CRUZ Beckham has paid a sweet tribute to girlfriend Jackie Apostel to celebrate her milestone birthday.
The 20-year-old was performing with his band in Birmingham last night, where he paid tribute to his older partner.
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Cruz delivered a massive chocolate cake to JackieCredit: instagram/cruzbeckhamThe pair celebrated backstage in BirminghamCredit: instagram/cruzbeckhamThe youngest Beckham boy dedicated a sweet songCredit: Instagram/libbyyadams
Jackie, who’s just turned 30, was watching from the crowd as her friend filmed the adorable moment unfold.
Cruz has been doing secret sets all around the UK, including a gig wearing his dad David’s football shirt.
“Someone… very close to me. It’s her birthday. Erm, I wrote this song about them,” he said on stage on Saturday night.
As the camera pans to Jackie, she says, “I’m going to cry, that’s so…”
The youngest Beckham boy also shared a gushing tribute on his Instagram, uploading happy snaps alongside Jackie.
“Happy birthday @jackieapostel. Another time around the globe, I love you baby,” he wrote alongside a childhood snap of his partner.
“@jackieapostel I love you to the moon and back.”
The festivities appeared to continue backstage, with Jackie sharing videos as Cruz put on a mini party for his girlfriend.
Surrounded by birthday balloons, she posed for a mirror selfie as Cruz is seen in the background organising a cake.
Another angle shows the giant chocolate tray surrounded by candles as the singer hand-delivered the sweet treat.
It comes after Cruz’s parents, Victoria and David Beckham, also shared birthday messages for Jackie’s special day.
Taking to her Instagram, Posh Spice wrote: “To the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful soul. We all love you soooo much.”
Tagging Jackie in the Story post, she uploaded a series of slides with pictures of them both at various glitzy events.
“Happy birthday, we hope you have an amazing day and can’t wait to celebrate with you,” she added alongside a snap of Jackie and Cruz.
Victoria added: “We all love you @jackie.apostel.”
David also uploaded a couple of pics of the pair on his Instagram.
“Happy birthday to a very special person inside and out,” he said.
“Thank you for making my son the best version of himself.”
The couple faced cruel trolling for their age gap. Cruz, who turns 21 next year, met Jackie at Glastonbury Festival and they began dating in June 2024.
The pair made their love Instagram official back in October that year, coming under fire for their near decade-long age gap.
“Why is a 29-year-old dating a 20. That’s just weird. I’m talking about Jackie dating Cruz,” a troll penned on social media.
At the time, Jackie wrote back, “Because he’s kind, funny, smart, caring, driven, mature, talented, loyal, and also quite handsome.”
Cruz shared a sweet birthday message on his StoryCredit: InstagramJackie appeared to love his tribute on stageCredit: Instagram/libbyyadamsHe also uploaded a cute childhood snap of JackieCredit: InstagramCruz and Jackie have a 10-year age gap right nowCredit: Getty
Matt Groening knows what a real theremin sounds like.
As a kid who grew up on the celluloid junk food of the 1950s and ’60s, “The Simpsons” creator heard the ghostly wail of that early electronic instrument in sci-fi film scores and in albums by his beloved Frank Zappa. Its cousin, the ondes martenot, was featured in one of Groening’s favorite classical pieces — the “Turangalîla-symphonie” by Olivier Messiaen — which would inspire the name for a lead character in “Futurama,” Turanga Leela.
So, when composer Alf Clausen was recruited in the sophomore season of Groening’s popular new show about a yellow nuclear family and answered a request to use theremin — a small lectern with two metal antennae sticking out, which a musician plays by moving their hand in the space between — in the inaugural “Treehouse of Horror” episode in October 1990, Groening immediately recognized it was a fake; it was bouncing around the scale in a way a real theremin can’t do.
“And [Clausen] admitted, yeah, it wasn’t a theremin; it was a keyboard,” Groening recalls. “And it took many years for us to get a real theremin. The downside of the theremin is that it can’t play all the notes — but it’s got a feel to it that is so great.”
Clausen quickly became a fixture of “The Simpsons,” scoring every episode from that first “Treehouse of Horror,” now an annual Halloween tradition, all the way through the end of the 28th season, which wrapped in 2017, as well as composing many unforgettably funny songs with the show’s writers. Groening often referred to Clausen as the show’s “secret weapon.”
A scene from “Treehouse of Horror XXXVI,” this year’s Halloween episode of “The Simpsons.”
(“The Simpsons” & 20th Television)
The show’s producers were always pushing to save money, Groening says, and to have the show scored with synthesizers and a drum machine — par for the course for TV music in the 1990s. But Groening felt differently. “I always thought that the music really helped the show in a way, because I thought the animation was kind of … primitive,” Groening punctuates the word with a laugh, “and I thought, man, though, if we have great orchestral music backing up these goofy drawings, it’ll mean: ‘Hey, we really meant it!’ And Alf got that right away.”
Groening was none too happy, then, when Clausen was fired by Fox in 2017. The official reason stated was the high cost of recording every episode with a live orchestra; but the veteran composer, who had previously scored TV series like “Moonlighting” and “ALF” (no relation), was 76 when he got the boot, later suing Disney and Fox over age discrimination. (Clausen died earlier this year at age 84.)
Enter Bleeding Fingers Music, a composer collective founded in 2014 by Hans Zimmer, Russell Emanuel and Steven Kofsky that has grown from its original six composers to a stable of 26. Zimmer had been a longtime go-to for “Simpsons” executive producer James L. Brooks, and he won over a skeptical Groening with his zany score for “The Simpsons Movie” in 2007.
With a composer void, Brooks approached Zimmer about taking over the series, and Zimmer proposed Bleeding Fingers — whose credits at that point included several entries in the “Planet Earth” series and various History Channel documentaries and reality shows.
Russell Emanuel of Bleeding Fingers.
(Kevin Shelburne)
“It took a long time for the decision to be made,” says Emanuel, a cheeky Brit who got his start making soundalike rock albums in the 1980s and co-formed Extreme Music in 1997, a music library company that produced EDM tracks for shows like “Top Gear.” Zimmer was an early contributor to Extreme Music, and in 2001 the company moved into his vast Remote Control Productions campus in Santa Monica.
“It was taken very seriously,” Emanuel adds. “The first I knew about it was Hans calling me into his room and going, ‘We’ve got “Simpsons.” Don’t f— it up.’”
It was an awkward arranged marriage for Groening — and a “baptism by fire” for Emanuel and his cohort. They had an ample three weeks to tackle their very first episode, a “Game of Thrones” parody titled “The Serfsons,” which featured some theremin solos. Groening asked if it was a live theremin. It was not, the new composers sheepishly replied.
“He could hear it immediately, and completely called us out on it,” says Emanuel. “We had to go back and redo that whole thing. There were two or three big issues for him — but, you know, that was part of us learning the language.”
On a recent Friday morning on the Fox scoring stage, just around the corner from Groening’s office of nearly four decades, the “Simpsons” creator was smiling as a live orchestra recorded the score for Sunday’s new “Treehouse of Horror” episode (streaming next day on Hulu). There was a woodwind virtuoso, Pedro Eustache, making wild and beautiful sounds in an isolated booth with his arsenal of flutes — and out on the stage there was a real, live theremin.
Running the session was Kara Talve, a young but dominant digit of Bleeding Fingers who has been the principal composer on “The Simpsons” since Season 30; this is her sixth “Treehouse of Horror” episode. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, she took an assistant job at Bleeding Fingers — mostly, she says, because she wanted to work on “The Simpsons.”
Kara Talve of Bleeding Fingers, who has been the principal composer of “The Simpsons” since Season 30.
(Sage Etters)
“But I had to convince Russell that I could do it,” Talve says, sitting in her studio next to her boss. “I don’t think he trusted me yet. But also: Why would he, because I was like 5 years old.”
It’s quickly apparent how self-deprecating and silly they both are — Emanuel recently got a tattoo of a Spotify code that, when scanned, triggers Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” — but also how seriously they take this job.
