Madison Duffy is one of 197 children in the UK being treated for hepatitis, amid a surge of cases.
Hepatitis: Mum’s fear for girl, 4, in mystery virus outbreak
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Ricky Gervais Defends ‘Taboo’ Comedy Following Backlash Over ‘Dangerous’ Jokes About Trans People In Netflix Special
Ricky Gervais has attempted to defend his style of comedy after he faced a backlash over jokes he makes about the trans community in his new Netflix special
The After Life creator’s newest show SuperNature began streaming earlier this week, and was quickly condemned over the material in his stand-up set, which also includes jokes about AIDS and female comedians.
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SuperNature opens with Gervais telling the audience that his jokes are intended to be “ironic”.
He then goes on to refer to cisgender women as “old-fashioned women… the ones with wombs, those fucking dinosaurs”, before making disparaging comments about trans women.
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The set then includes an imagined conversation between a cis woman objecting to sharing a toilet with trans women, including a joke about rape.
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During an appearance on The One Show, the comic defended making jokes about “taboo subjects”.
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“I think that’s what comedy is for, really – to get us through stuff, and I deal in taboo subjects because I want to take the audience to a place it hasn’t been before, even for a split second,” he said.
“Most offence comes from when people mistake the subject of a joke with the actual target.”
He continued: “It starts and they go, what’s he going to say? I tell the joke. Phew, they laugh.
“It’s like a parachute jump – it’s scary, but then you land and it’s all OK.
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“I think that’s what comedy is for – getting us over taboo subjects so they’re not scary any more. So I deal with everything. And I think we second guess the audience too much.”
However, US LGBT rights group Glaad labelled the show “dangerous”, “anti-gay” and “anti trans” after its release on Tuesday.
“We watched the Ricky Gervais ‘comedy’ special on Netflix so you don’t have to,” they said. “It’s full of graphic, dangerous, anti-trans rants masquerading as jokes. He also spouts anti-gay rhetoric and spreads inaccurate information about HIV.
“Netflix has a policy that content ‘designed to incite hate or violence’ is not allowed on their platform, but we all know that anti-LGBTQ content does exactly that. While Netflix is home to some groundbreaking LGBTQ shows, it refuses to enforce its own policy in comedy.
“The LGBTQ community and our allies have made it very clear that so-called comedians who spew hate in place of humor, and the media companies who give them a platform, will be held accountable. Meanwhile, there are PLENTY of funny LGBTQ comedians to support.”
Gervais’ remarks have also been heavily criticised on social media, including by many comedians on Twitter.
Many also took the opportunity to repost an old set from British comic James Acaster, lampooning established comedians for taking aim at the trans community.
Netflix previously came under fire over comments featured in Dave Chappelle’s stand-up special towards the end of last year.
During his show The Closer, he argued that “gender is a fact” and said he was “team TERF”, an acronym for trans-exclutionary radical feminist.
HuffPost UK has contacted representatives for Ricky Gervais and Netflix for comment.
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Sky’s Kay Burley Rips Into Boris Johnson Ally Over ‘Duty’ To Attend Staff Leaving Dos
Boris Johnson’s chief of staff has insisted the prime minister had a “duty” to attend staff leaving parties during the pandemic — even when people were unable to say goodbye to dying relatives.
The PM repeatedly stood by his decision to thank departing staff in person following the publication of Sue Gray’s damning report into the partygate scandal that has rocked No.10.
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The report contained salacious details of excessive drinking and socialising inside No.10, where staff drank until they were sick and red wine was spilled up the walls.
In her report, the senior civil servant noted how Johnson attended a series of events himself, including a now infamous gathering for his departing director of communications Lee Cain where he is pictured raising a glass of alcohol.
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But speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the prime minister insisted he felt it was his “duty” to make an appearance at the leaving-dos of departing colleagues.
