Author: bestmedeal

The films of the brothers Jean-Pierre (1951) and Luc (1954) Dardenne oftenhave the name of their protagonist in the title. Think of their breakthrough_rosetta_ (1999) which won the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. Laterthe brothers also introduced us to Lorna and young Achmed.

“All our films are portraits of individuals,” says Luc Dardenne during aninterview in Amsterdam, where he previewed his latest film with his brotherJean-Pierre. Tori et Lokita attends. Why does it work so well to dismantlebig issues through small stories? “Cinema is the art form par excellence thatcan zoom in on details or individuals. It knows how to individualize abstractproblems to the maximum,” says Luc Dardenne. “At the same time, you can’tgeneralize characters. That’s why we have the movie Tori and Lokita namedafter the main characters. He is not about the refugees, the masses, but abouttwo young people, two unaccompanied minors (unaccompanied minor aliens) with aname and a face. Through the film screen, the spectator comes face to facewith individuals.”

Rain of prizes

The film world has appreciated their work for almost a quarter of a century:in addition to two Golden Palms, Luc and Jean-Pierre’s stories rooted insocial reality have won numerous awards in Cannes over the years, such as bestdirector, best script or the Grand Prix. Tori et Lokita was awarded aspecial Golden Palm earlier this year on the occasion of the 75th edition ofthe French festival. If no prize is available, they will make one up for them.

The Dardennes, originally activist documentary makers from the industrial rustbelt around Liège, are never interested in entertainment, they want to achievesomething. In their breakthrough film rosetta from 1999, a breaking point inEuropean art-house film, the young protagonist is looking for work anddignity. Rosetta at the time embodied the precarious conditions on the fringesof the labor market; the film gave the final push to a law already in place toimprove working conditions for teenagers in Belgium.

Read also the review of Tori et Lokita (●●●●)

The Dardennes often named their films after their main character, sometimesafter the archetype that he is: the child, the boy with the bicycle, theunknown girl. But they always do one thing: look at a major social problemthrough the eyes of an individual. Often these are young, defenseless peoplewho still have a lot to learn, who are at the beginning of their lives. Toriand Lokita , about two African minor asylum seekers, tells such a personalstory about refugee problems. This gives the outdoor sleepers in Ter Apel aface.

From bad to worse

The films of the Dardennes have a recognizable social-realistic style. Thebrothers are not averse to melodrama, with relay plots in which things go frombad to worse. The ultimate goal is to wake up the public, whether it concernsunemployment, crime, (unwanted) parenthood, youth care or bureaucraticobstacles that marginalized groups encounter.

The story of Tori and Lokita the directors based on a short newspaper reportabout the large numbers of unaccompanied minors who end up illegally inBelgium, they say. They did meticulous preliminary research before writingtheir screenplay. “We spoke with representatives of official agencies and aidworkers, we investigated the criminal circuit. Most AMVs who disappear fromview end up in a shadow world or downright underworld of crime andprostitution. They are under pressure from people smugglers who keep askingfor money. They are always short of money. That makes them extra vulnerable.

„Besides, the majority come. You must have a heart of stone after seeing Toriand Lokita not being able to read their stories on the faces of the sleepersin Ter Apel. already traumatized in Europe. During their long journey here,they have often had to deal with sexual abuse and other forms of violence,which has reduced their resilience.”

Jean-Pierre: “One thing was certain in advance. Whatever happened, nothingshould undermine Tori and Lokita’s allegiance and loyalty. They are friendsuntil death do them part.”

Tori and Lokita sometimes has something of a grim fairy tale. Luc Dardenne:„But fairytales are not so fairytale-like at all. We have become moreinterested in the more mythical proportions of ordinary stories. Theunderground cannabis plantation where Tori and Lokita end up is like the bellyof the whale from the Bible story of the same name.”

Enemy image

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s films are always full of empathy for their maincharacters, but they don’t judge the bad guys – they are at best observed froma distance. The creators have become more mellow and hopeful over the years,while politics and society became more divided and polarized. The brothers donot follow the zeitgeist.

