Category: 5. Entertainment

Even Quentin Tarantino has a favotire Tarnatino movie.

During an expansive interview on “The Church of Tarantino” podcast, the two-time Oscar winner revealed which of his films is his favorite and which he thinks is his best.

“‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood‘ is my favorite, ‘Inglorious Bastards‘ is my best,” Tarantino said. “But I think ‘Kill Bill‘ is the ultimate Quentin movie, like nobody else could’ve made it. Every aspect about it is so particularly ripped, like with tentacles and bloody tissue, from my imagination and my id and my loves and my passion and my obsession. So I think ‘Kill Bill’ is the movie I was born to make, I think ‘Inglorious Bastards’ is my masterpiece, but ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ is my favorite.”

The “Pulp Fiction” director then picked his favorite and best from his screenplays.

“I think ‘Inglorious Bastards’ is my best script, and I think ‘Hateful Eight’ and ‘Once Upon a Time In Hollywood’ are right behind,” he explained. “But, there’s an aspect of ‘Hateful Eight’ that I actually think is probably my best directing of my material, i.e., the material is written and it’s solid. So it’s not like I have to create it, like ‘Kill Bill,’ it’s solid, it’s right there and I actually think it’s my best servicing [of] my material as a director.”

Despite Tarantino’s affinity for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” David Fincher will direct the highly anticipated sequel, “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” for Netflix. Elsewhere in the interview, Tarantino said he passed on directing the project because the idea of his 10th and final film being a sequel “unenthused” him.

“I love this script, but I’m still walking down the same ground I’ve already walked,” Tarantino said. “It just kind of unenthused me. This last movie, I’ve got to not know what I’m doing again. I’ve got to be in uncharted territory.”

Tarantino also discussed his long-rumored 10th and final film, “The Movie Critic.” He said the project was ultimately scrapped because it was too similar to his previous work.

“I wasn’t really excited about dramatizing what I wrote when I was in pre-production, partly because I’m using the skillset that I learned from ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ [of] ‘How are we going to turn Los Angeles into the Hollywood of 1969 without using CGI?’” he explained. “It was something we had to pull off. We had to achieve it. It wasn’t for sure that we could do it. … ‘The Movie Critic,’ there was nothing to figure out. I already kind of knew, more or less, how to turn L.A. into an older time. It was too much like the last one.”

Listen to Tarantino’s entire interview here.

“Every year I see patients who have had surgery abroad that did not meet any reasonable standard of care,” adds Dr. Rosenberg. “This includes numerous patients who have had facial nerve injuries and have permanently paralyzed and disfigured faces after facelifts. These are not one-offs or anecdotes. There are a number of studies that have documented significantly higher rates of complications from plastic surgery abroad.”

A lot of brokers are also not doctors, which he says can hinder their ability to really understand your needs and create a safe environment for you when recommending a surgeon abroad. “It is very difficult for lay people [and] even well-educated ones to fully understand the complexity of even straightforward surgical procedures,” he says. “Details matter.”

He adds that you’ll want to be wary of private plastic surgery brokers, as the financial incentives may take precedence over your needs as a patient. “Look at how regulated the financial industry is, yet financial services brokers (and even big banks) are always getting in trouble for not working in their clients’ interest. There is no regulation for plastic surgery brokers in the US or abroad,” he says. “Many plastic surgeons pay brokers, so they’re financially incentivized to steer patients toward specific providers,” agrees Dr. Parcells. “Regardless of fit.”

With companies like Beauty Broker Inc. and Persana, fees are only charged to the patients, which experts believe is a more transparent approach that better benefits the client’s needs. “We do not, under any circumstances, accept money from surgeons, clinics, or vendors,” says Farina. “No kickbacks. No commissions. Ever.”

Experts urge you to do your own research—especially if you go the broker route for a surgeon abroad. Research the broker and the company you are enlisting for help, but also do your own vetting for the surgeons they recommend. Dr. Parcells recommends looking into the surgeon’s board certification, experience in the procedure you’re considering, complication rate, and what kind of follow-up care they can provide. But most importantly, she says you should follow and trust your gut. “If something feels off, walk away,” she says.

Have a beauty or wellness trend you’re curious about? We want to know! Send Vogue’s senior beauty & wellness editor an email at beauty@vogue.com.

The Metropolitan Police has said it is investigating allegations of drug use on Strictly Come Dancing.

In a statement, the Met said it had “received an allegation about drug related offences”.

“Police are assessing the information and further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed,” it said.

The BBC said it had “clear protocols and policies in place” for dealing with any serious complaints raised with it.

The Met’s involvement comes after the the BBC launched an investigation earlier this month into alleged drug use by two stars of the show, who have not been named.

