<p>Irene Redfield, the restless heart of Rebecca Hall’s piercing drama “Passing,” has a beautiful dream of a life. She also has a handsome husband who’s a doctor, a pair of well-behaved children, an elegant town house and a maid to help keep the domestic churn in check. She has good friends and meaningful charity work. Her figure is trim and graceful; her lovely face serene and unlined. Everything is as it should be, or so Irene believes. She doesn’t know that her idyll is as fragile as a soap bubble, and that this glistening, quivering fantasy she has created needs just one touch to vanish.</p>

<p><br />
Set in the 1920s, “Passing” tells what happens to Irene (Tessa Thompson) when a childhood friend, Clare (Ruth Negga), enters that dream, disturbing its peace and threatening its careful illusions. Like Irene, Clare is a light-skinned African American living in Jim Crow America. Unlike Irene, Clare is living as white: “passing.” Orphaned after her father’s death and put into the care of white relatives who treated her like the help, Clare vanished. Years later, she has reemerged with a wealthy white husband, John (Alexander Skarsgard), who’s oblivious to her history. He also — as he tells the startled Irene as Clare watches — hates Black people, unaware that he’s speaking to one.</p>

<p><br />
Based on Nella Larsen’s brilliant 1929 novel, “Passing” is an anguished story of identity and belonging. Like the book, the movie centers on Irene, a bourgeois wife and mother who can’t grasp why she is so addled by Clare. The two meet again by accident, each having taken refuge from the blistering summer heat in the grand tearoom of a fashionable New York hotel. Irene enters the tearoom with palpable wariness, her gait slowed, head down and face partly obscured by the semitransparent brim of her cloche hat. There are no racially restrictive signs in the hotel; the restrictions are a given. Like Clare, Irene has transgressed. But then she goes home to Harlem.</p>

<p><br />
Irene doesn’t recognize Clare at first, a confusion that reverberates throughout a story that hinges on appearances, racial and otherwise. Irene may be on her guard in the hotel, but the very fact that she enters the tearoom speaks to her self-confidence and to how she has learned to navigate the color line. Because, like Clare, Irene is also passing; unlike Clare, she is only briefly slipping into a masquerade. Irene compartmentalizes and rationalizes her act; she needs to cool down, the tearoom is a breezy refuge, if one she intentionally seeks out rather than merely happens upon. Yet by passing, however fleetingly, she also becomes Clare’s double.</p>

<p><br />
Hall wrote and directed the movie, her feature debut, and has followed Larsen’s lead. The novel is told through Irene’s limited point of view, although it takes time to grasp the subtleties of her blinkered perspective (understanding their implications takes longer). Irene is a sympathetic, attractive, purposely opaque character with a quick mind and tongue, a richness of character that Hall’s filmmaking and Thompson’s performance convey in exacting, illuminating detail. But there’s a stubborn rigidity to Irene’s self-assurance and how she engages her reality, and she is by turns surprised, baffled and angered that other people’s actions and desires don’t always conform to her own.</p>

<p><br />
In sticking close to the novel, Hall has pulled scenes and lines from the book, but she also visually conveys how Irene sees and exists in her world, mapping the coordinates of a life and consciousness through the expressionistic lighting, through the many tonalities of the black-and-white visuals and through the elegant rooms that edge on dollhouse claustrophobia. It all looks so irresistible:</p>

<p><br />
Everything and everyone is lovely. There’s an ethereal quality to this picture (Irene’s, Hall’s) and Thompson gives her character a gestural delicacy and a suppleness of movement that at times makes it seem as if Irene is drifting along on a heavenly cloud. Yet, at other times, she seems to be sleepwalking.</p>

<p><br />
The movie tracks Irene and Clare’s relationship over several seasons of falling leaves and snow, and then regenerative growth. The women go in and out of each other’s orbit amid parties and more informal get-togethers. When Clare disappears for a while, Irene comes into greater focus, as does her brittle exasperation with her husband, Brian (André Holland), who wants to live abroad. Irene wants to stay put, although the contradictions of this resolve are evident in the charity work that she does for the (fictional) Negro Welfare League and by her insistence that Brian avoid talking about race in front of their sons. She reads about the fight for civil rights in The Crisis magazine while tucked into bed.</p>

<p><br />
Larsen’s feelings about Irene are embedded in her narrative choices and in her chilled reserve, in the archness of her tone and in winding sentences that seem fairly benign until the final telling clause. Hall’s approach is warmer and less intellectually distancing.</p>

<p><br />
On-screen, you like Irene right away, partly because there’s a human being (Thompson, no less) whose presence and persona instantly draw you to the character. But in little and big moments — in coyly and sharply delivered lines, in hesitant and abrupt movements — Hall and Thompson play with and subvert your sympathies, pushing you far enough away so that you can actually see, and become equally invested in, Clare too.</p>

<p><br />
Thompson and Negga are both tremendous. Although Irene is the protagonist and the story is organized around her, the character’s complexities largely emerge in her relationship with Clare. The two reflect each other, but they’re in a hall of mirrors in which every pane presents a different image: Black, white, attentive wife, independent woman. Again and again, you watch these two characters discreetly or openly watching each other — Irene’s eyes are darting and demure, Clare’s searching and intense — creating a network of looks. And, as the story progresses, and as Irene continues on about her old friend’s attractiveness (“aren’t you lovely”), her gaze becomes persistent, troubled and erotic.</p>

<p><br />
Hall fits an extraordinary amount into her version of this streamlined, deceptively simple story of two women whose lives intersect in ways they don’t or can’t fully grasp. Irene keeps looking at Clare, as if trying to solve a puzzle or as if she wanted something. But what does Irene desire? Clare’s beguiling beauty or her seductiveness, her wealth or her outward, presumably futile escape from the burdens of race? With restraint and bursts of plaintive emotion, Negga shows you how casually Clare receives attention — this is a woman accustomed to admiration — but she also shows you the performative quality of this blitheness, the moments when Clare drops whatever mask she’s wearing.</p>

<p><br />
At one point early in the novel, Larsen writes of Irene: “She wished to find out about this hazardous business of ‘passing,’ this breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly to take one’s chance in another environment, not entirely strange, perhaps, but certainly not entirely friendly.” There is so much embedded in those last three words — &lt;em&gt;not entirely friendly! The mind reels, and the heart breaks, although, like Larsen, Hall maintains her cool. She bathes the movie in tenderness but remains faithful to the story’s brutal lack of sentimentality, which can make you gasp. Together with Thompson and Negga, Hall hauntingly brings to life characters forced to exist in that “not entirely friendly” space, with its cruelties, appearances, ambiguities and hard, merciless truths.</p>


Irene Redfield, the restless heart of Rebecca Hall’s piercing drama “Passing,” has a beautiful dream of a life. She also has a handsome husband who’s a doctor, a pair of well-behaved children, an elegant town house and a maid to help keep the domestic churn in check.

Irene Redfield, the restless heart of Rebecca Hall’s piercing drama “Passing,” has a beautiful dream of a life. She also has a handsome husband who’s a doctor, a pair of well-behaved children, an elegant town house and a maid to help keep the domestic churn in check. She has good friends and meaningful charity work. Her figure is trim and graceful; her lovely face serene and unlined. Everything is as it should be, or so Irene believes. She doesn’t know that her idyll is as fragile as a soap bubble, and that this glistening, quivering fantasy she has created needs just one touch to vanish. Set in the 1920s, “Passing” tells what happens to Irene (Tessa Thompson) when a childhood friend, Clare (Ruth Negga), enters that dream, disturbing its peace and threatening its careful illusions. Like Irene, Clare is a light-skinned African American living in Jim Crow America. Unlike Irene, Clare is living as white: “passing.” Orphaned after her father’s death and put into the care of white relatives who treated her like the help, Clare vanished. Years later, she has reemerged with a wealthy white husband, John (Alexander Skarsgard), who’s oblivious to her history. He also — as he tells the startled Irene as Clare watches — hates Black people, unaware that he’s speaking to one. Based on Nella Larsen’s brilliant 1929 novel, “Passing” is an anguished story of identity and belonging. Like the book, the movie centers on Irene, a bourgeois wife and mother who can’t grasp why she is so addled by Clare. The two meet again by accident, each having taken refuge from the blistering summer heat in the grand tearoom of a fashionable New York hotel. Irene enters the tearoom with palpable wariness, her gait slowed, head down and face partly obscured by the semitransparent brim of her cloche hat. There are no racially restrictive signs in the hotel; the restrictions are a given. Like Clare, Irene has transgressed. But then she goes home to Harlem. Irene doesn’t recognize Clare at first, a confusion that reverberates throughout a story that hinges on appearances, racial and otherwise. Irene may be on her guard in the hotel, but the very fact that she enters the tearoom speaks to her self-confidence and to how she has learned to navigate the color line. Because, like Clare, Irene is also passing; unlike Clare, she is only briefly slipping into a masquerade. Irene compartmentalizes and rationalizes her act; she needs to cool down, the tearoom is a breezy refuge, if one she intentionally seeks out rather than merely happens upon. Yet by passing, however fleetingly, she also becomes Clare’s double. Hall wrote and directed the movie, her feature debut, and has followed Larsen’s lead. The novel is told through Irene’s limited point of view, although it takes time to grasp the subtleties of her blinkered perspective (understanding their implications takes longer). Irene is a sympathetic, attractive, purposely opaque character with a quick mind and tongue, a richness of character that Hall’s filmmaking and Thompson’s performance convey in exacting, illuminating detail. But there’s a stubborn rigidity to Irene’s self-assurance and how she engages her reality, and she is by turns surprised, baffled and angered that other people’s actions and desires don’t always conform to her own. In sticking close to the novel, Hall has pulled scenes and lines from the book, but she also visually conveys how Irene sees and exists in her world, mapping the coordinates of a life and consciousness through the expressionistic lighting, through the many tonalities of the black-and-white visuals and through the elegant rooms that edge on dollhouse claustrophobia. It all looks so irresistible: Everything and everyone is lovely. There’s an ethereal quality to this picture (Irene’s, Hall’s) and Thompson gives her character a gestural delicacy and a suppleness of movement that at times makes it seem as if Irene is drifting along on a heavenly cloud. Yet, at other times, she seems to be sleepwalking. The movie tracks Irene and Clare’s relationship over several seasons of falling leaves and snow, and then regenerative growth. The women go in and out of each other’s orbit amid parties and more informal get-togethers. When Clare disappears for a while, Irene comes into greater focus, as does her brittle exasperation with her husband, Brian (André Holland), who wants to live abroad. Irene wants to stay put, although the contradictions of this resolve are evident in the charity work that she does for the (fictional) Negro Welfare League and by her insistence that Brian avoid talking about race in front of their sons. She reads about the fight for civil rights in The Crisis magazine while tucked into bed. Larsen’s feelings about Irene are embedded in her narrative choices and in her chilled reserve, in the archness of her tone and in winding sentences that seem fairly benign until the final telling clause. Hall’s approach is warmer and less intellectually distancing. On-screen, you like Irene right away, partly because there’s a human being (Thompson, no less) whose presence and persona instantly draw you to the character. But in little and big moments — in coyly and sharply delivered lines, in hesitant and abrupt movements — Hall and Thompson play with and subvert your sympathies, pushing you far enough away so that you can actually see, and become equally invested in, Clare too. Thompson and Negga are both tremendous. Although Irene is the protagonist and the story is organized around her, the character’s complexities largely emerge in her relationship with Clare. The two reflect each other, but they’re in a hall of mirrors in which every pane presents a different image: Black, white, attentive wife, independent woman. Again and again, you watch these two characters discreetly or openly watching each other — Irene’s eyes are darting and demure, Clare’s searching and intense — creating a network of looks. And, as the story progresses, and as Irene continues on about her old friend’s attractiveness (“aren’t you lovely”), her gaze becomes persistent, troubled and erotic. Hall fits an extraordinary amount into her version of this streamlined, deceptively simple story of two women whose lives intersect in ways they don’t or can’t fully grasp. Irene keeps looking at Clare, as if trying to solve a puzzle or as if she wanted something. But what does Irene desire? Clare’s beguiling beauty or her seductiveness, her wealth or her outward, presumably futile escape from the burdens of race? With restraint and bursts of plaintive emotion, Negga shows you how casually Clare receives attention — this is a woman accustomed to admiration — but she also shows you the performative quality of this blitheness, the moments when Clare drops whatever mask she’s wearing. At one point early in the novel, Larsen writes of Irene: “She wished to find out about this hazardous business of ‘passing,’ this breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly to take one’s chance in another environment, not entirely strange, perhaps, but certainly not entirely friendly.” There is so much embedded in those last three words — <em>not entirely friendly! The mind reels, and the heart breaks, although, like Larsen, Hall maintains her cool. She bathes the movie in tenderness but remains faithful to the story’s brutal lack of sentimentality, which can make you gasp. Together with Thompson and Negga, Hall hauntingly brings to life characters forced to exist in that “not entirely friendly” space, with its cruelties, appearances, ambiguities and hard, merciless truths.

