Hollywood

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s David Zahniser, with an assist from Noah Goldberg, giving you the latest on city and county government.

L.A. City Hall is not known for making things simple for real estate developers — especially those seeking approval of large, complicated projects.

Yet earlier this year, Westwood resident Zach Sokoloff navigated the city’s bureaucratic obstacle course, winning City Council approval of a $1-billion plan to redevelop Television City, the historic studio property on Beverly Boulevard.

Now, Sokoloff is hoping to make what some might view as a baffling career change, jumping from Hackman Capital Partners, where he is senior vice president for asset management, to a job as L.A.’s next elected city controller.

For that to happen, Sokoloff would need to defeat City Controller Kenneth Mejia, who is running for another four-year term in June. That’s a tall order, given Mejia’s social media savvy, his status as an incumbent and his deft use of graphics highlighting the minutiae of city government — sometimes featuring hat-wearing corgis.

In 2022, Mejia secured more votes than any other candidate in city history, as he and his team like to point out. Former state Sen. Isadore Hall, who is also running against Mejia, has his own track record of winning elections.

Sokoloff, by contrast, has never run for public office. He’s spent the past seven years at Hackman, which proposed the 25-acre Television City project and owns other studio properties.

A onetime grade school algebra teacher, Sokoloff promised to emphasize “leadership through listening” if he is elected, shining a light on areas where the city is struggling and working collaboratively to find solutions.

Sokoloff gave some credit to Mejia for seeking to make city government more transparent and understandable. But he argued that such efforts are only a starting point.

Mejia’s audits, he said, “just aren’t moving the needle.”

“He’s shown a preference for lobbing criticism after the fact, rather than getting involved early on to shape the outcome,” Sokoloff said in an interview.

Mejia spokesperson Jane Nguyen pushed back, saying Mejia has championed an array of policy changes, including the creation of a chief financial officer position and a move to “multi-year budgeting.”

In an email, Nguyen said public officials have been responding to Mejia’s audits by working to improve oversight of rents for affordable housing, purchases of military equipment by the Los Angeles Police Department and housing placements by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

“Despite our small audit staff, this work is ‘moving the needle’ and making a difference in city policies and departments while improving the quality of life of Angelenos,” she said.

Nguyen said her boss has listened to thousands of constituents at community events and at his town hall meetings.

“All politicians ‘listen,’” she said. “The difference between Kenneth Mejia and our opponents is who we listen to. Our Office listens to the people of Los Angeles.”

If Mejia secures a majority of the vote in June, he will avoid a November 2026 runoff. Forcing Mejia into a round two will be a tough task for Hall and Sokoloff, said political science professor Fernando Guerra, who runs the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University.

Because city controller is a relatively low-profile position and Mejia is an incumbent, voters will likely stick with him unless there’s serious “negative publicity,” Guerra said.

“While he’s quirky, there’s nothing there that’s in any way scandalous,” Guerra added.

Sokoloff is launching his campaign at an opportune time. Television City is the subject of several lawsuits, which have been filed not just by neighborhood groups but also The Grove, the shopping mall developed by businessman and former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso. Those plaintiffs have asked a judge to overturn the council’s approval of the project, saying the city failed to comply with CEQA, the state’s environmental law.

Shelley Wagers, who lives nearby and has been fighting the project, said she was surprised by Sokoloff’s decision to run for citywide office. Asked whether he is in fact good at listening, she replied: “Not in my experience, no.”

Sokoloff defended his company’s handling of the TVC project, pointing to the unanimous votes cast by the planning commission and the council.

“We built a broad and diverse coalition of supporters,” he said. “Ultimately, the results of the [city’s] entitlement process speak for themselves.”

Sokoloff has already picked up one key endorsement: Laura Chick, who was perhaps the most confrontational city controller in recent history. Chick, who served in citywide office from 2001 to 2009, took on officials at the city’s harbor, its airport agency, the city attorney’s office and many others.

Chick, who now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, said L.A. needs a controller who will find strategies to make the city more efficient and effective.

“[Sokoloff] understands that L.A. needs an active problem solver as its chief auditor,” she said.

State of play

— CREATING A RECORD: Mayor Karen Bass, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez and an assortment of elected officials, clergy and community activists went to a four-hour hearing this week that focused on the impact — and alleged abuses — of Trump’s immigration crackdown. “We want to establish a record, because when the political winds change, we want to hold those accountable,” Bass said.

— THANKSGIVING TEXTS: Caruso, the real estate developer now weighing a second run for mayor, offered his own message on the immigration raids this week, sending a text message blast asking for donations to help families whose lives have been upended by crackdown.

“As we get ready to sit down with family tomorrow, I’m thinking about the families across our city whose Thanksgiving will look a little different,” Caruso wrote on Wednesday. “Many are afraid to return to work after the recent workplace raids, leaving families short on food, rent, and basic necessities.”

— CONCEPT OF A PLAN: Mayoral candidate Austin Beutner said he supports “the concept” of hiking L.A.’s sales tax by a half-cent to pay for additional firefighters and fire stations. Beutner offered his take a few days after the firefighters union confirmed it is preparing ballot language for the tax, which would raise $9.8 billion by 2050. The union wants voters to take up the measure in November 2026.

— FIRE FUNDING: Even without the tax, Fire Chief Jaime Moore is asking for more than $1 billion for his department’s next annual budget, a 15% hike over the current year. Moore said the additional funds are needed to ensure the city is prepared for emergencies like the Palisades fire.

— DIALING 9-1-1: Sticking with the firefighting theme, Beutner posted an interactive graphic on his website showing how much paramedic response times have increased in most zip codes in the city. Beutner said firefighters are being asked to respond to too many non-emergency calls.

— DELAYED RESPONSE: Residents in neighborhoods near the Port of Los Angeles were not told to shelter in place until nearly six hours after a massive hazardous materials fire broke out aboard a cargo ship in the harbor. The handling of the alert, which urged residents to go inside immediately and shut their doors and windows, follows deep concerns about the region’s alert system and how it worked during the Eaton fire in January.

— KATZ OUT THE BAG: The five-member board that oversees the Department of Water and Power has lost its third commissioner in as many months. Richard Katz, a former state lawmaker and a Bass appointee, had his final meeting on Nov. 18. In his resignation letter, he said he’s stepping aside to focus on two upcoming surgeries.

— LACKING A QUORUM: Because the DWP board needs three members to hold a meeting, it won’t be able to conduct any business until the council confirms the mayor’s newest appointee: Benny Tran, who is slated to replace Mia Lehrer. Tran is a principal with Baobab Global Consulting, according to his nomination paperwork.

— IN HOT WATER: A high-ranking DWP employee has been accused of making staffers run personal errands for her on city time, including purchasing tickets to a Snoop Dogg concert, according to a filing lodged by the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission’s director of enforcement. The employee’s lawyer said the claims were the product of a disgruntled subordinate.

— MONEY TROUBLES: L.A. County’s Department of Homeless Services and Housing faces a $230-million financial gap in the upcoming budget year, setting the stage for cuts to key services. Officials are looking at scaling back an array of programs, including services to help homeless residents find apartments.

— BOLSTERING THE BUDGET: The council’s new Budget and Finance Advisory Committee, a five-member citizen panel looking at ways to strengthen the city’s finances, held its first meeting this week, selecting former City Controller Ron Galperin as its chairman. The committee plans to look at the city’s investment strategies, real estate portfolio, legal obligations and overall approach to annual budgets.

QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature program to combat homelessness did not launch new operations this week.
• On the docket next week: The Charter Reform Commission is set to hold an outdoor town hall Saturday at Echo Park Lake. The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., will take place on the northeast lawn at Echo Park and Park avenues.

Stay in touch

That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to [email protected]. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.

Before the sci-fi series “Stranger Things” premiered on Netflix, several traditional studios had already passed on it. Its creators were first-time show runners, unknown young actors were cast in lead roles, and even though the show starred kids, it was not for children.

That was nine years ago.

The 1980s-set show about a monster that wreaks havoc on fictional Hawkins, Ind., hit a chord with Netflix’s global subscribers. “Stranger Things” has since become one of the streamer’s most culturally significant shows, with its fourth season garnering 140.7 million views in its first three months and ranking third among its top English-language series. It was instrumental in growing new branches of business for Netflix, including live events, a Broadway production and inspired brands eager to partner on licensed merchandise. It became a major franchise for the platform, a chance to build a universe around its central characters and create its own version of “Star Wars.”

Rayna Lynn Chacon, 26, from Los Angeles dresses as Eleven from “Stranger Things” during the Netflix x CicLAvia event.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

The show helped build Netflix’s reputation as a place that makes big bets on original ideas and, if it’s a hit, can build a large fandom for such programs with its worldwide subscriber base.

Netflix took a chance on show runner brothers Matt and Ross Duffer. The pair never imagined the series, which held its first premiere in Silver Lake at Mack Sennett Studios, would take off the way it did.

That wasn’t lost on Matt Duffer, who stood on stage at the final season premiere inside the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood earlier this month. It was the same place “Star Wars” premiered in 1977.

“For me, as a nerd, this is a dream come true,” Duffer told the audience.

In an interview, Bela Bajaria, the chief content officer at Netflix, lauded the success of the series: “You could take a bet on an original story, and grow it to a major franchise that has massive global appeal.”

Other Netflix shows, like “House of Cards,” have certainly captured the zeitgeist before, but co-CEO Ted Sarandos said he believes “Stranger Things” stands above some previous hits.

