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New King Arthur Series Rises To The Level Of Game Of Thrones In Episode 5

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New King Arthur Series Rises To The Level Of Game Of Thrones In Episode 5

By Jennifer Asencio
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Episode 5 of The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin is titled “The Price of Failure.” While that may seem like the name of a young adult book, it’s a layered story that deftly establishes the future of the legends we know.

The cold open is not the only time we see Merlin as a child, as his past is woven throughout the episode through flashbacks that explain his “missing years.” All this history is resurrected in his memory by a necessary return to the lands of Yr Hen Ogledd, the site of his childhood. His Atlantean heritage doesn’t help him, either, since he’s hardly aged while people he knew in his youth have.

Meanwhile, Aurellius and Uther have gathered the kings of England to make an alliance that names Aurellius high king, where they are having troubles of their own. Gorlas has the most battle experience and thinks he should lead the armies, much to the chagrin of notorious hothead Uther. But when Uther goes to negotiate with the war leader, his life will be changed forever.

A Step Back From The Previous Episode

This episode wasn’t quite as good as the last, mainly because it lacks the kind of large-scale battles that made the last so intense. However, there is a lot of drama here, as tense negotiations are taking place across England. Gorlas, played by experienced Arthurian actor Chick Allan, delivers vigorous opposition, but the intrigue runs throughout as characters work at cross-purposes to undercut one another.

There are a couple of instances of errant CGI in the episode: Merlin’s eyes always seem to glow when he does something magical, and this hasn’t improved. A wonderful scene of approaching Saxon ships would have been even better (and eerier) had it looked a tad less cartoony. Merlin’s magic tricks this time aren’t as overwhelming as they should be, including a levitation scene in which the harness on the actor is so obvious that you can tell where the crane must have been. I have to admire the use of practical effects and the adept deletion of their mechanics, but it reduced the dramatic effect of what was supposed to be an important scene.

However, these scenes are offset by attention to other important facets of production.

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You’ll Believe You’re In The World Of King Arthur

The makeup that comprises wounds and injuries that are important to the story is very well done and really conveys the savagery of 6th-century fighting. A scene in a medical tent is brutal in its realism. None of this ever devolves into gore, but empathetic viewers will cringe and wince along with the patient.

The settings this time were extremely well-done. The war camp brings the audience into the reality of early medieval campaigns. Most notable is the stronghold of Goddeu, which is stunning both inside and out. I can forgive if the long exterior shot was CGI, because the interior sets brought it to vivid life as a working structure with real people living within its walls.

The natural scenery steals the show, though. Lush groves are juxtaposed with green-blue river valleys and rocky coasts. One mountainous valley where a child gets lost conveys such urgency and isolation that it makes me wonder how many other children have wandered through there and never come back. The lighting that accompanies the episode’s resolution illuminates it in gorgeous gold, heightening the scene’s contrast.

Great Performances Continue Carrying Pendragon

Alex Laurence-Phillips once again shines as Merlin’s sidekick Pellaus. He doesn’t have as much to do in this episode other than comment about events, but his snappy dialogue, coupled with the actor’s comic timing and expressive delivery, make him the best part of the show. This was the only thing that kept me engaged in the events in Goddeu.

Myles Clohessy’s Uther displays all the character’s infamous temperament, while Aurellius, played by Finney Cassidy, confidently holds in at bay while trying to charm the other kings. The dance between them and Gorlas was so engaging that, no matter how gorgeous the set of Goddeu was, I couldn’t help but want to be back in the war camp watching the machinations taking place. The men dominated this episode, with only two important female characters involved: the mysterious Ganieda and a young princess with a big destiny.

Arthurian Legend And Christianity Collide

Fans of Arthurian legend will start to recognize the names of some of these characters. Uther, for example, is a very important figure to Camelot, and so is Morgain. A few of the other names are more obscure, and I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but once these figures begin to come into the scene, it’s hard not to anticipate what’s coming.

