show biz

It’s clear from the existence and execution of “Black Phone 2” that Universal and Blumhouse never expected 2021’s “The Black Phone” to be a hit. If there was ever an inkling that the first film might have been more than a quick and dirty ’70s-style riff on a boogeyman tale, there’s no way those in charge would have let their big baddie, the Grabber, be killed off at the end of the movie.

But a hit it was and so, for a sequel, supernatural elements must be spun out and ’80s slasher classics consulted, especially since it’s now four years later, in 1982. Masked serial killer the Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke (we never really see his face, though we do hear his voice), continues to haunt, torment and maim children, despite the inconvenience of death.

Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill co-wrote both films, with Derrickson behind the camera as director. The first was based on a short story by Joe Hill (the son of Stephen King) and is set in 1978 Denver, where plucky Finney Blake (Mason Thames) had to escape the clutches of kidnapper the Grabber while fielding phone calls from the ghosts of his previous victims, offering tips and tricks. What distinguished “The Black Phone” was its shocking approach to violence with its young characters, who all sported entertainingly profane potty mouths. While it was daring in its hard-R riskiness and played on our basest fears, it didn’t reinvent the wheel, or even try to. However, the film’s phone conceit played well enough and young star Thames was outstanding.

In “Black Phone 2,” Finney’s now a high school student, drowning his trauma in weed and schoolyard fights, sometimes the bully himself. He’s protective of his sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), who has the gift of psychic sight, but mostly he just wants to check out from his own brain. The sequel is primarily Gwen’s movie. She starts lucid dreaming and sleepwalking, receiving phone calls from beyond — like from their dead mother when she was a teenager beyond.

The messages bring Gwen, Finney and her crush, Ernesto (Miguel Mora), to a winter retreat for Christian youth, Camp Alpine, now run by Mando (Demián Bichir) and his niece, Mustang (Arianna Rivas). As it turns out, this camp is rife with the ghosts of young dead boys — the phone keeps ringing and it won’t stop until Finney picks it up.

If “The Black Phone” dabbles in crimes that are taboo and is even unforgivable in its depiction of brutality against innocent children, “Black Phone 2” commits its own unforgivable crime of being dreadfully boring. This movie is a snooze, not just because all of the action takes place entirely during Gwen’s dreams.

The film can’t shake its lingering scent of “Stranger Things,” but the filmmakers have also turned for inspiration to another iconic ’80s-set property: The whole movie is a “Nightmare on Elm Street” ripoff, with a disfigured killer stalking his prey through their subconscious. Those sequences are fine, action-packed if not entirely scary, but at least it’s something more rousing than the awake scenes, where the characters stand in one place and make speeches to each other about their trauma and backstories. The entire affair is monotonously one-note and dour, with only a few pops of unintentional humor.

You realize almost immediately what the deal is with these ghost boys, but the film takes its sweet time explaining it all. It’s a fairly simple story, so you do understand why Derrickson gussies it up with grainy dream sequences and shaky 8mm flashbacks, and a pretty terrific electronic score composed by his son, Atticus Derrickson.

It’s also a bit surprising that “Black Phone 2” turns out to be so pious and deeply Christian, which is a bit of an odd mix. For a film about Jesus and the power of prayer, it also features a scene in which a kid’s face gets sliced in half by a windowpane. Then again, horror’s trend toward the faith-based isn’t a surprise when you take a look at the success of the Bible-thumping “Conjuring” franchise.

However, it seems like this might be the Grabber’s last hurrah. You’ll root for the characters to vanquish him only because then the drudgery might finally end. Who knows, maybe it’ll be a hit and they’ll figure out another way to reanimate this utterly uninspiring horror villain. Personally, I’ve had my fill of the Grabber’s grabbing.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

BRITNEY Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline claimed the singer drank alcohol during her pregnancy and did cocaine while breastfeeding.

Britney, 43, was married to dancer and actor Kevin, 47, from 2004 until 2007.

The former couple welcomed two sons together during their three-year marriage.

On October 21, Kevin is set to release a tell-all memoir titled You Thought You Knew.

In addition to his former wife, the book also covers Kevin’s journey to Hollywood and his big break.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it features allegations including that Britney had drank wine during pregnancy.

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Furious Britney Spears hits back at ‘gaslighting’ ex Kevin Federline

As well as this, Kevin claims that Britney did cocaine while their boys were young – leaving him concerned about their breastfeeding.

The Sun has contacted Britney’s reps for comment.

Kevin told The Hollywood Reporter: “Of course this concerned me.

“Anything that could possibly harm the child is concerning. So yeah, it was a bit shocking for me through some of those moments.

“But yes, that night at the record release party was really what set everything off. I realized that I needed to get into “protect my children” mode, is what happened.

“Like I said in the book, it’s not necessarily the extracurricular activities (i.e., drug use). I was concerned for my children.

“And eventually she filed for divorce. That was the actual breaking point in the marriage.”

Meanwhile, Britney has since clapped back at her ex-husband’s claims in a passionate social media post.

She shared to Instagram: “The constant gaslighting from my ex husband is extremely hurtful and exhausting.

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

“Sadly, they have always witnessed the lack of respect shown by their own father for me.

“They need to take responsibility for themselves.

“With one son only seeing me for 45 min in the past 5 years and the other with only 4 visits in the past 5 years. I have pride too.

“From now on I will let them know when I am available.

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“Trust me, those white lies in that book, they are going straight to the bank and I am the only one who genuinely gets hurt here.”

Britney was seen reuniting with her rarely-seen son Jayden back in June, with a picture showing the teen towering over her.

“Frankenstein” has haunted Guillermo del Toro since he was a kid who barely reached the Creature’s knees. Back in 2011, the writer-director was already tinkering with a version of the monster that resembled a blend of Iggy Pop and Boris Karloff with jagged sutures, gaunt wrinkles and a crushed nose. Since then, Del Toro has made changes. The 2025 model is played by Jacob Elordi, a 6-foot-5 actor often cast as the ideal human specimen in movies like “Saltburn” and who here howls to life with handsome features and rock star swagger. But your eyes keep staring at his pale, smooth seams. He doesn’t look hand-stitched — he looks a little like a modern android.

Of course he does. The decades have given Del Toro time to think about what truly scares him. It’s not monsters. He loves all disfigured nasties, be they swamp creatures, eyeball-less ogres or bolt-headed Hellboys. It’s tech bros, like the ones weaseling into Hollywood, who give their every innovation a sterile sheen.

“Frankenstein” is the director’s lifelong passion project: He doesn’t just want to make a “Frankenstein” but the “Frankenstein,” so he’s faithfully set his adaptation in the past. But he’s adjusted the wiring so that 1850s Europe reminds us of Silicon Valley. The result is the best movie of his career.

This Baron Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) is a short-sighted egomaniac who barks over his critics while jabbing the air with his fingers. “I fail to see why modesty is considered a virtue,” he says with a snort.

And Del Toro has written Victor an enabler: a deep-pocketed investor named Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz) who struts into Victor’s science lecture hunting for a whizkid to crack the code to immortality. With his gold-heeled shoes and a confidence that he’s too rich to die, Waltz’s wealthy arms dealer is a 19th century take on venture capitalists like Bryan Johnson and Peter Thiel who’ve been poking into the feasibility of pumping their veins with young blood.

“Don’t be a reasonable man,” Henrich advises Victor. The assumption is — and remains — that tycoons and geniuses deserve to run rampant. Great success demands an indifference to the rules. And if you’re wondering whether money or brains has more power, there’s a scene in which Henrich uses a chamber pot and smugly orders Victor to “flush that for me.”

Del Toro is wired into the outrage in Mary Shelley’s sly 1818 novel, a nightmarish satire about men who care only about yelling “first!” without asking what horrors come next. Centuries ago, she warned of man’s ill-considered rush to create artificial intelligence. Today, Dr. Frankenstein’s descendants keep promising that AI won’t destroy civilization while ignoring Shelley’s point, that the inventor is more dangerous than his monster.

Victor, a stunted man-child who drinks milk served by a sommelier, is frozen in the I’ll-show-him stage of growing up with an abusive father (Charles Dance) who whipped him when he got a wrong answer on his schoolwork. Victor’s name, we’re reminded, means “winner,” a symbol of the pressure he’s under to excel.

