Latest news with #Contagion
Axios
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Chicago names new film office leader
Natasha P. Olguin is the new deputy commissioner of the Chicago Film Office, the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced Tuesday. Why it matters: The Chicago Film Office leader's responsibilities include enticing studios and filmmakers to film in the city, which brings in tax revenue and creates local jobs. Zoom in: Olguin is from North Lawndale, according to a DCASE press release, and has been a producer, location manager, writer and director. Some of the television and film projects Olguin has worked on include "Contagion," "The Dark Knight," "Ironheart," and "The Chi." She is a union member of IATSE Local 476, as well as the Producers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America. Flashback: Predecessor Jonah Zeiger left DCASE last year along with several other leaders after reported clashes with the new administration. Mayor Brandon Johnson selected Clinée Hedspeth for DCASE commissioner after firing Erin Harkey in early 2024. State of play: Productions currently filming in Chicago include Apple TV's "Dark Matter," the Dick Wolf "Chicago" franchise and the film "Enemies," starring Jeremy Allen White and Austin Butler.
Daily Record
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Simon Cowell admits to money fears as he claims he 'doesn't earn as much as people think'
Britain's Got Talent's Simon Cowell has confessed he is 'always worrying about money' on Elizabeth Day's How To Fail podcast. Simon Cowell claims to not be as wealthy as people think and claims he is always 'worrying about money'. The 65-year-old music mogul, known for his successful talent shows, The X-Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol, has shut down claims of his alleged £500m net worth, insisting that his fortune is 'not even close to that'. Simon is a globally renowned record producer, talent agent and consultant in the UK music industry, which he has been doing since the 1980s. He became a household name in 2001 after making an appearance as a judge on Pop Idol. The dad-of-one is also credited for signing and launching the careers of huge superstars including Little Mix, James Arthur, Labrinth, Leona Lewis, Fifth Harmony, Olly Murs, Noah Cyrus, and One Direction. Despite all this and having been in the public eye for decades, Cowell has confessed that money still remains a concern for him. Speaking on the How To Fail podcast with Elizabeth Day, he admitted: "I always worry about money." He went on to discuss the unpredictability of events like Covid, which affected his finances, recalling how he had read about it on a website and immediately called his partner to express his concerns, likening it to the movie Contagion. He explained: "I always worry about money because I think you have to in a way. You think about Covid as an example. No one could have predicted Covid. "I remember reading it for the first time on a website, and I don't read a lot of stuff on social media, but I'd heard about it, so I was curious. "Second day, the story got bigger to a point where I actually phoned my partner and I said 'I don't like the look of this, I have a horrible feeling it's going to be like that movie Contagion, and I think we need to get all of our shows into production around the world quicker this year'. And we did. "And when it happened, it was obviously worse than I could have imagined. "When you think about that, the wars, and everything else, the instability, what is safe? Is it gold, cash, stocks? I don't think anything's safe any longer. I guess your house is." He added: "Someone did actually say to me once – thank god – 'live in your money'. And it was really good advice, i.e, enjoy it, and be happy with it, but understand that the world is precarious." When podcast host Elizabeth mentioned that Simon's net worth was rumoured to be around £500m, the dad-of-one rubbished these claims. He said: "Oh God, it's not that. I'm not even close to that. I'm being serious. I'm not." He added: "I've made a lot, I'm not going to lie. I've made a bit of money, yes, but not that much, no." When asked directly if he thought he was rich, Simon hesitated, then said: "Probably yes, I've definitely got enough, I don't need anymore. I don't yearn for what I thought I wanted a few years ago." He recalled that in his early 40s, he envied those with yachts, thinking that was the extreme wealth he desired. However, he soon realised he disliked the 'obnoxious and snobby' crowd and learned that money didn't make them happier. Simon downsized his company SyCo in 2022 to 'focus on his family' ending The X Factor and some of his other major shows. Simon continues to feature on Britain's Got Talent, however, his search for the next big boyband with the forthcoming Netflix series, The Midas Touch, continues. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Metro
