Fire and ice: ‘Heated Rivalry’ stars to be torchbearers for Winter Olympics
Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams attend the premiere of ‘Heated Rivalry’ at TIFF Lightbox on Nov. 24, 2025, in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Harold Feng/Getty Images)
Heated Rivalry is heading to the Olympics.
Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, who play hockey rivals to lovers Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander on the hit series, will be among the torchbearers for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
The Olympic torch relay begins in Greece, where the first Olympics took place, and makes its way to the host city. The torch is currently in Trieste, Italy, and will visit 13 more cities in the country before the opening ceremony in Milan on Feb. 6.
No word yet on where or when Storrie and Williams will be picking up the torch.
In the show’s second episode, titled “Olympians,” their characters compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Season 1 of the steamy romance is available on HBO Max in the U.S., and the show has already scored a season 2 renewal.
(L-R) Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, and Michelle Wong accept the best animated feature film for ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ onstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
KPop Demon Hunters has taken home the gold at the 2026 Academy Awards, picking up the award for best animated feature film.
It beat out fellow nominees Arco, Elio, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain and Zootopia 2.
Directors Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle Wong took the stage to accept the Oscar, with Kang dedicating the award to Koreans everywhere. “For those of you who look like me, I’m so sorry that it took us so long to see us in a movie like this,” she said. “This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere.”
Wong thanked their partners at Netflix, Sony Pictures Animations and Sony Pictures Music, as well as their spouses; she ended with a special shoutout to her mother.
Appelhans sent encouraging words to young filmmakers, artists and musicians around the world. “Tell your story. Sing in your voice,” he said. “I promise you the world is waiting.”
KPop Demon Hunters 2 is officially in development at Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, with Kang and Appelhans coming back to direct.
Anthony Geary and Genie Francis attend The Paley Center for Media Presents “General Hospital: Celebrating 50 years and Looking Forward” at The Paley Center for Media on April 12, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
General Hospital actress Genie Francis is remembering her late co-star Anthony Geary, who died Sunday at the age of 78. Francis and Geary famously starred as Laura and Luke Spencer in the long-running soap opera for 37 years.
“Tony was a very warm person, very sensitive person, and incredibly funny,” Francis told ABC News. “I was very, very young and Tony was very protective of me. But we knew we were doing something very edgy.”
“[Television producer] Gloria Monty always said that we were going to change the face of daytime,” Francis continued. “And we were doing that. We were so excited. We didn’t want to leave when we were released. We’d sometimes sit on the stage and just talk about what we had done.”
Francis and Geary’s portrayal of the iconic couple earned both Daytime Emmy Awards and in 1981, when their characters married, about 30 million Americans tuned in to watch the wedding on General Hospital.
Geary opened up about his and Francis’ chemistry and success together in an interview with Good Morning America back in 2013.
“There are all kinds of successes but ours was different in that it was truly lightning in a bottle,” Geary said at the time. “It was the most unexpected place, a soap opera, which was about to be canceled, that took everyone’s interest and swept the nation. It’s a piece of history that I’m glad I took part in.”
Francis, now 63, said she will miss her longtime partner.
“I’m just heartbroken. I’m so sad,” said Francis. “But again, I am so lucky that I got to have this man as my first leading man. He ruined me. He ruined me for leading men for the rest of my life basically. Because I started with the best.”
Restaurateur Dame Prue Leith poses for a portrait as she prepares to host a long table banquet during Wilderness Festival at Cornbury Park on Aug. 1, 2025, in Charlbury, Oxfordshire. (Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
This news may cause a soggy tissue, but at least that’s better than a soggy bottom.
Prue Leith, the longtime judge of The Great British Bake Off, has announced that she is leaving the show after nine years. The restauranteur shared the news on Instagram Wednesday.
“After nine series and judging more than 400 challenges, I have decided to step down as a judge on The Great British Bake Off,” Leith wrote. “Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I’m sure I’ll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4.”
The Great British Bake Off, which goes by the name The Great British Baking Show on Netflix, is also judged by Paul Hollywood. The program is hosted by Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding. Leith joined the show in 2017, replacing the original judge, Mary Berry.
Leith continued her goodbye announcement by explaining why she came to this decision.
“But now feels like the right time to step back (I’m 86 for goodness sake!), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden,” Leith wrote. “Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have. I feel very lucky to have been part of it.”
Rahul Mandal, the season 9 Bake Off winner, took to the comments to share support for Leith.
“We will miss you so much. It was a joy and privilege to be in the tent [with] you. You are kind, funny, passionate and always inspired us,” Mandal wrote.
The most recent winner of the show, Jasmine Mitchell, also sent love Leith’s way in the comments.
“Awwwww, Prue you’re amazing and we will miss you so very much,” she wrote.
