I’m A Celebrity bosses will make a major change to proceedings this year on the ITV jungle show to stop one person hogging the limelight in a huge rule shake-up
20:00, 11 Nov 2025Updated 20:03, 11 Nov 2025
I’m A Celebrity bosses are making a major change(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
I’m A Celebrity bosses are clamping down on celebrities doing repeated trials and hogging the limelight in a major rule shake-up. We can reveal how contestants will now no longer be able to do more than two Bushtucker trials in a row.
Insiders claim it gives more celebs the chance to shine on the show and endear themselves to the public. But it also comes after a row last year over Dean McCullough, who was voted to do a total of seven Bushtucker Trials, two of which he ended early.
Even Ant McPartlin expressed his frustration with Dean repeatedly being put up for trial, saying: “Who’s still voting for Dean, I don’t get it.”
At the time, some fans were convinced he was faking his tears to ensure he was repeatedly voted for by the public. Dean later insisted his tears were “100 per cent real.”
Nigel Farage, who took part in 2023, has previously lamented how those doing challenges got “25 percent of the airtime”.
The rule change will also effectively prevent the public targeting certain celebrities as much as before. Stars such as Helen Flanagan and Gillian McKeith were repeatedly picked on by viewers who were keen to see them suffer in trials.
Viewers will be unable to vote for that person for a third consecutive day, but then the system will be “reset” allowing that person to be voted for again.
A source said: “Celebrities all want the opportunity to take on a Bushtucker Trial and bring home stars for camp. Viewers would much prefer to see different celebrities take on the iconic Bushtucker Trials as opposed to the same person every day.”
Bosses are keen for more contestants to shine in the camp, and have taken on feedback from previous celebs on the show who want the trials to be spread more evenly.
A source added: “This is a great move for fans of the show so we don’t see the same faces doing the trials, as well as uncovering new favourites. Plus it’s a win-win for the celebs too, who are keen for more chances to get their personalities across.”
Several contestants have done multiple trials over the years.
Waterloo road actor Adam Thomas performed 12 trials when he took part back in 2016, while Scarlett Moffat and Janice Dickinson undertook 10 in 2016 and 2007 respectively. Jacqueline Jossa did 10 Trials in 2019, while Helen Flanagan did seven trials in 2012, of which a number were aborted.
Celebs flying Down Under include Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley, YouTuber Morgan Burtwistle, known as Angry Ginge, EastEnders actress Shona McGarty comedian Ruby Wax, TV presenter Alex Scott and Jack Osbourne. They are to be joined by rapper Aitch, and presenter Vogue Williams.
Ant and Dec are returning to host the hit series, which is in its 25th year. A source close to the show said: “Producers are expected to pull out the stops to ensure the 25th series is the most memorable yet.”
I’m A Celebrity’s Angry Ginge might have an already-formed ally in the Australian jungle after touching down in Brisbane ahead of this year’s series of the hit ITV reality contest
14:41, 10 Nov 2025Updated 14:41, 10 Nov 2025
He’s already frontrunner to be crowned king of the jungle, and now Angry Ginge‘s bond has been rumbled days before the start of I’m A Celebrity. The YouTuber is the bookies’ favourite to outlast his famous fellow campmates Down Under.
But a little-known bond has been rumbled which could give the YouTube sensation an added boost in camp. The 23-year-old, whose real name is Morgan Burtwistle, is verry pally with a fellow campmate-to-be.
Both Angry Ginge and rapper Aitch – real name Harrison Armstrong – will be entering the I’m A Celeb camp. But it certainly won’t be the first time the pair have met.
The duo have collaborated on a number of occasions for projects like the ABC game. They have also appeared together in other videos with pals such as Tays.
And they’ve also been known to mock each other for fun. In one clip together, Aitch joked that Ginge is the person who “moves the least and sweats the most”.
While the pair might be know each other, it’s unlikely their bonds will already have been formed with other celebs who have since landed Down Under.
Speaking in Brisbane, Ginge said he was going to miss his mum and his beloved Manchester United the most. e told the Mirror: “I did a Duke of Edinburgh bronze award at school so I am not too bad at camping.
“One of the reasons I vowed to never go to Australia was because of the spiders and animals so I am hoping the hotel is secure.”
Other stars to have already touched down in Australia include model Kelly Brook. While she refused to reveal her appearance when questioned at Brisbane airport, the presenter was in fine spirits.
Speaking to journalists who had congregated ready for her arrival, she said: “It was a long flight.” But she teased and tried to dismiss I’m A Celeb links.
She joked: “I am looking forward to seeing my Auntie Sheila and distant cousin – I haven’t seen her for a long time.”
She added: “I am not sure how I feel about sleeping under the stars – hopefully I will have a spare room. I am looking forward to seeing koalas and the kangaroos.”
It’s thought the 45-year-old left a number of treats for her pet pooch Teddy, at home in order to distract him from her potentially long awaited stay. Speaking earlier at Heathrow Airport, Kelly shared her emotions, saying: “I am going to miss my dog Teddy and my husband Jeremy.”
A source had previously told The Sun: “Kelly is besotted with Teddy and he is used to fine dining, so Kelly spent all hours making sure the freezer was piled high with his special dinners.”
NEW YORK — No one could possibly be working harder right now on Broadway than Kristin Chenoweth, who is bearing the weight of a McMansion musical on her diminutive frame and making it seem like she’s hoisting nothing heavier than a few overstuffed Hermes, Prada and Chanel shopping bags.
A trouper’s trouper, Chenoweth has reunited with her “Wicked” compatriot Stephen Schwartz, who has written the score for “The Queen of Versailles.” The show, which had its Broadway opening at the St. James Theatre on Sunday, is an adaptation of Lauren Greenfield’s 2012 documentary about a family building one of the largest private homes in America in a style that blends Louis XIV with Las Vegas.
When the Great Recession of 2008 crashes the party, the Florida couple who are never satisfied despite having everything find themselves scrounging to make the mortgage payments for this unfinished (and possibly unfinishable) Orlando colossus. Not even the banks know what to do with this gargantuan white elephant.
The first half of the musical traces Jackie’s rise from a hardworking upstate New York hick to a Florida beauty pageant winner who escaped an abusive relationship with her baby daughter. Her dream of nabbing a wealthy husband comes true after she meets David Siegel (F. Murray Abraham, in vivid vulgarian resort mogul mode). He’s decades older than her but as rich as Croesus, having proudly transformed himself into the “Timeshare King.”
With David funding her every whim, Jackie discovers the joys of consumerism as her family expands along with her credit line. David adopts her first-born, Victoria (Nina White), a sulky adolescent who doesn’t appreciate her mother’s lavish ways. And the couple proceed to have six more children together before adopting Jackie’s niece, Jonquil (Tatum Grace Hopkins), a Dickensian waif who shows up with all her belongings stuffed into plastic bags.
The musical’s book, written by Lindsey Ferrentino (whose plays included the raw veteran recovery story “Ugly Lies the Bone”) deals only with Victoria and Jonquil, leaving the other kids to our imagination along with most of the pets that suffer the seesaw of lavish attention and thoughtless neglect that is the Siegel family way.
Jackie didn’t set out to build such a ludicrously gigantic residence. As she explains in the number “Because We Can,” “We just want the home of our dreams/And the house we’re in now,/Although it’s sweet,/It’s only like 26,000 square feet,/So we’re just bursting at the seams.”
This version of “The Queen of Versailles,” making the visual most of settings by scenic and video designer Dane Laffrey, that can make Mar-a-Lago seem understated, embraces the sociological fable aspect of the tale. To drive home the political point, the musical begins at the court of Louis XIV and returns to France near the end of the show after the French Revolution has bloodied up the guillotine with the powdered heads of callous aristocrats.
Jackie sees herself as a modern-day Marie Antoinette, but instead of saying “Let them eat cake” she has her driver bring back enough McDonald’s to feed an entire film crew. Chenoweth, who is as gleaming as a holiday ornament on Liberace’s Christmas tree, arrives at a canny balance of quixotic generosity and parvenu carelessness in her portrayal of a woman she refuses to lampoon.
Kristin Chenoweth and the Company of “The Queen of Versailles.”
(Julieta Cervantes)
The second half of the musical recaps what happens when the super rich face ruin — ruin not in the sense of going hungry but of having to stop buying luxury goods in bulk. With his timeshare empire hanging in the balance, Abraham’s David transforms from Santa Claus to Ebenezer Scrooge, belligerently withdrawing into his home office like a beaten general plotting a counteroffensive and treating Jackie like a trophy wife who has lost her golden sheen.
Ferrentino extends the timeline beyond the documentary to include what happened to the family in the years since the film was released and Jackie took to the spotlight like a Real Housewife given her own spinoff. The federal bailout worked wonders for the haves, like the Siegels, while the have-nots were left to fend for themselves — casualties of questionable mortgage practices and the “more, more, more” mantra of America. But no one escapes the brutal moral accounting, not even Jackie, after she suffers a tragedy no amount of retail therapy will ever make right.
“The Queen of Versailles” has grown tighter since its tryout last summer at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre, but it’s still an unwieldy operation despite the impeccable showmanship of Michael Arden’s direction. The problem isn’t the production but the musical’s shifting raison d’être.
The first act hews to the documentary in a flatly straightforward fashion. The making of the film becomes the invitation to tell Jackie’s story in the mythic terms she favors. The musical indulges her not with a smirk but with a knowing smile. It’s the culture that’s skewered rather than those who adopt its perverted values.
But not content to be a satiric case study in how the Siegel family story connects “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and “Dynasty” to the shallowness and cruelty of Donald Trump’s America, the show aspires to the level of tragedy. Achieving great emotional depth, however, isn’t easy when wearing a plastic surgery mask of comedy.
Kristin Chenoweth as Jackie Siegel in “The Queen of Versailles.”
(Julieta Cervantes)
Schwartz has composed an American time capsule of Broadway pop, with as much variety as “Wicked” though with less bombast and no real standout blockbuster numbers. The score moves from the zingy send-up of “Mrs. Florida” and “The Ballad of the Timeshare King” in the first act to the more maudlin “The Book of Random,” in which vulnerable Victoria gives vent to her suffering, and “Little Houses,” in which the modest lifestyle of Jackie’s parents (played by Stephen DeRosa and Isabel Keating) is extolled in increasingly grandiose musical fashion, in the second.
Strangely, one of the show’s most captivating songs, “Pavane for a Dead Lizard,” is about a reptile that starved to death because of Victoria’s negligence. The number, a duet for Victoria and Jonquil, doesn’t make importunate emotional demands and is all the more poignant for its restraint. (White’s Victoria and Hopkins’ Jonquil come into their own here, letting down the defensive armor of their recalcitrant characters.)
Melody Butiu, who plays the Siegels’ Filipina nanny and indispensable factotum, has a readier place in our hearts for all that she has had to sacrifice to support her distant family. Her material lack exists stoically in the shadow of the family’s monstrous excess.
In “Caviar Dreams,” Jackie proclaims her “Champagne wishes” of becoming “American royalty.” Chenoweth, whose comic vibrancy breaches the fourth wall to make direct contact with the audience, relishes the humor of Jackie without poking fun of her, even when singing an operatic duet with Marie Antoinette (Cassondra James). But the material never allows Chenoweth to emotionally soar, and the fumbling final number, “This Time Next Year,” requires her to land the plane after the show’s navigation system has essentially gone blank.
