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Hugh Grant finally reveals his children's names

<p>Hugh Grant has revealed the names of his two youngest daughters for the first time in a candid interview moment. </p> <p>The English actor and father-of-five has never announced the names of two of his children or the gender of his youngest offspring.</p> <p>Now, during an interview with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, the 64-year-old finally shared that his youngest child was a girl and shared her name with viewers.</p> <p>During a conversation about his own unusual middle name, Mungo, he said, "I was in a bit of a panic with my wife on the day we named [our daughter]."</p> <p>Sharing the hilarious inspiration behind the name, he said, "We thought it might be nice for her when she was older if she could say in bars that her middle name is Danger. So, her name is Lulu Danger Grant. Austin Powers, you know?"</p> <p>Hugh, who also has a son named John Mungo, went on to reveal that his youngest isn't the only child in the family with a fun name. </p> <p>He went on to say that he and his wife Anna were stressed when naming their first daughter, and decided to ask their son for advice. </p> <p>"We asked her elder brother when she was on the way, 'there's a new baby coming along, what shall we call her?'", Hugh explained. "And he said 'Kevin', because that was his favourite Minion."</p> <p>"And we did think about calling her Kevin, but then we said, 'you'd better think of something else', and he said 'Blue', because that was his favourite colour."</p> <p>The announcement was out of character for Hugh, who despite being a huge Hollywood name, tends to keep his personal life out of the spotlight.</p> <p><em>Image credits: YouTube</em></p>

Family & Pets

Richard Simmons' cause of death revealed

<p>Richard Simmons' brother, Lenny, has revealed the fitness guru's cause of death was accidental. </p> <p>Lenny confirmed the 76-year-old's cause of death in a statement on Wednesday (Thursday AEST), and also thanked fans for the "outpouring of love" following his death.</p> <p>"This morning, Richard Simmons' brother Lenny, received a call from the LA Coroner's office," family spokesperson Tom Estey said in a statement to <em>People</em> magazine. </p> <p>"The coroner informed Lenny that Richard's death was accidental due to complications from recent falls and heart disease as a contributing factor.</p> <p>"The toxicology report was negative other than medication Richard had been prescribed.</p> <p>"The family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss."</p> <p>Simmons, who rose to fame in the 80s as a TV fitness icon was found dead by his longtime housekeeper on July 13- a day after his 76th birthday. </p> <p>His brother previously paid tribute to the icon in an interview with <em>People </em>magazine. </p> <p>"I don't want people to be sad about my brother," he said just hours after the news of his brother's death. </p> <p>"I want them to remember him for the genuine joy and love he brought to people's lives. He truly cared about people.</p> <p>"He called, wrote and emailed thousands of people throughout his career to offer help.</p> <p>"So don't be sad. Celebrate his life."</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

Richard Simmons' final message for fans

<p>Former staff of the late fitness guru Richard Simmons have shared what would be his last message to fans. </p> <p>The legendary fitness instructor <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/jane-fonda-s-heartfelt-tribute-to-richard-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed away</a> just one day after celebrating his 76th birthday. </p> <p>In a message posted to Simmons' X (formerly Twitter) account from "Richard's staff," it was stated that Simmons often planned his social media posts ahead of time.</p> <p>"Richard worked very hard on his posts for you," the message from Simmons' staff began.</p> <p>"He had many ideas and would work ahead… going back to each one making changes until he had it just like he wanted before posting," the message continued.</p> <p>"As you know, on the weekends, he would just share a photo with a caption. He always chose his photos and wrote his captions for the upcoming weekend by Friday."</p> <p>"So we have the post Richard planned to share with you last Sunday. We thought you'd want to see it."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here is the post Richard had planned for you for Sunday July 14, 2024. 3/3</p> <p>“Let me fly you to the moon so we can gaze among the stars. <br />Love,<br />Richard” <a href="https://t.co/aatT3LkrsT">pic.twitter.com/aatT3LkrsT</a></p> <p>— Richard Simmons (@TheWeightSaint) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheWeightSaint/status/1814768145137279282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>According to his staff, the message that Simmons intended to share with his followers on July 14th 2024, just one day after his death, read: "Let me fly you to the moon so we can gaze among the stars. Love, Richard."</p> <p>According to <a title="People" href="https://people.com/richard-simmons-staff-share-a-final-post-and-last-photo-before-death-8681177" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>People</em>, </a>Simmons was buried on July 19th in Los Angeles. </p> <p>"Our beloved Dicky was laid to rest this morning surrounded by only family and closest friends," Simmons' brother Lenny Simmons told the outlet in a statement via Simmons' longtime publicist Tom Estey.</p> <p>"We pray for your continued love and support during this very difficult time."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Peter Foley/EPA/Shutterstock </em></p>

Caring

Jane Fonda's heartfelt tribute to Richard Simmons

<p>Legendary fitness guru Richard Simmons passed away on Saturday, just one day after celebrating his 76th birthday. </p> <p>Tributes are flowing in for the beloved fitness guru, with Jane Fonda honouring his memory through a heartfelt post on Instagram. </p> <p>“Richard Simmons always wanted people to feel good and be happy," Fonda began in her tribute shared one day after Simmons' passing. </p> <p>"He would go out of his way to make people happy. I often wondered if maybe nobody had made him happy when he was a little boy,” she shared with a throwback photo of the pair. </p> <p>“He was generous. He gave of himself, of his time, to make people happy. He once popped out of a huge cake at the launch of some Jane Fonda WORKOUT event. That was generous.”</p> <p>She continued to praise Simmons' generosity, before adding that she - like many who knew Simmons - had lost touch with him as he stepped back from public life over the past decade. </p> <p>"I saw him last when I took him and a boyfriend of his to lunch at the Polo Lounge. The relationship was new and he was proud. I never saw or heard from him again and, like many thousands of others, I’ve mourned his absence from my life," she wrote. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9adC5ptced/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9adC5ptced/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jane Fonda (@janefonda)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"I hope he felt the love so many were sending him these last years. I hope it made him happy. I read he died peacefully in his sleep in his very white home.</p> <p>"Rest in Peace, Dear Richard." </p> <p>Lenny Simmons, his brother, has urged fans to remember the late fitness guru for the happiness he brougt them. </p> <p>"I don't want people to be sad about my brother. I want them to remember him for the genuine joy and love he brought to people's lives. He truly cared about people. He called, wrote and emailed thousands of people throughout his career to offer help," he wrote.</p> <p>"So don't be sad. Celebrate his life," Lenny urged.</p> <p>Simmons rose to fame in the 1980s after he became a TV fitness icon. He was known for his boisterous personality, his curly hair and colourful Lycra outfits. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

