Michael Douglas was degraded by ‘Wall Street’ director before Oscar win
Michael Douglas has revealed that his now Oscar-winning performance in Wall Street almost came apart early on after director Oliver Stone openly questioned his acting during filming.
Speaking at the recent TCM Classic Film Festival in New York City, Douglas recalled a tense moment just two weeks into production on the 1987 film when Stone paid an unexpected visit to his trailer.
“Okay, so we were finishing the second week of filming, and there was a knock on my door. ‘Hey Mike, it’s s Oliver. Can I come in?’” Douglas said. What followed, he admitted, caught him completely off guard.
Once inside, Stone asked if he was alright before bluntly questioning whether Douglas was taking drugs.
Douglas told the audience that he denied it, only for the director to deliver a cutting assessment of his work. “Because you look like you’ve never acted before in your life,” Stone told him.
At the time, Douglas explained, he hadn’t been reviewing the daily footage of his scenes, something he typically avoids.
He told Stone he doesn’t watch dailies because he tends to focus on flaws and what might not make the final cut.
Still, the exchange forced him to reconsider. “So I said, ‘I guess I’d better take a look,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, you better,’” Douglas recalled.
After reviewing the footage more closely once filming resumed, Douglas felt reassured rather than alarmed. He said the performances looked solid and repeatedly told Stone he believed the work was strong.
Eventually, the director came around and agreed with his leading man.
Douglas went on to portray Gordon Gekko, the ruthless corporate raider at the centre of Wall Street, opposite Charlie Sheen and Daryl Hannah.
Looking back, Douglas said he never took Stone’s harsh words personally, believing they were part of the director’s process.
“He was willing for me to hate his guts for the rest of this movie to get that extra little push,” Douglas said. He added that Stone’s history with actors speaks for itself and credited him for pushing the performance further.
“So I’m deeply, deeply appreciative of the fact that it gave me part and the fact that he pushed me to another level.”
The result was career-defining.
Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role, along with a Golden Globe and the National Board of Review’s top acting prize.
He later returned as Gekko in Stone’s 2010 sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
What began as a moment of doubt and degradation ultimately became one of the most celebrated performances of Douglas’ career, proving that even an Oscar-winning role can start with a door knock and a brutal reality check.
‘My dog’s name is Benito:’ Jennifer Grey reveals naming dog after Bad Bunny
Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl halftime show is over. But its ripple effect is on a fever pitch as the Latin singer’s show moved people in different ways.
Jennifer Grey, the star of Dirty Dancing, illustrates this example. The Puerto Rican musician’s performance so inspired her that she named her dog after him.
“I first laid on @badbunnypr in 2022. Suffice it to say…I was shooketh. Then 10 days ago, this little guy showed up and has stolen my heart,” she pens on Instagram, uploading a picture with Bunny.
The star continues, “Please meet Benito, a name inspired by the miraculous and soulful #BenitoBowl, a powerful exaltation of love unity and joy #BenitoBowl #loveismorepowerfulthanhate.”
In the meantime, Grey, best known for portraying Frances “Baby” Houseman in Dirty Dancing, is set to star in the film’s sequel, but Lionsgate delayed the release date due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes.
Regarding the theatrical release, Grey previously said, “I can’t tell you much about Dirty Dancing as I’m not going to make promises. I’m just waiting for them to really nail it down as it has to be right.”
It is worth noting that Dirty Dancing, released in 1987, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the film’s track I’ve Had.
A daily cup of tea or coffee could offer more than just a comforting start to the day, with new research suggesting a link between regular consumption and a reduced risk of dementia.
A large new study found that those who regularly consumed caffeinated versions of these popular hot drinks also exhibit better mental skills compared to individuals who abstain.
The comprehensive research, conducted by experts at Harvard University, analysed data from 131,000 health workers in the US.
These participants, comprising 86,000 female nurses and 45 male health professionals, were tracked for an average of 43 years.
Researchers were also able to identify specific daily consumption levels associated with this decreased dementia risk.
Questionnaires about their diet were completed every two to four years, including questions about caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea consumption.
