On Venice Opening Night, Roberto Benigni Gives Somber Ceremony Its Spark

Volatile Michigan men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard potentially faces a suspension or firing for punching a Wisconsin assistant coach today during the postgame handshake line.

Hundreds of homes were at risk of flooding and 'danger to life' warnings were issued for parts of south Manchester as Storm Franklin battered the region throughout Sunday.

Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui has delivered his initial verdict after Manchester United loanee Anthony Martial was forced off inside half an hour on Sunday.

Jennifer Aniston sure knows how to take good care of her loved ones.MORE: Jennifer Aniston wows in leg-lengthening gold trousers for special occasionThe star commemorated National Love Your Pet Day with an adorable video of her showering her dog, Lord Chesterfield, with lots of love and affection.The video was taken from inside Jen's stunning home, which revealed a fireplace and luscious greenery in the background.WATCH: Jen absolutely dazzles in gold tassel trousersMORE: Reese Witherspoon shares incredible throwback of Jennifer Aniston for special celebrationThe adorable video was shared on Lolavie's Instagram page, the actress' latest venture, a hair care brand.The 53-year-old looks casual yet chic wearing a white t-shirt, jeans and black pointy-toed shoes. The video catches her on her knees as she grabs Lord Chesterfield's face and snuggles him.A post shared by LolaVie (@lolavie)The actress adorably snuggles Lord ChesterfieldThe Friends star tells her beloved pet: "You're a Lolavie boy," right before sweetly kissing him on the forehead.

Jadon Sancho sent a cheeky two-word response to Bruno Fernandes as the pair celebrated Manchester United’s win over Leeds.

Jamal Edwards has died at the age of 31.The music pioneer was best known for founding youth broadcasting and film production company SB.TV. Jamal, who is the son of English singer and TV personality Brenda Edwards, has passed away unexpectedly according to reports.Tributes have since poured in for the late star on social media, with rapper Jaykae writing: "I think I can speak for us all as artists and as supporters of uk grime/rap scene when I say I owe this man so much! Helped me sometimes without even speaking of it. RIP Jamal Edwards.

The National Basketball Association’s annual all-star game today had an unexpected surprise in the pre-game – a new trailer for the upcoming The Batman release.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are trying to expand their family.Teigen took to Instagram Saturday to share that she's undergoing another round of In vitro fertilization, or IVF, in hopes of conceiving another child with Legend.«hiiii. I posted about it in my stories, but I wanted to let you guys know I’m balls deep in another IVF cycle to save as many eggos as I possibly can and hopefully make some strong, healthy embryos.

Making progress! Throughout Janelle Brown’s tenure on TLC’s Sister Wives, viewers have seen her struggle with her weight and diet goals.

Arguably the biggest addition for this year’s Oscar race is the new Fan Favourite category, which allows fans to share their own votes for their Best Picture picks.

“Uncharted” is already exceeding industry expectations.

Justin Bieber has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to cancel his scheduled show in Las Vegas this evening (February 20).Reports in TMZ suggest Bieber tested positive for the virus on Saturday (February 19), forcing him to postpone his show this evening at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.Bieber also has shows scheduled for Glendale, Arizona on Tuesday (February 22) and Los Angeles on Wednesday and Thursday (February 23 and 24). It’s unclear yet as to whether these will go ahead.A statement read: “Due to positive COVID results within the Justice Tour family, we will unfortunately have to postpone Sunday’s show in Las Vegas.

The cast of And Just Like That is responding to Meghan McCain.

Scooter Braun has his eyes on his friend, H.Wood Group co-founder John Terzian, as a potential super-spreader.

GIANTS, explores Herb Deutsch, an electronic composer who co-invented the Moog modular synth system.The first video, which you can watch below, looks at the earliest days of the Moog factory and the musical legacy of the synths that Deutsch helped to invent.Moog said of the episode: “We are thrilled to release the first instalment of GIANTS, focusing on the legendary Herb Deutsch, in honour of his 90th birthday today!”It continues: “The composer, music educator, and friend and collaborator of Bob Moog journeys back in time to talk about some of music history’s most prolific moments and expand on ‘the perfect definition’ of what music is and can be: sound organised in time.”Speaking about the series as a whole, Moog added: “This new documentary series, filmed and produced by Moog employee-owners, is about honouring and preserving the legacy of these artists and sharing their untold stories with the world.” “The artists in this series have left an indelible impact on electronic music history and culture, and their contributions have pushed the artform and industry forward,” Moog continued.“They are the ‘giants’ whose shoulders we stand on—the pioneers who propelled synthesisers and analog instruments into the mainstream many years ago.”“Join trailblazers like Moog synthesiser co-inventor Herb Deutsch, early modular synthesiser adopter Bernie Krause, modular synthesis legend Suzanne Ciani, and Mute Records founder Daniel Miller as they describe their passions, inspirations, origin stories, and never-before-heard revelations.“Through spoken interviews, original music, and archival footage, these artists share their perspectives around how electronic music has evolved and provide context for their place in that story.” New

Rachel Brosnahan is opening up about memorizing all those lines of dialogue for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Dancing On Ice presenter Holly Willoughby faced her fears as she took to the rink with Phillip Schofield on Sunday.

