Category Archives: Culture

Gary Busey charged with sexual offenses at New Jersey convention

Posted on by

Police say charges for US actor, 78, include criminal sexual contact at Monster Mania horror film convention last weekend

Actor Gary Busey is facing charges of sexual misconduct and harassment stemming from his behavior at a fan convention in New Jersey, police said on Saturday.

Police in Cherry Hill, a New Jersey suburb of Philadelphia, charged the 78-year-old Busey with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, one of attempted criminal sexual contact and another of harassment, officers said in a statement.

Continue reading...

Family of Bill Paxton settles wrongful death lawsuit with Los Angeles hospital

Posted on by

US actor, who starred in Apollo 13, died in 2017 from stroke 11 days after undergoing heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai

Bill Paxton’s family has struck an agreement to settle its wrongful death lawsuit against a hospital and surgeon who operated on the late actor’s heart shortly before his 2017 death, a court filing showed Friday.

Notice of the settlement came as a 19 September trial date for Paxton’s family’s lawsuit loomed. Assuming the judge presiding over the case ultimately approves it, the agreement would all but wrap up the claims that Paxton’s wife, Louise, and their children, James and Lydia, leveled against Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai medical center and surgeon Ali Khoynezad.

Continue reading...

Jonah Hill says he will no longer promote his own films to protect his mental health

Posted on by

Actor and director pens open letter revealing his nearly 20-year struggle with anxiety attacks, ‘which are exacerbated by media appearances and public facing events’

Jonah Hill has announced he will no longer take part in promoting his films due to his mental health issues being exacerbated by media appearances and public-facing events.

The 38-year-old actor revealed his plan in an open letter published by Deadline ahead of the debut of his new documentary, Stutz, which he directed. The film is about Hill’s relationship with his therapist Phil Stutz, who Hill began seeing in 2017 at the recommendation of fellow actor Joaquin Phoenix. In the film Hill and his therapist discuss his mental health.

In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978. In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, Mental Health America is available on 800-273-8255

Continue reading...

Wolfgang Petersen, director of Das Boot and Air Force One, dies aged 81

Posted on by

German film-maker was known for action and suspense thrillers, including In the Line of Fire, Outbreak and The Perfect Storm

The German film-maker Wolfgang Petersen has died at the age of 81.

The Oscar-nominated writer-director was known for films such as Das Boot, Air Force One and In the Line of Fire. He died of pancreatic cancer at home in the company of his wife, Maria Borgel Petersen. His death was confirmed by his representative.

Continue reading...

Adelaide festival to stage Verdi’s Requiem with a cast of hundreds – and a star choreographer

Posted on by

After Covid thwarted two attempts to bring out Christian Spuck’s acclaimed Messa da Requiem, the festival has finally announced it as next year’s centrepiece

For Adelaide festival’s 2023 opera centrepiece a cast of almost 200 singers, dancers and musicians will take the stage under the direction of one of the world’s most celebrated choreographers.

Dance will be foregrounded in Messa da Requiem: the celebrated production of Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece Requiem by the German choreographer Christian Spuck, which debuted in Zurich in 2016.

Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning

Continue reading...

Ezra Miller breaks silence to apologise ‘to everyone that I have alarmed’

Posted on by

In their first statement since legal issues began, non-binary actor says they have begun treatment for ‘complex mental health issues’

Actor Ezra Miller has broken their silence amid a growing list of legal issues and allegations of erratic behaviour, saying they are seeking treatment for “complex mental health issues”.

In a statement provided by a representative of the actor to Variety on Tuesday, the 29-year-old non-binary actor apologised for any alarm they may have caused.

Continue reading...

Academy Awards apologises to Sacheen Littlefeather for Oscars speech moment

Posted on by

Nearly 50 years after speech on behalf of Marlon Brando about depiction of Native Americans, Academy apologises for ‘unwarranted’ abuse she endured

Nearly 50 years after Sacheen Littlefeather stood on the Academy Awards stage on behalf of Marlon Brando to speak out about the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences apologised to her for the abuse she endured.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Monday said that it will host Littlefeather, now 75, for an evening of “conversation, healing and celebration” in September.

Continue reading...

Steve Toussaint reveals racist abuse after being cast in House of the Dragon

Posted on by

Actor tells Radio Times of social media backlash after landing part in Game of Thrones prequel

Steve Toussaint has revealed he received racist abuse online after he was cast as Corlys Velaryon in the upcoming Game Of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.

The 57-year-old British actor has previously starred in Doctor Who, Line of Duty and Death in Paradise.

Continue reading...

Volunteers sail Roman boat replica along Danube to Budapest

Posted on by

Boat built by Friedrich-Alexander University as part of EU-funded history project visits Hungary’s capital

A replica of a Roman-era boat of the kind that once sailed along the Danube from Germany to the river’s delta at the Black Sea is cruising in Hungary this week, stopping along its journey in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.

