Viola Davis slams Hollywood escapism

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Viola Davis has slammed Hollywood “escapism”.
The ‘Suicide Squad’ actress believes the expectations of films now to create unrealistic entertainment and to capitalise on commercial opportunities is ruining the opportunity to craft complex characters and is “destroying our art form”.
She said: “Social media has taken over the defining of this art form. I think that the word ‘escapism’ is something that is interesting — the goal all of us have is to sit in a movie with the popcorn and Sour Patch Kids and forget about our lives — but, literally, it destroys our art form.
“Every time you’re in a room selling a narrative, it’s about how much you can create a story that allows us to escape.
“The characters then become a Mr. Potato Head, become Bobble Heads. We forget who these people are really until a movie comes along and blows our mind.”
The 56-year-old star – who stressed she is a fan of commercial fare such as Marvel movies – explained she and her husband, Julius Tennon created their production Company JuVee Productions to help explore more realistic stories.
Viola believes such projects exist for “seeing ourselves, our mess.”
She added at the Produced By Conference: “But those narratives usually don’t have people in it who look like us. It’s a resistance to our humanity.”
And the ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ star called on filmmakers to be “bolder” and push their more daring ideas.
Asked by a Kenyan filmmaker how she and Julius have dealt with rejection when pitching their projects, she said: “I would be bolder. I have to say, especially as a Black person, there’s so many things that are taboo. Most of the people you’re in the room asking for money or for a greenlight, there are certain things you don’t say. It’s going to be too insulting. You don’t know until you try.”
Julius added: “My mother always said, a closed mouth doesn’t get fed.”

Source: IconInsider.com

Paapa Essiedu’s ‘awful timing’ with show success

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Paapa Essiedu admitted the success of ‘I May Destroy You’ was “awful timing” for his Hollywood ambitions.
The 32-year-old actor was nominated for Emmy and Bafta awards for his portrayal of Kwame in friend Michaela Coel’s sexual assault drama but he was unable to capitalise on the success and critical acclaim of the series because it came amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
He laughingly said: “The show came out in lockdown and everyone seemingly loved it.
“We were all ready to dash off to Hollywood and make millions of pounds.
“Oh wait, Hollywood is shut and no one is making a film for another year.
“It was perfect timing and awful timing at the same time.”
Paapa met Michaela when they were both students at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and he admitted it was a “discombobulating experience”.
He said: “We both got in on the same day and both got the Tube home afterwards. We were like, ‘This is mad’. We were the only two black people in our year.
“It’s not hard to at least visually see each other in that sense…
“I know a lot of drama schools, a lot of higher education institutions at large, are doing a lot of work to decolonise the syllabuses.
“But it was very classical training and it was training that had been very successful for a lot of people for a long time.”
The ‘Lazarus Project’ actor’s father died in Ghana when he was 14, and his mother passed away from cancer a few years later, and he admitted he sometimes “fantasises” about what his life would be like if they were still alive.
He told Radio Times magazine: “Obviously I’ll never know because you only know your experience.
“Sometimes I fantasise about what my life would have been like if things had gone differently.
“But they went the way they did and as a result I am very driven.
“I do feel motivated to achieve things and do my ancestors and forefathers proud – or to at least show that it can be done, for myself and for the people that come before and after me.”

