£1.6m boost for foster carers across Salford

BreAnna Bell Apple TV+ has renewed “The Big Door Prize” for a second season, the streamer announced on Wednesday. According to the official description, “The Big Door Prize” follows the story of a small town that changes after a mysterious machine appears in the local general store, promising to reveal each resident’s true life potential. Christopher O’Dowd stars as Dusty Hubbard, a seemingly content, cheerful family man and high school teacher, watches everyone around him reevaluate their life choices and ambitions based on the machine’s printouts which leaves him questioning his own happiness. Though he remains skeptical of the machine, his wife Cass (Gabrielle Dennis) starts to dive into the idea that she could have something bigger in store for her. Up until the arrival of the Morpho machine, the couple lived a seemingly easy and safe life. But all of that changes when the community is forced to take stock of their unfulfilled achievements in pursuit of a better future. The series is based on M.O. Walsh’s novel of the same name.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Bob Lee, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, investor and executive who created Cash App, died Tuesday after he was fatally stabbed in San Francisco, according to reports. He was 43. Lee was formerly CTO of Jack Dorsey’s payments company Square (which is now called Block) and most recently was the chief product officer at cryptocurrency company MobileCoin, which he joined in late 2021. The San Francisco Police Department said in an announcement that it responded to a report of a stabbing near the 300 block of Main Street on April 4 at about 2:35 a.m. SFPD did not identify the victim. NBC Bay Area and other outlets subsequently reported that the victim of the stabbing was Lee.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Maïwenn’s historical drama, “Jeanne du Barry,” starring Johnny Depp as Louis XV, is slated to world premiere on opening night of the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, Variety has learned. The movie marks Depp’s acting comeback after a three-year hiatus following his long legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard which culminated in a defamation trial won by Depp in December. Maïwenn’s sixth feature, the period movie revolves around the tumultuous relationship of the French king Louis XV and his lover, Jeanne du Barry (played by Maiwenn), whom he brought into the Versailles Palace to live near him even though she wasn’t a noble. Louis XV, who was nicknamed “the beloved,” ultimately died as an unpopular king after being accused of corruption. He reigned for 59 years, the longest in the history of France after that of Louis XIV. Depp barely spoke French before the start of filming so it will be interesting to see how he pulls it off without an accent.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor The Los Angeles LGBT Center is organizing a rally on Easter Sunday, April 9, in Los Angeles to protest anti-LGBTQ legislation. Billed as Drag March LA, the event kicks off at 11 a.m. PT at West Hollywood Park. “The center’s Drag March is a nod to the origins of the LGBTQ+ movement, when the very first demonstrations started in opposition to moral policing and anti-crossdressing laws designed to impose a singular ideal of gender and sexuality onto citizens,” center CEO Joe Hollendonor said in statement Wednesday. “It is no mistake that today’s ‘Drag Bans’ are accompanied by a sweeping movement to ban access to gender-affirming care; we are fighting for our right to privacy, bodily autonomy, self-determination, and freedom of expression.” 

Murtada Elfadl In the pleasantly amusing “Praise This,” Chloe Bailey is the self professed nonreligious Sam, a musical artist in the making who finds her niche in Atlanta’s competitive gospel youth choir scene. Director Tina Gordon crafts a musical that’s carried through by a charming cast and highly entertaining ensemble performances. “Praise This” adds a mostly delightful entry to the genre, even if it doesn’t offer a unique take. More successfully it acts as a winning introductory calling card to the acting and musical talents of its rising star, the slightly-older sister of upcoming “The Little Mermaid” actor Halle Bailey and one-half of the sibling R&B duo Chloe x Halle. The story starts with Sam forced to leave Los Angeles by her dad because of some rebellious behavior. He entrusts her care to her aunt and uncle (Kendrick Cross and Janora McDuffie), but the person who takes full charge of Sam’s new life in Atlanta is her cousin Jess (Anjelika Washington). Immediately calling her a sister-cousin and introducing Sam to her life, friends and choir practice, Jess is the type of relative most people try to avoid, driven away by their too boisterous enthusiasm. Ever the smart person, it doesn’t take long for Sam to realize that joining Jess’ praise team in the lead-up to a national championship competition might be her way out of Atlanta and into a successful musical career. And so an odd-couple friendship is born.

