‘A new set of rules’ … the sports-based manosphere. Illustration: Ben Denzer/The Guardian
“Today’s sports broadcast world,” wrote Aaron Timms in this fascinating exploration of the sports-based manosphere, “runs according to a new set of rules, in which ‘respectable’ TV and the demimonde of sports podcasts, streaming, and shitposting increasingly intersect: all engagement is good engagement, and the best type of filter is no filter. Whatever faint norms of decorum constrained earlier generations of professional sports talkers have faded completely. There’s a reciprocal flow of testosterone and ideas between these shows, the world of sports, social media and real life. A handful of subjects and themes recur: veneration of the military, glorification of strength and traditional ‘male’ values, celebration of gambling, the denigration of women and anything thought to represent ‘woke’ culture.”
Read more
2. ‘People here are as strong as concrete’: the stunning architecture of war-torn Kharkiv
The Ukraina cinema and concert hall in Kharkiv. Photograph: Pavlo Dorohoi
A new architectural guidebook was written as a love letter to the Ukrainian city – then Russia started bombing it. How will this home to Tetris-like offices and daring curved cinemas be rebuilt, asked the Guardian’s architecture critic, Oliver Wainwright.
If you liked this piece, you might also be interested in Charlotte Higgins’s feature on the ghost museums of Ukraine.
Read more
3. ‘This is going to be a real hatchet job, isn’t it?’ Janet Street-Porter on ‘bitchiness’, backstabbing and her remarkable career
Janet Street-Porter outside her old school in Parsons Green, west London. Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian
One of the giants of British media, Street-Porter is a regular on Loose Women, a former TV executive, newspaper editor and author – and about to launch a one-woman stage show. Before she dashed out of the restaurant where they met for lunch, she told Simon Hattenstone about love, regrets and her fury with her late mother.
Read more
4. The Shining: my trip to the G7 horror show with Emmanuel Macron
‘Hating Macron is a national sport in France,’ wrote Emmanuel Carrère. Photograph: Teresa Suárez/EPA
Nearly seven years ago, Emmanuel Carrère travelled on the presidential plane with Emmanuel Macron, to profile him for the Guardian. It was at the start of his first term in office, and everything seemed to be going well for him. Now, Carrère wrote on Tuesday, hating Macron is a national sport in France. For the long read, Carrère travelled once more with the French president, this time to Kananaskis in Alberta, Canada, for the recent G7 conference most notable for Donald Trump’s abrupt departure: “With [Trump] gone, the tension subsided. We could breathe again but there was no denying that the game had lost some of its appeal. Even though the second day was no more than a half day it dragged on, which was all the crueller given that its star was Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Invited by the G7, he had travelled more than 3,000 miles just to see Trump and beg him once again not to completely abandon Ukraine, and Trump once again humiliated him, this time by leaving just before he arrived.”
Read more
5. ‘A relentless, destructive energy’: inside the trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were found guilty of the manslaughter of their newborn daughter. Composite: Alex Mellon for the Guardian ; PA/Getty Images
On Monday, Marten and Gordon were found guilty of the manslaughter of their newborn daughter, who died after they took her to live in a tent in freezing wintry conditions to evade social services. Their story – of a woman born into extraordinary aristocratic privilege and her life with a violent convicted rapist – grimly fascinated Britain. For an extraordinary long read, Sophie Elmhirst spent months attending their retrial and chronicled the chaotic scenes as Gordon chose to defend himself and Marten pushed the patience of the presiding judge to its limits.
Read more
6. Where Oasis, the Killers and Noddy Holder raised hell: Britpop’s debauched HQ, the Columbia hotel
Columbia hotel became the place to be in the 1990s. Photograph: Roberto Herrett/Alamy
The Columbia hotel in west London was known for its cheap rooms, its bar’s flexible opening hours, and its look-the-other-way attitude. It became a go-to spot for musicians in the 1980s and, in the 90s, became the place to descend on. In this fun history, Daniel Dylan-Wray spoke to those who remember (or perhaps don’t) its hedonistic glory days.
