Global Pulse

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  • Hayden Panettiere’s ex Wladimir Klitschko says family in ‘profound shock and grief’

    Hayden Panettiere’s ex Wladimir Klitschko says family in ‘profound shock and grief’

    The global entertainment community is reeling from the sudden passing of beloved actor Hayden Panettiere, who died at her home in Greenville, South Carolina this past Sunday at the age of 36. Local law enforcement has confirmed no initial evidence of foul play or suspicious circumstances surrounding her death, though official cause of death remains pending following an autopsy that recorded no signs of physical trauma. First responder dispatch audio reveals emergency teams responded to a report of cardiac arrest linked to a suspected overdose, marking a tragic end to years of the star’s well-documented public battle with substance use disorder.

    In one of the most high-profile tributes shared in the wake of Panettiere’s death, former heavyweight world boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko — her ex-partner and father of their 11-year-old daughter Kaya — opened up about the profound loss that has left his family in deep shock and overwhelming grief.

    “Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon,” Klitschko wrote in his public statement. “Though she was no longer my partner, she remained an important part of my life, and she is the mother of our child. She built an incredible career through immense natural talent, while also grappling with the harsh, unforgiving darker sides of this incredibly demanding entertainment industry.”

    Klitschko’s tribute also addressed the future for their young daughter, confirming that “To Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person Hayden truly was.” He extended his condolences to Panettiere’s family, friends and millions of fans around the world, closing with a quiet request: “I ask everyone to please respect our family’s feelings and privacy during this incredibly difficult time. Rest easy, Hayden. May you find eternal peace.”

    The pair first crossed paths in 2009 at a Los Angeles industry party when Panettiere was 19 years old, with Klitschko 13 years her senior. They announced their engagement in 2013, welcomed Kaya in 2014, and never married. Following their daughter’s birth, Panettiere developed severe postpartum depression that exacerbated her struggles with alcohol dependence. Though Klitschko supported her in accessing treatment, when Kaya was three years old, he requested full custody of the child, a request Panettiere reluctantly agreed to.

    In her autobiography published earlier this year, Panettiere opened up about the devastating pain of that arrangement: “Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life… I grieve that I’m not the mother I thought I’d be, and definitely not the mother I want to be. Trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime.” She added that despite the distance, the deep mother-daughter bond she shared with Kaya never broke.

    In the hours after the news of Panettiere’s death was made public on Monday, an outpouring of tributes flooded social media from co-stars, colleagues and fans who worked with her across her nearly three-decade career. Getting her start as a child actor, Panettiere landed early roles in hit feature films including *Remember the Titans* and *Raising Helen*, before catapulting to global fame for her lead roles in two iconic series: the supernatural drama *Heroes* and the country music drama *Nashville*.

    Connie Britton, Panettiere’s on-screen co-lead in *Nashville*, shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram alongside photos of the pair performing together on stage. “This was Hayden. Bursting with brilliance, shining so bright,” she wrote. “I have no words for this sad song. Just heartbreak. I love you girl. Sleep easy now.”

    Masi Oka, who starred opposite Panettiere in *Heroes*, echoed that grief in a post to X (formerly Twitter). “I had the privilege of working closely with her, and I’ll always remember her for her beautiful spirit, immense talent, and the joyful energy she brought to everything she did and the people around her,” he wrote. “She was way wiser beyond her years and now gone too soon… Rest in peace, Hayden.”

    Beth Chamberlin, who worked alongside Panettiere as her on-screen mother for three years on the long-running US soap opera *Guiding Light*, remembered the young star’s extraordinary work ethic even as a child. “She was the most brilliant child actor I’ve ever seen,” Chamberlin shared online. “The things she could do, the way she could remember 20+ pages of dialogue, day after day. Even on days where the director would make huge last-minute cuts to scenes between rehearsal and taping, Hayden never once forgot a line or missed her blocking. The adults would, but not Hayden. I felt blessed to work with her.”

    Justin Chatwin, Panettiere’s co-star in her final feature film *Sleepwalker*, released earlier this year, opened up about seeing her struggle with addiction during the 2025 production. “Hayden seemed different when I met her this time than when I crossed paths with her in the early years,” Chatwin told *People* magazine. “I’ve been sober for 15 years, so I know this world of addiction, and Hollywood — it takes, and it takes from youth. I could tell she was struggling… I also know that she was really lonely.”

    As investigations into her cause of death continue, the entertainment community and fans alike remain united in mourning the loss of a talented performer whose career was cut far too short.

