Latest news with #Jones'sDiary
Daily Record
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
BBC fans have days to stream 'one of the best British films' starring Hugh Grant
The romantic comedy is leaving BBC iPlayer in just a few days BBC viewers have a limited window to stream a much-loved Hugh Grant comedy hailed as 'laugh out loud funny.' The 1994 classic, Four Weddings and a Funeral, is available for streaming on iPlayer until Tuesday, July 8. This Oscar-nominated dramedy was a career milestone for both Grant and scriptwriter Richard Curtis. The pair would later team up again for other celebrated rom-coms such as Love Actually, Bridget Jones's Diary and Notting Hill. Featuring Andie MacDowell as Carrie, the love interest of Grant's character, the story centres around Charles, a charming British bachelor grappling with matters of the heart. His luck seems to turn when he encounters Carrie, but she is about to return to America. The drama unfolds over several occasions where their paths intersect, and they try to figure out if they are meant for each other, reports the Manchester Evening News. With an impressive 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this romantic comedy received nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture at the 1995 Academy Awards. Not only did audiences fall in love with Grant's performance, with clips from the film still circulating on TikTok today, but critics also honoured him with the Best Actor award at the 1995 BAFTAs. Even three decades after its release, the comedy continues to garner praise from casual viewers and critics alike. "This is one of the funniest, wittiest, cleverest comedy/romances to come out of Great Britain," enthused one IMDb user. A fan echoed the commendations, posting: "I am viewing the movie for [the] fifth time since its release. I just love this movie and laugh almost endless throughout the movie." Google Reviews was abuzz with admirers lauding the film's exceptional cast, starring the likes of James Fleet, Rowan Atkinson, David Haig, and Anna Chancellor. One cinema enthusiast couldn't contain their excitement. "I've seen this 1994 British comedy film about twice and it's hilarious especially Rowan Atkinson himself. I'd say it's probably one of the funniest films I have ever seen and it's probably one of the best British films I have ever seen as well," they proclaimed. Another chimed in, balancing critique with praise: "This movie has its shortcomings, but is laugh out loud funny and moving throughout with some incredible early performances from people who are now household names. It is worth watching for this alone." Four Weddings and a Funeral is streaming now on BBC iPlayer
New York Times
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Everything You Need to Know About Emily Henry
After years of writing well-reviewed young adult novels, Emily Henry 'felt used up' in the genre, as she told The New York Times. So she decided to try something new. In 2020, in the throes of the pandemic, the Ohio-based author published her first adult romance, 'Beach Read.' The book follows two novelists and former college classmates — January, herself a romance author, and Gus, a writer of gritty, prestige literary fiction — who find themselves living next to each other in the Michigan vacation town where January has come to grieve her father. The release of 'Beach Read' was well-timed: Henry's depiction of a snappy, steamy, slow-burn romance in a beautiful setting resonated with readers who were starved for connection during a profoundly frightening time. The book went on to sell over a million copies, and helped make Henry an all-out sensation. Henry, 34, has turned out a best-selling romance novel every year since. Along the way, she has amassed a huge, vocal fandom, who celebrate each new EmHen release with parties, trivia, themed cocktails and memorabilia. Screen adaptations of all five of her romances are in the works. Her sixth, 'Great Big Beautiful Life,' about two rival writers in a small Georgia town, will be published on Tuesday. If you're new to Emily Henry or need a refresher before diving into her latest, here is a guide to her work. Henry's heroines are intelligent, driven women — a hard-charging literary agent, a devoted librarian, a med student in the midst of a grueling residency, to name a few — who are usually grappling with very real problems outside their romantic lives. Their love interests are male and often gruff (a mask to cover their underlying anxiety), yet emotionally intelligent and witty. They're the type of men who use Dr. Bronner's soap, watch 'Bridget Jones's Diary' when they're sad or own a cat named Flannery O'Connor (all actual examples from her books). Many of them could be categorized as a 'cinnamon roll' — a romance term that describes a kind of man who 'respects everything the main female character has feelings about and never tries to dominate her or take over her life,' as Carley Morton, the owner of Under the Cover bookstore in Kansas City, Mo., put it. Henry rounds out each of her books with a cast of quirky, well-developed supporting figures and a strong sense of place, whether a small community in North Carolina or a seaside cottage in Maine. Fundamentally, Henry's romances are predicated on a foundation of respect. 