Director Ally Pankiw has claimed she gave the new Harry Potter series the brush-off when the opportunity to direct an episode presented itself.

Ally has previously directed prolific TV shows like Feel Good and Black Mirror, and on Thursday, shared screenshots of what appeared to be a conversation between herself and a member of her team about US broadcaster HBO’s upcoming adaptation of JK Rowling’s children’s books.

“I have an instinct on the answer but I feel compelled to ask… Harry Potter? Hard no?” they ask, to which she apparently responded: “Absolutely fucking not! Lol (But thank you for asking).”

Fellow filmmaker Kate Herron – who directed the Disney+ series Loki, The Last Of Us for HBO and Netflix’s Sex Education – quickly popped up in the comments, agreeing: “Yeah thank you exactly! Respect and love to you Ally.

“They’ve asked me twice and I’ve had to explain my answer is never gonna change from a no.”

“It simply is this easy to say no to funding transphobia!” Ally also wrote in her post’s caption.

Since it was announced, the Harry Potter series has been met with scrutiny due to Rowling’s involvement in the project as an executive producer.

While Rowling has previously denied being transphobic, she has become a divisive figure in recent history thanks to her views and ongoing commentary on issues relating to transgender people.

This has included repeatedly and intentionally misgendering transgender public figures, as well as donating tens of thousands of pounds to the campaign group which raised the initial legal challenge that led to the UK Supreme Court’s ruling last year that the legal definition of a woman should include only those who were assigned female at birth.

After the ruling, she shared a celebratory post, depicting herself smoking a cigar on a yacht.

The new Harry Potter series will premiere later this year, with cast members including John Lithgow, Nick Frost and Bel Powley among those to already face questioning about Rowling.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Nicholas Hoult will be appearing in season two, prompting backlash from many of his fans.

Day-to-day, you’re rushing between meetings, battling a barrage of emails, and spilling crumbs from your wolfed-down lunch over the laptop you spend your break hovering near.

You might not take many, or any, sick days; though you’re stressed, your immune system seems to be playing ball.

But somehow, the second you get some rest – a well-earned holiday – your body seems to turn against you. You get a cold, or a sore throat, or the type of flu you never seem to experience while working.

If this – or something like it – sounds familiar, it turns out there’s a name for your experience. Professor Mark Schoen, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine, coined the term “the let-down effect” to describe negative health effects during conditions like these.

Here’s what Dr Mitra Dutt, Associate Medical Director of Clinical Innovation at Pharmacy2U, says about the phenomenon.

Basically, it’s when a break from stressful or very active periods of your life seems to negatively affect your physical or mental health. Prof Schoen said it could apply to everyone from athletes who’d just reached career high to recent retirees.

Dr Dutt said that “After long periods of pressure, the stress hormones that help to keep us going during these times begin to fall. So a sudden switch to relaxation, such as the start of the holiday, can make hidden illnesses or symptoms quickly start to appear.

“This can trigger things like migraines, increase inflammation and make viral infections, like colds, more noticeable.”

She added this might be more common among “those who are often under sustained pressure, whether that’s to do with their job, lifestyle or other factors such as caregiving responsibilities”.

One study has found that the “let-down effect” seemed to increase the chance of migraine among people who get them.

In his book, When Relaxation is Hazardous to Your Health, Prof Schoen also linked it to flare-ups in chronic conditions like psoriasis and chronic fatigue.

Some doctors think this may happen because stress changes how our immune system works, potentially making it less reactive to illness. And when it’s free to work as usual, it might shut down, leaving us vulnerable to infection.

Dr Dutt shared that “One of the best ways to reduce the risk of the let-down effect is to manage stress before it builds up”.

That can include taking steps like:

1. Having regular breaks,
2. Prioritising sleep, exercise, and a balanced diet,
3. Trying stress-management techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or mindfulness,
4. Tapering down activity rather than hitting the brakes fully: “stay gently active during the first few days of your holiday, rather than going straight from a hectic schedule to doing nothing,” advised the expert.

Tyga has responded after Doja Cat dragged him over his admission that he used AI to help produce his new album.

Earlier this week, Tyga came up in the conversation during a Twitch livestream Doja was holding with fans, during which she said: “Nobody asked me anything about Tyga, but I just felt like saying this. Tyga is a penis for making an AI album.”

In a subsequent interview with TMZ, Tyga laughed off Doja’s comment, claiming: “Listen, I love Doja, but she made a demonic album. But I still love her.”

The Ayo star released his new album under the moniker Starface at the end of July, taking inspiration from 80s synth music.

