Latest news with #Buster
ITV News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- ITV News
How do you make a 'special shape' hot air balloon for Bristol Balloon Fiesta?
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is off to a successful start with over 80 balloons launching on the first mass ascent. A highlight for many are the 'special shapes' - depicting characters or items - but what does it take to make and fly a differently shaped balloon. What are the special shapes to spot this year? There have been many memorable shapes over the years of the festival and this year sees some new appearances and familiar faces. These ones will be flying: Wednesday - the Addams Family character, star of her own Netflix series, casts a silhouette with her famous plaits. UP - the balloon made of hundreds of balloons from the famous animated film. Buster & Bella the Bulldogs - hear more about them below. Astro the Alien - the green face will be watching you. Oggy the Friendly Dragon - giving a thumbs up as he passes by. Wera Screwdriver - shaped like the handle with the shank below the basket. Wallace & Gromit's Moon Rocket - having a Grand Day Out. Slither the Snake - twisted around a yellow balloon. Lips - with a beaming smile and bright white teeth. Daisy The Cow - the black and white Friesian floating above the fields. Orange - a slice of citrus Slick The Dragon - floating by a box with his feet dangling Tethered only (can be seen at Ashton Court) Ralph the Roziere Ordnance Survey Map Panasonic Battery BBC Globe Nivea Deodorant Thomas the Tank Engine Rupert the Bear Snow White Sonic the Hedgehog How are they made? Many of the special shapes are designed and produced in Bristol itself - at Cameron Balloons. The Director and Founder Don Cameron is credited with bringing ballooning to the UK and has overseen many special shapes over the years. 'It's difficult to have a favourite because your one at the time is the most interesting' Concept The customer will often approach the team with an idea in mind. Buster the Bulldog for example was created after a request for a dog-type shape. Graphic Designer Will Offer explains, 'We've gone away and done some sketches and really thought about how it might fly. We've talked to the technical team - seen what they can produce for us - whether it will work as a shape and then we add more detail, artwork and it ends up hopefully looking fantastic'. Technicals This team has to make sure the idea works in practice and can actually fly. Envelope Designer Steve Cocker explains 'It was a sketch and I said it can work - let's put it onto a standard balloon then let's just animate it." "It's very easy to have two ears the same - so we have one ear going down, one ear going up, put the tongue to the side - it gives it a little bit more character. So it's a question of nudging it into the right shape and then saying yes we can do that.' Assembly Fleur Pryce is one of the seamstresses who then sew the shapes together. 'It's absolutely crazy - every day is a different day. It's so rewarding'. She's been so charmed by ballooning she's becoming a pilot. 'I thought since I make them I may as well give it a go. So yeah I'm learning to fly." After testing and delivery the shapes are ready to head to the skies. As Don Cameron says, ' It's different from flying in an aeroplane. You can lean over the side of the basket and talk to people on the ground for example. It is just a magical thing.'
ABC News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Buster the bull at 1.3 tonnes named heaviest on grounds at Brisbane Ekka
An Angus bull weighing as much as a medium car has become one of the main attractions at one of Australia's largest agricultural shows. Buster took out the title of Heaviest Bull at the Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane this week after winning the same gong at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Weighing in at 1,356 kilograms, Buster is heavier than some species of rhinoceros and was the heaviest bull recorded at Ekka in more than a decade. Preparing an animal Buster's size for shows can be demanding work, but it is also a labour of love for 25-year-old Emily Scrivener who refers to him as her "baby". "Buster loves his food," she laughed. Transporting Buster is always a logistical challenge and wild weather over the weekend in northern NSW meant he almost missed the show. Buster endured a steady 10-hour, 600km trip from his Yarrowitch home, east of Walcha, through snow to Brisbane over the weekend for the weigh-in. "I think if we had have left home any later we potentially would have been stopped," Ms Scrivener said. "Sleet started just out of Uralla and pretty much the whole way through Armidale, Guyra, Glen Innes it was pretty interesting driving in the snow." When Buster eventually arrived in Brisbane, attendees were lining up for photos with the big bull who had gained 100 kilograms since the Sydney show in April. "I was quite surprised … because he's really just been getting enough grain, we thought, to maintain his weight between shows," Ms