'Her characters are always genuinely good people trying to do their best and not hurt the other person,' said the audiobook narrator and novelist Julia Whelan, who has narrated all of Henry's romances. 'There's a good will to her characters.' Though the love stories are a central part of her books, Henry's protagonists are often also grieving or managing difficult stages of life. Mae Tingstrom of Smitten Bookstore in Ventura, Calif., calls this plot device 'trauma drama' — referring to story lines beyond the romance that help drive the narrative, such as family issues or relationship baggage. 'Emily does a really good job writing 'trauma drama' without it being so heavy handed,' Tingstrom said. 'Her emotional plots are very relatable.' Henry's books are quite funny, with plenty of banter and charged dialogue that Whelan compared to Nora Ephron's writing. 'Even when she has her characters go into monologue or soliloquy mode, there's nothing extraneous,' Whelan said of Henry. 'Her books are a rebuttal to the idea of romance as overwrought,' and show there's 'more to romance than moving Barbies around and making them kiss.' The humor of the books, along with their overall readability, can disguise how much depth they contain. Readers are all but guaranteed to find something to relate to, whether the loss of a parent or the slow drift of a once-close friendship. Even with these emotional dimensions, every book is 'a good time, and you'll be happy at the end of it,' Tingstrom said. Henry's work is also consciously self-reflective, particularly when addressing the stigma around the romance genre or fiction geared toward female readers. In 'Beach Read,' January expresses frustration about 'women's writing' that could double as an overview of Henry's own approach to her work. 'If you swapped out all my Jessicas for Johns do you know what you'd get? Fiction. Just fiction,' January tells Gus. 'But somehow by being a woman who writes about women, I've eliminated half of the Earth's population from my potential readers, and you know what? I don't feel ashamed of that. I feel pissed.' Booksellers often recommend Henry's novels to readers who are new to — or skeptical about — romance, and see her as a gateway between mainstream literary fiction and the genre. Reading her books is 'a completely satisfying experience' on a literary and emotional level, said Leah Koch, a founder and owner of the Ripped Bodice bookstore. Henry's books don't have 'a lot of heat, but they do have a lot of heart,' said Melissa Saavedra, the founder of Steamy Lit bookstore in Deerfield Beach, Fla. This, too, is a signature of Henry's writing: Her work is driven more by plot and emotion than by erotic sex scenes. Beach Read (2020): January and Augustus are two writers living in the same Michigan beach town, but they couldn't be more different. Gus, as he's known, is drawn to darker stories while January writes romances; they also had a flirtatious rivalry back in college. As the pair spend more time together, they help each other get creatively, and emotionally, unblocked. People We Meet on Vacation (2021): Two years have passed since Poppy and Alex, former college best friends who used to vacation together every summer, have spoken after a disastrous falling-out. Poppy convinces Alex to take one last trip together in an effort to set things straight. Book Lovers (2022): Nora is a die-hard New Yorker and formidable book agent who's been dumped by several men enamored of easygoing women in small towns. When her younger sister proposes a trip to the charming community of Sunshine Falls, N.C., Nora is skeptical — and is even more taken aback when she discovers that Charlie, a rude editor she met in New York, is there too. Sparks (and a shared book project) ensue. Happy Place (2023): For years, a group of college friends have reconvened each summer at a family beach house in Maine. This time, however, almost everyone on the trip is keeping a secret. The biggest is that our heroes, Harriet and Wyn, called off their engagement months earlier without telling anyone. In an effort to keep the peace during the trip, they grudgingly play the part of a happy couple, until it starts to blur into reality. Funny Story (2024): Two people with broken hearts — Daphne, a children's librarian, and Miles, a bartender — end up sharing an apartment after their significant others get together. As an act of petty revenge, Daphne tells her ex that she and Miles are dating — and then they play the part. Great Big Beautiful Life (2025): Two writers, the sunny Alice and curmudgeonly Hayden, compete for the chance to write the biography of a reclusive heiress and former tabloid princess who lives in a small coastal town in Georgia. As they wrestle with professional rivalry, they find themselves unexpectedly drawn to each other. Romance booksellers across the U.S. recommend some other books for fans of Emily Henry to check out.
