Latest news with #Everett
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Why do men hate Nicola Sturgeon? What would Maggie have made of it?
Who was that author? Boris Johnson, JD Vance, Sarah Vine? It was Nicola Sturgeon, whose publicity juggernaut for her memoirs is revving its engines and preparing to flatten all in its path. Says one blurb: 'From a shy childhood in working-class Ayrshire to wielding power in the corridors of Holyrood, Scotland's longest-serving First Minister shares her incredible story.' I'm guessing our man on Sauchiehall Street won't be first in the queue for a signed copy. Ditto Rupert Everett, the actor, who used an interview with The Herald at the weekend to call Ms Sturgeon a 'witch'. Read more According to Everett, he once loved Nicola but now cannot bear her. The reason: she ruined the arts in Scotland. Before Sturgeon, the country's arts scene had been internationalist and outward-looking, but after that, oh dear. 'As soon as the witch Sturgeon came into power … everything had to be about being Scottish'. That must have come as a surprise to all those performers who took part in Edinburgh International Festivals and Fringes while she was First Minister. Ms Sturgeon was having none of this. She wrote on Instagram: 'What is it with (some) men who can't disagree with a woman without resorting to deeply misogynistic tropes? His substantive point is baseless rubbish too.' Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister, yesterday joined in the condemnation of Everett's remarks, calling them 'misogynistic' and 'abhorrent'. I would like to report that there was a general outpouring of support for Ms Sturgeon on this, but most of the responses on social media were worse than Everett's original remarks. It is the same whenever she appears in the media, mainstream or social. What is going on here? Before her book is published is as good a time as any to ask. Is there a problem with Ms Sturgeon in particular, or with assertive women in general? Is misogyny limited to 'some' men, or is it rife in society and becoming worse? And what would Margaret Thatcher have made of it all? That last one is more pertinent than might at first appear. Margaret Thatcher on a walkabout in George Square, Glasgow in February 1975 (Image: STAFF) In a strange twist of fate, the girl from Irvine who grew up opposing everything that Mrs Thatcher stood for has ended up in the same place. Both women political leaders, both subject to levels of personal and political abuse that no male politician has had to endure, both considered by many to have been in the wrong. In Mrs Thatcher's case, the comments from her colleagues were jokey at first. Attila the Hen. That Bloody Woman (TBW). By the time she was forced out of office she had been called worse. Much worse. But unlike Ms Sturgeon she did not have to contend with social media. If she had, one wonders how the famously non-feminist Prime Minister would have reacted. Would she have seen it as just another example of the free market in operation, however grisly, or would she have been appalled and taken action? I reckon a few rude tweets about her son and words would have been exchanged behind the scenes. Mrs Thatcher operated in a political environment that was male-dominated and, as we know from revelations since, deeply misogynistic. New institutions, including the Scottish Parliament, were supposed to change that. How is that working out? Not well, according to a survey of women MSPs by Holyrood magazine. It found 'almost all' who responded had experienced online abuse, including death threats and rape threats, and the situation was becoming worse. One said Holyrood was becoming 'a hostile environment for women'. What a depressing development. And how dispiriting that a quarter of the way into the 21st Century, (some) men are still calling women witches. Not only that, they are being cheered on by other men, and (some) women too. Read more It would be nice to ignore Rupert Everett. He's an actor for pity's sake. You might as well listen to an angry gerbil (although I have enjoyed his memoirs). But we cannot turn the other way because misogyny is on the march everywhere, the clocks are whirring backwards. Kate Forbes was speaking at a Women in Public Life event in Edinburgh. Chairing the session was one Cherie Blair, herself no stranger to misogyny. There is a lot of it about, and as Ms Forbes agreed, it has only grown worse with time. If you haven't experienced it, you are either incredibly fortunate, not a woman, or you haven't been paying enough attention, because it is out there. It is in every walk of life, on every street. It used to lurk in the shadows or hide behind a mask, but now it is bolder. Misogyny has gone mainstream. So no, Mr Everett, it is not okay to call a