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Published by BANG Showbiz English Dame Olivia Newton-John’s grieving husband has recalled how every day with her was a “bit of magic”. John Easterling has described the ‘Grease’ actress, who died of cancer last August at the age of 73, as “the most courageous and compassionate woman” he had ever met as he reflected on the star’s legacy at the G’Day USA Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday (28.01.23). He told the audience, which included pop star Katy Perry and model Miranda Kerr: “We shared a love and a happiness on an order of magnitude that I didn’t even think was possible. “Olivia and I unexpectedly, madly, deeply, forever fell in love in the Amazon rainforest. “For the past 15 years, I’ve been blessed to share the depth and the passion of her being.” Easterling, the founder and president of the Amazon Herb Company, added: “Every day with Olivia was a bit of magic. Every day with Olivia was supernatural. “She was the most courageous and compassionate woman that I’ve ever known, with a calming capacity to genuinely care about other people.” John was married to the ‘Xanadu’ hitmaker from 2008 until her passing last year and remembered how his wife gave her name to cancer research centres in both Australia and the United States after she battled breast cancer three times. He said: “There’s an old adage that like attracts like, and Olivia knew that her voice and her huge profile of talents were a gift. Her legacy continues as a joyful, healing spirit who is continuously focused on moving things, in her words, ‘into the love and the light.’’ View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Don Lewis‘ former lawyer is questioning the validity of the business mogul’s signature on his will that gave wife Carole Baskin control of his $5 million estate over two decades ago. Lewis went missing in 1997 with no records that he’d gotten on a public flight or even paid for a ticket. His vehicle was later found abandoned at a private airfield near Baskin’s big cat sanctuary in Florida. There were no signs blood or other foul play, but his use of debit and credit cards completely stopped after his mysterious disappearance. mega Attorney Joe Fritz, who was also Lewis’ friend, claimed he’d been suspicious of the wording in his will that allegedly stated Baskin would be entitled to his fortune in the case of his “disability or disappearance.” “In my law office, we have lawyers with more than 100 years combined experience, and none of us has ever heard the word ‘disappearance’ used in a document like that,” he told an outlet. “Never. Not in one case. It leaves me to believe that a non-lawyer did that. Who the f**k thinks they’re going to disappear?” mega However, Baskin had an explanation for that in a 2020 post shared to her BigCatRescue.org website. Lewis, who was declared legally dead in 2002, had property in Costa Rica and according to the Tiger King star, he traveled there regularly and had often talked about moving permanently. “Don had told me about people going to Costa Rica and disappearing, and he was dealing with the mob down there, so I thought that seemed like a potential threat and included the word,” Baskin wrote at the time, referring to the odd wording in the legal document. “I also included disability because of Don’s increasingly strange behavior.” mega She alleged Lewis had been “loaning” money to an organization known as the Helicopter Brothers, which she stated had been a Costa Rican version of the mafia. But Fritz always had his own suspicions that his old pal’s signature had been faked. Later, two independent handwriting experts, as well as the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, reportedly agreed that it was likely a forgery. The handwriting experts, Willa Smith and Thomas Wastrick, claimed the signature looked like an exact copy of the one in his marriage certificate. True signatures will have commonalities but not be a stroke-for-stroke match. Fritz is also calling BS on the Homeland Security letter that allegedly confirmed Lewis was found alive in Costa Rica in the early 2000s. As OK! previously reported, he admitted the document likely “does exist” but that they are simply false. “It’s not like they have a picture or a thumbprint of him,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s just an old document from someone that worked for the federal government who thought he’d uncovered something when they hadn’t.” Fritz spoke with The Sun on his opinions on the validity of Lewis’ will. View the full article

