Iranian media has released video showing missiles being launched towards Israel, while videos captured incoming missiles making impact in northern Israel. Iran says it’s a response to Israel attacking Beirut in violation of a US-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon.
Attorneys for musician Chuck Redd say a D.C. Superior Court judge dismissed a breach of contract lawsuit filed against the artist after he canceled a Christmas Eve performance at the Kennedy Center in protest of President Trump’s influence over the venue.
The dismissal was granted Friday under Washington’s Anti-SLAPP laws, which are designed to prevent meritless lawsuits intended to silence opposing points of view on matters of public interest.
Redd, a drummer and vibraphone player who has toured with Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown and others, had presided over holiday “Jazz Jams” at the Kennedy Center since 2006. He called off last year’s performance shortly after Trump’s handpicked board for the Kennedy Center voted to add the president’s name to the venue, which Congress named for President Kennedy after his assassination.
“The Center sued Mr. Redd because he publicly and rightly objected to adding Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, a living memorial to former President John F. Kennedy,” Lisa J. Banks, one of Redd’s lawyers, said in a statement. “The lawsuit against Mr. Redd was political retribution, pure and simple, by the Trump Kennedy Center, and the Court correctly saw it as such in dismissing the case with prejudice.”
Redd told the Associated Press in an email Saturday that he is “very pleased with the judge’s ruling.”
The motion to dismiss, filed in March, argued that Redd wasn’t contractually obligated to perform. It included the contract provided by the Kennedy Center, which the artist never signed.
Representatives for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit’s dismissal.
Because this time, with the newest historical exhibit at Dodger Stadium, the team got it right.
Amid all the historical installations and tributes in the open-air museum that is the Centerfield Plaza, and just a few feet from a Fernando Valenzuela mural, a new display honors Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, two former Dodgers outfielders who were the first and second professional baseball players to come out as gay.
It’s not a fleeting mention on Pride night, it’s a permanent record. A static reminder of progress made — and still to be made. And a much-deserved thank-you.
A wall inside Dodger Stadium honors former Dodgers and LGBTQ+ pioneers Billy Bean and Glenn Burke.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
“It’ll be here tomorrow, it’ll be here on the weekend and if you come next month, it’ll be here,” said the Dodgers’ team historian Mark Langill, who pointed to a spot just down the hall where in 1976 he was an 11-year-old getting Burke’s autograph.
Baseball is steeped in such history. The personal, the statistical, the societal. And the Dodgers’ is incomplete without their stories — Burke’s and Bean’s.
But the Dodgers have not, of course, always gotten this stuff right.
In 1978, they did Burke wrong, trading him — he believed — after management learned he was gay.
In his three seasons in L.A., Burke had proved himself a capable reserve outfielder who was popular with his teammates.
As far as we know, in 1977, he was the first guy to initiate a high five — spontaneously reaching above his head to slap hands with Dusty Baker after the home run that made Baker the fourth Dodger, along with Ron Cey, Steve Garvey and Reggie Smith, to hit at least 30 home runs that season, a MLB first.
Glenn Burke, left, goes to give a high-five to teammate Dusty Baker after Baker hit a home run in 1977. It is believed to be the first instance a high five was exchanged.
(Los Angeles Times)
There’s a fantastic photo of the historic high five included in the tribute to Burke and Bean, which is situated on a hallway wall beneath the left-field bleachers, beside the “Dodger Dugout” augmented reality photo booth.
Burke was also the first guy in that Dodgers clubhouse to crack a joke when the team needed it, his former teammate Rick Monday said.
“When called upon, he could play really well,” Monday said before the Dodgers took the field against the Angels on Friday, when the Dodgers and many of their rainbow-sporting fans celebrated the team’s 13th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night. “And when we needed a moment of levity, Glenn was not afraid to come forward and put a smile on people’s face.”
But shortly before he died of AIDS in 1995 at 42, Burke published an autobiography, “Out at Home,” in which he described the team’s management being “afraid of my sexual orientation, even though I never flaunted it. To this day, the Dodgers deny trading me because I was gay. But it was painfully obvious.”
“Oh, what he had to deal with and keep it hid,” said Joyce Burke-Henderson, one of Glenn’s sisters at Friday’s pregame unveiling, where family members of both players gasped and cried and cheered the installation’s reveal.
“But as time went on, people did know. And then I think he came to the point where he just didn’t care and he just told it like it was.”
Joyce Henderson, sister of Glenn Burke, speaks about her brother during a ceremony honoring the former Dodger and LGBTQ+ pioneer at Dodger Stadium Friday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Burke came out in 1982, three years after playing his 225th and final big league game, in an Inside Sports article, “The Double Life of a Gay Dodger.”
“We just appreciate that now people are opening their eyes and just trusting in the Lord,” Burke-Henderson said Friday, “that things will go forward and work out and everybody will be loved regardless of their situation.”
The Dodgers first honored Burke in 2022, at their ninth Pride Night.
The next season, they made a mess of the Pride festivities, inviting and uninviting and then reinviting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group known for its work in support of AIDS patients and whose members dress in drag, as nuns.
In 2023, the Dodgers also invited Bean — who was MLB’s senior vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. He appeared in a pregame ceremony on the field while protesters gathered outside the stadium.
Bean died the next year, at 60, 11 months after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
Greg Baker, husband of the late Billy Bean, wipes away tears during a tribute honor Bean as a LGBTQ+ pioneer at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Once a Northeast Santa Ana Little Leaguer, Bean became valedictorian at Santa Ana High, played for Loyola Marymount and went on to appear in 272 big-league games — including 51 for the Dodgers in 1989 — before abruptly walking away from baseball in 1995.
It got to be too much, he’d explain later, continuing to hustle to keep his baseball career afloat while keeping his sexuality secret, acutely aware of the blowback he’d get if it got out.
“For nine years,” he told the New York Times, “I felt as though I had one foot in the major leagues and one on a banana peel.”
“When he left baseball suddenly, I knew something was wrong,” Bean’s mother, Linda Kovac, said Friday, pausing to wipe away tears. “He was playing very well, it wasn’t like he was kicked out or anything. And it just didn’t make any sense.”
When Bean finally told his family he was gay, in 1996 — three years before clueing in an unsuspecting public via a Miami Herald article — none of his loved ones blinked. That included his stepfather, Ed Kovac, the homicide cop and former Marine who’d had a partner on the force who was gay.
“He worked with someone that he respected, side by side, on criminal cases,” Linda said. “We’re still friends with that guy.”
Linda and Ed Kovac, parents of Billy Bean, hold hands in front of a tribute dedicated to their son at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Knowing someone — or of someone — who is gay or lesbian has long tended to dispel falsehoods and quell fears that might exist.
“One of the most important things any one of us can do in our community is be out, to be proud,” said Greg Baker, Bean’s husband. “The fact that someone can be out in a world that typically doesn’t have a lot of role models of the same ilk, it’s a brave thing to stick your neck out. It’s also very important.”
And it’s not a surprise, Baker said, that more athletes aren’t out in sports like baseball. Not with Gallup polling released last week telling us that with public acceptance of same-sex marriage and relationships in the U.S. has flattened after two-plus decades of growing support — down from 71% to about 65%.
“I want to thank the Dodgers organization,” Baker said. “It’s brave of them in this day and age to spotlight someone in our community when other organizations are trying to erase us.”
The Dodgers have done the opposite, putting up a permanent marker. A long time coming, a tribute to last.
In this week’s episode of The Envelope podcast, “Love Story” stars Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon open up about inhabiting John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette — and creating a cultural moment of their own.
Kelvin Washington: Welcome to the next episode of The Envelope, Kelvin Washington alongside Yvonne Villarreal; we got Mark Olsen as usual. And so you, my friend, had a chance to speak with stars of “Love Story” — Ryan Murphy, of course, tackling love with this. So it got me thinking, give me some real-life love stories that you’d like to see portrayed, maybe next season. Some love stories you always found interesting.
Villarreal: This one doesn’t have a tragic ending, and that’s why I want it. And that is Ina and Jeffrey Garten. “Barefoot Contessa”!
Olsen: I didn’t know that there was a great romance in her life.
Villarreal: Mark. You’ve never heard of Jeffrey? You don’t know Ina and Jeffrey. OK, this is why we need it. That man adores Ina and anything that she makes. Chicken, anything. This is a love story I need to see get the full display. I’ve read it in her book, but I need —
Olsen: So like “Julie & Julia.” Julia Child and her husband.
Villarreal: But cuter, sweeter, more adoring.
Washington: Loving the food theme here.
Villarreal: She’ll make anything and he thinks it’s delicious, and she laughs at everything he says, and I just want more of it, and I’m very curious what a Ryan Murphy take on Ina and Jeffrey would be.
Olsen: But see, that’s the thing. A Ryan Murphy take on that would ruin it for you.
Washington: That would be dramatic and spicy. Salacious.
Villarreal: Nothing could ruin it for me.
Washington: You got one?
Villarreal: Yeah, what’s yours?
Olsen: Well, I have two. One is because the sort of the ’90s vibes of “Love Story.” So you would obviously do Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. And that one would be very exciting and dramatic and very ’90s-ish. But I think for more of a torn-from-the-headlines [version], Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
Villarreal: It’s too current.
Olsen: That’s why though.
Villarreal: How about you?
Washington: So I’m gonna stay with your ’90s. Instead of the pop grunge. I’m going to go R&B pop. I’m going to go Bobby and Whitney.
Olsen: I mean, that’s gold right there.
Washington: I’m just saying. You got love, you got fame, you got tragedy. You’ve got stuff that we didn’t know about behind the scenes.
Villarreal: Maybe he could hire us as head writers for each of these seasons and we can all have our say.
Washington: We can all have our own season. So as I mentioned, Yvonne, you had a chance to sit down with Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon of “Love Story.” How’d that chat go?
Villarreal: They play John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, respectively, and it sort of looks at this seven-year tumultuous relationship and what they both endured navigating the spotlight and what that did to them, how they each felt about it. So it was interesting to get the take from Paul and Sarah about how they’re also navigating the spotlight, because I feel like social media fame is quite different than what John and Carolyn were navigating back then. And I was curious to see what it was like for them. So yeah, it was an interesting conversation.
Washington: All right, let’s get into that conversation now.
Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly, the breakout stars of FX’s “Love Story.”
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Villarreal: I imagine doing this series has been a sort of singular experience. What do you want to remember about this moment that you’re in?
Kelly: All of it’s so fun, it’s exciting. It’s definitely, for me, a new muscle that I’m learning to use and explore and stretch and flex. And I get to hang out with her a little bit more. It was wonderful.
Pidgeon: I think it’s just really hard to contextualize what this [is] — [to Kelly] I don’t know if you feel this way too — because there hasn’t been a ton of space from even the show having all the episodes come out. I don’t think I totally understand how this fits into the story of my life. I recognize that we’re experiencing something very exciting. And I think I speak for both of us that we feel really grateful and so honored to have taken on these roles and that it’s resonated and has excited people. But being out and about in New York and someone stops you and says, like, “Are you that girl from that show?” … When you’re making something, it can feel so insular. I remember when I started, I had a freak out sort of midway through like, “Oh, this is actually going to come out. It’s not just about the making of it. People will see it.” I had a huge heat rash. [To Kelly] Remember when we were in Hyannis Port? I just haven’t totally had that perspective. It’s just been very full-on in the most exciting, lovely, happy way.
