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Kachi Benson Wins Emmy For Disney Documentary ‘Madu’

By in Entertainment News, News

At the 2025 News and Documentary Emmy Awards in New York City, Nigerian documentary filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson’s Disney film “Madu” won the Emmy award for the Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary.

The documentary co-directed by Matt Ogens was honored at a ceremony held at the New York City Palladium Times Square in May at the 46th annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

The awards, which were organized by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), honored Madu in two main categories: Outstanding Documentary on Arts and Culture and Outstanding Direction (Documentary).

The Emmy-winning entry faced strong competition from “As We Speak: Rap Music on Trial,” “Bird in the Sky,” “Hollywood Black,” and “King Coal (POV),” and came out on top in its category.

The filmmaker from Abia-born Benson said, “This is a great honour,” while accepting the Emmy Award on stage, which recognizes excellence in American television journalism and documentary filmmaking. Disney and the Hunting Lane team are all very talented.

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We dedicate Anthony Madu and every other child who has a dream to achieving this victory. Your story is being waited on in the world.

Anthony Madu, a young Nigerian ballet dancer, tells his inspiring story in an inspiring video that received over 16 million views after a 44-second video of him dancing barefoot in the rain. Madu was just 11 years old when he gained international attention in 2020.

The movie follows his development from humble beginnings in Lagos to earning a scholarship to study ballet at Elmhurst Ballet School in the UK.

More Than An Honour is

Director Ogens noted that Madu perfectly captures Anthony’s struggle to find his voice in a world that frequently overlooked him in reflection on the project.

When we first met Anthony, he was just a young child searching for a world outside of his comfort zone. When it would be easier to remain silent, Madu is about finding your voice and connecting to stories of resilience, courage, and finding your voice.

What our interpretation of this Emmy Award is. A movie about accepting, belonging, and having big, impossible dreams manifests is Maudu. This recognition is more than just an honor; it is a celebration of perseverance, identity, and the common desire to be seen. This movie was created to tell a meaningful story. I appreciate your interest in it.

The American filmmaker expressed deep gratitude to Anthony Madu, Hunting Lane, @disneyorigdocs, co-director Kachi Benson, producers Jamie Patricof, Katie McNeill, Rachel Halilej, and our ideal teams in Nigeria, England, and the US.

Benson wrote in an Instagram post: “We won an Emmy!!! When things go wrong, I look back and am grateful for the journey, the suffering, and the progress. “This win is for us, the ones who dare to continue dreaming even when the world is laughing,” I say.

Ogens revealed in a 2024 interview that he wanted a co-director who was familiar with Anthony’s popular culture despite being drawn to his viral story.

According to Benson, the filming process was “personal,” and Madu wanted to record the transformation of two people simultaneously.

Benson remarked on his calling to be a filmmaker, “Storytellers like Madu are why I became a filmmaker.” They serve as reminders that the world is hungry for stories told from an authentic African perspective and that hope can spring from the most unexpected places. We all who believe in the power of documentary to alter minds and lives will be pleased to have this recognition.

The documentary had its first screening at the 2024 iREP International Documentary Film Festival in Nigeria on March 29 and made its global debut on Disney+ on March 29. It was also, among other things, featured at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Benson, who co-founded VR360 Stories, is no stranger to critical acclaim. He won the Venice Lion for his VR film Daughters of Chibok in 2019 as the first African.

Why manufacturing consent for war with Iran failed this time

By in News, World News

On June 22, American warplanes crossed into Iranian airspace and dropped 14 massive bombs. The attack was not in response to a provocation; it came on the heels of illegal Israeli aggression that took the lives of 600 Iranians. This was a return to something familiar and well-practised: an empire bombing innocents across the orientalist abstraction called “the Middle East”. That night, US President Donald Trump, flanked by his vice president and two secretaries, told the world “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace”.

There is something chilling about how bombs are baptised with the language of diplomacy and how destruction is dressed in the garments of stability. To call that peace is not merely a misnomer; it is a criminal distortion. But what is peace in this world, if not submission to the West? And what is diplomacy, if not the insistence that the attacked plead with their attackers?

In the 12 days that Israel’s illegal assault on Iran lasted, images of Iranian children pulled from the wreckage remained absent from the front pages of Western media. In their place were lengthy features about Israelis hiding in fortified bunkers. Western media, fluent in the language of erasure, broadcasts only the victimhood that serves the war narrative.

