Entertainment
From ‘Ted Lasso’ to ‘Shrinking,’ Bill Lawrence Maps Out His Ultimate TV Multiverse
Summary
- Perri Nemiroff talks with Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses for HBO Max’s Rooster.
- The co-writers discuss getting Steve Carell on board and finding the perfect ensemble cast for their father-daughter comedy.
- They also share their favorite crossover ideas with Rooster, Scrubs, Shrinking, and Bad Monkey.
While talking with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff ahead of Rooster‘s debut on HBO Max, co-writers and frequent collaborators Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses break down the inspiration behind their new comedy series. And while, yes, Lawrence acknowledges “it’s a Steve Carell show,” the heart behind Rooster is a father-daughter relationship that the trio discovered when they bonded over their own relationships with their daughters. “This was a new stage of our lives for us,” Lawrence says, “so we thought that would be a cool thing to write about.”
Loosely based on their friend and author, Carl Hiaasen (author of Bad Monkey), Rooster is about best-selling writer, Greg Russo (Carell), who runs to his daughter’s rescue. Katie, played by Charly Clive, is going through a personal life crisis, and now her marriage and her job as a college professor are seemingly up in flames — like the house she set on fire. Enter good old, recently divorced Dad, whose status as a somewhat well-known writer could be the leverage he needs to save Katie from being fired.
In this interview, Lawrence and Tarses discuss their inspiration for Rooster, how Carell was a massive piece of their puzzle, but how it all finally came together with a strong ensemble. In the video above or the transcript below, find out which cast members became standouts on set, even changing the original character in the process, and how Lawrence and Tarses would orchestrate a multiverse crossover with Scrubs, Shrinking, and Bad Monkey.
Once Steve Carell Was on Board, ‘Rooster’ Hinged on This Character’s Story
“Yeah, it’s a Steve Carell show, but he really embraces the ensemble of it all.”
PERRI NEMIROFF: What was idea number one, the thing that started this all, but then also, did you have a break-story moment along the way, something you came up with that made you think, “This idea for Rooster really is whole and ready to go?”
MATT TARSES: We were working on Bad Monkey together, and then wanted to do something else. We had a decent enough time doing that that we wanted to try to do something else.
BILL LAWRENCE: And we haven’t been getting along today because he admitted that he has never watched the finale of Scrubs. That’s why he said “decent enough time.” He worked on Scrubs and never watched the finale. It’s no big deal. It’s not part of your story.
TARSES: There was nobody we wanted to work with more than Steve Carell. We sat down with him, and we found out that we had this shared thing, which is that we all had daughters about the same age, all who were moving off into the world, and much as we wanted to still be in their lives and control their lives, they were not as interested in that as they had been. This was a new stage of our lives for us, a parenting stage and an adulthood stage, and so we thought that would be a cool thing to write about.
LAWRENCE: There are two things that made me know, once Steve’s like, “I’m in,” that we had kind of figured out the pilot because the trick of the show is, yeah, it’s a Steve Carell show, but he really embraces the ensemble of it all, and so every character’s got a story.
The story that we had to crack to make work was the story of Charly Clive, of his daughter, becoming an autonomous, independent woman, which is kind of her series journey. To do that, you have to strip her of everything from the start. So, it took us a second, but when we came up with her burning a house down, and doing it by burning Phil Dunster’s favorite book, those are things we knew were good pieces of exposition, but they’re sometimes hard to make funny, and we were able to, hopefully, make it funny by accident because he liked War and Peace by Tolstoy, and Matt had a quote…
TARSES: From Chekhov.
LAWRENCE: From Chekhov. Matt’s booksmart. I’m not. I’m dumb. I thought Chekhov and Tolstoy were the same person.
TARSES: [Laughs] All Russians are the same people.
LAWRENCE: Well, they’re both Russian, and they’re both writers. There can only be one. And that created the scene where Steve had prepped his whole argument with his daughter’s husband based on the guy loving Chekhov and not Tolstoy, and we went with it. Watching Steve do that and make it funny, we knew we had hopefully figured out the tone of a show that could be funny and still authentically about emotional stories with some depth.
Inside the Casting of ‘Rooster’
Lawrence and Tarses discuss finding the perfect cast and dynamics for an all-star ensemble.
I’ll highlight how well-cast this show is a little more. Can you guys tell me which role was the easiest to cast, where it was like the right person just magically appeared, but then also the character in your show that took the most legwork to find the perfect fit for?
LAWRENCE: There are a billion easy ones, and I’ll rattle them off. The show started because of Steve. We just wanted to work with him, so getting him was a huge, monster home run. Getting John C. McGinley, we almost had to do it because we stole his life, because he has a weird sauna he built himself, and when you talk to the guy, he makes you get in it, and he’s way too comfortable with his body, and he makes you get in a cold plunge pool. It’s very, very weird. Rory Scovel, who plays the cop, has been in one of my shows before, and Matt and I both think he’s one of the funniest untapped comic voices out there. Phil Dunster, I had worked with him on Ted Lasso, and I’m still tricked by accents, so I thought he was really like Jamie Tartt, and he showed up talking in a different accent. I was like, “What’s going on?” He’s like, “Oh, that one was fake.” So that was very confusing. But those were all very easy. I didn’t take your hard one, did I?
