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Ed Sheeran Tops Spotify's Most-Streamed Sleep Songs Chart

April 14, 2015, 4:24 am
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There’s nothing quite like putting a few tunes on before drifting off to the land of nod, and it turns out, most of us are listening to the same man - Ed Sheeran.

Spotify have revealed that crooner Ed is the most-played artist when it comes to their hugely popular sleep-themed playlists.

spotify sleep songs
John, Ed and Sam are all a hit on sleep playlists


The singer’s track ‘Thinking Out Loud’ is the most-streamed sleep song globally, and it’s been played millions of times on over 2.8million different sleep playlists.

Another six of Ed’s songs appear in the special Top 20 chart, and Sam Smith’s also a popular choice for music fans looking to catch forty winks.

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There are a few surprises in Spotify’s findings though, and two tracks from the ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ soundtrack also make an appearance, along with Rihanna, Paul McCartney and Kanye West’s collaboration ‘FourFiveSeconds’.

Spotify's VP of global communications explains to Billboard: "Sleep' is one of Spotify’s most popular categories, that people also use for general relaxation and to help themselves unwind.”

See the full top 20 sleep songs, and listen to 'Thinking Out Loud' below…

1. ‘Thinking Out Loud’ – Ed Sheeran
2. ‘Stay With Me’ – Sam Smith
3. ‘Love Me Like You Do’ (from ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’) – Ellie Goulding
4. ‘I See Fire’ – Ed Sheeran
5. ‘I’m Not the Only One’ – Sam Smith
6. ‘Rain for Sleep’ – Rain Sounds
7. ‘All of Me’ – John Legend
8. ‘Earned It’ (from ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’) – The Weeknd
9. ‘Let Her Go’ – Passenger
10. ‘Skinny Love’ – Birdy
11. ‘Say Something’ - A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera
12. ‘FourFiveSeconds’ – Rihanna, Paul McCartney, Kanye West
13. ‘The A Team’ – Ed Sheeran
14. ‘Tenerife Sea’ – Ed Sheeran
15. ‘Give Me Love’ – Ed Sheeran
16. ‘Lay Me Down’ – Sam Smith
17. ‘Fix You’ – Coldplay
18. ‘Photograph’ – Ed Sheeran
19. ‘Kiss Me’ – Ed Sheeran
20. ‘Latch’ (Acoustic) – Sam Smith






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James Corden And Jennifer Hudson Star In Carpool Karaoke Skit For ‘The Late, Late Show' (VIDEO)

April 14, 2015, 5:16 am
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James Corden hasn’t been short on A-list helpers since launching his US talk show ‘The Late, Late Show’, and he’s roped in Jennifer Hudson to star in his latest skit.

After roping in Mariah Carey for some carpool karaoke, James called upon J.Hud, and the US megastar happily obliged in making James’s journey to work a little easier.

james corden jennifer hudson
Amazing.


Obviously, when James turned on the radio for a sing-song, a series of Jennifer’s hits played but the ‘Dreamgirls’ star also proved she isn’t afraid of a little improv, and happily sang her order when the duo stopped at a drive-thru.

James’s show has been a huge hit with critics in the US, and millions of fans worldwide, who’ve been able to see plenty of his funniest moments online.

So far, our favourites clips have included his traffic-stopping ‘Grease’ medley, and his duet with Josh Gad, who’s better known as Olaf from ‘Frozen’.

Watch his carpool karaoke with Jennifer - and yes, that ‘Dreamgirls’ song gets belted out - above…

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Tom Hanks' Wife Rita Wilson Undergoes Double Mastectomy Following Breast Cancer Diagnosis

April 14, 2015, 7:44 am
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Tom Hanks’ wife Rita Wilson has revealed she has undergone a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

The 58-year-old actress had an operation to remove both her breasts followed by reconstructive surgery last week.

In a statement to People magazine, the ‘Girls’ star said she was expected to make a full recovery following the major op.

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Rita Wilson has thanked husband Tom Hanks for his 'love and support'


The statement reads: "Last week, with my husband by my side, and with the love and support of family and friends, I underwent a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction for breast cancer after a diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma.

“I am recovering and most importantly, expected to make a full recovery. Why? Because I caught this early, have excellent doctors and because I got a second opinion.

“I have had an underlying condition of LCIS, (lobular carcinoma in situ) which has been vigilantly monitored through yearly mammograms and breast MRIs. Recently, after two surgical breast biopsies, PLCIS (pleomorphic carcinoma in situ) was discovered ... I was relieved when the pathology showed no cancer.

“However, a friend who had had breast cancer suggested I get a second opinion on my pathology and my gut told me that was the thing to do.

“A different pathologist found invasive lobular carcinoma. His diagnosis of cancer was confirmed by, yet, another pathologist ... I share this to educate others that a second opinion is critical to your health. You have nothing to lose if both opinions match up for the good, and everything to gain if something that was missed is found."

