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Mona Hammond, who was best known for her role as Blossom Jackson in the BBC soap EastEnders has died at the age of 91. The Jamaican-British born star also played Susu in Desmond’s during the early nineties.

Tributes have since poured in for the actress on social media following the news of her death.

Lorraine King wrote: “RIP Mona Hammond. “An extremely talented Jamaican actress who did theatre and TV but will always be Auntie SuSu from Desmond’s to many of us. She will be sorely missed. May she sleep peacefully.”

Marcus Ryder took to social media to mourn the loss of Mona, tweeting: “It is with sadness that I wake up to the news Mona Hammond has died. Among her numerous achievements she co-founded Talawa Theatre Company in 1985.

“She was also a@RADALondon graduate and received an honorary RADA Fellowship in 2019.”

READ MORE: Martin Freeman admits ‘it’s hard not to feel hurt’ over kids

Born in Jamaica, Mona emigrated to Britain in 1959 on a Jamaican Scholarship.

She attended evening classes at the City Literary Institute in London for two years and was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA),[6] graduating in 1964.

The actress began her career on stage, and made appearances on television shows such as Softly, Softly and The Troubleshooters.

Her other television roles inlcuded The Sweeney, Wolcott a three-part ATV mini-series about a black detective based in East London; Black Silk; Juliet Bravo; Playboy of the West Indies, Casualty and When Love Dies.

She has appeared in ITV’s Coronation Street twice, first playing the role of Jan Sargent, and the second time playing Velma Armitage, mother of Shirley Armitage in 1988.

She has appeared in ITV’s Coronation Street twice, first playing the role of Jan Sargent, and the second time playing Velma Armitage, mother of Shirley Armitage in 1988.

Mona was best known to soap fans for her time spent in Albert Square playing Blossom Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson clan.

She arrived on the set of the BBC soap in 1994 and remained in the role until her exit in 1997.

“This time, it is going to be great because I get to expand and work with other members of the cast and see a few more layers to Sandra’s character and develop her a bit more.”

Joanne said she is particularly excited because Sandra is a “car crash” and her storyline can “go anywhere”.

She continued: “It feels really exciting because she is just a car crash and it could go anywhere with Sandra. She’s a madam she really is!

“She is so different from me, I hope so anyway, and I would not wear what she wears.”

Taylor-Johnson didn’t return to the franchise, at least in part due to her problems working with James—who exercised as much creative control as she could, even bringing in her husband, Niall Leonard, to write the script for the sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.

“We would have proper on-set barneys,” Taylor-Johnson recalled to Porter magazine in 2015. “I’m not confrontational, but it was about finding a way between the two of us, satisfying her vision of what she’d written as well as my need to visualize this person on screen.”

She also told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015 that James “would be the first to say as well that it was not easy. It was not easy. But we got there. I think both of us felt it was an incredibly painful process.” James said in an appearance on MSNBC that “people are going to butt heads, and that is exactly what happened.”

Opening up to the Sunday Times magazine in 2017, Taylor-Johnson said she didn’t regret doing the film, per se, “because that would just finish me off. With the benefit of hindsight would I go through it again? Of course I wouldn’t. I’d be mad.”

She continued, “I like everyone, and I get really confused when they don’t like me. I was so confused by EL James. I don’t understand when I can’t navigate a person, when there’s no synergy.” 

Vanessa Hudgens knocked this birthday tribute out of the park.

For boyfriend Cole Tucker‘s special day on July 3, the High School Musical alum shared a heartwarming message to the Arizona Diamondbacks player. Alongside a series of photos with Tucker, Hudgens captioned her Instagram post, “Who’s a big birthday boy?! @cotuck is.”

She then referenced lyrics from Elton John‘s “Your Song,” writing to Tucker, “I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words… how about wonderful life is now your [sic] in the world. DAMNIT,” along with a wink and “I love you” emojis.

Hudgens concluded her message, “Happy birthday baby.”

After reading the note, Tucker couldn’t help but gush over his leading lady. “I lava youuuuuuu,” he commented, “thank you baby.”

Hudgens, 33, and Tucker, 26, first sparked romance rumors in late 2020, when they were spotted on a date in Los Angeles. “They had a romantic dinner outside under the stars,” an eyewitness told E! News in Nov. 2020. “They shared wine and food and had a great two-hour meal. Vanessa was giddy with laughter. She was looking over at Cole and couldn’t contain her smile.”

While the family has not publicly shared Julia’s cause of death, local station WTVR CBS 6 in Richmond, Virginia, reported that she was involved in an apparent tubing accident over the weekend. The outlet, citing sources, stated that Julia was “killed after falling from her tube” into the James River.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources tells E! News that on July 2 “family and friends were out on the James River pulling two juveniles on a tube behind a boat. After the girls fell off of the tube, and the operator was on his way back to get them out of the water, the boat hit a wave causing it to be pushed on top of the victim (17) striking her with the propeller.”

