Thousands throng the promenade as Blackpool illuminations switched on

MP Rupa Huq has been suspended from the Labour Party after she was heard describing the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, as "superficially" black.

A gang threw dozens of packages containing drugs, phones and tobacco over the walls of Forest Bank jail after they'd been ordered by serving prisoners. Police claim they have now dismantled an organised criminal gang behind the smuggling of contraband into the Salford prison, after two men were locked up for their part in the plot.

Selome Hailu Viewership of “House of the Dragon” Episode 6 drew 3% more viewers than Episode 5, Variety has learned exclusively. The series is now seeing steady bumps with each installation; Episode 6 marks its third consecutive week of growth. (Episodes 4 showed a 5% increase and Episode 5 showed a 3% increase, as exclusively reported by Variety.) The calculation of these increases account for both cable viewership across four airings on HBO on Sunday, as recorded by Nielsen, and viewers across HBO Max and other HBO platforms through the night. The specific count of people who watched “House of the Dragon” Episode 6 has not been disclosed by Warner Bros. Discovery, though Variety was able to confirm the percent increase in viewership. Additionally, as of Sept. 20, Season 1 was seeing an average of 29 million viewers per episode, a significant feat for any cable series, even with the help of streaming.

Marsai Martin, the sports fantasy film follows Callie A. Coleman (Martin), who discovers that she can magically control her father’s (Omari Hardwick) performance as a running back for the Atlanta Falcons. Along with Martin and Hardwick, the film stars Kelly Rowland, Rome Flynn, Elijah Richardson, Hanani Taylor, Abigail Killmeier, Tyla Harris and Isac Ivan. “Fantasy Football” is produced in partnership with The SpringHill Company and Genius Entertainment. Based on an original screenplay by Richard T. Jones, Jeremy Loethen and Tim Olgetree, the film is directed by Anton Cropper and written by Zoe Marshall, Dan Gurewitch and David Young. LeBron James, Spencer Beighley, Jamal Henderson, Marsai Martin, Joshua Martin and Timothy Bourne produce, while Maverick Carter and Jamila Jordan-Theus serve as executive producers.

Why Michelle Williams, why? “The Fabelmans” star could have easily run in the Best Supporting Actress category and taken home an Academy Award without anyone giving it a second thought. Instead, she decided to jump into the lead category and make an already competitive race even more so.

Angelique Jackson Russell Hornsby has signed onto Searchlight Pictures’ “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can Eat,” joining the film’s starry lead trio of Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis and Sanaa Lathan. Based on Edward Kelsey Moore’s 2013 bestselling novel, “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” is set to be directed by Tina Mabry from a script by Gina Prince-Bythewood, with revisions by Mabry. Aduba, Ellis and Lathan play best friends dubbed “The Supremes,” who, according to the film’s synopsis, “have weathered life’s storms together for two generations through marriage and children, happiness and the blues,” and “find their paths at a crossroads that test their lifelong bond.” Hornsby has been cast in a key role in the project, specifics of which are being kept under wraps.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Hulu has ordered an eight-episode limited series based on the Rebecca Godfrey novel “Under the Bridge,” Variety has learned. Quinn Shephard is adapting the book for the screen and will serve as an executive producer. Samir Mehta and Liz Tigelaar will serve as co-showrunners and executive producers, with Tigelaar executive producing under her Best Day Ever banner. Stacey Silverman of Best Day Ever will also executive produce along with Godfrey. Geeta Patel serves as director and executive producer. ABC Signature will produce, with Best Day Ever currently under an overall deal at the studio. Per the official description of the series from Hulu, the story follows “the 1997 true story of fourteen-year-old Reena Virk who went to join friends at a party and never returned home. Godfrey takes us into the hidden world of the seven teenage girls and a boy accused of the savage murder, revealing startling truths about the unlikely killer.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor True-crime podcaster John Allen — better known to fans as MrBallen — is bringing his show exclusively to Amazon Music. Starting Nov. 1, Amazon Music will be the exclusive home to all new and existing episodes of the “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories.” Amazon Music also inked a first-look deal with Ballen Studios, the content company Allen recently formed, for all new content spanning film, TV, games, consumer packaged goods, audio content and more. “The Strange, Dark and Mysterious community is the only reason I have the platform that I do today,” MrBallen, who has more than 9 million follows on social media, said in a statement. “I will always be dedicated to bringing them the best, and continually raising the bar with the art of storytelling. Working with Amazon Music allows us to do just that… We’re just getting started.”