To what extent do Tori and Lokita, entangled in drug trafficking, confirm theimage of illegal aliens as criminal aliens? Doesn’t that also make it a farfrom bed show for the viewer?

Jean-Pierre Dardenne: „We do not want to say that every refugee is one hundredpercent pure on the degree, we do not have to paint icons. At the beginning ofthe film we see Lokita during an interrogation. We can hear from the voicesoff-screen that they don’t believe her, rightly so or not. But then also theway to the help, which Lokita needs, is cut off.

“But it is an interesting question. Do we need more unambiguous narratives inthis fragmented world, should film viewers be able to identify with maincharacters more than before? As a result, perhaps our films no longer reachthe younger generation, who are used to Netflix narratives? That’s somethingwe need to think about.”

with videoThe alcohol and cocaine addiction of André Hazes (28) was so intenselast year that he was on stage several times under the influence. The singertells that in the five-part Videoland documentary André Hazes , which justreleased a trailer. “I’m just ashamed of myself.”

Hanneke van Houwelingen Oct 17 2022

Latest update: 17-10-22, 14:12

Hazes resigned from all his activities on 17 September 2021 and went intotherapy in Spain for six weeks. In the weekend before he traveled, he used somuch alcohol and cocaine that he said he ‘destroyed himself’. ,,I was happywhen I made it the next morning. That’s how bad it was,” he recalls. MoniqueWestenberg tells in the documentary series how she saw with sadness how herex-lover and father of her child started to use narcotics more and more. ,,Isaw that he was on stage with drugs. I see it right on him. He’s never donethat before. Never!”

André Hazes drank too much. © Still Videoland

Hazes was followed for two years, from the end of 2020, by the Flemishdocumentary maker Cheeru Mampaey. In addition to the singer, she also letsMonique Westenberg, mother Rachel Hazes, cousin Djarno Hofland and colleaguesspeak. Sister Roxeanne refused to cooperate. His ex-girlfriend Sarah vanSoelen, for whom Hazes left his fiancée Monique Westenberg in 2021, wasinitially followed, but those images were removed at her request after therelationship with Hazes ended.

,,I’m not going to say that I jumped a hole in the air that she didn’t want tocooperate anymore, but it was only short pieces. I don’t feel like I’m missingthat now. She will be mentioned. If we had kept her silent, it would have beena different story,” says maker Mampaey, who talks about the making process ofthe documentary on this site on Wednesday evening. The documentary André Hazeswill be on Videoland next Thursday.

For those who are lost in the Hazes saga, discover our ‘who’s who’ below.

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James Corden has apologized after he misbehaved in a New York restaurant.Keith McNally, the owner of the well-known catering business, spat his gal onInstagram about the talk show host and even banned him. It’s now all overagain between the two. “I strongly believe in second chances,” said McNally.

Yesterday was the end of Keith McNally: for the second time, Corden had beenextremely rude in his restaurant. James Corden is an incredibly talentedcomedian, but a secret of a man. He is the rudest customer my staff hasexperienced since the restaurant opened 25 years ago,” McNally wrote to hisnearly 80,000 followers on Instagram.

McNally then outlined what had happened. For example, during one of his visitsto the restaurant, Corden found a hair in his food. McNally said that”unfortunately this could happen”, but Corden was said to have been furiousand was not satisfied with the manager’s apology. He therefore demanded a freeround of the house and wanted all the drinks he had ordered to be taken offthe bill. If the manager didn’t, Corden would leave a scathing review ononline platform Yelp.

According to McNally, it didn’t stop with that one issue. Corden recently camefor brunch with his wife on October 9. She ordered an omelette with Gruyereand salad, but found that some egg whites had been mixed with the yolk. Themanager asked the kitchen to remake her order, but then it went wrong again:instead of a salad, she got fries. “You’re really bad at your job. Maybe Ishould get in the kitchen and make an omelette myself,” Corden is said to haveyelled at the waiter.

