Category: 5. Entertainment

The Squid Game has officially ended with its third season but many fans of the Netflix death game are wondering if this will truly be the grand finale for the deadly childhood activities that took the world by storm. In the final moments of the last installment, viewers witness that despite the fact that many characters have permanently been taken off the playing field, there might be something brewing in a far away land. Luckily, Squid Game’s creator was more than willing to discuss both the controversial ending and what he had originally planned for the series finale.

Warning. If you have yet to see the grand finale to Squid Game, be forewarned that we’ll be diving into serious spoiler territory. One of the last scenes featured in Squid Game’s final episode is seeing that the deadly games have continued across the seas as none other than actress Cate Blanchet, obviously not playing herself, was recruiting someone new to the games. In chatting with THR, series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed that he had originally thought of a different finale for the series, stating,

“I don’t know if I can call it an original ending, but in the beginning I had a vague idea about how I would end the story. And back then, it was having Gi-hun end the game, in one way or another, and leave alive and go see his daughter in America. So originally, I thought the person who witnesses the American recruiter woman would be Gi-hun. But as I began writing the story, and as I began to think more and more about, “What do I want to deliver with the ending of this story?” And also, “What should Gi-hun’s journey and what should his destination be?” I was witnessing more and more what was happening around the world and I thought it was more fitting for Gi-hun to send this powerful and impactful message to the world [with his death] and that should be how the story comes to a close.”

Will Squid Game Continue?

Extrapolating on his thoughts, Dong-hyuk explained that the open-ended finale wasn’t meant to lead directly into a new spin-off, “I didn’t end it on that note in order to deliberately leave room for further stories to happen. Gi-hun and Front Man, through these characters, the Games in Korea have ended. And because this story started out with me wanting to tackle issues about the limitless competition and the system that’s created in late capitalism, I wanted to leave it on a note highlighting the fact that these systems, even if one comes down, it’s not easy to dismantle the whole system — it will always repeat itself. That’s why I wanted to end it with an American recruiter. And I wrote that scene wanting an impactful ending for the show, not in order to open rooms for anything else.”

Want to see if we return to this life-or-death world? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Squid Game and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

Via THR

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Scarlett Johansson Now: Actor Stars in Jurassic World: Rebirth

Scarlett Johansson is finally fulfilling a lifelong dream. The Oscar-nominated actor stars in Jurassic World Rebirth—a gig she’s been after for over a decade. Picking up after the events of 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion, the new installment arrived to theaters July 2 and sees Johansson portray a covert operations expert tasked with obtaining dinosaur DNA for a potential medical breakthrough.

A lifelong Jurassic fan, the 40-year-old told The Hollywood Reporter it feels “unbelievable” to be involved in the franchise after all this time. “I’ve been trying to get into a Jurassic movie for, I don’t know, 15 years or something. I was so stoked that it all came together,” she said.

Being such a superfan, however, did pose a bit of a challenge for her on set. “I had to compartmentalize my nervous excitement for the job in front of me while also focusing on making it work,” Johansson added. “I would have these really geeked out, fangirl moments and then be, like, ‘OK, put that away for a second.’”

Who Is Scarlett Johansson?

Actor Scarlett Johansson is known for her Oscar-nominated performances in Marriage Story and JoJo Rabbit, as well as her recurring role as Marvel’s Black Widow. Johansson began acting as a child, gaining critical acclaim for her role in The Horse Whisperer at age 13. She achieved widespread recognition with her impressive performances in the 2003 romantic movies Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring before entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the mega-hit The Avengers in 2012. In more recent years, Johansson has starred in films like Fly Me to the Moon, The Phoenician Scheme, and Jurassic World: Rebirth. She is married to Saturday Night Live comedian Colin Jost.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Scarlett Ingrid Johansson
BORN: November 22, 1984
BIRTHPLACE: New York, New York
SPOUSES: Ryan Reynolds (2008–2011), Romain Dauriac (2014–2017), and Colin Jost (2020–present)
CHILDREN: Rose and Cosmo
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius

Early Life

Scarlett Ingrid Johansson was born on November 22, 1984, in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Her father, Karsten Johansson, is a Danish architect, and her mother, Melanie Sloan, is a producer and actor. She has a fraternal twin brother named Hunter, an older brother, Adrian, and an older sister, Vanessa. Scarlett also has an older half-brother, Christian, through her father’s first marriage and later gained a younger sibling when her mother adopted her sister Fenan.

