Latest news with #Nope
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya's absence from spotlight fuels wild rumours
After winning an Oscar for Judas and the Black Messiah, Daniel Kaluuya has retreated from the spotlight, which has led some fans to believe that the star now leads a secret life outside of Hollywood Daniel Kaluuya's career has recently become the subject of wild speculation following his absence from the screen. Since winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2021 for Judas and the Black Messiah, the British star has kept a surprisingly low profile in Hollywood blockbusters. When he bagged his Oscar, Kaluuya was reportedly flooded with movie offers - but he has since stayed clear from appearing on screen. However, this had ultimately led to wild rumours emerging online, particularly after a social media post claimed he'd 'joined a cult.' The post blew up with over 24 million views before being pulled, which had ignited an old story dating back to the filming of Nope. At that time, US media outlets linked Kaluuya to a New Age figure named Vanylla Salimah Mahmoud, also known as Heir Holiness, who described herself as his spiritual adviser and once said she was his manager. Reports said Kaluuya had ended his relationship with his previous agency and publicists amid concerns about Mahmoud's influence. However, a Hollywood executive close to the actor said Kaluuya hasn't disappeared but is simply following his own path, focusing on smaller films, writing, and producing rather than mainstream blockbusters. Currently, Kaluuya is involved in the upcoming Spider-Verse animated film and is developing a live-action movie based on the children's character Barney. He is now represented by the William Morris Endeavor agency and has several projects underway through his production company, 59%. Raised on a council estate in north London by his Ugandan single mother, Kaluuya began his career in British television before gaining international recognition with Jordan Peele's 2017 film Get Out, which earned him Oscar and BAFTA nominations. When asked about the cult rumours in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kaluuya said: 'It showed me that I was in a paradigm of fame. An unnamed, unverified source has more credibility than what is actually said and the truth of the situation... That's not what happened.' Heir Holiness also denied the cult allegations, calling Kaluuya 'family' and saying, 'They made it up. It was very shocking... My main thing was to make sure he's safe and able to do his work. All of it is fake.' Born in London in 1989 to Ugandan parents, the actor grew up on a Camden council estate. He attended Torriano Primary School, St Aloysius' College, and Camden School for Girls in its co-educational sixth-form for his A-levels. From a young age, he had a passion for acting, writing his first play at nine and studying the art at the Anna Scher Theatre School. Kaluuya began acting professionally in 2006, gaining early fame for his role as Posh Kenneth in Skins and appearing in shows like Doctor Who and Silent Witness before breaking into film.
San Francisco Chronicle
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Stream it: The best ‘Jaws'-inspired films and documentaries
When Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' hit the cinemas 50 years ago, it changed everything. The film single-handedly invented the concept of the summer blockbuster. It perfected the man-vs.-nature film, at least when it comes to the parts of nature with sharp teeth and big appetites. More than anything else, it captured the public's imagination when it came to sharks. This summer is full of celebrations of 'Jaws,' including a 4K re-release of the original 1975 film in theaters next month. To get everyone in the spirit, the Chronicle put together a roundup of essential streaming selections to make you afraid to go back into the water. The fictional sharks: 'Under Paris' and 'The Shallows' The most obvious legacy of 'Jaws' is the massive popularity of the shark movie. These range from the incredibly silly, like 'Ghost Shark' or 'Sharks of the Corn,' to the nominally more serious 'Deep Blue Sea.' However, all of these still paddle around in the wake of the original, rarely reaching even a fraction of their predecessor's glory. There are two exceptions. The first is 2016's 'The Shallows.' Blake Lively stars as a young surfer stranded 200 yards from shore while an incredibly aggressive great white shark patrols the water between her and safety. It's a taut thriller with nail biting segments that capture the menace of the original in a way no other shark film has. The second is Netflix's 'Under Paris,' where a triathlon held in the Seine is endangered by a shortfin mako shark that has swum upstream. Though outlandish, 'Under Paris' has a deliciously obtuse and greedy mayor (Anne Marivin) who ignores the bloodshed just as the mayor in 'Jaws' (Murray Hamilton) did, something that is almost as terrifying as the shark itself. Watch it: 'The Shallows' is streaming on Starz. 