David

David Tennant’s horrified wife Georgia calls in police over horrifying death threats calling her ‘a w****’

DAVID Tennant’s wife has been left horrified and has appealed to the police following a series of vile death threats. 

Actress Georgia has been targeted by trolls online through social media with one even branding her ‘a w****’.

David Tennant’s wife Georgia has been left horrified following a series of vile death threats from trolls onlineCredit: GC Images – Getty
Georgia took to her Instagram to share a screenshot of messages she’s received from users onlineCredit: Instagram

Georgia took to her Instagram stories to share a screenshot of messages she’s received from users online. 

One troll branded her ‘w****’ and told her to go back to the street she came from, referencing her as the ‘ex-wife of David Tennant’.

Georgia and David have been happily married since 2011. 

The couple also have four children together and each have one child from previous relationships.

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Another sent her a barrage of vile death threats.

The actress tagged social media platform Instagram and The Metropolitan Police in a plea for them to take action against the users. 

Georgia is also an actress like her husband and is the daughter of Doctor Who actor Peter Davison and his ex-wife Sandra Dickinson.

Following in her parents footsteps, she made her on-screen debut at the tender age of just 15 in Peak Practice in 1999, playing Nicki Davey.

The actress is perhaps best known for a recurring role as Abigail Nixon in The Bill from 2007 to 2009.

In May 2008, Georgia appeared in an episode of Doctor Who as Jenny, as the artificially-created daughter of the tenth doctor David, who is now her husband.

In 2020, along with David, Georgia co-starred and produced the comedy Staged, which was filmed during the Covid-19 lockdown.

As of this year Georgia has been the executive producer in a short film titled The Birds and the Bees.

Hubbie David has been facing his own predicaments this past year after his ITV game show The Genius Game was axed in the channel’s biggest, most expensive flop in years.

ITV spent months denying it had scrapped the programme, whose finale earlier this year attracted a paltry average of 661,000 in a prime time slot.

Earlier this year, Managing Director, Media and Entertainment, Kevin Lygo earlier revealed the truth  about the show when he was asked whether they would bring it back and whether he considered it a success.

He said: “Not really. I think it was a good try, but if were honest the audience didn’t come, it was a bit complicated.

“But I do know people who were obsessed with it. You know, especially young people were obsessed with and couldn’t believe we were not going to bring it back.

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“But, you know, I think in entertainment we all know how difficult it is to launch a big new show.”

Discussing expenditure he added: “Every show is a risk that’s new. Every show costs millions of pounds, practically, to put on. Certainly great big entertainment shows.”

Georgia and David have been happily married since 2011Credit: Getty

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Inside David Beckham’s knighthood party as he splashes cash on champagne and orders British classic for pudding

SIR David Beckham celebrated his knighthood with a champagne knees-up — and jam roly-poly.

Best pal Gordon Ramsay hosted the bash at his flagship restaurant in Chelsea, whipping-up a three course meal including a Michelin-star take on Becks’ favourite pud.

Sir David Beckham celebrated his Knighthood with wife Victoria in LondonCredit: Darren Fletcher
The bash was hosted by Gordon Ramsay at his flagship restaurant in ChelseaCredit: Darren Fletcher
Harper Beckham attended in a pink satin dressCredit: Darren Fletcher

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and England ace carried his medal around with him all night in its souvenir red box.

Guests including his three youngest children Romeo, Cruz and Harper joined his parents, Ted and Sandra, and sister Joanne for beef Wellington — while wife Lady Victoria, who avoids red meat, had sea bass.

They then tucked into roly-poly and custard.

A friend said: “It was a super-lovely, very chilled sit-down dinner with David’s inner circle.

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“Gordon took care of the whole thing.

“Becks’ favourite Chateau Margaux — plus a lot of champagne — was flowing.

“Obviously everyone kept making a big deal of calling him ‘Sir David’ and that was the running gag of the night.”

After the Windsor Castle ceremony Sir David, 50, changed into a dapper black velvet tux while Lady Victoria, 51, opted for a slinky black floor length number from her own fashion range.

But there was still no sign of estranged eldest son Brooklyn.

Cruz Beckham was seen at the bash holding his bowtieCredit: Darren Fletcher
Romeo was all smiles for his dad’s big partyCredit: Darren Fletcher

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David Bowie and The Simpsons named among top icons and shows that predicted the future

DAVID Bowie and Kate Bush have been named among the top cultural icons who most accurately predicted how we live today, according to research.

A poll of 2,000 adults found George Orwell, Roald Dahl, and even Ross from Friends – who in 1999 predicted AI would be smarter than us by 2030 – made the top 10 list.

The Simpsons is known for eerily predicting future eventsCredit: Alamy
David Bowie performing at Boston Garden, Massachusetts, in 1978Credit: Alamy

Other cultural icons included Captain Kirk – who used to talk to computers, foldable communicators, and tablets as far back as the 1960s – and Ridley Scott.

The director’s seminal 1982 film Blade Runner is still hailed today as a masterclass in technological foresight.

Meanwhile the sitcom, The Simpsons has a history of uncanny predictions, including Donald Trump‘s presidency, the Pandemic, a FIFA scandal, and the development of smartwatches.

The research was commissioned by Samsung for its ‘Visionary Hall of Fame’ and rounding off the top 10 are musicians Prince and Bjork – with the former predicting online dating and virtual relationships in his album 1999, released over 40 years ago.

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While Bjork foresaw the rise of social media in the 1990s and 2000s, predicting that technology wouldn’t just be functional, it would become deeply personal.

Fearne Cotton has teamed up with the brand, as part of their Can Your Phone Do This campaign which highlights the capabilities of Galaxy AI, to go back to her chart show roots, in a brand-new countdown video which reveals the visionaries who feature on the list.

The broadcaster and author said: “These ten icons didn’t just dream about the future; they made it a reality. It’s incredible to see that the future they envisioned is already here, right at our fingertips.

The research also found self-driving cars (39 per cent) topped the list of real-world innovations people remember seeing in pop culture before they became a reality.

This was followed by artificial intelligence (39 per cent) and video calling (33 per cent), along with voice assistants (28 per cent) and smart watches (22 per cent).

Those polled were also quizzed on their use of AI apps or assistants, with 24 per cent using these on their phones daily.

Many use them to ask factual questions (43 per cent), compose messages or emails (22 per cent), and edit photos and videos (22 per cent).

For 23 per cent, they are even translating speech or text among the most used AI functions.

In fact, almost seven in ten (68 per cent) also agreed that today’s AI-powered smartphones feel as though you are carrying the future in your pocket.

Annika Bizon, from Samsung, added: “68 per cent of Brits are amazed that these once-futuristic predictions are now part of everyday life, with over half crediting AI for boosting general knowledge and creativity.

“With Galaxy AI, we’re not just keeping pace with the predictions of modern-day visionaries, we’re actively shaping what comes next.

“We’re turning tomorrow’s possibilities into today’s realities, because when you hold the future in your hand, you’re not just ahead of the curve—you’re defining it.”

Fearne Cotton unveils the Visionary Hall of FameCredit: Michael Leckie/PinPep

Top ten cultural icons who saw the future

1. George Orwell
2. The Simpsons
3. David Bowie
4. Captain Kirk from Star Trek
5. Ridley Scott
6. Kate Bush
7. Roald Dahl
8. Ross from Friends
9. Prince
10. Bjork

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David Harbour admitted making ‘mistakes’ weeks before estranged wife Lily Allen’s bombshell album

STRANGER Things star David Harbour admitted he has “made mistakes” over the last 10 years just WEEKS before ex-wife Lily Allen released her bombshell album.

The couple, who split after a five year marriage in February this year, have had their relationship thrust into the spotlight after Lily’s blistering attack on her marriage on new album, West End Girl.

David Harbour has been put in the spotlight thanks to Lily’s latest albumCredit: Getty
Lily has claimed David repeatedly cheated on her throughout their marriageCredit: AFP
West End Girl has become a worldwide smash since its release last weekCredit: © Jose Albornoz

The 14-track album was dropped last week, but shortly before the release, Harbour briefly spoke about ‘regrets’ while promoting the upcoming final season of Stranger Things.

Talking to Esquire Spain, Harbour was asked to reflect on the past decade of his life in line with how long he has played burly cop Jim Hopper on the show.

He responded by calling it a “hard question” and, while not addressing Lily specifically, he said: “I would change either everything or nothing. 

“You either accept your path completely and realise that even the pain and the slip-ups and the mistakes are all part of the journey, and that there’s truth and growth, wisdom and deeper empathy and connection in all that.”

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“It’s kind of like a house of cards,” he added. “The minute you try to change one thing you kind of have to change it all.”

Ultimately he said he’d change “everything” and “just make his life happy and silly”, though it would “suck” not to be an actor.

West End Girl

On West End Girl, Lily chronicles her relationship with Harbour, starting with their whirlwind relationship after meeting on Raya in 2019 and setting up their life together in New York.

However, she notes things began to unravel after she landed a part in a West End production of 2:22 A Ghost Story, which required her to come back to London.

She then accuses him of getting close to a woman she names “Madeline”, despite them having an “arrangement” for him to sleep with other people.

Mentioning her on the track ‘Tennis’, fans were abuzz with the question: “Who the f**k is Madeline?”

While Lily has said the album, which features alleged dates and supposed voice notes, is a mixture of fact and fiction, the the real life “Madeline” has spoken out, with New Orleans based costume designer Natalie Tippett, 34, claiming to have been involved in the fling.

David and Natalie reportedly began an affair while working on 2021 film We Have A Ghost, despite marrying Lily the previous year in Las Vegas.

He later allegedly flew Natalie to his home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since the album has been released, Harbour has not commented on the claims on the songs – which took Lily 10 days to make and record.

It’s also unclear where the line between fact and fiction stands on the album.

Despite this, Lily made another dig at her ex – dressing up as cartoon character Madeline for Halloween as she partied with friends in Los Angeles.

Lily even dressed up as Madeline for Halloween – the moniker she gave David’s other womanCredit: Getty
David is yet to make an official statement or response to Lily’s claimsCredit: Getty
David and Lily announced their split in February this year after five years of marriageCredit: Getty
The West End Girl album makes claims of an ‘arrangement’ between them that he brokeCredit: Unknown
Lily and David first met on celeb dating app Raya back in 2019Credit: Getty

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Football gossip: Etta Eyong, Zirkzee, Osimhen, Filling, Panichelli, Read, Garcia, David

Premier League clubs fight for Karl Etta Eyong’s signature, AC Milan interested in Joshua Zirkzee loan, Manchester United not pursuing Kevin Filling and Chelsea lead race for Kenan Yildiz.

Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal are in the running to sign 22-year-old Cameroon and Levante forward Karl Etta Eyong, who wants to resolve his future in January with Barcelona and Real Madrid also interested. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish, external)

Manchester United are not currently pursuing AIK’s Kevin Filling, despite reports they are in negotiations to sign the 16-year-old Swedish forward. (Manchester Evening News, external)

AC Milan could join the clubs interested in Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee, 24, if the Netherlands international is available on loan in January. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian, external)

German champions Bayern Munich have entered into talks to sign 19-year-old Givairo Read, the Feyenoord and Netherlands Under-21 full-back who is also a target of several Premier League clubs including Liverpool. (Sky Sports – in German, external)

Former Tottenham and Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou is very unlikely to become Celtic’s next boss, with Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna and Wales head coach Craig Bellamy among the candidates. (Sky Sports, external)

Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen, 26, is still on Barcelona’s radar, but they are deterred by the price tag of the Nigeria international. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish, external)

Chelsea have emerged as favourites to sign Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz, 20, after tabling an exciting proposal for the Turkey international, but Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are keen too. (Teamtalk, external)

Chelsea are actively working to sign Joaquin Panichelli from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, but AC Milan have also shown interest in the 23-year-old Argentine striker. (Fichajes – in Spanish, external)

Barcelona defender Eric Garcia has agreed terms on a new Barcelona contract, despite the 24-year-old Spain international attracting interest from Chelsea and Tottenham. (TBR Football, external)

Tottenham will look to sign Juventus and Canada striker Jonathan David during the January transfer window, with Bayern Munich also eyeing the 25-year-old. (Fichajes – in Spanish, external)

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Warner Bros. Discovery is up for sale. Why CEO David Zaslav isn’t ready to give up the reins

Paramount Chairman David Ellison’s latest offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery contained a twist:

Should Paramount, backed by tech billionaire Larry Ellison, pull off the purchase, Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav could stay on to help lead the combined enterprise.

“They’re sweetening the pot,” Paul Hardart, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, said of the Ellison family. “It just shows all the little arrows in their quiver they’re using to try to push this deal.”

David Ellison’ unexpected olive branch to Zaslav was contained in a letter this month to Warner Bros. Discovery’s board that offered $58 billion in cash and stock for the entire company. The move underscores the family’s determination to win the entertainment company that includes HBO, CNN and Warner Bros. film and television studios — and an obstacle in their path.

After hustling for decades to get to the big stage, Zaslav, 65, isn’t ready to relinquish the reins. He’s eager to prove critics wrong and complete a turnaround after three painful years of setbacks and cost cuts to reduce the company’s mountain of debt.

Warner Bros. Discovery board members, including Zaslav, have unanimously voted to reject Paramount’s three bids, viewing them as too low and not in the best interest of shareholders, according to two people close to the company who were not authorized to comment.

The board supports Zaslav’s desire to forge ahead with a planned split of the company next spring. But it also has opened the auction to other potential suitors, which is expected to lead to the firm changing hands for the third time in a decade.

Representatives of Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount declined to comment.

David Ellison’s audacious offer is being guaranteed by his father, Larry Ellison, the world’s second richest man with a net worth that exceeds $340 billion. The Ellisons’ proposal includes paying 80% cash to Warner shareholders and the rest in stock, according to two people familiar with the matter who weren’t authorized to comment. The most recent offer was $23.50 a share.

The Ellisons began their campaign last month, just weeks after David Ellison’s Skydance Media, along with RedBird Capital Partners, picked up the keys to Paramount, which includes CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon and the Melrose Avenue film studio, which has been depleted by decades of underinvestment.

Since then, the 42-year-old Ellison has led Paramount on a buying bonanza, paying $7.7 billion for UFC media rights and $1.25 billion over five years to Matt Stone and Trey Parker to continue creating their cartoon “South Park.” It also wooed Matt and Ross Duffer, the duo behind “Stranger Things,” away from Netflix with an exclusive four-year deal. This week, it announced a planned East Coast expansion, signing a 10-year lease for a film and TV production center under construction in New Jersey.

The proposed addition of the more vibrant Warner Bros. would give the Ellisons an unparalleled entertainment portfolio with DC Comics including Superman, “Top Gun,” Scooby-Doo, Harry Potter, “The Matrix” and “The Gilded Age.”

The family would control streaming services HBO Max and Paramount+, nearly three dozen cable channels, including HGTV, Food Network and TBS, and two legacy news operations — CNN and CBS News.

It would also accelerate the trend of uber billionaires, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and SpaceX’s Elon Musk, of owning prominent news, entertainment and social media platforms. Larry Ellison also is part of a U.S.-based consortium lined up by President Trump to buy TikTok from its Chinese owners.

“If a trade deal with China is imminent, and TikTok would be aligned, then it would create a new media colossus, the likes of which we haven’t seen,” said veteran executive Jonathan Miller, chief executive of the investment firm Integrated Media Co.

A split image of the Paramount Pictures arches, left, and the Warner Bros. water tower

Paramount is in talks to merge with Warner Bros. Discovery.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times; Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

The drama is unfolding as Paramount on Wednesday slashed 1,000 workers in the first round of cuts since Ellison took over. A second wave of layoffs — affecting another 1,000 workers — is expected in the coming weeks, helping fulfill a promise made to Wall Street by Ellison and Redbird to reduce expenses by more than $2 billion.

Combining with Warner Bros. would bring more layoffs, analysts said, and a potential hollowing out of a historic studio.

“Merger after merger in the media industry has harmed workers, diminished competition and free speech, and wasted hundreds of billions of dollars better invested in organic growth,” the Writers Guild of America West, said last week in a statement in opposition to the proposed unification. “Combining Warner Bros. with Paramount or another major studio or streamer would be a disaster for writers, for consumers, and for competition.”

Critics point to a long list of media merger misfires, including the disastrous AOL Time Warner merger a quarter century ago. Some critics contend Walt Disney Co.’s $71-billion purchase of much of Rupert Murdoch’s entertainment holdings didn’t live up to expectations, and AT&T whiffed its $85-billion deal for Time Warner, handing it to Zaslav’s Discovery four years later for $43 billion.

The New York native, a descendant of Jewish immigrants from Poland and Ukraine, had spent 16 years running the Discovery cable channel group, a respectable business, but one that lacked Hollywood flash.

Zaslav grew up on the fringe of New York City, in Ramapo, N.Y., where he’d been a promising tennis player who proudly wore his athletic gear to middle school. Tennis was his identity — until he started getting beat by players he used to whip.

Zaslav’s coach sat him down, bluntly saying he wasn’t putting in the work.

“I vowed that day I would never be outworked again,” Zaslav said during a 2023 commencement address to Boston University graduates. Underlings have long marveled at his indefatigable work ethic.

The speech was meant to be his triumphant return to his alma mater. Zaslav had finally made it to Hollywood, where he was now holding court in an exquisite corner office that had belonged to studio founder Jack Warner.

Zaslav had big plans to turn around Warner Bros. But, in Boston, he suffered a beatdown.

The Writers Guild of America had just gone on strike against his and other Hollywood studios. Protesters heckled Zaslav. Students booed. A plane flew overhead, waving a banner that read: “David Zaslav Pay Your Writers.”

He had assumed control a year earlier, in April 2022, just as Wall Street soured on media companies that were spending wildly to build streaming services to compete with Netflix.

Zaslav inherited a venture bleeding billions of dollars to get into streaming. The merger itself saddled the company with $55 billion of debt. Warner’s stock plummeted.

He and his team spent the first few years slashing divisions, canceling TV programs and contracts, and shelving movies. To further reduce expenses, the company laid off thousands of workers. Hollywood soon viewed Zaslav with derision.

It didn’t help that Zaslav has long been one of the most handsomely compensated executives in America.

There were high-profile stumbles, including jettisoning staff of the tiny Turner Classic Movies channel and an ill-conceived rebrand of its streamer to “Max” before changing the name back to HBO Max.

“The Warner Bros. Discovery merger was a well-intended failure,” Hardart said. “The cable subscriber base shrank at a faster rate than most people had forecast. … Thousands have lost their jobs, the HBO brand has been reimagined and reimagined, films have been mothballed and the future of the Warner Bros. studio is today uncertain.”

Warner Bros. Discovery paid down $20 billion in debt, but $35 billion remains. The debt load has nearly suffocated the company, making it a vulnerable target.

“There was a lot of fixing that David Zaslav and his team had to do,” Bank of America media analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich said in a recent interview. “It’s been three years of incredibly heavy lifting — but that’s pretty much done now.”

In a note to investors last week, Ehrlich wrote Warner’s strong franchises, including DC Comics, and its voluminous library make it “an extremely attractive potential acquisition target,” one that could fetch $30 a share. Her firm carries a “buy” rating on the stock.

Two men shake hands while smiling at the camera.

Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav and AT&T Chief Executive John Stankey shake hands on May 17, 2021, in New York City.

(Preston Bradford / Discovery)

Last summer, Zaslav announced plans to split the company in two halves.

Zaslav would run Warner Bros., which would consist of the Burbank studios, HBO and the HBO Max streaming service. Longtime lieutenant Gunnar Wiedenfels would helm Discovery Global, made up of the firm’s international businesses and basic cable channels, which face an uncertain future in the streaming era.

Those who know Zaslav believe he’s working to stave off the Ellison takeover, in part, because he wants the chance to bring the company back to its glory, which would ultimately make it more valuable for its investors and prospective buyers.

For Warner management, that’s part of the rub. The Ellisons showed up just as the company was displaying signs of a turnaround, including a hot streak by Warner Bros. that includes “A Minecraft Movie,” Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” James Gunn’s “Superman,” Formula One adventure “F1: The Movie,” and horror flick “Weapons.”

In addition, HBO returned to its winning ways at last month’s Emmys, collecting an industry-leading 30 awards, tied with Netflix.

 Larry Ellison, Megan Ellison and David Ellison in Hollywood in 2015. (Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage)

Larry, from left, Megan and David Ellison attend the premiere of Paramount Pictures’ “Terminator Genisys” at Dolby Theatre on June 28, 2015.

(Lester Cohen / WireImage)

Ellison’s bidding was designed to thwart Warner’s planned corporate breakup.

For now, analysts said, Zaslav and the Warner board’s current strategy is solid because they have effectively driven up the stock price, which has doubled to $21 a share since the Ellison’s interest became known in mid-September.

“They are doing the right thing,” Hardart said. “In any sale, you try to beat the bushes and get as many people interested. But at some point the board is going to have to make a decision.”

Added one investor: “They’ve gotten Paramount-Skydance to bid against itself, and that only goes so far.”

Analysts expect Philadelphia giant Comcast, owner of NBCUniversal, and potentially Netflix, Apple or Amazon to take a look at the company’s studio, library and streaming assets.

But many see the Ellison’s Skydance as having the edge.

Paramount, in its recent letter to the Warner board, argued that it was the best and most logical buyer.

“What Skydance offers WBD, in many ways, is what it offered Paramount: The ability to be aggressive and push all aspects of the business in a way that most people or companies that have less capital just can’t do,” Miller said. “They are deploying real capital, and they are being the most aggressive folks in the industry right now.”

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Lily Allen launches fresh attack on David Harbour’s ‘mistress’ Madeline with savage new TikTok

LILY Allen has launched a fresh attack on David Harbour’s “mistress” Madeline with a savage new TikTok.

