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Award-winning documentary filmmaker dies at age 53

<p>Award-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock has passed away at the age of 53. </p> <p>Spurlock, who was known for his hit 2004 documentary <em>Super Size Me</em>, died from complications of cancer, according to a statement released by his family. </p> <p>“It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan,” Craig Spurlock, who worked with him on several projects, in the statement.</p> <p>“Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”</p> <p>Spurlock first made waves in Hollywood with <em>Super Size Me</em>: a documentary in which the filmmaker ate McDonald's everyday for a month to document the detrimental physical and psychological effects of fast food.</p> <p>He then returned in 2009 with a sequel documentary titled <em>Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!</em>, which offered a sobering look at an industry that processes 9 billion animals a year in America.</p> <p>Spurlock would go onto to direct numerous documentaries including <em>Where in the World is Osama bin Laden</em> about the US conflict in Afghanistan where he went searching for the now dead terrorist.</p> <p>He also directed a One Direction concert film titled <em>This is U</em>s and the 2011 documentary <em>POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.</em></p> <p>Outside of his film work, Spurlock battled alcoholism, and admitted to once being accused of rape and paying to settle a sexual harassment case.</p> <p>He married three times throughout his life and is survived by sons Laken and Kallen and his wife Sara Bernstein.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Andrew H Walker / Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Caring

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Jacinda Ardern distances herself from Harry and Meghan's new documentary

<p>Jacinda Ardern has released a statement distancing herself from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new documentary, saying there was "no communication" with the royal couple.</p> <p>The New Zealand Prime Minister is one of several influential figures appearing in the new series, titled <em>Live to Lead</em>, which features seven world leaders and advocates discussing their work.</p> <p>In a trailer released for the series, which airs on December 31st, Ardern is seen smiling for a press pack and an excerpt of a speech, in which she says, "As leaders we have the keys to create a sense of security and a sense of hope."</p> <p>Harry and Meghan have served as executive producers and the series has been co-produced with the Nelson Mandela foundation.</p> <p>Ardern's office has since released a statement regarding the series, claiming the leader had "no communication" with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for the series, and the footage used is from an interview three years ago.</p> <p>The statement read, "In early March 2019 the prime minister was approached by the Mandela Foundation to participate in a project to develop accessible resources on key attributes of leadership targeted at aspiring young leaders around the world, based off a one-hour interview."</p> <p>"Originally we were advised the outputs would be printed and digital books, short films and audiobooks."</p> <p>"The interview was conducted on November 8, 2019. In March 2020, a short book entitled Jacinda Ardern (I Know This to be True) was published based on the interview."</p> <p>The statement continued, "In March 2021 the Nelson Mandela Foundation advised the prime minister's office they had secured an agreement with Netflix to broadcast the series of interviews, including the 2019 interview with the prime minister."</p> <p> </p> <p>"In May this year the prime minister's office was notified that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would introduce the series; noting this was nearly two and a half years after the interview had been recorded and permission for its use by the Mandela Foundation had already been provided."</p> <p>"All communication throughout has been with the foundation (there has been no communications with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex regarding the project)."</p> <p>News of a new Netflix series by Harry and Meghan came as a surprise, with their divisive docuseries <em>Harry &amp; Meghan</em> having just recently aired to a mixed reception. </p> <p>Also featured in the upcoming series are Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died on September 18, 2020, Gloria Steinem and Greta Thunberg.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

TV

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The three biggest revelations from Harry and Meghan's documentary

