‘The Idol’ actress Lily Rose Depp’s co-star addresses nudity backlash, refutes report of ‘chaotic’ set

K.J. Yossman A report has laid bare the challenges faced by Elstree Film Studios, best known as the home of the original “Star Wars” films. The studio, which is owned and operated by Hertsmere Council, requires a cash injection of £150-200 million (up to $255 million) to “replace life expired buildings and ensure its competitiveness beyond the 21st century.” Last summer, during the replacement of some studio doors, asbestos was found in three soundstages as well as other buildings, which required remediation work. During that work, the contractor reported that some of the roof structures and walls were in a “dangerous” state, with some concrete beams dating back to the 1960s and ‘80s having already snapped.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The great Choi Min-sik was on hand to take early headlines at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan). Described somewhat blandly as “a highly reliable performer” by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), Choi is not only the star of Korea’s top grossing film of all time “The Admiral: Roaring Currents,” he continues to be available for work of all different levels. He appears in no less than ten titles that played at the festival this week. The festival also does reliable — in its own way – as it plays up to its “stay strange” mantra, cooperates with other festivals of a similar fantasy leaning and sidesteps the political infighting that currently bedevil Korea’s best-known festivals.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Gilles Pélisson, the former boss of TF1, has been elected president of French film and TV promotion org Unifrance. He will succeed to Serge Toubiana and Hervé Michel. Other candidates to take the helm of Unifrance included Frédérique Bredin, the former boss of the National Film Board (CNC), Anne Durupty, former Arte France boss, and film producer Marie Masmonteil. Pelisson was elected by a 60-member executive committee, which representatives of guilds and commissions. Pelisson is a veteran within France’s media industry landscape. He previously headed Bouygues Telecom and entered the Bouygues-owned commercial TV network TF1 in 2009 as administrator. He became president of TF1 in 2016 and recently stepped down from the network which is now headed by Rodolphe Belmer.

Bob Marley: One Love has been released – you can watch it above.Starring Kingsley Ben-Adir, the upcoming biopic centres on the life of the iconic reggae singer, from the early days of his career to his death in 1981.The film, which is set for release on January 12, 2024, is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard) and written by Zach Baylin, Frank E. Flowers and Terence Winter.

Ice Spice has revealed the extent of her friendship with Taylor Swift, calling the pop titan her mentor who gives her “so much advice”.The Bronx native featured on the remix for Swift’s viral 2022 ‘Midnights’ track, ‘Karma’, back in May this year. On the same day, Ice Spice joined the ‘Love Story’ singer on stage at her New Jersey gig to perform their duet live.

Robert Rinder has cheekily been told to 'get a room' by his social media followers as he gushed over his new friendship with Rylan Clark. The pair have been getting tongues wagging after the criminal barrister and TV star jokingly said they had got engaged while filming their new show.

The Met Office has predicted temperatures reaching as high as 30C this weekend which means we'll be in for a few uncomfortable evenings.

Ten years after she was jailed for drug smuggling in the South American country, a member of the infamous 'Peru Two' has graduated from university.

Martin Lewis has issued an urgent scam warning after a fake video of the money expert was shared online.

There was jubilation for a Lanarkshire dance school this week as three youngsters representing Scotland at the Dance World Cup 2023 picked up bronze medals.

Will Tizard Contributor Robin Wright will direct Patricia Clarkson in a new film, “Bingo,” which shares some DNA with the cult classic “Harold and Maude,” she told Variety Friday at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, where both Wright and Clarkson are guests. The story is a “modernized, beautiful” take on May-December romance (that is, a romantic relationship between two people with a considerable age difference), said the actor, being honored this week at the festival. One thing “Bingo” won’t feature is the dark center that “Harold and Maude,” the 1971 Hal Ashby comedy, featured, said Wright. “I love directing,” Wright said. “I love seeing what actors can do. And pulling it out of them.”

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

“The Idol” continues to ruffle viewers’ feathers.

