Spy movies have always been some level of popular, but it feels like that particular genre had an especially good run throughout the 1960s. The Cold War probably had something to do with that, because there weren’t soldiers fighting in the traditional way, but there were fears about agents, spies, and other espionage-related people operating within all that Cold War conflict behind the scenes.
So, spy movies were a way to explore things that were interesting to people at the time, and either show things happening behind the scenes, so to speak, or make espionage-related things more exciting and cinematic… maybe even a bit escapist, too. There are a particularly large number of great spy movies from the 1960s, including the ones below (though it should also be noted that plenty of good spy movies have been made on either side of this decade, too).
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10
‘Thunderball’ (1966)
Sean Connery as James Bond wearing a jetpack in a still of ThunderballImage via MGM
To take things out of order a bit here, here’s Thunderball, which was the fourth James Bond movie overall, and the fourth with Sean Connery. As far as the 1960s went, he did appear in one more, in 1967, called You Only Live Twice, but the other four are all a little stronger, so they’re going here. Yes, spoilers, for the rest of the ranking. Thunderball and some of its older brothers are all going to appear.
The shark isn’t fully jumped in Thunderball, but things do get a little silly at times, and there are sharks involved, with Thunderball being identifiable as the “very aquatic,” or maybe the particularly tropical, Sean Connery James Bond movie. It does what all the early James Bond movies do. It’s got the good and the bad, and an unembarrassed willingness to keep to that good old formula.
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9
‘Funeral in Berlin’ (1966)
Image via Paramount Pictures
One of the first big leading roles for Michael Caine came in 1965, with The Ipcress File. In contrast to someone like 007, the protagonist in the movie, Harry Palmer, found himself wrapped up in more grounded and less explosive espionage-related stories. The Ipcress File marked the first time Caine played Palmer, but it was a role he returned to surprisingly often; four more times, to be exact.
Of those sequels to The Ipcress File, the best is probably Funeral in Berlin, which was released one year after its predecessor. It’s a very direct spy movie, and the kind that probably won’t surprise too many people (especially anyone familiar with the genre)… but it gives Caine another opportunity to shine in one of his best early roles, and at least contains enough style and narrative intrigue to be a more than solid viewing experience.
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8
‘Dr. No’ (1962)
Beginning what would become an immensely long-running film series in style, Dr. No was the first time movie audiences ever got to see James Bond, and perhaps the first time many were introduced to Sean Connery as an actor. It’s not an instance where the first film was the very best in the series, but Dr. No is still very good for its time, an admirable start to the series, and one of the better (albeit not the greatest) 007 films Connery starred in.
The titular character is the villain Bond goes up against here, with his evil plan involving the destruction of the U.S. space program. Many staples of the series that would become beloved as the years went on got their start here in Dr. No, and Connery himself was instantly magnetic in the role he seemed born to play… though there were so many movies of his post-Dr. No that showed he was much more than just James Bond (see Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Man Who Would Be King, and The Untouchables).
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‘The Ipcress File’ (1965)
Michael Caine as Harry Palmer in ‘The Ipcress File’Image via Rank Film Distributors
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Michael Caine never played the most well-known of all cinematic British spies (you know, that guy who was in the previously mentioned Thunderball and Dr. No), but he did portray Harry Palmer, who’s a character you might know if you really like spy novels and/or movies. Caine played Palmer a total of five times, but the first movie in what became a series, The Ipcress File, is the best of the bunch.
It’s also a more low-key sort of spy story, compared to that other one whose first movies came out in the 1960s, and came to redefine what spies were, in pop culture. But if you’re willing to have a bit more of a slow-burn kind of thing, and a spy film that emphasizes thrills and suspense over action, then The Ipcress File satisfies, with Caine being especially good here (and probably the main reason to watch this one).
6
‘From Russia With Love’ (1963)
Sean Connery on the phone as James Bond in From Russia with LoveImage via United Artists
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For anyone who thought 1962’s Dr. No was a good, though not great, 007 film, 1963 thankfully saw the release of its largely improved sequel, From Russia with Love. It’s another entertaining blast of thrills, adventuring, and action, all following everyone’s favorite charismatic spy who can get out of seemingly any situation, no matter how dangerous, with both the series and the main character feeling more confident in their shared second cinematic outing.
The organization of SPECTRE takes center stage in From Russia with Love, leading Bond on another high-risk mission where the eventually revealed villains prove even more deadly than anyone he’d faced before. It’s got some of the minor flaws and uncomfortable moments one has to grit their teeth and deal with when it comes to early James Bond, but as far as action movies that are over six decades old go, From Russia with Love is a largely impressive and entertaining one. If you want to complain about certain things aging, sure, but the movie is just aged, like, objectively. 1963 was a long time ago.
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‘The Manchurian Candidate’ (1962)
Image via United Artists
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1962 was even longer ago, than 1963. Not by much, but still. Here, you’ve got a murky, bleak, and anxiety-inducing movie about some very bad people doing very bad things, The Manchurian Candidate is the kind of classic that’s remained feeling paranoid across decades now. The plot concerns Korean War veterans, and the strange things that happen to one in particular after he returns home, with certain nightmares and events potentially suggesting he might be the victim of brainwashing.
He’s intended to be a vital part of a vast conspiracy, basically made into an unwilling spy/assassin of sorts, or so he comes to fear. To put it mildly, The Manchurian Candidate is extremely intense and psychologically dizzying, and it does a scarily good job at putting you in the mind of its disoriented and hopeless main character… and some other characters, too, considering the psychological torment and brainwashing doesn’t just stop with him. And maybe it goes without saying, but The Manchurian Candidate is not really concerned with action, since it’s more of a dark psychological drama (with some thriller elements, too).
4
‘Charade’ (1963)
Audrey Hepburn sits with Cary Grant in CharadeImage via Universal Pictures
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Released in a pretty strong year for cinema, Charade is one of the most Hitchcockian films not actually directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Also, yes, like with Mr. Bond, some of Hitchcock’s spy movies will get mentioned here, but not just yet. For now, Charade deserves some praise, especially because it’s a genuinely great comedy – and has a perfect lead actor pairing in Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn – on top of being a fun spy thriller.
