Super Mario star announces retirement: ‘You are all Numba One in my heart!’

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has added to its UK drama commissioning team by hiring Best Interests EP Toby Bentley from AC Chapter One.

EXCLUSIVE: Actor and filmmaker Celyn Jones, best known for his work on pics like The Almond And The Seahorse, Six Minutes to Midnight, and Chuck Chuck Baby, has signed with UK agency United Agents. 

Xavier Giannoli is one of those rare French directors who has a stronger relationship with the Venice Film Festival than Cannes back home.

At Home With The Furys scored Netflix a rare entry in the UK’s highest-rated television shows after its first episode was seen by 2.6M viewers.

EXCLUSIVE: The UK government is “engaging with industry to understand the impacted of continued U.S. strike action” but has stopped short of committing to an Income Replacement Scheme to help freelancers with lost earnings.

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFF Society) and CAA China are launching a joint initiative to foster Chinese-language genre projects.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Luc Besson, the formerly A-list director who rose to the top of the box office with his kinetic action films, had his career derailed by rape accusations leveled against him in 2018 by Sand Van Roy, an actress on his film “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.” The ensuing legal battle consumed five years of Besson’s life, but after being cleared last June of all charges by the Cour de Cassation, the French equivalent to the Supreme Court, he’s re-emerging at this year’s Venice Film Festival with the indie drama “Dogman.” But will the industry work with Besson? That’s one of the questions that we discuss during a lengthy interview at the Plaza Athénée Hotel in Paris on the eve of his big premiere. Besson is evasive about the matter, preferring to talk up his latest effort, the story of a bruised man who faces rejection and finds solace in dogs, as well as dissatisfaction with a movie business that’s become more obsessed with superheroes than style.

Liam Payne celebrated his 30th birthday in a low-key bash surrounded by his closest friends and family. According to the Mail Online, the One Direction star enjoyed a clay pigeon shooting class with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, 24, at luxury members' club Honesberie in Warwickshire on Tuesday. In the evening, they were joined by Liam's friends and family, while ending the celebration with a firework display.

From her impeccable wardrobe to her flawless makeup, Kate Middleton is known for always getting it just right when it comes to her appearance. When it comes to her beauty look, the Princess of Wales always favours a more natural look, with barely-there beauty being her signature form of glam.

TWICE member Chaeyoung has revealed how she felt when Jeon Somi didn’t make it into the girl group.In 2015, both Chaeyoung and Jeon Somi were contestants on the reality TV show Sixteen, where sixteen JYP Entertainment trainess competed for spots in the then-upcoming girl group TWICE.The two K-pop idols had made it to the final episode of the series, but only Chaeyoung would go on to debut in TWICE. Jeon Somi, who finished the series in tenth place, would later leave JYP Entertainment in 2018, before making her solo debut under YG Entertainment-owned subsidiary The Black Label in 2019.Chaeyoung and Jeon Somi have since address that moment in a new episode of the online game show Yes or Hot, hosted by the latter.

ABBA‘s Agnetha Fältskog has returned with her first new music in 10 years, announcing the single ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ and new album ‘A+’, a reimagining of her 2013 solo album ‘A’.The Swedish singer-songwriter’s new track is out today (August 31) and was recorded in 2023 to be added to the re-release of her 2013 album ‘A’.‘A+’ is due out October 13, and you can pre-order/pre-save it here.Ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the record, Fältskog discussed the idea of what it would sound like if it was created in 2023 alongside songwriter and producer Jörgen Elofsson. They worked with producer Anton ‘Hybrid’ Mårtensson to rework the whole record, keeping the original vocals from 2013 but creating new music for 2023.“A couple of years ago I heard one of the songs from my last album ‘A’ on the radio.

RM of K-pop boyband BTS has addressed the controversy surrounding a post he made about Frank Ocean‘s 2012 song ‘Bad Religion’.Earlier this month, BTS’ RM received backlash after he shared Frank Ocean’s ‘Bad Religion’ on an Instagram Story post. According to Koreaboo, the K-pop idol was called out by some for sharing what they allege to be an “Islamophobic song”, due to a line which uses the Arabic expression “Allahu Akbar“.During a August 30 live stream on the fan community platform Weverse, RM spoke out about the backlash he has received. “I know what you’re talking about, you keep telling me that I insulted a religion, but I didn’t,” he said, as translated by Koreaboo.“There was no intention to insult a religion.

