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John Bleasdale Guest Contributor As far as history goes, you can’t get much more historical than Taormina for a film festival. The Antico Teatro (or Greek Theater) – where the latest films will be shown – dates back to 300 BC. More recently – as in a mere century or so – the Sicilian coastal town has proved an irresistible getaway for many, from Oscar Wilde to Greta Garbo. Born in 1955 as the Taormina and Messina Film Festival, the festival has frequently hosted many international stars of cinema, and intermittently distributed the Nastri Azzurri awards voted on by Italian journalists, and at others the David di Donatello, Italy’s equivalent to the Italian Oscars. Here are some key moments from its history. When Dickie fought with Liz: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor had used Taormina as a getaway right at the beginning of their romance fresh from the set of “Cleopatra.” In 1967, they returned to Taormina to attend the film festival with Franco Zefferelli’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” for which Burton received the David di Donatello as best foreign actor. According to rumors, a blazing row on the terrace of their hotel – the San Domenico Palace – ended when Taylor conked Burton on the head with a mandolin.

celebrity skin-care and beauty brands seem to be rolling out fast and steady these days, but long before legitimately good lines like Fenty Beauty by Rihanna and Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty could exist, there was the celebrity fragrance boom. Forget serums, sunscreens, and cream blush: For a certain generation, perfumes from 2000s icons like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton (like Elizabeth Taylor before them) dominated bedroom shelves and high-school changing rooms.  We’ve come a long way from the flirty and fruity notes of Britney Spears Fantasy and the headache-inducing gourmands of Jessica Simpson’s Desserts collection — in 2023, celebrities are launching perfumes our grown-up selves actually want to wear.

It’s been well over six years since Joseph Fiennes appeared as Michael Jackson in a controversial never-to-be-air episode of the British fantasy series Urban Myths, and he still has regrets.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Joseph Fiennes expressed regret to The Observer over his decision to play Michael Jackson in a pulled 2017 episode of Sky Arts’ anthology series “Urban Myths.” The episode centered on Jackson taking a post-9/11 road trip with Marlon Brando (Brian Cox) and Elizabeth Taylor (Stockard Channing). Fiennes’ casting as the music icon generated whitewashing backlash, and the episode’s trailer ignited outrage over Fiennes’ lighter skin tone and prosthetic nose to play Jackson. “I think people are absolutely right to be upset,” Fiennes said. “And it was a wrong decision. Absolutely. And I’m one part of that — there are producers, broadcasters, writers, directors, all involved in these decisions. But obviously if I’m upfront, I have become the voice for other people. I would love them to be around the table as well to talk about it. But you know, it came at a time where there was a movement and a shift and that was good, and it was, you know, a bad call. A bad mistake.”

Elizabeth Taylor Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ spoke out about the pending SAG-AFTRA strike authorization during the New York premiere of her new film “You Hurt My Feelings.” When the Emmy winner was asked if she will join the picket lines if the union calls for a stike, she told Variety on the red carpet, “You bet your fucking ass.” “I voted yes for the strike authorization,” Julia Louis-Dreyfus further explained before entering the screening at the DGA theater in Manhattan. “By the way, that doesn’t mean we’re striking. It just gives the board the ability to strike if they need to and I’m in favor of that. The issues that the Screen Actors Guild is facing are very similar to what the Writers Guild is facing; and even the DGA for that matter to certain extent…it’s time for us to stand up and get what we so rightfully deserve, which is a living wage, and particularly for the middle class in the Screen Actors Guild not to be squeezed out of the system all together.”

Hollywood stars are mourning the loss of the iconic Tina Turner. The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll's death was announced Wednesday on Instagram.Turner died Tuesday after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, near Zurich, according to her manager. She became a Swiss citizen a decade ago.

Thania Garcia Music makers and entertainers were quick to react to the news of Tina Turner’s deathon Wednesday evening, penning touching tributes to the soulful diva across social media. Turner was said to have died peacefully in her home in Switzerland at age 83. Several tastemakers lauded the “Queen of Rock’n Roll” as a revolutionary performer and music legend for her contributions to the R&B, rock and pop landscapes. After blossoming into a bonafide global superstar in the late ’80s, Turner went on to release classics like “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” and “The Best.” Magic Johnson paid his respects in the caption of a photo of himself with Turner and Elizabeth Taylor. “Rest in peace to one of my favorite artists of all time, the legendary queen of rock n’ roll Tina Turner,” he wrote. “I’ve seen her many many times and hands down, she gave one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. She always gave you your moneys worth.”

passed away at the age of 83 at her home in Switzerland. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner,” a statement on her official Instagram account read. “With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow.”“Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music.

Cookie Johnson will be commemorated at this year’s Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS on Sept. 21 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Both Magic and Cookie Johnson will be presented with the Elizabeth Taylor Commitment to End AIDS Award at the ball. Paris Jackson and Christine Chiu serve as this year’s gala’s co-chairs. The event will sport a number of 270 guests entertained by a live auction in partnership with Chiu presenting a number of art/luxury experiences, a live performance and an exclusive look at items from The Elizabeth Taylor Archive. 

