Actors Who Almost Said 'No' to Iconic Roles & Why They Changed Their Minds (1 of Them Won an Oscar for the Part!)

Graham Norton found himself in a near-death situation long before his rise to fame.

A well-respected taxi driver and postman has been exposed as being part of a major heroin and cocaine ring.

Kate Middleton paid a touching tribute to the late Queen during her surprise cameo at last year's Eurovision final in Liverpool. The Princess of Wales delighted fans with her piano skills and radiant appearance in the opening minutes of the show.

Beaming Brendan Rodgers stayed true to his word as he delivered fun at full-time for the jubilant Celtic faithful.

A WASTE firm has pointed the finger at axed Green Party minister Lorna Slater for them suffering a £150million loss over the failed bottle recycling scheme.

The Northern Lights could dazzle UK skies for the third consecutive night as another geomagnetic storm brings the potential for a spectacular light show this evening.

James Corden has opened up about his remarkable six stone weight loss journey, having once tipped the scales at over 20 stone.

Prince Harry may encounter significant issues when the time arrives for him to renew his visa in the United States. This warning comes from an immigration solicitor, soon after allegations surfaced intimating that the Duke of Sussex may not have been entirely honest on his original US visa application.

Dec Donnelly welcomed his second child, a son, with wife Ali Astall in 2022 and paid tribute to his friend Ant McPartlin when they shared his name.The presenter posted on the official Ant and Dec Twitter account: "Shortly before 10am yesterday, 23.7.2022, Ali and I welcomed the arrival of our son, Jack Anthony Alphonsus, a very welcome ray of light. He is wonderful, and Isla is beyond excited to be a big sister! D x." Baby Jack shared his middle name with Dec's best friend Ant while Alphonsus was a sweet nod to Dec's late father.

Shoppers are loving a new Tom Ford perfume and there's a way to get it with 15% off.Tom Ford's Café Rose has built up a fanbase of those who like it for the warmer months due to the delicate floral nature of the scent. Café Rose was launched in 2023 and the nose behind it was Antoine Lie.

BAFTA Fellowship recipient Baroness Floella Benjamin feels like she's finally "beaten all the challenges" as she looks back on her career and prepares to receive BAFTA's highest honour.The iconic presenter, 74, will accept her well-earned accolade at the glittering event held at London’s Royal Festival Hall on May 12, and hosted by Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan. “It’s wonderful that I’m being acknowledged in this way,” Lady Benjamin exclusively told OK! days before accepting her award. “But the best thing that’s happening is that everyone, the whole of the country, is pouring so much love into me, and this award means so much to them.

Corrine Bailey-Rae has opened up about the tough experience of losing her first husband, musician Jason Rae, back in 2008, sharing the impact the loss had on her life.The Grammy Award-winning artist, 45, who has been married to current partner Steve Brown since 2013, spoke with OK! this week about the loss. Jason died suddenly at age 29, with a coroner’s report recording an accidental overdose of methadone and alcohol.

You might expect life as a double Grammy-winning artist to be endlessly glamorous, but for singer Corinne Bailey Rae, the reality can be rather different. “I’ve literally been wiping a bum or breast-feeding and then going straight on stage,” says the mum-of-two, whose daughters are four and six. “There are no boundaries.” With more than five million album sales and a back catalogue that includes the smash-hit single Put Your Records On , Corinne spends much of her time on tour – alongside husband Steve Brown, who plays in her band, and their two girls.

Will Mellor discussed the notorious Strictly curse for the first time ever during a candid conversation with co-host Ralf Little on their popular show Two Pints With Will and Ralf. The duo treated fans to an engaging back-and-forth at Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall.The chat kicked off with Ralf teasing his friend: "I believe there's a thing called the curse of Strictly.

Meghan Markle joined Director General of the World Trade Organization, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to speak at a Women in Leadership event on Saturday in Nigeria. The Duchess of Sussex told the audience she "loves being a mum" as she shared details of her two young children, Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 2. However, she explained how in the past she'd been told she wouldn't cope with balancing motherhood and a career.

A woman reportedly got a '14 hour revenge' on a couple who stole her plane seats to satisfy their own comfort.

A man was rushed to hospital after a 'stabbing' in a Scots town last night.