Kelly: It’s all unfolded in succession. There’s been no period of time to really process. I can’t believe I did it, still. It’s out and it’s exactly the same thing … people are like, “Hey, you’re the guy in that thing, right?” I’m like, “Yeah.”
Villarreal: Has it happened in an awkward way?
Kelly: No, no, it’s all been overwhelmingly positive. I guess that’s best-case scenario, but I still try to walk around with a mustache and glasses and a hat and they’re still like, “Hey …!”
Villarreal: You didn’t try to go to the [JFK Jr.] look-alike contest in New York?
Kelly: Oh, my gosh, no.
Pidgeon: He would have won. That wouldn’t have been fair.
Kelly: It’s too many people. I got the show, so I think I already won.
Villarreal: A big theme of the series is exploring the heavy ramifications of fame on privacy. And aside from the great opportunities that come with doing the press or other things that come along with this, what has it been like adjusting your life to this experience?
Pidgeon: That idea was on both of our minds when we were filming. And we were filming in New York, so apart from the scenes and subject material we were exploring, we actually experienced it in real life as well. You have even more characters in a scene when you’re shooting on the streets of Tribeca and people stop and watch. And there was a lot of interest from the public while we were filming. I’ve been marinating on that idea. Maybe not marinating, but meditating. [Or] a little bit of both. Through our characterization of Carolyn and John, I think we felt those extremes. I haven’t felt anywhere close to that. But I don’t know about you [Kelly], but I feel like I’ve been quite busy going different places, coming on podcasts and things like that where my downtime hasn’t really been spent walking the streets so much. It’s been kind of going home and taking a shower and going to sleep.
Kelly: Same. I haven’t really had much time to go out and just be in the public, which I think has been kind of a gift. I recently had a child, so I have no time between the show and being dad. It’s been really great to live within that little privacy bubble I have at the moment. I’m going to New York for the first time in a little while tomorrow.
Villarreal: Has living in their story made you more conscious of what types of boundaries you do want to set?
Kelly: Absolutely. That was a really great gift of the show. And exploring the exponential setting of what privacy means to people, certainly those two individuals. But now I’ve adopted that within my own life, and it’s like, “OK, yeah, I like to be a private person.”
Villarreal: What about you, Sarah?
Pidgeon: So much, at least for Carolyn, was she was constantly battling this sense of how she was being perceived. And I really admire her ability, whether or not she felt the pressure [to do so] — she never spoke on the record and never had to correct the record despite, in my mind, a lot of those allegations being false in the stories about her. That sense of sort of self-possession is quite admirable and, again, this is so new for the both of us. Being able to embody her, that approach and attitude towards it, is something that’s quite interesting to me. And I mean, it definitely has a lot of self-restraint attached to it, so who knows if I possess that as well.
Villarreal: The love story between John and Carolyn, as well as their fateful flight, generated a lot of media attention. And I know you, Sarah, were a toddler, at the time of their deaths; and you, Paul, were a young boy — and you’re a Canadian. What was your image of them in terms of the lore that surrounded them before making the series?
Kelly: Growing up in Canada, I was familiar with who he was. I became even more familiar with them after living in the States for a while. I was a model before, and I had been told I looked like him, so after being told that, you kind of do a little bit of research. Who is this guy? And I was like, “I don’t look anything like JFK.” But then I realized [they meant] JFK Jr. “OK, maybe; yeah, I do look like him a little bit.” So I became more aware of them after that. But growing up, it definitely wasn’t in my cultural zeitgeist, whatever you want to call it.
Pidgeon: I knew that Carolyn worked at Calvin Klein. I knew they were married. I knew their story. I was such a young child when they passed, but they remained so in the cultural conversation because, especially in 1999, they represented such hope in politics. And they’re such a modern couple, sort of breaking the rules of what those norms are, especially coming from such a storied family that has such legacy in the States.
Villarreal: There’s an overwhelming amount of source material from the Kennedy side, but less so on Carolyn. What proved to be most useful to you? What were the things that you turned to to study or figure out who she was?
Pidgeon: That was such a mystery. [I was] taking these still photographs, mainly paparazzi images — and now that I’ve had a few photos taken of myself, you hold yourself differently when you know someone’s taking a photo of you that you also don’t know. That plus videos of her, very few in which she was speaking. And some of the candid photos, mainly from when she was younger. I sort of laid those on top of each other and then used as many books that I could find and interviews that people would give who knew her. But there’s scarcity in terms of that information. That at times felt arresting, but at other times … there’s a lot of freedom in that. And I think that’s what was so interesting about playing this character that is so well known and yet very enigmatic. Finding her walk and thinking about how that changes over the course of nine episodes and six-and-a-half, seven years. How this woman with so much freedom and anonymity — 26 years old, living in New York City, barreling down these streets in the East Village — then changes when she’s the most photographed woman in America. How that perception changes you physically.
Villarreal: Her walk was very striking for me, because I’m like, I can’t move that way.
Pidgeon: Yes you can. You can get a pair of Manolos.
Villarreal: It won’t look as elegant as you, Sarah, but talk to me about finding that walk because, like you said, it shifts from when the onslaught happens. Did you work with a movement coach? Was that all you?
Pidgeon: Julia Crockett is so incredible. There’s not enough hours in the day to sing her praises. We started with a lot of what I just mentioned, the quotes that people said of how she moved. She spoke with her hands. She could be a fast walker — most people who live in New York are. If there was a video of what I was doing in these hotel rooms, they’d think I was absolutely crazy. Rolling around on the floor, isolating different parts of my body, making it as dramatic as possible, and working it into a circle of attention that felt real. And understanding we were both 5-10, which helps. I think tall women carry themselves in a certain way. But understanding that my body is still my body, and our production I don’t think was particularly interested in doing huge physical transformations in terms of prosthetics or things like that. But getting the shoes, walking around in my spare time in New York in heels, which Carolyn does in the show and Sarah Pidgeon does not. That really changes you and it changes how you feel. And just always having that through line of, “What were the touchstones of Carolyn as a young woman, and where did I want her to end up physically?” You can see it through so many different versions in these different photographs — her hair changes, how she dresses changes, the red lip. I [was] always remembering that there was a journey that I was going on: “How can the world close in on her? What does that feel like?” Also, not only putting it into my body first, but feeling it in my body, imagining that. And what are the images that come up? We thought about [her as a] mossy ball; very tactile, just rolling down these hallways in the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood.
Villarreal: Paul, you had about three weeks from when you got cast and when production started. And there’s ample stuff to sift through. How did you figure your way out through the noise? What was the thing that really helped you lock in to who he was?
Kelly: He narrates his father’s book, “Profiles in Courage,” and that for me was a great asset. I had to learn how to use my tongue in a different way than I’ve ever spoken before. His speech patterns are different. I worked with a dialect coach. I would listen to that all day, every day — amongst ’90s alt music, some Nine Inch Nails and stuff because that’s what John would do.
Villarreal: Was that what he was into?
Kelly: I think so. One of my favorite photos of him is a candid photo, and he’s wearing a Nine Inch Nails shirt. I’m like, “My guy! Here we go. I can relate.” I watched a lot of his interviews just to see how he kept his cool and composure. He was a very relaxed individual under extreme stress situations. The Larry King interview was a great one; I relied on [it] a lot. I also looked at a lot of images and saw how he moved through the world. I was a model before so I’m pretty good at understanding how my body moves and how to move it; I also worked with Julia pretty briefly, but she gave me some really great tips and I took those throughout the entire duration of filming and just ran with it.
Villarreal: Are you someone that takes bike as your transportation often?
Kelly: Oh yeah. Four wheels moves the body, two wheels moves the soul.
Villarreal: How is it doing it with the suit on?
Kelly: It’s hot.
Pidgeon: Yeah, you did a lot of that in July during a heat wave.
Kelly: Oh, my gosh, when we started filming, the first scene where John is introduced on the bicycle, we shot that on a Sunday and it was like 103 degrees outside and I’m in a ’90s wool suit. It was great … And a hat. And a backpack. There’s a photo where there’s several hands coming at me with fans and spritzer.
Villarreal: How about finding John and Carolyn together? What did that look like for the two of you, figuring out who they were as a couple?
Kelly: I feel like it happened organically. We had like this unspoken bond and trust with each other from the moment we met and it was just like, “OK, we both understand the assignment.” Then we get to step into these shoes and we understand what that was like, I guess, but just going through it together [helped]. It’s also so well written and it is easy to fall into that. It’s very easy to fall in love with this one every day and then fight.
Pidgeon: Oh, you flatter me.
Villarreal: Because you both were so young at the time that they were a couple, were there modern-day couples of your generation that you looked to in terms of how they dealt with the spotlight? Was there someone you were looking to, to help you understand it?
Pidgeon: I think they were pretty singular, especially considering so much of how we view them as a couple was the time in which they existed. I don’t think I can really point to a couple … obviously there’s a comparison with [Princess] Diana, but I can’t really I put my finger on a couple that had the same essence of John and Carolyn, or the same challenges and obstacles of being a couple in public life. [To Kelly] Can you think of anyone?
Kelly: Not really, no.
Pidgeon: It was also that we were coming in on this advent of paparazzi. Obviously coming from such an important family, there was — and I want to speak for you [Kelly] in terms of how you felt about your characterization of JFK Jr. — but there was so much investment in them as a couple because America, and really the world, had watched him grow up. So of course there is this heightened interest in who America’s son marries. And again, that hope that they were this modern couple, one that we’ve never seen before, and what will they become in this new millennium? In terms of finding them together, what was so wonderful about the writing of the show was they were — granted, it happened in about three or four episodes [for the show’s purposes] — but as we were getting to know each other, so were Carolyn and John. They were falling in love with each other and figuring out what that dynamic was and having those misfirings and miscommunications and moments of intensity and questioning. The amount of times I’ve used the word “meta” while talking about the experience of making this show, that sort of mirrored life in a way. I was able to just absolutely give over to Paul and trust him and be excited working with him every single day and be so curious about who John and Carolyn were that day on set. No one better than Paul Anthony Kelly.
Kelly: Oh, you flatter me.
Villarreal: There are a lot of scenes that are stuff that we’ll never know whether they actually happened. But then there are the moments that were played out in tabloids — one of them is the Bryant Park episode. What can you tell me about what that was like shooting on the streets of New York? What do you remember about that experience?
Kelly: What was it, the Nextdoor app called?
Pidgeon: Citizen.
Kelly: The Citizen app. They called it [a] “domestic dispute” … so we were obviously doing our job correctly. It was interesting. Shooting in New York is a very interesting experience because you have all these outliers just watching and gawking. Everyone’s got phones and cameras and what have you. And we’re so in it and doing it and then to have like this blowup argument over and over and again, take after take, angle after angle.
Pidgeon: I wonder if someone reported us just to be like, “Make it stop!”
Kelly: Yeah, exactly. Nobody tried to save you in the moment. Maybe that was them trying to save you [by posting it in the app].
