show biz

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

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

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

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

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

(Bob Marshak / Columbia Pictures)

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

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

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

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

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

Crispin Glover, still doing his own thing

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

(Volcanic Eruptions)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Volcanic Eruptions)

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

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

Points of interest

Cronenberg movies at Brain Dead

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

(Nikos Nikolopoulos)

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

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

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

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

David Fincher’s ‘The Game’

Michael Douglas in the movie “The Game.”

(Tony Friedkin / Polygram Films)

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

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

Gogglebox sisters Izzi and Ellie Warner have appeared on the show together since 2015

Gogglebox star Izzi Warner has given fans a rare insight into her life away from the cameras.

The sofa telly critic appears on the Channel 4 programme with her sister Ellie, and have appeared alongside the likes of Pete Sandiford and Jenny Newman since 2015.

Ahead of hitting our screens in tonight’s episode, Izzi took to Instagram, and said, while sharing a video alongside a horse: “Here’s my pet that you don’t see sat on my knee on the sofa on a Friday night.

“Clip clopping our way into the weekend, have a good one, see you at 9 o’clock!”

She captioned it: “Goggleboxing in the wild.”

Izzi later clarified with a picture cuddling her sausage dog: “Just to clarify the pet that doesn’t sit on my knee is Bea… not Toby.”

This comes after the TV star gave fans an insight into her private life earlier this year with a glowing tribute to her new partner.

Last year, Izzi revealed she had been “single for 18 months” and was no longer with her long-term partner Grant, who she shares children Bobby and Bessie with.

She’s since introduced fans to her new partner Toby, posting snaps of them on holiday together and at special events.

In April, she shared an update on her relationship, writing: “The sun shone at Sandhurst on the Sovereigns parade.

“Congratulations to all the officer cadets commissioning today, in particular 16 platoon. Thank you for all who took part in what was spectacular parade.

“Proud of you @tobyj1 .”

She was flooded with support from fans, as one person wrote: “You look lovely and how smart he looks in his uniform. You must be very proud of him.”

Another shared: “Wonderful day for them all…congratulations.”

Meanwhile on Valentine’s day, she let slip to sister Ellie: “Wait till you see what Toby got me for Valentine’s – a card in a box.”

Ellie read out the cats, saying: “‘To Izzi, our first of many. Thank you for being the absolute best. I bloody adore you. Happy Valentine’s Day I love you loads and lots more. Toby.”

Gogglebox airs Fridays at 9pm on Channel 4

COLEEN Rooney has taken a fresh swipe at her ex-pal Rebekah Vardy as she uses their Wagatha Christie row to cash in – AGAIN.

Wayne’s wife was famously embroiled in a six-year fight with fellow WAG Rebekah when Coleen turned detective and accused Rebekah of leaking stories from her personal Instagram account.

In the infamous post, Coleen dramatically announced to the world: “It’s . . . Rebekah Vardy’s account.”

The iconic catchphrase was today used in a new TV advert for Paddy Power starring Coleen and other famous faces including Danny Dyer, Peter Crouch and Gemma Collings.

Cockney EastEnders legend Danny stars as a casino kingpin who flips out when he spots a prosecco glass on his blackjack table, shouting: “Which melt has left their drink on my felt?”

And in a nod to Coleen’s super sleuth skills, he gets a text from Coleen, which says: “It’s… Gemma Collins.”

READ MORE ON COLEEN ROONEY

BECK ON TV

Becky & Jamie Vardy strike huge deal for ITV show in victory in feud with Coleen

JANE ATKINSON

I know why Coleen Rooney stuck with Wayne – and it’s not just because of love

She then winks at the camera after being described by Danny as a “silent assassin”.

A TV insider told The Sun: “Even after all these years, people are obsessed with the Wagatha Christie case and Coleen’s detective work.

“The whole ordeal was a nightmare for Coleen at the time but she’s since made a lot of money from the experience and is happy to capitalise on it.

“Paddy Power is renowned for its hilarious media campaigns and this is yet another example.”

The advert for Paddy Power Games follows 39-year-old Coleen’s previous Wagatha Christie jab when she was announced as the investigator of Man City’s Financial Fair Play case in an hilarious sketch.

Coleen Rooney said: “I’ve been watching the same game almost my entire life, so it’s nice to have a bit of variety for once, and being back with the Paddy Power crew to film such a glamourous ad was brilliant.

“I loved getting dressed up and stepping into the madness of a Paddy Power casino world – Danny played the role of casino boss perfectly, plus I got to reprise my role as head of investigations….what more could you want!”

Rebekah – who’s married to Jamie Vardy – brought a multi-million pound case to court after Coleen publicly accused her of leaking to the press in October 2019.

Despite bringing a libel case against her, Rebekah’s reputation and finances were left hanging in tatters after she was savaged by Mrs Justice Steyn in her ruling.

She was ordered to pay Coleen Rooney £1.4million – picking up 90 per cent of Coleen’s bill after she sensationally lost the libel case.

Coleen went on to release a three-part documentary on Disney+ called Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story and land a place on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.

The ad, created by BBH London, hits screens this Saturday, October 18 to launch “all sorts of games for all sorts of treacles”. 

The GC delivers one of her most iconic one-liners as well as sequins and sass.

Gemma said:“Let me tell you something, this ad is pure glamour, and did you see the dress, that gorgeous number came home with me!

“Paddy Power Games went all out with this one, it felt like being on a Hollywood set – lights, camera, casino!

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“I had the best time living my best life at that craps table. It’s bold, it’s fun, and it’s got The GC written all over it!”

• Watch the full advert here.

I can’t think of another time that I was quite as terrified as when I walked alone into an interactive horror maze called “Feast” at a chilling carnival-like event called “The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor: Summoned by the Seas,” which takes place in the parking lot in front of the famously haunted ship, and also in the creepy bowels of its engine rooms, through Nov. 2.

“Dark Harbor,” is the scarier sister event to Griffith Park’s famous “Haunted Hayride.” Both Halloween season fright fests are produced by Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, which specializes in seasonal terror. The highlight of the nightly carnivals — which include food and drink booths, bars and rides — are a series of interactive mazes populated by bloody monsters, drooling ghouls, murderous clowns, spectral ghosts and maniacal serial killers.

The spooks are largely played by local actors — many of whom come back year after year for a guaranteed paycheck while pursuing a profession that is anything but financially sound. It is to these hardworking artists that the events owe their success. I was struck by just how dedicated the actors were to scaring us mere mortals out of our pants.

The masks, elaborate makeup and props, including butcher knives and bats, surely help the players stay in character— but this is not easy work. The actors must contend with aggressive guests who try to get in their faces (this is against the rules), as well as shrill, shrieking patrons who jump and run as they approach (guilty!).

But the actors are specially trained to handle these reactions and more.

“Each fall, Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor and Los Angeles Haunted Hayride hire a few hundred performers, most of our cast are locals who come back year after year. We hold open calls in the summer and focus on energy, movement, and presence more than traditional acting experience,” wrote “Dark Harbor‘s” general manager, Star Romano, in an email.

After the performers are hired, Romano explained, they attend orientation, safety training and rehearsals leading into opening weekend.

“It’s a huge community effort, part performance, part team reunion, and one of my favorite things about the season,” Romano wrote.

The result of those efforts led to me sleeping with the lights on for two nights straight.

“Get away from me! I’m too scared!” I shouted at one Leatherface-type character as he approached me with a chain saw.

“That’s the whole point,” he growled under his breath before obeying my wishes and lurching off toward another fear-stricken guest.

(NOTE: For a kid-friendly immersive Halloween experience, you can head to the company’s “Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns,” which features 5,000 hand-carved pumpkins on-site at South Coast Botanic Garden.)

I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, inviting you to sink into spooky season with me. Here’s your weekly arts and culture news.

On our radar

Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project performs “On the Other Side.”

(Laurent Philippe)

L.A. Dance Project
Renowned choreographer Benjamin Millepied continues his exploration of the intersection of dance and visual art with the ballet triptych “Gems,” featuring artwork by collaborators Barbara Kruger, Liam Gillick, Mark Bradford and others. The performance is composed of three contemporary ballets inspired by precious stones: “Reflections” (2013), “Hearts & Arrows” (2014) and “On the Other Side” (2016). The show — with music by David Lang and Philip Glass — marks the first time these pieces have been staged together.
— Jessica Gelt
7:30 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 25. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. https://thewallis.org/show-details/la-dance-project-gems

New York artist Jon Henry stages photographs that reflect on reports of Black men killed by police.