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Simon Cowell considered taking $150,000 to judge a couple having sex
Simon Cowell admitted to almost accepting $150,000 (£113,000) to judge a couple having sex. The X Factor judge, 65, recently shared that he still worries about money and rubbished his estimated net worth. One way he could have raked in extra cash in the past is with this bizarre proposal, which he opened up about on the How To Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast. Despite how outrageous the request was, the Pop Idol icon said he almost accepted it. 'One time — this is a true story — I was in a restaurant and this guy comes up to me and he said, 'I love your show', Thank you very much. 'Will you take a picture?' Sure. 'This is my wife.' Nice to meet you.' At this point, Simon said the conversation became a lot more intimate with the couple offering him an indecent proposal, asking the infamously cutting judge to assess their sex life in person. 'I went, are you winding me up?' he continued. 'And they said, 'No, we'll pay you.' Well, how much? And it was actually a lot of money. And I thought, do I? No, I just can't do it.' When asked how much the couple offered, he claimed they were set to pay him $150,000. Elsewhere in the episode, the Britain's Got Talent judge opened up about his concerns over his earnings over the years. 'I always worry about money because I think you have to in a way. You think about Covid as an example. No one could have predicted Covid. 'I remember reading it for the first time on a website, and I don't read a lot of stuff on social media, but I'd heard about it, so I was curious. 'Second day, the story got bigger to a point where I actually phoned my partner and I said 'I don't like the look of this, I have a horrible feeling it's going to be like that movie Contagion, and I think we need to get all of our shows into production around the world quicker this year'. And we did. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'And when it happened, it was obviously worse than I could have imagined. 'When you think about that, the wars, and everything else, the instability, what is safe? Is it gold, cash, stocks? I don't think anything's safe any longer. I guess your house. 'Someone did actually say to me once – thank god – 'live in your money'. And it was really good advice, i.e, enjoy it, and be happy with it, but understand that the world is precarious.' More Trending When told by Elizabeth that his estimated net worth was around £500 million, he denied this figure and said that in reality, he was 'not even close' to that amount. 'Oh God, it's not that. I'm not even close to that. I'm being serious. I'm not. 'I've made a lot, I'm not going to lie. I've made a bit of money, yes, but not that much, no.' Though he admitted he thought he was rich, he did say he doesn't 'yearn for what he thought he wanted a few years ago.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Knockout brilliant' Britain's Got Talent child star is unrecognisable 16 years later MORE: Who is in Britain's Got Talent 2025 final? Two more finalists confirmed MORE: Britain's Got Talent reveals first two finalists after truly chaotic semi-final launch
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'I always worry about money - I haven't made anywhere near as much people think I have', says Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell shared his fears about his finances despite being thought of as one of the wealthiest men in showbiz thanks to his illustrious career in the music industry. He admitted that he hasn't made 'anywhere near as much money' as people think, as told the How To Fail podcast: 'I always worry about money'. The Britain's Got Talent boss, 65, said he worries because the world is 'so precarious' he never feels relaxed about how much money he has. The father of one recalled how during the early days of the Covid pandemic he pushed out all of his projects early over fears that they would be halted. He said: 'I always worry about money because I think you have to in a way. You think about Covid as an example. 'I remember reading it for the first time on a website, and I don't read a lot of stuff on social media, but I'd heard about it, so I was curious. 'Second day, the story got bigger to a point where I actually phoned my partner and I said "I don't like the look of this, I have a horrible feeling it's going to be like that movie Contagion, and I think we need to get all of our shows into production around the world quicker this year". And we did. 'And when it happened it was obviously worse than I could have imagined, 'When you think about that, the wars, and everything else, the instability, what is safe? Is it gold, cash, stocks. I don't think anything's safe any longer. I guess your house. 'Someone did actually say to me once "live in your money". And it was really good advice, i.e, enjoy it, and be happy with it, but understand that the world is precarious.' Simon denied he's worth anywhere near the £500 million figure that's been reported. He said: 'Oh God, it's not that. I'm not even close to that. I'm being serious. I'm not. 