Published by AFP A health worker prepares a Covid booster jab for an airport worker in Bali Geneva (AFP) – All countries remain “dangerously unprepared” for the next pandemic, the Red Cross warned on Monday, saying future health crises could also collide with increasingly likely climate-related disasters. Despite three “brutal” years of the Covid-19 pandemic, strong preparedness systems are “severely lacking”, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said. The world’s largest humanitarian network said building trust, equity and local action networks were vital to get ready for the next crisis. “All countries remain dangerously unprepared for future outbreaks,” the IFRC said, concluding that governments were no more ready now than in 2019. It said countries needed to be prepared for “multiple hazards, not just one”, saying societies only became truly resilient through planning for different types of disaster, as they can occur simultaneously. The IFRC cited the rise in climate-related disasters and waves of disease outbreaks this century, of which Covid-19 was just one. It said extreme weather events were growing more frequent and intense, “and our ability to merely respond to them is limited”. The IFRC issued two reports making recommendations on mitigating future tragedies on the scale of Covid-19, on the third anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the virus an international public health emergency. “The Covid-19 pandemic should be a wake-up call for the global community to prepare now for the next health crisis,” said IFRC secretary general Jagan Chapagain. “The next pandemic could be just around the corner; if the experience of Covid-19 won’t quicken our steps toward preparedness, what will?” The report said major hazards harm those who are already vulnerable the most, and leaving the poorest exposed was “self-defeating”, as a disease can return in a more dangerous form. Breakdown of trust The IFRC said if people trusted safety messages, they would be willing to comply with public health measures and accept vaccination. But the organisation said crisis responders “cannot wait until the next time to build trust”, urging consistent cultivation over time. The IFRC said if trust was fragile, public health became political and individualised — something which impaired the Covid response. It also said the coronavirus pandemic had thrived on and exacerbated inequalities, with poor sanitation, overcrowding, lack of access to health and social services, and malnutrition creating conditions for diseases to thrive in. “The world must address inequitable health and socio-economic vulnerabilities far in advance of the next crisis,” it recommended. The organisation also said local communities should be leveraged to perform life-saving work, as that is where pandemics begin and end. The IFRC called for the development of pandemic response products that are cheaper, and easier to store and administer. By 2025, it said countries should increase domestic health finance by one percent of gross domestic product, and global health finance by at least $15 billion per year. The IFRC said its network had reached more than 1.1 billion people over the past three years to help keep them safe during the Covid pandemic. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Brendan Fraser needed spinal surgery and a partial knee replacement after spending years getting “banged up” while doing his own stunts. ‘The Mummy’ star, 54, has revealed he suffered numerous injuries during his time making action movies and faced a long recovery after doctors discovered he needed several operations to fix his problems. He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I got a little banged up from years of doing my own stunts and needed a surgical fix on the spine and the hinges. That took a lot out of me. I knew I would get better, but it took a long time.” Brendan went on to reveal he was already suffering by the time he made the third movie in ‘The Mummy’ series – 2008’s ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’. He said of his injuries: “I put myself together like a gladiator with muscle tape and ice packs, strapping on this Transformer-like exoskeleton just to get through the scene. There was self-loathing. I think on some level I felt I deserved a beating and wanted to be the one who got in the first punch.” Brendan is currently enjoying a career comeback after receiving his first ever Oscar nomination. He’s in the running for the Best Actor prize at the upcoming Academy Awards for his role in ‘The Whale’ and he admitted he felt “absolutely overjoyed and deeply grateful to The Academy” for the recognition. He added in a statement to People.com: “I wouldn’t have this nomination without [director] Darren Aronofsky, [writer] Samuel D. Hunter, A24 and the extraordinary cast and crew who gave me the gift of [this character] Charlie. “A gift I certainly didn’t see coming, but it’s one that has profoundly changed my life. THANK YOU!” Brendan is nominated alongside Austin Butler (‘Elvis’), Colin Farrell (‘The Banshees of Inisherin’), Paul Mescal (‘Aftersun’) and Bill Nighy (‘Living’). View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega New details have emerged as to what went down between Brandi Glanville and Caroline Manzo in Morocco. Both of the former Bravo stars stopped filming for Season 4 of Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip in Marrakech prior to production officially wrapping on Saturday, January 28, as it was widely reported a huge fight broke out between The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum and The Real Housewives of New Jersey OG. mega According to multiple insiders close to production, the feud allegedly began when Glanville tried kissing Manzo multiple times throughout the evening without her consent. “It was unwanted,” the source explained to an outlet. “And Caroline’s distress over the matter did not seem to stop Brandi. Things escalated and physical boundaries allegedly were crossed