'Under Paris' is streaming on Netflix. Other monsters: 'Nope' and 'Crawl' 'Jaws' spawned plenty of imitations centering other species, including 'Orca' and 'Grizzly.' Director Kevin Smith has been working on a moose version of 'Jaws' for years. The best of these are relatively new. Jordan Peele's 'Nope' may be about aliens, but it plays as a low-key 'Jaws' remake with the way its small cast of heroes try to track and kill the ravenous entity in the sky. It has the same type of attack opening, it features a grizzled mentor who risks it all in an attempt to fight back and, like 'Jaws,' it has a great sleazy figure who tried to capitalize on the phenomenon. It's close enough that if 'Nope' had been made in 1975 and 'Jaws' in 2022, we'd be talking about it the other way 'round. For a more earthly followup, try 2019's 'Crawl.' Directed by Alexandre Aja, it features a massive alligator that starts invading homes during a hurricane in Florida. There is heartwarming family drama to keep things human while the big gator slithers in and out of the water taking victims. It's arguably the best big bad animal flick since 'Jaws' and well worth watching. Watch it: 'Nope' is streaming on Peacock. 'Crawl' is streaming on AMC+. The real sharks: 'City of the Shark' and 'Sharks of the Red Triangle' Of course, the scariest thing about 'Jaws' is that its monster is real. It was even based on a true incident, the 1916 Jersey Shore shark attacks that killed four people. There are a couple of documentaries that deal specifically with the sharks right outside our doors. San Francisco's Aquarium of the Bay produced the short film 'City of the Shark,' which explores the far less dangerous sevengill sharks that make their home in the bay and the aquarium's quest to preserve the species. If you want something a bit scarier though, 'Sharks of the Red Triangle' focuses on the great whites that inhabit the Northern California coast. It first aired as part of the Discovery Channel's 1995 edition of 'Shark Week,' and is a testament to a time when shark documentaries were a little less sensationalistic. To understand the great white better, this is where you should start. Watch It: 'City of the Shark' is streaming on Aquarium of the Bay's official YouTube channel. 'Sharks of the Red Triangle' is streaming on the Internet Archive. The Games: MrKravin plays 'Solitude Underwater' and 'Sharks and Minnows' Film is great, but there's nothing scarier than being immersed in the action. Sharks in video games are as old as the original Nintendo Entertainment System version of 'Jaws.' There is one streamer that specializes in shark games, MrKravin, and watching him play through titles is absolutely nerve-shredding. 'Solitude Underwater' is a 'Five Nights at Freddy's' clone that takes place in a shark cage that has fallen to the bottom of the ocean and is being attacked by sharks. The setting is novel, and tracking the sharks keeps MrKravin on his toes. 'Sharks and Minnows' is far more ambitious. A young swimmer is trapped in a public pool that changes every time he swims a lap, starting with introducing a hammerhead shark to the mix. It's a surrealist masterpiece that culminates with a race in the open ocean against a megalodon. Though a little janky, the nightmarish quality of the game and MrKravin's genuine terror while playing it are riveting. Spielberg, who started this whole genre with a slightly janky mechanical shark named Bruce half a century ago, would be proud.
Metro
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
The Odyssey trailer leak reveals first look at Nolan's 'life-changing' movie
The first trailer for Sir Christopher Nolan's eagerly anticipated next film The Odyssey has debuted in cinemas – and promptly been leaked online. With a whole year still to go before its July 2026 release, the film, based on Homer's epic poem, is actually still deep in production. Filming moved to Scotland last week, with star Matt Damon, who is playing the lead role of hero Odysseus, spotted in Moray while the 'mythic action epic' films at Findlater Castle. But as he did with Oscar-winning box office smash Oppenheimer, Nolan has delivered an intriguing teaser trailer to screen in front of his studio Universal's latest summer release, which was Jordan Peele's Nope two years ago. While we won't link to any of the leaked material, fans who have caught it are reacting with predictable glee given Nolan's triumphant reputation as a filmmaker. 'My life has been changed by the Odyssey teaser trailer,' announced Joel on X while @yashsayings added: 'Holy, this gonna be epic.' 'The Odyssey teaser trailer gave me chills. Nolan Nation, we are so back,' enthused Mari as @bastistinson simply declared: 'In Nolan We Trust.' 'Bernthal Oscar incoming,' suggested @theylovekado of one of the cast members who features most prominently in it, with Ethan chiming in: 'Would love that for him tbh haha.' Fan Jay also expressed his love for the film after having seen less than 70 seconds from it by posting a gif showing someone quickly adding a five-star review to Letterboxd. 'Just saw the Odyssey trailer leak…,' he tweeted. The trailer opens with views across an ocean as a voiceover intones: 'Darkness. Zeus's law smashed to pieces. I'm without a king since my master died.' We then see a shadow and glimpse of the famous Trojan horse on the beach as it continues: 'He knew it was an unwinnable war. And then somehow… somehow, he won it.' 