'I've made a lot, I'm not going to lie. I've made a bit of money, yes, but not that much, no.' He said he'd even recently had to ask friends if they would help him to start on a project he wanted to work on because he didn't have enough money. He said: 'My friends have been great. I did something recently where I just didn't have the money to pay people to help me. 'So I seriously had to say to about 20 people "I'm making something and I really don't have any money, but would you help me?" 'And they all said "yes". And that was the most incredible thing.' However despite opening up about his money fears, Simon said he would still classify himself as 'rich' when asked, he said: 'Probably yes'. Simon said: 'I've definitely got enough. I don't need any more. I don't yearn for what I thought I wanted a few years ago because when I was a kid I had no idea of anything like yachts, and the Caribbean, or private planes. 'So when the first time - early 40s it must have been - I sort of came across this world and saw it, I'm like "What? That is your own boat?" It was like a cruise ship. 'So there was a point where I thought "Well maybe I haven't done as well as I thought, maybe that's what I want". 'And I did start to kind of mix with some of those people for a couple of years. And I'm going to be honest, I hated it. 'I didn't like the people. I thought they were obnoxious, I thought they were snobby, I think a lot of those people thought they were better than other people because they had money - which is ridiculous when you think about it. 'So it was a kind of a good thing that it happened because I remember saying to Lauren"Do we actually know anyone who's rich, I mean super rich, and happy?" She went "No". I went "Nor me". 'So we're fine. We're doing alright but we don't need any more.' Simon downsized his company SyCo to 'focus on family' and has now he no longer feels the need to make as much money, claiming that nobody he knows who is 'super rich' is happy. While his ITV talent show is still a raging success attracting around five million viewers each episode, Simon has wound down some of his other projects. The X Factor ran for 18 years, from 2004 to 2018, but Simon decided to call it quits on the long-running show due to declining viewing figures and a belief that online platforms like YouTube were taking over the need for talent shows. The musical mogul had excitedly announced a bid to find the next big boyband - claiming there hadn't been one as big as 1D since - and launched a Netflix series, The Midas Touch. But Simon's latest project was scrapped, seemingly due to lack of interest when he failed to get enough talent auditioning to become 'the next One Direction'. Simon's slow wind down has come in recent years as he bids to focus more on his partner Lauren Silverman, with whom he shares son Eric, 11. The TV personality also stepped away from the limelight in August 2020 when he broke his back during an E-bike accident while testing it at his Malibu home. He underwent six hours of surgery and claimed at a later date that it was 'much worse than people first thought'. He suffered a second horrific accident on the electronic bikes when he broke his arm in London while riding one in 2022.
Express Tribune
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Patrick Schwarzenegger campaigning for leading role in 'American Psycho' reboot
Patrick Schwarzenegger is making it clear: he's gunning for the lead in Luca Guadagnino's upcoming take on American Psycho. The actor, fresh off his role in HBO's The White Lotus, has his sights set on stepping into the bloody shoes of Patrick Bateman, the infamous investment banker with a deadly double life, originally portrayed by Christian Bale in the 2000 film adaptation. When a fan on X (formerly Twitter) suggested Schwarzenegger should land the role, the actor responded with a cheeky but direct, 'I'd love nothing more ;)'. It's not his first time expressing interest, back in October when the project was announced, he called playing Bateman his 'dream' role. This new film isn't a simple remake of the cult classic, but rather a fresh adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' 1991 novel, which shocked readers with its brutal depictions of violence and biting satire of Wall Street excess. The original book was banned in several countries and the film, directed by Mary Harron, gained a massive following over time for its psychological edge and chilling performance by Bale. Lionsgate has been exploring a new adaptation for years, and sources say after recent meetings with Guadagnino, the studio believes he's the perfect director to bring a bold, stylish twist to the infamous story. The upcoming script is being written by Contagion screenwriter Scott Z. Burns. So while casting hasn't been confirmed, Schwarzenegger is clearly ready to suit up — and slice through expectations.