Source: IconInsider.com

Jackie Woodburne given last Neighbours lines

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Jackie Woodburne was given the final ever scene in ‘Neighbours’.
The 66-year-old actress delivered the “performance of a lifetime” as her alter ego Susan Kennedy – who she has played since 1994 – when she ends the Australian soap with a speech about family and friendships to all the “good neighbours”.
A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: “Jackie is very much seen as the soap’s matriarch.
“It felt right that the last words ever spoken would be by her.
“She delivers the performance of a lifetime.”
Filming on the soap wrapped for the final time after 37 years on Friday (10.06.22).
‘Neighbours’ has wrapped filming for the final time after 37 years.
A tweet on the official ‘Neighbours’ Twitter account read: “That’s a wrap [yellow heart emoji] #Neighbours”
‘Neighbours’ legend Stefan Dennis, who has portrayed ruthless businessman Paul Robinson since the show’s first-ever episode in March 1985, admitted he felt “incredibly emotional” after closing the studio door following his last-ever scene.
He told Australian breakfast programme ‘Studio 10’: “It’s a melancholy day for me.
“I sort of closed the studio door behind me on my very last scene, my very last dialogue scene and … I suddenly surprised myself by getting incredibly emotional.
“I just kept to myself and went to my dressing room … so I’m keeping a very low profile today. I think I’ll just be an absolute mess if I sort of hang around too long.”
The soap’s final episode, which will air on August 1st, will see Kylie Minogue reprise her role as Charlene Robinson alongside on-screen husband Jason Donovan (Scott Robinson).
The 54-year-old pop star has admitted she felt “quite a bit of pressure” to return to the show.
She said: “I got this role in ‘Neighbours’, that was in 1986. So I was only in the show for two and a half years, but it just exploded. England just went crazy about it.
“So it’s been with me ever since and it’s been a large part of how I entered into the music industry.
“The show was played twice a day, and people would bunk off school, they changed the office hours.
“They’re finishing the show, and there was quite a bit of pressure for me to go back, so I shot my scenes back in Australia.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

Jacques O’Neill looking for love on Love Island

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Gemma Owen’s ex-boyfriend has warned he is “not a****” about stepping on anyone’s toes in the ‘Love Island’ villa.
Rugby player Jacques O’Neill is set to enter the villa in scenes airing on Sunday’s (12.06.22) show and though the 19-year-old horse rider has recently coupled up with Luca Bish while still being pursued by Davide Sanclimenti, the 23-year-old rugby player suggested the other guys won’t stop him if he wants to win back his former flame.
He added: “I do think I’m a catch. We all think we’re a catch, don’t we? I’m loyal, I’m respectful and I’ve got good manners. I’ll look after someone close to me to the full extent I can.”
Jacques suggested his sporting career – which has been blighted by a hamstring injury – had previously got in the way of his relationship but now he is “ready to settle down”.
Asked why he was joining the show, he said: “I split up with my ex and then I was seeing someone else.
“I was concentrating so much on my rugby career and then I had that injury.
“I think it needs to be the right person, at the right time. But I was saying to my mum the other day that I want a girl. And I’m now ready to settle down.”
And the sportstman is even thinking about having children.
He said: “I would have a baby in two or three years. I think I’d be good with babies too, they’d be good looking wouldn’t they?”
Jacques insisted he is not a “player” and although he is looking for love, he won’t be trying to impress the girls in the villa.
He said: “I am loving and I’ve got loads to give. I don’t message a lot of girls on Instagram – my chat is awful on text. I’d rather meet someone out and vibe with them straight away.
“I do fall pretty quickly though. I literally know if they are going to be my girlfriend within a week.”
“I’m very straight up. I don’t beat around the bush, but am all about good vibes. I always bring the laughs.
“But I wouldn’t go trying to impress people – they like me for who I am, or they don’t. I’m not going to go out of my way to make someone like me. But when I’m with a girl, I do like to make them feel special.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

Malin Andersson proud of changed body

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Malin Andersson is “proud” of the changes to her body.
The former ‘Love Island’ contestant recently flew out to Spain for her first break since giving birth to daughter Xaya four months ago and she insisted she didn’t feel self-conscious about wearing a bikini because she the fact the looks different due to pregnancy, rather than eating too much.
She told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: “It was weird because when you go to places like Dubai or Spain, you are kind of amongst other women that my body used to look like.
“It’s completely changed but it felt nice, I wasn’t bothered by it.
“There is a reason to it, it’s not just because I have been eating a ton of McDonald’s and being lazy, it’s because I have carried a baby and I think it’s something to be proud of.”
And Malin – whose daughter Consy tragically died three years ago just a few days after she was born seven weeks premature – has “retrained [her] mind” to stop her focusing on her flaws.
She said: “I exercise a lot now, mainly for my mind and to get me up and going but I look in the mirror and I don’t look at what to criticise, I just look at me as a person and what I am doing and achieving.
“It’s easy to pick out flaws especially in summer. You just have to retrain your mind.”
Malin split from Xaya’s father Jared just weeks after she gave birth in February but she recently admitted she can “definitely” see them reconciling one day.
She said: “It was an amicable split [but] there was a lot of pressure involved. Plus, he’s only ever really known me as hormonal Malin because I’d been pregnant pretty much ever since we’d first gotten together! I was relying on him so much that I feel like he lost himself a bit. It was best for both of us to take some months apart, so that’s what we did.
“We’re now co-parenting Xaya 50/50 and getting on a lot better having our situation like this at the moment – it saved us, in a weird way.
“But I can definitely see us getting back together at some point in the future when all the baby chaos has finally calmed.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

