Tiffini Hale, the actress and singer who starred on The All New Mickey Mouse Club from 1989 to 1995, died on Christmas Day, her bandmates confirmed in an Instagram post on Thursday. She was 46.
"It is with the heaviest of broken hearts that we share the sad news of the passing of our beloved sister, Tiffini Talia Hale," a tribute posted by Hale's Mickey Mouse Club costars, Deedee Magno and Chasen Hampton, began.
"Early this month, she suffered a cardiac arrest that resulted in her being left in a coma. After many prayers and with her family by her side, our dearest Tiff took her last breath Christmas morning," the post continued. "She is now resting peacefully."
In addition to starring on the Mickey Mouse Club, Hale was also part of the Disney Channel pop band, The Party.
The announcement of Hale's death also stated that her mother Nancy and her sister Tanya "send their love to all," but ask that their "privacy be respected" during this time.
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Added Magno and Hampton: "On behalf of Tiffini's family, and her Party and MMC brothers and sisters, we want to thank all of you for the love and well wishes you have expressed for our dear Tiffini. Her beauty, talent, style and fun loving spirit will forever live in our hearts and memories."
Related video: Sandra Jaffe, New Orleans Institution Preservation Hall co-founder, dies
"Part of her magic was that she never knew how incredible she truly was. She was humble, she was thoughtful and kind. She was playful and so funny," Hampton wrote in part.
"An incredible singer, character & dramatic actress, and when the music hit her dancing skills to me we're unmatched by any female pop star since!" he added. "She was an absolutely amazing performer & I'm so so honored to of [sic] had her in my life."
Hale also appeared on an episode of the beloved '90s comedy-drama, Blossom, in 1993.
The Harry Potter reunion will premiere on HBO Max on New Year’s Day, but don’t expect to see J.K. Rowling alongside the cast and crew of the film franchise.
Entertainment Weekly reports that Rowling was indeed invited to attend the reunion, “but her team determined the archived comments from the writer were adequate.” The source added that “Rowling’s statements about trans people and the controversy swirling around them did not play a part in the team’s decision.”
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has responded to Vin Diesel's Instagram invitation for him to return to Fast & Furious 10 by saying that, not only is there "no chance" he would rejoin the franchise, but that Diesel's post was "an example of his manipulation."
"I was very surprised by Vin's recent post," Johnson said. "This past June, when Vin and I actually connected not over social media, I told him directly - and privately - that I would not be returning to the franchise. I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return. I privately spoke with my partners at Universal as well, all of whom were very supportive as they understand the problem."
He continued to say that Diesel's move was "an example of his manipulation" and that it was wrong for him to bring up Johnson's kids and Paul Walker's death in his public attempt to bring him back as Luke Hobbs once again.
"Vin's recent public post was an example of his manipulation. I didn't like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker's death. Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding. My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible 'Fast & Furious' franchise with gratitude and grace.
"It's unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters. Regardless, I'm confident in the 'Fast' universe and its ability to consistently deliver for the audience, and I truly wish my former co-stars and crew members the best of luck and success in the next chapter."
Johnson had been part of the Fast & Furious franchise since 2011's Fast Five and his final appearance in the mainline films was 2017's The Fate of the Furious. In 2019, he did return to his character for Hobbs & Shaw alongside Jason Statham.
The Dwayne Johnson-less Fast & Furious 10 will be released in theaters on May 19, 2023.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter@AdamBankhurstand onTwitch.
One of the most moving moments at the funeral for Princess Diana might not have happened if Buckingham Palace had its way.
During the funeral in 1997, Sir Elton John performed a re-written version of his classic “Candle in the Wind”, dedicated to the late Diana. The new version of the song went on to sell 33 million copies around the world.
But according to Sky News, newly released documents by the U.K. government from the National Archives reveal that the royal household at Buckingham Palace, which was in charge of organizing the funeral, was at first resistant to John performing the song.
They raised concerns that the new lyrics in the song were “too sentimental,” and Westminster Abbey place a solo saxophonist on standby as a “very second best shot” in case the palace ultimately refused to allow John to go ahead.
Thankfully, the Very Rev Dr Wesley Carr is shown in the documents to have successfully argued letting John perform the song would be an “imaginative and generous” gesture for the public.