With Sickbay’s Quarantine Mode engaged, Chapel and Spock start operating on Batel, injecting her with the experimental plasma solution. Simultaneously, Uhura reports that the Gorn are transmitting an interference signal preventing the Enterprise from hailing Starfleet, prompting Pike to call Pelia and Scotty to the Bridge. Since stellar flares dictate the Gorn’s cycles, Pike suggests that they turn the Enterprise into a CME X-flare — what Scotty describes as an artificial star. Scotty and Pelia brainstorm, indicating the ship would need to fly between the binary stars, modify its deflector shields, and magnetize its hull to attract stellar material.
As Pike accepts the 1 in 1000 odds, Spock provides an alternative to Batel’s surgery in Sickbay. Instead of operating on Batel, they could satiate the Gorn hatchlings to keep them from coming out. Once the hatchlings are no longer in defensive mode, Chapel would then be able to dissolve them and treat the infection with Number One’s blood. Over on the Gorn Destroyer, La’An recalls her brother Manu as she accesses a Gorn interface, locating the vessel’s buffer signatures and transport codes. The Gorn converge on their position, igniting a fierce firefight and inflicting painful wounds upon Ortegas and Kirk.
There’s a video from an event for the Fantastic Four movie where Pedro Pascal is seen touching the arm of actress Vanessa Kirby, his co-star in the Marvel film, and how she reaches for his hand to hold it because she knew it was the best way to help him with the event anxiety he’s publicly expressed his struggles with. At the Gladiator II premiere last November, Pascal bent down to arrange his sister Lux’s dress for the red carpet; and at the recent Cannes Film Festival, while she posed, he took photos of her while telling everyone around him, “she’s my sister.” Among his most recent Instagram posts are a video against Trump’s deportations and another about the end of U.S. funding for the LGBTQ+ suicide prevention hotline.
Pascal uses his mother’s surname, he’s a migrant, exiled with his family from the Chilean dictatorship — they took asylum in Denmark before moving to the United States — brother of Lux, a trans actress and model, who turned 50 this year. It wasn’t until he was well into his 40s that he began to climb the ladder in film and television: Narcos, Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian, The Last of Us, Gladiator II, and now one of Marvel’s heroes, a film for which he’s currently on tour. In June, Materialists hit U.S. theaters, the latest film by Celine Song (the director of Past Lives), in which he plays a man in a polyamorous relationship that anyone could fall in love with.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in a scene from the second season of ‘The Last of Us.’Max
In 2023, Time magazine ranked him among the 100 most influential people in the world. As of last year, his media presence and reach have been exponential. He is already one of the most sought-after actors in the industry, one of the most popular in Hollywood among his co-stars, and also one of those considered the most attractive. But it’s not that — or not so much the latter as all of the above — that has sparked a phenomenon in countries on every continent, among women, the LGBTQ+ community, and even some men.
So what’s going on? Nerea Aresti, a professor and doctor at the University of the Basque Country and a doctor from the State University of New York, is a specialist in gender history. She responds that while “many heterosexual women have raised their expectations of men” in recent decades, “many men will have to understand that the game has changed, above all, that there is no single way to be a man.” She asserts that “although some women remain anchored in traditional and sexist archetypes, many others seek a different model of man.”
He’s the man every heterosexual or bisexual person would like to have at their side
Carolina Meloni, philosopher
And that expectation “is individual, but it’s also collective.” Hence part of the mass furor toward Pascal, or other men like him, who “offer alternatives, sexy alternatives at that, to the model promoted by the manosphere, the incels, and, in general, all those masculinities that revolt against change and entrench themselves to defend privileges they feel are threatened.” Aresti believes it’s “important” that such men exist.
