An investigator into Milo’s disappearance, as played by End of Watch’s Michael Peña, who is the father of a child with a disability, serves a vital function to the story from a practical sense—but also a personal one for Gallagher. “My child has autism and is disabled, and a lot of that storyline came from my own life,” she tells VF. To play the parent of a child with such challenges meant casting someone as soulful as Peña. “Michael did a really, really great job of encapsulating the feeling of isolation. You’re not having the same experience as other parents. You’re not hitting the same milestones. You don’t have the same outlook for your child’s future,” she says. “You are on a lonely island. It might be an island full of tons and tons and tons of love, but it is a little lonely. Every time [Peña] walks on the screen, I kind of smile,” says Gallagher. “He just makes everything better that he’s in.”
Keeping a firm separation between work and life was key in keeping Snook’s own sanity as a first-time mother on All Her Fault, directed in part by 3 Body Problem’s Minkie Spiro and The Handmaid’s Tale’s Kate Dennis. “There was one moment where the director whispered in my ear to think of my daughter [during a scene],” says Snook. “I was like, ‘Nope, I’m out.’ It was a well-meaning direction, but if I’m thinking of that I go into a hypervigilant stress response: ‘We need to call the hospital. We need to call the police.’ Bringing in actual reality is less useful as a performer than using my imagination. But that’s just me: I see kids play and really believe that they are a dragon. I can access the same thing without thinking about my own daughter.”
Sarah Enticknap/PEACOCK.
With some time and distance from the emotionally charged experience, Snook has come to appreciate the level of difficulty that she and her costars rose to—particularly in the show’s propulsive conclusion. “The person with whom I’m in the revelation scene in the last episode really challenged themselves to go to a place that they’re not necessarily required to in other roles they’ve done,” she says cryptically. “They were so compelling and so fucking good—I’m excited for them.”
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Selma Blair’s dog, Scout, greets me before anyone else does. He’s an affable English red fox Labrador Retriever, and he’s casually scoping me out. Within seconds, I think he can tell I’m not a threat, and we become pals. Any nerves I have about talking to Selma Blair—of Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde and Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up fame—go out the window, and I spend a minute scratching Scout’s ears.
I’m meeting up with Selma in a Beverly Hills hotel suite because she’s launching a special skincare line which she co-developed called Ultimate A Gold with Australian skincare brand ESK (Evidence Skincare). Selma, who has previously collaborated with renowned fashion designers such as Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, and Isaac Mizrahi, has never professionally ventured into the skincare industry—until now. But when Selma believes in something, you know it’s steadfast. And it all started with a “skincare disaster.”
Image: ESK
“Tell me about your skincare disaster,” I ask Selma.
“After my son was born, things started going amok, and then I threw more stuff on [my face].” Selma’s son, Arthur Saint Bleick, whom she shares with her ex, Jason Bleick, was born in 2011. “And then I went to a place that was like, ‘This acne is so bad,’ but it wasn’t ever acne—it was dermatitis,” she explained. Despite the misdiagnosis, she was advised to get a chemical peel. “You should get a chemical peel!’ and that’s all she wrote, because my skin was already so reactive,” Selma continued. “I thought, oh, we’ll just erase it and start anew. It doesn’t work like that.”
The experience took a toll on her confidence. “So it was really bad. I had to stay in. I couldn’t take any pictures,” she revealed, reflecting on the difficult period.
ESK Ultimate A Gold Anti-Aging Night Cream
“That was many years ago, but I did live with chronic skin inflammation, boils, burns, things, severe rose rosacea. Trying to have me take things internally wasn’t gonna work. And I tried some of the best products, but they were just too active.” Nothing worked until she tried ESK, which finally helped calm her irritated skin.
“I found that there were so many products in the ESK line that were tolerable for my skin. And so then [ESK co-founder] Dr. Ginni Mansberg and I spoke and met and I started using more products,” Selma added.
Dr. Ginni, a GP of 30 years and medical journalist, started ESK back in 2017 after identifying a white space in the skincare world: There really weren’t many rigorously formulated (and science-backed) skincare solutions, especially not for people over 40. ESK’s core philosophy is rooted in strictly using ingredients with proven clinical efficacy. When she and Selma came together to create a new ESK product, the goal was to not only double down on effective skincare, but effective skincare for those, who, like Selma, may have sensitive skin.
This is Ultimate A Gold‘s origin story. It’s an all-in-one nighttime solution, a multi-purpose moisturizer, that has anti-aging and barrier-boosting benefits—all while being really finicky complexion-friendly.
“So, we’ve got four different types of ceramides,” Dr. Ginni explains, after I ask her to break down the science of formula for me. “We have 5 percent niacinamide, which is vitamin B3; this helps repair the skin barrier.” It also contains hyaluronic acid (for skin repair and hydration), as well as lactiobionic acid (a gentle exfoliator). What really sets Ultimate A Gold apart from other anti-aging products, though, is that it contains retinal, versus retinol. Retinal is a more potent version of vitamin A and is more effective with smoothing fine lines and hyperpigmentation.
“Retinal is like the Goldilocks ingredient that has all the effectiveness of the prescription stuff, but is the most gentle of all, and it can be tolerated by people with rosacea,” Dr. Ginni explains. “We’ve also combined it with some polyhydroxy acids. So they’re like alpha hydroxy acids. It’s just that they have larger molecule signs, so they again, help you shift some of those dead skin cells, allowing the renewed skin cells from underneath, so you’ve got a very smooth and even complexion, fantastic for reducing pore size and building collagen,” Dr. Ginni says, giving me AP chem flashbacks (in the best way possible). “But again, very, very gentle,” she reiterates. “Unlike glycolic acid, which Selma tried and was diabolical for her skin, the polyhydroxy acids are really well tolerated by absolutely everybody.”
The final hero ingredient is 4-n-butylresorcinol, which is a Korean tyrosinase inhibitor. “Tyrosinase is the enzyme that you need to make pigment in your skin.If you inhibit tyrosinase, you can actually inhibit new pigment from forming,” Dr. Ginni explains. This ingredient isn’t cytotoxic, which means it combats hyperpigmentation without destroying the skin barrier, making it sensitive skin-safe.
“I have worked out a really minimal but wonderful routine,” Selma tells me. “Now I’m 53, and it did take a while; it’s been a few years of calming [my skin]. And I’m not someone who’s gone and had, like, procedures and stuff yet. So I’m very authentically in-tune with these skincare products, and really feel proud to bring through this collaboration to more people here,” she says, admitting she hadn’t heard of Australian-based ESK before this partnership. “I’m so, so proud of what we’ve done.”
For awhile, skincare, and really any form of self care, looked different for Selma, who had experienced symptoms of MS years before she was officially diagnosed in 2018 and went through intensive treatments such as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy.