“This is a crucial point in the service and we would urge boldness. It is where the unexpected happens and something of the modern world that the princess represented,” Carr wrote. “I respectfully suggest that anything classical or choral (even a popular classic such as something by Lloyd Webber) is inappropriate.”
“Better would be the enclosed song by Elton John (known to millions and his music was enjoyed by the princess), which would be powerful. He has written new words to the tune which is being widely played and sung throughout the nation in memorial to Diana. It is all the time on the radio,” Carr continued.
“Its use here would be imaginative and generous to the millions who are feeling personally bereaved: it is popular culture at its best,” he added. “If it were thought the words too sentimental (although that is by no means a bad thing given the national mood), they need not be printed – only sung.”
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex shared the first photo of their daughter, Lilibet "Lili" Diana, as part of their 2021 holiday card, released six months after she was born.
Meghan is seen happily holding Lilibet in the air, while Harry balances their son Archie on his lap in the image, taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski.
"This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world," the couple wrote on the front of the card. "Archie made us a 'Mama' and a 'Papa,' and Lili made us a family."
Meghan gave birth to Lilibet -- named after her great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who goes by that nickname -- in a Santa Barbara hospital in June this year.
The royal pair then explained that they were donating money this year to several organizations "that honour and protect families," including those that focus on Afghan resettlement, and organizations supporting paid parental leave in the U.S.
Christmas is looking a little different for the British royal family this year due to the surge in Omicron cases in the U.K.
Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II will be joined by Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall on Christmas at Windsor Castle, changing her plans due to the increase in cases.
In a typical year, the Queen travels to her country estate of Sandringham for the family's annual Christmas retreat.
But in recent weeks, the palace has been taking added precautions due to coronavirus, including canceling a pre-Christmas lunch that the monarch typically hosts for extended family.
It’s officially the holiday season, which means it’s time to brew a cup of hot cocoa, snuggle up under a blanket and dive into some of the most beloved classic Christmas films of all time.
Wondering where to start? Why not with the very best of the best?
From vintage selections to modern favorites and more experimental indie offerings, these are the Top 10 Best Christmas movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
FYI: every movie on the list is ranked “Fresh,” meaning at least 60% of reviews for a movie or TV show are positive. Each movie must include “the spirit of Christmas and the holidays as a central theme.” The movies were then ranked using the Adjusted Tomatometer, which factors in release year and the number of reviews.
Click through the slideshow to see the rankings of all of the Christmas-themed films…
Emily in Paris is having a hot flash — as in a hot flashback to her steamy night of passion with Gabriel, which dominates Emily’s mind while she’s out for a run in the Season 2 premiere. In fact, our gal is so distracted by her memories that she almost gets run over by a car.
Back at her apartment, Emily exclaims that it was “the most incredible night of sex that I’ve ever had in my entire life,” and Mindy’s not seeing what the problem is. Emily explains that she thought it was a goodbye, but now Gabriel is staying in Paris to open his restaurant, and she hasn’t spoken to Cami yet. So Emily sets out to find out what Gabriel has told his ex, which turns out to be nothing more than that he’s not leaving the city. Emily insist that she can’t do this to Cami.
“You didn’t do anything to Cami. You did do a lot of things to me,” Gabriel cheekily replies, and sir, you are not helping! Then Emily drops a surprise on him: She’s going to Saint-Tropez with Mathieu Cadault. “Seriously?” Gabriel asks in disbelief.
Emily meets up with Cami at Savoir to discuss business, which turns into a girls’ lunch with Sylvie. Cami knows that Gabriel isn’t staying in Paris for her and that something else is going on, which leads Sylvie to figure out that Emily slept with Gabriel. While Cami is in the bathroom, Sylvie tells Emily that she’s getting more French by the day. Emily insists that she’s not having an affair and points out that she’s actually going away with Mathieu. Sylvie calls her out for focusing on having sex with a client to take her mind off her friend’s boyfriend. “Are those the new rules?” Sylvie wonders with amusement.
While Emily is on the train (in the sleeper car she’s sharing with Mathieu!), Gabriel calls her and says he can’t believe the girl he stayed in Paris for doesn’t want to be with him. “Tell me you didn’t feel everything that I felt,” he begs. He doesn’t want to hurt Cami either, but he can’t stop thinking about Emily.