  • A Viking longship in ‘The Odyssey’? It’s a case of history meets Hollywood

    A Viking longship in ‘The Odyssey’? It’s a case of history meets Hollywood

    More than two millennia separate the Bronze Age era of Homer’s *The Odyssey* from the Viking age that gave rise to iconic Nordic longships. Yet this striking chronological gap did not stop one world-famous modern Viking ship replica from taking a key spot in Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated new blockbuster — all thanks to the director’s relentless commitment to practical, real-world filmmaking and the craft of a team of Norwegian shipbuilders and sailors.

    The vessel in question is Draken Harald Harfagre, the largest functional replica of a Viking longship built in modern history. Fitted with tar-soaked rigging, a weathered solid oak deck, and 50 hand-carved spruce oars, the ship is normally moored as a cultural landmark in Oslo, Norway’s capital. For Nolan, however, its anachronistic Viking origins were irrelevant: the ship’s overall shape, construction, and open-sea capability perfectly matched his vision of a Bronze Age trading vessel fit for Odysseus’ legendary post-Trojan War journey. To fit the film’s ancient Greek setting, the ship only required one small modification: the removal of its traditional dragon figurehead, a signature feature of actual Viking vessels from the 8th to 11th centuries.

    Nolan, long famous for rejecting overreliance on computer-generated imagery (CGI) in favor of practical effects and real locations, explained the choice in a recent US television interview: “We found a Viking ship that had been built exactly according to those ancient specifications. And it was very much the whole shape and the rig that we needed to do a Bronze Age ship.” Unlike digital props that can be perfectly manipulated on a screen, the real vessel demanded that cast and crew learn the practical work of traditional sailing: Nolan’s team integrated the Draken’s own experienced sailors into the film’s production crew, and lead actors — including A-lister Matt Damon, who plays Odysseus — trained alongside them to master sailing skills from raising the sail to rowing in sync.

    For months, the Draken sailed through filming locations off the coasts of Greece, Italy, and Scotland, with the ship’s permanent crew rubbing shoulders with Hollywood’s biggest names. Trammell Hudson, one of the Draken’s regular sailors, recalled a chaotic on-set moment that embodied the unscripted authenticity of practical filming: “There was one day where one of the actors who was sitting in front of me got seasick and threw up over the rail. It blew back on me. I thought that would be my big scene, because the IMAX camera was very focused on him and me in the background dodging the debris. But I didn’t see that particular scene in the film.”

    Nolan’s adaptation follows Odysseus’ treacherous 10-year voyage back to his home island of Ithaca following the end of the Trojan War, a story rooted in 12th century BCE Greek legend. For the Draken’s expedition director Emanuel Persson, the choice to use a real, functional sailing ship rather than a digital or soundstage replica adds an intangible authenticity that audiences can perceive. “Most of the scenes would be completely different if it wasn’t for us being there, doing the real thing with the real ship and the real crew in the real ocean and real weather,” he said during the ship’s recent return to Oslo. “I think the viewers can actually feel the genuine materials. I don’t know if you can really smell the tar, but you can tell it’s really genuine handicraft instead of being a digital creation.”

    Bjorn Ahlander, captain of the Draken, praised the cast for their grit while working in tough open-sea conditions. “Matt Damon was very nice and very good. Never complained. Every one of the actors was out for a long time and it was very cold and sometimes rough,” he said. “No complaints, nothing, never. So that was fantastic to see.” Coordinating up to 100 rowers on the longship was no small feat, Hudson added: with oars measuring several meters long, perfect synchronization is required to avoid tangling, and rough seas brought unexpected jolts. He recalled one incident where a direct collision with an oncoming wave threw him and his rowing partner nearly 1.5 meters into the air.

    Not all behind-the-scenes stories from the production are positive, however. Like Penelope, Odysseus’ faithful wife who waited a decade for his return, the owners of a second Viking ship from neighboring Sweden that also featured in the film have endured a long wait of their own: after the vessel sustained damage during filming, they have waited more than a year for the promised compensation, a sour note amid the otherwise triumphant collaboration between history and Hollywood.

  • Shakira makes surprise visit to earthquake-damaged Colombian schools and says she will help rebuild

    Shakira makes surprise visit to earthquake-damaged Colombian schools and says she will help rebuild