He later admitted to Vibe: “We definitely used AI as a [tool on the album]. And I know people are going to be mad about me saying this, but it’s where technology is going.”

“It’s no different than when autotune came out,” he insisted. “Some people were opposed to it, but real artists took it and used it.”

Tyga added: “We were like, ‘You know what? I need some ‘80 synths for a certain part of this song. I need a guitar solo done ASAP’. It is what it is.”

Since then, he’s been facing backlash over his use of AI – not least from the music outlet Pitchfork, who gave his album a rare 0.0 score while reviewing it.

“I don’t really know what Pitchfork is. All I know is the devil uses a pitchfork,” he told TMZ.

Turning his attention to the more general controversy surround his AI use, he claimed: “Unfortunately for Gen Z, they can’t read. Nobody reads. You know what I mean? What I said was that I used AI-assisted things in the production. I said that all the vocals are me, I wrote all the songs.

“When it comes to the 80s synths and some of the guitar solos, yes, I used AI for that. But I didn’t make a full AI album. That’s not what I did. I was in the studio for three months working on this.”

AI is an increasingly contentious issue across the entertainment industry, with artists like Madonna, Beyoncé and Ariana Grande among those to have spoken out against its increased usage.

The technology has proved to be just as divisive a subject among creatives in both television and cinema, and was a major contributing factor to the industry-wide Hollywood strikes of 2023.

Back in 1997, James Cameron brought the story of Titanic to the world stage. With a total running time of over three hours, the film was an epic, telling the story of the ship and using fictionalised characters to depict the wide range of passengers on the ship.

It was a real moment in movie history and one that many of us remember being a part of. I was only seven at the time and still distinctly remember the music and the magic of Titanic. Kate Winslet’s dresses, Leonardo Dicaprio’s 90’s curtain hair, the stunning interiors of the ship and of course, the politics woven throughout.

It is still celebrated to this day, almost 30 years later (sorry) because there hasn’t quite been a film like it since. However, the original pitch for the film is… not quite what you would likely expect.

Make no mistake, James Cameron is nothing if not a shipwreck obsessive. He is a famously passionate director and this film was no exception. In fact, he has released a book called Exploring the Deep, which provides his accounts of exploring the shipwreck.

According to Encyclopaedia Titanica: “Having undertaken more than thirty dives to the wreck of Titanic, acclaimed director James Cameron has probably gained more firsthand insight into the sinking of the ship than any person alive today.”

Speaking to Hollywood Insider, James said about the making of the film: “One of the best reference books at the time, was a beautiful book called The History of Titanic that was done by Ken Marshall and Don Lynch.

“Don Lynch was the history, Ken Marshall the preeminent artist. If you open that book in the middle… There’s a painting of the Titanic in the middle stages of its sinking, beautifully lit, lifeboats leaving, rockets going off, illuminating the night sky. It’s somber, it’s sad, it’s beautiful, it’s spectacular.”

Of course, we are all familiar with this image from the film itself but this was the very beginning of creating the film as James reveals that he spoke to an executive, opened the book on that dramatic page and said: “Romeo and Juliet… on that.”

That’s right, Romeo and Juliet, another story that brought Leo to the mainstream, heavily inspired the love story in Titanic.

Star-crossed lovers, forbidden relationships and a tragic ending… that checks out.

Britain is a “tinderbox” and it may be October before the country sees enough rain, Andy Burnham has warned.

The prime minister pleaded with people not to start fires outdoors after a number of homes in Stourbridge in the West Midlands burned down on Thursday.

Burnham also told Radio 5Live that he has called in the military and confirmed a ban on disposable barbecues in a bid to prevent more devastating wildfires.

He was speaking as he visited Stourbridge, where he saw “absolutely devastating” scenes.

Burnham said: “Whole homes have been randomly taken out by the fire and it’s quite an eerie sight to walk past a home that would have been a family hub just yesterday now completely gutted by fire. And I met one of the families whose home has been completely destroyed.

“You just can’t begin to imagine can what that must feel like, so I wanted to be on the ground to show my support to them today.”

Parts of England are currently in their fifth heatwave of the summer, with little or no rainfall seen in weeks.

However, he said he had been warned by experts at a meeting of the government’s Cobra committee this week that the UK could be hit by floods later in the year.

He said: “The Met Office says this dry period is possibly going to last until the end of September, going into October.

“Some rainfall but not as much as we need and then we’re heading straight into a very wet latter part of the year, where the risk of flooding will be maybe greater because of the dry ground conditions.”

