The importance of parental support goes meta in Julia Hart’s “Don’t Say Good Luck.” The YA musical drama, which premieres Friday, pays homage to musical theater, unconditional maternal love and the family-hour TV, er, Netflix movie. In a landscape littered with teenage dysfunction, “Don’t Say Good Luck” is a moving argument for aspirational television.
And with a star whose famous father serves as producer, it‘s an admonition to the term “nepo baby.”
We meet normal kid Sophie Birenbaum (Sunny Sandler) as she anxiously prepares for a day that will include auditioning for her high school’s production of “Waitress.” While her father, Ted (Max Greenfield, marvelously transformed by a beard), wrangles her rambunctious younger twin brothers, her mother, Elizabeth (Melanie Lynskey), assures her that she is talented and beautiful and will do just great. These sentiments are echoed by Sophie’s best friend, Carolyn (Scarlett Estevez), who joins her at the audition where the director is the super-cool Ms. Parker (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s” Stephanie Beatriz) and even theater department queen bee Mallory (Elyse Bell), who everyone knows is going to get the lead, is pretty nice.
It’s a high school experience that’s about as far from “Euphoria” or even “Glee” as one can get while still being situated on Earth. Still, all is not perfect in Sophie’s world. When Elizabeth learns that her cancer has returned, Sophie overhears her parents’ subsequent conversation via a butt-dial from her father’s phone. Her first impulse is to flee the audition; instead her emotional turmoil fuels a powerful performance that (spoiler alert?) lands her the lead role.
Determined to downplay the seriousness of her illness, Elizabeth insists that life continue on as normal — she and Ted own a local deli, which offers some nice bagel versus wrap shade and a Jon Lovitz cameo. Though Sophie is worried, she believes her mother who says she will beat cancer again. So she throws herself into the stomach-churning rigor of being the star of the show, which includes a painful separation from her bestie, a crush on her co-star and a struggle to find the confidence to let her obvious talent shine.
“Don’t Say Good Luck” is, obviously, a showcase for Sandler, whose parents, Adam and Jackie Sandler, serve as producers (which may have had something to do with the extraordinary supporting cast, which also includes Bebe Neuwirth and Steve Buscemi as Elizabeth’s parents). Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison Productions have a long and lucrative partnership with Netflix, which recently debuted “Happy Gilmore 2” and announced “Grown Ups 3” as part of their deal. One could see this as yet another case of nepo-baby triumph — streaming is currently littered with the progeny of famous parents — or simply a living example of the film’s theme. Like the Birenbaum parents, the Sandlers want to help their daughter shine in her chosen career and that she certainly does.
Adam Sandler serves as a producer, which may have had something to do with the extraordinary supporting cast, which also includes Steve Buscemi as Sophie’s grandfather.
(Netflix)
Though Sophie is the only older daughter ever to escape the task of caring for her younger brothers (or doing any chores at all), Sandler makes her completely believable as a nice, self-conscious kid who just needs a push to trust her talent. If the tone of the film is 1970s-family-comedy aspirational (particularly in the mother-daughter scenes), that shouldn’t be construed as a low level of difficulty.
Indeed, it is almost revolutionary to see emotionally resonant teenage characters who aren’t mired in abuse, addiction or some kind of horror; leveraging dysfunction has become shorthand for “drama.” “Don’t Say Good Luck” is based on the real-life experience of co-writer Laura Hankin (collaborating here with Hart and Jordan Horowitz), and though the stakes are emotionally high, portraying a loving family doing their best to get through a devastating situation with minimal meltdowns is its own act of bravery.
It certainly helps that this family is firmly anchored by Lynskey, who proves, yet again, that she can do anything. Her Elizabeth is neither martyr nor saint, just a woman who wants to live as she’s always lived for as long as she can. Lynskey lifts what could have been a sappy (or even worse, guilt-inducing) cancer-mom tale into a quietly transcendent contemplation of motherhood. (A scene in which she flips through the calendar trying to figure out when to let the kids know what’s really going on drove the breath from this mother’s body.)
Does “Don’t Say Good Luck” skirt around the grim realities of cancer as cavalierly as it paints a Pinterest mood-board vision of high school? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean the message and the feelings (yes, you absolutely will cry) are not just as authentic. Love is the root of much pain, but it’s also what conquers it in the end.
