Culture (Page 54)

Huw Edwards’s wife Vicky Flind has named him as the BBC presenter accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour. Around the same time, the Metropolitan Police said that they had no information to suggest that any criminal offence had been committed. The initial story, published in The Sun, was that an unnamed BBC employee had paid a teenager £35,000 for sexually explicit photos. The alleged victim’s mother said that her child had used the money to fund a crack cocaine addiction, and alleged that the payments had begun when he or she was 17. It is a crime to create, distribute or possess sexual imagery of under-18s. The family reported the issue to the BBC in May, and went to The SunContinue Reading

R ejoice, UK garage fans: a mighty seven years in the making, The Streets’ upcoming release The Darker The Shadow The Brighter The Light is the Mike Skinner-led project’s first album in over a decade. Out October 20, the full-length record will be accompanied by a film of the same name. Skinner has also announced a show at London’s iconic Alexandra Palace venue on November 16, in support of the new release, along with a UK headline tour. In a press release, Skinner said: “It has been seven long years working on this film and album. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and after dipping my toe in with some shorts and music videos, I felt I was ready.Continue Reading

B ritney Spears has confirmed that she will publish a memoir, saying the book is on her “terms”. The Woman In Me by Spears will be published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in October this year. In a video to her Instagram on Tuesday, text appeared from the US artist, which said: “It’s coming, my story, on my terms, at last. Are you ready?” According to the publisher, the book will be a “brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope” that will also cover the singer’s battle to end her conservatorship. The complex legal arrangement, started in 2008, had allowed the 41-year-old singer’s father Jamie Spears to control her freedom andContinue Reading

Taylor Swift’s lyrics are some of the most famous in the world – so when the pop star made a change to one of her most popular songs, her fans were bound to notice.  The 32-year-old singer-songwriter re-released her third album, “Speak Now”, earlier this week as part of her effort to “reclaim her musical legacy” after music manager Scooter Braun sold the master recordings of her first six albums for a reported $300 million in 2020, said Metro.  Re-recorded some 13 years after “Speak Now” was first released, “Taylor’s Version” of the album (as each of the re-recorded albums is known) has fans divided over its biggest change: new lyrics to the album’s tenth track, “Better Than Revenge”. ‘WeContinue Reading

M yleene Klass has said that if the Government does not implement changes to the way woman are treated following miscarriages then it no longer “deserves power”. The former Hear’Say singer met with the Minister for Women’s Health, Maria Caulfield, on Monday at the Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research in Birmingham. Klass, who had previously been outspoken about her four miscarriages, organised the visit at the pregnancy charity’s centre – located in Birmingham Women’s Hospital which also contains an early pregnancy unit – alongside Labour MP Olivia Blake. The 45-year-old presenter urged the Government to make sure women receive medical intervention after every miscarriage, not just three, 24 hours specialist care and support for pregnancy and for data toContinue Reading

B ruce Springsteen led thousands of adoring fans in a rapturous chorus of “Let it rain” as the skies opened during his headline gig in Hyde Park. The US rocker proved he is still The Boss despite intermittent downpours as he delivered a three-hour journey through his back catalogue in front of a rapturous crowd spanning from young babies to pensioners. Fans euphorically joined in on the call to “Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain,” during hit Mary’s Place as the weather dutifully complied. But the temporary bad weather was quickly forgotten as 73-year-old Springsteen and The E Street Band delivered hit after hit, including crowd pleasers Born To Run, Dancing In The Dark,Continue Reading

A bride-to-be celebrating her hen weekend was among revellers to arrive at the second day of the Trnsmt music festival in Glasgow. Vanessa Newbury, from Inverurie, arrived at the Glasgow Green festival on Friday for her hen weekend, joined by friends Claire Knox and Morag Smith. Ms Newbury, soon to be Mrs Walker, will get married on September 23 this year. When asked why she decided to come to Trnsmt for her hen weekend, she said: “Vibes, good vibes! “I gave the girls a list of what I would like to do and I said I would like to go to Trnsmt. Read More “It was vibes, I thought…’Why not’?” Thunderstorms are forecast for Saturday as temperatures rise and theContinue Reading

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Abdulwahab Tahhan, Julia O’Driscoll and Emma Smith. You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts: In this week’s episode, we discuss: War trophies One unexpected side-effect of the war in Ukraine is a brisk online trade in battlefield trophies captured from Russian soldiers. These items, ranging from shell casings to helmets and body armour, are being sold to collectors, mostly in the US. Many of the sellers say the proceeds will go towards funding the war effort. Is this a reasonable exchange in desperate times – or is there something unseemly in putting a monetary value onContinue Reading

T he View frontman Kyle Falconer acclaimed Glasgow as the annual Trnsmt music festival got underway in the city on Friday. Hailing from Dundee, the band took to the mainstage at Glasgow Green for their hour-long set. Thousands of revellers arrived at the popular festival in the city on Friday for three days of music acts across three stages. Last minute tickets are still available according to organisers. So far on Friday, crowds have enjoyed sets from acts including The View, Joesef, Declan Welsh & the Decadent West, and Niall Horan from One Direction, while former Beautiful South singer Paul Heaton will also play. Read More Horan told crowds during his set he felt like he was at a “homecomingContinue Reading

T he husband of Britney Spears, Sam Asghari, has alleged the US singer was hit in the face by a security guard in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed in a statement to the PA news agency it was called to a report of an assault on Thursday evening at Las Vegas Boulevard. Asghari posted a statement in an Instagram story on Friday, in which he wrote that Spears was hurt by a security officer while showing “appreciation” for NBA star Victor Wembanyama. He added: “I am opposed to violence in any form, especially without justification in the defence of yourself or someone else who is unable to defend themselves. “Self-defence can be unavoidable, but the defenceContinue Reading