Prince Harry tipped to submit to King for safe future
Prince Andrew is asked to lay low as he faces backlash from the public.
The Duke of York, who has been associated to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the past, is urged to lay low and life a life that is wanted by his brother.
Royal expert Jennie Bond told the Mirror: “His best course of action is to lie low, enjoy the immensely privileged lifestyle he still has, embrace his family life, and do as his brother asks.
“If he is still invited to family gatherings, he would do well to forego the protocol of walking in order of precedence and fade quietly into the background. In other words: show a bit of humility, Andrew, because we haven’t seen a shred of it yet.
She added: “He has already been sacked by his mother, stripped of his military appointments, and banned from using his HRH in any official capacity.
The BBC has asked the police to investigate Strictly Come Dancing amid fresh allegations, according to reports, after claims two of its stars used cocaine.
The Sun on Sunday reported that the corporation has alerted the Metropolitan police to new allegations about the dance competition show, the details of which it does not specify.
A BBC spokesperson said on Saturday the corporation does not comment on police investigations.
It comes after reports in the Sun earlier this month alleged two Strictly cast members’ drug use was discussed on the show, and said that the corporation had appointed law firm Pinsent Masons to lead the investigation.
The show was also the subject of a review in 2024, when the BBC looked into allegations of bullying and harassment against former professional dancer Giovanni Pernice made by his former dance partner Amanda Abbington.
The corporation upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made – and introduced a series of new measures aimed at improving welfare.
This included the introduction of a chaperone who is present “at all times” during training room rehearsals.
EastEnders star James Borthwick was also suspended from the BBC after a video emerged of the actor using a disabled slur on the set of the dance programme.
The cocaine use allegations were reportedly made in a legal submission by law firm Russells in March on behalf of former contestant Wynne Evans, who was dropped by the BBC after apologising for using “inappropriate language” during the launch of the Strictly tour.
It is understood that the BBC often appoints external law firms to help it lead investigations.
The BBC spokesperson previously said: “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.”
The Metropolitan police has been contacted for comment.
Gal Gadot is giving her perspective on why Disney’s live-action “Snow White” remake underperformed at the box office.
During a recent appearance on the Israeli TV program “The A Talks,” in which guests are interviewed by individuals on the autism spectrum, Gadot said “Snow White’s” poor box office performance was partially because of “pressure” in Hollywood to “speak against Israel” amid the ongoing conflict with Palestine.
“You know, this happens a lot in various industries, including Hollywood,” she said. “There’s pressure on celebrities to speak against Israel. And, you know, it happened.”
She continued, “I can always explain and try to give context about what’s happening here. And I always do that. But in the end, people make their own decisions. And I was disappointed that the movie was incredibly affected by all of that and that it didn’t do well at the box office. But that’s how it goes. You win some, you lose some.”
Alongside Gadot, the film starred Rachel Zegler as the titular Disney princess, Andrew Burnap as the Prince Charming stand-in Jonathan, Patrick Page as the Magic Mirror and Ansu Kabia as the Huntsman.
Despite the poor commercial reception, Variety film critic Owen Gleiberman was keen on the “Snow White,” writing in his review, “With all the turmoil besetting the real world, you’d think there might be more important things to inflate into controversies than the pre-release kerfuffles that have plagued ‘Snow White.’ As it turns out, this is one of the better live-action adaptations of a Disney animated feature. And I say that as someone who mostly doesn’t like them.”
Meghan Markle to compromise on Royals for Netflix approval?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are subtly warned to keep their content around the Royal lines.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have been able to extend their content deal with Netflix, are expected to deliver more productions associated to the Royal Family.
Journalist Esther Craichu says the Sussexes’ deal is simply a “retainer.”
She added: “It’s a retainer in case they [Meghan and Harry] decide to accidentally do something entertaining again.
“That’s basically it. So there’s no commitment.
The expert told The Sun: “They’ve put no money behind this. It’s basically the right to first refusal.
“So if they come up with something that doesn’t have to do with their whole kind of sermonising about how to save the world, then Netflix might be like, yes.
