The Guardian Culture

‘Audiences no longer laugh if you call their town crap’: can Phil Wang heal divided Britain?

He’s the perfect comedian to cool down these incendiary times. As Philly Philly takes his Uh Oh standup show on tour, he talks about woke traps, lefty blindspots – and gen Z’s lurch to the right Born in Stoke-on-Trent to a British mother and Chinese-Malaysian father then raised in Borneo and educated in Brunei, Bath and Cambridge, Phil Wang – or “Old Wang”, as he refers to himself mock-imperiously on stage – has certainly been around. Today, the 36-year-old standup with the pleasantly befuddled

entertainment  2d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Tim Allen Blames ‘Home Improvement’ Reboot Holdup on Onscreen Sons’ “Personality Problems”

Zachery Ty Bryan is currently serving a prison sentence, while Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Taran Noah Smith aren't interested in acting anymore.

entertainment  2d ago

Hollywood Reporter

‘Here I’m Alive’ Review: A Moody, Docu-Style Ensemble Drama Burrows Deep Into the Big Apple’s Digital Underground

The second feature from writer-director Joshua Z Weinstein ('Menashe') chronicles a night in the life of several financially strapped New Yorkers glued to their screens.

entertainment  2d ago

Hollywood Reporter

How ‘Southern Hospitality’ Became Bravo’s Hidden Heavyweight

Kemar Bassaragh, Bravo's vp of unscripted lifestyle, chats with THR about why the Charleston-based series is one of the network's hottest rising stars — along with season four’s weighted storyline between Emmy Sharrett and Bradley Carter, and the show’s future. 

entertainment  2d ago

Variety

Knicks Fans Think Trump Cursed the Team. So They Burned Sage and Protested the Barricades Outside MSG

At 3 p.m. on Wednesday, just hours before Game 4 of the Knicks vs. Spurs NBA Finals, several New Yorkers were spotted outside Madison Square Garden cleansing the air with copal and sage to manifest better luck for their hometown team. “We’re saging the Madison!” said Deisy, a woman dressed in a bohemian orange-and-blue ensemble […]

entertainment  2d ago

Variety

Yamada Takayuki Stars in Australia–Japan Supernatural Romance ‘Tanabata: The Evening of the Seventh’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Australian production company Titantale Film is mid-shoot on “Tanabata: The Evening of the Seventh,” a supernatural romance drama starring Japanese actor Yamada Takayuki. The project, fully funded out of Australia with production service partners in Japan, spans three historical periods – Edo-period Japan, 1865 New South Wales and 2027 Australia – following three incarnations of […]

entertainment  2d ago

Variety

Taylor Swift Attends NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden to Support the Knicks

Following her surprise performance at last night’s “Toy Story 5” premiere in Los Angeles, Taylor Swift has made it all the way to Madison Square Garden in time to watch the New York Knicks face off against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. This may not be the last time Swift will be […]

entertainment  2d ago

Variety

JioHotstar’s Tadka Indian Microdrama Platform Reaches 100 Million Users

Tadka, the microdrama platform within leading Indian streamer JioHotstar, has crossed 100 million users, establishing premium short-form content as a mainstream entertainment category in India. Since launch, daily watch time per viewer on Tadka has grown fivefold, reflecting sustained engagement with the format. More than 42% of the service’s viewership comes from audiences under 24, […]

entertainment  2d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Former Disney Star Bridgit Mendler Drops Surprise EP

Mendler, who now serves as the CEO of an aerospace communications startup, released six new songs.

entertainment  2d ago

Hollywood Reporter

‘I Love Boosters’ Star Poppy Liu on Working With Boots Riley, Trojan Horsing Social Commentary Into Films and ‘Hacks’ Ending

The actress notes that Riley has the ability to get audiences thinking about issues while entertaining them: “There's people that have an immediate allergic reaction to social commentary.”

entertainment  2d ago

Variety

‘Stop! That! Train!’ Review: RuPaul Presides Over an Irreverent, Appealing Disaster-Movie Parody

