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Venice Film Festival lineup features Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Emma Stone and Dwayne Johnson

Venice Film Festival lineup features Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Emma Stone and Dwayne Johnson

Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Emma Stone, Dwayne Johnson, Adam Sandler and Idris Elba are just some of the celebrities headlining films at this year's Venice International Film Festival. Organizers on Tuesday unveiled the starry lineup for its 82nd edition, which kicks off a busy fall film festival season in August.
Two years after launching 'Poor Things' at Venice, Yorgos Lanthimos and Stone are returning with 'Bugonia,' an English language remake of the South Korean sci-fi comedy 'Save the Green Planet!' that is among the 21 films playing in the main competition. Clooney will also be back as star of Noah Baumbach's 'Jay Kelly,' in which he plays a famous actor on a trip through Europe with his longtime manager (Sandler).
Some of the other high-profile titles competing for the Golden Lion include: Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein,' with Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the monster; Chloé Zhao's 'Hamnet,' a work of historical fiction about William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife (Jessie Buckley) after the death of their son; and Benny Safdie's sports drama 'The Smashing Machine,' starring Johnson as MMA fighter Mark Kerr and Emily Blunt as his wife.
Also in competition are Kathryn Bigelow's 'A House of Dynamite,' a political thriller about an imminent missile strike on the U.S., starring Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson, and Jim Jarmusch's anthology film 'Father Mother Sister Brother,' with Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver. Many master filmmakers are also in the section: Park Chan-wook will debut 'No Other Choice'; László Nemes has his most personal film yet in 'Orphan'; and François Ozon takes on an Albert Camus adaptation with 'L'étranger.'
One of the titles bound to make waves is Kaouther Ben Hania's 'The Voice of Hind Rajab,' about the young girl who was killed along with six other relatives when they were trapped in their car under Israeli fire in northern Gaza.
Luca Guadagnino's 'After the Hunt,' a psychological thriller for the #MeToo era about a complaint of sexual violence at an American university, is debuting out of competition — a joint decision between the filmmaker and Amazon MGM. It will mark Roberts' first time at the festival. She co-stars in the film with Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri.
Julian Schnabel's 'In the Hand of Dante,' based on the cult novel, with Isaac, Gal Gadot, Al Pacino and Martin Scorsese, is also showing out of competition, as is Gus Van Sant's 'Dead Man's Wire,' with Bill Skarsgård, Colman Domingo and an appearance by Pacino.
The festival held on the Lido, a barrier island in the Venetian Lagoon, will open with Paolo Sorrentino's 'La Grazia,' starring Toni Servillo and Anna Ferzetti, on Aug. 27 and run through Sept. 6. Alexander Payne is presiding over the main competition jury, which also includes actor Fernanda Torres and directors Cristian Mungiu, Mohammad Rasoulof and Maura Delpero.
Venice has established itself as a solid launching pad for Oscar hopefuls, with a handful of best picture winners, including 'The Shape of Water,' 'Spotlight,' 'Nomadland' and 'Birdman,' and many more nominees to its name. Last year's edition had several eventual Oscar winning films in the lineup, including Brady Corbet's 'The Brutalist,' which won three including best actor for Adrien Brody, Walter Salles' best international feature winner 'I'm Still Here,' and the animated short 'In the Shadow of the Cypress.'
Corbet co-wrote another competition entry with his partner Mona Fastvold, who directed, 'The Testament of Ann Lee' with Amanda Seyfried. Like 'The Brutalist,' it was also shot on 70 mm, but is quite a bit shorter.
Venice will be just the first stop for several films, including 'Hamnet,' 'Frankenstein' and 'The Smashing Machine,' which will all go on to play at the Toronto Film Festival shortly after.
The festival has programmed 15 documentaries out of competition including Golden Lion winner Laura Poitras, and Mark Obenhaus's, 'Cover-Up,' about investigative journalist Seymour Hersh; Sofia Coppola's documentary 'Marc by Sofia' about her longtime friendship with fashion designer Marc Jacobs; Werner Herzog's doc 'Ghost Elephants,' described as being as exciting as a thriller; and 'Kim Novak's Vertigo.'
Both Novak and Herzog are being honored with lifetime achievement awards during the festival.
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Celebrity Chef Michael Symon Looks To Travel For His New Collection With Frontgate
Celebrity Chef Michael Symon Looks To Travel For His New Collection With Frontgate

Forbes

time23 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Celebrity Chef Michael Symon Looks To Travel For His New Collection With Frontgate