In the film, Grant and Hepburn play characters who fall for each other, but then get swept up in a madcap series of events involving dangerous associates of the latter’s dead husband. The pair kind of have to become isolated and amateur sleuths to get to the bottom of whatever’s going on, and everything becomes worth questioning, since everyone’s hard to read. Charade is almost farcical, but not to the point where the thrills get undermined, nor to the point where it genuinely feels like an all-out parody of the spy genre, so it’s an exceptionally well-balanced film, all things considered.
3
‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ (1969)
George Lazenby as James Bond sitting with Joanna Lumley’s The English Girl in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Image via MGM
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The first time George Lazenby played James Bond also happened to be the final time, and he is, to date, the only actor in the official Eon Films series to play 007 just once. Thankfully, though, the one he appeared in was On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, which is a high point of the entire series, and – for better or worse – is often the cool person’s pick for the crown of “Best James Bond Movie.”
It is a very good film, and one that was able to go into slightly darker and more tragic territory than James Bond movies had up until that point.
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Like, Christopher Nolan is a pretty cool person, right? Well, this one’s his favorite James Bond movie, so that’s something. It is a very good film, and one that was able to go into slightly darker and more tragic territory than James Bond movies had up until that point. In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Bond was still cool and capable, but he also felt more vulnerable and human, and that adds to the drama of this film immensely, as does the action, which was a little grittier and more intense than had been seen in the series before.
2
‘Army of Shadows’ (1969)
A man tied to a chair sits and a man sitting a desk in ‘Army of Shadows’Image via Valoria Films
Set during World War II, Army of Shadows concerns a resistance fighter/agent who gets betrayed by someone and subsequently locked up. After he escapes, he sets about trying to get revenge on whoever gave him up, but then that leads to further conflict, even more so than most people are dealing with at a time in history when the whole world was at war and all. But he plunges into a whole web of people and connections that can’t ever really be exited from.
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While Army of Shadows is complex, and it wants to unpack quite a bit thematically, it also works well as a thriller, and has a constant sort of reserved suspense throughout. Army of Shadows also looks fantastic, with muted colors adding a lot by way of atmosphere, furthering the sense that things are dark and hopeless, and that conflict/violence might well be eternal, regardless of how proficient you are, as an agent, or a spy, or a person fighting for what you believe is right. It’s a miserable watch, but in a good way, or at least the right way. And it is tonally quite different from the other spy movies being mentioned here, with more despair (and a greater emphasis on realism) than you might find in the 007 films.
1
‘Goldfinger’ (1964)
Felix Leiter (Cec Linder) and James Bond (Sean Connery) in ‘Goldfinger’Image via MGM
The third of all the James Bond movies, Goldfinger, might well remain the very best of the bunch, and that’s saying a lot, considering how many films there are in this decades-spanning series. It’s the best one that stars Sean Connery (though not his only great outing in the lead role), and since Connery was the first and perhaps most iconic big-screen 007, then you kind of have to consider Goldfinger top spot-worthy.
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Narratively, it’s not too dissimilar to what you’d expect from most 007 movies, with Bond having to do his usual spy thing in an effort to prevent an ambitious criminal from pulling off a massive heist, with such an operation intended to destabilize the world economy. After Dr. No was good, and From Russia with Love was great, Goldfinger represented another step up in quality, and it feels like classic James Bond in every sense. All the ingredients fell into their right place, and the series never really looked back after this.
A picture book has no room to hide as compared to a normal children’s book. That’s because a picture book has only a few pages to win a child’s attention, calm a fear, create a rhythm, make an image unforgettable, and leave enough space for the adult reading aloud to feel something too. The greatest ones do not talk down to children. They trust them with hunger, loneliness, mischief, routine, danger, imagination, comfort, and wonder.
The reason a children’s picture book qualifies to be better than others is because it doesn’t talk down to them and trusts them with hunger, loneliness, mischief, comfort, and wonder. That is why these ten books on this list have lasted.
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10
‘Corduroy’ (1968)
Image via Viking Press
A small bear in a department store should not be able to break your heart this efficiently, but Don Freeman gives Corduroy a loneliness that children understand immediately. Corduroy wants a home, and Lisa wants him even when her mother points out that he is missing a button. That detail is the whole emotional key. Children know what it feels like to be judged by a flaw adults can see too quickly.
The nighttime search through the store is gentle adventure at its best. Corduroy mistakes an escalator for a mountain, pulls at a mattress button, gets returned to the shelf, and still never loses his quiet hope. Lisa coming back with her own money makes the ending feel earned rather than sentimental. She does not buy perfection. She chooses him, then fixes the button herself. The book lasts because it turns being loved into something concrete enough for a child to see: someone comes back for you.
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9
‘Madeline’ (1939)
Image via Viking Press
Ludwig Bemelmans’ Madeline has a rhythm children remember before they understand why it works. Twelve little girls move through Paris in two straight lines, and Madeline is the smallest one with the least interest in behaving small. She faces tigers, walks with confidence, and becomes most memorable when an emergency sends her to the hospital.
The book’s genius is its combination of order and disruption. Miss Clavel, the boarding school, the routines, the meals, the walks, and the matching beds give young readers structure. Madeline’s personality keeps poking holes in that structure without destroying it. The appendicitis plot is oddly perfect for a picture book because the hospital becomes scary, then exciting, then almost desirable once Madeline receives attention and gifts. Bemelmans’ Paris feels loose and alive, with yellow skies, crooked lines, and just enough elegance to make the whole book feel personal rather than polished. Madeline is brave, funny, dramatic, and impossible to replace.
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8
‘The Cat in the Hat’ (1957)
Image via Random House
Dr. Seuss did not just write a funny book. He changed the basic energy of early reading. The Cat in the Hat takes a rainy day, two bored children, a nervous fish, and one wildly irresponsible visitor, then turns reading practice into controlled chaos. The simple vocabulary never feels simple-minded because the rhymes keep moving, the situations keep escalating, and the Cat keeps testing how much disorder the room can survive.
