The overlooked brilliance of BBC's The Hour
From the get-go – those classy, Hitchcockesque credits – you know you're in for a treat, and it doesn't disappoint: the dialogue brims with zingers and has the velocity of an assault rifle, like the West Wing in its pomp, while the plot zooms along, twisting this way and that, oozing corruption, sex and ambition.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Perth dancer explains why she's the first Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader to wear a ponytail after copping wild backlash for 'Aussie Coded' look
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Faith Ward has responded to backlash about her hair after one detail set the internet alight. The 22-year-old, who was born in New Zealand but grew up in Western Australia, has become the first Kiwi to make the crew. Faith shared a social media post to celebrate the news on Sunday, proudly holding up her fresh DCC uniform with her blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail. As hundreds of well-wishers and teammates flooded the comments section, Faith's hairstyle prompted a massive response from fans of the team. 'Congrats! But wondering why do you wear your hair in a ponytail, not down like everyone else?' one social media user asked. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'Is no one inquiring about the ponytail moment?!?!?' a second fan commented. 'It looks weird that she's the only one with a ponytail,' another said. 'We all want to know about the ponytail please,' yet another wrote, with one viewer requesting the 'backstory.' 'Does anyone know if they made an exception with her hair? DCC has strict hair regulations,' another pointed out. One supporter even remarked that Faith's slick-back hair was 'so Aussie coded.' Faith was named as one of just six rookies to join the cheerleading team of 36 to perform during the upcoming season of the NFL. She stars in series two of Netflix 's hit reality TV series America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which hit screens on June 20 after its debut run won over legions of fans. To make the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, all rookies must undergo makeovers during training camp, which can involve dramatic changes to their hair, makeup, and sometimes even teeth to help them achieve the 'DCC look '. These makeovers are a crucial part of assessing a candidate's potential and ensuring they meet the team's strict aesthetic standards. Back in 2016, DCC director Kelli Finglass told People that all cheerleaders 'wear their hair down, even in rehearsal.' 'It's about the girls being as glamorous as they can,' she said, adding that a 'DCC hairstyle' absolutely must 'dance well'. Faith confirmed she is the first DCC to be allowed an up-do in an interview with ABC Perth on Monday. 'It's crazy because obviously the DCC hairstyle is out, fluffy, voluminous, luscious, long locks. I've broken that stereotype,' she said. Strangely enough, it was a rehearsal to Thunderstruck by Australian rock legends AC/DC that Kelli suggested Faith put her hair up. 'So, I'm in rehearsal one of the days with my hair out and I am, you know, sweating after doing "Thunderstruck",' she explained. 'She's looking at me and she's like, "You know what? I really want to see what your hair would look like tied up".' Faith did as she was told and the departure from team regulation made her a standout. 'I go into uniform fittings and keep my hair up in hopes that she would like it still, and I walk in and she goes, "You're giving Ariana Grande! Like, we need an Ariana Grande moment on the team",' she said. 'I said, are you serious right now, Kelli? This is so exciting!' The famously strict director told the Aussie newcomer: 'Yeah, but I want your ponytail longer, I want it blonder and then I want to see a cameo day where I prefer you be with your hair out.' Faith said the reason she hasn't addressed online speculation is because she's awaiting Kelli's final verdict on her look. 'But right now, it's looking very hopeful that I will be a DCC with a ponytail,' she enthused. In her Instagram post, Faith said making the team was, 'The best day of my life.' 'This journey has been incredibly challenging, both physically and mentally, but I wouldn't change a thing,' she wrote. 'I've been pushed in ways I never imagined, I've learned and grown so much already.' Faith started dancing professionally at 18 on cruise ships, but now will perform in front of much larger crowds, with at least 90,000 people attending Cowboys games
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Winona Ryder says she still plays poker with Al Pacino
Ryder, 53, is best known for starring in Tim Burton's 1988 movie Beetlejuice and its 2024 sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, along with playing Joyce Byers in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. She worked with The Godfather star Pacino, 85, in the films Simone (2002) and Looking For Richard (1996), adding that she was 'actively' in love with him. Ryder, who fronts the September issue of ELLE UK, told the magazine: 'I was absolutely in love with Al Pacino when I was working with him. 'We were doing that workshop for Richard III, which I didn't know was gonna be a movie. I was actively in love with him. 'He was obsessed with coffee, and he would take me all over New York – like, to the weirdest places – to try different coffees. I'm 22, or whatever. Finally, he's dropping me off wherever I'm staying, and I'm like, 'I love you, you know. I really am completely in love with you.' And he was like: 'Aw, honey, noooo.' 'Then, like 10 years later, I meet his girlfriend, who's younger than me. 'I still play poker with him sometimes. It's the best.' With a career spanning decades, Ryder credits actress Laura Dern for helping her navigate the industry and taking her under her wing. She said: 'I don't think I'd be here without her. I met her on my first screen test for Lucas – I didn't know what a screen test was. 'Laura was there to read for the older girl, and she talked me through it, 'cause I didn't know what the f*** was going on. 'She befriended me. I was literally 12 and – nobody knows this – she took me under her wing into my twenties. That relationship got me through.' She is now passing on her own wisdom to the younger cast members on the series Stranger Things. Ryder said: 'I've been trying to sort of change this narrative with the kids, because they have it drilled into them that they're so lucky and, you know, that this show 'made' them. 'I'm like: 'No. Netflix is so lucky. You guys are the special ones. Like, you guys are magic.'' Ryder is also known for starring in films including Heathers, Edward Scissorhands and Little Women. The September issue of ELLE UK is on sale from 31 July.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Is godfather of hospitality MasterChef's next judge?