Philippe Clement wanted his team to perform like gladiators in the derby.

The cast has been announced for Kilmarnock’s much loved annual pantomime.

Despite reports to the contrary, King Charles did indeed offer his son, Prince Harry, accommodation in a Royal residence during his recent UK visit, but the Duke of Sussex declined the offer, according to insiders.

A missing walker has tragically been found dead following a large-scale search on Scafell Pike.

Plans for two courts for the new form of ‘padel’ tennis at an Altrincham golf club have been approved - despite the site’s green belt status and concerns over the effects of floodlighting on the bat population. Trafford’s planning committee gave the go-ahead to the new courts at Dunham Forest Golf Club in the face of objections from six neighbouring residents and two of its councillors.

Football fans who use their Amazon Fire TV Stick devices to illegally stream Premier League games have been warned that they could face fines of up to £50,000 as home raids become 'inevitable' in a new crackdown on illegal streaming. The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) and other UK authorities are intensifying their efforts to combat this crime.

A new Islamic school, regeneration around a train station and a new Lidl are some of the significant developments put before Greater Manchester this week.

Boots shoppers are heaping praise on a 'liquid gold' eye serum that is said to work 'magic' on 'baggy under-eyes' 'crepey eyelids' and those with dark circles or generally tired and dehydrated under eyes. Those who have tried the product insist that it makes them 'feel 10 years younger'.

Eurovision viewers have had their say after Switzerland came away victorious at the 2024 edition of the contest last night (May 11), with jokes, memes and hot takes galore.Switzerland’s representative Nemo fought off tough competition from the likes of Croatia, Ukraine and France with their song ‘The Code’, which blended elements of pop, rap, drum n’ bass and even opera and told the story of how they realised they were non-binary.Nemo also became Eurovision’s first-ever non-binary winner, which was a particularly meaningful moment for many viewers. “Europe changed tonight. It’s a different place for us non binaries now.

Eurovision winner Nemo hit out at the competition’s “double standard”, branding its organisers as “unbelievable”, moments after their victory.The Switzerland entrant won the contest last night (May 11) in Malmö, Sweden with their song ‘The Code’, after topping the jury vote and coming in fifth in the public vote.Nemo’s victory is the first for the country since Celine Dion picked up the win in 1988 with ‘Ne partez pas sans moi’. They are also the first ever non-binary winner in the competition’s history.During their appearance at the post-show press conference, Nemo took the opportunity to criticise the way that the contest was run by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), making specific reference to their policy of not allowing non-binary flags into the arena.“I had to smuggle my flag in because Eurovision said no, but I did it anyway, so I hope some people did that too,” they said.

Callum McLennan The seventh edition of the Quirino Awards, an annual event dedicated to promoting animation in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, saw Spain win five of the 10 awards on offer. Housed in the Teatro Leal, in the Canary Island’s Santa Cruz de Tenerife, an eclectic and, at times, musical gala concluded an upbeat Quirino Awards. Pablo Berger‘s first foray into animation, the Oscar-nominated “Robot Dreams,” continued its charge, winning awards for best feature film and sound design.

Naman Ramachandran Veteran film producer and distribution executive Avi Federgreen’s Toronto-based sales company Indiecan Entertainment International has unveiled its Cannes Film Market slate. Leading the slate is “She Was Here,” a documentary that delves into the life of beloved child actress Heather O’Rourke, famed for her role in the “Poltergeist” and known for the line “They’re here.” O’Rourke’s life was tragically cut short at the age of 12. Director Nick Bailey explores O’Rourke’s untold story, featuring interviews with her “Poltergeist” co-stars Craig T.

Variety yesterday that he passed away on Thursday (May 9) at his home in Santa Monica, California, surrounded by family members.Corman was seen as a trailblazer in the world of independent film, producing and directing hundreds of low-budget movies and giving an early platform to leading figures in the industry, including Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro.“His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age. When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that,’” the family said in a statement.Known variously as ‘The Pope of Pop Cinema’ and ‘The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood’, he made his name in the 1960s, creating his own studios New World Pictures and New Concorde, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2009 for his “rich engendering of films and filmmakers”.His own films were often made quickly with low budgets and specialised in genres such as horror, science fiction and action.Several major names received early credits in Corman’s work, including Nicholson in The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), Scorsese with Boxcar Bertha (1972), Cameron with Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) and Ron Howard with Grand Theft Auto (1977).Howard himself joked that Corman told him during the tumultuous making of his first film Eat My Dust that “if you do a good job on this film, you won’t ever have to work for me again!”Tributes have come in for Corman, with director John Carpenter writing on X: “Roger Corman, one of the most influential movie directors in my life, has passed away.

