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Dick Van Dyke channels iconic character ahead of 98th birthday

<p>Dick Van Dyke's still got it. </p> <p>The TV and film legend was captured reenacting the iconic chimney sweep dance from the 1964 film <em>Mary Poppins, </em>just days before his 98th birthday. </p> <p>A behind-the-scenes clip of the<em> </em>actor filming his upcoming TV special <em>Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic</em>, was shared on Instagram by Christina Karlin with the caption: “Celebrating this legend today.”</p> <p>The actor looked dapper in a suit, as he playfully performed a jazz square from the iconic film, using a cane for balance. </p> <p>Just last month US network <em>CBS </em>announced that they would be releasing a two-hour show celebrating Van Dyke’s upcoming birthday in a special way by taking a look back at his career spanning over seven decades. </p> <p>The special “will travel back in time to the iconic set of The Dick Van Dyke Show and feature dazzling music and dance spectacles, heartfelt performances, special guests and a magical holiday number,” a press release from the network read. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0owRS6LePe/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0owRS6LePe/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Dick Van Dyke's 98th Birthday (@dvdturns98)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>It will also feature archival footage and songs from the Grammy winner's career, including iconic films like <em>Chitty Chitty Bang Bang</em>, <em>Mary Poppins</em> and <em>Bye Bye Birdie</em>.</p> <p>Following the announcement of TV special, Van Dyke said it was an honour to film the show with CBS, who have worked with him since 1955. </p> <p>“I’ve been with the CBS family for almost 70 years, and I couldn’t be prouder," Van Dyke said at the time. </p> <p>“I’m incredibly honoured that CBS will be throwing a 98th birthday special for me,” he added. “Can’t wait to be part of the show!”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram/ Getty</em></p>

TV

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Can death on the screen feel the same as a ‘real’ one?

<p>Death is a part of life, an adage usually reserved for those who physically exist in our lives – family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances. So what happens when a profound death experience happens on the screen? Is that still a legitimate experience of mourning?</p> <p>Last week, the popular TV show <em>Succession</em> had a significant “on screen” death - where even the cast filming the scene spoke as if the response to the trauma had a very <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/succession-episode-three-logan-dead-b2317366.html">real feeling</a>. </p> <p>In the same way as the cast, social media reactions to the sudden and unexpected death of a person with a complex character, after four seasons of growing to understand them, can feel like the death of someone you actually know. </p> <p>The <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2017.0267#d3e765">research</a> behind this phenomenon can be found as far back as the 1970s when early understandings around the death of a main character on children’s television served to provide real world insight into the irreversibility of death as a universal experience.</p> <p>Over time, as popular culture and television became more nuanced, the diversity of the ways in which death occurred in fictional programs began to <a href="https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/5234_Bryant__Death,_Dying,_Dead,_Popular_Culture.pdf">replicate the complexity</a> of “real” loss in our lives. Via television, we get access to catastrophic loss, multiple casualty events, loss after significant illness – as well as seeing how death impacts the people left behind.</p> <p>In the most recent episode of <em>Succession</em>, we also see what happens when a death occurs involving a person where their character or relationship to others is strained. We see ways in which grief is not always a byproduct of love.</p> <h2>Why does this grief feel real from an armchair perspective?</h2> <p>Death on screen can also act as a trigger or a reminder of the losses we have endured.</p> <p>When a show realistically portrays grief in its purest form, the emotive or reflective reaction can unlock our own grief. Engaging with the small screen is an overt act of escapism, often for entertainment. We might be switching on a program with the intention of relaxation, only to be met with trauma and sadness.</p> <p>When a sudden loss is brought into our lounge rooms, or via the devices on our laps, we experience shock, confusion and anger about the abruptness of an event, just like the feelings we can experience when loss happens suddenly in our real lives.</p> <p>Safe reporting of sudden and traumatic death on fictional TV shows is not covered by media reporting guidelines. Warnings prior to a scene, or consistent information at the end of an episode about seeking additional support, might be minimal. </p> <p><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0266722">Recent research</a> identifies multiple contexts related to warnings where TV shows may note that an episode will explore death, however, the complexity of how this might be portrayed is limited.</p> <figure> <h2>What is this grief called?</h2> <p>While there is no rulebook for grief, reacting emotionally to a small screen death can bring about concerns that we look silly or that we lack awareness of the distinction between reality and fiction. This form of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00302228211014775?casa_token=qZ3_RQR6xw0AAAAA%3Awv53_SeeKUgDIH34Z3diViJjcghG-dJb39n--oZP5-Gz-vCRn8RTQOmNxVFZ34fnNjdrwNDriq8GCg">parasocial grieving</a>, described as having feelings attached to a pseudo-relationship, does feel real, does have consequences and does need space to be managed. </p> <p>We don’t all watch the same shows, we don’t all respond to the death of a character the same way, we might even struggle to understand why people have the reactions they do when a TV death occurs. I would encourage you to pause for a moment and remember the ones that did get under our skin. </p> <p>In 1985, Australian viewers lived through the death of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/feb/06/how-mollys-death-on-a-country-practice-touched-a-nation-the-writers-room-was-shedding-tears">Molly from <em>A Country Practice</em></a>, where the final image of a mother’s end-stage cancer diagnosis played out while watching her daughter fly a kite. </p> <p>Teens watching Sarah Michelle Gellar stumble across the sudden untimely death of her mother in <em><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/the-body-the-radical-empathy-of-buffys-best-episode/519051/">Buffy the Vampire Slayer </a></em>shaped many feelings when there is a catastrophic loss without warning. </p> <p>In the last decade, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/australia-culture-blog/2013/aug/08/offspring-fans-mourn-patrick">sudden death of Patrick from <em>Offspring </em></a>had people legitimately calling in sick from work the next day. </p> <p>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAgpbPIVy0M">global reaction</a> to the Red Wedding scene in <em>Game of Thrones</em> had forums on Reddit unpacking why so many characters were murdered and sharing the impact of the sights and sounds of blood and murder and traumatic grief.</p> <p>We engage in a social contract when we connect to a TV show. We expect to be removed from our real life and engage in the viewing of other spaces. Death in those spaces – and the reactions to that loss – can feel as if they break that contract.</p> <p><em>Image credits: HBO</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-death-on-the-screen-feel-the-same-as-a-real-one-203549" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p> </figure>

