Stepping onto the set of “Squid Game” season two, Lee Jung-jae felt like he had never left.
“Including promotion, I'd been living with Gi-hun for about two years," said Lee in a recent interview. “I really felt like I was him," he said in a recent interview.
“Squid Game” follows an underground competition in Korea that recruits people in debt to participate in childlike games for money. Once the games begin, the contestants realize there are deadly consequences.
The show was a global hit when it was released in 2021, becoming Netflix's most-watched series. It also won numerous accolades including Primetime Emmy Awards for acting for Lee Jung-jae and directing for Hwang Dong-hyuk. Lee's career catapulted, taking him to the Cannes Film Festival and giving him his first English-language role in the “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte” for Disney+.
Lee says when Netflix ordered a second season of “Squid Game,” he questioned the timeline because it took Hwang years to work on the first one. "I wondered, ‘How many years will it take him to write season two,’" said Lee. Hwang, in turn, surprised everyone — including himself — by taking just six months to write season two and a third and final season. “I'm not sure I'll ever be able to write something that fast again,” he said.
Creating new characters and their individual stories came easily. The biggest, challenge, Hwang said, was deciding what should happen with Gi-hun. Lee says when he read the scripts he thought Hwang “really is a genius.”
It's rare for even successful TV shows in Korea to have more than one season so it was a big swing, even for the new cast.
“There’s a Korean phrase, ‘there’s not a sequel that does better than its prequel,’ said actor Yang Dong-geong, whose character debuts in season two. "I've been careful because we aren't really sure what the reaction will be.” The outlook is positive. Season two has already been nominated in the best drama series category at the upcoming Golden Globe Awards.
The opportunity to work on a project with worldwide appeal is a dream come true for a performer. Lee Byung-hun, who reprises his villain role from season one, has appeared in big budget English-language films like “G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra” with Channing Tatum and Dennis Quaid and “Red 2” with Bruce Willis. It's “Squid Game” that he credits for taking his career to another level.
“I’ve been an actor for over three decades and … maybe most people outside of Korea have never seen anything that I’ve been in. If anyone through ‘Squid Game’ wishes to see more of me or becomes more curious about my previous works, as an actor, nothing would be more rewarding or bring me greater joy."
The audition process moved slowly. Jo Yu-ri recalls waiting two months between the first and second-round. When she finally got the part Jo says, “I actually remember crying.” The actors were asked to not speak publicly about their casting to wait for Netflix to make an announcement. “There were a couple of close friends that popped champagne for me when they found out," said Yang.
Netflix's “Squid Game” universe is also growing. A second season of a reality competition show based on the series has been ordered and an English version is in development. Season three of the original has also completed filming and is in post-production.
Season two is not without controversy. The new episodes feature a transgender character played by Park Sung-hoon. Hwang says he understands why hiring a trans actor would have been ideal, but that the casting is a reflection of how the LGBTQ community and gender identity is viewed in Korea.
“To be honest with you, in Korea, when it comes to the LGBTQ and gender minority community and culture compared to the Western worlds, it’s not as widely socially accepted yet. Unfortunately, a lot of the groups are marginalized and neglected from society, which is heartbreaking," said Hwang.
“We don’t have a very large pool of actors that allow for authentic casting when it comes to transgender characters. We did our research. We tried to find someone who we thought could be the best fit. However, we weren’t able to.” Hwang also went on to say that Park's talent and approach to the character ended up making him “the perfect fit.”
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Pink and Carey Hart rely on "communication" to make their marriage work.
The 45-year-old pop superstar tied the knot with professional freestyle motocross competitor Carey, 49, in 2006 and just ahead of their 20th anniversary together, he admitted that while it "isn't easy", they just have to "talk" through the bad times.
He told UsWeekly: "I’m at the 19-year mark, so I’m still getting called an idiot. I look forward to 35 and I’m no longer an idiot.
"I guess it’s communication, having a teammate [and] talking through bad situations. Marriage isn’t easy, and it’s always coming back to the table."
Carey met the 'Get the Party Started' singer in 2001 and although they separated two years after tying the knot, they reconciled in 2010 and went on to have Willow, 13, and seven-year-old Jameson together.