Melanie Lynskey as Elizabeth, Max Greenfield as Ted and Jon Lovitz as Lenny in “Don’t Say Good Luck.”
Strictly Come Dancing have announced Gavin and Stacey star Melanie Walters as the fifteenth star for this year’s series, completing the line-up
10:14, 12 Aug 2026Updated 10:14, 12 Aug 2026
Strictly Come Dancing have announced a Gavin and Stacey star for the series(Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron)
Strictly Come Dancing have announced Gavin and Stacey star Melanie Walters as the final celebrity for this year’s series.
The BBC show is back this September with 15 more celebrities taking to the dancefloor. Gavin and Stacey actress Melanie is the fifteenth and final name to be confirmed for the Latin and ballroom competition.
Speaking about joining the show, she said: “Performing in Pantomime for the last 15 years, my Strictly ‘fix’ has always been watching in a dressing room rather than my front room.
“This year I am completely thrilled and happy to swap my fairy wand for sequinned dance shoes. I just hope I don’t follow Cinderella and leave one on the Ballroom stairs. I cannot wait to take part in this absolutely iconic show, it’s so exciting. See you in September!”
Melanie completes this year’s celebrity lineup alongside Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey, Jaime Winstone, Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme Hall, Lawrence Robb, Tabby Stoecker, and John Nellis in the 2026 Strictly Come Dancing line-up.
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Melanie Sykes looked stunning in her first modelling campaign since shaving her headCredit: Niall HodsonThe star embraced her new look for a sunglasses campaign for CubittsCredit: Niall Hodson
Melanie, who shot to fame in the 90s in the Boddington’s beer ads, looked radiant as she went back to her modelling roots for the first time since losing her hair.
The much-loved TV presenter showed off her beautiful new look for sunglasses brand Cubitts.
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In the photoshoot, Melanie looked glowing while posing in a stylish white suit.
The stunning star also used the opportunity to embrace her new shaven head.
She previously explained how her autoimmune condition had progressed over time and had left her with noticeable bald patches across her head.
Mel looked radiant as she went back to her modelling rootsCredit: Niall HodsonMel showed off her bald patches and hair loss earlier this yearCredit: instagram/msmelaniesykes
The star said at the time: “I’ve got an autoimmune condition, I am losing my hair, I keep having crazy inflammation all over and I am working on healing.
“In the last three months, I’ve done a meditation teacher training course.
“I was too ill to finish it like. The last two days of it I couldn’t do.
The star is seen here before her alopecia battleCredit: GettyThe star shot to fame in the Boddington’s beer ads in the 90sCredit: YouTube/@Advert Commercial
“It’s meditation teacher training, I don’t necessarily want to teach, but I can do…
“Mostly I’ve been living a very, very very spiritual existence.
“I’m two-thirds bald, really. Every time I say I’m bald I laugh, I don’t know why… Thank god I can laugh.”
She explained to fans how she has been trying on wigs, with her now ditching head scarves because she is keen to “get some hair”.
What is alopecia and what causes it?
About two per cent of the population will experience alopecia at some point in their lifetime, with around one in every 4,000 developing the condition each year.
It can start at any age but is most common in early adulthood and can lead to a lack of all hair including eyelashes and eyebrows, nasal hair and public hair.
Alopecia areata causes patches of baldness about the size of a large coin.
“Alopecia” is the medical term for hair loss and “areata” means that it occurs in small, random areas. There are various classifications, including:
Alopecia areata totalis: Total hair loss on the scalp
Alopecia areata universalis: Total hair loss on your scalp and all body hair
The causes of alopecia areata are not fully understood but the loss of hair is because of inflammation around the hair follicles.
The cause of the inflammation is unknown but it is believed that the immune system, which normally protects the body from infections and other diseases, misfires and attacks the hair follicles.
Therefore, it is understood to be an autoimmune condition, says Alopecia UK.
Genetics may be behind the condition, but there are other things thought to trigger it, including a virus, iron deficiency or stress. Studies are not conclusive.
For women, sometimes birth can trigger postpartum alopecia.
