Lucasfilm puts Ahsoka director in charge of Star Wars creative
'Ahsoka' director Dave Filoni is now overseeing the creative process all 'Star Wars' projects.
2023-11-22 20:17
Mark Knopfler is selling 120 guitars
Mark Knopfler is letting go of his precious guitars to help raise money for charity.
2023-11-22 20:17
Birth of endangered rhino calf caught on camera at Chester Zoo
The birth of a rare rhino calf at Chester Zoo was caught on camera. A zookeeper captured rhino Zuri giving birth to an eastern black rhino on Sunday, 12 November. “So far, the pair have been inseparable and the little one is feeding regularly and already gaining in size and weight,” says Rhino team manager Emma Evison. The birth will help in preserving an endangered species. Fewer than 600 of the species are left across the African wild and are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Read More Wayne Rooney ‘couldn’t be bothered’ to meet rap icon at Glastonbury, Coleen reveals How to use your Apple Watch to calculate perfect restaurant tip Martin Lewis issues urgent warning to unmarried couples living together
2023-11-22 19:48
Paul Rudd says ‘horrible’ restrictive Marvel diet left him drinking sparkling water as ‘reward’
Paul Rudd has said he would drink sparkling water as a “reward” at the height of his restrictive diet while playing Ant-Man in the Marvel films. The Clueless star joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2015, most recently starring in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania earlier this year. Over the years, many Marvel stars have opened up about the grueling training regimens they undertake when cast in the superhero franchise. Rudd described the strict measures he went to while appearing on the comedy food podcast Off Menu, which sees guests asked to recall their multi-course “dream menu” by hosts Ed Gamble and James Acaster. When asked what kind of water he preferred, the 54 year-old, told the comedians he was still a fan of the sparkling stuff. “When I was having to train for the Ant-Man movie, and I was on a very restrictive diet, my reward was sparkling water,” he said, with an incredulous laugh. “That’s how horrible that diet was. I was like, ‘Alright, I can have some sparkling water now, I’ve earned it.’” Rudd said that as he was training and “working out” so much, he would have “a lot of sparkling water” and joked that he would go for certain brands on a “cheat day”. “Did it feel like a treat?” Acaster asked, with Rudd replying: “Yeah, it was great. It wasn’t flavoured, I wasn’t gonna go crazy.” He added that he “kind of did it” for all the Marvel films, and that it was sometimes easier than expected. “Once you’re in it, it’s not too hard,” he said, particularly as he was “OK with having really boring food” continuously. The diet, Rudd said, actually gave him “tons of energy”. Acaster then asked Rudd if the other Marvel stars would “compare notes” when working together on ensemble films such as Avengers: Infinity War or its follow-up Endgame. “I mean, I think people kind of are,” he responded, “but I also think I worked out harder than anyone, I would eat better than everyone, and I looked worse than all of them. I had to work out all the time, eat perfectly, just to look kind of bad. Not even great.” “Was everyone snapping at each other though? Was everyone hangry?” Gamble asked. Rudd replied: “I don’t know… I remember on Endgame, Chris Hemsworth would always have these Tupperware containers and he’s eating this gruel, just a mash of stuff. “He’s working out, and then you stand next to a guy like that, and I just think, well what’s the point of any of this? Why am I killing myself when that can exist, and then I look at myself and this exists. I can never achieve that… That was the good thing at least – Ant-Man, it isn’t Thor. But I tried to work out, and it didn’t work.” Back in 2021, Hemsworth’s body double on the Marvel films, Bobby Holland Hanton, said that he was struggling to keep up with the size of the Australian “man mountain”. Over the years, however, a number of Marvel stars have spoken more critically about the body transformation expected for superhero movies. In an interview with The Independent, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 star Will Poulter said that actors needed to prioritise mental and physical health over “aesthetic goals”, “otherwise you end up promoting something that is unhealthy and unrealistic if you don’t have the financial backing of a studio paying for your meals and training”. “I’m in a very privileged position in that respect, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone do what I did to get ready for that job,” he added. Of the preparation, Poulter said that he had done “a lot of gym work and a very, very specific diet”. “It means not particularly civilised at times,” he explained. “Quantities of food you wouldn’t necessarily want to ingest. “And other times not enough food… I’ve gone through periods of looking at food and feeling like I can’t face it, and then you blink and the next minute you’re ready to eat furniture because you’re so hungry.” Read More Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire official teaser trailer first look as Billy Murry returns New Superman movie might have just found its Lex Luthor Susan Sarandon dropped by agents following comments at pro-Palestine rally New Superman movie might have just found its Lex Luthor Susan Sarandon dropped by agents following comments at pro-Palestine rally Scream 7 actor ‘fired’ over Israel-Palestine comments
2023-11-22 19:45
Kelly Brook: 'The less I do to my skin, the better it looks'
Kelly Brook believes keeping her skincare routine simple is the key to her glowing complexion.
2023-11-22 19:24
Brigitte Nielsen speaks out on ageing and jokes she 'won't leave home' without Botox
Brigitte Nielsen insists that if she is "totally miserable with the way I look at 70, I'll do something about it."
2023-11-22 19:22
Cardi B hits back after she's accused of claiming her figure is down to working out alone
Cardi B has always been open about her surgeries to achieve her perfect curves.
2023-11-22 19:16
Christopher Nolan needs lighter project after 'bleak' Oppenheimer
'Oppenheimer' filmmaker Christopher Nolan wants to make something "not quite as bleak" after his dark nuclear drama.
2023-11-22 18:28
Melissa Barrera fired from Scream 7 over comments about Israel-Hamas conflict
'In The Heights' star Melissa Barrera has been dropped from 'Scream VII' over her social media comments regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict.
