
Massive American film star becomes favourite to be next Bond girl as she is pals with new 007 director
The franchise's new director Denis Villeneuve is a friend, and keen to cast the White Lotus and Euphoria actress, 27.
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Sydney also has the backing of Jeff Bezos, boss of Amazon — which has creative control of the series.
A movie source said: 'Sydney is the top name on the casting sheet for Bond.
'Denis believes she is hugely talented, as well as having an alluring appeal to younger generations, vital in modernising the franchise.
'They've hung out together a lot and he has admired her stratospheric rise.
'Plus Sydney has the quality of being athletic and able to perform physical scenes, as well as being feminine and following in the legacy of Bond girls.'
She recently transformed her figure to play US boxer Christy Martin in a new biopic, lifting weights daily and kickboxing.
Sydney was pictured last year chatting to Villeneuve, 57, and Bond girl Ana de Armas, 37, at the Toronto Film Festival.
And last month she was a guest at Bezos's Venice wedding.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and James Norton are among the favourites to replace Daniel Craig — whose last film as Bond was 2021's No Time to Die.
Sydney Sweeney stuns in elegant blue dress at glitzy UK premiere of her latest movie
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Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Bikini-clad Elizabeth Hurley, 60, shows off her jaw-dropping figure in skimpy gold swimwear as she reveals the 'secret to capturing a flattering bikini snap'
Elizabeth Hurley took full advantage of the soaring UK temperatures on Sunday as she modelled a daring gold bikini on Instagram. The actress, 60, showed off her sensational figure in the triangle top and matching bottoms as she revealed the 'secret to capturing a flattering bikini picture'. Leaving her long waved dark tresses loose, the mother-of-one accessorised with a simple pendant necklace as she looked away from the camera. Elizabeth, who is currently dating Billy Ray Cyrus, revealed she had captured the stunning snap by '7am' and was lounging and shielding from the sun by an hour later. She wrote: 'The secret to flattering bikini pics? BAN overhead sunlight. When shooting bikinis, sunrise or sunset are your best friends. 'We shot this at 7am… By 8am, I was lounging around in one of my equally flattering @elizabethhurleybeach kaftans, feeling glamorous AND shielded from the lethal sun'. The actress, 60, showed off her sensational figure in the triangle top and matching bottoms as she revealed the 'secret to capturing a flattering bikini picture' Last week, Elizabeth set pulses racing in another skimpy bikini as she shared a sizzling snap from a recent Greek holiday to celebrate International Bikini Day. The star showed off her amazing figure in the red triangle top which she paired with eye catching leopard print bottoms. Elizabeth styled her long dark tresses in beach waves and held her sunglasses as she beamed at the camera. She wrote: 'Every day of my life is bikini day… But somehow I missed posting for official International Bikini Day!!! Here's a pic from my hol in Greece to make up for it Ps. I'm wearing @elizabethhurleybeach of course ♥️' It comes after Elizabeth made sure all eyes were on her as she shared another swimwear snap earlier this month and revealed her and her boyfriend Billy Ray Cyrus ' special song. The model posed aboard a yacht in a plunging tiger-print swimsuit that showed off her sensational figure. Flashing a beaming smile with a rainbow arcing across the sky behind her, Elizabeth completed the racy shot with a pair of chic gold-framed sunglasses shielding her eyes. She captioned the post: 'Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.' Billy revealed in the comments that those were the lyrics to their speical song Revealing the lyrics referred to 'their' song, Billy, 63, replied in the comments: 'Thank you for sharing our song in such a sweet… beautiful… and truly wholesome way!!!! You are one of a kind young lady!!! Truly an original.' Elizabeth and Billy have been going strong and the couple put on a loved-up display in Covent Garden last month. The actress and country singer jetted to London for the weekend to watch The Miley Cyrus Something Beautiful theatrical experience at the Odeon Theatre in London. The couple, who debuted their romance on Instagram in April, looked smitten as they strolled through London hand in hand. They were joined by Elizabeth's son Damian and Miley, while supermodel Naomi Campbell - who features on a single released by the Hannah Montana star - also joined the family. Elizabeth oozed glamour for the evening as as she donned a glitzy multicoloured patterned wrap mini-dress featuring a racy plunging neckline and shoulder pads. Meanwhile Billy also made a bold colour statement in a red and star print oversized shirt. Elizabeth's director son Damian sported a black ripped mesh long sleeved top and leather trousers as he joined the pair. The couple first met when they were working on 2022's Christmas in Paradise surprised their fans when they went Instagram official with their relationship in April this year. In a recent interview Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Hot Pink Party in New York City Liz addressed what many may consider an odd coupling. 'I think people found Billy and I being together a little surprising,' she told Page Six. 'It's not surprising to me because we're actually quite similar and get on extremely well. There has been quite a reaction.' Explaining the things they have in common, Liz revealed: 'We both like to laugh a lot, and we both love the country. And we both love country music, both love movies. We've got a lot in common — and cowboy boots, definitely.' Billy has been married three times and is father to six children, but is reportedly estranged from several, including daughters Miley, 32 and Noah 25, whom he shares with ex-wife Trish Cyrus. Upon marrying in 1993, he also became stepfather to Trace as well as Brandi, 38, from Tish's previous relationship. Billy is also father to another son named Christopher, 33, whom he welcomed with ex Kristen Luckey.