Memes circulate online stating that Pascal “is not just a man. He’s a movement.” There are posts that state “there are many sexualities, but the one thing we all have in common is that we’re attracted to Pedro,” or “I’m bisexual, which means I’m attracted to women and Pedro Pascal.” Philosopher Carolina Meloni says that “he’s the man every heterosexual or bisexual person would like to have at their side.”
Meloni laughs, but she really means it: “We love him for his political stance, for how he’s positioned himself from a privileged position as an actor in the face of the genocide in Gaza, the advance of fascism, and the cuts to the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. And we love him for the masculinity he possesses.” Because everything that’s happening around Pascal has to do with that underlying theme, and it’s not just a massive groupie craze for another good-looking actor.
Beauty? Yes, but it’s not (only) that
Valèrie May, popularizer, writer and sexual counselor, downplays the role of his physical appearance: “We have had, and still have, many Brad Pitts. Pascal awakens something else in us, everything that lies behind him, a person who doesn’t question his own masculinity. Rather it is this masculinity that has questioned the traditional one.”
Pedro Pascal in Berlin, July 8, 2025, ahead of an event for ‘Fantastic Four.’Annette Riedl (AP)
Pascal “doesn’t think about whether what he does or says is more or less masculine; he shows himself to be human: vulnerable, fragile, everything that the patriarchy has always said is feminine and therefore bad. He takes that most hegemonic masculinity and turns it on its head. He turns vulnerability and tenderness into something sexy, erotic, because it is,” she adds.
According to May, what is evident in Pascal is that he is someone who supports, accompanies, and protects, not through imposition or belonging, but through care: “He relates as equals, and there is no greater space of freedom than that in which the other treats you as an equal.”
Cultural change
It goes “much further than him being the internet daddy of the moment,” says Camilo Aguilera, a psychologist, professor at the Autonomous University of Chile and mental health promoter, who recently created a post that went viral in Chile about how the desire for Pascal can also have roots in so-called daddy issues, the cultural name given to problems arising from having an absent, unloving, or authoritarian father.
And thus, he explained in the post, appears Pascal: “He takes care of Baby Yoda, protects Ellie in the midst of the apocalypse, he looks tired, but he always comes back to save you. He’s not your dad, but he’s the dad you might have needed. Why does he connect so much? Because he embodies in his characters that image of a masculinity that many people didn’t have in their fathers: warm but firm, protective but not controlling, vulnerable but still strong.”
Pedro Pascal in London during a special screening of ‘Thunderbolts’ on April 22, 2025, wearing a T-shirt highlighting the protection of trans women.Joe Maher (Getty Images)
But these potential daddy issues are still connected to everything that underlies this: how to be a man, and how feminists are pushing for that to change. And it’s not just a present-day issue. Aresti recalls that “throughout history, feminism has destabilized gender relations, challenging and transforming the prevailing models of femininity and masculinity.”
She cites the 1920s as an example, when “feminists completely rejected a Don Juan-esque model of irresponsible and abusive masculinity, demanding from men a commitment that matched the maternal mandate that women endured. If women were to be mothers, men should at least do their part. There was an intense social debate then, as there is now, in which one sector defended Don Juan-esque manliness and another recognized the need to redefine a masculinity they considered obsolete.”
“Hey, you can be however you want to be”
Just as now it is the case that women cling to that past in a different context and with “women’s expectations on a different level,” notes Aresti, the expert in the study of identities. However, “the underlying problem is the same: we are witnessing a struggle to define what masculinity is and what it means to be a man. Feminism also challenges men, who are forced to take sides.”
Young men too, who “are exposed to very diverse male role models, and it’s probably not easy for many of them to build an identity amid uncertainty. That’s why the existence of male role models like the one Pascal represents is so important.”
“The Pedro Pascal archetype, like feminism, represents the possibility of saying: ‘Hey, you can be however you want to be, maybe you don’t have to embody or fulfill any of the roles we’re offering you as a society,’” May notes.