Fans were first introduced to Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” However, it wasn’t until years later that Elizabeth Olsen’s Marvel Cinematic Universe character would really come into her own, climaxing in the one-two punch of “WandaVision” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” But just because it would appear that her story has come to a dramatic end in ‘Multiverse of Madness,’ that doesn’t mean we’re done seeing Scarlet Witch in the MCU.  Continue reading Kevin Feige Teases Scarlet Witch’s Possible MCU Return: “Anything’s Possible In The Multiverse!” at The Playlist.

The Church of Scientology contributed to Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman‘s 2001 split by creating a “distance” between them, former member Mike Rinder claims in his new book.

The spit seen around the world? Don’t Worry Darling originally stirred up interest in its mysterious plot — but it was the behind-the-scenes drama that became an even bigger topic of conversation between fans and cast members alike.

Going strong! Jason Oppenheim and girlfriend Marie-Lou Nurk are incredibly happy together, the Selling Sunset star exclusively tells Us Weekly.

Shakira is going to have her day in court.

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Beauty is pain! Kim Kardashian proved her dedication to fashion when she slipped into a skintight Dolce & Gabbana dress that had her nearly unable to walk.

As Lace Morris gears up for her second shot at love in Mexico, Us Weekly is looking back at her ups and downs with ex-fiancé Grant Kemp.

supports HTML5 videoEllie Goulding and Sam Ryder’s surprise duet at a charity gig in London got off to an awkward start as the Flashlight singer missed her cue to start singing.Eurovision icon Sam took to the stage in the capital’s Lafayette venue on Monday for a special concert in aid of charity War Child, and to mark the launch of National Album Day on October 15.Fans were treated to performances of his Eurovision hit, along with tracks from his upcoming album and several covers – including Metallica’s Master of Puppets.One particularly special moment saw Sam introduce Ellie to the stage as a surprise guest, with the pair having hit it off after meeting on BBC’s Big Breakfast earlier this year.They announced they would perform a duet to Rihanna’s 2012 hit Stay, with the crowd, naturally, going wild – however while Sam started off the hit, Ellie became just a tad confused.Raising the microphone as she prepared to sing, Ellie could be heard taking a breath – before turning to Sam and the keyboard player and saying: ‘Oh my God sorry, so sorry!’Both Ellie and Sam began laughing, with the audience cheering in support as the singer sheepishly took a bow.The crowd continued to support her during the awkward moment, with one person heard shouting ‘You’ve got this Ellie!’ and the Space Man singer leading another round of applause.Love Me Like You Do chart-topper Ellie then attempted to join in the track again before changing her mind and announcing: ‘Let’s just start again! Now I’ve got it!’It turned out to be second time lucky, with Ellie expertly following Sam’s introduction with her haunting vocals, leading to a gorgeous duet between the pair.While Ellie may have been embarrassed by the initial blunder, the atmosphere in the

Super Bowl Halftime show next year – and we have every reason to believe new music could be on the way.Fans of the Umbrella hitmaker have endured quite the drought over recent years, as Rihanna’s last album was Anti in 2016, and she’s only dropped a handful of singles since then.But fans are speculating that new music could be on the way in time for her Super Bowl gig, which will be her first major performance since the Grammys in 2018.Rihanna herself is only adding fuel to that fire, having been spotted at a recording studio with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in New York City on Monday (September 26).The 34-year-old kept it lowkey in a casual tracksuit and baseball cap as she entered the studio, carrying her belongings in an oversized purple Chanel bag.Meanwhile, A$AP – real name Rakim Athelaston Mayers – also wore printed joggers with a satin khaki bomber jacket.It’s not known whether Rihanna is the one getting into the booth to work on new tunes, or whether her rapper boyfriend – with whom she welcomed her first child earlier this year – is the one on the mic.But, with Rih’s Halftime Show approaching, we are cautiously optimistic.Plus, she did tease new music earlier this year, assuring her fans in an interview with Entertainment Tonight: ‘Well, yes.

Thousands across the UK are getting ready to witness the world-famous Blackpool Illuminations be switched on tonight.