Latest news with #Life'sTooShort
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Darius Rucker cleared to continue tour
Darius Rucker has been given the all clear to continue his tour after cutting a gig short due to health issues. The Hootie and the Blowfish star, 59, was performing at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City on July 12, when he told fans he physically couldn't continue any longer and was forced to abandon the show mid-set - promising to make it up to them and offer refunds - and now it has been confirmed the country singer has been given the green light to get back on stage again. A representative for Rucker told USA Today: "There is no further interruption in his touring schedule. Following vocal rest, Darius has been cleared to resume shows." A video filmed during the doomed Atlantic City show, showed Rucker telling the audience: "I'm going to play one more song. I promise you, we are going to figure this out. You're going to get your money back. I just can't sing. "This [has] never happened. I physically can't sing, and I promise you on everything that I stand for I will make this up to you." The audience then helped him by singing the lyrics to Wagon Wheel. Apologising to the crowd, he said: "I'm so sorry." Rucker only managed to fully perform three songs (Life's Too Short, It Won't Be Like This for Long and For the First Time) - the fourth being Wagon Wheel, with the crowd's assistance. After the show, he took to Instagram to apologise to the audience because it had become clear he would not be able to reschedule the concert. The singer explained: "I feel awful and I'm so sorry - I have never lost my voice in all my years of performing. We looked at every option to reschedule, but unfortunately, it's just not possible this year, so we're issuing full refunds." Rucker is due back onstage on Saturday (19.07.25) in Florida. The Atlantic City show was the third stop on Rucker's tour, which will continue across the US throughout August and September before he is scheduled to head to the UK and Canada. The tour will finish with a run of shows in Naples, Florida in December.
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Country star Darius Rucker pulls gig mid-set: 'I just can't sing'
Darius Rucker was recently forced to cut his set short, telling the crowd, "I just can't sing". The 59-year-old country star was performing at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City on July 12, when he told fans he physically couldn't perform any longer. The musician - who shot to fame as the frontman of Hootie and the Blowfish - was left devastated after being forced to abandon his gig mid-set, and vowed to make it up to his fans and offer them a refund. He said onstage in a viral clip on TikTok: "I'm going to play one more song. I promise you, we are going to figure this out. You're going to get your money back. I just can't sing. "This [has] never happened. I physically can't sing, and I promise you on everything that I stand for I will make this up to you. The audience then helped him by singing the lyrics to Wagon Wheel. Apologising to the crowd, he said: "I'm so sorry." Darius only managed to fully perform three songs (Life's Too Short, It Won't Be Like This for Long and For the First Time) - the fourth being Wagon Wheel, for which head the crowd's assistance. He has not yet addressed why he could no longer sing. Darius is next due onstage on Saturday (19.07.25) in Florida. Last year, Darius shocked fans when he took a tumble onstage at his Riverfront Revival concert in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. He was performing his solo hit Alright when he appeared to trip before being helped back up by venue staff. He quipped to the crowd: "I'm old as f***." Laughing it off, Darius later said: "We've been doing this all summer. I hadn't [fallen] once. But I busted my a** in my hometown."
Metro
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Ricky Gervais risks being cancelled with dicey Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
In true Ricky Gervais fashion, his speech upon receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was pretty dicey. The After Life creator received the honour on Friday, following in the footsteps of thousands of showbiz greats, from Destiny's Child and Bob Marley to Sir Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. Or, if you're Ricky, perhaps you'd rather focus on some more controversial recipients… During his speech at the ceremony, the 63-year-old, famous for joking about taboo topics, decided to risk public cancellation once more. He joked about how grateful he is to have his star sitting alongside some other legends of the business, naming Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, and Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, all of whom have been accused of sexual misconduct. 'Thank you so much for this honour,' Ricky began, as per Variety. 'It's a genuine thrill to be part of such an exclusive club. 'And just looking around earlier at all the other stars, absolute icons, you know? Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Fatty Arbuckle…' Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, has been accused of sexually abusing children at his Neverland ranch, which his estate has continued to deny. In 2005, further child molestation charges went to court, but the singer was acquitted. Director Arbuckle, who died in 1933, was taken to court three times in the 1920s for the rape and manslaughter of actress Virginia Rappe. He was also acquitted and received a written apology from the third jury. Meanwhile, Cosby was convicted of rape in 2018 and spent just under three years in prison following a highly publicised trial. He maintains his innocence, with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court later overturning his conviction. Elsewhere in his acceptance speech, Ricky said sarcastically, 'Wow, this is a huge surprise. I never thought I'd win this today.' 