Oscar Wilde: Last News

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.

The recently launched Toonz Feature Film and China’s Golden Valley Films have struck a co-production and co-financing deal for six animated pictures over the course of the next three years.

Gemma Collins is enjoying the luxurious lifestyle during her visit to Sicily, which has seen the former TOWIE star stay at the hotel from The White Lotus. The second series of the hit HBO show saw various groups of affluent tourists stay at the San Domenico Palace and Gemma was channelling Jennifer Coolidge's character Tanya while on her own trip to the luxury resort.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent German powerhouse ZDF Studios and U.K.-based Factual Fiction are reteaming for “#DorianGray,” an updated social media spin on Oscar Wilde’s classic, “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” In Wilde’s original, first published as a novella in 1890 in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, the self-besotted Dorian Gray sells his soul in exchange for eternal youth, a picture painted of him recording the decay of his soul as in outward appearance he remains physically forever young.  Currently being written by Maiya John, a young London-based screenwriter, the contemporary reimagining is described by ZDF Studios as “a suspenseful ride through the life of a teenager as they construct their identity.” 

The Used have announced details of their ninth studio album ‘Toxic Positivity’ and shared new single ‘People Are Vomit’ – check it out below.‘Toxic Positivity’ is the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Heartwork’  and will feature The Used’s 2022 single ‘Fuck You’ alongside the recently released ‘People Are Vomit’.That fiery new The Used track sees vocalist Bert McCraken screaming “This future’s fucked before it got started…This world’s disgusting, people are vomit.”Speaking about the track, McCracken said: “We think this song is fun and cute. We hope you love it too.”Sharing the song on social media, The Used also quoted Oscar Wilde: “The truth is rarely pure and never simple,” they wrote.‘Toxic Positivity’ is due for release May 19, 2023 via Hassle Records/Big Noise – pre order it here.Speaking about the anger and frustration that The Used were singing about on ‘Heartwork’, McCraken told NME: “That’s the perfect place for rock music to live.

Emilia Clarke will star in the film An Ideal Wife as Oscar Wilde's one-time wife, Irish children’s author and activist Constance Lloyd, for director Sophie Hyde.The film will focus on Lloyd, an author who had written children's books and materials for newspapers and journals; and a feminist who was involved in efforts to reform dress for women amid the era of Victorian dresses.Lloyd and Wilde got married in 1884 and had two sons. Lloyd later relocated to Switzerland with her sons after Wilde was sentenced to two years in prison for homosexuality, which was then illegal, as it was decriminalized in England and Wales in 1967.

Emilia Clarke is set to lead An Ideal Wife, the new film from Good Luck to You, Leo Grande director Sophie Hyde where she will play the Irish children’s author and Oscar Wilde’s wife, Constance Lloyd. 

ill-advised defamation case since Oscar Wilde”, and now viewers will finally get the inside scoop on the Wagatha Christie case in a new Channel 4 dramatisation of the events, featuring the legendary Michael Sheen. For those who, for whatever reason, didn’t follow every single second of the excruciatingly addictive court case back in May of this year: after Coleen Rooney (wife of former footballer Wayne) publicly accused Rebekah Vardy (wife of Leicester striker Jamie) of leaking information contained within her private Instagram stories to the press, Rebekah Vardy made the decision to sue Rooney for defamation.

Drew Barrymore know the actress had a tumultuous and messy upbringing, but that doesn't mean she's afraid to look back on the early days of her life and all of its complications.MORE: Drew Barrymore spends night out with daughters as busy time approachesHaving had many of her ups and downs in front of the camera, the star has rarely shied away from speaking candidly about her difficult relationship with her parents, and starting working in Hollywood at such an early age.During a conversation Uninterrupted's The Shop series, which is produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, Drew sat down with fellow actor Idris Elba, Paul Rabil, Kyrie Irving, Paul Rivera, and Maverick, and did not hold back when it came to speaking about her father's absence during her childhood.WATCH: Drew stuns with filter-free appearanceMORE: Drew Barrymore’s heartbreaking family confession that left fans in tearsHer father, John Barrymore, comes from a long line of legendary Hollywood actors, but the actress was raised by her mother, Jaid Barrymore, by herself.When she was asked how she first became an actress, she credited the Barrymores, though noted how her father was failing to uphold the acting legacy given his propension to the radical hippie lifestyle.She admitted: "They were all dead and long done, and my dad was a drug addict and he didn't wear shoes." John and Jaid's relationship was continuously on and offRecalling the perception she had of her father at a young age, she explained: "He was really crazy but like, an awesome character and sort of like Gollum meets Oscar Wilde on drugs."MORE: Drew Barrymore surprises fans by revealing who would play her in a biopicMORE: Drew Barrymore's daughters' latest outing with their dad is too cute

