News

Platform Media, the UK’s next-generation media company, has today announced its majority acquisition by global podcast group PodX. This is the largest acquisition the Stockholm-based company has made to date. It is also set to be the UK podcast market’s most significant deal ever by the time it completes in full, with the initial valuation surpassing eight figures.

Founded in 2021 by Matthew Sherry and Matt Sayward in conjunction with the 21six Group, Platform Media delivers production, distribution and monetisation all under one roof. Its original content label Folding Pocket has produced some of the UK’s biggest podcasts, including The Good, The Bad & The Rugby; Football’s Greatest with Jeff Stelling; The Fast & The Curious; Ami Charlize’s Private Story; The 3Am Club with Caitlin and Leah; My Mate’s A Footballer with Patrick Bamford and Joe Wilkinson for BBC Sounds and Amazon’s Three Little Words starring John Bishop.

Fred Astaire was an Oscar-nominated song and dance man best remembered for a series of musicals he made alongside many female dancer, but especially Ginger Rogers. Yet his filmography extends well past those titles. Let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

As a dancer, Astaire was known for his perfectionism, doing multiple takes to get the most precise movements correct. His immaculate steps were matched only by his outfits, which often consisted of top hats and coats.

After making a name for himself on the stage in London and on Broadway, Astaire came to Hollywood. He first appeared with fellow dancer Rogers in “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), where they played second fiddle to Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. Their first starring vehicle came just one year later: “The Gay Divorcee” (1934).

Their subsequent films, including “Top Hat” (1935), “Follow the Fleet” (1936), “Swing Time...

One of the songs Paul McCartney wrote as a teenager became a hit for another band. What a prodigy he was! John Lennon said the tune in question played an important role in The Beatles’ career.

A Paul McCartney song appeared on a special Beatles tape

The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview from 1980. In it, John was asked about the track “Like Dreamers Do.” While the tune was credited to the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership, it was first released by a British band called The Applejacks.

“That’s Paul,” John said. “That was another one that he’d written as a teenager and sort of resurrected and polished up for later on. That’s on the audition tape that we sent Decca, which is around as a bootleg. I sing ‘To Know Her Is to Love Her...

Carleton Carpenter, an actor whose lanky, aw-shucks cornpone good looks made him a familiar supporting presence opposite such leading ladies as Debbie Reynolds, Judy Garland and Elizabeth Taylor throughout the 1950s, died today in Warwick, New York, following years of declining health. He was 95.

His death was announced by spokesperson Kevin McAnarney.

Born Carleton Upham Carpenter in Bennington, Vermont, Carpenter served as a Seabee in the U.S. Navy during World War II, helping to build the airstrip from which the Enola Gay would later take off for its flight to Hiroshima. By the time of the 1945 atomic bombing, Carpenter had started his Broadway career with a role in David Merrick’s 1944 production Bright Boy.

Other Broadway roles would arrive in quick succession: Carpenter appeared in Three to Make Ready with Ray Bolger (1944), The Magic Touch (1947), John Murray Anderson’s Almanac (1953) and Hotel Paradiso (1957).

Carpenter’s TV and film credits developed alongside his stage career.

Arlene Dahl, the glamorous 1950s actress who later became a beauty writer and cosmetics executive, died on Monday in New York. She was 96.

Her son, actor Lorenzo Lamas, posted on Facebook, saying, “She was the most positive influence on my life. I will remember her laughter, her joy, her dignity as she navigated the challenges that she faced. Never an ill word about anyone crossed her lips. Her ability to forgive left me speechless at times. She truly was a force of nature and as we got closer in my adult life, I leaned on her more and more as my life counselor and the person I knew that lived and loved to the fullest.”

Born in Minneapolis, Dahl started out as a model and worked in theater before coming to Hollywood in 1946. She was briefly under contract at Warner Bros., then signed with MGM.

Her first MGM film was “The Bride Goes Wild,...

All week long, the official Doctor Who channels have been teasing a surprise guest for this weekend’s Comic-Con@Home panel. While many were expecting to see a returning favourite or revived character from series past, the answer turned out to a brand new addition for series 13: Game of Thrones and Broadchurch actor Jacob Anderson.

