Grandad turned away from pub for being 'too old'

In a few days Kenan Thompson will host his first Primetime Emmys show, but he’s not afraid of an ‘Oscar slap’, he says.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief For Asian media operators, the death of Queen Elizabeth II occurred in the middle of the night — Buckingham Palace made its announcement at 6.30 p.m. BST on Thursday — which meant some needed to play catch-up. That was achieved quicker by online and TV outlets than print media. In Australia, a Commonwealth country which has also lost its monarch, public radio and TV broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation newsreaders dressed in black. Programming has switched to reflect the Queen’s life and seven decades of reign. News Corp., which operates major print news brands in Australia, said it will publish souvenir issues on Saturday. These will include the Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail and The Advertiser.

Andrew Barker Senior Features Writer There has been no shortage of hip-hop star-is-born narratives hitting screens in recent years, but much like hip-hop itself for most of its history, there hasn’t always been a whole lot of space for women. Sanaa Lathan’s “On the Come Up,” which tracks a teenage girl’s complicated rise through the battle rap circuit to the even more complicated heights of viral stardom, provides a welcome exception to this rule, but fortunately it has a lot more going for it than just that. As frank and tough-minded and as it is warm and sweet, “On the Come Up” is a hugely promising debut from the actor-turned-director. Sixteen-year-old Bri (Jamila C. Gray) is already a talented rapper when we first meet her in her fictitious neighborhood of Garden Heights, and she’s already been through a whole lifetime’s worth of upheaval. Her father was a legendary local MC named Lawless, who was murdered just as his career was beginning to take off. She spent part of her childhood away from her mother (Lathan) while she battled drug addiction, and though she’s now clean, their mother-daughter bond has yet to fully mend. And what’s more, as part of the small contingent of Black students at her school, she’s forced to deal with unsympathetic administrators and suspicious campus cops, one of whom body-slams her to the ground after he spots her selling Skittles to a classmate.

The Handmaid’s Tale cast and crew were out in force at the Toronto Film Festival on Thursday evening for the world premiere of the two first episodes of season five, ahead of their release on Hulu in the U.S. on September 14.

On The Come Up, directed by actress turned director Sanaa Lathan and written by Zora Howard (Premature) and Kay Oyegun is based on the book by acclaimed author Angie Thomas (The Hate You Give). The film explores the many facets of Black girlhood through hip-hop music and the general music industry. On The Come Up book is 464 pages, and the movie tries to cram all that information in two hours which sometimes overshadows the messaging, but what works is that it speaks to a demographic that is often ignored and the culture of rap that is seldom explored from a woman’s perspective.

A remarkable range of actors have played Queen Elizabeth II, who died today at the age of 96. The range of takes on her life has been equally remarkable, from Oscar and Emmy-winning biopics, to comedies to family films to animated sendups.

The two and half minute video sequence was originally shown on BBC as part of the Jubilee celebrations. Ben Whishaw voices Paddington, as he does in the movies. Watch the video below.

Netflix has a number of high-profile movies coming to the Toronto  Film Festival, just as it did at Venice and Telluride, but a less heralded title with no instantly recognizable star names was chosen to open the fest tonight, and The Swimmers may turn out to be a surprise winner for the streamer when it debuts this fall. It certainly reverses the curse of some of TIFF’s less successful opening-nighters.

In an Instagram live session, singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi has revealed that he’s been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and is being treated with injections to manage symptoms.

The news of her death has obviously thrown the UK into a flurry of activity, along with mourning their monarch the country has to crown it’s new King and organise a state funeral.

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that at the end of April there were nearly three million people across the UK claiming support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP), with just over one in three claimants (35%) receiving the highest level of award.

A driver who reported his car stolen and hid it in his dead sister-in-law's garage dodged jail. Graham Harris pocketed more than £5,000 from his insurers but was caught after police spotted the BMW being taken away for repairs.

When it comes to picking up some comfortable loungewear that will keep you warm and comfortable, everyone knows that Primark is one of the best places to be.

A Scots baby with a rare genetic condition has had pioneering transplant surgery to save her life after she was born weighing just 1lb and 14oz. Little Aria Leigh Foreman was born at 27 weeks on November 19, 2021, when mum Kayleigh Coyle was rushed in for an emergency C-section.

The family of an Annan mum killed in a horror crash have slammed the justice system after the driver responsible for her death was jailed for four years and four months.

Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker are enjoying a night out!

There are now just five contestants remaining in the Big Brother house after two players were evicted during the latest episode.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic You’ve heard the expression, “There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy.” Well, “The Grab” makes the case that society had best brace itself for disorder, since certain parties are gobbling up the world’s food and water resources while the rest of us are distracted by other things. Produced in association with the Center for Investigative Reporting, “Blackfish” director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s astonishing, eye-opening doc hits us with the idea that the next world war won’t be fought over ideology, oil or border disputes, but basic resources like meat, wheat and water, none of which should be taken for granted. Experts call this field “food security,” and the entire system is more fragile than it looks. World populations are climbing while water resources are dwindling, which has led countries such as Saudi Arabia and China to seek farmland on other continents. Among its myriad examples, “The Grab” focuses on a 15-square-mile expanse in La Paz, Ariz., an arid desert locale where there’s no limit to the amount of water landowners can pump from the aquifers. Arizona’s policy of unrestricted access means Saudi investors can legally tap into the water table to grow fields of hay, which will be shipped home to feed their cattle, even if it means draining the wells of local farmers in the process.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic At the end of “The Swimmers,” you could be excused for thinking that Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini won an Olympic gold medal. She didn’t. That’s not to detract from everything she and her older sister, Sara, went through to escape the Syrian civil war and reclaim their dreams of competitive swimming. It just means that director Sally El Hosaini and co-writer Jack Thorne didn’t know how else to wrap this inspirational true story, which is ideally suited for one of those 40-minute Oscar-grubbing documentary shorts but is stretched over three times that length (and then some) in this feel-good Toronto Film Fest opener. At a bloated 134 minutes, it’s not enough that co-leads (and real-life sisters) Nathalie and Manal Issa have great chemistry on-screen, or that the story reminds you of last year’s “Flee” and a dozen other true-life refugee stories. The gratuitous running time tells you something right off: There’s more than enough movie here even without the trip to the Rio Olympics, where Yusra placed 41st out of 45 in the 100-meter butterfly. But stretching it out this long is still liable to make your brain start to prune, the way fingers do when they spend too much time in water.