Katcy Stephan SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from the second episode of HBO’s “The Idol,” titled “Daybreak,” now streaming on Max. The third episode of “The Idol” is here, and it further pushes the show’s already-salacious story, with a disturbing scene at the end that illustrates how thoroughly Jocelyn is under Tedros’ control. “Daybreak” opens with the rat-tailed Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye) taking Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) out for a shopping spree and performing oral sex on her in the backseat of a convertible driven by her assistant Leia (Rachel Sennott). As he picks out skimpy clothing for Jocelyn to try on, Tedros threatens a sales associate: “Let me catch you looking at her again, I’ll fucking drag you down Rodeo. I’ll fucking curb-stomp you.”

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.

Ever since “The Idol” premiered earlier this month, there’s been much critique about its sexual material, including a scene in the premiere episode where pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) decides to flash her nipples during a photoshoot, despite the nudity rider in her contract.

viewer tweeted. But, to see all the pearl-clutching on social media, you’d think that “The Idol” was the most salacious material to ever air on a TV drama. In reality, this is the same song and dance that we’ve seen many times before. And, at least when other shows featured this kind of material, they were less boring than “The Idol.” When the steamy historical romance “Bridgerton” became a Netflix sensation in 2021 – and launched Rege-Jean Page into stardom – social media was also abuzz about that show’s steamy scenes.

Selome Hailu HBO made history in 2018 for hiring Alicia Rodis on “The Deuce,” making her the first-ever intimacy coordinator on a major U.S. production. Then, in the June 4 premiere episode of HBO’s “The Idol,” a fictional intimacy coordinator got locked in a bathroom for doing his job. In the scene, pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) is shooting photos for her album cover when she pulls open her robe to reveal her nipples. Immediately, the mousy and neurotic intimacy coordinator on set (played by Scott Turner Schofield) steps in to remind the photographer (Eddy Chen) that the nudity rider in Jocelyn’s contract only permits the depiction of her “side-boob, under-boob and side flank.” The contract has been reviewed by “the label and her people,” he says, so any changes made require a 48-hour delay of the photo shoot, despite that Jocelyn chose to show her breasts without being directed to.

Sam Levinson‘s latest series “The Idol” hit HBO two weekends ago after its world premiere at Cannes in May, and the critical response is …not good. In fact, most critics think it’s a trainwreck of a show, which isn’t surprising given the stories that leaked during its production.

Lily-Rose Depp is celebrating the love of her life: girlfriend 070 Shake!

Despite its mixed reviews, HBO's The Idol has hooked fans and even led them to draw parallels between the lives of real pop stars and the show's storyline. But is the series based on a true story? On 4 June, the new Sam Levinson series introduced Lily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn, a rising pop star who embarks on a romance with Tedros, an enigmatic Los Angeles club owner and underground cult leader portrayed by Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye.

! star , 24, and her rumored girlfriend, rapper 070 Shake (nope, I don't know if you're supposed to say “oh-seven-oh” or “zero-seven-zero” or “seventy”) seem to be taking their relationship public. A bit of background on 070 Shake: The artist, whose real name is Danielle Balbuena, first gained attention from in 2018, and, in addition to contributing vocals to some of his tracks, was signed to his label. is a member of the 070 music collective, and released her debut album in 2020. If you're as curious as we are about the pair, read on for all the details we could find…January 2023: They connect at an unknown place and time.

Well, fans of The Idol, it’s looking like this is going to be your only season.

The Weeknd is responding to the backlash surrounding that graphic sex scene on his controversial new show “The Idol”.

The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, is facing backlash from the internet due to his role in a highly explicit sex scene in new HBO series The Idol.The singer plays a cult-like club owner who preys on a vulnerable pop icon struggling to create new music after the death of her mother.The controversial scene that has rubbed viewers up the wrong way shows The Weeknd's character, Tedros, firing off sexually graphic commands to Jocelyn, played by Lily Rose Depp, as she strips on her bed.The show, which has been described as a “rape fantasy,” has been facing criticism since it aired, with many people believing that this particular scene was in poor taste and crossed boundaries. One Twitter user claimed that she would “never see The Weeknd the same after this.” Another user wrote: “It sounds better when he is singing these lines.