(The Brick)

Monuments
The most eagerly anticipated theme exhibition this fall is reflected in the emphatic title, pointedly written all in caps. “MONUMENTS” was inspired by the wave of revulsion following the violent 2017 white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. — a deadly riot opposing the proposed removal of a local statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. That statue is now gone, torn down along with some 200 other tributes across the country to American turncoats who supported chattel slavery. (The last known Confederate monument in Southern California was removed in 2020.)
A selection of decommissioned Confederate statues will be shown at MOCA and alternative space the Brick, joint organizers of the exhibition; they’ll be paired with contemporary work by Bethany Collins, Stan Douglas, Leonardo Drew, Jon Henry, Martin Puryear, Hank Willis Thomas, Kara Walker and a dozen other artists, borrowed and commissioned for the occasion.
— Christopher Knight
Thursday through May 3, 2026. Geffen Contemporary at Museum of Contemporary Art, 152 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo; The Brick, 518 N. Western Ave. moca.org

Vikingur Olafsson will perform with conductor Santtu-Matias and Philharmonia.

(Timothy Norris / Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Vikingur Ólafsson join the Philharmonia Orchestra
It’s been almost a decade since Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, a former Dudamel Fellow at the L.A. Phil, last returned to Southern California as a guest conductor of the L.A. Phil. In the meantime, though, he’s been busily attracting attention in London as principal conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra (having succeeded Esa-Pekka Salonen in 2021). For his first local appearance with the Philharmonia, he is joined by the stellar Icelandic pianist Vikingur Ólafsson in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. The program also includes the local premiere of a new score meant to awaken environmental awareness, popular Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz’s “Si el Oxígeno Fuera Verde” (If Oxygen Were Green), along with Shostakovich‘s Fifth Symphony. Shortly after fall, Ólafsson heads back to Disney in January as soloist with the L.A. Phil for John Adams’ latest piano concerto, “After the Fall.”
— Mark Swed
8 p.m. Tuesday. Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. philharmonicsociety.org

The week ahead: A curated calendar

FRIDAY

Ethan Remez-Cott, left, and Matthew Goodrich in the play “Amerika or, The Man Who Disappeared.”

(Amanda Weier)

Amerika or, The Man Who Disappeared
There’s Kafkaesque and then there’s the genuine article. Open Fist Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Dietrich Smith’s adaptation of the Franz Kafka novel that details the strange experiences of a 17-year-old European immigrant after he arrives in New York City aboard a steamer.
7:30 p.m. Friday; 7 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20; through Nov. 22. Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave. openfist.org

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson–Apt. 2B
Two free-spirited roommates embrace mystery and adventure in the L.A. premiere of Kate Hamill’s dark modern comedy, a gender-bent spin on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle directed by Amie Farrell.
7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 2. International City Theatre, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach. ictlongbeach.org

नेहा & Neel
Asian American theater collective Artists at Play and Latino Theater Company collaborate for the world premiere of Ankita Raturi’s new comedy about an Indian immigrant and single mom on a cross-country college tour with her 17-year-old American-born son. Directed by East West Players artistic director Lily Tung Crystal.
Through Nov. 16. Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street, downtown L.A. latinotheaterco.org

17th OC Japan Fair
Japanese culture festival featuring food, shopping, a cosplay show, a tuna cutting show, popular Japanese entertainers, traditional instrument performances, games, kimono models meet and greet, and more.
4 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday; noon-10 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. oc-japanfair.com

David Roussève will perform “Becoming Daddy AF” Friday and Saturday at the Nimoy.

(Rachel Keane)

Becoming Daddy AF
Renowned dance-theater artist David Roussève presents the West Coast premiere of his experimental movement journey “Becoming Daddy AF.” The piece marks Roussève’s first full-length solo performance in more than two decades and explores themes that have touched and shaped his life, including HIV, genealogy and the loss of his husband of 26 years. (Jessica Gelt)
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu

Unravelled
The story of Canadian biologist Dr. Anne Adams, who turned to painting at age 53, and her remarkable connection to French composer Maurice Ravel, with whom she shared the same rare brain disease. A play infused with music and visual art, written by Jake Broder and directed by James Bonas.
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org

SATURDAY

British artist Edmund de Waal will install new work in three sites at the Huntington, including the Chinese garden.

(Linnea Stephan)

The Eight Directions of the Wind
British artist, potter and writer Edmund de Waal is obsessed with archives, which he describes as “places, streets, hillsides as much as card indexes.” For a body of new work, he once traveled to the place in China where the clay used to make porcelain was discovered — and then on to Dresden, Germany; Cornwall, U.K.; and the Appalachian Mountains, where subsequent cultures reinvented it. De Waal’s three site-specific, yearlong installations will be in the Huntington’s cultural and natural “archives” that are its art gallery and Chinese and Japanese gardens. (Christopher Knight)
Through Oct. 26, 2026. The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. huntington.org

Lorde performs Saturday at the Kia Forum.

(Scott A Garfitt / Invision/AP)

Lorde
Just as her generation has, by all accounts, sobered up and gone sexless, Lorde returned this year with a defiant album about the giddy rush of partying and the frightening ramifications of a body in search of pleasure. “Virgin” pulls her back to the experimental electro-pop many fans were hoping for after the relatively complacent “Solar Power,” and the album is brimming with startling meditations on pregnancy scares, familial inheritance and the malleability of gender. (August Brown)
7 p.m. Kia Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. thekiaforum.com

Orchidées
Cellist Kate Ellis performs composer Nick Roth’s cello étude — which traces the 100‑million‑year evolution of orchids by translating their DNA sequences into music — accompanied by time‑lapse footage of blooming specimens from the Huntington’s orchid collection. Also available to livestream.
7 p.m. The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. huntington.org

Tortoise
The lauded post-punk band performs “Touch,” their first new album in nine years with opening sets from local duo Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer and KCRW DJ Ale Cohen.
8 p.m. Saturday. The Broad, outdoor East West Bank Plaza, 221 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. thebroad.org

TUESDAY
A Concert for Lowell
A memorial tribute to Lowell Hill, one of the great patrons of new music in L.A., featuring many of the city’s top local artists, including Wild Up, MicroFest, Piano Spheres, the Industry, Partch Ensemble, Monday Evening Concerts, Long Beach Opera and People Inside Electronics.
8 p.m. Monk Space, 4414 W. 2nd Street. brightworknewmusic.com

Morgan Siobhan Green as Eurydice and Nicholas Barasch as Orpheus in the 2022 “Hadestown” North American Tour.

(T Charles Erickson)

Hadestown
The Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical that reimagines the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as a New Orleans-style folk opera returns on its latest national tour. “Born out of a concept album by Anaïs Mitchell, who wrote the book, lyrics and music, the show travels to the underworld and back again with liquified grace,” wrote Times theater critic Charles McNulty in a 2022 review. “Developed by Rachel Chavkin, the resourceful director who won a Tony for her staging, ‘Hadestown’ achieves a fluidity of musical theater storytelling that makes an old tale seem startlingly new.”
Through Nov. 2. Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. broadwayinhollywood.com

Learning to Draw
The exhibition traces a 300-year evolution of artistic training and the mastery of drawing in Europe from about 1550 to 1850. Bringing together the physical control of the hand and the concentration of the mind, the foundational artistic act became essential to exploring, inventing and communicating visual ideas in the modern world.
Through Jan. 25, 2026. Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive. getty.edu

Dispatch: Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson

Actor, singer and songwriter Ben Platt stands for a portrait at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York on Thursday, April 20, 2023.

(Justin Jun Lee / For The Times)

Breaking news sure to make L.A. musical theater fans swoon: Center Theatre Group announced Friday that Broadway superstar Ben Platt will be in residency for two weeks and 10 shows at the Ahmanson Theatre , Dec. 12–21. Two-time Tony Award-winning director Michael Arden is set to direct the the residency, appropriately titled, “Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson.” Platt’s appearance comes a year after he staged a wildly successful three-week residency at Broadway’s Palace Theatre, which included a cornucopia of famous special guests including Cynthia Erivo, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Hudson, Kacey Musgraves, Sam Smith, Micaela Diamond and Shoshana Bean. The production is staying mum on who might appear onstage alongside Platt during his L.A. run, but it’s safe to expect more big names.

“When you think of the very best in musical theatre, it simply doesn’t get any better than Ben Platt, whose stage presence and charisma make him one of the seminal performers of his generation,” said CTG’s artistic director, Snehal Desai, in a news release that promised “the holiday event of the season.”

Tickets and information can be found at centertheatregroup.org.

Culture news and the SoCal scene

Bassist Tonya Sweets, from left, Marlon Alexander Vargas and drummer Dee Simone in “littleboy/littleman,” directed by Nancy Medina, at Geffen Playhouse.

(Jeff Lorch)

A tale from a land of immigrants
Rudi Goblen’s “littleboy/littleman” is in the midst of its world premiere at the Geffen Playhouse. The two-person show about two Nicaragua-born brothers is much like a performance piece, writes Times theater critic Charles McNulty in his review. It’s also a deeply American story. “Lest we forget our past, America is the great democratic experiment precisely because it’s a land of immigrants. Out of many, one — as our national motto, E pluribus unum, has it. How have we lost sight of this basic tenet of high school social studies?” McNulty writes.

