Category: 5. Entertainment

Meet Netflix‘s Meghan 2.0.

The first trailer for the second season of With Love, Meghan returns the Duchess of Sussex to the kitchen and garden for another round of aspirational cozy cooking along with a bevy of friends (famous friends, naturally).

This time, however, the trailer portrays Meghan a bit differently than in the trailer for the first season — where Markle was shown expertly whipping up stunning creations while giving advice (“that’s what you want, you want that shape and texture…”) while enamored celebrities looked on (“This is probably one of the most glamorous moments of my life,” enthused Mindy Kaling).

Season two’s trailer (below) shows Meghan learning from experts and warmly appreciating the efforts of others. “Let’s get creative and learn something new,” she says, and then later: “I’m so glad you came and showed me how to do this.” In another beat, when mixing ingredients, she wonders aloud, “Is this working?” and later praises a guest: “This looks fantastic!” Also, when one expert says “everybody should have” a large and exotic-looking cooking accessory in their kitchen that an average person would never purchase, Markle looks skeptical, “You think so?” — see, one of us!

This season’s guests range from TV hosts to culinary stars to wellness influencers: Chrissy Teigen, Christina Tosi, Clare Smyth, Daniel Martin, David Chang, Heather Dorak, Jamie Kern Lima, Jay Shetty, José Andrés, Radhi Devlukia, Samin Nosrat and Tan France.

The trailer follows Netflix’s extending its partnership with Archewell Productions — Prince Harry and Meghan’s media company – with a multiyear, first-look deal for all of Archewell’s film and television projects.

The show’s official description: “Meghan returns with a fun and heartwarming new season, welcoming celebrity chefs, talented artists and beloved friends for hands-on adventures filled with laughter and discovery. From playful cooking challenges to DIY projects, Meghan and her guests explore bold flavors, experiment with new techniques and discover simple ways to add beauty to everyday life. It’s all about embracing playfulness over perfection and finding joy in creating together.”

The eight-episode second season premieres Aug. 28.

Filmmaker Park Chan-wook has responded to his expulsion from the Writers Guild of America, denying that he violated union rules that forbade writing during the 2023 writers’ strike.

The WGA revealed Friday that Park and Don McKellar had been kicked out for working on “The Sympathizer,” an HBO series based on the 2015 novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen.

Park’s company, Moho Film, issued a statement to Maeil Business Newspaper in South Korea on Tuesday, stating that the scripts for the show had been completed and the show had been shot when the strike began on May 2, 2023.

“At the time of the strike, ‘The Sympathizer’ was in post-production,” the company said. “Editing does not constitute writing, so it was permitted under WGA regulations.”

Variety reported Monday that the dispute centered on conflicting interpretations of the WGA contract as it pertains to post-production. The WGA maintains that even things like cutting down a scene for time constitute “writing services” that are forbidden during a strike. The Directors Guild of America has advised its members that the WGA’s position is incorrect, and that they may be contractually obligated to perform such activities during a strike.

“While editing, the two received a proposal from HBO to change some of the settings,” the statement continued. “They held a brainstorming session to see if the new settings could be implemented based on the footage. However, they were aware that new script writing was not allowed during the strike, so they did not rewrite or revise any of the existing scripts for any scenes. The new writing took place after the strike ended.”

According to Moho Film, a WGA trial committee recommended that Park and McKellar be given a private warning because “the violations were unintentional and stemmed from a misunderstanding of their roles during post-production.”

“However, in April 2025, the WGA Board of Directors disregarded the committee’s recommendation and expelled the two writers without specific explanation,” the company said.

At the time, Park was in post-production on “No Other Choice,” which is set to debut later this month at the Venice Film Festival. Park elected not to appeal the board decision to the membership due to the time commitment, but continues to maintain his innocence.

“I have never violated any rules,” Park said in the statement. “I seriously considered appealing, but I ultimately decided not to appeal because I wanted to focus on ‘No Other Choice,’ which was in post-production in Korea at the time, and I couldn’t afford to spend as much time as the hearing on an appeal, even though I can still write without being a union member.”

Under federal law, the expulsion has no impact on Park’s ability to write on WGA-covered projects. It does mean that he cannot vote in guild elections or be eligible for guild awards.

Park joined the WGA to work on “The Sympathizer,” as his previous work had been outside the U.S. Moho Film emphasized that Park supports union solidarity.

“Director Park has always had a deep respect for his fellow writers and creators, and has consistently maintained a spirit of solidarity with them, and will continue to do so in the future.”

The WGA also expelled Edward Drake, the writer-director of the independent film “Guns Up,” which was in production when the strike began. The guild alleged that Drake made forbidden script revisions during filming, but Drake maintained that he was following the DGA’s guidance, which allowed for minor tweaks.

A trial committee recommended an 18-month suspension, but the board increased the penalty to expulsion. Drake appealed, and the WGA membership upheld the expulsion on a 54%-46% vote in May.

The WGA did not respond to a request for comment.

