Fans confused as ‘The Idol’ allegedly cuts episode: ‘Haven’t even reached a climax’

Kris Wu, the Chinese-Canadian former member of K-pop group EXO has appeared in court in Beijing to appeal his convictions.The former K-pop idol’s case was heard at the Beijing No. 3 Intermediate People’s Court on Tuesday, July 25.

Barbie movie, but the real team looks a little different.In Greta Gerwig’s new film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling – which has been praised for its feminist message and storytelling – the chair of the all-male board is played by Will Ferrell.The actor pops up in the film to “play the dim-witted CEO”, as NME wrote a four-star review.The real Chairman and CEO of Mattel, Ynon Kreiz, is indeed male, but does sit alongside female board members, too.According to the Mattel website, the real Board Of Directors currently consists of six men and five women, who comprise “global leaders from various fields and industries, with a broad and diverse range of experiences and perspectives required to provide independent governance and oversee the execution of our long-term strategy”.The feminist messaging of Barbie has been a key topic of discussion after opening weekend (July 21).America Ferrera, who plays Mattel executive Gloria, revealed that one of the most pivotal sequences of dialogue – about the double standards women face – took 30 to 50 takes to film.“It worked on the page, and so I definitely wanted to give that feeling to the audience as the person performing it— to make it resonate the way that it did with me when I read the words on the page,” Ferrera told Vanity Fair.The actor said that while it “felt like” 500 takes, it was probably closer to 30 to 50 “full runs”.In other Barbie news, it was recently revealed that the marketing budget was more than it cost to make the film.According to Variety, the marketing budget for the film was a staggering $150million (£117m), eclipsing the $145million (£113m) it cost to actually make the film itself.Elsewhere, Robbie has said she was teased by her friends for not having a

The Simpsons: Hit & Run remake will never be released to the public.His The Simpsons: Hit & Run remake is now finished, according to a recently released video titled “THE FINALE” on his YouTube channel, showing the significant improvements from the original assets to the Unreal Engine 5 recreations. While it is an amazing achievement and a labour of love for the classic game, Reubs is not going to give the new and improved Hit & Run away.“This is a fan remake for entertainment purposes, this game will never be available to download.

Black Grape have announced details of ‘Orange Head’ – their first new album in six years. Listen to the lead single ‘Milk’ below.The upcoming album will mark the band’s first new music since 2017, when they released their third studio album ‘Pop Voodoo’. It also sees the duo – comprised of Manchester veterans Shaun Ryder and Paul Leveridge, known as Kermit – hone back in on their signature, experimental sound.According to the press release, ‘Orange Head’ will still see both members capture their iconic “cosmic musical jigsaw” like seen in their previous albums, and deliver that same unique blend of “melding rock, hip-hop, acid house, psychedelic pop and reggae”.It also, however, will capture the same personal growth experienced by Ryder, who has overcome his previous run of public struggles and evolved “from a wild young tearaway into a British National Treasure” in recent years.Check out the lead single, ‘Milk’ and album tracklist below.1. ‘Dirt’2. ‘Pimp Wars’3. ‘Button Eyes’4. ‘Quincy’5. ‘In The Ground’6. ‘Loser’7. ‘Milk’8. ‘Panda’9. ‘Self Harm’10. ‘Sex On The Beach’Alongside news of their forthcoming album, the hip-hop duo are also set to embark on a UK headline tour later this year, including a date at London’s Electric Ballroom.The first show of the tour will kick off with an appearance at the Shiiine On Weekender in Somerset on November 17, before the band make stops in Birmingham, Manchester and Cardiff for the rest of the month.From there, two shows are lined up for December, with the London gig taking place on December 1 and a final slot set for Southampton.

The brother of tragic teenager Amber Gibson has been found guilty of murdering and sexually assaulting her following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The paternal father of Connor Gibson was jailed for physical and sexual abuse as his son awaited trial for murder of his sister Amber.

Ethan Slater informed his wife, Lilly Jay, that he was done with their marriage shortly before his romance with Ariana Grande went public, according to a source.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent On “The Idol,” Da’Vine Joy Randolph brings a rare bit of heart to the much-discussed show. Playing Destiny, Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) manager, the actor portrays one of the only stabilizing forces surrounding the sexualized pop star who has been wrapped up in a dangerous world, led by wannabe musician and cult leader Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye). Randolph was hand-picked by “Idol” co-creator Sam Levinson after the “Euphoria” creator took over the show during a complete overhaul in which he shot it again, after an initial version helmed by Amy Seimetz was completely scrapped, Randolph says. Controversy began before the show even premiered, with a Rolling Stone article that claimed production on “The Idol” had gone “disgustingly off the rails” and that Levinson’s version played like “twisted torture porn.”

The Idol has received backlash for months for its nudity, sex scenes and portrayal of toxic masculinity, with many critics questioning its value. Now, the show’s star, Lily-Rose Depp, is defending the decisions of the show. «We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that. That’s something I knew I was setting out to do from the beginning,» she tells  in an interview for the July cover story.

“The Idol” has been whipping up controversy due to its graphic OMG sex scenes, but star Lily-Rose Depp believes that it’s all being blown out of proportion.