woman a witch. I don't care how much you miss the Citizens and the European theatre tradition of Peter Stein and Nina Bausch (and what do you think Bausch would have thought about your language?), or how disillusioned you are with politics today (yawn), your language is not on. While we are on the subject, what are the chances of Scotland keeping the heid when Ms Sturgeon's book eventually sees the light of day? It is a political memoir, but these things are inevitably personal too. Words will be exchanged, accounts traded and opinions challenged. It will be a very boring memoir if it doesn't provoke a reaction, but let's at least try to keep our cool. And for gawd's sake, no one send Everett a copy. Alison Rowat is a Herald feature writer and columnist
Metro
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
10 action movies which we'll never get to see – and the reasons why
Caroline Westbrook Published June 16, 2025 12:17pm Link is copied Comments Whether you're a fan or not, there's no denying that action movies are massive. With summer on our doorstep and blockbuster season underway, we're set to welcome a whole load of them into cinemas in the coming weeks. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and John Wick: Ballerina are already out there, but you can expect the likes of F1, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Nobody 2, Predator: Badlands, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps to come along before the season is out. But for every action epic that smashes onto the screen, the path is littered with the ashes of others that might have seemed like box office gold at the time, but for whatever reason just never made it out of the starting blocks. Imagine what might have been if some of these had been made... (Picture: Warner Bros/Everett/REX/Shutterstock) Superman might be about to fly on to screens yet again this summer but this particular incarnation of the man of steel didn't even get off the ground. The movie, which was due to go before the cameras in the 1990s, was to be directed by Tim Burton, with Nicolas Cage donning the infamous red and blue suit to play Clark Kent/Superman. And with a cast which was also due to include Chris Rock as Jimmy Olsen, Sandra Bullock as Lois Lane, and Christopher Walken as Braniac, what was not to like? Sadly the film suffered production issues and script rewrites, with Warner Bros pulling the plug just weeks before shooting was set to begin - despite having already spent $30m (£23m) on costumes and promotional material. For those still wondering what might have been, a documentary, The Death Of Superman Lives: What Happened?, was released in 2015 and can be seen on YouTube There's no shortage of video game to movie adaptations, although some have proven more successful than others (take a bow, Super Mario Bros and Minecraft for example). But others didn't achieve the same rise to stardom. Among those is the proposed adaptation of Halo, despite an impressive pedigree which would have seen Peter Jackson producing and Neill Blomkamp (District 9) directing a screenplay by Alex Garland (Civil War, The Beach). What happened? Lack of financing is what happened, with Fox and Universal both interested in the project, and work beginning on props for the film, before disagreements over the spiralling budget led to it being shelved. While the game did later get a live-action web series, we'll always be left to wonder what might have been (Picture: Microsoft) Back in the 90s, Arnold Schwarzenegger ruled the box office with hits including Total Recall, Terminator 2, Kindergarten Cop, True name it. So it seemed as if one planned project - a big-budget epic set during the titular Crusades which would reunite the Austrian star with Paul Verhoeven - would be big screen gold. And it might have been if it ever got made. Sets for the film were already being built in Spain for the epic but makers Carolco pulled the plug amid budget concerns, after the cost threatened to spiral. Instead, they went on to make pirate adventure Cutthroat Island - which did so badly at the box office it proved to be the death knell for the studio. Had Crusade made it to cinemas things could have been very different. And speaking of Arnie... (Picture:) One of Arnold Schwarzenegger's most popular 90s movies was True Lies, the 1994 summer smash in which the actor plays a secret agent hiding his true profession from his family. Plans were afoot for Arnie to reunite with director James Cameron on a follow-up, but both found themselves busy with other ventures. At one point it looked as though it might go ahead, with True Lies 2 tentatively slated to go before the cameras in 2002, but like the Forrest Gump sequel, the impact of the 9/11 attacks caused the director to change his mind about making the