What must be said for Stephen Lawhead’s writing and Jeremy Boreing’s adaptation is that they were very aware of this when they wrote it, and they use what the audience thinks it knows against us. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, that anticipation is deftly subverted without being ignored.

Christianity appears a little more prominently in this episode, as key characters have converted to the new religion. The overtones are a little thick at times, but the show has still gone out of its way not to attack or denigrate other religions. The cold open contradicts itself by declaring an action ignorant, then showing the very same character performing the ignorant act, but religion in the episode is highlighted by one of Rose Reid’s few appearances, when Charis gives Merlin very sage advice about belief.

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The Pendragon Cycle Maintains A High Level Of Quality

Although Episode 5 wasn’t quite as good as its predecessor and doesn’t use the techniques that succeeded for Episode 4, the script is still strong enough to be interesting. Once again, I compare it to its most famous competitor, Game of Thrones, because there is a very similar struggle going on. Several people think they should be in control of events and are willing to come to blows for it. The biggest difference between that show and this one is that the places were real, and the diffracted kings recorded in poetry.

The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin has risen to the level of the Westeros saga, and even when there’s not a lot of action, there’s still plenty of conflict. There are only two episodes left after this one, and it will be exciting to see how the series concludes. Episode 5 drops at 9 pm on Thursday on Daily Wire+.


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Billy Zane’s New Horror Comedy Was Made With Help From GFR’s Own Jonathan Klotz

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Billy Zane's New Horror Comedy Was Made With Help From GFR's Own Jonathan Klotz

By Robert Scucci
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What do you get when Lucifer’s children, Lilith and Aamon, show up in late 19th-century America to destroy the American Dream as folks have come to know it? You get Blood Rush, the new horror comedy starring Billy Zane, Danielle Bisutti, and Henry Ian Cusick, which recently wrapped production. While no release date has been announced, Deadline has provided a high-level rundown on the film, and it sounds like a bloody good time for vampire aficionados.

Synopsis And Top Billing

Blood Rush is set in 1881 America and, as its title suggests, focuses on the Western Frontier Gold Rush in gruesome fashion. Billy Zane, best known for Titanic and The Phantom, takes on the role of Aamon alongside Danielle Bisutti’s (best known for her contributions to the God of War video game series) Lilith, with Henry Ian Cusick (best known for Lost) stepping in as Van Helsing.

Danielle Bisutti in Bones

In the film, Aamon and Lilith attempt to suck the American Dream right out of their subjects’ necks, hoping the indomitable spirit present in their blood will sustain them. Matters get complicated when Van Helsing makes his presence known, suggesting the vampires may have bitten off more than they can chew. What follows promises to be the ultimate, bloody, Dracula-driven showdown the likes of which we’ve never seen before.

It all sounds like a gloriously unhinged bloodbath, and if Billy Zane channels even a fraction of the energy he brought to the 1995’s cult classic Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, we could be in for a horror comedy you can really sink your teeth into.

Henry Ian Cusick in Lost

Another Familiar Name Attached To The Film

While Blood Rush already has a killer synopsis and star power, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Our very own Jonathan Klotz helped work on an early draft of the script. If you’re familiar with his writing on GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT, then you know his deadpan sense of humor should factor nicely into the equation. Especially if you’re a fan of unhinged horror comedies starring Billy Zane, who also happens to have one of the most entertaining Instagram accounts in the business.

Blood Rush was conceived and directed by Danielle Bisutti, with production handled through her Perfect Timing Productions banner in collaboration with co-director Stefan Colson’s BoatShoes Entertainment.

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More updates about Blood Rush will roll out in the coming weeks and months, so check back for further developments.


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Your guide to 2026 TV premiere dates

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How to watch all the new and returning series.

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Nancy Guthrie’s Neighbor Reacts to ‘Terrifying’ Surveillance Video

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Nancy Guthrie‘s neighbor is speaking out after the FBI released surveillance footage of a possible subject amid the search for Savannah Guthrie‘s mother.

