The picture, taken with Paul Thomas Anderson at this year’s Oscar nominee lunch, recalls the eerie image that closes Kubrick’s 1980 horror classic
Frankenstein director Guillermo del Toro’s “jazz hands” pose in the Oscar nominee luncheon photo was part of his and fellow director Paul Thomas Anderson’s attempt to recreate the celebrated group shot, featuring Jack Nicholson, that appears at the ending of The Shining.
Del Toro responded to a post – in which he and Anderson had been inserted into the image from the 1980 horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick – by saying: “[Y]ou got it! PTA and I said: Let’s do the Shining pose and we tried.”
He fused an echo of Enoch Powell with the spirit of the far right’s great replacement theory. This is no way to progress a humane migration debate
Has Britain been colonised by immigrants? That is what the Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe claimed in an interview with Sky News. He later said that he was sorry that his “choice of language has offended some people”, saying that what he had intended was to talk about how to control and manage immigration to promote growth.
While Ratcliffe did not define the immigrants by race, to talk about Britain being “colonised” will inevitably be heard that way by many people. After all, the fact that Britain is a multiethnic and multifaith society today reflects the imperial and post-imperial history of Britain colonising much of Africa, and south and south-east Asia – and of postwar immigration from colonies and newly independent Commonwealth states.
Covering the first week of events at Milano Cortina 2026 has been enlightening but not straightforward
It’s a seven-hour trip from one end of the opening ceremony to the other. I leave Milan at midday and arrive in Cortina just as the athletes are making their parade around the town square. Cortina’s a one-street town, and it’s been closed down, but everyone’s hanging off the balconies. I see three men in lederhosen, five in identical Wayne Gretzky jerseys, and more people than I can count in luxurious furs. The first person I talk to is a member of the Qatari police force, who is working here as part of a security agreement between the two countries. This is the sixth Olympics I’ve worked on, but the others all took place in summer. I’m pleased to see he looks even more out of place than me.
Star has 28 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds in Lakers win
Record stood for 22 years since being set by Karl Malone
First triple-double for James since February 2025
Deep in the 23rd season of the longest career in NBA history, LeBron James is still dropping triple-doubles – on the Dallas Mavericks and on Father Time.
James became the oldest player to have a triple-double Thursday night, accomplishing the feat at 41 years and 44 days old during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-104 victory at home over the Mavericks.
PM says country’s discourse is being poisoned and polluted by rhetoric ‘pitting communities against one another’
The Equality and Human Rights Commissionhas welcomed a high court ruling defending the interim guidance it issued to organisations about the implications of the supreme court judgement saying that, when the Equality Act refers to sex, it means biological sex.
The guidance – described as an “interim update” – was controversial because it was seen as over-prescriptive, and the Good Law Project launched a legal challenge.
We welcome the court’s conclusion that the interim update was lawful and the EHRC did not act in breach of its statutory duties.
We issued the interim update in response to a high level of demand immediately after the supreme court’s ruling. We were concerned that organisations and individuals could be subject to misinformation and misrepresentation of the judgment and its consequences. That might have led to them failing to comply with the law: adopting or maintaining discriminatory policies or practices, to the detriment of those the law is supposed to protect.
It is wrong because it reduces trans people to a third sex. It is wrong because it gives little or no weight to the harm done to trans people by excluding them. And it is wrong because it is not interested enough in the rights of people who are trans to keep their status private.
The tragic irony for [Morgan] McSweeney [Starmer’s chief of staff until Sunday] was that Starmer’s 18 months as prime minister have only vindicated Blair’s central analysis of their project. McSweeney and Starmer might have identified what they disliked most about the excesses of New Labour, but they never developed an alternative political economy of their own that might replace it. In place of Blairism there was no theory of political reform or coherent critique of British state failure, no analysis of Britain’s future place in the world or any kind of distinct moral mission. All there was was a promise to “clean things up” as Starmer put it to me. The mission became, in essence, conservative: to protect the settlement erected by Blair and eroded over the 20 years since his departure. Britain could thrive if it could only begin to live within its means, attract more foreign investment, reassure the bond markets and return a sense of “service” to government. After years of chaos, mere stability would be change. And this would be enough.
