Category Archives: Uncategorized

Jacob Rees-Mogg Has A Plan For A Tory Election Victory – But Not Even Tory HQ Likes It

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Jacob Rees-Mogg has a new plan to make sure the Conservatives win the next general election – but it’s not exactly popular.

Speaking on his GB News show last night, the former cabinet minister and current backbencher announced his plan to “reunite the right” with a “big, open, comprehensive offer to those in Reform”.

Yes, that’s Reform UK, a party originally set up by famous Brexit campaigner and ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage, now run by Richard Tice and Ben Habib.

Reform currently has just one MP, Lee Anderson, who defected from the Tories earlier this year shortly after resigning as the Conservative Party deputy chair.

It’s thought Reform could end up splitting the right-wing vote when the public next hit the ballot box.

So, Rees-Mogg suggested bringing famous right-wing figures back into the Conservative fold.

He said: “With the help of Nigel Farage in a Conservative government, with Boris Johnson probably returning as foreign secretary, as well [as] welcoming the likes of Ben Habib and Richard Tice into the Conservative Party.”

His nod to the former prime minister is no surprise, considering he served in his government.

The MP also claimed in his “Moggologue” that a truly Conservative government would then be able to look at “slashing migration”, “rolling back the disastrous green agenda” and “abolishing the Equality Act”.

He even suggested that if Farage rejoined Reform, the party would shoot up to 16% in the polls, just 5% behind the Tories – so merging the two parties together would take the Conservatives up to Labour’s current polling at just over 40 percentage points.

He said it is by doing so, “winning the next election is well within reach”.

However, the Conservative Campaign Headquarters told POLITICO’s Playbook they were “unequivocally” ruling out this idea.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats called for the Tories to suspend the whip.

The party’s deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, said the Conservatives are “a shambolic mess” with MPs in “open revolt” against Sunak.

“If the Prime Minister had any bottle he would suspend the whip from Rees-Mogg and rule out Nigel Farage being allowed into the Conservative Party,” she said, and called for a general election.

There is no denying that the Conservatives’ electoral chances are currently in dire straits – polling gurus predict there is a 95-99% of a Labour victory – but people could not help but laugh at this idea…

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Here’s What Actors Do If They Have To ‘Vomit’ In A Scene, And It’s Horrifying

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We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about what singers have to do if they need to pee on stage, as well as what actors are really snorting when filming drug scenes.

But what about when they have to fake throwing up ― especially if it’s a closeup?

Sure, there’s the tried and tested ”‘puking’ into a bag” method. But for those full-throated, chum-bucket scenes that make us feel queasy ourselves ― yeah, for that you’re going to need some disgusting goop and a way to, err, expel it.

How’s fake vomit made?

Speaking to Movie Insider, special effects artists at NYSPFX revealed their recipe for vomit changes according to the scene ― thicker, gloopier vomit “used a combination of potato leek and split pea soup.”

But you can also add things like noodles for “squiggly” bits as well as frozen berries and tomato paste.

These are then “thrown up” via a pump ― and because the pumps are “made for liquid, not vomit, thick, pasty, substances,″ the Movie Insider interview revealed.

So, they place the thicker substances at the top of the tube ― so that the thinner liquid acts as a “propellant” to push it out.

What’s that about a tube?

You might have noticed that the goriest on-screen vomit scenes are usually shot in profile.

That’s because the end of the tube is sometimes taped to one side of an actor’s face for added realism ― other scenes sneak the tube up an actor’s sleeve and tape it to their wrist, so they can fake vomit while pretending to cover their mouths.

For true puke purists, though, it can get gorier.

Speaking on Hot Ones, Sydney Sweeney revealed that during her Euphoria hot tub throw-up scene, “They had to get a pump, and they had this pipe that they just taped and hid on my body. And then they CGI’d it out up my neck and then there was a horse bit that I had to put in my mouth. So during that scene, they’re filling my mouth with throw up.”

She added, “And then I opened my mouth, and it just started shooting out my mouth. It was the most disgusting thing I ever experienced.”

I believe that, TBF…

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Strictly Come Dancing Announces Exciting Plans As Show Celebrates Its 20th Birthday

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Strictly Come Dancing has announced it will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in style.

Wednesday marks 20 years since the first episode of Strictly began airing on the BBC, back when Tess Daly was co-hosting with the late, great Sir Bruce Forsyth and the judging panel was made up of Craig Revel Horwood, Dame Arlene Phillips, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman, who died in April 2023.

To coincide with Strictly’s big birthday, the BBC has announced a one-off special will be airing later in the year celebrating the show’s impact in the last two decades.

