Category: 5. Entertainment

Written by Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan and Jack Thorne, the films will explore many elements of each Beatles member’s personal lives, including the relationship between Starr and his first wife, Maureen Starkey Tigrett.

On that relationship, Starr claimed he asked for certain elements of the story to be changed so that they better reflected reality.

“He had a writer — very good writer, great reputation, and he wrote it great, but it had nothing to do with Maureen and I,” Starr told The New York Times.

“That’s not how we were. I’d say, ‘We would never do that.’”

After some tweaks, Starr admits he is now happy with the script, which will see Irish actor Barry Keoghan portray the Liverpudlian.

While some have argued that the roles could have gone to lesser-known actors – particularly those with strong links to the city of Liverpool – Starr has started working closely with Keoghan to help his portrayal of the drummer.

Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Keoghan revealed: “I met Ringo the other day, in his house. I didn’t just meet him at his house, had to go up, and he let me in.

“I met him at his house and he played the drums for me. He asked me to play, but I wasn’t playing the drums for Ringo.

“It was sort of just one of those moments where you’re just in awe and you’re just frozen.”

Playing the other Beatles will be Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

Mendes has confirmed that the four separate biopics will all be released in April 2028.

The Beatles films will be released in April 2028.

Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

When Glyndebourne opened its doors in 1934, it did so with The Marriage of Figaro, the first in a fabled line of productions of Mozart’s comic masterpiece to grace its stages over the last 90 years. If the director Mariame Clément felt any pressure, it didn’t show. Hers is a nuanced staging that manages to be astute, funny and moving all at once. It’s also extremely well sung.

The opera is about many things, but a great deal hinges on the ancient concept of droit de seigneur, a barbaric medieval custom whereby a feudal lord was entitled to have sex with a female servant on her wedding night. Mozart’s Count, we learn, has made a show of ending the tradition, though he still hopes to bed the feisty Susanna, maidservant to his estranged Countess. Clément sets the show in its original period, allowing its parallels to resonate across the centuries with today’s audiences, and so they do.

There is a powerful interrogation of character here: the determination and resourcefulness of Susanna, the aching loneliness of the Countess, and the testosterone-fuelled antagonism that develops between the Count and his increasingly implacable manservant, Figaro. Revolutionary feelings erupt at several points. Whether or not he prevails in his immediate sexual depredations, the Count’s days are plainly numbered. He might join in the final outburst of bonhomie, but as a predator his career is in tatters.

Clément is clearly blessed with funny bones, as are most of her singers. At the opening of Act III, we hear the Count’s voice, seemingly from off stage. Moments later, as a wriggling foot emerges over its rim, we realise he was submerged in the bathtub all along. The fistfuls of documents concealed under Marcelina’s voluminous skirts, the rogue’s gallery of doddery old men, and a hastily improvised game of rock paper scissors all receive well-earned laughs.

Julia Hansen’s rotating sets are a marvel, presenting a labyrinthine succession of pastel-painted rooms, corridors and gardens. Equally eye-catching are her vibrant costumes and Paule Constable’s atmospheric lighting, which never fails to pick out a face. Riccardo Minasi drives the score hard, though his flexible beat is always alert to the drama. The playing of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is exhilarating, though balance is sometimes an issue.

The cast is led by Johanna Wallroth’s sparky Susanna and Louise Alder’s radiant Countess. The latter delivers an immaculate account of Porgi amor and a poignantly staged Dove sono. Michael Nagl is an appealingly bumptious Figaro, Huw Montague Rendall a preening, raptor-like Count, and Adèle Charvet engaging and entirely convincing as the reluctantly cross-dressed Cherubino. As Bartolo and Marcelina, Alessandro Corbelli and Madeleine Shaw are surprisingly tender in the paternity scene, another of Clément’s many thoughtful touches.

Tell us about your new novel, One Summer in Provence.

Celia gave up her son at birth. Out of the blue, 47 years later, the son makes contact. One Summer in Provence is a woman’s journey towards finding a family, belonging, overcoming betrayal, facing up to her past and reconnecting with the child she renounced at birth.