“This was a lot closer to a ‘Star Wars’ moment,” Sarandos said speaking on stage at the “Stranger Things” final season premiere in Hollywood earlier this month. “This is a show, and these are characters that move the culture, that spawned live events and consumer products and spinoffs and sequels … Everything from the first episode of the first season to ‘The First Shadow,’ the Broadway show, the origin story of the Upside Down, it has been and continues to be a remarkable addition to entertainment culture.”

The four past seasons of “Stranger Things” made it into Netflix’s Top 10 this past week, Netflix said. From 2020 to the second quarter of 2025, “Stranger Things” earned more than $1 billion in global streaming revenue for Netflix and was responsible for more than 2 million new subscriber acquisitions, according to estimates from Parrot Analytics, which tracks streaming data. Netflix declined to comment on Parrot’s estimates.

“Every single streaming service needs that anchor series that drives customer acquisition and helps define the original programming,” said Brandon Katz, director of insights and content strategy at Greenlight Analytics, adding for Hulu it was “The Handmaid’s Tale” and for Disney+, “The Mandalorian.” “’Stranger Things’ has undoubtedly been that for Netflix. Every few years that it does air, Netflix knows there is a guaranteed high ceiling of acquisition, retention and viewership power,” Katz said.

Participants bike past a Demogorgon sleigh during the Netflix x CicLAvia event.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

“Stranger Things” also helped Netflix expand into licensed goods, with brands eager to partner with the platform. There are themed Eggo breakfast foods, Lego sets and clothing.

The series “has been a catalyst for Netflix to explore all of the ways in which a single entertainment property can be turned into an entire global lifestyle,” said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.

Its popularity has helped other creative collaborators as well.

Artists whose songs were featured on the show climbed the charts. Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” was featured in Season 4 and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, 37 years after its original release, Netflix said. Metallica’s 1986 song “Master of Puppets” also broke the U.K. Top 30 for the first time after it played during the Season 4 finale, the streamer added.

The series has been recognized with more than 65 awards and 175 nominations. Netflix estimates “Stranger Things” has helped create 8,000 production-related jobs in the U.S. over its five seasons and, since 2015, contributed more than $1.4 billion to U.S. GDP. In California, Netflix estimates the series contributed more than $500 million of GDP.

Netflix is doing a large marketing push with fan events in 28 cities and 21 countries as the series draws to a close. On Sunday, the streamer hosted a bike ride on a stretch of Melrose Avenue in partnership with CicLAvia where 50,000 fans were encouraged to dress in ’80s attire, or as a “Stranger Things” character. On Thursday, a “Stranger Things” float appeared in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

The company began a phased release of the final season with four episodes that debuted Wednesday. Another three episodes will land on Christmas Day and a two-hour finale Dec. 31 on Netflix. The finale will also play in more than 350 movie theaters in the U.S. and Canada on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

“Stranger Things” fans Kelly Audrain and Jason Serstock said they have been rewatching the show from the beginning to refresh their memories on the whole tale, and were still on Season 2 as of earlier this month. The couple attended the premiere of the last season in Hollywood.

“The whole costuming and everything was so perfect that you just feel like you’re taken back to the ’80s,” 29-year-old Audrain said, who was dressed as “Stranger Things” character Eleven in a pink dress and sporting a mock bloody nose.

Lilia Lupercio, 53, left, Audrey Haluska, 15, center, and Janet Lupercio, 45, right, from Downey pose for a photograph with a “Stranger Things” backdrop.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

Netflix is expanding the show’s universe with the animated series “Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85” next year. In April, Netflix’s “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” stage play hit Broadway. The company has also opened “Stranger Things” pop-up stores, held live experiences and will feature immersive experiences at its Netflix House locations, including “Stranger Things: Escape the Dark” in Dallas. In Las Vegas, Netflix will offer themed foods like Surfer Boy Pizza at its Netflix Bites restaurant.

The Duffers recently told Deadline a spinoff is in the works at Netflix. Bajaria declined to share anything about that but said, “I think the world is really rich and there’s still a lot of story in there.”

But there are challenges ahead. Netflix, seen as the leader in subscription streaming, has had two major flagship series end this year — “Stranger Things” and Korean-language drama “Squid Game.” Analysts say the company will need to keep pumping out popular shows and movies to keep subscribers coming back.

Netflix has successfully expanded its “Squid Game” franchise to include reality competition series “Squid Game: The Challenge,” where more than 95% of watchers also tuned into the scripted series. Other popular franchises like Addams family series “Wednesday,” pirates tale “One Piece” and Regency-era romance “Bridgerton” are ongoing. Netflix’s hit animated movie “KPop Demon Hunters” will get a sequel.

Separately, Netflix placed a bid on parts of Warner Bros. Discovery, with interest in Warner’s Burbank studios and HBO, according to people familiar with the matter. If the acquisition is successful, it would greatly expand Netflix’s library of titles and intellectual property.

While the Duffer brothers still have projects with Netflix, they recently signed a four-year exclusive deal with Paramount for feature films, TV and streaming projects. Some industry observers viewed that as a loss for Netflix.

Omar Chavez, 42, left, and Jenna Chavez, 28, right, from West Hollywood walk past a poster during the Netflix x CicLAvia event.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

“The Duffers are so young, and they’re just really beginning their journey,” said Tom Nunan, a former studio and network executive. “I have no doubt they’ll be pushing out more hits and more of a variety of successes in the future,” he said, adding that the brothers’ work at Paramount could compete with Netflix.

But Bajaria noted that the Duffers still have some projects in the works at Netflix, including sci-fi series “The Boroughs” and horror series “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen.”

“They’re always gonna be part of the Netflix family and I’m excited we still have more things with them,” Bajaria said.

Times staff writer Meg James contributed to this article.

HOLLYWOOD star Ioan Gruffud has welcomed a baby into the world with wife Bianca Wallace amid his court battles with his ex wife Alice Evans.

Bianca and Ioan, who is already a dad to two daughters with Alice, shared their happy news on social media today.

The couple wrote alongside a photo of them enjoying a kiss in the hospital: “November was a biggie…  Name: Mila Mae Gruffudd.

“Birth date: 2 November 2025. Due date: 2 December 2025.

“Bubba Bear and Rocky: Absolutely smitten. Daddy & Mummy: Completely and totally in love with our tiny little angel

“Extremely grateful this thanksgiving.”

READ MORE ON IOAN’S DIVORCE

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FAMILY FEUD

Alice Evans KICKED OUT of court for taking photos of ex-husband during hearing

It comes more than two years after Fantastic Four star Ioan, 52, divorced British-American actress Alice, 57.

She played Chloe Simon in the film 102 Dalmatians as-well as Esther Mikaelson in the third season of the The Vampire Diaries.

The pair officially ended their marriage amid a bitter court battle and vicious custody row over their daughters.

Hollywood star Ioan also obtained a restraining order in 2022 against Alice.

Ioan and Bianca went public with their relationship in 2021.

The couple announced they were engaged in January 2024.

He revealed he was looking forward to giving marriage another go, captioning the photo on Instagram: “The most precious thing happened…”

They married in April this year and shared a video showing their romantic wedding ceremony.

Welsh actor Ioan could be seen wiping away tears as he expressed his love to Bianca.

Weeks later, they revealed they were expecting their first child together.

Australian actress and producer Bianca was diagnosed with incurable and aggressive MS (Multiple Sclerosis), an inflammatory disease which attacks the central nervous system and for which there is no cure, seven years ago.

She previously said she initially sought medical help when she struggled to pick up a pen to write, and admitted that “everything changed” thereafter.

Common symptoms of MS include fatigue, vision issues, and difficulties with walking or balance.

In September, Bianca was asked about her health and how she was coping being pregnant, and replied to a follower on Instagram: “Thank you for asking!

“The MS has been in remission and it’s been the most confronting, yet amazing thing to experience!

“I’ve heard breastfeeding also should help keep it at bay.

“My doctors have such great plan in place that I have a lot of hope that things won’t go back to how bad it was before pregnancy.”

Although there is no cure, various medicines and treatments can help alleviate some symptoms.

Speaking about her condition previously, she said in a lengthy post: “I celebrate this every single year. It pops up in my calendar and I have a happy moment …

“And so I’m at five years of MS today, not diagnosed, this is the day that the symptoms came up. I’m diagnosed October (2022), will be five years diagnosed.

“But I think it’s crucial and important to celebrate these moments and do not let them take you… these anniversaries, they really pack a punch in these kind of situations.”

IS SHE a crusader or a Rebel without a cause?

That’s the question surrounding Rebel Wilson this week, as she stares down the barrel of yet another legal wrangling — while passionately claiming she’s a “whistleblower” fighting for justice.

This week, in a bombshell TV interview, the 45-year-old broke her silence on the legal battle she is fighting surrounding her feature film directorial debut.

The star, who was born and raised in Sydney, told 60 Minutes Australia she had been the target of “incessant . . . bullying and harassment” by the producers of her comedy musical, The Deb.

The producers are suing her for defamation, breach of contract and sabotage and the lead actress has also launched a lawsuit against her.

It comes just 18 months after Rebel accused Sacha Baron Cohen of inappropriate behaviour on the set of another production — which he denies — and eight years after a landmark defamation battle.

Now, with her star showing signs of waning Down Under, have the endless litigations and allegations destroyed Rebel’s career?

In the latest real-life drama, the producers of The Deb — Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden — launched their legal action after Rebel claimed they had embezzled film funds.

She also accused Amanda of sexually harassing lead actress Charlotte MacInnes on set.

Charlotte, who denies she made claims of sexual harassment, is suing Rebel for defamation after the latter implied she had “changed her story” and was backtracking to save her career.

Rebel says the producers’ complaints against her are “an attempt to sling mud at [her] reputation”, and that all the muck and mess surrounding the project has been her “worst nightmare”.