Celebrity chef Michael Symon and his wife, Liz Symon. Travel and destinations all over the globe are a source of inspiration for many things I love- food, fashion, home decor, and even beauty products. Now, Frontgate, my favorite brand for the most luxurious and long-lasting sheets and towels I've ever tried, is debuting a gourmet collection that evokes travel- more specifically, the Mediterranean- at its core. Called the Frontgate x Chef Symon Collection and available online as of July 29th, the beautiful and transporative pieces were created in collaboration with the celebrity chef Michael Symon and his wife, Liz Symon. They include serveware such as charcuterie and breadboards, dinnerware with Mediterranean motifs, and barware, such as a brass ice bucket I can't wait to get. Kitchen essentials- canvas bread cloths, a chef's apron, and salt & pepper shakers- are also part of Chef Symon's lineup. He took impetus from his Greek-Sicilian heritage and the bungalow in Venice he owns with Liz to bring it to life. According to a release from Frontgate, 'the collection captures the spirit of their everyday grill-to-table hosting style, where bold flavors, beautiful design, and easy company unite.' I had a chance to interview Chef Symon in advance of the debut. I asked him about the places that have influenced his culinary journey, what bringing travel home means to him, and the essentials he can't hit the road without. Your travels inspire the collection. Can you tell us about some of the destinations that have most profoundly influenced your culinary and design sensibilities? Our travels to Italy and Greece, as well as my heritage, have profoundly inspired this collection. That Mediterranean way of life with slow meals, big tables, and food flowing really stuck with us. The textures, colors, and even the pace of life in those regions played a significant part in how we approached the look and feel of this collection. This design philosophy, rooted in excellence, a passion for gathering, and a blend of gourmet and creative influences, makes this collection a perfect fit for Frontgate. The collection truly embodies the shared core principles we both value. It helps enable you to truly enjoy your guests and relax throughout the party. Mediterranean-inspired dinnerware from Michael Symon's new collection with Frontgate. ... More Beyond the culinary aspect, what specific design elements, textures, or colors did you encounter during your travels that directly influenced the aesthetic of the Frontgate collection? Are there any less obvious inspirations that might surprise people? You'll notice details like the beautiful walnut-finished mango wood, brass accents, and vibrant enamel finishes, all designed to highlight the artisan craftsmanship and refined materials. A less obvious inspiration is truly rooted in our personal entertaining dynamic. I'm definitely the grill master, while Liz excels at creating the perfect dining setting for our guests. We often say I'm the 'grill' and she's the 'table,' and that duality deeply influenced the aesthetic of this collection. It's meant to feel special yet easygoing, and seamlessly move from preparation to presentation, just like our own approach to entertaining with a patio full of guests. I think Frontgate customers, who know my style and our longstanding partnership, will be genuinely excited to see this collection come to life. When you think about the concept of "bringing travel home," what does that mean to you, and how have you tried to capture that essence in this collection? For me, 'bringing travel home' is all about creating pieces that look beautiful, but also feel lived in, loved, and ready for real life. It's about taking those elements of time away; the aesthetics, the feelings, the memories and weaving them into your everyday to inspire new memories. This is so important because Frontgate's customers, like Liz and me, really value that elevated lifestyle and the chance to infuse their homes with the cherished moments and aesthetic inspiration from their own journeys. The breadboard from Frontgate's collection with Michael Symon is inspired his love of visiting local ... More bakeries. Beyond the general Mediterranean inspiration, can you share an example of a specific item in the collection and the travel memory or discovery that directly led to its creation? A particular and perhaps surprising inspiration is the hand-sponged technique utilized on our dinnerware. This technique was initially encountered by Liz and myself on tiles in a quaint antique shop in Sicily, prompting a desire to incorporate them into our home. This led to the decision to adapt the motif for our dinnerware, ensuring each piece possesses a unique, artisanal quality while retaining an approachable, relaxed feel. The breadboard is also definitely inspired by our travels, as one of my favorite things to do daily is head to the local bakeries in the towns we are in and buy a beautiful loaf of bread to enjoy throughout the day. We do the same when we are home and love giving this as a gift to friends for special events: perfectly baked local bread and a beautiful bag and board to serve it. How does your background as a chef, and your deep understanding of food and entertaining, translate into the design and functionality of these pieces? Are there any "chef's secrets" or practical considerations you've incorporated? The biggest thing for me is that we try to have tools that have multiple uses, present big but store small & help elevate our presentations and ease of service. These are all things we do in our restaurants that make things feel more seamless to the guests. What's next for you in terms of design or future collaborations? Are there other aspects of your travels or culinary journey you'd love to explore in future collections? We're actually adding to the collection in Spring 2026! I'm always exploring new aspects of my culinary journey. While I can't reveal specifics yet, you can expect more pieces that embody bold flavors, a passion for gathering, and creative influences, staying true to our philosophy of creating pieces that look beautiful, but also feel lived in, loved, and ready for real life Frontgate x Chef Michael Symon Serving Trays. Carry-on or check-in? Carry on almost always. I like to get off the plane and get to where is am going, and way too often I have had the dreaded lost baggage. As people who spent half their lives traveling, we are pretty crafty packers! What do you always bring back from a trip? Liz and I always try to find salt and pepper shakers from where we have been and some kind of small pottery, whether it be for the kitchen or the garden. What are your travel essentials? A combined charger for phone and watch, small electric clippers, headphones (no matter what), and bag of pistachios (when I remember them!). What are your favorite hotels? We always try to stay in the heart of cities, as Liz and I both love walking to explore. We prefer a small boutique hotel if we can find one, and if it has a tub and a balcony, that is a huge bonus. Room size isn't important to us, we are rarely in the room, therefore we are way more worried about location.