Is an electric bike right for you? Here’s what to consider before you buy

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/muhammad-rizwan-azhar-1472288">Muhammad Rizwan Azhar</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/waqas-uzair-1486684">Waqas Uzair</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a></em></p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/08/its-also-just-fun-why-a-growing-number-of-australia-families-are-ditching-cars-for-e-bikes">More Australians than ever</a> are riding electric bikes – a fact you may have noticed on the streets of our cities and towns.</p> <p>Electric bikes, or e-bikes, are typically equipped with an electric motor and a battery, providing power to help you pedal. Some allow you to boost and lower the amount of pedalling assistance you get.</p> <p>Globally, the transport sector produces <a href="https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/media_gstc/FACT_SHEET_Climate_Change.pdf">about one-quarter</a> of greenhouse gas emissions. Finding cleaner ways to get around is vital to combating the climate crisis. E-bikes also offer solutions to the problems of traffic congestion, fuel costs and sedentary lifestyles.</p> <p>But is an electric bike right for you? Below, we discuss the pros and cons, to help you decide.</p> <h2>The pros</h2> <p><strong>– Reduce carbon emissions</strong></p> <p>In developed countries, transport can be one of the largest proportions of an individual’s carbon footprint. But you can <a href="https://sustainability.anu.edu.au/options-for-owning-an-e-bike">reduce your travel emissions</a> by 75% if you replace car use with an e-bike for short trips such as the work commute.</p> <p><a href="https://www.creds.ac.uk/publications/e-bike-carbon-savings-how-much-and-where/">Research has found</a> e-bikes, if used to replace cars, could cut carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by up to 50% in England – or about 30 million tonnes a year. Other analysis showed the potential was <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X21003401">greatest</a> in rural areas.</p> <p><strong>– Connect with your community</strong></p> <p>The “car-rification” of our cities changed community dynamics. Retail became concentrated in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264837716312479">out-of-town shopping centres</a>, leading to a decline in smaller town centres. This provided fewer opportunities to meet our neighbours and has contributed to high rates of <a href="https://www.vox.com/features/23191527/urban-planning-friendship-houston-cars-loneliness">loneliness and social isolation</a>.</p> <p>Similar to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308794595_From_Pedal_to_People_The_Social_Effects_of_Biking">regular cycling</a>, riding e-bikes helps create community bonds. It makes us more likely to engage with our surroundings and interact with people around us. You can even join an <a href="https://www.meetup.com/topics/electric-bicycles/au/">e-bike group</a> or community ride.</p> <p><strong>– Save money</strong></p> <p>E-bikes offer substantial long-term financial benefits to owners.</p> <p>In Australia, an e-bike costs from about A$1,000 to more than $5,000. An annual e-bike service will set you back <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/transport/bikes/electric/articles/how-to-maintain-your-electric-bike#:%7E:text=How%20much%20does%20an%20e,%24300%2C%20depending%20on%20what's%20included.">between $100 and $300</a>. And retailers <a href="https://crooze.com.au/blogs/news/the-costs-of-owning-an-ebike#:%7E:text=This%20means%20it%20costs%20roughly,electricity%20charges%20per%2030kms%20ridden.">currently</a> <a href="https://www.glowwormbicycles.com.au/blogs/electric-bikes/how-much-should-i-spend-on-an-e-bike">put the cost</a> of a full battery charge at 10–15 cents, translating to roughly $20 per year for an average commuter.</p> <p>Cars, of course, cost far more to run. For example, Victorian motoring body RACV <a href="https://www.racv.com.au/about-racv/newsroom/victorias-cheapest-cars-2023.html">last year found</a> the state’s cheapest car to own and operate was the MG3 Core light Hatch, with monthly costs of $734.84. Even taking into account charging costs and maintenance, you can see how quickly an e-bike would pay for itself.</p> <p><strong>– Get active</strong></p> <p>E-bikes are clearly better for your health than riding in a car.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9790588/">2019 study investigated</a> e‐bike commuting for inactive, overweight people living in regional Australia. It found e-bike users increased their physical activity by an average 90 minutes a week.</p> <p>A <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/sms.14155">literature review in 2022</a> found e-biking was a moderately intense physical activity on measures such as energy expenditure, heart rate and oxygen consumption. The benefits were lower than conventional cycling, but generally greater than walking.</p> <p>Women, in particular, have reported benefits from e-bike use. A <a href="https://activetravelstudies.org/article/id/991/">New Zealand study</a> showed e-bikes provided less fit women with “more empowering physical activity experiences” and increased their cycling confidence.</p> <h2>The cons</h2> <p><strong>– Safety challenges</strong></p> <p>Like any form of mobility, e-bikes must be used safely. Concerns around e-bikes include <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-13/fat-bike-boom-in-sydney-sparks-safety-fears/102823330">speeding</a>, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/concerns-grow-over-safety-of-e-bikes-amid-reports-of-accidents-192619077845">accidents</a> and people riding <a href="https://www.nbnnews.com.au/2024/03/20/e-bike-safety-concerns-spark-in-lennox-head/">without helmets</a>.</p> <p>In May this year, Sydney’s Northern Beaches Council <a href="https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/e-bike-and-e-scooter-safety">launched a public awareness</a> campaign on e-bike safety. <a href="https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/council/news/media-releases/northern-beaches-council-leads-pack-e-bike-safety-campaign">The advice includes</a>:</p> <ul> <li>slow to walking pace when others are on the path</li> <li>ring your bell to signal your approach</li> <li>be ready for sudden changes.</li> </ul> <p>Government regulation on e-bikes is also important for public safety. For example <a href="https://fit-ebike.com/en-en/about-us/blog/s-pedelecs/">in Germany</a>, high-speed e-bikes are classed as mopeds and cannot be ridden on bike paths.</p> <p>Separately, e-bikes usually contain lithium-ion batteries which can explode and start fires – particularly in e-bikes bought from overseas retailers that don’t meet Australian standards. Before buying, <a href="https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=9406">check advice from fire authorities</a>.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U58Pv7-7fnE?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p><strong>– Lack of cycling and charging infrastructure</strong></p> <p>Well-designed <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140519301033">cycling infrastructure</a> encourages e-bike use. In Australia, governments are <a href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-06/Cycling_Infrastructure_Background_Paper_16Mar09_WEB.pdf">slowly accepting</a> the need for infrastructure such as dedicated bike lanes and <a href="https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/get-nsw-active/emicro-smart-micro-mobility-infrastructure">charging stations</a>, but <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-so-few-people-cycle-for-transport-in-australia-6-ideas-on-how-to-reap-all-the-benefits-of-bikes-229811">more money</a> is needed.</p> <p>In the Netherlands, a surge in e-bike sales has <a href="https://www.government.nl/topics/bicycles">driven</a> investments in cycling paths, improvements in bicycle parking at train stations, and other efforts to promote cycling and e-bike use.</p> <p><strong>– Higher upfront cost than a regular bike</strong></p> <p>The cost of buying an e-bike can be a barrier for some. For example, <a href="https://activetravelstudies.org/article/id/991/">NZ-based research</a> found the purchase cost meant the benefits were less likely to be available to lower-income women.</p> <p>So how can the cost barrier be overcome? In Australia, some companies offer e-bike rentals, via a weekly <a href="https://lug-carrie.com">subscription service</a>. And overseas, <a href="https://www.pbsc.com/blog/2021/09/pbsc-e-bike-sharing-schemes-in-15-cities-around-the-world">share schemes</a> mean people can access e-bikes without having to buy one.</p> <p>In 2023, <a href="https://www.service.tas.gov.au/services/government-help-and-support/concessions-and-discounts/apply-for-an-electric-vehicle-or-e-mobility-rebate">Tasmania became the first Australian state</a> to offer a subsidy for e-bike purchases, and the uptake was rapid. However, the scheme has now closed.</p> <p><strong>– Environmental impacts</strong></p> <p>Almost everything we buy has an environmental impact, and electric bikes are no exception. However, they are obviously a better alternative to conventional cars – and also have less impact than electric vehicles.</p> <p>Over the total lifecycle of the product, including manufacturing, an e-bike emits <a href="https://ecf.com/resources/cycling-facts-and-figures/environmental">about 10%</a> of the CO₂ emissions associated with producing an electric car, according to the European Cyclists Federation. And e-bikes <a href="https://electrek.co/2023/05/04/you-cant-trust-electric-bike-companies-battery-range/">consume</a> about <a href="https://ebikes.ca/learn/solar.html#:%7E:text=6%20wh%2Fkm%20would%20be,heavy%20loads%20and%20riding%20fast.">15 watt-hours per kilometre</a>, compared to electric cars which <a href="https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/what-is-a-good-energy-consumption-figure-for-electric-vehicles/">consume around</a> 150 to 200 watt-hours per kilometre.</p> <p>E-bike battery systems also typically require fewer raw materials and simpler design than an electric vehicle, which <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0892687524000293">simplifies</a> the battery recycling process.</p> <h2>Cleaner, cheaper, better</h2> <p>Electric cars are crucial for replacing traditional vehicles on longer routes and for family travel. However, e-bikes offer a more affordable and lower-impact solution for commuting and short-distance travel – and if you buy a cargo e-bike, you can even take your family.</p> <p>Mass adoption of e-bikes in Australia requires better cycling infrastructure, new government regulation and price incentives. But in the meantime, thousands of Australians are already enjoying the benefits of e-bikes. Perhaps you could too?</p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/muhammad-rizwan-azhar-1472288">Muhammad Rizwan Azhar</a>, Lecturer of Chemical Engineering, Sustainable Energy and Resources, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/waqas-uzair-1486684">Waqas Uzair</a>, Research Associate, Advanced Battery Systems and Safety, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-an-electric-bike-right-for-you-heres-what-to-consider-before-you-buy-230024">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Travel Trouble