Second Chances

The restaurant owner didn’t like Corden’s statements and decided to ban himfrom his business. However, Corden found out that McNally had lashed out athim on social media and so decided to call him and put on the robe. Thatworked at McNally, who writes in a new message today that the British comedianand presenter is welcome again after he has apologized. “I strongly believe insecond chances,” said McNally.

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Kelly Ripa called out Kathie Lee Gifford for commenting negatively about hernew book when the former Live! host never actually read it. In fact, Ripathinks Gifford wouldn’t actually have a problem with what she said about RegisPhilbin.

“I take his side… in most of the chapter,” Ripa declared on Tuesday’s episodeof Dear Media’s Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast.

Last week, Gifford said she’s “not gonna read” Ripa’s book Live Wire becauseof anecdotes the television personality made about Philbin. Gifford, who co-hosted Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee from 1985 to 2000, was “dear friends”with her former co-star up until his death in 2020.

“I was very sorry to see the headlines,” Gifford said on Fox 5’s Good Day NewYork , adding that she hoped Philbin’s widow, Joy, and his four adultchildren wouldn’t see what Ripa had to say. “Lord, protect Joy and the girlsfrom this… In all the years I’ve known him, I never saw him unkind toanybody.”

Ripa was surprised to learn what Gifford had to say. The morning show hostasked husband Mark Consuelos if there were bad headlines about herself andPhilbin she somehow missed — “because I do miss a lot” — but realized “therewere none.” Ripa said it was Gifford who ironically “created” the headlines.

“Here’s what I’ve decided. Are you ready? It is really hard to sell a book,”Ripa added. “And this is like week three of the book, right? And I mean,honestly, I’m not gonna lie, I was not reading any headlines anywhere. Andsuddenly all of these headlines pop up and there’s all of this attention on mybook. So I am a person that tends to take a negative and turn it into apositive.”

Ripa continued, “My ultimate comment is, thank you. I mean, it’s like reallyhard to get attention on a book that’s been out for a couple of weeks and nowit’s week two, second week on the New York Times Best Sellers list. It’slike, thank you, because I think that people that read the book will have avery different take on the book!”

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When asked if Gifford would have a different take if she read Live Wire Ripareplied: “I think anybody that reads the book will have a completely differenttake.”

Ripa called it “a conundrum” whether or not to respond publicly about Gifford.

“Again, I didn’t see the interview, so I tend to, like, not go into deep divesabout things I can’t comment on because I haven’t seen them,” Ripa said.”Theoretically, should a person correct the record in real time? Or shouldthey not even, you know, comment on it because here’s the thing — it’s like Italked to the people who read the book. I knew writing a book was going toopen me up to all sorts of criticism, right? But people who read the book havea very different take on those chapters because they read the book.”

Ripa called herself “a big free speech person.”

“I think we should all be able to speak,” she continued. “Nobody has to readevery book on earth. And the comments I’ve gotten about those chapters havebeen overwhelmingly positive and the people who read the book took away a lotof positivity from it. It is ironic that it is that chapter where I talk aboutwhat do I do in these situations? Do I advance a media narrative withclickbait and all of that stuff? Or do I just drop it?”

While promoting her book last month, Ripa told Yahoo Entertainment it was “agreat privilege” to have worked alongside Philbin, but admitted “it was not aneasy working relationship.”

“I take the audience on a journey [in the book] as to what it was like to bethere, and how unfair it was for Regis first and foremost because … it was hisshow and nobody should have a workmate forced upon them,” she shared.

“I make no illusions that there was this friendship [with Regis] that peopleconjure up — even though … I know that he liked and respected what I did onthe air,” Ripa added. “I liked and respected him as well, and the handful oftimes that we socialized together off-camera were genuinely fun.”

A jury has been selected in the Paul Haggis rape trial, which is set to beginwith opening remarks on Wednesday morning in New York City.

Haggis, the Oscar-winning director of “Crash” and screenwriter of “MillionDollar Baby,” has been accused of raping a publicist named Haleigh Breestafter a movie premiere nearly a decade ago. Breest’s lawsuit was filed in 2017in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which led to an influx of sexual assaultallegations against prominent men.

