Latest news with #BritAwards
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Oasis, Adolescence: How the UK finally got cool again
Helen Coffey, The Independent If you're Gen Z or younger, you probably can't remember the last time the UK was cool. It was before your time, I'm afraid – a Nineties heyday embodied by Britpop bands such as Oasis and Blur, Richard Curtis romcoms, YBAs (Young British Artists) headed up by Damien Hirst and his provocative animals in formaldehyde, and Tony Blair's Labour Party finally booting the Tories out of power in 1997 after an 18-year stronghold. It marked a period of genuine optimism — a feeling epitomised by sexy smackhead Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) 'choosing life' at the end of Danny Boyle's Nineties masterpiece, Trainspotting – when British fashion, music and culture were the envy of all. A time when the country felt progressive, thriving and relevant. A time when, in fact, one might feel the tiniest bit justified in being 'proud to be British'. Ginger Spice was even able to wear a union jack mini-dress to the 1997 Brit Awards without the merest hint that she was making some kind of anti-immigration political statement. That same year, Katrina and the Waves won the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the United Kingdom with their uplifting ballad 'Love Shine a Light'. Since that golden era of Cool Britannia petered out, we've been sorely lacking in the trendy department. The Tories wrested power back from Labour again in 2010, introduced the chokehold of austerity, and clung on for the next 14 years. The flame of excitement prompted by the success of the 2012 London Olympics was comprehensively doused by the damp squib that was the Brexit referendum — and ensuing economic downturn — in 2016. Our street cred was further dented by dodgy Covid contracts and a succession of cringe-making leaders who ran the gamut from robotic to corrupt. Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak: it's practically a four-way tie in the 'which of our prime ministers was the most embarrassing' race to the bottom. No, for a nigh-on a quarter of a century, 'cool' was not a word one could feasibly use to describe the British Isles – not without a knowing flicker of irony, at any rate. But now, all of a sudden, we might just be on the cusp of Cool Britannia Mark II. Now, for the first time in decades, might it be — whisper it — cool to be British again? Of course, the country has long continued to hold a certain charm for anglophiles the world over, but it was previously always our past, rather than our present, that captivated foreigners. Jane Austen adaptations of varying quality may have flown off the shelves; Downton Abbey may have garnered such global popularity that endless series continued to be made, regardless of the increasing 'jump the shark' implausibility that the Crawley family were barely ageing through the decades. But modern Britain, with its deflated economy and mortifying politicians, its littering and its rioting and its binge drinking, was an understandably unappealing prospect for all but the country's staunchest defenders. People wanted the Britain of bonnets and smouldering heroes in the mould of Pride and Prejudice's Mr Darcy or a topless Aidan Turner as Poldark. They did not want the Britain of The Only Way Is Essex. Yet it seems the tide might finally have turned. The signs that the UK's cultural cachet was about to experience an unexpected surge were already there, of course. No, Keir Starmer's thrashing of the Tories last year was far from the jubilant landslide of Labour in the late Nineties, but it at least represented some kind of hope after years in exile for those on the Left. The official trend and soundtrack for that summer – Brat summer – was orchestrated by unabashedly hip British musician Charli XCX, whose album emboldened a generation of young people to sack off curating a perfect Insta grid and stay out raving all night in yesterday's makeup. Even Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris got in on the action after Charli declared 'kamala IS brat' on social media. Now, 2025 seems to be the year when everything has coalesced – and people are once again loving the UK for her grittiness, rather than her prettiness. The Gallagher brothers, pivotal in Cool Britannia's previous iteration, have kick-started a frenzy of Britpop nostalgia single-handed with their reunion tour. Guy Ritchie's latest gangster series, MobLand, with its hard-as-nails London crime scene juxtaposed by picturesque Cotswolds manor houses, was an instant success for Paramount. Adolescence, a dark mini-series set in Yorkshire about a 13-year-old boy who murders a classmate after becoming radicalised online, is Netflix's most-watched show of the year and its second most-watched English-language series of all time. The show's standout performances earned Emmy nominations for Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty and Ashley Walters, as well as 15-year-old Owen Cooper, who made history by becoming the youngest ever nominee in the limited series supporting actor category. And then there are the celebrity endorsements that keep rolling in. 'Everything here is just better,' comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres recently said of the UK after moving here with wife Portia de Rossi following Donald Trump's re-election. 'The way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Peter Andre mortified after huge live TV blunder