The PM said he planned to commission firefighting planes, as used to douse flames in Europe and the US, to combat the spread of wildfires.

He added: “I would just say more broadly to everybody; these problems are far from over. We’re going into a difficult weekend. Please just think about the situation that we’re in.

“Britain is a tinderbox right now. Setting a fire in any outdoor setting of any kind is a risk to other people’s homes. It’s a risk to other people’s lives. Don’t do it. Please don’t do it.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Did you know that eating sugar-free chewing gum can help if you’re struggling with constipation?

Yep – doctors say the process “tricks your body into thinking it’s eating,” which helps to get things moving again.

Speaking of moving, chewing gum might have another purpose, too. Some research has found it could help to make our walks faster and more efficient.

A 2018 paper found that, compared to those who didn’t chew gum, people who tried the minty method while walking had higher heart rates, burned more energy, walked further, and strolled faster.

These results seemed especially strong among middle-aged and older people (men, in particular).

We don’t know exactly why chewing gum seemed to speed up people’s pace.

But the researchers wrote, “one possible mechanism is cardiac-locomotor synchronisation (CLS) or cardiac-locomotor coupling”.

CLS happens when a person’s heartbeat thumps in time with their steps, and vice versa. It’s a phenomenon which seems to be stronger in middle-aged and older people.

“Gum chewing increased the heart rate, and CLS possibly led to increases in the physical functions of walking distance and steps,” the study authors said.

A separate 2019 study found that people who chewed gum faster seemed to walk more quickly, too, “with increases or decreases in a person’s chewing rate leading to similar changes in their stepping rate (and hence walking speed)”.

They said that this change may happen as “the neural drive related to chewing entrains the muscles involved in the basic gait action of stepping”.

Yes. If you want to walk more quickly, swinging your arms seems to help, too.

Milica McDowell, a physical therapist and author of Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Longevity – One Step at a Time, told TIME that the movement turns your torso, bringing the rest of the body along with it.

“The arms are sort of like the conductor – they lead the rest of the coordination,” she said.

This week you might have seen a heartbreaking story being shared, in which a leading medical expert warned that three toddler deaths in the past two years in Australia had been linked to excessive cow’s milk consumption.

The young children had developed infections, but also had extreme iron deficiency anaemia, where a lack of iron in the body leads to a reduced number of red blood cells – the condition had been linked to them drinking too much cow’s milk.

Dr Sally Campbell, a haematologist at Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) told ABC: “They were drinking more than one litre of cow’s milk per day. This resulted in them developing extreme iron deficiency anaemia and, sadly, dying.

“They had a virus or something else that tipped them over the edge, but the cause of their severe iron deficiency anaemia was from excess cow’s milk.”

She added that a virus can be “life-threatening when you’ve got a chronic anaemic state” as “the ability of your body to cope, when you have a quarter of the amount of red blood cells that you should have, deteriorates”.

Similar cases have occurred in the UK, too. Reports suggest Anaya Khaanan, who was almost two, died after developing severe anaemia caused by a predominantly milk-based diet.

It’s certainly an issue doctors are seeing – albeit a rare one.

Dr Arindam Das, a paediatrician verified on the healthcare review platform Doctify, told HuffPost UK he recently helped a toddler with a significant nutritional complication associated with excessive milk consumption.

The child experienced swelling, rather than the more typical symptoms like tiredness or pallor that are usually associated with anaemia. Dr Das said they had “severe iron deficiency anaemia together with a low blood albumin level in the context of excessive milk consumption”.

“This is a recognised but relatively unusual complication,” he added.

It’s understandable that you might have been left worried about how much milk your child is consuming, and whether they’re getting the right nutrients more broadly, but Dr Asiya Maula, private GP at The Health Suite, said “parents should not conclude that cow’s milk itself is dangerous”.

The issue is when cow’s milk is drunk in excess, replacing meals and crucial nutrients.

“From the age of one, it is a valuable source of protein, calcium and vitamin A,” Dr Maula told HuffPost UK. “The concern is when a toddler drinks so much that it repeatedly replaces meals and iron-rich foods.

“Cow’s milk contains very little iron and is extremely filling. A child who fills up on milk may have little appetite left for foods such as meat, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, green vegetables and fortified cereals.

“Over time, that can leave them short of the iron needed to produce healthy red blood cells.”

A Perth-based study of 10,000 women and their babies found that, by age three, more than 56% of children had low iron, with almost 20% having very low iron and 2.6% suffering with severe iron deficiency anaemia.

In the UK, severe cases are uncommon, Dr Das said, but they can be “significant”.

