The 2014 film audition Robert Pattinson was completely unprepared for: “Then it became a play”
In 2014, Robert Pattinson auditioned for David Michôd's film *The Rover* having arrived unprepared and, by his own admission, reluctant to even be there. Despite the inauspicious start, Michôd saw past the awkward beginning and the actor's lack of readiness, instead discovering a natural instinct that convinced him…
“It was rough. There was no money. I was on the balls of my ass”: Aerosmith were one of the biggest American rock bands of the 1970s. And then it went to hell
This piece from Loudersound recounts how Aerosmith, one of the biggest American rock bands of the 1970s, imploded in the early 1980s under the weight of drug and alcohol addiction and internal conflict. It centres on singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, both of whom were spiralling…
“We’d be compared to bands like Queen, but that was written before I ever heard a Queen record.” Dennis DeYoung reveals the surprising stories behind 10 iconic Styx songs
This piece revisits a 2014 Classic Rock interview with Dennis DeYoung, the former Styx frontman and keyboardist, in which he explains the origins of several of the band's best-known songs, including breakthrough hit "Lady". It offers behind-the-scenes context for fans of the American rock group as DeYoung promoted…
Iceland vote on restarting EU talks remains too close to call
Iceland's referendum on resuming EU membership negotiations is too close to call, with early counting showing an extremely tight split between Yes and No. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir's centre-left government brought the vote forward from a planned 2027 deadline amid heightened international tensions, including US President Donald Trump's…
Albanese government flags new online bans days after suspected sexual choking death of 16-year-old girl – as minister unleashes at social media giants: ‘Wrecking our young boys’
The Australian federal government is proposing new digital laws that would let users opt out of social media algorithms, alongside possible bans on pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation, as it seeks to curb violent, misogynistic content online. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek announced the move days after a…
Todd Blanche built his career on loyalty to Trump… but now he’s drinking from the poisoned chalice that wiped out Pam Bondi
Todd Blanche, now leading the US Justice Department, is struggling to deliver the aggressive prosecutions of Donald Trump's political adversaries that his predecessor, Pam Bondi, also failed to achieve before her removal. The president has long targeted former officials including ex-FBI director James Comey, former national security adviser…
Coast Guard officer, 29, killed in ‘random’ drive-by shooting as heartbroken family offer $20K reward for information leading to killer
A US Coast Guard officer was shot dead in what police believe was a random attack in a Seattle-area neighbourhood, and his family is now offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to his killer. Connor Scott Overstreet, 29, an active-duty lieutenant, was found with a gunshot wound…
48 Years Before Hugh Jackman’s Best Sci-Fi Movie, ‘The Twilight Zone’ Did It First
Long before Hugh Jackman battled robot boxers in *Real Steel* (2011), the concept had already appeared on screen: a 1963 episode of *The Twilight Zone* called "Steel", based on a short story by science-fiction writer Richard Matheson. The episode starred Lee Marvin as washed-up boxer Tim "Steel" Kelly,…
Ridley Scott’s Near-Perfect Sci-Fi Masterpiece is Officially Streaming on YouTube for Free
Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner: Final Cut" — the 2007 version that finally realised the director's original vision after decades of studio interference — is currently streaming free on YouTube. The 1982 film became a landmark of cyberpunk cinema despite a troubled production and initial box-office failure, and its…
Tale of the Tape: The story behind The Beach Boys’ 1971 album ‘Surf’s Up’
The Beach Boys' 1971 album "Surf's Up" emerged from a period of internal turmoil and declining relevance, marking what is described as the last release by the band to truly matter creatively. By the early 1970s, the group's clean-cut image and dated musical style clashed with the shifting…
“Nobody was more surprised than I was when we started doing it, and today it’s my main activity”: Perfect but unplanned timing sent the Alan Parsons Project touring galaxies far, far away with I Robot
Alan Parsons has recounted how "I Robot", the second album by The Alan Parsons Project, arrived in 1977 just as science fiction surged in popularity thanks to Star Wars, an unplanned coincidence that helped shape the band's career trajectory. Speaking to Prog in 2013, the renowned engineer and…
PGA Tour taps Donald Trump to reprise honorary chairman role for Presidents Cup, White House confirms
US President Donald Trump has been named honorary chairman of the 2026 Presidents Cup, the PGA Tour announced, marking his return to a role he previously held at the 2017 edition. The appointment continues the tournament's tradition of involving world leaders, and the PGA Tour said Trump's presence…
Jelly Roll Slams Politicians On Both Sides For “Sh*t Job,” Addresses 2024 Trump Photo: “A Handshake Is Not An Endorsement”
Country star Jelly Roll used his final night as guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! to address the political backlash he faced after avoiding a question about his political views at the Grammy Awards in February, saying his attempt to stay neutral had itself been read as a…
The bizarre way Sylvester Stallone helped to propel Keith Emerson’s solo career with a 1981 hit
Keith Emerson, best known as the classically trained keyboard virtuoso behind The Nice and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, had spent his career as a purely instrumental performer, avoiding vocals throughout decades of genre-defying prog rock. That changed in 1981 when Sylvester Stallone, searching for a composer for his…
Rain and thunderstorms forecast for Reading Festival weekend
The latest update on the August bank holiday weekend focuses on further unsettled weather forecast for Sunday and Monday, with the Met Office warning of scattered showers, potential hail and thunder affecting festival sites and events across the UK. Showers were expected to spread from Scotland and Northern…
The 2005 album that almost caused Fiona Apple to quit music: “I didn’t have anything left in me”
Fiona Apple's third album, Extraordinary Machine, had such a fraught journey to release in 2005 that it nearly drove her out of the music industry altogether. After touring her acclaimed second record When the Pawn… in 2000, Apple moved to Los Angeles and hit a lengthy creative dry…
Former California councilman’s corruption unmasked after FBI finds cash buried in backyard
Former Baldwin Park city councilman Ricardo Pacheco has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after admitting to taking bribes in exchange for political support and city permits, including nearly $63,000 in cash he buried in his back garden. Pacheco, 63, served more than two decades on…
Footage of two planes stunning a rugby stadium with one of the wildest flyovers ever goes viral
A video of two passenger jets performing a strikingly low flyover above a rugby stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, has gone viral after footage from the event circulated online. The flyover took place ahead of a Test match between New Zealand's All Blacks and South Africa's Springboks,…
Russia-Nato jitters, OpenAI-Cursor split, GTA6 stream smashes records
Putin met Lukashenko in Moscow amid fears Russia could test Nato's resolve near Poland, while OpenAI pulled its models from Cursor over Musk's SpaceXAI takeover; GTA6's gameplay reveal drew nearly four million viewers, and Mourinho backed Mbappé for the Ballon d'Or.
Man plunges to his death after falling eight storeys at apartment complex in Elizabeth Bay
A 40-year-old man has died after falling from an eighth-floor balcony at an apartment complex in Elizabeth Bay, in Sydney's east, during a police visit to the building. Emergency services were called to the unit block on Onslow Avenue just before 8am on Sunday, and the man died…