Is the subject matter of a long-lost son particularly charged, given how movingly you have addressed the struggle to have your own child?

I am sure that my childlessness has affected my writing. When I began this novel I didn’t know who David (the long-lost son) was, whether he was genuine or a pretender. It is very hard to understand the deep emotional mechanics of writing, the impulses that push the narrative of a story. Probably best not to try.

Tell us about your series of bestselling memoirs about managing an olive farm in Provence.

I fell in love with a Frenchman. He asked me to marry him on our first date. We purchased an overgrown olive farm in the south of France. Once the land was cut back, we discovered centenarian olive trees surviving on drystone-wall terraces. Our olive oil is fabulous, and organic. These Olive Farm memoirs are many love stories rolled into one: the Mediterranean, olive farming, a man, a house, France …

You made your name as an actor, perhaps most memorably as Helen Herriot in the BBC series, All Creatures Great and Small. What is your most abiding memory of it? What were your other highlights?

All Creatures Great and Small was a gift to me as a young actress. I had no idea it would be such a calling card. We had huge fun on location; we were all great friends. No unkindnesses, no rivalry. Working with Max Von Sydow on the film Father, playing father and daughter, winning a best screen actress award for my performance. Three months in Melbourne with Max, a truly fine, generous actor, was very special.

Who or what made you a writer?

Reading transports, as we know. I have a traveller’s soul. No one influence made me a writer.

The experience of the starlet Marguerite in your novel The Lost Girl was based on your sexual assault by Elia Kazan while auditioning for the lead role in his film The Last Tycoon (1976).

It was decades before I was able to open up about Kazan’s appalling behaviour towards me. I first spoke about this deeply painful experience at the West Cork Literary Festival several months before the #MeToo movement took off.

You were born in London but your mother Phyllis McCormack was an Irish nurse and you bought a second home here. One of your books is called The Hunger: The Diary of Phyllis McCormack, Ireland, 1845–1847. Tell us about your many Irish connections.

I proudly carry an Irish passport. I consider myself Irish rather than British. Irish-Mediterranean. My sister lives in the UK. Otherwise, all my family are here in Ireland. Ireland is my roots; in my bones.

Which projects are you working on?

A new novel set in wartime Marseilles.

Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage?

Several. Among them: Hemingway’s homes in Cuba; Jack London’s sprawling estate in northern California; Dostoevsky’s House Museum; Yasnaya Polyana near Moscow, the rural home of the Tolstoy family. Nelson Mandela’s cell on Robben Island.

What is the best writing advice you have heard?

“Turn up at the desk. Open the page. No one else is going to write that book for you.”

Who do you admire the most?

Your questions are the best/worst/favourite etc! I tend to experience in degrees. I admire so many people.

You are supreme ruler for a day. Which law do you pass or abolish?

I have no desire to be supreme leader. Let’s abolish the US’s current “supreme ruler”.

Which current book, film and podcast would you recommend?

I rarely tune in to podcasts. Looking forward to the third in Joseph O’Connor’s Rome trilogy.

Which public event affected you most?

I am struggling with Gaza. Its destruction. For my Olive Route travel books and films I spent quite some time in the Middle East. Also, my father was in Palestine during the second World War. He spoke about his experiences frequently.

The most remarkable place you have visited?

I visited central Australia several times years ago. I was very moved by The Olgas, Ayers Rock, which back then we climbed. I dived up at the Great Barrier Reef many times. Spectacular.

Your most treasured possession?

Aside from our olive farm … ?

What is the most beautiful book that you own?

It’s the collection, rather than one. My library, my passport to take off.

Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Marguerite Duras, Marcel Pagnol, Jean Giono, Graham Greene, Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez; Georges Simenon.

The best and worst things about where you live?

The south of France is a kind of paradise. Of course, that means many tourists and over-construction.

What is your favourite quotation?

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear.” Rosa Parks.

