Category: 5. Entertainment

Welcome to the celluloid jungle. Guitar legend and Guns N’ Roses axeman Slash is getting into movies, producing a “requel” of the 1983 cult Roger Corman trash classic Deathstalker. The film has its world premiere at the Locarno film festival in Switzerland, where Slash – aka Saul Hudson – is talking up this new addition to his CV.

It turns out that Slash’s affection for Deathstalker goes way back. “When I was working at Tower Video, we had it on the monitors all the time. It was a real popular popcorn movie,” he says.

“I’ve been producing movies for a little while now. I work with these Canadian producers and I did another film [The Breach] with them back in 2020. They managed to get the IP for Deathstalker, and they asked me about it, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, yes.’ I thought the script was great and Steve Kostanski, a director I love, was into doing it.”

Kostanski previously co-directed the wonderfully Lovecraftian The Void and the utterly bonkers Psycho Goreman, which with its kooky comedy and OTT splatter is similar in tone to the nostalgic delights and gunky gore of Deathstalker. “It’s all practical effects. I’m not a big CGI guy,” says Slash. “Steve was totally into doing it that way. He had no interest in making it a CGI movie, so we hit it off right away. I knew that Steve could make it better than the budget.”

Other fantasy films from the period proved an inspiration. “I loved Krull and the original Conan the Barbarian,” says Slash. “And I loved Deathstalker. It was sort of tongue-in-cheek, exaggerated and low budget, and it had this great theme song. My whole interest in getting to do this new one – which isn’t a remake, it’s sort of another version of it – was really nostalgic for me. Once we got the script, I thought ‘Man, we could really make a great movie.’ And Daniel Bernhardt coming in and being the lead was awesome because he played the part so perfectly. It was really a passion project.”

Veteran stunt performer Bernhardt, who has more than a passing resemblance to Hugh Jackman, plays the not-too-bright hero Deathstalker with a straight face. In the original movie, Deathstalker goes on a quest to collect magical objects and defeat evil wizard Munkar. “It’s got a great sense of humour to it, but it’s still effective as an action movie with a sort of fantasy element to it,” says Slash. “It ticks a lot of boxes.”

Slash was born in the UK and spent his early childhood in Stoke-on-Trent before moving to the US at six years old. “I really grew up steeped in British Hammer movies. James Bond – seriously,” he says. “I loved horror from as early on as I can remember. That kind of film music was my first real introduction into scoring. And I don’t know if that had any influence on my tastes or not.” No doubt it did: Guns N’ Roses covered Paul McCartney and Wings’s Live and Let Die on their 1991 album Use Your Illusion I. “As far as visuals and storytelling, those were the first movies. And then there were the Edgar Allan Poe films of Roger Corman and more literary stuff that my dad turned me on to.”

Slash’s handlers say strictly no questions about music, so I ask him about how the movies influenced his work. “There’s a lot of different angles to how I got into music and movies and the combination thereof,” he says. “When I was a kid, I always loved movie theme songs and scores, and that’s always been a huge influence on me. I don’t know if it had any influence on me picking up the guitar, I was more of a straight ahead rock’n’roll guy. But when I started getting into the idea of producing movies, one of the things that I was really into was the fact that I’d have some say on the music for whatever movie I was working on.”

Slash’s first producer credit was on the 2013 Anne Heche horror movie Nothing Left to Fear; more recently he was involved in producing Scandi-thriller-adapted TV series The Crow Girl, and contributed score music for Nothing Left to Fear and the aforementioned The Breach.

“Prior to producing, I’d done a lot of recordings for different movies. So when I pick a movie to produce, the first thing I think about is what the music is going to be like, and whether there’s going to be a theme song; what the vibe is going to be. It speaks to me in a different way than when I just think about writing a rock’n’roll song. I use a completely different part of my musical brain. It’s very satisfying.”

Prince Harry has received a unworthy deal with Netflix as the Royal was caught talking about money.

The Duke of Sussex, who vividly spoke that money is his top most priority after leaving his senior Royal position back in 2020, has been offered a second hand deal from the streaming giant.

Royal expert Richard Eden said: “Harry himself, in his interview with Oprah Winfrey, talked about how he needed money and he needed it quickly because of security and money being cut off from his father.”

