Blackface Performances of Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar Songs on Polish TV Talent Show Cause Uproar

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Percy Jackson” author Rick Riordan explained to Entertainment Weekly that making his franchise more diverse by casting Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase in the upcoming Disney+ series was always staying true to the reason he wrote the “Percy Jackson” books in the first place. Jeffries’ casting last year generated backlash from racist fans upset that a Black actor was playing a character that Riordan described in his book as a blonde white girl. Riordan immediately shut down toxic fans, and now he has told EW that Jeffries’ casting is true to the spirit of his franchise, as the only reason he wrote “Percy Jackson” was because his child was having difficulty in school.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “Fast X” has zoomed its way to streamers. The 10th installment in Universal’s high-octane franchise, which came out in May, is now available to stream on Peacock.

Thousands of superfans descended on EK, East Kilbride at the weekend to catch a glimpse of their favourite superheroes and supervillains.

A group of ghost hunters have been left spooked after capturing what they believe is a 'White Lady' on camera while at a castle near Falkirk.

Naman Ramachandran U.K. broadcaster ITV has signed a deal with UEFA to become the new home of England men’s soccer qualifying games. All European qualifiers, UEFA Nations League ties and friendlies between major tournaments will be shown on ITV from September 2024 through to June 2028.

Russell Brand’s next UK live show is in question, with the UK’s Theatre Royal Windsor preparing to update this afternoon, as Brand’s book deal is put on ice by his publisher.

EXCLUSIVE: The third and final season of Netflix animated series Hilda will launch on December 7. Episodes one and two of the Bella Ramsey-voiced show will premiere at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

Sounds like Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are really regretting writing those character letters for Danny Masterson — because it’s threatening to END their careers! But, um, this really shouldn’t have been a surprise considering who they were supporting… Oof.

John Carpenter remains one of horror’s most revered filmmakers despite not making a film since 2010’s “The Ward” (or a good movie since arguably 1994’s “In The Mouth Of Madness.” But his name still carries weight, and so it dons Peacock‘s “John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams,” which premieres on the streamer next month. READ MORE: Fall 2023 TV Preview: Over 35+ Most Anticipated Shows To Watch According to Peacock, the six-episode series explores true tales of terror that took place in seemingly perfect American towns.

The Pretenders have shared details of a run of intimate club shows around the UK, set to kick off next month. Find ticket details below.The run of new live dates comes in celebration of the band’s latest album ‘Relentless’ – their 12th studio LP which arrived last Friday (September 15) via Parlophone.To mark the release, Chrissie Hynde and co.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Warner Chappell Music has announced the appointment of Rachel Jacobson to the newly created role of senior vice president of creative sync. Reporting to department EVP Rich Robinson, Jacobson will oversee a new team that’s solely focused on sourcing and developing songwriters for creative opportunities in sync, according to announcement.

A new online petition argues that the State Pension is “too low” and should be increased to match the National Minimum Wage. If that sounds like a familiar proposal it’s because another petition, which has received more than 36,700 signatures of support, has made a similar proposal, but was rejected by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) last month.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been warned there needs to be a marked improvement against Burnley when the Reds resume their Premier League campaign this weekend.

Pep Guardiola is hopeful that he can call on more players for the Nottingham Forest game on Saturday as Manchester City struggle with injuries.

Zack Bia is speaking out.

Katy Perry just made a massive music deal.

Greg James has given an update on his wife, Bella Mackie, after she was rushed to hospital for appendicitis and had to have emergency surgery. Taking to his Instagram Stories, the 37 year old shared a snap of himself looking concerned and wrote that her ordeal feels “never-ending” and said that doctors are now worried about her getting an infection. He penned: “Unbelievably, because the appendix burst before they got round to doing surgery and they're worried about infection etc etc, Bella is STILL in the hospital.” The Radio 1 host continued to say that he would be returning to hosting his show today, 18 September, after Jordan North had covered for him while he stayed with an unwell Bella.

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are believed to have never shared a strong bond despite the two women appearing to get on well when the Duchess of Sussex was first introduced to the family.

Scotland international Safyaan Sharif is targeting promotion after confirming he is to return to play for Perth Doo’cot next season.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music After months of rumors, Katy Perry has sold her music rights to Litmus Music, the Carlyle-backed company co-founded by former Capitol Records president Dan McCarroll, for $225 million, the company announced Monday. The deal includes Perry’s stakes in master recordings and publishing rights for the five albums she released between 2008 and 2020: “One of the Boys,” “Teenage Dream”, “Prism,” “Witness” and “Smile.” Universal Music Group continues to own the masters to those albums.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Netflix and SK Broadband, one of South Korea’s largest internet service providers, said that they were ending all their lawsuits and would instead create a strategic partnership to provide better entertainment experiences to Korean customers. The legal dispute began in 2020 over whether content providers that generate large amounts of traffic should pay “network usage fees” in addition to the bills paid by the household end users, or whether that would go against the principle of net neutrality and lead to higher costs for consumers. Netflix said that it could offer a technological solution to traffic volume that it had provided to ISPs in other countries and to rival ISPs in Korea. But SK Telecom and its subsidiary SK Broadband held out and appeared to gain support for their position in the Korean parliament. “This strategic partnership with Netflix originates from the philosophy of SK Telecom and SK Broadband, where customer value is prioritized, and comes as part of our efforts to provide customers with an enhanced media service environment,” said SK Telecom’s Choi Hwanseok, VP of corporate strategy. “The partnership with SK Telecom, a leader in Korea’s telecommunication and innovative technology industries, holds special significance as it enables Netflix to enhance entertainment experiences for a broader Korean audience,” said Tony Zameczkowski, Netflix VP of APAC partnerships. “By teaming up with Netflix, SK Telecom and SK Broadband aim to help customers enjoy Netflix shows and films on mobile devices and IPTV (B tv) with easier access and payment options.