Ahead of his debut on the reality military show 'Special Forces', Carey said of himself and his wife: "We are highly competitive at anything. Everything is a competition, especially with me.
"We are highly, highly competitive people.
"My wife is about to wrap up a two-year tour, which I came off tour to do this show, and we eat, sleep, breathe together and so it was probably a nice vacation for my wife, being away from me for a couple of weeks, but it was tough!"
Carey recently revealed that the 'Don't Let Me Get Me' hitmaker initially called him an "idiot" for agreeing to the challenge show in the first place, but ultimately decided to support him,
He told TooFab: "The first words were 'You're an idiot!' I hear that a lot. It's nothing new. But she knows my mentality and my personality.
"And she was like, 'Look, if you're going to do it, I support it. And go kick a**!"
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Nikki Glaser has spent nearly $100,000 on seeing Taylor Swift in concert.
The 40-year-old comedienne is a huge fan of 'Anti-Hero' songstress Taylor, 35, and racked up the six-figure sum attending the 'Eras' tour a total of 22 times during its 21-month run across the world.
She told People: "[I have spent] close to $100,000. I want to be clear that we're including travel expenses, hotels, and me also flying and putting up everyone that I would invite to go with me, plus tickets, plus merch. I would’ve paid even more!
The 'Someday You'll Die' star was thrilled to see that Taylor's tour had made a total of $2,077,618,725 during its lengthy run, and was able to justify the amount of money she spent on repeatedly going to it because she doesn't have any children.
She said: "It’s nice to see the total that she made. I love that it was down to the dollar, and I could see my own money in that number and be like, ‘Yeah, there it is." justify that cost because I don't have kids, and it's something that I consciously decided not to do, and it was something that I struggled with."
Nikki – who is in a relationship with producer Chris Convy – admitted it wasn't the "easiest decision" to not have children but ultimately came to the conclusion that being a mother wouldn't "fit in" with her lifestyle.
She said: "It wasn't the easiest decision. There was a part of me that was like, ‘I would like kids,’ but it just doesn't fit in my life. And so in order for me to make myself feel better about the decision, I did look up how much it cost to raise a kid. And so once I saw that number, I thought, ‘It's no problem for me to spend this on Taylor Swift."
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Drake Bell has reminded others that he "still has to live" with the trauma of his childhood abuse even though it is now out in the open.
The 38-year-old actor revealed on the docuseries 'Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV' that he was he was sexually abused by dialect coach Brian Peck during his time on Nickelodeon between 1999 and 2000 and while it "helped" to get his story out there, it wasn't really a career "comeback" as some have suggested to him."
Speaking on 'The Sarah Fraser Show' podcast, he said: "[People say] 'Is it this comeback?' but it's still something I live with every day. It did help, getting my story out and it's really great having people come up to me and sharing their stories and how it helped them but still at the end of the day it's not just because I put it in a documentary.
"It's something I've got to live with for the rest of my life."
The Discovery documentary featured a slew of former child stars from the late 1990s and early 2000s, who alleged instances of abuse and a toxic working environment at the hands of producer Dan Schneider.
Since the documentary aired, Drake has featured on 'The Masked Singer' and released 'Non-Stop Flight', his first album in four years.
In 2004, Peck pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 as well as a charge of performing a lewd act with a 14 or 15-year-old. Bell was the plaintiff but his identity as the victim was not made public at the time.
Peck spent 16 months in prison and was mandated to register as a sex offender.
Recalling the abuse, Drake said: "Brian and I became really close because we had a lot of the same interests, which looking back, I think that was probably a little calculated."
Drake landed his first job on the network in 1999, when he joined the cast of 'The Amanda Show' alongside Amanda Bynes and later landed the comedy 'Drake and Josh alongside Josh Peck (no relation), but Brian quickly became the teen star's manager, and Drake would often spend the night at his house as he recalled waking up "in shock" one evening to find Brian, now 63, assaulting him.
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Quebec TV host and producer Julie Snyder told a civil trial today that she was sexually assaulted by Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon in Paris more than three decades ago.
Snyder says that in 1991, when she was 23 years old, she was invited to stay at the apartment of the Just for Laughs company, and went to sleep and woke up to being sexually assaulted by Rozon.