‘Smear campaign’

She is now countersuing the producers, accusing them of financial misdeeds, misconduct and coercion.

She claims she had been subjected to suppressive measures, saying: “They locked me in a room and forced me to sign documents. I was like, ‘This is like the KGB.’ ”

The producers vehemently deny Rebel’s allegations, which she initially highlighted in an Instagram video in July 2024.

In the original clip, Rebel accused them of “bad behaviour”, “embezzling funds” and of perpetrating “inappropriate behaviour towards the lead actress”.

She subsequently claimed it was Amanda Ghost who had taken things too far with Charlotte. Rebel alleged Amanda had “asked [Charlotte] to have a bath and shower with her and it made her feel uncomfortable”.

In an extra layer to the mudslinging, both Charlotte and the producers have also accused Rebel of being behind several websites allegedly created as a smear campaign, which have since been taken down.

What is very clear is that she is not as loved here in recent years as I think she expected to be

Eleanor Sprawson, a journalist based in Australia, on Rebel Wilson

These websites accused Amanda, who is of Indo–Trinidadian heritage, of being akin to “the Indian Ghislaine Maxwell” and referred to her as a “full pimp” who was “procuring young women for the pleasure of the extremely wealthy”.

Rebel has denied any involvement in a smear campaign or the creation of websites against her legal foes, claiming she was heavily involved in getting them removed.

The cases rumble on and Rebel remains undeterred.

Not only does she stand by her story and appears willing to fight to the end, she is also loudly promoting new projects on Instagram and is looking forward to seeing The Deb finally hit screens in Australia in January.

Rebel’s history suggests she is not someone to be provoked.

In 2016, Rebel — who found global fame in 2011 comedy Bridesmaids, before her scene-stealing turn as Fat Amy in 2012’s Pitch Perfect — set fire to the media landscape in Australia after launching a legal battle against Bauer Media.

In a landmark defamation case, Rebel sued the publisher over a series of articles published in 2015, that accused her of lying about her age, real name, and details of her upbringing, to advance her career.

Rebel said these stories had painted her as a serial liar and fraud, and had caused her to lose major film roles in Hollywood. She added that they had been perfectly timed to harm her as her career peaked post-Pitch Perfect.

Initially, the judge ruled in her favour, granting her $4.5million (£2.3million) — the largest defamation payout in Australian history — which she vowed to donate to charity and film projects.

But a later appeal saw the damages reduced to $600,000 — and Rebel was also ordered to pay 80 per cent of Bauer’s appeal costs.

While the appeal court upheld the initial verdict, it found the actress had not proved she had lost specific Hollywood roles solely because of the articles written about her. Another appeal followed — this time from Rebel — but the courts didn’t budge on the reduced payout.

Standing outside the High Court of Australia in November 2018, the actress told reporters: “To me, it was never about the money, but about standing up to a bully and I have done that successfully.”

Such a stance — pushing back against oppressors — is what Rebel has always argued she is doing. More so, perhaps, than the average celebrity — because, as time has passed, Rebel has continued to set the cat among the pigeons.

Last year, she hit the headlines again, as she released her  autobiography Rebel Rising — taking to Instagram to identify Sacha Baron Cohen as the unnamed “massive a**hole” that a controversial chapter of the book centres on.

The Borat actor had directed and starred opposite Rebel in their 2016 movie Grimsby.

Rebel claimed she had been pressured to perform a “lewd act” that was never in a script.

Reflecting on the filming process, Rebel alleged Sacha made repeated, inappropriate requests to her, like: “Just go naked, it will be funny”.

She said she had felt “bullied, humiliated and compromised”.

‘The boy who cried wolf’

While no legal action was taken by either side, Sacha slammed the claims as “demonstrably false” and argued that all evidence — including film footage, production notes and eyewitness statements — contradicted her account.

The book was published in its entirety in the US, but was partially redacted in the UK and Australia — with any mention of Rebel’s allegations against Sacha blacked out due to the legal risk of defamation.

In March 2024, Rebel railed against her suppressors, writing on social media that she would not be “bullied or silenced by high-priced lawyers or crisis PR managers”.

And now she is doubling down on that promise, thanks to her latest public battle.

So, where does that leave Rebel, who, ten years ago was considered to be one of Hollywood’s funniest women.

Eleanor Sprawson, a journalist based in Australia, where Rebel initially found fame, says the temperature has changed towards the actress in recent years.

“What is very clear is that she is not as loved here in recent years as I think she expected to be,” Eleanor explains.

“She was loved, way back 20 or more years ago when she was in a comedy series called Pizza, and I think people were excited for her when she took off in Hollywood.

“So when she presented a local show called Pooch Perfect, TV executives definitely thought they were on to a huge winner: ‘Local girl turned Hollywood star returning to do humble Australian TV’-type thing.

“But in fact the show bombed — and it bombed literally when people were locked in their houses because of the pandemic, with nothing to do EXCEPT watch TV. I think it proves that Australians have not taken her to their hearts.”

She adds: “She certainly did herself no favours by slagging off that old show Pizza in her memoirs. This show is very fondly remembered about a kind of class of people who don’t get much exposure on Australian TV in general.”

No one in the industry will want to work with her in the future if this behaviour is kept up. They’d be scared of legal issues or defamatory language

PR expert Quincy Dash

Meanwhile, Rebel could be seen as fighting causes that matter. In 2021, she donated $1million to the Australian Theatre for Young People.

She’s certainly combative, but has needed to be. In 2022, she came out as gay by posting an Instagram photo of her and her then girlfriend, now wife, Ramona Agruma.

Rebel revealed she’d had to “rush” her coming out after The Sydney Morning Herald contacted her representatives for comment on the new relationship

The actress also had to face constant scrutiny over her fluctuating weight, which — while she previously said made her the go-to funny girl.

But, as PR expert Quincy Dash tells The Sun, her litigious and provocative behaviour sometimes makes her seem like “the boy who cried wolf”.

He warns that “no one in the industry will want to work with her in the future if this behaviour is kept up. They’d be scared of legal issues or defamatory language.”

As it stands, Rebel is pushing ahead, and will next be seen in the Sky Original festive film Tinsel Town next month.

But as for her once-glistening career, she’s going to have to really ask herself: Does she really have a cause worth fighting for?

JESSIE J has taken a leaf out of Jennifer Lopez’s book and taken aim at her Hollywood ex on her new music.

Earlier this year, J-Lo slammed Ben Affleck on track Wreckage of You after her marriage to the actor broke down.

Now Jessie has let rip at Channing Tatum, who she dated from 2018 to 2020, on her album Don’t Tease Me With A Good Time, which is out on Friday.

On the not-so-subtle track Threw It Away, Jessie brands a former flame a “beast”.

She sings: “I put my heart out on the table, that’s when it got uncomfortable. But oh that karma is gonna come one day, ’cause I gave you my love and you threw it away.”

She later adds: “Don’t you dare rewrite the story. I’m the beauty, you’re the beast.”

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‘I’m better person’

Taking to the stage at an exclusive listening party for the album in West London, Jessie did not mention the Magic Mike star by name.

But she left little doubt among fans who the track is about.

She said: “This next song I wrote in 2020 with Ryan Tedder, and you can figure out who I was dating.”

After taking time out over the summer to undergo treatment for breast cancer, Jessie is working at full pace.

Opening up about her health battle, Jessie said: “I’m grateful for the lessons and grateful for the connectivity it’s given me with so many people having cancer.

“And I’ve been a better parent, I’ve been a better person.”

Diversity has taken a back seat in Hollywood, and Eva Longoria is taking notice.

In a recent interview with British publication the Times, the 50-year-old actor-director-producer spoke out about the lack of Latino representation on screen.

“We’re severely underrepresented in TV and film and it’s getting worse,” said Longoria. “Five years ago we [made up], like, 7% of TV and film and now we’re 4%. It’s actually going in the wrong direction.”

According to UCLA’s 2025 Hollywood Diversity Report, 1% of Latino performers were leading roles in top theatrical films, while 4.3% of Latino directors and 2.1% of Latino writers were involved in last year’s top films.

The report, released in February, found that the proportion of people of color working in entertainment roles dropped in every area from 2023 to 2024 when compared with their white counterparts. Actors of color made up 25.2% of lead roles in the top theatrical films in 2024, which is down from 29.2% in 2023. Also, directors of color accounted for 20.2% of 2024 movies, compared with 22.9% of films from the prior year.

This downward trend has popped up as President Trump has consistently targeted and called to end all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. As a result, much of Hollywood has followed his lead. Paramount Global changed its staffing goals related to gender, race, ethnicity and sex; Warner Bros. Discovery restated its DEI activities as “inclusion”; and Walt Disney Co. got rid of its “diversity and inclusion” performance standard used to calculate executive compensation.

“There is definitely a lot of work to be done. I’m trying to do my part,” Longoria told the Times. “That’s one of the main reasons I got behind the camera, to create opportunities for women and for people from my community.”

The “Desperate Housewives” actor made her directorial debut in 2023 with “Flamin’ Hot,” a biographical comedy about Richard Montañez, who says he invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

She’s also currently working on “The Fifth Wheel,” a Netflix comedy starring Kim Kardashian, which she will direct. As for acting, her latest gig is in “Christmas Karma,” a movie musical released earlier this month, where she plays the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Not that it’s a contest, but Santa Clarita did it first.

It was Hollywood before Hollywood. It had its own gold rush years before riches were found at Sutter’s Mill. And men were pulling oil from the ground there two decades before Texas dug its first well.

