UK

Si King ‘grateful’ for ‘wonderful outpouring of support’ after Dave Myers death

Si King ‘grateful’ for ‘wonderful outpouring of support’ after Dave Myers death - He was speaking ahead of The Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone documentary, about the memorial day which will air on BBC Two on December 23.

Kate says she ‘didn’t know’ what 2024 held in store as she hosts carol service

Kate says she ‘didn’t know’ what 2024 held in store as she hosts carol service - It is the fourth time the Princess of Wales has held her event at Westminster Abbey.

20 canceled TV shows from the 21st century that need to be revived

Many TV shows from the 21st century have been canceled. Some were rightfully shelved, and others seemed like they could go on forever. Thanks to streaming networks (hey, Netflix!), a few classics have seen a revival, but there are many more that people are eager to see —like the 20 below!

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew review – Jude Law’s romp through a galaxy far, far away is excellent fun

Star Wars is not obliged to be fun – Andor is probably the best of the TV spinoffs, and that’s hardly any fun at all. But its dud movies and series tend to be the dour ones, because its core business is to be a silly stellar adventure for kids, parents and adults who still have a lively inner child. Fun should be the default, and now the franchise has hit upon the sort of show it should have made years ago. As everyone online who saw the trailer...

The IP that wouldn't die: Film franchises that just keep on going

How many times can Vin Diesel go fast and be furious for his family? When will Andy’s toys finally get some rest? Will Michael Myers ever cease to exist? While some franchises know how to either keep the magic alive or realize when to hang it up, some film franchises just won’t quit.

Matt cartoons – December 2024

Born on December 5: Little Richard, one of the pioneers of rock'n'roll

The rambunctious kid born in Macon, Georgia, in 1932, whose real name was Richard Wayne Penniman, paved the way for black artists in the world of rock. As the third of twelve children and under the strict authority of a father who swore by religion, little Richard had to fight not only to make his attraction (seen as “diabolical”) to rock music understood, but even more to have his latent homosexuality accepted. This was never to be the case...

The 7 Netflix thrillers to binge if you’ve been loving Black Doves

At The Fashion Awards, Kojey Radical Has Reasons to Smile

Esquire grabbed a moment with the British-Ghanaian musician pre-ceremony as he prepared to host the night wearing Botter, Etro, Denzil Patrick and Zac McGarry, styled by Toni-Blaze Ibekwe

Whoopi Goldberg plays the baddie onstage in 'Annie' this holiday season in New York

Whoopi Goldberg plays the baddie onstage in 'Annie' this holiday season in New York - Whoopi Goldberg is about to break two ironclad rules of show business — never work with animals or children

20 TV characters shockingly recast during the show's run

A recast for a minor character usually isn’t too noticeable, but sometimes it can take a lot of getting used to if a lead character is recast and even changes the dynamic of a show.

Five of the best music books of 2024

The Secret Public: How LGBTQ Performers Shaped Pop Culture 1955-1979 Jon Savage, Faber From his definitive punk history England’s Dreaming to his forensic examination of mid-60s pop culture 1966, Jon Savage’s work has long represented the gold standard of music writing. This may well be his masterpiece: an epic of meticulous research and analysis that’s fascinating in its unearthing of a frequently buried history. Beautifully written – its 800...

Fallout season two starts filming with Walton Goggins back in character

Walton Goggins has slipped back into his Ghoulish guise to start filming the second season of Fallout.

Jesse Eisenberg opens up about filming tough movie scene: ‘I couldn’t stop crying’

Jesse Eisenberg opens up about filming tough movie scene: ‘I couldn’t stop crying’ - ‘I was glad when the movie ended,’ said actor

Scottish band to play last-ever shows in Glasgow

A popular Scottish band have added an extra Glasgow gig date due to 'phenomenal demand'.

Anita Rani displays ‘middle class woman’ message amid Gregg Wallace furore

Anita Rani displays ‘middle class woman’ message amid Gregg Wallace furore - Wallace has stepped away from hosting MasterChef as allegations of misconduct are investigated.

Richard Eyre on Judi Dench: ‘At 90, she can still recite the whole of Twelfth Night’

I first saw Judi Dench act in 1966 in a brilliant four-part television drama called Talking To A Stranger in which each episode of the story of a dysfunctional family was related from the point of view of a different family member. I was dazzled by Judi’s passionate energy, her abandon, her sharp wit and her painful vulnerability: “Every day when I...

Sacred Mysteries: Queen Victoria’s four amazing granddaughters

In 1947, at Westminster Abbey, the Marchioness of Milford Haven witnessed her grandson Philip marry Princess Elizabeth, soon to be Queen. The Marchioness, who had been Princess Victoria of Hesse, was Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, spanning two very different worlds. Even more remarkably, a statue of her sister now looks out above the great west do...