Les Miz at 40
I went backstage at the Pantages for the opening night of “Les Misérables,” which happened to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the legendary musical. The mood was euphoric and everyone in the cast and crew seemed to have a story about a formative connection to the show. Stage manager Ken Davis walked me through the maze-like wings and filled me in on what it takes to tour a show of this scale. Of particular note: The touring production travels with 11 tractor trailers containing over 1,000 costumes, 120 wigs and hundreds of props.

Patrick Martinez, “Fallen Empire,” 2018, mixed media

(Michael Underwood)

When the sum is less than the whole
Times art critic Christopher Knight was not impressed by “Grounded,” a newly opened exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The show’s theme, rooted in recent acquisitions of contemporary art, is promising, but ultimately falls apart. Viewed as a whole, “the 39 assembled contemporary paintings, sculptures, photographs, textiles and videos by 35 artists based in the Americas and areas of the Pacific underperform,” writes Knight. “Sometimes that’s because the individual work is bland, while elsewhere its pertinence to the shambling theme is stretched to the breaking point,” Knight writes.

Remembering Bernstein
Tuesday marked the 35th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s death, and reminders of the great composer’s tributes to John F. Kennedy abound, writes Times classical music critic Mark Swed. In a piece of commentary about what Bernstein’s work can teach us about memorials, Swed examines multiple L.A. productions rooted in that work, including L.A. Opera’s “West Side Story” and Martha Graham Dance Company’s “En Masse” at the Soraya. Swed also wonders whether those important pieces will reach the Trump administration’s newly configured Kennedy Center in the spring.

Guests attend the K.A.M.P. family fundraiser at the Hammer Museum on Oct. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles.

(Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for Hammer Museum)

Everyone went home happy
UCLA’s Hammer Museum raised nearly $200,000 last weekend with its 16th annual K.A.M.P. (Kids Art Museum Project) fundraiser. More than 700 excited parents and children showed up at the gloriously messy event co-chaired by Aurele Danoff Pelaia and Talia Friedman. Kids roamed the courtyard over the course of four hours, creating art at stations set up and manned by participating artists including Daniel Gibson; Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee of the Johnston Marklee architecture firm; Annie Lapin; Ryan Preciado; Rob Reynolds; Jennifer Rochlin; Mindy Shapero; Brooklin A. Soumahoro; and Christopher Suarez. Fairy Gardens were constructed of thick clay and foraged leaves; cardboard boxes were painted with rollers; plates were spray-painted and affixed with knickknacks and jewelry; and geometric shapes were glued to canvases and painted an array of bright colors. Children went home with their art, and parents left knowing they supported a host of free Hammer Kids programs that serve thousands of children and families annually.

Fair wages on Broadway
Musicians working on Broadway, represented by AFM Local 802, voted to authorize a strike earlier this week — with 98% in favor. The nearly 1,200 musicians have been working without a contract since Aug. 31. According to an open letter the musicians sent to the Broadway League on Oct. 1, their demands include: “Fair wages that reflect Broadway’s success. Stable health coverage to allow musicians and their families to enjoy the health benefits that all workers deserve. Employment and income security so that hardworking freelance musicians have some assurance of job security. This includes not eliminating current jobs on Broadway.” Bargaining talks are ongoing.

Gene Hackman co-stars in “Bonnie and Clyde,” alongside Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.

(Associated Press)

Gene Hackman, art collector
The late actor Gene Hackman’s art collection will go up for auction through Bonhams in November. Highlights of the 13-piece collection — which is being offered as a single-owner sale — include works by Milton Avery, Auguste Rodin and Richard Diebenkorn. Hackman was passionate about art throughout his life, and took an extra-special interest in it after he stopped acting. During that time he dedicated himself to taking classes and art-making. He even kept a journal of everything he learned, according to Bonhams.

Historic homes tour
Paging architecture fans: It’s not too late to reserve a spot in Dwell’s open-house event, back in L.A. for its second year. Tours of three historically significant Eastside homes are on offer during the day-long event, which launches from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Art Park. The three additional houses in the tour are: Richard Stampton’s Descanso House in Silver Lake; Taalman Architecture, Terremoto, and interior designer Kathryn McCullough’s Lark House in Mount Washington; and Fung + Blatt’s San Marino House in — you guessed it — San Marino.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

Still feeling sad about losing Diane Keaton? Me too. Here’s a list I put together of her 10 most important films. Watch one you haven’t seen — if that’s possible.

Netflix’s new true crime drama No One Saw Us Leave has viewers gripped by the five-part series

Netflix has unveiled a gripping new true crime drama series titled No One Saw Us Leave, following the success of its previous crime thrillers and captivating mysteries, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The five-part thriller is inspired by the real-life story of two children abducted by their father after discovering his wife’s infidelity.

This sets off a relentless quest by a mother to reclaim her son and daughter, aided by an ex-Mossad agent who has become a private investigator.

The conflict intensifies – not only between Leo and Valeria – but also within their influential families as Isaac and Tamara are whisked away to different parts of Europe to keep them from their mother.

The drama draws inspiration from Tamara Trottner’s 2020 memoir No One Saw Us Leave, or its Spanish title Nadie nos vio partir, in which she narrates how she and her brother Isaac were taken during the 1960s.

The narrative provides a glimpse into the Jewish-Mexican community of that era, according to Netflix’s Tudum, as Tamara’s mother faced condemnation from the tight-knit community.

Many viewers are curious about the cast – here’s where you might have seen the actors before.

READ MORE: ‘Spine-chilling’ new Netflix thriller led by ‘utterly magnificent’ horror icon is a must-watchREAD MORE: Crime thriller fans urged to add ‘dark and gritty’ series to Netflix watch-lists

Who stars in Netflix’s No One Saw Us Leave?

Valeria Goldberg – Tessa Ía

Heading the cast is actress Tessa la, portraying the desperate mother Valeria Goldberg.

The star is renowned for her roles in Narcos: Mexico, Unstoppable, The House of Flowers: The Movie, and Something Blue.

As per IMDb, she’s next set to appear in TV shows La Banda, Yellow, and De brutas, nada.

Leo Saltzman – Emiliano Zurita

Actor and producer Emiliano Zurita takes on the role of Leo Saltzman, a father pressured by his parents to take his children away from Valeria.

Zurita has previously appeared in TV series such as Zorro, Dance of the 41, Natural Born Narco, and The Head of Joaquin Murrieta.

Samuel Saltzman – Juan Manuel Bernal

Juan Manuel Bernal portrays Samuel Saltzman, with previous credits including Lazos de amor, Confessions, Perfect Obedience, The Blue Room, Monarca, and he also starred in The Head of Joaquin Murrieta alongside Zurita.

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This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things and The Last of Us.

Carlos – Gustavo Bassani

Gustavo Bassani plays Carlos, Valeria’s lover whom she ultimately leaves her husband Leo for.

Bassani’s past roles include appearances in Transmitzvah, Yosi, the Regretful Spy, Maledictions and Papeles.

Elías – Ari Brickman

Ari Brickman, an actor, director, composer and writer, takes on the role of Elías. He has had roles in Like Water for Chocolate, Nora’s Will, Technoboys, All That Is Invisible Más alla de ti, and directed several episodes of Netflix’s sci-fi epic Sense8.

Isaac Saltzman – Alexander Varela

Child star Alexander Varela plays Isaac Saltzman, Leo and Valeria’s son. His previous roles include parts in Luis Miguel: The Series and Who Killed Him?, but No One Saw Us Leave is his most significant project to date.

Tamara Saltzman – Marion Siro

Marion Siro, another child star, plays Tamara Saltzman, who is taken along with her brother.

The cast also includes Flavio Medina, Juan Manuel Bernal, Caro Darman and Natasha Dupeyrón.

No One Saw Us Leave is streaming on Netflix now

GEORDIE Shore star Aaron Chalmers’ ex Talia Oatway has revealed a “petrifying” development as their son Oakley returns to hospital.

The mum-of-three, who shares her kids with MTV reality star turned MMA fighter Aaron, has been giving fans regular updates on their youngest son’s health.

Their son Oakley has Apert Syndrome, which is a genetic disorder that causes fusion of the skull, hands, and feet bones.

Today Talia gave fans an update, and said: “I know I haven’t been on it today. Um, so Oakley had a gemranosec earlier this morning to have a CT scans on his brain just to basically out rule a lot of stuff for the sickness.

“Um, so he had that and then had to wait obviously for the neurosurgeons to look at the scans.

“I mean I’ve still got no answers but they did tell me some bits that’s going on with Oakley’s brain which obviously has petrified me.

Read more on Aaron chalmers

raw reveal

Aaron Chalmers’ ex Talia says their son may need a wheelchair

BRAVE CHILD

Geordie Shore star Aaron Chalmers’ ex Talia reveals health update on son Oakley

“Um, but I’m waiting until the surgeons at Newcastle obviously speak to the surgeons in Liverpool and then I’ll have more of an understanding about the situation that Oakley is in.

“Um, but yeah it’s just been a really shit day, very emotional day.”

In the summer, Talia shared another worrying post about Oakley.

Taking to her Instagram story, the concerned mum penned: “Oakley had the worst sickness last night, from 11ish till about 5am.

