Alice Oseman talks “evolution” of ‘Heartstopper’ season 3

Alice Oseman talks “evolution” of ‘Heartstopper’ season 3
Alice Oseman talks “evolution” of ‘Heartstopper’ season 3
L-R: Joe Locke, Alice Oseman and Jenny Walser (Photo by Netflix/Sama Kai)

Season 3 of Heartstopper debuted Oct. 3, quickly claiming a spot on Netflix’s top 10 and racking up exceedingly positive reviews. The beloved teen romance, starring Kit Connor and Joe Locke as boyfriends Nick and Charlie, is being praised for its handling of deeper themes including mental health, gender identity, sex and intimacy. 
 
“It was quite scary for us to put it out there because it is an evolution of Heartstopper,” series creator Alice Oseman tells ABC Audio of the new episodes. “It’s doing a lot of new things that the previous seasons didn’t do before and we didn’t really know how the fans would react to that. But the response seems to have been really positive, and everyone’s been so excited and happy with the story.”
 
Thursday, Oct. 17, is Spirit Day, an anti-bullying movement for LGBTQ youth, and Heartstopper deals with the trauma of bullying in Charlie’s mental health journey this season. The first half focuses on Charlie seeking treatment, while the second half follows Nick and Charlie as they grow closer than ever. Oseman says she wanted to focus on the “very relatable anxieties” teenagers have around having sex for the first time, as well as the importance of communication and consent.

While season 4 has yet to be greenlit by Netflix, Oseman says she feels hopeful about the prospect and that there are lots of people in the process “working really hard to try and make it happen.”
 
In the meantime, there’s still more story to tell when it comes to the graphic novels on which the series is based. Oseman is hard at work on Volume 6 of the series, with new pages posted online on the 1st, 11th and 21st of each month.
 
“Volume 6 is going to be very focused on Nick and Charlie thinking about the future and the fact that Nick is about to go to university and their school life together is coming to an end, and they’re both really, really scared about that,” she says. “Everything’s going to massively change for them.”
 
“There’s a lot more to come and I’m very excited,” Oseman says.

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In brief: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ adds Sophia Bush and more

In brief: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ adds Sophia Bush and more
In brief: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ adds Sophia Bush and more

Variety reports Seann William Scott, best known for playing Steve Stifler in the American Pie movies, has joined the cast of the upcoming ABC sitcom Shifting Gears, alongside series stars Tim Allen and Kat Dennings. The comedy centers on Matt, “the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop,” played by Allen, according to the official logline. “When Matt’s estranged daughter (Dennings) and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.” Scott will play Gabriel, “family friend of Matt & Riley who works in the shop with Matt” …

One Tree Hill alumna Sophia Bush has been added the cast of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy in a major recurring role for the medical drama’s 21st season, according to Deadline. Bush will play Dr. Cass Beckman, “an amiable, fun and a little messy around the edges trauma surgeon at Seattle Presbyterian whose husband David Beckman is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Grey Sloan,” per the outlet. She joins former Grey’s cast members Scott Speedman, Natalie Morales and the series’ director/executive producer Debbie Allen. Bush will make her first appearance in episode six, airing Nov. 7 …

Stranger Things alum Mason Dye has been tapped for a guest-starring role in the fifth and final season of the Prime Video series The Boys, according to Variety. He will appear in the role of Bombsight, “a Supe who starred in the early Vought superhero film The Curse of Fu Manchu in the 1950s.” Dye joins Hamilton‘s Daveed Diggs, who will appear in an undisclosed role. The Boys is based on the graphic novel series from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and follows the eponymous team of vigilantes who set out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers. Antony Starr, Karl Urban, Erin Moriarty and Jack Quaid star …

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Kate Winslet on redefining Lee Miller away from the male gaze in ‘Lee’

Kate Winslet on redefining Lee Miller away from the male gaze in ‘Lee’
Kate Winslet on redefining Lee Miller away from the male gaze in ‘Lee’
Kimberley French/Sky UK

Kate Winslet is photographer Elizabeth “Lee” Miller in the new film Lee, in theaters now.

The movie tells the true story of the fashion model-turned-photographer who became an acclaimed war correspondent as she covered World War II for Vogue magazine.

While Winslet was familiar with Miller’s work before joining the film, she did not know all of the details of her life. She told ABC Audio she is happy to share Miller’s story with the world.

“I did not know just how extraordinary what she actually did as a middle-aged woman in going to the front line, and pushing through and into male-dominated spaces where women were not allowed in order to be that visual voice for the victims of the conflict,” Winslet said.

Another thing that attracted Winslet to the project was the idea of reshaping the way Miller had been framed in history.

“She had been, I think, somewhat defined by the male gaze in history,” Winslet said. “She was referred to as the muse of Man Ray, the former lover of X, Y, Z … this was this chapter of her life, a tiny little chapter in her 20s, but somehow these somewhat infantilizing labels had been stuck on her.”

“She became so much more and way beyond that when she moved into those powerful decades of her life in her 30s and 40s,” Winslet continued.

