USA Update

BRITAIN’S biggest family has just got even bigger as Katie has given birth to her first baby.

The 21-year-old posted adorable photos of the new arrival on her Instagram page and shared how she has had a boy.

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Katie Radford has given birth to her first son[/caption]

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Katie did a birth announcement for son Ronnie Hudson Carter, who arrived on Tuesday[/caption]

Katie shared: “Tuesday 8th October born at 5:03PM weighing 7:11 the day you changed our lives forever little man.

“Mummy and daddy love you so much.”

Katie then revealed her baby’s name is Ronnie Hudson Carter, taking the surname of her partner Connor Carter.

Her post showed her with her baby bump, followed by pictures in the hospital with Ronnie. 

New dad Connor seemed over the moon, and wrote on his social media page: “Little man finally made an appearance as we are so made up.”

The Radfords are Britain’s largest family, with Morecambe-based parents Noel and Sue having 22 kids.

Little Carter is Sue and Noel’s 15th grandchild.

Katie’s family were quick to share their excitement on her post, with mum Sue writing: “Another grandchild to love welcome to the world Ronnie.”

Her sister Millie, 22 – who has three children herself and is engaged to be married to partner Harley Passmore – wrote: “My beautiful nephew.

“I could cuddle him all day. We are all so proud of you Katie.”

Meanwhile, Chloe, 29, commented: “Precious boy, so incredibly proud of you both.”

Swanky baby shower

This follows there being no expense spared for Katie’s recent baby shower, which had a Winnie the Pooh theme.

There was a blue, yellow and green balloon arch for people to pose for photos underneath, and more balloons adorning the venue and tables too.

“So pleased with how the decorations turned out,” Sue wrote over a snap of the venue all set up for the occasion.

Guests tucked into a delicious afternoon tea, and finished with a shower favour – a cookie with ‘Katie’s baby shower’, or ‘Hunny’ written on the front.

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This follows Katie having an adorable Winnie the Pooh-themed baby shower[/caption]

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In the birth announcement post, Katie showed off her baby bump[/caption]

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Katie shares her adorable son with her partner Connor Carter[/caption]

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Katie showed new dad Connor wheeling their new arrival out of the hospital[/caption]

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The Radfords were quick to share their love on the birth announcement post[/caption]

Grandma love

Sue has shared her joy of having grandkids multiple times, and said on YouTube: “I just love being a grandma. 

“It’s such a lovely feeling. I get all the cuddles and can hand them back!”

Meanwhile following the birth of Millie’s first child, Sue shared on Instagram: “It’s such an amazing feeling watching your own children become parents themselves. 

“I’m so proud of her.”

Sue and Noel Radford‘s children are: Chris, 35, Sophie, 30, Chloe, 29, Jack, 27, Daniel, 25, Luke, 24, Millie, 22, Katie, 21, James, 20, Ellie, 19, Aimee, 18, Josh, 17, Max, 15, Tillie, 14, Oscar, 12, Casper, 12, Hallie, 9, Phoebe, 8, Archiem 7, Bonnie, 5, and Heidie, 4.

The stars of Channel 5’s 22 Kids and Counting don’t rely on benefits and support themselves with their pie shop business.

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Sue and Noel Radford have 22 kids and 15 grandkids[/caption]

Sue and Noel’s ‘healthy addiction’

In Sue and Noel Radford’s book, The Radfords: Making Life Count, which is a number one best-seller on Amazon, the couple discussed their ‘healthy’ addiction’.

The couple wrote: “We haven’t just been addicted to love during our long and happy marriage – for most of it, we have also been addicted to having children. 

“As addictions go, we think it was a pretty healthy one because it was motivated by nothing other than love – love for each other, and the love of having children.

“We are Britain’s biggest family, and proud of it. This wasn’t the plan, however. Indeed, looking at the size of our brood, you might think there was absolutely no family planning involved whatsoever!

“How we actually came to have 22 kids – rather than the three we had originally been thinking about – is all explained in the following pages, along with so much else.”

When it comes to the possibility of baby number 23, Sue shared: “No, I don’t think so – though we have said similar things before! But no, that’s it now.”

To this, Noel chimed in: “We’ve said similar things plenty of times before! But seriously, Heidie is three now, so yes… we’re enjoying our sleep at last! 

“And we no longer have to worry about kids being at that age when they pick things up off the floor and stick them in their mouths.”

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Katie’s baby shower took place this month[/caption]

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Guests were given little pots of honey to go with the Winnie the Pooh theme[/caption]

The 11-year-old declared that if she could "only eat one thing for the rest of [her] life," it would be cucumbers and salt –– "or onions."

A BRITISH beautician is facing up to 60 years in jail in America for allegedly bringing £3.5m worth of cocaine home from a holiday in Mexico in her suitcases.

