The Rehearsal is a cringe comedy that might save lives but it's not for nervous fliers
Nathan Fielder's bewildering on Sky Atlantic show mixes uncomfortable laughs with a serious look at aviation safety
You could say that season two of The Rehearsal (Sky Atlantic) has everything. The question is, do we want everything? Flight simulators, cloned dogs, a congressional subcommittee, fake airport concourses and a singing competition on the lines of Britain's Got Talent. It's a lot.
Comedian Nathan Fielder, who previously created and starred in The Curse with Emma Stone, does all this with what must be an enormous budget from HBO (he mentions it several times). From this, he constructs not only a giant breastfeeding puppet – that bit was really funny – but an investigation into airline safety. He believes that most airline crashes are caused by the lack of effective communication in the cockpit.
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The Irish Sun
17 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Piers Morgan reveals he turned down big money reality TV show just last week – saying ‘my parents would disown me'
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The Journal
17 hours ago
- The Journal
The viral Labubu craze goes global and Beijing hopes to remind the world of 'cool China'
THERE'S A NEW craze in town and it's already captured celebrities from Cher to David Beckham. Rihanna, Dua Lipa and Kim Kardashian are also among the big names to have been seen with Labubu dolls dangling from their handbags and luggage in recent weeks. The doll are made in China and the country's official state news agency has even expressed hope that Labubu dolls will allow the western world to see 'Cool China' . But what exactly is a Labubu? Part-toy, part-fashion accessory, Labubu dolls are having a viral moment even though they're not exactly an overnight sensation. Labubu started out as a storybook character created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. While born in Hong Kong, Lung moved to the Netherlands when he was 7 and the Labubu characters are inspired by the Nordic fairy tales he was then introduced to. In 2015, Lung released an illustrated book series called The Monsters and the book's star was Labubu – a small monster with high, pointed ears and serrated teeth. Labubu toys in a store in Shanghai. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Labubu is described as being 'very kind-hearted and always wants to help others while accidentally doing bad things'. How did it turn into a toy? Lung went on to release a toy line of the Monsters featured in his book with a Hong Kong toy company called How2Work. The toys however are more accurately described as 'art toys', which are collectibles created by designers and artists and usually come in limited editions. In 2019, Lung entered into an exclusive partnership with Chinese toy company Pop Mart in 2019. What happened after Pop Mart got involved? According to Pop Mart, the revenue generated from the first Monsters toy series broke the sales record in the art toy category. Pop Mart has over 400 stores globally, including 30 US branches and 16 UK branches. The toys received a further boost in 2024 when Lisa, a Thai singer and actress with over 106 million followers on Instagram, began posting about her Labubu dolls. Lisa made her acting debut this year in the HBO television series The White Lotus. Lisa posing with her Labubu dolls lalalalisa_m's Instagram lalalalisa_m's Instagram From there, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, David Beckham, Dua Lipa and Cher have been among the famous faces pictured with the dolls. Labubu mania has taken over social media, after Lisa from BLACKPINK first posted her love for the adorable toys. Now other celebrities are joining the craze! — E! News (@enews) June 13, 2025 The global craze caused a London branch of Pop Mart to suspend in-store sales of the toys last month, fearing violence from would-be buyers who failed to get their hands on the limited-edition Labubus. Following this incident, Pop Mart said it is reviewing the way its toys are distributed to help create a fair and safe environment for its customers. And in China, the toys have been promised as freebies for new bank customers – an incentive quickly shut down by local regulators, according to Chinese media reports. Advertisement How does China feel about Labubumania? State news agency Xinhua said Labubu 'shows the appeal of Chinese creativity, quality and culture in a language the world can understand'. It also said the toys are giving the world a chance to see 'cool China' and that Labubu is part of 'rebranding the 'Made in China' label from manufacturing to imagination'. 'In a time of rising geopolitical tensions, the charm of Labubu reminds the world that Chinese creativity, too, can be intimate, idiosyncratic, and incontrovertibly cool,' said an article which appeared today on Xinhua. Meanwhile, Allison Malmsten, an analyst at China-based Daxue Consulting, said vital exports such as Labubu shows that China is 'undergoing a soft-power shift where its products and image are increasingly cool among young Westerners'. Malmsten said she believed social media could boost China's global image 'similar to that of Japan in the 80s to 2010s with Pokemon and Nintendo'. Labubu products at a Pop Mart store in Beijing, China. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Elsewhere, Joshua Kurlantzick from the Council on Foreign Relations, an American think tank focused on US foreign policy and international relations, said that exports such as Labubu could 'improve the image of China as a place that has companies that can produce globally attractive goods or services'. There have been few success stories of Chinese companies selling upmarket goods under their own brands, faced with stereotypes of cheap and low-quality products. Currently, the country's best-known exporter is fast-fashion website Shein. However, Kurlantzick said he is uncertain if exports such as Labubu 'impacts images of China's state or government', pointing to how South Korea's soft power has not translated into similar levels of political might. How much do they cost? Labubus, which typically sell for around €20, are released in limited quantities and sold in 'blind boxes', meaning buyers don't know the exact model they will receive. However, some items from the Monsters series on the Pop Mart website can be priced as high as €1,300 and the toys face a steep markup on the re-sale market. Resellers are also said to cause tension in physical stores. Large queue formed at Pop Mart in central Manchester as it launched version three of the art toy 'Big Into Energy' Labubu series Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'People wait for hours queuing up in front of the store and it's so sad to see them be disappointed, because the resellers create a really difficult environment for them, or they get violent,' said Engie, a supervisor at Pop Mart in London. UK collector Rayy Raphael said prices had reached £500 (€585) for rare dolls and claimed that it's 'just not safe to take it outside at the moment'. 