TARSES: You didn’t take my hard one. We wrote this character of Cristle, Walt’s assistant, for an actor who would be sort of buttoned-up and kind of a little bit of an executive assistant trope.
LAWRENCE: Almost like Radar, who knew things before they happened, etc..
TARSES: And Allison Jones brought us Annie Mumolo, and we said, “No, that’s not who we’re thinking of.” We were really resistant to her.
LAWRENCE: That’s good that you let her know that publicly.
TARSES: Just because we had this idea of her in our head. I only say this because we gave her the part, and we changed the part a little because she was so different from it, and she became so much better and bigger than that part was ever meant to be, and one of my very favorite things in the show.
LAWRENCE: People don’t give props enough. We make an art of taking credit for other people’s work.
TARSES: Especially him. [Laughs]
LAWRENCE: How dare you! Allison Jones is an icon in casting circles. I’ll tell you, she put Charly Clive in front of us to play Steve’s daughter, who you had to believe is Steve’s daughter, and had to be able to do pathos and comedy at the same level Steve does, and we had never seen her before. So, from main roles like that, and then she also is like, “Hey, here’s one of your best students. You’re going to cast this guy.” And it was Maximo [Salas], who plays Tommy. I can’t believe how authentic that kid is in this dynamic of Steve.
Our burden now, because of her, is trying to keep all these amazing people, Robby Hoffman, all of them, in this world if we’re lucky enough to do more.
Creator Lawrence also shares a funny story about how the O.G. series sometimes had real patients show up because they shot at former working hospital.
Bill Lawrence and the TV Multiverse of Madness
The pair share their ideas for crossover with Shrinking, Scrubs, and more.
Because you’ve both worked on so many other wonderful shows with A+ ensembles, if you could see one character from Rooster cross paths with one character from Bad Monkey, Shrinking, or Ted Lasso, who would you choose, and how might that scene play out?
TARSES: That’s hard!
LAWRENCE: I got some. I would want to see Steve Carell and Harrison Ford together, just because of how iconic it would be and how much fun, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in a scene together, so I’ll separate that.
Then my other one is from Shrinking. I would like to see my wife, [Christa Miller], as Liz, try to do a scene with Phil Dunster and not be charmed by him. Because I think it would be a challenge for her, for me to say, “You have to dislike this person because at his core, he’s the antagonist.” And I don’t think she’d be able to help herself because he has that weird skill of an actor that can do reprehensible things and yet not have you completely hate him, though we’re really pushing the boundaries as the season goes on.
TARSES: I have one. We have this fantasy of the Rooster character that Greg’s character writes of someday making that into a movie where Steve actually plays Rooster, and we get our friend Carl Hiaasen to write it, and I could see a funny crossover of the Yancy character from Bad Monkey and the Rooster character meeting in Florida somewhere.
LAWRENCE: Also, by the way, the bad guy should be — we were lucky, in Bad Monkey, the bad guy this year was John Malkovich, and spoiler alert, the dude’s hysterical.
TARSES: Oh, god. Yeah, that would be incredible. So, there you go.
LAWRENCE: That’s my favorite question, by the way. I just want to do this all day. It feels like a drinking game.
I could sit here and do it all day. I always like to have an answer in my back pocket, just in case …
LAWRENCE: What’s yours?
Well, Greg and Yancy was immediately the one I had to write down, given the real-world nature of how these stories came to screen, and also what Greg as a character is going through in this show.
LAWRENCE: We should have said that, by the way, since you knew that it was based on Carl Hiaasen. I would also be into seeing Turk cross paths with Rory Scovel, just because of how frustrated he would be by him. That would make me really happy.
Rooster debuts on March 8 on HBO Max. Subsequent episodes premiere every Sunday.
- Release Date
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March 8, 2026
- Network
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HBO
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Fire Country‘s Bode makes it clear that he can’t forget Tyler after Chloe’s son admitted to causing Vince’s death.
In Us Weekly‘s exclusive clip from the Friday, March 6, episode of the hit CBS series, Bode (Max Thieriot) is visited by Chloe (Alona Tal), who asks him for help with Tyler (Conor Sherry). Bode, however, has no sympathy for the teenager responsible for starting the fire that killed his father, Vince (Billy Burke).
“He lit up half of Edgewater,” Bode tells Chloe. “Why would Tyler take the fall for something so bad if he didn’t actually do it?”
Chloe asks for Bode’s help supporting Tyler, saying, “I know that your family has done too much for my family already. But Tyler won’t talk to me and he’s alone and he’s scared in jail. I can’t help him. I know that you cared about him. You and I both know that you have the best shot to get through to him, so please.”