Get to know Los Angeles through the places that bring it to life. From restaurants to shops to outdoor spaces, here’s what to discover now.

Yet the rugged Santa Clarita Valley and the four communities it comprises — Newhall, Valencia, Canyon County and Saugus — are still something of a mystery to many who don’t live there. Or worse, the area remains misunderstood thanks to “The Santa Clarita Diet” and other pop culture portrayals.

The truth is far more interesting, if evasive. For decades, the Newhall Pass formed a natural barrier separating the valley from the Los Angeles Basin, allowing Santa Clarita to cultivate its own unique culture, one that’s woven into the fabric of Southern California.

“This was truly the Old Wild West out here,” said Alan Pollack, a doctor of internal medicine who moved to the valley in 1991 and quickly became steeped in its history. “There were gunfights, there were stagecoaches, all that sort of stuff.”

Santa Clarita was where many of the early westerns were shot, with real cowboys driving herds of cattle down the town’s dusty main street. Since then, the valley has become home to more than a dozen movie ranches, from the 22-acre Melody Ranch to the 400-acre Rancho Maria and Sable Ranch, as well as dozens of soundstages, earning the city the title “Hollywood North.”

“You can get any kind of look in Santa Clarita,” says Carol Rock, marketing director for the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society. “Just drive around. You’re looking at the Amazon. You’re looking at the forest in different kinds of trees. And then you’ve got palm trees.” Pay attention and you’ll notice that the hills and canyons have provided the backdrop for everything from “The Lone Ranger” and “Gunsmoke” to “Oppenheimer,” “Star Trek” and “The Office.”

The city is also home to the sprawling Magic Mountain theme park, whose 19 roller coasters are the most in a single amusement park in the world. It holds more than 80 miles of some of Southern California’s best public hiking trails, fed by a 30-mile system of biking paths, walkways and bridges. (On one of those trails, you can view the site of the St. Francis Dam built by William Mulholland, whose aqueduct made Southern California’s suburban sprawl possible. The dam’s 1928 collapse that killed hundreds is still remembered as one of the worst U.S. civil engineering disasters of the 20th century.)

And then there’s CalArts, a private visual and performing school whose graduates — including filmmaker Tim Burton, Pixar’s John Lasseter and jazz musician Ravi Coltrane — have had an outsized influence on modern animation and pop music.

Through it all, Old Town Newhall, the core of what once was a railroad and ranching hub, remains the beating heart and soul of the area. You’ll find echos of the past on Main Street — the historic district is still lined with hitching posts, though they’re mainly decorative nowadays, and embedded with bronze stars and terrazzo tiles honoring the legends of western film, television and radio. And all over the community, the legacy of William S. Hart, Newhall’s original silent screen cowboy, lives on in the streets, schools, museums and parks that bear his name.

To see where it all began, spend a day in Santa Clarita, a place where you can discover cowboy history and sip a sophisticated Chardonnay at a wine bar all on an afternoon stroll.

DICK Van Dyke has admitted he’s “finally slowing down”, as the Hollywood icon prepares for his 100th birthday.

The father-of-four is set to celebrate his milestone birthday on December 13, and he has been reflecting on his long and incredible life so far.

To celebrate his HUGE milestone, Marry Poppins star Dick chatted to Today’s Al Roker, for an emotional interview about his life.

During their sit down, they discussed the actor’s new book, 100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life.

Al also revealed how the actor had admitted “to finally slowing down” in his incredible career.

Reading from Dick’s new book, Al said: “You’ve written here, ‘I care about the survival of what I have shared with the world.’”

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STAR’S WOES

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To which Dick replied: “It’s true.”

The star also added of his incredible career: “I got to do for a living, what I would’ve done for nothing.”

Dick also encouraged fans to “look for the best of everything, look what’s positive and the people that are positive.”

It comes just days after Dick revealed that he was becoming increasingly housebound as a result of “physical decay”.

“It’s frustrating to feel diminished in the world, physically and socially,” he penned in an essay for The Times at the weekend.

“I get invites to events or offers for gigs in New York or Chicago, but that kind of travel takes so much out of me that I have to say no.

“Almost all of my visiting with folks has to happen at my house.”

SECRETS TO A HAPPY LIFE

Despite his physical ailments, the iconic actor is still positive about life.

“Boiled down, the things that have kept my life joyful and fulfilling are pretty simple: romance, doing what I love and a whole lot of laughing,” Dick wrote.

Despite his physical ailments, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star is relentlessly positive about life, praising his wife for keeping him young as well as seeing the world and his experiences of it like a “giant playground”.

“Boiled down, the things that have kept my life joyful and fulfilling are pretty simple: romance, doing what I love and a whole lot of laughing,” he wrote.

Dick also revealed he goes to the gym three times a week, as well as continuing to dance and sing.

BECOMING A STAR

After starring in the film version of Bye Bye Birdie in the role of Albert J. Peterson, which he played on Broadway, Dick got his huge break and was cast by Disney in Mary Poppins in 1964.

His main role was as Bert, a jack-of-all-trades who is very good friends with Mary Poppins, but he was also cast as the doddery old bank chairman Mr Dawes Senior.

The film, which starred Julie Andrews in the lead role, was a huge success and Chim Chim Cher-ee, which Bert sings in the movie, went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song.

However, to this day, Dyke’s Cockney accent is lambasted as the accent in film history, and according to Dyke, no one on the set of the film told him how bad it was.

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But to this day it is still his best-known role and on his 90^th birthday, he was surprised by a flash-mob at The Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles.

Dyke also starred in Disney’s 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the lead role of Caractacus Pott, after he turned down the role of Fagin in the 1968 musical Oliver!

THE UK is set to get a brand new neighbourhood with film studios, play spaces and outdoor film screenings.

Plans have been revealed for a new £1billion creative neighbourhood, called the Camden Film Quarter, located in London, which is set to bring film and TV studios into the city centre.

According to Time Out, the new studios and overall site will be the “UK’s answer to Hollywood“.

Developed by the same people behind London‘s Olympia – Yoo Capital – the new neighbourhood would create space for British creative industries to grow.

What makes the project even better is that, rather unusually, the studios building set for the site would be open to visitors to explore, with a studio tour, cafes, restaurants, events and a roof garden.

The planned area for redevelopment sits west of Kentish Town and, once built, would be home to a number of film, creative and cultural industries.

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In the neighbourhood, there would be several film and TV studios, eight sound stages, galleries, shops, restaurants and bars, a gym, community spaces and public spaces.

In addition, there will be an Education Hub for people interested in entering film, TV and digital careers and The London Screen Academy for 16-19-year-olds to learn about production.

The National Film and Television School, which is one of the most respected screen schools in the world, is also set to open a campus in the Camden Film Quarter.

According to Yoo Capital, “the architecture [of Camden Film Quarter] references the area’s industrial heritage through robust materials such as brick and metal”.

Away from the buildings, in sunny weather the public will also be able to enjoy six new play spaces, two or more parks and 400sqm of rain gardens – all set to feature sculptures, murals and interactive pieces as well.

The play spaces will include areas inspired by the journey of water, with a large seasonal dry river bed and natural stone play.

In the area known as Western Park, visitors will be able to explore local markets, art installations and outdoor film screenings.

Then, in the area known as Eastern Park, there would be smaller green spaces and playgrounds.

There would also be a pedestrian high-line route (a walking route above roads and railway lines) around the buildings and around 1,000 new homes.

Plans were submitted to Camden Council last month, who will decide whether to approve the project or not and it is currently unclear when the project would open if it is approved by the council.

A report detailing the project states: “Camden Film Quarter will establish Kentish Town as a new centre for the creative industries, bringing film and media jobs right into the neighbourhood.

“The development will include inner London’s first significant film studio campus – state-of-the-art sound stages and studios that meet the booming film and TV sector’s need for production space.”

Plans to create the Camden Film Quarter were first unveiled in 2023.

At the time, Lloyd Lee, managing partner at Yoo Capital, said: “We are looking forward to working with the London Borough of Camden and the local community to bring forward the ambitions for a Camden Film Quarter.

“This project will be a shot in the arm for the UK’s creative industries as we look to fuel its exponential growth by attracting the best talent in TV and film to the area.”

Councillor Danny Beales, cabinet member for New Homes, Jobs and Community Investment, said: “We know there is huge creative potential in the people who live and work in Camden.

“We want to unlock the Kentish Town industrial area to transform this cut-off, unwelcoming site, into one that becomes a greener, welcoming space, connecting Gospel Oak with Kentish Town.

“A new thriving neighbourhood, which is a beacon for creativity, providing more desperately needed affordable homes for local people, good jobs and opportunities for existing communities.”

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Yoo Capital is also behind London’s newest tourist town in a ‘forgotten’ district, which will be a £1.3 billion attraction with hotels, a theatre and a rooftop bar.

Plus, a new Pixar attraction is set to open in UK – with film sets you can step into including Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Up.

BELOVED actor Dick Van Dyke has issued a concerning health update as he shares his secrets to a long and happy life ahead of his 100th birthday.

The award-winning star revealed on Sunday that he feels “diminished” and is becoming increasingly housebound as a result of his frailty.

The father-of-four is set to celebrate his 100th birthday on December 13.

Ahead of the celebrations, he penned an essay for The Times, issuing an update on his health and opening up about the secrets to a long and happy life.

Reflecting on some of his most iconic roles as aged men, the TV icon accepted, “I’m not playing a super-old any more. I am a super-old”.

“I am now a stooper, a shuffler and a teeterer. I have feet problems and I go supine as often as is politely possible,” he wrote.

“I have trouble following group conversations and complain frequently about my hearing aids.