“The responsibility of working on a show like this, we don’t take it lightly,” Talve says. “And because I was so intrigued by the show, and I really, really wanted to work with Russell on ‘The Simpsons,’ I went back and I listened to those old episodes — because I want to honor the musical language that Alf left, and that Danny Elfman left.” (Elfman composed the iconic theme song, which Emanuel and Talve consider “the heart of the show.”)
“And it’s a very specific palette,” she adds. “Like, not to get too nerdy about it, but there really is this harmonic language that’s only in Springfield.”
There are other, subtle ingredients to a good “Simpsons” score: For instance, the music should (usually) duck out of the way for the verbal or visual punchline. And the show has always overflowed with pop culture references and spoofs, which requires an almost bottomless well of musical knowledge. That’s one area where having two dozen other composers working in the same building comes in handy.
“There’s this adaptability that you have to have on this show,” says Talve, “and it’s every genre under the sun, and you kind of just have to figure out how to do that. And Russ was a big part in teaching me, because he’s the king of production music.” She adds that the composers in the collective also play a variety of instruments, so “I can just ask them to come in and play this line, because we can’t sell it to the showrunners if it sounds too fake.”
The average “Simpsons” episode has between five and 10 minutes of score — which might sound like easy street.
“The amount of starts is very challenging,” Talve says. “And it is deceiving. People go, ‘Five minutes? Oh, you’re just doing a bunch of stings’ or whatever. But I want to debunk this because it’s actually way harder, for me personally, to do 30 short cues for one episode than to have one long cue that’s five minutes because the amount of emotional turns that the music has to have, and that you have to hit all this stuff within 10 seconds — it’s actually really frickin’ hard.”
(In 2014, Clausen told me he always joked that “I can make you feel five ways in 13 seconds.”)
The Simpson family in a segment from this year’s “Treehouse of Horror.”
(“The Simpsons” & 20th Television)
Most episodes are recorded with small ensembles at the Bleeding Fingers facility, but the “Treehouse of Horror” chapters are special; they tend to have wall-to-wall music, and the producers splurge on a full orchestral session at Fox — just like the old days.
This year’s anthology spoofs “Jaws,” “Late Night With the Devil” and “Furiosa.” Talve’s score bobs and weaves accordingly, from big brassy horror to eerie synths to world percussion and a custom-made plastic flute.
Groening, who was full of praise for Talve’s “Treehouse” score, has gradually warmed to the Bleeding Fingers team approach — viewing it less like a factory churning out product and more like the way animators work.
“The nature of animation, with maybe two or three exceptions in the history of the medium — it’s all a collaboration,” Groening says. “We’ve got a lot of ‘Simpsons’ writers, we have a lot of voice actors, a lot of animators, a lot of musicians. I mean, one of the great things about that particular session was that these are some of the greatest musicians in Los Angeles, playing amazing music.”
He even wishes people could witness it in person.
“There should be live concerts of this music because it is so much fun to listen to,” he says.” And it gets a little constrained, you know, when it’s supporting goofy animation — but as music, it’s really fantastic.”
Medical TV show 24 hours in A&E is returning to London hospital St George’s four years after producers announced that it was relocating to Nottingham
24 Hours in A&E is to return to London hospital St George’s after relocating to Nottingham four years ago(Image: C4)
Medical reality TV show 24 Hours in A&E which highlights the hectic day to day life of emergency nurses and doctors, is set to return to London after four years. The Channel 4 show will now be filmed in the south west hospital St George’s, four years after relocating to Nottingham.
More than 130 cameras will track and provide viewers with fly on the wall footage of nurses, doctors and patients who walk through the doors of the accident and emergency room. The series has been running since 2014 and Kate Slemeck, who is the Managing Director for St George’s University HospitalsNHS Foundation Trust, said that she’s “incredibly proud” to bring it back to St George’s.
“[I’m proud] to showcase the unwavering work of our Emergency Department colleagues and the teams who work with them – from minor injuries to major traumas and everything in-between. A lot has changed since the last time the series was filmed here, including increased demand for our services – but the main thing viewers will take away is the expert care, compassion and kindness our patients receive every day.”
And Gabe Jones, Clinical Director and Consultant for Emergency Medicine and Major Trauma at St George’s, said: “I’m excited to show viewers our brilliant Emergency Department, which continues to deliver excellent care in the most challenging circumstances.”
He continued: “I’m proud of my exceptional colleagues for the life-saving work they will continue to do long after the cameras have stopped rolling, and am grateful to our patients for allowing us to document their most vulnerable moments. “
He went on to say: “We thank the staff at Queen Medical Centre in Nottingham for showing the NHS at its best, and are very pleased to welcome the series back to St George’s.”
In addition to the comments about the show returning to London, Manjeet Shemar, Medical Director at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), said: “We are so proud to have been the home to 24 Hours in A&E for so long, bringing the show into the heart of our Nottingham community and sharing the incredible stories of our staff and patients. “
Manjeet explained: “The series gives the public the chance to see what it is like working in a busy emergency department like QMC, the complexities of it and the kind of things that staff see and work on day in and day out. It really is quite remarkable. I am so thankful that the series came to QMC, and even more so to those colleagues who were involved.”
Manjeet went on to say: “We’re excited for our colleagues over at St George’s to have the series return to them, and hope that the series will make a return to QMC one day in the future too.”
The show was first broadcast in 2011 and filmed from King’s College Hospital before moving to St George’s in 2014. The decision to relocate the TV show to Nottingham came after the broadcaster announced it was moving its headquarters to the city.
Produced by The Garden, the Director of Factual, Spencer Kelly added: “The privilege of being invited to film the brilliant work of our NHS staff and the brave patients it cares for, never wears thin. We are extremely grateful to everyone at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham for allowing us to tell their story over the past few years and delighted to be welcomed back to St George’s for this exciting new chapter.”
A broadcast date remains to be confirmed but Rita Daniels, who is the Commissioning Editor for the channel said: “We’re grateful to Nottingham University Hospitals for the powerful and moving stories we’ve been privileged to film during our time there and the compassion and resilience shown by staff and patients alike has made a lasting impact on the series.
“As 24 Hours in A&E returns to St George’s Hospital in London – at the heart of the UK’s most populated city – we look forward to continuing to tell the extraordinary stories that unfold every day in our NHS.”
LIMP Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers shared a final glimpse of his life just weeks before his sudden death aged 48.
The late star posted a picture of himself relaxing in the back of a limo during a trip to London.
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Rivers shared a final image of himself relaxing in a limo in London weeks before his deathCredit: InstagramRivers playing at Reading Festival earlier this summerCredit: Richard Isaac
The August 22 Instagram post, now flooded with tributes, showed the rocker leaning back in the plush seat, looking calm and content as he soaked up the moment in the UK capital.
“I hope everyone is having a great day. In London with my fav and and the LB Fam #limpbizkit #limpbizkitstyle #limpbizkitfamily #nothingbutlove,” Rivers captioned the photo.
The laid-back, joyful snapshot has now taken on heartbreaking new meaning after his death.
His bandmates confirmed the news in an emotional statement to fans.
They wrote: “In Loving Memory of Our Brother, Sam Rivers. Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat.
“Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player — he was pure magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.”
They added: “From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced. His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous.
“We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there.
“He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human. A true legend of legends. And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory. We love you, Sam.
“We’ll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends. — Fred, Wes, John & DJ Lethal.”
DJ Lethal shared his own heartfelt message, writing: “We love you Sam rivers. Please respect the family’s privacy at this moment. Give Sam his flowers and play Sam rivers basslines all day! We are in shock.
“Rest in power my brother! You will live on through your music and the lives you helped save with your music, charity work and friendships. We are heartbroken enjoy every millisecond of life. It’s not guaranteed.”
Rivers, born in Jacksonville, Florida, co-founded Limp Bizkit in 1994 alongside frontman Fred Durst and drummer John Otto, later joined by guitarist Wes Borland and DJ Lethal.
Sam Rivers, Wes Borland, DJ Lethal and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit backstage at Grant Park in 2021Credit: GettyHis band members paid tribute to their “brother” on social media after he passed away on Saturday eveningCredit: Instagram
Together they reshaped late-’90s rock with hits like Break Stuff, My Way, Behind Blue Eyes and Take a Look Around, and their albums — including Significant Other and Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water — became era-defining records, with four going platinum or multi-platinum.