“It was startling and a bit terrifying,” Laura Gargano, who has lived around the corner from Nancy, 84, for over a decade, told CNN on Wednesday, February 11. “But I immediately went to assess the physique of this person. I [looked at] the shape of the head, the size of the legs and the approximate weight to see if he looked familiar.”

Gargano quickly rallied other people in the area to see if they could recognize the person after the footage was released. “I assumed it was a male and I immediately started to run through the people I have worked with here,” she said. “A lot of times people share service people in the area.”

She continued: “I just immediately looked to see if the shape looked familiar to me. I did that more than being fearful — but also hopeful because now we have an image to go by. Momentarily I pulled out some hope.”

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Savannah Guthrie's Mom Nancy


Related: Everything to Know About the Ongoing Search for Nancy Guthrie

Questions still remain after Today show host Savannah Guthrie‘s mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the news on February 1, sharing a missing person report via X. Nancy was described as a “vulnerable adult” who was last seen “at her residence” within Arizona’s Catalina Foothills area on the evening […]

Elsewhere in the interview, Gargano revealed she suggested Nancy’s roof and septic tank as possible places where evidence could have been left behind, which prompted the FBI to conduct a search.

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Nancy has been missing from the Arizona area since February 1. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month that evidence at Nancy’s home appeared suspicious.

Nancy Guthrie Suspect Nest Camera FBI First 4 Photos
FBI (4)

“Something unusual at that house occurred that made us go, ‘Wow, something’s wrong here. Something doesn’t fit,’” he explained. “We’re gonna pull all the stops and go at all angles. We really do hope it’s a search-and-rescue mission and we find her and she’s safe and sound. But it would be unjust if we didn’t look at what’s in front of us and go, ‘We need to act.’”

Savannah, 54, and her siblings have since taken to social media several times to appeal to the person who potentially took Nancy from her home.

“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah said in a February 7 video following reports of ransom notes being sent to local news stations. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay.”

 

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A deadline was reportedly set for 5 p.m. MST on Monday, February 9. Hours before, Savannah shared her belief that Nancy was “still out there,” adding in another Instagram video, “We are in an hour of desperation.”

Days later, TMZ claimed a new note was received demanding 1 Bitcoin for information on Nancy’s possible captor.

FBI director Kash Patel, meanwhile, is hopeful that releasing photos and video of the masked individual outside of Nancy’s home will help the investigation.

“[We went] into their systems and actually excavated material that people would think would normally be deleted and no one would look for,” he shared with Fox News on Tuesday, February 10. “And basically — without getting into too many of the details — that’s how the FBI worked with our private sector partners to pull out the material that people thought didn’t even exist because of the specific type of subscription service on the ring doorbell. But thanks to this brilliant partnership, we were able to get it out, sharpen it with our technical capabilities at the FBI and put it out for the world.”

A man named Carlos Palazuelos was detained during a traffic stop after the images were released and questioned by police. He has since denied having any involvement in Nancy’s disappearance.

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RFK Jr. Admits He Used to Snort Cocaine Off Toilet Seats

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RFK Jr.
I Used to Snort Cocaine Off Toilet Seats!!!

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“The View”'s Ana Navarro slams 'disgusting' acquaintance Pam Bondi's testimony as 'high school version of Lady Macbeth'

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“The Justice Department is now in shambles,” Sunny Hostin said, adding that she’s “disgusted” by “the destruction of one of the biggest and strongest institutions in our country.”

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The 90s Thriller That Turns Sitcom Fandom Into Madness

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The 90s Thriller That Turns Sitcom Fandom Into Madness

By Robert Scucci
| Published

The word “vibe” has been grossly misappropriated in the year 2026, often referring to background noise people throw on to generate comfort by ignoring their own intrusive thoughts. Spotify playlists are jam-packed with AI-generated music for the vibe. Less-than-memorable found footage horror movies offer more vibe than substance. When I talk about vibe, I’m usually referring to the stylistic choices made in films like 1992’s Star Time, what I would call a total vibe piece.

