589,000 eligible pensioners missing out on free TV licences - and North West is hit worst

Guy Lodge Film CriticNot since Alfred Hitchcock’s 1927 silent “The Ring” has there been a boxing film quite so quiet as “Small, Slow But Steady,” a gentle but hard-edged study of a flyweight female pugilist in suburban Tokyo. More concerned with the wear and tear of everyday life than pummeling sound and fury, director Shô Miyake’s measured, unsentimental adaptation of a memoir by Keiko Ogasawara — who turned professional despite the difficulties of lifelong deafness — turns out to be somewhat aptly described by its own title, though none of those adjectives quite conveys its rare and delicate grace.

Kris Bowers “Black excellence” is one of those phrases that might be difficult to explain, but you know it when you see it. It almost instantly pops into my mind — often in hashtag form — when I see images of classic Black icons or beautiful Black bodies dressed to the nines and stunningly captured in photographs; everybody Black at award shows; the Obamas; or anything Beyoncé and Jay-Z do.Black excellence is a feeling.

J. Kim Murphy Miami Dade College’s annual Miami Film Festival has announced that Penélope Cruz will be honored with the Precious Gem Award during its upcoming 2022 edition.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“SEAL Team” star Max Thieriot has signed on for the lead role in the CBS drama pilot “Cal Fire,” Variety has learned.It was previously reported that Thieriot co-wrote the story for the series, which is inspired by his life growing up in northern California. He will also serve as an executive producer.

Partner Content The ongoing pandemic has inevitably changed the workings of the global film industry in a variety of ways. Throughout these ups and downs, one thing has yet to waver, and that’s the demand for new content.

Naman Ramachandran The Berlin Film Festival has called for peace over the situation in Ukraine, which is currently in a state of military conflict after Russian forces struck on Thursday morning.“We — festival workers, artists, filmmakers — think fondly of our friends in Ukraine and we are by their side in a call for peace,” the festival said in a statement issued on Thursday. “One week ago, the Berlin International Film Festival was celebrating a complicated yet successful edition.

Netflix has revealed that almost £150,000 of props were stolen from the set of award-winning series, The Crown. The expensive items were reportedly stolen on Wednesday 16 February and Netflix has confirmed that a police investigation is underway to find thieves responsible.The theft is believed to have happened during the final week of the show’s production for series 5 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

'Octomom’ Nadya Suleman has been pictured with her eight children in a new snap as they celebrate turning 13.The octuplets, who were born in January 2009, celebrated becoming teenagers with a birthday bash at a bowling alley. Former adult film star, Nadya threw the party for Nariyah, Isaiah, Maliyah, Jeremiah, Noah, Josiah, Jonah and Makai earlier this month.The kids were seen posing with bowling balls before taking to the lanes.The festivities in California also saw the children tuck into vegan cupcakes at a local playground and in a joyful snap, the family are in high spirits as they run down the street holding hands.

Coronation Street star Alexandra Mardell has waved goodbye to the ITV soap’s famous cobbles after filming her last scenes as alter-ego Emma Brooker.The actress, who has played Emma since 2018, posted a behind the scenes snap of the Coronation Street sign with her hands making a heart around it.The 28 year old, who recently had her leaving party, then penned an emotional message, saying how much she’d miss her time on the show and everyone that works there and that the tears had been flowing. Alexandra wrote: “And that’s a wrap on the best street there is! And of course I ugly cried as soon as the scene completed.” Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter She continued: “So overwhelmed by all the love.The Corrie family are just insane.To every person in that building, every viewer, family member and friend, I love you all and can’t thank you enough!” The soap star then rounded off the post, writing: “I’ve said it countless times before but I’ll say it again, it’s been the best time of my life.

It’s a tough week for EastEnders Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) as on Thursday 3 March he receives divorce papers from Linda. He’s devastated by that development, having never truly given up hope that his ‘L’ would come back to him at some point after she left Walford amid the fallout from her affair with Max Branning. But there’s even worse to come for the whole Carter clan the following day, when they hear the shocking news from police that missing Tina’s (Luisa Bradshaw-White) body has been found at the site of Walford eaterie the Argee Bhajee.

The Eurovision Song Contest has said it plans to welcome performances from both Russia and Ukraine later this year, despite Vladimir Putin’s ongoing invasion. Competition organisers said that the annual competition was a "non-political cultural event" and seemed to dismiss the idea that Russia could be banned from the event due to its attack on neighbouring Ukraine.The 66th edition of the annual competition is due to take place in Turin in May after Italian rock band Maneskin triumphed during last year's contest.

Todrick Hall opted not to participate in interviews after the season finale of Celebrity Big Brother, Us Weekly can confirm.

After sparking split speculation, Matthew Rondeau has made it clear that he is “over” Shanna Moakler — making several accusations about their relationship via an upsetting new video.

Robin Roberts has revealed that her longtime partner, Amber Laign, has breast cancer. In a touching, and personal, Instagram video, the 61-year-old anchor delivered the news.“My sweet Amber wanted me to tell you something that she’s been facing. At the end of last year, Amber was diagnosed with breast cancer.

New kids on the blockchain! Best known for playing vampire Alice Cullen in The Twilight Saga franchise, Ashley Greene is taking her talents from Hollywood to the Metaverse. The actress recently launched a new NFT project called Fridgits alongside husband Paul Khoury and a team of female entrepreneurs.

Proceeding with caution. Jana Kramer took things slow while introducing boyfriend Ian Schinelli into her children’s lives.

SEAL Team star Max Thieriot has closed a deal to headline CBS drama pilot Cal Fire, a project he co-wrote and executive produces.

What can’t they do? Although celebrities such as Selena Gomez and Florence Pugh have made a name for themselves in the acting world — they also proved that they can create a unique performance in the kitchen.

Sponsored content. Us Weekly receives compensation for this article as well as for purchases made when you click on a link and buy something below.

BTS have been named IFPI's Global Recording Artist of the Year Award, beating the likes of Taylor Swift, Adele and Drake to the top spot.

BBC's big licence fee changes came into effect from the start of this month. Around 3.7 million saw their £157.50-a-year lifeline taken away from them after the Conservatives broke a manifesto pledge.But over-75s who are eligible for pension credit can still carry on receiving the TV benefit.Now a study has revealed that a whopping 589,000 pensioners are missing out on the benefit, despite being entitled to it.