Emily, in turn, confesses that she felt things she’s never felt before — but it was a mistake. Mathieu overhears the exchange and is upset that Emily slept with Gabriel after accepting his getaway invitation. He tells her that he’s not going to Saint-Tropez with a girl who’s in love with someone else and leaves Emily alone on the train as it takes off.
Elsewhere, Mindy has no work permit, so she’s forced to work for tips as the drag club’s Le Dame Pipi (aka the woman outside the restroom). It’s a thankless (and stinky) job, but she does get to perform a song in a fabulously outrageous getup.
As for Emily’s work, Julien declares them enemies after he feels like Emily stole a luggage account from him by suggesting a collaboration with Pierre Cadault. The result of that collab is a giant, tacky suitcase with Pierre’s face plastered on it that Emily drags with her to Saint-Tropez.
Emily in Paris fans, what did you think of the season opener? Grade it below, then hit the comments!
Then: Moss had starred in a handful of films and TV projects prior to The Matrix, however after her amazing performance as Trinity, Moss then starred in major films like Memento (for which she won an Independent Spirit Award), Chocolat, and Disturbia.
Now: Moss has joined the MCU as Jeri Hogarth in Marvel shows like Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and The Defenders and, of course, is reprising the role of Trinity for The Matrix Resurrections.
A celebrated local chef and Top Chef Canada runner-up is suing one of the most well-known, fine dining restaurant groups in Vancouver, claiming he hasn't been paid the full bonus they agreed upon after he appeared on the show.
Phil Scarfone, the former head chef at Hawksworth's lively Nightingale restaurant, filed the lawsuit against the company in Vancouver provincial court on Friday.
The court documents allege Hawksworth fired Scarfone nearly two years ago and shorted him tens of thousands of dollars on his bonus.
"That refusal and Hawksworth's purported termination of the annual bonus is in breach of the bonus agreement and was done in bad faith," the lawsuit says.
None of the allegations has been proven and the company has not yet filed a response in court.
Top Chef Canada appearance
Scarfone had been with the Hawksworth group for eight years before he appeared on the Food Network's Top Chef Canada competition.
Already an established chef by his 20s, Scarfone joined the group in 2011 and "played a significant role" in crafting recipes and opening the elite Hawksworth Restaurant that June, according to the court documents.
He worked under David Hawksworth, a mentor and one of the most recognizable names in Vancouver's upscale culinary scene.
It was Hawksworth who chose Scarfone to lead the kitchen at Nightingale — a new, more casual venture — when it opened in the industrial Marine Building near the financial district in 2016, the lawsuit claims.
Scarfone appeared on Top Chef Canada's seventh season in 2018. Fourteen contestants from across the country competed against each other in culinary challenges for a top prize of $100,000.
He placed second, losing only to fellow B.C.-based chef Paul Moran.
Back at Nightingale, according to the lawsuit, Scarfone negotiated a new bonus in January 2019 because of the "considerable" publicity he would bring to the restaurant and the company by being on the show.
He alleges he and the company agreed the bonus would include $15,000 a year and $3,750 per quarter if Nightingale did better than expected.
Scarfone said they also agreed to a specific "annual bonus" — 10 per cent of the difference when the food and beverage revenue was higher than what they'd budgeted for the year.
He would be eligible for the bonus every Jan. 1, Scarfone claims in the court documents.
Scarfone fired after already resigning: lawsuit
Eleven months after making the deal, Scarfone resigned from Nightingale.
He said he gave six weeks notice and said his last day would be Jan. 15, 2020.
But at 11:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve, half an hour before Scarfone became eligible for his bonus, he claims Hawksworth emailed him a memo saying the "annual bonus" had been included in the agreement by mistake.
Scarfone said he was fired two days later, even though he'd already resigned.
"Hawksworth does not have the right to terminate the annual bonus," the lawsuit says. "The manner of Hawksworth's exercise of the termination clause ... was in breach of Hawksworth's duty to act honestly."
The chef's last day at Nightingale stayed the same.
The claim said Scarfone was paid the first two parts of his bonus, but not the annual bonus.
It doesn't say exactly how much it would've been worth — the 10 per cent can only be calculated with propriety information on Nightingale's revenue in 2019 — but Scarfone is asking for the maximum amount of money that can be awarded in small claims court in B.C.