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Haggis has claimed the encounter, which took place in 2013, was consensual andmaintains the rape charge came in retaliation for his decision to leave andthen criticsze the Church of Scientology. Prior to the trial, Breest’sattorneys sought to block Haggis from arguing that Scientology wasorchestrating the allegations in retaliation, saying that Breest and otherwitnesses have no connection to the church. They also argued that pursuingthat line of defense will distract the jury from the particulars of Breest’sallegations. But in September, Judge Sabrina Kraus ruled that Haggis will beable to use that argument.

On Tuesday, the defense and the prosecution questioned the potential jurorsabout their familiarity with the #MeToo movement, as well as the Church ofScientology. However, the focus on the controversial religion wasn’t nearly aspronounced as it was at the jury selection for the rape trial for “That ’70sShow” actor Danny Masterson, which is currently underway in Los Angeles.

Attorneys revealed that Leah Remini, the “King of Queens” star who leftScientology and became an outspoken critic, and Oscar-winner Susan Sarandonare among the defendant’s potential witnesses who could be called to testify.Remini has previously suggested that Scientology was behind the sexual assaultclaims against Haggis.

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After the jurors were selected, the attorneys and the judge deliberated a fewkey points regarding the line of questioning toward the potential jurors, aswell as Scientology’s place in the trial.

“It should be made clear that whether or not the jury decides what happenswith Scientology doesn’t have anything to do with Ms. Breest telling thetruth,” Haggis’ defense lawyer Priya Chaudhry said.

Breest’s attorney Ilann M. Maazel responded: “This entire Scientologyconspiracy, which is what it is, should have no place in the trial. I feelstrongly it shouldn’t be mentioned.”

The judge only took issue with the usage of the phrase “conspiracy theory.”

“I would ask ‘conspiracy theory’ not be used during trial,” she said. “But youcould refer to ‘a theory of defense’ that the church is behind this or workingwith these women to come forward.”

Since it’s a civil trial, Haggis only faces potential monetary damages and notjail time. Kraus estimates the trial will take two weeks and will end sometimebetween Oct. 31 through Nov. 4.

Lawyers for Haggis, who left Scientology in 2009 about its opposition to gaymarriage, have argued that there’s evidence the Church of Scientology wastrying to “find dirt” on the director before the rape allegation was leveledagainst him.

Breest will be able to call three other “Jane Doe” witnesses who have leveledisolated sexual assault allegations against Haggis.

Following the 2017 lawsuit, Haggis sued Breest for accusations of falseallegations and trying to extort him for $9 million. Haggis’ suit wasdismissed, and he’s not able to bring it up at trial.

In a court filing in 2021, Haggis asked for a speedy trial, asserting thepending case has halted his career and nearly bankrupted him in legal fees.

The lawsuit against Haggis is one of four high-profile ongoing sexual assaulttrials this month. The others are against Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein andMasterson.

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Scientology was front and center on Tuesday as the rape trial against “That’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson began with opening statements.

Masterson is a Scientologist and each of his alleged victims was aScientologist at the time of the alleged rapes, which span from 2001 to 2003.

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Reinhold Mueller, the lead prosecutor, made several references in his openingstatement to church terminology and practices in explaining why two of theaccusers delayed reporting to the police.

“They can declare you a suppressive person,” Mueller said. “You areessentially an enemy of the church. Your friends, your parents — if you havechildren who are part of the church — they all have to detach from you.Essentially you lose everything.”

The role of Scientology has been hotly contested in pre-trial proceedings.Philip Cohen, Masterson’s lead defense lawyer, had sought to bar any mentionof the church from the case, saying that it would be prejudicial.

The prosecution sought to introduce an ex-Scientologist, Claire Headley, toexplain church concepts to the jury.

Judge Charlaine Olmedo has tried to strike a balance, denying theprosecution’s request for expert testimony, but allowing the alleged victimsto give their understanding of church doctrines. That has created a dilemmafor the defense, which has argued previously that the church in fact does notforbid its members from going to the police.