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Tom Holland launches nonalcoholic beer brand

Tom Holland launches nonalcoholic beer brand
Tom Holland launches nonalcoholic beer brand
BERO co-founders Tom Holland and John Herman

While many celebrities have been making a mint hawking liquor, Tom Holland is bucking the trend by launching an alcohol-free beer, BERO. 

The movie star said in a press release, “For me, BERO is personal. After two years on my sobriety journey, I wanted to create something that reflected my lifestyle and values.”

As reported, Holland has embraced the sober life. In 2023 he told the On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast he called it “the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Holland says in the announcement, “This beer isn’t just for those on a similar path, but for everyone who appreciates quality, craftsmanship and living life to the fullest. BERO delivers the taste and experience of a great brew, and never asks you to settle for less.” 

According to the ad copy, BERO provides “not only exceptional flavor, but … it is a brand designed to be aspirational and inclusive, aiming to honor all the best aspects of beer. It’s made for discerning drinkers who want more from life, whether or not alcohol is part of the equation.”

The line, which will roll out in 2025, includes Kingston Golden Pils, named after Tom’s hometown Kingston Upon Thames; Edge Hill Hazy IPA, named for Tom’s school; and Noon Wheat, named in honor of Tom’s beloved schnauzer.

Holland told Shetty that after a particularly boozy holiday season he decided to give Dry January a go and just kept on — not that it wasn’t “difficult.”  

However, he found by the time his birthday rolled around that June that it was worth it. “I could sleep better. I could handle problems better … I felt better. I felt fitter. And I just said to myself, ‘Why am I so obsessed with having this drink?'”

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“Deeply hurtful”: Cynthia Erivo calls out Photoshoppers who made her Wicked poster look like the original

“Deeply hurtful”: Cynthia Erivo calls out Photoshoppers who made her Wicked poster look like the original
“Deeply hurtful”: Cynthia Erivo calls out Photoshoppers who made her Wicked poster look like the original
Universal

Someone who photoshopped the poster to the Wicked movie to make it appear more like the one that appeared on Broadway was likely not expecting to get clapped back by one of the movie’s stars, Cynthia Erivo

But she did, calling the edit “The wildest, most offensive thing I have seen.”

In an Instagram Story, Erivo showed the edited work, which depicts the brim of her witch hat casting a shadow over her eyes, as it appears in the Broadway poster. 

“The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION. I am a human being who chose to look right down the barrel of the camera to you, the viewer because…without words we communicate with our eyes,” Erivo insisted. 

She continued, “Our poster is an homage not an imitation, to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me. And that is just deeply hurtful.” 

She suggested that the shadow was equally as offensive to her as a popular meme going around that was based on the poster, which has Ariana Grande‘s “good” witch Glinda whispering into the ear of Erivo’s Elphaba. 

For delicacy’s sake, we won’t quote it, but the gist is Glinda asking her if the rest of her body is green, too.

“None of this is funny. None of this is cute,” Erivo said. “It degrades me. It degrades us.” 

Wicked hits theaters Nov. 22.

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Abbott Elementary, Grey’s Anatomy, The Simpsons and more to be honored at 2024 Sentinel Awards

Abbott Elementary, Grey’s Anatomy, The Simpsons and more to be honored at 2024 Sentinel Awards
Abbott Elementary, Grey’s Anatomy, The Simpsons and more to be honored at 2024 Sentinel Awards
ABC

On Wednesday, the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Hollywood, Health & Society program announced its 2024 class of Sentinel Awards winners: TV shows “that inform, educate and motivate viewers to make choices for healthier and safer lives.”

This year’s class includes ABC’s Abbott Elementary and Grey’s Anatomy; HBO’s The Morning Show and Hacks; Fox’s The Simpsons; Apple TV+’s Expats and The Big Cigar; Prime Video’s Gen V; FX’s Feud; AMC’s Dark Winds; and NBC’s Lopez Vs. Lopez

The winners of the Norman Lear Center trophy will be honored at the official awards ceremony hosted by Saturday Night Live veteran Laraine Newman on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles.

Each of the shows were singled out for spotlighting various real-world issues. For example, The Morning Show was heralded for its depiction of abortion in the episode “The Kármán Line”; The Simpsons‘ “Night of the Living Wage” highlighted income disparity; mental health was center to Gen V‘s episode “#ThinkBrink.”

Newman said in a statement, “The Sentinel Awards celebrates the voices and stories that transcend TV and help shape our culture. Norman Lear’s work has touched countless lives, and I’m proud to celebrate the transformative impact of our craft.”

She added, “As we approach the November 5th election, it’s crucial to address the pressing issues facing voters, including significant topics like abortion, which will be honored for their portrayal onscreen at the Sentinel Awards. These narratives are more important now than ever.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

“I was broke”: Al Pacino confesses he lost $50 million

“I was broke”: Al Pacino confesses he lost  million
“I was broke”: Al Pacino confesses he lost $50 million
The Hollywood Curtain/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Although he’s an icon, he’s an “idiot” with money — that’s one the takeaways from Al Pacino‘s new memoir, Sonny Boy.