    In the wake of a catastrophic 7.4-magnitude earthquake that ripped through western Colombia on August 10, leaving hundreds dead and thousands of educational facilities damaged, global Colombian music icon Shakira has launched a major initiative to restore learning access for children in the hardest-hit, remote region of Chocó. The Grammy-winning superstar made the commitment public during an unannounced visit to Quibdó, Chocó’s capital, on Monday, where she walked through crumpled school grounds, embraced displaced students and posed for photos with communities grappling with the disaster’s aftermath.
    The earthquake, whose epicenter fell within Chocó’s borders, has officially claimed at least 287 lives, destroyed more than 26,000 residential structures and left 194 people unaccounted for, per Colombian government data. Independent civilian-led registries, however, place the missing count at over 4,100. Regional government updates from Monday confirm that at least 3,100 homes in Chocó were leveled, and more than 265 educational sites across the province suffered severe damage. One of Colombia’s poorest regions with a population of roughly 600,000 — most of whom are members of Indigenous tribes and Afro-Colombian communities — Chocó presents unique logistical challenges for relief efforts: roughly the size of Switzerland, it has very few paved connections to the rest of the country, with most remote communities accessible only via river or unpaved roads, slowing damage assessments and aid delivery.
    For Shakira, the disaster hits close to home. Her Barefoot Foundation (Fundación Pies Descalzos), which has worked to expand educational access for vulnerable Colombian youth for nearly three decades, has operated two successful schools in Chocó for 22 years, graduating hundreds of local students. “It’s a place I love, a place where I’ve seen our students grow in our classrooms,” Shakira shared in a video posted to X by Colombian news outlet La FM. “What worries me the most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over. Every day that children don’t go to school is a day they miss out on their future,” she told reporters during her visit.
    The superstar emphasized that her pledge is a long-term commitment, not a short-term emergency response, pushing back against a history of neglect that has long marginalized Chocó. “There is not a way to alleviate the pain of so many, there are no magic solutions,” she said during a stop at a large Quibdó high school. “But what there is, is commitment to be here alongside those from Chocó, to not abandon El Chocó like it historically has been abandoned, until every Colombian and every person from Chocó can return to their normal lives like they deserve and all the children can return to their schools and dream of the futures they deserve.” In addition to rebuilding 10 primary and secondary schools, Shakira added that she will devote all her personal efforts to restoring Chocó’s local technological university.
    Collaborating on the project is Howard G. Buffett, son of billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett and a long-time development donor to Colombia who has previously partnered with Shakira on school construction projects in the country. “When she calls, I come,” Buffett said of his involvement. His namesake foundation will partner with the Barefoot Foundation to execute the reconstruction. Two additional major organizations have also committed funding: Global Citizen and Live Nation each pledged $500,000 to the cause.
    Shakira’s commitment is the latest in a wave of support from prominent Latin American and Colombian public figures for earthquake recovery efforts in both Colombia and neighboring Venezuela, which was hit by twin quakes in June. Just last week, the Colombian Football Federation and South American Football Confederation jointly pledged $1 million to Colombian First Lady Ana Lucía Pineda’s “Colombia, one heart” recovery fund. On Sunday, star artists Marc Anthony and Chayanne headlined a star-studded benefit concert and live fundraiser in Miami for both countries’ relief efforts. Colombian reguetonera Karol G has pledged to match all fan donations to her Con Cora Foundation during her recent three-night run at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, and will join fellow Colombian star Maluma, Sebastián Yatra and other artists for a Bogotá benefit concert this coming Sunday. Shakira herself already demonstrated rapid response to the Venezuela quakes, announcing the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund would commit $500,000 to education recovery there just months ago.
    A globally recognized performer who most recently headlined the 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show and drew a crowd of 2 million fans to a May concert on Brazil’s Copacabana Beach, Shakira has leveraged her fame for decades to advance education equity across her home country. Monday’s pledge reaffirms her long-standing focus on ensuring no child loses access to learning in the wake of crisis.

  • Tupac Shakur’s accused killer was out for ‘revenge’, jury hears

    Tupac Shakur’s accused killer was out for ‘revenge’, jury hears

    Thirty years after the iconic rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting, one of the most high-profile cold cases in American entertainment history finally moved into a courtroom on Monday. Prosecutors opened the trial of 63-year-old Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former leader of Los Angeles’ South Side Compton Crips gang, by laying out a narrative of planned gang retaliation that ended the life of one of hip-hop’s most influential figures at just 25 years old.

    Lead prosecutor Binu Pilal told the Las Vegas jury that the fatal attack was a direct act of revenge for a public, on-camera beating of Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, earlier the same night. On September 7, 1996, Shakur and Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight were in Las Vegas to attend a boxing match featuring Mike Tyson. The pair confronted Anderson, a Crips member, after he was accused of assaulting a Death Row Records employee, resulting in a humiliating public beating that left Davis enraged, Pilal said. Just two and a half hours after the altercation, Shakur was shot dead when a white Cadillac pulled alongside his vehicle and opened fire.