On her new album West End Girl, Lily, 40, accuses her ex-husband David, 50, of infidelity with someone called Madeline – though she has stressed the record is a combination of fact and fiction.

Lily Allen has launched a fresh attack on David Harbour’s ‘mistress’ MadelineCredit: tiktok/@lilyallen
Lily has accused her ex-husband of cheating on her new albumCredit: Getty
Lily’s artwork for her latest album West End Girl which critics have branded a ‘revenge record’Credit: PA

On the track called Tennis, which documents her discovering that her man’s connection with another woman is deeper than just sex, Lily sings: “So I read your text, and now I regret it. I can’t get my head ’round how you’ve been playing tennis.

“If it was just sex, I wouldn’t be jealous. You won’t play with me. And who’s Madeline?”

The song has created a huge buzz ever since, with one interviewer just bluntly asking Lily, “Who the f**k is Madeline?”.

It has been put in the same lane as Dolly Parton classic Jolene, which sees the country star plead with an attractive woman not to steal her man, and Beyoncé’s Sorry, in which she takes aim at ‘Becky with the good hair‘ after husband Jay-Z admitted to being unfaithful.

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Now, in another dig at her ex-husband, Lily has taken to TikTok and posted a video of herself lip-syncing to a woman saying: “Who the f**k is Madeline?”

It is taken from a scene from the Australian cult comedy Summer Heights High.

In fact Lily credit’s The Sun’s Howell Davies with giving her the audio, after he noticed a similarity between the lyrics of the song and a scene from the cult comedy.

In the scene, school girl Ja’mie confronts her boyfriend over messages he has been sending to another girl named Madeline.

Meanwhile, the the real life “Madeline” has spoken out, with New Orleans based costume designer Natalie Tippett, 34, claiming to have been involved in the fling.

Stranger Things star David and Natalie reportedly began an affair while working on 2021 film We Have A Ghost, and he later allegedly flew Natalie to his home in Atlanta, Georgia.

He had married Lily the previous year in a Las Vegas ceremony.

Speaking from her home in New Orleans’ historic Treme district, Natalie told Daily Mail she was the woman behind “Madeline”.

When approached by Daily Mail, Natalie said: “Of course I’ve heard the song.

“But I have a family and things to protect.

Lily and David Harbour split in December after four years togetherCredit: Getty

“I have a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, and I understand this is going on.

“It’s a little bit scary for me.”

The affair reportedly came to light when Lily found an incriminating text on David’s phone.

The discovery inspired several tracks on her new album, which details betrayal and heartbreak.

Natalie declined to discuss the lyrics further, saying: “Yeah… I just don’t feel comfortable talking about it at the moment.”

The Sun has contacted Lily and David’s reps for comment at the time.

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Lily and David announced their split in January after four years of marriage.

It is understood they separated in December, with Lily spending Christmas alone with her children in Kenya.

Lily Allen’s most shocking West End Girl lyrics

Madeline

Perhaps the most eye-opening track on the album, Madeline tells the story of lovers who had a pact to be open in their relationship, but that trust was broken when the man struck up a romance with a woman called Madeline.

“Saw your text, that’s how I found out, tell me the truth and his motives
I can’t trust anything that comes out of his mouth
We had an arrangement
Be discreet and don’t be blatant
There had to be payment
It had to be with strangers
But you’re not a stranger, Madeline”

Tennis

Lily sings about finding messages from another woman on her man’s phone that shows the secret lovers have a deeper connection than just sex.

“So I read your text, and now I regret it
I can’t get my head ’round how you’ve been playing tennis
If it was just sex, I wouldn’t be jealous
You won’t play with me
And who’s Madeline?”

Ruminating

A heartbreaking reflection on a once trusted partner being intimate with someone else behind her back.

“And I can’t shake the image of her naked. On top of you and I’m dissociated.”

“I told you all of this has been too brutal. You told me you felt the same, it’s mutual. And then you came out with this line, so crucial. Yeah, ‘If it has to happen, baby, do you want to know.”

Pussy Palace

This emotional track sees Lily come to terms with a lover using an apartment as a base for sex, but not with her.

“Don’t come home, I don’t want you in my bed. Go to the apartment in the West Village instead. I’ll drop off your clothes, your mail and medication.”

“Up to the first floor, key in the front door. Nothing’s ever gonna be the same anymore.

“I didn’t know it was a pussy palace, pussy palace, pussy palace, pussy palace. I always thought it was a dojo, dojo, dojo. So am I looking at a sex addict, sex addict, sex addict, sex addict? Oh talk about a low blow, oh, no, oh, no.”

Dallas Major

The title of this track is a pseudonym used by a woman, who sounds very much like Lily, on a dating app as she looks for validation and attention while her absent husband looks for affection elsewhere.

“My name is Dallas Major and I’m coming out to play. Looking for someone to have fun with while my husband walks away. I’m almost nearly forty, I’m just shy of five foot two. I’m a mum to teenage children, does that sound like fun to you?”

“So I go by Dallas Major but that’s not really my name. You know I used to be quite famous, that was way back in the day. Yes, I’m here for validation and I probably should explain. How my marriage has been open since my husband went astray.”

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‘West End Girl’ explained: Lily Allen’s new album amid breakup with David Harbour

For the first time in seven years, Lily Allen is back with a new album. It’s intimate, raw and autofictional.

Last week, the “Smile” singer shared a 14-track breakup record, “West End Girl.” Amid her split with “Stranger Things” actor David Harbour, Allen provides an in-depth look into a broken relationship where the line between being open and being unfaithful is thin, where dating apps are on the table and where heartbreak seems inevitable.

The album, which was written in 10 days last December, begins with Allen’s move to New York. The singer relocated to the East Coast in 2020 with her two daughters and then-husband, following the couple’s whirlwind wedding in Las Vegas. When Allen started dating Harbour in 2019, she had just finalized her divorce from Sam Cooper, with whom she shares her children.

On “West End Girl’s” opening track, she sings about receiving an offer to be in a West End production in London. In 2021, Allen made her debut in the supernatural play “2:22 — A Ghost Story.” From that moment on, tensions and distance only continued to build between the pair. Toward the end of the title track, Allen includes her end of a call where her partner is seemingly asking to open up the marriage.

As the pop melodies continue to ebb and flow, Allen reveals accusations of infidelity, the complications of being in an open marriage and mentions a pseudonym for a mistress on a track named “Madeline.” She doesn’t stray away from details, especially when it comes to finding boxes of sex toys, love letters from other women and calling her partner a “sex addict” on “P— Palace.”

By the end of the record, she makes it clear that the relationship is irreparable. The pair announced their separation last February after four years of marriage. Since the project’s release last Friday, critics have been quick to fawn over Allen’s return to music and Allen has been sure to let the press know the album is not fully based in fact.

In an interview with The Times, the U.K.’s oldest national daily newspaper, she says, “I don’t think I could say it’s all true — I have artistic license. … But yes, there are definitely things I experienced within my relationship that have ended up on this album.”

She similarly told Perfect Magazine that the work can be considered “autofiction” and that an “alter ego” is singing. When sitting down with British Vogue, she clarified that the album is inspired by what went on in the relationship between, but “that’s not to say that it’s all gospel,”

Harbour has yet to directly speak out about their relationship and has strayed away from the public eye, disabling comments on his Instagram page.

In an interview with GQ in April, he said, “There’s no use in that form of engaging [with tabloid news] because it’s all based on hysterical hyperbole.”

The highly anticipated final season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” where Harbour plays the role of police chief Jim Hopper, will be released Nov. 27.

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Lily Allen & ‘cheating’ ex David Harbour are selling their home – & are set to make HUGE profit amid her ‘revenge’ album

LILY Allen and David Harbour are selling their Brooklyn townhouse just days after her new album and are set to make millions in profit.

The stunning property has hit the market for a whopping $8 million (around £6m) after the pair bought it for just $3.3 million (£2.5m) in 2020.

Lily Allen and David Harbour are selling their Brooklyn townhouse and are set to make millionsCredit: The U.S Sun
The property was listed on Sunday, just two days after the release of Lily’s new albumCredit: Getty

The 19th-century townhouse only went on sale yesterday – two days after Lily, 40, released her breakup album which has been branded her “revenge” album by fans.

Lily and Stranger Things star David, 50, split in December and it was later reported he’d had a three-year affair

David had even made a shock “cheating” joke while doing a tour of their New York City home two years prior.

Lily and David bought the property under two separate trusts as co-owners, according to documents seen by The U.S. Sun, and made several renovations worth thousands.

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Lying at the heart of Brooklyn and spread across four levels, the house has five bedrooms and four bathrooms interspersed throughout.

The property listing eloquently describes the home as a “layered narrative of traditional English charm, modern Brooklyn sensibilities and rich Italian influence”.

The main level opens out into an exotic living room wrapped in high-end Zuber wallpaper and “detailed crown mouldings”.

With a fireplace at its centre, the room is framed by glass doors that lead to a private backyard with a sauna and cold plunge at the owner’s disposal.

The kitchen is described as spacious with “plain English cabinetry” and houses a huge island as well as a custom-built banquette beneath is windows with natural light flooding the room.

Walk upstairs and you’ll find another sitting area with a fireplace as well as dual walk-in closets alongside the main bedroom.

There are two well-equipped guest bedrooms on the third floor as well as a skylit lounge and a home office.

There’s an additional guest suite on the garden level too with a powder room and casual living room, another fireplace and access to the backyard.

And a fully-furnished basement see’s a gym, ample storage and closet areas as well as a laundry room.

The pair took out a big mortgage on the house which they first purchased on November 16 2020 for $3.35 million.

The loan is listed for $2,512,500 with City National Bank in 2021, and they had until February 1, 2051 to pay it back.

They made extensive renovation on the property filing several building permits, many for tens of thousands, with the most expensive being for $282,600 and $265,600 for general construction.

Lily had moved to New York to start a new life with the US actor, who she wed in 2020 a year after meeting on celebrity dating app Raya.

But five years later, one local resident said: “It appears no one has been home for quite some time”

“Every house on the street has Halloween decorations, but not Lily and David’s”

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“It’s a very family-friendly neighbourhood, Lily was very active in the community when she lived here with David.”

The Smile singer has now moved back to London with her two daughters from her first marriage.

The pair wed in 2020 and moved into the Brooklyn townhouse in November of that yearCredit: AFP
Lily had moved to New York to start a new life with the US actorCredit: Getty

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Soft Cell’s David Ball, hitmaker behind ‘Tainted Love,’ dies at 66

David Ball of Soft Cell, whose delectably sleazy synth-pop arrangement drove that English duo’s 1981 hit “Tainted Love” to the top of the U.K. singles chart, died Wednesday. He was 66.

The producer’s death was announced in a post on Soft Cell’s website, which didn’t state a cause but said that Ball died at his home in London. On Facebook, the duo’s singer, Marc Almond, wrote that Ball’s health “had been in slow decline over recent years” due to an unspecified illness.

“It is hard to write this, let alone process it, as Dave was in such a great place emotionally,” Almond said on Soft Cell’s site. “He was focused and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago. It’s so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work.”