Associated Press
12-02-2025
- Associated Press
Excerpts from Salman Rushdie's court testimony about a harrowing attack
MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — Author Salman Rushdie testified Tuesday in the trial of a man accused of attacking him with a knife just after he took his seat for a panel discussion at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. The noted author was on the witness stand for just about an hour, during which he described the 2022 assault in front of a shocked audience in precise detail. He also told some jokes with the comfort of someone experienced at public speaking. The man accused in the attack, Hadi Matar, was grabbed by bystanders and arrested. He has pleaded not guilty. Following are highlights of Rushdie's testimony: Rushdie describes the moment when he realized he was in danger 'Before we were able to start having the conversation we were going to have, I was aware of this person rushing at me from my righthand side,' Rushdie said. 'I only saw him at the last minute. I was aware of someone wearing black clothes, or dark clothes and a black face mask.' 'I was very struck by his eyes, which were dark and seemed very ferocious to me,' he said. A struggle to escape 'Initially he hit me very hard,' Rushdie said. 'I thought he was hitting me with his fist, but I saw a large quantity of blood pouring onto my clothes. He was hitting me repeatedly. Hitting and slashing.' 'I was struggling to get away from him and I was struck a number of times more on my chest and torso and around my waist,' the author said. 'I was trying to get to my feet, out of the chair, and get away.' An 'enormous' pool of blood 'Then there were a number of blows to my chest and torso. Three stab wounds down the center of my chest,' he said, adding there were also injuries to his waist area. While lying on the stage, Rushdie recalled 'a sense of great pain and shock and aware of the fact that there was an enormous quantity of blood that I was lying in.' 'It was a stab wound in my eye and intensely painful, and after that, I was screaming because of the pain and I couldn't see out of the eye any more,' Rushdie said. 'It occurred to me that I was dying. That was my predominant thought.' The cross examination Defense lawyer Lynn Shaffer got a chance to question Rushdie about the attack. 'I believe you said you are a writer,' she began. Later she asked Rushdie if he'd be surprised that 'Bridget Jones's Diary,' in which he makes a cameo, was her favorite movie. 'I am surprised,' Rushdie said, joking that it was 'my most important work.' The only hint at a possible defense strategy was a question about whether trauma can affect memories. Rushdie acknowledged that he has a false memory, that he thought he stood up when he saw the attacker approaching, but that wasn't true. She then challenged him to remember how many times he was struck. 'I wasn't counting at the time. I was otherwise occupied but afterward I could see them on my body. I didn't need to be told by anybody.' After 17 days in a hospital and weeks of rehab, Rushdie hasn't fully recovered 'I think I'm not quite at 100%. I think I've substantially recovered but it's probably 75-80%,' he said. 'I'm not as energetic as I used to be. I'm not as physically strong as I used to be.'
Sky News
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Bridget Jones: A heroine of our time or an absolute disgrace?