Who is your favourite fictional character?

As a child it was William from the Richmal Crompton books … Innocent anarchy.

A book to make me laugh?

Gerald Durrell’s My Family and Other Animals.

A book that might move me to tears?

So many … All the Light We Cannot See; The Kite Runner; Four Letters of Love; Love in the Time of Cholera.

One Summer in Provence is published by Corvus

That means we’ll be back in rural Colorado in less than two months’ time, with Alex (Ashby Gentry) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) no doubt causing plenty more headaches for our protagonist this time out.

While some criticised the arguable sidelining of Jackie in her own story, season 1 was received well enough to earn an instant renewal, with the news arriving mere days after the first run wrapped up.

That run saw grief-stricken Jackie leave her perfect life in Manhattan behind and move in with the Walter family after becoming an orphan.

At the same time, she was attempting to keep hold of her dream of studying at the prestigious Princeton University while also becoming close with the two clashing Walter brothers.

Speaking at the time of the renewal, creator and showrunner Melanie Halsall said (via Variety): “I am beyond thrilled that My Life with the Walter Boys has been renewed for a second season.

“We have been overwhelmed by the love and support that the audience has given the show and can’t wait to dive back into the world of Silver Falls and the lives of these characters.”

Executive producer Ed Glauser added: “The saying ‘it takes a village’ couldn’t be more true as it pertains to the success of My Life with the Walter Boys.

“From Ali Novak’s original novel, brilliantly adapted by Melanie Halsall, to our wonderful cast who brought her characters to life, and Netflix’s steadfast commitment, we’re thrilled to continue Jackie’s journey with season 2.”

What will that journey involve? Well, season 2 is likely to pick up from the end of season 1, which left the huge question of whether Jackie will pick Cole or Alex up in the air.

The end of August can’t come soon enough!

My Life with the Walter Boys returns to Netflix on Thursday 28th August.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Mastering the perfect beach vacation outfit is a conundrum that keeps coming back around—but Dakota Johnson’s jaunt to Ibiza has provided ample inspiration, whether you’re jetting off the the Balearic islands this summer or not.

Photographed across the Fourth of July holiday, Johnson and friends Kate Hudson, Tom Brady, and Sofia Vergara were seen enjoying their break at Casa Jondal, a hyped, exclusive beach club and restaurant that sits in Ibiza’s southern bay.

Photo: Backgrid

Johnson showcased what’s pretty much the perfect beach vacation outfit: A sheer cream, floral lace embroidered dress that hit at the knee, with a brown scoopneck bikini underneath. She accessorized with a purple amethyst pendant necklace layered over a longer gold chain with a gold and onyx heart locket, and a chunky gold ring. Beside her, a pair of simple beige thong flip flops, ready when she is. The look felt like it could have been picked up from one of the local markets, and felt right for sitting beachside, retiring to the club for a long lunch of chargrilled fish and padron peppers, and aimlessly wandering the streets of Ibiza town.

Her vacation wardrobe, so far, has been all hits, ticking off every It-item we’d want in our carry-on suitcase. She was previously photographed wearing a Dôen floral skirt, the Vogue editor-approved Alaïa ballet flats, a slogan cap, and a very casual rare Gucci green shopper bag from the house’s fall 2025 runway. We know those super hyped Dune flip-flops from The Row are lurking in Johnson’s finca wardrobe for certain, too.

Alison Leiby remembers feeling her heart beat harder when she saw the email without a subject line appear on her phone.

It was from Anna Wintour, longtime editor of American Vogue.

As Leiby tapped on the message and waited for it to load, she felt a bolt of anxiety and thought, “Oh, God. What is about to happen?”

To her relief, Wintour’s two-sentence message offered congratulations on a one-woman, off-Broadway show Leiby created and starred in. Wintour had been in the audience on opening night in May 2022, Leiby told Business Insider.

While she didn’t need to worry about the contents of the message, Leiby nevertheless found it unnerving to receive an email sans subject line — especially from the doyen of fashion.