Cohen objected when Mueller referenced a Scientology ethics book to supportthe idea that the church discourages members from going to the police. After alengthy sidebar, Mueller was asked to rephrase — at which point he emphasizedthat he was giving the victim’s understanding of church rules.

Mueller also argued that two of the victims were advised by their Scientology“ethics officer” not to refer to the alleged incidents as “rape.” One of themhas said she was told that it was impossible to rape a “2B” — a church termfor a spouse, girlfriend or significant other — and that she must have donesomething to “pull in” the incident.

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“’Pulling in’ means you have done something, either in this life or anotherlife, to cause this to happen to you,” Mueller said.

He said the woman was also advised that she was “out-exchange” with Masterson— meaning that she was in a transactional relationship where he provided hershelter and she provided sex, but that she had failed to live up to her end ofthe bargain .

Cohen began his opening statement shortly before lunch, and is expected tocontinue in the afternoon. He argued that the three victims in the case wereeach advised by LAPD detectives not to talk to each other and not to talk toother witnesses in the case.

“You’re going to hear that after being ordered, instructed, administered byLAPD, these women all speak to each other, and to other witnesses,” Cohensaid.

The defense has previously argued that the women formed a “sisterhood” to takedown Masterson and the church.

Cohen also highlighted discrepancies in one of the women’s accounts betweenher initial statement to the LAPD, statements in a draft civil complaint andher more recent statements. Chief among them, Cohen said, is that the womannow claims that Masterson produced a gun during the alleged rape. That detaildoes not appear in the initial police report or the draft complaint.

Cohen also noted that the woman had ultimately been paid money as part of acivil settlement in 2004. He said that Masterson was making “oodles of money”as a star on “That ’70s Show,” and that she signed a non-disclosure agreementas part of the settlement.

“He’s about to renew a big contract with ‘That ’70s Show,’” Cohen said. “[She]wants the money, and that’s how this NDA comes about.”

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Olivia Wilde won’t be “easily manipulated,” thank you very much.

On Monday, hours after slamming “scurrilous” claims from her kids’ nanny abouther relationship with Harry Styles and split from Jason Sudeikis, Wilde tookthe stage at the Elle Women in Hollywood event, at which she was an honoree,and talked about “fighting through the hellfire” of Hollywood sexism, whichshe said fueled the Don ‘t Worry Darling drama .

Olivia Wilde talked about “fighting through the hellfire” or Hollywood sexism.(Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for ELLE)

“These opportunities like tonight, to gather as women, are crucial,” Wildetold the crowd at Getty Center in Los Angeles. “They’re extremely impactful.They offer us a chance to look into each other’s eyes and say, ‘Keep going.’In fact, sometimes it’s tempting to excuse ourselves from the burning hellfireof the misogyny that defines this business and say, ‘Good night, good luck,I’d rather eat glass for a living.’ But we won’t let each other give up.”

Wilde, who directed and starred in dwd, which was plagued with rumors andgossip but opened at No. 1, said she recently had “several opportunities topersonally experience this power of encouragement from other women in thisbusiness. It often takes the form of a tight grip of your shoulders and anintense stare into your eyes and a defiant ‘Don’t let them f*** with you.’ Andit’s always really tempting to reply, ‘Well, if I didn’t know things were badbefore, I do now.’ Just kidding; it’s always very much appreciated.”

Olivia Wilde attends the 29th Annual ELLE Women in Hollywood Celebration atthe Getty Center in Los Angeles. (Photo: REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci)

She called those moments “profound” because they’re an “honest acknowledgmentof a constant battle we are all fighting, in which we are allies.” And “nomatter how much the patriarchy relies on us to cut each other down in order toweaken our collective power, we have to resist the urge to play by their self-serving rules. Remind the world — and specifically our daughters — that wearen’t so easily manipulated.”

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Wilde jokingly questioned if she would have still pursued her career in thebusiness 20 years ago had she known “Twitter would be invented.” However, shesaid she has “undeniably the greatest job on the planet.” She said the eventmade her feel “energized” and “motivated to keep fighting through thehellfire. In some ways, the challenges are all a part of it, right? Realbadges of honor, par for the course. Let’s face it: You are not a woman inHollywood until you’ve begged to be placed into a medically induced coma untilyour press tour is finished.”

