Merit: Celebs Rumors

Jessica Kiang With conflict currently erupting in Sudan, one could be forgiven for approaching Mohamed Kordofani’s “Goodbye Julia,” which takes place in Khartoum during the six years prior to the 2011 secession of South Sudan, as a worthy, topical history lesson. And it certainly does have merit as a primer for the class, ethnic and religious unrest that besets the troubled state. But what actually transpires is far more engaging, in the vein of Asghar Farhadi, wherein a tight, high-concept moral core unravels into strands of widening, deepening social consequence. Telling the story of a fraught friendship between two very different women, Kordofani’s intelligent, compassionate scripting ensures that the political never overwhelms the personal. Yet it also illuminates just how well the fault lines that divide a nation can map onto the rifts within a human heart divided against itself. 

Having seen his 2024 White House bid embarrassingly misfire on the launch pad last week, Ron DeSantis is once again being mocked by both the Walt Disney Company and Donald Trump for his luckless battle with the Mouse House.

Metacritic, making it one of the lowest-rated games of the year.While critics acknowledged there was merit to the game’s overarching story and characterization of Gollum, that was more or less where the compliments ended. According to Metacritic, there hasn’t been a single mainstream positive review, with the cheeriest writeup being a “mixed” review by GamingTrend that emphasized the narrative’s efforts to balance out the game’s many middling aspects.Other critics derided the title’s dated mechanics, stale design choices, lack of identity and lack of technical polish.While most of those aforementioned qualms’ roots are baked into the DNA of the game and are unable to be altered post-launch, Daedalic Entertainment did take the time to share an apology for its product’s shortcomings to Twitter.A few words from the " The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™ " team pic.twitter.com/adPamy5EjO“We acknowledge and deeply regret that the game did not meet the expectations we set for ourselves or for our dedicated community,” the post reads.

“Romeo & Juliet” who claim they were coerced by director Franco Zeffirelli into performing a nude scene as teenagers. In a tentative ruling filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Alison Mackenzie ruled that the plaintiffs’ case did not sufficiently prove that the nude scene amounted to “child pornography” and therefore overrode the film’s First Amendment protections as an artistic work.

“Thus with a kiss I die,” wrote William Shakespeare in Romeo & Juliet, and thus echoed a Los Angeles judge today over the alleged sexual abuse and negligence lawsuit from the stars of Franco Zeffirelli Oscar-nominated 1968 adaptation of the doomed lovers play.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A judge on Thursday said she will throw out a lawsuit over a nude scene in the 1968 version of “Romeo and Juliet,” after finding that the film is protected by the First Amendment. The stars of the film, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, filed the suit in December, alleging that they were coerced by director Franco Zeffirelli into performing nude in the film’s bedroom scene. Hussey was 16 at the time of filming; Whiting was 17. Judge Alison Mackenzie granted Paramount’s motion to throw out the suit, finding that the plaintiffs had not complied with the provisions of a California law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for child sex abuse claims.

K.J. Yossman Prince Harry has lost a legal challenge in the U.K. over paying for private police protection according to the Press Association. The prince, who is also known as the Duke of Sussex, had attempted to launch a judicial review over the decision to reject his bid to privately hire members of the U.K. police force for his (and his family’s) personal protection. A judicial review is a court process that examines the way in which a decision has been reached by a public body. It does not consider the merits of the decision itself. When Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex took a “step back” from the Royal Family by relocating first to Canada and then to California, they lost their entitlement to publicly-funded police protection.

There was come old-school writer cred on the picket line outside the Fox lot in Century City today. David E. Kelley, he of the 11 Emmys and 30 nominations, is a veteran of multiple WGA strikes going back to 1988. Introducing himself as “David E. Kelley, old writer,” the Love & Death creator — whose many credits also include Big Little Lies, Big Sky, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Undoing, The Practice, Ally McBeal, and Picket Fences — told Deadline why he’s striking this time.

SNP MP Martyn Day has asked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if it has considered increasing Universal Credit payment rates for claimants under the age of 25, who are paid £76.63 less than people over that age threshold, on the standard allowance.

Dumbarton’s Lorna McClymont has been crowned as the UK’s top student golfer after finishing the British Universities and Colleges (BUCS) Tour in top spot.

A Starz series from Ava DuVernay starring Joshua Jackson and Lauren Ridloff is the latest series halting its production as a result of the writers strike.

One of Bolton’s most iconic pubs is set for a major transformation as Yates’ Wine Lodge becomes a a Slug and Lettuce bar. The historic Yates’ pub, a Grade II listed building on Bradshawgate, has been a stop off on the social scene for generations of Boltonians enjoying a night out.

Scarlett Johansson still has a lot of love for Disney, though.

A proposal to turn shop storage space into six flats in Ayr High Street has ‘disaster written all over it’, according to an objector.

Dominated by modern commercial office buildings, Spinningfields has been described as the 'Canary Wharf of the North'.

A row broke out among Renfrewshire councillors as they debated the merits of the monarchy on the eve of King Charles III's Coronation.

which first reported the lawsuit.The lawsuit was filed by a “We’re Here” production assistant named Daniel McGarrigle, who says that on Feb. 25, 2020, he was raped by Pierce in the performer’s Louisiana hotel room after a crew party. McGarrigle says he had passed out, and woke up to find Pierce attempting to penetrate him.

sign-up revamp blog post reads. “We believe it’s important for Mastodon to be good as a product on its own merits, and not just because of its ideology.