<p>The first instalment of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's docuseries has been released, with the couple dropping major bombshells about life in the royal family. </p> <p>The first half of the series has largely revolved around the beginning of the couple's relationship and Meghan joining the royal family, while also touching on the first few dramatic encounters with paparazzi. </p> <p>Here's the biggest revelations from the series so far. </p> <p><strong>Meghan meeting the royal family</strong></p> <p>Meghan spoke of the first time she met Prince William and Kate Middleton, sharing how she didn't realise the level of formality the royal family carried outside of official engagements. </p> <p>She said, “Even when Will and Kate came over and I met her for the first time, I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot."</p> <p>“I’m a hugger I’ve always been a hugger. I didn’t know that could be jarring for a lot of Brits.”</p> <p>“I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality out on the outside, carried through on on the inside.</p> <p>“That there is a forward facing way of being then you close the door and you go phew, great we can relax now."</p> <p>“But that formality continues on both sides and that was surprising to me.”</p> <p>Meghan and Harry also shared details of Meghan's first meeting with the late Queen Elizabeth, with Harry admitting the situation was "weird".</p> <p>He said, “(Meghan) had no idea what it all consisted of, so it was a bit of a shock to the system for her,” he said.</p> <p>“How do you explain (to people) to bow to your grandma? And that they’ll need to curtsy? Especially to an American – it’s weird.”</p> <p>Meghan described the “surreal” and unexpected moment she realised she’d be meeting the monarch, and that it had been sprung on her at the last minute by her then-boyfriend.</p> <p>“We were in the car and we were going to Royal Lodge for lunch and he goes, ‘Oh, my grandmother’s here – she’s going to be there after church’,” she recalled.</p> <p>“And I remember in the car driving up, he says, ‘you know how to curtsy right?’ And I thought it was a joke.”</p> <p>“I didn’t know what I was doing,” she admitted.</p> <p><strong>Harry's warning to Meghan about the paparazzi</strong></p> <p>During the early days of Harry and Meghan's relationship, Meghan was still living in Canada and working as an actress when she encountered a pack of “9 or 10” paparazzi as she left a florist.</p> <p>“They were all sort of blocking the cars, going, ‘Hey, how you doing, Meghan?’, and I said ‘Oh, thanks, stay warm guys,’” the Duchess of Sussex recalled.</p> <p>The next day, she’d gotten a very strict instruction from her new boyfriend to ignore paparazzi from then on. </p> <p>“I remember (Harry) saying the next day, ‘You can’t talk to them’,” Meghan said.</p> <p>“And I was like, ‘I’m just trying to be pleasant, I don’t know what to do, I’ve never dealt with this before’, and he said, ‘Yes, but the UK media is saying you love it. You’re smiling. You love it.”</p> <p>Harry then likened the treatment of Meghan by the paparazzi to how Princess Diana was also treated, making him very concerned for his wife. </p> <p>"The majority of my memories are of her [Diana] being swarmed by paparazzi," he says.</p> <p>Harry made several comparisons with his wife and Diana, saying "To see another woman in my life go through this feeding frenzy.. That's hard. It is really the hunter vs the prey".</p> <p><strong>The couple felt they had to lie in their engagement interview</strong></p> <p>When the couple got engaged in 2017, they had a sit-down interview on the BBC to discuss their milestone, which the Sussexes have now revealed was completely "rehearsed".</p> <p>Meghan called the interview an "orchestrated reality show", saying they "weren't allowed" to tell their true story when faced with questions about their relationship.</p> <p>Earlier on in the docuseries, they shared how they first began talking on Instagram before meeting for their first date, but were forced to change their story for the BBC chat. </p> <p>The second and final instalment of the docuseries will air on December 15th. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Netflix</em></p>

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"That's nonsense": Harry and Meghan documentary called out for fake photo

<p>Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been called out for using a deceitful photo in the latest trailer for their upcoming Netflix documentary. </p> <p>In the recently released trailer, a photo is shown of a swarm of photographers, seemingly capturing pictures of the royal couple. </p> <p>However, the photo was actually taken at a <em>Harry Potter</em> film premiere in 2011: five years before the couple event met. </p> <p>Eagle-eyed viewers recognised the photo, and pointed out that it was taken at the red carpet premiere for <em>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two</em> in central London, the final film of JK Rowling's franchise, which no royals attended.</p> <p>The picture is shown as Harry narrates, "I had to do everything I could to protect my family."</p> <p>Royal expert Ingrid Seward told <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/20647848/harry-meghan-netflix-doc-hounded-by-press/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">The Sun,</a> "I don’t imagine Harry would have realised, but Netflix have been careless here as it weakens Harry’s comment about protecting his family. This fake picture weakens his point."</p> <p>The Sun photographer Doug can be seen in the shot used by Harry and Meghan’s team.</p> <p>He said, “I remember going to the premiere. It was a huge event. Crowds and crowds of fans had turned out in the rain and camped overnight to see the actors. There were no members of the Royal Family there."</p> <p>“In the Netflix trailer it’s implied the photographers, including me, were trying to get a shot of the royal couple — but that’s nonsense.”</p> <p>“For a picture from that premiere to turn up in this trailer about Harry and Meghan seems like lazy picture research.”</p> <p>Rather than the photo capturing the royal couple as insinuated, the photo appears first under search results for 'paparazzi' on stock image website Alamy.</p> <p>The first trailer for the six-part series was released last week - threatening to reveal further details of family difficulties and explain the "real story" behind why Prince Harry and Meghan left the royal family. </p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2rlVhiXlcHU" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Netflix</em></p>

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Controversial Diana interview to air in new documentary