that Caroline felt were serious and uncomfortable.” Due to the severity of the situation, production decided to notify executives of the inappropriate interaction. The blonde star did make a formal apology to the Manzo’d with Children cast member, however, Glanville was asked to depart the vacation early. “Brandi’s behavior was inappropriate,” a third source noted, “so she was asked to leave.” mega Manzo later decided to fly back to the states before the end of the shoot to gather her feelings about the strange event. “She needed to process this outside of the reality TV environment,” the source dished. On Sunday, January 29, news broke of the two reality stars’ abrupt exit from the highly anticipated continuation of the Peacock series. “I’m hearing there was a MAJOR fight filming RHUGT4 in Morocco!” podcast host Zack Peter tweeted. mega “Apparently Brandi Glanville got sent home early and Caroline Manzo left early on her own accord,” he reported. An anonymous submission to DeuxMoi over the weekend also spilled about an “out of control ex Housewife [who] allegedly took things too far” with an “OG” of the franchise during filming, adding it “might result in some legal action.” Fans took notice on Saturday, January 28, that the former East Coast housewife was back home in New Jersey after she shared a photo to her Instagram Story of granddaughter Marchesa (a.k.a. Markie) at her cheerleading competition. Manzo was also tagged in a social media update having cocktails at a local restaurant with daughterLauren Manzo. Per the inside source, costars Vicki Gunvalson, Gretchen Rossi, Phaedra Parks, Eva Marcille, and Alex McCord were all supportive of Manzo and her choice to exit production early. People spoke to sources about the unwanted interactions between Glanville and Manzo. View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – A sixth Memphis police officer has been dismissed from the force for his involvement in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, local media reported on Monday, days after video footage of the killing was released to the public. (Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Alan Cumming admits that it was a “complicated” decision to hand back his OBE. The 58-year-old actor announced on Friday (27.01.23) that he was to return the honour he was awarded in 2009 over the “toxicity” of the British Empire. Alan is grateful for the “incredible” reaction to his decision as he elaborated on his choice. He told People: “I mean, first of all, I didn’t ever expect so much attention about it. “It’s been really positive. People really understood why it’s complicated, it’s complex, it’s not a black or white thing.” The ‘X-Men’ star added: “I tried to say that in my statement, and people have really responded to that. I think times are changing and things change, and you change how you feel about something.” Cumming received the honour from Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace in 2009 but revealed his decision to hand back the award after a period reflection following Queen Elizabeth’s passing in a social media post to mark his 58th birthday. ‘The Traitors’ host wrote: “The Queen’s death and the ensuing conversations about the role of monarchy and especially the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples across the world really opened my eyes. “Also, thankfully, times and laws in the US have changed, and the great good the award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause back in 2009 is now less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire (OBE stands for Officer of the British Empire).” Alan continued: “So I returned my award, explained my reasons and reiterated my great gratitude for being given it in the first place. I’m now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again. Happy birthday to me!” View the full article

Published by Raw Story A right-wing group thinks it has hit upon a legal loophole that it can use to force Michigan public schools to “erase” any sign of openly LGBTQ people from classrooms, reported Judd Legum for his Popular Information blog on Monday. “The effort, organized by the Great Schools Initiative (GSI), seeks to exploit a Michigan statute)/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-380-1507) that allows parents to opt their children out of sex education,” reported Legum. “Michigan law allows schools to offer courses in sex education. The nature of this instruction is quite traditional” — stressing the bene… Read More View the full article

Published by The San Diego Union-Tribune Beyoncé or Adele? Kendrick Lamar or Bad Bunny? Willie Nelson or Buddy Guy? Wet Leg or Maneskin? Dave Chappelle or Louis C.K.? Regardless of who wins or loses at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, its honcho Harvey Mason Jr. knows exactly what the perfect edition of the Grammys should be like. “Everyone wins every award they were nominated for!” he said, laughing heartily. Mason is himself a five-time nominee as a songwriter and producer whose first nomination came for co-writing “He Wasn’t Man Enough, a 2000 hit for Toni Braxton. As of May 2021, Mason is also the first Black CEO in the h… Read More View the full article

