Category: 5. Entertainment

James Gunn‘s “Superman” has ignited an online debate over whether or not its storyline is intentionally reflecting the Israel-Palestine conflict. In the movie, Nicholas Hoult’s villainous Lex Luthor has started a foreign war between two fictional countries. Superman is thrust into the global conflict when he stops Bovaria, the aggressor nation, from attacking its neighbor, Jarhanpur.

Ever since “Superman” opened in theaters (it earned $220 million globally in its debut), online political commentators have been either connecting the movie’s Bovaria-Jarhanpur conflict to the real-life Israel-Palestine conflict or refuting that’s the film’s intention. Hasan Piker, the left-wing political commenter who has a massive following as a Twitch streamer, posted a viral YouTube video explaining how “Superman” exposed Israel. Piker described the movie as “two hours and like 10 minutes of fuck Israel the entire time” and claimed anyone involved with the film would be “lying” if they told you it wasn’t an “analog for Israel and Palestine.”

Piker was responding in part to another YouTube video posted by conservative commenter Ben Shapiro, who proclaimed only those with “left-wing brain” would attempt to view “Superman” as a commentary on the Israel-Palestine conflict (via Forbes). Shapiro said the movie “does not match up to the facts” of the real-life war in Gaza, nor does it have a political agenda. Amidst all the debates, countless articles have popped up online with headlines asking various questions such as “Is new ‘Superman’ movie anti-Israel?” and “Is the new ‘Superman’ movie about the Israel-Hamas War?”

As reported by Variety: “Pro-Palestinian activists and influencers are hailing the film on social media for what they see as an overt rebuke of Israel in the wake of its deadly military campaign in Gaza… However, the timeline might not align with Israel as a stand-in for Bovaria. Gunn turned in his script in May 2023, months before the current Israel-Gaza conflict escalated.”

For what it’s worth, Gunn addressed the matter before “Superman” even opened in theaters. A few days before release, the writer-director told The Times of London: “When I wrote this the Middle Eastern conflict wasn’t happening. So I tried to do little things to move it away from that, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the Middle East. It’s an invasion by a much more powerful country run by a despot into a country that’s problematic in terms of its political history, but has totally no defense against the other country. It really is fictional.”

But even Gunn’s point-of-view on the movie has not calmed down the ongoing debates online, which are sure to escalate as the film’s box office run continues. This also isn’t the first time “Superman” has found itself in the political crossfires. The superhero film became a national talking point pre-release after Gunn called “Superman” an “immigrant.” The comment sparked conservative backlash, with Fox News branding the movie “SuperWoke.”

At the film’s L.A. premiere, Gunn was defended by his brother, Sean, who told Variety: “Yes, Superman is an immigrant, and yes, the people that we support in this country are immigrants and if you don’t like that, you’re not American. People who say no to immigrants are against the American way.”

Former Superman actor Dean Cain told TMZ that Gunn made a “mistake” going on record with the quote. The White House even got in on the debate by photoshopping Trump onto Superman’s body in a mock poster for the movie that touted the “American Way,” a reference to the superhero’s original tagline.

“Superman” is now playing in theaters from Warner Bros.

Lewis Capaldi has come a long way since he started working on his mental health a couple of years ago, with the Scottish singer-songwriter revealing that he once had a “mental episode” that left him “convulsing” backstage at a show.

While guesting on the Tuesday (July 15) episode of Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast, Capaldi reflected on the tough moments in his career that forced him to confront the fact that he needed help. The musician made headlines in 2023 when he struggled to get through his Glastonbury set that year, but shortly before that happened, he says he had an incident at a concert in Chicago that was “even worse.”

“I couldn’t come back on stage and finish the song,” Capaldi told Von of performing in the Windy City. “I was like, backstage, convulsing and having this crazy panic attack, mental episode. It was really, really bad. It was the first time people at my shows had seen it.”

The musician has been open about dealing with mental health issues as well as Tourette’s, a disorder that causes difficult-to-control movements and sounds known as tics. In April 2023, Capaldi revealed that his struggles with Tourette’s were becoming so severe, he was considering stepping back from music.

After his onstage breakdown at Glastonbury two months later, Capaldi did just that. Immediately after stepping off stage at the festival — where fans had helped him get through his set by loudly singing the words for him — the artist knew it would be his last show until he got some help, he told Von.

“When it happened and when it was happening, it was, like, the lowest moment of my life, and it was horrible,” he recalled on the podcast of Glastonbury 2023. “I had this moment where I was on stage like two, three songs in. I was like, ‘This is the last time I’m going to play a gig for a long time. I need to try and get through the rest of the show, but when I come off, I’m done.’”