“The Queen of Versailles” is designed to bring out all of Chenoweth’s Broadway shine. She never looks less than perfectly photoshopped, but the production ultimately overtaxes her strengths. New musicals are impossible dreams, and this is a whopper of a show, daunting in scale and jaw-dropping in ambition. If only Chenoweth’s dazzling star power didn’t have to do so much of the heavy lifting.
Fans can’t get enough of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami’s limited edition Dodgers gear, decorated with colorful, cartoon flowers featuring smiling faces in surprisingly un-jockish colors like pastel pink and butter yellow. The merch sold out in a matter of minutes at a pop-up store in March before the two-game season opening in Japan. A second collection was released in April.
Three’s a charm — as always.
On Friday at 1 p.m. a final Murakami collection will go on sale, this time commemorating the Dodgers’ historic World Series Championship. The series of T-shirts and hoodies — decorated in Murakami’s distinctive flowers, and featuring the team name in Japanese Katakana characters — is being presented by the sports and youth culture platforms Fanatics and Complex. The merch can be found on their websites as well as MLBShop online stores, the MLB app, the Dodger Stadium Team Store and the MLB Flagship Store in New York City.
I know friends who spent hours trying to obtain a single Murakami-designed Dodgers baseball cap last spring, so I expect the merch to sell fast. I’d set an alarm for 12:55 p.m. and log in exactly at 1 p.m. if I were hoping to score an item or two.
Dodgers fans are more than fans after their team won in what many are calling a “series for the ages” — they are fanatics. I should know. I wrote a story that mentioned the game, and I referred to the Dodgers being one “point” down to the Toronto Blue Jays. I awoke to an inbox full of letters from readers alerting me to the fact that a “point” in baseball is called a “run.” Some said it not so nicely.
Point taken! I mean, run. Either way, I’ve made much worse mistakes and never gotten so much as a single letter. That’s how I know Dodgers fans are not messing around. Neither is the merchandising machine surrounding the team’s epic win.
I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, shooting baskets for baseball and scoring touchdowns for a home run. Here’s your arts and culture news this week.
On our radar
Joshua Francique with Alonzo King Lines Ballet.
(RJ Muna)
Alonzo King Lines Ballet Choreographer and California Hall of Fame inductee Alonzo King brings his San Francisco-based contemporary ballet company to Long Beach for an evening of dance immersed in the spiritually rooted, avant-garde jazz stylings of Alice Coltrane, including her seminal album “Journey in Satchidananda.” In addition to this tribute to one of America’s only jazz harpists, the company will present a fresh take on Maurice Ravel’s suite of Mother Goose fairy tales, “Ma mère l’Oye,” which was originally written as a piano duet in 1910. — Jessica Gelt 8 p.m. Saturday. Carpenter Center is located at 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. carpenterarts.org
Pacific Opera Project Daniel-François-Esprit Auber’s funny, tuneful, gang-can’t-shoot-straight, long-out-of-fashion early 19th century comic French opera, “Fra Diavolo” is just the kind of thing on which Pacific Opera Project (POP) has made its irrepressibly wackier-than-thou reputation. While the company performs a range of operas, serious and not-so-serious, here and there (including Descanso Gardens and Forest Lawn), its heart is at the Ebell, a historic Highland Park club, where you sit at tables with wine and hors d’oeuvres, surrounded by dazzling singers, goofy costumes and sets, and the intoxicating hokum that the company’s irrepressible founder and director, Josh Shaw, comes up with. — Mark Swed 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Wednesday and Nov. 14; 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 and 16. The Highland Park Ebell, 131 S. Ave. 57. pacificoperaproject.com
A stage version of the horror franchise “Paranormal Activity” comes to the Ahmanson.
(Pamela Raith)
Paranormal Activity The premiere of an original story set in the world of the film franchise, the show seems determined to scare you silly. The theater has caught the horror bug — and why not? Fear knows no bounds. Written by Levi Holloway, whose “Grey House” had a brief Broadway run in 2023, and directed by Felix Barrett, whose immersive “Sleep No More” captivated New York audiences for years, the production sets out to give new meaning to the term stage fright. — Charles McNulty Through Dec. 7, check days and times. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. centertheatregroup.org
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The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY
The new play “Border Crisis” at City Garage.
(City Garage)
Border Crisis A new absurdist comedy by playwright Charles A. Duncombe, based on “The House on the Border” by Sławomir Mrożek as translated by Pavel Rybak-Rudzki, about a typical U.S. family that finds itself at the center of an international crisis, has its world premiere. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 4 p.m. Sunday, through Dec. 13. City Garage, Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Ave. T1, Santa Monica, citygarage.org
Leah Ollman In addition to a reading and book signing, the author will discuss her new publication, “Ensnaring the Moment: On the Intersection of Poetry and Photography,” with poet Rae Armantrout. 6 p.m. Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. mcasd.org
SATURDAY
Katherine Ross, Paul Newman, seated, and Robert Redford in the 1969 movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
(20th Century Fox)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid The American Cinematheque’s tribute to Robert Redford continues with the 1969 George Roy Hill-directed western that first paired the late actor with Paul Newman in one of Hollywood’s great buddy movies. 2 p.m. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com
The Butterfly Effect The reopening of a secret cafe where people are rumored to have time traveled is the setting for the latest immersive and interactive audience experience from Last Call Theatre. 8 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 14-15, 20-22, Dec. 4-6. Stella Coffee, 6210 San Vicente Blvd. ticketleap.events
Comic Creators Block Party A full day of signings, meet and greets, live panels, food and vendors featuring some of your favorite writers and artists, including Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Revenge Of Comics, 3420 Eagle Rock Blvd., Suite A. comiccreatorsblockparty.com
iam8bit 20th Anniversary Art Show The creative production company celebrates two decades of innovation with an exhibition heavy on video game and pop culture history. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Studio 8, 614 E. 12th St., Los Angeles. eventbrite.com
Redrawing the Rancho The performance platform homeLA presents a program of interdisciplinary performance, dance and installation work by Nao Bustamante, Eva Aguila, Rosa Rodríguez-Frazier and Victoria Marks that evaluate the legacy of Southern California’s oldest surviving brick structure. the Rowland Mansion, and the complex history behind it. 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. John Rowland Mansion and Dibble Roundhouse Museum, 16021 Gale Ave., City of Industry. homela.org
“Sweet Nothings,” 2025. Aluminum and bowling balls. 223⁄4 x 183⁄4 x 221⁄4 in. (57.78 x 47.63 x 56.52 cm) by Kathleen Ryan.
(@ Kathleen Ryan. Courtesy the artist and Karma/Artwork photography by Lance Brewer)
Kathleen Ryan Everyday objects become the stuff of dreams in the exhibition “Souvenir,” featuring nine sculptures rooted in the artist’s use of motifs, techniques and conceptual decisions. Opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, through Dec. 20. Karma, 7351 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles. karmakarma.org
Wild Up L.A.’s transformative new music chamber orchestra and collective was founded 15 years ago by Christopher Rountree with a seemingly limitless collection of inventive ideas for bringing classical music into the 21st century and beyond. This fall it begins a new series at the Nimoy, home of UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, beginning with “What I Call Sound,” a look at the historic influence L.A. jazz has had on new music of all sorts. Given that Wild Up is composed of accomplished improvisers and composers, it is ideally suited to follow the course of the avant-garde jazz scene from Eric Dolphy in the late 1950s to such current leading figures as Anthony Braxton. — Mark Swed 8 p.m. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu
SUNDAY Deep Cuts: Block Printing Across Cultures The exhibition features more than 150 works from around the world exploring the medium as both a means of creative expression and a vehicle for mass production of both images and ideas, extending from the patterned fabrics of India to German Expressionist artists and contemporary makers like Christiane Baumgartner. Also includes the Los Angeles–based Block Shop demonstrating reinterpretations of the ageless art form. Through Sept. 13, 2026. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Resnick Pavilion, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. lacma.org
Burt Lancaster See the Hollywood legend in two very different films and performances: The American Cinematheque screens Luchino Visconti’s 1963 drama “The Leopard,” in which Lancaster stars opposite Claudia Cardinale; at the New Beverly, the actor appears in the delightful 1983 comedy “Local Hero” with Peter Riegert (on a double feature with another Bill Forsyth film, “Housekeeping”). “The Leopard,” 2 p.m. Sunday. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com; “Local Hero,” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd. thenewbev.com
TUESDAY An Evening with Annie Leibovitz The celebrated photographer discusses her new book, “Women,” which features Louise Bourgeois, Hillary Clinton, Joan Didion, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, Rihanna, Patti Smith, Elizabeth Taylor, and Serena and Venus Williams. 7 p.m. The Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd. livenation.com
Recovecos The LA Phil New Music Group, conducted by Raquel Acevedo Klein, explores works by Caribbean and Latin American composers in a program curated by Angélica Negrón and featuring vocalist Lido Pimienta. 8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
WEDNESDAY
Broadway star Melissa Errico performs Wednesday at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach.
(David Kenas)
Melissa Errico In her new show “The Streisand Effect,” Errico, accompanied by a quartet that includes Streisand’s own 40-year pianist Randy Waldman, performs such favorites as “Send In the Clowns,” “I’d Rather Be Blue,” and “I Never Meant to Hurt You.” 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Carpenter Center is located at 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. carpenterarts.org
THURSDAY Celebrating 50 years of Laverne & Shirley Producer Bob Boyett presents the Garry Marshall Theatre’s annual fundraiser, which this year marks a half-century since the debut of Marshall’s hit ABC sitcom and welcomes special guest Michael McKean, who had a breakout role on the show as Lenny. The event, which includes dinner and entertainment, also honors actor Yeardly Smith of “The Simpsons.” Tickets are $500-1000. 6:30 p.m. Verse Restaurant, 4212 Lankershim Blvd., Toluca Lake garrymarshalltheatre.org/50years
An Inspector Calls Theatre 40 presents J.B. Priestley’s classic drawing-room mystery about the investigation of a young woman’s death that disrupts an upper-class British family’s engagement party in the industrial north Midlands in 1912. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; also, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 and 10; dark on Nov. 27 and 28, through Dec. 14. Beverly Hills High school, Mary Levin Cutler Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Dr. theatre40.org
New Original Works (NOW) The second weekend of REDCAT’s annual festival of experimental performance features a program of works by Gabriela Burdsall; Orin Calcagne and Jenson Titus; and Divya Victor, Carolyn Chen, AMOC (American Modern Opera Company). NOW 2025 continues with additional programming Nov. 20-22. 8 p.m Thursday-Saturday. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. redcat.org
Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Hollywood, 1992, Silver Gelatin Photograph, Ed. of 25, 20 x 16 inches, by Herb Ritts.
(Fahey/Klein Gallery)
Herb Ritts The exhibition “Allies & Icons” presents the photographer’s portraits of activists, artists and cultural leaders who led the global fight against AIDS, including Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John, Magic Johnson, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Sharon Stone, Tina Turner, Keith Haring and many others. In celebration of STORIES: The AIDS Monument, which opens Nov. 16 in West Hollywood. Opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Thursday; Regular hours, 1-7 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, through Dec. 21. ONE Gallery, 626 N. Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood. faheykleingallery.com
Culture news and the SoCal scene
The Scourged Back. The scarred back of an African American slave named Gordon who escaped from Mississippi and reached a Union Army camp in Louisiana in 1863. The photograph is one of many targeted for removal by the Trump administration.