It followed a report in the Sun on Sunday, which said the alleged drug use by the stars was widely talked about on the show.

BBC News understands the corporation has hired a law firm to help it carry out the probe.

On Sunday, the Sun reported that the BBC had referred the matter to police.

A Met spokesperson later confirmed that the force had “received an allegation about drug related offences” on Tuesday 12 August.

The BBC said it would not comment on any police investigation.

But it highlighted a previous statement which read: “We have clear protocols and policies in place for dealing with any serious complaint raised with us.

“We would always encourage people to speak to us if they have concerns. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further.”

Strictly, which has been airing since 2004, has faced multiple controversies over the past few years relating to the behaviour of some of its professionals and celebrity guests.

It is believed, however, that this is the first time the BBC has been in contact with the police over allegations linked to the show.

Ronnie Rondell Jr., a veteran Hollywood stuntman best known for being set on fire for the cover of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here album, has died. He was 88.

Rondell Jr. passed away on Tuesday (Aug. 12) at a senior living facility in Osage Beach, Mo., his family announced, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A cause of death was not given.

Throughout his decades-long career, Rondell Jr. appeared in numerous films, including How the West Was Won (1962), Lethal Weapon (1987) and The Matrix Reloaded (2003). To music fans, however, he is most famously remembered as the man engulfed in flames on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1975 album, Wish You Were Here.

The striking image was shot on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Calif., and features a half-burning Rondell Jr. shaking hands with fellow stuntman Danny Rogers, both dressed in business suits.

“I’d been doing a lot of fire work in those days, and I had the special suits and all this stuff for fully enveloped fire,” Rondell Jr. recalled in the documentary Pink Floyd: The Story of Wish You Were Here (via Rolling Stone). “It was pretty easy to do, not too life-threatening, and paid well.”

The iconic photo, created by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell of the English art design group Hipgnosis, took around 15 attempts to shoot due to wind and other factors — and even resulted in Rondell Jr. having part of his eyebrow and mustache burned off.

“We repeated the process 14 times, took the shot, and then on the 15th a gust of wind blew up and wrapped the fire around his face and burnt him,” Powell told The Guardian in 2020. “He threw himself to the ground and his whole team piled on blankets to put him out.”

He added, “I knew I had got a special picture. It took a long time to persuade Ronnie to stand exactly as I wanted but in the end he was very brave and it was a perfect composition.”

Rondell Jr.’s extensive list of film credits includes Kings of the Sun (1963), Shenandoah (1965), Grand Prix (1966), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Blazing Saddles (1974), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), They Live (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Thelma & Louise (1991), Last Action Hero (1993), Speed (1994) and The Crow (1994).

He also worked as a stunt coordinator on several Aaron Spelling-produced television series, including The Rookies, S.W.A.T., Charlie’s Angels, Fantasy Island, Dynasty, Vegas, Hart to Hart and T.J. Hooker, according to THR.

Rondell Jr. retired in 2000 but returned to perform in a chase scene for The Matrix Reloaded (2003), where his son R.A. Rondell was the supervising stunt coordinator.

Veteran stuntman Ronnie Rondell Jr, who was set on fire for the front cover of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here album, has died, his family has said.

Rondell Jr, who performed in a host of Hollywood films, including How the West Was Won, Ice Station Zebra, Twister and The Matrix Reloaded, was 88.

He died at a care home in Osage Beach, Missouri, earlier this week, his family said in a statement posted on the Hedges-Scott-Millard funeral homes website.

Rondell Jr was pictured as a businessman on fire on the cover of the British rock band’s multi-million-selling 1975 album.

His moustache was singed off during the shoot on the Warner Bros studio lot in Burbank, California, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Rondell Jr also racked up numerous TV credits and was known for taking on daring stunts involving diving, gymnastics and hang-gliding skills.

One of his best-known stunts was leaping from a pole that was on fire as it toppled over in the 1963 adventure film Kings of the Sun.

Two years later, he could be seen in midair flying upside down above a cannon in the 1965 western Shenandoah.

Among his other movie credits are the James Bond adventure, Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Mel Brooks’s Blazing Saddles (1974), Lethal Weapon (1987), Thelma & Louise (1991), Speed (1994) and Star Trek: First Contact (1996).

He later came out of retirement to take part in a spectacular car chase in The Matrix Reloaded (2003), on which his son R A Rondell was the supervising stunt coordinator.

Rondell came from a family steeped in the movies, with his father, Ronald R Rondell, an extra who graduated to working as an assistant director on films like Around the World in 80 Days and various TV shows.

