Entertainment

The Independent • 30th July 2024

TikTokers react to ‘Sweet Valley High’ author Francine Pascal’s death

An outpour of heartbroken reactions have emerged on TikTok upon news of author Francine Pascal’s death. On Sunday, 28 July, the 92-year-old former soap opera scriptwriter and best-selling author of the Sweet Valley High young adult series died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital from lymphoma. The news of her death was confirmed by her daughter Laurie Wenk-Pascal. In one video shared to TikTok after the news, a user named Shonda expressed her shock and grief, addressing her fellow Gen X young adul...

The Independent • 21st July 2024

Hello Kitty creators reveal beloved character is not a cat to fan shock

Hello Kitty creators reveal the beloved character is not a cat. On 18 July, Sanrio, the Japanese entertainment company that created Hello Kitty, made an astounding revelation for the iconic character’s 50th anniversary. In an appearance on the Today Show, Sanrio director of retail business development Jill Koch said: “Hello Kitty is not a cat.”“She’s actually a little girl born and raised in the suburbs in London,” Koch added. “She has a mom and dad and a twin sister Minnie, who is also her best...

The Independent • 28th June 2024

Drag brunch continues to reign as a go-to Pride activity

For bartender Justine Musselman – who’s worked at Dromedary: Coming Out in Bushwick, Brooklyn, for the past four years – the bar’s weekly drag brunch is the only reason she will wake up early on a Sunday. “I have been working at drag brunch for as long as I’ve worked at Dromedary, and despite the inconvenience of that shift, I refuse to give it up,” she told The Independent.

Every Sunday afternoon, drag performers Emi Grate and Nancy Nogood put their chemistry on full display for both Bushwick

The Independent • 10th May 2024

Will the TikTok ban spell the death of the influencer?

Craving what we don’t have has been a compulsion long before the surge in social media marketing-fueled consumption. Once upon a time, our material desires were cultivated through in-person interactions, in-store shopping, or word-of-mouth. Not long after, face-to-face became face-to-catalog, with consumers flipping endlessly through product pages, before television ads intensified their appetite for more, using fictional characters and celebrity actors as aspirational models for who the custome

The Independent • 29th April 2024

The Los Angeles edition of the Willy Wonka Experience was an absurdist fever dream

Standing outside a graffitied warehouse in Los Angeles’ Arts District, I didn’t know what to expect from a recreation of Glasgow’s disastrous Willy Wonka event. I had heard a lot about the bungled children’s experience, which included AI-generated characters, sparse and low-budget sets and costuming, and a sad Oompa Loompa who had become somewhat of a local celebrity since the event. Unlike what happened in Glasgow, this event was primarily marketed to grown adults, capitalising off of the meme

The Independent • 22nd February 2024

Mischa Barton admits to ‘complicated’ romance with ‘The OC’ co-star Ben McKenzie

Mischa Barton confirmed that she and her The OC co-star Ben McKenzie had a “complicated” off-screen romance.

On Wednesday’s episode of Call Her Daddy, the 38-year-old actor came clean about the nature of her relationship with her on-screen paramour and love interest. She shared what it was like coming onto the set of the Fox series as the youngest cast member, saying that she felt like she had to “grow up quickly.”

“I went into that a virgin, a kid, really feeling like I needed to grow up quic

The Independent • 7th January 2024

What’s in the $500,000 luxury Golden Globes goodie bags

Golden Globes attendees will reportedly receive gift bags worth up to $500,000.

The Globes and luxury lifestyle magazine Robb Report, announced Wednesday that they’ll be combining forces to gift luxe goodie bags to the 83 winners and presenters of the show airing live on CBS on 7 January and streaming on Paramount+.

Each guest will reportedly receive bags that include over 35 products and experiences. To top it all off, the magazine also said that they planned on donating an undisclosed sum to

The Independent • 4th January 2024

America Ferrera reacts to young girls performing her Barbie monologue

America Ferrera has reacted to young girls performing her emotional monologue from the Barbie movie.

In a recent interview with People, the 39-year-old Superstore actor revealed that she met a “young girl” who said that she used her monologue from the film — which touched upon the “impossible” task of being a modern woman — to audition for her local theatre program.

