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Meet Australia’s newest and youngest Chaser

<p dir="ltr">There is a new <em>Chaser</em> on the block and she is not here to play nicely. </p> <p dir="ltr">Enter Mara Lejins, only 27, and Australia’s youngest Chaser on popular TV show <em>The Chase</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">One look and you’d actually think she’s Elle Woods from Legally Blonde thanks to her blonde hair and pink outfit. </p> <p dir="ltr">But don’t underestimate the innocent look as she has been dubbed The Smiling Assassin. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I only smile when I’m trying to take down contestants - that’s why I’m always smiling,” she says with a grin.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Smiling Assassin joins the top guns on the show - Goliath, The Governess, The Beast, The Shark, The Super Nerd and The Tiger Mum - who have long been putting contestants in their place in the competition. </p> <p dir="ltr">Host Larry Emdur told <em>The Morning Show</em> that people are fooled by Mara’s looks and when she attacks it’s “impressive”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She’s so disarming,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“She comes out, ‘oh doesn’t she look lovely’, and then BANG, she is across everything.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In a funny twist of events, Mara appeared in the show’s spinoff series <em>Beat The Chasers</em> in 2020 where she won a huge $58,000. </p> <p dir="ltr">Before that, she appeared as a contestant on <em>The Chase</em> in 2017 where she earned a whopping $20,000 for her team.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Seven</em></p>

TV

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Tributes for Mickey Rooney Jnr

<p>One of the original Mouseketeers – Mickey Rooney Jr – has died aged 77. The famed actor and musician passed away on Saturday July 17 at his home in Glendale, Arizona, according to a post on Facebook from friend and actor Paul Petersen. The two were both original Mouseketeers at Disney.</p> <p>"Mickey Junior was tall and talented. He could sing, dance and act... and get in trouble," Petersen wrote.</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fppetersen2%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02qZQDX8cLzkV4hNivPHqt1QbvuWK1pfwt42GZkSXcTv667EDBkN9WZQJbFy315AZtl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="680" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Rooney Jr was one of nine children of legendary vaudeville actor Mickey Rooney., and played in bands with Willie Nelson as well as appearing alongside him in Honeysuckle Rose and Songwriter. He helped score the soundtrack to John Brahm's Hot Rods to Hell, which he also had a small role in.</p> <p>In 1975, he had a role in the NBC movie Beyond the Bermuda Triangle.</p> <p>Born Joseph Yule III in Birmingham, Alabama, he and brother Tim Rooney were hired as backup cast members on ABC's The Mickey Mouse Club in 1955.</p> <p>Rooney Jr. played guitar, keyboard, bass, drums and harmonica. He had also appeared on the ABC music show Shindig! and played in a band with brothers Tim and Teddy.</p> <p>Petersen said that for the last many years, Rooney Jr. had been in the care of his longtime companion Chrissie Brown and her family.</p> <p>"I was born on the same day as Mickey's father and 'The Mic' gave me, unsolicited mind you, the most useful advice I ever got," Petersen wrote.</p> <p>"It is one of my greatest sorrows that he didn't do the same for his son. Mickey Rooney Junior. Rest In Peace at last. We will see to your wishes."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">💫In Memoriam</p> <p>📺🎞<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/actor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#actor</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hollywood?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hollywood</a> Royalty Mickey Rooney Jr.</p> <p>July 3, 1945 (age 77), <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Birmingham?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Birmingham</a> , <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Alabama?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Alabama</a> , U.S. - July 16, 2022, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Arizona?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Arizona</a> , U.S.🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/IzjVvm0JPZ">pic.twitter.com/IzjVvm0JPZ</a></p> <p>— DonnieHollywoodland (@DonnieHollywood) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonnieHollywood/status/1548674385824821248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Caring

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"I was not aware": Audrey Hepburn's son responds to casting choice

