Paige, Judy Tate, Michele Val Jean, Teresa Zimmerman

“General Hospital,” Head Writers: Elizabeth Korte, Chris Van Etten; Writers: Cathy LePard, Emily Culliton, Nigel Campbell, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Kate Hall, Stacey Pulwer, Ryan Quan, Louise Rozett, Scott Sickles, Micah Steinberg

“The Young and the Restless, Associate,” Head Writers: Jeff Beldner, Marla Kanelos, Dave Ryan; Writers: Susan Banks, Amanda L. Beall, Marin Gazzaniga, Rebecca McCarty, Madeleine Phillips

Children’s episodic, long form and specials

“The First Snow of Fraggle Rock,” Matt Fusfeld & Alex Cuthbertson
“Stay Out of the Basement: Part I,” Rob Letterman, Hilary Winston (“Goosebumps”)
“Merry Giftmas,” Halcyon Person
“I Play Dodgeball with Cannibals,” Craig Silverstein, Rick Riordan (“Percy Jackson and the Olympians”)
“When We Lose Someone” Sean Presant (“Tab Time”)

Short form streaming

“The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel,” Jimmy Kimmel & Jesse Joyce
“Sesame Street YouTube: Take a Moment with Jonathan Bailey,” Andrew Moriarty

Documentary script – current events

“Syria After Assad,” Martin Smith (“Frontline”)
“The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram,” Thomas Jennings and A.C. Thompson (“Frontline”)
“The Rise of RFK Jr.,” Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser (“Frontline”)
“Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law,” Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser (“Frontline”)

Documentary script – other than current events

“Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act,” Chana Gazit (“American Experience”)
“Clearing the Air: The War on Smog,” Peter Yost & Edna Alburquerque (“American Experience”)
“Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP,” Rob Rapley (“American Experience”)
“Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer’s,” Jason Sussberg
“Mr. Polaroid,” Gene Tempest (“American Experience”)

News script – regularly scheduled, bulletin or breaking report

“Devastating Flooding in Texas,” David Muir, Karen Mooney and Dave Bloch (“World News Tonight with David Muir”)
“The L.A. Wildfires,” David Muir, Dave Bloch and Karen Mooney (“World News Tonight with David Muir”)

News script – analysis, feature or commentary

“Eye on America: Coldwater Creek,” Cait Bladt
“Gaza, Hannah Arendt, and The Banality of Evil,” Basel Hamdan
“Mysterious Russian Deaths,” Michael Rey, Cecilia Vega, Oriana Zill de Granados (“60 Minutes”)
“Remembering Palestinian Journalists Killed by Israeli Forces,” Lisa Salinas
“Uphill Battle,” Richard Buddenhagen, Kay Lim, Lesley Stahl (“CBS News Sunday Morning”)

Digital news

“Altadena Residents Know Their Community Is Worth Rebuilding. Can They Protect Its Legacy?,” Taiyler Mitchell
“American Siberia,” Alexander Sammon
“An Isolated Boarding School Promised to Help Troubled Girls. Former Students Say They Were Abused,” Sebastian Murdock and Taiyler Mitchell
“How Cassie’s Lawsuit Against Diddy Galvanized A Movement of Survivors,” Njera Perkins and Taiyler Mitchell
“Trump Sent Them to Hell. Now He’s Erasing Them Altogether,” Matt Shuham and Jessica Schulberg

Radio/audio nominees

Radio/audio documentary

“Episode 2: A Game of Telephone,” Heather Rogers, Rachel Humphreys, Colin McNulty (“Camp Swamp Road”)
“Jerry Lewis’ Lost Holocaust Clown Movie,” Max Freedman (“Decoder Ring”)
“Why Women Kill,” Mary Harris and Elena Schwartz (“What Next”)

Radio/audio news script – regularly scheduled, bulletin or breaking report

“ABC News Radio Top of the Hour News,” Robert Hawley
“CBS World News Roundup,” Paul Farry and Steve Kathan
“Hasan Piker Knew Charlie Kirk,” Mary Harris and Madeline Ducharme (“What Next”)

Radio/audio news script – analysis, feature or commentary

“How Will We Feed Our Neighbors?,” Mary Harris and Anna Phillips
“The Life and Legacy of Jimmy Carter,” Gail Lee
“We Made a Memecoin,” Lizzie O’Leary, Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort

On-air promotion

“Behind the Crown: King & Conqueror EPK,” Molly Neylan
“CBS Comedy,” Dan Greenberger

TWO years ago, Take That’s Howard Donald delivered 52 tapes to Netflix in an enormous Ikea bag.