Richard Eden said: “It’s definitely a slap in the face. What Harry would want would be another deal he could boast to Oprah Winfrey about—how much it’s worth.”

The new deal thus means that Harry and Meghan will only earn money through Netflix if it commissions Meghan and Harry’s ideas.

Alongside their Netflix shows, Meghan also launched her lifestyle brand, As Ever, this year, as well as her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder.

While Meghan is taking charge when it comes to digital endeavors, Harry is reportedly making efforts to reconcile with his dad, King Charles. The duo’s aides were snapped chatting.

“Harry wants to make peace with Charles because his father is gravely ill with cancer, and he doesn’t know how long he has,” a source said.

“But there’s a flip side to this as well. People around Harry are saying he recognizes it would be in his best interest to bridge the gap between him and the royals now, while his father is still alive. It would help him immensely to be back on the royal payroll,” they added. 

It doesn’t seem much like the languid dog days of summer for Justin Baldoni when it comes to the It Ends With Us director’s sprawling legal fracas with Blake Lively over her claims of sexual harassment on the Sony released flick and the alleged online smear campaign that followed last year.

With the brouhaha of earlier this month over Lively’s (now very much sealed) deposition being partially leaked and placed on the court docket finally dying down and Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios battle with various insurance companies over funds to pay legal fees still very much heating up, the former Jane the Virgin actor this week has coming out swinging for his main lawyer and against accusations of harassment of a different sort from another IEWU actress.

“Ms. Lively’s post-litigation conduct has done nothing to endear her to the public, the press or ‘content creators,’” Wayfarer attorney Kevin Fritz proclaims in an August 18 opposition filing to Lively’s motion for sanctions against sharp and sometimes silver tongued Baldoni top lawyer Bryan Freedman. “A recent barrage of subpoenas has angered and alienated those already critical of Ms. Lively, forcing a number of them to seek this Court’s intervention.”

Then, with an impressive number of Deadline posts on the legal saga that started when Lively filed a complaint over Baldoni’s alleged misconduct with the California Civil Rights Department, the Meister Seelig & Fein partner goes to town, with some help from Liner Freedman Taitelman + Cooley’s Ellyn S. Garofalo. A few weeks back, Lively’s legal team asked Judge Lewis Liman once again to step in and impose sanctions on Freedman due to what they call the West LA litigator’s ongoing “publicly slandering” of their high profile client as this high profile case heads to trial in federal court in March 2026 (unless they all put their swords down and settle — unlikely).

“Blissfully tone deaf to her own conduct, Ms. Lively is not only unwilling to accept that her own celebrity and actions have generated the media frenzy she now complains of and the weight of negative publicity against her,” Fritz states in a request to see the wide ranging sanctions and the motion for them tossed out. “She conveniently ignores that she and her counsel have been less than shy about publicly bashing Mr. Freedman and the Wayfarer Defendants in the press. Nevertheless, Ms. Lively seeks monetary sanctions, attorneys’ fees, a reprimand and revocation of Mr. Freedman’s pro hac vice admission for statements primarily relating to whether Ms. Lively would appear at deposition and the falsity of her claims.”

Having seen his own $400 million countersuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist and the New York Times kicked to the curb in June, Baldoni and his Wayfarer crew are now awaiting Judge Liman’s decision on Freedman’s fate.

Today, Lively saw some movement on her issue over Team Baldoni apparently not giving her team post-December 2024 documents sought in discovery and Team Baldoni got an extra 48 hours of sorts.

“The Wayfarer Parties respond that only certain production requests relate to the alleged ongoing smear campaign, which Lively has cited as the basis for seeking discovery postdating December 2024, Judge Liman wrote in a short-ish order Tuesdsy. “In her reply memorandum of law, Lively provides a specific list of requests for which she seeks documents through the present. The Wayfarer Parties have not had an opportunity to respond to that filing. They are therefore permitted until August 21, 2025, to file a two-page letter brief addressing the extent to which discovery “through the present” is or is not appropriate for the specific requests.”

What the Wayfarer Parties have had a change to respond to and certainly have responded to is It Ends With Us actress Isabela Ferrer’s accusations that Baldoni and team have been trying to “harass” her and  “engaged in bad faith tactics” over a subpoena related, no surprise, to the Lively case.