The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Call me Chickenella!' How Guardian readers got their nicknames – and what they feel about them
Nicknames are dying out, according to the Wall Street Journal, thanks to a fear of causing offence or sounding unprofessional. But they're not dead yet. We asked readers to tell us theirs, where they came from and how they feel about them. My foster father gave me the nickname Weeb around 1995 – way before it meant someone who enjoys Japanese culture – because I have very thick, dark hair and, at that point, I was in my gawky teens. I fell over a lot. He said I looked like tumbleweed stumbling into rooms, then it became Weeb because of the 'b' in Phoebe. I've always loved it; it is one of many things my foster parents did, and still do, to make me feel loved and at home. I do have to keep explaining that I'm not particularly into anime to my 14-year-old's friends, though! Phoebe Pallotti, independent midwife, Sheffield I'm Pine Cone – at least according to my girlfriend. It came about not long after we started spending time together. I was getting frustrated by a video game and she said: 'Have patience, young Pine Cone.' It turned out she had recently seen a meme of a pangolin being asked, 'Little pine cone, why do you drink?', to which the pangolin replied, 'To forget', while slurping water with its long tongue. I don't drink by licking, I rarely touch alcohol and I'm not particularly pine-cone-shaped, but it kind of stuck because of the absurdity. My girlfriend is the only one who calls me Pine Cone, but I don't remember the last time she called me anything else. Pine Cone, software developer, London Through my teenage years, my nickname was Magic Pockets, as I always seemed to be the guy who had the right change, a working pen, a lighter, an important phone number … Sadly, the powers are now gone. I kind of liked the expression, as it sounded as if I was lucky, which has turned out to be mostly true. Robert Balcer, part-time teacher, Chiang Rai, Thailand My given name is not easily shortened, but my Slovak-speaking grandma would call me Jojo. I never thought much about it until she died: I surprised myself by crying, knowing no one would call me Jojo again. That's when I became Jojo in my own self-talk. My officemates laugh when they hear me whisper 'C'mon, Jojo!' to myself. Joel Neubauer, Lutheran pastor, Virginia, US I was called Plug, which might have been related to the character of the same name from the Bash Street Kids in the Beano, but I claim it was derived from the playing field adjacent to our house, where there was a broad selection of playground equipment. The roundabout was a favourite. It was divided into six segments and each of the neighbourhood children would claim ownership of a particular segment. Mine was the one that had the hole for lubricating the roundabout and it was sealed with a metal plug, hence my nickname. I accepted it quite happily. Anonymous, the Netherlands I'm from London and after living in Italy for many years decided to move to Sri Lanka. Being a gelato chef, I opened a gelateria and named it Love Gelato. Local people often asked me what 'gelato' meant and I would explain the Italian meaning, but for some reason to this day I have not been able to get my explanation through – and I have become known as Gelato. When I'm out in the village where I live and I hear someone call, 'Hi Gelato!' I absolutely love it. I feel that I've made it in this life. Oz Qadir, Unawatuna, Sri Lanka Growing up, most of my friends had older brothers and apparently I was especially short compared with them. Someone mentioned that I was like Master Shifu from the Kung Fu Panda movies and the nickname stuck – it's still used more than my real name. Master Shifu was wise and all-powerful, so I embrace it. Safar Yusuf, postgraduate student, Glasgow One night, when we had been dating for about two years, I woke to find my husband sniffing me, saying I smelled like a little chicken. He laughed, then rolled over and fell back to sleep. In the morning I reminded him of this and he had no memory of doing it. From then on I've been Chicken. The story still amuses people, so it's stuck. In the past few years, it's become Chickenella. Jan, graphic designer, Hammersmith My nickname is The Force, and it's all because of Bradley Walsh. In January 2021, I was on The Chase, and when asked what I would do if I won the prize, I answered that I'd take a career break and train as a professional wrestler. When Bradley asked what my wrestler nickname would be, I said: 'The Force of Nature'. After my cash builder round, Bradley went backstage with a grin on his face and a producer returned to ask if they could change my name plate for the show from 'Aidan' to 'Force'. I thought this was a really great idea, something a bit different, and the nickname has completely stuck. Aidan Jones, resource coordinator, North Yorkshire My nickname is Buffy. I read somewhere that it was also the nickname of the queen mother, so I'm in good company. My mother used to keep diaries and I read an entry saying, 'Buffy is one!' – so it goes back that far. But I don't know exactly how it originated. My father was a fan of the American singer Buffy Sainte-Marie, so one theory is that it originated from that; someone else suggested it came from being 'in the buff' (naked). Caroline Jane Smith, recruiter, The Hague, the Netherlands In primary school in Scotland, during the early 70s, I was given the nickname Punk. This was derived from the children's