Latest news with #2025BRITAwards
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Maura Higgins planning red carpet return after explosive Danny Jones kiss
Love Island star Maura Higgins and McFly star Danny Jones sparked scandal in March when they were caught in an extramarital kiss - but the reality star has decided it's time to move on from the scandal Maura Higgins plans to make her red carpet return at the 2025 TV BAFTAs this weekend - two months after she rocked a marriage at the last glitzy show she attended. The 34-year-old Love Island star caused headlines in March when she was caught locking lips with married McFly star Danny Jones, 39 at the 2025 BRIT Awards. The reality star and McFly singer endured damning headlines - while Danny's beauty queen wife Georgia Horsley, 38, was said to be "humiliated" by the extramarital kiss. The Star Girl singer has been keeping himself out of the spotlight in the weeks since the scandal rocked his marriage. But now it has been reported that Maura is confident and ready to return to the spotlight - and that enough time has passed since the kiss scandal erupted. The 2025 TV BAFTAs have been outlined as the best opportunity for Maura to make her spotlight return. While Maura is best known for appearing on Love Island, she expanded her time in the reality show circuit in 2024 as a contestant on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!. The 2024 season also featured Danny - who won the show. The long-running ITV show has frequently been nominated for TV BAFTAs - but is not in the list of nominees for the 2025 ceremony. Meanwhile, show hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are nominated for the Best Entertainment Performance gong for hosting their now cancelled show, Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. Explaining why Maura is honing in on the BAFTAs for her red carpet return, a source told The Sun on Sunday: 'She thinks enough time has passed. She can't hide forever. 'She's going to spend all morning before the bash getting glammed up and strut down the red carpet with her head held high.' The source went on to explain that the Irish TV personality will refuse to answer any questions about the kiss at the awards and that she has "put the whole incident behind her and feels she has nothing to be ashamed of." Danny, meanwhile, is expected to skip the awards despite winning I'm A Celeb - and being a star of ITV's singing contest The Voice where he serves as one of the coaches alongside McFly co-star Tom Fletcher. The source claimed: 'He wouldn't do anything to make wife Georgia doubt him and doesn't want to set a foot a wrong.' The Mirror has contacted representatives of Danny and Maura for comment. Danny and Georgia have been married since 2018 and they share a six-year-old son named Cooper. Danny issued a gravelling apology after his kiss was exposed. He wrote in an online post: "Hello everyone, sorry it's taken me a while to post this but I've taken some time out to be with those closest to me. I want to deeply apologise to my wife and family for putting them in this situation." He added: "I love them so much and we'll continue to deal with this privately. I love you guys, thank you for your patience, understanding, and support. See you all soon, Danny."
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sabrina Carpenter Wears Custom Alexander McQueen to BRIT Awards
JMEnternational/Getty Images Sabrina Carpenter is always working (her outfits) late (she's on British time) 'cause she's a singer. In other words, the pop star has made yet another stunning red carpet outfit choice for the 2025 BRIT Awards that's perfectly her. The Short 'n Sweet singer made her way across the pond to London on Saturday, March 1, for the 2025 BRIT Awards — which is the U.K. equivalent of the Grammys. Carpenter is set to make her BRIT Awards performance debut, and is nominated in two categories; International Artist of the Year and Best International Song for her hit earworm 'Espresso.' She'll also take home the BRITs Global Success award, which 'identifies an artist with phenomenal global sales.' She's the first international artist to take home the award. Carpenter was all smiles and smizes as she strutted down the carpet at the Intercontinental Hotel, posing for paparazzi in her beautiful custom Alexander McQueen gown. The long, bubblegum pink dress fit Carpenter like a glove and featured beautifully embellished detailing, along with fringe layering. The gown flowed behind her and was the perfect silhouette on the singer and was right in line with the ultra-feminine style she's become known for. The mermaid-style gown hung past her feet, but under the train, Carpenter was wearing cream-colored slip-on pumps by Kandee. Carpenter also paired the entire look with a large diamond necklace fit for royalty. Is she singlehandedly going to bring back necklaces on celebrities? Let's hope! Sabrina Carpenter's glam was as dramatic as the dress was. The singer's look featured a creamy, shimmery eye look, with bold eyebrows, rosy cheeks, and a dark burnt orange lip. Her long blonde hair was curled and hung down past her shoulders. Carpenter's appearance at the BRITs comes after her successful Grammys debut earlier this month. The singer charmed the audience with an old Hollywood-inspired performance, complete with physical comedy and tap dancing before she went home with her first two Grammy awards. Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue Want more style stories from Teen Vogue? Check these out: Where Did All The Tween Fashion Go? All the Beauty Products We Spotted at the 2024 Olympics 9 Sunscreens Teen Vogue Editors Swear By for Year-Round Protection From Rose Water to Eyeliner, An Ode to Middle Eastern & North African Beauty
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Lifeline for Indie Venues: Can a New Tax on Arena and Stadium Concert Tickets Save the U.K.'s Grassroots Circuit?
