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Lupin co-writer François Uzan went to great lengths to secure the authenticity of upcoming Netflix comedy Recalé.

The storied scribe revealed at Series Mania this afternoon that he went undercover in a French school, or lycée, in order to learn what makes modern teachers tick.

He described Recalé, which translates into English as “Failed,” as a “goofy infiltration comedy” about a teacher who infiltrates a mob. Starring Alexandre Kominek, Recalé is shooting at the moment in Lille, where Series Mania is taking place.

“I wanted to have some social roots for Recalé so I went undercover in a lycée in France,” said Uzan. “I told teachers that this will be about infiltration and [will be] goofy but when we see teachers on screen I want them to be realistic. So [the show] will talk about what it means to be a teacher right now, problems of budget, what it means to be on strike,...

Thomas Jolly, who masterminded the unique Olympic opening ceremony in Paris, has been reflecting on how the bad weather on that day last July felt apt.

Diving deep into the ceremony six months on, Jolly told a Series Mania audience that the rain “acted as a throughline in a way” to what the team, which included Call My Agent! creator Fanny Herrero, were trying to do with the ceremony.

“The rain that fell on Lady Gaga also falls on the audience watching from the riverbanks,” he said. “It put us all on an equal footing and that was the key message we wanted to share through the live event – sharing.”

The much-discussed bad weather struck a splashy ceremony that for the first time did not take place in an arena but was conducted with hundreds of boats along the River Seine. Lady Gaga was one of a number of high-profile...

Seven people were due to stand trial in Paris on Wednesday on charges of making death threats and cyberbullying against director Thomas Jolly in the wake of his controversial Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony last July.

French media reported that six men, aged between 22 and 79 years old, and a woman aged 57 had been summoned to court on charges of “repeated death threats, cyberbullying and aggravated insults based on sexual orientation and real or supposed religious affiliation.”

A number of the insults were reported at the time to have been antisemitic in nature. Jolly is not Jewish.

The accused face maximum jail terms of seven years and fines of up to €75,000, if found guilty.

The Paris criminal court hearing comes seven-and-half months after theater director Jolly’s July 26 Olympics opening ceremony on the River Seine caused furore in some quarters for its modern, inclusive take on French history and culture.

Jolly filed...

T A P E Collectivehas acquried UK and Ireland rights toStéphane Ly-Cuong’s French musical comedyIn The Nguyen Kitchenfrom Paris outfit The Party.

Further deals have been done with DISTRI7 for Benelux, Big Rights in Spain, First Hand Films in Switzerland, Kitchen Films in Italy, Estofilm in the Baltics and Encore Inflight for airlines.

In The Nguyen Kitchen is about a French-Vietnamese actress who dreams of becoming a successful musical star to the dismay of her mother who prefers she follow a more serious path. The two end up growing closer within the intimate confines of the family’s Vietnamese...

Christine and the Queens was the headline act at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympics in Paris on Wednesday evening, performing stirring versions of Edith Piaf’s “Non, je ne regrette rien” and 1970s disco hit “Born To Be Alive.”

But the real stars of the three-hour ceremony unfolding around the obelisk in the French capital’s La Place de la Concorde were the singers and dancers with disabilities who took to the vast stage.

Performer Lucky Love, who was born without his left arm due to Agenesis, was hailed as a revelation by the French press on Thursday for his performance.

The actor, singer and model, who has the air of a young Freddie Mercury and was signed by UTA earlier this year, has a following in the fashion world and indie cinema circles but is less known in the mainstream.

His performance of his 2022 song “Masculinity” – tweaked for...

Final preparations are underway for the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympics on Wednesday.

It will take place one month after the tumultuous 2024 Olympics opening ceremony which divided spectators at home and internationally for its provocative take on French history and culture.

Like its predecessor, which unfolded on the River Seine on July 26, the Paralympics opening will break with tradition by taking place outside of a sports stadium and will also be overseen by Olympics opening and closing ceremonies artistic director Thomas Jolly.

The celebrated theatre director received death threats in the wake of the Olympics opening, following suggestions that a scene featuring drag queens was a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, which he denied.

At home, the ceremony was mainly applauded and it kicked off one of the most successful summer Olympics in more than a decade.

Entitled ‘Paradox’, the two-part 2024 Paralympics inauguration will see 4,400 Paralympians...

Roll up, Insiders. Jesse Whittock here with the outlook on the latest international TV and film news, as the Olympic flag left Paris and began its long journey to LA — certainly no Mission Impossible. Sign up for the newsletter here.