Where there was distinct radicalism – from McSweeney’s Blue Labour instincts – there was no mandate. McSweeney and Starmer had not fought an ideological battle to bring Blue Labour to government, as Wilson had done for socialist modernisation in the 1960s and Blair for liberal progressivism 30 years later. This was largely because Starmer never really believed in it in the first place and McSweeney, though a reflective thinker, was always more of an operator than political theorist. And so, the pair offered a programme without a programme, a government without ideas or the mandate to enact them.
Another of those who worked for [Stamer] adds: ‘He’s completely incurious. He’s not interested in policy or politics. He thinks his job is to sit in a room and be serious, be presented with something and say “Yes” or “No” – invariably “Yes” – rather than be persuader–in-chief.’ Even before he fell out with Starmer, Mandelson told friends and colleagues that the Prime Minister had never once asked him ‘What really makes Trump tick?’ or ‘How will he react to this?’.
Others dispute the claim of incuriosity. ‘There are subjects when he drills down and he’s really, really good,’ says another aide. ‘The idea he can’t think politically is also wrong. He will often think ahead.’ But even these loyalists admit Starmer lacks a ‘philosophical worldview’.
An AI clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting has caused concern among industry figures
A leading Hollywood figure has warned “it’s likely over for us”, after watching a widely disseminated AI-generated clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting.
New border controls require ‘certificate of entitlement’ to attach to second nationality passport that costs £589
Dual British nationals have been warned they may be denied boarding a flight, ferry or train to the UK after 25 February unless they carry a valid British passport.
The warning by the Home Office comes amid scores of complaints from British people living or travelling abroad who have suddenly found themselves at risk of not being allowed into the country.
If you are affected by the change and want to share your story, email lisa.ocarroll@theguardian.com
Night at the opera theme for Kors’ autumn-winter collection features elegant gowns draped in opulent coats
Five years ago, Covid prevented Michael Kors celebrating 40 years as a fashion designer, so nothing was going to stop him partying when that figure reached 45. “It’s crazy, I’ve been in fashion 45 years, but I’m only 32,” said Kors, 66.
The sweeping double staircase of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York became the catwalk for a fashion week show dedicated to the chic women of the city. On Kors’ best dressed list is the “amazing, remarkable” Rama Duwaji, the city’s first lady as wife of the mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Alexandra Palace, London Following a six-night stint in NYC, Fred Gibson returns to London for a brilliant, five-hour melange of his own tracks and wildly energising guest-star mini-sets
Fred Again, AKA Fred Gibson, has been on an impressive run in recent months: a tour from Madrid to Mexico City, a six-night residency in New York, and the emergence of dozens of the songs forming his unfolding album, USB002. He now comes home to the UK; literally with this four-show residency at Alexandra Palace in London, and also in the musical homages he pays on the opening night.
In succession, Gibson plays Arctic Monkeys’ When the Sun Goes Down, a techno mix of EsDeeKid’s 4 Raws, and a blend from Spice’s dancehall track So Mi Like It to the Chariots of Fire theme over a drum’n’bass beat – comedy patriotism, but very enjoyable for it, and all showing absolute disregard for any sense of purism in electronic music.
Director revered by actor’s character in Dawson’s Creek is among film industry figures – also including Zoe Saldaña and John M Chu – to make large donation to family
The film director Steven Spielberg has donated $25,000 (£18,365) to a crowdfunder to help the widow and six children of the actor James Van Der Beek, who died this week after being diagnosed with cancer in 2023.
Dawson Leery,Van Der Beek’s character in Dawson’s Creek, the 90s teen soap that shot him to fame, was an aspiring director who idolised Spielberg. Show creator Kevin Williamson had based the character on himself; he went on to write the horror-comedy Scream and other films in the franchise.
From sparks flying during The OC’s Spider-Man snog to love stories so powerful they make you weep, Guardian writers have picked the television couples whose tales never fail to make hearts pound. Now we would like to hear yours. What is your favourite TV romance, and why?
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Canada Soccer has extended its controversial sponsorship and broadcast deal with its privately owned commercial partner, Canadian Soccer Business (CSB), on improved terms for the governing body ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
A new 11-year contract has been agreed through to 2037, with both parties having an option to extend by a further five years, despite the in-fighting that marred the original 10-year deal. It culminated in player strikes and the Canadian Soccer Players Association filing a $40m lawsuit against Canada Soccer board members two years ago.