Keanu Reeves was snapped on the red carpet Thursday at the Toronto premiere of The Matrix Resurrections at the Scotiabank Theatre.
The A-list actor, 57, donned a black suit with a grey tie and brown boots to the debut of the latest installment in the iconic sci-fi franchise.
He sported a beard and had his shaggy locks down at the premiere, the most recent in the franchise that also includes 1999's The Matrix, and 2003's The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.
The latest: Keanu Reeves, 57, was snapped on the red carpet Thursday at the Toronto premiere of The Matrix Resurrections at the Scotiabank Theatre
Reeves on Tuesday appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he said that in making the latest film, he did stunt work which consisted of jumping off a building 'around 46-stories' high 'around 19 or 20 times' with costar Carrie Ann Moss, who reprises her role as Trinity in the motion picture.
He told Colbert of the stunt, 'To prepare for something like that, [Moss] speaks a lot about preparing mentally for it, I was doing that too.
'By the time you get there, my heart rate was a little raised, but after the first time, you can't think of the fear. You have to block that, or nor block it, but deal with it, absorb it, and just be there, and do.'
Reeves said they did the stunt 'because it is [director] Lana Wachowski, and it is The Matrix and you need natural light and you want to do it real.'
The A-list actor donned a black suit with a grey tie and brown boots to the debut of the latest installment in the iconic sci-fi franchise
Reeves sported a beard and had his shaggy locks down at the premiere
Reeves reprises his trademark role as Neo in the new motion picture
The film also features Carrie Ann Moss as Trinity, Jessica Henwick as Bugs, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morpheus, Neil Patrick Harris as The Analyst, Eréndira Ibarra as Lexy, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Sati.
It also features notable names such as Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson, Daniel Bernhardt, Christina Ricci, Telma Hopkins, and Max Riemelt.
The timeline is placed 20 years following The Matrix Revolutions, with Neo residing in San Francisco under the name Thomas A. Anderson. He is prescribed a blue pill, and does not recognize Trinity when they see one another. Morpheus gives him a red pill and he is thrust back into the Matrix.
The film is directed by Lana Wachowski, who co-wrote the script with David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon.
The motion picture is set to debut on December 22 in both theaters and on HBO Max.
The actor posed in front of a poster at the debut of the film in Toronto
Reeves was the center of attention at the cinematic event in Toronto
The actor told Stephen Colbert he did some heavy duty stunt work on the film
Cineplex's Scotiabank Theatre was decked out in light green colors for the screening
Lynn Elber, The Associated Press Published Thursday, December 16, 2021 11:02PM EST Last Updated Thursday, December 16, 2021 11:27PM EST
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Actor Chris Noth has been accused of sexually assaulting two women in separate encounters that took place in 2004 and 2015, according to a report Thursday.
The women's identities were withheld by The Hollywood Reporter in order to protect their privacy, said the trade publication, which used pseudonyms for them instead.
Noth, 67, who starred in “Sex and the City” and appears briefly in its newly released sequel, “And Just Like That...,” said in a statement to the Reporter that the encounters were consensual.
“The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false. These stories could've been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago - no always means no - that is a line I did not cross,” Noth said in a statement to the Reporter.
“It's difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don't know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women,” he said.
Noth's publicist did not respond to a request for further comment. A call to an attorney listed as representing him was not immediately returned.
The two women reached out independently and months apart to the Hollywood Reporter, the publication said. One, with the pseudonym Zoe, said the revival of Noth's “Sex and the City” character, a man-about-town nicknamed Mr. Big, “set something off in me” and prompted her to go public with “who he is,” she told the Reporter.
She asked her name be withheld because she works in the entertainment industry and feared repercussions if she were identified.
Noth's character dies in the opening episode of “And Just Like That…” after suffering a heart attack following an intense workout on a Peloton bike. The bikemaker poked fun at the attention the episode generated with an ad featuring Noth, but the spot was pulled on Thursday after the Reporter's story posted.
At media requests, the Los Angeles Police Department checked into whether there was an open investigation involving Noth and found none, police Sgt. Hector Guzman said. The special victims bureau of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department also has no open investigation, sheriff's Capt. Richard Ruiz said.