“At mealtime I spill stuff, and when my wife, Arlene, asks me to put on an unstained shirt before we go out, I get impatient.”

The TV icon revealed that he is becoming increasingly housebound as a result of “physical decay”.

“It’s frustrating to feel diminished in the world, physically and socially,” he said.

“I get invites to events or offers for gigs in New York or Chicago, but that kind of travel takes so much out of me that I have to say no.

“Almost all of my visiting with folks has to happen at my house.”

Despite his physical ailments, the Mary Poppins star is relentlessly positive about life, praising his wife for keeping him young as well as seeing the world and his experiences of it like a “giant playground”.

“Boiled down, the things that have kept my life joyful and fulfilling are pretty simple: romance, doing what I love and a whole lot of laughing,” he wrote.

As well as still going to the gym three times a week, being part of a singing group, and always dancing, Dick has a number of rules to staying young at heart while making it to 100.

Trying not to let negativity take over is one of the key tenants of his life.

While he admitted that he can “spiral into anguish over the mayhem and cruelty” of the world, and turn into a stereotypical grumpy old man, “that’s not the essence of me,” he says.

Instead, he recommends embracing all life throws at you – the good, the bad, and the ugly – without giving into it.

Dance, sing, and be able to laugh at yourself, he said, if you can’t do the latter, “you’ve got big problems”.

Two other rules he lives by are to always be playful and to refuse to live in the past.

Even on rare outings, the actor makes sure his playful side is on full display.

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Last year he even joked that he “hopes he makes it to 99th birthday” as he was seen running errands in Malibu.

Now, as he prepares to reach a century, he is showing no signs of slowing down with his new book ‘100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life’ being released on November 18.

SHE sang about the Hollywood icon on her new album – and now it seems Taylor Swift could pay homage to Elizabeth Taylor’s British roots by filming the music video here.

Hitmaker Tay is flying to the UK next week for a top-secret shoot.

And I have heard whispers that it is for her track Elizabeth Taylor, which features on her chart-topping record The Life Of A Showgirl.

Sixties acting legend Elizabeth — famous for her roles in Cleopatra and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — was born in 1932 in Hampstead, North London, where there is a plaque, right, on her childhood home. She moved to LA with her family when she was seven.

A source said: “Taylor is super excited to be back in London filming for her new music video.

‘Luxurious and feminine’

“Elizabeth Taylor is a British icon and Taylor wants to pay homage by shooting scenes in the capital.

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“Taylor has always written about her love for London, and the video will capture different locations around the city.”

Actress Elizabeth, who died aged 79 in 2011, was married eight times, including twice to British acting legend Richard Burton, and was often portrayed as searching for lasting love.

Speaking about the track for the official release party of her latest album, Taylor said: “It has got to do with fame, attention, love, notoriety, anxiety that this isn’t going to be forever — and how heartbroken would you be then?

“I wanted to tell a story that referenced some of the cool things about her life, but that are also parallel to mine.

“I used details from her life, but the feelings of what it kind of conveys are things I’ve absolutely experienced time and time again.

“The production of this is something that I’m so proud of because it’s luxurious and feminine and then goes really hard and tough in the chorus.

“It’s just one of my favourite songs.”

The track has gone viral on TikTok thanks to a remix with Backstreet Boys’ 1997  banger Everybody (Backstreet’s (Back).

Sounds like Taylor’s fans will be in for a treat.

RED-HOT MILLIE’S IN GOOD NICK

MILLIE BOBBY BROWN gave fans her Christmas presence by draping herself across a fireplace.

The Stranger Things star dazzled in tiny hot pants, a crop top, fur-trimmed boots and an oversized Santa hat in the shoot for fashion and beauty label Florence By Mills.

Sharing a snap of Millie on Instagram, the brand wrote: “Elf on the shelf? Try Mill on the sill.”

It will be Millie’s first Christmas as a mum after she and hubby Jake Bongiovi adopted a daughter this year. Looks like she’ll sleigh it.

IS IT GET BECK, MACCA?

CRUZ BECKHAM has hinted that he is hoping to work with Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney.

The wannabe pop star and son of David and Victoria Beckham said he would love to collab with Macca, who he was introduced to when he was a kid.

Chatting to me at London’s Winter Wonderland, Cruz revealed: “There are so many people I would love to collaborate with.

“Paul McCartney – he’s such a legend. I’ve always been a huge fan – I met Paul when I was little.

“John Lennon is also a hero of mine.”

He added: “There’s more music coming out next year. Hopefully an album when the record label will let me.”

Cruz officially launched his music career last month by releasing singles Lick The Toad and Optics – the latter an explicit pop track about drugs and sex.

It includes the lyrics: “Take a thousand selfies in your bed while I trip in mine. I love me some mushrooms and good head.”

Cruz has also teamed up with The Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard to work on some songs.

Earlier this year, Luke said: “He’s naturally going to come under criticism because of who his parents are. He’s aware of that.

“It was great when he said, ‘Jesus was a nepo baby too’. I thought that was quite a funny response.”

Meanwhile, Cruz was spotted kissing his girlfriend, songwriter Jackie Apostel at Winter Wonderland on Thursday.

They went Instagram official last year after they were first seen hanging out at Glastonbury in Somerset.

Cruz is clearly going to be a busy boy in the coming months, but hopefully baby Becks and Macca can Come Together at some point.

TELLY etiquette guru William Hanson said he declined to appear on BBC’s Celebrity Traitors after show bosses approached him earlier this year.

The final was watched by 12 million fans earlier this month, with comic ALAN CARR crowned the winner.

At Richmond Theatre, William told me: “They didn’t sell it brilliantly to me.

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“They were, like, ‘There is no hair and make-up, if you are in it, you have to film for 12 days, you need 406 different outfits, you are in the Travelodge by Inverness Airport and it is a 40-minute drive and the fee is rubbish.

“I thought, I don’t know if I really want to do this.”
William was a bit of a traitor after all.

SACHA Baron Cohen hooked up with a stunning Kylie Jenner lookalike 28 years his junior – just hours after his ex-wife said she had “cried” over being a single woman.

The Ali G comic, 54, who finalised a £120million divorce from actress Isla Fisher in June, flirted with American influencer Kelsey Calemine, 26.

After they had left an exclusive new nightspot in Hollywood, the movie star chatted intimately with Kelsey, before handing her his pink mobile phone, as she appeared to tap her number into it.

Sacha, who is just two years younger than Kelsey’s 56-year-old dad, had spent two hours inside the club between 1am and 3am on Friday morning.

Kelsey and her friend had also emerged from it when the actor got talking to her outside.

Brunette Kelsey – wearing a figure-hugging pink dress – leaned in close to the actor as he whispered into her ear.

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The US socialite and foodie influencer – who has 2.8million Instagram followers and is friends with Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and entrepreneur Lauren Perez – spent several minutes laughing and chatting with Sacha.

After appearing to exchange phone numbers they finally got into separate Ubers, as he waved fondly at her.

An onlooker said: “Sacha arrived at 1am at a hot new exclusive nightclub that is just up and coming in Hollywood.

“He was on his own with no security.

“He left the club at 3am just seconds after Kelsey and her friend left.

“He instantly noticed her.

“He was staring at Kelsey and then walked over and started chatting to her. Someone told me he had been flirting with her inside the club.

“Outside they were both very flirty and they didn’t stop laughing.

“He then walked over to her Uber when it came and gave her his phone which had a pink case and she typed her number into it.”

Kelsey was previously linked to ex-England and Chelsea footballer Ben Chilwell in 2021 after she was seen with him in a Mykonos club. Fellow Premier League ace Jack Grealish was also there.

She has a mega-wealthy real estate developer father Robert Peck, 56.

Insiders said Sacha, who was wearing a brown jacket and white trainers, has been “playing the field” after his marriage split to Isla.

In an interview with Elle Decoration magazine, published on Thursday – just hours before Sacha was pictured with Kelsey – former Home and Away actress Isla, 49, said her partying days were over as she attempts to build a new life for herself in London.

The star – who was married to Sacha for 13 years – said the move “has been challenging, but deeply rewarding”.

She revealed that creating a fresh life from “a grassroots level” has been “tough”.

Discussing the moment her furniture arrived, Isla added: “I did have a bit of a cry because this was my first time as a single woman, being in a home of my own.”

‘LONG TENNIS MATCH MARRIAGE’

She and Sacha announced their split in April last year, saying that after a “long tennis match” their marriage had come to an end.

They met in 2001 and married nine years later in March 2010. They have three children.

Isla previously revealed how the methods of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung had helped her heal from the divorce.

The Jungian method is a therapeutic approach that explores dreams and symbols.

In a statement at the time, Sacha and Isla said: “We are proud of all we’ve achieved together and, continuing our great respect for each other, we remain friends and committed to co-parenting our wonderful children.”

In July Isla admitted: “I’ve had a tough couple of years but I’m making it through.”

But a month after they received their decree nisi, Isla was accused of poking fun at his manhood.

It was understood the pair resolved their split amicably.

Pals of Sacha said that he’s enjoying being single and is having fun but he also gives out his number for career advice because of his respect in the industry.

She posted on Instagram: “For all those men who say ‘Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free’ here’s an update for you. Nowadays 80 per cent of women are against marriage. Why? They realise it’s not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage.”

It comes after The Sun revealed in September that Sacha dined out with a 27-year-old blonde model called Hannah Palmer.

They spent two hours at a Beverly Hills steakhouse and then left in a limo.

SACHA’S DATES

Kelsey – who has a food page where she reviews restaurants – was snapped in April with basketball player Michael Porter Jr, 27, at an Italian eatery in St Tropez, France.