Isaac plays him with a pitchman’s exuberance that sags as the corners of his mouth wrench down in disappointment. He’s hacked how to make a disembodied head moan in agony. But having rarely felt affection, Victor doesn’t know how to generate that emotion at all. Worse, it hasn’t occurred to him to think past the triumph of his product launch, that his Creature can’t be readily unplugged. The only kind characters in the movie are a rural blind man (David Bradley) and the moth-like Mia Goth, double-cast as Victor’s mother, Claire, and his brother’s fiancee, Elizabeth. A convent girl with a creepy streak, Elizabeth sees beauty in biology, leaning over a corpse’s flayed back to appreciate the intricacy of its ventricles. But the more she studies Victor, the less impressed she gets.

Because Shelley came up with “Frankenstein” as an 18-year-old newlywed who’d just lost a baby, her message gets boiled down to gender: Women birth life, men mimic it. Really, the feminine strength of the book lies in its foxy, shifting narration that opens with a prologue from an Arctic explorer who’s gotten his sailors trapped in the ice, before transitioning to Victor’s story and then the Creature’s. Like a hostess who secretly loathes her guests, Shelley encourages her characters to flatter themselves and expose their braggadocio.

Del Toro has kept that tactic and he’s kept the book’s structure. But within that framework, he’s changed nearly everything else to make Victor more culpable. Unlike the 1931 film, there’s no Igor and no excuse of accidentally using the wrong brain. This Victor does his own dirty work and what goes wrong is his fault. Meanwhile, Del Toro amps up the action, starting the film off with a ghastly great sequence in which Elordi’s Creature punches a sailor so hard his spine snaps into a backward somersault.

“What manner of devil made him?” the Captain (Lars Mikkelsen) exclaims. Victor guiltily explains why he played God.

Being a futurist isn’t bad. Henrich, an early adopter of daguerreotype cameras, shoots photographs of women posing with skulls like he’s paving the way for Del Toro’s whole filmography. But pompous Henrich and Victor don’t appreciate that their accomplishments are built on other’s sacrifices. When the cinematographer Dan Laustsen pans across a battlefield of dead soldiers, it feels like a silent scream. Henrich made his fortune killing these men; now, Victor will salvage their body parts.

Del Toro delights in the kinetic gusto of the tale, the grotesquerie of cracking limbs and blood sloshing about Victor’s shoes. In the laboratory, dead leaves and buzzing flies whirl through the air as if to keep up with the inventor’s wild ambitions and Alexandre Desplat’s swirling orchestral score. The production design by Tamara Deverell is superb as are the costumes by Kate Hawley, who shrouds Goth in dramatic chiffon layers and dresses laced to highlight her vertebrae. (This movie loves bones as much as Sir Mix-A-Lot loved backs.)

As Victor rudely flings around torsos and limbs, it’s clear that he only values life if it’s branded with his name. So yes, of course, Elordi’s Creature looks good. He’s been assembled from the choicest bits of man flesh to show off the talent of his creator, not so different from Steve Jobs caressing samples of brushed aluminum. When Elordi’s Creature pleads for a companion, a sliver of sculpted abs peeking out from under five hulking layers of wool and fur, you expect half the audience’s hands to shoot up and volunteer.

Elordi has adopted one or two of Karloff’s mannerisms: the arms outstretched in search of warmth, the lurching walk. You can see that he’s a tad lopsided on the left side, presumably because Victor couldn’t find matching femurs. Mostly, he’s his own monster, neither the calculating serial murderer of the book nor Karloff’s reactive, animalistic killer, but a scapegoat who finally starts leveling his foes with bone-breaking efficiency.

Towering over Victor by almost a foot, Elordi’s Creature dwarfs his creator physically, morally and emotionally. There’s anguish in his eyes, and when Del Toro shows us the world through his perspective, humanity itself appears anti-life, a pestilence that destroys without hesitation.

There’s a pack of digital wolves that just looks silly. Otherwise, you trust how intensely Del Toro has doted upon every detail. I was flummoxed by a row of servants flanking young Victor (Christian Convery) who appeared to be wearing gauzy bags over their heads. What are those for? My theory is it’s a tribute to the veil Karloff sported during lunch breaks, so as not to frighten any pregnant secretaries on the Universal lot.

Eschewing mobs of pitchfork-wielding villagers, Del Toro focuses on Victor’s inability to parent his unholy son. And while the end stretch gets a bit too stiff and speechy, particularly with a line that Victor is the “true monster,” I loved the moment when the Creature, venting on behalf of all frustrated children however big they‘ve grown, growls, “The miracle is not that I should speak but that you would listen.”

This deservedly anticipated “Frankenstein” transforms that loneliness into stunning tableaux of Victor and his immortal Creature tethered together by their mutual self-loathing. One man’s heart never turned on. One can’t get his heart to turn off. Ours breaks.

Brenda Blethyn stars in the upcoming drama film Dragonfly, which has been described as “shocking” and “violent” by critics

The latest trailer for Brenda Blethyn‘s “shocking” drama Dragonfly has just dropped and it’s already proving a massive hit with audiences after scoring 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film also features Andrea Riseborough and Jason Watkins, with the storyline centring around Coleen (Riseborough) who becomes horrified by the treatment her elderly neighbour Elsie (Blethyn) is enduring, prompting her to volunteer her assistance without charge.

Nevertheless, the synopsis suggests that Colleen’s motives might not be quite what they seem. As suspicions mount, a devastating incident triggers a brutal chain of events that could irreversibly transform both women’s existence.

The trailer opens with Elsie recognising that looking after someone is “a lot of hard work” after Colleen volunteers her assistance. Colleen insists that it’s what neighbours are “supposed to do”, but the trailer swiftly shifts into darker territory as Elsie looks petrified by a telephone ringing in her house, and Colleen’s true intentions come under scrutiny from Elsie’s son (Watkins).

“I’ve been hurting all my life, Elsie, to be honest,” Colleen confesses, as we witness her menacingly observing Elsie through a glass panel in her front door, reports Chronicle Live.

Following its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, Dragonfly currently boasts a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes. In our critique, we called the film “a powerful and compelling drama that explores those that society shuns, building to an ending you won’t forget”.

The Hollywood Reporter penned: “Is this tonal swerve a little gimmicky? Probably, and the film will not be to everyone’s taste. But it is a skillfully rendered exercise in terror.”

ScreenAnarchy remarked: “While cinema in general still tends to romanticise loneliness, Dragonfly shows it for what it is: a routine series of everyday, excruciating experiences that always build up to something that tends to be horrific, more often than not.”

The Guardian lauded it as “a stark, fierce, wonderfully acted film”, while Culture Mix observed: “Dragonfly isn’t just a ‘slow burn’ psychological drama.

“This well-acted movie about two lonely people and home caregiving takes an extreme turn in the last 20 minutes to a shocking ending that’s sure to be divisive.”

Last year, Blethyn spoke candidly about securing the role in the film after wrapping up Vera, reminiscing at the British Film Institute: “I was home, I hadn’t even unpacked my bag, and my agent called me and said, ‘Oh, you’ve been offered a film.’ I said, ‘I don’t want to do a film. I haven’t unpacked yet.'”.

“She said, ‘Oh, it is with Andrea Riseborough.’ I said, ‘Oh, is it?’ And she said, ‘And it starts next week because somebody had dropped out and it’s written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams.'”.

“I said, ‘Oh, well, I better have a little read of it just to… but no, I’m not doing it, but I’ll have a read of it.’ And I liked it, so I did it.”

Dragonfly premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in June 2025. A cinema release date is yet to be announced

EMINEM’S reclusive ex-wife Kim Mathers showcased a new look after dying her hair pink as she stepped out near her home in Michigan.

Kim, 50, who had long blonde locks in the past, is seen in The U.S Sun’s exclusive photos with a cropped ‘do.

The rap superstar’s former wife, who has four children, is now heavily tattooed with sleeve designs down both of her arms after adopting a rocker look in recent years.

Her elaborate inkings include the word Artemis down her right arm, referencing the Greek goddess of the hunt, wild animals, and wilderness scenes.

