Pop Culture

Fewer film releases have hit UK cinemas, the head of one of the UK’s biggest cinema chains has told Sky News. “Our issue is a supply issue, our issue is not enough movies,” the chief executive of Vue International, Tim Richards, said. “We know the numbers: 36% fewer films released last year, 20% fewer films

The BBC has admitted asking an “inappropriate” question about sexuality to the Moroccan captain at the Women’s World Cup. A journalist – reported to be from the BBC’s World Service – has faced criticism after quizzing Ghizlane Chebbak on whether there were any gay players in her squad, with same-sex relationships illegal in the north

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend co-creator and star Rachel Bloom will bring her one-woman musical comedy Death, Let Me Do My Show to Off Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre for a four-week engagement this fall. Previews of the show, directed by Seth Barrish (Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man & the Pool), begin Wednesday, September 6, with opening night on

A sex scene in box office smash hit Oppenheimer has sparked outrage in India with social media users threatening to boycott the nuclear arms biopic. The scene, featuring US physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (portrayed by Irish actor Cillian Murphy) reciting a verse from the Bhagavad Gita – a sacred Hindu scripture – before having sex

Jurors have been sent out to begin their deliberations after hearing closing evidence in the sexual offences trial against US actor Kevin Spacey. Spacey, 63, has been labelled a “sexual bully” by the prosecution, but he has denied all the claims – describing one as “madness”, others as consensual encounters, and one as nothing more

BBC newsreader George Alagiah has died at the age of 67, his agent has said. The Sri Lanka-born journalist – the face of BBC One’s News At Six since 2007 – was diagnosed in 2014 with stage four bowel cancer, which had spread to his liver and lymph nodes. He endured two rounds of chemotherapy

Vue International has said it had the biggest weekend for UK cinema ticket sales in four years following the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer. The cinema chain said on Sunday that a fifth of its customers had purchased tickets to see both films in a social-media-inspired double bill known as “Barbenheimer”. The two films, released

The 1975 has said it has cancelled shows in Taiwan and Indonesia – a day after Malaysia banned it from performing there after its frontman kissed a male bandmate on stage and criticised the country’s anti-LGBT laws. “Unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows,” the British band said

Jeremy Clarkson has warned some bottles of his Hawkstone Cider might explode. The former Top Gear presenter, who owns the craft drink brand, warned there had been a “massive cock-up” in a sweary Twitter update. He wrote: “If the cap has the code L3160, open it underwater, pour it away and get in touch for

A three-day music festival in Malaysia has been cancelled by the authorities after the frontman of The 1975 kissed a male bandmate on stage – and criticised the country’s anti-LGBT laws. The British band were headlining the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on Friday when Matt Healy staged his protest. The gig was cut

EXCLUSIVE: Tobias Menzies was hiding in plain sight at a rally held by UK actors union Equity in support of its sister union SAG-AFTRA. Cameras and microphones were being shoved in front of the likes of Brian Cox, Imelda Staunton, Jim Carter, Hayley Atwell, David Oyelowo, Naomie Harris and many others, but Menzies was just

Legendary pop and jazz singer Tony Bennett has died at the age of 96. Bennett, known for his performances with singers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, sold millions of records around the world and won 20 Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award, throughout his career. One of the last of America’s great crooners, Bennett

Each time Vladimir Putin raises the spectre of nuclear confrontation, the trail ultimately leads back to one man. Eighty years before the Russian president invaded Ukraine, and brought the potential of such weapons back to mainstream attention, J Robert Oppenheimer was recruited to lead a team that would construct the world’s first atomic bombs. Ukraine

Ronan Keating has performed a musical tribute to his brother Ciaran Keating at his funeral mass in Ireland. The former Boyzone star sang This Is Your Song towards the end of the service, a tune he wrote after their mother, Marie, died in 1998. The lyrics included the lines: “You were our friend, walk with

IATSE has reached a tentative deal with the Broadway League and Disney Theatrical on a new “Pink Contact,” a day after talks had broken down. The agreement now goes to union members for ratification. IATSE held a strike-authorization vote on Wednesday. The so-called Pink Contract covers some 1,500 theatrical professionals, including stagehands, hair and make-up

Actress Zoe Saldana has told Sky News there is “fear” and “doubt” in the industry amid strikes, and she is worried about actors who need to work “for their families, and have to pay their mortgages”. The Hollywood star, who is best known for portraying Neytiri in Avatar, Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, and

UK agency Casarotto Ramsay & Associates has named former Meta and Film4 exec Anna Higgs as Managing Director. She will join in August having most recently been Director of Entertainment Partnerships at Meta, which has been cutting staff as it seeks to reshape its business amid economic uncertainty. Higgs has is also the Chair of

The armourer on the Rust film set where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot dead by Alec Baldwin’s prop gun has made her first court appearance. Hannah Gutierrez, 25, appeared via video link in front of a New Mexico judge, where she was read the felony charges against her and informed of her rights. Gutierrez is

BBC boss Tim Davie says the corporation has been in touch with the family of a person at the centre of allegations surrounding Huw Edwards. Speaking at a pre-arranged Lords Communications Committee session on Tuesday, the director-general said: “We have been in touch with the complainant, we want to be engaged and appropriately listening and

Dan Wootton has addressed claims regarding his personal conduct made on social media, calling all criminal allegations made against him “untrue” and claiming he is the victim of a “smear campaign”. The journalist and presenter made a statement at the start of his daily GB News show, Dan Wootton Tonight, telling viewers: ” As a