Zoe, now 40, alleges she was assaulted in Noth's Los Angeles apartment in 2004, when she was 22. She'd met Noth because he did business with the firm where she was employed, the paper said.
A friend told the Reporter that she took Zoe to Cedars-Sinai hospital, where she told staff she'd been assaulted and was treated for an injury. The friend, who's not identified in the story, said police were called but Zoe declined to name her assailant to them.
Her then-boss, who was not identified, said that Zoe told her of the attack later that day but asked to keep it private, according to the story. In January 2006, Zoe sought counseling at a rape crisis center, which the center confirmed to the Reporter while keeping details private.
The other woman, called Lily, now 31 and a journalist, said she met Noth in 2015 when she was 25 and working as a server in the VIP section of a now-closed New York nightclub. She recounted crying and feeling “violated” when Noth abruptly initiated sex.
According to a friend, identified by the Reporter as Alex, a distraught Lily called her and said that Noth has “pretty forcibly” had sex with her in his apartment. Alex said she declined her advice to call police.
Lily told the publication she didn't remember the call.
In texts said to have been exchanged by Noth and Lily and reviewed by the Reporter, Noth allegedly referred to “our night last week,” calling it “a lot of fun” and adding, “I wasn't quite sure how you felt.”
In her reply, according to the paper, Lily said she “certainly enjoyed” his company but “I did feel slightly used.” She said she put off his further attempts to meet.
The allegations prompted a blunt online post from actor Zoe Lister-Jones, who worked with Noth when he starred on a “Law & Order” series and she was a guest star.
“Last week, my friend asked me how I felt about Mr. Big's death on And Just Like That, and I said, honestly, I felt relieved,” she wrote. “He asked why and I told him it was because I couldn't separate the actor from the man, and the man is a sexual predator.”
Lister-Jones recalled how, during one take, he leaned in to sniff her neck and said, ”`You smell good.”'
Maggie Gyllenhaal attends The Lost Daughter U.K. premiere during the 65th BFI London Film Festival on Oct. 13.Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
In the new film The Lost Daughter, Leda – an academic and mother of two, played by Olivia Colman in present day and Jessie Buckley in flashbacks – says aloud the things that women aren’t supposed to: Children are a crushing responsibility. I’m suffocating. I hate talking to my kids on the phone. The bits I find most beautiful in my daughters are the bits that are alien to me, because I don’t have to take responsibility for that.
When the actress Maggie Gyllenhaal read the source novel, by Elena Ferrante, “I felt this shock and invigoration, and also a kind of terror at these things being said out loud,” she said in a recent Zoom interview. “And a kind of comfort: If she’s writing about these things, I can’t be the only one who’s feeling them. That turns me on. That gets me going.”
Sitting alone reading a book is one thing. Gyllenhaal wondered what would happen if she put those subversive truths up on a movie screen, so people could see and hear them said aloud, in a communal situation – “maybe sitting next to your mother or husband or strangers.” She got Ferrante’s blessing, wrote a brilliant script and made The Lost Daughter, her directorial debut.
A quick summary: On vacation in Greece, Leda meets a young mother, Nina (Dakota Johnson), who triggers a flood of memories of herself at Nina’s age. At first the women find comfort in each other’s honesty – but at what point does honesty become dangerous?
When the film won four Gotham Awards at the end of November, kickstarting a promising awards season, Gyllenhaal, 44, acknowledged that it took her a long time to “feel entitled” to write and direct. Though she grew up in Los Angeles with two director parents, “there were not a lot of models of women making films as writer/directors,” she says. “They were outliers, few and far between. I assumed if I loved storytelling and movies, I’d have to be an actress. A thinking actress – certainly there were models for that.”
She did rich, layered work in films and series including Secretary, Crazy Heart, The Honorable Woman and The Deuce, but she kept banging against a wall. “Maybe 30 per cent of what I wanted to express was coming through,” she says. “I wanted more.”
Too often, getting what she needed artistically required Herculean effort. “Meryl Streep said actresses learn to ask for what they need with a spoonful of sugar, and I learned how to do that, just like we’ve all learned how to do that,” Gyllenhaal says. “But I got tired of it. I wanted to create a set where other people didn’t have to do that.”
