SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

Tony Khan says that WWE has tampered with contracts of AEW talent and that there is a “real war” going on between AEW and WWE.

In an interview with the Dan Le Batard show, Khan detailed alleged contract tampering by WWE and discussed competition between the two biggest wrestling companies in the United States.

“I can only speak to the challenges we’ve had and I got a lot of wrestlers coming to me and allege that WWE reached out to them to tamper with their contracts and ask them to break their contracts,” Khan said. “I can’t confirm that specifically. I can only tell you what the wrestlers have come to me and said. But I’ve had multiple wrestlers and staff report that to me. It was very disturbing and I’ve had to go out and try to put on good shows despite this alleged tampering. Stuff like that. But frankly, I don’t think it’s stopped us because the quality of the product and the quality of the shows is at an all-time high right now.

“The wrestling business is very dirty,” Khan continued. “I only know what people have come to me and alleged. But, I do know it’s a real war between AEW and WWE and the fans are interested in it and that was part of the original business model of AEW was I knew wrestling fans, frankly, are very interested in wrestling free agency and wrestling wars and I believe we could create a free agent market that is definitely a real thing now and that would be a big part of the story. Now, what’s interesting is the story that is the most real, the most intense and the most hatred in all of pro wrestling is that between the two wrestling promotions. I think we truly, truly hate each other and I think it makes for really exciting TV and it makes for an exciting wrestling war.” (h/t Post Wrestling.)

AEW will return to PPV on March with Revolution. The only announced match on the show at this time is MJF vs. Bryan Danielson for the AEW World Championship in a 60-minute Iron Man Match.

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London — In his forthcoming autobiography, Spare, Prince Harry says that his brother, heir to the throne Prince William, physically attacked him in 2019, according to a report in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. The Guardian says it viewed a copy of Harry’s book, which is due out next Tuesday. CBS News has not seen a copy of Spare and is not able to independently verify the report.

According to the Guardian, William went to meet Harry at his then residence on the grounds of Kensington Palace, Nottingham Cottage, wishing to discuss “the whole rolling catastrophe” of their struggles with the media and their personal relationship.

When he arrived, Harry said, William was already angry and started “parrot[ing] the press narrative,” calling Meghan “abrasive,” “difficult,” and “rude.”

A timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship

William reportedly said Harry was not being rational, and Harry accused his older brother of acting like an heir and refusing to understand why Harry wasn’t happy to be treated poorly, just because he was not the next in line for the throne. William reportedly said he was trying to help Harry, who scoffed, further angering William, who moved towards him, swearing.

The book apparently describes Harry then going into the kitchen and giving William a glass of water.

“He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me,” Harry writes, according to the Guardian. “It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”

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Harry said that William urged him to hit him back, referencing fights they had as kids, but Harry refused, so William left but then returned, “looking regretful, and apologized.”

Harry describes “terrifying” meeting with his dad and brother

Harry said he didn’t immediately tell Meghan about the fight, but did tell his therapist. When Meghan later noticed the scrapes on his back, he told her, and “she was terribly sad.”

There was no comment from Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace or the publisher of Spare, Penguin Random House, in response to the Guardian report.

The book recounts another meeting of the brothers, according to the Guardian, this time with their father, now King Charles III, after the funeral of the late husband of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip, in April 2021.

According to the Guardian report, Harry says Charles stood between his two angry sons and said: “Please, boys. Don’t make my final years a misery.”

Two interviews ahead of the official release of Harry’s book are expected this weekend, one with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” and the other with British broadcaster ITV News.

In the “60 Minutes” interview, which will air in full on Sunday, Harry says he tried to resolve the conflicts with his family in private, but that the palace used the media against him and Meghan. In a clip from the ITV interview, which also airs Sunday, he seems to suggest that he would like to reconcile.

“The door is always open,” Harry says. “The ball is in their court.”

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China on Monday said more than 10 U.S. high-altitude balloons have flown in its airspace during the past year without its permission, following Washington’s accusation that Beijing operates a fleet of surveillance balloons around the world. The United States denied that it operates any surveillance balloons over China.

The Chinese allegation came after the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had crossed from Alaska to South Carolina, sparking a new crisis in bilateral relations that have spiraled to their lowest level in decades.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin gave no details about the alleged U.S. balloons, how they had been dealt with or whether they had government or military links.

“It is also common for U.S. balloons to illegally enter the airspace of other countries,” Wang said at a daily briefing. “Since last year, U.S. high-altitude balloons have illegally flown over China’s airspace more than 10 times without the approval of Chinese authorities.”

Wang said the U.S. should “first reflect on itself and change course, rather than smear and instigate a confrontation.”