Kim Hall, 28, was detained at Chicago’s O’Hare airport as she was waiting for her connecting flight to Manchester.

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Kim Hall from Middlesbrough, was arrested after Homeland Security officers found 43kg of cocaine in two suitcases[/caption]

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The beautician is currently facing 60 years in prison if convicted[/caption]

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Kim’s dad, John, 59, defended his daughter, claiming she’s not a drug smuggler[/caption]

Homeland Security investigators swooped after finding 43kg of cocaine in two suitcases.

But Kim insists she was forced to carry the bags for two men who had offered her a free holiday to Cancun but threatened her once she was there.

And her desperate family back home in Britain insist that all she is guilty of is “stupidity and naivity”.

Her dad John, 59, said she was offered the free holiday by people she met on an earlier trip to Portugal.

They claimed they were property developers and invited her to stay with them.

But while there they coerced her into carrying two suitcases home which they had packed and which she thought were full of $250,000 in cash, she has told her family.

John said: “She’s not a drug smuggler.

“She was told that it would be money she was carrying. They got her phone and threatened her family and that’s why she did it.

“She’d been to Portugal with a friend and met people over there who contacted her when she was back saying they were into real estate in Mexico and she could go for a free holiday.

“Her friend declined but she said she would go.

“She’s never been into trouble, nothing at all. She’s had a good upbringing and has always worked for her money.

“The only thing she’s guilty of is being stupid and being naive.”

Kim, a self-employed beautician, of Middlesbrough, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver after her arrest in August.

As the amount she was allegedly found with is more than 900 grams the offence is in the top bracket for sentencing – it is a Class X Felony which carries 15-60 years in prison.

She has already made a number of preliminary appearances at the Circuit Court of Cook County and is being held in Chicago awaiting trial, which could be a year off.

Her family, who have had to shell out £28,000 for a local attorney, are terrified about her physical and mental well-being.

John added: “For the first few weeks, you couldn’t speak to her for the tears.

“She said: ‘You don’t understand what they were threatening me with’. That’s as much as we can get out of her.

“She’s petrified.

“Without a shadow of a doubt she was forced into carrying this stuff back. And I’m not just saying that to try and protect my daughter.

“I’m telling you that as a father who knows a daughter inside out.”

A Cook County court spokeswoman said: “Her next appearance is on November 13.”

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Kim was allegedly offered a free holiday by people she had met from a previous trip[/caption]

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She claims that she was threatened and thought she was only transporting money[/caption]

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The 28-year-old is being held in Chicago and is awaiting trial[/caption]

TODAY is the last time shoppers will step foot inside their local grocery store.

A Gordon Food Service store in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin is closing down on October 11, an employee confirmed to The U.S. Sun.

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Located at 2609 S Oneida St, Green Bay, Wisconsin the employee said, “We are serving our last customer today.”

While the grocer typically remains open until 8 pm, the employee told The U.S. Sun that the location will close at 5 pm.

The Green Bay Press Gazette reported, that a note was left on the door on September 27 revealing the new hours of operations.

The closure leaves just one other location in the northeastern Wisconsin area.

Gordon Food Service will now have just six locations in the state including a distribution center.

Shoppers in the area flooded social media coping with the closure of their local store.

One said on Facebook, “Probably don’t get enough business with Sam’s [Club] and Costco,” as those retailers are within proximity.

WHAT IS GORDON FOOD SERVICE?

Based in Wyoming, Michigan, Gordon Food Service has locations across the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest regions of the US.

The family-operated food distributor that has been in business for 125 years with 180 locations.

In addition to being a distributor, it’s also a supermarket chain that supplies food and services to the food industry, including restaurants, hospitals, schools, and event planners.

Customers can order online, and find recipe inspiration from a team of chefs, dieticians, and industry experts.

Gordon Food Services sells products in large and super-large sizes, and some locations have grab-and-go items.

CURTAIN CALL

Gordon Food Service isn’t alone in shuttering its stores.

Amazon Go has decided to close down three locations in New York City.

A spokesperson for the company told The U.S. Sun the stores shut on September 27.

“When a lease comes up for renewal, it is standard business practice for retailers to evaluate their store portfolio and decide if it is best to renew or to close the location,” the spokesperson said.

“In this case, while these three stores were performing well, we couldn’t make the economics work with the lease cost, so we’ve decided not to renew and have closed these locations,” they added.

The closed stores include 11 West 42nd Street St., One Liberty, and 30 Rockefeller Center.

Natural Grocers is also planning to close its Downtown Denver store with its final day on October 31.

Sales have already started and shoppers will be able to grab products with a 10% discount on everything.

However, City Park West, Capitol Hill, Baker, and Cherry Creek areas will still have locations to shop at.