Scarlett’s interest in acting surfaced at an early age. At age 7, she began auditioning for commercials and started taking acting classes at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. When she was 8 years old, she appeared in an off-Broadway production of Sophistry with Ethan Hawke.

Scarlett continued to seek out roles and decided to study at Manhattan’s Professional Children’s School, a private educational institution known for such famous acting alumni as Carrie Fisher, Rita Moreno, and Sarah Michelle Gellar. At PCS, the young Scarlett pursued her passion for musical theatre and even took tap dance lessons. “I was a big song-and-dance type of kid—you know, one of those kids with jazz hands,” she told Interview Magazine in September 2013. “I liked to improvise and do weird vocal exercises. I was a major ham.” Soon, she would be performing professionally.

Movies

In 1994, Johansson landed her first paid acting role in a sketch on Late Night with Conan O’Brien before making her movie debut in the Rob Reiner comedy North. Recalling her first time on the set of North, she told New York Magazine in February 2004, “For some reason, I just knew what to do, instinctively. It was like, I don’t know… fate.” Her first leading part came two years later with Manny & Lo, an independent dramatic comedy. Johansson played the younger sister of a pregnant teenager, both of whom were in foster care. Her twin brother and sister, Vanessa, also appeared in the film.

Breakout Role in The Horse Whisperer

At 13 years old, Johansson first earned critical acclaim in the 1998 neo-Western The Horse Whisperer. Her portrayal of Grace MacLean, a young amputee, won over many fans, including the film’s star and director Robert Redford. “That film changed things for me in a lot of ways,” Johansson later recalled to Esquire in October 2013. “I went through this realization that acting, at its heart, is the ability to manipulate your own emotions.” Following the success of her breakout performance, the young actor received even more attention with her supporting role in 2001’s Ghost World, despite its tepid performance at the box office.

Lost in Translation and Girl with a Pearl Earring

After graduating high school in 2002, Johansson found herself as one of Hollywood’s top up-and-coming actresses. She landed two starring roles in 2003, both of which garnered her critical accolades. In Lost in Translation, she played a woman visiting Tokyo who forms an unlikely relationship with a much older man, played by Bill Murray. Johansson also gave an impressive performance as a servant girl who is painted by famed artist Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth) in Girl with a Pearl Earring. Both roles earned her Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress.

A Song for Bobby Long and Match Point

Johansson took on a variety of projects after these early successes. In 2004, she appeared in A Love Song for Bobby Long opposite John Travolta, as a young woman trying to reclaim her deceased mother’s house. Her performance secured her another Golden Globe nod for Best Actress. The following year, Johansson starred in the drama Match Point, in which she played a woman having an affair with a married tennis instructor. For the role, she scored her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Johansson later worked with director Brian De Palma on the 2006 crime thriller The Black Dahlia.

The Nanny Diaries and Vicky Christina Barcelona

After appearing in several dramas, Johansson tried her hand at comedy again in The Nanny Diaries (2007), playing a dysfunctional, wealthy couple’s nanny. The following year, she appeared in Woody Allen’s romantic comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona, opposite Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.

Marvel’s Black Widow

Turning to big-budget fare, Johansson, who stands at 5 feet, 3 inches, took on the role of the super agent Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (2010) opposite Robert Downey Jr. The action flick became one of the summer’s big blockbusters and set the stage for her contributions to numerous films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Johansson next appeared as Black Widow in the 2012 box-office smash The Avengers. The film also featured Downey as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and Chris Evans as Captain America.