The real brilliance is how well the book understands temptation. The children know something is wrong, the fish keeps saying what every anxious child already knows, and the Cat keeps making trouble look entertaining enough to ignore the consequences. Thing One and Thing Two push the mess into full disaster, then the cleanup comes with that perfect final unease: should the children tell their mother? That question gives the book its little sting. It is funny, readable, disobedient, and still one of the sharpest stories ever written about what happens when fun enters the house without permission.
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7
‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’ (1955)
Image via Harper & Brothers
Crockett Johnson’s Harold and the Purple Crayon is one of the cleanest celebrations of imagination ever put into a picture book. Harold does not need a huge cast, a detailed world, or elaborate explanations. He has a purple crayon, a blank space, and the confidence to draw the world as he moves through it. That premise gives children a very specific kind of power: the page changes because Harold decides it should.
The book is wonderful because Harold’s imagination includes problem-solving, not just fantasy. He draws a moon to walk under, a path to follow, a forest with only one tree, a dragon that scares him, water when he falls, a boat when he needs one, and eventually the window and bed that return him to safety. The drawings are spare, but they never feel empty. Johnson understands that children often create stories by correcting their own problems as they go. Harold is not escaping the real world as much as learning how to make one he can manage.
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6
‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ (1969)
Image via World Publishing Company
Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar is almost unfair in how many child-friendly pleasures it combines. Counting, days of the week, food, color, holes in the pages, transformation, repetition, and one very committed caterpillar all work together without the book ever feeling crowded. It is playful enough for toddlers, satisfying enough for early readers, and visually clear enough that children can follow the story before they know every word.
The food parade is the part everyone remembers, and it works because the appetite keeps becoming funnier and more recognizable. The caterpillar eats fruit in order, then bursts into cake, ice cream, pickles, cheese, salami, pie, sausage, cupcakes, and watermelon. Children understand that kind of want. They also understand the stomachache. Then the book turns toward growth with beautiful simplicity: leaf, cocoon, butterfly. The ending has endured because it makes change feel natural instead of frightening. A creature eats, rests, and becomes something new. For very young children, that is practically a complete life lesson.
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5
‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ (1902)
Image via Frederick Warne & Co.
Beatrix Potter knew children well enough to make The Tale of Peter Rabbit naughty without making him fake. Peter is told not to go into Mr. McGregor’s garden, and of course that is exactly where he goes. The pleasure of the book comes from how quickly disobedience turns exciting, then frightening, then exhausting. Peter is not punished through a lecture. The garden itself becomes the consequence.
The details are what make the story last. Peter loses his shoes and jacket, hides in a watering can, sneezes at the worst possible time, and barely escapes under the gate. Potter’s illustrations keep the animals delicate and charming, but the danger is real. Mr. McGregor is not a cartoon obstacle to Peter. He is a man with a rake who would absolutely put a rabbit in a pie. That edge matters. Children are allowed to enjoy the thrill of breaking a rule while also feeling the relief of getting home. Peter ends the story sick and tired, while his sisters get bread, milk, and blackberries. No speech could improve that ending.
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4
‘Make Way for Ducklings’ (1941)
Image via The Viking Press
Robert McCloskey’s Make Way for Ducklings is gentle, but it has real civic drama inside it. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard search Boston for a safe place to raise their ducklings, finally settling near the Public Garden. Once the ducklings hatch, Mrs. Mallard has to lead Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack through the city, and the whole human world has to pause long enough to let this small family pass.
That is the beauty of it. The book treats the ducklings’ journey with complete seriousness. Streets, traffic, policemen, sidewalks, and public spaces become part of a child’s understanding of how a city works. McCloskey’s brown-toned illustrations give Boston weight and warmth, while the repetition of the ducklings’ names makes the family feel both comic and beloved. There is no villain, no big lesson, no forced drama. The story’s deepest comfort is its belief that a community can notice vulnerability and make room for it. That is a powerful thing to give a child.
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3
‘The Snowy Day’ (1962)
Image via Viking Press
Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day is quiet in a way that still feels revolutionary. Peter wakes up to snow, puts on his red snowsuit, and steps outside into a world that has changed overnight. The story follows his small discoveries: footprints, snowballs, angels, sliding, watching older boys, saving a snowball in his pocket, and learning that some wonders cannot be kept the way he wants to keep them.
The book’s historical importance is enormous because Peter gave Black children a central place in a mainstream American picture book at a time when that was shamefully rare. Yet the book endures because it is not only important; it is beautiful and emotionally exact. Keats captures the privacy of childhood exploration. Peter is not performing cuteness for adults. He is thinking, noticing, trying things, feeling disappointment, and going out again the next day. The red snowsuit against the white streets remains one of children’s literature’s great visual choices. The book respects a child’s ordinary morning as something worthy of art.
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2
‘Goodnight Moon’ (1947)
Image via Harper & Brothers
Almost nothing happens in Goodnight Moon, which is why everything works. Margaret Wise Brown takes a green room, a little rabbit, familiar objects, and a slow ritual of saying goodnight, then creates one of the most effective bedtime books ever written. The language does not push children toward sleep by force. It lowers the room’s energy object by object.
Clement Hurd’s illustrations are strange, warm, and slightly dreamlike without becoming confusing. The room gets darker. The colors settle. The repeated goodnights move from visible things to quieter presences: clocks, socks, mittens, stars, air, noises. That widening and softening is the whole emotional design. A child delays sleep by naming the world, and the book kindly allows that delay until the world feels safe enough to leave for the night. Its greatness is easy to underestimate because it is so simple. But simplicity this effective is rare. Goodnight Moon understands bedtime as separation, reassurance, rhythm, and surrender.
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1
‘Where the Wild Things Are’ (1963)
Image via Harper & Row
Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are sits at No. 1 because it understands childhood anger better than almost any book ever written for children. Max misbehaves, talks back, gets sent to his room without supper, and then his private fury becomes a journey to the land of the Wild Things. The fantasy is emotion given shape, sound, teeth, and room to move.