Make no mistake, because Star Time’s vibe is baked directly into its premise. It’s kaleidoscopic, feverish, and visually enthralling despite its shoestring budget. Every shot feels deliberate, and it’s not something you throw on in the background while folding laundry or doom scrolling. The ever-present vibe in Star Time is existential dread, seen through the eyes of a man spiraling into a psychotic break after his favorite TV show gets canceled.

Henry’s Murderous Delusions

Star Time 1992

Star Time introduces us to Henry Pinkle (Michael St. Gerard), a mentally unstable Los Angeles nobody who only finds comfort in his favorite sitcom, The Robertson Family. When the show gets canceled, he decides to cancel his own life as well, resolving to jump off a bridge and fade to black before his own credits roll. At the last moment before taking the plunge, he’s approached by a man named Sam Bones (John P. Ryan), who claims to be the TV producer and manager who will make him a star.

Meanwhile, Henry’s social worker, Wendy (Maureen Teefy), receives a videotape Henry recorded before his suicide attempt, informing her that he will no longer require her services.

Star Time 1992

Sam brings Henry to a TV studio, where he becomes fixated on a wall of televisions. A woman’s voice tells him to follow his destiny before Sam provides him with a hatchet and an expressionless baby mask. His big “debut” involves breaking into a house and murdering its owner, a sign of what’s to come.

Fully convinced he’s starring in his own slasher, Henry begins his rampage. Wendy realizes he’s still alive after learning that Sam prevented him from jumping off the bridge. Convinced his actions will allow him to become a saint, Henry arranges to meet Wendy so he can introduce her to Sam, who Wendy quickly realizes is a psychotic delusion that only he can see. By the time she understands what Henry is getting himself into, he’s so far gone that there’s nothing she can do to bring him back to reality.

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It’s A Total Vibe Piece

While Star Time tells a harrowing story through its screenplay, writer-director Alexander Cassini elevates it with the help of cinematographer Fernando Arguelles through the film’s visuals. I’m not talking about elaborate special or practical effects. It’s the high-contrast lighting, claustrophobic closeups, abrasive sound design, and Henry’s sinister facial expressions that do the heavy lifting. It plays out like a slasher through its second and third acts, but that’s not where its main appeal lies.

The reason I got sucked into Star Time is because it feels like a nightmarish, out-of-body experience that forces me to inhabit Henry Pinkle’s fractured mindset. Sometimes all you need is a wall of televisions filled with disturbing images to make your skin crawl, and Star Time delivers at unwholesome levels that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up.

Star Time 1992

Whenever I call something a vibe piece, films like Star Time check every box. This isn’t a movie you idly watch. You sit on the floor three feet away from the TV without distractions because that’s the energy it brings. Star Time is about a man’s disturbing relationship with television sending him down a horrifying path of exploitation and homicide. If that’s the kind of vibe you’re looking for, you can stream it on Tubi for free as of this writing.


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The R-Rated Sci-Fi Comedy That’s A Perfect, Puffy Alien Invasion

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The R-Rated Sci-Fi Comedy That's A Perfect, Puffy Alien Invasion

By Robert Scucci
| Published

The nature of my work on this site and elsewhere requires me to be chronically online in order to watch, write, research, and publish content. The idea of throwing my phone into an incinerator crosses my mind at least once a week. I hate the internet, and I hope to one day be brave enough to leave it forever. In the meantime, I live vicariously through people who take the plunge, quit their jobs, move to the country, and live off the fat of the land. That was my exact intention when firing up 2020’s Save Yourselves!, an apocalyptic sci-fi comedy built around that very premise.

Technology rules our lives, and it’s designed to keep us distracted from finding our greatest purpose if we only experience the world through screens. What those who romanticize off-grid living don’t tell you is that sometimes you actually need the occasional news alert to navigate your life, especially when an alien invasion is underway and you slept through it because you were holed up in a remote cabin trying to find yourself.