You owe it to yourself to not spoil these 20 films' endings

Thanks to the rise of the internet and social media, it is almost impossible to avoid spoilers for movies. As soon as a movie hits theaters or streaming, its contents are all over the web. Having a movie spoiled can sometimes completely ruin a viewing experience, so avoid spoilers for these films at all costs.

Halifax Piece Hall announce another huge band for their summer 2025 concert series

The Teskey Brothers join the likes of Gary Barlow, Travis, Paul Heaton, Faithless, Texas, Weezer, Supergrass, The Libertines, Simple Minds, Khruangbin, Olly Murs and Rag’n’Bone Man among the first headliners

Video game adaptations ranked: The best 7 movies and shows based on games

There's tons of TV shows, animated series, and movies based off of video games. Here are the best video game adaptations, with the top 7 ranked.

20 songs that were unexpected bangers

We never expected to be jamming to a country Beyoncé song or a love ballad sung by Lil Wayne, but here we are. Keep scrolling to discover 20 unsuspecting songs from artists that we can't get enough of.

How an Irish YouTuber turned a niche following into millions for charities with holiday livestreams

How an Irish YouTuber turned a niche following into millions for charities with holiday livestreams - An Irish YouTuber hopes to raise millions of dollars for charity this holiday season — and is using a popular gaming technology to rally his fans around the cause

Emmy-award winning actor Thom Christopher dies at 84

The icon died Thursday.

Love to hate: 25 movie characters who are simply insufferable

In this life, you'll meet all kinds of people. Some will be delightful, some will be infuriating and a precious few will check that box marked "insufferable." You know the type.

20 musicians who pulled off early-career image makeovers

All musicians need time to hone their craft and find themselves as human beings. In the course of doing so, they sometimes release really embarrassing albums that are wildly different from what made them famous.

The people who put on a production of Hamlet… inside Grand Theft Auto

The people who put on a production of Hamlet… inside Grand Theft Auto - IN FOCUS: During the pandemic, two out-of-work actors decided to mount a Shakespeare adaptation within the blocky, sun-kissed world of ‘Grand Theft Auto’. Now their unexpectedly touching story has been brought to life in a new documentary, writes Greg Evans

20 actors who tried their hand a career in music

Entertainers are multi-talented people, but not all actors are meant to be pop stars.

The 15 best films of 2024, ranked

The 15 best films of 2024, ranked - THE COUNTDOWN: When it comes to cinema, 2024 was a year of toilets, tennis and trash heaps; sand, sadness and Saoirses. From ‘Poor Things’ to ‘Dune: Part Two’, Clarisse Loughrey has selected the greatest movies from the last 12 months

The Cine Files: from Daniel Craig in Queer to Cate Blanchett in Rumours, December’s best cinema films

The Cine Files: from Daniel Craig in Queer to Cate Blanchett in Rumours, December’s best cinema films - Luca Guadagnino gets sexy, trippy and sweaty with Queer, while Guy Maddin’s G7 satire Rumours is a surreal hoot: here are the top 10 movies this month

20 critically-panned movies that were box office hits

Audiences and critics have been known to clash in opinions. These 20 movies were commercial successes, but critics didn't have much good to say about them.

Wicked: How cinema re-invented the witch and restored her powers

As 'Wicked' prepares to cast its spell over the box office, we look at how portrayals of witches on screen have evolved to become symbols of female empowerment and an embracement of otherness. View on euronews

15 songs Prince wrote that were made famous by other perfomers

No one wrote music like Prince, so it was usually easy to identify his influence — though, in some cases, the artists would transform the songs into something that belonged as much to them as it did to Prince.

J-pop star and Love Letter actor Miho Nakayama dies, aged 54

J-pop star and Love Letter actor Miho Nakayama dies, aged 54 - Nakayama was found dead at her home in Tokyo after cancelling a Christmas performance

Tributes paid to singer Dickie Rock after death aged 88

Tributes paid to singer Dickie Rock after death aged 88 - The Dublin-born singer represented Ireland in the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Come Back To Stay.

20 actors who have rejected the role that made them famous

Many actors are defined by a singular role in their performance history, and some actors wish they could be defined by any character other than the one that made them famous.

Rosamund Pike: ‘The older you are the more complex the lives you’re playing get – and it has a cost’

One of the achievements of which Rosamund Pike is most proud (and for which I most admire her) is related not to her acting career (although she has had memorable roles in dozens of films, from Pride & Prejudice to Saltburn) but something that occurred on a road trip from Prague to London this summer. At the wheel of her 1972 Citroën DS, she ran in...