“The operator immediately jumped into the river to rescue the victim, as did another passing boat operator,” the department’s statement continued. “Once they got the girl out of the water, they rushed back for help. Lifejackets were worn. No foul play is suspected, and alcohol was not a factor. DWR sends their condolences to the friends and family during this unimaginable time.”

Warning: This story includes spoilers for Stranger Things season four, volume two.

Vecna may’ve been knocked down, but he’s sure to come back swinging in season five.

Episode nine of season four had Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) being severely injured thanks to the efforts of Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawke). However, when the trio went to confirm that Vecna (a.k.a. Henry and 001) really died, the monster had vanished into thin air.

Will (Noah Schnapp), who was lost in the Upside Down in season one and had been possessed by Vecna’s Mind Flayer in season two, eventually confirms the villain is still very much alive as he can feel him. Well, that’s concerning to say the least.

On how this might come into play come season five, E! News turned to Jamie for answers.

“We all know by now that Vecna and Will have history,” Jamie told E! News. “So it would be a joy to to get back in there as I’ll gently put it.”

#ProtectWill, anyone?

Westworld is taking viewers on a trip through time.

In the July 3 episode of the HBO series, Maeve (Thandiwe Newton) and Caleb (Aaron Paul) step off the train and into the Roaring ’20s. The duo see flapper-esque hosts strut through the rowdy streets of Chicago, ready to do the Charleston and drink the night away.

This new park is partly a nod to our current reemergence from the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the decade we’re currently living in. But it also has its ties to the original park set in the Wild West.

“In so many ways it was a perfect decade to go to,” executive producer Allison Schapker told E! News. “In cinema, I really feel that the gangster is a direct descendant of the Western Gunslinger. And it’s also a time of corruption, law-breaking and, obviously—not just limited to prohibition—but the whole gangster kind of era.”

Plus, Allison said, “We couldn’t resist all the accoutrements too, like the costumes and Tommy guns.”

Light the grill, hop in the pool and get ready to pop some fireworks!

It’s the 4^th of July and some of your favorite stars—including Shawn Johnson, Michelle Obama, Christina Haack and Tom Brady—are celebrating in a big way. 

Christina soaked up some sun poolside with her family this weekend. In a July 3 Instagram post, the Christina on the Coast star noted that she was “just enjoying the view”—and that view included her husband Josh Hall‘s red, white and blue one-piece.
 
Meanwhile, Shawn enjoyed the lake life with husband Andrew East, daughter Drew Hazel East, 2, and son Jett James East, 11 months. In a snap shared to Instagram July 3, the group posed together at Lake Lemon in Indiana.

Though the 4^th of July will serve as a day off for some stars, for others, it has a more special meaning. Take for instance Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, who will be celebrating a milestone 40 years of marriage together.

In May 2017, the couple renewed their vows on Mother’s Day after a brief separation. “For me, this was actually our real wedding day,” the rocker told Hello! Magazine that same year. “This is the one that I will remember. Sharon and I have been through so much, and this honestly feels like a new beginning.”

No question is too out-of-the-box for Megan Fox—especially when it came to getting to her now-fiancé Machine Gun Kelly.

Right out of the gate, the Jennifer’s Body actress exclusively told E! News that she once asked her fiancé, “‘Were you breastfed by your mother?'” 

Megan explained why she believed it was a “great question” while on the red carpet for MGK’s Hulu documentary Life in Pink on June 27. “It has a lot to do with your psychology and your temperament,” she added. “So I ask things like that.”

For Megan, it’s important that every question causes the conversation to “go deep right away” instead of simply learning about favorite colors or films.

That way, the actress said, she can learn as much about the person as she possibly can. As she explained, “If you know me and I know you, it’s impossible for me to not know almost everything about you.” 

Travis Barker is on the road to recovery. 

Less than a week after being admitted to the hospital for pancreatitis, it appears the Blink-182 drummer is back at home. Travis seemingly confirmed the news on July 4 while sharing an image to his Instagram Story of flowers he received from mother-in-law Kris Jenner and her boyfriend Corey Gamble.

“Dearest Travis,” a note attached to the flowers read, “Get well soon!!!! We love you.” Travis captioned the photo, which appeared to be taken at his residence in Calabasas, Calif., with a “thank you” to the couple.

On July 3, Travis’ wife Kourtney Kardashian hinted that he’d been released from the hospital by posting a photo from inside his vintage convertible. That same day, Travis shared a picture to his own Instagram Story, showing a basket filled with board games, including Battleship, Monopoly and Operation.

E! News confirmed on June 28 that Travis was brought by ambulance to a Los Angeles hospital. On July 2, Travis shared details on his health journey on social media.