And that is not just in its coverage of Iran. For 20 months now, the people of Gaza have been starved and incinerated. By the official count, more than 55,000 lives have been taken; realistic estimates put the number at hundreds of thousands. Every hospital in Gaza has been bombed. Most schools have been attacked and destroyed.

Leading human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have already declared that Israel is committing genocide, and yet, most Western media would not utter that word and would add elaborate caveats when someone does dare say it live on TV. Presenters and editors would do anything but recognise Israel’s unending violence in an active voice.

Despite detailed evidence of war crimes, the Israeli military has faced no media censure, no criticism or scrutiny. Its generals hold war meetings near civilian buildings, and yet, there are no media cries of Israelis being used as “human shields”. Israeli army and government officials are regularly caught lying or making genocidal statements, and yet, their words are still reported as the truth.

A recent study found that on the BBC, Israeli deaths received 33 times more coverage per fatality than Palestinian deaths, despite Palestinians dying at a rate of 34 to 1 compared with Israelis. Such bias is no exception, it is the rule for Western media.

Like Palestine, Iran is described in carefully chosen language. Iran is never framed as a nation, only as a regime. Iran is not a government, but a threat —not a people, but a problem. The word “Islamic” is affixed to it like a slur in every report. This is instrumental in quietly signalling that Muslim resistance to Western domination must be extinguished.

Iran does not possess nuclear weapons; Israel and the United States do. And yet only Iran is cast as an existential threat to world order. Because the problem is not what Iran holds, but what it refuses to surrender. It has survived coups, sanctions, assassinations, and sabotage. It has outlived every attempt to starve, coerce, or isolate it into submission. It is a state that, despite the violence hurled at it, has not yet been broken.

And so the myth of the threat of weapons of mass destruction becomes indispensable. It is the same myth that was used to justify the illegal invasion of Iraq. For three decades, American headlines have whispered that Iran is just “weeks away” from the bomb, three decades of deadlines that never arrive, of predictions that never materialise.

But fear, even when unfounded, is useful. If you can keep people afraid, you can keep them quiet. Say “nuclear threat” often enough, and no one will think to ask about the children killed in the name of “keeping the world safe”.

This is the modus operandi of Western media: a media architecture not built to illuminate truth, but to manufacture permission for violence, to dress state aggression in technical language and animated graphics, to anaesthetise the public with euphemisms.

Time Magazine does not write about the crushed bones of innocents under the rubble in Tehran or Rafah, it writes about “The New Middle East” with a cover strikingly similar to the one it used to propagandise regime change in Iraq 22 years ago.

But this is not 2003. After decades of war, and livestreamed genocide, most Americans no longer buy into the old slogans and distortions. When Israel attacked Iran, a poll showed that only 16 percent of US respondents supported the US joining the war. After Trump ordered the air strikes, another poll confirmed this resistance to manufactured consent: only 36 percent of respondents supported the move, and only 32 percent supported continuing the bombardment

The failure to manufacture consent for war with Iran reveals a profound shift in the American consciousness. Americans remember the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq that left hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis dead and an entire region in flames. They remember the lies about weapons of mass destruction and democracy and the result: the thousands of American soldiers dead and the tens of thousands maimed. They remember the humiliating retreat from Afghanistan after 20 years of war and the never-ending bloody entanglement in Iraq.

At home, Americans are told there is no money for housing, healthcare, or education, but there is always money for bombs, for foreign occupations, for further militarisation. More than 700,000 Americans are homeless, more than 40 million live under the official poverty line and more than 27 million have no health insurance. And yet, the US government maintains by far the highest defence budget in the world.

Americans know the precarity they face at home, but they are also increasingly aware of the impact US imperial adventurism has abroad. For 20 months now, they have watched a US-sponsored genocide broadcast live.

They have seen countless times on their phones bloodied Palestinian children pulled from rubble while mainstream media insists, this is Israeli self-defence. The old alchemy of dehumanising victims to excuse their murder has lost its power. The digital age has shattered the monopoly on narrative that once made distant wars feel abstract and necessary. Americans are now increasingly refusing to be moved by the familiar war drumbeat.

The growing fractures in public consent have not gone unnoticed in Washington. Trump, ever the opportunist, understands that the American public has no appetite for another war. And so, on June 24, he took to social media to announce, “the ceasefire is in effect”, telling Israel to “DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS,” after the Israeli army continued to attack Iran.