“I mean, to be brutally honest, what they’ve done is they’ve said, ‘unless you have some juicy tea to spill on the royal family, or you get divorced and want to give us a documentary, probably not.”
“But if they have something juicy to say about the royal family, like the king sent me a potted plant, which turned out to be poison ivy, or that ‘H my fox’ just didn’t hold me the way I wanted to, and so we’ve had to consciously uncouple, then maybe.
Sam Asghari backs Britney Spears after her memoir shook Hollywood
Sam Asghari once again found himself in the spotlight after making a sharp comment connected to Britney Spears.
Just a week after news broke about Kevin Federline’s upcoming memoir, Sam reacted with a line that instantly caught attention. Speaking to TMZ on August 16, he quipped, “He was a professional father, so it would be the first book that would tell you how to be a professional father.”
The reaction came after Federline revealed details of his book ‘You Thought You Knew,’ set to be released on October 21. The memoir was described as an intimate look at fame, fatherhood and the challenges of living under constant public scrutiny.
According to him, the book would share his journey through dreams, heartbreak and ridicule while focusing on his role as a father.
Federline, 47, is the father of six children from different relationships. With Britney, he shares Sean, 19, and Jayden, 18. In May 2023, he was asked to relocate both sons with him and his wife Victoria to Hawaii, a move Britney consented to at the time.
Despite the distance, the pop star later revealed that she reunited with her son Jayden over the holidays.
Britney wrote on Instagram about their meeting, sharing her joy with fans. “I hadn’t seen him in 2 and half years or maybe 3 !!! I’m in shock !!! He came back and he feels older and smarter than me !!! He’s a man and I cry everyday of my life because of the miracle and genius he is !!! When he plays the whole earth shakes !!!”
Through it all, Sam had often voiced his support for Britney, even encouraging her to protect herself with a prenup before their 2022 wedding.
Maggie Smith, a towering figure in the arts, portrayed Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey. In the show, her co-star Elizabeth McGovern paid tribute to her in the latest interview.
The actress played Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, in the historical drama, as she is set to appear in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, a third film in the franchise without the late star.
She said, “I thought it would be absolutely horrible. I think a lot of the actors were really frightened of the idea, but the funny thing is I felt like she was there.”
“I felt like her spirit was in the air, in that house and in those rooms, that I didn’t miss her as much as I thought I would,” the actress noted.
Similarly, Judi Dench previously remembered her late friend in an interview with the BBC with a sweet gesture of planting a tree in her name.
“Joe, who works for me, came in and he had one little crab apple,” the 007 star told the outlet, adding it started to produce fruit at the time of her funeral, as she died on Sept 27, 2024. She was 89.
“And so I had it in my pocket at her funeral, which was a very nice thing to have,” she noted about the Harry Potter alum, with whom she first met at Old Vic theatre’s dressing room in 1957.
Also, Judi and Maggie both appeared in films such as the 1984 film A Private Function, 1985’s A Room With a View, 1999’s Tea With Mussolini, 2004’s Ladies in Lavender, 2011’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its 2015 sequel The Second Best Marigold Hotel.
Two and a half years before he died, Elvis Presley sat on the floor of a walk-in closet at the Las Vegas Hilton and discussed a project that might have changed the course of his life.
The meeting, as recounted by Presley’s longtime friend Jerry Schilling, put the King of Rock and Roll face to face with Barbra Streisand, who’d come to see Presley perform at the Hilton in March 1975 then sought an audience after the show to float an idea: Would Presley be interested in appearing opposite Streisand in her remake of “A Star Is Born”?
At the time of the duo’s conversation — Schilling says that he, Presley’s pal Joe Esposito and Streisand’s boyfriend Jon Peters squeezed into the closet with the stars in a search for some quiet amid the commotion backstage — it had been six years since Presley had last played a dramatic role onscreen; Streisand’s pitch so tantalized him, according to Schilling, that they ended up talking for more than two hours about the movie.
“We even ordered in some food,” Schilling recalls.
