Susan was best known to fans of the much-loved movie musical for her performance as high school cheerleader Patty Simcox, an early friend of Olivia Newton-John’s character Sandy.
A publicist for the late actor confirmed to People that she died “peacefully” on Thursday 2 May “surrounded by loved ones”.
Advertisement
Her daughter Samantha Mansfield also told the US magazine: “The light she brought into every room will be missed forever. She was magic, and I was very lucky to call her my best friend.”
No cause of death was given in Susan’s family’s statement.
Susan Buckner at a Grease celebration event in 2006
David Livingston via Getty Images
Before landing the role of enthusiastic cheerleader Patty Simcox in Grease, Susan was a beauty pageant winner, taking the title of Miss Washington before going on to compete in Miss America in 1972.
She went on to appear as Krofftette in a string of episodes of The Brady Bunch Hour, as well as the hit 70s shows The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Starsky & Hutch and The Love Boat.
Advertisement
Following this, she landed the role in the hit film adaptation of Grease, sharing scenes with John Travolta, Stockard Channing and the late Olivia Newton-John.
Susan on the set of Grease with co-stars Didi Conn and Stockard Channing
CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images
Susan later went on to appear in the 1981 Wes Craven slasher Deadly Blessing and the sixth instalment in the Police Academy film franchise, after which People reported that she stepped back from the entertainment industry to focus on raising her family.
Per Sky News, Susan is survived by her son and daughter, Adam and Samantha, grandchildren Oliver, Riley, Abigail and Ruby as well as her sister Linda, daughter-in-law Noel Josephs, son-in-law Adam Mansfield and longtime partner Al.
Eurovision bosses have spoken out after guest singer Eric Saade incorporated a traditional Palestinian garment into his semi-final stage outfit.
Before this year’s acts each sang for the first time on Tuesday night, the semi-final got underway with a medley of old Eurovision hits performed by finalists including Eric, Eleni Foureira and Chanel.
Advertisement
While performing his hit Popular, the Swedish singer – who is of Palestinian descent – was seen sporting a keffiyeh wrapped around his wrist.
Following Eric’s performance, a spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises Eurovision, rebuked the singer for what they described as a “compromise” of the “non-political nature of the event”.
“The Eurovision Song Contest is a live TV show,” they said (via ITV News).
“All performers are made aware of the rules of the contest, and we regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event.”
Posting on his Instagram story after the semi-final, Eric wrote: “Reminder – it’s only love.”
Referencing this year’s Eurovision slogan, he added: “United By Music it is.”
Eric shared this message with his Instagram followers on Tuesday night
Instagram/Eric Saade
Advertisement
Eric subsequently issued a statement in Swedish to SVT, which has been translated by one fan on X to read: “I got this [keffiyeh] from my father as a little boy, to never forget where our family is from. Back then I didn’t know that it would one day be called a ‘political symbol’.
“It’s like calling ‘Dalahästen’ [a traditional Swedish horse statue] a political symbol. In my eyes it’s only racism.”
“I just wanted to be inclusive and wear something that felt real to me – but the EBU seem to think that my ethnicity is controversial. It says nothing about me, but everything about them. I say like this year’s ESC-slogan: United by music.”
He also claimed organisers “do not permit any Palestinian symbols inside the arena” while “symbols representing any other ethnicity in the world are welcomed”.
“Therefore, it is more crucial than ever for me to be present on THAT STAGE,” he added. “You may take our symbols, but you cannot take away my presence.”
Reports have claimed that since 2023, only flags of the competing countries, the European Union flag and the Pride flag are permitted inside a Eurovision venue.
HuffPost UK has contacted the EBU for clarification on this.
After facing calls to withdraw from the competition in solidarity with Palestine, a number of acts – including the UK’s own Olly Alexander – released a joint statement which read: “In light of the current situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and particularly in Gaza, and in Israel, we do not feel comfortable being silent.
Advertisement
“It is important to us to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and communicate our heartfelt wish for peace, an immediate and lasting ceasefire, and the safe return of all hostages. We stand united against all forms of hate, including antisemitism and islamophobia.
“We firmly believe in the unifying power of music, enabling people to transcend differences and foster meaningful conversations and connections. We feel that it is our duty to create and uphold this space, with a strong hope that it will inspire greater compassion and empathy.”
After the first semi-final on Tuesday, Irish act Bambie Thug claimed they’d also been made by the EBU to remove messages of solidarity with Palestine from their stage costume.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Eurovision organisers had taken issue with Israel’s submitted song due to its supposedly “political” lyrics, with the country’s national broadcaster Kan saying they would rather withdraw from the competition than change the song.