The band earned three Grammy nominations and a Billboard Music Award, cementing their status as one of the most influential rock acts of their generation.
He left Limp Bizkit in 2015 after being diagnosed with liver disease caused by excessive drinking, later revealing he underwent a life-saving liver transplant in 2017.
He rejoined the band in 2018 after recovering, continuing to perform with them until his death.
“Harper & Hal,” premiering Sunday on the cinema-centric streamer Mubi, is a gorgeous, generous limited series that has nothing to show you other than people, how they are and how they do or do not get along. Its elements are not unfamiliar, because they’re drawn from life, rather than from the movies — or just from the movies, as they’re subjects to which the movies have often turned.
But, like this year’s “Adolescence,” which it (differently) resembles in its mix of naturalism and artifice, the series, written and directed by and starring 28-year-old Cooper Raiff — writer-director-star of the indie features “Shithouse” and “Cha Cha Real Smooth” — demonstrates that something fresh can still be done in an oversaturated medium.
While the story spreads out over eight episodes, the cast is compact. Harper (Lili Reinhart) is the daughter of Mark Ruffalo’s character, credited only as “Dad”; Hal (Raiff) is her younger brother. Alyah Chanelle Scott plays Jesse, Harper’s longtime girlfriend; Havana Rose Liu is Abby, Hal’s shorter-time girlfriend; Kate (Betty Gilpin) is Dad’s girlfriend. The company is completed by Audrey (Addison Timlin), divorced with two small children, who shares an office with Harper, and Hal’s roommate, Kalen (Christopher Meyer).
In scenes set in the past, Reinhart and Raiff play their younger selves, a la Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle’s “Pen15,” with less overt comedy, though Raiff’s performance as very young Hal, whom no one in the series describes as hyperactive (though I will — not a doctor) is often funny. It’s not a gimmick but a device — much as the one-shot production of “Adolescence” was not performative cleverness, but the right fit for the material — both in the sense of the child being the parent of the adult, and because it allows for a different, deeper sort of performance than one is liable to get from a first or a third grader. (As spookily good as small child actors can be.) Significantly, it unifies the characters across time.
A confluence of events triggers the drama. The house Hal and Harper grew up in — and which Dad, who spends much of the series seriously depressed especially, can’t let go — is being sold. (Harper and Hal are in L.A.; the house, and Dad and Kate, are elsewhere.) Kate is pregnant; there’s a chance the baby might have Down syndrome, which leads Dad to reflect that with “a disabled kid … you gotta meet them where they are every day” and that he might have been a more present parent to his older children. Jesse has a job offer in Texas and wants Harper to come with her. Hal, a college senior who isn’t pointed anywhere in particular, though he likes to draw, breaks up with Abby after learning — when she tells him she’d like them to become “exclusive” — that up until then they hadn’t been. And Harper has become attracted to Audrey.
The loss of their mother and their father’s unresolved grief has made Hal and Harper unusually close; she’s a caretaker to her brother, who, even though he’s grown, sometimes wants to crawl in bed next to her; at the same time, Harper’s internalized the feeling that she’s holding everything together, which makes it hard to move on. They’re on an island together.
“Are we friends?” young Hal asks Harper.
“We’re brother and sister,” she replies.
“Not friends.”
“I guess we can be friends, too.”
There is an almost complete absence of expository dialogue. The characters are not afflicted with speechifying; silences allow the viewer to enter into the spaces between them, and to let their experience echo with one’s own. (If you’ve lived long enough to be reading television reviews, you’ve felt some or all of these things.) There’s no wall of declaration erected between the viewer and the viewed, but the actors, Reinhart and Gilpin especially, can destroy you with a look. (Although some writers and actors love them, there’s nothing that feels less true to life than a long monologue.)
Though the story feels organic, it’s also highly structured, stretching the length of Kate’s pregnancy, shot through with resonances and reflections — “I Will Survive,” sung by adult Harper at karaoke and in a flashback as part of a children’s chorus, or a precocious young Harper reading “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” “It’s about this family where everyone’s super lonely,” she tells Hal, shining a light back on her own, “but then it gets even worse because they withdraw and they became selfish and so miserable. But maybe it gets better.” (We see her often with a book.) There’s a slow-fast rhythm to the cutting; short scenes alternate with long; memories explode in montage. Just as Raiff doesn’t bother overmuch with explanations, he eliminates transitions. We’re here, then we’re there. You won’t get lost.
Once or twice, I fretted Raiff might be steering his ship to some cliched dark outcome, but I needn’t have worried.
Toy Story graced the movie screens all the way back in 1995, but people are only just realising one hidden detail in the first film which shaped the entire Pixar universe
Christine Younan Deputy Editor Social Newsdesk
09:54, 19 Oct 2025
The first Toy Story was released 30 years ago
It’s been 30 years since the first Toy Story movie was released back in 1995. The adventure comedy, which features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and more, follows a group of toys who prepare to move into a new house with their young owner Andy.
But trouble arises when Sheriff Woody, the leader of the pack, fears Andy will soon replace him when he receives a new toy, Buzz Lightyear, on his sixth birthday. Then things escalate further during a family trip for dinner at Pizza Planet where Woody accidentally knocks Buzz out of the window, making the others believe he killed him.
Buzz confronts Woody leading to a brawl and a fall out of the car where the two are left behind, fending for themselves. Since the first iconic instalment in the 90s, Toy Story returned for four sequels with the fifth set for release in 2026.
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Now one movie fan couldn’t help but notice a tiny detail in the first film which shaped the rest of the sequels and even the entire Pixar universe.
Ivan Mars, known as the ‘Movie Detective’, boasts 962,000 followers on Instagram where he spots hidden details in films. And most recently, he was mind-blown after noticing one Toy Story detail.
He said: “It took me 20 years to notice something hidden in Pixar movies… something that started in Pixar’s very first work: Toy Story. In that movie, Woody and Buzz are lost and their only chance to get back to Andy is to the Pizza Planet truck.
“Without it, the story might have ended right there and because of this, the Pizza Planet truck became a symbol appearing in every Pixar movie from Ratatouille to Cars.
“In Wall-E, it’s the only abandoned vehicle on Earth. And more recently in Elio, it appears in a blink and you’ll miss it scene. So this means it actually became Pixar’s secret thread because it saved the very first characters giving birth to the entire Pixar universe. Mind-blowing…”
People were equally floored by the revelation as the post garnered a lot of attention pretty quickly. One said: “WHAAATTTT!” Another added: “Omg so cool.” A third pointed out: “Yes it’s one of the common Easter egg of Pixar movies!”
Others claimed there were other hidden details as someone commented: “The Pixar lamp is in every movie also I believe.”
Toy Story 5 is set to be released on June 19, 2026. Buzz, Woody and the rest of the gang’s job will get harder when they go head-to-head with a new threat to playtime.
SELENA Gomez and Hailey Bieber risked an awkward run in at a glam Hollywood galaCredit: GettyIt came just hours after the women exchanged swipesCredit: GettySelena attended the event alongside husband Benny BlancoCredit: Getty
The 28-year-old Rhode Beauty founder told WSJ Magazine she “doesn’t feel competitive with people she’s not inspired by”.
On Saturday, Selena, 33, spoke out, penning a post on her Instagram before quickly deleting it.
“She can say what she wants, it doesn’t affect my life whatsoever,” she snapped.
Just hours after Selena’s post, the two women appeared at the 2025 Academy Museum Gala in LA.
“I didn’t ask for that. When people want to see you a certain way and they’ve made up a story about you in their minds, it’s not up to you to change that.”
Many actors talk about process but Ethan Hawke has made the act of creation central to his work. He’s played musicians and writers and when he’s gone behind the camera, he’s focused on the stories of composers, novelists, movie stars and country singers both famous and forgotten. Sometimes, it feels like he’s the unofficial patron saint of art suffering, fixated on the glory and anguish of putting yourself out there in the world.