“Anytime you get a diagnosis, anytime you’re looking to feel better or feel better look better, it does make a difference,” Selma says, when I ask how her health journey has affected her relationship with skin care. “Like, let’s fix all we can, you know, let’s move the needle. Like, it makes me more attentive to how I look and how I present myself. There were so many years and, even as someone who loved fashion and loved going out, there were so many years I was just in a pair of sweatpants in my bed, and that was just kind of easy necessity,” she adds.
“I love finding ways to make [my beauty routine] more minimalist and easy. Like, okay, I want to be better all around, present myself in a better way all around. And I’m always learning with that,” Selma says.
For a week following our meeting, I tested the Ultimate A Gold myself (along with the Soothing & Melt Cleansing Balm and Gentle Glow PHA serum). I confided in Selma that I’d been dealing with postpartum “weirdness” (hyperpigmentation and fine lines that started forming across my forehead due to a year of not sleeping and probably just being 35). Like a close friend or big sister, she told me she couldn’t wait for me to try the products. Not to spoil anything for you, but the formulations really do work. I’m excited to see what a few months will look like after consistent use, but I can already see my skin looking brighter and more healthy. In Selma Blair we trust.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
JUST eight years after euthanasia was legalised in Canada, some doctors there say the result is “horrendous” as more and more people are driven to it by a failing health-care system.
Assisted deaths have risen at an alarming rate, while the criteria to be given a lethal injection has been relaxed.
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Alicia Duncan, left, with her late mother Donna, who was helped to take her own lifeCredit: Supplied
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Pro-assisted dying supporters at WestminsterCredit: EPA
Now experts warn it would be disastrous to allow a system like Canada’s Medical Assistance In Death (Maid) in the UK, after the families of some of those who opted for it revealed they did so because they could not access medical help.
Professor Leonie Herx, a Canadian palliative medicine consultant based in Calgary, Alberta, described the outcome as “horrific from a medical perspective”.
In 2017, the first full year the legislation was in place, one per cent of deaths in Canada were from euthanasia.
By 2022, it was four per cent, as 13,241 people opted for Maid.
Supporters insist the bill is strictly to help the terminally ill.
Ms Leadbeater said: “I believe that, with the right safeguards in place, people who are already dying and are mentally competent should be given the choice of a shorter, less painful death on their own terms and without placing family and loved ones at risk of prosecution.
“It will not undermine calls for improvements to palliative care. Nor will it conflict with the rights of people with disabilities to be treated equally and have the respect and support they are right to campaign for in order to live fulfilling lives.”
But this is very similar to how Canada’s law was introduced — and now the rules there have softened and the numbers resorting to euthanasia have soared.
My parents held hands as they passed away by assisted dying – we supported ‘beautiful’ decision, it wasn’t a surprise
When Maid was introduced in Canada in 2016, it was limited to the terminally ill.
But following a legal challenge in 2021 it was made available to those whose death was NOT “reasonably foreseeable”.
A further change due to come into force in March 2027 will open up the service to people whose sole medical condition is MENTAL illness.
Doctors in Canada have approved assisted dying after just ZOOM calls, and some politicians want to extend the practice to CHILDREN old enough to make an “informed” choice.
Requests for Maid are now much more frequently approved in Canada than in 2019, when eight per cent of requests were denied.
In 2022, that figure fell to 3.5 per cent, a Health Canada report says.
I believe that, with the right safeguards in place, people who are already dying and are mentally competent should be given the choice of a shorter, less painful death on their own terms and without placing family and loved ones at risk of prosecution
Kim Leadbeater
The report adds that 17 per cent of those who applied cited “isolation or loneliness”, while nearly 36 per cent believed they were a “burden on family, friends or care-givers”.
The number of Canadians ending their lives via Maid — usually given in the form of an injection administered by a physician — has outpaced other nations with similar laws.
And its legislation has grown far looser than those of other countries offering assisted dying, such as Belgium and the Netherlands.
One expert claimed that what has happened in Canada could happen in the UK because both countries have a struggling health system and an ageing population.
Canadian-born Alexander Raikin, a researcher at the Ethics And Public Policy Centre in Washington DC, said: “Euthanasia in Canada was meant to be rare and last resort, but it isn’t. It has become routine.
“Assisted deaths have seen dram-atic rates of growth in all the places that have legalised it, like the Netherlands, Switzerland and Oregon in the US, but in Canada that rate has been quite unprecedented. The similarities between Canada and the UK . . . suggest the UK is likely to follow Canada’s route.
“I don’t think it is a coincidence that this massive surge happens at the same time our health system is collapsing. It should ring alarm bells in Britain.”
In an interview with the Sun on Sunday, Canadian Alicia Duncan told, from her home in Mission, British Columbia, how her “active and happy” mother was given a fast-track death in 2021. She opted for it because she could not get the healthcare she needed.
Alicia, 41, an interior designer, now warns the UK about the perils of following Canada’s lead.
Her mum Donna, a psychiatric nurse, suffered a brain injury in a minor car crash but despite not facing immediate death, and receiving treatment for mental health symptoms, the 61-year-old’s Maid request was granted.
Despite protests by her daughter and long-serving GP, she was helped to take her own life just 48 hours later.
Alica said: “People in Britain should be very worried about this.
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Now, in the UK, a bill to legalise the early ending of life has been introduced in Parliament by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater
“It won’t stop at terminal illness alone. The UK needs to look at what happened in Canada.
“People think, ‘This will never happen to me’. I never thought my mother, who was active and happy, would have chosen to end her life because of a mental illness, and been helped to do so.
“I would say to Britain, you need to be cautious because once you decide to open this door you don’t get to choose who walks through.
“The moment you legalise euthanasia it starts as a crack then it becomes a wide-open chasm and there is nothing you can do to stop it.”
Since their mother’s death, Alicia and her sister Christie have been denied key details about the circumstances and believe safe-guards to protect vulnerable people were not followed properly.
She added: “I am so angry. People are choosing to die because they can’t access healthcare in a timely manner.
The moment you legalise euthanasia it starts as a crack then it becomes a wide-open chasm and there is nothing you can do to stop it
Alicia Duncan
“My mum was waiting to see a specialist for 18 months and her appointment was the week after she died.
“It’s easier to die in Canada than to access healthcare.”
Ms Carr — who has rare genetic condition arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, which affects her joints and muscles, and uses a wheelchair, warned: “These laws will put lives like mine, marginalised lives, at risk and those risks will be fatal.
“All because of the dangerous assumption some of us are better off dead. Let’s be aware, maybe it’s going to be like Canada, and that is terrifying.”
This week in Canada, a 51-year old gran from Nova Scotia told how doctors offered her Maid while she was in hospital about to undergo a mastectomy for breast cancer.