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One of his sons, R A Rondell, is a stunt performer and coordinator, while another son, Reid Rondell, 22, died in 1985 in a helicopter crash in California while performing a stunt on the TV series Airwolf.

Born in Hollywood in 1937, Rondell excelled in gymnastics and diving at school before entering the US Navy, where he specialised in scuba diving and mine force demolition.

He began as an extra before graduating to TV stunt work, eventually setting up Stunts Unlimited, which represented top motorcycle racers, car drivers, horsemen, pilots, aerial specialists and fight choreographers.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary Rondell, his son, R A Rondell, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem clocks an 11th nonconsecutive week atop the Billboard 200 chart (dated Aug. 23). The project earned 126,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Aug. 14 (down 7%), according to Luminate. I’m the Problem debuted at No. 1 on the May 31-dated chart, spent it first eight weeks in the pole position, stepped away from the top for two frames and then returned to No. 1 for the three weeks running.

Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, Gunna, mgk and Jonas Brothers all arrive with their latest efforts, while BABYMETAL gets its first top 10 with the bow of METAL FORTH.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Aug. 23, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Aug. 19). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of I’m the Problem’s 126,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 14, SEA units comprise 121,000 (down 7%, equaling 159.73 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs — it leads Top Streaming Albums for a 12th nonconsecutive week), album sales comprise 4,000 (down 3%, it falls 13-21 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (down 12%).

The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack is steady at its No. 2 high on the Billboard 200, with 104,000 equivalent album units earned (its best week yet by units earned, up 4%). The set has posted a gain every week since its debut on the list eight weeks ago.

Gunna logs his seventh top 10-charted effort on the Billboard 200, as The Last Wun arrives at No. 3 with 80,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 79,000 (equaling 104.49 million on-demand official streams of its songs — it debuts at No. 3 on Top Streaming Albums), while album sales comprise 1,000 (it was available to purchase only as a standard widely available download album) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The Last Wun was preceded by its charted songs “Him All Along” (No. 58 peak last November on the Billboard Hot 100) and “Won’t Stop” (No. 70, June).

mgk debuts at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with lost americana, marking his seventh top 10 project. The set bows with 63,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 40,500 — it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales, SEA units comprise 22,000 (equaling 28.63 million on-demand official streams of its songs; it debuts at No. 18 on Top Streaming Albums), and TEA units comprise 500. The album was preceded by the charted song “cliché,” which peaked at No. 62 on the Hot 100 in June.

The first-week sales of lost americana were bolstered by the set’s availability across 10 vinyl variants (including two signed by mgk), four CD variants (including one signed by the artist), a standard widely available download and four deluxe CD boxed sets (each containing a branded clothing item and a copy of the CD).

Alex Warren’s You’ll Be Alright, Kid rises 6-5 on the Billboard 200, matching its peak rank, with 42,000 equivalent album units earned (down 3%).

Jonas Brothers achieve their eighth top 10-charted project on the Billboard 200 as Greetings From Your Hometown starts at No. 6 with 39,000 equivalent album units. Of that sum, album sales comprise 26,000 (it debuts at No. 3 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 13,000 (equaling 16.49 million on-demand official streams of its songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album was preceded by a trio of charted songs on the Pop Airplay chart: “Slow Motion” (with Marshmellow, No. 37 peak in March), “Love Me to Heaven” (No. 34, May) and “No Time to Talk” (which rose to a new peak of No. 27 on the most recently published chart, dated Aug. 23).

The first-week sales of Greetings were aided by its availability as a widely available 10-song standard vinyl and CD album. The set was also available in two additional vinyl variants (one signed) and more than 50 CD variants (including 50 signed editions, individualized for each of the 50 States of the U.S.), a deluxe download edition with four bonus tracks, a deluxe download edition with six bonus tracks and an artist webstore-exclusive download edition with bonus live tracks.

Justin Bieber’s SWAG falls 5-7 on the Billboard 200 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned (down 13%) and Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time dips 7-8 with nearly 38,000 units (down 3%).

BABYMETAL scores its first top 10 album on the Billboard 200 as METAL FORTH debuts at No. 9 with 36,000 equivalent album units earned — the act’s best week by units. Of that sum, album sales comprise 33,500 (the act’s best sales week ever; it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 2,500 (equaling 3.28 million on-demand official streams of its songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.

METAL FORTH’s first-week sales got a boost from its availability across 15 vinyl variants (including two signed editions), six CD editions (five signed), two deluxe CD boxed sets (one of which was signed, both containing branded merch and a copy of the CD), three cassettes, a widely available standard digital download album and three deluxe expanded digital download albums (each with two different bonus tracks, exclusive to the band’s webstore).

