Author: SKYNEWS

Director George Miller says the Mad Max film franchise that exists today was borne out of limitations.Originally an emergency room doctor, the Australian director transitioned into film and created the story of a world where limitation is a central theme and abundance a dream. Image: (L-R): Taylor-Joy with Miller on set. Pic: Warner Bros/Domain Pictures The Australian director made his first Mad Max film in 1978 with a crew of 35 and a fresh-faced Mel Gibson as the lead.He says it was filmed on a discarded camera lens from a Steve McQueen film, and the lack of resources to create…

An album of “incredibly personal” new songs from Sir Elton John won’t be the singer’s last, according to his long-term songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. “It’s a pretty amazing project, very cool…it tells a lot of stories and it’s incredibly personal, but it’s certainly not final.” Few details are known about what fans can expect from Sir Elton’s new music, but the legendary lyricist says he thinks it will be released before Christmas. Image: Bernie Taupin speaking at an event earlier this week. Pic: Mark Allan “It’s all done, it’s all in the can and ready to come out, I think, at…

Music star Nicki Minaj has been arrested at an airport in the Netherlands hours before she was due to perform at Co-op Live in Manchester.The American rapper posted a series of messages on the social media site X – including one message in which she wrote “they said they found weed”. Asked about Minaj, Robert van Kapel, a spokesman for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, told NBC News: “We can confirm that we have arrested a 41-year-old American woman at Schiphol Airport because of possession of soft drugs.”It is unclear if Minaj’s show at Co-op Live has been affected.A post on…

Broadcasters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford have announced they are going to divorce after 14 years of marriage.The pair, who presented ITV daytime chat show This Morning together for 15 years before quitting the show in 2021, tied the knot in 2010. They confirmed their split through a representative, who said: “Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes have confirmed their marriage is over and they are in the process of divorcing.”After leaving This Morning, Holmes, 64, joined GB News where he presents the channel’s breakfast show and Langsford, also 64, is a regular on ITV’s Loose Women. Image: The pair in…

A bereaved mother who has “absolutely no idea” why her son took his own life aged 14 is fighting social media companies to hand over his search history.Jools Sweeney was found dead in April 2022. A coroner was unable to rule his death was a suicide as they were unable to prove he was in a “suicidal mood”, his mother Ellen Roome tells Sky News. Ms Roome says he showed no signs of depression and police have ruled out any third-party involvement.As a result, she says she has been left with “absolutely no idea why he isn’t here anymore”.Having read…

One of Britain’s biggest housebuilders is exploring a £1bn takeover bid for Cala Group, a rival player in the sector which has been put up for sale.Sky News has learned that Persimmon, which has a market value of £4.74bn, is leaning towards submitting an offer for Cala ahead of a bid deadline next week. City sources said it would be a strong contender to buy Cala, whose homes have a significantly higher average sale price than those of Persimmon.Insiders expect Cala, which is being auctioned by Legal & General (L&G), to command a price tag of about £1bn.If Persimmon is…

A total ban on under-16s owning smartphones should be considered by the next government, according to a report from MPs.The House of Commons Education Committee also called for a statutory ban on mobile phones in schools. It argued that screen time was harmful to children’s mental and physical health, and both schools and parents needed clear guidance from the government on the issue.Earlier this year, the Department for Education issued guidance, which is non-statutory, instructing headteachers on how to ban the use of phones during lessons and break and lunch periods.However, the committee has said this does not go far…

A high-profile literary festival has dropped its sponsorship with a company accused of investing billions in fossil fuels and businesses linked to the Israeli defence industry.Hay Festival said on Friday it had suspended its sponsorship with investment management firm Baillie Gifford after figures including comedian Nish Kumar, singer Charlotte Church and Labour MP Dawn Butler pulled out of the event. The festival is currently taking place in Wales until 2 June.The group Fossil Free Books had urged Baillie Gifford to divest from the fossil fuel industry, in which campaigners claimed it had between £2.5bn and £5bn invested. Image: The offices…

Lynn Barber has seen the lot. Across six decades as a celebrity interviewer, she’s navigated a death threat*, a stand-off with a star best known for playing an amiable TV doctor and a wild animal at the dinner table.Now, a sticky conversation with Joan Collins and a run-in with the actress’s “dragon” PR has led Barber to a stark showbiz realisation. Barber tells Sky News: “I’m not up for celebrity interviews any more.”She goes on: “I’ve turned down a lot of ideas I’ve been sent. It was rare for me to agree to do Joan Collins, and it was only…

A judge has rejected a request by Alec Baldwin to dismiss his criminal charge relating to the fatal shooting on the set of Rust.Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer upheld an indictment charging Baldwin with one count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, in 2021. The New Mexico judge rejected defence arguments that prosecutors flouted the rules of grand jury proceedings to divert attention away from exculpatory evidence and witnesses. Image: Halyna Hutchins. Pic: Shutterstock Prosecutors denied the accusations and said Baldwin made “shameless” attempts to escape culpability, highlighting contradictions in his statements to law enforcement, to…