She says she stayed silent for years because she feared going public would damage her career, but she says she finally reported him to Montreal police in 2017 after other alleged victims made accusations against him.
Snyder's testimony is part of a nearly $14-million civil lawsuit against Rozon by nine women — excluding Snyder — who are suing the Just For Laughs founder individually.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Chantal Tremblay is hearing the lawsuits together in a single trial.
Rozon, 70, has denied the allegations against him, and his legal team said last week that the women had communicated with each other and "contaminated" each other's stories.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2024.
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MrBeast's ambitious reality show, which the YouTube megastar hopes will expand his giant online reach and turn the corner on recent controversies, is already raising questions from consumer advocates over a partnership with a fintech company.
Prime Video's Thursday premiere of the record-setting “Beast Games" capped off a tumultuous year for Jimmy Donaldson and his production company. Shortly after reaching never-before-seen YouTube subscriber totals, MrBeast began facing heightened scrutiny over past “inappropriate content,” the channel's philanthropic efforts, its workplace culture and allegations of dangerous on-set conditions that Donaldson has denied.
As MrBeast's loyal following tunes in to watch 1,000 contestants compete for $5 million on “Beast Games," they are invited to scan a QR code during the show for a shot at winning their own life-changing money. It's a $4.2 million sweepstakes run by fintech company MoneyLion, an app that sends cash advances — often for a fee to workers living paycheck to paycheck.
The collaboration is billed as a way for MrBeast, who has sought to regain brand trust in recent interviews with alternative media personalities, to give back to his fanbase while presenting them with MoneyLion's personal finance tools. But consumer advocates warn MoneyLion's early payments — which are also promoted to giveaway entrants — operate as payday loans that could trap needy users in earnings-depleting borrowing cycles with additional fees.
Watchdogs find that those services are not recommendable for younger audiences, making it an unusual partner for MrBeast to introduce to his persuadable fandom.
“These types of high-cost, fintech payday loans, wrapped up in fancy apps, just put people in a debt trap where they have to borrow this week’s pay to pay last week’s loan and sets them back in their financial goals,” said Lauren Saunders, a director at the National Consumer Law Center who specializes in small dollar lending.
“Beast Games” marks Donaldson’s crossover into television entertainment. The North Carolina native has already captured online attention spans with his highly-produced, fast-paced YouTube videos that often feature absurd stunts and massive cash sums; "Beat Ronaldo, Win $1,000,000” recently pit professional athletes against amateurs in their respective sports.
He's now testing the broad appeal of those viral spectacles with a competition series that promises “nail-biting, physical, mental, and social challenges” similar to Netflix's fictional survival drama “Squid Game." The $5 million prize is believed to be the largest in reality television history and Donaldson posted recently that he spent $14 million alone “building a city in a field” for the contestants.
MoneyLion's partnership will bring “fans closer to the action than ever before,” according to a company press release. Over 1,000 prizes will be awarded to MoneyLion accountholders across eight drawings over the next year. Additional entries can be earned through daily log-ins on the MoneyLion app, where users are promised exclusive, behind-the-scenes content from the series. Consistent with sweepstakes law, participants must be legal U.S. residents ages 18 or older.
Upon entering the giveaway, a popup asks, “Want more ways to get money?” with an invitation to borrow money through MoneyLion's loan services. Consumer watchdogs say cash advancements can come with steep costs despite casting themselves as “no interest" loans.
Users must pay a sliding “turbo” fee to get their “Instacash” advancements “within minutes" instead of waiting the 2-5 days that MoneyLion estimates it would otherwise take to hit an external checking account. The company charges $8.99 for the maximum advance of $100.
That makes MoneyLion one of the “more expensive options in this market,” according to Center for Responsible Lending Senior Policy Counsel Andrew Kushner. Considering the products are geared toward cash-strapped people who need money now, Kushner said most users end up paying the fees.
These apps create a “cycle of borrowing” as financially vulnerable users try to keep up with the “extremely high cost of the loan relative to the size,” according to Kushner. The Center for Responsible Lending found that users of these apps experienced a 56% increase in checking account overdrafts. Borrowers who use these “earned wage access" services withdrew 36 times a year, according to a 2021 California Department of Financial Protection report.