These laws will put lives like mine, marginalised lives, at risk and those risks will be fatal
Liz Carr
Before she went in for what she hoped was life-saving surgery, the doctor sat her down and asked: “Did you know about Medical Assistance In Dying?”
She was then asked again before undergoing a second mastectomy nine months later, and a third time while in the recovery room after that procedure.
Around three quarters of Brits support assisted dying, a survey this year from advocacy group Dying With Dignity found, while just 14 per cent of us oppose it.
“If I decide my own life is not worth living, please may I ask for help to die.”
But the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said of the bill: “This approach is both dangerous and sets us in a direction even more dangerous.
All I’m asking is that we be given the dignity of choice. If I decide my own life is not worth living, please may I ask for help to die
Esther Rantzen
“In every place where it’s been done, it has led to a slippery slope.
“The right to end your life could too easily, all too accidentally, turn into a duty to do so.”
‘BRITS, BE WARNED OF PERIL’
By Prof Leonie Herx, Professor of Palliative Medicine at the University of Calgary
IN Canada, a doctor-administered lethal injection has become the solution to almost any suffering, which is horrific from a medical perspective.
Any adult with a disability or chronic illness can get an “assisted death”.
There is no requirement to receive any treatment for even a reversible condition and sometimes it is the only “intervention” provided.
I have seen a person’s worst day become their last.
We are seeing people getting Maid for poverty, social isolation or deprivation.
It is routinely offered to any potentially eligible person as they access a care home, at time of surgery or during hospital admission for a health crisis.
It has altered the practice of medicine here and is leading to the premature death of many vulnerable people.
It has become something it never started as, something no Canadian could have imagined.
The UK should take warning.
Keep medicine invested in helping people restore their health and live well.
She told the Herald Sun: “All premiers and ministers have sworn allegiance to our monarch, Charles III, and it is a monumental insult that they now spit in his hand extended in friendship.
“This is a historic opportunity to unite Australia, to focus on charitable work and to give back to communities.
“Yet our immature politicians are clearly choosing to play politics.”
Charles is set to address the event where political and community leaders, as well as talented Australians in art, culture and sport, will attend.
Al Pacino admits he still sees himself as a man in his 30s.
Oct. 14 2024, Published 11:55 a.m. ET
These days, Al Pacino is haunted by mortality and seems to be preparing for his final act.
RadarOnline.com can reveal The Godfather actor, who released his Sonny Boy memoir on October 8, has been focusing more on his years ahead after nearly dying from Covid-19.
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Source: MEGA
Pacino revealed he plans to keep working until the day he dies.
Pacino’s new memoir features him opening up about his previous struggles with alcoholism and coming face to face with death — which have all greatly impacted the actor’s mindset at the age of 84.
A source told RadarOnline.com: “Al is on his last legs, and he knows it. All he can talk about these days is his mortality and his past.”
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Source: MEGA
The Scarface actor was nearly killed by Covid in 2020.
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They added: “Bringing out his memoir has really brought it all poignantly to the front of his mind, and after he was nearly killed by Covid it’s really all he can think about.”
“But it’s a real credit to him he is still working — and he intends to until he drops.”
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While recently speaking on a podcast, the Scarface star recounted how contracting Covid nearly took his life, explaining that he lost consciousness at one point.
He said: “I was sitting there at my house, and I was gone. Like that. I didn’t have a pulse.”
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After regaining conciousness, Pacino said he was shocked to see multiple paramedics surrounding him in his living room who exclaimed: “He’s back. He’s here.”
While the actor said he didn’t see any sort of “white light,” he said being “gone” for a short amount of time gave him a new spin on life.
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Source: MEGA
Pacino admitted to resorting to alcohol as a way of coping with his Hollywood fame.
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DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.
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Pacino said: “Now I started thinking about that, and I never thought about it in my life. But you know actors, it sounds good to me to say I died once. It felt like death.”
The actor revealed to another outfit that a nurse said his pulse fully stopped, adding that he “really felt” like he was close to death.
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While the actor recognizes that he is an “old fella,” he doesn’t see himself as such – even opting to put a photo of his younger self on the cover of Sonny Boy.
He told CBS: “When I have my hair now and I go out and someone takes a picture of me, all you see is, like, a white hydrant!
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Source: MEGA
The Godfather star released his new Sonny Boy memoir on October 8.
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“A white fire hydrant! I don’t feel I’m gray yet. I don’t want to be gray. I’m that guy in the book cover.”
Sonny Boy – a title that stems from a nickname given to Pacino by his mother — also features the actor getting candid about his former struggles with alcohol.
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Despite winning multiple Academy Awards, Tonys, and Emmys throughout his lengthy career, the actor admitted he coped with his success by defaulting to alcohol.
He even suffered horrifying “blackouts” and would often skip awards shows and press events, impacting his reputation in Hollywood.
He said: “Alcohol is a depressant – like, literally it brings you down.”
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Source: MEGA
Pacino has no intention of slowing down and will appear in six upcoming films.
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Pacino also said that after he stopped drinking, things got “a little worse for a while” before getting better.
“It really was terrible. But then, eventually, thank God, it got there.”
These days, Pacino says he’s “busy as ever” with six films in the works – emphasizing that he plays much “smaller roles” when compared to his 1972 mafia masterpiece.
WAGs are fashion’s newest It Girls, and Kristin Juszczyk is leading the pack. The wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk is the talk of the town—thanks to her viral fashion designs. If you didn’t know, Kristin has created personalized merch for Taylor Swift, Simone Biles, Caitlin Clark, and Taylor Lautner—as well as a slew of other fellow wives and girlfriends of professional athletes. With these major milestones under her belt, Kristin has no plans on slowing down—in fact she’s maintaining momentum with a special new project with Marriott Bonvoy.
Kristin and Marriott Bonvoy have teamed up to offer one fan a chance to receive a one-of-kind, personalized item designed by her. Starting today, Thursday, October 10, Marriott Bonvoy members can use their points and bid to win some bespoke Merch. (The bidding will stay open until October 29.) “Whatever they’re looking for they can get, whether that’s a jacket or a pair of shorts. It’s going to be so fun working together with this person on this piece,” Kristin tells StyleCaster.
Kristin’s designs are unique and nostalgic, featuring bold colors, clashing patterns, and patchwork that is synonymous with the NFL. The bright red puffer she made for Swift was a reimagined version of her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s number 87 Kansas City Chiefs jersey. “The NFL is so timeless and memorable. I really try to make pieces that feel fresh but also unlock core memories. I spend a lot of time slicing and dicing, adding textures, and mixing fabrics. I’ll go to a team store and get inspiration or I’ll buy something and completely cut it up to create something new,” Kristin tells StyleCaster.