TV

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Fans call JK Rowling out for ‘cartoonishly stereotypical’ character names

<p dir="ltr">With the<span> </span><em>Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts<span> </span></em>reunion special sparking renewed interest in the series, some fans have voiced concerns about the names of several minor characters.</p> <p dir="ltr">Character names such as Seamus Finnegan, Cho Chang, and Fleur Delacour have been highlighted as being “cartoonishly stereotypical”, with people pointing out that ‘Cho’ and ‘Chang’ are both surnames. Twitter user Ben Mahtin<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/BenMahtin/status/1477707150004826120" target="_blank">wrote</a>, “Every single non-white non-British character has a cartoonishly stereotypical name - Cho Chang, Seamus Finnigan, Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour”.</p> <p dir="ltr">In addition, users found a 2014 tweet from Rowling where she responded to a fan enquiry about whether there were any Jewish wizards at Hogwarts by naming a character not seen in either the books or the movies, Anthony Goldstein.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Anthony Goldstein. Ravenclaw. Jewish wizard. <a href="https://t.co/2oClCydHW3">pic.twitter.com/2oClCydHW3</a></p> — isi baehr-breen (its pronounced ‘izzy’) (@isaiah_bb) <a href="https://twitter.com/isaiah_bb/status/1477700531812454411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Others pointed out other stereotypical names, including<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/failure2nd/status/1477713562114179073" target="_blank">Kingsley Shacklebolt</a>, as well as the fact that Finnegan, one of the few Irish characters in the series, has a habit of blowing things up.</p> <p dir="ltr">Of Cho Chang’s name, YouTuber Freddie Wong tweeted, “Two popular last names from two DIFFERENT KINDS of Asians!? Frankly, this was the first red flag we should’ve SEEN IT”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">yo EVERY TIME I forget about how insane the name CHO CHANG is the internet REMINDS ME. Two popular last names from two DIFFERENT KINDS of Asians!? Frankly this was the first red flag we should've SEEN IT <a href="https://t.co/1NnoAwbB31">https://t.co/1NnoAwbB31</a></p> — Freddie Wong (@fwong) <a href="https://twitter.com/fwong/status/1477894030864228352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Actress Katie Leung, who played Chang in the movies, spoke to the Chinese Chippy Girl podcast about her experience as Cho. Not only did she experience racist abuse from fans, but she was told by publicists not to talk about it. “I remember them saying to me, ‘Oh, look, Katie, we haven’t seen these, these websites that people are talking about.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And, you know, if you get asked that, just say it’s not true, say it’s not happening.’ And I just nodded my head. I was like, ‘OK, OK,’ even though I had seen it myself with my own eyes. I was like, ‘OK, yeah, I’ll just say everything’s great.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was like, Googling myself at one point and I was on this website, which was kind of dedicated to the Harry Potter fandom, and I remember reading all the comments. It was a lot of racist s***,”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic</em></p>

Movies

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In 20 years of award-winning picture books, non-white people made up just 12% of main characters