Tom Cruise Drops In To Steal The Show

Actor Tom Cruise is seen during the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Cruise control: Like a moth to a flame or a teenage girl to a Taylor Swift concert, Tom Cruise is drawn to global entertainment events. And half the time, he’s got a stunt in mind. Sunday’s closing ceremony of the Olympic Games was the perfect case in point. While Cruise had been seen in the crowd throughout the three weeks of sporting competition, rumors in Hollywood swirled that he’d embark on a Mission Impossible-style entrance as the Paris event wound down and the Olympic torch was,...

Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars, who performed at Sunday’s concert at the Stade de France for the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, said that he worried for athletes’ safety during the show.

French indie rock band Phoenix delivered a rousing rendition of their hit “Lisztomania” surrounded by hundreds of athletes.

While Mars is accustomed to live performances, the Olympics’ closing ceremony was a different kind of gig, he told French radio France Inter on Monday morning, due to the overjoyed crowd of athletes who were out of control during the musical act.

“We were told that generally at closing ceremonies, the athletes are very happy with the pressure from the Olympics coming down so they let loose,” said Mars. “But there, they got up on screens, they broke the screens,” he said. “In fact, we were afraid for them because we had been told for the last two weeks of rehearsal ‘Above all,...

Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who won the Olympic gold medal in the women’s boxing 66-kilogram division, has filed a complaint over online harassment in Paris.

During her run at the Olympics, the 25-year-old athlete was bullied on social media after one of her opponents, Italian boxer Angela Carini, abandoned the quarter-final match 46 seconds into its start and declared she “never felt a punch like this.” Khelif was disqualified by the International Boxing Association (Iba) from last year’s Women’s World Championships after she failed a gender eligibility test due to elevated levels of testosterone in her system, but was born female and does not identify as transgender or intersex.

However, prominent influencers such as Logan Paul falsely claimed that Khelif was a man (Paul later retracted his statement), while other controversial figures like J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk, Donald Trump and Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni blamed...

Hollywood superstar and action movie icon Tom Cruise brought the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to an end in the only way he knows how...by risking his life for our entertainment. The Mission: Impossible star leaped from the top of the Stade de France to mark the handover of the Paris Olympics to the L.A. Games, which will take place in 2028.

In a segment worthy of any of Cruises outings as Imf agent Ethan Hunt, Cruise jumped off the roof of the stadium, the biggest in France, and landed effortlessly on the stage where he was given the Olympic flag by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. But it didnt end there, as Cruise then hopped on a motorcycle and rode out of the stadium, with a pre-recorded clip showing the actor leaping from a plane and landing by the Hollywood sign to mark the handover from Paris to Los Angeles.

You...

The Paris Olympic Games came to an end Sunday with a Closing Ceremony that featured the a glittering Golden Voyager descending from the sky, a confusing stage design and, inevitably, Tom Cruise rappelling into the arena. Social media reactions to the ceremony ran the gamut from confusion to acceptance.

Artistic Director Thomas Jolly designed the ceremony around the idea that in a dystopian future world, the Olympic Games no longer exist… until a mysterious Golden Voyager ushers in a new era of athletic competition. But as @HausOfFiona wrote on X, the Golden Voyager was a little reminiscent of another golden hero. One who lives in a pineapple under the sea.

same energy #Paris2024 #ClosingCeremony pic.twitter.com/1urcP5Nu8S

— Fiona (@HausOfFiona) August 11, 2024

Rock bands Air and Phoenix delighted attendees, but the true unsung hero might be the guy who was eating noodles side-stage during their performances.

Shoutout to the...

Tom Cruise gave the Paris Olympics closing ceremony a Hollywood flair when he dove off the top of the Stade de France to mark the handover from the Paris Olympics to the L.A. Games in 2028.

After H.E.R. played the U.S. national anthem, the actor jumped off the roof of the Stade de France — the country’s biggest stadium — and landed on stage. He was welcomed with deafening cheers and greeted by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who was handed the Olympic flag by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo during the bash. He then hopped onto a motorcycle with the flag in tow and rode out of the stadium to make the symbolic delivery to L.A. As the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “By the Way” played in the background, Cruise rode down the Paris streets and drove into a plane. In a pre-recorded segment, he then parachuted out of the aircraft,...