A 2022 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lawsuit alleges that MoneyLion misled users to believe they could easily end monthly memberships necessary to access some installment loans but then refused to cancel those with outstanding loans.
A representative for MrBeast declined to comment. In an emailed statement, a MoneyLion spokesperson said the company pairs financial tools and products to support “long-term financial health and stability” — all of which will be promoted to Beast Games Giveaway participants. MoneyLion said it will “continue to collaborate with regulatory bodies” including CFPB, according to the spokesperson, and focus on ensuring its products are “accessible, fair, and designed to create the best outcomes for our customers.”
Its “Instacash” fees are “clearly disclosed,” the spokesperson wrote, and the service helps workers “break the traditional payroll cycle” to “meet unexpected financial obligations.”
“The Beast Games Giveaway is designed exclusively for an 18+ audience and represents a groundbreaking way to combine engaging content with accessible financial education,” the spokesperson said. “Through this collaboration, participants gain exposure to MoneyLion’s diverse marketplace of financial products, tools, and content.”
Saunders, the consumer protection lawyer, said some lenders provide financial wellness tools that are really just “sugarcoating” their high-cost loans.
It's “concerning,” according to Kushner, to advertise such a service toward younger adults who are still developing their sense of financial responsibility and are more susceptible to “the slick marketing of this industry.”
“You can see at 18 (years old) how that could be a really exciting thing to have in front of you,” Kushner said. “But it can really have negative consequences once you go down the pathway of using it.”
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Cynthia Erivo has stopped trying to "fit in".
The 'Wicked' actress realised early in her career was the best way to approach an audition was to be herself and then "transform" into a role, rather than wanting casting directors to see her as a character.
She told the new issue of Britain's ELLE magazine: "In my very early twenties, I was trying to fit in.
"But I remember, early on, walking into an audition, and seeing people going in as the character, and not as themselves. Because they wanted to be seen as the character.
"But I believe that, if you walk in as yourself, just wholly you, you give anyone who’s watching a chance to see you transform; to become a character, right in front of them, with no need for a costume. That’s the magic!’ "
The 37-year-old star won't censor herself or change her image to make other people happy.
She said: "I keep spotting people saying, why is she bald? She needs to get a wig. Why does it bother you so much that I don’t want to wander around with blonde tresses? I like my bald head. There’s nothing wrong with my hair – it grows in very fast. I just like my face.
"When I walk into a room, I’m not pretending. I’m gonna come in with my nose ring, I’m gonna come in with my earrings and my many piercings and my nails, and I made that decision a long time ago to just, like, be."
Cynthia values her friendship but prefers to be "selective" about who she keeps close to her.
She said: "I have people, but I’m a Capricorn, so I have few people. I’m very selective about who the closest ones are. I think that makes for good relationships, with people who know more than I do."
And one of her closest friends now is her 'Wicked' co-star Ariana Grande.
Cynthia said: "We cultivated a friendship, outside of all of this, that allows us to have these real, deep connective conversations that join us as friends and sisters. We sit on FaceTime for hours."
The full interview with Cynthia is published in the February issue of ELLE UK, which is on sale from 3 January.
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Dave Grohl's daughter Violet is working on her debut album.
The Foo Fighters frontman has a budding musician in 18-year-old Violet – the eldest of his three children with wife Jordyn Blum – who has not only been penning her own original music but has been performing regularly at the intimate Sun Rose venue on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles to hone her craft after making a handful of live appearances with her famous father, including Glastonbury in 2023.
A source told The Hollywood Reporter: “She’s a true torch singer.
“Her vocals are tremendous. She’s very talented.”
Violet made her music debut by teaming up with her rock star dad – who was Nirvana's drummer before forming Foo Fighters in 1995 – on a cover of 'Nausea' by punk legends X.
She also joined forces with David Bowie's pianist Mike Garson on a cover of the late music legend's 1970 classic 'The Man Who Sold The World', which grunge pioneers Nirvana covered in 1993 on 'MTV Unplugged'.
Violet launching her music career comes two months after Dave confessed to being unfaithful to his wife of 21 years – with whom he also has Harper, 15, and 10-year-old Ophelia – and dropped the bombshell news that he had welcomed a love child.