Trump, like so many in the US and Israeli political elites, wants to call himself a peacemaker while waging war. To leaders like him, peace has come to mean something altogether different: the unimpeded freedom to commit genocide and other atrocities while the world watches on.

But they have failed to manufacture our consent. We know what peace is, and it does not come dressed in war. It is not dropped from the sky. Peace can only be achieved where there is freedom. And no matter how many times they strike, the people remain, from Palestine to Iran — unbroken, unbought, and unwilling to kneel to terror.

Lottie Tomlinson poses with brother Louis and girlfriend Zara McDermott at Glastonbury

By in Entertainment News, News

Numerous well-known faces have already been seen at Worthy Farm, including Louis Tomlinson and his new girlfriend Zara McDermott, as Glastonbury 2025 started to roll out this week.

Lottie Tomlinson posts at Glastonbury (Image: Lottie Tomlinson/Instagram)

Lottie Tomlinson has shared some sweet pics with her brother Louis and girlfriend Zara McDermott at Glastonbury this weekend. The mum-of-two took to her Instagram page to post a collection of snaps as she enjoyed the festival.

She and her partner Lewis Burton both met in the fields while attending the event, but they also bumped into each other. Lottie snuggled up to her partner and Louis posed behind in a plain white tank top and baggy jeans in one of the photos.

Louis can be seen wearing a black vest top along with a cap and sunglasses in a bid to keep his identity a secret over the weekend. Another photo shows that Lottie is clearly getting along with her brother’s new girlfriend as she shared a snap posing with the former Love Island star.

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Lottie has gone to Glastonbury
Lottie has gone to Glastonbury(Image: Lottie Tomlinson/Instagram)

Zara also donned high-top Converse trainers, a striped blue T-shirt, and a striped blue denim shorts for a dressed-down look.

Glastonbury 2025 kicked off this week, with plenty of famous musician from around the world descending on Worthy Farm to show off their talent. Music fans as well as celebs have also gone to the event to see their favourite acts.

Continue reading the article.

Following the discovery that Louis had built his own special camping tent primarily for drinking, this is revealed. Instead of making a more lavish itinerary, the former One Direction star, 33, is camping with a group of friends at Glastonbury.

Zara is also at the festival
Zara is also at the festival(Image: Lottie Tomlinson/Instagram)

The singing legend has set up a tent for drinks after bringing a TV to the festival last year to watch England play an international game.

According to a source, Louis is “determined to make it a weekend to remember” and has meticulously planned everything, including ensuring there is enough alcohol at the bar. He has a tent for drinks, as well as one for himself.

Zara, 28, won’t be camping with him, but she will be attending the festival with her boyfriend. She is reportedly staying off the site instead.

Lottie has gone with her partner Lewis
Lottie has gone with her partner Lewis(Image: Lottie Tomlinson/Instagram)

Everyone agrees that it’s a nice break for him and Zara, as well as a great way for Zara to meet up with friends. The source continued, “It will definitely be a boozy and not particularly romantic” situation.

Zara and Louis were photographed on a date in Suffolk in March, and romance rumors first surfaced earlier this year. Just a few weeks after Zara’s breakup with her long-term partner Sam Thompson, the announcement was made.

After enjoying a trip together in Los Angeles, Zara finally revealed their romance on Instagram while having a brunch date with Louis. Since then, it seems like their romance has grown even more since Zara recently supported Louis in Costa Rica.

Continue reading the article.

Rick Hurst dead: Dukes of Hazzard star dies unexpectedly at 79 as co-stars pay tribute

By in Entertainment News, News

Rick Hurst, who portrayed Deputy Cletus Hogg on the well-known TV series Dukes of Hazzard, has passed away at the age of 79, his ex-wife has confirmed.

Dukes of Hazzard cast

Richard “Rick” Hurst, 79, a veteran actor best known for his role as Deputy Cletus Hogg in The Dukes of Hazzard, passed away.

Candace Kaniecki, Rick’s ex-wife, broke the news to TMZ, revealing that Rick had unplannedly passed away in Los Angeles on June 26. The cause of Rick’s death is still unknown, according to Candace at this time.

Confirmation of his passing came through Cooter’s in Luray, VA’s Facebook page on June 26 – a museum and shop dedicated to The Dukes of Hazzard, run by Ben Jones aka Cooter Daveport from the beloved CBS series, and his spouse, Alma Viator.

