PICS: First look at Netflix’s ‘modern and witty’ Jane Austen adaptation

First Dates back in 2013. The French maître d' who took on the front of house role in the show in its first series, went on to star in the second series of BBC show, My Million Pound Menu.Besides his TV career, Fred also works as the general manager of Michelin-starred restaurant Galvin at Windows at the London Hilton.Here's everything you need to know about the fan-favourite maître d' including his friendship with chefs Gordon Ramsay and Gino D'Acampo, mystery lover and how he has earned his astonishing fortune.Fred has had a thriving career on screen and off.

Vicky Pattison has sent her fans wild as she shared yet another stunning snap on social media.The 34-year-old reality star posed on top of a speedboat, showing off her washboard stomach and toned legs as she caught a tan under the Dubai sun.She wore a PrettyLittleThing two-piece set of matching bikini bottoms and shirt covered in white, orange and purple leaves.Vicky posed with her hands on her head whilst wearing big sunglasses with purple lenses as she enjoyed the sunshine on the boat.She captioned the Instagram post with: “What a difference a week makes. Feel horrendous, runny nose, headaches, sore throat, sneezes, aches and pains.”“Oh, and I look like an absolute bag of s****.

Variety assessed today’s top talents in the field, including several GMS contenders. Keep your eyes and ears out for these names.

Every month The FADER brings you the best rock songs in the world (in no particular order).

The digital assets known as NFTs have exploded over the past year, with their growth inviting increasingly polarized responses from artists and fans alike. Tyler, The Creator revealed himself as one of the increasing number of NFT skeptics during a talk for the Converse All Star Series published on Wednesday.

Kim Kardashian was spotted out in public for the first time since a judge granted her request to be declared legally single on Wednesday (March 2). The former Keeping Up with the Kardashians star certainly appeared like she had just taken home a win amid her bitter divorce with Kanye West, as she looked absolutely fabulous in a bright orange Balenciaga ensemble, as seen in photos here, via the Daily Mail. While Kim was undoubtedly enjoying the news, she was joined by her daughter North West for the outing.

After Canadian producer Sickick's rework of Madonna's 1998 hit "Frozen" exploded on Tik Tok last year, Madonna cosigned his version and gave it an official release in December. Now, Nigerian singer Fireboy DML has joined the duo for a second remix of the song.

It hasn't felt like Jack Harlow's rise from just another DJ Drama signee to the upper echelons of rap stardom has peaked yet, and sure enough, his takeover is now spanning outside of the music industry. Deadline reports that the Louisville rapper has been cast in a reboot of the 1992 comedy White Men Can't Jump – Harlow's role was originally played by Woody Harrelson, and Harlow reportedly got the part on his first audition.

Farrah Abraham is taking steps toward bettering her mental health. On Thursday, the star shared that she is going to a trauma treatment facility for 28 days.

Ethan Shanfeld The American branch of Russian state-funded media network Russia Today (RT) is shutting down and laying off most of its staff, CNN reports.According to a memo, RT America will be “ceasing production” due to “unforeseen business interruption events.”“Unfortunately, we anticipate this layoff will be permanent, meaning that this will result in the permanent separation from employment of most T&R employees at all locations,” the memo said (via CNN).Per CNN, Misha Solodovnikov, the general manager of T&R Productions, the production company behind RT, delivered the news in person to hosts, correspondents, producers and others in the Washington, D.C. bureau.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.The air will be thick with tension inside the Octagon on Saturday, when Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal face off during the main event of UFC 272.Despite there being no championship on the line, or even a shot at a belt, the headlining pay-per-view event is highly anticipated because of the public feud between the two fighters, who were former training partners before becoming rivals in the ring. Neither Covington nor Masvidal have lost a fight to anyone other than Kamaru Usman since 2017, making for a must-see fight between two evenly matched athletes.The event will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 5, kicking off with a series of prelims at 6 p.m.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterAariel Maynor, the man accused in the fatal shooting of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant at her home in December, pleaded guilty on Thursday to a charge of murder.Maynor, 30, also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Avant’s security guard and to carrying a firearm as a felon. Maynor is scheduled to be sentenced on March 30.Avant, 81, was the wife of music industry legend Clarence Avant and the mother of Nicole Avant, a former ambassador and prominent political fundraiser who is married to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.The Avants were at their home in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood of Beverly Hills when Jacqueline was shot after 2 a.m.