The 'Best of You' hitmaker – who tied the knot with Jordyn, 48, in 2003 – confessed on Instagram in October: “I’ve recently become the father of a new baby daughter, born outside of my marriage. I plan to be a loving and supportive parent to her.
"I love my wife and my children, and I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness."
The 55-year-old musician did not reveal the identity of his mistress or their child, and signed off his admission with by saying he and his family were “grateful” for the public’s “consideration toward all the children involved” as they “move forward together”.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared their annual family Christmas card.
Prince William and his wife Catherine, both 42, took to their official Instagram account on Thursday to share a picture of the sweet card, which features an informal picture of the royal couple with their three children – Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and six-year-old Prince Louis – in the countryside.
They captioned the post: “Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas."
The card simply reads: “Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year.”
The couple were absent from King Charles and Queen Camilla’s pre-Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace today, as they are already in Norfolk at their Amner Hall home for a festive break.
However, they will reunite with their family at Sandringham on Christmas Day (25.12.24). Prince Andrew – the king’s brother – was also absent after hitting the headlines over his connection to alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo.
It’s been a tough year for the royals after Catherine and Charles, 76, were both diagnosed with cancer this year.
The princess touched on the "challenging times" at her annual ‘Together At Christmas’ carol service earlier this month.
Catherine, who underwent a course of chemotherapy and was declared cancer-free, spoke about her health struggles at Westminster Abbey on December 6.
Speaking to Paloma Faith, one of performers at the event, she shared: "I didn't know this year was going to be the year that I've just had.
"But I think lots of people this year have had such challenging times, many who are here today."
The princess also thanked the music star for agreeing to perform at the event, which airs on Christmas Eve on ITV.
She said: "I know as a mum it's hard pulling yourself away, the juggling."
The princess recently revealed that her focus is to "stay cancer-free" after finishing her treatment.
The royal – who has been married to Prince William since 2011 – admitted that it had been an "incredibly tough" period for herself and her family.
She said on X: "As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment. The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown."
The princess also described her cancer journey as "complex, scary and unpredictable".
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‘Tis the season for spirited and winless debates about what the best Christmas movie is. No one needs us to remind you about the obvious holiday movies playing on repeat on cable, whether it's "It's a Wonderful Life", “Home Alone" or “Love, Actually," or even those holiday adjacent classics like “Eyes Wide Shut” and “The Godfather.” But perhaps you are looking to go beyond the obvious this year (sorry, “Christmas Story," “White Christmas” etc, etc).
Associated Press Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr have you covered with the best Christmas films for every mood.
A movie that feels like a Christmas movie but isn’t, really
“Grand Budapest Hotel”: Truthfully, there’s nothing outside of a little snow to make Wes Anderson’s 2014 delight a Christmas movie. But I don’t think there’s another movie that better resembles the experience of opening a present than “Grand Budapest Hotel.” Unwrap Anderson’s intricate designs and the movie’s Russian doll-like narratives, and smile. (Available for digital rental) — Coyle
Best movie for feeling fancy
“Metropolitan” (1990): Who among us hasn’t dreamt of doing debutante season in New York? Maybe don’t answer that, but Whit Stillman’s “Metropolitan,” about a few privileged youths on the Upper East Side, is the ideal film to turn on when you’re craving something that feels like an elegant evening on the town but doesn't require breaking out the white tie and ball gowns. (Streaming on Criterion, MAX, Hulu and Prime Video) —Bahr
Best performance next to felt
“A Muppets Christmas Carol” (1992): It’s one thing to do Dickens with, you know, other humans. But Michael Caine gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Ebenezer Scrooge while sharing the screen with the likes of Beaker and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. To be fair, though, Gonzo the Great and Rizzo the Rat are also really good in this. (Streaming on Disney+) — Coyle
Best Christmas cry
“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964): Jacques Demy’s technicolor musical isn’t exclusively set at Christmas, but its final tearjerker scene at that snowy gas station is enough for me. The whole candy-colored experience, from Catherine Deneuve’s whimsical bows to Michel Legrand’s sweeping, melancholy score just feels right around the holidays. (Streaming on The Criterion Channel) —Bahr
The best L.A. Christmas movie
“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”: Yuletide traditions don’t normally include a motormouth Robert Downey Jr., but Shane Black’s 2005 neo-noir black comedy is worth revisiting perennially whether or not it technically qualifies as a Christmas movie. In “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” about a thief-turned-actor in Los Angeles, Christmas is more of a decorative ornament set ironically against all the deliciously unwholesome seediness. (Available for digital rental) — Coyle