Fire Country has faced numerous surprising cast — and crew — changes over the years. The CBS series, which premiered in 2022, introduced Us to the town of Edgewater after inmate Bode (Max Thieriot) returned home and began volunteering for the California Conservation Camp Program. By season 2, a backdoor pilot set up the world […]
Bode shuts Chloe’s request down while referring to Tyler as a “lost cause.”
His strong reaction comes shortly after Tyler turned himself in for arson. Before the show’s midseason return, showrunner Tia Napolitano hinted that the show’s story will be going through some changes.
“[You should] be worried [about the rest of the season]. We’ve got Bode and Tyler in a fire shelter in the middle of a blaze. Those things are built for one, there’s two lives in there,” Napolitano exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2025, one month before her departure from the CBS series was announced. “And we’ve got Jake and his brother over the side of a cliff. You see how many times that vehicle goes over and over. We see heads hit hard surfaces.”
Napolitano teased that “those are not easy things to come back” from, adding, “We’ll watch our people fight to get out of there.” She also teased a “huge twist” coming in the second half of the season.
“It’s going to change everything that hugely impacts Bode. He is going to really fight to continue to be on his path to progress and growth that we love to see him on. He has made those good choices — though he still struggles — and winning those struggles and really becoming someone who can continue to be someone Tyler wants to grow up to be,” she said. “Bode is a role model. Look how far we have come.”
She continued: “Eve is going to find her way with these new guys at Three Roc. Sharon is learning even more so how to stand on her own. Ruby — her mother — comes back. There’s a lot of surprises, twists and turns and drive coming out of that twist that comes at the end of the midseason premiere.”
Following her exit from the show, news broke on Thursday, March 5, that Eric Guggenheim will be taking over for Napolitano. According to Deadline, Guggenheim is coming onboard after previously serving as showrunner of Magnum P.I and co-showrunner of Hawaii Five-0.
Fire Country airs on CBS Fridays at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
For horror fans, Freddy Krueger has been silent for far too long. The last film in the franchise was the 2010 reboot, meaning it has been more than fifteen years since audiences last stepped into the dream world of Elm Street. But new developments suggest that Freddy may be sharpening his claws once again.
The Rights Situation Finally Changed
One of the biggest reasons the franchise has remained dormant is a complicated rights situation. The U.S. rights to A Nightmare on Elm Street reverted back to the estate of creator Wes Craven, while New Line Cinema continues to control the international rights to the series and the iconic Freddy Krueger character.
Since that shift, the Craven estate has reportedly begun reviewing pitches for new projects connected to the franchise, including potential films and even television series.
In other words, Freddy’s return has been a matter of timing rather than interest.
Freddy Could Return With a Completely New Direction
Several creators have already floated ideas for bringing the character back. One proposal would move away from simply remaking the original 1984 classic and instead build a new story inspired by later entries in the franchise.
Another idea would explore Freddy’s backstory before the events of the first film, creating a prequel that dives deeper into the mythology of Springwood and the infamous dream demon.
The biggest challenge facing any new project will be replacing Robert Englund, the actor who made Freddy Krueger one of horror’s most recognizable villains.
Could a New Actor Become Freddy?
Englund has largely stepped away from the role, but the character could live on through a new interpretation. Some filmmakers have even suggested bold casting choices that would take the character in an unexpected direction.
Others believe the role should go to a relatively unknown actor who can create a fresh version of Freddy without competing with Englund’s legendary performance.
Why Now Might Be the Perfect Time
Horror franchises are thriving again. Films like Halloween, Scream, and The Exorcist have all returned to theaters with new legacy sequels and reboots.
Freddy Krueger remains one of the most iconic villains in film history, and the franchise still holds enormous cultural power. The original series was so successful that it helped establish New Line Cinema as a major studio, earning the nickname “The House That Freddy Built.”
Never Sleep Again
While no official Nightmare on Elm Street film has been announced yet, the pieces are finally in place for Freddy’s return. With rights issues largely resolved and new ideas circulating, it may only be a matter of time before a new generation hears the warning once again.
One. Two. Freddy’s coming for you.
FILM RATING
The post A New Nightmare on Elm Street May Finally Be Coming appeared first on Coastal House Media.
British author J. R. R. Tolkien wrote an enormous mythology surrounding his own made-up world, Arda. Though, Arda is more commonly known by the name of its central continent, Middle-Earth. His works detail thousands upon thousands of years of history, legends, and storylines about the world, which became his life’s work, some of which is still posthumously being published.
Throughout the history of Arda, one of the most prominent villains that pops up again and again is the Dark Lord Sauron. Sauron also happens to be the main antagonist behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy of novels, and its subsequent film adaptations. Although Sauron is a dangerous beast in the world of Arda, many who aren’t well-versed in Tolkien’s lore may be surprised to know that there are forces in Middle-Earth that could still stand against Sauron’s enormous power.