Police are investigating after video footage on social media showed Phil Foden's mum being punched by a man.

.On Saturday, it was announced that Justin Bieber's Sunday show in Las Vegas is being postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak within Bieber's team.«Due to positive COVID results within the Justice Tour family, we will, unfortunately, have to postpone Sunday's show in Las Vegas,» an account the  said in a statement on Instagram. «Justin is, of course, hugely disappointed, but the health and safety of his crew and fans is always his number one priority.»The performance has been rescheduled for June 28 and tickets for the original show will be honored.

Neon’s standout romance about a young woman in Oslo churning though career choices and boyfriends passed $1 million this weekend on 265 screens, up from 49. With marketing in high gear and strong word of mouth, the Oscar Best International Feature nominee will continue to expand next week.

Cravings author also took the opportunity to address comments and speculations by fans about her pregnancy status. “I humbly beg you to stop asking if I’m pregnant because while I know it’s said with excited, good intentions, it just kind of sucks to hear because I am the opposite of pregnant,” she wrote, adding that the same courtesy should be applied to everyone.

Borussia Dortmund boss Marco Rose reckons his side have recovered quickly ahead of facing Rangers at Ibrox.

A Paisley pervert was snared by an undercover cop after sending vile videos to someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

Singer Justin Bieber has reportedly tested positive for Covid 19 and he's postponed his Las Vegas concert as a result.The 27 year old star found out he had Covid on Saturday, and a representative told TMZ the Baby singer is feeling ok. As a result, Justin's concert at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has been postponed to summer.

Bez has become the latest contestant to be voted off Dancing On Ice. After a skate-off against Sally Dynevor and her pro partner Matt, Bez, 57, was the celebrity to be booted off the show by the judges.

Manori Ravindran International Editor“Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho, this year’s Venice jury president, famously accepted his 2020 Golden Globe for best foreign film by assuring audiences that “once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”This is especially true at this year’s festival, where in addition to the standard Italian subtitles on every film, another monitor also displays English subtitles — even for English-language movies. The option has been available since 2018, say organizers, but the uptake of English subtitles has skyrocketed this year.The shift is evident in this year’s official program, which details the subtitles on offer for every movie.

Happy Friday International Insiders. Tom Grater here with the week’s top international news. To get this sent to your inbox every Friday, sign up here.

Penelope Cruz and Milena Smit coordinate their black and white looks for the premiere of Madres Paralelas during the 2021 Venice International Film Festival on Wednesday (September 1) in Venice, Italy.

Ramin Setoodeh Executive EditorAt the Venice Film Festival, the masks stay on, even during the standing ovation.At least that became protocol during the festival’s opening night movie, “Parallel Mothers,” on Wednesday night in Italy.Director Pedro Almodóvar and his muse Penelope Cruz didn’t so much as touch their face coverings during an enthusiastic five-minute standing ovation at the historic Sala Grande for the Spanish film.As soon as the credits rolled, Cruz leaned over and clutched Almodóvar’s arm in a gesture of affection.

“You need to know what kind of country you’re living in!” Janis snaps at Ana — the much younger woman who shared her hospital ward when she was giving birth — in Parallel Mothers, the Venice Film Festival’s opener. Has nobody told her there are 100,000 bodies buried in Spanish ditches? Doesn’t Ana understand that these people are victims of a war that will never be over until they are found and given decent burials? A few moments earlier, Janis was explaining to Ana how to make the perfect tortilla: slice those potatoes as thinly as possible, in case you’re wondering.

We are on the verge of the Opening Night of this year’s Venice Film Festival. Unlike last year, the event is going to feature many in-person screenings and discussions, as the industry hopes that the end of COVID is coming soon.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentOn Tuesday night, the eve of the 78th annual Venice Film Festival, Variety hosted a rooftop party at the Hotel Danieli honoring fest topper Alberto Barbera and the Biennale, its parent organization, with its International Achievement in Film Award.Variety international editor Manori Ravindran presented the prize to Barbera and Roberto Cicutto, the president of the Biennale.The event’s theme was “Stairway to Parasite,” a tribute to director Bong Joon Ho, this year’s Venice Jury President, who posed for paparazzi and mingled with fellow jurors Virginie Efire, Cynthia Erivo and with guests including Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher and supermodel Madisin Rian.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe 78th Venice Film Festival gets underway Wednesday with a slew of Hollywood stars expected on the red carpet for the Sept. 1-11 event, beginning with Penelope Cruz for Pedro Almodovar’s opening film “Parallel Mothers,” in competition, and Isabelle Huppert for French drama “Promises,” which opens the fest’s more cutting-edge Horizons section.They will soon be followed by the creative teams and key cast “of all the films,” said artistic director Alberto Barbera speaking to Variety.

Penelope Cruz knows how to make an entrance.