A family full of actors. Fans may have known Carrie Fisher for her iconic role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, but the legendary actress wasn’t the only movie star in her family.

Elizabeth Taylor’s middle-aged married woman after she has full-body plastic surgery. In Joseph Losey’s The Romantic Englishwoman (1975) he was Glenda Jackson’s paramour, while in Tinto Brass’s X-rated “erotic-war-drama” Salon Kitty (1976), he played a Nazi SS commandant who recruits a group of female SS auxiliaries in order to plant them as prostitutes in a high-class brothel to collect intelligence on patrons of the establishment. After Visconti’s death, Berger’s acting career dwindled to mainly small roles.

Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren, seen posing with their felines. Longtime art collector Klaus Moeller uncovered a cabinet of files containing some 25million negatives that had lain unopened for decades.  They show Elizabeth Taylor cuddling her Siamese cat, Jane Fonda lounging in bed with her kitties and Italian actress Claudia Cardinale trying to feed several felines spaghetti.

Elizabeth Taylor Sydney Sweeney debuted her new HBO Films drama “Reality” at an intimate premiere Monday at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. “Usually whenever I’m scared or challenged by something, I know I should do it,” the Emmy nominee told Variety on the red carpet about tackling the role of controversial real-life American whistleblower Reality Winner. Winner was a former U.S. Air Force member who was working as a translator for an NSA contractor when she was convicted of leaking a confidential report on Russian election interference to the media. Winner was ultimately charged under the Espionage Act and served four years in federal prison. She remains under supervised release until 2024, while public opinion remains split on the actions that put her behind bars.

RuPaul is opening the doors to his extravagant Beverly Hills mansion.

Elizabeth Taylor Maren Morris made history Saturday night in New York City when she became the first country music artist to receive GLAAD’s Excellence in Media Award.  During the 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards, the Grammy-winning performer was presented with the honor by Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Alyssa Edwards. “I felt a little badass taking on Tucker Carlson for calling me a lunatic for standing up to transphobia,” Morris told the crowd while holding her trophy. “Maybe I did feel a little cool. But I don’t want to gloat. I would never insult the recently unemployed.”

(who played the hot douchebag in ) and , the latest pair to provide the grist for the romance rumor mill. The two have been filming a new rom-com, Anyone But You, in Australia and dared to look smiley and relaxed in each other’s company, hence the internet (and myriad mainstream media outlets) have naturally concluded that the pair must be sleeping together.Of course, there’s no way for us to know whether they’re actually romantically involved or not, but that hasn’t stopped people from speculating that this is the reason why Powell has (reportedly) , Gigi Paris, or losing their minds over the fact that Sweeney was (briefly) seen without .

EXCLUSIVE: Sam Mendes has a mammoth hit on his hands with The Motive and the Cue, which has been playing to packed houses on the National Theatre’s 890-seater Lyttelton proscenium stage.

Two months later, around the same time Cosmo was cracking his first smiles, Johansson and Disney settled the suit. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Johansson’s payout reportedly eclipsed $40 million. In the history of Hollywood, the stars who have successfully sued studios are few and mostly men, from Burt Lancaster to Kevin Costner to Sylvester Stallone, with Olivia de Havilland and Elizabeth Taylor being rare exceptions.

William Earl New Filmmakers Los Angeles has unveiled the nominees and jury for its 11th annual awards that celebrate the work of independent filmmakers around the world. The kudos cover 16 award categories as well as an overall best new filmmaker prize. New Filmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on nurturing up-and-coming talent and opening doors for filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds. The nominees were selected from independent productions that screened last year during NFMLA’s monthly film festival showcase series. “We are incredibly pleased with the final selection of our 2023 nominees and when you talk about opportunities for new talent, the Best of NFMLA Awards is it,” said Larry Laboe, NFMLA executive director and co-founder. “We’ve assembled an incredible array of industry professionals and creatives to activate our 2023 jury and these leaders represent every area of the media ecosystem. This is all about getting eyes on the promising new, diverse talent that the industry needs to be accessing.”

Tina Gharavi is speaking out about portraying Cleopatra as black in the upcoming Netflix mini-series, Queen Cleopatra.

Elizabeth Taylor Rachel Weisz is both executive producer and star of Amazon Prime Video’s limited series “Dead Ringers.” “It’s a psychosexual thriller about codependence,” the Oscar-winner told Variety at the show’s New York City premiere. “It’s twisted and entertaining and darkly humorous.” A modern take on David Cronenberg’s 1988 classic film, Weisz plays twin doctors who share an unapologetic desire to push the boundaries on medical ethics as they challenge antiquated birthing practices to bring women’s health care to the forefront. Simultaneously juggling the characters of Elliot and Beverly Mantle, the sisters are gender-swapped in the remake of the movie that starred Jeremy Irons as the twin doctors.