As the prime minister fought for his political life before Labour MPs at their Monday evening meeting, even hardened sceptics saw a flash of something different in Keir Starmer.
Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, said Starmer had been “liberated”. He did not have to spell out who from. His comments came 24 hours after the departure of Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, a man who has shaped Labour’s modern incarnation.
His debut LP brought success, but stardom messed with his mental health. After stepping away for three years to surf, travel, and work a succession of jobs, the Londoner is back – and has fixed his relationship with music
In 2022, everything changed for Tom Misch. The London-based singer-songwriter had been at the height of his powers: his easygoing blend of hip-hop-influenced beat-making with soulful guitar melodies and yearning vocals led his self-released and self-produced 2018 debut album Geographytochart at No 8 in the UK, while 2020’s collaborative record with the jazz drummer Yussef Dayes reached No 4 and earned them both an Ivor Novello award nomination. In 2022, riding high from the viral social media success of the live Quarantine Sessions he had posted during the Covid lockdowns, he was playing larger stages than ever in the US and Brazil and was booked for a summer leg in Australia. Suddenly, in July, he decided to pull the plug.
“I had an intense year of touring and I wasn’t feeling good, I wasn’t enjoying it any more,” he says. “My mental health was getting worse and I was so anxious I had to cancel the Australia tour. I was forced to stop, really, and I had no plan for what would happen next.”
A loan to keep the case out of court doesn’t quite add up to ‘thoughts and prayers to Epstein’s victims’. Working with the police might be a start
“I could have worse tags than ‘Air Miles Andy’,” the then Prince Andrew once reflected. “Although I don’t know what they are!” I think it’s safe to say he does now.
Almost all senior members of the royal family are biologically capable of sweating, and what really brought them out in a cold one four years ago was the thought of this honking liability testifying in a New York courtroom. So they paid millions upon millions to make sure it didn’t happen. The late Virginia Giuffre’s civil case alleging that the former prince abused her on three occasions in London, New York and the US Virgin Islands was never heard, because the late queen seems to have decided that it shouldn’t be at almost any cost. (Andrew denied all claims of wrongdoing.) And yet, as many of us predicted at the time, this would never be the end of it, and the royal family are now playing a failing game of catch-up with the institution’s own actions. Andrew’s de-princing – an attempt to keep it all in-house – already hasn’t worked.
Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist
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Army in turmoil after Xi Jinping placed top general under investigation for suspected corruption last month
The CIA (the US’s Central Intelligence Agency) has published a Mandarin-language recruitment video aimed at Chinese soldiers, in an apparent attempt to capitalise on the recent instability in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) after a series of high-level purges.
Its human partners said the flirty, quirky GPT-4o was the perfect companion – on the eve of Valentine’s Day, it’s being turned off for good. How will users cope?
Brandie plans to spend her last day with Daniel at the zoo. He always loved animals. Last year, she took him to the Corpus Christi aquarium in Texas, where he “lost his damn mind” over a baby flamingo. “He loves the color and pizzazz,” Brandie said. Daniel taught her that a group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.
Daniel is a chatbot powered by the large language model ChatGPT. Brandie communicates with Daniel by sending text and photos, talks to Daniel while driving home from work via voice mode. Daniel runs on GPT-4o, a version released by OpenAI in 2024 that is known for sounding human in a way that is either comforting or unnerving, depending on who you ask. Upon debut, CEO Sam Altman compared the model to “AI from the movies” – a confidante ready to live life alongside its user.
The Colombian icon joined the MLS side in a short-term deal with an eye toward fitness for the 2026 World Cup
Two weeks ago, few could’ve expected that the most notable international acquisition of the MLS offseason would be made by Minnesota United.
The team’s marquee import until last week was Finland striker Teemu Pukki, with honorable mentions for Colombian playmaker Darwin Quintero and ex-Porto midfielder Ibson. The Loons aren’t known for paying sizable transfer fees, and their wage bill last year was the league’s fifth-smallest.
Scotland will throw everything at the visitors but I love Steve Borthwick’s decision to start Luke Cowan-Dickie in the Six Nations at Murrayfield
The Six Nations is a cruel mistress. Two days before the tournament started for Scotland, Gregor Townsend said this was the strongest playing group of his tenure. Two days later, one bad half of rugby, some abysmal weather and he is facing calls for his head. If you take your eye off the ball in this competition for half an hour on the field your campaign can be over for another 12 months.