The Lost Daughter, Gyllenhaal's directorial debut, won four Gotham Awards at the end of November.JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images
She was delighted to discover that not only did she love directing (she calls it “hard work heaven”), she was good at it. Really good. She says she’s gentler than most of the directors she’s worked with, more respectful of and curious about her collaborators. But she knew innately when something was right and something wasn’t, what could be compromised on (suggesting rather than showing a car accident) and what couldn’t (the film’s location in Greece; a scene where men arrive on a boat; her editor, Affonso Goncalves, who was expensive but worth it). “I could feel it in my chest,” she says. “I know that’s reliable, and that was a great thing to come to know.”
One moment I love, that I doubt a male director would have emphasized: At a conference, a star academic (Peter Sarsgaard, Gyllenhaal’s husband) calls Leda’s work “thrilling,” and compares her with the philosopher Paul Ricoeur. She phones her husband, also a scholar, to tell him. Gyllenhaal frames Buckley in a supertight closeup as she says, “I haven’t even read Ricoeur’s recent work.” The music swells as she adds, “It was all my own thinking.”
“Yeah, I find that really moving,” Gyllenhaal says. “Maybe a different director wouldn’t swell the music there. For me, it brings tears to my eyes. Her mind is recognized. Personally, that’s superhot.”
Gyllenhaal didn’t give a damn that Colman and Buckley don’t look alike. She wanted their brilliance. “There’s a tradition of films about crazy women – excellent films, made by incredible directors, with great actresses,” she says. “This is not one of them. This is a movie about a sane woman who has a huge spectrum of feelings. Like we all do. So I needed sane actresses with strong minds.”
Leda is tough, and she makes choices that cause her and the people she loves a lot of pain. “So I needed actresses with humour,” Gyllenhaal continues. “Also, I didn’t want a fantasy version of a woman – I wanted a real woman, with blood in her veins.”
Western culture has taught women that if we veer out of a narrow spectrum of things we’re allowed to feel, then we’re bad mothers – “but that’s not true,” Gyllenhaal says. “As children, our survival depends on believing that our mothers want nothing more than to take care of us. Yet you’d be hard-pressed to find any parent who doesn’t feel ambivalent. Not just the sitcom version of, ‘I’m so tired.’ I’m talking terror. I’m talking the darkest stuff. Being responsible for a life, that will bring you to your knees. Of course, it’s also full of the most immense joy, but it’s heart-wrenching joy. You must grow in order to know how to do it. And growing always hurts.”
Speaking of things women aren’t allowed to say out loud: Near the end of the film, Leda admits things to Nina that prove to be too much; Nina flees from her. One of those things is, “I’m a very selfish person.” That rolls off Leda’s tongue easily. It’s clear that enough people have said it to her that she’s internalized it, but she’s also fine with owning it. The next thing she says, though, is a cri de coeur: “I’m an unnatural mother.” Does Gyllenhaal agree with Leda? Is there any such thing?
Gyllenhaal smiles. She likes this question. “So there are a lot of things in the movie that are not from Ferrante’s book, and there are things that are in dialogue with the book but come from other places,” she replies. “But ‘I’m an unnatural mother’ is a straight Ferrante lift. And I love it because it’s a riddle. What is an unnatural mother, and what is a natural mother? It’s impossible. The whole paradigm is off.”
“I love that line,” she repeats. “I was told to cut it a few times by people I respect. But I thought, ‘No, there will be an actress who can say this line, and make it lift off, and mean something that exists in our unconscious, that isn’t literary, that’s from her guts.’” And she was right.
The Lost Daughter opens in select theatres Dec. 17 before streaming on Netflix starting Dec. 31
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TORONTO - Anne Murray has retrodden the path of her illustrious singing career so often in recent years that she wonders if it’s about time she stopped looking back.
More than a decade into her retirement, the four-time Grammy winner has mostly stayed out of the limelight. But she’s indulged in a good share of reflection, which includes a revealing autobiography, numerous album reissues and now the feature-length documentary “Anne Murray: Full Circle,” which debuts Friday on CBC and CBC Gem.
“I’m ready to stop going down memory lane,” the 76-year-old confessed in a recent phone interview from her Nova Scotia home.
Murray was never much for looking back, so when a Canadian production company approached her about retracing her legacy for a movie, she wasn’t initially sold on the idea.
