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Mama G wants to dedicate her book, The Proudest Bird in the World, to pair after chance Blackpool Pride encounterA search is under way for two lesbian grandmothers who inspired a new children’s book after a chance encounter with a pantomime dame at Blackpool Pride.The women, whose names are not known, attended a reading by the popular performer Mama G in 2021, complaining to her about the lack of diversity in young literature. Continue reading...

• Actor Sean Penn skipped the 2026 Oscars ceremony, opting not to attend in person to accept his Best Supporting Actor trophy. • Penn has previously criticized the Academy Awards, claiming in 2024 that the event functions more as a "television show" than an artistic celebration and limits diverse cultural expressions. • The actor also revealed a strict personal policy against taking selfies, stating he would refuse even in extreme emotional scenarios involving vulnerable individuals.

Wicked co-star said reactions to the incident, which included suggestions she was Grande’s ‘bodyguard’, reflect an insidious view of Black womenWicked star Cynthia Erivo has said that reactions to the incident at the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good, in which she stepped in to fend off a red-carpet invader who grabbed co-star Ariana Grande, revealed “the insidious nature of how we view Black women” and put her off campaigning for Oscars.In an interview with Variety, Erivo said that she and Grande were “terrified” when Johnson Wen jumped a barrier at Universal Studios Singapore and rushed towards them. “Nobody moved. Nobody moved. So I moved because my brain went, ‘Get him away! Get him out of here!’ … And what people couldn’t see is that he wouldn’t let go [of Grande]. He wouldn’t let go. So I just kept pushing at him to get him off.” Continue reading...

• Cristian Mungiu won the prestigious Palme d'Or for his film *Fjord* at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. • The jury, led by Park Chan-wook, awarded the Grand Prix to *Minotaur* and named Pawel Pawlikowski (*Fatherland*) and the duo Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (*The Black Ball*) as best directors. • These awards highlight the top cinematic achievements of the year, cementing the global prestige of the winning filmmakers and their projects.

• Cristian Mungiu won the prestigious Palme d'Or for his film *Fjord* at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. • The Grand Prix was awarded to *Minotaur*, while Pawel Pawlikowski (*Fatherland*) and the duo Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (*The Black Ball*) shared the Best Director prize. • The awards were determined by a jury led by acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook, marking a significant moment for international cinema.

Sue Jacquot was taking part in fundraiser when police swarmed her home after someone falsely reported a crimeAn Arizona grandmother has said someone subjected her to a so-called police swatting call while she was taking part in a Minecraft fundraiser to raise financial support for her grandson’s cancer treatment medical bills.The bizarre turn of events is the latest high-profile instance in the US of an act of criminal harassment which involves prank-calling emergency operators to get a heavily armed police response sent to a target’s home. Continue reading...

• The Eurovision Song Contest will launch its first-ever Asia edition, with the inaugural grand final scheduled to take place in Bangkok on 14 November 2026. • Ten countries have been confirmed to compete in the pop music festival, marking a significant strategic expansion of the long-running European competition into Asian markets. • This move represents a major global scaling of the "pop spectacle," aiming to diversify the contest's reach and tap into the region's massive music industry.