Entertainment
Meet the Nobel winner who hasn’t heard the news
One of this year’s Nobel laureates is not just a brilliant medical researcher but also a master of balance — between the lab and life. In fact, he might be so good at it that he doesn’t even know he’s won.
Fred Ramsdell was among those honoured Monday with a 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine, but he’s currently “living his best life” on an “off the grid” hiking foray, a spokesperson from his San Francisco-based lab, Sonoma Biotherapeutics, told AFP.
Ramsdell shared the prestigious prize with Mary Brunkow of Seattle, Washington and Shimon Sakaguchi of Osaka University in Japan for their discoveries related to the functioning of the immune system.
But the laureate’s digital detox means the Nobel committee has been unable to reach him and break the news.
Jeffrey Bluestone, a friend of Ramsdell’s and co-founder of the lab, said the researcher deserves credit, but he can’t reach him, either.
“I have been trying to get a hold of him myself. I think he may be backpacking in the backcountry in Idaho,” Bluestone told AFP.
The Nobel committee also hit a roadblock trying to reach Brunkow — both researchers are based on the US West Coast, which is nine hours behind Stockholm — but eventually got hold of her.
“I asked them to, if they have a chance, call me back,” said Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel committee, at the press conference announcing the winners.
The three won the prize for research that identified the immune system´s “security guards”, called regulatory T-cells.
Their work concerns “peripheral immune tolerance” that prevents the immune system from harming the body, and has led to a new field of research and the development of potential medical treatments now being evaluated in clinical trials.
Sakaguchi, 74, made the first key find in 1995, discovering a previously unknown class of immune cells that protect the body from autoimmune diseases.
Brunkow, born in 1961 and now a senior project manager at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Ramsdell, a 64-year-old senior advisor at Sonoma Biotherapeutics, made the other key discovery in 2001.
Entertainment
‘Stranger Things’ Jamie Campbell Bower on Vecna transformation: ‘Hideous’
Vecna, there’s a lot of talk about the character’s makeover in the new season of Stranger Things, and it didn’t take long for fans to notice that something has changed.
Jamie Campbell Bower has returned as the terrifying villain in the first volume of season five, and viewers were quick to point out his sharpened look, especially that slim waist.
One fan on X asked why Vecna appeared so different this time around, pointing out the “branches on his shoulder” and “slimmer waist.”
Jamie didn’t miss the chance to keep things light, replying with one word: “Zumba.”
After being nearly burned alive by Nancy Wheeler at the end of season four, the villain formerly known as Henry Creel is back in Hawkins with longer vines across his shoulders and head, and visible marks from the injuries he sustained.
While still large and imposing, his new appearance is much leaner than before.
For Jamie, the changes are tied to Vecna’s journey and what he has endured.
Speaking about the transformation in an interview with Screen Rant, he said, “Well, as we saw at the end of season four, Vecna suffered a fall and obviously was sort of almost burned alive. My understanding of it is that the reason he looks the way he does now is a byproduct of partly of that process. And also, just having spent more time, not in the human world as it were.”
Jamie continued, “He’s become more resentful and hideous within that process and part of the world in which he was thrown into.”
He also explained that stepping into this evolved version of the character took even more work behind the scenes.
“I speak about this often,” he said, adding that extra pieces were added to the suit to bring his presence to life. The makeup alone took around eight hours to complete.
Jamie teased Vecna’s return before the season dropped as well.
Back in October, he posted a clip of the character walking through the Upside Down with the caption, “At long last, we can begin. @strangerthingstv Hi x.”
With Stranger Things Vol. 1 now streaming, fans won’t have to wait long for the rest. Vol. 2 lands on Dec. 25, and the finale arrives Dec. 31.
Vecna is officially back, and more frightening than ever.
Entertainment
John Travolta gives ‘Greased Lightnin” a Santa-inspired revival
John Travolta is giving fans a nostalgic holiday surprise by channeling his iconic Grease character Danny Zuko, this time dressed as Santa Claus.
The actor, 71, stars in a new Capital One commercial where he appears in a workshop-style garage, decked out as Santa and eyeing a high-tech sleigh.
While checking out the vehicle, Travolta goes into character and jokes, “Ho, ho, ho, ho. Why, this sleigh could be frost-o-matic, tinsel-matic, 1.5% cash back-o-matic.”
He follows it up with an unmistakable throwback line, “It’s Greased Lightnin’,” while paying with a Capital One card.
Travolta then jumps into a playful reenactment of the famous Greased Lightnin’ performance, complete with dance moves and support from Santa’s elves, plus a reindeer in sunglasses.
He ends the commercial with the tagline, “Ho, ho, ho — what’s in your wallet?” before the sleigh takes off into the sky.
This isn’t the first time Travota has nodded to his most memorable roles in Capital One ads.
Last year, he partnered with Samuel L. Jackson for a spot filled with Pulp Fiction references.
The 2024 holiday ad also brought back his Santa persona, where he shops online for gifts like hot chocolate, marshmallows and “3,000 bolo ties,” a fun reference to his role as Vincent Vega.
The ad wraps up with Travolta’s Santa recreating the iconic Pulp Fiction dance scene, set to Chuck Berry’s Run Run Rudolph.
Travolta has shown his love for Grease before too, including a surprise appearance at a Hollywood Bowl sing-along event for the classic movie.
With his latest ad, he brings back the spirit of Greased Lightnin’ in a festive way, mixing Hollywood nostalgia, holiday cheer and a little bit of classic Travolta charm.
Entertainment
Sean Diddy Combs docuseries raises expectations with new bombshell
Sean Diddy Combs’ new documentary, Sean Combs: The Reckoning, is produced by none other than his arch-nemeses, 50 Cent, and the teaser promises to pull back the curtain on the rapper’s scandals and crimes.
The new trailer, which is only 56 seconds long, showed new footage from before the Bad Boy Records founder’s arrest in September 2024, and he appeared visibly worried about losing the legal battle, which hadn’t started yet.
The footage released on December 1 showed the disgraced music mogul scrambling for legal help as he tells his team, “We have to find somebody that’ll work with us that has dealt in the dirtiest of dirty business. We’re losing!”
Social media sleuths flocked to X and shared their curiosity over the documentary, which will be available to stream on December 2.
“50 cent trolling diddy hard with this one,” one X user wrote, while another echoed, “50 been waiting his whole life to drop this bomb on Diddy and tomorrow Netflix finally hands him the mic. All those years of shots fired on Instagram just turned into a whole documentary,” referring to decades-long feud between the two musicians.
“They let 50 produce it? oh he’s COOKINGDDDD somebody up,” chimed in a third, while one reacted, “Oh yeah, this is about to shake the whole internet again.”
While Diddy is serving up to 50 months in prison, 50 Cent has collected never-before-seen footage and explosive information on the former’s Freak Off parties, as well as stories from the accusers, which will be told in the documentary.
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