(Getty Images)
National treasure “In recent months, a small army of historians, librarians, scientists and other volunteers has fanned out across America’s national parks and museums to photograph and painstakingly archive cultural and intellectual treasures they fear are under threat from President Trump’s war against ‘woke’,” writes Times investigative reporter Jack Dolan in a recent story about the volunteers creating a “citizen’s record” of existing exhibits and more, “in case the administration carries out Trump’s orders to scrub public signs and displays of language he and his allies deem too negative about America’s past.”
Theater beat Times theater critic Charles McNulty reviews a production of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at A Noise Within. McNulty deems the script, “arguably the finest work in August Wilson’s 10-play series chronicling the African American experience in the 20th century,” and writes that the new show — set in a Pittsburgh boarding house in 1911 — “seems like a gift from the other side, that mysterious, creative realm where history is spiritualized.”
McNulty also attended Lloyd Suh’s “The Heart Sellers,” at South Coast Repertory, for a production directed by Jennifer Chang, who staged the play’s 2023 world premiere at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre featuring the same two-person cast. The show explores the thorny, timely issue of immigration through the stories of two women — one from the Philippines, the other from South Korea — living in an unnamed mid-sized American city in 1973.
Angela Bassett arrives at the LACMA Art + Film Gala on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, at Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision/AP)
LACMA ups and downs The Los Angeles County Museum of Art was in the news again this past week. I attended its celebrity-packed Art + Film gala on Saturday night — and watched the room explode in celebration after the Dodgers won the World Series. The annual event, this year honoring filmmaker Ryan Coogler and artist Mary Corse, raised more than $6.5 million in support of the museum and its programs.
40 authors, 40 dinners I also attended a dinner sponsored by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles featuring historian Rick Atkinson, who won the Pulitzer Prize for history in 2003. Called “Literary Feasts” the biannual event featured 40 authors spread out at 40 dinners hosted at private homes across the city on a single night in order to raise funds for the foundation’s mission in support of the library and its community-driven efforts including adult education and homework support for kids.
Yoko goes solo It doesn’t seem possible, but it’s true: Yoko One, 92, is staging her first solo museum exhibition in Los Angeles. The show, “Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind,” will open at the Broad museum on May 23 and will run through Oct. 11, 2026. The interactive exhibition is organized in collaboration with Tate Modern in London.
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Faustian The Verdi Chorus is launching its 42nd season with a special, two-nights-only performance delving into Goethe’s “Faust.” Audiences can expect operatic renditions of Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust,” Gounod’s “Faust,” and Boito’s “Mefistofele.” The concerts will take place at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica on Nov. 15 and 16. Artistic director Anne Marie Ketchum will lead the performances, and it should be noted has been leading the group for all 42 years of its existence. The Verdi Chorus dubs itself, “the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus.”
Girl dad, the musical My mother’s heart was touched when a father named Matt Braaten — who is also the artistic director of Eagle Rock Theatre Company — wrote to me about a new musical at the theater called, “Daddy Daughter.” The show features Braaten and his 11-year-old daughter, Lily, as they explore the music that has touched her life and informed her childhood to date. “This family-friendly musical comedy celebrates the different stages of Lily’s life through banter and songs, and takes a musical journey from Elmo to Elsa to Elphaba and beyond,” Braaten wrote. I’m getting teary just thinking about it. The show is at 4 p.m. on Sunday Nov. 9, and Sunday Nov. 16.
The latest series of Strictly Come Dancing is off to a brilliant start and plenty of celebrity faces have been taking to the dancefloor to impress the judges
10:26, 09 Nov 2025Updated 10:26, 09 Nov 2025
The results show may be changed(Image: PA)
The Strictly Come Dancing results show could be axed due to ongoing leaks, it has been reported. The results show has been a Sunday staple for years but it could be coming to an end.
Despite the results show airing the day after the main programme, it is all actually filmed on the same night. However, this means that the person who has been dumped from the show tends to be leaked.
Many viewers are fed up with the Saturday night leaking and are calling for both episodes to be aired on a Saturday instead. Strictly bosses are now under pressure to make a change due to the undercover mole ruining the results for thousands of fans.
The Daily Mail has reported that some BBC bosses think that the hit show needs to go back to its original format. This included the viewers voting after the Saturday main episode while The National Lottery was aired.
The live results programme then followed afterwards and the contestant with the least public support left the show.
There was no dance-off like there is now which meant that the judges didn’t have the opportunity to save anyone. However, with the current format, within just an hour of filming finishing at Elstree Studios, the Strictly mole leaks the results online which means that thousands of people know the results before the Sunday episode airs.
The current Sunday show brings in more than seven million viewers but these views would most likely be transferred over to Saturday evening if it was to be moved.
It was reported that a source said: “It’s become a complete farce, everyone watching knows that it was filmed the night before – but more significant than that, the result is out on the internet almost immediately.
“It’s fair to say that this mole is a thorn in the BBC’s side. You can find out by 11.30pm on a Saturday night what happened.
“A full readout appears on social media and they have no way of stopping it. Fans have to spend all day Sunday trying to avoid the spoiler online or hearing who went in the dance-off over their Sunday lunch. With Tess and Claudia (Strictly’s hosts, who are leaving at the end of this series) going, it is the ideal time to change things.”
Strictly Come Dancing is broadcast live on BBC1 on a Saturday night then after a break, where the judges and presenters change their outfits, they start pre-recording the Sunday night results show.
The presenters, judges, celebrities and professional dancers all refer to what happened “last night” as it is revealed who is in the bottom two and will face the dreaded dance-off despite it actually being on the same night.
This isn’t the only potential Strictly shake-up as presenters Claudia and Tess also revealed that they wouldn’t be back next year. They announced via Instagram that they would be leaving the show despite being fan favourites.
NBC’s new primetime comedy “Stumble” is a love letter to cheer. Or should that be “Cheer,” the hit Netflix docuseries that catapulted a sport with high-flying stunts, squad drama, bedazzled uniforms and lots of makeup, into the cultural zeitgeist?
For “Stumble” showrunners Liz and Jeff Astrof, it’s both. Like much of America, the siblings say they became obsessed with the champion cheerleaders of Navarro College and their no-nonsense coach Monica Aldama, whose exploits were captured in Greg Whiteley’s two-season series that premiered in 2020. The show broke the notion that cheerleading was simply made up of pony-tailed girls waving pompoms on the sidelines, showcasing the athleticism of the sport, its competitiveness and its diversity — the cheerleaders, male and female, came from varying social, economic and racial backgrounds.
Jeff watched the documentary at the insistence of his sister and was quickly hooked.
“I said, ‘You know what we should do? We should do a show where Monica goes down to the worst college in America. We’ll call it ‘Stumble,’” he recalls during a recent video call with Liz.
The idea tumbled in their heads for a time, but it took a while for it to lift off the ground. Both siblings were busy working on different TV projects — Liz on her Fox sitcom “Pivoting,” and Jeff on his Starz horror comedy “Shining Vale” — when the 2023 Hollywood strikes hit. But the timing allowed them to think about “Stumble” again.
“That’s when I really dug in,” Liz says.
“And we got to call Monica,” Jeff adds. “She’s our best friend. We even put that in the pitch, that she’s our best friend now.”
When I relay the sentiment to Aldama over a separate video call from New York, where the show is being filmed, she smiles and laughs. “Oh my goodness, they are the absolute best,” she says in her soft Texan twang.
The former Navarro coach serves as an executive producer on “Stumble” and also as its cheer consultant, bringing her decades of experience as one of America’s top collegiate cheer coaches. And while the show, premiering Friday and streaming next day on Peacock, takes some elements from the docuseries — it’s a mockumentary — it’s important to note that “Stumble” isn’t a one-to-one adaptation of “Cheer.”
The series follows Courteney Potter, played by Jenn Lyon (“Justified,” “Dead Boy Detectives”), a champion cheer coach at the fictional Sammy Davis Sr. Junior College, who is fired after a problematic video surfaces. Tammy Istiny, played by Kristin Chenoweth, takes over as interim coach — though she’s not as heartbroken about Courteney’s departure as she initially lets on. Courteney isn’t deterred, however, and she finds another coaching job at Headltston State Junior College in Oklahoma (the team mascot is a candy button, the town’s main industry), where she works to build a squad from the ground up. The character is very loosely based on Aldama, sporting the same flowy blouses, skinny jeans, heeled boots and all-business attitude.
Courteney Potter, center, played by Jenn Lyon, is very loosely based on Monica Aldama.
(Matt Miller / NBC)
“She is incredible,” said Aldama about Lyon. “I can tell she has put so much time into studying me [and] cheerleading coaches. She asks very thoughtful questions when it comes to how to deliver a line, or if the wording is correct. We never actually sat down and spent a long time with questions. And it’s fascinating to me because it’s body language, it’s delivery, it’s everything — she really did a great job.”
Meanwhile, the squad is composed of misfits, hotheads, third-year “seniors” and even a narcoleptic tumbler with a solid split. Some of the characters feel familiar — they’re an amalgamation of personalities from “Cheer.” Krystal (Anissa Borrego) might remind you of Gabi Butler, the cheer influencer, and Dimarcus (Jarrett Austin Brown) has a fiery spirit similar to La’Darius Marshall, whose combative relationship with Aldama came to a head in Season 2 of “Cheer.” But otherwise, the similarities are fleeting.
For Aldama, working on the series marks yet another shift in her life and career, much of it spent in Corsicana, Texas, where Navarro is located and where she still calls home. After serving as head cheer coach for nearly three decades, she retired in 2023.
“You know, it’s scary to have change,” she said. “What I have learned about being in the spotlight is that there are going to be a lot of things said about you. … I view things a lot differently now.”
Her retirement came after a series of events: First, Jerry Harris, one of the breakout stars of “Cheer,” was charged with sex crimes involving minors in 2020. Season 2 showed how the team grappled with his arrest; Harris pleaded guilty in 2022 and is currently serving a 12-year sentence. Then in early 2023, a civil lawsuit was filed by a former Navarro cheerleader, who accused Aldama of attempting to keep a sexual assault claim quiet. Aldama steadfastly denied the accusations, and her name was later dropped from the suit.
The Astrofs’ goal was to lean into the good things that “Cheer” showcased, emphasizing how much “Stumble” is a loose adaptation. “There’s darkness in everything, and we don’t go there,” said Jeff in reference to Harris. “For me and for Liz, the music is fun, the underdog nature of these kids and … seeing these actors do cheer and some of them … hadn’t even been in TV shows before. It’s like that excitement — it’s contagious. That’s what we’re looking at.”
Ultimately, the events of the past haven’t deterred Aldama from trying new pursuits. After all, her path was already curving toward Hollywood. After “Cheer” became a hit in 2020, she was cast in Season 29 of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” giving her a taste of the limelight outside of her world. She also released a memoir in 2022. Now, she’s trying her hand at scripted television with “Stumble.”
“It’s obviously very different because I am learning a lot. I ask a lot of questions,” she said. “They [Liz and Jeff] asked me many times, ‘How deep do you want to go?’ I want to be in every meeting. I want to learn. I want to hear every conversation … but I do a lot more listening than anything at this moment.”