Babies under 12 months should not have cow’s milk as their main drink, said Dr Maula.

“Breast milk or suitable infant formula should remain their main milk source, although cow’s milk can be used in cooking from around six months,” she explained.

“From the age of one, NHS advice is to offer around 350ml of milk a day, or roughly two portions of dairy foods such as yoghurt and cheese.

“If a toddler is routinely drinking well over 500ml of cow’s milk a day, particularly instead of meals, it is worth discussing this with a health visitor, GP or dietitian,” added the GP.

Iron deficiency can, initially, be quite subtle. “Parents might notice their child becoming unusually pale, tired, irritable or lacking in energy,” said Dr Das.

“They may have a poorer appetite or be less interested in their usual activities.”

When anaemia becomes more significant, it can start to cause breathlessness, a fast heartbeat, difficulties with concentrating, poor growth or unusual cravings for non-food substances, he added.

And, in the case of the toddler he recently treated, “although it is much less common, new unexplained swelling around the eyes, feet or abdomen should always prompt medical assessment, rather than simply being assumed to be dietary”.

As iron supports normal immune function, severe iron deficiency anaemia can leave a child less resilient when illness strikes. Dr Maula notes recurrent infections have many possible causes and do not automatically mean iron deficiency – but it’s certainly worth getting checked out.

First of all, don’t panic – and there’s no need to suddenly eliminate cow’s milk either, the doctors stressed.

“For most children over one, milk is a healthy and useful part of their diet,” said Dr Das. “If a toddler is drinking excessive amounts, I would gradually reduce this and offer milk at defined times, such as with meals, rather than allowing them to continually fill up on it.”

If your child is thirsty between meals, water is the best drink to offer them. Dr Maula also advised moving away from using baby bottles, where age-appropriate.

Offer plenty of iron-rich foods throughout the week. The NHS lists red meat, beans (ie. chickpeas and kidney beans), nuts, dried fruit, fortified cereals and soy bean flour as being good sources of iron.

Dr Maula recommended combining plant-based sources such as beans, lentils or fortified cereals with vitamin C-rich foods, which help the body absorb iron.

She warned against offering iron supplements without medical advice, as too much can be harmful, and added: “If there are symptoms, feeding concerns or a very restricted diet, speak to a GP, who can arrange a blood test if appropriate.”

Urgent help should be sought if a child is unusually drowsy, very breathless, collapses, has blue or grey lips or appears acutely unwell.

Dr Das concluded: “The message I would give parents is: milk is good, but more milk is not necessarily better. It should complement a varied diet, not replace it.”

Ryan Murphy’s new series The Shards brings Bret Easton Ellis’ semi-autobiographical thriller to life in a new, seductive drama.

The show is set at a 1980s elite Los Angeles prep school and follows a fictionalised version of the author in his younger years.

His cliquey, privileged high school social group is thrown into turmoil when a mysterious new student arrives at the same time that a serial killer known as The Trawler starts to stalk his beloved city.

True to form for a Ryan Murphy production, the cast is made up of regular collaborators, rising stars and nepo babies.

For those who are already hooked on The Shards, here’s where you’ve seen the cast before…

Igby takes the lead as author Bret Easton Ellis, in this adaptation of his 2023 semi-fictional novel.

Before being cast in The Shards, the actor was best known for appearing in Mike Flanagan’s spooky Netflix shows, having starred as altar boy Warren Flynn in Midnight Mass, leukaemia patient Kevin in The Midnight Club and Camile’s assistant Toby in The Fall Of The House Of Usher.

His other credits include playing Kevin in the comedy The Sex Lives Of College Girls, Dr. Scott Marcus in Grey’s Anatomy and a friend of one of the survivors in Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy.

Kaia Gerber is one of the aforementioned nepo babies involved in The Shards. While once known as simply the daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, Kaia is now a star in her own right.

As an actor, Kaia has appeared in the films Bottoms with Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott and Outcome with Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz, as well as Mother Mary alongside Anne Hathaway earlier this year.

On TV, she has a recurring role in the Apple TV+ comedy Palm Royale as optimistic manicurist Mitzi, appeared in the comedy Overcompensating as campus queen bee and played herself in Hacks.

The Shards is not her first Ryan Murphy project, either.

Kaia previously played the bloodthirsty ghost Ruby in 2021’s American Horror Stories and pre-med student Kendall in American Horror Story: Double Feature.

Since Kaia shares more than a resemblance to her gorgeous supermodel mother, she has also modelled in print and on the runway for the likes of Versace, Calvin Klein and Jimmy Choo.