movie altogether. We can only imagine what might have been (Picture: Zade Rosenthal/Lightstorm/20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock) This one might have seemed seemed like a no-brainer at the time, given it came from the imagination of Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton - but somehow it never materalised. Airframe, a novel about a quality assurance officer investigating a mysterious in-flight accident on a plane, was published in 1996 and was set to follow other Crichton adaptations including Congo, Rising Sun and Disclosure to the screen. Touchstone Pictures - a subsidiary of Disney - had snapped up to the rights to the novel before it was even published, with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Demi Moore tipped to star. So what happened? Well according to the LA Times, Crichton was unable to find a script he liked - leading to the project being taken out of development and the author returning the $10m (£7.3m) advance he had been given by the studio. To this date it remains one of the few Crichton novels not to be made into a movie (Picture:) Here's another 90s movie which could well have raked in the millions. Crisis In The Hot Zone, based on a New Yorker article-turned-novel by Richard Preston about a US Ebola outbreak, was all set to go before the cameras with Ridley Scott directing, and Robert Redford and Jodie Foster starring. Except makers Fox struggled with budget constraints, as well as casting issues, leading to delays in the project. At which point Warner Bros stepped in with their own virus actioner, Outbreak - and despite the tendency in the 90s for two movies with very similar subject matters to compete with each other, it didn't happen this time. Fox pulled the plug on Crisis and it was never made You might wonder what's going on here because hasn't there already been a film of Dune? Well yes. Several in fact. And a sequel, one which even nabbed itself a best picture nomination at the Oscars. But there's one version of the Frank Herbert novel which ended up dead in the - how shall we put this - dunes - that director Alejandro Jodorowsky was all set to direct. And this one was certainly different, with the El Topo director keen to give viewers a psychedelic experience. Ultimately though Jodorowsky's project - and its 1,200 storyboards - failed to make it to the screen due to lack of financing. Producer Dino De Laurentiis ultimately snapped up the rights to the book in 1982, with David Lynch's version hitting screens in 1984. Which Jodorowsky subsequently described as 'terrible'. Ouch (Picture: Funcom) Another video game adaptation which never got out of the starting gate, Castlevania. A gothic horror franchise, involving Count Dracula and the vampire-hunting Belmont clan, was all set to get the live action treatment courtesy of Paul W S Anderson (Resident Evil). Although the project was announced in 2007, it never happened. Although it's not clear why the project stalled, that hasn't stopped fans from clamouring for it. In fact, various fan-made trailers, featuring the likes of Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson in the lead roles, have surfaced online, while a poster featuring Depp as the Count went viral when it did the rounds earlier this year. For now? Fans can make do with the Netflix animated series, which debuted in 2017 and ran for four seasons (Picture: Netflix/Everett/Shutterstock) The past couple of decades have given us our fair share of Mummy movies, right from the original 1999 version which saw Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz chasing the titular monster. Sequels followed, from 2001's inevitable The Mummy 2 through to spin-off movie The Scorpion King, a video game and an animated TV series. But even a franchise this successful isn't without its problems, and when 2017's reboot The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella, was a box office flop, plans for the follow-up, Rise Of The Aztecs (or The Mummy 4, to put it another way)y, were promptly shelved (Picture: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock) Film fans have no shortage of Alien movies to get to grips with, from the terrifying 1979 original through to 2024's Alien: Romulus. But one entry into the franchise which we'll never get to see is Alien 5: Awakening - which marks yet another cancelled project for the director Neill Blomkamp. The movie, a direct sequel to Aliens which took place around 30 years after the events of that film, was set to feature Ripley, Hicks and a grown-up Newt. However, following the disappointing box office of 2017's Alien: Covenant, Fox scrapped the project altogether. So this is one screen reunion we'll never get to see (Picture: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/ Shutterstock) Next Gallery