In John Wayne Who Art in Heaven (2022), Octavio Salazar, professor of law and a member of the Committee of Experts of the EIGE (European Institute for Gender Equality), dedicates the first chapter to Don Draper, the protagonist of the television show Mad Men, who is perhaps one of the best antitheses (fictional, in this case) of Pascal, and a nemesis of feminism.
Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm.
Draper, Salazar writes, “accumulates within himself the so-called pathologies of omnipotence, that is, all the negative consequences that, both physically and emotionally, many men suffer from by not wanting to fully accept their vulnerabilities, their fragility, their need for others. From constantly having to answer to others about what it means to be a real man, an authoritative father, a flawless individual.”
Pascal — or what we perceive of him — is the exact opposite. That long-held idea “of how men and women should be is falling behind,” according to Aguilera. And, he asserts, it’s not a fad; it has to do with “the fact that the old cultural family model — where one cares [for the children] and the other works — is no longer functional for our times. There’s an increasing need for emotional and domestic responsibilities to be shared equally. That’s why Pedro Pascal connects so much; he represents a type of man that wasn’t previously seen: protective, emotional, imperfect, but committed.”
The middle ground
For Salazar, there’s a nuance to all this. He believes part of Pascal’s appeal lies in his position somewhere in between: “If we look at his physical appearance, he retains a measure of traditional virility that can be attractive to both women and men, and at the same time, he doesn’t shy away from appearing on a red carpet with elements more typical of what we understand as femininity, or he gives off signals — not particularly emphatic or revolutionary, I think, but kind and seductive enough — for those involved in other aspects of social transformation.”
Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans pose at the premiere of ‘Materialists’ with a cut-out of Pedro Pascal (who couldn’t attend), in New York, June 7, 2025.Associated Press/LaPresse (APN)
He believes that Pascal “moves in that almost perfect balance that allows him to reach different generations of women and also women on a very different social spectrum, and in their commitment to equality.” This analysis makes the professor wonder “whether Pascal is aware of how he’s constructing this character, and how that construction is paying off in the film and image industry where one of the keys lies in how you sell yourself to viewers.”
Something that, notes Meloni, the philosopher and academic, “couldn’t possibly be happening to an actress.” ”Pedro Pascal and I were born on the same day, April 2, 1975. As a woman who has just entered her 50s, and is in the process of menopause, I am experiencing all the symbolic, digital, and social violence against the body of a mature woman on the way to old age. If you let your hair go gray, forget it. His age is not questioned.”
Pascal himself has acknowledged this issue. In an interview, speaking about the frenzy he’s sparked, he asked the journalist: “What’s wrong with people who like an old guy like me? I don’t understand. What’s happened culturally? How can all this happen? They should focus on Harry Styles.” When you’re a cis-heterosexual man, Meloni affirms, “your 50s are the prime of your life.”
She thinks of actresses, Cate Blanchett (56), Penélope Cruz (51), and “how they’ve had to go through a process of operations, or dyes, or diets or whatever to hide their age or to appear younger. Not him, we love him with his wrinkles, with his gray hair, with his age.”
Half the world loves him. Pedro Pascal: The many reasons we’re deeply, madly, unapologetically in love with the star is one of the many headlines dedicated to the actor, this one from Elle magazine in India.
They all agree that this love for a man who doesn’t conform to the old notion of how men should be, and who contrasts with the new men angry because women have gone too far, is political. That the desire for vulnerability and tenderness, for care, is political: it reflects a need for change in the unequal social structures that have historically subjugated half the population: women. And all those people who don’t fit into the boundaries the patriarchy says they should.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition
Henry Cavill’s reaction to his exit from Superman left James Gunn emotional
James Gunn opened up about the tough moment when he had to tell Henry Cavill he would no longer play Superman in the DC Universe.
In a recent chat on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the DC Studios boss recounted the time and said it was a “terrible” moment.
