List of All Articles with Tag 'showbiz'

Mae Muller appears unphased after placing 25th at this year's Eurovision Song Contest, and even managed to laugh off the loss with a self-deprecating TikTok. 'Don't know about u [sic] but I had a fab time', she wrote alongside the clip of her miming over a viral TikTok meme. 'Never forget that you helped uphold a great British tradition (of us being in the bottom 5)', one person joked in the comments. Sweden's Loreen took home the trophy for a second time with 'Tattoo', after winning back in 2012 with her hit song 'Euphoria'. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

Stars took to the red carpet at last night's glamourous Fast X Mexico City premiere, but one moment that left fans scratching their heads was Vin Diesel turning up with a Bluetooth speaker. Instead of answering questions for reporters, the actor took out his speaker and began blasting a song from the film's soundtrack, 'Angel Part 1'. The collaboration between BTS member Jimin, rapper Kodak Black, and singer, JVKE, is due for release on 18 May, a day before the film is released. When the song was done, the actor simply smiled and walked away, speaker in hand. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

Brendan O'Brien, who provided a number of the original voices on the Crash Bandicoot games, has died at the age of 60. O’Brien was a voice actor who worked on the classic franchise in the 1990s. He was responsible for voicing the characters of Crash Bandicoot, N.Gin, Dr Neo Cortex, Dr Nitrus Brio, and Tiny Tiger. He was involved in all three of the first three games before Scott Whyte took over as the voice of Crash from the release of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter A post on Legacy.com shared by the official Crash Bandicoot Twitter account stated that O’Brien died on 23 March, although a cause of death has yet to be confirmed. The post reads: "Sharing our sincere condolences to Brendan O’Brien’s loved ones for his passing," their tweet read. "He was an incredible talent who brought Crash Bandicoot and other Crash characters to life. He will forever live on in the hearts of Crash fans." A tribute to O’Brien’s time working on the gaming franchise reads: “One of his proudest moments was coming up with the original voices for the Crash Bandicoot video games during the Naughty Dog years of 1996 to 2004. "He encouraged nostalgic Crash fans in their own pursuits and loved signing their memorabilia. Like music, designing character voices for animation, radio and video games came naturally to him.” The first Crash Bandicoot game was released in 1996 and would go on to be remembered as one of the quintessential games of the time. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back came in 1997 and Crash Bandicoot: Warped was released in 1998. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

After months of rumours, Keith Urban has been the one to accidentally confirm that Phoebe Bridgers and Bo Burnham are an item. The singer was innocently filming himself at a Taylor Swift concert along with wife, Nicole Kidman, not realising that Bridgers and Burnham were seemingly sharing a smooch in the background. Awkward. The comedian and Bridgers were first linked following the singer's split from Paul Mescal at the start of the year, but have never confirmed their relationship. Poor Urban just wanted to dance to 'Blank Space'. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

Film lovers are just realising that a famous Angela Bassett line is sampled in one of the biggest dance tracks of all time. Those who like Fatboy Slim will recognise the line from the track 'Right Here, Right Now' - which is actually the actor's voice from the 1995 action film, Strange Days. Bassett, who plays Mace Mason, pins Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) up against a wall, when she says: "This is your life, right here right now, it's real." The Fatboy Slim song went on to be Platinum-certified. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