A perennial singleton among the smug marrieds, with a passion for Chardonnay, big knickers and emotional f***wits. Who is Bridget Jones and why is she beloved by so many? Created by Helen Fielding as an anonymous way to write about being a single girl in London, Bridget first came to life in a weekly column in the Independent. Fielding didn't think it would last six weeks. She was very wrong, and Bridget Jones is still alive and kicking nearly three decades later with four novels, four movies and a legion of fans worldwide. First off, we have to pay homage to Jane Austen. Without Pride And Prejudice, Bridget Jones wouldn't exist. The entire plot line of Bridget Jones's Diary is built around the love triangle of Elizabeth Bennett, the dashing but aloof Mr Darcy and the absolute cad Mr Wickham - but retold in1990s London with Bridget, Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver. As a drinking, smoking, swearing and non-corset-wearing Elizabeth Bennett, Bridget was a big hit. Set loose in the capital in the hedonistic '90s, there was plenty of fun to be had, and plenty to poke fun at. Created pre-social media, we can only imagine a world in which Bridget was documenting her weight and alcohol units on TikTok instead of in her diary... The first movie There was a media meltdown when American actress Renee Zellweger was cast as Bridget Jones, and the fact she put on 25lbs for the role was front-page news for months. It's fair to say the obsession with Zellweger's weight has pretty much continued to this day. With life imitating art, while Bridget religiously notes her weight every day in her diary, the world became obsessed with Zellweger's own size - very much proving the point that her character's obsessive relationship with the scales reflected society's obsession with female appearance. Of course, we don't know how tall Bridget is, so despite knowing her daily calorie intake and weight to the pound, we have no idea how big or small she actually is, just her own perception of her size. Meanwhile, qualms over how convincing Zellweger would be at pulling off a British accent were quickly quashed when she nailed it, with the help of the same voice coach who worked with Gwyneth Paltrow on Shakespeare In Love. It's faultless. Brat Bridget and feminist Marmite Bridget was Brat long before Brat was a thing. Smoking like a chimney, with a questionable dress sense and sporting hair that - unlike pretty much 99% of films - looks messy and real, Bridget was relatable and became an instant icon to many women - particularly those over 35 - who felt largely ignored by society. However, the character was feminist Marmite - while some loved Bridget, others hated her and everything she stood for. Some felt her obsession with her appearance and finding a man flew in the face of what it meant to be an independent woman - and everything the first waves of the feminist movement had fought for. Others thought that for a generation that had been told they could have it all, Bridget's battles to try to achieve all that society told her she should, were a valiant attempt to triumph in an impossible situation. Principled, honest and unwaveringly kind - while Bridget may not have been perfect, in an era of heroin chic, lad mags and outrageously unrealistic beauty standards, there were plenty less wholesome role models for young women to aspire to. Pre-MeToo world The first books and films came to life in a pre-MeToo world and boy do you know it - there's lots of bum-pinching, and inappropriate comments in the office and beyond. Mr Tits Pervert was not an anomaly. Helen Fielding has since said she was shocked when rewatching to note the amount of inappropriate behaviour Bridget has to put up with. Each film has a structure running from the end of one year, through Christmas and New Year, and looking ahead to a new start. 2:25 Nostalgic soundtracks are a staple, with lip-synced favourites a mainstay of every film. If you've never cried into your wine glass while singing All By Myself, you've never lived. The films also have a largely returning cast - who like Bridget have been in our lives for years. Watching them grow up from movie to movie - as we do too - is part of the joy. We also get to look forward to a 'Mr Darcy in the lake moment' in every film - be it in a river, an aqua aerobic pre-natal class or a pond, with the latest re-enactment courtesy of a half-naked Leo Woodall - who incidentally was born in the year the first novel was published. The fight scenes in the first two films have also become something of a cultural touchstone, largely thanks to the fact that middle-aged men ineffectually kicking each other while hopping around is rarely portrayed on the silver screen. The second film Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason sees Bridget continue her unbelievably lucky streak when it comes to jobs. While she started out as a PR in a publishing house (most notably promoting the highbrow read Kafka's Motorbike) she then stumbled into TV production, which quickly and inexplicably segued into becoming a TV presenter. In this movie she lands the dream role of a travel presenter, despite a complete lack of geographical knowledge, and it provides the basis of the plot which revolves around getting stranded in Thailand