Ball and Almond performed as Soft Cell at last month’s Rewind Festival in England; the LP they’d just wrapped is set to be titled “Danceteria” after the New York City nightclub that became an incubator of new wave and synth-pop in the early ’80s.

Soft Cell was an “experimental electro band [writing] weird little pop tunes about consumerism,” as Almond told the Guardian in 2017, when the duo decided to record a cover of “Tainted Love,” which the soul singer Gloria Jones had introduced to little success in 1964.

Ball devised his take on the song using his “dodgy old Korg synths” as well as a state-of-the-art Synclavier that cost more than £100,000, according to the Guardian. Soft Cell’s cover felt “twisted and strange,” Ball said, which suited the “weird couple: Marc, this gay bloke in makeup, and me, a big guy who looked like a minder.”

With Almond’s panting vocal over Ball’s sexy yet sinister production, “Tainted Love” hit No. 1 in the U.K. the same year as the Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” and “Prince Charming” by Adam & the Ants. In the U.S., “Tainted Love” peaked at No. 8 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1982.

Today the song has been streamed more than 1 billion times on Spotify, kept alive in part by Rihanna’s prominent sample of “Tainted Love” in her 2006 hit “SOS.”

Ball was born May 3, 1959, in Chester, England, and grew up in an adoptive family in Blackpool. He and Almond formed Soft Cell in 1979 after meeting as students at Leeds Polytechnic, where Almond was known for a performance art piece in which “he’d be naked in front of a full-length mirror, smearing himself with cat food and shagging himself,” Ball told the Guardian.

The duo released its debut album, “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret,” in 1981, then followed it with two more LPs before splitting in 1984. “Few groups took as much pleasure in perversity,” said Rolling Stone, which called “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret” a “conceptual salute to the sex industry.” In 2022, Pitchfork said the duo’s debut offered “a snapshot of pre-AIDS queer life at its heady peak.”

After Soft Cell’s breakup, Ball collaborated with Genesis P-Orridge of Throbbing Gristle and formed a dance group called the Grid with the producer Richard Norris; he also worked in the studio with the likes of Kylie Minogue, the Pet Shop Boys and David Bowie.

Soft Cell reunited in 2001 and again in 2018; the statement on the band’s website said “Danceteria” would come out in early 2026. According to the statement, Ball’s survivors include four children.

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Huge clue Beckham family feud is thawing as David and Victoria throw support behind son Brooklyn

DAVID and Victoria Beckham have publicly thrown their support behind their eldest son Brooklyn in a rare social media move that has tongues wagging.

Brooklyn, 26, showed off his kitchen skills in a new Instagram video, flipping fluffy buttermilk pancakes to Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. 

David and Victoria Beckham have supported eldest son Brooklyn on social media amid their family feudCredit: Getty
Brooklyn shared another cooking video on Instagram last nightCredit: Instagram
David and Victoria were seen to be liking the postCredit: Getty

While he’s been keeping his distance from the famous family for months, both Posh and Becks quietly “liked” the clip in a huge hint that the frosty feud could be thawing.

The gesture comes after Brooklyn and wife Nicola Peltz failed to publicly support Victoria on socials as her hit Netflix documentary landed earlier this month.

They were also notably absent from her Paris Fashion Week show and the premiere of the documentary.

The couple snubbed David’s lavish 50th birthday celebrations earlier this year in a move that left the family heartbroken.

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Sources previously claimed the rift had reached breaking point, with Victoria and David having “accepted they won’t see Brooklyn for the foreseeable future.” 

Meanwhile, the Beckhams’ other children are busy making their own mark in the spotlight.

Romeo, 23, is following in his dad’s football footsteps, Cruz, 20, has formed a band and is gigging around London, and 14-year-old Harper is said to be keen on following in her mums footsteps into fashion and beauty.

Victoria recently defended her kids from “nepo baby” criticism, telling The Sun: “It’s not their fault — give them a chance.”

Cruz is releasing his first single today and has already received critical acclaim, being signed to a top music management company — all off his own bat.

“Cruz has got music coming out soon,” Victoria told The Sun.

“He’s spent the last ten years learning his craft — much like I did with Roland — learning to play instruments.

“He taught himself to play about seven instruments. He writes his own songs, he’s put a band together.

“He’s properly done it from the grass roots up. He hasn’t just come in and sung his songs, or demanded anything.

“I mean I can’t really give him any advice — the industry has changed so much.

“But I told him, ‘Don’t expect immediate success’. It’s almost better if it isn’t an immediate success.

“You know, it’s like with my fashion thing — it’s taken me 20 years to get it to where it is.

“You’ve got to start small and build it up. And that’s exactly what he’s doing, playing tiny venues, no fuss, doing his thing.

“I am so proud of him.”

She added: “But he is a nepo. I mean, I feel sorry for these kids that are considered nepo-babies.

“The kids are simply the kids of their parents. It’s not their fault.

“Give them a chance. What matters is that people are good and kind.

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“It is fine to be ambitious, but it is more important to be kind. Let the music speak for itself before you judge.”

Cruz Beckham’s new singles “Optics” and “Lick the Toad” are out today.Credit: cruzbeckham/TikTok
Cruz teased the single earlier this weekCredit: Instagram

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Inside spectacular garden makeover at Beckhams’ mansion that left Victoria in tears as David guest edits Country Life

CITY boy David Beckham has spent the best part of a decade becoming a country gent — and is now proudly sharing his new lifestyle in an iconic magazine.

He has turned a Cotswolds farmhouse into the perfect family home and is pictured wandering its idyllic sprawling grounds with his working Cocker Spaniels Sage and Olive.

David Beckham has spent the best part of a decade becoming a country gentCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country Life
Becks with Cocker Spaniels Sage and OliveCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country Life
David with wife Victoria on their sprawling estateCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country Life

The father of four, nicknamed Goldenballs in his playing days, has planted hundreds of trees, put up 27 bee hives and created a lake with duck house and wooden jetty.

In a special edition of Country Life, he tells how he keeps chickens and has a vegetable plot, where he tends onions, radishes, carrots and kale.

East London-born David tells how he counts fellow converts Vinnie Jones and Guy Ritchie among his country friends.

But he recalls: “My earliest memories of doing anything in the countryside are when I was a Cub, then a Scout, and we used to go camping in Epping Forest.”

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His kitchen fitter dad Ted and hairdresser mum Sandra did not have much time for gardening — though grandad Joe would tend to the roses, often damaged by the young David kicking a ball about.

The 50-year-old former Manchester United and Real Madrid star’s interest in country pursuits grew after meeting Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director Guy, 57.

The ex-England skipper even made a cameo appearance in Ritchie’s 2017 flop King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword.

David says about Guy: “He’s a modern-day caveman, who has made me fall far deeper in love with the countryside and helped me to understand it even more than I did before.

“Sometimes, we sit for hours around a fire, just the two of us, and talk late into the night.”

Ritchie’s sweeping 1,100-acre estate Ashcombe House in Wiltshire is the inspiration for what David is trying to achieve.

And it was during late nights at the homely Georgian property that Becks got to know footballer-turned-actor Vinnie, who has appeared in a number of the director’s projects.

Guest editing 128-year-old Country Life, David admits: “When I was playing, he was one of those footballers you did not want to go near on the pitch.

“He would either grab you, throw you or kick you!

Sometimes, we sit for hours around a fire, just the two of us, and talk late into the night


David Beckham

“Back then, that was his thing and he made a successful career before becoming a pundit, when he did criticise me.

“I didn’t think he liked me. But when I met him later at Guy’s place, we didn’t stop talking.”

‘Solace in the country’

Former Wimbledon hardman Vinnie, 60, has a 147-acre farm in Petworth, West Sussex.

David adds: “He bought me a walking stick he’d made for me and he’s now a great friend, who, like me, has found solace in the country later in life.”

The three stars are now happiest in tweeds and welly boots, a world away from the glamorous lifestyles which made them famous.

Vinnie used to booze too much but tells how he prefers a teetotal life.

He comments: “You’ve got to commit. Do it on a Monday.

“Everyone who has done it says, ‘I wish I’d done it before’.

“You never hear anyone regret ­giving up booze.”

David perches by the lake with his two dogsCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country Life
David gives the Queen’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, a taste of his culinary skillsCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country Life

For the main article in the magazine — marking its 1,000th edition with a 288-page gold embossed issue — David, his tattooed hands ­poking from his cuffs, gives TV gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh a tour of the family estate

He and fashion designer wife Victoria, 51, bought the farm near Great Tew, in Oxfordshire, for £6million in 2016. It is now estimated to be worth twice that sum.

They have turned a 26-acre plot with one maple tree and a few derelict barns into a landscape of wildflower meadows, native trees and shrubland that form a home for insects and birds.

Proud David reveals: “I can still remember the morning when Victoria and the children were all due to arrive to see the refurbished barns for the first time.

The moment she walked in, she burst out crying


David Beckham

“It was still a complete mess. One of the guys, who was helping with the building work, and I were literally running around laying the rugs, sweeping up and getting all the dust out.

“Then I waited at the front door with a glass of wine for Victoria to arrive.

“And, the moment she walked in, she burst out crying because she couldn’t believe how perfect it was.”

Now the couple often serve their home-grown ingredients in meals served for friends and family.

And in the magazine, David gives the Queen’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, a taste of his culinary skills.

David, originally from Leytonstone, tells Tom: “There’s something so nostalgic about mashed potato, liver, bacon and lots of gravy.

Former football star David’s favourite garden viewCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country Life
David guest-edited 128-year-old Country Life magazineCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country Life

“It’s one of those British comfort classics that my mum used to make for me and was also my grandad’s favourite dish.

“My gran was also a great cook, and it was always a treat going down to the pie and mash shop in Chapel Market.

“If I had to choose my last meal, it would be pie, mash, liquor and ­jellied eels.”

Previous guest editors of the Country Life have included King Charles, and the most featured face on the cover in the past was the late Queen Mother.

In his cover shot, David looks every bit the rural gent, leaning on a ram’s horn cane and dressed in a tweed jacket.

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American celebrities such as Beyonce, Jay-Z and Ellen DeGeneres have since followed the Beckhams to the Cotswolds — and it is easy to see why.

  • David Beckham’s Guest Edit of Country Life is available now.

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Remembering Diane Keaton, plus the week’s best movies

Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

When news broke last weekend that Diane Keaton had died at age 79, it came as an extraordinary shock because so much of Keaton’s screen presence and persona was rooted in a vitality, a sense of of being very much alive and open to everything.

Revisiting Keaton’s Oscar-winning performance in “Annie Hall” this week, I was struck by how much humor she mined from a hyperawareness of self, often commenting on her own dialogue and behavior as she was still in the act of doing it. She brought a tremendous charge to everything she did.

Jessica Gelt took on winnowing Keaton’s career down to just 10 films, including “Reds,” “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” and the first two parts of “The Godfather.”

Two people smile and walk on a beach together.

Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson in the movie “Something’s Gotta Give.”