The Worst Week To Take A Soul-Searching Vacation 

Save Yourselves! 2020

Save Yourselves! tells the story of Su (Sunita Mani) and Jack (John Paul Reynolds), who have grown tired of the rat race. They both work disposable tech jobs that will likely be overwritten by AI, and they realize they’re living to work instead of working to live. If they keep maintaining the status quo, they’ll always be halfway happy, never fully satisfied.

Resolving to go off-grid for a week, Su and Jack head to their friend Raph’s (Ben Sinclair) remote cabin. The rules are simple: phones off, no laptops, and total immersion in nature. They’ll kayak, chop wood, build fires, drink under the stars, and make homemade bread. It all sounds wholesome, and for the first night or so, it actually is.

Save Yourselves! 2020

Their plans unravel when they discover a fuzzy object in their den that looks like a sentient Hostess Sno Ball and seems to appear and disappear at will. In a moment of weakness, Su checks her phone and learns that these creatures are everywhere. They feed off ethanol and are systematically overtaking major metropolitan areas. To make matters worse, the creature, dubbed a pouffe by Su, eats Jack’s sourdough starter, drinks all the whiskey, and siphons the gas from what they think is their only getaway vehicle.

The Aliens Are Fun, But Point To A Much Larger Problem

While the cute little pouffes wreak havoc in Save Yourselves!, the bigger issue is how Jack and Su handle themselves. When they find a diesel-fueled vehicle hidden in the barn, Jack breaks down. He wanted to be a modern man, which in his mind meant avoiding learning practical skills like chopping wood, fixing plumbing, or driving a stick shift. He got into tech specifically so he wouldn’t have to learn those things, only to realize he’s not particularly good at tech either.

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Save Yourselves! 2020

Su, who once dated someone who drove a stick, steps in and gets the truck moving. But the farther they get from the cabin, the more it dawns on them that the world as they know it is collapsing under the pouffe invasion.

Ironically, their timing couldn’t have been better. The technologies they were trying to escape stopped working anyway, and they get exactly what they wanted at the start of the film, just in the most inconvenient way possible. Save Yourselves! has a lot of fun with the idea that we’re enslaved to our devices, and the literal end of the world kicking off the moment its protagonists unplug is a strong comedic framework that never feels preachy.

Save Yourselves! 2020

John Paul Reynolds and Sunita Mani are instantly likable as a couple who feel unmoored in life. Their willingness to improvise, like lobbing wine bottles from their moving vehicle to distract the pouffes, makes for consistently entertaining chaos. Things escalate further when they rescue a baby they have no idea how to care for, forcing them to figure it out together in the middle of an apocalypse without attending YouTube university for a crash course on parenting.

Equal parts wholesome and horrifying, Save Yourselves! is currently streaming for free on Tubi. If you want to explore a similar premise through a more serious lens, Leave the World Behind is available for streaming on Netflix. 


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Lewis Hamilton Asked About Kim Kardashian Romance: Report

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Lewis Hamilton was reportedly asked about his newfound romance with Kim Kardashian for the first time after they were spotted together at the Super Bowl.

Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz caught up with Hamilton, 41, on Wednesday, February 11, during the first day of testing in Bahrain ahead of the upcoming Formula 1 season.

In a video diary for Sky Sports, Kravitz noted that while he briefly interviewed Hamilton on camera, he “chickened out” of asking the race car driver about his new relationship.

Kravitz, 51, then revealed that Hamilton was indeed asked about Kardashian, 45, in interviews with other outlets but played it coy.

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F1 Racer Lewis Hamilton Dating History


Related: F1 Racer Lewis Hamilton’s Dating History: Nicole Scherzinger and More

Lewis Hamilton has speed in his veins as a Formula One racer, but when it comes to settling down, he’s taking his time. The F1 champion’s most high-profile relationship was with Nicole Scherzinger, whom he dated on and off for seven years before calling it quits. Since parting ways in 2015, Scherzinger revealed the exes […]

“I can tell you he was asked that in the written press,” Kravitz said. “He was asked, ‘Did you enjoy your company more than the game at the Super Bowl?’ and he said, ‘It’s my private life. I’m not talking about that.’ So that’s me told.”