Past experiences with reflection haven’t always been pleasant. Sometimes they’ve been downright “painful,” she said. For instance, working on her 2009 autobiography “All of Me” dredged up memories she would’ve rather left behind.
The book explored her attempt to balance motherhood with a career, a years-long affair with the late Bill Langstroth, a television producer who later became her husband, and her many brushes with misogyny on the road.
“Somebody told me it was going to be cathartic. Nah, it wasn’t,” she said of her foray into publishing.
“Most people I know have regrets of some kind about what they’ve done and there were some tough times.”
But Murray saw participating in a feature-length documentary as both an “honour” and an opportunity. Aside from simply revisiting her accomplishments, she could dispel the myths of celebrity by sharing her own tales of hard work and personal sacrifice.
“People don’t see that,” Murray said of fame’s less glamorous side.
“Back then I had to work my bloody ass off. I had to promote everything. I did interviews morning, noon and night, and did television shows to promote other television shows to promote records.”
“Anne Murray: Full Circle” takes a gentle approach to the “Snowbird” singer’s rise from a humble small-town upbringing to the glitz of show business where she became a household name.
Leaving the modern-day Murray almost unseen, the documentary blends new audio interviews with the singer alongside never-before-seen footage pulled from her personal video archives.
Several of her contemporaries, including Shania Twain, Bonnie Raitt and k.d. lang, lend their voices to help contextualize Murray’s status as the first Canadian female solo singer to reach No. 1 on the U.S. charts and also the first to earn a gold record.
The film also dives into some of the messy truths of Murray’s success, including a period when she put her children second to her career. The young performer thought, perhaps naively she admits, that it was possible to raise a family while meeting the obligations of a record label contract.
Time hasn’t softened the regret she still feels over those decisions.
“You leave a two-year-old baby and go on the road and I’ll tell you that is painful,” she said.
“It’s tough for a mother to go through.... When I had to go to work, I wasn’t leaving for 12 hours. I was leaving for two or three weeks.”
Directors Morgan Elliott and Adrian Buitenhuis, who worked on “I Am Patrick Swayze” and several other celebrity-themed “I Am...” documentaries, also explore the significance and struggle that came with being a solo female artist in the male-dominated music industry of the 1970s.
At times, Murray said she clashed with some of the male players in her backing band who didn’t like taking direction from a woman.
“I once had a guy who, I was paying his cheques, and I asked if he could please dress more appropriately, rather than a vest with no shirt on stage,” she remembered.
“And he said, ‘Well, I don’t tell you what to wear.’”
Those instances were numerous and often forced Murray to pull another man into the conversation to resolve the conflict. Some of the less cooperative musicians were let go.
Other times, drug and alcohol abuse by her bandmates caused bigger problems.
“There were nights that one musician would be on drugs and would fall into his guitar,” she said.
“Some other night one of them fell off the stage, he was so drunk. This is what I had to deal with. And I was a very young woman. But as time went on, I found more reliable people.”
Murray prefers to reflect on those happier days that came later in her career. It was one of the omissions she pointed out to the filmmakers after watching a rough cut of “Anne Murray: Full Circle,” she said.
“Something missing for me was the camaraderie that I had on the road with my musicians in the last 30 years,” she said, adding that the final cut reflects on those good times.
“We had so much fun,” she said. “It was just a really closely knit family road family.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2021.
Ben Affleck is speaking candidly about his relationship with alcohol.
During an appearance on the Howard Stern Show on Monday, Affleck, 49, got candid about his struggles with drinking while married to Jennifer Garner, with whom he shares three children: Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9.
"I'd probably still be drinking. It's part of why I started drinking … because I was trapped," the Argo director admitted to Howard Stern of feeling unhappy in his marriage to Garner, 49. "I was like 'I can't leave 'cause of my kids, but I'm not happy, what do I do?' What I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution."
Angela Weiss/FilmMagic Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner
Affleck has gone to rehab multiple times for alcohol addiction over the years, including in 2001, 2017 – which he revealed in a post on Facebook – and 2018, when he and Garner finalized their divorce.
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The Gone Girl star, who wed Garner in 2005 and later separated in 2015, also told the longtime radio show host that he and the 13 Going on 30 star did everything they could to keep their marriage together, but like many Hollywood relationships, it just didn't work out.