The actor continued to hold down her high-profile role in a string of Marvel blockbusters, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Her involvement in the franchise proved highly lucrative, fueling her rise to the top spot in Forbes’ ranking of the world’s highest-paid actresses in 2018. Johansson flew solo for the first time in 2021’s Black Widow, which received mostly positive reviews.

We Bought a Zoo, Hitchcock, and Her

Johansson remained busy outside of her commitments to Marvel. In 2011, she co-starred alongside Matt Damon in Cameron Crowe’s dramatic comedy We Bought a Zoo. The following year, she took on the character of real-life film star Janet Leigh in Hitchcock, which explores the life of director Alfred Hitchcock during the making of the horror classic Psycho.

In 2013, Johansson lent her distinctive voice to the futuristic flick Her as an intelligent operating system that draws the affection of Joaquin Phoenix’s lonely character. The next year, she took a supporting role in Jon Favreau’s dramatic comedy Chef and starred as the title character in Luc Besson’s sci-fi thriller Lucy later that year. Johansson rejoined Favreau to voice the character of Kaa in The Jungle Book in 2016 and voiced Ash in the animated musical Sing.

Ghost in the Shell, Rough Night, and Isle of Dogs

In 2017, Johansson starred in the American adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. The production was criticized for its whitewashed cast, as Johansson’s character in the original anime was Japanese. That same year, she returned to comedy as part of the ensemble cast for Rough Night. In 2018, she voiced one of the canines in Wes Anderson’s stop-motion feature Isle of Dogs.

Later that year, Johansson found herself in the middle of another casting controversy when she was tapped to play transgender massage parlor owner Dante “Tex” Gill in Rub & Tug. After initially dismissing the concerns through a spokesperson, Johansson acknowledged the “insensitive” nature of her response and announced she was withdrawing from the film.

Oscar Nominations for Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit

Next up for the actor was a co-starring role in the well-received 2019 drama Marriage Story, alongside Adam Driver, in which she played an actor in the middle of a divorce. The Netflix hit was filmed just a year after her divorce from Romain Dauriac was finalized. “By the time we had made the film, I was in a more settled place. But obviously I had my own fresh perspective on the story,” Johansson told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. For her performance, she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, as well as a Golden Globe nomination in the same category.

Taking on another controversial project, Johansson also appeared in Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit (2019), as the mother of a 10-year-old boy in Nazi Germany who considers a goofy Adolf Hitler to be his imaginary best friend. The role scored her an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress, making her the 12th performer to receive double nominations in the same year. Two years later, she reprised her role as Ash in Sing 2.

Asteroid City and Fly Me to the Moon

Johansson returned to the big screen in the 2023 Wes Anderson film Asteroid City, in which she played Midge Campbell, a lonely 1950s movie star. She reportedly took a huge pay cut for the role, earning just over $4,000 per week. The following year, Johansson starred alongside Channing Tatum in the romantic comedy Fly Me to the Moon, set against the backdrop of the 1969 moon landing. The film, which premiered in theaters and on Apple TV+, received mostly positive reviews. She later voiced Elita-1 in the animated series Transformers One.

The Phoenician Scheme and Jurassic World Rebirth

Johansson appeared in the 2025 spy comedy The Phoenician Scheme—her third Wes Anderson project—about a wealthy arms dealer who starts a new business venture after surviving an assassination attempt. She also has tried her hand at directing. Her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great, earned a five-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

The actor is currently starring in Jurassic World Rebirth, which arrived in theaters in July. Taking place five years after 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion, Johansson plays a covert operations expert tasked with obtaining dinosaur DNA for a potential medical breakthrough. A longtime fan of the franchise, she told The Hollywood Reporter: “I’ve been trying to get into a Jurassic movie for, I don’t know, 15 years or something. I was so stoked that it all came together.” Johansson is also set to appear in the upcoming comedy drama My Mother’s Wedding in August.

Theatre

After appearing in several films, Johansson took her acting skills to the stage. In 2010, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of Arthur Miller’s drama A View from the Bridge opposite Liev Schreiber. Johansson earned positive reviews for her convincing performance as Catherine, a teenage girl who is raised by her aunt and uncle. For her performance, Johansson won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She later returned to Broadway in the 2013 adaptation of the Tennessee Williams drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, in which she played the role of Maggie.