Just before the event, Wilde and Sudeikis, who share children Otis, 8, andDaisy, 6, issued a rare joint statement slamming “false” claims in aninterview their former nanny gave the Daily Mail.

“As parents, it is incredibly upsetting to learn that a former nanny of ourtwo young children would choose to make up such false and scurrilousaccusations about us publicly,” the former couple — who hadn’t been onspeaking terms since their split and custody battle — said. “This is theunfortunate apex of a now, 18-month-long campaign of harassing us, as well asour loved ones, close friends and colleagues. We will continue to focus onraising and protecting our children with the sincere hope that she will nowchoose to leave our family alone.”

One of their former nannies, whose name was not revealed, claimed that the_Ted Lasso_ actor “was out of control crying” after finding messages onWilde’s Apple Watch in November 2020 revealing that Wilde was having an affairwith Styles, whom she cast in Don ‘t Worry Darling. The employee claimedSudeikis “went outside and lay under [Wilde’s] car so she wouldn’t leave.” Theperson also said Sudeikis was upset after seeing Wilde prepare a salad forStyles with her “special dressing” in the family’s kitchen. The nanny claimedSudeikis banned them from playing any of Styles’s music after the split .

Wilde and Sudeikis began dating in 2011, were engaged for several years, andthen it was reported that they split in November 2020. However, Wilde said inSeptember that it’s a “complete horseshit” that she “left Jason for Harry….Our relationship was over long before I with Harry. Like any relationship thatends, it doesn’t end overnight… We officially dissolved the relationshiptowards the beginning of the pandemic. through that time. Once it became clearthat cohabitating was no longer beneficial for the children, it became theresponsible thing to nah, because we could be better parents as friends wholive in different houses.”

Wilde went public with the ““Watermelon Sugar” singer in early 2021. Thingswith Sudeikis have been contentious, including when he served Wilde legalpapers when she was in the middle of giving a presentation about _Don ‘t WorryDarling _at CinemaCon in April.

The song festival stage in Liverpool will be a bit emptier next year. No fewerthan three countries have since waived their participation in the songfestival. In particular, the high cost of the event is causing Montenegro,North Macedonia and Bulgaria to drop out.

Montenegro had just returned to the Eurovision Song Contest last edition inTurin. But this weekend broadcaster RTCG shared a statement. ‘In addition tothe significant costs of the entry fee and the costs of staying in the UK, wealso had to deal with a lack of interest from sponsors.’ The broadcasters ofsmaller countries often look for sponsors to cover the costs.

North Macedonia also complains about the higher costs in its statement not toparticipate. ‘The decision not to participate in the Song Contest is in theinterest of the citizens, taking into account the higher costs due to theenergy crisis and the increased registration fee for participating in theEurovision Song Contest. The cost for participation last edition was 39,143euros, and it is expected that it will be higher next year.’

Quote >>> The decision not to participate in the Song Contest is in the interest of> the citizens, taking into account the higher costs>> Statement North Macedonia

Bulgaria closes door for Eurovision Song Contest

Where Montenegro and North Macedonia are emphatically still keeping the dooropen for a new participation in the future of the Eurovision Song Contest,Bulgaria is closing it harder. “Bulgaria will not participate in Eurovision2023 and most likely not in future editions. After analysis, it has beendecided that this program is no longer of interest to the broadcaster,” theresponsible broadcaster said in a statement.

The choice of Bulgaria is striking because the country has grown into acertain finalist in recent years. From 2016 to 2021, the grand final wasreached every time, culminating in second place in 2017. Montenegro almostnever managed to score in the Eurovision Song Contest. A thirteenth place in2015 is the biggest success for the country. North Macedonia has only reachedthe final twice in the past fourteen years. The seventh place in Israel in2019 was their top score.