5
Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil actually appears in the original novel of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (though he is absent from the film), and he’s remained kind of a mystfiying character since. This jolly moss-collector lives in the heart of the Old Forest, near the Shire, along with his wife, Goldberry. However, it’s never made clear who or what exactly Tom Bombadil is. His species is unknown, as is his purpose and his age. Gandalf seems to know a bit more about him, and believes that Tom is just as older, if not older than Gandalf is.
One thing that remains even more mysterious about him is that the One Ring’s corrupting power has no effect on him whatsoever. He is able to see and hold the One Ring, but he isn’t tempted by it for even a second, which is pretty bizarre, considering almost anything and everything else will find themselves tempted by it. While Tom Bombadil is no warrior, and likely couldn’t defeat Sauron in a physical fight, he renders Sauron’s greatest asset completely worthless, leaving Sauron at a severe disadvantage.
4
Gandalf
Gandalf is one of the Maiar, a race of demigods that were created along with the gods, the Valar, by the supreme creator, Eru Ilúvatar. Gandalf and Sauron are actually both the same species–they’re both Maiar, and thus, both demigods. The difference is that Gandalf is one of the five wizards, so he has a little more magic behind him. He also has his own Ring of Power, carrying one of the rings that were given to the Elves by Sauron.
While this ring doesn’t compare to the power of the One Ring, Gandalf could definitely stand a chance against Sauron. There’s still a fair chance he could lose a fight against him, but Gandalf has proven that he is a capable warrior and wizard, and can hold his own when he needs to. While Gandalf loses a fight to Sauron directly in The Hobbit (which isn’t mentioned in the books), in Tolkien’s version of things, Gandalf would probably fare much better, rather than be so swiftly defeated.
3
Saruman the White
It doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense that Saruman the White decided to join Sauron. It would be understandable if Saruman’s power paled in comparison to Sauron and joined him to escape destruction, but this isn’t the case, so this implies that Saruman is really just evil. As another of the Maiar, Saruman has enough power behind him to stand against Sauron. The White Wizard is the chief and most powerful of the five wizards, also known as the Istari, even more powerful than Gandalf.
Moreover, Saruman is easily able to rally armies to his cause and create armies in the form of the Urûk-hai, coming up with quite a formidable host of thousands of troops. Honestly, if Saruman had fought on the side of Gondor and Rohan, the War of the Ring probably would have been a heck of a lot shorter. With his inner magic and his combined armed forces, he’d probably make a pretty even match for Sauron.
2
Ungoliant
Ungoliant is the first of the Great Spiders, and was known for her immense size. It’s not sure where she came from, but she is an ancient being, almost as old as Middle-Earth itself. Ungoliant doesn’t make a physical appearance in the films, but her daughter, Shelob, does. Famously, Shelob has a lair in the mountain pass of Cirith Ungol, an orc stronghold, though she is no friend of Sauron’s or hs minions.
Ungoliant was, at the time, such a remarkable force, that she was almost able to defeat Morgoth, coming close to destroying him completely. This really impressed Morgoth, although he did send Balrogs after her in retaliation. Needless to say, if Ungoliant is able to nearly kill the ultimate evil, who is a literal god himself, it’s likely that Ungoliant could easily overpower Sauron, who is only a demigod.
1
Morgoth
Morgoth is one of the Valar, which means he is basically a god. In fact, he is the only one of the Valar that turned against the rest of them, opting to embody the darkness rather than the light. Morgoth, formerly known as Melkor, waged war against the Valar, and is the primary reason for most of the conflict throughout Tolkien’s legendarium. His influence is far-reaching and his power is immense, with few living beings, mortal or immortal, able to match his prowess.
In fact, Sauron is not the ultimate Dark Lord–he is only a servant of Morgoth, and ultimately lives to do his master’s bidding. While Sauron is a dangerous force and a serious threat to the safety of Middle-Earth, his power is microscopic compared to his master’s. Morgoth could easily best Sauron in a fight, and could probably crush him between the tip of his finger and thumb, to be honest. Due to his species and inherent power, there is no doubting that Morgoth (or any of the Valar, really) could dwarf Sauron’s power and really give him a run for his money.
Dr. Drew on Britney Spears
Bipolar Disorder, Addiction Must Be Her Focus
Published
TMZ.com
Dr. Drew says Britney Spears needs to focus on two key areas of her life after her DUI arrest … substance abuse and bipolar disorder.
The good doc joined us on “TMZ Live” Friday and we asked him about Britney firing her sober coaches in the weeks leading up to her DUI bust.
Broadcastify.com
Dr. Drew says sober coaches aren’t the solution … he says Britney’s best bet would be to address her addictions with treatment, and that in turn would help with her bipolar diagnosis.
We broke the story … Britney had pills with her in the car when she was pulled over, and our sources say it was Adderall she got from Mexico.
Dr. Drew says an Adderall-and-booze combo is terrible for someone who is bipolar … and he explains how addiction and bipolar disorder affect each other.
The way Drew sees it … Britney’s never taken the time necessary to address some of the root issues here … and he’s hoping she makes a big change moving forward.
Watch the full interview on “TMZ Live.”
