Countess of Wessex praised for keeping her family 'strong'

Jordan Moreau SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you haven’t watched the Season 1 finale of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” now streaming on Prime Video. After much speculation and enough fan theories to fill a dwarven mine, “Rings of Power” fans finally got their answer on Sauron’s true identity in the prequel series — and it’s Halbrand (Charlie Vickers). The episode starts, however, with a fake-out from the three mysterious, white-cloaked witches claiming that the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) is actually Sauron. Later in the episode, it’s revealed that he’s not Sauron, but actually a powerful wizard known as an Istari, like Gandalf and Saruman from “The Lord of the Rings.”

Emily Longeretta Chaske Spencer wants people to talk. The actor, a member of the Fort Peck Tribe, knows that his new Amazon Prime Video/BBC series, “The English,” will get people talking. Written and directed by award-winning Hugo Blick, the Western drama is led by Spencer and Emily Blunt, who portray Pawnee ex-cavalry scout Eli Whipp and Englishwoman Lady Cornelia Locke, respectively. They come together in 1890 mid-America as they search for the new town of Hoxem, Wyo. They only recognize their differences not knowing their pasts are woven together.   What drew you to this story and to Eli?  I was excited and intrigued by the character of Eli and the story. What drew me to him was his past and who he was and just the weight of that — the weight of someone in transition, because when we meet Eli, he’s off to go home. He wants to go back home. I love the quote, ‘Sometimes you have to see a thing to let it go.’ I think that’s where he was going. I love the stillness of the character. I love the way Hugo Blick wrote it and I liked working with him to help me create that character and bring him to life.  

Today was the last of the Jan. 6 hearings before the mid-term elections — which means, depending on how things go, they could be the last Jan.

Shayne Jansen is in mourning. The star took to Instagram on Thursday to share the news of his mom's passing.«I lost my best friend today,» Jansen wrote in the caption alongside a slideshow of touching snapshots of himself and as him, as well as screenshots of some of their Facetime calls and sweet text message conversations.«For the last year we have been inseparable.

Tiffany Haddish is getting candid about «getting rid of the mess» in her life following the dismissal of her child sex abuse lawsuit. In a series of tweets posted Wednesday, Haddish thanked God for getting rid of the messy people and things around her as she «re-decorates» her life.«God has been redecorating my life lately and I must say at 1st I was very uncomfortable.

Beyoncé's team is speaking out. After fashion and art designer Nusi Quero claimed that he was not paid for his work on styling the singer for her album art for .In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Quero claimed that Beyoncé’s stylist, Marni Senofonte, never made good on paying him for his various services, which he detailed in his since-deleted post.Beyoncé’s publicist, however, denies Quero's claims says that the accusations are «troubling.»«It is deeply troubling that designer Nusi Quero has posted damaging statements about Marni Senofonte regarding non-payments for work completed,» the statement, shared with ET on Thursday, read. «In fact, he was paid for his work, and there is proof of all payments made.»According to the statement, all efforts were made to give Quero the money he had earned according to their deal.«We have been in communication with his team and there were three payments made to him.

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains details of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 finale, which just dropped on Amazon Prime Video tonight. For even more on the LOTR season closer, check out Deadline’s Inside the Ring, the Rings of Power after show on October 15. Right now, watch past episodes here.

Intimacy coordinators, new protocols and safeguards and “things that seem very small on the page” have made Hollywood a better place for women in the MeToo era unleashed by the New York Times’ Oct. 5, 2017 investigation of Harvey Weinstein, said Zoe Kazan, who plays journalist Jodi Kantor in Maria Schrader’s She Said.

Emily Longeretta Programs targeting preschool viewers will take pride of place at this year’s MipJunior, as broadcasters, distributors and production outfits respond to the raft of market forces that have made kids 3-7 a key demographic. Judging by the jackpot distribution and licensing deals scored by brands including “Paw Patrol” and “Peppa Pig,” that young crowd is also a particularly lucrative subset — though broadcasters have often pitched toward that demo for more elemental reasons. “Preschool is where you create kids’ media habits,” says industry analyst Avril Blondelot. “If you don’t invest in preschoolers, you might lose them forever.”

Lauren Dern is rooting for a “Big Little Lies” return. ET’s Cassie DiLaura spoke to Dern at the 2023 Spring-Summer Ralph Lauren fashion show Thursday night, where she said that she’s “keeping hope alive” for the third season of the beloved HBO series.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Mike Schank, guitarist, actor, friend and beloved subject of the 1999 documentary “American Movie,” died on Thursday morning, according to the Milwaukee Record. He was 56. The exceedingly gifted screamer was a highlight from the cult classic directed by Chris Smith. The film followed Wisconsin director Mark Borchardt as he attempted to film his fraught horror movie “Coven.” With a crew made up of friends and family members, just about every part of the production process fell apart, except for Schank, who was always there for his friend. Schank appeared as an extra, assistant, edit bay buddy and epic storyteller.

Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt has backed his strikers to get in the goalscoring groove once again and voiced his backing of them during the transfer window when he opted against bringing in further reinforcements in that department.

The Grammys are reclassifying the song “Super Freaky Girl” from the rap category to the pop category.

A source close to Kelly Ripa is speaking out after Kathie Lee Gifford slammed her new book, in which she talked about her experience working with Regis Philin.

Latto is responding to Nicki Minaj.

Kourtney Kardashian is supporting Travis Barker on his big day!