In most cases of alopecia areata, hair will grow back in a few months to a year. At first, hair may grow back fine and white, but over time it should thicken and regain its normal colour.
There is no cure for the condition, only treatments that are not guaranteed to work.
People with alopecia may need to take extra precautions, including protecting their skin and eyes when outside and preventing stress.
Scotland’s Melanie Woods has won the Commonwealth Games women’s 1500m T54 for the second time in under 40 hours after streaking to victory in the restaged final – however England’s Ellis Kottas could not replicate her silver medal.
Woods set a new Games record to triumph in Glasgow on Wednesday evening, but it emerged on Thursday morning that Para-athletics authorities had decided the race should be held again following appeals surrounding a first-lap crash.
However, the Scot kept her composure in her home city to replicate her initial success, break the record again, and reclaim the gold that was already hers – in mind if not around her neck.
Kottas, though, finished fourth, having said she was “low-key traumatised” when the race result was overturned.
Woods led from the start in her home city, although Noemi Alphonse of Mauritius and Australia’s Eliza Ault-Connell kept her honest over the first couple of laps.
The latter had fallen away by the final 200m, though, and the Scot held off the Mauritian as she was roared by down the home straight by the crowd.
“It was in my mind ‘what have I got left?’ and you do question what you’ve got in your arms,” Woods said.
“But I just needed to be confident I could stay out in front and it was nice coming down the home straight and not seeing her wheel moving in front of me.”
Woods – who has used a wheelchair since being hit by a car while riding her bike in 2018 – will also compete in the 400m later on Friday morning.
The heats of that will start a little more than 90 minutes after the replayed final.
Melanie C threw her ‘wedding bouquet’ to Ibiza crowd as she DJed days after magical ceremony in the UKCredit: Instagram/melaniecmusicJust three days after their special day, Melanie jetted off to Spain to take to the decks at the Chinois Ibiza nightclubCredit: Instagram/melaniecmusic
Just three days after their special day, Melanie jetted off to Spain to take to the decks at the Chinois Ibiza nightclub.
Melanie looked incredible in a hot pink jumpsuit and the club-goers cheered as she lifted up a bouquet of flowers while dancing away to the music.
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The Spice Girls star then turned her back to her fans, chucked them behind her and laughed to herself as she got back to the decks.
Melanie has shared a first look at her wedding after tying the knot with her boyfriend of three years, Chris.
The 52-year-old and Australian model Chris Dingwall said ‘I do’ in an intimate ceremony in the Lake District last weekendCredit: Andrew TimmsThe pair met on dating app Raya in 2023Credit: Getty
And it came just days after their private legal civil ceremony in Sydney, Australia, where Chris is from.
They were joined by their loved ones, including her Spice Girls bandmates.
Mel B, Geri Horner and Emma Bunton were all in attendance as Victoria Beckham was noticeably absent from the big day – but she was unable to attend due to the World Cup final in the US.
Melanie also wore a custom Adidas robe to get ready for the ceremony, made from ivory silk with white silk stripes and then changed into an Adidas tracksuit look for the evening.
A source told The Sun on Saturday: “Mel and Chris’ wedding was perfect, they couldn’t be happier.
“They chose a classy, laid-back ceremony before a reception with their closest friends and family.
“Mel B gave a speech which got a lot of laughs, as well as some tears — it was really beautiful.
“Geri was there but there was no awkwardness between her and Mel B.
“It was a day for celebrating Mel and Chris’s love for each other and that was all anyone wanted to do.”
Melanie told British Vogue the wedding was “low-key, relaxed, romantic and chic”.
She added: “I’m so excited for the world to know he’s my husband.”
Melanie C has shared the first look at her wedding to partner Chris DingwallCredit: Andrew TimmsThe couple tied the knot over the weekendCredit: Andrew Timms
In new pictures, the pair are seen walking down the steps after getting married as they look like the epitome of happiness.
In one snap, Melanie beams from ear to ear as she and Chris hold hands.
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Another photo shows the two looking into one another’s eyes as they pose in the grounds of their wedding venue.
Mel B, Geri Horner and Emma Bunton were all in attendance as Victoria Beckham was noticeably absent from the big day.
The chic gown, which oozed elegance and featured a swooping backline, was plucked straight from Posh’s collection of her own Victoria Beckham gowns in her wardrobe.