EXCLUSIVE: Peter Andre opens up in his exclusive Ok! column about the on-air experience he'd rather forget, saying goodbye to a legend and why becoming a dad later in life is a personal choice Peter Andre has opened up in his exclusive column with OK! this week about what he calls one of the 'most embarrassing moments of his life', as he gives his take on Lady Gaga 's recent tumble during a recent gig in the U.S. The Abracadabra hitmaker was kicking off the Mayhem Ball at T-Mobile Arena on July 16 in Las Vegas, Navada - and was seen losing her balance and falling over, as she approached the barricade to interact with fans, during a rendition of her song Vanish Into You. In videos posted online, the star could be seen slipping as she walked past a cameraman, who nearly lost his footing too, just before she rather ironically sang the lyrics, 'Into the night … we fall,' and then hit the ground, landing on her backstage - before getting up like a pro and continuing her walk by the brricade. Peter, who is famed for his 90s hit Mysterious Girl and currently working on a new album, said of the incident: "I saw Lady Gaga 's awkward faceplant at a gig. It's awful when that happens. But I doubt she'll be having sleepless nights over it – these things happen during live shows." He added, referring to the moment Queen of Pop Madonna took a stumble down some steps during the 2015 Brit Awards while performing Living for Love before confessing he's felt the heat of similar embarrassment: "Look at the Madonna incident, for example. Admittedly, on a smaller scale, it happened to me once on the T4 stage. Walking down steps, I tripped and fell. It was so embarrassing – and it was on TV. But people forget… until you remind them about it, which I just did." During an episode of Sky's Extraordinary Life Stories in 2023, , Peter opened up on the memorable slip-up while performing live on stage, recalling the cringeworthy moment at the T4 on The Beach festival in 2009 to host, John Reynolds. The dad-of-four said: "I appeared on the episode to discuss lots of topics, including my childhood, career highlights and family life. We also discussed the funny moments in my career, including my unfortunate trip off the stage at T4 On The Beach, among other things." The mishap occurred while Peter was performing his then-new song Behind Closed Doors. He lost his footing while singing to the capacity crowd and ended up falling completely off the stage, losing his glasses in the process. However, like a pro, he carried on and didn't let the fact his glasses slid off his face stop him from finishing his song.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Don't stress if you don't know': A rock star's guide to the HSC
Kirk Pengilly, guitarist and saxophonist for INXS, doesn't remember much about his HSC. He does know he didn't do music. He also knows that if he had forced himself into studying HSC subjects he didn't like to chase an ATAR he didn't particularly want, his rock-star dream may have never become a reality. 'I studied to the best of my ability, but I lived in a place of distraction. I could go fishing, I could go swimming, I could take off on a motorboat. I spent a lot of time looking out the window,' he said, recalling his HSC class of 1975 at The Forest High School on the northern beaches. This was also the same year the Herald 's first HSC Study Guide was produced. The 50th anniversary edition of the guide, in partnership with the NSW Education Standards Authority, is launched on Monday and is designed to support the 80,000 plus students sitting the HSC exams later this year. Meanwhile Pengilly said by the time he was in year 12 he knew his life plan: a career in music. And what a career. Over 40 years, INXS became one of Australia's most successful rock bands. With more than 70 million records sold worldwide and more than 4 billion career streams, they have won seven MTV Awards, three Grammy nominations, Brit Awards and hundreds of platinum, gold and now two diamond awards from Canada and Australia. The band, comprising friends from school, first performed locally as The Farriss Brothers in 1977. Michael Hutchence (vocals), Pengilly (guitar/sax), Garry Gary Beers (bass), Jon Farriss (drums), Tim Farriss (guitar) and Andrew Farriss (guitar, keyboard, percussion) won Australian fans and then international acclaim, touring and performing for millions around the world, including the historic sell-out 1991 performance for 74,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. '[When I hear our music in] the supermarket, it's a mixture of pride and hide. I get approached by people everywhere I go, which is lovely, but I find it a bit awkward in a supermarket when one of our songs is playing,' he has noted. 'In stark contrast, hearing a massive audience sing along is breathtaking – such a powerful energy.' Meanwhile, Pengilly said it was important to do 'what you love' and, for all the HSC pressure and stress, the reality is that life goes on after the HSC. Loading 'You need to ask yourself what you love in life and what you love doing,' he said. 'If you can uncover that and get to the bottom of what it is you love, the things you do, then you can see how you can make a job connected to the things you love doing. 'It's not healthy to be doing something you do not enjoy and don't want to be doing. 'Certainly don't stress if you don't know [what you want to do] at the end of your HSC. Enjoy life and it will come to you. Your niche in the world will come when it is ready.'