    According to prosecutors, Davis did not fire the fatal shots himself. Instead, he provided the weapon to a passenger in the back seat of the Cadillac and explicitly ordered the attack on Shakur. Over the decades following the murder, Pilal noted, Davis repeatedly confessed to his role in the killing — to law enforcement, to media outlets, and even in his own 2019 autobiography. “Over the years, in private interviews, in public statements, and even in private calls, Duane Davis has repeatedly told us over and over again about the anger he felt, and his own role in the revenge drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur,” Pilal told the jury. “And now, nearly 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable.”

    The killing of Tupac Shakur has long been tied to the infamous 1990s hip-hop rivalry between the U.S. East Coast and West Coast. Born to a Black Panther activist and raised in Harlem and Baltimore, Shakur rose to fame as the face of West Coast hip-hop after signing with Los Angeles-based Death Row Records, delivering career-defining hits including *California Love* and *All Eyez on Me*. Death Row was affiliated with the Mob Piru Bloods gang, while East Coast label Bad Boy Records — founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs and home to rival rapper The Notorious B.I.G. — hired the South Side Compton Crips as personal security, setting the stage for escalating gang tensions that preceded the shooting. The Notorious B.I.G. was himself murdered in a drive-by shooting just six months after Shakur’s killing, deepening the legacy of violence tied to the rivalry.

    For nearly 25 years, the Shakur murder case stalled due to a lack of actionable evidence. The investigation was reignited only after Davis published his memoir in 2019, in which he confirmed he was in the front seat of the Cadillac the night of the shooting and handed the gun to the back-seat shooter, though he never named who pulled the trigger. All other occupants of the vehicle have since died. Davis has since walked back his memoir’s claims, arguing they were overstated bluster crafted by a ghostwriter to boost book sales. He has entered a full plea of not guilty to all charges against him.

    If convicted on the murder charge, Davis faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The trial is expected to run for more than a month, revisiting decades-old gang ties, hip-hop industry rivalries, and one of the most enduring mysteries in modern American popular culture.

  • Hayden Panettiere: A life of struggles alongside screen success

    Hayden Panettiere: A life of struggles alongside screen success

    Acclaimed American actress Hayden Panettiere, whose decades-long career carried her from child stardom to leading roles in two of television’s biggest hits, has passed away at the age of 36. Her life, defined by early professional success and relentless public attention, was also marked by a long, public battle with personal trauma, addiction, and industry exploitation that she detailed candidly in a memoir released earlier this year.

    Panettiere was born into a showbusiness family; her mother Lesley Vogel was a working actress who guided her daughter into the industry from infancy. She landed her first commercial at just 11 months old, and by age four, she had secured a regular role on the long-running daytime soap opera *One Life to Live*. She moved to another hit soap, *Guiding Light*, at eight years old, building a reputation for a natural, charismatic screen presence that set her apart from many young performers.

    But this early career came at a profound cost, as Panettiere revealed in her autobiography *This Is Me*, published in May 2024. “From a very young age, I lost the chance to have a normal childhood, friends, relationships, and my privacy,” she wrote. Groomed for a life in the spotlight from the start, Panettiere told *The Hollywood Reporter* that “No was never an option” — she described herself as a “little soldier” trained to prioritize work over her own needs.

    By her late teens, Panettiere’s career was rapidly expanding. She voiced Princess Dot in Pixar’s 1998 animated classic *A Bug’s Life*, earning a Grammy nomination for the film’s accompanying children’s read-along album, making her one of the youngest nominees in the award’s history. She went on to share the screen with A-list stars: alongside Denzel Washington in the 2000 sports drama *Remember the Titans*, opposite Kate Hudson in 2004’s *Raising Helen*, and as the lead of the 2006 cheerleading comedy *Bring It On: All or Nothing*. A 2005 on-set fall from a zebra during the filming of *Racing Stripes* left her with chronic back pain that plagued her for more than 20 years, she wrote.

    Panettiere rose to global fame in 2006, when she landed the iconic role of Claire Bennet on the NBC superhero drama *Heroes*. The series, anchored by the famous tagline “Save the cheerleader, save the world,” became a cultural phenomenon, turning 17-year-old Panettiere into a household name. But the new level of stardom brought intense, invasive scrutiny: aggressive paparazzi harassed her regularly, she said, and a tabloid headline focusing on her appearance triggered years of body dysmorphia. “I suffered from body dysmorphia for years because of that, believing that no matter how strong, thin or young I was, there was no escaping the dreaded cottage cheese thighs,” she wrote.

    The pressure of fame also opened the door to her struggles with addiction, Panettiere revealed. A publicist gave her a “happy pill” to manage red carpet anxiety as a teen, an experience she called “the gateway drug that ushered me toward the good of pharmaceuticals and the downfall of addiction.” During her time on *Heroes*, she made the difficult decision to remove her mother from her role as her manager, a choice that led to a bitter rift: when she asked for the change, her mother only responded, “You owe me,” before walking out.