“ Published by BANG Showbiz English Julie Bowen propositioned Harry Styles at his LA concert. The 52-year-old actress showed up to Harry’s ‘Love On Tour’ show at The Forum in Inglewood last week, clutching a homemade heart-shaped sign which read “Harry I’m old, but I know what I’m doing.” Julie shared a reel of herself with the sign on Instagram and tagged Harry’s official Instagram account in the video. The ‘Modern Family’ actress was previously married to Scott Phillips from 2004 to 2018 and they share sons Oliver McLanahan, 15, and 13-year-old twins John and Gustav. However, she insisted she would come out of “dating retirement” for Harry, 28. Speaking previously, she said: “You’re asking me if I’d come out of [dating] retirement for Harry Styles? Oh, hell yeah. Him? Look at him! “He’s just bringing the joy and the light and the ‘Watermelon Sugar.’ You just feel good about the whole experience.” Julie added during the show’s ‘Five Second Rule’ game her three celebrity crushes were Harry, Timothée Chalamet, and guest host Adam DeVine. She also revealed she once fell in love with a gay woman who didn’t like her “in that way”. She told Becca Tilley on her ‘Quitters’ podcast: “I’m straight. I’ve always been straight. I was in love with a woman for a while but she didn’t love me back. “She liked women, but she didn’t like me in that way. “It never really took off so I never really had to challenge my concept of my sexuality.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jeff Richmond and Tina Fey want the ‘Mean Girls’ musical movie to have a “fresher palette”. The pair are adapting their musical for the big screen and composer Jeff revealed his hopes that the songs will attract a wider audience. He explained to The Hollywood Reporter: “Right now, the day-to-day is more about the movie adaptation that we’re working on. We’re super involved with that. What we’re trying to do [with the movie] is take the score that sounds like a Broadway score — in a good way — and [give] the movie a fresher palette. To make it sound more like stuff you want to listen to on Spotify, as opposed to when you’re sitting eighth row at a Broadway show or the Pantages. It’s kind of making it a fresher, younger take on the whole thing. We’re kind of reinvented the music for the movie, so it’s really fun.” Lorne Michaels is producing the movie for Paramount Pictures, with Tina penning the script and Jeff and lyricist Nell Benjamin working on the music. Angourie Rice, Auli’i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey and Reneé Rapp will star, with Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. directing. And Jeff revealed he and wife Tina love working together. He said: “We know when to get out of each other’s way when we’re working together. Like who’s taking this part? Who’s doing that? Who needs to push harder on getting the script done for this? We’re just around each other all the time. Same office, all the time. She’s a hilariously fun person to be around.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jennifer Coolidge went to the wedding of Billie Eilish’s parents. The 61-year-old actress had been friends with Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell – who are the parents of pop star Billie, 21, and music producer FINNEAS, 25, – for ” for a really long time” when they tied the knot in 1995 and explained that she had the “most fun” at the “natural” ceremony. She said: “I think the best wedding I’ve ever went to was… I got this invite when I was in this comedy group, The Groundlings, and all of us got it. It was sort of this potluck wedding where you brought a dish. It was the most fun I’ve ever had at a wedding. I’ve gone to all of these fancy weddings where people spend millions of dollars and things like that … it was just the most unique, natural wedding. This is the cool part of the story — it was two people that [have] known each other for a really long time that married. They knew each other for 12 years. They gave birth to two children after they got married … their daughter is Billie Eilish, and their son is Finneas.” The ‘White Lotus’ star went on to add that she will “never forget” that day because it was the most “romantic thing” she had ever been to. Speaking on ‘Hits Radio’, she added: “I’ll never forget that wedding. A family of deer showed up while they were doing the nuptials [and] stood in the background. It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever been to.” View the full article

Published by AFP The US city of Memphis, Tennessee, on January 27, 2023, released footage of the fatal police beating of a 29-year-old Black man, Tyre Nichols Washington (AFP) – The shocking death of Tyre Nichols after a police beating has reopened anguished debate across the United States about police violence, fueling a sense that the huge, nationwide demonstrations of 2020 have done little to solve the problem. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died in a hospital on January 10, three days after a brutal beating by five Black police officers in the southern city of Memphis, Tennessee. The five have since been charged with second-degree murder. Memphis police released body-cam footage of the incident — after starkly warning viewers of its brutality — late Friday. “I’m just sad for where we are in America; we’re still here,” said Lora King, whose father Rodney King sustained a violent beating by police in Los Angeles in 1991, also caught on camera. The incident fueled lethal and destructive riots in that city and elsewhere. “I’m in disbelief.” “We have to do better,” she told CNN. “This is unacceptable.” Deaths at 10-year high Nichols’ death left many Americans questioning how much real progress had been made since 2020. The killing that year in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a Black man whose videotaped death under the knee of a white officer was viewed millions of times, reignited the historic Black Lives Matter movement across the US and abroad. In the wake of Floyd’s death, promises of police reform swept across the country. And yet two years later, the number of people who have died during interactions with police hit a 10-year high in 2022, at 1,186 deaths, according to the website Mapping Police Violence. “They say it’s a new year, but same old, same old,” said Robert Jones, a 26-year-old salesman in Memphis. African Americans accounted for 26 percent of those deaths, though Black people represent only 13 percent of the US population. By way of comparison, fewer than 20 people die in France each year during police interventions. A huge factor explaining the difference is the enormous number of privately owned firearms in the United States — there are more guns than there are people — which sharply increases the sense of vulnerability police feel during interactions with the public, making them much quicker to draw their own arms. Last year, 66 police officers were killed by gunfire while on duty, according to a fund created to honor them. But attorney Ben Crump, who represented Floyd’s relatives and is now working with Nichols’ family, sees a deeper dynamic at work. “We have to talk about this institutionalized police culture that has this unwritten law that you can engage in excessive use of force against Black and Brown people,” he said during a press conference Friday. ‘Unnecessary and aggressive’ The tumult of 2020 led, among other things, to efforts to curb the considerable legal immunity granted to American police, or to establish a register of officers who have been found to use excessive force. Proposed federal legislation, initially supported by both political parties, ultimately failed in Congress at a time when homicides were rising sharply, with Republicans falling back on their traditional appeals for “law and order.” In the absence of progress on the federal level, the push for reform advanced primarily on the local level — modestly and unevenly, producing a patchwork of different approaches. Across the United States, there are nearly 18,000 autonomous policing entities — city police, county sheriffs, state highway patrols — each with its own rules for recruitment, training and on-the-job practices. Some of them have reviewed and revised their rules, notably banning strangleholds, such as the one killed George Floyd, requiring greater use of body-cams and increasing the penalties for unjustified violence. The Memphis police were among those adopting reforms. Officers were barred from forcing their way into homes unannounced; were told they must step in to stop colleagues engaging in violence; and were given additional training in de-escalating dangerous confrontations. Despite all that, the officers who stopped Nichols for a simple traffic violation were “riled up” from the beginning, and “the escalation was already at a high level,” said Cerelyn Davis, the Memphis police department’s first Black female chief. For activists, the central problem is the extensive arrest powers American police have, even over minor infractions. “We must stop relying on police to respond to issues related to poverty and disinvestment,” said Kathy Sinback, director for Tennessee of the American Civil Liberties Union. That approach, she said in a statement, “leads to more frequent, unnecessary and aggressive actions by law enforcement toward community members.” US police have killed nearly 600 people during traffic stops since 2017, according to Human Rights Watch. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Christina Ricci has slammed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ upcoming review of nominees as “backward”. The 42-year-old actress responded to the news that the awards body – which is set to be conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees” following Andrea Riseborough’s surprise nomination in the Best Actress category for her role in ‘To Leslie’ – noting that the action taken following their “surprise nomination” following a campaign as a “hilarious” movie. She wrote on Instagram: “Seems hilarious that the ‘surprise nomination’ (meaning tons of money wasn’t spent to position this actress) of a legitimately brilliant performance is being met with an investigation. So it’s only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive and frankly very backward to me. And I’msure she had nothing to do with the campaigning. These things aren’t controlled or decided by the actors themselves and yet now her nomination will be tainted by this. And it’s taken away shame on them. The comments come just a day after the Academy revealed it was attempting to “ensure that guidelines were violated” with the campaign that took place to get Andrea Riseborough her nomination. In a statement, they said: “It is the Academy’s goal to ensure that the Awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner, and we are committed to ensuring an inclusive awards process,. We are conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees, to ensure that no guidelines were violated and to inform us whether changes to the guidelines may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communication.” View the full article