What makes the book perfect is that Sendak never shames Max for having big feelings. The Wild Things are frightening and funny, but Max becomes their king because his own wildness belongs there for a while. The famous wild rumpus gives children something most books deny them: the right to feel enormous, unreasonable, loud, and powerful. Then Max becomes lonely. That turn is everything. He chooses home, not because imagination has failed, but because love is still waiting beyond anger. His supper is there, still hot. No picture book ending is more emotionally complete. The child was angry. The child left. The child returned. The love remained.
Roommates, it looks like Ari Fletcher might’ve been in a tussle that led to a hand injury. She teased the fight on social media late Saturday (August 8), before promising to circle back with details. In the meantime, fans have been dropping theories in the comment section, especially following her viral club outing with Moneybagg Yo.
Ari Fletcher Claims She Knocked Someone’s Teeth Out
As mentioned, the beauty entrepreneur posted the photo on Instagram Stories. It shows her seemingly sitting or lying in bed, but the only visible body parts are her wrist and hand. She is wearing a black brace, while her French manicure appears to be intact. In small white text, she wrote: “Fractured my hand knocking teeth out. We will chat about it later.” It’s unclear which hand is injured and when Ari plans to circle back to fans with details of the alleged fight.
Moneybagg Yo Goes Viral For VIP Section Boot
Ari Fletcher’s hand injury comes within the same weekend that Moneybagg Yo went viral for a video of him seemingly kicking someone out of his VIP section inside a nightclub. It’s unclear what led to the boot or who exactly needed to go! However, the clip shows him waving someone off with one hand before putting his sunglasses on. When Ari realizes what’s going down, she looks up at him with a smile before mouthing a message to someone off-camera.
Social Media Reacts To Ari’s Alleged Hand Injury
After The Shade Room reposted the photo message, more than 1,600 reactions poured in within 10 hours. Some reactions included theories about what might have happened, including speculation that the incident involved Moneybagg Yo. Others questioned whether the alleged tussle was captured on camera and asked her to share details ASAP. A few questioned whether Ari’s post was real or if she was trolling her fans. So far, she hasn’t offered clarity on the alleged incident.
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Her former friend, Tuson, left a GIF of a man saying, “I don’t believe you.”
@dominiquechinn commented, “I’m shocked nobody caught it on camera.”
@r0832t wrote, “Fractured hand but nails remain manicured….never mind, it’s time for bed.”
“Oh girl plz 😂 she always talking about some fighting and we never ever see it.. cmon now Ariana hang it up,” @ayoooashbash commented.
@cali4ornia.916 said, “This her second lil ‘scuffle’ must be a sisterwife over there 👀😂”
@eboney1224 weighed in, “😂 so she found out the girl escorted out the VIP section was actuality invited by Moneybagg 😂😂😂😂 but just came at the wrong time 😂😂😂😂.”
“Now who you did this too I’ll believe it when I see it 😂,” @mayadagoattt wrote.
“Nah come back… chat now while I care. 🥹,” @geishalee added.
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@_badaxxcreole commented, “Girl chat about it now while the kids sleep.”
“If u knock out teeth your knuckles are scratched, swollen and bruised. Thats why you use your elbow instead!!! Trust me I know!!! This ain’t it Ma Ma!!! 😂😂😂,” @aboutfacemakeup_1 said.
@nikaababy24 said, “Never seen someone have so many ‘fights’ n not a single recording from nobody 😂.”
“Oh girl plz 😂 she always talking about some fighting and we never ever see it.. cmon now Ariana hang it up,” @ayooooashbash added.
@_lovejenee weighed in, “Fractured hand but nails still intact? Lol somebody’s lying.”
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“Hmphhh. Look like a carpal tunnel surgery because them metacarpals would have been wrapped sis but what do I know. I’m just a surgical tech lol,” @4lexb08 commented.
@sashasimone_ said, “She troll y’all so bad lmao.”
@thnkucomagain wrote, “She got into a fight with the guy who calls himself Money Bags?”
Roommates, things are heating UP on the ‘R&B’ tour! Usher isn’t just giving fans the VIP treatment — he’s showing some special guests some too. DreamDoll joined the singer onstage during a recent stop on his tour with Chris Brown, and chileeee, things got a lil SPICY. So spicy that fans are waiting for Dream’s streamer boo, Pudgie, to enter the chat!
DreamDoll Got Up Close & Personal With Usher & The Internet Had ONE Question
DreamDoll surprised fans when she popped out onstage with Usher during a recent stop at the ‘R&B’ tour. The rapper appeared on a bed while Usher serenaded her, but chile, things quickly went from cute to SPICY! The moment reached another level when Usher picked her up, and just as he laid her back dowm, the stage went completely dark. Fans in the crowed screamed over the steamy moment, but once the video hit the internet, folks immediately started saying, “Pudgie won’t like this AT ALL!” Peep the video of Dream and Usher here.
Folks online have fallen in love with DreamDoll and Pudge’s collaborations, as they regularly link up for streams. They first connected at Streamer University, and plenty of their moments together have gone viral. Pudgie has also made it clear that he doesn’t play about his Dream Tails. He hasn’t reacted to Dream’s performance with Usher just yet, but fans are patiently waiting for him to clock the moment.
Social Media Immediately Started Calling For Pudgie After Dream Popped Out With Usher
Once The Shade Room dropped the steamy video of DreamDoll and Usher, the comment section went UP! Plenty of Roomies immediately said somebody better go check on Pudgie.
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Instagram user @sheluvsjaay wrote, ‘Don’t let Pudgie see this he don’t play about his dream tails 😂😂”
Instagram user @___ambitious.dream___ wrote, “Somebody check on my boy Pudgie😔😂”
While Instagram user @totallyti_ wrote, “Pudgie ain’t even gotta go through that phone no mo this will do😭😭”
Then Instagram user @jcw_xoxo wrote, “Pudgie it’s just ‘content.’ She love you fr.”