It started out as a relatively gritty film series grounded in the realities of underground street racing, but the Fast and Furious series has evolved and grown exponentially over recent years into something entirely different. Instead of the character dramas about drag races and undercover cops – which admittedly did take a few liberties with the laws of physics from time to time – the last few films have ditched the idea of reality entirely. And why not? People want to see cars being flown into space and Vin Diesel bombing around in a super car dodging explosions, and quite honestly we hope the series continues to get more and more ridiculous as time goes on. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Fans of the films have been replying to twitter user @KevOnStage in a viral thread all about the moment the series “abandoned reality”, and it’s a timely reminder of just how outlandish they are ahead of Fast X which is out later this year. These are the times the Fast and Furious movies 'abandoned reality' – and took us along for the ride. The rope swing scene from F9 Where to even start with this one. Not only does a car attach to a plane after driving straight off a cliff, but Diesel proceeds to follow it by swinging off a rope like Spider-Man and landing safely(ish) with Michelle Rodríguez. If Fast 9’s stunts have anything to go by, we’re clearly in for some of the biggest and silliest stunts ever in Fast X. When Vin Diesel fought off 20 men and pulled down a building He’s a big guy, Diesel. But is he big enough to fight off a squad of hired goons and pull down the entire bowels of a building with his bare hands? Definitely not. When Vin Diesel smashed into Jason Statham There have been some unhinged moments in the franchise, but sometimes the simplest are the most effective. In this bonkers scene from Fast and Furious 7 Diesel and Jason Statham take part in a demented game of chicken. The pair of them slam their cars head-first into one another, before surviving a crash that would have definitely killed them both. Bonkers. Vin Diesel stopping submarines All of Fast and Furious 8 or Fate of the Furious is like something dreamed up by a five-year-old with their first Hot Wheels set, and nothing is more unrealistic than this moment. It sees Diesel guide a heat-seeking missile into the path of a submarine, before taking cover from the explosion behind their cars, all on a thin sheet of ice. Flying a car into space If the series hadn’t jumped the shark already, then sending a car into space, before breaking the sound barrier and crash landing into a satellite at -270 degrees Celsius in Fast 9 surely did it. When Vin Diesel defied the laws of gravity By this point in Fast and Furious 6, the series had abandoned laws of physics to such a great extent that they gave Diesel straight-up flying capabilities. After Rodríguez is thrown from a tank, she looks doomed to fall from a great height, only for Diesel to take off, zoom through the sky and catch her mid-air, saving the day. Thank heavens. When Vin Diesel develops magic powers in the fourth film This has to be the strangest in the entire list. For a brief moment in Fast 4, the creators of the franchise briefly gave Diesel the power to evaporate into thin air and miss a fatal crash. For a moment, it looked like they’d turned the series’ biggest star into a wizard with magical powers, but then it was never referenced again and things carried on as normal. Very odd. When The Rock held the weight of a chopper Dwayne Johnson’s arrival in the Fast series really helped to turn the franchise into the testosterone-fuelled beast it is today. His first appearance was in Fast 5 and it’s this moment from spin-off movie Hobbs & Shaw where he held the weight of an entire helicopter that really nailed the daftness of his character, and his seemingly limitless strength. Driving from one skyscraper to another The films are never short on spectacle, no-one can deny that. What is debatable, though, is the viability of a car driving out of one hi-rise building and then landing perfectly safe in another skyscraper a little further apart. When Vin Diesel survived direct missile strikes Although Vin Diesel is already in a Marvel film (he plays 'Groot' in Guardians of the Galaxy) – the fact is, he’s been playing a superhero for more than 20 years. The man is indestructible, as this clip of him taking direct hits from missile strikes, before rolling out onto the road without a scratch proves. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Scott Mills has confirmed that Mel Giedroyc's viral 'milk-churning' moment at Eurovision was actually real, by posting a behind-the-scenes clip of the action live from Liverpool. The Bake Off host set pulses racing with the suggestive move as she dressed up as a milkmaid - and no one could quite believe it was being shown on the BBC. Fans say the parody was in reference to Poland's raunchy 2014 submission to the Song Contest. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