According to excerpts from the New York Post, Pacino found himself in a shortfall, partially from his own lavish spending and partially because his accountant was involved in — and later jailed for — a Ponzi scheme.

Although The Godfather was a huge hit, Pacino only got $35,000 for playing Michael Corleone, and after paying his agents and the like, he was “broke.”

He explained it was his Godfather co-star, then-girlfriend Diane Keaton, who marched the actor before his attorney in the mid-’80s to try to beat some financial sense into him. “You’re going to tell me, ‘Oh, he’s an artist.’ No. He. Is. An idiot,” she reportedly said.

Calling his spending even into the 2010s “a crazy montage of loss,” he said at one point he had 16 cars, 23 cellphones and paid a landscaper $400,000 a year for “a house I didn’t even live in.”

And then there was the shady accountant.

Pacino said, “I had fifty million dollars, and then I had nothing.”

He was also supporting his three children at the time — and added a fourth in 2023.

Pacino said his now “dear friend” Adam Sandler threw him a lifeline — and a big check — for 2011’s Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill was the first movie I made after I lost my money. To be honest, I did it because I didn’t have anything else. Adam Sandler wanted me, and they paid me a lot for it.” 

At 84, the actor says he “has to think very seriously about my estate now … I have to get advice from people who are way smarter than me.”

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Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima and more make epic return to Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024

Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima and more make epic return to Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024
Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima and more make epic return to Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

The world-famous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show has returned.

The show returned after a multiyear hiatus following several controversies, with some of the modeling industry’s brightest stars, including supermodel Tyra Banks, ready to hit the runway.

The iconic model made an epic comeback on the runway Tuesday night after 20 years, closing the show following a performance by Cher.

Other familiar faces walked the runway, including Victoria’s Secret mainstays Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel and model Gigi HadidKate Moss, Behati Prinsloo, Bella Hadid and Ashley Graham also walked.

Ahead of the show, Banks shared a post, saying, “You are…Never too young to SMiZE. Never too old to DREAM. And I hope you’ll be doing both with me tomorrow when I rock that @victoriassecret runway again after almost 20 years!”

She continued, “As I walk, think about YOUR dreams, what YOU want to accomplish. That thing you’ve been doubting about yourself. That thing you’re not sure you are confident enough to accomplish.”

“Don’t ever stop DREAMING. But now, it’s time to get to DOING!” she added. “YOU GOT THIS!”

It’s been several years since the last Victoria’s Secret Runway Show. In 2019, the annual event was canceled following a turbulent period for the brand internally and externally.

One year prior, Jan Singer had stepped down as CEO of Victoria’s Secret’s lingerie division. That move came one week after Ed Razek, the chief marketing officer of Victoria’s Secret’s then-parent company, L Brands, came under fire for making controversial comments to Vogue about transgender models. Razek later apologized.

The show also previously faced criticism for a lack of inclusivity on the runway.

 

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Check out the hard-hitting trailer to Netflix’s ‘Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson’ event

Check out the hard-hitting trailer to Netflix’s ‘Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson’ event
Check out the hard-hitting trailer to Netflix’s ‘Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson’ event
Netflix

The trailer to the anticipated face-off between YouTube personality-turned-pro fighter Jake Paul and former world heavyweight champ Mike Tyson starts with a voice-over quoting the latter, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

The snippet promises, “There’s never been a night like this.”

Paul, 27, was set to fight “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” who is 58, back on July 20, but a health scare in May sidelined Tyson. 

Tyson tells DailyMail.com that an ulcer flare-up left him nauseous and dizzy on May 27, leading to the live event’s postponement. “I was doing too much bad food and stuff, and I got sick,” the legendary boxer says.

He says since then he’s been “eating clean” and is in fighting shape for the battle on Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

That said, he can’t quit vaping. “I can’t escape the vapes,” he confessed.

The fight is not without controversy, seeing as Paul is fighting someone 30 years his senior. “Iron Mike” tells the publication, “I didn’t take this fight for legacy. I think legacy really, to my perspective, legacy is ego. Who gives a f*** how people think about them when they are gone?”

He adds hypothetically, “I’m dead. I can’t value off what somebody might think about me when I’m dead, so it means nothing to me.”

Meanwhile, Netflix is giving fight fans a chance to see the event in person. Check out the sweepstakes website for details.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon do fun dance while “a thousand miles away” from each other

Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon do fun dance while “a thousand miles away” from each other
Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon do fun dance while “a thousand miles away” from each other
Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon just proved that you can still do things as a couple even while apart.

The duo shared a fun video on Instagram on Monday, doing a social media dance trend to the viral song “Disco” by Surf Curse.

“Being a thousand miles away doesn’t mean we can’t dance together,” Bacon said in the caption of the post.

Sedgwick and Bacon are never ones to shy away from sharing fun videos together.

In the past, the couple have taken part in many online trend challenges and have shared videos of themselves singing covers of songs, including “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus and “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyoncé.

Last month, the couple celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary.

Their long-distance dance got more than 170,000 likes in just a day, as well as shout outs from fans and their famous friends, including writer-director James Gunn, who directed Bacon in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and someone who knows a little about cutting a rug, Dancing with the StarsJulianne Hough.

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