Cognitive tests were also performed.
Researchers were also able to identify specific daily consumption levels associated with this decreased dementia risk (Alamy/PA)
During the follow-up period, 11,033 cases of dementia were identified.
Analysis suggested that higher caffeinated coffee intake was significantly associated with lower dementia risk – those who drunk the highest amount of coffee compared to the lowest appeared to have an 18% reduced risk of dementia.
People who drank the most tea appeared to have a 16% reduced risk.
Those who consumed the most tea and coffee also showed a slower rate of cognitive decline compared to those who drank the least.
Among the nurses, higher caffeinated coffee consumption was also associated with better objective cognitive performance.
Higher intake of tea showed similar associations, researchers found.
But drinking decaffeinated coffee was not associated with lower dementia risk or better cognitive performance.
Overall, the authors found that the most “pronounced association” was among people who drank a “moderate” amount of tea or coffee, with “no additional advantages” among people who consumed more.
They estimated that consumption of around two to three cups of caffeinated coffee each day, or one to two cups of tea per day, were linked with the lowest risk of dementia compared to people who did not drink these drinks.
“Greater consumption of caffeinated coffee and tea was associated with lower risk of dementia and modestly better cognitive function, with the most pronounced association at moderate intake levels,” they wrote in Jama.
Lead author, Yu Zhang from the TH Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University, told the Press Association: “Dementia is one of the most important and challenging public health problems worldwide, and there are still very limited effective treatments.
“So identifying modifiable lifestyle factors that may be linked to dementia risk is critical.
“Coffee and tea are widely consumed globally, so even modest associations could have meaningful population-level implications.
Among the nurses, higher caffeinated coffee consumption was also associated with better objective cognitive performance (Getty/iStock)
“We analysed data from more than 130,000 women and men followed for up to 43 years, with repeated dietary assessments over time.
“We found that higher intake of caffeinated coffee and tea was associated with a lower risk of dementia and better cognitive performance.
“We observed the most favourable associations were at moderate intake levels – the strongest associations were seen at about two to three cups per day of caffeinated coffee and about one to two cups per day of tea.
“We didn’t observe additional benefits at higher intake levels.”
Commenting on the study, Dr Susan Kohlhaas, executive director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This research doesn’t prove that coffee or tea protect the brain.
“This study shows an association, not a cause-and-effect relationship.
“People who drink coffee or tea may also differ in other ways that affect brain health, even after careful adjustment, and the study relied partly on self-reported diagnoses.
“It was also conducted in relatively similar groups of health professionals, which limits how widely the results can be applied.”
Professor Tara Spires-Jones, division lead at the UK Dementia Research Institute, said: “This is a well-conducted study that looked at data from a large number of people over many years.
“However, the study does have important limitations.
“This kind of observational research cannot prove conclusively that caffeine intake was the reason for lower dementia risk, other factors related to coffee and tea-drinking habits could be responsible.
“For example, sleep disruption and several cardiovascular health factors are associated with increased risk of dementia and these can affect people’s choices around caffeine intake.
“Further, the data on caffeine intake were from self-reported questionnaires administered every two to four years, and if people were in early stages of dementia, they might have difficulty accurately reporting their intake or the early brain changes could affect behaviour including caffeine intake.”
Catherine O’Hara died from a pulmonary embolism, with cancer as the underlying cause, according to a Los Angeles County death certificate issued Monday, The Associated Press reported.
The certificate lists the pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery in the lungs, as the immediate cause of the actor’s Jan. 30 death at age 71. Rectal cancer was the long-term cause.
The oncologist who signed off on the certificate indicated that he had been treating O’Hara since March of last year, and last saw her on Jan. 27. She died at a hospital in Santa Monica, California. She was cremated, according to the document.
The beloved Canadian-born comic actor and “SCTV” alum starred as Macaulay Culkin’s mother in two “Home Alone” movies and won an Emmy as the dramatically oblivious wealthy matriarch Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek.”
Her death came as a surprise to most fans, and an initial statement from her representatives said only that she died “following a brief illness.”