Capaldi is now back and better than ever before after spending the past two years reconnecting with himself, with the star telling Von that therapy and exercise have helped him immensely. This past June, he made a triumphant return to Glastonbury with a surprise set, shortly after which he announced that he’d be donating 734,000 hours of free virtual therapy with BetterHelp inspired by his own mental health journey.

While speaking to Von, he gushed that this year’s Glastonbury performance was a “bit of a comeback moment.”

“It was lovely,” he added. “It was a really special moment.”

Watch Capaldi’s full conversation with Von below.

(Photo by Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER.)

After seeing the explosive and eye-popping success of Saw X and Final Destination Bloodlines, the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise hook-scratched its chin and said, “Why not me? Ow.” After all, if torture porn could release such a celebrated legacy sequel, then how about a reversal of fortune in kind for this dormant teen slasher, just like its Scream ilk in 2022.

Based on the Lois Duncan school library mainstay, the original I Know What You Did Last Summer grabs the novel’s mystery & suspense plot and gnashes it into a bloody affair, getting the killer to drop the gun and instead pick up a fishing hook to stick it to the victims, real personal-like. Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Freddie Prinze Jr., they portray recent high school graduates who make a pact of silence after their reckless driving leaves a pedestrian dead. But now, a cloaked stalker terrorizes them with a sharp blade and mash notes of threats and vengeance.

Released just before Halloween 1997, I Know What You Did Last Summer was the first major teen slasher after Scream jolted the genre awake for the decade in 1996. Summer beat Scream 2 to release by a few months, and then got its own sequel in 1998 with I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. The 2006 direct-to-DVD I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer makes it a trilogy, crucially.

Over 25 years after their last appearances, Hewitt and Prinze Jr. return for 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer to guide the next generation of piss-poor drivers, co-starring along Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, and Sarah Pidgeon.

#1

Critics Consensus: Faithfully harkening back to the original for better or worse, this I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot serves up plenty of nostalgia without finding a compelling hook of its own.

Synopsis: When five friends inadvertently cause a deadly car accident, they cover up their involvement and make a pact to keep [More]

#2

Critics Consensus: A by-the-numbers slasher that arrived a decade too late, the mostly tedious I Know What You Did Last Summer will likely only hook diehard fans of the genre.

Synopsis: A year after running over a fisherman and dumping his body in the water, four friends reconvene when Julie (Jennifer [More]

#3

Critics Consensus: Boring, predictable, and bereft of thrills or chills, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is exactly the kind of rehash that gives horror sequels a bad name.

Synopsis: A year after killing vengeful hit-and-run victim Ben Wills (Muse Watson), who gutted her friends with an iron hook, college [More]

#4

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A mysterious killer stalks a group of friends who kept an accidental death a secret. [More]

Pete Davidson is going to be a father.

The “Saturday Night Live” alum’s girlfriend, British model and actor Elsie Hewitt, confirmed the news Wednesday with a cheeky Instagram post.

“Welp now everyone knows we had sex,” the model captioned a carousel of pregnancy photos, images of the pair and memes (including the viral “Love Island” “mamacita” moment).

Davidson, who famously avoids social media and does not have a public Instagram account, has not yet commented on the news.

Hewitt, 29, and Davidson, 31, first sparked dating rumors in March when they were spotted kissing in Palm Beach, Fla., and they’ve reportedly been living together in Brooklyn and Upstate New York. They made their red carpet debut in May at the Blossom Ball in New York City.

Hewitt, who previously dated Jason Sudeikis and Benny Blanco, has modeled for Guess and was a Playboy Playmate. She landed her first television role in 2018 on the series “Turnt” and has since made appearances on rapper Lil Dicky’s sitcom “Dave.”

Since Davidson left “SNL” in 2022, he has pivoted to focus more on stand-up and movies. The comedian — whose high-profile exes include Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian, Madelyn Cline, Kate Beckinsale, Margaret Qualley, Kaia Gerber and Phoebe Dynevor — has a few projects lined up this year, including a starring role in the horror movie “The Home,” out July 25.

Davidson spent eight seasons on “SNL,” where he served as the show’s “resident young person,” developed his popular recurring character “Chad” and even bought a boat (the Staten Island Ferry) with co-star Colin Jost. He returned to host in 2023 and participated in the 50th anniversary special in February.

