Pop Culture

The O2 Academy in Brixton will remain shut for three more months after two people were killed in a crowd crush. Owners Academy Music Group (AMG) said it had “reflected deeply” on the incident and had decided to stay closed regardless of an impending licensing decision by the local council. Security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23,

Is there still a space on screens for films that make light of incredibly serious topics, just for a laugh? Well, the cast of a new Sky film seem to think so. There are referrals to depictions of sexual assault further into this article. Click to subscribe to Backstage wherever you get your podcasts The

An image has been released of actress Marisa Abela starring as Amy Winehouse in an upcoming film about the singer. Abela, who has starred in BBC Two series Industry and Sky One drama COBRA, is due to start filming the biopic, called Back To Black, next week – which is named after the artist’s famous

Nicolas Cage has said he is “heartbroken” by the death of Lisa Marie Presley, as it was announced his ex-wife would be buried at the Graceland mansion she inherited from her father Elvis. The 54-year-old died in hospital following a cardiac arrest at her home in Calabasas, California, on Thursday. It came less than three

Kevin Spacey has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges at Southwark Crown Court in south London. Appearing via videolink under his full name – Kevin Spacey Fowler – the two-time Oscar winner wore a pink tie, a light blue shirt and black blazer for Friday’s hearing. The 63-year-old spoke to formally enter his pleas

Singer Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of rock and roll legend Elvis, has died, her mother has said in a statement. The 54-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest at her home in Calabasas, California, on Thursday morning. Her mother, Priscilla Presley, said: “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news

Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood (Slave Play) will take on the title role of Hamlet this summer, starring in the Public Theater’s extended, nine-week Free Shakespeare in the Park production at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Kenny Leon will direct. Previews begin Thursday, June 8, with an official opening on Wednesday, June 28. The

Blue singer Lee Ryan has been found guilty of the racially aggravated assault of a female cabin crew member on a British Airways flight. It comes following an incident on a journey from Glasgow to London in July last year. The court heard that the singer was “slurring his words and staggering around” after drinking

Legendary rock guitarist Jeff Beck, known for his work with The Yardbirds, has died at the age of 78. A family statement posted on the musician’s official Twitter account read: “It is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. “After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away

Barry Grove will step down as the Executive Producer of Manhattan Theatre Club, a major Broadway and Off Broadway institution, at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 season. In his 48 years collaborating with MTC’s founder and Artistic Director Lynne Meadow, Grove has been a driving force in the production of nearly 450 American and world

Hollywood stars have returned to the Golden Globes in force – but host Jerrod Carmichael wasted no time addressing the diversity controversy that has overshadowed the awards. On a night that saw big wins for TV shows The White Lotus, Abbott Elementary and House Of The Dragon – with The Banshees of Inisherin and Steven

Prince Harry’s autobiography is the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever, recording figures of 400,000 copies so far across hardback, ebook and audio formats on its first day of publication. Larry Finlay, managing director of Transworld Penguin Random House, said: “We always knew this book would fly but it is exceeding even our most bullish expectations. “As

Parade, the Jason Robert Brown-Alfred Uhry musical revived at New York City Center in November starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond will move to Broadway, following the successful recent path of City Center’s Into The Woods. The limited engagement, revealed in a tweet this morning, will begin Feb. 21 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre,

It was once one of Hollywood’s biggest and booziest nights – with the A-list stars who flocked to the ceremony to pick up their gongs, mercilessly roasted for the viewing entertainment of the millions who tuned in to watch. British comedian Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globes five times, pushing the boundaries of celebrity mockery

EXCLUSIVE: Life is literally a Cabaret for Aimee Lou Wood, star of Netflix comedy Sex Education and awards season movie Living, who is rehearsing to make her West End musical debut as Sally Bowles in the radical revival of the classic show by John Kander and Fred Ebb. Wood joins John McCrea, who was the original Jamie in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at

Love Island has announced its first partially sighted contestant. Ron Hall, 25, a financial adviser from Essex, is one of the Islanders heading to a villa in South Africa for the ninth series – the first post-pandemic winter show. Hall, who lost his sight in one eye while playing football aged eight, says his injury

Caroline Flack’s former manager has called Prince Harry’s description of his relationship with the presenter in his memoir “disgusting” and “grotesque” and called for him to be stripped of his titles. Alex Mullen, the creative director of APM Media, who previously worked with Flack, said it was “absolutely gross” the royal had repeated “old long

Prince Harry has accused members of the Royal Family of getting in “bed with the devil” over their links with the tabloid press – and admitted Meghan did not get on with William and Kate “from the get-go”. In an interview with ITV, the Duke of Sussex insisted he did not have “any intention to

Ryan Reynolds has been left “speechless” after Wrexham, the non-league team he co-owns with Rob McElhenney, dumped Coventry City out of the FA Cup. The Welsh outfit beat the Sky Blues 4-3 at the CBS Arena in Coventry, with Sam Dalby, Elliot Lee, Thomas O’Connor and Paul Mullin all finding the back of the net

Two years after the death of music producer and convicted killer Phil Spector, a controversial bid to clear his name is understood to be under way. Widely lauded as a musical genius for his work with the likes of The Righteous Brothers, Tina Turner and The Beatles, Spector spent his final years in prison after