Advertisement
However, the Israeli delegation later appeared to have had a change of heart, after it was confirmed that Eden Golan would be representing Israel at the competition, with a rewritten version of her original song, now titled Hurricane, after being changed from October Rain.
Irish Eurovision performer Bambie Thug has claimed they were made to remove messages of solidarity with Palestine from their stage outfit in the lead-up to their first performance of the competition.
On Tuesday night, Bambie was one of 15 acts to compete in the first of this year’s two semi-finals, during which they became Ireland’s first qualifying act since 2018.
However, these were not present when Bambie performed on Tuesday, which they said after the show was down to Eurovision organisers the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Bambie told reporters at a post-show press conference these slogans were “very important for me because I am pro-justice and pro-peace”.
“Unfortunately,” they added, “I had to change those messages today, to ‘Crown The Witch’ only… in order from the EBU.”
Advertisement
🇮🇪 Bambie Thug has confirmed that the EBU required them to remove the words “Freedom for Palestine” and “Ceasefire” from their costume in order to perform in Semi-Final 1 of #Eurovision 2024. pic.twitter.com/28XMQXZiEX
An EBU rep told The Irish Mirror: “The writing seen on Bambie Thug’s body during dress rehearsals contravened contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event.
“After discussions with the Irish delegation, they agreed to change the text for the live show.”
HuffPost UK has contacted the EBU for additional comment.
Back in March, Bambie co-signed a statement – alongside the acts representing Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Switzerland, Denmark, Lithuania and Finland – responding to calls for them to pull out of the competition in solidarity with Palestine, due to Israel’s involvement.
The group said: “In light of the current situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and particularly in Gaza, and in Israel, we do not feel comfortable being silent.
“It is important to us to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and communicate our heartfelt wish for peace, an immediate and lasting ceasefire, and the safe return of all hostages. We stand united against all forms of hate, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Advertisement
“We firmly believe in the unifying power of music, enabling people to transcend differences and foster meaningful conversations and connections. We feel that it is our duty to create and uphold this space, with a strong hope that it will inspire greater compassion and empathy.”
Bambie told Metro more recently: “We couldn’t stay silent on the matter. I basically said what I wanted to say in my statement, but it is down to the EBU and it is down to even my broadcaster.
“I’m getting a lot of targeted abuse that I don’t think it’s entirely fair, actually, when I’m not the one that’s making the decisions, but I am extremely pro Palestine and it is disappointing that the EBU has made this this decision because I don’t think it’s correct.”
Susanna Reid effortlessly demolished calls for Boris Johnson to return to frontline politics on Tuesday by reminding his supporters about nothing other than partygate.
Advertisement
Speaking on ITV’sGood Morning Britain, former Tory MEP David Campbell Bannerman said he would install Johnson as party chairman with a seat in cabinet, and make sure he got elected to parliament at the next general election.
He claimed: “He’s a great campaigner and we really are missing that now – we’ve seen that at these disastrous local elections.”
But, Campbell Bannerman said the ex-PM was “set up” on that, as Johnson’s keen ally Nadine Dorries claims in her book, The Plot.
Advertisement
Reid said: “Sorry, he was set up? Set up by whom?”
When the ex-MEP said it was Johnson’s own staff who were setting him up, Reid reminded him: “Boris Johnson was in charge during lockdown, [there was] legislation he introduced and [he] then proceeded to have a whole load of social events and breach of rules in No.10 Downing Street.
“In what way was that a set-up?”
Campbell Bannerman claimed Johnson “doesn’t like partying” to which Reid said: “I just saw him with a wine glass in his hand!”
When the ex-MEP just claimed the reality is very complex, Reid recalled how Johnson was fined for breaching lockdown rules.
Campbell Bannerman then claimed that “it was the media”, and said that Johnson was only a few percentage points behind in the polls – and that he does not understand why he resigned as an MP.
“I think he will be back,” Campbell Bannerman said.
Apparently not deterred by Reid’s reminders, the ex-MEP later added: “I say to Conservative MPs, for heaven’s sake, step up, get rid of Sunak, let’s have a new leader, which can bring Boris back as part of a team – it has to be Suella [Braverman] or Kemi [Badenoch].”
Advertisement
He added that he “would not be averse” to having Nigel Farage back into the Conservative fold, too.
