Eurovision is over and done with for another year, with Sweden’s Loreen becoming the first female entry to win the song contest twice (first in 2012 with 'Euphoria', and then this year with 'Tattoo'), but the drama surrounding the beloved night of entertainment continues. First came the conspiracy theory that a victory for Loreen was “rigged” so Sweden could host the contest in 2024 – 50 years after ABBA’s success with 'Waterloo' – and now, there’s speculation that France’s entry gave the audience in Liverpool and everyone watching at home the middle finger. Well, it would be a step up from Ukraine’s entry Tvorchi, whose track 'Heart of Steel' only included a middle finger in terms of the lyrics, when vocalist Jeffery Kenny sings: “Sometimes you just gotta know / When to stick your middle finger up in the air.” During Saturday’s grand final, France’s representative La Zarra – who took to the stage with the track 'Evidemment' – didn’t look too thrilled with her country’s final position of 16th on the leaderboard, getting only 50 extra points from the voting public on top of their 54 points from the national juries. After co-host Graham Norton shared the result, an unenthused La Zarra was captured reacting to the news by raising one hand, before splaying out the fingers on the other with her middle finger pointing down. She then turned it around to have the offending digit pointing upwards, which then looked like she was flipping the bird, as it were. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Viewers soon expressed their glee at the potentially offensive gesture when they saw it: However, in an interview with the French news channel BFM TV, La Zarra – who was born in Canada to Moroccan parents – insisted the gesture had been misinterpreted, saying she has a “double culture”. “It’s not a negative gesture. On the contrary, it’s just a gesture of disappointment that we use between friends. “Afterwards, I can understand that overseas it is considered another gesture.” It’s not the first time that Eurovision fans have accused an act of doing something naughty, as 2021 winners Måneskin – from Italy – were hit with false and disproven claims that their lead singer took drugs at their green room table. The group said at the time that they were “really offended” by the accusations and that what had actually happened was that the group’s guitarist had broken a glass. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

'We hope this show brings as much fun to audience as we’ve had creating it when it premieres next year,' Jamie Foxx and his daughter Corinne said

Amazon.com Inc. plans to bring ChatGPT-style product search to its web store, rivaling efforts by Microsoft Corp. and

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2023--

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2023--

They all sparkle. They all bubble. And they’re all water. But they're not interchangeable.

Elle Fanning has detailed how her body has “creepily formed and shifted” so that she is now more comfortable wearing corsets while filming The Great. The 25-year-old, who plays Catherine the Great in the popular Hulu period series, said she has “got used to” wearing the restrictive garments. Fanning is currently starring in the third season of the satirical show alongside Nicholas Hoult, who plays Peter III of Russia, and Gillian Anderson, who plays her mother, Joanna Elisabeth. In a new interview with Insider, she was asked whether wearing corsets gets any easier as many of her costumes involve them. “It actually does, I will say. It does get more bearable,” she told the publication. “I have got used to them now.” Fanning added that at the start of filming for each season, she has to readjust to wearing the elaborate, confining undergarments that are designed to cinch the waist. “And then your body creepily forms and shifts and it becomes easier,” she continued. “Sometimes, yeah, they’re not the most comfortable.” Nevertheless, the Maleficent star has adapted to wearing corsets so well that she can “do anything in a corset”, she said. The elaborate outfits, hair and makeup showcased in The Great won the series an Emmy for outstanding period costumes in 2022. Costume designer Sharon Long previously detailed the fashion choices for Fanning’s character, which often exaggerate her figure. Speaking to IndieWire last year, Long said: “The size of [Catherine’s] skirt was an interesting device to use. We kept her as tiny and tight at the top as possible and her skirts as large as we could go, and she moves through the set and takes up space.” Fanning recently spoke out about the negative feedback she once received after she was rejected from a big franchise film. “I didn’t get a part once for something big because – it might not have just been this reason, but this was the feedback that I heard – was because I didn’t have enough Instagram followers at the time,” she told Josh Horowitz on his podcast Happy Sad Confused. “That’s something I firmly don’t believe in, for not getting a part. Fanning is the younger sister of child star Dakota Fanning. She has starred in hit films such as Super 8 and We Bought a Zoo, as well as the TV series The Girl From Plainville. Read More Elle Fanning says she was rejected from big franchise film over Instagram follower count Rebel Wilson shares first pictures of baby Royce’s face to mark first Mother’s Day TikTok Tattoogate: Award-winning tattoo artist vows to ‘fix the wrongs’ for woman at centre of scandal Fans defend Kyla Pratt for dressing casually to The Little Mermaid premiere 11 lightweight SPFs your skin will love Beyonce kicks of Renaissance tour in string of glamorous outfits

'I know I'm mentally strong, and I get that from my mom,' Jeremy Renner said in an interview earlier

On Mother's Day, ESPN thought it was a good time to ask Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas about his own mom, who is deceased.ESPN celebrated Mother's Day in its usual fashion. On Sunday Night Baseball, the trio of Karl Ravech, David Cone and Eduardo Perez spoke with players on the fi...

DAVIS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2023--

Ted Lasso is a nicer character because of Donald Trump.

The Texas native, inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1988, became an ambassador for the game.