Presley, of course, didn’t get the part famously played by Kris Kristofferson — a casualty, depending on who you ask, of Streisand’s insistence on top billing or of the unreasonable financial demands of Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker. (In her 2023 memoir, Streisand wonders whether the character of a self-destructive musician was in the end “a little too close to his own life” for Elvis’ comfort.)
Whatever the case, Schilling believes that the disappointment over “A Star Is Born” set Presley on a path of poor decision-making that effectively tanked his career before his tragic death at age 42 on Aug. 16, 1977 — 48 years ago this weekend.
“That was the last time I saw the twinkle in my friend’s eye,” Schilling, 83, says of the sit-down with Streisand.
An intriguing new box set commemorates the King’s final burst of creativity. Released this month in five-CD and two-LP editions, “Sunset Boulevard” collects the music Presley recorded in Los Angeles between 1972 and 1975, including the fruit of one session held just days before the meeting about “A Star Is Born.” These were the studio dates that yielded songs like “Separate Ways,” which Elvis cut amid the crumbling of his marriage to Priscilla Presley, and “Burning Love,” his last Top 10 pop hit, as well as 1975’s “Today” LP, an exemplary showcase of Presley’s latter-day blend of rock, country and blue-eyed soul.
Is yet another repackaging of Presley’s music really something to get excited about? The Elvis industry has never not been alive and well over the half-century since he died; in just the last few years, we’ve seen Baz Luhrmann’s splashy big-screen biopic, the latest book from the singer’s biographer Peter Guralnick (this one about Parker) and not one but two documentaries about the so-called ’68 comeback special that heralded Presley’s return to live performance after nearly a decade of film work.
More gloomily, “Sunset Boulevard” arrives as Priscilla Presley — who got her own biopic from director Sofia Coppola in 2023 — is making headlines thanks to an ugly legal battle with two former business partners she brought on to aid in managing the Presley brand. (The feud itself follows the sudden death two years ago of Priscilla and Elvis’ only child, Lisa Marie Presley.)
Yet the new box offers an opportunity to ponder the curious position Elvis found himself in once the glow of the comeback special had faded: a rock and roll pioneer now strangely removed from the culture he did as much as anyone to invent.
“Sunset Boulevard’s” title, which the set shares with Billy Wilder’s iconic 1950 movie, can’t help but evoke the spoiled grandeur of an aging showbiz legend. It also refers to the physical location of RCA Records’ West Coast headquarters at 6363 Sunset Blvd., across the street from Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome. Now the site of the L.A. Film School, the building is where the Rolling Stones recorded “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and Jefferson Airplane made “Surrealistic Pillow” — and where Presley set up in the early ’70s after cutting most of his ’60s movie soundtracks at Radio Recorders near the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.
Jerry Schilling at his home in West Hollywood.
(JSquared Photography / For The Times)
By 1972, rock had long since evolved beyond the crucial influence Elvis exerted at the beginning of his career. Nor was the King particularly dialed into what was happening in music while he was busy in Hollywood.
“We weren’t as exposed as much as I wish we would’ve been to everything going on,” Schilling says on a recent afternoon at his home high in the hills above Sunset Plaza. A core member of Elvis’ fabled Memphis Mafia, Schilling has lived here since 1974, when Elvis bought the place from the TV producer Rick Husky and gifted it to Schilling for his years of loyal friend-ployment.
“When you’re doing movies, you’re up at 7 in the morning and you’re in makeup by 8,” Schilling continues. “You work all day and you come home — you’re not necessarily putting on the latest records.”
More than the growling rock lothario of Presley’s early days — to say nothing of the shaggy psychedelic searchers who emerged in his wake — what the RCA material emphasizes is how expressive a ballad singer Elvis had become in middle age. Schilling says the singer’s romantic troubles drew him to slower, moodier songs like “Separate Ways,” “Always on My Mind” and Kristofferson’s “For the Good Times,” the last of which he delivers in a voice that seems to tremble with regret. (Presley had to be cajoled into singing the uptempo “Burning Love,” according to Schilling, who notes with a laugh that “when it became a hit, he loved it.”)