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Another Instagram user @luvclyhn wrote, “I’m calling Pudgie rn!!!🤣”
Instagram user @krypto9095 wrote, “Pudgie fighting the air right now.”
Then another instagram user @vinceismissin wrote, “Usher on pudgie hit list 😂😂”
While another Instagram user @sosasbqckk wrote, “Pudgie ain’t gon like this 😐😂”
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Finally, Instagram user @crazyceeee wrote, “Pudgie gon FLIP😂😂😂😂😂”
Dream & Pudgie Are Giving Biggie & Faith Evens 2.0
Pudgie and DreamDoll are quickly becoming two of the internet’s favorite streamers, and chile, their videos stay taking over social media. Fans have even started comparing the duo to a new-age Faith Evens and Biggie Smalls, so Dream decided to have a lil’ fun with the comparison. She recently dropped a video on Instagram where she and Pudgie channeled the duo, with Dream putting her own spin on ‘One More Chance’ by adding her own lyrics. Meanwhile, Pudgie pretended to be Biggie while the track played in the background. Peep the video below.
Liam Payne reportedly accumulated a $550 alcohol bill on the final day of his life despite receiving a written warning from a psychiatrist about mixing alcohol with his prescription medications. The newly obtained documents add heartbreaking context to the former One Direction singer’s longstanding struggle with substance abuse, which he had discussed publicly years before his fatal fall from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony.
Payne previously admitted that isolation, sudden fame and the pressures of touring contributed to his dependence on “pills and booze.” He also confessed that he was uncertain how far his personal “rock bottom” might go.
5Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA
According to documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Payne’s psychiatrist had warned him not to consume alcohol while taking his prescribed medications. Despite that warning, the singer reportedly amassed a $550 bill for alcohol at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel on October 16, 2024.
Witnesses previously claimed hotel employees delivered bottles of alcohol to Payne’s room during his final hours. Two women who spent part of the day with him alleged that he ordered champagne for them and two bottles of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky for himself.
The newly disclosed total offers a clearer picture of how much alcohol was reportedly ordered while Payne was also using prescription medication and cocaine. Toxicology testing later found traces of alcohol, cocaine, benzodiazepine, crack cocaine, and “pink cocaine,” which is a mixture of methamphetamine, MDMA, and ketamine.
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Liam Payne Worried About Finding His ‘Rock Bottom’
Payne had spoken openly about his substance-use struggles during a 2021 appearance on “The Diary of a CEO” podcast. “I was worried [about] how far my rock bottom was going to be. Where’s rock bottom for me? And you would never have seen it. I’m very good at hiding it,” he told the host. “I don’t even know if I’ve hit it yet.”
During the interview, Payne acknowledged struggling with “pills and booze” and experiencing “moments of suicidal ideation” at the height of One Direction’s success. Although the group’s international fame created extraordinary opportunities, Payne said the effort to manage the band’s enormous popularity often left its members isolated in hotel rooms.
“In the band… the best way to secure us, because of how big we’d got, was just to lock us in our rooms. What’s in the room? A mini-bar,” he recalled.
Payne said he responded to that isolation by drinking alone. “So at a certain point I thought, I’m just going to have a party-for-one and that seemed to carry on for many years of my life,” he explained. “Then you look back at how long you’ve been drinking and you’re like, ‘Jesus Christ, that’s a long time.’”
Payne described feeling “trapped” in “lonely hotel rooms” while touring with One Direction. The experience “really f-cked me up,” he admitted. “There were points where it was toxic and difficult. Don’t get me wrong, we had the best time ever, but… you don’t realize you have a choice at that point.”
His comments became especially haunting after he died alone at a hotel while reportedly under the influence of alcohol, cocaine and prescription medication.
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Payne was only a teenager when One Direction formed on “The X Factor.” The group’s rapid rise exposed him to international fame before he had fully matured. “I still feel like a child in so many ways. There is no link between money and happiness. It is a myth. Money is the ability to relax on certain things,” he said.
Payne also admitted feeling relieved when One Direction began its hiatus because he feared continuing at the same pace would destroy him. “The day the band ended, I was like, ‘Thank the Lord.’ I know a lot of people are going to be mad at me for saying that, but I needed to stop or it would kill me,” he said.
Liam Payne Experienced Several Public Warning Signs
In 2014, while still a member of One Direction, Payne alarmed fans after a photograph showed him standing on the ledge of an apartment building in East London. The image was shared by one of his friends, and Payne subsequently apologized.
Years later, he appeared to be intoxicated during a controversial June 2022 appearance on Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast. Payne later revealed that he had undergone treatment and was working toward sobriety.
In May 2023, Payne offered an encouraging update after spending time in rehab. “I’m sober now, over 100 days. I feel amazing, I feel really, really good and the support from the fans has been really, really good, so I’m super happy,” he said at the time.
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However, the newly obtained documents suggest that Payne had returned to heavy substance use before his death the following year.
Payne died after falling from the balcony of room 310 at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. Five people were initially charged in connection with Payne’s death in December 2024.
His friend Roger Nores, receptionist Esteban Grassi and hotel manager Gilda Martin faced manslaughter charges. Those charges were dismissed in February 2025 after an appellate court found insufficient evidence of criminal negligence.
Hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra and waiter Braian Paiz still face allegations that they supplied Payne with cocaine.
Pereyra is accused of selling the singer cocaine on October 15 and 16, while Paiz allegedly sold him cocaine twice on October 14. The allegations against both men have not yet been proven in court.