Best house swapping fantasy
“The Holiday” (2006): Ok, so the cozy English cottage isn’t real, but what is? The premise? The romances? Cameron Diaz’s sprint through snowy fields and country roads in stilettos? Mr. Napkin Head? (Actually, maybe Mr. Napkin Head). The thing is it doesn’t really matter, does it? Nancy Meyers’ romantic fantasy is never trying to be anything other than a delightful movie, a little too earnest, a little too glossy and an unabashed ode to the classic movies Meyers loves right down to Eli Wallach teaching a new generation about the “meet cute.” (Streaming on Hulu and Prime Video) —Bahr
A great Christmas thriller not named “Die Hard”
“Three Days of the Condor”: I’ll take any excuse to rewatch Sydney Pollack’s 1975 spy thriller with Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway. But, like in “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” the Christmas backdrop isn’t accidental. If the holidays are the ultimate time of togetherness, “Three Days of the Condor” questions what that means in a post-Watergate world. (Streaming on Paramount+) — Coyle
Best recent kids Christmas movie
“Klaus”: There’s such a steady stream of mediocre or worse holiday movies that it can be easy to miss when a gem arrives. Sergio Pablos’ 2019 animated Netflix film was basically an origin story for Santa Claus by way of a desperate postman stationed in a remote northern village. Further proof, along with “Miracle on 34th Street,” that the best Christmas movies hinge on the postal service. (Streaming on Netflix) — Coyle
For the under-five set
“Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas” (2021): Clocking in at only 30 minutes, this is the perfect film for the littlest ones in the house. It’s sweet, funny and adventurous and not even a little bit scary (unless you fear flying sleighs and botched recipes). (Streaming on Netflix) —Bahr
Best general holiday-period movie
“Nobody’s Fool”: Robert Benton’s 1994 Richard Russo adaptation, with Paul Newman, spans Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve. And while that covers Christmas, the richness of “Nobody’s Fool” exceeds its vaguely holiday setting. It’s a movie more about daily smalltown struggles and long-term regrets, yet its warmth could match that any of any more traditional Christmas movie, and then some. That’s much owed to Newman, but there are countless great performances here, including Jessica Tandy (in her final film), a never better Bruce Willis and a young Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a sniveling police officer. It makes me happy just thinking about it. (Streaming on Kanopy, available for digital rental) — Coyle
For midcentury style and heartbreak
“Carol” (2015): Even if Rooney Mara didn’t catch Cate Blanchett’s eye while wearing a Santa hat behind the counter of a Manhattan department store, Todd Haynes’ “Carol” would still be one of the loveliest, most achingly tender Christmas movies around. Romance, heartbreak, plaids and martinis, “Carol” is truly flung out of space. (Streaming on Netflix, Paramount+ and MUBI) —Bahr
The ultimate TCM Christmas movie
“Christmas in Connecticut” (1945): You don’t have to watch it on TCM but it’s certainly a fitting place to catch this 1945 screwball classic, with Barbara Stanwyck. She plays a popular homemaking column writer whose false persona as a family woman with a Connecticut farm is challenged when her boss (Sydney Greenstreet) comes for Christmas dinner. As a rule, it’s good to watch everything with Greenstreet. But the central conceit of “Christmas in Connecticut” – that the perfect Christmas is a lie, and isn’t that fun – has proved remarkably durable. (Streaming on WatchTCM) — Coyle
For 19th century New England vibes
“Little Women” (1994 and 2019): Gillian Armstrong’s “Little Women” just feels like Christmas. Maybe part of that is because it came out around the holidays 30 years ago or that its DVD cover leans into it. But then you remember Beth’s piano, the girls stomping through the snow with their Christmas feast, the caroling, the return of their father, the fireplaces and nightcaps and it makes sense. Those wanting all of this with a side of dancing Chalamet, Greta Gerwig’s version is there for the taking too. (1994 version available for digital rental; 2019 streaming on Hulu) — Bahr
The very best Christmas movie
“The Shop Around the Corner” (1940): You can make a strong case for that other Jimmy Stewart Christmas movie. But in the knock-down, drag-out battle for the Christmas movie title, there’s no greater delight than Ernst Lubitsch’s timeless love story. One of the most charming movies ever made, partly because it doesn't shy away from real darkness, too. It also makes for a very effective drinking game if you sip something every time someone says “Mr. Matuschek.” (Streaming on WatchTCM and Max) — Coyle
“Miracle on 34th Street” (1947): It’s not even a remotely out of the box choice, but George Seaton’s “Miracle on 34th Street” endures as the platonic ideal of a Christmas movie. It’s strikingly modern for something that came out 77 years ago with Maureen O’Hara’s single working mom, Natalie Wood’s prematurely cynical New York kid and the litigious and capitalistic culture and yet it’s all full of hope and holiday spirit (and a healthy amount of glossy capitalism), taking us from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade through Christmas Day. (Streaming on Disney+, Hulu and Prime Video) — Bahr
What's your favourite movie?