Despite her immense talent—which Kristin often documents via Instagram Reels—it may come as a surprise that she has no formal training in design.
“I’ve always loved fashion and clothes, but I’m not technically trained at all. I picked up a sewing machine about six years ago. It all started one Halloween when I wanted to dress up like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake from the 2001 VMAs. Full denim. I went to Walmart and bought 20 pairs of jeans and just started cutting them up,” Kristin explains. After that, Kristin continued designing items for herself and others, leaning on YouTube tutorials for guidance. “I’m still learning my craft. I’m only going to get better.”
As she refines her skillset, Kristin is determined to “stay true” to herself. “I will always center things that I actually want to wear,” she says. “I started this by dressing for myself and what I love. At the end of the day, I’m a fan. I go to all of my husband’s games. I’m in those stadiums. I see what everyone wears and wants to wear.”
Kristin is hopeful to one day expand her brand, telling StyleCaster it’s a “dream” to have her own line of clothing outside of the NFL. Until then, it’s safe to say that Kristin is one of the many reasons game-day style is such a hot topic.
Getting dressed for a sporting event has been on everyone’s mind, and Kristin has a few tips that can help make or break your game-day style.
“Accessorizing is everything,” she shares with StyleCaster. “I also feel you have to be comfortable. It’s a sports game, after all. I’ve always put comfortability first.”
During a podcast taping in April, the tech mogulturned jiu-jitsu enthusiastwas spotted wearing a De Bethune DB25 Starry Varius timepiece, which comes with a $95,000.
The wristwatch was just the latest example of Zuckerberg sparing no expense when it comes to his recent makeover.
While Zuckerberg used to be frequently pictured in frumpy t-shirts, “tech bro” basic hoodie and always kept his hair short, he’s recently been spotted pushing the limits with his fashion choices with a fur-trimmed suede coat, gold chain and noticeable fake tan.
His look is a far cry from his past sighting slathered in sunscreen at the beach, which quickly became fodder for memes.
“It’s left her feeling abandoned, and she’s going to naturally be drawing parallels with her marriage and the doomed relationship of Diana and Prince Charles, which he abandoned for another woman and left her totally adrift.”
Royal expert Tom Bower, 77, whose books include one on Diana and Charles’ crumbling marriage, said: “Harry told a friend of his when he was in London recently that Meghan is in touch with Diana.
“And Meghan is assuring Harry his mother that what they’re doing is right and that she supports them absolutely in everything they are doing.
Walder is confident the defendants will be convicted based on the digital evidence presented by prosecutors.
She explained the recent push to prosecute those involved in overdose deaths, saying: “I think the public has really had it with the sheer volume of fentanyl deaths and drug overdose deaths and I think the lack of consequences has caused people to put pressure on the government, which then causes them to put pressure on people in charge to start shifting some of their focus and some of their priorities to this.”
On Tuesday, a judge granted Sangha’s second request to delay the case and set a new trial date of March 4, 2025.
Tom Cruise’s rumored new love interest has spent years battling disability bullies..
Aug. 13 2024, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
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Source: Supplied
Our exclusive snaps showed Cruise giving Canal the VIP treatment with a ride on his private helicopter in July.
RadarOnline.com also revealed how the Born on the Fourth of July star had dropped $230million on a luxury London penthouse as he bases himself in the UK like Victoria.
But as the rumor mill he is dating the one-armed musician spiraled to fever pitch among the actor’s fans, Canal has now spoken out on Instagram to deny there’s anything romantic to their relationship.
She posted: “Guys, this is literally bonkers, but apparently the tabloids think I am dating Tom Cruise. I’m deceased. Let’s just stop this in its tracks – I’m sorry to bum u out but I am not dating the man, albeit a lovely person & artist.
“Lol never thought I would have to clarify that out loud in my life. y’all. if you’re gonna write me up @pagesix use a better picture damn. huge perk: first time I’m Spanish-American singer Victoria Canal and not one-armed pianist whose name remains unmentioned!!!! there’s always a win somewhere, thanks Tom.”
Her post – seen below – carried echoes of past confessions we can now reveal in which Canal admitted how she has been left scarred by having to cope with society as a disabled “queer” musician.
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Canal – who has managed to make a name for herself as a guitar and piano-playing singer-songwriter despite being born without a right forearm and hand due to a condition called amniotic band syndrome – opened up about her past pain in one of her frankest ever interviews in 2022.
She said about living with a disability: “I’m not ashamed by any means. However, I have no say in how much it overpowers the music, in what people want to talk about.
“When I listen to other artist’s interviews, they’re asking about the recording process and the songwriting.
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“And, for me, it’s always like, ‘What’s it like being a disabled person?’ It’s always centered around that.
“I don’t closely identify with my disability, it’s a part of my body, but what does that have to do with my music? It’s almost like a mindf—.
“It’s like being gay and being an artist. What matters other than maybe the pronouns you use in a song towards someone?
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Source: @VictoriaCanal/Instagram
Canal, Bruce Springsteen and Cruise pose for a picture backstage at one of the Boss’ shows in another night out for the singer and actor.
“What does your sexual orientation have to do with your artistic craft? It might influence it in some way but what’s important is the artistry.”
Canal also raged she felt artists are “always defined by one thing”, adding: “Whether it’s getting criticized for being gay; or Lizzo for being a proud, body positive woman; Harry Styles for dressing more androgynous.”
The singer – who was born in Munich and has lived in Shanghai, Tokyo, Barcelona, Madrid, Dubai, and Amsterdam – also said “queerness” was “super-complicated” as she feels “obviously queer artists haven’t been represented enough”.
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She said: “You’ll see playlists on Spotify that are like, ‘Music made by queer people.’ And the same thing goes for disability, but I just wish we lived in a world where none of it mattered, like a neo-futuristic world where whatever body you are, you’re not lumped in with these people and these people, but also you don’t have a disadvantage because you look a certain way.
“And the fact is, we live in a world right now where you are still disadvantaged for looking a certain way.”
Canal last year told the Gay Times how she proudly went on stage while supporting Hozier and declared to fans: “I’m gay.”
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Source: MEGA
Canal was born without a right forearm and hand due to a condition called amniotic band syndrome.
She added in her 2022 chat with Why Now when asked to describe the impact her disability has had on her: “It affected me most in the way that people saw me and treated me, rather than the way that I feel, capability-wise.
“I just had no control over it. You just feel a little less desired, a little less pretty, less popular, and you have no control over what your body looks like. You have this body and then because of whatever body you showed up in, the world decides how to treat you, and I think that’s the tragedy of it.
“I think, as someone who grew up with a physical difference, I was always the odd one out in some way.”
