Paul Merson: Abramovich exit is sad - nobody whinged about Chelsea's money source before

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorGermany has been a source of shows for the international market for decades, but with series like “Deutschland 83” in 2015, and “Babylon Berlin” and “Dark” in 2017, the bar was raised and the sense of what constituted German drama shifted, and international buyers took note.One of them was Christian Vesper, who bought “Deutschland 83” when he was drama chief at Sundance TV. Vesper remembers that at that time it was unheard of for a U.S. channel to buy a German drama.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin made a triumphant return to the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.) stage at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas on Saturday (April 2). The legendary wrestler, whose last official WWE match was 19 years ago against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at WrestleMania, entered the arena on a camouflage 4-wheeler to the thunderous applause of an ecstatic crowd.

Estelle Harris, the actress best known for her roles as George Constanza’s mother on Seinfeld and as Mrs. Potato Head in the Toy Story franchise, has died. She was 93 years old.

Estelle Harris sadly passed away at the age of 93 over the weekend due to natural causes.

John Travolta sure knows how to celebrate! The star spoiled his daughter, Ella Travolta, in the best way, as she marked another year around the sun. MORE: John Travolta pens emotional tribute to longtime friend Bruce Willis following his devastating health diagnosisFor her 22nd birthday, the actor took his daughter all the way to England, and fittingly celebrated the occasion with some afternoon tea.John delighted fans as he shared glimpses of the sweet celebrations, beautiful setting, and even teased an upcoming project.WATCH: John's epic Pulp Fiction reunion at the OscarsMORE: John Travolta and son introduce new family member - see the sweet photoThe Grease actor shared an adorable video montage of the heartwarming father-daughter date. It started off with a picture of the two, whose resemblance to one another in uncanny, sitting by a large window which gave way to an impressive view of luscious gardens.The 68-year-old looked dapper in an all black suit, while the birthday girl looked chic in a pastel yellow coat and floral blouse.Scattered through their window-side table were an assortment of treats and delicate saucers filled with tea.

JUST IN: Howard Keel accused of being 'terrible' to Betty Hutton on setGarland claimed an Oscar for her turn in the film, but by then was in the throes of addiction, experiencing severe mood swings, dependency on alcohol and bouts of depression. Garland's ex-husband, Sid Luft, discussed what it was like for the star on the set of the Wizard of Oz, and made a series of startling revelations about her time there. In 2005, Luft wrote that the then-child star was targeted by other actors on set, including those who performed as the film's munchkins.

CBBC star Chelsie Whibley has died aged 29 following a long battle with cystic fibrosis. The actress, who is best known for starring in Dani’s House and Sadie J, died at the age of 29 after being rushed to hospital in Southampton on Saturday. “This morning Chelsie took a rapid turn for the worse and became unresponsive,” her husband Glyn announced on social media.

The Mail On Sunday reports. Brooklyn's parents, football legend David Beckham and former Spice Girl and fashion designer Victoria Beckham, are reportedly worth £380 million. Nicola's financier father Nelson is reportedly worth £1.

Bruce Willis was revealed to have aphasia. The degenerative brain disorder affects the ability to understand language. Anita said Chris, who also starred in EastEnders, was "trapped in his body" since he suffered a stroke at their home in Brighton in 2020.

Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh has opened up on her personal experience of having alopecia, as she expressed her support for actress Jada Pinkett Smith. Pinkett Smith first revealed that she had the condition, which is an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss, in 2018, when she said that beginning to lose her hair was "a really scary experience" and explained: "That's why I cut my hair and continue to cut it". Her condition was thrown into the spotlight at last weekend's Academy Awards ceremony, when her husband Will Smith and comedian Chris Rock got into an altercation live on stage after Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith's hair and compared her to fictional character GI Jane, who has been depicted with a shaved head.

Anne Hathaway would discourage her sons from becoming professional actors "too young" if that was the career they wanted to pursue. The Princess Diaries actress shares two sons Jonathan, six, and Jack, two, with her husband Adam Shulman. In an interview for WSJ.

Phillip Schofield has shared a clip of his 60th birthday celebrations with celebrity pals and family. The This Morning host was joined by ex wife Stephanie Lowe, daughters Ruby and Molly as well as telly pals including Ant and Dec at a dinner. The Dancing on Ice presenter shared a clip on Saturday (April 2), writing: “Day 3 of celebrations.

Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton Du Beke will be returning to the judging panel, according to Craig Revel Horwood. After the professional line-up was confirmed earlier in the week, fans were desperate to know what that meant for the 55-year-old dancer – who replaced Bruno Tonioli during series 19. And it looks like Craig, aka Mr Nasty, has put them all out of their misery and confirmed the long-serving pro will return to the podium once more after impressing viewers at home.

Read more Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz's family 'net worth' as they 'sign strict prenup' Eamonn is married to ITV Loose Women presenter Ruth Langsford. He shared one son, Jack, with her.

