Latest news with #BlindDate
Metro
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Netflix viewers rush to watch 'astonishing' drama about beloved British icon
A three-episode drama about the British TV icon Cilla Black's rise to fame, starring Sheridan Smith, has smashed into the Netflix top 10. The synopsis for ITV series, Cilla, from 2014 – also featuring Aneurin Barnard and John Hanshaw – reads: 'Working as a typist, Cilla Black dreams of stardom – but when her voice garners attention, fame brings its own mix of triumphs and trials.' The show came out a year before the real-life singer and TV show host died in 2015 from a form of stroke known as a subarachnoid haemorrhage. Cilla was well known across the UK after starting her career as a singer – supported by The Beatles in the 60s. After topping the charts with hits like Anyone Who Had a Heart and You're My World, she pivoted to TV show hosting. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. Most famously, she was the face of the long-running dating game show Blind Date from 1985 to 2003 and captivated audiences with her unique charm and onscreen personality. The show specifically portrays her early career and the life-changing impact of the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein on the Liverpool native who was born Priscilla Maria Veronica White. The titular star is played by Sheridan herself, to rave reviews. 'Brilliant portrayal of Cilla by Sheridan Smith who also sings all the songs! Wow! The whole cast were fabulous. One not to be missed!,' Julia Hawkes wrote on Google reviews. 'Great performance by all and gives a great feel for the early 60's in Liverpool,' Helen McEntee echoed. 'Brilliant. Loved this series, Smith always smashes it,' Sarah Jane added. 'Its so so so so so good!! Sheridan Smith is astonishing, I genuinely forget I'm not watching Cilla herself!' Emma Hilts said. As well as receiving the seal of approval from Black herself, the praise was also echoed by critics at the time. 'Smith makes sense as Cilla because both women are talented performers whose lovable, down-to-earth personalities disguise an unswerving/hard-nosed ambition,' The Independent shared. 'Smith's rendition of Anyone Who Had a Heart, which closed last night's episode on a triumphant high, was if anything more impressive than Black's own recording, her voice darker, bluesier and better suited to contemporary tastes. It could easily be a hit in its own right,' The Telegraph reflected. Speaking about the experience bringing together this legend, Smith told The Mirror: 'This show is about Cilla and capturing the buzz of the Merseybeat era. There's never going to be a time like that again. More Trending 'I wish I was around in that era, but playing Cilla is the next best thing. She is an icon and I just hope I do her story justice.' The sitcom star reprised her role as Black to play her on stage in 2020 for Bill Kenwright's stage production Cilla The Musical. View More » Cilla is available to stream on Netflix now. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Stranger Things fans 'furious' after Netflix announces major news about season 5 release dates MORE: 7 best shows to binge if you're already missing Doctor Who after finale MORE: Netflix fans lap up new number 1 film based on shocking real-life murder
Cosmopolitan
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Cosmo Launches Blind Date Video Series With Willa Bennett, Featuring Reneé Rapp and Serena Page
Let's be honest: First dates can be excruciating. Even more intimidating, though? The concept of a 'blind date,' which can dredge up images of 2-hour awkward silences over cocktails and apps purely because a friend of a friend knows you and your date both enjoy 2000s Ska music. Disaster! But we here at Cosmopolitan have decided to reclaim the blind date in the most literal sense: By sending our editor-in-chief Willa Bennett on a series of literally-blindfolded dinner dates—with everyone you *wish* you were going on dates with—in the appropriately-titled show, Blind Date. In this new series, a blindfolded Willa must guess the identity of her famous dates by asking them a series of questions. And she's got plenty of famous faces to consider. We've set her up with stars like Reneé Rapp, Serena Page, Dylan Efron, and Benito Skinner, for starters. On top of flirting and feasting, Willa and her guests will also dive into the Cosmopolitan archives to revisit some of the best first date advice from times of yore. (Trust, there are some real vintage gems.) Blind Date premieres on Monday, June 2, but if you simply can't wait and are desperate for a preview, then look no further than the teaser video above.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Columbus-born author R.L. Stine talks 'Goosebumps,' Netflix films, more
Despite his ability to raise your neck hairs and induce nightmares, R.L. Stine is not a scary guy. In fact, the Columbus-born author who made "Goosebumps" a household name in the 1990s never aspired to become a master of horror. "I never planned to write scary books. I was always funny rather than scary," Stine said during a recent chat with The Dispatch. Stine's childhood goal was to be a cartoonist. Unfortunately, reviews of his work by his buddies were less than stellar. "My friends said, 'Bob, your drawings suck,'" he recalled. Instead, the author said he "became the 9-year-old weird kid in my room typing my stories." If Stine's zany sense of humor is a surprise, you probably never encountered the work of Jovial Bob Stine at a Scholastic book fair as a kid. Under that moniker, he created and wrote for Bananas magazine, the wackier, teen-targeted cousin of MAD magazine. Bananas was