Gayle King was part of an all-female Blue Origin crew that went into space in April. But her close friend Oprah Winfrey said she would “never do that.”

Appearing on Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa, the longtime host was asked about her decision not to join her friend to go into space.

“I would never do it, but I became very interested in the whole process,” the award-winning actor said. 

But she said she is “just so proud to be there for” King, adding she was “relieved” that her BFF, who is an anchor at CBS Mornings, went into space, “because if she’d asked one more time, ‘What should I do? Do you think I should go?’ I, from the beginning, was like, ‘You should do it.’”

Oprah also joked that she told King not to “let Katy Perry come down and say, ‘It was really great fun.’”

Along with Gayle and Katy, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, as well as three others, joined to take a flight to space, marking a historic milestone as the first all-female crew in decades.

Prime Video just dropped the first two episodes of the third and final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty and there’s one particular storyline that feels a bit too familiar.

At the end of episode one, titled “Last Season,” Belly (Lola Tung) learns that Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) had sex with another girl, Lacie Barone (Lily Donoghue), during a spring break trip to Cabo, as they had a fight before the trip and he thought they had broken up.

“It happened when we were on a break… when we were broken up,” Jeremiah explains to an angry Belly after she finds out at a frat party. Belly yells back, “You knew that we weren’t really broken up, that that wasn’t real.”

“How was I supposed to know that? It was real for me,” Jeremiah claims before Belly responds, “Well, if I knew it, then you should have known it.”

In the second episode of season three, titled “Last Christmas,” Jeremiah maintained that he “didn’t cheat. We were on a break,” after being confronted by Belly’s best friend, Taylor (Rain Spencer). However, she clapped back, “You’re not getting off on this, like, technicality. You were broken up for all of two seconds, Jeremiah.”

While the great “we were on a break” debate may be new to some in the younger generation, it’s important to know it didn’t start with Belly and Jeremiah. In fact, there’s one not-so-little-known show that originated the “we were on a break” storyline and planted the phrase in the cultural zeitgeist.

In season three of Friends, the iconic phrase is actually coined. In episode 15, titled “The One Where Ross And Rachel Take A Break,” Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Ross (David Schwimmer), who were in a relationship at the time, get into an argument because Ross suspects Rachel is having an affair with her co-worker Mark. However, Rachel always looked at their relationship with Mark as platonic (though she later learned Mark did have a crush on her).

The ongoing argument about the matter led Rachel to suggest to Ross, “Maybe we should just take a break… A break from us.” They go their separate ways after, and both individually confess that their relationship was effectively over after that conversation.

Following the breakup, Ross went to a bar to process everything and decided to call Rachel to reconcile with her. However, Rachel has already called Mark, who offered to come over and comfort her after the fight. That leads Ross to mistakenly suspect Mark and Rachel are hooking up when he hears his voice in the background. An emotional and drunk Ross then ends up having an affair with a promiscuous woman named Chloe; though he learns the next morning that he misread the situation with Mark and Rachel and that she actually wanted to continue their relationship.

However, the one-night stand with Chloe doesn’t remain a secret and turns into another argument between Ross and Rachel in episode 16, titled “The One With The Morning After,” causing them to break up again. Rachel accuses Ross of cheating, as “we were on a break,” she says, while Ross claims that no cheating occurred because they had broken up, thus differentiating between a “break” and a “breakup.”

The iconic phrase is then used throughout the rest of Friends, which ran for 10 seasons, and one of the most popular lines from the show that’s still used today. And now the phrase has found a new life thanks to The Summer I Turned Pretty. However, just like it was for Ross and Rachel, it will likely be an ongoing discussion among fans as to whether Jeremiah and Belly were just on a break or officially broken up.

After the new episodes of the Prime Video show premiered early Wednesday morning, there was also some online discourse surrounding the cheating storyline, as some claim Jeremiah was sexually assaulted by Lacie since he was intoxicated and emotionally unstable when they hooked up. Some even took to X to call out author/creator Jenny Han for writing “that scene VERY HORRIBLY,” as one user wrote and should be treated as a serious and sensitive topic.

Ahead of the premiere, the official social media account for the Prime Video series on Monday cautioned viewers against bullying and hate speech, “targeting our cast or crew” and “harassing or doxxing members of the community.”

Pete Davidson is going to be a dad. His girlfriend, Elsie Hewitt, announced their baby news Wednesday on Instagram with an ultrasound preview.

The model and actor posted photos of herself and the “Saturday Night Live” alum with the caption: “welp now everyone knows we had sex.” She included a video of herself getting an ultrasound and an up-close sonogram image.