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If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or experiencing a crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For confidential substance-use treatment referrals, contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Tom Holland as Peter Parker and Zendaya as Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
A week into its theatrical run, Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues to track ahead of Avengers: Endgame, especially in the domestic market. The new movie shattered Avengers: Endgame‘s opening-weekend box-office record by grossing $360 million in its first frame. The film retained the number-one spot on the domestic box-office chart in its sophomore weekend with another massive haul. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the fourth solo Spider-Man movie to feature Tom Holland in the lead role. The actor’s last three solo features as the fan-favorite superhero grossed a combined total of nearly $3 billion worldwide. The new movie is already among the highest-grossing films ever made and the biggest hit of 2026, and it is only a week into its run.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film opened to excellent reviews on July 31, only two weeks after the grand success of The Odyssey. Incidentally, Christopher Nolan‘s epic shares three cast members with Spider-Man: Brand New Day — aside from Holland, both movies also feature Zendaya and Jon Bernthal. Spider-Man: Brand New Day currently holds a “Certified Fresh” 90% critics’ score and a “Verified Hot” 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The aggregator website’s consensus reads, “Spinning a web of spectacular set pieces together with mature emotional stakes and Tom Holland’s soulful performance, Brand New Day is a promising reset that portends Spidey will remain sticky on the big screen for years to come.”
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Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap
Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?
🕷️Spider-Man
😈Daredevil
🤖Iron Man
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💀Punisher
⚡Thor
🛡️Cap
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01
What drives you to do what’s right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.
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02
It’s 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you’d think.
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03
How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What’s yours?
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04
How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
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05
You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.
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06
What’s your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.
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07
Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.
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08
When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.
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09
What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
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10
The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.
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Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
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Queens, New York
🕷️ Spider-Man
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You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.
You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.
Hell’s Kitchen, New York
😈 Daredevil
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You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.
Stark Industries, Malibu
🤖 Iron Man
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Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.
New York City
💀 The Punisher
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You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.
You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.
Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms
⚡ Thor
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Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.
Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers
🛡️ Captain America
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You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.
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Here’s How Much ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Has Grossed at the Global Box Office
Spider-Man: Brand New Day became only the eighth movie ever to gross more than $100 million in its second weekend at the domestic box office, adding around $144 million and taking its running total to more than $650 million. Adding the $1 billion that the movie has made internationally, its worldwide total now stands at $1.65 billion. This makes Spider-Man: Brand New Dayamong the 15 highest-grossing movies in global box office history in just 12 days, ahead of blockbusters such as Black Panther, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, and Deadpool & Wolverine. The latter film, directed by Shawn Levy, was released only two years ago and was viewed as the return to form that the MCU needed. Since then, the franchise has continued to deliver uneven results, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day is another step in the right direction ahead of December’s Avengers: Doomsday. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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Release Date
July 29, 2026
Runtime
145 minutes
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Director
Destin Daniel Cretton
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Writers
Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers
Producers
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Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Amy Pascal, David Cain
Fox’s fall TV season is jam-packed with hits shows returning with more episodes.
Best Medicine is coming back for season 2 on Tuesday, September 21. The show follows a doctor who moves from Boston to a small practice in the East Coast fishing village where he vacationed as a child.
In addition to Josh Charles, the cast includesJosh Segarra, Abigail Spencer, Cree Cicchino, Annie Potts, Didi Conn, Clea Lewis, Stephen Spinella, Jason Veasey, Cindy De La Cruz, John DiMaggio, Carter Shimp and dog Wattson.
“The way that [executive producer] Liz Tuccillo has structured the show, every episode we have a great star come on and they get to do something delightful — and maybe something you’ve never seen them do before,” Spencer exclusively told Us in January 2026. “I would say what I particularly loved about the show was that it is a great opportunity for some of our more seasoned actors in the community.”
From The Bear to Outlander to Outer Banks, TV fans are gearing up to say goodbye to their favorite shows in 2026. Outer Banks, which debuted in 2020, follows the conflict between two groups of teenagers in a coastal North Carolina town. The social divide is introduced with the wealthy residents (a.k.a. the Kooks) and […]
She continued: “There’s a lot of roles across ages where I’m like, ‘God, we could get so many great actors to come.’ I loved that.”
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On the reality TV front, Special Forcesis back and as star-studded as ever. Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville will join Jon & Kate Plus 8 alum Collin Gosselin and Selling Sunset’s Bre Tiesi in Malaysia in hopes of completing demanding training exercises led by an elite team of ex-special forces operatives.
Actress Candace Cameron Bure, former politician George Santos and actor Oliver Hudson are some of the other stars who will also roll up their sleeves as they are tested physically, mentally and emotionally.
Keep scrolling for a full schedule for Fox shows airing in the fall:
Friday, September 4 Fox College Football Friday at 8 p.m. on Fox
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Monday, September 21 Celebrity Name That Tune at 8 p.m. on Fox Celebrity Weakest Link at 9 p.m. on Fox
Tuesday, September 22 Best Medicine at 8 p.m. on Fox Doc at 9 p.m. on Fox
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Wednesday, September 23 The Floor at 8 p.m. on Fox 99 to Beat at 9 p.m. on Fox
Thursday, September 24 Hell’s Kitchen at 8 p.m. on Fox Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test at 9 p.m. on Fox
Sunday, September 27 NFL on Fox at 7 p.m. on Fox The OT / Fox Animation Encores at 7:30 p.m. on Fox The Simpsons at 8 p.m. on Fox Animal Control at 8:30 p.m. on Fox Universal Basic Guys at 9 p.m. on Fox Grimsburg at 9:30 p.m. on Fox
If you’re looking for something that explores the paranormal with the same earnestness of the early seasons of Supernatural, but the intensity of a modern crime thriller like Hannibal, then there’s no better procedural to jump into than the aptly titled Evil. Although the program originally aired on CBS, it moved to Paramount+ for its next three seasons, as the Catholic Church assessors from different backgrounds and convictions investigate potential hauntings, miracles, and possessions. Evil is one of the more inventive shows to air on network television in recent years.