Lawyers for Ferrer, who played the younger version of pal Lively’s IEWU Lily Bloom character in the picture, said in an August 17 filing that they objected to Baldoni’s team’s desire to be permitted to “serve her by alternative means,” after several unsuccessful and self-described “diligent” attempts. In fact, lawyers for Ferrer, who assumed her legal costs would be covered by the production under her contract, don’t like the subpoena at all. “Baldoni made no effort to tailor the subpoena towards the production of new or different materials, demonstrating that the real aim of the Baldoni Subpoena, as well as the pending Motion, is to harass Ms. Ferrer.”

Monday, Baldoni’s team took just a day to swing back with a letter of their own – with Lively as exhibit 1:

It was not the Wayfarer Parties who first subpoenaed Ms. Ferrer – it was Ms. Lively, and (again) Mr. Michelman appears to have accepted service of her Subpoena without objection. Ms. Lively should not be permitted to obtain discovery from Ms. Ferrer, while Ms. Ferrer and her counsel frustrate all effort by the Wayfarer Parties to obtain the discovery critical to the preparation of their defense. Given the circumstances, the Wayfarer Parties are willing to stipulate that none of the parties will use any communication to, from or concerning Ms. Ferrer, or any testimony from her, in any manner in this action. That stipulation will satisfy Ms. Ferrer’s apparent desire to avoid involvement in the litigation and trial.

What the outcome of that dispute is remains as of tonight TBD – like so much of this case.

Cameron Boyce’s mom, Libby Boyce, is pouring her heart out about the impact her son left on her family.

In a recent chat with People, the mom of the late actor revealed how Cameron was a source of peace and comfort for her family.

For the unversed, Cameron tragically passed away in 2019 due to a seizure at the age of 20.

Talking about her journey of grief after the passing of her young son, Libby said, “I kind of know what he would want me to do and how he’d want me to move forward because he was such a special human that it was almost like he was a parent to people.”

“He was a very wise person,” she noted. “So I feel like he’s sort of my guardian, but not like a guardian angel, because not that way. Just more— he’s kind of our compass, you know?”

Libby recalled Cameron as “extremely giving, and that’s what life’s about.”

“He was the kid who would go to Children’s Hospital to see one kid for Make-A-Wish and he’d be there for hours,” the proud mom added.

It is pertinent to mention that Cameron is known for his roles in Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups and Happy Gilmore, as well as Disney’s Descendants.

The last batch of £1 coins bearing the face of the late Queen Elizabeth II is entering circulation, with more than 23 million of them destined for tills and people’s pockets.

The Royal Mint said the release of the final Elizabeth II coins, dated 2021 and 2022, marks “a pivotal moment in British coinage history”.

Alongside them, a further 7.5m new King Charles III coins are also entering circulation.

His face has been seen on UK coins since 2023, but only on £1 and 50p denominations so far.

Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: “As we release more of the King Charles III £1 coins into circulation alongside the final coins of Queen Elizabeth II, we’re witnessing the physical representation of our monarchy’s transition.”

She said she hoped finding the new coins in your change could “spark a rewarding hobby” for some, with the Royal Mint encouraging people to check to see if they receive any in the coming weeks.

While the coins were struck up to four years ago, they are being issued now because of demand for £1 coins, the Royal Mint said.

The 2022 coins will become the rarest in circulation, they added, with 7.735 million of those being released.

There are about 24.7 billion coins in circulation across the UK, with the King’s coins currently only making up 0.004% of those.

Some 2.975 million £1 coins featuring the King were released last August by the Royal Mint, based in Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

They feature an intricate bee design on the tails side, representing his love of nature.

They are one of eight new designs that will eventually appear on the nation’s coins, from the 1p to the £2. The country’s flora and fauna will feature on them all, with animals including the red squirrel, puffin and dormouse depicted.

While they are the same size and shape as previous coins, the new designs feature larger numbers to help children identify figures and learn to count.

The change of design followed the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, and the accession to the throne of the new King.

All UK coins featuring the late Queen’s profile remain legal tender and in active circulation, alongside her son’s coins.

In general, coins usually last 20 years – so the Queen Elizabeth and King Charles coins will be in circulation together for some time to come.

The Royal Mint has made the circulating coinage of each of Britain’s monarchs since Alfred the Great.

LONDON:

One of the most valuable violins in the world, crafted three centuries ago and once owned by composer Niccolo Paganini, is to be played at a top UK classical music festival.