Kim also has other dark inkings on her left arm and on her neck, many of which have an Alice in Wonderland theme, as she previously revealed she is a fan of the Lewis Carroll story.

She appeared in good health after a previous addiction battle and was seen smiling while wearing a black t-shirt with a colorful Nirvana design emblazoned on the front.

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Kim matched her cut-up tee with a pair of light jogging bottoms and a pair of black shades.

In 2023, she revealed to The U.S. Sun that she was clean and sober after undergoing a 45-day rehab stint after she was left heartbroken by the death of her beloved mom, Kathy Sluck.

Audio from a 911 call in July 2022 revealed one of Kim’s children found her “surrounded by blood and pills on her bathroom floor,” as she struggled to cope with her grief.

They broke the handle on the door and called for help, as desperate Kim begged them not to call the police after reportedly leaving notes for her family.

The mom-of-four was rushed to the hospital before being discharged, and later sought treatment for addiction at a center in Detroit, Michigan.

HEALTH BATTLE

A year later, she told The U.S. Sun: “It’s been hard, I lost my mom, my dad, and my sister [over the past 10 years].

“[But] I’m good. I’ve been clean since about October. I went to Jefferson House … for 45 days.”

Kim revealed she had previously been taking pills to try and sleep as she struggled with the loss, and her children had been “very supportive,” amid her mental health scare.

Despite her past drama with ex Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, she added that he had also been checking in with her to make sure she was getting better.

Asked how often she sees the rapper, she joked: “Not often, but often enough.”

The two wed in 1999 but divorced in 2001.

Despite reconciling and marrying a second time in 2006, the union did not work out.

The pair have a daughter, Hailie Jade, 29, along with an adopted daughter, Alaina, 32, with Eminem.

Alaina’s mother, Dawn, who was Kim’s sister, died of a drug overdose in 2016 after years of addiction problems.

Kim is also mom to Stevie Laine, 22, who identifies as non-binary, and was also raised by the rapper, 52.

In recent years, she has been living with her rarely-seen son, Parker, who is believed to be in his teens.

Both Stevie and Parker are from different relationships since her divorce from the superstar.

BABY JOY

Following her health issues, Kim and Marshall reunited for Hailie’s wedding to her long-term partner, Evan McClintock.

Hailie and Evan then welcomed a baby, Kim and Marshall’s first grandchild, Elliot, in March this year.

Kim’s upbeat appearance this month comes as her adopted daughter, Alaina Scott, announced she is pregnant with her first child with her husband, Matt Moeller, whom she married in 2023.

Alaina shared the news on Instagram, as she attached a photograph of her surprising her spouse.

“THE BEST OF YOU + ME,” she wrote in October. “For months, I’ve carried a tiny heartbeat inside me, one that has already changed mine in every possible way.“

She continued, “There’s something indescribable about knowing there’s a little life growing, dreaming, and becoming, all while you go about your day, whispering prayers and hopes only they can hear.”

Alaina added, “I’ve never felt more grateful for this gift and to grow our family, something we’ve wanted for so long.

“Thank you God for this blessing. Baby M, we can’t wait to meet you, little one.”

Alaina shared a slew of photos of her surprising Matt with the news.

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She can be seen leading him blindfolded into a room with gold balloons spelling out the words “BABY M”.

Matt then took the blindfold off and was presented with a shoebox with a pair of baby Nike sneakers inside and a positive pregnancy test.

Authors, readers and publishing industry experts lament the underrepresentation of Hispanic stories in the mainstream world of books, but have found new ways to elevate the literature and resolve misunderstandings.

“The stories now are more diverse than they were ten years ago,” said Carmen Alvarez, a book influencer on Instagram and TikTok.

Some publishers, independent bookstores and book influencers are pushing past the perception of monolithic experience by making Hispanic stories more visible and discoverable for book lovers.

The rise of online book retailers and limited marketing budgets for stories about people of color have been major hurdles for increasing that representation, despite annual celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 in the U.S. There’s been a push for ethnically authentic stories about Latinos, beyond the immigrant experience.

“I feel like we are getting away from the immigration story, the struggle story,” said Alvarez, who is best known as “tomesandtextiles” on bookstagram and booktok, the Instagram and TikTok social media communities. “I feel like my content is to push back against the lack of representation.”

Latinos in the publishing industry

Latinos currently make up roughly 20% of the U.S. population, according to Census data.

However, the National Hispanic Media Coalition estimates Latinos only represent 8% of employees in publishing, according to its Latino Representation in Publishing Coalition created in 2023.

Brenda Castillo, NHMC president and CEO, said the coalition works directly with publishing houses to highlight Latino voices and promote their existing Latino employees.

The publishing houses “are the ones that have the power to make the changes,” Castillo said.

Some Hispanic authors are creating spaces for their work to find interested readers. Award-winning children authors Mayra Cuevas and Alex Villasante co-founded a book festival and storytellers conference in 2024 to showcase writers and illustrators from their communities.

“We were very intentional in creating programming around upleveling craft and professional development,” Cuevas said. “And giving attendees access to the publishing industry, and most importantly, creating a space for community connection and belonging.”

Villasante said the festival and conference allowed them to sustain themselves within the publishing industry, while giving others a road map for success in an industry that isn’t always looking to mass produce their work.

“We are not getting the representation of ourselves,” Villasante said. “I believe that is changing, but it is a slow change so we have to continue to push for that change.”

Breaking into the mainstream

New York Times bestselling author Silvia Moreno-Garcia, a Mexican-Canadian novelist known for the novels “Mexican Gothic” and “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau,” is one of few Hispanic authors that has been able to break to mainstream. But she said it wasn’t easy.

Moreno-Garcia recalled one of her first publisher rejections: The editor complimented the quality of the story but said it would not sell because it was set in Mexico.

“There are systems built within publishing that make it very difficult to achieve the regular distributions that other books naturally have built into them,” Moreno-Garcia said. “There is sometimes resistance to sharing some of these books.”

Cynthia Pelayo, an award-winning author and poet, said the marketing campaign is often the difference maker in terms of a book’s success. Authors of color are often left wanting more promotional support from their publishers, she said.

“I’ve seen exceptional Latino novels that have not received nearly the amount of marketing, publicity that some of their white colleagues have received,” Pelayo said. “What happens in that situation (is) their books get put somewhere else in the bookstore when these white colleagues, their books will get put in the front.”

Hispanic Heritage Month, however, helps bring some attention to Hispanic authors, she added.

Independent bookstores

Independent bookstores remain persistent in elevating Hispanic stories. A 2024 report by the American Booksellers Association found that 60 of the 323 new independent bookstores were owned by people of color. According to Latinx in Publishing, a network of publishing industry professionals, there are 46 Hispanic-owned bookstores in the U.S.

Online book retailer Bookshop.org has highlighted Hispanic books and provided discounts for readers during Hispanic Heritage Month. A representative for the site, Ellington McKenzie, said the site has been able to provide financial support for about 70 Latino bookstores.

“People are always looking to support those minority owned bookstores which we are happy to be the liaison between them,” McKenzie said.

Chawa Magaña, the owner of Palabras Bilingual Bookstore in Phoenix, said she was inspired to open the store because of what she felt was a lack of diversity and representation in the books that are taught in Arizona schools.

“Growing up, I didn’t experience a lot of diversity in literature in schools.” Magaña said. “I wasn’t seeing myself in the stories that I was reading.”

Of the books for sale at Palabras Bilingual, between 30% to 40% of the books are Latino stories, she said.

Magaña said having heard people say they have never seen that much representation in a bookstore has made her cry.

“What has been the most fulfilling to me is able to see how it impacts other people’s lives,” she said. “What motivates me is seeing other people get inspired to do things, seeing people moved when they see the store itself having diverse books.”

Figueroa writes for the Associated Press.

Keri Russell has been a recognisable face on TV screens since the 90s – and she has a famous partner

Netflix’s The Diplomat is back with a third season, featuring Kate Wyler (portrayed by Keri Russell) in an unexpected new role.

Keri Russell, a 49 year old American actress, has been celebrated for her television roles since the 90s.

Born and raised in California, she has an older brother and a younger sister, and due to her father’s job as a Nissan Motors executive, the family moved around frequently.