after accidentally smuggling drugs. We can't ignore some issues around this one, not least scenes in a Thai jail in which Bridget sings some Madonna and then hands out bras and chocolate before being freed by Mark Darcy. The movie faced criticism for perpetuating "white saviour" stereotypes, and is not Bridget's finest moment. Unexpected cameos punctuate the first three movies - from Salman Rushdie and Jeremy Paxman, to Paul Nicholls (aka Joe Wicks from EastEnders - a massive heartthrob at the time), to Ed Sheeran. The third film Bridget Jones meets Three Men And A Baby in the third movie Bridget Jones's Baby, with the novel actually following the film rather than vice versa. It was based on articles written by Fielding in 2005. Spoiler alert - Hugh Grant wasn't up for this one. Luckily, Patrick Dempsey - the man who played Dr McDreamy in Grey's Anatomy - stepped in. It good-naturedly cracks through the challenges of having a baby as a geriatric, single-working mum and somehow picking the right guy at the end of it all. Bridget gets her fairytale wedding, her man and of course becomes a mum. While the first couple of films contained more smoking than would be believed, this one saw the franchise ditch the habit, a reflection both of Bridget's new responsibilities and the changing fashions of the time. While Grant sat this one out, there was hope for fans that he would return thanks to a cheeky front-page splash at the end of the film declaring him alive and well a year after he was presumed dead following a plane crash (in the bush). The fourth film It's not quite a full-on reunion for the fourth film - but almost. Bridget's life has taken some unexpected turns, and while Daniel Cleaver may have risen from the dead, there is a new and much bigger hole in her life. You will need to take tissues into this one, unless you have a heart of stone. While past casts have been notable for their lack of diversity, this one also looks a bit more like the multicultural capital Bridget lives in. Bridget now has a shelf full of diaries and rye observances include a takedown of the dismissal of "women of a certain age", a lip-filler-esque fail that pokes fun at attempts to cheat age and the baffling modern phenomenon of buttonless lifts. The end of an era? Is this the end for Bridget? For now. The exploration of her life from her early 30s to her mid-50s has seen her find love, forge a career and have a family. But it's not out of the question we could venture into the next stages of her life at some point. Helen Fielding is still writing books, just not about Bridget. With a new legion of Gen Z fans now introduced to - and loving - Bridget, never say never. And while Bridget may have found her happy ever after - all fans of the books will know It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces. So, watch this space.
Express Tribune
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Bridget Jones returns to screens in new film 'Mad About the Boy'
LONDON: Hollywood star Renee Zellweger on Wednesday will mark the return of Bridget Jones – the Chardonnay-swigging, calorie-counting hapless 1990s singleton – at the world premiere of the franchise's upcoming film Mad About the Boy. Taking place in London, scene of all Bridget's greatest catastrophes, the red carpet showing is also due to be attended by rising star Leo Woodall, 28, who plays her latest and much younger love interest. Texan actor Zellweger famously piled on a few pounds and successfully cultivated a British accent to star as Bridget alongside Hugh Grant and Colin Firth in the original 2001 smash hit Bridget Jones's Diary. In the latest instalment, Bridget – now a 51-year-old widow and single parent – navigates new levels of embarrassment as she grapples with texts, tweets, dating apps and Botox after the death of her husband, Mark Darcy. The fourth and latest instalment comes nearly a decade after the previous one – Bridget Jones's Baby. In that film, Bridget ended up pregnant and unsure who the father was after flings with a handsome American internet billionaire, played by Patrick Dempsey, and ex Mark Darcy, played by Firth, whom she eventually marries. Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding previously said she wrote Mark Darcy, Daniel's one-time love rival for Bridget's affections, out of the series because she did not want Bridget to become smug and married. Yet in Mad About the Boy Hugh Grant reprises his role as Daniel Cleaver, Bridget's former boss and boyfriend, while Emma Thompson also returns as her gynaecologist. Grant has described the film as "extremely funny, but very sad". The Love Actually star, 64, told the BBC last year there had been "no obvious role" for him in the film. But producers had "crammed" him in and Grant had managed to "make up a good interim story for him" nonetheless. The London premiere is also expected to be attended by Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays another of Jones's love interests, and director Michael Morris. Jones began life in a newspaper column by Fielding in 1995 before she turned it into a series of bestselling books. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is due to be released via US streaming service Peacock on February 13 and a day later in cinemas internationally. AFP