Catherine O’Hara on Nov. 11, 2019, in Beverly Hills, California.
Tommaso Boddi / Getty Images
Over the course of her five-decade career, O’Hara had roles on numerous television series, including “Six Feet Under,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “The Studio.”
She also appeared in several films, including the HBO production “Temple Grandin,” for which she received an Emmy nomination.
In 2015, O’Hara teamed up with her longtime friend and fellow”SCTV” alum Eugene Levy for the sitcom “Schitt’s Creek.” The two also appeared in seven movies together throughout their careers, including four Christopher Guest mockumentaries.
Her collaborators and costars over the years, including Levy, Culkin, Guest and Pedro Pascal, paid her loving tribute after her death.
“Mama. I thought we had time,” Culkin posted on Instagram, along with side-by-side images of the two of them from “Home Alone” and the two together at Culkin’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. “I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.”
Michael Keaton, who starred alongside O’Hara in “Beetlejuice” and “The Paper,” wrote on Instagram, “She’s been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend. This one hurts. Man am I gonna miss her.”
Catherine O’Hara and Michael Keaton attend the U.K. premiere of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” in London on Aug. 29, 2024.
Stuart C. Wilson / Getty Images / Stuart Wilson
Seth Rogen, whom O’Hara had worked with recently on the Apple TV series “The Studio,” wrote on Instagram that she was “hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous… she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it.”
“We’re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it,” he added.
The House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at making it easier for everyday Americans to purchase a home, an issue that’s become a cornerstone of the affordability crisis plaguing much of the United States.
The legislation, which passed with a 390-9 vote, is a rare show of bipartisanship in an increasingly polarized Congress, having gotten a significant amount of support from both Republicans and Democrats.
Housing affordability is also an issue that President Donald Trump has promised to tackle during his second term in office.
Last month, he signed an executive order making it harder for large investment firms to buy single-family homes that could otherwise be purchased by American families, and his One Big Beautiful Bill Act also included tax incentives aimed at development in economically distressed communities.
House Speaker Mike Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street after meeting Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, Jan. 19, 2026.(Alberto Pezzali/AP Photo)
The legislation that passed on Monday is a wide-ranging bill with various measures aimed at growing the supply of affordable housing in the U.S., including incentivizing the construction of multifamily homes, taller buildings on smaller lots, and less restrictive permitting processes in state and local jurisdictions.
The streamlining would include establishing a new pilot program under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to award grants for creating “pattern books” of pre-approved housing designs that are already compliant with local building codes.
Parts of the bill are chiefly aimed at expanding “missing middle” housing, which is the range between single-family homes and larger apartment buildings.
The measures are primarily aiding first-time home buyers as well as lower-income Americans, and housing developers focused on small and mid-sized housing rather than larger luxury construction.
A “New Low Price” sign in front of a home in Crockett, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2025. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Multiple public surveys released in recent months have found that Americans have a strong desire for more affordable housing. One poll shared by the site Affordable Housing Finance found that more than 60% of people surveyed supported increasing missing middle housing.
The bill was also pushed by lawmakers across the political spectrum. Its two main leaders in the House were House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., a longtime Republican congressman, and progressive stalwart Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the committee.
Another proponent of the bill, Main Street Caucus Chairman Brian Flood, R-Neb., hailed it as “landmark legislation.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re in a blue city or a red city, whether you’re a Habitat for Humanity in Omaha or, you know, a housing developer in Birmingham, Alabama, these issues aren’t partisan,” Flood told reporters on Monday. “In order to solve the housing crisis, we have to be able to remove a lot of the barriers.”
Hill told reporters that the legislation did not get in the way of areas that had an oversupply of housing, either.
“If there’s not a demand for housing, this doesn’t get in the way of that. I mean, this requires a bank to be willing to lend a community development program to say that we should spend these dollars to build housing. And if there is a surplus of housing and pricing is affordable, then there wouldn’t be that market signal that says we need new housing,” Hill said.
President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Feb. 2, 2026. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
It comes as affordability appears to be an increasingly important topic in the coming November midterm elections.
