Connect with us

World

Jamie Oliver pulls children’s book after outcry from Indigenous Australians

Published

on

Jamie Oliver pulls children’s book after outcry from Indigenous Australians

British celebrity chef says he is ‘devastated’ his fantasy book caused offence.

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has pulled his latest children’s book from sale after complaints that it contributed to the stereotyping of Indigenous Australians.

Oliver, who is in Australia promoting his latest recipe book, said he was “devastated” that his fantasy novel Billy And The Epic Escape had caused offence and he apologised “wholeheartedly”.

“It was never my intention to misinterpret this deeply painful issue,” Oliver, 49, said in a statement.

“Together with my publishers we have decided to withdraw the book from sale.”

Advertisement

Publisher Penguin Random House said that its publishing standards “fell short on this occasion” and “we must learn from that and take decisive action”.

Set in England, Billy and the Epic Escape includes a subplot featuring an Indigenous girl who is abducted while living in foster care in Alice Springs in central Australia.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation, Australia’s peak body for Indigenous education, led calls for the book’s withdrawal, telling The Guardian news outlet the book was “disrespectful” and contributed to the “erasure, trivialisation, and stereotyping of First Nations peoples and experiences”.

Indigenous figures also criticised the book for mixing together different Indigenous languages and discussing child abduction, given the history of the “Stolen Generations,” referring to the thousands of Indigenous children forcibly taken from their families and placed in foster care under policies that continued until the 1970s.

“While Oliver has apologised, the impact of such misrepresentation on First Nations children and communities cannot be understated,” Sue-Anne Hunter, an Indigenous woman and adjunct professor at Federation University in Victoria, said in a post on Instagram.

Advertisement

“It perpetuates harmful stereotypes and risks reinforcing colonial narratives at a time when we should be amplifying authentic Indigenous voices and stories.”

Oliver, who launched his first children’s book Billy And The Giant Adventure last year, is best known for his cookbooks and food-related television shows, including The Naked Chef, which ran for three seasons on the BBC from 1999 to 2001.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

World

‘Hitch’ Director Says Will Smith ‘Tried to Back Out Three Days Before Shooting’ and ‘Is Developing a Sequel Without Me’: ‘I Never Heard From Him’ After 2005

Published

on

‘Hitch’ Director Says Will Smith ‘Tried to Back Out Three Days Before Shooting’ and ‘Is Developing a Sequel Without Me’: ‘I Never Heard From Him’ After 2005

“Hitch” director Andy Tennant marked the 20th anniversary of the romantic-comedy with a new Business Insider interview in which he opened up about clashing with star Will Smith. As the filmmaker put it: “I didn’t want cheap jokes, but he didn’t trust me.”

“We had our difficulties,” Tennant said of his relationship with Smith. “The movie I wanted to make and the movie Will wanted to make, neither one of those movies is as good as the movie we made together. It was a battle. [Smith’s wife] Jada [Pinkett Smith] was a big help. She kind of seconded some of my instincts. There was a time during prep when I was pushing back on a lot of crazy shit that was happening.”

“Hitch” starred Smith as a professional date doctor who helps teach men how to impress women, but he’s shocked to discover that his usual tricks and advice don’t work on a columnist (Eva Mendes) he falls hard for. The supporting cast included Kevin James and Amber Valletta. “Hitch” was a critical favorite and grossed $371.6 million worldwide to become the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2005.

Tennant told Business Insider that he sparred with Smith during the development of “Hitch” over “crazy story ideas,” adding: “There was a draft that Will brought in that I was not a fan of. I finally told the studio that I was more afraid of Will making that version of the movie than I was about them firing me. Because I knew they were right on the edge of firing me before we even began shooting. And to Will’s credit, we didn’t go with that draft. I don’t think I was ever in anyone’s favor.”

“There was a lot of fear doing a big, expensive romantic comedy with Will,” he continued. “It was fraught with peril. Will tried to back out three days before we started shooting. He wanted to shut down and work on it some more. It was madness.”

Advertisement

Despite the clashes, “Hitch” was a box office success and Tennant “submitted a proposal for a sequel.” But “Hitch 2” never got made in the aftermath of the first movie’s global success, a surprise given Smith’s franchise bonafides.

“But I guess Will is developing a ‘Hitch’ sequel without me,” Tennant revealed. “I just found out about it three months ago. I had a really good idea for a sequel, and I was talking to an executive at Sony, and he said Will’s production company is developing a sequel. Hey, that’s Hollywood.”

“I don’t have anything against Will,” he continued. “He hired me to make this movie. It was not an easy job for anybody, but we went around the world with the movie. Even the hard times he’d always say, ‘Wait until the junket. We’re gonna go around the world with this’ — and we did, and it was great. It was the most amazing trip I had ever been on. And when it was over, my time with Will was over. That was it. And I have never heard from him since.”

Variety has reached out to Smith’s representative for comment. Head over to Business Insider’s website to read Tennant’s interview in its entirety.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

World

Freed American hostage Marc Fogel lands in US after prisoner swap with Russia

Published

on

Freed American hostage Marc Fogel lands in US after prisoner swap with Russia

Marc Fogel, an American who had been detained in Russia since 2021, landed back in the U.S. on Tuesday.

Fogel, a history teacher who was working at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, returned to the U.S. after his release from Russia following talks with the Trump administration.