'I know nothing of Odysseus, not since Troy,' Jon Bernthal's as-yet unidentified character then says before the trailer cuts to a scene showing him and Tom Holland as Telemachus in a candlelit dining hall. 'I have to find out what happened to my father. When did you last see him?' the younger man asks to Bernthal's character who appears slightly hostile thanks to his growling voice coupled with the quietly eerie and slightly foreboding background music. 'Who has a story about Odysseus? You? You have a story?' Bernthal's character then asks the room before adding: 'Some say he's rich. Some say he's poor. Some say he perished. Some say he's imprisoned.' While he speaks we see glimpses of men in armour holding torches and heading down an alleyway – perhaps sacking Troy – and a man drawing his sword as he leads those following him into a cave. 'What kind of prison could hold a man like that?' Bernthal's character then asks as it cuts to a shot of what appears to be Damon as Odysseus, lying unconscious on the partial wreck of a ship in the sea. The Odyssey is one of two major epic poems attributed to Homer from around the 8th century BC, and follows on from the first – the Iliad, which is concerned with the Trojan War. The Odyssey follows the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, on his 10-year quest to return to his home island after a decade at Troy. Along the way he must contend with the wrath of the gods and perils including being enslaved by a nymph, cannibals, an angry Cyclops, a sea-witch, a treacherous whirlpool and a six-headed monster. Meanwhile at home on Ithaca, his wife Penelope and now-adult son Telemachus (Holland) must contend with a horde of suitors descending on the palace and pressuring her to choose one of them in the place of her presumed-dead husband so they can take the throne Unsurprisingly, Nolan has attracted a star-studded cast but we only know the casting for a few key players so far, including Damon as Odysseus and Holland as Telemachus. Charlize Theron recently revealed that she will be playing the witch-goddess Circe, while Bernthal's appearance in the trailer suggests he could be playing either Nestor or Menelaus, legendary kings in Greek mythology who the youngster visits looking for information as to his father's whereabouts. Given the advancing age of Nestor, Menelaus could be more likely. More Trending The sprawling cast for The Odyssey includes: The trailer for The Odyssey is now showing exclusively in cinemas ahead of Universal's 205 summer blockbuster candidate, Jurassic World Rebirth, which released today. So we encourage you to check it out as its director intended it, on the big screen. The Odyssey is scheduled for release in cinemas on July 17, 2026. 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: James Cameron labels Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning triumph 'a moral cop out' MORE: Amazon's James Bond casting wishlist revealed including major breakout star MORE: Three big names top Amazon's James Bond casting wishlist
Perth Now
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Keke Palmer addresses Jonathan Majors podcast axe
Keke Palmer's interview with Jonathan Majors was axed because it was deemed "insensitive". The 31-year-old actress had recorded an episode of her Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast with the Magazine Dreams actor to be broadcast in April, but it was pulled following a backlash after Jonathan was found guilty of two misdemeanour counts of harassing and assaulting his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. While Keke felt it was important to "have the conversation" with Jonathan, her team ultimately felt it was inappropriate to broadcast the interview. She told The Breakfast Club: 'When I'm doing my hosting, I'm here to be unbiased. Everybody that sits in your chair, you don't agree with everything they did, you don't love everything, but you gotta have the conversation. 'You have to set the stage for them to speak and for people to watch and take what they wanna take from it, so that's why I was open and excited to do the interview. "Ultimately, with my partners, it was just decided — they saw the reaction that people felt it was insensitive, that maybe we shouldn't put it out.' The One of Them Days actress pondered that "maybe one day we get a chance" to release the interview. She added: 'It's always there, if people wanted to see it. But I always wanna be respectful and understand where everybody's coming from. If they're not going to feel like they're going to receive anything good from the interview, then okay, cool." And Keke felt the backlash she faced for giving the Lovecraft Country star a platform was unfair. She said: 'I mean, people sit down with serial killers. I'm not comparing him to a serial killer, but at the end of the day, I felt like, as a journalist, I'm supposed to talk and we're supposed to hear and let the public decide how they want to feel. But that didn't get a chance to happen.' The Nope star wishes Jonathan and his wife Meagan Good "all the best". She added: 'I really wanna say that because I don't judge nobody 'cause I don't want to be judged. So at the end of the day, I'm happy for Meagan. I'm happy for them.'
