Celebrities – Winnipeg Free Press

Author David Szalay poses with his book 'Flesh' as he arrives for the Booker Prize 2025 ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Canadian-born author David Szalay wins Booker Prize for ‘Flesh’

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:35 PM CST

Canadian-born author David Szalay had his eye on the Booker Prize from the very early days of his latest novel, he said on stage Monday night.

He recalled a conversation with his editor Hannah Westland in which they debated the book's title. She wondered aloud "whether she could imagine a novel called 'Flesh' winning" the prestigious literary award.

"Hannah, you have your answer, I guess," he said as he accepted the prize.

"Flesh" tells the story of an emotionally detached Hungarian man who climbs England's socioeconomic ladder after serving in Iraq.

Advertise With Us

Weather

Nov. 11, 6 AM: 0°c Cloudy with wind Nov. 11, 12 PM: 2°c Cloudy with wind

Winnipeg MB

-1°C, Cloudy with wind

Full Forecast

The Guess Who announce Canadian tour to mark end to legal dispute over band name

Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

The Guess Who announce Canadian tour to mark end to legal dispute over band name

Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:08 PM CST

Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman are hitting the road as the Guess Who for the first time in 23 years.

The rock veterans have announced a 2026 Canadian tour they say will be their first under the band name since settling a trademark dispute with former group members.

The legal spat had forced the duo to perform Guess Who hits such as "American Woman" and "These Eyes" as Bachman-Cummings instead.

Bachman and Cummings said in September 2024 that they had settled their lawsuit with Jim Kale and Garry Peterson and had acquired the trademark for the band name.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 7:08 PM CST

Randy Bachman, left, and Burton Cummings perform in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - The Guess Who

Protesters in Nigeria disrupt opening of major West African art museum

Ope Adetayo, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Protesters in Nigeria disrupt opening of major West African art museum

Ope Adetayo, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:05 AM CST

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Protesters in Nigeria have disrupted this week's opening of a major museum of West African art, where local disputes over the world-renowned Benin Bronzes have already kept them from being put on display.

Videos circulating online show more than a dozen young people on Sunday evening rushing the grounds of the multi-million-dollar Museum of West African Art in Benin City, the seat of a famous pre-colonial empire.

The demonstrators asserted that the museum's opening is a violation of Benin City's cultural heritage, which falls under the authority of its traditional ruler. They chanted in support of that ruler, the Oba of Benin. Guests including foreigners were whisked away from Sunday's soft opening. No one was reported hurt.

The museum had been meant to officially open on Tuesday. After Sunday’s incident, the museum asked the public to postpone plans to visit until the situation is clarified.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 8:05 AM CST

FILE - Benin bronzes looted in the past and returned to Nigeria are examined during a handing over ceremony in Lagos Nigeria, Saturday June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, file)

‘You have to adapt’: Punk rock concerts, wrestling events keep Calgary legion afloat

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

‘You have to adapt’: Punk rock concerts, wrestling events keep Calgary legion afloat

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:04 AM CST

CALGARY - Phil MacAulay has been a member of the Royal Canadian Legion for the past 50 years, and even he's surprised at the measures his local branch has taken to keep the 103-year-old building alive.

The Calgary No. 1 Branch, nestled among towering downtown office buildings along the busy light rail track, predates the legion itself.

It opened in 1922 as the Great War Veterans Association. It became the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League in 1925 then a branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in 1961.

The legion will mark its 100th anniversary next year.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 9:04 AM CST

Royal Canadian Legion Calgary No. 1 Branch president Phil MacAulay is interviewed at the legion hall in Calgary, on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Black hat worn by the Wicked Witch of the West in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is going up for auction

Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Black hat worn by the Wicked Witch of the West in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is going up for auction

Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press 3 minute read Yesterday at 7:10 AM CST

Just in time for the theatrical release of “Wicked: For Good,” fans will get a chance to own memorabilia from the 1939 original film, “The Wizard of Oz,” and one item is especially witchy.

Heritage Auctions is putting an iconic black hat that Margaret Hamilton wore as the Wicked Witch of the West up for sale. The wool hat is quite large, measuring nearly 14-inches high with a 19.5-inch diameter brim. It also has a 22-inch elastic chin strap worn by Hamilton during flying scenes to keep it secure.