“In a professional context, it’s genuinely terrifying because the door is open for it to be anything,” said Leiby, a comedian whose writing credits include the TV series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

It’s been reported that Wintour, who recently said she would give up her role as editor in chief of the American fashion glossy to devote more time to other responsibilities at the magazine and its parent company, sometimes sends emails without subject lines.

Despite Leiby’s initial anxiety about the message, she later posted a screenshot of the email on social media, describing it as “the best email of my life.”

A representative for Vogue didn’t respond to a request for comment from BI about the message to Leiby or Wintour’s email practices.

While leaving the subject line blank might work for some leaders —especially busy ones — workplace observers told BI that it’s often a good idea to include one in business communications.

Picking the right subject line

Kathleen Schmidt, a publishing consultant in New York City, forces herself to add a subject line to most client emails she sends, even though she “hates” having to summarize a message with a title.

“They’re just impossible to come up with sometimes,” Schmidt told BI.

So, for less formal communications with colleagues, she’ll often omit them. Schmidt sometimes does the same with friends or her husband — a practice that Schmidt said “drives him nuts.”

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“It’s from me. What do you think it’s going to say? Like, ‘We won a million dollars?’” Schmidt said.

Thinking about your audience

Barring a life-changing financial windfall, including a subject line for work communications is often beneficial because it can help people suss out what’s most pressing, Lizzie Post, great-great-granddaughter of etiquette authority Emily Post and coauthor of the book “Emily Post’s Business Etiquette,” told BI.

Those keywords can help people categorize a message and provide insights into its significance, she said.

“It’s really important, I think, for the vast majority of us,” Post said. “But I’m also a Vogue devotee. I will not go against the queen.”

Kate Walker, a human resources consultant and executive coach in California, offered a similar assessment. Even though the summaries can be annoying, they have a purpose, Walker told BI.

“When I’m writing a subject line, I need to think about my audience,” she said. “We’re competing for people’s time.”

Leiby, the comedian, said that working as a performer and writer means she’s grown accustomed to getting rejection emails. Even seeing an email from someone she’d interviewed with for a job can be nerve-racking, Leiby said.

Yet, when a message arrives without a subject, “your heart stops for a minute,” she said.

“You’re like, ‘Oh, God, is this about to change my life in a good way or a bad way?’” Leiby said.

Katy Perry has recently expressed her disappointment after her ex-partner Orlando Bloom move on quickly after a breakup.

A source close to the singer revealed to Daily Mail that Katy is “hurting” from seeing her former partner as he seemed carefree after they ended their relationship six years following their engagement.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor was spotted partying and attending VIP functions after he called it quits with Katy.

It is pertinent to mention that Orlando enjoyed his newfound singlehood as he attended Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding in Venice.

Katy “has been left hurt and disappointed” by Orlando’s behaviour, even though she understands he’s “free to do whatever” he wants, remarked an insider.

“It’s disappointing… It’s hurtful and annoying,” said an insider.

The source told the outlet, “If he’s going to behave like an acting-up adolescent, that’s on him. She’s going to continue to work and take care of Daisy.”

“Katy knows that he’s free to do whatever the hell he wants to do, she hoped he’d do it a little more discreetly and thoughtfully,” explained an insider.

The source added, “So, she’s disappointed and sad.”

After months of speculations surrounding Katy and Orlando relationship, the now exes confirmed they had gone their separate ways.

Both stars’ representatives issued a press statement, adding, they have “been shifting their relationship over the past many months to “focus on co-parenting” per US Weekly.

LOS ANGELES — In a summer full of blockbusters, writer-director James Gunn’s “Superman” might have the most riding on it. It’s not just a reboot of one of the most beloved superheroes of all time — the film, in theaters July 11, is also the first entry in a new cinematic universe intended to revive DC Studios after years of misfires and scattered storytelling.

And for six weeks last summer, Gunn, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” filmmaker named co-chair of DC Studios in 2022, brought the high-stakes production to a place close to the character’s roots: Cleveland.