So Hawke’s portrayal of Lorenz Hart, the brilliant but troubled lyricist responsible for beloved tunes like “My Funny Valentine,” in a story set shortly before his death would seem to be just the latest chapter of a lifelong obsession. But “Blue Moon,” Hawke’s ninth collaboration with director Richard Linklater, cuts deeper than any of his previous explorations. Imagining Hart on the night of his former collaborator Richard Rodgers’ greatest triumph — the launch of “Oklahoma!” — Linklater offers a wistful look at a songwriter past his prime. But the film wouldn’t resonate as powerfully without Hawke’s nakedly vulnerable portrayal.
It is March 31, 1943, eight months before Hart’s death at age 48 from pneumonia, and Hart has just gruffly left the Broadway premiere of “Oklahoma!” Arriving early at Sardi’s for the after-party, he plants himself at the bar, complaining to bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) that the show will be a massive success — and that it’s garbage. Eddie nods in a way that suggests he’s often lent a sympathetic ear to Hart’s rantings, allowing him to unload about the show’s supposedly banal lyrics and corn-pone premise and, worst of all, the fact that Rodgers will have his biggest smash the moment he stops working with Hart after nearly 25 years. “This is not jealousy speaking,” Hart insists, fooling no one.
As played by Hawke, Hart adores holding court, entertaining his captive audience with witty put-downs and gossipy Broadway anecdotes. Begging Eddie not to serve him because of his drinking problem, which contributed to the dissolution of his partnership with Rodgers, this impudent carouser would be too much to stand if he also wasn’t such fun company. But eventually, Rodgers (Andrew Scott) and his new lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II (Simon Delaney) are going to walk through that door and Hart will have to swallow his pride and pretend to be happy for them. From one perspective, “Blue Moon” is about the beginning of “Oklahoma!” as a pillar of American theater. From another, it’s Hart’s funeral.
Set almost exclusively inside Sardi’s, “Blue Moon” has the intimacy of a one-man stage show. After Hart vents about “Oklahoma!,” he readies himself for the arrival of Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley), a gorgeous Yale undergrad he considers his protégée. (He also claims to be in love with her, which baffles Eddie, who rightly assumed otherwise.) If the universal acclaim of “Oklahoma!” will force Hart to confront his professional irrelevance, maybe Elizabeth’s beaming presence — and the promise of them consummating their feelings — will be sufficient compensation.
Linklater, the man behind “School of Rock” and “Me and Orson Welles,” has made several films about creativity. (In a few weeks, he’ll debut another movie, “Nouvelle Vague,” which focuses on the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s epochal “Breathless.”) But what distinguishes “Blue Moon” is that, for once, it’s about someone else’s achievement — not the main character. Fearing he’s a has-been, the diminutive, balding Hart slowly succumbs to self-loathing. He can still spitefully quote the negative reviews for his 1940 musical “Pal Joey.” And he nurses a paranoid pet theory that Rodgers decided to collaborate with Hammerstein because he’s so much taller than Hart. (“Blue Moon” incorporates old-fashioned camera tricks to help Hawke resemble Hart’s under-five-feet frame.) Linklater’s movies have frequently featured affable underdogs, but by contrast, “Blue Moon” is an elegy to a bitter, insecure man whose view of himself as a failure has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Of the many artists Hawke has honored on screen, he has never depicted one so touchingly diminished — someone so consumed with envy who nonetheless cannot lie to himself about the beauty of the art around him. Turning 55 next month, Hawke shares with Hart an effusive passion for indelible work but also, perhaps, a nagging anxiety about the end of his creative usefulness. If he were younger, Hawke would have come across as self-regarding. Here, there’s only a poignantly egoless transparency, exposing the lyricist’s personal flaws — his drunkenness, his arrogance — while capturing the fragile soulfulness that made those Rodgers and Hart tunes sing.
Apropos of his relaxed approach, Linklater shoots “Blue Moon” with a minimum of fuss, but one can feel its enveloping melancholy, especially once the next generation of artists poke their head into the narrative. (Sondheim diehards will instantly identify the brash young composer identified only as “Stevie.”) But neither Linklater nor Hawke is sentimental about that changing of the guard.
That’s why Hawke breaks your heart. All of us are here for just a short time: We make our mark and then the ocean comes and washes it away. In an often remarkable career, Hawke has never embraced that truth so completely as he does here. Ultimately, maybe the work artists leave behind isn’t their most important contribution — maybe it’s the love they had for artistry itself, a passion that will inspire after they’re gone. That’s true of Lorenz Hart, and it will hopefully prove true of Hawke and this understated but profound film for years to come.
Explosives Officer Lana Washington is set to face some daunting times in Trigger Point’s third series as Vicky McClure teases another high-stakes season for the ITV hit series.
Trigger Point is back on ITV for a third season
Vicky McClure promises more adrenaline, danger and depth in the explosive third series of Trigger Point – but her alter ego Lana is set for a gruelling addiction and PTSD battle.
“It’s more exciting,” she says, “We made it bigger. We’ve got new cast members. People that weren’t on series two were really excited to be on the show.”
This year, the hit ITV show doesn’t just go bigger – it gets bolder. “We’re moving with the times,” Vicky McClure adds, “We’re making sure that it feels epic.”
Once again, the Line Of Duty star returns as bomb disposal expert Lana Washington – while also taking the reins as an executive producer.
Series three opens with a nerve-wrecking emergency: Lana is called to a wasteland where a man is trapped inside a taxi. A sign nearby orders him to “confess” to a mysterious crime – or die trying to escape.
What first appears as a one-off hostage crisis quickly spirals. As panic builds up, Lana realises she’s hunting a serial perpetrator. New actors have joined the line-up. Lost Kingdom star Mark Rowley plays Rich Manning, and Primeval actor Jason Flemyng is villain Steven Wyles.
“I always play a lot of baddies and I look like a baddie but the truth is he’s another little man that is fighting the system and that has been hard done by,” Jason says.
“He’s had enough of the capitalist system putting profit before people. He takes retribution.” The villain quickly develops a complicated bond with Lana.
“She’s not battling him, it’s just that he’s breaking the law and doing something which puts other people in danger. That’s the essence of that relationship,” Jason says.
Their bond culminates in a brutal face-off – one Jason vividly remembers. “We shot in this town hall in Wembley and we parked underneath it,” he says.
“I went to see Oasis recently and went to the town hall because that’s where Vicky and I had a fight. I parked right outside because I knew the town hall.”
This season also digs deeper into Lana’s personal trauma. After surviving a kidnapping by a terrorist group in season two, she’s still grappling with the aftermath.
“When we first started talking about series three, we wanted to touch on PTSD for sure and how that was for Lana,” Vicky says. “It’s so unique to everybody. We all know Lana’s lost a lot of people close to her throughout the series. There’s no way that’s not going to have an effect on her.”
The emotional toll takes unexpected forms. “We’ll see Lana going through an addiction while she’s working and how she handles that, who picks up on it,” Vicky teases, “She’s incredible but she’s also human. She makes a lot of mistakes. That’s the downfall of being a heroic character.”
Vicky also gets an upgrade – literally. “We’ve had three different bomb suits now,” Vicky says, “This was the lighter version and it was still bloody heavy . It was much easier to walk in.”
Despite the physical and emotional intensity, Vicky thrives on bringing Lana’s vulnerability to the surface. “It’s been nice because Lana’s having to lean more on other people,” she says.
“There’s a much closer knit between the EXPOs (Explosive Officers),” she adds, crediting former British Army bomb disposal expert Joel Snarr for his insight. “There’s a lot of life in it. It feels real. We’re trying to get into the mentality of an expo and speaking to people like Joel, you get that.”
Even the smallest details matter to Vicky. “One thing that drives me nuts is watching people drink tea on telly without tea or (carrying) bags without anything in them,” she says, “I’ve got this bag on my back every day, so I fill it with anything that Lana needs. I feel like I’ve got the weight of Lana on me.”
She even recalls a particularly funny moment on set. “They’d made a foam breezeblock for me. I know I’m 42 and cracking on but I can still pick up a breezeblock,” she says.