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Compass Health announces 2025 board of directors, bringing together accomplished leaders from regional, industry and nonprofit sectors
Macaulay Ivory Hillary Preston Mena Peebles Alex de Soto Carrie Blair Monique Liard Mary Toews EVERETT, Wash., June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Compass Health unveiled its 2025 board of directors, welcoming new members with expertise ranging from art therapy and healthcare marketing to strategic operations and refugee outreach, while tenured directors and advocates for the nonprofit community behavioral health agency advance to leadership roles. The 2025 board includes Macaulay Ivory as board chair, Hillary Preston as vice chair, Mena Peebles as secretary, and Alex de Soto as treasurer. The behavioral healthcare leader also welcomed four new members to the board: Carrie Blair, Mary Toews, Monique Liard, and Van Dinh-Kuno. Ivory, who has served on the board since 2021, assumes the role of board chair after previously serving as vice chair. He is an associate attorney at Davis Wright Tremaine, where he focuses on complex commercial litigation. 'In my time on the Compass Health board, I've been incredibly impressed by the organization's ability to drive innovation in order to better serve clients,' said Ivory. 'As board chair, I look forward to building on that momentum – ensuring we remain centered on our vision of creating communities where everyone receives equitable support to heal and thrive. It's a privilege to help guide an organization with such a meaningful purpose.' Ivory succeeds immediate past chair Alex de Soto, a partner and search practice leader at CFO Selections, who led Compass Health through critical progress on funding and construction for the Marc Healing Center, Phase II of the organization's three-phase Broadway Campus Redevelopment. De Soto, a board member since 2012, will continue serving as treasurer. 'Alex has set a strong example as board chair, and I have no doubt that Macaulay will carry that leadership forward with integrity and vision,' said Tom Sebastian, CEO of Compass Health. 'Both are seasoned, respected professionals with a deep commitment to mental health. Add in their strategic insight, and you've got exactly the kind of leadership our board needs.' Joining Ivory in new leadership roles are Hillary Preston as vice chair and Mena Peebles as secretary. Preston, who joined the Compass Health board in 2022, serves as associate general counsel at Cambia Health Solutions. Peebles, regional director of operations at Mercy Housing, steps into the secretary role with a background in affordable housing and medical support services. 'It's been such a rewarding experience getting involved with Compass Health, and I'm excited to expand my role on the board,' said Preston. 'The organization continues to inspire me with its unwavering commitment to showing up for those who need it most, and I'm grateful to be a part of that effort.' The board also added four new members in 2025: Carrie Blair, chief marketing officer at Matrx Pharmacy, brings extensive expertise in pharmaceutical services for residential and healthcare facilities, and in partnering with behavioral health providers, including Compass Health, to holistically support client needs. Mary Toews, executive director at Mari's Place for the Arts, was drawn to Compass Health because of her passion for the arts and the role creative expression plays in supporting mental health. Monique Liard, administrative and financial officer at the Port of Everett, brings valuable financial and operational insight, with an emphasis on policy guidance to support strategic growth. Van Dinh-Kuno, executive director at Refugee & Immigrant Services Northwest, has collaborated with Compass Health for years to connect community members to behavioral health services, and now looks forward to deepening that partnership through board service. Additional board members include Cynthia Weaver, member since 2022 and Beneficial State Bank vice president and relationship manager, and Laura Padley, member since 2023 and global development manager and AI expert at Microsoft. 'This year, Compass Health introduced a bold new vision, mission, and values – and our board of directors will be instrumental in bringing those to life,' added Sebastian. 'I have full confidence that this board's combined expertise, passion, and leadership will successfully guide us through the next phase of growth and impact.' The full list of board members can be found on the Compass Health leadership page. Compass Health is Northwest Washington's behavioral healthcare leader. A community-based healthcare agency, Compass Health integrates behavioral health and medical care services to form a key section of the community safety net and serve clients and others in need of care and support. From comprehensive mental health treatment to crisis prevention and intervention, supportive housing, children's services, community education and much more, the non-profit organization serves people of all ages throughout Snohomish, Skagit, Island, San Juan, and Whatcom counties. Media Contacts: Annie Alley Firmani + Associates Inc. Compasshealth@ (206) 466-2713 Jaki Brophy Compass Health (425) 349-8374 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Sorry Rupe, the ‘witch' Sturgeon and SNP did not ruin Scottish arts