<p dir="ltr">A new documentary about Princess Diana will air snippets of her 1995 Panorama interview with BBC journalist Martin Bashir once again, despite Prince William insisting it “should never be shown again”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The HBO documentary, titled <em>The Princess</em>, uses archival audio and video footage as part of its exploration of Diana’s complex relationship with the media, including how she often used the press to her advantage with dire consequences.</p> <p dir="ltr">Its release in select Australian and New Zealand cinemas in August comes a year after William made a forceful statement condemning the 1995 interview and describing it as a “major contribution to making my parent’s relationship worse”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Snippets from the interview show the late Princess of Wales speaking about her marriage to Prince Charles, her extramarital affair, and her belief that a campaign was being “waged against” her for her refusal to “go quietly”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It is my firm view that this Panorama program holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again,” William said in May 2021.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It effectively established a false narrative which, for over a quarter of a century, has been commercialised by the BBC and others.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Prince Harry later echoed William’s statements, saying that “our mother lost her life because of this and nothing has changed”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The BBC has distanced itself from the documentary, saying licences allowing for “any or all” of the interview to be aired had not been granted, per <em><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/07/28/dianas-disgraced-panorama-interview-aired-sky-against-prince/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Telegraph UK</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">It has since emerged that Bahir lied to Diana to gain her trust prior to the interview, showing her forged bank statements and other documents as proof that her most-trusted advisors and staff were spying on her in order to get her to agree to the interview.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, vowed last week to never show the interview in its entirety or in parts ever again, saying there would only be “few and far between” reasons to use extracts for journalistic purposes and urging other broadcasters to “exercise similar restraint”.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also apologised to Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry for “the way in which Princess Diana was deceived and the subsequent impact on all their lives”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The Princess</em> isn’t expected to provide context for the BBC interview, as segments from it will be shown alongside other news bulletins and footage of some members of the public - out of an estimated 23 million people who watched it at the time - watching it in a pub and reacting to it.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a statement, HBO described the film as “intensely emotional” and a “visceral submersion” into Diana’s life under the spotlight of the media.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The film unfolds as if it were in the present, allowing viewers to experience the overwhelming adoration, but also intense scrutiny of Diana's every move and the constant judgement of her character,” the statement reads.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Through archival material, the film is also a reflection of society at the time, revealing the public's own preoccupations, fears, aspirations and desires."</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ea73afec-7fff-008f-91a2-935b7a7cd4f1"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

TV

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George Michael documentary narrated by the late singer

<p dir="ltr">A new documentary detailing the extraordinary life and career of George Michael is set to hit theatres in June. </p> <p dir="ltr">The documentary, titled <em>George Michael: Freedom Uncut</em>, is described as the artist’s last work, with the late musician being credited as a co-creator on the project.</p> <p dir="ltr">George Michael was heavily involved in the making of the movie prior to his death in 2016, as he also narrates the film, which will offer new insight into his music career and private life. </p> <p dir="ltr">Freedom Uncut chronicles the tumultuous — yet creatively fruitful — period of Michael’s life and career following the release of his 1987 solo debut, <em>Faith</em>, then through the creation and release of his 1990 follow-up <em>Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1.</em> </p> <p dir="ltr">Along with documenting his creative efforts during this period, the doco will also explore his relationship with Anselmo Feleppa — who died from AIDS-related complications — as well as the death of Michael’s mother. </p> <p dir="ltr">The film will feature an array of archived footage, including photos from Michael’s private collection, as well as never-before-seen footage from the<em> Freedom! ’90</em> video, directed by David Fincher.</p> <p dir="ltr">The documentary also includes interviews with Michael’s peers and friends, including Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Ricky Gervais, Mary J. Blige, Liam Gallagher, and Tony Bennett, as they recall some of their favourite memories with their late friend who changed the face of music. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Music

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Sean Penn travels to Ukraine to film war documentary

<p>Actor Sean Penn has travelled to Ukraine to film a documentary about the ongoing conflict with Russia. </p> <p>The 61-year-old met with the Ukrainian president after attending a government press briefing for part of a VICE documentary he is filming.  </p> <p>President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video of his meeting with the actor on his Instagram, with the caption, "The more people know about the war in the Ukraine, the higher the likelihood of stopping Russia!"</p> <p>Sean Penn has been filming the documentary about escalating tensions in the area for several months, and recently returned to Kyiv, just days before Russian forces invaded the country. </p> <p>In a translated <a id="mol-f6a771f0-9594-11ec-bc71-19f2c1b2d56a" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/facebook/index.html">Facebook</a> post, the Ukrainian government said it was grateful for Penn being there, and was praised as being more courageous than Western leaders. </p> <p>"An American actor and filmmaker, Oscar winner Sean Penn arrived to Ukraine. The director specially came to Kyiv to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia's invasion of our country."</p> <p>"Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine in Ukraine today. Our country is grateful to him for such a show of courage and honesty."</p> <p>"He spoke to journalists, to our military, saw how we defend our country. Sean Penn demonstrates the courage that many others, especially western politicians lack."</p> <p>"The more such people, true friends of Ukraine, who support the fight for freedom, the sooner it will be possible to stop the massive attack on Russia," a statement on the Ukrainian government's Facebook page read. </p> <p>Sean Penn has recently been spotted in Kyiv having dinner with journalists, while thousands of people are fleeing the Ukrainian capital. </p> <p>Penn has been involved in several journalistic endeavours before, after taking part in a documentary of the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010.</p> <p>In 2016, the actor and director found himself caught up in the US investigation into fugitive drug lord El Chapo, after he made contact with him while working on a <em>Rolling Stone </em>article. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Movies