LOS ANGELES - JANUARY 1: The Dukes of Hazzard. A CBS television rural sitcom. January 1, 1982. Pictured is Rick Hurst (as Cletus). (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
Rick Hurst as Cletus

Cooter drew inspiration from Deputy Hogg’s moving funeral photo tribute. A sepia-toned Rick with a white dove-colored background, his full name, the respectful “RIP,” and a date that ran from January 1, 1946, to June 26, 2025, was depicted in the photo.

A heartfelt quote accompanied the image: “Gone from our sight but never from our hearts. Your love and memories will forever remain.”, reports the Mirror US.

Continue reading the article.

Our hearts are broken, they wrote in a Facebook post, adding: “Our hearts are broken!!” You will be missed. “!.

Rick was scheduled to attend a Meet and Greet event at the Cooter’s location in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, scheduled for July 3-7, and he was only last seen celebrating at Cooter’s retirement party just last month.

Following the news of Rick’s passing, John Schneider, Rick’s co-star from The Dukes of Hazzard and Bo Duke, wrote a heartfelt tribute to him.

On Facebook, John shared a tribute photo of Rick for his passing, claiming, “I just heard about the passing of dear Rick Hurst, a.k.a. Cletus Hogg.” My friend, you were a remarkable force for humanity, sanity, and comedy. When you are in Heaven, you are safer and more organized. We’ll keep the race going until everyone in the end laughs! I cherish you. John”.

On The Dukes of Hazzards, Rick was best known for playing the role of Deputy Cletus Hogg, the cousin of Boss Hogg (Sorrell Brooke). He reprised his role in the 1980s and 1983 movies The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood (2000), which came to an end in 1985, and The Dukes of Hazzard (1997).

Rick has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies throughout his career, including Steel Magnolias, MASH*, The Guardian, The Karate Kid Part III, and The Partridge Family. His most recent acting work was a 2016 TV short titled Be My Guest.

Continue reading the article.

Ryan Hurst and Collin Hurst, Rick’s sons, are also in his life. Ryan is the child of his first wife, Candace, and his second wife, Shelly Weir, is his maternal grandmother.

Millie Bobby Brown oozes confidence in bikini after slamming body-shaming ‘bullies’

By in Entertainment News, News

Millie Bobby Brown, an actress, became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and rose to fame as Eleven in the Netflix series Stranger Things. She later made her acting debut with Enola Holmes.

Millie Bobby Brown oozes confidence in bikini after slamming body-shaming ‘bullies’(Image: milliebobbybrown/Instagram)

Actress Millie Bobby Brown stunned in a series of bikini shots, after the 21-year-old was forced to hit back over cruel trolls who picked apart her appearance. Millie looked incredible as she posed for her golden-hour shots while sunning herself on the sand.

The Stranger Things star, who married Jake Biongiovi in a private ceremony in May 2024, wore a green and blue paisley print two-piece as she posed in front of the ocean. She posted the three photos on Instagram, with some beach-related emojis.

Friends and fans adoringly praised the comments section. A heart-eye emoji was sent in response to her beauty brand’s Instagram account, which read “an absolute icon.”

Despite being only ten years old and always looking ten out of ten, Millie has been subjected to intense and cruel scrutiny for her online posts. After being cruelly criticized for her appearance, the young star earlier this year shared a moving Instagram post.

Millie looked super-confident as she posed for her stunning beach snaps
Millie looked super-confident as she posed for her stunning beach snaps(Image: milliebobbybrown/Instagram)

The actress discussed her career and the challenges of raising a family in the spotlight in a nearly three-minute video. She called out various articles that had been written by journalists and criticized her appearance and body, drawing attention to the unrealistic expectations that women in the entertainment industry have received.

Continue reading the article.

Millie sat makeup-free in the March video, which read, “I want to take a moment to address something that affects every young woman who grows up in front of the camera that I believe is bigger than just me.”

The Enola Holmes star married Jake Bongiovi in May 2024
The Enola Holmes star married Jake Bongiovi in May 2024(Image: milliebobbybrown/Instagram)

Later, she read article titles that had questioned her appearance, including one that mentioned the comedian. Sadly, Billy remarked, “Little Britain’s Matt Lucas takes savage swipe at Millie Bobby Brown’s new “mommy makeover” look, written by Bethan Edwards, amplifying an insult rather than asking why a grown man is mocking a young woman’s appearance. Not journalism, this. This constitutes bullying.