China says the balloon shot down by the U.S. was an unmanned airship made for meteorological research that had been blown off course. It has accused the U.S. of overreacting by shooting it down and threatened to take unspecified action in response.

In Washington, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said Monday that any claim that the U.S. government operates surveillance balloons over China is false.

“It is China that has a high-altitude surveillance balloon program for intelligence collection, connected to the People’s Liberation Army, that it has used to violate the sovereignty of the United States and over 40 countries across five continents,” Watson said.

“This is the latest example of China scrambling to do damage control. It has repeatedly and wrongly claimed the surveillance balloon it sent over the United States was a weather balloon and to this day has failed to offer any credible explanations for its intrusion into our airspace and the airspace of others.”

Following the balloon incident, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a visit to Beijing that many had hoped would put the brakes on the sharp decline in relations over Taiwan, trade, human rights and threatening Chinese actions in the disputed South China Sea.

Also Monday, the Philippines accused a Chinese coast guard ship of targeting a Philippine coast guard vessel with a military-grade laser and temporarily blinding some of its crew in the South China Sea, calling it a “blatant” violation of Manila’s sovereign rights.

Wang said a Philippine coast guard vessel had trespassed into Chinese waters without permission on Feb. 6 and that Chinese coast guard vessels responded “professionally and with restraint.” China claims virtually all of the strategic waterway and has been steadily building up its maritime forces and island outposts.

“China and the Philippines are maintaining communication through diplomatic channels in this regard,” Wang said. China’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a question about the incident.

Adding to tensions, a U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” over Lake Huron on Sunday on orders from President Biden. It was the fourth such downing in eight days in an extraordinary chain of events over U.S. airspace that Pentagon officials believe has no peacetime precedent.

The Chinese balloon shot down by the U.S. was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals as part of a huge, military-linked aerial surveillance program that targeted more than 40 countries, the Biden administration declared last Thursday, citing imagery from American U-2 spy planes.

Part of the reason for the repeated shootdowns is a “heightened alert” following the alleged Chinese spy balloon, Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command, said in a briefing with reporters.

The United States has since placed economic restrictions on six Chinese entities it said are linked to Beijing’s aerospace programs as part of its response to the incident. The U.S. House of Representatives also voted unanimously to condemn China for a “brazen violation” of U.S. sovereignty and efforts to “deceive the international community through false claims about its intelligence collection campaigns.”

Wang, the Chinese spokesperson, repeated China’s dismissal of such claims, saying, “the frequent firing of advanced missiles by the U.S. to shoot down the objects is an overreaction of overexertion.”

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Washington — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Western allies would support Ukraine for “as long as it takes” as he visited the White House on Friday for a private meeting with President Biden.

The two leaders huddled as the war enters a difficult next phase, with fresh concerns about softening political resolve behind maintaining billions of dollars in military assistance for Kyiv.

“This is a very, very important year because of the dangerous threat to peace that comes from Russia invading Ukraine,” Scholz said.

Both leaders said they would continue working “in lockstep,” and Mr. Biden thanked Scholz for helping to “maintain the pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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China wasn’t mentioned during their brief public remarks in the Oval Office, although the meeting comes as both countries have become increasingly vocal about concerns that Beijing may step off the sidelines and supply weapons to Russia. Such a step could dramatically change the war’s trajectory by allowing Moscow to replenish its depleted stockpiles.

China is Germany’s top trading partner, and European nations have generally been more cautious than the United States in taking a hard line with Beijing. However, there are signs that may be shifting as global rivalries grow more tense.

In a speech to the German parliament on Thursday, Scholz called on China to “use your influence in Moscow to press for the withdrawal of Russian troops, and do not supply weapons to the aggressor Russia.”

The U.S. and Germany have worked closely together to supply Ukraine with military and humanitarian assistance. But there has also been friction over issues such as providing tanks, and Washington has occasionally grown frustrated with Berlin’s hesitance.

Maintaining a steady flow of weapons to Kyiv will be critical in the war’s second year, especially with both sides planning spring offensives.

“We’re proud of the collective efforts that we’ve taken together,” John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, said Thursday.

He said the U.S. has not seen any indication that China has made a decision on whether to provide weapons to Russia.

Scholz last visited the White House a little more than a year ago, shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine. Very little of Friday’s meeting was open to the public, and no announcements were made afterward.

Unlike formal state visits, such as when French President Emmanuel Macron came to Washington last year, there was no pomp and ceremony. Scholz’s trip also lacked the customary press conference where the two leaders take questions from reporters representing both countries.

Kirby described it as a “true working visit between these two leaders.”