Pidgeon: That was always something to contend with or accept, really, at a certain point. This is an expectation of working in the city. And what I really liked about that scene was that — considering there was such little videography of her, especially because that was a private moment that was unfortunately caught on tape — they both had less inhibitions. I found it [to be] a really amazing exercise as an actor to finally be able to really take something and mimic it exactly and find how the words that Connor [Hines] had written [aligned with it]; it felt like such a great sign when it felt the writing really matched what I physically knew to be true. Because our interest in the story is what happens behind closed doors, as you said. But in those few moments that we did re-create, the real-life [moments], it felt very reassuring as an actor to feel like the words that we were speaking matched the physical footage. I just found it such an exciting way to go about it, to have it really be this outside-in approach. You take this physicality and vocal pattern that I had developed as Carolyn, but then really have some proof for that to be the jumping-off point. I love that we had that scene; we had when they take their first photo after their wedding; we had, in Episode 9, the [Newman’s Own/George Awards] event. Remember that clip that we watched? We’re in the exact same outfits, and I think it’s the Newman’s Own event. I always appreciated those moments. It felt like a different way in to a character that I had really started to get to know at that point.
Villarreal: Whenever I watch something based on a true story or people that were like historical figures, I can’t help but Google to see if something really happened. Is there something you Googled in the process of making the show where you were like, “Did this really happen?”
Pidgeon: There’s a bit of speculation as to how they met. There’s a couple of different stories. Considering this couple was so well known, the fact that there’s still a mystery into how they even met for the first time I think is quite interesting.
Villarreal: I Googled — and I will say I clearly am not the only one that thought this because there was a whole story of it — “Did they really eat KFC chicken?”
Pidgeon: They did.
Kelly: Fine dining.
Pidgeon: You didn’t eat any chicken.
Kelly: Noooo. I got secondhand chicken. That chicken, oh my gosh.
Pidgeon: They did warm it up a bit, but it was pretty cold, you know.
Villarreal: We can’t talk about this show without talking about the wardrobe, the costumes. It’s such a key piece to the storytelling here. Tell me about that collaboration and what the clothes said to you about who Carolyn is and then who John is.
Pidgeon: Yes, clothes are incredibly important to the story and to how most of the public knows and remembers Carolyn. Working with Rudy Mance was so incredible. What he was able to source, while we’re not necessarily sure if they were pieces that Carolyn herself wore, they were the exact pieces of the exact same collection. The very few pieces we weren’t able to source, they were impeccably re-created. Just the attention to detail, I had never really experienced something like that. It was just really watching a master at work, and the rest of our crew as well; not a detail was ever overlooked. The mystery that we really tried to solve in the beginning was: Wow, there’s so many photos of her [from] ’95, ’96 and beyond; there are far fewer photos of what she looked like when she was working at Calvin Klein. And we’re in that space and that time for quite a while. From the photos that we do have of her living in this time in her life, and then how we know she will dress, what are the through lines? What are the pieces she repeats? I don’t think I wore much Prada in the first two, three episodes, which makes sense, because she was just starting out at Calvin Klein. We [had her wear] a lot of Calvin pieces. What was so insightful to playing her was her sartorial choices and her understanding of how, especially since she never spoke on the record, [and] what she can communicate through fashion and how in those initial fittings, even before I really spoke the words of those episodes, how it immediately changed how I held myself as Carolyn was growing and getting older. I keep referencing this quote about Yohji Yamamoto, a designer whom she wore frequently. He liked making the association with his clothing to armor. I just thought that was such a great way into her sort of mental state and how she approached clothing. It was very her, she wore the clothes. That was something that I had to remember, that if I was going to try and embody her, I had [to] feel like I was wearing the clothes because that’s what really stuck out. You always saw her first, despite her wearing some incredibly beautiful clothing. Carolyn was No. 1.
Kelly: John had such great style. Sometimes it was pretty kooky. I also loved that too because it just is such a sense of him. Working with Rudy was a dream. He and his team were incredible. They were able to source so many things. And if they couldn’t find it, it was a direct re-creation, like exact copy of what it was. I remember even just like those shorts with the Knicks logo that he wears playing football. I remember seeing a comment, “John would never wear those.” [Sighs.] “OK, sure.” There’s something about getting into those outfits that it just was this whole other transporting layer of becoming. You hold yourself differently in these things and it just made it feel more real and you’re like, “OK, cool,” and you just live in it and it feels good and you get slouchy and whatever. It was really nice.
Villarreal: How does your style compare? Did they influence your style now?
Kelly: Honestly, it’s a little different, but it’s not that far off. I feel pretty good in a suit. I like to wear suits a lot. I’m the suited heavy metal guy.
Pidgeon: You also have that cool factor about you too. I think there’s something in that with John. He looked great in a suit, he looked great in a tux, but then there was a bit of an edge to him. There was bit of a realness, I think, that you guys share.
Villarreal: Everyone’s trying to emulate it. So many TikToks of people trying to re-create it. Sarah, do you feel like you can never go back to brunette now? Like this is your thing now? You have to stick with it?
Pidgeon: The blond seems to be working. I like being a different hair color. I don’t think I’ll be blond forever. Simply too much time [involved]. It’s so much work. My colorist is amazing — Kari Hill. Cannot sing her praises enough. And Alex Pardoe, who does extensions. It’s been really interesting to find how I [am as a blond] — so much of my time being blond was embodying Carolyn. [Paul and I] would both sleep on the weekends. We wouldn’t do anything while we were shooting. So I didn’t really get a chance to take a walk in this new hair. And when I started dressing again, to go out, I would put on my favorite clothes from when I was brunette. It’s like, “Oh, it just doesn’t hit.” It’s been cool to see how I present and how color theory is crazy. But we’ll see, I guess it depends on how much time I have on my hands.
Villarreal: The series really grapples with the media invasion that swirled around them. What do you say to the critics that feel that a show like this either reignites that craze or contributes to it? What do you want the takeaway of a show like this to be?
Pidgeon: Thinking about one of the first questions you asked — how are we now dealing with with being potentially recognized — I think the intensity of interest in famous people, famous couples, celebrity, actors, musicians, you name it, artists, it’s changed shape, but it has never gone away. Our intention in making this show was, again, what we know about their lived reality, but what can we infer might have happened behind those closed doors. To the general public, [they were] sort of two-dimensional … I knew very little about Carolyn, but I ingested so many photos of her far before this project was ever on my radar. While I recognize this may have contributed to reigniting interest in them, I hope that that interest feels like there’s a more intimate understanding of these people; that they weren’t just figures, that they were people with very full lives, feelings, a profound sense of privacy, intense relation to each other, very, very human. I guess that would be my answer to that. I hope that this is also a bit of a lens or a mirror that, again, if that intensity hasn’t changed, how might we [change it] in the future?
The World Cup arrives in L.A. on Thursday. This marks the first time the festivities have taken place in the Southland since 1994, when Pasadena’s Rose Bowl hosted the final between Brazil and Italy, which famously ended in a scoreless tie and was decided by a penalty shootout that led to Brazil winning its fourth World Cup title. (The U.S. hosted the Women’s World Cup in 1999 and 2003, with the finals at the Rose Bowl and Home Depot Center [now known as Dignity Health Sports Park], respectively.)
Soccer is art and art is soccer and soccer is life — and also one of the most beloved sports on the planet — and thankfully for you, dear arts lover, you can mix your passion for art and fútbol by heading to a free public viewing party at a number of local museums and cultural institutions.
This year sees Spain and France as favorites, with England, Brazil, Portugal and defending champions Argentina all in the running. No matter who your team is, there is a museum watch party for you. Here are your top choices, in no particular order:
The Getty Center: A variety of watch parties will take place on newly installed big screens at the museum’s Trellis Bar & Lounge and Garden Terrace Cafe, which will also feature themed menu items and drinks. The Getty will stay open until 9 p.m. on June 12, 19, 26 and July 3 to accommodate evening games. Normal Friday hours will resume July 10. Admission is free, but a reservation is required. Parking is free after 5 p.m.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art: The museum is hosting two free outdoor watch parties on large screens located on its Smidt Welcome Plaza on Wilshire Boulevard. Mexico vs. Korea can be seen from 6 to 8 p.m. on June 18; and Uruguay vs. Cape Verde will take place at 3p.m. on June 21.
LACMA is also hosting a few soccer-themed events, including “Andell Family Sundays: ‘Fútbol Is Life’,” set to take place on June 7, 14 and 28 from 12:30 to 3:30 pm. The event features art-making workshops inspired by the museum’s ‘Fútbol Is Life’ exhibit featuring soccer miniatures by Lyndon J. Barrois Sr., and led by artists Karl Petion and Patricia Yossen. There is also an event called “Let’s Play: Soccer Juggling,” from noon to 3 p.m. on June 21. This is also tied to the exhibit and offers lessons in soccer basics through a drop-in juggling and accuracy workshop led by representatives from American Youth Soccer Organization. All ages and experience levels are welcome. RSVP required.
The Autry Museum of the American West: The Autry’s free Griffith Park watch party will take place at 4 p.m. June 12 when Paraguay takes on USA. The event will feature food trucks, themed cocktails, soccer-inspired games and activities, and local vendors selling specialty wares. Free, but an RSVP is required.
The Music Center: It’s not a museum, but it’s one of the city’s most beloved cultural centers. It’s also hosting a free public screening of Spain vs. Uruguay from 5 to 7 p.m. on June 26 on its lovely Jerry Moss Plaza, including family-friendly activities and themed refreshments. Bring a picnic or pick your dinner from an on-site restaurant. Stick around after the game for a free global dance party celebrating the start of the 22nd season of the Music Center’s Dance DTLA.
I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt putting my game face on. This is your arts and culture news for the week.
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The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY
Gustavo Dudamel: Celebrating 17 Years In his final concert as L.A. Phil music director at Disney Hall, the maestro joins his Venezuelan and American identities, conducting two poetry-inspired choral symphonic works. John Adams’ “Harmonium” borrows texts from Emily Dickinson and John Donne to explore time, harmony and rhythm. “Cantata Criolla” by composer Antonio Estévez follows a Venezuelan troubadour who squares off against the devil. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Haunted In this one-act dance opera, composer Paul Salerni unites poetry and music to share a tale of doomed love entwined with a ghost story with an unexpected conclusion. Based on a libretto by former California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. sierramadreplayhouse.org
SATURDAY
Family Fest: Pride A free, outdoor event celebrating love, identity and inclusivity, featuring Bob Baker Marionette Theater, Iwalani Music, Everybody Dance LA, Drag Story Time, Color Me Face Painting and more. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org
“Catapult” by Alex Gardner, 2025. Acrylic on canvas. 48 1/16 x 96 1/16 inches.