“We cast cities in the same way we cast actors,” Gunn said in an interview with cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer in Los Angeles. “We looked all over for the best Metropolis. We liked Cincinnati a lot, but we really liked Cleveland. It’s because of all the old Art Deco architecture that people really don’t know about. Although we were making whatever city we filmed in a much bigger city than it is, Cleveland worked best for all of the basic architecture we’re using up close.”

Cleveland: The perfect Metropolis

Indeed, Cleveland’s building stock provided the timeless aesthetic that production designer Beth Mickle envisioned for Metropolis, where Superman’s alias Clark Kent works as a reporter with Lois Lane at the Daily Planet, and where his nemesis Lex Luthor, operates a billion-dollar tech company.

In this age of digital effects and virtual sets, the city’s role is bigger than locals might expect. Gunn and his crew shot scenes at Public Square, the Arcade, City Hall, Progressive Field and the Leader Building, which stands in for the Daily Planet. During the opening battle, the Hammer of Boravia slams Superman to the ground at PNC Plaza, leaving a huge crater. Later, Superman saves a woman from a building crashing down on the Detroit-Superior Bridge. The scenes are dazzling, and the local landmarks are instantly recognizable.

The payoff isn’t just seeing Cleveland on the big screen — there was an economic boost, too. Based on the tax credit it received, the production spent an estimated $37 million in Northeast Ohio. (Gunn has pushed back, however, on reports about the exact size of the film’s overall budget.)

Honoring Superman’s roots

The city certainly looked the part, but filming here meant more to Gunn and DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran than architecture and tax credits. The character of Superman was created by Glenville students Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the 1930s. The first iteration of Metropolis was based on their hometown.

“The idea that we were shooting in the town in which this character was born — there was something very poetic about that,” Safran said in the production notes.

Gunn didn’t make that connection until he arrived in the city last June.

“I didn’t really know that they were from Cleveland until I was in Cleveland,” he said. “Right after I heard that, I came around the corner and the Terminal Tower was there, and they had lit it up in the colors of Superman. It was a really magical moment.”

For his vision of Superman, Gunn was influenced by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s “All-Star Superman,” a 12-part comic book series that ran from 2005 to 2008. The series presented Superman as optimistic, selfless and compassionate. But there was plenty to mine from Siegel and Shuster’s original creation, too.

“The heart of Superman — the goodness and the purity — started with those guys, even the basic look of Superman,” Gunn said. “Superman has had many collaborators over the years, but none of it exists without the seed that was planted by Jerry and Joe.”

The director made sure to honor their legacy throughout the film. In the Arcade scene, every business sign is either a comic book reference or a nod to Siegel’s family. The street signs in Metropolis are named after DC artists and writers. Siegel’s grandsons, Michael and James Larson, actually appear in a scene inside the Daily Planet newsroom. Gunn also shared the script with them ahead of filming, as a way to include them in the process.

“The one moment I really shed a tear was when Jerry’s grandsons read the script for the first time,” he told Extra TV. “They were just effusive. They were like, ‘This is the Superman movie we’ve been waiting to see. Our grandfather would have been so proud.’ That meant a lot.”

A fresh take on an icon

Gunn’s Man of Steel is a departure from the brooding, emotionally guarded hero portrayed by Henry Cavill in Zack Snyder’s Superman trilogy. The director also eschews the traditional approach of starting on Krypton, watching Clark grow up in Smallville and following him to Metropolis. Instead, this is a coming-of-age story that picks up three years after Superman reveals himself to the world, still struggling to find his place in it.

“We’ve seen Superman’s origin more times than we can count,” Gunn said. “We’ve also seen a lot of Superman post-relationship with Lois, whether they’re (already) boyfriend-girlfriend or married. I think seeing Superman when he’s in the first three months of the relationship, when Lois can’t figure out what she wants this to be, was fertile territory. It’s something that’s never really been focused on in any media.”