Designed by costume designer Adrian Adolph Greenburg, who went by Gilbert Adrian professionally, the hat was put to use after filming began because the one originally chosen didn't appear scary enough.

“When Dorothy Gale becomes Dorothy of Oz, it’s when she puts on the ruby slippers,” said Joe Maddalena, EVP of Heritage Auctions. “When the Wicked Witch becomes the Wicked Witch, she puts on the hat. So it’s this transformational moment of the birth of the witch. I think the importance of the hat is just incredible. It’s on par with the slippers.”

Read

Yesterday at 7:10 AM CST

This image released by Heritage Auctions shows the hat worn by Margaret Hamilton in

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Nov. 16-22 includes Pete Davidson and Maggie Gyllenhaal

The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Nov. 16-22 includes Pete Davidson and Maggie Gyllenhaal

The Associated Press 7 minute read Yesterday at 9:42 AM CST

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Nov. 16-22:

Nov. 16: Actor Joanna Pettet (“Knots Landing”) is 83. Actor Steve Railsback is 80. Actor David Leisure (“Empty Nest”) is 75. Actor Miguel Sandoval (“Medium”) is 74. Actor Marg Helgenberger (“CSI”) is 67. Country singer-guitarist Keith Burns of Trick Pony is 62. Jazz singer Diana Krall is 61. Actor Harry Lennix (“The Blacklist”) is 61. Guitarist Dave Kushner of Velvet Revolver is 59. Actor Lisa Bonet is 58. Actor Tammy Lauren (“Wanda at Large,” ″Martial Law”) is 57. Singer Bryan Abrams of Color Me Badd is 56. Actor Martha Plimpton is 55. Actor Michael Irby (“Barry,” “The Unit”) is 53. Actor Missi Pyle (“Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” “Dodgeball”) is 53. Actor Maggie Gyllenhaal is 48. Singer Trevor Penick (O-Town) is 46. Actor Kimberly J. Brown (“Halloweentown”) is 41. Singer Siva Kaneswaran of The Wanted is 37. Comedian Pete Davidson (“Saturday Night Live”) is 32. Actor Casey Moss (“Days of Our Lives”) is 32. Actor Noah Gray-Cabey (“Heroes,” ″My Wife and Kids”) is 30.

Nov. 17: Singer-songwriter Bob Gaudio of The Four Seasons is 84. Movie director Martin Scorsese is 83. Actor Lauren Hutton is 82. Actor-director Danny DeVito is 81. “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels is 81. Actor Stephen Root (“King of the Hill,” ″NewsRadio”) is 74. Actor Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is 67. Actor William Moses is 66. Entertainer RuPaul is 65. Musician Joey Williams of The Blind Boys of Alabama is 63. Actor Dylan Walsh (“Nip/Tuck,” ″Brooklyn Bridge”) is 62. Actor-model Daisy Fuentes is 59. Actor Sophie Marceau (“Braveheart”) is 59. Singer Ronnie DeVoe of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe is 58. Keyboardist Ben Wilson of Blues Traveler is 58. Actor David Ramsey (“Arrow,” “Blue Bloods”) is 54. Actor Leslie Bibb (Film’s “Iron Man,” TV’s ″Popular”) is 52. Actor Brandon Call (“Step By Step”) is 49. Country singer Aaron Lines is 48. Actor Rachel McAdams (“Wedding Crashers,” “The Notebook”) is 47. Guitarist Isaac Hanson of Hanson is 45. Actor Justin Cooper (“Liar, Liar”) is 37. Bassist Reid Perry of The Band Perry is 37. Actor-singer Raquel Castro (“Jersey Girl”) is 31.