(Wild Don Lewis Photography; courtesy of Alex Garden and Perrotin)
Alex Gardner, Gabriel Rico and Makiko Kudo A trio of new exhibitions connected through the natural world and the creatures, great and small, who inhabit it: In “Animals,” painter Alex Gardner explores his experience of fatherhood; Gabriel Rico’s “Gabrielinos (I Am You And What I See Is Me),” the artist’s first solo show in Los Angeles, uses textile, assemblage and sculpture to encourage viewers to think about the world around them; the life and death of Japanese painter Makiko Kudo’s pet cat inspired “Reincarnation,” a series of oil paintings. Opening reception, 6-8 p.m.; exhibitions run through July 11. Perrotin Los Angeles, 5036 W. Pico Blvd. perrotin.com
Magnificent Mozart & Mahler Eckart Preu conducts the Long Beach Symphony in two classical masterpieces, “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” and Mahler’s Fifth. 7:30 p.m. Long Beach Terrace Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. longbeachsymphony.org
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum The summer repertory season launches with Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the great outdoors of Topanga Canyon. “Romeo and Juliet,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday-Sept. 26; “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” Sunday-Oct. 10. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. theatricum.com
SUNDAY
Juneteenth Block Party Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) hosts its annual free community celebration featuring free dance master classes, live performances, carnival rides, games, food trucks, music and a marketplace for local and minority-owned businesses. Noon-7 p.m. Debbie Allen Dance Academy, 1850 S. Manhattan Place, L.A. debbieallendanceacademy.com
L’Chaim America! The Braid theater company performs real stories of American Jewish life centered on gratitude and possibility. 2:30 p.m. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A. skirball.org
MONDAY National Museum of the Aftermath The project, conceived and titled by Cauleen Smith and curated by Jon Rubin and Harrison Kinnane Smith, travels from city to city adopting a different name and form in each location. For two months, it will operate within Oxy Arts, challenging the status quo of history and speculating on the future. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; through Aug. 8. Oxy Arts, 4757 York Blvd., L.A. oxyarts.oxy.edu
WEDNESDAY
Denise Burse, from left, Charlayne Woodard and Deborah Joy Winans in rehearsal for “Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous” at Geffen Playhouse.
(Isaak Berliner.)
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous An expat actor of a certain age returns to the U.S. primed for a comeback, only to face a new generation with very different ideas from her own. Written by Pearl Cleage and directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson. Denise Burse, Olivia Washington, Deborah Joy Winans and Charlayne Woodard star. Through July 12. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. geffenplayhouse.org
The Revolutionists Playwright Lauren Gunderson turns France’s Reign of Terror on its ear in this raucous comedy about women fighting for égalité. Directed by Jamie Torcellini. Previews, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, through June 28. International City Theatre, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach. https://ictlongbeach.org/therevolutionists/
THURSDAY
Double Take: Photographs in Pairs An intriguing exhibition matching photographs based on their formal qualities: the angle of a body, the geometry of a space, the relationship between figures and the interpretation of color. Photographers featured include Diane Arbus, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Lauren Greenfield, Mary Ellen Mark, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, Herb Ritts, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Bruce Weber and Bastiaan Woudt. Opening reception 7-9 p.m. Thursday; exhibition runs through July 18. Fahey/Klein Gallery, 148 N. La Brea Ave. faheykleingallery.com
Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2025.
(David Swanson/For The Times)
Ojai Music Festival This year’s music director, Esa-Pekka Salonen, is in the spotlight as a composer with the U.S. premiere of his new work for violin and cello and the first complete performance of his “Six Preludes” for piano, and other works; Salonen also conducts the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening concerts. In its 80th year, the festival pays tribute to its defining musical figures and welcomes L.A. Phil New Music Group, Colburn Orchestra, L.A. Dance Project and many other noteworthy artists. Through June 14, 2026. Libbey Bowl, 210 S Signal St., Ojai. ojaifestival.org
Rheology This experimental play by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Obie winner Shayok Misha Chowdhury is a collaboration with his mother, physicist Bulbul Chakraborty, filled with dramatic urgency. 8 p.m. Thursday, and June 12-13. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. redcat.org
Thursday Night Jazz Weekly series featuring guest musicians backed by the Jack Lieberman Trio. Upcoming guests include the Tyler Hammond Jazz Experience (June 11); Ido Eylon and Willem Jochems (June 18); and Joey Du Bois with Kahlil Childs (June 25). 8 p.m. Thursdays. The Spotlight, 1601 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. thespotlight.la
Arts anywhere
New and recent releases of arts-related media.
Ann Patchett and her novel “Whistler.”
(Los Angeles Times illustration; images from Emily Dorio, Harper)
Ann Patchett, ‘Whistler’ What does a literary novelist have to do with the performing and visual arts? In Patchett’s stories, the past is often inextricably entwined with the present and within those threaded timeframes lie traces of genetic code leading to the arts and art-adjacent worlds. In “Taft” (1994), the protagonist is a former jazz musician turned Memphis bar owner; “The Magician’s Assistant” (1997) finds the title character unraveling the illusions of her own life; “Bel Canto” (2021) features a famous American soprano at the center of a hostage crisis; and “Tom Lake” (2023) revolves around a Michigan woman’s long ago love affair with a soon to be famous actor during a summer stock production of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” Of the writer’s latest book, “Whistler,” Times contributor Leigh Haber wrote, “This exquisite writer has once again delivered an incandescent work of fiction — sweet, but never sentimental, infinitely wise and suffused with love. It’s also an ode to New York City itself.” And that ode notably begins with the protagonist and her husband at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A place that Haber notes, “one gets the sense, they know by heart.” This connection to art may prove to be tangential — I’ve only read a quarter of the book — but Patchett’s appreciation of these worlds is anything but. Harper: 304 pages, $30
— Kevin Crust
Culture news and the SoCal scene
Jeff LeBeau, left, and Tim Cummings in the West Coast premiere of Samuel D. Hunter’s “Grangeville” at the Ruskin Group Theatre Arts Center, dairected by John Perrin Flynn.
(John Perrin Flynn)
Times theater critic Charles McNulty reviewed the West Coast premiere of playwright Samuel D. Hunter’s “Grangeville,” directed by John Perrin Flynn, at the Ruskin Group Theatre. The play, which explores the lives of two estranged half brothers from a small Idaho town, is “beautifully acted,” McNulty writes, adding, that Hunter, “the bard of Idaho,” is “one of the theater’s outstanding American realists.”
McNulty also loved the Alicia Keys jukebox musical, “Hell’s Kitchen,” which staged its L.A. debut last week at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. The musical tells the story of Key’s upbringing in the Manhattan neighborhood of the show’s title, but the story isn’t where the show shines, writes McNulty, noting that the joy comes from the way Keys’ music is seamlessly integrated into the narrative.
Yo-Yo Ma plays the solo for the premiere of Angelica Negron’s “Mudillo” on Thursday, May 28, 2026.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“Our streets are garlanded with ‘Gracias, Gustavo’ banners and billboards. The Walt Disney Concert Hall shop has become a Dudamel-torium, aisles bursting with Gustavo T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, refrigerator magnets and this and that,” writes Times classical music critic Mark Swed in a review of Dudamel’s penultimate weekend at Walt Disney Concert Hall, including one featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Dancers from choreographer Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project rehearse at LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries on Friday, May 22, 2026, in Los Angeles.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)
Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project is staging a free, two-week-long series of public shows called “City of Dance” which take place at nine Southern California landmarks, including LACMA, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Tongva Park and Stearns Wharf. Read all about how the project came to be, including its use of Philip Glass’ score from the critically acclaimed 1982 documentary film, “Koyaanisqatsi.”
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Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announced its 2026-27 season.
(Jason Kempin / Getty Images for Wallis Annenber)
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts has unveiled its 2026-27 season, its first under the leadership of its new executive director and CEO, Jean Davidson. Highlights include music by Joshua Redman Quartet; Ronald K. Brown and his dance company Evidence, comedy and cabaret by performers including Sandra Bernhard and designer Isaac Mizrahi; recitals by L.A. Opera, concerts featuring Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and much more. “At the heart of this season is a belief in the power of live performance to connect people to ideas, to one another, and to the shared human experience. We are proud to support artists who spark curiosity, foster empathy, and invite dialogue, while continuing to strengthen The Wallis as a vibrant gathering place for all audiences,” said Davidson in a news release. See the full schedule here.
Pacific Jazz Orchestra also announced its 2026-27 season led by composer, arranger and conductor Chris Walden. The 40-piece string orchestra and big band hybrid is entering its fourth season with five programs dedicated to jazz, swing, soul R&B, Broadway and pop, staged in six venues across the region, including in Beverly Hills, Irvine, Northridge, Palm Desert, Santa Barbara and Ventura. Featured guest artists include Broadway star Sutton Foster, pianist David Benoit and vocalist Nayanna Holley. See the full schedule here.
UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance has announced “Far Away, Here,” a new multiyear international opera initiative that will launch in the 2026-27 season with the U.S. premiere of a new adaptation of “Kafka’s Letter to His Father, “ scheduled to run Nov. 12-14 at the UCLA Nimoy Theater. The initiative will continue to present U.S. premieres of under-the-radar operas by artists from around the world, and is curated and produced by tenor Timur Bekbosunov, in collaboration with CAP UCLA’s executive and artistic director, Edgar Miramontes.
Love Island’s Maura Higgins is reportedly in talks to host the new Blind Date reboot on Disney+
19:20, 06 Jun 2026Updated 19:28, 06 Jun 2026
Maura Higgins is reportedly in the running to host the reboot of Blind Date(Image: Getty)
Maura Higgins could be poised to transition from seeking romance on television to assisting other singletons in finding “the one”.
The former Love Island contestant is said to be in advanced discussions to become the face of the reboot of Blind Date with streaming behemoth Disney+ reportedly preparing to commence filming later this year.
Maura, 35, initially rose to prominence on Love Island in 2019 before establishing an impressive television career on both sides of the Atlantic.
Now sources suggest producers are convinced she represents the ideal candidate to follow in the footsteps of legendary presenter Cilla Black.
A TV insider told The Sun: “Discussions are at an advanced stage, with the show’s producers convinced Maura’s the perfect choice for the job.”, reports the Daily Star.
“Not only did she shoot to fame on a TV dating contest, she is now an internationally famous face which is what a global service like Disney need for one of their shows.
“Maura also has an unquestionable glamour combined with cheeky charm which has echoes of Blind Date’s most famous host.” Daily Mirror has reached out to Disney and Maura’s representative for a comment.
The original Blind Date became one of Britain’s most successful television programmes after launching in 1985, with Cilla Black at the helm. At its height, the show drew audiences of up to 17 million viewers before ultimately being axed by ITV in 2003.
A subsequent Channel 5 revival presented by Cilla’s dear friend Paul O’Grady aired between 2017 and 2019 but struggled to capture the original’s sparkle.
Reports of a fresh comeback initially surfaced last year, with executives said to be determined to secure a female presenter who could deliver a contemporary twist while maintaining its sentimental appeal.
It is understood the iconic wall dividing contestants from their prospective dates will be retained, though other aspects of the format may be modernised for today’s audience.
The development would represent another significant career achievement for Maura, whose public profile has continued to rise since her reality television debut.
The Irish star has established herself as one of the most prominent figures to emerge from Love Island and remains a consistent presence on television, red carpets and high-profile entertainment occasions.
Disney+ is anticipated to premiere the reboot at some point next year, with an official confirmation still to be announced.
The soap star previously opened up about the “breathtakingly hard” final moments of his life, but explained how she was left so inspired looking after him that she has now trained as a carer.
In a new BBC programme, Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together, the actress shines a light on Britain’s struggling care system, and focusing on topics like autism, first aid, dementia, childhood diabetes, and working in placements in a care home and St John Ambulance after returning to school to get a Level 3 BTEC in health and social care.
Viewers were left in tears by the eye-opening programme, with a clip recently shared on social media.
One person wrote: “Fantastic series showing the very important things that all carers and health care professionals have to deal with day in and day out! Good luck to everyone involved. I hope all the students who were in the series get the jobs they want to do! Well done @natcass1.”