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Keke Palmer Dissects ‘Just Keke' Visual Album and Why She's Found It ‘So Hard Being a Person and a Product'
Keke Palmer, the quintessential millennial multihyphenate, has played nearly every role the mind can generate. A box office queen who can lead films alongside Oscar winners (2022's Nope with Daniel Kaluuya) and pop stars (2025's One of Them Days with SZA), an iconic child star with her own talk show, an Emmy-winning game show host, a Billboard charting singer-songwriter, founder of her own online entertainment content platform (KeyTV), and even a Broadway diva. For two decades, Palmer didn't just entertain the masses; she provided a sterling example for adolescent Black audiences in an era in which there were few. Her starring turn in Akeelah and the Bee (in which she plays a young girl competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee), for example, remains her most beloved and notable role in Black households for 19 years and counting. More from Billboard Brandy & Monica Announce 'The Boy Is Mine' Co-Headlining Tour With Kelly Rowland, Muni Long & Jamal Roberts: All the Dates Luis Cortés, Angelina Victoria, Maeso & More Emerging Latin Artists on Our Radar Selena Gomez Says Ice Cube Was Her Childhood Celebrity Crush: 'I Just Thought He Would Protect Me' 'I have done so much work to make sure that I'm giving my audience my very best, and I've also had a hard time being a performer at such a young age and protecting myself through performance,' she tells Billboard of her history in the spotlight, while she's in the middle of a glam session. She's nearing the end of a weeklong New York promotional run supporting her new Just Keke visual album, and on Juneteenth 2025 (June 19), she's doing everything but resting. 'It's been so hard to manage being a person and being a product.' But one unexpectedly controversial dance pushed her into a role she rarely assumed in the public eye: herself. In July 2023, Palmer made national headlines when she attended Usher's My Way Las Vegas residency, where the Grammy-winning R&B legend serenaded her with 'There Goes My Baby' and a cheeky-yet-respectful dance. When footage hit social media, Darius Jackson — Palmer's ex-boyfriend and the father of their son Leodis — publicly lambasted her choice of dress (a sheer number with a bodysuit underneath), writing on X: 'It's the outfit tho… you a mom.' What unraveled next was a public exposé of alleged domestic violence incidents that culminated in a November 2023 hearing, in which a judge granted Palmer's requests for a temporary restraining order against Jackson, as well as temporary sole custody of their son. By May 2024, Palmer dropped the requests, and the domestic violence restraining order hearing was canceled; she and Jackson have since reached a place where they can co-parent their son together. While her Nickelodeon and Disney peers have seemingly all had at least one major scandal to their names (ranging from incessant twerking and licking unpurchased donuts to near-fatal overdoses), Palmer's celebrity was, in part, defined by her lack of verifiable scandals. In fact, on social media, her nickname was – and continues to be – Keke 'Keep a Job/Bag' Palmer, a tribute to her enviable work ethic and seemingly endless arsenal of talents. From the film roles she chose to her generally affable demeanor, Palmer played the historically difficult role of Black child star-turned-adult entertainer almost perfectly. Until one fateful night (where she wasn't even acting out of character in the slightest) blew it all up — and social media inundated her with myopic takes on her personal life that ranged from violently misogynistic to harmful respectability politics. 'For someone to weaponize your audience against you, it was very heartbreaking,' she reflects, betraying her hairstylist to look me in the eye. 'My life isn't a joke. There's a lot of s–t I joke about, but I don't joke about my life. I don't want to confuse [people and have them] think that this is what we do over here. Let's not joke about families falling apart. That's not funny to me.' While other entertainers may have taken some time out of the public eye, Palmer continued with her fifty 'leven commitments. But in between filming Boots Riley's upcoming I Love Boosters film, forming her DivaGurl girl group (with Sadé and LaShay), and raising her new baby boy, Palmer somehow found the time to link with Grammy-nominated, Hot 100-topping singer-songwriter Tayla Parx and funnel her whirlwind of emotions into her third studio album. When the two former True Jackson VP co-stars linked in Atlanta at the top of the year to begin the songwriting process, they left 'Keke' and 'Tayla' at the door, in favor of Lauren and Taylor (their birth names), respectively. 'Honestly, [sessions] looked like hanging out and talking with your best friend [who] also happens to be an extraordinarily talented and skilled songwriter,' Palmer explains as a smile creeps across her face. 