Nov. 18: Actor Brenda Vaccaro is 86. Actor Linda Evans (“Dynasty”) is 83. Actor Susan Sullivan is 83. Country singer Jacky Ward is 79. Actor Jameson Parker (“Simon and Simon”) is 78. Actor-singer Andrea Marcovicci is 77. Singer Graham Parker is 75. Actor Delroy Lindo (“The Good Fight”) is 73. Comedian Kevin Nealon is 72. Actor Oscar Nunez (“The Office”) is 67. Actor Elizabeth Perkins is 65. Singer Kim Wilde is 65. Actor Tim Guinee (“Iron Man,” “Elementary”) is 63. Guitarist Kirk Hammett of Metallica is 63. Singer Tim DeLaughter of Polyphonic Spree (and Tripping Daisy) is 60. Actor Romany Malco (“A Million Little Things,” “Weeds”) is 57. Actor Owen Wilson is 57. Actor Dan Bakkedahl (“Life in Pieces,” ″The Mindy Project”) is 57. Singer-Broadway composer Duncan Sheik is 56. Actor Mike Epps is 55. Actor Peta Wilson (“La Femme Nikita”) is 55. Actor Chloe Sevigny (“Big Love,” ″Boys Don’t Cry”) is 51. Actor Steven Pasquale (“The Good Wife”) is 49. Rapper Fabolous is 48. Actor-director Nate Parker (“Birth of a Nation”) is 46. Rapper Mike Jones is 45. Actor Mekia Cox (“Secrets and Lies”) is 44. Actor-comedian Nasim Pedrad (“Scream Queens,” ″Saturday Night Live”) is 44. Actor Christina Vidal (TV’s “Grand Hotel”) is 44. Actor Damon Wayans Jr. (“Poppa’s House”) is 43. Singer TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne is 41. “Project Runway” winner and designer Christian Siriano is 40. Actor Nathan Kress (“iCarly”) is 33.

Read

Yesterday at 9:42 AM CST

Actor and comedian Pete Davidson attends the second half of an NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Musicians march through Venice after La Fenice names music director with ties to Meloni

Colleen Barry, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Musicians march through Venice after La Fenice names music director with ties to Meloni

Colleen Barry, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:19 PM CST

VENICE, Italy (AP) — The storied Venetian opera house La Fenice is locked in an escalating dispute with its workers over the appointment of a young and telegenic music director with ties to Premier Giorgia Meloni but none with the musicians with whom she has been hired to construct the theater’s musical future.

On Monday, musicians, singers and backstage hands marched through Venice with workers from other Italian opera houses, including Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, Verona’s Arena and Turin’s Regio Teatro. They were joined by season-ticket holders, music students and Venetians worried about the future of artistic independence at La Fenice — and across Italy.

What began as a labor protest over a lack of transparency in the Sept. 22 appointment of 35-year-old Beatrice Venezi has evolved into a wider protest reflecting concerns that Meloni's far-right-led government intends to exert artistic control over all of Italy's 14 opera houses.

In the month and a half since La Fenice announced Venezi’s appointment, effective next October, striking workers forced the cancellation of an opera premiere and unions have called for the resignation of La Fenice's general manager, Nicola Colabianchi, who made the appointment.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 4:19 PM CST

FILE - Beatrice Venezi poses for photographers on the red carpet for the film 'The Smashing Machine' during the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP, File)

Learn more about Advertising solutions

Calgary’s Nattie Neidhart hopes to inspire with memoir ‘The Last Hart Beating’

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Calgary’s Nattie Neidhart hopes to inspire with memoir ‘The Last Hart Beating’

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 3:08 PM CST

TORONTO - Nattie Neidhart has been a hero and a villain in the wrestling ring but now she wants to be an inspiration.

That's why she wrote "The Last Hart Beating," a memoir about her life as the daughter of Hall of Fame wrestler Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart and about her own ongoing career as a two-time singles champion in World Wrestling Entertainment. She said that she wrote the book so it would be accessible to serious wrestling fans and newbies alike because she hoped that readers would see themselves in her story.

"I want people to look at themselves in the mirror, whether they like wrestling, they understand it," said Neidhart in a downtown Toronto office. "Whatever it is that they're aspiring to be in their life, I want them to ask themselves, if you've got a dream and you chase it with every single thing that you have, then why not you? Why can't you?

"There's so many people in the world with half of our talent, half of our ability, half of our work ethic, that are just chasing their dreams because they have the courage to do it. They've got the balls to do it."