‘Evil’ Is an Innovative Take on the Exploration of Miracles and Demonic Possession
What happens when you stick a true believer, a skeptic, and an agnostic looking for a better explanation all together? Often, as you’d expect, folks come to different conclusions — and that’s precisely what made Evil so creatively engaging. As skeptical forensic psychologist Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) and atheist technical expert Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi) are paired up with priest-in-training David Acosta (Mike Colter), the trio are tossed into a web of conspiracies and strange phenomena that, on the surface, appear to be unexplainable. Of course, that’s the whole point. The assessors’ entire job is to ensure that whatever new case they are working is not something that needs to be dealt with by the church itself (such as an exorcism), and that’s where the conflict begins. What begins as an intelligent network procedural that finds new and creative ways to explain away the supernatural quickly turns into a streaming series completely enveloped in the demonic world.
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Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🚀Star Wars
💍Lord of the Rings
🧙Harry Potter
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👑Game of Thrones
🖖Star Trek
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01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
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02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
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03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world’s conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
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04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
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05
What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
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06
How does your universe treat good and evil? A world’s moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
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07
What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
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08
What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
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Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
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A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
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You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You’d find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Middle-earth
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
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Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien’s universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
The Wizarding World
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
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The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter’s universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Westeros · The Known World
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
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Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don’t confuse the world as it is with the world as you’d like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
The United Federation of Planets
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
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Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe’s most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don’t just hope that’s possible. You think it’s the only thing worth working toward.
For four seasons, Evil fought to find the balance between faith and reason, recognizing at times that these perspectives can often be more linked than one might expect. The more the series — created by Robert and Michelle King — leaned into the otherworldly, offering a glimpse at other perspectives, like that of Sister Andrea (played by the endlessly talented Andrea Martin, who deserves her own spin-off) and Kristen’s mother and four daughters, the more we’re hooked on the entire premise. And that’s not to mention how detailed and disturbing each new demon is from the next. This isn’t exactly the type of CBS-to-Paramount+ drama you’d expect from the folks behind The Good Wife and The Good Fight, but its ability to command one’s attention and consider all possibilities is undeniable.
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‘Evil’ Got More Outlandish The Longer It Aired — but That’s What Made It Work
Evil struck an interesting balance between critiquing and defending the Catholic Church, offering both perspectives through the eyes of its leading cast members. This is, of course, not to say that Evil is a series that promotes religion exactly, but more that it uses belief as a tool to funnel interesting conversations about the relationship between science and faith, fact and theory, material and spiritual. One can debate the effectiveness of each episode in this regard (and the show could sometimes be quite disturbing), but it never wavered in its ability to speak to the psychology behind those who have faith and those who don’t. There simply has never been another show quite like it.
Across all 50 episodes, Evil knew how to both mesmerize and terrify its audience. From the CBS-based first season that weaned us into this strange world to the truly out-of-the-box final season that, at times, almost felt like a different show, Evil rarely pulled its punches. It’s no wonder that the King of Horror himself, Stephen King, was a heavy proponent of the series, even calling for a fifth season after its cancellation. While the horror program ended on its own terms, there’s no doubt that it could have gone on for a while longer. For those who have yet to enter the bizarre world of Evil, a great episode to start with is “S is for Silence,” the Season 2 classic that many still consider among the show’s very best — and a perfect one to revisit for fans of the series.
Never-before-seen photographs are providing a closer look at Liam Payne’s final hours inside the Buenos Aires hotel where he died. The new images reportedly show the former One Direction singer drinking, moving through the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, and interacting with two women before his fatal fall on October 16, 2024. Payne was 31 when he fell from the balcony of his third-floor room.
The photographs are among more than 3,000 documents and images obtained from the police investigation by the Daily Mail.
One newly surfaced photograph reportedly shows Payne swinging around a pole inside the hotel on the night before his death. The materials also include photographs of Payne’s damaged room, where the television screen had been broken. Images reportedly show hotel workers delivering alcohol and capture Payne moving throughout the property as his condition deteriorated.
New Photos Capture Liam Payne Meeting Two Key Witnesses
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
Other images allegedly capture employees delivering alcohol to his room and Payne meeting two sex workers in the lobby. The women, identified in witness statements as Aldana Serrano and Lucila Goitea, reportedly arrived at the CasaSur Palermo at approximately 11:30 a.m. after Payne contacted Serrano through an escort website. The hotel collected their identification before allowing them to enter room 310, making it possible for investigators to locate and question them quickly after Payne’s death.
Serrano recalled that communicating with Payne was challenging because of the language barrier. “He was alone in his room. He greeted us warmly and I asked him for payment. We tried to communicate, but it was difficult because he only spoke English and I only Spanish,” she said.
Witnesses Claim The Singer Requested Cocaine
Inside Liam Payne hotel before his fall: drugs, powders, liquor bottles, squalor and more. Some new footage and photos from his fateful night were released. He sang for his escorts and requested crack at one point. pic.twitter.com/PQLDOsdR4N
The women reportedly told investigators that Payne sang for them and shared music he had been developing. Their statements also included allegations about his substance use. They claimed that Payne asked for help obtaining cocaine and discussed making crack.
According to the women, Payne ordered champagne for them and two bottles of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky for himself. Goitea alleged that she observed him handling an unidentified substance alongside pieces of tinfoil.
She also described the hotel room as being in severe disorder, with clothing and suspected drug paraphernalia spread across the space. “It was a mess. There was tinfoil everywhere with traces of drugs. A drawer was full of it, there was more burned tinfoil on the couch… a lot of clothes thrown around… he smelled of alcohol,” she said.
Her account appears consistent with the newly released photographs of Payne’s room, which show a broken television screen, scattered papers and overturned furniture.
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Toxicology Testing Confirmed Drugs And Alcohol
Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA
Toxicology testing later confirmed that Payne had consumed alcohol, cocaine and prescription medication before his death. Clonazepam, the medication sold under the brand name Klonopin, was also discovered among the items in his room.
An initial autopsy concluded that Payne died from the traumatic injuries caused by the fall. Investigators found no evidence of a physical altercation and determined that he was alone at the time. The Associated Press reported that prosecutors believed he may have fallen while in a state of “semi or total unconsciousness.”
Hotel Workers Carried Liam Payne Back To His Room
Surveillance images obtained earlier reportedly showed three hotel employees carrying Payne from the lobby back to room 310 shortly before his death. Although he appeared impaired, Payne was reportedly conscious and holding his head upright while being carried. He had been standing in the lobby only minutes earlier.