‘Passing’ review: Black skin, white masks

<p>The day after “House of Gucci” had its splashy London premiere, Lady Gaga met me in a hotel room near Trafalgar Square, offering a little bit of a disclaimer.</p>

<p><br />
“If I’m being honest, I do feel that it’s been sensationalized that I worked on my accent for so long, and that I was in character for so long,” Gaga said Wednesday, platinum hair cascading over one eye. “But if I could explain it to you and clarify …”</p>

<p><br />
The 35-year-old superstar was referring to recent headlines about her acting technique on the set of the Ridley Scott-directed drama, which slinks into theaters just before Thanksgiving. To play Patrizia Reggiani, who plotted the murder of her Gucci-heir husband in 1995, Gaga spoke in a vivid Italian accent for nine months and plunged so deeply into character that she would think and feel as Patrizia even when cameras weren’t rolling.</p>

<p><br />
But as she told me, she had her reasons. And so, for that matter, did Patrizia.</p>

<p><br />
Based on the book “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed” by Sara Gay Forden, the film follows the ambitious Patrizia as she romances Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) and marries her way into the dynastic Italian luxury label. The family business holds little allure for bookish Maurizio, and the real power is held by his father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons) and his uncle Aldo (Al Pacino). If an outsider like Patrizia wants to be a true force at Gucci, she’ll have to pit the rest of the family against each other. Eventually, even Patrizia and Maurizio find themselves at odds, and her rage at him soon turns murderous.</p>

<p><br />
“I was in a really complicated place in my life when this script came to me,” Gaga said of her first starring role since “A Star Is Born” (2018). She was struggling with depression as she recorded her 2020 album, “Chromatica,” and the woman born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta even wrestled with whether she really wanted to be Lady Gaga anymore. When “House of Gucci” offered her someone else to become, she jumped at the chance.</p>

<p><br />
Now that she’s on the other side, she beams as she discusses Scott’s trust in her transformation. “I’ve never had a better experience with a director,” she said. “He loves artists, and some directors don’t. They love themselves.” As the 83-year-old Scott joined us via video call, Gaga talked about how that bond allowed her to do her deepest character study yet.</p>

<p><br />
Here are edited excerpts from our conversation.</p>

<p><br />
Q: Gaga, the film starts with a line about people staring into the windows at Gucci, wishing they could buy even the second cheapest item in the store. What was it like once you were not only able to afford all those things, but even have them offered to you?</p>

<p><br />
LADY GAGA: As soon as you ask me that question, I’m catapulted instantly to when I said those words on set. I remember thinking &lt;em&gt;I&lt;/em&gt; was the second cheapest item, that Patrizia was the second cheapest item in the store, that she would never be the best.</p>

<p><br />
I also thought of when I was finally able to buy things that were nice or have them offered to me, that there was something always inside me, scratching at my heart, telling me that it didn’t belong to me. But I think part of being an artist is just this endless idea that we’re not good enough. Material things are wonderful, but we see in this film how power and privilege can be inherently evil.</p>

<p><br />
Q: Patrizia is ambitious in the way she pursues Maurizio, but you’re initially rooting for them as a couple.<br />
GAGA: One of the first things I said to Ridley was “I don’t know that she had really loved Maurizio.” And he said, “Yes, she did.”</p>

<p><br />
RIDLEY SCOTT: The key thing for me was that however bad it gets, there was something that you liked about these people. She goes after him by design, but I think she is enchanted by his gentlemanly behavior, and it evolves into affection and love. Love is a powerful bond, but you’ve got to be very careful, because love can turn easily into hatred in a flash.</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: As soon as Ridley said it was love, I abandoned this idea that she was a gold digger and I investigated every possible article that I could find, any interview about her. I did not read the book.</p>

<p><br />
Q: Why not?</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: I started the book and it was filled with opinions, so I threw it out. I didn’t want anyone to shape my thinking. Even the idea of meeting Patrizia Gucci, once I watched her in her interviews, I thought, this would certainly be a bad idea, because she would have an agenda and want me to tell the story in the way she wants it to be told.</p>

<p><br />
Q: Talk to me about staying in Patrizia’s accent for so many months. Was that tiring?</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: I think it would have done more of a number on me had I not practiced it so much. I would be talking like this with my mother, with friends, so that I, Stefani, could speak like this and it would be totally natural. It’s like muscle memory, so that when you’re in the scene, the accent is not in the way of the visceral quality of what’s happening in the room.</p>

<p><br />
If I had a jazz show next week, if I don’t rehearse ahead of time, my voice is not ready for the show. My approach to this was not different than my commitment to music. But I want to be clear: I don’t think it’s about sensationalizing method acting or being in character as the only way to do things. It would have been harder for me to go in and out of character on set than to stay in it.</p>

<p><br />
SCOTT: There was a moment where I thought, “Wait a minute, was she always like this? I’ve forgotten.” The very first meeting we had, she was being, dare I say, American…</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: I am American! I’m Italian American.</p>

<p><br />
SCOTT: But then, I thought, “I’m not going to question this, because it’s working for me.”</p>

<p><br />
Q: Gaga, how did you come up with Patrizia’s body language? In the way she saunters and the way she dances, she seems to have a much lower center of gravity than you do.</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: In some techniques of acting, they call it “using the animal.” I used three different animals for Patrizia. I began as a house cat, which has this kind of alluring quality but also can be a bit aloof, and I used that with her physicality. Then she transforms when she sees Aldo embrace Maurizio. She thinks to herself, “Maybe I can convince Maurizio to become closer with the family, be part of the family business.” In that scene, I made the choice to transform from a cat into a fox.</p>

<p><br />
Then, when [a Gucci lawyer] comes to my daughter’s school to serve me divorce papers — meaning Maurizio didn’t have the courage to do it himself — I transform from a fox into a panther. It’s something that I worked on, studying the panther. What are the ways in which the panther seduces its prey? What are the ways in which the panther is slow before it pounces? What happens when the panther is so enraged with starvation and hunger that it goes into survival mode? I always felt like Patrizia was surviving her whole life.</p>

<p><br />
Q: How so?</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: She was never as prestigious or shiny or tailored as the Guccis. There was always something about her that was a little bit embarrassing and a little bit off. This is a woman that wants more for herself, but in my opinion, all of her power is really an illusion, the way patriarchy is endlessly an illusion. It’s the way that as a woman, I can feel like I have power, but as soon as a man tells me no, then my entire world crumbles. She’s simply disposed of, over and over, and I believe that’s what compelled this murder.</p>

<p><br />
Q: How did you rationalize that act?</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: I believe with everything in my being that this woman is walking around Milan deeply regretting what she did. I think she was so traumatized that she made a big mistake. I didn’t try to make her lovable, but I think that Ridley allowed her to be lovable because he empowered me as a woman.</p>

<p><br />
I have to say this, Ridley: There’s not a lot of men that are directors who would empower a woman to be ugly on camera. When I aged and had scenes where I was in this embarrassing, desperate state, he embraced the ugliness of this character and that should be commended, because it is ugly to be disposed of for your looks, it is ugly to be left for a younger woman. So I appreciate that Ridley took something that was sort of a “sexy murder” and he let it be ugly.</p>

<p><br />
Q: Ridley, not a lot of directors have been able to make major movies during this pandemic. You’ve made two, including “The Last Duel,” which experienced a COVID-related shutdown last spring. How have you managed to weather that storm?</p>

<p><br />
SCOTT: My team is the best in the business. I remember I was making the first one in a rather beautiful place [in the French countryside], and I’m not a great countryside guy because it’s deep-green and damp and I start thinking about that vodka martini around about three in the afternoon, which is fatal. Suddenly, there was this monster coming at us called COVID, so I said, “We’re going to close down.” That helped a lot because it enabled me to edit where I got to, but also to get full prep of two months storyboarding “Gucci.”</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: I don’t know if you felt this way, Rid, but because COVID was happening and the actors were either in our rooms or we were on set, life kind of floats away. I think it’s part of why I liked to stay in character because what else am I going to do when I go back to my hotel room? How could I possibly turn it off? I have no interaction with the world other than with my actors and my director.</p>

<p><br />
Q: Ridley, how did you feel about the box office performance of “The Last Duel”? It got strong reviews and boasted big stars in Matt Damon and Adam Driver, but still underperformed in theaters.</p>

<p><br />
SCOTT: It was exceedingly disappointing. The fatal thing is when you think you’ve got it, you haven’t — I thought I’d got it on “Blade Runner” and I hadn’t! I was crucified by a big critic at the time called Pauline Kael. It’s why I never read critiques, ever. You have to be your own decider — if you worry about what the audience is thinking and what they may want, that’s fatal. A good film will find itself, and now “Blade Runner” is in the Library of Congress.</p>