In addition to the three countries dropping out, it is also uncertain whetherMoldova, Armenia and the Czech Republic will participate in the festival inLiverpool. Hungary, Russia and Belarus have already disappeared from theEurovision stage in recent years. The 2023 edition looks set to be the leastcrowded festival since 2014.

Belgium is expanding In Belgium, the festival is being tackled on a bigger scale. The Flemishbroadcaster – which annually alternates participation with the Walloonbroadcaster – is organizing a national festival in which seven participantswill sing two songs. It is not yet clear which artists will participate. It isalready known that LikeMe stars Pommelien Thijs and Camille d’Hondt will notparticipate. Laura Tesoro, who participated in 2016 for the southernneighbors, has already announced that she will not participate.

Join the conversation. You can respond at the bottom of this article. Only respectful comments with afull name will be posted. We do this because we want to have a conversationwith people who stand for what they say, and who also put their name on it. Ifyou still need to enter your name, you can do so by clicking ‘Login’ at thetop right of our site.

Conversion therapy stories aren’t for the faint of heart. For decades,thousands of LGBTQ teens and adults have shared horrifying tales of so-calledexperts trying to “change” their sexual orientation using emotionally andphysically traumatizing methods, ranging from electroshock treatments tohypnosis. Organizations like GLAAD have called attention to the harm that thisdiscredited practice has caused, reporting that it contributes to higher ratesof suicide and drug abuse among young people who identify as LGBTQ.

As an out gay man, writer/director John Logan has read a lot about conversiontherapy, and the practice frightened him enough that he felt he had to includeit in his new horror movie, They/Them , which premiered on Peacock earlierthis year. Set at a remote conversion camp, the film follows a group of LGBTQteens who soon discover that the seemingly tolerant owner, Owen Whistler(Kevin Bacon), is anything but.

In the movie’s most chilling sequence, Owen lures one the kids — residentjock, Stuart (Cooper Koch) — into a cabin where he receives his own ClockworkOrange- like __ dose of aversion therapy, enduring electrical shocks as he’sshown images of buff, shirtless men alternated with snaps of lingerie-cladmodels. As Logan tells Yahoo Entertainment, it’s a scene that’s all the moreterrifying because it’s rooted in reality. (Watch our video interview above.)

“One of the things I did is that I talked to kids who had gone throughconversion therapy and they told me their stories,” explains the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of gladiator and The Aviator. “What I learned wasthey are subjected to physical brutality — things like forced marches, fooddeprivation, sleep deprivation, and psychological assault — where identity isquestioned, at first perhaps gently and then more severely. So the idea of​​physical hardship is definitely part of the so-called conversion campexperience, and I thought it would be inauthentic not to represent that.”

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They/Them writer/director John Logan at an LA Outfest premiere event in July2022 (Photo: Alberto Rodriguez/Peacock via Getty Images)

Logan does caution that the scene in They/Them represents “an extreme horrorversion” of aversion therapy, the mode of conversion therapy in the film. Atthe same time, though, some of the stories he’s heard from survivors are justas scary … if not more so. “It’s not far beyond things that I’ve heard aboutactually happening, which is blood-chilling. But one of the things we do incinema — and particularly in horror movies — is we provoke. We provoke ideas.”

As the person being tortured, Koch says that it wasn’t the “most funexperience” to shoot that extended sequence. But the out gay actor understandswhy Logan pushed to include it in the film. “I think that’s the real horror ofthe movie. It’s not necessarily the jump scares or the masked murderer, it’sall the ways that they’re trying to convert us.” He also credits his co-starsBacon and Darwin del Fabro — who plays Gabriel, the duplicitous teen thatlures him into the cabin — with keeping the mood light on set. “Darwin wasputting the wires on me,” Koch says, laughing. “I love when we go to thosedark places,” Del Fabro chimes in. “It was hard for me to see my friend [behurt]but it was fun to play those characters.”

Reflecting on that sequence, Bacon says that he admired Koch’s commitment tocompleting such an intense scene. “It’s not the most pleasant thing to shoot,”says the actor, who had a breakout role in the 1980 slasher favorite, Fridaythe 13th. (His daughter, Sosie Bacon, is currently starring in the horrorhit, smile.) “Everybody was trying to create a space where people felt safe,which is something I’m a big proponent of. I’ll do anything and go anywhere aslong as I feel people are truly not getting traumatized or physically hurt inany kind of way. That’s just not worth it.”