In an interview with German broadcaster Welt, opposition leader Friedrich Merz accused Scholz of being secretive about his trip to Washington, which took place without the customary press pack in tow. Merz suggested that Scholz had to smooth ruffled feathers over the deal to provide tanks to Ukraine.

Scholz dismissed any notion of discord between allies.

Asked by The Associated Press about the circumstances of his visit, Scholz said he and Mr. Biden “want to talk directly with each other,” and he described “a global situation where things have become very difficult.”

“It is important that such close friends can talk about all of these questions together, continually,” he said.

Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden’s national security adviser, hinted at some tension between the two countries on Sunday when appearing on ABC’s “This Week.”

He said Mr. Biden originally decided against sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, believing they wouldn’t be immediately useful for Ukrainian forces. However, Sullivan said, Germany would not send its Leopard tanks “until the president also agreed to send Abrams.”

“So, in the interest of alliance unity and to ensure that Ukraine got what it wanted, despite the fact that the Abrams aren’t the tool they need, the president said, ‘OK, I’m going to be the leader of the free world,'” Sullivan said. “‘I will send Abrams down the road if you send Leopards now.’ Those Leopards are getting sent now.”

Scholz’s government has denied there was any such demand made of the U.S.

Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the U.S. has often wanted Germany, the world’s fifth-largest economy, to be more forceful on the global stage.

“There’s a hope that, instead of us having to push all the time, that Germany would take a leadership role,” he said.

Bergmann said Germany has gone a long way toward strengthening its defense, but added that there’s more work to do.

“The German way of seeing the world doesn’t always align with the U.S. way of seeing the world,” he said.

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Washington — President Biden will host the second state visit of his administration, for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, the White House announced on Tuesday.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the April 26 visit, which will include a fancy state dinner, will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the United States and South Korea, ties she said are “critical to advancing peace, stability, and prosperity for our two countries, the Indo-Pacific, and around the world.”

Yoon will be joined by first lady Kim Keon Hee.

The U.S. has been trying to strengthen its relationships in Asia as a counterbalance to China’s rising influence. Mr. Biden visited South Korea and Japan last year, and he’s prodded the pair of critical U.S. allies to mend relations with each other.

The impasse stems from the history of Japanese colonialism on the Korean peninsula, and Yoon recently announced a plan to resolve longstanding disputes over compensation for slave labor.

Mr. Biden said he was encouraged by the development, saying “our countries are stronger — and the world is safer and more prosperous — when we stand together.”

Mr. Biden’s first state visit was for French President Emmanuel Macron in December.

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"Love Actually" ressort au cinéma ce mardi 5 décembre, pour fêter ses 20 ans. Considérée comme culte, cette comédie romantique est pourtant jugée problématique par son réalisateur.

Sorti dans nos salles obscures le 3 décembre 2003, Love Actually de Richard Curtis fête ses 20 ans cette année. Pour l’occasion, la comédie romantique de Noël ressort ce mardi 5 décembre uniquement dans nos salles obscures. Le film ressort également en édition UHD, Blu-ray & DVD et en digital.

D’un budget de 40 millions de $, ce film choral qui suit les histoires d’amour et de désamour de 8 couples a rapporté près de 245 millions de $ au box-office international et a aujourd’hui acquis le statut de film culte. Il s’agit de la première réalisation du cinéaste néo-zélando-britannique Richard Curtis jusqu’alors connu pour les scénarios de Quatre mariages et un enterrement, Coup de foudre à Notting Hill et Le Journal de Bridget Jones.

Love Actually

Sortie :

3 décembre 2003

|
2h 10min

De
Richard Curtis

Avec
Bill Nighy,
Hugh Grant,
Liam Neeson

Presse
3,0

Spectateurs
3,8

louer ou acheter

Emmené par Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln, Martine McCutcheon, le regretté Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney, Martin Freeman, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Rodrigo Santoro ou encore Lúcia Moniz, le film s’est hissé au rang de film culte.

Sa bande-originale composée de tubes de Justin Timberlake, Joni Mitchell, Dido, Maroon 5, Sugababes, Otis Redding, Norah Jones sans oublier la reprise du tube de Noël de Mariah Carey “All I Want For Christmas Is You” par la jeune Olivia Olson, et plusieurs de ses séquences font désormais entièrement partie de la culture populaire.

Impossible, quand on évoque Love Actually, de ne pas immédiatement penser à la scène de la déclaration de Mark (Andrew Lincoln) à Juliet (Keira Knightley), la femme de son meilleur ami (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Pourtant cette scène a bien failli ne jamais voir le jour et même son réalisateur la juge aujourd’hui problématique.