Other supporters of the legislation include Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., and Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., the latter of which championed a bill whose core tenets got folded into the final piece.
“If House Republicans and Democrats can agree on this package to increase housing supply and lower prices across the nation, the Senate should be able to swiftly send it to the president’s desk,” Stutzman told Fox News Digital. “Our constituents need the relief this bill offers.”
Stutzman introduced a bill in September of last year aimed at streamlining the environmental review process for new rural housing projects.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it must pass with bipartisan support before getting to Trump’s desk for his signature.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
David Thewlis on Remus Lupin fans: ‘I love meeting them’
In 2011, David Thewlis last played Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter franchise. Decades later, fans still admire his werewolf character, and the actor loves meeting them.
“It is nice because with Harry Potter, it’s kids,” he tells Screen Time, adding, “And kids get very kind of impressed and very overawed, and it’s very nice to make kids happy.”
Despite such an outpouring of love, Thewlis does not like speculation about whether he will appear in the Harry Potter reboot show. In fact, he says he became “sick” of it.
His reasoning for not reprising his role is simple. Firstly, he is 62; that age is too old for the werewolf character. Then, the second one is that he doesn’t want to do it even if offered.
“I feel like I’d be far too old to play my original character, and, no, I wouldn’t want to go back into it. I’ve had quite enough of that. I’m sick of talking about it, quite honestly.”
It is worth noting that Thewlis skipped HBO Max’s 2022 reunion special Return to Hogwarts.
Besides Thewlis’s lack of interest in reprising Remus Lupin, Iwan Rheon – best known for playing Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones – is voicing the werewolf character in Harry Potter’s audiobooks by Audible.
In the HBO TV adaptation, it is not clear who will play the role because it has not been cast yet.
In the meantime, Harry Potter is expected to air in 2027.
NEW DELHI: As India pushes ahead with bilateral trade agreements, the issue of importing refurbished medical equipment has emerged as a contentious flashpoint in the medical devices sector. Domestic players have warned against easing restrictions, flagging patient safety risks and concerns over unfair competition, while MNCs are advocating a globally-aligned framework to allow wider access to refurbished devices under stringent regulatory oversight.Recently, the health ministry constituted a committee to frame a policy for imported refurbished med devices, raising concerns among domestic players. Industry sources said the debate has intensified alongside India-US trade talks. “The push has come into sharper focus as India negotiates a trade deal with US, which could include market access for such med devices over next few years,” they told TOI.Total imports of medical devices last year stood at Rs 76,000 crore. Of this, Rs 48,000 crore are med electronics, with an estimated one-third being illegal pre-owned medical equipment. Such imports without any regulatory oversight have been ongoing for years, industry experts told TOI.Domestic industry body, Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) has opposed the move to relax policy restrictions on importing refurbished medical equipment, saying its highly unsafe for patients in the absence of inadequate calibration.“In case of locally-made devices, refurbished imports should only be allowed with a robust, enforceable regulatory framework benchmarked to global standards. Refurbished devices pose risks from unknown histories, inconsistent performance, limited traceability, and shortened lifespans. India must prioritise new, indigenously-manufactured devices under ‘Make in India’, and the Medical Devices Policy, rather than becoming a dumping ground for end-of-life equipment,” Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator, AiMeD said.Rival firm, Medical Technology Association of India welcomed the govt move. “As India actively pursues FTAs, we urge the adoption of a time-bound, globally aligned policy. Such a framework should permit the use of refurbished devices only when managed through original equipment manufacturers, ensuring clear legal accountability, robust service support and stringent patient safeguards,” its chairman Pavan Choudary said.BPL’s growth under PLI demands rejection of these imports, said Sunil Khurana, executive chairman, BPL Medical. “Allowing refurbished medical equipment without a globally benchmarked regulatory framework introduces unacceptable patient risk,” Sudhir Srivastav, CMD, SS Innovations, a robotic surgery firm, said.