Scrivener said. Ms Scrivener said Buster was easygoing with a good temperament. "He is a big puppy dog. You can lay on him, cuddle him, do everything and he's more than happy to just sit there," she said. There has not been a weight near Buster's at the Ekka since 2017 when a Devon bull from Coonabarabran named Krypton recorded 1,334kg. "At the time I was told he was the heaviest bull that had ever been shown at Ekka," owner Victor Edwards said. Mr Edwards recalled Krypton, judged the Reserve Senior Grand Champion Devon that year, being weighed more than once. "He weighed 1,350kg and they decided they might need to check the scales, questioning whether their reading was right," he said "While he was off the scales he went to the loo a couple of times. He weighed 1,334kg the next time after getting rid of a bit of waste." But it turns out neither Krypton or Buster were the heaviest bull ever weighed in the 149-year history of Ekka. RNA beef committee chair and Charolais breeder Gary Noller said there was another bull that sprang to mind. "We did have a Charolais bull come in around 25 years ago that topped the scales around about the same weight," he said. "I think he may have even been 1,360 or 1,370kg. So yes, a big bull back then." In 2011 the NSW stud Pine Creek Angus exhibited a 1.5-tonne Angus bull named Monk in the stud competition at the Ekka. Speaking to the ABC today, its owner Greg Fuller thought Monk was even heavier, up around the 1,535-1,555kg mark. As for Buster, Emily Scrivener has high hopes for him at the Ekka — his last show before he returns to the paddock to breed. "He's my baby and I'm hoping he does well. I would love to be able to bring home a broad ribbon with him," she said. "The plan is to collect from him and use him as a sire in our own herd and potentially look at selling some semen in the future."
New York Post
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
MLB joins the crowd by ruining its All-Star Game
Anyone old enough — I prefer 'pre-deceased' — to remember the Buster Brown shoes jingle? Of Buster and his dog, Tige, who both 'live inside,' it concluded that they're 'really just a picture, but it's fun to play pretend!' And playing pretend is what the sports media does in its annual overly enthusiastic imagined-significance emphasis on All-Star games, who made the teams and — scandal! — who didn't! This week we have MLB's All-Star Game, next week the WNBA's. And though it's difficult to escape all media's consuming interest in the games — triply so for TV networks with rental contracts with the leagues — the discriminating sports-minded will take a pass, perhaps even clean the attic, especially in the case of MLB's former and now self-destroyed 'Midseason Classic.' Advertisement 7 Players watch the post-game fireworks show from the field following the HBCU Swingman Classic during the 2025 MLB All-Star Week at Truist Park on July 11, 2025 Getty Images MLB's All-Star Game now exists to the viewing interest of fewer and fewer. Increasingly it has become an unneeded and unwanted afterthought to the Home Run Derby, which, as a gimmick, has grown tired, left for ESPN — the E stands for excess — to holler over its remains.
Glasgow Times
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Grado shares hilarious plan to return to River City
The star, best known for his roles in Two Doors Down and Scot Squad, wants to reprise his role as Buster in the Scottish soap — with a dramatic storyline that would see him kill Shellsuit Bob, played by his real-life friend Stephen Purdon. With River City set to be axed due to declining ratings after its final series next year, time is running out for the Two Doors Down favourite to make his comeback. READ MORE: Grado cracks out McCoist impression at 'shuperb' Glasgow Airport bus launch Grado, whose real name is Graeme Stevely, told The Scottish Sun: 'My ideal storyline is for me to come back and kill Bob. "I would choke him to death in the wrestling ring in Shieldinch Town Hall. "Can you imagine? The ratings would be so good if that happened that they'd maybe keep it going.' Grado originally appeared in River City in 2014 as Buster, a flamboyant wrestling character who left Shieldinch to chase his dreams in Las Vegas. Although his stint on the show was brief, it sparked a lasting friendship with Purdon. The pair are currently touring Scotland with their live comedy show Shellsuits and Spandex — a nostalgic look back at two decades of their careers. Grado said: 'The shows are getting tighter every night. I've uncovered Bob's debut in River City and other acting jobs from over the years. "He's uncovered videos of mine too — including my first episode of River City. "We're telling stories about that, how it's ending, and I'm talking about Two Doors Down, Scot Squad, and wrestling. "It's a review of the last 20 years, and there are a couple of embarrassing stories in there that are a bit close to the bone. "We had a show in Kilmarnock and the lights came up and I noticed my wean's nursery teachers in the crowd — that was a bit awkward. "These are the folk