He had spent the past 35 years quietly filming the band as they transformed from working-class lads into bona fide global stars.

“Are you sure it wasn’t a Prada bag?” Howard teases as I interview the group to celebrate the release of a three-part Netflix docuseries based on that footage.

Jokes aside, Howard, Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams handed full editorial control to director David Soutar to tell their story with zero interference.

It was a bold move given the much-publicised trials and tribulations of one of Britain’s biggest bands, who have landed 12 No1 singles in their 35-year career.

The series features candid new interviews with current members Gary, 55, Howard, 57, and Mark, 54, alongside never-before-seen footage and photographs.

GARY’S LOW

Gary Barlow shares never seen before pics from bulimia battle after hitting 17st

BACK IN TOWN

Gary Barlow reveals secrets behind Take That’s new tour & Robbie’s new record

Robbie, 51, and Jason, 55, allowed archive chats with them to be used to narrate their part in the story.

In one emotionally-charged interview, Gary talks about his struggle with bulimia, which started following Take That’s split in 1996 and his rivalry with Robbie.

Taunts from Robbie are replayed during the documentary, with footage showing him saying: “My problem always was with Gary, I wanted to crush him. “I wanted to crush the memory of the band and I didn’t let go. Even when he was down I didn’t let go.”

Speaking at the premiere of the documentary at Battersea Power Station in South London on Monday night, Gary admits it was tough to watch.

‘Butt of the joke’’

He said: “It’s a narrative that I haven’t thought about for years and years. When we had our reunion we spent a lot of time talking about it and I remember leaving on one particular day and we’d discussed everything. And I remember leaving and my shoulders were light.

“And I’d not thought about it since because I’d not needed to. And it brought it all back. Tricky times they were.”

In the documentary, Gary shares previously unseen photographs of him as he struggled to find his purpose and says: “You’re the butt of the joke. It was so excruciating you just want to crawl into a hole.

“There was a period of 13 months where I didn’t leave the house once. I’d also started to put weight on.

“The more weight I put on the less people would recognise me and I thought, ‘This is good. This is what I have been waiting for. This is a normal life’.

“So I went on this mission then, if the food passed me I would just eat it. And I’d killed the pop star.

“I would have these nights and I would eat and eat and eat but however I felt about myself, I felt ten times worse the day after.”

At his heaviest, Gary, who has three children with his wife Dawn, weighed just over 17 stone.

He explained: “One day I thought, I have been out, it’s 10 o’clock, I have eaten too much, I need to get rid of this food.

It only took a few years to get that low, but it took me years to get back to who I wanted to be. Ten years probably.

Gary Barlow

“You just go off to a dark corner of the house and you make yourself sick. You think it’s only once and all of a sudden you’re walking down that corridor again and again.

“Is this it? Is this what I am going to be doing forever?”

By 2003, Gary turned his life around, and he said: “I just went, ‘No, I’m not having this any more, I’m going to change. I want to change and I’m determined that this is not who I’ve become’.

“It only took a few years to get that low, but it took me years to get back to who I wanted to be. Ten years probably.”

Discussing his recovery with The Sun in 2021, he explained: “I’ve been very strong-minded about how I live and what I eat.

“In general, I work on a 90/10 — 90 per cent sensible-choice food and ten per cent fun choices.

“Buy a nice little writing book, one you’ll feel good about holding and keeping on you at all times. Do a food diary every day, and look down and you’ll see what you’re doing wrong.

“A food diary will also show you what you’re missing in your diet. If you want to get serious and go to a dietician or to a friend and seek help, you can show them the diary.”

Howard is also painfully honest about how hard life was following the end of Take That.

In the documentary, Howard recalls returning home and says: “I felt like I was the only one who didn’t grow up, even though I was the eldest.

“I was a nobody in school, I didn’t go to university, I didn’t think I’d do anything but I felt like a superhero up on that stage.

“It was going towards a depressive state. I decided to go to the Thames.

