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Woody Allen counters condemnation by Ukraine after speaking at Russian film festival

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Woody Allen counters condemnation by Ukraine after speaking at Russian film festival


The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned Woody Allen for speaking virtually at a Russian film festival over the weekend, calling his participation in the event “a disgrace and an insult” to the victims of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to Russian media, Allen spoke Sunday at the Moscow International Film Week via video conference. The appearance put him at odds with the Hollywood establishment, which has embraced Ukraine’s cause during Russia’s 3 1/2-year war, with prominent actors signing on to the United24 crowdfunding initiative and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy making virtual appearances at past Golden Globes and Grammys ceremonies.

Footage aired by Russian state TV showed the filmmaker addressing a tightly packed movie theater from a massive screen, with pro-Kremlin film director Fyodor Bondarchuk moderating the session. Russian media stories quoted Allen as saying he’s always liked Russian cinema, recounting his past trips to Russia and the Soviet Union, and talking about what he would do if he were to receive a proposal to direct a movie in the country.

Woody Allen during a performance at the 55th edition of the Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival at the Teatre Tivoli on September 18, 2023, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

Kike Rincon / Europa Press via Getty Images


Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry in an online statement on Monday said it “strongly condemns” Allen’s participation in the festival, which “brings together supporters and mouthpieces of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.”

The ministry called it “a disgrace and an insult to the victims among Ukrainian actors and filmmakers who have been killed or wounded by Russian war criminals,” adding that Allen “is deliberately turning a blind eye to the atrocities that Russia has been committing in Ukraine.”

In a statement to The Associated Press on Monday, Allen criticized Putin and denounced the invasion but called for cultural exchanges to continue.

“When it comes to the conflict in Ukraine, I believe strongly that Vladimir Putin is totally in the wrong. The war he has caused is appalling,” Allen said. “But, whatever politicians have done, I don’t feel cutting off artistic conversations is ever a good way to help.”

The website of the festival, which runs through Wednesday, billed Allen as one of its headliners, along with Serbian film director Emir Kusturica and American actor Mark Dacascos.

Moscow International Film Week is a relatively new festival, first held in the Russian capital in August 2024. It is separate from the decades-old Moscow International Film Festival, which in 2022 was stripped of its International Federation of Film Producers Associations accreditation following the invasion of Ukraine.

Kusturica has been open about his support of Putin, including after the invasion. He received an award from Putin and attended a military parade in Moscow earlier this year.

Allen has long had an affinity for Russian literature and history. His 1975 comedy “Love and Death” spoofs the fiction of Tolstoy and other 19th century Russian novelists. The title of his 1989 release “Crimes and Misdemeanors” echoes Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” and also broods over the themes of wrongdoing, justice and guilt.

In the 1972 essay, “A Brief Guide to Civil Disobedience,” Allen jokes about the Russian Revolution, writing that the serfs rebelled when they “finally realized that the Czar and the Tsar were the same person.”



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Cruz Beckham, Jackie Apostel turn heads in Paris amid Fashion Week

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Cruz Beckham, Jackie Apostel turn heads in Paris amid Fashion Week


The couple sweetly held hands as they stepped out in France for Paris Fashion Week

Cruz Beckham and Jackie Apostel exuded perfect couple goals as they stepped out in France for Paris Fashion Week on Thursday. 

The couple sweetly held hands as they arrived at their lavish hotel, chauffeur privately.

As for Jackie’s style, she cut a stylish figure in a pink faux-fur coat paired with blue denim jeans and chic burgundy high heels.

Meanwhile, the young son of Sir David and Victoria Beckham embraced the spring weather shorts and a leather jacket. 

They arrived in Paris just a day after Cruz and his band, The Breakers, performed on stage at The Deaf Institute in Manchester. 

For the unversed, David Beckham made sure to support his son by attending the performance, watching his 21-year-old son and his band take the stage alongside former player Nicky Butt.

Just hours earlier, David, Victoria, Cruz, and Romeo sent birthday wishes to Brooklyn via Instagram posts to mark his 27th birthday. 

The public olive branch came six weeks after Brooklyn made a bombshell statement declaring that he had no wishes to reconcile with his father.





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Ryan Gosling makes Eva Mendes’ birthday unforgettable in rare public appearance

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Ryan Gosling makes Eva Mendes’ birthday unforgettable in rare public appearance


Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes latest public appearance sends fans into frenzy

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes stunned fans with their first official public appearance together in over a decade.

Gosling turned The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon into a birthday bash for Mendes’ 52nd.

The 45-year-old appeared on the late-night show to promote his upcoming film Project Hail Mary, but the spotlight quickly shifted when he surprised Mendes with an extravagant celebration.

He invited the audience to sing “Happy Birthday” as Mendes. 

Gosling wearing striped Louis Vuitton cardigan, walked onstage to cheers.

The festivities escalated when Fallon revealed that North Bergen High School’s marching band was in the audience.

Ryan Gosling makes Eva Mendes birthday unforgettable in rare public appearance

The band paraded onto the stage, playing “Happy Birthday” while waving a flag emblazoned with Mendes’ name.

Confetti rained down as Gosling clapped, sang along, and received a kiss on the cheek from Mendes.

The moment marked a rare public outing for the couple, who last walked a red carpet together in 2013 for The Place Beyond the Pines.

Ryan Gosling makes Eva Mendes birthday unforgettable in rare public appearance

Since meeting on set in 2011, Gosling and Mendes have kept their relationship largely private, raising daughters Esmeralda and Amada away from the spotlight.

Mendes, who has often spoken about her preference for privacy, seemed touched by the surprise.

The celebration not only honored Mendes’ milestone birthday but also delighted fans with a rare glimpse of Hollywood’s most private couple. 





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Britney Spears contacted by people close to her after DUI arrest

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Britney Spears contacted by people close to her after DUI arrest


Britney Spears contacted by people close to her after DUI arrest

Britney Spears has spoken to both her mother and her two sons following her DUI arrest earlier this week, with those closest to her now rallying around the singer in the aftermath of what sources describe as an deeply emotional night.

According to TMZ, Lynne Spears called her daughter as soon as she heard about the arrest, with the conversation between the two described as “positive” and “hopeful.” 

Britney also spoke to her sons Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19, after being released from jail on Thursday morning, though she has not yet seen any family members in person.

The outreach comes at a particularly raw moment. 

Spears was pulled over near the Borchard Road off-ramp in Newbury Park, Ventura County, at around 9:28 p.m. on Wednesday after officers reportedly observed her driving her black BMW “erratically at a high rate of speed.” 

She was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol, and an insider told Page Six that officers also found an unknown substance inside her car at the time. 

Her chemical test results remain pending and the investigation is ongoing. She was released at 6:07 a.m. Thursday.

Sources paint a picture of a woman who was visibly distressed throughout the process. 

Spears was “crying and very tearful” while being booked, according to Page Six

“She was incredibly emotional,” a source told the outlet. “It’s been a very hard couple of months.” The same insider said Spears “felt ashamed and embarrassed” and is “very sorry” for what happened. 

“She doesn’t want to let anyone down, including her fans. The last thing she wants is to be judged publicly all over again.”

Her manager, Cade Hudson, was blunt in his public statement, calling the incident “completely inexcusable” while expressing hope that it might mark a turning point. 





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