“Bath after bath, bed change after bed change.

“I feel so sorry for him. The fundo surgery he’s due to have soon (after his hands) is so needed.

“It will stop him being sick completely. Currently on a meds run for him.”

Talia previously took to Instagram to post a video of her son taking his first steps and shared an update with her followers.

Alongside the clip, she wrote: “Oakley has been using a walking frame for a few months now.

“He’s had some shoes made for him as it’s impossible to get shoes that fit his feet.

“Which is common with Apert syndrome.

“Today we tried the shoes for the first time. We also had physio at home which we are doing every week.”

Aaron and Talia welcomed Oakley into the world in February 2022.

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They also share Romeo, four, and Maddox, three.

The former couple got together in 2017 but split just months after Oakley’s birth.

Trigger warning for any daughter who has ever had a fraught relationship with their mother: Gish Jen’s remarkable and heartbreaking latest book, “Bad Bad Girl,” may prompt a flood of feelings not felt since adolescence. This marvel of a mash-up — part novel, part memoir, part effort to reconnect with a dead parent who never uttered an “I love you” — has as many pain points as life lessons. Quite a few of the latter — mostly delivered in the form of Chinese proverbs — are dropped by the author’s parents, Chinese immigrants who met in New York as graduate students. Among the pearls of wisdom that stick with Jen, their eldest girl and a keen observer of her parents: “When you drink the water, remember the spring.”

In this, Jen’s 10th book, she wistfully, unsparingly commemorates that “spring” — a punishing mother she nevertheless credits for “biting my heel.” A master of the art of withholding when it came to praise or affection, her mother had no compunctions about delivering ego-shattering put-downs and physical punishments to Jen for being “too smart for her own good.” And yet, Jen writes: “I have thrived.”

Gish Jen has brilliantly structured “Bad Bad Girl” so that invented exchanges with her mother keep returning us not only to the relationship between mother and daughter, but to the present.

(Basso Cannarsa)

Still, she is not at peace. Even after her mother’s death in 2020 at 96, that censorious voice remained “embedded in my most primitive responses, in my very limbic system.” “You were a mystery Ma,” Jen writes. “Why, why, why were you the way you were?” The writer’s instinct kicks in: “If I write about you, if I write to you, will I understand you better?”

“Bad Bad Girl” constitutes a heroic effort to do just that. But soon after Jen embarks on that quest, she realizes that while many mothers want their daughters to show interest in them and listen to their stories, “they were not my mother.” Without much to go on in the way of shared memories or documentary evidence, Jen decides to recalibrate. Instead of writing a straight memoir, she’ll chronicle what she can and construct a fictional narrative around the rest. The result is a heart-piercingly personal work that also imparts universal truths about the immigrant experience — and what it is to be a daughter, a mother and a woman in a world where men are the more valued of the sexes. If there is such a thing as an intimate epic, this is it.

Jen’s mother Agnes — Loo Shu-hsin, as she was originally named — was born in 1925 Shanghai to a wealthy and prominent banker and his much younger wife. In Part I, we are introduced to the lush beauty and extraordinary privilege Agnes was born into, sequestered in a mansion situated in the “international” section of Shanghai, staffed by maids, cooks, nursemaids, chauffeurs and bodyguards. “Proper though she may have been,” Agnes’ mother “did smoke opium.” Apparently, it was good for cramps.

Agnes was the firstborn child, a disappointment in her gender. As tradition dictated, her placenta was hurled into the Huangpu River; when it floated away, it was deemed that she too “would be raised and fed, only to drift away.” Agnes’ mother never bonded with her daughter and showed her little attention except to object to her daughter’s clear intelligence and closeness with her nursemaid. (By age 6 and beginning to read, Agnes still hadn’t been weaned.) By contrast, her father delighted in his daughter’s zeal for learning. The prevailing view was that “to educate a girl was like washing coal; it made no sense.” Still, her father enrolled her in an elite Catholic school where she was nurtured by Mother Greenough, a nun with a doctorate. She praised Agnes for her intellect and encouraged her to be ambitious. After completing her undergraduate studies amid the Japanese invasion and World War II, in the fall of 1947, after peace had finally descended, Agnes declared her intention to leave for the United States to pursue a PhD. Her father embraced that decision, in part because the communist takeover loomed and he hoped at least his eldest child could escape what was to come. “My favorite daughter, so smart and brave,” he pronounces, as the ship she boards sets sail for San Francisco.

Jen has brilliantly structured “Bad Bad Girl” so that invented exchanges with her mother — post-death, printed in bold type and interspersed throughout — keep returning us not only to the relationship between mother and daughter, but to the present. That dialogue is conversational and often funny, in contrast to the unfolding chronicle of Agnes’ journey as a stranger in a strange land. She finds her new countrymen puzzling in nearly every way. For example, “That was how lonely Americans were,” she observes, “that they should not only feed their dogs but walk them every day, rain or shine.”

Initially, Agnes’ spirits are bolstered by her privilege and her parents’ checks. Soon after arriving in New York City to begin graduate school, though, the money stops coming. The communist takeover is complete and, as she gradually discovers through their letters, now they seek financial support from her. Agnes, who’s never boiled an egg, sets to work typing and translating for her still-rich Chinese classmates. She meets and marries fellow student Jen Chao-Pe, and together they move into a dilapidated walk-up in Washington Heights, where Agnes learns to scrimp and save and paint her own walls. Her husband teaches her to cook. When she gets pregnant with her son, Reuben, she is laid low and takes a temporary leave of absence from school. Soon she is pregnant with Lillian, later nicknamed “Gish” for the silent film actor, and motherhood overwhelms her. Three more children come. Of the five, Gish is her least favorite, a girl every bit as clever as she was — a reminder of what she’s permanently put on the back burner. Whatever maternal feelings she has for her other children are missing when it comes to Gish, who becomes her mother’s scapegoat and punching bag.

Miraculously, Gish appears to have been mostly a happy child who excels socially and academically. After being accepted to every university she applies to, she chooses Harvard. She attends graduate school at Stanford and begins to pursue a writing career. She meets her husband, David, to whom she’s been married ever since — for 42 years. They have a son, Luke, and a daughter, Paloma. Jen’s children know how difficult their grandmother has been, and Paloma offers this to her mother by way of consolation: “The effects of trauma can’t be washed away in a generation,” something she’s read in a book. “You can’t get rid of it all, but you did a good job,” she adds.

How rich this book is, and how humane. Unlike, for example, Molly Jong-Fast’s merciless “How to Lose Your Mother,” “Bad Bad Girl” doesn’t read like a hit job. It’s suffused with love and a desire to finally understand. “You shut me out the way you shut your mother out. … What was my crime?” Jen challenges her mother in one of their imagined exchanges. “You were a pain in the neck,” Agnes observes, in another.

“She does not say ‘I love you’ back; she never has,” Jen writes. She doesn’t put those words in Agnes’ mouth here, even when she has the chance. But Jen does venture this about her mother: “I like to think (she) would finally agree both that this book is a novel and that there might be some truth to it.” And then in their final imagined exchange: “Bad, bad girl! Who says you can write a book like that?” Jen laughs. “That’s more like it.”

Haber is a writer, editor and publishing strategist. She was director of Oprah’s Book Club and books editor for O, the Oprah Magazine.

Several Hollyoaks actor have fallen in love with their Channel 4 soap co-stars from Rory Douglas-Speed and Nadine Mulkerrin to Ruby O’Donnell and Nathaniel Dass

Love is in the air in Hollyoaks village.

Numerous romances and real-life weddings have blossomed on the set of the Channel 4 drama since its debut in 1995.

The continuing series is renowned for its passionate plotlines which have featured countless love triangles and explosive affairs across the last 30 years.

It’s hardly shocking that many stars from the acclaimed continuing drama have carried their romance beyond the cameras throughout the years.

Whilst certain relationships amongst cast members fizzled out, others clearly remain rock solid.

As the soap marks its 30th anniversary, let’s take a look at some of the couples still together.

Ruby O’Donnell and Nathaniel Dass

The latest romance to blossom from the fictional village is Ruby O’Donnell and Nathaniel Dass.

Ruby, best known for her role as Peri Lomax, and her beau Nathaniel, who debuted as Dillon Ray in 2023, might not cross paths on screen often but off-screen their romance is blossoming since going Instagram official in 2024.

The actress marked their first anniversary on Instagram by sharing a series of loved-up snaps. She delighted fans by posting a quartet of adorable pictures, alongside the caption: “1 year with u” capped off with a pink heart pierced by a blue arrow.

Gregory Finnegan and Ariana Fraval

Hollyoaks heartthrob Gregory Finnegan previously shared scenes with his real-life wife Ariana Fraval.

The actress portrayed DS Cohen in the programme with her husband Greg playing scheming solicitor James Nightingale.

The duo exchanged vows in 2011 and Ariana has posted some personal photographs from their wedding day on Instagram.