In 1999, she bagged a Golden Globe Award for her performance in the drama Felicity, and has received four additional nominations for her roles in The Americans and The Diplomat.

In recognition of her contributions to television, she was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017.

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One of her earliest roles was at the tender age of 15, when she featured in the Disney Channel’s revival of The Mickey Mouse Club.

Her dancing skills, honed during her middle school and high school years, helped her secure a spot on the show.

She was a regular cast member from 1991 to 1994, and during this period, she made her film debut in Honey, I Blew Up the Kid.

From 2013 to 2018, she starred opposite Matthew Rhys in the series The Americans, where he played her character’s husband.

The on-screen couple became real-life partners during this period.

Who is Keri Russell’s famous partner?

The Diplomat star was previously married to Shane Deary, a Brooklyn-based contractor whom she met through mutual friends.

They tied the knot in 2007 and have two children – a son and a daughter.

The pair parted ways in 2014 and since then, she’s been romantically linked with Welsh actor Matthew Rhys, famed for his roles in Brothers and Sisters and Perry Mason.

They share a son and despite affectionately referring to each other as husband and wife, they haven’t tied the knot.

The duo have voiced their eagerness to collaborate professionally once more, with Russell suggesting to People that her partner could “totally” join the cast of The Diplomat.

“I think that would probably be more in his court,” she added, indicating their mutual desire to work together again.

“But he’s pretty busy doing a million other things. He’s got, like, five other jobs or something,” she quipped.

The Diplomat airs on Netflix

AN EMOTIONAL JoJo Siwa was seen breaking down in tears live on stage after paying tribute to her boyfriend Chris Hughes.

The Celebrity Big Brother star, 22, has been on the road hitting venues across Britain, with her last show last night.

At her last gig of the tour, JoJo appeared to become overwhelmed.

The Dance Moms star broke down in tears as she took to the stage for the final show of her Infinity Heart Tour.

In a video shared by a fan on TikTok, JoJo was seen welling up during her performance of Back To That Girl.

She then told the audience at the Klub Proxima in Warsaw, that she doesn’t usually get “so emotional”.

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Continuing, JoJo said: “It’s been a while since I’ve done what I love which is being on stage being in front of you.

“And, most of you won’t really care, but today’s the last day of this tour.

“You don’t have to pretend you care, you came here because I’m in your city, you didn’t come here because it’s the last one.

“We’re all sobbing right now. But, it just, just to anybody who A, is in this building, B, came to any of these shows, or C, whether it be a good comment or a bad comment, left a comment, hit a like, watched a video, anyone who supported anything just a big massive thank you.”

An emotional JoJo then added: “I finally had myself pulled together and then I saw all these hearts in here.

“That caught me off guard that was good!’

The star’s emotional moment on stage followed a heartfelt Instagram post where JoJo paid a tribute to everyone on her tour who had supported her, which included Chris who has been cheering her on at the side of the stage.

She wrote: “I’ll definitely have a lot more to say once I’ve gathered some thoughts, but tonight is the final show on the Infinity Heart Tour and I am incredibly emotional.

“The amount of work that has gone into creating the show from choreographing it myself to all the creative direction to actually executing it on stage, the show represents who I want to be as a person and the artist that I wanna be in this lifetime, and it’s translated so well to the crowd and hearing your reviews that have been so positive, it just makes me flood with happiness and gratitude.

“Thank you so much for all the love on this tour, to everyone who showed up to the concerts, and to everyone who supported from the distance online.

“Means so very much.”

Chris then thrilled fans when he wrote in the comments: “Smashed it my love.”

The pair met on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year and have been smitten ever since.

JoJo recently insisted she is not straight amid her romance with Chris and questions surrounding her sexuality.

The YouTuber has refused to put a label on her identity after falling for the former Love Island star inside the CBB house.

Prior to entering the house, JoJo was loved up with non-binary influencer Kath Ebbs but ended their romance to pursue things with Chris.

Now, she has given a candid insight into the negative reactions and “extreme amount of hate” for being currently “in a hetero relationship”.

The dancer and singer opened up in a radio interview on Sirius XM’s Smith Sisters Live.

JoJo said: “From the very, very, very beginning of our relationship. He said, ‘So you can be anything you want. I just love you. I don’t want you to change. I just love you.’

“And I don’t know, I think we got to see on episode two of Big Brother, he was the only person in fact that stood up for me right away.

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“That shows who he is as a straight white male that shows the kind of person he is to stand up for the young 22-year-old queer person in the house.”

JoJo appeared to be referring to when Chris defended her amid a homophobic remark from actor Mickey Rourke inside the house.

A curse befell Jacob Elordi when he was a child. It happened in the aisle of a Blockbuster Video. The culprit for the incantation was the image of the now emblematic Pale Man from “Pan’s Labyrinth,” flaunting eyes on his palms on the back cover of the DVD.

“My mother remembers this,” an energetic Elordi tells me in a Hollywood conference room. “I came running through the corridor and I was like, ‘I need this DVD.’ And she was like, ‘That’s so much blood and gore. You can’t watch it.’”

“She told you, ‘I’ll get it if you promise never to work with that director,’” Guillermo del Toro, the filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning dark fantasy, chimes in, sitting next to Elordi.

His wish granted, Elordi watched “Pan’s Labyrinth” at a young age. The fable set against the Spanish Civil War forever changed him. “From that moment, because of the way that Guillermo wills magic into the world and into his life, I feel like there was some kind of curse set upon me,” the actor says. “I do genuinely believe that, as out there as it sounds.”

Now, Elordi, 28, has become one of the Mexican director’s monsters in his long-gestating adaptation of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” (in theaters Friday, then on Netflix Nov. 7). Under intricate prosthetics and makeup, Elordi plays the Creature that arrogant scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) breathes life into — an assemblage of dead limbs and organs imbued with a new consciousness.

Elordi with writer-director Guillermo del Toro on the set of “Frankenstein.”

(Ken Woroner / Netflix)

Receptive to tenderness but prone to violence, the nameless Creature now has, in Elordi, a performer suited for all its unruly emotions. “It was the innocence in Jacob’s portrayal that kept getting me,” says makeup artist and prosthetics designer Mike Hill. “The Creature could snap on a dime like an animal.”

Capable of complex thought, Del Toro’s version of the monster ponders the punishment of existence and the cruelty of its maker. “They’re almost like John Milton questions to the creator,” the director says of the Creature’s dialogue. “You have to give it a physicality that is heartbreakingly uncanny but also hypnotically human.”

The imposingly lanky, gracefully handsome Elordi, born in Australia, has risen in profile over the last few years, thanks to roles in the hit series “Euphoria” and the psychosexual class-climbing thriller “Saltburn.”

“It came from some other place,” Elordi says about the pull to the role of the Creature. “It felt like a growth, like a cancer in my stomach that told me that I had to play this thing.”

(Bexx Francois / For The Times)

“Frankenstein,” however, seems to have been calling his name for a long time.

“Early in my career, I had been reading what folks on the internet would say about me and someone had written after my first film, ‘The only thing this plank of wood could play is Frankenstein’s Creature. Get him off my screen!’” Elordi recalls. “I went, ‘That’s an absolutely fantastic idea.’”

The thought reentered Elordi’s mind while making Sofia Coppola’s 2023 “Priscilla,” in which he played a moody, internal Elvis Presley to Cailee Spaeny’s title character. Long before he was offered the part, the hair and makeup team on “Priscilla” shared with him their next job was, in fact, Del Toro’s “Frankenstein.”

“I looked at [hair designer] Cliona [Furey] and I said, ‘I’m supposed to be in that movie.’ And she said, ‘Did you audition?’ And I was like, ‘No, but I’m meant to be in that movie.’”

“It came from some other place,” Elordi further explains. “It felt like a growth, like a cancer in my stomach that told me that I had to play this thing. I’ve heard stories about this from actors, and when you hear them, you kind of go, ‘Sure, you were meant to play this thing.’ But I really feel like I was.”

Due to scheduling conflicts, Andrew Garfield, originally cast as the Creature, dropped out in late 2023. With production set to start in early 2024, Del Toro had limited time to find a new actor. When Elordi finally heard he was being considered, he had to read the screenplay within hours of receiving it, and be willing to dive into the darkness.