<p>A highlight for Australian children’s literature is the announcements of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year award winners. This year’s winners will be announced on Friday October 16 — right before the start of CBCA’s Book Week on October 19.</p> <p>Making the <a href="https://cbca.org.au/shortlist-2020">shortlist</a> brings great exposure for the books and their creators. The shortlisted books are put on special display in public school libraries and supermarket shelves. They are even made into teaching <a href="https://petaa.edu.au/w/Teaching_Resources/CBCA2020/2020_CBCA_Guide.aspx">resources</a>, suggesting an exploration of the book’s themes, for instance.</p> <p>Crucially, award lists contribute to the “canon” of literary works that become widely read. This canon is distributed through libraries, schools and homes. Sometimes, benevolent relatives <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-reasons-i-always-get-children-picture-books-for-christmas-127801">give them as gifts</a>.</p> <p>We investigated the diversity — including ethnicity, gender and sexuality — of the 118 shortlisted books in the early childhood category of Book of the Year between 2001 and 2020. We also examined diversity among the 103 authors and illustrators who have made the shortlist over the past 20 years.</p> <p>Our yet unpublished study found most (88%) human main characters in the shortlisted books were white; none of the main characters were Asian, Black or Middle Eastern.</p> <h2>Why diversity matters</h2> <p>The <a href="https://cbca.org.au/">CBCA</a> was formed in 1945, as a national not-for-profit organisation promoting children’s literary experiences and supporting Australian writers and illustrators. The first awards began in 1946.</p> <p>There were originally three categories for Book of the Year: older readers, younger readers and picture book.</p> <p>In 2001, “early childhood” was added as a category. This was for picture books for children up to six years old.</p> <p>Picture books are significant for not only developing early literacy skills, but also for the messages and values they convey about society. They <a href="https://www.betterreading.com.au/podcast/new-6-part-podcast-series-a-conversation-about-diversity-in-childrens-books/">help children learn about their world</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p>The diversity children see represented in that world <a href="https://theconversation.com/bias-starts-early-most-books-in-childcare-centres-have-white-middle-class-heroes-130208">affects their sense of belonging and inclusion</a>. At this age, cultural values and bias settle in and become the foundation for how we develop. These values and biases have a profound influence on our successes and struggles in our adult lives.</p> <h2>A positive for gender diversity, but not ethnicity</h2> <p>We used visual content analysis to examine ethnic diversity, we well as gender, disability, sexuality and linguistic variation in the 118 early childhood category shortlisted books — between 2001 and 2020.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363296/original/file-20201013-13-1teg5bo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363296/original/file-20201013-13-1teg5bo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="The cover of picture book Go Home Cheeky Animals" /></a> <span class="caption">Illustrator Dion Beasley.</span> <span class="attribution"><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/Go-Home-Cheeky-Animals-Johanna-Bell-illustrated-by-Dion-Beasley-9781760291655" class="source">Allen &amp; Unwin</a></span></p> <p>We also examined diversity among the 103 authors and illustrators who have made the shortlist over the past 20 years. Only one person — Alywarr illustrator Dion Beasley, from the Northern Territory, and winner in 2017 for <a href="https://cbca.org.au/book/go-home-cheeky-animals">Go Home Cheeky Animals</a> — identifies as Indigenous.</p> <p>Female authors and illustrators, however, were more represented (66%) than male (34%).</p> <p>Looking at the picture books, we first identified four major types of characters: human (52.5%), animal (41.5%), object (4.4%) and imaginary (1.4%).</p> <p>We then distinguished between main characters and those in supporting roles that make up the story world in which the main characters act.</p> <p>One of the most encouraging findings was the gender parity among main characters. We identified 52 solo human main characters across all 118 books. Fifty-one of these are children, with 25 boy and 24 girl main characters (two main characters were not identified by gender).</p> <p> </p> <p>This placed boys and girls equally in the role of the protagonist, which stands in contrast to <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-looked-at-100-best-selling-picture-books-female-protagonists-were-largely-invisible-115843">previous research looking at best-selling picture books</a>.</p> <p>But in terms of ethnicity, the human main characters are overwhelmingly white (88%). There are just two Indigenous main characters and one who is multiracial. There have been no Asian, Black or Middle Eastern main characters.</p> <p>Looking at the wider story world, supporting characters are still overwhelmingly white. But this world does marginally include characters of Asian, Black and Middle Eastern heritage. Overall, human characters appear in 85 (72%) of the 118 books.</p> <p>White characters appear in 74 of these books, and only nine books have no white characters. Non-white characters appear in a total of 18 books (21%).</p> <p>Our results for ethnic diversity don’t correlate well with the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/migration-australia/latest-release">latest Australian census data</a> (from 2016). The cultural heritage of Australia’s population is described as: 76.8% white, 10% East and Southeast Asian, 4.6% South Asian, 3.1% West Asian and Arabic, 2.8% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, 1.5% Maori and Pacific Islander, 0.7% African, 0.6% Latin American.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362846/original/file-20201012-12-21c85x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362846/original/file-20201012-12-21c85x.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">The 2020 Early Childhood Book of the Year shortlist.</span> <span class="attribution"><a href="https://cbca.org.au/shortlist-2020" class="source">CBCA/Screenshot</a></span></p> <p>The CBCA early childhood shortlist minimally represents other forms of diversity. We see only two main characters living with a disability and no characters who are sexually and gender diverse.</p> <h2>Other types of diversity</h2> <p>Linguistic variation is also minimal, in only four books, which does not reflect the linguistic diversity of the wider Australian population.</p> <p>In response to our queries regarding their judging criteria, the CBCA said:</p> <blockquote> <p>we do not select books for entry into our awards. It is the publishers and creators who select the books for entry. Our main criterion is literary merit, we do not actively exclude diversity, themes or genre.</p> </blockquote> <p>Only two of the six 2020 shortlisted books in the early childhood category have human main characters. And these are both white.</p> <p>The age of zero to six years is a crucial stage of development. It is important for young readers to see people and surroundings that are like their own to cultivate a sense of belonging. It is equally important to see a different world they are not familiar with.</p> <p> </p> <p>If award-winning books sit at the top of reading lists, these books also need to embrace and reflect the full and rich diversity that makes up our country.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147026/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/helen-caple-730360">Helen Caple</a>, Associate Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414">UNSW</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ping-tian-1124969">Ping Tian</a>, Lecturer , <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-20-years-of-award-winning-picture-books-non-white-people-made-up-just-12-of-main-characters-147026">original article</a>.</em></p>

Books

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Final Princess Diana character cast for The Crown

