Author: INDEPENDENT

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino has expressed it is a “profound honour” to be named the recipient of the Sam Wanamaker Award, recognising his deep and enduring connection to the works of William Shakespeare.The prestigious accolade, established by Shakespeare’s Globe in 1994, celebrates individuals who have significantly enhanced the public’s understanding and enjoyment of the legendary playwright’s canon. The award itself is named after the Globe’s founder, Sam…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsLuxury timepieces, once symbols of glamour and status, are increasingly facing a grim fate: the melting pot. Iconic watches like Omega’s Constellation, famously worn by George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, are being scrapped for their precious metal content as gold prices soar.With gold prices hovering near record highs, the intrinsic value of the metal in some classic models now surpasses their resale worth. This trend is particularly impacting…

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Rosa Salazar never meant to do Hollywood first. After a tumultuous childhood, a period spent living out of her car, and a stint in standup comedy, the wily American actor formulated a plan. “I was going to earn my stripes with theatre, and then TV, and then I was going to do movies…” she says. “None of that happened.”Instead, within just a few years of starting out,…

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailThe U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division has greenlit Paramount Skydance Corp’s proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Officials announced late Friday that the transaction poses no threat to competition across streaming, traditional television or the film industry.This regulatory approval provides Paramount a crucial advantage as it seeks to fend off potential state-level challenges to the deal. Separately, Paramount requested Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval in April for foreign investments backing the…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsThe Government is “pricing out” firms from hiring young workers due to taxes and red tape, the bosses of more than 80 UK high street giants have warned.Bosses at Tesco, Sainsbury’s and John Lewis are among those to have told the Prime Minister that Government policies are “making it harder to hire young people”.In a letter co-ordinated by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), they said policymakers need to…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsThe UK’s gender pay gap is narrowing, but it could still take more than three decades to eliminate the disparity entirely, a study has found.New analysis highlights the slow pace of progress that has been nearly a decade after mandatory reporting rules were introduced.Research by PwC found that both the mean and median gender pay gaps fell by 0.5 percentage points over the past year, continuing a gradual…

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter An audience member at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of The Tempest was asked to leave the auditorium mid-way through after her baby repeatedly interrupted the performance. Sir Kenneth Branagh is currently starring in the RSC’s The Tempest at its famous Stratford-upon-Avon theatre, playing the role of Prospero in the seminal Shakespeare play. However, one particular matinee performance was “ruined” for many theatregoers after a baby was…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsThe poorest families with children need to spend 85% of their disposable income to afford a healthy diet, according to an annual report.Healthier food is nearly twice as expensive per calorie as less healthy alternatives, with foods high in fat, salt and sugar being the only group to have seen a price drop in the last year, the Food Foundation’s Broken Plate report, funded by the Nuffield Foundation,…

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Broadway fans are up in arms after producer Scott Rudin won a Tony Award for best revival of a play Sunday, four years after he left the industry over claims of bullying and bad behavior.Rudin, 67, took home the coveted trophy as the lead producer on the revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of A Salesman, which stars Laurie Metcalf, Nathan Lane and Christopher Abbott. This marks the…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsNationwide’s chief executive, Dame Debbie Crosbie, has seen her remuneration package almost double, largely due to bonus awards following the building society’s multi-billion pound acquisition of Virgin Money.According to the mutual’s latest annual report, Dame Debbie received a total of £4.67 million for the financial year ending March 31. This sum comprised a fixed salary of £1.2 million and bonuses amounting to £3.2 million, supplemented by a pension…