The young cast of the peacock horror movie They/Them. (Photo: JoshStringer/Blumhouse)

For Bacon’s co-star, Carrie Preston — who plays Owen’s wife and the camp’ssupposed mental health expert, Cora — words proved scarier than actions. Earlyon in the film, Cora delivers a blistering monologue to non-binary teenager,Jordan (played by non-binary actor, Theo Germaine), that includes someextremely triggering and NSFW language.

“When I first read the script, I thought, ‘I can’t say those words!'” theactress admits. “Before we even started shooting that day, I checked in withTheo to make sure they were okay. I also said, ‘I’m sorry about what I’mgetting ready to say to you.’ Theo is an amazing actor and person and theyseemed okay, thankfully.”

Logan praises the entire cast for subjecting themselves to his “extreme horrorversion” of a conversion camp. “The actors so believed in the mission of themovie,” he says. “Every single one of these performers deeply believed in thecharacters and what the movie was trying to say. And they through themselvesinto it one-hundred percent, including Darwin and Cooper went into theaversion therapy process with teeth bared.”

They/Them is currently streaming on Peacock

The cold between Henk Westbroek and bol.com is still far from over. In fact,the quarrel between the singer and the company, which uses one of HenkWestbroek’s texts in an advertising campaign, continues to grow. The Utrechtsinger says that he has engaged his lawyer.

Henk Westbroek approached bol.com this weekend, after the company stated thesentence in a toy book Sinterklaas, who doesn ‘t scan it used. With this,the web store refers to a QR code that is included with all products in thebook. The sentence is a variation of Who does not know Sinterklaas the hitthat Westbroek in 1982 with Henk Taming scored.

For some it is an honor that his lyrics are still being used after 30 years,but Westbroek was not happy that his lyrics are being used for commercialpurposes. Certainly not because he was not informed about it. What also upsetshim is that the same thing happened to him last year. Then Albert Heijn “foulshis copyright”, he says himself.

Bol.com acknowledges: ‘Is a mistake, clumsy’

“Last year Albert Heijn decided to give a shit about my copyright. And thecompany got off with a donation of 5000 euros to the food bank. Plus a lot offree advertising,” the singer wrote on Twitter this weekend with a photo ofthe toy book. “This year I am aiming a little higher. After all, recidivism.”

It is striking that Albert Heijn and bol.com fall under the same parentcompany. bol.com commented on ‘s tweet Westbroekknow that it is“indeed a double fault”. “Clumsy, especially because our brother Albert madeit last year. We are good together, but we don’t tell each other everything.”

This is indeed a double fault, Henk. Inconvenient, especially because our> brother Albert made it last year. (We’re good together, but don’t tell each> other everything). We would like to solve it, can you let us know in a DM> how we can reach you?>> — bol.com (@bol_com) October 15,> 2022

Henk Westbroek has engaged a lawyer

A conciliatory conversation followed today between Henk Westbroek and the mainresponsible for the toy book of bol.com. As a solution, this chief responsibleproposed a donation of 10,000 euros to a charity, with which bol.com haspreviously collaborated.

But there was no question of reconciliation: Westbroek rejected bol.com’soffer. “It cannot be the case that the thief decides what the punishment willbe,” he says. He has informed the web store that his lawyer will contact thecompany. Westbroek is not yet sure what the legal steps should bring.

Singer wants compensation and more money for charity

The singer is considering compensation for the free advertising that bol.comwould have received due to the media attention to the issue surrounding thetoy book. There might be an extra amount on top of that that must be donatedto a charity chosen by Westbroek. “You have to put some kind of fine on it,”says the singer. The web store “is sorry” that the company did not come to anagreement with Westbroek.

Henk Westbroek previously stated that he finds it “terrible” that his number_Belgium_ is used during meetings of the PVV.