The tale of two heroic stewardesses who team up with RuPaul Charles, the President of the United States, to stop a train on a collision course with a once-a-century weather event, “Stop! That! Train!” is billed as a “true story” where every scene unfolds “exactly as it happened in real life.” Given such an extraordinary […]

entertainment  2d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Why Hollywood’s Unions Didn’t Put Up a Fight With Studios This Year

After history-making strikes in 2023, a quiet negotiation cycle in 2026 yielded four-year labor contracts with all major unions as work becomes more difficult to find for members.

entertainment  2d ago

Variety

Steven Spielberg Says James Bond Movies ‘Constantly Turned Me Down’ and ‘If They Asked Me Now’ to Direct the Answer Would Be: ‘You Can’t Afford Me’

Steven Spielberg joined “The Rest Is Entertainment” podcast on his “Disclosure Day” press tour and opened up about his repeated failed attempts to direct a James Bond movie. The Oscar winner made a personal plea to franchise producer Cubby Broccoli after “Jaws” became a blockbuster sensation, but Spielberg was turned down. “I approached Cubby after ‘Jaws’ […]

entertainment  2d ago

Variety

‘Happy Hours’ Review: Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson Are Reunited in a Romcom Made for Nineties Nostalgists

The star pairing of “Happy Hours” isn’t just its selling point, but its audience filter. If the words “Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson together again” make your heart go a little soft, then congratulations: This equally soft-hearted romantic comedy has been made directly for you. If, however, you’re unmoved by the prospect of a “Dawson’s […]

entertainment  2d ago

The Guardian Culture

Brunel’s SS Great Britain site drops historical name in ‘cool’ rebrand

New name, Bristol Dockyards, and museum revamp aimed at becoming more rooted in community, says chief executiveOne of the UK’s maritime landmarks is being renamed as part of a drive to make it “cooler” and more inclusive.For a decade, the dockland site in Bristol that houses the ocean liner SS Great Britain, which was designed by the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, has been promoted as Brunel’s SS Great Britain. Continue reading...

entertainment  2d ago

Variety

Radiohead’s ‘Hamlet Hail to the Thief’ Heads to London’s Barbican With ‘Alien: Earth’ Star Samuel Blenkin

Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy will collide with Radiohead’s 2003 album “Hail to the Thief” when “Hamlet Hail to the Thief” opens at London’s Barbican Theatre on Oct. 31, running through Jan. 23, 2027. The production marks the London premiere of the show, which played to sold-out houses at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Aviva Studios, […]

entertainment  2d ago

The Guardian Culture

Radiohead revenge tragedy Hamlet Hail to the Thief sets London dates

Production fusing the band’s sixth album and Shakespeare’s masterpiece will open at the Barbican later this yearHamlet Hail to the Thief, an acclaimed stage production fusing Shakespeare’s tragedy with Radiohead’s sixth album, is to open at the Barbican theatre in London this autumn.The show had its world premiere at Aviva Studios in Manchester last year and then ran at the Royal Shakespeare theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. It is a co-production between Factory International and the Royal Shakesp

entertainment  2d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Paramount+ Signs Matt Shakman to Direct Legal Thriller ‘Discretion’

He'll also be an executive producer of the A24 drama starring Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman.

entertainment  2d ago

Variety

Taormina Film Festival Opens With ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Screening in a Greek Theater Dating Back to the 3rd Century B.C.

Italy’s Taormina Film Festival kicked off with a double dose of ancient firepower on Wednesday evening as the first episode of HBO’s “House of the Dragon” Season 3 was unveiled on a gigantic outdoor screen to a cheering crowd of 5,000 spectators in the Sicilian resort’s Greek theater which dates back to the 3rd century […]

entertainment  2d ago

Variety

Cush Jumbo Talks ‘Criminal Record’ Season 2, June and Hegarty’s Odd Bond and [SPOILER’S] Shocking Death

SPOILER ALERT: The following story contains plot details from the Season 2 finale of “Criminal Record” now streaming on Apple TV. In the second season of Apple TV’s captivating crime drama, “Criminal Record,” Detective Sergeant June Lenker (Cush Jumbo) finds herself investigating the horrifying death of a young man at the hands of a right-wing, […]

entertainment  2d ago