Celebrities

UCLA’s Film & Television Archive is hosting its 22nd annual film festival, and it’s a fantastic event! They’ve restored films to pristine condition and are showing a huge range of movies – everything from Hollywood blockbusters and international films to newsreels, cartoons, documentaries, and even TV shows. Best of all, admission is free and you don’t need to make reservations, so feel free to try something new – the festival curators always choose great films!

I’ve always loved John Carney’s films – ever since “Once” back in 2007, he’s been all about the magic of people creating things together. He really gets how a raw idea can blossom into something beautiful, whether it’s the synth-pop of “Sing Street” or the quieter sounds of “Begin Again.” But lately, it feels like he’s been experimenting a bit. His most recent, “Flora and Son,” really resonated with me. It wasn’t about some huge transformation; it was about a mom picking up a guitar and realizing it’s okay to just mess around and enjoy making music without needing a grand outcome. I appreciated that honesty – we all deserve to noodle around a bit, you know?

Paul McCartney, 83, has been a vegetarian for over 50 years, since deciding to follow the diet in 1975.

Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix, 51, was spotted on a date with his girlfriend, Vittoria Ceretti, 27. They were joined by Tobey Maguire’s 50-year-old daughter, Ruby Sweetheart Maguire, 19, making it a family outing. Phoenix is rumored to have previously supported Spencer Pratt’s campaign for mayor of Los Angeles.

The actress, 55, recently reprised a famous role and posted a video with Van Dien, 57, on Instagram this Tuesday.

The comedian, a long-time host of the talk show, is temporarily stepping down to take her play, “My First Ex-Husband,” on its first international tour. The 83-year-old announced her leave on Tuesday during an appearance on “Behind the Table,” a podcast related to “The View.”

I was really struck by something Crist, the author of The Losses We Keep, shared. She explained that it suddenly hit her – people often don’t acknowledge the profound loss that happens with fertility struggles or pregnancy loss. It’s a real death, and it’s okay to grieve. It really resonated with me because it’s so true – the grief is absolutely valid.

Weiss revealed on Thursday that Nick Bilton will be the new executive producer. He’s taking over from Tanya Simon, who has worked with the program for 26 years and had been leading it since July. Bilton previously worked as a technology columnist for The New York Times and is also a documentary filmmaker.

Growing up, Steven Spielberg showed his home movies to friends and neighbors. Similarly, a young filmmaker named Parsons shared his early short films online, carefully watching how people reacted. One particularly strange nine-minute film, featuring a creepy setting of old carpets, yellow walls, and tiled ceilings, unexpectedly went viral, reaching 78 million viewers. He quickly made more films in the series, and even before graduating high school, A24 offered him a major deal. Parsons spent his teenage years not just creating films – writing, directing, editing, and composing the music – but also figuring out exactly what audiences enjoy. It’s an incredible achievement, though he’s still too young to celebrate with champagne.

In 1946, a chemist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture created DEET—short for N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide—a bug spray that quickly became popular with the military for use in tropical environments. Scientists believe DEET repels mosquitoes by interfering with their sense of smell, making humans and animals undetectable, or by tasting unpleasant to them. It might also work by mimicking the scent of plants that mosquitoes naturally avoid. Whatever the reason, it effectively keeps mosquitoes away—though its effectiveness isn’t always guaranteed.