gesture

Lakers guard Marcus Smart has been fined $35,000 for making an obscene gesture toward a game official during halftime of the game Thursday against the Utah Jazz, the NBA announced Saturday.

Smart was assessed a technical foul for his action as walked off the court for intermission after exchanging words with an official.

The Lakers pulled out a 143-135 victory in Salt Lake City when the 31-year-old defensive specialist scored nine of his 17 points by making three of four three-point shots in the fourth quarter.

Smart, who is averaging 10.6 points, 2.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 17 games this season, will again be in the starting lineup Saturday night in place of injured Austin Reaves when the Lakers take on the Clippers at Intuit Dome.

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua apologized for performing a gesture “antisemitic in nature” during a livestream, stating he originally had no idea it “perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people.”

“I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry or hate of another group of people,” Nacua wrote in a post on Instagram.

Nacua made the gesture while appearing on a livestream with Adin Ross and N3on. The livestreamers suggested he perform the gesture the next time he celebrated after scoring a touchdown.

“There is no place in this world for Antisemitism as well as other forms of prejudice or hostility towards the Jewish people and people of any religion, ethnicity, or race,” the Rams said in a statement.

The NFL also released a statement: “The NFL strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and derogatory behavior directed towards any group or individual. The continuing rise of antisemitism must be addressed across the world, and the NFL will continue to stand with our partners in this fight. Hatred has no place in our sport or society.”

Nacua’s gesture came on the same livestream in which he also criticized NFL referees, calling them “the worst” and claiming many probably get a thrill making bad calls on national television during games.

HE held back tears in his Netflix documentary when he heard about the tragic death of One Direction star Liam Payne.

And I can reveal that, as a mark of respect, Simon Cowell sent the emotional footage from The Next Act to Liam’s family and his ex Cheryl Tweedy before it aired this week.

The six-parter sees Simon searching for the next big boyband after the record-breaking success of 1D on the X Factor in 2010.

After the series dropped on Wednesday, the music mogul said he felt he “had to tell” Liam’s loved ones his passing was acknowledged on the show.

Simon said: “In the middle, there was that moment with Liam, which was just horrific. That really threw us. I was very close to him and that was hard. We almost stopped filming. I had to go away, clear my head.

“We took a break for about two weeks. Before that it had been almost every day. I sent [parts of episode three] to Liam’s parents and Cheryl to see, for obvious reasons, and I said, ‘Look, I don’t want you to just see it when it airs’.

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‘Made a promise’

“And so the production company sent it to them and they were fine with it. It was respectful, I think.”

The Next Act had been filming almost daily since December 2023, allowing cameras access to Simon’s talent hunt.

But he paused to consider if they should continue after Liam’s death in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October last year.

Liam and Cheryl, who were together for two years, share a son Bear, eight.

Simon said of Liam in the episode: “He was just so normal and down to earth, he always had a sparkle in his eye.

“Everyone adored him. You don’t know how you feel about someone until you lose them. I am going to genuinely miss him.”

After the two-week break, Simon said he realised he had made the show hopefuls “a promise”, so filming resumed.

The group, DECEMBER 10, have just signed a deal with EMI/Universal.

I was lucky enough to watch John, Cruz, Nicolas, Sean, Josh, Danny and Hendrik at a top-secret playback in London on Wednesday.

From what I saw, these boys will do Simon proud.

Lily’s Vic and Bob

LILY COLLINS has had a Posh makeover for the fifth series of Netflix’s Emily In Paris.

The actress has channelled Victoria Beckham’s Spice Girl alter ego for the series, which kicks off on Thursday.

Director Andy Fleming told Biz on Sunday: “There is for sure a Posh Spice vibe going on this season. I noticed it straight away. I mean, her bob. Hello?”

It comes after Lily was stunned to meet her idol Victoria on the set of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Looks like this season will be full of girl power.

Grinch must be feeling Jaded

JADE THIRLWALL doesn’t do fancy dress by halves.

The former Little Mix singer is one of the most costume-committed celebs – rivalled only by Heidi Klum on Halloween.

But even Heidi would have been green with envy when she saw what Jade wore on a night out in London on Friday.

The singer, who turns 33 on Boxing Day, went all out and dressed up as the female Grinch character.

She even persuaded her boyfriend, Rizzle Kicks rapper Jordan Stephens, to go with the green theme.

Their bed sheets must have been a nightmare to clean  . . . 

Taylor hands mega bonuses to crew

HER record-breaking Eras Tour propelled Taylor Swift to billionaire status.

And after making fans’ dreams come true with her dazzling show, the US superstar did the same for her tour crew.

The Shake It Off hitmaker is believed to have handed out $197million – around £148million – in bonuses to every person who helped with her shows.

Taylor thanked each crew member with a handwritten letter, sealed with a wax stamp, and a bonus – with each of her truck drivers understood to have received cheques for $100,000 (£75,000).

One insider, who worked in catering, said they were able to pay off their student loan and still have thousands of dollars left over.

And in her new Disney+ documentary, The End Of An Era, Taylor is seen handing out the huge cheques to her dancers.

She said: “It took me a couple of weeks – but it is fun to write the notes.

“It is fun to think about everyone’s lives that they are going to go back to and the time off they are going to have. And the kids they haven’t seen because they have been away for months and making that worthwhile for them.

“It feels like Christmas morning when you finally get to say thank you.”

Speaking to her dancers, Taylor said: “The tour has done really well thanks to all of our hard work so if you would kindly read this message . . . ”

Handing the letter to dancer Kam Saunders, he read: “Dearest Kam, we have travelled the world like we set out to do.

“We have dazzled the crowds but we have missed family too.