WACO Theater Center in Los Angeles for a special screening of the new OWN series, Profiled: The Black Man. Created by Trell Thomas, the four-part docuseries examens the origins of widespread stereotypes that have haunted Black men in America over centuries and combats those myths with modern-day examples to the contrary.The most recent episode of the series, “Black Men Devalue Black Women,” tackled issues of colorism, self-hate, dating preferences, and more while also addressing the hurdles Black women face in America.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterJack Hanick, a onetime producer at Fox News, has been indicted on charges of working for a sanctioned Russian oligarch to establish TV networks in Russia and in other European countries.Hanick, 71, is accused of working for Konstantin Malofeyev, who since 2014 has been under U.S. sanctions that were imposed in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

inspiring “the next generation of female leaders…by shining a light on women who are leaders in their in their respective industries of tech, wellness, STEM, education and more with one-of-a-kind Barbie dolls in their likeness.”Of those being honored with a doll figurine are two Black icons in their respective industries—Shonda Rhimes, prolific television showrunner and Pat McGrath, “the world’s most influential and in-demand makeup artist.”Senior Vice President and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls for Mattel Lisa McKnight said, “We know that children are inspired by what they see around them, which is why it’s so important for young girls to see themselves reflected in role models who’ve daringly pushed past roadblocks and overcome the Dream Gap to become the brave women they are today…This International Women’s Day, we’re proud to honor 12 global trailblazing women to help empower the next generation of female leaders by sharing their stories.”Research by NYU’s Cognitive Development Lab funded by Mattel spurred this novel campaign.

Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn will be playing complete strangers making revelations about 'sex and power dynamics' in the upcoming film Daddio.The actress, 31, will be playing a young woman who is picked up from JFK airport by a cabbie named Clark, played by Sean Penn, 61, according to Deadline.After the duo engage in 'amusing chit chat', the conversation veers into 'mysterious and playful' before growing into 'viscerally honest revelations about relationships, sex and power dynamics, loss and vulnerability,' according to the website.

The first Shondaland project in Shonda Rhimes’ mega-deal with Netflix burst on the scene on Christmas Day 2020, when the Regency-era drama series Bridgerton hit the streaming service. With a story mixing Jane Austen, Gossip Girl and the lush looks of London (and its aristocratic denizens) circa 1813 combined with a strong, multi-racial cast and contemporary storytelling, it quickly found a place in the zeitgeist, shattering Netflix’s viewership records with 82 million households around the world watching the first season in the first four weeks.

The Lost Daughter, alongside Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson has teamed up with another powerhouse female director, Carrie Cracknell, to adapt Jane Austen’s Persuasion for . A highly respected name in British theater, Cracknell has helmed productions at both the Royal Court and the Young Vic, and recently directed in Sea Wall/A Life on Broadway. Persuasion will mark her film debut.According to Netflix, the movie will remain true to the novel, but will comprise a “modern, witty approach” to Austen’s final book.

Dakota Johnson has transformed into a Jane Austen heroine for an upcoming Netflix film.

It looks like Netflix is riding the Bridgerton popularity wave as the streaming giant is set to adapt a Jane Austen classic. Unfortunately, if you were looking for an old fashioned period piece, then you may be let down.

As a part of Variety's Actors on Actors, two breakout Netflix stars from 2020; Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page and The Crown star Emma Corrin indulged in a candid conversation about their respective series. When Emma asked what his first thoughts were while reading Bridgerton scripts, Regé found it as a "Jane Austen-esque" "period drama" while wondering why they were doing it now and what does it have to contribute.Given the fact that there are a couple hundred years between Jane Austen and the current times, which means they've got "five or six waves of feminism since," hence, they needed "to make some ground" with "carrying the torch" through Bridgerton.