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Rita said she was expected to make a full recovery


Rita said she made the decision to go public with her illness to try and encourage other women to get checked for breast cancer because she believes early diagnosis is key when it comes to beating the disease.

She added: "I feel blessed to have a loving, supportive husband, family, friends and doctors and that I am the beneficiary of advances in the field of breast cancer and reconstruction. I am getting better every day and look forward to renewed health.

"I hope this will encourage others to get a second opinion and to trust their instincts if something doesn't 'feel' right," she added.

Rita is the latest high-profile person to go public with their cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Last month Angelina Jolie Pitt revealed she had undergone surgery to remove her ovaries and Fallopian tubes after possible early signs of cancer were detected.

The 39-year-old actress, who also underwent a double mastectomy in 2013, has been forced into menopause and won’t be able to have any more children after undergoing the preventative surgery.



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Percy Sledge Dead: ‘When A Man Loves A Woman' Singer Dies, Aged 73

April 14, 2015, 8:00 am
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Percy Sledge has died at the age of 73, it has been confirmed.

The singer, who is best known for his classic hit ‘When A Man Loves A Woman’, died on Tuesday morning at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, his friend Davis Johnson confirmed.

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Percy Sledge (1941-2015)


‘When A Man Loves A Woman’ was a huge hit around the globe when it was released in 1966, reaching No.1 on the US charts.

The song later made No.53 in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest songs of all time and became a hit in the UK again in 1987 after being featured in a TV ad for Levi's jeans.

Michael Bolton also had a huge hit with a cover of the classic song in 1991.

percy sledge

Despite never repeating the success of his first hit single, Sledge did score a few more modest hits such as ‘Warm and Tender Love’ and ‘Take Time To Know Her’ and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2005.

In total, he released nine albums throughout his long career, the last being the 2013 release 'The Gospel Of Percy Sledge'.

Asked how he dealt with his global fame in 1996, he replied: “I am the type of guy that has always been the same all of my life. My class mates at our class reunion always say the same thing. They could not believe that being a world artist, I still seem like I was when we were at school together."

He is survived by his wife, Rosa Sledge, their 12 children, 15 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.



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Caroline Flack To Host ‘Love Island' Reboot... But What About ‘The X Factor'?

April 15, 2015, 2:23 am
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Caroline Flack has been confirmed as the host of the new look ‘Love Island’ series, which will hit our TV screens later this year.

The role will be Caroline’s return to ITV following her stint on the BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, but what does this mean for those ‘X Factor’ rumours?

caroline flack
Caroline Flack


‘Love Island’ will be filmed on location this summer, and Caroline has shared her excitement ahead of the show, stating: “I can’t wait to host the revamped 'Love Island'.

“I was a massive fan of the original show, and I’m sure this is going to be one crazy love fuelled island. I can’t really think of a better way to spend a summer – here’s hoping it’s a scorcher!”

As ‘X Factor’ fans will have noticed, Caroline will be jetting off to sunnier climes when the show’s initial auditions usually take place.

The presenter had been hotly-tipped to take over from Dermot O’Leary, and her ‘Xtra Factor’ co-presenter Olly Murs has previously stated that he would only front the main show if Caroline is by his side.

The new series of ‘Love Island’ follows the two ‘Celebrity Love Island’ series, which were screened in 2005 and 2006.

The show saw celebs looking for romance living together on an exotic isle, but the new show will see members of the public jetting off instead.

In order to keep their place on the show, the new batch of contestants will have to win over each other, as well as the general public.



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Sue Perkins' Girlfriend Anna Richardson Encourages Fans To Share Their Support As Presenter Quits Twitter Over 'Top Gear' Abuse

April 15, 2015, 2:31 am
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Anna Richardson has encouraged fans of her partner, Sue Perkins, to show their support, following the 'Bake Off' presenter's decision to take a break from Twitter, after receiving abusive messages.

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Sue revealed on Tuesday that she was going to be away from the social media site “for a bit”, after she was bombarded with abuse from fans of ‘Top Gear’, following reports she was the new bookies’ favourite to replace Jeremy Clarkson on the show.

She wrote: “My timeline has been full of blokes wishing me dead… this morning someone suggested they’d like to see me burn to death. All of which goes to say that I’ll be off Twitter for a bit.”

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Anna and Sue, attending an event with Tracey-Ann Oberman in 2014


To “cheer up” her partner, Anna took to her own Twitter later that day, encouraging Sue's fans to share selfies showing their support.

Anna explained: “If you get the chance, draw a kiss on a piece of paper, take a selfie & post. I'll give them to her, it'll cheer her up.”




Unsurprisingly,it didn’t take long for people to get snap-happy, all in the name of putting a smile back on Sue's face.



















We were pleased to see that Anna’s idea has clearly done the trick, as she posted another tweet thanking participants for sharing what she dubbed their “Sue smooches”.