'I haven't even prepared a speech or anything,' he quipped, pulling out a piece of paper. Sporting his trademark black T-shirt and jeans, he added: 'I should firstly apologise for how I'm dressed. This isn't me trying to be cool or disrespectful to the establishment. This is me not having a suit that fits anymore.' The comedian went on to say the nature of his job is being 'not very good at taking things too seriously'. But his speech did include a more earnest moment as he said receiving his star made him feel 'humbled'. He added that his success was a combination of 'luck, persistence, and a little bit of pushing against the tide'. Ricky's addition to the landmark in Los Angeles makes him the 2,813th dedication on the Walk of Fame. He has enjoyed a lengthy career, having created and starred in The Office on BBC, Life's Too Short, and Derek. The stand-up star has won seven Baftas, four Emmys, and four Golden Globes, having hosted the ceremony of the latter several times. Throughout his career, he's been no stranger to a risky joke. In 2023, over 12,000 people signed a petition calling for Netflix to axe his comedy special Armageddon before it was even released after a teaser clip showed him making gags about terminally ill children and using the R-slur. Immediately after the offensive joke, Ricky told the audience of the show: 'These are all jokes, all right? I don't even use that word in real life, the R-word. … I'm playing a role.' Ricky was later quizzed on the divisive material, telling BBC Radio 5 Live listeners that the outrage against him was 'faux'. He also compared the petitioners to 'hecklers'. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'I can play to a million people, I won't get a complaint. As soon as it goes on Netflix or as soon as someone writes up a joke that says this is offensive, people go, 'Oh, that's offensive',' he said. More Trending 'They haven't even heard the joke. They weren't there. Ignore them. They don't count. They have no effect on me. They don't count. They're hecklers.' Ricky also previously faced backlash for his SuperNature movie, in which he made remarks about trans people, female comedians, and AIDS. Addressing the matter afterwards on The One Show, Ricky argued: 'I think that's what comedy is for, really – to get us through stuff, and I deal in taboo subjects because I want to take the audience to a place it hasn't been before, even for a split second. 'Most offence comes from when people mistake the subject of a joke with the actual target.' 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: Trump reveals if he's willing to pardon ex-pal Diddy if convicted of sex trafficking MORE: Dolly Parton reveals 'mixed emotions' about new tribute musical MORE: Taylor Swift fans 'heartbroken' as singer reveals bittersweet news in emotional message
Telegraph
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
From Batman to Top Gun: Val Kilmer's 10 greatest roles, ranked
The critic Roger Ebert wrote of Val Kilmer, who has died of pneumonia aged 65, that 'if there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it.' He was right. Despite his formidable and hugely versatile talent, the Juilliard-educated actor found his mainstream career as a lead stymied from early on, amidst rumours that he was difficult to work with and overly demanding. Although good-looking and hugely charismatic, Kilmer began his career as a comic actor, and it is no surprise that half the roles on this list are in comedies. His great skill was in subverting his heart-throb appearance early in his career, and embracing silly and full-on comic parts later on, after his handsome looks had faded somewhat. Even in his more serious roles, he was able to bring much-needed levity to the part. Kilmer, unaccountably, never won an Oscar, although at least two of the performances here should have seen him nominated at the bare minimum. After he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015, he largely stepped away from acting – with one notable exception – but his 2021 documentary Val, focusing on his life and career, served as a living epitaph for a superbly talented, if never straightforward, figure. Here are 10 of his greatest performances – ranked. 10. Batman/Bruce Wayne, Batman Forever (1995) The idea of a fully unhinged Kilmer, in full Jim Morrison or Doc Holliday mode, taking on the dual role of Bruce Wayne and Batman in Joel Schumacher's first, and considerably better, Dark Knight picture is a mouthwatering one. Alas, Kilmer's performance is one of his most restrained, perhaps because of the much-publicised clashes he had with Schumacher on set. Nevertheless, with Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey tiresomely vying with one another to steal scenes, a little dignity and nuance is to be greatly appreciated. Still, perhaps, the most underrated Batman. 9. Himself, Life's Too Short (2013) For someone castigated for being hard to work with, Kilmer had a remarkable flair for self-deprecation, and this was seldom better demonstrated than in the final episode of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's Warwick Davis-starring sitcom. Playing a caricatured version of himself – the comic flip side to the Val documentary – Kilmer relishes the chance to satirise not only his Hollywood standing, but also his Method credentials. This is beautifully illustrated by the scene in which he dons his Batman mask (which, for some reason, he has on him at all times), and attempts to surprise Davis's secretary by dint of standing in front of her, blank-faced; she is unable to recognise him, even when he removes his mask. 8. Madmartigan, Willow (1988) The point of Kilmer's appearance in Life's Too Short is to discuss a sequel to Willow, the George Lucas-produced fantasy epic in which he played the swashbuckling rogue Madmartigan opposite Warwick Davis's adventurer. Ironically, the sequel did, eventually, occur in a 2022 Disney+ series, but Kilmer was no longer well enough to participate in it. His absence left a considerable gap, as his amusing, dashing performance in the original film is one of its most successful elements. 