<p>Aussie actress Elizabeth Debicki has received the nod to play Princess Dianna in the upcoming fifth and sixth seasons of The Crown. Debicki – who many people will find far more familiar once she appears in the upcoming Christopher Nolan Netflix show called <em>Tenet</em>, took to Twitter to share the news on Sunday afternoon:</p> <p>"Princess Diana's spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many,” wrote Debicki. “It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Elizabeth Debicki will play Princess Diana in the final two seasons of The Crown (Seasons 5 and 6). <a href="https://t.co/Z3CjHuJ56B">pic.twitter.com/Z3CjHuJ56B</a></p> — The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheCrownNetflix/status/1295057878768918529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>The Crown has traced the events and personal lives of the British royal family through several time periods, beginning with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's marriage and early careers in the late 1940s and early 1950s.</p> <p>Then there was a significant leap forward in Season 3, which came out in 2019, which covered the 1960s and 1970s. Princess Diana, who was born in 1961, is set to be introduced to the world in the upcoming fourth season and will be played by Emma Corrin.</p> <p>Corrin – like Debicki – is a relative unknown, with minor credits that include playing Esme Winikus in <em>Pennyworth</em>, and a one-episode spot on <em>Grantchester</em>. When it was announced that she had won the coveted Diana role, Corrin said at the time in a statement: "I have been glued to the show and to think I'm now joining this incredibly talented acting family is surreal. Princess Diana was an icon and her effect on the world remains profound and inspiring. To explore her through Peter Morgan's writing is the most exceptional opportunity, and I will strive to do her justice."</p> <p>As one of the few non-English actors on The Crown, Debicki will come under great scrutiny for her performance as possibly the most beloved member of the royal family outside of Queen Elizabeth herself.</p> <p>The Crown also recently added Jonathan Pryce to its cast, and he will play Prince Philip in the final two seasons.</p> <p>Image source: Twitter</p>

Beauty & Style

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Remembering Jerry Stiller: Seinfeld's greatest character actor

<p>Jerry Stiller was behind one of the famous bloopers on popular TV show Seinfeld and co-stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander couldn’t stop laughing about it.</p> <p>Stiller, who passed away on Monday, played the rage-filled father of Alexander’s hapless character George.</p> <p>“My George isn’t clever enough to hatch a scheme like this,” Stiller’s character, Frank Costanza, tells Elaine, who shoots back, “You got that right.”</p> <p>Frank Costanza then shouts, “What the hell does that mean?!” — at which Louis-Dreyfus breaks out of character and dissolves in uncontrollable laughter before saying, “That means whatever the hell you want it to mean.”</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L2LdHH0hmHY"></iframe></div> <div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>This prompts Stiller to deliver the iconic line “You want a piece of me!?” which he repeats after Louis-Dreyfus erupts into laughter.</p> <p>Louis-Dreyfus and Alexander reminisced about the moment during an online fundraiser last week before Stiller’s passing.</p> <p>Louis-Dreyfus shared that Stiller would look to the sky while on camera as he had trouble remembering his lines due to nerves, but the gesture only added to the character’s hilarity.</p> <p>Alexander said that Stiller used his frustration at having trouble with his lines to make his character seem angrier.</p> <p>“That is where a lot of [Frank Costanza’s] internal rage would come from,” Alexander said, chuckling.</p> </div> </div> </div>

TV

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Fans rejoice as Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta bring back their iconic Grease characters

<p>Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta have reunited in a blaze of glory for the Meet N Grease Movie Singalong in West Palm Beach, Florida.</p> <p>The pair reprised the iconic roles of Sandy and Danny and it’s the first time that the pair have been in costume since the movie was made more than 40 years ago.</p> <p>Newton-John announced the reveal on her Instagram.</p> <p>"First time in costume since we made the movie! So excited," she wrote.</p> <p>The singalong event featured a screening of the film where the audience was encouraged to dress up and sing along to the songs they know and love as well as an intimate Q&amp;A with Travolta and Newton-John.</p> <p>The pair donned their leather jackets while answering questions from the crowd. One fan asked how they had managed to stay in touch over the years, given the success of the film was more than 40 years ago.</p> <p>“Once you love someone, you don’t unlove them. You love them forever,” Travolta sweetly explained, according to<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinraven/2019/12/16/thousands-of-fans-travel-to-see-john-travolta-and-olivia-newton-john-together-at-grease-events/#567ce89d312b" target="_blank">Forbes</a></em>.</p> <p>Fans also asked how many kids that Danny and Sandy would’ve had in the film. Travolta said that the pair would have had six kids, since he was from an era where people had a lot of children.</p> <p>However, Newton-John quickly put a stop to six children by saying “That’ll do. That’s enough.”</p> <p>During the evening, Travolta spoiled the crowd by singing a portion of “Sandy” while Newton John, not to be outdone, sung “Hopelessly Devoted To You” a cappella to the crowd.</p> <p>Later, Travolta was backed by leather jacket clad greasers to a performance of “Greased Lightning”.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery to see the iconic duo in their costumes for the first time in 40 years.</p>

Movies

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Why gossiping is not a character flaw