She posts videos on social media of herself eating food and then rating it.

On her TikTok page she describes herself with the title: “I love food and food loves me.”

She also has a channel called “Cooking w Kels” where she shows her followers meals that she has made.

On Friday she posted pictures to her 2.8million followers on Instagram at a fashion event wearing the same pink dress as in our exclusive snaps.

She captioned it: “Lowkey eating.”

Fans posted online that Kelsey was bought a Tesla by dad Rob to “encourage her to drive” and that she once had an OnlyFans page.

Sacha rose to comedy fame in the 1990s with his character Ali G, a wannabe gangster with the catchphrase, “Is it because I is black?”

He won more fans with characters Borat Sagdiyev, a bigoted Kazakh journalist, and Brüno Gehard, a flamboyant Austrian fashion reporter.

It led to film hits including the Madagascar franchise, Anchorman 2 and Grimsby.

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Oman-born Isla moved to Australia as a child and starred as Shannon Reed in the soap Home And Away.

She got her film breakthrough in Wedding Crashers.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV welcomed Spike Lee, Cate Blanchett, Greta Gerwig and dozens of other Hollywood luminaries to a special Vatican audience Saturday celebrating cinema and its ability to inspire and unite.

Leo encouraged the filmmakers and celebrities gathered in a frescoed Vatican audience hall to use their art to include marginal voices, calling film “a popular art in the noblest sense, intended for and accessible to all.”

“When cinema is authentic, it does not merely console, but challenges,” he told the stars. “It articulates the questions that dwell within us, and sometimes, even provokes tears that we didn’t know we needed to shed.”

The encounter, organized by the Vatican’s culture ministry, followed similar audiences Pope Francis had in recent years with famous artists and comedians. It’s part of the Vatican’s efforts to reach out beyond the Roman Catholic Church to engage with the secular world.

But the gathering also seemed to have particular meaning for history’s first American pope, who grew up in the heyday of Hollywood. The 70-year-old, Chicago-born Leo just this week identified his four favorite films: “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Sound of Music,” “Ordinary People” and “Life Is Beautiful.”

In a sign of how seemingly star-struck he was, Leo spent nearly an hour after the audience greeting and chatting amiably with each of the participants, something he rarely does for large audiences.

Drawing applause from the celebrities, Leo acknowledged that the film industry and cinemas around the world were experiencing a decline, with theaters that had once been important social and cultural meeting points disappearing from neighborhoods.

“I urge institutions not to give up, but to cooperate in affirming the social and cultural value” of movie theaters, he said.

Celebrities just happy to be invited

Many celebrities said they found Leo’s words inspiring, and expressed awe as they walked through the halls of the Vatican‘s Apostolic Palace, where a light luncheon reception awaited them after the audience.

“It was a surprise to me that I even got invited,” Lee told reporters along the red carpet in the palace.

During the audience, Lee had presented Leo with a jersey from his beloved Knicks basketball team, featuring the number 14 and Leo’s name on the back. Leo is a known Chicago Bulls fan, but Lee said he told the pope that the Knicks now boast three players from the pope’s alma mater, Villanova University.

Blanchett, for her part, said the pope’s comments were inspiring because he understood the crucial role cinema can play in transcending borders and exploring sometimes difficult subjects in ways that aren’t divisive.

“Filmmaking is about entertainment, but it’s about including voices that are often marginalized, and not [shying] away from the pain and complexity that we’re all living through right now,” she said.

She said Leo, in his comments about the experience of watching a film in a dark theater, clearly understood the culturally important role cinemas can play.

“Sitting in the dark with strangers is a way in which we can reconnect to what unites us rather than what divides us,” she said.

A ‘hit and miss’ guest list that grew

The gathering drew a diverse group of filmmakers and actors, including many from Italy, like Monica Bellucci and Alba Rohrwacher. American actors included Chris O’Donnell, Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, Apatow’s wife.

Director Sally Potter said she was impressed that Leo took the time to speak with each one of them. And she said she loved his comments about the value of silence and slowness in film.

“It was a good model of how to be and how to think about cinema,” she said, noting especially Leo’s defense of “slow cinema” and not seeing the moving image just in terms of algorithms.

Director Gus Van Sant said he liked Leo’s vibe.

“He was very laid-back, you know, he had a fantastic message of beauty in cinema,” he said.

Archbishop Paul Tighe, the No. 2 in the Vatican culture ministry, said the guest list was pulled together just in the last three months, with the help of the handful of contacts Vatican officials had in Hollywood, including director Martin Scorsese.

The biggest hurdle, Tighe said, was convincing Hollywood agents that the invitation to come meet Leo wasn’t a hoax. In the end, as word spread, some figures approached the Vatican and asked to be invited.

“It’s an industry where people have their commitments months in advance and years in advance, so obviously it was a little hit and miss, but we’re very pleased and very proud” by the turnout, he said.

The aim of the encounter, Tighe said, was to encourage an ongoing conversation with the world of culture, of which film is a fundamental part.

“It’s a very democratic art form,” Tighe said. Saturday’s audience, he said, was “the celebration of an art form that I think is touching the lives of so many people and therefore recognizing it and giving it its true importance.”

Winfield writes for the Associated Press. AP journalists Trisha Thomas and Isaia Montelione contributed to this report.

I USED to fancy the pants off of Charlie Hunnam.

But after seeing him turn into creepy serial killer Ed Gein in the latest instalment of Ryan Murphy’s Monster series on Netflix, I have cooled a little.

Luckily for Charlie, his girlfriend Morgana McNelis was spotted with a huge diamond on her ring finger, so it looks like she said yes top being his wife.

She was seen wearing the enormous rock during a day out this week.

A photographer friend of mine in the US said: “Charlie and Morgana have been together for almost 20 years so it’s about time he popped the question.

“She had this huge diamond on her ring finger, so it seems like Charlie has asked her to be his wife.

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“This is the first time she’s ever been seen wearing it too, so maybe that Netflix pay cheque came in handy.”

Charlie previously admitted Morgana had been pushing him towards the aisle, despite the actor feeling “indifferent” about getting married.

He said: “She does not feel the same. She’s very eager.

“I’ll do it because it’s important to her but I don’t have any great romantic feelings towards it.”

After feeling the heat from social media, Charlie later clarified his comments and said: “That really hurt my girlfriend’s feelings and I really regretted saying that.

“I actually didn’t mean it at all, it was, frankly, just stupid s**t I said in the heat of the moment.

“I’m, like, so romantic, and the reality is I sort of consider myself married. I’ve been with my girlfriend for 14 years.

“I suppose what I was trying to articulate is the official government sanction of it doesn’t mean anything to me, but the romance of it means an enormous amount.”

After that hoohaa, I wouldn’t be surprised if Charlie went all out with his proposal.

Ellie’s beau strips for vid

ELLIE GOULDING has roped in a favour close to home for her new video – by enlisting her real-life boyfriend to play the love interest.

She will drop the visuals to Destiny at 3pm today and my exclusive first look shows her with muscly actor Beau Minniear, who I told you she was dating in July.

It features a series of steamy scenes, including Ellie hugging the topless hunk, straddling him with a camera in hand, and, in one of the quirkiest parts, snogging with veils over their faces.

Now I’m excited for the next album.

Gaga lithium breakdown

LADY GAGA had a psychotic episode after shooting A Star Is Born, which is why she cancelled much of the European leg of her 2018 Joanne tour.

She told Rolling Stone magazine: “I did A Star Is Born on lithium.”

On breaking down afterwards, she said: “There was one day that my sister said to me, ‘I don’t see my sister any more’.

“And I cancelled the tour. There was one day I went to the hospital for psychiatric care.

“I needed to take a break. I couldn’t do anything. I completely crashed, it was really scary.

“There was a time where I didn’t think I could get better . . .  I feel really lucky to be alive. I know that might sound dramatic, but we know how this can go.”

Thankfully Gaga, who said she is on “some, but not as many” antipsychotics now, is in a much better place.

And she’s got a surprise career away from music, having co-founded a skin-health research firm in the US alongside her fiancé Michael Polansky.

It’s called Outer Biosciences and 20 employees.

Meanwhile, the couple are more eager than ever to tie the knot.

Michael said: “We’re talking about it all the time. We have these breaks, and they’re tempting.

“It’s like, ‘OK, can we get married that weekend?’ We don’t want a really big wedding, but we want to enjoy it.”

Sara sis surprise

IT’S the final day of Sara Cox’s epic Radio 2 Great Northern Marathon for Children In Need – and she has absolutely smashed it.

Through tears and triumph, the teatime presenter proved that with great support, physical resilience and pure grit you can achieve so much.

She will today complete the 135 miles, heading past my old University digs in Headingley, Leeds, for the final mission of getting Pudsey Bear to the Yorkshire town of Pudsey.

Sara was yesterday given an extra boost as her sister Dot turned up to give her a cuddle, with Sara telling me: “That was a lovely surprise.”

And she got another when her mum Jackie rang her, saying: “We’re tracking you from India.”

Sara said: “It’s been amazing and painful. My shins are so sore.”

Speaking to me ahead of the final day, Sara paid tribute to the thousands of people who have turned out for her along the route.

Some have driven miles to catch a glimpse of her.

Sara told me: “The people coming out in the villages made me skip along a little bit faster. It’s been tough finishing in the dark because miles in the dark just seem to go so slowly.

“It has been brutal and tough but I’ve been given such a boost from people. It’s been amazing.”

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Sara was this morning starting to push her fundraising to over £3million. I expect donations to go through the roof as she appears live on BBC One’s Children In Need tonight.

If you can, join me in donating at donate.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/sara.