DS Cohen was brought in to examine the demise of Gregory’s on-screen love interest, Harry Thompson.

The duo shot multiple scenes together during that period, and viewers were thrilled to discover that the two performers are actually wed in real life.

Anna Passey and Kyle Pryor

Kyle and Anna, famous for portraying Hollyoaks adversaries Laurie Shelby and Sienna Blake, disclosed their romantic involvement in 2019, the identical year his character Laurie met his end.

Following their decision to cohabit and unveil their secret behind-the-scenes romance, Anna revealed to New magazine: “We just don’t feel the need to put it out there.

“It’s nice to keep something for yourselves. But we’re not trying to keep it private to build the mystery. We became really good friends first and it went from there.”

Sienna remains a Hollyoaks mainstay and Kyle made his way back to the Hollyoaks studios in 2021 to kiss Anna on-screen due to coronavirus filming restrictions.

Nadine Mulkerrin and Rory-Douglas Speed

Rory and Nadine met on the set of the Channel 4 soap and got engaged in December 2018 after dating for just over a year.

The actor proposed just weeks after they filmed their characters’ Cleo McQueen and Joel Dexter’s wedding.

Nadine previously told OK! that they aren’t in a rush to tie the knot after welcoming two sons.

“We’ve been too busy to make plans,” the actress said at the time.

“We got pregnant, we moved out, then the world went crazy with COVID, then we got pregnant again. I’d love to have a wedding when the boys are older, so they’ll remember it.”

Danny Mac and Carley Stenson

Danny and Carley both appeared in Hollyoaks but the pair didn’t meet on the set of the Channel 4 soap.

The talented duo never appeared on the programme at the same time and actually met in a pub back in 2011.

Speaking on Loose Women previously, Danny explained: “We met in a pub in London when she was doing Legally Blonde on the West End. I went to see a mate who was in it at the time and we met in the pub after and that was it.”

Former Strictly Come Dancing runner-up Danny portrayed Dodger Savage in Hollyoaks from 2011 until 2015 and recently reprised his role.

Carley took on the role of Steph Cunningham in the programme from 2000 until 2011. The pair revealed their engagement in March 2016 and subsequently tied the knot in September 2017.

Danny and Carley are parents to two children.

Daisy Wood-Davis and Luke Jerdy

Former Hollyoaks stars Luke and Daisy revealed their engagement whilst on holiday in Greece in August 2019.

The actor dropped to one knee and proposed on the beach in front of Daisy’s family.

Daisy was eager to share the delightful news on Instagram, with photographs displaying her “dream” engagement ring that Luke had crafted.

“She said yes,” Luke captioned the same photo in Greek on his profile, before translating the phrase into English and adding: “Daisy is going to be my wife. I’ll take that.”

Luke portrayed Jesse Donovan on Hollyoaks from 2016 until 2020, whilst Daisy departed her role as Kim Butterfield in late 2018.

The couple first met back in 2011 through a mutual friend and are now married and parents to two children.

Emmett Scanlan and Claire Cooper

Claire, who played Jacqui McQueen in Hollyoaks from 2006 to 2013, met her now-husband Emmett in 2010 and they got hitched in New York on New Year’s Eve in 2015.

Emmett previously reminisced about their wedding day with The Sun, saying: “It’s something I’ll never forget. Everyone got behind the wedding with such love that it was overwhelming at times.”

Emmett and Claire have two chidlren and the actor also has a daughter from a previous relationship.

Hollyoaks airs Monday to Wednesday on E4 at 7pm and first look episodes can be streamed Channel 4 from 7am

LIAM Payne’s devastated sister has taken a swipe at people seemingly using his death for fame.

Just hours after his girlfriend at the time of his passing Kate Cassidy shared a video of her “last dance” with the late star on the anniversary of his death, Liam’s sister Ruth took to social media.

Taking a swipe about people “using his death for fame” in her moving tribute for Liam on the one year anniversary of his death, Ruth didn’t hold back.

“Everyone only seems interested in the public side of this.

“Some sadly seem more interested in the fame they can gain off this, but on the human side people need to remember when they speak, there is a son without his Dad, parents without their child and I am lost without my brother,” she said.

This comes after a video was shared of Liam lifting his girlfriend Kate Cassidy in a final dance before his tragic death.

Read More about Liam Payne

‘MY WORLD BURNED’

Liam Payne’s sister says she’s ‘paralysed by grief’ on death anniversary

HIS FINAL DAY

Liam Payne lifts girlfriend Kate Cassidy in final dance before tragic death

Heartbroken Kate, 26, posted a clip on social media on Thursday night of the ex-1D singer attempting to hoist her up.

On the one-year anniversary of Liam’s death in Argentina, Kate wrote: “This video was taken during the last hour and last day Liam and I shared in this lifetime.

“I am forever grateful for the beautiful moments we shared. I will miss you for the rest of my life Liam.”

Elsewhere in Ruth’s tribute for her late brother, she said: “1year, 12months, 52weeks, 365days… whichever way I say it, it still means the most heartbreaking truth that you’re not here any more.

“When you used to go away on tour, and l’d cry that you’d be gone for a while, I always knew you’d come back, but now I can’t get you home, I can’t meet up with you somewhere in the world, I can’t facetime or text to see how you’re doing, it’s an eternal homesick feeling because we can’t go back.”

She continued: “I underestimated grief, woah did I underestimate it.

“I am paralysed by it daily. I thought I had felt it before but I know the losses before you were just intense sadness, you are the loss of my life, the one person who l will miss at every single occasion in my life.

“I’d taken for granted that my little brother would be there through life, what a cruel lesson to learn in our 30s, that a sibling is not guaranteed to be a lifer, that I have to face this without you.”

Ruth went on: “Your death will never make sense, no matter how much I study it, whatever angle I look at it, it never makes sense. You shouldn’t have died. 

“I have a reoccurring nightmare where I am in your hotel room just before it happened and you can’t hear me screaming for you, my brain is locked on your last minutes on this earth, the unaccounted minutes, the minutes I will never have the answers to, the minutes that changed everything.

“So much has happened in a year, so much to tell you, our kids have changed massively, you would continue to be in awe of your son!

“I’ve definitely got funnier (I know you’re thinking how is that possible right?!) – some of the jokes I make really make me smile because I know they would have earned me a ‘ruuu’ off you, l’ve visited some beautiful places but each place has confirmed, no matter the view, I will still feel your void from all corners of the earth.”

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She later added: “I think of my grief as a clock, I explained to you years ago when I was nagging you to be better at answering your phone, that my head was like the ‘Weasley’s clock’ out of Harry Potter, where it would check everyone in our family in before I could switch off and with you travelling the world, it’d really need your confirmation of being safe and sound before I’d settle. 

“Only now, there is a number missing off the clock, which means nothing in my days makes sense and it feels like noone is safe and sound.”

Britney Spears will not stand for ex-husband Kevin Federline’s scathing claims about how she raised their two sons, writing on social media that the allegations in his upcoming book are part of his “constant gaslighting.”

The “Stronger” and “Oops!… I Did It Again” pop star hit back at her ex-husband Wednesday evening in a statement shared to X and Instagram, writing that confronting his latest revelations has been “extremely hurtful and exhausting.” The 43-year-old singer, whose conservatorship ended four years ago, said she has “always pleaded and screamed to have a life with [her] boys.”

“Relationships with teenage boys is complex,” her statement continued. “I have felt demoralized by this situation and have always asked and almost begged for them to be a part of my life.”

Spears and Federline, 47, married in 2004 and divorced three years later after welcoming boys Sean Preston and Jayden James. Federline, a dancer, was awarded sole custody in 2008 when Spears was placed under a conservatorship. In excerpts from his incoming book “You Thought You Knew,” Federline accuses Spears of consuming cocaine while she was still breastfeeding their second son. He also accuses her of holding a knife while she watched her sons sleeping and raises claims about the singer’s alleged cheating and a physical incident.

Federline wrote that the alleged cocaine incident occurred in 2006 during the release party for his album, according to an excerpt shared with Us Weekly. “The first thing I saw was Britney and her young starlet friend snorting a fat line of coke off the table,” he said in his book. He said he urged the pop star not to “feed the kids like this” and that she responded by allegedly throwing a cocktail in his face.

“That’s what ended us,” he wrote, according to Us Weekly.

In a memoir excerpt published by the New York Times, Federline alleged that their sons would awake “sometimes to find her standing silently in the doorway, watching them sleep” with a knife in her hand. “Then she’d turn around and pad off without explanation,” he wrote.

In her social media retort, Spears said their sons “have always witnessed the lack of respect show by [their] own father for me” and added “they need to take responsibility for themselves.” She claimed that she had seen one son for only “45 min in the past 5 years” and that the other has visited only four times since 2021. A judge terminated Spears’ controversial conservatorship in November 2021.

“I have pride too,” the Grammy-winning vocalist said, adding she intends to make herself more available to her sons.