He was serving a 14-year sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possession of drugs, which his family said was medically prescribed marijuana.

Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvania history teacher who was working at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, returned to U.S. soil Tuesday night, after Russia, where he had been detained since 2021, released him following talks with Trump administration officials. (The White House via X)

Fogel was seen in a picture posted by the White House on social media smiling and raising his fist while wrapped in an American flag as he walked off the plane on U.S. soil.

Advertisement

“MARC FOGEL IS BACK!!! PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT!!!” the White House wrote on X.

Continue Reading

World

Bellingham strikes late as Real Madrid pile misery on Man City

Published

on

Bellingham strikes late as Real Madrid pile misery on Man City

Jude Bellingham scored the winner in stoppage time as Real Madrid twice came from behind to inflict more misery on Manchester City, with a 3-2 Champions League playoff, first-leg win at the Etihad.

Erling Haaland twice put City in front with his first goals in five games against Madrid on Tuesday.

But the holders hit back through Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz before Bellingham stroked home in the 92nd minute on his return to England.

City now have a monumental task ahead to progress to the last 16, when the sides meet again in the Spanish capital on February 19.

Jude Bellingham bundled home the winner as Real Madrid turned the game late on [Jason Cairnduff/Reuters]

The clubs were meeting for the fourth consecutive season in the Champions League, with the winners in each of the previous three years going on to lift the trophy.

Advertisement

If that familiarity did not breed enough contempt, Madrid’s decision to boycott City midfielder Rodri’s crowning as the Ballon d’Or winner last year added extra animosity.

The midfielder was rewarded for his role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph and a fourth consecutive Premier League title.

However, the Spanish giants took umbrage at Vinicius Junior being overlooked for the prize and pulled out all of their representatives from the ceremony in October.

A huge banner before kickoff showed Rodri with the Ballon d’Or trophy alongside the lyric “Stop crying your heart out” from the City-supporting band Oasis.

Rodri’s absence since September with a season-ending knee injury has played a major role in City’s decline this season as the English champions sit 15 points off the pace in the Premier League.

Advertisement
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: Fans of Manchester City display a tifo which reads 'Stop crying your heart out' which includes a picture of Rodri of Manchester City kissing the Ballon d'or trophy prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off first leg match between Manchester City and Real Madrid C.F. at Manchester City Stadium on February 11, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
The Real Madrid players emerged to see a tifo which reads, ‘Stop crying your heart out’, which includes a picture of Rodri of Manchester City kissing the Ballon d’Or trophy [Michael Regan/Getty Images]

In recent years, Madrid have been pegged back on the ropes at the Etihad, twice conceding four times in three visits.

This time, the visitors had a series of early chances to sow more doubt in City’s minds.

Vinicius’s every touch was booed, and the home fans were delighted when he had a penalty ruled out for straying offside before he was wiped out by Ederson.

The City goalkeeper then made a vital save from Mbappe, and Nathan Ake deflected Ferland Mendy’s shot wide with the goal gaping.

Pep Guardiola’s men hit the visitors with a sucker punch on 19 minutes, thanks to a brilliant team goal.

Jack Grealish’s dinked cross was chested down by Josko Gvardiol into Haaland’s path, who stayed millimetres onside before stroking home his 26th goal of the season.

Advertisement
Soccer Football - Champions League - Knockout Phase Playoff - First Leg - Manchester City v Real Madrid - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - February 11, 2025 Manchester City's Erling Haaland scores their first goal REUTERS/Phil Noble
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scores his side’s first goal [Phil Noble/Reuters]

Real came roaring back as Vinicius’s effort came back off the bar.

City also hit the woodwork through Manuel Akanji, and Thibaut Courtois was forced into a spectacular save from Phil Foden.

Haaland remained a constant threat to Madrid’s injury-ravaged defence.

Ancelotti was forced to name midfielders Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni in his backline alongside the inexperienced Raul Asencio.

Haaland’s deflected effort that came back off the crossbar seconds into the second half proved a turning point as Madrid again took control.

Bellingham headed wide and Ederson denied Mbappe as the pressure built before it finally told on the hour mark.

Advertisement

Mbappe’s finish was far from his cleanest but his mishit from Dani Ceballos’s cross deceived Ederson and looped into the net.

Soccer Football - Champions League - Knockout Phase Playoff - First Leg - Manchester City v Real Madrid - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - February 11, 2025 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe scores their first goal REUTERS/Phil Noble
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe scores their first goal [Phil Noble/Reuters]

Madrid smelled blood and went for the kill. Valverde drilled inches wide before Bellingham should have scored when he shot low into the legs of Ederson.

But it was City who got the third goal when Foden was brought down by Ceballos as he weaved a way into the penalty area and French referee Clement Turpin pointed to the spot.

Haaland sent Courtois the wrong way for his 49th goal in 48 Champions League appearances.

Yet, by full-time, the Norwegian was a disconsolate figure as City’s poor campaign took another turn for the worse.

Diaz had only been on the pitch a matter of seconds when he fired in against his old club after Ederson parried Vinicius’s effort into his path.

Advertisement

Moments later, the Brazilian goalkeeper was caught in no-man’s land as Vinicius ran through, and even as his attempt was heading wide, Bellingham stole in for a simple finish.

Continue Reading

Trending