Fresh from Strictly’s win at the TV Baftas over the weekend, a BBC press release has teased that the “unmissable one-off programme” promises “a journey through 20 years of unforgettable entertainment featuring iconic performances and plenty of heart-warming interviews with past celebrity stars, professional dancers, and judges”.

This nostalgic special hopes to “showcase why Strictly Come Dancing has captured the hearts of the nation for the past 20 years”, and helped it become one of the broadcaster’s “best known and well-loved programmes”.

Kalpna Patel-Knight, the BBC’s Head of Entertainment, enthused: “Strictly Come Dancing is more than just a TV show, it has become an integral part of British culture, bringing families together and inspiring viewers of all ages to embrace the joy of dance.

“Throughout its 20-year history, the show has launched careers, sparked trends, and touched the hearts of millions with its dazzling performances, emotional journeys, and unforgettable moments and we will be showcasing it all in this very special programme.”

Meanwhile, as well as this one-off special, Strictly will be returning for its 22nd series later in the year, with actor Nicola Peltz Beckham, boxer Tommy Fury and all-round national treasure Hannah Waddingham among those tipped to be taking part.

Last year’s series was won by Coronation Street actor Ellie Leach and her partner Vito Coppola, beating Layton Williams and fellow soap star Bobby Brazier in the live final.

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Here’s How Actors Stay Still When Playing Dead, And It’s Not How I Thought

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It doesn’t matter whether you’re into soaps, gore, rom-coms, or dramas; rare is the telly lover who’s managed to avoid seeing the on-screen death of their favourite character.

And if you’ve watched a show with a particularly high character kill-off rate, like Game of Thrones, you’ve likely witnessed post-battle scenes that’d make Napoleon feel queasy.

But once you’ve got past why your beloved character has gone to Hollywood Heaven, the question of just how actors manage to lay so convincingly still for so long during the corpse shots comes up.

Luckily, Marina Hyde, co-host of behind-the-scenes podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, has answers for us.

Which are?

Marina spoke to a producer about forensic pathology prior to the podcast and learned that yep, people do cast corpses.

She explained that “some people do freak out” when playing corpses, and not everyone can lay still enough for long enough to get a good shot, “so you have to audition [for corpse roles] by lying still.”

Ever with perfect corpse casting, though, shots used to not linger on the chest because it’s very hard not to show the rise and fall of breath.

“But now ― this is like one of the big routine instances of VFX ― they can capture it at rest (the chest) at one moment, then they layer that still in the rest of the footage.

“For those ones where there’s an open-eye corpse, the VFX is particularly useful,” Marina added.

Her co-host Richard Osman said, “Essentially there are some actors who are very very good at being still, and now they cheat the ‘not breathing’ elements.”

Woah.

I know! A Reddit thread asking people who had played dead on-screen to share their experiences also provides some gory insight.

“I was on an episode of Chicago Fire as a featured extra. I was in a rubble scene after a marathon bombing,” site user Citrous_Oyster wrote.

“The camera was on a crane facing down on the file and I was laying on my back across the rubble. I was instructed to try and hold my breath as long as I could or take short breaths. I was in a yellow jacket so it also hid some of my breathing which helped,” they shared.

“I work in post-production and can confirm I have removed breaths from actors playing dead. Not particularly complicated generally,” Redditor Jewel-jones added.

The more you know…

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Baby Reindeer Star Richard Gadd Gets Candid About His ‘Hardest Day’ On Set

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Richard Gadd has reflected on some of his more difficult days on the set of Baby Reindeer.

The hit Netflix miniseries is inspired by its creator’s real-life experiences of stalking and sexual abuse, while also exploring themes like mental health and gender identity.

Because the show was so rooted in his own trauma, Richard has admitted that it made for some hard days on set, naming the shooting of his character’s sexual assault as one such example.

Asked about his “hardest day on set”, he told The Hollywood Reporter: “It was really difficult going back there. I remember going to set for the diary days, the sexual assault days, and we sandwiched them together so it wasn’t so spread out.

“I think it was the right thing to do, so that it would only be two or three days where we had to stay in that zone.”

Richard admitted: “On the way to set those days, I would be hoping for a major traffic jam or something so I could just have another beat to prepare and wrap my head around it to think.”

“The actor who plays Darrien, Tom Goodman-Hill, what a legend. I felt really safe with him, really comfortable,” he added.

“It’s weird to shoot a scene that you know you have to shoot but don’t really want to. He was such a pro, such a good actor that he made it so much easier.”

Meanwhile, Richard recently spoke about how these scenes would often move crew members to tears while they were being filmed.

Tom Goodman-Hill plays Darrien in Baby Reindeer
Tom Goodman-Hill plays Darrien in Baby Reindeer

Ed Miller/Netflix

Baby Reindeer was met with a hugely positive reaction from critics, and has not budged from the top spot on Netflix’s list of its most-watched shows in a number of weeks.