Anna confirmed at the tail-end of last year that she and Sue were an item, describing her as “amazing” in an interview with Lorraine Kelly back in January.

She said: “There was an understanding between us, and for me the planets aligned and I just thought, this person - it’s not even about a woman - this person is absolutely extraordinary.”



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Jeremy Kyle To Present New 'Embarrassing Bodies'-Style Show, 'Emergency Room'

April 15, 2015, 3:12 am
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If we had an unfortunately-placed boil or a patch of dry skin, we reckon Jeremy Kyle would be one of the last people we’d want to show.

However, that’s exactly what is about to happen, following the revelation that he’s about to front his own ‘Embarrassing Bodies’ type show, ‘Jeremy Kyle’s Emergency Room’.

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According to The Sun, Jeremy will be joined on the show by a team of medical experts, who will help diagnose members of the public, who are suffering from mystery health troubles.

An insider tells the newspaper: “It’s been billed as a cross between ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ and ‘Embarrassing Bodies’, which is quite an interesting prospect.

jeremy kyle
Jeremy Kyle


“‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ attracts some colourful guests to say the least, so if Emergency Room gets similar types of people with dodgy medical conditions it will make for pretty compelling viewing.

“Some of it may be a little bit choice and not to everyone’s taste but ITV are convinced it’s going to be a sure-fire hit with daytime viewers.”

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that ITV had been criticised for the content of its daytime programing, after ‘This Morning’ came under fire over a segment called ‘Bondage For Beginners’, which aired at 10.30am.

The show’s host Phillip Schofield later blasted the controversy, claiming: “Everyone went to see [‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’] and if you look at the stuff we had on there, it was very innocent stuff and also spectacularly when the item had finished the things we had were all sold out in moments.

"So behind those closed, outraged doors of middle England, what they were secretly doing was going to buy this stuff online."



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The Price of Art

April 15, 2015, 3:22 am
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Fresh from the launch of his debut solo album, Entanglement, I speak to veteran TV and film composer Michael Price about stepping into a new musical world.

Odds are if I was to say the word 'Sherlock' to you, it would instantly conjure up images of the London skyline and Benedict Cumberbatch's slightly odd face. However one element of the show that has also burrowed its way into your synapsis (whether you've noticed or not) is the evocative score.

Michael Price, the man behind the aforementioned Sherlock score, is part of a bright new crop of composers. Having started out creating music for contemporary dance pieces, he moved to working in film and TV under the tutorage of the late Michel Kamen and has now taken all he's learned and siphoned it into his first album of solo compositions.

Along with his contemporaries such as Max Richter and Jóhann Jóhannsson, Price is embracing new ideas and technologies to create music that is based in the traditions of chamber orchestras, but is startlingly modern, and bathed in emotion. Currently being championed by the likes of Mary Anne Hobbs, it is likely that fans of modern minimalist music will soon have a new poster boy.

I caught up with Michael shortly after the release of, his debut, Entanglement to get his take on the inspirations behind the album.

Your debut album, Entanglement, is the result of two years work, can you tell me a little about the concept of the album?

Entanglement is the product of many of my obsessions and preoccupations, about how music is recorded, about quantum physics, about love and art. So you could say it's a musical document of everything I care about.

When did you begin composing the music for this album away from your film and television projects?

I've always composed music away from film and TV, but for quite a few years the screen work seemed to have taken up most of my time. I felt it was time to readdress the balance. So after releasing an EP of string quartets, "A Stillness", with Erased Tapes two years ago, I started writing the tracks that became Entanglement.

How does the writing process differ between the music you write for film and your own music?

It's fundamentally different, and so liberating. With film and TV, the structure of the music is defined by the shape of the scene, and the emotional journey of the characters. You're always supporting, and trying to make the film the best it can be, rather than putting the ego of the music, and the composer at the forefront. It's a joy to create stand-alone musical structures that are the way they are because the material goes that way, to let the music flow and grow.

There seems to be a very open mix of technologies on the album. You sampled street sounds using a mobile phone and recorded parts of "The Attachment" on a 1940's magnetic disc. Was there a thought process behind this mix?

We're in an incredibly rich time for recording and making music. We've got a century and a half of recorded music behind us, and so many new ways to capture sound. I don't think that new technologies always replace old ones, they're just different. There is something about the ceremony of putting a record on a turntable that encourages a different state of mind, than scanning down a list of tracks in Spotify.

I think making sense of how technology is transforming how we make, distribute and consume art is fascinating and important right now.

I understand that your love of psychics is part of what inspired this album. Tell me how science has influenced your art?

As the son of a physics teacher and a biology teacher, I've always been fascinated by the natural world, and particularly the metaphors and theories we use to try and understand it. Where quantum physics is at right now is so spectacularly mind-bending, that I can't help finding connections with the emotional world.