French band Phoenix rocked the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony, with fellow French act Air appearing to duet with them as they closed out the Games on Sunday night as part of the sci-fi-themed ceremony. Phoenix kicked off their set with “Lisztomania” to an enthusiastic response from athletes from around the world, who were seen dancing jubilantly to the music.

DJ Kavinsky and Belgian singer Angèle joined the band for “Nightcall,” which was followed up by “If I Ever Feel Better” and a duet with Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend.

“They’re unbelievable, great band, always bringing the energy,” host Jimmy Fallon said as he commentated during the band’s performance.

The band was joined by French duo Air for “Playground Love,” a song featured in filmmaker Sofia Coppola’s dreamy 1999 drama “The Virgin Suicides” — Air scored the film. Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars has been married to Coppola since 2011. He and...

The Paris 2024 Olympics concludes today with the Closing Ceremony, marking the end of two weeks of competition among the world’s top athletes striving for gold.

Though much of the ceremony’s entertainment was kept under wraps, the event kicked off with a performance by Zaho de Sagazan, with French music icons Air, Phoenix, Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, and Kavinsky performing throughout the ceremony.

Related: Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony In Pictures

The Olympic flag was passed from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to City of LA Mayor Karen Bass and representing the United States, the most decorated U.S. female gymnast of all time Simone Biles. H.E.R. performed the U.S. National Anthem followed by Tom Cruise performing a daring stunt, diving into the Stade de France and parading the Olympic flag through the streets of Paris on a motorbike. The flag was then delivered to Los Angeles, where it...

The Paris Olympics set a high bar for itself after an opening ceremony that showcased Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and a scenic backdrop involving virtually every Parisian landmark along the Seine. But the closing ceremony — taking place on a blistering hot day in stark contrast to the pouring rain of its kickoff — also delivered a blockbuster show with a Hollywood twist.

As part of the glitzy handover to Los Angeles as it prepares to host 2028’s Summer Games, Tom Cruise wowed audiences with a few epic stunts while Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed and H.E.R. sang the U.S. national anthem. Swimmer Katie Ledecky and rower Nick Mead — who both secured gold medals at the 2024 Games — were the flag bearers for the U.S., whose team topped the Paris Olympics with a whopping 126 medals, beating China, the U.K. and France. The host country broke a 100-year record with 64 medals,...

After more than two weeks of jaw-dropping athletics, close competitions and meme–making events, the 2024 Paris Olympics are coming to a close.

The Olympics closing ceremony airs in the U.S. on Sunday, Aug. 12, on NBC and streams exclusively on Peacock. Taking place at the Stade de France, the festivities are expected to include a mix of pre-recorded and live performances by Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers and H.E.R., while Tom Cruise is reportedly skydiving to the Hollywood sign (in a pre-taped segment) as part of the handoff to Los Angeles for the 2028 games. Over 100 performers, dancers, acrobats and circus artists directed by artistic designer Thomas Jolly (who also oversaw the opening show) are also expected to be part of the closing extravaganza.

At a Glance: How to Watch the 2024 Olympics Closing Ceremony Online

When Aug. 11 at 12 p.m. Pt/3 p.m. Et Channel NBC Stream online Peacock,...

The 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony will feature performances from Billie Eilish, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Additionally, H.E.R. will sing the U.S. national anthem to mark the handover for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“This is the biggest moment in LA28 history to date, as the Olympic flag passes from Paris to L.A.,” Casey Wasserman, LA28 chairperson and president, wrote in a statement. “We are thrilled to feature the very best of L.A. with local artists and are grateful to Billie, H.E.R., the Chili Peppers and Snoop for their collaboration on what will be an incredible show to a global audience that will give fans a taste of what’s to come in 2028.”

The closing ceremony will feature the artists in a mix of pre-taped and live performances.

In a recent announcement, the Olympics...

The closing ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics will take place this Sunday, August 11 at Stade de France. The event will recognize top athletes from the past two weeks of competition and look back on the impact of the Games. It will also showcase Paris’ rich cultural traditions.

More than 17 days of sports will come to an end with the ceremony. Standout performers like swimmer Léon Marchand, gymnast Simone Biles, pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and sprinter Noah Lyles will be honored for their achievements. The theme of the ceremony, called “Records,” will reflect on both celebrating records set and the fragility of the Olympic movement.

Thomas Jolly, director of both the opening and closing ceremonies, aims to highlight Paris’ diversity through performances. Drag queens are expected to take part, as they did in the controversial opening ceremony. Jolly said the ceremonies take inspiration from Dionysus, the Greek god of revelry, rather than Christian symbols.