Andrew Lincoln était contre la scène des pancartes

Pour cette célébrissime séquence, Richard Curtis s’est inspiré d’une déclaration d’amour qu’il a lui-même faite des années auparavant et du clip de Bob Dylan, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (1965) dans lequel le chanteur fait défiler des pancartes.

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Lors du tournage de Love Actually, la scène a fait l’objet de nombreuses discussions. Andrew Lincoln trouvait que cette séquence le faisait passer pour un type malsain. L’acteur expliquait au micro de Entertainment Weekly en 2017 : “La scène était facile à jouer, j’avais juste à faire défiler des pancartes que j’avais moi-même écrites et prétendre être amoureux de Keira Knightley, ce qui n’est pas bien difficile. Mais je n’arrêtais pas de répéter à Richard que j’avais l’impression d’être flippant.” Pourtant le réalisateur parvient à convaincre le jeune comédien et le résultat donne l’une des déclarations d’amour les plus marquantes du cinéma.

Des années plus tard, le réalisateur avoue qu’avec le recul, Andrew Lincoln avait raison : “Aujourd’hui je suis conscient que le rôle de Mark serait vu comme un harceleur. Mais heureusement grâce à son jeu sincère et candide on le trouve plus touchant que méchant.”

Le site anglais The Independent révèle qu’en septembre dernier, un des scénarios de Love Actually a été mis aux enchères lors d’une vente caritative au profit du Good Chance Theatre dans l’est de Londres, qui soutient les artistes réfugiés. Le document présentait des annotations de Richard Curtis laissant déjà entrevoir des doutes sur la scène des pancartes.

On peut ainsi y lire : “J’ai imaginé quatre choses que Mark pourrait faire pour son grand moment. Les employés du bureau ont choisi leur action préférée et j’ai opté pour celle-ci. Je me demande si nous regretterons ce choix”. Le cinéaste avait donc déjà des doutes sur la séquence avant de la tourner.

L’interprète de Rick dans The Walking Dead porte pour sa part aujourd’hui un regard amusé sur son personnage et précise à EW : “Dans un des films les plus romantiques qui existe, j’ai le rôle du seul type qui n’arrive pas à séduire la fille qu’il aime. Le film montre différentes manières d’aimer, pour moi c’est l’amour non réciproque et du coup je passe pour le vieil harceleur de rue.“

Un film grossophobe ?

Mais cette séquence n’est pas la seule à poser problème aujourd’hui. Au mois d’octobre dernier, alors qu’il était au Festival de Littérature de Cheltenham, Richard Curtis a évoqué les blagues grossophobes de Love Actually.

Dans le long métrage, le personnage de Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), la secrétaire de David, le premier ministre incarné par Hugh Grant, est souvent moquée pour son poids. Alors que son père la qualifie de “dodue” et que l’un de ses collègues note qu’elle a “des cuisses énormes“, David lui lance : “Mon Dieu, tu pèses un de ces poids” lorsqu’elle lui saute dans les bras.

Love Actually sur TF1 : mais qu’est devenue Martine McCutcheon, qui jouait la secrétaire de Hugh Grant ?

Love Actually sur TF1 : mais qu’est devenue Martine McCutcheon, qui jouait la secrétaire de Hugh Grant ?

Le site Today rapporte ainsi les propos du cinéaste : “Il y a 5 ans, ma fille Scarlett m’a dit “Tu ne peux plus jamais utiliser le mot “gros”. Et ça m’avait d’abord choqué, mais elle avait raison. Ces blagues ne sont plus drôles aujourd’hui. Je n’étais pas malveillant à l’époque, mais je pense que je n’ai pas assez été attentif et que je n’ai pas été aussi intelligent que j’aurais dû l’être.“

Interrogé ensuite sur le manque de diversité dans ses films, le cinéaste a également fait son mea culpa : “Je viens d’une école très peu diversifiée et d’un groupe d’amis universitaires. Dans Coup de foudre à Notting Hill, je pense que si je n’ai pas abordé la question de la diversité, c’est parce que je pensais ne pas savoir comment écrire sur ce sujet. Je pense que j’étais stupide, j’avais tort. Mes producteurs, mon directeur de casting et moi-même n’y avons tout simplement pas pensé. Nous n’étions pas assez ouverts.”

Au sujet plus précis de Love Actually, Curtis déclare : “Il y a des choses que l’on changerait mais, Dieu merci, la société évolue, et mon film va donc, à un certain moment, être dépassé.“

Love Actually reste malgré tout une comédie culte grâce à son humour britannique, sa bande-son et ses personnages tous aussi attachants les uns que les autres. Le film est à revoir au cinéma en version restaurée ce mardi 5 décembre.