While Ferrera noted that she found it “hilarious,” at the same time, she said that she found it “super sad that 11-year-old girls

The Independent • 14th September 2023

Dinner with David Cross or a Lena Dunham mural: Hollywood auction for striking crew

Famous actors and writers have joined forces to help raise funds for the Union Solidarity Coalition’s new eBay auction, in light of the ongoing joint strike between the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).

Several of Hollywood’s cream of the crop, including Adam Scott, Natasha Lyonne, Bob Odenkirk, and the cast of FX’s smash hit The Bear, have volunteered to auction one-on-one experiences or lucrative items to

The Daily Dot • 26th July 2023

Fans are freaking out about Emilia Clarke's rise on 'Secret Invasion'—and what it means for the MCU

On Disney+’s Secret Invasion, Emilia Clarke plays a pivotal role as a Skrull named G’iah, but fans just found out just how important she will be in the MCU and to say they are excited is putting it lightly.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Secret Invasion.

“Emilia clarke playing the most powerful person on every universe is something very personal to me,” one Twitter/X user wrote. While another exclaimed, “EMILIA CLARKE HAVING CAPTAIN MARVEL’S POWERS SOMETHING SHIFTED IN ME.”

Some

The Daily Dot • 25th July 2023

Piers Morgan is getting mocked for his outrageous comments about the 'Barbie' movie

British pundit Piers Morgan decided to share his unsolicited two cents on the new Barbie movie, which went over as well as expected.

“If I made a movie that treated women the way Barbie treats men, feminists would want me executed,” reads the headline of a Piers Morgan column from July 24.

While he was trying to pander to the large part of his fanbase that was outraged by the film, Twitter users were quick to call Morgan out.

Twitter user @ianmakesfilms wrote, “I mean the film literally could

Collider • 14th July 2023

'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Season 2 Cast & Character Guide: Who's Returning in the New Episodes

Welcome back to Cousin's Beach! Summer is in the air and Lola Tung is back as Belly Conklin, the sweet teenager caught between her childhood friends, brothers Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno). Prime Video's The Summer I Turned Pretty is adapted from Jenny Han's trilogy of novels by the same name, but this season will be taking a few liberties from the novels.

The second season will loosely follow the plot of It's Not Summer Without You, the events of the school

Distractify • 13th July 2023

Fan Favorite Renée Rapp Is Leaving 'Sex Lives of College Girls' –– Here's Why

Renée will be appearing as Leighton in the next season, but not as a series regular. She will appear in a few episodes before departing the series. Find out more about Renée's departure below.

Why is Renée Rapp leaving 'Sex Lives of College Girls'?

Because the former Broadway star will be going on tour to support her nascent pop music career, Mindy Kaling, the creator and producer of the series revealed that Renée would be showing up on the show in a limited capacity. “We love @reneerapp so mu

Distractify • 28th June 2023

'Superman: Legacy' Adds a Few More Familiar Faces to Its Cast — Details

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a new Superman! The two leads of James Gunn's new Superman movie Superman: Legacy have been announced, and fans have gone bananas. David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan are set to star as the iconic comic book couple Superman and Lois Lane, beating out seasoned contenders like Nicholas Hoult, Tom Brittney, Emma Mackey, and Phoebe Dynevor.

Described as the start of a new chapter for the DC Cinematic Universe, the adventures of our favorite Son of Krypton will follo

Distractify • 28th June 2023

Rock Hudson's Double Life Is the Focus of New HBO Documentary

Hollywood icon Rock Hudson's double life gets examined in HBO's Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed. Taking its name from the movie that made Rock a star, 1955's All That Heaven Allows, the new documentary explores his tragic history as an All-American golden boy in front of the camera while hiding his identity as a gay man behind closed doors.

Rock was one of the first famous celebrities revealed to have passed away from AIDS in 1985. Because of his status as a heartthrob, his death sent shoc

Distractify • 23rd June 2023

Is Hulu's 'The Bear' Based on a Real Restaurant? Fans Want to Know

The show follows Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) as he tries to revive his late brother's cult-favorite Chicago restaurant. The Bear captures the chaos of working in the restaurant industry. Find out more about The Bear's real-life inspiration below.

Is 'The Bear' show based on a real restaurant? It was inspired by this Chicago joint.