Read

Yesterday at 3:08 PM CST

Nattie Neidhart poses with her husband TJ Wilson, formerly known as the wrestler Tyson Kidd, in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Nattie Neidhart (mandatory credit)

Everything you need to know about the 2025 Latin Grammy Awards. Here’s how to watch

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Everything you need to know about the 2025 Latin Grammy Awards. Here’s how to watch

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 5 minute read Yesterday at 2:33 PM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — The 2025 Latin Grammy Awards are right around the corner, which means it is time to get those viewing party plans in action. Allow us to help.

Here’s what you need to know about watching the 2025 Latin Grammys, including how to stream and where you can see music’s biggest stars walking the red carpet.

When do the Latin Grammys start and how can I watch?

The 26th annual Latin Grammy Awards return to Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena on Nov. 13. Last year's ceremony was held in Miami, when the Latin Recording Academy is headquartered.

Read

Yesterday at 2:33 PM CST

FILE - Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio (aka Bad Bunny) appears at the premiere of

‘Trailer Park Boys’ actor Mike Smith arraigned on sexual assault charge

Emily Baron Cadloff, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

‘Trailer Park Boys’ actor Mike Smith arraigned on sexual assault charge

Emily Baron Cadloff, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:43 PM CST

HALIFAX - Mike Smith, best known for playing Bubbles on the long-running comedy "The Trailer Park Boys," was arraigned on Monday in Halifax provincial court on a sexual assault charge.

Smith appeared in court through his lawyer Stan MacDonald.

“This is an allegation at this point. It hasn’t been proven. It’ll be tried in court, it won’t be tried in the media,” MacDonald said in a short declaration to reporters outside the courtroom.

“In the meantime, we ask that the privacy of everyone involved be respected.”

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 5:43 PM CST

Mike Smith, the actor behind the character Bubbles from the

Five things to know about Trailer Park Boys

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Five things to know about Trailer Park Boys

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 3:20 PM CST

HALIFAX - Mike Smith, an actor, writer and producer of the long-running comedy Trailer Park Boys, was arraigned in Nova Scotia provincial court Monday on a sexual assault charge.

The allegations against Smith have not been tested in court.

Here are five things you need to know:

WHO IS MIKE SMITH – Smith, 53, is best known for playing Bubbles on the television show “Trailer Park Boys.” Born near New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, he has won a Canadian Comedy Award and two Gemini Awards for his work on the show.

Read

Yesterday at 3:20 PM CST

The Trailer Park Boys John Paul Tremblay, as Julian, left, Mike Smith, as Bubbles, centre, and Robb Wells, as Ricky, right, pose for a photograph in Toronto on Thursday, November 27, 2008. The Trailer Park Boys end their TV series next month after eight years of illicit shenanigans. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Writer David Szalay wins prestigious Booker Prize for fiction with his earthy novel ‘Flesh’

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Writer David Szalay wins prestigious Booker Prize for fiction with his earthy novel ‘Flesh’

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:03 PM CST

LONDON (AP) — Canadian-Hungarian-British writer David Szalay won the Booker Prize for fiction on Monday for “Flesh,” the story of one man's life from working-class origins in Hungary to mega-wealth in Britain, in which what isn’t on the page is just as important as what is.

Szalay, 51, beat five other finalists, including favorites Andrew Miller of Britain and Indian author Kiran Desai, to take the coveted literary award, which brings a 50,000-pound ($66,000) payday and a big boost to the winner’s sales and profile.

He was chosen from 153 submitted novels by a judging panel that included Irish writer Roddy Doyle and “Sex and the City” star Sarah Jessica Parker.

Doyle said “Flesh” — a book “about living, and the strangeness of living” — emerged as the judges’ unanimous choice after a five-hour meeting.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 8:03 PM CST

The 6 shortlisted authors pose for photographs during a photocall for the Booker Prize, in London, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Upcoming Kahlo auction could fetch up to $60 million. Mexican art historians explain why

Berenice Bautista, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Upcoming Kahlo auction could fetch up to $60 million. Mexican art historians explain why

Berenice Bautista, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:17 PM CST

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Frida Kahlo’s “El sueño (La cama)” — in English, “The Dream (The Bed)” — is causing a stir among art historians as its estimated $40 million to $60 million price tag would make it the most expensive work by any female or Latin American artist when it goes to auction later this month.

Sotheby’s auction house will put the painting up for sale on Nov. 20 in New York after exhibiting it in London, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Paris.