Luca Bish’s grandma won’t turn off if he gets intimate on screen

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Luca Bish’s grandma won’t be upset if he has sex on ‘Love Island’.
The 23-year-old fishmonger is currently coupled up with Gemma Owen and his 79-year-old grandmother Rosa won’t be switching off if they decide to get intimate on screen because she doesn’t think producers would screen anything inappropriate anyway.
She told the Sunday People newspaper: “I’m not really old-fashioned. “If they’re not doing it in front of you, then they’re doing it behind your back. No, I wouldn’t cover my eyes if it was on TV.
“It’s under the cover anyway. You never see. They cover each other. It’s nothing to worry about.”
Rosa is very “protective” of her grandson and supports his decision to go on the dating show.
She said: “I’m protective, I’ll do anything for Luca. He’s always been a nice boy, no trouble.
“He respects us and I respect him back. He’s always happy. Everything he does, he does well in life.
“I’m very happy he went to Love Island. I think he’s done a good job, it means people can see the best of him.
“I think he’s got a good chance of winning. I’m very proud of him. If he doesn’t win, he’ll still be happy.”
And the Italian-born grandmother told how Luca has always had a cheeky side.
She said: “Luca is such a good boy but I’ll never forget when he was four he hid in the wardrobe for three hours.
“I couldn’t find him. I had checked the wardrobe but he’d hidden so well.
“I called his mum and the police. Then when I said the police were coming I heard a little rustling…
“Also, when he was small, a Percy Pig sweet got stuck in his hair and I had to cut it out. His mum wasn’t impressed when she collected him and a chunk of his gorgeous hair was gone.”
‘Love Island’ airs at 9pm on ITV2 and ITV Hub. Episodes are available the following morning on BritBox.
The dating reality show can be seen in Ireland on Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Player.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

Taylor Swift wants to make a film

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Taylor Swift wants to write and direct her own feature film.
The 32-year-old singer took a step from directing her own music videos to craft ‘All Too Well: The Short Film’ – a 13-minute promo for the extended version of her song of the same name, which stars Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien – and she now wants to take her filmmaking career even further.
She said: “It would be so fantastic to write and direct a feature.
“I don’t see it being bigger in terms of scale. I loved making a film that was so intimate with a crew that was relatively small, just a really solid group of people that I trusted.”
During a screening of her short in New York City as part of the Tribeca Festival, the ‘Love Story’ hitmaker reflected on her journey from “meddling” in her music videos to directing the 2019 promo for ‘The Man’.
She told filmmaker Mike Mills: “I was always very curious. I was always looking, and learning, and trying to absorb as much as I possibly could.
“A few music videos [into my career], I just started going into the edit, and making changes.
“It started with meddling, and it went from meddling with the edit to then writing the treatments for the music videos… That was almost ten years ago.”
After writing the treatment for ‘The Man’, she attempted to hire a female director but none she knew were available, so she sought advice from Lana Wilson, who was directing her ‘Miss Americana’ documentary at the time, and took the reigns on the video herself.
She said: “Once I started directing music videos, I didn’t not want to do it.”
However, Taylor admitted she was filled with doubts about her capabilities.
She said: “I think I had this imposter syndrome in my head saying, ‘No, you don’t do that. Other people do that who went to school to [direct],'” explained Swift.
When Mike, 63, told her he hadn’t gone to school to learn to direct, she replied: “Oh! It’s fantastic to know that. That makes me feel better.
“Don’t you feel like it’s an amazing exercise in trusting gut instinct? There are so many decisions you have to make. Saying ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I’m not sure’ really isn’t an option most of the time.”