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An upcoming biopic focusing on the life of Audrey Hepburn </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/rooney-mara-to-play-audrey-hepburn-in-new-biopic/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">has revealed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> who will bring the classic film star to life - and Hepburn's son has since weighed in on the decision.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The news broke that American actress Rooney Mara (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) has made a deal to portray Hepburn in the future film from </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Call Me By Your Name </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">director Luca Guadagnino in early January, as Mara prepares for a role in Guilermo del Toro's </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nightmare Alley</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sean Ferrer, Hepburn's son, told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fox News</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> he had no idea about the upcoming project.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I was not aware of the project," he told the outlet.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Rooney is a delight. Sounds like there is a lot of love there.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ferrer has spent much of his life keeping his mother’s legacy and memory alive since her passing in 1993 from cancer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2020, Ferrer and his wife, Karin, wrote </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Little Audrey’s Daydream</em>, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">a children’s book that followed Hepburn’s rocky childhood in Holland during the war and her dreams of becoming a Hollywood star.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking to </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fox News</span> <a rel="noopener" href="https://nypost.com/2022/01/10/audrey-hepburns-son-responds-to-rooney-maras-biopic-casting/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">at the time</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Ferrer said his favourite moment with his mother was “anytime I made her laugh”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s one of the greatest things you can take from any relationship if you can make someone laugh and give them that moment of sunshine,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But there are many moments I think about.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I think about when she drove me to the airport and I left to do my first job. I was walking through security and when I turned around, there were tears coming down her face. As a parent and having been through it, I now understand.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But I take great comfort in those moments when I simply made her laugh.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hepburn was known for her roles in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Breakfast at Tiffany's</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">My Fair Lady</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Charade</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>,</em> and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sabrina</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>,</em> and she received a Grammy award posthumously in 1994, making her the fifth person to receive an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the plot of the new film is still </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/rooney-mara-audrey-hepburn-apple-luca-guadagnino-1235148712/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">under wraps</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Apple has backed the project, with </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>The Giver</em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>’s</em> Michael Mitnick writing the script and Mara producing.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Movies

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Olympic swimmer Giaan Rooney’s scare: “Last night was the most terrifying moment of my life”

<p><span>Former Olympic swimmer Giaan Roonery has opened up about the “terrifying” scare she had on Tuesday night, when her 11-month-old daughter, Lexi, stopped breathing.</span></p> <p><span>On Instagram, Giaan explained how her daughter’s survival was because of the quick actions made by her and her husband, Sam Levett.</span></p> <p><span>“Last night was the most terrifying moment of my life,” she wrote.</span></p> <p><span>“Our 11-month-old, Lexi, had a seizure, stopped breathing and turned blue.”</span></p> <p><span>Thankfully, Giaan and her husband took an infant CPR course when her four-year-old son, Zander, was first born.</span></p> <p><span>The 35-year-old mum said “despite the panic” what they'd been taught in the course “kicked back in”.</span></p> <p><span>“My amazing husband gave Lexi CPR as I called an ambulance and talked to the operator,” Giaan explained.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjGig3pjmtq/" target="_blank">A post shared by Giaan Rooney (@giaan.rooney)</a> on May 22, 2018 at 6:52pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>On Wednesday afternoon, Giaan shared that the family were still in hospital awaiting test results.</span></p> <p><span>Doctors believe the seizure was caused by a virus that dramatically raised Lexi’s temperature. Giaan shared the news that her little girl’s health is now “out of danger”.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BhVji3_DsL7/" target="_blank">A post shared by Giaan Rooney (@giaan.rooney)</a> on Apr 8, 2018 at 9:46pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>After the major scare, Giaan urged other parents to learn or re-learn CPR.</span></p> <p><span>“Please, if you have children or are around kids often, brush up on your CPR skills, hoping you never need it, but prepared if you do.”</span></p> <p><span>According to St John’s Ambulance, less than one in three parents can confidently perform CPR on a child if required.</span></p> <p><span>CPR and children’s first aid courses can be done through the Australian Red Cross as well as other providers.</span></p>

Caring

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What the girl who starred in “Matilda” looks like now