7. Elvis Presley, True Romance (1993) Tony Scott's Quentin Tarantino's screenplay is a feast of A-list cameos (Walken! Hopper! Oldman! Pitt!), all of them apparently attempting to outdo one another for iconic status. Just as well, then, that Scott, who had previously worked with Kilmer on Top Gun, cast the actor in the recurring role of Christian Slater's imaginary mentor: none other than Elvis Presley. (Although for legal reasons the character is simply credited as 'Mentor'.) Coming off his legendary performance as Jim Morrison a couple of years before, Kilmer – who is never shown in focus – manages to be funny, charismatic and slightly chilling all at the same time as the ghostly Elvis, and perfectly of a piece with the rest of the superb film. 6. Chris Shiherlis, Heat (1995) Inevitably, anyone who watches Michael Mann's modern-day crime masterpiece will also be most impressed by its stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, both at their peak, whether individually or in their brief moments together. With this in mind, Kilmer does a superb job as De Niro's volatile right-hand man, whose brilliance at robbing banks is only rivalled by the hot mess of his personal life. Kilmer's final, wordless scene, opposite Ashley Judd as his put-upon wife, shows precisely what this fine actor could do without lengthy monologues to rely on. 5. Nick Rivers, Top Secret! (1984) Making his cinematic debut, Kilmer stars as the Elvis-esque American singer Nick Rivers in this riotous Second World War comedy action thriller, who is drawn into a knowingly complex web of cross-European espionage. Kilmer appeared at his audition dressed as Elvis, which impressed Abrahams: the writer-director commented that 'I like to think of it as the role Elvis never got but should have.' Certainly, the King had many skills and qualities, but he never demonstrated anything like Kilmer's brilliance at comic timing, which allows his Rivers to react to even the most outlandish events and clowning with the same hilariously all-American enthusiasm. Kilmer also demonstrates a fantastic singing voice, which would come in very useful later in his career. 4. Perry Van Shrike, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) There may be a better character name in contemporary cinema than 'Gay Perry', but if there is, I am yet to discover it. Shane Black's peerless crime comedy may now be best remembered for being the picture that sent its star Robert Downey Jr on the road to A-list status and superstardom. But as the gruff, laconic and wholly hilarious private detective who has to help Downey Jr's petty criminal, Kilmer matches him every step of the way for the comic goods. Watching the two men banter in Black's inimitable fashion is a true joy (forget about the plot, you're here for the dialogue) and it is a minor tragedy that the film's box office failure did not lead to a reunion of these two inimitable, brilliant characters. 3. Iceman, Top Gun/Top Gun Maverick (1986/2022) As Tom Cruise's macho rival Iceman in the original Top Gun picture, Kilmer was very fine indeed, but in truth the role was hardly a demanding one; most young, charismatic actors could have played it just as well. The reason why the part is ranked so highly on the list is because of the scene in the film's vastly superior sequel in which a dying Iceman, who has now been promoted to Admiral and commander of the US Pacific Fleet, meets Cruise's Maverick for the final time. It's wholly affecting, because it acknowledges Kilmer's real-life issues with throat cancer and incorporates them into the character, and it is genuinely difficult to see where the line between fictitious figures and real-life actors is. Cruise, to his great credit, reportedly insisted on the scene being included, and Kilmer's swansong performance in cinema is the greatest moment in a very great film. 2. Doc Holliday, Tombstone (1993) 1993 saw two Wyatt Earp films released, a Lawrence Kasdan-Kevin Costner one, which was expected to be a timeless classic, and a Kurt Russell-Kilmer version from the director of Rambo, which most anticipated would be a mindless B-movie. In a proper plot twist, Tombstone was not only the more commercially successful of the two, but also vastly better, thanks in large part to Kilmer's brilliant performance as the ailing but deadly gunfighter Doc Holliday. Whether he's exchanging Latin quotations over the card table with a nemesis or dispatching his enemies at the Gunfight at the O.K Corral with a vigour that belies his sickly pallor, Kilmer is magnificent. 1. Jim Morrison, The Doors (1991) Whether you regard The Doors' lead singer Jim Morrison as a prophet and visionary, or tiresomely self-regarding poseur, there is no denying that Kilmer's performance as Morrison in Oliver Stone's biopic of the band is utterly extraordinary. Kilmer inhabits Morrison so completely – even down to singing Doors songs in a fashion that might even be better than the original singer – that it's one of the most uncanny impersonations of a famous figure in cinema, a transformative marvel, done without prosthetics or CGI, that should have won him every award going. That it did not – unbelievably, he wasn't even Oscar-nominated – might say more about the distaste that many more conservative viewers may have felt about the 'Lizard King' than it does about Kilmer's career-best work here.