Source: IconInsider.com

Jenny Agutter felt like no time had passed between Railway Children movies

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Jenny Agutter remembers shooting ‘The Railway Children’ “like it was yesterday”.
The 69-year-old actress is the only original cast member from the 1970 movie – which was based on E. Nesbit’s book of the same name – to have reprised her role in the upcoming ‘The Railway Children Return’ and she admitted it felt like no time at all had passed when she returned to the same filming location, despite so much having changed in her own life since then.
She told Harper’s Bazaar magazine: “There’s a moment in ‘The Railway Children Return’ when my character Roberta – who is now a grandmother – talks about remembering being sent to the countryside like it was yesterday.
“That resonates with me personally because I, too, recall first setting foot on the platform at Yorkshire’s Oakworth station when I was just 17, playing the young Bobbie in Lionel Jeffries’ 1970 film.
“Revisiting something from your past is both exciting and makes you realise what can be lost, because there seems to be nothing between then and now.
“I’ve lived in America, got married, had a child, become a grandmother myself – and yet Oakworth still looks much the same. It is as if time has telescoped…
“I’m sure Nesbit would have loved the idea of her characters getting another chapter, because she believed in time travel.
“Here, we have a new generation of railway children exploring that same track, having adventures that belong in a different era.
“So when I’m asked, ‘Do you remember being here?’ the answer is, yes, like it was yesterday.”
Although the new film is set during World War II, Jenny thinks there are a lot of parallels to draw with the world today.
She said: “The film is about a very particular period in history and part of what it’s doing is teaching children today about what it was like during World War II, but I’m conscious it may also put us in mind of what’s happening in Ukraine right now – the very present reality of violence, of refugees, of loss of life.
“It is terrifying that, having gone through two World Wars, we’re once again experiencing something that could escalate, but we also need to know there’s a part of mankind that hangs on to the good, that will come out stronger in the end.”

Source: IconInsider.com

Dragons’ Den star Hilary Devey dies aged 65

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — ‘Dragons’ Den’ star Hilary Devey has died at the age of 65.
The businesswoman passed away in Morocco on Saturday (11.06.22) after a long battle with illness.
Theo Paphitis, her former ‘Dragons’ Den’ co-star, has already taken to social media to pay tribute to the entrepreneur, who was made an OBE in 2013 for services to the transport industry and to charity.
He wrote on Twitter: “So sad to hear of the passing of the lovely Hilary Devey. She left us all with some fantastic memories, may she rest in peace. My thoughts are with her family. x (sic)”
Duncan Bannatyne, another of Devey’s former co-stars, has also paid tribute to her on Twitter.
The 73-year-old entrepreneur – who starred on the BBC show between 2005 and 2015 – wrote on the micro-blogging platform: “Sad to hear that @HilaryDevey has passed. So young. Too young. Rest in Peace Hilary. X (sic)”
Devey made her fortune through Pall-Ex, a palletised freight network, and in 2011, she explained why she accepted the invite to join the ‘Dragons’ Den’ panel.
The businesswoman – who appeared alongside Theo, Duncan, Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden – said: “In order to set-up Pall-Ex in the mid-90s, I had to sell my house and car to get the start-up capital necessary to fulfil my business ambitions, as none of the banks appreciated my potential.
“I would have loved the opportunity to have stood before the Dragons, and I will remember my own experiences and the realities of running a business today, when choosing to support – or reject – the budding entrepreneurs joining me in the Den.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