The violin, known as the Carrodus, is one of only around 150 made by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu known to have survived down the centuries, and was acquired by a philanthropic group for $20 million in June.

It was crafted in 1743 in Cremonia, northern Italy, and will be played for the first time as part of the BBC Proms by South Korean violinist Inmo Yang.

The violin once owned by Italian virtuoso Paganini will be seen on August 28 at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

“I can’t believe how lucky I am to have this instrument. This is easily one of the greatest instruments ever made,” Yang, who is also making his debut at the Proms, told AFP.

“I feel a duty to take good care of the instrument and make a beautiful sound, so that people know that it’s worth playing these instruments rather than having them in a vault in a museum.”

The Stretton Society, a network of philanthropists, patrons and sponsors that has loaned the violin to Yang, seeks to acquire rare and valuable instruments to lend to the world’s leading musicians.

Guarneri was one of the most important violin makers of all time, alongside Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari, said the society’s co-founder Stephan Jansen.

Whereas Stradivari made instruments for the Church and the nobility, Guarneri’s violins were made for musicians, and they became renowned for their deep and sonorous tones, Jansen said.

“Inmo is one of the finest musicians of his generation,” Jansen told AFP.

“When he came to my house and I showed him the fiddle, it was clear from the very first second that this is a match,” he said. “Because in the end, it’s also about chemistry, you know?”

Yang will perform Pablo de Sarasate’s “Carmen Fantasy”, which he described as “a virtuoso piece for the violin”.

The broad palette of the violin adds the “strong, at times flirty character of the Carmen character,” said Yang.

The instrument’s sound is also “quite unpredictable,” he said, and “this kind of capricious nature really gives more liveliness to the piece”.

“Thinking that Paganini used this instrument is kind of spiritual, and I think people also want to hear Paganini’s music played on his own violin,” Yang added.

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One of the most valuable violins in the world, crafted by an Italian maker three centuries ago and once owned by composer Niccolo Paganini, is to be played at a top UK classical music festival.

The violin, known as the Carrodus, is one of only around 150 made by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu known to have survived down the centuries, and was acquired by a philanthropic group for $20 million in June.

It was crafted in 1743 in Cremonia, northern Italy, and will be played for the first time as part of the BBC Proms by South Korean violinist Inmo Yang.

The violin once owned by famed Italian composer and violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini will be seen on August 28 at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

“I can’t believe how lucky I am to have this instrument. This is easily one of the greatest instruments ever made,” Yang, who is also making his debut at the Proms, told AFP.

“I feel a duty to take good care of the instrument and make a beautiful sound, so that people know that it’s worth playing these instruments rather than having them in a vault in a museum.”

The Stretton Society, a network of philanthropists, patrons and sponsors that has loaned the violin to Yang, seeks to acquire rare and valuable instruments to lend to the world’s leading musicians.

Guarneri was one of the most important violin makers of all time, alongside Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari, said the society’s co-founder Stephan Jansen.

Whereas Stradivari made instruments for the Church and the nobility, Guarneri’s violins were made for musicians, and they became renowned for their deep and sonorous tones, Jansen said.

“Inmo is one of the finest musicians of his generation,” Jansen told AFP.

“When he came to my house and I showed him the fiddle, it was clear from the very first second that this is a match,” he said. “Because in the end, it’s also about chemistry, you know?”

Yang will perform Pablo de Sarasate’s “Carmen Fantasy”, which he described as “a virtuoso piece for the violin”.

The broad palette of the violin adds the “strong, at times flirty character of the Carmen character,” said Yang.

The instrument’s sound is also “quite unpredictable”, he said, and “this kind of capricious nature really gives more liveliness to the piece”.

“Thinking that Paganini used this instrument is kind of spiritual, and I think people also want to hear Paganini’s music played on his own violin,” Yang added. 

Though Modern Family ended after 11 seasons, Sofía Vergara, who portrayed fiery Gloria Delgado-Pritchet, is still open to reprise her character.

In an interview with Closer Magazine, she said, “At some point, I hope the show could make a comeback. It would be the easiest ‘yes’ for me.”

The actress shared, “That’s why I keep texting Ed [O’Neill, her on-screen husband], reminding him not to die — we could never do it without him!”