“It’s terrible. Believe it or not, the day we were dealing with trying to figure out if we could take the job at DC Studios,” Gunn said. “The day the deal closed, all of a sudden, they were announcing that Henry was back. And I was like, ‘What is going on? We know what the plan is. The plan was to come in and do Superman.’ It was really unfair to him and a total bummer.”
Gunn explained that when he and DC co-head Peter Safran were chosen to lead DC Studios in 2022, many people had their own ideas for the franchise
“There was a vacuum at the time and a lot of people were… They had a take on what they wanted to do at DC and they were trying to force their way and it was just never part of the equation for [WBD CEO] David Zaslav. We came in, and that was really unfortunate. I’m like, ‘This poor guy.’”
They later sat down with Cavill, “He was an absolute gentleman and a great guy about it,” recalled Gunn. “He said, ‘The only thing I ask is that I’m able to reveal it myself as opposed to coming from you guys.’ And I’m like, ‘That’s a class act.’”
“I talked to him about it on that day. I would love to put Henry in something,” Gunn added.
Like many kids growing up in the early 2010s, I was obsessed with superheroes. Whether it be “The Batman” (2004-2008), the MCU or the “Ultimate Spider-Man” television series on Disney XD, I could not get enough of these larger-than-life heroes saving civilians and stopping crime.
But for some reason, despite my love for these characters, I could never get on board with Superman. I remember talking with my cousin when I uttered the sentiment of a generation of young boys: “I don’t like Superman. He’s just too boring.”
If you grew up like me, I’m sure you can remember having this feeling at one point or another. He was a boy scout in bright red trunks who would never make a mistake. And where’s the fun in that?
While I loved Batman, like many people, I always believed that Marvel had a better superhero roster than DC. That was until I watched “Superman” (2025).
When I say that this might be my favorite superhero movie of all time, I mean it.
Going into this summer, I had been in a slump. I spent the first half in my hometown — a place that, while I love it, has slowly become less and less my “home.” Along with that, the world has felt like it’s falling apart in recent months. Every news headline reads to me as “The puppy cancer treatment department has been eliminated”. And to top it all off, the ever-present threat of our AI overlords stealing my future career has been looming over me.
So a movie about “Truth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrow” is exactly what I and many others needed from a summer blockbuster. Finally, the wait was over, and I got to see Superman.
Since I saw the first official teaser trailer back in December, I knew this movie would be exactly what I’ve always wanted out of a hero like Superman. But there was always a worry in the back of my head that James Gunn, the director of the film, wouldn’t be able to handle this character.
I loved the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy and “The Suicide Squad” — both action comedies about a band of misfits.
But a character about pure hope and optimism with a heart of gold is not exactly what I imagined as a “James Gunn” type character. This was made worse when I first saw the official trailer, in which Superman and Lois Lane argue while conducting an interview. The clip of that scene ends with him raising his voice at Lane, which for me was a bad sign.
In that moment, my hopes for a pure Superman had been taken from me. But after seeing it within the context of the movie, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Yes, Superman was angry, but it wasn’t directed toward Lane herself. He is such a caring person that, in frustration for the pain and suffering of others, he gets overly emotional. This moment really gets to the heart of the film on how human he is.
People online (myself included) made fun of the line “I love, I get scared, but that is being human,” believing it was a little ham-fisted. But now I recognize that this interview scene is exactly what that line is getting at. This Superman, while not always perfect, strives to do the right thing. Even if that means interfering in a war.
To point out the elephant in the room, this movie is political. The subplot handles themes similar to those seen in conflicts in the Middle East. Whether it be Lex Luthor selling arms to Boravia or the promise of oil deposits in Jarhanpur, I along with other fans have been able to spot the similarities to our real world. But once again, to me, this is refreshing.
As mentioned before, this has been an anxiety-ridden last few months when it comes to news, so to see a character so beloved and unambiguously good take a stand like this gave me hope.
We end on a positive note as Superman’s inspiring actions throughout the film lead to the poorly named “Justice Gang” eventually saving the people of Jarhanpur from the Boravian army. This movie says that no matter how bad things get, no matter what is happening in the world, there will always be someone willing to stand up for what is right.