Doctor beats cancer using his own treatment

<p>Australian doctor Richard Scolyer has been declared cancer free, thanks to a first-of-its-kind treatment he helped to develop.</p> <p>The 56-year-old professor, who has been recognised around for the world for his pioneering melanoma research, was diagnosed with aglioblastoma, a terminal kind of brain tumour, after suffering a seizure last June.</p> <p>After receiving his devastating diagnosis, the doctor agreed to be a "guinea pig" to undergo a world-first cancer treatment that he had a hand in developing. </p> <p>Now the world-leading pathologist and Australian of the Year has given a remarkable update, stating he is cancer free.</p> <p>“I had brain #MRI scan last Thursday looking for recurrent #glioblastoma (&/or treatment complications). I found out yesterday that there is still no sign of recurrence. I couldn’t be happier!!!!!” the professor shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.</p> <p>Before Dr Scolyer was diagnosed with cancer, he was fit and active, and had been hiking mountains in Poland with his wife.</p> <p>“I felt normal. I didn’t have any symptoms at all,” he told <em>A Current Affair</em> earlier this year.</p> <p>Just days after, he suffered a devastating seizure, and when he returned to Australia, underwent a series of tests which resulted in a diagnosis with glioblastoma – an aggressive and terminal form of brain cancer that would give him a average of 14 months to live. </p> <p>Teaming up with his friend and medical oncologist Georgina Long, Scolyer decided to undergo the new treatment, which came with a long list of risks. </p> <p>“No one knew what it was going to do, people were nervous because it could actually cause my life to end more quickly. But when you’re faced with certain death, it’s a no-brainer for me,” said Professor Scolyer, who also hoped the treatment would make a difference for other cancer patients.</p> <p>Dr Scolyer also underwent surgery to remove as much of his tumour as possible, and in April, he updated his social media followers to share that10 months after his diagnosis, his tumour had not returned. </p> <p>Speaking to ABC’s <em>Australian Story</em> at the time, Professor Scolyer said he was “blown away” by the results.</p> <p>“This is not what I expected. The average time to recurrence for the nasty type of brain cancer I’ve got is six months. So, to be out this far is amazing,” he said. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

Comedian and sitcom star dies at age 76

<p>Legendary comedian and sitcom star Richard Lewis has passed away at the age of 76. </p> <p>The <em>Curb Your Enthusiasm</em> actor, who has been candid in recent years about his struggle with Parkinson's, died of a heart attack, according to his publicist. </p> <p><em>Curb Your Enthusiasm</em> creator Larry David shared an emotional tribute to his friend and co-star, sharing how the men had been friends their whole lives. </p> <p>“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me,” David wrote in a statement Wednesday, shared by HBO.</p> <p>“He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I’ll never forgive him.”</p> <p>In April 2023, Lewis took to X, formerly Twitter, to explain his ongoing health issues, sharing how he had undergone a series of surgeries.</p> <p>“Three and a half years ago, I was in the middle of a tour and then I finally ended it with a show I said ‘You know, I’m at the top of my game, after 50 years almost I’m just gonna call it quits.’”</p> <p>“Then, out of the blue, the s**t hit the fan. I had four surgeries back to back to back to back. It was incredible, I couldn’t believe it. It was bad luck but it’s life, you know?”</p> <p>“I had back surgery, then I had a shoulder surgery, then I had a shoulder replacement surgery, and a hip replacement. So, you know, there was much where I was just focusing on [physical therapy].”</p> <p>He added that amidst his physical health battle, he had received a devastating neurological diagnosis. </p> <p>“On top of all that, two years ago, I started walking a little stiffly, I was shuffling my feet and I went to a neurologist and they gave me a brain scan and I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.”</p> <p>While being candid about his health problems, Lewis also became known for his dark jokes about his battles with addiction and neurosis. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Caring

Sir Richard Branson in serious bike crash

<p>Richard Branson, the adventurous billionaire and founder of Virgin Group, is no stranger to pushing the limits. However, his latest escapade – a biking mishap on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands – left him with shocking injuries, adding to a long list of near-death experiences throughout his life.</p> <p>In a recent Instagram post, Branson shared the aftermath of his bike crash, recounting how he flew off his bike after hitting a pothole on the picturesque island.</p> <p>The accident resulted in severe cuts on his elbow and a haematoma on his hip. Remarkably, despite the intensity of the crash, Branson escaped without any broken bones, though the same could not be said for his biking companion, Alex Wilson, who also took a spill but thankfully emerged relatively unscathed.</p> <p>"Took quite a big tumble while cycling in Virgin Gorda a little while ago!" Branson wrote. "I hit a pothole and crashed hard, resulting in another hematoma on my hip and a nasty cut elbow, but amazingly nothing broken.</p> <p>"We were cycling with Alex Wilson, who fell after me, but thankfully he was ok as well. I’m counting myself very lucky, and thankful for keeping myself active and healthy."</p> <p> </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3OP6hBMP7B/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3OP6hBMP7B/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Richard Branson (@richardbranson)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>This incident is just the latest in a series of biking accidents for Branson. In 2018, during an endurance charity race, he feared he had broken his back after another biking mishap. Similarly, in 2016, while cycling with his children in the British Virgin Islands, he had a terrifying headfirst collision with the road, leaving him fearing for his life.</p> <p>Branson's penchant for adventure has led him into numerous dangerous situations over the years. From surviving a sinking fishing boat during his honeymoon to crash-landing a microlight aircraft he didn't know how to fly, his life reads like a catalogue of adrenalin-fuelled escapades. Even the inaugural test flight of Virgin Atlantic in 1984 wasn't without drama, as an engine exploded mid-air.</p> <p>Skydiving accidents, near misses with hot air balloons, and daring stunts like wing-walking on a Virgin Atlantic plane or jumping off the Palms Casino in Las Vegas further illustrate Branson's willingness to embrace risk in pursuit of thrills.</p> <p>Despite the multitude of close calls, Branson maintains a resilient spirit, viewing each brush with danger as an opportunity for growth and appreciation for life. His Instagram post following the bike crash in Virgin Gorda captures this sentiment, as he reflects on his luck and gratitude for staying active and healthy.</p> <p>For Branson, it appears that the thrill of the unknown far outweighs the comfort of caution. As he aptly puts it, "After all, the brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all."</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

"I'm home": Paramedics grant dying grandmother's final wish

<p>Dedicated paramedics have made an emotional pit stop at the beach for a dying grandmother who wanted to see the ocean one last time. </p> <p>The ambos were transporting 94-year-old Shirl McHugh to the hospital when the grandmother asked to make a stop at Newcastle's Bar Beach: her favourite spot. </p> <p>Shirl told the paramedics she wanted to "feel the salt breeze one last time", as she had a feeling she wouldn't be leaving the hospital. </p> <p>When they stopped at the beach, the great-grandmother relaxed and told paramedic Brittaney Banks, "I'm home".</p> <p>Thankfully, Ms McHugh was able to bask in a beautifully fine day to take in the famous stretch of beach, which is busy with swimmers, surfers, lifesavers and families most days.</p> <p>Shirl, who was a respected member of her church as well as the wider community, died just 15 hours after her stop at the ocean. </p> <p>The NSW ambulance shared Shirl's story to their Instagram page, with paramedic Brittaney Banks recalling the emotional day. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyK0y_Ns8j5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyK0y_Ns8j5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by NSW Ambulance (@nswambulance)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"When I opened the doors of the ambulance, Shirley said 'I'm home', and breathed a sigh of relaxation… it's one of those jobs I will remember forever," Brittaney said. </p> <p>Her granddaughter expressed her gratitude on social media, thanking the ambulance crew for respecting the special request from the stylish great-grandmother known to many as 'Shirl the Pearl'.</p> <p>"Thank you ladies for fulfilling my Nan's final wish on her way home," Emma Brown wrote. </p> <p>"She had such a beautiful soul, it was really my pleasure," Ms Banks replied.</p> <p>"I am so glad we could bring her home."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