“I was seriously thinking I was going to kill myself but I was too much of a s**tbag to do it.”

Speaking backstage at the premiere, Howard explains that the band did not want to hide the painful parts of their journey.

He said: “I think it is such a true documentary. You can easily do a documentary and take out all the bits that you feel uncomfortable with — and there are quite a lot of uncomfortable bits in there.

“But it’s true of the last 35 years of Take That. There is a lot of footage people have never seen. It’s good for people to see.”

Mark is also seen struggling to cope with life after the band, who landed their first Top Ten hit with a cover of Tavares’ It Only Takes A Minute in 1992.

He said backstage: “We were working hard, playing all these gigs and things got very hard — but then we got back together. Maybe miss out on the middle bit.”

‘I got a lot of stick’

Like Robbie and Gary, Mark attempted to launch a solo career, but was dropped by his label in 1997, a year after Take That split.

He added: “You start to feel very negative about yourself.”

Robbie and Jason’s clashes with the band’s former manager, Nigel Martin-Smith, are also discussed in the doc.

Robbie says: “Nigel as a manager, he never managed me, he managed Gary Barlow. I wanted him to love me but he never did.”

Jason adds: “When I was in Take That the first time around I was the dancer and I accepted that at the time.

“I don’t know if this is the time or place to say, I was told not to bother singing, ever.”

After the group came back as a four-piece without Robbie in 2005, they ceased working with Nigel and found new representation.

Of the change, Jason says: “Robbie and I got a lot of stick from Nigel. He made us all feel insecure.

“I could feel worthless in the band and I didn’t deserve to feel that. I didn’t want to feel that any more.

“We had chosen our own management, we had chosen our own people, we were in control.”

Director David admits there was some trepidation when it came to showing the three episodes for the first time.

In about 25 minutes we’d put things to bed that had haunted us for years.

Gary on Robbie feud

Speaking backstage alongside producer Gabe Turner, David said: “We talked long and hard about how to do it.

“There is some really hard stuff in there for them, it was a tricky thing for them to watch and it was nervy for us to watch it with them.

“They allowed us to push them to that place. We asked them to lay down their story and they allowed us to take them to that place.”

Gabe added: “Episode two is punchy. With a lot of documentaries you are building that relationship for the first time, you’re working on the fly, but these guys know us and know what we want to do.

“I felt really positive about how little they wanted to see it. They handed us the keys and said, ‘Do you thing’.”

As well as the tough times, Take That fans get a front seat to the inner workings of the group’s comeback with Robbie in 2011.

‘Haunted us for years’

Opening up about healing their old wounds, Robbie says: “I needed Gary to listen to my truth.”

Gary continues: “There were things around people not being supportive of his songwriting and his weight. I’d called him Blobby rather than Robbie one day, which I shouldn’t have done.

“Then I hit him with things he had done to me that I didn’t like

“In about 25 minutes we’d put things to bed that had haunted us for years.”

As well as hearing original demos on the series, fans also get treated to a new single, You’re A Superstar, at the end of the third episode.

The track, taken from their tenth album, is expected to be released later this year.

We’ve got the first steps, we’ve got the Netflix documentary, then we’ve got the Circus tour, then there will be new music.

Gary

Backstage at the screening in London, Howard said the trio have spent months working on the material, adding: “It’s going really well.

“We’ve all been writing separately, writing together and I think we’ve got a really good choice of really good songs.

“We are really proud of them and we just can’t wait for people to hear them.

“We’ve got the first steps, we’ve got the Netflix documentary, then we’ve got the Circus tour, then there will be new music.”

Mark continued: “The tenth album feels quite special. I am really excited about what I am hearing.

“It’s given us a boost, the songs that are coming through and the fact it’s our tenth record, it’s like ‘Go on guys!’.”

Ahead of their 17-date Circus Tour, which kicks off at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton on May 29, fans will be wondering now if history will repeat itself — and Robbie will rejoin again.

And Gary for one is hopeful, saying yesterday: “At some point it’s going to happen.

“And that’s one of the wonderful things about our band — you never know what’s around the corner.”

• Netflix’s Take That is available to stream now.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s dazzling thriller “One Battle After Another” and Ryan Coogler’s resonant horror movie “Sinners” found as much love overseas as they did with Oscar voters, topping nominations at the British Film Academy Awards on Tuesday.