Andy Cohen supports Bad Bunny for performing at Super Bowl in Spanish
Andy Cohen has jumped to Bad Bunny’s defence after backlash erupted over the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, using sharp sarcasm to shut down critics unhappy with the Spanish-language performance.
Following the big game, the Watch What Happens Live host took to Threads, where he spent time responding directly to users criticising Bad Bunny’s appearance at the 2026 Super Bowl.
One post that caught Cohen’s attention complained loudly about the lack of English during the halftime show.
“NOT ONE WORD OF ENGLISH FROM Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX Full halftime performance!!” the user wrote, calling it “disgraceful” and claiming American sports had declined.
Cohen quickly pointed out the flaw in the argument, responding, “Lynda, your bangs are begging for help. Oh, and that’s Lady Gaga singing in English,” referencing the fact that the user had shared a clip from the show that actually featured Gaga’s English-language performance.
When another Threads user took aim at Bad Bunny’s style, claiming that “the majority of Americans don’t want to see men wearing Dresses,” Cohen cut in with a blunt question tied directly to the show itself: “Who was in a dress?”
The Bravo executive also addressed a post in which a user translated Bad Bunny’s Spanish lyrics into English and criticised the NFL for promoting what they called “junk.”
Cohen replied with a pointed comparison, writing, “Now let’s read Kid Rock’s lyrics,” referencing the rocker who headlined Turning Point USA’s alternative “All-American Halftime Show,” organised for viewers who opposed the NFL’s choice of a Spanish-language artist.
His sarcasm didn’t stop there.
When one user praised Kid Rock’s performance at the Turning Point USA concert, calling it emotional and powerful, Cohen responded, “Me too. The idea that I can wear jorts while looking like a prune gives me hope about getting older! Kinda getting misty just typing it.”
Cohen also weighed in on criticism coming from the highest level, questioning President Donald Trump’s comments on the halftime show.
“Was there ever a moment in history when the President’s opinion of the Super Bowl Halftime Show was relevant?” he wrote.
Trump had taken to Truth Social shortly after halftime to slam Bad Bunny’s performance, calling it “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst” in recent Super Bowl history.
He went on to say, “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.”
He added that the show was a “slap in the face” to the country.
Cohen’s outspoken defence came on a night when he was already part of the Super Bowl spotlight, appearing in a NERDS Candy commercial during the broadcast.
But online, he made it clear he wasn’t letting criticism of Bad Bunny, or Spanish-language music, go unanswered, using humour and pointed remarks to challenge the backlash head-on.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard attends a House Intelligence Committee hearing about worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 26, 2025.
Leah Millis | Reuters
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard will testify publicly at the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 18, MS Now reported Monday, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Gabbard will appear at a hearing on worldwide threats.
But the scheduling of her testimony comes amid growing concerns about her presence at a Fulton County, Georgia, elections center last month when FBI agents seized ballots from the 2020 election.
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Gabbard has said she was at the center at the direction of President Donald Trump.
But Trump has said Gabbard was there at the “insistence” of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who is vice chairman of the Intelligence committee, last week called on Gabbard to testify about her presence during the raid.
Warner said he was particularly concerned that Gabbard had facilitated a phone call between Trump and FBI agents who were executing a search warrant.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks on the phone while standing at the edge of a truck loading bay after the FBI executed a search warrant for the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in relation to the 2020 election, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter, in Union City, Georgia, Jan. 28, 2026.
Elijah Nouvelage | Reuters
“Let’s be clear: It is inappropriate for a sitting president to personally involve himself in a criminal investigation tied to an election he lost,” Warner told reporters last week.
Warner and other Democratic lawmakers have warned that Trump may try to interfere in the 2026 congressional elections, where the president’s fellow Republicans are at risk of losing their majority in the House.
Trump, for years, has falsely claimed he won the 2020 presidential election. Trump lost that election to former President Joe Biden, who defeated him in Georgia, as well as in other states.
A federal judge in Georgia over the weekend ordered that the affidavit filed to obtain the search warrant for the FBI raid be unsealed by Tuesday.
Disclosure: CNBC and MS NOW are divisions of Versant Media.