EXCLUSIVE: Russell Brand’s last major television job in the UK ended with him being dropped after he was repeatedly accused of being a “sexual predator” during the recording of the show.

Tiffany Haddish’s enemies only fuel her.

An NFL announcer had some fun with those Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce romance rumours over the weekend.

Viewers of dating show My Mum, Your Dad, have been left distracted by one aspect of the programme. In the series, Davina McCall hosts while single parents, who are all living in the same luxury mansion, look for love again.They've been nominated by their children, who are watching on nearby without them knowing. It's a heart-warming addition to our screens and has been likened to Love Island for older adults.

Jason Derulo has announced he will be taking to the stage in Glasgow in 2024.

A resurfaced clip shows Russell Brand boasting about “putting one on” Meghan Markle before she met Prince Harry.

Fresh off being wrapped on knuckles by UK regulators this morning, GB News saw a pair of its presenters angrily clash over the sexual assault allegations surrounding Russell Brand.

ITV has won the rights to show England men’s soccer qualifiers from 2024 to 2028.

Katy Perry as well as other stars have been circulating amid the sexual assault allegations against the comedian.The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches reported in a joint investigation on Saturday (September 16) that one woman has alleged that she was raped by Brand, while three others have accused him of sexual assault. One of the women also claimed that the rebranded wellness guru had been physically and emotionally abusive.Brand has denied the allegations levelled against him, insisting that all of his relationships have been consensual.In the wake of the allegations, previous comments made about the TV star have been shared widely online.A Vogue interview from 2013 with Brand’s ex-wife Perry saw her describe his behaviour as “very controlling”, alluding to what she described as a “real truth” about the comedian that she wouldn’t disclose.“I felt a lot of responsibility for it ending, but then I found out the real truth, which I can’t necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day,” Perry said.Elsewhere, singer Dannii Minogue said in a 2006 interview with The Mirror that Brand is “a bit of a vile predator”.She recalled an appearance on Brand’s MTV chat show 1 Leicester Square where she had been booked on the show to discuss the release of her album ‘The Hits & Beyond’.“He is completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Cobweb,” the Kim Jee-woon-directed satire that debuted at Cannes this year, has been cleared for theatrical release in its native Korea later this month. On Monday it saw off an injunction that sought to derail its hometown debut. The film is a tongue in cheek tribute to the Korean movies of the 1970s and plays partly as a film within a film, jumping from color to black and white as it does so. It stars Song Kang-ho (“Parasite,” “Broker”) as director Kim, who needs just two more days of reshoots to craft a new ending to his latest film (also called “Cobweb”) so that it will no longer be the trashy potboiler everyone thought he was making.

Disney's hit Broadway and West End musical Aladdin is flying into Manchester.

Holly Willoughby has shared how she spent her extended summer holiday away from presenting This Morning, sharing some snaps to her lifestyle website, Wylde Moon.The TV star, 42, revealed that in early August she and her husband Dan Baldwin jetted off to Tuscany, Italy, where they celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary. In a post titled "Postcards from the Summer 2023", Holly wrote: "Our 16th wedding anniversary collided with Blur’s 35th anniversary reunion tour, and as life-long fans, Dan and I went to go and see them perform in Lucca, Tuscany.

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville fears Erik ten Hag could fall the same way as other post-Sir Alex Ferguson managers after presiding over a slow start to the season.

Part of the boyband culture that swept the 90s and early noughties, Hanson were the sibling boyband who had hoards of fans screaming at their tour bus, hanging outside hotels and collecting magazine posters, transporting them to heartthrob status and super stardom. It has been 26 years since their worldwide number one hit single MmmBop, during a time when fans were heading to Claire's Accessories for the latest hair scrunchies and discussing the latest Neighbours storyline, and yet they're still living in their quiet hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

This season of Celebs Go Dating welcomed a brand new expert on the scene, Dr.Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, who is a sex and relationships guru. While she joined the show to help guide celebrities such as Lottie Moss, Vanessa Feltz and Adam Collard on their dating journeys, she was also there to encourage them to be 'sex positive'. And chatting with OK! this week, Tara revealed her secrets to staying busy in the bedroom - including sex meditation and her trusted 'orgasm smoothie'.