Barbara Butch is a self-proclaimed “love activist.” This, she says, is why her feelings weren’t hurt when her appearance in the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony unleashed an avalanche of death threats, abuse and harassment.

The French DJ was the centerpiece of a tableau during the four-hour event on July 26. Drag queens and dancers struck poses along a long table with Butch on the decks in the middle. Singer Philippe Katerine, painted in sparkly blue and semi-naked, sang while resting on a dinner platter in front.

Social media users were quick to claim the image resembled Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, the portrait of Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles before he was crucified. Suddenly, Butch was caught at the center of mass backlash.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the highest-ranking Catholic official in Malta and Vatican official for its doctrinal office, said he contacted France’s ambassador to Valletta to complain about the “gratuitous insult.

While the Olympics’ opening ceremony showcased two North American superstars, Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, the closing bash will highlight two iconic French bands, Phoenix and Air, the event’s executive director Thierry Reboul confirmed to Variety in an interview.

Reboul, who produced the blockbuster, controversial opening ceremony show along the Seine and recently filed a police complaint after receiving death threats for it, is now in the final stretch of preparing the closing event alongside artistic director Thomas Jolly.

“We’ve tried to champion French talents from the start even if we had international stars (Celine Dion and Lady Gaga); each time it was promoting a French artist nevertheless,” said Reboul. “We always have in mind to turn the spotlight on our country, of course.” Gaga, who had to pre-tape her performance in anticipation of pouring rain, indeed sang in French and paid tribute to Zizi Jeanmaire’s cabaret-inspired “Mon Truc en Plumes,...

Donald Trump Jr. criticized the “satanic” imagery conveyed in the drag queens’ performance during the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

Don Jr. interpreted the scene performed as a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” which depicts Jesus Christ’s meal with his apostles before his crucifixion.

“As a kid we would be excited for weeks leading up to the games,” he wrote on X.

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“Now with the ever predictable (& seemingly satanic to me) drag queen opening ceremonies and never-ending bs, no one I know even thinks about it beyond maybe watching some highlights,” he added.

“It’s such a shame that event that used to create so much national pride now creates, at best, indifference,” he stated. “Using the games to push woke ideology has zero to do with anything the games stands for.

As debate continues to rage around whether a scene featuring drag queens in the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, speculation is now mounting over details of the closing ceremony on August 11.

Artistic director Thomas Jolly – who has received death threats amid claims the scene was an insult to Christianity, even though he insists it was inspired by Greek mythology and not the Bible – is also responsible for the closing ceremony and has been pushing on with its preparation against the backdrop of the furore.

French sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra told radio news network FranceInfo that she had “absolute confidence” that Jolly and his team would “dazzle the world” once again.

Unlike the logistically ambitious opening ceremony which ran along a four-mile stretch of the River Seine under pouring rain, the closing will take place in the 80,000-capacity, Stade de France stadium, which...

John Oliver is weighing in on the controversy surrounding Donald Trump after he questioned Vice President Kamala Harris’s racial identity by pointing out that the former president and Republican candidate “turned Christian” when he was running for office for a second time.

The host of Last Week Tonight opened the show on Sunday by discussing Trump’s appearance last week at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago, where he answered a question from a ballroom stage by saying that Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian heritage, had only spoken of the latter when “she happened to turn Black.”

“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” Trump said on July 31. “I didn’t know she was Black, until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know,...

Updated: Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, has filed a second complaint on Aug. 3, along with two organizers of the event, Alexandre Billard and Thierry Reboul, alleging death threats, swiftly prompting the crime unit (Brdp) to launch a new investigation, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.

According to national newspaper Le Parisien, some of the death threats cited verses of the Quran, saying that the “Allah’s punishment will fall down on the organizers in Saint Denis.” The closing ceremony will take place at the Stade de France, located in Saint Denis, on the outskirts of Paris. Billard is the joint managing director of the event planner agency Ubi Bene, while Reboul is the executive director of the Olympic ceremonies.

Jolly previously filed a complaint on July 30, the same day that the DJ of the ceremony, known as Barbara Butch, also filed a complaint for cyber harassment.

RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Karl Sanchez, better known as the drag queen Nicky Doll, is waging a legal battle against British actor and politician Laurence Fox after Fox called Sanchez and other drag performers “deviant little pedos” after their performance at the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony. That performance during the July 26 opening ceremony has spurred controversy, with critics likening one scene to Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” in what some saw as a mockery of Christianity. Thomas Jolly, the opening ceremony’s artistic director, told reporters at an Olympics press conference that the scene was not meant to “be subversive, or shock people, or mock people,” according to The New York Times. Jolly also said that he wasn’t inspired by “The Last Supper” and that “the idea was instead to have a grand pagan festival connected to the gods of Olympus.” Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps added,...

RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Karl Sanchez, better known as the drag queen Nicky Doll, is waging a legal battle against British actor and politician Laurence Fox after Fox called Sanchez and other drag performers “deviant little pedos” after their performance at the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony. That performance during the July 26 opening ceremony has spurred controversy, with critics likening one scene to Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” in what some saw as a mockery of Christianity. Thomas Jolly, the opening ceremony’s artistic director, told reporters at an Olympics press conference that the scene was not meant to “be subversive, or shock people, or mock people,” according to The New York Times. Jolly also said that he wasn’t inspired by “The Last Supper” and that “the idea was instead to have a grand pagan festival connected to the gods of Olympus.” Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps added,...

Aside from Leon Marchand, who clinched his fourth swimming gold medal yesterday, another French athlete, 21-year-old pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati, has become an instant viral phenomenon after an incident involving his crotch.

Ammirati missed his target height and knocked down the pole with his bulge on Saturday, which caused him to fail his qualifying track for the final. The scene left commentators scrambling to find words but it quickly sparked memes and jokes all over social media.

“When you’re about to win an Olympic medal but your massive d*ck gets in the way while the whole world watches in slow motion,” one user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote.

Anthony Ammirati failed the bar and the commentators are clearly having a hard time acknowledging what happened...

Ariana Grande, Charlize Theron, Snoop Dog, Pharrell Williams… these are some famous people who flocked to Paris in anticipation of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Apart from the excitement of witnessing which country will win the most medals, I also look forward to seeing A-list celebrities glam up the Olympics. As it turned out, they delivered, providing elegant appearances that elevated the event.

The Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony Controversy

The much-awaited sports event commenced on Friday, July 26, and will run through August 11. But most of the excitement dissipated during the extravagant opening ceremony. It was replaced with disappointment, particularly from conservative and religious groups who objected to the apparent mockery of Jesus and the Last Supper that included drag performers.

The Paris Olympic organizers have since issued an apology statement to the angered groups.

“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,...

French drag performer Nicky Doll has taken legal action against British actor and politician Laurence Fox after he lashed out at drag queens involved in the Paris Olympics opening ceremony and called them “deviant little pedos” on social media.

The July 26 ceremony, which featured a group of drag artists portraying Greek gods and has been perceived by some as a parody of Leonardo va Vinci’s religious painting “The Last Supper,” sparked debate worldwide. Fox, posted on X about the performance, saying: “No point in getting wound up when the child f**kers want to wind you up. Just laugh at the deviant little pedos. Eternity is a b***h.”

Nicky Doll, whose real name is Karl Sanchez, announced the lawsuit through a statement from lawyer Anne Sophie-Laguens. The statement detailed that performers faced online harassment and threats following the July 26 ceremony.

“Stop Homophobia lawyers have received numerous reports of incitement to hatred,...

French celebrity drag queen and tv presenter Nicky Doll is suing Laurence Fox for defamation over pedophile comments he made about drag artists appearing in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The action comes just three months after UK actor Fox, who is now better known as a controversial political activist and TV presenter, was ordered to pay £180,000 in damages to former RuPaul’s Drag Race UK contestant Crystal (Colin Seymour) and charity trustee Simon Blake, after he called them “pedophiles” on social media.

Nicky Doll, whose birth name is Karl Sanchez, was among a group of drag artists appearing in a scene entitled ‘Festivity’, celebrating inclusion and diversity. It was among 12 tableaux celebrating the French spirit woven into the Olympics opening ceremony on July 26.

Fox responded to the tableau with a clip and caption which read: “No point in getting wound up when the child f**kers want to wind you up.

Emmanuel Macron is praising the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony amid the attacks and death threats organizers received.

A portion of the opening ceremony featuring drag queens came under fire after it was believed to be mocking Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” Religious groups and high-profile conservative voices like Fuller House star Candace Cameron Bure called the interpretation “disgusting.”

However, the opening ceremony recreated the feast of the Gods, and Macron recently praised the organizers’ “audacity”.