THIS is the moment Israeli troops pierced the heart of a toppled statue of late Iranian terror commander Qasem Soleimani in Lebanon.

The bronze bust of the Quds Force chief, killed in a US drone strike in 2020, sat near Beirut’s airport to praise Soleimani’s supportive role in Lebanon’s wars with Israel.

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An Israeli bulldozer pierces the heart of a statue of assassinated Iranian terror commander Qasem Soleimani[/caption]

X / @sentdefender

The bronze bust is then dragged among the debris in Southern Lebanon[/caption]

AFP

The bronze bust of Qasem Soleimani was unveiled in 2021 in the predominantly Shiite Muslim Beirut suburb of Ghobeiry[/caption]

EPA

The statue previously sparked fury when it was erected in 2021 by the Ghobeiry suburb in a Hezbollah stronghold.

Many Lebanese, primarily Hezbollah critics, flocked to social media to condemn the celebration of a foreign military leader in Lebanon‘s capital, The Times of Israel reports.

But now, years later, Israel has taken matters into its own hands and destroyed the remains of Soleimani’s statue.

A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows an Israeli bulldozer piercing the heart of the bronze bust as it lied among the rubble in Southern Lebanon.

With the statue firmly clutched, the bulldozer goes on to drag it among the debris at the Iran Garden in Maroun al-Ras.

Separate footage showed Israeli bulldozers destroying the Garden as plants and lamp posts being swallowed along the way.

It comes as Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi vowed on Friday that Tehran will not hesitate to take “stronger defensive actions” if Israel retaliates for Iran’s missile attack last week.

Israel has since launched a major airstrike in Beirut targeting a senior Hezbollah figure, which killed at least 22 and wounded hundreds.

The terrifying air raid on the capital is one of the deadliest so far as tensions in the region spiralled in recent weeks.

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Separate footage showed Israeli troops destroying the Iran Garden in Lebanon[/caption]

Instagram / @961app

Trees, plants and lamp posts were swallowed by the military vehicles[/caption]

The chilling airstrike hit two residential buildings in separate neighbourhoods simultaneously – tearing down one eight-story building and wiping out the lower floors of the other, according to AP.

Loud explosions billowed from the city as rescuers were spotted digging through rubble at the scene.

Reports have suggested that the apparent target was one of Hezbollah’s high-ranking security officials Wafiq Safa – who is also Hassan Nasrallah’s brother-in-law.

Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV claimed that the apparent attempt to kill Safa had failed – adding that he hadn’t been inside of either of the targeted buildings.

The Israeli military have said it is looking into the reported strikes.

Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets have become more common in Beirut’s southern suburbs since the deadly war began.

But the city had seen two relatively quiet days following intensive strikes in recent weeks.

Tensions between Iran and Israel have become palpable with Israel carrying out waves of heavy strikes across Lebanon and launching a ground invasion.

Meanwhile, the disappearance of Iran’s top military commander has generated widespread outrage, with some claiming he is the traitor behind Israel’s tremendous cull of terrorist opponents.

Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, 67, is the terror state’s most powerful military figure since strongman Qasem Soleimani was killed by a US strike.

Qaani has not been heard from since an October 4 strike on a bunker in Beirut, where he was thought to be meeting with Hezbollah leaders.

But sources claimed on Thursday that Qaani was being quizzed while under house arrest and was suspected of being Israel’s top spy.

Qaani was thought to have killed with Hezbollah heir apparent Hashem Saffeieddine, 60, in last week’s bunker explosion.

However, sources in Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran have since revealed that he was not present at the meeting and had avoided another one a week previously in which Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was targeted.

SEX on screen is always a difficult thing to depict properly. 

We all know it’s a performance – but it takes a damn good director and top-level acting to make the intimacy seem genuine, and to make the scene blend seamlessly with the film.

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1995’s Showgirls, starring Elizabeth Berkley, has gone down as a camp cult classic[/caption]

AP

Saltburn was all the talk of the town when it came out – largely thanks to its shocking scenes[/caption]

Often, the best move is to just cut before any of the action actually starts, and let built-up tension do the work.

Because otherwise, you might end up with something wooden, unsexy, and downright toe-curling.

Legendary Bond actor Daniel Craig recently confessed that he’s not always done the best job on them.

Promoting his new film, Queer, he admitted: “I’ve shot some terrible f***ing love scenes in my career.

“They’re out there to see.”

While Craig might not be the proudest of his previous work in this area, his scenes are at least good enough to avoid being considered among the worst sex scenes of all time.

But J-Lo and Madonna aren’t so lucky. And Barry Keoghan makes the list too – for a scene he improvised.

From alien romps to bonking a puppet duck, these are the most cringe-inducing sex scenes ever to make the silver screen.