Sean “Diddy” Combs is doubling down on his previously filed lawsuit against a man and his attorney, both of whom he says in an amended legal filing submitted this week, made defamatory comments about the rap mogul’s alleged involvement with sex parties attended by both celebrities and underage individuals. 

Combs has amended the complaint, originally filed in New York federal court in January as he was awaiting his sex trafficking and racketeering trial in the same venue, to seek $100 million in damages from the plaintiffs: Courtney Burgess, attorney Ariel Mitchell and NewsNation parent company Nexstar. The suit points to an October interview with Burgess and a September interview with Mitchell in which the two discuss alleged video footage Burgess states he possesses showing Combs allegedly sexually assaulting celebrities, some of whom appear underage. One interview saw Burgess present still images, allegedly from the videos, in which Justin Bieber was shown kissing an unidentified male.

In the amended complaint, filed Monday, Aug. 11 in New York’s Southern District, Combs is now seeking no less than $100 million in damages, for the “severe reputational harm” caused by Burgess’ “outlandish claims,” which Combs’ attorneys allege culminated in a “media frenzy” against the mogul.

The allegations, aired on NewsNation over multiple interviews, also included an assertion from Burgess that Combs’ late ex-wife Kim Porter, with whom he had four kids, gave him a copy of her memoir to him and tapes of the alleged celebrity sexual assaults before she died in 2018.

The interviews fueled the still-ongoing frenzy of misinformation about the rap mogul that began following his September federal indictment, arrest and ongoing incarceration at a Brooklyn federal lock-up. Speculation about celebrity involvement in Combs’ so-called “freak-off” parties continues to run wild as rumors swirl of who knows what and was present at the alleged events. At Combs’ trial, the actual “freak-off” events were described as drug-fueled sexual encounters with his girlfriend and hired male sex workers, which Combs would film while masturbating and directing the actions of others. 

“In this pitiful spectacle, all pretense of objectivity has been abandoned, as a global audience feasts at the all-you-can-eat buffet of wild lies and conspiracy theories,” the lawsuit states. “Mitchell and Burgess are among the worst perpetrators in this offensive scenario.

“They eagerly court every opportunity to broadcast blatant falsehoods, pretending they have proof that Mr. Combs engaged in heinous acts, knowing that no such proof exists,” Combs’ team states.

Burgess, who was subpoenaed by federal prosecutors to testify in front of a grand jury considering additional charges against the rap mogul, was asked in a NewsNation interview if the alleged image of Bieber is “legit,” to which he responded, “Yes, yes, definitely.” He also said on NewsNation that of the eight celebrities seen in the footage, “two or three” appeared to be minors, according to the earlier lawsuit.

NewsNation is accused in the complaint of “lend(ing) its credibility to and amplify(ing) defendant Burgess and Mitchell’s lies, giving them a mainstream media platform to malign (Combs) for defendants’ collective profit.”

A message sent to Mitchell by The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday did not receive an immediate response. An email sent to NewsNation also did not receive a reply right away on Tuesday. 

In September, Combs was arrested on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. During his eight-week trial, details emerged about his non-traditional sex life as prosecutors painted a picture of a network of employees they claimed worked to sexually exploit Combs’ exes; the jury ultimately did not buy prosecutors’ narrative and found him guilty only of the lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Since the verdict was read last month, Combs’ attorneys have worked to have him released to his Miami home until his sentencing on Oct. 3. This has apparently also involved discussions with the Trump administration regarding a potential pardon for Combs. Since the trial concluded, lead prosecutor Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director and Trump foil James Comey, was fired by the administration from her lead prosecutor role for the Southern District of New York. 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that, in this social media age, TikTok will declare a definitive fashion trend for every season. We’ve had tomato girls and coastal grandmothers, mermaid-core and mob wives, and now, for August 2025, the algorithm has issued its latest viral verdict: it’s officially a Pucci girl summer.

What is a Pucci girl summer, you ask? At a baseline, it’s wearing the kaleidoscopic, jet-set designs of the house founded by Marchese Emilio Pucci di Barsento in 1947, preferably while on vacation. But being a Pucci girl isn’t just about a label—it’s an entire state of mind. “She’s fun, she’s glam, she’s boom-boom opulence and hedonistic joy. If winter and autumn dressing are synonymous with chicness—cold-weather layers, structured tailoring, and any other adjectives that could be attached to The Row—then summer, by contrast, is all about skimpy hemlines, bare skin, and visual excitement,” British Vogue’s Olivia Allen has written of the aesthetic. “While the standard route might be a pair of denim shorts and a baby tee, the Pucci woman is the antidote to Brandy Melville ennui.”

In the pages of Vogue, however, it’s always been a Pucci girl summer. In the 1960s, when the advent of commercial air travel led to the rise of “resort dressing” (essentially, a specialized wardrobe for your vacation), our editors—with their keen eye for trends—began dressing top models like Veruschka for jaunts to glamorous, wanderlusty locations like Sardinia, Mauritius, and Acalpuco. Pucci, with its colorful, carefree sensibility, fit the vibe precisely.