But in the deep soulfulness of this music you’re also hearing the rapport between Presley and the members of his live band, with whom he recorded at RCA instead of using the session players who’d backed him in the ’60s. Led by guitarist James Burton, the TCB Band — that’s Taking Care of Business — was assembled ahead of Elvis’ first engagement at Las Vegas’ International Hotel, which later became the Las Vegas Hilton; indeed, one of “Sunset Boulevard’s” more fascinating features is the hours of rehearsal tape documenting Presley’s preparation in L.A. for the Vegas shows that began in 1969.
The sound quality is murky and the performances fairly wobbly, as in a take on “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” where Elvis can’t quite seem to decide on a key. Yet it’s a thrill to listen in as the musicians find their groove — a kind of earthy, slow-rolling country-gospel R&B — in an array of far-flung tunes including “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues,” even the Pointer Sisters’ “Fairytale.”
The RCA Records building on Sunset Boulevard in an undated photo.
(RCA Records)
In one rehearsal recorded Aug. 16, 1974, Elvis cues his band to play the Ewan MacColl ballad made famous by Roberta Flack: “‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Friggin’ Face,’” he calls out as we hear the players warming up. Then they all lock in for a closely harmonized rendition of the song so pretty there’s something almost spooky about it.
Sitting next to the balcony he was standing on when he got the phone call alerting him to the news of Presley’s death, Schilling takes clear pleasure in spinning well-practiced yarns about his years with Elvis: the time John Lennon told him to tell Presley that he grew out his sideburns in an attempt to look like the King, for instance, or the audition where Elvis took a flier on a relatively unknown drummer named Ronnie Tutt who ended up powering the TCB Band.
He’s more halting when he talks about the end of his friend’s life and about what he sees as the lack of a serious artistic challenge that might have sharpened Elvis’ focus. Staying on in Vegas a bit too long, making so-so records in a home studio set up at Graceland — these weren’t enough to buoy the man he calls a genius. Does Schilling know if Presley saw “A Star Is Born” when it came out at the end of 1976?
He considers the question for a good 10 seconds. “I don’t know,” he finally says. He started tour managing the Beach Boys that year and was spending less time with Presley. “He never mentioned it to me. I wish I knew. There’s probably nobody alive now who could say.”
Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman were pitted against each other by ‘Black Swan’ director
Mila Kunis shared the grueling routine she had to follow for her role in Black Swan.
The 42-year-old revealed in a joint Vogue interview with Portman published Friday, August 15 how she used to barely eat and would dance throughout the day.
“My prep was a lot of dancing and very little eating — which I know you’re not supposed to say, but it’s the truth,” Kunis made the bombshell claim.
“I drank a lot of broth and danced for 12 hours a day.”
Ashton Kutcher’s wife also confessed that they had just ‘three months of prep’ which made it really difficult for Portman and her.
However, due to some reason the director Darren [Aronofsky] lost funding.
In an attempt to find another source of financing, the film got extended to six months which became a blessing for the two ladies as they got more time to dance.
The That 70’s Show actress touched upon the experience on the set.
She recalled that while doing the physical training with the former New York City Ballet dancer, she ended up talking to her and getting to know so much about the world the movie showed.
Kunis labelled it as ‘doing investigative journalism’.
Gal Gadot is opening up for the first time about the commercial failure of Disney’s Snow White and shuts down reports of a strained relationship with co-star Rachel Zegler.
“I really enjoyed filming that movie, I really had fun”, said Gadot during an appearance on Israeli TV show The A Talks, which aired Thursday. “Even working alongside Rachel Zegler. We laughed and we talked, we had fun. I was positive the movie was going to be a huge hit. And then Oct. 7 happened, and what happened all over in different industries, not just Hollywood, there was a lot of pressure put on celebrities, actors, creators to post against Israel. And it happened. I can always explain and try to give people in the world context about the situation and the reality in Israel, and I always do that. But at the end, people make up their own minds. And I was disappointed that the movie was incredibly affected by all of that and that it didn’t do well at the box office. But it is what it is, you win some, you lose some.”
