Wicked director Jon M. Chu has opened about how he decided to cast Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

The filmmaker revealed that he was under no pressure by the studio regarding the casting of the film.

Jon knew it from the first meeting that they both were a perfect fit for the roles of Glinda and Elphaba. He knew that their joint chemistry would make the film superhit.

“At first I thought, let’s keep it open to anybody. The studio never put pressure on us about names or followers. Not one word”, the Crazy Rich Asians director added.

Recalling the first meeting with both the actress’, Chu said, “When Cynthia walks in and sings, you feel it in your bones. And when Ari sat there and became Glinda, there was no question.”

The director says that people saw the magic now, but he saw it very early on.

He told Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, “I knew what everyone is seeing now – I got to see it on day four.”

Today Wicked is known as one of the blockbusters in cinemas.

It features Ariana, Cynthia, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh.

Meghan Markle’s wounds remain unhealed despite her decision to say goodbye to the royal life.

The Duchess of Sussex’s alleged ‘secret battle’ to steal the future queen’s thunder continues as she leaves no stone unturned to reach her goals.

The former actress is struggling to match Princess Catherine’s magic. An insider has confirmed that the rivalry between the two royal wives is still alive and well, given Meghan’s recent stunts. 

Last week, the Duchess delivered the festive special of her Meghan, With Love series just a few days before the Princess of Wales maded headlines for her star-studded Together at Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams says Meghan still feels “rivalry” with Kate, which dates back to their time as the Fab Four with princes Harry and William.

“If we look at the timings of many of the things the Sussexes have done, there is often a clash with William and Kate,” Richard adding: “Recently, for example, there was Harry’s visit to Canada at the same time as William’s Earthshot trip.”

He continued: “Harry reportedly made an offer to share diaries earlier this year to avoid clashes, but if the offer was accepted, nothing appears to have come from it.”

While Meghan’s festive special was likely filmed months ago, Robert says the unfortunate timing of its release has done her no favours.

“It is a decidedly dysfunctional situation to have Meghan on television talking about love and family while her father is said to be fighting for his life in hospital,” he said.

In reaction to Meghan’s latest show, the commentator suspects the Duchess may retire her lifestyle show altogether, adding: “Meghan is secretly battling to emulate some of the magic that Kate clearly creates, but it is not working.”

He admired Kate’s Christmas concert over Meghan’s holiday special, saying: She [ Meghan] displayed almost relentless positivity, which actually becomes weary to watch. It seems that she’d like to be a sort of Californian Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way, and therefore her show just does not have the same level of substance as Kate’s carol concert.”

Meghan’s special, as expected, landed in Netflix’s Top 10 TV Shows in the UK within 24 hours of airing, but critics were less than impressed.

The mostly one or two-star reviews in British newspapers described it as “bizarre” and one reviewer said it was “quite mad and a little bit sad”.

Menawhil, some royal fans described it another failed attempt to overshaddow Kate’s events as Meghan mae changes in her plans of it’s release.

Some of Meghan’s fans took to social media to show their support, with one writing on X it “lifted their spirits” and another claimed they loved the “charming show”.

However, Richard suspects it is the last we’ll see of the series, and Meghan and Harry will have to bring something big to the table if they want to keep the cotact alive.

“The trouble is that in the position she is in with their downgraded Netflix deal, which isn’t an unusual position to be in, she needed a big name,” Richard told the Mirror.

Kate Middleton beamed as she met with all the guests who arrived at Westminster Abbey for her fifth Christmas carol service on Friday.

The Princess of Wales was seen delightfully chatting and laughing individually with the attendees of the event, but she didn’t forget about the waiting crowd outside the venue.

There were 1600 people in attendance along with members of the royal family, hence it wasn’t humanely possible for Kate to address every single person.

Hence, Kensington Palace shared an update after the festive event to acknowledge the fans who were anticipating a glimpse..

“Thank you to everyone who joined us at Westminster Abbey this evening, who do so much to foster love and connection in their communities and beyond,” a message was shared on the social media along with the photos highlighting the scenes outside.

The Princess of Wales was joined by husband Prince William and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The family had a matching theme of dark blue and forest green.

Duchess Sophie, Zara and husband Mike Tindall were present to support Kate. Duke and Duchess of Gloucester arrived with their grandchildren and Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin, Prince Michael of Kent was also in attendance.

Apart from the royal, Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, arrived together followed by James Middleton, and his wife, Alizée Thevenet. Meanwhile, Pippa was missing. It is unclear why Kate’s sister had skipped the event.