'I'm doing what's normal to me, but she's doing what nobody I've ever worked with has done, which is be able to create the stage for me to say things that I didn't even know I could say and help align it with the energy the record needs.' As the pen behind era-defining smashes like fellow Nickelodeon alum Ariana Grande's '7 Rings,' Parx knows how to craft a song that will conquer the charts and/or awards season. But that wasn't the goal for the Just Keke sessions. Parx's ability to tease out Palmer's most closely guarded truths gave way to the most confessional music of the Emmy-winner's career. Album opener 'Off Script' addresses her life veering away from the blueprint she chose for herself as self-described 'Type A' person ('Even when I let you get me pregnant/ Oh shit, how else can I prove it?'); 'My Confession' flips Usher's 'Confessions, Pt. II' into a play-by-play of her relationship's demise, and 'Ripples' displays her family's collective growth in the face of emotional turmoil. When she sings, 'Got me on some viral shit, scandalous/ Call the lawyers, handle it/ The money's the last thing we was worried 'bout/ The truth is we both was fighting for our child,' her tone is equal parts desperate and resentful, a testament to the intricacy of her vocal performance throughout the album. There are also the standout cuts: 'I Wanna Know,' a Brandy-esque track that explores voyeurism and betrayal (complete with meticulously placed ad-libs), and 'Tea, Boo,' a campy, Slick Rick-meets-RuPaul track that finds Palmer giving her best Lady Whistledown impression. She says the latter is Baby Leo's favorite song on the album. Building on the smooth R&B of her 2016 fan-favorite Lauren EP, Just Keke finds its narrative anchor in spoken word interludes that emphasize the album's overarching variety show concept. Her most vocally impressive — she's always been an adept singer, but here she gets closer than ever to finding her most flattering sonic and melodic pockets — and aesthetically ambitious musical offering yet, Just Keke is an unmistakable turning point in Palmer's recording career, one part of her portfolio that has notably lagged behind the others. 'I think what is comparable [about Just Keke] is the truth that we hear when we think of artists like Brandy and Mary J. Blige and Whitney Houston. I was tapped into life experiences that bring you to a deeper truth; it's a lot of me growing up,' she says. 'Because the lyrics are so true to me, I was able to sing them like I would [speak] them. That's why I think [this album] has my best vocal performances. There's now a different level of depth that I'm carrying after I evolved as a person.' Named after her 2014 talk show (which made her the youngest talk show host in TV history at just 20), Just Keke arrived on June 20 via Palmer's own Big Bosses Entertainment label, alongside a 30-minute, self-funded short film. A visual album in the vein of Beyoncé's Lemonade and Black Is King, the short film brings the album's variety show concept to life, featuring cameos from Issa Rae and nods to classic women's television shows, including Insecure, Lizzie McGuire, Moesha, and Sex and the City. Not only does Palmer incorporate her hosting, singing and acting prowess, she also flaunts her dance skills, tackling everything from breakdancing to praise dancing. Her mother, Sharon Palmer, also serves as an executive producer on the film, underscoring how the Just Keke project has helped strengthen and deepen her family's connection. By playing host, lead actress and spectator in her own semi-autobiographical visual album, Palmer finally lays bare her story on her own terms — and she unlocked new levels of her artistry in the process. '[The film] is about the boundaries that I'm setting and the reclamation of my narrative and my parasocial relationship with my audience,' Palmer says. 'Loving deeply is important, but loving that deep with boundaries is even more important. I needed to learn that in life, not even just on a romantic level.' On this uncharacteristically rainy Juneteenth Thursday, the theme of reclamation feels particularly apt. Throughout the 36 hours or so that I've spent with Palmer, she's aware of every last detail around her, but there's an unmistakable ease to her energy that wasn't always there from afar. She feels free, and that freedom oozes out of every note she sings and every kiss she blows. 'I feel so free to be living in my truth and to be able to speak on my story without concern,' she gushes. 'That's the thing about Akeelah and the Bee on a deeper level. I think we all loved that movie – and my mom wanted me to do it – because we loved seeing a little girl be able to articulate herself and express how she feels about the world and the people in her life and community. That's something that's been very much kept from our community. So for me to be able to express the nuances of anger, grief and sorrow — but also share my love and joy — it feels very freeing.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