Howard the Duck

Howard the Duck is often cited as Star Wars and Indiana Jones director George Lucas’s all-time low. 

Featuring a humanoid duck tasked with saving Earth from an alien invasion, the 1986 film is best forgotten for many a reason.

But chief among them has to be the sex scene between Lea Thompson and Howard the Duck himself. 

It was never meant to be sexy – it is, after all, a duck and a human – and thanks to tasteful use of silhouetting, we’re spared from seeing too much of the action.

Yet the fact alone that this scene was thought up is enough to send most people running to a sick bucket.

Far Out Magazine have even called it “a crime against most people’s retinas” and “the most obscene sex scene in Hollywood history.”

“I’ve given up trying to assimilate. I’ve got to get back to my own kind!” says Howard at one point in the movie, before adding: “Although, I have developed a greater appreciation for the female version of the human anatomy. Aroooo!”

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Universal

However, the scene has left audiences cringing ever since[/caption]

Appearing on Conan, Lea Thompson’s daughter, Zoey Deutch, spoke to the host about the scene.

She said: “There is a particular scene in the film in which my mother makes love to a duck, and I saw it.

“So, what’s the next step: I go to my father, and I go to my mother, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I know the duck’s name is Howard, dad your name is Howard—this is complicated.’

“I thought my mother was going to leave my dad for a duck. Eventually, [my parents] were like, ‘Oh this is for grown-ups. You weren’t supposed to watch that. It’s for adults.’ 

“So at school when people would ask me what my mother does for a living I would say, ‘She’s an actress… in adult films’.”

Eye-scrubbing soap at the ready, then.

Watchmen

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Watchmen is perhaps proof the superheros and sex shouldn’t mix[/caption]

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Zack Snyder’s superhero film, based on the comic by Alan Moore, is one of only a few films in the genre to cross over into the land of eroticism. 

But given how the sex scene in this film went down, it’s a surprise it didn’t kill off displays of intimacy in superhero films forever. 

After a night of crime-busting together, Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) and Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) find themselves getting it on.

Scenes of getting out of spandex superhero costumes come across on screen as painful as it sounds

But the cringe-factor is ramped to the match by the song choice – Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

“Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord, that David played, and it pleased the Lord,” he sings, as Akerman unzips her chest piece.

Cue awkward, obviously choreographed sex, along with a cutaway to a symbolic firing of their ship’s thrusters, it’s no wonder this is often cited as one of the worst sex scenes of all time.

Showgirls

United Artists

Showgirls’ pool scene has gone down as one of the worst sex scenes in history[/caption]

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The film went down so badly upon release that leading lady Elizabeth Berkley was dropped by her agent[/caption]

Actors drop their agents all the time – but sometimes, a film goes down so badly it leads to the agent dropping the actor.

And that’s exactly what happened to Elizabeth Berkely after the release of 1995’s camp classic Showgirls.

This nudity-packed film about the ladies of Las Vegas was jam-packed with moments of toe-curling cringe – from the pronunciation of Versace (Ver-sayce) to licking a fireman’s pole (not an innuendo.)

It received harsh criticism at the time, and tanked at the box office, but in the years since it’s gone down as a cult classic.

I was left out in the cold and I was a pariah in the industry I had worked so hard for

Elizabeth Berkley

Despite “every girl in Hollywood” fighting for the role, Berkeley’s career never quite recovered.

Speaking in 2020, she said: “There was so much cruelty around it.

“I was bullied. And I didn’t understand why I was being blamed. The job as an actor is to fulfil the vision of the director. And I did everything I was supposed to do. No one associated with the film spoke up on my behalf to protect me.”

“I was left out in the cold and I was a pariah in the industry I had worked so hard for.”

Out of everything the film offers, peak-cringe occurs with the pool sex scene – described by GQ magazine as “the most bonkers sex scene in the history of cinema.”

Gigli

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Bennifer have been able to move on from the scene – and from each other[/caption]

Picture the scene: you’re in the bedroom with your significant other, perhaps having spent a special date night with each other.

The moment’s right, and you’re feeling intimate – but keen to keep the mood right, you’re making sure to choose your words carefully.

You might even look to the movies for inspiration. 

But if 2003’s Gigli comes to mind, then consider it time to call it a night.

Starring Jennifer Lopez as a lesbian assassin, she quickly forgets her fondness for her own sex and ends up in bed with Ben Affleck.

At the moment he begins a risque sex act, she exclaims the now infamous quote: “It’s turkey time! Gobble gobble.”

I don’t remember a whole bunch more about it, but I remember being on the set with him every day and loving it

Jennifer Lopez

While this film did mark the beginning of J-Lo and Affleck’s real-life romance, the awkward, wooden performance they gave in bed was painfully unsexy and downright weird.