The message from Britain's largest platform to its smallest stages came over loud and clear. At U.K. music's biggest night, the 2025 BRIT Awards held at London's cavernous O2 Arena, a succession of rising artists used their moment in the spotlight to stress the importance of the grassroots independently owned venues where they cut their teeth as musicians. More from Variety Live Nation Posts $23 Billion Total Revenue in Mixed 2024 Earnings Report Live Nation Plots 'FireAid' Benefit Concert for Los Angeles Fire Victims What Happens to the Justice Department's Lawsuit Against Live Nation When Trump Is President? In her acceptance speech, Georgia Davies, bassist of Best New Artist winners the Last Dinner Party, issued a rallying cry to the gathered industry titans, declaring: 'We wouldn't be a band, and a lot of the artists here would not be bands either, without the U.K.'s incredible independent venues. They are the lifeblood of the music industry, and they are dying.' Meanwhile, Rising Star winner Myles Smith picked up his trophy and demanded: 'If artists selling out your arenas and stadiums started in grassroots venues, what are you doing to keep them alive?' Indeed, nearly every superstar British artist — from the Rolling Stones and Elton John to Oasis, Adele, Ed Sheeran and even Dua Lipa — learned their craft in such grassroots venues. But in recent years those venues have been squeezed by multinational live-entertainment leviathans like Live Nation and AEG, and many were forced to close when the Covid pandemic shut down the touring world for months or, in many cases, more than a year. According to Music Venue Trust (MVT, a registered charity that aims to protect, secure and improve the UK's grassroots circuit), 125 grassroots U.K. music venues shut in 2023, followed by a further 25 in 2024. The average number of gigs on a U.K. tour fell from 22 in 1994, to 11 in 2024, while four in 10 venues operated at a loss. In what is almost certainly not a coincidence, the decline has been matched by a drop in the number of U.K. artists breaking through, both domestically and internationally. Thankfully, there is now a plan in place to preserve Britain's fabled independent venues, which have played a key role in the emergence of U.K. talent since long before the Beatles first took the stage of Liverpool's Cavern Club in 1961. After a long campaign by the MVT and other trade bodies, the new U.K. Labour government has backed a voluntary scheme for arena and stadium concert tickets in the U.K. to carry an additional £1 ($1.28) charge, known as a levy, to support grassroots venues, artists and promoters. A report from the Culture, Media & Sport Committee recommended this approach in May 2024, and the idea had already been voluntarily embraced by artists including Sam Fender, Coldplay and Katy Perry ahead of the government's official response in November, and a December industry roundtable with Culture Minister Chris Bryant. Bryant backs a voluntary levy run by the industry, but has made it clear the government wants to see 'real progress' by the end of this month, with the business expected to provide quarterly updates. The government has indicated it may legislate to bring in a regulatory scheme if it's not satisfied with the voluntary efforts. Since that meeting, Diana Ross, Lynyrd Skynyrd and others have announced arena dates that include the levy as an add-on to the ticket price. 'They have all accepted the principle and they're more than happy to do it,' Steve Homer, CEO of AEG Presents U.K., which is promoting those tours, tells Variety. 'I'm not sure Ms Ross would have ever played the Forum in Tunbridge Wells, but for those sorts of artists to be openly supporting it is positive, and hopefully can set a precedent for others. The more people that adopt it, the easier it is to go, 'So-and-so is doing it, so there's no real reason for you not to.' However, at the same time, the likes of Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Black Sabbath have put big shows on sale with no sign of such provision (although the Sabbath show does benefit a number of other charities). A spokesperson for Live Nation U.K., which promotes those shows, said in a statement: 'Live Nation supports artists' choices on charitable donations and has worked with many artists who have contributed to the voluntary levy – from Coldplay to Frank Carter. We understand how important it is to give artists the chance to grow their careers by investing in grassroots venues. Since 2022, the number of shows Live Nation has hosted in these spaces has risen by over a third.' Others in the industry note the planning for some big shows may have taken place before the levy scheme won official approval, meaning it was not discussed with artists and their teams. But David Martin, CEO of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), says the onus should not be on artists to make the decision. 'It shouldn't be on an artist-by-artist, tour-by-tour basis, because it puts artists in a position where, either they're being lambasted for opting in and pushing ticket prices up, or they're being lambasted for not opting in and not supporting the grassroots,' he says. 