“Cut to take five and I was like, ‘what the hell did I choose the real one for?’ But the foam one looked terrible. After Trigger Point, I feel fit as a fiddle, which is rare for me because I’m not a massive fan of the gym. I went there once this year.”
Production for series three rolled straight into filming for series four, after ITV swiftly renewed the drama. The cast and crew spent a total of nine months shooting in London. “We just strap in and get the job done,” says Vicky.”
The popstar was absent from Mel’s happy day at St Paul’s Cathedral on Saturday, which saw Emma Bunton, 49, the sole other girl group member in attendance.
The Wannabe singer stunned in a gown adorned with dazzling pearl detail around the collar and sleeves and a long flowing veil as she stepped out of the iconic venue.
She uploaded a snap showing the happy couple together with the words: “So so happy for you both and beyond gutted I couldn’t be there.
“Excited to celebrate with you really soon. Yipee!”
In her next slide, Mel showcased a snap of her performing in Stockholm, Sweden.
She added the words: “Bit of a soggy one last night.”
Mel shows off her musclesCredit: ErotemeThe toned Spice Girl, 51, wore a leotard and red boots to help launch her new musicCredit: Unknown
Sam Rivers, the founding bassist of the band Limp Bizkit, has died at age 48, the band announced Saturday.
“Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat,” the band wrote in an Instagram post. “Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player — he was pure magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.”
The post did not cite a cause of death.
Formed in Jacksonville, Fla., Limp Bizkit and lead singer Fred Durst rose to prominence in the late ’90s and early 2000s with its mix of rock and hip-hop.
Rivers also sang backup vocals for the band, which topped radio charts with songs including “Break Stuff,” “Nookie,” “Re-Arranged” and “My Way.”
“From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced. His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous,” the band wrote in the post. “We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there.”
The tribute was signed by Durst, along with band members Wes Borland, John Otto and DJ Lethal.
“He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human. A true legend of legends. And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory,” it said. “We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends.”
In a comment on the post, Leor Dimant — also known as DJ Lethal — asked people to “please respect the family’s privacy at this moment.” He added that fans can “give Sam his flowers” by playing his bass lines all day.
“Rest in power my brother,” Dimant wrote. “You will live on through your music and the lives you helped save with your music, charity work and friendships.”
Iconic ITV medical expert Dr Hilary Jones has opened up about how he is set to depart the network after working there for 36 years as a string of cuts will see workforce sliced in half
Dr Hilary Jones has opened up about the end of his ITV career(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Lorraine star Dr Hilary Jones has opened up about his departure from the hit ITV show after being on the air for 36 years. Hilary is leaving after it was announced that the morning offering is set to be cut to 30 minutes long from January.
The reduced schedule will see it air for just 30 weeks of the year instead of 52. The 72-year-old medical specialist has also confessed that he thinks there won’t be any money for him to have a leaving party.
He explained, “I’m still working there until December 31, and then I’m a free agent. It’s liberating from the constraints of a news programme presenter. I’ll probably come back as a guest presenter now and then.”
He then clarified further why the changes to the popular show are happening, as he mentioned that many people are having to move on. He said, “People are being very sensitive to the fact that some people are having to move on.
“A lot of people are being redeployed elsewhere or in the same role. ITV, like everyone else, are having to make changes.” Talking to The Sun, as he was asked if ITV would be throwing a leaving party for those being made redundant, he said: “It would be lovely if they did, but we will wait and see on that one because money is tight.
“Certainly, there are groups of us who feel we’re part of a family, so we will all be going out anyway, whether they pay or not. We are quite happy to dip into our own pockets.”
Attending the Best Hero awards, Hilary also clarified, “I think people at work know where they stand, and many saw changes coming.”
The changes will see the workforce on ITV Studios’ daytime operations cut in half as they try to claw back financial losses. Recent financial results for the network showed their profits are down by 30 per cent in the first half of this year.
Meanwhile, TV presenter Lorraine Kelly has described the cuts to her show as “heartbreaking” as she opened up for the first time about her show being slashed. The star also vowed to continue on her self-titled programme amid previous speculation she was prepared to walk away.
Speaking to The Mirror she said, “I don’t see me going anywhere until people get fed up, you know? Until people say, I’ve had enough of that one. It’s really heartbreaking to split up the team, a lot of my team have been with me for more than 20 years and they’re my friends.
“I’ve grown up with them. They were babies when they started with me and now they’ve got babies of their own.” Lorraine said she was pleased that a lot of the team had since been redeployed on other shows.
She added, “It’s been difficult with the cuts, it’s been hard. I’m a lot happier about it now but it was honestly and genuinely all about the team. I wasn’t annoyed or angry about this for me..it was about the team.”
SAM Rivers, bassist for rock-rap group Limp Bizkit, has died aged 48, according to an emotional statement from the band.
His fellow band members paid tribute to their “brother” on social media after he passed away on Saturday evening.
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Sam River was a founding member of the bandHis band members paid tribute to their “brother” on social media after he passed away on Saturday eveningCredit: InstagramSam Rivers performed onstage at KROQ Weenie Roast & Luau at Doheny State Beach in 2019Credit: Getty
Announcing the news to fans on Instagram, the band wrote: “In Loving Memory of Our Brother, Sam Rivers. Today we lost our brother.
“Our bandmate. Our heartbeat. Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player — he was pure magic.
“The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.”
They added: “From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced.
“His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous. We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there.”
“He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human. A true legend of legends,” the statement continued.
“And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory.”
The band concluded: “We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends. — Fred, Wes, John & DJ Lethal.”
Most read in Entertainment
The 48-year-old’s cause of death is yet to be revealed.
In 2015, Rivers left the band after being diagnosed with liver disease due to excessive drinking.
He revealed that he had undergone a liver transplant before rejoining the band in 2018.
Rivers was a founding member of Limp Bizkit, having formed the band with Fred Durst and John Otto in 1994.
The band then added guitarist Wes Borland and DJ Lethal in 1996.
The group dropped six albums, including critically-acclaimed “Significant Other” and “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water”.
Rivers has played on all six albums, four of which have been certified platinum or multi-platinum.
Limp Bizkit are best known for songs including “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Take a Look Around.”
Rivers was a founding member of Limp Bizkit having formed the band with Fred Durst and John OttCredit: GettyIn 2015, Rivers left the band after being diagnosed with liver disease due to excessive drinkingCredit: GettySam Rivers, Wes Borland, DJ Lethal and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit backstage at Grant Park in 2021Credit: Getty
Sea otters love to play, play, play, play, play and they also have to eat, eat, eat, eat, eat — at least that’s what people say — so the Monterey Bay Aquarium is tapping Taylor Swift fans for help.
The Central Coast aquarium launched a fundraising campaign Thursday involving a re-release of one of its classic T-shirt designs to support its sea otter program and other marine conservation efforts after noticing a curious flood of $13 donations it could attribute only to Taylor Swift fans.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is seen sporting a vintage 1993 Monterey Bay Aquarium shirt with sea otter art in “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” her movie celebrating the release of her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Swift’s fiancé, Travis Kelce, a tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs, is a known sea otter fan, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium had previously invited the couple for a special visit.
“Swifties, you truly walk the talk,” the aquarium said in a post on its website announcing the new campaign. “We tracked down the original artwork — first printed in the 1990s — and are bringing it back to say thank you, sustainably.”
The limited-time fundraiser, which offers the new eco-conscious reprints of the shirt in adult and kids sizes to those who donate $65.13, hit its initial goal in a mere seven hours, according to an update posted Thursday by the aquarium. When this story was published Friday, the total was approaching $2.2 million and the shirts were available on back order only.
“Intentional or not, by putting our sea otter conservation work in the spotlight, this has brought a new era of support and awareness to the Aquarium’s long history of ocean conservation,” the Monterey Bay Aquarium said on its website, which also features some fun Swift and sea otter crossover facts.
In addition to debuting the music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” Swift’s “Release Party” movie included behind-the-scenes footage and commentary from the artist about her songs. The 89-minute movie made $34 million at the box office over its one weekend in theaters.