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Exclusive footage in new documentary to mark Diana’s 60th

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To mark what would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday, a new documentary will be released and aims to tell “the definitive story of the most famous woman in the world”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ITV film, titled Diana, will trace her life from nursery assistant to royal family member by including previously-unheard testimony and rarely seen archive footage, as well as photos and letters from those close to her.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">72 Films, who previously produced The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty, will produce the new documentary, which will be directed by Bafta winner Jemma Chisnall.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There is something a bit magical about Princess Diana, and despite the difficulties in her personal life she managed to use her connection with people to do huge amounts of good,” said David Glover, executive producer 72 Films.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Her 60th birthday feels like the perfect time to re-examine her life and legacy and explore just how she went from a relatively unknown teenager to the most mourned person who ever lived.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">ITC will also air a three-part series called Diana’s Decades, which will follow her early royal life, her high-profile work for HIV charities, her interactions with Hollywood during the 1980s, and the journey to becoming the People’s Princess in the 1990s.</span></p>

Beauty & Style

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Terri Irwin to reveal new home videos in Netflix documentary

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>The Irwin family have been a household name for decades, and a new rumoured Netflix documentary about the beloved family is set to ensure they'll be one for years to come.</p> <p>According to<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.newidea.com.au/terri-irwin-feud-family-tapes" target="_blank"><em>New Idea</em></a><em>,<span> </span></em>Terri Irwin has a "treasure trove of VHS tapes" that are about key moments in the lives of her family.</p> <p>“Terri has had a recorder permanently attached to her for years,” tells the insider.</p> <p>“She’s been documenting almost every moment of Bindi and Robert’s lives. She’ll likely have it in the birthing suite, too, when Bindi has her baby!”</p> <p>"Terri's one step ahead of the game, as usual, and is pulling it all together for a really lush documentary. TV networks would write blank cheques for some of the stuff she has!" the insider continued.</p> <p>According to the insider, Terri often looks at the family videos as they are some of the last moment she had with late husband Steve.</p> <p>"She loves how some big stars have had their own stories produced for Netflix and would like to give her story the same treatment – she knows it's what fans would enjoy," they added.</p> <p>While it is something fans might enjoy, there is one Irwin that could put a stop to it before it's even aired.</p> <p>“Steve’s father, Bob, would take real issue with this,” says the insider. “He’s always had it in his head that Terri commercialised Australia Zoo and made it into this big theme park, which he felt was her selling out the family’s conservation mission.</p> <p>“I doubt he’d be too happy about her turning private moments with his only son into a big production. Bob himself will be in some of those old movies – he would definitely not give over permission to be included.”</p> </div> </div> </div>

TV

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"Banned" royal family documentary resurfaces online

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>A documentary about the royal family was "banned" by Buckingham Palace in the early 70s has resurfaced online 50 years later.</p> <p><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2021/01/28/royal-documentary-banned-queen-leaked-50-years-later-palace/" target="_blank"><em>The Telegraph</em></a><span> </span>reports<span> </span><em>Royal Family</em>, the BBC documentary that offered a glimpse into Queen Elizabeth's private life, was uploaded onto Youtube and viewed thousands of times before taken down.</p> <p>The documentary was removed due to a copyright claim from the British broadcaster.</p> <p>It was the first time that footage longer than a 90-second clip had been seen since it was taken off the air.</p> <p>The rest of the film remains strictly "off-limits" to the public, which the curator of the National Portrait Gallery exhibition says is regrettable.</p> <p>"Legend has it that the Queen doesn't want parts of it to be shown. Regrettably, the film hasn't been seen for a long time. It just disappeared. There is a reluctance for this to be revisited."</p> <p>"I wish we could show it in its entirety. It tells you a lot about family life. And it redefined the nation's view of the Queen - the audience were amazed to be able to hear the Queen speaking spontaneously, and to see her in a domestic setting."</p> <p>Historian Sarah Gristwood says that it was Prince Philips idea to film the family to show them in a more relatable light.</p> <p>"Philip's belief was that if people could see their head of state as 'individuals, as people, I think it makes it much easier for them to accept the system.' He was against the idea of any "remoteness or majesty" in the people's view of their monarchy."</p> </div> </div> </div>