For months now, critics on Twitter and elsewhere have challenged The Idol’s more explicit scenes, describing some of them as examples of toxic masculinity, rape culture and torture porn and questioning their value. Now, the show’s star, Lily-Rose Depp, has responded to those sentiments in an interview with Vogue Australia.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Lily-Rose Depp says the nudity on “The Idol” is “really intentional” and she was never uncomfortable stripping down on set to film the series’ numerous sex scenes. The HBO series has ignited controversy over the last four weeks due to its graphic content and frequent nudity. Depp is often at the center of the show’s most risqué scenes as the show’s lead character, a pop star named Jocelyn who falls under the control of a sinister nightclub owner (Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye). “For me, the whole character and the show and her arc was really a collaboration through and through,” Depp recently told Vogue Australia. “We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that. That’s something I knew I was setting out to do from the beginning. I was never interested in making something puritanical. It’s okay if this show isn’t for everyone and that’s fine — I think all the best art is [polarizing].”

controversial sex scenes and nudity — and Lily-Rose Depp is defending the “nasty” scenes after viewers branded it as “torture porn.”The HBO series — created by Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”), Reza Fahim and Abel Tesfaye (a k a The Weeknd) — follows pop star Jocelyn (Depp, 24, daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis) and her strange and raunchy relationship with nightclub owner and cult leader Tedros (Tesfaye, 33).It has been slammed for its graphic sex scenes and has garnered controversy for behind-the-scenes mess. In March, Rolling Stone reported that sources on the production described a chaotic filming environment, and called it “torture porn” and “rape fantasy.”But Depp is shutting down the criticism, saying the sex scenes in the show are “important” and “intentional.”“We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that.

Amber Heard’s coworkers say she’s become more “resilient” after her experiences.

After weeks of bad-mouthed reviews and criticism, HBO’s “The Idol” season 1 has been shortened from six episodes to five.

The Idol will end its first season this Sunday, July 2. The news has come as a surprise to some, with The Weeknd and Sam Levinson's HBO series first described as featuring six episodes when it was ordered to series in November 2021.

will end one week earlier than originally announced, Abel «The Weeknd» Tesfaye confirmed Monday. Originally billed as six episodes, the controversial Max show will now end after five installments.  also announced the change on Monday, saying that the series no longer needed six episodes after creator Sam Levinson joined the team and the story changed drastically. Co-creator Tesfaye tweeted the news, writing that the show has «one more episode,» set to air this Sunday. ONE MORE EPISODE #THEIDOL EP.

The Idol is heading towards its season finale.

EXCLUSIVE: I meet Amber Heard in the café of a hotel in Sicily and when she reaches to shake hands, the ice breaker becomes the tan orthopedic brace cradling that wrist.

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor The 69th Taormina Film Festival in Sicily saw the world premiere Saturday of the paranormal psychological thriller “In the Fire,” which marks the return to the big screen of Amber Heard following two highly publicized trials involving her former husband Johnny Depp. On the turquoise carpet (the color was chosen to match the Mediterranean, which serves as a stupendous backdrop), Heard greeted a crowd of fans — accompanied by paparazzi and tourists — who shouted words of encouragement at the “Aquaman” star. The producers and festival organizers had worried about possible demonstrations by Depp supporters. Producer Pascal Borno told Variety he had to persuade the Italian police to provide extra security after receiving online threats. “They took it seriously and afterwards I promised them selfies with Amber,” he said.

The Weeknd has confirmed that he’s currently “finishing” up his new album.The singer, who recently announced his plan to retire the moniker and record under his birth name Abel Tesfaye, has long teased a trilogy of albums that has so far featured the LPs ‘After Hours’ and ‘Dawn FM’.Now, in a new interview with Variety he has shared an update on the project and discussed how fan theories on the album’s title are incorrect.“I’m finishing the third part of this saga, of this trilogy,” he revealed. “The name of it will come out soon, but it’s not called what some fans think it’s called… what they think it’s called is actually a song on the album, but that’s not what the actual album is called.

Amber Heard has formally returned to the red carpet after settling her legal battle with Johnny Depp!

The Weeknd has shared a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ that’s been used in HBO’s new show The Idol.Ahead of the show’s fourth episode, The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, shared a version of Lennon’s classic song that appears in the show. The Idol is made by Euphoria-creator Sam Levinson and follows the plot of a pop star (Lily-Rose Depp) who develops a controversial relationship with self-help guru and cult leader Tedros (Abel Tesfaye).The cover was first teased back in April and the musician performed it in Norway earlier this week.You can check out the song here:Last week, The Weeknd and BLACKPINK‘s Jennie shared a new song that appears in The Idol – listen to ‘One Of The Girls’ below.Depp also appeared on two new The Weeknd songs ‘World Class Sinner/I’m A Freak’ and ‘The Lure’ from the show’s soundtrack, which were released earlier this month.The first single taken from the HBO drama was titled ‘Double Fantasy’, and hears The Weeknd (now going by his birth name Abel Tesfaye) team up with Future.