<p><br />
Q: But still, it must add some wind to your sails when people are excited about your work. Even while you were making “House of Gucci,” the pictures from set caused an online sensation.</p>

<p><br />
SCOTT: No, totally. There’s nothing like success to make you feel good in the morning, right? At the same time, if you get some kind of clip or hit, don’t let it get to you. If you like what you did, move on.</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: I can’t agree more. When you are making art to please people or seek praise, this is not sustainable. You’re essentially passionate about getting people to love you as opposed to being passionate about the work. I know I lost my way as an artist for a while when I started to care about what would make people like me. Then I rebelled, because why should I follow a North Star that keeps moving?</p>

<p><br />
My whole career, I’ve had ups, I’ve had downs. When you were talking about “Blade Runner,” I was thinking about my record “Artpop” and how they put out critiques before it even came out. Because of freedom of speech, people can write whatever they want, even if it’s lies, but years later, it’s one of my most critically acclaimed albums.</p>

<p><br />
We have no idea what this movie’s going to do after it opens, but it doesn’t matter because we know we made something great. When you get to be lucky like me and be in one of his movies, you know that no matter what, this is going to last a lifetime.</p>

<p><br />
Q: You look at Ridley with a lot of affection.</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: I love Ridley so much. I felt he was watching over me. He saw me falling into this character more and more all the time, and he used to say, “You good, dude? You OK?” I would reply with whatever the truth was and he would always say to me, “Whatever this is, I hope you leave it here.”</p>

<p><br />
Q: So how did you feel when you left Patrizia and all of that behind?</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: To be honest, I was really ready to let go. She’s a tremendously complicated individual and when you’re living in survival mode all the time — and she was always in survival mode — it creates such a sentiment of trauma constantly. When I got on that plane back from Italy, I threw out my cigarettes. I threw out the booze, I landed in LA and cleaned my life up because I couldn’t live that way anymore. It was killing me because it was killing her.</p>

<p><br />
Q: And how does it feel to be yourself again?</p>

<p><br />
GAGA: It’s really emotional. I joke with Ridley all the time, but I really experienced some type of attachment panic when I left set, I missed him so much. I felt the way Patrizia felt, a life without Gucci was not a life worth living. The greatest time in her life was being a Gucci, and I can say to you, being done with this film, that the greatest time in &lt;em&gt;my&lt;/em&gt; life was being a Gucci. That’s how art and life line up. Ridley’s life is a masterpiece, and you’re lucky if you get to be a part of it.</p>


The day after “House of Gucci” had its splashy London premiere, Lady Gaga met me in a hotel room near Trafalgar Square, offering a little bit of a disclaimer. “If I’m being honest, I do feel that it’s been sensationalized that I worked on my accent for so long, and that I was in character for so long,” Gaga said Wednesday, platinum hair cascading over one eye.

The day after “House of Gucci” had its splashy London premiere, Lady Gaga met me in a hotel room near Trafalgar Square, offering a little bit of a disclaimer. “If I’m being honest, I do feel that it’s been sensationalized that I worked on my accent for so long, and that I was in character for so long,” Gaga said Wednesday, platinum hair cascading over one eye. “But if I could explain it to you and clarify …” The 35-year-old superstar was referring to recent headlines about her acting technique on the set of the Ridley Scott-directed drama, which slinks into theaters just before Thanksgiving. To play Patrizia Reggiani, who plotted the murder of her Gucci-heir husband in 1995, Gaga spoke in a vivid Italian accent for nine months and plunged so deeply into character that she would think and feel as Patrizia even when cameras weren’t rolling. But as she told me, she had her reasons. And so, for that matter, did Patrizia. Based on the book “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed” by Sara Gay Forden, the film follows the ambitious Patrizia as she romances Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) and marries her way into the dynastic Italian luxury label. The family business holds little allure for bookish Maurizio, and the real power is held by his father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons) and his uncle Aldo (Al Pacino). If an outsider like Patrizia wants to be a true force at Gucci, she’ll have to pit the rest of the family against each other. Eventually, even Patrizia and Maurizio find themselves at odds, and her rage at him soon turns murderous. “I was in a really complicated place in my life when this script came to me,” Gaga said of her first starring role since “A Star Is Born” (2018). She was struggling with depression as she recorded her 2020 album, “Chromatica,” and the woman born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta even wrestled with whether she really wanted to be Lady Gaga anymore. When “House of Gucci” offered her someone else to become, she jumped at the chance. Now that she’s on the other side, she beams as she discusses Scott’s trust in her transformation. “I’ve never had a better experience with a director,” she said. “He loves artists, and some directors don’t. They love themselves.” As the 83-year-old Scott joined us via video call, Gaga talked about how that bond allowed her to do her deepest character study yet. Here are edited excerpts from our conversation. Q: Gaga, the film starts with a line about people staring into the windows at Gucci, wishing they could buy even the second cheapest item in the store. What was it like once you were not only able to afford all those things, but even have them offered to you? LADY GAGA: As soon as you ask me that question, I’m catapulted instantly to when I said those words on set. I remember thinking <em>I</em> was the second cheapest item, that Patrizia was the second cheapest item in the store, that she would never be the best. I also thought of when I was finally able to buy things that were nice or have them offered to me, that there was something always inside me, scratching at my heart, telling me that it didn’t belong to me. But I think part of being an artist is just this endless idea that we’re not good enough. Material things are wonderful, but we see in this film how power and privilege can be inherently evil. Q: Patrizia is ambitious in the way she pursues Maurizio, but you’re initially rooting for them as a couple. GAGA: One of the first things I said to Ridley was “I don’t know that she had really loved Maurizio.” And he said, “Yes, she did.” RIDLEY SCOTT: The key thing for me was that however bad it gets, there was something that you liked about these people. She goes after him by design, but I think she is enchanted by his gentlemanly behavior, and it evolves into affection and love. Love is a powerful bond, but you’ve got to be very careful, because love can turn easily into hatred in a flash. GAGA: As soon as Ridley said it was love, I abandoned this idea that she was a gold digger and I investigated every possible article that I could find, any interview about her. I did not read the book. Q: Why not? GAGA: I started the book and it was filled with opinions, so I threw it out. I didn’t want anyone to shape my thinking. Even the idea of meeting Patrizia Gucci, once I watched her in her interviews, I thought, this would certainly be a bad idea, because she would have an agenda and want me to tell the story in the way she wants it to be told. Q: Talk to me about staying in Patrizia’s accent for so many months. Was that tiring? GAGA: I think it would have done more of a number on me had I not practiced it so much. I would be talking like this with my mother, with friends, so that I, Stefani, could speak like this and it would be totally natural. It’s like muscle memory, so that when you’re in the scene, the accent is not in the way of the visceral quality of what’s happening in the room. If I had a jazz show next week, if I don’t rehearse ahead of time, my voice is not ready for the show. My approach to this was not different than my commitment to music. But I want to be clear: I don’t think it’s about sensationalizing method acting or being in character as the only way to do things. It would have been harder for me to go in and out of character on set than to stay in it. SCOTT: There was a moment where I thought, “Wait a minute, was she always like this? I’ve forgotten.” The very first meeting we had, she was being, dare I say, American… GAGA: I am American! I’m Italian American. SCOTT: But then, I thought, “I’m not going to question this, because it’s working for me.” Q: Gaga, how did you come up with Patrizia’s body language? In the way she saunters and the way she dances, she seems to have a much lower center of gravity than you do. GAGA: In some techniques of acting, they call it “using the animal.” I used three different animals for Patrizia. I began as a house cat, which has this kind of alluring quality but also can be a bit aloof, and I used that with her physicality. Then she transforms when she sees Aldo embrace Maurizio. She thinks to herself, “Maybe I can convince Maurizio to become closer with the family, be part of the family business.” In that scene, I made the choice to transform from a cat into a fox. Then, when [a Gucci lawyer] comes to my daughter’s school to serve me divorce papers — meaning Maurizio didn’t have the courage to do it himself — I transform from a fox into a panther. It’s something that I worked on, studying the panther. What are the ways in which the panther seduces its prey? What are the ways in which the panther is slow before it pounces? What happens when the panther is so enraged with starvation and hunger that it goes into survival mode? I always felt like Patrizia was surviving her whole life. Q: How so? GAGA: She was never as prestigious or shiny or tailored as the Guccis. There was always something about her that was a little bit embarrassing and a little bit off. This is a woman that wants more for herself, but in my opinion, all of her power is really an illusion, the way patriarchy is endlessly an illusion. It’s the way that as a woman, I can feel like I have power, but as soon as a man tells me no, then my entire world crumbles. She’s simply disposed of, over and over, and I believe that’s what compelled this murder. Q: How did you rationalize that act? GAGA: I believe with everything in my being that this woman is walking around Milan deeply regretting what she did. I think she was so traumatized that she made a big mistake. I didn’t try to make her lovable, but I think that Ridley allowed her to be lovable because he empowered me as a woman. I have to say this, Ridley: There’s not a lot of men that are directors who would empower a woman to be ugly on camera. When I aged and had scenes where I was in this embarrassing, desperate state, he embraced the ugliness of this character and that should be commended, because it is ugly to be disposed of for your looks, it is ugly to be left for a younger woman. So I appreciate that Ridley took something that was sort of a “sexy murder” and he let it be ugly. Q: Ridley, not a lot of directors have been able to make major movies during this pandemic. You’ve made two, including “The Last Duel,” which experienced a COVID-related shutdown last spring. How have you managed to weather that storm? SCOTT: My team is the best in the business. I remember I was making the first one in a rather beautiful place [in the French countryside], and I’m not a great countryside guy because it’s deep-green and damp and I start thinking about that vodka martini around about three in the afternoon, which is fatal. Suddenly, there was this monster coming at us called COVID, so I said, “We’re going to close down.” That helped a lot because it enabled me to edit where I got to, but also to get full prep of two months storyboarding “Gucci.” GAGA: I don’t know if you felt this way, Rid, but because COVID was happening and the actors were either in our rooms or we were on set, life kind of floats away. I think it’s part of why I liked to stay in character because what else am I going to do when I go back to my hotel room? How could I possibly turn it off? I have no interaction with the world other than with my actors and my director. Q: Ridley, how did you feel about the box office performance of “The Last Duel”? It got strong reviews and boasted big stars in Matt Damon and Adam Driver, but still underperformed in theaters. SCOTT: It was exceedingly disappointing. The fatal thing is when you think you’ve got it, you haven’t — I thought I’d got it on “Blade Runner” and I hadn’t! I was crucified by a big critic at the time called Pauline Kael. It’s why I never read critiques, ever. You have to be your own decider — if you worry about what the audience is thinking and what they may want, that’s fatal. A good film will find itself, and now “Blade Runner” is in the Library of Congress. Q: But still, it must add some wind to your sails when people are excited about your work. Even while you were making “House of Gucci,” the pictures from set caused an online sensation. SCOTT: No, totally. There’s nothing like success to make you feel good in the morning, right? At the same time, if you get some kind of clip or hit, don’t let it get to you. If you like what you did, move on. GAGA: I can’t agree more. When you are making art to please people or seek praise, this is not sustainable. You’re essentially passionate about getting people to love you as opposed to being passionate about the work. I know I lost my way as an artist for a while when I started to care about what would make people like me. Then I rebelled, because why should I follow a North Star that keeps moving? My whole career, I’ve had ups, I’ve had downs. When you were talking about “Blade Runner,” I was thinking about my record “Artpop” and how they put out critiques before it even came out. Because of freedom of speech, people can write whatever they want, even if it’s lies, but years later, it’s one of my most critically acclaimed albums. We have no idea what this movie’s going to do after it opens, but it doesn’t matter because we know we made something great. When you get to be lucky like me and be in one of his movies, you know that no matter what, this is going to last a lifetime. Q: You look at Ridley with a lot of affection. GAGA: I love Ridley so much. I felt he was watching over me. He saw me falling into this character more and more all the time, and he used to say, “You good, dude? You OK?” I would reply with whatever the truth was and he would always say to me, “Whatever this is, I hope you leave it here.” Q: So how did you feel when you left Patrizia and all of that behind? GAGA: To be honest, I was really ready to let go. She’s a tremendously complicated individual and when you’re living in survival mode all the time — and she was always in survival mode — it creates such a sentiment of trauma constantly. When I got on that plane back from Italy, I threw out my cigarettes. I threw out the booze, I landed in LA and cleaned my life up because I couldn’t live that way anymore. It was killing me because it was killing her. Q: And how does it feel to be yourself again? GAGA: It’s really emotional. I joke with Ridley all the time, but I really experienced some type of attachment panic when I left set, I missed him so much. I felt the way Patrizia felt, a life without Gucci was not a life worth living. The greatest time in her life was being a Gucci, and I can say to you, being done with this film, that the greatest time in <em>my</em> life was being a Gucci. That’s how art and life line up. Ridley’s life is a masterpiece, and you’re lucky if you get to be a part of it.