Anderson will play new character Vinder in series 13. He’ll be a recurring role, and was described on the panel as a fun, adventurous action hero who’ll have his own spaceship. In a pre-recorded introductory video, Anderson revealed:

“Not only did I get to go on the Tardis and press all the buttons and flip all the levers and the switches but I got my own ship, and my own ship had its own world of buttons and levers and switches that you could actually press and you could actually play with. I was like,...

Right about now, you might find yourself asking: “Didn’t Record Store Day already happen this year?” Well, yes — three times. Those were the “drops” created to replace the original April 2020 Record Store Day, which was canceled for pandemic reasons. This Friday, the traditional post-Thanksgiving Record Store Day is happening as planned, making a grand total of four events this year. It might seem like a lot, but independent record stores have really been hurting lately, and your local shop would almost certainly appreciate your business. Here are 16 of the...

Fred Astaire would’ve celebrated his 120th birthday on May 10, 2019. The Oscar-nominated song and dance man is best remembered for a series of musicals he made alongside Ginger Rogers. Yet his filmography extends well past those titles. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

As a dancer, Astaire was known for his perfectionism, doing multiple takes to get the most precise movements correct. His immaculate steps were matched only by his outfits, which often consisted of top hats and coats.

SEEOscars flashback: Gold Derby celebrates 84 years of Best Original Song at the Academy Awards

After making a name for himself on the stage in London and on Broadway, Astaire came to Hollywood. He first appeared with fellow dancer Rogers in “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), where they played second fiddle to Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. Their...

You’ve seen Phantom Thread, perhaps multiple times. You’ve been playing Jonny Greenwood’s score on repeat. And now you’re wondering what to do until the Blu-ray arrives this April. Well, Paul Thomas Anderson has you covered. In special screenings around the country, you might have heard a few songs play before the film begins, and now Tiff has revealed those were hand-selected by the director for a special pre-viewing playlist.

They’ve now revealed the full list of songs, clocking in at 23 and ranging from Beyoncé to Bruce Springsteen to Rihanna to Neil Young to Carly Simon and far beyond. Of course, there’s also some Bernard Herrmann thrown in for good measure. Ahead of 70mm screenings at the Tiff Bell Lightbox starting Friday, they’ve collected the tracks into a Spotify list, which can be listened to below, followed by a round-up of recent extensive Phantom Thread talks with its creators.

Paul Thomas Anderson is here to help you set the mood before your “Phantom Thread” viewing. While Jonny Greenwood’s Oscar-nominated score is well worth numerous streams, the director has curated his own mixtape of 23 songs he suggests you listen to before watching his romance drama. Anderson shared the playlist with Tiff., All 70mm screenings of “Phantom Thread” at the Tiff Bell Lightbox theater will play the songs before showtime.

The mixtape is pretty incredible on its own, featuring hits from Beyoncé, Rihanna, Carly Simon, Neil Young, and more, but it’s even better for those who have seen “Phantom Thread” and understand the relationship between Daniel Day-Lewis’ Reynolds Woodcock and Vicky Krieps’ Alma. Rihanna’s “Stay” is especially appropriate for the two lovers.

The full “Phantom Thread” playlist is below, courtesy of Tiff. The film is up for six Oscars at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

2016 claimed a long list of entertainers, but the grim reaper’s most unexpected one-two punch came between the final two holidays with the death of movie icons Carrie Fisher on December 12 and her mother Debbie Reynolds a mere 36 hours later. With the premiere of the documentary about the pair, “Bright Lights” on HBO this weekend, we at the Geeks site thought we should take a look at their considerable contributions to film.

Let’s start with Carrie, who was born in Hollywood, USA on October 21, 1956, the daughter of Debbie and singer/actor Eddie Fisher. She appeared on stage with her mother throughout the late 60’s and early 70’s, even getting her first small screen credit in the 1969 TV movie “Debbie Reynolds and the Sound of Children”. It wasn’t until 1975, when she would make her big screen debut opposite Warren Beatty (quite an arrival) in Hal Ashby’s hit Shampoo.