“I had a few weeks to prepare, but I was lucky to have also had my whole life — and I mean that sincerely,” he says, a grin crossing his face. “Playing this was an exploration into a cave of the self, into every experience with my father, with my mother, my experience with cinema, my scraped knees when I was 7.”

Del Toro says he knew Elordi would make the perfect Creature from speaking with him over Zoom. He remembers immediately messaging Isaac, his Victor, convinced that Elordi could play both “Adam and Jesus,” which are the two facets that the creature represents for the director.

Jacob Elordi as the Creature in the movie “Frankenstein.”

(Ken Woroner / Netflix)

“I don’t think I’ve experienced miracles many times in my life,” Del Toro says. “And when somebody comes to your life in any capacity that transforms it, that happened here. This man is a miracle for this film.”

As he typically does for all the actors in his films, Del Toro sent Elordi several books ahead of working together. Elordi’s deep-dive reading list included the bedrock Taoist guide “Tao Te Ching,” Stephen Mitchell’s well-regarded translation of the Book of Job and a text on the developmental stages of a baby.

The most complex element of the performance, Del Toro believes, is playing “nothing,” meaning the blank, pure state of mind of a living being in infancy. “A baby is everything at once,” Elordi says. “It’s deep pain, deep joy, curiosity. And you don’t have chambers for your thoughts yet.”

Right before “Frankenstein,” Elordi had been shooting Prime’s World War II miniseries “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” in Australia, an experience he describes as “grueling,” one that involved losing substantial weight. He repurposed his body’s subsequent fragility as a dramatic tool.

“My brain was kind of all over the place,” he remembers. “I had these moments of great anguish at around 3 a.m. in the morning. I’d wake and my body was in such pain. And I just realized that it was a blessing with ‘Frankenstein’ coming up, because I could articulate these feelings, this suffering.”

Aside from being an outlet for his exhaustion, the transformation also helped Elordi to recalibrate. “Frankenstein” arrived at a time where he found himself wrestling with a crisis of purpose.

“At that time in my life I really wanted to hide,” Elordi says. “I really wanted to go away for a while. I was desperate to find some kind of normalcy and rebuild the way that I acted and how I approached making movies,” Elordi says. “And when the film came along, I remember being like, ‘Ugh, I really wanted to go away right now.’ And I realized immediately the Creature was where I was supposed to go away to. I was supposed to go into that mask of freedom.”

Was he trying to escape the pressures of dawning fame? Elordi says it was much more philosophical than that.

“Who do I think I am? Who do I present myself as? What do I like? What don’t I like? Do I love? Can I love? What is love? Every single thing of being alive,” he says with a radiant smile. “The unbearable weight of being.”

“At that time in my life I really wanted to hide,” Elordi says of the moment just before taking on Del Toro’s version of the classic. “I really wanted to go away for a while. I was desperate to find some kind of normalcy and rebuild the way that I acted and how I approached making movies.”

(Bexx Francois / For The Times)

The part entailed physically burying himself in another body. It allowed Elordi to renounce any hang-ups, surrendering to a fugue state of mind. Every moment felt like a discovery.

“I was liberated in this makeup,” he adds. “I didn’t have to be this version of myself anymore. In those six months, I completely rebuilt myself. And I came out of this film with a whole new skin.”

Elordi sat for 10 hours in the makeup chair on days that required full body makeup — only four if they were only shooting the Creature’s face. “Jacob wanted to wear the makeup and he knew it would be grueling,” Hill says.

“It was nothing short of a religious experience,” Elordi says. “The excitement I had even just getting my body cast — I was buzzing.”

Hill believes that the decision to make the Creature bald for the scenes where he is a “baby” is what makes Del Toro’s take unique within the “Frankenstein” mythos.

“Instead of what happens in cloning where a baby grows, Victor literally did make a baby, just a big one,” says Hill. “The Creature learns quickly because its brain and its bodies have already lived once. God knows what this Creature knew before he forgot and needed to be reminded.”

As for the skin, Del Toro envisioned a marble-statue look that he had been pursuing in earlier movies like “Cronos,” “Blade II” and “The Devil’s Backbone.”

“Mike took it and made it incredibly subtle: flesh with the violets and the purples and the pearlescence,” Del Toro says. “He bested every concept I’ve ever imagined by making it look like parts of exsanguine bodies. That was so brilliant.”

“It was the innocence in Jacob’s portrayal that kept getting me,” says makeup artist and creature designer Mike Hill, here seen working on a model for “Frankenstein.”

(John P. Johnson / Netflix)

A Frankenstein’s monster with rainbow-colored flesh, Hill says, could only exist in the context of a Del Toro picture.

“He had to look beautiful, like a phrenology head or an anatomical manual,” Del Toro adds. “We agreed — no scars. No sutures. No vulgarity.”

Del Toro’s casting of Elordi was fully validated when the actor walked on set for the first time in full makeup. “The whole process was anticipation,” Elordi says. “And then I opened my eyes and he was looking back at me, and it was exactly what I thought it would be when I first read the screenplay.”

For Hill, it was watching Elordi doing an interview, where his limbs seemed loose and relaxed, that convinced him he was the right actor to sculpt the Creature on. “I was like, ‘Look at those wrists.’ And then he turns, and he has these lashes,” Hill says. “Big eyes are beautiful for makeup. And structurally, Jacob has an unassuming nose, so you can build on that.”

“And he has a big chin,” Hill continues amid Del Toro’s boisterous laughter. “I was like, ‘I’m not going to glue one on.’”

Amused at his anatomy being dissected in front of him, Elordi claps back, mock-defensively: “He was grotesque to look at, but he was somewhat gifted. A deformed skinny freak.”

By the time Elordi got out of the makeup chair, he says, the electricity in his body had shifted. He stepped on set physically depleted but in the ideal headspace to embody the creature as it navigates an inhospitable reality.

“He’ll forever be fused into my chemistry,” Elordi says. “He was always there and now I have a little place for him. But I can’t rationalize him.”

Whether by curse or by miracle, Elordi’s Creature lives. And the actor feels reborn.

Hollyoaks is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month after first airing on October 23, 1995

Hollyoaks is marking a special occasion this month as it celebrates 30 years on air.

The popular Channel 4 soap first graced our screens on 23 October 1995 and will soon be marking its 30th anniversary.

Over the decades, Hollyoaks has seen a plethora of actors and characters come and go in the fictional village. Some stars, like Nick Pickard, who portrays Tony Hutchinson, have been with the soap since its inception.

However, other actors have traded the fictional village for the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. From Oscar triumphs to hit HBO series, let’s take a look at the stars who’ve made the leap to Los Angeles…, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Rachel Shenton

Rachel Shenton portrayed Mitzeee Minniver on Hollyoaks from 2010 to 2013. After her departure, Rachel, 37, bagged a role in US series Switched at Birth, where she played Lily Summers.

The actress, who is fluent in both British Sign Language and American Sign Language, had her big moment in 2018 when she clinched an Academy Award for her short film The Silent Child, which she wrote, produced and starred in.

The short film tells the story of Libby, a profoundly deaf four year old girl, who lives a silent life until a social worker, played by Rachel, teaches her how to communicate through sign language.

Following her Oscar triumph, Rachel has portrayed Helen Alderson in All Creatures Great and Small since 2020. Other roles include The Strangers: Chapter 1, The Rumour and The Strangers: Chapter 2.

Nathalie Emmanuel

Nathalie Emmanuel, who portrayed Sasha Valentine on Hollyoaks from 2006 to 2010, has since enjoyed a successful career. After leaving the soap, Nathalie, 36, secured the role of Missandei in the HBO hit series Game of Thrones from 2013 to 2019, catapulting her to stardom.

Since then, she’s been playing Jordan King in Die Hart since 2020 and has taken on numerous film roles.

Her filmography includes Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, The Titan, F9, Fast X, Arthur the King, Megalopolis and The Killer.

Emmett J Scanlan

Emmett J Scanlan, who played Brendan Brady from 2010 to 2013, has also had a successful career post-Hollyoaks. After his departure, Emmett, 46, bagged the role of D. C. Glenn Martin in The Fall.