'It's really important that the whole live sector is contributing to the levy, [rather than] a burden being placed on individual artists to make donations.' All of the U.K.'s main promoters attended the December roundtable and, according to Variety's sources, the levy was also discussed, largely positively, at a meeting of the Concert Promoters Association at the International Live Music Conference in London last week. Precisely where the blockage occurs remains unclear, but the message has yet to get through to everyone. 'I'm not saying I'm some sort of saint but, for me, it hasn't been difficult to have that conversation,' says Homer of his own approach to the scheme. 'I don't want these venues to be under threat and, if there's a way of supporting them, this seems like an easy way to do it.' MVT CEO Mark Davyd, who has been the driving force behind the levy scheme, agrees that there may be 'structural reasons' behind some shows not announcing their participation. But he also warns that, with the sector still in crisis, such excuses might not wash for much longer. 'If you do a blunt assessment in March, it will look like we've failed,' he says. 'I don't think that will be the [government's] conclusion in March, but it risks being the conclusion in June and there's a very, very heavy risk of it being the conclusion in September. 'I'd be surprised if there's anybody left who doesn't understand that, if there isn't a voluntary version, there will be a statutory version,' he adds. 'And the statutory version will have to be accompanied by a statutory regulator and be based on percentages, so it presents a whole bunch of different problems for the music industry which are, frankly, much harder to deal with than a voluntary levy.' The Department of Culture, Media & Sport declined to provide comment for this piece, but pointed towards Bryant's speech at ILMC, where he said: 'I hope we're going to have progress on [the grassroots levy] soon.' And Jon Collins, CEO of touring sector trade body Live Music Industry Venues & Entertainment (LIVE), is confident the industry is making enough headway to keep the government happy at this stage. 'There was never going to be this big bang moment where it just appeared on every tour, because that's not a voluntary process and we're in a voluntary process,' he tells Variety. 'There are tours being announced that don't carry the pound [levy] and we sincerely wish they did. We hope that, the next time those artists come to the U.K., it does become part of what they do. But there's real positive momentum and we're looking forward to announcing more tours [featuring the levy] in the very near future.' While almost everyone in the live business favors a voluntary, industry-led scheme, that will only hold if almost every show signs up to it. 'Our argument is that, if it's not a blanket [scheme], then there's no compulsion,' says Martin. 'We would much prefer the industry to lead this. We've been told that a statutory levy will take too long and the crisis is so acute it has to be solved now, but here we are: 12 months on from the select committee, with no funding distributed to artists.' While gigs announced earlier have seen donations made to the Music Venue Trust, the official levy scheme will be administered by The LIVE Trust, set up by LIVE. The proceeds will be paid into the Trust, which will then fund programs such as MVT, FAC or the Association of Independent Promoters (AIP), which will in turn take applications from individual venues, artists and promoters. Estimates of how much money could be raised, were the levy to appear on every arena and stadium ticket sold in the U.K., range between £8 million ($10.2m) and £30m ($38.3m). 'It's intangible at the moment because the Trust hasn't delivered anything yet,' says Collins. 'But when we're talking about this in a year, we'll be able to go, 'All these artists came on board, all of this money was raised, this is how it helped venues and artists' – and that should make it easier for people to get behind it. We can all see there's a huge collective win if we deliver it correctly.' Precisely how to do that, however, is a matter of some debate. While all parties agree all parts of the ecosystem need to benefit, the devil may be in the detail. Martin believes artists and venues should receive an equal proportion of the fund (with 'another, not necessarily equal, proportion going to promoters'), while Davyd is not concerned about percentage splits, so long as all funded programs comply with the scheme's 'core aim' to 'reverse the decline in the number of trading grassroots venues.' With other groups also eyeing possible applications, and the entire grassroots sector desperate for funds, it's perhaps no surprise that a few cracks seem to be appearing in the united front that has propelled the scheme this far. 'There are tensions, there's no point in pretending there aren't,' says Davyd. 