Debbie Reynolds sang and danced her way into film history “Three Little Words” (1950) Fresh out of high school, Debbie Reynolds was given a small role in this Fred Astaire, Red Skelton and Carleton Carpenter MGM musical, sang an old standard (“I Wanna Be Loved By You”) and shot to fame. “Two Weeks With Love” (1950) Reynolds reunited with Carleton Carpenter to sing the 1914 song “Aba Daba Honeymoon.” The song became such a hit that MGM sent the duo touring the country to promote it and the film. “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952) The movie that made Reynolds a star and is still considered.

Oscar-nominated actress Debbie Reynolds died on Wednesday, just one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher Debbie Reynolds passed away on Wednesday following a long, accomplished career as the star of such films as “Singin’ in the Rain” and “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” “Three Little Words” (1950) Reynolds was just 18 when she had a small but notable role in this Fred Astaire musical. “Two Weeks With Love” (1950) Just a year before Reynolds’ character played the French horn in this Ricardo Montalban film, she was playing French horn in her high school band. “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952) The now-famous “Good Morning” number took 15 hours.

As reported by TMZ, Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds has died after suffering a stroke earlier today. This was confirmed by her son, Todd Fisher, who had been with her today planning funeral arrangements for Carrie Fisher, her daughter, who just died yesterday.

Debbie Reynolds started out as a starlet on the MGM lot. After her 1950 breakout role in Three Little Words, she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer. She was then chosen to star alongside Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor in the now perennial film classic, 1952’s Singin’ In The Rain. A teenage gymnast who’d been discovered in a beauty pageant that she entered to get a free lunch, Reynolds had no dance experience, but Kelly felt confident that she had the athleticism required for the female lead. In later years, she said, “The two hardest things I ever did in ...

Debbie Reynolds died on Wednesday as a result of a stroke, her son Todd Fisher confirms to Et, just one day after the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher. She was 84.

"She missed her daughter [Carrie] and wanted to very much be with her and she had discussed some other things. She had been very strong the last several days; [there was] enormous stress on her, obviously," Todd Fisher told Et. "And this morning, she said those words to me and 15 minutes later she had a stroke and virtually left.

Et confirmed that Reynolds was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday after suffering a possible stroke. The Los Angeles Fire Department told Et that an ambulance responded to a medical call at 1:02 p.m. in Beverly Hills and transported an adult female to Cedars-Sinai Hospital.

Reynolds had reportedly been discussing funeral arrangements for Carrie, who died Tuesday after going into cardiac arrest aboard a transatlantic flight from London to Los...

Legendary actress, singer and entertainer Debbie Reynolds has passed away after suffering a stroke on Wednesday, December 28. She was 84.

The news comes just a day after Reynolds’ daughter, Carrie Fisher, died from having a heart attack during a flight from London to Los Angeles. According to TMZ, Reynolds was at her son’s Todd’s house in Beverly Hills on Wednesday afternoon when someone from the house called 911.

The “Singin’ in the Rain” actress had been distraught since Carrie’s heart attack and death, and according to reports, was discussing funeral plans for her daughter when she suffered a stroke.

Reynolds had last released a statement following Fisher’s death, saying, “Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop.”

Read More: Carrie Fisher, Who...

FX

Three little words, one big decision. And you thought Snog, Marry, Kill was bad.

Chances are, if we ever found ourselves trapped in a horror movie, most of us would like to think that we’d be the noble character, fighting the bad guys to the end and if necessary, dying to protect our friends.

But in reality, most of us would push our best friend into the arms of the killer and run for the hills. Because dying at the hands of a serial killer or a ghost has an awful way of ruining your day.

So what if the choice isn’t as easy as live or die? That’s where those awful three words come in – would you rather – and when they’re inspired by the scarring fears of iconic horror films, all bets are off…

12. Cut Off Your Own Leg To Escape Or Wait Indefinitely...

Three little words! Nick Viall spilled some new details about his relationship with Kaitlyn Bristowe to former Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky in an interview published on her blog on Wednesday, July 29. Viall, 34, revealed that he and Bristowe said "I love you" in private frequently. "We told each other a bunch of times," he told Fedotowsky. "I was very lucky that... obviously, there's the fantasy suite, but she requested a lot of extra time. We really enjoyed our private time together." According to Viall, he was "very surprised" [...]...