He’s also starred as Josh in Harlan Coben’s Safe in 2018, Billy Grade in Peaky Blinders, and has appeared in Derry Girls, The Teacher and MobLand, among others.

Emmett achieved international recognition with Netflix’s hit Harlan Coben drama Fool Me Once in 2024, where he played Shane Tessier. His film credits include Guardians of the Galaxy, Argylle and A Working Man.

Guy Burnet

Guy Burnet played Craig Dean in the popular Channel 4 soap from 2002 until 2008.

Guy, 42, has since gone on to have a successful Hollywood career with appearances in films such as Pitch Perfect 3, where he played Theo in the 2017 movie. The actor has also appeared in hit TV series Ray Donovan, The Affair and Counterpart.

However, it was one of his latest projects that left fans stunned as he was part of the star-studded cast of Oppenheimer, which was released in cinemas on 21 July 2023 in the UK.

He has recently appeared in FUBAR alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger as Theodore Chips and American Horror Stories.

Ricky Whittle

Ricky Whittle, who portrayed Calvin Valentine on Hollyoaks from 2006 to 2011, has also made a name for himself in Hollywood. After leaving the soap, Ricky, 45, relocated to Los Angeles and quickly landed a number of roles.

From 2014 to 2016, he starred in the sci-fi drama The 100 and US soap Mistresses. Following this, he secured the lead role in American Gods in 2017, with the series running until 2021.

Roxanne McKee

Roxanne McKee, who portrayed Louise Summers from 2005 to 2008, went on to secure the role of Doreah in Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2012 after her departure.

The 45 year old actress then bagged roles in Dominion as Claire Riesen and Pandora as Eve in 2020, among others. Her film credits include Inside Man: Most Wanted and Bambi: The Reckoning.

Wallis Day

Wallis Day played Holly Cunningham in Hollyoaks from 2012 to 2013.

Since then, the 31 year old actress has taken on roles such as Angie on The Royals from 2016 to 2018, Nyssa-Vex in Krypton from 2018 to 2019, Kate Kane / Circe Sionis in Batwoman in 2021, and Gigi in Netflix’s 2023 series of Sex/Life.

BRITNEY Spears has furiously clapped back at her “gaslighting” ex husband Kevin Federline in a brutal takedown of his jaw-dropping allegations over her conduct.

The mom-of-two issued a passionate statement on her Instagram page after her baby-daddy told how he feared the pop star would die without help – and said “it’s impossible to pretend everything is OK.”

Kevin – who is set to release book You Thought You Knew on October 21 – has already teased many shocking revelations about his relationship with the Toxic singer and life raising their sons, Sean Preston, now 20, and Jayden James, 19.

The former professional dancer, 47, has used his tome to open up about his struggles co-parenting with Britney, 43, throughout her downward spiral from pop princess to troubled artist.

As well as claiming she watched her sons sleep with knives in her hand, he has suggested she snogged a female dancer while he refused a throuple.

Now, clearly having “had enough” of the stream of stories about her the book has leaked, Britney has taken action.

BRIT CHEAT?

Kevin Federline claims Britney cheated with female dancer & he refused throuple

In a text post written in black font on a white background, she wrote: “The constant gaslighting from my ex husband is extremely hurtful and exhausting.

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

“Sadly, they have always witnessed the lack of respect shown by own father for me.

“They need to take responsibility for themselves.

“With one son only seeing me for 45 min in the past 5 years and the other with only 4 visits in the past 5 years. I have pride too.

“From now on I will let them know when I am available.

“Trust me, those white lies in that book, they are going straight to the bank and I am the only one who genuinely gets hurt here.”

Britney was seen reuniting with her rarely-seen son Jayden back in June, with a picture showing the teen towering over her.

The Hit Me Baby One More Time hitmaker also revealed she had bought Jayden a brand new Mercedes AMG SL 63 roadster valued at $187K.

The US chart star then wrapped her emotive message with the words: “I will always love them [her boys] and if you really know me, you won’t pay attention to the tabloids of my mental health and drinking.

“I am actually a pretty intelligent woman who has been trying to live a sacred and private life the past 5 years.

“I speak on this because I have had enough and any real woman would do the same.”

MOM LOWDOWN

Britney lost full-time custody of her sons in 2007 after an infamous breakdown during which she shaved her head.

The US star was allowed only supervised visits to see her boys, then aged two and one, who went to live with her former husband Kevin.

She now has 30 per cent custody but her relations with her sons hit a rough patch after they chose not to attend their mum’s 2022 wedding to US model Sam Asghari, her now ex.

The teens were also said to be embarrassed by her semi-naked pictures and overtly sexual dance videos posted on Instagram.

MARRIAGE BREAKDOWN

Kevin and Britney got married on September 18, 2004, just five months after they met but they split in 2006.

In an interview with The New York Times, Kevin previously revealed he’s kept his distance from his ex-wife and they “haven’t spoken in years,” following their divorce nearly two decades ago.

However, in the book, the DJ also revealed some of Britney’s alarming behavior, which he learned mainly from their kids.

“They would awaken sometimes at night to find her standing silently in the doorway, watching them sleep — ‘Oh, you’re awake?’ — with a knife in her hand,” Kevin wrote.

“Then she’d turn around and pad off without explanation.”

In a statement provided to Us Weekly, Britney’s representative said, ‘Once again [Federline] and others are profiting off her, and sadly it comes after child support has ended with Kevin.

‘All she cares about are her kids, Sean Preston and Jayden James, and their well-being during this sensationalism,’ they added.

In 2023, Jayden and Sean moved to Hawaii with their dad and his new wife, Victoria Prince, and the their two half-sisters. 

There were rife reports of a rift between the two sons and their famous mother, which was sparked after her conservatorship was terminated in November 2021.

Previously, the bubblegum pop queen apologized for “not being perfect.”

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Meanwhile, we exclusively revealed the secret Mother’s Day phone call which saw her attempt to rebuild her connection with her sons.

We told how Britney is now at pains to rebuild a loving relationship with her sons — who were once by her side for everything, from Smurf movie premieres to Dodgers baseball games and trips to Disneyland.

“South Park” is bidding adieu to its short-lived but buzzy Season 27.

The sixth episode of the year, which airs Wednesday on Comedy Central, marks the first episode of Season 28, a spokesperson from the network confirmed to The Times. (The episode will stream on Paramount+ Thursday.)

The reason behind the decision to end Season 27, which was originally expected to have 10 episodes, is unclear. But fans of the long-running satire will still get four additional episodes this year, if “South Park” co-creator Matt Stone and Trey Parker stick to the schedule they outlined. Fans had been speculating about the start of a new season after seeing television listings that coded Wednesday’s episode as the first of Season 28.

The new episode, titled “Twisted Christian,” follows a possessed Cartman, who “may be the key to stopping the Antichrist,” according its brief description. A short teaser also shows the students of South Park Elementary engaging with the viral “67” slang, an essentially meaningless phrase that has taken over Generation Alpha.

The recent episodes have been drawing strong viewership and have, as always, poked fun at topical issues and political figures including President Trump, immigration raids, tariffs and the FCC. Even Paramount, which bought the global streaming rights to “South Park” this summer in a $1.5-billion deal, has been the butt of several jokes.

Season 27 had an unusual cadence of episodes, with the first two arriving on a weekly schedule, then biweekly before the arrival of the most recent episode (and the apparent finale of the season), which aired three weeks later on Sept. 25.

The second episode drew criticism for its parody of Charlie Kirk, the slain political influencer, despite the episode airing weeks before his death. Comedy Central, which is owned by Paramount, announced it will not air reruns of the second episode of the latest season after Kirk was fatally shot Sept. 10 in Utah. The episode can still be found on Paramount+.

The final episode of Season 27 was the first to air after Kirk’s death, but Parker and Stone told the Denver Post the delay was unrelated to its content: “No one pulled the episode, no one censored us, and you know we’d say so if true.” The pair issued a statement on Sept. 17 saying the episode wasn’t finished in time.

Future episodes of “South Park” will air every two weeks through Dec. 10.

Times TV editor Maira Garcia contributed to this report.