TV

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New Prince William documentary includes unseen photos of George, Charlotte and Louis

<p>A new Prince William documentary has given royal fans a sneak peek into the environmentalism he holds close to his heart.</p> <p><em>Prince William: A Planet for Us All</em> was filmed over two years and explores William's " personal mission to find ways to protect the natural world for future generations".</p> <p>In the documentary, Prince William is seen travelling around the UK and internationally, visiting Tanzania and Pakistan.</p> <p>The film was aired on ITV on Monday night and also includes previously unseen photos of his three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.</p> <p>George and Charlotte are seen in the film helping out with gardening while Louis is on a beach with a sand bucket.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CF_J5SpnYiW/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CF_J5SpnYiW/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by TheDuchess_Kate (@theduchess_kate)</a> on Oct 5, 2020 at 8:21pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>William took some time to reflect on how fatherhood motivated him to use his platform to protect the environment.</p> <p>"Now I've got George, Charlotte, and now Louis, your outlook does change and that's why I had to do something," he says in the documentary.</p> <p>"I really felt like by the time my children were 20, at the rate poaching was at, there may not have been another rhino in the world."</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CF9WO6dF3Ge/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CF9WO6dF3Ge/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Prince William, meet Debra. Join them in this special documentary on conservation, and how we can protect the natural world for future generations. Prince William: A Planet For Us All, tonight at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub. @kensingtonroyal #APlanetForUsAll @tusk_org</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/itv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> ITV</a> (@itv) on Oct 5, 2020 at 3:30am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>He also is aware of the criticism this documentary will receive, saying that "someone has got to put their head above the parapet and say 'I care about this'".</p> <p>He also speaks about teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg, who constantly receives criticism for her work. </p> <p>"People were desperate for someone to come along. Thank goodness there's somebody there with a young voice being active," William says.</p> <p>"That generational gap has to be breached, somehow, so that the older political leaders understand that the younger generation mean business. They want their futures protected."</p> <p>Despite some fans loving the documentary, others were quick to point out the family's love of grouse hunting in the UK.</p> <p>"Interesting that Prince William says he wants to help save wild animals and the planet despite taking his young children on a lovely family hunting trip a few weeks ago," another said.</p> <p>"Won't take Prince William seriously until he stops blasting farmed grouse from the sky and exposing his young children to hunting," one person tweeted. "I can't reconcile this with what he is saying."</p>

Family & Pets

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Prince Harry refers to "darkest of places" in new Netflix documentary

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Prince Harry refers to the "darkest of places" in the latest Netflix documentary <em>Rising Phoenix</em>, which focuses on the creation of the Paralympics and the challenges competitors have faced.</p> <p>To promote the new documentary, Harry appeared via Zoom alongside other athletes.</p> <p>"There isn't anything else in the world that can bring you back from the darkest of places than sport," the Prince explained.</p> <p>Other athletes in the group included Tatyana McFadden and Matt Stutzman from the US, Bebe Vio from Italy, Jean-Baptiste Alaize from France and Ntando Mahlangu from South Africa.</p> <p>"With COVID and everything else that is happening at the moment, your stories and the strength that you guys show, is incredible and that needs to be seen more," the Duke of Sussex says.</p> <p>"It needs to be spoken about more, to try and get rid of the stereotyping to get rid of those preconceptions.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">The Duke of Sussex spoke to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RisingPhoenix?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RisingPhoenix</a> stars <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmlessArcher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArmlessArcher</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jbalaize?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jbalaize</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TatyanaMcFadden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TatyanaMcFadden</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/VioBebe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VioBebe</a> and Ntando Mahlangu about the power of sport to change the world and the way we think.<br /><br />Rising Phoenix – the extraordinary story of the <a href="https://twitter.com/Paralympics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Paralympics</a> - is out now on Netflix. <a href="https://t.co/Kzq0COg6RF">pic.twitter.com/Kzq0COg6RF</a></p> — HTYT Stories (@HTYTstories) <a href="https://twitter.com/HTYTstories/status/1301523211667099649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>"My biggest hope is that people will watch this film and go, 'No matter how hard my life is, no matter how hard a day or a week can be, this what I aspire to, not just for me but for my family and all the loved ones around me'.</p> <p>"It is that element that I think will end up changing the world, so well done and thank you very much."</p> <p>The Duke of Sussex is a long-time advocate for overcoming adversity as he created the Invictus Games, which gives wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women the chance to compete in sports to assist their recovery and rehabilitation.</p> <p><em>Rising Phoenix</em><span> </span>is now available to watch on Netflix.</p> </div> </div> </div>

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Explosive documentary on Princess Diana set to make William and Harry “very upset and angry”