(Bob Marshak / Columbia Pictures)

In her appreciation of Keaton, Amy Nicholson called her “the icon who feels like a friend,” adding, “The contradiction of her career is that the things we in the audience loved about her — the breezy humor, the self-deprecating charm, the iconic threads — were Keaton’s attempts to mask her own insecurities. She struggled to love herself. Even after success, Keaton remained iffy about her looks, her talent and her achievements. In interviews, she openly admitted to feeling inadequate in her signature halting, circular stammers.”

There was a very genuine wave of emotion and affection after the news of Keaton’s death. One of the most heartfelt and moving tributes came from screenwriter and director Nancy Meyers, who worked with Keaton on four films, from “Baby Boom” to “Something’s Gotta Give.”

As Meyers said, “She made everything better. Every set up, every day, in every movie, I watched her give it her all.”

Meyers added, “She was fearless. She was like nobody ever. She was born to be a movie star. Her laugh could make your day and for me, knowing her and working with her changed my life.”

AMC Theaters have already announced limited showings of both “Annie Hall” and “Something’s Gotta Give.” Other screenings will certainly happen shortly.

Crispin Glover, still doing his own thing

A man in a suit holds a stopwatch.

Crispin Glover in “No! YOU’RE WRONG. or: Spooky Action at a Distance.”

(Volcanic Eruptions)

Still best known for the eccentric screen presence he brought to movies such as “River’s Edge,” “Wild at Heart,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Back to the Future” and countless others, Crispin Glover is also extremely dedicated to his own filmmaking practice.

His latest project, the creatively punctuated “No! YOU’RE WRONG. or: Spooky Action at a Distance,” will have its West Coast premiere Saturday and Sunday at the American Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre, with Glover in person and a book signing. Tallulah H. Schwab’s “Mr. K,” a mystery starring Glover, will have its L.A. premiere at the Los Feliz 3 on Tuesday with the actor again appearing in person.

“No! YOU’RE WRONG” is the third feature Glover has made himself. He began developing the screenplay in 2007, started building the sets in 2010, began shooting in 2013 and didn’t commence editing until 2018. He goes at his own pace, though Glover is self-excoriating.

“None of this is acceptable,” he tells me during a recent video call from New York City following the film’s world premiere at the Museum of Modern Art. “I’m not happy that this has taken as long as it’s taken. Every step of this film just took ridiculously long.”

While Glover enjoys talking about the film, he struggles to explain what it’s actually about. Set across five time periods — 1868, 1888, 1918, 1948 and right now — Glover shot for the first time on 35mm and, for some scenes, used a hand-cranked camera that belonged to the Czech animator Karel Zeman. The negative was hand-processed, which can alter how it looks, with some sections then colored by hand to replicate early film techniques.

“It’s almost better for me to talk about the technical aspects because by talking about the the technical aspects, it sort of reveals things about the film itself,” Glover says. “All of my films on some level deal with surrealism in one aspect or another. And part of the way surrealism operates is to have either disparate pieces of information or withholding information so that the audience can make the correlations themselves and become a participant in the art.”

A man with a walrus mustache speaks to the lens.

Bruce Glover in the movie “No! YOU’RE WRONG. or: Spooky Action at a Distance,” directed by his son Crispin Glover.

(Volcanic Eruptions)

Aside from Glover himself, the film includes his father, character actor Bruce Glover, who died in March 2025, as well as his mother, dancer Betty Glover, who died in 2016. Following the death of his father, Glover had to make some changes.

“I don’t want to say too much,” says Glover as he catches himself starting to clarify an aspect of the story. “You’d have to see the film. It’s not good for me to talk about it because the way the film is made and layered, it’s something that people will have different interpretations of. And if I say too much, then it will sway the interpretation. They’ll think, ‘Oh, it’s wrong because the filmmaker said this,’ but it isn’t wrong. What they’re thinking is what’s right for them.”

Points of interest

Cronenberg movies at Brain Dead

Two women sit next to a reclining man in black.

Léa Seydoux, left, Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart in the movie “Crimes of the Future.”

(Nikos Nikolopoulos)

Brain Dead Studios has been running a program of David Cronenberg films through October and still has a few titles left to go. And while his films may not fit everyone’s strict definition of Halloween-style spooky, they are reliably unsettling in their examinations of the darker aspects of human existence.

Friday will see a screening of 2022’s “Crimes of the Future,” starring Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart and Léa Seydoux, Monday will be Cronenberg’s 1991’s adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ “Naked Lunch,” Thursday brings 1979’s low-budget horror film “The Brood” and Saturday, Oct. 25 will have 1996’s controversial “Crash.”

I spoke to Cronenberg around the release of “Crimes of the Future,” which at the time felt like something of a summation of the director’s ongoing interests in technology and the body, though he claimed it wasn’t intentional.

“It’s not a self-referential film because I’m not thinking that when I’m writing it or directing it,” Cronenberg said. “But the connections are there because my nervous system, such as it is including my brain, is the substrate of everything I’m doing. So I might even say in the Burroughsian way that all of my work and all of my life is one thing. In which case, it now makes perfect sense that there should be these connections.”

David Fincher’s ‘The Game’

A man peers into the mouth of a clown.

Michael Douglas in the movie “The Game.”

(Tony Friedkin / Polygram Films)

David Fincher’s 1997 thriller “The Game” is somewhat easy to overlook in his filmography, landing between the provocations of “Seven” and “Fight Club” and before fully-formed works like “Zodiac” and “The Social Network.” However, the movie, in which a wealthy man (Michael Douglas) finds his life turned upside in what may be a live-action role-playing game, is strange and unpredictable and among Fincher’s most purely pleasurable movies. It plays at the New Beverly on Friday — a rare chance to catch it in a theater on 35mm.

In his review of the film, Jack Matthews wrote, “Douglas is perfectly cast. Who else can blend moneyed arrogance, power and rank narcissism with enough romantic flair, intelligence and self-deflating humor to make you enjoy his defeats and his victories? What other major star is as much fun to watch when he’s cornered?”



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Director Rebecca Miller on ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ plus the week’s best movies

Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

This has turned into one of those weeks when there are just way too many movies opening. From titles that premiered earlier in the year, to films that popped up only recently, distributors have decided that today is the time to drop them in theaters. It can make for some tough calls as a moviegoer but hopefully ones with pleasant returns. Here’s some intel.

Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” was a standout at Sundance in January and remains one of the most powerful films of the year. Rose Byrne gives a knockout performance as Linda, a mother struggling to hold onto her own unraveling sense of self as she cares for her ill daughter.

A mother leans on her daughter's bed, concerned.

Rose Byrne in the movie “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.”

(Logan White / A24)

In his review Glenn Whipp said, “Linda makes dozens of bad decisions in ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,’ many of them seemingly indefensible until you realize that just how utterly isolated she feels. … Bronstein demands you pay attention to her, and with Byrne diving headfirst into the character’s harrowing panic, you will find you have no other choice.”

Speaking to Esther Zuckerman for a wide-ranging feature, Byrne said of the part: “Anything dealing with motherhood and shame around motherhood, whether it’s disappointment, failure — she’s got this line in the movie, ‘I wasn’t meant to do this’ — these are pretty radical things to say. People aren’t comfortable with that. So performance-wise, that was the hardest part because it was like a tightrope, the tightrope of this woman.”

Another Sundance premiere hitting theaters this week is director Bill Condon’s adaptation of “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” starring Diego Luna, Tonatiuh and Jennifer Lopez. Already a novel, a movie and a Broadway show, the story involves two men imprisoned in an Argentine jail for political crimes during the 1980s, with Lopez playing a fantasy film star who exists in their imaginations — a reverie to which they can escape.

A man in a tuxedo smokes a cigarette at a bar table.

Tonatiuh in the movie “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”

(Roadside Attractions)

For our fall preview, Carlos Aguilar spoke to Tonatiuh, a native of L.A.’s Boyle Heights, whose performance is a true breakout.

“When I first met Jennifer, I was like, ‘Oh, my God — that’s Jennifer Lopez. What the hell?’ ” he recalled, with the enthusiasm of a true fan. “I must have turned left on the wrong street because now I’m standing in front of her. How did this happen? What life am I living?”

After praising both Lopez and Tonatiuh in her review of the film, Amy Nicholson wrote, “Still, my favorite performance has to be Luna’s, whose Valentin is at once strong and vulnerable, like a mutt attempting to fend off a bear. He’s the only one who doesn’t need to prove he’s a great actor, yet he feels like a revelation. Watching him gradually turn tender sends tingles through your heartstrings.”

Among the other new releases this week is “Urchin,” the directing debut from Harris Dickinson, and the documentary “Orwell: 2+2=5,” directed by Raoul Peck. There’s also Derek Cianfrance’s true-crime comedy “Roofman,” Kathryn Bigelow’s nuclear-war thriller “A House of Dynamite” and Luca Guadagnino’s campus-set cancel culture drama “After the Hunt.”

Rebecca Miller retro and ‘Mr. Scorsese’

Two men in basket hats and shades smile at the camera with tropical drinks.

Robert De Niro, left, and Martin Scorsese in an undated photo from Rebecca Miller’s documentary series “Mr. Scorsese.”

(Apple TV+)

The American Cinematheque is celebrating filmmaker Rebecca Miller this weekend with a four-title retrospective plus a preview of her documentary series “Mr. Scorsese,” a five-part portrait of the life and career of Martin Scorsese.

Miller will introduce a Saturday screening of her 2023 rom-com “She Came to Me,” starring Anne Hathaway and Peter Dinklage, then do a Q&A for the first two episodes of the Scorsese project on Sunday. Also screening in the series will be 2016’s “Maggie’s Plan,” starring Julianne Moore, Ethan Hawke and Greta Gerwig; Miller’s 2002 Sundance grand jury prize winner “Personal Velocity”; and 2005’s “The Ballad of Jack and Rose,” starring Miller’s husband Daniel Day-Lewis, screening with an introduction from co-star Camilla Belle.

Two people walk in an outdoor park.

Ethan Hawke and Greta Gerwig in “Maggie’s Plan,” written and directed by Rebecca Miller.

(Sony Pictures Classics)

I spoke to Miller this week about the retrospective and her new Scorsese project, which premieres Oct. 17 on Apple TV+. Along with extensive interviews with Scorsese himself, the series includes insights from collaborators such as Robert De Niro, Paul Schrader and longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker as well as childhood friends, Scorsese’s children, ex-wives and fellow filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma, Ari Aster, Benny Safdie and Spike Lee.

“It feels like such an honor and so weird in a way,” said Miller of the notion of having a retrospective. “You feel like you’re just in the middle of making everything, but then you realize, no, I’ve been making these films for 30 years. And it’ll be really interesting to see how the films play now for people. It’s exciting to have them still be sort of alive.”

When you look back on your own movies, what comes to mind for you?