With just a few weeks of summer left, it felt like high time we unearthed our best Pucci shoots from the archives… especially from the 1960s (although we couldn’t help but throw in a few photos of ’90s supermodels, too). Your vacation mood-board just got a few more pins.

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LONDON (AP) — Madonna has urged the pope to travel to Gaza and “bring your light to the children before it’s too late.”

The superstar posted her appeal to the pontiff on social media Monday, saying her son Rocco’s birthday prompted her to make the post. Rocco turned 25 Monday.

Addressing Pope Leo XIV, she wrote: “Most Holy Father. Please go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it’s too late. As a mother, I cannot bear to watch their suffering.

“The children of the world belong to everyone. You are the only one of us who cannot be denied entry,” she added. “We need the humanitarian gates to be fully opened to save these innocent children. There is no more time. Please say you will go. Love, Madonna.”

The singer added that she wasn’t taking sides in the war.

“I am not pointing fingers, placing blame or taking sides. Everyone is suffering. Including the mothers of the hostages,” she wrote. “I pray that they are released as well. I am merely trying to do what I can to keep these children from dying of starvation.”

READ MORE: Pope Leo XIV gets rock star’s welcome at Vaticans’ Catholic influencer festival

The pope recently renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, asking the international community to respect humanitarian laws and the obligation to protect civilians.

“I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” the pontiff said last month.

Aid workers and doctors have said that after months of Israeli blockade and turmoil in the distribution of supplies, children in Gaza with no previous conditions are starting to die from malnutrition.

Israel’s air and ground offensive, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel, has displaced most of the some 2 million Palestinians in Gaza and pushed the territory toward famine.

The United Nations said that across Gaza, more than 5,000 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in May, though that is likely an undercount. Malnutrition was virtually nonexistent before the war. Doctors struggle to treat the children because many supplies have run out, the U.N. says.

Israel denies a famine is taking place or that children are starving. It says it has supplied enough food throughout the war and accuses Hamas of causing shortages by stealing aid and trying to control food distribution.

BBC

‘Tough couple of months’

Taylor Swift gave fans the best news they could possibly ask for on Tuesday (Aug. 12) — that she has a new album on the way.

After launching a mysterious countdown on her website and sending Swifties into an anxious frenzy, the pop star finally confirmed through a teaser for boyfriend Travis Kelce’s upcoming New Heights podcast episode that after months of dropping Easter eggs — the orange Eras Tour outfits, the 12 letter I’s in her letter about reclaiming her masters, the 12 Taylor Nation pictures — her 12th studio LP, The Life of a Showgirl, is coming soon. And though the title of the album is the only known detail so far, Swift’s fanbase is overflowing with excitement and predictions for the hitmaker’s next era.

“can’t wait for taylor to release my new favorite taylor swift album to go along with my other favorite taylor swift albums,” one person wrote on X.

A second fan rejoiced, “HALLELUJAH WE ARE CLOWNS NO MORE! WELCOME HOME THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL.”

“finding out that a new taylor swift album is coming out is a feeling that i can only describe as the same as drinking 17 brown sugar shaken espressos,” a third person added.

Several fans mentioned feeling like they were experiencing Swiftie “zoomies” in reaction to the news — “Taylor Swift zoomies are at an all time high rn y’all I’m watching the eras tour and RUNNING around my apartment trying to make the time go faster,” one person shared — while one listener declared that she was “bouncing around my room like a feral cat” with excitement. Many Swifties wasted no time in theorizing about the possible sound and subject matter of The Life of a Showgirl, which will mark the hitmaker’s first LP since 2024’s 17-week Billboard 200-topping effort The Tortured Poets Department.

“going from TTPD, an album about fame and vulnerability and the toll it takes on her personhood and mental health to The Life Of A Showgirl, which is another angle on fame,” one fan mused. “(and maybe a more empowering angle?) I’m SOOOOO excited to hear what she has to say in these songs.”

“the life of a showgirl makes me feel like she’s aboutta bust out of the TTPD insane asylum with the most insane stories and she’s gonna be loud about em,” agreed another Swiftie.

“All I know is that Taylor is about to treat us to an incisive retrospective on her entire life as a ‘showgirl,’” one listener wrote. “The loss of her innocence, the loves and lives she sacrificed to scrutiny, and the weight of being a woman in the public eye. Looks like TTPD was only the beginning.”

But it wasn’t just the average Swifties who were excited about the upcoming project. King Swiftie himself (aka Flavor Flav), shared the pop superstar’s image of the sparkly orange vinyl with the matching lock on Instagram, while New York City’s Empire State Building’s Instagram account shared a photo of the landmark lit up in the same orange, captioning the post, “Onto the next era.”

Though fans are clearly well and truly hyped for The Life of a Showgirl, Swift still has a lot to reveal about the project. She’s expected to share more details in her full guest episode of New Heights — which drops Wednesday evening (Aug. 13) — but for now, all Swifties have to go off of is a clip posted to the podcast’s social media accounts.

“I wanted to show you something,” she says in the video, carefully taking out a blurred vinyl from a “T.S.” brief case. “This is my brand new album, The Life of a Showgirl.”