Lady Gaga and Ridley Scott on ‘House of Gucci’: When beauty turns ugly

<p>On Thursday, Will Smith embarked on a book tour for his memoir 'Will' and hopped on the stage of Dolby Theatre where he talked about his life, career and the choices that shaped up his existence.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
Smith’s started with his native Philadelphia, then to Brooklyn, Chicago, and Los Angeles before he goes global: to London.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-julia-roberts-drops-out-of-reese-witherspoons-production-jennifer-garner-steps-in-428913" hreflang="en">Julia Roberts drops from Reese Witherspoon's production, Jennifer Garner joins</a></p>

<p><br />
Smith has written his memoir in collaboration with Mark Manson, author of 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck'.</p>

<p><br />
"The book tracks my journey from fear to love," the actor said.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
“Over time I started to see that focusing on the wall made it seem like an impossible task. But when you bring your mind down to laying one brick perfectly, you can even have fun in that moment,” Smith said.&nbsp;<br />
This lesson has been a guiding force in his career throughout.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/whats-next-for-britney-spears-clues-are-in-her-own-words-428921" hreflang="en">What's next for Britney Spears? Clues are in her own words</a></p>

<p><br />
During this no-hollds-barred chat, Smith mentioned something interesting about his personal life: that performing arts was an escape for him. “I started performing as a way to keep peace in my house. It turned into something where I was able to assert myself in the material world," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
The memoir also touches upon the domestic violence he has seen and faced as a young boy.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
“I learned what love is…you can’t punish people for mistakes. You have to forgive people, and a big part of that is forgiving yourself," he explained.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
Smith also joked about media's portrayal of his unconventional marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith, saying: “What you’re watching is an experiment in unconditional love.”</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-finally-britney-spears-conservatorship-dissolved-by-judge-428908">Finally! Britney Spears' conservatorship dissolved by Judge</a></p>

<p>The actor-musician wrapped up the talk with a rap performance in what they dubbed as 'the true style of Will Smith'.&nbsp;</p>


On Thursday, Will Smith embarked on a book tour for his memoir 'Will' and hopped on the stage of Dolby Theatre where he talked about his life, career and the choices that shaped up his existence.

On Thursday, Will Smith embarked on a book tour for his memoir 'Will' and hopped on the stage of Dolby Theatre where he talked about his life, career and the choices that shaped up his existence. Smith’s started with his native Philadelphia, then to Brooklyn, Chicago, and Los Angeles before he goes global: to London. Also read: Julia Roberts drops from Reese Witherspoon's production, Jennifer Garner joins Smith has written his memoir in collaboration with Mark Manson, author of 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck'. "The book tracks my journey from fear to love," the actor said. “Over time I started to see that focusing on the wall made it seem like an impossible task. But when you bring your mind down to laying one brick perfectly, you can even have fun in that moment,” Smith said. This lesson has been a guiding force in his career throughout. Also read: What's next for Britney Spears? Clues are in her own words During this no-hollds-barred chat, Smith mentioned something interesting about his personal life: that performing arts was an escape for him. “I started performing as a way to keep peace in my house. It turned into something where I was able to assert myself in the material world," he said. The memoir also touches upon the domestic violence he has seen and faced as a young boy. “I learned what love is…you can’t punish people for mistakes. You have to forgive people, and a big part of that is forgiving yourself," he explained. Smith also joked about media's portrayal of his unconventional marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith, saying: “What you’re watching is an experiment in unconditional love.” Also read: Finally! Britney Spears' conservatorship dissolved by Judge The actor-musician wrapped up the talk with a rap performance in what they dubbed as 'the true style of Will Smith'.

Will Smith on childhood woes: I started performing as a way to keep peace in my house

<p>Newly married Meadow Walker shared some personal news related to her health.</p>

<p>The 23-year-old model, who walked down the isle just last month&nbsp;as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-vin-diesel-walks-meadow-walker-paul-walkers-daughter-down-the-aisle-at-her-wedding-423221">she married actor Louis Thornton-Allan</a>, revealed through Instagram that she had a tumour removed two years ago. Meadow posted a photo of herself wearing a medical hair cap and fiducial markers on her forehead.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/opinion-britney-spears-a-long-walk-to-freedom-429069" hreflang="en">Opinion | Britney Spears: A long walk to freedom</a></p>

<p>"2 years ago today. I’ve come a very long way. Bye bye tumor. Blessed &amp; grateful," Meadow captioned the photo, without revealing much information about the tumour itself.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Her celebrity friends were quick to lend their support to her. Among the first ones to wish her well was godfather and best man at her wedding, Vin Diesel. The star put a praying hand emoji in the comments as Christy Turlington, Genesis Rodriguez and other celebs showered encouraging words of support.</p>

<p>"We’re married!!!!" Meadow, who got married last month in a beachside wedding, wore an elegant white wedding gown with a long veil, captioned her announcement post.</p>

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<p>Vin Diesel has spoken about the possibility of Meadow making a guest appearance at one one of the 'Fast &amp; Furious' movies. When quizzed about it by a global news portal, he neither accepted nor denied it. Instead, he smiled and pointed at the camera.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/first-teaser-of-sex-the-city-sequel-series-and-just-like-that-is-here-release-date-revealed-429062" hreflang="en">First teaser of 'Sex &amp; The City' sequel series is here; release date revealed</a></p>


Newly married Meadow Walker shared some personal news related to her health. The 23-year-old model, who walked down the isle just last month as she married actor Louis Thornton-Allan, revealed through Instagram that she had a tumour removed two years ago.

Newly married Meadow Walker shared some personal news related to her health. The 23-year-old model, who walked down the isle just last month as she married actor Louis Thornton-Allan, revealed through Instagram that she had a tumour removed two years ago. Meadow posted a photo of herself wearing a medical hair cap and fiducial markers on her forehead. Also read: Opinion | Britney Spears: A long walk to freedom "2 years ago today. I’ve come a very long way. Bye bye tumor. Blessed & grateful," Meadow captioned the photo, without revealing much information about the tumour itself. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meadow Walker (@meadowwalker) × Her celebrity friends were quick to lend their support to her. Among the first ones to wish her well was godfather and best man at her wedding, Vin Diesel. The star put a praying hand emoji in the comments as Christy Turlington, Genesis Rodriguez and other celebs showered encouraging words of support. "We’re married!!!!" Meadow, who got married last month in a beachside wedding, wore an elegant white wedding gown with a long veil, captioned her announcement post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meadow Walker (@meadowwalker) × Vin Diesel has spoken about the possibility of Meadow making a guest appearance at one one of the 'Fast & Furious' movies. When quizzed about it by a global news portal, he neither accepted nor denied it. Instead, he smiled and pointed at the camera. Also read: First teaser of 'Sex & The City' sequel series is here; release date revealed

Meadow Walker, Paul Walker's daughter, had a tumour removed

<p>Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts has reportedly dropped out of Apple TV+’s limited drama series 'The Last Thing He Told Me' owing to scheduling conflicts, reports claim.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
Jennifer Garner has now taken over as the lead role in this drama based on Laura Dave’s novel.<br />
The series is slated to release on Apple TV and was ordered for a straight-to-series format in December of 2020, according to reports.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-finally-britney-spears-conservatorship-dissolved-by-judge-428908">Finally! Britney Spears' conservatorship dissolved by Judge</a></p>

<p><br />
Garner will also be executive producing the show, which is reportedly a joint venture between Reese Witherspoon’s Hellos Sunshine and Disney’s 20th Television.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
'The Last Thing He Told Me' will focus on the story of a woman (to be played by Garner)and how she forges an unexpected relationship with her 16-year-old stepdaughter all the while searching for answers surrounding her husband's mysteriously disappeared.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/into-the-wild-with-bear-grylls-review-vicky-kaushal-conquers-his-biggest-fear-428764" hreflang="en">'Into The Wild with Bear Grylls' Review: Vicky Kaushal conquers his biggest fear</a></p>

<p><br />
Dave’s novel was published in May and topped the The New York Times bestseller list in no time under the hardcover fiction. She is adapting the book for Apple as creator and husband Josh Singer as its co-creator.<br />
Dave, Singer and Garner will all be executive producing 'The Last Thing He Told Me' with Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-withdraw-kangana-ranauts-padma-shri-ncp-leader-slams-actress-over-her-remarks-on-indias-independence-428770" hreflang="en">Kangana Ranaut's India independence remark leads to calls to revoke Padma Sri</a></p>


Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts has reportedly dropped out of Apple TV+’s limited drama series 'The Last Thing He Told Me' owing to scheduling conflicts, reports claim.

Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts has reportedly dropped out of Apple TV+’s limited drama series 'The Last Thing He Told Me' owing to scheduling conflicts, reports claim. Jennifer Garner has now taken over as the lead role in this drama based on Laura Dave’s novel. The series is slated to release on Apple TV and was ordered for a straight-to-series format in December of 2020, according to reports. Also read: Finally! Britney Spears' conservatorship dissolved by Judge Garner will also be executive producing the show, which is reportedly a joint venture between Reese Witherspoon’s Hellos Sunshine and Disney’s 20th Television. 'The Last Thing He Told Me' will focus on the story of a woman (to be played by Garner)and how she forges an unexpected relationship with her 16-year-old stepdaughter all the while searching for answers surrounding her husband's mysteriously disappeared. Also read: 'Into The Wild with Bear Grylls' Review: Vicky Kaushal conquers his biggest fear Dave’s novel was published in May and topped the The New York Times bestseller list in no time under the hardcover fiction. She is adapting the book for Apple as creator and husband Josh Singer as its co-creator. Dave, Singer and Garner will all be executive producing 'The Last Thing He Told Me' with Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter. Also read: Kangana Ranaut's India independence remark leads to calls to revoke Padma Sri

Julia Roberts drops out of Reese Witherspoon's production, Jennifer Garner steps in

<p>American pop star Britney Spears is finally free! On Friday, a Los Angeles judge ended the conservatorship that had a firm grip over Britney Spears’ life and money for close to 14 years.</p>

<p><br />
The decision came after a five-month legal battle that saw Spears publicly demand the end of the conservatorship, hire her own attorney for fighting the same, have her father terminated from as an authoritative figure and now winning the legal battle to freedom.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/finally-free-judge-to-consider-ending-restrictions-on-britney-spears-428789">Finally free? Judge to consider ending restrictions on Britney Spears</a></p>

<p><br />
After the squashing of the conservatorship, Britney can make her own medical, financial and personal decisions without having to seek permission for the first time since 2008.</p>

<p><br />
As per media predictions, this historic decision by Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny was expected as there was hardly any room for this legal feud to drag on. But, Judge Penny has reportedly been dropping no clear indications as to what the end result would be.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
However, as per ground reports, what turned the tables for good was Spears's speech back in June when she called her father out and the control over her life as “abusive.” She had, at the time, demanded that the conservatorship end without any psychiatric evaluation of her mental state.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/britney-spears-sam-asgharis-marriage-on-hold-following-pending-conservatorship-ruling-426504">Britney Spears-Sam Asghari's marriage on hold following pending conservatorship ruling</a></p>

<p><br />
A judge then allowed Spears to hire her own attorney of choice, Mathew Rosengart, at a July hearing.<br />
Rosengart first ensured that Jamie Spears was removed from his role as conservator of his daughter’s finances and then worked towards the end of the conservatorship altogether. The judge suspended Jamie Spears at a September hearing, citing the “toxic environment” his presence had created.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-jamie-spears-files-for-immediate-termination-of-conservatorship-britney-spears-lawyer-questions-motive-426396">Jamie Spears files for immediate termination of conservatorship, Britney Spears' lawyer questions motive</a></p>


American pop star Britney Spears is finally free! On Friday, a Los Angeles judge ended the conservatorship that had a firm grip over Britney Spears’ life and money for close to 14 years.

American pop star Britney Spears is finally free! On Friday, a Los Angeles judge ended the conservatorship that had a firm grip over Britney Spears’ life and money for close to 14 years. The decision came after a five-month legal battle that saw Spears publicly demand the end of the conservatorship, hire her own attorney for fighting the same, have her father terminated from as an authoritative figure and now winning the legal battle to freedom. Also read: Finally free? Judge to consider ending restrictions on Britney Spears After the squashing of the conservatorship, Britney can make her own medical, financial and personal decisions without having to seek permission for the first time since 2008. As per media predictions, this historic decision by Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny was expected as there was hardly any room for this legal feud to drag on. But, Judge Penny has reportedly been dropping no clear indications as to what the end result would be. However, as per ground reports, what turned the tables for good was Spears's speech back in June when she called her father out and the control over her life as “abusive.” She had, at the time, demanded that the conservatorship end without any psychiatric evaluation of her mental state. Also read: Britney Spears-Sam Asghari's marriage on hold following pending conservatorship ruling A judge then allowed Spears to hire her own attorney of choice, Mathew Rosengart, at a July hearing. Rosengart first ensured that Jamie Spears was removed from his role as conservator of his daughter’s finances and then worked towards the end of the conservatorship altogether. The judge suspended Jamie Spears at a September hearing, citing the “toxic environment” his presence had created. Also read: Jamie Spears files for immediate termination of conservatorship, Britney Spears' lawyer questions motive

Finally! Britney Spears' conservatorship dissolved by Judge

<p>Fans of 'Doctor Strange', and Benedict Cumberbatch, are going to have to wait a little longer as the cast and crew is headed for a reshoot.</p>

<p><br />
According to reports, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring sequel to Marvel Studios’ 2016 installment, 'Multiverse of Madness', is undergoing 'significant' reshoots. The new version is currently being reshot in Los Angeles, including photography.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-finally-britney-spears-conservatorship-dissolved-by-judge-428908">Finally! Britney Spears' conservatorship dissolved by Judge</a></p>

<p><br />
Sources have reportedly told media outlets that Cumberbatch along with some of the cast &amp; crew are in it for the long haul: six weeks of shooting and six working days a week. Director Sam Raimi stays in his post, and so does 'Loki' head writer Michael for writing the new variation to the story.</p>

<p><br />
One source said, “Even while in the middle of production, Marvel is scheduling you for more shooting."&nbsp;<br />
Another added, “We’ve had bigger reshoots on other MCU movies.”</p>

<p><br />
However, yet another source revealed, “They’re here until the end of the year. That’s like a whole other movie,” said one.</p>

<p><br />
One source credited the reshoots to the revamped version of the story, while another said the reason could be the impact of Covid on that had halted UK productions in the past.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/day-has-finally-come-paris-hilton-cher-other-celebs-react-to-britney-spears-conservatorship-end-428939" hreflang="en">Day has finally come! Paris Hilton, Cher &amp; other celebs react to Britney Spears' conservatorship end</a></p>

<p><br />
The sequel to 'Doctor Strange' has gone through other challenges, too. Director Scott Derrickson had co-written a version of the script and was set to direct when creative differences meant he left in January of 2020. Raimi and Waldron were then roped in, as sources reportedly say, to create a new movie on an accelerated time frame.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
Reportedly, the call for reshoots have not dampened the spirit of its cast and crew.“There is a pervasive enthusiasm,” one source described.</p>

<p><br />
On Thursday, Cumberbatch was asked about the reshoots on Jimmy Kimmel Live.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
“Like everything with Marvel, it comes in fresh, pretty much, most mornings,” Cumberbatch joked. “It’s really exciting and the film is shaping up to be something special.”</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-will-smith-on-childhood-woes-i-started-performing-as-a-way-to-keep-peace-in-my-house-428928" hreflang="en">Will Smith on childhood woes: I started performing to keep peace in my house</a></p>


Fans of 'Doctor Strange', and Benedict Cumberbatch, are going to have to wait a little longer as the cast and crew is headed for a reshoot. According to reports, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring sequel to Marvel Studios’ 2016 installment, 'Multiverse of Madness', is undergoing 'significant' reshoots.

Fans of 'Doctor Strange', and Benedict Cumberbatch, are going to have to wait a little longer as the cast and crew is headed for a reshoot. According to reports, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring sequel to Marvel Studios’ 2016 installment, 'Multiverse of Madness', is undergoing 'significant' reshoots. The new version is currently being reshot in Los Angeles, including photography. Also read: Finally! Britney Spears' conservatorship dissolved by Judge Sources have reportedly told media outlets that Cumberbatch along with some of the cast & crew are in it for the long haul: six weeks of shooting and six working days a week. Director Sam Raimi stays in his post, and so does 'Loki' head writer Michael for writing the new variation to the story. One source said, “Even while in the middle of production, Marvel is scheduling you for more shooting." Another added, “We’ve had bigger reshoots on other MCU movies.” However, yet another source revealed, “They’re here until the end of the year. That’s like a whole other movie,” said one. One source credited the reshoots to the revamped version of the story, while another said the reason could be the impact of Covid on that had halted UK productions in the past. Also read: Day has finally come! Paris Hilton, Cher & other celebs react to Britney Spears' conservatorship end The sequel to 'Doctor Strange' has gone through other challenges, too. Director Scott Derrickson had co-written a version of the script and was set to direct when creative differences meant he left in January of 2020. Raimi and Waldron were then roped in, as sources reportedly say, to create a new movie on an accelerated time frame. Reportedly, the call for reshoots have not dampened the spirit of its cast and crew.“There is a pervasive enthusiasm,” one source described. On Thursday, Cumberbatch was asked about the reshoots on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “Like everything with Marvel, it comes in fresh, pretty much, most mornings,” Cumberbatch joked. “It’s really exciting and the film is shaping up to be something special.” Also read: Will Smith on childhood woes: I started performing to keep peace in my house

Benedict Cumberbatch's 'Doctor Strange' sequel being reshot: here's why!

<p>Ever since Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP announced their project featuring Rakul Preet Singh essaying the role of a condom tester, it has piqued huge curiosity among the audiences.</p>

<p><br />
Titled ‘Chhatriwali’, the social family entertainer starring Rakul in a never-seen-before, unique character, has recently gone on floors in Lucknow.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-will-smith-on-childhood-woes-i-started-performing-as-a-way-to-keep-peace-in-my-house-428928" hreflang="en">Will Smith on childhood woes: I started performing to keep peace in my house</a></p>

<p><br />
Desperate for a job, a female unemployed chemistry graduate in small town Karnal becomes a condom tester, a secret she must hide from everyone around her. ‘Chhatriwali’ is a quirky drama and another fresh high - concept film by the production house that is known to bring path-breaking subjects to the audiences.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
Director Tejas Deoskar shares, “Our film is a social family entertainer, which aims at de-stigmatising &nbsp;the use of condoms and we are truly excited that the film has gone on floors. Rakul brings freshness to every role that she portrays and with a sensitive, thought provoking subject like this, the audience will certainly enjoy a roller-coaster ride of comedy.”</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-britney-spears-calls-end-of-conservatorship-best-day-ever-428920" hreflang="en">Britney Spears calls end of conservatorship 'best day ever'</a></p>

<p><br />
Sharing her excitement Rakul Preet Singh adds, “It’s quite an interesting and hatke subject and I am very thrilled about starting the journey of my character. It's important to highlight some issues in a light-hearted way and that has got me pretty excited.”</p>

<p><br />
Chhatriwali is produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP and directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-astroworld-tragedy-did-the-simpsons-know-all-along-about-travis-scotts-concert-mishap-428968" hreflang="en">Did 'The Simpsons' know all along about Travis Scott's Astroworld mishap?</a></p>


Ever since Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP announced their project featuring Rakul Preet Singh essaying the role of a condom tester, it has piqued huge curiosity among the audiences.