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Canal also admitted even though she has a “really extroverted” side she “was always, and still am, a very chronically lonely person”.
When asked if her music was a “bit of a ‘f— you’ to the people who previously rejected you”, Canal admitted: “Yeah, people who picked on me and called me disgusting.
“The amount of times that I was called disgusting because of my difference as a kid… but that’s not my driving influence anymore. My driving influence now is I’m obsessed with music. And I just want to be around it all the time. And I want to be around people who are better than me, so I get better.”
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Source: MEGA
Cruise has dropped more than $200m of his fortune on a penthouse in London where Canal spends much of her time.
Canal also opened up about her relationship with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, 47, who ended up getting her on stage at this summer’s Glastonbury after she got in touch with him online as a joke.
She added: “He asked me about my arm, too. He said, ‘How does that feel to be interviewed about all the time?’
“And, honestly, sometimes it sucks – to be so excited about something, and then the headline comes out, and it doesn’t even say my name. It says ‘One-handed’, whatever. That can be really frustrating.
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“I was saying sometimes I’m worried I only am where I am because of my difference – that people tokenize and are fascinated by it, but would anybody even care if I just looked like an able-bodied person?
“And he said, ‘You could look like a f—— marshmallow and you’d still be really good at music.’ And that was all I needed.”
The actor created art featuring the haunting half-man, half-rabbit figure after seeing a sketch of it by his 22-year-old boy Jack after he had a nightmare about the creature.
Depp then realized the figure – which resembled the spooky rabbit-human hybrid from Donnie Darko – had also appeared in his dreams.
He went on to turn it into paintings that now sell from $5,750 each and the Castle gallery has been selling canvases from The Bunnyman Genesis Collection for around $21,000.
It said: “Depp always carries his guardian with him, wearing a pendant of the character around his neck, and translating this to his art, where The Bunnyman has become his personal stamp of authenticity.”
‘Top Chef’ alum Shirley Chung shaved her head after being diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer.
Jul. 31 2024, Published 7:37 p.m. ET
Beloved Top Chefalum Shirley Chung, who owns the wildly popular Ms. Chi Café in Southern California’s Culver City, is closing her restaurant after being diagnosed with Stage 4 tongue cancer.
RadarOnline.com can exclusively share staff and customers alike are calling Chung’s announcement about her health “bittersweet” and “sad”.
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Source: RadarOnline.com
Ms. Chi Café waitress, Michelle, said despite the restaurant closing everyone is just focused on Chung’s recovery.
Chung explained she learned about the diagnosis after severely biting her tongue and fracturing her tooth, which she then had to have extracted.
In a separate Instagram update, Chung, and her husband, Jimmy Lee, who is Ms Chi’s manager, shared the sad news: “In light of Chef Shirley’s diagnosis, we have made the difficult decision to close Ms Chi Café so she can focus on recovery.”
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The post was accompanied by a video and photos of Chung, along with Lee and other staff members shaving her head.
Several days before closing, the restaurant was packed at lunchtime, both indoors and on the patio. A Ms Chi waitress by the name of Michelle, exclusively told RadarOnline.com about Chung’s choice to cut her hair.
The waitress revealed: “She was so happy, joking about it and everything, but she’s amazing.”
While speaking about her boss’ diagnosis, she added: “We are all sad. It’s very bittersweet. We’re just hoping for the best for her and focusing on her recovery.”
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Source: Radaronline.com
Shou Zhang (left) and her friend drove all the way from East to West Los Angeles to try chef Shirley Chung’s famous food.
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“She’s just a sweetheart. She’s just so positive, so holy. Like, you can’t even tell that she’s going through [cancer].”
The waitress also praised Lee, saying: “I’ve worked here for five years which just shows you how great she is, Jimmy is, and what it’s like working here.”
Lee, who was run off his feet serving tables, simply smiled and told us: “I think her post says it all.”
In the somber social media message, Chung, 47, shared she initially thought her problems came from being a “heavy teeth grinder.”
However, at the end of May, Chung said her mouth “erupted” with ulcers.
“My oral surgeon discovered a hidden tumor under my tongue. A few days later, I was diagnosed, stage 4 tongue cancer, as cancer cells also spread into my lymph nodes.”
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Source: Radaronline.com
Shirley Chung is renowned for her Chinese American food – and in particular her incredible dumplings.
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The Chinese American chef said she was “very calm” when the doctors delivered the news: “As a chef, I’ve always thrived under pressure. I was extremely focused on getting all the tests and scans as fast as possible, so I can start on the treatment plans.”
She revealed surgeons said one option was to completely remove her tongue, and that would give her the highest survival rate: “I broke down, crying … trying to put thoughts together…”
However, the surgeon then told her: “There is another option, which was a unicorn case, at the University of Chicago, they cured a patient (a chef!) with radiation and chemo.”
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Source: Radaronline.com
Shirley Chung’s Ms Chi Café was packed to the gills days before closing.
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After telling Chung she would have to go to Chicago for treatment, she stated: “Higher survival rate, or keep my tongue? I chose to keep my tongue. I am a fighter, I am a chef, I can be that unicorn too.”
At the time of her post, Chung said she had completed six weeks of chemotherapy (with many more weeks to go) and that she was “going to the hospital 4 times a week for injections.”
She added: “My tumor is shrinking, my speech is much better and I can eat most normal food now.”
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In the announcement confirming the closure of their restaurant, the couple stated: “We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you – our staff, supporters and fans.”
“We have truly enjoyed spreading the dumpling love over the last several years and calling Culver City our home! Please come by, say hi, and enjoy our menu before we close.”
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People did just that. Among them was Chinese American Shou Zhang who drove from East Los Angeles to West Los Angeles for her first – and last – meal at the restaurant.
A “huge” fan of Chung from her Top Chef days, Zhang told RadarOnline.com: “I’m also Chinese. I was born in China. So, it was really great to see mainland Chinese food represented on such a big platform.”
Zhang follows Chung on Instagram and said it was “shocking” when she learned about her diagnosis, “because I know how much she loves cooking and food and this place.”
Zhang’s verdict on the food? “As a Chinese person, you can tell just how much care is taken to make the meat and you can tell right away that the pickled vegetables are homemade.”
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She also noted the thing she “really loves” about Chung is “nothing can get her down.”
Waitress Michelle echoed that sentiment. Even though she doesn’t have a new job lined up yet, she remained positive, saying: “I think we’re more worried about [Chung’s] recovery.
“I hope that she gets better, and we’ll see what comes from there. Who knows? Maybe she’ll do a comeback.”
The Top Gun: Maverick actor, 62, has dropped $233million of his estimated $600million fortune on one of the planet’s most expensive penthouses in London, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
His sprawling pad takes up an entire floor near the top of the ultra-exclusive One Hyde Park building in London near Buckingham Palace.