The soprano vocals on the album, performed beautifully by Ashley Knight, are actually English translations of Japanese poetry. Who is the poet (poets?) and what made you decide to use them?

Texts are really interesting - I wanted to find something that felt ancient, but simple, and the two poems, one from the 9th century and one from the 18th, are both about ageing and the turning of the seasons. Japanese poetry has such a strong connection with these subjects, it felt like a natural source.

I understand you started out creating music for a contemporary dance troupe. Has that influenced you throughout your career?

Contemporary dance is a great grounding for film and TV, in that you're collaborating right from the word go. And it's also very free and creative. In my early twenties I wrote the music for a dance chamber opera called All the Garden Gold about the Pre-Raphaelite movement, so Entanglement is in lots of ways a return home.

How did you become involved in film and Television work for the first time?

I got a job as assistant to the late Michael Kamen, the fabulous composer of everything from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, to Band of Brothers. The five years I spent working with him was the best apprenticeship anyone could hope for.

What is next for you? Can we expect more solo material?

I'm working out how to play Entanglement live and am already working on ideas for more solo music. It feels like I'm on the right path now.

Entanglement is out April 13 on Erased Tapes www.erasedtapes.com

For more information on Michel Price go to www.michaelpricemusic.com

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‘Coronation Street' Spoiler: Fire Brigade Called After Filming Ends In ‘An Explosion, Flames And Smoke'

April 15, 2015, 3:43 am
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The ‘Coronation Street’ cast received a visit from the fire brigade on Tuesday evening, when filming sessions for an “explosive” scene resulted in flames and smoke on set.

Until now, ‘Corrie’ fans had no idea that bosses were planning the dramatic episode, but storyline details have now been revealed.

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Don't panic everyone, the Rovers is still standing!


A ‘Corrie’ spokesperson has explained the situation to Mirror Online, stating: "These scenes were for episodes to be screened in May for a fire that happens at the Victoria Court flats.

"We can't reveal much more than that in terms of storyline but the fire service were aware of us filming the scenes as we had spoken to the fire service last week.

"We also had fire and safety marshals on set as well as an independent company."

So far this year, there’s been plenty going on in Weatherfield, including the recent return of Sarah-Louise Platt.

Since being back on the Street with her teen tearaway daughter Bethany, Sarah’s had plenty to deal with, and she’s currently risking everything for an affair with drug dealer Calum.

Earlier this year, a number of characters were also involved in a dramatic minibus crash, that left one Underworld worker fighting for her life.

Catch up on all the latest ‘Corrie’ news and spoilers here.



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WISE WORDS: Tinie Tempah On The Importance Of Sleep, Family And Taking Advice from J-Lo

April 15, 2015, 4:20 am
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In the latest of our WISE WORDS interview series - where stars share their life lessons - we sat down for a chat with Tinie Tempah.

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The British rapper has already managed to squeeze rather a lot into his 26 years on the planet and has learned a lot along the way, which has included taking some sound advice from a certain Jennifer Lopez...

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Tinie Tempah is the new ambassador for NCS (National Citizen Service)


What do you do to switch off from the world?
I go to sleep! That’s probably the only time I get to switch off unless I’m at home watching TV to take myself off all the stuff I’m doing. Or I’ll go to a random city where people don’t know who I am.

How do you deal with negativity?
I surround myself with good people and I always think about my end goal. I think a lot of negativity is very much of the here and now, but if you always have in mind what your end goal is I think that helps you brush negativity off.

When and where are you happiest?
With my family and my loved ones at home or at my mum’s house.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
No complaining. J-Lo told me one time in LA that the one thing she’s learned in her life is don’t complain because someone else could always be in your situation. So just be happy and keep working harder if something doesn’t go your way.

What has been the hardest lesson you’ve learned?
If you have an entrepreneurial spirit or there’s something that you’re trying to build for yourself - be that a business or a career - no one else ever shares exactly the same passion as you do in what you’re trying to achieve.

What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
That’s kind of what we’re doing at the NCS at the moment. I’ve been talking to youngsters about everything I’ve been through. I’d also say make sure you learn French and Spanish. When I was at school I didn’t really see the benefit of learning those languages but I’ve travelled so much and you don’t realise how many other countries speak those languages.

What three things are at the top of your bucket list?
Oh wow, a Grammy would be pretty special. My very own world tour on every continent, and performing at Wembley Stadium on my own.

What do you think happens when we die?
In my mind I think if you’ve been a good person by putting other people first, been humble, given back in any way you can and been a truthful, honest person then I believe in a heaven. But I believe that your energy and soul go into something else. I do believe in a heaven and a hell. I also believe that life is about getting to a higher consciousness. So your mind, spirit and soul travel until you get to the most enlightened place possible.

When do you feel a sense that we live in the presence of something bigger than ourselves?
Oh wow! Well I went skiing for the first time this year and when I got to the top of the mountain I felt so minuscule and insignificant. I feel like that any time I see great nature.