While sacked MasterChef judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode are due to appear in a new series filmed last year, a colourful character is being lined up as a successor. I hear that restaurateur and hotelier Robert Walton, often called the 'godfather of hospitality', has held talks about joining the crisis-hit BBC cookery series. Restaurant critic Grace Dent was named as Wallace's successor last December after the former greengrocer stepped down following several historical allegations of inappropriate behaviour made about him. 'Robert is in talks for being appointed the MasterChef judge position with Dent,' a source tells me. 'He is a wild card but the most qualified for the job. 'They like the idea of Robert and Grace together. They are playing around with pairs, and they are looking for credibility. It would make a refreshing change to have someone who is an authority on food and hospitality, who is highly decorated and respected, judging for MasterChef.' Walton, 69, who is married to Australian fashion designer Donna Ida Thornton, has already received the royal seal of approval, having been awarded an MBE in 2007 by then Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace for services to hospitality. This week, Walton was honoured again at the House of Lords, where he won the British Icon of Hospitality Award at the Arabreneurs Gala Dinner. 'I'm upset with what's happened to MasterChef and the way everything has come out,' he tells me. 'It's an institution, and it needs to carry on. If someone wants me to do it, I'm super-happy to put my name forward and can get the job done.' Previously touted to replace Torode were Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt and Andi Oliver, who hosts Great British Menu. Princess Anne's woes with Wills Holidays can wait for hard-working Princess Anne, who held yet another investiture on behalf of her brother, King Charles, at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. Around 30 are held each year, at which people who've been awarded an honour receive their gong from the King, 76, Anne, who turns 75 next month, or Prince William, 43, who lives at Windsor. A 'source close to Anne' was quoted in The Sunday Times as saying: 'She's still doing most of the investitures [at Windsor] even though William lives there. It annoys her.' Her nephew is currently on holiday abroad with his family. Pick up after your own pooches, says Lucrezia SHE is known for her calmness when delivering bulletins, but ITV News presenter Lucrezia Millarini is a pugnacious type off screen. The Celebrity Mastermind winner, 49, reveals that she confronts fellow dog owners who fail to clean up after their pets. 'I have done this a few times,' she tells me at the premiere of the documentary Dogspiracy. 'Cleaning up after your dog is the right and proper thing to do.' Lucrezia, who has a lhasa apso named Milo, pictured above, says owners who let their dogs leave a mess are 'often aggressive'. She adds: 'It's generally men, they often come back at you with a four-letter word.' Ozzy Osbourne died at home on Tuesday at the age of 76, 'with his family and surrounded by love'. The Black Sabbath star's daughter, Kelly, told me earlier this month he was happy being back in his native Britain but frustrated to be separated from his animals. 'He loves the house, but he's just waiting for the dogs to get here,' she said. Fortunately, I hear his beloved dogs did arrive before his death. They played a big part in Ozzy's TV series The Osbournes. The star once shared a video of his late pomeranian Rocky 'headbanging' to his song Crazy Train. Apinall's ex is expecting miracle baby When I disclosed in 2022 that casino and wildlife park heir Damian Aspinall had separated from his second wife, Victoria, pictured left, friends pointed out that she had always made it clear that she wanted children with him. Now, she has revealed that it was her struggle to conceive that ended their marriage. And she is pregnant with a 'miracle baby' by an unnamed man. 'I was utterly shocked when I found out I was pregnant earlier this year,' admits the former Burberry executive, 39. 'For seven years, my husband and I fought for this dream: multiple rounds of IVF, miscarriages, and an endless hope that slowly eroded. 'It cost me everything I once loved: my marriage, my home, my career, my sense of self. It took two and a half years to grieve, to rebuild, to finally accept that motherhood might never be part of my story.' Victoria does not seem to be in a relationship with the father, saying: 'Everything I had dreamed of sharing with someone was no longer my reality. Deciding to keep this baby has been the bravest choice of my life.' ITV has made much of the danger faced by participants in its much-hyped series, Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters, in which stars including Countdown's Rachel Riley and Call The Midwife actress Helen George swim with the fearsome predators. One of the stars, Sir Lenny Henry, appears, however, to have revealed the truth about the 'reality' programme. 'We survived,' says the actor and comedian, 66. 'I was aware that ITV don't want anybody of a celebrity nature to be eaten on television.'