One Piece is one of the most popular anime shows in the world.Based on the original manga of the same name by Eiichiro Oda, the anime follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew of pirates as they search the world for the titular One Piece treasure.Since the show began in October 1999, over 1,000 episodes have aired across twenty seasons.

HBO Max‘s Our Flag Means Death is officially returning for its second season this year – watch the first teaser trailer below.The first teaser trailer for Our Flag Means Death‘s second season was unveiled by HBO Max last night (August 30), and confirms its release date of October 5 on the streaming service.The teaser trailer for season two sees Taika Waititi return as Blackbeard (aka Ed Teach) and Rhys Darby return as Stede Bonnet for HBO’s loose retelling of real-life English pirate Bonnet’s adventures with a comedic twist.Watch the teaser trailer for HBO Max’s Our Flag Means Death season two below.Season one of Our Flag Means Death ended on a bitter note as Bonnet and Teach were separated, leading Teach to believe he had been abandoned by Bonnet. The teaser for season two sees Bonnet embark on a quest to reunite with Teach, who has begun plotting his revenge against Bonnet for his perceived act of betrayal.Aside from Darby and Waititi, Samson Kayo, Vico Ortiz, Ewen Bremner, Joel Fry, Matthew Maher, Kristian Nairn, Con O’Neill, David Fane, Samba Schutte, Nat Faxon and Leslie Jones also star in the series.For its premiere on October 5, HBO Max will release three new episodes, with the rest of the season being released weekly until its conclusion on October 26.In other HBO news, the streaming service announced earlier this week that it has cancelled Sam Levinson and The Weeknd’s controversial series The Idol after just one season.

Shocking drone images have captured the devastating aftermath of a 'suspicious firebombing' at a restaurant in Bothwell.

An expert mechanic has warned drivers that failing to turn off one common car feature before you set off could be really damaging to your vehicle.

More than 34,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the State Pension to be paid to everyone in retirement at the same rate as the National Living Wage, despite an official response rejecting the proposal. According to map data on the petitions-parliament website, 34,062 signatures have now been recorded from every parliamentary constituency across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A Scots man accused of killing his paralysed wife in the US has appeared in court for the first time.

Samia and Sylvain Longchambon are probably quite relieved to be back on home soil after an eventful Spanish break. Having originally met on the ITV series Dancing on Ice a decade ago, before tying the knot three years later, the couple chose Mallorca as their summer holiday destination, but a series of unfortunate events came close to derailing the whole thing. The 41 year old shared their experiences in an Instagram post on Wednesday, candidly writing: "Our holiday in Mallorca consisted of..

Overnight road works on the A77 near Turnberry will see a single file system in place over the coming nights.

Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones broke down in tears during a special episode of DIY SOS, after a guest dedicated a dance performance to her late father. Katya, 34, joined the likes of Luba Mushtuck, Nancy Xu and Graziano Di Prima for the BBC show, which is fronted by Nick Knowles, 60. It usually sees Nick and a team of decorators treat deserving people to a home makeover, but the special episode saw them transforming a performing arts school in Wallsend, North Tyneside.The building is used by charity True Colours, which supports children and young adults of all abilities who have a passion for dance.

When Victoria Beckham appeared on Top Of The Pops in the year 2000, former host Gail Porter has revealed that the Spice Girl “banned” anyone from making eye contact with her on the set. Former children's TV presenter, Gail, said that members of the crew were warned by her team not to stare at her as she appeared on the show with Dane Bowers to perform Out Of Your Mind. Recalling the “awkward” experience over 20 years ago, the 52-year-old told MailOnline: “Victoria and Dane's people had banned anyone from making eye contact with them while they were there, so it was super awkward.” She continued: “So anyway, I am standing going, 'It's Gail Porter, it's still No1, it's still Top Of The Pops', and because the cameras can't see them, please welcome to the stage Victoria Beckham and Dane Bowers, Out Of Your Mind”.