Federline’s book isn’t the first time he dropped bold claims about Spears. He claimed in a 2022 interview with the Daily Mail that their sons had “decided they are not seeing her right now” and opted not to attend her marriage to Sam Asghari, whom she has since divorced. At the time, Federline also claimed the boys had taken issue with her scantily-clad Instagram posts.

“I try to explain to them, ‘Look, maybe that’s just another way she tries to express herself.’ But that doesn’t take away from the fact of what it does to them,” he said. “It’s tough … I can’t imagine how it feels to be a teenager having to go to high school” with those posts existing.

In response to those comments, Spears said she gave her sons “everything” and found Federline’s claims “HURTFUL.”

Federline’s “You Thought You Knew” comes out Tuesday, two years after Spears published her memoir “The Woman in Me.” Her book dished on topics including her struggles with drugs, her relationship with ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake and her conservatorship.

Spears said on Wednesday that her ex-husband’s “white lies in that book, they are going straight to the bank.” She also urged followers to take tabloid reports about her mental health and drinking with a grain of salt.

“I am actually a pretty intelligent woman who has been trying to live a sacred and private life the past 5 years,” she concluded her statement. “I speak on this because I have had enough and any real woman would do the same.”

BBC Breakfast presenters Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty paid tribute to a late rock star on the show following news of his death

BBC Breakfast launched Friday’s programme (17 October) with heartbreaking news about a beloved rock legend’s passing, as the show delivered a touching tribute.

Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty returned to screens with another jam-packed edition of BBC Breakfast, packed with various interviews, news bulletins, and weather forecasts.

Just moments into Friday’s broadcast, Charlie and Naga revealed the tragic news of KISS guitarist Ace Frehley’s death, who died aged 74 on 16 October.

The musician, whose real name was Paul Daniel Frehley, was famous for his Spaceman character and served as a founding member of the American group, along with singer and guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist Gene Simmons, and drummer Peter Criss.

“Tributes have been paid to one of the founding members of the band KISS. Paul ‘Ace’ Frehley, who has died at the age of 74,” Charlie revealed on BBC Breakfast.

A compilation featuring multiple clips of Ace was subsequently shown, whilst Charlie added: “He was known for guitar solos and he wore the Spaceman outfit from the band’s formation in 1973 until he left the band in 1982.

“He later rejoined in the late 1990s. His bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley called him ‘an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier’.”

Ace’s passing was confirmed on Thursday evening through a statement issued by his family. He leaves behind his wife, Jeanette, and his daughter, Monique, reports the Express.

“We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers, and intentions as he left this earth,” the statement read.

The family continued: “We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions and beyond comprehension.

“Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”

Meanwhile, Ace’s bandmates Paul and Gene issued a joint statement, which read: “We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley.

“He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy.”

BBC Breakfast airs at 6am daily on BBC One.

ACTOR Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted a man despite being told, “No, this is not right”, court documents allege.

The star is being sued at the High Court by the man known only as LNP, who says he suffered pain, anxiety and distress.

Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel, for LNP, says in papers filed at the court that the alleged assaults happened on about 12 occasions from 2000 to 2005.

She says: “Mr Spacey would place his own hand on the claimant’s leg without consent.

“The claimant would attempt to remove the hand and say, ‘No, this is not right’.”

She called it a “breach of trust and exploitation by a powerful man in a position of responsibility on a much younger man”.

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Ms Gumbel said that LNP had suffered “pain and suffering at the time of the abuse itself, which was exacerbated by feelings of embarrassment, shame, dirtiness and confusion”.

He also suffered “anxiety and distress and mild post-traumatic symptoms from the abuse”.

She said: “The assaults were committed in circumstances of breach of trust and exploitation by a powerful man in a position of responsibility on a much younger man.

“The claimant seeks to claim aggravated damages.”

Oscar-winner Spacey, 66, has previously denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour and wrongdoing.

He has yet to file a defence to the claim.

Kelly Reichardt’s watchful cinema is one of the indie world’s most exquisite bounties, a space for pioneers (“Meek’s Cutoff,” “First Cow”), artists (“Showing Up”) and wanderers (“Old Joy,” “Wendy and Lucy”) who command your attention the way an ER waiting room does, lingering tensely.

One might not consider a heist film in such anthropological terms. And yet “The Mastermind,” Reichardt’s latest and one of her best, while set in motion by a daylight art grab orchestrated by Josh O’Connor’s middle-class Massachusetts suburbanite, is another precisely turned Reichardt movie: honest, sad, funny and inherently philosophical about our engagement with the world. As you might expect, it’s really about the crime’s aftermath, our cut from this robbery being a deft, fascinating character study rooted in an apathy that’s starkly juxtaposed with the restive year it’s set in: 1970.

By the look of things, preppy, soft-spoken James Mooney (O’Connor), an unemployed carpenter, isn’t obvious criminal material, no matter what composer Ray Mazurek’s propulsive, horn-forward jazz score might imply. James cases his local art museum, often with his unwitting wife, Teri (Alana Haim), and two young boys in tow. Otherwise, James is just a distracted dad, checked-out husband and disappointing son living off the status and largesse of his parents, an esteemed judge (Bill Camp) and a society mother (Hope Davis).

Still, based solely on the error-prone heist — it’s been ages since pantyhose masks seemed so ridiculous — thievery isn’t this spoiled man’s strong suit either. (You didn’t think that title was respectful, did you?) When he’s stashing the stolen paintings later in a farmhouse’s hayloft and accidentally knocks the ladder out from under him, the moment is amusing and appropriately metaphorical.

Reichardt is laying bare a privileged man’s half-assed delinquency, especially with O’Connor so hypnotic at conveying self-absorbed cluelessness with his woeful eyes, posture and movement. As the movie then hits the road for his escape, the early fall colors of Christopher Blauvelt’s cinematography shift to gray tones and darker interiors, and James’ vibe is less rebel eluding capture — even if a pal he visits (John Magaro) expresses admiration — than alienated loser leaving behind a mess, an assessment radiating from Gaby Hoffmann as Magaro’s wife. The bebop groove abandons James, too, slowing into jagged drum solos.

The last contextual indignity are the details of the period itself: Nixon posters, anti-war signs, Vietnam footage on televisions, a protest march. Unforced but ever-present in Reichardt’s mise-en-scène, they remind us that this bored aesthete’s misadventure is an especially empty way to buck conformity. When good trouble beckons, why pick the bad kind?

One can even detect, in this brilliant, captivating Reichardt gem about fortune and fate, a what-if attached to her disaffected male protagonist: Would today’s version of James, just as adrift and arrogant, steal art to assuage his emptiness? Or, thanks to the internet, succeed at something much worse? “The Mastermind” may be an ironic title as heists go. But it also hints at the male-pattern badness still to come.

Zack Polanski, the Green Party Leader, had called Zia Yusuf, of Reform UK, “a fascist” on Question Time on the BBC last week, and he was asked about this on The Jeremy Vine Show

Green Party leader Zack Polanski made a thinly veiled goad at Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf.

The 42-year-old politician, who became leader of the party last month, said he feels the Greens’ popularity has surged recently because, in part, of his honesty and desire to challenge issues. He had clashed with Mr Yusuf, who is Nigel Farage’s top aide, during last week’s Question Time, during which Mr Polanski called the politician “a fascist”.

And Mr Polanski, from Salford, Greater Manchester, was interrogated about this on by Jeremy Vine on his Channel 5 show this week. The Green Party leader said: “The reason why we are surging in the polls and the reason why we are getting so many members is because if something walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I’ll call it a duck, and actually Nigel Farage, when he worked in the European Parliament, used to join forces with the Swedish Democrats.”

He later used the term “far right” in his response to Mr Vine, which led to a furious reaction from fellow panelist Carole Malone on Wednesday. The journalist and columnist said: “How dare you throw words like ‘Nazi’ around? Do you even know what that means? You are just going to let Reform get more votes by talking like that.”

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But Mr Polanski hit back at Ms Malone, describing her response as “faux outrage” and bringing the discussion onto immigration. He made the point he feels there are no “safe and legal routes” for anyone to reach the UK.

The topic came up on The Jeremy Vine Show after Mr Polanski was praised for his work on Question Time last week. He sat alongside the likes of Mr Yusuf, Tory MP Nigel Huddleston and journalist Annabel Denham in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

Audience members applauded Mr Polanski when he accused the Reform politician of “spreading misinformation and fear” during a discussion, sparked by a guest challenging Mr Yusuf not to use the word “immigration” for the whole of the programme.

But Mr Yusuf swiftly declined the challenge, and instead insisted immigration is “the number one issue” in the UK at the moment. The 39-year-old businessman argued there has been “far too much mass immigration in this country” for some time.

Yet, Mr Polanski remained defiant – and continued his approach on The Jeremy Vine Show this week. Mr Vine, who has presented the programme since 2018, said Mr Polanski was “very tough” on Question Time, a stance for which the Green Party politician expressed no regrets. Later on the Channel 5 show, Mr Polanski stressed it is this approach which has led to the continued rise in the polls of the Green Party.