Speaking to The Herald ahead of his appearance at the Boswell Book Festival where he was promoting his new(-ish) book of short stories, Everett zeroed in on his time in Glasgow in the late 1980s and in particular a spell at the Citizens Theatre, where the quality of the work bowled him over, the drive of the people running the place and the intellectual expansiveness of what was staged there. My words, by the way, not his. What he said is this: 'It was a European theatre in the same vein as Peter Stein, Pina Bausch. It was a national European theatre. And unlike those theatres, it never ran at a loss. It presented an uncompromising array of work to people that it never patronised… It's how I imagine the relationship with the audience must have been in the Restoration, in a way. It was a collaborative thing between the audience. A very vocal audience. It was literally like going into Aladdin's cave, going into the Citizens.' Then along came 'the witch' – this is a quarter of a century after he graced the Dear Green Place, remember – and suddenly 'everything changed in Scottish arts… everything had to be about being Scottish.' Read more: 'Misogynistic and abhorrent': Forbes hits out at Everett over Sturgeon 'witch' slur Now I used to go to the Citz as a schoolboy in the period Everett was acting there, and maybe even saw him in a production or two. And yes, he's right that the theatre presented innovative works by playwrights from across Europe and beyond, and from across the centuries too. That said, there was always a strong Scottish focus. There had to be. Glance at the list of the productions at the Citz at the time and you can see it in black and white. James Bridie's Glasgow-set Dr Angelus opened there on June 10, 1988. A year later it staged Douglas, John Home's blank verse tragedy from 1756, which is set in the Grampian Mountains and inspired by the folk ballad Child Maurice, later popularized by Ewan McColl. I could go on. Track backwards and forwards from those points and, if you know anything about Scottish theatre and how it fits into and converses with issues in Scottish culture and society, you'll know that the productions which have best defined it over the last 50 or so years are works which are, well, Scottish. Such as The Cheviot, The Stag And The Black, Black Oil, first staged by the mighty Scottish company 7:84 in 1973. Productions such as The Cheviot, The Stag And The Black, Black Oil have best defined Scottish theatre over the last half-century (Image: National Theatre of Scotland) Here's three more: David Greig's Caledonia Dreaming from 1999, Stephen Greenhorn's 1997 play Passing Places, and Harry Gibson's seismic 1995 adaptation of Trainspotting. Or how about Gregory Burke's electrifying, quadruple Olivier Award-winning Black Watch, commissioned by the fledgling National Theatre of Scotland in 2006 and premiered at that year's Edinburgh Festival? Correct me if I'm wrong, but not one of those productions was staged when the SNP was in power at Holyrood. So is Rupert Everett right – or is he, as I'm sure some readers are currently now thinking, talking nonsense? Afraid I'm in the second camp, Rupe. PS: You were great in Inspector Gadget. Read more: My wild days of sex and drugs and being mates with Madonna are over It's only rock'n'roll, officer The Herald's Russell Leadbetter writes as authoritatively as ever about rock music in his appreciation of the Sex Pistols, looking in particular at the furore they caused up and down the country in the mid-1970s. It all seems a little tame and old fashioned now. Nostalgic, almost. What was all the fuss about? Given current events, however, one story stands out in Russell's piece: the cancelling by Glasgow City Council's licensing committee of a gig the band was due to play at the storied Apollo. Fast forward half a century and suddenly it doesn't seem so old-fashioned. Witness the current war of words between Oasis and City of Edinburgh Council, which has allegedly described Oasis fans as 'drunk', 'lairy', 'fat' and 'old' in privately-circulated briefing documents which were leaked to the press. Read more Barry Didcock: The band's frontman Liam Gallagher was quick to take to social media to offer his tuppence-worth. 