Fortunately, she seems to have fond memories of the production. 

She later said: “They did a read-through of the whole thing and I remember kind of just walking in and I think he (Affleck) was outside, smoking a cigarette, and I saw him and we just talked, for, like, a minute and then I sat down and we did the read-through.

“I don’t remember a whole bunch more about it, but I remember being on the set with him every day and loving it.”

We can only hope their off-screen antics were an improvement on what audiences witnessed at the time.

Body of Evidence 

Guild Film Distributors

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Film Company

If dripping hot wax isn’t enough, Madonna’s character then proceeds to lick it off him[/caption]

Many of cinema’s greatest actors have stripped off at some point, and sometimes pop stars have got in on the act, too.

But if 90s erotic thriller Body of Evidence is anything to go by, it’s a combination that should never be allowed to mix – at least, not in front of a paying audience.

Starring Willem Dafoe and Madonna, the film follows Rebecca Carlson, who’s accused of killing her coked-up wealthy boyfriend… by literally bonking him to death.

It’s only natural then that her defence attorney, Frank Dulaney, has to try out the potentially fatal activity himself.

What unfurls is an S&M packed escapade that left us with one of the cringiest sex scenes in history.

Straddling Dafoe, she pours molten wax and champagne over his body. And then licks it up.

The ridiculous premise of the film certainly doesn’t help things, but most people agree that the film would be better-off without this display of kinky lovemaking by candlelight.

Avatar

20th Century Studios

Avatar’s cringe sex scene was cut from future editions of the film[/caption]

Visually stunning but forgettable is how Avatar went down in the decade since its release.

But while primarily an allegory for American colonialism, James Cameron’s imagination also gave us one of the most bizarre sex scenes in sci-fi cinematic history – if you can call it a sex scene.

When soldier-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and planet Pandora-native Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) fall for each other, they mark their bond in the way all good couples do, by getting intimate.

Except, for these two, “sex” meant connecting their hair to each other, and plugging themselves into nature itself.

I wanted to see what Oliver would do next. I wanted to see what the next level of obsession was

Barry Keoghan

On the one hand, it was supposed to be a tender display of intimacy, showing off the native population’s deep connection to the living world around them.

But on the other hand, those of us watching couldn’t help but feel like we were watching the couple doing it…alien style.

The scene had audiences around the world cringing in their seats, so much so that the moment was relegated to the extended cut the next year, and then was taken out all together. 

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‘Brideshead with bonking’ had audiences as transfixed[/caption]

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Filled with nudity and orgies, the film’s star-studded cast includes Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi[/caption]

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A scene in which Barry’s character has sex with a grave was for many audiences the final straw[/caption]

It was the posh-kid country house, orgy-filled flick of the year, a wicked black comedy best summed up as Brideshead with bonking.

Audiences were gripped the moment it came out – not least because it’s jam-packed with scenes that range from the bizarre to the downright revolting.

Among the cast are men-of-the-moment Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan, alongside Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant.

In one scene, Oliver drinks the water his friend Felix has just bathed in.

While viewers have been repulsed, it’s hard to deny that these scenes got the film talked about.

But when it comes to the most memorable moment – for either shock-value or cringe-value – one scene takes the crown and runs away with it.

This is the notorious “graveyard scene” – i.e., the moment Oliver humps the grave of friend Felix, buried six feet under.

Most shockingly of all, this scene was improvised, coming straight from the mind of Barry Keoghan himself.

He told Deadline: “I wanted to see what Oliver would do next. I wanted to see what the next level of obsession was. 

“And by that [I mean], I just wanted the camera to roll. Not to kind of preempt it or rehearse it and what happened, happened. 

“It was one take, and I think it was right. It moved the story forward.”

AMERICAN Pickers star Frank Fritz’s final wish before his death has been revealed as the beloved picker’s loved ones remember him on his 61st birthday. 

Frank passed away on Monday, September 30 at 60 years old, two years after suffering a debilitating stroke. 

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Frank Fritz outside of his home in Davenport, Iowa[/caption]

News Enterprises Inc

Frank Fritz’s good friend Jerry Gendreau revealed the star’s final wish[/caption]

The American Pickers star died just two weeks before his 61st birthday. 

In an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, Frank’s close friend Jerry Gendreau revealed how he is honoring the star’s final wish to keep his memory alive.

“My understanding at this point, and this was his will, he wanted to come on the back of a motorcycle or a sidecar with his ashes in an urn with a big ride and go back to the Quad Cities.”

Frank’s final ride through the Quad Cities, which is a region of four cities in Iowa and Illinois, would take place in the Spring. 

“We’ll do anything we can for him,” Jerry vowed. “That’s what he really wanted to do.”