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1.Showrunners Jeff and Liz Astrof on the set of “Stumble.”(Matt Miller / NBC)2.The cast on set with Monica Aldama, who is the show’s cheer consultant.(Danielle Mathias / NBC)3.Aldama on set.(Matt Miller / NBC)
The Astrofs have been in the industry as writers and producers for more than two decades, each creating their own projects for television. Though they’ve worked together before — Liz on Jeff’s series “Trial & Error” and on Season 2 of “Shining Vale” — it’s the first time the pair have joined forces as showrunners.
Working on “Stumble” and coming up with a pilot together was easy for the siblings (Jeff: “We wrote the whole thing on Post-it notes”). It’s evident they are close, often completing each other’s sentences in the course of the interview. And they agreed that having Aldama was essential to making the series, particularly when it came to depicting the cheer routines and getting the nomenclature right.
“We needed to have authenticity to cheer, because we didn’t know anything about [the] cheer world,” Jeff said.
“We had to have Monica,” Liz said. “I really just wanted to meet her. I wanted her to be involved in every single thing, just so I could see her every day.”
Her expertise was important to them as was getting the world of cheerleading right. To help with that, Aldama enlisted Dahlston Delgado, who was featured on “Cheer,” to work as a choreographer on the show. Together they recruited extras with cheer experience via social media and through their many contacts in the cheer world. The cast did many of the routines, but stunt doubles were used in some instances, and real cheerleaders were used as part of the Buttons, Headltston’s squad.
Aldama and Delgado were given freedom to decide what routines would look like, while the Astrofs would focus on writing the dialogue for the show. “In a script, we’ll just write, ‘The team does an incredible cheer,’” Jeff says. “We’ll be in a production meeting, and Monica and Dahlston will be like, can you explain what you mean by ‘incredible cheer’?”
They ran with the limited guidance, however, putting together routines quickly, rehearsing in a couple of hours and taping them. “I think everybody not in our world just could not believe how quickly they learned a routine, with most of them not knowing each other and not ever working together,” Aldama said of the cheer squad. “They were just talented.”
“She’s magical,” Liz said.
“Monica is, even from the pilot, she’s so good at what she does, I would let her do toe surgery on me,” Jeff said.
Kristin Chenoweth as Tammy Istiny, left, and Monica Aldama as herself in the “Stumble” pilot.
(Matt Miller / NBC)
Aldama even makes a cameo in the first episode, comforting Chenoweth’s Tammy when the Sammy Davis squad learns Courteney has been let go. While she may be used to being in front of the camera nowadays, Aldama considers what more she’d like to do behind the scenes.
“I think everybody has their strengths,” she said. “And writing … I like where I’m at right now, where I can read the script and say, ‘Well, maybe this,’ and add a little bit to it. I would definitely be open to producing other shows in the future.”
For the showrunners, the compressed timeline between when the show was picked up by NBC in July to production to air meant that they had to make some compromises, including where the show was filmed. The pilot was shot in Georgia, but they wanted to shoot the series in L.A., where the writers’ room is based, but it eventually landed in New York because of the financial incentives and it’s where much of the cast is located. (The Astrofs wouldn’t mind if it ended up in L.A. at some point.)
Nonetheless, they’re optimistic about how the show will be received and having Aldama on board to add credibility from a cheer perspective was the ultimate goal for them because they love the sport.
“We just want to be funny with heart and, like, just people root for it,” Jeff said.
Strictly Come Dancing fans rushed to social media as they felt the judges were ‘overmarking’ the contestants during tonight’s show which they felt was not reflective of the performance
19:50, 08 Nov 2025Updated 19:50, 08 Nov 2025
Fans fume over ‘overmarking’ in tonight’s strictly(Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing fans were left fuming after judge Motsi Mabuse awarded Karen Carney ten points following her performance of the Charleston, with her professional dance partner Carlos Gu.
Viewers felt that they noticed flaws in her performance, however that did not appear to be reflected in the judge’s scores. Taking to X, one fan wrote: “sure not a 10, the lifts were pretty ropey #strictly.” Another person said: “F**** OFF Motsi and Anton! #Strictly.”
A third added: “What’s with Motsi and that 10? #Strictly.” Meanwhile a fourth penned: “10?!!! did we just watch the same performance #strictly.”
And a fifth fan took to the social media platform and chimed in saying: “Oh come on Motsi – never a 10, too frenetic #Strictly.”
“10??? What??? #Strictly,” said a sixth. Another added: “#Strictly shut up motsi. Its not a 10! Its messy with lots of faults #Charleston.”
And another fumed: “Motsi giving Karen a 10 for a dance which wasn’t perfect is wild #Strictly.”‘
Stars on this year’s line-up have left viewers gripped to their TV screens as they compete to make it to the final and hold up the coveted glitterball trophy.
But for one star, it looks as though joining the BBC ballroom show was more of a tough decision than once thought.
Vicky Pattison, who made her name starring on reality TV show Geordie Shore, recently explained that joining the show pushed back her plans to start a family with new husband Ercan Ramadan.
The couple tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in August last year.
In an interview with The Mirror, she admitted: “At the start of this year, I said to Ercan, I’m either gonna do Strictly, a second series of Honesty Box, or we’re going to have a baby. When I got the call for Strictly, he was over the moon. Kids are definitely on the cards next year. He probably thinks I’ll be at home a bit more, which he’s thrilled about.”
And while Ercan may have been left disappointed by her career decision, Vicky was adamant that he has been her biggest supporter.
Ercan has been providing Vicky with electrolytes and collagen every morning.
Last month, Tess and Claudia left die hard viewers heartbroken as they announced their departure from the BBC show.
Their announcement came with a video which they posted on social media. Claudia was the first to start speaking as she said: “Hi it’s Claud and Tess. There have been some rumblings and we want you to hear this from us…”
Tess added: “Yeah we have news. After 21 wonderfully joyful years on Strictly we have decided the time is right to step aside and pass on the baton…”
Claudia then chimed in saying: “The very sparkly baton…” Turning to Tess, she continued: “You’ve been here since the beginning…”
Tess, who is a mum of two and married to radio host Vernon Kay, kicked off her Strictly journey when she hosted the show alongside the much loved Bruce Forsyth.
Tess went on to say: “2004 with Brucey – lovely Bruce. That’s over two decades ago and a lot of that time has been with you. It’s been a huge part of our lives, hasn’t it? Since our children were literally babes in arms and now they’re young adults and I think, genuinely we have cherished every second.”
A HUGE heavy metal band has announced their first UK show in over a decade, after they retired from touring.
The 70s band, who who are best known for We’re Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock, are heading back on the road – and they are heading to the UK.
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A huge heavy metal band are coming out of tour retirement and heading to the UKCredit: Getty70s rockers Twisted Sister are set to perform live againCredit: GettyLead singer Dee Snider confirmed they were touring to celebrate 50 years of the bandCredit: Getty
Formed in New Jersey in the 70s, American rockers Twisted Sister are coming out of tour retirement and making a stop in Wales.
The much-loved band revealed in September they were heading back out on the road again, after nearly a decade of not touring.
Twisted Sister, who are headed up by Dee Snider, have now announced their first UK show which will see them headline the Welsh festival Steelhouse.
Organisers have brought in the legendary heavy metal band to celebrate 15 years of the festival – which next year will take place from July 24 to 26.
They will take to the stage at the iconic Welsh festival, which is held at the mountainous Hafod-y-Dafal Farm, Aberbeeg, Ebbw Vale.
Speaking about booking Twisted Sister, Steelhouse promoters Max and Mike said: “We thought 15 years was worth celebrating in the biggest possible way.
“And what better way to do that with one of the most iconic names in metal – Twisted f***ing Sister!
“To have them come and celebrate their milestone 50 years with us is an absolute and unbelievable honour.”
The statement ended: “When Dee Snider came and laid waste to Steelhouse a decade ago – and more than any other headliner, fundamentally got what we were trying to do as an independent rock festival – we hoped that perhaps he would one day return with the band he made his name with… In our 15th year and their 50th, this is coming to pass… Twisted Sister on The Mountain is going to be huge!”
Other bands confirmed for Steelhouse 2026 include The Temperance Movement, plus Reef, Alien Ant Farm, Tyketto, Von Hertzen Brothers, Darren Wharton’s Renegade, Mason Hill, Dan Byrne, Luke Morley, Anthony Gomes, King Kraken, Blue Nation and more.
Twisted Sister have only played one live show since 2016, when they temporarily reunited for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2023.
But they announced in September that they would be heading back out on tour.
At the time, the band revealed that their line-up had changed, as longtime bassist Mark Mendoza won’t be on the tour.
Instead, Russell Pzütto, who has played with the band in the past, will be joining for the new shows.
They are going back on tour to celebrate a HUGE milestone in the band’s long career.
“If you’re lucky enough to be in a band that people still want to see after fifty years(!), how can you not answer the call?” lead singer Dee teased.
“In 2026, Twisted F***ing Sister will hit stages around the world because WE STILL WANNA ROCK!!”
Dee and the band haven’t played in the UK for a decadeCredit: Getty
Strictly Come Dancing professional Karen Hauer shared an update with her fans on Instagram following a tough night with just hours to go until the latest live show
Strictly Come Dancing star Karen Hauer shared an update on her dog Betty’s health after she underwent surgery. The pro dancer let her fans know that Betty is home and recovering following the procedure.
She wrote over the post, “Our brave girl is home. A little bit out of it after surgery, but she’s doing so well. Now we wait for results.” She then shared a further update with a video where Betty was laying in her bed while Karen sat beside her on the floor stroking her ears.
In the clip Karen admitted that she and boyfriend, former rugby player Simon Davidson, hadn’t had much sleep with just hours to go before she had to head to work for tonight’s live Strictly show alongside her celebrity partner Harry Aikines-Aryeetey. However, she did admit that Betty had got a good night’s rest and was recovering well from her surgery.
Speaking in the clip Karen said, “Just a little update on Betty. She slept okay last night, even though there were fireworks, and she’s not a fan of fireworks. But she managed to get some rest. Simon and I, really we didn’t get much sleep.
“He’s about to go running in a bit and then I’m going off to work in a bit as well. But she is very comfortable in her little suit, and all the other doggies are giving her some love. Even though they want to give her cuddles and kisses they’re trying to be good and stay away from her now.
“But she’s doing good. Our little baby. One day at a time. “
Then, in a further update she showed Betty heading out for a gentle walk with Simon, while still wearing her surgery suit. Karen shared the devastating news of Betty’s diagnosis with her fans on social media last month.
At the time she shared pictures of Betty, including some from recent vet appointments, and explained, “Last week Simon felt two small lumps on Betty’s belly and under her armpit. We took her to the vet, and the results showed traces of cancer. Our hearts broke.
“It’s grade one as far as we know, and our vets have been absolutely incredible. They’ll be doing further tests to make sure they have all the info and can guide us through the next steps to give our Betty the best treatment possible.”
She then issued a warning to fans over their own pets as she continued, “Please check your fur babies for any lumps or bumps… early detection can make all the difference.”
Sarah Paulson appears to be having a blast in Ryan Murphy’s new Hulu “legal” drama “All’s Fair,” and that’s about the only good thing about the show.
The New York Times recently ran a piece extolling it’s reimagining of the power suit (down to at least one visible thong) and I suppose that’s one way of avoiding the obvious. Still, I’m going to stick with Paulson’s obvious glee in playing a villain. Her Carrington Lane was left behind to fester in the comic-book sexism of a male-dominated divorce law firm when two of her colleagues stalked away to form an all-female team and Carrington is not one to surrender a grudge.