<p>A new documentary focused on the life of Princess Diana is set to be released soon, but it’s assumed that Prince William and Prince Harry will not be watching, let alone have any involvement in the production.</p> <p>The four-episode<span> </span><em>Being Me: Diana</em><span> </span>is reportedly going to focus on the mental health struggles faced by the late Princess of Wales, her painful childhood and her broken marriage to Prince Charles.</p> <p><em>Being Me: Diana</em><span> </span>will reportedly use never-before-seen footage of Diana’s speeches in 1990-1992 in the final years of her marriage to Prince Charles along with interviews with people close to her.</p> <p>Endemol Shine, the parent company of production company DSP says that “everything” featured is “already in the public domain”.</p> <p>Speaking to<span> </span><em>The Sun</em>, a TV insider revealed that both the royal family and Diana’s Spencer family will refuse to take part in the tell-all documentary that has not yet been commissioned by Netflix.</p> <p>“William and Harry will be very upset and angry. It’s particularly distressing for Harry because he’s been working with Netflix,” said the insider, referring to Harry’s Thomas the Tank Engine special with the streaming giant.</p> <p>“At a time when the royals have been dealt a blow with Harry and Meghan leaving, the timing is not good.”</p> <p>Since their mother’s tragic passing, both her sons have been advocates of mental health.</p> <p>After chatting with Maddy Austin who was diagnosed with anorexia and revealed that Diana’s openness about her eating disorder helped her, Prince William said: “We need to be matter-of-fact about it, and not hide it in the dark where it festers.”</p> <p>The Duke of Cambridge added that he was “absolutely” proud of his mother for speaking out about her struggles with bulimia that Diana herself referred to as a “secret disease”.</p> <p>“There are illnesses. Mental health needs to be taken as seriously as physical health.”</p> <p>Although both the princes have taken part in documentaries relating to their mother in the past, both have also slammed the media – particularly tabloids – for the treatment their mother and respective wives have received.</p> <p>“I will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum,” said Harry before the lawsuit he and Duchess Meghan filed.</p> <p>“Everything that she went through and what happened to her is incredibly raw every single day, and that is not being me being paranoid.</p> <p>“That is just me not wanting a repeat of the past.”</p>

TV

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The controversial Royal British documentary that you can’t watch anymore

<p>In 1969, the Queen made an oddly rare decision – she allowed cameras inside her home to film the royal family for several months.</p> <p>It what was meant to be a documentary to introduce Prince Charles, Britain’s future king, to the public. At the time, he was a polite young man attending Cambridge University.</p> <p>The film,<span> </span>Royal Family,<span> </span>aired to television and was viewers by around 30 million people.</p> <p>However, the movie has never been seen in its entirety since the palace ordered its removal from public view.</p> <p>Despite how much information manages to make its way into the media sphere for the consumption of the public, the Royal Family prefer to live an extremely private life inside their palace walls.</p> <p>So what happens behind closed doors is typically left in the hands of former and current employees, friends of the royals, speculation, tabloids and plain old gossip.</p> <p>After<span> </span>Royal Family<span> </span>was aired to television on June 21, 1969, it received mixed reviews from the newspapers.</p> <p>The palace quickly relegated the film to the royal archives after its initial release.</p> <p>Royal archiving films, propaganda, images and other forms of media means anything inside the vault, including<span> </span>Royal Family<span> </span>could only ever be seen again under the permission of the Queen.</p> <p>For more than 50 years, the film has been kept from the eyes of the public, however nothing ever really disappears – even in the 60’s – as short clips and stills from the documentary remain on the internet to be found.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery to see the Royal Family from the only documentary they let cameras inside palace walls for.</p>

Family & Pets

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Journalist behind Harry and Meghan documentary admits “everything wasn’t rosy”

<p>Only a week after Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s new documentary was released, the journalist who was behind the controversial piece has revealed that “everything wasn’t rosy” behind the scenes.</p> <p>Travelling through Africa with the Sussexes during their 10-day tour, Tom Bradby spoke to the royals one-on-one as he asked the two about the realities of living as a royal in the public eye.</p> <p>In a rare moment, Meghan spoke about her struggles with the British press, while Harry confessed that he and brother Prince William are “on different paths” in life, addressing rumours of a royal rift.</p> <p>The confessions shook fans around the world, but Bradby said he was just telling “the story that was in front of him.”</p> <p>“I knew that everything wasn’t entirely rosy behind the scenes, that’s true, but all the same I sort of had intended to turn up probably doing a more conventional journalistic job,” he told<span> </span><em>Good Morning America</em>.</p> <p>“I told them before I was going to have to put some particularly pointed questions. But I think the reality I found was just a couple who just seemed a bit bruised and vulnerable.”</p> <p>Ever since the documentary was released, opinions on the couple have been divided with many praising the two for their honesty, while others have accused them of complaining.</p> <p>Meghan’s estranged half-sister, Samantha Markle, labelled her as a “hypocrite”.</p> <p>“I think it is really ludicrous that someone who is escorted around the world by millions of dollars’ worth of security on private jets as a millionaire could ever complain about anything,” Samantha told<span> </span><em>Inside Edition.</em></p> <p>However, others have shown their support by rallying behind hashtag #WeLoveYouMeghan as a show of solidarity, after the Duchess confessed to being “not okay”.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see Harry and Meghan in Africa.</p>

Relationships

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Why are we seeing so many music documentaries lately?