Frank’s conservator, Chris Davis, also revealed memorial plans for his beloved friend. 

He previously told The U.S. Sun, “There will be a celebration of life in the future. It will be big. Fans can attend. 

“We already have several bands who want to play in it, including my band.”

In addition to honoring Frank’s final wish, loved ones are also honoring the star on what would’ve been his 61st birthday. 

“Today would have been Frank’s 61st birthday. For the last 2 years I made him a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting,” Frank’s good friend Annette Oberlander Willows posted on Facebook.

“One for his birthday and one for mine and we would celebrate. Small little story he would rarely share even a piece other than with me. It gives me a chuckle the way he guarded it.”

Fans have also flooded social media with birthday wishes for him, as one wrote, “Happy birthday in heaven Frank!”

“Happy memories keep them close to us. Happy birthday, Frank,” a second wrote. 

A third said, “Happy birthday to the bearded charmer Frank R.I.P.”

“Can’t get it off my mind… Been thinking about it being his birthday last few days… He will be forever in my heart,” a fourth commented.

Jerry previously revealed what he would like fans to remember of his beloved friend. 

“He was truly the comedian who popped out with some of the weirdest and dumbest things that you just go, ‘Wow,’” Jerry said.  

“Frank was pretty much a what you see is what you get guy. His faults were his faults. You can’t fault anybody for being what they are. He was a right is right and wrong is wrong kind of person. 

“He made a mark on history.”

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Frank Fritz on American Pickers[/caption]

The passing comes two years after Frank suffered a stroke in his Iowa home in July 2022. 

He was left wheelchair-bound and returned to a rehabilitation center after the hospital stints. 

“He can walk, but he’s always going to need the wheelchair because he can’t walk long distances,” a source previously told The U.S. Sun in August 2023.

“Basically, you lose motion. He lost motion. A stroke can affect your left or your right side, it affected his right side.”

Jerry also gave insight into Frank’s health struggles in recent months.

“He felt really, really bad,” he told previously The U.S. Sun.

“You would go to see him in the nursing home and one-half of his body was completely done. He would lift his arm up and it would just drop.

“That’s got to be tough to be totally bedridden.”

Jerry explained how Frank grew “frustrated” because he “couldn’t come out and say what he wanted to say,” though some days were “much, much better than others.”

“I’ve seen this when people get tired, they get tired. I think if you don’t have the will to live, you won’t,” Jerry said.

“I think Frank could’ve lived a lot longer if the will to live would’ve been there.”

CONSERVATORSHIP

Frank’s close friends filed for a conservatorship and guardianship for him in August 2022. 

“Because of his stroke, Mr. Fritz’s decision­-making capacity is so impaired that he is unable to care for his own safety or to provide for necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, or medical care without which physical injury or illness may occur,” documents obtained by The U.S. Sun read.

“Mr. Fritz’s decision­-making capacity is so impaired that he is unable to make, communicate, or carry out important decisions concerning his own financial affairs.

“Decisions must be made for Mr. Fritz’s care and placement while he continues to recover and receive treatment for his injuries.”

The appointment of a guardian and conservator was deemed “necessary” to “avoid immediate harm to him.”

In July 2024, conservator MidWestOne demanded Frank’s finances be transferred to them because he needed “skilled” and “long-term” nursing care at the time.

LEAVING PICKERS

Frank left American Pickers in 2020 to undergo back surgery.

He was officially let go in 2021, as Frank revealed his feud with co-star Mike during an interview with The U.S. Sun in 2021.

Mike and Frank ended their feud during his health issues and reunited over Memorial Day Weekend of 2023.

Mike was by his side in hospice when he passed, along with other loved ones. 

MIKE HONORING FRANK

Ahead of the American Pickers premiere this week, Mike dedicated the season to his longtime friend.

He wrote, “It’s has taken me a long time to figure out what I was going to say or if I even wanted to post that we have new episodes starting tomorrow night.

“The timing of this and Frank’s passing is not great however we have been making shows without Frank for four years now and we have always wanted him to be back with this crew, but he couldn’t due to health issues.

“Every time the crew and I were in Iowa, we would go and sit by Frank’s side and let him know how much he was missed, how he could never be replaced and we will work incredibly hard on every episode to make him proud.

“As always, since Frank has left, I dedicate this show and all the others this season in his honor.”

Season 26 of American Pickers kicked off on Monday, October 9 with Mike, Robbie Wolfe, Danielle Colby on Jon “Jersey Jon” Szalay.  

YouTube/Samcrac

American Pickers stars Mike and Robbie Wolfe, Danielle Colby and Jon ‘Jersey Jon’ Szalay[/caption]

A NEW photo of a missing mother-of-four has emerged as investigators uncover a chilling phone call made by her husband to a family member.

