ICYMI: Hollywood director arrested for swindling Netflix for $17 million, Jason Isaacs retracts White Lotus penis comments

Welcome to ICYMI, where we recap the pop culture and entertainment news you might have missed over the past week.

Director accused of spending Netflix money on luxury cars

Carl Erik Rinsch — best known for directing 2013 action film 47 Ronin — has been arrested and charged with wire fraud and money laundering this week.

Prosecutors will argue that Rinsch conducted a scheme to defraud Netflix after the streaming giant paid him millions of dollars for a show that never materialised.

Netflix paid Rinsch $US44 million ($69 million) for an unfinished show called White Horses, and later another $US11 million ($17 million) to wrap up production.

However, according to prosecutors, Rinsch didn't spend this money on production, instead funnelling the $11 million into a personal account and promptly losing around half of it on bad investments over two months.

The filmmaker clawed some of the money back by dumping it into the cryptocurrency market and then went on a spending spree.

According to prosecutors, Rinsch spent about $10 million on personal expenses and luxury items, including credit card bills, lawyers to sue Netflix for more money, furniture and antiques, five Rolls-Royces and one Ferrari, watches and clothes.

Rinsch had an initial hearing at a Los Angeles court earlier in the week where he did not enter a plea and agreed to pay a $US100,000 ($150,000) bond.

He'll face a New York court on his charges at a later, unspecified date.

White Lotus star retracts comments about prosthetic penis

While you may be familiar with Jason Isaacs for his role as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, he's made a new name for himself as a shady southern businessman with a lorazepam habit in the latest series of The White Lotus.

The HBO hit has long been known for its comic portrayal of male nudity; from season one's anilingus scene to Theo James's nine-inch flash in season two.

And as Isaac's character, Timothy Ratliff, unravelled, so too did his hotel-supplied bathrobe, which slipped in episode four this season, revealing his genitalia to his horrified children.

But when questioned about whether he used a prosthetic, Isaacs complained about a "double standard" for male actors, pointing to Margaret Qualley's nude scenes in The Substance and Mikey Madison's role as a sex worker in Anora.

"I don't see anybody discussing her vulva, which was on [the screen] all the time," he told CBS mornings.

After online backlash, Isaacs has since backtracked on his comment, telling Variety, he "said the wrong words in the wrong way".

"I was tired — I'd done so many interviews," Isaacs explained.

"There is a [different] double standard — women have been monstrously exploited and men haven't."

The 61-year-old actor admitted he "absolutely should not" have specifically referred to the two Oscar-nominated actresses, who he said he was "a massive fan of" and respects "enormously".

"My point wasn't that men have had a harder time than women — that would be absurd."

Aussie author of The Bad Guys signs 8-figure book deal

Aaron Blabey, the Australian author and illustrator behind The Bad Guys book series — which was turned into an animated heist movie starring Sam Rockwell and comedian Marc Maron in 2022 — signed an eight-figure book deal this week.

The bestselling children's author will write seven new books for tweens for publisher Macmillan, to be released in the UK, US and Australia. The books will drop in two series: the first a collection of fantasy books titled Game of Pets, expected in 2026, and the second called The Awfuls.

"In June 2023, I completed the final Bad Guys book — my 40th title in 10 years — and genuinely felt it might be time to retire. I mean, that's a lot of books!" Blabey says.

"However, the infectious enthusiasm of everyone at Macmillan for a pair of new ideas (that I had quietly tucked away) has made me think perhaps all I needed was a holiday and a shot of new positive energy. I am very excited to get back to work."

Blabey's books have sold about 55 million copies, with the author first finding an audience with his picture book series about a crotchety dog: Pig the Pug; and following it up with Thelma the Unicorn, the story of a somewhat-delusional pony that was turned into a Netflix movie (starring Brittany Howard from blues rock band Alabama Shakes) last year.

Blabey explained to ABC Arts in 2022 he thought The Bad Guys — about a gang of anthropomorphic criminal animals — resonated with children because it looked like the kind of book they might not be allowed to read.

"That cover with the four guys in the black suits, it was very Reservoir Dogs-ish, and it looked like something that [a kid's] older brother might look at, but not them," he said. "And they suddenly realised it was not only for them, but pitched directly to them."

The second Bad Guys movie is due out later this year. The 20th — and final — book in the series was released in 2024.

Pro-Palestine, Israel protesters clash at Gal Gadot's Walk of Fame event

Israeli actor Gal Gadot's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony earlier this week was disrupted by protesters on either side of the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Gadot, who stars as the Evil Queen in the new Snow White adaptation served in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and has been vocal in her support for Israel following the events of October 7, 2023.

Police were called after a pro-Palestine protester stole an Israeli flag and the event was delayed by approximately 15 minutes, according to Variety.

About two dozen demonstrators reportedly gathered, and a video shared by Variety reporter Katcy Stephan on X (Twitter) depicted pro-Palestine supporters chanting "shame on Gal Gadot".

Another video from Stephan showed a pro-Israel protester declare that Gadot was "being persecuted because she is [Jewish] and we will not stand for anti-Semitism".

In an interview with Variety ahead of her Hollywood honour on Tuesday, Gadot said she had no regrets about speaking out post-October 7, 2023.

"I was shocked by the amount of hate, by the amount of how much people think they know when they actually have no idea, and also by how the media is not fair many times. So I had to speak up.

"When your compass is clear, your conscience is clean. I know what I'm advocating for, and I know what I wish for the world."

Trailer of the Week: Happy Gilmore 2

Hollywood will not rest until every beloved film between 1995 and 2005 has a sequel. This week it's Adam Sandler returning to one of his breakout roles as the golf-loving Happy Gilmore.