SIR Elton John’s glasses firm owes a whopping £3.7million, latest figures have revealed.

The Rocket Man star’s glasses are available via his website and at high street giant Specsavers.

However, the firm that receives cash from the sale of the eyewear has substantial debts.

Accounts for Elton John Optical Company Ltd show that it is £3.7m in the red for the 12 months to the end of March this year.

The company has cash reserves of £308,173 and paid just £1,020 in Corporation Tax on its taxable income for the most recent trading period.

The bulk of the cash is owed to firms called William A Bong Ltd, J Bondi Inc and J Bondi LLP – outfits that form part of the star’s business empire.

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Elton, 78, offers fans two pairs of glasses for £130 at Specsavers.

Buyers are told: “Introducing the Elton John Eyewear glasses collection.
“Designed by the man himself, the Elton John Eyewear range is bursting with his love of individualism and flamboyant style. Inspired by Elton’s journey, you’ll find pops of colour, smatterings of glitter and twists on classic designs.”

He recently admitted that his eyesight was failing and he can now only sign autographs with his initials.

The pop legend lost vision in his right eye in July last year after contracting an infection on holiday in the South of France, and said his left eye is “not the greatest”.

In December, he explained he was unable to watch his new musical version of The Devil Wears Prada.

He added: “I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight.

“But I love to hear it.”

And interviewed on Good Morning America, he said. “It kind of floored me, and I can’t see anything.

“I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything.”

For those who know of the spectacle that is Juan Gabriel there is no explanation necessary, for those who don’t, no explanation will suffice.

A new Netflix docuseries attempts to capture the magic of the frequently bedazzled genre- and gender-defying showmanship of “El Divo de Juárez,” who died at 66 of natural causes in 2016, while also investigating the internality of the man behind Gabriel — Alberto Aguilera Valadez.

Juan Gabriel was known for his epic stage performances, where he was often accompanied by an orchestra, dancers and dozens of mariachis dressed in tight jackets and sombreros, while belting out such hits as “Hasta Que Te Conocí,” “El Noa Noa” and “Amor Eterno.”

His colorful outfits and flamboyant dance moves drew speculation about his sexuality, but he famously preferred to remain coy on the issue and to this day remains a queer icon throughout the Latin American world.

“Juan Gabriel: I Must, I Can, I Will,” which premieres Oct. 30, utilizes a goldmine of hundreds of thousands of personal and never-before-seen voice recordings, photos and videos of one of Mexico’s most revered singer-songwriters, giving audiences a holistic look at the pain, joy, contradictions, artistry and genius that informed Gabriel’s worldview and perception of himself.

The project is director María José Cuevas’ second production with the streaming giant — her 2023 documentary feature “The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders” recounted the story of famous Mexican serial killer Juana Barraza, who was sentenced to 759 years in prison for killing 16 elderly women and the suspected killing of dozens more.

Cuevas’ implementation of the juxtaposed duality of Juan Gabriel and Alberto Aguilera Valadez was inspired by his insistence that the two entities were distinct yet symbiotic, as was shown in a 2014 filmed self-interview the singer conducted.

“In order to understand the greatness of Juan Gabriel, I had to know Alberto. He always played with that duality,” she said. “From a very young age he would say in interviews that he invented Juan Gabriel to shield Alberto, he invented an idol in order to protect his private identity.”

In an interview with The Times, Cuevas spoke about her personal connection to the famed singer, the overwhelming archives she had access to and the ways in which Juan Gabriel united and continues to unite people to this day.

This interview was translated and edited for length.

What was your relationship to Juan Gabriel before taking on the task of directing this documentary?

I remember clearly turning on the TV [when I was young] and seeing video clips of Juan Gabriel with his red sweater and white jeans. I later had the opportunity to go to his first performance at the Palacios de Bellas Artes in 1990 with my parents. One is accustomed to going to Bellas Artes for opera, ballet, classical music and the concert began with that formal tone, but there reached a moment where audience members couldn’t keep up the facade of elegance and everyone let their hair down.

For me that moment was incredibly revelatory, I finally noticed that he was a whirlwind in every sense of the word. I didn’t realize at the time that I was present at a such an important cultural milestone. When I watched it in retrospect, from all the camera angles we were privy to for this documentary, I got goosebumps and I wish I could go back to being 18 years old and experience it with the intensity that I have for his music now.

I think that Juan Gabriel always transports us to something personal, but also to something collective. In Mexico, Juan Gabriel’s death was a very collective experience. You would go out into the street and you would hear his music in cars, the corner store, coming out of neighbors’ houses.

How did you gain access to the vast collection of archived materials that are present in the documentary?

That’s really the treasure of the project. Juan Gabriel’s story has already been told, but what makes this project unique is that it’s a story told by [the recordings and photos] he left behind. One of the first things he did after reaching success wasn’t just to buy his mom a house, but also to buy himself a Super 8 camera. From then on he picked up the habit of recording his everyday activities as Alberto Aguilera and later on he always had a camera following around as Juan Gabriel.

From our first meetings with Netflix, I figured we should ask Gabriel’s family if they had anything to share with us. I thought maybe it would be a photo album that was laying around, maybe a box of memorabilia or a few cassettes. So it was to our great surprises when they sent us over a photo of a warehouse with shelves full of every different kind of film. It was crazy. And that’s when I remembered that Juan Gabriel’s close friend and actor Isela Vega was helping him catalog all of his videography.

I never imagined that within those videos that we’d find the public persona of Juan Gabriel and the private persona of Alberto Aguilera. Another elucidating moment was that Juan Gabriel reached a moment where he became conscious of the level of his celebrity and that it wasn’t a coincidence that he recorded most of his life. And there reached a moment where I realized he saved all these recordings so that one day people could revisit all his saved materials and they could reconstruct his personal story through what he left behind.

There’s a moment in the documentary where we’re at one of his concerts and there are men of all orientations in the crowd that are asking JuanGa to marry them. That seemed particularly powerful to me because in that moment the veil of machismo seemed to fall.

Yeah, I think an important part of making this portrait of Juan Gabriel was understanding the context of Mexico in the ‘80s. It was very conservative, very machista and then all of a sudden this guy drops in with all this talent and charisma and he says, “Here I come, get out of the way because I’m gonna conquer everyone.” And that wasn’t so simple at that time. He showed his greatness at any and every stage he was put on. He was able to win over people in every social class in a very elitist Mexico. He won over everyone from the most macho man to women.

Even greater than the achievement that was his performance at Bellas Artes were his performances in palenques when he was young. Palenques being these circular stages where you can’t hide because you’re standing right in the middle of everything. And he would take the stage late at night when everyone was already drunk and they were audiences that were, in general, very machista.

Suddenly a very young Juan Gabriel would appear to perform rancheras. I always say he was a provocateur, but also a seducer because of his ability to win over a crowd. There were audiences that would yell derogatory things at him and that’s when he’d really play with the audience.

It feels almost impossible not to be moved by the music as you watch your documentary.

He’s really magnificent. I remember throughout the whole process of making the doc and I was watching the intimate home videos of Alberto Aguilera and it really reminded me that Juan Gabriel was a human like everyone else [not just this grand entertainer]. I’d put any concert of his and I was bowing at the altar of a star. It’s amazing what a powerful character he was up on that stage.

And how have you seen JuanGa’s legacy represent something very specific in the U.S.?

For Latinos in the U.S. he’s such an important figure because his work pulls people back to their roots. One of his greatest accomplishments as a performer was when he filled the Rose Bowl in 1993. In that moment he showed his influence and strength within the Latino world. He’s absolutely one of the key figures in Latin music.

The players are having fun getting to know each other but are proving spectacularly bad at spotting Jonathan Ross, Cat Burns or Alan Carr as The Traitors on the BBC series

Two more of the Faithful bit the dust last night in The Celebrity Traitors with Clare Balding the latest big name to exit, along with Irish actress Ruth Codd. The players have remained collectively useless at rooting out the Traitors and getting rid of them.

And Stephen Fry pointed out that if one more of the Faithful exits – leaving 12 players – the Traitors will make up a quarter of their numbers.

After being voted out at the Round Table, with seven votes, a startled Clare relished her moment of telling them that she was, in fact, a Faithful. Actor Mark Bonnar was so furious he punched the table and said “for F***’s sake” – immediately drawing attention to himself for what others perceived to be over-acting.

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Speaking after her banishment, Clare said she’d loved the digital detox while in the castle. “I think my personal highlight was being able to spend quality time with no distractions of phones or anything,” she explained.

The sports TV star, 54, was completely happy to have been a Faithful and, asked what she’d learned about herself, laughed. “I had confirmed what I already knew, which is I am a rather pathetic people pleaser. I’m not suspicious enough – but I’m quite happy being that way. I’d rather live in a world where I trust everyone, where I see good in everyone, and where the world is always bright, shiny and positive. And if that was my downfall, I’m fine with that.”