Published by DPA Pope Francis speaks during the general audience at the Pope Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. Michael Kappeler/dpa Pope Francis has clarified his earlier comments on homosexuality following confusion in recent days, saying: “I wanted to clarify that it is not a crime, in order to stress that criminalization is neither good nor just.” The pope originally called homosexuality a sin but conceded later that his comments during an interview might have been misunderstood. “When I said it was a sin, I had simply referred to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside marriage is a sin,” Francis wrote to Father James Martin who edits a Catholic publication. “Of course, one must consider the circumstances, which may decrease or eliminate fault.” Martin, a Jesuit priest in the US, published the pope’s letter in the Catholic magazine Outreach, which is for a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer readership. The pope explained that the interview was an oral conversation and that it was “understandable” if certain nuances were lost in the transcript. In his letter, written in Spanish, Francis underlined that for him, homosexuality is not a crime. “I would tell whoever wants to criminalize homosexuality that they are wrong,” he said. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Rick Astley says he “wasn’t born” to be a pop star. The 56-year-old singer shot to fame in the late 1980s when he signed a deal with industry giants Stock Aitken Waterman – which saw him become labelmates with the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, and Sonia – and sold more than 12 million records worldwide with hits such as ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ and ‘Together Forever’ but decided to quit the industry altogether in the 1990s because he “didn’t want to do any of it” anymore. “He said: “I don’t think being a pop star is a very natural thing for anybody but some people, some people manage to do it and some people are born to do it perhaps. I don’t think I was really. I had developed a fear of flying, I didn’t want to go and promote records. I didn’t want to do any of it, really. “ The ‘Take Me To Your Heart’ singer – who went on to have daughter Emilie with then-partner Lene Bausager but eventually returned to showbusiness in the early 2000s and remains active in music today – went on to add that he was “super lucky” to have made a lot of money during his heyday which at the time enabled him to walk away after from the top. Speaking on Channel 5 documentary ‘Stock Aitken Waterman: Legends of Pop Music’, he added: “I was super lucky that I had a massive amount of success in a very short period of time, somebody gave me a truckload of money for it and I could say ‘Okay, I’m done!'” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Universal Pictures had reportedly already poured a ton of cash into Madonna‘s cancelled biopic by the time they made the decision to pull the plug. The production company greenlit the flick back in 2020 and according to a source, they paid both Madonna and her manager, Guy Oseary, “millions” to license the rights to the “Like A Virgin” singer’s life story and millions more on “writing and directing fees” to the pop star and the movie’s co-writer, Oscar winner Diablo Cody. mega The film initially was slated to be co-written and directed by the Queen of Pop, however, it saw early bumps in the road when the Juno writer quit the project in April 2021 after finding Madonna too difficult to work with on the coveted project. Aside from what Universal allegedly paid Diablo and Madonna, the source noted that there was also “the dancing and ‘boot camp’ elements” of casting which “took months of everybody’s time.” mega “When you spend millions and millions on a project without a final script, there’s going to be a gut-check moment, and that’s what happened here,” the source continued, revealing that overall, Universal probably lost between $10 million and $12 million dollars on the failed film. Added the source, “It means that if another studio wants to pick the movie up, they would have to reimburse Universal for their expenses just to have the right to start again from square one.” mega This comes after OK! reported that the studio allegedly decided to scrap the project over Madonna’s demands for the tone of the script — Universal wanted something “pop and light” while the singer wanted something “grittier” — combined with her bizarre behavior on social media. “Basically, they don’t like it,” the insider explained, referring to Universal’s opinion on the script. “…and it’s come to a stalemate.” “Madonna did herself no favors by acting weird on social media during this entire process,” the insider also pointed out. “She signed a contract to make this film and that should have been the signal to her to stop the circus antics, stop chasing likes, and just buckle down and get this movie into shape.” The source spoke with The Sun on Universal Pictures’ financial losses. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English The Spice Girls are reportedly set to reunite for King Charles’ coronation. The multi-million-selling girl group – which consists of Geri Halliwell, Mel B, Victoria Beckham, Melanie C, and Emma Bunton – met the then-Prince Charles several times during their heyday in the 1990s and while they have not performed as a five-piece since the closing ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012, royal organisers are said to be “super keen” to bag the whole band for a performance at the upcoming coronation celebrations in May. A source told The Sun newspaper’s Fabulous magazine: “Royal organisers are super keen to secure Britain’s biggest girl band and the Spice Girls are seriously pondering a return to the stage as a five-piece for such a historical event. Certainly, the reality is that the Coronation is as special as The Olympics – a one-off celebration and unique performance.” At the height of their careers, the ‘Wannabe’ hitmakers met the then-Prince Charles, and Mel B and Geri famously broke royal protocol by kissing him on the cheek and patting his bottom while also telling him he was “very sexy”. Following her shock departure from the group in 1998, Geri – who was also known as Ginger Spice – performed ‘Happy Birthday To You’ to the then-heir to the throne at his 50th birthday party. The insider went on to explain that there is a “sense” that the reunion could happen for an event this “significant” – which has not taken place in Britain since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 – and claimed that group members Melanie C and Mel B are the ones “trying to make it happen.” The claims come just days after ‘I Want You Back’ hitmaker Mel teased that a new project was on the horizon for the band – who last reunited for a stadium tour in 2019 without Victoria – but was unable to say exactly what it was. She said: “I can’t tell you exactly, but there’s going to be something that is going to be announced pretty soon. I am probably going to get told off. It is a project that we’re very excited about. It will be all five of us.” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Earlier this week, news hit headlines that Madonna‘s highly anticipated biopic — which the “Like a Virgin” singer had been set to pen and potentially direct — had been scrapped by Universal Pictures. Now, sources have revealed that Madonna’s demands for the tone of the flick and her bizarre behavior on social media didn’t help her out when it came to the decision. mega An insider spilled Madonna and Universal had secretly been at war over the script. The production company wanted it to be “pop and light” while Madonna wanted “something much grittier.” “Basically, they don’t like it,” the insider added. “…and it’s come to a stalemate.” mega Another source claimed Madonna also wanted “near-total” control over the project, but higher ups at Universal were left confused and concerned as they watched the singer’s increasingly strange social media posts, from sharing wildly racy photos to using uncomfortably creepy filters. “Madonna did herself no favors by acting weird on social media during this entire process,” the source explained. “She signed a contract to make this film and that should have been the signal to her to stop the circus antics, stop chasing likes, and just buckle down and get this movie into shape.” @madonna/instagram “Her funny Instagram posts are always catnip for her die-hard fans but they didn’t play well at Universal,” the source noted. “The studio bosses were watching what Madonna posted over these months where she was supposed to be writing and were left scratching their heads.” As OK! previously reported, the Queen of Pop recently wiped her Instagram account after months of facing backlash from critics accusing her of being too “attention-seeking” with her overly photoshopped snaps. “Producing any actual work lately or overdosing on more heavily filtered face pics? ,” a user commented on one of her risqué photos, while another added, “So sad you’ve reduced yourself to this .” The insider spoke with Page Six on Madonna and Universal’s arguments over the script. The source told The Sun about Universal’s criticism of her social media antics. View the full article

Published by PopCrush A “transphobic” woman was roasted on Reddit after she told the groom, whose Best Man (“now his Best Woman”) has been “medically transitioning for about a year,” to pick someone else for the role so as not to offend her conservative family. The bride-to-be explained that she and her fiancé, Kevin, were supposed to get married a few years ago, but decided to postpone due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ve now set a date for this coming August and as we get closer more and more thoughts keep coming to me about how it should go. My biggest issue is that Kevin’s best man is no longer his best man and… Read More View the full article