Alison Herman TV Critic “Love & Death” feels familiar, as it should. The Max drama is the second series in less than a year to take on the same story: the case of Candy Montgomery, a Texas housewife who killed her friend and neighbor Betty Gore with an ax in 1980. This version follows closely on the heels of “Candy,” which aired on Hulu last year. The proximity practically demands comparison, and it’s tempting to draw up a laundry list of differences and call it a review. “Love & Death” casts Elizabeth Olsen as Montgomery, while “Candy” stars Jessica Biel. (The more jarring contrast is between the former’s Jesse Plemons and the latter’s Pablo Schreiber, two physically opposite actors who both assume the role of Allan Gore, Betty’s husband and Candy’s ex-lover.) “Candy” is inflected with horror, while “Love & Death” is more naturalist. “Candy” flashes back from the day of the murder, which saw Montgomery toggle from brutal homicide to eerily banal errands, while “Love & Death” is more linear in structure. The effect is not unlike that of 2019’s competing documentaries about the viral quagmire known as Fyre Festival, with the same details refracted through distinct sensibilities. But instead of racing to cover a recent event, these shows converge on a tragedy more than four decades old.

Two tourist attractions and a hotel in Perthshire have been recognised as the best in the UK by customers from North America.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced that it will put “protections in place” to ensure that “no one experiences financial loss” when Work Capability Assessments (WCA) are scrapped as part of upcoming changes to the benefits system.

A pensioner has been left housebound after she broke her hip stepping on a loose slab in Glasgow city centre.

The killer of Olivia Pratt-Korbel could have his 42-year prison sentence increased due to complaints that the verdict was 'too lenient'. Thomas Cashman, 34, could not face the nine-year-old's relatives in court when handed his sentence.

Thomas Cashman has appealed to have his 42-year jail term for the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel reduced - less than three weeks after being sentenced.

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that in August last year there were 956,448 people receiving weekly payments for Carer’s Allowance, including 83,196 living in Scotland.

Aberdeen have been told to forget about ripping up the rulebook to get a new panel for another Graeme Shinnie appeal – because the Dons helped write the laws in the first place.

Emily Longeretta “Love Is Blind” is under fire. In a new report, multiple contestants spoke out about the conditions inside the Netflix series, produced by Kinetic Content, claiming that they have been put through “emotional warfare.” In a report published by Business Insider on Monday, cast members spoke about their experiences on the show. Season 2 contestant Danielle Ruhl stated she was surprised she passed the psychological screening since she’d allegedly disclosed a past suicide attempt. Ruhl, who married and then divorced Nick Thompson, claimed that during filming, she tried to leave after having a panic attack, hiding in the closet and telling producers she didn’t feel mentally stable enough to stay: “I kept telling them, ‘I don’t trust myself. I’ve tried committing suicide before. I’m having suicidal thoughts. I don’t think I can continue in this.'”

The big beef between Megan Thee Stallion and her label continues. In a new legal filing the rapper accuses 1501 Certified Entertainment of squandering and moving money that she could be due if her ongoing litigation against the music company is successful.There have been various disagreements between 1501 and Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete.

A government lawyer has been asked to consider whether the jail term handed to an axe wielding killer who bludgeoned his housemate to death is 'unduly lenient'. Kieran Oldham received a life sentence for the murder of 21-year-old Liam Richardson.

A man who killed six people including himself during a rampage at a US bank was reportedly a popular student. Connor Sturgeon, 23, was told he was going to be sacked from his job at the Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, before he decided to carry out the attack.

The judge in a case brought by meme stock shareholders against AMC Entertainment declined to approve a settlement unveiled earlier this week that would have allowed the exhibitor to move ahead with plans to convert its AMC Preferred Equity units (APEs) to common stock, among other measures.

that he has “a real eating problem,” his words were more impactful than he may have realized. For one thing, men have historically been left out of the (despite the fact that about  who identify as male in the United States will experience an ED at some point in their life).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief To stimulate travel to Singapore through TV series and films, the city state’s Infocomm Media Development Authority and the Singapore Tourism Board are launching a $7.53 million (S$10 million) fund. The fund will support selected projects by international media and entertainment companies. These must be set in Singapore and launched before the first quarter of 2027. Successful projects will receive funding support of up to 30% of their qualifying costs related to featuring Singapore, including production and marketing costs. Project proposals will be evaluated based on their distribution and market reach, content concept and creative merit, opportunities to feature Singapore’s offerings and experiences, as well as the number of local talents involved in credited roles.

Manchester has become the first city in the UK to introduce a new tourist tax - meaning those hoping to stay overnight in the city will have to pay £1 per room, per night, for their accommodation - but it has left people divided.

A woman who was at risk of being sent back to Afghanistan and feared for her life has spoken of her happiness and excitement at hearing she will be allowed to stay in the UK.

Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler reunited for their new Netflix film Murder Mystery 2, to the delight of their fans, but the reviews for the detective comedy are mixed.  The co-stars and pals have reprised their roles as married couple Nick and Audrey Spitz, who are now full-time private detectives after finding themselves caught up in a murder investigation in 2019's Murder Mystery.  In the sequel directed by Jeremy Garelick, the Spitzes are invited to the destination wedding of the Maharajah Vikram Govindan (Adeel Akhtar), but they are forced to go into detective mode when he is kidnapped before the ceremony.