Chase Mishkin, the Broadway producer whose roster of productions scored two Tony Awards (for Dame Edna: The Royal Tour and Memphis), died July 24 at her home in Manhattan. She was 85.

Any day now the renovated Chelsea Hotel will fully reopen, capping a drawn out process that has seen the grand edifice on the west side of Manhattan shrouded in netting and defaced by scaffolding for over a decade.

Jim Parsons will star in an Off Broadway revival of A Man of No Importance, the 2002 musical featuring a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.

EXCLUSIVE: The Rosenzweig Group is expanding its international client list, with the additions of actors Or Ben-Melech, Faith Omole and Aaron Poole.

WCCB about Fezco, the dog who was abandoned by his owners for humping another male dog. “It was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard,” Nichols said of the reason given for leaving Fezco with Stanly County Animal Protective Services. “That’s just pack behavior.” He said he and Winn looked at each other after hearing the news story and decided to adopt the abandoned dog.Nichols told TMZ that he felt a connection to the dog, who was being unfairly discriminated against, just as he and Winn have been in their own lives. According to the The Charlotte Observer, Nichols then drove about an hour from their home to Albemarle, located about 40 miles northeast of Charlotte, to adopt the dog, who he and Winn have renamed Oscar, after Oscar Wilde, a gay Irish poet and playwright in the early 1890s.Nichols said the application wanted to make sure that whoever adopted Oscar would be committed to nursing him back to health.

It is the latest hotel to open its doors to guests in Manchester this week - and the Wilde aparthotel is rather fittingly being launched on St Patrick's Day. For the new hotel, named after one of Ireland's most famous sons Oscar Wilde, has a subtle Irish design theme running throughout it.

her house – she’s just renting it while working in London and Essex. It reminds me of Ali & Ava, her lovely new film. Every time Ali tells his friends that Ava is a teacher, she corrects him with “teaching assistant”.

Molly Ringwald's mother got her thinking about the past by accidentally overlooking a very important day.The actress turned 54 last week, and she shared an Instagram post on the special day revealing that her mother forgot it was her birthday— just like her character's mother from the hit 1980s film Sixteen Candles.'Actual conversation with my mom today,' Ringwald captioned the photo of a text exchange with her motherAdele. That's ironic:Molly Ringwald's mother got her thinking about the past by accidentally overlooking a very important day (pictured 2019)The first text Ringwald sent appeared to be a reply to an earlier text her mother had sent.

Robert Allan Ackerman, the director whose television work scored five Emmy nominations and who directed acclaimed Broadway productions including Bent and Extremities, died Jan. 10 of kidney failure at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 77.

Elliot Page arrived at the 2021 Met Gala making a significant style statement.The 34-year-old actor made his way down the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Monday looking sharp in a Balenciaga black suit and sneakers — but it was the green rose that he sported on his lapel that got fans' attention.This year's Met Gala theme is «In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,» an exploration of the nation’s sartorial identity and a deep dive into American ingenuity, and Page, who came out as transgender in December, seemed to stay on theme. A number of fans believe the green rose he wore might be a tribute to Oscar Wilde, who first came to America in 1882 and often wore a green carnation on his suit jackets. The story goes

Banksy artwork was unveiled there last week.The mural, which emerged last Monday (March 1), shows a prisoner – resembling famous inmate Oscar Wilde – escaping from the prison using a rope fashioned from bedsheets tied to a typewriter.

A painting on the side of an ex-prison appearing to show an inmate escaping has been confirmed as a work by legendary artist Banksy.