Jania Meshell shares strong messages amid blasting a social media page for “lying” about NBA YoungBoy allegedly being abusive to her.
RELATED: New Ink? NBA YoungBoy Shares PSA About His Wife As The ‘Net Thinks His “Jania” Tattoo Now Says “Jazlyn” (VIDEO + PICS)
Jania Meshell Shares Strong Messages After Social Media Page Spreads Claim About NBA YoungBoy Allegedly Being Abusive To Her
On Friday, March 6, Jania Meshell took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share an initial message, which read, “People only hide behind fake pages fake numbers fake etc cause they p***y asf and they mama never loved them so it makes sense…”
Then, she followed up with, “I have over extended my niceness so fuck anybody that feel like they can play with me GO to hell”
From there, Meshell reposted a tweet that featured an apparently old clip of her alongside the caption:
“Jania Meshell speaks on NBA Youngboy losing money and being abusive to her and says one time Montana stole $400k from him and he broke her jaw ‘I’m too grown for that lil boy , I moved on to bigger and better things’”
Meshell apparently wasn’t here for the false news and immediately called out the false information.
“Listen and listen to me good whoever adding these captions to old videos needs to be PUT DOWN CAUSE WHY TF YOU LYING BITCH,” she reposted alongside the tweet, which had garnered over 55,000 views.
From there, Meshell shared a few more strong words for those who were in the comment section of the tweet, apparently believing the lies.
Peep her initial tweets, the false viral tweet and video, and her follow-up messages by swiping below.
To note, the X account that shared the false tweet has previously been called out by Skai Jackson and Yaya Mayweather for spreading false information. Both stars apparently threatened lawsuits against the account — Jackson for it apparently spreading false information about her and her son’s father, and Mayweather for the account spreading a false rumor about her and NBA YoungBoy.
RELATED: Hol’ Up! Yaya Mayweather Addresses Viral Rumor That Claimed She Paid NBA YoungBoy $1.2M To Hang Out With Him For A Week
Social Media Reacts To Her Strong Messages After Social Media Page Spreads Abusive Claim
Social media users weighed in on the false rumor about NBA YoungBoy allegedly being abusive to Jania Meshell and her response to the false tweets in TSR’s comment section.
Instagram user @reagannn.__ wrote, “honestly that’s real af because these pages are getting out of hand with these captions”
While Instagram user @terrisrenee added, “Nene said who yall feeling like!!????? 😂😂”
Instagram user @michellelewis_1_ wrote, “That page has lied so many times on Skye and her baby daddy too.😂”
While Instagram user @bigmamaxoxozz added, “Yall need to leave the girl tf alone 😂😂😂 damn”
Instagram user @_kamillahd wrote, “And that’s the page that made up the lies about Gigi STAY FOCUSED”
While Instagram user @amarushakurr_ added, “I think she really upset bout that yb and nique bs lol girl let it go”
Instagram user @sheslikrllypretty wrote, “There’s no way she don’t know how to ignore social media like seriously u damn near 30 block them an move on”
While Instagram user @inkmychina69 added, “That page did the samething to @indiaroyale they need to sue it and have it shut down”
Jania Meshell & NBA YoungBoy Previously Made Headlines
To note, Jania Meshell and NBA YoungBoy have previously made headlines. According to TMZ, in February 2018, footage captured YoungBoy apparently body slamming Meshell in a hotel hallway before “dragging” her into his room. Meshell reportedly alleged she and he were just playing, and ultimately declined to testify against him.
Ultimately, YoungBoy pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple battery family violence, was sentenced to 12 months probation, and was ordered to have no violent contact with Meshell.
RELATED: Subliminal Shade? The Internet Thinks Jania Meshell Has Reacted To Nique’s Cameo In NBA YoungBoy’s ‘Highly’ Video
What Do You Think Roomies?
A PR expert has warned that Meghan Markle‘s lifestyle brand As Ever may face issues despite growing website traffic.
While visits rose by 36% between October and January, experts claim online interest alone does not guarantee long-term success, stressing the importance of sales conversions, repeat customers, and clear product planning.
Experts have also suggested that the Meghan Markle brand needs a stronger structure and alignment with her husband, Prince Harry‘s, public image.
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PR Specialist Flags ‘Strategic Issue’ For Meghan Markle’s As Ever Brand Amid Website Growth
A public relations expert has weighed in on the progress of As Ever, warning that the venture may face a significant “strategic issue” despite signs of growing online interest.
The lifestyle brand, launched by the Duchess of Sussex in April 2025, has released several product collections since its debut and has gradually expanded its online presence.
Recent data suggests that traffic to the brand’s website has been increasing. According to analytics from SimilarWeb reported by Newsweek, the site recorded around 196,800 visits in October before climbing to roughly 268,200 by January. The rise appeared steady over the months in between, with December bringing in about 246,000 visits.
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However, while those numbers indicate “solid growth,” PR and branding specialist Renae Smith cautioned that growing website traffic does not necessarily translate into long-term business success.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Smith said that a 36 percent increase in visits is a promising sign for a relatively young brand that does not operate through traditional retail channels.