“When I was speaking to colleagues about the departure of another spad [special adviser], or government adviser or official, it didn’t occur to me that this was anything except what it was my duty to do as prime minister during a pandemic.
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“That’s why I did it, and that’s why I spoke as I did in the House of Commons. And, yes, as Sue has found and everybody can see and the evidence has shown, after I had been there things did not go well.”
Johnson’s words were immediately seized on by Sky Presenter Kay Burley, who asked Barclay: “So he could say goodbye to a work colleague, but people watching this programme this morning couldn’t say goodbye to a dying relative?”
Barclay replied: “I know from my own families in the constituency that that was heartbreaking for people that weren’t able to say goodbye, I think it was probably one of the worst features of the pandemic that people didn’t get that moment of being able to say goodbye.
“I think as was covered at the time in the rules, people working in Downing Street, because of the nature of their jobs working for the prime minister, they’re working in our vaccine rollout, ensuring we have the PPE, working very long hours in tight-knit situations, and there was a work exemption for them to be able to work together.
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“It was in that context that the prime minster was very briefly, usually for a matter of minutes, to meet people.”
Burley interjected: “Why would he feel that he could say goodbye to a work colleague but people couldn’t go to a graveside?”
“Because they were already in the building,” Barclay said. “They were already working in tiny groups, they were already there.”
“Six bottles of wine, two bottles of champagne and a bottle of gin on the table…what sort of workplace is that?”
Barclay replied: “The Met has looked at these issues, these were very brief periods of time, the nature of the prime minster’s job is to go from meeting to meeting to meeting.
“But at the same time he has recognised the need for changes, he’s made those changes, and Sue Gray herself has recognised there’s been significant change with a permanent secretary, with a change of leadership team as a result of the lessons we’ve learned.”
Elvis Star Austin Butler Was ‘Rushed To Hospital’ Day After Finishing Biopic
Edging upon Jared Leto levels of method acting, Austin Butler lived as Elvis Presley for nearly three years to transform into the hip-swiveling king of rock and roll for Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming biopic.
While the former might unwind at a silent 12-day desert meditation retreat, Butler had a bit more trouble de-transforming from the role after production wrapped, resulting in an unforeseen medical emergency.
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“The next day I woke up at four in the morning with excruciating pain, and I was rushed to hospital,” the actor told GQ in a profile published on Wednesday. “My body just started shutting down the day after I finished Elvis.”
Butler ultimately recovered, but was diagnosed with a “virus that simulates appendicitis and spent a week bedridden,” per the outlet.
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The film chronicles the legendary performer’s relationship with his manager Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks. To portray Presley, Butler worked with a movement coach, covered his apartment walls with photos and memorabilia and adopted a Southern twang, which he somewhat confusingly still speaks in, despite his Anaheim, California upbringing.
The actor beat out a slew of high-profile talent, including Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller and Harry Styles for the role after sending in a passionate video of himself performing Unchained Melody, which Luhrmann remarked looked like he was “having a breakdown.”
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“You can lose touch with who you actually are,” Butler said of his extensive preparation. “And I definitely had that when I finished ‘Elvis’ – not knowing who I was.”
He even made a trip to Graceland to spend time with the singer’s ex-wife Priscilla Presley. She has lent her support to the film, which she said was “told brilliantly and creatively,” praising the actor’s portrayal as “outstanding.”
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“She looked like an angel,” Butler recalled about their meeting. “I walked down the hall with Baz afterwards with tears in my eyes.”
The two apparently formed quite the friendship, posing together on the red carpet at the 2022 Met Gala earlier this month.
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But it was Hanks who ultimately helped ground Butler back in reality after encouraging the 30-year-old star to “read something that has nothing to do” with the job at hand.
“That gave me permission, because up ’til that point, I was only reading everything to do with Elvis,” Butler said. “I was only listening to Elvis. It was Elvis’s influences and Elvis himself and nothing else.”
Elvis arrives in cinemas on 24 June.