Funnily enough, there is a connection between “Personal Velocity” and Martin Scorsese, which is that when I was about to shoot personal “Velocity,” I was in Rome, on the set of “Gangs of New York,” and I was watching the snack trolley go by and thinking my entire budget is probably the same as their snack budget. And thinking: What am I doing? What was I thinking? How am I going to do this? But talking to [“Gangs” cinematographer] Michael Ballhaus, I told him how long we had to shoot everything, and he said, “Oh, I envy you. We shot ‘The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant’ in 10 days.” He was looking back on his days with Fassbinder as the good old days.

Then Marty gave me some advice on films with voiceovers to watch, and he ended up watching “Personal Velocity.” It was the first of my films that he saw, which then led probably to this [doc series] because he knew my films quite well. He watched them as time went on.

What interested you in Scorsese as a subject?

I knew that he was Catholic, that there was a strong spiritual element to his films. But I was interested in how that Catholicism kind of jogged with his fascination, or apparent fascination, with violence. Who is that person? How do those two things go together? And I thought that could be part of my exploration. I had a sense that all his work has a spiritual undercurrent in it, which I think it does. And I think that’s one of the things that I try to explore in the documentary. I felt I had something a little bit different to offer, for that reason.

The big questions that he’s asking: Are we essentially good? Are we essentially evil? And his immense honesty with himself about who he really is, the darkness of his own soul. I don’t think that people are usually that honest with themselves. And you realize that part of his greatness has to do with his willingness to look at himself.

A bearded man in a dark suit poses for the camera.

Martin Scorsese in an undated photo from Rebecca Miller’s documentary series “Mr. Scorsese.”

(Apple TV+)

As much as we think we know about Scorsese, he seemed so candid about some of the darkest moments of his life, especially when he talks about his drug overdose and hospitalization in the late 1970s or about some of his issues with Hollywood, especially around “The Last Temptation of Christ.” Were you ever surprised that he was so willing to go there with you?

Oh, yeah, I was. I really didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t have an agenda. I had the scaffolding of the films themselves and a strong sense that this was a man that you can’t separate from the films. So the thing is like a dance, it’s like a permanent tango between those two things. You’re not going to pry them apart. I didn’t know about the addiction. I didn’t know a lot of these things. My questions are totally genuine, there’s no manipulation. It’s all me. I was very prepared in terms of the films. But in terms of the chronology and the connective tissue of his life, I was really right there discovering it.

A director studies a script in front of boards of index cards.

Martin Scorsese at work on his film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” as seen in Rebecca Miller’s documenary series “Mr. Scorsese.”

(Apple TV+)

You’re catching him such a remarkable point in his life and career. He seems very happy and settled in his personal life and yet he still makes something like “Killers of the Flower Moon,” full of passion and fire. What do you make of that?

[Screenwriter] Jay [Cocks] says he’s learned that he can be selfish in his art, but he doesn’t have to be selfish in his life. Even if your outside is regular, your inside can be boiling. And I think Marty’s inside is always going to be boiling. The seas are not calm in there and never will be.

‘They Live’ and ‘Josie and the Pussycats,’ together at last

A stupefied man takes off a pair of shades and gasps.

Roddy Piper in John Carpenter’s 1988 thriller “They Live.”

(Sunset Boulevard / Corbis )

There’s a real art to putting together a double bill. Sure, you can just program movies that have the same director or share the same on-screen talent. But what about deep, thematic links that might not otherwise be noticed?

The New Beverly has put together an inspired double bill playing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of John Carpenter’s 1988 “They Live” and Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont’s 2001 “Josie and the Pussycats.” Though one is a rough-and-tumble sci-fi action picture and the other a satirical teen-pop fantasia, they both use the idea of subliminal messages to explore how consumer culture can be a means of control.

In “They Live,” wrestler-turned-actor “Rowdy” Roddy Piper plays a drifter who lands in Los Angeles and discovers a secret network fighting against an invasion of aliens living among us.

In Michael Wilmington’s original review, after joking the movie could be called “Invasion of the Space Yuppies,” he adds, “You can forgive the movie everything because of the sheer nasty pizzazz of its central concept. … The movie daffily mixes up the paranoia of the Red Scare monster movies of the ’50’s with a different kind of nightmare: the radical’s belief that everything is tightly controlled by a small, malicious ruling elite. Everything — the flat lighting, the crazily protracted action scenes, the monolithic beat and vamp of the score — reinforces a mood of murderous persecution mania.”

Three women wash the hood of a car.

Rosario Dawson, from left, Rachael Leigh Cook and Tara Reid in the movie “Josie and the Pussycats.”

(Joseph Lederer / Universal Studios)

In “Josie and the Pussycats,” a small-town rock ‘n’ roll band (Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson) are plucked from obscurity when they are signed to a major record label and all their dreams of stardom seem to come true. But they come to realize the company’s executives (a brilliant pairing of Parker Posey and Allan Cumming) are using them for their own nefarious purposes.

Aside from some very hummable songs, the film has a truly epic amount of corporate logos and branding that appears throughout. Many reviewers at the time brought this up, including the L.A. Times’ own Kenneth Turan, who noted, “It’s a potent reminder that no matter how innocent a film may seem, there’s a Hollywood cash register behind almost every frame.” In subsequent interviews, Kaplan and Elfont confirmed these were not instances of paid product placement and, in fact, the production had to fight to get them all on-screen.

Points of interest

‘Eight Men Out’ in 35mm

Baseball players stand for the national anthem.

Charlie Sheen, center, in a scene from the film “Eight Men Out.”

(Archive Photos / Getty Images)

Writer-director John Sayles has been so consistently good for so long that it is easy to take his work for granted. Case in point: 1988’s “Eight Men Out,” which tells the story of the infamous “Black Sox” scandal, when players from the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally throwing the 1919 World Series in league with underworld gamblers. The movie is playing on Sunday at Vidiots in 35mm.

The film captures much of what makes Sayles so special, particularly his unique grasp of the interplay between social and economic dynamics — a sense of how things work and why. He also fully grasps the deeper implications of the forces of greed and money setting themselves upon such an unassailable symbol of wholesome Americana as baseball. It’s also what makes the movie particularly worth a revisit now. With a phenomenal cast that includes John Cusack, David Straithairn, D.B. Sweeney, Charlie Sheen, John Mahoney, Christopher Lloyd, Michael Lerner and Sayles himself, the film was a relatively early effort from cinematographer Robert Richardson, who would go on to work repeatedly with Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.

In a review at the time, Sheila Benson wrote, “ ‘Eight Men Out’ is not a bad movie for an election year. Everything that politicians cherish as ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘American’ is here. The Grand Old Game. Idealistic little kids. Straw hats and cat’s-whisker crystal sets. And under the slogans and the platitudes, a terrifying erosion and no one to answer for it. No wonder Sayles, hardly an unpolitical animal, found it such a relevant story nearly 70 years later.”

‘The Sound of Music’ in 70mm

A woman stands among several children in a park.

Julie Andrews, center, in the 1965 musical “The Sound of Music.”

(20th Century-Fox)

On Sunday the Academy Museum will screen Robert Wise’s “The Sound of Music” in 70mm, a rare opportunity to see this classic in the premium format on which it was originally released. Based on the stage musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein , the film would eventually win five Oscars, including director and best picture.

Starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, it’s the story of the singing Von Trapp family, eventually forced to flee their native Austria as the Nazis take power.

In a Times review from March 1965, Philip K. Scheuer wrote of Wise and his collaborators, “They have taken this sweet, sometimes saccharine and structurally slight story of the Von Trapp Family Singers and transformed it into close to three hours of visual and vocal broilliaance, all in the universal terms of cinema. They have invested it with new delights and even a sense of depth in human relationships — not to mention the swooning beauty of Salzburg and the Austrian Alps, which the stage, of course, could only suggest.”

Even notorious gossip columnist Hedda Hopper liked the movie, presciently writing, “The picture is superb — dramatically, musically, cinematically. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer were born for their roles. … All children — from 7 to 90 — wil love it. The following morning I woke up singing. Producer-director Bob Wise did a magnificent job and 20th [Century Fox] will hear nothing but the sound of money for years to come.”

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I still argue with my wife after ‘failing’ at labour & upsetting midwife during my kid’s birth, says hunk David Gandy

HE is among the world’s highest-paid male models, with smouldering good looks and a six-pack you could grate cheese on.

But David Gandy has swapped his jet-setting lifestyle for school runs, sleeping alone and discussions about HRT after becoming a father.

David Gandy poses shirtless in white boxer briefs.

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Model David Gandy has swapped his jet-setting lifestyle for school runsCredit: David Gandy Wellwear
Stephanie Mendoros and David Gandy attend the cocktail opening of the Chopard exhibition 'L.U.C - L'art d'une Manufacture'.

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The Brit hunk has daughters Matilda, six, and Tabitha, three, with partner Steph Mendoros, aboveCredit: Getty – Contributor

The Essex-born hunk — who has daughters Matilda, six, and Tabitha, three, with partner Steph Mendoros — may be desired by women across the globe.

But he spent three months kipping by himself on the floor after Tabitha’s birth in 2021, because she was taking up his side of the bed.

In his most candid interview yet, David — who shot to fame wearing tiny white briefs in Dolce & Gabbana ads — tells the latest episode of Fabulous’ No Parental Guidance podcast: “Steph, in the first few months, was sleeping with the baby and was breastfeeding.

“And just so she got a good night’s sleep, she would have the baby there falling asleep.

“That is a situation where you are just going to be a hindrance. You are taking up room. You can’t help.”

He adds: “So when we were building our house, Steph had just given birth to Tabs.

I failed at labour. I kind of turned into George Clooney from ER and thought, “I’m delivering this baby. I was at the business end and the midwifehad to ask me to get out of the way

David

“We were staying in Steph’s old flat while the house was being built, and Matilda had this little room.

“I had nowhere to sleep. I slept on the floor for three months. I had to spin like a dog, trying to find somewhere to sleep.

‘Christmas alone’

“But as long as your partner can get sleep, that’s the main thing. I am fine with no sleep. Steph is awful.”

Since settling down with Steph, a barrister, heartthrob David is now more likely to be found hanging out with the other dads at the school gates than strutting his stuff on the catwalk.

And it seems the menopause is a hot topic for men as well as women.

“The dads have had the [HRT] discussion at the school gates,” David, 45, tells comedian Hannah East and model and influencer Louise Boyce, who host the podcast.

“They say, ‘Get the patch’. Then one dad will go, ‘They’re very horny on the patch!’.”

David and Steph got together in 2016 and daughter Matilda was born two years later.

The model admits that when his girlfriend went into labour, he turned into George Clooney’s character Dr Doug Ross from US hospital drama, ER.

“I failed at labour,” he says. “We still argue about it. I kind of turned into George Clooney from ER and thought, ‘I’m delivering this baby’.

Of course I tried the gas and air. They told me to go and have a sleep and then Steph needed me and the midwife had to go back to Steph and say, ‘I can’t wake him up

David

“I was down at the business end. The midwife had to ask me if she could have her stool back and if I could get out of the way.”

Like most men, David could not resist having a sneaky puff of the gas and air intended to relieve labour pains — only for it to knock him out completely.