Another said: “Just finished watching this. Loved it. Congratulations @natcass1.”
A third wrote: “I cried every day watching this series. It was so beautifully done with amazing respect and understanding for everyone on the show.”
Someone else added: “This has been a most wonderful programme x I can’t wait to hear if you passed x I’m sure you did x the episode about dementia [was] invaluable as my husband was diagnosed with vascular dementia recently x I’ve kept that episode.”
Another wrote: “Loved this series. @natcass1 was so honest about her own life and the job.”
Speaking in the programme, Natalie remarked how much she had loved her training, saying: “This course has been fantastic. The people I’ve met, the placements I’ve been on. I would like to continue this care journey.
“I feel like I’ve scratched the surface. I’ve loved it. I’ve loved every minute of it.”
“Caring for Dad right up until the end of his life, and losing him, was one of the most painful things I’ve ever had to do,” Natalie previously told the BBC.
“But the people I met have changed my life and are so inspirational. That’s what spurred me on to do this.”
“I’ve only ever had one job, but I’ve always wondered what I would have done if I wasn’t an actress,” she added.
Natalie’s father died in April 2021, and she went on to say that filming elements of Caring Together did make her miss him, adding: “Grief never stops – you don’t grieve for someone and then it’s over. It just changes.
“You change as a person – it shapes who you are, it shapes how you look at the world. You just get better at coping with it.”
Natalie left EastEnders last year after 32 years, saying that it was time to move on and adding: “EastEnders is in my bones so I will never forget where I started my career and I will continue to love the show.”
She later explained she was “ready for a change”, telling Bella Magazine: “I adore EastEnders but you can’t do everything. EastEnders is a factory with 60 cast members and 300 staff.
“They can’t cater for someone who says, ‘By the way, I need two months off to do this, I need another three months off to do this’. It’s not fair.”
Executive producer Chris Clenshaw had also said, at the time of Natalie’s announcement: “Over the last 31 years in EastEnders, Natalie has been involved in some of the show’s most iconic and explosive storylines. Her portrayal of Sonia has made her a firm fan favourite amongst the viewers.”
Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Countless famous faces have appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox over the years – but for some, it appears working on the Channel 4 show left a rather bad taste in their mouths
Celebrity Gogglebox stars who have slammed show from being ‘sacked’ to ‘torture’ filming(Image: Channel 4)
A brand new episode airs tonight.
Celebrity Gogglebox has seen several famous faces come and go over the years – and for some of them, it seems they are not exactly fans of the programme…
But for some former stars, it seems the show left a rather bad taste in their mouths, as since their exits they have not been afraid to air their thoughts on the programme.
Maureen Lipman
Coronation Street’s Maureen Lipman, who appeared on the show with friend Gyles Brandreth, spoke about her experience on the show in 2021. On Loose Women, Maureen was asked: “Are you not going to be on it any more?”
Laughing, she said: “I’ve seen all the male tackle I need to see for this lifetime to be honest. We had such a good time, but none of the clever things we said went into it. So no.”
Maureen had previously spoken to Radio Times about how being on the show was different to what she had imagined. She told the mag: “I’d seen Gogglebox and I thought, ‘Oh, [ours] is the grown-up version, is it?
“I’m going to go on, and make a lot of comment now about the oeuvre and ‘I did like his first trilogy, but then I felt in some ways that perhaps over the years…’ But it’s your reaction to 12 dangling willies they want.
“They’re searching for ways to make me go ‘Urgh!’ So I thought, ‘Well, actually, no, life is too short to watch a series of hopeless men dangle their bits and pieces in my direction. So I’m going’.”
Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner also didn’t hold back either when airing his thoughts on working on Celebrity Gogglebox. During an episode of his podcast Frank Off The Radio: The Frank Skinner Podcast in 2024, he even went as far as to liken his experience to that of tortured monkeys.
Speaking about his Isle of Man disaster and the TV show, he said: “You know when I said I didn’t enjoy doing the gig on the Isle of Man, well it was a glorious pleasure compared to filming Gogglebox.”
He continued: “There’s a place in Wareham in Dorset called Monkey World, and it’s beautiful because they’re often monkeys that have been rescued from unkindness on the continent, and a lot of Spanish, in particular, there’s a thing of having your photo taken with a monkey.” He added: “The way to make them behave – and you can see this when you get close – is they’ve got cigarette burns on their skin that they use to make them do what they want them to do. And doing Gogglebox was a very similar experience.”
When asked if he was exaggerating, he was adamant his claims were true as the show was heavily “produced.” He explained: “So you sit in a room – you only watch like ten minutes of a programme.”
Exposing the behind the scenes process further, he went on to say: “We’re sitting watching the telly and we start talking, and a voice says ‘Say something about his jacket’. Then it would stop, and they’d say ‘Can you not go into digressions, it’s funny if you keep it close to what’s actually happening’. And pretty soon I’m thinking ‘just please make this stop’. And when I left – I’d made it pretty clear in a politer way – I said ‘Sorry, I thought this was going to be like enjoyable’.”
Frank felt the constraints stifled the fun, saying: “It’s such a shame because I think we could have had a laugh and stuff. ” Despite his gripes, Frank did acknowledge the expertise behind the scenes: “But to be fair to them, they know how to make it – they’ve been making it for years.” However, it wasn’t all bad – Frank gave a shoutout to the kind team who treated him well: “The producer was a really nice guy, they were nice people, they got me fish and chips.”
Sheila Hancock
Dame Sheila Hancock first appeared on the star-studded Channel 4 spin-off series alongside pal Gyles and quickly became a fan favourite. However, she claimed in 2023 she was “sacked” for complaining about how much nudity she had to watch when Naked Attraction was the TV show of choice
The acting legend admitted she and Channel 4 bosses clashed over the racy clips which she had to comment on for the series.
She told The Mirror: “I used to love doing it with Gyles, but they sacked me from that. Well, they did not ask me back. I think it was because there were a lot of shows with penises in and because it went down [well] with the audience, they kept showing them to us.
“Eventually I phoned up the lady on the edit and said, ‘I am enjoying the show, but do you think we can have anything other than penises?’ and she was quite angry.”
Reach contacted Channel 4 for comment at the time.
Celebrity Gogglebox airs every Friday at 9pm on Channel 4.
EXCLUSIVE: Love Island fans were shocked to hear that George Knight had quit the show just hours after arriving in the villa as a bombshell and now they reckon someone else has left
15:03, 05 Jun 2026Updated 15:05, 05 Jun 2026
Love Island fans reckon another contestant has secretly quit the show(Image: ITV)
Love Island fans reckon another contestant has secretly quit the show. Just days into the new series, viewers were shocked to hear that George Knight had left the villa after arriving as a bombshell in Spain due to “personal reasons”.
Lifting the lid on his sudden exit, a Love Island spokesperson said: “For private reasons, George has left the Love Island villa. Duty of care for the Islanders is paramount so at this stage any further comment will come from George. Bosses and viewers alike had been loving his contribution.”
Viewers were left reeling by the news, however they are now convinced that another Islander has left after claiming he had gone ‘missing’ from the show.
Electrician, Sam Workman from Dudley, says he came on the show because he feels “genuinely ready to settle down.” However, he wasn’t featured once in last night’s episode, promoting some fans to speculate he’d followed George back to Blighty.
Taking to social media, one viewer said: “Wait… where was Sam in this episode? Is he still around? A second asked: “Did we even hear Sam speak once in this episode?” Meanwhile, a third mused: “Is Sam still here?”
However, the Mirror understands that Sam is still very much part of the show and will be featured in tonight’s episode. Sam also features on today’s First Look from Love Island on the show’s Instagram page.
The electrician’s ‘disappearance’ comes after it was confirmed that footballer George had left after shortly after sending Samraj and Ellie home.
George made his mark upon arrival at the villa and wasted no time in getting to know Robyn and Mica. Robyn, who quickly friend-zoned Sam, appeared keen to forge a pairing with George, after they shared a snog on the terrace.
Before leaving, George and fellow bombshell Yasmin were given the tough task of choosing one guy and girl to dump from the villa for any reason they chose.
They had only 24 hours to make the decision while everyone in the villa was completely oblivious to what was going to unfold.
The pressure left Yasmin reduced to tears, but in the end the duo sent Ellie Chadwick and Samraj Toor packing. But while tears were shed and gutted Samraj and Ellie headed for the exit, they were told that all may not be as it seemed. It left fans confused over what’s to come next in the series that has already thrown up a number of twists in the first week.
Straight off the bat, Islanders had to choose their own couples. This moved away from the public who normally picked who they thought was best matched.
Love Island All Stars winner, Gaby Allen, told us of the bold move: “The producers are doing a great job at changing things up. This has never been done before.
“A recoupling done by themselves is crazy! I would panic in this situation and hope somebody whisked me off my feet so I didn’t have the decision.”
Reality programme The Vardys has wrapped up and fans of the show have one big question
The Vardys aired on ITV(Image: ITV)
Reality show The Vardys has ended, leaving fans with one question.
The programme followed footballer Jamie as he left Leicester City and moved to Italy alongside wife Rebekah and their family.
As it ended on Thursday (June 4), many fans were left wondering if it would be back for a second series, reports Leicestershire Live.
Spanning three episodes on ITV, The Vardys documented the famous family’s relocation to a luxurious Lake Garda residence, where they adjusted to a new life and were faced with a break-in.
“After a difficult and dramatic five years in the UK, Rebekah is ready for the next chapter – but uprooting and moving to Italy with four kids (plus a superstar footballer husband) is not exactly what she had in mind,” a synopsis stated.
“As she manages the emotional and physical upheaval of the new move, she reflects on her recent challenges in the UK, intent on putting the ‘Wagatha’ drama behind her and focusing on an exciting new chapter.”
Following the finale, numerous viewers expressed their desire for another instalment.
“Watched all three episodes last night, loved it… will there be a second series,” one person asked on Instagram.
Rebekah hosted a Q&A on her Instagram Story, and when questioned about a potential second season, she responded: “We only ever agreed to do three episodes, but we will see. It’s a busy time right now.”
Another viewer mentioned watching the programme on catch-up and thoroughly enjoying it, asking if there would be further episodes. “Ah, thank you, we will see,” the star replied.
One viewer asked whether Rebekah and Jamie might venture onto YouTube, and she teased: “Just wait and see.”
Numerous viewers have suggested the series has revealed a different side of the star, and when one commented that Rebekah was a “great mum and wife”, she responded: “A villain makes a better story than the real person, I guess. Sometimes it’s easier to believe a headline than think for yourself.
“A lot of people built careers on getting me wrong,” she continued. “I’m really not as scary as they want you to believe.”
Kaye Adams confirmed that the ITV hit show will be missing from the regular 12.30pm timeslot on Friday, June 5.
During Thursday’s (June 4) episode the TV presenter returned to our TV screens alongside fellow panellists Jane Moore, Oti Mabuse and EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy as they shared their opinions on the day’s trending topics.
Speaking at the end of the episode, Kaye revealed that the show won’t air tomorrow, however, she was quick to assure fans that they’ll be back in business on Monday (June 8) as normal.
She explained: “That’s it for today. No Loose Women tomorrow as ITV heads to the races but we will be back on Monday at 12:30. We will see you then.”