'There are organizations that have seen the fund and would like some of it to go to certain places, but haven't yet thought through what the fund is actually for, and how whatever they're going to propose will achieve that outcome. 'MVT is not precious about this at all,' he adds. 'If somebody can explain to me how investing in, say, roadies is the way to stop venues from closing down, then let's do that. We know what the fund is for, and the things that we will bring forward will certainly stop venues closing.' An earlier comment from Martin in NME that the problem would not be solved 'by propping up venues that people are nostalgic about' also angered some venue owners. He rows back from those comments in conversation with Variety, but maintains that the solution to the crisis lies in the big picture. 'It's no good to us if new promoters can't thrive, or if promoters that have thrived can no longer sustain themselves,' he says. 'It's no good to us if venues that are otherwise sustainable, but for market failure, can't survive and there is nowhere else to play. We have to focus on supporting artists at the early stages of their careers. It's not us or them, we have to lift all ships at the same time.' Despite a number of tours signing up, some details of the scheme are yet to be confirmed. For example, it's not yet clear if the levy will be subject to VAT or a PRS contribution (in which case it would need to be more than £1 to cover those elements), or if it will be regarded as a charity donation. But what is not in dispute is the potential impact of the scheme on all sectors of the grassroots touring business. It might not fix all the problems overnight, but it would certainly help make a start. 'If we use it sensibly,' says Davyd, 'It will not just turn around this collapse in local live music, we can start looking at how to build back the bits we've lost.' That's a potentially huge prize for the U.K. industry, with almost every world-renowned British act having graduated from the country's unique network of small pub and club shows. But, somewhat ironically, the scheme's success might hinge on more of the big American artists and managers buying into it whenever they appear on the U.K.'s lucrative arena and stadium circuit. 'Those artists benefit from the British music culture that breeds such brilliant fanbases,' notes David Martin. 'But, if we're not winning the moral and ethical argument with them to support this ecosystem, the practical element is that government looks very minded to legislate in this area [if the voluntary scheme does not succeed]. And, if they legislate, it will become a greater expense for you.' 'I'd urge U.S. managers and agents who are hearing about this for the first time, to think back through your own career and talk to your artists about where they started,' says Davyd. 'Then just think about an 18-year-old living in a community where the music venue was closed down. Don't you want that person to have access to music? How would [they] even become a live music consumer, let alone the next Ed Sheeran, or the manager of the next Ed Sheeran, or the person who does the lights for Glastonbury or the sound for Coldplay? It's the oldest cultural maxim there is: you cannot be it if you cannot see it.' Best of Variety What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in March 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Liam Payne's Family Hits Out at Press For ‘Indescribable Lasting Damage' From Coverage of Singer's Death
Liam Payne's family issued a strongly worded statement on Sunday (March 2) expressing their distress and disappointment at the way the press had reported on the circumstances of the late One Direction singer and solo star's death last year. 'Liam's death was an unspeakable tragedy. This is a time of tremendous grief and pain for those who knew and loved him,' read the statement, according to BBC News. 'Liam ought to have had a long life ahead of him. Instead, [the singer's son] Bear has lost his father, Geoff and Karen have lost their son, Ruth and Nicola have lost their brother and all of Liam's friends and fans have lost someone they held very dear.' More from Billboard Liam Payne Remembered in Emotional Tribute at 2025 BRIT Awards Conan O'Brien Makes a Joke About the Drake & Kendrick Lamar Feud at the Oscars: Watch Here's the Oscars 2025 Winners List (Updating Live) The family added that they understand that the investigation into Payne's death was 'absolutely necessary, and the family recognises the work done by the Argentinian authorities. However, the family accepts the Court of Appeal's decision to drop all charges. The constant media attention and speculation which has accompanied the process has exacted indescribable, lasting damage on the family, particularly on Liam's son who is trying to process emotions which no seven-year-old should have to experience.' Their comments came just a few weeks after a court in Argentina dropped charges of criminal negligence against three of the five people indicted in connection with the singer's passing after a fall from a third-story balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina last October. The court's ruling cleared Esteban Grassi, head receptionist at the CasaSur Hotel, Rogelio Nores, an Argentine-American businessman and friend of the singer who accompanied Payne on the trip, and Gilda Martin, the hotel's manager. Two other men, Ezequiel Pereyra and Braian Paiz, are still facing charges for allegedly supplying drugs to Payne on the night he died. It was Grassi who made two emergency calls prior to the accident, first reporting that a guest was 'trashing the entire room' and later expressing concerns that the guest 'may be in danger.' A report from Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No. 14 released last month showed that an autopsy found that Payne, 31, had 'alcohol concentrations of up to 2.7 grams per liter in blood' at the time of his death, or a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of 0.27%, which is more than three times the U.S. driving limit and just below a level that is considered life-threatening. The Argentinian report said that in addition to the dangerous BAC, the autopsy revealed that Payne had cocaine metabolites and the medication sertraline (Zoloft) in his system before he died of what has been described as 'multiple trauma and internal and external bleeding' from the 40-foot fall at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. In their statement, the family also wrote that they always wished 'for privacy to grieve and asks that they be given the space and time to do so… Liam, you are so loved and missed.' The singer's kin also gave thanks for a touching tribute paid to Payne at Saturday's Brit Awards, led by his friend Jack Whitehall. 'He achieved so much in the short time that he was on this earth, and was not only a supremely gifted musician but an incredibly kind soul who touched the lives of everyone he came into contact with,' the comedian said before the screen filled with soundbites, portraits and performance video of Payne set to 1D's 'Little Things.' 'We joined in that celebration of his life and will forever remember the joy that his music brought to the world,' the Payne family wrote. Payne was buried in November in the U.K., with his funeral attended by all his former One Direction bandmates, girlfriend Katie Cassidy, and ex-partner Cheryl Cole, with whom he shared son Bear. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Liam Payne Honored Months After His Death with Touching Video Tribute at 2025 BRIT Awards to 'Celebrate His Legacy': Watch
Liam Payne was remembered at the 2025 BRIT Awards. The singer was honored months after his October 2024 death with a special video tribute at the annual awards ceremony, which was held in London on Saturday, March 1. Host Jack Whitehall introduced the tribute, saying, 'It is now time to take a moment to remember a very special person who meant so much to so many of the people in this room and to millions of you around the world.' 'Last October, we woke to the devastating news that Liam Payne had tragically passed away,' Whitehall, 36, continued. 'He achieved so much in the short time that he was on this earth and was not only a supreme gifted musician but an incredibly kind soul who touched the lives of everyone he came into contact with.' 'We have so many amazing memories of Liam here at the BRITs, so tonight we celebrate his legacy and look back and remember the remarkable Liam Payne,' he concluded. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Related: Liam Payne's Alarming Alcohol Percentage at His Time of Death Revealed in New Report A video montage then appeared on-screen that first showed Payne singing the One Direction song 'Little Things' into a microphone. Photos of him as a child next appeared, as well as footage of Payne recreating a childhood photo of himself with his parents Karen and Geoff and sisters Nicola and Ruth. 'I hope that me singing today brings some people some enjoyment somewhere," Payne said halfway through the clip, before more footage played of the artist. The montage finished with a black-and-white shot of Payne smiling. Payne's former One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson reacted to the tribute on X, writing, "Thank you @BRITs. Beautiful tribute. Miss you always brother x.' Related: Liam Payne's Friend and Workers at Hotel Where He Fell to His Death Cleared of Charges Payne died at age 31 on Oct. 16, 2024, after falling off a balcony at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In a press release by the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No. 14 released on Feb. 21, it was revealed that the late singer had "alcohol concentrations of up to 2.7 grams per liter in blood at the time of death" and "cocaine metabolites, methylecgonine, benzoylecgomine, cocaethylene and the medication sertraline" in his system. The new information comes after it was reported on Feb. 19 that Payne's friend Roger Nores and hotel workers Gilda Martin and Esteban Grassi were cleared of charges in connection to his death, per Rolling Stone and the BBC. Read the original article on People