<p><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-small-town-takes-a-stand-it-banned-gossip-11556204479">According to a <em>Wall Street Journal</em> article</a>, some communities in the Philippines consider gossiping so odious that they’ve outright banned it.</p> <p>But aside from the difficulty of enforcing this sort of ordinance, should gossip really get such a bad rap?</p> <p>Yes, in its rawest form, gossip is a strategy used by individuals to further their own reputations and interests at the expense of others. <a href="http://faculty.knox.edu/fmcandre/JASP_227.pdf">Studies that I have conducted</a> confirm that gossip can be used in cruel ways for selfish purposes.</p> <p>At the same time, how many can walk away from a juicy story about one of their acquaintances and keep it to themselves? Surely, each of us has had firsthand experience with the difficulty of keeping spectacular news about someone else a secret.</p> <p>When disparaging gossip, we overlook the fact that it’s an essential part of what makes the social world tick; the nasty side of gossip overshadows the more benign ways in which it functions.</p> <p>In fact, gossip can actually be thought of not as a character flaw, but as a highly evolved social skill. Those who can’t do it well often have difficulty maintaining relationships, and can find themselves on the outside looking in.</p> <p><strong>As social creatures, we’re hardwired to gossip</strong></p> <p>Like it or not, we are the descendants of busybodies. Evolutionary psychologists <a href="http://faculty.knox.edu/fmcandre/SciAm_Gossip.pdf">believe</a> that our preoccupation with the lives of others is a byproduct of a prehistoric brain.</p> <p><a href="http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674363366">According to scientists</a>, because our prehistoric ancestors lived in relatively small groups, they knew one another intimately. In order to ward off enemies and survive in their harsh natural environment, our ancestors needed to cooperate with in-group members. But they also recognized that these same in-group members were their main competitors for mates and limited resources.</p> <p>Living under such conditions, our ancestors faced a number of adaptive social problems: who’s reliable and trustworthy? Who’s a cheater? Who would make the best mate? How can friendships, alliances and family obligations be balanced?</p> <p>In this sort of environment, an intense interest in the private dealings of other people would have certainly been handy – and strongly favored by natural selection. People who were the best at harnessing their social intelligence to interpret, predict – and influence – the behavior of others became more successful than those who were not.</p> <p>The genes of those individuals were passed along from one generation to the next.</p> <p><strong>Avoiding gossip: a one-way ticket to social isolation</strong></p> <p>Today, good gossipers are influential and popular members of their social groups.</p> <p>Sharing secrets is one way people bond, and sharing gossip with another person is a sign of deep trust: you’re signaling that you believe that the person will not use this sensitive information against you.</p> <p>Therefore, someone skillful at gossip will have a good rapport with a large network of people. At the same time, they’ll be discreetly knowledgeable about what’s going on throughout the group.</p> <p>On the other hand, someone who is <em>not</em> part of, say, the office gossip network is an outsider – someone neither trusted nor accepted by the group. Presenting yourself as a self-righteous soul who refuses to participate in gossip will ultimately end up being nothing more than a ticket to social isolation.</p> <p>In the workplace, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257986788_The_co-evolution_of_gossip_and_friendship_in_workplace_social_networks">studies have shown</a> that harmless gossiping with one’s colleagues can build group cohesiveness and boost morale.</p> <p>Gossip also helps to socialize newcomers into groups by resolving ambiguity about group norms and values. In other words, listening to the judgments that people make about the behavior of others helps the newbie figure out what’s acceptable and what isn’t.</p> <p><strong>Fear of whispers keeps us in check</strong></p> <p>On the flip side, the awareness that <em>others</em> are likely talking about us can keep us in line.</p> <p>Among a group of friends or coworkers, the threat of becoming the target of gossip can actually be a positive force: it can deter “free-riders” and cheaters who might be tempted slack off or take advantage of others.</p> <p>Biologist Robert Trivers <a href="http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/Trivers-EvolutionReciprocalAltruism.pdf">has discussed</a> the evolutionary importance of detecting <em>gross cheaters</em> (those who fail to reciprocate altruistic acts) and <em>subtle cheaters</em> (those who reciprocate but give much less than they get). Gossip can actually shame these free riders, reining them in.</p> <p>Studies of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Order-without-Law-Neighbors-Disputes/dp/0674641698">California cattle ranchers</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lobster-Gangs-Maine-James-Acheson/dp/0874514517">Maine lobster fishers</a> and <a href="http://evolution.binghamton.edu/evos/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Kniffin-2010-Workplace-Gossip.pdf">college rowing teams</a> confirm that gossip is used in a variety of settings to hold individuals accountable. In each of these groups, individuals who violated expectations about sharing resources or meeting responsibilities became targets of gossip and ostracism. This, in turn, pressured them to become better members of the group.</p> <p>For example, lobstermen who didn’t respect well-established group norms about when and how lobsters could be harvested were quickly exposed by their colleagues. Their fellow lobstermen temporarily shunned them and, for a while, refused to work with them.</p> <p><strong>Celebrity gossip actually helps us in myriad ways</strong></p> <p>Belgian psychologist Charlotte de Backer <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12110-007-9023-z#/page-1">makes a distinction</a> between <em>strategy learning gossip</em> and <em>reputation gossip</em>.</p> <p>When gossip is about a particular individual, we’re usually interested in it only if we know that person. However, some gossip is interesting no matter whom it’s about. This sort of gossip can involve stories about life-or-death situations or remarkable feats. We pay attention to them because we may be able to learn strategies that we can apply to our own lives.</p> <p>Indeed, de Backer discovered that our interest in celebrities may feed off of this thirst for learning life strategies. For better or for worse, we look to celebrities in the same way that our ancestors looked to role models within their tribes for guidance.</p> <p>At its core, our fixation on celebrities is reflective of an innate interest in the lives of other people.</p> <p>From an evolutionary standpoint, “celebrity” is a recent phenomenon, due primarily to the explosion of mass media in the 20th century. Our ancestors, on the other hand, found social importance in the intimate details of <em>everyone</em>‘s private life, since everyone in their small social world mattered.</p> <p>But anthropologist <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279236728_Beneath_new_culture_is_old_psychology_Gossip_and_social_stratification">Jerome Barkow has pointed out</a> that evolution did not prepare us to distinguish among those members of our community who have a genuine effect on us, and those who exist in the images, movies and songs that suffuse our daily lives.</p> <p>From <em>TMZ</em> to <em>US Weekly</em>, the media fuels gossip mills that mimic those of our workplaces and friend groups. In a way, our brains are tricked into feeling an intense familiarity with these famous people – which hoodwinks us into wanting to know even <em>more</em> about them. After all, anyone whom we see <em>that</em> often and know <em>that</em> much about <em>must</em> be socially important to us.</p> <p>Because of the familiarity we feel with celebrities, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/out-the-ooze/201503/why-caring-about-celebrities-can-be-good-you">they can serve an important social function</a>: they may be the only “friends” we have in common with new neighbors and coworkers. They’re shared cultural touchstones that facilitate the types of informal interactions that help people become comfortable in new surroundings. Keeping up with the lives of actors, politicians and athletes can make a person more socially adept during interactions with strangers and even offer inroads into new relationships.</p> <p>The bottom line is that we need to rethink the role of gossip in everyday life; there’s no need to shy away from it or to be ashamed of it.</p> <p>Successful gossiping entails being a good team player and sharing key information with others in ways that won’t be perceived as self-serving. It’s about knowing when it’s appropriate to talk, and when it’s probably best to keep your mouth shut.</p> <p><em>Written by <span>Frank T. McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, Knox College</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/gossip-is-a-social-skill-not-a-character-flaw-51629" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Mind

