just now (268+ words) A long-lost painting by 17th-century Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens sold at auction in France on Sunday for almost three million euros -- well beyond its asking price. The work, of Jesus Christ on the cross and painted in 1613, was unearthed by auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat in a Paris mansion last year. Osenat, whose auction house sold the painting for 2.94 million euros ($3.41 million) against an expected 1-2 million euros, found the painting as he was preparing the property to be sold. He told AFP earlier this year the picture was "a masterpiece" which was painted by Rubens when he was "at the height of his talent". The auction house said in its promotional material that very little was known of the painting -- only that a peer of Rubens had made an engraving of it. Later historians described this engraving and, despite having never…...

1+ min ago (210+ words) The painting was recently found in a private townhouse in Paris. It depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was part of a French collection and was initially thought to be from one of the many Rubens workshops that existed at the time. The artwork was rarely valued at more than 10,000 euros ($11,500). Nils B'ttner, an expert known for his research on Rubens, explained before the auction that the master often painted crucifictions but rarely depicted "the crucified Christ as a dead body on the cross." "So this is the one and only painting showing blood and water coming out of the side wound of Christ, and this is something that Rubens only painted once." The Osenat auction house said the painting's authenticity and provenance were confirmed after scientific analysis. It said microscopic examination of the paint layers revealed not only…...

2+ min ago (291+ words) Twitch streamer Melt and Kick streamer Marinotlive were involved in a high-speed crash on a Georgia highway late November 29 while broadcasting the drive to thousands of viewers. Melt, who frequently streams IRL driving content, was on Twitch with three passengers in his car. Marinotlive was simultaneously streaming on Kick, following behind in a separate vehicle. Multiple clips from viewers, shared on X and Reddit overnight, show the two creators speeding through late-night traffic before the incident occurred. In a clip posted to r/Livestreamfails, Marinotlive can be seen accelerating and cutting across several lanes at high speed before losing control and striking the rear of Melt's car. The moment of impact was broadcast live on both streams, with viewers hearing passengers scream as the vehicle spun toward the median. A second clip posted to X shows the aftermath, with Melt's…...

2+ min ago (72+ words) A long-lost painting by 17th-century Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens sold at auction in France on Sunday for almost three million euros -- well beyond its asking price. Long-lost Rubens 'Masterpiece' Sells For Almost 3 Mn Euros AFP - Agence France Presse A long-lost painting by 17th-century Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens sold at auction in France on Sunday for almost three million euros -- well beyond its asking price....

3+ min ago (468+ words) George Clooney will never forget that he lost a role in "Thelma & Louise" to Brad Pitt. "I got to the final test for a role in'Thelma & Louise." And, motherf'er, Brad got it," Clooney, 64, said about his "Ocean"s Eleven" co-star, 61, in a new interview with The Times UK. Pitt memorably portrayed J.D., the handsome young drifter whom Thelma (Geena Davis) falls for as she experiences marital issues with husband Darryl (Christopher McDonald) in the beloved 1991 film. The role helped launch Pitt"s career into superstardom, while Clooney got his big break a few years later when he was cast in "ER." But Clooney still had a hard time getting over that Pitt beat him to the punch. "I didn"t watch'Thelma & Louise'for years, because I was annoyed," he admitted to The Times UK. "The part launched his career in film. He…...

3+ min ago (679+ words) NEW YORK, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Tony-winning Gilded Age, Life & Beth and Gossip Girl actress Laura Benanti says she enjoyed being cast against type as a rookie prison guard and single mother of three kids in Season 4 of the gritty crime drama, Mayor of Kingstown. Airing Sundays on Paramount+, the series follows Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner), the powerful liaison between police, criminals and the prison of a Michigan town where everyone has ties to at least one of the three. "I'm such a fan of the writing and of Jeremy and I don't get to play roles like this a lot. I do a lot of comedy or rich, mean women [characters]," Benanti, 46, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview. "Getting to play a character that is so wildly different from anything I've done and wildly different from who I am and…...

4+ min ago (643+ words) Viewers have called out the unlikelihood of stars being able to smuggle in banned items AN I'm A Celebrity "mystery' has left viewers baffled. After ex-Lioness and'Football'Focus host'Alex Scott, 41, was seen using salt'she had smuggled into camp, her campmate Shona McGarty has been caught red-handed too. Alex was caught on camera sprinkling her contraband salt into a camp meal of crocodile feet before being evicted on Friday night. She had smuggled sachets into the site but was caught on camera seasoning the dinner " a move made rapper'Aitch, 25, lose one star he had won in a trial. Alex swiped salt and pepper sachets from a service station before heading into a villa to'film'for the series' launch show. On Sunday night's show, EastEnders actor Shona entered camp with a laminate, as she guiltily told her fellow campmates:please don't hate me" read…...

4+ min ago (418+ words) Though James Cameron " who sits on the board of Stability AI " has expressed positive sentiments about artificial intelligence usage in filmmaking, he calls the prospect of the technology replacing actors "horrifying" and maintains its implementation will inevitably raise the bar for our standards on human-made art. In an extended interview with CBS Sunday Morning promoting the forthcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash, the three-time Oscar winner segued into talk about generative AI while discussing his affinity for motion capture, which he described as the "purest form" of performance. At the time of Avatar's 2009 release, Cameron recalled his hesitance "to pull the curtain back" on motion capture in hopes the "magic [would] be unblemished" for audiences. Now calling that decision a "mistake," he said it led to a misconception around the CGI-assisted tool. "For years, there was this sense that, 'Oh, they're…...

7+ min ago (443+ words) A24s afterlife romcom Eternity by David Freyne opened at no. 6 at the domestic box office as it picked up traction over the holiday weekend thanks to strong word of mouth. The film grossed about $3.2 million for the three-day weekend (and $5.2 million over the five-day holiday frame) on 1,348 screens. The TIFF-premiering title, one of the highest-testing ever for A24, stars a love triangle of Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner, alongside Oscar winner DaVine Joy Randolph and John Early. A24 produced the film with Star Thrower Entertainment. Certified Fresh at 90% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes (75% with critics), it expands next week. The film is being comped to Priscilla and We Live In Time, which both opened at just a handful of locations but moved quickly to moderate nationwide runs similar to Eternity's before going wider. We Live in Time went from 985 to 2,900 theaters…...

9+ min ago (342+ words) Sara Baxter, mayor of Palm Beach County,will be the keynote speaker at the 2025 State of the County Breakfast on Monday, Dec. 1 at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. Baxter represents District 6, covering Palm Beach County's western communities. She took office in 2023. The event is hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches. The Palm Beach Post will livestream the entire breakfast on its YouTube channel and its Facebook page. The breakfast, held in the Kravis Center's Cohen Pavilion, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach, will be from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. The annual State of the County speech, delivered by the county mayor, usually serves as a comprehensive update on the county's progress, priorities and challenges. In the past, mayors have addressed the following: " Economic performance and growth, such as its bond rating, and attracting…...