Melanie C wore a custom Adidas robe to get ready for the ceremony, made from ivory silk with white silk stripes.
The look was completed with custom white and gold sliders featuring the wedding date in gold on the side.
After the meal, Melanie C changed into another custom Adidas look — an elevated interpretation of a tracksuit, with high-waisted, wide-legged trousers and a cropped jacket featuring a peaked lapel and deep ribbed waistband.
This look was again made from ivory silk with white silk stripes, worn with custom Superstar trainers.
Insiders said Mel B and Geri, who have not seen eye to eye since Scary accused Baby of lying about her age in 2022, put on a cordial display.
They got married in the grounds of The Country House Cumbria on SaturdayCredit: Andrew TimmsMelanie’s stunning dress was designed by Victoria BeckhamCredit: Andrew TimmsThe pair looked the picture of happiness on their big dayCredit: Andrew TimmsShe was joined by her Spice Girls bandmates Mel B, Geri Halliwell and Emma BuntonCredit: Andrew Timms
A source told The Sun on Saturday: “Mel and Chris’ wedding was perfect, they couldn’t be happier.
“They chose a classy, laid-back ceremony before a reception with their closest friends and family.
“Mel B gave a speech which got a lot of laughs, as well as some tears — it was really beautiful.
“Geri was there but there was no awkwardness between her and Mel B.
The bride posed up a storm in her beautiful gownCredit: Andrew TimmsShe got changed into a custom Adidas look for the receptionCredit: Andrew TimmsMelanie danced the night awayCredit: Andrew TimmsThe couple have been together for three yearsCredit: Andrew Timms
“It was a day for celebrating Mel and Chris’s love for each other and that was all anyone wanted to do.”
Insiders said the reception at the venue, in Castle Carrock on the edge of the Pennines, went on until the early hours of yesterday.
Melanie C, 52, told British Vogue the wedding was “low-key, relaxed, romantic and chic”.
She added: “I’m so excited for the world to know he’s my husband.”
Melanie said of her wedding dress: “Victoria’s dress was my something borrowed. It was very special, having her there.
“Victoria wanted to make it much more personal to me.
“She found some gorgeous vintage lace, and everything was really delicately dyed to the perfect shade. It’s very flattering, open at the back.”
Melanie’s daughter Scarlett, 17, from her relationship with Thomas Starr, was bridesmaid at her special day.
Melanie is the last of the girls from the pop group to tie the knot, having met Australian model Chris back in 2023 on celeb dating app Raya.
Melanie Sykes has showed off her completely bald head after opening up on her alopecia battleCredit: instagram/msmelaniesykesMel showed off her bald patches and hair loss just days agoCredit: instagram/msmelaniesykes
But taking to Instagramthis morning, Mel showed that she had no hair left at all.
The telly star flashed a smile in the selfie that she simply captioned as: “Loss + Gain = Life.”
Her brave new post comes amid Mel’s honesty about her recent health issues and the impact to has taken on her.
She previously explained how the autoimmune condition has progressed over time and had left her with noticeable bald patches across her head.
The star has been open about her dealing with hair loss for the past yearCredit: instagram/msmelaniesykesThe condition previously left Mel in ‘so much pain’Credit: GettyMel had previously been wearing head scarves in her recent postsCredit: instagram/msmelaniesykesShe has been open with her followers about her recent battleCredit: Not known clear with picture desk
Mel first opened up about facing life with alopecia last year.
She said: “I’ve got an autoimmune condition, I am losing my hair, I keep having crazy inflammation all over and I am working on healing.
“In the last three months, I’ve done a meditation teacher training course.
“I was too ill to finish it like. The last two days of it I couldn’t do.
“It’s meditation teacher training, I don’t necessarily want to teach, but I can do…
What is alopecia and what causes it?
About two per cent of the population will experience alopecia at some point in their lifetime, with around one in every 4,000 developing the condition each year.
It can start at any age but is most common in early adulthood and can lead to a lack of all hair including eyelashes and eyebrows, nasal hair and public hair.
Alopecia areata causes patches of baldness about the size of a large coin.