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On Sunday, February 8, Hamilton and Kardashian were spotted taking in the Super Bowl LX game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks from a private box at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Kardashian was spotted wearing a black fuzzy coat, oversized sunglasses and a large diamond choker while she put her hair up in a bun. Hamilton was also clad in all black.

Earlier this month, a source told Us Weekly exclusively that the longtime friends had recently gone from platonic to romantic.

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Kim Kardashian Dating History


Related: Kim Kardashian‘s Dating History Through the Years

A star-studded love life. Kim Kardashian‘s personal life has been in the spotlight for decades, no matter who she’s dated or married. Since 2000, Kardashian has been married three times. At only 19, she married producer Damon Thomas, who was 10 years older than her. The marriage lasted three years until she called it quits […]

The insider said the pair had been on “a few dates recently” but described the budding romance as a “casual” one.

“She has felt ready to put herself back out there recently,” the source said.

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“Everyone around her wants her to be happy after everything she has gone through,” the source added.

Rumors began swirling about a potential romance after Hamilton and Kardashian were spotted together at the Estelle Manor luxury hotel and country club in Oxfordshire, England, in late January. On February 2, TMZ reported that the stars were seen checking into a hotel in Paris.

Fans Think Lewis Hamilton Makes Subtle Appearance in Kim K Video


Related: Fans Think Lewis Hamilton Makes Subtle Appearance in Kim Kardashian Video

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Eagle-eyed fans think Lewis Hamilton might have made a subtle appearance in Kim Kardashian’s latest Instagram video. The clip begins with Kim, 45, attempting a TikTok acrobatic trick with sisters Kylie Jenner and Khloé Kardashian. “We’re trying some tricks tonight,” Jenner, 28, said in the video, before showing a TikTok clip the sisters were using […]

Kardashian was previously married to rapper Kanye West, with whom she shares four children: daughters North, 12, and Chicago, and sons Saint, 10, and Psalm, 6.

Kardashian and West, 48, were married from 2014 until late 2022, when they finalized their divorce. (The All’s Fair actress initially filed for divorce in February 2021.)

“We’ll always be family,” Kardashian recently told Complex of her relationship with West. “We both know that. We will be OK, and there’s so much love for our family. We want what’s best for our kids.”

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Since her split from West, Kardashian has been linked to former Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson and NFL star Odell Beckham Jr.

Hamilton, for his part, had an on-off relationship with singer and Tony winner Nicole Scherzinger from 2007 to early 2015.

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“I’m devastated that it didn’t work out. It was the hardest decision we had to make but we made it together,” Scherzinger, 47, said in February 2015 after they split for the final time. “I love Lewis and I know he loves me. We wish nothing but happiness and the very best for one another. I’m trying to stay strong in my faith right now.”

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Whoopi Goldberg struggles to sit at “The View” table during painful discussion: 'I'm out'

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Goldberg was deeply disinterested by a Hot Topic about the Olympian who revealed an affair at the Games.

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11 Must-Watch Comedy Movies on Prime Video (February 2026): The Other Guys and More

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11 Must-Watch Comedy Movies on Prime Video (February 2026): The Other Guys and More

Monty Python strikes again with Life of Brian, a spoof of Biblical proportions that centers on Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman), a man who had the misfortune of being born on the same day as Jesus (Kenneth Colley). At birth, Brian is mistaken for the messiah, and it’s a recurring theme throughout his life.

Brian’s infatuation with Judith Iscariot (Sue Jones-Davies) leads him into the revolutionary factions who want to break Judaea free from Roman rule. From there, Brian’s story becomes increasingly absurd, including his face-to-face meeting with Rome’s governor of Judaea, Pontius Pilate (Michael Palin). This movie is hysterically funny for reasons you’ll just have to see for yourself.

Life of Brian is streaming on Prime Video.

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