“This is a moment of a lot of speculation,” said Mexican art historian Helena Chávez Mac Gregor, a researcher at UNAM’s Institute of Aesthetic Research and author of “El listón y la bomba. El arte de Frida Kahlo (The Ribbon and the Bomb. The Art of Frida Kahlo)."

In Mexico, Kahlo’s work is protected by a declaration of artistic monument, meaning pieces within the country cannot be sold or destroyed. However, works from private collections abroad — like the painting in question, whose owner remains unrevealed — are legally eligible for international sale.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 2:17 PM CST

How Gary Sinise is helping the nonprofit CreatiVets build ‘a place to go when the PTSD hits’

Glenn Gamboa, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

How Gary Sinise is helping the nonprofit CreatiVets build ‘a place to go when the PTSD hits’

Glenn Gamboa, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:33 AM CST

NASHVILLE (AP) — Richard Casper shakes his head as he touches one of the boarded-up windows in the once-abandoned church he plans to transform into a new 24-hour arts center for veterans.

The U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient said he was an arm’s length away from military officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at Marine Barracks Washington when he learned the former church his nonprofit CreatiVets just purchased had been vandalized.

The physical damage to the building and its stained glass windows saddened Casper. But what worried him more was that the church had remained empty since 2017 without damage. That vandalism came just weeks after CreatiVets bought it, suggesting that maybe he and the veterans in his program were not welcome.

“I almost just left,” Casper said. “It put me in a weird headspace.”

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 9:33 AM CST

Army veteran Clay Jensen, left, talks about events in his military career as songwriter Brian White, right, puts them into lyrics as they work in a dressing room in the Grand Ole Opry House as part of the CreatiVets program on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

At 101, WWII veteran Irving Locker has become a songwriter

Glenn Gamboa, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

At 101, WWII veteran Irving Locker has become a songwriter

Glenn Gamboa, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:21 PM CST

NASHVILLE (AP) — In a life filled with milestones, Irving Locker celebrated a new, unexpected one last week: He became a published songwriter.

One day before his 101st birthday, “If Freedom Was Free” was released by Big Machine Label Group and CreatiVets, the Nashville-based nonprofit that helps veterans work through their traumas by building something new through the arts.

CreatiVets teamed Locker, a World War II veteran who landed at Utah Beach on D-Day, with veteran mentor Bart Crowe and duo Johnny and Heidi Bulford, who also sing on the track. The chorus – “If freedom was free, there wouldn’t be a mountain of metal and men under Normandy” – includes the message Locker has used in lectures from classrooms to the White House. Freedom, he says, is not free. People should be thankful for it and for those who make it possible.

“I have to talk about things like that,” he says. “I got nothing to gain. But people have to know and appreciate the fact that they’re living because of men who died. It comes from the heart, not the lips.”

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 3:21 PM CST

Irving Locker, a 101-year-old veteran of World War II, D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, listens as Jesse Wayne Taylor, left, records a song based on Locker's military experience on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Theater Review: ‘The Queen of Versailles’ with Kristin Chenoweth gets lost in a Hall of Mirrors

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Theater Review: ‘The Queen of Versailles’ with Kristin Chenoweth gets lost in a Hall of Mirrors

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 5 minute read Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — For much of the new Broadway show, “The Queen of Versailles,” the set is covered in tarps and slipcovers. That's fitting for a musical that ultimately seems still under construction.

It's based on a 2012 documentary film about the quixotic attempt to build the largest private home in America and despite reuniting star Kristin Chenoweth with her “Wicked” songwriter Stephen Schwartz, there's an unfinished feel, like some spackling and sanding is desperately needed.

“The Queen of Versailles,” which opened Sunday night at the St. James Theatre, doesn't really know why socialite Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel is so dogged in completing an American replica of Versailles in Orlando, Florida, despite recession and personal tragedy.

Lindsey Ferrentino's story waffles between ridicule and championing Siegel's pie-in-the-sky vision, failing at biting satire and ultimately losing a chance to say something about wealth inequality as America flirts with economic disaster again. “I don’t know if they’re laughing with us or at us,” says a niece, summing up the whole audience experience.

Read

Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025

November 11, 2025

Notification Settings

Breaking News

Recommended Reads