The two films flipped positions with the Brits, with “One Battle” leading with the way with 14 nominations, including five for its cast, and “Sinners” following with 13 nods. Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” and Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme” scored big too, each picking up 11 nominations.

In the acting races, BAFTA voters restored Actors Awards nominees Chase Infiniti (“One Battle After Another”), Jesse Plemons (“Bugonia”), Paul Mescal (“Hamnet”) and Odessa A’zion (“Marty Supreme”) to the fold, an easy task considering that the show has six slots per category, one more than the Oscars.

That surplus did not help “Wicked: For Good,” though. Shut out by motion picture academy voters, the musical sequel could only manage two nominations — costume design and hair and makeup — with BAFTA.

There’s no definitive count on the overlap of voters for the Oscars and the BAFTAs, but most publicists figure at least 1,000 of the 8,300 BAFTA film voters also belong to the motion picture academy. That overlap, along with the timing of its ceremony — this year it takes place Feb. 22, four days before final Oscar voting begins — makes the BAFTAs a precursor to watch with at least a passing interest.

In terms of taste, the group has a soft spot for British and European filmmakers and really loves the work of Edward Berger, diverging from the Oscars recently by giving best picture to two of his movies, “All Quiet on the Western Front” over “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in 2023 and, last year, “Conclave” instead of “Anora.”

If there’s a place where “Hamnet,” Zhao’s tender portrait of love and loss centered on the family of William Shakespeare, could pull off a best picture upset, it would be with this group.

Best film

“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”

Leading actress

Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet”
Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue”
Chase Infiniti, “One Battle After Another”
Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value”
Emma Stone, “Bugonia”

Leading actor

Robert Aramayo, “I Swear”
Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”
Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”
Michael B Jordan, “Sinners”
Jesse Plemons, “Bugonia”

Supporting actress

Odessa A’zion, “Marty Supreme”
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”
Wunmi Mosaku, “Sinners”
Carey Mulligan, “The Ballad of Wallis Island”
Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another”
Emily Watson, “Hamnet”

Supporting actor

Benicio Del Toro, “One Battle After Another”
Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”
Paul Mescal, “Hamnet”
Peter Mullan, “I Swear”
Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”
Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value”

Director

Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “Bugonia”
Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”
Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value”
Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet”

Film not in the English language

“It Was Just An Accident”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sirât”
“The Voice of Hind Rajab”

Documentary

“2000 Meters to Andriivka”
“Apocalypse in the Tropics”
“Cover-Up”
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin”
“The Perfect Neighbor”

Animated film

“Elio”
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”
“Zootopia 2”

Children’s and family film

“Arco”
“Boong”
“Lilo & Stitch”
“Zootopia 2”

Original screenplay

“I Swear”
“Marty Supreme”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”

Adapted screenplay

“The Ballad of Wallis Island”
“Bugonia”
“Hamnet”
“One Battle After Another”
“Pillion”

Original score

“Bugonia”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”

Casting

“I Swear”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”

Cinematography

“Frankenstein”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”
“Train Dreams”

Costume design

“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“Sinners”
“Wicked: For Good”

Editing

“F1”
“A House of Dynamite”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”

Production design

“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”

Make-up and hair

“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“Sinners”
“Wicked: For Good”

Sound

“F1”
“Frankenstein”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”
“Warfare”

Special visual effects

“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
“F1”
“Frankenstein”
“How to Train Your Dragon”
“The Lost Bus”

Outstanding British film

“28 Years Later”

“The Ballad of Wallis Island”

“Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy”

“Die My Love”

“H Is for Hawk”

“Hamnet”

“I Swear”

“Mr. Burton”

“Pillion”

“Steve”

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer

“The Ceremony”

“My Father’s Shadow”

“Pillion”

“A Want in Her”

“Wasteman”

British short film

“Magid / Zafar”
“Nostalgie”
“Terence”
“This Is Endometriosis”
“Welcome Home Freckles”

British short animation

“Cardboard”
“Solstice”
“Two Black Boys in Paradise”

EE Bafta rising star award (voted for by the public)

Robert Aramayo

Miles Caton

Chase Infiniti

Archie Madekwe

Posy Sterling