The Danuvia Alacris is crewed by volunteers wearing Roman tunics and the expedition is part of an EU-funded project to raise awareness of the region’s Roman past.

Continue reading...

Anne Heche ‘peacefully taken off life support’ after death announcement

Posted on by

The actor, severely injured in a car crash on 5 August, had been legally declared dead, but had life support maintained to facilitate organ donation

Anne Heche has been taken off life support, a family representative said, following the announcement of her death on Friday.

Heche, 53, had been severely injured in a single-vehicle car crash on 5 August, and had suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury”, according to a statement to CNN by Heche’s family. Her “brain death” was confirmed on Friday, meeting a legal definition of death in California, but it is understood life support was maintained to facilitate organ donation. A family representative said she had been “peacefully taken off life support” on Sunday.

Continue reading...

Svika Pick, Israel’s ‘king of pop’, dies aged 72

Posted on by

Songwriter behind hits including 1998 Eurovision winner, and Quentin Tarantino’s father-in-law, dies at home

Svika Pick, a prolific songwriter and musician who was known as Israel’s “king of pop” and by the moniker the Maestro, has died at the age of 72.

He died on Sunday in his home. The cause of death is yet to be announced.

Continue reading...

Paul O’Grady says he can ‘run free’ after hosting his final Radio 2 show

Posted on by

Presenter also admits the reason for his departure was new BBC schedule for Sunday afternoon show

Paul O’Grady thanked his listeners and said he can now “run free” as he signed off from his final BBC Radio 2 show on Sunday.

O’Grady, 67, had hosted the Sunday afternoon programme for nearly 14 years, before a schedule shake-up meant he shared the hosting role with comic Rob Beckett, swapping every 13 weeks.

Continue reading...

Edinburgh notebook: ‘Rik Mayall was like Bad Santa to us’

Posted on by

Stand-up comic Red Richardson on his pedigree comedy childhood

Driving Rik Mayall around would be entertaining work for anyone, but for the young Red Richardson, the job he had in his 20s was the continuation of a childhood bond.

Mayall, who died suddenly in 2014 at the age of 56, was a near neighbour in South Devon, but he was also Richardson’s father’s close friend.

Continue reading...

Rushdie attack prompts questions over security at New York event

Posted on by

Suspect had a ticket for Chautauqua event but some say protections should have been enhanced given sensitivies

A day after the bloody attack on Salman Rushdie in western New York, questions are being asked about how the perpetrator gained untrammeled access to the event with apparently minimal security precautions.

Rushdie, 75, was attacked at 10.47am on Friday, moments after he had sat down on stage in the Chautauqua Institution, a historic community of artists and thinkers about 15 miles south of Lake Erie. The auditorium, which accommodates about 4,000 people, was two-thirds full.

Continue reading...

Helen Skelton revealed as final Strictly Come Dancing contestant

Posted on by

Countryfile and former Blue Peter presenter completes lineup of dancers in 2022 show, due to air in September

The Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton has been confirmed as the final contestant for Strictly Come Dancing 2022.

The 39-year-old’s participation was announced on Saturday morning by Claudia Winkleman, who co-hosts the celebrity dance show with Tess Daly, during her BBC Radio 2 show.

Continue reading...

Britney Spears’ ex-husband convicted of crashing her wedding

Posted on by

Jason Alexander arrived uninvited at pop star’s California home as she got ready to marry Sam Asghari

A man once briefly married to Britney Spears has been convicted of aggravated trespassing and battery after appearing uninvited at the pop star’s wedding in June.

Jason Alexander, 40, pleaded no contest to two misdemeanour counts in a California court, prosecutors in Ventura County said.

Continue reading...

Salman Rushdie is on ventilator and may lose an eye after attack, agent says – as it happened

Posted on by

Here are more reactions on Rushdie’s stabbing from those in the writing community, from Maya Yang for the Guardian:

Journalists, writers and celebrities reacted with shock and horror after author Salman Rushdie was attacked onstage at an event in New York state on Friday.

Rushdie was attacked as he was about to deliver a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York, according to witnesses. Police later said he had been taken to hospital with an apparent stabbing wound to the neck.

Continue reading...

A tsunami of outrage: Salman Rushdie and The Satanic Verses

Posted on by

The writer had no idea his novel would unleash such anger and become a litmus test of freedom of expression

When Salman Rushdie wrote his novel The Satanic Verses in September 1988, he thought its many references to Islam might cause some ripples.

“I expected a few mullahs would be offended, call me names, and then I could defend myself in public,” Rushdie would tell an interviewer much later.

Continue reading...

Salman Rushdie: timeline of the novelist’s career

Posted on by

The critically acclaimed writer rose to fame in 1981 and later received death threats for The Satanic Verses

Sir Salman Rushdie has been attacked and stabbed in the neck while appearing at an event in New York.

Here is a timeline of his controversial, critically acclaimed career:

Continue reading...