    As a young woman in Hollywood, Panettiere endured repeated sexual harassment and exploitation, she detailed in her memoir. At 18, while dating her *Heroes* co-star Milo Ventimiglia, a senior TV executive forced an unwanted kiss on her at an industry party. On another occasion, an Oscar-winning actor and director exposed himself to her, she claimed, and during a yacht trip, a acquaintance tricked her into entering a bedroom where a famous British singer-songwriter was waiting naked. “My body no longer felt like my own,” she wrote. “The shock was so great it didn’t even occur to me to say no.”

    In 2009, at 19, Panettiere began a relationship with legendary Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, who was 13 years her senior. The couple welcomed a daughter, Kaya, five years later, and Panettiere soon developed severe postpartum depression. She told podcaster Jay Shetty that while she never felt negative toward her daughter, she struggled to connect with the newborn and lived with constant stress and anxiety, turning to heavy drinking to cope with her emotions. When Kaya was three, Klitschko asked Panettiere to sign over full custody, citing concerns about her drinking. Though she initially planned a legal battle, she ultimately agreed, acknowledging her daughter needed stability she could not provide at the time. She called the experience of co-parenting from separate homes “the most gut-wrenching experience of my life,” writing, “Trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime.” Still, she emphasized that her bond with Kaya remained unbreakable.

    Parallel to her personal struggles, Panettiere earned widespread critical acclaim for her lead role as troubled country star Juliette Barnes on the musical drama *Nashville*, which ran for six seasons starting in 2012. The performance earned her two Golden Globe nominations, with critics praising her ability to turn a potentially one-note character into a layered, sympathetic portrait of trauma and fame. What many viewers did not know was how closely the character’s storyline mirrored Panettiere’s real life: both struggled with addiction, postpartum depression, and losing custody of a child. “It was like, OK, this you guys are just mirroring my life,” she said. Reenacting her own trauma for a global audience every week took a devastating toll: “I was suffering from debilitating anxiety and addiction I couldn’t shake, and I had to live through it twice. First at home, as Hayden, and then in front of millions at home, as Juliette.”

    Shortly before *Nashville* wrapped production, Panettiere began a relationship with Brian Hickerson, who later subjected her to repeated domestic abuse, she said. Hickerson would beat her head against walls and once injured her face so badly she stayed inside her home for weeks. He pleaded no contest to domestic abuse charges in 2021 and was sentenced to jail. Panettiere endured another devastating loss in 2023, when her younger brother Jansen died from complications of an enlarged heart.

    In her memoir, Panettiere opened up about the long process of healing and reflection she underwent in her final years. “I’ve always strived to be a positive person, but I grieve all the hours I lost to addiction, my broken relationships, and my loved ones who are no longer here,” she wrote. After years of treatment, she said she had come to accept that she could only change her own path moving forward. She ended her book with a message of quiet hope, writing that she had learned to embrace both her successes and her hardships: “they have made me who I am.”

  • In pictures: Hayden Panettiere’s life and career, from child actor to Scream star

    In pictures: Hayden Panettiere’s life and career, from child actor to Scream star

    The entertainment industry is mourning the loss of one of its most recognizable stars, Hayden Panettiere, the American actress who won global acclaim for roles in hit series *Heroes* and *Nashville*, has passed away at the age of 36. In an official statement confirming her death, her father Skip Panettiere remembered his daughter as an “incredible light and a force of nature” that touched the lives of countless fans and colleagues alike.

    Born in August 1989 in Palisades, New York, Panettiere grew up in a family tied to the entertainment industry: her mother Lesley Vogel was an actress and producer, while her father Skip was a former firefighter. She shared her childhood with younger brother Jansen Panettiere, who also worked as an actor before his death in 2023 at the age of 28, a loss that weighed heavily on Panettiere in her later years.

    Panettiere’s entertainment career began when she was just a toddler; her mother brought her to auditions when she was only eight months old, and by the age of four, she landed her first major role on the long-running US soap opera *One Life to Live*. By five years old, she had already appeared in more than 50 television commercials, launching a three-decade career that never slowed through her childhood and into adulthood. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Panettiere had built an impressive resume of credits, ranging from a voice role in the beloved Pixar animated film *A Bug’s Life* to guest appearances on hit series including *Ally McBeal* and *Malcolm in the Middle*.

    As a young adult, Panettiere rose to wider prominence with a string of high-profile film roles: she starred opposite Kate Hudson in the 2004 romantic comedy *Raising Helen*, and earned a cult following among teen audiences as Britney Allen in the 2006 cheerleading comedy *Bring It On: All or Nothing*.