BreAnna Bell Showtime has announced its forthcoming spy drama, “Ghosts of Beirut,” will make its debut on Friday, May 19, on Showtime’s streaming site and will air on linear on May 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The four-part limited series tells the origin story of 21-year old Mughniyeh (who is also referred to as “The Ghost”), an elusive Lebanese terrorist who evaded capture from the CIA and Mossad for two decades. He was responsible for more American deaths than any other individual prior to 9/11. “Told from the American, Israeli and Lebanese perspectives, the series traces Mughniyeh’s origins from the Shiite slums of South Beirut to his masterminding of the concept of suicide bombers, a deadly tactic that led to his swift rise as the world’s most dangerous terrorist. Based on extensive research of still-classified events, the drama spans decades and weaves in first-hand, real-life interviews with prominent officials from the CIA and Mossad, connecting the turmoil of 1980s Beirut with the spy games of the modern Middle East,” reads Showtime’s official description.

Kate Aurthur editor Sam Page, he of “The Bold Type” and “Mad Men,” has joined the cast of “Grey’s Anatomy” in a recurring role. Page will make his first appearance during the May 4 episode of “Grey’s Anatomy,” playing Sam Sutton. According to the character description provided by ABC, Sam is “an Air Force pilot who is seriously injured in a base-jumping accident. Although he’s coping with trauma, he somehow maintains his sense of humor and charm.” The episode is titled “Come Fly With Me,” and in the logline, it says the character of Link (Chris Carmack) willl be wrestling “with his own self-doubt as he preps for a massive surgery.” Will that massive surgery be performed on Sam? Perhaps!

Naman Ramachandran Director Mike Newell (“Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) has set an August shoot at U.K. locations for “China Court.” The film will be directed by Newell from a script by Brian Kinsey, based on the 1961 novel “China Court: The Hours of a Country House” by Rumer Godden.  The film centers around a house, China Court, and the family that inhabits it. The film follows generations of the family over a century, up to the death of the matriarch in 1961. Characters move seamlessly in and out of each other’s timelines as they grow up, fall in love, fall out with each other and – always – pass on to those who follow them the consequences of their actions.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Carmelo Anthony has come on as an executive producer of “The Harder They Come,” a new stage musical that is about to finish a sold-out run at New York’s Public Theater. In addition, Anthony’s long-time business partner Asani Swann, who co-founded the basketball star’s production company Creative 7, will also serve as an executive producer on the show. They are joining the production as it looks to find a regional theater where it hopes to fine-tune the show before possibly mounting a Broadway return. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, best known for “Topdog/Underdog,” penned the adaptation of the 1972 Jamaican crime film. That movie and now the show feature music from Reggae icon Jimmy Cliff. Also involved is Justine Henzell, whose father Perry Henzell co-wrote and directed the movie.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment has entered a significant content deal with Major League Baseball, Variety can report exclusively. The partnership will yield multiple scripted and unscripted projects, the first of which is a documentary feature from noted filmmaker R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue,” “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry”) following baseball’s 2023 world series. “I’ve always been drawn to the drama, high stakes, and emotion of baseball ever since I was kid in the bleachers of Dodger Stadium,” Oscar winner Howard told Variety. “These also happen to be the very same elements that make for a great movie or television show, which is why Brian, Imagine, and I are so excited to be teaming up with Major League Baseball to bring more of their stories to life.”

The Chase viewers were left shouting at their TVs as none of the contestants made it through to the final chase tonight.

Police have been pictured removing large numbers of boxes and bags from the SNP HQ in Edinburgh as they continue an investigation into the party's finances.

This is the moment a cyclist was sent flying over his handlebars after he struck a huge pothole on a Renfrewshire road.

Better weather is finally starting to set in, which means that we won't need to spend quite us much on our heating as we have over winter.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is here!

Uh, not sure this is the flex she thinks it is!

Jeremy Renner continues to share new details about his devastating snowplow accident. Renner revealed that his injuries from the New Year's Day incident were so severe that, as he was brought into the hospital, he wrote a final note to his family because he thought he might die. The actor spoke bout the immediate aftermath of the accident that left him crushed by a 7-ton snowplow outside his Reno, Nevada home.