Why Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa is the best thing we've ever seen

<p>Hold onto your chocolate bars, folks, because director Paul King has done it again! After his stroke of genius in casting Hugh Grant as the dastardly villain in <em>Paddington 2</em>, King couldn't resist the temptation to work with Grant once more. This time, he enlisted the British star for a truly magical role in the upcoming Roald Dahl prequel, <em>Wonka</em> (set to release on December 15 by Warner Bros.). But brace yourselves, because Grant's appearance as an Oompa Loompa is bound to leave you in stitches.</p> <p>During the official premiere of the <em>Wonka</em> trailer in London, which was attended by lucky guests treated to a buffet overflowing with Wonka-inspired sugary delights, King took a moment to explain his decision to cast Grant as a pint-sized, green-haired Oompa Loompa. The hilarious deadpan performance in the final moments of the trailer speaks for itself!</p> <p>In delving into the backstory of Willy Wonka, played by the brilliant Timothée Chalamet, King found himself diving headfirst into Dahl's books for inspiration. When it came to the Oompa Loompas, King discovered that although Dahl didn't grant them much dialogue, their songs were packed with incredible sarcasm, judgment, and cruelty directed at the kids in the story.</p> <p>“So I was really just thinking about that character; somebody who could be a real shit, and then — ah! Hugh!” he told the London premiere crowd. “Because he’s the funniest, most sarcastic shit I’ve ever met.”</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dckc2RcL69s" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>As for his leading star, Chalamet, King's praise was somewhat more refined, or so he claims: “It was a very short list of people who could play Willy Wonka, and really, it was him. I really do think he’s the most incredible actor of his generation, because he’s got this incredible ability to dive very deep into his own personal emotions and convey things with the turn of an eye — he’s very, very controlled, very smart and incredibly emotionally intuitive.”</p> <p>While acknowledging the daunting task of following in the footsteps of acting legends like Johnny Depp and the original Wonka himself, Gene Wilder, King was confident that Chalamet would rise to the occasion. "I think he manages to bring that sort of mayhem and mischievousness but with a deep emotional grounding," he said, "which is really quite extraordinary.”</p> <p>So, get ready to embark on a sugar-coated adventure with Hugh Grant's hilariously sarcastic Oompa Loompa and Timothée Chalamet's awe-inspiring portrayal of Willy Wonka. It's going to be one wild, chocolate-filled ride that will leave your sides splitting and your sweet tooth satisfied.</p> <p><em>Images: Warner Bros</em></p>

Movies

Stan Grant’s new book asks: how do we live with the weight of our history?

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/heidi-norman-859">Heidi Norman</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a></em></p> <p>This month, journalist and public intellectual Stan Grant published his fifth book, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460764022/the-queen-is-dead/">The Queen is Dead</a>. And last week, he abruptly stepped away from his career in the public realm, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-19/stan-grant-media-target-racist-abuse-coronation-coverage-enough/102368652">citing</a> toxic racism enabled by social media, and betrayal on the part of his employer, the ABC.</p> <p>“I was invited to contribute to the ABC’s coverage as part of a discussion about the legacy of the monarchy. I pointed out that the crown represents the invasion and theft of our land,” <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-19/stan-grant-media-target-racist-abuse-coronation-coverage-enough/102368652">he wrote</a> last Friday. “I repeatedly said that these truths are spoken with love for the Australia we have never been.” And yet, “I have seen people in the media lie and distort my words. They have tried to depict me as hate filled”.</p> <p>Grant has worked as a journalist in Australia for more than three decades: first on commercial current affairs – and until this week, as a main anchor at the ABC, where he was an international affairs analyst and the host of the panel discussion show Q+A. The former role reflects his global work, reporting from conflict zones with esteemed international broadcasters such as CNN. His second book, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460751985/talking-to-my-country/">Talking to my Country</a>, won the Walkley Book Award in 2016.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Review: The Queen is Dead – Stan Grant (HarperCollins)</em></p> <hr /> <p>In this new book, Grant yearns for a way to comprehend the forces, ideas and history that led to this cultural moment we inhabit. The book, which opens with him grappling with the monarchy and its legacy, is revealing in terms of his decision to step back from public life.</p> <p>Released to coincide with <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronation-arrests-how-the-new-public-order-law-disrupted-protesters-once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity-205328">the coronation</a> of the new English monarch, Charles III, The Queen is Dead seethes with rage and loathing – hatred even – at the ideas that have informed the logic and structure of modernity.</p> <p>Grant’s work examines the ideas that explain the West and modernity – and his own place as an Indigenous person of this land, from Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi and Dharawal country. That is: his work explores both who he is in the world and the ideas that tell the story of the modern world. He finds the latter unable to account for him.</p> <p>“This week, I have been reminded what it is to come from the other side of history,” he writes in the book’s opening pages. “History itself that is written as a hymn to whiteness […] written by the victors and often written in blood.”</p> <p>He asks “how do we live with the weight of this history?” And he explains the questions that have dominated his thinking: what is <a href="https://theconversation.com/whiteness-is-an-invented-concept-that-has-been-used-as-a-tool-of-oppression-183387">whiteness</a>, and what is it to live with catastrophe?</p> <h2>The death of the white queen</h2> <p>In his account, his rage is informed by the observation that the weight of this history was largely unexplored on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s death last September. The death of the white queen is the touchpoint always returned to in this work – and the release of the book coincides with the apparently seamless transition to her heir, now King Charles III.</p> <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1152&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1152&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527406/original/file-20230522-29-dcc0ot.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1152&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p>In the lead-up to the coronation, “long live the king” echoed across the United Kingdom. Its long tentacles reached across the globe where this old empire once ruled, robbing and ruining much that it encountered. The death of the queen and the succession of her heir occurred with ritual and ceremony.</p> <p>Small tweaks acknowledged the changing world – but for the most part, this coronation occurred without revolution or bloodshed, without condemnation – and without contest of the British monarchs’ role in history and the world they continue to dominate, in one way or another.</p> <p>Grant argues the end of the 70-year rule of Queen Elizabeth II should mark a turning point: a global reckoning with the race-based order that undergirds empire and colonialism. Whereas the earlier century confidently pronounced the project of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-power-of-yindyamarra-how-we-can-bring-respect-to-australian-democracy-192164">democracy</a> and liberalism complete, it seems time has marched on.</p> <p>History has not “ended”, as Francis Fukuyama <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-end-of-history-francis-fukuyamas-controversial-idea-explained-193225">declared</a> in 1989 (claiming liberal democracies had been proved the unsurpassable ideal). Instead, history has entered a ferocious era of uncertainty and volatility.</p> <p>Grant reminds us that people of colour now dominate the globe. Race, <a href="https://theconversation.com/racism-is-real-race-is-not-a-philosophers-perspective-82504">as we now know</a>, is a flexible and slippery made-up idea, changing opportunistically to include and exclude groups, to dominate and possess.</p> <p>Grant examines this with great impact as he considers the lived experience of his white grandmother, who was shunned when living with a black man, shared his conditions of poverty with pluck and defiance, then resumed a place in white society without him.</p> <p>And writing of his mother, the other Elizabeth, Grant elaborates the complexity of identity not confined to the colour of skin, but forged from belonging to people and kinship networks, and to place – which condemns the pseudoscience of <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/about/news/speeches/power-identity-naming-oneself-reclaiming-community-2011">blood quantum</a> that informed the state’s control of Aboriginal lives. This suspect race science has proved enduring.</p> <p>Grant’s account of the death of the monarch is a genuine engagement with the history of ideas to contemplate the reality of our 21st-century present.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527467/original/file-20230522-27-ts8u8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Grant argues the end of the queen’s 70-year rule should mark ‘a global reckoning with the race-based order that undergirds empire and colonialism’.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Yui Mok/AP</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Liberalism and democracy = tyranny and terror</h2> <p>In several essays now, Grant has engaged with the ideas of mostly Western philosophers and several conservative thinkers to explain the crisis of liberalism and democracy. Grant argues that, like other -isms, liberalism and democracy have descended into tyranny and terror.</p> <p>The new world order, dominated by <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-stan-grant-on-how-tyrants-use-the-language-of-germ-warfare-and-covid-has-enabled-them-204183">China</a> and people of colour, is in dramatic contrast to the continued rule of the white queen and her descendants.</p> <p>In this, perhaps more than his other books and essays, Grant moves between big ideas in history – the <a href="https://theconversation.com/criticism-of-western-civilisation-isnt-new-it-was-part-of-the-enlightenment-104567">Enlightenment</a>, modernity and democracy – to consider himself, his identity, and his own lived experience of injustice, where race is an undeniable organising feature.</p> <p>In this story he explains himself, as an Indigenous person, “an outsider, in the middle”; “an exile, living in exile, struggling with belonging”; living with the “very real threat of erasure”.</p> <h2>Love, friendships, family, Country</h2> <p>In the final section of the book, Grant’s focus switches to the theme of “love”, and to friendships, family and Country. He speculates that his focus on these things is perhaps a mark of age.</p> <p>Now, he accounts for the things in life that are truly valuable – and this includes deep affection for the joy that emanates from Aboriginal families. Being home on his Country, paddling the river, he finds quiet and peace.</p> <p>The death of the monarch of the British Empire, who ruled for 70 years, should speak to the history of empire and colonial legacy and all its curses – especially in settler colonial Australia. Yet her passing – which coincides with seismic change in the global economic order with China’s ascendance and the decline of the United States and the UK, the global cultural order and the racial order – has been largely unexamined in public discourse in Australia.</p> <p>The history of colonisation and of ideas that have debated ways to comprehend the past have been a feature of Grant’s intellectual exploration, including on the death of the queen. As he details in his new book, the reaction from some quarters to this conversation has exposed him to unrelenting and racist attack.</p> <p>In this work and in others, exploration of the world of ideas to understand the past and future sits alongside accounts of the everyday; of the always place-based realities of Aboriginal accounts of self.</p> <p>The material deprivations and indignities, the closely held humility that comes with poverty and powerlessness - shared socks, a house carelessly demolished, burials tragically abandoned – are countered by another reality: the intimacy of most Aboriginal lives, characterised by deep love, affection, laughter and belonging. These place-based, “small” stories Grant shares sit alongside the bigger themes of modern history, such as democracy and freedom.</p> <p>In this latest work, Grant details his sense of “betrayal” at the discussion he sought about the monarch’s passing and the discussion that was actually had, the history of ideas and his own place in this.</p> <p>And now, of course, he has announced his intention to exit the public stage. Racism, we are reminded, is an enduring feature of the modern world – a world yet to allow space for an unbowing, Wiradjuri-Kamilaroi-Dharawal public intellectual.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204756/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/heidi-norman-859">Heidi Norman</a>, Professor, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/stan-grants-new-book-asks-how-do-we-live-with-the-weight-of-our-history-204756">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Q+A / ABC</em></p>