'There's so many TikTok trends at the moment of how people are getting punched,' he added. David Beckham posted a Labubu to his Instagram Instagram / DavidBeckham Instagram / DavidBeckham / DavidBeckham Meanwhile, knockoffs have flooded online platforms, with the fakes dubbed 'Lafufus' by social media users. Real Labubus can be verified with a QR code on the bottom of each box, but some re-sellers may disguise a fake toy inside authentic boxes. Lafufus can be identified by twisted limbs, misshapen heads, or the incorrect number of teeth whereas real Labubus have nine. Chinese customs officials said this week that they had seized more than 70,000 fake dolls in recent days. -With additional reporting from © AFP 2025 Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Huge shake-up on popular ITV quiz as two big name stars QUIT ahead of new series
ITV has scrambled the dial on its quizshow Password and made huge changes ahead of series two. I can reveal that Alan Carr and Advertisement 7 ITV has made huge changes to quizshow Password ahead of series two Credit: ITV The brilliant duo stood as team captains on the popular gameshow. But for its second run, a revolving panel of celebrities feature instead. A source said: 'Password did brilliantly on its first outing so it's always a shame to make unnecessary changes, but Alan and Daisy are both incredibly busy and diaries just wouldn't align. 'Something had to give and sadly it was their roles as team captains. Advertisement READ MORE ON ITV 'But there's an exciting line-up of celebs ready to take part instead and everyone's confident the format works without them.' On each episode, Alan and Daisy teamed up with a civilian contestant. Each was given a secret word - the password - which their team mate had to guess based on a one-word clue. There was a £10k prize on offer in the final. Advertisement Most read in News TV The new series, which comes from the makers Blankety Blank, Britain's Got Talent and QI, will film this July and air later this year. The source added: 'If anything, the variety of celebrity players will help keep the show fresh and exciting.' ITV issue major update on series two of The Fortune Hotel with Stephen Mangan following 'fakery row' Hugh's up for the cup The six-parter will see Ian and his team jet off to Miami to be in charge of 'integrity' at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Advertisement 7 Hugh Bonneville's Ian Fletcher will be jetting off to the World Cup Credit: BBC He'll be joined by Day Of The Jackal's Nick Blood, Ten Percent's Chelsey Crisp, Designated Survivor's Paulo Costanzo and The Handmaid's Tale's Stephen Kunken. Speaking in character as Fletcher, Hugh said: 'I'm thrilled at the prospect of joining the Oversight Team in Miami for this unique event. 'To borrow a soccer analogy, this is a rare opportunity to set out your own goals and then score them on the global stage.' Advertisement The series will air on BBC One and iPlayer. May's return JAMES MAY will be back in his Wiltshire workshop as his Quest series Shed Load Of Ideas returns for eight episodes this autumn. The show follows the presenter as he uses engineering hacks and simple solutions to tackle Britain's bugbears and solve everyday problems for everyday people. Catch a catfish with C4 SINGLETONS are being put to the test in a new Channel 4 show where they have to work out which of their matches is actually a pal pranking them. Find The Catfish, the first series for the broadcaster's new digital channel, Channel 4.0, will follow one person as they go through five blind dates. But two of their friends will be secretly pranking them, using voice-changing tech to try to convince their friend they are the real deal. Advertisement The six-part series will be joined on the new channel by The Intern, which offers amateurs a once-in-a-lifetime internship, and quiz show Family Face-Off, which sees contestants go head-to-head with their families. The shows will all be available to stream this summer. Sun is out for Rivals DISNEY+ show In snaps taken from the set of the second series, which is currently filming in Advertisement 7 David Tennant on the set of Disney+ show Rivals Credit: Splash 7 Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black Credit: Splash 7 The Sun features in snaps taken from the set of the second series Credit: Splash Last time, Paul was seen going through a mid-life crisis after becoming embroiled in an adultery scandal. Advertisement But he looks to have got his act together for series two and is seen, vying for votes outside a town hall. TV firm owner, Lord Tony Baddingham, played by The second series, based on Dame Jilly Cooper's hit novel, is expected to again follow the rivalry between Tony and Rupert. Season one ended with Tony left for dead after being hit with a television award by American producer Cameron, played by Nafessa Williams during a row. Advertisement 7 A cast member is seen flashing a 1980s copy of The Sun during a photo call for Conservative MP Paul Stratton, played by Rufus Jones Credit: Splash 7 Taggie O'Hara as Bella Maclean Credit: Splash Roisin's return It has been revealed that filming for the third and final series of ITV's hit comedy got under way this week. Advertisement The last run ended with Shiv leaving behind her dysfunctional family and saying goodbye to her artist ex-boyfriend, Jack (Moe Dunford) before flying off to Melbourne on her own. In the new eight-part series, she finds a new love interest, Daryl, played by Rick Donald, after meeting him at a recovery meeting.