Dianne Buswell has opened up about juggling her first pregnancy while appearing on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and how much her unborn son loves the live band
Dianne Buswell has revealed she’s loving dancing while pregnant(Image: WireImage)
Pregnant Dianne Buswell says her unborn baby is already showing signs he’s going to follow in her footsteps. The mum-to-be took to the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor again last night with celebrity partner, Neighbours star Stefan Dennis.
Aussie Dianne – who is expecting a baby boy with YouTuber Joe Sugg early next year – says the baby is a big fan of the show. “There have been a few little Strictly kicks,” she beamed. “Especially when he’s listening to Dave Arch and the band.
“I don’t feel it when I dance. That’s probably rocking him to sleep. He will be having a good old time there.” Dianne, 36, announced last month that she was expecting a baby boy with her 2018 Strictly partner Joe, 34.
The first pro to compete while pregnant on the BBC show, she’s faced lots of support but also a barrage of opinions. Dianne brushed off any negativity, saying: “I have got some lovely messages. I want to be an advocate for mums who can stay active.
“I feel really good thanks. I feel pretty much the same as I felt last year. I feel better dancing. I felt worse when I had the time off last week, weirdly, so that was an interesting observation.”
Dianne was forced to miss out on last week’s movie week after Stefan was struck down by illness. They were back last night to perform Charleston to Dance Monkey by Tones and I.
Dianne said she’s loving dancing while pregnant. “So far so good,” she said. “I haven’t had to adapt anything at all. I’ve just continued doing exactly what I would normally do.
“We couldn’t be doing crazy lifts anyway because Stefan is the oldest competitor in the competition and you always choreograph dances that suit your partner. People who do these big lifts will be very different in height and size but me and Stefan are not like that so we go for what suits us better.
“I adapt not because I’m pregnant but because of my partner.” Actor Stefan, 66, said his week off gave him the chance to “rest and re-evaluate”.
“I came from the other side of the world and was thrown into a massive machine I didn’t really know anything about. Being sick gave me a chance to sit back and see what you do. The hardest thing has been learning how to dance and getting over the fear of I can’t dance. My subconscious thoughts are that I have two left feet. I don’t know how to move my body. I can’t do this. So the hardest thing is getting over that.”
Hoping to progress to next weekend’s show, Halloween week, Stefan says he’s already had to miss out on one spooky opportunity. “Before this my plan was to finish Neighbours,” he explained. “I was going to do a film and then I was going to go travelling with my wife and kids.
“It’s a shame I didn’t do the film because I was going to play a head vampire in a horror film which couldn’t be further from Paul Robinson but unfortunately I had to say no to the film because of Strictly.”
Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock performs on tonight’s results show. Watch at 7.15pm on BBC One.
Louis Tomlinson has opened up about losing friend Liam PayneCredit: You Tube/The Diary Of A CEOLiam tragically died a year ago in ArgentinaCredit: AFPThe pair kept up their friendship even after One Direction split in 2016Credit: Getty
The pair were firm friends after being in One Direction together from 2010 and 2016 and they continued their friendship after the band split up.
Speaking about the grief of losing Liam, Louis told The Independent: “I naively thought that, at this point, I’d unfortunately be a little bit more well versed with grief than other people my age.
“I thought that might mean something, but it didn’t at all. It’s something I’ll never really accept. I don’t think.”
This isn’t the first time Louis has opened up about Liam as he recently spoke about him during an appearance on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast.
He told the Dragons’ Den star: “I could just go on and talk all day about how amazing he was, but I think we all looked up to him.
“I don’t think we would have been brave enough to say at that age when I was in the bnd, I think I would’ve had too much pride, but we all looked up to him massively.”
“I had the same feeling that I had with Felicity, and I think anyone has this when they’re around someone who’s struggling; my 150 per cent wasn’t nearly enough.
“And that’s when it’s my own arrogance thinking that I could have helped really, because it was so much deeper than what I could have done for him. He was definitely struggling at that time in his life.”
Liam had flown to Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy for a five-day holiday, to see his ex-1D bandmate Niall Horan in concert.
Liam extended the trip but Kate returned home to the US.
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who spent the week belting “You Don’t Own Me” with the same gusto as an empowered ex-wife dressed in white.
Diane Keaton died this week at age 79 at her Los Angeles home. The L.A. native had a career that spanned more than five decades and included a wide-ranging and indelible list of performances in films such as “The Godfather” saga, “Annie,” Baby Boom,” “Father of the Bride” (and its sequel), “The First Wives Club,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” “The Family Stone” — the list goes on and on. Take a moment to read film editor Joshua Rothkop’s illuminating snapshot of Keaton’s life. Of course, her legacy goes far beyond the performance. Times film critic Amy Nicholson wrote how Keaton showed us how to dress up our insecurities and embrace the kooky. And if you want to take a dive into her oeuvre, we have a roundup of 10 Keaton performances worth watching. Pluto TV is featuring an on-demand collection called “Remembering Diane Keaton,” with 15 of her most beloved films available to stream anytime.
And speaking of women who leave a lasting impression — this week saw the return of Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, the highly competent seasoned foreign service officer, with the arrival of “The Diplomat’s” third season. The Netflix series has spent its time tracking the career diplomat’s journey being primed to assume the role of vice president. Its backdrop storyline of an aging president who is expected to pass the torch to a younger female vice president — and the chaos that ensues when the plan is upended — may have real-world parallels, but the show’s creator, Debora Cahn, whose other credits include “The West Wing” and “Homeland,” insists the series is not a commentary. She stopped by Guest Spot to discuss the political thriller.
Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our streaming recommendations are an eclectic pair: a documentary that chronicles the 60-year movement to convert abandoned railroads into public spaces around America and, for those looking to make their viewing of Guillermo Del Toro’s take on “Frankenstein” a double-feature kind of night, we make the case for a ‘90s gory horror-comedy twist on the legend.
ICYMI
Must-read stories you might have missed
Diane Keaton arrives at a news conference at the 40th Cannes Film Festival to introduce her feature directorial debut, “Heaven,” in 1987.
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
A view of the Island Line Trail in “From Rails to Trails.”
(PBS)
“From Rails to Trails” (PBS.org)
Trains ran close to where I grew up, and I’m still stupidly excited whenever I see one in action. There are fewer now than there were then, but part of their romance is the alternative routes they carved through the land. “From Rails to Trails” documents the 60-year movement to transform abandoned rail lines — which is to say, most rail lines — into paths for biking and hiking, turning them into linear public parks, making the countryside accessible but also remaking urban spaces. It’s a movement not without its opponents, its reversals and consequences, including the gentrification that can follow them. But this often moving hour-long documentary is a paean to old-fashioned coalition building and community activism — needed now more than ever — and the success of a new idea many now take for granted. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg chime in. New voice of the everyman Edward Norton narrates. — Robert Lloyd
“Frankenhooker” (Pluto TV, Tubi)
The lament of “The Bride of Frankenstein” is that the heroine herself is only onscreen for a few minutes. Get your fix by watching Frank Henenlotter’s “Frankenhooker.” This sleazy-brilliant 1990 romp is so clever it ranks (severed) head and shoulders with the black-and-white classics. An inventor, Jeffrey (James Lorinz), is bereft over losing his fiancée Elizabeth (Patty Mullen) to a freak lawnmower accident. He vows to rebuild his future bride — but hotterr. “I can make you the centerfold goddess of the century,” Jeffrey says with a leer. The real vanity is his. He wants a sexy, mindless babe. Henenlotter (also of the schlock hit “Basket Case”) claimed he didn’t think deeply about the subtext of his horror movies, a feint that dates back farther than George A. Romero pretending “Night of the Living Dead’s” martyred Black hero wasn’t a comment on race. They’re both fibbers. “Frankenhooker” is a giddy, popcorn-chomping comment on the disposability of women, especially the sex workers Jeffrey murders for spare parts. But what brings it to life is Mullen’s uproarious resurrected sexpot. Stomping around wearing a purple bra and a ghastly sneer, she belongs to no man — ring on her finger or not. Make it a double feature with Guillermo Del Toro’s terrific new “Frankenstein” in theaters this week. — Amy Nicholson
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Allison Janney as Grace, Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler and Keri Russell as Kate Wyler in Season 3 scene from “The Diplomat.”