I bump into Monday to Friday, and the stories weren't exactly PG. But they absolutely loved it.' The show also features a Q&A segment, which often leads to surprise guest appearances. Grado added: 'We do Q&As with the fans and it's hilarious. "There are a lot of mega River City and Two Doors Down fans. "When somebody asks a question about Lenny Murdoch, Stephen FaceTimes him — and he's usually in his goonie. "I do the same with Elaine C. Smith. Three times I've had to phone her and apologise — but she doesn't mind.' READ MORE: Did you spot him? Grado guest stars in hit ITV drama Though Grado once performed more than 150 wrestling shows a year, he has now stepped back from the sport, reserving appearances for special occasions. He recently wrestled in Italy for the first time, and says he now appreciates tours that don't leave him in pain. He explained: 'There are so many venues where I'm turning up saying, 'I'm sure I've wrestled here before.' "Dunbar is the only place on this tour that I've never wrestled in before — so I'm glad to be going there. "I don't even mind driving for hours because I don't have to take my bags and put the leotard on. "It's the best feeling not having to stick on the baby oil, the lycra and the knee-high boots. "These days, if I go to tie my boots, it takes me half an hour to pull myself back up. "You've got to meet the guy you're wrestling and you never know what'll happen in a match — one dodgy move and you're not driving home, you're being stretchered out.' READ MORE: Grado joined by familiar famous face as hit BBC show returns As River City approaches its final series, Grado's wife Steph — a devoted fan of the show — isn't convinced he'll get a second shot in Shieldinch. The comedian joked: 'I told Steph that I'd love to go back — apparently Buster is still wrestling in Las Vegas. "I said to her that River City has a year left to go, and asked if she thinks they might phone me and ask me to come back to Shieldinch. "She's a proper River City diehard and doesn't miss an episode — and she said, 'Nah, of all the legends, why would they bring you back?' "But I'll be ready if they want to bring Buster back.'
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
"Buster's really doing it": Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw hilariously reacts to Giants' Rafael Devers trade
Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw popped off after the San Francisco Giants made a major move on Sunday Night Baseball, bringing in the Boston Red Sox superstar slugger Rafael Devers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The news that the Giants were going to get to make it official came during the game, and with Kershaw commenting, ' Buster's really doing it, good for Buster, he's going for it, ' regarding Giants' president of baseball operations Buster Posey's move was a characteristically funny moment: the veteran lefty, worn down by the waves of media requests to talk about how this earthshaking transaction rocked the direction of both Bay Area foes, cracking a joke right at the end of a busy June schedule. Clayton Kershaw's full reaction shows admiration—and a bit of humor Kershaw didn't hold back his genuine surprise and admiration for the Giants' aggressive move. He reacted live by saying, 'How about that trade? That's wild! Buster's really doing it! Not Olney; Buster Posey's really doing it over there. Good for Buster, man. He's going for it. I'd consider [Rafael Devers] one of probably the top 10 hitters in the game at worst.' It was a revealing and funny moment, not just because it made clear he wasn't talking about ESPN insider Buster Olney, but Posey, the ex-catcher-turned-executive, now making moves with impact. The combination of the separation between the chicken salad, built on respect from which the Giants and Dodgers rivalry was brewed, combined with the competitiveness that the two have bred together, spiced up an already seasoned rivalry. Devers, a two-time All-Star and consistent offensive threat, represents a massive addition to San Francisco's batting order. Kershaw acknowledged this directly: 'He's really a game-changer… It makes them better right now, for sure.' Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A seismic NL West shake-up, straight from Buster Posey's desk This is a huge trade in the tight race for the NL West. Likewise, the Giants (just a few games back of the Dodgers) sent a clear win-now message by trading for Devers from the Red Sox in exchange for a package featuring lefty Kyle Harrison plus reliever Jordan Hicks. According to the same report, Devers also signed a long-term agreement with the Giants to stay in San Francisco. Also Read: Since becoming the frontman of the San Francisco club, this is one of the most aggressive moves from Buster Posey. Kershaw brought the moment a bit closer to home—and humor—than most when he chimed in, amid the online buzz from fans. His spiel encapsulated what baseball at its best should always be: crazy, wild, and with respect — often begrudging — between enemies as bitter as the Yanks and Sox.
