Latest news with #MatthewMorrison
Daily Record
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Glee cast then and now from tragic deaths to pop star romances and reality TV
It's been over a decade since Glee was on our TV screens since first airing in 2015, but where are some of the cast of McKinley High School now? Glee still has a hold on its huge fanbase over a decade on from the show's series finale. It first premiered on May 19, 2009, now marking 11 years on from one of the best-loved musical series. The programme narrated the highs and lows of Spanish teacher Will Schuester, embodied by actor Matthew Morrison, as he attempted to breathe new life into William McKinley High School's glee club, which was on the edge of disaster. Over the series' six seasons, which came to an end on March 20, 2015, its soundtracks regularly hit the top 100 charts, showcasing its well-earned right that it wasn't just a TV show. Its popularity saw it launch a 2010 concert tour and the careers of stars including Lea Michele and Darren Criss. Now, over a decade after the McKinley High School glee club performed for the very last time, what have the cast has been doing since Glee came to an end? Sadly there's been more than one tragic death in the cast, dramas behind filming, joining Beyonce on stage and dipping their toes in reality TV. Some cast members are now loved-up with kids of their own. Let's take a closer look... Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester) Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester)
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
EastEnders star AXED after eight years – and it's the end of an era
AN EastEnders favourite has been axed after eight years on the soap - bringing an end to one of the show's most high-profile families. Actress Clair Norris - who plays Bernie Taylor in the BBC soap - will be leaving later this year in a dramatic storyline. 3 3 The star has played Bernie, the daughter of controversial Karen Taylor, since the family made their debut in 2017. A source said: 'Every time a soap gets a new boss they want to make their own changes - it's nothing personal. 'The writing has been on the wall for Bernie for some time so it wasn't really a surprise to Clair. 'She was the last Taylor standing and it's time to close the chapter on them and let Clair go on to do other things.' Another insider said: 'Everyone at EastEnders loves Clair but often characters have to leave for new stories to begin, that's the nature of soap. 'Clair will be missed but she will always be part of the EastEnders family.' An EastEnders spokeswoman confirmed the news saying: 'We can confirm that Clair will be leaving EastEnders later this year and we wish her all the best for the future.' With Clair gone, and Felix actor Matthew Morrison also leaving soon as The Sun previously revealed, all traces of the controversial family will be gone. Karen Taylor left last year alongside Mitch and their grandchildren Mia and Mackenzie. Son Keanu was killed off in 2023 in The Six plot, daughter Chantelle was murdered by husband Gray Atkins in 2020, and son Keegan moved to Germany in 2022. EastEnders' Keanu Taylor's body found by his horrified sister Bernie The family of benefits-claiming layabouts were controversial when they arrived in Walford in 2017, with fans being fiercely divided. However, The Sun revealed last week that while the Taylors will soon be gone, the Branning family is getting a boost. EastEnders' 40th anniversary cameos so far With the 40th anniversary of EastEnders coming up, fans are looking forward to some more incredible cameos from iconic faces of Walford's past. But who have we had so far? Tracy-Ann Oberman - Oberman returned as Chrissie Watts, a character she last played nearly two decades ago. Paul Bradley - Bradley returned as Nigel Bates, a character he last played over 25 years ago. Micheal French - French returned as David Wicks, a character he last played two decades ago. Patsy Palmer - Palmer returned as Bianca Jackson, a character she last played in 2019. Ricky Groves - Groves returned as Garry Hobbs, a character who has not been seen since 2009. Cliff Parisi - Parisi returned as Minty Peterson, a character who was last seen on the square in 2010. Ross Kemp - Kemp has returned to play Grant Mitchell, a character he first played in 1990. The BBC has described Kemp's storyline as "explosive". Kemp said it was an "absolute honour" to return to the show. Other aspects of the EastEnders 40th anniversary celebration include: A wedding between fan favorites, A huge explosion at the Queen Vic, and A live interactive episode. Actor Jake Wood is returning to the show as Max Branning after a four year absence. The BBC also accidentally leaked a major spoiler earlier this week that has shown the Queen Vic being put up to auction just weeks after it was rebuilt and reopened after the February explosion.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The UK and France's new AI drone could revolutionize the dangerous work of clearing naval mines
The UK and France have taken delivery of an AI-driven naval mine-hunting system. The MMCM uses autonomous systems for mine detection, removing the need for crewed ships. Naval mines create complex threats, making autonomous systems advantageous. The UK and France have taken delivery of an AI-powered system that uses drone boats to target naval mines, which represent one of the most complex security problems facing shipping and maritime trade. French defense company Thales announced the delivery of the first of four Maritime Mine Counter Measures systems to France in February, and another to the UK — also the first of four — on Friday. Thales said MMCM's modular system allows for the detection and neutralization of naval mines without the need to send sailors into danger on crewed ships. The two countries paid a combined $468 million for the system. Laying naval mines is a relatively inexpensive act that can have hugely expensive consequences on world trade. Mines laid as part of the Russia-Ukraine war have become a worrying problem for shipping lanes in the Black Sea. While landmines tend to stay in one place, naval mines can sit at any depth and can become unmoored and begin to drift, making them particularly dangerous. The problem is so intractable that the term "demining" doesn't even apply — the term at sea is "mine countermeasures." Matthew Morrison, Mine Countermeasures Delivery Director for Thales in the UK, told BI that "the transportation of the food and the energy sources for our homes — is under threat more than any time since WWII." Remote vehicles and drones are already used in naval mine countermeasures operations, but generally in combination with conventional crewed ships. Thales says its AI-powered, autonomous system can streamline the process. To map the area and locate mines, an advanced sonar is towed along the water by a 39-ft surface drone that can be controlled via the system's portable operations center, either on land or at sea up to 14 miles away. Once a mine has been detected, a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, can be sent to neutralize it, under the control of personnel at the operations center. "These vessels are fitted with AI automatic target detection and recognition," which significantly speeds up the process, Morrison said. "The quantity of data operators have to process would swamp a human," he added. The UK's Royal Navy reported a successful trial of the system's drone prototype in Scotland's Firth of Clyde late last year. According to Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow in sea power at the Royal United Services Institute, the new tech is "pretty significant," as it's among one of the first truly autonomous systems to be fully operational. This offers several advantages, he said, noting the efficiency gains of AI. "But a more important factor is it provides stand-off," he added. Naval mines are often clustered in or near active conflict zones, such as the port of Odesa in Ukraine, or the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow strip of water through which a third of the world's oil flows and which has long been threatened by Houthi forces. In places like this, "the threat posed by naval mines overlaps with the threat posed by things like anti-ship cruise missiles," Kaushal said, adding that this is "obviously a pretty significant challenge for traditional mine countermeasures vessels." He said that despite its price tag, the new system is likely cheaper than traditional mine countermeasures vessels, "and there's also the additional advantage of not having to worry as much about losing crews." Read the original article on Business Insider