<p>Nine-year-old Mara Wilson starred as book-lover Matilda Wormwood who used telekinesis to stop the villains in her life — who were mainly her parents and her school principal.</p> <p>Matilda was loved for the way she stood up for herself and those around her, especially when she terrorised Miss Trunchbull’s house and superglued her father’s (played by Danny DeVito) hat to his head.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="306" height="304" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/37744/mara-wilson-now.jpg" alt="Mara Wilson Now (1)"/></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Image credit: Today</em></p> <p>Mara Wilson also featured in <em>Mrs Doubtfire</em> in 1993 and <em>Miracle On 34<sup>th</sup> Street</em> in 1994.</p> <p>Mara, now 29 years old, put acting aside when she entered her teens as she was tired of playing the same “cute” character.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WoN5cCs0l2M?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>"I appreciate the word cute in its own way, but when I was young and cute, I felt like I was being reduced to that, I felt like it was out of my control," she told an <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/TheTodayShow/status/871520375011549184" target="_blank">Australian news channel</a></span></strong>.</p> <p>It turns out Mara shares qualities with the character of Matilda that she played over 20 years ago.</p> <p>In 2009, she graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of Arts and wrote a book called “Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame”.</p>

Movies

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See what the “Mrs Doubtfire” children look like now

<p>It’s hard to believe it has been almost 24 years since the iconic Robin Williams comedy <em>Mrs Doubtfire</em> hit the big screen. In the years since, we’ve been treated to emotional <a href="/entertainment/movies/2016/04/deleted-mrs-doubtfire-scenes/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">deleted scenes</span></strong></a> plus a few <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2015/09/dirty-jokes-in-kids-movies/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">sneaky adult jokes</span></strong></a> hidden in the family favourite film, but today, we thought we’d check in with the child stars to see what they did after finding fame in <em>Mrs Doubtfire</em>. Read along and flip through the gallery above to see what they look like now.</p> <p><strong>Lisa Jakub (Lydia Hillard)</strong></p> <p>Jakub was just 15 years old when she starred as the eldest Hillard child. Now 38, she’s been retired from acting since 2001, when she married her long-time partner, former Hollywood theatre manager Jeremy Jones, and moved to Virginia. These days, she’s a writer, speaker and yoga teacher.</p> <p><strong>Matthew Lawrence (Chris Hillard)</strong></p> <p>Lawrence, 37, continues to act today – as do his two brothers Joey and Andrew. After <em>Mrs Doubtfire</em>, the brothers starred together in the short-lived sitcom <em>Brotherly Love</em>. Since then, he’s appeared on <em>Boy Meets World</em> and his brother’s sitcom <em>Melissa &amp; Joey</em>.</p> <p><strong>Mara Wilson (Natalie Hillard)</strong></p> <p>You might remember Wilson from her starring role in 1996’s <em>Matilda</em>. However, chances are you haven’t heard much from her since, as she quit acting in 2000 to focus on writing. Now 29 years old, Wilson has taken on minor roles in web series and animated shows.</p>

Movies

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What “Matilda” looks like today

<p>Who could forget Matilda? With her little red hair tie, love of books and magical powers, Roald Dahl’s classic character was brought to life on the big screen in 1996 and instantly won our hearts.</p> <p>The actress who played Matilda, Mara Wilson, is now 28. Can you believe it? Here’s what she looks like today.</p> <p><img width="499" height="750" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/20891/matilda_499x750.jpg" alt="Matilda"/></p> <p>Wilson has since quit film acting, appearing mostly on TV and in the theatre (also dabbling in playwriting). She explained her decision to leave the film industry to <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/child-star-mara-wilson-why-i-quit-film-acting-2012174" target="_blank"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Us Magazine</span></strong></em></a> in 2012. “Film acting is not very fun,” she said. “Doing the same thing over and over again until, in the director's eyes, you 'get it right', does not allow for very much creative freedom.”</p> <p>What’s your favourite Roald Dahl film adaptation? Tell us in the comment section below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/05/julia-roberts-receives-shock-diagnosis/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Julia Roberts receives shock diagnosis</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/05/harrison-ford-new-beard/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Harrison Ford’s unrecognisable with new beard</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/05/joan-collins-has-found-the-one/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Joan Collins says she’s finally found the one</strong></em></span></a></p>

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