Music Career

In addition to her successful acting career, Johansson made a brief foray into music when she signed with Atco Records in October 2006. She released her debut studio album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, through Atco Records in May 2008. The record, which featured cover versions of songs by Tom Waits, received mixed reviews and did not perform well commercially. Branching out into new territory, she joined forces with Pete Yorn for an album of duets. The pair released their collaborative effort Break Up in May 2009. Johansson wrote several tracks for the recording. “I’ve been singing for my whole life. When I was a kid I wanted to be on Broadway,” she told New York Magazine at the time.

Johansson later ventured into pop music, forming the girl group the Singles with Este Haim, Holly Miranda, Kendra Morris, and Julia Haltigan. The group released their first single, “Candy,” in February 2015. “The idea was to write super-pop dance music written and performed by girls,” she told Rolling Stone. Just days after the song was released, however, the group received a cease-and-desist from a Los Angeles-based rock band of the same name. Following their legal troubles, Johansson’s the Singles disbanded and did not release another song. Three years later, she teamed up with Yorn again for her EP Apart, which came out in June 2018.

Husband Colin Jost and Kids

Johansson is married to comedian Colin Jost, the longest-running “Weekend Update” anchor on Saturday Night Live. The pair had known each other for years, having first met on SNL in 2006, as friends. Then, in May 2017, they were spotted kissing at an SNL afterparty. Johansson and Jost made their first public appearance as a couple at the American Museum of Natural History Gala in New York in November 2017. After two years of dating, they got engaged in May 2019.

The couple exchanged vows in a private wedding ceremony amid the COVID-19 pandemic in October 2020. They announced their nuptials via the Meals on Wheels Instagram account, requesting donations for the charity instead of wedding gifts. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Cosmo, in August 2021.

Her marriage to Jost is Johansson’s third. She and fellow actor Ryan Reynolds were married for a little over two years. Their September 2008 wedding was a small ceremony in British Columbia, Canada. The couple purchased a home together in Los Angeles but filed for divorce two years later, in December 2010. Their split was finalized in July 2011.

Johansson was then romantically linked to actor Sean Penn for a time. The pair traveled to Mexico together and attended actor Reese Witherspoon’s wedding in March 2011, though they eventually parted ways. Later that year, Johansson found herself at the center of a scandal when nude photos from her cell phone were leaked. The FBI launched an investigation and arrested hacker Christopher Chaney, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In November 2012, Johansson went public with her relationship with French journalist Romain Dauriac, who eventually became her second husband. A representative for the actor revealed in September 2013 that the pair were engaged. The following year, Johansson and Dauriac announced the birth of their daughter, Rose, in September 2014. The couple wed in Philipsburg, Montana, in October 2014, but the public didn’t get wind of the announcement until December. After more than two years of marriage, Johansson divorced Dauriac in September 2017.

Net Worth

As of May 2025, Johansson has an estimated net worth of $165 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. She is one of the highest-paid female actors in Hollywood, earning an average of $10 million to $20 million per film. In addition to acting, she has her own skincare line, The Outset, which she launched in March 2022.

Quotes

• I’m so tired of hearing casting directors ask if I have a sore throat. The people who have told me that my voice is distinctive, it’s unusual… those people have always been close to my heart.

• I was a big song-and-dance type of kid—you know, one of those kids with jazz hands.

• But when I was younger, a lot of the roles I was offered, or I went for, had their ambitions or character arcs revolving around their own desirability, or the male gaze, or a male-centered story. That is less frequent, though—something has shifted.
  

• I’ve been trying to get into a Jurassic movie for, I don’t know, 15 years or something. I was so stoked that it all came together.
  

Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us!

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Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has opened up about one of the holistic healing practices that has helped her during one of the most difficult chapters of her life, and it’s something she’s trusted before, as per a report.