Telegraph
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Warwick Davis, Ricky Gervais and the big fight over Life's Too Short
In a recent Bafta video, Warwick Davis reminisced about his best-known roles from over four decades in the entertainment business: Wicket the Ewok from Return of the Jedi, Willow from the George Lucas fantasy, the monstrous Leprechaun from the low-rent horror series, and Professor Flitwick from the Harry Potter films. On the subject of which characters he'd like to revisit, Davis – who will be honoured with a Bafta Fellowship at the 2025 Bafta Awards ceremony – name-checked himself. Specifically, the fictional Warwick Davis he played in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's comedy, Life's Too Short. 'Everyone wants more Life's Too Short except Ricky Gervais,' said the 55-year-old actor. 'Once he's done something he stops... But, Ricky, I want more and everyone wants more.' There is a universal affection for Davis, but Life's Too Short – which first aired in November 2011 – was not universally loved. Some viewers and critics were offended by jokes about Davis's dwarfism (Davis is 3ft 6in and has a rare bone growth disorder called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita). There was even a campaign to have the BBC-HBO co-production taken off air. 'It's a shame, really,' Davis said in 2013 about the response. 'I feel offended that people are offended for me. The critics just didn't get it. In the show, we laugh at Warwick because he's an idiot, a nasty piece of work, selfish, he's all those things, he's a little Napoleon!' The backlash was more about the critical tide turning on Gervais than it was about Davis himself. Reviewers slammed the show for repeating the Gervais and Merchant comedy formula. But watched now, 14 years later, Life's Too Short feels overlooked for how funny it actually is – a show that was small on critical praise but big on laughs. Davis previously appeared as himself in Extras – playing opposite a sex-obsessed Daniel Radcliffe – and regaled Gervais and Merchant on set with stories about embarrassing mishaps (the kind of thing that would later become the basis for Life's Too Short). Having been offered various reality documentary shows, Davis already had the kernel of an idea and suggested the sitcom to the comedy duo. 'The more we talked to Warwick, the more we could see a unique perspective,' Merchant told The Telegraph in 2011. 'Because we realised we'd never seen a show that dealt with a little person in a way that didn't make them either freakish or magical.' Like almost all of the celebrity-playing-themselves cameos in Extras, Life's Too Short would be an exercise in Davis lampooning himself. This Warwick character is struggling for acting work – or even a smidgen of recognition – while facing a £250,000 tax bill and a costly divorce. Assisted – if you can call it that – by gormless PA Cheryl (a brilliant Rosamund Hanson), Warwick runs an agency for dwarf actors but nabs the best roles for himself, and uses his position as vice chair at the Society of People of Short Stature to fan his own outsized ego. For Gervais and Merchant, it was a return to the fake documentary format they'd popularised with The Office. But Life's Too Short was really a combination of The Office and Extras – the format of The Office and the celebrity walk-ins of Extras – while continuing to needle the self-important façade of fame and popularity. Gervais and Merchant appear as themselves – Davis badgers them for work, divorce advice, and money – and Steve Brody completes his trifecta of useless idiots in Gervais and Merchant shows: a useless talent agent in The Office; a useless letting agent in Extras; and Warwick's useless accountant in Life's Too Short. Davis was essentially filling the role of Gervais's David Brent from The Office – a self-unaware, adoration-craving berk who blunders into mortifyingly awkward social faux pas. See him making a skin-crawling speech at a Star Wars-themed wedding while dressed as a teddy bear (in lieu of a proper Ewok costume), or claiming that he's very much the Martin Luther King of little people. As critics complained at the time, there's no doubt Davis was doing a bit of a Brent – the intonation, the glances to the camera – but so was a generation of comedy fans (just a bit), who adopted all the Brentisms as part of everyday banter. There's more to it though: the fake documentary format is about putting a very specific lens on a characters' foibles, and seeing their heightened reactions when they know they're being filmed. The Brent-type became a staple of that comedy format because it plays with characters' egos and self-perception in a very particular way – much like Kerry Mucklowe in This Country and MC Grindah in People Just Do Nothing. It's true that the celebrities-as-themselves schtick was overdone and formulaic by that point after two series of Extras and multiple seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Life's Too Short was fully aware of it, though. 'My accountant absolutely hated Extras,' Warwick tells Gervais and Merchant in one episode. 