It’s impossible not to like Paulson and she is clearly enjoying the opportunity to glare and hiss and indulge in the kind of gross but creative profanity Melissa McCarthy likes to unleash when her characters hit the brink.
As for the rest … well, let’s just say with “All’s Fair,” American culture is getting exactly what it deserves: A series that wallows in the shiny, knockoff-ready trappings of new money (immaculate and soulless homes, private jets, diamonds the size of a Rubik’s Cube), defines “sisterhood” as the belief that any personal crisis can be alleviated by vaginal rejuvenation combined with a girls’ trip to a jewelry auction and gauges power by the ability to plot and take revenge. Preferably in the form of huge amounts of money.
“All’s Fair” may or may not be, as some have said, the worst show of the year (or possibly of all time), but with its celebration of the 1%, personal feuds and financial vengeance, it is certainly the first to truly embody the culture of the Trump presidency.
Down to the reality star at its center. “All’s Fair” gives top billing not to any of the fine and seasoned actors that star — Paulson, Niecy Nash, Naomi Watts, Glenn Close — but to Kim Kardashian, who plays Allura Grant, head of the law firm Grant, Ronson and Greene.
Niecy Nash, from left, Glenn Close and Kim Kardashian are among the stars of Ryan Murphy’s new Hulu drama “All’s Fair.”
(Ser Baffo / Disney)
That Kardashian (and Kris Jenner, who serves as a producer) were able to summon such forces of the galaxy to showcase her, shall we say, limited thespian abilities could be justifiably viewed as yet another “you go girl” testament to her seemingly limitless business acumen.
On the other hand, “All’s Fair” makes the dismal final season of “And Just Like That” look like Chekhov.
Murphy, and the forces at Disney, which owns Hulu, the home of “The Kardashians,” understand Kardashian’s cult-like following and are operating under the assumption that viewers will be so entranced by her and the fashions (which include an alarming amount of hats, capes and gloves) that they won’t notice that the main player is relying on her eyelash extensions to do her acting for her.
To be fair to Kardashian, few nonprofessional actors would shine beside scene partners like Close, Watts and Nash, and the writing of the series, which flirts with camp but never fully commits, does no one any favors.
Not since “Charlie’s Angels” has there been a “feminist fantasy” with such a male gaze. (Apologies to “Charlie’s Angels,” which was in many ways a groundbreaking show.)
After suffering on the sidelines of a mostly male law firm, Allura and Liberty Ronson (Watts) decide to branch out on their own. They do so with the blessing of Dina Standish (Close), that firm’s only female partner, and take with them ace investigator Emerald Greene (Nash). When we meet them again, 10 years later, Allura also has an assistant/mentee in Milan (Teyana Taylor), who later provides a predictable plot twist.
The names alone suggest a level of parody, and, in the first episode, a send-up quality flits in and out of the proceedings, but the show chooses cynicism over satire every time.
Instead of sexist jokes, the partners of Grant, Ronson and Greene spend much of their time discussing how awful men are, with the possible exception of Liberty’s beau, Reggie (“The Handmaid’s Tale’s” O-T Fagbenle), and Standish’s ailing husband, Doug (Ed O’Neill).
That is, after all, the raison d’etre of the firm: Grant, Ronson and Greene are intent on protecting rich women from the perils of the prenup and generally making the bastards pay, sometimes through their “superior” knowledge of the law (in one storyline, this involves explaining that gifts are the sole property of the recipient, which even I knew), but more often blackmail (if you have chosen to live your life without ever seeing a butt plug the size of a traffic cone, keep your eyes shut when Emerald starts her slideshow).
A brief, and seemingly contractually required, mention of the firm raising money to help the underprivileged is laughable — “All’s Fair” is 100% après-moi television, in which extreme wealth is presented as too normal to even be aspirational, and any work not done by Emerald consists of sashaying in super slick shades from one successful throwdown to the next. With brief interludes in sumptuous cars and, as previously mentioned, overbidding on hideous brooches at a high-end jewelry auction (held by a firm client, which honestly seems potentially unethical, but whatevs).
If the dialogue were sharp, funny or even self-aware, Murphy and his team might get away with it, but it’s not — “It’s a shame your mother didn’t swallow,” Dina tells Carrington in what passes as proof that women can be as tough as men. Or that older women can talk trash. Or that Close will do her best to give a decent reading of any line. Or something.
There are brief nods to the women’s personal lives — as a divorce lawyer, Liberty is reluctant to marry Reggie, Dina is struggling with Doug’s decline, Emerald is a super-single mom — but it all feels very box-ticky. Including Allura’s disintegrating marriage, which becomes a major plot point as the gals gather round to make that bastard pay as well, and her realization that if she wants to become a mother, she’s running out of time.
Reading the zeitgeist, the creators of “All’s Fair” were clearly not looking for raves or awards, just viewers.
(Disney)
In many ways, “All’s Fair” is an American version of the excellent British series “The Split,” which follows a matriarchal family of female divorce lawyers. Early on, one of the daughters (played by Nicola Walker) leaves the family firm and, in her own way, attempts to right the wrongs often done to women facing divorce from rich and powerful men while dealing with her own marital breakdown and a family with actual children.
But “American version” doesn’t really cut it. This is Trump’s-America version, in which ethics, morals and virtually all human feeling are secondary to winning, and winning is defined by who ends up making their opponent pay.
Between Kardashian’s conspicuous nonacting and dialogue that often seems lifted from the all-caps regions of X, “All’s Fair” has, not surprisingly, received a critical drubbing. Which seems almost intentional.
Critics, after all, have long been routinely, and often viciously, disparaged (after the reviews were in, Close felt moved to post a sketch of the cast gathered around a “Fatal Attraction”-like “critic bunny stew”). More important, reviews, bad or good, do not (nor should they) predict audience reaction (see early theater reviews of “Wicked”). As Trump has proved again and again, bad press is still press and the worse it is, the more easily it can be cast as proof that the cultural elites (i.e. critics) are out to get … somebody.
So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that, despite a 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes, “All’s Fair” was Hulu’s most successful scripted series premiere in three years.
Reading the zeitgeist, the creators of “All’s Fair” were clearly not looking for raves or awards, just viewers. In this American moment, bad is good and shrewd operators know that if you throw in enough high-profile ingredients — Kardashian, Murphy, a bevy of fine actors — you needn’t take the trouble to ensure the mix will rise to the occasion.
As the president builds a ballroom while food banks are overrun, why wouldn’t TV audiences want to feast on fallen cake?
Through his decades-long career, Nick Lachey has done it all in Hollywood — he’s acted, he’s released solo albums, he’s led campaigns with brands (including Purina) and he’s reigned on the reality TV circuit, hosting the dating shows “The Ultimatum,” “Perfect Match” and the phenomenon that is “Love Is Blind,” which wrapped up its ninth U.S.-based season last week.
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
But through it all, he keeps returning to one passion project: 98 Degrees, the swoon-eliciting boy band that catapulted him to stardom in the late ‘90s.
“I’m really blessed to be able to be a part of some incredible shows,” Lachey says. “But truly it all comes back to the band for me. I still continue to love to do that and perform with those guys, so hopefully that will continue for a long, long time.”
Earlier this year, 98 Degrees released their first non-Christmas album in more than a decade, “Full Circle.” It features reworkings of their most iconic songs — including “I Do (Cherish You)” and “The Hardest Thing” — along with five new tracks.
Outside of work, what’s paramount in Lachey’s life “is being a dad and being present for my kids, and really being involved in their life,” he says. He and his wife, Vanessa Lachey, who’s also his “Love Is Blind” co-host, have three young children: Camden, Phoenix and Brooklyn.
The Cincinnati native and die-hard Bengals fan takes us along for his perfect Sunday in L.A., where he’s lived for more than 20 years. It involves football (of course), an indulgent brunch with waffles, relaxing at a Malibu beach and reading a print copy of the L.A. Times — an activity that we can absolutely get behind.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
7:30 a.m.: Coffee and the L.A. Times
I usually wake up around 7 or 7:30 a.m. I’m conditioned to get up when the kids do, so that’s typically the time even on a weekend. The first thing I’m doing on a Sunday is getting a cup of coffee. I’m kind of old-school. I still get the print paper. So I’ll walk out of my front door and go grab my L.A. Times and my cup of coffee, and hopefully have a few moments to myself to read the paper before my kids get up and harass me.
9 a.m.: Football time
Are we in football season? That’s a very important question. If it’s my dream Sunday then we’re in football season so around 8:30 or 9 a.m., I’m turning on “NFL Countdown” and we’re getting ready for the Sunday slate of games. The Cincinnati Bengals are my team. I grew up in Cincinnati so I’m kind of a fan by birth, if you will. Now, the Bengals are pretty good. For the majority of my life, they’ve been absolutely horrible and I’ve just been stuck with them, but it’s kind of fun now that they’re actually competitive [laughs].
12 p.m.: Indulge in waffles at brunch
We’re getting into the afternoon and getting ready for lunch. A place my family and I love to have lunch or maybe a late brunch is More Than Waffles, which is kind of an Encino institution, if you will. I usually get a skillet or an omelet, then combine that with a waffle. I don’t eat that great, but if you’re ever gonna eat bad, Sunday is the day to do it, so you gotta get the waffle. You gotta get the whipped cream and the strawberries. Go for broke.
2 p.m.: Hang out at the beach
A good Sunday is heading out to the beach. I’d take the kids to Zuma to see the ocean for a little bit even if it’s just a drive. It’s nice to take the drive down that way, see the water and feel the wind on your face. I’m not a big get-in-the-water guy. If I’m in the Caribbean or somewhere, maybe. [laughs] It’s a little chilly for me, so I’m more of the lay-on-the-sand, take-in-the-scenery kind of guy at the beach.
5 p.m.: Burritos and margs for dinner
Let’s get back to the house to take a shower and then we’d hit Casa Vega. That’s another one of my favorites in the Valley. My whole family loves it. I like the oven style chicken burrito smothered. You gotta get the chips and guac. You gotta get a house margarita blended, no salt, and you’re good to go.
8 p.m.: Family meeting
We always have a family meeting on Sunday nights to get ready for the week and kind of go over what’s going on. So we’d get the family back to the house, sit down with the kids, and kind of go over the expectations for the week and plan it out. Then you’re into shower and bath time because it’s a school night.
10 p.m.: Mommy and daddy time
Once the kids are down, maybe Vanessa and I will take in whatever show we’re watching at that time. That’s a good cap to a Sunday. I just finished watching “Perfect Match” on Netflix, which is a classic. I love all the Taylor Sheridan [shows]. I’ve already watched them all.
This article contains some spoilers for the Netflix miniseries “Death by Lightning.”
If politics today make your head spin, wait until you see Netflix’s “Death by Lightning.” The four-part miniseries, premiering Thursday, chronicles one of the more jaw-dropping stretches of post-Civil War American history, when corruption ran rampant, a presidential nominee was drafted at the 11th hour, only to be assassinated early in his term by one of his biggest fans — becoming perhaps the greatest head of state we never really got to have.
And the show answers the burning expletive-laced question posed by its first line: Who is Charles Guiteau?
“I’ve been in a James Garfield rabbit hole for seven years of my life at this point,” says showrunner Mike Makowsky, who adapted Candice Millard’s 2011 chronicle of Garfield and Guiteau, “Destiny of the Republic.” Those who paid attention in history class probably remember that Garfield served briefly as our 20th president in 1881 before being shot and killed. Those who remember more than that are few and far between.