Kate Middleton’s Personalized Approach to Healing

During her visit to Colchester Hospital on July 2, the Princess of Wales spoke of how she resorted to acupuncture during cancer treatment, a tried-and-tested remedy which she had used previously when she was pregnant, according to the People report. While talking to therapist Amanda Green in the Wellbeing Garden of the hospital, Kate said that she had tried the old-fashioned approach, as per the report.
While speaking to a group of patients, Princess Kate said, “What seems to be really fantastic is that there is a real personal approach: what helps one person – acupuncture or something – might not help another,” as quoted in the report.
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Turning to a Familiar Remedy

Acupuncture, the ancient Chinese medical technique of inserting fine needles into certain points on the body, has long been employed to aid in pain relief, stress, and general wellbeing, according to the People report. This wasn’t the first time Kate has tried it, even during her first pregnancy, with Prince George, she had severe morning sickness (medically referred to as hyperemesis gravidarum) and had used acupuncture to alleviate it, as per the People report. She used it again in her pregnancy with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as reported by People.

Princess of Wales’ First Public Outing After Months of Recovery

The visit to the hospital was Kate’s first venture back into public life after months of rest as she was getting treated for cancer, as per the report. The Princess of Wales had revealed in March 2024 that she was undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, which was detected after an abdominal surgery she underwent that January, as reported by People. Kate had limited her duties to focus on her health and shared in September that she completed chemotherapy, as per the report.
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Then in January this year, Princess Kate shared that she was in remission following a visit to The Royal Marsden Hospital, where she previously received treatment, according to the People report.
She spoke about her cancer journey, saying, “You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal, but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult,” as quoted in the report.

The princess shared that, “You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to,” adding, “And actually, someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment, I think is really valuable,” as quoted by the People report.

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“Finding a New Normal” After Cancer

Kate explained that a cancer diagnosis is “life-changing” for both the patient and their families, acknowledging the shock and emotional “roller coaster” that comes with it, she added, “You have to find your new normal and that takes time…and it’s a roller coaster, it’s not smooth, like you expect it to be. But the reality is you go through hard times,” as quoted in the report.

FAQs

What is acupuncture and why did Kate Middleton use it?
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese therapy using thin needles to target pressure points, Kate used it to support her wellbeing during cancer treatment, as per the People report.

Is Kate still receiving treatment?
As of January 2025, she is in remission and has completed chemotherapy, as per the People report.

The BBC issued a formal apology after broadcasting a controversial performance from the rap-punk group Bob Vylan at England’s Glastonbury festival.

Bob Vylan — outspoken critics of Israel’s war on Gaza — led its crowd at last weekend’s festival in a chant of “Death to the IDF,” or Israel Defense Forces.

The BBC’s director- general Tim Davie wrote to staff in an internal memo on Thursday. “I deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behavior appeared on the BBC and want to say sorry — to our audience and to all of you, but in particular to Jewish colleagues and the Jewish community,” Davie said. “We are unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at the BBC.”

The broadcaster announced several policy changes for future festival broadcasts, including keeping “high risk” acts off live broadcasts and live streams.

Bob Vylan’s set led to some backlash within the music industry and beyond. The comments prompted local police to open a criminal investigation, and the band’s U.S. visas were revoked for its upcoming performances. The band’s agency, UTA, reportedly dropped them as well.

The band’s singer, who performs as Bobby Vylan, wrote on Instagram after the set that “teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,” adding, “Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered.”

The Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap, a fellow Glastonbury performer, has also come under scrutiny for its outspoken criticism of Israel’s war on Gaza. The band’s Glastonbury set was not broadcast live. The group’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, had been charged with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a flag from the terror group Hezbollah at a London concert in 2024 (Chara denied the charge). U.K. prosecutors also recently dropped charges against Kneecap after a 2023 concert where Chara allegedly said, “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

Marvel.com: CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 reestablishes when Steve Rogers emerged from the ice. How did you settle on this time period for the book?