Eurovision 2023 takes place in Liverpool tonight and we've got you covered for all the memes that you are going to need. This year's contest is taking place in the UK as last year's winners, Ukraine are unable to host due to the illegal invasion of their country by Russia and the ongoing war between the two nations. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has been prevented from speaking at the grand final but reigning champions Kalush Orchestra believes he would have wanted to. Tymofii Muzychuk, a piper who forms part of the seven-piece, told the PA news agency: “Actually we think that President Zelensky would have wanted to thank all the British people for doing this and, as we can see, Britain took this very responsibly, the UK. And so actually I think it would have been nice for him to talk.” Elsewhere, UK entry Mae Muller has received messages of support from the world of politics, as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said “we’re all cheering you on”. “Good luck to (Mae Muller) a Kentish Town local, at @Eurovision tonight!” Sir Keir tweeted. “We’re all cheering you on.” Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted: “Tonight we’re rooting for our fellow Londoner Mae Muller in the #Eurovision final.” As the tension mounts, here's how the UK is preparing for the night's activities. Yes, that was Kate Middleton in the intro. Piers Morgan is not in the spirit of things. Lots of love for Austria's inspired Edgar Allen Poe song. Not vibing Switzerland. Not quite sure what Serbia was going for. We've seen that France entry somewhere before. Cyprus's entry turned heads for all the right reasons. Sorry Spain, it's a no. The bookies favourite Sweden put on a strong effort especcialy when they looked like something from a movie. Are we feeling the family vibe from Albania? Graham Norton perfectly summed up Italy's song Finland and Estonia could not have been more different. Finland never fails to produce absolute bangers. Czechia? We're all for it just watch the hair. Always gotta consult the meme when Australia pop up. Belgium's hat for the win. Armenia submitted an Ariana Grande knockoff by the looks of it. Moldova, yeah...you do you. Ukraine should probably win again. Additional reporting from PA. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Millions will be watching as 26 countries go head to head to be crowned champions of the Eurovision Song Contest this weekend – but not everyone calls themselves a fan. The notoriously weird and wonderful event still divides opinion right down the middle – when it comes to Eurovision, you’re either all in or not. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter We pitched two writers against each other, one who loves Eurovision and one who can’t stand it. So, whose side are you on? Kate Plummer: Why I hate Eurovision What would happen if you brought together all the kinds of musicians who X Factor judges consider passing at the audition stage of the competition - but ultimately decide not to? What would happen if you asked cruise ship singers to come together and belt out hours of 'tunes' that resemble copyright-free hold music at best, or something your 10-year-old niece cooked up on GarageBand at worst? The answer, of course, is the gaudy Eurovision Song Contest, that homage to naffness, that yearly nightmare that we are forced to endure. "But it's fun!" the doltish masses cry. "Look at their outfits," the square-eyed cretins say. Save it. Like most organised fun and forced merriment (see hen dos, school reunions and anything to do with sport), Eurovision is absolutely awful. But unlike hen dos, school reunions and anything to do with sport, there is no escaping the tyrannical grip of its regime. It man spreads over the course of Saturday night telly, it bleeds into every pub, bar and group chat of excitable friends organising their cursed viewing parties. This year, it will even be screened in cinemas. Where is my respite? I didn't even vote for Brexit but surely the yearly congregation of the worst representatives of Europe is a dividend we could have gained from leaving the bloc? The 2023 contest is being held in the UK city of Liverpool this week, building up to the grand final on Saturday. Acts from 37 countries are taking part. So will I be tuning in to see which act has become this year's meme and what 'funny moments' have gone viral on social media? Absolutely not. After all, 66 contests and over 1,600 songs, there's a reason the only Eurovision act anyone can name is Abba... Eurovision is completely naff. Count me out. Harry Fletcher: Why I love Eurovision There aren’t many things that every single member of the family can sit down to watch together and genuinely look forward to. Eurovision is one of them. It’s a big event in our household, with family members spread around the country heading back up north to watch together. Why do we love it? The sheer strangeness is certainly a factor. The likes of Käärijä, representing Finland in 2023 with the bizarre 'Cha Cha Cha', are doing a good job keeping it weird and wonderful. But the sheer quality of the entries is more impressive year on year. The overall standard has increased inexorably and the quality of the songwriting in the strongest entries is always staggering. Crafting a good Eurovision song is an art form, and there are still entries from more than 10 years ago that pop into my head occasionally. Eurovision also has to be the most welcoming, accessible major event in the UK calendar. It’s for absolutely everyone; it’s a comfortable space, completely free of cynicism. With Eurovision, you take away all the nastiness that comes hand in hand with X Factor and other formats that invite people to sing before live audiences. Here, there’s none of the sneering at contestants or gawking at eccentric members of the public. Instead, with Eurovision it’s