Gadot was a guest on the Keshet 12 channel show, the local version of the French format “Les Rencontres du Papotin,” created by directors Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano (The Intouchables). Each episode sees a celebrity facing a group of atypical journalists, all with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), for a no-holds-barred and heartfelt Q&A session. The original series, airing on France 2 since 2022, included such guests as President of France Emmanuel Macron and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard. In Israel, the show is hosted by model turned actress and TV personality, Rotem Sela, who is one of Gadot’s closest friends.
The Wonder Woman actress and her family are spending the summer in Israel after wrapping filming of the upcoming action thriller The Runner in the U.K. a few weeks ago, where she was met with protests.
“I filmed a movie in London, Jaron my husband and our two eldest daughters stayed in Los Angeles, and I was in London with our two youngest daughters. And I was on location outside of London, so my parents and the nanny had the girls with them. All of a sudden, I felt incredibly lonely. During filming, I was targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters that decided to target and attack me personally. It was a difficult experience, very complicated and unpleasant. I felt alone.”
Asked whether that changed during her current visit in Israel, she stated, “I feel most safe in Israel, despite all the missile attack alarms and what’s happening. It has now gotten much more complicated being Israeli outside of Israel. When I’m not in Israel, working elsewhere, I always have security detail”.
Gadot later explained why she didn’t wear the yellow ribbon pin, symbolling solidarity with the 50 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, to the 2025 Golden Globes red carpet, which upset some Israelis.
“I am Israeli and a proud one at that. I was invited to the Globes to present an award. And with those circumstances, there are a lot of collaborations, brands that are involved, and it’s quite complicated. It did not feel right to wear the pin for work. It might have been a mistake.”
Gadot also talked about her emergency brain surgery in March 2024, which she opened up about last December, her breakout role in Wonder Woman (“Chris Pine got paid more than me, and I was Wonder Woman!”), and her biggest career regret was guest-starring on HBO’s Entourage in 2009.
“I hated filming Entourage, didn’t have fun at all.” she revealed. “Some guy was inappropriate with me on set until it reached a point where I quit in the middle, left the set and never went back to film with them.”
When asked if she thinks she is a good actress, Gadot replied, “I think I’m solid, I’m alright. There are those who are more talented than me. But if you cast me, you cast well. Because my biggest strength is that I am not afraid to work hard and that I never let anything stand in my way. I just go, go, go.”
Brie Larson, Jack Quaid land roles in ‘Close Personal Friends’
Brie Larson, Lily Colins, Jack Quaid and Henry Golding are set to grace the silver screen in Close Personal Friends.
The film is directed and executive produced by Jason Orley and Issac Aptaker penned the script which is based on a story he wrote with Orley. Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger, Ashley Fox and Johnny Pariseau, will produce.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, much of the story is being kept under the sheets, but it is known to centre on one couple that meets and befriends a celebrity couple while on a trip to Santa Barbara. Personal lines get crossed, among other things, and awkward hilarity ensues.
The feature project reunites Orley, Aptaker, and Berger with Amazon MGM after their previous project, the 2022 romantic comedy I Want You Back, starring Charlie Day and Jenny Slate.
The A-Listed lead celebrities which include, Larson, who plays Captain Marvel in the Marvel movies and won an Oscar for her performance in indie drama Room, last executive produced and starred in Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistry, earning Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, Critics Choice, and Golden Globe nominations.
Quaid this year starred in New Line’s well-liked sci-fi thriller Companion as well as Paramount’s action thriller Novocaine.
Collins is the star of Netflix’s hit series Emily in Paris. Her last big-screen outing was appearing in Maxxine, the final instalment in Ti West and A24‘s cult horror trilogy X.
Meanwhile, Golding came to prominence thanks to his breakout role in Crazy Rich Asians for Warner Bros. he is currently starring in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen.
The release date of Close Personal Friends is yet to be announced.