Good Morning Britain presenter Richard Madeley was joined by Kate Garraway on Thursday’s edition of the ITV show

Good Morning Britain was interrupted on Thursday (October 16) as Richard Madeley said, “I’m going to make a confession”.

During today’s instalment of the popular ITV show, Richard and his co-presenter Kate Garraway brought viewers up to speed on the latest developments from Britain and beyond.

Laura Tobin joined them in the studio to deliver regular weather forecasts, whilst Charlotte Hawkins took care of the day’s remaining headlines.

Richard and Kate discussed former government advisor Dominic Cummings‘ claims regarding China, alongside a fresh police initiative involving GPS ankle tags to tackle shoplifting.

Later, Charlotte revealed that the number of drivers being handed penalty points has surged in the last year, with speed cameras catching record numbers of motorists breaking legal limits, reports Wales Online.

Almost ten million points were added to licences in 2024.

Whilst discussing the matter with pundits Kwasi Kwarteng and Ayesha Hazarika, Richard announced, “I’m going to make a confession now, it’s not a big deal, but whatever.”

The host then admitted he carried six points on his driving licence, explaining: “Both because of speed cameras. One for doing 34 mph on a dual carriageway at four thirty in the morning when it was a 30 mph [zone], I didn’t realise that.

“And one for doing 24 mph in a 20 mph zone at four thirty in the morning. And I have to say, I don’t mind being fined because, yes, I have broken the limit inadvertently, but to get three points on a licence, as well, seemed a bit harsh.

“I only say this because Co-op Insurance has done a survey and they’ve announced the results this morning. A surge in drivers has been caught by speed cameras, a huge, huge rise.”

He went on: “A 12% increase in the number of penalty points added to licences last year. Of course, if you get to 12, it means you lose your licence.

“Of course, speeding has to be controlled. Are we over-penalising drivers for relatively minor infractions? I’m not sure.”

Kwasi chimed in, “My view on this is that those 20 mph speed limits are almost impossible. You’ve got to be very, very careful.”

Richard then revealed that he uses cruise control, which Ayesha quipped was “such a Richard Madeley thing to say”.

“It may be a Richard Madeley thing to say, but actually it protects me from getting more points,” Richard concluded.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am

DIANE Keaton’s family have shared the acting legend’s cause of death in a touching tribute to her after the Oscar winner died on Sunday.

The Godfather and Annie Hall star tragically died aged 79 after her health had quickly declined, her family have confirmed.

They have now released a statement to People revealing the cause of her passing as pneumonia.

They said: “The Keaton family are very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support they have received these past few days on behalf of their beloved Diane, who passed away from pneumonia on October 11.

“She loved her animals and she was steadfast in her support of the unhoused community, so any donations in her memory to a local food bank or an animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute to her.”

A source told the outlet that Keaton’s health had “declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her.”

Read more on Diane Keaton

‘DELIGHTFUL LADY’

Tributes to ‘icon of style & comedy’ as Diane Keaton dies age 79

GOODBYE DIANE

Oscar winner and Godfather star Diane Keaton dies at 79

“In her final months, she was surrounded only by her closest family, who chose to keep things very private. Even longtime friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening.”

When the news of her death broke on Sunday her family had only released a short statement asking for privacy in “this great moment of sadness”.

She is survived by her two children Dexter, 29, and Duke Keaton, 25.

Keaton won the Best Actress Oscar in 1978 for her role in Annie Hall starring alongside the film’s director Woody Allen.

Many speculated that the movie was in fact based on the pair’s real-life relationship.

Keaton told The New York Times in 1977: “It’s not true, but there are elements of truth to it.”

The emergency call to first responders has been released, with medics dispatched to a “person down” in the early hours of the morning, according to audio obtained by TMZ.

“Rescue 19, person down,” a dispatcher said before Keaton was transported to a local hospital by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Touching tributes poured in for Keaton after news of her death broke.

Acting giant Ben Stiller said of the late actress: “Diane Keaton. One of the greatest film actors ever.

“An icon of style, humor and comedy. Brilliant. What a person.”

The First Wives Club co-star Bette Midler said: “The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died.

“I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me.”

She added: “She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star.

“What you saw was who she was…oh, la, lala!”

Hollywood legend Al Pacino – who starred alongside Keaton in the Godfather – is said to regret not marrying the star after their on-and-off relationship.

An insider told the Daily Mail: “For years after he and Diane split, Al used to say, ‘if it’s meant to be, it’s never too late for a do-over.’ But sadly, now it is.”

Keaton left an estimated £75million estate following her death.

On top of her acting earnings, she had invested in real estate, to build a large fortune of over $100million.

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In California, she sold a home at Laguna Beach for £9.5million, and her home in Pacific Palisades for £5million.

She also reportedly had property in Tucson, Arizona, which she sold for £1.9million four years ago.

Diane’s final post

By Hana Carter

Diane Keaton’s devastated fans flocked to her final Instagram post hours after news of the star’s death.

The actress had shared a selection of heartwarming photos of her beloved dog Reggie.

In the collaborative post with Hudson Grace, she celebrated National Pet Day back in April this year.

In one of the photos, she knelt on the floor beside her pup and pointed at a bag of dog biscuits.

Shaken by the passing of the Hollywood icon, Diane’s followers paid tribute.

“A true legend. Thank you for your talent, your animal advocacy, your immeasurable charm. You will be missed,” one wrote.

“Lost one of the greatest actors and lights of this world today,” another said.

A third wrote: “I wasn’t ready for this forever lively legend to be gone so soon.”

Rapper Cardi B is willing to get “nasty” when it comes to defending her kids.

Following the release of her second full-length album “Am I the Drama?” in September, the “I Like It” singer publicly feuded with Nicki Minaj. Both rappers’ children were also pulled into the fracas.

In a recent interview with Paper magazine, Cardi B opened up about the combative exchange.

“This week I showed the world that I will get the most nasty about mine. I never had to get that nasty for my kids. But I did, and I really feel like a lioness,” she said. “This has been one of the moments I got tested the most about being a parent.”

The beef between music’s biggest female rappers has been an ongoing saga dating back to 2017. The most recent spat took place on X in late September, when Minaj belittled Cardi B’s record sales. The two proceeded to tear apart each other’s personal and professional lives.

Cardi B called out Minaj for feuding with her on X instead of celebrating her son’s birthday. Minaj called Cardi B’s 7-year-old daughter “ugly,” among other mean-spirited names, and started to question her son’s brain development. The spat ended with Cardi B asking to meet up with Minaj — they have not posted about each other since.

Cardi described her behavior as that of a “mother warrior” and explained the lengths she would go to protect her kin. The 33-year-old performer is currently pregnant with her fourth child, her first with New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The “WAP” performer shares three children — Kulture, Wave and Blossom — with rapper Offset.

“Am I the Drama?” is Cardi B’s first full-length project in seven years. The 23-track album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard 200 and hit platinum 10 days after its initial release. Her debut, “Invasion of Privacy,” earned her a Grammy for rap album in 2019 and made her the first solo female artist to win in that category.

While doing press for her newest LP, Cardi B hasn’t strayed away from talking about parenthood. She told Paper that she aims to instill a hardworking mentality in her children.

“You have to hope that your kids have that work ethic in them, and I just pray that they do,” she said. “I don’t want one of them to feel they’re behind their siblings. You just got to work and not think too much. … Procrastination is what kills you. It’s what slows you. Don’t ask too much questions. Just go and f— do it.”

TV star and model Vogue Williams has reportedly signed up to this year’s I’m A Celebrity, 10 years after her husband Spencer Matthews was removed from the ITV camp

I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! will be back on screens in a matter of weeks, and bosses are doing all they can to secure another star-studded lineup. The celebrities taking part in the ITV show will be kept under wraps, but rumours have already been circulating over who is taking part.

Model and reality TV star Vogue Williams is the latest famous face to be tipped to be heading Down Under for the gruelling Bushtucker trials. She would follow in her husband Spencer Matthew’s footsteps, but would hope to have a very different experience from him.

The Made in Chelsea star was removed from camp after three days back in 2015 because he was taking steroids and didn’t tell producers beforehand. Now, Vogue has been tipped as “one of the most glam signings” in years.