However, more recently, conversations have been raised about whether enough was done to conceal the identities of the real-life people who inspired characters in the show.

For his part, Richard has repeatedly spoken out against internet “sleuths” trying to decipher the real people behind the show, as has his co-star Jessica Gunning, who plays stalker Martha in Baby Reindeer.

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Grant Shapps Fails To Float Anyone’s Boat With Bewildering New Pledge: ‘None The Wiser’

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Grant Shapps’s latest efforts to promote his government have turned into a bit of a shipwreck, judging from the online reaction.

The defence secretary was on the broadcast round this morning to discuss the “new golden age of British shipbuilding”.

He announced that the UK would be building 28 new ships and submarines for the Royal Navy, including “up to six new warships”.

But eagle-eyed critics on X (formerly Twitter) were quick to notice that Shapps was curiously inconsistent around the details.

For instance, the pledge sounded quite similar to another, relatively recent promise from the Conservatives – Boris Johnson’s famous vow to build up to 40 new hospitals.

Just last year, a review from parliament’s Public Accounts Committee concluded that it had “no confidence” the government would ever deliver on this promise.

People were also completely mystified over exactly how many ships were included in this promise.

Shapps said the government was looking to build 28 ships – but then changed it to “up to 28”.

Many critics also picked up on Shapps’s confusing conflation of the six ships the government promised to build two years ago and his current pledge.

He told journalists that the Tories had the “desire to” build these boats two years ago – but did not have the “means”.

He claimed that now the UK’s defence spending has increased, the government does have the means – and so will finally be following through on this two-year-old pledge.

So…how many is the government actually building? Social media seemed to decide it was anybody’s guess.

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Take ‘Just In Case’ Wees Before You Go Out? We Have Bad Health News

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We all know to check for our keys, our phone, and our wallet before we leave the house.

And if you’re anything like me, you’ll also take what I call an insurance wee ― a last-minute pee that you impose on your bladder, regardless of whether or not you need to go, so that you aren’t caught short on the trip.

So, imagine my horror when ― while researching how long is too long to pee last week ― I found out that I actually shouldn’t be indulging in “just in case” wees at all.

What? Why?

According to York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, those in the just in case habit “may have got used to holding only a small amount of urine.”

This can help contribute towards leaky or overactive bladders.

Dr. Rachel Peck, a physical therapist who specialises in strengthening bladders, agrees. She said in a recent TikTok, “normally, the bladder fills at a certain rate, and once we get to a certain point, we’ll kind of get the first urge to go.”

We normally ignore that urge, she says, but as the bladder gets fuller, the urges get stronger.

But “when we get into the habit of always peeing ‘just in case,’ we’re going when it’s not totally full, and we’re starting to train our bladder that this is the appropriate filling spot.”

So, you might end up peeing more often ― without really needing to. That may lead to further insurance pees, which may worsen the condition.

Vicious cycle, right?

Am I doomed if I’ve ever done it?

Well, it seems to be more a question of habit than one-off exceptions. If you’re going for an insurance pee every time you leave for work, that could be an issue, for instance.

Gynaecologist Elizabeth Farrell, medical director at Jean Hailes for Women’s Health told ABC: “If you keep going ‘just in case’ too often, the bladder never fills up properly, then it shrinks a bit.” So if you must do it, try to limit it to special events.

If you’re worried you’ve got an over- or under-active bladder, speak with your doctor.

If you’re not, thought ― and want to keep it that way ― sorry, but I guess we’ll both have to leave the safety of pre-peeing for now.

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The Traitors Bosses Already Have Their Eye On 1 Famous Politician For Celebrity Series

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Despite widespread rumours about it going ahead, the team behind The Traitors are keeping schtum about the much-hyped celebrity version of the show.

However, if the star-studded season does end up going ahead, they’ve already got their eye on a few potential contestants.

Speaking to Deadline on the red carpet of the TV Baftas, executive producer Stephen Lambert named Liz Truss as being among his dream contestants.

“She’d be great,” he said of the former prime minister. “It’s very important on that show to be able to tell the truth, and also to not tell the truth. And you know, she would be challenged, possibly.”

Truss wouldn’t be the first British politician to take up residence in the famous Traitors castle, after former speaker John Bercow took part in the show’s American counterpart last year.

Liz Truss
Liz Truss

NurPhoto via Getty Images

Meanwhile, although the team insisted they’re still only “thinking about the possibility of doing” a celebrity spin-off of The Traitors, they were much more upfront about the third season of the regular show, filming for which is currently underway.

“It’s had some amazing twists,” Stephen shared.

“It’s quite hard making season three, because the expectations get bigger and bigger. But fortunately, I think it’s going well. Touch wood.”