2023-11-22 18:22
U2 press pause on new tunes while Larry Mullen Jr recovers from neck surgery
U2 can't make new tunes without their beloved drummer Larry Mullen Jr.
2023-11-22 18:19
AC/DC's 2024 Munich stadium show leaked by city's mayor
It's speculated AC/DC could be preparing to announce a stadium tour after the leak.
2023-11-22 18:18
Fed up with catching colds? Here’s what your doctor really wants you to know
Already feel like you’ve had your fill of sore throats, coughs and stuffy heads this winter? Colds may be common and minor – but they can still leave you feeling rotten, not to mention being a major inconvenience. They aren’t really something you want to be traipsing to the GP surgery with either – but wouldn’t it be helpful to know what your doctor really thinks about managing winter ailments? We asked them… Getting ill is not always terrible Nobody enjoys having a cold, of course. But GP and TV medic Dr Hilary Jones – known for regular appearances on Good Morning Britain – says we can’t always “prevent exposure to viruses, especially in winter when people flock together for warmth indoors”. And if symptoms are mild, we probably don’t need to worry too much. “Let your own immune system deal with it,” says Jones. “That’s what your immune system is for – and looking on the positive side, the more you tickle up your immune system, the healthier it is. In a way, you’re stimulating your immune system to be healthy.” Antibiotics can be harmful if you don’t actually need them If symptoms are proving tougher to tolerate, it can be tempting to try antibiotics. But while there are certainly times when antibiotics are vital, they only work for bacterial infections, so taking them when you have a viral infection (such as a cold) is not only futile, but could cause harm. “Often, both clinicians and patients will be tempted to try antibiotics, even when there is little-to-no chance of them helping – ‘just in case’ and often accompanied with the reasoning of ‘what harm can it do?’,” says Dr Tom Jenkins, GP and developer of Centoreze Pelargonium. “We are now beginning to appreciate that there is potential harm at an individual level,” Jenkins adds. “There are more bacterial cells in the human body than human cells, and most of those bacterial cells are helpful and essential for healthy functioning. Because antibiotics are not selective and do not single out just bad bacteria, taking them upsets our bacterial microbiome, and we are now starting to learn about the subtle and sometimes lasting consequences of this.” Another major concern is bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics – which the World Health Organisation (WHO) describes as one of the biggest threats to global health today. Tackling this is complex, but on an individual level, WHO guidelines suggest people only use antibiotics when suitable. Soothing home remedies are worth it Jones, who is working with Manuka Doctor, also points out: “If you do get sick, comforting symptomatic relief is really important, starting with the simple things. I’m an advocate of manuka honey – the genuine manuka honey from New Zealand, which carries a number for the antibacterial activity, the MGO methylglyoxal.” As well as its antibacterial properties, Jones says it’s “soothing for throats” and can provide an “energy boost” – plus his 97-year-old mother is a fan. “Not only does she put it in her porridge, she put it on her skin for a few lesions that she has – perfectly well-endorsed by the district nurse who comes to visit her as well. “You can also put honey in a grog, in hot water, with a bit of lemon, a bit of cinnamon – that’s something our grandmothers used to use, and to good effect.” The herbal remedy that’s doctor-approved There are so many natural remedies out there promising to fight off symptoms, and deciding between them can be overwhelming. But did you know there’s one herbal remedy that is recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) for managing certain upper respiratory tract symptoms? Pelargonium, licenced as a Traditional Herbal Remedy, is recommended by GPs to consider as one of four self-care treatment options for adults and children aged 12 and above. It’s mentioned on the NHS website’s page for coughs, too – along with getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, Paracetamol and Ibuprofen where suitable for pain relief, and honey and lemon. Derived from plants found in South Africa and Lesotho, Pelargonium was widely used to help treat infections before antibiotics boomed. But “over the last quarter of a century”, Jenkins says , “clinical research has begun to revisit this forgotten treatment, especially in Germany, and now more recently here in the UK too.” This has “resulted in the publication of over 70 peer reviewed pre-clinical and clinical studies supporting its effect”, says Jenkins. He explains it contains “a large number of biological molecules” that work in a number of ways to “stimulate the body’s immune system to fight infections”. Diet and lifestyle do play a part “Diet is always important,” says Jones. “A healthy lifestyle does protect us and helps our immune system. Clearly there are obvious things not to do – smoking and excess alcohol – as well as poor nutrition. “We know vitamin D is important for good immune health, and there are many people who are deficient in vitamin D, who should be taking a supplement as recommended by the WHO and NHS, particularly through winter,” Jones adds (when there isn’t enough sunlight in this part of the world for our bodies to make sufficient amounts). “So vitamin D, adequate vitamin C, zinc, and sometimes things like garlic and echinacea can be helpful in making sure your immune system is healthy.” While a balanced diet comes first, Jones believes “it’s always worth considering a multivitamin, which gives you a little bit of everything, particularly if your diet is restricted or selective in any way or if you’ve got extra needs”, he adds. “But healthy eating, plenty of fruit and vegetables, adequate protein, exercising moderately and avoiding pollutants and cigarettes – those are the main things.” Check in with your doctor if you’re constantly rundown Still feel like nothing seems to help? Then it may be time to check in with your doctor. “If you’re concerned that you have any possible underlying medical problem, I would always advise discussing matters with your GP,” says Jenkins.“Sometimes recurrent infections can be a sign of an underlying infection, but sometimes they can be because you are rundown. Your GP is ideally placed here because they have your medical record, are able to look into things in more detail, and can follow you up.”
2023-11-22 17:56