RELATED VIDEO: Jennifer Garner Joins Ex Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez While Trick-or-Treating with Kids in Malibu
"The truth was, we took our time, we made the decision … We grew apart," Affleck explained.
"We had a marriage that didn't work, this happens, with somebody that I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn't be married any longer. Ultimately, we tried. We tried, we tried because we had kids. Both of us felt like we don't want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage."
Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez
While Affleck and Garner had their fair share of ups and downs over the course of their relationship, the former spouses are on good terms now.
Garner even joined Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, who rekindled their romance earlier this year after calling off their engagement in 2004, for some trick-or-treating fun with their kids on Halloween.
"Everyone gets along and the focus is always on the kids. Jennifer, Ben and Jen Garner all wanted the kids to have an amazing Halloween," a source previously told PEOPLE at the time. "The kids are friends and wanted to go trick-or-treating together. It made sense that they all went together."
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please contact the SAMHSA substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
EILAT, ISRAEL -- Harnaaz Sandhu of India was crowned the 70th Miss Universe on Sunday, topping a field of some 80 contestants in a pageant that was touched by politics and the pandemic.
The previously reigning Miss Universe, Andrea Meza of Mexico, crowned her successor, a Bollywood actress, in the Israeli Red Sea resort town of Eilat. The pageant was held in the middle of the night, wrapping up at 5 a.m. local time (10 p.m. EST) to accommodate the primetime schedule in the U.S.
Sandhu said she was feeling "overwhelmed because it's been 21 years since India got Miss Universe crown and it's happening right now."
The pageant included traditional displays of national costumes, swimwear and a series of interview questions to test contestants' public speaking skills. The top 10 showed off intricately bedazzled full-length gowns in either gold, silver or bronze. The Philippines' Beatrice Luigi Gomez wore an asymmetrical cut dress with one sleeve, highlighting a new tattoo she said "celebrates her womanhood."
But the contest also drew attention in recent weeks for other reasons.
A grassroots Palestinian-led boycott had urged contestants to skip the event to protest Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.
In the end, only Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country with close ties to the Palestinians, did not send a representative, citing the global COVID-19 situation. The South African government, which also strongly supports the Palestinian cause, withdrew support for the country's representative over her participation.
In an interview last month, Meza urged contestants to leave politics out of the pageant, saying the gathering was meant to bring together women from different backgrounds. "When you are in there you forget about politics, about your religion," she told The Associated Press at the time.
Sara Salansky, an official with the Israeli Tourism Ministry, said the country was selected to host the contest earlier this year because of Israel's successful coronavirus vaccination program.
The contest suffered a last-minute hiccup with the arrival of the omicron variant, which forced Israel to close its borders to foreign tourists late last month.
Most of the Miss Universe contestants were already in the country before the new regulations came into effect. But those who came afterward were given special permission to enter, albeit with a mandatory 72-hour quarantine period.
Throughout the run-up to Sunday's contest, all contestants were tested for the coronavirus every 48 hours and required to obey strict mask requirements.
Amid all the safeguards, France's contestant, Clemence Botino, tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after arriving in Israel. After 10 days in quarantine, she was declared virus free last week and allowed to rejoin the competition.
Last year's pageant was delayed due to the pandemic before Meza was crowned in May for her abbreviated tenure.
Sunday's contest was hosted by U.S. TV personality Steve Harvey. Organizers said the pageant was expected to reach an estimated 600 million viewers via the FOX network in 172 countries.
Billie Eilish may have a future in comedy! The music superstar made her “Saturday Night Live” hosting debut over the weekend and proved her sense of humor is on lock with a personal and playful monologue that did not hold back. Billie reflected on the challenges of navigating fame at such a young age, and made her point with an epic throwback photo of “SNL” cast member Colin Jost.
While Emily is on the train (in the sleeper car she’s sharing with Mathieu!), Gabriel calls her and says he can’t believe the girl he stayed in Paris for doesn’t want to be with him. “Tell me you didn’t feel everything that I felt,” he begs. He doesn’t want to hurt Cami either, but he can’t stop thinking about Emily.
Elsewhere, Mindy has no work permit, so she’s forced to work for tips as the drag club’s Le Dame Pipi (aka the woman outside the restroom). It’s a thankless (and stinky) job, but she does get to perform a song in a fabulously outrageous getup.
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