“My own agent half the time refers to him as Andrew Garfield,” says Makowsky. “And I have to confess, I knew very little about Garfield, like most Americans, until I picked up Candice Millard’s remarkable book.”
Realizing he knew little about one of the four American presidents to be assassinated, Makowsky thought, “Since I would desperately like to be on ‘Jeopardy!’ someday, I was like, ‘Let me educate myself.’ I wound up reading the entire book in one sitting.”
“Death by Lightning,” directed by “Captain Fantastic” auteur Matt Ross, boasts a remarkable cast: Betty Gilpin as First Lady Lucretia Garfield; Nick Offerman as Garfield’s successor, a hard-drinking, hard-partying Chester A. Arthur; Michael Shannon as James Garfield, the polymath president, crusader against corruption and noble to a fault; and Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Guiteau, the frustrated office-seeker who shot him.
“I wanted to cast people who were somewhat counterintuitive,” says Ross. “If you read the cast list for this, you might assume Michael Shannon was playing Guiteau because he has played a lot of complicated, for lack of a better word, villains — tough guys, bad guys. And Matthew Macfadyen has played more heroic characters.”
Guiteau is definitely no Darcy from “Pride and Prejudice,” or Tom Wambsgans from “Succession,” for that matter. In the series’ conception of him, he shares more DNA with Martin Scorsese’s unhinged protagonists than he does with Darcy — or, certainly, with Garfield.
The proto-incel with a gun
As portrayed in “Death by Lightning,” Guiteau is a rotten-toothed, scheming, big-dreaming, delusional charlatan and possible sociopath. He’s the proto-incel, and the diametrical opposite to Garfield, whom Makowsky defines as “lawful good,” to borrow the Dungeons & Dragons classification.
“I think the most reductive view of Guiteau is ‘chaotic evil,’ right? But that’s the least interesting rendering of this person,” he says. “What are the societal factors that alienate a man like Guiteau from his fellow human beings? The show is meant to probe into his psyche.”
He was a member of the Oneida community, a religious sect based in New York that practiced communalism, free love and mutual criticism, which is depicted in the series (and yes, they founded the flatware company). But Guiteau couldn’t partake in what Makowsky delicately called the “benefits” of such a society, largely because his delusions of grandeur alienated him from others there. The women reportedly nicknamed him “Charles Gitout.”
“Everyone who encountered him described him as being disagreeable, odd, rude, selfish,” Ross says, explaining the need for an actor who had the opposite qualities. “He’s an extreme example of someone who had no work to be seen for, but was so desperately looking for affirmation and love.”
Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen) was part of the Oneida community, which practiced communalism and free love, but he wasn’t accepted by its members.
(Larry Horricks/Netflix)
Ross describes Macfadyen as someone who’s empathetic, warm and funny. “I wanted that humanity because the real Guiteau was a deeply disturbed man who was psychologically brutalized by his father to the point he was a non-functioning person.”
Makowsky says as he was reading Millard’s book, he thought of Rupert Pupkin, Robert De Niro’s deranged-fan protagonist in Scorsese’s “King of Comedy.” “This guy showing up, day in and day out, hoping for an audience with his hero [Garfield], being continually rebuffed to the point where something in his brain breaks,” he says of Guiteau. “He felt like a direct historical antecedent to the Rupert Pupkins and Travis Bickles of the world. He fell through the cracks and we lost potentially one of our greatest presidents because of it.”
Makowsky recalls shooting the only dialogue scene between Garfield and Guiteau, when the “greatest fan” finally gets to meet his idol. To Makowsky’s surprise, Macfadyen’s Guiteau “just burst into tears. That wasn’t scripted. It was so overwhelming to him. I think in that moment, more than any other in the series, you feel something for this man.”
Party (hearty) over country
Garfield was succeeded in office by Chester A. Arthur, whom Makowsky calls one of the least likely persons to ever become president. “The man had never held elected office,” he says. “His one political appointment prior to his nomination for vice president was as chief crony of the spoils system of [New York Sen.] Roscoe Conkling’s political machine. The level of corruption was so audacious and insane.”
He’s played with oft-drunken brio by Nick Offerman, whose voice Makowsky says he heard in his head as soon as he started writing the role: “I was like, it has to be Nick Offerman.” He took some liberties with the character and events, including a memorable sequence where Arthur and Guiteau go on a bender. Makowsky says they “probably never had a wild night out in New York, but it was an indelible proposition and I couldn’t resist.”
Nick Offerman plays eventual President Chester A. Arthur, who was closely aligned with New York Sen. Roscoe Conkling (Shea Whigham).
Betty Gilpin portrays First Lady Lucretia Garfield as her husband’s intellectual equal. (Larry Horricks / Netflix)
As to the first lady, “Lucretia Garfield was every bit her husband’s intellectual equal. But she couldn’t vote. There was a ceiling to what a woman in her day could accomplish,” Makowsky says, wistfully musing on what she might have achieved, given the chance. “And Betty [Gilpin] radiates that strength and that acute intelligence.”
Having recently given birth, Gilpin took her family along to Budapest for filming, voraciously researching Lucretia and reading her entire correspondence with her husband. The role gets meatier as the series progresses until she initiates an unforgettable, blistering encounter with Guiteau to button the story.
“Betty jokingly said to me, ‘If you cut that scene, I will kill you.’ I was like, ‘There’s no way that scene is being cut. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the entire show,’” Ross recalls. “Everyone who read it was like, ‘Oh my God, this scene.’ And Betty just knocked it out of the park, take after take after take.”
The forgotten president
Ross says when he first read Makowsky’s scripts, he thought they were “fantastically relevant” and offered a fresh look at American history. “As an American, I’m always trying to figure out what it means to be American,” he says. “The story of Garfield, you couldn’t make it up. He was a hero of working people and the promise of American democracy — having a representational democracy where those in power and the wealthy are not controlling the laws of the land, which could not be more relevant today.”
Makowsky calls Garfield “a poster boy for the American dream,” rising from poverty to the nation’s top office.
“He was a war hero and a Renaissance man that did math theorems while he was in Congress and who could recite Homer from memory,” he says. “This remarkable individual, fiercely intelligent and a brilliant, powerful orator, was far ahead of his time on certain political questions of the day. He was an outspoken proponent for civil rights and universal education and civil service reform.”
In real life, and as depicted in the series, Garfield worked with notable Black leaders like Frederick Douglass and Blanche Bruce, the first Black register of the Treasury, whom he appointed.
“The great tragedy is we were robbed of a potentially generational leader in Garfield,” Makowsky says.
“Death by Lightning” showrunner Mike Makowsky says Americans were robbed of a “potentially generational leader” in James Garfield.
(Larry Horricks / Netflix)
Garfield wasn’t even seeking the nomination when he spoke on behalf of another candidate at the Republican National Convention of 1880, but his speech so moved the delegates that they eventually persuaded him to accept the nomination after more than 30 votes failed to produce another winner. It reminded Makowsky of then-Sen. Barack Obama’s 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention, where he presented “a strong and confident, optimistic vision for the future of our country.”
Nowadays, such a rise seems less likely. “I don’t know if that would happen today, obviously because of money in politics; no one can run if they don’t have phenomenal backing,” Ross says.
Ross emphasizes the show is “not a history lesson,” drawing a distinction between drama and documentary. At times, “Death by Lightning” plays like a black comedy. Makowsky’s dialogue, while usually honoring what we think of as the formality and vocabulary of the 1880s’ idiom, occasionally veers into hilariously cathartic invective that bracingly reminds us these were living, breathing people with fire in their bellies.
“Ken Burns could make a 10-hour documentary to encapsulate all the nuances of this incredible story,” says Ross. What Makowsky did, Ross says, was contextualize the history through the prism of two very different people, Garfield and Guiteau.
“One is this incredibly admirable American figure I think everyone should know about, the greatest president we never really had. And then the other is a charlatan, a deeply broken, deeply mentally ill man who just kind of wanted to be Instagram-famous, just wanted to be known. You see this moment in history through their eyes, and I thought that was delicious.”
The Celebrity Traitors finale is almost upon us – however, the BBC hit show left some viewers confused when it didn’t air in its usual Wednesday slot last night
The Celebrity Traitors continues tonight(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Studio Lambert/Paul Chappells)
Fans of the Celebrity Traitors are on tenterhooks as they wait for the show’s highly-anticipated final, with the five remaining contestants competing for up to £100,000 for their chosen charities. However, many were left frustrated last night when they tuned into BBC One at 9pm to be greeted by Shetland’s Ashley Jensen and not the giggly Alan Carr.
Viewers took to social media to voice their disappointment, with one writing: “WHAT DO YOU MEAN TRAITORS ISNT ON TONIGHT??? #CelebrityTraitors.” Another said: “Gaslit myself into thinking celebrity traitors was on tonight. It’s not.
“I don’t even know why I thought that. I guess it’s time for big brother then. #BBUK.”
Thankfully, fans won’t have to wait much longer for their Celebrity Traitors fix – with the final set to air tonight. The show is airing its big finale on BBC One at 9pm tonight with a 70-minute episode.
“As the ultimate game of deception and trust draws to a close, the stakes have never been higher as the celebrity players face their final, explosive mission,” the BBC teases. “With the prize fund complete, will the pressure of winning cloud anyone’s vision?
“Will the Faithful banish all the Traitors to secure victory, or will the Traitors manage to deceive until the bitter end?”
The castle content doesn’t stop there, with Ed Gamble hosting the final episode of The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked immediately after the final at 10:10pm on BBC Two. All the finalists will be joining him for their exclusive first interviews alongside Claudia Winkleman as they reflect on the record-breaking series.
“If they go, then I would love Joe to win for the Faithfuls. This year’s series has been absolutely spectacular and off the chart. My mother and I are engrossed in the whole thing.”
While Coronation Street’s Sally Lindsay said: “Alan, you have always been a legend since I met you 25 years ago and you have been the legend in this. You are the champion!”
Unfortunately, the winner has been spoiled for some fans, with the episode leaking early on Canadian streamer Crave a day early. “PSA: The finale of the Celebrity Traitors was accidentally leaked in Canada yesterday,” one concerned fan wrote on social media.
“Stay away from Traitors news and communities if you don’t want to get spoiled.”
The Celebrity Traitors airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
EMMA Thompson has reunited with a Love Actually and Nanny McPhee co-star for a new show 22 years after the iconic Christmas film’s release.
The heavyweight actors play married private investigators in new Apple TV+ thriller Down Cemetery Road, which sees them drawn into the mysterious disappearance of five-year-old Dinah.
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Emma Thompson has reunited with an old co-star in Apple TV+ series Down Cemetery RoadCredit: AlamyThe two play husband and wife in the all-new thriller
Joe, played by Adam Godley, is tasked with investigating the disappearance which follows a fatal explosion linked to the Ministry of Defence.
In an intriguing first episode, Joe is believed to have taken his own life shortly after accepting the case, and Zoe is seen in a morgue where she identifies her spouse’s lifeless body.
Adam, 61, spoke to UPI about his connection with Emma.
“I’ve known Emma slightly for a while, so that was something we could already invest in their relationship and it helped us.
“She’s a glorious human being and a mighty impressive actor and, so, any time I spend with Emma is a good time.”