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Music documentaries about famous singers and musicians are quickly becoming the norm. This is due to movie directors and actors bringing life and providing nostalgia to those who watched the musicians grow up. It also brings music to a new audience who is interested but might not have been born when the musicians were in their prime.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It appears that fans can no longer resist a peek into the backroom world that their favourite musicians inhabited.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, Gennaro Castaldo, of the record label trade association the British Phonographic Industry, isn’t surprised.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A compelling synergy exists between movies and music,” he told </span><em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/21/why-music-documentaries-are-all-over-our-screens-beyonce-bob-dylan"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Guardian</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“With a slew of highly anticipated music documentaries either out, or due for release soon, fans can get close to the icons they love, from Led Zeppelin and Leonard Cohen to Beyoncé and PJ Harvey, so we can expect another surge in sales and streams.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He credits the success of Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman to the surge in sales and streams, despite claims that these films are fictionalised and not a realistic account of what the rock stars went through.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The phenomenal success of recent biopics celebrating the work of Queen, Elton John and Abba underline just how fantastic a medium film is for music – culturally but also commercially in terms of the huge global reach it can provide at the cinema and then in the home,” said the BPI’s Castaldo. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Movies provide the perfect emotional context for a piece of music that help to enhance its power and to profoundly resonate with the audience.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In the process, this can reawaken the public’s love of classic repertoire, or of a particular artist, and encourage the next generation of fans to discover music that is new to them.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, film critic Nick James says that a documentary that is strong on sentiment doesn’t always work.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I prefer a documentary to a rock biopic anyday, but I’m wary of nostalgia,” James said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Marianne &amp; Leonard</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is heartfelt and honest, but it’s still to a degree in thrall to the ‘sexual revolution’ whose utter destructiveness it chronicles. [Leonard] Cohen comes out of it badly, but we probably need to see those feet of clay.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fans are responding with their wallets, and it’s looking like that’s the way that companies are going to go: fictionalised accounts of their favourite musicians instead of authentic and gritty stories about their imperfect heroes.</span></p>

Music

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New Michael Hutchence documentary reveals the night that changed everything for the star

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Michael Hutchence and INXS in their prime made some of the biggest hits of their era and reached number one with Need You Tonight in January 1988.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">20 years on from his suicide, Hutchence is still a pop culture icon. With newspapers, TV documentaries, drama series and reality competitions retelling his story, they were all missing a crucial piece of information.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hutchence had suffered a traumatic brain injury from a one-punch attack in Copenhagen, 1992.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The story, told in a new documentary </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mystify</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, was told by Hutchence’s partner from 1991 to 1995 Helena Christensen. The story was then backed up by a coroner’s report.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Christensen recounts that a taxi driver "yelled at Michael to move, got out of his car and punched him. He fell backwards and hit the curb".</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The aftermath was dark. Hutchence insisted on leaving the hospital and stayed in Christensen’s apartment, vomiting and refusing food for the next month.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"This dark, very angry side came out in him," she says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The documentary </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mystify</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is told by long-time INXS collaborator Richard Lowenstein.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"She didn't even tell her parents for 20 years, so her interview was very revealing. And then the coroner's report was even more revealing — of what he was hiding," Lowenstein tells </span><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/stop-everything/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">RN's Stop Everything!</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I think it was incredibly emotional finding that out, especially for the band members. They came to a screening and they didn't know the full extent until they saw the film."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lowenstein obtained the unedited coroner’s report of Hutchence through British Journalist sources. He then showed it to neurologists and psychologists.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I don't think anyone had seen that unedited coroner's report before, but that was a revelation," he says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"[They] rang up in the middle of the night saying: 'It's very obvious what happened. This is a perfect storm of suicide risk, what's here in the report.'"</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lowenstein said that the revelation was a transformative piece of the “jigsaw puzzle” that was Hutchence.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"After his assault in Copenhagen in 92, he came back and filmed some videos, and all of us at Ghost, everyone who worked with him, saw a very different Michael. And we just [thought]: 'There's something wrong'," he says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We didn't know if it was going to be permanent. And then we saw him go off the rails. You'd see him every three months and you'd go: 'Whoa, that's not the Michael we knew three months ago.'"</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lowenstein said he was inspired to tell the true story of Hutchence as he didn’t feel like the real version of him was out in the media.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We just all sat there and thought: 'There's honestly nothing of the guy we remember — that we recognise — out there.' And we just we had all the footage in our archive, in literally my attic. And we thought, we should do something authentic about him," he says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"As we put the jigsaw puzzle together, I discovered a much more complicated and insecure [person], someone who had been fighting depression from the start," Lowenstein says.</span></p>