This is a concern shared by The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman, who recently admitted she almost turned down season three for that very reason.

“I was reluctant to do the second, and now I’m extra reluctant to do the third,” she shared during an interview on Good Morning Britain. “Like, guys, just leave it! It did OK, leave it. And they just say ‘no’.”

According to unconfirmed reports, the first celebrity series will reportedly film and air in 2025, once season three of the regular version of The Traitors has already been shown.

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Eurovision Suffers UK Ratings Dip Amid Controversy Over This Year’s Contest

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Eurovision suffered a considerable dip in viewing figures on Saturday night compared to the previous year’s competition, amid widespread controversy around the contest.

The lead-up to this year’s Eurovision was marred with a wave of controversy around Israel’s participation, due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

When the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) made it clear that Israel would be taking part as usual in 2024, many fans called for a boycott of the competition, as did the Palestine-led BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement.

The day after the final, Digital i reported (via The Guardian) that an average of 7.64 million people in the UK tuned in for Saturday’s live final, compared with the previous year’s 9.98 million, a dip of almost 25%.

Israeli singer Eden Golan pictured during Saturday's live final
Israeli singer Eden Golan pictured during Saturday’s live final

picture alliance via Getty Images

It’s worth pointing out that, in addition to the controversy over Israel’s involvement, last year’s Eurovision was also the first time the competition had been held in the UK for a quarter of a century, with Liverpool hosting Eurovision on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine.

Olly Alexander represented the UK with his song Dizzy at Eurovision this year.

Prior to the competition, Olly faced pressure from fans, as well as the campaign group Queers For Palestine and the BDS movement, to pull out of the contest in solidarity with Palestine.

In response to this, the former Years & Years frontman said in March: “I wholeheartedly support action being taken to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the return of all hostages and the safety and security of all civilians in Palestine and Israel.

“I know some people will choose to boycott this year’s Eurovision and I understand and respect their decision. As a participant I’ve taken a lot of time to deliberate over what to do and the options available to me. It is my current belief that removing myself from the contest wouldn’t bring us any closer to our shared goal.

“Instead, I’ve been speaking with some of the other [Eurovision] contestants and we’ve decided that by taking part we can use our platform to come together and call for peace. I hope and pray that our calls are answered and there is an end to the atrocities we are seeing taking place in Gaza.”

Olly Alexander on stage at Eurovision
Olly Alexander on stage at Eurovision

Martin Sylvest Andersen via Getty Images

The Eurovision final saw Dizzy finishing in 18th place of 25 acts, after being awarded 46 points by the international juries. However, he failed to secure any votes from Eurovision viewers.

Switzerland were crowned the overall winners thanks to Nemo and their song The Code, marking the first time a non-binary performer has come out on top in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Nemo celebrating their Eurovision win
Nemo celebrating their Eurovision win

picture alliance via Getty Images

This is also the first time Switzerland has won Eurovision since Céline Dion in 1988.

Nemo secured 591 points in total, surpassing runner up Baby Lasagne, representing Croatia.

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Elphicke Defection Not An ‘Error Of Judgement’ By Keir Starmer, Says Jon Ashworth

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Keir Starmer did not make an “error of judgement” when he accepted former Tory MP Natalie Elphicke into the Labour Party, shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Ashworth has said.

Elphicke, the MP for Dover, shocked Westminster when she sensationally defected to Labour on Wednesday.

But many Labour MPs are unhappy given her right-wing views on immigration and previous support for her ex-husband who was found guilty of sexual assault.

According to The Sunday Times, in 2020 Elphicke also lobbied the justice secretary, Robert Buckland, on behalf of her then husband Charlie.

Elphicke is reported to have pressed Buckland for his case to be moved to a less high profile court to avoid public scrutiny.

Challenged over the report on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ashworth said Elphicke had dismissed it as “nonsense”.

“If Robert Buckland has evidence or has more to say then let’s hear what he says,” Ashworth, the shadow paymaster general, said.

But he was asked: “Don’t these allegations start to create a sense maybe Keir Starmer and the Labour leadership team have made an error of judgement?”

Ashworth said: “No, no, no, no, no, no.”

“I think whatNatalie Elphicke’s crossing of the floor reveals is the extent to which we are witnessing a disintegrating and decaying Conservative government,” he said.

“More broadly what she has done – like thousands and thousands of conservatives across the country – she has shifted to he Labour Party because she can see after 14 years of failure its time for change.”

Labour MP Jess Philips, a former shadow domestic violence minister, told Sky News last week Elphicke’s admission to Labour was “a bit like being punched in the gut”.

While former Labour leader Neil Kinnock told the BBC that Labour should be “choosy to a degree about who we allow to join” as while it is a “very broad church” churches “have walls and there are limits”.

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