“I am scandalized and sad about what he’s been through,” Macron told reporters, according to Reuters. “The French and the whole world were very proud of this opening ceremony, it made us very proud. His audacity did a lot of good to a lot of people.”

Macron continued, “It showed France’s audacity, and it all happened with the suitable artistic freedom. Nothing justifies threats to an artist.”

Related: International Olympics Committee Decries...

Prosecutors in Paris are investigating death threats and harassment directed at Thomas Jolly, the artistic director behind the opening ceremony at the 2024 Olympics, according to The Associated Press.

The investigation was launched, the Paris prosecutor’s office said, after Jolly filed a police complaint on Tuesday, July 30 (the opening ceremony took place a few days prior, on July 26). Jolly said he’d been subjected to death threats, “public insults,” and “defamation” and has been “the target of threatening messages and insults on social networks criticizing his sexual orientation and his wrongly-assumed Israeli roots.

After delivering a star-studded opening ceremony that saw the comeback of Celine Dion, Paris Olympics artistic director Thomas Jolly is employing one of Hollywood’s biggest names for the Games’ closing ceremony on Aug. 11.

Tom Cruise, who is currently filming “Mission: Impossible 8” in Europe and attended the opening ceremony in addition to women’s gymnastics and swimming competitions, will be one of the highlights of the closing ceremony, a source close to the Olympics organizing committee confirmed to Variety.

As reported by the French blog Sortir à Paris in May, Cruise was caught filming a scene while riding a motorcycle that sported a large flag. He then departed from the Arc de Triomphe and drove along the iconic Champs-Élysées Avenue. The actor, who was inducted Knight of France’s prestigious Legion of Honor last week, will be handing over the flag to Los Angeles for the 2028 Games.

Representatives for...

The creator of The Chosen has responded to the uproar over a controversial tableau at the Olympics opening ceremony by posting a first look at his staging of The Last Supper in the show’s upcoming fifth season.

Dallas Jenkins took to Instagram and wrote, “Is this better than the Olympics imagery?” and posted an image of the show’s core cast gathered around a table, with Jesus actor Jonathan Roumie in the center. The show’s fans responded enthusiastically to the post.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dallas Jenkins (@dallas.jenkins)

The Biblical drama is currently filming its fifth season, with the long-awaited fourth season recently added to Prime Video.

The 2024 Paris Olympics four-hour opening ceremony on July 24 launched the Summer Games and at one point featured a tableau of drag queens and dancers lined along a table. The feature resulted in controversy as some...

Donald Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that the Paris Olympics opening ceremony was a “disgrace” due to its controversial moment involving a tableau that some viewers believed to be a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” only the Olympics version replaced the painting’s religious figures with drag queens. However, organizers for the event have stressed the moment was not a nod to “The Last Supper” but to the feast of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.

When Ingraham brought up how the opening ceremony mocked “The Last Supper,” Trump weighed in and said: “I thought it was a disgrace.” The Fox News host then asked if Trump will “have enough influence on the organizers that we won’t be insulting Christians” if he is elected president again, as his potential term would overlap with the 2028 summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Calif.

“We won’t be having a Last Supper,...

Donald Trump weighed in on the controversy over the Olympics opening ceremony, which featured men in drag and a segment that some have interpreted as a satire of The Last Supper.

Appearing on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle on Monday evening, Trump called the ceremony a “disgrace.”

“The mocking of the Last Supper,” Ingraham said.

“I thought it was a disgrace,” Trump said.

Ingraham then asked him, if he is elected, whether he will “have enough influence on the organizers that we won’t be insulting Christians.” The term of the next president runs through 2029. The next summer Olympics, in 2028, will take place in Los Angeles.

“We won’t be having a Last Supper, as portrayed the way they portrayed it the other night,” Trump said. “I just think — look, I’m for everybody. I’m very open-minded. You understand me.

“You know me better than most people know me.

A French DJ and LGBTQ+ rights icon said she has filed police reports over targeted death threats for her participation in a section of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony where comparisons were drawn to Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

During the four-hour ceremony on Friday, drag queens and dancers at one point struck poses along a long table as Barbara Butch DJed in the center. A person painted sparkly blue, singing in French, was resting on a dinner platter in front. Some social media users said the image resembled the portrait of Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles before he was crucified, which became the center of swift backlash.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, French far-right politician Marion Maréchal and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker were among those berating the tableau. “Last night’s mockery of The Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world,...