Books

"Makes me vomit": Richard Dreyfuss slams new Hollywood diversity laws

<p>Richard Dreyfuss has taken a stand against new diversity laws that will come into affect at next year's Oscars, saying the new rules make him "vomit".</p> <p>The legendary actor condemned the change to the standards, claiming the laws are trying to legislate people's feelings. </p> <p>Appearing on PBS show <em>Firing Line with Margaret Hoover</em>, a fired-up Dreyfuss said, “This is an art form. It’s also a form of commerce, and it makes money. But it’s an art.”</p> <p>“And no one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give in to the latest, most current idea of what morality is.”</p> <p>Mr Dreyfuss, who famously played Matt Hooper in the 1975 horror film <em>Jaws</em>, went on to say that minorities should not be "catered to" in the arts, but rather awards given based on merit.</p> <p>“What are we risking? Are we really risking hurting people’s feelings? You can’t legislate that. And– you have to let life be life. And I’m sorry, I don’t think that there is a minority or a majority in the country that has to be catered to like that,” he said.</p> <p>With the rules set to come into effect in 2024, a film will have to meet certain diversity and inclusion standards in four different categories set out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to be considered for “Best Picture” at the Oscars.</p> <p>The categories, each pertaining to different aspects of a movie’s production, would require new diversity measures to be met through “On-screen Representation,” “Creative Leadership and Project Team,” “Industry Access and Opportunities,” and “Audience Advancement.”</p> <p>“On-screen Representation” is classified as at least one lead character from an under-represented racial or ethnic group, which the Academy defines as women, people of colour, people who identify as LGBTQ+ or people with disabilities, with the new standards meant to encourage diversity on and off the screen.</p> <p>Dreyfuss continued his rant about the new standards, saying the rules will limit what roles actors are able to take, and simply described outdated racist ideals as forms of "art".</p> <p>“Am I being told that I will never have a chance to play a black man? Is someone else being told that if they’re not Jewish, they shouldn’t play the Merchant of Venice? Are we crazy? Do we not know that art is art? This is so patronising. It’s so thoughtless, and treating people like children.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Movies

