Twin Peaks: The Return – a worthy reboot of David Lynch’s oddball masterpiece

When Twin Peaks debuted in 1990, it was a cultural phenomenon. On the surface, it was a classic whodunit: a homecoming queen, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), is found dead and a charming, ebullient FBI special agent, Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), turns up in town to investigate.Despite the often violent content, entire families sat down to watch, and groups of friends had viewing parties where they ate cherry pie, drank damn fine coffee and dressed up as characters – including wrapped in plastic as poor Laura. The broad appeal was because of writer-director David Lynch and writer-producer Mark Frost’s compelling style, which transformed a small-town murder mystery into an oddball drama, replete with profound tragedy, supernatural forces and complex relationships.Across two seasons and a prequel movie (1992’s Fire Walk with Me), Lynch and Frost’s uncompromising and unique vision and pastiche of genres and tones – from soap opera to film noir, zany comedy, tragedy and horror – forever changed what television could look like

Aubrey Plaza calls husband Jeff Baena’s death ‘an unimaginable tragedy’

Aubrey Plaza has released a statement after the death of her husband, Jeff Baena, who was found at his Los Angeles home on Friday after taking his own life.“This is an unimaginable tragedy,” the actor and Baena’s family said in a joint statement shared with media on Monday. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”The 47-year-old writer and director was best known for his work on comedies including co-writing 2004’s I Heart Huckabees, and directing 2014’s Life After Beth and 2017’s The Little Hours, both of which starred Plaza

Ex-husband of The Vivienne says ‘heart is shattered’ after Drag Race star’s death

The ex-husband of the drag artist known as The Vivienne has said his “heart is shattered” after the death of the RuPaul’s Drag Race star, as the hit TV show’s host paid tribute to “a lovely human being”.James Lee Williams, who won the 2019 first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK as The Vivienne, died at the weekend aged 32.In an emotional tribute on Instagram, David Ludford wrote: “My heart literally sank when I got the call! My heart is shattered!”Ludford, a wig hairstylist, said Williams “changed my life so much” and that they “loved each other so much”.“We literally went through and did so much together, it was like a whirlwind and I wouldn’t have changed the time we spent together for anything in the world,” he said.The couple announced their separation in April 2023

‘They wanted a host without much personality’: Evan Davis and Peter Jones on Dragons’ Den

‘The left-hand driving glove was madness – while the baby dream machine and the armchair that converted into a gym for older people made me laugh’I was running a fairly successful telecoms business and had a phone call from the BBC saying that they’d like to come and chat. I was intrigued enough to say yes. I was late for our meeting and while he was waiting for me, Martyn Smith, the BBC’s producer, was watching people coming into my office saying: “What do you think of that? Should we do this?” He asked me, “What were those people doing?” I said: “Coming in and pitching ideas.” He said: “You’re not going to believe it …”He explained that Dragons’ Den was a format in Japan and they were thinking of putting together a UK version. He said: “All you have to do is sit in a chair as people come in and pitch you ideas

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne dies aged 32

James Lee Williams, known as drag artist The Vivienne, has died at the age of 32, their public relations representative announced on Sunday.Simon Jones posted on Instagram: “It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved James Lee Williams – The Vivienne, has passed this weekend.“James was an incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person. Their family are heartbroken at the loss of their son, brother and uncle. They are so proud of the wonderful things James achieved in their life and career

‘Our thighs are aquiver!’ Inside the Siegfried and Roy opera with magic, tiger puppets and ‘hysterical sex’

Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera tells the incredible story of the tiger-loving partners, from traumatic childhoods to their shocking career-ending showMagic doesn’t just happen. Opera singers Kanen Breen and Christopher Tonkin are learning that the hard way. Making magic is key to their onstage partnership as the stars of a new Australian opera about one of the most successful stage partnerships of all time – that of Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn: two boys raised in postwar Germany with violent, alcoholic fathers, who became life and stage partners, created a celebrated magic and animal act in Europe in the 1960s, and then went on to become the highest-paid act in Las Vegas – until, in 2003, the duo’s beloved white tiger, Mantacore, put an end to their career in spectacularly bloody fashion.Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera, co-written by director Constantine Costi and composer Luke Di Somma, is one of the centrepieces of this year’s Sydney festival.The first day of rehearsals with the production’s stage illusion consultant, Adam Mada, included the most important lesson in stage magic, says Breen: you never talk about how a trick is done