Suzanne Clark Simpson, 51, was last seen on Sunday evening when a neighbor said she and her husband, Brad Simpson, got into a heated argument at their home in Olmos Park, Texas, a suburb of San Antonio.

Texas Department of Public Safety

Bexar County Jail

Olmos Park Police Department

KENS5

The Olmos Park Police Department said that before Suzanne disappeared, she and Simpson, a wealthy real estate agent, attended a private club called The Argyle on Sunday evening for a party.

Witnesses told investigators Suzanne was seen wearing a long black dress and heels.

However, a neighbor who lives across the street from the Simpsons told a Texas Ranger officer that he overheard a heated argument between the couple sometime between 10 and 11 pm that evening.

The neighbor told investigators that when he looked out his window, the argument had become physical between the pair, who have been married for 22 years.

“He described that he observed that Mr. Simpson was grabbing Ms. Simpson by her upper torso area to gain control of her body,” a police arrest affidavit obtained by The U.S. Sun read.

“He stated that he observed that Ms. Simpson was attempting to get away from Mr. Simpson’s grasp as he tried to pull her downstairs.

“He advised that it appeared that Mr. Simpson was clearly attempting to keep Ms. Simpson from running away.”

EERIE PHONE CALL

Investigators said that when the couple was out of the neighbor’s viewpoint, he grabbed a flashlight and went outside looking for the Simpsons.

“He said that a short time later, he heard two-three screams from a wooden/brushy area east of his residence,” the affidavit said.

The neighbor went back into his house, and about an hour later, he told investigators he had observed Simpson, 53, leave the residence in his black 2019 GMC pickup truck.

About an hour or two later, the same neighbor said he saw Brad return to the house alone.

Since the suspected domestic violence episode, Suzanne has not been seen or heard from.

Olmos Park police interviewed Simpson’s elder brother, Barton, and learned he had received a phone call from his family member on Monday, where he “apologized for all the problems that he had caused.”

Barton posted a statement on Facebook where he said the family was cooperating with police in Suzanne’s disappearance.

“Our family is devastated by the disappearance of our beloved Suzzane,” he wrote.

Olmos Park Police Department

Facebook

Olmos Park Police

“We are doing everything we can to fully cooperate with law enforcement, and our first priority is to find her and bring her home.

“Our second priority is to surround her children with love and ensure they are protected during this incredibly difficult time.

“We are desperately seeking answers and pleading for anyone with information to come forward. We greatly appreciate the public outcry and support, and we are aligned in wanting answers and resolution.

“We ask the public to respect our privacy, but we also deeply appreciate the outpouring of support.”

Barton urged anyone with information about Suzanne’s whereabouts to call Olmos police, “Your help could make all the difference.”

BRAD SIMPSON ARRESTED

The affidavit also describes how, on Monday, Simpson received a phone call from their daughter’s school informing them that the child had not been picked up.

When approached by police, Simpson told officers that his wife usually picks up their daughter from school but was described as “uncooperative” during the interview with investigators.

Authorities also learned that the couple’s 5-year-old daughter told school officials at Howard Elementary that her “mom and dad were fighting.”

The young child told school administrators, who relayed the information to investigators, that her dad had allegedly hit her mom in the face and possibly pushed her into a wall.

The girl said she observed her mother with a bruise on her elbow and that her father had taken her mom’s cell phone away, according to the affidavit.

Simpson was arrested on Wednesday and charged with family violence. He has not been charged in connection with Suzanne’s disappearance.

“Many of the people are telling us that there has been tension in the family,” Olmos Police Chief Fidel Villegas told NBC affiliate WOAI.

“Surely foul play, the more time passes, the more we believe foul play was involved.”

Villegas is asking anyone who may have noticed Simpson’s pickup at an unusual location to contact Olmos police.

Suzanne is a mother of four, two of whom she shares with Simpson.

“What isn’t common, what is unusual is that this was a woman who worked and was very dependable and loved her children and was always in contact with her children and her family and her friends, and suddenly she stopped after Sunday night,” Villegas added.

PART one of Outer Banks season four dropped a major twist regarding the parentage of JJ Maybank.

The revelation in episode five turns everything viewers thought they knew about the character’s background on its head.

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Rudy Pankow plays JJ Maybank in Outer Banks[/caption]

Who is JJ Maybanks’ dad?

For the first three seasons of Outer Banks, JJ — played by Rudy Pankow — was portrayed as the son of Luke Maybank, an abusive alcoholic who physically and emotionally mistreated him throughout his childhood.

However, the truth is far more complex and ties directly into the overarching mystery of season four.

In episode five, titled Albatross, JJ receives a letter from Wes Genrette revealing some shocking information about his true identity.