ChatGPT, DALL-E 2 and the collapse of the creative process

<p>In 2022, OpenAI – one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence research laboratories – released the text generator <a href="https://chat.openai.com/chat">ChatGPT</a> and the image generator <a href="https://openai.com/dall-e-2/">DALL-E 2</a>. While both programs represent monumental leaps in natural language processing and image generation, they’ve also been met with apprehension. </p> <p>Some critics have <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/12/chatgpt-ai-writing-college-student-essays/672371/">eulogized the college essay</a>, while others have even <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/technology/ai-artificial-intelligence-artists.html">proclaimed the death of art</a>. </p> <p>But to what extent does this technology really interfere with creativity? </p> <p>After all, for the technology to generate an image or essay, a human still has to describe the task to be completed. The better that description – the more accurate, the more detailed – the better the results. </p> <p>After a result is generated, some further human tweaking and feedback may be needed – touching up the art, editing the text or asking the technology to create a new draft in response to revised specifications. Even the DALL-E 2 art piece that recently won first prize in the Colorado State Fair’s digital arts competition <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/artificial-intelligence-art-wins-colorado-state-fair-180980703/">required a great deal of human “help”</a> – approximately 80 hours’ worth of tweaking and refining the descriptive task needed to produce the desired result.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Today's moody <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AIart?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AIart</a> style is...</p> <p>🖤 deep blacks<br />↘️ angular light<br />🧼 clean lines<br />🌅 long shadows</p> <p>More in thread, full prompts in [ALT] text! <a href="https://t.co/tUV0ZfQyYb">pic.twitter.com/tUV0ZfQyYb</a></p> <p>— Guy Parsons (@GuyP) <a href="https://twitter.com/GuyP/status/1612539185214234624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>It could be argued that by being freed from the tedious execution of our ideas – by focusing on just having ideas and describing them well to a machine – people can let the technology do the dirty work and can spend more time inventing.</p> <p>But in our work as philosophers at <a href="https://www.umb.edu/ethics">the Applied Ethics Center at University of Massachusetts Boston</a>, we have written about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/mopp-2021-0026">the effects of AI on our everyday decision-making</a>, <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429470325-28/owning-future-work-alec-stubbs">the future of work</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-022-00245-6">worker attitudes toward automation</a>.</p> <p>Leaving aside the very real ramifications of <a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-12-21/artificial-intelligence-artists-stability-ai-digital-images">robots displacing artists who are already underpaid</a>, we believe that AI art devalues the act of artistic creation for both the artist and the public.</p> <h2>Skill and practice become superfluous</h2> <p>In our view, the desire to close the gap between ideation and execution is a chimera: There’s no separating ideas and execution. </p> <p>It is the work of making something real and working through its details that carries value, not simply that moment of imagining it. Artistic works are lauded not merely for the finished product, but for the struggle, the playful interaction and the skillful engagement with the artistic task, all of which carry the artist from the moment of inception to the end result.</p> <p>The focus on the idea and the framing of the artistic task amounts to <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-paul-mccartneys-the-lyrics-can-teach-us-about-harnessing-our-creativity-170987">the fetishization of the creative moment</a>.</p> <p>Novelists write and rewrite the chapters of their manuscripts. Comedians “write on stage” in response to the laughs and groans of their audience. Musicians tweak their work in response to a discordant melody as they compose a piece.</p> <p>In fact, the process of execution is a gift, allowing artists to become fully immersed in a task and a practice. It allows them to enter <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/flow-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi?variant=32118048686114">what some psychologists call the “flow” state</a>, where they are wholly attuned to something that they are doing, unaware of the passage of time and momentarily freed from the boredom or anxieties of everyday life.</p> <p>This playful state is something that would be a shame to miss out on. <a href="https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p073182">Play tends to be understood as an autotelic activity</a> – a term derived from the Greek words auto, meaning “self,” and telos meaning “goal” or “end.” As an autotelic activity, play is done for itself – it is self-contained and requires no external validation. </p> <p>For the artist, the process of artistic creation is an integral part, maybe even the greatest part, of their vocation.</p> <p>But there is no flow state, no playfulness, without engaging in skill and practice. And the point of ChatGPT and DALL-E is to make this stage superfluous.</p> <h2>A cheapened experience for the viewer</h2> <p>But what about the perspective of those experiencing the art? Does it really matter how the art is produced if the finished product elicits delight? </p> <p>We think that it does matter, particularly because the process of creation adds to the value of art for the people experiencing it as much as it does for the artists themselves.</p> <p>Part of the experience of art is knowing that human effort and labor has gone into the work. Flow states and playfulness notwithstanding, art is the result of skillful and rigorous expression of human capabilities. </p> <p>Recall <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUOlnvGpcbs">the famous scene</a> from the 1997 film “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/">Gattaca</a>,” in which a pianist plays a haunting piece. At the conclusion of his performance, he throws his gloves into the admiring audience, which sees that the pianist has 12 fingers. They now understand that he was genetically engineered to play the transcendent piece they just heard – and that he could not play it with the 10 fingers of a mere mortal. </p> <p>Does that realization retroactively change the experience of listening? Does it take away any of the awe? </p> <p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/04/the-case-against-perfection/302927/">As the philosopher Michael Sandel notes</a>: Part of what gives art and athletic achievement its power is the process of witnessing natural gifts playing out. People enjoy and celebrate this talent because, in a fundamental way, it represents the paragon of human achievement – the amalgam of talent and work, human gifts and human sweat.</p> <h2>Is it all doom and gloom?</h2> <p>Might ChatGPT and DALL-E be worth keeping around? </p> <p>Perhaps. These technologies could serve as catalysts for creativity. It’s possible that the link between ideation and execution can be sustained if these AI applications are simply viewed as mechanisms for creative imagining – <a href="https://openai.com/blog/dall-e-2-extending-creativity/">what OpenAI calls</a> “extending creativity.” They can generate stimuli that allow artists to engage in more imaginative thinking about their own process of conceiving an art piece. </p> <p>Put differently, if ChatGPT and DALL-E are the end results of the artistic process, something meaningful will be lost. But if they are merely tools for fomenting creative thinking, this might be less of a concern. </p> <p>For example, a game designer could ask DALL-E to provide some images about what a Renaissance town with a steampunk twist might look like. A writer might ask about descriptors that capture how a restrained, shy person expresses surprise. Both creators could then incorporate these suggestions into their work. </p> <p>But in order for what they are doing to still count as art – in order for it to feel like art to the artists and to those taking in what they have made – the artists would still have to do the bulk of the artistic work themselves. </p> <p>Art requires makers to keep making.</p> <h2>The warped incentives of the internet</h2> <p>Even if AI systems are used as catalysts for creative imaging, we believe that people should be skeptical of what these systems are drawing from. It’s important to pay close attention to the incentives that underpin and reward artistic creation, particularly online.</p> <p>Consider the generation of AI art. These works draw on images and video that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/nov/12/when-ai-can-make-art-what-does-it-mean-for-creativity-dall-e-midjourney">already exist</a> online. But the AI is not sophisticated enough – nor is it incentivized – to consider whether works evoke a sense of wonder, sadness, anxiety and so on. They are not capable of factoring in aesthetic considerations of novelty and cross-cultural influence. </p> <p>Rather, training ChatGPT and DALL-E on preexisting measurements of artistic success online will tend to replicate the dominant incentives of the internet’s largest platforms: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/josp.12489">grabbing and retaining attention</a> for the sake of data collection and user engagement. The catalyst for creative imagining therefore can easily become subject to an addictiveness and attention-seeking imperative rather than more transcendent artistic values.</p> <p>It’s possible that artificial intelligence is at a precipice, one that evokes a sense of “<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/04/the-case-against-perfection/302927/">moral vertigo</a>” – the uneasy dizziness people feel when scientific and technological developments outpace moral understanding. Such vertigo can lead to apathy and detachment from creative expression. </p> <p>If human labor is removed from the process, what value does creative expression hold? Or perhaps, having opened Pandora’s box, this is an indispensable opportunity for humanity to reassert the value of art – and to push back against a technology that may prevent many real human artists from thriving.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/chatgpt-dall-e-2-and-the-collapse-of-the-creative-process-196461" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

Star Wars actor collapses and dies at age 56

<p dir="ltr">Star Wars actor Paul Grant has died at the age of 56 after collapsing at London’s King’s Cross.</p> <p dir="ltr">Grant was famous for his role as an Ewok in <em>Star Wars: Return of the Jedi</em> in 1983, and he also played a goblin in <em>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The actor was found by police collapsed outside the station on Thursday afternoon, according to <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/21777602/paul-grant-dead-star-wars-ewok-actor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Sun</em></a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Grant was reportedly rushed to hospital, but the doctors declared that he was brain dead and his life support machine was turned off on Sunday.</p> <p dir="ltr">His daughter, 28-year-old Sophie Jayne Grant, has said that she was “devastated” by the loss, and has described her father as a “legend”.</p> <p dir="ltr">"My dad was a legend in so many ways. He always brought a smile and laughter to everyone's face. He would do anything for anyone and was a massive Arsenal fan," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He was an actor, father and grandad. He loved his daughters and son and his girlfriend Maria very much, as well as her kids who were like stepchildren to him.</p> <p dir="ltr">My dad, I love you so much, sleep tight,” she told <em>The Sun</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Grant lived with a rare genetic type of dwarfism called Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, that caused various health problems. He was also open about his battle with drug and alcohol addiction.</p> <p dir="ltr">Grant’s girlfriend Maria Dwyer has also paid tribute to the star.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Paul was the love of my life. The funniest man I know. He made my life complete. Life is never going to be the same without him," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Fans have taken to social media to mourn the star.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Sad to hear Paul Grant - Star Wars actor has died - I remember him in "Return of the Jedi" - my condolences to Paul's family,” wrote one fan.</p> <p dir="ltr">"R.I.P PAUL GRANT shocked & saddened big man ' we had fun & laughs over the years top Gooner with a passion REST EASY MY FRIEND,” wrote another.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Lucasfilm</em></p>