Published by PopCrush Dylan Mulvaney’s face reveal is finally here — and she looks happy, glowing and gorgeous! The trans TikTok star and social media influencer unveiled the results of her facial feminization surgery Friday (Jan. 27) in a two-part fashion editorial video. “Facial feminization part 1,” Mulvaney, who uses she/they pronouns, captioned the video, which sees them transform into a high-fashion peacock soundtracked by Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake theme, as well as an Old Hollywood bombshell. Watch below: In the comments section, many celebrated Mulvaney’s results and shared their compliments with the influenc… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story Newly revealed police records threw open the long-dormant murder case of a Buffalo monsignor, and show evidence of a possible coverup. Monsignor Francis J. O’Connor’s body was found floating in Scajaquada Creek on March 13, 1966, and the following day detectives interviewed Robert Armbruster, a young reporter who had worked for the priest at the diocese newspaper and admitted to being physically attracted to him but had fantasized about hitting his head with an ax, reported The Buffalo News. “He admits that he has had homosexual inclinations toward the monsignor and has had occasions when he p… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine @louistommo_org/twitter;mega Don’t worry, Harry! Maybe Jennifer Aniston didn’t notice… Harry Styles was flushed with embarrassment when his pants split down the middle during is Thursday, January 26, concert — and to make matters worse, the singer’s first “celebrity crush” just so happened to be in attendance. MEGA The famed musician was performing his hit song “Music at a Sushi Restaurant” when he attempted to squat down to get closer to his doting fans — except all they were given was a better view of the hilarious mishap. Just as Styles assumed his position, a gaping whole ripped directly in the crotch area of his brown leather pants. @louistommo_org/twitter The 28-year-old was immediately stunned when he realized the shocking wardrobe malfunction, and covered the torn area with his hand before grabbing LGBTQ+ pride flags from nearby concert goers and wrapping them around his private area before heading off stage for a quick change of his clothing. HARRY STYLES HUGS MYSTERY BRUNETTE IN LONDON 2 MONTHS AFTER SPLIT FROM OLIVIA WILDE MEGA Styles returned in a timely fashion, wearing a — hopefully — more durable pair of pants, and proceeded to say sorry to the entire crowd —including the famous Friends star — at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. LICKING HER WOUNDS? OLIVIA WILDE SHARES CRYPTIC MESSAGE ABOUT LOVE FOLLOWING HARRY STYLES SPLIT “My trousers ripped. I feel I must apologize to a certain few of you right down in the front there. I mean this is a family show,” the “As It Was” singer quipped as he attempted to make light of the laughable situation. “I promise it’s not part of the show … It’s a family show… or is it? It is. Or is it?” As expected, social media users quickly flooded Twitter with hilarious memes and videos of the accidental wardrobe malfunction, with some reactions including comical comparisons to SpongeBob SquarePants’ classic song “Ripped Pants” that dates all the way back to 2001. “Nobody tell Harry that Jennifer Aniston just watched him rip his pants,” one fan tweeted, as they pointed out the beloved 53-year-old actress’ attendance at the show, while another added, “Harry ripping his pants in front of Jennifer Aniston is most likely a traumatic moment for him.” View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – The U.S. health regulator on Friday proposed new blood donation guidelines for men who have sex with men that are based on individual risk rather than across-the-board requirements, a move it said is in line with other countries and will help ensure the U.S. blood supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the rules aim to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV and are similar to those in the UK and Canada. The proposed rule comes several years after the FDA reversed a 1980s guideline, which banned men who have sex with men from donating blood, but said they had to abstain from sex for at least a year before donating. In 2020, the agency shortened the abstinence period to three months amid a pandemic-driven shortage of blood supply. The removal of time-based deferrals also applies to women who have sex with the men who have sex with other men, the FDA said. Under the new proposal, any prospective donor – regardless of gender or sexual orientation – other than those who report having a new sexual partner or multiple partners and having anal sex in the past three months, will be eligible to donate blood, provided all other eligibility criteria are met. The regulator has also proposed new time limits for people taking pre-exposure prophylaxis or post-exposure prophylaxis treatments used for HIV prevention to reflect data showing that these medications may delay the detection of HIV and result in false negatives. People taking oral medication would be deferred for three months after the most recent dose and those receiving injections by two years from the last dose. The FDA will review public comments before finalizing the proposal. (Reporting by Bhanvi Satija and Aditya Samal in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva) View the full article