“Alopecia” is the medical term for hair loss and “areata” means that it occurs in small, random areas. There are various classifications, including:
Alopecia areata totalis: Total hair loss on the scalp
Alopecia areata universalis: Total hair loss on your scalp and all body hair
The causes of alopecia areata are not fully understood but the loss of hair is because of inflammation around the hair follicles.
The cause of the inflammation is unknown but it is believed that the immune system, which normally protects the body from infections and other diseases, misfires and attacks the hair follicles.
Therefore, it is understood to be an autoimmune condition, says Alopecia UK.
Genetics may be behind the condition, but there are other things thought to trigger it, including a virus, iron deficiency or stress. Studies are not conclusive.
For women, sometimes birth can trigger postpartum alopecia.
In most cases of alopecia areata, hair will grow back in a few months to a year. At first, hair may grow back fine and white, but over time it should thicken and regain its normal colour.
There is no cure for the condition, only treatments that are not guaranteed to work.
People with alopecia may need to take extra precautions, including protecting their skin and eyes when outside and preventing stress.
“Mostly I’ve been living a very, very very spiritual existence.
“I’m two-thirds bald, really. Every time I say I’m bald I laugh, I don’t know why… Thank god I can laugh.”
Last month, Melanie revealed that her hair had been coming out “really quickly”, after losing hair for more than a year.
She explained to fans how she has been trying on wigs, with her now ditching head scarves because she is keen to “get some hair”.
Sam Battle married his wife Melanie in 2012Credit: Instagram
But the competition gets real this evening for Sam Battle, who is representing the UK with his single Eins, Zwei, Drei, because there can only be one winner.
Speaking about Eurovision in a press conference ahead of the final, the artist said: “It has been a lot of work, especially as I have just become a new dad at the same time as prepping for Eurovision.”
On his YouTube channel with more than 700k subscribers, he posts videos about making pro audio gear and synthesizers, as well as original music tracks.
The YouTuber also runs This Museum Is Not Obsolete, a museum in Ramsgate, Kent, showcasing vintage devices repurposed for comic uses.
Sam has been curious about mechanics since early childhood, when he spent much of his time building rockets and robots.
After starting a university course in chemistry, he realised that he “was really not cut out for that” and switched to a music tech course instead.
However, he still quit his studies halfway through to join a music band in London for three years.
Stuck with an album that wasn’t being released and no gigs, Sam used this time to learn electronics.
He worked in numerous jobs, from fixing bicycles at Halfords to cooking in a restaurant, before before setting up indie-rock group ZIBRA with his three friends.
They performed at the Glastonbury Festival in 2015 as the final act on the BBC Introducing stage.
The musician launched his YouTube channel in 2013, primarily posting content for the the band — until its end in 2016 when he switched to his solo music project.
His younger sister Jodie Bartle, who appears in the music clip for Eins, Zwei, Drei by Look Mum No Computer, plays football for Wrexham.
In 2025, Sam developed a video game in collaboration with German indie studio The Bitfather and publisher Headup Games.
The game, called Look Mum No Computer, was nominated for the German Developer Award for Best Audio Design.
Who is Look Mum No Computer’s wife Melanie?
Sam Battle has been married to his wife Melanie for more than a decade.
On her Instagram, Melanie shared that she met Sam after “nicking a piece of plastic from outside of [his] house”.
The couple tied the knot in 2012 and have three children together.
Originally from Manchester, Melania King now lives in Ramsgate, KentCredit: Facebook
Dr Melanie King is an awarded artist and curator based in Ramsgate who specialises in astronomy, alternative and analogue photography.
She works as a co-director of Lumen Studios, an art collective exploring the themes of astronomy and light, and super/collider, an independent agency that “celebrates and champions the connections between science, creativity and culture”.
In 2013, Melanie founded the London Alternative Photography Collective, which has grown from a small group of analogue and alternative photography practitioners to a collective producing large-scale symposiums, exhibitions and workshops.
Recently completing her PhD in Fine Art at the Royal College of Art, the mum-of-three also teaches Photography at Canterbury Christ Church University.
The couple welcomed their baby boy Max in April 2026, as Sam had been working hard on his performance in the iconic song contest.
On his Instagram page, the musician has recently posted more photos of the baby, adding: “Not long till he (Max) will be holding a soldering iron and helping!”
