‘Home and Away’ star Orpheus Pledger arrested after three-day manhunt

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Olivia Colman and John Lithgow head the cast of “Jimpa,” a multi-generational family tale involving a nonbinary teenager and her mother who take a trip to see their gay grandfather. The Australia- and Europe-set film is directed by Sophie Hyde, whose most recent film was the breakout “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.” The film is now in its third week of production in Amsterdam and will later shoot in Adelaide, Australia and Helsinki, Finland. Rights to the film are being handled by Protagonist Pictures in much of the world and by CAA Media Finance in North America, with sales kicking off at the Cannes Market next week.

Thania Garcia Billie Eilish will host two album listening events ahead of her third studio album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” slated for release May 17. The free events presented by American Express, and produced by Live Nation, will take place on May 15 in New York City’s Barclays Center in association YouTube Music and on May 16 in Los Angeles’ Kia Forum in association Snapchat. Eilish’s forthcoming album will be available on all digital platforms, and in a continued effort to minimize waste and combat climate change; across all physical formats in limited variants on the same day, with the same track-listing and using 100% recyclable materials.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Hassie Harrison (“Yellowstone”), Jai Courtney (“Terminator Genisys”) and “Heartbreak High’s” Josh Heuston, soon to be seen in “Dune: Prophecy,” will star in the horror thriller “Dangerous Animals.” Adding edge to the package, Australia’s genre auteur Sean Byrne (“The Loved Ones,” “The Devil’s Candy”), one of the highest rated horror directors of all time on Rotten Tomatoes, is directing “Dangerous Animals” which will be brought onto the Cannes market by David Garrett’s Mister Smith Entertainment. Starting principal photography on Australia Gold Coast on May 7, “Dangerous Animals” is produced by London and Sydney-based Brouhaha Entertainment, behind Karim Aïnouz’s “Firebrand” and Guy Pearce-led “The Convert,” sold by Mister Smith, in conjunction with LD Entertainment (“Jackie,” “Ben Is Back”), Oddfellows Entertainment and management-production firm Range Media Partners.

Home and Away star Matt Evans was rushed to hospital with a horrific hand injury after he was slammed into rocks whilst out surfing in Australia. The 27 year old soap star got caught in a riptide whilst out in the sea at Bronte beach, causing a number of cuts to his hands, as he reposted a snap of it bleeding, which was originally posted by his pal. He was still smiling as he shrugged out of his wetsuit, as his friend wrote: "The sea was angry that day my friend," and tagged him.

Scotland could host the Commonwealth Games in 2026 without cash from the public purse being used to pay for the event, MSPs have been told.

Max Johnston is hoping tonight is the first step of a dream double with Sturm Graz.

Billie Eilish has announced a ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’ 2024-2025 UK, North America, Europe and Australian world tour. Check out dates and ticket details below.In support of her upcoming third studio album ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT‘ – which is set for release on May 17 and available for pre-order / pre-save here – Eilish will embark on a massive world tour.Kicking off on September 29 at the Centre Videotron in Québec, the ‘Bad Guy’ singer will make her way across North America through the end of December 2024.

Ellise Shafer Billie Eilish is embarking on a world tour in support of her forthcoming third album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” set for release on May 17. The Live Nation-produced tour will kick off in September in Quebec and continue through North America until December.

Refresh for latest…: Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4 has topped the half-century mark globally, now with $503.5M worldwide. Of that, $318.5M is from the international box office. Passing $500M makes KFP4, directed by Mike Mitchell (and co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine), only the fourth animated title to the benchmark since 2020, joining Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.4B) and Minions: The Rise of Gru ($943M), and Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ($691M).

Sea Girls have announced a run of UK and Ireland dates for later this year.The band will be playing a run of shows across in support of their forthcoming album ‘Midnight Butterflies’ in the autumn, which includes a huge show at Brixton Academy.The London indie rockers will be making stops in Sheffield, Newcastle, Manchester, Glasgow, Nottingham, London, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Norwich, Birmingham, Liverpool, Dublin and Belfast.Tickets will go on sale next Friday (May 3) – you can see the full list of dates below and buy your tickets here.SEPTEMBER26 – Sheffield, Octagon27 – Newcastle, City Hall28 – Manchester, O2 Apollo29 – Glasgow, O2 AcademyOCTOBER1 – Nottingham, Rock City3 – London, O2 Academy Brixton4 – Cardiff, Tramshed6 – Portsmouth, Guildhall7 – Norwich, LCR8 – Birmingham, O2 Academy9 – Liverpool, Mountford Hall11 – Dublin, Academy12 – Belfast, Limelight‘Midnight Butterflies’ will be released on June 14 via their new independent label Alt. Records and is described in a press release as being centred around “melodic joy” and “pop perfection”.

Jack Dunn GKIDS and European animation distributor Anime Ltd. have acquired global rights to Naoko Yamada’s new film “The Colors Within.” GKIDS has acquired the film for North America, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, while Anime Ltd. has acquired the film for the United Kingdom, Ireland, and all of Europe.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Australian police said on Thursday that they had arrested Orpheus Pledger, an actor known for his role on long-running soap “Home and Away.” His failure to appear in court on Tuesday led to the issue of an arrest warrant and a public call for help. Variety has reached out to Pledger’s agent Craig McMahon for comment. Pledger appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday, charged with four counts of assault.

Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a woman.The Australian actor has been accused of stomping on a woman's head. He was detained by police officers earlier in the week before managing to escape and go on the run.The actor was due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday 23 April accused of assaulting a woman.

Post Malone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Mötley Crüe, it’ll be tricky for 2024’s schedule to outdo its predecessor – and yet, thanks to the likes of Taylor Swift, Blink-182 and Pink, plus Coldplay, Pearl Jam and SZA, it’s poised to do just that.From debut headline shows for breakout artists to bustling festival sideshow programs, there’s something for everyone to enjoy as a stellar batch of musicians make their way Down Under in 2024. Read on for NME’s roundup of all the biggest concerts and tours coming to Australia this year.James Taylor: An Evening with James Taylor & His All-Star BandWhen: April 12 – April 28Find tickets and more info hereIf there was ever a festival made for James Taylor & His All-Star Band at this juncture of his 50-year career, it’s Day on the Green.

Australian police has called on the public to help in a manhunt for Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger.

Foxtel/Binge Topper Amanda Laing Exiting

Netflix has boarded BBC Three’s upcoming YA adaptation of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder starring Wednesday’s Emma Myers.

Coronation Street star Ciaran Griffiths has tied the knot with his girlfriend in an Australian ceremony and shared a glimpse of the special day with a lovely photo. The actor, who played Damon Hay on the ITV soap, updated his social media profile with a stunning new picture that shows the newlyweds blissfully posing on a boat with the iconic Sydney Opera House in the background. In the picture, Ciaran wears a pale blue blazer with a white shirt and navy trousers, while his stunning bride donned a beautiful lace gown.

EXCLUSIVE: UK sales outfit SC Films International has acquired world rights to Australian comedy The Way, My Way and will launch sales at the upcoming Cannes market. 

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor TikTok inked a partnership with ticketing provider AXS to let users of the popular video app discover and buy tickets to live events. The feature is going live initially in the U.S., U.K., Sweden and Australia, with additional markets to follow at an undetermined date. Now, any certified artist on TikTok can use the in-app ticketing feature to promote their AXS live dates, according to the company.