Loose Women will instead be replaced with the races. Viewers will see Francesca Cumani and Ed Chamberlin present live coverage of The Oaks from Epsom, plus the support races.
There will also be analysis from Jason Weaver and Adele Mulrennan, reports by Matt Chapman, Rishi Persad, Oli Bell and Mick Fitzgerald, and commentary from Richard Hoiles.
It comes after ITV’s shake-up that came into force at the start of 2026 when Loose Women was cut to a 30-week seasonal schedule.
Speaking about the cuts, Coleen Nolan previously told the Mirror: “The crew have become family. I’ve watched them grow. Some of our runners from back in the day are producers, married with kids. I’ve shared my life with them. They’re in limbo, not knowing what they’re going to do.”
She continued: “Loose Women isn’t ending, which I’m so thankful for, but it’s changing. It’s going to be very different in the respect of the size of the crew, but it’s still running. Which it should be – there isn’t another show that celebrates and supports all women of every size, age, whatever.
“But it’s heartbreaking to see some of my colleagues not knowing what they’re going to do. Many of them have young families and mortgages.”
Nadia Sawalha previously spoke out on the YouTube channel she shares with her husband Mark Adderley, saying: “Do you know what, at the moment, all of us on screen are in work and are proud of what we do.”
“But behind the scenes there are people that are really suffering, and what you don’t realise is when you attack the show you attack them, because you never see all the army of people behind the scenes and how hard they work.
“So to all my friends and colleagues behind the scenes who have just got a huge shock out of the blue, I’m so sorry. Mark knows how upset I’ve been at home about it. I just can’t bear it. So just be f****** kind to people. What people don’t realise at Loose Women is that we’re self-employed. Every contract is a new contract. I could be let go tomorrow.”
Loose Women airs weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
One of the memorable moments of Venezuela’s crazy January ‘26 was ExxonMobil Chairman Darren Woods sitting across from President Trump, telling him Venezuela was “uninvestable.” His company is owed billions from Chávez-era expropriations, spent years in arbitration tribunals, and had watched its assets nationalised without fair compensation. Four months later, ExxonMobil’s technical teams were on the ground in Venezuela, evaluating assets including the Cerro Negro project. Woods was telling investors he felt positive about the opportunities.
The arc from expropriated creditor to ¿partner? is not happening by accident. In April 2026, the IMF and World Bank resumed dealings with Venezuela for the first time since 2019, opening the path to a formal economic assessment and potentially unlocking $4.9 billion in frozen special drawing rights. In May, the Delcy administration announced a “comprehensive restructuring of its sovereign debt” and PDVSA obligations, appointing Centerview Partners as financial adviser and pledging a macroeconomic framework by June. This did not include a request for a macroeconomic programme established by the Fund, which distanced itself from Venezuela’s announcement shortly after. According to Reuters, Venezuela’s total liabilities could be above $150 billion.
On June 2, Venezuela added Hogan Lovells as legal counsel for the restructuring under a dual mandate that also covers strategic lobbying for the Venezuelan embassy in Washington. The account is led by Norm Coleman, a former Republican senator with deep political connections in the capital. Neither selection has been free of political entanglement. Former Trump official Mauricio Claver-Carone, earmarked by The Washington Post as Venezuela’s unofficial viceroy, has vouched for Centerview. His business partner, Jessica Bedoya, was on the same chartered flight to Caracas as two Centerview executives on February 12, weeks before the firm finalized its contract (Centerview denied Bedoya played any role in their assignment).
Some of the companies that spent a decade winning arbitration awards against Venezuela may now be considering turning those claims into something more useful: an operating agreement, a new oil deal. Whether the game is actually changing, and the extent to which Delcy’s technical cadres can manage the process her government is trying to kickstart, are two of the huge questions for Venezuela’s “transition” observers.
Without the IMF as an anchor, the most aggressive litigants will extract preferential recoveries while others are left with worthless paper.
The shape of how Venezuela got here is also visible in a Delaware courthouse. In December, a judge signed the order transferring Citgo to Amber Energy, an affiliate of Wall Street hedge fund Elliott Management, for 5.9 billion dollars. The gavel came down, but the sale did not close. CITGO is now in legal and political limbo.
The transaction requires approval from OFAC, which has repeatedly extended the freeze on CITGO-related transactions. The State Department is now the main barrier blocking the sale, while Treasury, Commerce, and Energy favour letting it proceed. Ten days ago, OFAC issued General License 5W, extending the freeze on CITGO share transfers to June 19. A World Bank delegation visited Caracas last month. Everything suggests Delcy Rodríguez now feels compelled to show she can find a way to pay them back. That she has a plan.
In the meantime, Amber Energy is pressing daily for access to CITGO’s financial and operational details even though it is not formally in control, while CITGO itself cannot make major investment decisions or hire key personnel. A company valued at $13 billion is being run in slow motion, waiting for Washington to decide what Venezuela’s most valuable foreign asset is actually worth, to whom, and under what terms.
None of this happened overnight. The process was set in motion by Hugo Chávez when he went on a nationalisation spree that expropriated the assets of ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Crystallex, and dozens of other foreign companies across the oil, mining, and manufacturing sectors. Those companies didn’t go home quietly. They went to arbitration. And they won.
The restructuring announcement tries to change the terms of the conversation. Venezuela is no longer being asked whether it will engage with its creditors. It has begun doing so. Centerview Partners is on the ground. A macroeconomic framework is due soon. The creditor committee, which includes GMO, Greylock Capital, Fidelity, and T. Rowe Price has been ready to negotiate since January.
ConocoPhillips has been explicit: recovering the billions owed from past expropriations takes priority over any new drilling.
An IMF programme, if it materialises, could signal credibility. It would serve as the anchor for the entire restructuring process. IMF conditionality establishes a debt sustainability framework that defines how much Venezuela can actually pay, which in turn defines what creditors can realistically expect. It also catalyses coordination. Rather than pursuing individual enforcement actions against Venezuelan assets, creditors have an incentive to wait for an orderly process. Without that anchor, the most aggressive litigants will extract preferential recoveries while others are left with worthless paper.
Delcy Rodríguez announced the restructuring without first securing that anchor. She has stated there are “no plans” to contract an IMF loan. The IMF, for its part, says it is willing to support a programme but requires clarity on economic data and external debt that Caracas has not yet provided. Very soon, we will find out whether Venezuela is building toward an IMF-anchored process or trying to engineer one without it.
Several of the companies owed the largest arbitration awards are well positioned to operate Venezuelan assets: ExxonMobil at Cerro Negro, ConocoPhillips at its former Petrozuata and Hamaca projects. ConocoPhillips has been explicit: recovering the billions owed from past expropriations takes priority over any new drilling. A negotiated settlement that converts arbitration claims into operational stakes, with revenue streams tied to production, would give creditors a return and Venezuela a rebuilt industry. The OFAC licensing architecture already enables this. Since January 2026, OFAC has issued or updated more than eight general licenses expanding authorised activity in Venezuela’s energy and financial sectors. Washington has built the tools, such as General License 58. The question is whether Venezuela can use them.
What this push does not resolve is the harder question: whether Venezuela has the institutional capacity to negotiate on its own terms rather than simply accept whatever is offered. Woods’s shift from “uninvestable” to “positive” in four months signals appetite, not commitment. ExxonMobil wants its assets back or a return on its claims. So does ConocoPhillips. So does every creditor in the queue. The question is whether Venezuela can show up to this negotiation as a party with a strategy, not just a debtor with a problem.
The path forward requires exactly what fifteen years of chavismo didn’t build: legal capacity, a coherent negotiating strategy, and the institutional infrastructure to distinguish between claims that should be settled, claims that should be contested, and claims that might be converted into something more useful than a judgment. The latter could amount to an oil agreement like the one Chevron got in the early 2020s. Venezuela’s reformed Hydrocarbons Law allows international arbitration to resolve disputes in the oil and gas sector. So does the new Mining Law for gold and strategic minerals.
The framework now exists in writing. Whether Venezuela can implement it coherently, and whether it can hold up against the inevitable tension between Venezuelan law as established in the new statutes and US jurisdiction as required by OFAC licenses, are the open questions that will determine whether this moment becomes the start of something durable or another lost opportunity.
None of that sounds like glamorous policymaking. It doesn’t play well in a speech. But the alternative, continuing to treat international arbitration as someone else’s problem, has a documented price tag. It is measured in refineries.
CONVICTED murderer Mackenzie Shirilla showed tell-tale signs she was trying to force emotion during her arrest and in her bombshell Netflix interview, a body language expert has claimed.
Shirilla, 21, has been languishing behind bars in Ohio after being found guilty of murdering her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend, Davion Flanagan.
Her case has sent true crime fans into a tailspin after the success of the Netflix documentary, The Crash, in which she broke her silence and maintained her innocence.
Shirilla’s TikToks and Instagram posts have resurfaced, showing her regularly posing in the mirror, showing off designer clothing, and even smoking weed in her car.
Text messages revealed by police showed her toxic relationship with Dominic, her boyfriend of four years, whose family claims had tried more than once to break up with her.
She reportedly threatened to harm him during arguments before purposefully plowing into a brick wall while driving her Toyota Camry on July 31, 2022.
Renowned body language expert Logan Portenier, host and creator of the popular YouTube channel Observe, spent hours breaking down her movements in dozens of social media clips and footage.
Here he gives The U.S. Sun his biggest takeaways from the case.
TikTok star
Shirilla was a social media-obsessed teen before the crash and shared daily posts on TikTok of her and Dom, both at home and out and about, as she was often the center of attention.
Reviewing one clip of them in the car together, Logan said, “He doesn’t seem to be as stoked for this video that she’s filming as she does.
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“It didn’t seem as though they were quite on the same page emotionally.
“She’s doing her different poses and expressions for the sake of the video and for his side of things, he seems much more reserved and subdued.
“Because he’s not performing as much for the camera as she is, we’re seeing a fair bit of synchronization across the upper half of his face and the lower half of his face, which lets us know that anything that we’re kind of seeing on that is probably going to be forced. It’s performative.
“And he does, a little lackluster kind of asymmetrical smile on the bottom half of his face.”
Mackenzie Shirilla pouts in a TikTok video with her boyfriend, Dominic RussoCredit: TikTok/kenzshirillaThe then-teenage Shirilla is seen posing in a mirror as her boyfriend Dominic stands awkwardly in the backgroundCredit: TikTok/kenzshirilla
Uncomfortable posing
In another clip from Shirilla’s TikTok, the couple is at home, and she is trying to get him to pose in a full-length mirror as he is seen hiding behind her.
“Mackenzie is doing a lot of the posing,” Logan said. “She’s hitting her different looks that she wants to do during this.
“In the background, you could see initially Dom’s nonverbal communication.
“He’s doing a self hug. You can see him holding both of his arms there.
“That is misconstrued in a lot of areas as exclusively defensive,” but Logan feels this is more about comfort.
“What I do find more interesting is that he does shift later on to holding both hands in front.
“So both of those clusters there, he has one in front and then he has his hands clasped in front like that. Both of those signal a level of discomfort.”
Logan added, “We’re seeing again this dichotomy between the two of them.
“He’s kind of there and he’s being present, albeit uncomfortable, reserved, and needing to do a little bit of self-soothing to be able to make it through.”
Distracted driving
Shirilla, who made no secret of being image-conscious before her arrest, frequently posed for TikTok videos — even when she should have been concentrating on the road.