David Corenswet, stepping into the blue suit, red cape and trunks (yes, they’re back!) for the first time, praised the decision to skip the origin story.

“It allows us to meet these characters where they’re already embedded in the most basic, important parts of their lives, and yet it feels like the beginning of a whole new adventure,” he said in the production notes. “You get to just dive right in and pick up the pieces along the way, which is definitely how I like to watch a movie.”

Gunn wanted the franchise to move away from the dark, brooding antiheroes that have dominated comic book movies for the past two decades. His Superman is good and noble in a world that no longer values those things. His powers are almost secondary to his humanity. He’s grounded, relatable — he even has an unruly superdog named Krypto.

Gunn’s Superman isn’t made of steel. He’s not indestructible. In fact, in the film’s opening scene, he’s bleeding after suffering his first real defeat.

“One of the interesting things is we come into this movie and we’re like, hey, we want to be Superman. We want to be superhuman, super strong, fly, beams out of our eyes,” Gunn said. “And then we realize over the course of the movie that Superman wants nothing more than to be human, to be us. That’s what he cherishes.”

In the film, Superman is torn between his Kryptonian origins and the human values instilled in him by his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent (played by Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell). At his core, he doesn’t want to rule or dominate — he wants to belong. That, Gunn believes, is what makes the character feel more relevant than ever.

“Over the years, people have thought of Superman as old-fashioned and too Pollyanna. But I think all those things are what make him the world’s biggest rebel right now,” he said. “It goes against the grain of what our popular culture is like these days.”

Bringing a comic book to life

To bring this version of Superman to life, Gunn assembled a cast that embraced the emotional depth of the story and his creative approach to filmmaking. Corenswet plays Superman/Clark Kent with warmth and vulnerability. Rachel Brosnahan brings sharp wit and fearless energy to Lois Lane. Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is a worthy adversary whose sophisticated demeanor masks truly evil intentions. Cleveland native Isabela Merced portrays the flying, mace-wielding warrior Hawkgirl.

“The main reason I wanted to do this is because of James. I’m a big fan of his work,” Merced told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. “He always has a clear vision. And it may be weird and out there, but it works because that’s his true artistic expression.”

The large cast of characters also features Daily Planet staffers Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and Perry White (Wendell Pierce); Hawkgirl’s Justice Gang teammates Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion); Lex Luthor’s goons the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) and Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan); plus a few surprises from the DC Universe. But Gunn made sure the world-building didn’t distract from the movie he was making.

“First and foremost, I always care about just this movie by itself,” he said. “I’ll never sacrifice any moment in this movie for some future thing. I’m not going to put stuff in there that hurts the movie. But it just so happens that because I wanted Superman to have friends — both superhuman like the Justice Gang and human like the Daily Planet gang — it works pretty well for setting up future stories.”

But when pressed about the through line for the first phase of the DCU, intriguingly titled “Gods and Monsters,” Gunn refused to take the bait.

“I think we’ll have to wait around and see that.”

He admitted that launching a franchise with a character as iconic as Superman was daunting at first — not just because it marks the start of a whole cinematic universe, but because of what Superman represents to so many people.

But once he dug in, that pressure turned into something more familiar — and personal.

“When I started working on the film, it became pretty easy because I’m a Superman fan,” Gunn said. “So, I found it pretty easy to be true to how I conceive Superman, how most people conceive Superman. Most Superman fans see Superman. But at the same time, adding some things that maybe we hadn’t seen in a movie before — that comes from my love of Superman in the comic books.”

Whether fans embrace his “Superman” — and how its box office performance shapes the future of the DCU — remains to be seen. Gunn and the cast are currently touring the globe, making sure people see it. But no matter what happens next, he’ll always have a soft spot for where it all began.

“I had the greatest time in Cleveland. The Cleveland people were great,” he said. “I think they know how much I like them, if they’ve seen any of my posts. They were just fantastic throughout (filming).

“And I’ve got a billion Cleveland T-shirts that I wear to this day.”

“Superman” opens in theaters on Friday, July 11