(Alex Bailey / Netflix)
Will the U.S. ever be ready for a female president? Time will tell. But “The Diplomat” has provided its contribution to the list of fictional ones. The Netflix drama, a fast-paced look at the art of diplomacy, stars Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, a newly-appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom who is tapped from the ranks of career diplomats to be quietly prepped to become vice president. The plan, of course, hasn’t gone as expected. In the whirlwind final moments of last season, the president dies and suddenly the person Kate was enlisted to push out, Vice President Grace Penn (Allison Janney), is whisked into duty — just as Kate has discovered the VP is responsible for hatching a terrorist plot. The show returned for its third season earlier this week and explores the aftermath as Penn is sworn in as president. Here, creator Debora Cahn shares what she was interested in unpacking in Season 3’s marriage dynamics, orchestrating a “West Wing” reunion and the time she met former Vice President Kamala Harris. There are some mild spoilers ahead, so bookmark for later if you haven’t begun the season! — Yvonne Villarreal
What did you want out of Kate’s journey this season? Her professional ambitions are once again tested by her marriage. Hal keeps claiming it’s Kate’s time to be in the spotlight and yet he manages to steal it.
We wanted to look at how it happens that someone like Hal winds up in the spotlight even when he’s desperately trying not to; the circumstances that surround decisions like this, which make it such that even the people in the middle of them don’t really have any control over it. You can look at what Grace is doing, and you can understand why she thinks Kate is fantastic, but that the choice, in terms of what’s going to make it easier for her to get through the day, is Hal. And we didn’t want to have a science fiction White House where there are two women happily running the country. That’s just not the world that we’re living in. And it felt like the most honest thing that we could do is tell a story about what it means to be really qualified and really experienced and really ready, and then watch it all slip away at the last second.
The season includes a delightful “West Wing” reunion, a show you wrote for. Allison Janney returns as VP-turned-President Grace Penn and Bradley Whitford portrays her husband, Todd. What was it like to see them back together onscreen? And what did you want their marriage dynamic to say?
It was like first day of school jitters for the first day that each of them was on set. We really wanted to make sure that this was something new and it wasn’t a reference to the work that we’d done together in the past. And the second they started, it was just clear that we were watching a new relationship that these two great actors were building together and informed by the fact that they know each other quite well and that they’ve been good friends for 20 years, but using that to create something new and fresh and really, really satisfying.
This is a marriage that has some very similar structural dynamics to Kate and Hal, but there are some fundamental differences, which is, there was never an assumption that Todd’s career could continue to function alongside Grace’s once she became vice president; and certainly when she becomes president, there’s no question that will become the focus for both of them. And so there are dynamics that Kate and Hal still wrestle with, which we see are kind of absolved with Todd and Grace. And in some ways that helps, and in some ways it doesn’t help.
We’re looking at a couple that’s 10 years farther down the road in their marriage and have made, in some ways, a more pragmatic decision about what it means to have two smart, capable people with careers existing at the same time. Their decision is that one of them isn’t going to exist right now. I think the thing that I enjoy most about both Hal and Todd is that these are people who really, really, really love their wives and really want to be supportive and they still fail or they struggle so, so mightily. We’ve talked about this before: I don’t like writing villains. I don’t want to write politicians that have bad values or selfish goals. I also don’t want to write people in a marriage who don’t give a s— about each other. I would much rather look at the much larger problem, which is, you do really care about each other. You do really want the best for each other, and you still can’t manage to make it happen.
Allison Janney as President Grace Penn and Bradley Whitford as First Gentleman Todd Penn in “The Diplomat.”
(Clifton Prescod / Netflix)
“The Diplomat” premiered in a different political climate from the one it’s in now. The show is not a direct commentary on what’s happening now, but how does the current reality, particularly as it relates to what those in civil service are facing, inform how you think about or build stories moving forward? What sorts of questions are you asking now of people who work in the government?
We write a story two years before the audience watches it, so we we don’t want to be making a direct commentary. Even if we did, the world is moving so fast, we couldn’t try and keep up. But we do want to be in the foreign policy headspace that the world is in, and try to be looking at what are the bigger questions and bigger conflicts that face people who are working in this field. We think a lot about the fact that 300,000 people were fired from the federal government. We think a lot about what it’s like to work for this administration and — I’m trying to figure out what to say without getting into Season 4, which I don’t want to do. It doesn’t inform the specifics of any of the stories that we’re telling, but it does inform the worldview and the bigger questions that face people in this field as the field changes. As the world changes.
You’re writing about people whose job it is to make hard decisions every day. What was the hardest decision you had to make for this third season — either in the writing phase or the production phase?
We moved the base of production from the UK back to New York. The first two seasons we were based in the UK, and then for Season 3, we did half and half. There were a lot of really good reasons for that. It also meant that we had a crew that grew this organism with us — and we were very close to them; they had huge influence on the show — and leaving them behind was really, really terrible. It’s a tough time in the film and television industry right now, and we felt pretty good about bringing jobs back to this community. That was something that was important to us and we really wanted to do. So, we are comfortable with the decision that we made, but, boy, it sure wasn’t fun making it and going through it. It’s people’s livelihood. It’s not a small thing.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris recently released a book chronicling her whirlwind and brief campaign as a 2024 presidential candidate. Have you read it?
I have not read it. But did I tell you about when we met her?
No. Tell me. You were also filming this third season during the election, right?
We were we were shooting it during the election. We were writing it during the election. And we we were worried about how it was going to look. We didn’t want it to look like a commentary on this presidency. But we did have a female vice president that we liked a whole lot, and a male president that we really loved and was of a certain age and didn’t make it through the process — the dynamics kept getting more and more troubling.
Keri and I were at the [White House Correspondents’] Dinner. And there was a receiving line, and we met and shook hands with the president and the first lady and the vice president and the second gentleman. And I said, “Ma’am, I’m writing a story about what it’s like for a woman who’s really experienced and really smart and really capable and really ready to do a job who then gets passed over for someone who is perhaps less qualified.” And she laughed. Then she said, “Call me.”
Have you called?
I have not called. I felt like she had some stuff going on. I didn’t really want to bother her and say, “Heyyyyy … let’s talk about how that went …”
What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
“Dying for Sex” [Hulu, Disney+]. It was brutal and intense and very funny and extremely well-written. And I just thought what they did from a public health service perspective, sharing practical information about what it actually means to go through the process of death, I thought it was just a huge public service.
What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the movie or TV show you go back to again and again?
“Postcards from the Edge” [VOD] — it is just so smart and so funny and both Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep are just absolutely to die for.
It was another eventful week in last night’s Strictly Come Dancing as the celebrities and their professional dance partners took to the dance floor for the fourth time
Tonight, the Strictly Come Dancing dancers and celebrities took to the dancefloor for the fourth time, in hopes they don’t become the third casualty of the ballroom.
Tensions and pressure are rising this week, as last week saw Lorraine star Ross King and his partner Jowita Przystał were the second couple to be eliminated from the show after Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden were the first to be eliminated from the show.
Ross’ eviction didn’t come as a surprise to most viewers – but what did leave them in shock was EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal and her partner Julian Caillon finding out they were in the bottom two. This week, fans were left in shock when Shirley Ballas gave La Voix and Aljaž a 2 for their Cha Cha Cha to “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”
However, later on in the show, Shirley did a complete 180 as she awarded her first 10 of the series to Alex Kingston, who made show history by being the first to ever receive a 10 for the Rumba in Week 4.
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer – 6 7 6 7 = 26
Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova – 4 6 7 7 = 24
La Voix and Aljaz Skorjanec – 3 4 2 5 = 14
It was an emotional show tonight, with Alex’s Rumba leaving Shirley in tears, as she got up onto the dance floor to give her a kiss – something Tess said has never been done in the show’s history.
It wasn’t the only historical moment, however, as she also became the first ever contestant to receive a 10 for the Rumba in Week 4.
Now, the celebrities will have to wait as the public votes come in, and this week it’s Craig Revel Horwood who has the power of the deciding vote should it be a tie.
PARIS Fury has predicted her hubby Tyson will burst into tears when he walks their daughter Venezuela down the aisle.