Zdarsky: One of my favorite parts of the Captain America legend is him being a “man out of time,” which becomes more so as the years go on, so that made it feel like a ripe period to tell a story. Like, back in AVENGERS (1963) #4 when he first woke up in the “modern world,” it had been eighteen years since he went into the ice. Now, because of how time works in the Marvel Universe, it’s more like seventy years! That makes it almost a sci-fi story for Steve Rogers, which is fascinating.

But ultimately, I wanted to tell a story of him getting the lay of the land of America and its place in the world, which is much different than when he went to sleep.

Marvel.com: At the end of the first issue, readers are introduced to a mysterious figure carrying Captain America’s shield. What can you tease about David Colton?

Zdarsky: David is a Captain America lost to time, coming to life in a post-9/11 world. And now Steve Rogers, his hero, is back and under David’s command. He’s finally meeting his hero. They say to never meet your heroes.

It’s been really challenging and satisfying working out David’s story and how a modern world and war would affect someone taking on this mantle. It’s been especially satisfying writing Steve, seeing this new world through David’s eyes, and what it means for his journey.

Recording star Connie Francis says she is on the mend after a recent trip to the hospital to address some “extreme pain.”

The “Stupid Cupid” and “Lipstick on Your Collar” singer, who rose to fame in the late 1950s and early ‘60s, informed fans on Facebook that she is receiving care after undergoing tests and exams. “Thank you all for your kind thoughts, words and prayers,” she wrote Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, the 87-year-old “Pretty Little Baby” singer wrote on Facebook that she went to the hospital to learn more about the cause of her pain, which she said prompted her to call off an upcoming Fourth of July performance, her latest cancellation in recent weeks. Francis’ posts this week did not disclose much information about her condition, but a previous Facebook update provided some insight.

A week prior to her hospitalization, Francis announced on Facebook that she had been dealing with “pelvic pain on the right side” and underwent tests to determine “that this is due to a fracture.”

“It looks like I may have to rely on my wheelchair a little longer than anticipated,” she wrote, adding that she had to pull out of a then-upcoming performance.

Francis gave followers more information about her health in March, telling them in another Facebook post that she uses a wheelchair to avoid putting “undue pressure on a troublesome painful hip” and that she was awaiting stem cell therapy at the time.

Francis has spoken openly about her personal afflictions over the course of her career. She told the Village Voice in 2011 that she had been committed to several mental institutions in the ‘80s. She said she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after she was misdiagnosed with other mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, ADD and ADHD.

The singer, also known for “Where the Boys Are” and “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” recently had her music go viral on TikTok as users use her “Pretty Little Baby” for videos.

“I’m still astounded by the popularity of ‘Pretty Little Baby,’” she said last week, thanking the A-listers who have used her hit in their social media videos.

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It takes a little over an hour for “Nobu” to marinate long enough to approach a point of complexity, not exactly bitter but no longer cloyingly sweet. Nobu Matsuhisa, the celebrated sushi master, is running quality-control checks in one of his restaurants. A poor chef is sweating the test so badly, he won’t need soy sauce soon enough. His dish keeps being sent back: Chop the chives finer. Why is this pile of raw crudo smaller? Why did you paint a line of salt instead of a dot? The scene goes on, excruciatingly. A few minutes later, Robert De Niro — an early investor and co-founder — dominates a private board meeting with concerns about too-rapid growth. It’s not quite the ominous Waingro showdowns of “Heat” but in the ballpark.

Fastidiousness, precision and a kind of reputational exclusivity are at the heart of Matsuhisa’s enterprise. These are hard things to make a documentary about. But it’s also why Nobu needed to come to Beverly Hills for his concept take root — not just any Los Angeles but the ’80s-era boomtown of power lunches and spend-to-impress dining. Spago’s Wolfgang Puck makes an appearance in director Matt Tyrnauer’s half-interesting film, fawning over his longtime friend sitting next to him but not quite articulating the essence of their revolution: high-end branding. You wish more time was spent on that conceptual idea, enabled by celebrities throwing around money on food they barely ate.