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Expert Says The Duchess’s Brand Needs’ Rhythm’ To Become A Serious Lifestyle Brand
Smith emphasized that visitor numbers alone are not the most meaningful metric.
According to the expert, factors such as how many visitors actually purchase products, whether customers return for additional orders, and how inventory is managed will ultimately determine the brand’s sustainability.
“We’ve seen items sell out in minutes, including the recent bookmark that reportedly went in under a minute. That can mean high demand, but it can also mean extremely limited stock,” Smith said. “Without context, a one-minute sellout is just a headline.”
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From a branding perspective, she explained that scarcity can sometimes be used intentionally to create excitement around a product launch. But if shortages happen repeatedly, it can begin to look less like a marketing strategy and more like a logistical challenge.
Smith also suggested that the brand still needs a clearer structure to develop into a fully established lifestyle label.
She pointed out that a successful and “serious lifestyle brand needs rhythm,” including scheduled product launches, consistent engagement with their audience, and a well-defined identity.
“Right now, it still feels reactive rather than disciplined,” the expert noted.
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PR Expert Warns Meghan Markle’s As Ever Brand Must Align With Prince Harry’s Global Image
Another potential challenge, Smith added, could be the broader narrative surrounding Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry.
“If Harry is doing humanitarian travel and Meghan is scaling a commercial lifestyle brand, those two narratives need to feel complementary, not parallel,” she said.
Despite those observations, sources close to the brand say its team is pleased with how things are developing so far.
According to the Daily Express, those involved with As Ever view the growth as encouraging and believe the brand still has significant room to expand.
The Duchess Of Sussex Is Committed To Building Her Lifestyle Brand
Insiders say Meghan remains committed to refining the business as it evolves, learning from early challenges while continuing to build momentum.
The brand’s team also believes the steady increase in interest reflects genuine engagement from its audience.
A source connected to As Ever told the news outlet that while the brand is still in its early stages, its trajectory so far has been encouraging.
They added that the focus remains on building the business carefully and sustainably while continuing to listen to the community that has supported it.
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Meghan Markle’s As Ever Products Reportedly Given Away To Netflix Staff At Los Angeles Offices
Meanwhile, last month, reports suggest the As Ever products have also been circulating within the offices of Netflix in Los Angeles.
According to Page Six, staff at the streaming company were able to take home items from the As Ever range that were stored at the company’s headquarters.
One source claimed that two storage rooms at the campus were filled with products from the brand, adding that employees had been allowed to take items home.
“They’re literally just giving it away to employees,” the source said, alleging that one staff member left with around ten products.
Items reportedly kept at the offices include jars of jam, candles, wine, and Meghan’s well-known flower-petal sprinkles.
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The products were said to be stored in rooms located in the Icon Tower and Epic buildings on Netflix’s Hollywood campus. “There’s so much overstock,” confirmed a second source.
However, it is understood that the brand’s main inventory had already been moved to a separate warehouse some time ago.
According to the report, the remaining items at the Netflix offices are intended primarily for gifting, sampling, and promotional purposes, which is why employees have been able to take some products home.
Entertainment
Days of our Lives: Lexie Resurrected from the Dead – Major Consequences Coming for Salem!
Days of Our Lives confirms Lexie Carver is the woman in the person pod, as we suspected. And they have recast the role. It was Renee Jones that played the role but they’ve dialed back Lexie’s age by 15 years. Now, she’s just 8 years older than her brother EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel).
And when Lexie turns up alive, there’s going to be epic fallout that affects all of Salem. We’re going to dive into when Lexie wakes up and what soapy drama comes in the fallout of this huge move EJ and Dr. Wilhelm Rolf (Richard Wharton) made with Gwen Rizczech’s (Emily O’Brien) help.
Days of our Lives: Lexie Carver Resurrected
We suspected all along that EJ and Dr. Rolf’s mystery lady was going to be none other than the DiMeras’ presumed dead sister, Lexie Carver. Who is of course, wife and soulmate of Abe Carver (James Reynolds). And mom to Theo Carver (Cameron Johnson).
Ok, so recently, Rolf and EJ revealed the woman in the tube to Gwen and she predicted bringing Lexie back would turn many lives upside down. But EJ said it’ll be in wonderful ways. But not wonderful for everyone. Especially not Paulina Price (Jackée Harry), who’s a major thorn in EJ’s side.
So, we’ll see Lexie’s face soon when they finally show fans who’s in the person pod. And then she’ll wake soon, about 14 years after she died of an inoperable brain tumor. Despite how much hate he gets from other DiMeras, you may recall EJ was one of the few DiMeras Lexie trusted.
EJ’s Love for Lexie on DOOL
EJ helped Lexie fulfill her bucket list when she learned there was no hope for surviving her brain tumor. EJ always felt guilty about the DiMera tunnel toxins causing her death. So, it’s no surprise that EJ has Rolf resurrecting his favorite sister.