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“She is really fun and gets on with everyone, so bosses reckon she will be a hit with viewers,” a source explained. “It has been a hard decision to go on the show, because it will mean so much time away from her kids, but she wants to fight her fears and go for it.”

They added to the Sun: “Spencer is a massive thrillseeker and is always off on an adventure, but now it is Vogue’s turn to have one.” Vogue and Spencer married in 2018, and they share three children together.

She already has experience with tough shows, having won Bear Grylls: Mission Survive. Vogue might not be the only model in camp as it has been rumoured Kelly Brook will appear despite saying she would never do it.

In 2018, Kelly insisted she would never take part in the series. At the time she said: “I can just think of a million things I’d rather do. I’d rather go and work in my local pub.”

She added: “Even if I had a huge tax bill and I had to pay it really urgently, I still wouldn’t do it.” Kelly went as far as saying doing I’m A Celebrity would be the “beginning of the end”.

However, a source told the publication over the weekend that Kelly has signed up. Other famous faces said to be taking on the jungle include Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley and Shona McGarty who quit her role on EastEnders this year.

Rapper Aitch is also reportedly to be on the bill, which would make him the first in 11 years. The musician is best known for his successful career which includes nine Top Ten hits and working with Stormzy and Ed Sheeran.

TV bosses are hoping that the 25-year-old brings a younger generation of fans. Aitch, whose real name is Harry Armstrong, originally comes from New Moston, Manchester and began his career when he was just 15.

But, ITV are yet to confirm a full list of while celebrities will be on the latest series. A spokesman for ITV said: “We do not comment on speculation about I’m A Celebrity contestants.”

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MANY A-list models stunned while strutting down the runway donning lingerie at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

The night was filled with beauty and sexy outfits for the brand’s annual runway show on Wednesday night in New York City.

It began with jaw-dropping looks from models wearing an array of sultry lingerie, including pregnant Jasmine Tookes, who stepped out first in a barely-there gold beaded number.

She paused at the end of the runway as she cradled her baby bump and was met with cheers from the crowd.

Others like Behati Prinsloo and Alessandra Ambrosio matched her all-gold look in string two-piece ensembles, the former with a massive train, while Alessandra rocked giant wings.

Soon after, several musical acts took the stage.

Madison Beer started the lineup, performing her hit track Bittersweet while wearing nothing but a white angel corset.

She blended in perfectly with the ladies, as most wore variations of white and pink outfits.

Gigi Hadid turned heads in a skimpy pink lingerie set with an enormous pink, feathery coat draped over her arms.

Shortly after, the stage transformed into the brand’s signature pink-and-white polka-dot colors for its PINK loungewear collection.

The singing group TWICE then entered the runway, making history as the first K-pop girl group to perform at the exclusive event.

The foursome sported varying form-fitting ensembles, with knee-high furry boots.

They sang their songs, This Is For and Strategy while the models walked past them in more comfortable attire.

This included newcomers Lila Moss and Barbie Ferreira, who stunned in a gray lounge set and a jean jacket, respectively.

At the end of the PINK showcase, the ladies posed for a group shot in the middle of the stage with TWICE, which was shown on a giant screen.

The evening continued with more seductive attire, as Colombian singer Karol G performed in a body-hugging, see-through white number.

The models kept the red theme going, with Bella Hadid flaunting her incredible figure in a jaw-dropping lingerie set.

Others wore various red lingerie, some paired with props such as capes, wings, and devil horns.

Karol G also got in on the fun, catwalking across the stage to show off her skintight bodysuit with matching wings.

The mood then brightened with more pastel-colored pieces, including a breathtaking vision of Emily Ratajkowski.

The supermodel wore a pink bra and underwear set, strapped heels wrapped up to her knees, and a huge, sparkly pink prop on her back.

The lights dimmed again to display the all-black lingerie pieces, including plus-size model Ashley Graham flaunting her curves in a glittery two-piece.

She paired the look with massive black angel wings and strappy heels.

Gigi later reappeared, wearing a form-fitting white corset and matching skirt, while holding large white angel wings.

Her sister, Bella, also reemerged donning a sexy tasseled white lingerie set with fluffy white wings strapped to her back.

The show ended with a medley performance by Missy Elliott, which included her popular tracks Get Ur Freak On, Work It, and Lose Control.

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Missy made a grand entrance on a platform that came down from the ceiling before she appeared in an all-black sparkly outfit.

The models returned to the stage altogether when Missy’s performance concluded for an encore, as pink confetti covered the room.

Diane Keaton died in Los Angeles on Saturday at age 79, and her family says the cause was pneumonia.

Family members of the Oscar-winning actress shared a statement with People confirming Keaton’s cause of death and saying they were “very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support” they had received in recent days.

The outlet first reported the news of the screen icon’s death Saturday, saying the Los Angeles Fire Department had responded to her home that morning and transported a 79-year-old woman to an area hospital. Initially, the family did not disclose the cause of death and asked for privacy as they processed their grief.

In Wednesday’s statement, Keaton’s family members said the star had a deep love for animals and was passionate about supporting the unhoused community. They encouraged people to honor her memory by donating to a food bank or animal shelter.

Keaton was known for her powerful performances in iconic pictures such as Francis Ford Coppola’s “Godfather” movies and Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall,” which earned her the 1978 Academy Award for lead actress. She was also nominated for lead actress for her roles in “Reds” (1981), “Marvin’s Room” (1996) and “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003).

Born in Los Angeles in 1946, Keaton rose to fame through her late 1960s New York stage career, earning a Tony nomination at age 25 for her role in Allen’s 1969 theatrical production of “Play It Again, Sam.”

Later in her career, she became a muse for writer-director-producer Nancy Meyers and starred in four of her movies. She was a noted trendsetter known for her fabulous on-screen outfits and, more recently, for sharing her style on Instagram, where she amassed 2.6 million followers.

Keaton’s death was widely mourned by theater, movie and fashion lovers alike.

“She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star,” wrote actor Bette Midler on Instagram. “What you saw was who she was.”

“Diane Keaton wasn’t just an actress: she was a force,” wrote actor Octavia Spencer on Instagram, “a woman who showed us that being yourself is the most powerful thing you can be. From Annie Hall to Something’s Gotta Give, she made every role unforgettable.”

Times film editor Joshua Rothkopf contributed to this report.

Turkey’s conservative government has proposed extreme and hateful reforms targeting the LGBTQIA+ community.

On 15 October, Turkish lawmakers shared a draft of their 11th Judicial Reform Package, which includes updates to existing laws that restrict trans and queer people.

Under the proposed legislation, “any person who engages in, publicly encourages, praises, or promotes attitudes or behaviours contrary to their biological sex at birth and public morality” could face one to three years in prison, per Türkiye Today.

Another portion of legislation would reportedly make the legal age for gender reassignment surgery change from 18 to 25.

Individuals looking to have the procedure would also need to be unmarried, receive a medical board report confirming that the procedure is “psychologically necessary” from a Ministry of Health-approved hospital; obtain four separate evaluations that are spaced three months apart; and have a court order amendment to their civil registry once the aforementioned medical report is approved.

Individuals with genetic or hormonal disorders would be the only ones exempt from the proposed regulations.  

Medical professionals who perform gender affirming surgery without going through the aforementioned archaic steps could face three to seven years in prison and fines.

In addition to severely limiting trans people’s accessibility to gender affirming care, the proposed reforms target same-sex couples.

If a couple is caught having an engagement or wedding ceremony, they can face between one and a half to four years in prison.

The penalty for “public sexual acts or exhibitionism” would also increase from six months to a year to one to three years.

As for the stated purpose for introducing the hateful amendments, the document claims that it’s “to ensure the upbringing of physically and mentally healthy individuals and to protect the family institution and social structure, per Türkiye Today.

While homosexuality is not banned in Turkey, and despite the country being home to numerous LGBTQIA+ associations, homophobia is widespread and anti-discrimination laws are nonexistent.

Over the last decade, events for the community – like Pride marches and other queer-focused gatherings – have faced censorship by government authorities. The conservative country has even opted out of competing in Eurovision due to the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ contestants.

In November 2024, Turkish authorities banned the screening of Luca Guadagnino’s drama Queer at Mubi Fest Istanbul, leading the organisation to cancel the event altogether.