Should the Conservatives bring back Boris Johnson into the Party in order to save it?
Former Conservative MEP David Campbell Bannerman would like to see Boris back in the Conservative Party.
When you think of the Met Gala, a few words spring immediately to mind. Lavish. Decadent. Exclusive. Luxurious.
So, what organisers probably don’t want is for people to see the event and immediately be put in mind of a certain jungle-themed family-friendly restaurant chain that we all briefly loved in the mid-1990s.
On Monday night, the Met Ball was held in New York, with this year’s theme being “The Garden Of Time”.
To help get the stars on the guestlist in the mood, the event was decked out in shrubbery and flowers, with the traditional red carpet being ditched in favour of a green one to match the night’s theme.
However, before the A-listers had even begun making their way into the event, many people over on X (formerly Twitter) couldn’t help but notice that the event was kiiiind of giving Rainforest Café…
Every year, the Met Gala takes place on the first Monday in May with money raised from the event going towards the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute.
Alongside Anna Wintour, this year’s event was co-chaired by Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth and Bad Bunny, while Ariana Grande was the night’s musical act, performing a string of her own hits as well as a cover of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey’s When You Believe with her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo.
Katy Perry was one of the most talked-about stars on this year’s Met Gala red carpet – which is a pretty impressive feat considering she wasn’t even there.
And apparently even Katy’s mum was fooled by the image, as revealed in an Instagram post.
“Couldn’t make it to the Met, had to work,” Katy joked, alongside a photo of a text from her mum that read: “Didn’t know you went to the Met. What a gorgeous gown, you look like the Rose Parade, you are your own float.”
Katy apparently replied: “Lol mom the AI got you too! BEWARE!”
The singer claimed she was in the studio on the night of the Met Ball, working on her upcoming sixth album.
Katy’s next release will be the follow-up to her last album, Smile, which topped the charts upon its release in 2020, two days after she welcomed her first child, a daughter named Daisy, with her fiancé Orlando Bloom.
Health minister Maria Caulfield struggled to answer as Justin Webb pointed out the major flaws in the prime minister’s argument.
Advertisement
Sunak has said an analysis of last week’s local elections, in which the Tories lost nearly 500 seats, showed Keir Starmer will not win a majority and will need to be “propped up by the SNP, Liberal Democrats and Greens”.
That was a reference to a projection by the polling expert Michael Thrasher, who said the results suggest Labour’s lead over the Conservatives is just seven points, well short of what opinion polls have been saying for months.
However, other polling experts pointed out that Thrasher’s forecast was based on the assumption that Scotland – where there were no local elections last week – would vote the same way it did in 2019, when Labour won just one seat.
On Radio 4′s Today programme this morning, Webb told Caulfield: “Let’s look at what you and the prime minister are depending on.
Advertisement
“Number one: it’s not a prediction, it’s a projection based on these results. In other words, if these results were replicated, this would be the result in a general election. But people vote much more for third parties in local elections than they would in a general election.
“Number two, how many seats under this projection, would Labour win in Scotland?”
Caulfield replied: “Well I think because there were English local elections it doesn’t touch on the Scottish result.”
Webb then told her: “It assumes it would be the same as last time, so one seat. Do you seriously think that’s probable, that Labour will only win one seat in Scotland?”
Avoiding the question, the minister replied: “Polls are just projections and the polls were clearly wrong ahead of these local elections.”
But Webb said: “So do you believe that in Scotland, Labour will only win one seat at the next election? Is that the working assumption of the prime minister, because that seems to be it?”
Advertisement
The minister said: “These are not our analysis, and the BBC did their own analysis as well and showed it will be a hung parliament based on these results.”
Webb then told her: “But that’s the point, isn’t it? Based on these results, but nobody is suggesting that these results would be replicated at a general election. The experts aren’t suggesting it.
“I put it to you that the prime minister, if he is suggesting it to his own side, he’s taking them for fools.”
But Caulfield said: “What we can see from these results, is that people are not switching to Labour. Labour did not get the results in places like Teesside or Harlow that they were expecting, even though they threw the kitchen sink at some of those.
“Our voters are tending, at the moment, to stay at home. They don’t want a Labour government.
“The polls that were saying we would lose by about 20% did not materialise in London, did not materialise with Andy Street in the West Midlands, and we had some good results as well.”
The White House ripped Donald Trump for echoing “fascists” after the former president compared President Joe Biden’s administration to the Gestapo, the secret police force of Nazi Germany.
