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Known for her iconic role as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar is once again taking on the supernatural with her new show Wolf Pack.

Having described some behaviour on the ’90s hit drama as toxic, she told Sky News that now she’s an executive producer, she wanted to use her influence to ensure the only monsters she fights are on screen.

“I needed to have a set that was communicative, that was collaborative, where everybody had a voice,” Gellar explained.

“And, you know, when I was growing up in this industry, we were told not to, and if we did, we were difficult.

“And I think this isn’t a Hollywood thing – when you’re new in a job, you don’t want to make waves, you accept a lot of stuff that should be unacceptable, and I needed to have the power to change that and to be on the set that I wanted to be on, and not just that I wanted to be on, that everybody wanted to be on.

“Look, we get to play make believe, it’s really fun, but there’s long hours involved and there’s dangerous stunts and there’s, you know, all sorts of things, and I needed it to be a safe place for everyone.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as Kristin Ramsy in Wolf Pack. Photo: Paramount+
Image:
Gellar stars as Kristin Ramsey in Wolf Pack. Photo: Paramount+

On Wolf Pack, Gellar is no longer one of the youngest people on set. Her character is an investigator looking into a wildfire that has seemingly awakened a mysterious creature – and in the process changed the lives of two teenagers.

But learning from her own experiences, the star took practical action to ensure younger cast and crew on Wolf Pack were comfortable during filming.

She said: “I was like, here’s my cell phone, call me – and I think it was easier for them to speak to me if something was bothering them.”

Bella Shepard as Blake Navarro and Armani Jackson as Everett Lang in Wolf Pack. Pic: Steve Dietl/Paramount+
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Bella Shepard as Blake Navarro and Armani Jackson as Everett Lang in Wolf Pack. Pic: Steve Dietl/Paramount+

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She added: “It’s hard when it’s your producer, boss, network and everyone has a bottom line – I don’t have one, I’m here to make all of this work and work well.

“And by the way, not just for the actors – I said that to the crew, too, to the production assistants: If you’re too tired, and the hours are too long, let me know. There’s Uber now, there’s a really easy way for people not to get in car accidents when they’re working, it’s nothing to a production to call an Uber and guess what? If production won’t pay for it, I’ll get you an Uber.”

Photo: Curtis Bonds Baker/Paramount+
Image:
Photo: Curtis Bonds Baker/Paramount+

‘The scariest things in life emotionally scare us’

It’s 20 years since Buffy ended and Gellar says she was drawn back to the genre not by mythical creatures, but what they represent.

“To me, the scariest things in life are what emotionally scare us, and that’s what this monster is that metaphor for and really dealing with anxiety,” the actress explained.

“You know, that’s a word we throw around a lot right now, we’re all feeling it, we’re bombarded with news 24/7, and what it does and this constant stream of information.

“The idea is that anxiety is actually your body running at peak condition, but we don’t know what to do with that, so when you harness that, you can actually make that your superpower – and if we have the tools to really deal with anxiety, what would we be capable of?”

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How star got through COVID

But she admits she nearly didn’t get involved with Wolf Pack at all – initially saying no when asked to look at the script, joking that it was “animal instinct” that took over when she eventually relented.

“The idea of the pack to me just really hit home. It was the right time, you know, we were just coming out of COVID where if it wasn’t for my pack, my pod, if you will, I wouldn’t have gotten through it,” Gellar said.

“And what it’s like when you don’t have that and how lonely that feels.

“I surprised myself when I said yes, it surprised Jeff [Davis – the show’s creator], it surprised my team – it was a very just emotional response to material that meant something to me.”

Wolf Pack is streaming now on Paramount +

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The Salt Path author Raynor Winn’s fourth book delayed

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The Salt Path author Raynor Winn's fourth book delayed

The Salt Path author Raynor Winn’s fourth book has been delayed by her publisher.

It comes amid claims that the author lied about her story in her hit first book. Winn previously described the claims as “highly misleading” and called suggestions that her husband had Moth made up his illness “utterly vile”.

In a statement, Penguin Michael Joseph, said it had delayed the publication of Winn’s latest book On Winter Hill – which had been set for release 23 October.

The publisher said the decision had been made in light of “recent events, in particular intrusive conjecture around Moth’s health”, which it said had caused “considerable distress” to the author and her family.

“It is our priority to support the author at this time,” the publisher said.

“With this in mind, Penguin Michael Joseph, together with the author, has made the decision to delay the publication of On Winter Hill from this October.”

A new release date will be announced in due course, the publisher added.

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Winn’s first book, released in 2018, detailed the journey she and husband took along the South West Coast Path – familiarly known as The Salt Path – after they lost their family farm and Moth received a terminal health diagnosis of Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD).

But a report in The Observer disputed key aspects of the 2018 “true” story – which was recently turned into a film starring Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson.

Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear
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Raynor and husband Moth (centre) with actors Jason Isaacs (L) and Gillian Anderson (R). Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear

Experts ‘sceptical of health claims’

As part of the article, published last weekend, The Observer claimed to have spoken to experts who were “sceptical” about elements of Moth’s terminal diagnosis, such as a “lack of acute symptoms and his apparent ability to reverse them”.

In the ensuing controversy, PSPA, a charity that supports people with CBD, cut ties with the couple.

The Observer article also claimed the portrayal of a failed investment in a friend’s business wasn’t true, but said the couple – whose names are Sally and Tim Walker – lost their home after Raynor Winn embezzled money from her employer and had to borrow to pay it back and avoid police action.

Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear
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Anderson played Winn in a movie about the couple’s journey. Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear

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It also said that, rather than being homeless, the couple had owned a house in France since 2007.

Winn’s statement said the dispute with her employer wasn’t the reason the couple lost their home – but admitted she may have made “mistakes” while in the job.

“For me it was a pressured time,” she wrote. “It was also a time when mistakes were being made in the business. Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry.”

She admitted being questioned by police but said she wasn’t charged.

The author also said accusations that Moth lied about having CBD/CBS were false and had “emotionally devastated” him.

“I have charted Moth’s condition with such a level of honesty, that this is the most unbearable of the allegations,” Winn wrote on her website.

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Oasis fans queue from 8am for the Gallaghers’ homecoming gig in Manchester

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Oasis fans queue from 8am for the Gallaghers' homecoming gig in Manchester

The first fan started queuing before 8am.

Heaton Park, just north of Manchester City centre, is tonight hosting 80,000 fans who’ve come to see the Gallaghers’ homecoming.

“I would honestly say it’s a real cultural moment of the 21st century,” says Sam, who’s from Manchester and has come here with a group of friends – including one who has travelled from Australia for the gig.

Oasis fans wear T-shirts featuring an image of Liam and Noel Gallagher.
PIc: Reuters
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Oasis fans wear band T-shirts with the almost obligatory bucket hats. Pic: Reuters

This will be the fourth time Sam has seen Oasis play, although obviously not for many years, and he says he can’t wait for the moment the band comes on to the stage.

“The reaction from the fans, that’s going to be really special,” he says. “This band means so much to the North West.”

Like many people attending tonight’s concert, Sam is wearing a bucket hat.

Liam Gallagher’s iconic headgear has become a part of the band’s cultural legacy and they are certainly on display here, with street vendors popping up all around the park’s perimeter.

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Another fan, Dean, tells me he feels incredibly lucky to have got a ticket at all.

“I had seven devices out when the tickets were released and I didn’t get one,” he says. “And then about three days ago, a friend of mine messaged to say she couldn’t make it.

“So I made it. £120 with coach travel there and back – perfect.”

Oasis Vox Pops
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Dom has flown from half a world away to be in Manchester tonight

Dom is another fan who has come from Australia for the gig.

“We’re frothing to be here, like so stoked,” he says, “The atmosphere is going to be electric.”

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A timeline of Britpop’s most successful band

One young couple are here on their honeymoon. From Italy, they met at a Liam Gallagher concert several years ago.

“It’s where we fell in love,” Claudia says. “And we got married last month so we wanted to be here to celebrate.”

Amanda, from Manchester, is also here with a loved one – well, sort of.

Oasis Vox Pops
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Amanda has found a way to make sure her son, who lives in Australia, is there in spirit

She’s wearing a paper cut-out mask of her 30-year-old son Harry’s face.

“He’s in Melbourne and got a ticket but then couldn’t come,” Amanda explains.

“And so Harry doesn’t feel left out,” she says pulling the mask down over her face, “we’ve brought him with us!”

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Chris Brown: R&B singer denies further charges following alleged bottle attack in London club

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Chris Brown: R&B singer denies further charges following alleged bottle attack in London club

R&B singer Chris Brown has denied further charges following an alleged bottle attack in a London nightclub.

The 36-year-old pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) to music producer Abraham Diaw, during a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.

Brown also denied one count of having an offensive weapon – a bottle – in a public place.

Chris Brown arrives at Southwark Crown Court.
Pic: PA
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Chris Brown arriving at Southwark Crown Court on Friday. Pic: PA

The Grammy-winning US musician last month pleaded not guilty to a more serious charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent to Mr Diaw.

The attack allegedly happened at the Tape venue, a private members’ club in Hanover Square, Mayfair, on 19 February 2023.

The plea hearing is part of preparations for his five to seven-day trial, which is due to take place from 26 October 2026.

Brown’s co-defendant, US national Omololu Akinlolu, 39, on Friday pleaded not guilty to a charge of assaulting Mr Diaw occasioning him actual bodily harm.

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Akinlolu, a rapper who goes by the name Hoody Baby, has previously pleaded not guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

Omololu Omari Akinlolu, a co-defendant with Chris Brown, arrives at court.
Pic: Reuters
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Brown’s co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu arrives at court. Pic: Reuters

The defendants sat side-by-side in the dock, looking straight ahead during the hearing in London.

Around 20 fans sat in the public gallery behind the dock for Friday’s hearing, with several gasping as Brown walked into the courtroom.

The Go Crazy singer was able to continue with his scheduled international tour after he was freed on conditional bail in May.

He had to pay a £5m security fee to the court as part of the bail agreement, which is a financial guarantee to ensure a defendant returns to court and may be forfeited if they breach bail conditions.

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Mr Diaw was standing at the bar of the Tape nightclub when he was struck several times with a bottle, and then pursued to a separate area of the venue where he was punched and kicked repeatedly, Manchester Magistrates’ Court previously heard.

Brown was arrested at Manchester’s Lowry Hotel at 2am on 15 May by detectives from the Metropolitan Police.

He is said to have flown into Manchester Airport on a private jet in preparation for the UK tour dates.

Brown was released from HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Greater Manchester, on 21 May.

The singer, who rose to stardom as a teenager in 2005, won his first Grammy award for best R&B album in 2011 for F.A.M.E..

He earned his second in the same category for 11:11 (Deluxe) earlier this year.

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