Ruth, 29, was murdered by the Traitors as part of Jonathan Ross’s audacious double bluff strategy. While rugby ace Joe Marler saw through the Traitor tactic, the chat show host received just the one vote at the round table. But afterwards Celia Imrie, 73, was kicking herself for not voting for him, saying that she’d been distracted by his “deliciousness”. Speaking afterwards Wossy, 64, admitted he had no idea how he was still in the game having had so much suspicion on him. And in the turret, he laughed to the other Traitors Alan Carr and Cat Burns: “It’s like playing chess, but with five-year-olds!”

Ruth, who became a fan favourite for her outspoken style, said that she and Clare had become friends. Admitting they made an “unlikely duo”, she joked: “I kind of look like her goth child that should be a disappointment, but she’s incredibly proud of.” Last night it emerged that the BBC1 opener last week has now been watched by 11.7million after seven days of viewing. The fourth episode will air on Wednesday (22 October) with the ninth and final instalment now scheduled for Thursday 6th November.

Meanwhile Celia Imrie’s funny fart from Wednesday has been hailed as TV gold by fans, as it helped The Celebrity Traitors to a series high of 6.9 million on Wednesday night.

The players howled with laughter when the actress, 73, let rip as host Claudia Winkleman was welcoming them to their latest mission, which she described as the “worst team-building away day experience in history”.

As the other players guffawed and Claudia asked what had happened, The Thursday Murder Club actress piped up: “I just farted Claudia. It’s nerves, but I always own up.”

Afterwards some TV experts suggesting the scene-stealer from Bridget Jones star Celia could be a contender for the next Bafta Memorable Moment award. Fans agreed, with one saying: “Her comic timing was impeccable.

I watched this over and over again and am still laughing. TV moment of the year.” Another called it “the most taboo-breaking moment in TV history”.

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ROOFMAN 

(15) 126mins

★★★☆☆

A NICE guy doing bad things isn’t an original premise for a comedy drama. 

But base it on the true story of an escaped felon hiding out in a toy shop and things get more interesting. 

Channing Tatum plays Jeffrey Manchester, the charismatic convict from North Carolina with the “you couldn’t make it up” life story. 

An ex-military man, Manchester has been struggling financially since being decommissioned. 

So to support his family he turns to a professional life of crime. 

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His first attempt at dropping through the ceiling of a McDonald’s and emptying their tills is such a success he repeats this style of heist 45 more times. 

As a non-violent robber who offers people his coat while holding them up at gunpoint, he soon earns himself the local moniker of “Roofman”. 

As police put it, he’s a genius, but also an idiot. 

When eventually caught and sentenced to four decades behind bars, Manchester swiftly escapes jail and goes on the run. 

Looking for a place to take cover he lands on a Toys R Us store and sets up home in a crate under the eaves. 

For six months he sleeps undetected, surviving on stolen M&M’s, while watching jobsworth boss Mitch (Peter Dinklage) on CCTV for entertainment and ultimately falling for employee Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a divorced mum. 

The tale of how their romance blossoms — as Manchester increasingly risks his chances outside the store’s four walls — would seem utterly far-fetched, if it wasn’t for the fact that in 2004 it all actually happened. The chemistry between the leads is convincing. 

Dunst as Leigh, the church-going single mum falling in love while being unknowingly duped, reminds you that no matter how outwardly likeable Manchester seems, he continually hurt people with his odd mix of arrogance, immaturity and intelligence.

He wants it all to be real, while knowing that it can’t be. 

Director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) periodically lightens things up with various meme-worthy set pieces involving Tatum barely clad in feather boas, or wearing roller blades or completely starkers with only a fan to protect his modesty. 

But it is the pondering over how decent a person, or not, Manchester really was that will keep you gripped. 

GOOD FORTUNE 

(15) 97mins       

★★★☆☆

KEANU Reeves is at his Bill and Ted-esque best in this silly, but very funny, light-hearted bromance about a guardian angel who can’t quite get a grip on his ­heavenly duties. 

Written by Aziz Ansari (Master Of None) Reeves is Gabriel, a rookie winged protector limited to saving people from “texting while driving” catastrophes. 

He’d like to rescue lost souls too but his boss Martha (Sandra Oh) thinks he’s not ready to be promoted. 

One of his celestial charges is Arj (Ansari) who despite being well qualified, can’t catch a break and is sleeping in his car while doing gig economy work in LA for an odd-jobs app. 

A stint as assistant for billionaire Jeff (Seth Rogen) – who spends his days shopping for Rolexes and sitting in his sauna – only makes him feel more of a failure. So Gabriel steps in to help by facilitating a life swap between the two, which he hopes will make Arj appreciates what he already has. 

The script lacks the ­substance it was probably aiming for, and there’s far too much chatting about chicken nuggets, but this comedy does deliver lots of laughs. 

AFTER THE HUNT 

(15) 139mins  

★★☆☆☆

SET in the academic enclaves of a rarefied American Ivy League University, this affected campus tale from director Luca Guadagnino could do with a tutorial to discuss what its own discourse is. 

Julia Roberts plays Alma Imhoff, a Yale philosophy professor and feminist who is idolised by her students. 

Imhoff and husband Frederick (Michael Stuhlbarg) host bourgeois soirees in their art-filled pad where favourite students including Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), and Hank (Andrew Garfield) gather to muse and debate. 

But when Maggie accuses Hank of sexual assault and turns to her tutor for guidance, beliefs, boundaries and loyalties blur for both women. 

Roberts is exceptional as Imhoff but the pace is so laboured and the ostentatious dialogue so pleased with itself it feels like a dull self-congratulatory lecture. 

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A repetitive ticking pendulum only emphasises the plodding pace and a subplot about stomach ulcers adds little. Some valid social commentary around generational divides is quickly drowned out by more droning. The many lingering close-ups are stylistically credible yet still dull. 

• Laura Stott         

Ace Frehley, who played lead guitar as a founding member of the face-painted, blood-spitting, fire-breathing hard-rock band Kiss, died Thursday in Morristown, N.J. He was 74.

His death was announced by his family, which said he’d recently suffered a fall. “In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth,” the family said in a statement.

In his alter ego as the Spaceman, Frehley played with the original incarnation of Kiss for less than a decade, from 1973 — when he formed the group in New York with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss — until 1982, when he quit not long after Criss left. Yet he was instrumental to the creation of the band’s stomping and glittery sound as heard in songs like “Detroit Rock City,” “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “Strutter” and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You.” In the late ’70s, those hits — along with Kiss’ over-the-top live show — made the group an inescapable pop-cultural presence seen in comic books and on lunch boxes; today the group is widely viewed as an early pioneer of rock ’n’ roll merchandising.

A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Frehley rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a highly successful reunion, then left again in 2002 to return to the solo career he’d started in the early ’80s. In 2023, Kiss completed what Simmons and Stanley called a farewell tour with a hometown show at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

This obituary will be updated.

Music mogul Simon Cowell has finally explained his recent Britain’s Got Talent absence, revealing he suffered a fall that left him with a head injury

Simon Cowell has revealed that his recent no-show at Britain’s Got Talent auditions came after he fell down another set of steps – the latest in a series of mishaps for the long-time judge.

The 66-year-old music mogul missed the first two days of filming in Birmingham after the incident, leaving producers to call in Stacey Solomon to temporarily fill his place on the panel.

Cowell then later reappeared on the third day of auditions with a visible graze on his forehead, explaining only that he’d had “an accident.”

His absence was finally addressed during the show’s Blackpool auditions, when a choir made up of ambulance staff took to the stage. Amanda Holden joked: “I thought they might be here in case anything went wrong with you again because you were poorly last week.”

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Laughing off the comment, Cowell clarified what actually had happened as he finally shared the truth.

Speaking to the audience at the Winter Gardens, he said: “I fell down some steps, that wasn’t poorly, and I bumped my head, but I’m fine now.

“I wish you had been around a couple of weeks ago when I actually bashed my head. Seriously, no one sang for me then,” he added.

A show insider said the fall was a minor accident. They told The Sun: “Simon bumped his head when he stumbled on some steps. It’s the sort of thing that can happen to anyone. And, thankfully, he’s absolutely fine now.”

The timing of the incident, which occurred on October 1 and just a day before Birmingham auditions were due to begin, forced the show to cancel the opening session.

Rather than pause production entirely, Stacey Solomon was drafted in to maintain the four-judge panel, with Amanda Holden briefly stepping up as head judge.

Cowell later reassured fans via a short video, showing off the mark on his forehead and saying: “It’s Simon, I’m alive and I’m in Birmingham, I just want to say thank you for all your get well messages.”

It’s not the first time Cowell has been injured in a fall. In 2017, he was taken from his London home on a stretcher wearing a neck brace after tumbling down stairs just before The X Factor live shows.

Three years later, he broke his back testing an electric bike in Los Angeles, requiring major surgery and months of recovery.

Despite his latest setback, Cowell appeared in good spirits this week as he joined judges Amanda Holden, KSI, and Alesha Dixon on the red carpet for the Blackpool auditions.

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