    That same 2006 marked Panettiere’s definitive career breakthrough, when she was cast as Claire Bennet in the NBC sci-fi drama *Heroes*. The role, a high school cheerleader with the extraordinary ability to rapidly regenerate damaged cells, turned Panettiere into a household name. *Heroes* ran for four seasons until 2010, earning multiple Emmy and Golden Globe award nominations and becoming a defining pop culture hit of the 2000s.

    Following the end of *Heroes*, Panettiere landed another career-defining role from 2012 to 2018, starring as the ambitious, talented young country singer Juliette Barnes in the musical drama *Nashville*. The role earned her two Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, and her musical performances from the show landed 11 tracks on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, showcasing her range as both an actor and a vocalist. She also remained a staple of the horror genre, joining the iconic *Scream* franchise as Kirby Reed in 2011’s *Scream 4* and reprising the fan-favorite role in 2023’s *Scream VI*.

    Off-screen, Panettiere was open about the personal struggles that shaped her life and career. She dated former Ukrainian professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko for nearly a decade, welcoming their daughter Kaya in 2014 before the couple split in 2018. After Kaya’s birth, Panettiere publicly shared her experience with postpartum depression in a 2015 appearance on *Live With Kelly And Michael*, noting that the condition was a common struggle that many women face, and entering a treatment facility to address her symptoms.

    In early 2025, ahead of her death, Panettiere released her deeply personal memoir *This Is Me: A Reckoning*, where she detailed the unique challenges of growing up as a child actor in Hollywood, as well as her lived experiences with addiction, emotional and physical abuse, and her journey toward recovery. In a May 2025 interview with CBS News, she reflected on how her career started almost before she could remember, saying “It went from there and progressed into 50 commercials by the time I was five… It just never stopped.”

  • Movie that went viral for terrible animation becomes China box office hit

    Movie that went viral for terrible animation becomes China box office hit

    In an extraordinary turn of events that has upended expectations for China’s summer movie season, a micro-budget animated feature has climbed from total box office obscurity to become one of the most talked-about hits of the year, all fueled by viral internet chatter over its notoriously poor quality.\n\nTitled *Niu Lai*, which translates roughly to “Ox Coming,” the 80-minute animated film centers on a surreal dream sequence following a cow. When it first launched in theaters earlier this month, the unpublicized, low-key production made barely a ripple: over its first 10 days on screens, it grossed just 7,705 yuan, equal to roughly $1,140, according to Chinese movie tracking platform Mao Yan.\n\nBut everything shifted when clips and commentary about the film’s confusing narrative and low-quality hand-drawn animation began spreading wildly across Chinese social platforms. Audiences latched onto the movie’s “so bad it’s good” charm, turning it into a must-see cultural event. As of mid-August, its total box office has surged past 11.4 million yuan, enough to hold its own against major Hollywood blockbusters currently screening in Chinese cinemas including *The Odyssey* and *Spider Man: Brand New Day*.\n\nThe viral frenzy around *Niu Lai* has spawned countless creative takes on why the film has resonated so deeply with audiences. A widely shared social media post summed up the collective urge to watch it, saying: “You may regret for 80 minutes if you watch it, but if you don’t, you’ll regret it for life.”\n\nFor many viewers, the film’s janky handcrafted animation has become a selling point at a moment when generic AI-generated content dominates social media feeds. Many netizens have celebrated *Niu Lai* as a refreshing antidote to what they call “AI slop,” pointing to its unpolished visuals as proof that no artificial intelligence was used in its creation. “That’s some serious craftsmanship,” one Weibo user joked, while another labeled it “pure handmade” and the summer season’s biggest dark horse.\n\nOther fans have latched onto the film’s name for good luck tied to Chinese stock markets, where “bullish” growth is described using the character for ox (niu). Many social media users have promised to see the film to cheer on a coming market rally, with one writing: “If the index reaches 4,000 tomorrow I will go to the cinema to support this movie.” Another comment summed up this perspective: “It is a terrible movie but has a great name.”\n\nSpurred by skyrocketing audience demand, cinemas across China have responded by adding dozens of extra screenings of the low-budget title. A film industry Weibo account noted that *Niu Lai*’s rags-to-riches box office trajectory is “unprecedented and will likely remain so.”\n\nNot all observers have welcomed the film’s unexpected success, however. Over the weekend, a commentary published by the state-owned *Beijing News* warned that adding widespread screenings of a poorly made film like *Niu Lai* risks eroding audience trust in cinemas if operators continue to lower their quality standards. The commentary argued that *Niu Lai*, which joins a string of past films widely mocked for low quality, “has once again lowered the bar for audiences’ expectations of poorly made films.” It called on cinema operators to act as quality gatekeepers for audiences, “clearly reject films that are obviously not up to standard instead of letting films like Niu Lai run rampant.”