While filming the aforementioned morgue scene, Adam revealed he laid almost naked underneath a sheet in a cold room with his feet poking out the end.
Highlighting his co-star’s kind nature, he said: “To give you a sense of who Emma is, Emma was standing at the foot of the slab and she noticed my feet were poking out from under the blanket and she assumed my feet would be quite cold, so she just tucked them underneath her jumper, pressed them against her belly to keep them warm.”
In Love Actually, Adam played Mr Trench – a small role in a memorable scene at the end of the film.
Mr Trench leads the Christmas choir which features smitten schoolboy Sam drumming in a bid to impress popular classmate Joanne.
Emma played stay-at-home mum Karen in the film whose heart is broken on Christmas Eve when she discovers her husband has bought his secretary expensive jewellery instead of her.
Three years later, they both starred in Nanny McPhee, with Emma in the lead role as the magical disciplinarian who transforms the lives of the kids in her charge.
Adam played the vicar who officiates a chaotic wedding at the film’s climax.
Adam Godley plays private investigator Joe in Down Cemetery RoadCredit: AlamyEmma starred opposite Alan Rickman in Love ActuallyCredit: AlamyAdam played choir leader Mr Trench in the Christmas classicCredit: Alamy
THE UK will be getting a brand new theme park in 2026 – but it won’t have your typical thrill rides.
Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, is the UK’s largest live action outdoor theatre production and next year it will launch Kynren – The Storied Lands, a new daytime historical theme park.
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A new historical theme park will be opening in the UK next yearCredit: Kynren
Set to open in summer 2026 in County Durham, the theme park will immerse visitors in multiple live shows and experiences that “span millennia”.
Phase One of Kynren – The Storied Lands will reveal The Lost Feather and four other live-action shows and immersive experiences, including Fina, a Medieval horse show, a viking show and a Victorian Adventure with characters from the past.
There will also be The Legend of the Wear which will transform a lake into a stage, where the Lambton Worm myth will be brought to life with water stunts and special effects.
In the future, the theme park will have even more shows, as well as educational content and themed experiences inspired by Robin Hood, Excalibur and the Tudors.
As a whole, the attractions will form the UK’s first live-action historical theme park.
Anna Warnecke, CEO of Kynren – The Storied Lands, said: “2026 is going to be an unforgettable year.
“Not only will our award-winning night show return, but we’ll also open Kynren – The Storied Lands a unique new experience that brings history, heritage and myth to life on a scale not seen anywhere else in the UK.”
The news follows the announcement that Kynren – An Epic Tale of England is set to return next summer, with tickets now on sale.
Located in Bishop Auckland, the show involves more than 1,000 cast and crew members and mass choreography, combat, horsemanship, stunts and fireworks – all on a seven-and-a-half acre stage.
The show takes spectators on a journey of 2,000 years of history from Boudicca’s rebellion to Viking invasions, Norman conquests, Tudor drama and even Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
The show lasts 90 minutes, beginning at sunset and ending when the stars are out.
It will run every Saturday evening between July 18 and September 12, 2026.
Tickets cost from £30 per adult and £20 per child.
Children under the age of three, are free.
If visitors book their tickets now, they will also unlock an ‘Insider Pass’, which gives them priority access for tickets to the new Kynren – The Storied Lands when it opens next summer.
Travel writer Catherine Lofthouse, who visited this year’s show, said: “If you’ve never heard of Kynren in Bishop Auckland, Durham, you’re not alone.
The theme park will feature a number of immersive experiences and showsCredit: Kynren
“Over an hour and a half, scenes that tell the tale of our homeland, history and heritage come to life across the 7.5-acre outdoor stage.
“The 1,000 professionally trained volunteers might be amateurs, but this incredible cast put on one of the best shows I’ve seen, one that really has to be seen to be believed.
“My boys aged 12 and 10 were absolutely enthralled by the evening’s entertainment from start to finish.
“The whole event is epic – from Viking ships rising from the water to the recreation of a magnificent stained glass window in the spray of a fountain.
“Battle scenes, stunts, celebrations, historic moments, lines from Shakespeare – it’s sometimes difficult to know where to look at there’s so much to take in from one moment to the next.
“It was such a high-quality performance, I’d say it rivaled a live Disney show too.”
The Latin Recording Academy has added even more names to its already star-studded lineup of artists slated to perform at the 26th Latin Grammy Awards, which will be held Nov. 13.
Among the acts announced are album of the year nominee Bad Bunny, breakout Argentine duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, song of the year nominee Karol G and San Bernardino-based música mexicana powerhouse group Fuerza Regida
Next week’s show will mark the first time Bad Bunny has performed on the Latin Grammy stage since 2021, when he sang “Maldita Pobreza” from his 2020 album “El Último Tour Del Mundo.” It also will be the first time that Fuerza Regida and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso perform on the Latin Grammy stage.
Album of the year nominee Rauw Alejandro, legendary rocker Carlos Santana, ranchero/mariachi album nominee Christian Nodal and country darling Kacey Musgraves were among the acts previously announced as performers at the Las Vegas awards show.
Additional artists set to perform at the MGM Grand Garden Arena are música Mexicana acts Carín León, Pepe Aguilar and Los Tigres del Norte; sad sierreño singer-songwriters Iván Cornejo and DannyLux; Latin pop icon Gloria Estefan and Colombian rock band Morat.
This year’s list of top nominees include Bad Bunny (12), Edgar Barrera (10), Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso (10), Rafa Arcaute (eight), Natalia Lafourcade (eight) and Federico Vindver (eight).
Bad Bunny’s 12 nominations this year will bring his total career nods to 52. With her eight nominations this year, Lafourcade looks to bolster her collection of 18 trophies from the awards show — the most wins for any female artist.
Nabbing eight more nominations, Edgar Barrera continues to pad his stats as the awards show’s most nominated person of all time with 72 nods, along with 24 wins. Spanish artist Alejandro Sanz received four nods this year, which brings his career total to 51.
This month’s show will be the debut of the new Visual Media field and its new category, Music For Visual Media, which will honor scores for film and television. Also added to this year’s awards is the category for best roots song.
Alan Carr will tomorrow night battle to win The Celebrity Traitors, which ends on BBC One after a pulsating few weeks which has seen the likes of Sir Stephen Fry and Celia Imrie tease viewers
The comedian has been described as “the hottest man on TV right now” amid his stint on the popular reality TV show, the final of which airs on Thursday. It is understood Alan, 49, worked abroad for BBC Studios at the end of last month for the new primetime, celebrity-led format.
“Unquestionably, Alan is the hottest man on TV right now. Everyone wants a piece of him. But the BBC have acted quickly and last week he was jetted out to a swanky European city for a day of filming a pilot,” a source said.
But first, if the pilot is successful, it is understood Alan will get a bumper deal to front the new game show. It will be one of the first regular shows Alan has presented solo since Chatty Man on Channel 4, which ended on Christmas Day 2017 after an eight-year stint. He did, though, host Picture Slam, which returns next week.
And the pilot is indeed believed to have been well-received by bosses at the Beeb. Speaking to The Sun, the source added: “It went well and now it’s just a matter of when, not if, this gets green-lit.” However, details of the exact nature of the show are top secret for now, the insider stressed.
Some 15 million viewers are expected to tune in to see who wins tomorrow’s Celebrity Traitors final, featuring Alan’s fellow Traitor, singer Cat Burns, with Faithfuls ex-rugby star Joe Marler, comedian Nick Mohammed and historian David Olusoga. Joe has also impressed in the smash-hit series, so much so there is speculation he, too, could have his own programme. The 35-year-old former rugby player has even been rumoured to become the next James Bond.
Jonathan Ross, who was banished last week, has been given a one-year contract extension with ITV amid the success of The Celebrity Traitors. However, if Alan gets a new chat show, the funnyman could well go head to head with his fellow former Traitor.
The source, again talking to The Sun, continued: “There is also talk of bringing back a version of Chatty Man, as Alan has incredible contacts and would get some brilliant guests.”
The Home and Away actress broke new ground as the franchise’s inaugural female lead when she stepped into the shoes of DI Mackenzie Clarke.
The debut series, which broadcast last year, followed her character’s homecoming to Australia after establishing her reputation within London’s Met Police.
Whilst she briefly rejoined Dolphin Cove’s local constabulary to assist with a murder investigation, accusations of tampering with evidence prevented her planned return to London, compelling her to face her Australian past for an indefinite period.
Adding complexity to her position, her ex-fiancé Glenn (Tai Hara), whom she previously abandoned at the altar, ultimately confesses he still harbours romantic feelings towards her.
Return to Paradise has now progressed with a second series, placing Mack in charge of unravelling another collection of puzzling killings, reports the Express.
Speaking about how it felt to return to the world of Dolphin Cove, she shared: “We were so thrilled to get a second series, which is never a guarantee, even if your show’s a huge success.
“We adore each other: the cast, crew, everyone in the office, and the producers. It’s a workplace full of love, support, kindness, and fun. Getting the chance to go back and do it all again, there aren’t many better opportunities in the world than that.”
Teasing the new episodes, she added: “You can expect murders, and for Mackenzie and her team to solve them! We’re expanding the emotional world of all the characters in series two. Who they are and why they are the way they are.
“Colin and Mackenzie’s friendship becomes ridiculously joyful. They act like best friends while having no idea that they feel that way, which is really fun to play.
“That love triangle between Glenn, Mackenzie and Daisy also gets even more complicated, giving us a peek into her vulnerable side. We really challenge the emotional wall she puts up in this series.”
Admitting she was “overwhelmed with heartfelt positivity” from the response to the first series, Anna continued: “The show comes with an incredibly loyal and enthusiastic fanbase already, as it is part of a franchise.
“We felt a responsibility to do justice to the show and to honour the audience. The biggest surprise for me, and maybe it shouldn’t have even been that surprising, but how many of the fans are young women – I was so moved by that.
“Seeing the impact of a character like Mackenzie, who isn’t always smiling or worried about being liked, yet remains at the centre of the story, is what made putting on the waistcoat every day feel so valuable.”
The storyline for the second series of Return to Paradise hints: “Detective Sergeant Mackenzie Clarke finds herself trapped in her hometown of Dolphin Cove to solve more perplexing cases, while grappling with the end-of-series-one bombshell that her ex-fiance, Glenn, still has feelings for her.
“The team contends with even more perplexing cases in this series, including the chemical poisoning of a man alone at sea, alongside having to deal with larger-than-life characters like a troublesome rock band who fall under suspicion when one of their members turns up dead.
“Beyond her detective duties, Mackenzie is forced to face Glenn’s shocking confession that he still has feelings for her, despite his impending wedding to Daisy, complicating her own feelings toward him even further.
“Meanwhile, the unexpected arrival of Colin’s old friends from back home starts to crack the mystery behind his decision to leave everything behind and build a new life in the tight-knit community of Dolphin Cove.”
Return to Paradise is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Eva Price has burst back onto Coronation Street and much-loved actress Catherine Tyldesley says the future couldn’t be more exciting for the soap as she opened up on her anxiety
Coronation Street’s Catherine Tyldesley has spoken about her big return as Eva Price(Image: ITV)
Soap favourite Catherine Tyldesley feared her chances of ever returning to Coronation Street were in danger after she kept saying no to bosses – but now she thinks the show going in an ‘old school’ direction will keep the critics at bay.