The kind of doc that “Nobu” more often resembles (as do most foodie-targeted profiles) is a gentle chronology of a humble genius and everyday guy who just happens to fly private. Matsuhisa bows to euphoric local fishmongers, does a lot of hugs and selfies with his staff, visits his roots in Japan and Peru. There are family interviews and a detour to Alaska, where, years before he had a 300-person nightly waitlist, an early restaurant of his caught fire — in the bad literal way (Tyrnauer cuts to the Anchorage newspaper headline). These false starts are somehow exhausting, lacking in suspense. He contemplated suicide, then came to California.

The food sails by: wedges of black cod with miso, delicate plates of thinly sliced fish adorned with tweezer-manipulated herbs. All of it is crazy-making and delicious. Still, apart from former Los Angeles Times food editor Ruth Reichl, who witnessed the rise of Nobu as it happened, there are few on-camera voices who speak directly to Matsuhisa’s gifts and experimentation with form. 2011’s “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” does a better job of delivering the intimate discipline of cutting and shaping. More testimony to the experience of eating at Nobu would have helped this feel less like a commercial.

“Nobu” is a film oddly unconcerned with the communal experience of dining. We hear about the way his sushi workstations are elevated (a “stage,” Matsuhisa calls them) and that’s central to the performance going on here, also the remove. Something clicks when the film heads to Nobu Malibu and visits the table of supermodel Cindy Crawford, whose “Cindy rice,” a dish he invented for her, adorns the menu. There’s a deep mutual gratitude between them that goes back years. An appreciation of the finer things? No doubt. Game recognizing game? Definitely.

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, will no longer be able to enter Australia after releasing a song that praises Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

Tony Burke, Australia’s home affairs minister, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Wednesday that the country had canceled his visa in early May, around the time “Heil Hitler” was released.

Ye has visited the country frequently since marrying Bianca Censori, who is from Melbourne.

“If someone argued that antisemitism was rational, I would not let them come here,” Burke said. “[Ye] has been coming to Australia for a long time … and he’s made a lot of offensive comments.”

The song proved to be the final strike for Ye. First shared in a social media post on X, “Heil Hitler” as been widely denounced for its racial epithets and antisemitism. It was also subsequently banned on most streaming platforms.

In the song, Ye sampled an infamous speech made by Hitler in 1935 at Krupp Factory, two years after he was appointed chancellor of the Nazi party.

Its music video, released May 8, shows a group of individuals dressed in animal skins reciting the song’s lyrics.

Ye’s behavior has long been controversial, but his antisemitism in recent years has put former colleagues in an awkward position.

John Legend, whose 2013 effort “Love in the Future” was executive produced by Ye, had a clear response in a recent interview.

“It never affects me personally, but just the whole story is sad. Like, seeing this guy praise Hitler, seeing this guy be this force of hate and just vitriol and nastiness,” Legend said during an appearance on New York’s Hot 97 radio show. “All the things he’s done to make the world more beautiful and interesting, for him to be this now, it’s sad. It’s just sad.”

He clarified that during his time on Ye’s G.O.O.D. Music label between 2004 and 2016, he never saw evidence that the rapper was “obsessed with Hitler.”

Legend added that despite Ye’s recent behavior, he has no regrets over their past collaborations: “I’m so glad we did what we did together.”

On Episode One of Season Three of Homemade Live, Chef Joel Gamoran visits with legendary chef and TV host, Lidia Bastianich. Building on the versatility of turkey, Chef Gamoran makes a B&B cocktail that features turkey broth.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

● 1 cup turkey broth (homemade or low-sodium for best flavor)
● 3 ounces bourbon
● 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce (choose a rich, flavorful brand)
● 2 dashes vinegar-based hot sauce
● ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
● 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional, for spice)
● Wheels of lemon, fresh ginger, or pickled vegetables for garnish, as desired

TO PREPARE

STEP ONE. Warm the turkey broth in a small saucepan over low heat until just warm to the touch.

STEP TWO. Add 1½ oz bourbon to each mug and top with with Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, celery salt, lemon juice, and cayenne (if using).

STEP THREE. Add ½ cup of warm broth to the mug and stir.  Garnish as you wish.