Bambie Thug has given an update on their Eurovision complaint, claiming that the EBU confirmed Israli broadcaster KAN had “broken the rules of conduct”.Earlier today, it was reported that the Irish Eurovision entry lodged a complaint with the Eurovision organisers due to commentary made by a broadcaster on KAN. The comments, which told viewers to “prepare your curses” and claim Bambie’s performance was “the most scary” of the night, were labelled “in breach of the rules” of the EBU by Bambie.Now, the Cork singer has taken to their social media to claim that the EBU “confirmed” KAN had breached the rules, which “contradicts” a statement they had seen from the EBU Director General Noel Curran.“Over the last few days I have raised multiple complaints to the EBU regarding instances I have experienced this week.

Bambie Thug has spoken out against the EBU during post-Eurovision interviews, claiming that they don’t fully represent “what Eurovision is”.The self-described ‘ouija-pop’ artist came sixth in the annual contest, which was won by Switzerland representative Nemo. At the end of their performance, they proclaimed “Love will triumph over hate!”The Cork singer has also faced significant challenges throughout the competition due to their pro-Palestinian stance. It was revealed they were forced to remove the words ‘ceasefire’ and ‘freedom for Palestine’ in a medieval script from their costume due to Eurovision’s political neutrality clause.

Eurovision Song Contest, with entrant Nemo taking the crown for their performance of ‘The Code’.Nemo’s victory marks Switzerland’s first Eurovision win since 1988, when Celine Dion competed with ‘Ne partez pas sans moi’. They are also the first ever non-binary winner of Eurovision.Quickly becoming a frontrunner, ‘The Code’ incorporated elements of pop, rap, drum ‘n’ bass and even opera to tell the story of how Nemo discovered that they were non-binary.

Steve Albini has opened up about his feelings towards Steely Dan.The producer and engineer took to Twitter yesterday (February 6) to share his views on the New York rock band, writing: “I will always be the kind of punk that shits on Steely Dan.“Christ the amount of human effort wasted to sound like an SNL band warm up,” he continued.Albini then appeared to pose pro Steely Dan arguments before offering his rebuttals, including the suggestion that they “spent three weeks on the guitar solo”.I will always be the kind of punk that shits on Steely Dan— steve albini (@electricalWSOP) February 6, 2023“Three weeks of watching guitar players give it their all while doing bumps and hitting the talkback, “More *Egyptian* but keep it in the pocket…,” he said.“‘Their engineer invented a machine to play the bass drum…’ Did he now. And yet it sounds like this.”“Look at yourselves.

Eurovision entrant was booed during her live performance on the show last night, while other parts of the audience reacted with cheers.The 68th Eurovision Song Contest took place last night (May 11) in Malmö, Sweden, and was won by Switzerland’s Nemo, whose song ‘The Code’ won the jury vote and came fifth in the public vote.Israel’s entry ‘Hurricane’ by Eden Golan did not score high with the jury, but received one of the highest scores in the public vote. Her performance came early in the night, and was met with a decidedly mixed reaction from the live audience.As fan footage from inside the room appears to show, there was a somewhat negative reaction from parts of the audience during Golan’s rendition of her song, with cries of “Free Palestine” being audible.

Bambie Thug has given a special message at the end of their gripping Eurovision performance – watch it below.The Irish Eurovision entry has been tipped as one of the favourites to win this year, with them ranking fourth on the bookie’s odds to win the contest.However, the Cork singer has also faced significant challenges throughout the competition due to their pro-Palestinian stance. It was revealed they were forced to remove the words ‘ceasefire’ and ‘freedom for Palestine’ in a medieval script from their costume due to Eurovision’s political neutrality clause.Though they were prevented from saying the words ‘ceasefire’, Bambie seemed to allude to the Israel-Palestine conflict at the end of their powerful performance.