Gemma Owen ‘isn’t sure’ where she stands with Jacques O’Neill

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — ‘Love Island’s Gemma Owen doesn’t know where she stands with ex-boyfriend Jacques O’Neill.
The 19-year-old star is shocked by Jacques’ arrival in the villa, and she’s hinted that their romance didn’t end amicably.
As the girls head to the terrace to get a look at the new boy, Gemma says: “I am not being funny but from the back of it, it looks like my ex.”
Gemma subsequently confirms that they dated for eight months.
Asked when they broke up, she replies: “A year and a half ago.”
Gemma – who is the daughter of former England soccer star Michael Owen – is also asked whether their relationship ended amicably.
She said: “I wouldn’t say so, maybe not … I am not sure but we will have to find out, won’t we?”
Despite this, Gemma later admits that she’s still attracted to her ex-boyfriend.
She confessed: “It’s weird because I still look at him and I do fancy him, like 100 percent … I look at him and I think you are fit, no question, you are fit.”
Meanwhile, Jacques admits he sees himself as a “catch” and he also explained what makes him a good boyfriend.
The 23-year-old rugby player shared: “I’m loyal, I’m respectful and I’ve got good manners. I’ll look after someone close to me to the full extent I can.”
Jacques also admitted he’s keen to have children in the next few years.
He said: “I would have a baby in two or three years. I think I’d be good with babies too, they’d be good looking, wouldn’t they?”
‘Love Island’ airs at 9pm on ITV2 and ITV Hub. Episodes are available the following morning on BritBox.
The dating reality show can be seen in Ireland on Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Player.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

Olivia Bowen gives birth to a baby boy

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Olivia Bowen has given birth to a baby boy.
The former ‘Love Island’ star has taken to Instagram to announce the arrival of her newborn son, Abel ‘AJ’ Jacob.
Olivia, 28 – who has been with husband Alex since they met on the ITV show in 2016 – posted a snap of her baby boy and captioned it: “Abel Jacob Bowen. You are everything. 10/06/22 (sic)”
Alex, 30, also posted a snap of his son on the photo-sharing platform.
The TV star wrote: “Abel Jacob Bowen, but you can call him AJ… The day our lives changed for the better 10/06/22. (sic)”
Olivia has already received lots of congratulatory messages from some of her showbiz pals, including Frankie Bridge, Danielle Armstrong, Helen Flanagan and Samira Mighty.
Frankie simply wrote: “Congrats! Xxx (sic)”
Danielle, 34, also sent her congratulations.
She said: “Awe congratulations my darling best feeling in the world [Earth emoji] (sic)”
Helen, 31 – who is best known for playing Rosie Webster in ‘Coronation Street’ – wrote: “Congratulations darling x (sic)”
And Samira – who starred on ‘Love Island’ in 2018- said: “Congratulations!!!! Xxxx (sic)”
Earlier this year, Olivia admitted she was “so excited to become a mum”.
The TV star also revealed that her pregnancy was “going really fast”.
She shared: “It feels very surreal still to even say it, but we both can’t wait for the next part of our lives. Alex is going to be the best dad – he’s so caring, kind and a big kid at heart.
“My pregnancy is going really fast; we still both can’t quite believe it’s happening. We’re having to stop ourselves buying all the baby clothes at the moment, we just get too excited.
“Our family and friends were so shocked when we told them, but I just knew very early on, you know your body. We’re not going to find out what we’re having, I think the surprise will make it extra special.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