What do you try to bring to your relationships?
Respect is the most important thing. Truthfulness, honesty and communication. I think every good relationship is made better when you feel someone is adding something to your life. Any bit of life experience or wisdom I’ve picked up along the way I think is going to benefit someone so I try and share that knowledge. Sometimes that isn’t easy as people don't always want to hear it.

What keeps you grounded?
Regardless of what’s going on in my life I’m just a small, insignificant thing. Also, just the fact that I’ve come from very humble beginnings. It’s fascinating what a little bit of hard work has done, which has not only impacted my life but also changed the lives of the people around me for the better too.

What was your last good deed?
I’ve got loads of trainers and I’m only a size 8 so every now and then I give away loads of them to cousins, extended family and to my mum’s church.

Tinie Tempah is the new ambassador for NCS (National Citizen Service). NCS is the fastest growing youth programme for 16-17 year olds across England and Northern Ireland. NCS summer programme places are going fast. Sign up today to make a difference. www.ncsyes.co.uk ​

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Justin Bieber Lip Syncs To Carly Rae Jepsen's New Song 'I Really Like You', With Ariana Grande (VIDEO)

April 15, 2015, 4:51 am
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Do you remember 2012?

Do you remember going to the shops in 2012? Do you remember driving down the road in 2012? Do you remember Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ playing on a loop throughout all of that??

Well, three years later, she’s back with the similarly-infectious ‘I Really Like You’, which is every bit as much of an earworm as her breakthrough hit.

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Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande dance up a storm


The success of ‘Call Me Maybe’ was owed, at least in part, to a lip sync video posted by Justin Bieber, where he and his friends mimed their way through the track.

Such larks.

Justin has now done the same thing for ‘I Really Like You’, uploading a lip sync extravaganza to his official YouTube page on Tuesday.

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The Biebs in his lip sync video


In the clip, which already has over one million views, he is seen dancing - shirtless, of course - to the track and even ropes in fellow popstar Ariana Grande, who also shows off her miming skills.

Watch the amazing video in full below...



The ‘Beauty And A Beat’ singer also makes a cameo appearance at the end of the track’s official music video, alongside Tom Hanks.

While he certainly looks like he’s enjoying himself in the video, it sounds like he might have been a little less chipper this weekend, when he was reportedly asked to leave the Coachella festival, after being “put in a chokehold” by a security guard.



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'Beautiful' Theatre Review

April 15, 2015, 4:57 am
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I recently went to see "Beautiful", the Carole King bio-musical that follows her rise from Brooklyn bobby soxer to Brill Building hit machine. Does it get any better...a night of songs that feel like old friends?

Well actually it does, that is of course, when you get to see it with your current bass player and drummer, who, it just happens, were her 1970s rhythm section, the legendary Leland Sklar & Russ Kunkel. It's true!!!

We were touring Europe, had a night off in London and decided to go see the newly opened West End production at The Aldwych Theatre. Seeing it with them gave me the strangest sense that I was in a film about a film, slightly surreal and as if I was siting amongst the cast members!

Tough audience you'd agree, but we all left feeling the same way, that this was a truly entertaining show about a remarkable time in the music business and the equally remarkable relationship between hit writing teams/spouses Carole King/Gerry Goffin and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil. The songs that poured out of them in their quest for the number one spot are nothing short of breathtaking... (Google them NOW)

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Competing for the number one spot, the foursome were adversaries and friends, though sadly only Mann & Weil, the emotional opposites of Goffin & King, (seductively portrayed by Ian McIntosh & Lorna Want), got to be life-long mates. All four performances are stellar, and the casting director should be applauded here for choosing great talent who physically resemble the originals. In addition, what a joy it was to see an actress really hammer that piano and embody King's performance style! I'm a bloody pianist and it took ME a while to realise that the conductor MD was playing the piano and the actress (a pianist herself), was miming perfectly.

Described by some as a jukebox musical, it was so much more than that, as Lee & Russ attested to. Brilliantly performed by the London cast, it's a study in contradiction, highlighting the young Carole, gifted with musical brilliance, yearning for normalcy and a house in the suburbs. The definition of genius, couched in the quintessential Jewish mother.

As a songwriter I was moved to tears whenever the quite fabulous Katie Brayben as King, sang her own heartfelt versions of songs like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". And that's what really works about this show, seeing the life experiences and often-painful emotions that formed these exuberant hit songs.

The wonderful direction and choreography by Marc Bruni and Josh Prince, made the transition from writing and recording to performing seamlessly burst with brill cream humor via the cast's wonderful portrayals of The Drifters, The Righteous Brothers, Little Eva, The Shirelles, and a suitably oily Neil Sedaka, gave the production just enough retro joy to balance out the story's sad undertow.