Love Island star Ella Thomas is said to have bagged herself a six-figure fashion deal with online retail giant, PrettyLittle Thing.The 23 year old Glaswegian stunner is said to have been picked to front the retailer's latest campaigns, following in the footsteps of fellow former Love Island stars, Molly-Mae Hague and Indiyah Polack. A source told The Sun: “PLT weren’t sure if they would sign anyone this year but Ella seemed like an obvious choice.

Marta Balaga Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel, who was behind “The Dark Tower” with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey – is bringing back the historical epic with “The Promised Land,” which world premieres in Venice Film Festival competition section. Set in 1755 and based on a true story, it sees captain Ludvig Kahlen (played by Mads Mikkelsen) deciding to finally conquer the Danish heathland and build a colony there. But its ruler, Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), doesn’t want to share the inhospitable land.

Alison Herman TV Critic As a school of adaptation, the live-action take on anime and manga is only slightly less cursed than the live-action series or film based on a video game. Yet remarkably, 2023 is set to be a banner year for both.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Production is under way on season two of “The Twelve,” a crime drama which follows a controversial murder trial as seen through the lens of the 12 jury members, ordinary members of the public with their own realities and struggles. On completion, it will screen on Foxtel’s Binge streaming service.

Naman Ramachandran Iconic British horror label Hammer Films and Studios has been acquired by renowned British theater producer John Gore. Gore, a 20-time Tony, Emmy and Olivier-winning entertainment producer, is known for his live theater company the John Gore Organization, which owns Broadway.com and Broadway Across America – a leading presenter, distributor and marketer of Broadway theater worldwide. The company was one of the producers of three of 2022’s big Tony winners: “A Strange Loop” (best musical), “The Lehman Trilogy” (best play) and “Company” (best revival).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief CAA China has teamed up with the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society to unveil a joint initiative that will foster Chinese-language genre film projects. The HGC initiative will operate an open call for projects from Monday until the end of October.

Ricky Hatton is looking back at some of his lowest moments. And as you might expect he doesn't pull his punches.

The anonymous buyer of the largest bottle of whisky ever created was a world record-breaking aficionado in Vietnam who owns a whisky and cognac collection worth an estimated £158.3 million, it has been revealed.

As the countdown begins to Adult Learners’ Week 2023 in North Lanarkshire, the spotlight is firmly set on supporting personal growth and encouraging learning opportunities for all.

Nintendo has announced Charles Martinet, the voice behind Mario, is stepping down from the role after almost three decades.In a statement on Monday (August 21), the company said Martinet will now become a “Mario Ambassador” who will “continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario”.“It has been an honour working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him,” Nintendo’s statement read. “Please keep an eye out for a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles himself, which we will post at a future date.”In response to the statement, Martinet wrote: “My new Adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart! #woohoo!!!!!”My new Adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart! #woohoo !!!!!!! https://t.co/3YWYewlnXt— Charles Martinet (@CharlesMartinet) August 21, 2023Martinet first voiced the character in 1994’s Mario Teaches Typing, but was widely introduced to many in 1996’s Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64.Along with Mario, the actor voiced various other Nintendo characters including Luigi, Wario and Waluigi across the Mario Kart, Luigi’s Mansion and Mario Party series.While Chris Pratt voiced the character in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Martinet made a cameo appearance as the voice of Mario and Luigi’s father, along with Giuseppe.Many fans have since shared tributes and clips to honour Martinet’s retirement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Charles Martinet, the original voice of Mario in Nintendo games since the 1990s, is stepping down.

Charles Martinet, the original and longtime voice actor of Mario in the Nintendo Super Mario game series, is retiring from the role he’s held since the 1990s, Nintendo announced today. The actor will continue his association with the character in the capacity of what the game company calls a “Mario Ambassador.”

Charles Martinet is stepping away from an iconic role.

Ethan Shanfeld Charles Martinet, the iconic voice of Mario for more than three decades, is “stepping back from recording character voices” for Nintendo as he transitions into a new role. Now a “Mario Ambassador,” Martinet will travel the world and interact with fans on behalf of the gaming company. Martinet started at Nintendo in 1991, and his first major performance as the mustachioed plumber was in 1996’s Super Mario 64, the landmark 3D platformer that introduced much of the world to Mario’s enthusiastic Italian intonation.