Jess Wright’s newborn son was born via emergency C-section

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Jess Wright has revealed her baby boy was born via emergency C-section.
The former ‘The Only Way is Essex’ star welcomed her first child, son Presley, with businessman spouse, William Lee-Kemp, into the world on May 17.
And in a new interview, the 36-year-old beauty shared the “very scary” ordeal they went through after she noticed the tot wasn’t as active in her tummy.
She told Hello! magazine: “In those last few weeks he had been so active and then, all of sudden, it completely dropped, which was very scary, so our doctor told us to come straight to hospital.”
After attempts to induce labour over a period of 48 hours, it was decided a Caesarean was their safest option.
Jess said: “They monitored him again and found his heart rate was dropping slightly.
“They thought he might be lying in an awkward position, so the sensible decision was to have an emergency C-section and get him out quickly.”
The television personality – who is the sister of fellow former ‘TOWIE’ star Mark Wright – admitted she was hoping to have a natural birth, but described the tot’s arrival as the “most incredible, surreal, overwhelming experience ever.”
Jess added: “I had been so intent on having a natural birth and to go through that experience as I’d done all the hypnobirthing, but I had a sense of ‘this is our destiny, this is how it is supposed to happen’, and we accepted it, and then got excited that it was happening so quickly.
“I felt like I had to be strong and positive and embrace it, rather than going in there panicking. It was the most incredible, surreal, overwhelming experience ever.”
The brunette beauty said the name Presley stuck after hearing it early on in her pregnancy.
She said: “I heard the name from someone when I was eight weeks pregnant, and I said to Will, ‘We’ve found the name’, and he loved it.
“We had a couple of names since then, but that one seemed to suit him best.”
His middle name is Stone.
Jess added: “We both really love it as it’s so different.”
The couple found out about the pregnancy at their wedding in the Balearic Islands last September.
Jess said at the time: “It feels like a fairy-tale – we eventually got our wedding and believe it or not, I was unknowingly pregnant at the wedding.”
After their nuptials were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple believe it was “fate” that they learned they were set to become parents as they married.
Will added: “It was emotional. Ultimately, it feels like fate. We finally got married, and now it’s all clicked into place.”
Jess fell pregnant naturally after freezing her embryos, and they couldn’t feel more “grateful and blessed”.
She added: “I feel bad because I’ve tapped into this world of fertility struggles, and early menopause, and all of a sudden, I’ve fallen pregnant.
“We feel so grateful and blessed.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

Dragon’s Den stars pay tribute to Hilary Devey

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Deborah Meaden has paid tribute to “one of a kind” Hilary Devey following her death at the age of 65.
The businesswoman’s representative revealed on Sunday (12.06.22) that she had passed away in Morocco following a long illness, and her ‘Dragon’s Den’ co-stars have remembered her as “inspiring” and “unique”.
Deborah tweeted: “She was unique in every way and brought grit and warmth with her into the Den.
“My thoughts are with her family and loved ones. RIP Hilary. truly one of a kind.”
Fellow Dragon Peter Jones said: “She was an inspiring woman and it was great to spend time with her on Dragons’ Den. Sending my deepest condolences to her family.”
Theo Paphitis had taken to Twitter to remember “lovely” Hilary shortly after the news of her passing broke.
He posted: “So sad to hear of the passing of the lovely Hilary Devey. She left us all with some fantastic memories, may she rest in peace. My thoughts are with her family. x (sic)”
He was followed by former Dragon Duncan Bannatyne, who posted: “Sad to hear that @HilaryDevey has passed. So young. Too young. Rest in Peace Hilary. X (sic)”
‘Dragon’s Den’ host Evan Davis said Hilary – who appeared on the show from 2011 to 2012 – would be “long remembered”.
He tweeted: “So sorry to hear of Hilary Devey’s passing.
“I didn’t know her well, but she really brought a wonderful grit to the Den; it was quite different to anything we’d encountered and audiences loved it.
“She’ll be long remembered.”
Hilary made her fortune through Pall-Ex, a palletised freight network, and in 2011, she explained why she accepted the invite to join the ‘Dragons’ Den’ panel.
She said: “In order to set-up Pall-Ex in the mid-90s, I had to sell my house and car to get the start-up capital necessary to fulfil my business ambitions, as none of the banks appreciated my potential.
“I would have loved the opportunity to have stood before the Dragons, and I will remember my own experiences and the realities of running a business today, when choosing to support – or reject – the budding entrepreneurs joining me in the Den.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