Dr. Rolf said Lexie should be waking up any time now. She’s back to the land of the living and her brain function is good. They just need her to open her eyes. This week, EJ’s spending time with his sleeping sister, tenderly touching her head. And he introduces someone to Lexie.
That’s the first place to start with the epic fallout ahead from this wild thing that EJ, Rolf and Gwen have done—this life giving miracle. A perfected resurrection serum that hopefully avoids all the side effects of some of the prior versions Rolf developed.
Paulina Price’s Marriage to Abe in Jeopardy on Days
So first, let’s talk about negative consequences to Lexie’s resurrection. Primarily this will hit Abe’s current wife, Paulina. By the end of this week or early next week, I suspect EJ shows a stunned Paulina who he’s got in the person pod.
She knows Lexie’s resurrection will likely end her marriage to Abe. How could it not? Right now, he’s happy with the life he has with Paulina and their blended family of Lani Price (Sal Stowers), Chanel Dupree (Raven Bowens), and Theo. But Lexie and Abe were soulmates, madly in love at the time of her death.
For Abe, it’s been 14 years. For Lexie, it’ll feel like 14 minutes. She’d expect Abe to be with her. And I bet Lexie will fight for her man. But Paulina has to know this is bad for her marriage. And if she tells Abe that EJ resurrected Lexie to ruin their marriage, I’m not sure Abe will care.
Or he might not like Paulina making this about herself. Bottom line is EJ’s resurrecting Lexie because he loves her. But EJ will also enjoy hurting Paulina because she’s been a pain in his backside for a long time and gets to see his son and grandson when EJ’s banned.
Abe Carver Torn Between Two Loves on Days of Our Lives
As for the fallout on Abe’s life, it’ll be super complicated—a mixed blessing type of situation. He’s happily married to Paulina, but Abe’s been a bit upset with her because she encouraged Theo to pursue being CEO of DiMera Enterprises.
Abe knows Lexie wouldn’t have wanted Theo to work for her father’s company but Paulina wasn’t swayed by that. Bringing Lexie back to life is part of EJ’s elaborate plan to oust Theo from DiMera and try to keep his own son, Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman), around to run the show as CEO.
While Lexie might also want Theo out at DiMera, I’m not sure how she’ll feel about EJ and Abe conspiring. But then again, she may not mind if it keeps Theo safe on Days of our Lives. I expect to see Abe torn because he loves Paulina but he’d still be with Lexie if she hadn’t died. This’ll be hard on Abe.
Theo Carver Gets His Mom Back
And of course, huge fallout’s coming from Theo. He was just nine years old when his mom Lexie died. And while he really likes working for Stefano DiMera’s (Joe Mascolo) company and representing the DiMeras, Theo might quit if Lexie asked him to.
Since Theo almost died because of his uncle, Peter Blake (Dan Gauthier), he may decide to treasure his time with his resurrected mom and if Lexie wants him out at DiMera, Theo might walk away. And I’m sure Lexie’s going to be impressed with how Theo’s dealt with his autism and other struggles.
EJ’s Motives Will Be Questioned on DOOL
Now, let’s talk about the mastermind of all this—EJ orchestrated this research and resurrection to bring his sister Lexie back to life. But EJ can’t know how Lexie will react to being resurrected. I’m sure she’ll be glad for more time with Theo and Abe.
But Lexie also won’t like being a pawn in a DiMera power play. So, while I’m sure EJ presents this as him wanting to have his favorite sister back and wanted her to have a life with her son, Lexie will probably sniff out that EJ has other motives, some of them nefarious.
The Carver-Price Family Overwhelmed on Days of Our Lives
Finally, the entire Carver-Price household is going to be overwhelmed. Lani and Eli Grant (Lamon Archey) are moving back to Salem soon, probably ASAP once they find out Lexie is alive. Lani loves both of her parents. But knows how much Abe grieved Lexie until he fell for Paulina.
Plus, Chanel’s in a high-risk pregnancy and wants her and Johnny to have nothing to do with EJ. And even though Chanel may be thrilled for Theo, I’m sure she will tell Johnny that EJ orchestrated all this to target her mom Paulina.
I can’t wait until we see Lexie open her eyes and begin her second chance at life in Salem! Hopefully she’s got no amnesia and it’ll be like she nodded off to sleep then woke back up, ready to resume her life. Which is going to cause ripple effects in many other lives. It starts soon!
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The Covey sisters reign supreme!
Timothée Chalamet has unexpectedly found himself at the center of a heated cultural debate.
The Hollywood star sparked backlash after making remarks about ballet and opera during a public conversation about modern audiences.
What began as a discussion about shrinking attention spans quickly ignited strong reactions from artists, critics, and fans who accused the actor of dismissing centuries-old art forms.
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Timothée Chalamet Comments During Industry Conversation
The controversy traces back to a February discussion between Timothée Chalamet and fellow actor Matthew McConaughey for Variety. During the conversation, the pair explored how modern entertainment competes with increasingly short attention spans.