Rounding out the latest top 10 of the Billboard 200 is SZA’s former leader SOS, which shifts 8-10 with 35,000 equivalent album units earned (down 4%). SOS clocks its 100th nonconsecutive week in the top 10 — the first album by a woman that has claimed 100 weeks in the top 10 in the chart’s history, which dates to March 1956.

SOS already had the record for the most weeks in the top 10 among albums by women, when it surpassed Adele’s 21 in April. Among individual artists (excluding multi-act soundtracks and cast recordings), only Morgan Wallen and SZA have albums with at least 100 weeks in the top 10. Wallen has done it twice, with Dangerous: The Double Album (165) and One Thing at a Time (121). The album with the most weeks in the top 10, overall, is the original cast recording of My Fair Lady, with 173 weeks in 1956-60.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

Russell Crowe has spoken publicly for the first time in nearly 20 years about the infamous phone-throwing incident that led to his arrest in New York in 2005. The Oscar-winning actor, now 61, expressed regret over the episode in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, saying he has grown from the experience and now values the lessons it taught him.

The incident occurred in June 2005 at the Mercer Hotel in Manhattan, where Crowe was staying while promoting his film Cinderella Man. After being unable to make a long-distance call to his then-wife, Danielle Spencer, in Australia, Crowe lost his temper and threw a telephone at a front desk employee, Nestor Estrada. He was arrested and led from the hotel in handcuffs, spending six hours in police custody.

Crowe initially faced felony charges but later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of third-degree assault. He avoided jail time but paid a reported $100,000 to settle a civil lawsuit filed by Estrada. At the time, Crowe admitted he struggled with anger management and described feeling “at the bottom of a well.”

Now, Crowe has reflected on the experience through both words and music. In the video for his new single Save Me, with his band The Gentlemen Barbers, he alludes to the incident. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, he said, “At 61, I can forgive my bad days. I absolutely respect regret. Regret is one of the greatest processes.”

Crowe added that he has become “smarter” over the years and more honest with himself. He shared a tongue-in-cheek reference to his time in custody: “Sometimes you’re singing Irish folk songs to the prison officer who is looking after you in jail.”

The actor was married to Danielle Spencer from 2003 until their separation in 2012. They finalized their divorce in 2018 and share two sons, Charlie and Tennyson.

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s real dating history reportedly was never shared and an insider has just called the information known to many ‘wrong’.

For those unversed, its widely known that the two began dating after being friends for a while, then roommates until eventually sparking a romance in 2002 or 2003.

The story most associated is when Kate Middleton walked the runway of a charity fashion show for St Andrews, in a sheer dress, that included black underwear. Prince William is said to have murmured to his friends “Wow, Kate’s hot!”.

Recently The Daily Mail’s Sean Smith wrote on the reality and said, “Kate had been introduced to William because they were on the same course, History of Art, and in the same student block, but had yet to have a chat. That changed when he discovered she knew about rugby and could have a decent conversation about it.”

“She became the only girl in his set of well-to-do public school types who always sat together at lunch and . They started dating at the Christmas holidays and were already a discreet item by the time William publicly commented on how fit she was at the now-famous charity fashion show in which she sashayed down the runway in a transparent dress revealing black underwear.”

Per the outlet this report goes against others that say the couple was dating other people at the time of the fashion show. Allegedly “a clumsy pass” was made by Prince William following “which he was rebuffed.”

A big reason why the timeline is not as well known is because the Palace worked with the media to offer Prince William ‘a normal’ college life. 

Meghan Markle is once again under the spotlight after announcing a new project with Netflix, with critics accusing her of “copying” the Princess of Wales.

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, and Prince Harry, 40, revealed their new “first-look” deal with the streaming platform last week. The agreement includes a festive special of Meghan’s lifestyle series ‘With Love’, described as a chance to “join Meghan in Montecito for a magical holiday celebration.”

However, the announcement quickly sparked criticism from some royal watchers who claim Meghan is trying to take attention away from Kate Middleton, 43, who hosts a well-known royal Christmas event each year.

Kinsey Schofield, a US-based royal expert and podcaster, told the Mirror that this is part of a “pattern” by the Sussexes. “It’s become so noticeable it was reported recently that Harry had offered to share his schedule with the family as an ‘olive branch’ to avoid competing in the future,” she said.

The claims come at a time when the couple is said to be facing a “reality check,” as experts suggest their public image and media projects continue to receive mixed reactions. Some believe the timing of their announcements often appears to clash with key royal events.

The new Netflix deal aims to bring more personal content from the Sussexes, though it has also added to the ongoing divide between the couple and the rest of the Royal Family.

The Palace has not responded to the claims.