News

“Worth the wait”: Backstage with Rod Stewart

<p>Rod Stewart has finally returned to Australia, after years of Covid-19 restrictions meant he had to postpone his highly anticipated tour Down Under. </p> <p>Long time fan and friend of the musician Richard Wilkins was one of many who saw the entertainer at his very best during his show in Melbourne, with Wilkins telling Today that the show did not disappoint. </p> <p>"He was in sparkling form last night, putting on a fabulous show and I had the pleasure of catching up with the great man, both backstage and on stage in his inner sanctum," Wilkins said.</p> <p>Stewart have Wilkins an exclusive tour of the stage being set up, while he candidly shared one of the many reasons behind his success: the closeness of his band. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">EXCLUSIVE: We went backstage with Sir Rod Stewart ahead of his Melbourne show last night! 🌟<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9Today?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9Today</a> | WATCH LIVE 5.30am <a href="https://t.co/0RhkPD0k8J">pic.twitter.com/0RhkPD0k8J</a></p> <p>— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTodayShow/status/1635756324712480772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>"They're a good bunch of guys, brothers and sisters - We party with each other, go out to dinner, drink together - No shagging though, they're all spoken for," Stewart said with a cheeky grin.</p> <p>Rod Stewart has regularly toured in Australia since the 1970s and has been itching to get back to the place that has always been encouraging of his music. </p> <p>"This is very special, we haven't been able to come down here since 2017 - we waited a long time for this," he said.</p> <p>"I wouldn't take their money without putting on a show. You know that, Richard, I'm an old showman."</p> <p>Rod Stewart's <a href="https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/rod-stewart-tickets/artist/736200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian tour</a> will conclude with his performance at the A Day on the Green festival in Bowral, NSW, before he heads to New Zealand where he will share the stage with Cyndi Lauper. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Today</em></p>

Music

"I did a Christian Bale": Hugh Grant loses it on set

<p>Hugh Grant admitted to misdirecting his anger and going off at a “nice local woman” while filming <em>Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves</em>.</p> <p>“I lost my temper with a woman in my eye line on day one,” Grant, 62, told Total Film magazine via <em>Yahoo!</em></p> <p>“I assumed she was some executive from the studio who should have known better,” he said.</p> <p>“Then it turns out that she’s an extremely nice local woman who was the chaperone of the young girl.”</p> <p>The British actor called his temper tantrum “terrible” and explained that his episode ended with “a lot of grovelling,” according to <em>Page Six</em>.</p> <p>“I did a Christian Bale,” Grant teased, in reference to when Bale was caught on tape aggressively yelling at a Terminator: Salvation crew member in 2009. Later, the actor, 49, apologised profusely and called his actions “inexcusable”.</p> <p>This is not Hugh Grant’s first temper tantrum, as he’s previously admitted to occasionally having a short fuse.</p> <p>Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart called Grant one of the worst guests he ever had on his show, referring to the actor as “a big pain in the a**”.</p> <p>Grant held himself accountable, telling Andy Cohen in 2015, “He wasn’t entirely wrong.”</p> <p>“I did have a tantrum backstage. About once a year, I have a really mega-tantrum, and sadly he witnessed one. So he’s absolutely right.” He added.</p> <p>Hugh Grant stars in <em>Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves</em> alongside Chris Pine, Justice Smith, Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis and Regé-Jean Page.</p> <p>He spoke about why he was so drawn to the project, telling Collider that he liked the script was “about losers”.</p> <p>“This little band of comrades, they’re all a bit crap. [Pine’s character is] not great at being a bard. And the magician, played by Justice, is really bad. What do they call magicians in Dungeons & Dragons? Sorcerer. He’s not much good,” he told the outlet.</p> <p>“And Michelle’s character has been thrown out of whatever. What is she? Barbarian. And is still in love with her husband, who is in love with someone else. And I responded to that loser-ish thing about this little band.” he said.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

Movies

Richard Gere's terrifying health scare

<p>Richard Gere has been rushed to hospital while holidaying with his family in Mexico. </p> <p>The 73-year-old actor was struck with a bad case of pneumonia, with reports saying he was perfectly healthy just days prior to falling ill. </p> <p>Gere was on vacation with his family when the illness hit, as they celebrated his wife Alejandra Silva’s 40th birthday, according to reports by<em> <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/7434445/actor-richard-gere-hospitalized-in-mexico-pneumonia/">The Sun</a>.</em></p> <p>He reportedly had a nasty cough in the time leading up to their travels, and it progressed badly enough that the <em>Pretty Woman</em> actor had to check himself into a medical facility, a source told <em>TMZ</em>.</p> <p>After a night in hospital, Gere was told he had contracted pneumonia and was discharged from the facility and continued to rest and recover at home. </p> <p>In a recent Instagram story posted by Alejandra, Gere is seen walking on the beach with his son and wife, wearing a mask.</p> <p>Other information shared on social media suggests that Gere was not the only member of his family who was under the weather recently.</p> <div id="indie-campaign-rHsIzpAmAj7xkA4llYlH-2" data-campaign-name="NCA ENTERTAINMENT newsletter" data-campaign-indie="newsletter-signup" data-jira="TSN-268" data-from="1640955600000" data-to="1677502800000"></div> <p>On a post of Alejandra walking on the beach holding hands with one of their children, she wrote, “Thank you all for the birthday wishes. After almost 3 weeks of everyone being sick in our family today finally I feel much better!"</p> <p>“Thank you for all the love, I give it all back to you!”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

What a way to go: Beloved Law & Order Star dies at age 78

<p>Actor and comedian Richard Belzer, best known for his role as detective John Munch on <em>Law & Order</em>, has passed away at 78. </p> <p>Richard died on Sunday at home in Bozouls, southwest France. Richard’s longtime friend, writer Bill Scheft, confirmed the news to <em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>. </p> <p>“He had lots of health issues, Bill explained, “and his last words were, “‘F**k you, motherf**ker’.”</p> <p>Richard faced battles with his health - he survived testicular cancer in 1983 - and family tragedy through his life - both his father and brother died to suicide. His cause of death is currently unknown, but Richard is survived by his wife, actor Harlee McBride, and his two stepdaughters.</p> <p>Richard, who retired from acting in 2016, portrayed detective John Munch for 23 years from 1993 to 2016. The character spanned multiple shows, making an appearance in the likes of <em>Homicide: Life of the Street</em>, <em>Law & Order: SVU</em>, <em>The Wire</em>, and <em>Arrested Development</em>. </p> <p>“I never asked anyone to be on their show," he said in 2008 to <em>The Comic’s Comic</em>. “So it’s doubly flattering to me to see me depicted in a script and that I’m so recognisable and loveable as the sarcastic detective and smart-ass.</p> <p>“Much to my delight, because he is a great character for me to play, it’s fun for me. So I’m not upset about being typecast at all.”</p> <p>Richard’s presence in Hollywood wasn’t limited to just dramas, with the actor and comedian making his name on the comedy circuit, too. He began his career in stand-up in 1972, making his big-screen debut in <em>The Groove Tube</em>, and before <em>Saturday Night Live</em>, he performed in New York on the <em>National Lampoon Radio Hour</em> with the likes of John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and Bill Murray.</p> <p>It was in 1975 that Richard secured a role as the warm-up comic for <em>SNL</em>. His roles were primarily cameos, and one stated that the SNL creator had gone back on a promise to work him into their scripts. </p> <p>One of <em>Saturday Night Live</em>’s original cast members, comedian Laraine Newman, took to Twitter to pay tribute to the late Richard, telling supporters that he was “one of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">I'm so sad to hear of Richard Belzer's passing. I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I got to New York to do SNL. We used to go out to dinner every week at Sheepshead Bay for lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work. RIP dearest. <a href="https://t.co/u23co0JPA2">pic.twitter.com/u23co0JPA2</a></p> <p>— Laraine Newman (@larainenewman) <a href="https://twitter.com/larainenewman/status/1627327574572662786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><em>SNL</em> cast member and host, Billy Crystal, shared Laraine’s sentiments, writing “Richard Belzer was simply hilarious. A genius at handling a crowd.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Richard Belzer was simply hilarious. A genius at handling a crowd. So sad he’s passed away.</p> <p>— Billy Crystal (@BillyCrystal) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillyCrystal/status/1627370051333672960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt couldn’t contain his shock at the news, “I just always thought he’d be around ‘cause it seemed like he always was. A true original.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Aw goddamit, RIP Richard Belzer. I just always thought he’d be around ‘cause it seemed like he always was. A true original. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheBelzBabe?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheBelzBabe</a></p> <p>— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) <a href="https://twitter.com/pattonoswalt/status/1627354718908616704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>Meanwhile, actor Christopher Meloni - who is also best known for his work in the <em>Law & Order </em>universe, shared a throwback pic of Richard with co-star Mariska Hargitay. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/9aQUaGh1mU">pic.twitter.com/9aQUaGh1mU</a></p> <p>— Chris Meloni (@Chris_Meloni) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chris_Meloni/status/1627384361694765062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>And Mariska Hargitay herself took to Instagram to share a touching tribute to Richard about how she would dearly miss both him and his unique light, to an outpouring of love and support from fans. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Co2u7jQv18k/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Co2u7jQv18k/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Mariska Hargitay (@therealmariskahargitay)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><em>Images: Getty </em></p>