In The Bear, the restaurant, The Original Beef of Chicago, is famous for its Italian beef sandwiches. The restaurant in The Bear takes inspiration from the r

The Daily Dot • 22nd June 2023

'Archie’s Weird Parody' playwright calls out upcoming 'Riverdale' musical episode

The long-running CW series Riverdale has embarked on its final season. Of course, its trademark (and much maligned) yearly musical episode is back. This time around, however, the musical episode won’t revolve around any pre-existing musical but one with original songs created for the show.

Written on the show by characters Kevin (Casey Cott) and Clay (Karl Walcott), Riverdale’s annual musical episode will be called “Archie: The Musical” and will come with a 1950s twist. Cast members K.J. Apa, L

Distractify • 22nd June 2023

A Teaser Trailer for Sofia Coppola's New Biopic 'Priscilla' Just Released

A teaser trailer of Sofia Coppola's highly-anticipated Priscilla Presley biopic Priscilla was just released. Cinephiles and Elvis die-hards are excited about what they've seen so far. The film will be an adaptation of the famous memoir "Elvis and Me" written by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon.

With the Lost in Translation director at its helm and Priscilla herself producing the film, there's no doubt that Sofia will do Priscilla's story justice. Are you eager to learn more about the film? K

The Daily Dot • 21st June 2023

The trailer for Sofia Coppola's 'Priscilla' is sparking age gap discourse again

A teaser was just released for Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, a biopic focusing on Priscilla Presley based on the memoir Elvis and Me, which Priscilla co-wrote with Sandra Harmon.

The film will star Cailee Spaeny (Mare of Easttown) as titular Priscilla, and Jacob Elordi (Euphoria) as the King of Rock ‘N Roll himself, Elvis Presley.

Harboring all of the visual flourishes of a Sofia Coppola film, Priscilla may look sumptuous but also appears committed to telling the unvarnished truth of Priscilla’s

Collider • 20th June 2023

How to Cancel Your Netflix Subscription

Have you gradually gotten exhausted with the endless barrage of content on Netflix? Or perhaps their ban on password-sharing was reprehensible in your eyes? Perhaps, you want to end your subscription for another reason altogether. The possibilities are endless. But ultimately, you want to end your subscription, but maybe you're unsure how. Well, you've come to the right place. We've compiled a step-by-step guide to answer your questions regarding ending your Netflix subscription below.

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The Daily Dot • 20th June 2023

'I will not be supporting Jamie Lynn': People react to 'Zoey 102' movie trailer

A new teaser trailer for Zoey 102, Paramount+’s Zoey 101 sequel movie, shocked longtime fans with its debut. The new film follows Zoey Brooks (Jamie Lynn Spears) as the gang reunites decades later for the wedding of fan-favorite couple Logan (Matthew Underwood) and Quinn (Erin Sanders).

Quinn reveals the good news to Zoe via a holographic message on their high-tech holo-phones, and asks Zoe to be her maid of honor, setting the plot in motion. The wedding forces these former high school pals to

Collider • 19th June 2023

'Bridgerton' Season 3: Plot, Cast, Filming, and Everything We Know So Far

Dearest gentle reader, Lady Whistledown will be back with more gossip, scandal, and intrigue that will have the ton clutching their pearls in Season 3 of Netflix's Bridgerton. This season will chronicle the dramatic ups and downs of Miss Penelope Featherington and Mr. Colin Bridgerton's love story, which has been years in the making. Set to loosely follow the plot of Julia Quinn's Romancing Mister Bridgerton, the fourth novel in the book series, Season 3 will surely be a lot different from what

Collider • 17th June 2023

'Back to Black': Cast, Release Window, Filming Details, and What to Expect

A biopic of London's late soulful songstress Amy Winehouse will be gracing our screens sooner than we think. Named Back to Black after Winehouse's 2006 single and studio album of the same name, the upcoming movie promises to highlight the highs and lows of her life, while also capturing what made her so special in the first place. The film will chronicle the British singer-songwriter's early career as a North London jazz musician, and her meteoric rise to critical and widespread audience acclaim

Collider • 15th June 2023

'Yellowjackets' Season 3: Cast, Filming Details, and What to Expect

Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for the Season 2 finale of Yellowjackets.

Revolving around a powerhouse all-star female cast, Yellowjackets has become a showcase for some of the best storytelling and performances on television right now. The show follows a high school girl's soccer team after their plane crashed in the Canadian wilderness in a tragic accident back in the '90s and the remaining survivors in the present day who have struggled to come to terms with what happened out in