"America’s Got Talent" host Nick Cannon will direct the independent romantic comedy "Three Little Words" at Gulfstream Pictures.

The story follows a group of people dealing with various romantic relationships as they try to summon the courage to say "I love you". Allison Burnett wrote the script.

Mike Karz and William Bindley are producing. The film is in pre-production with a distribution deal in place.

Source: Variety...

Universal Pictures

It’s the most wonderful time of the year (again), and as usual it’s getting to those last few weeks before the big day when creative ideas and planning make way for frantic grabs at whatever is left on the shelves after the Black Friday zombie hordes have cleared everything out.

But fear not: because the best of Christmas is watching movies, re-watching old TV specials and trying hard to forget that George Lucas ever decided that anyone wanted a Star Wars Christmas show, there’ll always be a helping hand round these parts for those who want it.

So if you’re buying for a difficult brother, a picky sister or just for the film, gaming or TV fan in your life, what follows is a compendium of the finest gift ideas for this year’s festivities, as usual there are massive opportunities to win most of what has been included…...

Photo courtesy Debbie Reynolds Studios

Debbie Reynolds – actor, singer, dancer, author, champion for the preservation of the artifacts of film history and for the understanding and treatment of mental illness – has been named the 51st recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment.

Given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” the union’s highest accolade will be presented to the Oscar, Emmy and Tony-nominated Reynolds at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015 at 8 p.m. (Et), 7 p.m. (Ct), 6 p.m. (Mt) and 5 p.m. (Pt).

SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard praised Reynolds’ artistry over her very accomplished career, saying, “I’m thrilled that SAG-AFTRA is presenting our Life Achievement Award to Debbie Reynolds. She is a tremendously talented...

Three little words. Ok, so John (Luke Mitchell) doesn't say those three words (I love you, duh) to Astrid (Madeleine Mantock) in tonight's episode of The Tomorrow People, but he does say three pretty important words to her: "I'm right here."  "Jastrid" fans are really going to enjoy this exclusive sneak peek at the CW' freshman drama's "Enemy of my Enemy," which finds Astrid turning to her new, ahem, friend for support after her near-death experience. John's remedy? Another near-death experience! (And handholding, that too.) To help Astrid conquer her fear of dying, John decides she needs to face death again by jumping out of a moving train with...

Watch HollywoodLife.com’s exclusive preview of Reggie’s half-baked — and definitely not Dick Butkus-approved – scheme!

Three little words, one big problem. On the Jan. 10 episode of ABC’s The Neighbors, Reggie (Tim Jo) devises a plan to get Amber (Clara Mamet) to finally drop the L-bomb, and HollywoodLife.com has your first look at his questionable methods.

Operating under the assumption that humans are more emotionally available when they’re completely petrified, Reggie plots to watch a horror movie with Amber, thus inspiring his desired confession. Clearly, he has learned very little about humans during his stay on earth.

Of course, getting Amber to confess her love is only part of Reggie’s problem on this week’s episode. When Jane (Megan Park) interrupts Reggie’s date with Amber, the extra-clueless extraterrestrial is forced to make a choice between the two ladies!

HollywoodLifers, watch our exclusive preview clip below,...

• Martin Scorsese has found a new leading man in Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man) for his feature Silence, based on Shusaku Endo’s 1966 Japanese-language novel. The fictional story follows a 17th century Portuguese Jesuit missionary to Japan. Ken Watanabe (Inception) also stars in the film, which will be largely shot in Japanese. At one point, Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio del Toro were going to star in the film. [Variety]

• James Franco is set to join Paris, Texas director Wim Wenders’ upcoming drama Everything Will Be Fine, about a writer who kills a child accidentally. The story will follow Thomas (Franco) for...