He reveals: “Of course I tried the gas and air. They told me to go and have a sleep and then Steph needed me and the midwife had to go back to Steph and say, ‘I can’t wake him up’,” he recalls.

It is all a world away from David’s globe-trotting days as a top-earning male model with an estimated £12million fortune.

After growing up in Billericay, he went on to study marketing at the University of Gloucestershire, where his flatmate entered him into a modelling competition on ITV’s This Morning without his knowledge.

He went on to win a contract with Select Model Management — and a star was born.

His now- infamous campaign for Dolce and Gabanna’s Light Blue fragrance in 2007 — which saw him squeeze into tiny white trunks to cavort on a boat with a brunette — set women’s pulses racing and launched him to stardom.

He now has more than one million followers on Instagram as well as 25million likes on TikTok, not to mention high-profile campaigns for Burberry and Hugo Boss.

After meeting Steph and becoming a dad, he cut back on the commitments that involved him take around 100 flights a year, and has recently launched his own line of underwear for his David Gandy Wellwear brand.

David Gandy with his daughter on his shoulders, overlooking a body of water with houses on a hill in the distance.

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David on holiday with one of his daughtersCredit: instagram/davidgandy_official

But it could have ended very differently for David — who has also had high-profile romances with singer Mollie King, musical theatre actress Samantha Barks and TV host Laura Whitmore — because he thought Steph had stood him up on their first date nine years ago.

“We met through one of my good friends,” he recalls.

“We kind of knew each other before — we only lived a mile and a half away from each other. We arranged to go for a date, but Steph has a terrible sense of direction and ended up in the wrong pub.”

He adds: “When me and Steph got together, there was a discussion, like ‘When are we having children?’.

“I said I’ve been working solidly. I didn’t take holidays. I didn’t take time off.

“I spent Christmas alone because I was so exhausted sometimes. I just want two years of us two to enjoy being together’.”

Now, having had two kids with Steph, David thinks there should be more education for men about the hormone changes women go through when they embrace parenthood.

“When babies are born, no one ever tells the husband about the hormones,” he says. “Your wife’s hormones are all over the place, before and after giving birth.

I think we are so scared to let our children even out the front door

David

“No one explains that you are probably going to be wrong about everything for the next year and to just put up with it. Just go, ‘OK darling’.”

‘Give kids freedom’

While, nowadays, parents are often super-protective and more overbearing than previous generations, David is making a conscious effort to relax when it comes to raising his daughters.

He explains: “I’m trying to tell myself not to be too protective.

“I think we are so scared to let our children even out the front door.

At nine years old, I was on a bike going through Billericay, travelling five miles out, and my parents were like, ‘It’s cool’.

“My kids are outside for 20 seconds at a supermarket and I’m panicking. I just think we need to allow our kids a bit more freedom.

“That’s advice for all of us — ‘Don’t worry, no one knows what they’re doing’. Generally, everyone turns out OK.”

David Gandy modeling Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue underwear and fragrance on a boat.

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The star shot to fame wearing tiny white briefs in Dolce & Gabbana ads

But while he tries to be laid back, David, who is also an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, admits he is not a fan of the trend for “gentle parenting”.

He says: “I teach them, ‘You’re not having iPads. First of all, you have a conversation around the dinner table’.

“I take colouring stuff and I always make sure they’re entertained so they are not bored.

“But they are very polite. I’ve always said, ‘You don’t talk to someone like that. You don’t ask someone like that. Go and get it yourself. Go and do it yourself’.

“I got to a point with my mum and dad where they just needed to give me a look. It seems to work.

“My mum’s best threat that used to shut me up really quickly was, ‘I’m going to come and take your pants down in front of everyone and smack your bum’.

“My mum and dad never smacked me, but it was the threat of my bum being pulled out in front of everyone.”

And while his children might have excellent table manners, David jokes they treat him like a live-in chef at their home in London’s Richmond Park.

He says: “We have a pretty good rhythm going now. I do mornings — the kids are up with me.

“I do the breakfast, which they order from me.

“I am the waiter. I say, ‘What would you like? Do you want porridge today?’.

“And they say, ‘Daddy, I don’t want porridge, I want waffles. Can I have waffles with honey?’. Matilda musy think she’s at a Michelin-star restaurant.

“It’s actually not that chaotic. I put everything out in the evening as I am not a morning person.

“I’m OK once I get to my espresso machine.”

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Meet Man Utd wonderkid, 17, dubbed ‘cheat code’ and ‘mix of David Beckham & Paul Scholes’ giving Amorim food for thought

MANCHESTER UNITED wonderkid Jim Thwaites has been hailed as a “cheat code” by fans.

The youngster has been added to first-team training by manager Ruben Amorim.

Jim Thwaites of Manchester United looks on during a training session.

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Jim Thwaites has been called up to senior training with Man UnitedCredit: Getty
David Beckham in a red Manchester United jersey with a new haircut, during a match against Leicester City.

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He has been likened to David BeckhamCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

Thwaites, 17, plays in central midfield and has already seen comparisons to United legends David Beckham and Paul Scholes.

Reports have claimed that he trained with United’s senior players on Friday.

This came following his brilliant performances in the youth sides so far this season.

It is claimed that he is viewed as one of the most technically good players in the academy.

It is added that Amorim and his coaching staff have been impressed in the sessions he has had with the first team.

Thwaites has also been likened to Barcelona and Spain midfielder Pedri with his ball skills.

This is extended to his passing vision as he often breaks defensive lines with his through balls.

The midfielder also possesses plenty of ability in carrying the ball forward up the pitch.

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There is said to be some hope among the coaching staff that he can continue to impress and get an opportunity in the first team this season.

Thwaites has made 48 appearances across the United U18s and U21s, scoring 12 goals and assisting four times.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe says Ruben Amorim could get up to two more YEARS to prove himself at Man Utd

He was a part of the U18s side that won their age category Premier League in the 2023/2024 season.

Videos of his performances have started to flood social media, leaving plenty of fans optimistic over his potential.

Clips of his matches showed he was comfortable on the ball and able to beat opposition presses multiple times.

One fan posted: “Jim Thwaites is a first-phase cheat code.

Jim Thwaites of Manchester United in action during a soccer match.

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He plays in midfield and has caught the eye of Ruben AmorimCredit: Getty
Paul Scholes of Manchester United in his red jersey with number 18 during a football match.

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Thiawtes has also been compared to United legend Paul ScholesCredit: PA:Empics Sport

“Press him at any speed, from any angle, he will find a solution and move his team up the pitch.”

A second wrote: “This is more of what we need in our midfield.”

A third commented: “I am always happy watching this boy play, very good player.”

A fourth said: “They not ready for this Michael Carrick regen.”

Another added: “Like Scholes and Beckham wrapped into one.”

Thwaites appeared for United in the pre-season 1-0 defeat to ASEAN All-Stars and left a good impression on Amorim.

The manager suggested that there would be “space” in the squad for players like the teenager.

He said: “I think Jimmy [Thwaites], in the last 15 minutes, as a midfielder, he wants to play.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reacting.

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Ruben Amorim has already spoken about ThwaitesCredit: Reuters
Manchester United's next five games list.

“It doesn’t matter how many minutes. These kind of young kids are really important. They will have space in our team.”

Meanwhile, United will be itching to get back on the pitch to try and keep the momentum after beating Sunderland before the international break.

Their first match will be away at Anfield against the reigning Prem champions Liverpool.

This will then be followed by clashes with Brighton and Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest.

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David Allen v Arslanbek Makhmudov: Defeat in Sheffield for Doncaster boxer

British heavyweight David Allen’s fairytale headline show ended in a unanimous points defeat to Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov at a raucous Sheffield Arena.

Judges scored the fight 115-111, 117-109 and 116-10 in favour of Makhmudov.

The 33-year-old Allen had previously fought at the venue five times, but this was his first time as a headliner and a 9,000-strong crowd came out to support their South Yorkshire hero, who quit boxing five years ago and planned a quiet life.

He returned to the sport with titles on his mind, and for big nights like this.

“I’ve never, ever seen anything like it,” Allen said after the fight. “I nearly cried. I had to really choke it all back a bit on the ramp. I’m not finished.”

The imposing Makhmudov entered the fight with 19 knockouts from his 20 wins, and with just two defeats it made him the toughest opponent Allen has faced.

As chants of “There’s only one Dave Allen” rang around the venue, the home fighter had to bite down on his gumshield early on and take thudding blows from Makhmudov.

With the names of his children, Betty and George, etched on his shorts, Allen started to stalk Makhmudov, with a massive body shot followed by a right uppercut landing in the fifth round.

Allen sparked to life in the ninth round and connected with an overhand right, but Makhmudov showed toughness and durability.

In the 12th round, Makhmudov had a second points deduction – both were for holding. This, along with the roar of the crowd, encouraged Allen to push on and land another monstrous right hook, but it was not enough.

The ‘White Rhino’ has been here before – suffering some major setbacks during his 13 years as a professional.

Allen’s career appeared to be in tatters numerous times, but he has emerged from retirement and rebuilt over the past four years and will look to do so again.

A stoppage loss to David Price in 2019 ended with Allen being stretchered out of the ring and he gave up the sport the following year.

Allen’s attention turned to training young boxers Joe Hayden and Joe Howarth – both of whom won on Saturday’s Sheffield undercard – before confirming a return to the sport he loved at a “low level”.

After two wins via small hall shows, a loss to Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke was only a minor setback as Allen was quick to accept a fight with undefeated heavyweight Johnny Fisher, without knowing this would catapult his career.

Allen was on the wrong end of a contentious loss in Saudi Arabia before knocking out Fisher in a rematch at a sold-out Copper Box Arena in May 2025.

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Paramount’s David Ellison addresses his role in the studio

Billionaire Larry Ellison ponied up the money for his family to acquire the controlling stake in Paramount two months ago, and the tech titan would need to write another huge check should Paramount buy Warner Bros. Discovery.

So, in Hollywood circles, the question has been: How involved is the elder Ellison in Paramount’s strategy and operations?

Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison said he speaks with his father every day, but he drew an important distinction:

“Look, I run the company day to day. Make no mistake about that,” David Ellison said Thursday at Bloomberg’s Screentime media conference in Hollywood, adding that his father had been a “phenomenal” mentor and “we couldn’t have a better relationship.”

“He is the largest shareholder in the business,” Ellison said. “What’s important for everybody to know is the way he approaches this is: How do we maximize value for our shareholders? … I think he’s best in the world for doing that.”

Since the Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners acquired Paramount in August, its stock is up more than 50%. Much of the run-up came last month after news leaked that Paramount was interested in acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN, TBS, Food Network and one of Hollywood’s most prolific film and television studios.

Ellison refused to comment on Paramount’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery or whether his team had already made a bid.

But he did shed light on the business strategy behind any pursuit, while trying to tamp down fears that another big merger would result in more cost-cutting, more job losses and a reduction in content spending.

“The way we approach everything is, first and foremost: What’s good for the talent community, what’s good for our shareholders and value creation, and what’s good for basically storytelling at large?” Ellison said. “We’re looking at actually producing more movies [and] more television series … because you need that content.”