In a landscape where so many movies focus on heroes saving the world, I’m glad we finally get a movie about a hero saving the people of the world.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this insight are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
Edited by Jack McCarthy, George Headley, Kat Michalak and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at mamareng@asu.edu and follow @matthewmarengo on X.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.
Matthew MarengoMultimedia Director
Matthew is a junior studying journalism and mass communications with a minor in political science. He has previously worked for The Cut Network and has interned with the Student Television Network. He is in his 4th Semester with The State Press working previously as Multimedia Managing Editor and a Full Time Videographer.
Continue supporting student journalism and donate to The State Press today.
Cody Rhodes and WWE Champion John Cena were under one roof on tonight’s (July 18) episode of SmackDown for a contract signing to make their SummerSlam title match official.
Cody had the ring to himself first and reiterated that he learned from his dumbass mistake at WrestleMania 41 when he hesitated and lost the title to Cena. There will be no hesitation this time when they square off at SummerSlam.
It was then Cena’s turn to come out and sign the contract, but he caught everyone off guard with an immediate swerve. You see, Cena’s busy Hollywood schedule made him too physically and emotionally exhausted to be able to wrestle at SummerSlam. That sounds an awful lot like why Pat McAfee is gone from WWE right now. I’m just saying.
Cena offered to fight Cody at a future event like Clash in Paris, but it’s just best for business right now for John to skip out on SummerSlam. The champ thanked Cody for understanding and took his leave from the ring.
Rhodes didn’t fall for Cena’s cowardice. He ran up the aisle to punch John in the face and incite a melee. Cena tried to take Cody out with the WWE championship, but the move backfired. Cody soon had the belt in his hands, and he didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger and knock Cena out with it.
It was pretty hilarious as the suit-wearing Rhodes then climbed up to the top rope with the contract in hand and splashed Cena through a table.
The champ was done for at that point, so Cody took his limp hand and forced him to sign the contract. Just for good measure, Rhodes told John to read the fine print that they will actually be having a street fight at SummerSlam. I guess Cody added that fine print in there earlier in the night when he asked GM Adam Pearce to let him review the contract.
Here’s the updated SummerSlam card:
WWE Championship Street Fight: John Cena (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
World Heavyweight Championship: GUNTHER (c) vs. CM Punk
Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jade Cargill
Women’s World Championship: Naomi (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky
United States ChampionshipSteel Cage match: Solo Sikoa (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria
Women’s Tag Team Championship: Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair
Jelly Roll & Randy Orton vs. Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre
Catch up on all the results from SmackDown in our live blog right here.
Astronomer, a tech company, said on social media it has placed CEO Andy Byron on leave and launched a formal investigation after he and the company’s head of human relations were reportedly seen on video intimately hugging at a Coldplay concert.
“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability,” the company said on X.
The video of who appeared to be Byron and Kristin Cabot embracing at the concert at Gillette Stadium in Boston on Wednesday has gone wildly viral on social media.
During the band’s performance of “Jumbotron Song,” a camera panned around the audience and centered on the duo wrapped in each other’s arms. The two quickly separated and attempted to hide their faces, with the man ducking down after realizing they were on the big screen.
“Whoa, look at these two,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin joked. “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
The moment gained quick traction on social media, and it wasn’t long before the internet identified the pair and noted that Byron is married.
It was also believed that another colleague from the company was standing next to the couple at the time, but Astronomer said those reports are false.
Astronomer Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete Dejoy is now serving as the company’s interim CEO.
“We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days,” Astronomer stated.
98th birth anniversary of Mehdi Hassan observed – Daily Times
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
Tomorrowland 2025 opened the entirety of its site to attendees earlier Friday (July 18) in Boom, Belgium, just two days after a fire destroyed the dance festival’s mainstage.