  • Is this cave in Turkey where Homer wrote ‘The Odyssey’?

    Is this cave in Turkey where Homer wrote ‘The Odyssey’?

    Nestled on a sunlit hillside overlooking olive-draped slopes outside Turkey’s Aegean coastal city of Izmir, a rugged, rock-choked cave has been venerated for generations by local residents as the very spot where the ancient bard Homer composed his legendary epic *The Odyssey*. As renewed global interest in Homer surges following the release of Christopher Nolan’s hit blockbuster of the same name, scholars, local officials and residents in Bornova’s Homeros Valley are reigniting centuries-old debate over the cave’s legendary connection to one of Western literature’s most iconic figures.

    While no definitive concrete evidence has ever confirmed the cave as Homer’s creative workspace, the link between Homer and the Izmir region — anciently known as Smyrna — stretches back millennia. As far back as the 2nd century CE, Greek geographer and chronicler Pausanias recorded that Smyrna’s residents guarded a grotto along the Meles River where Homer was said to have written his works, cementing a mythic connection that has persisted to the modern day. Though other sites, most notably the Greek island of Chios, also lay claim to Homer’s origins, researchers in Bornova have recently unearthed new clues they argue lend unprecedented weight to their region’s claim.

    Turkish researcher Altan Altin, who has authored a full book on the subject of Homer’s connection to Bornova, argues that a 3rd-century BCE bas-relief frieze depicting Homer’s deification contains exact, matching geographic details that mirror the layout of the Bornova cave — a connection no scholar had previously identified. “This is the first time such a detailed geographical confirmation of the cave has come to light,” Altin explained, noting that ancient Ionia, the historic Greek region that encompassed both Smyrna and Chios on Turkey’s Aegean coast, is Homer’s true geographic home. “For me, there’s no doubt: Homer is from Bornova, and at the very least, he is from these lands.”

    Archaeological evidence from the region further supports this cultural connection, according to local archaeologist Mehmet Akif Erdem. Excavations have uncovered ancient coins minted in Smyrna that bear Homer’s likeness, indicating the city’s ancient residents already claimed the poet as their own centuries after his death. Additionally, the Ionic and Aeolic ancient Greek dialects used in both *The Iliad* and *The Odyssey* align with the language spoken in the Smyrna region during Homer’s purported lifetime, Erdem added.

    Today, Homer’s presence permeates every corner of Bornova: a Neolithic archaeological site on the town’s outskirts hosts a marble bust of the poet inscribed with the words “I compiled *The Iliad* and *The Odyssey* epics on this land. I lived in Bornova.” The town already hosts an annual book fair dedicated to Homer and features a statue of Trojan War hero Hector in its central park, and local leaders are now moving to renovate the cave to open it to international tourists, capitalizing on the new wave of Homeric interest sparked by Nolan’s film.

    “Preserving Homer’s legacy is a duty we owe to humanity. He is one of the founding fathers of literature,” Bornova Mayor Omer Eski told AFP. “The stories he tells are about this land. The question is not whether we should claim Homer or not — his story is also ours.”

    Not all local leaders share this vision, however. In 2024, officials from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP party sparked controversy by proposing to rename Homer’s Valley after a Turkish fighter pilot, arguing the culturally significant site should not carry a Greek name. Eski has pushed back forcefully against the proposal, arguing erasing Homer’s name would be an irreversible loss for Bornova’s cultural identity. His goal, he says, is to position the town as a global Homeric heritage destination that draws literary tourists from across the world.

    The release of Nolan’s *The Odyssey* has already had a visible impact on local interest: booksellers across Izmir report a sharp spike in sales of Homer’s epic, and members of the public say the film has helped them connect more deeply with their region’s ancient literary heritage. “I knew Homer was from these lands, but I didn’t know he was specifically from Izmir. We are incredibly lucky,” said Safak Tosun, a local teacher, outside a cinema screening the new film. “I feel proud, honoured and deeply privileged to be his fellow countryman.”

    For Altin, clues within Homer’s own works confirm the poet’s Anatolian roots: *The Iliad* is filled with specific anecdotes and cultural references that only would have been familiar to a resident of the Aegean Anatolian coast, he argues. Most importantly, he adds, the debate over Homer’s national or cultural origin should not fuel rivalry between modern Turkey and Greece. “Homer is 2,800 years old, while the Turkish-Greek border is only a century old,” Altin shrugged. “Homer is Greek. Homer is Anatolian. None of us is older than he is, not even our countries.”

  • Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere dies aged 36

    Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere dies aged 36

    Tributes are pouring in across the entertainment industry following the news that acclaimed American actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her leading roles in hit series *Heroes* and *Nashville*, has passed away at the age of 36.

    In an official statement shared with U.S. media outlets, Panettiere’s father Skip Panettiere confirmed the devastating loss, speaking of his daughter’s lasting impact on everyone she encountered. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” the statement read. As of press time, no specific details regarding the circumstances of her death have been released to the public. In accordance with the family’s request, privacy is being respected as they grieve this unimaginable loss.

    Panettiere’s entertainment career began unusually early: she landed her first professional acting role at just four years old, when she was cast on the long-running American soap opera *One Life to Live*. Over the course of three decades in the industry, she built a versatile resume spanning television and film, earning critical acclaim and a loyal global fanbase.

    Her breakout role came in 2006, when she was cast as Claire Bennet, the indestructible cheerleader with extraordinary superpowers, in the groundbreaking sci-fi drama *Heroes*. The role turned Panettiere into a household name, and she went on to land a string of memorable roles in major productions, including the iconic sports drama *Remember the Titans*, the romantic comedy *Raising Helen*, the hit *Scream* horror franchise, and the rom-com *I Love You, Beth Cooper*. Most recently, she held a starring role on the country music drama *Nashville*, which further cemented her reputation as a versatile performer.

    Earlier in 2025, Panettiere released her raw, candid memoir *This Is Me: A Reckoning*, in which she opened up about the unique challenges of growing up in the public eye as a child actor, as well as her personal battles with addiction, domestic abuse, and her journey toward long-term recovery. The book was widely praised for its honesty and resonated with countless fans who shared similar experiences.

    Panettiere is survived by her 10-year-old daughter Kaya, whom she shares with former partner, former world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.

  • Perth’s iconic C Restaurant to close after 20 years, as historic St Martin’s Tower gets hotel revamp

    Perth’s iconic C Restaurant to close after 20 years, as historic St Martin’s Tower gets hotel revamp

    After more than two decades of serving iconic skyline views and award-winning dining to Western Australia’s capital, one of Australia’s most famous revolving restaurants has announced it will permanently close its doors in early 2027, a surprise announcement that has left the venue’s close-knit team and local community grappling with sadness.

    Perched 33 stories above Perth’s central business district inside St Martin’s Tower, C Restaurant first opened its doors to diners in 2001, taking over the historic revolving space that previously housed Hilite 33, the tower’s original restaurant tenant dating back to 1978. Over its 20-plus years of operation, C Restaurant grew to become a landmark of Perth’s hospitality scene, earning a reputation as one of Australia’s earliest and most beloved revolving dining venues. It has collected a long list of industry honors, including multiple Gold Plate Awards and a permanent spot on the Western Australia Good Food Guide Icons List, all while offering guests a slowly rotating panoramic view of the entire Perth skyline.

    The closure is tied to a planned redevelopment of St Martin’s Tower, which will see the entire building converted into a new hotel, forcing the long-standing restaurant to vacate its space by January 31, 2027. In an emotional statement released this week, owner Olivier Letrone described his decades leading the restaurant as one of the greatest privileges of his life. He shared that breaking the news of the upcoming closure to his 90-person team was one of the hardest conversations of his entire hospitality career.

    To his surprise and gratitude, every single member of the team has committed to staying with the restaurant through its final day of service, a display of loyalty Letrone called humbling, and the core reason the venue has thrived for more than 20 years. “We intend to finish the way we’ve always operated: as a family, and at the top of our game,” Letrone said.

    General Manager Ann-Marie Gill echoed that sentiment, noting that her years at C Restaurant have been some of the most rewarding of her professional life. “Working alongside such a dedicated team and helping create memorable experiences for our guests has been a real privilege,” she said. “Although it’s difficult to say goodbye, I’ll always be proud to have been part of C Restaurant’s story.”

    Even as the venue prepares for its final rotation in 2027, Letrone is already laying early plans to revive the brand at a new location, noting that the team’s shared passion for hospitality will not disappear when the St Martin’s Tower doors close. While he has not confirmed whether the new venue will retain the fine dining focus that defined the original C Restaurant, he confirmed that work to identify a new space is already underway.

    For the next two years, however, the team will remain focused on what they have always done best: delivering exceptional food, warm hospitality, and unforgettable experiences for every guest who walks through the door. Letrone extended an open invitation to Perth locals and past visitors to return for one final meal before closing day, to celebrate the decades of memories created 33 stories above the city. “While its doors will close on 31 January 2027, the memories made here will endure long after the restaurant completes its final turn,” he said.