West Ham vice-chairman Baroness Karen Brady admitted that on one of the first times she encountered Roman Abramovich, he turned up with armed bodyguards.Brady has spoken about the Russian oligarch putting Chelsea up for sale in a detailed tribute to her relations with the club. The 52-year-old said that Abramovich, who has just put the Blues on the market, once turned up to an FA Cup match at Birmingham City's St Andrew's Stadium with personnel carrying firearms.Writing in The Sun, Brady said: “I was in place at Birmingham City when Abramovich came to watch as we played Chelsea in the FA Cup."There were rumours he was a dodgy man with dodgy money.

Thomas Tuchel has hit out at Chelsea's fans for their 'lack of respect' after they chanted Roman Abramovich's name during a show of support for Ukraine at Turf Moor on Saturday.Reece James, Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic were all on the scoresheet as four second-half strikes saw the Blues run riot against Sean Dyche's side in a game marred by the pre-match scenes.Prior to kick-off, Burnley held a minutes applause as a show of solidarity with Ukraine in response to Russia's recent invasion of the country.However, the Clarets' tribute was spoiled as a section of Chelsea's travelling faithful opted to show their appreciation for the club's owner Abramovich, who this week declared his intentions to sell the club.In the aftermath of his side's Turf Moor triumph, Tuchel subsequently slammed some of his own supporters for their involvement in the chant."It's not the moment to do this," the German declared. "Listen, if we show solidarity we show solidarity and we should do it together."We take the knee together and if an important person from our club or another club unfortunately dies, we show a minute of respect."It's not the moment to give other messages.

Chelsea strengthen their grip on third spot as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Burnley. Despite the final result, the Blues were fortunate to go in level at the break after Dwight McNeill blazed over from six-yards following a gaffe from Edouard Mendy.But whatever Thomas Tuchel said to his side at half-time clearly did the trick, as the Blues burst into life.Reece James drilled a venomous strike through a sea of Claret shirts to nudge Chelsea into the lead just two minutes after the break.

Chelsea beyond the departure of Roman Abramovich despite their 'long and close relationship'.Listed as a director by the Blues, Granovskaia runs the daily football operation from her Stamford Bridge office and oversees both incoming and outgoing managers and players.With Abramovich announcing his intention to sell the club earlier this week and interested parties asked to submit bids before March 15 - the future of Granovskaia has been pondered.However, latest reports suggest that there is a chance that the Russian-Canadian business executive will remain in west London - which would come as a boost to Thomas Tuchel.The Telegraph report that groups interested in the purchase of the club 'would be open' to the idea of Granovskaia remaining in an important role after Chelsea changes hands.Along with chairman Bruce Buck, many might've assumed that Granovskaia would move on to leave the club's leadership structure to the new owners.Granovskaia is said to have forged a 'close working relationship' with Champions League winning boss Tuchel, who reports to both her and technical and performance advisor Petr Cech.Will Chelsea win further major silverware under Thomas Tuchel? Give us your thoughts in the comments sectionAfter Granovskaia was named as the best director in European football for 2021 at the Golden Boy awards, she was hailed by the agent of Romelu Lukaku.Federico Pastorello told the Telegraph: "I’m proud to say I have a very good relationship with Marina and she is somebody I consider to be, 100 per cent, exceptional. She really is one of the best.

Thomas Tuchel has backed Roman Abramovich's ruling to sell Chelsea as the 'right decision' amidst scrutiny into his dealings with Vladimir Putin.In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the Blues owner, 55, announced he is set to end his 19-year tenure in charge for "the best interest of the club."Abramovich has already handed stewardship of the club over to Chelsea's charitable foundation amid alleged links to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tuchel, 48, spoke to the press after defeating Championship side Luton Town in the FA Cup, claiming every decision Abramovich makes has his full support."Maybe I heard it a little earlier but still it was close to kick-off, we heard the rumours through the day and on TV," he said.

Thomas Tuchel snapped back at a reporter after being asked repeatedly about Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich announced on Saturday that he had handed over “stewardship” of the club to the trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation. The Russian’s statement prompted more questions than it gave answers, given the ongoing crisis in Ukraine after Vladimir Putin ordered troops to invade on Thursday.

Chelsea blunder on Sunday.The Spanish goalkeeper was substituted on for Edouard Mendy by Thomas Tuchel ahead of the penalty shootout in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.However, the gamble did not pay off as Kepa failed to save a single Liverpool spot-kick before blazing his penalty over the crossbar as Chelsea lost 11-10.Now, the 27-year-old's stunning girlfriend has taken to social media to call for Chelsea fans to show their love to Kepa in an emotional post in which she slammed an "unfair situation".Andrea Martinez's relationship with the Blues stopper only went public earlier this month and she was present at Wembley on Sunday.Martinez was pictured cheering on her boyfriend from the stands whilst wearing a Chelsea shirt with his name and number on the back.Following the penalty shootout defeat, she posted a message of support to Kepa via her Instagram story, writing: "One of the things I've learnt when I was a basketball player was that a team is always a team. There are no heroes, there are no villains."In my personal opinion this is a very unfair situation and I'm not just talking about today.Should Kepa Arrizabalaga have been subbed on for the penalty shootout? Let us know in the comments section below."Real supporters must show the love today, not just when we win."@kepaarrizabalaga we are so proud of you, as a goalkeeper and even more as a person."Humble, brilliant, kind, generous, intelligent, hard worker, talented and the most beautiful soul I've ever met."This is just the small line of a huge book.