a celebration, and an invitation to be as weird as you like when representing your country. Eurovision can always be relied on to bring out the best in Twitter, too. When so much of social media is increasingly devoted to negativity and hate, it feels like a throwback to nicer times when it functioned more as a public forum for fans during events like Eurovision. The contest has changed a lot since I started watching around 15 years ago. There was an endearingly cheap feel about the contest back then, but the production values are outstanding these days. It’s far less of a niche interest than it used to be too; with the event coming to the UK this year, it’s attracted more and more attention. More eyes on this wonderfully odd event, which celebrates diversity, gives us genuinely brilliant songs every year and gives us something wholesome to get stuck into on social media can only be a good thing. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Eurovision has finally arrived in the UK and you know what that means - it's time to grab the glitter, pour yourself a big drink and settle into one of the best nights of the year. It’s the first time the UK has hosted since way back in 1998 and this time it's holding the event on behalf of last year’s winners Ukraine. There are 26 songs ready to battle it out in the final on Saturday (May 13) and as ever there’s a selection of weird and wonderful efforts to enjoy. The competition has already said goodbye to plenty of entries in the two semi-finals. Thankfully, all of the truly bonkers stuff has made it through to the weekend. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter We’ve gone ahead and ranked the songs taking part in the final this year, from the insipid to the truly inspired. These are our picks, going from worst to best. Portugal – Mimicat, Ai Coracao Mimicat - Ai Coração | Portugal 🇵🇹 | National Final Performance | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com As a rule, you don’t tend to get as many genuinely dreadful songs as you used to at Eurovision. This woeful effort is clearly the exception to that rule. The worst entry this year and possibly of the last few years, this. Albania - Albina & Familja Kelmendi, Duje Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje | Albania 🇦🇱 | Official Music Video | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com We regret to inform you this traditional folk-inspired track is a real dud, and we’re not sure how it got through the second semi-final. Meh. Estonia - Alika, Bridges Alika - Bridges | Estonia 🇪🇪 | Second Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com An exceptionally boring ballad, with the self-playing piano on stage as the only talking point. Alika has an impressive set of lungs on her, but you could hear this song 1,000 times and still not remember it. Cyprus - Andrew Lambrou, Break a Broken Heart Andrew Lambrou - Break A Broken Heart | Cyprus 🇨🇾 | Second Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com A dreary old bag of nothing from Cyprus. Really nothing to write home about aside from Andrew Lambrou’s strange vest top and the pyrotechnics. We promise you things get better soon. Serbia – Luke Black, Samo Mi Se Spava Luke Black - Samo Mi Se Spava (LIVE) | Serbia 🇷🇸 | First Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com Serbia has gone gothic this year for this cinematic but ultimately unsatisfying effort. If you like your synth-pop with a slightly creepy edge, this could be for you, but there’s no tune in sight here. Germany – Lord of the Lost, Blood & Glitter Lord of the Lost - Blood & Glitter (LIVE) | Germany 🇩🇪 | First Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com Comfortably the worst heavy rock effort at this year’s contest. Not much to like about any of it, but you never know with the public vote. Spain – Blanca Paloma, EAEA Blanca Paloma - EAEA | Spain 🇪🇸 | Official Music Video | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com A brooding, forgettable effort from Spain this year. Sounds like the songwriter couldn’t be bothered to finish off the chorus. Ukraine – TVORCHI, Heart of Steele TVORCHI - Heart Of Steel | Ukraine 🇺🇦 | Second Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com Couldn’t be more different to this last year’s winning song 'Stefanie' from Ukraine. This attempt at sultry RnB isn’t the strongest in this year’s competition, but it’s not the worst by any stretch. Croatia - Let 3, Mama ŠČ! Let 3 - Mama ŠČ! (LIVE) | Croatia 🇭🇷 | First Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com Croatia has the most eye-catching look at this year’s event by far – if you like drag performers with Charlie Chaplin moustaches, you’re in for a treat. The song itself sounds like someone flicking through a load of different radio stations at once, but you know what, we don't hate it. France – La Zarra, Évidemment La Zarra - Évidemment (LIVE) | France 🇫🇷 | First Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com Sounds a bit like Edith Piaf’s ill-advised disco-pop phase. Wants to be playful, but ends up being a bit meh. Switzerland – Remo Forrer, Watergun Remo Forrer - Watergun | Switzerland 🇨🇭 | Official Music Video | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com “I don’t want to be a soldier”, Forrer sings in this pretty uninspired anti-war anthem. Given he’s representing famously neutral Switzerland, we don’t think he has to worry. Well performed, but not one to take seriously this year. Slovenia - Joker Out, Carpe Diem Joker Out - Carpe Diem | Slovenia 🇸🇮 | Second Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com The verse in this guitar band effort might land a little flat, but the chorus is reasonably strong. It doesn’t feel particularly Eurovision, but these happy chappies might just do alright. Lithuania - Monica Linkyte, Stay Monika Linkytė - Stay | Lithuania 🇱🇹 | Second Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com There are the bones of a good song in here, with parts bearing an odd similarity to something from the Lion King soundtrack, but it ends up going nowhere. Australia – Voyager, Promise Voyager - Promise | Australia 🇦🇺 | Official Music Video | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com Techno hair metal, anyone? This is a nicely put-together track, from a group that sounds like a heavier take on A-ha. This one could hoover up a good chunk of the rock vote. Armenia - Brunette, Future Lover Brunette - Future Lover | Armenia 🇦🇲 | Second Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com This one goes from a fairly intimate ballad to something much bigger in scale, belted out by the diminutive Brunette – aka Ariana Grande-lookalike Elen Yeremyan. Pretty impressive. Israel – Noa Kirel, Unicorn Noa Kirel - Unicorn (LIVE) | Israel 🇮🇱 | First Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com Bombastic pop, belted out by Kirel who looks like she was born to be on the Eurovision stage, with some of the most impressive staging we’ve seen in some time. Could perhaps be one to watch outside of the immediate favourites. Czechia – Vesna, My Sister’s Crown Vesna - My Sister's Crown | Czechia 🇨🇿 | Official Video | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com An interesting entry, this one. It won’t win but it mixes traditional folk elements with pop and dance elements well, with a strong feminist angle in there too. Not bad at all. UK – Mae Muller, I Wrote A Song Mae Muller - I Wrote A Song www.youtube.com Fancy a sassy breakup bop? Mae Muller’s got you covered. It’s a comedown from Sam Ryder’s brilliant effort last year and an ever-so-slightly underwhelming track for a host nation it must be said, but will do well for the UK. Italy - Marco Mengoni, Due vite Marco Mengoni - Due Vite | Italy 🇮🇹 | National Final Performance | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com A more than competent power pop effort from the Italians. The songwriting shows a touch of class, but it might just be missing a great central hook to keep people coming back to it. Moldova – Pasha Parfeni, Soarele şi Luna Pasha Parfeni - Soarele şi Luna (LIVE) | Moldova 🇲🇩 | First Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com Get your flute out and get yourself on the dancefloor, it’s time for a right old knees up courtesy of this bop from Moldova’s Pasha Parfeni. We like. Poland – Blanka, Solo Blanka - Solo | Poland 🇵🇱 | Official Music Video | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com Sounding and looking a bit like Dua Lipa’s long-lost Polish cousin, Blanka delivers a fun little ditty which could do really well this year. Very good vibes, this one. Finland – Käärijä, Cha Cha Cha Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha (LIVE) | Finland 🇫🇮 | First Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com Could this be Finland’s first win since Lordi in 2006 with 'Hard Rock Hallelujah?' It’s one of the clear favourites. We’re not as fully on board as others seem to be with this truly bonkers euro trance effort, but it’s a novelty that might just pay off. Norway – Alessandra, Queen Of Kings Alessandra - Queen of Kings (LIVE) | Norway 🇳🇴 | First Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com This is a great big slice of thunderous scandi pop, which deserves to do well this year. Look out for Alessandra hitting some of the highest notes in the competition, too. Austria – Tea & Salena, Who the Hell is Edgar? Teya & Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar? | Austria 🇦🇹 | Second Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com If you’re going with a novelty effort at Eurovision these days, you better make it catchy as hell and well put together – that’s exactly what Austria have managed here, with a brilliant, bonkers track that might just do really well. Belgium – Belgium Gustaph, Because Of You Gustaph - Because Of You | Belgium 🇧🇪 | Second Semi-Final | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com This is what Eurovision is all about. It’s a belting call to the dancefloor with serious oomph. Sounds like Will Young mixed with Jamiroquai and Culture Club, and we’re very much here for it. Sweden – Loreen, Tattoo Loreen - Tattoo | Sweden 🇸🇪 | Official Music Video | Eurovision 2023 www.youtube.com Eurovision icon Loreen is back more than a decade after winning with 'Euphoria' in 2012, and the new track is right out of the same EDM playbook. This one nails the modern Eurovision formula – brooding verses that evolve into massive choruses, with hooks at every turn. It’s not quite the classic that Euphoria was, but this is another deeply impressive entry from a legend of the Eurovision game. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

As Liverpool gears up for a week of music celebrations at Eurovision, behind-the-scenes, it's not the acts stealing the show. Introducing the 'police dogs' working to keep the event safe, the song contest shared a TikTok introducing the furry friends getting ready for this weekend's Grand Final. The pooches, which are mixture of Labradors and spaniels, had their official portraits taken on their own version of a 'red carpet', and fans are already begging to find out how to meet them. Simply adorable. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

With news that Robert De Niro has become a father for the seventh time aged 79, there's been a huge debate on GMB this morning (10 May) over whether he's too old. "It's irresponsible and selfish to the child", Tru Powell argued, saying he could be dead by the time the child reaches 'major milestones'. However, mum blogger, Lucy Baker, wasn't having the remark, and quipped back: "I don't know if the marker of being a good dad is whether you can run a sports day race." Click here to sign up for our newsletters