Paramount staffers are bracing for a massive workforce reduction next month, part of the company’s goal of finding more than $2 billion in spending cuts.

But, since the takeover, Paramount’s Ellison has made a priority of beefing up relationships with talent through a series of big bets, including agreeing to pay $7.7 billion for media rights to UFC’s mixed martial arts events in the U.S. in a seven-year deal with TKO Group Holdings.

The company also invested in the construction of a Texas-based production hub for prolific “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan and agreed to pay $1.5 billion over five years for streaming rights for “South Park,” the Comedy Central cartoon. And Paramount lured Matt and Ross Duffer, who created “Stranger Things,” away from Netflix with an exclusive four-year television, streaming and film deal.

Earlier this week, Paramount spent $150 million to acquire Bari Weiss’ the Free Press news site, while also naming Weiss editor in chief of CBS News.

Warner Bros. Discovery, led by Chief Executive David Zaslav, also has declined to discuss Paramount’s interest, although people close to the company have suggested Zaslav would like to see bidding war.

No other studios have publicly expressed interest and, on Wednesday, Netflix Co-Chief Executive Greg Peters downplayed such speculation.

“We come from a deep heritage of being builders rather than buyers,” Peters said during a separate appearance at the Screentime conference, adding the track record for big mergers was not great.

But Wall Street widely expects more consolidation among entertainment firms.

“Ironically, it was David Zaslav last year who said that consolidation in the media business is important,” Ellison said, adding “there are a lot of options out there.” But he declined to elaborate.

Analysts have speculated that, beyond Paramount, few other media companies have financial firepower to pull off a bid. And Paramount has an “in” that several other media companies, including Brian Roberts’ Comcast, lack: a good relationship with President Trump and his administration.

Trump has called Larry Ellison a good friend. After David Ellison spoke with Trump at a June UFC fight, the previous managers of Paramount got traction in their efforts to settle Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview last fall with Kamala Harris. Paramount paid $16 million in July to settle the suit and weeks later the Federal Communications Commission approved the Ellison takeover of Paramount.

“We have a good relationship with the administration,” David Ellison said.

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Victoria Beckham reveals real reason she doesn’t smile – and it involves David

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham has revealed the part husband David Beckham played in her creating her steely pose in which she rarely smiles for the camera

Victoria Beckham’s trademark pout has become symbolic with her appearance over the years. The singer and fashion guru, 51, is well known for her steely look on the catwalks and red carpets and is rarely spotted cracking a smile.

However, while her trademark look has long been speculated, the former Spice Girl has finally revealed the real reason behind keeping her teeth under wraps. Sorry David, but she’s gunning for you.

Victoria’s latest project sees her appear in her self-titled Netflix docuseries and she spills the beans on a number of the family’s most personal details. And this also includes her lack of smiling.

READ MORE: Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz’s heartbreaking cameo in Victoria’s Netflix showREAD MORE: David Beckham told Victoria ‘This can’t continue’ during desperate money showdown

She insists her look was simply formed after husband David stood on her “good side”. She said: “Here’s a fact, I’ve looked miserable for all these years because when we stand on the red carpet, this guy has always [stood] on the left.

“Now I didn’t realise that when I smile – which I do! – I smile from the left, because if I smile from the right, I look unwell. So I’m smiling on the inside but no one ever sees it – so that’s why I look so moody.”

As well as the admission about David’s positioning, Victoria later revealed it may have been a confidence thing at times. She said she was left feeling as though she didn’t want to smile after losing her way following the split of the Spice Girls in 2000.

As her solo career failed to hit the same heights, Victoria said people questioning her next moves began to take a toll on her. “I’d be lying if I said I was the best singer or dancer,” she said. “But when people are mean and you’re hearing things and you’re seeing things and you’re constantly made to feel you’re not good enough, that really hurts. I became so self conscious.”

She later added: “The minute i see a camera, I change. The barrier goes up, my armour goes on and that’s when the miserable cow who doesn’t smile comes out.

“I’m so conscious of that and I don’t like that, I’d rather not be that person. I’d love to have the confidence to walk out of a restaurant and smile but I just can’t do it.'”

And her change in persona was also noted by David who said he could see her confidence and bubbly side slowly disappearing.

Elsewhere on the series, Victoria admitted she became “good at lying” as she revealed how she was able to hide an eating disorder. The mum-of-four explained that she stopped eating because she was felt unable to control what others were saying about her during the height of her fame, but “I can control my weight”.

She revealed how she tried to control the narrative about what was being reported about her: “I could control it with the clothing, I could control it with my weight and I was controlling it in an extremely unhealthy way.

“When you have an eating disorder you become very good at lying and I was never honest about it with my parents.”

Victoria Beckham is available to stream on Netflix now.

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Paramount Chief David Ellison champions Oct. 7 drama ‘Red Alert’

About 200 people gathered on Paramount’s Melrose Avenue lot for a screening of “Red Alert,” a four-part scripted drama portraying the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel from the perspective of six victims.

The host of the Sept. 30 event was Paramount Chairman and Chief Executive David Ellison, who shared how he had chatted with Academy Award-nominated producer Lawrence Bender a few weeks earlier at a memorial service for legendary Hollywood power broker Skip Brittenham. That’s where Ellison learned that Bender’s Israeli-backed series, “Red Alert,” needed a home in the U.S.

Ellison quickly volunteered. “It was a fast ‘yes,’ ” he told the group.

On Tuesday, “Red Alert” debuted on the company’s streaming service, Paramount+, marking the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The initial Hamas assault left about 1,200 Israelis dead and more than 250 kidnapped.

The high-profile project comes two months after Ellison assumed control of Paramount in an $8-billion buyout by his family, led by billionaire and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, and private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners.

Since the deal closed Aug. 7, David Ellison has moved to position the company slightly right of the political center, while also taking on polarizing issues. The scion has been unafraid to challenge those in Hollywood who’ve called for a boycott of Israel.

More than two years after the Oct. 7 attack, a deep divide remains in Hollywood over the subsequent Israel-Hamas war.

Last month, Paramount condemned an open letter in support of Palestinians, which has gained steam in Hollywood. More than 5,000 people have signed the Film Workers for Palestine letter, including such prominent filmmakers as Adam McKay, Ava DuVernay, Alex Gibney and Hannah Einbinder.

The effort called for a boycott of Israeli film festivals, institutions and projects to help spur an end to the war in Gaza. The campaign was designed in the vein of South African boycotts decades ago, which proved to be instrumental in ending apartheid, that country’s racial segregation.

No other major studio followed Paramount.

In its Sept. 12 statement, Paramount said it disagreed with the Film Workers call to avoid film screenings or to work with Israeli film institutions.

“At Paramount, we believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, promote mutual understanding, and preserve the moments, ideas, and events that shape the world we share,” the company said. “Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace.”

The Film Workers group accused Paramount of misrepresenting the intent of its pledge, saying it did not target individual filmmakers.

But critics counter that filmmakers who engage with Israeli cultural institutions would likely fall under the ban.

More than 1,200 industry players including actors Mayim Bialik and Liev Schreiber and Paramount board member Sherry Lansing signed an opposing open letter released by the nonprofit organization Creative Community For Peace that accuses the Film Workers for Palestine of advocating “arbitrary censorship and the erasure of art.”

The Palestinian supporters dismissed the characterization. “The Film Workers Pledge to End Complicity is an explicitly anti-racist and non-violent campaign that is grounded in international law and the moral clarity of a global majority opposed to genocide,” the group said in a statement this week. “It is the first major refusal of the international film industry at large that targets complicit Israeli film institutions and companies.”

“Red Alert” was co-produced by a prominent Israeli production company, Keshet Media Group, and received funding from the Jewish National Fund-USA and the Israel Entertainment Fund. The series premiered last weekend on Israel’s popular television channel Keshet 12. Keshet produced the Hebrew-language series “Prisoners of War” that Showtime later adapted into the award-winning American drama “Homeland.”

During the late September screening at Paramount, Ellison spoke of the need for such projects as “Red Alert” to remember the atrocities as well as stories of survival and heroism.

“We at Paramount, we are here to tell stories that last forever,” Ellison said. “We are not here to debate politics or platforms or to argue about east or west. And ‘Red Alert’ is the very embodiment of that mission, and I couldn’t be prouder to support this series.”

Critics note that Ellison’s father, Larry, the co-founder of Oracle, is a prominent supporter of Israel, contributing millions to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.

Others in Hollywood have found fault with Israel’s government and its conduct in the Gaza war, which has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians or combatants.

The United Nations, rights groups, experts and many Western governments accuse Israel of committing genocide. Israel denies the charge.

During a May 2024 Simon Wiesenthal Center gala in his honor, WME Group Executive Chairman Ari Emanuel sharply denounced Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called for his ouster. Emanuel’s remarks were met with cheers and jeers and some attendees walked out.

In his Oscar acceptance speech last year, Jonathan Glazer, director of the Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest,” asked “Whether the victims of October 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization — how do we resist?”

Weeks later, Steven Spielberg called out the rise of antisemitism as well as the ongoing war.

“We can rage against the heinous acts committed by the terrorists of October 7th and also decry the killing of innocent women and children in Gaza,” Spielberg said during an event celebrating the anniversary of the USC Shoah Foundation.

Paramount’s opposition to the Film Workers’ pledge and other recent moves, including buying the Free Press news site for $150 million and installing its founder, journalist Bari Weiss, as the editor in chief at CBS News, has rattled a small group of Paramount employees.

David Ellison recruited Weiss, who has been public about her support for Israel, for the prominent role.

The division was roiled by Paramount’s efforts to settle President Trump’s lawsuit over edits to a “60 Minutes” interview a year ago with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount this summer agreed to pay $16 million to end Trump’s suit, which 1st Amendment experts viewed as a spurious shakedown.

Weeks later, Trump appointees on the Federal Communications Commission approved the Ellison family’s takeover of Paramount.

The employee group, which calls itself Paramount Employees of Conscience, said they have sent two letters to Paramount leaders in the last month to voice their concerns but have not received a reply. In a statement, the group noted that while Paramount+ was distributing “Red Alert,” the company had not offered “equivalent programming about Palestinian experiences of the genocide in Gaza.”

“How can a company with this supposed creative mission actively ignore, suppress, and silence internal calls for years to champion stories that shed a light on the reality that marginalized and excluded communities, particularly Palestinians, face every day?” the group asked in a Sept. 17 letter addressed to Paramount’s leadership.

Paramount declined to comment.

The group includes about 30 employees, according to one member who asked not to be identified out of fear of retribution.

Paramount employees separately are bracing for a steep round of layoffs, which is expected next month. Ellison’s firm Skydance Media and RedBird promised Wall Street that they would find more than $2 billion in cost cuts at Paramount.

“We know the Ellisons are formidable, powerful and have a lot of resources,” said the Paramount employee. “But we are here to interrupt a culture of silence…. Silence within the industry becomes complicity.”

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