England will know that heading to Murrayfield. They only need to reflect on their last visit to Edinburgh. They began with a bang but Scotland seized momentum and England just couldn’t get it back, whatever they tried. Make no mistake, however, Steve Borthwick’s side know what is at stake on Saturday. Pull off a first victory in Edinburgh for six years and there will be conversations about going all the way. They will not be public conversations, but I’ve been in squads and camps before and when the opportunity for silverware is genuine, you cannot help but discuss it.
State broadcaster accused of censorship over opening titles that use altered version of Vitruvian Man, with organs removed
Italy’s state broadcaster, Rai, has been accused of censorship after using an image of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man with the genitals missing in the opening credits for its Winter Olympics coverage.
The image of the 500-year-old drawing appears at the start of the clip before transforming into the bodies of ice skaters, skiers and other winter sports athletes.
Bad boy Heathcliff is described as ethnically ambiguous and ‘dark’ in the novel, yet is played by a pretty straightforward white Australian Elordi
Tired of movies for kids? Superhero capes and flatulent animated squirrels? Me too. Fortunately, you and I are in luck. This weekend brings the wide release of Saltburn director Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. As is befitting Fennell’s established style, the movie offers over-the-top sexual titillation (though, crucially, zero nudity) and elaborate production design. Plus, a contemporary pop soundtrack from Charli xcx. A horny film version of a 19th-century novel is as adult-skewing as it gets at the box office these days.
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi suck face and stand around in the rain in expensive costumes for over two hours in a movie that Fennell proudly declares a loose translation from the page. It excises a large portion of the book’s story and focuses its eye primarily on the illicit romance between Cathy Earnshaw and swarthy Heathcliff. Crucially, it should be pointed out that Heathcliff is technically Cathy’s foster brother, which allows Wuthering Heights to fit comfortably into one of the most popular genres of online video in the world.
Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist
The only winners from a political coup in Westminster would be Labour’s enemies on the left and right
They roared, they stamped and they cheered. On Monday, the parliamentary Labour party reacted as it should when its leader hit a spot of bother. It knew it could not sack him, so it backed him. The constitution did its job and parliament supported the elected government of the day.
The idea that what Britain most needs is a Downing Street conflict is madness. After a week of a truly almighty storm in a teacup, it was a relief that the Commons could recover and steady the ship of state. It should keep it that way into the immediate future.
Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward; Pagans by James Alistair Henry; Pedro the Vast by Simón López Trujillo; Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman; A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang
Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward (Viper, £16.99) The latest from the horror/crime virtuoso combines supernatural, psychological and all-too-human terrors in a tale drawing on elements ranging from Peter Pan to historic serial abusers. Nowhere House was in a remote American mountain valley; when it burned down, the terrible crimes committed by Hollywood star Leaf Winham against young men were revealed. Subsequently, runaway children turned the valley into a fortress, surviving on food they could catch or grow, with occasional forays into the towns below. Riley has heard the rumours, but it is only when she sees a green-clad boy – or is it a girl? – hovering outside her bedroom window offering directions on how to find Nowhere that she realises this might be her chance to escape and save her little brother from their sadistic guardian. Her experiences are interwoven with stories from others drawn there: Marc, a journalist determined to get inside the fortress; Adam, the only one of Leaf’s victims to survive; the pioneers who built the first house in the valley, and more. A dark, grimly compelling and very twisty tale.
Pagans by James Alistair Henry (Moonflower, £9.99) In this entertaining alt-history debut, we are in a 21st-century Britain where the Norman conquest never happened, split along religious and cultural lines. The Saxons are led by the High King, who rules the greater part of England; Scotland is behind a wall, allied to the Nordic Economic Union; and the indigenous Celts are second-class citizens. In the buildup to a London summit to discuss plans for British unity, a Celtic negotiator is found dead, nailed to a tree in Epping Forest. Detective Captain Aedith Mercia of the London police teams up with Drustan of the Dumnonian tribal police in a search for what seems to be a religiously motivated serial killer; they find evidence there could be a greater political threat. It’s a great read, combining clever world-building with engaging characters and an exciting story, and ending with a promise of more to come.
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