As the surname indicates, Homer is the son of Pretty Woman star Richard Gere and his second wife, Licence To Kill actor Carey Lowell.

Richard was previously married to Cindy Crawford in the early 1990s, so audiences are loving watching the two A-listers’ kids sharing the screen together over 30 on.

The Shards marks Homer’s first leading role, although he did have a small part in the third series of Euphoria.

He appeared in the Zendaya-led show as Dylan Reid, the fictional heartthrob who stars in L.A. Nights, and later becomes romantically linked to Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie.

Evan Rachel Wood is a Golden Globe nominee who has consistently been working in Hollywood since the age of nine.

As a kid, she starred in Practical Magic with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, before her breakout in 2003’s teen drama Thirteen.

Best known for her work in indie cinema, Evan’s film credits include the Ryan Murphy-directed Running With Scissors, The Beatles musical Across The Universe and the Oscar-nominated The Wrestler.

Her most high-profile TV gigs include playing vampiric Sophie-Anne Leclerq in True Blood and android host Delores across all four seasons of Westworld.

Evan has also appeared in numerous music videos, most famously Green Day’s Wake Me Up When September Ends alongside her ex-husband Jamie Bell.

Wes Bentley is best known for his Bafta-nominated role as the plastic bag-watching Ricky in American Beauty, as well as playing Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane in The Hunger Games and, more recently, lawyer Jamie Dutton in Yellowstone.

He has also had roles as Legion in Ghost Rider, geographer Doyle in Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi Interstellar and Julia’s now-husband Erik in Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

Wes frequently works with Ryan Murphy and has guest-starred in three seasons of American Horror Story. He appeared in Freakshow as the man with two faces, Edward Mordrake, in Hotel as Detective John Lowe and in Roanoke as actor Dylan Conrad.

You may recognise Owen Painter for playing Pugsey’s pet zombie Slurp, who is secretly the brilliant former Nevermore student, Isaac Night, in the Netflix series Wednesday. You may also know him for his work in the fifth season of The Handmaid’s Tale as Jaden, a young Guardian serving in a Gileadean border region to Canada.

Owen also had a recurring role in the comedy-drama Tiny Beautiful Things, as a younger version of Nick Stahl’s character, Lucas.

The Shards marks a rare acting role for Jordan Roth, who is primarily known as a seven-time Tony Award-winning theatre producer who has worked on shows like Hadestown, Moulin Rouge!, Kinky Boots, and Angels in America.

However, his previous acting work has included playing himself in the TV musical series Smash, as well as appearing as a Broadway correspondent for various TV news and print outlets.

An avid art and fashion collector, Jordan has also walked the runway for the likes of Thom Browne and has appeared in Vogue and L’Officiel.

The Shards marks the first acting role for pop star Hayes Warner.

Hayes’ career gained momentum in 2024 when her brutally-honest revenge song Breadcrumbs went viral on TikTok.

Since then, her other pop-rock hits have included Predator, Oh! and Ziz, and she has racked up 50,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and over a million views on YouTube.

Although The Shards is Daniel Dale’s most high-profile role to date, he may well be a recognisable face to fans of several Apple TV+ dramas.

He starred in the first series of Your Friends & Neighbours as Tori’s boyfriend Dale, and in Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed as camboy Sky.

Before landing those Apple TV+ dramas, Daniel had minor roles in The Good Wife spin-off Elsbeth and the forgotten Kyle Mooney horror-comedy Y2K, which also starred Rachel Zegler and Jaeden Martell.

The Shards marks the second time Gus has worked on a Ryan Murphy project this year after a guest appearance in The Beauty.

Gus found fame when he portrayed convicted murderer Erik Menendez in the miniseries Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (a separate project to Ryan Murphy’s own controversial Netflix miniseries Monster, which focused on the Menendez brothers).

On the big screen, he has had minor roles in the action thriller Cold Pursuit starring Liam Neeson, the Paul Feig-produced Holler and the biopic Rustin, for which Colman Domingo earned an Oscar nomination for his work as the civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.

Comedian and actor Ivy Wolk became known during the pandemic for her provocative online content, which frequently ruffled feathers.

After making a name for herself online, her first notable on-screen role came in 2022, when she was cast in the Judd Apatow comedy The Bubble. She followed this with roles in Tim Robinson’s comedy Friendship, the motherhood drama If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and Anora, which won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Mikey Madison.

As for her TV work she appeared in the Disney+ comedy English Teacher as a sardonic student, and in crime comedy Deli Boys as the kidnapped daughter of a casino boss.

The Shards is currently streaming on Disney+ with new episodes dropping weekly