The development occurred after the festival announced Thursday (July 17) that it might either sequester a portion of its day one attendees to a stage in the festival’s camping area for sets by the Friday headliners, or open the entire site to all day one guests.
Workers on site at the event were able to clear the mainstage area and then construct a new stage setup to host the event’s headlining acts, which on Friday included Nervo, Axwell, Martin Garrix, Alok, Artbat & Kolsch and Meduza. As seen in the stream and photos shared by the festival on social media, the quickly constructed new mainstage is built from a DJ booth and a wall of LED panels, behind which the remains of the massive structure that burned are visible, along with heavy machinery.
The set-up can be seen in the event’s livestream, which is being broadcast from several of the festival’s roughly 16 stages. The mainstage lineup is available here and the rest of the performances are available here.
No one was injured in the fire, and its cause has not yet been announced.
The current situation at Tomorrowland is arguably the best possible outcome following the unprecedented fire. On Wednesday (July 16), the festival advised that there was a chance it might not open at all if the site was determined unsafe by the authorities, but that go-ahead came and the event managed to construct a new mainstage in time to open the entirety of the site.
In the hours before the festival opened for its first day on Friday, organizers posted a statement announcing, “Dear People of Tomorrow, WE ARE READY FOR YOU! Our teams are working day and night, with heart and soul, to turn the impossible into reality: Tomorrowland Belgium 2025 will open doors at 14:00. An alternative setup for the beloved Mainstage is planned to open at 16:00, pending any last-minute changes. All artists will perform as scheduled on all other stages as from 14:00. Tomorrowland will unite, stronger than ever!”
The first weekend of Tomorrowland 2025 continues until Sunday (July 20), while its second weekend is happening July 25-27.
Actor Kate Beckinsale is mourning the loss of her “dearest friend,” her mother British actor Judy Loe.
The “Underworld” star announced Thursday that her mother died Tuesday evening, writing in an emotional Instagram post that Loe died “in my arms after immeasurable suffering.”
Though Beckinsale in her post did not disclose a cause of death, she announced last year that her mother had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Loe was 78.
The “Pearl Harbor” actor, 51, said she felt compelled to announce her mother’s death because she had to register the “Space Island One” actor’s death certificate. She shared a carousel of photos and videos of her mother from over the years, including snaps of Loe in her youth and with granddaughter Lily Mo Sheen, whom Beckinsale shares with ex Michael Sheen.
“I am paralysed,” Beckinsale wrote in her caption. “Jude was the compass of my life, the love of my life, my dearest friend.”
Loe, born March 6, 1947, in Manchester, enjoyed a versatile career that began in the 1970s and earned her dozens of credits, mostly on British TV series. She broke out on the ITV fantasy series “Ace of Wands” in 1970s and went on to appear in numerous other programs for the network including “The Chief,” “Crown Court,” “Let There Be Love” and “Goodnight and God Bless.”
Throughout her career — her most recent credit was a minor role in the TV miniseries “Fool Me Once” in 2024 — Loe took on a variety of roles ranging from a magician’s assistant in “Ace of Wands” to a much sought-after divorcée in “Singles” to a spacecraft commander in “Space Island One.”
Prior to taking on screen roles, Loe pursued a career on the stage, including repertory theater in northern England’s Crewe, where in 1968 she met fellow actor Richard Beckinsale, whom she would marry in 1977. Though they split after two years of marriage, they welcomed daughter Kate in 1973. Richard Beckinsale died at age 31 from a heart attack.
Loe remarried in 1997 to television director Roy Battersby, who died in January 2024 after a brief illness. He was 87.
In her announcement, Kate Beckinsale praised her mother for her legacy, “huge heart” and courage in the final year of her life.
Beckinsale continued: “She has been brave in so many ways, forgiving sometimes too much, believing in the ultimate good in people and the world is so dim without her that it is nearly impossible to bear.”
Loe is survived by six stepchildren in addition to her daughter, according to the Guardian.