Update: French DJ and activist Barbara Butch said on Monday that she has filed several police reports after receiving death threats for her participation in an Olympics opening ceremony tableau that drew comparisons to Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” The Paris Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Variety that a complaint for cyber-harassment was received and an official investigation has been launched.

“The national body in charge of combatting against online hate speech (Pnlh) has appointed the central office in charge of fighting crimes against humanity and hate crimes (Oclch) to conduct an investigation into the discriminating messages referring to the religion or sexual orientation that were addressed to her or posted online and flagged,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. “The facts could potentially qualify as abuse aggravated by discrimination, death threats and public incitement to attempt on the life or physical integrity of people.”

The scene,...

French DJ Barbara Butch, who participated in a controversial drag queen scene in the Paris Olympics Open Ceremony, has lodged a number of police complaints after receiving a raft of threatening online messages.

“Since the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games artist, DJ, and activist Barbara Butch has been the target of an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation,” Butch’s lawyer Audrey Msellati said in a statement.

“She has been threatened with death, torture, and rape, and has also been the target of numerous anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist, and anti-grossophobic insults.”

Butch was among the participants in a scene celebrating sexual diversity and inclusion entitled “Festivity”. The colorful scene, which also featured Nicky Doll and a number of past Drag Race France contestants, was among 12 tableaux capturing the French spirit running through the opening ceremony.

It has sparked controversy after it was erroneously suggested that the film was...

by Cláudio Alves

Christian conservatives worldwide seem to have had their outrage activated by the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony. The French Revolution pageantry has been decried as satanic, but even more religious nuts are losing their mind over a tableau starring drag queens in a pose that could remind one of Da Vinci's Last Supper. According to the ceremony's artistic director, Thomas Jolly, the image was in reference to and reverence of a painting. But it was no piece of Catholic iconography, rather The Feast of the Gods by Jan van Bijlert, a depiction of the Olympians with Bacchus in the front.

Still, even if Jolly had re-imagined the Last Supper with queer performers, why would that be an insult instead of a celebration? Appeals to religious decorum are mere smokescreens, hiding hatred and trying to give it a justification. In response to such culture war odiousness, I can...

The Paris Olympics have been at the center of controversy following the opening ceremony on Friday. Many people felt that the drag performance was mocking Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper.” A representative for the Olympics has now come forward to address the hot debate.

Paris Olympics Rep Addresses Last Supper Controversy

Da Vinci’s painting infamously depicts Jesus and his disciples sharing a meal before his crucifixion. At the Paris Olympics, it seemed like the scene was brought to life with drag queens, a trans model, and a male singer painted blue.

During an interview with the artistic director Thomas Jolly, he made it clear that the inspiration for the scene was not “The Last Supper.” He said that the entire idea for the performance was “a grand pagan festival connected to the gods of Olympus” and the man who was painted blue was meant to be Dionysus.

Candace Cameron Bure is one of many celebrities weighing in on the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The ceremony has been the center of controversy after a drag performance seemed to mock the Last Supper. Despite reports correcting the debates online, Candace Bure is doubling down on her opinion on the matter.

Candace Cameron Bure Calls Out Opening Ceremony For Mockery

The Full House alum posted a long rant about the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on her Instagram Story on Saturday. Candace said that the entire performance “completely blasphemed and mock[ed] the Christian faith.”

She continued, calling the production “disgusting.” More than that, she was sad about what she was seeing.

The 48-year-old actress said, “It made me so sad, and someone said, ‘You shouldn’t be sad. You should be mad about it.’ I’m like, ‘Trust me, it makes me mad, but I’m more sad because I’m sad for souls.

Organizers of the Paris Olympics issued an apology Sunday following criticism of a segment in the opening ceremony that some viewed as mocking Christianity’s Last Supper.

The controversial scene, featuring drag performers and dancers, drew a sharp rebuke from Catholic leaders and conservative politicians who saw it as a disrespectful portrayal of Jesus’ final meal with his disciples before his crucifixion.

“There was clearly never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps said at a news conference. “If people have taken any offense, we’re, of course, really sorry.”

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The French Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned the performance, stating it “included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity.” In the United States, House Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “shocking and insulting” mockery of Christian beliefs.

The Paris Olympics drew ire Friday for an opening ceremony scene that some religious viewers felt was mocking Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, which depicts Jesus and his disciples before his crucifixion. Now, a representative from the Olympics is setting the record straight.