Ever since Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP announced their project featuring Rakul Preet Singh essaying the role of a condom tester, it has piqued huge curiosity among the audiences. Titled ‘Chhatriwali’, the social family entertainer starring Rakul in a never-seen-before, unique character, has recently gone on floors in Lucknow. Also read: Will Smith on childhood woes: I started performing to keep peace in my house Desperate for a job, a female unemployed chemistry graduate in small town Karnal becomes a condom tester, a secret she must hide from everyone around her. ‘Chhatriwali’ is a quirky drama and another fresh high - concept film by the production house that is known to bring path-breaking subjects to the audiences. Director Tejas Deoskar shares, “Our film is a social family entertainer, which aims at de-stigmatising the use of condoms and we are truly excited that the film has gone on floors. Rakul brings freshness to every role that she portrays and with a sensitive, thought provoking subject like this, the audience will certainly enjoy a roller-coaster ride of comedy.” Also read: Britney Spears calls end of conservatorship 'best day ever' Sharing her excitement Rakul Preet Singh adds, “It’s quite an interesting and hatke subject and I am very thrilled about starting the journey of my character. It's important to highlight some issues in a light-hearted way and that has got me pretty excited.” Chhatriwali is produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP and directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar. Also read: Did 'The Simpsons' know all along about Travis Scott's Astroworld mishap?

'Chhatriwali' first look: Rakul Preet Singh's a condom tester in Ronnie Screwvala’s next

<p>The term 'prediction' is synonymous to hit animated sitcom, 'The Simpsons'.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
The latest prediction rumour that's keeping internet sleuths busy is the belief that the show foresaw the recent Astroworld tragedy in which nine people died and hundreds were injured when the Travis Scott concerned spiralled out of hand, crowd-wise, resulting in a tragic stampede.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
However, a little digging by some media outlets have proven that the piece of art 'predicting' the accident that reportedly proves fan theories is actually not from the show: it is, in fact, a fan art inspired by ‘The Simpsons’ and Astroworld music festival from 2018.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
A certain Liam Ayson made it and the same has not appeared in any of the actual episodes, The Sun claims.<br />
But that does not put an end to the speculations at all. Comparisons are being drawn with actual episodes, too. In one of the clips from the show, when Marge takes Maggie to see a Roofi concert, at the concert entrance, she says, “This concert is oversold. It’s as if a music promoter acted unscrupulously". Sharing it on Twitter, a user wrote, “The Simpsons has done it again #AstroWorld (sic)".</p>

<p><br />
Another clip from a 1992 episode of ‘The Simpsons’ called ‘The Otto Show’ has been pulled up by netizens to substantiate the claim. As per The Sun, Bart and Milhouse attend a Spinal Tap concert in the episode, where the crowd gets agitated when the band ends the show rather early. The commotion sees a part of the stage getting flooded and a misfiring laser blinds one of the performers.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
Another episode that is being used to prove these fan theories is again from February of 1992, which shows Homer holding a magazine that has a headline, reading “Bat Boy Accurately Predicts Final Four". Fans say the cover of that magazine has striking similarities to the art that appears on the cover of one of Travis Scott’s songs. The cover that’s being circulated by TikTokers is from Travis’ song ‘Escape Plan’ from album Dystopia, HITC reports.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
Another resemblance is that the Bat Boy cover from the sitcom is ‘World Weekly News’, while Travis’ cover goes as ‘Weekly World Truths’. According to HITC, Travis’ cover seems to be an appreciation of ‘Weekly World News’: an actual magazine that was in circulation from 1979 to 2007.</p>

<p><br />
Travis’ cover in questions reads in bold letters, “The true dystopia is here!" as well as “Who knows what lies beneath the surface?" and “When the end arrives its (sic) really the beginning".</p>

<p>&nbsp;<br />
Although these speculations have been keeping the internet abuzz, there are no solid grounds to prove that they are right.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
Check out what is Twitterati saying about the Astroworld tragedy and 'The Simpsons' predicting it well in advance:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">SOME NEW MUSIC AT MIDNIGHT.<br />
AHAHAHHSBDBDDKRKRHEB <a href="https://t.co/bHWctMvLwr">pic.twitter.com/bHWctMvLwr</a></p>
— TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) <a href="https://twitter.com/trvisXX/status/1456265826072350724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Simpsons prediction Travis Scott Astroworld concert. <a href="https://t.co/RYHE36TEqG">pic.twitter.com/RYHE36TEqG</a></p>
— Edi (@Edi05215930) <a href="https://twitter.com/Edi05215930/status/1458248231410978817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The simpsons have predicted Astroworld 2021 <a href="https://t.co/R20klXx61h">https://t.co/R20klXx61h</a></p>
— Gamefan6219 (@christiangross4) <a href="https://twitter.com/christiangross4/status/1457752209291153412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Simpsons has done it again <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AstroWorld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AstroWorld</a> <a href="https://t.co/d2KtwZEJ8O">pic.twitter.com/d2KtwZEJ8O</a></p>
— Arifur® (@ArifurFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArifurFC/status/1457363447541387269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The term 'prediction' is synonymous to hit animated sitcom, 'The Simpsons'. The latest prediction rumour that's keeping internet sleuths busy is the belief that the show foresaw the recent Astroworld tragedy in which nine people died and hundreds were injured when the Travis Scott concerned spiralled out of hand, crowd-wise, resulting in a tragic stampede.

The term 'prediction' is synonymous to hit animated sitcom, 'The Simpsons'. The latest prediction rumour that's keeping internet sleuths busy is the belief that the show foresaw the recent Astroworld tragedy in which nine people died and hundreds were injured when the Travis Scott concerned spiralled out of hand, crowd-wise, resulting in a tragic stampede. However, a little digging by some media outlets have proven that the piece of art 'predicting' the accident that reportedly proves fan theories is actually not from the show: it is, in fact, a fan art inspired by ‘The Simpsons’ and Astroworld music festival from 2018. A certain Liam Ayson made it and the same has not appeared in any of the actual episodes, The Sun claims. But that does not put an end to the speculations at all. Comparisons are being drawn with actual episodes, too. In one of the clips from the show, when Marge takes Maggie to see a Roofi concert, at the concert entrance, she says, “This concert is oversold. It’s as if a music promoter acted unscrupulously". Sharing it on Twitter, a user wrote, “The Simpsons has done it again #AstroWorld (sic)". Another clip from a 1992 episode of ‘The Simpsons’ called ‘The Otto Show’ has been pulled up by netizens to substantiate the claim. As per The Sun, Bart and Milhouse attend a Spinal Tap concert in the episode, where the crowd gets agitated when the band ends the show rather early. The commotion sees a part of the stage getting flooded and a misfiring laser blinds one of the performers. Another episode that is being used to prove these fan theories is again from February of 1992, which shows Homer holding a magazine that has a headline, reading “Bat Boy Accurately Predicts Final Four". Fans say the cover of that magazine has striking similarities to the art that appears on the cover of one of Travis Scott’s songs. The cover that’s being circulated by TikTokers is from Travis’ song ‘Escape Plan’ from album Dystopia, HITC reports. Another resemblance is that the Bat Boy cover from the sitcom is ‘World Weekly News’, while Travis’ cover goes as ‘Weekly World Truths’. According to HITC, Travis’ cover seems to be an appreciation of ‘Weekly World News’: an actual magazine that was in circulation from 1979 to 2007. Travis’ cover in questions reads in bold letters, “The true dystopia is here!" as well as “Who knows what lies beneath the surface?" and “When the end arrives its (sic) really the beginning". Although these speculations have been keeping the internet abuzz, there are no solid grounds to prove that they are right. Check out what is Twitterati saying about the Astroworld tragedy and 'The Simpsons' predicting it well in advance: SOME NEW MUSIC AT MIDNIGHT. AHAHAHHSBDBDDKRKRHEB pic.twitter.com/bHWctMvLwr — TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) November 4, 2021 × Simpsons prediction Travis Scott Astroworld concert. pic.twitter.com/RYHE36TEqG — Edi (@Edi05215930) November 10, 2021 × The simpsons have predicted Astroworld 2021 https://t.co/R20klXx61h — Gamefan6219 (@christiangross4) November 8, 2021 × The Simpsons has done it again #AstroWorld pic.twitter.com/d2KtwZEJ8O — Arifur® (@ArifurFC) November 7, 2021 × View this post on Instagram A post shared by Liam Ayson (@liamayson) ×

Astroworld tragedy: Did 'The Simpsons' know all along about Travis Scott's concert mishap?

<p>On Dec. 3, 1979, a crowd amassed outside Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati for a concert by the Who. The show was booked without seat reservations, giving early bird fans the chance to rush toward the stage. In the confusion outside the venue, 11 people were crushed to death.</p>

<p><br />
In response, Cincinnati banned that kind of general-admission model, sometimes called festival seating, and the incident served as a reminder of the inherent danger when pop music is mixed with big crowds.<br />
Cincinnati’s ban was lifted in 2004, just as a new, lucrative era of music festivals was taking off, led by events like Coachella, that were modeled after European festivals where fans roamed free and took in attractions on multiple stages.</p>

<p><br />
But through the years, a series of disasters at concerts, clubs and festivals have served as reminders of the dangers of crowds, such as the death of nine people at a Danish festival in 2000 or a stampede at a nightclub in Chicago in 2003 that left 21 dead.</p>

<p><br />
Those fears were rekindled with Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival in Houston last Friday, when nine people died and more than 300 were injured at a packed event that drew 50,000 people to NRG Park.</p>

<p><br />
For now, more questions than answers surround Astroworld, including how well the festival’s security plan was followed and why it took nearly 40 minutes to shut the show down after Houston officials declared a “mass casualty event.” Houston police are conducting a criminal investigation, and dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Scott and Live Nation, the festival’s promoter, among other defendants.</p>

<p><br />
The event, and the finger-pointing in response, seemed all too familiar to Paul Wertheimer, a concert security expert and longtime critic of the industry. He began his career investigating the Who disaster and has since documented thousands of safety incidents at festivals and concerts; his research has included hours studying the dynamics of mosh pits.</p>

<p><br />
“I’ve been living this recurring nightmare, what happened in Houston, for 40 years,” he said in an interview. “I’ve seen it over and over again.”</p>

<p><br />
The Astroworld disaster has already ignited debate about the safety of festivals, just as the industry has finally seen the return of large-scale touring after more than a year of dormancy during the pandemic.</p>