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5 TV characters who inspire us to be better

<p>Television is a unique art form, in that we invite characters into our living rooms, where they share their stories and struggles with us. Over the months or years we know them, many of television’s iconic characters can be a source of great inspiration to us. Here are some of our favourites.</p> <p><strong>1. Derek from <em>Derek</em></strong></p> <p>“Kindness is magic” is the motto of this show and its titular character. Played with sweet sensitivity by Ricky Gervais, Ricky is a worker at an aged care facility, and possesses a pronounced childlike naivety and tendencies that suggest he sits somewhere on the autism spectrum. Despite experiencing difficulties of his own, Derek firmly believes being kind is more important than being good looking or clever, and he proves that over and over again with his selfless, joyous acts.</p> <p><strong>2. Leslie Knope from <em>Parks and Recreation</em></strong></p> <p>If you haven’t yet met the permanently positive Leslie Knope of Pawnee, Indiana, then you’re in for a treat. As the Deputy Director of the city Parks Department, Leslie is frequently impeded by red tape, political scandals, apathetic colleagues, and certifiable locals, but doesn’t let anything slow her down. Amy Poehler’s performance as Leslie is endearing and energetic, making it impossible to not be on her side.</p> <p><strong>3. Alicia Florrick from <em>The Good Wife</em></strong></p> <p>In the opening moments of <em>The Good Wife</em>, we discover that Alicia Florrick’s husband, the State’s Attorney for Cook County, has been disgraced and jailed in relation to corruption charges and a sex scandal. After 13 years as a full-time mother, and with no option left to her, Alicia returns to her dormant legal career by securing a job at a prestigious Chicago law firm. Alicia endures the public scrutiny that comes her way following her husband’s scandals, and works hard to prove herself as more than just Peter Florrick’s wife. Julianna Marguiles is outstanding as Alicia.</p> <p><strong>4. Queen Elizabeth from <em>The Crown</em></strong></p> <p>No, she’s not fictional, but, as played by Claire Foy (for the series’ first two seasons), Queen Elizabeth is stoic, thoughtful, and a joy to watch, as she navigates a rapidly modernising world, tends to her fragile marriage, and endures the harsh criticisms invited by a role she never sought.</p> <p><strong>5. Jane Villanueva from <em>Jane the Virgin</em></strong></p> <p>Inspired by her grandmother’s lectures, Jane Villanueva decides to abstain from having sex until she is married. However, thanks to a distracted gynaecologist, Jane becomes pregnant in this wonderful series’ pilot episode. Unmarried, and with a religious family, Jane walks the unusual path ahead of her with grace, and bravery.</p> <p>Which TV character inspires you most?</p>

TV

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New Year’s resolutions for your favourite TV characters

<p>The thing with new year’s resolutions is that most people have forgotten about them within a couple of weeks (or a couple of hours) of making them. That doesn’t mean they weren’t made with the best of intentions, but points more to the likelihood of people’s regular behaviours being stronger than the urge to form a new habit (or break an old one). A great example of fleeting resolutions are those made by our favourite television characters – so often made at the beginning of a January episode, and then never mentioned again once the closing credits roll.</p> <p>Here are some resolutions made by your favourite TV characters (or ones we think would do them some good in the new year).</p> <p><strong>1.<em> Fixer Upper</em></strong></p> <p><strong>Real or suggested:</strong> Suggested</p> <p><strong>Characters:</strong> Chip and Joanna Gaines really should rethink their decision to end their house makeover show after latest season. What are we to do without a weekly fix of Jojo’s interior design flair and Chip’s demo day excitement?</p> <p><strong>Kept?</strong> We can but dream.</p> <p><strong>2. <em>Friends</em></strong></p> <p><strong>Real or suggested:</strong> Real</p> <p><strong>Characters:</strong> Joey vows to learn some of the special skills he has listed on his CV, enlisting Phoebe to help teach him the guitar. Ross wants to try something new every day, leading to him buying tight leather pants and wearing them on a date. Rachel promises she’ll give up gossip, but is tested when she discovers Monica and Chandler’s secret relationship. And Chandler tries to stop making fun of his friends.</p> <p><strong>Kept?</strong> Of course not. But boy did these resolutions make this a fun episode to watch. We wouldn’t want our Friends any other way.</p> <p><strong>3. <em>Veep</em></strong></p> <p><strong>Real or suggested:</strong> Suggested</p> <p><strong>Character:</strong> Selina really should re-evaluate her staffing choices. She’s so blinded by her own ego that she can’t manage to see how good things could get if she fired everyone who uselessly tells her how great she is without contributing anything. Of course, then we wouldn’t have a show, so maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all. Might make for an interesting episode, though!</p> <p><strong>Kept?</strong> Nah, Selina is nothing without her useless flunkies.</p> <p><strong>4. <em>The Office</em></strong></p> <p><strong>Real or suggested:</strong> Real</p> <p><strong>Character:</strong> Michael resolves to never make his on again-off again girlfriend Holly never cry (“Unless it’s from laughing too hard. Or making love too beautifully.”</p> <p><strong>Kept?</strong> Undetermined. But we have low expectations of Michael Scott.</p> <p><strong>5. <em>Big Bang Theory</em></strong></p> <p><strong>Real or suggested:</strong> Suggested</p> <p><strong>Character:</strong> Sheldon really needs to start being intentionally nicer to Amy. One of these days he’s going to turn around and she’ll be long gone – possibly right into the arms of some handsome scientist who doesn’t treat her like crap.</p> <p><strong>Kept?</strong> We doubt he would. Unless he’s challenged by one of his friends as some kind of scientific experiment…</p> <p>What’s the longest you’ve ever kept a new year’s resolution?</p>