A rep for Davidson, 31, confirmed the news via email. It’s the first baby for both.

Davidson and Hewitt, 29, were first spotted out together in March, romping in the waves and making out in Palm Beach, Florida. Their relationship comes after Davidson’s 10-month stretch with actor Madelyn Cline ended last July.

Hewitt, who’s appeared in “Industry,” “Dave” and a Benny Blanco music video, had previously been linked to celebrities like Jason Sudeikis and Blanco. Davidson, who has several comedy specials in addition to his acting credits, has been known for his dating life, including high-profile relationships with Ariana Grande and Kim Kardashian.

Davidson, who has spoken of a rough childhood and lost his own father in the Sept. 11 attacks, has long wanted to be a dad, telling Kevin Hart on Hart’s talk show three years ago: “It’s gonna be so fun to dress up a little dude. I’m so excited for, like, that chapter.”

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is over a week away from release, and its director, Matt Shakman, shares that Galactus will be put on a “collision course” with a baby.

It’s the son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, as the filmmaker explains in a chat with GamesRadar+, “What was so charming about this movie is it’s about the tiniest, youngest thing in the world and the oldest, biggest thing in the universe.”

He continues, “Galactus’s scale is a big part of him, and Ralph Ineson is an amazing actor; that voice, that presence. He felt 1000ft tall.”

On the other hand, Ralph Ineson, who played Galactus, opens up about playing the mighty villain in the forthcoming movie.

“They shot me like they were shooting miniature with massive amounts of light, so every nook and cranny of the costume was fully lit and it could be blown up in perfect focus,” the actor who previously played Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy says. 

“So yeah, it was a slightly different way of working but quite solo, just me and the crew,” he adds. 

“They showed me some kind of pre-vis things of how big he was going to look on the screen, obviously without the treatment. So I kind of knew that.”

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be out on July 24.

TelevisaUnivision is bringing back its smash hit reality competition La Casa de los Famosos México with Season 3.

The reality TV series, based on the Big Brother format, is set to premiere in México on Sunday, July 27, at 8:30 p.m. on Las Estrellas. Following its linear debut, it will also have a 24/7 live stream on Vix, available only to subscribers in México.

Galilea Montijo returns to helm the competition on nominations nights (Wednesdays) and eviction nights (Sundays). Odalys Ramírez and Diego de Erice also return to host the primetime galas on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

RELATED: ‘Top Chef VIP’ Season 4 Cast Photos: Meet All The Celebrities For Telemundo’s Hottest Competition

TelevisaUnivision has been dropping the names of the celebrity housemates day by day which for now include Facundo (TV Host), Olivia Collins (Actress), Aaron Mercury (Influencer), Alexis Ayala (Actor), Mar Contreras (Actress), Aldo de Nigris (Influencer), Dalilah Polanco (Actress), Priscila Valverde (Model), and Adrián de Monte (Actor).

More celebrity names are set to drop in the coming days.

RELATED: ‘Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale’ Season 1 Cast Photos: Meet The 12 Queens Competing

Every night before the galas, Vix will also stream a pre- and post-show to give viewers an inside look at what’s happening in the house, with Season 1 winner Wendy Guevara and Ricardo Margaleff hosting. Over on social media, Marie Claire Harp will be the face of the show, delivering fans exclusive content.

RELATED: ‘Love Island USA’ Season 7 Crowns Winners On Peacock

La Casa de los Famosos México is a co-production between TelevisaUnivision and EndemolShine Boomdog. The format began with Telemundo’s La Casa de los Famosos, with both editions utilizing the same house for the competition series.

Scroll through the photo gallery below to meet the contestants of La Casa de los Famosos México Season 3.

Fijian musical royalty Nicky Beddoes has made her way onto screens around the world after a making a special appearance during the season finale of Love Island USA. 

During a final date scene, the singer performed a beautiful rendition of the classic love song Moon River which should have added to the romantic atmosphere of the night… Right? 

Jacob and Michael unpacked the situation around Nicky’s performance in the News Footlines. 

On a recent trip to Samoa, Nesia Daily producer Emily Nguyen-Hunt took a trip to the MADD Gallery in Apia where she met with founder, lead artist, and writer Papali’i Tele Momoe Malietoa von Reiche. 

Today’s Pacific Break Soundcheck track came from 2024 finalist Francisco Bhagwan, featuring Kali Tui. 

And finally, we also checked in with our Port Authority – Moses Cakau Willie in Vanuatu.