Kylian Mbappe handed Real Madrid No 10 shirt following Luka Modric departure
Kylian Mbappe handed Real Madrid No 10 shirt following Luka Modric departure

New York Times

timean hour ago

  • New York Times

Kylian Mbappe handed Real Madrid No 10 shirt following Luka Modric departure

Kylian Mbappe will wear the No 10 shirt for Real Madrid next season after choosing to switch from the No 9 he wore in his debut campaign. Mbappe all but confirmed the change on social media on Wednesday, tweeting simply: '10'. Madrid's No 10 shirt is vacant for the first time since 2017 following Luka Modric's departure from the club earlier this summer. Advertisement Sources close to the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, said the La Liga side had a policy of giving players preference for squad numbers based on their experience with the club. The club, though, has the final say, and Mbappe has been given the No. 10, despite interest from team-mates who have been with Madrid longer, because of his significance as a player. 10 — Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) July 23, 2025 Mbappe also wears the No 10 shirt for France, having worn No 29 – for Monaco and in his first season at Paris Saint-Germain – and the No 7 at PSG from 2018 onwards. Former Real Madrid No 10s include James Rodriguez, Mesut Ozil, Wesley Sneijder, Luis Figo and Clarence Seedorf. Cristiano Ronaldo also changed his shirt number early into his Madrid career. Like Mbappe, the Portugal international wore the No 9 after joining the club from Manchester United in the summer of 2009. He inherited Raul's No 7 shirt from the 2010/11 season onwards. In his debut season at the Santiago Bernabeu, Mbappe scored 44 goals and provided five assists in 59 games. Real Madrid's first game of the 2025/26 La Liga season is against Osasuna on August 19. By Guillermo Rai There are plenty of iconic shirt numbers at Real Madrid, some more than others. The most prestigious one is probably No 7, as it has been worn by club legends including Emilio Butragueno, Raul and Cristiano Ronaldo – Mbappe's childhood idol. But after that, the No 10 holds special significance, having been worn for the past seven seasons by Luka Modric. Apart from the Croatia midfielder, some of the illustrious names to have worn that number in the past include Luis Figo, Clarence Seedorf, Mesut Ozil, Michael Laudrup and Ferenc Puskas. Mbappe has a personal story with it too. In the comic book he released about his life, one scene showed the Frenchman as a child unboxing a Real Madrid shirt for Christmas with the No 10 on the back. Advertisement With the No 7 occupied by Vinicius Junior, Mbappe will wear the same number he does for the French national team. 'A special number is offered to a very special player,' is how club sources have described the move. It also follows the announcement a week ago that Lamine Yamal would take the No 10 shirt so closely associated with Lionel Messi for Barcelona. Senior sources at Madrid expect Mbappe's change of shirt to have a positive commercial impact.

Here's Why Sydney Sweeney Won't Date Tom Brady Now Despite Raging Rumors, According to ‘Source'
Here's Why Sydney Sweeney Won't Date Tom Brady Now Despite Raging Rumors, According to ‘Source'

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Here's Why Sydney Sweeney Won't Date Tom Brady Now Despite Raging Rumors, According to ‘Source'

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