Music

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Waleed Aly's challenge after Adam Goodes' documentary

<p>Waleed Aly has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Adam Goodes after the controversial documentary addressing the bullying and racism the former Sydney Swans star faced in Australia sparked an outpouring of emotion and support.</p> <p><em>The Final Quarter</em>, which was aired on Thursday night on Channel 10, showed the booing and abuse Goodes dealt with over the last three seasons of his career, leading him into an early retirement.</p> <p>In the special late-night edition of <a rel="noopener" href="https://10daily.com.au/news/sport/a190717fgbdv/adam-goodes-was-failed-by-the-game-and-fans-he-loved-20190718" target="_blank"><em>The Project</em></a> that followed the documentary, Aly spoke with indigenous representatives and media and sporting figures to discuss the issue.</p> <p>“It was a difficult thing to go through ... what should have been a spectacular finish to an incredible career is just extremely sad,” said Jude Bolton, former Sydney Swans player and teammate.</p> <p>Chip Le Grand, journalist at <em>The Australian,</em> said the doco demonstrated how “a lot of us don’t seem to even know racism when we see it”.</p> <p>He criticised the AFL’s failure to step in and defend Goodes.</p> <p>“They just needed someone to clearly stand up, and it was [Chief Executive Officer] Gillon McLachlan’s time, in that instance, to just say: ‘Look, yes, it is complicated but, clearly, race is a part of this, it’s a big part of this, it’s ugly and it has to stop’,” he said.</p> <p>Aly closed the discussion by making a statement on what the nation should do from this point.</p> <p>“It seems that what began as personal torment for Adam quickly became a national controversy,” Aly said.</p> <p>“The question now really is whether it can become a productive national conversation. And the answer to that question rests with each of us.”</p> <p>The AFL released an apology on the same day of the film premiere.</p> <p>“Adam, who represents so much that is good and unique about our game, was subject to treatment that drove him from football. The game did not do enough to stand with him and call it out,” the statement said.</p> <p>“We apologise unreservedly for our failures during this period.</p> <p>“Failure to call out racism and not standing up for one of our own let down all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, past and present.”</p>

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Gallagher brothers clash again: Siblings feud over new documentary

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Liam Gallagher’s new documentary </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">As It Was</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> premiered, but it wasn’t without controversy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Liam said that his ex-bandmate, brother and sworn worst enemy Noel Gallagher wouldn’t let him include </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oasis</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> music in the film.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The new documentary is set to follow the “emotional story” of Liam and how he went from being at the top of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oasis</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> down to “lost in the musical wilderness of boredom, booze and bitter legal battles”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Liam describes it as, “about my musical comeback – it covers the writing and recording of my first solo album [2017s </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">As We Were</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which hit #1 in the UK], right through to playing it live for the very first time in my hometown of Manchester and around the world,” according to </span><em><a href="https://musicfeeds.com.au/news/liam-gallagher-says-noel-gallagher-took-the-oasis-music-out-of-his-new-documentary-as-it-was/#OSRf6HbpWefLYwRR.99"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Music Feeds.</span></a></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Liam addressed fans at the premiere and said that Noel wouldn’t give him permission to use their </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oasis</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> songs in the documentary.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I think he has seen it, him and his little people [have seen] it and took the</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Oasis </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">music out of it because that’s all he’s got left for me. Let him get on with it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He wouldn’t let me put the tunes in, the <em>Oasis</em> songs, stuff that we did for the [Manchester One] Love thing… So he’s definitely aware of what’s going on. That’s the only last thing he’s got, to stop me singing my <em>Oasis</em> songs,” Liam said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Director of the documentary Gavin Fitzgerald was surprised as to just how deep the feud went between the brothers. He spoke to </span><em><a href="https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2019/0606/1053687-oasis-feud-shocked-director-of-new-liam-documentary/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">RTE</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about the “bitterness and seriousness” of the feud itself. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I was shocked to find out that Noel and Liam haven’t seen each other, haven’t even bumped into each other, since 2009 when they had a fight backstage in Paris and were swinging guitars at each other and didn’t come out to play for fans… The feud is real.”</span></p>

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