She doubled down on her love for the character elsewhere in the interview. “I miss playing Gloria. I absolutely loved playing Gloria.”

“Even though we were a fictional family, we became like a real family. I miss all of my castmates,” the 53-year-old gushed about the cast. “I would do anything to be able to work with them all again.”

Besides the Modern Family, Sofía also weighed in on the lessons she received from her divorce from Joe Manganiello in 2023.

“Divorce taught me that there is always hope,” she continued. “Sometimes things don’t work out because there is a huge issue that neither of you want to compromise on, but it’s always important to stay positive and hopeful.”

However, Sofía shared that the door of her heart is open despite the heartbreak. “I do still believe in love. In life, things don’t always work out as we expected or wanted to.

“But even when we have experienced disappointment, I think it’s good for the heart to at least be open to finding love,” she concluded.

Nearly two decades after its debut, Fullmetal Alchemist continues to resonate with fans worldwide, widely regarded as one of the most emotionally intense and unforgettable anime series ever created.

The story, adapted from Hiromu Arakawa’s manga, follows brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, who embark on a perilous quest to restore their bodies after a failed alchemy attempt to resurrect their mother.

While the manga was still ongoing, Arakawa requested that the original 2003 anime develop a separate ending, leading to major plot divergences from the source material. What has remained constant, however, is the show’s impact.

Fans still recall scenes that left a lasting impression, particularly the tragic fate of Nina Tucker. The character’s transformation through her father Shou Tucker’s human experiment has been cited as one of the most disturbing storylines in anime history.

Unlike other antagonists who were given redemption in the manga’s “In Memoriam” segments, Tucker was denied such resolution, a decision supported by the author and widely embraced by viewers.

Other moments in the series also underscore its intensity. In one notable battle, Edward Elric is overpowered by antagonist Kimblee and suffers near-fatal injuries after falling onto a metal beam, an episode often revisited in fan discussions for its shocking brutality.

Fullmetal Alchemist has since remained a reference point in anime culture, with many considering it an exemplar of storytelling that combines action, moral complexity, and raw emotional weight.

Despite subsequent adaptations, including the more manga-faithful Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in 2009, the original series continues to spark debate, analysis, and strong emotional reactions among viewers.

The anime’s enduring legacy lies in how it confronts themes of sacrifice, grief, and the consequences of human ambition — leaving what fans often describe as “scars that never heal.”

Since its arrival on the scene, The Bear has had fans divided whether it is a comedy, which is described as its official genre, or a drama that captures its theme.

In the ongoing debate, Ayo Edebiri, who portrayed Sydney Adamu, weighed in after being asked about it in an interview with Vanity Fair. But the actress seemingly did not give an outright answer.

Instead, she said, “My feeling is that that is a question that is honestly above my pay grade. That’s a question for the studios.“

She continued, “We get asked a lot about it as actors, and they don’t ask the producer, so that’s kind of my answer to that.”

Apart from acting, Ayo also made her directorial debut in the season three episode Napkins. “The writing was just so beautiful. I remember reading it and seeing it in my mind, like really clearly,” she said. 

“There was a real advantage because it was not only a standalone episode of a character that we hadn’t really gotten to see, but it got to be outside of the restaurant,” the star noted.

After season one, the actress said she realized her love for directing. “I think I will eventually direct a feature. I know that I will, but I feel no real rush. I’m writing right now as well and that’s its own process.”

The Bear will return for season five.

Senior star of Pakistan’s film industry Saima Noor has once again become a trending topic online, this time due to a dance clip circulating widely on the social media, Express News reports.

The video, posted on various Instagram pages, shows Saima dressed in blue trousers and a light green T-shirt, performing a dance sequence. From the setting, it appears the footage may have been recorded during the shooting of a film song, though it remains unclear which project it belongs to.

One of the hashtags linked to the video is “Ishq-e-Lahore”, suggesting this could be Saima’s upcoming project expected to be revealed soon. However, neither the actress nor the production team has issued an official confirmation.

It may be recalled that Saima Noor previously went viral when a gym workout video of hers gained attention online and was largely praised by fans. This latest dance clip, however, has triggered a mixed response.

Some users commented that Saima Noor’s age no longer suits such a dance performance and that she should focus on delivering quality acting instead. Others, however, defended the actress, stating she still looks beautiful and confident, and that this enduring charisma is her true success.