My "zone" was of course interrupted by the usual Broadway-esque bumpers that let you know "the scene has ended" (why????), but what did I care? As a confessional writer who needs humor to get thru, I was hooked by the joy and the bittersweet irony of it all. Of course I felt for Goffin; brilliant and bi-polar, bringing depth to the songs with lyrics that soared, desperate for life, trapped in the suburbs, frustrated, disappointed and disappointing as husband, father and collaborator. Played sympathetically by Alan Morrissey, I really felt I was seeing a young and hopeful man walking the thin line between life and sanity at a time when such things were not really spoken of.

As a musician, it struck all the right notes in showing the craft of writing and the true toil behind the stage glamour. But this is a show for everyone, dealing as it does with the fundamental themes of life, love, loss, resilience and redemption. Wrapped in the joyful songs of a halcyon time when kids started writing for the kids, about the kids (thankfully resurrected by this show), it's the core theme that touches... how the shyest, most reluctant and unlikely of people can end up front and centre, shine and be beautiful.

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Morrissey Brands Glastonbury Organiser Michael Eavis ‘An Animal Hater' In Online Rant

April 15, 2015, 4:58 am
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Morrissey has launched a scathing attack on Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis, labelling him an “animal hater”.

In the months between each festival, the Glasto site is actually a fully-functioning farm, and Mozza is now claiming that Michael's views on animal rights and the environment are hypocritical.

michael eavis morrissey
Morrissey and Michael


The musician has shared his thoughts on his site True To You, where he claims that Michael refused to let him play a video showing the “evils of factory farming” during his 2011 performance at the event.

He writes: “Should you actually agree to play at the Glastonbury Festival you might find visual arts expert Michael Eavis meddling with your presentations.

“In 2011 I played Glastonbury and attempted to sing the song ‘Meat Is Murder’. Behind me, a screen that usually shows the many evils of factory farming remained blank. I was told that Michael Eavis had stopped the screening of the film because it wasn't indicative of how his dairy farm operated.

“He didn't quite understand that the poor souls in the actual film did not want to be there in the first place.”

The former Smiths frontman also accuses Michael of disregarding the “environmental damage caused by dairy farming”, before adding: “People who do not care about animal rights usually do not care about human rights. It naturally follows.”

“Like most animal haters, Michael appears to be one of those people who love dead animals, yet hate live ones,” he concludes.

“How is this sane, or logical, or possible?”

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Michael and his daughter Emily oversee each year's festival


While Morrissey's not impressed with Michael, the festival actually prides itself on acknowledging environmental issues, and each year, the event raises money for Oxfam, Wateraid and Greenpeace.

On the official website, Glasto’s organisers state that they are “committed to enhancing the environment through our operations wherever possible, and minimising any negative impact”.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Morrissey has launched into an online rant and his recent targets have included everyone from Taylor Swift and Madonna, to Prince William.

Read Morrissey's full post here.



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‘Suffragette' Film: Teaser Trailer Released To Support #VotingMatters Campaign (VIDEO)

April 15, 2015, 5:22 am
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The first trailer for the upcoming film ‘Suffragette’ has been released in a timely-fashion, just weeks ahead of the UK general election.

‘Suffragette’ tracks the story of the courageous female campaigners, who fought tirelessly to secure the vote for women, and the movie's creators have revealed the first trailer to show their support for the #VotingMatters campaign.

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Carey stars as the young activist Maud


In 2010, more than 9 million women failed to vote, and the campaign is urging women to register and have their say on polling day (7 May).

Carey Mulligan leads the all-star cast, which also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep and Brendan Gleeson.

This isn’t the first time the ‘Suffragette’ cast have championed an important cause, and they previously united on International Women’s Day, meeting Helen and Laura Pankhurst, the great-grand-daughter and great-great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, who led the Suffragette movement.

‘Suffragette’ will be released in UK cinemas on 30 October.

Watch the teaser trailer above…



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'Orange Is The New Black' Series 4 Confirmed, As New Clip From Series 3 Is Released (VIDEO)

April 15, 2015, 7:12 am
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‘Orange Is The New Black’ has been commissioned for a fourth series, it has been confirmed.

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The impending third series might still be just a gleam in the distance until it hits our screens in May, but Netflix have already announced that a fourth will be coming next year.

To celebrate the news that ‘Orange Is The New Black’ will be sticking around for at least another 12 months, Netflix have also teased viewers with a brand new clip from the third series, showing the return of Suzanne, otherwise known as Crazy Eyes.

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'Orange Is The New Black'


The new teaser clip shows the character, played by Uzo Aduba, arguing with her inmates about whether Vee (Lorraine Toussaint), will be coming back to Litchfield Prison in the future.

In the final cliffhanger scene of the show’s second series, viewers saw Vee being hit by a prison van, driven by Rosa, though it’s not yet known whether the character was killed in the incident.

Watch the newly-released clip in full below...



‘Orange Is The New Black’ fans were thrilled last week, when the first official trailer for the third series appeared online.