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Source: MEGA
Cruise spent nearly half of his $600million fortune on his new luxury residence.
A source said he has rented there for years at a rate of $430,000 a week but recently “took the jump” and bought the palatial apartment as he now “considers himself a Londoner”.
The move comes as he gets closer to actress Victoria Canal, 25, the one-armed actress RadarOnline.com revealed he has been treating to helicopter rides to meet the likes of Bruce Springsteen after they first met at this year’s Glastonbury Festival.
Our insider said: “Tom has been living in London basically full-time for the last few years due to his filming schedule.
“He’s been spending so much time in the city and was spending so much on renting his penthouse he finally decided it was time to buy.
“He now considers himself semi-English, and a lot of his pals are saying it’s no coincidence his penthouse purchase comes as he gets closer to Victoria.”
The source said the pair have been spending “more and more time together” as Cruise loves her company and “practically worships” the way she has “overcome her disability”.
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Source: @VictoriaCanal/Instagram
Cruise’s new gal pal Victoria Canal was treated to a VIP night out at a Bruce Springsteen show in July.
Canal was born without a right forearm and hand due to a condition called amniotic band syndrome, but despite what she calls her “limb difference” she still plays piano and guitar.
Cruise was wowed by her when she played a rendition of Coldplay’s Paradise during the band’s headline set on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in June – with one insider telling us: “Tom fell in love with her tenacity and talent.”
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While Canal has no links to Cruise’s controversial Scientology religion, the source said: “Scientologists talk a lot about how they help people overcome difficulties and trauma, and they have a lot of admiration for those who can do that, so Victoria certainly fits the bill that way.”
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Cruise’s new London pad is in a building constructed by property tycoon Nick Candy, 51, who runs his property empire with brother Christian, 49.
Described as “an opulent trophy project”, the Born on the Fourth of July actor’s two-floor penthouse is one of London’s most prized homes.
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Source: One Hyde Park
Cruise’s new London pad sprawls across an entire floor of property tycoon Nick Candy’s hulking building, which dominates central London.
Insiders say they start in the late afternoon and are privately catered with a guest DJ.
A source said: “Any staff are required to sign long non-disclosure agreements, and no selfies or photos are allowed.”
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But Cruise likes an early night and his bashes are said to wrap up around 9 PM as he likes to be “considerate” of his rich neighbors.
His penthouse features a double-height formal reception with an eight-meter ceiling, along with a huge glass fireplace and a Japanese-inspired kitchen with black forest granite countertops and floors, Gaggenau appliances, and a large marble countertop.
Cruise’s penthouse has five en-suite bedrooms, each with unique marble bathrooms and generous fitted wardrobes – with the principal suite spanning 2,300 square feet and overlooking Hyde Park.
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Source: One Hyde Park
The complex is so secure residents’ mail is X-rayed before being sent up.
Along with a cocktail bar, pool table, home cinema, two studies and meeting areas, there is a private spa with amenities including a treatment room, sauna and steam room.
A dedicated gym featuring state-of-the-art equipment is also provided – with four secure underground parking spaces, storage units and two secondary staff entrances.
Despite flash advertising about the 86-apartment development, it has been slammed for being a hiding place for the world’s most mysterious figures.
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It specializes in secrecy and security, with advanced-technology panic rooms and bulletproof glass – and it even comes with bowler-hatted guards trained by British Special Forces.
Residents’ mail is even X-rayed before being delivered.
Architectural historian Professor Gavin Stamp from Cambridge University has slammed the four hulking joined-up towers of glass and concrete as a “vulgar symbol” of “the hegemony of excessive wealth, an over-sized gated community for people with more money than sense, arrogantly plonked down in the heart of London”.
Another critic has sneered its “vibe is junior Arab dictator”.
Kamala Harris is said to have lined up Senator Mark Kelly as one of her top picks for a running mate in the US presidential race – whose daughter uploaded a video showing marijuana and ecstasy.
Jul. 25 2024, Published 8:40 a.m. ET
One of Kamala Harris’ favorite running mate picks is at the center of a drug scandal.
RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal Senator Mark Kelly’s apparently clean-cut daughter has wiped all of her social media accounts – after she posted a video showing bags of marijuana and outlawed party drug Molly on her Instagram.
Claire Kelly uploaded a clip of the drugs – which also featured a cat – with the caption: “Pussy Molly Weed”.
It was soundtracked to a R and B tune and you can view the video, which has now been stripped from the Internet, below.
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Source: @ClaireKelly100/Instagram
Senator Mark Kelly’s daughter Claire has axed her social media profiles after uploading a video of Molly and marijuana to social media.
She also shared a screengrab of a text message that appears to be from her 60-year-old Democrat dad – a former astronaut and Navy fighter pilot – warning her to clean up her social media pages.
It said: “Been busy today. Got 1 call and 2 emails about your Instagram account.
“I’m not interested in looking but I suspect what you posted would not be in anyone’s best interest. At least not yours or mine.”
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Source: @ClaireKelly100@Instagram
An apparent text exchange between Claire and her worried add about the contents of her now-deleted Instagram account.
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A reply that seemed to be from Claire said: “No my Instagram is fine. Check for yourself” – to which her dad apparently responded: “I’ll pass.”
Claire’s caption on the post mocked the worry about her edgy social media content, and said: “You know that b**** when you cause all this conversation. Always stay gracious, best revenge is you.”
She added at the bottom of the post: “1 call and 2 email? Come on guys. (Laughing face emoji.)”
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Source: @ClaireKelly100/Instagram
Kelly’s daughter’s drugs clip – which had the caption: “Pussy Molly Weed”.
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Molly – a concentrated form of ecstasy famously sung about by Miley Cyrus – is classed as a “dangerous drug” in Sen Kelly’s home state of Arizona, with its use and possession charged as felonies.
Arizona legalized recreational marijuana use in 2020 – but the drugs post on Claire’s account will rattle her father.
The drugs post is now being spread online by right-wing MAGA conspiracy theorists who have been accused of misogyny, racism and hate speech.
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Source: @ClaireKelly100/X
Claire used her socials to praise her dad’s political rise before she shut them down.
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One of them – who we are not naming to avoid giving them publicity – has been relentlessly trolling the Kelly family and Claire over the post, and sneered online Claire was “Hunter Biden 2.0”.
The bile-filled blogger added in an online rant: “Daddy won’t be able to save you from this screw up… Claire Kelly visited the White House and met with@JoeBiden and Kamala Harris in July 2022. Claire Kelly is Hunter Biden 2.0.”
They were referring to President Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s struggles with addiction, which saw him found guilty in June of illegal possession of a gun and lying about his drug use when it was bought.