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Guitarist, actor, friend and beloved subject from the 1999 documentary “American Movie” Mike Schank has died. According to the Milwaukee Record, Schank passed away early this morning, he was 56. The exceedingly gifted screamer was a highlight from the cult-loved documentary directed by Chris Smith. The film followed Wisconsin director Mark Borchardt as he attempted to film his fraught horror movie “Coven.” With a crew made up of friends and family members, just about every part of the production process fell apart, except for Schank who was always there for his friend. Schank appeared as an extra, assistant, edit bay buddy and epic storyteller.

Ringo Starr has cancelled the last five dates of his current North American tour, after contracting COVID-19 for a second time in the span of a fortnight.First testing positive for the virus at the start of October, the Beatle was forced to cancel seven shows between Michigan and British Columbia. He returned to the road on Tuesday (October 11) – flanked by the All-Starr Band – performing in Seattle then and in Portland the following night (October 12).It appears that his comeback was premature, though, as Starr has now confirmed he’s again returned to being COVID-positive.

Let There Be Drums!, a documentary set to premiere later this month.The film is directed by Justin Kreutzmann — the son of The Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann — and according to its synopsis, will focus on “the art of drumming [and] the musicians who’ve mastered it”. In addition Kreutzmann, Let There Be Drums! will feature interviews with a swathe of the world’s best-known drummers, including one of Taylor Hawkins’ final-ever interviews before his passing in March.Elsewhere, the documentary will feature the likes of The Beatles’ Ringo Starr, Stewart Copeland of The Police, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Tré Cool of Green Day, among many others.

Theodore Roosevelt, almost four years removed from the White House and running for a third term as president, survived a gunshot wound to the chest during an assassination attempt in Milwaukee on this day in history, Oct. 14, 1912.  He was shot at 8:10 p.m.

According to CNN, the court filing didn’t provide any details about the investigation, saying only that it is related to Musk’s “conduct” related to the deal. But Twitter also accuses Musk’s lawyers of failing to cooperate with requests from both the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission to provide information related to the lawsuit Musk is fighting that aims to force him to honor the deal to buy the social media company.According to Reuters, Twitter accuses Musk’s lawyers of invoking “investigative privilege” in their refusal to comply.Musk struck deal earlier this year to buy Twitter for $44 billion, but very soon after attempted to break the agreement, citing unproven claims of fraudulent data about Twitter’s subscriber count.

Fans are not happy with the redesign of the royal family website, specifically, with the placement of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle.

It doesn’t look like Prince Andrew will be making a return to the monarchy anytime soon…

Queen Consort Camilla is to keep using her privately-owned home in Wiltshire. The 75-year-old royal bought six-bedroom Ray Mill in Wiltshire - which is just a short distance from her husband King Charles' private residence Highgrove - over 25 years ago after she divorced first husband Andrew Parker Bowles and enjoys the relaxed surroundings away from official residences, and she has no plans to sell the "treasured" abode because it allows her to truly switch off from public duties.

The late Queen's reaction to Harry and Meghan stepping down as senior royals has been revealed in a brand new book. The Sussexes announced they would be leaving their roles as working royals in early 2020 and later moved to the US.

Emotional Royal fans have praised the Queen's funeral on Monday 19 September and said that they've "never witnessed anything so touching". Earlier on Monday, around 2,000 guests, including the Royal Family, attended an emotional service at Westminster Abbey before a procession to Wellington Arch, where hundreds and thousands of mourners paid their respects. Upon arriving at Wellington Arch, the coffin was lifted into the state hearse so that it could begin the final leg of its journey to Windsor for the Queen's committal service at St George's Chapel later on Monday.

The Royal Family has shared a touching and very meaningful throwback photograph of the late Queen with her parents, sister and husband, Prince Phillip, before they announced she had been laid to rest. Following her state funeral at Westminster Abbey and a service of committal, the Queen was buried privately this evening in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, conducted by the Dean of Windsor, and attended by her close family, including her son, King Charles.The official Instagram for the Royal Family shared a beautiful snap of the then Princess Elizabeth with her husband, Prince Phillip, parents King George VI, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and sister Princess Margaret.

On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II died “peacefully” at age 96 and Britain entered 10 days of mourning to honor her 70 years of service as the head of the monarchy. The details of her funeral raise the question as to where the Queen will be buried, and it’s a location steeped in royal history dating back to 1475.

Robin Roberts has not long returned from her summer vacation, but she won't be sitting still for a while yet.MORE: Robin Roberts rocks beachy shorts while on idyllic vacation with partner AmberShortly after her first day back at work, the GMA star flew to London with some of her colleagues to cover the death of Queen Elizabeth outside of Buckingham Palace.The star then returned home, only to travel to Mississippi to reunite with her beloved family.VIDEO: Robin Roberts shares glimpse of her vacation with partner Amber LaignThe reunion was short but sweet, as Robin revealed that she will be flying back to London ahead of the Queen's funeral on Monday, where she will once again be covering the historical event live for ABC.MORE: David Muir's return to GMA was emotional for Robin RobertsSEE: Robin Roberts looks unrecognizable with long hair - but it's not what you think!Alongside a series of photos of herself and her family from the weekend, Robin wrote: "Only 24 hours in my beloved hometown and it was totally worth it to be with my sibs! Much to celebrate: grand opening of Roberts Place Cafe, 7th anniversary of @robinsnestinthepass and the birthday of the incredible woman who runs both businesses @dana_mac1956!!A post shared by Robin Roberts (@robinrobertsgma)Robin Roberts with her family during their reunion over the weekend"Now it’s time to cross the pond and join my amazing @abcnews colleagues in London for our coverage of #queenelizabeth funeral on Monday.

Queen Elizabeth‘s memorial services are forging ahead, with her state funeral set to occur on Monday (September 19).