Manori Ravindran International Editor The Toronto International Film Festival kicked off on a historic day with one of its strongest opening films in years in Sally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers,” but what some audience members will likely remember is the stressful experience of getting to Roy Thomson Hall in the first place. TIFF, which has gone digital this year via Ticketmaster, has been plagued with ticketing issues all week thanks to a complicated voucher process for public tickets. While it was hoped that many of the technical kinks would be ironed out by opening night, this wasn’t the case. Media outlets, including Variety, that received opening night tickets from the film’s studio — in this case, Netflix — didn’t receive their tickets in time for the screening due to “technical glitches” and had to be rounded up and escorted to their seats by representatives for the streamer.

The last decade has seen a plethora of movies about the crisis in Syria, most of them hard-hitting documentaries tracking the brutal effects of the war and the plight of those who’ve left and those who’ve stayed. At the same time, there’s never been a shortage of inspirational sports films where plucky athletes overcome obstacles to realize their dreams.But “The Swimmers,” which opened the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, is a rare mixture of the two: It’s an inspirational sports movie about a pair of Syrian swimmers, sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini, who fled from their home in Damascus during the Syrian civil war in 2015 to Europe, where they might have a chance to advance their athletic careers and swim in the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.TIFF has opened with sports movies in the past, though you might be forgiven for forgetting about the festival’s 2010 opener, “Score: A Hockey Musical,” or 2017’s “Borg/McEnroe,” with Shia LaBeouf perhaps typecast as the petulant John McEnroe. At any rate, “The Swimmers” is more substantial than either of those films.

We of course hear the news that Queen Elizabeth had passed away at age 96. I, like the rest of the world, am so sad tonight, but also so thankful, and grateful to the queen for the most incredible service and leadership that she has shown during all of our lifetimes. All day, you will have been hearing statistics about her reign as the longest-ruling monarch in British history.

Clayton Davis Bathroom stalls, showering marines and flashlights under the sheets encompass A24’s “The Inspection.” While the moving drama could catch the attention of progressive Academy members, others may find the honest subject matter too off-putting. A common denominator is the outstanding performances from Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union. As Ellis French, Pope takes the lead of Elegance Bratton’s moving directorial and writing debut “The Inspection,” which had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. The A24 film, inspired by true events, is a showcase for Pope and full of “Oscar-clip-worthy” scenes. We’ll see how the circuit treats the film, as Pope will be battling with bigger names such as Hugh Jackman and Colin Farrell for recognition.

is barreling headfirst toward a wild and unpredictable finale, and Thursday's surprise double eviction night really turned up the heat and sent one of the most powerful players of all time to the jury.So, which two houseguests were sent packing?  Otherwise, here's how everything that led up to and played out during Thursday's big show.Last Thursday, Kyle Capener got evicted after yet another big blowup regarding racial comments and controversy. With Kyle in the jury house, everyone's focus then pivoted over to Michael Bruner — the winningest house guest of the season and one of the best comp beasts in the history of the show.However, true to form, Michael won his third Head of Household competition of the season and made it impossible for the other houseguests to get rid of him — yet!With only seven houseguests left, Michael's options were limited.

Not even the death of Queen Elizabeth II could halt the hustle and bustle of another in-person Toronto International Film Festival during the Covid era as throngs lined up for premieres and chomped off food carts on festival row (aka King Street).

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Hours after Queen Elizabeth II’s death at the age of 96 was announced on Thursday, Elton John — who enjoyed the closest relationship with the Royal Family of any music artist — paid tribute at his concert in Toronto. “We have the saddest news about the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth,” he said. “She was an inspiring person to be around — I’ve been around her and she was fantastic. She led the country though some of our greatest and darkest moments with grace, decency and a genuine care and warmth. “I’m almost 75 — she’s been with me all my life and I feel very sad that she won’t be with me anymore. But I’m glad she’s at peace, and I’m glad she’s at rest, and she deserves it because she’s worked bloody hard,” he continued as the audience cheered.

SPOILER ALERT – Do not continue reading if you don’t want to know what happened on Big Brother’s latest episode!

Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle on Thursday, a year and half after her beloved husband Prince Philip's death in April 2021. The pair was married for 73 years, making them the longest-married couple in royal history.

Gabrielle Union has the support of husband Dwyane Wade at her latest premiere!

A mum who went on a drunken 50 mile drive along a motorway with her 15-month-old son in the back of her BMW has walked free from court. Bernadette Halliwell, 31, from Kearsley, near Bolton, was stopped on the M6 near Keele services in Staffs during the evening rush hour after she being seen weaving around the carriageway whilst on her way to buy a children's slide she had seen on the internet.