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Source: @Captain_Mark_Kelly/X
Senator Kelly in a throwback pic with daughters Claire, left, and Claudia, right.
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Claire’s X and Instagram accounts are now offline – with her old Insta page now saying: “Sorry, this page isn’t available.”
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Sen Kelly is a frontrunner for presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ choice of vice president as he is considered a hero in Washington.
The dad-of-two – who also has daughter Claudia – has a history of defeating candidates endorsed by Donald Trump.
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Source: @ClaireKelly100/Instagram
The Kelly family – including the senator’s granddaughter Sage Sundman, 3 – full of grins on a trip to the White House to meet President Joe Biden.
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He won his seat in 2022, beating Republican rival Blake Masters – a Trump-backed ultra-MAGA candidate, who, like J. D. Vance, is a disciple of venture capitalist Peter Thiel.
Kelly – who flew combat missions during the Gulf War as a naval aviator before being selected as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot in 1996 – stepped into the political arena when his wife, former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, was shot in the head and forced to retire in 2011.
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Source: @ClaireKelly100/X
Family man Kelly with his wife and girls Claire, far left, and her sister Claudia, right – alongside her husband Mark Sundman, who she met on Bumble and married in March 2023 – as he celebrates winning his Arizona Senate seat in 2020.
The attack claimed six lives, many more were injured – and Gabby was shot in the head.
It came two days before she was due to go into hospital for fertility treatments so she and Kelly could have a child together.
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Source: @Captain_Mark_Kelly/Instagram
Kelly and his wife Gabby Giffords – who survived a horrific shooting – pose for another wholesome family snap with daughters Claudia and Claire.
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Her trauma from the shooting forced the pair to give up the process, and they said in a joint article in June: “With everything the shooting forced us to leave behind, we weren’t ready to let go of our dream of having a child together.
“But eventually, we had to. That loss was its own agony.”
Since the attack, Kelly has become an outspoken advocate for ending gun violence – an issue that will almost certainly be key to Harris’ agenda, especially after the Trump assassination attempt.
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Source: MEGA
Kelly has been hailed a hero as he flew combat missions during the Gulf War before being selected as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot in 1996.
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She’s worked with frontman Chris Martin, 47, before, and said after the gig: “He Facetimed me and said, ‘Hey Vic, do you know the song Paradise by Coldplay?’
“And I was like, ‘Yes, I do know that song.’
“And he was like, ‘Would you want to sit in at Glastonbury?’
“And I was like, ‘Sure!’
“I had to check with my friend in the morning if it was actually a dream.
“I literally blacked out. I literally cannot tell you what happened. All I remember before getting onstage, I was jumping up and down to all their other songs, and looking around and Paul McCartney was backstage, Tom Cruise is in the balcony, and all these crazy A-listers… it just felt so fast.”
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Cruise first gave Canal a lift to the UK premiere of Twisters on July 9. The singer-songwriter shared a video of himself in the pilot’s seat on her Instagram account with the caption: “Not Tom Cruise flying me and my brother in a heli to the @twistersmovie premiere!!!! Lolol.”
In the comments section, she added: “We met backstage at (Glastonbury Festival) and talked aboutt the upcoming premiere we were both going to and he said, ‘Roll with me! I’ll take you guys in the heli!’ lol.”
Since then, Cruise is said to have splashed a fortune on helicopter joyrides with his new friend. As our source said: “Tom might own his own helicopter, but it costs thousands and thousands of pounds to fly in and out of Battersea heliport.”
RadarOnline.com later revealed Clooney spoke with former President Barack Obama, 62, prior to releasing the op-ed. Sources noted Obama did not encourage his decision, but he also didn’t try to stop him from publishing it.
However, it was Biden’s primary political opponent Donald Trump who had harsh words for the Hollywood actor.
The embattled ex-prez, 78, wrote on his Truth Social platform: “What does Clooney know about anything? He uses the Democrat ‘talking point’ that Biden, the WORST President in the history of the United States, has ‘saved our Democracy’ …. Clooney should get out of politics and go back to television. Movies never really worked for him!!!”
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Last week, I posited that the Xbox showcase on June 9 would be the most important in the history of Microsoft’s gaming division. If it wasn’t, that could be because this slick prerecorded show couldn’t possibly compete for historical impact with, for example, the garbage fire that was the 2013 Xbox One reveal event, or the bungled E3 show that followed it. It was confident and smooth in its orchestration, impressive in a way that was almost calming after the awkward anticlimax of Summer Game Fest two days earlier. But it was still immensely significant: for its indication of the seismic publishing power Microsoft now holds, for the questions it answered about Xbox’s future, and for the questions it didn’t.
In fact, the two most telling bits of news emerged outside the boundaries of the show itself. The first was the confirmation, more than a week before the show, that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6will be released on Game Pass on day one. The second, which was not mentioned by Microsoft during its showcase but slipped out in a press release alongside it, is that Doom: The Dark Ages (one of the biggest first-party reveals of the event) is also coming to PlayStation 5.
Between them, these two facts spell out Microsoft’s strategy quite clearly: Game Pass is everything, and Xbox consoles aren’t. Microsoft is doubling down hard on its subscription service, and bringing its new, almost terrifying might as a game publisher to bear on the Game Pass catalog. But the company had little to say about Xbox hardware, and its attitude to console exclusivity for Microsoft-owned games remains ambivalent at best.
Doom: The Dark Ages’ PS5 version was quietly the most significant news of the night.Image: id Software/Bethesda Softworks
After the shock release of four former Xbox exclusives on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch earlier this year, many Xbox fans were looking to Sunday’s showcase for explicit reassurance that Microsoft was still investing in Xbox consoles by getting its vast army of first-party studios to make exclusive games for them. That reassurance did not come. In fact, Xbox console exclusivity was not mentioned once. The words “coming to Xbox Series X and PC” appeared as much at the end of trailers for games in storied Xbox franchises like Fable and Gears of War as they did for multiplatform releases from third-party publishers like Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. There was no attempt at differentiation on this score.
Reports indicate that Microsoft has “no red line” internally when it comes to which of its games it will consider for release on other platforms, and the wording (or lack of it) used on Sunday shows that the company is keen to keep its options open. It’s striking that Microsoft chose to open the showcase with two heavy hitters that’ll be available on PlayStation: Black Ops 6, which was already slated for PS5 (per Microsoft’s Call of Duty deal with Sony), and Doom: The Dark Ages, which wasn’t.
The Dark Ages’ PS5 release is a clue to how Microsoft intends to handle exclusivity in the short term, at least as far as games from Bethesda, Activision, and Blizzard are concerned. Speaking to IGN after the showcase aired, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said, “Doom is definitely one of those franchises that has a history of so many platforms. It’s a franchise that I think everyone deserves to play. When I was in a meeting with Marty [Stratton, id Software studio director] a couple years ago, I asked Marty what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to sell it on all platforms. Simple as that.”