spawned from the powerhouse Scholastic children's magazine Dynamite, for which Stine also had written. A conversation with Jean Feiwel, then editorial director at Scholastic, steered Stine away from the hilarious to the horrifying. "She was angry at a guy who wrote teen horror and said she was never working with him again. She said to me, 'You could write good horror. Write a teen horror novel called 'Blind Date,'" Stine recalled. The 81-year-old author said he wasn't deterred by his unfamiliarity with the genre. "I never said no to anything, so I said, 'Yeah, sure,'" he said. "I wrote 'Blind Date' and it came out a No. 1 bestseller. I'd never been on the list with my funny stuff before. I've been scary from then on." That was 1987. Two years later, Stine launched "Fear Street," a successful series of teen slasher novels. Then, in 1991, his wife and editor, Jane Waldhorn, challenged him to write for even younger fans of terrifying tales. Though an avid horror comic reader as a kid himself, Stine was reluctant. But thumbing through the TV Guide one day, he came across a word he thought would make a great series title: "goosebumps." "Goosebumps" took off like a shot in 1992, really putting Stine's name on the literary map. At the series' peak of popularity, the writer was churning out a book every month for nearly five years. "I was writing a 'Goosebumps' every month and 'Fear Street,' so I didn't get out much. I have no idea how I had the energy for that," Stine said. "I'd been writing for 20 years and nobody really noticed. To have that incredible success was so exciting." "Goosebumps" has sold more than 450 million copies in 35 languages, making it the second highest-selling children's book series in history, after the "Harry Potter" saga. Aimed at a tween audience roughly 9 to 12 years old, the books have inspired films, TV shows, video games, toys and more. Even the Columbus Crew will be sporting neon-accented secondary uniforms honoring "Goosebumps." Putting the 'BOO' in 'books': 10 horror authors pick the scariest books Stine has been a regular on bestsellers lists, not only for "Goosebumps," but other series including "Rotten School," "Mostly Ghostly," "The Nightmare Room," "Dangerous Girls" and "Fear Street." Netflix released a trio of original movies in July 2021 based on the first three installments of "Fear Street." The high school horrorfest will continue with "Fear Street: Prom Queen," scheduled for release on May 23 of Netflix. Stine said he feels flattered and grateful for the attention to his work, though he was surprised by the movies' R rating. "I love having the movies made. It's a wonderful thing. I have to admit I was shocked because they're R-rated. Even my life isn't R-rated," he said. "I was really shocked because they have heightened scares in the movies. 'Fear Street' is about teens and terror. Why do people like it so much?" One would think a writer as prolific as Stine, who's penned more than 350 books, must have a meticulously detailed writing process and a vast database of stories in his brain. One would be mistaken. "My main talent is thinking of titles. I always think of the title first. When I get a good title, that leads me to the story. I'm backward from most authors," he said. An example is the book Stine just finished writing, "One Night at Camp Bigfoot," the sixth entry in the "Goosebumps: House of Shivers" series, due out in early March 2026. Need your next read?: 15 new releases you can check out right now While he didn't pursue that cartooning gig, Stine was nonetheless impacted by the comics he devoured as a boy. "When I was a kid, there were great horror comics like 'Tales from the Crypt.' I loved them; they were very influential. They were these gruesome, horrible stories, often with funny endings," he said. Other than comics, Stine said he wasn't much of a reader until a librarian introduced him to the writing of Ray Bradbury. "It was so beautiful, so imaginative. His stories all had twist endings. It changed my life and turned me into a reader, thanks to her," he said. Though his pace is less frenetic than these days, Stine is hardly out of the game. He still tours and the books keep coming, along with movies and TV shows. Recent offerings include the March release of "Say My Name! Say My Name!" and a graphic novel, "The Graveyard Club: Fresh Blood," which came out in April. In fact, before "One Night at Camp Bigfoot," another installment of the "House of Shivers" collection called "The Last Sleepover" is set to arrive on Aug. 5. A reboot of "Goosebumps" was released on Disney+ and Hulu in 2023. Instead of the episodic format of the first series in the 1990s, the newer show's storylines change from season to season. The series' second season, "Goosebumps: The Vanishing," premiered in January and stars David Schwimmer. Reflecting on his career trajectory, Stine is appreciative, if still a bit in awe, of the love readers have expressed for him and his books. When asked to describe his life, he summed it up in one succinct word: "Lucky." Entertainment and Things to Do reporter Belinda M. Paschal can be reached at bpaschal@ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: R.L. Stine on 'Goosebumps,' Netflix films and growing up in Columbus
Wales Online
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Three identical brothers who once appeared on Cilla Black's Blind Date to undergo world's first triplet transplant