The wife of ex-world heavyweight champion Tyson, 37, has opened up about the surprise family engagement, and revealed that 16-year-old Venezuela’s fiance boxer boyfriend Noah Price asked Gypsy King Tyson’s permission before popping the question.
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Paris Fury has revealed boxer Tyson will burst into tears when he walks their daughter down the aisleCredit: GettyVenezuela got engaged at her 16th birthday partyCredit: InstagramVenezuela with now fiance Noah Price at Ascot last yearCredit: InstagramThe family at Venezuala’s birthdayCredit: TikTok/@parisvenezuela
Paris said: “I think Tyson will get teary and emotional giving Venezuela away. He might be strong, but underneath he is softer than I am.
“If he is feeling the love that day, he will be balling. She’s our daughter.”
She added: “Hopefully it’s not too close in the future though, we hope Venezuela has time to embrace her engagement.
Recalling the proposal, which saw Noah get down on one knee in front of Venezuela’s family and friends last month, she said: “Noah asked for Tyson’s permission to propose to her at her 16th birthday shortly before he proposed.
“I didn’t get involved, but I had an inkling it might happen.
“It’s an old fashioned tradition, Tyson asked my dad for his permission to propose to me, we believe in that.”
She added: “But when it happened I was so nervous and my hands were shaking.”
Speaking at the launch of her new Eternal Collagen, held at the Grosvenor House Suites in London on Thursday (MUST REF) mum-of-seven Paris hopes her business venture inspires Venezuela to continue working as an influencer once she is married.
She said: “I want to inspire my kids, you can be a mum, and a wife and have it all.
“I know Venezuela is only 16, but she’s happy, we support her. I know in my heart this is the right thing for her.
“In the traveller, gypsy community, traditionally we get married young, I was 17, but 50 years ago everyone in England got married young.
“I’ve given Venezuela every option in life and this is what she has chosen, she has an independent woman and makes decisions for herself.”
Speaking about the secret to her long-lasting relationship with Tyson Paris said: “You can’t delude yourself that relationships are hard, there will always be ups and downs.
“But Tyson and I have just renewed our wedding vows and we are cringingly still in love, even after all these years.
“We’re still madly in love.
“As long as the good times outweigh the bad times. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I look at Tyson and think, ‘you’re a pain in my the arse’ but most of the time I love him.
“You have to put the time in, especially when you’re juggling family and work. We’re being negligent at the minute, as we love to do date night, and we have had it enough.
How Venezuela Fury ‘could be a millionaire by age 16’ with her own modelling career
WITH a heavyweight boxing champ for a dad and a bestselling author mum, it’s likely that Venezuela Fury has a bright future ahead of her.
And the 15-year-old is already shaping up to be one of the most popular teenagers on the internet, racking up 70,000 followers on Instagram and more than 200,000 followers on TikTok.
The star has already caught the attention of modelling agencies, who have claimed that her unique style could make her a “millionaire by the time she’s 16.”
Gemma Howorth, Founder of Body London Model Management is convinced that Venezuela’s “gorgeous” looks and “strong social presence”, could make her a lot of money from modelling – before she even turns 16.
“Venezuela is very young but if correctly managed could really do well with a strong fashion-focused brand like Boohoo and then go on to develop an exciting modelling career,” she said.
According to Carol Needham, who runs Needham’s Models, Venezuela could even follow in the footsteps of Katie Price’s daughter, 17-year-old Princess Andre, and sign a deal with PrettyLittleThing.
“Seeing someone like Venezuela Fury is truly unique,” Carol said.
“She’s almost 6ft tall at 15 years old and has her own signature style in modelling, especially with her teapot pose.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if PrettyLittleThing wanted to snap her up!”
Princess signed a four-figure deal with the fast-fashion brand back in January, and some experts predict the move could see her become a millionaire by the time she’s 18.
“We love to have a date night at the movies with popcorn or go 10 pin bowling, just as long as we are together and having fun.
“It’s about getting glammed up and flirting, you’ve got to flirt and date each other. It helps keep the love alive, I love it when Tyson has had a shave.”
Paris has partnered with Eternal Collagen, which she calls the perfect solution for busy women looking to take care of themselves.
Unlike other products on the market, Eternal Collagen delivers a strong 15,000 milligrams per shot of super strength hydrolysed marine collagen and is packed with essential vitamins, including vitamin D, vitamin C, and vitamin B12.
Speaking about her collaboration with Eternal Collagen, Paris said: “It’s got all the vitamins that you need to make you healthy and glow.
“Since I’ve started taking it I’ve noticed so many changes, I never used to be able to grow my nails, but now I can.
“My skin is glowing and clear, my hair is growing fast and I keep having to go to the hairdressers. I also feel really great, all my kids got ill recently, but I didn’t get it, that’s because it’s so good for your immune system.”
She added: “I would only endorse a product I believe in.”
Venezuela is set to have a ‘knees-up with as much glitz and glamour as possible’Credit: instagramNoah Price popped the question at Venezuela’s sweet 16th birthday partyCredit: instagram
It’s easy to miss the confidence of Billy Wilder or Frank Capra whenever some brave soul tries to make a comedy that takes America’s temperature by straddling cynicism and optimism. Those Hollywood masters could handily juggle the sweet, sour and satirical and, in Wilder’s case, even leave you believing in a happy ending.
With his writing-directing feature debut, “Good Fortune,” however, Aziz Ansari, who stars alongside Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves (as an angel named Gabriel), swings big, hoping to capture that jokey truth-telling vibe about the State of Things. His subject is a fertile one too: the gig economy fostering our crushing inequity, but also the desperation of the have-nots and how oblivious the wealthy are about those who made them rich. So let’s stick it to the billionaires! Let Keanu help the downtrodden!
Ansari’s high-low morality tale, set in our fair (and unfair) Los Angeles, is a friendly melding of celestially tinged stories (“Heaven Can Wait,” “Wings of Desire”) and body-swap comedies (“Trading Places”). But as agreeable as it is, it can’t square its jabs with its sentimentality. It’s got heart, kind eyes, a wry smile and some funny lines, but no teeth when you really need things bitten into, chewed up and spit out.
Ansari plays Arj, living a serious disconnection between his professional identity — wannabe Hollywood film editor — and how he actually exists: task-gigging for scraps and living in his car. When a garage-reorganizing job for Jeff (Rogen), a Bel-Air venture capitalist, turns into an assistant position, Arj feels secure enough to use the company card for a fancy dinner with occasional colleague and romantic interest Elena (an underused Keke Palmer). Jeff clocks the charge the next day, though (a realistic detail about the rich watching every penny), and immediately fires Arj.
All along, Arj’s sad situation has touched Reeves’ long-haired, khaki-suited angel, whose life-saving purview (he specializes in jostling distracted drivers) is low in the hierarchy overseen by boss guardian Martha (Sandra Oh). Gabriel wants a big healing job to show Arj, with a little role-reversal magic, that being Jeff isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Except, of course, it is. (David Mamet’s line “Everybody needs money — that’s why they call it money” comes to mind.) The newly luxe-and-loving-it Arj shows no signs of wanting to switch back (which is apparently his call to make in the rules of this scenario), leaving out-of-his-depth Gabriel in the position of convincing a sudden billionaire why he should go back to being poor.
Which is where “Good Fortune,” for all its grasp of how Depression-era screwball comedies made the filthy rich mockable, struggles to match its issue-driven humor with its fix-it heart. While it’s funny to watch Rogen’s freshly desperate character suffer food-delivery humiliation, buying the script’s changes of heart — and the film’s naïve idea of where everyone should be at the end — is another matter. That’s why screwball comedies didn’t try to upend capitalism, just have some clever fun with it and let a simple love story stick the landing. Ansari’s ambition is admirable but he’s better at diagnoses than solutions.
His gold-touch move is giving the hilariously deadpan Reeves one of his best roles in years: a goofy meme brought to disarming life and the movie’s beating heart. Doing good can be hard work; understanding humans is harder. Plus, Reeves makes eating a burger for the first time a sublimely funny reaffirmation that sometimes, indeed, it is a wonderful life.