“My full gratitude doesn’t come from the bank – but here’s (bleeped out) just to say thanks. Love, Taylor.”

The dancers were seen hugging and crying after receiving the life-changing bonuses.

One dancer even clutched an inhaler after opening her letter.

I imagine I would have hyperventilated as well.

Oasis bank fortune for reunion tour

THE drinks are on the Gallagher brothers this Christmas after the Oasis Live ’25 comeback tour raked in an incredible £303million.

New stats by US music mag Pollstar have revealed Britpop pioneers Noel and Liam made $405,428,435, sold 2,228,471 tickets to their long-awaited reunion gigs, with a nightly revenue of $11,261,901 – £8,430,546.47.

Their 41-date trek spanned five continents and 13 countries between July and November.

And the siblings played to an average of 61,902 people per night.

Meanwhile, the average fan is believed to have spent £136 on a ticket.

I revealed last week that Noel, who has an estimated net worth of £53million, was whisking his family off to the Maldives for a festive getaway after five months on the road.

Oasis ranked No2 in the biggest-grossing tours of 2025 – with US superstar Beyonce holding the top spot .

The Texas Hold ’Em hitmaker saw her Cowboy Carter Tour gross $407,600,113, (around £305million), with an average ticket price of £191.

Coldplay were third, followed by Kendrick Lamar/SZA.

But Shakira, The Weeknd and Lady Gaga all had to settle for spots further down the Top Ten.

Some might say Noel and Liam nailed it . . . 

Rushing back into Big Time

THEY rose to fame as teenagers on a US TV series about a boy band – and 16 years later Big Time Rush have revealed they have a whole new generation of fans, thanks to Netflix.

The streaming giant gave a new lease of life to the original series of the sitcom, which first aired in the States from 2009 to 2013 and featured the group playing a fictionalised version of themselves.

Biz on Sunday’s Emily chatted to band members Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Penavega and Logan Henderson backstage ahead of their final tour date at London’s Ovo Arena Wembley on Thursday.

Kendall said: “We got lucky during Covid because Netflix picked up the show. Everybody was at home just binge watching stuff, so this whole new generation of kids started watching it.”

Carlos added: “It’s weird seeing my kids come to the show because they didn’t even exist back then.”

Asked how touring compares now they are in their 30s, Kendall replied: “We all definitely went out a lot more in our 20s – but now I truly enjoy getting up early and getting to see different aspects of the city.”

Logan added: “When we were younger, things were moving so fast we didn’t really get a chance to breathe and really soak it in.”

From what I saw on Thursday night, the boys are still on their A-game.

• Check out Big Time Rush on our TikTok channel where the boys reveal their Sunday Setlist. Scan left.

This week who would I…

Snog

Marry

Avoid

A UNESCO panel backed Italy’s bid, recognising Italian cuisine as a social ritual that binds families, communities.

Italian cuisine, long cherished for its deep regional traditions, has been officially recognised by UNESCO as an “intangible cultural heritage” – a designation the country hopes will elevate its global prestige and draw more visitors.

“We are the first in the world to receive this recognition, which honours who we are and our identity,” Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement on Instagram on Wednesday.

“For us Italians, cuisine is not just food, not just a collection of recipes. It is much more, it is culture, tradition, work, and wealth,” Meloni said.

The vote by a cultural panel of UNESCO – the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – meeting in New Delhi capped a process Italy launched in 2023, with the government portraying the country’s culinary tradition as a social ritual that binds families and communities.

🔴 BREAKING

New inscription on the #IntangibleHeritage List: Italian cooking, between sustainability and biocultural diversity, #Italy🇮🇹.

Congratulations!https://t.co/xoL14QjPPR #LivingHeritage pic.twitter.com/2iY86Obn3n

— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 (@UNESCO) December 10, 2025

‘Cooking is a gesture of love’

UNESCO did not single out any famous dishes or regional specialities. Instead, the citation focused on how much Italians value the everyday rituals around food: the big Sunday lunch, the tradition of nonnas teaching kids how to fold tortellini just right, and simply sitting down together to enjoy a meal.

“Cooking is a gesture of love; it’s how we share who we are and how we look after each other,” said Pier Luigi Petrillo, part of Italy’s UNESCO campaign and a professor at Rome’s La Sapienza University.

In its announcement, UNESCO described Italian cuisine as a “cultural and social blend of culinary traditions”.

“Beyond cooking, practitioners view the element as a way of caring for oneself and others, expressing love and rediscovering one’s cultural roots. It gives communities an outlet to share their history and describe the world around them,” it added.

The UNESCO listing could deliver further economic benefits to a country already renowned for its cooking and where the agri-food supply chain accounts for about 15 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP).

It could also bring some relief to traditional family-run restaurants, long the backbone of Italian dining, which are facing a harsh economic climate in a market increasingly polarised between premium and budget options.

Honouring cultural expressions

Italy is not the first country to see its cuisine honoured as a cultural expression.

In 2010, UNESCO inscribed the “gastronomic meal of the French” on its intangible heritage list, calling out France’s tradition of marking life’s important moments around the table.

Other food traditions have been added in recent years, too, including the cider culture of Spain’s Asturian region, Senegal’s Ceebu Jen dish, and the traditional cheese-making of Minas Gerais in Brazil.

UNESCO reviews new candidates for its intangible-heritage lists every year under three categories: a representative list; a list for practices considered in “urgent” need of safeguarding; and a register of effective safeguarding practices.

At this year’s meeting in New Delhi, the committee evaluated 53 proposals for the representative list, which already includes 788 entries. Other nominees included Swiss yodelling, the handloom weaving technique used to make Bangladesh’s Tangail sarees, and Chile’s family circuses.