Three identical brothers who once appeared on Cilla Black's Blind Date to undergo world's first triplet transplant They will undergo the procedure at HQ Hair Transplants in Cardiff Julian, Eliot, and Ryan Gregory will all undergo an identical procedure (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE ) Three identical twin brothers from Pembrokeshire, who once graced the screen on Cilla Black's Blind Date, are poised to undergo the world's first triplet hair transplant in Cardiff. Julian, Eliot, and Ryan Gregory, all 40, are scheduled to visit the same clinic today, Tuesday, May 13, for an identical procedure. This decision comes as the brothers have all experienced similar rates of hair loss due to their shared genetics and are now set to undergo a procedure at HQ Hair Transplants in Cardiff, where follicular units will be removed individually using a precise motorised punch. The clinic says "great care is taken with the grafts" before they are prepared for implantation into the triplets. Born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, brothers Julian, Eliot, and Ryan embarked on careers in modelling and acting. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here. However, they've said they've felt "less identical" as they've aged, primarily due to their receding hairlines which began in their thirties. Julian, now living in London, said: "We grew up being identical and the older we have got we feel the less identical we are getting. Article continues below "So if we can have more similar hairlines again it would be nice to see the reaction of other people and feel more identical again." The triplets when they were younger (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE ) Having grown up playing pranks and swapping identities, the three men are now set to undergo their transplants together. Ryan, who also lives in London, said: "I think our hopes for the procedure is if we could roll back the years a bit. We have been together since we were in the womb and we always compare bits to each other like who has the most hair, who has got the biggest muscles and all the rest of it. "We have always been quite competitive so I think if we can realign the playing field a little bit and realign the hairline." Ryan admitted he started the search for the procedure when he started feeling insecure about his thinning hair. He said: "I have been wanting a hair transplant for probably ten years. I always said to people if there was anything I would pay for that was going to be cosmetic it would be a hair transplant. It has always been my most insecure bit of my body." HQ Hair Transplants in Cardiff has been running for five years (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE ) The twins, who appeared on Cilla Black's Blind Date at the tender age of 18 and later featured in GQ magazine and Esquire, succeeded in persuading Elliot to join them for the procedure. Elliot, now based in Valencia, said: "Since my brothers have mentioned about the hair situation I have been looking at it a bit more and thought ok maybe I am ready to get the hair transplant done. I am looking forward to getting a fuller hairline." The clinic HQ Hair Transplants is operated and owned by ex-New Zealand All Blacks and Cardiff Blues rugby ace Xavier Rush. A spokesperson for the clinic said: "We are super excited to perform what is thought to be the World's first Identical Triplet Hair transplant on all three brothers." Article continues below The clinic has been running for five years and performed transplants on celebrities including Ella Morgan from Married at First Sight.
Sydney Morning Herald
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Dating apps be damned, this live game show is connecting real people
There's a fair bit to love about The Dating Game – the pearly-white smile of host Jim Lange, the groovy beat of Spanish Flea, the 'flower power' decals. It was also television's first ever dating game show, debuting in 1965. From there, however, it arguably goes astray. If the 'lucky girl' isn't asking the three anonymous bachelors what they would do if she ' squeezed them real hard ', she's wondering what their mothers would say if they discovered their son's body was deemed 'the eighth wonder of the world'. Sexual and superficial, these were the trademarks of retro dating shows like The Dating Game, Blind Date and Australia's Perfect Match. But perhaps even more concerning was the frequent objectification of contestants, particularly the women, as well as the serious lack of diversity and participant screening. After all, The Dating Game is where serial killer Rodney Alcala famously featured in 1978. To resurrect a show like this would require some serious reworking. But that hasn't deterred Conor Gallacher who, together with Melbourne-based friends Alex Reid and Xander Allan, created Human Love Quest, today's answer to The Dating Game. 'The old shows seemed to just involve a lot of cheesy answers, like they 'enjoy long walks on the beach'. Who actually says that?' Gallacher says. 'The things our contestants say are based in either the mundane or the important, but it's always based in some level of reality we can relate to … So, someone could ask what their last relationship taught them about themselves and then follow it up with the order they put on their socks and shoes.' Human Love Quest 's aesthetic and premise are nearly identical to the old-school shows – three hopefuls vie for the attention of one solo contestant who sits behind a partition. It even features Perfect Match 's Dexter the Robot. However, that's generally where the comparison ends. It began as a monthly live show at the Brunswick Ballroom, and has now evolved into a three-show extravaganza at ACMI. Gallacher says it's confessional in a non-exploitative way, and unlike the '60s iterations, it represents modern-day diversity, thus allowing any adult (regardless of gender, background and sexual orientation) to apply.