McConaughey raised the issue first, asking, “In this day of shorter attention spans, vertical 12-second spots, are we losing attention?”
He pointed out that studios sometimes restructure movies to get to dramatic conflict faster, suggesting that audiences may struggle with slower storytelling.
Chalamet responded by noting that there is still strong demand for slower-paced cinema among younger viewers. However, he also reflected on how filmmakers often feel pressure to convince audiences to support certain types of projects.
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“It does take you having to wave a flag of, ‘Hey, this is a serious movie,’ or something, and some people do want to be entertained and quickly,” he said.
He added that he feels conflicted about the idea of campaigning for audiences to support certain genres.
Chalamet said, “I’m really right in the middle, Matthew. I admire people, and I’ve done it myself, who go on a talk show and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep movie theaters alive, we’ve gotta keep this genre alive,’ and another part of me feels like if people want to see it, like Barbie, like Oppenheimer, they’re going to go see it and go out of their way to be loud and proud about it.”
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Timothée Chalamet’s Opera And Ballet Comment Draws Criticism
The backlash erupted after Chalamet referenced classical performance arts as part of his explanation.
“I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera where it’s like, ‘Hey! Keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore.’”
He quickly tried to soften the remark, laughing as he added, “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I’m taking shots for no reason.”
Once the clip circulated online, performers from the opera and ballet world began responding publicly. Many felt the comment dismissed art forms that have endured for centuries and require intense discipline.
The Independent reported that opera singer Isabel Leonard was among the first to respond, sharing a lengthy critique.
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She wrote, “Honestly, I’m shocked that someone so seemingly successful can be so ineloquent and narrow-minded in his views about art while considering himself as artist as I would only imagine one would as an actor.”
She continued by arguing that artists should support one another rather than undermine different forms of creative expression.
Leonard added, “To take cheap shots at fellow artists says more in this interview than anything else he could say. Shows a lot about his character. You don’t have to like all art, but only a weak person/artist feels the need to diminish; in fact, the VERY arts that would inspire those who are interested in slowing down, to do exactly that.”
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Artists Defend Classical Art Forms
Other members of the classical arts community also voiced their disappointment.
Canadian mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny described Chalamet’s remarks as a “disappointing take,” stressing that artists across disciplines should work together to strengthen the arts rather than undermine them.
Visual artist Franz Szony went even further in criticizing the actor’s comments.
He said, “Two classical art forms that have been around for hundreds of years, both of which take a massive amount of talent and discipline, this man will never possess.”
He added, “Speaks volumes about his taste level for him to say this… also, saying ‘no disrespect’ after saying something disrespectful actually translates to ‘I disrespect art I don’t understand.’”
Members of the ballet world also stepped in to defend their craft. Choreographer Martin Chaix insisted the art form remains vibrant and culturally significant.
He said, “If anything, in a world where AI is reshaping cinema faster than most realise, the unmediated human presence of ballet and opera becomes more essential, not less. I hope he finds his way into a theatre.”
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Timothée Chalamet Debate Highlights Cultural Influence Of Opera And Ballet
Cultural institutions also weighed in on the broader conversation.
A spokesperson for the Royal Ballet and Opera emphasized that classical performance traditions have long influenced modern entertainment, including cinema.
“Ballet and opera have never existed in isolation – they have continually informed, inspired, and elevated other art forms,” the spokesperson said.
They added that the impact of these disciplines extends across numerous creative industries.
The statement concluded, “Their influence can be felt across theatre, film, contemporary music, fashion, and beyond. For centuries, these disciplines have shaped the way artists create, and audiences experience culture, and today millions of people around the world continue to enjoy and engage with them.”
Fans Join The Timothée Chalamet Backlash Online
The debate also spilled onto social media platforms, where fans expressed a wide range of opinions about the actor’s comments.
On Reddit, one frustrated user wrote, “He’s such a little twerp, he really lacks any self-awareness, and his ego is out of control. What kind of artist looks down on other art forms? Especially ones that require extensive training and dedication like ballet and the opera? With the way AI is going, he’s more likely to be out of a job before them! Ugh, I can’t stand him.”
Others defended the endurance of classical arts regardless of celebrity criticism. One commenter noted, “Ballet and opera outlived empires. I think they’ll survive this take.”
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Another user pointed out a personal connection to the art form, reminding readers that Chalamet’s “mom and sister were ballet dancers…”
Meanwhile, a fourth critic wrote, “My opinion of this dude dropped SO quickly the last year or so. I went from not really caring about him, but thinking he was pretty okay, to getting annoyed every time I see his face. He seems very egotistical, shallow, and entitled.”
As the online debate continues, the moment has sparked a wider conversation about the place of classical arts in modern culture and the responsibility artists have when discussing the creative work of others.
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Met Opera beefs with Timothée Chalamet after his controversial comment about the performing arts
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Chalamet drew criticism for suggesting that ballet and opera are disciplines that “no one cares about.”
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