As well as viewers’ old favourites, the new footage revealed that a new inmate was joining the cast, played by Australian actress and DJ, Ruby Rose.

There’s not too long to wait now and 14 brand new episodes will arrive exclusively on Netflix on Friday, 12 June.



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Registering To Vote For General Election 2015 Is Turning These Black Celebrities White

April 15, 2015, 7:23 am
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A stunning new campaign in which celebrities including Tinie Tempah and Sol Campbell have turned themselves white has been launched to encourage African British and Asian British communities to register to vote.

The rapper and footballer are also joined by actor David Harewood and Paralympic champion Ade Adepitan to urge people of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicities (BAME) to use their right to vote in next month's general election.

All four stars appear with areas or their skin or faces painted white - representing the colour being lost from Britain.

Harewood, who has starred in television series Homeland and Oscar-nominated film Blood Diamond, appears in a video for the campaign, produced by Operation Black Vote (OBV).

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Actor David Harewood


With his face painted white, he appeals to viewers to register to vote so that their voices can be heard – and so he doesn't have to make this kind of gesture again.

He says: “I’ve done some fantastic things in my career but one of the best things I’ve ever done is register to vote.

“Because if you’re black or Asian and you haven’t registered to vote, you’re actually taking the colour out of Britain - and quite frankly that looks ridiculous.

GENERAL ELECTION 2015



“I know you don’t feel represented by politicians. But the thing is if you’re not registered to vote, they won’t ever listen, it’s a chicken and egg.

“Because as soon as you register, they listen. You matter.

“The more black and Asian Britons register to vote, the better our voices will be heard.

“The better our voices are heard, the more we’ll be represented - and the less I’ll have to do things like this.”

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Footballer Sol Campbell


Speaking about the campaign, he said: “If you want change, you have to vote for it. In order to vote, you have to register.

“We can’t continue to stand on the sidelines of the British democratic system, we are a part of it and our voices matter.”

Ethnic minorities were three times less likely to be registered to vote than white Britons at the last election, according to the Telegraph.

And while just 7% of white British people did not register for a vote, almost a third (28%) of black people weren’t registered.

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Paralympic champion Ade Adepitan


Simon Woolley, the director of OBV, said: “The goal is clear: to encourage Black and minority ethnic communities to register to vote and vote in the 2015 General Election in the largest numbers ever.

“The broader aim is to use that political leverage to demand from all the political parties that tackling race inequality must be a priority.

“The collaboration between the creative talent of Saatchi and Saatchi, Rankin the photographer, and our international Black stars and Operation Black Vote, is unprecedented.

“Many great Britons demanding that we have an inclusive and representative democracy. Brilliant.”

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Glastonbury 2015 Line-Up: Who Are The Special Guests? Stone Roses Tipped For Sunday Night Headline Slot

April 15, 2015, 7:40 am
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The Glastonbury line-up was finally released on Tuesday evening, but it didn’t take fans long to notice what appears to be a headliner-shaped gap on the poster.

The official announcement saw plenty of brilliant acts confirmed for the June event, and while we’re definitely excited to see the likes of FKA Twigs and Mark Ronson perform, we can’t help but wonder who the special guests might be.

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Ian Brown's band are favourites to perform


Perhaps, we’re reading into it too much, but the fact the poster states ‘guests’ seems to suggest the act will be a band, and the bookies agree.

Paddy Power have stated that Stone Roses, who pulled out of their headline slot back in 1995, are currently the favourites to perform.

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Other acts to make their shortlist include Taylor Swift - who’ll be in town with her ‘1989’ tour the week Glasto takes place - and Blur, who are already scheduled to headline Isle of Wight Festival in early June.

Who else could it be? See all the odds from Paddy Power here, and check out some of the possible options below...



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Ricky Gervais Blasts Hunter Rebecca Francis Who Posed Grinning With Dying Giraffe

April 15, 2015, 8:03 am
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A hunter who was singled out for criticism by comedian Ricky Gervais after she posed grinning next to a dying giraffe has robustly defended her actions.

Rebecca Francis, who won the reality TV show Extreme Huntress in 2010, was pictured lying on her back next to the animal she had killed in Africa.

Tweeting the image to his 7.1million followers, animal-loving Gervais asked: “What must’ve happened to you in your life to make you want to kill a beautiful animal and then lie next to it smiling?”




At time of publication, the 2010 image had been retweeted more than 21,000 times and Francis, who favours hunting with a bow and arrow, was the recipient of a barrage of abuse, including death threats.













Francis, a grandmother-of-nine who describes hunting as her "passion", proudly writes on her website: “We hunt elk and deer every year without fail, even through pregnancy and nursing babies.

“I prefer bowhunting and the animals I’ve taken with a bow include: a 10.15ft brown bear, black bear, shiras moose, Alaskan moose, dall sheep, stone sheep, desert bighorn ram, rocky mountain bighorn ram, mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, mountain goat, antelope, arapawa ram, kudu, zebra, black wildebeest, giraffe, springbuck, blesbuck, lynx, badger and squirrel.

