NEWS OF THE WEEK: J.K. Rowling on New Harry Potter Cast: ‘I Couldn't Be Happier'
J.K. Rowling has broken her silence on the new stars of the upcoming Harry Potter TV series, saying: 'All three are wonderful. I couldn't be happier.' Her comment came in response to a fan on X (formerly Twitter) who praised the newly announced leads. Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron. The trio were selected from over 32,000 auditions across the UK and Ireland. Filming begins this summer, and the series—spanning seven seasons—is set to air on HBO with a reported budget of £75 million per episode.
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Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Stephen Fry brands JK Rowling a 'lost cause' over transgender rows
Sir Stephen Fry has branded JK Rowling a "lost cause" and fears she's been "radicalised by TERFs". The 67-year-old comedian and author previously vowed not to "abandon" his friendship with the Harry Potter author - despite her controversial comments about the transgender community However, he is not afraid to call out her "inflammatory and contemptuous" behavior and admitted he believes she's beyond help. Appearing on The Show People podcast, he said: 'She has been radicalised I fear and it maybe she has been radicalised by TERFs, but also by the vitriol that is thrown at her." Fry added that Rowling had caused 'a hornet's nest of transphobia which has been entirely destructive." He continued: 'She says things that are inflammatory and contemptuous, mocking and add to a terribly distressing time for trans people.' Fry narrated the Harry Potter audiobooks and also voiced Rowling's The Ickabog story in 2020. A year later, he insisted: 'She's a friend and will remain a friend.' Fry later called for calm in the debate over transgender issues, even though the author's remarks upset some of his transgender friends. Asked if he wanted to take part in the debate, Stephen explained on the Beeb Watch podcast: "I wouldn't. I definitely wouldn't because I am aware that you are talking about an issue where two sides are very sore and anxious about their enemies." The actor admitted that he finds himself in an awkward situation, having friends on both sides of the debate. He continued: "She is a friend of mine and I have trans friends and intersex friends who are deeply upset by her. "That is a circle I have to square personally." Stephen ultimately hopes to see an end to the arguing. The V for Vendetta star - who married his husband Elliott Spencer in 2015 - explained: "I know that JK Rowling doesn't want to see trans people bullied, alienated, shut out of society, made to feel ashamed, guilty, laughed at, all those things. "But I also know that there are people who believe that safe feminine spaces and the idea of difference between sex and gender is very important, and that they repudiate with all their strength the Judith Butler – the idea of created gender and so on. "It is not an argument I want to get involved in because it is upsetting to both sides and I would wish them both to retreat and to consider that is possible for trans people to live full, accepted lives according to their terms in society, and for women to have all the rights and dignities they demand. "But it isn't possible if each side looks on the other as an enemy and the trans people just shout 'terf' and the feminists seem to, as it were, undermine the dignity and rights of the trans community, if I can use the word community - it is a bit of a greasy word, but there you go."

News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
US singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty in UK assault case
American R&B singer Chris Brown on Friday pleaded not guilty in a UK court to a charge stemming from an alleged London nightclub brawl in 2023. Brown, 36, wearing a dark suit and tie as well as glasses, stood in the dock in London as the charge was put to him, replying: "Not guilty, ma'am." The singer, who is on £5 million ($6.7 million) bail, waved to people in the public gallery as he left, following his plea to allegedly attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent. A five to seven-day long trial was scheduled to start on October 26, 2026. The singer was held in custody for a nearly a week in May after he was arrested in the northwestern city of Manchester. He was later released on bail. Under the terms of his bail, he will forfeit the £5 million guarantee if he fails to return for court proceedings. He was also given the go-ahead to continue his scheduled international tour which began on June 8 in Amsterdam. The star, who had a troubled relationship with Barbadian singer Rihanna, is on the UK leg of his tour, with his next date in London on Saturday. Brown is charged with attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to an assault in which the victim was allegedly struck several times with a bottle before being pursued, punched and kicked. The alleged incident took place at a nightclub in Hanover Square in London on February 19, 2023 while Brown was touring in the UK. - Grammy winner - Police detained him in the early hours of May 13 at a five-star hotel in Manchester after he reportedly flew in by private jet. Other bail terms include that he should surrender his passport if he is not travelling. He is also required to live at a specific address known to the court and is not permitted to visit the nightclub were the alleged assault took place or contact the alleged victim, Abraham Diah. He appeared in the dock with co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, a US national, with whom he is jointly charged. Akinlolu also entered a not guilty plea to the same charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent. Both men are also jointly charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. They will enter pleas to that charge on July 11, the court was told. Brown also faces a third charge of having an offensive weapon, a bottle, in public. The Grammy-winning singer is known for mid-2000s hits such as "Kiss, Kiss". He rose from a local church choir in Virginia to sudden fame with his rich R&B voice and later rap, but his reputation has been tarnished by the allegations of abuse. He also are also scheduled to perform in France, Portugal and the US later in the year, before the tour wraps up in Memphis in mid-October.

ABC News
9 hours ago
- ABC News
Chris Brown pleads not guilty over alleged London nightclub beating
Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty on Friday to a charge related to the serious beating of a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023. Brown, 36, pleaded not guilty in Southwark Crown Court to one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent. Brown's friend and fellow musician Omololu Akinlolu, 38, who performs under the name Hoody Baby, pleaded not guilty to the same charge. Prosecutors said Brown and Akinlolu assaulted producer Abe Diaw at a bar in the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighbourhood in February 2023. Brown allegedly launched an unprovoked attack on Mr Diaw and hit him several times with a bottle, and then punched and kicked him. The attack was caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people, prosecutors said. Brown was released last month on 5 million British pounds ($10.39 million) bail, which allowed him to start his world tour earlier this month. His trial is scheduled to begin on October 26, 2026. Brown, who burst onto the music scene as a teen in 2005, won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for F.A.M.E. and then earned his second in the same category for 11:11 (Deluxe) earlier this year. His hits include songs such as Run It, Kiss Kiss and Without You. His tour is due to kick off June 8 in Amsterdam before starting North America shows in July. AP