The Age
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘Don't stress if you don't know': A rock star's guide to the HSC
Kirk Pengilly, guitarist and saxophonist for INXS, doesn't remember much about his HSC. He does know he didn't do music. He also knows that if he had forced himself into studying HSC subjects he didn't like to chase an ATAR he didn't particularly want, his rock-star dream may have never become a reality. 'I studied to the best of my ability, but I lived in a place of distraction. I could go fishing, I could go swimming, I could take off on a motorboat. I spent a lot of time looking out the window,' he said, recalling his HSC class of 1975 at The Forest High School on the northern beaches. This was also the same year the Herald 's first HSC Study Guide was produced. The 50th anniversary edition of the guide, in partnership with the NSW Education Standards Authority, is launched on Monday and is designed to support the 80,000 plus students sitting the HSC exams later this year. Meanwhile Pengilly said by the time he was in year 12 he knew his life plan: a career in music. And what a career. Over 40 years, INXS became one of Australia's most successful rock bands. With more than 70 million records sold worldwide and more than 4 billion career streams, they have won seven MTV Awards, three Grammy nominations, Brit Awards and hundreds of platinum, gold and now two diamond awards from Canada and Australia. The band, comprising friends from school, first performed locally as The Farriss Brothers in 1977. Michael Hutchence (vocals), Pengilly (guitar/sax), Garry Gary Beers (bass), Jon Farriss (drums), Tim Farriss (guitar) and Andrew Farriss (guitar, keyboard, percussion) won Australian fans and then international acclaim, touring and performing for millions around the world, including the historic sell-out 1991 performance for 74,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. '[When I hear our music in] the supermarket, it's a mixture of pride and hide. I get approached by people everywhere I go, which is lovely, but I find it a bit awkward in a supermarket when one of our songs is playing,' he has noted. 'In stark contrast, hearing a massive audience sing along is breathtaking – such a powerful energy.' Meanwhile, Pengilly said it was important to do 'what you love' and, for all the HSC pressure and stress, the reality is that life goes on after the HSC. Loading 'You need to ask yourself what you love in life and what you love doing,' he said. 'If you can uncover that and get to the bottom of what it is you love, the things you do, then you can see how you can make a job connected to the things you love doing. 'It's not healthy to be doing something you do not enjoy and don't want to be doing. 'Certainly don't stress if you don't know [what you want to do] at the end of your HSC. Enjoy life and it will come to you. Your niche in the world will come when it is ready.'
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Maura Higgins sparks concern as she asks for help with painful health issue
Love Island star Maura Higgins asked her fans for their help as she admitted she was suffering severe pain and couldn't find the time to see a specialist Maura Higgins sparked concerns with her fans after admitting she was struggling with a health condition. The reality TV star took to Instagram to seek advice from her followers after admitting that her knee is "killing her" and that it felt like it was pulsing. Maura, 34, was seen posing for a selfie with no makeup on and clutching what appeared to be a matcha drink in her hand as he sought assistance from her fans. The Love Island star wrote, "Don't have the time right now to see a specialist, but if anyone has any recommendations for something I can buy to stop my knee from KILLING please DM me. It feels like there's a pulse inside of it & it's also on running around with the house move has not helped it. (yes my greys are out too, no time for that either." The update comes after Maura has had a busy week after moving into her £1.25million five-bedroom dream home in Essex. Maura has earned an estimated £3.2 million in the years since she found fame on the ITV dating show back in 2019. And she has splashed the cash on a luxury new home - snapping up a five-bedroom property in the south east of England. The semi-detached house boasts an impressive garden and has huge, floor to ceiling windows that allow plenty of natural light to flood in. But it seems Maura will need to splash a little more money - as it appears she has little to no furniture in her grand new home. Nonetheless, the TV star shared news that she has moved into the dream home this weekend. On Sunday, the reality star took to Instagram Stories to share a couple of snaps from inside her new pad. She shared a photo from her kitchen looking out to her garden with a vase of flowers, candles, and a bottle of wine visible in the foreground. She wrote alongside the image: "After the busiest few months.... she's finally in." She added a house emoji and a padlock and key emoji - showing she is now a proud home owner. She shared a second snap showing professional hairdresser Carl Bembridge perched on the top of a kitchen surface and scrolling on his phone. Maura captioned this image, writing: "No chairs yet but he always finds something to sit on." Maura's happy home photos come just a couple of months after she was caught kissing married pop star Danny Jones at an afterparty for the 2025 Brit Awards. The Love Island star and the McFly guitarist sparked controversy as their flirty behaviour was captured despite the fact he has been married to model Georgia Horsley since 2014. Fans blasted Maura and Danny over the scandal and Danny eventually addressed the controversy, issuing a grovelling public apology online. He wrote: "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. 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." Meanwhile, Maura has remained silent on the matter.