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Dr. Dre isn't inspired by modern hip-hop.
The 59-year-old rapper and producer admits that he has little interest in the genre at present because none of the material excites him.
Dre told Complex magazine: "I don't want to be disrespectful to anybody right now, but I'm not really inspired by what's happening with hip-hop these days.
"It's not for me. I've always said I'm not going to disrespect it or anything like that, but I haven't heard anything that makes me go, 'F***, why didn't I do that?' I haven't heard that in a long time, which makes my job easy, to be honest."
Dre has collaborated with Snoop Dogg on the new album 'Missionary' and believes that it is amongst the finest work of his career.
He explained: "Snoop came in and allowed me to get down the way I get down.
"You know, I feel like this is some of my best work. Because my mentality for the musicianship and everything that goes into doing this s*** within those 12 notes has just advanced so much. So, yeah, I feel like right now, today, this is some of my best work."
Meanwhile, Dre revealed that he isn't interested in listening back to his old music because of the time he invests in the recording process.
The 'Let Me Ride' rapper said: "I don't listen to any of the songs I've ever made since 1985, which is when I started. I don't even allow my family or anybody to play that s*** around me.
"I think that just the process of recording is what I really enjoy. Just recording the albums, and I'm listening to it enough while we're recording, and when we finish recording, I wake up listening to that s*** once it comes out. I'm ready to listen to the next s***."
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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are reportedly planning to stay "connected" after their divorce.
The singer/actress split from the Hollywood actor in April after less than two years of marriage, and she filed for divorce on August 20 – the date of their second wedding anniversary – but a new report suggests the pair want to continue being a part of each other's lives for the sake of their families.
A source told New York Post column PageSix: "They have every intention of continuing to be in each other’s lives despite not being romantically involved.
"Ben and Jennifer are still connected and they do communicate when it involves their kids.”
Affleck is dad to Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, from his marriage to Jennifer Garner while Lopez is mum to 16-year-old twins, Emme and Max with ex Marc Anthony.
Seraphina and Emme attend the same school in Los Angeles and the former couple recently reunited to attend the performance of a school play alongside Garner.
Affleck also has maintained a good relationship with Garner – who he divorced in 2018 – and recently spent Thanksgiving with her and the kids.
Lopez, 55, was engaged to the Hollywood actor in the early 2000s, but the relationship ended shortly before they were due to get married.
They got back together in 2021 before tying the knot in two ceremonies in 2022 – one in Las Vegas and one in Georgia.
The divorce filing came exactly two years after the couple's extravagant second bash on August 20, 2022. The paperwork lists the official date of their separation as April 26, 2024.
Lopez recently admitted it's been an "intense year" and she's looking forward to taking time off and spending the holidays with her family.
She told People magazine: “It was a pretty intense year for me and I'm most looking forward to spending time with my kids and my family coming out from the East Coast.
"The holidays are such a special time for us and they've always been since I was a little girl. And I really look forward to those moments when I can be with my sisters and just relax and have fun and create new memories.
"We don't get to see each other all year, so we kind of catch up on what everybody's doing and how life is. It's just a beautiful time. I really enjoy it."
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