The scene in question featured drag queens, a transgender model and a singer dressed up as Dionysus, all set against the city’s beautiful Seine river. In an interview that aired on French television, Olympics artistic director Thomas Jolly made it clear that the inspiration for the idea was “a grand pagan festival connected to the gods of Olympus.

French writer and director Fanny Herrero is best known internationally as the showrunner behind Paris talent agency comedy-drama Call My Agent!, which was a hit in its original version and has since spawned a raft of remakes.

She has recently added a new string to her bow as one of the co-writers of the much talked about Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, which unfolded under torrential rain on the River Seine on Friday.

This credit will likely also boost her international footprint, or perhaps, her notoriety, given the wildly differing responses to the show, which embraced diversity and inclusion and brazenly explored history and tradition with an unapologetically contemporary take, at the same time as being the first Olympics opening to unfold on a river.

Speaking to Deadline prior to the ceremony, Herrero said the invite from artistic director Thomas Jolly to join the co-writing team came out of the blue.

Conservative figures in Hollywood such as Rob Schneider and Candace Cameron Bure are outraged over the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony for featuring a tableau that seemed to evoke Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” but replaced the painting’s religious figures with drag queens and more. The Catholic Church in France slammed the visual as a “derision and mockery of Christianity.”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Schneider said he would be boycotting the rest of the Paris games because of the controversial tableau.

“I am sorry to say to all the world’s greatest athletes, I wish you all the best, but I cannot watch an Olympics that disrespects Christianity and openly celebrates Satan,” the comedian wrote. “I sincerely hope these Olympics get the same amount of viewers as Cspan.”

Schneider later posted a still from the tableau and wrote: “Guys with their genitalia hanging out in front of children?...

European TV and streaming company Eurosport, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, has dropped commentator Bob Ballard from its Olympics coverage after an “inappropriate comment” that he made about members of Australia’s women’s swimming team went viral.

Ballard, commenting after the Australian female swim team won the gold medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay, said the athletes, who were celebrating together, were late to leave the swimming venue because “you know what women are like, hanging around, doing their makeup.”

His female colleague, commentator and former Olympian Lizzie Simmonds called Ballard out for the comment. “Outrageous, Bob. Some of the men are doing that as well,” she quipped, prompting a laugh from Ballard. A 15-second clip of the comments quickly went viral on social media. Ballard was dropped soon afterward.

“During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage [Sunday], commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment,” Eurosport said in a statement.

The International Olympic Committee has issued an apology after kicking off the 2024 Summer Olympics with an unfortunate error.

Ioc spokesperson Mark Adams addressed “deeply regrettable” error during a press conference on Saturday after announcers during Friday’s opening ceremony announced the team from the Republic of Korea (South Korea) as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).

“We apologize wholeheartedly,” said Adams, adding: “An operational mistake was made. We can only apologize in an evening of so many moving parts that that mistake was made. And we apologize to people from the Republic of Korea for that. Sorry for that error.”

Ioc President Thomas Bach also apologized for the mistake during a phone call with the Republic of Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol. Additionally, he congratulated the country on their first Olympic medal of the year after the 10m air rifle mixed team took home silver.

South Korea has...

Updated: Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, has denied a controversial scene featuring drag queens was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

Jolly told news channel Bfmtv on Sunday that the tableau has nothing to do with the iconic Renaissance painting depicting Jesus’s last meal with the 12 apostles as he tells them that one of their number will betray him.

“It’s not my inspiration and that should be pretty obvious. There’s Dionysus arriving on a table. Why is he there? First and foremost because he is the god of celebration in Greek mythology and the tableau is called ‘Festivity’,” explained Jolly.

“He is also the god of wine, which is also one of the jewels of France, and the father of Séquana, the goddess of the river Seine,” he continued. “The idea was to depict a big pagan celebration, linked to the gods of Olympus,...

A Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony scene reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” continued to stir controversy Sunday as Paris 2024 producers and the ceremony’s designer Thomas Jolly released separate, apparently opposing statements on where it drew its inspiration.

The scene in question featured a line of drag performers posing shoulder-to-shoulder on a Parisian bridge before turning the bridge into a fashion-forward catwalk. Later, those same queens celebrated over a meal where the dish was revealed to be a nearly nude man painted blue.

Many, including Jolly and the official Olympics Games X account, said that the scene is an “interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus” that “makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.”

Others, including a statement from Paris 2024 producers obtained by TheWrap Sunday, said that it was in fact inspired by Da Vinci’s famous painting — a skewing of the religious imagery...