TV

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5 TV characters we all love to hate

<p>You get them in just about every book, movie, or TV show – characters you just love to hate. They’re usually, but not always, the bad guy who is just as clever, if not more so, than the hero of the piece, and despite them causing you and your beloved characters frustration and heartache, you know the storyworld would be a worse place without them. Here then are the television characters we just love to hate.</p> <p><strong>1. Cersei Lannister – <em>Game of Thrones</em></strong></p> <p>In a show where allegiances are fluid and it’s often difficult to remember who is on whose side and why, it’s somewhat refreshing to have Cersei around. From the very first episode, Cersei proudly wore her colours for just about everyone to see. As we wait for the final season, many viewers are confident that Cersei must die to make up for all the evil she has done. But we don’t want it to happen too soon, because where’s the fun in that?</p> <p><strong>2. Pete Campbell – <em>Mad Men</em></strong></p> <p>You know when you meet someone so smarmy and full-of-themselves that you instantly recoil? That’s Pete Campbell. He’s one of the characters on this list who isn’t evil, but is definitely one of <em>Mad Men’</em>s least liked characters.</p> <p><strong>3. Thomas Barrow – <em>Downton Abbey</em></strong></p> <p>Thomas is so easy to dislike because he just doesn’t care about any of the other people living in Downton. This footman who aspires to the position of valet stirs up trouble throughout the household, making us shake our fists at the television screen. However, he has moments that break our hearts, as we remember he’s a gay man living in a time when society didn’t even have a word for his sexual orientation, let alone the capacity to accept it.</p> <p><strong>4. Ross Gellar – <em>Friends</em></strong></p> <p>Take a poll of 100<em> Friends</em> fans, and it’s highly likely that a large majority of them will rank Ross as their least favourite character. It’s not that Ross is inherently a bad guy, but he can just be such an entitled jerk sometimes. His best redeeming feature – Rachel.</p> <p><strong>5. Negan – <em>The Walking Dead</em></strong></p> <p>In a world overrun by zombies, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the undead would be the most hated villains of <em>The Walking Dead</em>. But this show isn’t so much about zombies as it is about humanity, and watching people cling to it. When Negan came along, swinging his deadly bat and killing beloved characters to assert his authority, things changed for the show’s heroes, and we’re not sure what the show would be without him now.</p> <p><em>Honourable mentions to: Joffrey Baratheon, Ramsay Bolton – Game of Thrones; O’Brien – Downton Abbey; Jim Moriarty – Sherlock</em></p> <p>Which is your favourite television character you love to hate? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

TV

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Cartoon characters you didn’t know were inspired by real people

<p>In animation, you often need larger-than-life personalities to help flesh out the two-dimensional images. But behind those incredible characters you think you’d only meet in a cartoon are living people who served as direct inspiration.</p> <p><strong>1. Troy McClure – <em>The Simpsons</em></strong></p> <p>Springfield’s very own celebrity heartthrob took his name and certain personality aspects from two Hollywood B movie actors – Troy Donahue and Doug McClure. The voice behind the man, Phil Hartman, was also responsible for some of Troy’s personality. According to Doug McClure’s daughter, her father knew that <em>The Simpsons</em> character was poking fun of him, and was amused by it. Apparently, McClure’s children would call him “Troy” behind his back.</p> <p><strong>2. Rocko – <em>Rocko’s Modern Life</em></strong></p> <p>This surreal Nickelodeon show from the 1990s stars a paranoid wallaby who moves to the big city. In his initial pitch, creator Joe Murray described Rocko as “a young anthropomorphic Woody Allen, who has just moved away from home to a surrealistic adult world.” Watching the show back, it’s not hard to see the similarities.</p> <p><strong>3. Ursula –<em> The Little Mermaid</em></strong></p> <p>One of Disney’s most beloved (and sassy) villains, Ursula the sea witch is loud, vain, and loves attention. When <em>The Little Mermaid</em>’s lyricist, Howard Ashman, was working with artists on Ursula’s design, he selected one that closely resembled the appearance of his acquaintance, the famous drag queen Divine. If you put pictures of the two side by side, the resemblance is uncanny.</p> <p><strong>3. Popeye – <em>Popeye</em></strong></p> <p>According to local folklore in the town of Chester, Illinois, Popeye is based on Frank “Rocky” Fiegel. This makes sense, considering <em>Popeye</em>’s creator, Elsie Crisler Segar grew up in Chester. Also lining up with the claim is that Rocky was apparently good with his fists, smoked a pipe, and only had one eye. Rumour has it that Segar began sending cheques to Rocky when <em>Popeye</em> became successful.</p> <p><strong>4. Olive Oyl – <em>Popeye</em></strong></p> <p>Popeye’s beloved, Olive Oyl is believed to have been based on creator Elsie Crisler Segar’s neighbour – Dora Paskel. Paskel was very tall, quite slim, and usually wore her dark hair in a bun.</p> <p><strong>5. Edna Mode – <em>The Incredibles</em></strong></p> <p>Stealing the show in Disney/Pixar’s superhero romp, <em>The Incredibles</em>, fashion designer Edna Mode is a one-of-a-kind genius with a fiery spirit, a distain for ordinary fashion (her true love is for designing superhero costumes), and a hatred for capes. Voiced by the film’s director, Brad Bird, Edna is believed to have been inspired by revered costume designer Edith Head. Head was nominated for an unbelievable 35 Oscars during her career, and won eight of them.</p> <p>Who is your favourite cartoon character? Let us know in the comments!</p>