Sir Elton John has been crowned the top ‘Spectacle Wearer of the Year’. The ‘Rocketman’ singer, 76, who is set to play a headline slot at Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage on Sunday (25. 06.

Lily-Rose Depp and girlfriend 070 Shake’s relationship is heating up, a source exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly.

The Weeknd and BLACKPINK‘s Jennie have shared a new song that appears in The Idol – listen to ‘One Of The Girls’ below.The Idol is made by Euphoria-creator Sam Levinson and follows the plot of a pop star (Lily-Rose Depp) who develops a controversial relationship with self-help guru and cult leader Tedros (Abel Tesfaye).Depp also appeared on two new The Weeknd songs ‘World Class Sinner/I’m A Freak’ and ‘The Lure’ from the show’s soundtrack, which were released earlier this month.Now, Tesfaye has teamed up with Jennie, who also appears in The Idol as one of Depp’s backup dancers, Dyanne, for a new track.Listen to ‘One Of The Girls’ below.The first single taken from the HBO drama was titled ‘Double Fantasy’, and hears The Weeknd (now going by his birth name Abel Tesfaye) team up with Future. Like ‘The Lure’, the collaborative single featured production from The Weeknd and Mike Dean, and arrived accompanied by a music video that featured clips from the show.More recently the singer-songwriter and actor released the single ‘Popular’, which saw him join forces with Playboy Carti and queen of pop, Madonna.

Everyone has something to say about “The Idol.” Since even before it premiered, the Max series — the “sick and twisted” brainchild of Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson — has been slammed for “too graphic” sex scenes and excessive displays of “breast and ass,” as well as a particularly “nasty” steamy segment that Tesfaye was forced to defend.The “torture porn” drama, which premiered with 900,000 viewers, follows Jocelyn, portrayed by Lily-Rose Depp, a troubled pop star who becomes increasingly enraptured with the mysterious, rat-tail-donning Tedros (Tesfaye). Now, even a famed snack brand is trying to crumble the show’s cookies.After it was prematurely reported that the show would be canceled after only one season, the official Oreo account replied with more fire than one might expect from milk’s favorite cookie.

The Weeknd definitely pushes himself to the limit when working.

Abel «The Weeknd» Tesfaye said this week he «very much» expected a negative reaction to Controversy surrounding the show and its production first surfaced several months before the first episode's premiere, when sources told  that the project had gone «wildly, disgustingly off the rails.» Most recently, referred to the third episode as «bizarrely edited» and «hackily written.» Tesfaye said he expected all of this criticism, but was not fazed by it. «It's almost educational, that this is what comes with being incredibly famous,» Tesfaye told of his show's treatment of fame. «You're surrounded by people who you're not sure what their true intentions are, even if it seems like they're good.

After its HBO debut, The Idol quickly made waves for its controversial sex scenes and cringy storytelling.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music It is an interesting time to be Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. the Weeknd. Last summer, he was criss-crossing North America on his “After Hours Til Dawn” stadium tour while simultaneously doing reshoots for his HBO series, “The Idol.” This summer, he’s watching the reactions to the deeply controversial show while criss-crossing Europe on the second leg of the tour, which will move to Latin America and Asia into next year. He’s also doing press for the Emmy campaign for his HBO concert documentary released earlier this year, “The Weeknd: Live at SoFi Stadium.” All the while, he’s been recording, as he always is. Despite, and because of, the polarized reactions to the first episodes of “The Idol,” the show has scored big ratings and even bigger conversation.

Sam Levinson reveals how he managed to convince The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, to play as creep on “The Idol”.

“The Idol” continues to ruffle viewers’ feathers.

HBO featurette, which you can watch at the top of this post. “Jocelyn is essentially moving from one cult, the music business, into another.”After a music video production for Jocelyn’s newest hit goes awry, the third installment of the HBO drama series sees Jocelyn finding solace with Tedros and his crew as the group shops, drinks and parties the day away, while Jocelyn’s music video has found a new star.

Note: This story contains spoilers from the “The Idol” episode 3.If there’s one thing “The Idol” is known for by its third episode, it’s shocking viewers with its racy sex scenes filled with an almost nude Lily-Rose Depp, who plays rebounding pop star Jocelyn, alongside arguably cringey lines from Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, who plays nightclub owner Tedros.While Cannes audiences knew what to expect from the first two episodes of the music drama following its premiere at the festival — which debuted to scandalized reactions — the escalating events of episode 3 took many viewers by surprise.“The Idol,” which was co-created by Tesfaye, “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim, centers on Jocelyn’s best stab at a comeback journey to become the No. 1 pop star after a nervous breakdown derailed her last tour.

William Earl After the third episode of “The Idol,” series co-creator Sam Levinson described how he developed the creepy, awkward and ambitious cult leader Tedros played by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye. “We’re in Abel’s house, we’re talking it through, imagining the character Tedros,” Levinson said, in the series’ “Crafting the Family” featurette on Max. “And I would say, ‘Imagine you have all of the dreams that you have of what you want to do in life, in terms of music, and your career, all of the aspirations — but imagine you have none of the talent. That’s who this character is.'” Tesfaye described the character similarly in a recent interview.