In hindsight, clips showing her filming herself while driving are especially unsettling, given that two young men would later lose their lives in a crash while riding in a car with her behind the wheel.
“It’s very focused on the phone and what she appears like on it, hitting her specific facial expressions as well,” Logan said.
Mackenzie Shirilla is seen in shades posing while driving her car in one disturbing clipCredit: TikTok/kenzshirillaMackenzie Shirilla looks distressed as she is cuffed in the back of a police carCredit: Strongsville Police Department
“And on those facial expressions, this helps us understand how she will behave and appear when she’s performing.
“There might be some of that lip pursing that we kind of see in there.
“There are some head tilts in there as well as she’s trying to be perceived in a very specific way, so that performative non-verbal communication comes in handy in future situations, because then you can keep an eye out for some of those patterns that may or may not show up in the future.”
Cuffed and anxious
Shirilla survived the crash and police launched an investigation, as evidence slowly proved it was not an accident and she recovered from multiple surgeries.
Fast-forward to November 2022, and Shirilla’s life blows up in smoke as she’s finally arrested and later charged with murder.
“I don’t know that she’s aware that there’s a camera pointed at her, that she’s going to be perceived in this area, and so what we’re going to be able to see is more of her unfiltered nonverbal communication,” Logan pointed out.
“And with this, she is feeling what would be considered in that vein of the universal emotion of sadness.
“There’s grief, there’s panic, and stress, everything that can go into that.
“What really gives it away is the action in her forehead area.
“What we’re seeing predominantly is unit one activation, which is the middle portion of your eyebrows when they go upward during genuine sadness and grief.
“You can see that happening symmetrically, but if it’s more performed, a lot of people will end up having light asymmetrical activation because it’s not genuine.”
Frozen with fear
In further footage of Shirilla in the back of a police car after her arrest, Logan said she appears frozen with fear despite not shedding a tear as she heads to the station.
“She has fairly relaxed eye positioning in general when she’s not panicked,” he said.
“And so this widening of her eyes, it indicates, genuinely, that she’s feeling anxious. This would be considered fear.”
Logan added that while Shirilla “might not be terrified, it would at least trigger as fear to the anxiety levels” as she rides in the police car.
“So we’re seeing both the combination of the grief across the upper half of her forehead and her eyes are showing the fear as well,” Logan said.
She relaxed before suddenly looking distressed again, but Logan feels it may not have been genuineCredit: Strongsville Police DepartmentMackenzie Shirilla is seen in a mugshot after her arrest in November 2022Credit: ohio.gov
“Then when we get down to the rest of her face, some things that show more physiology rather than just physical movements, is a lot of the inflammation around her nose and upper lip,” which Logan claims “[lets] us know that this is coming from an authentic place.”
Putting on an act
Logan explained that emotional states have a profile, and things can usually shift after around four and a half seconds.
During the journey, Shirilla seems to relax, despite the situation that she’s in, and is seen rolling her head back and looking bored.
But as they approach the station, Logan feels she starts to perform as she realizes she should be more upset than she is if she’s not guilty of murder.
“When you’re watching somebody who’s performing, you’ll see a lot of crashes in between,” he told The U.S. Sun.
“So they’ll be emoting a specific way and then it’s almost like they remember like, ‘Oh, I should be sad right now.’ And then they’ll crash into sadness, something like that.
“You can see it start to kind of creep through the cracks of her rather reserved expression beforehand.”
This is where Logan returns to Shirilla’s “eyebrow activation.”
He claims Shirilla’s outer and inner eyebrows are working together at this point to show sadness, stress and anxiety.
Again, the corners of her nose are also activated, not in disgust, but trying to show she is upset, something he says he doesn’t often see.
Oscar-worthy performance
She is later seen sobbing during her trial before being locked up for 15 years to life on murder charges.
Shirilla starts to mix with people from different walks of life, and it’s years later when we see her sit down with film producers for her bombshell interview.
She is seen walking into the frame and sitting down at a table wearing her prison scrubs, her hair tied up in a large bun.
“The fact that she’s sitting down, crossing her arms, immediately lets us know that she’s probably feeling uncomfortable about what’s about to happen there and needs to block off and self-soothing a little bit,” Logan said.
Shirilla then activated her glabella – the smooth area of skin on her forehead located directly between the eyebrows and just above the bridge of her nose, Logan said.
He claims this was to give the impression she is empathetic, but instead of it being symmetrical, she delivered asymmetrical activation.
“Her right eyebrow does not have the same activation as her left eyebrow.
“Her left eyebrow is doing the exact same expression that we saw in the cruiser. Her right eyebrow is not.
“It’s an asymmetrical expression which lets us know this isn’t authentic empathy.
“This isn’t authentic pain or fear or grief that she’s feeling here. It’s forced.”
Logan said this was also visible further down the vein on the bottom half of her face.
She also began pursing her lips – something she would do in her performative TikTok videos, where she wanted to control how she was being perceived.
He said she is trying to convince the audience she is upset about the situation she is in, and victims’ deaths, but “her body is betraying her.”
“And then when we get to this specific interview she’s talking at a lower register, she has a little bit more husky to her voice,” he said.
“Some of the verbal tics that she uses as well have shifted. And my immediate thought was, this has to be something about the performance that she’s obviously performing.
“She wants people to feel a certain way. And so she shifted her tone, her speaking differently as well to perhaps support that.”
He feels not only her voice will have changed in prison, but her body language as she mixes with other inmates.
“I have no doubt in my mind that she’ll be adjusting her overall nonverbal behavior as well to better fit in and get to where she wants to be in that social circle as well,” he said.
To see the full interview with Logan, and other exclusive videos on Mackenzie Shirilla, visit our YouTube channel.
Comedian and “Saturday Night Live” standout Marcello Hernández will host this year’s ESPY Awards, ESPN announced Wednesday.
The event, honoring excellence in sports performance, will be broadcast live on ABC and the ESPN app from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on July 15, making it the first ESPYs in New York City since 1999. For the last 25 years, the awards ceremony was held in Los Angeles.
“I started doing comedy 10 years ago, in Cleveland, Ohio, and I would take the train 12 hours to New York to sell comedy tickets on the street in Greenwich Village in exchange for stage time,” Hernández said in a statement. “It is an honor, and frankly feels crazy to be hosting the ESPYs this year in New York. I’m sure the energy is going to be great.”
He’s also a sports enthusiast, having grown up playing soccer and competing at the collegiate level during his time at John Carroll University in Ohio.
“Marcello is one of the most electric, young comedians today. His genuine enthusiasm for sports and his ties to New York City make him a natural fit to host this year’s ESPYs,” Craig Lazarus, ESPN vice president and executive producer of the ESPYs, said in a statement.
Hernández succeeds last year’s emcee, comedian Shane Gillis, as well as past hosts that include Jimmy Kimmel, John Cena, LeBron James and Peyton Manning.
In January, Puck reported that the change in venue is an effort to capitalize on the popularity of Fanatics Fest, the massive sports festival taking place in New York’s Javits Center from July 16-19, which also coincides with the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
“This return to the heart of Manhattan brings the celebration of sports back to its roots for an unforgettable night at an iconic cultural landmark,” an ESPN spokesperson said in a statement.
The One Show has welcomed back one of its hosts after she was absent due to illness
A presenter has returned to The One Show after being off ill(Image: BBC screengrab)
One of the presenters on The One Show has returned to the sofa after taking time off ill.
Alex Jones is usually a staple on the BBC programme but was absent on Monday and Tuesday this week, with JB Gill stepping in and hosting alongside her regular co-presenter, Roman Kemp.
However, the TV star was back on Wednesday (June 3), fronting the show alongside Angellica Bell.
Alex’s return was confirmed on Instagram ahead of the show, with Angellica exclaiming: “Good news, everyone. Alex is back!”
“Are you feeling better?” she asked the presenter.
“I am,” replied Alex. “I am slightly croaky, but we’ll get through it,” she added.
As the show started, she told Angellica that she had “nearly recovered” after being unwell, adding: “Glad to be here.”
The pair then turned to announcing the guests who would be on the show – Dara Ó Briain and Shania Twain.
Alex has been hosting the BBC programme for several years, and is one of the show’s best known presenters. The star, who has three children with her husband Charlie, has been a presenter on the programme since 2010, hosting with stars such as Matt Baker, Ronan Keating and Roman.
Speaking last year, she told the BBC: “I feel incredibly proud to have been on the iconic sofa for all these years. It certainly doesn’t feel like 15 years, and it still feels fresh, as the show keeps evolving. I feel like we keep coming back better and better.
“I started as a young girl and I feel like I’ve grown up with our viewers. They have seen me through all my big life moments like getting engaged and married, to having children. Our viewers are like extended family by now!”
She went on: “I think the reason is it really strikes a chord with people because we sit right at the heart of the nation. Our job, essentially, is to reflect what’s going on. All the small daily bits and pieces, but also the big events that affect the country.”
Channel 4 abruptly cancelled plans to reboot the popular competition series
09:20, 03 Jun 2026Updated 09:21, 03 Jun 2026
The hit show has been dubbed ‘the best programme ever’(Image: Channel 4)
Channel 4 fans have pleaded with bosses to bring back a show they say is “prime British TV.”
The savage reality competition series titled Four Weddings quickly became a huge hit with fans all thanks to its chaotic moment.
The show saw four brides-to-be attend and score each other’s weddings, awarding marks for dress, venue, entertainment and food in hopes of coming out on top and winning a luxury honeymoon.
As expected there were some rather uncomfortable scenes as some contestants were rather harsh with their scores or were clearly opting for shady tactics.
The series originally broadcast on Sky Living between 2009 and 2013. With the success of smash hit shows such as Married At First Sight, it sparked the interest of Channel 4 producers decade later, who planned to reboot the show.
The team behind Come Dine With Me, were expected to run the show and it was said that they would be introducing a big change to the news – the star prize would be switched from a holiday to a £50,000 cash prize.
Despite fans’ excitement at the time, the network abruptly cancelled the reboot just days before it was supposed to start production. No official reason was given for the sudden cancellation of the series.
There are no plans of the show making a return since it vanished from our screens, however TV fans have urged Channel 4 to consider a revival again following a nostalgic post on social media.
One fan commented: “This is prime British TV.” Another said: “We need this show back.” A third wrote: “This was peak UK reality. LOVED this show, so underrated.”
Another commented: “This was the best programme ever.” One fan said: “This was so savage.” One insisted: “This is the best show ever.”
Meanwhile another fan added: “I don’t know why they stopped this show, I would watch it over Corrie.”
It comes as a former bride, who appeared on the show previously opened up about how the show left her completely blindsided.
Linsie Abshire, who was 26 when she was crowned winner, revealed that her honeymoon prize came with one major thing she was completely unprepared for.
The bride took to Reddit and explained that while they were being sent to Tuscany for five nights, with dinner, a spa day, a wine and olive oil tasting, and a $1,000 gift card all paid for, the most significant expense was not covered.
Linsie wrote: “They do not pay for the plane tickets.” Her husband was naturally “kind of upset” because they had been under the impression that the entire trip would be paid for.
Los Angeles County’s half-cent sales tax to fund healthcare services was trailing Tuesday, with early returns showing a majority of voters rejecting the measure.