L.A. is a harmony of contradictions: It’s a bankrupt skyscraper covered in graffiti, a Mercedes-Benz G-class SUV with an expired registration, the quiet confusion of wondering whether a stranger’s outfit means they’re unhoused or just new to Silver Lake. L.A.’s refusal to make sense is what makes it irresistible, and no one understood that better than writer, artist and provocateur Eve Babitz, who died in 2021.

“Los Angeles isn’t a city. It’s a gigantic, sprawling, ongoing studio,” she wrote in her 1974 book “Eve’s Hollywood.” “Everything is off the record.”

Born in Hollywood in 1943 to a classical violinist father and an artist mother — and with Igor Stravinsky as her godfather — Babitz was destined for “It”-girl-ism. While people tend to flee their hometowns to start over in a new city, usually a place like L.A. or New York, Babitz knew she was exactly where she was meant to be. She tried New York once as a typist for Timothy Leary, because it’s where “real writers” lived and worked; she gave it one year before moving back to L.A.

“She lived in Rome for six months, and that was the only other city she loved, almost as much as L.A.,” Mirandi Babitz, Eve’s younger sister, told me. Despite her growing popularity in the ’60s and ’70s, Eve Babitz didn’t hightail it from her Hollywood bungalow to live in Pacific Palisades or Topanga or Malibu — she lived and died in the heart of it all.

When I asked Mirandi what Babitz would think of today’s coffee-shop lines, overpriced wine bodegas and tinned fish culture, she said with a laugh, “She’d roll her eyes.”

Babitz may have been synonymous with places, including the Chateau Marmont and Musso & Frank Grill, or with people such as Jim Morrison and Ed Ruscha. But it wasn’t because she was a hanger-on, desperate to be cool or famous. She was the keeper of cool, and L.A. was the only muse she gave a damn about. “I did not become famous but I got near enough to smell the stench of success. It smelt like burnt cloth and rancid gardenias,” she wrote in 1977’s “Slow Days, Fast Company: the World, the Flesh, and L.A.”

After graduating from Hollywood High, Babitz skipped the traditional UCLA route and instead took classes at Los Angeles City College. “The school was located about 4 blocks from the hospital I was born in,” she wrote in “Eve’s Hollywood.” “It was on Vermont near Melrose, which is an indeterminate lower-middle-class sort of neighborhood with no delusions. Westwood, where UCLA is, is so insanely crappy you could throw up. It’s so WHITE and it’s so clean and it’s so impervious …”

At age 20, Babitz made a name for herself in the art world. She posed nude, playing chess with a fully clothed Marcel Duchamp for Esquire — a cheeky act of revenge against her lover, Walter Hopps, who wasn’t returning her calls. Shot by Julian Wasser at the Norton Simon Museum, the now-iconic photo did its job: Hopps rang her soon after. That photo is now described by the Smithsonian Archives of American Art as being “among the key documentary images of American modern art.”

Babitz also launched her independent career as an artist, designing album covers for Linda Ronstadt, the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. Her foray into the music scene — where she partied with (and allegedly had affairs with) legends like Morrison of the Doors (“I met Jim and propositioned him in three minutes,” she wrote in “Eve’s Hollywood”) and some original Eagles members — blossomed into a social life so magnanimous that names like Andy Warhol, Steve Martin and Annie Leibovitz came up as casually as what Babitz had for lunch that day.

She went on to publish several books and worked as a journalist, writing about everything from Salvador Dalí to the best taquito stand in L.A. (Don’t worry — we listed it below.) Although Babitz’s love life kept the city gossiping, it was always apparent that her true love was the city itself. Her books, including “Sex and Rage” (1979) and “L.A. Woman” (1982), are all love letters to a city she knew inside out. In turn, her life in L.A. became the stuff of urban legend — and decades later, we’re still talking about it.

Babitz understood L.A. better than anyone, including its seductions and secrets. Her legacy is being revisited in the Huntington’s exhibition “Los Angeles, Revisited,” which explores how L.A. has been shaped — and reshaped — by its visionaries. Babitz and her mother, Mae, a self-taught artist known for her preservation work on the Watts Towers and her sketches of L.A.’s vanishing buildings, have drawings included in the show. The exhibition runs through Dec. 1.

Consider what’s below your invitation to see L.A. as Babitz did — expansively, honestly and maybe a little recklessly. Just a heads-up, though: You won’t find a single coffee shop with a DMV-like line on this list.

FORGET who will be the next Bond or AI taking over acting.

There’s currently a bigger issue that’s tearing Hollywood in two… and standing in the middle of it is a doe-eyed firebrand named Sydney Sweeney, who might – or might not – know exactly what she’s doing.

Over the past few months, Sydney, 28, has found herself in the eye of a raging public storm, thanks to never-ending questions over her social and political leanings, and her unapologetic refusal to set the record straight. 

On the one side, we have fans, mostly on the right, praising their “anti-woke warrior” after she chose not to comment on or apologise for her controversial American Eagle advert. 

On the other, the woke corner of the internet accuses her and the commercial – which plays on saying she has “good jeans/genes” – of having a Nazi-like stance on eugenics. 

So, the fact that she hasn’t desperately begged for forgiveness in the wake of all the frenzy and outrage is music to woke-fatigued ears.

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Add to that the fact that Sydney’s been revealed to be a registered Republican and a MAGA supporter – with President Donald Trump himself publicly praising her – and it’s no surprise she’s copping flak to go with her fandom. 

In the past week, whether coincidental or not, her Oscar-touted biopic Christy has definitively bombed at the box office, making a paltry $1.3million in the US in its opening weekend.

Now, no one knows what to think. Has the young budding starlet, who could have been Hollywood’s next leading lady, shot herself in her genetically blessed foot? Or is this all just a storm in a teacup?

The jury’s still out, but for every commenter yelling “anti-woke warrior”, there’s another shouting “white supremacist!”

Yes, Sydney’s swiftly becoming the most polarising thing since pineapple on pizza.

And that’s before you consider her other public stunts – including, but not limited to, her overtly sexual self-branding and her apparent romance with another very controversial character in Scooter Braun.

Scooter, 44, is the disgraced record executive who people’s princess Taylor Swift called a “manipulative bully” after he bought the rights to her first six albums and blocked her performing some of the songs.

He’s also had very public fall-outs with his former protegés Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato.

With all this in mind, getting into bed – so to speak – with such a figure may not do Sydney any favours. But does she care? 

Fresh fury

Last week, the star caused fury again, after speaking to GQ to promote her new movie Christy, in which she plays the boxer Christy Martin. 

During the – at times – uncomfortable chat, the topic turned to all the noise surrounding the alleged white supremacist undertones of her American Eagle “good jeans” ad. 

The interviewer began: “White people shouldn’t joke about genetic superiority; that was the conversation. Since we’re talking about this, I just wanted to give you an opportunity to talk about that situation specifically.”

Seemingly unfussed, Sydney simply replied: “I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”

Elsewhere in the Q&A, she said: “I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life.” 

As for President Trump’s praise for the jeans campaign – he called it “the hottest ad ever” specifically after hearing that Sydney was a registered Republican – the actress remained coy. She simply responded that his endorsement was “surreal”. 

Again, the masses were divided. Fans – and some loyal celebrity friends – spoke out in defence of the Euphoria star.

Sydney’s former Anyone But You co-star Glen Powell called the public indignation over the ad “bulls***”, while Amanda Seyfried – who’s starring in the upcoming movie The Housemaid alongside Sydney – commented under one of her posts: “You Kill. Brave and true.”

She’s also been publicly supported by Euphoria co-star Maud Apatow and fellow lightning rod Nicola Peltz-Beckham, who have both liked her Instagram posts over the past week.

Woke backlash

But then, there are the celebrities who have no time at all for Sydney’s supposed alt-right politics – and they’re letting it be known. 

In response to YouTuber Jupiter Baal’s video – shared to Instagram – in which he chastised the actress and said, “She was given an opportunity to push back, she didn’t, therefore she’s in on it”, actress Christina Ricci responded: “100%” .

Likewise, fellow The White Lotus star Aimee-Lou Wood made her own feelings known – posting a vomit emoji under a post that talked about the now notorious ad. 

According to insiders, Sydney’s Euphoria co-star Zendaya is refusing to speak to her co-worker, and she won’t be associated with her in any capacity…which makes their future promo trail for season three of Euphoria tricky. 

“It’s a difficult position for Zendaya to be in,” a source told Mail Online this week. “Because if she even stands next to Sydney on the red carpet, it can be read as her excusing Sydney’s views on Trump and her refusal to apologise for the racist ad.” 

I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans.

Sydney Sweeney

Then, there’s model and actress Ruby Rose, who went apoplectic on Tuesday in response to a post shared by Sydney.

Earlier in the week, Sydney had reflected on the film’s box office failure, telling her followers: “We don’t always just make art for numbers, we make it for impact. And Christy has been the most impactful project of my life.”

But Ruby – who had previously been cast in the project before being let go – was having nothing of it, writing in a scathing Threads post: “Everyone had experience with the core material. Most of us were actually gay [like Christy]. It’s part of why I stayed in acting. Losing roles happens all the time.

“For her PR to talk about it flopping and saying SS [Sydney Sweeney] did it for the ‘people’. None of the ‘people’ want to see someone who hates them, parading around pretending to be us. You’re a cretin and you ruined the film. Period. Christy deserved better.”

She later doubled down in her comments again, calling Sydney a “psychopath”.

Joining the anti-Sydney brigade, Downton Abbey actor Dan Stevens reshared a post which read: “Sydney Sweeney’s GQ interview is a reminder that ‘not having a stance’ on white supremacy is 100% having a stance on white supremacy.”