The 20 original series on Apple TV+ you should make time to watch

Nobody could have predicted the rate at which it grew and changed the world forever, thanks to products like the MacBook, iPhone, and Apple Watch. It was only a short time before Apple entered the world of television and streaming, with AppleTV+ launching in 2019.

25 movies that will really mess with your head

These kinds of films are designed to mess with the mind, whether through the effective use of a plot twist, the narrative, or sometimes just the inventive use of the visual field. As thought-provoking as they are disturbing, these are the kinds of films that prove the enduring power of cinema.

Peter Jackson and The Lord Of The Rings cast reunite at premiere of new adaptation

Director Peter Jackson was joined by some of the cast of the original Lord Of The Rings trilogy at the premiere of the new anime adaptation, Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim. The new film is set to be released on December 13.

Amazon Prime subscribers can claim a frankly absurd number of free games like The Outer Worlds and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine with Prime Gaming right now - these are my top picks

Amazon is celebrating the release of Secret Level by giving away loads of great games with Prime Gaming.

The 25 essential family movies

Getting the whole family on the couch for a movie can be a great thing — or it can downright suck. Depends on the movie you're watching. Finding a movie that appeals to mom, dad and the kids can be a tough task, especially when dad wants adventure and mom wants feel-good entertainment.

Dick Van Dyke says he’s not afraid of dying: ‘I could go any day now’

Dick Van Dyke says he’s not afraid of dying: ‘I could go any day now’ - ‘I could go any day now,’ the ‘Mary Poppins’ star says in the moving footage, ‘but I’m not afraid of it’

‘Intensely nostalgic’: why A Knight’s Tale is my feelgood movie

There’s a neat little moment in A Knight’s Tale that I like to think speaks directly to how it became one of my favourite films. Having riled up the crowd before Heath Ledger’s imposter knight William rides into a joust, Paul Bettany’s boisterous Geoffrey Chaucer tells him: “I got their attention. You go and win their hearts.” Brian Helgeland’s 2001 film is on paper absurd. It’s a medieval sports movie about jousting, filmed on cheapo sets in...

How much money do stars make from Christmas songs in 2024? From Noddy Holder to Shakin’ Stevens

How much money do stars make from Christmas songs in 2024? From Noddy Holder to Shakin’ Stevens - Slade's Noddy Holder called Merry Xmas Everybody a 'retirement plan'

Eminem and Debbie Mathers showed that hip-hop is the genre where men come to terms with their mothers

Hip-hop has long been a culture that honours single mothers and their many sacrifices. “She was barely even grown and became my momma!” rapped a tearful Cee-Lo Green over a wounded piano on Goodie Mob’s criminally underrated 1995 song Guess Who. “I never knew my dad, so even when the times got bad / I was glad, because I had my momma.” On the powerful hood-gospel song, Dear Mama, 2Pac famously paid tribute to the persistence of his own family...

Madame Choi and the Monsters by Patrick Spät and Sheree Domingo review – the stuff of blockbusters

This graphic novel, published first in German, is based on a true story, and if you don’t already know that tale (I’m afraid I didn’t), it will astonish you. A successful actor and her movie director ex-husband are kidnapped by an enemy state, so that they might make movies to please a dictator. On paper, this is the stuff of a disaster-ridden major motion picture, dreamed up by some crazed auteur. But it really happened. In 1978, Choi Eun-Hee,...

The Guardian view on a new wave of biographical films: creative risks that redefine history

Biographical films have long been favoured by Hollywood studios for their prestige while offering actors the kind of meaty roles that win audiences – and Oscars. This year’s Oppenheimer was no exception, winning in seven categories including best film, best director and best actor. The film employed creative licence to dramatise the life of J Robert Oppenheimer, the iconic physicist and wartime director of the Los Alamos Laboratory in New...

The 20 best performances that didn't win an Oscar

The Academy Award is the holy grail of acting, an aspiration for many who offer themselves up on the big screen. Unfortunately, the Academy is often very fickle, and it’s sometimes difficult to tell what logic (or lack thereof) determines nominations.

Mark Lanegan 60: A Celebration: The late grunge growler gets a loving, fittingly contrary celebration

Mark Lanegan was one of rock’s great brooding refuseniks, cut of the same cloth as Johnny Cash and Nick Cave, a grunge-era growler who scored only one substantial hit with his first band, Screaming Trees, and whose restless creativity and contrary attitude thereafter made him a fearsome cult hero. After a life lived on the edge, Lanegan was hospita...