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The Skinnygirl founder has spoken. Bethenny Frankel expressed concerns about people using the type 2 diabetes medication Ozempic solely for weight loss.

Soaking up the sun! Kate Hudson is living her best life with fiancé Danny Fujikawa.  

Olivia Wilde‘s new legal documents are going viral after she stated that her ex partner Jason Sudeikis is not currently paying any child support.

A well-known tech executive was stabbed to death in San Francisco on Tuesday. Bob Lee, who was one

Raquel Welch at 82, new information has been released after it was first reported that the cause of death had been described as a “brief illness.”The beloved actress died on February 15, 2023, and new documents obtained by TMZ, have revealed that Welch suffered cardiac arrest, and was battling Alzheimer at the time of her death.The acclaimed star’s condition was listed as an underlying cause of her death, however she had not been open about her health struggles with Alzheimer. Her longtime manager Steve Sauer previously confirmed that she “passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness.”“Raquel leaves behind her two children, son Damon Welch and her daughter Tahnee Welch,” Sauer stated.

Variety first reported the news.

 is proving itself to have a pretty solid track record when it comes to matchmaking, as newcomer Samantha Feher joins the ranks of housemates who fell in love while filming the show.«Kory is my boyfriend, and that is crazy to say!» Sam confesses to ET over video chat. «I, like, almost haven't told anyone yet.»Kory is Kory Keefer, college buddy of  star Craig Conover, who is also part of a  romance with Paige DeSorbo. Now-married couple Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula's relationship began on camera, too, as did soon-to-be married pair Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke's love story.While all those couples were able to share the news of their relationships on their own terms and in their own time, Samantha and Kory's big reveal had to be kept under wraps thanks to contracts and the possibility of spoiling storylines that were still playing out on TV.

Kelly Clarkson is teasing new music from her upcoming album, Chemistry. The 40-year-old singer took to Instagram to share a short video of herself singing part of her new song, , which debuts on April 14. Clarkson captioned the video, "'mine' out 4/14 pre-save now

Olivia Wilde has formally requested in court that Jason Sudeikis start paying child support for their two children, claiming she «has borne the lion's share of the expenses for their children» even though «he earns significantly more than» her.According to legal documents, first obtained by , the actress requested that a Los Angeles judge order the  star to pay child support «retroactive» to the date in which she first filed the case.

Hoyeon Jung is speaking out about her life today.

Chris O’Dowd and the residents of Deerfield will be back for more adventures.

EXCLUSIVE: Anna-Maria Sieklucka (365 Days) has been tapped to star opposite Charlotte Kirk (The Lair) in the psychological thriller Compulsion. The film which is set to start shooting next week in Malta hails from Neil Marshall (The Descent), who will direct from his own script.

John Fithian, longtime head of the National Association Of Theatre Owners, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Variety of Southern California, as he prepares to step down after overseeing NATO through decades of transition.

a new clip from his upcoming interview with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer, the Marvel star shared, “If I was there on my own, that would have been a horrible way to die. And surely, I would have.” Renner, 52, was crushed by a snow plow on New Year’s Day near his Nevada home, ending up in critical condition. He was reportedly trying to save his nephew after the snow plow lost control and almost hit him. Renner broke over 30 bones in the freak accident. “The Pistenbully snow groomer began sliding causing Renner to exit the vehicle without setting the emergency brake,” the report from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office read.

EXCLUSIVE: Regina Hall (Honk for Jesus. Save your Soul.) has closed a deal to star alongside Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Murray Bartlett in O’Dessa, Searchlight Pictures‘ original rock opera from writer-director Geremy Jasper (Patti Cake$), which commences production in Croatia in May.

Ryan Michelle Bathé is set as a lead opposite Terry Crews in JumpStart, CBS’ multi-camera comedy pilot based on Robb Armstrong’s long-running comic strip, Deadline has confirmed.

The government has announced its plans to provide a cash boost to Universal Credit claimants by extending a vital scheme.

An estimated 19.2 million families and 39.8 million individuals across Great Britain currently in receipt of State Pension or benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will see their payments go up by 10.1 per cent next month. However, due to payments made in arrears most people will not see a difference until May.