game Ker Plunk, a play on my surname. When punk rock finally made its way to Scotland in the 70s, the nickname became very fitting as I fully embraced the ethos of punk, which has stayed with me throughout my life. I'm still referred to as Punk by old schoolfriends, and I use the name as a pseudonym when posting pictures of meals I've cooked on social media, where I call myself Punk Floyd, which combines me (Punk) and Floyd (Keith, the late celebrity chef). James Kerr, retiree, Huntingdon During my undergraduate years, I was given the nickname Bubbe, the Yiddish word for grandmother. Apparently, I gave off powerful enough grand-maternal vibes for it to stick for more than a decade. To be honest, I loved it and still do. Bubbe is a sweet word with lovely connotations – my imagination conjures an image of a woman who fiercely loves her bubeles, with a whipcrack wit and a pot of soup on the stove. Still, it confused some people, as I was, and remain, a balding man without grandchildren. Alex, college administrator, New York, US My nickname is Podnil, or Pod, which derives from my surname (Lindop) backwards. I began using it in secondary school. When I began teaching in Spain, some people knew me as Pod, but newcomers were introduced to me as Chris. When my now husband arrived and began teaching, he kept hearing about this other teacher called Pod. Who was Pod and when would he meet them, he wondered. It was some weeks before he realised Chris and Pod were the same person. Recently, I spent a few days in hospital and was always addressed as Christine. I found that quite startling. Christine Lindop, retired writer and editor, Bristol My nickname is Rags. It originated when I was 16: my friends and I were at a loose end on the night of our Intercert results – the state exams in Ireland. There was not much on offer as a distraction in our North Kerry town, but the local cinema was showing The Exorcist and age limits were not really enforced, so we got in. The name of the young female character was Regan, my surname; her nickname was Rags. It stuck to me like glue since that night in 1980 and I love it. It is very much part of my personal story and many people only know me as Rags. I still get a thrill when I get a letter addressed to Rags or a table setting has just the name Rags at an event. Catherine Regan, semi-retired lawyer, north Wales and North Kerry When I was about 16, a mate started calling me Ali Baba, which became Babs. Soon all my mates were calling me Babs and by the time I left school no one called me anything else. When I met new people I'd always introduce myself by my real name, but among schoolfriends I was always Babs. I tried to shake it but it seemed unnatural when my close pals called me Alasdair. I'm now teaching the kids of people I was at school with, and sometimes they say: 'My dad says you get called Babs!' Sometimes I feel a bit daft being a 45-year-old man called Babs, but I've made my peace with it. Alasdair Allan, teacher, Helensburgh, Scotland My nickname as a child was Chiffonette. My French mother was always upset about the state of my clothes when I came home from playing outdoors. She thought they looked like 'chiffons', meaning rags, and so she started calling me Chiffonette, and that is how I was known in my street. I didn't mind my nickname: it really described my appearance and I now associate it with the fun I had playing outdoors without giving a thought to the state of my clothes. Alexandra Lavizzari, Somerset My stepdad has called me Rooney for as long as I remember. It isn't after Wayne Rooney, even though I did play football when I was younger, and he has no idea how it started. I suspect it came from Zachary (my full first name), which became Zacharooney, then just Rooney. But truth be told, I have no idea. I like it – no one else calls me that, so it's a unique thing between us. Zach Wheelhouse Steel, social media manager, Badminton, Gloucestershire My nickname is Bits – coined by our former neighbour's son. It was about 50 years ago and he'd come around for tea. He was fascinated by the fact such a tiny child loved cabbage and wanted to finish the unwanted, overcooked green mush. As he saw me eagerly scoop up his leftovers, he said I liked to eat the 'bits'. From then on it became my nickname, adopted by my seven older brothers and sisters. I love it. It's morphed over time to Bitsy or Bitties, but Bits gives me the warmest glow of childhood: I was good at something – eating my dear, frazzled Irish mum's cabbage. Precious. Patsy McGill, psychotherapist, Derbyshire My former partner and I used to pet sit together and we came across an advert for a whippet named Minkie. One day soon after, I called him using what I imagined Minkie's voice would sound like, if she could talk. I left a message, which my ex-partner thought was hilarious. Every now and then, Minkie would make another call to him. He started calling me Minkie and the name stuck. I now call him Monkey. Anonymous, Norfolk When I was born, my parents nicknamed me Jelly – apparently because I wiggled in my crib like a little jelly bean – and it stuck. I'm really not an Ange and definitely not an Angel. I've always been Jelly to my friends, to my teachers throughout school, to my students, to my colleagues and strangers. I love it – it's who I am. Angelica Hill, linguist, Amsterdam


The Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Sun
Maya Jama QUITS Love Island Games as she's replaced by Vanderpump Rules star
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