Idris Elba in renewed talks to play James Bond

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Idris Elba is back in the running to play James Bond.
The ‘Luther’ actor was believed to have stepped back from replacing Daniel Craig as the suave spy and had instead spoken to producers about potentially appearing as the villain in the next movie, but he’s once again under consideration for the role of 007 after scoring favourably in market research.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “Idris has long been in talks to play a role in the next era of James Bond’s story and last year was being considered for a role as an antagonist.
“However, talks surrounding him playing the lead have started again as producers realised how popular he would be after carrying out secret market research.
“He ranked highly among the diverse group of movie buffs invited to participate in it.
“They didn’t want to see him as a nemesis — they want him as the hero.”
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli confirmed earlier this year that Idris had been in the frame for the iconic role.
She said: “We know Idris, I’m friends with him. He’s a magnificent actor.
You know, he has been part of the conversation, but it’s always difficult to have a conversation when you have somebody in the seat.”
And in 2019, the 49-year-old actor admitted he’d love to be Bond.
He said: “James Bond is a hugely coveted, iconic, beloved character that takes audiences on this massive escapism journey.
“Of course, if someone said to me, ‘Do you want to play James Bond?’, I’d be like, ‘Yeah!’ ”
At the moment, former ‘Bridgerton’ actor Rege-Jean Page is still the bookies’ favourite to be the new James Bond, with Henry Cavill, Aidan Turner and Tom Hardy all believed to also be in with a chance.

Source: IconInsider.com

Uma Thurman and Henry Golding join The Old Guard sequel

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — Uma Thurman and Henry Golding have joined the sequel to ‘The Old Guard’.
The follow-up to the 2020 Netflix superhero flick just added the ‘Kill Bill’ legend, 52, and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ star, 35, to the already star-studded cast in currently undisclosed roles.
The pair join returning cast members Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Veronica Ngo and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
The sequel will be helmed by Victoria Mahoney, after Gina Prince-Bythewood stepped down from the role.
Charlize plays the lead role of warrior Andromache of Scythia.
The plot once again comes from Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez’ graphic novel series.
Charlize previously revealed that she and other cast members were keen to make a second film.
She said: “We’re still pushing this one out.
“Let’s have a little resting period, but just given the fact that all of us really want to do it, I’m sure when it’s the right time, we’ll start the conversation.”
The 46-year-old actress feels that the popularity of the film is “nutty” – but insists she wasn’t thinking about viewing numbers as she was making the flick.
She said: “It’s pretty nutty, right? It’s pretty crazy.”
Charlize added: “I’m not that brave. I don’t want to hear predictions. No, thank you.”
Meanwhile, the Hollywood star previously revealed she overcame her fear of horses while shooting ‘The Old Guard’.
Charlize found making the action film “therapeutic” because she had to get into the saddle and tackle her worries that things could easily go “terribly wrong” by facing her phobia head-on.
She said: “I always had this fear when I was on them that something could go terribly wrong at any instant. So it was like a metaphor for my life in a weird way, this movie. It was therapeutic for me.”
The movie also required Charlize to undergo extensive weapons training, and though the preparations were tough, she enjoyed the challenge.
She said: “I trained five days a week for about four months before shooting.
“I did a mixture of strength conditioning and combat training. A lot of it involved an axe-like weapon I use in the film I’ve never done any weapons training quite like this.
“It was really tough – but really worth it.”

Source: IconInsider.com

Duke Nukem movie is in the works

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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OHMYGOSSIP — A ‘Duke Nukem’ film is in the works.
Legendary Entertainment – the company behind ‘Dune’ and the ‘Godzilla’ monster movie series – have acquired the movie rights from Gearbox with ‘Cobra Kai’ creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg.
Legendary are producing with Jean Julien Baronnet for Marla Studios, which specialises in video game adaptations. Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg are all producing via their Counterbalance Entertainment.
The ‘Duke Nukem’ series launched in 1991 and centres on the titular hero – modelled on certain attributes from 1980s action movie heroes – who battles an alien invasion in Los Angeles.
He travels from strip clubs and film sets to moon bases and spaceships, where has to deal with mutated LAPD officers, women used in alien incubators and the Cycloid Emperor.
The game proved to be a hit with sequels following in both 1993 and 1996 before the franchise returned in 2011 with ‘Duke Nukem Forever’.
No director is on board yet – although one of the Counterbalance team could potentially get behind the camera – and a search for a writer to tackle the material is underway.
Various indie producers have attempted to develop ‘Duke Nukem’ and a project starring John Cena was in development several years ago but never got off the ground.
Gearbox is also turning another hit video game into a Hollywood movie in the form of ‘Borderlands’, which will be directed by Eli Roth and is starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart.

Source: IconInsider.com

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