'He just thought it was a sitcom where famous people would pop up as themselves.' In one scene, Liam Neeson turns up and tries his hand at some improvisational comedy, insisting that all his characters have 'full-blown Aids'. It's shamelessly outrageous – there's plenty of low hanging fruit in Life's Too Short's close-to-the-bone gags – but no less hilarious for it. As with Extras, there are laughs of despair from much further down the celebrity ladder – particularly Les Dennis, Keith Chegwin, and Shaun Williamson discussing the best way to kill themselves. 'Just car in the garage, hose on the exhaust,' says Williamson. 'I've got heated seats so I'll be comfy.' One of the best cameos we don't see or even hear – it's just a phone call from Rupert Grint ('The ginger one from Harry Potter' as Warwick calls him), who wants an invite to Warwick's house-warming party. Warwick is desperate for celebrities to attend but lies to put Grint off. 'He's a lovely bloke, but you don't want Grint at your party,' says Warwick. He resorts to hiring Cat Deeley for his party instead, then lies about being in a relationship with her. 'This day couldn't get any worse,' says Warwick after he's found out – cue Les Dennis vomiting over the kitchen floor. There were complaints from some viewers about scenes involving Johnny Depp, in which Depp stands Warwick in a toilet and calls him 'evil toilet dwarf'. In other episodes, Warwick has to crawl through a dog-flap and stand inside a bin because Helena Bonham Carter can't stand to look at him. Kristina Gray, whose son was born with achondroplasia – the most common cause of dwarfism – told The Guardian that the jokes 'make a mockery of the discrimination that little people face daily'. Gray was part of a campaign to have Life's Too Short taken off TV. Writer and activist Eugene Grant, who has achondroplasia, disagreed that it should be banned but argued that 'in the spirit of free expression, such depictions need to be challenged'. As a man of average height who is not affected directly, it is absolutely not for me to say whether Life's Too Short is offensive or not. Davis himself, however, considered it just 'incidental' that the character is short. 'It just happens that I'm playing him.' The show was about 'a man with a small man complex', Gervais argued. He added: 'We haven't got an actor and put shoes on their knees and made them walk around doing jokes about being small.' 'He tried it,' quipped Davis. Life's Too Short was having it both ways, really. There are some wickedly funny pratfalls at the expense of Davis's height. In fact, his knack for slapstick is one of the show's revelations: Warwick falling feet first into a toilet ('Ah, f------ pissy sock!') or falling off a restaurant chair and grabbing up all the table cloth in a frantic backwards grasp, like something from a Looney Tunes cartoon. He falls off the chair while trying to impress a woman of regular height – because he's upset by the presumption that he wouldn't stand a chance with her – and shuns an actual girlfriend, Amy (Kiruna Stamell), who has dwarfism, in the process. Davis explained that some of the pratfalls and gags were based on real incidents and prejudices. In one scene, for instance, Kerry Godliman films him in the street – not because he's famous (much to his annoyance) but because she's just amused by him. 'Sometimes, people ask if they can take a picture,' Davis has said. 'I say, 'sure'. So they take the picture. And then they say, 'So, what do you do for a living?' They haven't recognised me as an actor – they want a picture simply because I'm a little person.' The response to Life's Too Short was caught up in more general criticisms of Ricky Gervais' button-pushing material. The comedian was becoming bogged down in the issue of offence in comedy and – just weeks before Life's Too Short debuted – Gervais was at the centre in a Twitter row over him using the word 'mong'. Digging his heels in at first, he was criticised by fellow comedians and disability groups. The controversy was referenced in publicity and reviews of the show. Gervais and Merchant, however, have always done superb endings, as seen in the sentimental climaxes of The Office, Extras, and Cemetery Junction. Life's Too Short finished with an hour-long, big-hearted finale in March 2013. In the special, Warwick and Val Kilmer search for investors to get Willow 2 off the ground – though Kilmer just wants the cash so he can gorge on spaghetti bolognese and hotel mini bars – and Warwick puts Les Dennis, Keith Chegwin, and Shaun Williamson together as a cabaret triple-act, giving them a new lease of life. Davis would credit Life's Too Short for opening industry doors for him – doors that had remained closed to him for years – even if critics were sniffy about it. 'It's holding a mirror to people, and makes them think about their attitudes, and I think that made the critics uncomfortable,' said Davis. 'At the end of the day, though, it's not about the critics – it's about the audience. And they all seemed to love it.'