The tax — a half-penny of every dollar spent in the county — is meant to prop up local hospitals and clinics that are hemorrhaging funding after recent federal cuts.
The sales tax, which needs a simple majority to pass, would take effect Oct. 1 and last five years. Officials say it would pull in $1 billion annually to help plug the budget holes hitting local hospitals and clinics.
L.A. County health officials anticipate the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Trump last summer, will slash more than $2 billion from the county’s health services budget within the next three years. Due to eligibility changes, the county will no longer be able to get reimbursements for many Californians who have lost Medi-Cal.
The measure was championed by a coalition of healthcare advocates called Restore Healthcare for Angelenos who warned that mass layoffs and emergency room closures could be imminent if new funding didn’t come fast. The Department of Public Health recently closed seven clinics — a grim sign, supporters said, of service cuts to come.
Voters haven’t rejected a sales tax hike since 2012, when a transportation measure fell just short with 66.1% support. It needed 66.7% to pass.
A majority of county supervisors had supported the new tax proposal, voting 4 to 1 this February to put it on the ballot. But the measure faced significant opposition from local cities, with opponents arguing the sales tax hike would unfairly burden the poorest county residents and encourage people to spend their dollars across the county line.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the board’s lone opponent of the tax, said she was concerned it was a “general” tax, meaning the money wouldn’t be earmarked for healthcare costs. Instead, she argued, politicians would have final say over how the money gets spent.
The supervisors have created a plan for spending the tax money, with the largest chunk of the money meant to cover the costs for patients without insurance. The measure also asked voters to sign off on a nine-member oversight committee.
The county currently has a base sales tax rate of 9.75%, and cities impose local taxes on top of that.
A swarm of drones lit up the evening sky near Taiwan’s Taipei 101 skyscraper in a dazzling display depicting a giant robot, a sports car, and Earth. The light show was part of Computex Taipei, one of Asia’s largest technology exhibitions.
An A-list actress has broken her silence on one of the most anticipated TV events of the next few years
‘Best TV show ever’ gets thrilling update nearly a decade after finale
One of the show’s A-list cast members has teased filming could start soon.
A critically acclaimed television drama watched by millions of fans globally will be returning for a third series, with fresh episodes anticipated to broadcast following an almost decade-long absence.
Big Little Lies first premiered on HBO in 2017, adapted from Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel of the identical title and boasting Hollywood legends Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley amongst the cast.
A second series was swiftly commissioned and progressed the narrative with three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep joining the exceptional ensemble.
One IMDb user described it as “breathtaking” and “a masterpiece of art in every possible way”. Another audaciously declared: “It’s a big statement but this is possibly the best program on television, EVER!!”
Yet, despite the programme’s popularity and outstanding ratings, including an impressive 89 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, there had been no developments regarding a third instalment until September last year, reports the Express.
The inaugural series tracked young single mum Jane Chapman (played by Woodley), who relocates to the coastal city of Monterey, California with her troubled son, Ziggy (Iain Armitage). She quickly becomes entangled in the turbulent lives of a circle of affluent women, whose picture-perfect existence is torn apart by a catastrophic incident at their local school.
The second series picks up immediately in the wake of the events, with the women desperately attempting to conceal a murder, yet the appearance of one of their mothers-in-law (Streep) places them under an extraordinary amount of pressure. There’s only so much they can endure before things begin to unravel.
Now, series regular Woodley has verified reports that a third season is currently in development, though viewers should anticipate significant changes when the story resumes.
“I mean, what I know about it is that supposedly it is happening. That is what I know,” she told Deadline.
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When pushed for further details, the actress enthused, “Oh my gosh. I love my girls. That’s what makes it so special. We’re each other’s people”.
A production schedule has yet to be confirmed, meaning Big Little Lies’ third series may not emerge until late-2027 or 2028.
Nevertheless, Woodley did verify that the new instalment will acknowledge the considerable gap between series, hinting that the likes of Armitage and Kathryn Newton, who played Madeline’s (Witherspoon) daughter Abigail, could make a comeback.
“We love each other and we’re here for each other and, also, it’s a blast to play these characters,” she continued.
“I’m really excited about the third season, and for the opportunity that might exist in exploring who these ladies are 10 years later. We’re all 10 years older. The children are all 10 years older.
“They’re not really children anymore and most of them are adults now. So the prospect of that is very cool.”
Big Little Lies is available to stream on Sky, NOW, and HBO Max.
As seen on screen in Disney’s hit show Rivals, this country home is just as beautiful in real life now that fans of the show can see it up close and personal
The TV show uses this real life manor as one of its many sets (Image: UNKNOWN)
Rivals is back on our screens once again, and with it comes a growing intrigue into the beautiful setting, based predominantly in the UK’s Cotswolds, including this stunning manor.
Playing a huge part in the Disney Plus series is its countryside setting, with beautiful backdrops and unbelievable luxury homes all set within the fictional county of Rutshire.
One of those very settings is The Priory, the home belonging to Declan O’Hara in the show, a highly regarded Irish TV presenter and journalist. Although, in real life, it’s privately owned by an entirely different family and known as Chavenage House.
Set back within Tetbury, the home was up until recently under the helm of the chatelaine and matriarch for 67 years, Rona Lowsley-Williams. Rona sadly passed away in July 2025 and is much to thank for transforming the estate from a fading Edwardian household to a visitor attraction.
It stands proudly as an Elizabethan house, a Grade I listed building, built in 1576 by a man named Edward Stephens. Over time it has transformed with extensions done in the 17th, 19th and 20th centuries, looking rather different from its more humble beginnings but keeping with the original style and materials.
Filming
The house has been used as a prime filming location for a number of film and TV productions, not just for Rivals. Famous faces have graced its grounds over the last few decades, including the likes of Eddie Redmayne, Jamie Dornan and Aidan Turner.
A big example of this is the BBC’s Poldark, where Chavenage portrays the fictional house of Trenwith in the series. It also featured as Candleford Manor in the BBC’s Lark Rise to Candleford from 2008 while also appearing in The House of Eliott, Casualty and Dracula, to name a few.
Now, outside of its scheduled filming, the wonderful home is open for the public to see and explore a real-life set of their favourite show.
Visiting
According to its website, the opportunity to tour the house is limited and so allows for guests to make reservations prior to turning up, subject to availability, as it is a privately owned residence after all.
The cost of this unique attraction is £12 a head for adults with a minimum group size of 21 and £6 for children. If group tours aren’t available and an individual visit is wanted, the bespoke private tour will begin at £250.
A recent visitor claimed it’s unmissable, writing on TripAdvisor: “This privately owned manor is full of history and artefacts, and the owners are lovely people. What a treat to have a personal tour of this incredibly special place, built in the Elizabethan period. If you have seen Poldark, you will recognise many of the scenes filmed in this historic home.”
Another shared: “Wow. After visiting many beautiful estates and castles (Buscot and Highclere), I didn’t expect to be blown away. However beautiful they were, I enjoyed Chavenage House so much more.
“Primarily, because the host was personally invested – he is part of the Lowsley-Williams family that has been at home here since 1891 and takes great pride in personally giving the tour. This truly makes a difference; the personal stories, pride and detail makes it very intimate.”
Maybe you can use a laugh this morning. Maybe you’re still deep in your feelings, thinking about the “Hacks” series finale and that shot of Hannah Einbinder looking at Jean Smart on the dance floor, grief seeping into her eyes. Maybe you’re lamenting the chaos at our treasured national parks. Hell … maybe you took out a loan to buy a tomato over the weekend.
If you’re feeling down, Gary Oldman would like a word. And that word is: Hufflepuff.
I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter, back in your inbox for the next few weeks as we navigate our way through Emmy season.
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Digital cover story: The world according to Gary
(Jennifer McCord / For The Times)
Gary Oldman is a Hufflepuff.
Never mind that the 68-year-old actor, who played the rebellious, impulsive wizard Sirius Black in the Harry Potter film franchise, couldn’t tell you the difference between a Hufflepuff and, say, a Gryffindor.
When journalist Josh Horowitz reads a list of core personality qualities — loyalty, hard work, patience, fairness, dedication — and asks Oldman if that describes him, he nods his head.
You’re a Hufflepuff.
“I’m a Hufflepuff?” Oldman says, trying the word on for size. He likes it. “I’m a Hufflepuff!”
This video clip is a favorite of mine, one I could watch on a loop for the sheer delight Oldman takes in pronouncing the word Hufflepuff.
It’s easy to see why Oldman takes such pleasure in being a granddad these days, one of the things we talked about at length not long ago for an Envelope digital cover story. He can access his silly side with ease.
I asked Oldman about the upcoming HBO “Harry Potter” television series, a decade-spanning endeavor that will spend a season adapting each of J.K. Rowling’s seven fantasy books.
“I’ve seen a trailer for it, and I think it’s a great idea,” Oldman says. “They’re doing the whole book, which I love, because there were a lot of wonderful things, fabric and character detail, we had to lose for the sake of telling the story in two hours.”
Would Oldman be keen to don a distressed velvet overcoat again and participate in the reboot?
“I don’t think they want any of us from the movies contaminating or muddying the waters,” Oldman says, pleasantly. “Besides, I’m too old.”
But with AI, is anyone too old now? Oldman could drop into “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and look like he hasn’t aged a day since the movie was released 22 years ago.
“I don’t know where we’re going with it because it seems to advance every week,” Oldman says. He ponders the advances made since Martin Scorsese used digital deaging in his 2019 film “The Irishman.”
“I think that was the least successful thing about it,” Oldman says of the technology, “and I’ve been a huge Martin Scorsese fan forever. Ultimately, I don’t know why they wanted to make [Robert] De Niro’s eyes blue.” He pauses, considering the change and why it bothered him. “I guess it’s a blue-eyed Irishman. If I had one negative takeaway, it would be that.”
Oldman prefers directors like Christopher Nolan, whom he worked with on the “Dark Knight” movies and “Oppenheimer,” who think technology should be used sparingly to enhance the storytelling.
“Otherwise it leaves me a bit cold,” he says. “You’re just looking at ones and zeroes.”
“I don’t want to be replaced entirely,” Oldman continues, shaking his head. “I don’t think anyone does.”
Matt Brown, who starred with his family in the Discovery reality television show “Alaskan Bush People,” was found dead in the Okanogan River in Washington state, law enforcement officials said Sunday.
Brown’s body was discovered Saturday by a group of private citizens who were conducting a search, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Brown’s brother, Bear Brown, said in a video posted Saturday on social media that fellow brother Noah had been with the search team, helped pull the body out of the river and identified him.
The official cause and manner of death is still to be determined by the coroner, the sheriff’s office said. But the Brown family believes Matt Brown died by suicide, Bear Brown said in the video.
Witnesses said they saw Matt Brown in or near the river and that he “took his own life,” Bear Brown said on social media.
“I would have never suspected he would hurt himself, honestly,” Bear Brown said in the emotional video. “He struggled for a long time.”
Bear Brown said his brother had battled with alcohol and drugs and that Matt Brown told him in their last conversation that he had “fallen off the wagon.”
The Brown family and their life in the Alaskan wilderness were the subject of the reality TV show “Alaskan Bush People,” which ran on the Discovery Channel from 2014 to 2022.
Suicide prevention and crisis counseling resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional or call 988. The nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Or text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.