Catherine is back on the Cobbles as feisty Eva Price following a seven-year absence, and admits she was incredibly nervous about reprising her role. The actress finally told producers yes after hearing their plans for the future and telling them she didn’t want her character involved in any cheating scandals.
Eva left Weatherfield behind in 2018, but now she’s back with some new faces. Joined by husband Ben Driscoll, played by Aaron McCusker, mother-in-law “from hell” Maggie [Pauline McLynn] and their blended family she is also the queen of the Rovers Return – and said the pressure of following in the footsteps of legendary landladies also added to her anxiety.
She said it was the perfect time to come back to the ITV soap and was sold as soon as producer Katie Brooks explained where the programme was heading. Catherine spoke to the Mirror as she juggles being a working mum and missing important family moments.
The 42-year-old said: “It’s been incredible to be back. You are like a family when you work at Corrie. We’ve all really make the effort to stay in touch, cast and crew, so it’s I just feel incredibly lucky and I’ve been made to feel super welcome. I needed that because I was really nervous. I was genuinely, really nervous because it’s been a long time.
“I’ve had to say no a few times. I was worried they’d just stop asking! That’s why I emailed them after having to reject the chance those times. I just said ‘I love the show and said I loved playing Eva, so please, please always ask me… and at some point, further down the line, hopefully the time will be right’.
“Kate [Brooks] is passionate about bringing a new golden era and kind of looking to the old school Corrie days for inspiration, which is what people seem to love – and what Kate is brilliant at, alongside our writing team. The route she envisioned Corrie going in is everything that I’m about, as soon as we spoke I was inspired and motivated.
“They really know how to do that, and that’s how she worded things to me. I want to bring Corrie into this brilliant new era. It’s a very exciting time, and I felt excited by everything that she was saying to me and how passionate the character and really exploring strong women.”
The show has faced criticism, with Charlie Lawson, who played Jim McDonald for decades, hitting out over ‘woke’ plots before claiming viewers are switching off. It was revealed that Corrie didn’t make it into the ten most-watched TV shows on Christmas Day last year but Catherine says things are looking up.
“They’re putting everything into it,” she said. “I think, if there has been criticism over the show, everything is peaks and troughs in life, you can’t be perfection day in, day out. It is important for shows like this to experiment with things and look at relevant topics that are things that are happening around us, and sometimes the audience like that, sometimes they maybe don’t.
“The only way you can learn is if you take risks, mixing things up and different producers have different ideas. It just so happened for me that I felt very, very aligned with Kate, and everything that she was saying, and her new vision for the show in terms of finding that old school era.”
But while her return has been a pleasure, it’s also been painful. The star added: “Obviously Eva is older and wiser, I wanted Eva and Ben to be tight, to be loyal, to be this power couple at the forefront at the pub. We were very passionate about the fact we wanted her to retain that childlike quality that she has, that really fun side. “I’ve been super happy to have Pauline and Aaron to bounce off. They are such wonderful human beings in real life. So we’re having the best time. The other day, I came up to my dressing room and I remember thinking, gosh, my face is hurting from smiling! Pauline is hysterical. I could just put her in a room and watch her and she just got comedy bones. Yeah, they’re both brilliant.”Mum-of-two Catherine has linked up with O2 to help launch an incredible 5G book that connects families for bedtime, even when they have to be apart. The unique book transforms a traditional children’s story into a shared, interactive experience and she says it’s a must for parents.
“I wanted to get involved in this campaign because, for me, a bedtime story is a ritual – it was always my favourite part and still is. That opportunity to kind of talk about their day with them and then to you, delve into a story is just so special.“O2 told me that through their research, I think it was more than half as parents also agreed with that statement that that was their favourite time of the day. So, for me to have the opportunity to do this connected storybook with Iris, who is three, was just amazing.“Whilst nothing can replicate being snuggled up in bed reading with your little one, seeing technology used in this way to make that special moment of connection still possible is just amazing. The book is beautiful and to see the look on Iris’ face when I popped up in the story was a very special moment. She loved being able to see me and read through the story together even though we were apart.”
After going global for its second volume, “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 3 brings the anthology series back to its roots with a new slate of shorts all created by Japanese anime studios.
Each season of the Disney+ series, which launched in 2021, has infused fresh creative energy into the galaxy far, far away by giving international animation houses the freedom to explore ideas about the Force, the factions of the Galactic War and brand new planets and cultures outside of the constraints of the long-running franchise’s canon.
And while Volume 3, which premiered last week, revisits some characters that were introduced in Volume 1, it also shows how anime is a medium with range. From the gritty installment that explores the complexity of the dark sides of the Force through a battle between former Sith and Jedi (“The Duel: Payback”) to a more heartwarming story about a pair of resourceful orphans who decide to become family (“Yuko’s Treasure”), there are different types of anime for everyone.
Anée-san in “The Duel: Payback,” one of the shorts in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 3.
(Lucasfilm Ltd.)
With movies like “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” and “Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc” making waves at the box office, anime’s growing popularity is undeniable and its availability on major streamers has also made anime series and movies more accessible than ever. So for those whose curiosity about the medium has been piqued by “Star Wars: Visions,” here are some titles to check out based on the themes and stories of the nine shorts that comprise Volume 3.
Let’s be honest: Lightsaber duels are awesome. So it’s no surprise that a number of shorts in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 3 leaned into stories involving Jedi and/or the Sith, including “The Duel: Payback,” “The Lost Ones” and “The Bird of Paradise.”
For those who are looking for anime featuring stylish and stunning sword-fighting scenes, the ever popular “Demon Slayer” (Netflix, Disney+/Hulu, Crunchyroll), featuring a secret organization fighting to protect humans from demons, is an obvious choice. Another show featuring stylish combat between skilled warriors and supernatural monsters is “Hell’s Paradise” (Netflix, Disney+/Hulu, Crunchyroll). The series follows a ninja who is recruited by an executioner to join a party of death row inmates on a quest to find the elixir of life on a mythical island populated with mysterious deadly threats. The successful convict will be pardoned for all of their past crimes. The premise may remind some of the supervillain team-up “The Suicide Squad,” but the fighting scenes — and the island’s inhabitants — stand alone.
Master and apprentice dynamics
Frieren, left, and Fern from “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.”
(Crunchyroll)
Speaking of Jedi, “The Lost Ones” and “The Bird of Paradise” also touch on the relationship between a Jedi master and their padawan apprentice. If a story involving a lineage of student-teacher dynamics that’s about friendship, human connection, memory, mortality and legacy sounds intriguing, consider checking out “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” (Netflix, Disney+/Hulu, Crunchyroll). The fantasy series follows an elven mage, her young human apprentice and others they pick up along their years-long journey to visit the spirits of old friends. The show is part travelogue, part adventure quest with monsters, magic battles and dungeon exploration.
Lovable scoundrels
Kazuki, left, Miri and Rei in an episode of “Buddy Daddies.”
The world of “Star Wars” is full of scoundrels that fans can’t help but love for their swagger and independent moral code, and “Visions” installments “The Smuggler” and “The Bounty Hunters” add to that legacy.
Well-known classics like “Cowboy Bebop” (Crunchyroll) and “Lupin the Third” (Tubi, Crunchyroll) and the long-running “One Piece” (Netflix, Disney+/Hulu, Crunchyroll) are good starting points for those first dipping their toes into anime and are interested in the adventures of a ragtag group of bounty hunters, thieves and/or pirates. For those looking for something new, consider “Buddy Daddies” (Crunchyroll), which follows a pair of assassin roommates who form a makeshift family after taking in a 4-year-old they encounter while out on a job. Think of it like “The Mandalorian,” if Mando had a recluse gamer co-parent and Grogu was a picky eater.
Political space wars and mech suits
Suletta Mercury in an episode of “Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury.”
Some film and TV shows set in the galaxy far, far away are more political than others, but aspects of the conflict involving the Galactic Empire, Rebel forces and stray Jedi are touched on in a few of the shorts in “Visions” Volume 3 like “The Lost Ones,” “The Smuggler,” “Black” and “The Song of Four Wings,” with the latter featuring a young protagonist that dons a snazzy flying mech suit.
The mecha franchise “Gundam” is best known for its giant robots, but it’s a sprawling space opera that touches on political themes including the horrors of corruption, inequity and war. A recent standout is newcomer-friendly “Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury” (Crunchyroll). The show follows a shy new transfer student at a corporate military school where recruits train and settle disputes in giant mech suit combat. The series uses school drama and a budding teen romance as a backdrop to touch on themes such as class strife and prejudice, corporate greed and personal vengeance.
Emotionally resonant robots
Atom in an episode of “Pluto.”
(Netflix)
From the Skywalkers’ fussy protocol droid C-3PO to Hera Syndulla’s cranky astromech Chopper, lovable androids are a “Star Wars” signature. “Visions” Volume 3 installments “The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope” and “Yuko’s Treasure” each introduce loyal droids that tug viewers’ heartstrings.
The title androids in “Astro Boy” (also known as Atom) and “Doraemon” are kid-friendly household names in Japan akin to Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, but a more mature option is “Pluto” (Netflix). The gritty, sci-fi murder mystery series is based on a reimagining of a story arc from the “Astro Boy” manga, and is set in a world where humans live alongside robots — though the dynamic is a bit different than in “Star Wars.” The story follows a robot detective who is investigating a string of robot and human killings, and, like many sci-fi stories about androids and artificial intelligence, touches on themes like what makes humans human.
A scene from “Yuko’s Treasure,” one of the shorts in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 3.
(Lucasfilm Ltd.)
Rambunctious kids
Plenty of “Star Wars” media is made with younger audiences in mind, but not many are about the adventures of children in the galaxy far, far away. “Vision” Volume 3’s “Yuko’s Treasure” puts a couple of orphan kids in the forefront — along with an adorable bear-like droid.
There’s no shortage of anime series about the (mis)adventures of rambunctious kids and one of the more heartwarming involves a “fake” family. “Spy x Family” (Disney+/Hulu, Crunchyroll) follows a secret agent working to maintain the fragile peace between neighboring nations and the faux happy family he constructed for his latest undercover mission. Unbeknownst to him, his adopted daughter is secretly a telepath and his fake wife is an assassin. As one might expect, a telepathic first grader with a wild imagination who lives with a spy and an assassin can get caught up in plenty of shenanigans. Bonus: The family also adopts a cute massive dog.
Kotaro in an episode of “Kotaro Lives Alone.”
(Netflix)
On the opposite end of the spectrum is “Kotaro Lives Alone” (Netflix), a more grounded show with just as outlandish a premise. The series follows a 4-year-old who moves into a rundown apartment complex alone — for reasons that are eventually revealed as his neighbors get to know him. The boy is unusually self-reliant and mature but also childish and understandably vulnerable. As viewers might assume, there are not many happy circumstances that could possibly lead to a 4-year-old child living on his own, but there’s more warmth than tragedy.
Musical, visual spectacle
One of the standouts in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 3 is “Black,” a jazz-fueled, mind-bending fever dream of a Stormtrooper during a battle. The bold, music-driven 13-minute short is a visual spectacle that challenges viewers and there’s not much else out there that compares. Though it has a more structured narrative, the anime film “Inu-Oh” (Netflix) is a psychedelic rock opera that might scratch the same itch. Set in 14th century Japan, the film follows two young artists who forge a friendship because they are both outcasts — the musician is blind, and the dancer was born with monstrous deformities — and their dazzling performances drive the story.