<p><br />
To critics like Wertheimer, Astroworld is yet another sign that concert promoters prioritize profits over safety. The concert industry sees it differently, arguing that the rarity of serious problems given the many thousands of events that go on without major incident each year proves that most shows are perfectly safe and that expertise has been developed to protect the public.</p>

<p><br />
Live Nation, the world’s largest concert company, put on some 40,000 shows of various sizes in 2019, the most recent year that it had a full slate of events. Deaths and major injuries are rare, and when they do occur, they often involve factors such as drug overdoses.</p>

<p><br />
Still, the impact of the deaths in Houston are already being felt in the industry, as executives calculate the increased costs and heightened security measures they expect will be required in the future to avoid becoming the next Astroworld.</p>

<p><br />
Randy Phillips, former CEO of AEG Live, a concert giant that counts Coachella among its portfolio of festivals, said that for shows he is planning on his own as a promoter, “we are oversecuring and overinsuring all participants in a way we probably wouldn’t have pre-Astroworld.”</p>

<p><br />
Until the criminal investigation is completed, and courts sort out liability in the civil suits, it may be unclear just what steps festival promoters and concert venues should take to prevent a recurrence. But few doubt there will be repercussions that will affect insurance, security, government regulations and contractual agreements among promoters, performers, venues and various third parties like security firms.</p>

<p><br />
In a statement, Live Nation said, “We continue to support and assist local authorities in their ongoing investigation so that both the fans who attended and their families can get the answers they want and deserve.” The company declined to comment further.</p>

<p><br />
For Live Nation and other promoters, festivals have become an important moneymaker. The day before the Astroworld disaster, in a conference call with analysts to announce Live Nation’s third-quarter financial results, Michael Rapino, its CEO, said that when the company controls all revenue streams for a festival, “it’s our highest-margin business.”</p>

<p><br />
Crowd-control plans are an essential part of those events, and have evolved over the past two decades or so as festivals have become a key part of the touring industry.</p>

<p><br />
To manage general-admission events, long barriers known as crowd breaks are usually deployed to divide large spaces into smaller zones that contain as few as 5,000 patrons, reducing the risk of overcrowding, Phillips said. Other practices have emerged, like the use of counterprogramming on multiple stages, with overlapping set times, to prevent the full force of a festival audience from piling into one place at the same time.</p>

<p><br />
It is unclear how well those lessons were implemented at Astroworld.</p>

<p><br />
In an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show Tuesday, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said that barricades had been used to prevent the crowd from surging forward, but the movement of the crowd toward the stage “in essence caused other areas of pinch points.”</p>

<p><br />
“As the crowd began to surge and push and compress toward the front,” Peña said, “it was those people in the center that began to get crushed, and the injuries started.”</p>

<p><br />
Astroworld has also stood out for the role of Scott, the festival’s creator and star attraction. A chart-topping rapper and entrepreneur, he has developed a reputation for putting on chaotic, high-energy shows, even encouraging fans to sneak in. Twice before, Scott has been arrested and accused of inciting crowds at his shows, and pleaded guilty to minor charges.</p>

<p><br />
At one point last Friday, Scott paused his set to take note of an ambulance in the crowd. But what he knew about the extent of danger in the crowd will surely be a central point in the investigation and the civil suits.<br />
The relative lack of injury at most big events has led concert executives to defend what they do as safe.</p>

<p><br />
Carl Freed, promoter of the Hot 97 Summer Jam, an annual hip-hop festival at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, called Astroworld “a horrible tragedy,” and added, “But there’s been a great deal of thought put into the safety of patrons. Always has been, always will be.” Summer Jam, which has assigned seating, has had a number of incidents over the years involving fans trying to push their way through security and sometimes scuffling with police.</p>

<p><br />
The history of trouble with overcrowding goes back to the very beginning of rock ’n’ roll. In 1952, disc jockey Alan Freed’s “Moondog Coronation Ball” in Cleveland was shut down by police after up to 25,000 fans showed up for an arena that could hold just 10,000.</p>

<p><br />
And a number of events have turned deadly. In 1991, three teenagers were trampled to death at an AC/DC concert in Salt Lake City. That same year, nine people died in a stampede outside a benefit basketball game at City College in New York that was presented by a young rap promoter, Sean Combs. In one of the highest-profile disasters in recent years, 21 people died in 2010 when crowds of thousands were forced to pass through a narrow tunnel on the way to the Love Parade, a festival in Duisburg, Germany.</p>

<p><br />
The rise of big outdoor festivals in the late 1960s helped establish rock as a paramount cultural force, but the problems at Woodstock (gate-crashing; traffic and sanitation failures) and Altamont (a fan’s death at the hands of a Hells Angels security crew) frightened local governments around the country, which passed public gathering laws that stunted the growth of American festivals for decades.</p>

<p><br />
Brian D. Caplan, a lawyer who is not involved with the Astroworld suits, said it may take courts time to establish which parties face liability but that the history of dangers and violence at concerts serves as fair warning to promoters that steps must be taken to protect the public.</p>

<p><br />
“These happen sporadically, but all large promoters would know that an event of this nature could happen,” Caplan said. “They do the best they can to ensure these things don’t happen; but when they do, it’s difficult to escape some form of liability for the consequences.”</p>

<p><br />
Viewing the footage of Astroworld, Wertheimer said that the deaths could have been prevented simply by reducing the density of the crowd. But with the popularity and profitability of festivals, he doubted that would happen.</p>

<p><br />
“It’s going to be business as usual after this in Houston,” he said, “unless officials rise up and try to protect their communities.”</p>


On Dec. 3, 1979, a crowd amassed outside Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati for a concert by the Who. The show was booked without seat reservations, giving early bird fans the chance to rush toward the stage.

On Dec. 3, 1979, a crowd amassed outside Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati for a concert by the Who. The show was booked without seat reservations, giving early bird fans the chance to rush toward the stage. In the confusion outside the venue, 11 people were crushed to death. In response, Cincinnati banned that kind of general-admission model, sometimes called festival seating, and the incident served as a reminder of the inherent danger when pop music is mixed with big crowds. Cincinnati’s ban was lifted in 2004, just as a new, lucrative era of music festivals was taking off, led by events like Coachella, that were modeled after European festivals where fans roamed free and took in attractions on multiple stages. But through the years, a series of disasters at concerts, clubs and festivals have served as reminders of the dangers of crowds, such as the death of nine people at a Danish festival in 2000 or a stampede at a nightclub in Chicago in 2003 that left 21 dead. Those fears were rekindled with Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival in Houston last Friday, when nine people died and more than 300 were injured at a packed event that drew 50,000 people to NRG Park. For now, more questions than answers surround Astroworld, including how well the festival’s security plan was followed and why it took nearly 40 minutes to shut the show down after Houston officials declared a “mass casualty event.” Houston police are conducting a criminal investigation, and dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Scott and Live Nation, the festival’s promoter, among other defendants. The event, and the finger-pointing in response, seemed all too familiar to Paul Wertheimer, a concert security expert and longtime critic of the industry. He began his career investigating the Who disaster and has since documented thousands of safety incidents at festivals and concerts; his research has included hours studying the dynamics of mosh pits. “I’ve been living this recurring nightmare, what happened in Houston, for 40 years,” he said in an interview. “I’ve seen it over and over again.” The Astroworld disaster has already ignited debate about the safety of festivals, just as the industry has finally seen the return of large-scale touring after more than a year of dormancy during the pandemic. To critics like Wertheimer, Astroworld is yet another sign that concert promoters prioritize profits over safety. The concert industry sees it differently, arguing that the rarity of serious problems given the many thousands of events that go on without major incident each year proves that most shows are perfectly safe and that expertise has been developed to protect the public. Live Nation, the world’s largest concert company, put on some 40,000 shows of various sizes in 2019, the most recent year that it had a full slate of events. Deaths and major injuries are rare, and when they do occur, they often involve factors such as drug overdoses. Still, the impact of the deaths in Houston are already being felt in the industry, as executives calculate the increased costs and heightened security measures they expect will be required in the future to avoid becoming the next Astroworld. Randy Phillips, former CEO of AEG Live, a concert giant that counts Coachella among its portfolio of festivals, said that for shows he is planning on his own as a promoter, “we are oversecuring and overinsuring all participants in a way we probably wouldn’t have pre-Astroworld.” Until the criminal investigation is completed, and courts sort out liability in the civil suits, it may be unclear just what steps festival promoters and concert venues should take to prevent a recurrence. But few doubt there will be repercussions that will affect insurance, security, government regulations and contractual agreements among promoters, performers, venues and various third parties like security firms. In a statement, Live Nation said, “We continue to support and assist local authorities in their ongoing investigation so that both the fans who attended and their families can get the answers they want and deserve.” The company declined to comment further. For Live Nation and other promoters, festivals have become an important moneymaker. The day before the Astroworld disaster, in a conference call with analysts to announce Live Nation’s third-quarter financial results, Michael Rapino, its CEO, said that when the company controls all revenue streams for a festival, “it’s our highest-margin business.” Crowd-control plans are an essential part of those events, and have evolved over the past two decades or so as festivals have become a key part of the touring industry. To manage general-admission events, long barriers known as crowd breaks are usually deployed to divide large spaces into smaller zones that contain as few as 5,000 patrons, reducing the risk of overcrowding, Phillips said. Other practices have emerged, like the use of counterprogramming on multiple stages, with overlapping set times, to prevent the full force of a festival audience from piling into one place at the same time. It is unclear how well those lessons were implemented at Astroworld. In an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show Tuesday, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said that barricades had been used to prevent the crowd from surging forward, but the movement of the crowd toward the stage “in essence caused other areas of pinch points.” “As the crowd began to surge and push and compress toward the front,” Peña said, “it was those people in the center that began to get crushed, and the injuries started.” Astroworld has also stood out for the role of Scott, the festival’s creator and star attraction. A chart-topping rapper and entrepreneur, he has developed a reputation for putting on chaotic, high-energy shows, even encouraging fans to sneak in. Twice before, Scott has been arrested and accused of inciting crowds at his shows, and pleaded guilty to minor charges. At one point last Friday, Scott paused his set to take note of an ambulance in the crowd. But what he knew about the extent of danger in the crowd will surely be a central point in the investigation and the civil suits. The relative lack of injury at most big events has led concert executives to defend what they do as safe. Carl Freed, promoter of the Hot 97 Summer Jam, an annual hip-hop festival at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, called Astroworld “a horrible tragedy,” and added, “But there’s been a great deal of thought put into the safety of patrons. Always has been, always will be.” Summer Jam, which has assigned seating, has had a number of incidents over the years involving fans trying to push their way through security and sometimes scuffling with police. The history of trouble with overcrowding goes back to the very beginning of rock ’n’ roll. In 1952, disc jockey Alan Freed’s “Moondog Coronation Ball” in Cleveland was shut down by police after up to 25,000 fans showed up for an arena that could hold just 10,000. And a number of events have turned deadly. In 1991, three teenagers were trampled to death at an AC/DC concert in Salt Lake City. That same year, nine people died in a stampede outside a benefit basketball game at City College in New York that was presented by a young rap promoter, Sean Combs. In one of the highest-profile disasters in recent years, 21 people died in 2010 when crowds of thousands were forced to pass through a narrow tunnel on the way to the Love Parade, a festival in Duisburg, Germany. The rise of big outdoor festivals in the late 1960s helped establish rock as a paramount cultural force, but the problems at Woodstock (gate-crashing; traffic and sanitation failures) and Altamont (a fan’s death at the hands of a Hells Angels security crew) frightened local governments around the country, which passed public gathering laws that stunted the growth of American festivals for decades. Brian D. Caplan, a lawyer who is not involved with the Astroworld suits, said it may take courts time to establish which parties face liability but that the history of dangers and violence at concerts serves as fair warning to promoters that steps must be taken to protect the public. “These happen sporadically, but all large promoters would know that an event of this nature could happen,” Caplan said. “They do the best they can to ensure these things don’t happen; but when they do, it’s difficult to escape some form of liability for the consequences.” Viewing the footage of Astroworld, Wertheimer said that the deaths could have been prevented simply by reducing the density of the crowd. But with the popularity and profitability of festivals, he doubted that would happen. “It’s going to be business as usual after this in Houston,” he said, “unless officials rise up and try to protect their communities.”