Lily-Rose Depp has fallen head over heels!

The Weeknd is addressing that very awkward sex scene from episode two of The Idol.

The Weeknd is addressing his highly talked about moments in The Idol, and apparently they’re all part of the plan…

Ethan Shanfeld SPOILER ALERT: This story contains minor spoilers from the second episode of HBO’s “The Idol,” titled “Double Fantasy,” now streaming on Max. If that sex scene at the end of Episode 2 of HBO’s “The Idol” made you uncomfortable, then Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye accomplished his goal. Tesfaye, who co-created “The Idol” with “Euphoria’s” Sam Levinson, spoke with GQ after the scene, which features his character Tedros verbally seducing pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), sparked controversy online. “There’s nothing sexy about it,” Tesfaye told GQ. “However you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters. It’s all those emotions adding up to: this guy is in way over his head, this situation is one where he is not supposed to be here.”

Save your criticism for another day. The Weeknd has claimed that his “nasty” sex scene with Lily-Rose Depp in the second episode of HBO’s “The Idol” is more pathetic than sensual. “There’s nothing sexy about it,” the “Blinding Lights” megastar, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, told GQ in an interview published Tuesday.

Hank Azaria is defending his new HBO drama, , following controversy over the show's nude scenes.Appearing on the third hour of the  show Tuesday, Azaria said «every care was taken,» a sentiment the show's star, Lily-Rose Depp has echoed in her defense of the series.«I was mercifully left out of the nude shenanigans personally, but I can tell you that I know Lily-Rose [Depp], who was the center of all that mainly, has said publicly and privately how protected and taken care of and collaborated with and listened to and safe she felt,» Azaria said. «I know every care was taken, not just with those kind of scenes, but there are many kinds of sensitive scenes in this show, and I certainly felt safe that way and collaborated with.» stars Depp as Jocelyn, an up-and-coming pop singer who is pressured and influenced by Tedros (The Weeknd), a charismatic cult leader/self-help guru who promises Jocelyn everything and will stop at nothing to make her famous.Azaria also referenced a  expose which claimed that production of the series had «gone wildly, disgustingly off the rails,» calling the outlet's report «ridiculous.»«It seemed to be in that piece connected to what they called the 'chaotic nature of the set,' and how it was really haphazard, and that I can tell you is ridiculous… I understand how certain people could feel that way.

The buzz surrounding HBO’s controversial new series The Idol might just be working to its benefit.

creepin‘” out several viewers during the already controversial show’s second episode on Sunday.Fans of musician The Weeknd — born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye — claimed they will never be able to look at the superstar again after a “nasty” sex scene featuring the pop singer aired on the new HBO drama.The eye-popping scene saw the singer, who plays club owner and cult leader Tedros, and Jocelyn (played by Lily-Rose Depp) getting intimate with each other — in a way that rubbed viewers wrong.One Twitter user, who recorded and posted the scene online, claimed that she would “never see The Weeknd the same after this.” At one point during the steamy scene, a deadpanned Tesfaye, 33, says that he wants to “f–kin stretch that tiny, little p—y” while 24-year-old Depp’s character pleasures herself. Several other social media users also agreed with the sentiment.

The Idol debuted earlier this month, and, in a meta moment, its fictional pop star main character is quickly eclipsed by a real-life pop star. Enter Blackpink’s Jennie Kim, who is credited under her stage name Jennie Ruby Jane in the show.Ever since the 27-year-old announced her acting debut would be in The Idol, one of the most  of recent memory, BLINKs have been holding their collective breath in anticipation.

SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Episode 2 of The Idol on HBO.

William Earl SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from the second episode of HBO’s “The Idol,” titled “Double Fantasy,” now steaming on Max. The sophomore episode of “The Idol” has arrived, and following last week’s controversial and divisive series premiere, the stakes within the show have been raised. Troubled pop phenom Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) has a tortured video shoot, and then later invites her love interest, cult leader Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye) and some of his followers to her house for a night of debauchery. The sex, drugs and industry drama is amped up compared to the first episode in an hour of television sure to start online discourse.