When employees reached the room, Payne allegedly resisted being placed inside. Staff nevertheless used a master key to enter and left him in the room. According to a police report, they also removed a mirror from the hallway outside, apparently out of concern that it could be damaged.
A hotel employee then contacted emergency services and expressed fear that Payne could hurt himself because the room had a balcony. “I don’t know whether his life may be in danger. He is in a room with a balcony, and, well, we’re a little afraid …” the employee said during the call. Payne fell shortly afterward.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or experiencing a crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For confidential substance-use treatment referrals, contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Queen Naija and ClarenceNYC’s relationship has remained a topic of public discussion for years. The couple has faced ongoing speculation about their relationship, including questions about when Clarence would propose. Now that the couple is engaged, social media users continue to dissect their relationship and share opinions about their dynamic online. But it looks like both Queen and ClarenceNYC have had enough and are clapping back at commenters online.
Queen Naija Sings A Message To Those Invested In Her Relationship
More recently, Queen Naija and Clarence have drawn attention after both began documenting more of their lives on streaming platforms. The couple sparked conversation during their week at Streamer University and again following their recent trip to Turks and Caicos.
After a series of clips and comments about their relationship circulated online, Queen appeared to address the ongoing commentary. On Saturday, Aug. 8, Queen took to TikTok with a message for social media users she believes have become too invested in her relationship. In the video, she sang about being tired of the speculation and encouraged people to “go get some money and quit worrying about me and mine.” She also called the behavior “parasocial” while addressing what she described as false narratives about her relationship.
Social Media Reacts & Queen Naija Reacts
Queen didn’t stop at the video. She also responded to several commenters who shared their opinions about her relationship with Clarence.
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One commenter wrote, “tell him stop ignoring you on stream tho,” prompting Queen to respond, “okay you one of ’em got it.”
Another commenter wrote, “the clips are there though Queen 😭 she’s in denial y’all.” Queen replied, “you just proved my point thanks.”
A third commenter referenced a clip in which Clarence allegedly discussed trying to end their relationship before it progressed further. Queen responded, “no, I’m not explaining anything about a man who’s not yours.”
Another user wrote, “Queen you are a queen! But we see it in his face he wanna BE YOU!” Queen responded with “parasocial 🎶,” referencing the song she sang in her original video.
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One more commenter wrote, “girl ppl just saying don’t ignore the signs 😌.” Queen responded, “and I’m saying let me live my life.”
ClarenceNYC Previously Defended Their Relationship
Just days before Queen addressed the commentary, ClarenceNYC also appeared to clap back at social media users discussing their relationship.
The exchange came after a funny moment from the couple’s Turks and Caicos trip made its way online. In the clip, Queen was seen on a boat when saltwater got into her eyes. She then started singing along to Tems’ “Burnin’.” Clarence was seated beside her during that moment.
After The Shade Room Teens shared the clip, one social media user commented, “he do not like her.”
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Clarence responded directly, writing, “you right, I love her you got a gun to ya head in ya profile pic you don’t like ya self 😂😂.”
Odysseus and his crew in ‘The Odyssey’Image via Universal Pictures
Three weeks into its global box-office run and despite losing IMAX screens to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the epic hit The Odyssey has now passed the coveted $1 billion mark worldwide. It has also emerged as the highest-grossing film of director Christopher Nolan‘s illustrious career. Nolan’s previous release, the epic biographical thriller Oppenheimer, fell tragically short of the $1 billion mark in 2023, grossing $975 million at the global box office and going on to win the Best Director and Best Picture awards at the Oscars. The Odyssey is a shoo-in for awards success as well, but it’ll compete as a record-breaking box-office success.
The movie opened worldwide on July 17. It received excellent reviews and is now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 94% critics’ score and a “Verified Hot” 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The aggregator website’s consensus reads, “Reinvigorating an ancient adventure with majestic sweep and sterling work by its colossal ensemble, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey imbues myth with primal human feeling.” Headlined by Matt Damon, the movie also features Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Robert Pattinson in prominent supporting roles, with Jon Bernthal and Charlize Theron appearing in standout smaller parts. Produced on a reported budget of $250 million, The Odyssey was touted as Nolan’s most ambitious project yet, having been shot entirely on IMAX film.
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Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would Be Your Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt
Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn’t work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.
🎖️Rambo
🍸James Bond
🏺Indiana Jones
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🔧John McClane
🎭Ethan Hunt
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01
You’re dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.
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02
You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.
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03
You’re pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.
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04
The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.
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05
How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.
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06
Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.
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07
Things go badly wrong and you’re captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.
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08
What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn’t replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn’t know you had.
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09
Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.
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10
It’s the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.
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Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…
Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.
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Rambo
Your partner doesn’t talk much, doesn’t need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you’ve finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You’ll never need to ask if he has your back. You’ll just know.
James Bond
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Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it’ll take you a moment to remember what’s actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You’ll never be bored. You’ll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.
Indiana Jones
Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar’s eye and a brawler’s instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn’t matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you’ll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.
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John McClane
Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren’t so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.
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Ethan Hunt
Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you’ve finished reading the briefing, and the plan he’s settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn’t exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.
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Here’s How Much ‘The Odyssey’ Has Grossed at the Global Box Office So Far
With $460 million domestically and another $643 million from international markets, The Odyssey‘s worldwide haul now stands at more than $1.1 billion. This puts it ahead of The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, the two other Nolan movies to surpass the $1 billion mark. It has also surpassed the lifetime global hauls of hits such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and Finding Dory. On the all-time global rankings, The Odyssey is now among the 50 highest-grossing movies ever made, and the second-biggest R-rated hit in history behind Deadpool & Wolverine. Domestically, The Odyssey is now among the 30 highest-grossing films of all time, and will likely climb several more spots before the end of its run. Oppenheimer ran for more than 500 days; The Odyssey has been in theaters for only 24 days so far. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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