'To the Edinburgh council I've heard what you said about Oasis fans and quite frankly your attitude f****** stinks,' he wrote. 'I'd leave town that day if I was any of you lot.' Not quite Lydon-esque but not far from it, and doubtless delivered with an appropriate sneer. And of course we've also had the Kneecap debacle. They were pulled from next month's TRNSMT line-up but have at least have been able to re-schedule a gig in Glasgow. So, the Pistols in the 1970s, Oasis and Kneecap today. Bad boy bands still giving the authorities a headache. Plus ça change, as they probably don't say in Manchester or Belfast. And finally The Herald's theatre critic Neil Cooper is sharpening his pencils before the start of the Edinburgh Festival but headed for Glasgow this week to take in the latest show in Òran Mór's A Play, A Pie And A Pint season – this was JD Stewart's hymn to a group of Scottish Beyoncé fans – as well as to the Theatre Royal where he watched Picture You Dead, a touring production of Peter James's Detective Roy Grace novels. Elsewhere music critic Keith Bruce was at Kelvingrove Art Gallery for the Scottish Ensemble's Concerts For A Summer's Night programme, currently touring visual arts venues. He was wowed by guest solo soprano Heloise Werner performing a programme which included work by Italian baroque composer Barbara Strozzi and 18th century Frenchwoman Julie Pinel among others.
The National
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Misogynistic attacks on Nicola Sturgeon lead to real threats, warns Kate Forbes
Speaking at the Scotland 2050 conference in Edinburgh on Tuesday, Kate Forbes addressed what she called 'abhorrent' comments from Everett, who is known for roles in hit movies such as Shrek 2 and Napoleon. In an interview with The Herald, the actor – who moved to Scotland when he was 18 to work at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow – called the former first minister 'a witch' when discussing the record of the SNP with the arts. 'As soon as the witch Sturgeon came into power, everything changed in Scottish arts and everything had to be about being Scottish,' he said. READ MORE: Hate crime figures fall but disability attacks reach record high The former first minister branded Everett's comments 'deeply misogynistic', and Forbes was asked about them on Tuesday while speaking on a panel about women in public life. 'The problem is that these accusations, these criticisms, are so often tinged with misogynistic language. 'Whether it's women making or men making it, it is reflective of the deep-seated nature of misogynistic language and the fact that politics has gone from an exchange of views to just personal attacks, devoid of policy scrutiny. 'It's abhorrent. It's despicable. 'What's remarkable is that we've now been talking about this for at least six or seven years and it's only got worse in that time.' Forbes said that any post she made on Twitter or Facebook would see replies full of 'reels of the stuff'. (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) 'It's only when somebody who should know better makes comments like that, that suddenly we all say, 'well, that's not acceptable'. But this is going on constantly. It is exhausting. 'It is totally misogynistic and whether it's men making it or women making it, the point stands that it is saturated with misogynistic language, and I think that the destructive nature of social media cannot be understated. I think it is going to transform our politics for a generation. 'It's going to transform, totally change, the type of people that are in politics for a generation, and it's particularly affecting young women.' The Deputy First Minister later said that she 'almost never' speaks publicly about the abuse she faces on social media – or the threats in real life – because she fears it will put other women off entering politics. She told the Scotland 2050 conference that the misogynistic attacks on social media were not isolated, online incidents. 'It's not just what happens online, sticks and stones and all that,' she said. 'The problem is that this spills over into the real world. 'I know myself, I'm fairly short and small, and if I have people that were once accusing me of all sorts of things on social media, then turning up to surgeries – as they have done. There's certainly been enough press coverage of threats that have been made around actual means of hurting me, it spills over into that. 'We all say, well, 'isn't it dreadful, we need to do something about social media'. 'It's just going to be a cycle until there is an intervention, that something disrupts the cycle, and we as a country – and as I suppose those of us who participate in the public square – decide to take a different approach.'