Gary Lineker has been given advice on street slang by Lethal Bizzle. The Match of the Day host has jokingly used the phrase "That is sick" on a couple of occasions after playing a clip of Bizzle's England Euro 2012 track 'Three Little Words'. Referring to his range of Denchwear clothing, Lethal Bizzle said that Lineker should have said "dench" instead of "sick". "If he starts saying dench it would be enough to get him in the dench gang," he told The Sun. (more)...

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Lana.

Del.

Rey.

Three little words which, over this past year, have come to gain a gravitas beyond their minute stature. This album – Del Rey’s debut – is then a full stop at the end of a story that the build up, the hype and the controversy have been writing for her. And yet, given the full stop, the story isn’t over yet.

Lana (Elizabeth Grant) came to this release riding inside a snowball that started rolling with the appearance of Video Games online, and its subsequent release. That self-made promo of found footage and recordings, introduced the world to Lana’s mix of classic Hollywood, high-class, glamour and a grittier blue-collar Americana and when it appeared online it quickly caused a storm. Most importantly though, it also introduced her music.

Regardless of everything else that surrounded this snowball, adding to it on its way,...

'If I could edit my past I'd have chosen different husbands'

Debbie Reynolds was born in 1932 in El Paso, Texas. At 16 she won a beauty pageant and was spotted by Warner Bros. She went on to sign a contract with MGM and made Three Little Words with Fred Astaire. In 1952 she starred with Gene Kelly in Singin' In The Rain and she was Oscar-nominated for her role in the 1964 movie The Unsinkable Molly Brown. In recent years she has appeared on TV's Will & Grace. Her one-woman show, Debbie Reynolds: Alive & Fabulous, is at the Apollo Theatre, London, until 9 May.

What is your earliest memory?

Playing in our neighbourhood – I remember my first halloween trick-or-treating as a seven-year-old in Burbank, California.

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

My son, Todd Fisher; he has been such a wonderful son and brother.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?...

What's truly appealing about Maude Maggart is that what you initially see--and hear--isn't what you eventually get. Not over the course of the hour during which she entertains with a pro's steady hand. Yup, she fools you seven ways to Sunday and plainly gets a kick out of it. She's already started her wily cabaret game with the given name Maude, hasn't she? That's not the name she was handed at birth by her parents, the actors Brandon Maggart and Diane McAfee. It would seem kinda obvious she assumed the lace-fringed "Maude" for more than the alliteration. She wants to suggest the old-fashioned girl the tag implies. Furthermore, in her current "Three Little Words" act at the Algonquin's Oak Room, she underlines the sought-after image by singing the...

SXSW is coming, so keep your eye on Sci-Fi Squad for the news coming out of Austin's biggest movie (and music) festival. You never know what film might end up being the next Moon. While we prepare for that coverage, we're still talking about the latest and greatest in sci-fi/fantasy news. Here's what's going on...

Peter Hall discusses the eerily relevant thriller Right at Your Door for the weekly Sci-Fi Squad Movie Club. Did Marvel get cold feet on John Krasinski as Captain America? Comedian Patton Oswalt brings back Wash for a new Serenity comic book one-shot. The Sci-Fi Hall of Fame inducts four new members, including special-fx whiz Douglas Trumbull. Three little words to make you stay inside this weekend: Free Godzilla movies! Battlestar Galactica is getting into the Mmorpg biz. How awesome is this Japanese AVP2 poster? Not quite as awesome as this American Mothra one. Should...

British singer, producer, songwriter Frankmusik (real name Vincent Frank) released one of the better pop albums of last year, his acclaimed debut "Complete Me," which mixed catchy yet melancholy pop melodies over well-crafted electro-synth sounds. The album was only released in August last year and the "Better Off As Two" singer is already holed up in a Los Angeles studio working on album number two.

The first release from those sessions is the buzz single, "Losing Streak," a collaboration with Mr. Oizo and New Order remixer Computer Club, and who also has an Ep releasing this month, "Nerd Secrets." The single marries Frank's falsetto over Computer Club's hard-driving beats and lyrics that leave the pained yearning of songs like "Complete Me" and "Three Little Words" in the dust. "If you let her she will swallow/Not your d***, but your brains/ 'Cause everyone is the same," he sings on the pulsating chorus.