How Director Todd Haynes Brought Lou Reed to Life in ‘The Velvet Underground’ Documentary

Alan Sugar became the victim of a hate crime after receiving three distressing letters voicing a desire to "murder all Jews in Britain" or deport them.The Apprentice star has revealed he was left "extremely scared" after the threatening communications, as the perpetrator was finally put behind bars.The letters were sent to one of Alan's company addresses, opened by his assistant, and referred to the police.Though 70-year-old pensioner Patrick Gomes was found responsible and has since been jailed for three years and six months, it has left a lasting effect on Alan, who still feels worried due to the threats.One letter stated: "I would like to murder all Jews in Britain, Alan."Another letter, signed "the Jew hater", continued: "I would round all of you up and put you into camps ready for deportation."There was also an horrific reference to “shoving your screaming head into a hot oven", adding: "We call it baking Jewish bread”.He also wrote: "Welcome to hell, I’m the biggest f****** Jew hater in the whole of Britain.”The pensioner also claimed there was "no anti-semitic element in the Labour Party" in the letters.The perpetrator denied sending any threats, but was caught after his DNA was found in fingerprints found on one of the letters.He was then convicted of religiously aggravated harassment.It had begun after Alan Sugar had made public comments about the Labour Party and its stance on anti-semitism and Patrick Gomes, hearing them, had then become obsessed with targeting the TV star.Alan attended the trial at Chelmsford Crown Court where he made a statement, explaining: "The whole incident has shaken me up and I’m now always looking over my shoulder in case someone is close to me and about to attack me or my

A little bit of our Kanye West chat this week. Longer (in full) on the show! This and much more on our latest podcast! CLICK HERE to watch this episode of The Perez Hilton Podcast with Chris Booker!

Paolo and Vittorio Taviani directed films together from the early 1950s until Vittorio died in 2018, leaving his now 90-year-old brother to carry on alone. Leonora Addio, the second film Paolo has made without Vittorio, is not only dedicated to him but picks up many of the themes that ran through their earlier work, including their enthusiasm for theater in general and the writings of Nobel laureate Luigi Pirandello in particular. The Berlin Film Festival competition entry looks and sounds sumptuous, but its two stories — both of which raise questions about what the living owe the dead — are disappointingly slight.

Fitness progress! Eleven weeks after welcoming her baby boy with Tristan Thompson, Maralee Nichols is proud of her body.

Britney Spears was invited by two U.S. lawmakers, Democrats Charlie Crist of Florida and Eric Swalwell of California, to “meet with us in Congress” and share her struggle to end the conservatorship her father Jamie oversaw that controlled much of her life.

This may be the most disturbing chapter yet in the public falling out between Alice Evans and Ioan Gruffudd.

Britney Spears might be headed to Congress soon, and it’s for the best reason possible!

Staind frontman Aaron Lewis welcomed North Carolina Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn on stage during a concert at the weekend.On Saturday (February 12), Lewis took to the stage at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee, North Carolina, for a solo show.During his set, the Staind musician brought out Cawthorn, who has developed a following as one of the most far-right members of Congress, and introduced him as his “dear friend”.“Not only is he the youngest congressman ever, he’s doing some fucking shit that I’ve never seen a congressman have the balls to do,” Lewis told the crowd. “He’s putting through legislature to limit term limits.

Ioan Gruffudd is making Alice Evans keep her distance away from him, after filing a restraining order against her.

Frank Pesce, a character actor who appeared in both "Beverly Hills Cop" movies, "Top Gun," "Midnight Run" and "Miami Vice," died on Feb. 6 due to dementia complications. He was 75.

Shakira is one proud mama and she's not afraid to show it!This Colombian singer took to Instagram Wednesday to share a video of her son, Sasha, 7, whom she shares with Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué, earning first place at his karate tournament.In the video, a masked Shakira is seen jumping up and down and cheering Sasha on as he steps onto the first place podium. After handing her son a certificate, Shakira continues the celebration, even taking her mask down for a brief moment to scream «Woohoo!» to the camera.«Next time if they don't want me to yell so much they'll have to take me with a muzzle!» the «Don't Wait Up» songstress joked.A post shared by Shakira (@shakira)This is nothing new for the 45-year-old mother of two who has documented her proud karate mom moments at Sasha's past tournaments.«Mi amor, mi amor! Oh my god, Sasha!» Shakira can be heard screaming in the video, posted in December.«When your six year old accomplishes something and you are more into it than getting any Grammy!» she wrote.

Greg Kinnear is talking about crossing paths with Courteney Cox before starring in their upcoming horror comedy series,. The two spoke with ET's Matt Cohen about their new television show on Starz, and Kinnear also recalled having a memorable guest-starring role on . Kinnear played Dr.

Ioan Gruffudd has filed against his estranged wife Alice Evans.

Dancing On Ice star Liberty Poole stunned in her latest social media snap as she donned a lacy pink bra. The Love Island contestant wowed in her new bedroom selfie as she donned a pair of silky pink pyjamas with a pink lacy lingerie underneath.

@bripmo Twitter accountOther viewers confirmed the strange shapes were known as Mammatus clouds and were seldomly seen, due to the unusual atmospheric conditions needed.One said: "They are Mammatus clouds. They occur when the atmosphere is unstable."Another person joked: "Is it wrong I call them boob clouds?"Someone else tweeted: "Quite right actually, it's where their name comes from...

Fresh off premiering his first feature documentary at Cannes Film Festival last night, The Velvet Underground filmmaker Todd Haynes told press today that he remains committed to theatrical, despite the movie heading to Apple TV+ in the fall.

So far 2021 is turning out to be quite the year for documentaries unearthing long-buried or unknown musical treasures of the ’60s. The current Summer of Soul highlights a series of Harlem-based concerts with iconic Black artists, a kind of African American Woodstock stuck in someone’s basement for half a century and now getting a much-acclaimed film directed by Questlove made from those tapes.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticFor years, I’ve been longing for someone to make a documentary about the Velvet Underground. They are, along with the Beatles and the Stones, one of the three seminal groups in the history of rock ‘n’ roll.

The always artful filmmaker Todd Haynes totally ignores the one clichéd anecdote about the iconoclastic rock group The Velvet Underground in his superb, eponymic doc “The Velvet Underground,” a film that should always be experienced at top volume. Attributed to the similarly groundbreaking musician/ producer Brian Eno, the oft-repeated phrase claims the debut VU record only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.

Todd Haynes reinvented the music biopic not once but twice, first with the controversial glam rock epic Velvet Goldmine (1998), a pastiche of the life and times of David Bowie, and then with 2007’s I’m Not There, a dazzlingly surreal look at the many faces of folk poet Bob Dylan, sanctioned by the man himself. His latest, bankrolled by Apple TV+, might seem tame by comparison; a documentary about The Velvet Underground, it traces how Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker—four disparate Manhattan musos shepherded by pop-art legend Andy Warhol—changed rock and roll forever.

Director Todd Haynes is no stranger to musically-inclined films. He took on the glam rock genre with 1998’s “Velvet Goldmine” and made a truly singular biopic about Bob Dylan with 2007’s “I’m Not There.” Now, for his documentary feature debut, Haynes tackles a legendary rock group in “The Velvet Underground.” READ MORE: Cannes Film Festival: Gaspar Noe, Bill Murray, Ari Folman Titles Added To Line Up The documentary has its world premiere out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival this week.