When JJ confronts Luke about this, he finally admits that he is not JJ’s biological father.

He says JJ’s real parents are Larissa Genrette and Chandler Groff.

This makes Wes Genrette, who hired the Pogues to find an amulet, JJ’s grandfather.

Larissa was married to Chandler, making him JJ’s biological father.

The Genrette Family curse

The revelation of JJ’s true parentage ties directly into the central mystery of Outer Banks season four involving the Genrette family curse.

According to Wes, the Genrette family has been haunted by the ghost of Elizabeth — Blackbeard’s wife — for 300 years.

Family members have died violent deaths, including Larissa, who supposedly drowned with her infant son on a boat called the Albatross.

Wes hired the Pogues to find Elizabeth’s amulet, believing it would break the curse.

The quest takes on new significance now that JJ is revealed to be part of the Genrette bloodline.

Unanswered questions

While the twist explains some of JJ’s background, it also raises many new questions:

• Why did Luke raise JJ as his own son? Luke claims he was “just trying to help,” but the full story remains unclear
• Does Chandler Groff know JJ is his son? His comment in episode two about believing in JJ suggests he might be aware of their connection
• Why was JJ’s true identity kept secret? It’s possible Larissa wanted to protect JJ from the family curse or from Chandler himself

Netflix

JJ receives a letter from Wes Genrette revealing some shocking information about his true identity[/caption]

Implications for JJ

This revelation throws JJ’s entire identity into question.

He’s spent his life as a proud Pogue, dealing with the stigma of being Luke Maybank’s son.

Now he discovers he’s actually a Kook by blood and would have lived a very different life if raised by his biological parents.

The truth about his parentage is likely to have a significant impact on JJ’s character development in part two of season four.

He’ll have to grapple with his true heritage and how it affects his relationships with the other Pogues.

Netflix

JJ confronts Luke Maybank, who reveals he isn’t his biological father[/caption]

Potential dangers

JJ’s newly revealed identity may put him in danger.

If Chandler Groff is indeed a villain, as some scenes suggest, JJ could become a target.

There’s also speculation that Groff may have been involved in Wes’ death and is working with Hollis Robinson to gain control of Goat Island.

What next on Outer Banks?

As Outer Banks season 4 continues, viewers can expect to see more exploration of JJ’s true parentage and its implications.

The series will likely delve deeper into the Genrette family history, the curse and how JJ fits into this larger mystery.

The revelation about JJ’s father adds a new layer of complexity to his character and opens up numerous storytelling possibilities for the remainder of season four and beyond.

It will be interesting to see how JJ reconciles his Pogue upbringing with his newly discovered Kook heritage.

Will this knowledge affect his relationships with both his found family — the Pogues — and his biological relatives?

CHRISTIAN Brueckner could flee to Cuba if he is not soon charged over Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, investigators fear.

German police believe the convicted rapist, 47, is the top suspect in the three-year-old’s 2007 abduction.

Darren Fletcher

Christian Brueckner pictured in court last week[/caption]

PA:Press Association

Madeleine McCann vanished in 2007[/caption]

But Madeleine prosecutors have admitted they face a race against time to keep him in jail after he was last week cleared of a string of rapes.

It means a seven-year sentence due to end next September is now all that is keeping Brueckner behind bars.

In 2019, he was found guilty of the 2005 rape of an American woman in Portugal’s Algarve.

The Sun revealed last week how Brueckner’s lawyers were plotting to appeal that conviction to free him before September 2025.

A court source said: “Brueckner’s lawyer said in court he did not believe the 2019 conviction was safe and could be challenged after a witness was discredited.

“Appeals aren’t quick but there is a chance he is released sooner.

“He’d also have a clear path to try for compensation.”

Police in Germany are now hoping to charge Brueckner with Madeleine’s kidnap and murder before he is freed, reports Bild.

It is feared he could flee to Cuba to avoid trial, sources say.

The outlet reported: “This concern is already troubling the investigators – that the Maddie suspect could flee to a country like Cambodia, the Philippines or Cuba after being released from prison.”

Countries such as those do not extradite criminals to Germany.

Under German law, if Brueckner is not charged or arrested in connection with Madeleine’s abduction before he is released from jail he will be free to go anywhere in the world.

A further blow came when his legal team announced they plan to fight for a retrial of his rape conviction.

That relied on the testimony of witness Helge B, who a judge in this week’s trial branded “unreliable” and “a liar”.

Helge B is also a vital witness in the German police case against Brueckner for Madeline’s abduction.

Brueckner was named prime suspect over the youngster’s disappearance in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007 by German police in 2020.

But he is yet to be charged over it.

He denies any involvement.

AFP

The Portugal apartment Maddie was taken from in 2007[/caption]