Astroworld disaster rekindles fears about music festival safety

<p>American actor Christopher Walken has committed a Himalayan blunder: the beloved actor has painted over a real Banksy street-art piece in Bristol, England, while shooting for a TV show, reported BBC.</p>

<p><br />
Walken was shooting for his new BBC series, 'The Outlaws', in the town Banksy is rumoured to be from and spray-painted one of his iconic rats on set. Walken reportedly painted over it during the filming of an episode episode.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/zendaya-anya-joy-taylor-drew-barrymore-others-who-rocked-cfda-fashion-awards-2021-428626" hreflang="en">Zendaya, Anya Joy-Taylor, Drew Barrymore &amp; others who rocked CFDA Fashion Awards 2021</a></p>

<p><br />
"We can confirm that the artwork at the end of The Outlaws was an original Banksy, and that Christopher Walken painted over that artwork during the filming of this scene, ultimately destroying it," a representative for the show confirmed the same to The New York Times.</p>

<p><br />
Walken plays the role of Frank: one of the seven lawbreakers working in a community service program.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
In the most recent episode of the series, the aforementioned painting-over-graffiti in the area where Walken’s character finds the iconic rat and the word 'BANKSY' written above it and paints all over it.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/travis-scott-asks-victims-of-astroworld-stampede-to-contact-him-for-help-428593" hreflang="en">Travis Scott asks victims of Astroworld stampede to contact him for help</a></p>

<p><br />
However, it's unknown whether the Banksy piece was placed there deliberately by the artist without the knowledge of the cast and crew, or if he was in it for a scripted scene.</p>

<p><br />
Banksy art pieces are usually worth millions at auctions.</p>

<p><br />
'The Outlaws' is a BBC drama &nbsp;series written, directed and starring Stephen Merchant.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-astroworld-indian-student-bharti-shahani-becomes-9th-victim-to-lose-her-life-following-the-concert-428587">Astroworld: Indian student Bharti Shahani becomes 9th victim to lose her life following the concert</a></p>


American actor Christopher Walken has committed a Himalayan blunder: the beloved actor has painted over a real Banksy street-art piece in Bristol, England, while shooting for a TV show, reported BBC.

American actor Christopher Walken has committed a Himalayan blunder: the beloved actor has painted over a real Banksy street-art piece in Bristol, England, while shooting for a TV show, reported BBC. Walken was shooting for his new BBC series, 'The Outlaws', in the town Banksy is rumoured to be from and spray-painted one of his iconic rats on set. Walken reportedly painted over it during the filming of an episode episode. Also read: Zendaya, Anya Joy-Taylor, Drew Barrymore & others who rocked CFDA Fashion Awards 2021 "We can confirm that the artwork at the end of The Outlaws was an original Banksy, and that Christopher Walken painted over that artwork during the filming of this scene, ultimately destroying it," a representative for the show confirmed the same to The New York Times. Walken plays the role of Frank: one of the seven lawbreakers working in a community service program. In the most recent episode of the series, the aforementioned painting-over-graffiti in the area where Walken’s character finds the iconic rat and the word 'BANKSY' written above it and paints all over it. Also read: Travis Scott asks victims of Astroworld stampede to contact him for help However, it's unknown whether the Banksy piece was placed there deliberately by the artist without the knowledge of the cast and crew, or if he was in it for a scripted scene. Banksy art pieces are usually worth millions at auctions. 'The Outlaws' is a BBC drama series written, directed and starring Stephen Merchant. Also read: Astroworld: Indian student Bharti Shahani becomes 9th victim to lose her life following the concert

Say what? Christopher Walken painted  over a real Banksy piece for a TV show

<p>Bharti Shahani, a 22-year-old Indian-origin college student, who was critically injured in the stampede at the Astroworld festival in Houston, has died, bringing the death toll to nine.&nbsp;The family’s lawyer confirmed the news on Thursday.</p>

<p><br />
Shahani, who was set to graduate from Texas A&amp;M University in the spring, died on Wednesday night. She was previously declared brain dead by doctors.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;Mathew McConaughey's not in for mandatory COVID vaccine for kids</p>

<p><strong>Watch I&nbsp; Astroworld concert stampede: What we know</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/astroworld-concert-tragedy-what-we-know-so-far-428552/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p><br />
The concertgoers who died following the Friday night's tragic show were aged between 14 and 27. According to reports, a nine-year-old boy, who was also injured at the sold-out festival of 50,000 people, remained in a medically induced coma.</p>

<p><br />
"For the first time in her life she just wanted to have fun, and that was taken from her," said Namrata Shahani, her sister, who had attended the concert along with Bharti and their cousin.</p>

<p><br />
Namrata Shahani reportedly said that her sister’s last words to her were, “Are you OK?”</p>

<p><strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;Unisex hijab? Italian fashion brand new launch leaves netizens confused</p>

<p><br />
Reportedly, concertgoers have described that the packed audience was still growing and had taken a dangerous shape even before headliner Travis Scott took to stage, and seeing people collapse while the rapper reportedly performed. Scott’s attorneys have said he did not know about the deaths and injuries until after the show.</p>

<p><br />
On Thursday, Scott’s representatives said Scott is “distraught by the situation” and has been trying to connect with the affected families to extend his condolences and provide them aid.</p>

<p><br />
A criminal investigation into the deaths at Astroworld is underway as hundreds were injured during the stampede.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong>Woah! Tom Hanks' volleyball in Oscar-nominated 'Cast Away' sold for an unbelievable sum</p>

<p><br />
Scott was minutes into his set when at least one Houston officer reportedly radioed over a police channel informing that the main stage had been compromised by a massive crowd surge.</p>

<p><br />
Recordings of police radio traffic, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, reveal law enforcement became aware of the rising danger shortly after the star rapper began performing at the sold-out music festival. Scott, however, took on his hometown stage of Houston shortly after 9 p.m.</p>

<p><br />
The rapper kept performing his set that lasted for about an hour. Newspaper Houston Chronicle reported that officers spotted people leaving the crowd but that their voices remained calm through the first 30 minutes of his set.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
On Wednesday, Scott’s attorneys pointed to an operational plan for the event that states only the festival director and executive producers have the authority to stop the show, “neither of which is part of Travis’s crew.”</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong>Zoya Akhtar to direct ‘The Archies’ comic book adaptation for Netflix</p>

<p><br />
“Investigations should start proceeding over finger-pointing so that together, we can identify exactly what transpired and how we can prevent anything like this from happening again,” attorney Edwin F. McPherson said in a statement.</p>


Bharti Shahani, a 22-year-old Indian-origin college student, who was critically injured in the stampede at the Astroworld festival in Houston, has died, bringing the death toll to nine.

Bharti Shahani, a 22-year-old Indian-origin college student, who was critically injured in the stampede at the Astroworld festival in Houston, has died, bringing the death toll to nine. The family’s lawyer confirmed the news on Thursday. Shahani, who was set to graduate from Texas A&M University in the spring, died on Wednesday night. She was previously declared brain dead by doctors. Also read: Mathew McConaughey's not in for mandatory COVID vaccine for kids Watch I Astroworld concert stampede: What we know The concertgoers who died following the Friday night's tragic show were aged between 14 and 27. According to reports, a nine-year-old boy, who was also injured at the sold-out festival of 50,000 people, remained in a medically induced coma. "For the first time in her life she just wanted to have fun, and that was taken from her," said Namrata Shahani, her sister, who had attended the concert along with Bharti and their cousin. Namrata Shahani reportedly said that her sister’s last words to her were, “Are you OK?” Also read: Unisex hijab? Italian fashion brand new launch leaves netizens confused Reportedly, concertgoers have described that the packed audience was still growing and had taken a dangerous shape even before headliner Travis Scott took to stage, and seeing people collapse while the rapper reportedly performed. Scott’s attorneys have said he did not know about the deaths and injuries until after the show. On Thursday, Scott’s representatives said Scott is “distraught by the situation” and has been trying to connect with the affected families to extend his condolences and provide them aid. A criminal investigation into the deaths at Astroworld is underway as hundreds were injured during the stampede. Also read: Woah! Tom Hanks' volleyball in Oscar-nominated 'Cast Away' sold for an unbelievable sum Scott was minutes into his set when at least one Houston officer reportedly radioed over a police channel informing that the main stage had been compromised by a massive crowd surge. Recordings of police radio traffic, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, reveal law enforcement became aware of the rising danger shortly after the star rapper began performing at the sold-out music festival. Scott, however, took on his hometown stage of Houston shortly after 9 p.m. The rapper kept performing his set that lasted for about an hour. Newspaper Houston Chronicle reported that officers spotted people leaving the crowd but that their voices remained calm through the first 30 minutes of his set. On Wednesday, Scott’s attorneys pointed to an operational plan for the event that states only the festival director and executive producers have the authority to stop the show, “neither of which is part of Travis’s crew.” Also read: Zoya Akhtar to direct ‘The Archies’ comic book adaptation for Netflix “Investigations should start proceeding over finger-pointing so that together, we can identify exactly what transpired and how we can prevent anything like this from happening again,” attorney Edwin F. McPherson said in a statement.

Astroworld: Indian student Bharti Shahani becomes 9th victim to lose her life following the concert

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