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5 book characters who were left out of the movie adaptions

<p>When film adaptions are made, it is expected that some aspects of the original story will get cut. Whether it be changing the setting, altering relationships or cutting entire scenes, movies prioritise certain elements of the story for their intended audience. Here are five characters who didn’t make the cut in the onscreen adaptions.</p> <p><strong>1. Tattypoo – <em>The Wizard of Oz</em> (1939)</strong></p> <p>In the book, the Good Witch of the South, Glinda, is described as a beautiful woman. Her counterpart, the Good Witch of the North, is an older woman who is dubbed as “Tattypoo” or “Locasta”. Glinda appears at the end of story and instructs Dorothy on how to return home while Tattypoo greets the heroine once she arrives in the Land of Oz. In the film adaption, Glinda is the sole Good Witch. Tattypoo is never mentioned throughout the film.</p> <p><strong>2. Mr and Mrs Hurst – <em>Pride and Prejudice</em> (2005)</strong></p> <p>Charles Bingley’s brother-in-law and sister, Mr and Mrs Hurst, didn’t make it to the 2005 film adaption directed by Joe Wright. Mrs Hurst was described as being arrogant and a snob while Mr Hurst is known as a sluggish man interested in cards and food. The unaffectionate couple did, however, appear in the BBC TV series from 1995, played by Rupert Vansittart and Lucy Robinson.</p> <p><strong>3. Alexandra Finch – <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em> (1962)</strong></p> <p>Atticus Finch’s sister, Alexandra Finch, was left out of the movie adaption as well as Uncle Jack. Scout and Jem’s aunt was described in the book as a stern who wanted Scout to behave more like a lady.</p> <p><strong>4. Tom Bombadil – <em>The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring</em> (2001)</strong></p> <p>The character of Tom Bombadil wasn’t included in Peter Jackson’s adaption of the film as the director believed he would slow down the action and believed the character’s scene didn’t move the overarching story forward. Tom was also left out of Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 animated adaption of the story.</p> <p><strong>5. The Countess Rugen – <em>The Princess Bride</em> (1987)</strong></p> <p>The Countess Rugen, who is the wife of Count Rugen, was left out of the film adaption. She appears at the beginning of the book at Buttercup’s farm. The Countess was attracted to Westley which led to Buttercup realising she loved Westley too. A portion of the farm storyline was cut out of the film to reduce the running time and help the story flow. </p>

Movies

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TV characters killed off because of the actor's behaviour

<p>It’s often quite upsetting when your favourite character gets killed off in a television show. Sometimes it’s because the actor wants to move on to other projects, or because it adds drama to the narrative. It’s even been because the actor died in real life (think J.R from <em>Dallas</em>).</p> <p>But there are often times that characters die or disappear and the audience is left scratching their heads as to why this has happened. In these instances, it could actually be due to poor behaviour by the actor on set.</p> <p>That’s right, the writers and directors can let an actor know (in no uncertain terms) that their attitude won’t be tolerated any longer. That’s what happened to these actors below.</p> <p><strong>1. Charlie Sheen</strong></p> <p>Known for his drug and alcohol problems, Sheen found himself killed off in dramatic circumstances following issues on the set of<em> Two and a Half Men</em>. After famously tweeting and verbally attacking the show’s creator Chuck Lorre, Sheen was hit by a train and killed at the start of the show’s ninth season.</p> <p><strong>2. Patrick Dempsey</strong></p> <p>The love affair between Derek Shepherd and Meredith Grey on <em>Grey’s Anatomy</em> came to an abrupt end during season 11 of the show. Patrick Dempsey, who played the dreamy doctor, was reported to be having an affair with a much younger member of the crew, which was causing issues on set. Despite the show’s creators initially trying to say that his death was for dramatic reasons, it later came out that his affair and attitude led to his demise. By the way, he is now divorced.</p> <p><strong>3. Nicollette Sheridan</strong></p> <p>The <em>Desperate Housewives</em> star found her character Edie killed off after six seasons due to bad behaviour on set. She was allegedly at odds with the creator of the program Marc Cherry, and was said to be rude to the crew, notoriously late, and even repeatedly forgot her lines. </p> <p><strong>4. John Amos</strong></p> <p>The<em> Good Times</em> actor found himself written out of the program at the last minute, after it was alleged he had an argument with the show’s producers. Amos was deemed a disruptive element, and his feeling was that the show wasn’t moving in the right direction. The moment where Amos’s on-screen wife Florida reads a letter informing her of his death in a car accident is still one of the most famous scenes in TV history.</p> <p>Do you think the deaths of these characters added or detracted from the show?</p>

TV