So, what’s the strategy? And is there even one to begin with?

Brand and culture expert Nick Ede is unconvinced. Speaking exclusively to The Sun, he says that – whether it’s naivety or not –  Sydney’s not helping her career prospects, proven by the fact that her most recent film flopped. 

He explains: “She’s a young girl – she’s making a lot of money, but this proves she’s not a box office draw.

“That not only goes towards her movie career, but her brand deals too, and suggests that the equity she had really isn’t there anymore.

“She might decide to write an autobiography at this early age and be really honest about her opinions and how she felt. And that’s always a cathartic way of getting your story across and winning the affection of the public again. 

“But I think she’s almost too big now to be a character in a film or a show. You just go and see Sweeney and that can be really detrimental to her in the future.”

No backing down

All evidence so far suggests that apologising for herself is the one thing Sydney’s not willing to do. 

Last year, she teasingly wore a T-shirt that read: “Sorry for having great tits and correct opinions”. 

The suggestion was that she knew that people were writing her off as an overtly sexualised starlet – but that she was laughing all the way to the bank.

What’s more, in her most recent GQ interview, she again hinted at her secret shrewdness. 

She said: “I think as time goes on, people will see that I’m way more aware of things than people think.”

Then, in response to the interviewer’s claim that – by not speaking more about her intentions – she’s giving us permission to “keep taking what you do and putting it up on our board of ‘What does Sydney think?’ the actress remained non-committal. 

“I can’t wait to see what the board says,” she deadpanned. 

Last laugh

Sweeney has also got billionaire Jeff Bezos in her corner, who’s reportedly invested “seed money” into a private equity business that will help Sydney launch her very own lingerie line soon. 

Now that Jeff’s Amazon Prime empire has the rights to the James Bond franchise, his admiration for the actress might just clinch her that ultimate prize of being the next Bond girl.

In which case, again, this could all be nothing but hot air surrounding her supposed demise – and prove she might have the last laugh anyway.

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One thing we do know is that Sydney’s not about to go on some self-flagellating apology tour anytime soon. 

Love her or hate her, like Marmite, she’s here to stay. 

GIG GOERS at Butlins were left stunned when a Hollywood movie star came out onstage to DJ.

Playing some trance music at Fatboy Slim’s All Back to Minehead weekender this month, this movie star went viral on social media when fans realised who he was.

Tom Cruise’s movie co-star, Simon Pegg, was spotted DJing at holiday resort Butlins this month for the Fatboy Slim event.

Several holiday makers took to TikTok to share videos of the Mission Impossible star as he got his groove on behind the decks.

Simon could be seen DJing like a pro as he played some trance music to the crowd in front of him.

“Simon Pegg at f***ing Butlins,” one user penned over the video.

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In the caption, the TikToker added: “One of the best nights of my life, I’m a Butlins convert.”

Fans of Simon then went wild in the comments section when they realised he was DJ’ing at the holiday resort.

One person penned: “This is iconic.”

Another said: “It’s so random but loving it !!”

“Was a good gig! Just got back,” added a third.

“Everyone’s a DJ these days,” penned a fourth.

“So basically everyone’s a DJ,” wrote a fifth.

“His set is great, seen him at festivals,” said a seventh.

In May of this year, Simon opened up about his passion for DJing.

The actor has a music room at the end of the garden kitted out with CDJ-3000s and shelves of vinyl.

He regularly DJs at parties and festivals having self-taught himself three years ago.

Speaking to Hollywood Authentic, he said: “DJing reminds me of doing stand-up comedy, in that you have an audience, and they react immediately to what you’re doing.

“Stand-up is like, they either laugh or you die.

“With DJing, they either dance or you die!”

As well as his DJing stint at Butlins for the Fatboy Slim All Back to Minehead weekender, he played tunes at the Big Feastival in August 2025.

He also DJ’d in Kefalonia, Greece, at the Captain’s Bar in Skala in July 2025. 

Away from the decks, Simon is good pals with his Mission Impossible co-star Tom Cruise.

Speaking to the previously mentioned publication, Simon opened up about what he learned from Tom over the years.

He said: “I get asked about him all the time because he very rarely speaks about himself in public. You know, even in private, he’ll always switch the conversation back to you.

“But everyone’s so desperate for some kind of concrete information about him because he’s such an enigma.

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“But I think that’s part of his success, that he’s maintained that. He’s maintained the interest in himself simply by just taking a step back, because he can.

“His journey is extremely simple when you look at it. He’s just always given 100% to everything that he does. Everything,” he added.

A NEPO baby daughter of a Hollywood legend looked stunning in her racy TikTok video, as she stripped down to a corset and stockings.

The rising star, 25, is following in her dad’s footsteps into the world of film – but can you guess who her famous father is?

Did you guess the nepo baby in question is Hollywood director Martin Scorsese’s daughter Francesca?

The 25-year-old is the iconic filmmaker’s youngest daughter, who he had when he was 56 with his third wife Helen Morris.

The 82-year-old director also has two other daughters, Cathy, 58, and Domenica, 49, from his previous marriages.

Francesca is known for her sexy TikToks and recently shared one of herself strutting through the streets in a yellow corset, that she was almost bursting out of.

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She finished off her eye-popping look with sexy stockings.

Francesca, who has previously revealed “grew up on film sets”, graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, which is also her father’s college.

Following in her dad’s film director footsteps, she released her own picture, Fish Out of Water, in June 2023.

She has also flexed her acting chops and played Britney Orton in HBO‘s We Are Who We Are and appeared in several of her dad’s movies including The Departed, The Aviator and Boardwalk Empire.

Speaking about her famous father’s influence on her career, Francesca said: “He is the best teacher, guide, just overall mentor.

“Also, he’s literally my best friend. I tell him everything.”

Martin also previously reflected on his relationship with his youngest daughter.

Speaking to SiriusXM last year, the director said that after he met his now-wife Helen, they were “gifted with this pregnancy.”

“It was extraordinary and by that point, I was 56 and it was a different perspective on life,” he told host James Corden.

“It suddenly became the most important thing, her and this little one that was coming.

“We didn’t know whether it was a girl or boy and then in the middle of the night, five weeks early.”

Reflecting on being a dad, now he is getting older, he added: “I’m 80 now, so you only have a certain amount of time left.

“That time has got to mean something.”

With his million-dollar donation to the pro-Obama “super PAC,” Bill Maher has established himself among the top Democratic mega-donors, a field dotted with boldface Hollywood names.

Donors from the entertainment industry gave $2.2 million through January to Priorities USA Action, according to the Center for Responsive Politics — half of the group’s overall fundraising since it formed last spring.

Much of that came from a single donation by Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, who wrote a $2-million check to the group last May. His former producing partner, director Steven Spielberg, contributed $100,000 in July.

Director/producer J.J. Abrams and his wife, Katie McGrath, kicked in a combined $100,000 to the group in June.

Each new round of Federal Election Commission filings have revealed a new set of million-dollar donors, although the vast majority have given to super PACs supporting Republican candidates or the GOP as a whole.

And none of those prolific givers have made their pledges quite as public as Maher, who brandished a gigantic check onstage at his comedy special CrazyStupidPolitics.

Maher’s past political giving has been relatively modest – a total of $4,850 given since 2004, mainly to the Democratic presidential campaigns of Sen. John F. Kerry, former Sen. John Edwards and then-Sen. Barack Obama, as well as to the successful 2008 Senate run for fellow comedian Al Franken.

CHERYL Tweedy and Jade Thirlwall looked sensational at the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Awards this week.

The iconic singers, 42 and 32, arrived at the glamorous event last night alongside an A-list lineup of women.

Girls Aloud icon Cheryl stole the spotlight in a chic black satin dress with a boxy neckline.

It flowed effortlessly to the floor, covering her shoes, and featured lace detailing on the chest.

She finished the look by simply tying her hair up out of her face and accessorised with a pair of small silver studs and a glossy natural pink lip.

The star posed for a series of snaps next to Little Mix‘s Jade in the “winner’s room”, as Jade smiled ear to ear holding up a glass trophy for the “Musician Award”.

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She wore an asymmetrical off the shoulder red dress with an embossed pattern and a draping on the right-hand side.

It fell to the floor in its formal beauty, hugging her waist and hips.

Jade finished off her outfit with dramatic winged eyeliner and a bold brown lip combo.

Her hair flowed down her back in natural loose waves.

Also in attendance on the night was England footballer Chloe Kelly, who wowed in a sheer chain-mail hooded gown.

The unique ensemble featured cut-outs at the side of the bust as well as silver floral detailing that scattered down the right-hand side of her body.

The sporty star enjoyed the night in a pair of silver heeled sandals, comfier on her feet than a higher heeled counterpart.

Melanie C, aka Sporty Spice, posed alongside Chloe in the winners room after she took home the award for Sportswoman of The Year.

In a sweet snap together the duo are throwing up peace signs as Chloe holds the award in her free hand.

Melanie’s smiling in an off the shoulder black dress featuring red piping and a floor-length ruffle detail.

Her red nail polish peeks out of her open-toed shoes, matching the piping to perfection.

Everyone appeared to be having an amazing night.

Cheryl made her first red carpet appearance since the funeral of her former flame, Liam Payne, just last month.

The Girls Aloud legend has since been gradually returning to the spotlight, teasing new TV appearances and brand collaborations on her social media.

Meanwhile Jade has been incredibly active promoting new music and working on her career.

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Earlier this year she took home a BRIT Award for Best Pop Act.

She also received the Trailblazer Award at the Rolling Stone UK 2024 awards.