“Instead of echoing the appalling rhetoric of fascists, lunching with Neo Nazis, and fanning debunked conspiracy theories that have cost brave police officer their lives, President Biden is bringing the American people together around our shared democratic values and the rule of law — an approach that has delivered the biggest violent crime reduction in 50 years,” said deputy press secretary Andrew Bates in a statement.
Advertisement
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, in remarks to a private Republican National Committee donor event at his Mar-a-Lago estate, hurled attacks at prosecutors in his legal cases before likening the Biden White House to a “Gestapo administration” on Saturday.
His recent event reportedly led to donations of $40,000 or greater from attendees. A Trump campaign official recently said that the former president and the Republican National Committee raised over $76 million last month.
Advertisement
CNN’s Jake Tapper questioned North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who is among Republicans eyed as a potential 2024 running mate for Trump, over whether he’s “comfortable” with Trump’s comparison on Sunday.
“Relative to the reference you’re discussing, I mean this was a short comment deep into the thing that wasn’t really central to what he was talking about,” said Burgum, who attended the Trump event, before claiming the hush money trial is “politically motivated.”
He continued, “So I understand that he feels like he’s being unfairly treated and I think that’s reasonable that someone who’s being kept off the campaign trail as the presumptive nominee has got some frustration about that.”
Labour are on course to win the general election, Rishi Sunak has admitted.
In extraordinary remarks, the prime minister said they will be “the largest party” after the country goes to the polls.
However, he insisted an analysis of last week’s local elections, in which the Tories lost nearly 500 seats, showed Keir Starmer will not win a majority and will need to be “propped up by the SNP, Liberal Democrats and Greens”.
Advertisement
That was a reference to a projection by the polling expert Michael Thrasher, who said the local elections suggest Labour’s lead over the Conservatives is just seven points, well short of what opinion polls have been saying for months.
If that was repeated at the general election, it would leave Starmer short of an overall majority, Thrasher said.
Speaking to The Times, Sunak said: “These results suggest we are heading for a hung parliament with Labour as the largest party.
“Keir Starmer propped up in Downing Street by the SNP, Liberal Democrats and the Greens would be a disaster for Britain.
Advertisement
“The country doesn’t need more political horse trading, but action. We are the only party that has a plan to deliver on the priorities of the people.”
However, other polling experts pointed out that Thrasher’s forecast was based on the assumption that Scotland – where there were no local elections last week – would vote the same way it did in 2019, when Labour won just one seat.
A senior Labour source told HuffPost UK: “That Sunak has put his name to this bollocks is utterly demeaning. He really is a totally empty vessel.”
A former Tory minister said: “It’s a stupid line because he’s essentially telling people to vote Labour to kick us out.”
Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips yesterday accused transport secretary Mark Harper of “grabbing at straws” after he also claimed the local election results showed the opinion polls “are not correct”.
But, overlooking these devastating losses, Harper seemed to focus on just one piece of analysis in his interview – Sky News’ forecast that the next general election will result in a hung parliament.
He told the broadcaster: “That means Keir Starmer is not on course to win a majority, and that is before an election campaign where Labour’s lack of policy will come under scrutiny.
“So what that shows me is very clear: the polls are not correct, there is everything to fight for, and the Conservative Party under the prime minister’s leadership is absolutely up for that fight.”
That same projection from Sky still shows the Tories losing 130 seats.
Sky News host Phillips said: “This is grabbing at straws a bit – you actually took a whacking.”
“I was very clear – these are disappointing results,” Harper replied. “The point is, what they demonstrate from that scenario is that Labour’s not on course for that majority, Keir Starmer hasn’t sealed the deal with the public.
Advertisement
“So that means there is a fight to be had, the prime minister is up for that fight, I’m up for that fight and I know the Conservatives are up for it.”
“I’m wondering if you’ve really got to grips with the scale of this,” Phillips said. “On Thursday, you won fewer council seats than Labour. And more importantly, you won fewer council seats than the Liberal Democrats.”
Labour now have 1,140 councillors in England, the Liberal Democrats 521 and the Conservatives 513.
The presenter said: “I know these are local elections so you can’t translate completely, but is it morally right that what is now the third most popular party is now squatting in Downing Street?”
“I don’t accept that analysis at all,” the cabinet minister replied.
“The Liberal Democrats beat you,” Phillips reminded him.
“No they didn’t,” Harper insisted. “If you look at the national equivalent vote share, that’s not correct.”
He said local elections are “always difficult” for the party in government, and that the results of the next general election “are not pre-determined”.