Spencer’s explanation — as well as Microsoft’s handling of Minecraft — suggests that Microsoft does not intend to make previously multiplatform game series exclusive. It’s a strong indication that Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls 6, for one, will get a PlayStation release. For everything else, it’s an open question. It might seem unthinkable that Gears of War: E-Day or Fable will come out on PS5, but nothing said (or unsaid) on Sunday indicates that that’s off the table.
Microsoft is keen to ram home Game Pass’ value to subscribers.Image: Xbox
As far as Game Pass goes, however, Microsoft could not have been more emphatic. “Play it day one with Game Pass,” boomed the stinger on the end of trailer after trailer after trailer. Of the 30 games, expansions, and updates featured in Sunday’s showcase, 20 will go straight to Game Pass. Of those 20 Game Pass titles, 13 come from Microsoft-owned studios; nine are scheduled to debut in 2024, eight in 2025, and three have no release windows yet.
Call of Duty, Doom, Gears of War, State of Decay, Perfect Dark, Fable, Indiana Jones, STALKER, Flight Simulator, Avowed… all coming to Game Pass as soon as they’re released. There are blockbuster shooters and role-playing games, strategy and sim games, wistful indies, and, thanks to partnerships with companies like Kepler Interactive and Rebellion, a good helping of AA Eurojank (perhaps the ideal kind of Game Pass game).
In a way, it’s more illustrative to look at what from the showcase won’t be coming to Game Pass. Those 10 titles include big third-party franchises like Metal Gear Solid and Assassin’s Creed; a handful of smaller third-party games; and expansions for Starfield, Diablo 4, The Elder Scrolls Online, and World of Warcraft. Selling DLC for Game Pass-included titles like Starfield, Diablo 4, and TES Online is a big part of the Game Pass business model, so you could still consider those titles under the Game Pass umbrella. (World of Warcraft is the outlier here as the only Microsoft-owned game featured that isn’t on Game Pass at all — and indeed, the only one not available on Xbox consoles.)
If Microsoft has doubts about the commercial viability of console-exclusive releases in the long term, it certainly doesn’t seem to have those doubts about Game Pass. With subscriber numbers seeming to have plateaued (according to Microsoft’s rarely released figures), and with the presumed considerable loss of revenue resulting from rolling a guaranteed seller like Black Ops 6 into a subscription service, many were wondering if Microsoft’s “Netflix for games” approach made economic sense. It’s possible that this debate has been ongoing in Microsoft until recently: Black Ops 6 developer Treyarch told Game File’s Stephen Totilo “it wasn’t that long ago” that the studio was informed that the game would launch on Game Pass. But taken as a whole, the showcase was a resounding vote of confidence in the service, and an indication that it will go on to provide great value to subscribers through 2025 and beyond.
New Xbox console variants with more storage were announced with little fanfare.Image: Xbox
After its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft is now the third-biggest gaming company in the world by revenue — and arguably the biggest in terms of intellectual property and publishing might. Sunday’s showcase demonstrated quite convincingly how it intends to fill those massive boots: dozens of solid-looking games in famous, fan-favorite franchises, stretching far into the future. Quality and quantity. The surprise inclusion of a few long-gestating titles that had reportedly been stuck in development hell, like Perfect Dark and State of Decay 3, seemed like a pointed message that Microsoft can be trusted to keep all these projects on track, despite its spotty record in studio management.
But Xbox hardware only got the briefest mention, in the form of three new console configurations and a promise that “we’re hard at work on the next generation.” The rumored handheld announcement did not materialize. And exclusivity remains a glaring open question.
Regarding Microsoft’s position in the broader game industry, it seems we have our answer: It’s now a publisher first, a subscription platform second, and a console hardware platform a distant third.
TOURIST bosses in Majorca say they fear for their businesses as activists stage another protest today aimed at driving out British visitors.
A charter boat owner revealed he had been getting emails from clients asking if it was still safe to visit the Spanish isle.
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Businesses in Majorca are worried about the impact of protests on their tradeCredit: Solarpix
And one bar worker in party resort Magaluf said it was quieter than normal, leading to fears protests were starting to bite and hitting trade.
Activists have urged protesters to occupy the beaches today in their continuing campaign against mass tourism, which they blame for making housing too pricey for islanders.
They want limits on visitors and restrictions on foreign property buyers.
Last weekend, 15,000 people took to the streets in Majorca’s capital Palma.
Protesters held up signs telling “Guiri” — a term referring to foreigners, particularly Brits — to go home.
Anti-tourist graffiti has also appeared in the island.
But boat charter boss Yannick Slock, 34, says he fears for the future of his business if the protests continue.
He said: “It was a surprise to get an email from a client in New Zealand.
“They said, ‘Do you think it’s safe to come still?’. We thought, ‘Wow, the news has travelled across the world’.
“Let’s see how the protests go today. You just hope they don’t get violent. That would definitely affect business.”
of the historic anti mass tourism protest in Majorca have apologised for the abuse directed at holidaymakers
And the Magaluf bar worker added: “It is very quiet at the moment here compared to previous years. Hopefully, things will get moving again soon.”
Javier Barbero, from protest group Banc del Temps, said: “This is just the start.
“If measures aren’t taken we will continue taking to the streets.”
BOMB blast detectives found suspected British parts in Russian drones fired at Ukraine.
Last night an MP called it a “deeply worrying development”.
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Bomb blast detectives found suspected British parts in Russian drones fired at UkraineCredit: Peter Jordan
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Earlier investigations suggested the engines were reverse-engineered in Iran from a British partsCredit: Peter Jordan
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Sun man Jerome Starkey and expert Andriy Kulchytskyi on a lab tripCredit: Peter Jordan
Ex-colonel Andriy Kulchytskyi, at the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, showed us a motor of an Iranian Shahed-M drone engraved with English writing.
He said he suspected some of the engines used to power the drone were made in England — but the manufacturer would not have known they could end up in a war zone.
Andriy said: “We thought the Shahed 131 engines were British, at the very beginning, but we haven’t made it official. England is a good friend.”
Earlier investigations have suggested the engines were reverse-engineered in Iran from a British part.
Former Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois said: “That these engines came from Britain is still unconfirmed but, if true, that’s a deeply worrying development.
“We have to assume our own intelligence agencies are investigating this, with a view to intervening rapidly, if required.”
Irish parts, US and Swiss computer chips, Sony optics on a spy drone and antennas made in Canada have also been found by the Kyiv lab.
Ukraine wipes out dozens MORE of Putin’s troops and Russian soldier fails to take out looming drone in explosive footage
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