News

"Just pure kindness": Richard E Grant's emotional gift after wife's death

<p>Richard E Grant has shared the story of an incredibly thoughtful gift from his neighbour. </p> <p>The English actor said he was "undone" by his neighbour's gift, which was a heart-warming reminder of his late wife. </p> <p>Grant, 65, lost his wife, dialect coach Joan Washington, to lung cancer in September 2021.</p> <p>The actor shared an emotional video about the gift and how much it meant to him while he is continuing to grieve his loss. </p> <p>“I returned to the Cotswolds today for the weekend and the kind of violence in the silence as you long to hear the person that you can never hear again,” he began, looking visibly emotional.</p> <p>“What has completely floored me is to find that my incredibly generous neighbour Jules Bowsher has gifted me a comfort blanket, or a lap quilt as she calls it."</p> <p>“She has hand embroidered it over months, with all of my wife’s favourite poetry."</p> <p>“All of the names of the actors and coaches she worked with over the decades, films and stage plays that she coached on."</p> <p>“All the expressions that were common to our 38-year-long marriage.”</p> <p>The actor continued, “It includes little 3D pockets of happiness with keepsakes and trinkets, all referencing our long marriage.”</p> <p>“The amount of time she has taken to do this, it’s beyond measure as the kindness of friendship has undone me in the greatest spirit of Christmas as possible,” Grant said.</p> <p>“How can two little words, ‘Thank you,’ begin to adequately convey the enormity of what she has given me?</p> <p>“We’re not related. We’re not family or anything like that. Just pure kindness.”</p> <p>He finished by saying, “Thank you Jules. You’ve made a grown man cry with gratitude.”</p> <p>Fans flocked to comment on what a kind gift it was, sharing their admiration for the actor's thoughtful neighbour. </p> <p>“The hours that lovely lady must have spent, but to see how well received it has been, must give her pleasure too,” one follower wrote.</p> <div> <p>“What a kind lady,” wrote another.</p> <p>“I have lost my only son, and the kindness of people has blown me away; the world can be a hard place to be sometimes, but kindness truly takes over everything else, for sure.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p> </div>

Caring

Favourite film stars from the 60s

<p>They just don’t make movies stars like they used to, do they? Here are five of our favourite film stars from the 60s.</p> <p><strong>1. John Wayne</strong></p> <p>John Wayne, born Marion Robert Morrison, grew up in southern California. As a child, he had a dog named "Duke" (which would later become his own nickname. He had a summer job doing props for a film company, and eventually landed a few bit parts thanks to his friendship with the director. He hit the big time when he was cast in <em>Stagecoach</em> in 1939, and was billed as John Wayne. He appeared in almost 250 movies.</p> <p><strong>Best known for:</strong></p> <p><em>Rio Grande</em> (1950)</p> <p><em>The Alamo</em> (1960)</p> <p><em>True Grit</em> (1969)</p> <p><strong>Famous quotes:</strong></p> <p>“Young fella, if you’re looking; for trouble I’ll accommodate ya.”</p> <p><em>True Grit</em> (1969)</p> <p>“I wouldn’t make it a habit of calling me that son.”</p> <p><em>The Cowboys</em> (1972)</p> <p><strong>2. Cary Grant</strong></p> <p>Cary Grant, born Archibald Alexander Leach, spent his childhood in Bristol, England. He left school at age 14 and joined a troupe of comedians, learning pantomime and acrobatics. He was selected to go to the United States and had a show on Broadway called <em>Good Times</em>.</p> <p>He stayed in America, and ended up starring with Grace Kelly in 1955’s <em>To Catch a Thief</em>.</p> <p><strong>Best known for:</strong></p> <p><em>An Affair To Remember</em> (1957)</p> <p><em>North By Northwest</em> (1959)</p> <p><strong>Famous quotes:</strong></p> <p>“Everybody wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.”</p> <p>Cary Grant</p> <p>“My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can.”</p> <p>Cary Grant</p> <p><strong>3. Paul Newman</strong></p> <p>The blue-eyed legend of the silver screen, Newman was born in Ohio and started acting in high school plays before he attended Yale University's School of Drama. Talent scouts in Ohio, who encouraged him to move to New York City to be a professional actor, spotted Grant. After a few small parts he hit the big time playing boxer Rocky Graziano in <em>Somebody Up There Likes Me</em> (1956).</p> <p><strong>Best known for</strong>:</p> <p><em>Cat on a Hot Tin Roof</em> (1958)</p> <p><em>Cool Hand Luke</em> (1967)</p> <p><em>Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid</em> (1969)</p> <p><strong>Famous quotes:</strong></p> <p>“Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.”</p> <p>The Color of Money (1986)</p> <p>“The embarrassing thing is that my salad dressing is out-grossing my films.”</p> <p>Paul Newman (2008)</p> <p><strong>4. Julie Andrews</strong></p> <p>The English actress was born Julia Elizabeth Wells and began working as a singer from an early age. She shot to fame on Broadway in the role of</p> <p>Eliza Doolittle in the 1956 hit <em>My Fair Lady</em>. She followed this up with <em>Cinderella</em> (1957) and <em>Camelot</em> (1960) but it was Mary Poppins in 1964 that saw her become a household name.</p> <p><strong>Best known for:</strong></p> <p><em>Mary Poppins</em> (1964)</p> <p><em>The Sound of Music</em> (1965)</p> <p><em>10</em> (1979)</p> <p><strong>Famous quotes:</strong></p> <p>“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and – SNAP – the job's a game!”</p> <p>Mary Poppins (1964)</p> <p>“The hills are alive with the sound of music. With songs they have sung for a thousand years.”</p> <p>The Sound of Music (1965)</p> <p><strong>5. Sean Connery</strong></p> <p>Thomas Sean Connery was born in Edinburgh and had many jobs (including coffin polisher) before getting into acting. He starred in several TV movies, TV series and small films before his big break playing James Bond in <em>Dr. No</em> (1962). He went on to play Bond six more times and continued making films in the 70s to the present day.</p> <p><strong>Best known for:</strong></p> <p><em>Dr. No</em> (1962)</p> <p><em>The Untouchables</em> (1987)</p> <p><em>Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade</em> (1989)</p> <p><em>The Hunt for Red October</em> (1990)</p> <p><strong>Famous quotes:</strong></p> <p>“Bond. James Bond.”</p> <p><em>Dr. No</em> (1962)</p> <p>“I like women. I don't understand them, but I like them.”</p> <p>Sean Connery (1957)</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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