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“I have also taken out may of the same species and more with a rifle.”

And Francis, whose Facebook profile lists her as a "public figure", has responded to the attacks – in a statement issued via HuntingLife.com – in which she inferred she had put the lonely “old bull giraffe” out of his misery because he had been kicked out of his herd.

Francis, who is pictured in a further frame standing by the dying animal with a weapon, also claimed she had been asked to kill the animal in order to provide food to locals and that she "chose to honour his life by providing others with his uses."

We just connected with Rebecca Francis and got a statement on her Giraffe hunt that anti-hunters are attacking her for. ...

Posted by HuntingLife.com on Tuesday, April 14, 2015


Francis's full statement:

"When I was in Africa five years ago I was of the mindset that I would never shoot a giraffe. I was approached toward the end of my hunt with a unique circumstance. They showed me this beautiful old bull giraffe that was wandering all alone. He had been kicked out of the herd by a younger and stronger bull. He was past his breeding years and very close to death. They asked me if I would preserve this giraffe by providing all the locals with food and other means of survival. He was inevitably going to die soon and he could either be wasted or utilized by the local people. I chose to honor his life by providing others with his uses and I do not regret it for one second. Once he was down there were people waiting to take his meat. They also took his tail to make jewelry, his bones to make other things, and did not waste a single part of him. I am grateful to be a part of something so good."


Comments left underneath suggest Francis's statement has not defused the situation, with Craig Oliver pointing out: "Personally I don't see how she could stand at the side of the animal with a big smile on her face. Even if she did do it for a favour, she's posing like she has a trophy!"

HuntingLife.com, which describes Francis as a hunter/ conservationist, responded: "To a hunter every animal they take cleanly and ethically is a trophy and a memory that will last forever. We are a prideful human species and we have been documenting our hunts for the last 75,000 years in petroglyphs and not in photographs. Nothing has changed."

Gervais, for his part, has continued to tweet about the matter, urging people to follow @VETPAW Army veterans who protect African Wildlife from poachers and stating: "The West African Black Rhino has been officially declared extinct. it was hunted for its horn. Shame on our species."








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‘EastEnders' Star Sam Strike Lands ‘Silent Witness' Role

April 15, 2015, 8:52 am
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Sam Strike left ‘EastEnders’ earlier this year, and he’s now confirmed that he’ll be returning to our TV screens, in the next series of ‘Silent Witness’.

The young actor has landed a guest role in the BBC drama, and he’s shared his excitement ahead of filming, posting on Twitter: “Looking forward to getting started.”

sam strike
Sam Strike


The casting news has been confirmed on Sam’s Spotlight page, along with his upcoming feature film role.

Since leaving ‘EastEnders’, Sam’s been pursuing a Hollywood career and back in March, he landed a part in the Lionsgate movie ‘Leatherface’, a prequel to ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’.

Sam isn’t the only star to swap Walford for West Hollywood, as earlier this month it was confirmed that Ben Hardy, who starred as Peter Beale, will play Angel in the upcoming ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ flick.

The next series of ‘Silent Witness’ will be the 19th, and it’s expected to return to our screens in 2016.



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‘EastEnders' Spoiler: Jonny Labey Joins As Pam And Les Coker's Grandson Paul

April 16, 2015, 2:42 am
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‘EastEnders’ is set to welcome a new face, in the form of actor Jonny Labey, who’s joining the soap to play Pam and Les’s grandson Paul Coker.

Paul will arrive in the Square this June, after two years working as a fun-loving club rep.

eastenders spoiler
Jonny as Paul


While bosses are keeping tight-lipped on storyline details, they have revealed that he’ll be romancing one Albert Square resident.

‘EastEnders’ executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins has teased fans, stating: “We’re all looking forward to seeing the trouble that Paul will cause for his grandparents as he uncovers some secrets from the past and sets one heart in particular racing…”

This is Jonny’s first huge TV role, and the actor is understandably excited to be making his soap debut.

“I am overjoyed to have been given the role of Paul Coker and am thrilled to be joining the show at such a prevalent time as it marks its 30th anniversary,” he states. “I know I've got a lot of work to do to live up to the talent I shall be working with, but I have never felt more welcome and cannot wait to get started.”

Jonny’s arrival comes after a number of ‘EastEnders’ cast changes.

Sam Strike and Ben Hardy, who played Jonny Carter and Peter Beale, made their exits earlier this year, and in their absence, a number of celebrity guest stars have rocked up in E20.

Earlier this month, Denise van Outen made her debut - and wasted no time in getting to know Max Branning - and Bonnie Langford is also due to arrive (probably in a black cab), as Kush’s mum.

Catch up on all the latest ‘EastEnders’ news and spoilers here.



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