After sharing more about the criticism she was facing, Enola Holmes star Millie concluded: “Let’s do better. Not just for me, but for every young girl who deserves to grow up without fear of being torn apart for simply existing.”

Millie's appearance has changed dramatically since her Stranger Things days
Millie’s appearance has changed dramatically since her Stranger Things days as character Eleven(Image: Courtesy of Netflix)

Four hours later, Matt apologized and explained his intent in response to Millie, explaining his reasoning. He responded, “Dear Millie, I just saw your post, and I want to respond, and give some context,” on Instagram.

“I co-wrote and appeared in a sketch show called Little Britain about 25 years ago.” In the photo where you had blonde hair and wore a pink top, I pointed out the similarity by posting one of her catchphrases, Vicky Pollard, who had blonde hair and always wore a pink top.

“I thought you looked fantastic, but I was mortified when the press pointed out that I had slammed you,” the press said, “first because it’s against my taste and second because I think you’re brilliant.” If I had anticipated it would have upset you, I would not have posted it, so I apologize. Matt”.

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Continue reading the article.

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Denise Welch heaps praise on The 1975 son Matty Healy after divisive Glastonbury set

By in Entertainment News, News

Matty Healy, the frontman of rock band The 1975, has received praise from Denise Welch after his performance on Friday night at Glastonbury, which divided fans.

The 1975 frontman Matty Healy with his Loose Women mum Denise Welch(Image: Getty Images)

Denise Welch – mum of The 1975’s Matty Healy – has heaped praise on her son after his Glastonbury Festival headline set on the Pyramid Stage proved divisive amongst fans.

The 36-year-old rocker, who hit the headlines in 2023 for his brief romance with Taylor Swift and is believed to have influenced her latest album The Tortured Poets Department, was branded ‘insufferable’ by some fans. While others left after being heard saying it ‘wasn’t their vibe’.

Matty opening the band’s set with a pint of Guinness he didn’t seem to drink, and a cigarette on the other hand, was the first thing they objected to.

Then he went on a rant, saying to the audience, “This moment is making me realize that – yeah. I’d say it. I’m probably the best songwriter of my generation.” I’m realizing this at this point. I’m probably the best songwriter of my generation, and that’s why I’m probably the best. I’m a poet, ladies and gentlemen. In a joke to his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift, he said, “I believed in this poetry for you.

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Matty Healy's mum Denise Welch posted his set was '1000/10' after he got emotional on stage
Matty Healy’s mum Denise Welch posted his set was ‘1000/10’ after he got emotional on stage (Image: Instagram )

Some fans, however, weren’t there for it, with one user stating on social media that it’s “very easy to imagine” that Matty Healy’s stage presence would genuinely sashay into Gregg’s reciting 14th century French poetry.

Continue reading the article.

The most obnoxious thing I’ve ever witnessed is Matty Healy swaggering around with a pint he doesn’t intend to drink.

While a third claimed that “Shoulde have been about the #1975, but Healy has chosen to hijack it and perform in a car crash performance.” The bands’ faces reflect it clearly. He only needed to hold it together for a day, which was a blatant failure.

In a video shared by his Loose Women star mum Denise – who watched her son’s performance from the crowd and posed for snaps with various celebs backstage – Matty appeared to look emotional at one point and was given hugs by his band members and entourage.

Posting the clip to her Instagram stories, 67-year-old Denise called The 1975’s performance a ‘1000/10’ and said it was an ‘unbelievable night’.

Denise, who shares Matty with ex-husband Tim Healy, was at the gig with her current partner, Matty’s stepdad Lincoln Townley. But the former Coronation Street star has ruled out camping and is staying off site in what looks like a glamping set up with a hot tub.

She told the Mirror she had been “stressing out” ahead of her son’s appearance and said: “I’ve not really been a festival bunny – I don’t really do festivals.

Continue reading the article.

Coachella is the only place I’ve been. It was all very lovely and VIP. I sat there and said, “Oh, this is okay,” and it was sunny and gorgeous. No one stays there, and everyone departs at night. Glastonbury is stressing me out.

She continued, “I won’t stay for the entire three days.” I prefer to simply swivel in and out. I might return for Rod Stewart’s performance on Sunday night.

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